Bigboned
Active Member
So i joined recently and have seen that R2R really does live up to its friendly reputation, So ive decided i should open myself upto abuse lol - Heres a build thread!!
Ok its going to be a slow work in progress so apologies upfront, there wont be weekly updates as im paid monthly lol i mentioned in my introductory post that im coming over from FW so this is going to be a converting thread rather than a typical build. I know pictures are important so there will be plenty on route and as i try and voice the thoughts in my head i really would like comments, critique and suggestions as its my first time going SW and ive to make a lot of compromises which are not necessarily ideal
So to start here is my current FW setup:
a 4ft x 15" and 2ft deep tank
the 2 cubby's in the stand only have a useable space of 12" x 12" - i understand how much better a sump setup would be BUT im just not feeling the space with my plans
1 cubby currently houses my canister and booster filter, i use the booster for mechanical media and it gets cleaned weekly, the eheim canister houses only bio media and so dosnt get cleaned as often - i think this is preferable than using it for combined bio and mech where the bio would be constantly being disturbed - the pics arent great but my water is crystal
the other cubby houses electrics, my wave controller, test kits etc
a wavemaker in a FW you say - yes i know ive always preffered the surface movement for plant movement and for gas transfer rather than the typical bubble curtain, altho in the dark corner there is an eheim air pump - hopefully this last pic gives some idea of scale with the controller as to how little room there is inside.
As this is all fairly new equipment and ive to deal with swmbo keeping an eye on me and spending ( lots of other things we are trying to achieve this year) so i cant swap out tank etc so im going to learn my lessons with this lot.
The plan:
1. HOB Reef Octopus bh1000 skimmer - after loadsa conversations etc i can make this work without modification to the euro bracing, placing on the rear right hand corner i can utilise the cut out in the brace for the intake pipe ( the biggest issue in getting over the bracing)
the other pipes etc wont be there.
2. Using the existing eheim canister tor GFO and carbon only - depending on the fill amounts i may have to use thin sponge to hold the carbon in place but in essence the media will be in mesh bags to make changing easier, considering using the booster also for extra mechanical filtration - i already clean weekly so no biggy to keep doing so, i suppose it will depend on levels of waste in the water after the skimmer does its thing, i could potentially use it for bio media/ LR etc so as to have some cycled media for quarantine/ spare etc - would also be useful to reduce the flow of the pump in the filter head as i appreciate it dosnt need to be as strong for a reactor - better than using a ball valve maybe?
3. i dont currently use RODI but i do make up water into a 40ltr drum with tap water conditioner etc and heat using a spare heater, then rather than using the bucket method i have a spare hose i tap onto the in/out of the canister head and so pump the clean water thru the system and out of the spraybar / dirty water out thru the canister so i dont disturb the fish too much when conducting water changes weekly - i anticipate doing this with salt water in the new setup also, albeit i have a 6filter RODI in mind, i will probably get this sooner rather than later as there is no harm in using it for the FW setup anyway so wont be sitting in a box and im 2 hours away from an LFS so buying water would be a pain
4: I intend using an ATO straight away and infact have pulled the trigger on a tunze 3155, ive a 10litre water container - think small jerrycan which sits between the stand and the wall to the right, the water level currently sits just above the bottom of the wooden facade, there is a good 3 inches of tank above that so if the ATO pump over ran and emptied the container, the water level will still be contained within the tank, as it is im loosing apx 5litres per week to evaporation - it is an open top tank and we have a stove at the other end of the room so this is currently worse case scenario - i dont know if it will alter much changing to SW but im sure 10Litres of reserve will be enough, if not i just go bigger being mindfull of max tank holding
5. i already have a tunze 6055 wavemaker - currently on lowest flow to keep my angel fish happy - obvs its got plenty more in reserve and i would anticipate needing a 2nd unit for the opposite end once coral starts to go in - i guess i will play this by ear
6. For lighting - other than the strip that came with the setup - it works in its basic form but has no power i currently have an 8000K 'plant' led strip - this will suffice until i need to grow things. For cycling purposes it will be fine for me to see inside lol ( and has a lovely shimmer for a non reef light)
this will be sold to put some funds into the pot - along with the huge bit of bogwood which wont be needed. I want to go LED again so looking at the usual Hydra / Radios etc - the overall plan is if i can be successful here then in a few years to upgrade to a sumped 5ft so i intend to re-use whatever i buy now. I dont know enough about what inverts etc i want to keep but i imagine there will be a mix of coral types so even tho im sure i wont be trying anything to advanced at the early stages id rather have the power necessary for when i do - as it will happen! im thinking as the tank is quite narrow and therefore limited, i would be ok with 2x xr15w / hydra 26 - ive a shelf apx 1ft aove part of the tank so i could use this for suspension points if i cant work out euro brace compatible brackets - i dont like the clamp onto the side type thing.
So i think thats my basics covered - im sure there will be plenty of niggling issues along the way but if anyone sees anything that looks out of turn i would appreciate your comments. ive not gone into controllers / dosing etc im sure they will come along the way and ill be sure to ask for help - in the meantime, i think this will get me to up and running - is there a good equation / rule of thumb for proportion of live rock vs dry rock - this is apx 50 gallon? currently the back glass is clear - i intend to darken that to hide the skimmer/ wires etc from display.
cheers all, hope thats not too much waffle!
Ok its going to be a slow work in progress so apologies upfront, there wont be weekly updates as im paid monthly lol i mentioned in my introductory post that im coming over from FW so this is going to be a converting thread rather than a typical build. I know pictures are important so there will be plenty on route and as i try and voice the thoughts in my head i really would like comments, critique and suggestions as its my first time going SW and ive to make a lot of compromises which are not necessarily ideal
So to start here is my current FW setup:
a 4ft x 15" and 2ft deep tank
the 2 cubby's in the stand only have a useable space of 12" x 12" - i understand how much better a sump setup would be BUT im just not feeling the space with my plans
1 cubby currently houses my canister and booster filter, i use the booster for mechanical media and it gets cleaned weekly, the eheim canister houses only bio media and so dosnt get cleaned as often - i think this is preferable than using it for combined bio and mech where the bio would be constantly being disturbed - the pics arent great but my water is crystal
the other cubby houses electrics, my wave controller, test kits etc
a wavemaker in a FW you say - yes i know ive always preffered the surface movement for plant movement and for gas transfer rather than the typical bubble curtain, altho in the dark corner there is an eheim air pump - hopefully this last pic gives some idea of scale with the controller as to how little room there is inside.
As this is all fairly new equipment and ive to deal with swmbo keeping an eye on me and spending ( lots of other things we are trying to achieve this year) so i cant swap out tank etc so im going to learn my lessons with this lot.
The plan:
1. HOB Reef Octopus bh1000 skimmer - after loadsa conversations etc i can make this work without modification to the euro bracing, placing on the rear right hand corner i can utilise the cut out in the brace for the intake pipe ( the biggest issue in getting over the bracing)
the other pipes etc wont be there.
2. Using the existing eheim canister tor GFO and carbon only - depending on the fill amounts i may have to use thin sponge to hold the carbon in place but in essence the media will be in mesh bags to make changing easier, considering using the booster also for extra mechanical filtration - i already clean weekly so no biggy to keep doing so, i suppose it will depend on levels of waste in the water after the skimmer does its thing, i could potentially use it for bio media/ LR etc so as to have some cycled media for quarantine/ spare etc - would also be useful to reduce the flow of the pump in the filter head as i appreciate it dosnt need to be as strong for a reactor - better than using a ball valve maybe?
3. i dont currently use RODI but i do make up water into a 40ltr drum with tap water conditioner etc and heat using a spare heater, then rather than using the bucket method i have a spare hose i tap onto the in/out of the canister head and so pump the clean water thru the system and out of the spraybar / dirty water out thru the canister so i dont disturb the fish too much when conducting water changes weekly - i anticipate doing this with salt water in the new setup also, albeit i have a 6filter RODI in mind, i will probably get this sooner rather than later as there is no harm in using it for the FW setup anyway so wont be sitting in a box and im 2 hours away from an LFS so buying water would be a pain
4: I intend using an ATO straight away and infact have pulled the trigger on a tunze 3155, ive a 10litre water container - think small jerrycan which sits between the stand and the wall to the right, the water level currently sits just above the bottom of the wooden facade, there is a good 3 inches of tank above that so if the ATO pump over ran and emptied the container, the water level will still be contained within the tank, as it is im loosing apx 5litres per week to evaporation - it is an open top tank and we have a stove at the other end of the room so this is currently worse case scenario - i dont know if it will alter much changing to SW but im sure 10Litres of reserve will be enough, if not i just go bigger being mindfull of max tank holding
5. i already have a tunze 6055 wavemaker - currently on lowest flow to keep my angel fish happy - obvs its got plenty more in reserve and i would anticipate needing a 2nd unit for the opposite end once coral starts to go in - i guess i will play this by ear
6. For lighting - other than the strip that came with the setup - it works in its basic form but has no power i currently have an 8000K 'plant' led strip - this will suffice until i need to grow things. For cycling purposes it will be fine for me to see inside lol ( and has a lovely shimmer for a non reef light)
this will be sold to put some funds into the pot - along with the huge bit of bogwood which wont be needed. I want to go LED again so looking at the usual Hydra / Radios etc - the overall plan is if i can be successful here then in a few years to upgrade to a sumped 5ft so i intend to re-use whatever i buy now. I dont know enough about what inverts etc i want to keep but i imagine there will be a mix of coral types so even tho im sure i wont be trying anything to advanced at the early stages id rather have the power necessary for when i do - as it will happen! im thinking as the tank is quite narrow and therefore limited, i would be ok with 2x xr15w / hydra 26 - ive a shelf apx 1ft aove part of the tank so i could use this for suspension points if i cant work out euro brace compatible brackets - i dont like the clamp onto the side type thing.
So i think thats my basics covered - im sure there will be plenty of niggling issues along the way but if anyone sees anything that looks out of turn i would appreciate your comments. ive not gone into controllers / dosing etc im sure they will come along the way and ill be sure to ask for help - in the meantime, i think this will get me to up and running - is there a good equation / rule of thumb for proportion of live rock vs dry rock - this is apx 50 gallon? currently the back glass is clear - i intend to darken that to hide the skimmer/ wires etc from display.
cheers all, hope thats not too much waffle!
I knew it was expensive, and needed to try it cheap before I invested a ton of money and time into a hobby I wasnt sure about.
