Another Reefer 350.

[neiltus]

I am going to stop being lazy (ha) and start a build thread, that and I don't want a virtual spanking. Anyway, have had some form of saltwater tank since the late 80s. It's been an interesting journey...from the wet/dry days to leds. It is really kinda cool to look back over the years....especially at tank mistakes. We all learn from experience.

This build basically is an ongoing rsr 350 iv'e had going for ~6 years. Before you think "mature colonies", the aquas cape is getting updated, and there were updates to lights....and this zoa colony that got outta control. Anyway.....currently it's getting re-fragged, and scaped in a manner to make the most of the new T5/Kessil lights and par-more on this later.

I live in a house in Dallas Tx, and have space for a second tank should I ever have free time. I have a decent ro system, my incoming city water runs about 33ppm, and it's treated with chloramine. I initially started off with a 4 stage ro (after upgrading) about 6 years back and now run a 6 stage, it's got 1m pre, 1m car x2, 75gpd x 2 membranes, color changing DI x 2. I discharge all the waste water to the yard and have a 105g FW storage. Unit sees 3ppm before RO stage and 0 after. It's cheap and it works.

I religiously use Red Sea blue bucket and add about 10ml of soda ash per 10g of incoming tank water. I weigh my salt to 3.3lbs per 10 gallons. I mix day of or before. I don't have issues with the salt not dissolving. I use an eheim 1000 to mix all my salt and usually mix 40g at a time.

Over in the sump I am running a Royal Exclusiv 50w DC for the return, it runs at exactly 50%. I have a bubble king 160 handling the skimming, it's oversized yeah, but it works like a rolex-It's an AC pump c. 2016 that is dead quiet and predictable. I have carbon running, right now it's ROX, no GRO currently, another eheim 1000 handles the reactor duty. I have a DOS setup to an apex classic doing the soda ash and calcium needs. 200w titanium heater in the sump that really only gets use in the winter-my tank cools to about 75.5 overnight and at the highpoint in the light cycle it may touch 79, but usually stays below.

Tanks parameters are currently:
75.6-78.8
9.3 dkh-Hanna
435 Ca-Hanna
1325 Mg-Hanna
17ppb PO4 - measured with the 736
12 NO3 - Red Sea
ATO is Tunze with a 45L Royal Exclusive box. I evap just above 3L a day in the summer and more in the winter.


More on the tank and stocking later, need to grab a beer. FWIW, I spend a lotta time camping and trekking....I usually get out of the city for a couple weeks a month. Kinda nomadic, lol. Other hobbies, kids, horses, dogs, music and am an avid early American Arts and Crafts pottery collector....so if you ever wanna talk that PM me.

Mas later....

 

[fishguy242]

hi sounds like going to be a fun ride

 

[smm52487]

Looking forward to seeing some tank pics!

 

[neiltus]

Howdy @fishguy242 and @smm52487

I was running 3 kessil 360 (old style), and thought that was all good and fine until I rented a par meter. I was getting maybe 20-30 on the floor at 70%. I considered adding a pair of additional kessil pendants.

At times I thought about going back to a 6 bulb t5, because i've done it before, it worked well. But that is old school.

The convertible hoods by ATI and Aquatic Life came out. I fell in reef lust with the one from aquatic life. Lust turned to envy when I read that they updated the reflec in the new version and it out par'ed the ATI. So I bought one. Tried various bulb combos until I got to two actinic and two blue plus. Then went to three blue plus with the kessils running at 50% color and love it. It's not a blue look at all, there is enough white where the corals still fluoresce and enough shadowing where you can see detail and depth. It's a very good balance when you tune it in.

Basically I ramp up my kessils for 2 hours to 40% color and 55% int, then the 3 B+ and 1 Act come on for 6 hours with the kessils steady then the hood shuts off and the kessils ramp down to zero.

With this setup I am getting basically 150 par on the coral bed in the front of the tank, and about 90 at the rear of the tank by the overflow. At 12" I get about 200 par with a warmer front up around 220-230 and at 6" I am 300-350.

Fixture is mounted sloping in their wall mount at 6" off water in front of tank and 8" off water in rear.

The T5s do an excellent job of taming the kessil rave (which is not bad). I can look at the tank longer.

Also pictured is an acrylic lid I had CNC cut for the tank. I have jumpers.

Inside the tank I run a pair of Tunze 6095, their mounted at the back wall and angled the opposite. I run them via the apex app from 33~41, one side comes on at 41 for 10 seconds then off for 30, other side comes on to like 38 for 15 seconds and off for 20, so there is some overlap. It's a simple program.

Fish wise in the tank I have:
Potters Angel (5+ years old)
Yellow Eye Kole (2 years)
6-line wrasse (3 years)
Longnose Hawk (recent)
2x convict goby (8 months)
Bella goby (recent)
Lawnmower Blenny (4 years)
3 cleaner shrimp
100s of dwarf cerith
few Florida cerith
3 conch from various areas
enough narssarius vibex to eat a neighbor
hermit in sump

I don't do traditional snails. Their expensive and I don't like having to flip them.

Basically, it's a couple big fish, some cool fish, and some who just eat and stir up crap for me.

Some fish and frag photos, please beer in mind that the scape is in progress and I am currently mounting frags about 2-3 a day. Will post stocking plan in the next post or so, currently there are about 12 acro, 2 hammers, 6 monti, 4 lepto, 2 lepta, some isolated polyps, about 6 isolated zoa/paly, a pair of platy, and a couple favia I will kill cause I always kill favia, trumpets, a chalice and about 6 more acro incoming with some mo' euphyllia.

 

[neiltus]

dupe sorry

 

[neiltus]

Alrighty, did a wc today 10g, my phosphate was 24ppb before and 24ppb after, I am happy about this bc it was a bit lower than I liked earlier in the week. I dumped some phyto and fed coral.

Currently we are:
no3: 10m
po4: 24b
dkh 9
ca 425
mg not tested

I will watch over the next week, I have some plain jane brs gfo I may run 1/4c in a few days if it gets much higher than about 40ppb. Like to keep it 10-20.

I glued a couple lower light acros, a WWC Blueberry Fields and a WWC Lemon Twist. They got ***** at being handled and retracted and lost color. I will give em a few days. Drama queens. One was an eBay win the other was in a summertime pack.

Since I already felt defeat, I decided to pull apart my pump and give it a good soak in 150 degree 100% vinegar. I also did a little scaping, putting in a shelf that had been sitting in ro to get the dust off. It will hold some mini pieces that I glue pairs two....

My bella goby and convicts are busy filling in my rockwork voids to ensure the pieces stay where I placed them. So thoughtful of them.

Have a few more pieces coming at the end of the week, a couple torches, couple more acro and another mushroom.

Anyway, that is all for now. Time to mow.