BenaPilot's 75 Gallon Build

[benapilot]

 

[hybridazn]

Looking good!

 

[benapilot]

Not much to report... just a couple of the latest pics.

NoPoX is working; the nitrates are coming down.

I picked up a Ruby Red Dragonet and a Starry Blenny. Both seem to be thriving!

 

[benapilot]

Video update.

https://splice.gopro.com/v?id=qpRPe4

 

[renato120]

Nice tank!
@Gui Paim

 

[Clayton Jessup]

This is a beautiful looking 75g tank , breath taking and inspiring! Helping me get some good ideas [emoji362] for my 75g build. How are you likening the two AI Hydra 26's , are you going to add T5 supplement at all ?

 

[benapilot]

Thanks!

I like the Hydras. There's a Facebook group for AI users with a whole library of light schedules. I picked one and have had great success. Everything is thriving and a couple corals are growing like crazy!

I'm not going to add T5s. While it would be nice to have for fuller-looking lighting, they would take away from the clean aesthetics of the Hydras.

 

[Clayton Jessup]

That's great to know about the Hydra 26s , I have played with the idea of getting either AI Hydras 26 like you or a pair of XR15PRO 's G4's for my tank as well.. I am still playing with ideas. Or I am considering a T5 fixture as well

 

[benapilot]

I went through the same mental gymnastics! I got the Hydras because the price was right and like the customization of photo periods. I like watching the sunrise on my tank during my morning coffee.

 

[Clayton Jessup]

That's a very valid point , I am also considering Kessils as well , love the shimmer lol

 

[benapilot]

FedEx will be bringing a goodie box from Battlecorals Tuesday!! Can't wait!

Today's full tank shot.

 

[hybridazn]

Very nice! How's the sump holding up?

 

[benapilot]

Very nice! How's the sump holding up?

Working out real well!

 

[benapilot]

I thought I'd post some of my attempts at coral photography. These were taken with a Sony a6000 with the kit lens and a 10mm macro extension, then edited in Lightroom.

I'm really bad with the names of these corals, so help me out if you can....

Green Birdsnest of some kind. This started as a teeny frag (about a quarter of its current size) that broke off a larger colony.



This one has doubled in size since March:


Some sort of orange and green digi:


Another piece from the same frag:


Blue/green Acro. This is growing like crazy! Unfortunately, it's toward the back of the tank so I can't get a good clear picture of it.




Orange Zoas I picked up at the LFS a couple weeks ago.


Palys?


Mushrooms! These grow like crazy and big!


Another digi of some sort? I really like zooming in to see the little polyps.


Lookee here! The feeding tentacles are out on this candy cane colony!


Zoas! This is from Divers Den.


More zoas and an urchin. I've got 6 or 8 of these guys cruising around. They came with my Tampa Bay Saltwater live rocks.


And finally, the FTS

 

[benapilot]

Look what was on my doorstep today!




My LFS recommended ME coral Wash Off. Here are the newbies getting a clean bath:


Here's what Adam sent me:


Plus a new sticker in my stand:

 

[benapilot]

Been a while since I've updated.....

I lost ALL my Battlecorals :( Just days after I put them in, my return pump quit. I was out of town and didn't know until days later. My tank controller was non-the-wiser keeping the water in the sump a perfect 78-degrees meanwhile the display tank got down too low. I didn't lose anything else. The stress of shipping plus low temp wiped out my new frags, unfortunately.

I've had some corals brown out, meanwhile others are thriving and growing like crazy.
I'm dosing Ca, ALK, and No4PO3-X. Tank parameters are all pretty good. I'm slowly working my Ca up. It's been in the 350 range. Everything else, perfect. With the NoPoX, my nitrates have been under 1ppm and phosphates at zero.

I bought an airplane last fall, a Cessna 182, so that's been occupying all my time and money recently!

on to the pictures....

FULL TANK SHOT!
DSC06689 by benapilot, on Flickr

DSC06698 by benapilot, on Flickr

DSC06690 by benapilot, on Flickr

DSC06702 by benapilot, on Flickr

DSC06713 by benapilot, on Flickr

DSC06723 by benapilot, on Flickr

DSC06712 by benapilot, on Flickr

DSC06714 by benapilot, on Flickr

DSC06705 by benapilot, on Flickr

DSC06699 by benapilot, on Flickr

DSC06691 by benapilot, on Flickr

DSC06709 by benapilot, on Flickr

DSC06724 by benapilot, on Flickr

DSC06717 by benapilot, on Flickr

...and finally, the airplane, one of the few hobbies more expensive than reefing :)
IMG_7548 by benapilot, on Flickr

 

[hybridazn]

Dang sorry about the losses! Never fails something always happens when away for a while lol.

 

[n2585722]

I have a overfull float switch that will trip if the return pump quits for any reason. The main reason I did it is to shut off the skimmer but it works as an alarm if flow stops for some reason. I am not sure if you have enough drain back on your tank if the flows stops to do this but it is worth looking into. Nice plane.

 

[benapilot]

I have a sump high switch that would have alerted me, except at the time my alerts weren't working on my Archon.

My alerts are working again, fortunately... and next summer I'll temporarily put the heaters in the display tank. We take the family out to the in-law's lake cabin all summer and I'm in and out a bunch between work trips.

 

[benapilot]

UPDATE:

Goodbye Archon, hello Apex!

Coralbox wifi dosing pump.

Full tank shots:

Odds and ends...

This guy is growing like crazy:

Not sure what’s going one with my chalice... maybe the flow change after I cleaned my gyre?