Choss' 96 gallon Reef Savvy "Nano" Tank

[jgvergo]

@YHSublime thanks for the bump. I've been way behind in updating this thread but I have some good reasons. First, I took some time off this summer and actually took some much needed vacation time to travel. That included a dream trip with my friend Howard to the Swiss Alps via motorcycles. For anyone interested, I started a thread for this trip here:

https://advrider.com/f/threads/two-friends-two-bmws-and-a-week-in-the-alps-black-forest.1334439/

I know there are quite a few reefers who also ride so why not (and I'm behind updating that thread too! )

Anyway, the ReefSavvy has been doing well. I have slowly started adding a few SPS frags - mainly from other local reefers in the NY area. So far these frags are all doing well. Lots of PE but so far the colors are muted compared to original colonies in more mature tanks. But then again, I only have three fish and one shrimp in the tank right now. What is stopping me from adding more is a larger project in my spare "fish room". In this room I have two tanks - a 40 cube with 3 clowns, one sixline wrasse, one watchman goby, and a bunch of miscellaneous "weed" corals that my clowns love. And a 10 gallon mantis shrimp tank. The Mantis came in with my live rock but quickly became a favorite of mine. He's very tame at this point and always comes out to say hi around feeding time. I will try to get a pic this weekend. Anyway, I need to combine these tanks onto a common sump, and then reclaim some space for my quarantine tank.

I do however have a lot of great items in my 20 gallon frag quarantine tank. A few weeks ago I ordered two really nice Maxima clams (blue and green/gold) and a few nice frags from Pacific East. It has been around 6 weeks and everything looks healthy. So I am contemplating adding these pieces this weekend.

A few other things I will tackle - time permitting, is setting up my GHL KH Director and the two dosers I will need for ALK, Calcium, and Mag. I also added another MP40 which I need to hook up. Right now I'm dealing with a huge number of cords, bricks, sensors, and dosing lines and I'm frankly not sure how I will be able to handle the management of these items without it becoming a total mess. This is one area where my design for a floating tank lacks practicality. So its a bit of a daunting task to get through all of this in a weekend.

More to come soon - promise to include some pics of the corals and fish.

Chris

Wow, that looks like an awesome trip (beer, wine, motorcycles and beautiful mountains in every picture)!!! I'm puzzled though...where are the pictures of the Zurich Aquarium?

 

[choss]

Wow, that looks like an awesome trip (beer, wine, motorcycles and beautiful mountains in every picture)!!! I'm puzzled though...where are the pictures of the Zurich Aquarium?

Well the trip does end in Zurich again, but sadly I didn't have time to plan in the aquarium. I did try to connect with one reefer (name slips my mind at the moment) who lives in Zurich and has an amazing tank, but my PM went unanswered. Next time I plan this out better ;Wideyed

 

[coralcruze]

I have slowly started adding a few SPS frags - mainly from other local reefers in the NY area. So far these frags are all doing well.

Chris

come see me.

 

[Janci]

Great update.
Now I will have a look at that Alp tour thread!

 

[choss]

come see me.

yes I need to! I will rotate out my QT frags soon and then am ready for some fresh ones.

 

[Mattres]

Loved looking and reading through the trip mate, looked like one to remember for a long time!
Now we just need pics of your tank...

 

[Janci]

Great update.
Now I will have a look at that Alp tour thread!

The Alps tour looks incredible. Such a 5 day ride would be over before you know it, but with making the thread, you just seem to extend it a little bit longer.
Great photos and description.
One to remember.

 

[choss]

The Alps tour looks incredible. Such a 5 day ride would be over before you know it, but with making the thread, you just seem to extend it a little bit longer.
Great photos and description.
One to remember.

It was fantastic and there are a few more days to document (and some vids) - I am just short on time at the moment! I moved a few more sticks into the display this weekend. Now I just have to take some decent pictures. My issue is my son just started college and has the better camera with him...;Meh

 

[Janci]

It was fantastic and there are a few more days to document (and some vids) - I am just short on time at the moment! I moved a few more sticks into the display this weekend. Now I just have to take some decent pictures. My issue is my son just started college and has the better camera with him...;Meh

Congratulations for your son.
Bummer on the camera... ;Facepalm

 

[mattgsa]

Very nice build. Looking forward to seeing the tank progress.

 

[choss]

Thanks Matt!

 

[choss]

I was preparing a photo update, which included adding a few more frags and 2 new clams, but last night I discovered slow leak in the corner of my tank. As I write this I'm still devastated by the events. Basically I emptied the tank as fast as I could. I was able to save all the animals, they are squeezed into a 10 gallon and 20 gallon frag tank. The large rock islands are in a brute trash can with a heater.

 

[justingraham]

So sorry to hear this

Have you tried calling Felix?

 

[Janci]

Sorry to hear this and hard to imagine the feeling and situation.
I hope the manufacturer comes up with a good solution to help you out.

Keeping things in a brute might be the short term solution.

Good luck

 

[choss]

Yes I will call felix. He has been great. I think this may be less a tank issue and more addressing the issue I was concerned about on page 9 of the thread. But he will have some good advice for me. Thanks for checking in Janci. If I rebuild I may model things more like your build.

 

[choss]

Ok so this morning, I started to consider something else. This tank is literally built like a "tank". So I started to investigate whether the issue is really the seam or whether it is a leak elsewhere. I was able to identify what I think could be a small leak in the bulkhead which could have pooled towards the front of my stand which is related to the issue I was worried about on page 9. So after thinking a bit more this morning, I am going to use this as a way to restart this build and make a positive out of it. First I need to test the tank and see if my bulkhead theory is correct. If so, this will have been a tremendous over reaction but hey, at 11:30 at night, you don't always react properly. Next, I am going to do what I should have done months ago - and that is refinish the stand top to make sure that it is 100% level. I will also rework a lot of the electrical and plumbing which hasn't always been that easy to deal with (considering I went with two remote cabinets v. a traditional stand setup.) Anyway, I am going to now focus on the next phase of this build - first get all my livestock settled into temporary tanks. Second, start working through the Choss 2.0 build.

 

[hbrochs]

I’m all in on the 2.0!

 

[Mattres]

Fingers crossed the leak was just from a bulkhead and not the tank mate.
I’d tend to agree with what Felix said back on page 9. The Reef Savy tanks and Elos tanks have one thing in common and that is they are built like tanks and very well made. They don’t have to completely sit flat 100% on all surfaces as their construction can handle the weight.
Keep that positivity mate there are a lot of people here keen to see your reef grow!

 

[coralcruze]

Bulkheads are a PITA. My money is on the bulkhead not the tank, but hey you never know. So sorry to hear of this.

 

[YHSublime]

Bulkheads can be tricky, sounds like you’ve found the silver horizon on what was potentially a huge storm!

Your plan is sound.