d2mini's "Essential Focus" Mixed Reef Build

[d2mini]

very nice my friend, love the combo of natural TBS rock with "designer" acros so to speak. Very unique!

I am about to use a calcium rx for the first time and had planned on getting the ap carbondoser until i saw you say that you could build a nicer two stage for the same price basically. What are the disadvantages of the carbon doser? Does the electronic device not keep bubbles constant as the tank empties? I know that is the main benefit of a two stage, that it stays the same no matter how much is left in the tank, right?

What parts did you use and how much did it cost to build completely? Any special tools or skills required?

Thanks!

The AP works fine, but it’s just a cheap single stage reg. The timer controls the bubble count, but the c02 dial controls the size of the bubbles.
You can either follow this thread on the other forum to build your own, or contact the OP see if he as any already built, ready to go.
The first time I built my own with all stainless steel parts and this time I just grabbed a nice brass one he already had which was cheaper.
No special tools required.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2461771

 

[BigJohnny]

The AP works fine, but it’s just a cheap single stage reg. The timer controls the bubble count, but the c02 dial controls the size of the bubbles.
You can either follow this thread on the other forum to build your own, or contact the OP see if he as any already built, ready to go.
The first time I built my own with all stainless steel parts and this time I just grabbed a nice brass one he already had which was cheaper.
No special tools required.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2461771

Thanks bud, I'll def check it out.

 

[d2mini]

Hope everyone had a great Turkey Day!

Took a few new pics of some of my fish. Playing with my Nikon SB-900 flash this time which I NEVER do.

 

[kschweer]

Hope everyone had a great Turkey Day!

Took a few new pics of some of my fish. Playing with my Nikon SB-900 flash this time which I NEVER do.

Beautiful!!!

 

[bubbaque]

Beautiful angel! How’s it behaving?

 

[d2mini]

Beautiful angel! How’s it behaving?

They're both doing well. Sometimes I'll find some missing polyps on my birdsnest for example, but nothing that doesn't grow back.
I'm assuming it's probably the Bellus but I never actually see either of them eating coral. Heck, it could be one of my many mithrax crabs.

 

[RobertP]

very nice

 

[najer]

Skills, love the hawk.

 

[Eliot]

Awesome thread

 

[d2mini]

Finally got around to installing a booster pump on my Spectrapure RO/DI w/Auto Flush.
Got it from SpectraPure during black friday.
Pressure jumped from about 35-40 psi to 92 psi.

 

[Clayton Jessup]

Very nice

 

[jazzmik]

Here's a few more pics of the science lab under the tank.
There is a dense ball of cheato and a few big tufts of dragon's breath rolling around in the fuge.

Also, the CaRx is doing well! Now that I have the needle valve, it's very close to being dialed in. Alk is at 8.4 this morning, dropping just .1 from last night.

hey @d2mini went through a bunch of this thread then jumped to the end . Somewhere along the line did you switch out that BAO sump? Are you still doing the Triton Method?

 

[Clayton Jessup]

hey @d2mini went through a bunch of this thread then jumped to the end . Somewhere along the line did you switch out that BAO sump? Are you still doing the Triton Method?

Well jazzmik why did you decide to jump the thread. Yes he pulled out the BAO sump , and got a LifeReef sump. He stoped the Triton Method due to his tank kinda crashing and wanted a fresh restart. So now he is running a Calcium reactor , to grow his coral, and a plan Jane Refugium .

 

[Velcro]

Crazy amazing pics.

Recently got a booster as I was dealing with the same pressure (35-40). I tuned it to 90 PSI and my God the difference in speed and post-RO TDS is so good!

 

[jazzmik]

Well jazzmik why did you decide to jump the thread. Yes he pulled out the BAO sump , and got a LifeReef sump. He stoped the Triton Method due to his tank kinda crashing and wanted a fresh restart. So now he is running a Calcium reactor , to grow his coral, and a plan Jane Refugium .

Thanks... yes I know it was being lazy

 

[d2mini]

Crazy amazing pics.

Recently got a booster as I was dealing with the same pressure (35-40). I tuned it to 90 PSI and my God the difference in speed and post-RO TDS is so good!

Thanks!
And ya, i should have coughed up the dough for the booster a long time ago. lol

 

[jazzmik]

Made some updates under the hood over the past couple weeks.

The most obvious is a whole new sump from LifeReef.
It's their CLF1 Berlin Sump with the add-on Refugium.
My old 200g had a big custom LR sump and I always thought it was designed well with just the necessities and with none of the gimmicks.
The big one is no filter socks. Instead there is a large tray for mechanical filter material of your choosing. The water enters the sump into this section with the skimmer and then flows over the filter material.
Then the return section has the Accessory Rack which holds probes, 1/4" water/dosing lines, and filter canisters which I'm still waiting on.
On the right is the refugium. Water gets pumped from a tee on the return line into the fuge, through a spray bar in front and then back into the return section from the drain along the back. The fuge has a built in emergency drain, too (the upturned 90 elbow).

I've currently got it plumbed just to get it running, but once the filter canisters come in, I may replumb and run them off a manifold rather than a dedicated pump.

I also got a new SVS3-24" skimmer to match.

For the fuge, I'll be starting that up this week with some new Chaeto.
I decided the old Mars Hydro 300 LED was just too big for this smaller fuge so I replaced it with a smaller and slightly less powerful 216w UFO style grow light. Very similar spectrum.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MXIVY5V/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

This is a much smaller sump overall than the Triton sump I had. I'd say it's just big enough.
I did have Jeff add a couple inches to the width (front to back) measurement, but I also had him take a couple inches off the length of the fuge to get it to fit comfortably in my stand.
Now I have more room in the stand, like for an eventual calcium reactor.

And finally, the doser was upgraded to the GHL 2.1 and the old 2.0 will go to my office nano to replace the BRS dosers.

@d2mini can you tell me the total LENGTH of the sump and fuge combined?

 

[d2mini]

@d2mini can you tell me the total LENGTH of the sump and fuge combined?

35"

CFL1 - 25x16x14h
Refugium - 10x16x18

 

[jazzmik]

35"

CFL1 - 25x16x14h
Refugium - 10x16x18

Thanks... looks like I can fit that under the Reefer 450 stand!

 

[revhtree]

Hope everyone had a great Turkey Day!

Took a few new pics of some of my fish. Playing with my Nikon SB-900 flash this time which I NEVER do.

Beautiful photos and fish!