DR FM 180g Re-build

drfm

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Time to re-vamp and upgrade my aquarium. I have been encouraged to start a reef builder thread as I go about major changes to my reef system. I started about 22 years ago with a built in 180-gallon (6x2x2 feet) fish only aquarium (April 2001) then converted to a reef aquarium in August 2002. Little did I know then about the challenges of keeping such a micro ecosystem thriving and it's' maintenance needs and planning the initial built as I was adding an addition to the house and could have built things to suit the aquarium better. To my luck, I did a good job (not perfect) to have the space behind the aquarium to place some equipment and do water changes etc.

I am not going to bother people reading this thread about the different changes that aquarium went through from bio-balls to UV-sterilizers to some voodoo things that the local fish store sold me on etc. So, I will start with what I have and what I intend to do.

The current reef system consists of the main display tank, a refugium and a return sump. The main tank has only soft corals as I failed to maintain hard corals over time as they all died. I knew my lighting was not strong enough (two 175 W MH and two dual actinic CF bulbs hung 24 inches above the surface of the water). So, as I want to move to a mixed reef system, the lights are the first to upgrade. Last December as I was heading out of the country my old magnetic ballast running my MH bulbs smoked and burned Infront of my eyes (lucky me). So, I rushed and bought from a relatively local fish store three Fluval 3.0 Marine LED lights and placed them over the tank (couple of inches above water and each above them 24-inch divider on the upper frame of the aquarium) and left for 2 weeks! Came back and the corals survived! I bought a single electronic ballast to run one MH bulb temporarily (see pictures below).

So, after doing some reading and posting on these forums, I decided to go with a Giesemann Stellar Hybrid fixture with 4 T5 80-watt bulbs and two Kessil AP9x LED lights. Got the parts and almost done assembling it.

I will post some pictures and continue the thread, so it won't be too long.
How the aquarium looks from the viewing area (below)

Aquarium front 5-8-22 2M.JPG


The view of the aquarium from the back where there is a small room with a secondary kitchen with RO/DI water setup, sink, equipment etc. Looks messy now. (below)

Aquarium from back room 5-8-22 2M.JPG


The Giesemann Stellar light fixture being assembled. two each of Giesemann T5 80 W Aqua Blue and Super Actinic and two Kessil AP9X (top view below)

Giesemann Stellar prepared 5-8-22 2M.JPG


More writing and pictures to come.
Comments and suggestions welcome
 
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drfm

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Continued

Water flow
From display tank to two corner back overflows to refugium
Refugium to sump (right to left looking at back of aquarium) through flexible corrugated tubes via siphon method
Sump to main display tank through one Mag 9 pump (Danner Supreme) splitting to top of overflows

Refugium lit by Kessil H160 Tuna Flora 24/7 growing Chaeto
Refugium below
Refugium 5-8-2022 2M.JPG


Heating elements in compartment in refugium consisting of two 500 W Titanium heaters with controllers

Aquarium current parameters
Temp 78-79 F
Sp Gravity 1.025 and Salinity 35 (refractometer)
Nitrate 0-1 ppm (Nyos test kit)
Calcium 500 ppm (red Sea test kit)
Magnesium 1500 ppm (Marien Lab Aqua Forest)
dKH 10.3 (Hanna)
Phosphate 1-2 ppm (Salifert)


More to follow
 
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Inhabitants of the aquarium:

A) Fish
3 Banggai Cardinalfish
1 Orbiculate Cardinalfish
1 Copperbanded Butterflyfish
1 Flame Angelfish
1 Percula Anemonefish
2 Cleaner Wrasse
1 Engineer Goby
1 Naso Tang
1 Yellow Tang
1 Sailfin Tang
1 Palette Surgeonfish

All are fed once a day. 3 cubes frozen Mysis shrimp, one cube Marine Cuisine (or variants) and dry marine flakes (Omega One). Sometimes give them see weed

B) Invertebrates
Several crabs
Snails
1 Cleaner shrimp
4 Porcelain anemone crabs

C) Soft corals
many. Don't know their names but some are growing fast all over the aquarium

More to come
 
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