Esolo SPS Fusion 20

esolo16

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As I sit on a delayed flight, I figure it's about time I created a build thread for my tank. This will be the fourth rendition of my fusion 20, since I have moved quite a bit the last couple of years. Here it is before the most recent tear down:
IMG_20180311_122135.jpeg


Here it is now (5 months old):

IMG_20180925_110214.jpeg


This will be SPS only and I am going for a minimalist look. Over the years, I believe I have tried every single gadget that that will fit in one of these tanks and have decided to stick with the basics. Fusion 20 tanks are notoriously hard to find a decent skimmer for and I have owned four separate nano skimmers with varying results. My equipment list right now includes:

ATI 4x24 Sunpower
MP10
Vortech Battery Backup
Gyre 130
BRS Dosing pumps
Apex jr
Tunze ATO

For livestock, I am only buying aquacultured fish and coral. The current inhabitants are:

Two clownfish
Black neon dottyback

Bubblegum milli
WD acro
JF fox flame
UC strawberry shortcake
WWC twig and berries
Paletta tricolor
Green slimer
WWC sloth stag
Pink cap
Bubblegum digi

Thanks for looking
 
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esolo16

esolo16

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Looks clean- good job! What color bulbs are you running?
Three blue+ and one coral+.

I ran a reefbrite xho with it previously, but did not like the way it looked attached to the ATI. I feel like it ruined the aesthetic of the fixture, but loved how the coral looked. Depending how these coral color up when they grow out, I may add it back.
 
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esolo16

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So after saying my tank will be a simple SPS setup, I went out and purchased an Icecap K1 Nano skimmer and some zoas. So far, I am really liking this skimmer and I may do a full review on all the nano skimmers I have owned in the future. I also added some Blue Hornet zoas and I forget the name of the second zoas. I believe he might have said rainbow incinerators, but I am not positive. I will post a pic if anybody wants to guess.

But the biggest addition is a chunky pink lemonade acro! I am really excited about this piece, pics to follow.
 
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esolo16

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Latest addition. Some rastas...
IMG_20181202_155004.jpeg
 
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esolo16

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Looking for some input. My gyre 130 is on its way out. I have had it for a few years and got it second hand, which was not in great shape when I received it. So overall, I am pleased with its longevity. However, it is much more of a pain to clean then my MP10 due to all of the parts. My question is, what should I replace it with? I am thinking either another MP10, a gyre 230 or a Nero 5.

I have been incredibly pleased with my MP10. I have had it for over four years and have had zero issues, so I am probably leaning that way. The Nero is interesting though, because it looks like it will provide a very dispersed flow and I like trying out new equipment. The gyre is still in contention because it adds a lot of flow over and under my rocks and the random mode on the new controller could be beneficial. Any input would be appreciated!
 
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esolo16

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Another pump I am thinking about, the Icecap 1K Gyre. Its half the cost of the other options and seems to be sized more appropriately for my tank. Anyone have any experience with it?
 
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esolo16

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I ended up going with the Icecap 1K and installed it today. First impression is pretty good; seems well made, strong magnet and lots of flow. Even at 10% it is blowing my sand around pretty aggressively, much more than the lowest setting on the Maxspect at its lowest speed. I do not know if this is attributed to the age of my Maxspect or my lack of cleaning it frequently, but there is definitely more flow. It might also be that the Maxspect was able to be throttled down more efficiently and the lowest setting had a much lower percentage of the max flow than with the new Icecap, but that is pure inference. The only other con is the magnet lacks any way to grip it well and the side that hits the glass on the dry side was somewhat tacky, making it hard to move around at first.

My biggest issue now is that the cord is thicker than the Maxspect, which was able to fit between the glass wall and my Clearview lid. I am debating whether to file out a notch in the acrylic or cut a small hole in the mesh to channel the cord through. For now, one corner of the lid does not go all the way down and rests on top of the cord.
 
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esolo16

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Update time...I decided to add some chaeto to one of the back compartments since my pH has been getting down to 7.7 most nights. I am not usually one to try and chase pH, but it was way too low for my liking. Additionally, I already had a chaetomax light set up since I ran it until the most recent tear down. My pH now appears to be much more stable and hasn't dipped below 7.8 since
Screenshot_20181220-130139.jpeg
 
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esolo16

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Made some more changes to my system. First of all, I went back to the Maxspect Gyre 130. My issue with it was one of the sides of the motor I believe got bent during cleaning and was preventing it from spinning with one of the cages attached. I remedied this by only using one side and placing it vertically on the back. I didn't hate the Icecap 1k, but it had some negatives. For one, I could not find a good way to run it without blowing my sand everywhere. Another issue was it made noise when running the random feature while it ramped between levels. It wasn't too bad, but my tank is near where I work and it did bother me. Lastly, the cord wouldn't fit between my glass and my clearview lid. This is not a fault of the Icecap, but it did influence my decision to not stick with it.

The next change I made was to add in a Reefbrite XHO strip. I was getting decent growth, but the color in my coral was not the best.

Lastly, my clowns were not getting along and the larger one was doing a considerable amount of bullying. With 20 gallons and a minimalist rockwork, I am guessing there was just not enough territory for two clowns. I brought the small one in to my LFS and swapped it out for a canary blenny. I am not anticipating any issues with territory between the three different fish I have now, but I will be keeping a close eye on it.

As of now, I have made WAAAY too many changes recently which goes against my philosophy on how to sustain coral. My goal for the next few months is to make no more changes and let everything do its thing. Hopefully I will be able to resist the urge to tinker any further.

And of course...here is a current FTS

IMG_20190114_115510.jpg
 

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I love it!
 
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esolo16

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Well, I just got in my semi-annual Triton ICP test results. A couple of measurements stuck out to me, very high levels of zinc (27 µg/l) and iron (12 µg/l). I just inspected all of my magnets for rust and could not find anything. I also ordered some polyfilter to put after my filter floss. My growth had slowed recently and the polyp extension on my pink lemonade has become non-existent, but I had been attributing that to the recent changes to lighting and flow. All other polyp extension appears to be fine.

Should I be concerned about these levels? I am going to do a couple of water changes because it never hurts. I may also order an ATI ICP test since it will test my RODI water and confirm/eliminate that as the source.

Here are the full results:
https://www.triton-lab.de/en/showroom/aquarium/auswertung-b/icp-oes/65012/
 

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Thanks for sharing. I have never done of these test and had been wondering what one would look like and what suggestions it could do to help improve the tank.

I noticed the results did not mentioned anything about zinc or iron..that it's very high etc. I would be curious what others may have done with their results.
 
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esolo16

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Thanks for sharing. I have never done of these test and had been wondering what one would look like and what suggestions it could do to help improve the tank.

I noticed the results did not mentioned anything about zinc or iron..that it's very high etc. I would be curious what others may have done with their results.

I personally like to do it twice a year as a checkup. If you were to do one, my advice would be to not overreact to the results. As far as I know, most of the setpoints are based on NSW and there isn't scientific evidence on what the exact range of tolerance is for most of the elements tested. With that being said, I am going to attempt to bring my zinc and iron down considerably because I am much better at giving advice then listening to my own advice :)
 

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