Fern's 54 Gallon corner reef

[Fernthereefer]

Looking great! I'll have to find your DIY section on the sump and refugium.

A DIY refugium addition to a small sump

Hi, This will be my first thread. I wanted to post the construction of my refugium because I have not seen a similar setup. Although the idea is well out there to have a separate compartment for a refugium. Thus, the uniqueness of this setup is not the idea, but the execution in my view. I...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Fernthereefer]

Quick update
I realize that as the tank matures, i become complacent and overall less involved. Not that I am bored of it, but rather that I spend less and less time worrying about it. The tank is doing well, a little too well considering coral warfare is now routine. At first I would do my best to frag, separate, isolate, sell.... but now I just let it mostly go. Losing the occasional piece, or part of. The tank is now fully covered, and more natural looking. But itis also time yo upgrade. So I will start planning.

Thanks and happy reefing!

 

[Fernthereefer]

Mandatory update. Lol

Uneventful past months. Growing out of control....as per usual. Sold some frags so I can keep it as is.

Happy reefing!

 

[Fernthereefer]

Latest pictures. Corals do their things.

PS: new project starting soon. I have not decided if I will start a new thread or just expand on this one!

First time building a stand. 40 gal rimless.

I am.in the process of setting up the overflow. Need to drill and that makes me hesitant since I cannot ascertain it is not tempered glass. Did the polarized glasses thing, still not sure 100%. At this point I think I will just risk it.

 

[Fernthereefer]

Ladies and gentlemen.... we have a reef tank!

The drilling went well. Excellent in fact.

The tank, which was sitting there for a month waiting for me to get the courage required, can now go into the next phase.... plumbing!

Got the Fiji cube 400gph overflow box. Used the included drill bit if people are wondering.

 

[Fernthereefer]

So. Long story short, the house welcomed a new baby.... and the project got completely revamped.

Started from scratch again, made the stand slightly bigger.

Pics tell the story, here it is:

 

[Fernthereefer]

Go some trouble with the back plumbing. The reason being that I wanted the holes as tight as possible for the PVC pipes and electronic cables to pass. 2 reasons: avoid any kids toys (and hands) to get in and keep the esthetics as clean as possible for a peninsula.

 

[Fernthereefer]

The tank as now been up and running for a few week. First inhabitants are in...

Added a Klir-4 fleece roller and a protein skimmer (Magus Curve 5). As most on my builds, all used equipement from marketplace. You can really save so much...

The light is an Orphek Atlantik V4, a few of the leds were burned, but overall not too bad.

I put in a used Nero 5. Works, but had to deal with a rusty backplate, removing rust, resealling the plastic. Will have to keep an eye on this one. The things you find on the used market.... beware.

 

[Fernthereefer]

So I have not been posting....

New job, kids, life.... the whole lot.

The tanks? Well: two different stories altogether.

The 54 corner reef keeps running at its own beat. Never had an issue. Minimal (very minimal) maintenance. I mean: I barely did a 15% water change every 6 months. Still running all for reef. Trimmed some dead coral here and there (overgrowth thst blocked light diffusion and lack of care).

The 40 gal: just went through a nightmarish 1st year. Dinoflagellates aplenty. Tried letting the tank go dirty, tried Dino X, etc. I just made a simple mistake: left the roller. When the it ran out of roll, I just removed it... and within 2 weeks (and help from a good dose of DinoX): no more Dinos. Now it is as clean as when I first started it. Probably much more stable.

 

[Bohemian Waxwing]

Lookin good Fern. I may have missed, but what's the plan for the 40 rimless?

 

[Fernthereefer]

Lookin good Fern. I may have missed, but what's the plan for the 40 rimless?

Thanks. The plan was to transfer all my SPS. Wanted the tank to stabilize first. But now I bought a lemonpeel angelfish and shot myself in the foot*

So for now I use it to transfer frags.

The fish are nice and happy though!

 

[Fernthereefer]

So this is it! the end of the 54 corner reef. I will be moving this year and the journey of this little guy is at its end.

It taught me about reefing; Challenges and happy times. I will be moving all the fish and coral, so the living will stay with me in the next project. In the meantime it will be housed at my brother in law's.

Looking forward to my next big project; Aiming for a 120 gal, but will take my time.

One last picture for the road!

See ya!