Mattdg's 120G SPS / Mixed Reef Build and Progress

mattdg · Feb 15, 2021

Since I'm practically taking a walk down memory lane anyway, here is one of my very first nano mixed reef tanks set up in 2000, video made in 2003, published to youtube in 2006. Previous to that, I had only really kept marine fish, since I was a kid.

This little 5 gallon mixed reef used a DIY power compact fixture in a custom cabinet and hang on filter modified to be a small air driven protein skimmer. At the time, there was nothing commercially available, at this scale. This tank was up and running for 4 years 2000 - 2004, and was moved 3 times.

Warning, the video quality is bad consumer grade standard definition, from the 90s.

Chessmanmark · Feb 16, 2021

“My favorite thing about nano reef aquariums, is how they encourage the viewer to see what would most likely go completely unnoticed in a larger system.”

Yes, very good point.

My first tank was a 29 gallon I set up in 2003. I used to stare at
copepods for hours. That’s something you just don’t do in a big tank.

When I was scuba diving in Barbados I got excited by turtles, a barracuda, and any large fish. The dive master would point out shrimp and other little treasures that I was uninterested in at that time. Now I would want to see those organisms that I overlooked.

Chessmanmark · Feb 17, 2021

I enjoyed the video of the 75. I can see origins of your current tank in your previous build.

The small cube was awesome, and your write up that got published is very cool. That was advanced stuff even by today’s standard.

From that experienced you could see the stage was set for bigger and better things which translated into your success today.

mattdg · Feb 18, 2021

Chessmanmark said:
I enjoyed the video of the 75. I can see origins of your current tank in your previous build.

The small cube was awesome, and your write up that got published is very cool. That was advanced stuff even by today’s standard.

From that experienced you could see the stage was set for bigger and better things which translated into your success today.

Thanks Mark! I really appreciate you taking a walk down memory lane with me. It's fun to do.

mattdg · Feb 20, 2021

Okay, finally had the time to install the new 45” LED strips, raise the T5 strips and install the second AIHydra64HD. Got the best of everything now, controllability, subtle shimmer, full coverage, reduced shadowing, nice color mix (white and blue) and T5 like spread over the entire tank. Very happy so far.

Chessmanmark · Feb 20, 2021

I bet that picture doesn’t do it justice.

I was surprised how bright your tank was b4 the upgrade.
Having a little of everything must be a nice feeling.
Coverage, controllability, and PAR. What more can you
ask for?

Try not to burn the house down. With all those lights
and power heads you must be maxed out on sockets.

mattdg · Feb 23, 2021

Chessmanmark said:
I bet that picture doesn’t do it justice.

I was surprised how bright your tank was b4 the upgrade.
Having a little of everything must be a nice feeling.
Coverage, controllability, and PAR. What more can you
ask for?

Try not to burn the house down. With all those lights
and power heads you must be maxed out on sockets.

Yeah, you kind of arrive around "high noon" for my tank, so it was on the bright end. actual par is an average of 300, but dropped off too much at the edges, so I needed to increase coverage for the SPS colonies that would eventually shade themselves. It was always the plan to add more t5 bulbs, but went with the LED strips instead. We shall see how they do.

In the end, I only had to add one more AC plug, since I removed the old AI Sol that was hanging in the center. Far as flow pumps, it is par for the course with SPS tanks. I will say this, my electric bill with these lights and all of the downstairs tanks is still half of what it was, when I was running two 250 watt Metal Halides. Crazy!

Speaking of power, I am starting to toss around the idea of running the display tank off of solar, using a MPPT solar charger / inverter, that automatically switches to utility power when solar / battery is not available. This could even work for a full on battery backup system, with no panels at all. Just an idea, at this point.

mattdg · Apr 13, 2021

Newest video where I discuss how my AI Hydra 64 HD compared to my Viparspectra, side by side, in the 120 for 1 year.

mattdg · Apr 25, 2021

mattdg · Apr 25, 2021

I've done a ton of removing and resorting / adding new frags, over the last 6 months. The Fox flame, in previous photos, was shading stuff underneath, so that is now cut up and in the Rack and Rubble frag system down stairs. I've added some high end chalice, WWC Supafly and a Rainbow/jellybean , both were on my list for years, so finally just ponied up the cash to get them. The only coral of note, that I am still actively seeking, is a UC amazeballs goniapora. Anyone reading this update, let me know if you have one to trade / sell. Also added a bunch of LE SPS frags, some of which I have mentioned already. Most are taking off, while some of the older colonies struggle a bit, such as the Red Dragon and Green Slimer. Doing my best to maintain them, upstairs and downstairs, though it may take awhile until they are back to their full splendor.

Recently started dosing korallen-zucht flatworm stop / 3 x per week, for supplemental along with the Acro Power and Microbacter 7. I do not have flatworms, just dosing for increased tissue density. As far as I can tell, I am seeing positive results. Running carbon in a block for 24 hours 2 x a month, in my overflow. I really like this method and the interval seems perfect for maintaing water clarity, without totally stripping the water of all of the good stuff. Replacing 12 TBSPS GFO, 1 x / month, since that seems to be the key for keeping my PO4 at .03.

The system is still running on 1.3 gallons / day, Auto Water Change, though I have fully switched over from Red Sea blue bucket, to Red Sea Pro. My theory is I'll save a little bit of $$ on bi weekly trace addition, though this is still a relatively new change. Time will tell. Far as the auto water changes in general... total game changer. I find myself wondering what I need to do with the tank every other Saturday now, when I would normally be doing a water change. Just awesome, though I do plan on performing larger 30-40 gallon Water changes a few times / year, with the Red Sea blue bucket, since I still maintain my ALK around 8.2 Dkh.

The Lifereef skimmer, is doing an excellent job. I do notice that my NO3 is falling a bit, which is something that Jeff over at Lifereef said would happen. I'll report back on this change. Hopefully it becomes a trend, as I have always struggled with NO3 in the 25-30 range. Aiming for 5-10, which I am getting very close to now.

The new lighting install was a smooth transition. No loss of coral, under the upgraded AI fixtures and LED strips. Increased tissue in the previously shaded areas. Overall nice color and spread. I feel satisfied with the new implementation.

Only new upcoming change will be two inkbird wifi enabled heater controllers, upstairs and down. For me, between that and a wifi camera, I am totally comfortable being away from the tank for an extended period. Other than that, I like to keep it real and do old school ALK testing via salifert with a magnetic stirrer, 3 x / week, though I do see an alk specific controller in my future.

Looking forward to seeing some of my choice SPS babies, grown into new colonies, especially the Bill Murray, Pinky Bear and Vivid's Confetti. Also added a wild tenuis, I am curious to see where the colors go on that. Just when I think the homewrecker colony has reached peak color, it gets even better. Love that. All of the LPS towards the bottom are fat / colorful and healthy. I've made space for the Red and Pink Goniapora to stretch their legs a bit.

That's it for now.

mattdg · Apr 25, 2021

Some nice LPS, recently moved upstairs, from the frag tanks.

mattdg · Jun 25, 2021

Let's see. Update on the 120.

I was noticing a bit of hair algae appearing and a few colonies of SPS looking a bit dingy. for me, chalky coral is a lead indicator that something is slightly off. Also, still losing the Red Dragon. Now down to one small frag, out of the multiple colonies I've grown out. Tested everything, all parameters spot on. It has been awhile since I replaced the RO filter, though the DI resin, sediment and carbon blocks have all been maintained regularly. The TDS meter on the output read 0. Either way, couldn't hurt to replace the 1.5 year old RO. I went ahead and installed a simple backflow valve on the unit, while swapping it out. It was a free install, since I already had a 1/4" ball valve in the parts bin, along with some RO tubing. Just to be certain, I emptied 50 gallons of prepared RODI out of the mixing bin and replaced it with the water from the fresh membrane.

So far, so good. The remaining red dragon frag is growing back. It will be a miracle if it returns to it's former glory, or even makes it at all. Gotta love SPS. With that said, the red dragon totally does that once in awhile and has over the years grown back. There were some additional upgrades such as the new skimmer and light fixture, that could have been part of the issue, not to mention fluctuating PH levels, as the seasons shift. I have noticed my Nitrate levels slowly dropping from 25 to 5, since the Lifereef skimmer install. Interesting, since I was told by Jeff that this might happen.

All said, the tank has been doing very well. Most coral are healthy and growing, displaying deep color. Alk/Cal uptake has been very consistent, with stable levels for many months now. All the fish are a looking bright eyed and active.

One of the most exciting additions to the tanks, is my Amazeballs Goniapora, purchased from a member here. It is absolutely stunning, as reflected by the price. I've been looking for 2 years for a quality specimen, so I was happy to pay up. I'll post a picture very soon.

That's it for now.

mattdg · Jun 26, 2021

Chessmanmark · Jun 26, 2021

You can always reach out if you need a frag of the Red Dragon. It is continuing to grow in my tank. As long as I have it, you have it.

mattdg · Jun 29, 2021

Chessmanmark said:
You can always reach out if you need a frag of the Red Dragon. It is continuing to grow in my tank. As long as I have it, you have it.

Much appreciated Mark! Hoping my one, last piece hangs in there, but I will take you up on that offer, if it doesn’t.

mattdg · Sep 13, 2021

Here is a video, featuring some of the high end SPS in our display.

mattdg · Sep 21, 2021

Tank is doing pretty good lately. Seriously though, do you all notice your tanks tend to cruise around this time of year? I really do think it is has something to do with the increased PH stability, since the windows in my home tend to be opened up. It always fluctuates between 8.0-8.4, but doesn't move as much in the evenings.

Check out the video I posted above. It shows off some of the nicer SPS colonies.

I've really settled into a maintenance routine with this tank. Actually, to the point where when I remove segments of larger colonies to make space, I can almost predict how much I need to lower the cal / alk dosers, based on how many branches I clip. With that said, I am testing religiously, 3 times every week, ALK only. This has really helped with stability.

I do every often, consider auto testing, but just can't bring myself to maintaining one more piece of complicated equipment. Alk test takes 1 minute max and it is so easy to do.

The auto water change system has been great so far. One of the BRS peristaltic pumps failed, I contacted their service department and they sent a new one, no questions asked. I have since broken my AWC into two 35 minute segments, as to not put undue stress on the dosers, with one long session / day. I will stick with the 50ml/minute dosers for now and purchase a backup, so I don't have to deal with down time, if one breaks.

Let's see, what else?

The one last red dragon coral frag I have, seems to be recovering. I have to say, it is so satisfying when you have a meltdown, but save the coral by a thread. It's sort of like the end of an 80's movie, where it seems all is lost, but suddenly the hero's luck changes and everything works out. Anyway, Mark I know you've got my back, just in case. Thanks!

I dare not mention any other SPS colonies I am happy with right now, since that is an immediate death sentence, for some reason. Ah, what the heck. Loving the cherry bomb tenuis, bill murray and vivid's confetti is starting to branch out. It's going to make a stunning colony, if all goes well.

That's it for now.

noopsyche · Sep 21, 2021

mattdg said:
Since I'm practically taking a walk down memory lane anyway, here is one of my very first nano mixed reef tanks set up in 2000, video made in 2003, published to youtube in 2006. Previous to that, I had only really kept marine fish, since I was a kid.

This little 5 gallon mixed reef used a DIY power compact fixture in a custom cabinet and hang on filter modified to be a small air driven protein skimmer. At the time, there was nothing commercially available, at this scale. This tank was up and running for 4 years 2000 - 2004, and was moved 3 times.

Warning, the video quality is bad consumer grade standard definition, from the 90s.

This is a precious video