My 150g Mixed Reef Tank. New Pics!

[Dakota_reef]

Okay, so my ASM G2 skimmer pump decided to die, and I dropped the skimmer cup, so saving it for 17 years was a waste. I ended up buying a Reef Octopus 200EXT. I wanted a recirculating skimmer for some stubborn reason. Probably the same reason I wanted MH/T5.

The light came yesterday, and I've mounted it up. Here's the crazy part:

PAR reading on the sand bed: 390-400
PAR reading 6" under the surface approaches 800-900

Now, I had a straight 250w halide on m y 50gallon tall, and it would have PAR probably that high, but I'm kind of concerned now that I have TOO much light.

Spectra 1800mm with 2x 250w Halide with 4x 80w T5

And yes... still haven't finished my aquascape, but at this point, it has rock in it to cycle and that's gonna have to be enough for me for now.

I still need to decide what wood I want to use to enclose it as a cabinet. Probably walnut? Maybe just some oak? not sure. lumber is still stupid expensive right now.

Just for reference:

 

[Jacked Reefer]

Looks awesome! For the light I would raise it a few inches to help with par. It looks very close to the water. I love the way you decided to do flow. This could definitely be a very nice tank.
as for skinning I’m running into the same dilemma with my build. I’m gonna run the stand open for a while but probably just going to do some white doors because of the price of lumber. Can’t wait to see how this turns out

 

[Dakota_reef]

Thank you! it's been a long road to get here. I have fiji Pink sand (only 1/2 added since I need to put the aquascape in before I dump the rest), but part of now thinks it's too fine for the flow I have going but time will tell. I can always turn it down as long as it's enough for the eventual corals.

I'm a little worried I no longer have much room for a refugium (like 4 inches), but I think I'll just go with an algae scrubber if it comes to that. the fleece filter and skimmer should do most of the work for me.

I'm currently running the lights for the rest of the day to see how hot the tank gets. So far it's gone up 1/2 a degree, but also, the heater might not need to come on as much, so at least the tank is using the energy lost to heat!

 

[Dakota_reef]

I finally finished my Aquascape. 1/2 of it still needs to be cemented permanently, but the right side is done!!

The rocks on the left are just for the cycle. It will be replaced by other peice. Mushroom Island will be the middle feature with rocks from the current 20gal.

 

[Dakota_reef]

I still haven't finished other rock structure, BUT -- even with lights on, algae has been quiter than I expected. I think it's brewing and waiting for the right time. I got my first fish in it though!

 

[niccumec]

How has your RO 200EXT Recirc Skimmer worked out. I am setting up a similar size tank and am concerned that it may be too big for it…. Just posted a question on this and saw this older post.

Thread 'Reef Octopus EXT Recirc Skimmer'
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/reef-octopus-ext-recirc-skimmer.1004386/

 

[Dakota_reef]

How has your RO 200EXT Recirc Skimmer worked out. I am setting up a similar size tank and am concerned that it may be too big for it…. Just posted a question on this and saw this older post.

Thread 'Reef Octopus EXT Recirc Skimmer'
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/reef-octopus-ext-recirc-skimmer.1004386/

I honestly think it's too big of a skimmer for my tank. I can't seem to stop large amounts of red slime algae from growing, but my nutrients aren't even detectable. I feel I need to add a TON more fish and corals in order to make it efficient.

I LOVE the idea of this being a recirc, so I've thought about how to keep it. I did have an idea of making my own collection cup with a narrower neck which I think would help right now as my bio-load is still relatively low.

 

[Dakota_reef]

Just realized I've been quite lazy and haven't posted any updates in a while. So here are some recent pics, complete with Algae!!

 

[Dakota_reef]

Finally got around to breaking out my real camera and snapped some shots of everyone in the tank. Even baby trochus snails are breeding! Tons of growth on my Hammer, and the SPS are still going strong, although not quite a year since they've been added. Bird's nests even seem to be spawning somehow, which is awesome to see.

 

[Projects with Sam]

Finally got around to breaking out my real camera and snapped some shots of everyone in the tank. Even baby trochus snails are breeding! Tons of growth on my Hammer, and the SPS are still going strong, although not quite a year since they've been added. Bird's nests even seem to be spawning somehow, which is awesome to see.

great photos!