My 72 Bowfront Build Revised Thread

[Flippers4pups]

Hoping for the best turn around ever for you, Jeffrey!

 

[jsker]

Numbers looking pretty good [emoji41]

Thank you, with a long way to go.

 

[jsker]

It's been too long and hope your reef is on the rebound.

Hoping for the best turn around ever for you

What do we always say "patents" I like @120reefkeeper 's better. "stop experimenting " better

@GoVols So happy to here from you, and I hope all is well. I have been thinking about, but also give you your space
@Flippers4pups Don glad to see you are doing well.

 

[jsker]

Are you liking your new Red Sea skimmer?

I really like the skimmer, twist the top and the skimmer cup throat is clean with having take the cup off. Adjusting the flow is so much easier and my PH is back up to 8.0 plus.

 

[jsker]

Happy Memorial day, and it going to be a hot one today

Time for a little tank cleaning and literally chilling in the old A/C.

 

[Fudsey]

Quite a difference down in Stuart though...

 

[jsker]

Quite a difference down in Stuart though...

Yes, the Atlantic waters keep the temp down about 10 degrees. Once the sun starts to set, the temperature will be quite present with the low humidity that we are having. The down side with the low humidity for the past 7 or so days, is everything is drying out and the brush fires will kick up soon.

 

[jsker]

Wow the salinity is high and the phosphates are high also. I am going to do a vacuum on the sand bed today with replenish with just RO/Di that should bring the salinity down to a 35.4 using 8 gallons. Tomorrow is auto water change day and I will mix tomorrow water change with a lighter salinity to bring the salinity in line to a 34. I should also see the calcium, and alk drop back in line also.

Have a good Memorial Holiday Day everyone

 

[jsker]

Well it has been two weeks since I testes, I have been kind of busy.

I am thinking of renaming my thread "My 72 Bowfront dumpster fire rescue" My alk is up and my phosphate are still up. I am working on getting everything back in line slowly and I will start adding coral again. This weeks step is to reduce the Alk dose from 17.6 to 14.4 ml daily then when the alk comes down increase to 16 daily. I also dropping the Mg and Ca to 16 ml daily.

The system is better then it was, but it will take some more time to balance the system and then lets see what cool arco I can find to grow.

 

[120reefkeeper]

Well it has been two weeks since I testes, I have been kind of busy.

I am thinking of renaming my thread "My 72 Bowfront dumpster fire rescue" My alk is up and my phosphate are still up. I am working on getting everything back in line slowly and I will start adding coral again. This weeks step is to reduce the Alk dose from 17.6 to 14.4 ml daily then when the alk comes down increase to 16 daily. I also dropping the Mg and Ca to 16 ml daily.

The system is better then it was, but it will take some more time to balance the system and then lets see what cool arco I can find to grow.

The calcium is more of an issue than the Alkalinity.

At 9.8 alk a balanced amount of calcium is 430ppm. Let the calcium come down and just maintain your Alkalinity if that’s where you want to keep it .

 

[jsker]

The calcium is more of an issue than the Alkalinity.

At 9.8 alk a balanced amount of calcium is 430ppm. Let the calcium come down and just maintain your Alkalinity if that’s where you want to keep it .

Will do, thank you

 

[jsker]

The calcium is more of an issue than the Alkalinity.

At 9.8 alk a balanced amount of calcium is 430ppm. Let the calcium come down and just maintain your Alkalinity if that’s where you want to keep it .

Just made the change.

 

[120reefkeeper]

Just made the change.

Once you get your levels re balanced then you can begin to dose more of a balanced regimen.

 

[jsker]

Read them a weep

Phosphate are way off for dosing lanthanum yesterday and turning on the GFO this morning. I going to retest tomorrow or Wednesday
Calcium and alk are coming down slowly. Mg is low again and I will retest that also.

Tomorrow is water change day.

I need to find some clean up crew.

 

[Janci]

Hi Jeffrey
I have been going through your parameter from the last month and saw Mg fluctuating as well a couple of times.
I believed the dosing pump would take up for the consumption.

Anyway, as you mentioned testing again might clear the doubt.

It is handy to post the test results in the thread. I might have to do the same as I lack in keeping history.

 

[jsker]

I believed the dosing pump would take up for the consumption.

I was having the same feeling and check the pump and reservoir. The reservoir is going down and the pump line are clear and work. I would guess it is the green hair algae consuming the Mg.

It is handy to post the test results in the thread. I might have to do the same as I lack in keeping history.

Most post the good and not the bad, it is great to look back at the progression and regression of system to more information.

 

[HunterW]

A little history: I have had a few fresh water tanks and have had 3 salt water setups to date. Is a move tank, considering a setup? The tanks were in different cities 35 gal and a 150 in St. Louis. I had my moving tank, a 75 oceanic. That tank was in Chicago, New York, Boston, Florida. I would get transferred and depending on the situation of finding housing and move time, (load and unload) I would pack my live rock and the hearty live stock(fish) in a cooler and move. It got to the point that I would have the rock and fish in a cooler for a month at a time in a hotel room with a power head and everything survived, even with my cat Samantha in the room

Well I sold the 75 mover about 13 years ago because I had a few things going on and lost interest. Last year in 2014 the bug bit again, but I was going to do this one right. With all the new technology and blogs, it is so much simpler then the stone age of running down to the LFS and asking or heading to library. Yes, this time around is still a discovery process with buying things on the cheap when I should have paid more and got what I wanted and not what I needed. Notice the want and need thing, I am trying to control the want issue.

I started to build my tank stand during Christmas and new years of 2014. The stand, drawers are out of solid Honduran mahogany, fiddle back maple as well as the sides and face work. The case work is Burch ply. I used 7 nails in the hole project very little glue and a lot of screws. The drawers are dovetailed and drawer fronts are mortice & tendon to match my desk in my home office (my me room) the finish is a FDA approved oil varnish. All door and drawers have Blum soft close. All the drawers are functioning file drawers and drawer. The center of the cabinet meant for storage and now electronics, I did not know I could get all of these neat new toys that I can pull up on my network when I built the cabinet. Here is the pictures of the build and design

Charlie is checking out the cabinet

Called a guy I did a job for and asked if they could make an Absolute black (I wanted black galaxy but you take what you can get when a deal is involved) I catered his wedding and I will leave it at that.) granite top made to match the bowl front of the new 72 tank.

Charlie really like the cabinet The Other Cat just likes to relax and watch

2/2/15 above the tank has water in it, and the next picture is 2/22/15 scaped also added Lucy and Ricky.

March I added Yellow Polyps and the Shrooms

The Polyps did not last but thanks to the guys I bought the Polyps from I now have aiptasia

March 2015 added Tyrone (Kole tang and Ethel hippo tang) to the tank, I bought the fish from the same guy I bought the polyps and shrooms from and could not be happier with the quality of fish.

Not much going on in April except for the really cool thig above the mushrooms (oh yeah that is the aiptasia) but is was cool when I did not know what it was.

April 2015

Went to Reef a Plooza Orlando, had a great time. Met some really nice venders, it was like they want me to buy more stuff. I did buy a couple of corals and placed them in the tank. Then I discovered the online auction of corals (I am hooked)

May 2015

June 2015 is a blank but this was a really good baked pasta we had for dinner. Italian sausage, Meatball, Ghoncci, and cavitalli with a red sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese. Added peppermint shrimp to try to kill the aiptasia, but that did not work. Used Aiptasia X and that only made grown more.

July 2015 not much progress but things are growing. Brought in the enforcer to kill off the aiptasia. Matt (aka matted file fish aka aiptasia killer) Matt is a machine. Within three weeks no noticeable aiptasia and you almost hope they grown so that Matt has something to eat besides Mysis and the homemade food. Matt is a cool fish.

August 2015

Did I say Coral Auction? It is a really sick thing that happens to a hobbyist, I think it is time to create Coral spending support group were we can get together (oh that is this blog)

Photo shop of placement

8/19/15 dropped 3.5 lbs of dry reef rock in upfront to keep things for shifting around with the new
Mp40.
Under the hood 8/21/15 notice the Reef 2 Reef towel.

My setup

-72 bowl front marine land tank

-CPR Bio pak 2 (I like hang on the backs built my first one and had great success with it, and I have found after time all I need is a protein skimmer and water movement

-Current Orbit Marine LEDs very happy and no heat and no huge canopy with fans on all of the time, but I am think of upgrading to the Pro for the broader spectrum. I do not know yet for the reason I have not found any reviews on them yet.

2 Gyre 130’s. I really like these pumps aka power heads. Looking at getting the new ice cap controls

1 echo tech mp140 for movement in the center of the tank. I also really like this pump/power head

Reeflink control for the Echo Tech mp40 works well, read the reviews and most paned it but if you take your time and follow the instructions no issue.

90 lbs of live reef rock most real reef rock and some real stuff. Back in the day you could get some tanga rock and that would spark up you corline in a month but a group out there messed that up.

2 bags live Hawaiian sand

Make my own food and buy Mysis shrimp from the great white north for feeding

Future:

Apex system for monitoring my system from a far.

Red type corals (at another coral auction) maybe red fan coral.

Thanks for posting your build of the stand; of course the food was a good diversion too. I've got a 92 bow from coming next month and was needing to either pay for (NOT) a stand and my friend was going to help me build one. We were going to capture the 'bow' of the front, but I have too many other things going...love your build and will binge read when I have more time. Very much appreciated.TFS.

 

[HunterW]

Switch out my lights from Orbit Marine LED to Hydra 26 HD. Wow what a difference in color, and control. I had decent growth with the Orbit Marine. Let see how the Hydra's do. I also used the kessil goose necks to mount my lights with out to many modifications. I wanted to use the kessil mount for a range of reasons, flexibility, cleaner look, and I can adjust were my light will shine. taking pictures with these light are so much easier. These pictures are without any filter, photo shop, and adjustments to the camera.

Wow...just WOW!!!! Gorgeous setup!!!

 

[120reefkeeper]

How’s your numbers bud? Things coming back into line??

 

[jsker]

Thanks for posting your build of the stand; of course the food was a good diversion too. I've got a 92 bow from coming next month and was needing to either pay for (NOT) a stand and my friend was going to help me build one. We were going to capture the 'bow' of the front, but I have too many other things going...love your build and will binge read when I have more time. Very much appreciated.TFS.

Thank for stopping in. leave a link so that I can follow your build.