Of Blood and Salt - A Waterbox 220.6 Build

[Devaji]

hows the tank coming along?

 

[BifrostReefer]

hows the tank coming along?

 

[BifrostReefer]

It's going well, been moving slow but adding more coral lately. Had an issue that kept killing coral and an icp test revealed high aluminum and Tin. Water changes and cuprisorb solved that so I'm back to adding coral and it is doing well. I may have also killed some coral with too much light. Definitely a learning process but I'm figuring it out.

I have used Dr. Reefs QTed fish, and now have a purple tang, 2 yellow tangs, Desjardins Sailfin tang, powder brown, and a yellow Kole eye as a large tang gang and they get along well. Also have a black storm clown, Azure damsal, royal grama, blue streak cleaner wrasse, fire shrimp, and a couple serpant starfish. I'll be adding a couple more small fish and some shrimp next month and then I'll be done with livestock.

I've added 3d reefing light shades and diffusers to my hydras and I'm happy with them. I have a single 60 inch reef brite actinic drip I need to add, but I'm not sure how, I'll have to build my own mount because they don't sell anything for just one light.

 

[Devaji]

It's going well, been moving slow but adding more coral lately. Had an issue that kept killing coral and an icp test revealed high aluminum and Tin. Water changes and cuprisorb solved that so I'm back to adding coral and it is doing well. I may have also killed some coral with too much light. Definitely a learning process but I'm figuring it out.

I have used Dr. Reefs QTed fish, and now have a purple tang, 2 yellow tangs, Desjardins Sailfin tang, powder brown, and a yellow Kole eye as a large tang gang and they get along well. Also have a black storm clown, Azure damsal, royal grama, blue streak cleaner wrasse, fire shrimp, and a couple serpant starfish. I'll be adding a couple more small fish and some shrimp next month and then I'll be done with livestock.

I've added 3d reefing light shades and diffusers to my hydras and I'm happy with them. I have a single 60 inch reef brite actinic drip I need to add, but I'm not sure how, I'll have to build my own mount because they don't sell anything for just one light.

glad you here your tank is ROCKING!
yeah I use DT.QT for fish as well. lost a few in shipping but he always makes it right.
glad the tanks are getting on.

I am play8ing around with get a WB 220.6 for a FOWLR but not sure it big enough for my needs. would love the 320.7 but my pockets are not that deep. sadly lol

 

[BifrostReefer]

I know what you mean, big tanks are always better, until you get the bills. Haha. If I had more space and more money, a 320 would be even better, but I am very happy with my 220, definitely at the top end of what my free time and hobey money can afford. Still lots to spend on coral though, had no idea how easy it is to burn through money on that stuff...

I have most the LPS I want now, some day I still want a gold torch but that's on the too expensive list for now. If I can keep the acropora and montipora alive and growing for another couple months I'll move ahead with more acropora.

My main plan is to try and make the top of my rock structure a rainbow spectrum of SPS and then cover the rock dome on the left side with lots of gold encrusting corals. Then it will be my Bifrost (Rainbow Bridge) to Valhalla (the Golden Hall), I love my Norse mythology.

 

[Gedxin]

Great scape and loving the Valhalla future coral plans!

 

[BifrostReefer]

Bifrost Reef is finally getting some of the rainbow built out. Here is a before shot and some after shots with the coral placements. If these acro survive, I'll be adding more in late October. I'm think battle corals will be the next shop I check out. It's tough getting the correct color spectrum, because all these corals change shades a little bit. I'm sure I'll be moving some around as this progresses, but I'm loving it so far.

 

[BifrostReefer]

New coral day!
Bought 7 frags from battle corals, 9 were delivered! Absolutely first class, product and customer service is outstanding. I will be ordering the rest of my sps from battle corals, have a few more to go before bifrost bridge is complete.

 

[BifrostReefer]

New corals from Unique corals r2r sale. Finally got a gold torch, been waiting a long time for one.

 

[BifrostReefer]

Water change day. Things are coming along. Added 2 Tunze 6095s a few days ago and everything is looking like more flow is appreciated. Had a yellow porities that was slowly dying, a few days with more flow and it's looking good again. A couple torches are looking stress for a few weeks now, and I can't figure it out. Parameters have been stable, no visual problems, I don't see any pests or parasites on them. I also just got back from a week long work trip and one of my acans is closed up, but again, nothing that I can see. Leave again for a week soon, hopefully my wife can hold the fort down for another trip.

 

[BifrostReefer]

Just a few weeks into these tunze 6095 and wow what a difference in flow. Everything seems to be happier and growing much faster. I'm finally figuring out what good flow is. I'll probably add a couple more tunze pumps once things start to grow out but for now I think this is good.

 

[BifrostReefer]

I finally installed a 60 inch reefbrite actinic blue LED strip light over the tank and the color pop is outstanding. I'm just controlling it with my apex, starting with 2 hours a day and will slowly expand that to 8 hours or so.

I couldn't find a mounting system that worked for me, my ceiling is 12 feet tall so hanging it with wires is out and my Hydra 64s are not turned long ways to accommodate the x series type mount. So I built my own DIY reefbrite mount. Used an aluminum bar from home Depot for a light brace and then I found a photography type single point mount that telescopes for the actual mount. It's only been up a few days, but so far I'm very happy with it.

 

[BifrostReefer]

Pieces of the Ocean and unique corals both had some sales, picked up a bunch more sps with some colors I needed to fill out the rainbow bridge. Hoping they maintain their colors. I should have time to get them in place the next few days.

 

[BifrostReefer]

Have had some ups and downs the last few months. Had red slime and finally figured out my RODI flush valve wasn't working correctly and had been putting waste water back into my system. Corals started to get a stressed and lots a few of the newer frags. Things are finally looking better and starting to really see some growth. Even fragged a millepora tonight for my first frags. Hopefully they all heal up nicely. Green plating monti is becoming a nuisance and growing into lots of other coral and seems to be unstoppable. Coral clippers trimmed it a bit tonight but need to find a better solution long term.

 

[BifrostReefer]

PAR reading with 4x Hydra 64 BRS SPS settings, plus each light has a reefbrite actinic xho kit and one additional 60 inch reefbrite xho actinic. (81 for UV, Violet,Royal Blue, Blue / 10 Green and Red / 32 Cool White)

Reefbrites at 100% and no hydras gives about 150 at the top coral levels, about 100 at the sand bed, less towards the edges of the tank.

I quickly tested other light settings, 100 for UV, Violet,Royal Blue, Blue and NO cool whites is very similar PAR to the normal settings above.

100 for UV, Violet,Royal Blue, Blue and 30 cool whites adds about 40 par to the numbers listed on the picture.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

PAR reading with 4x Hydra 64 BRS SPS settings, plus each light has a reefbrite actinic xho kit and one additional 60 inch reefbrite xho actinic. (81 for UV, Violet,Royal Blue, Blue / 10 Green and Red / 32 Cool White)

Reefbrites at 100% and no hydras gives about 150 at the top coral levels, about 100 at the sand bed, less towards the edges of the tank.

I quickly tested other light settings, 100 for UV, Violet,Royal Blue, Blue and NO cool whites is very similar PAR to the normal settings above.

100 for UV, Violet,Royal Blue, Blue and 30 cool whites adds about 40 par to the numbers listed on the picture.

Tank is looking really good!!!

 

[THESTRZA]

any updates?