Our 5-Minute Saltwater Aquarium Guide actually worked! 4-Month Update.

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BarryM

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Hey guys,

Long time listener, first time caller here.

On the 40g breeder, you suggested removing the refugium to declutter the equipment. In another series, I remember Randy mentioning how much he loved refugiums for nutrient export. Do you think you could eliminated the skimmer? Could the refugium handle all nutrient export without additional water changes?

I absolutely love what you’re doing at BRStv. It truly is a public good.

Barry
 
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randyBRS

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Hey guys,

Long time listener, first time caller here.

On the 40g breeder, you suggested removing the refugium to declutter the equipment. In another series, I remember Randy mentioning how much he loved refugiums for nutrient export. Do you think you could eliminated the skimmer? Could the refugium handle all nutrient export without additional water changes?

I absolutely love what you’re doing at BRStv. It truly is a public good.

Barry


I think the goal here is to more so find a balance between nutrition input versus nitrate/phosphate export. For some folks on the lower end of nutrition input, water changes and a skimmer might be more than enough to handle the export. However others with more food input might find the need for additional or more aggressive export methods (such as larger & more frequent water changes or the addition of something like a refugium).

In our specific case here given the amount/frequency of our water change schedule, I think we could have eliminated the refugium and the Eheim HOB filter, then added a Comline Multifilter and still managed our balance between input and export.
 

BarryM

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Thanks Randy!

So would you mostly go skimmer first, then refugium?

I’m planning on upgrading from a nano to a 60-120G range aquarium and curious if I could go refugium only.....

Again, fantastic work!
 
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Watched the series and wanted to stop by and say great job. 40 breeders really are a great tank not only for beginners but also advanced aquarists when you think about it. Base tank like you showed with external components can yield a great looking tank at an affordable price WHILE leaving you with room to support a nice aquascape and coral lay out. Not sure I agree with the Tangs in there as there are several similar properly sized utility fish that would work. But, that isn't a negative just my view on things.

Moving to advanced hobbyists we can now take that same 40 breeder, drill a couple holes, set up a coast to coast overflow or external unit, add a sump, and BAM! Bob's your Uncle. Now you have 10x more room both inside and out making a really nice display. Can also be used as a frag tank. Heck, they are also used for sumps :)

Anyway great job. Enjoyed it and pretty positive it will help both new and returning hobbyists alike. Keep up the great work.
 
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randyBRS

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Thanks Randy!
So would you mostly go skimmer first, then refugium?
I’m planning on upgrading from a nano to a 60-120G range aquarium and curious if I could go refugium only.....
Again, fantastic work!

In the end, skimmer first or refugium probably first won't have any meaningful difference. On the BRS160 we have the fuge first, but really because of sump design and the way a fuge was added as an afterthought. With your new upgrade coming and considering a fuge, I would highly recommend checking out this 15-Mistakes video Ryan and I did specifically for refugiums. Lots of good little tips in there. :)

 

Ky_acc

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@randyBRS Can you guys show a little bit more on how you connected the aqua 2000 uv sterilizer to the reefer max E170?

I want to add the unit to my E170 but didn’t know if you had a pump suggestion and could show where you placed the pump in the rear chamber (as it’s a pretty tight fit) — I can see the return in the video, but can’t quite see where the pump and intake are in the rear chamber.
 

Bulk Reef Supply

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@randyBRS Can you guys show a little bit more on how you connected the aqua 2000 uv sterilizer to the reefer max E170?

I want to add the unit to my E170 but didn’t know if you had a pump suggestion and could show where you placed the pump in the rear chamber (as it’s a pretty tight fit) — I can see the return in the video, but can’t quite see where the pump and intake are in the rear chamber.

Just checked out this tank and it looks like the Sicce pump powering that UV is in the first overflow chamber where there is a little more room. The UV sterilizer itself hangs on to the back of the tank over the return chamber.
 

sramos1104

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@randyBRS , for the 170 e...would you use the Sicce 2.0 for the faster flow rate? Mainly concerned about algae and not so much for diseases. I think the recommendation is a high flow rate but wasn’t sure if the 2.0 is too strong. Thanks!
 
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randyBRS

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@randyBRS Following your setup with the 40G breeder to the letter. What fish did you end up with in the 40G?

Hey there!

I know it may have been a little hard to dig out, but in the video timestamp below Ryan shares the fish that we went with for these two tanks. Just in case, I will also list them below. :)

-Clownfish
-Yellow Tang
-Bristle tooth tang
-Lawnmower Blenny
-Green Coris wrasse

 

Bryn

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Hey there!

I know it may have been a little hard to dig out, but in the video timestamp below Ryan shares the fish that we went with for these two tanks. Just in case, I will also list them below. :)

-Clownfish
-Yellow Tang
-Bristle tooth tang
-Lawnmower Blenny
-Green Coris wrasse



I never did see the Bristle tooth tang in the tank at the end, that why I asked.

I said I was following to the letter, but have added an extra few steps from your ULMaintenance series, that is cycling the tank and keeping dark for a month, followed by fish addition lights off, and then corals lights on.

Thanks for the reply @randyBRS
 

sramos1104

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@randyBRS I tried using a faster Sicce pump (2.0) not realizing it is way too big!! Did you guys use the smaller Sicce pump for the UV in the five minutes videos ? I wanted a faster flow for controlling algae and bacteria, but I dont think I can do that in the 170 max since the space is too too tight. thanks for the videos and support....Ive bought almost all my gear from BRS because of the support and help!
 

RobB'z Reef

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If you're wondering how our 40B and Red Sea E-170 are holding up 4-months later, today we've got our first/last update!

What worked, what didn't work and where are these two tanks heading?


You guys rock btw... Looking forward to when you open the joint back up for tours. Love to come by and say hi.
 

sramos1104

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@randyBRS Sorry another beginner question as I’m setting up the 170 max. With the hang-on UV dumping water in that 3rd chamber, does it mess with the ATO Sensor in the same area. wasnt sure if the tunze ato has to have calm water to work properly (Nervous it will mess with the sensor) Trying to setup the 170 just like the videos.
 

Bulk Reef Supply

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@randyBRS I tried using a faster Sicce pump (2.0) not realizing it is way too big!! Did you guys use the smaller Sicce pump for the UV in the five minutes videos ? I wanted a faster flow for controlling algae and bacteria, but I dont think I can do that in the 170 max since the space is too too tight. thanks for the videos and support....Ive bought almost all my gear from BRS because of the support and help!

We were running a Sicce 1.5 on the E170. Fortunately, we've not noticed any issue with the UV sterilizer affecting the function of the Osmolator. Big standing waves will definitely affect the optical eye, however, a little bit of splashing here and there doesn't seem to cause any huge issues. I'd say the biggest downside is the noise. To fix that, we ended up running the water level in the rear sump a little higher than where what most reefers would probably run it.
 
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