Poseidon's NEW Adventure! ;)

[Poseidon]

Ok, no pictures as of yet. The purpose of this thread is to detail what I have, and what I need to get going.

First thing, I need a TANK! I am planning on a 50B "ish" tank as the footprint works well in my living room, and I already have a nice cabinet stand that is a 36x18 footprint. I think a bit taller then 18" though, maybe 20 or 22?

Next I need a skimmer- I have a pretty good idea of what I want, Warner Marine.

Lights- I have several T5 ballasts around here from my old set up, and I have a dual 250W halide ballast too. I was thinking LED, but as budget is going to be an issue I may go with what I have, adding bulbs and reflectors as needed.

Circulation Pumps- I had a pair of MP40's on my 90 before it came down. What is a good option now?

Return pump- The sump is going to be in the basement, so I need a large enough pump to push up about 8-10ft of head. (The sump will be high, near the basement ceiling.)

Salt- I always used IO before, and let my kalk and Ca Reactors make up for the Ca and Alk.

Speaking of reactors... I sold both. What options will I have here? I am open to suggestions.

Things that I have- First, knowledge. I am not a newbie, and having that advantage will be huge in my new set up.

Sump, I have some choices here. I have a 30L, a 15 gallon tank, and a 45 ish gallon tank that is 36x16x?? I had custom ordered this years ago for a project, then plans changed and it has been in the basement ever since.

Controller- I have a RK lite and I think a 4 outlet strip, but I need the temp probe for it.

Misc pumps- I have several power heads laying around, old Aquaclears MJ1200's and some small Eheims.

Heater tube- I have a 500W Ti heater that I used to run from my controller.

Rubbermaid Brutes- I have 2, one for salt, one for fresh.

RO Unit, will need new filters, and a bleach bath.

Ok, I think that is all for now. What has changed over the last 3 years or so since my SPS garden came down? Anything major that I need to know about? Bio Pellets were on their way in, as I was on my way out, what's the verdict on them?

I look forward to being an active member of the community again, and getting my own slice of the ocean in my Living Room. A quick teaser of what once was, and what I am aiming to accomplish once again:

Last one for now:

Thank you all for any input you can share!

 

[soccerbag]

I remember your last tank and LOVED it! Great to have you back in the game again. And always love your pics!

For reactors and that sized tank, I would just go with the dual reactor from BRS. It's probably one of the more cost effective (and easy to use) dual reactors on the market. There are too many others to name...lol.

If you had MP40's on your old tank, I would do that again. Tunze or Vortech and I'm a Vortech guy personally. Hasn't really gotten much better.

For tank height, I would go taller than 18", yes. It will give you more options for vertical acro growth IMO.

I tried Biopellets and didn't care for them personally. But others love them and have great success with them (Sonny, for example). GFO has branched out. PO4x4 is a good alternative and is what I'm using but RowaPhos or GFO from BRS is always a good (and safe) choice.

Great to have you back! Can't wait to see it all come together again.

 

[gmoney243]

Personally I use an algae scrubber no skimmer it handles my phos/nit. They have come a long way in the past couple years. Www.algaescrubber.net for info on how to build and lotd of pics of people using them and growing everything sps/nps dom tanks. But if they are not for you a good skimmer appropriately rated and biopellets work great. Best biopellet reactor imo is the new one by reefdynamics. One of our local club members has it and loves it. Its the only reactor I know of that allows independent control of the tumbling and effluent. And vortechs arre still great. Diy leds are cheap and work great I spent about $400 to light my 180 and sps love it more than the t5. I get my kits at www.aquastyleonline.com they have kits with manual dimmable or controlable with meanwell drivers.

 

[Aquaph8]

Hey poseidon, Welcome back!!! Your 90 was gorgeous, I cant wait to see your new tank come together.

Reators: BRS, Avast, Next reef are 3 of my favorites.

Powerheads: Tunze or vortec if budget allows but korralia's can work well for a small tank too.

Im a big believer of building the tank around your skimmer. Judging by your last tank, you know what your doing. It'll be like riding a bike Im sure. Good luck bringing it all together.

 

[revhtree]

Man so excited to have you back at R2R and back in the game! Can't wait to see what you grow!

 

[Poseidon]

OK, did a little inventory, and I found TWO Icecap 660 ballasts! I am sure that at least one of them is in need of repair, I think the other may have been my spare, but I am unsure. I hope IceCap is still around, or someone is at least repairing the ballasts right?

I also found a MAG5, a Korallia 4 (I think) and a couple other heaters... I also found the boxes for my 2 MP40's, that made me sad.

I have a rubbermaid running with water/vinegar and all the pumps heaters in there to get cleaned up like new. Next will be to clean the 30L that was my top sump, which will become my main sump I think.

 

[skinz78]

I agree with everyone on the Vortech's, once you've had them you won't like anything else. I tend to stay away from the Mag pumps, the create heat but wit your basement sump it may not be an issue.

Happy to help via Tapatalk

 

[Poseidon]

The pumps are all cleaned up, and the sump was just getting ready for a final rinse when I cracked it... DOH!! It is an end panel, and I caught what was once a drain on my sink. I feel like a dummy, as I knew that I should have cut that off.

The good news is I can replace that panel pretty easily, it is just more work to do.

 

[btkrausen]

Get a Reef Octopus Water Blaster. Uses very little electricity and performs beautifully.

I hope you aren't gonna use that 500W heater on a 50gal tank. An extra few minutes could be devastating with such a large heater, haha. I have the 300W Titanium as a spare and it'll heat some water crazy fast. Plus, that 500W has to pull some major amperage.

Good luck with the build, can't wait to see how it turns out.

 

[Poseidon]

Reef Octopus Water Blaster HY-5000 Pump

At 8ft of head pressure, this moves 400-500 gph is that right?

As for the 500W, I was actually planning on it, as I will have close to 100 gallons total water including sumps.

 

[revhtree]

Hurry get it done! LOL!

I seriously can't wait for new pics!

 

[revsgirl]

Wow! Your tank was gorgeous! You need to put that in April's POTM! :xd: Lookin' forward to whatcha' got comin' up! :wink:

 

[Mike&Terry]

Your 90 was beautiful! Looking forward to seeing your new setup develop...

-M&T

 

[swannyson7]

Your 90 was beautiful! Looking forward to seeing your new setup develop...

-M&T

Ditto! I guess I showed up late to the R2R party because this is my first time seeing pics of your old tank. Can't wait to see your new tank come to life!

 

[Poseidon]

Found a few more goodies... I have an ATO!!! I remember buying it, now that I found it.

I also found some misc DIY parts from my light fixture, still planning a DIY Light for the new tank. Does anyone know/tried to use a router to cut the fins on a Heatsink USA blank to allow a fan to be "sunk" into the fins?

Also, with the addition of this, which driver for LED should I be looking at?

 

[TankScraper]

Your 90 was Flippen Fantastic Looking.

 

[Poseidon]

Your 90 was Flippen Fantastic Looking.

Thanks! I hope to get back to something similar with my new tank. I am thinking of Tonga branch to scape the main tank, sparingly and then letting the sticks grow in.

 

[skinz78]

Is it wet yet:whip:

 

[Poseidon]

Is it wet yet:whip:

Not yet... Picked up some nice dry rock today, and a NO3 reactor that a friend was no longer using. I may try and convert that into a CaRx, I have to take a good look at it later.

Also, thinking of a 36x24 footprint now too. It will take a bit to get it all together, but once I get all my pieces, I am sure it will get wet fast!

 

[revhtree]

Come one man!