Reefcowboy’s 150 gal SPS System
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Reefcowboy
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Friday Update! Feeding the tank heavy, color getting better each week and great growth. Clearing the algae scrubber screen weekly now. Usually by saturday algae is so thick it starts to press itself against the splash guard, so I clearly see its time to harvest. Main display has no signs of any algae, and now at the 4-5month mark coralline has exploded all over rocks and substrate.
One week’s algae harvest:
One week’s algae harvest:
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Reefcowboy
Well-Known Member
Some pics with leds only. Acros with lots of new growth everywhere. Cant believe how much GFO was hindering color. Wish I had tried ditching it sooner. GFO=BAD for sps colors
Devaji
5000 Club Member
how the tank?
read from page one amazing! your sump is killer...ATS are SOOOO under rated IMHO.
I have the SCA 36" - 90 thinking of going bigger I need some tangs!
if you where to do it all over would you go with the 6' red sea or still the 5' SCA?
I would love the extra foot of swinging space for the tangs. but yours seam to be doing great!
read from page one amazing! your sump is killer...ATS are SOOOO under rated IMHO.
I have the SCA 36" - 90 thinking of going bigger I need some tangs!
if you where to do it all over would you go with the 6' red sea or still the 5' SCA?
I would love the extra foot of swinging space for the tangs. but yours seam to be doing great!
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Reefcowboy
Well-Known Member
Thank you Devaji,
The system has been doing great, the easiest tank I've ever owned. I think the one thing I appreciate the most was taking my time designing the sump and stand, taking to consideration space to do maintenance and house the equipment. Ive always battled with wires, and equipment cluttering the sump so the hobby as a whole wasnt as pleasing when maintenance came along. I think the hobby evolved a lot and today also showcases equipment, sump design and cleanliness of the set up. I guess back in the day nobody dared to open the sump area under the tank as it looked horrible. We see some sumps, calcium reactors coming out today, they re a work of art.
I agree ATS are under rated. Im now 5 months in with this system and NO3 is constant at 4ppm and PO4 at 0.1. My tangs are getting larger and fatter too. I feed them many times a day. Natural filtration is the way to go for sure.
I also love tangs, have 6 in this system and love the sca tank. I personally wouldnt like the Red Sea only because it doesnt allow for much room inside the stand. The RS is a very good option if one wants a great tank on a budget though. Visually I cant tell the difference between the two tanks, except the center overflow vs the ghost one from my SCA. Scaping my tank was a breeze vs my previous tanks with center overflows.
Im very satisfied with this choice, and this size tank is big enough for my taste and it doesnt require much time to keep up, now that everything is on auto pilot. Im looking forward to watching the corals grow, which is the most fun part of this hobby IMO.
Devaji
5000 Club Member
yeah I agree its not a build thread or a reef these days if your plumbing and equipment dont match. haha they gotta look as good as the tank. yours sure do anyway! crazy nice.
natural filtration all the way!!
that is one thing i hate about my SCA 90 is the center overflow takes up 1/3 of the back wall. drilling the tank is the way to go. I got mine right before they started do that.
we need another FTS SO YOU CAN SEE HOW MUCH YOUR CORALS HAVE GROWN! and we can drool a bit.
cheers
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Reefcowboy
Well-Known Member
Little update. Tank is under 6 months old, has been doing great! I moved some frags around as they were growing into each other, added some new sought pieces and removed others that I didnt feel fit as I liked. Fish are nice and fat and color on corals is climbing up on the right direction. A few pics until the next update in a month or so..
I've been playing with some lens filters, can't decide if I like the pics...the bluer ones have no filter at all.
I've been playing with some lens filters, can't decide if I like the pics...the bluer ones have no filter at all.
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Chef Tommy
Active Member
I love the reflection of the Orphek strips! Your tank looks great & is filling in nicely. I’m moving soon & will be upgrading to a Planet 150. The girlfriend is getting into the hobby with me & thought an upgrade was a good idea. I am enjoying your post again for ideas! Thanks for inspiration [emoji4]
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Reefcowboy
Well-Known Member
Thanks chef tommy,
Having started this tank from dry rocks and substrate raised some questions in my head at first. Forums are great but there is so much misinformation out there as well. I read at first people relating dry rock use(at times terrestrial sources) to dino certainty short term, and a longer cycle which in my case didn't seem to be true.
My rocks started getting covered by coraline in the 3-4 month mark just like the times I had used live rock. The glass, rocks were at days covered with pods which tells me pods will make themselves in any tank through corals. I had never cared to introduce them on any way, but they are there for sure.
I also noticed sps encrusting right a short few weeks after the tank cycled, which tells me stability can come early in a tanks age as well.
I did notice lowering my alk to 8.0-8.3 have sped up growth. Ive kept it in the past around 9-9.3 and noticed lower ranges to be more beneficial.
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Reefcowboy
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Thanks. To be honest, after I had sold my G4 radions, I also sold my par meter. I used to be checking those constantly, which is indeed the right approach. I figured with the Spectra I wouldnt need to worry with lighting as this fixture proved to me through friends tanks it can grow sps anywhere in the tank. I would say mostly I might be on a 200-350 par
@fishybizzness, Very nice choose on tanks! Steve is the Bomb over @SCA! Anyways, I been designing my SCA Rimless 150 that include a 20'' Synergy External overflow box for almost two years and I am finally almost ready!
I am about to place my order for a GEO Reef for one of there RD46PRO sumps. I already have all of the Equipment that I have chosen for this build.
I will be ordering the sump in about a week or so directly from @geo reef. and 1 EcoTech Vectra L1 and my two EcoTech MP40QWD's that I will be buying from @Bulk Reef Supply. I will be hard plumbing my 3 1.5 drains, will run right down in to my Geo Reef RD46 pro sump.
Most likely, I will be going with the RED & WHITE one or the Black color one.. Which color do you like reefers?
SCA RIMLESS TANK
GEO REEF RD46 PRO
GEO REEF RD46 PRO
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@phixman - a ton -click on my build thread below mate!
Also went with a Synergy CL-44 Sump w/ out a refuge since i will be running one of Buds Turbo Algae scrubbers and I got a matching 10-gallon ato storage container to eliminate salt creep. How do you like it?
Also went with a Synergy CL-44 Sump w/ out a refuge since i will be running one of Buds Turbo Algae scrubbers and I got a matching 10-gallon ato storage container to eliminate salt creep. How do you like it?
m0jjen
Well-Known Member
Been skimming through the thread and i really love the tank! Im about to reboot my tank with only marco rock and wonder if you seeded the tank with something like a piece of oceanrock or if you just dumped bacteria in and then started introducing more and more livestock?
From the posts i figured it was about 4 days from going wet until you got the clowns in?
Mind sharing abit on how you started the tank, what did you dose and seed it with?
From the posts i figured it was about 4 days from going wet until you got the clowns in?
Mind sharing abit on how you started the tank, what did you dose and seed it with?
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Reefcowboy
Well-Known Member
Thank you. I really like Marco Rock , I guess many tanks are using it these days being they allow good flow and great aquascapes.
Im not sure if my experience is like most who used this type of rock, but Ive had absolutely no issues at all. I only seeded the tank with Dr Tim’s One and Only and added the two clowns.
Today the tank is 9 months and I have sponges, criters and lots of life everywhere. All rocks are completely covered in coralline and this is the cleanest set up ive ever owned.
I do read once in a while some people reporting dinoflagellates with Marco Rock, but I think it could be due to other factors.
There could be better ways to seed a tank and waiting longer could also be beneficial. I noticed coralline sprouted heavily at around 4 months from set up date, but like I've posted on this thread, I added SPS very early and all sps did very well.
I wanted to give a quick update of the tank, heres a quick minute video I shot with my really crappy camera
I have added some ceramic frag racks to the back glass holding some frags from larger colonies that were touching one another, have ordered a larger third rack for the right side of the tank. They dont look that great now but once covered in coralline will blend right in with the marco rock pieces.
Some pics, as well. I just noticed how much coralline has grown from my last update. I added a Kalk stirrer and think sps are definitely going to grow much faster now
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NY_Sea
Active Member
Incredible growth to an established reef in only 9months.
Really enjoyed your build. Going to be stealing a few ideas ( crushed coral) for my next build and you have convinced me a ATS is the way to go.
Really enjoyed your build. Going to be stealing a few ideas ( crushed coral) for my next build and you have convinced me a ATS is the way to go.
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