Thanks! My numbers are pretty close to that. The current two acans I have looked pretty rough the first two weeks or so. I've had them about a month now and they're finally starting to come around.
Rob’s 30g Tonga Shroom Garden
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OP
OP
Well after talking to @TheWB he reminded me Innovative Marine still made the SR80 that was the dimensions I was looking for. Originally I was going to go with a shallower tank but the extra height will be nice if I ever turn it into a display. It’s a little more then the custom tank but I like the fact I’m dealing with innovative marine as their tanks are top notch and they have good customer service. I had talked to innovative marine and they said it wouldn’t go out till the end of September but I just got a call saying they have one ready to go. They said it should ship the end of this week or the beginning of next. It will be awhile before it’s completely set up though. I’ll probably do a really long cycle as I have to save for the rest of the equipment.
OP
OP
Pretty exciting day. The SR80 came in. Last night I had to mount the tv on the wall to make room. The tank came crated up and well protected. Everything looks good but I’ll be going through with a fine tooth comb and double checking. This is going to give me so much more space and makes the 25 lagoon truly look like a nano.
I guess the next step will be finding an ATO reservoir and get some racks in so the cycle can start. It came with two mighty jet returns and I all ready have a 150w Neo therm Heater that came with the 25 lagoon. I’m sure it will be good for now but will probably go dual heaters later on. I also have a tunze nano ATO that came with it that I can use short term but will eventually get something else.
I have an extra apex jr and am trying to figure out if I’ll use it. I have a PM1 I’m not using for PH but would need to pick up a probe.The Jr only has four outlets so I would need an EB8 as well. At that point I’m probably all ready close to $200 so I’m thinking for another $300 I could just have an apex EL. Could just do the Jr now then upgrade later. The other option would be since it’s right next to the 25 lagoon, I could run both tanks off the apex EL that’s all ready on that tank. I kinda like the idea of them being separate plus that way if I ever have a problem and have to send one in for repair or something I can rig two together while the other is being replaced.
I’m going to use a cadlights PLS II skimmer on it that I have in the garage. Not sure if it will be able to keep up but if not I’ll have to find another option or run two skimmers. As far as flow I have a Jabao and a KPS power head sitting as well. I’ll start off with those but would really like Vortechs. Man, I’m really happy I never sold my extra reef gear as there isn’t a ton of stuff I need to get things running.
I really like running UV so I want to do it on this tank too. They don’t make one for their full sized tanks but do offer a universal one that runs off a pump. The overflow compartment is the same width of their midsize tanks but it’s deeper. I dry fitted the midsize and it looks like it will work. I can just fluff up the filter floss on the back edge so it catches anything that flows over it once it gets a little clogged. I don’t use those sponges. Stuffing them with poly-fil then throwing it away is so easy and cheap.
Next up is growing cheato.I looked on Intanks website and they don’t make a basket for the SR80. Either I’ll have to get one custom made or DIY something to cover the 2nd chamber so it won’t flow out into the return pump chamber. I don’t really need a whole basket just need to keep the cheato contained.
Last thing I think is just lights. Debating what I want to get. The main thing is, I want lights that have a spectrum In which works it well with my camera and the pictures turn out good. Right now I’m thinking about 3 used Ai prime HDs, 2 ocean revive black boxes or these nicrew hyper reef led lights I saw on amazon. I would like to get 2 radion XR15 Gen 5 but don’t know if I want to spend that much. Would rather splurge on the vortechs. I also kinda want to check out the Chinese LEDs and see how they do if I were ever to make a big frag system in the garage. The tank is going to be mostly zoas and shrooms so I don’t need any crazy par. I just want lights that color up corals well.
I guess the next step will be finding an ATO reservoir and get some racks in so the cycle can start. It came with two mighty jet returns and I all ready have a 150w Neo therm Heater that came with the 25 lagoon. I’m sure it will be good for now but will probably go dual heaters later on. I also have a tunze nano ATO that came with it that I can use short term but will eventually get something else.
I have an extra apex jr and am trying to figure out if I’ll use it. I have a PM1 I’m not using for PH but would need to pick up a probe.The Jr only has four outlets so I would need an EB8 as well. At that point I’m probably all ready close to $200 so I’m thinking for another $300 I could just have an apex EL. Could just do the Jr now then upgrade later. The other option would be since it’s right next to the 25 lagoon, I could run both tanks off the apex EL that’s all ready on that tank. I kinda like the idea of them being separate plus that way if I ever have a problem and have to send one in for repair or something I can rig two together while the other is being replaced.
I’m going to use a cadlights PLS II skimmer on it that I have in the garage. Not sure if it will be able to keep up but if not I’ll have to find another option or run two skimmers. As far as flow I have a Jabao and a KPS power head sitting as well. I’ll start off with those but would really like Vortechs. Man, I’m really happy I never sold my extra reef gear as there isn’t a ton of stuff I need to get things running.
I really like running UV so I want to do it on this tank too. They don’t make one for their full sized tanks but do offer a universal one that runs off a pump. The overflow compartment is the same width of their midsize tanks but it’s deeper. I dry fitted the midsize and it looks like it will work. I can just fluff up the filter floss on the back edge so it catches anything that flows over it once it gets a little clogged. I don’t use those sponges. Stuffing them with poly-fil then throwing it away is so easy and cheap.
Next up is growing cheato.I looked on Intanks website and they don’t make a basket for the SR80. Either I’ll have to get one custom made or DIY something to cover the 2nd chamber so it won’t flow out into the return pump chamber. I don’t really need a whole basket just need to keep the cheato contained.
Last thing I think is just lights. Debating what I want to get. The main thing is, I want lights that have a spectrum In which works it well with my camera and the pictures turn out good. Right now I’m thinking about 3 used Ai prime HDs, 2 ocean revive black boxes or these nicrew hyper reef led lights I saw on amazon. I would like to get 2 radion XR15 Gen 5 but don’t know if I want to spend that much. Would rather splurge on the vortechs. I also kinda want to check out the Chinese LEDs and see how they do if I were ever to make a big frag system in the garage. The tank is going to be mostly zoas and shrooms so I don’t need any crazy par. I just want lights that color up corals well.
OP
OP
Oh yea and I found this funny. The pro package came with this tiny algae magnet. Like how long would it take to clean the tank with this thing haha. I have one of those Algae Free wood piranha ones I bought that was too big for my other tanks that will work perfect.
TheWB
Valuable Member
I’m jealous, now I want one too.Pretty exciting day. The SR80 came in. Last night I had to mount the tv on the wall to make room. The tank came crated up and well protected. Everything looks good but I’ll be going through with a fine tooth comb and double checking. This is going to give me so much more space and makes the 25 lagoon truly look like a nano.
I guess the next step will be finding an ATO reservoir and get some racks in so the cycle can start. It came with two mighty jet returns and I all ready have a 150w Neo therm Heater that came with the 25 lagoon. I’m sure it will be good for now but will probably go dual heaters later on. I also have a tunze nano ATO that came with it that I can use short term but will eventually get something else.
I have an extra apex jr and am trying to figure out if I’ll use it. I have a PM1 I’m not using for PH but would need to pick up a probe.The Jr only has four outlets so I would need an EB8 as well. At that point I’m probably all ready close to $200 so I’m thinking for another $300 I could just have an apex EL. Could just do the Jr now then upgrade later. The other option would be since it’s right next to the 25 lagoon, I could run both tanks off the apex EL that’s all ready on that tank. I kinda like the idea of them being separate plus that way if I ever have a problem and have to send one in for repair or something I can rig two together while the other is being replaced.
I’m going to use a cadlights PLS II skimmer on it that I have in the garage. Not sure if it will be able to keep up but if not I’ll have to find another option or run two skimmers. As far as flow I have a Jabao and a KPS power head sitting as well. I’ll start off with those but would really like Vortechs. Man, I’m really happy I never sold my extra reef gear as there isn’t a ton of stuff I need to get things running.
I really like running UV so I want to do it on this tank too. They don’t make one for their full sized tanks but do offer a universal one that runs off a pump. The overflow compartment is the same width of their midsize tanks but it’s deeper. I dry fitted the midsize and it looks like it will work. I can just fluff up the filter floss on the back edge so it catches anything that flows over it once it gets a little clogged. I don’t use those sponges. Stuffing them with poly-fil then throwing it away is so easy and cheap.
Next up is growing cheato.I looked on Intanks website and they don’t make a basket for the SR80. Either I’ll have to get one custom made or DIY something to cover the 2nd chamber so it won’t flow out into the return pump chamber. I don’t really need a whole basket just need to keep the cheato contained.
Last thing I think is just lights. Debating what I want to get. The main thing is, I want lights that have a spectrum In which works it well with my camera and the pictures turn out good. Right now I’m thinking about 3 used Ai prime HDs, 2 ocean revive black boxes or these nicrew hyper reef led lights I saw on amazon. I would like to get 2 radion XR15 Gen 5 but don’t know if I want to spend that much. Would rather splurge on the vortechs. I also kinda want to check out the Chinese LEDs and see how they do if I were ever to make a big frag system in the garage. The tank is going to be mostly zoas and shrooms so I don’t need any crazy par. I just want lights that color up corals well.
OP
OP
Well with me being impatient I went ahead and ordered everything I needed to get the cycle going. Picked up a 10g ATO reservoir, egg crate, 3D printed frag rack legs, and siporax bio media. I have to check where I’m at with salt but may have to order a box. Speaking of salt I’m thinking about switching again lol. I just find this Redsea blue bucket mixes to lower parameters then what I like and I’m getting sick of bumping it up. Thinking about going back to fritz or liveaquaria, pretty sure they are the same.
OP
OP
I have the tank where I want it and am starting to fill it with water. I didn’t remove the vinyl off the back yet to grow cheato because I don’t know how I am going to set it up. Might be a bit challenging to do it after it’s filled but I think I will manage.
I was trying to figure out what lights to purchase.I really didn’t want to hang anything so wanted something with tank mounting arms. The problem I had was the tank is 24” wide but because of the back compartment, it off sets the center so it’s not 12”. It’s more like 14-15”. I was having a hard time finding lights that came out that far. I could have it not centered but I’m kinda OCD. I was thinking 3 Ai primes but mounts aren’t long enough. From looking at the specs the hydra mounts, it looked like they would have maybe just worked. I think two would have gave me good coverage for zoas and lps. Two of those with mounts would have been about $900. Another option would have been two Radion xr15 Gen 5s. I think they would have given me enough coverage but don’t think the arms extend that far. I really wanted to try some of the cheaper black box options but most of them need to be hung which I really didn’t want to do.
I was reading up on the Noopsyke k7 pro lights and they seem to be comparable to hydra 26s. They look to have a really similar mix of LEDs and have independently controlled channels with sunrise and sunset which a lot of the other Chinese ones don’t have. I don’t really absolutely need the sunrise/sunset but being able to adjust each color Is important for me so I can find a spectrum that plays nice with my camera. I hear it’s a little tricky to program but nothing to crazy. What is nice is that you can have different schedules so I can program one for photos then just press a couple buttons on the controller to change to that spectrum easily.
You can order them from here in the US or directly from China at a savings. I decided to order from China. The normal mount for itI think would have had Just enough reach but I saw another one one the website. It was more of a universal one thats work with K7, hydras and I think has an eye hook attachment to hang lights. It extended really far, all the way to 16” so I know it’s plenty. It was a little more then the normal k7 light but figured it was worth it. Plus if I don’t end up liking the k7s I could use the 2 mounts to hang maybe a long black box or reefbreeder photon. It would also work for hydra if I went that route as well. Man I can’t believe what they want for tank light mounts, it’s insane, Hydra $75, XR15 $93. The normal k7 was only $16 and this universal one I got about $40.
So for the two k7s, controller and two mounts It was only about $350 then $20 shipping and no tax. I call it a win, then even if I don’t like them I still have the two mounts. They had the new kamour X1 wifi doser for a good price so I added two of them as well. I really want another apex DOS but these will work for now. I have been really happy with the one I have been using on the lagoon. I was going to wait to order the lights but shipping said 15-30 days. Decided to order and I should be starting to finish my cycle around the time they are suppose to arrive.
I was trying to figure out what lights to purchase.I really didn’t want to hang anything so wanted something with tank mounting arms. The problem I had was the tank is 24” wide but because of the back compartment, it off sets the center so it’s not 12”. It’s more like 14-15”. I was having a hard time finding lights that came out that far. I could have it not centered but I’m kinda OCD. I was thinking 3 Ai primes but mounts aren’t long enough. From looking at the specs the hydra mounts, it looked like they would have maybe just worked. I think two would have gave me good coverage for zoas and lps. Two of those with mounts would have been about $900. Another option would have been two Radion xr15 Gen 5s. I think they would have given me enough coverage but don’t think the arms extend that far. I really wanted to try some of the cheaper black box options but most of them need to be hung which I really didn’t want to do.
I was reading up on the Noopsyke k7 pro lights and they seem to be comparable to hydra 26s. They look to have a really similar mix of LEDs and have independently controlled channels with sunrise and sunset which a lot of the other Chinese ones don’t have. I don’t really absolutely need the sunrise/sunset but being able to adjust each color Is important for me so I can find a spectrum that plays nice with my camera. I hear it’s a little tricky to program but nothing to crazy. What is nice is that you can have different schedules so I can program one for photos then just press a couple buttons on the controller to change to that spectrum easily.
You can order them from here in the US or directly from China at a savings. I decided to order from China. The normal mount for itI think would have had Just enough reach but I saw another one one the website. It was more of a universal one thats work with K7, hydras and I think has an eye hook attachment to hang lights. It extended really far, all the way to 16” so I know it’s plenty. It was a little more then the normal k7 light but figured it was worth it. Plus if I don’t end up liking the k7s I could use the 2 mounts to hang maybe a long black box or reefbreeder photon. It would also work for hydra if I went that route as well. Man I can’t believe what they want for tank light mounts, it’s insane, Hydra $75, XR15 $93. The normal k7 was only $16 and this universal one I got about $40.
So for the two k7s, controller and two mounts It was only about $350 then $20 shipping and no tax. I call it a win, then even if I don’t like them I still have the two mounts. They had the new kamour X1 wifi doser for a good price so I added two of them as well. I really want another apex DOS but these will work for now. I have been really happy with the one I have been using on the lagoon. I was going to wait to order the lights but shipping said 15-30 days. Decided to order and I should be starting to finish my cycle around the time they are suppose to arrive.
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OP
OP
SR80 is full with water. I spent all day yesterday making RODI to fill it up. I just dumped it in the tank and added salt as I went. I wasn’t really counting too well but think it took about 60 gallons. These tank never hold the full amount of the tank name.
Added some pure ammonia last night and some microbacter 7 I had laying around. Microbacter with jumpstart the cycle a bit but I have found Bio Spira works a lot faster, just ordered a bottle today.
Got the Top off reservoir in today, it’s the Bashsea SS-Ten. Pulled all the paper off the acrylic which was a pain but I really like the reservoir. It’s crazy what they want for reservoirs but what are you going to do if you want them to look nice and be out of the stand. I thought 5 gallons would be too little so I went with the 10 gallon size. I have the Glass innovative marine ones on my other tanks but they stopped making the 10 gallon one. I believe they made a 10 gallon briefly but not really sure to be honest. They have a 15 gallon but I thought that would be too much water if an ATO were to malfunction, plus it was a little tight for the spot I have and would have to move the lagoon over a bit. It sits in between the SR80 and 25 lagoon. It needs to be pushed back a bit but I need to get the electronics sorted out first.
Drilled a hole in the back of the computer compartment in the desk. No clue why there wasn’t one all ready there. I think I decided to just use my apex jr for now and wait on the apex EL.Who knows though maybe I’ll decide to buy one and replace it after not too long. The Jr only has 4 outlets and I’ll need more. I have two EB8s on each of my other tanks and the plan is to take one off one of those tanks and pair it with the 4 outlets on the Jr for the SR80. I will just put a power strip in its place and run things I don’t need controlled by the apex like UV, lights, and mp10. I’m not going to bother hooking up the PM1 because I really don’t want to buy a PH probe especially if I end up getting an EL. Hoping to get the motivation to hook all that up tonight, or at least some of it.
Added some pure ammonia last night and some microbacter 7 I had laying around. Microbacter with jumpstart the cycle a bit but I have found Bio Spira works a lot faster, just ordered a bottle today.
Got the Top off reservoir in today, it’s the Bashsea SS-Ten. Pulled all the paper off the acrylic which was a pain but I really like the reservoir. It’s crazy what they want for reservoirs but what are you going to do if you want them to look nice and be out of the stand. I thought 5 gallons would be too little so I went with the 10 gallon size. I have the Glass innovative marine ones on my other tanks but they stopped making the 10 gallon one. I believe they made a 10 gallon briefly but not really sure to be honest. They have a 15 gallon but I thought that would be too much water if an ATO were to malfunction, plus it was a little tight for the spot I have and would have to move the lagoon over a bit. It sits in between the SR80 and 25 lagoon. It needs to be pushed back a bit but I need to get the electronics sorted out first.
Drilled a hole in the back of the computer compartment in the desk. No clue why there wasn’t one all ready there. I think I decided to just use my apex jr for now and wait on the apex EL.Who knows though maybe I’ll decide to buy one and replace it after not too long. The Jr only has 4 outlets and I’ll need more. I have two EB8s on each of my other tanks and the plan is to take one off one of those tanks and pair it with the 4 outlets on the Jr for the SR80. I will just put a power strip in its place and run things I don’t need controlled by the apex like UV, lights, and mp10. I’m not going to bother hooking up the PM1 because I really don’t want to buy a PH probe especially if I end up getting an EL. Hoping to get the motivation to hook all that up tonight, or at least some of it.
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TheWB
Valuable Member
Looking good. That’s a nice looking top off container but I have to say I really love the drawer on the IM version. Mine‘s in the stand and filling it would be a real pain without the drawer.SR80 is full with water. I spent all day yesterday making RODI to fill it up. I just dumped it in the tank and added salt as I went. I wasn’t really counting too well but think it took about 60 gallons. These tank never hold the full amount of the tank name.
Added some pure ammonia last night and some microbacter 7 I had laying around. Microbacter with jumpstart the cycle a bit but I have found Bio Spira works a lot faster, just ordered a bottle today.
Got the Top off reservoir in today, it’s the Bashsea SS-Ten. Pulled all the paper off the acrylic which was a pain but I really like the reservoir. It’s crazy what they want for reservoirs but what are you going to do if you want them to look nice and be out of the stand. I thought 5 gallons would be too little so I went with the 10 gallon size. I have the Glass innovative marine ones on my other tanks but they stopped making the 10 gallon one. I believe they made a 10 gallon briefly but not really sure to be honest. They have a 15 gallon but I thought that would be too much water if an ATO were to malfunction, plus it was a little tight for the spot I have and would have to move the lagoon over a bit. It sits in between the SR80 and 25 lagoon. It needs to be pushed back a bit but I need to get the electronics shorted out first.
Drilled a hole in the back of the computer compartment in the desk. No clue why there wasn’t one all ready there. I think I decided to just use my apex jr for now and wait on the apex EL.Who knows though maybe I’ll decide to buy one and replace it after not too long. The Jr only has 4 outlets and I’ll need more. I have two EB8s on each of my other tanks and the plan is to take one off one of those tanks and pair it with the 4 outlets on the Jr for the SR80. I will just put a power strip in its place and run things I don’t need controlled by the apex like UV, lights, and mp10. I’m not going to bother hooking up the PM1 because I really don’t want to buy a PH probe especially if I end up getting an EL. Hoping to get the motivation to hook all that up tonight, or at least some of it.
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OP
OP
Oh yea for in the stand the Innovative marines are so nice. The drawer makes things so easy and wouldn't have it any other way. For outside this one will probably work better for me as the innovative marine one you have to pour slow or it splashes everywhere.
OP
OP
I sent out an ICP test out on the lagoon and again things are low even after me doing three 50% water changes plus a bunch of regular ones after the last test. Aluminum was high which I don’t get as there is no marine pure or any other media in there. I have one more of these ICP tests from fauna Marin so I’m going to dose some elements and send it out after a month or so. I’m not so sure how much I trust these $20 ICP tests and depending what the next one comes back at I may pony up for the triton one.
In the SR80 I dosed the ammonia to about 2ppm a few days ago. The other day I added 2 bags of Siporax media. Then yesterday some Bio Spira. Tested the ammonia today and it’s almost gone all ready. I also took the crushed coral out of the basket I had my mushrooms in and added them to the back in a mesh bag. I have a bunch of zoas coming in Tuesday so I took the mushroom basket out to make room and put a few of the bigger mushrooms in the lagoon.
I have been dosing vibrant in the lagoon for algae and it did seem to be weakening it a bit but not doing a whole lot. I probably just needed to stick to it longer but I got some Flux RX in to try. It’s a fluconazole product made from blue life. Another company makes one called Reef Flux but I read a couple reviews that said they Flux Rx worked for them but the Reef flux didn’t. It should all be the same but I went with the RX. Added that Monday and it seems to be working well and the algae turning colors.
Got the Apex Jr and the transferred EB8 installed on the SR80. Went to hook up the Tunze nano ATO I but it’s not working right. It’s like the pump just keeps pulsing and not sucking any water. It says you have to shake the air out of it but I did and it’s still not working. I went and ordered a smart ATO lite. I’m using the smart ATO micro on my other tanks and not sure what the difference is on the lite version but it’s quite a bit cheaper. Hopefully I have as much luck with it as I had with the others.
Some of the zoas frags from the indo colonies I cut up.
In the SR80 I dosed the ammonia to about 2ppm a few days ago. The other day I added 2 bags of Siporax media. Then yesterday some Bio Spira. Tested the ammonia today and it’s almost gone all ready. I also took the crushed coral out of the basket I had my mushrooms in and added them to the back in a mesh bag. I have a bunch of zoas coming in Tuesday so I took the mushroom basket out to make room and put a few of the bigger mushrooms in the lagoon.
I have been dosing vibrant in the lagoon for algae and it did seem to be weakening it a bit but not doing a whole lot. I probably just needed to stick to it longer but I got some Flux RX in to try. It’s a fluconazole product made from blue life. Another company makes one called Reef Flux but I read a couple reviews that said they Flux Rx worked for them but the Reef flux didn’t. It should all be the same but I went with the RX. Added that Monday and it seems to be working well and the algae turning colors.
Got the Apex Jr and the transferred EB8 installed on the SR80. Went to hook up the Tunze nano ATO I but it’s not working right. It’s like the pump just keeps pulsing and not sucking any water. It says you have to shake the air out of it but I did and it’s still not working. I went and ordered a smart ATO lite. I’m using the smart ATO micro on my other tanks and not sure what the difference is on the lite version but it’s quite a bit cheaper. Hopefully I have as much luck with it as I had with the others.
Some of the zoas frags from the indo colonies I cut up.
OP
OP
Exciting day today. My order came in from China with some new equipment. I pickEd up the Noopsyche k7 pros, mounts, Smart ATO lite, 2x kamour X1 WiFi dosers and a Jabao slw 20 power head.
I ordered some different universal mounts then the ones you normally get with the k7 light. It was more money but seemed to have a further reach then the stock ones. I’m so glad I got them, they are built super well, almost out a 8020 T slot type aluminum. Best on tank mounts I have seen. They work with the k7, hydras or has an eyelet to hang from. I’m sure you could also rig others as well with diy options. I don’t think you can beat them for $40. They even hide the cords nice and neat. The only thing though was the two screws that hold the bracket to the light were too short. Not sure what happened there but I found some in the garage that worked for me.
As far as the lights I’m really impressed. The controllability is great although programing is kind of tedious. The one thing I do like is I can have a dedicated photo mode. They remind me a lot of like the Ai lights as far as led color channels but have a smaller puck similar to the Kessils but not quite as small. What I really like about them is the puck is kinda recessed. It works perfect for me because I sit in front of the tank and watch tv with the tv mounted right above them. The light glare is greatly reduced compared to my primes and the primes even have diffusers installed
So I splurged and bought an Apogee MQ 510 par meter off a member here on reef2reef. Really wanted to get my tanks dialed in. Plus I figure I can help out the locals to do the same. I still have to mess with light spacing and spectrum/schedule but just from playing around with them and the meter I can tell they are going to work out great.
I am still debating with what racks I am going to use and the placements but this is what I have so far. I definitely want to leave some bare bottom because I found it works well for propagating mushrooms, at least when you are lucky. So in my lagoon some of the mushrooms would sometimes move off the disks and start to attach to the glass. I want them to do this because it makes it super easy to cut them in quarters then just scrape off the bottom. After that just put them in a shroom box to heal and attach.
I threw a zoa in the tank just as a little tester. It’s opened and looked good right away. I’ll probably move over other doubles I have slowly over time. I also quickly played with the camera to see if I could get a good shot. To my delight, without much effort I was able to set them to a spectrum that plays nice with my camera. Came out great but I’ll have to fool with it some more.
BSA Kamikaze kush
I’ll try and give an update on the other tanks here soon
I ordered some different universal mounts then the ones you normally get with the k7 light. It was more money but seemed to have a further reach then the stock ones. I’m so glad I got them, they are built super well, almost out a 8020 T slot type aluminum. Best on tank mounts I have seen. They work with the k7, hydras or has an eyelet to hang from. I’m sure you could also rig others as well with diy options. I don’t think you can beat them for $40. They even hide the cords nice and neat. The only thing though was the two screws that hold the bracket to the light were too short. Not sure what happened there but I found some in the garage that worked for me.
As far as the lights I’m really impressed. The controllability is great although programing is kind of tedious. The one thing I do like is I can have a dedicated photo mode. They remind me a lot of like the Ai lights as far as led color channels but have a smaller puck similar to the Kessils but not quite as small. What I really like about them is the puck is kinda recessed. It works perfect for me because I sit in front of the tank and watch tv with the tv mounted right above them. The light glare is greatly reduced compared to my primes and the primes even have diffusers installed
So I splurged and bought an Apogee MQ 510 par meter off a member here on reef2reef. Really wanted to get my tanks dialed in. Plus I figure I can help out the locals to do the same. I still have to mess with light spacing and spectrum/schedule but just from playing around with them and the meter I can tell they are going to work out great.
I am still debating with what racks I am going to use and the placements but this is what I have so far. I definitely want to leave some bare bottom because I found it works well for propagating mushrooms, at least when you are lucky. So in my lagoon some of the mushrooms would sometimes move off the disks and start to attach to the glass. I want them to do this because it makes it super easy to cut them in quarters then just scrape off the bottom. After that just put them in a shroom box to heal and attach.
I threw a zoa in the tank just as a little tester. It’s opened and looked good right away. I’ll probably move over other doubles I have slowly over time. I also quickly played with the camera to see if I could get a good shot. To my delight, without much effort I was able to set them to a spectrum that plays nice with my camera. Came out great but I’ll have to fool with it some more.
BSA Kamikaze kush
I’ll try and give an update on the other tanks here soon
OP
OP
Thanks, you would love one of these. You thinking to upgrade and transfer or get 2nd tank?
The mount attaches to the rim of the aquarium.The whole thing is made out of aluminum. Where it attaches to the tank on the tank side it has a rubber cover over the aluminum. Then on the outside edge it has a plate with rubber on one side that you put against the tank and screw 4 thumb screws to it.
TheWB
Valuable Member
That’s a nice setup. Better than most available options as you said. As for the tank, it would be an upgrade and transfer. I can’t run more than one at a time. I’d like the option to get some larger fish but still keep the feel of the lagoon and the ease of not having to plumb a sump. An SR80 would be as big as I’d want to go because it’s on the second floor. No sense taking a chance with any more weight than that. Plus, no plumbing and no sump equals less points of leaking and failure potentially. Not worth it on the second floor. That size keeps the water changes manageable as well. As much as I’d like a 180 or 240 I know I’m not willing to do the work. Gotta keep things simple. Aside from one or two things I’m really happy with the Lagoon 50, I’d just like a little more room.Thanks, you would love one of these. You thinking to upgrade and transfer or get 2nd tank?
The mount attaches to the rim of the aquarium.The whole thing is made out of aluminum. Where it attaches to the tank on the tank side it has a rubber cover over the aluminum. Then on the outside edge it has a plate with rubber on one side that you put against the tank and screw 4 thumb screws to it.
OP
OP
A 180 or 240 would be awesome. I am really happy with these innovative marine tanks though. If I went with a sump tank ,I like their 112 almost cube. Really, all of their big tank are pretty sweet. I have been wanting a peninsula, had my eye on the fiji cube 38 if I were to go with an all in one. I would just be concerned with the limited space in the back as the chamber is on the short ends on the peninsulas.
TheWB
Valuable Member
I like that 112 too. I like a lot of things but the key for me is knowing when not to do something. The SR80 is as big as I would go. That Fijicube 38 peninsula is an interesting tank but you’re right, the back chamber would be too small. If you wanted a bigger peninsula you could probably get somebody to fabricate a AIO insert option for a 6ft long tank. Make a 12“ deep by probably 24” wide Rear chamber that would fit any skimmer and return pump you wanted and still have a 60“ long display. That would be plenty of space and no sump to deal with. I think I could get pretty creative with the design if I wanted to do something like that. The idea of not having to crawl around under the stand to deal with sump stuff while having a larger display is pretty appealing to my bad back. I’ve already got an idea of how I’d do the SR80 so it could be up against a wall and still give me access to the area behind the tank when I need to get in there.
OP
OP
That’s a good thought on a custom insert to make a bigger all in one peninsula tank. As of now it’s just a thought. If I could put one out in the common area of the house I could make the lagoon another frag tank and transfer the acans over hahaha. Go for the SR80, it’s a really nice tank. If I would have had the room, I probably would have went for the seapora 80g tank with a sump. It is very nice not having to bend down to do maintenance though. If I ever convert the garage, that’s what I’ll probably go with. I was thinking 50g low boys but I hear they are really fragile. Either that or some kind of fiberglass tub or raceway.
living_tribunal
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The SR80 looks like a great frag tank.
I use the IM 25 lagoon for a frag tank as well but have slowed down on coral purchases. Do you plan on growing out and selling from the new tank?
I use the IM 25 lagoon for a frag tank as well but have slowed down on coral purchases. Do you plan on growing out and selling from the new tank?
OP
OP
Update on the acan lagoon and 30L frag tank. I have been getting algae in those two tanks. I dosed the 25 lagoon with reef flux about two weeks ago. It has been doing a great job killing it. The other day I did a water change to suck out a lot of the dying stuff and a bit of cyano that showed up. Then re dosed the level of flux back up.
The 30 frag tank didn’t have a lot of algae but I just dosed it as well the other day for the heck of it. No livestock has been effected at all which is great. I also turned the whites down a bit and stopped feeding aminos for now. I’m not sure why I’m getting the algae but guessing because I started running higher no3 and po4. I have been rethinking my levels and might run them a bit lower.
The 30 frag tank didn’t have a lot of algae but I just dosed it as well the other day for the heck of it. No livestock has been effected at all which is great. I also turned the whites down a bit and stopped feeding aminos for now. I’m not sure why I’m getting the algae but guessing because I started running higher no3 and po4. I have been rethinking my levels and might run them a bit lower.
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