Ron Reefman's 50g Cube

[That Crusso Kid]

Any updates? New FTS maybe?

 

[Ron Reefman]

Well, I haven't done much to the system over the past 9 months. It runs so smooth now I hate to go messing with it. I only have to change filter socks every 6 or 7 days. I dose 30ml of alk everyday and then test and add Ca every week. The corals are growing at a good rate as far as I'm concerned. I did frag some off the bottom of the Hollywood Stunner as it's shading the corals below it too much. I had to replace the return pump as the old Jebao DC9000 started having intermittent lock ups about once every 6 or 8 weeks. So I got a different one that looks the same but has what looks like a better controller.

I'll try for a new FTS and see what I get and post it here later.

I've just started considering a new build to replace this tank. I have a couple things I'm less than happy with and I do need more room for RFA's. So rather than pulling everything out and just rebuilding the egg crate platform and rockscape, I'm thinking a new tank. I haven't expressed the idea to my wife yet and I know she won't like the idea. But that's because she never likes change... until after it's done and works better. My stand has a bit more room off to the right side. So I could go 30"x24"x20" and have a bit more room. The big things I'm considering, and this is really just in the 'kicking it around stage' is the drain and return system. I want a bigger main drain so I can flow more through the sump/refugium and have more return flow. I'm running the return pump at about 50% because there isn't fast enough flow from the DT. I also want an emergency drain that is as big or bigger than the primary drain. And I'd like to get rid of the 'over the back of the tank' returns and route them in through the glass back. I'm thinking a coast to coast overflow that only goes 1/3rd of the way down in the tank (like 6" deep). Then have two good size wavemakers on the back glass under the overflow. I think I want the overflow to be all glass, no more acrylic.

I'm considering doing the bottom of the tank as a 24"x 30" sheet of pvc. Then setting a 3/8" thick piece of glass down that would be 23 1/8" x 29 1/8". That way all 4 sides of the tank can sit on the pvc and be attached to the both pvc and the bottom glass for extra strength. It also gives the bottom of the tank a strong but slightly soft bottom between the glass and the yoga mat I would use under the tank.

I'm also considering using white RTV silicone if I can find it (I haven't begun to look yet), or 3M Co #5200 Marine Adhesive which is white. But that would also involve buffing all the mating surfaces and ends of the glass with fine sandpaper to rough it up so the adhesive sticks better. The primary reason for doing this in my stands is all high gloss white and so are all the other cabinets in our house (kitchen and both bathrooms), so I think a white edged tank would be different and cool looking. I'd probably do a small test aquarium if I go the 3M 5200 adhesive route.

I'd love to hear any comments anybody wants to make, good, bad or even other crazy ideas for me to consider!

 

[count krunk]

My family owns a parasailing company and we have used 5200 in all sorts of ways. It is incredibly strong. Def do a test with it first though. How big is your drain now?

 

[That Crusso Kid]

Well, I haven't done much to the system over the past 9 months. It runs so smooth now I hate to go messing with it. I only have to change filter socks every 6 or 7 days. I dose 30ml of alk everyday and then test and add Ca every week. The corals are growing at a good rate as far as I'm concerned. I did frag some off the bottom of the Hollywood Stunner as it's shading the corals below it too much. I had to replace the return pump as the old Jebao DC9000 started having intermittent lock ups about once every 6 or 8 weeks. So I got a different one that looks the same but has what looks like a better controller.

I'll try for a new FTS and see what I get and post it here later.

I've just started considering a new build to replace this tank. I have a couple things I'm less than happy with and I do need more room for RFA's. So rather than pulling everything out and just rebuilding the egg crate platform and rockscape, I'm thinking a new tank. I haven't expressed the idea to my wife yet and I know she won't like the idea. But that's because she never likes change... until after it's done and works better. My stand has a bit more room off to the right side. So I could go 30"x24"x20" and have a bit more room. The big things I'm considering, and this is really just in the 'kicking it around stage' is the drain and return system. I want a bigger main drain so I can flow more through the sump/refugium and have more return flow. I'm running the return pump at about 50% because there isn't fast enough flow from the DT. I also want an emergency drain that is as big or bigger than the primary drain. And I'd like to get rid of the 'over the back of the tank' returns and route them in through the glass back. I'm thinking a coast to coast overflow that only goes 1/3rd of the way down in the tank (like 6" deep). Then have two good size wavemakers on the back glass under the overflow. I think I want the overflow to be all glass, no more acrylic.

I'm considering doing the bottom of the tank as a 24"x 30" sheet of pvc. Then setting a 3/8" thick piece of glass down that would be 23 1/8" x 29 1/8". That way all 4 sides of the tank can sit on the pvc and be attached to the both pvc and the bottom glass for extra strength. It also gives the bottom of the tank a strong but slightly soft bottom between the glass and the yoga mat I would use under the tank.

I'm also considering using white RTV silicone if I can find it (I haven't begun to look yet), or 3M Co #5200 Marine Adhesive which is white. But that would also involve buffing all the mating surfaces and ends of the glass with fine sandpaper to rough it up so the adhesive sticks better. The primary reason for doing this in my stands is all high gloss white and so are all the other cabinets in our house (kitchen and both bathrooms), so I think a white edged tank would be different and cool looking. I'd probably do a small test aquarium if I go the 3M 5200 adhesive route.

I'd love to hear any comments anybody wants to make, good, bad or even other crazy ideas for me to consider!

Thanks for the "non-update"! I got a kick out of your post and the number of different ideas rolling around in your head. I definitely relate!

I like the sound of a new tank and, more specifically, you thoughts surrounding setting it up.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Hey, I finally got around to cleaning the glass and taking a couple of pics yesterday. And here it is, 4:00am and I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep, so I came here. What does that say about me?

Anyway, I have to admit that I'm kind of surprised at the fact that I don't have to clean my glass very often. And when I do, it's more tiny starts of coraline rather than diatoms. I probably go 2 or 3 weeks between cleanings.

So lets start with my favorite, a slightly less than FTS.

And just to get the full view, here it is from edge to edge and top to bottom.

And just to the right of center, in the sand, right at the front is one of my older baby RFA's that is about a year old now. It doesn't show well from the front of the tank (above). So here is a shot from the top down.

You can see that the amount of space I left as open snd in front of the rockscape and egg crate platform is now full of RFA's and I have a couple more in a 16g holding tank. I just hate the idea of screwing up this tank by pulling everything out, revising the egg crate platform and then doing the rockscape and RFA placement in the sand just to gain 2 or 3 inches of open sand.

 

[That Crusso Kid]

It's looking really nice!

That's an awful lot of work for such a small gain in area!

 

[Ron Reefman]

It's looking really nice!

That's an awful lot of work for such a small gain in area!

That's why I keep putting it off. But I do have some issues with corals starting to grow into each other and a few really nice zoas that are newer and they don't have much room to grow either. And then there is a couple of Florida Keys snorkel trips coming up in June and July and who knows what might come home with me? So some day in the not too distant future I'll either go a bit bigger and build a new tank or just do some remodeling of what I already have. It's a tough decision as the current tank has been by far the most carefree tank I've ever had.

 

[Katrina71]

That is like a rainbow! Just gorgeous!

 

[Ron Reefman]

Thanks @Katrina71 , how are yours doing?

 

[That Crusso Kid]

That is like a rainbow! Just gorgeous!

 

[Katrina71]

Thanks @Katrina71 , how are yours doing?

Growing like crazy:)

 

[sfin52]

wow.

 

[Ron Reefman]

My family owns a parasailing company and we have used 5200 in all sorts of ways. It is incredibly strong. Def do a test with it first though. How big is your drain now?

@count krunk, the main drain is 1" and the emergency drain is 3/4". But the return is 1.5" and splits into 2 pipes behind the tank and then each one splits into 2 locline nozzles in the tank. So I could run more flow through the return, but I'm limited by the drain. And in such a small tank (2'x2'x20") if I had more flow from the return, I wouldn't need as much flow from wavemakers. And in fact, the new return pump I installed last month has a wavemaker setting that might be cool to use. But my expectation is the change in flow would cause a change in the water level in the tank and might make the drain noisy.

And @sfin52, thanks!

 

[norfolkgarden]

Hey, I finally got around to cleaning the glass and taking a couple of pics yesterday. And here it is, 4:00am and I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep, so I came here. What does that say about me?

Anyway, I have to admit that I'm kind of surprised at the fact that I don't have to clean my glass very often. And when I do, it's more tiny starts of coraline rather than diatoms. I probably go 2 or 3 weeks between cleanings.

So lets start with my favorite, a slightly less than FTS.

And just to get the full view, here it is from edge to edge and top to bottom.

And just to the right of center, in the sand, right at the front is one of my older baby RFA's that is about a year old now. It doesn't show well from the front of the tank (above). So here is a shot from the top down.

You can see that the amount of space I left as open snd in front of the rockscape and egg crate platform is now full of RFA's and I have a couple more in a 16g holding tank. I just hate the idea of screwing up this tank by pulling everything out, revising the egg crate platform and then doing the rockscape and RFA placement in the sand just to gain 2 or 3 inches of open sand.

Wow! That is beautiful!

Been following your snorkeling thread. [emoji846]

Your tank is even nicer!

Thank you for sharing.
[emoji846]

 

[Ron Reefman]

@norfolkgarden, thanks for the kind words. Part of the advantage of a smaller tank is that it's easy to fill up with corals. That tank isn't even 2 years old.

As for the snorkeling thread, there will be a lot of new posts coming soon. We have a 4 day trip scheduled in June with my local aquarium club and another one in July where I'm helping out the Ocala, FL aquarium club. My wife just checked the water temps in the Keys and due to the warmer than usual weather, the water temps are already 88.9F! That's what it gets to in late July and all of August! At least it will be comfortable snorkeling for hours in just a dive skin to keep the sun off. I can't wait.

 

[siggy]

Hey Ron, Just Beautiful! and @crusso1993

 

[MombasaLionfish]

Wow! That is beautiful!

Been following your snorkeling thread. [emoji846]

Your tank is even nicer!

Thank you for sharing.
[emoji846]

Same here.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I'm in the process of sorting out the new things I brought home from the Keys snorkel trip. Updates coming soon!

 

[hexumjunkie]

@Ron Reefman I love your rfa but I can never get mine to attach them they go where I don’t want them:(

 

[Ron Reefman]

@Ron Reefman I love your rfa but I can never get mine to attach them they go where I don’t want them:(

@hexumjunkie have you tried using the pvc end cap idea? I have 2 store bought and 2 wild collected RFA's currently in pvc end caps in my 16g holding tank and 1 tiny baby that attached itself to a small rock and was about to be over run by a coral. They seem to be very happy in the end caps.

In my experience, and with RFA's I consider myself pretty experienced, they tend to like being at the edge of rocks where the sand meets it. They even like to set their foot on the rock but below the sand surface. Some will settle into holes in the rock if other conditions like light and flow are to their liking. The colorful ultra RFA comes from deeper water (30 to 50 feet) and gets less light. On the other hand, I have PAR of 200 at the sand in my tank and they seem quite happy.

If you have a smaller rock with a hole for the anemone's foot and can put it in a small bowl (I use cheap tupperware like containers). Set the rock with the hole facing straight up and add sand around the rock so the hole is almost covered. Set the nem's foot in the hole and if it stays for a day, press the rock down deeper or add more sand so the hole and nem's foot are in the sand. If it stays, keep it there for a few days to a week. I was doing 2 or 3 water changes of 75% every day. Once in the morning and once in the evening.