rsb1982's Mixed Reef, a work in progress

rsb1982

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So I just moved at the end of October to a bigger apartment in the city and it was nothing short of a pain in the butt, even with all the help and resources I had. The last, and of course most challenging part was moving my 75G FOWLR. This of course is the perfect time to rebuild my setup for a mixed reef! Originally I had wanted to set up a new 150XH tank I purchased earlier in the year, however I had no time to build a stand and after weeks of debate, design and calculation I decided not to due to the weight of the finished/full tank.
Any how I decided for the time being I will continue to use my 75G. Well, I never really liked my 75G as it's not drilled and that overflow is loud and makes me nervous so it wasn't long until I talked my fiancé in to letting me buy another tank, this time drilled, in exchange I would sell all my other tanks that are in storage or out in the garage. I picked up a 90G with corner flow at a pretty good deal at the LFS as well as a 30G Long for my sump/refugium to get rid of that darn ugly and otherwise useless trickle wet/dry tank below.
My ultimate goal is to finally get my mixed reef going now that I have more experience, more space, a bigger DT and a refugium added to my sump.
So without further ado I would like to show you my progress so far… enjoy, let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions please! Mind you, tank is still cycling technically and only just over 2 weeks old since the reboot.


Running good, coming together bit by bit. I've rearranged the rocks about 6 times now, think I like it best this way rather than the 2 large mounds I had on either side.


A bit crowded below, still need to organize the wires some.


Left side; Skimmer, heater, filter sock. Fuge is next chamber


Fuge; 2 inch miracle mud, some live rock rubble, cheato and a few vacant shells collected from the DT.


Right side; Return, BRS dual reactor running GFO and carbon (I'm going to run the intake/pump side to chamber one once I get some more 1/2" murlock line). Apex equipment: Apex lite, VDM, WXM, ALD, EB8, Breakout Box. Vortech MP40wES controller (controlled by Apex via WXM), JBO ATO with 16G reservoir next to stand, just RODI right now, will add Kalk once I get my PH probe issue resolved (read below).


Little cloudy from cleaning glass


Rose BTA. Also have 3 Green BTA's (split from original) but they're still adjusting and looking for a place to settle down.


Screenshot from Apex… Yes my PH is insanely low. I believe it's just as the probe is 2.5 years old now and I may have let it dry out when moving. I cleaned it with a vinegar soak and brush but even after calibration it's still screwy. Going to order the BRS lab grade probe soon.

Whatchya'll think so far?

Coming soon: DIY Rapid LED light build. Already have everything waiting patiently in the box for me to find time to assemble it, and to build the frame and modify the canopy to fit it in. Still going to be several weeks before tank is cycled and I zero in on Calcium, ALK, MAG, PH, etc.
 
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rsb1982

rsb1982

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Thanks Zero! I just got my BRS order in this morning for a few more necessary parts, including the new PH probe and decided to bite the bullet on the 2 part doser package setup with 2 dosers since I will eventually need that any way. Finding space and tidying up wires is getting tricky lol.

BTW, this forum is the best I've found. In searching for a good community to be a part of I have also posted at RC... no one ever replies there, nor is anyone really too helpful. R2R all the way!
 

trickedout900

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Looks like you have a good build going. I dread the thought of ever moving my tanks. It's definitely not any fun. Good luck with the build.
 
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rsb1982

rsb1982

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Hey tricked, Thanks! And yes moving is by no means an easy task. Fortunately the move was only 30 min away and I already had a new extra 75G tank to move them to so it was somewhat smooth. It was a good learning experience. Next time I move hopefully will be into a house I purchase and I'll have more time to build a stand and set up a monster tank ahead of time.
I should have some more pics up this/next week of the new hardware.
 

trickedout900

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I use to have a 125 back in the day and moved it what seemed like once a year. After a couple of huge losses I gave up on the hobby for awhile until o finally bought my house. Now I'm back in with both feet. Its great that you had a spare tank set up. That had to help a ton.
 
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rsb1982

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A few small updates. Still debating on hanging my DIY led lights from the ceiling, shelving arms or to build a new taller canopy to house them in. Until then, a few shots of recent changes!
9y9ebymy.jpg

Built a new stand out of leftover egg crate. Much cleaner and better flow. Also picked up some soft silicone hose from BRS... Very pricey but gets me the flexibility I need in a tight bend.
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Picked up a small hand full of cheato that didn't grow much, if any in a week under the florescent energy saver bulb I had. But then I picked up a par38 5000k bulb from batteries plus and the cheato is easily 4 times in mass in a week's time! It's a 50 degree spread which is the widest I could find, the narrower option was like 25 degrees. Wish they had a 90 degree option to spread more light but oh well. Segregated the cheato to one side of the refugium to soak up the light better.
uteqy4eb.jpg

Still needing to clean up wires. Vortech is programmed and running great. BRS lab grade ph probe came and replaced my expired Neptune probe. Yay for more accurate readings! Speaking of ph... The cheato may not be working as well as I thought as far as keeping o2 levels up, co2 levels down at night. Ph drops a little but not terribly as the old probe claimed. Also bought a bunch of house plants as our ph levels are high in the apartment-- but neither I not my fiance have a green thumb and we are losing them slowly. Other suggestions??
uzytyryn.jpg

asa4ymev.jpg

2 of 3 anthias I picked up recently.
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usabaze9.jpg

Couple live stock shots. Gotta get my lights done soon so I can get going on corals. Also needing to set up my dosers for when that time comes.
 
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rsb1982

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DIY Rapid LED lights are up and running. Took all day but they are awesome! Some pics taken along the way…

Modifying canopy to house the lights



Picked up a couple aluminum bars from Lowes to hold the heat sinks evenly on the braces in the canopy



Laying out the leds according to my layout. I used the wrong grease on the pucks and didn't realize it till halfway through. That was an hour setback of removing the pucks and scraping off adhesive.


Wiring is all done




Lights on!!! (eventually after figuring the VDM and setting profiles in Apex). Night time so lunar cycle is doing it's thing :)



Wish my camera was able to pickup the true blue… This is at 20%, looks brighter in the pics. Knocked it down to 10% still.
 
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rsb1982

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Ok a few new changes...

Installed my 2 part dosers from BRS. Working on increasing my calcium up to about 420-440 and dKH to 10-12. Currently at 380 and 9. Think I overshot my magnesium dosing so I'll have to do a water change soon this weekend again.
photo 1.jpg



Finally received my door alarm switches so my sump light comes on when either door is opened. Yay no more fumbling for my phone flashlight or to open the Apex app!
photo 2.JPG

photo 3.jpg

photo 4.jpg



I also attended a fragging class and got to take home some Montipora, Birdsnest and Zoos. Think I was a bit rough with the Monti and especially the birds nest as they aren't looking too good-- like bleaching right away. Maybe didn't acclimate long enough either (about an hour, hour and a half). Rolled back my max ramp intensity down to 45% (from 65%) to see how they look after a few more days. Will put pics up of those soon.
 

When to mix up fish meal: When was the last time you tried a different brand of food for your reef?

  • I regularly change the food that I feed to the tank.

    Votes: 44 21.7%
  • I occasionally change the food that I feed to the tank.

    Votes: 70 34.5%
  • I rarely change the food that I feed to the tank.

    Votes: 66 32.5%
  • I never change the food that I feed to the tank.

    Votes: 19 9.4%
  • Other.

    Votes: 4 2.0%
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