Scott26's 90 Gallon Wave Front Build

[scott26]

Nice looking frags...cant wait to see the grow up! Glad to hear you clowns are enjoying their new home!! As for the canopy, as Kerfing King, i am sure you will have something sick together in no time!

Kerfing POWERS ACTIVATE!!!! lol... it should be interesting I am going to have to make sure I get plenty of flow in the canopy unlike my last attempt. I think that was the reason for my bulbs burning out so quickly.

 

[scott26]

Well I was able to get a new fish for the tank from a local reefer a beautiful Yellow Tang he is probably around 4.5" and has some fantastic colors and has been in an established tank for at least 2 years. So he is a welcome addition to the tank. We call him Tweeter (since he is yellow and yellow is like Tweety Bird cartoon but Tweety is a girl name so Tweeter wins) Photos:

He was kind of scared for the first hour or so but after that I feed and he ate and even got in on some algae. Here is a video of him eating. Since my wave front has a different design he was thinking the other tang was trying to eat his algae. I also noticed his twitch is that normal I never really noticed it before with my other tangs? Videos: First Added: YouTube - 90 Gallon Aquarium Yellow Tang 2 Eating Algae: YouTube - 90 Gallon Aquarium Yellow Tang I also noticed that there was a new kind of algae on my back wall it is like a red vain algae any ideas what it is?

I also got my CONTROLLER! Here is a pic of how it was set up but I have to rearrange it some though to make it fit in the stand.

Here is a video on the controller and how it is set up right now in the stand I need to get some more wire to redo the plugs. YouTube - 90 Gallon Aquarium Custom Controller

 

[scott26]

I am not sure why but the forum makes my paragraphs all into one instead of separating them like I had.

 

[CJO]

I had the same issue when I copied and pasted from Word. I had to go back in a edit my post for it to come in correctly.

CJ

 

[scott26]

I got a little bit more done… I was able to mount the reactors to the sump area. Hanging Reactors:

I also wanted to add a light to the sump area to light up the darker areas that I cannot see in well at night when the skimmer cup is just begging to be emptied. So here is a picture with the lights off:

And with the light on:

Not bad for an $8.00 light from Wal-Mart that has a switch on it. And I have also been continuing to mount the controller with the little spare time I have I have gotten the left side all done. Still have to do the right side and drill holes to feed the wires through.

 

[xmetalfan99]

Your build is progressing extremely well. I'd be afraid of shorting myself out if I used a DIY controller. I bet it rocks though.

 

[scott26]

Your build is progressing extremely well. I'd be afraid of shorting myself out if I used a DIY controller. I bet it rocks though.

Thanks, There are a lot of fail safes in the controller 1st the power is off while I work 2nd once you learn how the outlets work it is really very easy 3rd there is also a breaker on the main power source for the controller that should kick off if something goes wrong 4th the house has a breaker to if I really mess it up! Not going to happen though I am very particular.

 

[Tabasco1]

Nice build! Very impressed with all the DIY stuff. I am game for most stuff, but anything electrical... let's just say I don't trust myself.

 

[sfswp09]

Very nice and well thought out build.

 

[fsu1dolfan]

Scott - looks like things are moving right along. Are those reactors from BRS? I have one sitting in my closet that I need to hook up already.

 

[scott26]

Nice build! Very impressed with all the DIY stuff. I am game for most stuff, but anything electrical... let's just say I don't trust myself.

Ya this was my first time with some good electrical power... and it really is pretty easy so long as you follow the correct steps.

Very nice and well thought out build.

Thanks, That is what I was going for but I have even better ideas for the next tank. At least a 300 gallon when I get my own house.

Scott - looks like things are moving right along. Are those reactors from BRS? I have one sitting in my closet that I need to hook up already.

They are from BRS they are really well made the plastic housing is about 3/8" thick very sturdy.

 

[fsu1dolfan]

Ya this was my first time with some good electrical power... and it really is pretty easy so long as you follow the correct steps.



Thanks, That is what I was going for but I have even better ideas for the next tank. At least a 300 gallon when I get my own house.



They are from BRS they are really well made the plastic housing is about 3/8" thick very sturdy.

What kind of return pump are you using for those reactors...i think i have a MJ1200 but my problem is i am not using a sump and need to carry the water a few feet up. Wondering if i have enough to do it.

 

[scott26]

What kind of return pump are you using for those reactors...i think i have a MJ1200 but my problem is i am not using a sump and need to carry the water a few feet up. Wondering if i have enough to do it.

I am using a manifold off my main return pump not attaching to a MJ1200... but from what I have heard carbon and GFO don't need that much power so the MJ should be able to do the job easy and if it is to much they come with a ball valve to reduce flow... I was going to go that route at first and was going to use an MJ900 for the carbon since I likes a slower and longer contact time.

 

[fsu1dolfan]

I am using a manifold off my main return pump not attaching to a MJ1200... but from what I have heard carbon and GFO don't need that much power so the MJ should be able to do the job easy and if it is to much they come with a ball valve to reduce flow... I was going to go that route at first and was going to use an MJ900 for the carbon since I likes a slower and longer contact time.

Good to know...yeah i will be running Carbon and GFO so i should be good. Just to to get off my butt and do it already LOL. So how is the canopy coming...did i read something about you using fire or blow torch to bend the wood?

 

[xmetalfan99]

I am using a manifold off my main return pump not attaching to a MJ1200... but from what I have heard carbon and GFO don't need that much power so the MJ should be able to do the job easy and if it is to much they come with a ball valve to reduce flow... I was going to go that route at first and was going to use an MJ900 for the carbon since I likes a slower and longer contact time.

That is how I run my ractors. Off one pump. Makes life easier when you have less cords all over the place. I think it makes everything look better in your stand as well. I have slight OCD when it comes to my tank.

 

[scott26]

Good to know...yeah i will be running Carbon and GFO so i should be good. Just to to get off my butt and do it already LOL. So how is the canopy coming...did i read something about you using fire or blow torch to bend the wood?

I am not going to be using the torch for the wood that is going to be for the frame of the screen that I am going to put over the top for the jumpers. The wood part is going to be a template that I will use to bend the aluminum frame around to prevent kinks. The canopy is going to be put on hold for a little while at least since it will cost about $150 I am guessing to make.

That is how I run my ractors. Off one pump. Makes life easier when you have less cords all over the place. I think it makes everything look better in your stand as well. I have slight OCD when it comes to my tank.

I was semi against the idea of having it all run off one pump. Because if that one pump goes down then you are really screwed but not like you need your reactors when the power/pump is out anyway, since all you would be running through the reactor is sump water. Oh and did you say OCD? I will have to check out your build then do you have one?

 

[xmetalfan99]

I was semi against the idea of having it all run off one pump. Because if that one pump goes down then you are really screwed but not like you need your reactors when the power/pump is out anyway, since all you would be running through the reactor is sump water. Oh and did you say OCD? I will have to check out your build then do you have one?

Yes I do. I am actually about to go to Lowes to buy some rubber mats, cable ties, and tubing to clean my stand up even more. I am never completely happy with what goes on down there.

I will post the link to the thread when I get back.

 

[scott26]

Okay well it has been quite a while since the last update and I have got a good amount more done.

I started by getting the reactors filled with media. I used ROX carbon in one and GFO in the other and all seems to be working well. I love how simple these BRS reactors are they make it super easy to clean and maintain and flush the new media.

I also have been having some issues with my overflow nothing like flooding or anything. It is just so powerful that it keeps sucking down my critters. I was working on the aquarium the other day and realized I couldn't find my large Clownfish so I looked around and thought maybe he is in the sump, and sure enough there he was chilling in the filter sock. Very stressed out and a little beat up (probably from trying to get out of the sock which probably reminded him of a net).

What I think happened is that when he was sleeping (which is always near the weir of the overflow box) he got spooked and went over the falls and got sucked up by the pipe. She hasn't done it since so I think that this was a onetime thing. She got her top fin a little scuffed up but other than that she is fine.

Now I also got my CUC added to the system and they are going to work on the diatom outbreak and really cleaning things up. Which makes it a lot easier on me since I don't have to clean the glass as much.

I was also able to add the coral from my QT tank that I had been using as a temporary home during the build.

However with this CUC being added the snails like to move all over that tank and in the weir and the overflow box so it was going to happen and the snails have been getting sucked up the pipes. Which again is not big deal since I have a failsafe bean system however it is frustrating because when they do get sucked up (3 at a time sometimes) they clogged the siphon pipe and make the open channel kick it which is good and prevents flooding. However it does make the system get noisy since the open channel is having to take over. So I have had to take the elbows off the overflow 3 times now because of these snails.

I am going to be making a snail guard for the elbows of the overflow system I will use a hole saw and cut out some egg crate to fit inside and silicone it to the elbow so no more fish/snails get any free roller coaster rides.

And I also have the controller completely set up and online!!! Oh boy does it rock. I was able to drill some holes for these cable guides I got off McMaster Carr to keep everything tidy of course. I also was able to barrow a label maker from work and got all the cables labeled. I also had to buy some extension cords since some of the power cords (lights, korallias) are not long enough to be feed through.

Also I had ordered some Cheato with my CUC but it has not been doing very well at all so I took it out and threw it away. All that it seemed to do was slowly fall apart and leech back into the main tank so that I had little Cheato strings floating around, so to the garbage it went.

And finally I have some big news I am going to be building an ATS to add to my tank. For those of you that may not know about this lesser know filter system it is called a Algae Turf Scrubber. The idea behind it is that you will have a screen that is illuminated by lights and has water passing over it. Well with these lights shining on the screen it makes the algae want to only grow there since it is such an easy place to thrive. Therefore it wants to only grow there and removes that algae from you display tank. I know it sounds crazy but for about $15 in parts I think it is worth a shot. Not to mention I know two local reefers who runs these on their tanks (one uses only this for his filter w/ some live rock, the other uses a skimmer and this) and they look GREAT.

 

[fsu1dolfan]

Nice pics Scott - Sounds like things are moving along nicely. Glad to hear your clown was ok....no more free rides LOL. Thanks for the update!

 

[scott26]

Nice pics Scott - Sounds like things are moving along nicely. Glad to hear your clown was ok....no more free rides LOL. Thanks for the update!

Ya, what a little hitch hiker.