Shaun's 2000 Litre (530 USG) Living Reef & Red Sea Max S 650 LED Design & Build

[najer]

It’s the way I’m going unfortunately

Ive got 3 yellow tangs and 2 yellow gobies arriving tomorrow Simon, from Masterfisch based in France and I can’t fault them at all from previous deliveries, it’s unfortunately the way I’m going, I basically order everything online, and now livestock and they have been simply excellent.

I get a call from a lovely french man called Laurent, with a beautiufl french accent, telling me ’halo shawn, your ordeerr is beeiinggg prapered and will be with yu in the mornniinggg’ so what can I say! Lol

I 100% see your point, due to my issues I make myself go out everyday to get shopping, my once or twice a week at SWM is the only time I get to chat to people, you need to set a wholesale coral business and give me a job, I had dangerous goods worldwide shipping certificates, finding a good UK internal carrier shouldn't be a problem!

 

[Janci]

I had 7 coral frags arrive a few days ago, mainly SPS apart from a green alveopora coral

Forgive the picture, it’s just a quick iPhone shot but you get the idea.

The LFS’s just don’t stock the things I want, they just have the same old stuff, green, pink and that’s about it. I’m looking now for blues, purple, yellow, reds, vivid colours, so I’ve had to go online unfortunately to get exactly what I want.

I say unfortunately, but to be honest the suppliers I use have been excellent I can’t fault them, and I don’t have to queue in the rain wearing a stupid face covering. I sit in my chair, (well usually ‘slumped in my chair’ ! Lol) order exactly what I want, and a nice man delivers it to my door.

Times are changing so either adapt or don’t...

You either adapt, or you stay with old, green, pink and stuff.
Never heard about Masterfish. Will look them up.

 

[SPR1968]

I ordered 3 additional Yellow Tangs and 2 Yellow Clown Gobbies a few days ago from Masterfisch, who I’ve started using quiet a lot for fish and corals and I haven’t been disappointed so far.

They ship in a very substantial and insulated box, and the bags contain carbon pellets to absorb any toxins during transit.

One of the original 7 of the Yellow Tang Gang disappeared so with the additional 3 were up to 9 which is enough for me, and they look stunning.

I ordered mid size tangs as I was worried about adding small ones amongst the existing fish and the new ones are quiet big and look very healthy.

I added them to the acclimatisation box with some pellet food and they scoffed the lot straight away!

You can follow their journey by UPS below from France, through Germany and to my door in less than about 16 hours

The acclimatisation box was a bit small for these 3 fish and the gobies, so they were in it for only about 4 hours and the other fish weren’t bothering them so I released them all

 

[Janci]

Cool.
Now when will you see that goby again?

 

[SPR1968]

Cool.
Now when will you see that goby again?

Who knows! Lol

There are 2 and the one in the ‘frag tank’ usually just hangs around on a coral

 

[najer]

I want to add two more scopas tangs to the twins, how much aggression was there when the acclimation box first went in?

 

[SPR1968]

I want to add two more scopas tangs to the twins, how much aggression was there when the acclimation box first went in?

None, but there has been a bit of chasing in the last hour or so, not to bad though. Bizarrely it was the biggest being chased, I think by the established previous biggest

Its a bit difficult because they all look the same! lol

 

[SPR1968]

Today I installed one of the final systems to monitor the tank, the Apex breakout box.

I originally returned it because I didnt want to allow Apex to much control, but there are certain things it’s very good at so I reordered the breakout box.

I had an old Tunze Osmolator which wouldn’t be used again and needed 2 float switches so I had one ready anyway and then used the old one from the Osmolator and better still the 2 magnet float mounts I had for it.

The parameter that needs monitoring is the water level in the sump. To low and it means the ATO has failed, to high means the NYOS 300 skimmer would basically freak out and over skim and if I’m away, or even home, that would be an issue because it’s a big old beast.

Ive installed the 2 additional float switches so if the main pump fails (remember it’s an Abyzz a200) the water level will rise and the skimmer will be turned off automatically. If the Tunze ATO fails it will raise an alarm. Now with the Tunze, provided the pump hasn’t failed ( I have an outlet socket with an eheim compacton 2000 pump so not the standard pump) then switching the Tunze on and off, makes it automatically pump water as part of the self test, which could be handy if I’m away or an emergency because I can do it either manually or program Apex to do it every few hours or so.

So from bottom left to right:

On the side left is the primary Tunze Osmolator ATO
Top left are the Apex sensors
Then we have the sump high float switch and then sump low

Then there is the backup gravity fed ATO system float valve and system.

 

[mattgsa]

You have a really nice tank. Loved going through your thread.

 

[SPR1968]

You have a really nice tank. Loved going through your thread.

Which one?! Lol

Thank you, and thanks for taking the time to say hello

 

[Mortie31]

I ordered 3 additional Yellow Tangs and 2 Yellow Clown Gobbies a few days ago from Masterfisch, who I’ve started using quiet a lot for fish and corals and I haven’t been disappointed so far.

If you ever want a Uk shop that posts and is really solid have a look at Cellar Marine in Stoke, Lee the owner is sound

 

[SPR1968]

If you ever want a Uk shop that posts and is really solid have a look at Cellar Marine in Stoke, Lee the owner is sound

Thanks for that, the web site looks good so I’ll have a look around it.

 

[SPR1968]

I’ve just added another 10 litres of Seachem Matrix, so that makes 48 litres in total, and you can see from the picture below what it looks like. It might sound like its enough for a small ocean, but experience tells me you need a lot more than you think for it to work when involving heavy bioloads.

Theres still some room in the 2 sump compartments for some more if needed, and to be honest I might just top them up anyway over the next few months. You can’t have to much filtration!

Nitrate levels have been stable at around 7-8 for many months, which is all fine, but I’m going to add a few more fish, because, well, I’m addicted! lol

I want to make sure there is a rock solid ‘biological filtration plant’ in place to handle the heavy bioload that’s being built up.

 

[najer]

I’ve just added another 10 litres of Seachem Matrix, so that makes 48 litres in total, and you can see from the picture below what it looks like. It might sound like its enough for a small ocean, but experience tells me you need a lot more than you think for it to work when involving heavy bioloads.

Theres still some room in the 2 sump compartments for some more if needed, and to be honest I might just top them up anyway over the next few months. You can’t have to much filtration!

Nitrate levels have been stable at around 7-8 for many months, which is all fine, but I’m going to add a few more fish, because, well, I’m addicted! lol

I want to make sure there is a rock solid ‘biological filtration plant’ in place to handle the heavy bioload that’s being built up.

I was thinking back to aquaponics I had to learn, made a switch to looking at mariculture, my version of what yours does, growing tang food!

 

[SPR1968]

I was thinking back to aquaponics I had to learn, made a switch to looking at mariculture, my version of what yours does, growing tang food!

It’s a great idea if you can do that. I tried it in the S650 a while ago, but the light was making the sump ‘dirty’ with all sorts of things growing so I took it out.

Maybe I need to grow it elsewhere.

Infact can you remember the ALR2 reactor. It might get a second chance ‘off site’ so to speak! Lol

 

[najer]

It’s a great idea if you can do that. I tried it in the S650 a while ago, but the light was making the sump ‘dirty’ with all sorts of things growing so I took it out.

Maybe I need to grow it elsewhere.

Infact can you remember the ALR2 reactor. It might get a second chance ‘off site’ so to speak! Lol

Try it with something like C. brachypus, the invasive one. loves flow.

 

[SPR1968]

RIP foxy guy......

He was one of my bestist fishy friends, he’s been looking a little lethargic for about 4-5 days, hanging around in the rocks at the back of the tank were he sleeps. No signs of any illness, and out with the cleaner wrasse for his daily manicure several times each day.

He hasn’t been eating much for a few days so I guess I’ll never know the cause......

 

[najer]

I have no words, love my freaky ff.

 

[SPR1968]

I have no words, love my freaky ff.

I guess it’s one of those things Simon, hed been with me for about 3 years so far at a guess, originally in the S650 and then into the big home many months ago. Was always out feeding and swimming, loved the cleaner wrasse but......

 

[najer]

I guess it’s one of those things Simon, hed been with me for about 3 years so far at a guess, originally in the S650 and then into the big home many months ago. Was always out feeding and swimming, loved the cleaner wrasse but......

Hate when it is unexplained, RIP fish.