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

[SPR1968]

They're called a Aqua Connect Drain Cube and I found them here.

Perfect thanks Laith for that

 

[Laith]

Perfect thanks Laith for that

And by the way, the openings in the cube are quite large so I haven't found that they reduce flow much at all. In fact, when I remove the cube from the pipe I don't have to adjust the valve at all to keep the same water level.

And since I've installed them I haven't had to clean them once... over 15 months since the tank is up and running...

 

[Fudsey]

Shaun, I figured out how you can fix the 650 and not use ANY supplements on it. Move all you corals to the new tank and make the 650 a FOWLR.....

You're welcome

 

[SPR1968]

Shaun, I figured out how you can fix the 650 and not use ANY supplements on it. Move all you corals to the new tank and make the 650 a FOWLR.....

You're welcome

Mmm, why didn’t I think of that Keith! Lol

Only problem is, I’ve fragged just about every coral into the big house already

I don’t know about you, but I just hate having to remove or throw away corals because of what I paid for them as frags in the first place.

I have this in both tanks, but I used it as a ‘tank filler’ in the big house but now I’m removing it and I just hate to throw it away. I took out an 8 inch beautifully formed piece today to allow room for the more colourful corals surrounding it

I’ve left a big example at the back of the new tank and it really filling out and I’ll probably leave it.

I think it’s staghorn coral but I’m rubbish with ID! Lol

 

[Fudsey]

Wish I was closer to you, I'd help take care of your problem

 

[GoVols]

Now I don’t know about the USA, but the UK has very strict laws on chemical labels, hazards and ingredients so I assume Red Sea have complied with these or they would be in trouble, So on this basis one can assume we are getting the bicarbonate and unbaked version.

I’m going to look into this Shaun. I did a quick google yesterday but came up with nothing. RS is pretty good at sweeping things under the rug.

The one thing that I remember for the USA.

Due to safety, the powder form of part - b (alk) is not as potent as Red Sea's liquid form.

Think the power form is about double the dosage of their liquid form of alk.

 

[SPR1968]

Here’s one of my favourite friends who lives in the S650

 

[SPR1968]

I actually won a competition with this one, a years subscription to Ultra Marine magazine

 

[ScottR]

I actually won a competition with this one, a years subscription to Ultra Marine magazine

My angelfish knowledge is limited. This is a regal? Such a beauty

 

[SPR1968]

My angelfish knowledge is limited. This is a regal? Such a beauty

Yes a Regal Angelfish Scott, it’s so pretty it much be a ‘she’! Lol

 

[ScottR]

Yes a Regal Angelfish Scott, it’s so pretty it much be a ‘she’! Lol

Is she reef safe? I think I’ve only kept one angel in all of my tanks haha. But this is a winner.

 

[SPR1968]

Is she reef safe? I think I’ve only kept one angel in all of my tanks haha. But this is a winner.

Yes she’s reef safe, and even if she wasn’t, with a sweet little fishy face like that I would just turn a blind eye! Lol

Ive not seen her bother anything anyway, she’s very shy

 

[ScottR]

Yes she’s reef safe, and even if she wasn’t, with a sweet little fishy face like that I would just turn a blind eye! Lol

Ive not seen her bother anything anyway, she’s very shy

I’m looking for some new fish and she will be my priority. I mostly keep zoas and SPS anyway. So if she wants to bite at LPS, it’s fair game haha.

 

[Zionas]

Just dropping by to say hi, keep it up! M

 

[SPR1968]

Just dropping by to say hi, keep it up! M

Will do boss! Lol

 

[SPR1968]

 

[SPR1968]

Nitrate levels in the big tank are still around 25-30 despite on going water changes, the ALR2 light reactor was working and growing a bit of chaeto, but is rated for only 50% of the capacity needed for this system. Now I know these levels are not the end of the world, but long term it’s to high and I definitely don’t want them any higher

The 56 litres of Seachem Matrix can’t bring it down on its own, although the levels haven’t increased they’ve stabilised

Water changes will work, but it’s going to be an ongoing expense because of the water volumes involved, and I don’t like changing to much because it upsets the water parameters

So what’s a boy to do....

Firstly I put the ALR2 on the auction site with £100 of the new price and it sold within about an hour

So now were going to the ‘nuclear’ option, and hopefully the long term control of nitrates within the system. Ive been researching these for months, control etc. The principle is fairly straight forward so we shall see.

Deltec NFP512 Nitrate Reactor
Kamoer FX STP2 - to control the constant drip rate through the reactor very accurately
DD P1 Pro dosing head - automatic addition of the nitrate fluid, vodka

Now for those of you with eagle eyes, you will see a bottle of ATM Colony and also a bottle of Seachem Stability

I ordered the Colony to seed the reactor. But I thought about this, and Colony is designed to cycle a new reef tank and as far as I can establish only contains aerobic bacteria, to complete the nitrogen cycle. We don’t want those.

I don’t want to complete the nitrogen cycle, I want to convert nitrate to nitrogen gas, and the principle of the reactor is to establish a colony of anaerobic bacteria to do this. Seachem Stability contains a mix of aerobic bacteria, but also anaerobic bacteria amongst other things, which is what we need to give it a good kick start, so that’s what’s going to be used.

Anyway here’s the equipment just delivered and as usual the Deltec equipment is very solid and well built

 

[SPR1968]

We have a slight delay in starting up the Deltec NFP reactor because it’s got a crack in it!

If you look at the picture above, the pipe to the left above the name Deltec the tubes cracked. I had hoped it was a scar but unfortunately not it leaks.....

 

[SPR1968]

For the S650 I’ve now mixed up all 3 alternatives to the Red Sea foundation elements and finally today refilled the calcium container with Calcium chloride Dihydrate 77% food grade and mixed it to a ratio of 1kg to 1.8 litres of water

It warms up like it’s supposed to with an exothermic reaction, it looks the same ‘tea’ colour, probably because it is the same!

 

[SPR1968]

This is how I know the calcium reactors working