The richreef saga, 55g to 125g

[RichtheReefer21]

Decided to beef up the empty space in my top half and add some more coral spots since I'm just about full on spots to fit frags without fights in the night between neighbors.

Even got the girl in on it with me!

Before and after:

Also added some sweeeet acro frags I got from Cultivated reef during their sale last week!!!

 

[reef lover]

Welcome to r2r!

 

[RichtheReefer21]

Decided to DIY HOTB refugium...

Thought it was pretty straight forward how I did it with the pics, feel free to ask about details/steps if u wanna know how I did it!!

Cost me $21 to build.
Light and pump brough ot to $60.

Let's grow some pods!!!

 

[RichtheReefer21]

guess who is picking up a 125g today?!?!?!

Time to Spend some more muuuullllllaaaaaaaa!! Bahahahah!

Gonna run the 125 off my current canister and then turn my current 55g into a custom sump.

Game time baby!

 

[RichtheReefer21]

OPERATION 125 REVIVAL.

Found this through a coworker who had it as a freshwater tank 10 years ago. It's been in his barn, uncovered, ever since. It's bad. But I like a challenge... heres what got done today...

The stand:

Was completely rusted and was storing gasoline cans and a snowblower motor. Covered in bird **** and who knows what else...

Before:

Used a coarse wire brush to get to big stuff off, then went to town with 60grit and a sander... did the plywood as well.
Wiped it down and let it dry... then hit it with Rustoleum Rust-cover primer. 2 coats.

After:

Tomorrow I will apply high gloss rustoleum x2 coats. And then the tank is getting the full service treatment.

Once its dry it's coming home. Then sand and water are going in. Gonna grab a few chunks of drylive rock and take my current canister aqueon 400 and hook it up and get this puppy cycled.

Gonna just use my old 75G HOTB to maintain the 55g with some of my current media packed into it and dose bacteria to keep it stable for a few weeks while I cycle the new tank.

I plan to make custom cabinets and custom sump out of my current 55 for this tank eventually after I switch everything over.

Cannot wait to scape this tank!!!!

P.S. Tank and stand were free. Cost me 34 bucks so far. Winning.

 

[RichtheReefer21]

Cant contain the excitement... and then I start thinking about how much lighting is gonna cost me. EF EM EL

 

[RichtheReefer21]

No RODI system yet, and no experience mixing... so I made a couple deals with my LFS...

After 4 hours and 3 trips in my G35, at 101°F today... done... and cycling..

Got 50lbs of dry rock ready to scape..

Inverts go in tomorrow to get the cycle hurried. Using Seachem Stability as I did on my 55.

4 coffees, 2 espressos, and 2 monsters consumed.

Total cost to get to this point... $482.


Once its cycled, all my rock, corals, and inverts are going in a little at a time. Then the fallow timer starts in the new tank and copper treatment on all my fish in the old 55.

2 primes and my fluval3.0 strip between will be mounted once I move the corals in.

And then lastly, I will be customizing my 55 into a sump system and I can only pray I get the shadow overflow giveaway. Someone tag me in it for their entry. Much needed. Xoxoxo.

 

[RichtheReefer21]

Alrighty... so... got the 125 cycled.

Moved all my rock and 90% on my inverts into the new tank.

Left a few branches in the old tank to comfort the fish... copper treatment starts today. And so does the fallow timer on the new tank. 76 days is gonna seem like an eternity... ugh.. but necessary, I know.

Name of the game is patience in this hobby. Spent all day yesterday dialing in the water in the new tank.

Built my own frag rack from the screening off a central air filter with zip ties and suction cups.

2 hydra 26HD's on the way from a fellow hobbyist. Once I get those I will rock scape and place corals appropriately.

Now we wait...

 

[RichtheReefer21]

@truepercs l

 

[RichtheReefer21]

I know I only have about 1/2 the test kits I could possibly have, but i'm getting there...

FB post from me Yesterday as a spent half of my 4th of july testing and dosing/tuning water parameters in the 125.

 

[RichtheReefer21]

Expecting FedEx with 2 hydra26 hd's tomorrow

Heres the scape plan.

 

[RichtheReefer21]

2 weeks into the new set up.

The lighting set up is temporary. I am planning a floating canopy DIY build.

Deep blue or black lining will be put on this week to block out background wires and plumbing. Gonna move the massive eye-sore power head on the other side as well.

8 weeks to go and I get to move my fish out of QT!! Yessssss!!!

 

[RichtheReefer21]

So the temporary light set up is already bothering my OCD daily... Think next week I am gonna go shopping for some materials.. DIY Floating canopy in the works..

Here's the plan so far:

Birds-Eye-View. Don't hate on my MS Paint skillz bruuhhhhhh

Should be an interesting build. Need it to be Lightweight as I intend on hanging it.

I am going with the strips in the center because I already have them. Not going to buy more lights if what I got works for now.

 

[RichtheReefer21]

So the new hydras are working like a charm...

When I moved my corals into the new tank to go fallow, all the sps and acros har pretty much browned out and obviously the fluvasea3.0 wasnt enough par to keep them happy... because 2 weeks after being under the hydras... and they are coming back with color... couldnt be happier.

 

[RichtheReefer21]

QT is up and cycling.

I will never deal with another disease or parasite again. Now... without live rock or sand... how can I get this puppy cycled asap?

@HotRocks

 

[RichtheReefer21]

So spent a total of $21 so far and the tough part is over...

DIY floating canopy for my light setup is underway and ready for paint to match the stand! Will update more when I get to it tomorrow... the anticipation is building for the final product on this!!

Recessed design to hide the lights, without compromising the PAR footprint of the hydras... and maintain an open top for air flow, maintenance and cleaning... here we gooo!

 

[DLHDesign]

QT is up and cycling.

It looks like the QT is next to the DT; is that correct?

One component of the QT process is that the QT tank needs to be at least 10ft away from anything that may contain any nasties you are trying to prevent. This is because of the potential for aerosol transmission. Common parasites (ich, for example) can, at times in their lifecycle, hitch a ride on tiny droplets of water that are expelled out of the DT and into the air around it. Studies have found the minimum safe distance to be 10ft.
Some level of QT is better than nothing (nice job on that!) and sometimes there are just no other options, but I wanted to make sure you'd hear of that potential. It would be a shame to go through a bunch of QT thinking all was well at the end, only to see parasites still in the DT. :-(

 

[RichtheReefer21]

Its next the to the new tank that's running fallow for now. Because the current QT is my old 55, and its in the next room with my livestock and copper treatment. Will move the 10g QT to the spot where my 55 is now once fallow period is over and everything goes in the new tank cause I'm turning my 55 in a custom built DIY sump for the 125 after done.

The QT is cycling. Won't have fish in it until its moved
Thanks for the heads up though!!

 

[RichtheReefer21]

DIY Floating Canopy is Progressing...

I am fairly confident I will need to put guide wires to the front corners... Not sure the hinge-metal will hold the weight without bending...

I could always spot weld some rebar lengthwise to re-inforce the hinge... Time will tell.

 

[RichtheReefer21]