The Rise of the Phoenix: The Phoenix 700

[Hitmans reef]

I’ve got to say I’ve watched a lot of your videos and seen how far your tank and basement have came. I can say I’m truely inspired by your ability to diy and with that has sprung some very interesting projects myself. Always enjoy your tank. Glad to see that you have finally made it on here as I check this almost more than I do YouTube anymore lol mostly due to my own build and just the plethora of knowledge... I have ... fingers crossed just got my new 220 build done and have started to stock it and truely hope this tank has some longevity to it as it is a very beautiful tank. I remember when yours went down I went to my storage unit and started scanning my new in wrapper tank scrutinizing every inch of it lol. Good luck and happy reefing in ur new ocean I’ll be watching and learning and waiting for more

 

[FARMBOYREEF]

I’ve got to say I’ve watched a lot of your videos and seen how far your tank and basement have came. I can say I’m truely inspired by your ability to diy and with that has sprung some very interesting projects myself. Always enjoy your tank. Glad to see that you have finally made it on here as I check this almost more than I do YouTube anymore lol mostly due to my own build and just the plethora of knowledge... I have ... fingers crossed just got my new 220 build done and have started to stock it and truely hope this tank has some longevity to it as it is a very beautiful tank. I remember when yours went down I went to my storage unit and started scanning my new in wrapper tank scrutinizing every inch of it lol. Good luck and happy reefing in ur new ocean I’ll be watching and learning and waiting for more

Wow! This response means a lot, man. Really. I appreciate the time you took to write it out and the great comments. Yeah the 220 loss was heartbreaking. No other way to explain it.

I’m really looking forward to being more active here so I appreciate the encouragement. I’m looking forward to checking your new build out.

 

[Hitmans reef]

Wow! This response means a lot, man. Really. I appreciate the time you took to write it out and the great comments. Yeah the 220 loss was heartbreaking. No other way to explain it.

I’m really looking forward to being more active here so I appreciate the encouragement. I’m looking forward to checking your new build out.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/220-mixed-reef-build.317141/#post-4077520
Here’s a link funds are always tight building a tank out this size has already taken me a few years to get everything especially when u have kids Gettin it stocked will take another couple few years as well I’m sure

 

[Labridaedicted]

And for today’s discussion topic!!! Let’s talk predators. You know, the eat-your-face-off scary kind! Just kidding. Let’s talk predator tanks and fish. What’s your favorite predator and why? Do you have a predator tank? Have you in the past? What else did you keep with your Predator? And what drew you to your choices? Let’s discuss! I’m considering a separate predator tank so I’m really looking forward to seeing your responses.

I always found the idea of a predator tank to be an odd description. Most every fish we keep is predatory on something, be it small crustaceans or smaller fish. In college, my roommate and I had a 55 gallon softie reef that we kept a dwarf lion in.

There are no doubt some cool looking large predators out there, but my aversion to them is that typically, they're very sedentary. That's what's kept me from setting up a predator only tank. Although, one day I will definitely be setting up a species tank for one of the small orange frogfish anglers.

 

[FARMBOYREEF]

I always found the idea of a predator tank to be an odd description. Most every fish we keep is predatory on something, be it small crustaceans or smaller fish. In college, my roommate and I had a 55 gallon softie reef that we kept a dwarf lion in.

There are no doubt some cool looking large predators out there, but my aversion to them is that typically, they're very sedentary. That's what's kept me from setting up a predator only tank. Although, one day I will definitely be setting up a species tank for one of the small orange frogfish anglers.

Good points all around. I like the idea of the angler tank!

 

[FARMBOYREEF]

Let’s talk deep cleaning today. How often do you do a deep clean on your tank? Everything from your overflow to your equipment needs maintenance to continue running properly. How often do you clean and what do you use? How do you clean pumps and power heads? How often do you clean plumbing? Let’s discuss!

 

[Sandroni]

I clean skimmer, glass, overflow and scrape algae once a week. It is definitely important so that gross dust and crust doesn't make your tank look ugly or smell ugly return pumps would be once a month.

 

[Hitmans reef]

Of course we clean.... up everything after our kids.lol
Starting with lights every week on lenses and dusting them
Socks every three or four day
Slimmer cup every week and catch jug or as needed
Change carbon every two weeks
Gfo once a month
Algae scrubber haven’t yet it’s only ran for 2 weeks will do one half as needed then the other half after new growth comes up on the previously cleaned side.
Refugium bed never
Chaeto in Refugium harvested when full
Return pump clean Once per year unless There is an obvious reason deeming it necessary before then
Return nozzles also get a vinegar bath at the same time
Gyre pumps Get inspected once a month and cleaned every three months
Glass as needed and overflows get left alone except for the screen fittings get cleaned as needed

 

[GnarleyMarley]

Dude, I just went through this entire thread. What an amazing build, and a gorgeous set up. Well done sir!

 

[FARMBOYREEF]

I clean skimmer, glass, overflow and scrape algae once a week. It is definitely important so that gross dust and crust doesn't make your tank look ugly or smell ugly return pumps would be once a month.

Good routine!

 

[FARMBOYREEF]

Dude, I just went through this entire thread. What an amazing build, and a gorgeous set up. Well done sir!

Thanks man! Means a lot! I’ve enjoyed the process so far for sure.

 

[FARMBOYREEF]

Of course we clean.... up everything after our kids.lol
Starting with lights every week on lenses and dusting them
Socks every three or four day
Slimmer cup every week and catch jug or as needed
Change carbon every two weeks
Gfo once a month
Algae scrubber haven’t yet it’s only ran for 2 weeks will do one half as needed then the other half after new growth comes up on the previously cleaned side.
Refugium bed never
Chaeto in Refugium harvested when full
Return pump clean Once per year unless There is an obvious reason deeming it necessary before then
Return nozzles also get a vinegar bath at the same time
Gyre pumps Get inspected once a month and cleaned every three months
Glass as needed and overflows get left alone except for the screen fittings get cleaned as needed

Sounds like you’ve got it down to a science. Definitely important part of what we do in regards to husbandry.

 

[Labridaedicted]

I will take apart the pumps and skimmer every 3 or so months for a vinegar soak. Other than that, front and side panes get a scrape every 2 days or so. Frag tank gets a good breakdown and scrub every 3 months or so, as well. It tends to build up detritus.

 

[WLDSHARK]

FBR Tagging along. Exceptional job with your videos and involving your boys in the videos.

 

[FARMBOYREEF]

FBR Tagging along. Exceptional job with your videos and involving your boys in the videos.

Aww thanks man! I appreciate it.

 

[FARMBOYREEF]

I will take apart the pumps and skimmer every 3 or so months for a vinegar soak. Other than that, front and side panes get a scrape every 2 days or so. Frag tank gets a good breakdown and scrub every 3 months or so, as well. It tends to build up detritus.

Sounds like a good maintenance schedule!

 

[FARMBOYREEF]

Today’s topic, let’s talk test kits. Do you use one brand religiously? Do you use a few different brands? What’s your favorite and why? How often do you test? Which parameters do you test and which do you ignore? Let’s talk about it. We can all learn something.

 

[Labridaedicted]

My testing regimen:

Alkalinity - Hanna - Daily
Calcium - Hanna - every 3 days
Magnesium - Red Sea Pro - every 3 days
Phosphate - Red Sea Pro - weekly
Nitrate - red sea pro - weekly
Ammonia - red sea - qt tank, daily when in use
pH - Neptune Apex (BRS Lab grade double junction) -continuous
Temp - Apex - continuous
Salinity- pinpoint salinity monitor- no logging, but check when I'm in the fish room.

I don't really bother with anything else once the tank is cycled. During cycling, I tested ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate daily in the dt. I usually pull my sample water out of the frag tank which is plumbed into the main system (mainly due to ease of access as it is pretty much the only tank without a screen top...) I've never been big on trace element testing since I don't usually dose them. I always say not to dose anything your not testing for, though.

I chose my test kits based on reviewed accuracy. (The Hanna calcium checker perhaps not. That was a convenience thing, but I do monthly check with a red sea pro kit to ensure accuracy.) I've always found the red sea pro titration kits to be incredibly accurate at the price point. Titration are great because they don't rely on the subjective comparison on colors, but rather a volume measurement based on a saturation point. Plus, doing titrations makes me feel sciency (only micropipettes bring me back to working in the labs more).

I've been curious about doing a triton test, but I feel like getting all those trace element quantities is going to make me antsy to dose them and I, in no way, want to get into that now, haha.

 

[FARMBOYREEF]

I almost forgot to post! Today’s topic is addiction. The reef tank kind! How many of you have more than one tank? More then two? Three? I’m starting two new builds - a Nano and a Pico and it got me thinking about this. Let’s talk about MTS (Multi Tank Syndrome) today!

 

[FARMBOYREEF]

My testing regimen:

Alkalinity - Hanna - Daily
Calcium - Hanna - every 3 days
Magnesium - Red Sea Pro - every 3 days
Phosphate - Red Sea Pro - weekly
Nitrate - red sea pro - weekly
Ammonia - red sea - qt tank, daily when in use
pH - Neptune Apex (BRS Lab grade double junction) -continuous
Temp - Apex - continuous
Salinity- pinpoint salinity monitor- no logging, but check when I'm in the fish room.

I don't really bother with anything else once the tank is cycled. During cycling, I tested ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate daily in the dt. I usually pull my sample water out of the frag tank which is plumbed into the main system (mainly due to ease of access as it is pretty much the only tank without a screen top...) I've never been big on trace element testing since I don't usually dose them. I always say not to dose anything your not testing for, though.

I chose my test kits based on reviewed accuracy. (The Hanna calcium checker perhaps not. That was a convenience thing, but I do monthly check with a red sea pro kit to ensure accuracy.) I've always found the red sea pro titration kits to be incredibly accurate at the price point. Titration are great because they don't rely on the subjective comparison on colors, but rather a volume measurement based on a saturation point. Plus, doing titrations makes me feel sciency (only micropipettes bring me back to working in the labs more).

I've been curious about doing a triton test, but I feel like getting all those trace element quantities is going to make me antsy to dose them and I, in no way, want to get into that now, haha.

Such great info! I like how detailed this is. And I agree with the triton. Part of me wants to find out but I do know that generally chasing numbers can cause problems so it’s a catch 22.