This is it. My last build thread

[exnisstech]

3/14/24

Decided to play around with the dry rock I have left. I put the diamond blade on my table saw and cut them all so they have one flat surfaces. It was a dusty affair.

My high tech dust removal system worked Great

I want to make swim throughs for fish but I suck at this part so not sure how it's going to turn out. I used mortar to make a couple of structures but the mortar just didn't feel like it wanted to bond so I stopped at two and will go out and check them later today to see how they are holding together.

 

[nuxx]

Looking good so far The fun part of the build.

 

[Stang67]

The weather has been great to play outside. Not looking good this weekend but at least it's getting better. I LOVE that you're wearing sandles!!

 

[exnisstech]

The weather has been great to play outside. Not looking good this weekend but at least it's getting better. I LOVE that you're wearing sandles!!

Yesterday was beautiful. Sandles makes it easier for the pups to lick my toes

 

[TokenReefer]

I wish I had the space and tools that you do Lookin good

 

[Tomb85]

Looking awesome so far! You have 6 months to play around with your scape so don't worry to much. Will you put any corals on the back glass or keep it clear in this build?

 

[exnisstech]

Looking awesome so far! You have 6 months to play around with your scape so don't worry to much. Will you put any corals on the back glass or keep it clear in this build?

For now I'm not planning on anything on the back wall but I've been known to change my mind
I have another rock structure built in the shop yesterday using the rest of my dry rock. I'll probably bring in today if it holds together lol. I want to get all the dry rock into the tank so it can start getting seeded from the live rock.

 

[exnisstech]

3/17/24

I like to try something new or different when I set up a new tank. This one will get an algae scrubber. I've been wanting to try one for a while now after reading some posts by @VintageReefer and a few others. I went with a Santa Monica surf 4. I want to have a cryptic zone in this system and the surf looked to have the least amount of light bleed of them all that I saw. The fact that it floats is a plus.
It's an interesting piece of gear. When I opened it I was like hmm? Styrofoam, LEDs and silicone and some type of heavy duty yarn. It's not shoddy or anything it just seems like a lot of money for what it is. Then I thought, some times you pay for knowledge. I remembered back to my years as a flat rate auto tech and realize sometimes you get paid for what you know not just what you do. This is one of those cases. As long as it works It came with everything needed except air pumps. I bought a couple of danner pumps.
Kudos to @premiumaquatics . They had the scrubber on sale. I ordered it Wednesday and it was here Thursday the next day. Give those pickers a hug they're doing an awesome job.

I'm having mixed feelings about the sound of the bubbles but the two hob overflows on the 180 are still the loudest sound in the room. I suspect I'm just tuning into it because it's a new sound.

It floats. yay

The baffle between the chambers is blacked out so I'm not seeing light come onto the rock area which is what I was hoping for.
We'll see how it does.
I tested yesterday and had 0 NO3, PO4- 0.28, alk 9.9 and 450 calcium. I started ghost feeding a little. I quit testing ammonia a few years back so I'm just waiting to see some nitrates.

I pulled all but one nem out of the 180 along without a few other random corals that came along. I was able to catch the clown pair pretty quickly. I put them in an acclimation box in the stock tank for the night.
Me thinks they are not happy with me.

Everything I moved over opened after the light came in. I pulled one of my photon 36s off another tank and hung it above the stock tank. I don't really want the nems in the new tank and not sure what to do with them so more than likely I'll just keep the stock tank running. My Gal says I always end up with two new tanks never just one. She's lucky we live in a small house

I let the clowns swim out of the box this morning. They look happier now.

And now this guy has company. I don't want to jinx myself but the powder brown is still doing very well.

Tangs have a little more swim room.

 

[VintageReefer]

I'm having mixed feelings about the sound of the bubbles

Once algae grows in and gets thick you will have almost no bubble sounds and no light bleed. The hollow chamber is amplifying the sound and allowing light through the bottom air holes. I don’t hear bubbles if the lid is on. I only hear small hum from the air pump.

 

[exnisstech]

Once algae grows in and gets thick you will have almost no bubble sounds and no light bleed. The hollow chamber is amplifying the sound and allowing light through the bottom air holes. I don’t hear bubbles if the lid is on. I only hear small hum from the air pump.

Awesome. Thank you.

 

[twentyleagues]

Nice set up! Everything is looking really great.

 

[exnisstech]

 

[exnisstech]

They're trying to beat me down. My tank thread badge is gone again

I'm not giving in. I'm adding it back. We can do this lol. This is the most accurate record I have of the tank. Pitiful I know but I'm poor at keeping track of things and this makes it a little fun.

I couldn't stand looking at that awesome light mount so I dusted off my three Gen 4 xr15s and mounted them. I'm pretty happy with how they look and the way I was able to run the wires in the t slot. I'm not running them much now but turn them on just to look at the rockscape and try to decide if I like it or not.

 

[fishguy242]

Here now , catch up soon...

 

[Tomb85]

Looking good so far buddy. When do you plan on adding live stock and are you doing anything to speed up cycle or going all naturally to try and limit chemicals added?

 

[exnisstech]

Looking good so far buddy. When do you plan on adding live stock and are you doing anything to speed up cycle or going all naturally to try and limit chemicals added?

I'm not adding anything to this one. I'm just using the live rock to seed the dry. Nitrates were 3.7 yesterday so its talking off nicely and pretty quickly I think. I don't test ammonia, just watch for NO3. The rock I added has been in a sump of the 180g for years so it has all kinds of good stuff growing.
I really don't have a plan laid out as far as when I'll be adding live stock. I want to bring some coral in first but I also want to run with the lights out for a while.
I'm not to good at making plans and if I do I'm poor at following them so I'm just kind of winging I suppose you could say.

 

[exnisstech]

I've had these nems for probably 7 years and they have never looked as good as they do down in the stock tank. It has to be flow. I have a canister filter and an aquaclear 110 hob as the only flow.



My Gal said the stock tank is looking so good she thinks I might want to consider leaving it up when the move is over Dang she is so hard to get along with. It makes me jealous that I don't have to get permission like many folks these days

I told her I'll take all the broken monti that I'll have when I transfer tanks and just toss them in the stock tank and let them all figure it out. Problem is I'm afraid it will turn out to be the nicest tank I have lol.
The big green monti is spread across 4 rocks so we are gonna have some frags for sure.

 

[TokenReefer]

I've had these nems for probably 7 years and they have never looked as good as they do down in the stock tank. It has to be flow

Hmm. This sort of makes sense to me. The puffier the more surface area and thus more risk of getting smashed by strong flow so they thin out to cut through the flow so to speak

 

[VintageReefer]

I like the large wide top down view and perspective

 

[Dmmz]

I am definitely learning from this build thank you for documenting your build progress