Upgrade Build Thread - 90g Built-in

[Mydoghasfleas]

Nice set up! Following along.

 

[LSU-reefer]

Getting Closer! The cabinets were finished this week, finally! A miserable construction experience but everything came out good.

I little messy still but getting there.

I got all the equipment in the sump and plumbing completed and hooked the sump up in a closed loop to water test and start cycling some water.

I was going to run an Algae scrubber but once I had it installed I realized that the maintenance was going to suck on this with my setup so went back to my bio-pellet reactor and will carbon dose

 

[LSU-reefer]

So it's been a while since I updated my thread...Still waiting on my tank to arrive. Hopefully, this will be the week and I can start actually putting the aquarium together versus changing my filtration 15 times.

I went full circle from ATS to Bio-Pellets back to the refugium. I was able to pick up a Lifereef system Sump, Skimmer and Refugium so have that installed.

The good news is since I have been trying to get this set up since January, I started cycling the live rock and it's been running now for 6 months! So at least that should be a benefit.

 

[count krunk]

Doing your live rock like that will save you some headaches for sure.

Fellow LSU fan over here. I think this season they will be really good.

 

[LSU-reefer]

Yea I'm still going back and forth between bare bottom and sand...... I hope having some good cycled rock will help if I do go BB.

They at least should do better than last year! Hopefully, they have the QB issue straight early and pick a guy and stick with it.

 

[count krunk]

My vote is max (I think that's his name) Johnson. His dad won a sb with the bucs, and his first start was in the swamp and they won!

#cleatusYeetusPlayoffDeletus

It's not a reef without sand, but that's just my opinion.

 

[LSU-reefer]

Yea I liked him as well. I think Brenan missed his chance.

I always liked sand to and have some ocean direct live sand here waiting. Chances are that will end up going on. I am going to build it out with nothing and then if I am not happy add the sand. I don't have to move the new tank over immediately I can play around as long as I need and move the fish and coral slowly.

 

[LSU-reefer]

Finally got my tank in! I have had the sump running now for a few weeks just recirculating to itself.

I put some sand and the base layer of rocks in, the rest and final stuff will come out of my current tank.

 

[LSU-reefer]

The water is really cloudy/milky....I am not sure why. I know the sand is causing some of it but this is kind of slimy...

any ideas?

 

[count krunk]

Could be bacterial. Let it run. Don't run the lights. Run some carbon if you want. Wait on adding livestock until it clears up

 

[LSU-reefer]

Thats the plan.... it's weird because the waters been like that in my sump. the temperature was running high when it was just the sump (~88 deg). i think that may have caused it to bloom.

 

[LSU-reefer]

Got everything cleared up! Did a water change so that I could clean the sump and get as much sand and junk out as possible.

I moved my last Radion over from the previous tank and will be transferring livestock and corals tomorrow!

Here is where it's at now

 

[LSU-reefer]

I got all the livestock/corals transferred.

here are a few shots!

Now the fun starts, get to wait for it to grow in!

 

[LSU-reefer]

I was thinking, since i went through a few iterations of the filtration and setup for the tank, that i would put down a summary of how everything ended up:

Tank:
- 48”x20”x24”. 3/4” star fire glass. (~88 G) from Glasscages
- the tank is drilled for the ModularMarine Overflow and two 1” return ports

Filtration:
- LifeReef CLF2 with VS24 Skimmer
- LifeReef Refugium with Kessle A360X
- BRS Mini media reactor running 1/2C carbon
- Dual Ecotech Vectra M2
- ModularMarinE 1600 GPH Overflow
- I am using some Marine Pure Ceramic spheres in the sump as well as some left over live rock from the previous tank in the Refugium

ATO
- Tunze Nano ATO....I think this might have to be upgraded to the full tunze

Flow:
- 4 Ecotech MP40’s plume the two returns.
- I am running both M2’s at ~25% so estimate about 500GPH turnover

Lighting:
- 3 Ecotech Radion G5 Blues
- I have these spaced at 10” from the side with one directly centered and all turned perpendicular to the front
- I am running the AB+ program at ~65% max

Dosing:
- Bubble Magnus BM-T01
- Kalkwasser - 1800 ml/Day @ 1/8 tsp/gal though 2 heads @ 24 hours set 30 minutes off from each other. This will give me Kalk dosing every 30min through out the day
- All-for-Reef - 25ml/day
- i test ALK weekly and all levels monthly and will adjust this as things grow in

Livestock:
- ocean direct live sand
- I cycled my rock for about 5-6 months from a mix of BRS dry rock types. I used some of the live rock cycle kits early on and when i did water changes from my previous tank would add that water into the cycle tub.
- I used some rock that had corals on it from the previous tank as well.

This tank is all SPS/Montipora with a good amount of encrusting monti’s and Stlyo’s. I do have a single chalice! I am extremely bad with SPS names so not really sure what I have from a branded standpoint. All my corals came from Local reefers in my area.

For fish i have the following
- Starry Benny
- Two Percula Clowns
- Two Blue Reef Chromis

Future Fish
- 3 Blue Reef Chromis
- 6 line Wrasse
- Bristletooth tang
- File Fish
- 1 potential TBD....

Maintenance Schedule:
- Weekly ALK/Salinity testing
- Skimmer empty
- Sump/Tank wipe down
- Refugium cleaning/Algea removal
- Monthly 24g Water change Red Sea (blue Bucket) Salt
- this may go down to 16g depending on how 24g does in my container

My goal was for a long term tank so i hope everything worked out. The biggest concern i have is access to the back of the tank...which is almost impossible due to the stand. I can make it work as long as i remove the overflow and drain some water but am hoping that’s not really needed.

I am hoping that cycling the rock and using rock from the previous tank will help not loose any livestock and not make the tank go through the complete algae stage.

I have about three more corals to put in when they arrive and then from there it will be just letting the frags grow. I will post some progress pics as it goes along.

 

[LSU-reefer]

I thought i'd post a quick picture as this is the start of my tracking.

I was having some serious micro-bubble issues and think I have it narrowed down to the refugium output. I still have some but am getting that worked out. I have my lights all scheduled and Running the AB+ Program, right now they are going through a 30 day acclimation period.

so here it is as of today!

 

[LSU-reefer]

I hit the one-month mark! My acclimation period for the lights is finally done and running the 3 lights at about 62%.

 

[LSU-reefer]

A quick updated tank photo.

 

[LSU-reefer]

It's that time again! Did my monthly water change and cleaned out the Cheato in the refugium.

I stopped dosing All-For-Reef and went to straight Kalk and have been working on my Alk being stable this month. The All-for-Reef was causing too much of a Carbon dosing effect and I was starting to get some bacterial blooms. After about a week that cleared right up and now I dosed Zeovite coral system and Microbacter 7 on a weekly dose.

Hoping for that to improve growth and color a bit.

 

[LSU-reefer]

The tank is about to reach the 6-month point so I thought I would throw up another picture. Except for some hair algae issues, I think things are starting to settle out.

I switched to All-for-Reef exclusively for dosing and am using the Plus-NP and Baco-Balance with a refugium for nutrient control. We will see how it all goes but so far it's been smooth after the transition from Kalk and just the refugium.

 

[t5Nitro]

Which LR sump/fuge did you go with? I have an SVS-24 LR skimmer and looking for a new sump that'll fit my new 170, and I found your thread with a tank somewhat similar in size.