# Hojimoe's 65G tank build



## hojimoe

Hey all, Just an update now, I picked up my 65g tank today, it's fishroom condition on one side, and the other is basically showroom, I just have to clean it up. I think I will use the stand it came with eventhough there is no sump spot. it has two doors and shelves. I will run the sump beside the tank, in another stand that I will make, well more of a cabinet...

the tank came with tank/stand/lights. The light is a 2x65watt fixture. I think I will put that fixture on my planted tank, which is currently using a 192 watt fixture, and run the 192 on this tank for a while to see how things grow, before putting MH lights in. I will also run another 96watt which was on the 10g after the switch ..... so 288 watts of PC lighting is the objective right now 

tank is 36x18x24 ... this will be a long build, as I have to rearrange my basement before filling, and the fact that this is starting to become exam time doesn't help, or going broke  I stopped working at the end of august, and haven't found a job yet, got an interview tomorrow, which pays nearly twice what I was getting before, and it's part time  haha! 

I will post some pictures tomorrow.. I'm cleaning the tank now. 

what type of paint should I use? I want to paint the back black when I finish it all


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## wtac

Sticking vinyl is best but painting is fine. Just clean the glass w/acetone or methyl hydrate prior to painting to get the best adhesion of the paint to glass to prevent bubbling and peeling off as it's drying and later on when water drips over the back.

HTH/JME


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## hojimoe

wtac said:


> Sticking vinyl is best but painting is fine. Just clean the glass w/acetone or methyl hydrate prior to painting to get the best adhesion of the paint to glass to prevent bubbling and peeling off as it's drying and later on when water drips over the back.
> 
> HTH/JME


any idea where I can get black vinyl wilson?

on a side note, I got the job and start tomorrow


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## Ciddian

Goodluck Jim!!  Congrats!!!


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## conix67

hojimoe said:


> any idea where I can get black vinyl wilson?
> 
> on a side note, I got the job and start tomorrow


You can get black vinyl from Big Als or any LFS, usually the other side will be light blue on those.

I was thinking of using Garbage bag but thick vinyl is the best.

I usually just paint black these days, using cheapo spray paint from walmart, I forget the name. It's been working well.

You don't want water to drip over all the time anyway...


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## hojimoe

alrighty, i've drilled the tank, and will start to buy my plumbing parts, and my sump tank this weekend, or next week, still re-arranging the basement ATM...


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## hojimoe

ok, so my drain is 2.5" hole, which makes a 1.5" bulkhead/pipes... The returns I decided to not drill holes, yet..simply put, I want to get a proper sized bit, and not pay $25/hole at NAFB, I want to put 3/4" piping on the returns (2 - one at each side) and don't want to have to use reducers and such as much as possible, well I won't at all if I get the right sized bit, if I can't get it, then I'll run the PVC over the back of the tank - doesn't matter to me. 

in case I didn't mention, I plan to use a coast to coast overflow, spanning the entire back of the tank, and about 7" from the top water trim.... 

in terms of my return pump, I'm thinking I'll use a mag 1200 or 1800 - we shall see.

I want to put a Y ball valve on the return line to seperate the two returns. Also one more T joint with a valve to allow some return back into a refuge which will re-drain into the sump - just wait for sump drawings 

in terms of pump, does that seem like too much? i will have 2 returns, about 6' of upwards height, which will allow the mag 1200/1800 to do, 950gph/1125gph of movement, devided between two outlets, and the refuge- i estimate at 500gph/return... maybe use a mag 2400?

I should add, my drain at 1.5" will support a little over 1200gph through it, so I think the 1800 would be the right pump?


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## hojimoe

ok first update now 

I got free plastics from my school, so I built my overflow today. I used one peice and heated it up and bent it to 90 degree corners, to avoid extra siliconing. The bottom of the box is the only part I have to silicone in, but it's a perfect fit (machined by me )



got some PVC today, bulkhead, some fittings  starting to work on this more now


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## Ciddian

WOw! excellent job Jim!


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## hojimoe

ok I've siliconed the bottom pane on, lets see if regular silicone works on this stuff! 

now I'm thinking I've been looking for a drillbit for 3/4" returns, but I now have a better idea, drill holes for returns in the overflow box... just run the pipes over the back of the tank! 

my overflow had to be partial and not full coast to coast due to size restrictions from school, but this works just as well! one return per side!


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## bobk53

new to getting setup myself
how hard was it to drill your tank


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## conix67

bobk53 said:


> new to getting setup myself
> how hard was it to drill your tank


Make sure the glass you're drilling is not tempered. Many larger tanks have at least the bottom piece with tempered glass.


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## bobk53

*thanks*

thanks i've heard that think i will get tank alreagy drilled


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## hojimoe

bobk53 said:


> new to getting setup myself
> how hard was it to drill your tank


wasn't hard at all, didn't take much time, most of the time was prep (setting up, measuring etc..) and making sure the glass wasn't tempered... I researched about what manufacturer trademarks are left on tanks to determine who made it, then if/where they use tempered glass .... turns out this tank was oceanic and they use tempered on the bottom ONLY on this size

If I was wrong, I was willing to take the loss without worry, because I got this at a great price along with stand/lights 

silicone looks like it's holding well, 48hrs is what a full cure is, so I will determine this afterwork tomorrow.... I will pick up the acrylic cement anyway so I don't have a problem on the long weekend with nothing open


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## hojimoe

ok, i've siliconed the overflow in, still has to sit for another 30 hrs, (did it last night), and today I picked up a 30x12x12 sump tank  (18gallons) I will use it as my sump  was on the curb in my area double thumbs up! perfect condition, holds water too!

I will also start to cut/fit the dividers today

will post some pictures tonight


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## Ciddian

YAY!!! Arrge... so painful to wait.


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## hojimoe

got really busy with exams, now that I start work term on monday (have no real work) just 8-5 everyday lol, only had classes 4 days a week...work term is worse lol....just for a month though still at sunnybrook (im a lucky one lol)

I have more time coming up now, so I will start to build a cabinet this weekend...the stand that I got with my 65 i will use for my planted tank, tomorrow or this weekend, I will drain most of it to buckets and then do the heavy lift with my brother in law  it's just a stingray type stand, but nicer than my 2x4's lol

cabinet will be 2x4's and covered with plywood, 2 doors, and sump inside... stained too  going to work hard on it because it will be in the basement lounge/tvroom type thinger doodle (not hiding in the comp room like my other tanks)


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## hojimoe

here's the frame of the stand, notice how there's extra support on the base, that's for the sump, it will still be covered with plywood, but it's for that added support  and base weight distribution

grabbing plywood tomorrow, as well as trim...not sure if it will be put together or not tomorrow


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## Mr Fishies

Heavy duty. Your stand is a TANK.


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## conix67

Good work. This could probably support 300G tank  

It's all nice but I'd prefer without the center support vertical beam for easier access to sump and other equipment.


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## hojimoe

yeah, my dad said "it better be strong" so I improved the design from my 40 tank with the same footprint....also has to do with the stands height being 30" instead of the usual 24" that I do 

however I would never build a stand over 2 feet without a centre support...there will be two doors on the front either way, plenty of room 

I should add that in the first picture, on the from left, there's a small gap (1.5mm) in the wood between the leg and the top frame...no worries about safety there as it's not weight bearing.. Just put in there to nail the covers onto


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## hojimoe

ok, stand is basically all put together...just setting up my doors, to be attached tomorrow  will post pics then too!

note the hinged end of the cabinet, this is for inserting and removing my sump if I have to, and for anything else that I can't get to from the front  I will be installing a magnet lock tomorrow (didn't have one here like I thought)

I will also be cutting small peices to cover the 2x4's when you open the doors... just to blend colors  but only at the front, not the inside area


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## ameekplec.

Nice, stand is looking good!

I had the same idea for the stand I'm going to build too. Have the side panel on one (or maybe both sides) accessible for removal/access to the sump.


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## hojimoe

alrighty, I've now stained the stand, added the back side trims (vertical) due to the screws being too long, but it looks better with it IMO

I have a few spots that need to be touched up with stain (missed, bloching etc..) but that will be done tomorrow

I will gloss it tuesday or wednesday

putting the tank and starting the real stuff next weekend hopefully



note the peice of unstained wood on the top, that was just scrap that I may use for stuff later (ignore it)


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## ameekplec.

Nice!! Looks good.

Is the inside finished?


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## hojimoe

ameekplec. said:


> Nice!! Looks good.
> 
> Is the inside finished?


inside was basically done before, I did stain the inside of all the sides, but the 2x4's don't stain quite as nice, so it looks funny... lol..I may cover the exposed 2x4's with leftover plywood, but not right now...maybe just the ones at the front


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## Mr Fishies

That came out really good. How did you trim out the side door?

For a small angry brown fuzzy sponge looking dude, you operate power tools surprisingly well!


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## hojimoe

Mr Fishies said:


> That came out really good. How did you trim out the side door?
> 
> For a small angry brown fuzzy sponge looking dude, you operate power tools surprisingly well!


the side door is actually the complete panel, no trimming needed, I nailed the trim on so that the trim will move with it. Otherwise it would have been a pain in the butt to cut...I could still do it if I wanted, but I don't lol

a small angry brown fuzzy sponge looking dude? I think your mixing me up with someone; I'm not brown, angry, maybe a bit fuzzy - damn this hair...but definitely a dude! lol and obviously not small @ 6'1"


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## Mr Fishies

hojimoe said:


> a small angry brown fuzzy sponge looking dude? I think your mixing me up with someone; I'm not brown, angry, maybe a bit fuzzy - damn this hair...but definitely a dude! lol and obviously not small @ 6'1"


What/who is that in your avatar anyway? I've seen the character before somewhere...


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## ameekplec.

Domo-kun!!!


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## hojimoe

Mr Fishies said:


> What/who is that in your avatar anyway? I've seen the character before somewhere...


I get it now lol


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## hojimoe

wow I haven't updated in nearly two weeks! 

anyway, the stand has been clear coated with a semi-gloss finish, the tank is on there


right now I'm working on creating a calcium reactor, and messing around with some other ideas 

I may fill the tank partially this weekend to lay my sand and some fresh rock in there to start something cycling 

if i do that I won't use the sump, just circulate whatever water I have with a powerhead 

still messing around with my top off, I don't want to lay out $50 for a float valve (electronic), but also don't want a smaller, conventional one... which is just as likely IMO to mess up


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## hojimoe

picking up a mag 12 tonight which will either run my return or my skimmer... to be determined... will have this thing filled the rest of the way with water and running by tomorrow night! 

I will be purchasing either a skimmer pump or my return tomorrow as a brand new pump.... mag 12 is a lightly used pump


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## Ciddian

Hope it keeps going smoothly jim


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## hojimoe

going to get a mag 24 as well...

this is going to be awesome, now to decide which will run what! :O!


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## hojimoe

alrighty...the DIY skimmer works...just no foam due to NOTHING TO SKIM... ahha

The plumbing is "roughed in" the return is currently just one exit, I meant to put in two, but ran out of pipe... will work on that before livestock comes.... right now the "tee" is just capped off on one exit.


I am going to move rock from my 10g into the 65 tonight... some of the established rock, not all as my goby needs somewhere to hide  probably about half and then see what happens


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## hojimoe

can't seem to decide what types of powerheads I should add as sumpliments to the return lines... right now it's a mag 12 return, running at 3/4 (held off a bit - stirs up the sand with not a full tank of LR yet)

I know I will get korilla powerheads, but not sure if they will be #2,3 or 4... I will get two for sure, one in each end I think maybe 1x #3 and 1x #2 ...that way there is some alterating flow?


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## wtac

My expereince w/Koralia 4's:

http://www.gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5295

2xTunze 6045's will be plenty @$115ea at SeaUMarine.

A fair bit more than K4's but worth every penny and peace of mind.

HTH


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## hojimoe

wtac said:


> My expereince w/Koralia 4's:
> 
> http://www.gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5295
> 
> 2xTunze 6045's will be plenty @$115ea at SeaUMarine.
> 
> A fair bit more than K4's but worth every penny and peace of mind.
> 
> HTH


interesting, has this problem not really been fixed? at $115 I can't spend that much to maintain this tanks "budget"

any other brands you can suggest??


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## wtac

They say that it has been corrected but the replaced K4's that I have running in my Rubbermaid vats set off the current detector pen after ~a month.

I understand the budget you have on your build but starting off w/one Tunze 6045 is better than running into issues dealing w/"leaky" K4s. Not what you want to hear but speaking from experience, it's a PITA that I don't wish on anyone.


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## UnderTheSea

what about a MJ Mod?


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## hojimoe

I know what you mean wilson

as for the MJ mod, I'm not a fan of it b/c I don't like the way it looks frankly....


I think I may go for a tunze 6045, but will have to wait on it a little more... I have some time while the tank continues to cycle to figure out the $$ of it... I mean one 6045, isn't much more than 2x K#4's .... and if i get extra $$ at xmas, why not ...aside from the BA"s boxing day sale, which I'm totally going to take advantage of this year...I have always worked for the last 3 yrs since starting tanks


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## hojimoe

well the good news is the cycle has finally kicked, It had been a week since my high levels were detected, and the drop off has occured! I did a 10%w/c just now ...mmm RO/DI water  yummy 

Tomorrow I will close down my 10g tank, qt anything that is needed, mostly just the LR to clear up a few aptasia, my goby will be moved tomorrow morning...everything else just a couple snails/hermits will be moved at night

I will be adding lots more LR as time goes on, only at about 40-50lbs so far... (including my 10g LR)...I hope to get this system upto about 100lbs or so..... the base rock is the Dry sea bed stuff I got from UTC, and I love it..... I may get more  even at $3.00/lb  I am thinking of using my old LR from my 10g as base/back set rock 

this stuff from UTC is very porus, and interesting shaped... so many little places for anything to go...


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## hojimoe

alright, way too long since my last update...

I ran the tank with 3x96watt bulbs, then I went to re-do it with t5ho, and somehow my ballast won't fire anymore, I think my dog must have bumped it and it fell down and that FUBAR'd it too much.... anyway, so the tank went without lights for about 2 weeks, which is fine, no algae! 

I just picked up a 250w pendant this morning now it's hanging over my tank, and wow it looks darn well awesome!

I will post pictures tonight as I just found my memory stick...expect around 10-11 pm!


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## hojimoe

here we go! I just snapped a pair of pictures, one of a clown and one FTS, I need more LR I know, there is also ~ 20-30lbs in the sump, I may visit sea u marine on boxing day for another batch

only a few small frags in there still, so not much point in posting, none the less there it is!


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## Ciddian

great jim! The next update could i see photos of the back and how it all came together?

You rock looks promising


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## hojimoe

here we go, the pictures are mostly of the new corals I picked up today  the favia hasn't fully shown yet, I think my light may be a bit too intense for it, so I will lower it to the sand

I can't get a good picture of the center section of my sump, that's where my LR is, so imagine it! lol

my skimmer needs to be cleaned today, the beckett is clogged, whcih is why all that crap is on the tower neck, the foam isn't strong enough ATM....that happened overnight


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## Ciddian

awesome!


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## hojimoe

I just realized, in the picture of my skimmer, you can tell it was clogged, you can't see any foam in the tower, yet the valve (blue thinger) is open fully 

I cleaned it and it's working now


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## blossom112

The tank is comimg along nicely


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## hojimoe

OK so, I just put in 100lbs or cycled fiji last night, and since I just got home, and my lights were off, I turned them on for a couple minutes just to snap this picture, the corals are all still retracted mostly, the elegance in the middle is still retracted - not sick so don't worry!

I will post more tomorrow mid-day 

the rock is REALLY dense in the back and underneath I think once my corals grow out, and I slowly get more (picking up 7 frags tomorrow, it will be perfect ...just need fish!

other things going to change is that I'm going to switch the return line to a dual (one on each side) and to put lock line in there instead of PVC


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## blossom112

very nice jim !!!!!!!!!!


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## conix67

Nice! Rock scaping looks wayyyyy better now!

Are you adding anything behind the tank (background)?


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## hojimoe

conix67 said:


> Nice! Rock scaping looks wayyyyy better now!
> 
> Are you adding anything behind the tank (background)?


I will probably just get a black background evemtually, though once things start to grow out you wont' see the back

My clowns love going through the rocks, i think they get lost sometimes


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## nickeleye_rt

i like the aquascaping! the rock looks awesome


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## Katalyst

When do the custom tank stand orders begin? And how do I place one? lol Nice job! More pictures please!


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## UnderTheSea

Nice work Jim.

Is the clear overflow your custom job?


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## hojimoe

UnderTheSea said:


> Nice work Jim.
> 
> Is the clear overflow your custom job?


yeah it's mine

I made it a bit larger than I thought it would be...I was thinking of re-doing it before hand, but it still gives me lots of linear overflow which is good for surface skimming

I'm thinking of using it to raise frags lol since they have some flow through there...what do you think?


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## UnderTheSea

You could've made a nice rack around the outside of that overflow maybe 4-6" below the flow, that would be pretty kewl.


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## Riceburner

lookin' good. Keep the pics comin'


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## hojimoe

UnderTheSea said:


> You could've made a nice rack around the outside of that overflow maybe 4-6" below the flow, that would be pretty kewl.


I can still make a little rack that sorta hangs on the edge of that overflow which would make it removable


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## hojimoe

Katalyst said:


> When do the custom tank stand orders begin? And how do I place one? lol Nice job! More pictures please!


they can be placed anytime  but the cost is a factor which must be negotiated lol


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## hojimoe

oh and I should also add, I am trading my mag 24 skimmer pump for a coralife 220 skimmer... I know it's not the best skimmer, but getting the largest one that I can at the moment should be fine

the only reason I am doing this is because of the noise from the beckett...this skimmer should be quiter, and I plan on doing a few small mods to it...my dad got annoyed last night when watching our new plasma tv which is right near the tank.... it's not that loud, but he's a grumpy old fart lol


keep in mind, I am not selling my skimmer itself, I will keep it for future use/sale if the 220 doesn't work


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## Katalyst

hojimoe said:


> they can be placed anytime  but the cost is a factor which must be negotiated lol


You have nice in laws. You OWE me darnit! LOL


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## blossom112

omg jim noooooooooo dont do it i swear its bad ////////////////
I would never lie to you .....get that thaught out of your head .
Go without a skimmer b4 you get that crap ..........................
Hummmmmmmmmmm ............hum hum dont you have a wack of cash ????? get a good one ROLMAO ...... 
or dont run one till you save enough .....no big deal ..... just dont fork out anything for that lousy skimmer ............
I wish you were in fron of me ROLMAO ...........(lecture)
Someone back me up here lol
wtac tell him lol


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## blossom112

lol kat ROLMAO

PLEASE stop posting stuff for sale till i recover from jim lol
its killing me


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## hojimoe

blossom112 said:


> omg jim noooooooooo dont do it i swear its bad ////////////////
> I would never lie to you .....get that thaught out of your head .
> Go without a skimmer b4 you get that crap ..........................
> Hummmmmmmmmmm ............hum hum dont you have a wack of cash ????? get a good one ROLMAO ......
> or dont run one till you save enough .....no big deal ..... just dont fork out anything for that lousy skimmer ............
> I wish you were in fron of me ROLMAO ...........(lecture)
> Someone back me up here lol
> wtac tell him lol


Still getting it 
It works well enough, and i will mod it, i refuse to drop $300+ on a "top" skimmer


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## blossom112

I still have nightmares about the one i had lol
my next big big buy ........shhh dont tell hubby .........
2 zebra's shhhh ..........


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## hojimoe

ahhhh, I see a few speckles of red slime algae starting up... BOOOOOOOOO ...probably my fault, I didn't have my UV plugged in... BAH! *hooks Up* I have vac'd the few spots I found it, rest is out of sight hopefully the UV gets it


the coralife skimmer is working quite well, and VERY quiet, I have it dry skimming right now, it filled about 1/2 the cup in a day, and now like 1/7th in another day, so I'd say my tank is good now  

My beckett skimmer I made worked quite well, but would run better in line, and due to the beckett (noise) I'd run it remotely - if you can, and because I love main flow displays, and basement sumps...so nice


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## hojimoe

I picked up a couple frags from UTC today, as well as photoplankton, carbon, c-food, and a nice sample of golden pearls...which my clowns LOVED right away lol

My tank is looking nice  I wil get some pictures tomorrow, I just finished re-arranging my shelves in my second basement room, so that my reef supplies are more accessible now - vs all over the floor/tables/rubbermaid's....PVC over the place etc etc..

I removed the LR from my sump, not much, and sold it off... I wanted the room back in my sump, and I figured since I have ~150lbs in my display, I'm fine!

I added a chaeto basket in the sump, as well as a 9w 50/50 light

I had one of my powerheads in my tank burn out two days ago, and the tank isn't doing any worse for the wear, but I will replace it soon

My elegant coral started not opening, so I put it in a QT tank, but he/she has since died....everything else is taking off quite nicely IMO the zoa's from UTC are awesome! not all the polyps opened before lights out, usually with zoa's I find you need a day or two for them to acclimate, hopefully I can get a picture tomorrow

I am also picking up two float valves tomorrow, one as backup $10 each  quite happy with that, they are the electronic ones, this way I can have auto top without my help  hehe


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## hojimoe

I have pictures, but they are shitty.... I can't seem to get my camera to work well with the tank..it's annoying as hell!! I think I will have to make a camera jig next week to take pictures from the surface down

anyway, here's one picture that actually sorta turned out, of a frag I got from UTC yesterday, not all polyps have extended fully, but I love the color! there's a couple yellow skirts on the other side too (can see the tip of one)


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## hojimoe

I picked up a nice powder blue tang today from sea-u-marine.... they also had some really large and gorgeous looking feather star's...red/white for $69...I didn't have enough $$ or else I would have considered it more

I also grabbed a maxi-jet sureflo kit, and a maxijet 1200 to upgrade which I'm doing now

I grabbed a koralia #3 two days ago as well


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## ameekplec.

Sweet a tang! Is it a little guy?

Pics pics pics!!


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## hojimoe

not too little, larger than my clowns, but definately not adult yet... maybe 4"

pictures later


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## wtac

Was that you @ SUM?!? I apologize for not cluing in and say "Hi" as I was behind sched and the cold...well, if I have to put on pants, it's too cold for me...LOL!


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## hojimoe

wtac said:


> Was that you @ SUM?!? I apologize for not cluing in and say "Hi" as I was behind sched and the cold...well, if I have to put on pants, it's too cold for me...LOL!


did you buy the bubble king? was that you? you looked different if it was...if not I didn't recognize you whatever you were doing haha

gotta wait until tomorrow for pictures, lights where out when I got home


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## wtac

No, that wasn't me but I left w/a bucket of salt before he nabbed Ken w/Q's about the BK.


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## hojimoe

wtac said:


> No, that wasn't me but I left w/a bucket of salt before he nabbed Ken w/Q's about the BK.


yeah I got stuck waiting for him to finish to get my tang lol - I didn't mind, gave me time to pick from about 10 different powder blues


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## hojimoe

alrighty, got a bunch of pictures available, my powder blue, my clowns... notice the one has a nipped off peice of tail fin - it's healing nicely, he's the one I got that was all tattered up, coming around quite nicely, probably 1/4 of his tail was in tact when I got him/her

my gsp I fragged and moved a small peice to the top corner until it encrusts, I am hoping it will go back on the glass in time as well

my tang is nipping all at the rocks getting algae I guess off which I can't even see, but I don't mind, the little bugger is quite camera shy, runs away every time, I had to tease him/her with food lol - it was funny, I dropped photo in, and the tang came out... lol


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## hojimoe

just made my next purchase, 2x blood/fire shrimp and a birds nest frag all from sea-u-marine...they are low on fish, but will be getting next order tomorrow or saturday (so go sunday!) lol


will post pictures once they come out of hiding, probably later tonight


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## ameekplec.

Sweet, thanks for the info. Maybe a trip to Sea U Marine is in order.

Thanks for the GSP frag BTW. My sister is very excited to be getting it. They've all opened up and looking good!


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## hojimoe

ameekplec. said:


> Sweet, thanks for the info. Maybe a trip to Sea U Marine is in order.
> 
> Thanks for the GSP frag BTW. My sister is very excited to be getting it. They've all opened up and looking good!


no problem, sorry I was kinda quick with you, I had my gf in the car and she was tired and wanted to get home (Long day at school).... the GSP should grow really fast, I had three polyps mounted on a peice, and now they are around 15-20 in just 4-5 days 

seems the shrimp have set up there cleaning station out of sight :/ in a large cave, but kinda hard to see...hopefully they come out more! bastards! haha


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## blossom112

pm sent jim


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## hojimoe

Ok so I know I didn't add pictures, that's because I haven't taken them yet!

pictures coming tomorrow afternoon or evening after I get the frags (noon)

oh...I have a little surprise secret just like Eric, that will come out on tomorrow's post! stay tuned!


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## hojimoe

Alrighty, first off, here's my birdsnest from Sea-u-marine










my first five frags, from left to right, zoa's, acro, acro, aussie duncan, acro









next two, both zoa's... color morphs I can't remember, wait until they open later









and my little surprise!!!!!!!!
e

ee

eee

eeee

eeeee

eeeeee

eeeeeee

eeeeeeee

eeeeeeeee










I got her yesterday, she refuses to hold on, no matter what, which is why she's now in a floater tank, with a peice of rock, hopefully going to attach and allow me to put it back in the main


----------



## ameekplec.

lol Nice surprise! Is it a green tip?

Nice score on the frags. Will be great to see them open up.


----------



## hojimoe

it's a red tip, though under my light, I've noticed some of the green spots like you can see near the base of the tips in this picture...may just be my lighting 14kpheonix bulb!


----------



## ameekplec.

Nice. From Ken?

I called and asked about some fish today. Next week says he.


----------



## hojimoe

ameekplec. said:


> Nice. From Ken?
> 
> I called and asked about some fish today. Next week says he.


bah next week now?! boooo Ken! tell them I want my fish now!

nope, not from ken...it's a secret


----------



## ameekplec.

lol

He got in a shipment this week, but the fish I'm looking for is slated to come in next week.


Hmmm....secret RBTA source eh.....


----------



## hojimoe

ameekplec. said:


> lol
> 
> He got in a shipment this week, but the fish I'm looking for is slated to come in next week.
> 
> Hmmm....secret RBTA source eh.....


ah! maybe I will have to check it out anyway! LOL

I am getting a monti digi on wednesday..frag..and maybe one more of something


----------



## ameekplec.

What monti digi are you getting? I owe you. Orange or green? Purple has to grow in a bit before I can frag it.


----------



## hojimoe

I'm getting an orange one  I can wait for a feebie from you! no worries... I need to meet this other guy before anyway! he didnt have an extra of the other frag I was thinking about getting, so it will just be the monti digi

send me some pictures of the frags you have eric! lol I need things that aren't green the gf says... lol


----------



## ameekplec.

Haha, I noticed that the other day too...I have a lot of green in my tank, and not much of any other colour (save for the purple and oranges I have now). So my fragalot order has no green in it (I think).


----------



## hojimoe

after much deliberation, I think I will re-scape this tank... I am considering moving more rock towards the middle, like a mountain, that way I can keep more high light corals central in the tank and bring more focus to the middle, rather than down the sides.... also will improve on the flow quite a bit that way.... 

I will start this tomorrow as I don't have class 

I am also going to be helping a buddy from school set up a tank tonight (if he needs help) he bought a 90g setup, without much experience hehe


----------



## hojimoe

I did a rescaping last night, and here are the pictures

picture of my clown and BTA:









FTS from before the rescaping: 









the new scape!!!!!

the view coming down the stairs 









straight on









orange monti digi









I prefer both scapes for different reasons, the old one let more space be availble in the front sand, the new one allowed for more "levels" on the rock as well as the viewing angle is much nicer than before, and allows more swimming behind the rock, used to be just packed rock behind and under the overflow, now it's open. That's why you see a loc-line hose running under it so that there's no dead zones!


----------



## Ciddian

aweerr.. I always love your clowns!

I reeaally like the afterscape.. Looks great!


----------



## conix67

I like the new scape a lot better!  

So, where is this secret RBTA store ??


----------



## redclove

nice work on the stand, looks like quality work, which is why you should change the handles on the doors. It would completely upgrade the overall feel of the entire setup.

Lee Valley has a ridiculous number of great options, any style.

http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=1&cat=3,43520&p=43521

cheers


----------



## hojimoe

redclove said:


> nice work on the stand, looks like quality work, which is why you should change the handles on the doors. It would completely upgrade the overall feel of the entire setup.
> 
> Lee Valley has a ridiculous number of great options, any style.
> 
> http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=1&cat=3,43520&p=43521
> 
> cheers


thanks!, I've been thinking about that too, probably the hinges as well, I just did it on the cheap, but can always change it! on my to do list, but not at the top!


----------



## hojimoe

alrighty, not sure what I'm going to do, I have the option to upgrade to a 90g right now (or atleast get the tank) for free! the only thing is, it's drilled top right corner with a small overflow box (similar to what eric uses) 

my thought is that If i got it I would; remove the overflow that's there, drill a second hole in the top left, put full height overflows on both ends, use one for the sump, in this case I'm thinking of using my existing 65g for the sump! and one for a closed loop system to avoid anymore powerheads in the tank.

the only problem is that my stand is meant for a 36x18 footprint, and I'd have to make a new one lol


----------



## cablemike

hojimoe said:


> alrighty, not sure what I'm going to do, I have the option to upgrade to a 90g right now (or atleast get the tank) for free!
> 
> the only problem is that my stand is meant for a 36x18 footprint, and I'd have to make a new one lol


And???? Get it already.. I wish I could get a 90 for free.. Take advantage of this A.S.A.P


----------



## hojimoe

cablemike said:


> And???? Get it already.. I wish I could get a 90 for free.. Take advantage of this A.S.A.P


hehe, still haven't 100% cleared it with my dad .... that's the tough one...was hard enough to get the 65 in the house hehe...but since it's my only tank, i don't think it's that big of a deal!


----------



## cablemike

One question though, this is in your basement right? Because if not that would be an awfull lot of wait on a floor.. would need to be reinforced.


----------



## hojimoe

cablemike said:


> One question though, this is in your basement right? Because if not that would be an awfull lot of wait on a floor.. would need to be reinforced.


yeah it's in the basement


----------



## UnderTheSea

You have to even ? it Jim....  

Get going on the new stand plans hehehehe


----------



## hojimoe

UnderTheSea said:


> You have to even ? it Jim....
> 
> Get going on the new stand plans hehehehe


hehe - I know, now I'm having trouble with getting the gf's approval..she wants larger too, but is like, "then you need more rock, more sand, more fish, more coral...."

I was like "I need no more rock (flater scape, more linear movement), no more sand (have more in a rubbermaid), and I already need more fish and coral!"

haha

the only problem is, I don't have time to make another stand until april... I have another personal build going for her b-day ATM.... 

the condition of me getting the 90g is that I baby sit a buddy's tank over the summer (while he goes back home)

the stand will have to be custom, expecially if I want to run a 65g sump of the same width hehe... I would plumb through the top, meaning making the stand wider (deeper) than I would normally, so I can run the lines through it, reducing the behind the tank ugliness


----------



## UnderTheSea

I would atleast scoop that tank with the future possibility of upgrading. If you need somewhere to store it I have a nice spot in my basement for it hehehe


----------



## hojimoe

UnderTheSea said:


> I would atleast scoop that tank with the future possibility of upgrading. If you need somewhere to store it I have a nice spot in my basement for it hehehe


hehe, after removing all my FW tanks, I have lots of room too! hehe nice try though!

I would love to upgrade to the 90 now, extra foot in length would be great, I just need one more ballast (got a pendant), all the same gear otherwise would be used, except a closed loop pump, but a 1000gph pump can be had for ~$100-$150...... stand would cost me ~$100 in materials...so for ~$400 more, I can rock that! (150 ballast, 150 pump, 100 materials)

just don't have $400 to blow right now :\

anyone want some cuban cigars? I can sell those! hehe


----------



## blossom112

pssss.... I still have my return pump from my 90 gl  
would be cheap too  its rated 4000 l/h and I only used it for 1 month 
was looking for 70 but 40 for you comes with tubing even ! I still have my 20 gl sump too!


----------



## hojimoe

blossom112 said:


> pssss.... I still have my return pump from my 90 gl
> would be cheap too  its rated 4000 l/h and I only used it for 1 month
> was looking for 70 but 40 for you comes with tubing even ! I still have my 20 gl sump too!


you're too darn evil!!! ahaha Still in the "talking" phase here


----------



## blossom112

Well at least you know you can save !

YES im evil ITS ALL MY FALT ............
But your EVIL TOO .........Sucking me into freshwater lmao !!!!!!!
Everytime I see a plant or pleco I WANT IT LOL .....
I shall save for when your in the ACTING stage ROLMAO


----------



## hojimoe

ok, the 90g is NOT happening, tons of attempted persuasion, and nothing... got a "no, no, no, no, no"

anyway, I got a MH fixture from a friend, thought it was a 250 SE because that's what it was labelled as on the unit, after opening it up, to check the wiring, turns out it is a 175w SE...thinking of either retro fitting it, or modding an existing DE pendant for it which is much easier I think...not sure on the length though.... if I run a 175 SE and a 250 DE, think there will be much noticeable difference between the two sides?


----------



## cablemike

If your running fluorescent also i don't think it will be noticeable.


----------



## hojimoe

currently, I'm not running anything but halide on this tank, so that's the worry... one side brighter than the other, or will it balance out?


----------



## UnderTheSea

I would say that it would be very noticeable.

If it was a 150 HQI and a 250 SE, I would say it would be very noticeable but the other way around........May take some experimentation.


----------



## hojimoe

UnderTheSea said:


> I would say that it would be very noticeable.
> 
> If it was a 150 HQI and a 250 SE, I would say it would be very noticeable but the other way around........May take some experimentation.


hmmm, what to do.... BAH! my friend may be getting another MH fixture or two, will wait to see what it is he gets  hopefully something that's 250  and DE


----------



## cablemike

i think it all depends how close together they are.. if they are closer to eachother they will blend together in the tank. as long as they are the same spectrum.. its a 65 gal, so its oly 3 feet wide.. i have a 175 over my 55 which is 4 feet wide and i have light from side to side.. so if they were both a foot apart i dont think it would be a drastic difference. if it were like a 120 it would show.. if you can wait i have a bulb on order and i will give you my old 175se to test it out with.. sound good?


----------



## hojimoe

cablemike said:


> i think it all depends how close together they are.. if they are closer to eachother they will blend together in the tank. as long as they are the same spectrum.. its a 65 gal, so its oly 3 feet wide.. i have a 175 over my 55 which is 4 feet wide and i have light from side to side.. so if they were both a foot apart i dont think it would be a drastic difference. if it were like a 120 it would show.. if you can wait i have a bulb on order and i will give you my old 175se to test it out with.. sound good?


sounds good, what type of bulb? 14k? because that's what I use right now... I am also going to call my friend tomorrow to see if he has any spare 175w's... might as well give it a shot eh?


----------



## hojimoe

wow, I haven't updated in a LONG LONG time, I have not that much new stuff in my tank if any... the tank had some minor cyano over a month ago, and basically overnight it just all disappeared... I figured the tank hit its mature point then, and just kicked it out!?

my pods are out of control, I ended up with basically a carpet of pods, and have added 2 sand sifting starfish, but not sure how long I will keep them in there as I don't want them to completely kill my livesand bed..


I sorta picked up a large tank... well it was free from work, we replaced a tank so I took the old one with plans on re-siliconing and keeping it if the display pane is scratch free...

it's 60Lx18Wx24.5H, so ~114 gallons... 

once I get my tax return, i will be throwing another 250w MH on my 65, and hopefully two will be enough over that tank as well... might have to do three

this tank with end up getting the trim removed and using it trimless, I will add a centre brace of glass, but the tank was braceless anyway 

I won't be touching the new tank until the end of this month, maybe cut the seams before that, but not much else... last 6 weeks of school are going to be HELL

I will update with some pictures tomorrow or sunday


----------



## hojimoe

here we go, my latest picture, there is some hair algae clumps in the tank, probably because it's been a while since my last w/c.... going to soon be 3 months :\ my levels are still safe partially due to my large supply of LR, and low live stock load... some nutrients I'm sure aren't being measured because they are being "eaten up" by the algae, but I'm not worried, I plan on getting something to control that a bit 

edit...just noticed this picture sucks, will get a better one tomorrow...

it's been hell around here, last month i have been studying for an entrance exam , which I aced and got to the interview stage, and now I have 5 weeks of school left, 4 papers, 4 exams, 4 presentations ...SIGH!!!!!!!!!!! week and a half ago, my uncle passed away in my house, he had been staying with us since november, his daughter flew in from finland (my cousin obviously), and will be with us until the end of the month, so I'm all over the place lol...










and my newest toy...notice the back pane is off the tank and sitting behind it...










this is how you know you're a fish freak... and this is just the stuff I have behind my computer chair lol... that includes my 5' tank


----------



## hojimoe

oh also, I'm thinking of instead of getting another 250w MH, to just get a 6 bulb t5ho...... and ditch my current MH, but I'm not sure how well it will suit my tank.... and if it will be enough?


----------



## cablemike

what happened to the 175 watt unit you had?


----------



## ameekplec.

Good to hear from you. Hope your family is doing well despite your losses.


----------



## ameekplec.

I think with your tank depth, a T5HO set up might not be enough for SPS that are more than 1/3 of the way down. Might be better to stay with MH, and supplement with T5 if necessary.


----------



## cablemike

ameekplec. said:


> I think with your tank depth, a T5HO set up might not be enough for SPS that are more than 1/3 of the way down. Might be better to stay with MH, and supplement with T5 if necessary.


yeah i use a combination of both and its worked great for me.


----------



## hojimoe

cablemike said:


> what happened to the 175 watt unit you had?


still got it, but I won't bother with it, will get a 250w if anything


----------



## cablemike

hojimoe said:


> still got it, but I won't bother with it, will get a 250w if anything


would you be interested in selling me the 175?


----------



## Ciddian

Hi jim! Nice update! Good luck with the algae, it used to drive me insane.. O_O

Rofl. The fishstuff clutter made me giggle... I cant close my closet because of mind.


----------



## hojimoe

cablemike said:


> would you be interested in selling me the 175?


i haven't tested it out to make sure it works, but it would be on the cheap, the ballast isn't in an enclosure, so it would have to be put in a red tool box or something.... I need a bulb for it to try it first - which I have access to from a friend, but haven't had time lately to go to him


----------



## hojimoe

Ciddian said:


> Hi jim! Nice update! Good luck with the algae, it used to drive me insane.. O_O
> 
> Rofl. The fishstuff clutter made me giggle... I cant close my closet because of mind.


hehe my table this computer is on also has my Mg, Ca, alk mixes, various blades, syringes (aptasia), plugs, bulbs... gotta clean this up.... later


----------



## cablemike

hojimoe said:


> i haven't tested it out to make sure it works, but it would be on the cheap, the ballast isn't in an enclosure, so it would have to be put in a red tool box or something.... I need a bulb for it to try it first - which I have access to from a friend, but haven't had time lately to go to him


ive got a bulb. pm me with a price.. i need one badly.. i upgraded my tank and my lighting is insufficient. my current setupp is the same. my ballast is in a steel box.


----------



## hojimoe

I'll let you know soon, it would be really cheap I think, I don't even have a proper reflector, I have a semi-reflective dome you can cut and bend, or just cut in half... we shall see - actually I have a HQI pendant with no glass that we can work with maybe, the reflective aluminum should be enough for a 175w bulb


----------



## cablemike

hojimoe said:


> I'll let you know soon, it would be really cheap I think, I don't even have a proper reflector, I have a semi-reflective dome you can cut and bend, or just cut in half... we shall see - actually I have a HQI pendant with no glass that we can work with maybe, the reflective aluminum should be enough for a 175w bulb


to be honest all i need is the ballast. you can keep the reflector and socket for your new 250. i have a unit that the ballast died on. and i have a ballast on order from utc but its gonna take a couple weeks and some of my sps are dying from insufficient light. i will only need it for a couple of weeks until my new one comes in. but i could keep it as a backup incase one dies


----------



## hojimoe

god damn tax man, $300 less than expected... oh well, I bought a table saw today used, it's a delta 10" .... will make some nice stuff on that bad boy 

I also got a new 14k bulb from UTC it's a reef optics of course... it's more daylight than expected, but it may also need to burn in a bit










I am also getting 2 t5ho bulbs as a retro kit, I will be putting actinics on there, so it will make the colors pop more 

I just got back, put the new bulb in about 3 hours ago, and I think my rbta may be splitting 

she's got a largish bubble on the left side of her base, is this the beginning of a split?


----------



## ruffyruff

that is such a small RBTA.. if it does.. and you dont want it.. i would love to take it =)


----------



## hojimoe

ruffyruff said:


> that is such a small RBTA.. if it does.. and you dont want it.. i would love to take it =)


not splitting, it's just moving around a little to adjust to the new light

it is small, but It also is even smaller there because I had just put my hand near it a little while ago, and deflated :\


----------



## ruffyruff

=P

I want one in my small 20 tank...

I have a bleached bta (it'll be a surprised what it is) and a LTA (who lose all its tenticles for some reason)...

=(


----------



## lloydj

Good reading in this thread..

Happy reefing!

LJ


----------



## hojimoe

now my lovely rbta has moved to the back of the tank under some rocks.... she's hiding from the light lol...

I picked up a few things today from sea-u-marine; Pink spotted shrimp goby, 6 line wrasse and a citron clown goby

pictures to follow tomorrow, they are all hiding after being acclimated for 5 hours


----------



## ruffyruff

i like pictures!


----------



## pat3612

Me too Ilove to read about you salt water guys this is moving thats moving must be very fancinating watching the tank. I wish I had the time for saltwater. Love your tank.Is all that algae normal.


----------



## ruffyruff

why dont you start? all you need is Live Rock, Sand, cheapo skimmer (you can skip this if u r going small) 

its not as complicated as it sounds


----------



## hojimoe

pat3612 said:


> Me too Ilove to read about you salt water guys this is moving thats moving must be very fancinating watching the tank. I wish I had the time for saltwater. Love your tank.Is all that algae normal.


no, that amount of algae is not normal, it came around because I hadn't done a water change (any) in a LONG LONG TIME! lol... the green algae at the back, is not just the green algae, there's coraline algae in it, some green some red some purple...I will most likely just scrape it all of with a blade this weekend or next week...

tomorrow I will be starting my canopy which will be more cosmetic than anything...but will hide my pendant, and my soon to be t5 fixture 

I bought a table saw, did I mention that?


----------



## ruffyruff

having algae in some ppl's tank is good b/c you do not need to supplement food for tangs or algae eating fishies.

How many weeks do you go for before a waterchange?

People say 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month... whats the best? My tank is a 4 month old tank...

About coraline.. super tempting to use purpleup.. ppl say its snake oil.. ppl say use 2 part but have to dose everyday? whats the best way to get coraline?

hojimoe... make sure u leave space for the 2x 36" =) 

yes u did.. what are u going to do with the table saw?


----------



## hojimoe

ruffyruff said:


> having algae in some ppl's tank is good b/c you do not need to supplement food for tangs or algae eating fishies.
> 
> How many weeks do you go for before a waterchange?
> 
> People say 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month... whats the best? My tank is a 4 month old tank...
> 
> About coraline.. super tempting to use purpleup.. ppl say its snake oil.. ppl say use 2 part but have to dose everyday? whats the best way to get coraline?
> 
> hojimoe... make sure u leave space for the 2x 36" =)
> 
> yes u did.. what are u going to do with the table saw?


the algae, I have a light enough livestock load, that I can probably remove some more 

never touched purple up, I dose 2part, I do it 2x/week typically, sometimes once a week if the levels are still high

I try to stay on top of waterchanges, say every 3-4 weeks for my tank, but with the increased bioload of 3 new fish, we shall see... I also went a few months since my last one  gotta do one this weekend, probably 20gallons 

I have a few things to finish up, a gift for my gf, a bench for my sister, canopy (with lots of room), and who knows what else...going to lee valey tomorrow for some featherboards


----------



## ruffyruff

I would like to try to dose 2part. What is your recommend? 

Some say B-ionic, some say nano 2 part, some use kent a & b.. some say DIY Randy's 2 Part... and do you have to test daily of your alk?


----------



## ameekplec.

Try brightwell Alk and Ca - it worked for me (when I remembered to dose it).

Are you going to the meet and greet Jim? I have something for you!

Jim, Pics! Pics!! What new fish??


----------



## ruffyruff

if you dont dose regularly, wont it cause your alk to vary, and it will be bad for live stock?


----------



## ameekplec.

ruffyruff said:


> if you dont dose regularly, wont it cause your alk to vary, and it will be bad for live stock?


yes and no. I think the stability is preferred (it never really strayed far from 7-9dkh, 380 - 420 ppm Ca), but nothing suffered when I forgot to dose. However when I remembered to dose, there was so much more growth.


----------



## hojimoe

it varies, I never find my alk strays more than 1dkh, and my calcium is usually in the 440 range


----------



## hojimoe

ameekplec. said:


> Try brightwell Alk and Ca - it worked for me (when I remembered to dose it).
> 
> Are you going to the meet and greet Jim? I have something for you!
> 
> Jim, Pics! Pics!! What new fish??


I might go to the meet/greet, depends on my interview for my post grad diploma  see if I can get in...I will probably show up in a suit  ooooo gift? what is it!?

I posted the three fish names above, 6line, citrus clown goby, and a pink spotted shrimp goby -> pictures tomorrow


----------



## Brian

Ooooo, citrus clown goby!

Did he have any left and how much did he have them for?


----------



## Tabatha

Brian said:


> Ooooo, citrus clown goby!
> 
> Did he have any left and how much did he have them for?


Call Ken at Sea U Marine, he almost always has a clown goby of some sort. That's where I got my pair of green clown gobys. He did have Citron when I was there last. Also, if he doesn't have any in stock, he can have them for you in a week or less.


----------



## ameekplec.

hojimoe said:


> I might go to the meet/greet, depends on my interview for my post grad diploma  see if I can get in...I will probably show up in a suit  ooooo gift? what is it!?


It's in return for the GSP for my sister  It's already grown many times what it started....


----------



## hojimoe

alrighty, VERY hard to get pictures of my two gobies, I got one of the citrus clown goby, the pink spotted however is VERY difficult, I actually sat near the tank watching tv for 2 hours, just to NEVER SEE HIM! lol.... he has elected to make his burrow out of site, in the back lol

I came downstairs this morning, lights off, was walking across the basement, noticed something in the middle of the sand, looked over, it was the pink spotted goby, I walk over, as soon as I got closer, He bolts :\ bastard!

my anemone has elected to continue moving, now in the bottom right of the tank at the front... OY! this is amusing, my clowns are confused because she's moved from their area of the tank lol...they do goto her at night, but ignore her in daylight - they are odd

so far the wrasse has been the easiest to photograph


----------



## hojimoe

my rbta, has gone into hiding, she was running a muck around the tank since my last post, and now I can't find her... about 3 days MIA! BOOO!


----------



## Ciddian

Ohhh nooo.... I do hope it turns up soon! I remember when my curly-q did that  What a pain


----------



## hojimoe

Ciddian said:


> Ohhh nooo.... I do hope it turns up soon! I remember when my curly-q did that  What a pain


yeah I'm still waiting...I'm also watching for any nitrate spikes to mean it died...nothing yet

I picked up a sea hare today to help with the hair algae  just got it in the tank, and it's still searching for rocks lol.... dumb thing did a couple circles in my sand :\


----------



## hojimoe

well basically all my hair algae is gone, that didn't take long the hare worked wonders on this tank! WOW! I will never remove him! hehe assuming he doesn't starve of course

I made 4 additions to my tank today... 3 zoa colonies from sea-u-marine.... and one fishy addition which shall be revieled when he/she comes out from hiding hopefully tomorrow  hard to get a snap...

also I have actinics to hook up tomorrow  hopefully I like the bulbs I got, otherwise I gots to re-sell/re-buy some


----------



## ruffyruff

oh hurry up jim with the lights.... i was at ken's too today.. at 7:30.. picked up some nice frags of his =)

me want fishy pic and actinic pic!!!


----------



## hojimoe

ruffyruff said:


> oh hurry up jim with the lights.... i was at ken's too today.. at 7:30.. picked up some nice frags of his =)
> 
> me want fishy pic and actinic pic!!!


funny enough I'm not using your ballast, I got another one lol...I have yours still though... I will be using your reflectors though hehe The ballast from you will come to use later  (secret project)


----------



## UnderTheSea

Secret Project,,,, what are you up to know?


----------



## ruffyruff

HURRY UP!!! u take too much time.... my tank is full of SPS's now... 

HAHA... secret project.. care to share with me? =) HHAA


----------



## hojimoe

a secret is a secret 

fishy pic coming later if I can get a good snap...


actinics are almost set up  the top will be put on, but not stained today


----------



## hojimoe

managed to get a picture of the "new guy"

still no actinics on though


----------



## Ciddian

OOooooo! wow thats a nice surprise!


----------



## hojimoe

for those who aren't sure what it is, it's a tomini tang


----------



## hojimoe

here's one of my colonies from sea-u-marine that I got yesterday, under actinics 

giesemann pure actinics


----------



## hojimoe

hmmm, I'm starting work on tuesday (yay done school! and new job!) and I'm thinking of "downsizing" my tank.... not really downsizing in volume, just in display...


I want to make the tank look more full, and not quite as tall.... the height is starting to annoy me...


In turn, I would like to add a DSB refuge to my sump system, possibly a 10gallon, and increase my sump from a 20 to a 35 gallon....or just get a larger sump, and control a refuge within it

few things I would like to adjust:
height of the tank
smaller overflow box 
more corals in the tank, make it look more "showy" 
add refuge/address my sump
larger pieces
yellow anemone


I am also thinking, if I go to a shorter tank, should I move more to t5ho's? or still keep the same MH and just add more actinics?

right now the display is 36x18x24.... which is 65 gallons, but a 36x18x18 is 50-51.... a 45 gallon breeder, which is 36x18x15.5 is a bit too short I think... Could never keep my tang in that


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## hojimoe

alright for now I'm keeping my tank... been a while since updates... 

I've gotten a Green BTA...

my sin-line jumped to the floor today while I was at work - dried up a bit, but still somewhat wet - However Dead

I have 3 new 250W MH ballasts, two will serve as backups, and the other will now fire up a second 250w light... 

I am getting a sump tomorrow afternoon, will get panels tomorrow If I'm lucky

Then silicone it all over the weekend (new sump design) and install next week 

I need to do a large water change - Been about 2 weeks longer than usual... My rubbermaid (used to mix/change water) has sprung a leak, will use my current sump to mix that after I switch it out ( will remove baffles)


Pictures next week sometime (hopefully)


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## EcoAquatic

hojimoe said:


> Pictures next week sometime (hopefully)


Any Updates


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## hojimoe

EcoAquatic said:


> Any Updates


still waiting on my sump 

sugar and spice and everything nice


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## hojimoe

alrighty, I just finished hooking up my new sump!  the refugium part is creating a bit of bubbling, I think the teeth in the top are a bit too narrow, I may have to remove a few in the next few days

the new sump is 36x12x16 from my old 30x12x12 (not even half filled..


my new sump has approx, 
11 gallon refuge
6.5 gallon skimmer/drain section
2.5 gallon return section

the tank is about 30 gallons, so I have about 10 gallons of extra "drain space" which is more than enough, considering my 20 gallon which was about half filled all the time (normal flow) never gained more than 5 gallons (at worst - long time ago, before mods) I don't think I'll have a problem

my refuge is fueled from my return line, with my still powerful mag 12, I think I will move down to a 9.5.... any takers??? I need a same day trade



I've done two decent water changes since my last post, about 20 gallons two weeks ago, and another 10 gallons today when I switched sumps, PLUS an aditional ~15 gallons in water needed to top off all llines (some water was lost in the old sump

the old sump was OVERRUN! with feather dusters and sponges, I have sponges all over the main tank, as well as dusters.... 

pictures to come tomorrow night or wednesday (busy day tomorrow)


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## Doctor T

Congrats on the new sump! Looking forward to the pics.


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## hojimoe

just got home, sump is fine, pictures tomorrow (I PROMISE!) my refuge has no sand in it yet


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## ameekplec.

Keep it that way! BB refugiums are the way!!!


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## conix67

ameekplec. said:


> Keep it that way! BB refugiums are the way!!!


Somehow I knew you were going to say that


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## hojimoe

yeah lol, I had a feeling you'd say something like that eric, but no way! I want a nice DSB! my tank has about 4" already, and my refuge will have like 6-8 .... we shall see...


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## hojimoe

Yeah I know I'm quite the slacker, my new sump is working great, my refuge is going well too....

here's the old sump,


here's the new one, side shot and front with my stand...




my refuge now has about 4" sand bed, I would like to add more, and will next weekend probably...

lighting on my refuge is a 24w powercompact 10k bulb

I keep chaeto, feather (forget name ATM) and that lettuce type of algae, and the bubble type - god I can't remember any names GRRRRRRRRRRR!

I'm still trying to decide on my exact lighting methods....Some part of me wants to get a 2x250w +t5ho unit, some of me just wants to get the two 250w pendants I have running (vs my one) and the two t5ho actinics I use now....just by a hanger...but I haven't made up my mind yet

a compact unit will look great, but cost more, so I'm not sure


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## UnderTheSea

Looking good Jim, the tank I mean of course.  

If your setup is in a highly visible area and doesn't have a canopy to cover up all the lighting, sometimes it is a good idea to consider an all in one unit. There downfall though is replacement parts. It's kinda like buying a tv with a vcr or dvd player built in, they are know for needing the repairs to one unit or the other which in the long run costs a little more. For me personally I tend to like the individual units due to the cost and the ease of replacement if there was any failure.

HTH's,
Chris


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## hojimoe

UnderTheSea said:


> Looking good Jim, the tank I mean of course.
> 
> If your setup is in a highly visible area and doesn't have a canopy to cover up all the lighting, sometimes it is a good idea to consider an all in one unit. There downfall though is replacement parts. It's kinda like buying a tv with a vcr or dvd player built in, they are know for needing the repairs to one unit or the other which in the long run costs a little more. For me personally I tend to like the individual units due to the cost and the ease of replacement if there was any failure.
> 
> HTH's,
> Chris


yeah that's my concern, right now I have like 2 or 3, replacement 250w MH ballasts.... 3 now, 2 if I run 2 x 250w's.......I'm not wondering, if a ballast goes on an all in one unit, can I just replace one of the ballasts with another brand? or do I have to get say a current USA one? that's annoying


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## ameekplec.

Yeah, most have external ballasts, and you just have to switch out the connecting cables. easy peasy.


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## hojimoe

ameekplec. said:


> Yeah, most have external ballasts, and you just have to switch out the connecting cables. easy peasy.


so really, It's not THAT bad lol....


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## UnderTheSea

Yes, if you just make sure you get fixtures with external ballasts and you'd be good to go.


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## hojimoe

picking up an eheim 1262 today


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## hojimoe

tomorrow I'm getting a 6 bulb t5ho fixture, going to give it a try, see how I like it, and how my tank likes the light.... I will also have a 2x t5ho retrofit which I may or may not continue to use...we shall see.... thinking of adding a 4xt5ho to the tank to have 10xt5ho total (no retro)...but I have to make up my mind first


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## cablemike

t5's are great .. i run 150watts of t5 in combination with 300watts Metal halide and the t5's are brighter.


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## hojimoe

'm back, finally way back on the 403/qew, had all lanes blocked at burloke... sp?..... long boring detour, got me home eventually.... I haven't put the fixture up yet, may switch the stanard actinics out with my gieseman ones, I will play around a bit...

the fixture is a current USA, fan cooled, but not "individual reflectors"...one large sheet contoured... I may replace those at some point


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## hojimoe

alrighty here we go, medium sized update...

first off here's the FTS with the new fixture, actinics only (1x current usa actinics...1x gieseman pure actinic)









next is all lighting on, 10k's and actinics.......3x 10k, 2x giesemann pure actinics, 1x cusa actinic (17k?????) 460nm...









next on the update list, I went to sea-u-marine today to visit Ken, her recommended a aquascience blue, I was going to get one to test it out, but he was sold out of them, so I will get one in a few weeks when he gets more...

I then picked up an aquascience "special" it's a 15k bulb, going to put it on the daylight lighting section and replace one of the 10k bulbs with it...not in yet, so no pictures of the difference

also picked up a few fishes...

dottyback (not the purple ones he has on sale today)









also got a pair of yellow coral gobies one I can't get a picture of, but this one took to the large devils hand leather in the front of my tank right away, the other is hosting the back of a zoa colony... (bah!)









also got myself a new sixline wrasse which is much more camera friendly than my last .... you can just make out the lines beside the leather, under the top









that's it for now....gotta post my halides for sale now


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## gucci17

Wow Jim, looks great man. Keep posting the pics! I plan on going salt one day...most likely once I get my own place.


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## KnaveTO

gucci17 said:


> Wow Jim, looks great man. Keep posting the pics! I plan on going salt one day...most likely once I get my own place.


There is no turning back once you start, more addictive than freshwater


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## ameekplec.

KnaveTO said:


> There is no turning back once you start, more addictive than freshwater


+60 million. It also makes you spend a whole hell of a lot more.

When I was only in FW, I considered a $150 fish purchase a huge deal. These days, $150 for a 1" piece of coral doesn't seem so ridiculous. Also, $150 for an Eheim filter seemed like a big deal - now, not so much.

But don't get me wrong - you can do pretty sweet set up for pretty cheap - a little more than FW, but it's well worth it


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## hojimoe

I lost my yellow gobies today, just found them both in my overflow chilling on the side, had to net them out, and after their release they continued to hang out on my xenia, it closed because they came to it, and because I smacked it with net by accident lol


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## UnderTheSea

Love the gobies, definitely one of my favorite fish.


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## ruffyruff

I'd never had any luck with them... I dont know why... they never seem to wanna eat... Jim.. do you ever plan to seal the gap between your tank and light? I had a yellow wrasse jump out and that almost made me shut down my tank...


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## UnderTheSea

ruffyruff said:


> I'd never had any luck with them... I dont know why... they never seem to wanna eat


2 Words for U

Golden Pearls.

I couldn't get mine to eat either about 4 years ago and a couple of guys on RC told me to try them. All my fish just love it and so do the corals.


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## ruffyruff

Then i have 6 words for you too. hahaa

Time to get some clown gobies

Got to get my hands on some golden pearls first =P '

Do you have some underthec?


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## UnderTheSea

yes I do....


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## ruffyruff

then i shall contact you as i return back from Tobermory =)

i've got tonnes of sps.. thats not cool with them YCG's?


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## hojimoe

UnderTheSea said:


> 2 Words for U
> 
> Golden Pearls.
> 
> I couldn't get mine to eat either about 4 years ago and a couple of guys on RC told me to try them. All my fish just love it and so do the corals.


my two gobies ate them right after I got them back from the store, they are power packed little things that's for sure, they ate a ton after a rescue from my overflow too!


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## hojimoe

ruffyruff said:


> I'd never had any luck with them... I dont know why... they never seem to wanna eat... Jim.. do you ever plan to seal the gap between your tank and light? I had a yellow wrasse jump out and that almost made me shut down my tank...


no I won't block it off.... I don't want any heat build up, I know I have t5ho's now, but I like the air/water to be open.... I lost my last 6-line wrasse to jumping, but I just got another,.... nearly 2 months later ...had to mourn over it a little first  ...well really just wait for a nice looking six line to pop up...

with my t5 fixture now, vs my MH pendant, I think they are more likely to hit the plastic shield and fall back in...


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## hojimoe

Ok, here's the big ol' update 

I spent the better part of last week collecting some parts, and suppies, including new box of salt, extra buckets, rubbermaids etc...

then on friday after work I grabbed 3x bags of oolite sugar sand. Also picked up a brand spanking new 65g reef ready tank....

after gathering what I thought would be all the supplies, friday night I was informed that my tank would need to be moved in the basement from one wall to another. Being moved from a concrete backed wall to a basement room divider wall. I agreed to it on the condition that I would be allowed to run the drain through the wall into the other room... needless to say another condition was that I add another tank to the system to replace my measly 5g (end of my sump) refuge....

here we go...

drilling my new 30g refuge for the drain line to the sump...










Here's the old tank with the new one on the floor, and then the overflow/return line pipes on my couch




new location



the room behind the wall, and my new 2x4 stand to hold 2x 30g tanks, one on top is my new refuge... see as it takes shape!



Note the black divider on the lower tank (sump) in this picture, and my skimmer on the left side, it was then moved to the right side and the black divider was removed...leaving nearly twice as much length for a larger skimmer, and now height of skimmers is a non-issue


New tank in place (pretty much)


Filling, the cloudy mess 


Sump and refuge taking shape


dust particles being removed via skimmer, clearing up the tank quite fast IMO


sump with some rock in it..


sump and refuge now filled..


plumbing basically complete, T added and valves to control flow


sump/refuge now running


New rock scape and corals placed how they may or may not stay...


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## Doctor T

Nice job Jim, you work quick!


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## hojimoe

Doctor T said:


> Nice job Jim, you work quick!


shit! reminds me to bring your bit back this weekend! haha it worked obviously!  sorry dude got caught up in the move/clean up last few days


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## Doctor T

hojimoe said:


> shit! reminds me to bring your bit back this weekend! haha it worked obviously!  sorry dude got caught up in the move/clean up last few days


heh, no worries. Glad it worked out for you.


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## hojimoe

Doctor T said:


> heh, no worries. Glad it worked out for you.


yeah it did perfectly, very good bit, worked much quicker than the last time I used one (UTC's) he had cut about 15 holes before I used it.... they wear out unless if you spend ~$150+ on them


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## hojimoe

shit doctorT I still have the bit... god damn i'm dumb lol..


little update, haven't done much of anything in regards to changes in the last couple months, spent a fortune on going to dominican with my girlfriend last week.. We went on the 27th and came back early monday morning. 

I did order a new RO/DI from JLaquatics, which will arrive tomorrow morning. 

I orderded the vertex 100gpd system  can't wait!


while I was away, I had two casualties it would appear, can't find my 6 line or my purple lined dottyback.... assuming they were casualties  not sure why... also one of my clowns appears a little beat up, so I have QT'd him. Some tattered fins, can't decide if the larger one has started attacking or if it's my tang or crabs


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## conix67

Sorry to hear your losses. How long have been away for?


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## hojimoe

conix67 said:


> Sorry to hear your losses. How long have been away for?


only for a week, but somehow and at sometime during my trip, my crappy skimmer decided to clog up and stop producing bubbles which may have contributed to the losses


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## Doctor T

Sounds like a good trip, but sorry for your losses. Hope the clown bounces back.

No worries about the drill bit.


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## hojimoe

update coming tomorrow...


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## hojimoe

not much has changed really, been having algae problems (obviously) I've since reduced my feedings quite dramatically, but my shrimp goby seems to be getting ever so fat anyway lol....

I've picked up a few hairy mushrooms, zoas, birds nest frag and other sps frags from conix  also grabbed two larger colonies from bktruong. All new additions have done quite well, I wish I had taken some pics of the sps from conix as soon as I got them, the birdsnest isn't growing nearly as rapidly as the other sps frag (can't remember ID)

A few weeks ago, I ended up moving out about 5-6 peices of LR from my display to my sump/refuge. Also I boiled RO/DI water and nuked a few rocks which where really infested with algae - caulerpa specifically - which had been driving me nuts. One rock in particular has now taken on a light hair algae - on top in the display tank

I've also made an Auto top off with a couple float valves I had laying around, SG is now fixed at 1.0245 (refractometer) It's a failsafe rig where if the bottom sensor fails, the top saves the system. also siliconed the top of the float where the wires are to protect them in case of a power outtage. I will have to take pictures of this tomorrow as I forgot to take a picture of that

I picked up a used SWC skimmer, not sure of the model, but pulls much better stuff than my coralife 220. It's only a venturi skimmer, I plan to replace the pump with a pin wheel sicce or sedra 5000, but not too worried about it ATM. I do want to run the outlet with a gate valve, as I had some salt creep issues on my tank from the skimmer splash which is why I put a drain trap 180 degree pipe just resting on there.

Lastly Now it looks like I will be re-finishing out basement this spring or summer. As soon as we get the window quote back, and find a date to do it, I will be stripping the basement about a week before hand. the 1970's wood panneling that came with the house just dont cut it anymore. The tank will become an in wall with the new plans, and I will have a 5'x11' or 6'x11' fish room to house it all it would seem - really excited. I get a proper fish place and my parents get a new basement - only free labour though, they have to supply everything hehe.

anyway here's some picture....oh yeah, added a frag rack, Just got some epoxy covered magnets this past friday, so I'm trying to figure out a mounting method for them

also I had my kenya tree drop all branches, so I collected and mounted 3 of them, let the rest settle in the tank, and the mother without any branches left, has started sprouting new ones already 

lastly my toadstool which had grown quite large, got a nasty infection from something settling on it I guess, I fragged the whole colony, got 4 frags from it, all are doing well on my rack. been more than two weeks now. The infection had gone right through the centre of the main stump and was quite bad

zoas on the frag rack








full rack with kenya's toadstool and cloves polyps and much more!








awesome coffee skimmate








not sure on ID, had for a while, sold as a finger leather ...but is a Sinularia or nepthea?








skimmer SWC, with octopus lid? lol... iunno, it works well








random shroom (smaller ones under it lol) from SUM of course








FTS - my camera sucks with any lighting, and always blurs - will try another camera tomorrow 








from bktruong








hairy shroom, split in the first few days after getting it from conix








birds nest left, other sps (id please) on right, growing VERY fast from conix...notice the algae on this rock? it was nuked in boiling RO water to kill caulerpa








from bktruong


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