# My new tank build...100 gallon



## Flexin5

i thought that i should start to document the new tank build. things are coming together, just in the collecting equipment stage.

the tank:

L=60"
W=18"
H=22"

for those that don't know it's alex's old tank.










then i picked up alex's old sump..lol










and a vertex in180 skimmer










spent some more coin and ordered the following:

Vortech MP40:










got another AI sol super blue off of alex










i also ordered the new AI rail and hanging kit for a cleaner looking mounting, it now fits like this into the heat sinks










ordered a RO/DI machine from BRS, 75GPD, 4 stage with gague and TDS meter










from goreef.com got a 40lb box of dry rock










and 2 30lbs bags of sand: (non-sugar sized)

i also have a eheim 1262 retun pump aswell.

get the keys to the house next week and i'll start to move everything. i pretty much have most of the stuff, just have to get everything together and start to figure out/build the plumbing


----------



## Windowlicka

Hey! I recognise all the crap in the background of the sump picture!! 

You're well on your way, man - best of luck with collecting the keys to your new place!


----------



## nate

really nice equipment! ive got a similar setup on my 65 and love it. how many ai sols do you plan on running? just curious because i have 2 on my 65 and am in the process of building a similar size tank.


----------



## Flexin5

windowlicka - thanks buddy! unfortunally my laptop took a crap so i can't even take pics and upload them for now so i had to steal yours..LOL 

nate - thanks man, for now i'm going to start out with two AI units mounted length-wise. if need be i'll add a third one later on; or the other option is to see if i can put the 70degree optic lenses on the 4 end lenses on each side, (two on the far left, two on the far right) and see if that will spread enough.


----------



## explor3r

Congrats Jason I can see you almost ready to go there, what type of rock are you planning to use.


----------



## fesso clown

been waiting to see that tank get wet again... looks like you're off to a good start! Have fun!


----------



## Flexin5

explor3r said:


> Congrats Jason I can see you almost ready to go there, what type of rock are you planning to use.


ya thanks to your help! haha

i'm going to go with the

Caribsea South Seas Dry Base Rock


----------



## ameekplec.

Flexin5 said:


> ya thanks to your help! haha
> 
> i'm going to go with the
> 
> Caribsea South Seas Dry Base Rock


I hope you haven't bought it yet - it's probably only good as a base for all your rock - it's super dense and doesn't come in great shapes. You're better off with marco rock or other quarried rocks. You can get it at Sea U Marine - it's nice and light and porous.


----------



## darthvictor

This is looking great~


----------



## zk4444

ameekplec. said:


> I hope you haven't bought it yet - it's probably only good as a base for all your rock - it's super dense and doesn't come in great shapes. You're better off with marco rock or other quarried rocks. You can get it at Sea U Marine - it's nice and light and porous.


+1. I think they're really easy to work with and offer the most option/flexibility. Painless and you can really get creative during scaping for sure.


----------



## Flexin5

i thought about that, but for the most part i'm going to be tearing the crap out of the live rock and sculpting my own setup kinda deal. it'll take me a while with making small peices and putting them all together. going to need alot of zip ties and putty..lol

but i will call sea u marine to see how much they sell theirs for, shipping is expensive for dry rock.

actually on second thought i think i'm going to go with the BRS pukani dry rock.


----------



## Flexin5

Well Xmas came early. Got a big shipment in from goreef



















What's there?

- jbj auto top off
- AI sol super blue ( thanks again Alex)
- AI Ext mounting rail
- AI Ext hanging kit
- AI new wireless controller 
- Eheim 300w heater
- Digital Aquatics RKL
- Digital Aquatics PC4 x2
- Digital Aquatics MLC and temp probe
- medium size mag float
- 1/2 inch swing check valve
- Vortech MP40w
- BRS 4 stage RO/DI with inline tds meter and pressure gauge

Also with the help of alcharacter and a buddy we got the tank, stand and Eheim 1262 return pump delivered and in the basement at the new house, the sump and skimmer will be moved there on Friday. Can't wait to start to put things together.










One of my favourite parts to this build is the new AI Ext rail, once I get the other sol off of the 10 gallon to mount to the other one the new rail should make for a clean mounting look.


----------



## Shoryureppa

The hanging kit is sweet. It looks so clean. good luck with the build.


----------



## zk4444

Flexin5 said:


> ...Can't wait to start to put things together.


Looks good! This really is the fun part for me.

I wish I were at the same stage as you again, only if I can do mine over again. I want to direct your attention to this fellow's shallow rimless build hoping it gives you lots of inspiration as you go through your setup!

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2234507

Enjoy!


----------



## thmh

Good start! flexin, everything is looking good! cant wait to see water in that tank.

OMG i think i recognized that tank is that alex old tank? props to you if it is.... such a good buy.


----------



## rburns24

Looking good. Lots of room under the tank is nice. What height do you make the stand?


----------



## CRJ

Woah nice tank! Excited to see this built!


----------



## Flexin5

thanks guys! yes, the tank is alex's old tank...that i bought off of dave..and the sump and skimmer was alex's too...that i bought off of windolika..lol 

the basement is planned to be started first thing in january, during that time i'll start to re-finish the stand, wire some things up, start on the rock scape, and hopefully by mid febuary it can start to cycle!

i'm trying to figure out a way that i can hide the wires for the sols, so that all you will see is the two lights, rail and hanging wires. i might run them straight back and through the wall.

the MP40 is massive..lol i was thinking about screwing around and putting it on the 10 gallon but i think it'll just push all the water straight out of the tank haha


----------



## explor3r

Game on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! good luck


----------



## Flexin5

^thanks buddy! we have to start to figure out the plumbing soon.

been really busy moving in and getting unpacked, but i managed to get some time to hook some stuff up. i have to pick up some zip ties today to clean up all the wires.










i'm going to pick up 3 more white lunars and run them as refugium lighting.










and my mess of wires


----------



## thmh

you will need more flow!!! one mp40 wont be enough


----------



## Flexin5

I hope it's enough between that and the return pump! my wallet can't take another MP40..lol

i did just buy another AI sol. figured might aswell instead of trying to get away with 2. i also got two 6 inch EXT rails with it.


----------



## TypeZERO

Looks awesome! If your planning to keep lotsa sps, you will need more flow :3


----------



## Flexin5

i don't think i'm going to go tooo crazy with sps, some nice, select pieces but not dominated. it's truly going to be a mixed reef, from zoas, acans, LPS, SPS.

xmas present to myself, just ordered one more AI sol super blue and two shorter EXT rails. so there will be 3 over the tank.

got handy with some zipties and screws. not so much of a rats nest of wires anymore.


----------



## CRJ

Love the tank setup. One MP40 should be fine to move enough water in a 100G, maybe a little low for sps but for mixed should be OK. Im not looking forward to buying a MP40 for my 60 gallon, im hoping my MP10 will work till im ready to upgrade.


----------



## duckhams

Nice build, Im interested to see what you do with the rock work!


----------



## altcharacter

Awesome start Jason!! I can't wait to come over and see it in action. I'm also glad a great guy like yourself was able to put this beauty of a tank to good use.


----------



## Flexin5

^thanks for hooking me up with it! 

bah waiting on a really good update. damn Canada post taking so long to deliver 

i'm working on my plumbing right now, trying to figure out how high i need the drain pipe inside of the overflow to go.


----------



## altcharacter

You are leaps and bounds above the rest already by having a game plan going. Can't wait to see that 1262 pumping water!


----------



## Flexin5

^me too! Lol

The plumbing is coming along, I have to add in a Y on the drain and a check valve on the return but this is it more or less, should be getting my shipment tomorrow with the bulkheads, then I can also do the top part of the plumbing.


----------



## explor3r

Great Jason is looking good, when are you planning to add water


----------



## thmh

i cant see if you did it or not jason but you should use a few inches of vinyl for your return pump , it helps with the vibration and will reduce the noise.


----------



## Flexin5

i want to get this thing wet but there's no point yet, once again, basement 

THMH, i didn't think of that, thanks, but what do you mean by vynal? like...vynal sticker? or like a rubber pad or something?

finally got my package in!










-loc line
-ATO pump
-6 inch AI EXT rails x2
-1 1/2 bulk head
-1 inch bulk head
-AI sol super blue (this makes 3) 
-Digital Aquatics white lunars x 3 (using them as refugium lighting)

and i have the next two days off to finish up the plumbing and mocking everything up


----------



## TypeZERO

I like it when things go as planned 
I think what thmh ment is run some vynle tubing from the 1262 then hard plumbing. Even a short amount of 1 foot or less of it will reduce the noise from the shaking.


----------



## Flexin5

TypeZERO said:


> I like it when things go as planned
> I think what thmh ment is run some vynle tubing from the 1262 then hard plumbing. Even a short amount of 1 foot or less of it will reduce the noise from the shaking.


ohhhh i see. ok will do that.


----------



## Flexin5

A bit of progress


----------



## altcharacter

I like how you're almost finished with the tank but the basement looks the same.
Keep up the picture taking dude!


----------



## Flexin5

LOL it's true. the framing for the basement will be started next week!  i have to figure out where this tank is going to go and get some GFI plugs installed. 

i also picked up the last fitting i need for the Loc-line today at NAFB, and the plumbing is finally all mocked up!


----------



## TWOLITREmedia

Looking awesome Fuzzy, can't wait to come check this thing out in the summer!


----------



## Flexin5

^ let me know if you need a place to crash bro!

Well here is the latest update and bitter sweet. Took down the lights, took off the mp40, and bubble wrapped the tank up. I'll see it again in about 4 weeks.










On a better note, the contractor came by today and with my wife we finalized the layout of the basement. Basically, we managed to fit the layout around the tank. What does this mean? Well now instead of being up against a wall with one viewing side, the tank will be a peninsula style, separating the tv and sofa section from the Hallway, with 3 sides viewable. It will allow me two sides completely different maybe sps on one and lps on the other who knows. I'm really glad I was able to do this because I felt I wasn't getting the full potential out of the dimensions of this tank. The framing of the basement starts on Tuesday so I can get a idea of how it's going to look.


----------



## altcharacter

Awesome to hear dude!!! Glad it worked out for you in the end, and when you upgrade in the future you could always go with the 60 long and instead of 19" wide you could go 30" right!!!! This would give you around 175g...but that's the future 

The contractor said 4 weeks eh? Hmmm....I'm betting 6 weeks. Which means your basement should be done by March 1 or so and the tank should be up and running by middle of March possibly? My bet...fish will go in March 15th. 

Take pictures of the reno as it goes dude! I wanna see what color you put on the walls


----------



## Flexin5

haha for sure dude! the contractor said 4-6weeks, so we'll see. i want the tank to cycle nicely so for fish to go in i'm aiming for the begining of April 

as soon as the basement is done that's when i'll go get my sand and rock and start to scape.


----------



## altcharacter

Oh he said 4-6 weeks? This means 6-8 weeks!

Gimme a shout if you need a hand with anything. Also I use to do tile for quite a few years so if you need any tile done give me a shout. I would be glad to do it for you.


----------



## Flexin5

thought i'd throw up a update, basement is coming along nicely and ahead of schedule, he's had the help of his brother who's also a contractor and his nephew too. everything should be done in about two weeks then i can get the tank going !



















washroom




























i also did little things to make life with the tank easier. i had another valve T'd and installed off the cold water line for my RO/DI unit, GFI plug for the two PC4's, and a extra 2x4 beam so i can position the AI sols perfectly.

the tank is going to go where you see that ladder is against the wall, seperating the two rooms a bit.


----------



## darthvictor

Wow things are looking great, love the spot lights too


----------



## thmh

Wow Jason! Yeah everything look good! I can't wait to see some water in the tank. 

PEWPEW!


----------



## TWOLITREmedia

Woooppwooooooop :-D Things looks awesome Fuzzy, can't wait to see that thing flooded!


----------



## Flexin5

basement is getting there. this weekend i'm going to try to hang the new tv, hookup the surround sound, push the tank into the final place, give it a good cleaning, glue the plumbing and hang the lights.


----------



## jd81

Nice.
GL with the build Jason.


----------



## liz

Very nice job!


----------



## altcharacter

Give me a shout if you need any help Jay, I also have buckets for you


----------



## Flexin5

^awsome thanks buddy! ill probably need those from you soon.

been a busy weekend. the basement is about 90% done, just finishing touches now which should be done in the next couple of days. i hung the tv and hooked up the surround sound.

as for the tank, got it unwraped, cleaned up.

went by sea u marine and they hooked me up with my rock:










the view of the tank walking into the basement:










the view from the sofa (or atleast when it gets here..lol)










hooked up my lights, i'll be adding the other sol for a total of 3 when i shut down the 10 gal. did some rock work, not quite done yet with it, and tossed in some sand. i love how i can see the tank from both sides.




























during the week i'll get to glueing the pvt and then it'll be ready for water soon!


----------



## explor3r

Looking amazing Jason, I cant believe how strong the leds are seems like 2 modules are working perfectly.
Keep it up!!!!!!


----------



## altcharacter

Looking Boss dude!! I'm so glad you got this tank.


----------



## Flexin5

thanks fellas! 

just thinking out louad...would it be a bad idea to put the MP40 on the side where the overflow is? like right where you see the black wire coming down?


----------



## thmh

That wouldn't be a bad idea at all

PEWPEW!


----------



## altcharacter

When I owned this tank I was thinking the same exact thing. I was going to put the mp10 or mp20 right on the black overflow.


----------



## RR37

That's where I've got mine... One on each side.


----------



## Ryan.Wilton

Good looking tank man! When I saw the OP's of your basement I was worried that you were going to spend so much money on a tank that you'd barely want anyone to see because of the ugly pink insulation lol.

Your basement looks nice!


----------



## Flexin5

thanks guys! 

well...i got all of the plumbing glued...and decided to wet test the overflow to see if the bulk heads were sealing. didn't go so well..LOL 

it started leaking, i just put enough water in to cover the bulk heads, so i let it all drip out, dried it, cleaned up the mounting area and re-tightened them down. i couldn't find my big lock jaw pliers so they were only hand tight, and the second test it didn't leak....now the question is if it would leak with water as tall as the overflow?

so how tight do you tighten down bulkheads? i don't want to crack them, i was thinking about putting a bead of clear silicone around the pipe and the bulkhead, should that keep it nice and sealed?


----------



## J_T

should be able to hand tighten them.

If it doesn't, then I would look at getting them new rubber gaskets. Or, slap some silicone in there, and forget about it.

I have a huge pair of channel locks, good enough for 1.5" bulkheads, you could borrow them if you need em.


----------



## altcharacter

silicone is your friend. You could always put some on the gasket and then put a bead on the outside.


----------



## thmh

Do an Alex and put that sheet on everything! 

PEWPEW!


----------



## rburns24

Skip the silicone. Get new gaskets. You don't want to take a chance of problems down the road, with a project like this. This is a no-brainer.


----------



## altcharacter

rburns24 said:


> Skip the silicone. Get new gaskets. You don't want to take a chance of problems down the road, with a project like this. This is a no-brainer.


Just to let everyone know, i'm fairly sure they are new gaskets.


----------



## RR37

thmh said:


> Do an Alex and put that sheet on everything!
> 
> PEWPEW!


For real, I didn't even remove the bulkheads from his old tank and they are still dry on the right side


----------



## Flexin5

ya they are brand new bulkheads. i think they just needed to be tightened a bit more since the second time they didn't leak. i snugged them up with a set of pliers, and added a bead of silicone around them for piece of mind. i let it dry for 24hrs so when i get home i'll test it and start to make and fill water! 

last night installed the MP40, cleaned up some wiring now that the tank is penninsula style (everything was on the left, furthest from the outlet)


----------



## Flexin5

well bulkheads are nice and sealed up, no leaking at all! 

started to fill the sump, and it's taking a while. it takes 1.5hrs to fill a 5 gallon jug of RO/DI,...about 130ish gallons need to be filled...= tank will be filled with water in 2014. LOL 


<- accepting donations in the form of RO/DI water haha


----------



## J_T

Flexin5 said:


> well bulkheads are nice and sealed up, no leaking at all!
> 
> started to fill the sump, and it's taking a while. it takes 1.5hrs to fill a 5 gallon jug of RO/DI,...about 130ish gallons need to be filled...= tank will be filled with water in 2014. LOL


----------



## Flexin5

WATER!!


----------



## TypeZERO

http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3raprc/


----------



## explor3r

Flexin5 said:


> WATER!!


Fantastic Jason, let the games begging


----------



## Flexin5

alex! shoot me a text if your still up  lol


----------



## Flexin5

TypeZERO said:


> http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3raprc/


lol ever been to jamaica?










so..couple questions:

1) why the hell won't this 300w heater bring the temp up above 70? it's in the middle chamber of the sump with the return pump.

2) for the return cap, i drilled one hole in it, as i was filling up the tank it wouldn't drain fast enough and then i would get a suction noise as the overflow level went down, and then it would rise again. i quickly shot another hole in the cap and all is well now. i'm getting a small bubbling sound so i drilled a 3rd small hole but i still get it a bit. i had the drain above the water line in the sump and it was louaddddd but i cut a new piece (good thing i didn't cement that only pipe) and now it's a couple of inches under the water line, quieted it down ALOT.

3) using a level, the tank is perfectly level, however the water line is just a tad higher on the non-overflow side, is that right? i even shimmed it to see if the waterline would level out but nothing changed.

4) protein skimmer on or off? (i'm guessing off for now) and when should i turn it on?


----------



## J_T

J_T said:


> Flexin5 said:
> 
> 
> 
> well bulkheads are nice and sealed up, no leaking at all!
> 
> started to fill the sump, and it's taking a while. it takes 1.5hrs to fill a 5 gallon jug of RO/DI,...about 130ish gallons need to be filled...= tank will be filled with water in 2014. LOL
> 
> 
> 
> Wow, my phone messed up that post....
> 
> I had meant to say, borrow a RO unit with a booster pump....
> 
> But that isn't needed now.
> 
> Looking good so far. Before you get too much farther, did you make spots on those columns for coral placement? Either drilled holes, or flats for disc's. Planning now, helps keep the matured tank looking natural.
> 
> Heater,
> I prefer more than one, and under rated. IF (when) it fails, it isn't enough power to overheat the whole tank (it will raise the temp, but not to dangerous levels), and the opposite, if one fails, the other will keep the tank "warm" maybe not the full temp, but warm.
> 
> Return cap...
> Smartest thing I ever saw, and copied... Drill a couple holes. When you are close, drill and instal a gate valve fitting (small ones). I have my "cap" up high enough the water won't get to it... ever! (10") So, I used a brass fitting (not good if sitting in the water, or constantly getting wet) I then was able to dial it in perfectly
> 
> Make sure the water is "even" if it is twisting the tank (one corner lower than another) it can weaken the tank. If it is all leaning to the front, back, or one side, it is okay. Not great, but okay.
> 
> Skimmer off! Leave the tank for a while, a week or two, then get it going. IMO, by then you will have bacteria everywhere, and cycle on its way!
Click to expand...


----------



## Flexin5

J_T said:


> J_T said:
> 
> 
> 
> Wow, my phone messed up that post....
> 
> I had meant to say, borrow a RO unit with a booster pump....
> 
> But that isn't needed now.
> 
> Looking good so far. Before you get too much farther, did you make spots on those columns for coral placement? Either drilled holes, or flats for disc's. Planning now, helps keep the matured tank looking natural.
> 
> Heater,
> I prefer more than one, and under rated. IF (when) it fails, it isn't enough power to overheat the whole tank (it will raise the temp, but not to dangerous levels), and the opposite, if one fails, the other will keep the tank "warm" maybe not the full temp, but warm.
> 
> Return cap...
> Smartest thing I ever saw, and copied... Drill a couple holes. When you are close, drill and instal a gate valve fitting (small ones). I have my "cap" up high enough the water won't get to it... ever! (10") So, I used a brass fitting (not good if sitting in the water, or constantly getting wet) I then was able to dial it in perfectly
> 
> Make sure the water is "even" if it is twisting the tank (one corner lower than another) it can weaken the tank. If it is all leaning to the front, back, or one side, it is okay. Not great, but okay.
> 
> Skimmer off! Leave the tank for a while, a week or two, then get it going. IMO, by then you will have bacteria everywhere, and cycle on its way!
> 
> 
> 
> I was wondering about that last post lol
> 
> - frag plugs...i hate them. if i can, i try to take the coral off of the plug, and glue them right to the rock. i find it looks more natural this way.
> 
> -heater, i noticed this morning that the tank warmed up to a good 79degrees. i thought about going with 2 smaller heaters (since this 300w one is like 10ft long) the problem with that was outlets...i didn't have enough of them. the lights alone take up 3 alone.
> 
> -for the cap, if i'm understanding right...is that you put a gate valve in the cap? it is a good idea how you can tune it just right tho. good idea.
> 
> -the water level is ok front to back, nice and straight, but it's uneven from left to right. i'm wondering if this is because both the power head and the return are pointing in that direction?
> 
> - skimmer off for sure.
> 
> thanks for the reply!
Click to expand...


----------



## J_T

The valve I am using is for 1/4" John Guest fittings. Besides being brass/copper, it is perfect. The two larger holes were almost good, but just never quite right. Now, its dead on! 

Hmm, I would still look at 2 heaters... If one is set lower than the other, it should never, ever come on. Thus not a problem having an octopus of power bars. 

Could be the pumps, but as long as the "tilt" is even, I wouldn't sweat it. To find out if it is the pumps.... turn them off  See where it ends up.

Skimmer off, but only for the beginning of the cycle


----------



## Flexin5

good point, heaters are cheap and i hate how this one is like 10ft long. 

working like a mofo on this tank every night after work. got the water salty last night, temp is up, did a water change on the 10 gallon and threw the sponge i had in the filter for months into the big tank. cycle waiting....

also ran some tests, if the return pump fails for whatever reason there's more than enough space in the sump so it won't overflow.


----------



## ameekplec.

Squeeze that spongey bad boy. Let them bacteria get everywhere


----------



## altcharacter

I have a couple extra heaters for you Jay!


----------



## Flexin5

^perfect! thanks buddy! i just rememberd that i have a smaller one in the 10 gallon so when i tear that down i can use that too.

i've been working hard on the tank. i think i have everything setup for the most part, my itemp probe for the RKL was bad so i had to order a new one, should be here tomorrow. the filter sock and sponges in the baffles took care of the micro bubble problem, and i extended the drain to the bottom for the refugium, tank is nice and clear now. i made a make shift stand cover for now, turned out pretty decent imo. just got the JBJ ATO setup tonight, hope it works properly lol.

ran the first set of tests yesterday too, showed that i have 0.25ppm of ammonia, 0 nitrites, and 5.0ppm of nitrates. where would you guys say that i'm at in the cycle?

anyways, here's some pics of how it's coming along


----------



## WiseGuyPhil

Its looking fantastic!!!! I love both the viewing sides! My only recommendation would be to cover the tube stands. I think it takes away from the left side of the tank.

Question as I might have missed this, what have you done to "prime" the tank. Have you dropped in some raw shrimp? If not I think it would be still very early in the cycle. You need to have that nitrite spike which if you have 0.0 then it either hasn't happend or its past that point.


----------



## altcharacter

what phil said, throw a shrimp or a cube of mysis/brine in there to kick the cycle in if you haven't already.

Really looking amazing Jay!!!!


----------



## kamal

+1 this is a beautiful looking thing  Cannot wait to see the stocking begin


----------



## Flexin5

thanks guys! 

the plan to hide the plumbing on the one side, is to cut a peice of car window tint and apply it on the outside. that way if i still need to see in there i can take a flash light and check, otherwise it'll be pretty dark. 

as for the cycle, i had a sponge that was sitting in the filter of the 10gallon for..months. so i took it out and threw it into the sump. it's been there for a couple days now, then last night i put some rubble live rock from the 10 gallon in the sump...i'm trying to figure out where i am in the cycle stage.


----------



## altcharacter

I take it back...the tank looks ugly!!! I'll buy the whole thing back from you for $200!

Awesome looking basement also dude, give me a shout and I'll come over one night with some beers and taco bell


----------



## Flexin5

oh snap you can never say no to taco bell LOL! you're welcome over anytime bro 


so question, if i already have ammonia....is there still a need to toss in a shrimp?


----------



## Flexin5

diatom outbreak! tested last night and i have readings of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate still tho....


----------



## altcharacter

Start adding snails already!!
Hay man, if you want some nassarius snails I'm your man!!


----------



## Flexin5

^can i? even tho i still have amm/trite/trate?


----------



## altcharacter

You have no choice! I'm bringing some by tomorrow!


----------



## Flexin5

^thanks for dropping by homie, and thanks for the buckets!

picked up this little guy yesterday...










i think the tank is too small for him.


----------



## explor3r

Lol great first habitant


----------



## altcharacter

He has to be like "oh my god...what is going on!!"


----------



## Flexin5

Lol little dude has all the room in the world....for now lol

Little update. Decided to start up the skimmer, I guess I lost the cap for the air intake tube, but after running around the house like a mad man I luckily had a 2" cap laying around....then I couldn't find my drill bits haha after a few choice words I found them. I have to stop working on the tank at 2am.

Nice and quiet, no micro bubbles in the display, how's my foam level?










And I added my first coral from the 10 gallon, a 4 headed frog spawn which is doing really well


----------



## Flexin5

welp...time has come to shut down the 10 gallon. kinda sad to see it torn down as it was my first tank and tought me so much. got the fish out and some corals i wanted to keep, all are doing great in the new tank.


----------



## altcharacter

I love how you have a 100g tank and the fish just want to sit in the corner 
Glad to see the tank is coming along well dude!!!


----------



## Flexin5

^thanks buddy!

it's hilarious watching them get used to the tank. dori glides right across the tank, hits the wall, says wtf to herself and swims up and down, then turns around and does it all over again..lol

this weekend i'm going to add the third AI sol.


----------



## Flexin5

well here's a bit of a update.

so I got the third sol hung now that the 10 gallon is gone. hung it with the two shorter AI EXT rails and hid the wires as best as I could.

I also made a trip to SUM. great people there.

I picked up:

-1 powder blue tang
-4 yellow tangs
-2 pink anthias
-cleaner shrimp
-strawberry conch
-couple of hermits

the tank has lots of life now! just did my first water change too..and holy hell does skimmate stink! lol




























love the powder blue


----------



## darthvictor

Nice, everything look great! envy


----------



## liz

Sweet! Got to love the PBT -one of my favorite fish!


----------



## kamal

love this tank!


----------



## TypeZERO

Nice jason, super jelly of your man cave!!


----------



## Flexin5

thanks guys!

here's an update. headed over to SUM again and picked up more fish. so here's my total livestock. the tank is full of life now and it's really getting to a point where im enjoying the tank very much.

ocellaris clowns (orange) x2
ocellaris clown (black/white) x1
powder blue tang x1
blue hippo tang x1
yellow tang x4
flame angel x1
anthias (pink/purple) x2
anthias (pink/yellow) x2
firefish goby x2

for inverts there's a bunch of variations of hermits and snails, a strawberry conch and a pink tube anemone.

for frags I picked up (thanks to the fragcave and madjellyfrags)

-large frag of red convexa
-1.5 polyps of candy apple red zoas
-ultra acans
-small frag of red planet
-small frag of a red/green millipora
-purple w/green eyes chalice? 
-and then various corals from my old 10gallon like the armor of god zoa's, some other designer zoas that I have no idea what the name is..lol and my purple torch along with some regular frogspawn and hammer.

anyways onto some pics:


----------



## jd81

Very nice, GJ Jason.


----------



## darthvictor

you don't afraid the pink tube anemone will eat your fish?


----------



## thmh

Looks really good so far jaosn! 

PEWPEW!


----------



## CRJ

i like it! i am also going for a two island look. i like the layout and swimming space.


----------



## Bayinaung

Lots of fishy fishies! Hey Jason how long did you have armor of god in your old tank?  just curious!


----------



## Flexin5

thanks guys! 

unfortunately scratch one fire goby  I saw something spinning around in the MP40, thought it was just a shrimp molt. so I turned it off to pluck it out and it was actually a goby. don't know where the other one is, it bolted into a hole in the rock as soon as I put it in and I haven't seen it since? didn't jump out either.

I hope the tube anem won't eat any fish, but the smallest one it could go for would probably be the black/white clown...if I see it eat a fish then i'll pull it out and toss it in the sump. 

bayinaung - I had the armor of god zoas in the old tank since it started....I think it was one of the first frags I picked up off of alex.


----------



## Bayinaung

Flexin5 said:


> thanks guys!
> I had the armor of god zoas in the old tank since it started....I think it was one of the first frags I picked up off of alex.


sorry to hear about the fire goby. And I sure hope your armor of god left some seeds in the 10 gallon. That'd be awesome.


----------



## tom g

*tank*

awesome looking tank jayson ,love the look .coming along amazing 
cheers 
tom


----------



## J_T

Fish are mostly smart... So, they should know to stay away from the nem! Mine hasn't munched on any of my fish, and it has very large tenticles!


----------



## explor3r

Jason the tank is turning great, you have alot of potential there keep it up!!!


----------



## Flexin5

tank is shaping up. i lost some fish due to a ich outbreak but everything is back on track. so now i have, 1 regular clown (that's getting big!) 1 black/white clown, 2 yellow tangs, 2 pink anthinis, 1 hippo tang, 1 flame angel. all i want to add is the powder blue but all of the ones i'm seeing have ich on them already. i'm being very picky with the one i buy.

i also have some more rock that's cooking to add to the refugium; basement is shaping up too


----------



## teemee

your setup is beautiful!


----------



## kamal

+1 That is a dream setup! well done you


----------



## Bayinaung

looks good Jason.


----------



## explor3r

It looks amazing Jason I can see myself sitting in that couch looking at the tank!!!!


----------



## altcharacter

explor3r said:


> It looks amazing Jason I can see myself sitting in that couch looking at the tank!!!!


You're more of a guy who sticks his nose on the glass and thinks he's swimming in the tank!


----------



## Taipan

One word: "Schweet"


----------



## Flexin5

haha thanks everyone, it wouldn't have gotten to this point without everyone's help! 

sorry i'll post up some more decent pics of the tank soon. i need mo4r coral!!


----------



## explor3r

altcharacter said:


> You're more of a guy who sticks his nose on the glass and thinks he's swimming in the tank!


Yes sir thats me you know me so well MR chicharron Im going to give u an award...


----------



## Flexin5

some new stuff for the tank so I thought I would throw up some pics/update.

I picked up some new frags from my favourite place the fragcave and they look great. thanks again Alex!

picked up what looks to me as a purple bonsai, doing great despite being in the middle of a water change.










a nice 3 headed orange/blue/green ricordia..had a hard time picking up the colors of both mushrooms for some reason. the bigger one on the top is really a vibrant pink.










a purple torch with green tips, it must like the placement because it's always nice and extended.










on a good note, I think my ich treatment worked. I haven't lost anymore fish and for the last month I haven't seen any sign of ich. dori, who probably had it the worse, is totally clean now, eating lots and is fat as a pig, her color is back and she is looking fantastic. I couldn't be happier. since things were going good I replaced my flame angel, who has also been doing great, no signs of ich.

well I decided to give it another go and get powder blue ver.2 or like my 3yr old daughter likes to call her "dori's daddy" lol










she's looking good so far!  *fingers crossed*

i'm also getting some great growth, here's some of my zoa's. the candy apple reds have put on 4-5 new heads within about a month. i'll let them all grow out a bit more and then I hope to start making some frags to grow out, then sell (i'd like to sell hefty frags, mini colonies if you will)










^about that pic, a torch frag fell yesterday and landed onto my ultra acans  and I think it stung the crap out of it. i'm hoping it comes back.

something I just noticed while taking these pics, the purple/green eye chalice or whatever it is has put on a lot of new mouths, I didn't even notice

before:










anyways, onto more zoas










this wall hammer has more than doubled in size since moving it from the 10gallon










side shot: (my mp40 keeps moving sand out of that spot, I took the pic right before I moved it back..doh!)










and a full tank










thank for looking!


----------



## fesso clown

Awesome, looks great man!


----------



## kamal

This is developing super nice. I have my fingers crossed the ich is now gone


----------



## conix67

Super nice tank! I would be careful about placement of types of corals based on their growth pattern. Once they become large and grow toward glass, glass cleaning will become an interesting task 

As for marine ich, if you have not read this, please do so - http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/


----------



## Flexin5

^thanks, i made sure that placement of the corals arn't near glass, it was a pain in the butt trying to clean the glass on my 10 gallon and is definatly one of the things i'm avoiding with this tank. 

as for the ich; i've read so many pages on pages on ich. in my experience, i find that garlic given in the form of a food soak works. there are no definitive tests on the effects of garlic, but every fish that was eating has made it through the ich outbreak. i also beleive that stress on the fish plays a big factor on it too. i also found that the new fish that i bought were in sub-par health; i came to this conclusion since the only fish i lost were ones from that store, and the fish that i had before in the 10 gallon are all still living...

when i had the second outbreak of ich (first one was a bit, looked like it went away, then came back alot more..all within about a week or two. I added alot of fish at one time, about 6 one shot and then another 6 or 8 a week later. every fish that did not eat, died. i do have a hospital tank setup, cycled and ready to go with copper and a copper test kit, but at the last day before i transfered the fish in, they were showing signs of getting better. i left the QT tank up, just incase, but i decided against it. why? because it would definatly add alot more stress to the fish and when combined with a copper treatment right after, i was probably looking at more dead fish. 

so from my experience, i find that if you build up a fish's imune system with good feedings and garlic, put them in a stress free enviroment, the ich parasite does not host the fish; thus running out the clock on their life cycle. this method may take longer than treatments in a QT tank but nothing happens fast in a reef tank. only time will tell


----------



## duckhams

Tank looks great dude! I love the minimalistic peninsular rock-scape! Very inspiring.


----------



## Bayinaung

Looking good.


----------



## TypeZERO

Swcheet progress!


----------



## Flexin5

thanks everyone 

finalllyyyyyyyyyyy


----------



## darryl_v

Nice setup....

You really want to epoxy this coral (likely a "war coral" or scientific name favites pentagona) to the rocks flat so it has somewhere to grow. Take it from me it will take for ever for it to grow if the growth edge doesnt sit somewhat flush with the rock.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8523/8608112321_132e6b69a7_z.jpg


----------



## Flexin5

^that's true, i have coral placement ADD lol

little bit of an update, just got the vega upgrade for one of my sols going, just waiting on another wireless adapter because the one i got seems not to work right.

shitty iphone pic, still need to clean up the wires.



also got a nice aussie torch from taipan and a couple more frags from alex


----------



## Flexin5

got some nice frags from fragfest. the zoa collection is growing nicely.

just a couple because the lights went out.


----------



## Bayinaung

nice zoas... what are their names?


----------



## Flexin5

1. devil's armour
2. not 100% sure, fire & ice? 
3. candy apple red's
4. sunny d's

i have a couple more but my macro lense is acting weird.


----------



## Bayinaung

nice. hey how big are the polyps? 

yeah I might have to get a macro lens... maybe an old manual one.


----------



## Tristan

Those are some sweet sweet paly's. I think I need to get a good camera lens...


----------



## thmh

Bayinaung said:


> nice zoas... what are their names?


I think they are.:
Everlasting gobstopper 
Fire flys
CandyApple red
Sunny ds


----------



## Flexin5

i have a tamron macro 90mm F3.5 (i think) that i took these shots with. i might sell it soon because the last lense i want in my L-series linup is the 100mm F2.8L canon macro lense but it's like $1000 

i did just order a extention tube to get even closer..lol magnifcation now is 1:1 but it will be about 5:1 with the tube.


----------



## explor3r

Jason I think Tony is right I gave you the wrong frag I have Devils armour here


----------



## Flexin5

explor3r said:


> Jason I think Tony is right I gave you the wrong frag I have Devils armour here


oh that's ok, i'll come pick up the devils armour too! haha


----------



## altcharacter

Yeah I left my devils armour at your house also Alex!!! Oh, and I left my aussie torch there as well.


----------



## teemee

i disagree about the gobstoppers - they usually have some green/yellow around the mouth. they are nice, though!


----------



## rburns24

Flexin5 said:


> i have a tamron macro 90mm F3.5 (i think) that i took these shots with. i might sell it soon because the last lense i want in my L-series linup is the 100mm F2.8L canon macro lense but it's like $1000
> 
> i did just order a extention tube to get even closer..lol magnifcation now is 1:1 but it will be about 5:1 with the tube.


You can pick up a Canon 100/2.8 Macro USM for just over half the price. The only difference is it isn't ImageStabilized, which wouldn't matter if you don't mind using a tripod. Does this sound like a reasonable alternative or is IS a must?


----------



## Flexin5

rburns24 said:


> You can pick up a Canon 100/2.8 Macro USM for just over half the price. The only difference is it isn't ImageStabilized, which wouldn't matter if you don't mind using a tripod. Does this sound like a reasonable alternative or is IS a must?


well, in my opinion, when shooting macro 1:1 (or with extention tubes etc) the camera shutter alone can cause a macro to come out blurry, i havn't shot with a IS macro lense, but i can imagine it would help alot. i'm shooting with a tripod and a shutter release and even then pics can turn out blurry. plus that L series quality glass..lol


----------



## Flexin5

bonsaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii


----------



## Bayinaung

Flexin5 said:


> well, in my opinion, when shooting macro 1:1 (or with extention tubes etc) the camera shutter alone can cause a macro to come out blurry, i havn't shot with a IS macro lense, but i can imagine it would help alot. i'm shooting with a tripod and a shutter release and even then pics can turn out blurry. plus that L series quality glass..lol


How about with a remote?


----------



## thmh

teemee said:


> i disagree about the gobstoppers - they usually have some green/yellow around the mouth. they are nice, though!


Yes your right marg! I totally forgot about the green mouth that the gobstopper has.


----------



## Flexin5

just a little update. I picked up two TLF's phosban reactor 150s, with GFO and vertex carbon; a hanna phosphate checker and 4 green reef chromis. I was getting no polyp extension from the first 3 sps frags that I had added to the tank. while two of them lost color, one of them started to bleach from the bottom up. I kept it as a gauge to see what was going on.

I added just a bit of GFO and a bit of carbon, not much at all so I don't shock the system. two days later and the frag has polyp extension! sweet, maybe it'll come back fully but it's a good sign.

pics

reactors










sump, I still have to clean up the wires, been fooling around with the AI sols.










crappy FTS










and that 1/2 bleached frag I was talking about showing some polyps


----------



## darthvictor

Beautiful beautiful tank


----------



## Flexin5

^thanks buddy 

haven't posted an update in a while. zoa garden is growing, some of my more rare(er) frags



















picked up a nice frag of red planet from member gtareef, thanks again!










and the tank is coming along, everything doing very well, trying to get the GSP to grow over the overflow.




























I also started up a frag tank, lookout for Fragtime coming soon!


----------



## explor3r

Frag time Jason .


----------



## ameekplec.

Looking good!

If I coul offer some advice: from the pictures it looks like the front 2/3 of your tanks surface isn't reaching the overflow and you've for a lot of protein buildup there. It's not a big deal but can really cut down on light penetrance. If you can fiddle with your returns and power head placement do that the flow is naturally pushing the surface water towards the overflow you'll get rid of the surface scum.


----------



## Flexin5

^you're totally right. i'm playing around with the MP40, too low and it picks up the sand and creates a bare spot by the first island, but no skim on the top. too high and I get the skim....reefer problems lol


----------



## fiftyfive

tank is looking awesome @flexin5, how are you like the AI lights?


----------



## Flexin5

Thanks! the AI lights have been good, I like them. I've had some trouble with the upgrade to vega kit for the sol and the wireless adapters. after trying to figure it out with AI they decided to send me a hydra and a extra controller, so just waiting on that. can't decide if I should put the hydra in the middle of the main tank or run it over the frag tank...


----------



## fiftyfive

I have both the Vega and the Hydra both still in the box but not sure if I want to make the jump from T5 yet. :S


----------



## LipmanJ

Jason, Your tank is absolutely stunning!

Im trying to catch up on some posts and really glad i found this one!
Hope I can see it one day!


----------



## Flexin5

fiftyfive said:


> I have both the Vega and the Hydra both still in the box but not sure if I want to make the jump from T5 yet. :S


funny because i've been thinking about supplementing them with T5's..lol i'm just waiting to see how the hydra will do.



LipmanJ said:


> Jason, Your tank is absolutely stunning!
> 
> Im trying to catch up on some posts and really glad i found this one!
> Hope I can see it one day!


Thanks buddy! nice meeting you at the frag show.


----------



## fiftyfive

Flexin5 said:


> funny because i've been thinking about supplementing them with T5's..lol i'm just waiting to see how the hydra will do.
> 
> 
> 
> It be nice if AI made a railkit with T5 retrofit kit.  I'm due to change bulbs soon so going LED is looking like a good option.
> 
> I too made it to the show, long drive up from Ottawa though
Click to expand...


----------



## Flexin5

^I was thinking about running two single bulbs on each side, but for now, i just got in the replacement to the vega upgrade kit (since it never worked right) AI sent me a hydra and another controller.

you were at the show? did i meet you?


----------



## fiftyfive

haha yea, i was there but didn't really introduce myself to anyone.  I decided to drive up there last minute so i was tired, lack of sleep


----------



## jmb

Flexin5 said:


> ^I was thinking about running two single bulbs on each side, but for now, i just got in the replacement to the vega upgrade kit (since it never worked right) AI sent me a hydra and another controller.
> 
> you were at the show? did i meet you?


Do you like the Hydra? How do you find the brightness?


----------



## Flexin5

^so far so good. (granted i just installed it last night) compaired to the sol, at night the actual unit is brighter, but the tank is the same brightness as the sols output. they remind me of the radions with the outer pucks the brightest, and the colors in the inner pucks. they also give alot better spread than the sols, the middle one lights up both rocks.


----------



## duckhams

Im have the same little 5 gallon container for my ATO on my 75. How long is yours lasting before its empty?


----------



## Flexin5

duckhams said:


> Im have the same little 5 gallon container for my ATO on my 75. How long is yours lasting before its empty?


mine lasts about...4-5 days? i have a couple of them so i just swap them out.


----------



## duckhams

Flexin5 said:


> mine lasts about...4-5 days? i have a couple of them so i just swap them out.


Yeah me too, they last about the same, 4-5 days. Im going to try and get a tall tank/ATO container that will hold a bit more and take up less room in my stand. But so far it works nicely. Great thread by the way! You have definitely done the tank justice! (love those LEDS!).


----------



## Flexin5

duckhams said:


> Yeah me too, they last about the same, 4-5 days. Im going to try and get a tall tank/ATO container that will hold a bit more and take up less room in my stand. But so far it works nicely. Great thread by the way! You have definitely done the tank justice! (love those LEDS!).


thanks! yeah JT and I were talking about making a new setup aswell, i do plan on starting a doser soon so i'll have to re-work the space for the ATO jug....running out of room! haha

was bored last night, snapped a couple:





































this guy looks mad..lol










this hippo tang has become my favourite fish. she's been through everything, the 10 gallon for a bit, (i bought her really tiny), through this new tank, to being covered in ich even on her eyeballs!


----------



## duckhams

Flexin5 said:


> thanks! yeah JT and I were talking about making a new setup aswell, i do plan on starting a doser soon so i'll have to re-work the space for the ATO jug....running out of room! haha
> 
> was bored last night, snapped a couple:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> this guy looks mad..lol
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> this hippo tang has become my favourite fish. she's been through everything, the 10 gallon for a bit, (i bought her really tiny), through this new tank, to being covered in ich even on her eyeballs!


BEAUTIFUL hippo! Im going to be getting a small one for my tank soon, just got to find the right one . . . I hadn't thought of asking JT to build an ATO tank. Thats not a bad idea. Great pics, as always!


----------



## Flexin5

little update, hit the 7 month mark. things are going well, only issue is trying to get some more deeper colors out of the sps, i beleive i've been running the system too clean, thus giving me some pale colors. over the past two weeks i've been dosing seachem fuel twice a week, and feeding reef roids aswell. colors are definatly improving and the growth took off. i've even had totaly pale/brown sps in the tank that all of a sudded show color now. the next step is to start dosing zeovit Pohl's Xtra special which i should be started in about two weeks when i get back from vacation.

also, so far the clown tang, powder blue and hippo tang are getting along great! i'm actually very suprised on how well they are doing together in the tank, ofcourse i did have to take out the two yellow tangs.










other side


----------



## kamal

so pretty! this is coming along nicely for sure.


----------



## y4zhuang

update update


----------



## Flexin5

sorry been a while since I've updated this, I was fighting pale sps, and without even realizing it I had the system way too nutrient poor. things are on the up tho, colors are coming back now, and look much better than before.

I started to dose the zeovit phols extra to help darken up the colors, at the same time I also started to feed more flake, and feed oyster feast every night, and reef roids about 3 times a week. I also took GFO and carbon offline. I had sps corals that have looked completely dead, only to start showing signs of coloring up! it'll take some time but it's great to see nice growth and colors now. I also added a couple more fish, even tho my blue throat trigger decided to jump yesterday, dude leaped almost 5ft out of the tank!





































here are some of the sps that are starting to color up.

a red planet, at one point this had 0 color, and no polyp extention. I pretty much just left it there, only now to see that color is coming back.










when I got this colony, it didn't have any color, and stayed that way in my tank for a long time. I've been trying so hard to get this to color up but it's finally showing small signs of getting some color:










this acro was totally dead before. it actually came back, had no color but took off in growth, growing over the old dead skeleton I'm guessing. now it's starting to show color, a very nice pink acro, it's been so long that I forgot what color it was supposed to be! haha










my forest fire digi. fantastic growth, just trying to get the blue base and yellow tips going again, getting better but has a ways to go imo.










and my new starfish 










thanks for looking!


----------



## sweet ride

nice to see that some of your sps are colouring up again. overall the system is looking really nice!!!!


----------



## Jiinx

congratulations on the re growth. Must be so rewarding after waiting so long  The starfish looks gorgeous. 

sarah


----------



## liz

The tank looks awesome! Love the rock placement too.


----------



## Mikeylikes

Just read thru the entire thread. You've done an amazing job and the tank looks fantastic!

Would like to see a closer shot of the growth on the overflow pls.


----------



## Flexin5

Thanks for the compliments everyone! Defiantly has been a learning curve and a lot of work lol

Here's a crappy iPhone pic of the gsp, it's grown quite a bit, trying to have it cover the entire overflow. Wish I could take credit for the idea but I stole it from member sweet ride lol


----------



## Vinoy Thomas

DAMMMNNNN, I was looking through your posts to find what kinds of frags you have and luckily I found this thread.

YOUR TANK IS SO BEAST.

Love it.

Great job dude.

Vinoy


----------



## Mikeylikes

Flexin5 said:


> Thanks for the compliments everyone! Defiantly has been a learning curve and a lot of work lol
> 
> Here's a crappy iPhone pic of the gsp, it's grown quite a bit, trying to have it cover the entire overflow. Wish I could take credit for the idea but I stole it from member sweet ride lol


Nice!

When I get my tank up an running I'm gonna want a GSP frag from either you or Dave!


----------



## altcharacter

I'm almost positive we have the same gsp


----------



## deeznutz

I know that tank lol. Looking good! It's going to look killer in a years time when it's overflowing with sps 

-dan


----------



## Ciddian

Wow jason... I totally missed this thread somehow.

I am so happy with the basement in general! What a nice sweet place to hang. You deserve it! That colour pop is really amazing..


----------



## Flexin5

thanks again everyone, been a long time building..lol but for now Im starting to kick back and enjoy the tank.

I got a couple PM's wondering about how I have my sump setup. I just put the par38 light for the refugium last night and cleaned up some wiring. got rid of the moonlight controller which cleaned up a lot of stray wires, just have to pick up a pack of zipties tonight to clean the rest up. don't neglect your sump area! haha










also I got my sol super blue with black cover conversion going over the frag tank:


----------



## liz

Awesome landscaping job! Looks fabulous!


----------



## george

What fixture did you used for the par38?


----------



## fiftyfive

Looking good Flexin, keep it up


----------



## Flexin5

thanks everyone! i had stopped dosing the zeovit, but i just started again and the growth is taking off even more! i have to watch my params before the sps sucks up all the calcium and alk.



altcharacter said:


> I'm almost positive we have the same gsp


lol we must have the same kind, all of that is from the small frag i bought off of alex...almost 2 years ago! haha



george said:


> What fixture did you used for the par38?


i used the clamp and goose neck from fragbox. worked out great.


----------



## Flexin5

just some more photos, cold outside so finding ways to occupy my time indoors..lol plus a couple new additions to the tank



















a great quality pbt I picked up from reef boutique. ate right away and is doing great in the tank, trying to fatten him up just a bit but so far so good. very happy with the quality of the fish.























































waterchange time, put the kid to work! lol










and done!


----------



## jmb

Nice PBT from reef boutique; I am getting a Blonde Naso from there. Is he on pellets or brine?


----------



## Flexin5

jmb said:


> Nice PBT from reef boutique; I am getting a Blonde Naso from there. Is he on pellets or brine?


thanks, I'm very impressed with the quality of his fish. i'll probably only buy from there from now on. wish I went there earlier.

he was fed brine, colin was great and even sent me a vid of it eating before I bought it, I feed flake and from day 1 it took to the flake great.


----------



## sig

do you feel/deal with excessive humidity in the basement?

*100% free webcam site! | Awesome chicks and it is absolutely free! | Watch free live sex cam - easy as 1-2-3*


----------



## liz

Very impressed! Tank looks awesome!

What Zeovit products do you dose?


----------



## Flexin5

sig said:


> do you feel/deal with excessive humidity in the basement?


no, not really. i mean, the basement is still nice and dry, no moldy smell or anything.



liz said:


> Very impressed! Tank looks awesome!
> 
> What Zeovit products do you dose?


thankyou! so far i'm just using the phols extra with great results.


----------



## darthvictor

Beautiful beautiful tank  Love how clean and colorful it is.

P.S. Your daughter is adorable!


----------



## Jiinx

I love the blues on your tank. Makes everything pop. Your daughter is so helpful! And adorable  Great photos!


----------



## altcharacter

I still can't believe I sold you this tank so cheap  Although I'm still glad it went to you Jay! Super happy with what you've done with it and it would have just sat in my basement.

Your daughter is getting huge!! Well, as huge as she can get I guess with parents that are 4 feet


----------



## goldfish

Flexin5 said:


> thanks, I'm very impressed with the quality of his fish. i'll probably only buy from there from now on. wish I went there earlier.
> 
> he was fed brine, colin was great and even sent me a vid of it eating before I bought it, I feed flake and from day 1 it took to the flake great.


Quality of fish at reef boutique is amazing.

I bought 2 fish from Colin and I was confident enough to bypass the QT process and put in DT directly.


----------



## FragCave

goldfish said:


> Quality of fish at reef boutique is amazing.
> 
> I bought 2 fish from Colin and I was confident enough to bypass the QT process and put in DT directly.


A+ for Colin at Reef Boutique Im only buying fish from him.
Jason your tank is looking amazing, I cant believe I sold so cheap to MR chicharron


----------



## altcharacter

Well it was meant to be right? If I didn't buy it from you and sell it to Jay we would never see this tank turn into what it is


----------



## Flexin5

well it's because of you guys that i was able to get such a nice tank! 

i was thinking about it the other day, and if i didn't get this tank off of you dave, i would have gotten a custom one that was like 10x the price. lol that wouldn't have left much money over for anything else.


----------



## Flexin5

time for a update. things are going great with the tank, great growth, color has come back. near future upgrades will be upgrading the two exsisting sols to hydras, making a skin for the stand, and re-doing my waterchange setup.


----------



## liz

Looks great!! Everything looks so healthy - good job!

I see you have clowns - do you have an anemone in there with the sps? Just wondering if this is a concern as I have a dom. sps tank and would love to put a small RBTA in mine?


----------



## Flexin5

thanks Liz! 

to be honest, i haven't had the best of luck with anemones in this tank. first bubble tip ended up in the powerhead, next carpet anemone ended up in the power head. third anemone ended up wedging itself into the rock in the pic with the orange shoulder tang (behind it) and it would stick out during the day and sting a branch on the forest fire. was a pain in the butt getting it out so i decided no more anemones..lol

oh and it doesn't help that i have the dumbest clowns in the world. haha they have had anems, torches, hammer, frogspawn........and they host GSP. LOL


----------



## liz

Ok, thanks - looks like I should stay away from anemones lol


----------



## Bayinaung

ha about time! I was egging him on to do it . looks nice. tell us about your color challenge? how long did it take to come back?


----------



## Flexin5

Bayinaung said:


> ha about time! I was egging him on to do it . looks nice. tell us about your color challenge? how long did it take to come back?


nothing much to it, like i've been saying on the forum i had the tank running too nutrient poor, with carbon and GFO, took both off line and fed the tank more and the colors have come back quite a bit aswell as growth. took about a month? month and a half?


----------



## deeznutz

How are you liking the Hydras? How's your growth and colour on the SPS?

What's you photo period like?

Great looking tank.

-dan


----------



## Flexin5

deeznutz said:


> How are you liking the Hydras? How's your growth and colour on the SPS?
> 
> What's you photo period like?
> 
> Great looking tank.
> 
> -dan


thanks!

i like the hydras alot. they grow my zoas and sps very well and give them great color. actually if i need a sps frag to color up i stick it under the hydra. i like them so much that even tho the sols are doing a fine job, i'm going to upgrade them to the hydras very soon...just waiting on shipping at this point.

*shameless plug* keep an eye out for two sols with brand new black conversion, and EXT long rail, and a new style controller FS soon


----------



## deeznutz

Do you still have the white cases? Pm me what you want for those lights and controller. No shame in my game 

-dan


----------



## 50seven

Skin still not done on the stand?

PM me your address as I might be heading your way in the next 5 business days.


----------



## Flexin5

50seven said:


> Skin still not done on the stand?
> 
> PM me your address as I might be heading your way in the next 5 business days.


no not yet, got side tracked with other things for the tank. I have a idea in mind but just waiting on the warmer weather.....and I need to buy a saw..lol

welp, project no more lift buckets is complete.  I can't wait for Sunday's water change now haha

basically, T'd off a pex line I had going to the bathroom, put a garden hose fitting/valve on the end of it, then hooked up my RODI to that. ordered the auto shut off valve and float switch (even now I realized that all my rodi already had the valve, just needed the switch) and put it on a Rubbermaid bin with wheels. I also put a fitting and line into the drain should the switch fail and it keeps filing up, it'll just drain into the trap.


----------



## darthvictor

So how's the water change and the frogspawn doing?


----------



## aquatic_expressions

Went to Flexin's on the Saturday to drop off some Blue Hornets and was very impressed with his aquarium! Everything seems very healthy and beautiful! Keep up the good work!


----------



## y4zhuang

Hey, I got the same tank as you, but 2 corner overflows instead of your peninsula. I only have a couple clowns, Yellow Tang, Flame Angel and a bicolor blenny. I'm thinking of getting a PBT from Colin at Reef Boutique as well. Checked their stock last week and was impressed at the health of his livestock. However my rockwork is more dense/ caves than yours. This leaves me with less room to swim. I'm thinking of maybe removing some rocks to give the pbt more room to swim about. Whats your opinion on my dilemma


----------



## Flexin5

darthvictor said:


> So how's the water change and the frogspawn doing?


oh man the new waterchange setup worked fantastic this weekend. just working on the timing on how long it takes to make another 10 gallons but other wise great! didn't have to lift one heavy bucket..lol

frogspawn is doing great aswell, i really like your nano tho!



aquatic_expressions said:


> Went to Flexin's on the Saturday to drop off some Blue Hornets and was very impressed with his aquarium! Everything seems very healthy and beautiful! Keep up the good work!


haha thanks buddy, can't wait for those hornets to grow out. biggest/brightest hornets i've seen around, same for your rastas.



y4zhuang said:


> Hey, I got the same tank as you, but 2 corner overflows instead of your peninsula. I only have a couple clowns, Yellow Tang, Flame Angel and a bicolor blenny. I'm thinking of getting a PBT from Colin at Reef Boutique as well. Checked their stock last week and was impressed at the health of his livestock. However my rockwork is more dense/ caves than yours. This leaves me with less room to swim. I'm thinking of maybe removing some rocks to give the pbt more room to swim about. Whats your opinion on my dilemma


you can't go wrong with a PBT from colin. he has great quality fish, and this has been my longest lasting, healthiest PBT i've ever had. i'm super happy with my PBT from colin.

even tho you may have less room to swim they appreciate alot of hiding places, something i don't have. i would expect maybe some fighting from the yellow tang, but then again i have 3 tangs and they all get along very well.


----------



## manmadecorals

Went to drop off the Blackrock Reef frag rack last week and was completely "blown out of the water" by the whole setup. The tank itself was amazing but also the placement of the tank, the high end equipments, and the whole basement itself was extremely sweet. An inspiration for me for when I decide to buy a house and do my basement 

Take some pics once you have the frag rack up! 

Didn't even know there was a journal about this... just went through all 22 pages... HOLY! What a huge progress!!


----------



## Flexin5

^haha thanks a lot man, good to see those frags are doing well for ya and I'm loving the new frag rack.

another little update, hydras! excuse the pics, as I was installing them the baby snails came out...so I couldn't clean the glass without mowing a ton of them over





































the reason for the upgrade? I had a hydra in the middle, and I found that it gave a bit more spread, it also made the zoas that were under it grow very well. on the ends, the sols did a great job on giving the sps color. with the full spectrum of the hydras you can fine tune the look of the tank to show more colors of the corals, similar to the T5 look. I was very happy with the sols, I hope that the hydras can keep the sps color and growth.


----------



## picoreef

Super sweeeeet Jay. 

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk


----------



## Flexin5

^thanks!

little update, corals are still getting used to the switch to the hydras but aren't doing too bad. oh and I found that blue starfish alive and well.


----------



## altcharacter

I love how your tank is coming along. Its going to fill in very nice


----------



## duckhams

Things are looking really good, great SPS colours, wow!


----------



## NovaRaven

Awesome tank Jay! Is the superman monti that I gave you somewhere in there? If it is, it found an AWESOME home! Sweeet!!


----------



## Flexin5

Thanks guys!



NovaRaven said:


> Awesome tank Jay! Is the superman monti that I gave you somewhere in there? If it is, it found an AWESOME home! Sweeet!!


you bet! second pic at the front middle. growing great and nice color on it too


----------



## Marz

I just saw this tank in person (and grabbed some frags ). It looks amazing and a great guy to boot!


----------



## Flexin5

Marz said:


> I just saw this tank in person (and grabbed some frags ). It looks amazing and a great guy to boot!


Thanks Demitrius! very nice meeting you too and hope you enjoy the frags! let me know how they do


----------



## manmadecorals

This tank is simply amazing... 
Well maintained, neatly placed and organized yet chaotic in color, clean and simply pleasant to look to at.

Good job Jay


----------



## altcharacter

Can you believe I got rid of this tank  
I'm still glad it went to a top notch guy who can really showcase it!!!


----------



## explor3r

altcharacter said:


> Can you believe I got rid of this tank
> I'm still glad it went to a top notch guy who can really showcase it!!!


Can you belive I did the same too 
Jason looking amazing I'm also glad is in good hands.


----------



## sig

Amazing tank. 
do you even run whites or you get the grow with just blues?

*100% free webcam site! | Awesome chicks and it is absolutely free! | Watch free live sex cam - easy as 1-2-3*


----------



## lloydj

Was a pleasure to see this tank and meet you. I am sure it is going to grow in beautiful.
Congrats on the progress


----------



## Bullet

Amazing tank!
Simply beautiful
Thanks for sharing - keep up the good work !


----------



## Flexin5

explor3r said:


> Can you belive I did the same too
> Jason looking amazing I'm also glad is in good hands.


honestly if it wasn't for the help and hookups from ppl off this site the tank would be nowhere near what it is today, i owe it all to gtaaquaria! haha



sig said:


> Amazing tank.
> do you even run whites or you get the grow with just blues?


i do run whites; but very little. like 15 or 20% at peak. the blues have some white in them i beleive but things seem to be growing well so far.



lloydj said:


> Was a pleasure to see this tank and meet you. I am sure it is going to grow in beautiful.
> Congrats on the progress


Thanks again! pleasure meeting you too 



Bullet said:


> Amazing tank!
> Simply beautiful
> Thanks for sharing - keep up the good work !


thanks very much


----------



## Flexin5

So I haven't updated this in a while. tank has been through ups and downs, had a bit of a alk swing but I've managed to get things back under control with dosing of cal to bring it back down and keep it constant.

I've also added a lot more fish. going off the basis that fish poop is the best food for your corals. I'm also babysitting some corals aswell, mostly LPS but things are growing in nicely, and all fish are nice and happy.

previous fish list was:

-hippo tang
-powder blue tang
-orange shoulder tang
-lyretail anthias (two male two female)
-3 blue/green chromis
-two occ. clowns (one black/white) - they started to spawn! 
-one spot fox face
-leopard wrassie

new fish additions are:

-copperband butterfly - I actually managed to get him to eat pellets! 
-hawkfish
-6 line wrassie
-melanurus wrasse
-bi color dottyback x 2
-red sea sailfin tang
-clown tang (got him today sorry not in pics)
-bi color anthias x1

I'm also happy to report that all of the tangs are getting along very nicely! I must be super lucky, every now and then the PBT may give a little chase to the sailfin but that's about it.

as for equipment, my skimmer took a crap so that was replaced with a bubble magnus curve 7 (thanks again alex!) also the sump light was replaced with a AI sol super blue for the frag rack. oh one thing that I did that was much needed, I re-wired the entire system. with cars, I would re-wire and "tuck" the entire engine harness, so you wouldn't see 1 wire. I did the same idea with the tank as much as I could, wrapped it in wire loom, and things are much cleaner. I also made a makeshift panel for all my controllers.

anyways, onto the pics:

before:



after:





the tank:


----------



## fesso clown

wow! looking great!

Just 1 MP40 and the return for flow? 
I am going to upgrade to a similar tank, can't wait!


----------



## explor3r

Looking better and better Jason also helps you are goo at taking pictures lol


----------



## picoreef

looks great jason. I see some of my stuff is still kicking. good news im finally ready to start my tank up again. Got the stand built and tank and sump are with Colin at reef boutique geeting some finishing touches. I will give you a ring this week to see ur tank.


----------



## zk4444

All I could say is "Wow!"

Love all the pics and setup, this one is my favourite:


----------



## zk4444

All I could say is "Wow!"

Love all the pics and setup, this one is my favourite:


----------



## Flexin5

thanks! looking back at pics i was happy the way it turned out, the tank was torn down in december but lives on at my uncle's place.


----------

