# The Descent Beginneth... (46g Bowfront build)



## Doctor T

Hey guys,

Well, I've been talking about doing this in various threads now, and finally I've built up the confidence to start sharing where I'm at with my newbie reef build journey.

First, I just want to thank the various GTAA members who've helped me get this far in terms of understanding what I was getting into via PM"s and whatnot. In particular: wtac, utc, conix67, cablemike, ameekplec and so on. Also, all of you guys who did the various build threads really helped a lot.

At this stage of the game, I'm still gathering all the parts and doing research. I've been trying to be as patient as possible and hunting for the deals. I've been in hobbies where I've blown money and made many purchase mistakes. This time I'm trying to be more frugal and thinking carefully about my purchases. I was lucky enough to get all the stuff below either 2nd hand or a demo model. I don't mind spending more for things if I think it's worth it, better quality, quiet and/or more energy efficient.

Goal:
Reef tank, maybe a clam, an RBTA, a couple of clowns and a few more fish and corals

Anyway here goes:








46g Bowfront and stand. Got this combo from BA's. Saved some money because it was a floor model. Had a brief stint as a FW tank here. I need to do a bit of vinegar cleaning, and then drill the 2.5" hole in the back for the 1.5" bulkhead drain for the sump...  When I bought it - it was planned to be a FW tank. If I could do it again, I probably would've gotten a 65g w/ built-in overflow. But this is what I got, and so this is what I'll work with. My wife likes the backdrop, so I plan to keep it.









2nd hand Eco-tech Marine Vortech MP40. I bought this mainly because of it's low power consumption and strong flow, meaning this will be my only PH. Also, the external motor meaning no additional heat in the tank. (I plan to avoid any need for a chiller)
Bought the new cable holders at Home Depot. I'm a bit worried it's overkill for my little 46g, so I plan to have it at it's minimum setting.









2nd hand Deltec MCE-600 Protein skimmer. I bought this because at one point, I seriously considered dropping the sump idea and going HOB. And if I did decide to sump, then this also had a small footprint good for my stand. The bonus is the very energy efficient Aquabee motor. (I've since decided I will be going with a sump, and this will hang on it)









2nd hand Refractometer. I skipped the Hydrometer based on advice I saw on this forum.









2nd hand, but brand new Phosban Reactor 150. I decided my Eheim 2213 cannister was better suited to remain as a FW filter for my 20g FW tank given it's current media of ceramic discs, etc... - so the Phosban Reactor will replace it as a carbon (and phosban) media reactor.

Any suggestions how I should hook this up in the sump? Off the return or separate pump (if so, which one?)

Next on shopping list:

Live Rock: Will be making a trip to UnderTheSea in Whitby soon... 

15g tall Miracles tank. Looks to be the biggest tank I can fit under my stand. Waiting for Menagerie to get them back in stock.

Eheim 1260 for return.

36" ATI power module T5 4 bulb fixture w/ bulbs (I'm all about the low power usage and heat). So far seems cheaper to get from Reefgeeks, but Ottawa Inverts is supposed to get back to me on reduced pricings on it. 
Can anyone recommend which bulbs I should get with it?

Overflow: 6" cube

Drain: 1.5" (top center back), return: 3/4"

Can anybody recommend good sources for plumbing and baffles? Also, any recommendations for the 1.5" drain bulkhead?

Finally, how important is it to have the tank perfectly level? When I had it filled w/ FW there was a 1/4" tilt on one side. I think it's the floor. Any tips on levelling this situation?

Thanks for looking. Again, I'm a total n00b at all this so any comments/critiques/advice would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Doc T


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## conix67

> 2nd hand Eco-tech Marine Vortech MP40. I bought this mainly because of it's low power consumption and strong flow, meaning this will be my only PH. Also, the external motor meaning no additional heat in the tank. (I plan to avoid any need for a chiller)
> Bought the new cable holders at Home Depot. I'm a bit worried it's overkill for my little 46g, so I plan to have it at it's minimum setting.


Ameek was running an MP20 in 10G. MP40 in 46G surely doesn't sound like an overkill! I think your choice here is very wise, although I never owned one I hear this thing is really nice! Besides the variable power you can program it (built in wave maker) which is supposedly very beneficial in creating reef like water movement.



> 2nd hand Refractometer. I skipped the Hydrometer based on advice I saw on this forum.


You're ahead of me on this. I meant to purchase one of these for a while, but keep getting knocked down on my priority list. A wise choice!



> 2nd hand, but brand new Phosban Reactor 150. I decided my Eheim 2213 cannister was better suited to remain as a FW filter for my 20g FW tank given it's current media of ceramic discs, etc... - so the Phosban Reactor will replace it as a carbon (and phosban) media reactor.
> 
> Any suggestions how I should hook this up in the sump? Off the return or separate pump (if so, which one?)


If your return pump is overpowered, you can use it to power this too, but plumbing will get complicated and it might end up simpler to have a separate power head.

One thing I would consider - check out BRS (www.bulkreefsupply.com) for their carbon and phosguard reactors. Looks like solidly built and good alternative to little fishes. Someone said the gasket could leak if not careful..



> 15g tall Miracles tank. Looks to be the biggest tank I can fit under my stand. Waiting for Menagerie to get them back in stock.


I would consider a custom built sump. Are you going to have refugium too? Plan the sump carefully, as you'll have to drop the sump in from the top, which means you can't replace it once your display tank is populated.

I wished I had more time to think about sump configuration. I feel mine is a little too small (25G long).



> 36" ATI power module T5 4 bulb fixture w/ bulbs (I'm all about the low power usage and heat). So far seems cheaper to get from Reefgeeks, but Ottawa Inverts is supposed to get back to me on reduced pricings on it.
> Can anyone recommend which bulbs I should get with it?


I cannot recommend anything, but I'm using giesemann 2xactinic+ and 2xaquablue. They are both neither pure white nor pure actinics. It's ok but I wish I had better color, so don't go with my combination if you'd like best colors 



> Can anybody recommend good sources for plumbing and baffles? Also, any recommendations for the 1.5" drain bulkhead?


I got most of my plumbing parts from Lowes as you know, and acrylics from Home Depot, but some parts are from Big Als.

If I had to do it again, I would check online places, or local specialized sources such as BWI. As for baffles, research on designs more carefully, as mine still lets through some microbubbles. On glass tanks I'd try hard to find a good source for glasses be cut.



> Finally, how important is it to have the tank perfectly level? When I had it filled w/ FW there was a 1/4" tilt on one side. I think it's the floor. Any tips on levelling this situation?


I belive this is very important. I'd try to level it on the floor somehow. Check your floor carefully first. Is that a concrete floor?



> Thanks for looking. Again, I'm a total n00b at all this so any comments/critiques/advice would be appreciated.


You don't sound like a n00b. You have been researching and studying a lot more carefully than I did, with more firm plans ahead. Good luck!


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## Doctor T

conix67 said:


> Ameek was running an MP20 in 10G. MP40 in 46G surely doesn't sound like an overkill! I think your choice here is very wise, although I never owned one I hear this thing is really nice! Besides the variable power you can program it (built in wave maker) which is supposedly very beneficial in creating reef like water movement.
> 
> You're ahead of me on this. I meant to purchase one of these for a while, but keep getting knocked down on my priority list. A wise choice!
> 
> If your return pump is overpowered, you can use it to power this too, but plumbing will get complicated and it might end up simpler to have a separate power head.
> 
> One thing I would consider - check out BRS (www.bulkreefsupply.com) for their carbon and phosguard reactors. Looks like solidly built and good alternative to little fishes. Someone said the gasket could leak if not careful..
> 
> I would consider a custom built sump. Are you going to have refugium too? Plan the sump carefully, as you'll have to drop the sump in from the top, which means you can't replace it once your display tank is populated.
> 
> I wished I had more time to think about sump configuration. I feel mine is a little too small (25G long).
> 
> I cannot recommend anything, but I'm using giesemann 2xactinic+ and 2xaquablue. They are both neither pure white nor pure actinics. It's ok but I wish I had better color, so don't go with my combination if you'd like best colors
> 
> I got most of my plumbing parts from Lowes as you know, and acrylics from Home Depot, but some parts are from Big Als.
> 
> If I had to do it again, I would check online places, or local specialized sources such as BWI. As for baffles, research on designs more carefully, as mine still lets through some microbubbles. On glass tanks I'd try hard to find a good source for glasses be cut.
> 
> I belive this is very important. I'd try to level it on the floor somehow. Check your floor carefully first. Is that a concrete floor?
> 
> You don't sound like a n00b. You have been researching and studying a lot more carefully than I did, with more firm plans ahead. Good luck!


Hi Conix,

Thanks for your feedback. Btw, on a totally different note - I'm using the Aqueon filter I got from you on my 10g tank now. Too good to be just sitting around - Love how quiet it is! (It's in the bedroom)

Yeah, I think the MP40 in my 46g s/b fine. The eco-tech marine site says the MP40 is rated for 50g-whatever, so that's why I was initially a bit concerned. I did get a message back from Eco-tech marine support and they think it should be fine. The guy who sold me the refractometer actually had an MP40 in his 39g cube, although he did concede it was a bit much and there was a bare spot in one corner of the tank where there should've been sand (too much flow).

I did consider getting a custom sump made - and still haven't ruled it out. I think I can fit a tank w/ a 24"x10" footprint and have a little wiggle room left lengthwise. The 15G tall is only 20"x10"x16". I figure since my Deltec protein skimmer is a hang on, I could save real estate in the sump by hanging it on, leaving more room for the refugium, which I do intend to include.

I have to admit I only have a rough idea how my sump will be like:
Really simple, from left to right (assuming 15g tall, 20"x10"x16"):
- Deltec mce 600 hung on left side
- left drain chamber, ~3" (one baffle, haven't decided between glass or acrylic)
- DSB refugium, ~10", followed by bubble trap (3 baffles, spaced one inch apart, eggcrate topping first baffle to keep stuff in 'fuge)
- return pump chamber housing Eheim 1260 pump ~5"
Also in sump will be heater, and phosban reactor (and possible pump for it) - unsure where, maybe the refugium

How much do you think a 24x10x16 custom aquarium(sump) would cost? 
Any further opinions on this welcome.

I remember you had some issues w/ micro bubbles - how far apart were your bubble trap baffles from each other? I got the 1" recommendation for melevsreef.com

Conix, did you mean the gasket on the two fishies reactor could leak if not careful?

As for the level problem, the floor is hardwood. I have space now on the left side (used to be a plant there). I'm going to shift the tank to the left and hope it's more level there. Hopefully it works! Otherwise, I'm still open to suggestions on leveling the thing. I'm not sure if shims would work on my stand, looking at the feet.

I did inquire BWI on plumbing stuff on their website request form, but never got any response. That was about two weeks ago, so I may start looking at the local shops.


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## wtac

For 1"-1.5" 90* and T's as well as pipe, you can get them from Lowes (Castlefield Rd). Don't forget primer and cement . Bulkheads from BA or NAFB...just make sure they are the slip and not threaded on the inside.

HTH and welcome to the dark side


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## conix67

Good to hear you're making a good use out of the Aqueon filter!

I think you still need some space reserved for the intake and pump for your HOB skimmer. Small pumps won't take up much space anyway so it should be alright.

I have no idea how much custom sumps will cost. If you're handy you can build your own. I was thinking about that too at some point.

I do have baffles exactly 1" apart. I think the microbubble problem is combination of 1) amount of water pushed up to DT by return pump 2) baffle opening size 3) baffle height.

Basically if microbubbles get chance to rise up to surface (working against the current generated by return pump), they should all get trapped in baffles. If your return pump is too strong everything will go through baffles . The longer baffles are apart, the better as it will slow down the speed of water current through the baffle. The higher the baffle the bubbles will get more chance to work against the current.

Make sure that when everything's done the top of the divider is exactly even with the water surface. This will help with the even flow through baffle.

Since you'll have a fuge in between, you'll have chance to have the problems I have. 

Yeah it's the gasket I was told that could leak. I haven't had a problem yet though, but I'm really thinking of getting the unit from BRS in the future.

You could try using felt pads of different thickness to compenste for the tilt on the floor. All my stands have layer of felt pads under to protect the flooring.


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## ameekplec.

Wow, looks like you've got a great start on that build! And I have to say I really liked it when you said ATI for the lighting!!! 

Just a question, why are you going with the Powermodule over the Sunpower? If you're going 4 bulb, you might as well stay with the Sunpower and save the money - the output is nearly the same on the powermodule and the sunpower - it's just the aesthetics. I'd only go with the PM if you're planning 8 bulbs or more.

As for sourcing it, I bet you I've found better prices  I'll pm you.

MCE600 sounds like a great choice, and really optimizes your space. 

Nice choice on the return  I'd tee it off to feed your phosban reactor, so you save on power and space feeding another pump. If you keep the reactor in-sump, you really don't need to worry about leaks. 

IME, you won't be crazy overpowered with the MP-40W in your tank. I have my MP-20 on full in mine.

Great start, and I'm sure it's going to be a great build!

Edit:

As for your sump, I'd go without the DSB in the sump - I ran one in my refugium, and found it did more to build up crap than reduce nitrates - which at my fishload and water change frequency stayed at or near 0 anyways. I would run your refugium bare bottom, maybe a bit of live rock, and chaeto. The marco algae (chaeto) will be excellent for nutrient export, and the pods and such will live in and throughout the chaeto as well. I eventually (after 2 or 3 months) removed the DSB in my refugium, and have it bare bottom (BB) ever since, and it's great.


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## Doctor T

wtac said:


> For 1"-1.5" 90* and T's as well as pipe, you can get them from Lowes (Castlefield Rd). Don't forget primer and cement . Bulkheads from BA or NAFB...just make sure they are the slip and not threaded on the inside.
> 
> HTH and welcome to the dark side


Thanks wtac. For the bulkhead, should I get the Hayward?



conix67 said:


> Good to hear you're making a good use out of the Aqueon filter!
> 
> I think you still need some space reserved for the intake and pump for your HOB skimmer. Small pumps won't take up much space anyway so it should be alright.
> 
> I have no idea how much custom sumps will cost. If you're handy you can build your own. I was thinking about that too at some point.
> 
> I do have baffles exactly 1" apart. I think the microbubble problem is combination of 1) amount of water pushed up to DT by return pump 2) baffle opening size 3) baffle height.
> 
> Basically if microbubbles get chance to rise up to surface (working against the current generated by return pump), they should all get trapped in baffles. If your return pump is too strong everything will go through baffles . The longer baffles are apart, the better as it will slow down the speed of water current through the baffle. The higher the baffle the bubbles will get more chance to work against the current.
> 
> Make sure that when everything's done the top of the divider is exactly even with the water surface. This will help with the even flow through baffle.
> 
> Since you'll have a fuge in between, you'll have chance to have the problems I have.
> 
> Yeah it's the gasket I was told that could leak. I haven't had a problem yet though, but I'm really thinking of getting the unit from BRS in the future.
> 
> You could try using felt pads of different thickness to compenste for the tilt on the floor. All my stands have layer of felt pads under to protect the flooring.


Hey conix,

Actually, the MCE600 holds the pump inside itself.  That's why figured it really shouldn't take up much space, just the intake and output - which will be in the drain chamber. That was one of the reasons I decided to get it, assuming I'd be limited w/ sump space. Well, that's the theory anyway. I won't know for sure until I can physically put it all together.

I think I will put the reactor in the sump like Ameek mentioned, so the leaking gasket shouldn't be an issue.

Thanks for the heads up on your microbubbles issue. I'll spend more time thinking about it. Also, for the tip on leveling.



ameekplec. said:


> Wow, looks like you've got a great start on that build! And I have to say I really liked it when you said ATI for the lighting!!!
> 
> Just a question, why are you going with the Powermodule over the Sunpower? If you're going 4 bulb, you might as well stay with the Sunpower and save the money - the output is nearly the same on the powermodule and the sunpower - it's just the aesthetics. I'd only go with the PM if you're planning 8 bulbs or more.
> 
> As for sourcing it, I bet you I've found better prices  I'll pm you.
> 
> MCE600 sounds like a great choice, and really optimizes your space.
> 
> Nice choice on the return  I'd tee it off to feed your phosban reactor, so you save on power and space feeding another pump. If you keep the reactor in-sump, you really don't need to worry about leaks.
> 
> IME, you won't be crazy overpowered with the MP-40W in your tank. I have my MP-20 on full in mine.
> 
> Great start, and I'm sure it's going to be a great build!
> 
> Edit:
> 
> As for your sump, I'd go without the DSB in the sump - I ran one in my refugium, and found it did more to build up crap than reduce nitrates - which at my fishload and water change frequency stayed at or near 0 anyways. I would run your refugium bare bottom, maybe a bit of live rock, and chaeto. The marco algae (chaeto) will be excellent for nutrient export, and the pods and such will live in and throughout the chaeto as well. I eventually (after 2 or 3 months) removed the DSB in my refugium, and have it bare bottom (BB) ever since, and it's great.


Hey Ameekplec,

The choice between Power Module vs. Sunpower was only because between the two vendors I was looking at, the Power Module was only marginally more expensive. Not for any other reason. Based on the new vendor info you gave me (thanks btw), that changes the ballgame a bit  I will definitely reassess that.

Thanks for the feedback on the DSB refugium. I'll keep that in mind when I get there.

I would prefer to tee off from the return to phosban reactor, can I just sit the reactor in the 'fuge area and let the output go back into the 'fuge, or should I route it back up to the display tank? I also liked the idea I saw on melevsreef, where he tees the return back to the sump as a way to throttle down the flow back to the tank. However...

I plugged in some numbers on the AP overflow/drain calculator. Unless, I'm doing it wrong, I should be getting ~1100 gph for a 1.5 drain and 6" cube (18" linear) overflow?? That's seems like a lot - am I miscalculating something? (For the record, the guy at BA said the 6" cube overflow would allow for about 500 gph drain - that sounds more right to me, and would match the 1260 right on.)


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## wtac

Get the "black" type as there will be more than enough of threading to accommodate the thickness of the glass - gasket - back of overflow box - gasket - flange of bulkhead. Haywards don't give enough threading to do something like that, IME, so better safe than sorry .

Also, w/Haward bulkheads, you have to use a 1.5" threaded male adapter to connect the plumbing to it, adding ~1" to the back length. With the black ones, once it's tightened up, you can trim off ~1" w/a hacksaw. Overall less fudging/running around using the black bulkheads.

The O/F box flow handling depends on three factors, size of drain hole, overall length of the overflow box and the depth of the teeth/comb.

HTH


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## Doctor T

wtac said:


> Get the "black" type as there will be more than enough of threading to accommodate the thickness of the glass - gasket - back of overflow box - gasket - flange of bulkhead. Haywards don't give enough threading to do something like that, IME, so better safe than sorry .
> 
> Also, w/Haward bulkheads, you have to use a 1.5" threaded male adapter to connect the plumbing to it, adding ~1" to the back length. With the black ones, once it's tightened up, you can trim off ~1" w/a hacksaw. Overall less fudging/running around using the black bulkheads.
> 
> The O/F box flow handling depends on three factors, size of drain hole, overall length of the overflow box and the depth of the teeth/comb.
> 
> HTH


Good save Wilson, thanks! (I was about to get the Hayward last night). Also, considering I want to minimize necessary clearance in the back - great tip!


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## wtac

Sometimes the mellon fires on all cylinders


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## Doctor T

Update:

I got some 40lbs of Tonga Live Rock just over a week ago. Put them in a 29g food grade Rubbermaid container w/ a 2nd hand Maxijet 1200 to provide flow. Advertised as cured rock, there was a bit of die-off as there were ammonia and nitrate readings on the 2nd day, which I expected.

Several days after, I added 40lbs of spaghetti rock which you see on top, and topped up w/ some new saltwater. To my surprise, the next day, ammonia and nitrites were at zero. Nitrates were 5-10ppm (hard to tell from the color reference card). So I guess the cycle is done, quicker than I anticipated. I'm now adding some fish food, flakes and those dissolving tablets just to keep "feeding" the nitrifying bacteria. (Apparently I shouldn't be using those tablets to feed my fish when I go away for a few days anyway)









I ordered a 65mm glass hole drill bit for the planned 1-1/2" bulkhead hole from an ebay seller from HK. It arrived last week (a week after ordering).









I then ordered the glass-holes 700gph overflow kit. If I were to do it again, I would just get the drill bit from glass-holes w/ the kit. Luckily, the drill bit in the kit is optional, and the fact I'm using a 65mm instead of the 62mm that would've been supplied is a non-issue. (Except I will have to make my own template)

I was planning to borrow my brother's drill, but then decided I really should invest in a drill anyway, so I could be more handy around the house. Got this at Lowes, an 18V Hitachi hammer drill for $98 - apparantly that's a hot deal:








Comes w/ 2 lithium ion batteries and a charger. Being my first drill, I actually read the manual - thoroughly. (Remind me not to use the drill in hammer mode when drilling the glass)

Yes, I know it's a cordless. Despite that I will be following UTC's directions on aquarium hole drilling, I decided to go cordless. UTC's argument for corded is that he has seen firsthand an aquarium shatter when a cordless drill's battery went low. On the other hand, the glass-holes folk strongly recommend that you use a cordless drill for drilling the tank, because you could get electrocuted (undesirable) w/ a corded drill and the spraying water.

As for the electrocution problem, the way UTC does the vertical drill with trough, prevents excess water from flying all over the place, whereas the glass-holes method uses running water from a hose. (I got a chance to meet UTC, and we talked about this briefly)

I respect UTC's warning, and so I plan to fully charge my battery before drilling.

The main reason I'll be drilling UTC's way, i.e. vertical, is because my tank is a bowfront, and so I don't have to worry about trying to keep it level when layed down on the front. Also, while a smaller concern, no fear of "pinching" the silicone seals by laying the tank on the front.

Well, as soon as the glass-holes kit arrives (hopefully this week) - I guess it's time for me to get serious...


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## ameekplec.

Nice! I can't wait to see the glass holes kit for your overflow. Which model did you go with? 

Where'd you get the LR? Good call with curing the LR and the base together way before you start - hopefully by the time you start up, at least the base rock will be seeded. Are you going with a DSB? Can't remember - but if you are, it should be a great foundation for all your LR.

Did you order the light yet? Send me them quotes you got


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## conix67

Looks good! That drill looks like a hot deal, I should go look for one myself.


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## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> Nice! I can't wait to see the glass holes kit for your overflow. Which model did you go with?
> 
> Where'd you get the LR? Good call with curing the LR and the base together way before you start - hopefully by the time you start up, at least the base rock will be seeded. Are you going with a DSB? Can't remember - but if you are, it should be a great foundation for all your LR.
> 
> Did you order the light yet? Send me them quotes you got


Hey Ameek,

I went w/ the 700gph kit and decided to stick w/ black.  Nice small footprint for my small tank. Also figure the 700gph should be a good fit for my Eheim 1260 pump which I'll be using for return. Which btw, also came in last week from JLAquatics :








(gotta love free shipping and no PST)

I think I'm going SSB in the display, possibly DSB in the refugium (which I know your strongly against - LOL). Still, nothing written in stone yet, except that I don't plan to do bare bottom in the DT, mainly a personal preference thing.

I got the cured Tonga live rock ($3.50/lb) from seller on AP/Kijiji - a guy named Andy in Mississauga. He had about 200lbs at the time, so I cherry picked the pieces that appealed to me. He had a beautiful new 500g tank in his basement!  And about another 500g in sumps below. Most of it DIY, and he's only been in the hobby for 2 years! 
I got the Spaghetti rock from UTC, nice light porous pieces and nice looking too, apparently made mostly from calcium deposits - so hopefully it'll pick up coraline quickly. UTC was nice enough to help w/ the seeding as well by putting the rock I bought in his established tank for about a week.

I know there's an ongoing debate between live rock and base rock. I see pros and cons either way, so I figure going halfway is not a bad way to go.

I hope is that once the plumbing and sump is set up, rocks, sand and SW put in - my cycling/stabilization period will be minimal (if any) so I can get to fun part of stocking ASAP.

Speaking of which, any suggestions for clean up crew?

I didn't order the AT T5HO lights yet. While corresponding w/ Hubert of reef aquatica, he made a good point that while fish will take to a new cycled system ok, anenomes are a lot more "sensitive" and thus require a more "mature" system, like 3-6 months old at least. Makes sense to me, so I figure since I'll start off essentially FOWLR, then introduce corals a couple of months later. So I guess I don't really need to upgrade the lights for a couple of months. Sound reasonable? (And yes, I'll send you quote later today - thanks for reminding me)

Btw, for bulb choice the gal at Ottawa Inverts recommended:
2 actinics bulb
1 super blue bulb
1 aquablue special bulb

What do you think?



conix67 said:


> Looks good! That drill looks like a hot deal, I should go look for one myself.


Yeah, considered hot in RedFlagDeals - otherwise, I wouldn't know - LOL. But now that I got it - I realised it'll also come in handy for hang mounting the lights from the ceiling, and also aquascaping.

Anybody here do much aquascaping with acrylic rods? Is it as straightforward as drilling holes in the rock and pinning them together with the rods?


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## ameekplec.

Hmmm conix, yes that is a good deal. Maybe I'll get one too seeing as I don't have a nice drill 

For lighting combos, check this monster of a thread out: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1648750


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## UnderTheSea

Looking good there Doc, it was nice to meet you and talk to you in person.

Good to see you are taking time to plan it out and asking for advice.

Chris


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## ameekplec.

Updaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttttttttttttttttttttttteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> Updaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttttttttttttttttttttttteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!


LOL, yeah - I must be slowest reefer ever. Biggest thing holding me back now is waiting for the 15g tall Miracles tank to arrive. Apparantly, Miracle's staff have been on vacation. Can't blame them. 

However, seeing what happened to conix's tank w/ the Marine Ich - made me appreciate taking my time and learning more. Also, I got to put in some TLC and appreciation into my 20g FW tank.

That all being said, I do have a small, albeit important update IMHO. I think this pic pretty much says it all :

















Well, I set up according to Chris' method of drilling i.e. vertical. However, I had a problem w/ the water trough staying attached to the tank w/ the plumber's putty, so I ended up lying the tank on it's front and drilling down. I used putty as a dam for the water, then removed the wood template once I got the circular groove started.









A tip I learned from the glass-holes site was to set the clutch to the lowest setting (i.e. "1" on my drill) - which means the lowest amount of torque. So if the drill were to run into a snag in the glass, it would simply stop and prevent the shattering of the glass.









Also, another tip that really helped me visualize what I had to do was to realize that I was "grinding" out the hole v.s. say "drilling" it. i.e. no downward pressure, let the bit do the work.









*In Borat voice:* "Great Success! High five!". Considering I've only handled a drill maybe once or twice before in my life, I would think anybody can do this.

Anyway, the glass-holes kit did arrive last week. I'll take some pics of it tonight hopefully.

Some Questions:
The vented elbow in the glass-holes kit acts as a durso, so all I have to do is the drain plumbing. So I suppose I just need 1.5" pipe going down, 90* elbow into stand, pipe, 90* to right side of sump, pipe, 90* down. Is it that simple, or am I missing anything?

- Anybody use 'Seaview' adhesive for their backgrounds?

- Any tips to deal w/ an uneven hardwood floor?
- (may have asked this one before) Good source for 3/4" pvc pipe and standard fittings? I think Lowes has 1.5" fittings, but not sure about 3/4"



UnderTheSea said:


> Looking good there Doc, it was nice to meet you and talk to you in person.
> 
> Good to see you are taking time to plan it out and asking for advice.
> 
> Chris


Likewise Chris, good to meet you! Thanks again for all your advice and sharing your drilling method. Looking forward to getting some frags and whatnot from you in the near future.


----------



## ameekplec.

Nice, looks like everything is coming along - it's certainly faster than my upgrade 

Yep - you just need the drain plumbing if the elbow in the overflow is already vented.

Any updates on your light?


----------



## KnaveTO

I have used the Seaview on one of my freshwater tanks and it does as advertised. You do need to really work out the bubbles though as they will be very noticable otherwise.


----------



## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> Nice, looks like everything is coming along - it's certainly faster than my upgrade
> 
> Yep - you just need the drain plumbing if the elbow in the overflow is already vented.
> 
> Any updates on your light?


The lights I'm putting off for now, as I figure I'll start off FOWLR for the first month or two. Then when the tank becomes more established, I'll upgrade the lights for the corals.

However... my wife is making a shopping trip to Buffalo w/ her girlfriends next Friday. So I am contemplating squeezing in the order now while the CAD rate is pretty decent and they can bring it back... Pretty much decided to to go w/ the Sunpower over the PowerModule though.

What's the latest on your upgrade?



KnaveTO said:


> I have used the Seaview on one of my freshwater tanks and it does as advertised. You do need to really work out the bubbles though as they will be very noticable otherwise.


Thanks, I bought it without researching first. Good to know it doesn't suck.


----------



## ameekplec.

My build is growing slower than an SPS coral - namely due to lack of funds and uncertainty for the next few months. But I've made a bit of progress - I picked up my "new" used skimmer 

Yeah, I though of just going for the powermodule (8 bulb), but the extra $600 isn't worth it. I could get a second 6 bulb sunpower for almost the same cost...although the powermodules are sexy.


----------



## Doctor T

Ahh, $600 is a big difference and makes the choice easier I would think. For me choosing between the Sunpower v.s. Powermodule 4 bulbs, was only about $100 incl. tax. Still $100 is money that can go to corals or fish. Only difference being an extra fan and sexier body in the power module. But then the Sunpower ain't ugly either with the new brushed aluminum finish.


----------



## ameekplec.

Yeah...well we'll see how my build goes and which fixture I go with. I do like the curves of the Powermodule though. Mmmmm curves


----------



## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> Yeah...well we'll see how my build goes and which fixture I go with. I do like the curves of the Powermodule though. Mmmmm curves


Hmm, would be nice if we could see the two in person before pulling the trigger...


----------



## ameekplec.

I'm going to check out Tabatha's PM hopefully sometime soon


----------



## conix67

Looking good! I guess rocks are still in the container. Make sure you never cover it up!

I'm glad I have a canopy so it doesn't matter how the fixture looks. You guys arguing over which one looks better makes me laugh!


----------



## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> I'm going to check out Tabatha's PM hopefully sometime soon


Lucky you! That tank looks awesome. You know you're just gonna want the powermodule even more though. LOL, weren't you the one who earlier told me to consider the Sunpower because it's essentially the same?

On a different note, thanks for the talk on otos - I grabbed 6 tonight (type unknown, generic brand) - and 4 'algae eating' shrimp at Scarb BA. (They had no Amanos) Otos are happily sucking glass now... Didn't get a chance to hook up the overflow tonight btw.



conix67 said:


> Looking good! I guess rocks are still in the container. Make sure you never cover it up!
> 
> I'm glad I have a canopy so it doesn't matter how the fixture looks. You guys arguing over which one looks better makes me laugh!


Yeah, the rocks are still in the container - and I do remember your post when you covered up your rocks, so I do keep a wide crack open.
Heh, I want ameekplec to get the powermodule just so he can spend more money than me - LOL. Actually, I was just telling Eric that I'm going to France for a couple of weeks for work soon, and he suggested that I may be able to see the ATI fixtures there in person, as they are made in Europe. LOL, a long way to go to see them, but if I do see some nice fish shops, I'll take pics for sure!


----------



## ameekplec.

haha, yeah I'd love to get a powermodule. But I'd also love to have a tank upgrade before the end of next year.....

Will definitely be looking forward to pics of shops in Europe


----------



## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> haha, yeah I'd love to get a powermodule. But I'd also love to have a tank upgrade before the end of next year.....
> 
> Will definitely be looking forward to pics of shops in Europe


Yeah, hopefully it won't be all work and no play. 

Well, small update - I popped in the glass-holes overflow kit. Just a quick dry test fitting. I never thought about the bowfront centre brace getting in the way of installation, so whoops, I quickly found out and yeah, it was an annoyance. 








Didn't even use the Seaview adhesive for the background, because I misplaced it. I only lose things when I actually need them.

According to the glass-holes site, I should expect the water line to to be about halfway to 5/8 up the teeth. So I pretty much set it up against the trim flange(?) - so hopefully the water line will be just above the bottom of the trim line.









Not a powermodule, but I think it's pretty sexy as far as overflows go. I plan to have the 3/4" return just left of the box. The Vortech will go on the left pane, and hopefully that'll be it for equipment in the display tank.

Thought about making a trip to Lowes, but decided to stay home and avoid the thunderstorm. Ending up watching "Push" (my choice) and "Confessions of a Shopaholic" (wife's choice )


----------



## Ciddian

Oohh push! I did like that movie.

Doctor T, i've been watching your thread quietly and I think its great  That overflow is indeed sexy hehehe


----------



## UnderTheSea

Looking good there Doc, can't wait to see the end result, you are doing an excellent job.


----------



## ameekplec.

Doc, is it possible to get a top down into the overflow box?

What is the depth (how much does it stick out?)?


----------



## Doctor T

Ciddian said:


> Oohh push! I did like that movie.
> 
> Doctor T, i've been watching your thread quietly and I think its great  That overflow is indeed sexy hehehe


Yeah 'Push' wasn't bad. I liked that it was set somewhere different i.e. HK instead of say, LA. I did feel more sorry for the fish than the heroes when screamers took out all those aquariums . Glad I'm not the only one who thinks this overflow is sexy - LOL.



UnderTheSea said:


> Looking good there Doc, can't wait to see the end result, you are doing an excellent job.


Thanks for the encouragement UTC. Your advice and tutorial really helped me get over the initial intimidation of this whole project.



ameekplec. said:


> Doc, is it possible to get a top down into the overflow box?
> 
> What is the depth (how much does it stick out?)?


No prob bro...








Top part of baffle is removable to allow access to bulkhead









w/ bulkhead cover on









Dimensions are 6 1/8" wide, 6" tall, 2" deep - rated for 700gph

Looking back at the sketch you did earlier, I see the main difference is that baffle goes from back all the way to the front, which means (from what I can tell) - the water is forced to go underneath the baffle, then has to go inside and up to get into the bulkhead. So essentially what a downturned elbow would do, but with a much smaller footprint than a 1.5" 90* elbow.

(Wish I looked at your sketch earlier, 'cause then I wouldn't realized exactly the shot you were after - but yeah, the baffle covers back to front entirely, which may not be obvious from my shots)

So simple when you actually see it - I think it's so clever!


----------



## Grey Legion

I must say...Great Post

Doctor T - Would you mind posting some link for site you did "research" on
I would like to read more about the product choice you made and why..

Thanks again and look forward to more updates..


----------



## ameekplec.

Hmm, I wonder why they didn't make more teeth on the side of that overflow box?


----------



## KnaveTO

ameekplec. said:


> Hmm, I wonder why they didn't make more teeth on the side of that overflow box?


Yeah, there is definitely space for two more


----------



## Doctor T

Grey Legion said:


> I must say...Great Post
> 
> Doctor T - Would you mind posting some link for site you did "research" on
> I would like to read more about the product choice you made and why..
> 
> Thanks again and look forward to more updates..


Thanks Grey Region, glad you find it useful.
The main reason I bought this overflow was because I wasn't happy with the ones available at the various LFSs (Big Al's, Aquatic Kingdom, ORG, etc...) They all pretty much had the same thing, which was a black 6x6x6" acrylic cube (or bigger) w/ teeth. I wanted something that was smaller, because my tank isn't big to begin with (46g) and I wanted to maximize the interior space for live rock and livestock. However, I didn't want to sacrifice flow or noise suppression that would typically come from a 6" cube box w/ durso setup. The glass-holes kit addressed those issues w/ a 6x6x2" box, or 1/3 the size. Furthermore, the kit is rated for 700 gph, which should complement my Eheim 1260 return pump very nicely.

As for cost, including bulkhead, etc.. the glass-holes kit was no more expensive than the 6" cube setup.

I would've considered making my own, but the showstopper was that I wanted professional looking cut teeth for my display tank, which I simply don't have the tool to do (i.e. a router, not a cheap tool)

The best site to read up on the glass-holes overflow would be their own site:
http://www.reefercentral.com/whyglassholes.html
The have lots of instructional videos, FAQs and even a forum - on the topic of drilling and overflows. I found it very, very useful.

Of course, since they are the vendor, I did some random google searches on their product to find any bad things about them - I didn't. In fact, everyone was quite happy w/ their glass-holes kit and service.

Finally, I got some local opinions (wtac, ameekplec, etc...) Everyone has been really helpful here and I highly respect their opinions.

Other links I suggest to further understand quiet overflows are:
http://www.beananimal.com/projects/silent-and-fail-safe-aquarium-overflow-system.aspx
A great design, but I felt was a bit overkill for my small tank.

http://www.dursostandpipes.com/
The fundamental durso standpipe design and concept (also a useful DIY section)

HTHs



ameekplec. said:


> Hmm, I wonder why they didn't make more teeth on the side of that overflow box?





KnaveTO said:


> Yeah, there is definitely space for two more


I can only guess that they felt the extra teeth wouldn't make a significant difference in flow. According the glass-holes site, the bulkhead size is the determining factor for flow - not the box. I also did some number crunching on the AP overflow calculator which pretty much indicated the same thing. I know ameek you had a flow issue which you resolved by removing some teeth, but then your box and bulkhead was different - so likely there's a minimum box/teeth size required to prevent such a bottle neck.


----------



## KnaveTO

Since this is rated for 700gph I would guess that this would make a good overflow for my 65gal when I start working on it. It would still be slightly over 10x turnover rate.


----------



## ameekplec.

Doctor T said:


> I can only guess that they felt the extra teeth wouldn't make a significant difference in flow. According the glass-holes site, the bulkhead size is the determining factor for flow - not the box. I also did some number crunching on the AP overflow calculator which pretty much indicated the same thing. I know ameek you had a flow issue which you resolved by removing some teeth, but then your box and bulkhead was different - so likely there's a minimum box/teeth size required to prevent such a bottle neck.


I knocked out the teeth since water didn't flow into the box fast enough - that was independent of drain size - my drain is 1.5", so should handle the ~150 - 200 gph my return puts out. The limiting factor was that the linear length (width) of all the teeth combined didn't allow for the amount of water to flow through the teeth - the drain can handle more than what I have going down it.


----------



## Doctor T

Ok, finally a quick update. I was away for 3 weeks in France, in the French Riviera for work. When I got back, I kinda dragged my ass a bit and just enjoyed some time off. A huge thanks to Wilson (wtac) whom I got the pleasure to meet, hang for a bit, and he really helped me get the ball rolling again.

As I was putting it together, things became clearer, and I made some design changes on the fly. The main issue was that I really, really wanted to have the skimmer in the stand, hanging off the sump. Problem was that the 15g tall sump tank, proved to be a bit too tall, and the first problem was removing the skimmer cup for cleaning - not enough head room. I somewhat resolved it by re-locating the deltec to the back of the sump, which now allowed access via open space in the back. 








(Note: the skimmer will be moved just a bit further back ~1/2", so the cup will clear the stand)

Unfortunately, the next issue was being able to remove the skimmer for maintenance once everything was in place, and the tank was up against the wall. Appears like I have to live with 7" clearance from the wall, just to be able to remove the skimmer from behind, even with the skimmer tubes dissassembled. I probably can reduce that clearance by an inch or so, by shortening (i.e. cutting) the input/output tubes of the skimmer - something I'm a bit hesitant to do because of the price of the skimmer, even though I bought it used. Of course, I can still hang it off the top of the display tank, and then reduce my clearance to 3 inches and have full access. I want it in the sump though, not just for cosmetics, but also to take advantage of surface skimming.









This is just a test fit assembly, as I'm still working on the sump baffles, i.e. water testing and fixing leaks, which is quite the pain in the butt, since it takes 24 hours for the silicone to cure and thus be ready for re-testing.

I still have time for changes, so any opinions, suggestions are definitely welcome.


----------



## ameekplec.

Looks like things are coming along there 

That sucks that the 15 was too tall for the skimmer. that back mounting seems like a decent compromise though. 
Just a thought - I know its an HOB skimmer, but could you run it in-sump to take care of the height issue?


----------



## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> Looks like things are coming along there
> 
> That sucks that the 15 was too tall for the skimmer. that back mounting seems like a decent compromise though.
> Just a thought - I know its an HOB skimmer, but could you run it in-sump to take care of the height issue?


heh, yeah Eric, that was my first big oversight. Actually, it's not so much that the 15 is too tall for the skimmer, it's just that when the skimmer is hanging off the 15 inside the stand, there was not enough room to take the cup up and off.

Thanks for the suggestion, the Deltec can definitely run in-sump, but I felt it would then take up too much real estate in my small sump, and I wouldn't have any room for a 'fuge. Even then, with the stand, if it was in-sump, I'm not sure if I would be able to remove the skimmer without taking out the sump too.


----------



## conix67

I wish I could help with the skimmer situation. If in sump would help, why not try getting a bigger sump, so you'd have more space to put the skimmer in?

I'd definitely go against putting the skimmer in DT.. kinda defeats the purpose of having the sump, and all your work could be wasted...

Anyway, looking good and looks like real close to having livestock in! can't wait to see the FTS with everything in place!


----------



## Doctor T

conix67 said:


> I wish I could help with the skimmer situation. If in sump would help, why not try getting a bigger sump, so you'd have more space to put the skimmer in?
> 
> I'd definitely go against putting the skimmer in DT.. kinda defeats the purpose of having the sump, and all your work could be wasted...
> 
> Anyway, looking good and looks like real close to having livestock in! can't wait to see the FTS with everything in place!


Thanks Yuri. I'm not sweating out the skimmer situation too much. I can live with 7" clearance from the wall. Before going w/ the glass-holes kit I was looking at about 6" for the durso setup anyway. A while back, Wilson suggested cutting wood panels to cover the gap between the wall and tank to make it look nice - that's sounds like an easy job too.

The 15g tall is the biggest standard tank I can fit in my stand. Actually, the real problem to all of this is the dinky stand w/ smallish door. I'm considering doing a custom stand (taller, with full access from the front) in the future to resolve all of this. But again, I'm fine to go as, is just to get started.

Yeah, as the rocks have been cycling for a couple of months as well, I feel pretty excited that I'm close to getting livestock soon.


----------



## wtac

Lookn' good DrT


----------



## Doctor T

wtac said:


> Lookn' good DrT


Thanks Wilson! You really saved me with all the wisdom you shared and help with the tools and materials too!

Anyway, I got the tank up and running on the weekend. No leaks, *knock on wood* - so that was big deal for me. *happy dance*

Couldn't go to sleep though that night until I drilled the anti-siphon holes into the return plumbing (on an upwards angle - thx Wilson). Peace of mind, just in case there was a freak power outage that night.








I did the power out test and the anti-siphon holes (2 of them, one on each side of the pipe in case a snail or something plugged one of them up) - they worked like a charm. (I know, I should've used black pvc here...  )

While the power was off and the drainage stopped, I then filled the sump almost to the top. Finally, I turned on all the equipment and marked the water level after it stabilized with a sharpie marker so I knew what the max fill level should be. I noticed this line will change depending on what equipment I put into the sump in the future. e.g. phosban reactor









The drain and sump was pretty noisy (in my mind - mind you I may need to go out and compare with other tanks), so I tried doing a tee in the drain to the sump. One end of the tee pointed out of the water (extended w/ some pipe) to release the air while the water entered the sump via the submerged tee pipe. (This in-sump plumbing is not glued so I can easily make changes)









Well, the noise did suppress somewhat, however more noticable was the reduction in microbubbles. So I'll call it a partial victory. Still would like to silence the 'waterfall' even more.

Notice I finally caved in and cut the pipes on my Deltec skimmer. This gave two bonuses, allowed room for the Tee drain plumbing and reduced the space needed for back wall clearance when I eventually have to remove the skimmer for maintenance.








I reduced my back wall clearance by 3 inches!  Down to a respectable (IMHO) 4.75 inches. I also built a riser out of wood for the skimmer that it the cup could clear the stand when removed. Also, put a mouse pad between the skimmer and stand to suppress some noise.










Finally, I put in the aragonite sand and took a shot a aquascaping...










Don't really know what I'm doing, but I kinda like it now.










Not all is good news though. My Vortech MP40 died as I mentioned in the other thread. A huge shout out and thanks to Ameekplec who was kind enough to let me borrow his driver so I could try to reflash the firmware on my unit - but no go. Looks like I have to get a new circuit board. T_T Luckily, it's not a huge priority at this time as I get decent flow through the sump.

Now... could anybody tell me what the heck this is? (It was there ever since I had the rock about 3 months ago)








Aiptasia? Looks kinda dead to me though - should I remove it?


----------



## conix67

Sorry to hear about the MP40 situation.. I think Ameek went through some trouble with his MP20 initially..

I like your aquascaping a lot! Very nice looking and will be very functional as well. Just make sure all pieces are in stable position. You don't want to have rock slide of large rocks.

Not sure what that stuff is but looks dead, probably clean up crews will take care of them but it won't hurt to remove them as much as you can if you'd like.

So, when do you plan on introducing livestock in this tank?


----------



## Doctor T

thanks Yuri. Yeah, i think the rocks are pretty stable, although it may not appear so from the front angle. Nevertheless, I'll Keep an eye out.

I plan to get my clean up crew this week. Any suggestions?

I plan to get some fish after the long weekend. Man, I can't wait!


----------



## ameekplec.

Looking good Doc! I like the mod - 4 3/4" is very respectable - I think a lot of tanks have more like 6". Sounds like everything is coming together pretty nicely (minus the whole MP-40w thing).

Too bad the MP-40 flash didn't work. You should come by sometime when I'm not sick to see the tank 

Have you tested all the parameters? I'm assuming if livestock is going in, ammonia and nitrite are zeros. 

CUC - you'll want to have a few grazers (astreas, trochus - big mexican turbos aren't the greatest), and a few sand stirrers (nassarius, ceriths). But since you also have no gioload now, you'll also not have much to clean up.

An entertaining start might be like a skkunk cleaner shrimp and a fish or two


----------



## conix67

Hey, I noticed 1/3 of your heater's out of water surface. I think that's the part thermostat is located. You might want to find a place where you can submerge your heater.

Better yet, get an RKL and use it as temperature control, timer and standby (feeding).


----------



## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> Looking good Doc! I like the mod - 4 3/4" is very respectable - I think a lot of tanks have more like 6". Sounds like everything is coming together pretty nicely (minus the whole MP-40w thing).
> 
> Too bad the MP-40 flash didn't work. You should come by sometime when I'm not sick to see the tank
> 
> Have you tested all the parameters? I'm assuming if livestock is going in, ammonia and nitrite are zeros.
> 
> CUC - you'll want to have a few grazers (astreas, trochus - big mexican turbos aren't the greatest), and a few sand stirrers (nassarius, ceriths). But since you also have no gioload now, you'll also not have much to clean up.
> 
> An entertaining start might be like a skkunk cleaner shrimp and a fish or two


Thanks Eric. Yeah, I've been checking my ammonia and nitrite the last few weeks, and they were zero. But I'll double check again tonight as I moved some rocks in and out of water and also dropped in some fish food to create some ammonia. Nitrates were at about 10ppm I believe, PH at 8.4 (although I find comparing the color against the API ref card kinda tough for both PH and nitrates). I did notice my salinity was 1.022, I think 1.026 is optimal right? What's the best technique to increase my salt level?

Hmm, I thought I was supposed to start w/ the CUC before I get fish - no?

I definitely would like to see your tank sometime! Since I work not too far from your place, it's pretty easy for me too.



conix67 said:


> Hey, I noticed 1/3 of your heater's out of water surface. I think that's the part thermostat is located. You might want to find a place where you can submerge your heater.
> 
> Better yet, get an RKL and use it as temperature control, timer and standby (feeding).


D'oh! I thought as long as the coil part was in the water it was ok. You could very well be right, and I'll better double check the manual - thanks for the heads up! (Although, the temperature has been holding steady at 78 degrees since the sump started running on the weekend)
Otherwise, I'm sure I can find another spot in the sump to completely submerge it. What's an RKL?


----------



## ameekplec.

Reef Keeper Light - an aquarium controller from Digital Aquatics, and Conix's new toy.

They're really reasonably priced and they give you a lot more control over your system.


----------



## KnaveTO

ameekplec. said:


> Reef Keeper Light - an aquarium controller from Digital Aquatics, and Conix's new toy.
> 
> They're really reasonably priced and they give you a lot more control over your system.


And is something a number of us are either contemplating or have... and then there is Ameek


----------



## ameekplec.

Profilux = win.

edit: Actually, I should say, getting a $1400 profilux system for less than half the cost = win. Otherwise, I probably would have gone with the RKE platform.


----------



## Doctor T

Dammit guys, well now I just have to get one... whatever they are.  

Profilux for $1400, really now? I think I'll pass.

Any recommendations?


----------



## conix67

RKL is only US$95. You don't need to buy timers and stuff once you have this one, and temperature control is a breeze! Highly recommended!


----------



## ameekplec.

The reefkeeper lite seems like a pretty good entry level controller - Conix got it so he can probably expand better on it.

Bascially the simplets use would be as a timer for lights, but they can also record temp, pH, ORP, salinity, conductivity, power consumption (to see if something is starting to burn out), water levels, etc.....the possibilities are pretty cool.

Yeah, the package I got I really lucked out on - I got a Profilux plus II with a LAN card, a digital power bar (6 outlet), analog power bar (4 outlet), 2 pH probes, temp probe, 2 float sensors, float sensor assembly bar and brackets, and a whack of cables and splitters for much much less than if I had bought it new.

They're fun gadgets to have, and can really start to open possibilities that you just can't have with conventional timers. 

For example, I'd love to get dimmable ballasts on my next fixture so I can dim in and out the lights for a really natural sunrise/set effect. But....that's more money


----------



## Doctor T

Thanks guys.

PM sent to conix. 

Yeah, actually I was considering a controller especially since my stand is small - so any space saving I can get by taking out power bars and timers, etc... is definitely of interest to me. The fact it does other stuff like monitoring pH and temp - is just a bonus.


----------



## Doctor T

*w00t! Livestock finally!!*

Well, after weeks of cycling the rock, doing research and work, and then a week of running the full tank system - I couldn't wait to get home after the long weekend, as I knew it was finally time to get some livestock.

So I went to a couple of shops, and then finally ended up getting a couple of baby false Perculas at Big Al's. They were the reason I did this tank in the first place.



























They seem to be happy in the tank and acclimation seemed to go quite smooth. 

On an odd note, I found a dead crab in my tank last night. I never knew I had one, and what shocked me even more was the size of it - almost 2 inches wide! How it escaped detection all this time, even during the aquascaping, etc.. just boggles my mind. Yet my ammonia and nitrites levels have been holding steady at zero for the last week or so at least.

Finally, it looks like I'm succumbing to gadget pr0n addiction after months of restraint. (I blame ameekplec ) Reefkeeper L3 controller and RO/DI unit on the way, and Tunze Osmolator soon to follow... (I can hear my wallet say 'ouch'...)


----------



## conix67

Doctor T said:


> They seem to be happy in the tank and acclimation seemed to go quite smooth.
> 
> On an odd note, I found a dead crab in my tank last night. I never knew I had one, and what shocked me even more was the size of it - almost 2 inches wide! How it escaped detection all this time, even during the aquascaping, etc.. just boggles my mind. Yet my ammonia and nitrites levels have been holding steady at zero for the last week or so at least.
> 
> Finally, it looks like I'm succumbing to gadget pr0n addiction after months of restraint. (I blame ameekplec ) Reefkeeper L3 controller and RO/DI unit on the way, and Tunze Osmolator soon to follow... (I can hear my wallet say 'ouch'...)


Amazing! Your tank looks huge, with those clowns in there. Congrats, they are very cute!

Have you seen crusteans molt before? More likely the dead crab could be the molt.


----------



## ameekplec.

+1 Looks great 

I agree with Conix, it's probably a molt. If you can catch it now, it's probably for the best, in case it's a fish eater.

I'd take a tall jar and put a shrimp or something in it and angle it against a rock or something - so that the crab will climb in for the food, slide down and not be able to get out again. Do it at night after lights out so the clowns don't get curious.

After you catch it, toss it in the sump


----------



## Doctor T

conix67 said:


> Amazing! Your tank looks huge, with those clowns in there. Congrats, they are very cute!
> 
> Have you seen crusteans molt before? More likely the dead crab could be the molt.


Thanks conix. LOL, yeah they're little guys (about an inch or so) so my tank looks much bigger than it is. I wanted bigger ones, but couldn't find any, but I'll be happy to watch these guys grow.

I've seen my FW shrimps molt before, but this this doesn't looks like crab molt to me. It seems 'solid', mind you I've never seen a crab molt before. I'll try to post a pic of it tonight.



ameekplec. said:


> +1 Looks great
> 
> I agree with Conix, it's probably a molt. If you can catch it now, it's probably for the best, in case it's a fish eater.
> 
> I'd take a tall jar and put a shrimp or something in it and angle it against a rock or something - so that the crab will climb in for the food, slide down and not be able to get out again. Do it at night after lights out so the clowns don't get curious.
> 
> After you catch it, toss it in the sump


Hmm, I never thought it could be a molt, or even the possibility of another crab lurking in there.  Which I suppose is possible as it appears to have come out of thin air. The other thing I was thinking was that maybe it was in my bag of Aragonite sand which I layed out last weekend. Thanks for the tip. I've never done the watch-the-tank-with-a-flashlight-at-night thing - I suppose I should...


----------



## conix67

Doctor T said:


> I've seen my FW shrimps molt before, but this this doesn't looks like crab molt to me. It seems 'solid', mind you I've never seen a crab molt before. I'll try to post a pic of it tonight.


I've seen my colorful hermits molt. I thought I was looking at a dead crab too. They leave exact copy of themselves, minus body meat. The molt itself is very opaque, giving you an impression that it cannot possibly be a molt..

Yes, it is a little different from shrimp molt..

Anyway, like Ameek suggested, you may want to catch that crab if it's still alive somewhere. Most crabs will harm your fish.


----------



## Doctor T

conix67 said:


> I've seen my colorful hermits molt. I thought I was looking at a dead crab too. They leave exact copy of themselves, minus body meat. The molt itself is very opaque, giving you an impression that it cannot possibly be a molt..
> 
> Yes, it is a little different from shrimp molt..
> 
> Anyway, like Ameek suggested, you may want to catch that crab if it's still alive somewhere. Most crabs will harm your fish.


Aye caramba!  
Ok, thanks for the heads up guys - I guess I know what I'm doing tonight...


----------



## Doctor T

Well, Dee-yamn... not that I doubted you guys, but it looks like I got a live, super stealthy crab on the loose.. 

As a testament to my newbieness, it appears that I fell for the old looks-like-a-dead-crab-but-really-is-just-a-molt trick.

Any takers on what kind of crab it is? Could it really be harmful to my fish?








Look at the size of that b!tch! It's bigger than my fish!  

















The 'top' just came off like that - I didn't cut it. There does appear to be some kind of jelly mass in the area connecting the legs.

In other news, I fed my clowns today for the first time - frozen mysis shrimp. They seemed to eat ok.

And finally, a package arrived today 








More details on this coming soon...


----------



## Doctor T

Well, from what I found on the 'net - it appears to be a gorilla crab, which I think some of you guys had before. Apparently, the black tipped claws are the giveaway. 

Catching him is my new #1 priority. As Eric forewarned, this crab is a likely threat to my fish.  

I work close to Active Surplus downtown, they have various different sized glass jars, vials and such that I will try for a trap at lunchtime... If I do catch him, he can live in the 'fuge.


----------



## Doctor T

*Catching a Gorilla Crab*

So I put in the glass with the shrimp bait after lights out before going to bed. I woke up early at 5am this morning, and decided to check the trap.

Holy crap, it worked!!








Leaning the glass against the rock allows the crab to climb and get in - but not out. (thx Ameek)









Hmm, where's my other baby Perc...?









Looks kinda cute here...








Yikes!!
You are one ugly m&*her f*#ker!


















Into the sump/refugium you go.









Gah! There's my other baby Perc! Looks like he took a quick ride down the drain and into the sump! Luckily he wasn't hurt, but just sleeping in between the baffles. I shut off my pumps and put him back into the display. He seems fine and all is good. I hope it doesn't happen again, so I have to think of a way to prevent it like putting in a screen to cover the teeth on the overflow box or something.

Anyway, thanks again to conix67 and ameekplec for the heads up the on molt, otherwise I never would thought the real crab was still lurking in there. My fish say thanks too.

Now, I just gotta...
Get to da choppah!!


----------



## conix67

Doctor T said:


> Holy crap, it worked!!


You mean a "crab"? 

I like the look of crabs. They are cute and ugly at the same time. Let him clean up the sump for a while, and once it grows large enough, let me know. I'll bring a large pot, fork and knife.


----------



## KnaveTO

Congrats on catching the crab, I ended up tearing my whole tank apart to catch one and still didn't find it. Ameek poped by one day to drop off some stuff, took one look in the tank and asked if that was the crab I had been talking about... damn thing was in a piece of live rock right in the front of my tank. Ameek took the crab home with him and it is alive and well in his sump. One thing the molt does tell you is that you have some good water parameters, at least for the inverts anyway.


----------



## ameekplec.

Nice catch Doctor T!! Great to hear it worked so well so fast! He is a cute/ugly little bugger.

For the overflow, let me know if you want some black eggcrate to cover the top to keep it open for flow - it should be open enough to keep the fishies out.


----------



## Doctor T

conix67 said:


> You mean a "crab"?
> 
> I like the look of crabs. They are cute and ugly at the same time. Let him clean up the sump for a while, and once it grows large enough, let me know. I'll bring a large pot, fork and knife.


LOL, you serious? How big can it get?



KnaveTO said:


> Congrats on catching the crab, I ended up tearing my whole tank apart to catch one and still didn't find it. Ameek poped by one day to drop off some stuff, took one look in the tank and asked if that was the crab I had been talking about... damn thing was in a piece of live rock right in the front of my tank. Ameek took the crab home with him and it is alive and well in his sump. One thing the molt does tell you is that you have some good water parameters, at least for the inverts anyway.


Yeah, even though my tank isn't that big, I wanted to avoid tearing the tank apart - so I was real glad it worked so well. I didn't know that little fact about the molting. Good to know, especially since I want to get a few snails and maybe a shrimp this weekend. I'm glad to be able to put him in the sump as I could never kill it. It never did hurt my fish, (maybe they were friends) mind you I've only had them a couple of nights and I'd rather be safe than sorry.



ameekplec. said:


> Nice catch Doctor T!! Great to hear it worked so well so fast! He is a cute/ugly little bugger.
> 
> For the overflow, let me know if you want some black eggcrate to cover the top to keep it open for flow - it should be open enough to keep the fishies out.


Thanks Eric, some black egg crate would be great!


----------



## ameekplec.

How big is that overflow? I'll cut you a section slightly bigger


----------



## Doctor T

6" (or 6.25") x2" - but pm sent anyway


----------



## Hitch

Wow...that tank is coming along nicely XD, great work.

It's really making me want to dive into the dark side...:/


----------



## ameekplec.

Doooo it Hitch. Think Plecs are great? You'll love gobies.


----------



## Hitch

ameekplec. said:


> Doooo it Hitch. Think Plecs are great? You'll love gobies.


LOL...oddly enough I am rather fond of gobies....but all of those dreams will have to stay as dreams until I get my own place...:/


----------



## ameekplec.

10g tank. Get on it


----------



## Hitch

ameekplec. said:


> 10g tank. Get on it


in the near future my friend...in the near future.

anywho...back on track. Nice looking tank Rob


----------



## Doctor T

Yes, doooo it!  LOL, thanks Louis.


----------



## ameekplec.

Pics! *Pics!* Pics! _Pics!_ Pics! Pics! Pics! 
What did you get today? *What did you get today?* What did you get today? _What did you get today?_ What did you get today? What did you get today? What did you get today? What did you get today?
Pics! Pics! Pics! Pics! Pics! Pics! Pics! 

haha, can you tell I'm excited to see pics?

Great seeing you and chatting tanks today!

Hope you came home with something neat  And let's see that light up!!


----------



## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> Pics! *Pics!* Pics! _Pics!_ Pics! Pics! Pics!
> What did you get today? *What did you get today?* What did you get today? _What did you get today?_ What did you get today? What did you get today? What did you get today? What did you get today?
> Pics! Pics! Pics! Pics! Pics! Pics! Pics!
> 
> haha, can you tell I'm excited to see pics?
> 
> Great seeing you and chatting tanks today!
> 
> Hope you came home with something neat  And let's see that light up!!


Sorry for the delay, I actually out to Sea U Marine and grabbed a few corals today - but more on that later...

Great talking to you too Eric as always! So okay, here's a pic: As Eric knows, I got this reaaaally sweet light fixture today...









... for my refugium at home depot. Even comes with a clip!


----------



## KnaveTO

Doctor T said:


> Sorry for the delay, I actually out to Sea U Marine and grabbed a few corals today - but more on that later...
> 
> Great talking to you too Eric as always! So okay, here's a pic: As Eric knows, I got this reaaaally sweet light fixture today...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ... for my refugium at home depot. Even comes with a clip!


Oh you nasty Beeeeeeeppppp!


----------



## ameekplec.

Ok, the OTHER fixture. lol.

Ooh, this next update is going to be awesome. I'm excited.


----------



## Doctor T

KnaveTO said:


> Oh you nasty Beeeeeeeppppp!





ameekplec. said:


> Ok, the OTHER fixture. lol.
> 
> Ooh, this next update is going to be awesome. I'm excited.


Heh, all joking aside, I gotta thank Eric and Ross for hooking me up with a great deal on a new 36" ATI Sunpower 4x39 T5HO. (And also Eric for the bag of chaeto and the black egg crate - thanks bro!)

I suppose some may think the Power Module is sexier, but I dunno - with the brushed aluminum finish the Sunpower looks really good to me.









Even just the fan looks sexy to me, and I can't even hear it. I really like the nice brushed finish.









"Wow, that IS hot!"









The bulbs I chose where:
2 x aqua blue special
1 x blue plus
1 x actinic

While you only see one cord coming out of the fixture, it terminates with 2 power cords for lights 1, 3 and 2, 4 respectively and one more power cord for the fan with an adjustable voltage so you can customize the cooling power depending on your setup. For my hanging setup, I'm using 7.5 volts. If you have the lamps in a canopy where you require more cooling, you can kick up to 12V. I'll be trying a photoperiod of 10 hours w/ the actinic and blue plus, and 8 hours for the 2 aqua blue specials.

My Dad came by to help me mount it to the ceiling. I had no stud up there, so we just used a couple of anchors. The included hanging kit is quite slick and simple, and you can adjust the height easily on the fly.
Anyway, enough talk, here's the full shot:








(incl. sneak peek of my first corals and testing how full egg crate cover looks)


----------



## ameekplec.

Yes, it is that sexy!!! I've been drooling over Ross' fixture myself. It's sitting next to my bed on the night stand (It's scary cause I'm not even kidding. . .)

Hope that chaeto pulls through, and the egg crate prevents any more trips down the big water slide.

Boo on the egg crate. The fixture does look sweet though. What kind of anchors did you use?

OOh..I see a trumpet, brain and some zoas....
Nice scape btw!


----------



## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> Yes, it is that sexy!!! I've been drooling over Ross' fixture myself. It's sitting next to my bed on the night stand (It's scary cause I'm not even kidding. . .)
> 
> Hope that chaeto pulls through, and the egg crate prevents any more trips down the big water slide.
> 
> Boo on the egg crate. The fixture does look sweet though. What kind of anchors did you use?
> 
> OOh..I see a trumpet, brain and some zoas....
> Nice scape btw!


Good eye on the corals. Good thing too 'cause I can't remember what they all are. I'll post more shots of them tomorrow, there's a couple more you can't see in the pic.

The chaeto seems ok, but when I put it in the refugium, I noticed quite a few strands ended up in the DT. Is that a problem? should I be getting rid of those?

I ended up taking out the chaeto from 'fuge anyway because it was getting sucked into my protein skimmer, which has the intake in there because I mounted it on the back of the tank. (I put the chaeto back in the bag) I'm thinking of getting some hose and routing the skimmer intake to the drain chamber. Do you have any alternative ideas?


----------



## ameekplec.

The chaeto is probably falling apart cause it's not happy since it was in cold water kinda submerged. With light it'll bounce back in a week or so.

I'd route the skimmer intake into the drain compartment if you can so the skimmer gets at the dirtiest water before it has a chance to settle out or anything. Also, you don't want to be sucking up the pods and such from the refugium.


----------



## conix67

Congrats on the new lighting fixture! Although 4 bulbs, you should be able to keep most SPS corals too.

Which bulbs give you that purple hue? Actinic?

What are your plans on corals, besides what you just got from Sea-U-Marine?

By the way, a lot of good looking ones were gone during the massive anniversary sale event two weeks ago. 

My suggestion on your skimmer intake issue /w Chaeto, is to build a guard around the skimmer intake area, using egg crate.


----------



## conix67

Oh, by the way, research on corals carefully, and avoid buying colonies if the species are known to grow quickly. Many of them can be started from a small frag, but grow up to the size of colonies sold in stores in few months.


----------



## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> I'd route the skimmer intake into the drain compartment if you can so the skimmer gets at the dirtiest water before it has a chance to settle out or anything. Also, you don't want to be sucking up the pods and such from the refugium.


That's what I did this morning. I sneaked out to Lowes at 8am, spent a buck fifty on a foot of braided pvc, 3/4" ID - problem solved.  Oh and there's my sexy Home Depot clamp lamp in action  (Wow, I can see more microbubbles now...)









(I also need to work on that salt spray)



conix67 said:


> Congrats on the new lighting fixture! Although 4 bulbs, you should be able to keep most SPS corals too.
> 
> Which bulbs give you that purple hue? Actinic?
> 
> What are your plans on corals, besides what you just got from Sea-U-Marine?
> 
> By the way, a lot of good looking ones were gone during the massive anniversary sale event two weeks ago.
> 
> My suggestion on your skimmer intake issue /w Chaeto, is to build a guard around the skimmer intake area, using egg crate.


Thanks conix. Yeah, the purple hue is from the Actinic. I don't really have any plans thought out for corals - I need to do more research. Arr, I remember you mentioned a sale, but I just wasn't ready. I did think of the egg crate idea, and I played around with it for a while with some spare pieces I had, but then I said 'screw it - reroute it'.



conix67 said:


> Oh, by the way, research on corals carefully, and avoid buying colonies if the species are known to grow quickly. Many of them can be started from a small frag, but grow up to the size of colonies sold in stores in few months.


Yeah, thanks for the advice. I have to admit, in all of the excitement I just wanted to get some corals. I had Ken help me pick out the 'easy' ones. I didn't think about how fast they grow. Point taken.

Anyway, here are the shots of my first corals.  (Please forgive me that I don't know all the names yet)

Brain:









Donut:









Trumpet:









Can anybody ID what these green bubbles are on my trumpet?









Zoos:









??? (some kind of finger leather). It doesn't seem to be doing too well either. Ken mentioned it may need to be in the bottom of my tank, or even shaded because of my lights.








(I have since relocated it lower)

Next to the trumpet is some kind of hitchhiker. Tiny finger leathers?









Finally, it looks like I'm getting some red/orange coralline algae (?) And I bought 5 snails (Astreas?), which you can see part of one here.









Edit: Forgot the FTS


----------



## KnaveTO

The green bubbles are a form of Algae. Looks like Bubble Algae. They can be removed with your fingers as they are usuall kinda hard, just be carefult to not break them as they will send out spores if you do. I have had them in the past and was able to remove them easily. emerald crabs are also known to eat them. As for your other hitchiker... sorry no idea.

Looking good there Dr. T


----------



## ameekplec.

If you can remove the trumpets from the tank and remove the bubble algae outside of the tank, and then rinse in tank water before returning to the tank. Valonia (bubble algae) infestations can get nasty - so best to nip it in the bud.

The hitch hikers I think are....dammit the name escapes me. completely harmless though, and non-photosynthetic.

The "Leather" might not be a leather, it rather looks like a dendronephthya. Very hard to keep in captivity. I'd look over pictures and compare them to make sure. If it is, I'd take it back to Ken, because it's not a coral that can be kept long term sucessfully.

Otherwise, thems LPS are looking good


----------



## conix67

Those are bubble algae, and many, if not most, corals come with it (in the coral base). For some reason, they grow on the rocks they came with the most, and don't spread very easily, so you can extract them that would be the best.

If your fingers are too large, try tweezers with light pressure. I use flat tip tweezers and it works well. 

Many sources say if you pop it, spores get spread but it's not confirmed. I have popped many, and it hasn't spread more after that. So, it's hard to say..

Some don't care at all. I see tons in Vlad's 350G, and apparently that's how it is in the real ocean...


----------



## ameekplec.

conix67 said:


> Some don't care at all. I see tons in Vlad's 350G, and apparently that's how it is in the real ocean...


lol. no comment.


----------



## conix67

By the way, I forgot how things are arranged in the sump. Looks like skimmer is running off the refugium section. If you plan to run the refugium you want to move the skimmer to another section, preferably to where the drain from display tank is located. This is what I have

Drain->Skimmer->Baffles->Return pump->refugium (Teed off from return)->back to return pump

Few reasons -

1. you don't want things from refugium, such as sand particles, to enter skimmer - it will damage the pump
2. you want to minimize turbulence of water in refugium, for small creatures such as pods, etc to live happily
3. you don't want the pods be shredded in the skimmer pump

Maybe you can simply re-route the intake of your skimmer to the drain section.


----------



## Doctor T

KnaveTO said:


> The green bubbles are a form of Algae. Looks like Bubble Algae. They can be removed with your fingers as they are usuall kinda hard, just be carefult to not break them as they will send out spores if you do. I have had them in the past and was able to remove them easily. emerald crabs are also known to eat them. As for your other hitchiker... sorry no idea.
> 
> Looking good there Dr. T





ameekplec. said:


> If you can remove the trumpets from the tank and remove the bubble algae outside of the tank, and then rinse in tank water before returning to the tank. Valonia (bubble algae) infestations can get nasty - so best to nip it in the bud.
> 
> The hitch hikers I think are....dammit the name escapes me. completely harmless though, and non-photosynthetic.
> 
> The "Leather" might not be a leather, it rather looks like a dendronephthya. Very hard to keep in captivity. I'd look over pictures and compare them to make sure. If it is, I'd take it back to Ken, because it's not a coral that can be kept long term sucessfully.
> 
> Otherwise, thems LPS are looking good


Thanks guys, I'll take a shot at taking out the bubble algae tonight. Hmm, I hope the "leather" isn't a dendronephthya. I'll check again, but Ken said it s/b fine in my tank.



conix67 said:


> By the way, I forgot how things are arranged in the sump. Looks like skimmer is running off the refugium section. If you plan to run the refugium you want to move the skimmer to another section, preferably to where the drain from display tank is located. This is what I have
> 
> Drain->Skimmer->Baffles->Return pump->refugium (Teed off from return)->back to return pump
> 
> Few reasons -
> 
> 1. you don't want things from refugium, such as sand particles, to enter skimmer - it will damage the pump
> 2. you want to minimize turbulence of water in refugium, for small creatures such as pods, etc to live happily
> 3. you don't want the pods be shredded in the skimmer pump
> 
> Maybe you can simply re-route the intake of your skimmer to the drain section.


Hi Yuri,

That's what I did yesterday morning, the intake is now in the drain chamber.








The layout is (from right to left):
Drain -> refugium -> bubble trap -> return

I also grabbed the Reef master test kit and ran the tests:
Salinity: 0
Ph: 8.0
Ammonia and Nitrites: 0
Nitrate: 10ppm
Calcium: 420
Phosphates: 0
Kh: oops, forgot to test

I also updated the firmware in all my RKL modules last night (1.03 for head unit, 1.12 for pc4 and 1.12 for SL1). It was quite quick and straightforward connecting to my netbook by the aquarium.

A few things outstanding:
- mount the RKL head unit (contemplating flush mounting vs. simple screw on, but then what if I upgrade later to RKE... hmmm)
- take a time out from buying and catch up on the research on livestock
- mount some egg crate on the first bubble trap baffle to act as teeth to prevent the chaeto from going over (any tips for that? epoxy, super glue?)
- review calcium dosing and lighting scheduling


----------



## ameekplec.

Super glue it, as that would be easiest.

I don't think it's a simple leather, as the striations (lines) on the trunk look a lot like dendronephthya, unlike regular nephthya (tree corals) which usually lack those and are a lot easier to keep.


----------



## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> Super glue it, as that would be easiest.
> 
> I don't think it's a simple leather, as the striations (lines) on the trunk look a lot like dendronephthya, unlike regular nephthya (tree corals) which usually lack those and are a lot easier to keep.


Good, super glue I gots. I was just thinking, when you use super glue to attach frags, that must mean you're letting the glue cure underwater right? Does that mean I can glue in my egg crate on my baffle while the water is running over it?

Man, I hope it's not a dendronephthya and it's not hard to keep. Gotta verify w/ Ken.

Btw, I'm thinking about shifting towards SPS now.  (Got lots o' reading to do)

I'd like a duraso too, but I think a 12" clam would look too big in my 36" tank.


----------



## ameekplec.

Yeah Deresa clams have some nice patterns...and gigantic adult sizes - good thing they grow not too fast.

Yeah, you can use super glue underwater, except it should be the gel type to work - the water cures it very quickly, so use a blob of gel - the outside skin cures quickly, and then when you press it down to break the skin, the newly exposed glue does the bonding. 

I do this with frags too, using an epoxy sandwich frag - glue - epoxy - glue - rock. Gets the job done every time.


----------



## Doctor T

Cool, I got the gel kind so I'll try it tonight.

Btw, Ken says it's a Stereonephthya sp. or Broccoli coral. I'm reading up on it now...


----------



## conix67

I think Ameek is correct. It will live in your tank, but chance of survival would be higher if you can feed it super frequently.

My personal preference of corals is exactly what I have in my tank currently.

Euphyllia species are still loved by many in my family. I have frogspawn, hammer, torch. All from frags, and the look and motion are lovely.

You'd definitely want to have some pulsing Xenia. It grows rather quickly, but it's nice to look at and adds lots of life in the tank (since it's pulsing), and does not sting other corals.

SPS, you can never have too many. Shapes, colors they have available are insane. I see tendency that many reefers eventually converge on SPS corals. I don't think SPS is hard at all, as long as you keep the water quality high, provide enough flow and lights.


----------



## conix67

Doctor T said:


> Cool, I got the gel kind so I'll try it tonight.
> 
> Btw, Ken says it's a Stereonephthya sp. or Broccoli coral. I'm reading up on it now...


Broccoli coral must be photosynthetic...

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=597+1492+2295+2597&pcatid=2597


----------



## ameekplec.

Looks like it. I'd say the brown colouration is a good clue that it coud contain zooanthellae, making it photosynthetic.

Well, we'll see how it goes. Hopefully it does well for you 

My gf loves pulsing xenia. I guess cause it moves. She doesn't understand why I like SPS - it doesn't do anything she says. Gotta work on that. . . 

Generally softies and LPS are loved by most as the colours and movement make them fun to watch. But for me SPS are the most fun to see. Plus, they have polyps too, that provide some nice tank watching.


----------



## Doctor T

Thanks guys. Yeah, we shall see I suppose, I hope it's a Broccoli and relatively easy to keep.

Thanks for the input on the general types of corals as well. From now on, I'll be more focussed on what livestock will be coming next.

Got a couple of things done - removed the green bubble from my trumpet coral and then glued the eggcrate onto the 'fuge baffle. (thx again)

So I was looking at my Brain coral and I noticed this:









I hope that isn't aiptasia(?)


----------



## conix67

Doctor T said:


> Thanks guys. Yeah, we shall see I suppose, I hope it's a Broccoli and relatively easy to keep.
> 
> Thanks for the input on the general types of corals as well. From now on, I'll be more focussed on what livestock will be coming next.
> 
> Got a couple of things done - removed the green bubble from my trumpet coral and then glued the eggcrate onto the 'fuge baffle. (thx again)
> 
> So I was looking at my Brain coral and I noticed this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I hope that isn't aiptasia(?)


Lol. That's just part of the brain coral, those are the tentacles of it. It will come out in great length once the lights are out. One of the cool features of LPS are those tentacles.


----------



## Doctor T

conix67 said:


> Lol. That's just part of the brain coral, those are the tentacles of it. It will come out in great length once the lights are out. One of the cool features of LPS are those tentacles.


Phew! Thanks bud.


----------



## conix67

Aiptasia isn't the end of the world by the way. Sure it's annoying, but can be controlled somewhat, but difficult to eliminate... I think almost everyone in this forum are dealing with Aiptasias.


----------



## KnaveTO

Conix is right... there are much worse things than aptasia, as problems go it is on the minor end of the scale.


----------



## ameekplec.

haha, aiptasia are a minor issue. running out of space, not so much 

Thems tentacles are what it uses to feed. Try dropping some food near or on it. They'll come out even more to eat it.


----------



## Doctor T

Good to know - thanks guys. 

Just a heads up - Pat from Ottawa Inverts will be in town again tomorrow, if any of you are interested. I want another blue plus bulb just to play around w/ my bulb combo. I'll keep whatever extra bulb as a spare.


----------



## KnaveTO

I need to chat with him about bulbs evenually...


----------



## cablemike

> Edit: Forgot the FTS


i love the rockscaping..


----------



## Doctor T

*Hitchhiker crab ID?*

Hi guys,

Unfortunately, no time for a proper update, but need some help with ID here. Can anybody tell me what this crab is? Good guy? Bad guy? Found him in my acropora (don't ask  )










thanks,
Rob


----------



## ameekplec.

Good guy. Those are acropora commensal crabs - they live in the acros and form a symbiotic relationship - the crab gets shelter, and the crab cleans and protects the acro from small predators.

I have a neat one too (I lost the smaller one almost a year ago, but the bigger one is a lot bigger now):


----------



## Doctor T

Thanks Eric, good to know, as I already put him back in just in case. Seems to be ok.

I remember your acro crabs, they are really cute. I like the speckles on them.

So yeah, I'm pretty much out of control  Grabbed a bunch of livestock, and now I need to take a time out and let the dust settle...

New additions:

Crocea clam:









Royal Gramma:








Just like read about them, he/she picked a cave and that's the area he sticks to.

Duncan:









Frog Spawn (I blame conix )








Actually, this one concerns me as the circled head looks like it got eaten away today somehow  Yesterday it definitely had more polyps, although a few looked shrunken. Any ideas?

Acropora: (yeah, I know - too premature. Not to mention he's came pretty bleached at the bottom. I'll try my best to nurse it back to health.









latest FTS:


















Also today, I received my BRS RO/DI filter. Flushing the membranes right now...


----------



## conix67

Doctor T said:


> Acropora: (yeah, I know - too premature. Not to mention he's came pretty bleached at the bottom. I'll try my best to nurse it back to health.


Good grief! You're on a shopping spree. Good to see your tanks filling up with life, it gets more exciting now.

Sorry to break this news, but your Acro appears to be in trouble. I think you want to read up on how to pick good healthy acros from stores. The white patches definitely look like irrecoverable tissue necrossis and you may need to frag it to save the rest.

Hopefully it is just bleaching.... could be it

Did you pick it up from Ken's bad pile of Acros by any chance?


----------



## ameekplec.

Nice crocea - I saw them the other day, but decided against it 

The good news is that that isn't RTN, and the coral seems fairly happy too - it's got some polyp extension, which is always a good sign.

Bad news is that it looks like Slow tissue necrosis, which can be hard to pinpoint a cause and harder to cure. 

Looks like yours might have been suffering from lack of light - those acro tanks at BA have the crappiest of SE bulbs in them. Hopefully with a watchful eye and better lighting and constant parameters it'll get better.

And slow down!!  Definite noob mistake, but I made it too. Definitely calmed down after that initial spree about 2 or 3 weeks in (huh, about the same time frame as you).

At least everything is looking good


----------



## Doctor T

conix67 said:


> Good grief! You're on a shopping spree. Good to see your tanks filling up with life, it gets more exciting now.
> 
> Sorry to break this news, but your Acro appears to be in trouble. I think you want to read up on how to pick good healthy acros from stores. The white patches definitely look like irrecoverable tissue necrossis and you may need to frag it to save the rest.
> 
> Hopefully it is just bleaching.... could be it
> 
> Did you pick it up from Ken's bad pile of Acros by any chance?


I got it at Big Al's Scarborough. Ken knows I'm a noob and I don't think he would've sold me that. He's always talking me out of buying things which is great - LOL. The Big Al's employee didn't say anything of course.

But yeah classic noob mistake of not knowing what to look for.



ameekplec. said:


> Nice crocea - I saw them the other day, but decided against it
> 
> The good news is that that isn't RTN, and the coral seems fairly happy too - it's got some polyp extension, which is always a good sign.
> 
> Bad news is that it looks like Slow tissue necrosis, which can be hard to pinpoint a cause and harder to cure.
> 
> Looks like yours might have been suffering from lack of light - those acro tanks at BA have the crappiest of SE bulbs in them. Hopefully with a watchful eye and better lighting and constant parameters it'll get better.
> 
> And slow down!!  Definite noob mistake, but I made it too. Definitely calmed down after that initial spree about 2 or 3 weeks in (huh, about the same time frame as you).
> 
> At least everything is looking good


Thanks for the info. Didn't think it was RTN as it would be toast by now. But STN worries me just as much.

Heh, you know what it is - I'm a sucker for deals. Sea-U-Marine had 40% off and BA Scarb. had 25% off. I have to be stronger.

On the other hand, if it's gets better - I'll feel pretty good about the whole thing. If it doesn't, at least I know I tried and that it wasn't doing any better at BA's anyway.

Do you guys have any ideas about the head loss on my frogspawn? That one concerns me as I thought it was doing ok and I really hope it doesn't get worse.

Finally, the BRS RO/DI unit was set up last night, very easily, and now I have RO/DI water.


----------



## ameekplec.

Yeah, Ken's is just about the only place besides Menagerie where I've ever heard that someone can't take home a fish/coral/invert to their system. 

I thought I heard it at BA once, but the fish bagger quickly followed the statement by saying "well, not yet. Come back in a week when it's fully cycled" and then proceeded to hand the customer about 20 fish.

The froggie just looks PO'd. It looks like it just didn't expand - it happens sometimes. See if it looks any better today - sometimes they just don't like to get up in the morning


----------



## conix67

Yeah, the froggie would be ok, just keep watching it. Mine does that too. I have about 6 large heads, and one of the head would shrivel up time to time, but will open up eventually. From the look of yours, there doesn't appear to be anything obviously wrong or someone bothering it.

One thing I don't get - I don't see *any* Big Als stores I've been to able to keep SPS corals healthy for an extended period of time. Whenever I see new shipment come in, weeks later I see them all bleached/STNed and stacked up in the back of the tank or used in fish tanks as dead corals.

Of course, ones that survive mostly lose colors.

This also gives wrong impressions to many potential reefers, who may not know many other better stores - SPS corals are ugly, and difficult to keep...

Anyway, you want to probably begin to plan ahead and pick species you want based on final scaping you'd like. Corals do grow, much like plants in planted tank, so it's important to plan ahead and give them room to grow, and places to thrive.

Also, consider getting some frags. They are easy and inexpensive ways to experiment and learn about various corals. When successful, you can grow full colony size out of frags, which is very rewarding experience.

Although some may not recommend, you can try fragalot.ca for frags. But make sure you visit the place, do not get things shipped.

As for general livestock supply, I'd stick with Ken's store.


----------



## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> Yeah, Ken's is just about the only place besides Menagerie where I've ever heard that someone can't take home a fish/coral/invert to their system.
> 
> I thought I heard it at BA once, but the fish bagger quickly followed the statement by saying "well, not yet. Come back in a week when it's fully cycled" and then proceeded to hand the customer about 20 fish.
> 
> The froggie just looks PO'd. It looks like it just didn't expand - it happens sometimes. See if it looks any better today - sometimes they just don't like to get up in the morning





conix67 said:


> Yeah, the froggie would be ok, just keep watching it. Mine does that too. I have about 6 large heads, and one of the head would shrivel up time to time, but will open up eventually. From the look of yours, there doesn't appear to be anything obviously wrong or someone bothering it.
> 
> One thing I don't get - I don't see *any* Big Als stores I've been to able to keep SPS corals healthy for an extended period of time. Whenever I see new shipment come in, weeks later I see them all bleached/STNed and stacked up in the back of the tank or used in fish tanks as dead corals.
> 
> Of course, ones that survive mostly lose colors.
> 
> This also gives wrong impressions to many potential reefers, who may not know many other better stores - SPS corals are ugly, and difficult to keep...
> 
> Anyway, you want to probably begin to plan ahead and pick species you want based on final scaping you'd like. Corals do grow, much like plants in planted tank, so it's important to plan ahead and give them room to grow, and places to thrive.
> 
> Also, consider getting some frags. They are easy and inexpensive ways to experiment and learn about various corals. When successful, you can grow full colony size out of frags, which is very rewarding experience.
> 
> Although some may not recommend, you can try fragalot.ca for frags. But make sure you visit the place, do not get things shipped.
> 
> As for general livestock supply, I'd stick with Ken's store.


Whew, that's a relief. Thanks as always for the advice guys.


----------



## Doctor T

Gadget Pr0N day! 

So after much internal debate I decided to pick up a new Tunze Osmolator 3155 for my ATO solution. Since I already have a Reefkeeper Lite L3 controller kit, I seriously considered taking advantage of the SL1 unit and getting the new Digital Aquatics float switch kit with the 2 switches, mounts and switch adapters. That kit was $45 US before shipping and taxes. A Tunze Osmolator kit runs about $235 CAD taxes in, bought at LFS. While the price difference is significant, the Tunze kit also includes the pump, an optical sensor switch (which theoretically would be less prone to failure due to no moving parts), LED indicators, hose, mounting hardware, alarms, including an alarm to tell you that your reservoir has run dry. Basically, everything you need out of box. As well, a 2 year warrantee. I figured that the added Tunze Osmolator features made up the difference in value - to me anyway. Furthermore, the Tunze is a proven product, while the DA kit is brand new. And as others have said, ATO (and the risks involved) is not something to take lightly. Finally, I thought if I did by the DA kit, would I regret not getting the Osmolator? I figured I probably would.

For all the stuff you get, I thought it would come in a bigger box:

















Somehow, I forgot to include the pump in this pic. However, you can see it in the second last pic. Also, missing in this pic is the manual, which was pretty lousy - however, it only took about 15 minutes to set up.









Here it is set up in the return chamber of my sump. I think there is a mistake in the manual regarding only using the magnet mount's rubber feet when glass thickness is greater than 19mm. I think it should be the other way around.









The reservoir is an empty 5 gallon bucket that I got from Lowes. Food grade (HDPE 2). I drilled holes for the wires and hose on the side of the bucket, just below the lid. The pump is a bit noisy, but not really an issue as it only runs when it needs when ATO is required.









The ubiquitous 'bucket-in-the-living-room' shot. I plan to get a wooden enclosure like the one conix got at Ikea. That will also be where I mount the control box.


----------



## ameekplec.

What's with all you dudes and the bucket in the living room hating? 

(I know, I know, I'll be hiding it when I've got more space)

Hmm, I guess they raised the price since they went from plastic rails to two magnetic mounts for the sensors. I think I would rather have paid $30 more for an easier to adjust system.

Tank set up is looking great. I'll definitely have to be by soon to check it all out


----------



## conix67

Looks great! Osmolator is a great idea, ATO system is something you don't want to take risk on, although I did.

I still don't have 15G high tank as a RO/DI water reservoir yet. I may just keep the bucket in there, gives me enough rooms to accommodate other containers (picked up two 1G plastic container at Wal Mart the other day - for 2-Part dosing).


----------



## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> What's with all you dudes and the bucket in the living room hating?
> 
> (I know, I know, I'll be hiding it when I've got more space)
> 
> Hmm, I guess they raised the price since they went from plastic rails to two magnetic mounts for the sensors. I think I would rather have paid $30 more for an easier to adjust system.
> 
> Tank set up is looking great. I'll definitely have to be by soon to check it all out


Yeah, I wasn't even aware of the new magnetic mounts until I opened the box, I suppose you're right and that explains the recent price hike which was pretty consistent wherever you looked. I got mine at Sea-U-Marine and Ken sweetened the deal with other stuff I needed to get anyway.

Yeah, you definitely have to drop by!


----------



## Doctor T

conix67 said:


> Looks great! Osmolator is a great idea, ATO system is something you don't want to take risk on, although I did.
> 
> I still don't have 15G high tank as a RO/DI water reservoir yet. I may just keep the bucket in there, gives me enough rooms to accommodate other containers (picked up two 1G plastic container at Wal Mart the other day - for 2-Part dosing).


Your advice helped me decide too. I didn't want to get the DA kit only to regret not getting the osmolator. And since my tank is in the living room, I want to minimize any risk of flooding (undesirable). I'm also thinking along the same lines about the dosing bottles. It would be great if the Ikea enclosure could also house my dosing pump and bottles - my stand is pretty cramped as is. Then that's it, no more gear - LOL!


----------



## Hitch

cough--we need an update with LOTS of pics--cough XD


----------



## Doctor T

Update: Got a bunch of livestock two weeks ago, then cut myself off to let the tank stabilize.








A pair of yellow clown gobies (2nd ycg not pictured) and aussie acans.









Three bangaii cardinals. I know, maybe not the best number to get, but this was recommended by the guy at NAFB (John wasn't there). So far they seem ok together, but I will keep an eye out for fighting.

Feeding the bangaiis and ycgs were initially a concern as they didn't seem to eat the first few days. But they started eating shortly after.









Aussie alveolar(?)









zoanthids








More zoanthids. I think I like zoanthids.








FTS. Some minor changes in the rockscape: I'm moved everything in tighter a bit to give a couple of inches away from the sides and front of the glass so I could clean the glass much easier.

Also, I added 5 more astrea snails (for a total of 10) to help with algae control and 5 nassarius snails for clean up crew. I'm avoiding shrimp and crabs for now, mainly for the safely of my t. crocea clam.

Overall, I'm seeing the tank maturing with various hitchhikers appearing such as scypha sponges and spirorbid worms (lots). And of course algae, but not too bad. The coralline is kicking in quite nicely and now starting to spread onto the dead spaghetti rock without my doing anything.

As for bad news: my hammer anchor coral in the center there seems to be slowly dying off. I already lost about half the polyps very quickly (about 3 days). The loss has since slowed down quite a bit. I suspect Brown Jelly Disease (which already took my frogspawn ). I already did a few dips in Seachem's Reef Dip, which I believe is iodine based, and now it's in a high current spot to hopefully keep the remaining polyps clean. From what I've read, there doesn't appear to be much else I can do. I've been reading about antibiotic treatment for BJD (a new technique), but I'm scared to try it. I guess I can only hope it gets better.

Edit: The other corals seem fine. Including the broccoli which I once feared for, but is actually growing pretty quickly.

Edit part 2: I somehow forgot to put a pic of my Rose Bubble Tip Anemone which I also got just over 2 weeks ago.








Which at times looks green in the bases of the tentacles. Not sure if that's normal or if I actually got a GBTA by mistake(?)










Of course my tank raised clowns happily ignore it.  I'm trying various tricks to get them to host, such as putting up a picture of a clownfish in a BTA so the fish can see it, and dropping food close by the 'nem.


----------



## Doctor T

Hitch said:


> cough--we need an update with LOTS of pics--cough XD


LOL, I must've been typing in my last post while you wrote that. See above.


----------



## Hitch

Doctor T said:


> LOL, I must've been typing in my last post while you wrote that. See above.


LOL....we are just that in sync. XD

Beautiful tank, love the look of the Aussie alveolar. Looks very much like an abstract instillation.

Sorry to hear about the brown jelly disease.


----------



## ameekplec.

Tanks looking great!

Too bad about the brown jelly, but great to hear that it's at least slowing down. 

And nice BTA. I have one with the green bases to the tentacles too. I think it looks pretty neat


----------



## Doctor T

Hitch said:


> LOL....we are just that in sync. XD
> 
> Beautiful tank, love the look of the Aussie alveolar. Looks very much like an abstract instillation.
> 
> Sorry to hear about the brown jelly disease.


Thanks Hitch. Oops, meant Alveopora.  Yeah, my wife likes it too except when the polyps retract into the skeleton, in which case it looks like a bunch of empty eye sockets and then it creeps her out - LOL.



ameekplec. said:


> Tanks looking great!
> 
> Too bad about the brown jelly, but great to hear that it's at least slowing down.
> 
> And nice BTA. I have one with the green bases to the tentacles too. I think it looks pretty neat


Ahh, good to know yours is like that too then. The contrasting green does look nice. I remember how nice and fat and bubbly yours looks like, but I haven't been able to get mine to look like that. Been feeding it silversides, etc.. 2-3 times a week.

Yeah, the BJD sucks and there seems to be no definitive cause or cure explained out there. The hammer is still hanging in there and I hope it makes it. Some people swear by the iodine dips, yet newer evidence seems to indicate that it does nothing for BJD. In any case, I'm curious to see if the antibiotic treatment becomes more generally accepted.


----------



## Hitch

lol....ya I could imagine the creepiness.


----------



## ameekplec.

yeah, if it's bacterial, then the anti-bacterial meds should help it, but I haven't read up on it since it's not something I've dealt with anytime.

You need to come by sometime to see the tank


----------



## conix67

Thanks for the update, looking good regardless of the problem you had!

Zoas are cool, I like them a lot too. 

I'd like to see some more SPS


----------



## Doctor T

Hitch said:


> lol....ya I could imagine the creepiness.


Heh, yeah. Arr, now that I found the proper name, I just did some googling and just found out that it's a hard to keep coral. Sheesh, that's the last time I buy based on another person's advice ("very hardy coral!") and don't do due diligence myself.



ameekplec. said:


> yeah, if it's bacterial, then the anti-bacterial meds should help it, but I haven't read up on it since it's not something I've dealt with anytime.
> 
> You need to come by sometime to see the tank


Likewise.  But yeah, will give you a shout. Been meaning to drop by after work sometime.


----------



## Doctor T

conix67 said:


> Thanks for the update, looking good regardless of the problem you had!
> 
> Zoas are cool, I like them a lot too.
> 
> I'd like to see some more SPS


Yeah, I think I need more SPS too. The BJD was a humbling wake up call after what seemed to be an all too easy start into reefing. So I'm trying to make a point to do more research into SPS keeping.

Otherwise, I think with my 2 part dosing (love the profilux), the water params have been holding pretty steady w/ calcium at 440, alk at 8 and mag at 1200 (a bit low, but working on that) I'm feeling more confident to get some SPS in the near future. (Giving my wallet a break too - LOL) Will likely start off with frags like you suggested.


----------



## conix67

Doctor T said:


> Will likely start off with frags like you suggested.


I have not purchased any frags/corals last few weeks. There's no space for anything anymore.. 

Here's the best example of SPS growth.. in 3 months it became a full colony from a tiny frag.. I wish all SPS corals grow like this..


----------



## ameekplec.

Doctor T said:


> Yeah, I think I need more SPS too. The BJD was a humbling wake up call after what seemed to be an all too easy start into reefing. So I'm trying to make a point to do more research into SPS keeping.
> 
> Otherwise, I think with my 2 part dosing (love the profilux), the water params have been holding pretty steady w/ calcium at 440, alk at 8 and mag at 1200 (a bit low, but working on that) I'm feeling more confident to get some SPS in the near future. (Giving my wallet a break too - LOL) Will likely start off with frags like you suggested.


The profilux rocks doesn't it? I love mine. I think it's definitely one of those items that makes reefing so much more enjoyable - I never have to worry about missing a dosage or swinging paramteres so my SPS are nice and happy!

SPS are fun! Welcome to the last stage of coral addiction. It starts innocently enough with a few zoas, then a LPS here and there...and then with the SPS frags


----------



## Doctor T

conix67 said:


> I have not purchased any frags/corals last few weeks. There's no space for anything anymore..
> 
> Here's the best example of SPS growth.. in 3 months it became a full colony from a tiny frag.. I wish all SPS corals grow like this..


Man, why buy colonies when you get growth like that?  Which SPS is that.



ameekplec. said:


> The profilux rocks doesn't it? I love mine. I think it's definitely one of those items that makes reefing so much more enjoyable - I never have to worry about missing a dosage or swinging paramteres so my SPS are nice and happy!
> 
> SPS are fun! Welcome to the last stage of coral addiction. It starts innocently enough with a few zoas, then a LPS here and there...and then with the SPS frags


The profilux rawks! I have to admit, I only bought it at first because of the BWI closeout sale. But once I had it set up, I realized how much it saved me from monotonous dosing. Definitely satisfied with the purchase. Will post a pic soon...


----------



## Doctor T

Gadget Pr0n day again! Hopefully the last - LOL. 

Bought the Ikea "wall unit" (idea from conix67) to conceal the RO/DI bucket as well as some other gear.









Inside: 








As can be seen above, the GHL Profilux standalone doser is also inside. Currently I'm dosing DIY 2-part, calcium and alkalinity as per Dr. Randy Holmes-Farley. Magnesium I'm dosing manually for now. The jugs came from spring water jugs. Thanks to Eric who picked up the unit for me from BWI. As well as to Tyler who quickly exchanged my first unit because of a faulty clock and for the great deal in the first place. Despite the hickup with the first unit, I'm quite pleased with the build quality of the profilux and it's ease of use.

Inside the left wall of my display tank stand, beside my sump you can see my RKL modules set up:









I never planned on a controller, until it became evident to me how many plugs and timers and I would have to connect with all the equipment I already had (lights, pumps, heater). A controller then just started to make sense, plus it offered more control. After seeing conix's $95 RKL L1 and chatting with him, it seemed to be a good choice. I was getting tired of buying stuff in pieces so decided to go straight for the L3 package. Below is an earlier shot I took to show what you get with the Reefkeeper Lite L3 package. Basically everything in the L1, plus and extra PC4 unit, SL1 and pH probe ("free" as part of the package incentive). If you plan to get that stuff anyway, it makes some economical sense (or so I tell myself )








Currently, my RKL is controlling my: 
- dusk/dawn/daylight lights (9 hours for dusk/dawn, 6 hours for daylight)
- refugium light (on reverse daylight schedule)
- heater (controlled by temperature monitor, may add another for backup later)
- protein skimmer (configured w/ standby mode for maintenance)
- phosban reactor pump (configured w/ standby mode for maintenance)
- return pump
- moon lights (RKL Lunar schedule program)

Monitor Probes:
- pH
- temperature

I still need to configure alarms and I may add a fan to be controlled by the RKL later. Can't wait for Digital Aquatics free "myreef" to come out so I can get some internet features.

I added the Moonlight module later on. I'm quite happy with it - it lets me enjoy the tank even the main lights aren't on, and hopefully it'll help some fish (except the clowns) avoid the anemone at night. The DA Moonlight module comes with 2 LED pods. Choice of white or blue - I chose blue. The moonlights have a really nice shimmer effect.

Moonlight on:









Obviously some $$$ was spent here. But w/ the BWI sale and the RKL price drop some money was saved. As well, I decided to go for stuff that I would be satisfied with and not have to upgrade later (which of course ends up costing more than getting what you want/need in the first place). Read too many "should have got that in the first place stories".

Well, that's the idea anyway... 

As always, thanks to you guys who helped me with the equipment choosing.


----------



## ameekplec.

Profilux for the WIN!!!
Great set-up! Yeah, buying what you'll want in the future now certainly makes sense - avoids a lot of the upgrade blues and the "I should have just got X".

mmm, that was some nice gadget pr0n, but it could have used some ATI 

So now that you have all the gadgets....you need some more coral, SPS to be particular. Coral pr0n is just as good, if not even sexier!!


----------



## Brian

Amazing progress on the tank.

I wanted to ask how much you got the doser for from BWI?


----------



## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> Profilux for the WIN!!!
> Great set-up! Yeah, buying what you'll want in the future now certainly makes sense - avoids a lot of the upgrade blues and the "I should have just got X".
> 
> mmm, that was some nice gadget pr0n, but it could have used some ATI
> 
> So now that you have all the gadgets....you need some more coral, SPS to be particular. Coral pr0n is just as good, if not even sexier!!


LOL - thought you had enough of ATI pr0n already. Yeah I'm started to get into SPS pr0n now, but just looking at the pictures for now. 



Brian said:


> Amazing progress on the tank.
> 
> I wanted to ask how much you got the doser for from BWI?


Thanks! Since BWI posted the price on another forum, I suppose it's ok to put it here: $390 +tax. Which I believe is about $100 cheaper than anywhere else. Seems pricey, but I looked at other solutions like dosers at BRS for e.g. and the profilux with it's standalone programmable features came out on top. Plus, I didn't want to miss out on the sale. It's really easy to setup and use too.


----------



## Brian

Oh snap!

I'd think about it if I didn't have a 5 month past due visa bill... maybe I should stop buying clothes and beer


----------



## ameekplec.

Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiicccccsssss!

I know what you're hiding.


----------



## Doctor T

Brian said:


> Oh snap!
> 
> I'd think about it if I didn't have a 5 month past due visa bill... maybe I should stop buying clothes and beer


Yeah, when I think about it, it's the most expensive part of my system excluding the lights, but not by much. All I can say is that Ameekplec is a bad influence - LOL. I cut out video games to offset my expenses.



ameekplec. said:


> Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiicccccsssss!
> 
> I know what you're hiding.


LOL, will try to take pics soon. Need you to ID them anyway, I believe they are montiporas.

Btw, I just dosed my DT with Prazipro, wish me luck.

For those who don't know, it appears my Royal Gramma has some internal parasites. The other fish seem fine. Not sure how it happened. I noticed about 3-4 days ago that he was hiding a lot and stopped eating (not characteristic of him). Yesterday, I didn't see him at all. I was hesisitant to do any treatment because I didn't see any obvious symptoms besides the hiding and loss of appetite. But today I did see him, and sure enough he was breathing heavily and had white stringy poop. I contemplated a QT and even set up a makeshift one just an hour ago with a rubbermaid bin and spare equipment. However, I decided instead to use Prazipro on my DT, because he would probably be too hard to catch. I turned off my skimmer and carbon and then dosed my DT w/ Prazipro as per directions. I'm hoping I'm not too late...


----------



## ameekplec.

haha, I am an enabler. And of expensive gadgets at that. But they're just so cool...and USEFUL! 

Good luck with the prazi - if you're able to I'd increase your aeration or surface agitation just to keep the dissolved oxygen up, as I've found in the past that prazipro really drops the O2 in the water.


----------



## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> haha, I am an enabler. And of expensive gadgets at that. But they're just so cool...and USEFUL!
> 
> Good luck with the prazi - if you're able to I'd increase your aeration or surface agitation just to keep the dissolved oxygen up, as I've found in the past that prazipro really drops the O2 in the water.


Hmm, I read about that, but I thought I would be ok w/ my the sump, especially considering that most of my flow is going through it (Eheim 1260 full bore/glass-holes durso). Still think I should make adjustments?


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## ameekplec.

you're probably safe - just a precaution though if things aren't looking happy. How are things so far? have you dosed already?


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## Doctor T

Dosed almost 2 hours ago now. Checked on the the fish about 15 minutes ago and they seem to be acting pretty normal for this time - i.e. in their usual sleeping spots i.e. clowns by the maxijet, Cardinals wandering around, etc... I'll keep an eye out and check again in the morning.


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## Doctor T

Well, I found my Royal Gramma dead this morning and took out the body.  We really liked that fish, so it sucks. The other fish look ok, so I will keep the medicine in the tank and keep a vigilante eye out.


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## Brian

Sorry to hear.

I was never a fan of praziquantel treatments, I found them ineffective for the most part. When I have a feeling there are intestinal flagellates, I would usually treat with metronidazole. 

Hope you don't have a need to use it but keeping some on hand is a God send.


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## Doctor T

Brian said:


> Sorry to hear.
> 
> I was never a fan of praziquantel treatments, I found them ineffective for the most part. When I have a feeling there are intestinal flagellates, I would usually treat with metronidazole.
> 
> Hope you don't have a need to use it but keeping some on hand is a God send.


Thanks Brian. Yeah, I'm pretty bummed out about the Gramma. I'll add metronidazole to my list of next items to get at my LFS. From what I've read, Prazipro seems pretty effective against internal parasites and fluke and still commonly accepted as reef safe (minus a few ornamental worms, which I don't have). Still, being the first time using it on my relatively new DT, I feel... uncomfortable. Can't wait to get home from work to check on my livestock and feed them. Guess a proper QT is next on my list of things to do...


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## ameekplec.

Sorry to hear the loss. Sucks whenever you lose a fish 

It might not have been internal parasites though - many fish are cyanide caught (although I'm not sure if grammas usually are), so it may have been "swimming dead" before it even came to you.


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## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> Sorry to hear the loss. Sucks whenever you lose a fish
> 
> It might not have been internal parasites though - many fish are cyanide caught (although I'm not sure if grammas usually are), so it may have been "swimming dead" before it even came to you.


Thanks ameek. Could be cyanide, I suppose - but I have to admit I was a bit carefree w/ the fish stocking without doing quarantines or even freshwater dips. I suspect maybe my Cardinals brought something in, but then I'm just guessing. Quarantines from now on on any new livestock.

Anyway, the other fish seem to be doing ok, so I'm glad for that, especially since I was nervous about medicating my tank for the first time.

Otherwise, not much of an update. Just to recap: Over a week ago, I dosed my tank with Prazipro according to the directions because I suspected my Royal Gramma was sick with internal parasites (showing symptoms, hiding all time/not eating). The Gramma sadly died the next day. I decided to keep the medication in the tank in case the other fish had the same parasites, although they weren't exhibiting any symptoms. That meant no skimmer and carbon for six days while the medication was in the system.

As a result of no skimming and carbon (I suspect) I started getting a green hair algae outbreak (phosban reactor still running w/ GFO only) Finally, on Friday (day 6), I did a good size WC and turned on the carbon. I tried to fire up my Deltec skimmer as well, but unfortunately it was foaming like crazy due to the Prazipro still in the system (and new SW too I suspect) so I had to stop it. I tried again tonight, it's a bit better but still overflowing the cup after only a couple hours. I suspect in a couple more days it should be fine.

In meantime I've been manually removing the algae and doing various maintenance cleanings, (detritus in overflow, sump, etc...) trying to keep the decomposing organics down, just to fight off the algae outbreak. Whee. I added a nice huge wad of chaeto to my fuge as well, hopefully that'll help too. Oh yeah, I still have to post pics of the new montiporas that I got, but I'll wait 'til my tank starts looking nicer again. 

Latest test readings:
Calcium: 400, Alk: 9 (increased by the WCs I noticed), magnesium: 1230 (up from before, but goal is 1300+) pH: 8.14, Nitrates, phosphates 0/0 (guess the algae is consuming it all).


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## conix67

I wouldn't worry about the hair algae. I think it is part of early stages of reef tank many go through. This isn't the same as "nitrogen cycle" in my opinion. I had hair algae for over a month but finally it disappeared.

Not running skimmer or carbon won't change things much. I didn't run carbon for few weeks, and I still do not run GFO. There's no nitrate or phosphate. Phosphate might creep up eventually, but at this point it's not a concern.

Good luck with QT. You're truly dedicated if you can manage to follow QT protocol religiously. In the end, the effort will be well worth it.


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## Brian

I don't know which one is doing it but I got an emerald crab and a lemonpeel angel the other day... my tank was full of bubble algae, hair algae, the other kind (I'm a little wired right now) and now its almost all gone.


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## Doctor T

conix67 said:


> I wouldn't worry about the hair algae. I think it is part of early stages of reef tank many go through. This isn't the same as "nitrogen cycle" in my opinion. I had hair algae for over a month but finally it disappeared.
> 
> Not running skimmer or carbon won't change things much. I didn't run carbon for few weeks, and I still do not run GFO. There's no nitrate or phosphate. Phosphate might creep up eventually, but at this point it's not a concern.
> 
> Good luck with QT. You're truly dedicated if you can manage to follow QT protocol religiously. In the end, the effort will be well worth it.


Hmm, ok I thought the skimmer played quite a big role in controlling algae by removing the decaying organics. But you are right that my tank is still in early stages. Hard to believe it hasn't even been 2 months yet. Hopefully that is the case and the GHA will go away on it's own.

Yeah, QT seems like a pain. But then it will be one less thing I would have to wonder about if I lose another fish in the future. Besides, I think I already have most of the equipment already in spare stuff. Just need a 10g tank. I only plan to keep nano fish anyway.



Brian said:


> I don't know which one is doing it but I got an emerald crab and a lemonpeel angel the other day... my tank was full of bubble algae, hair algae, the other kind (I'm a little wired right now) and now its almost all gone.


Nice. I'm gonna see how it goes the next couple of weeks, before considering any new herbivores. I was just removing some bubble algae yesterday. I don't have much, but it's still a pain in the hard to get areas. How are your crab and angel with your corals?


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## Brian

They are perfectly fine with the corals.

The angel will pick at stuff all day so once in a while I see it picking at SPS and trip out but its not doing any harm that I can see.


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## ameekplec.

Brian, more likely than not if you had a lot of macros, it was the lemonpeel that did most of the damage - I've found emeralds to be slow at eating macros.

I'd recommend QT  I'm coming up to the full 6 week period with my Potters, although I might have her in there longer while the SPS come around from the low Ca.


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## Doctor T

I've stuck w/ snails as my algae eaters so far, as I'm a bit paranoid of Angels and crabs in my reef, even though I know a few people have had luck with them. 

My astrea snails (I have 10 now) have been inconsistent with GHA grazing - but they do eat it, just not most of the time. Yesterday for example, I saw one snail wipe out an almost fist sized GHA covered rock in a single evening!  Kinda boggles me a bit that a single snail could eat so much in a short time. Otherwise, most of the time they hang out in areas where the GHA isn't really prevalent. I've tried manually moving a few into those areas but they don't seem interested in eating GHA when I do that.

I finally also was able to get my skimmer running since yesterday evening without any more overflows, I suppose the water surface tension is back to normal.  (Previously skewed by prazipro and water changes) The design of the Deltec MCE600 redirects excess foam back into the body of the skimmer, so I thankfully didn't have any wet floor incidents during that time.

I'm currently rearranging my home office (translation: making room in the "man cave" ) for a QT tank. Once that's done, I don't think I'll mind the hassle so much.


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## Doctor T

So it's been about a month since the last update. Wow, seems like a lot has happened since then.

Some good news and some bad news. Will start with the bad.

- Lost my t. crocea clam shortly after my last post after having it for about 2 months.  Not sure why. Possible the foot was damaged when it was moved during the first couple of days. Otherwise, maybe I don't have enough light to support it. Won't be getting another clam anytime soon, at least until I get my par levels known.

- Bropsis: Went through a bryopsis phase, not major, but decided to nip it in the bud. Mainly on the base rock. Tried the "Kent Tech M magnesium overdose" trick. It did work, as the bryopsis is now gone. I had mag up at just over 1500ppm for a few days. While people have raised their mag even higher to 1800ppm or more (2000!) without casualties. I unfortunately, did suffer losses with 3 astrea snails, otherwise everything else seemed fine. I was hoping they'd bounce back after bringing the mag levels down, but they didn't. If I have to do it again, I will relocate my snails first.

- Flatworms: Red planaria. Had wtac and chriss come by. They checked out my tank, cleaned it up and had a few beers with me. Good times! But Wilson noticed I had some flatworms. Not plague level. I bought some Flatworm Exit to keep on hand, in case they get out of hand. Otherwise, this leads me to some good news.

- At Ken's suggestion, I got a new six-line wrasse to hopefully eat some of my flatworms. Had her over a month and she seems to be doing well and causing no trouble. She had some white bumps, looked like sore the first couple of days, but they went away.









Oh and a tip. Don't talk to Ameekplec, just in front of a reef, otherwise, you'll go in and buy something - LOL. New SPS:








Also, another nice monti w/ orange polyps and a green acro

Boxing day haul:








Blue acro. also a nice purple monti cap and a sun coral with 6+ heads. All corals $30 each.
Otherwise, not much. 3 buckets of Reef Crystals. New, simple 10g quarantine setup.









After News Years Day, we saw a pleasant surprise. Finally! My false perc clowns are hosting in the RBTA! Yay! Well, the bigger one mostly, the smaller clown is in there only occasionally.









And finally today, I think my Cardinals are pregnant!?  They were rubbing up against each other oddly yesterday, and now one of them has a distinct bulge in the mouth.









Uh, now what? Help?


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## ameekplec.

Tanks looking great! You have a pair of Bangaiis, and the male is holding now as they're mouthbrooders. Look forward to fry in a while


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## conix67

Nice update! Congrats on clowns hosting RBTA and cardinal frys!

I doubt you're lacking light in keeping the crocea clam.

Apparently, and unfortunately, the flatworms are very common issues. They are harmless, just not pretty to look at when there are lots of them.


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## ameekplec.

+1 on the clam - your ATI light, that high up in the tank definitely is enough light.

I'll come by with the PAR meter one day and we'll see how high your levels are


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## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> Tanks looking great! You have a pair of Bangaiis, and the male is holding now as they're mouthbrooders. Look forward to fry in a while


I think I'll PM Tabatha - I got no idea what to do next. Exciting though! 



conix67 said:


> Nice update! Congrats on clowns hosting RBTA and cardinal frys!
> 
> I doubt you're lacking light in keeping the crocea clam.
> 
> Apparently, and unfortunately, the flatworms are very common issues. They are harmless, just not pretty to look at when there are lots of them.


Yeah, the flatworms hasn't been a big concern yet. My six-line seems to pick at them here and there too. I also, tried the "flatworm vac" (i.e. siphon w/ sock in sump) and it worked pretty well too.



ameekplec. said:


> +1 on the clam - your ATI light, that high up in the tank definitely is enough light.
> 
> I'll come by with the PAR meter one day and we'll see how high your levels are


yeah, I think you guys are right. I just recall sometimes the mantle was stretching up pretty high for the light, the last month or so - which at the time I didn't know probably meant it was light starved. Otherwise, I did knock the clam off a rock accidently during it's first week. It may have just slowly died from that injury over the last 2 months. Sometimes though, I wonder if my 'nem is getting enough light too: In never see the fat bubble tentacles on mine and the colour is not a rosy as I've seen on some pics on the 'net. Otherwise, it seems ok, and I feed it a couple of times a week w/ silversides.

Eric, that would be great if we do some par tests on my tank someday.


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## Tabatha

Outstanding tank Dr. T, I love your rock work!!!


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## Chris S

Things look like they are coming along pretty good!


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## Doctor T

Tabatha said:


> Outstanding tank Dr. T, I love your rock work!!!


Thanks Tabatha. I may have to rearrange it though - I got quite a few dead spots, it's not great for mounting corals, and it's very hard to catch a fish (but they love it!)



Chris S said:


> Things look like they are coming along pretty good!


Thanks Chris, and thanks for cleaning it up!  Great to meet and chat with you too.

Soo... big update! First Banggai fry spotted this morning!  Hope to see more soon. To backtrack a bit, I caught the male in my DT, the first time I saw eyes peeking out of his mouth. That was Saturday evening. I transferred him to a newly setup growout tank (more details on that later). But now onto the pics!









Good daddy holding fry to term in QT converted to fry growout tank.









Little eyes peeking out of the mouth. It was hard to get this shot, as the male was pretty shy.









closer look









Yes, that's a fake urchin I made with zip ties and epoxy putty to shelter the fry. Obviously, it failed to keep the adult out. I have since added more spines that will hopefully keep him out.








First escapee into the chaeto. I've since moved the chaeto into the other section (divider) as I didn't want my fry to get stuck in there. Again, tough to get a good shot of the fry, will try again tomorrow for better pics.

Looking back and considering I just set up my tank in October last year. Then getting these banggai cardinals in November. I remember worrying about them eating during the first week. I never would've guessed I'd have fry by this time (less than 3 months later). Anyway, still *lots* to learn. I hope to see more fry soon and that I will able to raise them well enough.


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## ameekplec.

Congrats on the fry!

I'm awake now since I'm waiting on mine to hatch...all of them heve eyes so tonight should be the night!


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## Tabatha

*Congratulations!!*

Congratulations on your Banggai fry!!! They're so friggin' cute, have fun with them and share your adventures with us all!


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## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> Congrats on the fry!
> 
> I'm awake now since I'm waiting on mine to hatch...all of them heve eyes so tonight should be the night!


Thanks again for the phyto enriched rots. Um, I forgot to ask you how I should dose it. Do I just pour in a capful every other day or so? Looking forward to hearing how your fry goes. I'm really glad I got a chance to see them in their larval form - I never saw that before.



Tabatha said:


> Congratulations on your Banggai fry!!! They're so friggin' cute, have fun with them and share your adventures with us all!


Thanks Tabatha, even though I never I'd be in this situation when I first read about your success with raising Banggai but it has always been an inspiration for me.


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## ameekplec.

Feed them by pouring some of the mixture through a brin shrimp net, or a coffee filter, then put them into the fry tank. Alternatively you can also try putting the mixture without straining into the fry tank, as this way the rots can continuously feed on the phyto.


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## wtac

They look great and congrats!


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## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> Feed them by pouring some of the mixture through a brin shrimp net, or a coffee filter, then put them into the fry tank. Alternatively you can also try putting the mixture without straining into the fry tank, as this way the rots can continuously feed on the phyto.


Thanks Eric. I'm going with the 2nd option as I hope the bbs will feed on the phyto as well for enrichment.


wtac said:


> They look great and congrats!


Thanks Wilson! Hope you can come by and check them out sometime!

A couple came out - so now I've got four them. I'm a bit concerned that it's day 30 and all of them haven't been released by now. Anyway, more pics.









2 days old now


















One of them was lying on the ground for a day. But now he's swimming.









A couple of them have gaping mouths. I've seen the other two eat, but they don't gape like this. I hope they're not birth defects.



























The male is mad at me today since I tried to induce him to spit out the rest. I netted him, took him out and back in a few times, but he wouldn't let them go. That's devotion. I just hope it's okay for him and the babies to be held so long. You can still see more in his mouth.

This being my first time, I'm hoping they're eating enough, and the nhbbs are sufficiently enriched. My current scheme is feeding newly hatched 24 hours bbs, then I enrich the rest in new water and Selcon for 8 hours. Then feed again and put the rest in the fridge in a petri dish. They can supposedly last 3 days like that.


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## ameekplec.

Cute babies  I'll have to get a "pair" from you to go with the two that I got from Tabatha's batch!


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## Doctor T

ameekplec. said:


> Cute babies  I'll have to get a "pair" from you to go with the two that I got from Tabatha's batch!


Sure thing bro. Hopefully, they'll get to stay in your new monster tank.


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## Fishfinder

great looking reef and fish!


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## conix67

Nice picture of the baby banggais! Very cute!

Those babies with gaping mouth, do they have the mouth open like that all the time? Kinda cute and I hope they are ok.


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## Doctor T

Fishfinder said:


> great looking reef and fish!


Thanks Fishfinder.



conix67 said:


> Nice picture of the baby banggais! Very cute!
> 
> Those babies with gaping mouth, do they have the mouth open like that all the time? Kinda cute and I hope they are ok.


I did some more research and the one with gaping mouths, bobbing up and down, unfortunately have swim bladder problems most likely. Apparently, as a "fish breeder", it's my responsibility to cull those ones. Not looking forward to it. Anybody know where I can get clove oil?


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## Doctor T

Day 6 pics:




































Hatching more live baby brine shrimp today, got the Selcon and live phyto ready for enrichment. I think I'm getting the hang of it. Tried decapsulating the cysts first as well.


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## KhuliLoachFan

This is an EPIC WIN thread! 

Congrats on the SW success and those cute fry. They look like a cartoon fish, to me. Adorable.

W


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## Doctor T

KhuliLoachFan said:


> This is an EPIC WIN thread!
> 
> Congrats on the SW success and those cute fry. They look like a cartoon fish, to me. Adorable.
> 
> W


Thanks KhuliLoachFan! I kinda think the new "bangers" look like mini helicopters, especially, the way they hover around.

Well, it's Day 11, now. Apparently, it's time to watch out for Sudden Fright Syndrome as the fry have only been eating nhbbs. I've been enriching the bbs with Selcon and phyto to boost the HUFA content, so hopefully I've been doing it right and will be lucky enough avoid the dreaded SFS *knock on wood*. One more week, and I'll then try to wean them onto frozen food.

To backtrack a bit, the male daddy Banggai finally stopped releasing fry on Day 8 since the first fry was released. He did manage to eat about 3 fry by the time I got home from work. Looks like they were the ones with swim bladder problems - so he kinda saved me from having to cull them anyway. He was then put back into the DT w/ the female who started rubbing up against him right away. She must have missed him. He also had his appetite back and started eating right away.


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## Doctor T

Big Ray said:


> that's beautiful man
> just a quick questio, maybe u did answer it and I missed it, but where did you move them to ? refugium ? or another tank ?


Thanks Big Ray. Actually I didn't go into much detail about it.

I moved the male while he was still carrying all the babies in his mouth into a 10g rearing tank - that was originally meant to be my QT. Since there's lots of rock and hiding places in the DT, I used that technique I told you about i.e. got him while he was sleeping by turning on the lights to temporarily blind him.

Some people use a simple breeders net in the DT, but I just felt it would be too crammed. And then you have to keep cleaning them, which can cause Sudden Fright Syndrome (SFS) on the fry and kill them. The advantage is the simple set up and that it part of the main system.

Some people also use their refugiums, but I was worried some of the fry may go in the next chamber where the return pump is. 

My 10g rearing tank simply has a heater, sponge filter (which I seeded for a week in my DT sump), some chaeto and a fake urchin I made out of zip ties and epoxy putty for them to hide in and feel safe.


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## conix67

I love that fake urchin! Good idea. Do they hide in a real urchin in wild?


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## KnaveTO

conix67 said:


> I love that fake urchin! Good idea. Do they hide in a real urchin in wild?


Yes they do


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## AquariAM

Zip Tie Urchin!!!

Freakin brilliant man!


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## Doctor T

conix67 said:


> I love that fake urchin! Good idea. Do they hide in a real urchin in wild?


Yes, as KnaveTO mentioned. In fact, I've read accounts where males that are holding will migrate towards an urchin just before they release the fry. (Fakes urchins, not so much - but the fry will still seek them out)



AquariAM said:


> Zip Tie Urchin!!!
> 
> Freakin brilliant man!


Yeah, not my idea - but I like it: simple, cheap and it works. Also, I was too lazy to research into how to care for a real live urchin.

Day 12 pics:








Pic of the 10g rearing tank. Aquaclear 20 not in use. (Don't want it to suck in any fry). The only filtration is the ATI Hydro sponge filter rated for 15 gallons I believe. I had to cut the air lift tube about a half inch to keep it just below the water surface. I originally had the AC20 running as well for extra aeration and filtration, using a tank divider to keep the fry out. (Also had the heater and chaeto in that compartment too). However, in day 2 I found a couple of fry that somehow got into that compartment (still a mystery to me), so I just took it down and shut off the AC before the fry could get sucked in.

I'm doing 2 gallon water changes once a week. This really showed me how simple a saltwater tank can be. Lighting is a standard normal output flourescent that is on 12 hours a day. I upped the light hours mainly for the chaeto which is starting to bounce back.









I had one loss yesterday, but not unexpected. From day 1, that fry couldn't swim very well and was on the bottom most of the time. I probably should have euthanized it earlier.









scale in inches









Closeup of zip-tie tip. Little crustaceans (copepods?) like the zip-tie urchin too. (Hitchhikers from the chaeto) I don't know if the little "bangers" eat them.









12 day year old banggai fry. Really looks like a mini version of the parents.


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## Doctor T

So, uh, my red bubble tip anemone split today. At first I just noticed that it had moved, but then I realized that it actually split. My first time experiencing this, so I haven't planned what to do next. Even the hosting clown seems a bit confused. Maybe now the other clown will have his own anemone, since the bigger clown wasn't sharing.








(I bought this 'nem back in  November last year)

Other news/notes:
- Baby banggais still growing fine in rearing tank, still eating enriched bbs. Day 27 - plan to wean them onto frozen next week.
- Found a molt of a crab in my DT. Possibly a black mithrax(?). Will have to try to catch and ID it.
- Currently getting a bit of diatoms, green cyano(?), and dinoflagellates(?). Will have to get a silicates test kit. I've read that Reef Crystals may be the cause. Pending more investigation.
- Still investigating the mysterious deaths of my Astrea snails over the last couple of months - about 10 now. I don't think it's for lack of food (algae). At first, I suspected my elevated magnesium levels during my battle with bryopsis. However, it's been a month or two since I've brought my mag levels down to normal ~1450ppm, and even then it wasn't crazy high to begin with ~1600ppm. Possibly the switch from Instant Ocean to Reef Crystals? According to this article, they are not warm water animals. So why are the snails commonly recommended for reef tanks?
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rs/index.php


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## Tabatha

Congratulations on you first anemone split, it's always exciting! How many baby banggais do you have now?


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## Doctor T

Thanks Tabatha! I have 9 baby bangers now. Had 13 initially, but the dad ate 3 before I could put him back into the DT. Another one couldn't swim properly and just didn't make it. I still have a couple w/ swim bladder problems that I hope will fix themselves. Dr. Frank Marini suggested feeding the female w/ foods high in HUFAs like fish roe to hopefully help with the next batch. (That's why I was asking ameekplec about the mackerel roe.)


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