Bill's RedSeaMax 130, My Little SPS Nano Reef... Options

[pwrmac2]

This is my first ever attempt at a Reef tank. For years I always wanted to start a saltwater tank but it just seems so complicated and I had no place for a such large tank and all the equipment that went with it. So I would just stop by the LFS and look at all the cool fish and tanks for sale and think to my self maybe someday. Little did I know about all the coral you could grow since my LFS carried none of that. One day I got the itch again and just started to do some research on the internet and came across Nano-Reef.com and several other reef forums. And there they were, AIO reef tanks! From there the search was on for the perfect Nano Tank. After about a month of searching and reading I placed an order for the RedSeaMax 130. And thats how my adventure in saltwater started.

Here is the tank at various stages along the way.

June 2008 This is the first night after I set up the tank and the water cleared up enough to take a picture.


2 Months Old


5 Months Old


8 Months Old with New Current Outer Orbit light.


Tank at One Year

So far it's been an amazing experience! Something I wish I would have started many years ago.

.
Current Equipment

Red Sea Max 130
Current Outer Orbit Hood 250w DE MH / 4X24w ATI Blue+ T5's / 12 LED Moon Lights 6 White 6 Blue
Euro Reef RSM 2 Pump Skimmer
2 Maxi Jet 1200 Return Pumps
inTank Media Rack
2 BRS 2 Part Dosing Pumps
2 EcoTech Marine MP10's


Tank Inhabitants

Pair Australian B&W Ocellaris Clownfish
3 Banggai Cardinal Fish / Red Mandarin Dragonet / Yellow Watchman Goby / Scarlet Hermit Crabs / Red Serpent Sea Star / Knobby Brittle Sea Star / Blood Red Fire Shrimp Sri Lanka / Tiger Trochus Snails / Astraea Snails / Cerith Snails / Nassarius Snails / Maxima Clam

Corals

Acropora
Purple Plasma
FHI aquaculture similar to ORA Chips / Hawkin Echinata / Frogskin / Bali Green Slimmer / Tri-color / Blue Lossetti Staghorn / ORA Blue Tenuis / ORA Rose Millepora / ORA Blue Millepora / ORA Tri-color Valida Staghorn / ORA Red Planet Table / ORA Roscoe’s Blue / ORA Joe the Coral / ORA PearlBerry

Montipora
Orange Capricornis
Purple Digitata / Orange Digitata /Idaho Grape Undata /Superman Montipora

Seriatopora
ORA Green Birds Nest
ORA Hyacinth Birds Nest

Stoney
Frogspawn
Aussie Green Blastomussa Wellsi / Australian Lord Acans / Micromussa / Green Blastomussa Merletti / Giant Green Polyp Duncan /Red Blastomussa Merletti

Soft
Button Coral
Blue Clove Polyps /Green Button Polyps /Green Star Polyps /Hairy Mushroom /Blue Spotted Mushrooms /Green and Purple Ricordea Yumas /Blue and Red Ricordea Floridas /Various Zoanthids /Various Palythoa


This post has been edited by pwrmac2: May 29 2010, 11:37 AM

[mavjoy]

pwrmac2- Great looking tank. Nice pics and the water is soo pristine. What kind of filtration are you using? I also got an RSM(almost 3 weeks old). I'm currently running a fuge in the back chambers and a media rack from StevieT, no skimmer tho. Can't wait to see more of your progress. .

[pwrmac2]

pwrmac2- Great looking tank. Nice pics and the water is soo pristine. What kind of filtration are you using? I also got an RSM(almost 3 weeks old). I'm currently running a fuge in the back chambers and a media rack from StevieT, no skimmer tho. Can't wait to see more of your progress. .

Thanks!

The filtration is still stock minus the bio balls and charcoal that it shipped with, and I use filter floss instead of the white pad. I'm still running the original skimmer during the day, it's somewhat effective but very loud!

(Installed StevieT's Media Basket, Skimmer Cup and Tunze 9002 Skimmer on 12/06/08)

This post has been edited by pwrmac2: Dec 14 2008, 09:35 AM

[pwrmac2]

I did a little rescapping this weekend and this is what I came up with. I think it's finally gotten to the point where I'm happy with it. Now I just need some SPS corals and maybe a clam.

This post has been edited by pwrmac2: Feb 8 2009, 12:21 PM

[StevieT]

Very nice! How old is this tank?

[pwrmac2]

Very nice! How old is this tank?

Thanks StevieT! The tank is a few days shy of seven months old.

[StevieT]

Great, then I would say you are plenty ready for some SPS and or a clam. Are you dosing anything? I use a two part solution every other day with good results.

[pwrmac2]

Sorry, not sure what I was thinking but the tank is going to be six months old not seven. Right now I'm not dosing any thing. I still need to do more research in that area. Do you think I should be?

This post has been edited by pwrmac2: Dec 17 2008, 12:11 PM

[StevieT]

well give or take a month, no biggie.

Yes, you will need to be. Along with weekly water changes, with SPS calc and ALK will deplete very quickly. My levels drop in two days with all that I have.

I would pick up some C-Ballance or B-Ionic. The two bottles will last you over a year, I am still on my orginal supply.

YOu dose them in equal amounts. The calcium part first, then the ALK part. I do about a half capful of each. But you need to be testing to see how much you need to add. I would say as you start 1/4 capful will be plenty. Just test about an hour after dosing and see how much that raised your levels.

[pwrmac2]

well give or take a month, no biggie.

Yes, you will need to be. Along with weekly water changes, with SPS calc and ALK will deplete very quickly. My levels drop in two days with all that I have.

I would pick up some C-Ballance or B-Ionic. The two bottles will last you over a year, I am still on my orginal supply.

YOu dose them in equal amounts. The calcium part first, then the ALK part. I do about a half capful of each. But you need to be testing to see how much you need to add. I would say as you start 1/4 capful will be plenty. Just test about an hour after dosing and see how much that raised your levels.

One thing I've noticed with my calcuim levels is that when I switched from Red Sea Pro to Corallife salt it jumped from 450 to around 560. The level never really seems to drop between weekly water changes either. Not sure if this is good or bad. So far everything seems ok.

This post has been edited by pwrmac2: Dec 17 2008, 03:55 PM

[pwrmac2]

Stopped by the LFS after work and they just happen to have what was on my list, lucky me. Man I can never get out of there without spending a pile of cash!

My new Maxima Clam Ultra and Yellow Watchman Goby.

This post has been edited by pwrmac2: Feb 1 2009, 09:01 PM

[odie]

Stopped by the LFS after work and they just happen to have what was on my list, lucky me. Man I can never get out of there without spending a pile of cash!

My new Maxima Clam Ultra and Yellow Watchman Goby.

Did you get those at EWOF? I love the watchman!! Just went there today to see if they had one......bummer none. Hopefully they will get some more in.

[pwrmac2]

Did you get those at EWOF? I love the watchman!! Just went there today to see if they had one......bummer none. Hopefully they will get some more in.

No...I went to the other store I told myself I would never go to again. They just happen to have what I was looking for so I had to buy them.

[JBM]

hey pwrmac....

i love the tank... it's really beautifull in it's own right. How do you like the tank? Was going with the all inclusive tank worth it? Is the quality good? I've been eyeing the unreleased rsm 250d (the 66g) for quite sometime. figured i would ask somebody with the 150 how they liked it.


best of luck to you & your rsm.

[pwrmac2]

Hey pwrmac....

I love the tank... it's really beautiful in its own right. How do you like the tank? Was going with the all inclusive tank worth it? Is the quality good? I've been eyeing the unreleased rsm 250d (the 66g) for quite sometime. Figured I would ask somebody with the 150 how they liked it.


Best of luck to you & your rsm.

Thanks! I have to say that I really do like the tank. But it does need a few simple mods to make it even better. If you look up StevieT he has a very nice thread going about his RSM. He also sells the mods for the tank. I think the tank is very good quality expect for the skimmer, it was junk. For me it had to be and All In One to keep it simple. I am ready to go bigger, so when the 250 comes out I think it's a must have for me.

[odie]

Did you get those at EWOF? I love the watchman!! Just went there today to see if they had one......bummer none. Hopefully they will get some more in.

Funny how it hurts to even say the name!! I am afraid to go there as I would really have a dilema if I saw something I wanted.

Last time I was there they had dogs in little cubicles, tetras that are tattoo'd, dyed zebra danios and redtail catfish that will get 6-7 feet long or more. Wish EWOF would get some new fish in soon.

By the way were you at the RMMAC meeting a couple weeks ago?

[pwrmac2]

Funny how it hurts to even say the name!! I am afraid to go there as I would really have a dilemma if I saw something I wanted.

Last time I was there they had dogs in little cubicles, tetras that are tattoo'd, dyed zebra danios and redtail catfish that will get 6-7 feet long or more. Wish EWOF would get some new fish in soon.

By the way were you at the RMMAC meeting a couple weeks ago?

No, but I should have gone. I was just at oyam123's house tonight doing a little swapping.

Ya that store is some else. I have a several friends who won't go there just because of the dog's in the cubicles. I don't blame them, it's not right. I just can't get over all the flat worm's in there tanks they choose not to take care of.

I did email EWOF a large list of coral's I would like to order. It's been almost two weeks with no word back. Not sure what the deal is but I wish they would get more interesting corals in. I did buy a few Acan's there not to long ago. So they're trying to change it up I think.

[pwrmac2]

Well, I was still not happy with the rock work so I rescaped it again. I'm trying to take the tank in a different direction with more interesting corals and I also removed the GBTA. I purchased about 20lbs of new cured live rock and tried to keep as much of the old stuff as possible by breaking it into smaller pieces. Most of the old rock was just to dense, not sure what I was thinking when I first bought it. I tried not to disturb the sand bed as much as possible in the process. Everything seems happy and I still see pods and worms at night.

Now I just need to keep my hands out the tank! Except to add new corals.

Here's the new look

[nyfishguy]

tank looks great man....my RSM is just shy of 2 months now.....what kind of lighting do you have??? it look like it might be stock but with that clam in there i'm questioning that....lol


anyway, kudos really nice job

[pwrmac2]

tank looks great man....my RSM is just shy of 2 months now.....what kind of lighting do you have??? it looks like it might be stock but with that clam in there i'm questioning that....lol


anyway, kudos really nice job

Thanks!

It's just stocking lighting. If you keep the clam up high there should be no problems from what I've read and saw in pics of other RSM's. I am going to try a DIY lighting up grade in the small flip up part of the hood soon. I seen several mods that seem fairly simple.