couevas Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 FTS as of October 22, 2011 (30% Royal Blue, 15% Cool White) -------------------------------------------------------------- Well, I am back in the game.....I have a 2 year old daughter and her absolute favorite movie is Finding Nemo (She watches it every single day....sometimes twice a day). Excellent!! Now I have an excuse to get back into reefing. I am just providing for my daughter....right? A little history: I have been reefing since about 2002 (man, I was dumb back then) and got out in 2007 with a move from San Diego to Las Vegas. My tank progression went like this: 1. 90 gal custom shallow acrylic (hand-me-down; joint venture with college roomate - we had no idea what we were doing) 2. 72 gal Oceanic Bowfront - 40 gal sump (joint venture with college roomate - we had no idea what we were doing) 3. 24 gal JBJ Nanocube (on my own after graduation) 4. 72 gal Oceanic Bowfront - (bought equipment from former roomate) . . . Today. 20 gal Tall AGA ---------------------------------------- Unlike all my other aquatic adventures (read that I needed something, figured out a way to integrate or fab my own equivalent), I am starting this guy off fairly well from the beginning. So far, I have the tank running with the following equipment and additions.... Eshopps PSK-75H Hang-on skimmer AC70 filter modded into small refugium Marineland Stealth Pro 100W heater Hydor Koralia 1 powerhead Aquaticlife 24 inch 4x24W T5HO + Lunar Led fixture 20 lbs Caribsea Live Oolite sand 22 lbs Tongan Live Rock (PRIME 2 month cured from A Red Sea Aquarium in Seattle!) Sand has been in water for about a week now with all equipment running except lights. Rock and light added last night. I am not expecting a long cycle at all....then the stocking can begin! I will post some pics tonight when I get home from work...... -Chris BTW, some of you older members may have seen me on here years ago....but I doubt you remember me. I was Quavecube (and Quavecube2) back then..... -Chris Link to comment
Billdemart Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Hey welcome back Chris. Sounds awesome. I love the kid excuse too. I have involved my sons in helping me with my 20 high and they love it. They want a nemo fish too. I'm on day 5 and they keep asking me when they get to get a fish. If anyone around here thinks we all have very little patience try talking to a 4 year old. Can't wait to see some pics of your setup. Link to comment
couevas Posted February 5, 2010 Author Share Posted February 5, 2010 ...impatience from the kids, I hear ya. At least with my daughter I can say they are sleeping when she asks, "Where's Nemo?" ------------ Next mod, figuring out how to adapt the intake on the Eshopps skimmer to pull from the surface....... Link to comment
couevas Posted February 6, 2010 Author Share Posted February 6, 2010 Here are the first round of pics after the equipment, LS and LR added.... All 3 lights on (10,000k, 440-460nm and LED) 10,000k's only 420-460nm's only Lunar Led's only Digital timer Fuge with PAR20 Halogen Spot and Eshopps Skimmer Link to comment
couevas Posted February 6, 2010 Author Share Posted February 6, 2010 I also built a bird block/screen kit fish jumper-outer-preventer.... Here are some pics of that... Link to comment
couevas Posted February 7, 2010 Author Share Posted February 7, 2010 Thanks Bill! I am trying to set this one up right from the beginning......other than my other reefs. (figuring out what was needed after the fact) Link to comment
couevas Posted February 9, 2010 Author Share Posted February 9, 2010 I made an attempt at surface-skimmer modding my eshopps PSK75-H. It was last night before school (yeah, I work 50-60 hours a week at my job and then another 40 or so in grad school).....it is functional but ugly as sin. I cut off the slitted cone intake and built a "U" out of elbows to bring it back up to the surface. I will post a pic tonight, but it ain't pretty.... Tonight I am going to start on a lexan overflow box that will just sit over the back lip of the tank and the intake will sit inside the box. Should be simple and effective and a heck of a lot better looking. ---------------------------------------- I also added the first complex lifeforms to the community....a mated (seems that way at least) pair of Ocellaris Clowns. Not too special, but one is a misbar. Sure made my daughter happy...... Will post pics of them tonight too. Link to comment
couevas Posted February 10, 2010 Author Share Posted February 10, 2010 Here is my ugly a$$ surface skimmer mod........ I am not in any way happy with it, other than the fact that it is functional. I have already started work on an acrylic overflow box that the intake will sit in. I will post some pics of that in a couple days after the silicone fully cures and I can put it in the tank. Link to comment
Billdemart Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 If you really hate looking at it you could add some LR in front of it maybe? Link to comment
couevas Posted February 10, 2010 Author Share Posted February 10, 2010 And the new guys...... A pair of Ocellaris Clowns....one standard and one misbar. Pardon the pictures.....I have had my Rebel XT for 4 years and am still only using about 10% of its capacity. Here are some hitchhikers as well.....pretty tough to see but they look like some sort of star polyp or possibly xenia. Neither of which I would buy, but I will not eradicate them right now. Link to comment
Arkayology Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Nice start. You need to get some corals imo. Link to comment
couevas Posted February 10, 2010 Author Share Posted February 10, 2010 Yeah.....I agree. However, I was a little cautious about going from zero bio-load to two garbage truck clowns overnight. In a day or two I will see how the system has adapted and take a look at some simple softies and a cuc. .....slow goes this one. Link to comment
Arkayology Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Yeah.....I agree. However, I was a little cautious about going from zero bio-load to two garbage truck clowns overnight. In a day or two I will see how the system has adapted and take a look at some simple softies and a cuc. .....slow goes this one. Good plan. I would wait a week and then add some softies. Link to comment
Billdemart Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Love the fish. I'm going to add a pair of clowns to mine as well eventually but wanted to add a Goby Pistol pair first. Link to comment
raphaelben Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 welcome to the 20 high club! Link to comment
couevas Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 Thanks, I think I got the life support equipment set too. The overflow box I built for the skimmer seems to be working well. Link to comment
couevas Posted February 12, 2010 Author Share Posted February 12, 2010 Got a CUC last night and a Cleaner Shrimp CUC so far... 10 Nerite Snails (very small - about 1/2 inch) 10 Blue Leg Hermits (even smaller) I will try to get pics up tonight... Link to comment
couevas Posted February 13, 2010 Author Share Posted February 13, 2010 Some CUC pics..... Nerite Snail Nerite Snail Blue Leg Hermit Blue Leg Hermit Cleaner Shrimp Link to comment
Arkayology Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 That's a fine looking clean up crew. Link to comment
couevas Posted February 13, 2010 Author Share Posted February 13, 2010 I still want to get some Nassarius and Ceriths, but I don't have the waste to support them yet. Eventually I will need them..... Link to comment
couevas Posted February 15, 2010 Author Share Posted February 15, 2010 Just ordered an RO/DI..... SpectraPure ProPlus Lurking for a while....seems like AZDesertRat is the guy when it comes to RO/DI and this was the unit he always recommends. Seems pretty nice and a great deal. 149 with an inline pressure gauge, and dual-probe TDS meter. Nice built-in functionality for help in maintenance cycles and QC. 90 gpd is plenty fast enough for me... The unit I had years ago had no gauges, put out 50 gpd and cost 50 bucks more! Thanks AZ! Link to comment
couevas Posted February 15, 2010 Author Share Posted February 15, 2010 This is a lonely thread....... Is anyone reading this.....or am I just creating a build log? Link to comment
Arkayology Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 I am reading it Good thinking on the RO/DI system, it is a good deal. I need to get one myself... but I am really lazy and cheap lol. Link to comment
couevas Posted February 16, 2010 Author Share Posted February 16, 2010 Cool....nice to see someone following ... Here are a couple new corals. A tiny hammer frag and a Monti. Cap. Link to comment
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