sogreedy23 Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 So it's finally all coming together! My super simple shallow build. This will pretty much be a continuation of my current 10 gallon tank. I like simplicity so all we're rolling with is powerhead, lights and a heater. This means no carbon, no CPE, no filter floss, no canister, no ATO, no skimmer, nothing man. What's in store: Vortech MP10 24 inch 4x24 watt TEK light 100 watt Rena heater And now the masterpiece! Well, it won't be here for another 2-3 weeks, but! The masterpiece will be built by Chris over at PicoAquariums, with the some sweet dimensions: 24" x 15" x 8.5" of shallow starphire beauty. Some plans I have for the upgrade: Upgrade my bluebox Vortech to an EcoSmart model (really just want a newer one to have warranty again) Replace my reflectors in my TEK because of salt spray and staining, along with my bulbs Maybe add a Tunze 6015 in the back corner for added surface agitation Quick equipment setup plans These will probably be happening over the course of the summer. I'm also thinking about using black tile instead of my black sand, just as a change of scenery. There would be black sand in the back right mangrove corner though. Current tank: Stocking will be similar. I currently have one O. clown and a YWG. My simple CUC consists of 3 trochus snails, 3 hermits, 1 turbo and 1 astrea. I'll be adding some ceriths and dwarf ceriths, thats all. For coral, I've got a branching purple tip frogspawn and a wall green tip frogspawn. I have (what I thought was a frogspawn but doesn't bubble) what looks kind of like a purple tipped purple cristata. Also have a silver hammer and a purple tipped hammer, both branching. I'm trying to recover my duncans (have both branching and wall sp), after they were lost within the rock for almost a year. For softies, I have xenia that is close to the back wall, some rhodactis, green striped mushrooms, some generic palys, gsp, kenya tree and a toadstool. Only macro I've got is some chaeto in the back left corner. Edit: iPhone pictures suck! I'll probably at least be using a real P&S when the build finally starts though. Also, please ignore the mess on my desk behind the tank, no one said my dorm was clean:) Link to comment
Mini-Dude Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Very nice!!!! I think you should have them side by side to show contrast Link to comment
Mini-Dude Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 very nice edit... like the title Link to comment
sogreedy23 Posted April 5, 2011 Author Share Posted April 5, 2011 Those dimensions are amazing. Figured you'd like them! You need a tank man, you getting back into it yet? Link to comment
Monsieur Kam Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 Very nice! I like it a lot, very simple . Link to comment
d'Espresso Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 sweeeet! can't wait to see it sweeeet! can't wait to see it Link to comment
sogreedy23 Posted April 5, 2011 Author Share Posted April 5, 2011 Thanks Hopefully I'll have enough room for all my coral now! At some point I'll be getting a 4" rbta also, woohoo! I may start introducing some ricordeas and I think I'll start my hunt for an orange wall hammer, that will probably be my nice show piece. Link to comment
Zer0 Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Actually, i probably am in a month or so. Just gathering everything i need while not breaking the bank. Gotta pay for other things and i don't exactly have much income lol. I already haz plans. Regardless, rest assured i'll be watching this one very closely. My next tank was going to be around the same dimensions, but it got cut short. :/ Link to comment
sogreedy23 Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 Actually, i probably am in a month or so. Just gathering everything i need while not breaking the bank. Gotta pay for other things and i don't exactly have much income lol. I already haz plans. Regardless, rest assured i'll be watching this one very closely. My next tank was going to be around the same dimensions, but it got cut short. :/ i know what you mean with the limited income..the only reason this is happening is because it's a birthday present lol. my summer upgrades will all be from any money that i can possibly save after gas, car, partying and what we'll refer to as "miscellaneous expenses" lol. it'll take a while but by fall semester it should be completely done. i'm sure you're getting ready to unleash a shallow beast, but this time please o please! get it wet! good luck with it, i look forward to seeing it! edit: oh! if you want another acrylic tank, theres a dude in the city that makes them. he just set up shop in his basement, apparently he's got some sick prices. if you're ever on manhattanreefs at all i'm sure you've heard of custom king, he's going like legit now. Link to comment
DimePieceReef Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Sounds sweet greedy! I like the mangrove idea covering the heate too. How much total water volume will it be? Looking foward to pics! Link to comment
sogreedy23 Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 Sounds sweet greedy! I like the mangrove idea covering the heate too. How much total water volume will it be? Looking foward to pics! Thanks! It'll be just about 13 gallons. I'm hoping I get the tank in my hands in like two weeks, I can't wait! I've never had mangroves before though so I'm not really positive on how it'll look and how they will fare living off of the T5s. I'd just really like to hide that stuff though, all I want visible is the vortech, glass, and my livestock. As you can see in my current pictures my vortech isn't even shown , I just wanna see some uninterrupted livestock , hence the idea of simplicity. Link to comment
lawnmowerblenny Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 ooo sweet, if you want it simple get that stupid gatorade bottle out of there and throw a background up so you can see better and not just a view of the garbage behind the tank... on to a more positive note... where are the mangroves and are you starting with seed or are you getting plants with leaves? Link to comment
sogreedy23 Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 The mangroves are coming with the new tank and won't be grown from seeds. A local has a bunch of 10"+ leafy ones that I plan on buying, i'll probably buy like 7 or 8 of them. As for the background I won't be using one. It will have its own stand when I get home and the new build won't be in the same spot as this one. I'll be redoing my dorm to sit the tank on a bigger dresser and there will only be a wall behind it. Hope that makes you feel better:) Link to comment
lawnmowerblenny Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 good stuff, I was just curious, I have 3 seeds germinating that I ordered from reef cleaners i ordered 5 but 2 were garbage... the reason I am deffensive about FNI fixtures is because I've spent like $400 on a couple of there fixtures and never had any problems... I'm running stock bulbs so when people say they are "garbage" I simply ask for your reasoning. Not trying to be a dick, I just need proof and if it cant be provided I feel it's only right for me to say something back... I have had incredible growth w/ all my fixtures, def not the best quality... def not the same you would get withh a $500+ fixture, but for a begginer that wants to be able to keep any coral they want, then FNI is a great starter light and you can upgrade the bulbs and yes I know a $50 bulb will be better than a free/$20 bulb as far as MH goes. T-5 fixture, I have one also and every coral under it is doing amazing! LPS softies and a couple sps stock bulbs.... yes i know they are low quality but I see no justice in trashing them, just seems wasteful... I will upgrade when it's time for new bulbs.... wouldnt buy there bulbs from them unless I was on a crazy tight budget and simply couldnt afford better bulbs... the best 24" t-5 I can get is like 25-30$ and the best MH Bulb is like $40-60 so if your broke in this recession then ya feel me on the cheap FNI stuff, will keep corals alive and happy and provides enough light to get the job done, thats all im saying...I never demanded anyone to buy FNI only made a suggestion... sorry to throw this on yur tank thread but figured I'd try and clear the air w/ you. Link to comment
sogreedy23 Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 good stuff, I was just curious, I have 3 seeds germinating that I ordered from reef cleaners i ordered 5 but 2 were garbage... the reason I am deffensive about FNI fixtures is because I've spent like $400 on a couple of there fixtures and never had any problems... I'm running stock bulbs so when people say they are "garbage" I simply ask for your reasoning. Not trying to be a dick, I just need proof and if it cant be provided I feel it's only right for me to say something back... I have had incredible growth w/ all my fixtures, def not the best quality... def not the same you would get withh a $500+ fixture, but for a begginer that wants to be able to keep any coral they want, then FNI is a great starter light and you can upgrade the bulbs and yes I know a $50 bulb will be better than a free/$20 bulb as far as MH goes. T-5 fixture, I have one also and every coral under it is doing amazing! LPS softies and a couple sps stock bulbs.... yes i know they are low quality but I see no justice in trashing them, just seems wasteful... I will upgrade when it's time for new bulbs.... wouldnt buy there bulbs from them unless I was on a crazy tight budget and simply couldnt afford better bulbs... the best 24" t-5 I can get is like 25-30$ and the best MH Bulb is like $40-60 so if your broke in this recession then ya feel me on the cheap FNI stuff, will keep corals alive and happy and provides enough light to get the job done, thats all im saying...I never demanded anyone to buy FNI only made a suggestion... sorry to throw this on yur tank thread but figured I'd try and clear the air w/ you. Na man I appreciate it and understand, part of the reason I didn't reply in the other thread was because it would get nasty for no reason. As for FNI fixtures, they put out good power and are a great value. All I'm saying is its not the only budget T5 option. I always recommend people buy a used higher quality light, thats all. Thats not to say that everything more expensive is better, because that isn't true at all. I wouldn't spend the extra money on a Nova Extreme when I like where my money is going towards a FNI better, ya know? I spent like $140 on my used TEK. Had I known that if i saved $30 over my FNI light I could have gotten this with bulbs in the first place, I would rather do that. As for the bulbs, sure, they can grow coral at limited depths, 4 bulbs is a lot of light. I got 2 actinics and 2 20k bulbs and it was still very yellow. When only the actinics were on it just looked like blue windex with limited pop. I do have experience with their bulbs and I kept them for a few months because I didn't have the money to upgrade my lighting situation since I don't work. I got a NEP 6 bulb fixture once i got the money and moved on. I really do see where you're coming from in keeping things on a tighter budget, all I'm suggesting is that you don't take such offense if someone says something bad about the lights, bulbs specifically. On that other thread, the guy was looking for a higher quality light and had the money to do so, so FNI wasn't his target and had concerns with build quality. His statement about starting fires was unwarranted and unsupported by any stories, but IMO there wasn't a need for an argument. I don't think you have to be the spokesperson or crusader for FNI, there are tons of people happy with their product. I'm very hippy status, lol, live and let live man don't let it bug you. All you can do on forums is offer your point of view or advice, but you can't be mad or upset if you see opposition (like on the light) or if someone chooses not to take your advice. You and I both know that bastards on this site are stubborn for no reason and like to learn stuff the hard way and we've all had experiences like that! Thanks for clearing out there air man, hope you see where I was coming from. I just noticed I went on this whole big thing and rambled. Sorry lol Link to comment
lawnmowerblenny Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 +1 I agree man that's all I was trying to say if it came out the wrong way it's not what I meant... I suggested the 14k pheonix because thats what im doing when upgrade time comes =D Thanks for not being like those other bastards! I appreciate that. Thanks again, LB Link to comment
Mini-Dude Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 hey sorry about not sending the addy SG Link to comment
sogreedy23 Posted May 9, 2011 Author Share Posted May 9, 2011 UPDATE TIME!! So I went home for spring break, stoked about getting the tank while I was home, and it looked like UPS played soccer with my package . The tank was obviously cracked but Chris from PicoAquariums has been great with working with me and fought UPS until they issued the insurance refund-great job Chris!. Now, it's the waiting game. I'm finishing up my semester and won't be able to see the tank until then, and Chris will hopefully send me some teasers before the tank goes out sometime this week. I ended up just buying another Vortech, this time I got an MP10w ES. Why the wireless you may ask? Meh, I had the funds available and got it for a good price. Hoping that the investment will be returned if ever I feel like selling it, and if I at some point upgrade again to a larger system. I've got a couple teaser pics, but I'll put this disclaimer out now- I lack any photography skills and am using an 8MP P&S, so please bear with me. The big part of a great tank is the photographer behind the lens and I'm hoping to get better. I like messing with the crappy macro setting, so yea lol. Equipment: Silver hammer: Clown doin' his thang Playing with macro, lots of purple Link to comment
sogreedy23 Posted May 9, 2011 Author Share Posted May 9, 2011 Chris shipped the tank out today! Too bad I won't see it for another two weeks Link to comment
sogreedy23 Posted May 10, 2011 Author Share Posted May 10, 2011 So I'm starting to think of a bulb combo and also thinking about my front to back layout. I'm thinking of: Back A ATI Aquablue Special B UVL Super Actinic B ATI Blue+ A ATI Purple Plus Front The A bulbs are controlled by the same switch, same with B. I'm looking for a lot of pop with the Super Actinic, but I have no idea how to place the bulbs to get a nice color. Also thinking of replacing the ABS with like a GE 6500K. Looking to get nice balance, pop, color from my reds and purples but also my greens. I think I'm going to keep the whiter bulb in the back because my macros will be back there. The light will be kind of high off the surface so that the bulbs will hopefully blend together a bit. Really hope Weet can help me out with this! I shall summon her with my thread description. Any input will be greatly appreciated, bulbs will be ordered relatively soon but I'd love to have it thought out and planned ahead of time. Link to comment
Weetabix7 Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 So I'm starting to think of a bulb combo and also thinking about my front to back layout. I'm thinking of: Back A ATI Aquablue Special B UVL Super Actinic B ATI Blue+ A ATI Purple Plus Front The A bulbs are controlled by the same switch, same with B. I'm looking for a lot of pop with the Super Actinic, but I have no idea how to place the bulbs to get a nice color. Also thinking of replacing the ABS with like a GE 6500K. Looking to get nice balance, pop, color from my reds and purples but also my greens. I think I'm going to keep the whiter bulb in the back because my macros will be back there. The light will be kind of high off the surface so that the bulbs will hopefully blend together a bit. Really hope Weet can help me out with this! I shall summon her with my thread description. Any input will be greatly appreciated, bulbs will be ordered relatively soon but I'd love to have it thought out and planned ahead of time. Huh, wha??! You called?? I would really not replace the Aquablue Special w/a GE 6500k in that bulb lineup. The GE's are really yellow and you have to have a lot of blue to balance them out. Like prob 2 Blue+ and 1 Super Actinic to do it properly. But if you do 2 Blue+, 1 Super Actinic and 1 GE 6500, you won't get the pop with reds and purples that you are looking for. This is just opinion (as all of this is to a certain extent), but I would not personally put a GE 6500k in anything less than a 5 or 6 bulb setup, unless it's an all Macro tank or something. The Super Actinic will give you pop, but it won't give you a lot of pop, because it's a dim bulb. The effect of the Super Actinic tends to be subtle and not overt. I've never tried that bulb combo so I'm not totally sure how it will look. Won't be awful, but just don't know other than that. It might be slightly less blue than you are expecting, because of the subtle effect of the Super Actinic. You're gonna have to play around with bulb position a little bit to get the effect you want, but I would recommend switching the Blue+ and Super Actinic with each to start and see how you like that. Link to comment
sogreedy23 Posted May 10, 2011 Author Share Posted May 10, 2011 Huh, wha??! You called?? I would really not replace the Aquablue Special w/a GE 6500k in that bulb lineup. The GE's are really yellow and you have to have a lot of blue to balance them out. Like prob 2 Blue+ and 1 Super Actinic to do it properly. But if you do 2 Blue+, 1 Super Actinic and 1 GE 6500, you won't get the pop with reds and purples that you are looking for. This is just opinion (as all of this is to a certain extent), but I would not personally put a GE 6500k in anything less than a 5 or 6 bulb setup, unless it's an all Macro tank or something. The Super Actinic will give you pop, but it won't give you a lot of pop, because it's a dim bulb. The effect of the Super Actinic tends to be subtle and not overt. I've never tried that bulb combo so I'm not totally sure how it will look. Won't be awful, but just don't know other than that. It might be slightly less blue than you are expecting, because of the subtle effect of the Super Actinic. You're gonna have to play around with bulb position a little bit to get the effect you want, but I would recommend switching the Blue+ and Super Actinic with each to start and see how you like that. I knew I could count on you:) so let me tell you the train of thought: the 6500K GE was just a thought last minute and I thought it'd be a nice growth bulb, owell. As for the super actinic, I thought it would give me the most pop and a "truer" actinic blue in my tank. As of right now, I inherited a set up with a current 460 bulb and a Giesmann Actinic Plus and it looks very meh, 20k ish to me (and that's without my daylights running). The thing is I've never seen that ATI combo, but assumed the blue+ would be a similar color, probably a bad assumption. I just want a strong blue with sick pop on greens when only actinics are on, balance from the puple+, and whatever bulb will support those as my last one. They might be ordered in like a week or two so that I'm home when they arrive. Another issue I'm having is figuring out-if I want a bluer looking tank, I'd position the actinics on the A slots, day lights on the B slots, right? This bulb position thing is silly :amgry: I cant wait SG!!!!!! Welcome back Link to comment
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