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Lazarus Project - Godzilla's (Evanski) Fluval 2G


evanski

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Received the Minijet 606 today in the mail and installed according to the excellent instructions posted in the inTank thread in the Sponsor Forums. Easy as pie, took all of two minutes. Will keep the stock pump to mix small volumes of saltwater.

 

The pump is rated at over 150 GPH, which gives me 75X turnover...more than what I would need to keep SPS and markedly (3 times?) previous flow with the stock pump. If you have a V, this gives you around 30X turnover which may or may not be enough for your SPS needs. At least with the V you might have enough space for a small powerhead to boost circulation in the display area.

 

However, do not be fooled...it is WAY MORE flow than the stock pump despite what I have seen posted occasionally.

 

Love it and highly recommend it to Fluval tank keepers.

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LOVE the tank, but then the cost of the tank itself is only about 10% of the total I have spent! Wanted something clean (minimal exposed wires, quiet, etc.) and easy to maintain. Will see how it goes when the coral starts going in.

 

haha...same here. I bought a fluval spec V because it was on sale and cheap. $65 tank sooo cheap. After inTank media basket, 606 pump, new light, it's not so cheap anymore =(.

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I am in around $400, but this actually is EVERYTHING including a smattering of nice starter zoanthids/palys from Your Reef in Roseville, CA (can't recommend them enough) at 75% off during their black Friday sale.

 

Operating costs should be minimal from here on out. I also have my eye on a DIY top-off system, but after that nothing in terms of additional hardware.

 

Coral, however, is another story! I am looking at some hardy SPS and colorful acans, zoanthids/palys, and a ricordia garden...

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Got the goods.

 

Swedish fish were eaten first. Thanks for the clownfish sticker, Steve! Gonna put it on the Jeep.

 

Skimmer attached, but I am waiting until end of cycle to replace the stock sponge and media with awesome new media basket and such.

 

Just starting to get diatoms here and there on the glass and sand. New test kit tells me

 

pH 8.2

0.25 ppm ammonia

0.25 ppm nitrite

10 ppm nitrate

 

10 days into cycle with sweet live rock and dead sand. Figure another week or so will see me through.

 

Fluval2003.jpg

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OK, quick param update...

 

pH 8.2

0 ppm ammonia

0 ppm nitrite

0 ppm nitrate

 

I assume the quick diatom bloom (which is scraped from windows and is now receding from the sand and rock) consumed the nitrates produced.

 

Going to go get a mini CUC and see how that goes. I also replaced the stock filtration sponge/media with the inTank media basket, Purigen, CPE, and floss (bottom to top). Little cloudy to start, but imagine this will clear up rapidly. The media basket impinges on the light clam, so i will have to trim some additional material from the back notch of the cover to scoot the light over another 1/2".

 

Assuming all goes well with that, I plan on running down the hill to Roseville/Sacramento and getting the frags I have on hold at Your Reef in the next week or two.

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Last two posts were mine...wonder if anyone is still reading along :o

 

Put a preliminary CUC in. A hermit (supposed to be scarlet, was garden-variety blue-leg :furious:) Mex Turbo, and Turban. Everyone seems to be doing well, munching on minor algae here and there.

 

Going down the hill, picking up my first couple of frags this weekend! Pics to follow...

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I actually really want to see this i have seen these tanks as reefs at my lfs and they were selling it as a package set up already. With some zoas and palys and a chalice

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I'm still following, along. I'm letting you mess up before I do with my Fluval :)

 

With that said, are there any things you wish you had done differently?

And how long did your cycle take?

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No major regrets...had many tanks including several picos. Going simple, clean, and VERY good chem and bio filtration. Check back after the weekend for the new coral. CUC seems to be settling in well.

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I think you lurkers are missing the true goal of my build thread...not so much for documentation and feedback but rather to stroke my ego with your accolades. Get with it! B)

 

OK...thanks for following along. Looking forward to getting some coral and color in here soon.

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I did not plug the lower hole because I wanted to make sure that the media basket fits, but have plans to glue a frag of GSP over it when I start adding corals.

 

Great idea! Wish I'd thought of it before I plugged it up with plastic...

 

Because the opening in the back on the lid is offset and the clamp on the Boost LED fixture is so wide...you will have to trim the lid about 1/16" to make it fit. I think the lid is made out of polycarbonate, so I was afraid to try to cut it because I thought it would shatter. Instead, I used a dremel tool with a rough grit sandpaper barrel. It did not actually sand the material away, but rather melted it bit by bit. I just removed the excess material with my fingernail.

 

I have the heater wire, ATO sensor, ATO output, light mount, and pump wire coming out the top so I've given up on the lid :P

 

Oh, and how long was that cycle after all?

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Here are some CUC pics. Experimenting a bit with the iPhone 5 photo presets, which look better than the HORRIBLY overcolored pics I have been taking.

 

Hermit.

http://s1093.photobucket.com/user/evanski1/media/Fluval/IMG_0998.jpg.html'>IMG_0998.jpg

 

Astrea

http://s1093.photobucket.com/user/evanski1/media/Fluval/IMG_0999.jpg.html'>IMG_0999.jpg

 

Stoma? This guy is FAST and can lap the entire tank in about 30 seconds. The hermit would never catch him!

http://s1093.photobucket.com/user/evanski1/media/Fluval/IMG_1001.jpg.html'>IMG_1001.jpg

 

FTS

http://s1093.photobucket.com/user/evanski1/media/Fluval/IMG_1002.jpg.html'>IMG_1002.jpg



I have the heater wire, ATO sensor, ATO output, light mount, and pump wire coming out the top so I've given up on the lid :P

 

Oh, and how long was that cycle after all?

 

You could always burr a notch in the back with a dremel...

 

Cycle was 8-10 days. I did not test often, just let it go. CUC seems health and happy cruising sand and rock.

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OK...now, what color of birdsnest? I have had the pink before, which is awesome...but the green is also striking. Will have both green and pink zoa/palys, so will have to try to balance color distribution when the time comes for SPS. I also have my eye on RED, purple, and green monti caps, as well as Superman/Tyree sunset encrusting monties.

Bird of Paradise or Ponape are nice too!!!!!
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Bird of Paradise or Ponape are nice too!!!!!

You know I have a 2G tank, right???

 

It's of to a great start. Any plans on what kind of fish your thinking of adding?

Had a conversation earlier in the thread with Gina, Pinner Reef, and others...

 

We agree that a Naso Tang is too big, Clown Gobies might pick at the SPS. Neon Goby might work, and Pinner recommended a Flamig Prawn Goby. These are insanely beautiful, rare, and :bling:

 

To be honest, I think I will stick with coral and inverts given size. Bioload issues are a bit scary, so I might go with some interesting crabs/shrimp.

 

Any suggestions? Pom Pom comes to mind.

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You know I have a 2G tank, right???

 

I'm pretty sure you can keep birdsnests in a tank that small, as long as your lighting is adequate. Or are you worried about it overgrowing everything?

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Vouching for the Pom Pom :) In a tank that small, he'll make his appearances every now and then, plus lots of places to hide. I just handfeed mine a tiny piece of shrimp every now and then and he's good to go. Tank's looking nice, btw.

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I'm pretty sure you can keep birdsnests in a tank that small, as long as your lighting is adequate. Or are you worried about it overgrowing everything?

Oh yes, I know it will grow just fine under my PAR30. I was just teasing Gena, who seems to think that you can ALWAYS add more coral. Kind of like "There is always room for Jello!" OVergrowing is not a concern as they frag very (almost too) easily.

 

But now that I have been perusing the pics of BOP and Ponape, I want them too. I am picking up my first coral this weekend and will have to steel myself to be principled and NOT buy a bunch of SPS until my tank is a little older!

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You know I have a 2G tank, right???

 

 

Had a conversation earlier in the thread with Gina, Pinner Reef, and others...

 

We agree that a Naso Tang is too big, Clown Gobies might pick at the SPS. Neon Goby might work, and Pinner recommended a Flamig Prawn Goby. These are insanely beautiful, rare, and :bling:

 

To be honest, I think I will stick with coral and inverts given size. Bioload issues are a bit scary, so I might go with some interesting crabs/shrimp.

 

Any suggestions? Pom Pom comes to mind.

Yes, of course I know ;). I was just throwing out other color suggestions besides the green and pink you mentioned :).
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