CatfishSoupFTW Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 LATEST FTS: Hey Everyone, so around April of 2014 I got into reefing.... and well it didnt take long to get things going in the addict mode. I started off with a 10 gallon, starfire rimless build, which was basically skimmerless etc etc. just a powerhead running, and it was all fine and dandy. However, as the months progressed, I found myself wanting a sump badly. I had too much LR in the tank, and asterinas messing up my corals, and eventually had equipment hanging on the back, so with all that in mind, I figured an upgrade would suffice as a good excuse. Equipment: Tank: Aqua Inspiration 21 gallon starfire rimless cube (ish) 18x18x16 Sump: Aqua Inspiration 10 gallon starfire rimless tank with 2G skimmer chamber Skimmer: Cadlight PLS50 nano Return: Sicce Silent 3.0 Overflow: Custom Ghost Overflow from Modular Marine (ebay) Light: 54 Watt, 18 LED, 16-18K PAR38 bulb with DIY moon light Powerhead: Jebao WP10 Live Stock: Flame Tip RBTA Montiporas Pink Hippo Zoa Smashing Pumpkin Zoa Armageddon Zoa Magician Zoa Yellow Zuma Orange purple Yuma Florida Riccordia blasto Montipora and a few other exotic/designer zoas... so many god damn names, I cant remember. Naked Clownfish Oscellaris Clownfish Diamond Watchmen Goby the Nicest Neon Dottyback in the wooorrrlllddd (Jeremy Clarksons Voice insert here) Blue leggit hermit crabs sand sifting snails So before we move on to the photos there are a few things id like to say. Unfortunately just before the tear down of my 10 gallon, I had a massive asterina outbreak. they were everywhere, which at first didnt bother me, but next thing you know, id find them ontop of my zoa frags. not a big issue right? well, unfortunately, they were basically suffocating them from light ! I would pry one off before I go to school in the morning, and after a long day of school, late nights in the lab, and work at times, id come back, only to find those god damn wieners on top of my zoa frags. What this lead to? well the death to money pretty much, as I usually buy these exotic corals, which in general we know can get pricy. not to mention they also add frustration. Then the next issue I had was, when I tore down my tank, I had a big container with water, all the LR, two clowns at the time, and my corals.... well due to being busy thats how they stayed for a few days. The stress didnt do so hot on the corals. Again, more deaths. Finally, the tank was up and running, but then I got sick, had school, and a night shift coming up. 30 hours of no light, plus initial stress, equated to the death of my hammer head, and a lot of bleaching to my montiporas which someone kindly gave to me. So as you can see, things started did not go on to the best pace. the tank was tore down and built around mid to late november, to early december, cant remember, and so while I have lost a few corals, a good portion of them still survived, hence the "coral survival group". Plenty of their pigmentation was lost as well. However, here I stand, posting things, and still carrying on. Why? well, its part of the learning experience. been in the fresh water life for a while, and its not to say I havent had leaks, live stock deaths, and expenses that shouldnt have been made, but its all part of what we do as reefers. Now, that everyone is caught up on the backstory, lets get this going. Also please note, yes I am a BA Photography Student who rather use his iphone for photos than his camera.... those shots will come soon I promise. So I had the tank purchased over a month prior before the actual build commenced. Once I received the overflow through the mail, I quickly looked for all the coins I could find, to start spending some cash to get this rolling. Once I got my tank drilled at a LFS, I started off with dry fitting, and leakage testing, with the assitance of my roommate cat, Matte. lol Here is a photograph of the Ghost overflow that was custom made by Modular Marine on ebay. They dont have a site yet, but it will show up soon, but for those interested, search them up on ebay. Amazing service, super fast responses and great craftsmanship. I highly recommend. Paid 100 bucks for it, which if I got it here in Ontario, it would have cost me twice as much. Its about 8 inches in length , and on the wet site, its about an inch in depth, and 5 inches in height. I will have to double check. on the wet side, its basically the same thing, but with more depth obviously. To get the water from one side to the other, the water travels through a 1.5 inch bulkhead. It then runs down to two 1 inch drains. The return is a 3/4 inch return. filling up the tank with tank water, and figuring out how a sump works. I have never built one, have only seen them, and researched them, but its not the same until you experience it.. and possibly spill some water along the way. How things work when there is water going through it. I got some generic plumbing parts, to create a higher drain. The box was a bit tight to make a herbie like U shape, so instead of that, I made a T shape piece, that is connected to one of the 1 inch drains. By doing this, I did lower my GPH, as the water only goes through one drain, but in turn it makes an emergency drain, which I have tested. in the event that the main drain gets clogged, the water raises, and goes through that T shape secondary drain nicely. pretty pleased. Overflow box is silent beyond silent. Since everything was all dandy, initially I was going to do a mame set up with a matte finish back, but decided to drill a tank instead so to hide the plumbing I went about painting the back black. Did this out on the balcony, on the 10th floor, on a cold windy day, and so I had to lean things against the wall.... and well, lets just ignore that black mark. Here is the tank, freshly painted, in my room. Was debating onto where I wanted to place the tank. This wasnt the final spot, decided to push it against the other wall. Youll see as you scroll down. Oh, and that dog, is my dog... and his name is Pinky... he came from Colombia.... which my uncle traded for a horse....yup. here is the front view of the tank. the black paint looks great ! And here is the final placement, with everything in it , and my mounted light. Pardon the crappy dynamic range... those shots are to come soon. Ill also show off the sump stuff soon. This FTS was out of date days after it was taken. In my ten gallon this was all the LR I had. Too many skeletons, and not enough rock. So I bought some Dry rock, and mixed it up with my current LR to seed everything. Also, that hammer head, and brain coral are dead as for a few other corals.... D::::::::: tank was also cloudy at time of shoot. Link to comment
CatfishSoupFTW Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 I made a video to show my dad for when I visited my parents, to show him how I built, and plumbed it. Anyway, a bit of a quick and dirty iphone video. but again, the quality will show up I promise. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jsierra025/16272383796/ and as a note to defend these doodoo photos, here is my actual work. I am usually not proud of putting up photos on the internet that dont look great, even if its just my build log. Presentation is key ! http://cargocollective.com/sierraphotography Link to comment
Slowtwitch Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Nice body of work. Can't wait to see how the tank shots come out. Following along! Maybe I can pick up some photo pointers along the way. Link to comment
CatfishSoupFTW Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 Nice body of work. Can't wait to see how the tank shots come out. Following along! Maybe I can pick up some photo pointers along the way. much thanks! I get to sign out tons of different gear from school, so this week ill probably grab the 100 f2.8 macro lens : Link to comment
CatfishSoupFTW Posted February 21, 2015 Author Share Posted February 21, 2015 Hey everyone . sorry its been a bit quiet. Schools been busy , as well with work. Anyway, I signed out a 100 mm macro lens, and took some real quick and dirty pics. I found that my PAR38 was heavily underpowered. I was pushing iso 2000 and shooting at 2.8 if not, real close to it. I actually recently picked up a Kessil A160we, so be prepared for new photos soon! Sorry for the micro bubbles. My chaeto keeps jamming my skimmer, so things mess up there. skimmer off for now, until I make a new chamber inside my 2.5. as for live stock, with the par38, they were alive but not growing. they are doing better since the initial crash they had. With the kessil, I hope to see them grow some more. I lost the sleeper goby too. he had a parasite infection. He would eat like a champ, but by the time I sorted it out, it was too late. I know how a jawfish, who decides to make mountains with frag plugs -__- anyway, enjoy the pics. I havent taken too many tank pics, so the experience was a bit odd. Hopefully now that I have more light penetration, I can make better due with things. Link to comment
VW_TDI_02 Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Any chance you have a link to that overflow box or did you have to talk to them in order to get them to custom make it? Assuming that's 1" PVC, that's the exact box that I've been looking for. Well, even if it isn't 1" PVC then it's still perfect. Link to comment
CatfishSoupFTW Posted February 21, 2015 Author Share Posted February 21, 2015 Any chance you have a link to that overflow box or did you have to talk to them in order to get them to custom make it? Assuming that's 1" PVC, that's the exact box that I've been looking for. Well, even if it isn't 1" PVC then it's still perfect. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1800-gph-LOW-PROFILE-Overflow-Box-Bulkhead-Mounted-aquarium-surface-skimmer-/191281654428 here yeah go. I got their email too if youd like that ( or shoot them a PM on ebay) the guy responds real quick. great service. what I did at the time was, I messaged them telling them I wanted the ghost overflow design, but much smaller. so we spoke back and forth, and he told me what he recommends, etc etc. Business went well. Link to comment
VW_TDI_02 Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 http://www.ebay.com/itm/1800-gph-LOW-PROFILE-Overflow-Box-Bulkhead-Mounted-aquarium-surface-skimmer-/191281654428 here yeah go. I got their email too if youd like that ( or shoot them a PM on ebay) the guy responds real quick. great service. what I did at the time was, I messaged them telling them I wanted the ghost overflow design, but much smaller. so we spoke back and forth, and he told me what he recommends, etc etc. Business went well. That's awesome and if you could PM me their email that would be fantastic. Do you recall about how long it took for them to build and send it to you? I'm currently running an Eshopps overflow box and I'm not a fan of it. Plus, there is no back up in case the one drain gets clogged. $100 is pretty reasonable for such build quality. Link to comment
CatfishSoupFTW Posted February 21, 2015 Author Share Posted February 21, 2015 That's awesome and if you could PM me their email that would be fantastic. Do you recall about how long it took for them to build and send it to you? I'm currently running an Eshopps overflow box and I'm not a fan of it. Plus, there is no back up in case the one drain gets clogged. $100 is pretty reasonable for such build quality. yup, will do. the original build time was suppose to be around 7-10 business days, but they had an issue with their cnc machine for a while, so i had to wait about 3 weeks. Hiccup aside, it was worth it. Shipping was reduced to 45 bucks or so. And that including the overflow box, return pump, true union valves, ball valves, and some bulkheads. that - and it came from texas, all the way to Oakville Ontario. so it may even be cheaper for you. Link to comment
VW_TDI_02 Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 yup, will do. the original build time was suppose to be around 7-10 business days, but they had an issue with their cnc machine for a while, so i had to wait about 3 weeks. Hiccup aside, it was worth it. Shipping was reduced to 45 bucks or so. And that including the overflow box, return pump, true union valves, ball valves, and some bulkheads. that - and it came from texas, all the way to Oakville Ontario. so it may even be cheaper for you. Damn, guess I'm going to have to wait for my tax return before I get this. Now I just need to get a bulkhead for the return and find someone to drill my tank. [Edit] Sent him an email and I guess Christmas might come very early this year. Link to comment
myarmolich Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I noticed your tank is located in your bedroom, just like mine. Is your overflow/return setup loud? im kinda nervous taking the plunge with a sump because my sleep is valuable to me Link to comment
Spiderguardnano Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Can you pm his email please? Link to comment
CosmicCanine Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Following, Lovin it man! Keep up the good work! Link to comment
CatfishSoupFTW Posted February 22, 2015 Author Share Posted February 22, 2015 Can you pm his email please? Yup, will do, sorry for the late response. was doing a photoshoot. I noticed your tank is located in your bedroom, just like mine. Is your overflow/return setup loud? im kinda nervous taking the plunge with a sump because my sleep is valuable to me So the way I have it right now, there are two 1 inch drains. One of them runs straight down, so the water fills the box, and down the drain via soft plumbing. There is a ball valve which I have throttled, that way the overflow about as silent as silent is. If its wide open, its really loud. toilet drain loud. But because one drain being throttled can be an issue of potentially clogging up, what I did with the second drain, is that I used a pvc piece that would raise the height of the second drain. In the event that the back chamber of the overflow fills up, the water just overflows into the second drain. The drain is wide open so that it takes more than it usually does. in that second drain, the raised pvc piece is into a Y shape, thats why you see two white drains. but it just leads to one. (hope that makes sense) I did this so that there are two entry points, and the air escapes. So in other words - yes its silent. What I do hear is my fairly quiet return pump (sicce 3.0), and my pls 50 nano which is a little bit loud due to those bubble being made. But, its also because my bedside table is open. I plan on on making a skirt out of some nice plywood that way I can just slide it out, and it should dampen the noise nicely. I also have a 55 gallon freshwater tank with 3 canisters that run. so things are pretty quiet, but i can hear casual hums from the tank. depends how you are, but i dont go sleep with stress. Link to comment
Cove Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Man that tank looks ridiculous! Link to comment
CatfishSoupFTW Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 hey guys I have a question. So the kessil a160we is a beauty of a light. i love it. atm with no controller, im trying to figure out what power level i should comfortably leave it at for now. its only a 40 watt light, but its also a point source light. the spread is perfect for an 18x18 tank, but i am confused about the power. naturally, do to what the eye can see it does seem pretty bright at 10k than it does at 22k. I have found very to little PAR readings ( to get a general idea) of how much the kessil outputs. and with the 160we being new, i find no content! i have found 360we info and some 150, and it seems that par ratings are low? now of course, par isnt the only thing that grows things, but i was curious, is even 100 percent power enough for mixed reef? i only have montis and the rest are lps, but i would like to dabble with sps eventually. mildly concerned if the power of the light will suffice..... orrrr, if 100 percent at 8 hours a day is too much? i mean, prior no one dimmed halide or T5 so choosing power and height is important ! any knowledge someone can chuck at me? Link to comment
CatfishSoupFTW Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 anyone? also, was contemplating Bluefish controller for more control, over the kessil spectral controller . thoughts? Link to comment
CatfishSoupFTW Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 Hey everyone. little update here. some new proper photos. I havent had a chance to get the 100 mm macro but I was actually photographing an aerospace museum around here, and I had some nice gear with me. the gear is meant for well lit environments, and even though the kessil can be bright, I always find tanks still need quite a bit of light to get a nice pic. for you tech freaks: Phase One 645DF body Phase One P45+ 120mm F4 MF macro lens the camera is a beast, and the size of a house (ill see if i can update with a photo) but the low light performance is doodoo. I was pushing iso 400 and under exposing by almost 2 stops. I then brought it up to 800 but still found I needed more. the DR by then was a bit garbage, but it was still fun using such a camera for this. lol Not every day.XD UPDATE: here As for the below pics, I shot everything at the Kessils warmest and coolest point. 10K for the warmest and about 22-24K on the actinic point. Hope you like! :DDDDDDDD Link to comment
Slowtwitch Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Sorry I can't help with the lighting questions. Never used Kessil or bluefish. New photos are amazing though. Great job. Link to comment
Jay67chevy Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Nice build and pics Catfish! And I'm not far behind with my build. 40gal ADA 75p should arrive this Friday, I'm so excited but it's kinda Pointless to get too excited. As you know patience, research, and careful Planning is the only way to succeed in this hobby. I've also ordered the 8in low profile overflow from ModularMarine. Waiting to Speak with the guys before I have them customize it. My tank is 30Lx18x18 and will Setup overflow and return on the back 18in wall (peninsula setup) just like yours. Wanted to run the BeanAnimal into this overflow but after reading your posts not Sure this is possible with the limited space in that box. We'll see what They suggest. I'll start a new build thread once the tank gets here and will def bounce some ideas off ya if you don't mind Keep up the good work. This hobby is so addicting Link to comment
Jay67chevy Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Here's the mockup layout. Black box is just cardboard And a pic of the current setup / soon to be quarantine Tank when I move everything over. 7mo old, no corals Till all gear is in place. Link to comment
CatfishSoupFTW Posted April 10, 2015 Author Share Posted April 10, 2015 Here's the mockup layout. Black box is just cardboard And a pic of the current setup / soon to be quarantine Tank when I move everything over. 7mo old, no corals Till all gear is in place. whhhaattt ! ADA and a nice overflow from modular marine would be so nice! I want an ada so bad. I wish they did a 12 long! i know Mr. aqua also makes a low iron one, but still not as clear as ada. the 60P is nice, but I want something not as wide. Or upgrading my 55 to ada. Is a standard 55 at 48 long. An ada tank at that length would be so expensive! ill for sure like to follow along the build log. What kessil is that? how do you like it ? Link to comment
Cencalfishguy56 Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 whhhaattt ! ADA and a nice overflow from modular marine would be so nice! I want an ada so bad. I wish they did a 12 long! i know Mr. aqua also makes a low iron one, but still not as clear as ada. the 60P is nice, but I want something not as wide. Or upgrading my 55 to ada. Is a standard 55 at 48 long. An ada tank at that length would be so expensive! ill for sure like to follow along the build log. What kessil is that? how do you like it ? Hey man I had the same question about my a160we and emailed customer service and told them about my tank and inhabitants and they gave me a schedule with my spectral controller and how high off the water it should hang, if you would like I can post the pic of that email here? Also to my knowledge this light will grow anything especially in your dimensions Link to comment
Jay67chevy Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Good Idea emailing Kessil for some lighting suggestions. I've also got the A160WE The ADA tanks are expensive but not too bad. Mine was $330 for the tank & garden matt. What really got expensive was the shipping, 260 for the crate and shipping. BTW Modular Marine said plumbing the BeanAnimal is possible in the 8in slim overflow just need to trim the excess off the bulkhead for some added space and may need to get creative to fit everything in, but they did think it can work. We shall see. Im going to be nervous as hell drilling 2 holes in this new tank. I think im gonna see who can do it locally thats got some experience. Not that it looks that difficult using the right tools. Link to comment
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