LJMitchell87 Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Hello All, Its been almost 10 years since my last reef tank, and I'm finally settled into a new home with a steady income to set it up again. On top of that, I just discovered a fantastic LFS that can get almost anything for me. I'm looking for suggestions on a really killer setup for high end corals and maybe a single fish. Here's what I know: Deep Blue 7.5g Rimless Cube Money is no object I emailed Bill from reef torch about the ReefTorch Nano, because it looked pretty good. Beyond that, help me spend my money! I will be excited to provide pics and updates as this goes on. Thanks ahead of time! Link to comment
Sal10104 Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 id use a aquatic life 115 protein skimmer for your skimming i would use some nice light but i have no idea what light is right for that tank, i only have bigger tanks but don't use too fine sand use special grade sand and i think vortech pumps are a waste of money just use a small hydor pump, for your fish i would go with a fancy type of fire fish. Good luck Link to comment
Nixperience Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 AI prime is an awesome light. Just got it and love it. Tunze 9001 skimmer pretty compact, effective and quiet. I also have the vortech mp10, which is sweet, but in your tank, you'll be running it at 10-20%, but it's still sweet of money is no object. Reefkeeper lite for a controller. My temp doesn't fluctuate more than .2 degrees now that I have the controller set up. Spend spend spend hahaha. Link to comment
ABC Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Hello All, Its been almost 10 years since my last reef tank, and I'm finally settled into a new home with a steady income to set it up again. On top of that, I just discovered a fantastic LFS that can get almost anything for me. I'm looking for suggestions on a really killer setup for high end corals and maybe a single fish. Here's what I know: Deep Blue 7.5g Rimless Cube Money is no object I emailed Bill from reef torch about the ReefTorch Nano, because it looked pretty good. Beyond that, help me spend my money! I will be excited to provide pics and updates as this goes on. Thanks ahead of time! That's great I have a 7.5 rimless I'm running a Kessil a160we light it's adjustable so you don't cook the corals, and I use a Apex to control it.An aqua clear 30 or50 hob filter would work great for this setup. I would checkout Igreen guide to nano fish for stocking ideas. Good Luck Link to comment
LJMitchell87 Posted December 29, 2015 Author Share Posted December 29, 2015 Ok all, Im approaching a final list with all of your help: Light: Kessil 165we Controller: Apex Jr Pump: Hydor Koralia 240 Filter: AQ50 Heater: Cobalt Neo-therm Any comments/suggestions before I place the order? Am i missing anything? Link to comment
myarmolich Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Id honestly suggest a Nanobox over the Kessil if your budget can handle it! Ive heard nothing but good things about Dave's lights and I recently joined the hype as well! Link to comment
jolee0722 Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 I would go with a nanobox tide for lighting. After getting a controller for the kessil, the nanobox would be cheaper plus it already comes with wifi control. There is also an apex controller adapter for the nanobox as well. It is highly customizable, amazing quality, has a great color spectrum and Dave is super nice to work with. Customer service is on point. There are tons of people on this forum who use his lights if you want to check it out. Definitely go with the cobalt neo-therm for the heater as they are really precise and just are an added failsafe, which you can never have enough of. Apex Jr. is good, but if you plan to buy a pH probe, it is better to just get the full Apex, which is more expandable for the future. Looks like you're not going to have a sump and the AQ50 is great. Are you going to make it a refugium or add an intank media basket? Ok last couple of things. For sand, special grade from caribsea is nice and what go flying everywhere with a high flow. For rock, reefcleaners is recommended by many and the reef rock 2.1 is super cool and eco friendly. Pukani is cool but phosphate problems almost always arise from them if not properly cured and that takes time. Lastly, you might want to look into getting an ATO as the tank is pretty small. You're also going to need a bunch of test kits. Link to comment
LJMitchell87 Posted December 29, 2015 Author Share Posted December 29, 2015 Yeah, I've yet to decide just what to do with the AQ50. What would be my ideal setup with it? Also, just ordered the NanoBox Tide Plus! Link to comment
jolee0722 Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 There are two ways you can run it. The first is by modding the media basket and setting it up as a refugium with some chaeto. The other way is to buy one of these: shop.mediabaskets.com/AquaClear-50-Media-Basket-AC50MR.htm. You can run it with some filter floss, chemipure and purigen. Link to comment
Nixperience Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Buy the media basket Link to comment
LJMitchell87 Posted January 7, 2016 Author Share Posted January 7, 2016 Ok everyone! I've set up a lot of stuff since last we spoke. Here's what I have going: Deep Blue 7.5g AC50 with InTank Media Basket (chempure, purigen, and filter floss) Cobalt Neo Therm Fluval CP1 Powerhead Live Rock Live Sand The NanoBox Tide Plus should be arriving soon, and I also purchased the Tunze 3152 Osmolator Nano. I'd like to get the cycle process started, so I'm looking for some advice. I've used the shrimp method (cooked or raw?) method in the past, but I didn't know if there was any bacteria in a bottle type product that you'd recommend. Also, is there any issue with starting the cycle where the light hasn't arrived yet? Thanks! Here is a pic: Link to comment
Nixperience Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 I think you can start the cycle before you get the light. It won't stop bacteria from multiplying. I use Stability and it seems to be very good at consuming ammonia and nitrifying it. Seachem also just came out with a new product called Pristine, which is in the mail to me as I type this. Pristine is a different bacteria strain that is supposed to consume detritus and waste. I'm hoping to alternate Stability and Pristine a few drops a day as daily maintenance to help keep the water clear and the sand clean. Looks like it will be a good setup. Does that neotherm fit anywhere on the AQ50? It's a pretty monstrous heater. Do you plan on adding more rock? I think you can get away with more. I know you have a small space, but more rock really helps the stability of the tank. I have about 14 lbs in my 11 gallon. Link to comment
LJMitchell87 Posted January 8, 2016 Author Share Posted January 8, 2016 Great, yeah I am getting more rock, but I've been picky with the pieces. With the InTank media basket, I have room for the heater, but it would have to be in place of either the filter floss, the chempure, or the purigen. If I could skip one of these three I'd be pumped to get the heater out of the tank. Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Sounds like you've made a great start! I'd skip the purigen or the chemipure to make room for the heater. They're basically the same thing. Just bear in mind that it's easy to overdo chemical filtration and strip out all the nutrients in the tank, especially in an immature tank. As far as rock goes, it's hard to judge how much you should use by weight because really porus rock is better because it can support more microorganisms, but it's lighter. I have porous rock in my tanks, and only have about 1/2 pound per gallon. But in looking at your tank it looks like you use more no matter what kind it is. Just remember to leave plenty of room for corals to grow Link to comment
LJMitchell87 Posted January 11, 2016 Author Share Posted January 11, 2016 Ok all, tank is on its way to cycling! I figure this is a good time to get my ATO set up. I purchased the Tunze 3152 from Bulk Reef Supply and the installation seems very straight forward. The only things thats confusing is how the float switch works. I also purchased the ATO refractometer so I'm currently at exactly 1.025. Should the float be half way up the little mast or...? Link to comment
LJMitchell87 Posted January 11, 2016 Author Share Posted January 11, 2016 Also, anybody see any issue feeding the return line right into the AC50? Link to comment
Nixperience Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Also, anybody see any issue feeding the return line right into the AC50? No problem with that. It's a great idea. Just make sure it's not too close to the surface of the water or it can back siphon. Link to comment
jolee0722 Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 good to see this build finally starting. Link to comment
LJMitchell87 Posted January 11, 2016 Author Share Posted January 11, 2016 Anyone with any advice on setting the float switch? will the pump only engage if it stops floating? Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 Anyone with any advice on setting the float switch? will the pump only engage if it stops floating? If I understand what you're saying, I think that's right. The float switch is the emergency backup overflow sensor. So it gets set up so that it's normally hanging up out of the water, and it only floats if the water rises over the regular sensor and the water doesn't get turned off for some reason. The regular sensor is the black one with the little cone pointing down. If it is dry, the pump runs. If it gets wet, the pump turns off. It's not a mechanical sensor. Does that make sense? I know I was a little confused by the directions when I first set mine up Link to comment
Nixperience Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 He has the tunze nano. There's only the single float switch. When the switch sinks, it will fill and when it raises back up, the pump will shut off. There is a timer that will prevent it from filling beyond a certain amount of time in case of switch malfunction. Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 He has the tunze nano. There's only the single float switch. When the switch sinks, it will fill and when it raises back up, the pump will shut off. There is a timer that will prevent it from filling beyond a certain amount of time in case of switch malfunction. Oops, missed that. Yes, your description is correct, I have the same ato in my 4g tank. Link to comment
LJMitchell87 Posted January 12, 2016 Author Share Posted January 12, 2016 Great, thanks so much! Link to comment
LJMitchell87 Posted January 15, 2016 Author Share Posted January 15, 2016 Update: ATO installed, and upgraded to vortech mp10! Dave is shipping the light today hopefully! Thrilled to get started. I am looking to add one more piece of LR, but I've yet to find a piece I love. Link to comment
Hammerstone Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 I personally would like to see more vertical rock. You have a lot of open water there. ? Link to comment
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