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Viewpoints - A Photographic Journal of my Reef Tank


urbaneks

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Keep them coming :) Love these shots!

 

SynRG - I will get some new coral shots up in a few days. My new skimmer did arrive today so I'll upload a couple pictures of the skimmer here in a few. It's a thing of beauty I'll tell you.

 

Man this has gotta be the most in depth tank setup/log I've ever read. Great job with everything.. What kind of substrate is that? I really like how it looks!

 

sanchez - Thanks for the compliment. I'm glad that you have found it informative. As for the substrate it is Arag-Live Special Grade Reef Sand made by CaribSea. They also sell a dry version of it but it requires lots and lots of rinsing. I learned that on my first tank. Because the live version comes wet, you don't get the clouding that you do with the other. I included a link to the product web page. I hope you like the maintenance schedule, let me know if you have any questions on it.

 

I was wondering if this was the same build quality of their stand that comes with the 100g Artisan, but I'm assuming this one is built considerably better. Trying to determine if I DIY a stand or have CAD build one. Seems shipping is about the same whether I get the tank with or without the stand.

 

SynRG - I have never seen one of the Artisan 100g stands in person so I can't comment on the build quality compared to mine. I really thought the stand was going to arrive and I would think it was cheap but that was not the case. It's built solid. I do wish it was 3-5 inches taller. I've learned you can't have enough room under the stand.

 

I think ORA Pearlberry might have to be an option when my tank gets set up. It's coloration is awesome!

 

animalmaster6 - Thanks for the view and compliment on the Pearlberry. Most of the ORA SPS corals are awesome.

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Viewpoints - Bubble King Skimmer has Arrived

 

 

They say you get what you pay for. Well I hope that is the case with the new skimmer. Up until this point I've been running a Reef Octopus NWB-150 on the tank. While the skimmer was producing decent skimmate, I always felt like it was on the small side for the tank. Much like all of the equipment decisions that I've made a ton of reading and research went into the decision. My searches kept taking me to the Bubble King Skimmers made by Royal Exclusiv. I would quickly move away to something else since these skimmers are priced 2x of most other high end skimmers. In the end, I could not find a single Bubble King owner that was dissatisfied and all said they would never buy anything but Bubble Kings. Armed with all of the information, I started a 6 week long search for a used Bubble King Mini-180. No matter how hard I tried, I always seemed to be late in responding to adds and the skimmers were already sold. Finally, got a hit on a WTB add on one of the reef forums. The skimmer arrived today and has been installed.

 

BK2.jpg

A view of the Bubble King Mini-180's Collection Cup Lid - The craftsmanship on these skimmers is awesome

 

BK1.jpg

There really is nothing mini about the Bubble King Mini-180, here is sits in front of my tank. You can see that it's huge. At 22" tall it's 4" taller than the tank.

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what lights did you use in the stand?

shelf.jpg

i think i am gonna do the same for mine. i really like the idea of being able to see everything in there. im kinda ocd when it comes to wires and such. i think that would really top it off for me.

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what lights did you use in the stand?

 

i think i am gonna do the same for mine. i really like the idea of being able to see everything in there. im kinda ocd when it comes to wires and such. i think that would really top it off for me.

 

Jrmiller - You can find this same info by clicking on the Cabinet Lighting link in the table of contents. The one thing I did after this was typed up was to use some small screws to install the lights to the top of the stand. I also made sure that if one of the batteries fell from the light that it would not land in the sump.

 

If interested they are called GE Motion-Sensing LED Lights. The cost per light was $13 which I installed four of them in my 48x30x30 stand. Installation is as easy as installing the batteries and sticking them to the inside of the cabinet with supplied double sided tape. The lights run off of 3 AAA batteries and can be turned on in a constant mode or sensing mode. In sensing mode they can be turned on by waving a hand in front of them. Most importantly, the LEDs put out lots of light.

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Jrmiller - You can find this same info by clicking on the Cabinet Lighting link in the table of contents. The one thing I did after this was typed up was to use some small screws to install the lights to the top of the stand. I also made sure that if one of the batteries fell from the light that it would not land in the sump.

 

If interested they are called GE Motion-Sensing LED Lights. The cost per light was $13 which I installed four of them in my 48x30x30 stand. Installation is as easy as installing the batteries and sticking them to the inside of the cabinet with supplied double sided tape. The lights run off of 3 AAA batteries and can be turned on in a constant mode or sensing mode. In sensing mode they can be turned on by waving a hand in front of them. Most importantly, the LEDs put out lots of light.

awesome awesome. sounds like it will work perfect for what i going to be doing.

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Wow! This tank is amazing! No detail left out....

This really has inspired me to how even the smallest detail equates to the big picture. Definitely have given me some new ideas to think about with my new build :)

Thank you for sharing such an amazing tank!

:D

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I'm pretty sure your 28gal Nano Cube thread was the first I read from start to finish when I started research saltwater aquaria back in 2010. I think I actually had a picture of it saved on my iPhone. Lol!

 

Now i'm looking into building a larger tank, and I'm using this setup in my brainstorming/planning. How has the slidable sump shelf worked out for you? Have you had any problems with the tracks jamming or anything? I think that is one of the most innovative ideas I've seen here on NR.

 

I am following this build to the end!

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awesome awesome. sounds like it will work perfect for what i going to be doing.

 

Jrmiller - Best of luck with the lighting install. Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

Pretty sure the lights he installed in the cabinet are these here:

 

twan - That is the exact lights that I used. Thanks for adding the picture and link.

 

Wow! This tank is amazing! No detail left out....

This really has inspired me to how even the smallest detail equates to the big picture. Definitely have given me some new ideas to think about with my new build :)

Thank you for sharing such an amazing tank!

:D

 

Trainer262 - Thanks for the views and comments. Glad to see that the journal is providing others with some good ideas.

 

This tank is peanut butter, cuz I'm jelly

 

brad908 - Thanks for the view and compliment.

 

I'm pretty sure your 28gal Nano Cube thread was the first I read from start to finish when I started research saltwater aquaria back in 2010. I think I actually had a picture of it saved on my iPhone. Lol!

 

Now i'm looking into building a larger tank, and I'm using this setup in my brainstorming/planning. How has the slidable sump shelf worked out for you? Have you had any problems with the tracks jamming or anything? I think that is one of the most innovative ideas I've seen here on NR.

 

I am following this build to the end!

 

rb1685 - I did have a 28g NC that was here on NR.com during that time so it's likely that you are referring to my tank. It did make TOTM back in the day. As for the slidable sump shelf, up until Tuesday I had never pulled it out with the sump full of water. On Tuesday, I got a new skimmer and actually used the slides with water in the sump. It worked great!!! I was happy to see that the shelf held the weight of the sump. Thanks again for the kind words on the new tank.

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Viewpoints - My Thoughts on Filtration

 

I had a fellow reefer email me today with a question about my thoughts on filtration. After typing up a response, I thought I might as well post the information here. If one person has a question chances are others might. This is by no means reefing gospel, just my thoughts and learnings after 8 months of running this tank.

 

 

Question:

How did you decide on your filtration setup?

 

Answer

I read and read and read and read. Mostly tank of the month entries on RC.com. I figure the best place to find systems that work are to look at the ones that make TOTM. What I found through my research was that there are a few key items you have to have: 1) Sump 2) Skimmer 3) Biological Filter (Live Rock) and there are some optional things you can do to supplement your filtration; 1) Vodka dosing 2) Refugium 3) Zeovit 4) GFO in a reactor. The number of these optional systems depends on your tank and personal preference.

 

Mandatory Filtration

Live Rock - I'm a firm believer that the number one portion of your filtration is your live rock. Don't skimp here and if you want to use dry rock just know that you are going to add 8-10 weeks before that tank is ready for SPS. I also like a sand bed but I like it clean. I knew this upfront which meant I needed enough live rock so that I did not need to count on my sand bed for filtration. I vacuum the sand bed regularly which pulls some of that biological filtration out of the tank. If you don't want to count on your sand bed, I think you need 1lb of live rock per gallon of water in your system.

 

Sump and Skimmer - What I've learned now after installing is that your sump can never be too big and you should not go cheap on your skimmer. There is a difference between a $200 skimmer and a $500 skimmer and a $1200 skimmer. If I were to rebuild again right now, I would build a stand that was bigger than the tank so that I could have a larger sump and an area for the water change system that I described above. I would also move the tank to a different wall where I could bring and RODI line from the kitchen to the stand. I got a little off topic there but wanted to get that in.

 

Optional Filtration

Once you've decided on the sump and skimmer you need to decide how you want to help the skimmer get rid of phosphates. IMO there are 4 great options here; 1) GFO in a reactor 2) Carbon/Vodka Dosing 3) Refugium and 4) Zeovit System.

 

Carbon/Vodka Dosing - I actually tried the vodka route when the tank was new. What I learned was that the vodka dosing does not work unless you have a presence of Nitrates and Phosphates. I've yet to get a detectable limit of nitrates so the system did not work for me. There may be a day if my nitrates climb that I try this again.

 

Zeovit - Zeovit is also something that I've considered and may try in the future. It's got a couple things going against it which is it's expensive, it's time consuming and I really don't love that pale and pastel colors it creates in the corals.

 

Refugium - I still kick around the idea of adding a refugium to my existing sump. I have a unused chamber that is for this very purpose. While a fuge will reduce your phosphates it will not get you all the way to 0. The real benefits I see to the fuge is to help blance the pH swing from days to nights by running the fuge light at night and the 2nd benefit is to give a safe place for copapods to breed and live which would replenish what is eaten by my mandarin.

 

GFO in a Reactor - This leaves the GFO route which I think is the easiest and most economical option for removing phosphates. I'm still very much in the discovery phase here as I've worked slowly to get my phosphates to read 0 on my Hanna Meter. I've taken it real slow and slowly added more and more GFO to my reactor every 2 weeks. It has just been in the last month that I'm consistently getting phos readings that are .03 or less which is what I have determined is acceptable for SPS and zero algae growth. I tried to run GFO in a media bag sitting in the sump and this just did not do it for me. I think you really have to have that constant water that is forced through the media in order to get the GFO to work. I bought a 2 Little Fishes Media Reactor which is inexpensive, when I replace it I will go with a media reactor from Bulk Reef Supply. They have one that makes changing media much easier.

 

Let me recap a quick summary for you. On a bigger tank you need a sump, skimmer and live rock. Beyond that you need to supplement your filtration with one or more of the optional items I mentioned. For me I've found that a skimmer, live rock, water changes and GFO is all you need to be successful in the hobby. If I ever decide to do carbon dosing or zeovit it will be for enhanced color and not filtration.

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Thanks for the break down urbaneks on the filtration. Nano-reef.com members really appreciate this.

I almost feel as if I should be paying you a consulting fee.

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I agree with everything (except that I have never had stable ph from macros growing at night. It always drops. my theory is that one needs a ton more photosynthesis than a standard in-sump fuge can provide to keep a stable ph at night) and I am doing the same thing. Funny you posted this today. I have been researching and am getting a Reef Octopus and BRS reactor very soon.

 

I looking forward to seeing those sps grow in your tank...and mine ;)

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You mentioned you would build a bigger stand if you could. I saw yours is 30" high. What do you think would be ideal? I'm going to have to go 38" high and thinking it's almost too high.

 

Also, which bulk reef supply reactor is the one you would like to eventually like to purchase? I'm in the middle of making my shopping list and curious as to which one it is.

 

Thanks much! :)

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You mentioned you would build a bigger stand if you could. I saw yours is 30" high. What do you think would be ideal? I'm going to have to go 38" high and thinking it's almost too high.

 

Also, which bulk reef supply reactor is the one you would like to eventually like to purchase? I'm in the middle of making my shopping list and curious as to which one it is.

 

Thanks much! :)

 

Trainer262 - Thanks for the inquiry. On the stand height I really think its a matter of personal preference and the look you are going for. I would love to have a 38" stand that had a nice granite overhang that could used as bar top. If you are going that tall just make sure it's designed correctly to hold that much weight at that height.

 

On the media reactor, this is the BRS model that I like. It gives you an internal cartridge which makes changing media very easy.

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saltwatercoral

Wow! You have a boule king! That's $!!! Actually your entire setup is $! I know how many thousands I have invested in my setup and can only imagine what you have in yours! Keep it up! I am def following this and am getting emails every day one posts to your thread! Great job urbaneks!

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omgomgomg

 

londonloco - Thank you for the view and comment. I feel honored that I'm one of your two posts since 2005.

 

Wow! You have a boule king! That's $!!! Actually your entire setup is $! I know how many thousands I have invested in my setup and can only imagine what you have in yours! Keep it up! I am def following this and am getting emails every day one posts to your thread! Great job urbaneks!

 

saltwatercoral - Yes, there is a fair amount of money invested in the tank. I did save a little bit of money by buying the bubble king used. My dosing equipment arrives Tuesday which will be the last of the larger purchases for the tank. I've been dosing manually for the first 8 months, most told me it would be about a year before the demands climb but it's already happened. The tank is using a lot of Cal and Alk every day. I will be sure to post some pics when my dosing equipment arrives. Thanks for subscribing and keeping in touch with the tank. I will be sure to do the same with yours.

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Trainer262 - Thanks for the inquiry. On the stand height I really think its a matter of personal preference and the look you are going for. I would love to have a 38" stand that had a nice granite overhang that could used as bar top. If you are going that tall just make sure it's designed correctly to hold that much weight at that height.

 

On the media reactor, this is the BRS model that I like. It gives you an internal cartridge which makes changing media very easy.

 

OOoooohh...a granite top would be nice :)

We are getting supplies to build the stand today. There is a diagram on RC that many have used that will be our main blueprint, but we plan on adding extra support since we have the added height.

 

Thanks for the link on the reactor :)

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saltwatercoral
saltwatercoral - Yes, there is a fair amount of money invested in the tank. I did save a little bit of money by buying the bubble king used. My dosing equipment arrives Tuesday which will be the last of the larger purchases for the tank. I've been dosing manually for the first 8 months, most told me it would be about a year before the demands climb but it's already happened. The tank is using a lot of Cal and Alk every day. I will be sure to post some pics when my dosing equipment arrives. Thanks for subscribing and keeping in touch with the tank. I will be sure to do the same with yours.

 

What dosing equipment did you get?!

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OOoooohh...a granite top would be nice :)

We are getting supplies to build the stand today. There is a diagram on RC that many have used that will be our main blueprint, but we plan on adding extra support since we have the added height.

 

Thanks for the link on the reactor :)

 

Trainer262 - Best of luck on the stand build. Take a look at your PMs, I sent you one asking for a link to the stand plans.

 

What dosing equipment did you get?!

 

saltwatercoral - I purchased a Bubble Magus BM-T01 which has 3 separate dosers built into it and the capability to add additional circuits. I will be dosing Cal, Alk and Mag through the pump. I will be dosing the Recipe 1 Two Part from BRS. This will be a new adventure for me as I have been using Bio Cal from Tropic Marin for the last 8 months. In addition I purchased the 1.5L liquid storage containers made by Bubble Magus as well. These will hold my solutions for the dosing pump.

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Viewpoints - Dosing Equipment Installation

 

My shipment from BRS arrived today which contained the items I need to automate my dosing. Up until this point, I've been manually dosing BioCal made by Tropic Marin. Just in the last 4 weeks the cal and alk demand has gone up considerably. On average, I had been dosing about 1 tablespoon a day and the tank has needed more like 3 tablespoons over the past month. When I was dosing a single tablespoon, I would not get much of a spike but 3 tablespoons was causing a 1 point swing in alkalinity which was I was not happy about. In addition, my pH has averaged on the low side because of the time of day I have to dose. All of these variables made a change to my dosing strategy a must.

 

After research calcium reactors and dosing pumps, I decided to go the route of a dosing pump. Most of the research I did said that reactors are better suited for larger tanks. In addition, I have very limited space under my stand and in the sump. With these considerations, I decided to go with a Bubble Magus BM-T01 dosing pump. For my cal and alk supplements, I went with Randy's Two Part Recipe 1. A Google search will get you tons of information but the link provided is a great article if you are interested. Since this article was written, several retailers have started to sell kits to make the process easy. BRS.com has some excellent videos that simplify the process. I've included that link for you as well.

 

Dose1.jpg

Everything I need to automate my dosing - Dosing pump and bracket, canisters to store solution, enough supplies to make 3 gallons of Cal and Alk and 1.5 gallons of Magnesium.

 

Dose2.jpg

Labeled 1 gallon jugs of Cal, Alk and Mag Solutions - The smaller canisters hold 1.5 liters and will go under the stand. Based on my current usage, these should last 15 days before needing refilled. The canisters are also made by Bubble Magus and can be purchased from BRS.

 

Dose3.jpg

Bubble Magus BM-T01 - While there are lots of dosing pumps available, I went with this one because of ease of use, great reviews and middle price point.

 

With very little room under the stand, it was a challenge to determine where to install the dosing equipment. There were really only 2 remaining places in the stand that were options and both would have made for awkward positions to change pump settings. I decided to build a small tray/stand that would house the canisters and pump. I used some scrap acrylic to build the tray you see below.

 

Dose4.jpg

This tray holds all 3 canisters and allows me to pull the canisters and dosing pump forward. This will come in handy when it's time to refill the canisters. The tray also holds the canisters in place which will prevent them from spilling.

 

Dose5.jpg

Another image of the tray with the dosing pump and connections installed

 

Dose6.jpg

Here is the tray in it's final location. You can see that there is just enough room for the canisters and pump

 

Dose7.jpg

One last photo which shows the dosing connections I made from rubber washers. I was able to incorporate the connections directly into my sump lid. The pump will administer the doses into the the 2nd of 5 chambers in the sump.

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