Av8ffej's AquaPod 24 150MH

[av8ffej]

To start, I’d like to thank everyone at Nano-reef for all the help, this is a wonderful resource!

 

Long first post to follow. Bear with me as I will attempt brevity in the future.

 

So after gathering all the things I needed – and some that I didn’t – I’ve managed to piece it all together. Here are the items purchased:

 

Main Points:

 

AP 24 ~ 150MH

BioCube 29 stand

Maxi-jet 1200

2 Korelia Nano (not in tank yet)

Natural Wave wavemaker (when I put nano’s in)

Hydor heater 100w

ATO

26lbs LR

Reef Crystals salt

17lbs of CaribSea Ocean Direct live sand

Mighty Might RO/DI

 

Testing equipment:

 

API Reef Master test kit & Nitrate and Ammonia tests

Hanna Ph meter

Refractometer

 

Sundries:

 

Filter floss

Purigen

Carbon cut to size

Nimble nano

Home made egg crate filtration holder

Sheet plastic

Bucket, stock pump, extra thermometer (WC)

Other standard stuff

 

So I spent many, many, many hours in here researching and going back and forth on what I wanted, needed and could afford. I had made up my mind so many times that I was getting close to giving up out of indecision. I finally decided to go ahead with the AP 24 because it was the right size, had a good reputation, and was a reasonable price.

 

Yeah right.

 

Even though I knew it, there was the element of disbelief when the totals started coming in. As a matter of fact, I haven’t even tried to find how much I’ve spent. It’s best that way.

 

The stand came with a broken door so I sent it back and ran down to the local LFS and got one that was whole. I was super happy with the way it turned out. Great cabinet space, looks ok, and isn’t that goofy AP24 stand that everyone hates. After running around from store to store and waiting on all the random shipments, I went to my LFS and took the plunge with 26lbs of LR, 20lbs of sand and purchased 25G of RO (didn’t want to wait 12 hours for the Mighty Mite) Home to set it all up!!!!

 

 

 

The replacement BioCube Stand

 

 

Stand fit

 

 

 

I first took out the stock pump,

 

 

Took a one inch piece of .5 in tube, heated up the stock pump tube with boiling water merged the two and zip tied it to the MJ 12. Pretty slick.

 

 

I added LR

 

 

 

Then sand, cut garbage bag and draped

 

 

 

 

I put together a filter stack made from egg crate with the filter floss on top and the Purigen in the second tier (when the tank is cycled. Next step is to seal up the side of it so that the flow doesn’t just head straight into chamber 1 after hitting the floss. I’ll keep you posted because I’m almost as handy as that bull in the china shop.

 

 

For those just beginning and someone tells you to go to Home Depot to get something… start in the lighting aisle. Seems like anything you need is in the lighting aisle – eggcrate, plastic covers that can be made into mods, timers, etc. I wish someone in here had mentioned that, because I spent 45 minutes prancing around from one clueless employee to another as an equally clueless patron hearing “Nope, we don’t have that.” In addition to the eggcrate, I got a textured clear piece of lighting cover to block the slats on the rear right of the tank. It works great! My LFS suggested it, and it is held on by the suction alone. It drops the level in back by four inches or so if you block off all the slats up to the last ¾” of the surface skimming area.

 

You can see the piece of clear plastic leaning against the filter in the picture above, and this is how it looks in the tank -

 

 

I will be replacing this clear plastic with a 3x13” piece of 1/32 black acrylic that I’m going to pick up tomorrow.

 

 

I decided that I didn’t like my rock setup, so I tinkered with it a bit. I’m not so sure that I’m in love with it, but the new set up has tons of shelves and swim holes.

 

Before:

 

 

And after:

 

 

Against my better judgment, I put a B/G damsel in the tank on day four to help cycle it. It seems this is the one point that I didn’t follow all the advice you all have given me. Hearty, easy to keep, and dressed in my college colors is what I saw! I didn’t want to pay attention to the pain in the … part. I have learned the error of my ways and will go get a bald eagle to put in the tank instead. lol I’ll let you know what I devise to get the damsel out in a week or two.

 

Tank - no lights, with blue spot otherwise known as Riddle

 

 

You can see the clear plastic mod with the flash when the light is off, othewise, you can't see it when the light is on - look at the other pics.

 

That’s the first week of life with water in my home. Things are starting to show up. I’m guessing its coralline, but I’m starting to pink up with red/pink poky stuff on my LR and the damsel has come out from under the rocks. It’s nice to have some sort of action in there. As soon as I dig myself out of this heap, I'll invest in a better camera than this Canon Elph.

 

 

To end a really long post, here is the tank this evening (shocking, it looks like day one) and the current water data (I love a good pun):

 

 

NO2 0

NO3 5 (or 10 – the API test is craptacular on this one)

Ammonia 0

PO3-4 0

PH 8.11

KH 196.9

Calc 400

SG .025

Temp 78

 

Thanks everyone! Any thoughts are welcome.

 

J

[matty0206]

Very nice start! Keep the updates coming!

[av8ffej]

Very nice start! Keep the updates coming!

 

Thanks Matty! This whole hurry up and wait game is killing me. And with payday coming up how do I not go to buy stuff?!

 

I'll keep you posted as it grows.

[airangel]

Congrats & welcome to the world of perpetual poverty. As you've no doubt realized this hobby is expensive...wait till you start stocking.

What are your stocking plans after the cycle?

 

A well thought out and nicely documented tank thread, you've done some serious research and planning. I like the look of the Pod on the stand, as well as your aquascaping, there looks to be a lot of nice spots for coral placement in the future.

 

Good luck with "Riddle" , hopefully your LFS will be willing to take him back (if you can manage to net him out) since you no doubt realize they aren't the most compatible of all marine fish. I do like the look of the little guys and had one with my first nano (disaster) project .

 

I'll be following along, love to see what other AP owners do with their tanks.

[av8ffej]

Congrats & welcome to the world of perpetual poverty. As you've no doubt realized this hobby is expensive...wait till you start stocking.

What are your stocking plans after the cycle?

 

A well thought out and nicely documented tank thread, you've done some serious research and planning. I like the look of the Pod on the stand, as well as your aquascaping, there looks to be a lot of nice spots for coral placement in the future.

 

Good luck with "Riddle" , hopefully your LFS will be willing to take him back (if you can manage to net him out) since you no doubt realize they aren't the most compatible of all marine fish. I do like the look of the little guys and had one with my first nano (disaster) project .

 

I'll be following along, love to see what other AP owners do with their tanks.

 

Thanks Air!

 

The LFS not only will take him back, they told me that I would be an idiot to keep him. I think "Don't get attached, bring him back when its cycled" were their exact words.

 

As to stocking, I don't know!!! I thought I did when I was designing the tank, but now that I've spent countless hours researching all of it, I'm back to square one. I'm always up for suggestions. As cliche as they are, I do love the clown. Just doesn't seem like it would be a reef tank without one. Outside of that, I would like to build the tank up with unique pieces and fish. I would rather have a few really nice items that work well than tons of mismached things that don't compliment or balance - just for the sake of putting things in.

 

I'll post my tentative list when I get back from work this evening.

[airangel]

Wow, nice LFS. Most tend to steer you wrong & are only out to sell you things that aren't safe for your tank.

 

Yes, I hear you on stocking. Even the CUC can drive you nuts, how many of each snail, should you get hermits, what snail does what function, lol. So many great fish out there, do research when you figure out what you think you're going to add, as some should be added last. I've got 3 fish right now (1 false perc & 2 ycg). If I were to do it all over again, as much as I like the ycg, they are so small can hardly see them in my tank.(I'm working on a Pico Reef and hoping to be able to catch and move one of the gobies to this new tank) The clownfish is a joy of course. There are so many choices, and I'm contemplating another fish down the road as well. Personality & color are what I want to add to the tank.

 

Also so many different kinds of shrimp out there and cute little crabs (besides hermits) to think about as well. And then you see how many different types and colors of corals there are to add. With the 150w MH you can get pretty much anything. Then the fun starts, how & where to place them so the CUC won't knock them down.

[av8ffej]

Yeah, I think the key is that their bread and butter is commercial set-up and maintenence so the store is for the love of people and tanks. They are great guys, not what I was expecting after all that I've read about the LFSs in here.

 

Thanks for the tip on the YCG, I was looking at those kids as well as the Yasha paired with a pistol shrimp. My aim is to go for unique, happy go lucky fishpeople that aren't afraid of stage time. As for the shrimp, snail, crab investigating, I have to admit it's tough to sort that one out. According to some people, you could back a dumptruck of snails up to your 24 and others say two. But only in the second half of the lunar cycle with cyano that's in alignment with Virgo. lol Ok, so I'm a fan of the non sequitur.

 

I'll keep my snout in the threads and come up with a plan of action and throw it in here to see what you all think. Thanks for your thread Air, I've been following it with enthusiasm and I'm looking forward to more. I love your tank! (btw, the wall color is great too)

[airangel]

Thanks for your thread Air, I've been following it with enthusiasm and I'm looking forward to more. I love your tank! (btw, the wall color is great too)

 

LOL dang camera, sigh. Need someone to teach me how to use it. Kodak which is a lesser machine takes better pics.

I will be adding to my thread since I'm getting the 150w Sunpod (and selling my 70w), so will be light acclimating pics and info...lovely tank shots with layers of mesh for the next month, lol. Stay tuned to for the upcoming Pico Reef thread...what one does when one has too many small frags and no place to put them.

 

Go here for a to do for thread on the AP24 if you hadn't already seen it.CubansAP24

 

Curious on how you hooked the MJ1200 up....I just used the long tube part in the box as well as the clear little plug...wonder if they changed things on the newer APs

[av8ffej]

LOL dang camera, sigh. Need someone to teach me how to use it. Kodak which is a lesser machine takes better pics.

I will be adding to my thread since I'm getting the 150w Sunpod (and selling my 70w), so will be light acclimating pics and info...lovely tank shots with layers of mesh for the next month, lol. Stay tuned to for the upcoming Pico Reef thread...what one does when one has too many small frags and no place to put them.

 

Go here for a to do for thread on the AP24 if you hadn't already seen it.CubansAP24

 

Curious on how you hooked the MJ1200 up....I just used the long tube part in the box as well as the clear little plug...wonder if they changed things on the newer APs

 

I hear ya on the camera problem! I just don't take enough pictures to really care enough to buy a new one. That said, documenting this little water home might push me into a secondary expensive hobby - sigh.

 

Went to take a look at Cuban's tank. WOW. That's a tank!

 

The mod for the MJ is super simple and you're probably familiar with it by now...

 

Mug, water, microwave, scissors, half inch of 1/2" tubing, stock tube.

 

Cut .5- 1" section of the 1/2"dia tubing

Heat water in mug to boiling 3-4 minutes

Dip end of stock tubing in hot water for 2-3 seconds

Insert first 1/4 inch of 1/2" tubing into hot stock tubing

Voila - one piece of tubing!

Ziptie the new concoction to the MJ as in picture above!

[av8ffej]

So here's the update on the tank.

 

This week's tank shot looks... just like last week's!! lol

 

 

The digits:

 

NO2 0

NO3 5-10 *

NH .25 *

Phos 0

Calc 440

KH 196.9

PH 8.24

Temp 78

Sal .025

 

* API tests are difficult to tell color on card so I'm reading on high side - I think.

 

 

Mid week, I was spacing out and staring into the tank (I'm sure that none of you former Noobs did that) and I noticed that a shell that was on one of the LR decided to move. I actually had a hitchhiker! No idea what kind of hermit it is, but he's white, small and doesn't seem to be too bothered by anything. Lots of sitting around.

 

So a couple of days ago, I noticed that my rock wasn't pinking up so much as browning up. Just a little dusting of unattractive brownish velour. Even though I know that this is what I was waiting for, I just can't believe that it will reverse and go away. It makes me feel like a bad tank parent - I MUST DO SOMETHING. Alas, I sit on my hands and stare at the brown, creeping across my tank. Grrr.

 

Top down shot of the stuff

 

 

And it's tough to see, but tonight, the little hitcher decided to start paying rent and clean some of this stuff up.

 

 

Oh, last thing - I don't think I will ever get rid of Riddle. I have been trying to get him out to take him back to the LFS because this whole algae thing is going and we know that we're cycling and his duty of break in fish is done. I've done the bottle with food inside, the feed with the net in the tank so he gets used to it, food in net, etc. Nothing has worked, although he is becoming far too comfortable with that net in the tank for his own good. Actually, he's doing better with that than if someone hooked a car battery up to a grounded tank...

 

I like the guy and want him to get back to his home safely, but I can totally see why everyone hates damsels!

 

Whoa Chainsaw! Those pics are a little on the big side! Sorry everyone!

 

LOL

 

J

[DaneAP24]

J,

 

The tanks looking good. I like the rock work. Looks like your going to have alot of nice spots for coral.

Maybe try spear fishing for that Damsel? Also If you are unsure of a CUC, I have been very happy with my CUC since I added a few more since we last talked. I wish I would have added them a few days earlier though. I was starting to get worried for alittle bit when all my rock was starting to get covered in algae. And once it started it was doubling every day. Look forward to following your thread.

[av8ffej]

J,

 

The tanks looking good. I like the rock work. Looks like your going to have alot of nice spots for coral.

Maybe try spear fishing for that Damsel? Also If you are unsure of a CUC, I have been very happy with my CUC since I added a few more since we last talked. I wish I would have added them a few days earlier though. I was starting to get worried for alittle bit when all my rock was starting to get covered in algae. And once it started it was doubling every day. Look forward to following your thread.

 

Thanks D! Once I get him out of there, I'm going to be pretty happy to get some hired help to tidy up in there. I'm following your lead on the CUC, but I have to find the time to get to the LFS! This whole working 12 hours a day gets in the way of reefing!

 

I'm going to put that stuff in the mail for you tomorrow! Sorry I've been so slow...

[DaneAP24]

No hurry, sounds like your busy. The check will be going out today. Have you put the new peice in your tank yet? Its hard to tell in the pic.

[av8ffej]

No hurry, sounds like your busy. The check will be going out today. Have you put the new peice in your tank yet? Its hard to tell in the pic.

 

Exactly.

 

You can see it in the pic with the Nano on the right. It's a darker glossy black, so on the way into work today, I'm going to pick up a couple clear ones just to see which one looks better.

 

For everyone else reading this, I went to a plastics place in Seattle and had a 3.5"x13" piece of acryllic cut to put in the tank on the right - covering the slats. It's held on by the suction alone (The Koralia helps). It cuts off the flow except the top .5" so you get great surface skimming action.

 

I'll see if I can't get better pictures of it when I get home from work, it's the easiest mod I've ever seen.

[av8ffej]

Yeah!!

 

Riddle finally decided that it was safe to eat out of the net, and to his surprise, it was not...

 

After four days of training him to eat out of the net, he became comfortable (almost cavalier) about the approach and execution of feeding from the mouth of transport. He is currently at the LFS enjoying the far larger environs of his old home.

 

One chapter closed, and waiting for the next one to start - after the brown. It was painful at the store tonight, because there were some great fish and corals that I'm itching to get!! Picasso clown and psudo-chromis (B&G - school colors!), some great coral possibilities.

 

Then I came home to my brown rocks...

[av8ffej]

Here's the update...

 

I went to my LFS with a water sample and they said "You're through your cycle, all your numbers look fine."

 

Score!!

 

So I bought a CUC - 10 cerith snails and 10 bluelegs to clean up that brown nastieness. They have done an awesome job just overnight!! Great hires. While I was there though, I decided it was only a matter of time before I came back to get the Picasso Clown pair that they have. I was on the fence for a bit on them because they are a little lighter orange and their stripes aren't super dramatic - but definitely unique!

 

So I bought them.

 

I came home without the clowns and put in the CUC and rearranged the rocks, cleaned up a bit, and did a partial water change. I didn't want to bring the clowns home and stress the hell out of 'em by screwing around with all that stuff and then dump them into a crazy cloudy tank.

 

With all the re-arranging of rock and application of a labor force, my tank is starting to take on the apperance of something that someone actually put some thought into. Who knew?! I want to settle on my rock work. I'm about ready to take it out into the back yard and crush it with hammer. It's driving me crazy, so I'm going to do that tonight. I'm excited to show you all these two nutball clowns! They have some great personallities.

 

I'll post pictures later!

[av8ffej]

I forgot to mention one point in prior threads. When I was talking to the guys at the LFS, we were going over fish stock options, and I started asking if it was possible to stock with only fish and corals etc that are only tank raised - ocean safe/no harm items. A resounding yes was the response, and now the guys at A Red Sea Aquarium here in Seattle are looking out for me and making sure that I'm on the right track. That and they have kept me from spending my whole paycheck. I'm telling you, these guys are the polar opposite of everything people say about LFSs. Huge help and a money saver for me.

 

I digress.

 

I went to pick up the duo today and decided to get some "bulletproof" coral starters as well. I got a frogspawn and a green 'shroom to put in the tank and try out. I have two pieces in my tank that you need to get a magnifying glass to see and a vast expanse to fill up. I can see myself going flat broke in the not too distant future if I keep shooting for rare and unique pieces. I know that the frogspawn is super common but I thought would be a good pal for the clowns in time, and I like how flowy they are. With a tank so young, there was no way I was going to part with huge sums of money to put something rare and delicate in there and prove to be the total J/A noob.

 

So without further rambling, here they are...

 

The Picasso Clowns -

 

 

 

And another shot:

 

 

Tough to get a decent shot of these kids. They never seem to stop moving! I hope they take a break sometime, I would hate to have them kill themselves. Too expensive to have them expire!

 

Oh, and I got my ATO installed and running! That'll be a huge help for consistency.

 

Well, that's the scoop! I'll keep you all posted as this continues, and I'll post a FTS of the new rock setup this Sunday when I do my weekly tinker and tune....

[crrichey]

Very nice indeed!

[av8ffej]

Very nice indeed!

 

Thank you very much!

 

When I saw them, I was quite smitten. I'm not particularly hung up on them not being "Grade A", I like 'em just the way they are! We'll see what kind of patterns they end up when they get to their teen years...

[airangel]

Jeff

The duo are adorable, mustard colored or is that your camera? (btw, my photo skills aren't due to crappy camera but user error, lol)

I'd love to add another clown to my tank but am leary, heard horror stories about adding another (although mine resided in a 115g tank with another clown, diff species) before I got him/her.

I love frogspawn and mushrooms. Try to find some purple, blue, and red mushies. They add both color and fullness to a tank, at least I think mine do, esp that hugeriffic purple one.

Candy canes and toadstools also are nice and not that spendy. If you can find some pulsing xenia, that will add more 'flowy' to the tank and something that has fast growth as well as height.

Can't wait to see more pics of the corals and clowns.

[av8ffej]

Well, here it is Sunday, and the tank looks pretty darn simular to last week! All the amazing little details of the tank don't come through at all in the pictures, so as I browse through other threads with my tiny bit of experience, I've been thinking "Oh I could spend hours staring at that one", knowing full well and good that there's probably some amazing things going on!!

 

Ellen, the duo (no names yet) are actually the exact same color as a Creamsicle (which means we're in the same canoe with the camera skills).

I've been keeping an eye out for some good 'shrooms in my travels, so stay tuned. The little tiny green one in my tank is so miniscule that it doesn't merit photography yet.

 

On that note, I went to my LFS tonight to see if there was anything I had to have to make the tank look all purdy. They have some amazing stuff in right now that's hard to find, dramatic stuff. I am salivating at the possibilities!! Unfortunately, they wouldn't sell me anything!!! He told me to sit tight and leave the tank alone for a bit and come back in a week or two to get a couple of little pieces. I'm glad I have them to keep me in check, because all through the planning stages I had the "Ahhh, all I have is patience. No reason why you would ever rush anything Jeff" train of thought. How naive. Reefs are like crack.

 

After the confirmation of the cycle, I arranged the rock again so this is the latest incarnation.

 

Here is this week's photo update:

 

FTS

 

 

The side views:

 

Right

 

 

Left

 

 

 

I tried to take pictures of the frogspawn, but something that small is going to take photoshop to make interesting...

 

 

And I also purchased a silvertip xenia. By virtue of the fifth ammendment, I needn't go into the story that indites me as a total fool, and lead to me butchering the xenia and gluing it to a plug. The end result is a blurry picture of a really pissed off xenia.

 

 

So now it's time to sit on my hands and wait for a little while (and a paycheck) and enjoy my tank for what it is, not what it could be. It may be hum drum to most, but it's very zen for me to just stare at all the stuff going on in there.

 

That, and there are some really cool pieces coming up soon!

[marinekeeper]

Everybody starts somewhere. Looking good though. When I was a kid, I once stared at a newly setup freshwater tank for hours and it had no fish in it. I was content.

[av8ffej]

Everybody starts somewhere. Looking good though. When I was a kid, I once stared at a newly setup freshwater tank for hours and it had no fish in it. I was content.

 

Thanks MK, you are very kind. I'm trying to tap into that "kid" and realize that it's the journey. Tough to re-program, but it is nice.

[av8ffej]

After a couple of weeks with very little to update anyone on, I finally have something interesting to post.

 

As you may have pieced together from the implicit and explicit statements, I had two of my own internal rules that I was determined to follow.

 

1. Aquaculture/tank bred pieces only for my tank.

2. Unique and/or unusual pieces are the rule.

 

I have managed to break rule 2 hands down. As a matter of fact, out of the five things I have in my tank, only the dynamic duo, even hint at unique. Oh well.

 

This week, I went to the LFS and decided to pick up a skimmer to get rid of the nitrates and make my tank a little less DIY on the filter job. There was a little hitch with the guys that were making the skimmer, so I’ll be getting that later this week. I haven’t been this excited to get something that makes bubbles since I was 6.

 

Today, I took my water in to do my weekly double check on my water at the LFS, and he said “Man, you’re ready to go. There’s a few things you need to hold off on, until we start seeing a little more maturity, but yeah, if you really want to pick something out, go ahead.” Taaadaaa! I was starting to wonder how long I was going to have to see zero before they would let me graduate! They are awesome guys, really looking out for me and making sure that my coral passion is kept in check…

 

So after staring into the tank for ages, my non-reefer friend started tugging at my shoulder saying “For gods sake Jeff, make up your mind! It’s too hot for this!” (91 here in Seattle) I’ve been staring into their tank for the past couple of weeks, narrowing it down to about 12 pieces that I would like to get, and come home to do my research so it was a matter of making up the old noggin.

 

Not very unique or unusual I came home with the following:

 

Monti Capri – Rorange (redish orange)

 

 

And a Fiji Yellow Leather

 

 

The monti, is already beginning to plate out, so it has all the potential to be a real jaw dropper. Long term vision is to have it’s neighbor in the LFS tank, a purple plate next to it to have a real splash of color. I’m eying a beautiful blue Oregon Tort that may give a nice balance to the red.

 

The Fiji had some issues a couple of months back when they got it in. Transit troubles. It is starting to get it’s nice neon green color back and I’m super excited to see it come into it’s own.

 

With each passing week, the duo act more and more like Clowns. They have started hosting the return pump, and have decided that swimming in place vertically is really the only cool thing to do.

 

 

The Frogspawn just sits there.

 

 

The Xenia has finally given up the resentments

“Turn around! That way!”

 

 

That’s it for the week’s update, and here's this week's FTS:

 

 

Next paycheck, who knows. I have my eye on a blue and gold two-tone psudochromi, or a mystery wrasse. More invert action too. I love the fire shrimp, but I’m always up for shrimp suggestions. All I know is that I gotta have a shrimp! As for corals. Jeeze. Do love that purple… Anyone know of a good 12 Step reef program?

 

Henceforth, I want to go really slowly on my tank stocking because it is so amazing to get a new tank member, I would hate to have this thing full up! Now that I have the initial “gotta have something!” out of the way, I’m just on the journey of the Zen tank.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

PS - As an aside, would those of you following or tuning in and responding on this thread prefer the smaller or larger pics?

[airangel]

Nice Jeff....got a ways to go but your'e getting there. LOL

I like the smaller pics (how do you do that??)

My tank looked pretty desolate for a long time...you need to get the stuff where one piece makes your eyes open. For me its mushrooms and frogspawn/hammer and you know about the toadie.

Now that parameters are looking good it shouldn't be too long before the tanks exploding with color and corals.