Collegenano's 40 Breeder (Previous 46 Bow)

[CollegeNano]

FTS of my new 40 breeder. It is not vibrant yet, because almost all of my SPS bleached after the move. Unfortunate

 

FTS of my 46 Bow prior to the move - notice the algae! (Feb. 03, 2013)

 

FTS of my 46 Bow in its prime (Feb. 10, 2011)


Equipment list:
Flow: Vortec MP20
Return: Mag 7 return pump
Sump: AGA 10 gallon
Temp: 200w Jager heater
Lighting: Odyssea 36" with Phoenix 250W MH and PC
Skimmer: SC-301

 

Update June 1, 2013

I moved in the middle of May and instead of going through the pains of moving the tank yet again and having an even worse algae outbreak than before, I decided to start over. During Petco's $1 per gallon sale I bought a 40 breeder, drilled it myself, and set it up at my new place! I moved all of the livestock from my prior 46 bow to the new 40 breeder. I decided to go barebottom on this bank, as I believe the sand bed and all of the moving was the cause of my algae woes. So far, that appears to be correct! My new 40 bow is still young, but a ton of the algae from the old tank has already died off of the rock I transferred. The bad news: I have never had a problem moving my livestock before, and I have moved at least 5 times since I started this hobby 6 or so years ago. This time, unfortunately, something went wrong and a lot of the SPS I had been growing for years have bleached. It sucks that I have to start over growing small frags from scratch, but excited that I will go shopping again!

 

Update Feb. 10, 2013

Almost two years since I visited this thread! I am back in the game with the same tank, but lack of care has left it algae stricken and pretty gross. I am currently attacking the water quality/algae as best I can. Once that is handled, new posts to follow!

Update March 3, 2011
A few new pics. Supplemented vodka dosing with vinegar and sugar to see how that affects the tank. Unfortunately the hair algae began growing back last week even though my dosage has been steadily increasing. May be due to the overfeeding that is sometimes recommended when you dose. Dropping the feeding amount.

[ringfinger]

And the obvious question on everyone's mind....whatcha gonna do with that 16.5" 70W metal halide?

[CollegeNano]

Past Updates Post:

 

The Upgrade

Starting a new tank to celebrate moving back to school. I'll be upgrading my 12 gallon AP to a 46 bow. I received the tank as a gift from relatives who were no longer using it. I was abroad in Italy until July, and decided to set it up when I returned. Now I'm back and ready to upgrade! The tank was drilled by my LFS. I had two 3/4 inch holes drilled for the return pump, and two 1 inch holes drilled for the drain. I received a 20 long from my friend for use as a sump, but the stand that came with the tank can only fit a 10 gallon, so I had to settle for that as the sump.

 

Update February 10, 2011

Vodka dosing is on day 10. My hair algae has definitely started decreased which I attribute to both the vodka and emerald crab I introduced recently. Up to ~20 drops now, which is almost 1ml. Haven't seen any negative signs at all!

 

Update February 1, 2011

Starting my vodka dosing regimen today. poured a 5th into the tank over the course of the day, everything seems happy...but really about 5 drops.

 

Update January 27, 2011

Received my fuzzy dwarf lionfish and crocea clam from bluezooaquatics today! Shipping and customer service were superb and both inhabitants seem to be doing wonderfully. We will see how it goes acclimating the lion to frozen foods!

 

Shipment of supplies also came from Drsfostersmith and cleanupcrew reinforcements came from ReefCleaners. A good day for saltwater!

 

Updated

January 09, 2011

I finally found the motivation to update my thread after about a year being away. Nothing much has happened with the tank lately as since my last update I have been quite busy with law school and other life events. The most extensive update is that the SPS I received a year ago are HUGE compared to the previous pictures. Also, I have a fuzzy dwarf lion fish on the way to the LFS which I pre-purchased, horrah!

 

Jan 18, 2010

New Corals came in from fellow NR member Eric on the 15th. Currently all seem very happy after two days in the tank!

 

Jan 10, 2010

Not much has been happening with the tank until after Christmas since I was saving up funds for gifts! Now that it's all over, I have a nice shipment of SPS coming in from an NR member that should arrive Friday. Removed the center brace from the tank and replaced it with clear plexiglas as well as added two computer fans to the light fixture to help with cooling. Should be ordering a new bulb shortly, since I think the odyssea bulb is weak and hence my poor clam is turning quite brown.

 

Oct 15, 2009

All signs of pest algae have virtually disappeared almost overnight! Came home today to find gleaming rocks and happy coral no longer competing for light. It's very exciting. I added purigen and phosban about 5 days ago plus did two 5 gallon water changes over the past week and some combination of the three did it. Now sure how, but I'm not complaining! Pictures on page 2.

 

Sept 23, 2009

Been cycling for over 3 weeks now and the parameters look great! Moved over some more established rock from the 12G along with my soft corals/duncan/frogspawn. Still reluctant to move the clam/rock nem yet though. Probably going to wait until the weekend!

 

Sept 17, 2009

Diatoms are in full bloom and ammonia is back to reading 0. Unfortunately, so is everything else. Going to wait another day then check again and compare the colors to those of my established tank. Also, return pump is blasting out air bubbles every now and then, which is really annoying. It's submersed in the sump and I can't figure it out!

 

Sept 12, 2009

The tank has been cycling for almost 2 weeks now and is showing ammonia (.25 to be exact). It's a start! Had a very slow leak in one PVC connection that I fixed, other than that no problems. Ran the skimmer for about 48 hours to break it in, but stopped it until the cycle is completed. Hopefully another week and the ammonia will be down to 0.

 

August 31, 2009

Rocks received and the tank has now started its cycle! The Mag 7 makes quite a loud hum that I am currently trying to figure out how to reduce. Other than a slight trickle of water from the skimmer, the tank is silent. Did a power outage test and even with its smaller size, the sump can handle the excess water from the overflow, that is, if the check valve for the return pump doesn't fail. I'll have to work on that soon.

[catastrophi]

Make sure the 10gallon can handle the overflow in case your pump shuts off!

 

Are you going to switch out the bulbs on that fixture, I heard they're not very good.

[CollegeNano]

Make sure the 10gallon can handle the overflow in case your pump shuts off!

 

Are you going to switch out the bulbs on that fixture, I heard they're not very good.

 

I will eventually switch the bulbs. I want to see how my current corals/clam react to the 250W then address the issue if one arises. I plan on putting a check valve on the return pump as well as checking that the 10 gallon can handle the overflow. If not, I'll add holes to the return to stop the siphon if one occurs. Thanks!

[CollegeNano]

Not much to show yet since the tank is still in its cycle. A FTS with 50 lbs of rock in place and 40 lbs of sand. The rock was sent out for 2 night shipping on a Thursday, and hence sat over the weekend and didn't actually arrive until Monday. Not worried about that though. A few signs of life since the introduction of the rock, some pods and misc. hitchhikers. Tank is running a steady 80 degrees in the day and drops to mid 78's at night.

 

Sign of life!

 

10G Sump, all the stand could fit :/

[SpankythePyro]

next time try tape when using silicone You can just peel it off and it leaves and nice clean seam

[CollegeNano]

next time try tape when using silicone You can just peel it off and it leaves and nice clean seam

 

Thanks for the tip Spanky. One would think that was pretty common sense, but clearly I was too prideful to ask, haha.

[SpankythePyro]

lol don't worry, I did the same thing too when I first started using silicone. Its really a pita esp when it gets on your hands, you really can't work with it once that happens or work with anything else for that matter.

[CollegeNano]

Something weird has been happening with my return pump. About every 30 min to 1 hour the pump grumbles and shoots out a massive amount of bubbles into my tank, which clearly are unwanted. Anybody have ideas as to how this could happen? The pump/intake are fully submerged in the sump. Only two sections of the return line are not sealed by PVC glue, one being the union and one bring right near the pumps output so I could have an easier time maint. the pump. Thanks!

 

Diatoms!

[jdp]

Everything looks good so far. Are you still wanting that Koralia from me? Let me know when you are ready to start adding corals, I have a ton of frags you might be interested in.

[nanoreefnate]

Hey nice tank man. one thingyou should do before you put your corals and fish in is that you should cut out the middle brace and replace it with a clear acrylic one. this will help you corals get more light since ATM your brace is blocking a lot of light. i did this with my old 46g and had not problems with it. good luck!

[CollegeNano]

Hey nice tank man. one thingyou should do before you put your corals and fish in is that you should cut out the middle brace and replace it with a clear acrylic one. this will help you corals get more light since ATM your brace is blocking a lot of light. i did this with my old 46g and had not problems with it. good luck!

 

Definitely an idea i have been considering. I just need to get a power drill from someone so I can drill holes to place the new acrylic brace.

 

Everything looks good so far. Are you still wanting that Koralia from me? Let me know when you are ready to start adding corals, I have a ton of frags you might be interested in.

 

Yeah man, I still want that Koralia. I'm currently taking the LSAT on Saturday and will be busy until after that. Fortunately though, my tank should be ready for life by then, and definitely another koralia.

[asting]

Good luck. Lookin good so far.

[CollegeNano]

Good luck. Lookin good so far.

 

Thanks asting. Just got a text message from one of my roomates that construction will be cutting power from 1-4 at my house. I have a batter power supply, thing is I haven't hooked it up yet! IF the check valve doesn't fail, everything should be fine. If not, I expect a nice 2-4 gallon puddle in the middle of my room when I return home at 3:30. Wish me luck!

[jdp]

good luck with the LSATs...I remember taking them about 4 years ago. It's like a mental marathon, but you'll do fine with all the prep work you've done. Give me a call next week and we can grab a beer or something.

[CollegeNano]

good luck with the LSATs...I remember taking them about 4 years ago. It's like a mental marathon, but you'll do fine with all the prep work you've done. Give me a call next week and we can grab a beer or something.

Ok well the house didnt flood at all. Seems the safety mechanisms on the tank still handle a power outage a month after installation. That's reassuring!

 

Thanks for the luck wishes Jared. I'll definitely hit you up for a beer after the LSAT!

[CollegeNano]

Well, I know I should be studying, but for about an hour today I transferred over some more rock/soft corals. I really want to get the 12 gallon down and just have one tank running. A few rocks left, two of them holding my clam and rock nem, which will be the last to go and the longest to acclimate. A bunch of crap is flying around right now in the pics, sorry about that.

 

Tests look good

 

Right

 

Left

 

Full

[CollegeNano]

LSAT tomorrow :/

 

 

 

 

 

FTS

[jdp]

Hope the LSATs went well. Give me a call to set up a time to pick up that K2 and grab that beer/

[CollegeNano]

Hope the LSATs went well. Give me a call to set up a time to pick up that K2 and grab that beer/

 

Hey man, I think it went pretty well. Unfortunately the test is made so that you don't really know how well you did until you actually get your score, lots of trick questions and such. Hoping for the best though!

 

I'm free to meet up tomorrow if you just want me to buy that K2 from you. Unfortunately I have 2 exams Monday, and one Friday, so no beer until after Monday, but before Thursday!

[jdp]

Pics of all the new additions! BTW, looks like saturday will be ok for picking up more frags in Holly Springs.

[CollegeNano]

Pics of all the new additions! BTW, looks like saturday will be ok for picking up more frags in Holly Springs.

 

Hey Jared, sorry this took so long!

 

Couldn't get a good shot of the moni caps at the time, but here is the birdsnest and elkhorn? you gave me to recover.

 

Nest, flash

 

no flash

 

elkhorn, cleaned of red algae

 

mini carpet among zoas

 

Yuma

 

candy canes

 

skimmate from my turboflotor, flash

[jdp]

everything looks great. That birdsnest will color up nicely when it gets used to your lights. Be prepared to frag it in the next 6 months, it grows fast! Glad the tang and frags are turning out well. I'm trying to make a trip out to load up on frags this week. What's your availability?

[pismo_reefer]

heeeeyey.....nice stuff ya got derr.