Carriegiesler Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Specs: Display: 24 gallon Aquapod Drilled with 1 drain with ¾ return Lighting: Aqua illumination Blue Sol/ 150 watt Sunpod Return: Mag 9.5 dialed back Bulbs: Phoenix/ LED's Rock: 15 lbs. of Marco Key Large dry rock pulled from old display, Dried then used to make Foam Rock wall. Added another 15 lbs of live rock to the display. Substrate: CaribSea Aragonite Premium grade reef sand (15 lbs.) Filtration: 15 gallon Sump with 20lbs of LR and cheato. 200 micro filter sock changed twice a week. Circulation: Vortech MP20 Heater: Fluval set at 78 Sump: I picked up a 15 gallon 24”x 12”x12” sump from a LFS. The sump will sit perpendicular to the tank in the sump. It will stick out about 6 inched in the back of the stand. I built a little sturdy platform with reinforced metal L brackets on the leg then stained it to match the stand. To test it Dan (the hubby) stood on it and it held so I think it will hold the content of a sump. I can access the front through the glass door this will be the refugium end with the light. I had found a plan for a sump off of Melve’s page or was it a design someone built using one of his designs. I saved a copy of the photo in my desktop file from last year so I resized it to fit the dimensions of my sump tank. The design made scene in the flow pattern to allow for ample room for a filter sock, skimmer, refugium and return. Lesson learned from old setup is not to put sand in the sump, to include a filter sock mount (I built this one out of plexi). Parameters: Temp: fluctuates from 78-79 Ammonia: not traceable Nitrite: not traceable Nitrate: not traceable pH: 7.8 (night) 8.2 (Day) Calcium: 400-450ppm Mag: 1280-1300ppm Alk: 6 - 8 dKH Maintenance: Daily: Auto Top off with RO-DI water and Kalk....no canopy institutes a lot of evaporation especially with HQI. Weekly: Water is tested every Sunday and dosing takes place when needed. Change filter sock every two days, 15 gallon water change every two weeks. Monthly: Wash filter socks, Clean off salt creep on Sump Bi-Monthly: Yearly: Replace bulbs on HQI, take all equipment out cheek it and clean it... Stocking: Fish: ORA Black Ice Clownfish ORA Black and White Clownfish Diamond Goby Purple Fire fish Inverts: 2 N. snails Several Blue and Red legged crabs Corals:Lots of Acans (I love them) LPS: Different one but my favorites are Dragon Soul Favia, Flaming Dendrophyllia, Red and Green Trachyphyllia SPS: I don’t recall many of their names. After much debate and thought I have decided that I have met my match in tank size limit. After getting back into the hobby 3 years ago after a two year break to get my Master degree I rewarded myself by giving myself a 70 Oceanic Tech as a graduation gift. Well after about a year and a very very busy work schedule. I found myself wondering why I ever thought going bigger was going to be better. At the time I didn’t give much thought to all the additional cost, time, and water change quantities. So after a couple of detrimental blows due to poor husbandry I have decided that it time to sell the 70 and bring back the 24. I didn’t like the fact that I was beginning to dread the hobby with the larger tank and I remember how much I enjoyed my Nano when it was running, however having the experience of the larger system I knew I wanted to make some modifications this time around. Modes to be made: • First thing on the list was to drill it. • Second make a Foam Rock wall Foam Rock Wall Aquascaping: Because I will be losing a lot of real estate ground when compared to my Tech I decided to utilized the Foam wall method. I pulled about 15lbs (total) of LR pieces from the sump and a few from the display and dried them for a few day them sprayed them with the power washer. Doing this outside in the snow was not fun. I used about 85-90% dried rock then filled the cracks with Beckett Foam Sealant. After letting that cure for 3 days I then sealed it with Bob Smith Finish Cure sprinkling it with dry sand ……anyways you get the point the whole process and steps can be found in the DIY forum under Pond Foam wall. To adhere this to the back of the tank I order 8 epoxy coat earth magnets that each pull 15lbs and embedded them in the foam when I was constructing the piece. I figured this would make it a thousand times easier than the standard epoxy it to the back wall to remove if there be a problem or I later change my mind about the aquascaping. Lighting: I have on order and Aqua illumination Sol Blue for the lighting as the MH I run on it before. After a few months of running the AI I have since taken it off because I cannot find the right % of light to make all the coral happy. Some are bleached while others are browning out. I have replaced the MH temporally till I have research a little more about what the magic numbers are. Skimmer: Precision Marine 100 Redline skimmer I am very happy with it skimming ability. Link to comment
Carriegiesler Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 Blue tape show magnet placment Link to comment
Carriegiesler Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 Plumbing in Back and Side shot Rock, Sand moved from 24 to 70 back to 24 in a 3yr period. Could have save a lot of money had I only known what I know now........but it was fun! From the Front Will post an updated pic of reaquascaping after coral shipment on Sat. Link to comment
Rinehart77 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 That wall turned out freaking awesome! I wish I had the time or patience to do something like that. Link to comment
gena Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Carrie...you've done an amazing job with this build!!!!! I definitely don't have the patience, and probably lack the skill, to build something like that!!!!! The rock wall looks awesome! I love your clowns. I tried to add a second clown to my tank and it just didn't work out. My b/w clown had been in for 2 weeks+ already and was not about to share it's space I'll be following along!!!! Link to comment
Carriegiesler Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 Oh Gena let me tell you of the horror that occured when I introduced the little guy. She tore him a new one, she bite off his top lip area, she did a number on him. I had to put him in a Macgyver cage for two week to let him heal up and let her get used to him. I had my doubts it was going to work. But after the incubation period I released him fully ready to pull him once again and she swam of up him and he did the submission shake and all has been well since then. Knock on wood. That wall turned out freaking awesome! I wish I had the time or patience to do something like that. Thank you. It was a little bit patience involved. I really enjoyed the planning stages of it all though. The wall was fun to build and I was really happy with the result. The key is to use lots of rock 85-90% with 10% foam to prevent it from floating. The Epoxy coated earth magnets just gives me reasurrance its not going anywhere as I did not want to epoxy it to the back glass, in case I want to switch it up down the line. Easy removal. Link to comment
gena Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Mine swam nicely beside the new one and then BAM...out of nowhere...grabbed it by the fin and shook it like no tomorrow. It was a sight and I knew it would end very badly if I left it in there. Is that picture the Macgyver cage? I wish I had done something like that. Link to comment
Carriegiesler Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 Yeah that the quick make a cage out of egg crate, and clear pond netting (had laying around) because he was so small he could slip out of the cage. Why he wanted to is beyond me at that point. It served it purpose then got recycled as frag racks. Sound very similar to the spousal abuse my little guy got subjected to. Link to comment
Carriegiesler Posted May 16, 2011 Author Share Posted May 16, 2011 Well I relieve I haven't updated in a while so I figured I would document the changes that have occured. -reaquascaped, got rid of the massive rock in the front. Made two arches that prop into the back wall. -Removed about 10 lbs of LR from sump to allow more room for the cheto to tumble and grow. -Added a few more acans, SPS frags and mushrooms -Added a Green Bubble Tip Anemone Sorry about the dirty glass and crappy photos. Waiting on my nibble to ship and well the camera I blame the operator (me) for not knowing how to use it and get the white balance right Right side and Left side Acan garden Green Bubble Tip Nem. Link to comment
Carriegiesler Posted May 19, 2011 Author Share Posted May 19, 2011 I recieved my new nimble yesterday and wow, awsome the greatest thing ever. Link to comment
GOODgREEF Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Nice Tank. I really like how you incorporated the Vortech into the Rockwall. Link to comment
Carriegiesler Posted May 21, 2011 Author Share Posted May 21, 2011 Lost my Diamond Gody this week I feel bad as I know the nano was not enough to substain his feeding habits, as in the 70 he had plenty of sand to sift through for food. I tried my best to trian him to feed from the baster and he was doing pretty good but I guess it just wasnt enough. He will be missed as he had such a great personality. Link to comment
Carriegiesler Posted June 5, 2011 Author Share Posted June 5, 2011 Recieved my clam from East Pacific and wow very impressed. Way bigger than I exspected. Had to do a little reaquascaping to make more room for it in the nano. Link to comment
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