My RSM 34G LED tank

[nam2212]

I got out of the hobby about 3 years ago and have always wanted to get back to it. Someone locally was selling a RSM 130D for a great price and I found my excuse to get back to reefing. I bought the tank with all stock equipment and went about finding the silver stand for the RSM 130D. That proved to be really difficult considering they no longer make it. I tried for months to find one with no luck. I finally broke down and had one built. While trying to locate a stand I realized that the stock lighting was not going to be powerful enough to keep what all I wanted for this tank. I also didn't want to have to deal with the heating issues that PCs bring to an all in one tank. I decided to go with LEDs. I read a lot and tried to find an easy way to retro some LEDs into the stock hood. I quickly realized that I had no interest in burning my house down if I messed up the electrical. I stumbled across LEDreef.com and found that I could FedEx the hood to them and have them retro the LEDs into it for me. I decided on the 23 LED system. The lights look great. It is a nice 15K color with all of them turned on 100%. Here are some pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A word about the stand:

 

I started looking at designs for DIY stands and found a few I liked. I wanted something that looked unique and matched my furniture. I decided on on one that was longer than the tank on one side. I thought it would look better being the width of the window it was in front of and I was planning on adding a ATO water storage tank. My girlfriend really hates that it isn't symmetrical but I like it. Here are a few pics:

 

 

 

 

 

1. Tunze 9002 DOC Skimmer with InTank collection cup

2. InTank media basket/ skimmer mount

3. Eheim Jager 150W heater

4. EcoTech Marine VorTech MP10 w/ EcoSmart Driver

5. Magfloat Medium

6. JBJ 4 in 1 Scraper

7. Air, Water & Ice Mighty Mite 50GPD RODI

8. Refractometer

 

 

 

September 23, 2011

 

I added the sand and water to the tank and waited for the sandstorm to die down a little before adding rock.

 

 

September 26, 2011

 

I went to the LFS and purchased 15 lbs of base rock and 16 lbs of LR. They were added to the tank along with 10 small hermits. I let the tank run for about a week and waited for an initial algae bloom. I fed the tank even though I had no fish to help get the cycle kicked off.

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately for me my local reef club had our annual frag swap a week after I got the rock in the tank. I tried really hard not to buy anything but ended up grabbing a few small zoa frags. I also ended up with a few heads of neon green candy cane when the owner said they were going to toss them if nobody took them. I was just hoping that everything would make it. I had plans to house them in another tank if I saw any trouble. Fortunately after a week everything looked great. I still hadn't gotten the typical algae bloom so I broke down and bought a test kit. I tested all pH at 8.0 ammonia, nitrite and nitrates were all at 0. I ran the tests twice just to make sure I was reading them correctly. It seemed that the tank had cycled in under 2 weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 8, 2011

 

I headed to the LFS today to pick up a pair of clowns. I really liked a pair of snowflakes but ended up going with one common ocellaris and one black and white ocellaris. They seem to really be taking to one another as soon as I released them in the tank. I also got a small Royal Gramma. I have had them before and they are one of my favorite fish. The ones I had were always very reclusive. The new one isn't at all. It is out in full view at all times. I got a peppermint shrimp for one small aiptasia that I have noticed on the liverock. I hope it takes care of it. I picked up one head of Duncan out of the frag tank at the LFS too. Here are some pics:

 

 

 

[DansTundra]

Looks good. What other coral/fish do you have in mind?

[nam2212]

Looks good. What other coral/fish do you have in mind?

I am planning on a goby-shrimp pair of some sort. I was also considering a pink streaked wrasse if i feel the tank can handle another one. I plan on a RBTA in a few months when it is more established. Not positive about other corals yet.

[StevieT]

Nice

 

paint that magfloat black

[nam2212]

I picked up a few more corals over the last few weeks. Here is a rock with a dozen or more ricordia.

 

 

Here it is with just the blue LEDs on:

 

 

I also added a cleaner shrimp and a couple of peppermint shrimp.

[siwelk]

I got out of the hobby about 3 years ago and have always wanted to get back to it. Someone locally was selling a RSM 130D for a great price and I found my excuse to get back to reefing. I bought the tank with all stock equipment and went about finding the silver stand for the RSM 130D. That proved to be really difficult considering they no longer make it. I tried for months to find one with no luck. I finally broke down and had one built. While trying to locate a stand I realized that the stock lighting was not going to be powerful enough to keep what all I wanted for this tank. I also didn't want to have to deal with the heating issues that PCs bring to an all in one tank. I decided to go with LEDs. I read a lot and tried to find an easy way to retro some LEDs into the stock hood. I quickly realized that I had no interest in burning my house down if I messed up the electrical. I stumbled across LEDreef.com and found that I could FedEx the hood to them and have them retro the LEDs into it for me. I decided on the 23 LED system. The lights look great. It is a nice 15K color with all of them turned on 100%. Here are some pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A word about the stand:

 

I started looking at designs for DIY stands and found a few I liked. I wanted something that looked unique and matched my furniture. I decided on on one that was longer than the tank on one side. I thought it would look better being the width of the window it was in front of and I was planning on adding a ATO water storage tank. My girlfriend really hates that it isn't symmetrical but I like it. Here are a few pics:

 

 

 

 

 

1. Tunze 9002 DOC Skimmer with InTank collection cup

2. InTank media basket/ skimmer mount

3. Eheim Jager 150W heater

4. EcoTech Marine VorTech MP10 w/ EcoSmart Driver

5. Magfloat Medium

6. JBJ 4 in 1 Scraper

7. Air, Water & Ice Mighty Mite 50GPD RODI

8. Refractometer

 

 

 

September 23, 2011

 

I added the sand and water to the tank and waited for the sandstorm to die down a little before adding rock.

 

 

September 26, 2011

 

I went to the LFS and purchased 15 lbs of base rock and 16 lbs of LR. They were added to the tank along with 10 small hermits. I let the tank run for about a week and waited for an initial algae bloom. I fed the tank even though I had no fish to help get the cycle kicked off.

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately for me my local reef club had our annual frag swap a week after I got the rock in the tank. I tried really hard not to buy anything but ended up grabbing a few small zoa frags. I also ended up with a few heads of neon green candy cane when the owner said they were going to toss them if nobody took them. I was just hoping that everything would make it. I had plans to house them in another tank if I saw any trouble. Fortunately after a week everything looked great. I still hadn't gotten the typical algae bloom so I broke down and bought a test kit. I tested all pH at 8.0 ammonia, nitrite and nitrates were all at 0. I ran the tests twice just to make sure I was reading them correctly. It seemed that the tank had cycled in under 2 weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 8, 2011

 

I headed to the LFS today to pick up a pair of clowns. I really liked a pair of snowflakes but ended up going with one common ocellaris and one black and white ocellaris. They seem to really be taking to one another as soon as I released them in the tank. I also got a small Royal Gramma. I have had them before and they are one of my favorite fish. The ones I had were always very reclusive. The new one isn't at all. It is out in full view at all times. I got a peppermint shrimp for one small aiptasia that I have noticed on the liverock. I hope it takes care of it. I picked up one head of Duncan out of the frag tank at the LFS too. Here are some pics:

 

 

 

 

Indo-Pacific Black?

[nam2212]

Indo-Pacific Black?

 

It is Indo Pacific but all the smaller grains of white sand made their way to the bottom. It looks all black now.

[siwelk]

It is Indo Pacific but all the smaller grains of white sand made their way to the bottom. It looks all black now.

 

Thanks.

 

I thought so but wasn't sure due to the amount of black.

IME it usually seems more speckled, yours doesn't look bad at all.

[nam2212]

I removed the gramma when it started attacking all the other fish. I replaced it with a pink streaked wrasse and a shark nosed goby. They have been model citizens. I also removed the rics. The LEDs were too much light for them.

 

 

I have added a torch:

 

A bunch of frags that I ordered from an online vendor:

 

I am not sure the scoly is doing well. It doesn't swell up and hasn't put out feeders at night in a few days.

 

I also picked up a small Maxima clam a week or so ago:

 

Here is a FTS:

 

[initial_reefer]

looks good so far

[Bd2xu]

Looking great! As far as the stand, I'll share what I did. WIll post pics on it soon but I set up a new RSM 130D in November 2011. When I came home with it, my wife HATED the stand (black) and since it was going in the family room... if they're not happy well then...

 

Instead of trying to build something I remembered back to my recent master bath renovation. We bought awesome vanities that came with granite tops and looked like furniture. A quick trip to Lowes and I found a really nice vanity with a black marble top, back already cut out... perfect. The tank fits on it with about 2" extra granite on the front and sides.. who knew??? Bathroom vanities can really be a "nice" substitute for a customer stand.

[nam2212]

It really is amazing to look back and see what the tank looked like when I first set it up. I will try to update with some photos when I get home later. I have had a terrible outbreak of GHA and am at my wits end trying to get rid of it. I finally added a 2LF Phosban reactor to control phosphates. It has been on for 2 weeks but I have seen no difference yet. I also added a small tuxedo urchin hoping it would help combat it. He eats some of it but can't keep up.

 

A word about the LEDs: I am completely unimpressed with the LEDs. Had I not paid so much for the retrofit I would have scrapped them long ago. Every single coral I have added has lost color. Very few of those corals in the older pics are still around. The few that are still around are MUCH less colorful. I have had almost no growth besides the Duncan. It is about 5 heads now.