My First Post! Details of my in wall 38g

[elmer240]

This is my first post on Nano-Reef. I have been reading and gathering information for months. Just wanted to post about the highs, lows, and mistakes of my continuing 38g in the kitchen wall reef. I started a SW aquarium in college 4-5 years ago so i had little bit of SW fish keeping knowledge. THought I knew exactly what to do . Looking back thats funny now. I was given a 29g to start my project in August. Added live rock and live sand from LFS and let the tank stand for a month. Added Blue Damsel for first inexpensive fish for my FOWLR setup. One month later purchased clown, and coral Beauty. One month after that purchase Royal Gramma (for the wife). Purchased 2x96 watt PC from Odyssea (BIG MISTAKE) let the party begin. For Christmas I was given Gift certificates to a great local LFS and a Coralife Superskimmer (great skimmer by the way). This is where my FOWLR turns into a reef with the addition of the open brain and frogspawns. One week later the tanks silicone seal breaks and lots of water on my hardwood in the middle of the night. NO FUN. Saved what water I could with ducktape holding the tank together. Went to LFS purchased a 38g (same footprint) after Petco refused to sell me their 38g without buying the stand also (I hate that store). Since then I have moved and decided to put the tank in the wall in my kitchen/hallway with a small fishroom behind tank. Also purchased a Hamilton 36" 250w MH 10000k with 2x96 CF 03.

 

Equipment is as follows

38g tank

Hamilton MH hood 250w 10000k with 2x96w pc

1 MJ 1200 w/hydor flo

1 Seio 820

20 gallon sump/ with Refugium (Chaeto)

Coralife Super Skimmer Needlewheel

LED Moon lights

 

Livestock

1x Coral Beauty (No nipping yet)

1x False Percula

1x Royal Gramma (mean fish)

1x Blue Damsel (Can't catch him)

7 Astrea snails

2 Blueleg hermits

1 Scarlet Hermit

7 Nassarius snails

Grape Frogspawn

Tan Frogspawn

3 Orange Ricordia's (Started as 1)

1 small frag of Orange Zoos

1 Open Brain

Hitchiker Mushrooms (Blue)

 

Let Me know what you think

 

First FTS is with PC fixture

Others are with ne Hamilton fixture

 

 

 

 

[pico1]

Wow Very nice setup. Should look great once the surrounding wall gets fixed up.

[elmer240]

More Pics

[pico1]

good move on adding the seio

[elmer240]

Thanks Pico, The side wall is not up yet (still got to find a way to vent that metal halide because currently the fans are on the side). But it will be done soon or else (so my wife says).

[SplitSequence]

Looks neat! Nice set-up.

[elmer240]

I'll try to post pics tom. of the behind the scenes and the guts of the system also to show my first little fish room (err Closet).

[elmer240]

I had a slight problem today one of the 96w lamps base literally melted along with the socket it was connected to. I ordered a new lamp and socket but would like to find the root of the probelm before I replace them. Could this be a bad ballast? Anyone have any ideas.

[Mini_GBR]

woah, thats scay to see, lucky nothing more than a melted light, I'd hate to think what more could have happend

[scarf_ace1981]

wish i could help you w/ the light question. i must say that the tank looks absolutely great. can't wait to see the wall finished. do you have pics of the other side or the tank? how much room for access do you have?

[elmer240]

I would love to have answers to the light because it really scares me. My family once had an aqurium catch fire. (The fire marshall determined it was a faulty power strip). 30g through the second floor and a burnt wall later. LONG cleanup process. So i really need to nail this down.

I don't have much room behind the tank in the fish closet (works out to be 28" I believe) but it is enough room to hide my supplies and do regular maintnance. I have some pictures of the day we started working on it here. I'll post more later about where it is now.

[scarf_ace1981]

you actually got a little seperate room back there. awesome.

 

for future reference tr and post pics one under the other.

like this:

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not

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