StevieT's Red Sea Max Experience

[StevieT]

mmmmm birthday sexin' good idea envy i'll be calling you soon

 

HAPPY BIRFDAYSTEVIE!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

now GFY

[Jacobnano]

Happy Birthday ya hater

[got2envy]

[Needreefunds]

Happy belated bud!

 

Hope is was a good one.

[Daleo]

I love this tank BTW, but how is your clam on the sandbed doing? I was thinking of upgrading to MH with my RSM and have the option to do 150w or 150w. Would you personally go any higher than 150w?

[StevieT]

Happy belated bud!

 

Hope is was a good one.

 

Hey buddy thanks!

 

I love this tank BTW, but how is your clam on the sandbed doing? I was thinking of upgrading to MH with my RSM and have the option to do 150w or 150w. Would you personally go any higher than 150w?

 

It is doing well good growth over the past year of ownership. I have only owned a 150W MH light so I have no idea. I do know that when I was going to upgrade some did mention the 250W so it can be done.

[Daleo]

Sorry bout the typo glad you still understood me. Happy to hear about the healthy clam. Plan to make any changes to the tank? Or let it grow in more?

[StevieT]

I see this tank maybe a minute per day. The largest plan will be to hopefully bring it home this fall so I can enjoy it more. I have to check the tank with a computer to still make sure it is alive, sad sad sad.

 

After it is home I am sure I will have more interest again to add corals. I have been focused on others tanks for so long now and need to get back to mine.

[sgrzebieta]

Hi Stevie

 

I use to own a 5ft by 2ft by 2ft African Cichlid Tank but I recently got divorced and had to sell it, but now that I am back on my feet I was thinking of starting up a reef tank using a Red Sea Max 130D but I have a few question as I have never kept a reef tank before.

 

Sorry if some of the questions are a bit basic I have only read about keeping a reef tank and some things still confusing for me

 

1. I live in Australia and can’t get live sand would you recommend any other sand?

2. What should the Coral to fish ratio be in a Read Sea Max 130D?

3. Should I do all the modification to the tank before I start it up?

4. Can I do without an ATO and how much water is lost weekly to evaporation?

5. Did you use egg crate for the live rock to sit on under the sand?

6. What food do you use to feed the coral and fish?

7. The API Reef Master Test Kit and API Saltwater Master Test Kit are all I need to test the water?

8. Do you buy your water form the LFS and if not is it easy to make?

9. When performing water changes using water from the LFS what is the best way to warm it up before adding it to the tank?

10. Finally do you ship your inTank products to Australia?

 

Thanks for your Help

Simon G

[StevieT]

Hi Simon from down under.

 

1. I live in Australia and can’t get live sand would you recommend any other sand?

 

Can you get 1-2mm dry sand for a marine aquarium? It doesn't have to be "live" it will be come live during the cycle.

 

2. What should the Coral to fish ratio be in a Read Sea Max 130D?

 

4-5 small fish is your max. You can add as many corals as you want.

 

3. Should I do all the modification to the tank before I start it up?

It would be easier but by all means is not necessary. You can see what I did to start up the tank on the first few pages, that is the minimum you would want to do.

 

4. Can I do without an ATO and how much water is lost weekly to evaporation?

Sure but you are tied to the tank. Too many variables to that question but I was losing about 3-5 gallons per week with the stock hood.

 

5. Did you use egg crate for the live rock to sit on under the sand?

 

No

 

6. What food do you use to feed the coral and fish?

 

Rod's food but you won't find that there. You can use anything from flake, pellets to frozen. Most coral eat light and water changes.

 

7. The API Reef Master Test Kit and API Saltwater Master Test Kit are all I need to test the water?

Yep, and a refractometer to test the salinity.

 

8. Do you buy your water form the LFS and if not is it easy to make?

 

I make it, easy and trusted.

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=154868

 

9. When performing water changes using water from the LFS what is the best way to warm it up before adding it to the tank?

 

Aquarium heater in a bucket with a powerhead for flow. See link above.

 

10. Finally do you ship your inTank products to Australia?

 

YES! I have lots of products in your area of the world. www.mediabaskets.com can handle international checkout.

[StevieT]

Thanks you for the kind words guys/gals/computer bots

 

I am counting down the days when I can enjoy this hobby for what is it is all about, once again.

 

I just got back from MACNA 2010 in Orlando, FL with most attendants owning big reef aquariums. They all said a nano is way to hard and will crash way too easy. These guys are all builders and tinkers so hearing "hard" kind of funny.

 

We prove them wrong every day. The "OfficeMax" is three (3) years old and what do you really do? A regular water change, feed every other day. Yeah that's hard after set up. Well you dodge the equipment failures but they play that ball game as well.

 

Please keep proving these guys wrong, our side of the hobby is growing in HUGE numbers but we are hidden on the marketing side thus not recognized enough. The RSM is the worldwide nano-reef. No other tank can say that, and that is something to be proud of.

 

inTank has a booth purchased at the 2011 MACNA, the only Nano-Reef focused company. All of you made this possible and I thank everyone for that. We are a growing group of hobbyist. This isn't a competition to larger reef tanks we are all in this together. It is a representation that you can keep a small tank and not look like an experiment.

 

Keep your water wet -StevieT

[bluefunelement]

I just got back from MACNA 2010 in Orlando, FL with most attendants owning big reef aquariums. They all said a nano is way to hard and will crash way too easy. These guys are all builders and tinkers so hearing "hard" kind of funny.

 

We prove them wrong every day...

So true - my local clubs have majority large tanks all coming down due to the economy or failures. I keep 150g split across 7 tanks - no way a single equipment failure is taking me down. Thanks again for focusing on the nano/pico market.

 

BTW - after looking through nearly all of NR I have decided to blatantly rip off your aquascape - I'm seeing too many unnatural coral mixes and like your branching/table/encrusting SPS above high light rics/discs with LPS on the bottom. Dana Riddle would be proud.

[Deleted User 6]

Aw shucks stevie

[StevieT]

BTW - after looking through nearly all of NR I have decided to blatantly rip off your aquascape - I'm seeing too many unnatural coral mixes and like your branching/table/encrusting SPS above high light rics/discs with LPS on the bottom. Dana Riddle would be proud.

 

Thanks, go right ahead. It just made sense in my head and ended up looking rather nice. I had no real "plan" per say it as an empty canvas.

 

I guess it started when I did SPS with the stock lighting so up high was the only option at the time.

[StevieT]

The tank has a new home. Finishing up small details but the majority of the tank is up and running, corals attached, fish very pi$$ed off. No more moving for a long time...

 

Pictures to come.

[Jacobnano]

Wait what?

[StevieT]

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...t&p=3021004

[Jacobnano]

Ah good man. It is about time you have it at your own house

[StevieT]

Sneak peak. Water is still plenty cloudy I have gone through 5 pieces of world famous filter floss in two days. Lost one chromas which was odd considering. Found Mr. Evil crab and have him in a bucket of fresh salt water. Don't have the will to kill him just yet.

 

 

[Jacobnano]

Cool cool man. Bummer about the loss.

 

A random question, why did you put the tank right in front of a window?

[StevieT]

Only spot in the house it could go

 

A random question, why did you put the tank right in front of a window?

[Jacobnano]

Oh alright, just wondering haha. Well congrats on the successful move, amazing that basically everything made it.

[Daleo]

I really like the new scape. More dynamic. Can't wait for everything to open up.

[StevieT]

It looks pretty slick where it is, set back in this little nook of the living room. The window was never used much anyway and doesn't get direct sunlight. Now I have to play around with the lighting schedule so I can enjoy it after work a little, don't know how much day light will effect everything we have a HUGE bay window in that room. This was much easier to figure this out in the office.

 

It was a short move, 10 minute drive and since I have done this once before it was "easier". The scape took only 1.5 hours instead of 8+ this time around. Cheated with acrylic rod. Total time out of tank for everything was about 5 hours. Floated the corals in the garbage can of new salt water as soon as I got home.

 

It was a good chance to clean everything up, trim or get rid of bad stuff from the temp problems I have had in the past.

 

Let it settle in and start buying new frags, haven't done that in over a year. Also replace the $2.00 Chromis and get my clean up crew back in full force. They seem to die out after 3+ years

 

Nuked the turf algae with kalkwasser paste hopefully gone for good now.

 

I really like the new scape. More dynamic. Can't wait for everything to open up.

 

Thanks, that is what I was going for. There is actually a lot of room on the sides and rear now for corals. I was just sick of the mound look after 3 years. I will never set up another tank without drilling holes and using acrylic.

[Jacobnano]

It looks pretty slick where it is, set back in this little nook of the living room. The window was never used much anyway and doesn't get direct sunlight. Now I have to play around with the lighting schedule so I can enjoy it after work a little, don't know how much day light will effect everything we have a HUGE bay window in that room. This was much easier to figure this out in the office.

 

It was a short move, 10 minute drive and since I have done this once before it was "easier". The scape took only 1.5 hours instead of 8+ this time around. Cheated with acrylic rod. Total time out of tank for everything was about 5 hours. Floated the corals in the garbage can of new salt water as soon as I got home.

 

It was a good chance to clean everything up, trim or get rid of bad stuff from the temp problems I have had in the past.

 

Let it settle in and start buying new frags, haven't done that in over a year. Also replace the $2.00 Chromis and get my clean up crew back in full force. They seem to die out after 3+ years

 

Nuked the turf algae with kalkwasser paste hopefully gone for good now.

 

Oh good that is what I was worried about, if it is an unused window then nice, it looks good.

 

Oh that is good, I was thinking it would take a little bit longer than that lol.

 

Nice, new frags! I am need new CUC critters too.....