Becact's Zeovit SPS Cadlights 39g Sig

[Paleoreef103]

Nitrites are now 0! I have a big day today. I need to adjust Ca, Alk, and Mg to proper levels, and transfer all my corals and some snails from the 90g to the new tank. By the way, the 90g is across town, so I'll be doing a lot of driving back and forth. Actually, I already have been, since I need to go over there every other day to top off the ATO reservoir and add two part.

Best of luck! Post picks when every thing has settled in!

[timdanger]

man, that looks really good.

 

how did you get the curve to trace the front of the tank?

 

do you have a picture of the tank from the front so that I can see how this works? I'm thinking about adopting this design over mine just to let in more light.

 

EDIT: this was in reference to the mesh top. sorry for the confusion.

 

Nitrites are now 0! I have a big day today. I need to adjust Ca, Alk, and Mg to proper levels, and transfer all my corals and some snails from the 90g to the new tank. By the way, the 90g is across town, so I'll be doing a lot of driving back and forth. Actually, I already have been, since I need to go over there every other day to top off the ATO reservoir and add two part.

 

looking forward to seeing it!

[becact]

man, that looks really good.

 

how did you get the curve to trace the front of the tank?

 

do you have a picture of the tank from the front so that I can see how this works? I'm thinking about adopting this design over mine just to let in more light.

 

for the plastic corner pieces (which come as 90 degree angles), I cut almost all the way through the tab with a razor, put it in boiling water for a minute, and then bent it back, so that's how I got the angle of greater than 90 degrees on those pieces. As for the portion of aluminum screen framing that is curved on the front, I put a towel on the kitchen counter, laid the framing material on it, and basically pushed down with my body weight, concentrating the force on one area, until I just barely bent it. Then I advanced the frame about two inches and did it again. After this was done for about 30 inches, I had a very slight curve. I just did that whole process over and over again until the curve matched the curve on the glass. I messed up a few lengths of framing before getting the process down, so I suggest you buy more than you need. They are cheap at under $3 each

 

edit: here's a shot of the corals drip acclimating right now I brought some chaeto along to introduce some more pods.

 

[Rehype]

Good Stuff B! Looking forward to seeing it filled up

[becact]

Well, I got all the corals in and mounted. They are pretty PO'd, so I hope they look a bit better and stop sliming by tomorrow. I need to sell some of my stuff that is just too big or too fast of a grower for this tank...

 

Here is a teaser shot:

 

[Rehype]

Awesome stuff B!Looks fantastic!.Will look even better once the water clears up

[becact]

OK, I've been playing with my camera a bit, but there's only so much I can do with a point and shoot. The first picture is pretty close to the real life color of the tank, while the second two are too yellow.

 

Anyway, you can see that some of the corals are colored down from my last tank. Hopefully this new tank will give them new life!

 

 

 

[becact]

Added my fish today, too. A longnose hawkfish, yellowhead jawfish, and mandarin. I also got the Vortech installed, and the American DJ powerstrip to clean it all up. So it's pretty much done for now, it just needs to all settle in. Now I have to break down the 90 . Not looking forward to that!

[becact]

Finally got the whole system installed:

 

 

 

The ATO container just barely fit, but it did. I'm betting that 5g can is going to last a long time, as I was only topping off perhaps a quart daily by hand before installing it.

 

The Reefkeeper is keeping my system at a solid 79.0F. That seems to be the "natural" temperature, so the fans or heater barely come on.

 

I also installed a grounding probe.

 

I went to my university's chem lab and the attendant let me make a salinity solution to calibrate my refractometer. It was about 1 psu off at 35 psu, so I'm glad I made the solution. And all it took was some Morton's salt and a cup of RO/DI .

 

It's so nice with the switched power strip; I only have one cord coming out from behind the tank into the outlet next to the tank . And I still have one extra plug on the strip. I still want to get another PC4 for the reefkeeper and install dosing pumps for the two part, and perhaps the zeostart (carbon source) if I can find a pump precise enough to do it (0.1ml dosing; it's about two drops). But that is all later.

 

My parameters are inline. 420 calcium, 7.3 dkh, ~1250 Mg, undetectable PO4 (salifert), 35 psu salinity. So now I just need to kick back and wait!

[asting]

Looks great!

More coral pics!

[timdanger]

That's a lot of equipment you've got jammed in there! love the look you've got going. it's actually very clean, given the amount of stuff you've got plugged in!

 

Everybody always says such good things about the longnose hawkfish, personality-wise -- are you a fan, too?

 

I can't get over how nice your mesh top looks, and how well you bent that frame to adjust to the curve of the tank. That seems like such a good solution. my only concern is how much the frame might stand out against the rimless cube. maybe i wouldn't notice it.

[becact]

Thanks Tim! If it weren't for the junk pile in the bottom of the stand it would look a lot cleaner. Maybe I'll put some shelves in there.

 

I love the longnose. He came with the 55g I bought, which was filthy, and made it into my 90g. We've grown to like him, and he's unique, so we kept him. Mostly he perches and watches when I'm near, and when I'm gone he perches and keeps an eye on the other fish.

 

The mesh top is definitely a personal decision. I would like the tank better without it, but honestly it doesn't detract from the look of the tank much. It looks like a stock piece of equipment, so it doesn't bother me. It's not like you can look into the tank through the top water anyway (like with a zero edge); there is too much turbulence from the Vortech.

 

 

 

Also, I am having Sapphire Aquatics build me a custom zeovit reactor. The normal nano reactor is giving me some problems with the daily pumping. The stones get seized between the inner rod and walls of the reactor, making vigorous shaking difficult. Not the fault of the reactor, as it was not designed to do what I am using it for.

[timdanger]

The mesh top is definitely a personal decision. I would like the tank better without it, but honestly it doesn't detract from the look of the tank much. It looks like a stock piece of equipment, so it doesn't bother me. It's not like you can look into the tank through the top water anyway (like with a zero edge); there is too much turbulence from the Vortech.

 

can i request a few FTS pictures where you can see how the top looks from different viewing angles (e.g. standing height, straight-on view, view from a distance, etc.)?

 

i'm still deciding on whether to just go with a custom-made top like this or to order the glass top from cadlights when it becomes available. i definitely don't need the extra heat that would come with it, though.

[becact]

If you're already having heat problems, there's no way you want a glass top (unless you get a chiller too). Trust me, I had that problem with my pico, and that was with PC lights, not halides!

 

It's like $10-$15 in materials to build a top like this; why not just try it and see if you like it?

[timdanger]

If you're already having heat problems, there's no way you want a glass top (unless you get a chiller too). Trust me, I had that problem with my pico, and that was with PC lights, not halides!

 

It's like $10-$15 in materials to build a top like this; why not just try it and see if you like it?

 

I agree with you on the heat -- I thought I was stabilizing at 81.4, but now i'm not so sure. I have, however, just purchased a Tunze 1073.040 return pump in hopes of bringing down the temperature in the tank (no idea how much heat is generated by the stock pump, but i figure something that uses only 41w for 792gph couldn't hurt!).

 

the main issue with the $10-15 for the mesh top is that I've already spent $20 on the parts for the top I'm currently using, and if i spend $15 on this top and don't like it, i'm going to have to spend $20 + shipping for the glass top from cadlights, and all the sudden a cheap $20 top has become a $65 investment, and likely a prelude to purchasing a chiller.

 

as an aside about me, personally: unfortunately, i am very tight with how i handle money, which 1) means i'm in the wrong hobby, and 2) means i hate hate hate buying things without knowing for sure that they're both (i) well-priced and (ii) well-functioning (it's almost a debilitating phobia -- you should see my wife and i trying to pick out bedroom furniture, which we are also currently doing). point is, i want to have information before i make the $15 decision to buy the materials to make this top (I actually think it will be more - if it's $3 per piece of frame, i need 4 pieces of that, $9 for the mesh, plus the cost of the splining tool and the corner joints -- doesn't that sound closer to $30?)

[becact]

Unfortunately, I'm the opposite of you financially, lol. I make impulse purchases and then later regret spending so much! But I think I am getting better at that, only because there is nowhere else to place new frags, and the tank is pretty much up and running at this point.

 

I'll try to get some new shots for you (I really need a tripod!). My $15 estimate was based on the cost of the parts it would take if one doesn't mess up anything on the first try, so maybe it's a bit of a stretch.

 

I can definitely advise you against the glass top, though. ReHype can get away with it because he is using LEDs, which add basically no heat. A halide is like the total opposite. I had 500w of halides about 12" over 90g, and they managed to raise the temp a few degrees. Plus, with a glass top, you can't fan cool the water (which can bring temps down several degrees).

 

If you need any advice on how to build the top, please ask!

[becact]

Some updates:

 

I modified the nano reactor to better work for zeovit. I cut a piece of thin wall PVC down, glued the bubble plate to the bottom of it, glued a rod to the open top of it, and placed it in the reactor. There is some threaded rod holding it about an inch from the pump. so now I can shake the rocks freely (an important part of zeovit). Before, the stones kept getting bound between a rod though the middle and the walls. This is kind of hard to understand, I know, but the point is it's now much easier for me to do my daily zeovit stuff And the rod keeps me from having to put me hands in the water.

 

I also got two new fish, a pair of ORA black ocellaris.

 

As for the coral, I sold off a few of the larger pieces to create some grow out room. I am going to slowly sell off the common colonies and focus on LE pieces as well. I traded for an ORA pearlberry, too.

 

I finally got some good photos with the camera, though I really wish I had a DSLR. Regardless, playing around in photoshop I was able to get the following pics pretty close to what the tank looks like in real life. Please forgive the dirty glass in some of the shots, I had just done a water change.

 

FTS:

 

 

The upper right. You can see the pearlberry right above the red chalice:

 

 

Upper left:

 

 

Lower left:

 

 

Lower right:

 

 

And one of my favorite chalices:

 

 

I'm curious to see what zeovit does to my colors after I get the tank nutrient levels established. I've not had to clean the glass yet, so that is pretty cool. Also, there are tons of copepods; they are all over the glass. This is a good thing, because it means my mandarin has plenty to eat!

[becact]

Made a jawfish house:

 

 

Currently he has dug a burrow behind the rockwork, so you can only see him from the side of the tank. I'm hoping he'll find this new barnacle house soon. I'm going to stop directing mysis back there; I hope he's smart enough to figure out the food is in the front of the tank!

[becact]

Anyone still watching this thread?

 

After getting some nice frags from MitchReef, I had to redo much of my aquascape. I got a Greg Hiller Aqua Delight, an ORA Chips acro, an un-named acro, and a blue-green echinata today.

 

Pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ORA Borealis:

 

 

Unknown acro from Mitch:

 

[Rubicon06]

I like your stand setup, what level is your Reefkeeper Lite?

 

I also like the powerstrip, where did you get it/who makes it?

 

Thanks!

[becact]

I like your stand setup, what level is your Reefkeeper Lite?

 

I also like the powerstrip, where did you get it/who makes it?

 

Thanks!

 

Thanks!

 

The RKL is a level one. From my research, it is best to buy the components separately, because the SL1 module that comes with levels 2 and 3 has a useless function (ORP). If the level 2 and 3 had come with an SL2 instead (which monitors salinity and pH), I would have went that way

 

The powerstrip is an American DJ powestrip. I highly recommend it. I got mine at the local music store (Sam Ash).

 

 

 

As for the tank, I changed out my Fiji Purple for a UVL actinic. I like the change. I think a Fiji Purple in a 4 bulb fixture is just too much; it added too much red for my tastes. If I had a 6+ bulb fixture I would definitely add one, though. Heck, I may change my mind again and throw it back in one day.

 

I also changed my lighting schedule to have one blue plus and the UVL lit for 1.5 hours on each end of a 10 hour total cycle. So I now have 7 hours of all 4 bulbs, with a 1.5 hour sunrise/set on each end. I may even shorten the 4 bulb time some more.

[Rehype]

Hey B it looks fantastic. I think everyones in shock.. you went from empty tank to fully stocked in what seemed like a week. I dont think ppl realized it was a tank transfer. Nevertheless everything looks great. You have some really nice frags in there. I cant wait to see them color up especially since you went zeovit

[becact]

Thanks

 

I need to thin out my stock to make some growing room, it is just too crowded in there.

[becact]

Got some more pics today. You can probably notice how the color cast of each session changes. That's because I have to set the white balance manually each time, and edit each photo individually in PSE.

 

The corals are really coloring up nicely. I'm not sure if it's the zeovit, acid bathed fresh rocks, new salt, or a combination of everything, but the tank is doing quite well for being so new. I really notice that most are losing their brown coloration and starting to take on some real color. I really hate sticking my hand in the tank; I just want to let it be, but I still have to sell some stuff off and rearrange once more.

 

Also, no algae on the glass yet. It is pretty ridiculous to have to feed snails algae sheets!

 

New FTS (I need to sell the two acros on the sand, and give some growout room to the larger colonies by selling off some of the smaller pieces):

 

 

Check out the color on the tricolor valida. It's not quite there yet, but when I first put it into this tank, it was straight brown with brown polyps (check the earlier pics). So there is progress being made

 

 

New frag! Greg Hiller's Aqua Delight acro. It's the green one in the upper right. There are blue torts to the left, a red planet below, and a colored down tricolor of some kind to the right:

 

 

New frag! Unnamed acro mini colony from MitchReef. This one seems like it's going to have a cool growth pattern; maybe a dense table. I'm excited to see how it does! The purple acro to the right is one of the ones I need to move to make room:

 

[Carlton'sTank]

your tank looks really good. Once everything is grown in a bit more it will be mind blowing...