phi delt reefer Posted November 28, 2010 Author Share Posted November 28, 2010 i know i know...said i wouldnt go with a skimmer but i really wanted to try out the bio-pellets which need a skimmer Plus for $180 US shipped - that skimmer was too good of a deal to let go. Link to comment
WI Reefer Posted November 28, 2010 Share Posted November 28, 2010 Man your cabnet/stand looks very professional. $180 shipped I got in on that group buy too! awesome skimmer Link to comment
phi delt reefer Posted November 28, 2010 Author Share Posted November 28, 2010 Man your cabnet/stand looks very professional. $180 shipped I got in on that group buy too! awesome skimmer ends NOV 30 if your interested - group buy link. Link to comment
krug1313 Posted December 24, 2010 Share Posted December 24, 2010 Hey how's the setup going? Link to comment
Michael B Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Any updates on this system - really looks great so far? Link to comment
phi delt reefer Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share Posted January 18, 2011 Any updates on this system - really looks great so far? sorry guys I got busy with work - working harder to make money to finance this hobby. So some updates... I sold my TEK Light .... was going to get a couple 175w halides with 4x39w t5ho retrofit but scrapped that idea... Bought this last week (on its way to the border as we speak...) 8x39w ATI Sunpower (going to run 4 ATI Blue Plus, 1 Purple Plus, 1 Aquablue Special, 1 GE 6500K) paid for my base rock ($150 - like the Marco rock stuff but in Canada) and sand. Also finished paying off the tank. It should be ready this week or early next week. My stand is still in the same state as pictured earlier but now its riddled with the wife's purses, empty bottles of booze and a couple containers with toys. I dunno where all that stuff is going to go once the tank is setup but i have a couple garbage bags handy in case i get any "Attitude" about it. I am going to get some rare earth magnets to mount the last few panels and do away with the hinges - it will be a cleaner look and I wont have to worry about the little ones swinging it open (the magnets are REALLY strong - like break your fingers strong!) Still have to stain the entire thing whihc i am not looking forward too cause i know its not going to look as nice as i want it too but its my first woodworking project so I'll chalk it up to that. I still need to get some better powerheads (either KE750 or KE1050) and the plumbing but i have everything else (I think... ) Link to comment
phi delt reefer Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share Posted February 5, 2011 so here is my rock from Eco-reefer (Canadian version of Marco Rocks)- aka Torsten. Ordered 45lbs, Torsten being the great guy he is sent me back with a little extra :mrgreen: here is what i came up initially - green tape represents the 23.5" width of my tank. My tank is only 12" tall so I need to keep my scape short for SPS growth I was left with this much rock... slept a couple days... had some reef dreams and figured I should use some more rock as a biological filter and so my fish have some hiding places, etc. So I added a couple more pieces; There is about 9" of "rock free" area from the front glass to the closest rock. I think that will be sufficient swim room for the fish. i will leave a small gap at the back of the glass to help ensure i get some flow back there; I still have a few large pieces left that i might use in the sump or break up and try to glue a floating bonsai pieces. I have a lot of ideas...problem is that i am pretty lazy **** Do you guys/girls think I should go back to my original scape OR do you like the latest version better? I will have a 1 to 1.5" sandbed as well. Link to comment
Rehype Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 I like the first scape better.. Link to comment
phi delt reefer Posted April 3, 2011 Author Share Posted April 3, 2011 progress.... tank overflow stand - stained and assembled - still needs some detail work (sanding/re-staining) reefkeeper mounted sump area ATI Sunpower - 8 bulb random shots Link to comment
phi delt reefer Posted April 3, 2011 Author Share Posted April 3, 2011 why did i build such a big stand? Simple - I needed some place to store all this crap; Link to comment
phi delt reefer Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 got some work done and water in the tank! Link to comment
googoomas Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Love the tank and the stand! Looking very Sexy... Link to comment
Zoafreak Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 looking amazing!! you're an exceptional DIYer! how much planning did this take? Link to comment
phi delt reefer Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 lots of planning for the tank and making it safe cause i have a two year old and four year old. both of which are always into things and breaking stuff. started the tank stand last october but realistically its a solid two weeks worth of work. Stand wieghs atleast three hundred pounds so i couldnt move it around much while working on it. A lot more planning went into how to build it without making a mess. Link to comment
shaqdan Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Looks pretty awesome. Can't wait to see it in a few months. Link to comment
phi delt reefer Posted June 9, 2011 Author Share Posted June 9, 2011 i have a Grade A Picasso and a Darwin clown coming in on the 24th. i should be adding new things every couple weeks after that and SPS in a few months. i cant get my skimmer running right due to my bioload so i think i will need to stock up quicker than expected. Link to comment
Zoafreak Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 nice choice for clowns. take some pics when they come in! Link to comment
Paleoreef103 Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Tank looks awesome! What do you think of the SWC 150? I am pretty sure that is going to be the heart of my next system. Link to comment
phi delt reefer Posted June 11, 2011 Author Share Posted June 11, 2011 Tank looks awesome! What do you think of the SWC 150? I am pretty sure that is going to be the heart of my next system. I haven't got a good foam head on it yet due to my non-existent bio load but it's a good skimmer for the money. One thing I had an issue with was startup after a power out. I guess the mesh wheels lack equality control during production so some were too big. The pump has trouble initially starting due to resistance faced with a larger mesh wheel. Luke at reef filtration is sending me a correctly sized mesh wheel that will ensure proper startup so other than that it's good. I would recommend buying from Luke, he's got wicked customer service and hooked me uP pretty nicely when I organized the group buy back in November. Just so u know the startup issue is common on all atman 2500 driven skimmers so don't let that sway ur decision. Luke will get u setup correctly if there is an issue with urs. Link to comment
phi delt reefer Posted June 11, 2011 Author Share Posted June 11, 2011 So right now I have a blue green chromis and two spotted cardinals in the tank. In a couple weeks I should have my clowns (Picasso and Darwin) Also adding; Flasher wrasse of some sort Anthias - probably lyre tail Purple fire fish Two yasha gobies Tailspot blenny Pair of harlequin shrimp Skunk cleaner shrimp Porcelain crab Mandarin in a few months if I can get a pod population to steadily grow. Link to comment
phi delt reefer Posted June 13, 2011 Author Share Posted June 13, 2011 ordered; SL1 module for the Reefkeeper Tunze ATO Algae Free Piranha Magnetic Glass Cleaner Eheim Single Auto Feeder Purple fire fish 2 yasha gobies Tailspot blenny 2 Harlequin shrimp Royal Gramma RBTA Skunk cleaner shrimp gotta make me a lid ASAP or i'm going to lose some of those suckers! Link to comment
adolfo425 Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Wow a very nice clean setup. Stand is huge but like you said you need to store all those extras. Can't wait to see this filled with livestock. I am sure it will all look awesome when it all comes in. Link to comment
phi delt reefer Posted June 13, 2011 Author Share Posted June 13, 2011 as big as the stand is - its almost packed to the hilt. A 5 gallon bucket will go in the base of the tall cabinet to hold my RO for top offs and all the little jugs and pails and other supplies take up the rest of the room. A diy battery backup system will go into stand eventually. We have a lot of quick surges at night that may impact the skimmer or powerheads which don't do very well in rapid on off situations. My basement is has two 48" x 24" shelves dedicated to holding R/O and a quarantine tank and a salt mixing station. I bought the ESV component salt so I needed a place for a scale as well to weigh the four components. I might switch to another salt just to stream line things but the stuff mixes uber clean so i am sort of on the fence. Cant really buy it in Canada so it would save me a trip to the border if I decided to switch to Royal Nature or something. Link to comment
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