tiggs Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 05/01/2011 - Nanotuners 3.24 upgrade05/03/2011 - 2 x Ecoxotic Panorama modules02/09/2012 - UPDATED FTSSince everyone else has a build thread, I figured it's time to join the party I've been reef keeping on and off since '03, but have just started (as in today) my first nano reef.Biocube 141 x 50w heater17lbs Fiji live rock (taken from a 16 year old established reef tank)10lbs live sandB-Ionic 4 part salt mixKent Marine A+B for nano reefs (dosed weekly)Distilled Water20% water changes weeklyLevelsSG - 1.025Temp - 78-79 degreesAmmonia - 0ppmNitrites - 0ppmNitrates - 15ppmpH - 8.4Alk - 300ModsAll filter media removedtab removed from wall between chamber 1 and 2chamber 1 - heaterchamber 2 - inTank media basket (filter floss,chaeto w/LED on reverse lighting cycle, chemipure elite)chamber 3 - return pumpReturn pump replaced with Hydor Evolution 1200Koralia nano (425)Hydor Flo on return pump1 x Ecoxotic Panorama module (453)1 x Ecoxotic Panorama module (8k/453)Vent holes drilled in feeder doorBack opened up for additional ventilationInverts1 x indo hermitsTONS of various snails1 x peppermint shrimp1 x emerald crabFishpair of snowflake clownsCoralwhite kenya treered mushroomsaussie duncangreen star polypstoadstoollots of zoas/palys - too many to list Link to comment
oncorhynchus Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Hey Tiggs. I've got a very similiar setup save the skimmer. How does it fit in the first chamber? Once you get it going let us know how it does. Link to comment
Maddevil1 Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Yes, how did you fit the skimmer. I've ran out of things to buy for my biocube! Link to comment
tiggs Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 I used suction cups to stick it to the side wall (the opposite side of where the inTank piece snaps in). I have it in place, but not turned on yet. I'll let you know how it does once I fire it up Link to comment
Maddevil1 Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 I used suction cups to stick it to the side wall (the opposite side of where the inTank piece snaps in). I have it in place, but not turned on yet. I'll let you know how it does once I fire it up Oh wait, is this the Oceanic BC14 skimmer? If so, its crap.....but I guess its better than nothing. You dont really need a skimmer for a tank this size. But if I were to use one, it would have to be better than one that could fit in the back chambers. Link to comment
tiggs Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 Yup, the BC14 skimmer. It certainly looks pretty crappy. I got it for free, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to test out. If I don't notice it doing much, I'm going to remove it though. Link to comment
Maddevil1 Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Yup, the BC14 skimmer. It certainly looks pretty crappy. I got it for free, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to test out. If I don't notice it doing much, I'm going to remove it though. Yea, I got one for free but since my chamber 1 has my heater and pH probe, I couldnt put it there. I tested it out by just sticking it in the tank and I wasnt getting anything. I hear there are some HOB skimmers that uses a pump to get the water to it, but didnt think it was worth the hassle. Link to comment
tiggs Posted February 17, 2011 Author Share Posted February 17, 2011 DAY 2.. Things are starting off well. The Live Rock I used came with a TON of life on it. My tank is packed with asterina stars, micro brittle stars, and pods. Not to mention the hitchhiker astrea snails, button polyps, toadstool frag, and finger frag. I'm not sure how much of this stuff (if any) will survive my cycle, but I'm hoping to escape with at least a coral or two. Anyway, here are some pics. I'll post more when there's more excitement going on Link to comment
qbical Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 looking good i also found that extending the tube length of the biocube skimmer helped produce a bit better skimmate. Link to comment
tiggs Posted February 18, 2011 Author Share Posted February 18, 2011 Nothing special, but I figured a moonlight pic wouldn't hurt.. Link to comment
tiggs Posted February 18, 2011 Author Share Posted February 18, 2011 I had a pretty serious heat fluctuation yesterday (78-84 degrees), so I'm attempting to regulate that today. I have upgraded fans (from Nanotuners 3.24) working 24/7 and the heater set to 80 (I plan on dropping it back to 77 once I stabilize things). With that being said, I'm leaving the feeder door open today and so far, the temperature hasn't changed at all. I don't want to remove the feeder door and would really like to avoid drilling vents into it. Has anyone had luck with cutting out sections of the back of the hood for increased flow? There appears to be two 4x4 square sections that can be taken out without damaging the structure of the hood. help Link to comment
tiggs Posted February 19, 2011 Author Share Posted February 19, 2011 Since keeping the feeder door open today had my tank keeping a steady temperature all day, I decided to add additional ventilation. I hate how it looks with the door open or removed, so this was my solution. I'm hoping this will vent it enough to keep the temperature at a steady 77-78. If this doesn't do it, I'll have to drill a few vent holes in the feeding door, which I'm trying to avoid at all cost. Link to comment
oncorhynchus Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 I drilled out extra holes in the existing vents to all more flow through the fans. This dropped my temp about one degree. Link to comment
tiggs Posted February 19, 2011 Author Share Posted February 19, 2011 I drilled out extra holes in the existing vents to all more flow through the fans. This dropped my temp about one degree. Excellent. If I'm not happy with my temperature tomorrow, I'll do this before I attack the feeding door. Thanks! Link to comment
tiggs Posted February 19, 2011 Author Share Posted February 19, 2011 While looking over my tank last night, I decided to move forward with drilling the feeding door. Even with the back cut out, I had a feeling I was still going to need additional ventilation over the surface of the water. Here is what I came up with. I'm also happy to report that my tank stayed at 79 degrees all day without any fluctuation. It looks like this was the magic combo for me. On a side note, I got a great deal on a Biocube UV sterilizer last night. It should be here in a few days, so I'll post more pics and give it a review after it gets here. In my previous reef keeping experience with large systems, I've personally never believed in UV sterilizers. My view on nano reefs though is that you have substantially less room for error. If nothing else, this will make a super fancy water clarification system. Link to comment
tiggs Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 A few new pics.. The only one of my hitchhiker astrea snails to survive. He's doing a great job eating the algae in the corners Since I'm able to keep my temperature stable with zero fluctuations now (not even 1 degree!), I've lowered the temp back down to my original 77 degrees. I'm going to pick up my test kits tomorrow and begin tracking my levels. Link to comment
19jeffro83 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 What's up local guy. Where in TR are you? I'm down by the walmart on 37 Link to comment
tiggs Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 I'm on the other side of 37. Near the Vaughn avenue light. Link to comment
19jeffro83 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Nice dude who your lfs? You go to steve? I hav a buddy of mine that used to live on vaughn and bay. Link to comment
tiggs Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 Yup, I go to Steve and Tropiquarium. I used to go to Fishtails too, but I just came back into the hobby and they apparently closed up shop. Link to comment
19jeffro83 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 You should check out my boy Greg across the street from trop. Reefs to reptiles. He's an awesome guy to deal with and has a great selection. Do you do any trading or buying off any locals? Link to comment
tiggs Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 You should check out my boy Greg across the street from trop. Reefs to reptiles. He's an awesome guy to deal with and has a great selection. Do you do any trading or buying off any locals? I haven't yet (tank is still cycling), but I found a couple of guys on Craigslist that have good prices on frags. http://jerseyshore.craigslist.org/for/2212326056.html http://jerseyshore.craigslist.org/for/2197658194.html Link to comment
19jeffro83 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 lol the guy in the highlands is my boy. Link to comment
tiggs Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 lol the guy in the highlands is my boy. Haha small world. I plan on using both of them to stock my tank in about a month. I'd rather buy from them than pay LFS markups. Link to comment
19jeffro83 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Good call. I've have a few pieces for cheap too. Mikes a good guy go see him first and you want cool smaller fish an inverts than Gregs the guy to see. He's always into neat nano critters. Link to comment
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