reefrook Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Current FTS: my first tank, which was a 10gal, did not survive my chicago to la move. and due to the financial strain of such a big move, i did not expect to have a new tank anytime soon…. until i found the deal of all deals!! omgomgomg omgomgomg i found a local reefer who was moving and needed his equipment gone asap. i pretty much took his whole setup. 48 x 24 x 12 acrylic, drilled with an external overflow 48" maristar mh with t5 + ballast sump + eheim return pump he also threw in the stand he built for this tank, 7 water jugs, a bucket of sand, and a couple of t5 bulbs i'm pretty damn excited to get this thing cleaned and filled… but i also feel kind of lost as this is quite a huge leap from my tiny 10g. i want to keep things as simple as possible but also want to ensure this tanks success. For those that know, i have some questions: Is a calcium reactor necessary to have thriving sps colonies? skimmer? how often do you do water changes? Link to comment
Paleoreef103 Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 i'm pretty damn excited to get this thing cleaned and filled… but i also feel kind of lost as this is quite a huge leap from my tiny 10g. i want to keep things as simple as possible but also want to ensure this tanks success. For those that know, i have some questions: Is a calcium reactor necessary to have thriving sps colonies? skimmer? how often do you do water changes? No. A calc reactor isn't necessary to have thriving sps colonies. That being said, it is one of the most bullet proof ways of adding all the stuff corals need. You can also run kalk, two-part, or balling methods (which is mostly just a really fancy way of doing two-part). For a 60 gallon tank, a combo of dilute kalk in the ATO water and two-part/balling lite would be the way I would go. If you really want to make it simple get 2 or 3(if dosing mag) of the Bulk Reef Supply dosing pumps and hook them up to a reefkeeper lite. It would cost a decent chunk of change for this set up (120 for the controller 3X90 for the dosing pumps), but the only maintenance you would have to do on this system would be to refill the containers and occasionally clean the dosing hoses. A skimmer is highly recommended on a tank of that size. Good, moderately priced skimmers for that size of a tank would be a reef octopus NWB-110 or 150, bubble magus NAC6 or NAC7, or SWC 120/160. Water changes should still be done at ~10% per week. I might go with two five-gallon water changes a week if you really wanted to up on things. Link to comment
reefrook Posted April 5, 2011 Author Share Posted April 5, 2011 No. A calc reactor isn't necessary to have thriving sps colonies. That being said, it is one of the most bullet proof ways of adding all the stuff corals need. You can also run kalk, two-part, or balling methods (which is mostly just a really fancy way of doing two-part). For a 60 gallon tank, a combo of dilute kalk in the ATO water and two-part/balling lite would be the way I would go. If you really want to make it simple get 2 or 3(if dosing mag) of the Bulk Reef Supply dosing pumps and hook them up to a reefkeeper lite. It would cost a decent chunk of change for this set up (120 for the controller 3X90 for the dosing pumps), but the only maintenance you would have to do on this system would be to refill the containers and occasionally clean the dosing hoses. A skimmer is highly recommended on a tank of that size. Good, moderately priced skimmers for that size of a tank would be a reef octopus NWB-110 or 150, bubble magus NAC6 or NAC7, or SWC 120/160. Water changes should still be done at ~10% per week. I might go with two five-gallon water changes a week if you really wanted to up on things. looks like i'm definitely getting a skimmer. and as for now i'll just go with the kalk and two part method. getting a controller and dosing pumps will be something i'll look into later on. thanks for the advice paleo… really helped a lot. Link to comment
reefrook Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 it's my day off today and have decided to devote it entirely to my new tank. i got it up onto the stand and the first thing i noticed is the overflow. i knew right away that this thing would be a pain in the ass to keep clear of detritus, algae, coralline, etc. and that if it didn't look clean, it would bother the $*#*!@ out of me! so after cleaning the tank, i ran to the hardware store and picked up some krylon and painted over it. i also cleaned out the tank and polished out any scratches. and now…. i think i'm ready for some water Link to comment
adriansham Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Wow! nice clean up job of the tank! It looks like brand new! Congratz. Link to comment
Zer0 Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Wow, fantastic job on the cleanup! That white paint is also super awesome. Looking forward to this build. Those dimensions are orgasmic. Link to comment
GiantBen Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Fantastic. I have a tank with exactly the same dimesnions, that I am setting up. I wasn't so fortunate to get a stand though....I may end up building one. Tagging along for sure. Link to comment
reefrook Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 Wow! nice clean up job of the tank! It looks like brand new! Congratz. thanks…. but the tank was a great condition to begin with. scratches were very minor. but yea…even though i'm going to put sand in it anyways, i cleaned it up real nice to get that new tank feelin Link to comment
reefrook Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 Wow, fantastic job on the cleanup! That white paint is also super awesome. Looking forward to this build. Those dimensions are orgasmic. yea, i'm really happy that i went with the white. i prefer no background but if necessary, i really like how crisp the white looks. with regards to the dimensions….orgasmic is right. i've seen so many unbelievable shallow tanks on NR and just couldn't wait to get my hands on one too. i love how open it looks and still gots that nano look because of its short height. Fantastic. I have a tank with exactly the same dimesnions, that I am setting up. I wasn't so fortunate to get a stand though....I may end up building one. Tagging along for sure. nice.. get a thread going already! it'll be nice to see our tanks develop. Link to comment
reefrook Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 water and rocks! i used the already cured rocks from my old tank. i know i def. need more, just don't know if i'm going to add any more to the display. at first i thought there was too much open space, but now, after looking at it for an hour, i really liking it. let me know what you guys think. i was planning to use my mp10 (and get an mp40) but the acrylic is way too thick for the 10. right now the flow is being provided by 2 k-nanos (i feel sorry for those little guys). i'm going to put the mp10 (and other items) up for sale in the marketplace in hopes i can collect enough cash for a 40. Link to comment
GiantBen Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 I love it. I was actually scaping my tank (on the floor of my garage) last night. I suppose I should start a thread... Anyway, I LOVE the shallow open look. It was the whole reason for getting a shallow tank. EDIT: Can you give a front angle shot? Link to comment
fewskillz Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Great start. Looking forward to seeing this develop. Link to comment
reefrook Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 I love it. I was actually scaping my tank (on the floor of my garage) last night. I suppose I should start a thread... Anyway, I LOVE the shallow open look. It was the whole reason for getting a shallow tank. EDIT: Can you give a front angle shot? Link to comment
GiantBen Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 This could look real sick. I could see adding a little more rock, but even without it, I think it looks real good. Link to comment
Rehype Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 This is seriously awesome rook. congrats on finding such an awesome setup. Love the scape Link to comment
reefrook Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 This is seriously awesome rook. congrats on finding such an awesome setup. Love the scape you think i should add some more rocks? Link to comment
Rehype Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 personally i think it looks fine as is....but thats just me. Link to comment
GiantBen Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Your tank looks like it is on a slant. It is probably wise to make sure it is level. Link to comment
reefrook Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 Your tank looks like it is on a slant. It is probably wise to make sure it is level. yep…gotta get some shims personally i think it looks fine as is....but thats just me. yea..that's what i think. just needed confirmation. thanks hype Link to comment
tyty22 Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 that is an awesome looking tank. whats the stand look like? Link to comment
reefrook Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 that is an awesome looking tank. whats the stand look like? thanks ty. the stand is just solid black, not much to it. i still have to attach the door cause the prev. owner who built the tank never got around to it. not as dope as your stand i'll try a remember to take a full body shot of my tank so you can check out the stand. Link to comment
reefrook Posted April 20, 2011 Author Share Posted April 20, 2011 well it's been 2 weeks and ammonia, ph, and nitrates have all tested low every day. i didn't expect much of a cycle since the rock was from my old setup. i just played it safe because of the new sand but so far nothing. i think i'll be adding some fish very soon. maybe one that many would not approve of (i think we all know where i'm going with this) Link to comment
streakr22 Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Your scape looks amazing. Very minimalist. I bet you'll be able to get some epic photography shots with this setup. I look forward to watching its development. Link to comment
reefrook Posted April 21, 2011 Author Share Posted April 21, 2011 Your scape looks amazing. Very minimalist. I bet you'll be able to get some epic photography shots with this setup. I look forward to watching its development. thanks streak. the scape has really grown on me and i already love the dimensions of the tank. if good aquascaping was all that was needed for epic photos…. (i really need to learn how to take good aquarium shots) Link to comment
violinist Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Looking great. Following along... Link to comment
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