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Cultivated Reef

Maestro's 7.5g Mr. Aqua Build


VtheMaestro

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note to self... make sure I have saltwater on hand before attempting a water change. :(

 

Will my tank be good overnight? There's only coral inside.

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gulfsurfer101

If you could set up your floatswitch inside your overflow box it should keep a constant water level and that snail gaurd should help with turbulence as well.

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I really like your build. I just ordered a mr aqua 7.5 gal. Been out of reefing for a couple years. Its amazing how far LED lighting has come in the past 2 years. I am thinking that light your using is perfect for this tank. I was going to use a par38 but the panorama looks like a nice option. I wonder which one has more PAR. I think the panorama doesnt have optics. Id really like to see what type of mounting options they have for those panoramas. Also do you have to buy the transformer for the panorama for it to work? And how does that skimmer box connect to the AC70?

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I really like your build. I just ordered a mr aqua 7.5 gal. Been out of reefing for a couple years. Its amazing how far LED lighting has come in the past 2 years. I am thinking that light your using is perfect for this tank. I was going to use a par38 but the panorama looks like a nice option. I wonder which one has more PAR. I think the panorama doesnt have optics. Id really like to see what type of mounting options they have for those panoramas. Also do you have to buy the transformer for the panorama for it to work? And how does that skimmer box connect to the AC70?

Thanks for the compliment.

 

The panorama pro seems to be more than enough light for such a small tank. Ecoxotic says they'll be releasing some really sleek mounting arms for it (worst case scenario) by christmas. It doesn't have optics but there is a polished aluminum reflector (lens) for it. The best thing about it is that it can be hung close to the surface of the water and provides coverage across the full width of the tank. The par38 bulbs need to be hung so high -- your room will look like a meth lab. lol The transformer for it is a separate purchase.

 

The skimmer box doesn't connect to the AC70, but Glazer designed the teeth to allow the AC70 to fit right into them. The result is a sleek profile that doesn't utilize much tank real estate.

 

Should be, can you improvise some form of water movement? Or will your AC70 run in lower water?

 

I set up a little airpump to create some bubbles and to keep the water from being stagnant overnight. Thanks.

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I like it so far. I got it so soon after setting up the tank and there's no livestock, so I'm not sure how much dirtier my surface would be without it. I'm still trying to fine tune it - even with the water level correct in the tank, the level in the box gets low and I can hear the filter suck up bubbles periodically.

 

Also, I don't like losing the vacuum that the stock tube creates in the back corner if the tank. The box causes skimming water from the top, rather than pulling detritus from the areas of the tank where flow is generally the lowest. I know this much -- I'd get rid of it before I dare stick a powerhead in here.

 

I run polyester pillow batting (filter floss) as my mechanical media. I have 1/2 bag of chemipure and a 2 teaspoon pouch of purigen in the lowest chamber for chemical filtration. In the top chamber I have some tiny red macros glued to a piece of rubble and a ball of chaeto the size of a marble anchored to a lead weight. I didn't want to put a huge wad of chaeto in there, I wanted to let a small one grow out to see if it's really working.

You dont think that a lead weight is going to be an issue in a reef tank?

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These little lead strips were a staple in freshwater planted tanks. I never assumed they weren't reef safe. I'll get rid of it. Thanks.

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These little lead strips were a staple in freshwater planted tanks. I never assumed they weren't reef safe. I'll get rid of it. Thanks.

Yeah in the freshwater planted tanks it wasnt a big deal, BUT for a reef tank where the lead is going to cause havoc on the water and most likely kill any inverts and corals it shouldnt be placed in there

If anything use a rubberband with some small rock pieces

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  • 3 weeks later...

My little pico reef is holding up (more or less). Unfortunately my Blue Cespitularia didn't react well to being relocated in the tank, so it's in bad shape. I moved it into my main tank for (possible) recovery. My green/turquoise/rainbow/yellow ricordeas look good, but all of the pink and orange ones have faded to white. Colin and Coral Morphologic gave me some pointers on what may have went wrong and how to rectify it. Hopefully they bounce back. A few of the zoas are reluctant to open up, I think I need to work on matching my water change parameters better.

 

I added a green clown goby and a yellow clown goby in hopes of improving the nutrients in the tank. I've heard that (a litte bit of) fish poop is soft coral's best friend.

 

In keeping with the tradition of 'toys-as-reef-equipment', I built a stand for my Panorama module out of Lego bricks. I like the look of it, so they may stay.

 

Now, on to a few pics....

Front view

6536161151_84baf52435_z.jpg

 

Side view

6536160937_083174d6b6_z.jpg

 

A shot of the filter and float switch

6536160679_7a88f9a6f5_z.jpg

 

My first fish

6536161287_2ca35d152b_z.jpg

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I want every thing that is in your tank. AMAZING.

 

Blue mushrooms, all the ricordeas, purple shroom .

 

I love the green clown goby but you don't have to give him to me. But ill take every thing else.

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I want every thing that is in your tank. AMAZING.

 

Blue mushrooms, all the ricordeas, purple shroom .

 

I love the green clown goby but you don't have to give him to me. But ill take every thing else.

lol. thank you very much

 

hahahaha thats so awesome.

thanks JR

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OMG dude that new lego light holder is bada$$, did you glue the pieces together?

 

You could drill a few small (1/8") holes on that overflow box near the bottom of it and that would allow it to suck up some of the detritus that doesn't make it to the surface. Plus holes at the bottom would help it from sucking air and may make your top-off work better.

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Cool light holder B)

thank you very much

 

very cool setup. am also decing on a mr.aqua 7.5, to many lighting options for this size tank.

thanks. It's more work than my larger tank, but 7.5 is a nice size.

 

Yup, lot's of lighting options. choose wisely

 

OMG dude that new lego light holder is bada$$, did you glue the pieces together?

 

You could drill a few small (1/8") holes on that overflow box near the bottom of it and that would allow it to suck up some of the detritus that doesn't make it to the surface. Plus holes at the bottom would help it from sucking air and may make your top-off work better.

thanks alot! No, the pieces aren't glued. They've been holding steady so far. I may make it more permanent if i decide to keep the light at this height.

 

the wholes are a great idea, although i'd hate to disturb my rock work to get it out. But i definitely like the idea of (even just a tiny bit of) flow/suction in the back/dead area of the tank.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I got some really great news last night and I decided to dismantle this tank. It was a great experience and I appreciate all of the comments, questions, and support I received over the course of this tank's short life. All of the livestock has been transferred to my large tank. All of the equipment is for sale here!

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