djfrankn Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Impressive. Good job. Link to comment
urbaneks Posted February 12, 2012 Author Share Posted February 12, 2012 I rolled to Home Depot today and picked up some MDF board to make my own "equipment panel." Hopefully I can get my stand half as organized as yours. I'm working with even less space, so it has become necessary to clean it up. Thanks for the inspiration! Chris George - Great news. I'm looking forward to seeing some pictures on your journal of the equipment panel. I'm hoping you bought a little thicker MDF than what I used. 1/2 inch should work great. Shoot me a PM if you have any questions on the panel. Wowwwwwza. I just read this one from start to finish and it is ah-ma-zing! Love your attention to detail. Not to mention, A+ photography skills! I truly enjoyed the different SPS pictures, the colour is amazing! Following along Paigee - Thanks for reading the journal and taking the time to comment with your kind words. This has got to be one of the cleanest and amazingly well thought out builds I have seen on any forum/ in person. Very nice! True inspiration for all of us. Look forward to more updates. Btw, not that I would change anything, but have you ever considered LED lighting for the display? Mike C.- Thanks for the compliment on the tank and documentation. The words mean a lot to me. As for LEDs, this same information is included in my Equipment Review but I'll include it here. Lighting MH/T5 Combo or LEDs – A Difficult Decision Aside from the dimensions of the aquarium, the lighting was my most difficult decision. I had it narrowed down to the Geisemann Infiniti and Aqua Illumination. While the cost for the two lights was very comparable, the pluses and minus could not be more different. Just when I was set with LEDs, I would see another beautiful aquarium with a MH/T5 combination. Then just when I was set on MH/T5, I would flip back to the power consumption and heat concerns. I must have made this decision five different times before placing my order. I ultimately chose the Geisemann for the proven performance, finished look and extensive features. Proven Performance Throughout my research there were three different aquariums that were influential in my lighting decision. Each thread had one thing in common, the Geisemann Infiniti. It was very difficult for me to pull the trigger on LED’s knowing the success that was being had with the Infiniti. In all three aquariums, I felt like the growth and color of the SPS was superior to other fixtures that I had researched. With the 2x250W MH's and 4X54W T5's, the Fixture Offers Countless Color Combinations A Finished Look My aquarium is being installed in a finished library with traditional furniture. With the décor of the room, the finish of the fixture was very important to me. In my opinion, one of the downfalls of the Aqua Illuminations is the unfinished look when mounted to the hanging kit. The Infiniti on the other hand is a beautiful lighting fixture that fits right into the room. From the sleek lines, grated metal, and soft painted finish, Geisemann did an outstanding job finishing this fixture. The Finishing Touches on the Infiniti are Outstanding. Geisemann's Attention to Detail is 2nd to None. Extensive Features There are a few other factors that I really liked about the Infiniti. The antiglare properties is one that I’m really excited about. My tank will be rimless and the light will be mounted about 10 inches above of the aquarium. The way the Geisemann is built the T5 bulbs point inward and the MH bulbs are slightly recessed. This design keeps the light directed into the tank instead of towards those viewing the tank. I was sold on how quiet the Geisemann operates. The light disperses heat without fans so the actual light operates silently. The only noise that is put out by the Geisemann comes from the ballasts and it will not be heard once they are installed in the stand. Last, I liked that the Geisemann came standard with a hanging kit, one less expense in an already growing equipment bill. The Geisemann Comes Standard with a Hanging Kit and Operates Silently Impressive. Good job. djfrankn - Thanks and thanks! Link to comment
donrau Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Lots of good info here, thanks for sharing your experience. In the nano cube image on page 1 of this thread, is that a rose BTA? I have been wanting to add a BTA to my 28 gallon nano, but am afraid about adding an aggressive, mobile creature under such close quarters. What kind was yours, and did he play well with others? Any advice? Do you have your livestock inventory for your original nano cube, perhaps in a different thread you can point me at? Thanks, Don Link to comment
saltwatercoral Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Still looking A+ as usual! Every time I want to get schooled I come to your thread! I see you have the Hanna checkers! I'm going to get some myself. Do you just have the 2 or more. If only the 2, fo you think you would want to get any others after testing these out with other test kits? Just wanted your .02 since you are using a combo on the Hanna checkers and other test kits. Link to comment
Chris George Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Chris George - Great news. I'm looking forward to seeing some pictures on your journal of the equipment panel. I'm hoping you bought a little thicker MDF than what I used. 1/2 inch should work great. Shoot me a PM if you have any questions on the panel. I did go with the 1/4" board, only because anything thicker would encroach into my stand too much. I'm actually losing the space in-between my support beams now by going with a panel. I'm hoping the space saved by a ton of wires makes up for it. My panel is only going to be 26.25" x 10.25", so it's pretty small. I don't have too much equipment to mount on mine either. My main purpose for it is to hide a ton of wires. Any reason why you recommend 1/2" now? Link to comment
twan Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 urbaneks I have been contemplating lighting just like you did. At the moment I come down on the side of the AI Sol Blues. Can you tell me who carries the Geisemann Infiniti and its pricing? Link to comment
matt frizz Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 You've made some very good points in this thread and your tank is incredible. Congrats. Link to comment
urbaneks Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 Lots of good info here, thanks for sharing your experience. In the nano cube image on page 1 of this thread, is that a rose BTA? I have been wanting to add a BTA to my 28 gallon nano, but am afraid about adding an aggressive, mobile creature under such close quarters. What kind was yours, and did he play well with others? Any advice? Do you have your livestock inventory for your original nano cube, perhaps in a different thread you can point me at? Thanks, Don donrau - Thanks for the view and comment. That is a RTBA in my Nano Cube. While I do love the way it looked in there I would not add another anemone. He would stay put for a month at a time and then decide to wonder. When he wondered he also stung my corals. Here is the link to my Nano Cube, you can get a list of livestock in the journal. Still looking A+ as usual! Every time I want to get schooled I come to your thread! I see you have the Hanna checkers! I'm going to get some myself. Do you just have the 2 or more. If only the 2, fo you think you would want to get any others after testing these out with other test kits? Just wanted your .02 since you are using a combo on the Hanna checkers and other test kits. saltwatercoral - Thanks for the revisit. On the Hanna Checkers, I only use the Phosphate and Alkalinity. Most of the information that I've read on the Calcium Test is that it gives varying numbers on the same water and it can vary 20-30 ppm. As a result, I will not switch over to a Hanna for Cal unless they change the kit. For cal I've used a couple different kits and I really like the Elos kit for cal. I've tried Elos for Mag and it's not good, stick with Salifert for Mag. I did go with the 1/4" board, only because anything thicker would encroach into my stand too much. I'm actually losing the space in-between my support beams now by going with a panel. I'm hoping the space saved by a ton of wires makes up for it. My panel is only going to be 26.25" x 10.25", so it's pretty small. I don't have too much equipment to mount on mine either. My main purpose for it is to hide a ton of wires. Any reason why you recommend 1/2" now? Chris George - If you don't have a lot of equipment than you should be perfect with the 1/4". I mounted a Vortech Battery Backup and two MH Ballast to mine which are heavy items. Because of those I items I would go thicker if I had to do it over. For the rest of my equipment the 1/4" was more than adequate. urbaneks I have been contemplating lighting just like you did.At the moment I come down on the side of the AI Sol Blues. Can you tell me who carries the Geisemann Infiniti and its pricing? twan - Here is a google search for Geisemann Infiniti. Price ranges depending if you go 150W or 250W, moon lights, etc. etc. I purchased from Aquarium Specialty which at the time was considerably cheaper than anyone else I could find. I do not regret the purchase of this light one bit. My biggest concern was the heat but with my open top and a ceiling fan my tank stays between 78 and 79 without any issues. You've made some very good points in this thread and your tank is incredible. Congrats. matt frizz - Thanks for your view and comment. Link to comment
twan Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 twan - . Price ranges depending if you go 150W or 250W, moon lights, etc. etc. I purchased from Aquarium Specialty which at the time was considerably cheaper than anyone else I could find. I do not regret the purchase of this light one bit. My biggest concern was the heat but with my open top and a ceiling fan my tank stays between 78 and 79 without any issues. Hmm weird, geismann infiniti does not come in 36" and the the 24" and 48" varieties show discontinued from Marine Depot. Link to comment
Chris George Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Hmm weird, geismann infiniti does not come in 36" and the the 24" and 48" varieties show discontinued from Marine Depot. I was looking into this fixture before I went LED. Premium Aquatics still sells them. http://premiumaquatics.com/aquatic-supply/Giesemann.html Link to comment
SynRG Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Did you have any issues with the bulkheads you got from CAD? Link to comment
MaxiMiniNem Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Some awesome pic's of your coral's, also great setup. Do you have a link to how you get the black back ground, to make the sps coral stand out? Link to comment
urbaneks Posted February 14, 2012 Author Share Posted February 14, 2012 Hmm weird, geismann infiniti does not come in 36" and the the 24" and 48" varieties show discontinued from Marine Depot. twan - Yes, Marine Depot discontinued them before I every set my tank up. As Chris mentions below, Premium Aquatics sells them as does Aquarium Specialty. Did you have any issues with the bulkheads you got from CAD? SynRG - No issues on the bulk heads although what they gave me to make a return nozzle was not adequate. I had to buy some lock line and pvc fittings to get something that was acceptable. Some awesome pic's of your coral's, also great setup. Do you have a link to how you get the black back ground, to make the sps coral stand out? MaxiMiniNem - Thanks for your view and comment. I'm sorry but I don't have a link for how to get the corals to stand out against the background. I can comment here on the technique I use. 1st - Keep your background clean. If there is any coralline algae on the back of the tank it pulls your eye away from the coral. 2nd - Find an angle between the camera, coral and background that gives you a clean shot at the back of the tank. 3rd - Turn your pumps off when photographing. 4th - Shoot with your camera in manual mode and a tripod. 5th - Set your ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed to give you the exposure you are looking for. Link to comment
lmac Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 This is incredible! I love your tank. It's such an inspiration. Link to comment
divy Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Like everyone else has said great tank and this is one of the most enjoyable journals i have read the detailed journal was very helpful too for a sw noob like myself I have a question though, your sump has a section for a fuge and 90% of the sumps i have seen run a fuge so im curious to why you have not set yours up? Link to comment
urbaneks Posted February 16, 2012 Author Share Posted February 16, 2012 This is incredible! I love your tank. It's such an inspiration. Imac - Your compliment is incredible! Thanks so much, you made my day. Like everyone else has said great tank and this is one of the most enjoyable journals i have readthe detailed journal was very helpful too for a sw noob like myself I have a question though, your sump has a section for a fuge and 90% of the sumps i have seen run a fuge so im curious to why you have not set yours up? divy - Thanks for your view and kind words. I'm very happy to know that people like yourself find it informative and enjoyable. We were all noobs at one point in time. As for the fuge question, there are a few reasons why I have not done a fuge. 1st and foremost - I have been able to keep my nutrients low without one. 2nd - I like to keep my sump clean and free of detritus, if I set that chamber up as a fuge I would not be able to keep the detritus out of it. 3rd - I don't want any coraline growing in my sump which means no light other than the utility lights under the stand. 4th - I have my dosing pump dispense into that chamber because it allows the doses to get mixed thoroughly before hitting the return pump and going back into the tank. I don't think that the macro algae would be able to handle the hourly doses of alkalinity and calcium. Link to comment
metrokat Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I don't know where to start, the pictures are perfection, your setup, the workmanship, how clean IS everything?! everything speaks of discipline. Kudos to you. When can you come and live in my building? Link to comment
saltwatercoral Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 When can you come and live in my building? O Shnap! Just playing. I still come back and look through all your Pics even though I have seen them 100 times... Just can't get enough! Link to comment
divy Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 thanks for the information about your sump and why you have not set up the fuge, You made some good points about it, since i have not set up a SW tank yet (FW guy) I didnt know how much detritus can collect in the fuge so im sure that info will come in handy when i do set up my tank thanks Link to comment
saltwatercoral Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 I think I am going to run with your "Equipment Panel" idea urbaneks! I was looking at my cable managment and I am not happy at all with it. I know it was temp but I am not happy at all with the "temp" fix. I am going to go get a 3/4" piecs of marine plywood and put a small finished piece on top of the marine plywood paint it black and glue it down so it has a nice finished surface to it. Then I will mark my 4 PC4 power strips and 3 Aqua Illumination power bricks on there and put it up! Thanks for so many ideas! Link to comment
twan Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Pretty sure the lights he installed in the cabinet are these here: http://www.homedepot.com/Lighting-Fans-Spe...p;storeId=10051 Just passing along the info that I was able to find these lights at my local Hoem Depot and this is what they look like in the packaging. Here is to helping others find it in the myriad of aisles. Link to comment
urbaneks Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 I think I am going to run with your "Equipment Panel" idea urbaneks! I was looking at my cable managment and I am not happy at all with it. I know it was temp but I am not happy at all with the "temp" fix. I am going to go get a 3/4" piecs of marine plywood and put a small finished piece on top of the marine plywood paint it black and glue it down so it has a nice finished surface to it. Then I will mark my 4 PC4 power strips and 3 Aqua Illumination power bricks on there and put it up! Thanks for so many ideas! saltwatercoral - I'm excited to see some of my sharing getting used by other reefers. I'm actually meeting with someone tomorrow that saw my equipment board on RC and lives near by. I'm going to help him make one for his tank. I know of 2 others that have also done an equipment panel based on my photos. Just passing along the info that I was able to find these lights at my local Hoem Depot and this is what they look like in the packaging. Here is to helping others find it in the myriad of aisles. twan - Thanks for posting the images, I hope others find that helpful. Link to comment
urbaneks Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 Viewpoints - 2-21-12 Photo Update It's been almost a month since my last photo upload. Somewhere along the line, I mentioned that I was going to cut my MB7 dosing as I was not sure if it was doing anything. Well I learned the hard way that it was indeed doing something. Within a week of stopping the dosing I started to get Cyano. This was about the same time that I added the dosing pump and switched from Bio Cal to Randy's Two Part. Because I had made more than one change at a time, I was not sure what was causing the Cyano. After about a week of trying to knock the Cyano out, I finally decided it had to be the lack of MB7 and my tanks reliance on it. I've since started dosing MB7 according to the directions for a high nutrient tank. Every day it's gotten better and the skimmer has really been busy. With the Cyano hopefully behind me, I took a few pictures today that show the current status of the aquarium. Other than Cyano outbreak the most noteworthy update was the addition of a Gorgonian. You can see it placed in the center trench. I wanted something tall that draws the eyes to the back of the trench. I think the Gorgonian does a pretty good job of it. Below is a picture, not the best but gives an idea of the new addition . A Gorgonia was added to provide some height in the center trench One of the photos I took today was of the Chili Pepper Monti. After getting the image onto my pc, I realized how much it has grown in the last couple months. I went back and grabbed some pictures of the same coral over the past 4 months. Here is the growth progression of the Monti. It really seems to be liking the constant Alk/Cal/Mag availability provided by the dosing pump. These 3 images show the growth progression of the Chili Pepper Monti since October One last photo for this update. I decided to enter a picture into the Photo of the Month Contest. Here is my attempt at an Abstract Photo. Believe it or not but I had to work pretty hard to get this shot. I must of taken 20 to get this 1. If I was trying to get clear images of the fish I probably would have gotten a blurry one. I do really like how despite all of the motion/blur, you can see the sharp detail of the bottom fin. My abstract photo entry into this months photo contest - Tang In Motion Link to comment
Deleted User 4 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 mmm like the new pics, nice growth going there Link to comment
Chris George Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Looking great! Love the growth of the monti. I've put off getting a dosing pump as long as I can. Time to make use of my Amazon points. Link to comment
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