RollaJase's 30G Custom Cube - Tank Torn Down

[Zia]

Hows it man?

[RollaJase]

Hows it man?

Everything is going well mate, it's update time .

 

I apologise for the lack of activity lately, been flat out with work, life and GTA IV haha. That's not to say that I have been neglecting my tank, I have picked up a few new pieces over the last few weeks.

 

Here is nice new SPS piece that I picked up this weekend:

This will most likely be the last SPS piece for this tank as I have no room unless I start to utilise the rear wall

This is probably the most colour accurate picture of the new piece:

Top down shot:

As with all my acro purchases, this one came with an acro crab and also some kind of glass shrimp. The piece has a pale pink/purple body with purple/blue tips and yellow polyps. I thought I needed a bit more blue so this fits that ticket.

 

I picked up this last week, something I have always wanted:

An LFS not 15mins from where I live has started to get some salt water livestock in and I managed to snag this piece pretty cheaply.

 

Zia wanted some growth pics so here are a few of the most noticeable changes.

This piece was placed on this rock when I got my Sol, great growth already and good encrusting. You can see it branching from the base also.

This is a piece of the Garf Bonzai that broke off when I was removing some of the base rock. I wedged it in a crack while I was waiting for some frag plugs and it ended up taking so I decided to leave it where it is.

The Pocillopora is also starting to grow over the frag putty:

 

Now for some random shots:

As you can see the Garf Bonzai has lost the blue at it's tips. I need to fiddle around with the lighting some more. It is growing, it has just lost that nice blue colouration.

I also don't know what's happening to the Oregon Tort. I moved it from he right island over to the left island when I noticed some of the tips bleaching/losing flesh (I'm not sure). It has reacted well to the change with mad polyp extension but besides that I haven't seen any change. I decreased the light intensity slightly because I thought it was bit too much and I haven't noticed a change so I may gradually raise the intensity to see how that goes.

 

I found this interesting, first time I have ever seen any Gorgs available in a store. The owner says they are selling like hot cakes, at $85 a pop.

 

Here is some more eye candy for Zia. Here is a shot of the coral tanks at my preferred LFS:

That awesome SPS tank sits off to the right (was nearly empty when I got there on Saturday) and further down the wall to the right there are about 6-8 tanks full of fish. They had an insanely good looking powder blue tang that nearly made me pull the trigger on an upgrade haha.

 

In other news I still haven't got my Osmolator Nano set up. The power supply I purchased online arrived DOA so now I am waiting for my LFS to order one in.

[Sunar357]

Wow! Nice LFS!

[RollaJase]

Wow! Nice LFS!

Yeah this is my 'go to' LFS. If they don't have what I want chances are they can get it in within a week. If they can't get it in I have no chance of finding it haha. Great knowledge, great advice, great range and fantastic pricing.

[Sunar357]

That seems to be the 'norm' from a few countries. They have some great LFS but if you can't get from them it's a nightmare to get. =( In the US i'd say the majority of LFS stink but we have a great buy/sell/trade community.

[RollaJase]

That seems to be the 'norm' from a few countries. They have some great LFS but if you can't get from them it's a nightmare to get. =( In the US i'd say the majority of LFS stink but we have a great buy/sell/trade community.

Yeah, it is a shame that we don't really have that large a community base over here. I really envy how those of you in the US have swap meets and the like, it would be great to be able to get together, chat and swap some eye candy .

[RollaJase]

I'm considering buying an Ai Sol to Hydra upgrade kit. Any thoughts? Anyone used one of these upgrade kits before?

[Giga]

I'm considering buying an Ai Sol to Hydra upgrade kit. Any thoughts? Anyone used one of these upgrade kits before?

 

can't help ya there as I'm all DIY but you have a fantastic tank!

[Thunil]

Is the LFS Marine plus? definitely the best store in SA.

 

Just had a quick read through your thread, very nice tank and corals. Also its cool to see a garf bonsai in aus, never knew we could get them down here

[jack1978]

Nice new additions! Glad you have a plan to add more....the back is a great idea

[RollaJase]

can't help ya there as I'm all DIY but you have a fantastic tank!

And believe me I nearly went down that route but after looking at International postage from LED Group Buy plus having to source my own heatsink locally (crazy expensive) it wasn't much more expensive to go the Sol haha. I'm glad you like the tank though , still got a little ways to go before I am 100% happy with things though (considering bringing back the sump!).

 

Is the LFS Marine plus? definitely the best store in SA.

 

Just had a quick read through your thread, very nice tank and corals. Also its cool to see a garf bonsai in aus, never knew we could get them down here

Yep, the LFS is Marine Plus and I agree, definitly the best LFS in the state.

 

Thanks for stopping by and thank you for your compliments. The Garf Bonsai is something I picked up from Marine Plus, only set me back about $25 for that colony.

 

Nice new additions! Glad you have a plan to add more....the back is a great idea

Thanks mate, haha there is always room for more . I'm thinking a monti cap on the back wall .

[jack1978]

Caps would be very cool.....get a mix of colors. That'd look nice. I just picked up a chunk of "red", looks like pinkish-orange to me.

[RollaJase]

Caps would be very cool.....get a mix of colors. That'd look nice. I just picked up a chunk of "red", looks like pinkish-orange to me.

I'd really love to get a red, blue and green one to mix together on the back wall. I just need to be careful with them shading in the anemone. I have only ever seen whole caps for sale locally, I might see if they are happy to frag a piece for me.

[jack1978]

I'd really love to get a red, blue and green one to mix together on the back wall. I just need to be careful with them shading in the anemone. I have only ever seen whole caps for sale locally, I might see if they are happy to frag a piece for me.

 

Ya, that's definitely a factor. I don't currently have a great place to put mine......it's ok, but not where I'd like it.

I'm sure they would frag it for you, they grow so quick.

Post pics when you pick them up

[RollaJase]

Ya, that's definitely a factor. I don't currently have a great place to put mine......it's ok, but not where I'd like it.

I'm sure they would frag it for you, they grow so quick.

Post pics when you pick them up

Space is always an issue with a smaller tank. I really wish I limited myself to what types of corals I was goign to keep instead of just ordering whatever took my fancy haha. Oh believe me, I wil ldefinitley upload some pics if/when I decide to go down that path .

 

In other news, I think it's time for me to buy a tripod for my camera, hmmm.

[RollaJase]

Just requested a freight quote for a Sol to Hydra upgrade kit shipped to Australia. Hopefully it won't cost the earth, would really like something around $200USD shipped.

 

I have also just dropped my light 2" closer towards the water. I knocked the setting back a few extra percent also. I am trying to eliminate some of the light spill. After looking into the height people have their Sol's mounted I think mine was a little high anyway.

[RollaJase]

Freight quote for a Hydra upgrade came in yesterday morning, I would be looking at about $210.00USD purchased and shipped to Australia, not really that bad.

 

One thing I have noticed is that my SPS pieces lose a bit of colour when I bring them home from the LFS (the garf bonsai losing the blue tips for example). I put this down to either excessive nutrients (a big probability) or lack of sufficient UV from the Sol Blue. I am pretty strict on my maintenance regime and would like to think I keep things fairly clean but there is always the possibility. I have been feeding heavier lately so I may dial that back a little as well. I lowered my lights a few inches and dialed back levels a bit. Currently my max lighting throughout the day is 53W, 77B, 81RB with my light about 9.5inches from the water surface (24inches from the sand). The SPS are all sitting about 7 inches below the water. The only coral I am worried about is the blue tort which seems to either be losing some flesh at the tips or browning off a little. I might ramp back the lighting significantly and start calibrating from scratch again. I do want to get the light slightly closer to the water as well.

 

I have been considering giving the whole sump deal a try again. I loved it when it worked for me but I can't deal with the noise it could create. I will do it right this time with an overflow box and hard lined plumbing down into the stand. I don't want to do it but if I go down this route I will have to remove the shelve from the stand and store all my foods etc elsewhere. I think the added level of filtration would be a big help to my tank because not only would it give me back a bit of space in the DT but it would also allow me to bring back a refugium of some kind. The only parameter I really had issues with before was phosphate and I think the sump could help we keep that in check a bit more.

 

Decisions, decisions, decisions. I think a sump may be the answer to my problems. Now that I have all the equipment as well I will be able to design something to suit my needs better. Christine's progress on the ADA 30 has really inspired me to set up a functional stand and sump. I have even beef looking at reef keepers....

[Gramophone]

Good luck with your SPS! You have some really gorgeous pieces.

[gena]

Freight quote for a Hydra upgrade came in yesterday morning, I would be looking at about $210.00USD purchased and shipped to Australia, not really that bad.

 

One thing I have noticed is that my SPS pieces lose a bit of colour when I bring them home from the LFS (the garf bonsai losing the blue tips for example). I put this down to either excessive nutrients (a big probability) or lack of sufficient UV from the Sol Blue. I am pretty strict on my maintenance regime and would like to think I keep things fairly clean but there is always the possibility. I have been feeding heavier lately so I may dial that back a little as well. I lowered my lights a few inches and dialed back levels a bit. Currently my max lighting throughout the day is 53W, 77B, 81RB with my light about 9.5inches from the water surface (24inches from the sand). The SPS are all sitting about 7 inches below the water. The only coral I am worried about is the blue tort which seems to either be losing some flesh at the tips or browning off a little. I might ramp back the lighting significantly and start calibrating from scratch again. I do want to get the light slightly closer to the water as well.

 

I have been considering giving the whole sump deal a try again. I loved it when it worked for me but I can't deal with the noise it could create. I will do it right this time with an overflow box and hard lined plumbing down into the stand. I don't want to do it but if I go down this route I will have to remove the shelve from the stand and store all my foods etc elsewhere. I think the added level of filtration would be a big help to my tank because not only would it give me back a bit of space in the DT but it would also allow me to bring back a refugium of some kind. The only parameter I really had issues with before was phosphate and I think the sump could help we keep that in check a bit more.

 

Decisions, decisions, decisions. I think a sump may be the answer to my problems. Now that I have all the equipment as well I will be able to design something to suit my needs better. Christine's progress on the ADA 30 has really inspired me to set up a functional stand and sump. I have even beef looking at reef keepers....

Sumps are the best!!!!! I had to tweak mine for noise, but it's perfect now. I can hardly hear anything..the tiny bit of sound now is actually relaxing. I hope you go that route.

[RollaJase]

Good luck with your SPS! You have some really gorgeous pieces.

Thanks , I'm glad you like them.

 

Sumps are the best!!!!! I had to tweak mine for noise, but it's perfect now. I can hardly hear anything..the tiny bit of sound now is actually relaxing. I hope you go that route.

Thanks for the input gena . I initially had a sump but it was never really laid out right when I build it. I think I will design a multi tier sump design and incorporate an ATO reservoir for convenience. Now that I have all of my equipment I can design the sump around what I have instead of needing to guess.

[Zia]

+1 on the sump! Youve done such a great job thus far minus a sump. I would love to see what you could do with a sumped tank. All the extra water volume and space for equipment cant hurt. I just purchased a new sump myself. Very excited to upgrade and change mine out.

 

Woa, those encrusting SPS pictures were a treat!! ''THANKS'' for sharing. You have some very nice growth and color taking place. Glad to see your LED doing well for you. Should be interesting to see how they react by lowering it a few inches.

 

That LFS shot was sweet! So many stacks of tanks with loads of corals to choose from. I can clearly see why that's your go to spot. 85.00 for a gorg is kinda high over here. But those gorgs you have over there look so different in form and color than anything ive seen over here. Id gladly pay that for those beauties. Especially the two on the ends. Thats why i love seeing your LFS pics, theres unique eye candy that i dont see around here. Also love your new Acro colony you picked up. That is such a fatty piece of SPS. That pink chalice with the orange/red eyes It's grown quite a bit, i remember when you first got that piece.

 

I would love to see a recent FTS if you could, Cheers!!

[RollaJase]

+1 on the sump! Youve done such a great job thus far minus a sump. I would love to see what you could do with a sumped tank. All the extra water volume and space for equipment cant hurt. I just purchased a new sump myself. Very excited to upgrade and change mine out.

 

Woa, those encrusting SPS pictures were a treat!! ''THANKS'' for sharing. You have some very nice growth and color taking place. Glad to see your LED doing well for you. Should be interesting to see how they react by lowering it a few inches.

 

That LFS shot was sweet! So many stacks of tanks with loads of corals to choose from. I can clearly see why that's your go to spot. 85.00 for a gorg is kinda high over here. But those gorgs you have over there look so different in form and color than anything ive seen over here. Id gladly pay that for those beauties. Especially the two on the ends. Thats why i love seeing your LFS pics, theres unique eye candy that i dont see around here. Also love your new Acro colony you picked up. That is such a fatty piece of SPS. That pink chalice with the orange/red eyes It's grown quite a bit, i remember when you first got that piece.

 

I would love to see a recent FTS if you could, Cheers!!

Yeah I definitely think a sump is on the cards now that I have everything set up the way I want. I have the money to do the sump right this time and will use hard lines for the drain wit ha proper gate valve (not a ball value) this time. Can't wait to see your new sump set up, any reason for the upgrade?

 

Lowering the light a few inches has made a difference already I think. At first the SPS weren't too happy (not much PE) but after a day or so they were back to normal. I want to drop the light a little bit more (another inch or so) and diall it back a little bit more before ramping it up again. I definitely think I'll be ordering a Sol to Hydra upgrade kit for my Christmas present to myself this year haha.

 

Yep, definitely my favorite LFS going around. You should see their quarantine room, they have a 3 tier system with as many tanks just to quarantine new fish and for overstock. A lot of the fish they sell come in to fill orders and leave as soon as they arrive but they keep a lot of common species on hand all the time.

 

Yeah I love the new acro, love the colour. It has paled out a little since adding it to my tank though, lost a bit of the vibrant purple tips but it still looks amazing. I think it's still getting used to the tank also as there hasn't been much PE from it either. I love the chalice as well, I was lucky to snatch it up as well. Your right, it has grown a fair bit over the past 5 months or so, the colour are just stunning in person.

 

A new FTS is definitely on the cards and soon, just got a few other things to take care of around the house and then I can give this tank some much needed lovin' . Thanks for stopping by mate .

[RollaJase]

This week celebrates the 12 month anniversary of this tank seeing water. I can't remember which day exactly, all I remember is it was during the week following the AFL grand final last year, the final was the Saturday just gone.

 

I managed to to get a suitable power pack for the Osmolator Nano so on Sunday I set that up and it has been working like a charm so far. Due to my tank having the euro bracing I couldn't use the magnet mounts for the float switch with the Osmolator without significantly lowering the water level in my tank. I fabricated a custom bracket to adapt to the return host mount, here is how things went.

Looks like it works pretty well, now I only need to find a place to mount my ATO reservoir.

I went to a $2 shop (dunno what you guys would call them, a thrift store?) and purchased this glass shelving unit for $25 (oh the irony of it not being $2 ).

a 10L storage container fits perfectly:

With plenty of room for the Osmolator pump:

 

Reservoir in place and return line installed:

 

Now to celebrate 12months of reefing, time for an updated FTS:

Excuse the micro bubbles, I turned the skimmer off when I fed the tank and it spewed out a heap of bubbles when I switched it back on. Also the tank usually isn't that blue, the lights were ramping down for the dusk cycle. I'll try to get a nicer shot this weekend.

 

Since the FTS was taken, all of 1hr ago I moved my newest SPS colony to the sand. It has been browning out out a little and I want to see how it reacts to the lower light levels (still in high flow though). My blue tort is still losing flesh, still has mad PE though. It has me stumped, I'm not sure it will survive.

[Felicia]

Happy birthday to your tank! Great new FTS! That orange plate is definitely the star of the show. Its such a pop of color in that corner. Everything is looking great! Looks like a nice set-up for the ATO. Sorry to hear about the SPS issues. I hope they pull through for you. SPS corals can be such a pain.

[jack1978]

Nice work on that bracket, tank looks great man!