RollaJase's 30G Custom Cube - Tank Torn Down

[Arkayology]

Looking good! You will love the Osmolator. I will never run a tank without it again.

[RollaJase]

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.

Thank you . I really like that orange plate, it likes to inflate itself so much, the green one not so much. I am really happy with how the ATO turned out, works great. SPS can be finicky but hte hard work definitely pays off.

 

Nice work on that bracket, tank looks great man!

Thanks mate, glad you like it .

 

Looking good! You will love the Osmolator. I will never run a tank without it again.

Cheers. I can't believe I went so long without the Osmolator Nano, makes such a big difference. I know I was struggling with swinging salinity, this should sort all that out. It was a real pain when I would spend the night away from home and when I get back the water level is low because no one topped up for me.

[Zia]

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?

 

Excited for you on the prospect of getting a new sump. Mine arrives tomorrow and ill install next weekend sometime. Long overdue on my end. My current sump is not adequate on any level for my current two displays it services.

 

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.

 

Dialing in the intensity and height of these LEDs can be tricky at times. For me anyways. But there really efficient cool lights, worth the extra fuss. The upgrade sounds like the way to go. that should hold you over for good on this tank.

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.

Nice youll have to use your skillz and snap a stealthy pic of the quarantine room sometime, that would be neat to see

 

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 .

 

Dude the new FTS <--- I wish they had a manlier one of those Your scape reminds me Gena's scape in a way. Her tank is one of my favorites also. Well done man and congratulations on the one year mark. Agreed with Felicia, that orange plate is a show stopper!

[gena]

Happy one year anniversary.

 

Your tank looks marvelous!!!!!

[RollaJase]

Excited for you on the prospect of getting a new sump. Mine arrives tomorrow and ill install next weekend sometime. Long overdue on my end. My current sump is not adequate on any level for my current two displays it services.

 

 

Dialing in the intensity and height of these LEDs can be tricky at times. For me anyways. But there really efficient cool lights, worth the extra fuss. The upgrade sounds like the way to go. that should hold you over for good on this tank.

 

Nice youll have to use your skillz and snap a stealthy pic of the quarantine room sometime, that would be neat to see

 

 

Dude the new FTS <--- I wish they had a manlier one of those Your scape reminds me Gena's scape in a way. Her tank is one of my favorites also. Well done man and congratulations on the one year mark. Agreed with Felicia, that orange plate is a show stopper!

I'm currently in the design phase for my new sump, trying out a few designs on paper before I throw them in Sketch up and see how it turns out. I really want to try and incorporate an ATO reservoir into the design. You new sump looks great, should looks awesome once installed.

 

Yeah I am still tweaking the lights (do you ever really stop? ) but I am happy with how they are performing so far. I have seen good growth, particularly from the softies and LPS. The upgrade with the Hydra kit may come sooner then later however. With the current government situation you guys are having oer there our dollar is estimated to break parity. If that is the case I will splurge and get myself a bargain.

 

I'll have to find my ninja skills before I can use them mate . The quarantine system used to be open to the public as it was really only used for overstock and holding. Now that they order in a lot more fish for stock they have locked it up and plumbed it to a seperate sump and filtration system. Authorised personel only .

 

I'm glad you like the new FTS. After seeing your new ones I didn't want to be left in the dark haha. Gena's tank has been a big inspiration too me, as has yours.

 

 

Happy one year anniversary.

 

Your tank looks marvelous!!!!!

 

Thank you Gena . I am really happy with how things are going so far. Once I get my new sump sorted I think it will start to look even better .

[RollaJase]

Well as a 1 year anniversary present for my tanki I may or may not have made my first ever online coral purchase .

[Zia]

I'm currently in the design phase for my new sump, trying out a few designs on paper before I throw them in Sketch up and see how it turns out. I really want to try and incorporate an ATO reservoir into the design. You new sump looks great, should looks awesome once installed.

 

A ATO incorporated would be a space saver and it's a great idea. Cant wait to see what you come up with. Seeing something in Sketch Up would be fun, so please share when you do.

Yeah I am still tweaking the lights (do you ever really stop? ) but I am happy with how they are performing so far. I have seen good growth, particularly from the softies and LPS. The upgrade with the Hydra kit may come sooner then later however. With the current government situation you guys are having oer there our dollar is estimated to break parity. If that is the case I will splurge and get myself a bargain.

Well get in there and capitalize on our political problems than, get you that upgrade

 

I'll have to find my ninja skills before I can use them mate .

 

I'm glad you like the new FTS. After seeing your new ones I didn't want to be left in the dark haha. Gena's tank has been a big inspiration too me, as has yours.

Yea, stunning mate. Well done. Gena's tank is definitely an inspiration.

 

Well as a 1 year anniversary present for my tanki I may or may not have made my first ever online coral purchase .

Nice! There's those stealthy ninja skillz at work. I didnt see that one coming

to that!

[RollaJase]

I'll definitely post up some images once I sort all my measurements out. The overall sump wont be much alrger then my original design, it will just make better use of the available space.

I'll post up a few pics of what I ordered when I get a chance .

[jack1978]

 

I'll post up a few pics of what I ordered when I get a chance .

 

......of what you may or may not have ordered? Where did you maybe order from?

[RollaJase]

Yes or what I may not have ordered.... haha.

There is a place in Northern Western Australia called Oceanarium (check out their site) that propogate their own corals and livestock. The majority of their mother collonies were originally either harvested from the local reefs or obtained through trades with local reefers. All the frags they offer for sale have been propogated from these mother collonies. They have some really nice pieces available and they don't photoshop their photos (big bonus). They have just released stock of a few pieces I have had my eye on for a while now and after a friend of mine ordered a pair of Occy Clowns for them with great service I decided to give them a try. As it is a public holiday over here this comming monday my order wont ship until Tuesday but it will be delivered to me on Wednesday, usually their delivery day is Tuesday.

[RollaJase]

Lunch break at work update time!

Here are a few picks of the things I may or may not have ordered (vendor pics):

Fire & Ice Zoas:

 

OraBronze Ladies Zoas:

 

Pink Pocillopora:

 

Green Acro:

 

Lime Green Acro:

 

I also may have ordered some micro brittle stars for the upcomming sump project.

Shipping is quite reasonable, $28 to my door (from the other side of the country), minimum purchase of $80 ex freight. This place is also solely using LED fixtures so hopefully the corals don't have any trouble acclimating to my tank.

[jack1978]

 

 

I also may have ordered some micro brittle stars for the upcomming sump project.

Shipping is quite reasonable, $28 to my door (from the other side of the country), minimum purchase of $80 ex freight. This place is also solely using LED fixtures so hopefully the corals don't have any trouble acclimating to my tank.

 

NICE stuff!!!.......If you actually ordered them.

[RollaJase]

Look what arrived earlier today:
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By the looks of things everything arrived alive, a few additional micro brittle stars as well which is nice. Less then 24hours from collection to delivery according to tracking. Downside is I have another 3.5hours until I finish work and then 1 hour on the bus until I can get these guys home. The lack of a heat pack is a little concerning but seeing as everything is looking good I'm not too worried. I may fill a water bottle up with some luke warm water and place it amongst the bags for a little bit of residual heat, what do you guys think?

[Zia]

Wow love all the pictures of your recent online pickups. Pretty exciting you found another option besides your LFS.

Thats always the biggest torture is having to wait to get your new corals acclimated and in the tank.

Dont know what your temperature is over there. But its always better if the corals are a little cooler than to hot. Cant wait to see them Kandy's in your tank!

[jack1978]

I'm sure they'll be fine. I thought waiting for something to show up was bad.....you have to look at that all day before getting home....torture. Looking forward to seeing some pics!

 

[markalot]

Happy 1 year!

[RollaJase]

Wow love all the pictures of your recent online pickups. Pretty exciting you found another option besides your LFS.

Thats always the biggest torture is having to wait to get your new corals acclimated and in the tank.

Dont know what your temperature is over there. But its always better if the corals are a little cooler than to hot. Cant wait to see them Kandy's in your tank!

It was absolute torture having to wait all day to get these home. They rocked up at around 11am and I was stuck looking at the mall the way up to 5 haha. This is probably a good time of year to order online, it was 32c here today (89.6f) so it was plenty warm enough for everything, even inside the office. This group is definitely a good option compared to my LFS for unique items, not better value though. I pay 2/3 the price for an acro frag 1/4 of the size of the colonies I buy at my LFS. The zoas look great though and are on par with what my LFS sells them for price wise. One thing I don't like is their plaster frag rocks, they are HUGE! I will have to bust the dremel out over the weekend and trim them all down.

 

I'm sure they'll be fine. I thought waiting for something to show up was bad.....you have to look at that all day before getting home....torture. Looking forward to seeing some pics!

Today was the worst having to sit there all day looking at the box. I only opened it up at lunch time to make sure everything was there and OK haha.

 

Happy 1 year!

Thanks Mark .

[RollaJase]

Just a quick teaser while I edit some photos :
http://img856.imageshack.us/i/q9gd.jpg/'>

[RollaJase]

Ok Here are the rest of them.

 

Baby Brittle Stars drip acclimating:

 

Fire & Ice Zoas just after fresh water dip:

 

The Orabronze Zoas didn't like the dip at all:

 

Lime Green Acro:

 

Green Acro, lost a lot of colour during shipping:

 

Pink Pocillopora, came of frag plug during shipping:

 

Macro Shots:

 

All in all everything is looking good. I drip acclimated the brittle stars for 1 hour after floating all the bags to 30mins and they disappeared straight into the rock work. The zoas got a fresh water dip for 2 mins and a good blast with a turkey baster. The acro frags got dipped in a Melafix bath for 2 min, the pink poci didn't get a dip.

 

In other tank news I'm pretty sure the blue tort is a goner, it is losing a lot of flesh and i can't seem to help it at all. In a way this is a blessing as it will open up some space for one of the new frags. Everything else is looking good though. The zoas are growing fast and filling in the rock well, the mushies continue to split and the purple acro I purchased recently is regaining some of its purple colouration.

 

On the sump front I have finished my design on paper, I just need to digitize it when I have the time. I wont have time to do this by the weekend as I wont be home until Friday night but I will try to get something down over the weekend. This sump will be a unique design but I think it will work well for what I need it to do. The one concern I have is my drain line. Typical noob reefer, I should have had 2 drains drilled for a durso/bean animal overflow. Oh well, live and learn. I may make a hang on full siphon pipe and use the drilled pipe as the emergency, I dunno yet. I have toyed with the idea of drilling another hole with the tank drained half way, I don't like this idea one bit haha.

 

I am having trouble hunting down some lock line pieces for a modified return I want to do. Even eBay has been unsuccessful as most of the sellers in the US want $10 per item freight when the items are only $2-$3 each. Anyone think they could give me a hand with tracking some down?

[RollaJase]

Well I thought I'd give you guys a teaser with a scale sketch of my current sump design. Each square cube represents 2cm squared. I haven't taken into account the glass thickness yet but there are only a few chambers that are really critical with their dimensions. I'll sort this out later on.

 

Basically the water enters in the top right corner and leaves the top left corner. Water will flow into the drain chamber and into a bubble trap. This chamber will overflow into a filter sock chamber (used before and after water changes) and then overflow into the skimmer chamber. The skimmer chamber will overflow into the reactor/LR/fuge chamber and then into the return chamber.

The fuge chamber has been set up this way to allow easy access to the reactors and to use the discharge to keep detritus in the water column. Currently I have 1 reactor made by fizzy and will be lookign at getting another (I have the room for it). I will run 1 permanently with carbon and the other will be for phosphate media. I sacrifice some space for the LR and the fuge doing it this way but I gain a build in ATO reservoir which should hold about 8.5L of water (~2.25gallons).

 

What do you think?

[RollaJase]

I think I may have found a solution to my drain problem as well. I have 2x 1" holes drilled in my tank with a 3/4" bulkhead in each. I will probably just end up putting an overflow box in each corner of hte tank. The overflow on the right hand side will be the main (syphon) with minimal travel to the sump, the overflow on the left will be the backup. I will then have a return line coming straight up the back of the stand with dual nozzles (one each side of my center brace), this will appease my OCD and make it all symetrical haha. The only hard part will be trying to do all the plumbing behind the tank with the tank full of water. I am also not looking forward to my room smelling like plumbers glue haha. Good thing is I have a friend who is a plumber so I might give him a call, buy some beer and see if we can smash it out on a Saturday afternoon one weekend. I'd really like to get the plumbing sorted well and truely before I get the sump in, then it will pretty much just be plug and play.

[gena]

I love the color of the fire and ice zoas!

 

I'm not qualified to give an opinion on sump design...I'll leave that to the experts! It definitely sounds more complicated then my sump though.

[RollaJase]

I love the color of the fire and ice zoas!

 

I'm not qualified to give an opinion on sump design...I'll leave that to the experts! It definitely sounds more complicated then my sump though.

Thanks Gena, I love the fire & ice zoas well, they are such a vibrant red in person.

 

We have a saying in our family 'we never do things by halves' haha. By nature I had to make the sumpdesign more complicated then it needed to be .

[gena]

Thanks Gena, I love the fire & ice zoas well, they are such a vibrant red in person.

 

We have a saying in our family 'we never do things by halves' haha. By nature I had to make the sumpdesign more complicated then it needed to be .

Well, the sump design sounds very cool. I'd love to see it in action.

[RollaJase]

Well, the sump design sounds very cool. I'd love to see it in action.

I can't wait to get it started . I'd really like to get the hard lines plumbed first though. I also have to order automotive sound deadening to cover the internal walls of the stand as well, this sump has to be as silent as humanly possible.