Moai of the Sea!

[Sk8n Reefer]

Gotta love those fish and creatures that you spend hard earned $ on but you never see them! At least you get to enjoy the clicking, ha ha!

Epic viewing lastnight - the shrimp came out and grabbed a piece of mysis from the feeding tube? Full body shot for a second! ?

[metrokat]

Just got back from th week in Boston, tanks doing ok - some Dino growing on the sand but alittle coming back on the rock. Skimmers cranking- love the Nyos so far, once I figured it out. Small clean up day today and w/c's tomorrow

 

Thought I'd post up one of my only shots of my couple, now all I get are a fish eyeball and mouth and the end of a claw and some nighttime clicking

[spectra]

Love it mine hide to but the yashi knows when feeding time is and comes out. Every once in a while the shrimp makes and appearance. I broadcast feed the tank as its a RFA tank and also have a few crabs in there. They move at least once a week from one side of the rock to the other.....

[Sk8n Reefer]

A few shots from yesterday

Season's Greetings looking really good these days and growing well. This was one of the 1st corals in my Nuvo? Love the texture and the red polyps on this coral.

 

Wasn't sure which picture I liked best so here's all 3

 

 

 

Idaho grape is showing some really nice color, never looked this purple in the Nuvo. When the T5's click on it really glows ?

[RollaJase]

The monti's look great! Love the macros.

[ninjamyst]

I am usually a macro guy but I love the 3rd season greeting pic the most. The negative space around it really emphasizes the unique curve of the monti.

[Sk8n Reefer]

The monti's look great! Love the macros.

Thanks ? I am enjoying the new used camera. Crazy the difference in the corals color when the T5' are also on......loving this Nanobox hybrid ? Need to change the T5's pretty soon

I am usually a macro guy but I love the 3rd season greeting pic the most. The negative space around it really emphasizes the unique curve of the monti.

Ya, I pulled back a bit with the macro to grab that, it's is a cool little round off shoot.

[Nano sapiens]

Nice Monti pics!

[jstuver]

Looking good!

[Sk8n Reefer]

Nice Monti pics!

Thanks Nano, one of my little coral morphs is facing the front and I've been feeding him some small pieces of mysis, I'll have to get a pic. It's starting to grow pretty good

Looking good!

Thank you ?

[Sk8n Reefer]

I am considering a new sump, I love how quiet mine is (Eshoppes RS-75) but there just isn't enough room for equipment and I'd like a little more water volume. With the cube size I am fairly limited so maybe I'll just make one. Seems like a good project for the winter time ?. I've made them in the past with glass aquariums but would love a large cube to fill up the stand. The trigger cubes are nice- pricey but nice but I could stand it to be even bigger.........here's my compact sump. The key to being quiet is having the water return into a chamber with the return line underwater then overflowing into a sock or floss ? My stand is about 22"x22" on the inside so maybe a 20x20 cube aquarium would work??

Yes I am running GFO again- seems to help with the Dino's and algae was starting to take off ? Just cleaned the skimmer -Nyos, which is a skimate producing beast !!

[vlangel]

Scott, does running the GFO make you a little nervous? Is it passive or in a reactor?

[Nano sapiens]

Thanks Nano, one of my little coral morphs is facing the front and I've been feeding him some small pieces of mysis, I'll have to get a pic. It's starting to grow pretty good

 

Cool, awaiting pics

[RollaJase]

A new sump is a good project. I've made 3 over the years, improving the design each time. I like deep sumps as they add extra water volume and give more flexibility for the skimmer you run, plus you can usually run your heaters vertically saving some space. My most recent sump I had my tank builder make the box for me while making the tank. They cut all the baffles I wanted also, I just had to silicon them in. All up the sump cost me about $80 for the box and the baffles plus another $20 or so for the acrylic I ordered to make lids etc. It's a fun project and you get the added satisfaction of knowing you built it yourself and that it fits your space and requirements perfectly.

[Sk8n Reefer]

Scott, does running the GFO make you a little nervous? Is it passive or in a reactor?

It's in the reactor- I know! exactly how I started this mess but with the feeding schedule I have still and the Dino's I've notice algae is getting a foothold. I did switch GFO from BRS to a brand my lfs sells and it really is less effective. It says not to allow to tumble which is odd and only last a week to 2weeks at most. I haven't been testing for po4 but the glass was needing cleaning every other day the algae on the rocks was increasing. I actually like the weaker less efficient GFO as it appears to reduce things at a slower rate- I don't know but it seems the GFO is also keeping the Dino's from completely taking over. It's been so long with this battle it just seems part of the tank ? If I take a weekend off on maintenance it's really bad and quickly takes over. Pretty frustrating but at least the corals are fairly happy right now- I just need to keep them blown off every few days ?

[vlangel]

It's in the reactor- I know! exactly how I started this mess but with the feeding schedule I have still and the Dino's I've notice algae is getting a foothold. I did switch GFO from BRS to a brand my lfs sells and it really is less effective. It says not to allow to tumble which is odd and only last a week to 2weeks at most. I haven't been testing for po4 but the glass was needing cleaning every other day the algae on the rocks was increasing. I actually like the weaker less efficient GFO as it appears to reduce things at a slower rate- I don't know but it seems the GFO is also keeping the Dino's from completely taking over. It's been so long with this battle it just seems part of the tank If I take a weekend off on maintenance it's really bad and quickly takes over. Pretty frustrating but at least the corals are fairly happy right now- I just need to keep them blown off every few days

I hear ya but I am nervous for ya!

[RollaJase]

Yeah, you definitely don't want GFO to tumble, it needs to 'boil'. A good indication is in the below video.

I'd also definitely recommend using the high capacity stuff, it can just absorb more between changes. I switch mine out every 4 weeks or so with my Carbon. I run GFO and Carbon in separate reactors.

[Sk8n Reefer]

A new sump is a good project. I've made 3 over the years, improving the design each time. I like deep sumps as they add extra water volume and give more flexibility for the skimmer you run, plus you can usually run your heaters vertically saving some space. My most recent sump I had my tank builder make the box for me while making the tank. They cut all the baffles I wanted also, I just had to silicon them in. All up the sump cost me about $80 for the box and the baffles plus another $20 or so for the acrylic I ordered to make lids etc. It's a fun project and you get the added satisfaction of knowing you built it yourself and that it fits your space and requirements perfectly.

Ya, I like that idea of a deeper sump for volume - I would just need to make my sump area adjustable from 7.5 to 8.5"- I'd like that flexibility - mine now is set at 8" that's the only design part I'd have to work out. That's a great overall price- if I could get a 20x20 cube tank it would be nice to play around with. I definatley want to follow my sumps design now where water enters into a chamber with return line under the water and have it spill over to a sock or floss- keeps things really nice and quiet.

 

How deep of a sump do you like? Have you ever used acrylic for the baffles? I like the trigger cube sumps and a few others but the 250-350.00 depending on features seems a bit hefty but it is nice to just "click" buy ?

I hear ya but I am nervous for ya!

I know me too ?

[RollaJase]

Ya, I like that idea of a deeper sump for volume - I would just need to make my sump area adjustable from 7.5 to 8.5"- I'd like that flexibility - mine now is set at 8" that's the only design part I'd have to work out. That's a great overall price- if I could get a 20x20 cube tank it would be nice to play around with. I definatley want to follow my sumps design now where water enters into a chamber with return line under the water and have it spill over to a sock or floss- keeps things really nice and quiet.

 

How deep of a sump do you like? Have you ever used acrylic for the baffles? I like the trigger cube sumps and a few others but the 250-350.00 depending on features seems a bit hefty but it is nice to just "click" buy

My current sump measures 20x15.5x15.5" (535x400x400mm). The sump is a 3 chamber design with a higher water level being maintained for the drain/skimmer chambers before stepping down in volume for the fuge and return chambers. The skimmer chamber is roughly 12" deep from memory, maybe a bit more, I'm using a stand to raise my skimmer up to about the 9" mark. This depth worked well for me because it would suit my heaters and filter socks. I don't use a check valve on my return line and the sump wont overflow if the power or the pump dies (another advantage of a deeper sump). Only real downside is that you can get some settling detritus but you get that with every sump. Here are a few pics of how I designed mine.

[Sk8n Reefer]

My current sump measures 20x15.5x15.5" (535x400x400mm). The sump is a 3 chamber design with a higher water level being maintained for the drain/skimmer chambers before stepping down in volume for the fuge and return chambers. The skimmer chamber is roughly 12" deep from memory, maybe a bit more, I'm using a stand to raise my skimmer up to about the 9" mark. This depth worked well for me because it would suit my heaters and filter socks. I don't use a check valve on my return line and the sump wont overflow if the power or the pump dies (another advantage of a deeper sump. Only real downside is that you can get some settling detritus but you get that with every sump. Here are a few pics of how I designed mine.

Very nice, I like the idea of running the heater vertically in the sump- mine is in my overflow now because of that issue. Your intake set up is excellent. What type of skimmer stand are you using- did you make it? What about acrylic for baffles?

[RollaJase]

Very nice, I like the idea of running the heater vertically in the sump- mine is in my overflow now because of that issue. Your intake set up is excellent. What type of skimmer stand are you using- did you make it? What about acrylic for baffles?

I actually added a 2" piece of pipe to the primary drain so it entered the sump under the water level to create a full siphon, you can't see that in the pictures above. I do get a bit of settlement in that drain chamber, I just stir it up with the turkey baster when I do water changes. My skimmer stand at the moment is a cheap food grade plastic container that I got from a $2 shop, it was just large enough for my skimmer to fit. I just had an A4 piece of 10mm acrylic arrive though and will be making a more permanent solution in the coming weeks. I have a DC powered skimmer (Coral Box D500) so I am able to counteract having the skimmer submerged too deeply by reducing the pump speed. The new stand has been designed to allow me to run the pump at 100% and just use the built in gate valve for fine tuning. I did have a couple of acrylic baffles in my previous sump, not in this one. Advantage of acrylic is that you can get black or smoked options if you want to block out any chambers from light spill, ideal for a built in ATO chamber if you want one. The same aquarium silicon you use for the glass can usually be used for the acrylic also, or you can bond acrylic to acrylic with solvent. Personally I found glass to be a cheaper option compared to acrylic for baffles, its also sturdier. Glass doesn't warp or bend like thin acrylic would and larger sheets of thick acrylic can be costly.

[Sk8n Reefer]

I actually added a 2" piece of pipe to the primary drain so it entered the sump under the water level to create a full siphon, you can't see that in the pictures above. I do get a bit of settlement in that drain chamber, I just stir it up with the turkey baster when I do water changes. My skimmer stand at the moment is a cheap food grade plastic container that I got from a $2 shop, it was just large enough for my skimmer to fit. I just had an A4 piece of 10mm acrylic arrive though and will be making a more permanent solution in the coming weeks. I have a DC powered skimmer (Coral Box D500) so I am able to counteract having the skimmer submerged too deeply by reducing the pump speed. The new stand has been designed to allow me to run the pump at 100% and just use the built in gate valve for fine tuning. I did have a couple of acrylic baffles in my previous sump, not in this one. Advantage of acrylic is that you can get black or smoked options if you want to block out any chambers from light spill, ideal for a built in ATO chamber if you want one. The same aquarium silicon you use for the glass can usually be used for the acrylic also, or you can bond acrylic to acrylic with solvent. Personally I found glass to be a cheaper option compared to acrylic for baffles, its also sturdier. Glass doesn't warp or bend like thin acrylic would and larger sheets of thick acrylic can be costly.

Great info an appreciate the tips. Could definatley be a fun winter time project ?

[RollaJase]

Great info an appreciate the tips. Could definatley be a fun winter time project

My pleasure mate, it's been a lot of trial and error over the years so feel free to ask away .

[spectra]

If you do go with a glass tank and add your own baffles pm me and I can get the info of the guy I purchased from. Its a real nice acrylic set up of baffles and sock holders. I do not use a filter sock so just picked up a few baffles from him. My sump is a 40 breeder as I have a pretty decent footprint on the tank.

[Sk8n Reefer]

My pleasure mate, it's been a lot of trial and error over the years so feel free to ask away .

Awesome, you know I will ?

If you do go with a glass tank and add your own baffles pm me and I can get the info of the guy I purchased from. Its a real nice acrylic set up of baffles and sock holders. I do not use a filter sock so just picked up a few baffles from him. My sump is a 40 breeder as I have a pretty decent footprint on the tank.

Cool, a website? Send it over I'd like to check out all he has