tanacharison Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 I just found your thread - I love this build! The drawer for electronics and cords is a great idea, and the sump looks really good. I'm using a bioplate in both my 4g frag tank and in my 40g tank, and I think it works well. It's not magic, but it really does bump up the biofiltration capacity. I actually like my Hanna low range phosphorus checker, and now they make a low range phosphate checker so you don't have to convert with a calculator. The powered reagent is a bit of a pain to use, but once I did about 20 tests I got the procedure down. Now I don't even have to think about it when I do it. I have the Salifert phosphate test kit and I hate it. I can't tell one shade of blue from another and I have no idea what my level is with it. So it's easy to use but I have no confidence in the results. The Hanna is harder to use but I know exactly what the result is. Thank you! Sounds like I will be going with a Hanna Checker. You also have inspired me to set up a frag tank... I have my old 26 just sitting around. Plus I keep making frags of my pink pally because it grows so fast my utter chaos can't keep up. Maybe upgrade my lights and move the kessils over to the frag tank. 1 Quote Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Thank you! Sounds like I will be going with a Hanna Checker. You also have inspired me to set up a frag tank... I have my old 26 just sitting around. Plus I keep making frags of my pink pally because it grows so fast my utter chaos can't keep up. Maybe upgrade my lights and move the kessils over to the frag tank. Awesome! Quote Link to comment
tanacharison Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Added sand and rearranged a little for some red mangroves. I should have picked up 9 or so stalks because that culpra really filled a lot of space. Oh well next time. I cheated and put my carbon in a bag to rinse and just fitted it into my reactor. Made life a lot easier and I'll never worry about back syphon again. 1 Quote Link to comment
tanacharison Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 For those that have multiple tank syndrome or have a rodi in another room on the same floor this turned into one of my best investments. I can wheel all my tools, buckets and test kits around the house then park it inside my closet when I'm done. I know how cluddered all our equipment can get. I got this for $80 on sale at a hardware store and it holds some insane amount of weight. I even use the cup holder for coffee on water change days. ? 2 Quote Link to comment
teenyreef Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Nice! I have too many step-up / step-downs in my house for it to work but I love the idea 2 Quote Link to comment
tanacharison Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 First impulse decision for 2017.. check. 2 Quote Link to comment
teenyreef Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Whaaat? Nice! 2 Quote Link to comment
tanacharison Posted February 2, 2017 Author Share Posted February 2, 2017 Whaaat? Nice! I knoww! I was actually going to buy the tank and stand you just set up but they had the 35g cube on sale. The stand really limited my options with sumps but the RS-75 Eshopp will work. Not sure on lights yet. My real battle will be cube aquascape... might take me a month to be satisfied. lol 1 Quote Link to comment
tanacharison Posted February 14, 2017 Author Share Posted February 14, 2017 Anyone else use the PE Mysis pellets yet? I put some in today and shortly after I had a skimmer explosion maybe just coincidence. Quote Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 good to know. i have a sample that i have not opened yet.... 1 Quote Link to comment
tanacharison Posted February 14, 2017 Author Share Posted February 14, 2017 good to know. i have a sample that i have not opened yet.... Yeah I might experiment again with my nightly feeding but I'm pissed because I have been lazy emptying my collection cup and .03L of dark skimmate overflowed into the sump. Foam is still around all my mangroves. I'm making more water so I can change out 10-15 gallons. Quote Link to comment
teenyreef Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 I use PE mysis every once in a while but hadn't noticed any skimmer problems. If anything I would expect the oils in the shrimp to inhibit the skimmer, though. 1 Quote Link to comment
tanacharison Posted February 15, 2017 Author Share Posted February 15, 2017 Minor update. Ordered a MR10 from avast marine works and I'm going to build a recirculating bio pellet reactor with it. Should be a fun project and much more efficient than what I'm currently using. Mangroves are growing great! I'm also seeing some really nice colors from my coral, including some re-growth causing dosing to almost double daily dosage in the past 3 months. Finally sick of the moonlights burning out and Ive been wanting to try something different for my main lights so I went ahead and bought a new light fixture. Should be here in the next two weeks after it is... Built I will move the kessils over to my new basement frag tank project or the 30g cube I have collecting dust. Need another support in the center of the stand and I must decide what to do about a sump. I'm thinking about a 55 DIY with a 40B attached fudge. Not sure yet. The LC Superman and Kaleidoscope mushrooms are going much faster than expected and the colors are unreal! Regrowth on the mummy eye chalice is going really well. Several new mouths. Hahahahahah! 4 Quote Link to comment
tanacharison Posted February 21, 2017 Author Share Posted February 21, 2017 Well finally over daily dosing and I decided to order a aqua medic reefdoser evo 4. I felt 4 pumps for under $200 was too good to pass up. We will see in time when I rage out because its broken. Light is inbound and no word yet on the avast shipment. Hopefully everything comes next week for my vacation. I'm also lost on what to do with the cube, sump is ordered so I can do all the plumbing next week but still not sure on BB or not. Current stocking goals are Gold Assessor Basslet, red or longnose halkfish pair. 3 Quote Link to comment
tanacharison Posted March 1, 2017 Author Share Posted March 1, 2017 No words needed. 6 Quote Link to comment
tanacharison Posted March 4, 2017 Author Share Posted March 4, 2017 The Avast Reactor ran overnight with no leaks This was a fun project and the wide range of flow it can produce is crazy. To build it I purchased the 1/2" body fitting from the Avast Kalk kit, a lifeguard aquatics 1/2" bulkhead kit (just the elbow and overflow strainer) and a MR10 media reactor kit to assemble this recirculating bio pellet reactor with a syncra 1.5 pump. I could have used my older reactor but I ideally wanted to only have it offline for a short period and the MR10 is much wider allowing me to reach in and clean the strainer. Now when I have the return pump offline for a water change or feeding my biopellets never stop. My only fear is how fast the pump will get gunked up with the bio film. The slower outflow from the reactor will also allow me to plumb it into my skimmer if I choose. After running it my only issue would be I should have put a valve on between the body and intake on the pump to prevent excess water discharge when I clean the pump. I also wanted to cover the tube with a window tint like material to prevent excess light penetration and algae growth but forgot until I put the avast sticker on the body. Nanobox Hybrid is up and running. 2 Bulb 4 Array and 1000% more coverage than before. I had to tone down the preset settings a lot when compared to how I ran the Kessils. 4 Quote Link to comment
Nola Bear Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 I love seeing how many things are happening in here. Super jelly of your new frag setup coming! 1 Quote Link to comment
tanacharison Posted March 7, 2017 Author Share Posted March 7, 2017 Hopefully this will be wet later. 6 Quote Link to comment
dropped Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Yip thats a cool scape! time to get it wet. 1 Quote Link to comment
tanacharison Posted March 7, 2017 Author Share Posted March 7, 2017 1 hour ago, dropped said: Yip thats a cool scape! time to get it wet. Thanks! Sadly I did something to my back this morning, cant walk at all without having spasms. Now i'm stuck looking at the empty tank. When do we get a update of your build. I wanna see whats growing under that new ATI fixture. 1 Quote Link to comment
tanacharison Posted March 9, 2017 Author Share Posted March 9, 2017 Still can't move well so the cube will hang out for a while. Gives me time to look at what else I need for the tank, trying to keep everything simple. My next move will be skimmer. I have been lucky to get everything on sale my total build is under $600 so far. Picked up a 40 gal stock tank from tractor supply for the frag tank and some plumbing. Hopefully next week I can finish the stand and at least get the plumbing done. I'm slowly ramping up the new light fixture with everything reacting good to the change. 3 Quote Link to comment
tanacharison Posted March 10, 2017 Author Share Posted March 10, 2017 Doser is up and running . Just on ease of set up I really love it and hopefully it will work long term. The sump that I wanted to have a clean and well designed look is more cluttered up than I thought. The doseing containers are tucked in the corner behind the sump and ato so ill have to make effort to see if they are full. If I redo some of the plumbing I can fit the ATO on the back side next to the reactors and the dosing pumps can take up the area the ATO was in. Its a lot of work for some aesthetics but it will also give me the chance to go to 3/4 plumbing something I regret not doing the first time. Bumped lights up again 3% and now I have T5s running for 2:30 (Coral Plus & AquaBlue) I started at 30min a week ago. Nothing browned and nothing bleached yet! I'm expecting to reach 4-5 hours in two weeks and by then the tank will reach it highest point of stability and I expect to see great growth. I need a ATO for the cube but I have no idea what to get I was planning on moving my old one over and setting up the new apex one but no release date on the kit only individual parts. I've used the Tunze Nano for 5 years no issues. 1 Quote Link to comment
tanacharison Posted March 13, 2017 Author Share Posted March 13, 2017 A little more done today on the basement tanks... bulk heads should arrive Monday and I can do a leak test. Stock tank is going to be cool just need to figure out an ATO for it. 1 Quote Link to comment
J-Ranko Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 Nice build. Are these all going to be plumbed to the basement tanks? Or are those stand-alone frag tanks? 1 Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.