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Innovative Marine Aquariums

Fabulous Bones: A Study in Symbiosis with a Reefer 350


el fabuloso

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Fixture arrives by 1/30. Were also planning on beginning the system on that day with Fab coming over and the excitement begins.

 

The debate for LR and where to buy continues. We have some LFS at our disposal or should we order. We were thinking of a 70-30 Live to Dead rock ratio. My personal hang up is the unwanted pest that come with it. Fab does a good job assuring.

 

I still have to buy one bag of live reef flakes yet which I'll do tomorrow. The rinse like you said Dave I heard will be a pain but on the day of I plan on doing brutes so we should be in the clear hopefully. I have yet to check the weather out for the day but hopefully it's clear and not frozen.

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I'm all for fresh live rock. The juicier, the better. Nastiness and all. Yes we run the risk of potentially bringing in some unwanted things but I feel like it'll innoculate our tank for far worse things that might come later down the line.

 

With that I'm not too picky. No pukani rock because all those holes will quickly turn into debris traps.

 

Lots of little pieces over few large pieces. Sorry Ray, your one rock technique blows.

 

And no chicken feets (a.k.a. Tonga branches)

 

chicken-feet.jpg

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One rock only works in a cube. Whatever. I'm still minimalisty, just not that minimalisty. I'm with ya on the rest, though. Get it live and fresh. Mother Nature provides better than a bottle. Thought about Gulf live rock? Itll be the way I go, whenever I get around to setting up another tank.

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One rock only works in a cube. Whatever. I'm still minimalisty, just not that minimalisty. I'm with ya on the rest, though. Get it live and fresh. Mother Nature provides better than a bottle. Thought about Gulf live rock? Itll be the way I go, whenever I get around to setting up another tank.

 

Right?? I don't know if I'm just old school but I don't trust any of these snake oils. I've used Gulf live rock in the past and I love them, they're really great for seeding new tanks. But I I don't plan on using them in this setup since we're looking at keeping mostly SPS and LPS and going for a clean look. If it were a traditional mixed reef then I would be all for it.

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I'm all for Live Rock. I just have to ensure that the source is quality and placed around me are not as top nots here as I would hope/like. I'm sure we'll find something though.

 

Anyone have any suggestions on powerheads? I like the vortexes and have had many in the past. Also the QuietDrive on the M1 REALLY impressed me. I am interested in Gyres as well as the Apex WAV.

 

Final manifold parts are in the mail so I'll begin that as soon as I receive them.

 

...Ray your infamous one rock to rule them all rule...

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Ha ha, I had to go back to the 1st post to figure out whose thread this was, ha ha! Now I understand the symbiosis reference, (I kind of wondered why there wasn't any talk of pistol shrimp and gobies or nems and clownfish).

I will be following to see if 2 heads are better than 1.

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Call up premium aquatics in Indiana. They are pretty good about getting very fresh live rock. They will tell you when it's likely they'll get some.

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Following! I really enjoyed the conversation about over stripping the water since I'm starting my first ever sumped tank for frags and I've been debating about the filtration strategy.

 

I've had good luck with live rock from KPA but I know a lot of people have been very happy with Gulf Live Rock too.

 

Hammer + old screwdriver + big rocks -> little rocks + Emarco mortar -> bigger rocks just the way you like them. Safety glasses optional but recommended.

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Ha ha, I had to go back to the 1st post to figure out whose thread this was, ha ha! Now I understand the symbiosis reference, (I kind of wondered why there wasn't any talk of pistol shrimp and gobies or nems and clownfish).

I will be following to see if 2 heads are better than 1.

 

I have a good feeling about it. And we'll definitely have something in the tank to reflect the partnership.

 

IMG_1658_zpsicom5kdt.jpg

 

PS: I'm the yasha goby. B)

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Plumbing parts arrived finally. Trying to set some time aside to dry for the new manifold design. I still am waiting for specific reducers but other than that it's all set to go.

 

Hopefully I will/can fix the "Straight" issues on the reactors. The attempt to get them to sit exactly level is what I'm after, otherwise the build of the older ones are just fine. Figures it's one small piece that can ruin an otherwise perfect thing.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Sorry for the delay in updating. Life has gotten insane for me the last few weeks. Family issues arose out of nowhere so I've been taking care of that. I finally got that all squared away and taken care of to where everyone was comfortable. I thought I could get back into the schedule I laid out for the tank - however I was wrong. 

 

My Dad comes over with my Uncle to check out the tank/set up and see how everything's as going in life in general. I had moved the sump out into my floor to get proper dimensions and level for the manifold and reactors. I was heading to work when I was told the ATO fell into the middle compartment. A section of baffle chipped as well as the corner of the ATO crushed. Needless to say I was absolutely devastated but they explained they we're trying to help me along while I was going to be at work as a nice gesture. Super nice and I totally understand the idea behind it. I just wish it never happened as I like to do this stuff to my own standard. Either way no freak outs and just said no worries - I'll fix it, don't feel guilty. 

 

Karma was on my side. I contacted Red Sea (who CONTINUES to impress) regarding the accident. I supplied pictures as requested and they are sending over a complete new sump as well as ATO. Simply amazing stuff. I'm still using this sump for proper dimensions but am scared of the structural integrity and all.

 

So I guess the update is: Life unraveled at the seems: I sewed it back together.  Sump broke - receiving replacement and continue straight into trudging through the mud. It'll get easier in time. 

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Wow, that's super impressive about Red Sea! When they do things like that it really helps convince people like me to look at them seriously when the time comes.

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6 minutes ago, teenyreef said:

Wow, that's super impressive about Red Sea! When they do things like that it really helps convince people like me to look at them seriously when the time comes.

Yeah I couldn't believe it - I was so in shock I had to ask twice. I didn't know any of this before purchasing but I will never not buy a Red Sea tank in the future. Here's a little information for you if you do decide to go Red Sea. Buy from an authorized retailer (You can check their website I believe to get this information). This does matter I believe when it comes to claims. Also make sure to save the receipt. I know it seems simple and trivial but sometimes it gets away from you. I just scanned mine and saved as a PDF. 

 

To add even more reason to go with them. Before any of this happened I believed I had a faulty hinge. A replacement was sent with no hesitation and this fixed the issue completely.

 

Im really happy with them and will continue to speak highly of them. All aspects have been exceptional. 

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2 hours ago, RayWhisperer said:

Need pichurs of da scape. Git sum rocks in der. I got an itchin to post my critique.

It's gonna be YUUUGE. It's gonna be great! The best rocks you'll ever see. Bigly.

 

:P

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I'm excited to see this build. :) I remember el fab's pico as it was a huge inspiration to me when I was first getting into the hobby and am glad to see this coming about! :happy:

 

On 12/27/2016 at 6:12 AM, uwharrie said:

Following. Especially since that is the tank I keep looking to add

OT but I love the username!  I used to live near Lake Tillery/Morrow Mountain (parents still do) and miss it.  Gorgeous little piece of Carolina country!

 

 

 

 

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