A College Fusion - SPS Dominated IM 25 Lagoon

[WindyCityReefer.]

2 hours ago, lilmatty5dimes said:

Tank looks great. Love that acan and blasto. 

Thanks matty, hope all is well! 

 

So I decided to go a different route with the algae scrubber. Unfortunately the HOG.5 will not fit ideally in the rear compartments so I am going to try a DIY version based off of Joe's Reef on YouTube. Here is the link: 

 

 

I went ahead and found some knitting mesh at a local Hobby Lobby for $0.69 - cannot beat that price! Then I roughened it up using some sand paper to increase surface area for algae to grow. Next on the list is to get the plumbing. Ultimately the effectiveness of the DIY version should be better than the HOG.5. More photos to come as I piece together the build. I plan to cut the mesh to size after getting everything else together. 

           

[WindyCityReefer.]

Update: I have a new resident to the reef - a multicolor angel. After the baby regal passed, I tried my chances at a multibar angel that was eating from the same LFS. Unfortunately, it perished as well and I decided it would be best to try another LFS. In comes in multicolor! I came across it at another LFS where it was already eating. 2 days have gone by and he is out and about and eats everything I throw into the tank. I think we have a winner 😃 Here are a couple shots - I love the pastel colors. It has been difficult to capture the blue "crown" it has above the eyes. 

 

 

 

 

 

I also took some close-ups of the rest of the reef. Please excuse the bubble algae, I am trying to get it under control. Enjoy!

 

Pink Cadillac 

 

Tyree Blue Matrix

 

Mummy Eye

 

WWC SupaFly 

 

ASD Rainbow milli

 

Walt Disney

 

Vivid's Confetti

 

Starry blenny and supafly

[mitten_reef]

4 hours ago, WindyCityReefer. said:

Update: I have a new resident to the reef - a multicolor angel. After the baby regal passed, I tried my chances at a multibar angel that was eating from the same LFS. Unfortunately, it perished as well and I decided it would be best to try another LFS. In comes in multicolor! I came across it at another LFS where it was already eating. 2 days have gone by and he is out and about and eats everything I throw into the tank. I think we have a winner 😃 Here are a couple shots - I love the pastel colors. It has been difficult to capture the blue "crown" it has above the eyes. 

 

 

 

 

 

I also took some close-ups of the rest of the reef. Please excuse the bubble algae, I am trying to get it under control. Enjoy!

 

Pink Cadillac 

 

Tyree Blue Matrix

 

 

 

 

ASD Rainbow milli

 

I got a frag that looks like pink cadillac the last time I was at my LFS.  It sucks cuz the guy never remember what frags people brought in, or he himself brought in, so it's hard to get positive ID.  The brighter side, most of the acros at his place are pretty cheap ~$40 a frag for the ones with any decent colors on them.  

 

That blue matrix looks awesome!  oh and that ASD rainbow millie could probably use a little pruning 😉.  

[WindyCityReefer.]

That's awesome pricing! Honestly, I try not to give in to the name game if I can help it. The only positive is that it helps track coral. Sadly whenever I try to pick up named pieces they are 1/2" sizes ☹️

 

Thanks for the compliments! I am sure I could make you a frag! I will send you a PM. Hoping to catch you at one of the upcoming swaps

[WindyCityReefer.]

I figured I would update my list of current hard corals. 

 

SPS

•  Milka Stylo
•  Forest Fire digi
•  ASD Rainbow milli
•  Vivid's Confetti
•  Route66 Merlin's Staff
•  Tyree Undata monti
•  Reef Raft Pink Cadillac
•  Vivid's Rainbow Delight 
•  Pirates Reef Corals Fruity Pebbles acro
•  BigR Walt Disney
•  Pro Corals Superman Table
•  Motor City Corals Prom Queen
•  TGC Cherry Bomb (fell on one of the chalices and don't know if it will recover 😞)
•  Seasons Greetings monti
•  Rocky Mountain Frags Diablo milli (also got stung way back when and barely holding on 😞)
•  World Wide Corals Blueberry acro (or what is left of it.. this is the one I went digging for on the island with a screwdriver to save)
•  Tyree Blue Matrix
•  Hurlock Acro/Yellow Tipped Dragon

All are mainly frags for now except for a handful of those listed. I also was able to get a killer dealer on a multi-branch Jason Fox Homewrecker frag and Reef Raft Canada Wolverine from back home (north of Chicago)! I already pre-paid and will be picking those up in the next few weeks. Here are some photos from the seller (not my photo - but he circled the "frag" for me). 

 

Homewrecker:

 

Wolverine:

 

And just one more shot of the new guy on the block! He is a great eater and super friendly. He visits me at the water's surface to be fed.

 

 

[SliceGolfer]

Nice frag rack. Who makes it?

[WindyCityReefer.]

On 2/22/2020 at 9:49 PM, SliceGolfer said:

Nice frag rack. Who makes it?

Sorry, I never got back to you. The rack is not mine, but I do know that they are made by OneMadFish. Here is a link: https://www.onemadfish.com/index.php/product-category/frag-racks/

 

I attended the Ann Arbor frag swap this past weekend and was pleasantly surprised by the turnout and coral selection. In addition, Jason Fox made a trip out since he was at the LEAR show in Ohio the day before. I also caught up with @mitten_reef and we exchanged some frags. Thanks again! Sadly, I spent more than I was hoping at the swap 🙄 but I did win some raffles. 

 

Unfortunately I do not have any photos of the frags at the moment as I am back in the Chicagoland area for the week. On the plus side, I will be picking up the Homewrecker and RR Wolverine frags this week! One of the vendors from the swap did send me a colony shot of one of the frags I picked up. It is an Aussie piece called "Puff the Magic Dragon." It has pastel colors with a dominant mint color. Excited to see this one grow out.Here is a list of what I picked up:

•  RMF Psychoberry (won $50 credit from the raffle)
•  Puff the Magic Dragon Aussie piece
•  Pink Lemonade (from Mitten_reef)
•  PC Rainbow (from Mitten_reef)
•  Reef Roids (raffle win)

Disclaimer: not my photo! 

[WindyCityReefer.]

The tank has been on auto-pilot since returning from break. It is amazing how I could notice the growth of some corals from just 1 week of being away. For example, the ASD rainbow that I fragged for @mitten_reef has already healed over and is sprouting another branch. Sadly I already have a casualty from the swap - PC rainbow. For whatever reason it RTNed on me. Everything else is looking good for the time being. I checked my alk and calcium today: 7.3 dKH and 380 ppm respectively. Adjusted 1 mL increase in the doser for both and will retest in a few days. Next on the agenda is to purchase some more flat rock for placement of acros!

 

A couple photos from today. I am playing around with the settings on my camera and post-editing to capture what I can see in person. Enjoy!

 

ASD Rainbow healing up well

 

Vivid's Confetti

 

Route66 Merlin's Staff - still waiting to get the pink base

 

RR Pink Cadillac

 

[mitten_reef]

12 hours ago, WindyCityReefer. said:

The tank has been on auto-pilot since returning from break. It is amazing how I could notice the growth of some corals from just 1 week of being away. For example, the ASD rainbow that I fragged for @mitten_reef has already healed over and is sprouting another branch. Sadly I already have a casualty from the swap - PC rainbow. For whatever reason it RTNed on me. Everything else is looking good for the time being. I checked my alk and calcium today: 7.3 dKH and 380 ppm respectively. Adjusted 1 mL increase in the doser for both and will retest in a few days. Next on the agenda is to purchase some more flat rock for placement of acros!

 

A couple photos from today. I am playing around with the settings on my camera and post-editing to capture what I can see in person. Enjoy!

 

ASD Rainbow healing up well

 

Vivid's Confetti

 

Route66 Merlin's Staff - still waiting to get the pink base

 

RR Pink Cadillac

 

Sorry to hear about the pc rainbow. Feel free to give me a call/text whenever you’re around GR. I’m happy to cut you another piece to take home with. How’s the lemonade?

[WindyCityReefer.]

4 hours ago, mitten_reef said:

Sorry to hear about the pc rainbow. Feel free to give me a call/text whenever you’re around GR. I’m happy to cut you another piece to take home with. How’s the lemonade?

Thanks Rut! The lemonade is doing well so far, I can not see any signs of RTN. Hoping it takes off in growth soon.

 

I have been tossing around the idea of turning the old IM 10 gallon into an LPS dominated tank and partial frag tank. I would like to increase the flow in the lagoon but the LPS are my limiting factor. Only problem is that I will be moving this summer for my second year of residency 🤔

[WindyCityReefer.]

Removed the blue matrix today from the center island rock. The forest fire digi and stylo were encroaching a little too much for my liking and stinging the base. Placed it on a frag tile for the time being. At least I can get some better photos of it now!

 

[WindyCityReefer.]

Well, my residency has been somewhat halted over the coronavirus. I will only be seeing patients on an emergency basis for the time being. 

 

Recently I had some issues with an IM product - here is my review below. 

 

I have always hoped that I would not have to post a review about a vendor, but in this case I felt it was necessary.

I own a second hand HydroFill Ti Reservoir - 5 gallon that includes a red float indicator on the side. Unfortunately, the indicator has recently stopped floating and remains at the bottom of the reservoir (a known defect amongst these reservoirs). I reached out to the company and received a disheartening email from Paul over in customer service who stated that the reservoirs have a 1 year warranty and that he would need the proof of purchase. Rather than email him back, I gave him a call to explain the situation. Sadly, he stuck to his guns and argued that we do not know how the previous owner treated the unreachable indicator float..

It is understandable that a company has to cover their interests, but this is a known defect that ought to be addressed. Rather than show compassion for a long-time customer (I have purchased plenty first-hand from them), they refused.

I love Innovative Marine's products and have always supported the company. Maybe I am being unreasonable. I understand if it were a pump or tank, but a float indicator? Come on.. Companies such as EcoTech have always supported the second-hand customer. I own a couple Vortech pumps that have rusted from the inside out due to manufacturer defects and EcoTech has always pulled through.

Moving forward I will be considering other companies as options for equipment and deal with my dead float indicator.

[mitten_reef]

5 minutes ago, WindyCityReefer. said:

Well, my residency has been somewhat halted over the coronavirus. I will only be seeing patients on an emergency basis for the time being. 

 

Recently I had some issues with an IM product - here is my review below. 

 

I have always hoped that I would not have to post a review about a vendor, but in this case I felt it was necessary.

I own a second hand HydroFill Ti Reservoir - 5 gallon that includes a red float indicator on the side. Unfortunately, the indicator has recently stopped floating and remains at the bottom of the reservoir (a known defect amongst these reservoirs). I reached out to the company and received a disheartening email from Paul over in customer service who stated that the reservoirs have a 1 year warranty and that he would need the proof of purchase. Rather than email him back, I gave him a call to explain the situation. Sadly, he stuck to his guns and argued that we do not know how the previous owner treated the unreachable indicator float..

It is understandable that a company has to cover their interests, but this is a known defect that ought to be addressed. Rather than show compassion for a long-time customer (I have purchased plenty first-hand from them), they refused.

I love Innovative Marine's products and have always supported the company. Maybe I am being unreasonable. I understand if it were a pump or tank, but a float indicator? Come on.. Companies such as EcoTech have always supported the second-hand customer. I own a couple Vortech pumps that have rusted from the inside out due to manufacturer defects and EcoTech has always pulled through.

Moving forward I will be considering other companies as options for equipment and deal with my dead float indicator.

I have one of their Wavelink powerhead, recently misplaced the front "nozzle/grille" piece.  Their customer service strategy was, me paying them $20 for the part and shipping.  I was not impressed to be price-gouged by a piece of plastic that probably costs pennies.        

[William]

13 minutes ago, WindyCityReefer. said:

Well, my residency has been somewhat halted over the coronavirus. I will only be seeing patients on an emergency basis for the time being. 

 

Recently I had some issues with an IM product - here is my review below. 

 

I have always hoped that I would not have to post a review about a vendor, but in this case I felt it was necessary.

I own a second hand HydroFill Ti Reservoir - 5 gallon that includes a red float indicator on the side. Unfortunately, the indicator has recently stopped floating and remains at the bottom of the reservoir (a known defect amongst these reservoirs). I reached out to the company and received a disheartening email from Paul over in customer service who stated that the reservoirs have a 1 year warranty and that he would need the proof of purchase. Rather than email him back, I gave him a call to explain the situation. Sadly, he stuck to his guns and argued that we do not know how the previous owner treated the unreachable indicator float..

It is understandable that a company has to cover their interests, but this is a known defect that ought to be addressed. Rather than show compassion for a long-time customer (I have purchased plenty first-hand from them), they refused.

I love Innovative Marine's products and have always supported the company. Maybe I am being unreasonable. I understand if it were a pump or tank, but a float indicator? Come on.. Companies such as EcoTech have always supported the second-hand customer. I own a couple Vortech pumps that have rusted from the inside out due to manufacturer defects and EcoTech has always pulled through.

Moving forward I will be considering other companies as options for equipment and deal with my dead float indicator.

What specialty are you? I’m a pain management fellow (Anesthesiology trained) and they are in the process of converting us to full time Anesthesiology Attending staff for backup in case front line staff gets sick 

[WindyCityReefer.]

 

1 hour ago, mitten_reef said:

I have one of their Wavelink powerhead, recently misplaced the front "nozzle/grille" piece.  Their customer service strategy was, me paying them $20 for the part and shipping.  I was not impressed to be price-gouged by a piece of plastic that probably costs pennies.        

Crazy. If they keep up that mentality and policy they will lose customers - just my opinion though. Did they end up working it out with you? Or are you dealing without the nozzle/grille piece? 

1 hour ago, William said:

What specialty are you? I’m a pain management fellow (Anesthesiology trained) and they are in the process of converting us to full time Anesthesiology Attending staff for backup in case front line staff gets sick 

I am in the pediatric dental division of the hospital (fairly small group of us). All elective procedures are on hold for now. How are they handling the situation over there?

[mitten_reef]

1 minute ago, WindyCityReefer. said:

Crazy. If they keep up that mentality and policy they will lose customers - just my opinion though. Did they end up working it out with you? Or are you dealing without the nozzle/grille piece? 

I paid for it.  It's the front cover of the powerhead, can't really go without one.  

[mitten_reef]

any update on this tank?  been a while. @WindyCityReefer.

[WindyCityReefer.]

On 6/17/2020 at 3:59 PM, mitten_reef said:

any update on this tank?  been a while. @WindyCityReefer.

Yes! I know it has been a while - the last few months have been crazy with the pandemic and all. Thanks for checking in, Rut.

 

The tank is still up and running 👍 sadly there have been a few losses. The first was the recent passing of my oldest cleaner shrimp. He was about 4 years old which, from what I read is very old. Definitely going to miss his personality. The second was my loss of my MCC Prom Queen acro. A turbo snail must have knocked it off the rock work and it landed on top of one of my chalices. Not exactly sure how it happened seeing as it was super-glued to the rockwork.. I know losses are part of the hobby, but still a bummer none the less.

 

Over the last month I have been moving to a new apartment about an hour away from Ann Arbor to be closer to the hospital I will be working at during my second year of residency. The last thing to move is the reef. Thankfully, this is not the first time I will be moving the tank seeing as last summer I moved it back home during its "mini-crash". This time around it will be an hour trip and not a 4.5 hour trip! I have already prepared the coolers and started making extra RO water at the new apartment. 

 

The biggest hurdle was having to find a stand to put the tank on in the new apartment. I searched far and wide and could not find something I truly "liked". So, I decided to build my own! Gaining inspiration from various builds and forums, I decided to go the traditional route with 2x4s and plywood. I made my rounds to Home Depot for supplies.

 

        

 

 

 

After measuring twice, and cutting once (maybe twice..) this is what I ended up with. 

 

         

 

 

Right away, I noticed it was not perfectly level and there was some slanting of the top of the stand. After some redrilling and shimming the overall level improved, but was still not perfect. Rather than go back and forth I decided to go with some furniture levelers from Amazon. They are called POWERTEC 71189 3/8”-16 Furniture Levelers with Threaded Inserts. They are heavy duty and are capable of holding up to 550 Ibs per caster. Having 4 of them, I feel safe knowing they are good up to 2,200 Ibs 🙂 In addition, I decided to add a piece of plywood to the bottom of the stand to have some additional storage for the ATO and other storage. 

 

The next concern was salt creep and wood. The last thing I wanted to end up happening was having the stand warp and fade due to the elements of the lights and saltwater. More research lead me to decide to coat the entire stand with spar varnish. It will offer UV, salt and mildew protection. A quick order from Amazon brought this product to my doorstep.

 

 

After 2 coats of varnish and installation of the lower piece of plywood, the stand now looks like this. I considered reinforcing the stand with more 2x4s, but I honestly feel like it would be overkill. I have sat on top of the stand (roughly 200 Ibs) and tried wobbling side to side and did not even hear a creek. Does anyone have any thoughts? The final step will be installing plywood around the stand and maybe adding another shelve for my doser. 

 

              

 

I hope everyone is staying safe and enjoying the summer! 

 

 

[mitten_reef]

Here’s a very good thread on building a stand http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1567110

 

overall, I think you might want to skin the 3 sides to further prevent racking(?). The topdown weight capacity should not be a problem. 
 

sucks about the losses. I just spotted one of my frags fell off today too. Weird, just when you thought the superglue shouldn’t let it go anywhere, it just popped right off by either my big turbo snail or a fish, I really don’t know. 

[spectra]

Well I like steel myself...............

[WindyCityReefer.]

12 hours ago, mitten_reef said:

Here’s a very good thread on building a stand http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1567110

 

overall, I think you might want to skin the 3 sides to further prevent racking(?). The topdown weight capacity should not be a problem. 
 

sucks about the losses. I just spotted one of my frags fell off today too. Weird, just when you thought the superglue shouldn’t let it go anywhere, it just popped right off by either my big turbo snail or a fish, I really don’t know. 

Thanks for the link - definitely going to check it out. The plan is to skin the stand with plywood all around except for the rear to allow connection to the ATO and doser. I am thinking a rustic barn wood look. Like this: 

 

 

Sorry to hear about the frags. I actually superglued the frag plugs of my remaining high-end frags (Homewrecker, RR wolverine) to the frag rack for more assurance while I am away from the tank. Crazy how snails/fish can knock frags around. 

 

12 hours ago, spectra said:

Well I like steel myself............…

100% agree that steel would have been ideal. Sadly, I have no experience in bending/heating/welding metal nor did I want to pay someone to build one. I have seen metal stands before and they are fantastic. Definitely the material I will go with in future builds! 

 

Today's plan is to go to Home Depot and pick up the remaining materials and extra brushes for another coat of varnish. 

[spectra]

I like the barnwood look also...……..did a IM30 for my wife a few years ago...…….my old 100 in the background...…….

 

[Christopher Marks]

Hey @WindyCityReefer.! Has the big move come and gone yet? Hope all is well! 

[jkeating]

Some really cool stuff in this thread. I just found it! I’m heading to dental school next year, so it’s nice to know that it can still be done in school. I’m getting ready to pull the trigger on a peninsula 14 or waterbox peninsula 15. 

[WindyCityReefer.]

Wow, hard to believe I have not updated the journal in a while! 

On 7/24/2020 at 4:27 PM, Christopher Marks said:

Hey @WindyCityReefer.! Has the big move come and gone yet? Hope all is well! 

 

Thanks for checking in, Chris! Sorry for the late response. Big move went well and got everything taken care of over the summer. Hope things are good with you 👍

 

On 7/24/2020 at 9:10 PM, jkeating said:

Some really cool stuff in this thread. I just found it! I’m heading to dental school next year, so it’s nice to know that it can still be done in school. I’m getting ready to pull the trigger on a peninsula 14 or waterbox peninsula 15. 

 

That is great news! Congrats on getting into dental school. It is not an easy journey, but well worth the ride! My aquarium was one thing that got me through it. It is a fantastic stress reliever. My goal throughout my build has been to keep things on auto. Between an ATO, doser, heater and auto fish feeder - the tank is on auto pilot 98% of the time. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about dental school or the hobby.

 

I will update the journal with some photos this week. A couple frags have grown to mini-colonies, while others sadly did not make it. In addition to the move, I have been MIA for so long due to becoming extremely busy with residency. Stay tuned for photos/updates!