Here we go again.... Nuvo 30 Black Anemone Tank

[Reefkid88]

[Halo_003]

9 hours ago, Reefkid88 said:

Soon.... Just waiting on stuff to arrive.

[Reefkid88]

I can be patient...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who am I kidding,when when stuffs be there ?!?!?! 

[Halo_003]

22 hours ago, Reefkid88 said:

I can be patient...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who am I kidding,when when stuffs be there ?!?!?! 

You're telling me. Last piece should be here to.orrow, I'm hoping to be done with plumbing this weekend.

 

Important question: Vertex Omega 180i is on sale for $275 at BRS. If I use my reward points it'll be $233 shipped. Is that a terrible idea? I was thinking a big one like that could potentially be run for 6-8hrs a day at night rather than all the time. Doing some googling makes it sound like this would not be a bad idea.

 

Senate controller/monitor at $140, worth it?

[samnaz]

Hey what return pump are you gunna use, the Jebao DCT 6000? I'm trying to decide on a DC return pump and have considered the Jebao DCT. I'm curious if you have used it previously and what you think of it.

 

I know, you get what you pay for... but the Jebao is so cheap I can afford to keep an extra laying around just incase.

[Halo_003]

I should have ordered the Vertex instead of asking. It's now out of stock at BRS.

 

1 hour ago, samnaz said:

Hey what return pump are you gunna use, the Jebao DCT 6000? I'm trying to decide on a DC return pump and have considered the Jebao DCT. I'm curious if you have used it previously and what you think of it.

 

I know, you get what you pay for... but the Jebao is so cheap I can afford to keep an extra laying around just incase.

 

That's the plan. I have it already. If it dies I'll get an Ecotech DC pump. I've been happy with it so far. (Used it in my 12G)

 

Update:

 

 

 

After drilling:

 

 

Inside view: 

 

 

Hole quality: 

 

 

Number 2 done.

 

 

Hole quality:

 

 

Overflow test fit (to set placement of return hole):

 

 

Return hole drilled:

 

 

The glass stayed in the bit, I have yet to get it out.

 

 

All 3 holes finished:

 

 

Return and overflow test fit:

 

 

And back on the stand and current status:

 

 

 

[Reefkid88]

That looks like pure perfection !!! Looking aweosme bud. 

[Halo_003]

Thanks! It definitely could have come out a little cleaner, but for my first time drilling at least it wasn't disaster.

 

Also, I decided the deals at BRS were too good to pass up when combined with 4125 reward points. I ordered a Vertex RX-U 1.5L Reactor, a Tunze Care Nano magnet, some extra Pukani dry rock, and a Seneye Reef Monitor. At $140 the Seneye is a solid buy, and if it gets made obsolete if I get a real controller later on I will use it to manage a quarantine tank as needed.

[Halo_003]

BRS just keeps getting better and better. They're refunding me the difference in pricing on some of the equipment I ordered since it's within a couple weeks. I'm taking that and combining it with the current 10% off on a Maxspect Gyre XF230, and the total cost for it once the refunds post to my bank will end up around $121. Can't get better than that, that's less than what just the add on XF230 costs without a controller. That pretty much completes my equipment until I decide whether I really need a full blown Apex controller. I am stoked to be doing this build with all high end equipment right from the beginning. 

 

I am waiting for one part that was out of stock at the time of my original plumbing order, so my target to have water in the tank is December 1.

[Reefkid88]

Man,making out like a bandit man !!! This is going to be so nice. 

[Halo_003]

36 minutes ago, Reefkid88 said:

Man,making out like a bandit man !!! This is going to be so nice. 

These BRS deals are awesome for my tank but bad for my wallet!

[samnaz]

19 hours ago, Halo_003 said:

These BRS deals are awesome for my tank but bad for my wallet!

Same. At this rate I’m not going to have money left to spend on gifts for others this season haha!

[Halo_003]

3 hours ago, samnaz said:

Same. At this rate I’m not going to have money left to spend on gifts for others this season haha!

At least the fish will be happy! And hopefully the anemones too. 

[Halo_003]

Scape A:

 

 

 

scape B:

 

 

Thoughts? Sorry for picture quality, just a real quick snap session.

[Reefkid88]

Its a hard decision but I think scape b would be super nice. 

[Halo_003]

Those are kinda my rough drafts. I had a few more I tried but those were my favorites. I did have one more that was great but I completely forgot to get a picture.

[Reefkid88]

B is a awesome choice. The right side would be good for some sps. 

[Halo_003]

4 hours ago, Reefkid88 said:

B is a awesome choice. The right side would be good for some sps. 

 

No can do, I must have discipline on this build. 

[samnaz]

B has my vote.

[Halo_003]

I decided I hated the results above and reverted to my original plan.

 

Goal:

 

 

Result: 

 

 

(Warning: terrible picture, not final.)

 

 

 

 

 

Hopefully it is easier to shoot in this spot once a light is over it. Right now it gets a ton of glare from my dining room light.

 

The right side is one rock, and I'm pretty happy with it. The left is a rough draft, just need to figure out a good placement to mimic the inspiration, by Chris on Reef2Reef. (Link in OP)

 

My question is should I have the top of the left side just barely exposed? If I did I could do some air plants. 

 

One thing I am definitely picking up is a tripod. Even shooting on an iPhone 8 Plus that would make life way easier. I did put in an order for a Moment Macro lens and a Moment case. If it works well I'm planning to get the wide angle as well. I'm hoping it's helpful for shooting the tank.

 

Case: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074KPLL6H/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_CnHgAbR2A06M5

 

Lens: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074KP1QZF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_JoHgAb5Q3T4J1

[Moorahs]

Tagging along - tbh mostly to see how the moment lens works out for ya... they’re pricey to ship here and I would love to see how they go for tank shots before I take the plunge. If the x and the 8 are the same camera, it does a 2x zoom which is marginally better than the old phones but still pixellates the bejeezus out of things. 

[Halo_003]

4 hours ago, Moorahs said:

Tagging along - tbh mostly to see how the moment lens works out for ya... they’re pricey to ship here and I would love to see how they go for tank shots before I take the plunge. If the x and the 8 are the same camera, it does a 2x zoom which is marginally better than the old phones but still pixellates the bejeezus out of things. 

The 8 Plus does a great job of shooting. On the telephoto lens you need to use an app to get it to actually use the telephoto lens instead of the stock camera app, where sometimes hitting 2x will just zoom on the wide angle. I use the app called Manual for most of my shooting, and it does a really nice job of giving much greater control over quality. My photos just look like crap right now because of having a really bright light fixture in front of the tank. 

 

I'll get some normal use shots on the macro lens for you once it gets here. I got it primarily for tank use but if it's good I'll be picking up the wide angle and the telephoto for both tank and normal use. 

 

 

I did the scape today. I'll show it once water and sand are in the tank, but it looks a lot better than the above and it is closer to what I was going for.

[Reefkid88]

What happen to B ??!?!??! Pshhhh,so if not a lot of sps then what,Wellso'd and Scoly's ??!?!?! 

[Halo_003]

4 minutes ago, Reefkid88 said:

What happen to B ??!?!??! Pshhhh,so if not a lot of sps then what,Wellso'd and Scoly's ??!?!?! 

I'm planning on not having any corals at all. I decided I wasn't happy with B haha. The stocking plan is to cover the rocks in BTAs.

[Halo_003]

Well I decided to get one last deal order in before they end at midnight. AquaMaxx FC 180 skimmer from Marine Depot for $255. Kinda a dice roll as I haven't read a review on it but figured if it turns out to be trash I can return it unopened. I'm not the biggest fan of the colors on it but I can live with them if it works well and doesn't produce a ton of bubbles. The order confirmation said it would ship in 4-6 weeks, which seems like an awfully long time, so I'll be giving them a call to verify tomorrow.