ADA 60f sps tank + IM 25g Lagoon

[Lbacha]

Howdy all

 

I've been out of the reef hobby for about 10 years (high tech planted tanks have kept me busy and in touch with newer tech, I run Kessil tuna suns and vortechs). My fiancé saw a frag tank while we were getting Plants for one of my tanks and said we need one of those.

 

Long story short after looking for a tank she liked we stumbled on the ADA 60f which she thought was perfect. I ended up ordering the ALA version which has the same dimensions.

 

My last reef was a 14g biocube with power compacts, I kept monti's, acro frags and zoas in it but had to tear it down due to a job that had me on the road a month at a time.

 

Any suggestions for this build are appreciated as I'm sure techniques have changed some in the last 10 years and since this is going to be my fiancés tank I would like to make it successful and fairly user friendly so she will be supportive of me getting a larger tank in the future

 

current specs

Tank: ALA 60s (same as a ADA 60f) 23.5" x 11.5" x 7.1" tall - 8.6 gal

Overflow/Return: drilled glass holes nano overflow and drilled return

Return Pump: need suggestions (I'd prefer low flow through the sump)

Sump: 10g aquarium with a refugium baffle system installed (got it off eBay) it also has a holder for a 4" sock.

Water movement: mp10

Lighting: SB reef 16" wifi

Refugium lighting: need suggestions (considering a Kessil h80 but am open to cheaper options)

Controller: Reefkeeper lite with temp probe and 2 power strips (will add ph eventually and the net module)

 

Tank plans

 

bare bottom

live rock islands 

Zoas and LPS to start then SPS after the tank matures (want to start everything as frags to let them grow into the tank since it is small)

minimal fish (1-2) must not be known for jumping lol

clean up crew

refugium with sand, live rock and cheato

 

let me know if I'm missing anything or should go a different route, the tank is arriving today and I will be drilling and setting up the sump this weekend.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Len

 

Edited October 22, 2019 by Lbacha
A lot has changed

[Tobias]

I like eheim pumps, quiet and reliable. 

[Lbacha]

1 minute ago, Tobias said:

I like eheim pumps, quiet and reliable. 

I do as well, I have a couple on my freshwater tanks. I have looked at the DC controllable pumps as well since it would allow easier control over the flow but adding a tee with a gate valve on the return will do the same thing for a lot cheaper and I know eheim will last as I have 2 on my pauludarium sump tht have been running nonstop with no maintenenace for 6 years.

[Nart]

Return pumps: Either Eheim or Sicce pumps are great. Quality, reliable, and quiet.

 

Fuge lighting: I use the hydroponic lights bought off Amazon. Works great for me growing chaeto in the back of my IM25. It's around $20.

[Lbacha]

So some quick questions for the group, 

 

1. Should I add a skimmer to this setup? I've never used a refugium before so I'm not sure if a skimmer is redundant at this point. I have a spot in the sump to add one in the future I just wonder if adding it right away is worthwhile or if I should wait until I see where the bioload ends up and how well the cheato does in removing nutrients.

 

2. What should I add to my refugium. I have seen sand, miracle mud, live rock or high surface area biomedia. Also should I add copepods and if so when do you add them. Refugiums are something I've never used so any suggestions would be great 

 

3. Any suggestions on settings for the SB reef 16" wifi. I know it is overkill and probably has hot spots but I got a good deal and my fiancé wanted a light she could program with her phone. I personally wanted to add an a180 tuna blue since I have a spot open on my spectral controller for it but since this is her tank I needed to compromise. I will probably get a radion x15 with reeflink eventually but didn't want to drop the $500 starting out.

[Lbacha]

Well I drilled the tank and added some water along with a MP10 to make sure the bulkheads are sealed and the tank was level. Everything looks good so I'm headed to the store to get salt, a return pump and some rock.

[Reefkid88]

Tank is off to a good start !!! 

[Lbacha]

15 minutes ago, Reefkid88 said:

Tank is off to a good start !!! 

Thanks

 

I have some cured caribsea life rock that my fiancé picked out from the LFS and a ball of cheato in the main tank right now. I just siliconed the baffles in the sump. I forgot how hard it is to work with silicone in a small sump. I'm just running the MP10 with a heater while I wait for the silicone to cure. I had to orde some black unions from BRS to match the rest of the tubing I found that since the tank is only 2' off the ground there wasn't enough room to be able to lift the flexible PVC overflow from the sump so I'm adding the unions to make it easier to work with.

 

im also going to add a Tunze ATO since the surface area is so high and evaporation will be better regulated that way.

[Lbacha]

Time for an update - 5 days old

 

i added a Tunze Osmolator, second MP10 (got a great deal here on a used one) the reefkeeper lite (another great deal on here) and plumbed up the sump now that the silicone is cured.

 

 

 

[Lbacha]

Refugium light is in

 

 

[JoeR]

On 11/18/2017 at 3:17 PM, Lbacha said:

Well I drilled the tank and added some water along with a MP10 to make sure the bulkheads are sealed and the tank was level. Everything looks good so I'm headed to the store to get salt, a return pump and some rock.

I would love to know about your paludarium (?) in the middle of the last pic. Got a thread on any other site on it? Looking at starting one myself..

[Lbacha]

1 hour ago, JoeR said:

I would love to know about your paludarium (?) in the middle of the last pic. Got a thread on any other site on it? Looking at starting one myself..

Lbacha's "Borneo Stream Biotope" terrarium (Lot of new pics 11/30)

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?share_fid=4235&share_tid=151017&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.plantedtank.net%2Fforums%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D151017&share_type=t

 

Here is my build thread for the vivarium/paludarium

[Nart]

Be careful with the refugium lights you have. The one I have is a lot smaller, and I had to electrical tape the cover to block off some lighting from a few bulbs so the lighting wasn't wayyy too intense for the chaeto.

[Lbacha]

15 minutes ago, Nart said:

Be careful with the refugium lights you have. The one I have is a lot smaller, and I had to electrical tape the cover to block off some lighting from a few bulbs so the lighting wasn't wayyy too intense for the chaeto.

Thanks 

 

I'm going to keep an eye on it, it is definitely brighter than I expected for a $20 light. It is over 100 par at the bottom of the sump. 

 

Len

[Lbacha]

Well I haven't update my thread here in a while. Since Nov the tank has cycled and a friend who tore down his 120 gave me a ton of frags. My goals of keeping SPS's has been met earlier than I planned by everything is doing good so far. My fuge has also turned into a mixed Xenia and cheato fuge with some polyps and shrooms thrown in as well. I have copepods, amphopods, worms and more all through my fuge and main display and coralline is starting to spot the glass. All this in about a month and a half so I'm happy with my current progress.

 

now for some pics

 

 

[Lbacha]

Oh I have also decided to upgrade the sump to a custom blue colored trigger ruby 20c.

 

I wanted my water and a bigger display style fuge to replace the 10g.

 

 

[Andreww]

Awesome sump. Gotta love the setups with a bigger sump than the display lol

I run one myself and guests always comment : “why is that tank in the cabinet bigger than the one on top?”.?

[Lbacha]

Hello all

 

i haven’t been on in a while and the tank has changed a lot and got a big brother all tied into the same sump. Here are some teaser pics, I’ll some details later