mitten_reef Posted October 6, 2018 Share Posted October 6, 2018 11 minutes ago, HarryPotter said: Tons of goodies this morning- took a long time to unpack, dip, and replug em!! Photo needs some color correction, I’ll post another in a bit after I get on my laptop. Exquisite corals though! Remind me of candy 🙂 @patback @Griever I can’t reccomend battlecorals enough. He did it again.... managed to top the first pack! Got a pair of freebies too this time! This was a non-WYSIWYG pack, only thing I asked for was to go for size over rarity since it’s for a large tanks The joy of a blank canvas....and a blank check it seems. 😆 1 Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted October 6, 2018 Author Share Posted October 6, 2018 18 minutes ago, micoastreefing said: The joy of a blank canvas....and a blank check it seems. 😆 Lol.... embarrassingly, that’s kind of true with this tank. I know that I am very fortunate to be able to do this. But I’ll be able to share the love in a year or two when these are grown out! ✌✌. Don’t hate, my reefer is still being treated as stingily as I can 😂 It it is definitely an odd shift for me, going from reefing on my own budget (For example my tank has a 10 year old apex lite I got used) to managing this tank. The whole thought process of maintenance, how to take care of the tank, and what is “worth it” is completely different. In retrospect it’s quite interesting to compare how they differ. 4 Quote Link to comment
patback Posted October 6, 2018 Share Posted October 6, 2018 24 minutes ago, HarryPotter said: Tons of goodies this morning- took a long time to unpack, dip, and replug em!! Photo needs some color correction, I’ll post another in a bit after I get on my laptop. Exquisite corals though! Remind me of candy 🙂 @patback @Griever I can’t reccomend battlecorals enough. He did it again.... managed to top the first pack! Got a pair of freebies too this time! This was a non-WYSIWYG pack, only thing I asked for was to go for size over rarity since it’s for a large tanks I'm 99% sure my first online order for this tank will be through him. I'll be sure to let him know you sent me. 🙂 even going "for size"... he did not skimp on the colors it looks like. 2 Quote Link to comment
Griever Posted October 6, 2018 Share Posted October 6, 2018 Yeah I think my next big order will be with Adam. He seems to knock it out of the park every time. Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted October 6, 2018 Author Share Posted October 6, 2018 2 minutes ago, Griever said: Yeah I think my next big order will be with Adam. He seems to knock it out of the park every time. I just edited that post, to clarify that 11 of them were from BC, not all. But the big ones were from him- smaller ones from another vendor. Here is what the pack consisted of: 1 Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted October 6, 2018 Author Share Posted October 6, 2018 57 minutes ago, patback said: I'm 99% sure my first online order for this tank will be through him. I'll be sure to let him know you sent me. 🙂 even going "for size"... he did not skimp on the colors it looks like. I believe the pack to ask for is a "R2R 10 pack". He shows out of stock on his site, but I believe he is still shipping 10 for 300. Because of the volume he does, you may or may not be able to get WYSIWYG photos at that price- this pack wasn't WYSIWYG. 1 Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted October 7, 2018 Author Share Posted October 7, 2018 The rocks on the right side are now locked in place! I really like it- but it’s NOT quite done, I am still building more columns to make it three dimensional and add large caves. The white arch will have a column going all the way to the sand bed, closest to the front display panel. So fish will swim around it- gonna look awesome. Yes, frag rack is full of sticks. In a young tank still with diatoms. Erm. 😳😳😳. The stability here is insane compared to my tank. Temperature varies .2 degrees daily, ph swings like .07, Alkalinity has not changed .1 since it was filled. Still have some final stuff coming in the mail- a refugium light mount, epoxy, etc. Minor things. So far, the build is going exactly as planned I think. Just need to set up a dosing system..... I’ve been comparing brands to see which was most reliable, but think in the end will just go with two or three apex dos units. I’m sure the integration with trident will be fantastic. 4 1 Quote Link to comment
patback Posted October 7, 2018 Share Posted October 7, 2018 20 hours ago, HarryPotter said: Lol.... embarrassingly, that’s kind of true with this tank. I know that I am very fortunate to be able to do this. But I’ll be able to share the love in a year or two when these are grown out! ✌✌. Don’t hate, my reefer is still being treated as stingily as I can 😂 It it is definitely an odd shift for me, going from reefing on my own budget (For example my tank has a 10 year old apex lite I got used) to managing this tank. The whole thought process of maintenance, how to take care of the tank, and what is “worth it” is completely different. In retrospect it’s quite interesting to compare how they differ. I feel like I can tell you are already, but be thankful that that your parents raised you to know how to budget your hobbies and needs. My wife grew up very fortunate but was raised to pay her own way. She's a million times better off for it. Nothing like being able to buy basically whatever you want, but still stocking up on groceries only when they're on sale. Me, I just grew up poor. Lol. 2 Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted October 7, 2018 Author Share Posted October 7, 2018 1 hour ago, patback said: I feel like I can tell you are already, but be thankful that that your parents raised you to know how to budget your hobbies and needs. My wife grew up very fortunate but was raised to pay her own way. She's a million times better off for it. Nothing like being able to buy basically whatever you want, but still stocking up on groceries only when they're on sale. Me, I just grew up poor. Lol. *Decided response was a bit personal, and deleted after it was read/liked* 1 Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted October 10, 2018 Author Share Posted October 10, 2018 Found something odd on Amazon warehouse. A 1hp chiller, like new sealed in box, for around $200. When retail is $$$$. It has "bad" reviews, but both are unrelated to the actual performance of the unit- and online Coralife chillers look fine. This would be the solution for hurricanes, it pulls a max of 9 amps and should easily keep the tank below 80 on a generator. I think a tank can be fine for quite some time as long as there is flow and controlled temperature. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005YFE2U0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted October 11, 2018 Author Share Posted October 11, 2018 Started the “real” scape, the three dimensional stuff. Nice 1/2” acrylic rod in there, I really like how this looks, although I may add something coming from the middle of that column going to the right. Took your advice on frag mounting @teenyreef, most of them are glued on small rubble that is then epoxied to rock. That’s why some of them are awkwardly close, later when they encrust and grow a bit I’ll move them to more final positions. Parameters here are stable like an epoxied-rock, corals look awesome. 5 Quote Link to comment
teenyreef Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 Looks great! It's really nice being able to move the frags around while they're still growing so you can figure out what the best spot in the tank is for each one. Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted October 11, 2018 Author Share Posted October 11, 2018 4 minutes ago, teenyreef said: Looks great! It's really nice being able to move the frags around while they're still growing so you can figure out what the best spot in the tank is for each one. Exactly. I still don’t know exactly what I am doing with these radions, and whether the acro placement will end up working. I just threw it on SPS+ at 50%, with T5s on for 8 hours in the middle. No idea if this is enough or if I need to go to ~70%, but so far acro colors seem to be holding (with PE) and LPS is happy on the sand bed. At WWC their radions are mounted 24” above the water, here is about 10”. I was going to get the diffusers, but there is almost no disco-ball when the T5s are on. Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 I'm quite impressed with how well everything is coming along. For a newer tank, it seems like you've avoided a lot of common new tank problems. 2 Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted October 11, 2018 Author Share Posted October 11, 2018 5 hours ago, seabass said: I'm quite impressed with how well everything is coming along. For a newer tank, it seems like you've avoided a lot of common new tank problems. Hopefully. Adding acros as “test corals” is definitely not a great idea, but I couldn’t hold my dad off for any longer than the two months 😂. I’ve always done tanks like this- live sand, dry rock, seed it from my tank, ghost feed, and then add corals few weeks later. There still is algae on the glass every few days, but I attribute that to immaturity 1 Quote Link to comment
Christopher Marks Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 14 hours ago, HarryPotter said: Started the “real” scape, the three dimensional stuff. Nice 1/2” acrylic rod in there, I really like how this looks, although I may add something coming from the middle of that column going to the right. Took your advice on frag mounting @teenyreef, most of them are glued on small rubble that is then epoxied to rock. That’s why some of them are awkwardly close, later when they encrust and grow a bit I’ll move them to more final positions. Parameters here are stable like an epoxied-rock, corals look awesome. It's been awesome to watch this huge reef build come together, incredible work, it's such a well thought out system now. This is a big milestone to reach, glueing down the first SPS frags, congrats man! 14 hours ago, HarryPotter said: Exactly. I still don’t know exactly what I am doing with these radions, and whether the acro placement will end up working. I just threw it on SPS+ at 50%, with T5s on for 8 hours in the middle. No idea if this is enough or if I need to go to ~70%, but so far acro colors seem to be holding (with PE) and LPS is happy on the sand bed. At WWC their radions are mounted 24” above the water, here is about 10”. I was going to get the diffusers, but there is almost no disco-ball when the T5s are on. I wonder if you can find a PAR meter to borrow from someone? It might be worth the trouble, and it would be cool to know with certainty as you fill the tank out. 🤓 1 Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted October 11, 2018 Author Share Posted October 11, 2018 54 minutes ago, Christopher Marks said: It's been awesome to watch this huge reef build come together, incredible work, it's such a well thought out system now. This is a big milestone to reach, glueing down the first SPS frags, congrats man! I wonder if you can find a PAR meter to borrow from someone? It might be worth the trouble, and it would be cool to know with certainty as you fill the tank out. 🤓 Thanks man! I dont know where I could borrow a PAR meter, nor am I sure that I would be able to get accurate results from it, due to the LEDs (confusing, when reading online). I was planning on doing the ol’ “if corals get dark, add 5%. If they get pale, take off 5%”. Wait minimum 1 month in between changes. 1 Quote Link to comment
Christopher Marks Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 13 minutes ago, HarryPotter said: I was planning on doing the ol’ “if corals get dark, add 5%. If they get pale, take off 5%”. Wait minimum 1 month in between changes. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. 😄 Are PAR readings possibly less accurate because of the 'strobe' rate of LEDs? I haven't looked into it before. 1 Quote Link to comment
Griever Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 7 hours ago, HarryPotter said: Thanks man! I dont know where I could borrow a PAR meter, nor am I sure that I would be able to get accurate results from it, due to the LEDs (confusing, when reading online). I was planning on doing the ol’ “if corals get dark, add 5%. If they get pale, take off 5%”. Wait minimum 1 month in between changes. Yeah I'm not sure where I'd borrow one from either, so this is also my current strategy... 2 Quote Link to comment
FISHnChix Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 9 hours ago, Griever said: Yeah I'm not sure where I'd borrow one from either, so this is also my current strategy... Man I saw someone on r2r post there is a website that rents them. It's like 25 bucks but a big deposit.. wish I could remember the site Edit: found it but damn its 35 bucks and like a 300 dollar deposit lol https://reefledlights.com/shop/par-meter-rental/ 2 Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted October 12, 2018 Author Share Posted October 12, 2018 Dosing goodies are in! Need to pick up mounting hardware this weekend. Was a bit surprised that’s it wasn’t included, like it is for their other products. 1 Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted October 13, 2018 Author Share Posted October 13, 2018 Getting dosers in! 2 1 Quote Link to comment
patback Posted October 13, 2018 Share Posted October 13, 2018 9 minutes ago, HarryPotter said: Getting dosers in! I need a fish room. Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted October 13, 2018 Author Share Posted October 13, 2018 10 minutes ago, patback said: I need a fish room. Same. It’s getting crowded under here 😳. I just plumbed UV into return manifold to get rid of the little MJ pump. No leaks so far! 2 Quote Link to comment
Tamberav Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 Looking good!! I still use a Apex Lite I got used... many many years ago but crap... my tanks are fancy as hell compared to my old petco tanks and legit 'free' ad tanks I would pick up....and Chinese boxes I started with. That was when I was still in college though... when the hubby graduates in a few years than I need to get a big fancy badboy like this 😜 1 Quote Link to comment
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