Jump to content
Coral Vue Hydros

Vleis's Reefer 170 (Floating Reef)


Vleis

Recommended Posts

Ahooi.......

So I was SUPER LUCKY to recieve a RSM REEFER 170 for free about 2 months ago from this clown called @Claundyke Think he fell in his HEAD pretty hard. Thank anyway BUD.

Its been just standing there since then, but i pulled up my socks & started restoring / slight fixing it....

Few issued that needed fixing. TO DO LIST

Glass scratched
Front door re-wrap
Plumbing redone (original pluming gone)
Find a light (My Pico Light will not be enough :m16image.gif.6e72fc517aaaee79c95b9699bddea004.gif

DONE LIST:

Glass scratched: I got a company out from Germiston to buff all the scratched out (today actually), they came all the way to the Vaal & sorted me out.
Light: I was lucky to pick up a Radion XR15W Pro G3 for a great price & could not leave it. With that being said & see-ing the result with my own eye in @Christo 's tank, i decided to get a hybrid system & ordered myself a Aquatic Life Hybrid 24" T5 Light. This was ordered today from Ebay & is expexted to land month end.
Skimmer: Got a Curve 5 with the tank. Thanks again @Claundyke
Doser: Ordered a JEBAO 3.4 WIFI Doser off ebay as well & waiting for that. (want to try automated WC)
.......................................................................................................

I got a NICE piece of rock as well with the tank & will be trying to do a floating reef bare bottom reef. Gonna do the same as what @Claundyke tried, just better. hahahahah

Well I will try to update you all as i got along

Tank: Before

 
212270


 

 
212268



 

 
212269


 

 
212267





Thanks all

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

So stripping it down & getting the 3 front panels polish, since they struggled to polish it nicely in the corners.

Will strip the rest down the weekend & clean, then the notorious RR tank builder @RealReefer will help me put it together again with meticulous & immaculate seams.
 

 
212425




Will keep all updated

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Sooooooo 2day felt a bit like Christmas....

Aqautic Life 24" T5 Hybrid arrived

 
212614



 

 
212615




Build Quility looks good, will see when i assemble it.

End Result will look like this with my Radion XR15 in the middle. Im considering to paint the radion white, what you all think?
 

 
212621




More info. https://www.aquariumcomputer.com/products/ghl-illumination/aquaticlife-t5ho-hybrid/

Also got myself a REEF OCTO KS100 Kalk Stirrer,

Rip this thing doesnt fit into the cubert, LOL. Will run it next to the tank with a DOSER

 
212616




Jebao Doser 3.4 WIFI
 

 
212619




 

 
212620




SonOff Smart House Devices

 
212617




These badboys connect to your home WIFI & you can control anything attached to it with your phone or to a set program you gave it. Give & Cuts power. This will be used as timers for the kalks stirrer & the T5's



Still just waiting for my BM Filler Roller & T5 globes to come then im pretty much sorted for now. Need to strip the last bit of the tank so we (@RealReefer ) can reassemble the tank for start up......

We getting there guys

Njoy

  • Like 1
Link to comment

Yay another piece arrived

BM ARF-M Roller Mat
ATI 24w T5’s (Blue Plus & Coral Plus)
 

 
212644




Lazy Reefing 101:tt2::tt2:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Been a while since a update. I gave up trying to trip the last pieces of the tank (im a noob) so i sent it to @Christo to finish the job... He did it quick quick & i felt like a clown.
So now that those things are stripped down I can send it over to @RealReefer for the new sexy silicone seems
 

 
214047



 

 
214048



 

 
214049

 

 

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Time is getting closer......

Silicone has been redone, just needs to set...
 

 
214487



 

 
214488




I also decided to re-order the original Redsea plumbing.....

LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

  • Like 1
Link to comment

More toys arrived today.

Vertex Libra Vessle 2.5T
 

 
214496

ATTENTION ALL VIEWERS......................................

Please VIEW AT OWN RISK...




























































SHES DONE
 

 
214499





Thanks alot @RealReefer . You honestly have a incredible talent at building tanks. DANKIE OOM

Oh yeah... The XR15 Gen 3 Pro got replaced by an XR30 Gen4 Pro.

Whoop Whooop

 

 
215022

While i wait for the plumbing...

cleaned the filthy sump i got from @Claundyke :m16:

 

 
215131





 

 
215130





 

 
215132




 

 
215133





Say hello Silver..

 

 
215134




Filter roller will be moved closer to the return chmaber so the skimmer can fit....

almost like this.
 

 
215137
  • Like 2
Link to comment

So South Africa also still in lockdown & i couldnt get my plumbing in time...

It driving me mad & i want to start the tank so bad, got really bored & test fitted the rock.
 

 
WhatsApp Image 2020-04-20 at 15.19.54.jpeg

 

 
WhatsApp Image 2020-04-20 at 15.19.53 (1).jpeg

 

 
WhatsApp Image 2020-04-20 at 15.19.53.jpeg

 

 
WhatsApp Image 2020-04-20 at 15.19.52 (1).jpeg

 

 
WhatsApp Image 2020-04-20 at 15.19.52.jpeg

 

 

WhatsApp Image 2020-04-20 at 15.19.51.jpeg

 

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Okay, a bunch of unfortunate events & empty promises the original plumbing will not be happening. Only reason i did that is cuz I suck at DIY & Original is easy

Took the tank to (Mr DIY himself) & he build and retrofitted me new plumbing to work with the Reefer.

So if i play my cards right, I should have water in the tank about a WEEK OR 2 from now......

Super exited...
 

C3766B56-247A-4F89-8E49-82F2CD505F31.jpeg

 

E0CD893B-444B-45A3-A695-F1F9BFE33B3B.jpeg

 

 
663B9CC3-891C-46CD-A299-DC4BF65D658C.jpeg

 

Rock mounting methodology:

Step 1: epoxy a piece of left over glass onto the rock... Dry 24hrs

Step 2: Silicone the rock/glass to the overflow. BOOOM BOB IS YOUR UNCLE.

Now you get way more silicone bonding to the overflow & i believe it will hold leke.

Now also easier to remove the rock when chanhges need to happen..

 

 
41025151-1A96-4C32-9E4F-AB1F9D0EF443.jpeg

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Sooooo today i picked up the tank from @Christo ....

I cut my "office" PC table in half to make space for the tank..... Cant choose a better spot than next to me when im working (thank you covid image.gif.550cee2c886505c5e44b9c0688e2a09d.gif )

It was very nervous to put the tank upright & make the rock hang under its own weight....

Better pics will come, was just very exited to share the tank in its spot......

It is pretty scary, but the "rock-epoxy-glass-silicone-glass" works very well. No person will ever struggle to do a floating reef again with that approach i feel......

WhatsApp Image 2020-06-17 at 16.50.23.jpeg

 

WhatsApp Image 2020-06-17 at 16.51.36.jpeg

 

WhatsApp Image 2020-06-17 at 16.52.02.jpeg
  • Wow 1
Link to comment

Aaaaaaaaaaaand we have LIFT OFF....

 

Small things still to do, like wiring, sand & hanging lights, but in the meanwhile im going to run the tank so long with carbon for incase something DODGE was in there somewhere.

 

 

2103024469_WhatsAppImage2020-06-22at12_49_06.thumb.jpeg.2da290214b04d9a2efd56f83f39ef8f8.jpeg

  • Like 3
  • Wow 1
Link to comment
Christopher Marks

Wonderful system build @Vleis, lots of great solutions!

 

Your floating reef vision is coming together amazingly well. I really like the idea of mounting glass to the rock first, to then siliconing that glass to the tank, very clever way to get a good bond.

 

Are you planning to keep it bare bottom for the floating illusion, or do you plan to place any coral beneath the shelf as well?

 

Looking forward to watching this new reef come to life!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
1 hour ago, Kylebeano said:

Very cool start, lots of potential with your reef! Should be in front of the couch though 😛

Hahahaha yeah it should be infront of the couch, but next to my "office desk" at the moment, so cant complain either. Hahhahahahha

1 hour ago, Christopher Marks said:

Wonderful system build @Vleis, lots of great solutions!

 

Your floating reef vision is coming together amazingly well. I really like the idea of mounting glass to the rock first, to then siliconing that glass to the tank, very clever way to get a good bond.

 

Are you planning to keep it bare bottom for the floating illusion, or do you plan to place any coral beneath the shelf as well?

 

Looking forward to watching this new reef come to life!


Thanks, yeah a friend came up with the idea of the glass on the rock, i was ready to EPOXY it to the overflow & that would've been a problem with a shut down or upgrade. this way it can still be removed with some elbow grease.

 

Im not planning on runnig bare bottom no, little bit of sand with my clam & that is ALL i want on the substrate, i love the clean uncluttered look on sand beds.... So that is my idea, everything from my pico will be transfer over....

  • Like 1
Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...

So been a while. 

I hanged my lights & started transferring corals today...

 

675997549_WhatsAppImage2020-07-20at11_52_11.thumb.jpeg.ce1f7337b0ed6198132ebf1f923018b1.jpeg

 

1430956437_WhatsAppImage2020-07-20at11_52_12.thumb.jpeg.95279d3eaca569797d44fd02940456d6.jpeg

 

1775827139_WhatsAppImage2020-07-20at11_52.12(1).thumb.jpeg.baba43803bfdf51f09cc9befd318268b.jpeg

 

2x Blue Plus ATI
2x Coral Plus ATI

Radion XR30 will be transferred at the end to complete the Aquatic Life T5 Hybrid

  • Like 2
Link to comment

Everything is in.......

Not alot of space left. How did u fit all of this in my 30l Pico? DA EF? Hahhaha

Inferno rock will be going to @Claundyke next month & then the sand wil be clean.

 

109853545_WhatsAppImage2020-07-20at17_34_32.thumb.jpeg.b6fa5b6a1d8a1729a4b5bda24ec3c93b.jpeg975492467_WhatsAppImage2020-07-20at17_34.33(1).thumb.jpeg.83fedf6df1d47b7d965ae4d1b1929212.jpeg984278405_WhatsAppImage2020-07-20at17_34_33.thumb.jpeg.5168cdd00430cfbcf813f4db8f328fd9.jpeg301487814_WhatsAppImage2020-07-20at17_34.32(1).thumb.jpeg.6d7f59bc11bd8dcdeeeca4b293f7bf71.jpeg

  • Like 5
Link to comment
3 hours ago, Matteo said:

damn.... BTA and sticks one month in...hope it's more cycled than it looks!

 

 

 

Was this your inspiration? 

 

hey hey heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey. heheheh

 

yeah tank is only one month old, but it was started with half the media from my old tank & then all the media was transferred with the corals.... Should have a small additional cycle from maybe bac die off but we should be okay... Hehehhehe

  • Like 1
Link to comment
  • 1 month later...
  • 3 weeks later...

I had a total tank crash 1dat after the transfer. Had a power outage during winter & teh temp dropped to 18deg & i lost 98% of my corals...☹️

Left the tank to do its thing for 2 months & only now starting to add corals again

On 9/21/2020 at 8:42 PM, Coolbreeze said:

How do you like the light combo?

Light combo is REALLY awesome

  • Like 1
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
  • 1 month later...

Hope this is still going! You really were cultivating a special reef here, and we lose some, but grow some more and spread the frags! 

Wish you well, looking forward to the recovery.

I had one of my tanks get up to 90s degrees for a day earlier this year (just simple heater/probe issue), lost a bunch too, know the feels Vleis.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
  • 4 months later...
On 10/12/2020 at 11:24 PM, Christopher Marks said:

Sorry to hear about the power outage crash @Vleis, that sucks 😞 

 

Looking forward to seeing its return though!

 

On 12/12/2020 at 10:48 AM, Kylebeano said:

Hope this is still going! You really were cultivating a special reef here, and we lose some, but grow some more and spread the frags! 

Wish you well, looking forward to the recovery.

I had one of my tanks get up to 90s degrees for a day earlier this year (just simple heater/probe issue), lost a bunch too, know the feels Vleis.

Howzit guys.

 

Tank has been going up & down the past 6month. But the blame all lays on me here, not giving it the attention it needs, im moving home in the next 30days and promised myself to set up everything & start doing things RIGHT again.

 

Clam did survive all of the chaos btw😁

  • Like 1
Link to comment
  • 2 months later...

Ooooookay, 6months down the road & the struggle is still real. Hahahahah

Thing will turn around now, moved places, moved the tank to the new spot for the LONG HUAL.

Ill set up all my dosers & everything again to get this tank to tip top shape again. I only have like 3 or 4 corals in there now & 2 starfishies..... 

& Warno I dont care bout your comments.

Anyway, ill try to keep you guys updated.

NJOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOY

  • Like 1
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recommended Discussions

×
×
  • Create New...