I'm Back!?

[debbeach13]

1 hour ago, hooligan_78 said:

I still do local tradeshows with Reef Nutrition.

Now I remember you said This in a post. 

[ReefTaco]

4 hours ago, debbeach13 said:

I just wondered while shopping and or buying have there been noticeable changes in things like lighting or pumps since you were gone.

LEDs have gotten better and cheap and wireless technology has greatly improved. I just got back from a frag swap and saw some new corals colors and some old corals got cheaper. That's about it

[hooligan_78]

Alright gang, just ordered an IM Aqua Gadget Desktop Wavelink from BRS. Should be here next week. I believe that finalizes the list. So hopefully this weekend, I can start cycling the tank. HUGE order coming today with the ATO, RO system, buckets and all the fixins. Eleventy billion dollars later and we should be all set.

[hooligan_78]

And a pic of the stack o’ crap so far.

 

 

[hooligan_78]

Finally!  RO, top off, and other small maintenance items arrived!

 

 

[SillyReef]

Hey i'm back is my line! Nice looking gear!

[hooligan_78]

Holy crappers. I forgot what a ginormous pain in the ass this is. I’m def gonna need to get a stronger mix/water change pump.

 

 

[hooligan_78]

And we’re live! Ish…  Still waiting on lighting upgrade and the IM nano wavemaker.

 

 

[hooligan_78]

Finally making a little headway. Started filling last night. Just used some RC salt to get the cycle going while I wait for my good salt to get here. I'm thinking I'll order the Dr. Tim's Fishless Cycle system. I also ordered an inTank surface skimmer attachment as I'm seeing a lot of film on the top this morning.

 

As of right now I'm just running the stock sponge in it. I have the inTank basket for chamber 2, I have the PS2 skimmer in chamber 1. I'm thinking I'm going to upgrade the stock pump with a Tunze for a bit better flow. I also have a lighting upgrade and the IM nano wavemaker on the way.

 

And much more clear this morning.

[banasophia]

2 hours ago, hooligan_78 said:

Finally making a little headway. Started filling last night. Just used some RC salt to get the cycle going while I wait for my good salt to get here. I'm thinking I'll order the Dr. Tim's Fishless Cycle system. I also ordered an inTank surface skimmer attachment as I'm seeing a lot of film on the top this morning.

 

As of right now I'm just running the stock sponge in it. I have the inTank basket for chamber 2, I have the PS2 skimmer in chamber 1. I'm thinking I'm going to upgrade the stock pump with a Tunze for a bit better flow. I also have a lighting upgrade and the IM nano wavemaker on the way.

 

And much more clear this morning.

Looks great!

 

I started using a Python No Spill Clean and Fill on my tanks a few months ago, and it really simplifies the water changes. Not sure whether it’s worth it with only one tank (I have 3), but I don’t think I’ll ever go back to hauling buckets! 

[hooligan_78]

59 minutes ago, banasophia said:

Looks great!

 

I started using a Python No Spill Clean and Fill on my tanks a few months ago, and it really simplifies the water changes. Not sure whether it’s worth it with only one tank (I have 3), but I don’t think I’ll ever go back to hauling buckets! 

Yeah that is way more than I can set up here. I don't actually haul the buckets too far. My RO jugs are full, buckets done right in front of tank. Only thing I failed yesterday was needing a larger salt mixing pump. Remedied. Will be here today or tomorrow. 

[hooligan_78]

Not much to report in as of yet. We finally have ammonia, so that's good. Yesterday was at about .25. I'm doing the ghost feeding technique as I'm in no big rush.

[hooligan_78]

And we have new toys!

 

 

Can't wait to get these set up for more flow. Should have all lighting upgrades tomorrow, then will have all equipment up and running.

[hooligan_78]

And even more new toys! Now I'm just waiting on the lights and the cooling fan I ordered. Even with the back cover off, it runs warm and my room is a bit humid to begin with, so not a lot of evap happening.

 

[hooligan_78]

Okay, so the mounting hardware that came with the Reef Brite strips will not work the way I had hoped. So, I roughed up the inside of the hood with my dremel with a sandpaper bit and glued the strips to the inside of the hood. I'm waiting for the glue to set, then, I'm going to plug them in and run them a bit, see if the glue lets loose before I put on the tank. 

 

[hooligan_78]

So a couple of snags and work arounds. The Current Dual Ramp timer male end is too small for the Reef Brite female end. So, I changed the Fluval light to 12-12 ramp up/down. The Reef Brite 50/50, is now controlled on/off by my power strip, as it's wifi enabled. It will be a 2-10 setting. The actinic is always on lowest, as a lunar light.

 

I'll likely get a new timer from Reef Brite that is app controlled, but this will work for now as I've spent a small fortune getting this far.

 

Cycling is going well, ammonia and nitrite are gone, nitrates are at about 20 right now. I'll likely do a water change Friday and start running my filter floss and media. I'm going to wait another week before I add anything to the tank.

[hooligan_78]

Well not a lot to update. Took the PS2 skimmer about a week to start skimming. I do have quite a bit of particulate in the water. I'm running the InTank basked in chamber 2, I may change to the chamber one, and get a new skimmer, or run chaeto in chamber 2. Not sure yet. New lighting seems to be doing well. I have a few corals and a couple fish I added. All seems well so far.

 

Watchman goby:

 

Court Jester:

 

Chalice:

[michael_cb_125]

Looks very nice!

[hooligan_78]

Well crap. I thought I would have some pics of the cuc, but they arrived 3 days late, so basically a week in transit, ice cold and dead. And so far the company has not responded to any of my emails. So that's awesome. Happy Monday!

[filefishfinatic]

use distilled and save the money and get a digiten ato 

[Squid_reef]

23 minutes ago, hooligan_78 said:

Well crap. I thought I would have some pics of the cuc, but they arrived 3 days late, so basically a week in transit, ice cold and dead. And so far the company has not responded to any of my emails. So that's awesome. Happy Monday!

So sorry to hear 😢.

Welcome back tho! I look forward to see it come together.

[hooligan_78]

So I just ordered the InTank chamber 1 basked as well. I really hate the skimmer in chamber 1. I don't feel like I'm getting the best filtration and I cannot get the Fluval skimmer to stop creating micro bubbles. It skims well enough, but I'm just not happy with the filtration setup on this tank overall. Feels like it needs some major improvements.

[Squid_reef]

12 hours ago, hooligan_78 said:

So I just ordered the InTank chamber 1 basked as well. I really hate the skimmer in chamber 1. I don't feel like I'm getting the best filtration and I cannot get the Fluval skimmer to stop creating micro bubbles. It skims well enough, but I'm just not happy with the filtration setup on this tank overall. Feels like it needs some major improvements.

Have a look at theses guys: https://dflowdesigns.co.uk/products/fluval-evo-chamber-1-2-media-basket-combo
They do some great media basket for the Fluval Evo. 

Might want to grab one of theses or DIY.

 

[debbeach13]

I like your fish choices. Is the glue holding the led strips for you?

[hooligan_78]

On 11/18/2021 at 8:31 AM, debbeach13 said:

I like your fish choices. Is the glue holding the led strips for you?

Quite solidly I might add. Pretty happy so far.

 

On 11/18/2021 at 4:12 AM, Squid_reef said:

Have a look at theses guys: https://dflowdesigns.co.uk/products/fluval-evo-chamber-1-2-media-basket-combo
They do some great media basket for the Fluval Evo. 

Might want to grab one of theses or DIY.

 

 

I saw those. As mentioned, I have the InTank basket ordered, arriving tomorrow. Those prices and UK shipping are crazy high.

 

Picked up this little fella on Monday. Doing pretty well.