ml86743 Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 She's all sealed up:) Ya know, the build may not be the prettiest thing out there and there's defiantly some things i could/should have done differently. But hey, as long as this thing holds water I'm really not too worried about it.. 2 Quote Link to comment
ml86743 Posted May 2 Author Share Posted May 2 Rare earth magnets are in. These suckers are no joke either, very powerful. Went with the epoxy coated version so I think they should be sealed up well. I’ll have to find the right sized drill bit and I’ll recess them into the stand/panel door. I’ll probably be getting the plywood for the door this weekend. playing around with what salt I want to use for the tank cause this puppy is getting wet soon! I’m defiantly moving the rock I have over now but I’ll need some more to fill it out. Thinking about Tampa bay saltwater and going the ocean live rock route. open to suggestions here. I think I am going to light it with the photon 24 v2, I’d rather not shell out 800+ and it’ll be strong enough to light some SPS in the middle and anything with lower demands to the outside. 2 Quote Link to comment
Airedale.Reef Posted May 2 Share Posted May 2 1 hour ago, ml86743 said: playing around with what salt I want to use for the tank cause this puppy is getting wet soon! The fun continues! Ive been purchasing saltwater from my LFS for year, so do not have much advice good or bad regarding salt. I decided to roll with IO Reef Crystals as it is always available at my LFS, and happened to be on sale that day ($45 for the bucket), and seems to be the OG of salt in the industry. 1 hour ago, ml86743 said: I’m defiantly moving the rock I have over now but I’ll need some more to fill it out. Thinking about Tampa bay saltwater and going the ocean live rock route. open to suggestions here. I debated going Tampa Bay as well but ultimately went the dry rock route, mostly because I wanted the branch aesthetic. Nonetheless I was impressed with their company, and how it is still family owned. I know that dry rock seems to be "in" at the moment, but it was always fun getting LR and finding all the good (and bad) critters that tag along. 2 Quote Link to comment
geekreef_05 Posted May 2 Share Posted May 2 Im a big fan of liverock. Although its not popular these days, my home Office Reef never really stablized until i added liverock. I had run into a cascade of problems with dry rock reefs. Far worse than any hitchhiker or pest i had gotten from liverock in the past. To me, adding bacteria just doesnt compare to the filterarion power of liverock. My two cents. Quote Link to comment
ml86743 Posted May 2 Author Share Posted May 2 2 hours ago, geekreef_05 said: Im a big fan of liverock. Although its not popular these days, my home Office Reef never really stablized until i added liverock. I had run into a cascade of problems with dry rock reefs. Far worse than any hitchhiker or pest i had gotten from liverock in the past. To me, adding bacteria just doesnt compare to the filterarion power of liverock. My two cents. I agree 100%. Who did you order from again? I remember reading it in your build thread. i figure i could start the tank with one of TBS’s treasure chests. 8lbs, then just slowly move some free floating frags over after things situate , then bring the 10-12 lbs over from the 14. 15 hours ago, AiredaleReef said: The fun continues! Ive been purchasing saltwater from my LFS for year, so do not have much advice good or bad regarding salt. I decided to roll with IO Reef Crystals as it is always available at my LFS, and happened to be on sale that day ($45 for the bucket), and seems to be the OG of salt in the industry. I debated going Tampa Bay as well but ultimately went the dry rock route, mostly because I wanted the branch aesthetic. Nonetheless I was impressed with their company, and how it is still family owned. I know that dry rock seems to be "in" at the moment, but it was always fun getting LR and finding all the good (and bad) critters that tag along. I love your branch work, maybe TBS has some. I think LR will be best, plus I haven’t had a live rock start since i was like 15 haha 1 Quote Link to comment
mitten_reef Posted May 2 Share Posted May 2 6 minutes ago, ml86743 said: i figure i could start the tank with one of TBS’s treasure chests. 8lbs, whoa, this is new to me! gonna have to get one when I start the big tank now.... Quote Link to comment
geekreef_05 Posted May 3 Share Posted May 3 8 hours ago, ml86743 said: I agree 100%. Who did you order from again? I remember reading it in your build thread. i figure i could start the tank with one of TBS’s treasure chests. 8lbs, then just slowly move some free floating frags over after things situate , then bring the 10-12 lbs over from the 14. I love your branch work, maybe TBS has some. I think LR will be best, plus I haven’t had a live rock start since i was like 15 haha Well, im in Canada. Where its now illegal to import liverock. I got mine from a store in edmonton that was buying used Liverock from old customers and basically dark curing it for reuse. When i got it, the rock was super barren looking. But definitely had the right microbiology mix. I think your lucky if your in the usa and have access to real fresh liverock! 1 Quote Link to comment
ml86743 Posted May 3 Author Share Posted May 3 23 hours ago, mitten_reef said: whoa, this is new to me! gonna have to get one when I start the big tank now.... Yeah took me awhile a to find it..didn’t realize they had a “treasure chest” section lol. 17 hours ago, geekreef_05 said: Well, im in Canada. Where its now illegal to import liverock. I got mine from a store in edmonton that was buying used Liverock from old customers and basically dark curing it for reuse. When i got it, the rock was super barren looking. But definitely had the right microbiology mix. I think your lucky if your in the usa and have access to real fresh liverock! Sounds like I need to take advantage. guys…barebottom? Quote Link to comment
mitten_reef Posted May 3 Share Posted May 3 52 minutes ago, ml86743 said: Yeah took me awhile a to find it..didn’t realize they had a “treasure chest” section lol. Sounds like I need to take advantage. guys…barebottom? if you don't plan on any sand dwelling fish (some wrasses) or critter (like pistol shrimps), I do enjoy the sandless bottom. Quote Link to comment
ml86743 Posted May 3 Author Share Posted May 3 2 hours ago, mitten_reef said: if you don't plan on any sand dwelling fish (some wrasses) or critter (like pistol shrimps), I do enjoy the sandless bottom. Agreed. Didn’t really plan on too many more fish..just want some active swimmers really. Maybe some chromis or something. I’ve been enjoying the BB in the little 14 myself. Quote Link to comment
geekreef_05 Posted May 4 Share Posted May 4 Even with the up's and downs i do like the natural fine sand bottom. Its like an old family wagon. Classic. Exactly what you expect. But the efficiency of barebottom. Lack of detritus. The potential flow. Its the sporty coupe of the reef world. Either is good. With barebottom i feel like your setting the stage for an SPS Nano. Going full unicorn. I cant wait to see how it comes together! Quote Link to comment
Airedale.Reef Posted May 4 Share Posted May 4 19 hours ago, ml86743 said: Agreed. Didn’t really plan on too many more fish..just want some active swimmers really. Maybe some chromis or something. I’ve been enjoying the BB in the little 14 myself. As you know, I went with a 2.5" sand bed in my tank, however I added the scape before the sand. The rock sat in my tank for a few days, BB, and for a hot second I thought about leaving it. I like the way it turned out, but BB sure gave me a run for the money! If BB catches your eye, and you are not planning on any sand dwellers, I'd say go for it! 1 Quote Link to comment
ml86743 Posted May 6 Author Share Posted May 6 On 5/3/2024 at 8:23 PM, geekreef_05 said: Even with the up's and downs i do like the natural fine sand bottom. Its like an old family wagon. Classic. Exactly what you expect. But the efficiency of barebottom. Lack of detritus. The potential flow. Its the sporty coupe of the reef world. Either is good. With barebottom i feel like your setting the stage for an SPS Nano. Going full unicorn. I cant wait to see how it comes together! I always love the look of a clean SB. It's fine if there is ample access to clean it regularly..i just didn't plan my scape well enough in the 14 to do so and it put a bad taste in my mouth lol. I didn't get anything done this weekend for the tank. Disappointing but spent some quality time with the family. I also had to get my fly box ready for this years flood tides and tied up some fresh patterns. That included late nights and too much bourbon... 7 Quote Link to comment
Airedale.Reef Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 Excellent work! I spend a lot of days on the lake bass fishing or wading in the Gulf. I have never been fly fishing, but always wanted to give it a try! Nothing wrong with family time and bourbon! Given the derby was this weekend, I'd say you timed that well. 1 2 Quote Link to comment
ml86743 Posted May 6 Author Share Posted May 6 6 hours ago, AiredaleReef said: Excellent work! I spend a lot of days on the lake bass fishing or wading in the Gulf. I have never been fly fishing, but always wanted to give it a try! Nothing wrong with family time and bourbon! Given the derby was this weekend, I'd say you timed that well. Exactly. Love me some bass too..You should try it (fly fishing)! It's one of my favorite things to do. I learned how to cast on bass ponds many years ago and still go today! Gonna hit it tonight hopeful the redfish are out there and ready to eat! Quote Link to comment
Crawford_T Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 Fishing, family, late night with bourbon… sounds perfect. 1 Quote Link to comment
Rhetoric Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 21 minutes ago, ml86743 said: Exactly. Love me some bass too..You should try it (fly fishing)! It's one of my favorite things to do. I learned how to cast on bass ponds many years ago and still go today! Gonna hit it tonight hopeful the redfish are out there and ready to eat! As a Colorado fly fisherman, casting to redfish sounds like a lot of fun! 1 Quote Link to comment
Airedale.Reef Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 1 hour ago, ml86743 said: Exactly. Love me some bass too..You should try it (fly fishing)! It's one of my favorite things to do. I learned how to cast on bass ponds many years ago and still go today! Gonna hit it tonight hopeful the redfish are out there and ready to eat! Good luck! Hope they are biting for you! I will have to try my luck at fly fishing this year! Always wanted to catch a Rainbow on a fly! 1 Quote Link to comment
ml86743 Posted May 7 Author Share Posted May 7 15 hours ago, Rhetoric said: As a Colorado fly fisherman, casting to redfish sounds like a lot of fun! Ahhh I cut my teeth on wild browns and brookies up in NJ. I have a group of good friends that make a trip out to Montana annually to spend a few weeks at his families property in Phillipsburg. We use it as a home base and just putz around western MT and get into to whatever fish we can find. No dice on the trip. Flood tide came up a hair too late so we only had a small window to see fish, didnt see any. Still a beautiful night in the marsh though. Quote Link to comment
Justind823 Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 Awesome weekend! My kind of time. I really only get out to fish when we backpack - then I get to do a lot of it hoping for some fresh fish for dinner. 😀 I always like a sandbed, but then I always like to have a pistol/goby pair. No doubt barebottom would be easier, just depends on your goals! Quote Link to comment
ml86743 Posted May 8 Author Share Posted May 8 17 hours ago, Justind823 said: Awesome weekend! My kind of time. I really only get out to fish when we backpack - then I get to do a lot of it hoping for some fresh fish for dinner. 😀 I always like a sandbed, but then I always like to have a pistol/goby pair. No doubt barebottom would be easier, just depends on your goals! Current goal is to get this thing wet haha! I'm literally running out of room in the other tank and there a few corals that would benefit from having some more space.. I guess I could always add sand later if rinsed properly. Hoping to get some work done later this week. I gotta order some rocks and other random supplies including salt and the rest of the return line plumbing (loc line wtc..) 1 Quote Link to comment
Kongo Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 Awesome looking setup!🙂 I am getting into nano tanks as well after a 12 year hiatus. Aquael 49. Quote Link to comment
ml86743 Posted May 10 Author Share Posted May 10 17 hours ago, Kongo said: Awesome looking setup!🙂 I am getting into nano tanks as well after a 12 year hiatus. Aquael 49. Thanks! Do you have a build thread going?? I'd love to check it out. Welcome back!!! In other news - ordered the locline, NPT adapter, and RFG to complete the return. I'll need to get a threaded coupler to attach to the bulkhead via 1/2 in pvc and it will be finished. I'm going to try and get around to the door this weekend. I'll need some ply, unknown size bit to recess the magnets and then some black krylon spray paint for the pipes! I think I'm going to give the ESV salt a shot for this tank. It just sits very close to my desired parameters and I've heard some good things about it. 1 Quote Link to comment
Airedale.Reef Posted May 10 Share Posted May 10 Sounds like you have made some good progress on the plumbing this week as well as a decision on salt. 👍 Excited to see this in water! Quote Link to comment
ml86743 Posted Saturday at 10:49 PM Author Share Posted Saturday at 10:49 PM On 5/10/2024 at 10:46 AM, Airedale.Reef said: Sounds like you have made some good progress on the plumbing this week as well as a decision on salt. 👍 Excited to see this in water! Nothing new to report - may to Home Depot tomorrow if I get a second and get the remaining building supplies! 1 Quote Link to comment
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