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Woohoo halide! I do miss my Sunpod from yesteryear... Great little setup you have there, love the scape! I hope you have a good sized ATO reservoir for that halide 😅

Stopped by the house for lunch and my return pump was very noisy! I was worried the pump was failing. Time to get a back up ordered incase. Took the pump out and... Not sure those photos show it proper. Every vent on the entire pump was clogged with bubble algae. 5 mins of a tooth brushing and it's back to its usual quite self. Awards a point to team bubble algae /cheers

Update: Tank has been shut down. It just really stopped being a fun hobby and was more of a chore than anything else. The tipping point was trying to get the Apex to calibrate. It just would not stay connected to fusion. Then the forest fire digi RTN'd overnight and I called it quits. Between the algae, aptasia, snails not surviving and random coral deaths I was done. The last few rocks were picked up yesterday. I still have the 25g, I'm not sure if I am going to keep that going or take a break from the hobby completely. The real frustrating part is the guy who took the tangs also took a few of the rocks. He sends me a message a few days later saying all his tangs including the ones he got from me are picking the rocks clean of algae... WTF! They never touched any of the rocks in my tank! Here is the link to the very much Acan dominated 25g

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Thank you. Should be here today!

Yeah, we’re still doing this

Looking good so far! Excited to see the tank under the Kessil soon! 👌

Oh such a good day for you tomorrow! I LOVE the minimalist factor, and the color blend/shimmer always catches my eye! Have the best time setting it up and enjoy that shimmer!!

I hope to get the tank filled with sand and water this weekend, as I am curious to see how the tank looks under the lights. I have a 5 stage RODI system from BRS and will be mixing my own salt this go around. For years, I have hauled 5 gallon buckets to my local fish store and decided I had enough of that! I have even purchased those 5g boxes of water from Petco in a jam. More on water, salt and mixing later from me I am sure! I have the gooseneck on the 8g and it looks fine. I just wanted a more streamlined look and felt the mounting arms provided that. @ml86743Let me know what you decide to go with on your tank!

Looking good.

They look great on there! Curious too see how they work out, I have been looking into a few different fixtures myself..I think we’re at relatively the same dimensions give or take.

Nice! My Kessil A160 is getting delivered tomorrow, absolutely love the natural shimmer out of them.

I will try to harness the power of the sun using two Kessil a160we. They will be mounted using the Kessil Arm instead of the gooseneck as I thought it was a more streamlined look. I think the Kessil AP9X would have been a better look, but they were a bit out of my price range... I told myself it would be overkill for the tank and moved on 💸 I also added a smart light strip (phillips hue) on the back of the tank for aesthetic purposes.

Thanks very much - my wife will appreciate this comment 🙂 No plans to transfer anything out of the 8g at this point. Besides the weekly water changes, feeding, and occasional parameter check, it has settled in nicely. I regretfully didn't start a journal or thread with that tank which is why I chose to start one with the 30long. Most pictures and videos can be found on instagram for that tank @airedale.reef but here is a quick screenshot. I'll continue to post the progress of the 30l on that account, but will probably not document the 8 gallon.

hey @boscoT it's been fun reading your journal. Kinda new to this hobby and shopping for my first tank. Almost bought a big tank but chickened ou...think it's better (financially) to start small. I found your journal through google after researching reef casa tanks. I'm in Toronto so FRAG BOX which sells them isn't too far. Would you recommend the reef casa? I'm also curious...with the clown you got that died and the bumble bee snails that ate your other tank inhabitants...was this from frag box? i am surprised the LFS didn't advise you on them before putting them in your tank.

That's a good idea. Luckily the 1/2inch stuff fits way better so I'll be able to make sure it's supported properly. Excited to get this thing leak tested then get the cycle moving! Thank you.

Oh yea, I see it now. Yea, as long as you can get a good seal then you're good! Maybe go the extra mile and make sure you don't stress out the hole by putting too much pressure on it with the plumbing. By that I mean, put a bracket on your plumbing to hold the weight instead of letting it hang from the bulkhead.

Looks great!

How are you going to light it?

Thanks for the link! I'm not sure if you saw the photo I attached after your comment, but it's up there now. It's super thin, MAYBE .75mm at it widest.

https://totalelement.com/collections/epoxy-coated-magnets I actually have chipped a tank like that before and went with it. Yea, now that I'm thinking about it, my last tank, the 17g had a chip very similar to what you're describing. As long as the bulkhead seals for you then I personally wouldn't worry too much about it!

Yea, if I had a little tank that looked like yours and only required a water change once a month then I'd be thrilled. Keep it up and keep it simple!

That's what I'm saying! The first iterations may have had some slip ups but I hear they're rock solid now. Honestly, how can you beat that price? Thank you! Hoping I'll get it leak tested sometime this week 🙂 I honestly haven't even looked. Maybe I'll do that now...Just got back from some field work so I'm kind of on cruise control for the rest of the day. That was plan - at least that's how I read everyone else doing it. Do you know of any websites that sell those magnets? Also, you ever chip a tank you drilled?...I'm like 15% worried about it. Little clam shell chip that extends past the bulkhead washer. I think the silicone will hold fine - I'm not really worried about further cracking/stress,,just the seal really. If it doesn't seal I can probably go to 3/4. I've just seen a million different replies..curious of your experience if any. You strike me as a "no-chipping" individual though haha!

Thanks! @Daniel92481 @Justind823 Thanks! I don't dose. At one point early on in the aquarium's life I did dose with some baking soda and water - but found it was causing more harm than good. I do own a dosing pump, but I haven't had it setup in a very long time. It is collecting dust in a shelf 😂 I was considering dosing two part or Kalk - but honestly the corals seem fine as I change out with Red Sea Pro salt and it has elevated levels of trace elements.

Great tank, this is what a picotope is all about! Those mushrooms love your tank! I think it looks great even though they're taking over. Do you dose at all or is it just the 80% water change every month?