Roger's 50G Frag Tank

[mpsti05]

NW Suburbs

Sweet! I'm in Schaumburg... I'll have to check this tank out some day.

[TheKleinReef]

Sweet! I'm in Schaumburg... I'll have to check this tank out some day.

 

no freaking way! i'm in streamwood! not even a 10 minute drive. what a small world!

[TheKleinReef]

woot woot acrylic cement is here!

 

woot woot RODI is here!

[TheKleinReef]

well. that was an adventure. cementing acrylic was a little tough. i have a few big bubbles, and a few pockets of micro bubbles. luckily this isn't a display so i really could care less. my plan now is to silcone the seams just incase. but here's soe progression shots of the night:

 

first run:

 

lol 4 sides later.

 

just a couple bubbles.... :|

 

almost there:

 

aweeee yeahhh

 

RODI setup and flushed out

 

super stoked to get this going!

[--chris--]

are you on city water?

 

tank looks Good!

[TheKleinReef]

are you on city water?

 

tank looks Good!

 

Yep. City water

[TheKleinReef]

Next question. Equipment only sump or sump + fuge?

 

If sump+fuge how big should the fuge be?

[jedimasterben]

I would probably just make it a Berlin-style system. Get a good skimmer, feed super heavy at least weekly (preferably with pappone or another high-protein mix), and have good lighting with high base parameters (500ppm cal, 200ppm alk, 1500ppm mag) and get some explosive growth going.

 

Reports from people using that method (called Blu Coral) measure growth at up to 18" per year on a lot of SPS, and LPS growth is up there with it.

[TheKleinReef]

I would probably just make it a Berlin-style system. Get a good skimmer, feed super heavy at least weekly (preferably with pappone or another high-protein mix), and have good lighting with high base parameters (500ppm cal, 200ppm alk, 1500ppm mag) and get some explosive growth going.

 

Reports from people using that method (called Blu Coral) measure growth at up to 18" per year on a lot of SPS, and LPS growth is up there with it.

 

Well that makes designing a sump easier. Awesome.

Thank you!

[--chris--]

I would probably just make it a Berlin-style system. Get a good skimmer, feed super heavy at least weekly (preferably with pappone or another high-protein mix), and have good lighting with high base parameters (500ppm cal, 200ppm alk, 1500ppm mag) and get some explosive growth going.

 

Reports from people using that method (called Blu Coral) measure growth at up to 18" per year on a lot of SPS, and LPS growth is up there with it.

 

Nutrients are controlled via the rock? Or through water changes? Ive never head of this exact idea before, similiar...but never had a name put to it. Id like to read up on it, any links?

 

Well that makes designing a sump easier. Awesome. Thank you!

 

KISS! Always...

[jedimasterben]

Nutrients are controlled via the rock? Or through water changes? Ive never head of this exact idea before, similiar...but never had a name put to it. Id like to read up on it, any links?

A Berlin-style setup just uses live rock and a large skimmer. Some people supplement with carbon and GFO, but some don't and still get great results.

 

Water changes should not be used for nutrient control, IMHO, as a mature system will adapt to the nutrient load, and if you can't keep control of nitrate and phosphate, something is the matter, and water changes can't fix it.

[TheKleinReef]

A Berlin-style setup just uses live rock and a large skimmer. Some people supplement with carbon and GFO, but some don't and still get great results.

 

Water changes should not be used for nutrient control, IMHO, as a mature system will adapt to the nutrient load, and if you can't keep control of nitrate and phosphate, something is the matter, and water changes can't fix it.

 

so if i'm feeding so heavily with the protein enriched coral food, i'm relying solely on the protein skimmer for nutrient export?

regardless i was planning on doing 10% waterchanges. it wouldn't hurt that's for sure.

[jedimasterben]

so if i'm feeding so heavily with the protein enriched coral food, i'm relying solely on the protein skimmer for nutrient export?

regardless i was planning on doing 10% waterchanges. it wouldn't hurt that's for sure.

Pretty much, and getting a nice one will do the job. You may need to run GFO every once in a while, just keep an eye on phosphate. The way most people feed the pappone is to dose an amino acid supplement an hour before lights out (this tells the corals OPEN WIDE, BITCHES, IT'S FOOD TIME!!), turn off their skimmer, then as lights go out drop in the food, and leave the skimmer off until the morning. Some people do once a week feeding, some do every other day, but it adds a lot of nutrients to the water, so you don't want to do it more than once a week until the system matures and is able to handle higher and higher nutrient loads.

 

I didn't mean that water changes aren't a good thing, it's just they are not a long-term strategy for nutrient control.

[TheKleinReef]

Pretty much, and getting a nice one will do the job. You may need to run GFO every once in a while, just keep an eye on phosphate. The way most people feed the pappone is to dose an amino acid supplement an hour before lights out (this tells the corals OPEN WIDE, BITCHES, IT'S FOOD TIME!!), turn off their skimmer, then as lights go out drop in the food, and leave the skimmer off until the morning. Some people do once a week feeding, some do every other day, but it adds a lot of nutrients to the water, so you don't want to do it more than once a week until the system matures and is able to handle higher and higher nutrient loads.

 

I didn't mean that water changes aren't a good thing, it's just they are not a long-term strategy for nutrient control.

 

ahh gotcha. never heard of pappaone. i may have to read up on it.

[logansreef]

Looks great Roger!

[jedimasterben]

ahh gotcha. never heard of pappaone. i may have to read up on it.

This thread is where I got all of my info about it: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=971190

[MikeTR]

Well I guess we'll soon find out if your stand design can hold water.. my 100 gallon reservior should be just about filled by now. It was leaking from the bulkhead the other day so had to drain it before it got even 1/4 full. It's like a 3" nut so had to buy some larger channel locks so I could crank it down to get it to stop.

[TheKleinReef]

Well I guess we'll soon find out if your stand design can hold water.. my 100 gallon reservior should be just about filled by now. It was leaking from the bulkhead the other day so had to drain it before it got even 1/4 full. It's like a 3" nut so had to buy some larger channel locks so I could crank it down to get it to stop.

 

i probably should have mentioned that i leak tested and the stand held no problem. so that's a plus. also there was only a 2mm bow in the middle of the long panels. which is awesome. i might not even bother with a brace

[--chris--]

Id brace, but i do everything with long term in my mind. 2mm might not be a problem, im no acrylic guru.

 

Update, any more plans you care to share?

[TheKleinReef]

Id brace, but i do everything with long term in my mind. 2mm might not be a problem, im no acrylic guru.

 

Update, any more plans you care to share?

 

nothing much has happened since its finals week. but i've been running plans through my head and this is what i have come up with:

 

• 1200 GPH overflow box with dual 1.5" drains
• split return
• 1000-1100 GPH external return pump
• sump with an overpowered skimmer and LR

I haven't decided on what sump, I might build it, i might not. but as for a skimmer i came across a reef dynamics 300g rated skimmer with a pump for $350, but i'm still researching it to see if it's any good.

 

Hopefully I can get the sump, and finally get the thing running. me and some buddies on youtube do a live stream about random fish tank stuff, so i'm praying i can get something in time for that.

 

thanks for checking in though!

[TheKleinReef]

planned out the overflow boxes:

 

behind each box will be an externally run durso (vertical pipe behind the tank) 1.5" PVC which i think will run 700ish GPH.

having 2 will bump it to a total of 1400GPH.

 

between the 2 boxes will be the dual return lines, once the lines enter the tank each line will split again for a total of 4 nozzles.

 

return pump will be rated at 1000-1200 GPH so i should get some decent flow in a 60g tank

 

thoughts?

[--chris--]

Good plan. I like the setup.

 

@Ben, thanks for the info...will read up on pappone.

[TheKleinReef]

Good plan. I like the setup.

 

@Ben, thanks for the info...will read up on pappone.

 

the only thing i'm not liking about pappone is the sugar, which i'm assuming is optional?

[--chris--]

Not sure on that part...sugar is a carbon source and a fuel source for metabolism for many creatures. Give that fact, it might be a crucial part of the mix.

[TheKleinReef]

Not sure on that part...sugar is a carbon source and a fuel source for metabolism for many creatures. Give that fact, it might be a crucial part of the mix.

 

but i've read horror stories of people dosing sugar and having a nasty cyano outbreak.