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Oh no he didn't, oh yes he did 180 gal build
- Thread starter Brando457
- Start date
The final countdown
Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, children of all ages! I am excited to announce my tank is almost completely finished!
The only things remaining for the tank to be complete are (not in any order):
1. add fuge light, I'm thinking a fathom led par30 bulb
2. get a clamp for my water change drain tube
3. get a UV sterilizer (idk which yet)
4. program my apex so its 100% functional on the network and outlet settings
5. add sand to fuge? (can i add 20 lbs of dry sand to the tank if its already running/cycled?)
6. buy my CUC from reefcleaners
7. relax!
8. end of February I want to add anthias from Diamonds of the Reef
Equipment List:
Lights: 2 x AI sol blues 16" above water
Return: Eheim 1262
Skimmer: ATB 840 V2
Powerheads: 2 x Koralia EVO 1400s
Controller: Apex Lite w/ 2 EB8s
ATO: JBJ
Heaters: Ehieim Jagers 250 watts x 2
Reactors: BRS Single Reactor x 2 - 1 GFO, 1 Carbon
Fuge: will be running a Fathom Led Par 30 bulb
UV: will be running a Emperor Emperor Smart UV Lite 40 watt w/ 1.5" Union - open to suggestions on other models/brands.
RO Container: 33g brute can
Salt Container: 33g brute can
Rock: 100 lbs of dry rock from reefrocks
Sand: 120 lbs of sand from reefrocks
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Quarantine: 20g long w/ hob filter & koralia 1200 gph powerhead & eheim jager 150 watt heater.
Here is a video of the tank and equipment setup as it stands.
[video=youtube_share;yUaVc04eQMM]http://youtu.be/yUaVc04eQMM[/video] switch it to 720p
Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, children of all ages! I am excited to announce my tank is almost completely finished!
The only things remaining for the tank to be complete are (not in any order):
1. add fuge light, I'm thinking a fathom led par30 bulb
2. get a clamp for my water change drain tube
3. get a UV sterilizer (idk which yet)
4. program my apex so its 100% functional on the network and outlet settings
5. add sand to fuge? (can i add 20 lbs of dry sand to the tank if its already running/cycled?)
6. buy my CUC from reefcleaners
7. relax!
8. end of February I want to add anthias from Diamonds of the Reef
Equipment List:
Lights: 2 x AI sol blues 16" above water
Return: Eheim 1262
Skimmer: ATB 840 V2
Powerheads: 2 x Koralia EVO 1400s
Controller: Apex Lite w/ 2 EB8s
ATO: JBJ
Heaters: Ehieim Jagers 250 watts x 2
Reactors: BRS Single Reactor x 2 - 1 GFO, 1 Carbon
Fuge: will be running a Fathom Led Par 30 bulb
UV: will be running a Emperor Emperor Smart UV Lite 40 watt w/ 1.5" Union - open to suggestions on other models/brands.
RO Container: 33g brute can
Salt Container: 33g brute can
Rock: 100 lbs of dry rock from reefrocks
Sand: 120 lbs of sand from reefrocks
-
Quarantine: 20g long w/ hob filter & koralia 1200 gph powerhead & eheim jager 150 watt heater.
Here is a video of the tank and equipment setup as it stands
.[video=youtube_share;yUaVc04eQMM]http://youtu.be/yUaVc04eQMM[/video] switch it to 720p
Item 3: UV sterilizers are for hospital tanks! JMTC
Item 5: Yes you can add sand after the fact. The way I do it is cut a piece of PVC pipe a little longer than the depth of you tank…..I use 1 ½ pipe, but really any size would work, dependent on how much sand you want to add. I put a wide-mouth funnel in the top of the pipe. With the pipe in the tank all the way to the bottom glass, I fill the pipe with sand….slowly. Then you slightly lift the pipe and start moving it around while you distribute the sand.
Item 7: It will not happen until you die.
Oh, and it's looking good Brandon.
Item 5: Yes you can add sand after the fact. The way I do it is cut a piece of PVC pipe a little longer than the depth of you tank…..I use 1 ½ pipe, but really any size would work, dependent on how much sand you want to add. I put a wide-mouth funnel in the top of the pipe. With the pipe in the tank all the way to the bottom glass, I fill the pipe with sand….slowly. Then you slightly lift the pipe and start moving it around while you distribute the sand.
Item 7: It will not happen until you die.
Oh, and it's looking good Brandon.
Custom Mounting Bracket for AI SOL - less than $20 to make both from HD
Water Change Drain - All I need is a clamp for the barb. Basically I have a hose that is there and sits behind the sump. When I am ready to do a water change I take the hose, place my maxijet 1200 on the end of it and place it in the sump. I have the sump measured out to remove 15 gallons of water. Once I remove the 15gs I disconnect the maxijet from the hose and place it in my mixing container. Attach another hose to that and refill the sump with 15gs of freshly mixed saltwater.
Cover - I built a nice screen cover for the tank with netting I got from amazon. A 14 ft x 7 ft 1/4" square pond net was only around $14.99. I then went to HD and purchased the window frame, spline, and spline tool. Make sure you get the proper sized spline :x, I got one a bit too big, but fortunately was able to get it in with some muscle.
My tank came with 2 glass covers as you can see I have on the other side since I hadn't finished making that side's frame. With the glass covers my temperatures were high and they blocked a lot of light/got dirty quickly. With the screen netting there is no light blockage and they look great. Also to account for the wires from my koralia all I did was cut a 2 x 2 section of the net on the left side and run the wires through them. The cut is so minimal that it would be difficult for a fish to get out. I also made it so that if I do need to remove the net for whatever reason I can simply swing it out and let it hang without having to remove the wires.
The brains of my system - Apex Lite w/ 2 EB8s controlling everything. I would never run a tank without a controller, they are a must have piece of equipment IMO.
Skimmer/ATO/Drain - You can see my ATB 840 v2, it seems to be almost broken in as it is not overflowing nearly as much. Also you can see my ATO hose. I had to place the end of the hose into the pvc pipe angled because otherwise it would create a siphon and empty completely into my tank. The hose is cut and probably extends only 2" or so inside the pvc pipe.
The barb fitting, which is also pictured above is my water change drain. The hose connected to it sits behind the sump. When I want to do a water change I just unravel it and connect a maxijet 1200. I open the valve at the drain and turn the pump on. The sump is measured so I know at what level is 15 gallons with the return and skimmer of. Once the 15 gallons empties I then disconnect the maxijet 1200 and place it in a brute container to the left of the sump. I refill the 15g and everything is perfect in the world.
I am using the JBJ for ATO at this time, but am considering maybe changing it for a different model. I am considering either an apex breakout box to control my ATO or maybe a different model. Not sure at this time though.
Lights - both AI sol blues hung and configured w/ wire management + both covers assembled. I put some tape on the left side cover as I do not forsee having to remove it too often and to help straighten out the framing to help it sit as flat as possible.
Well hope you enjoyed thanks for looking.
- less than $20 to make both from HD
Water Change Drain - All I need is a clamp for the barb. Basically I have a hose that is there and sits behind the sump. When I am ready to do a water change I take the hose, place my maxijet 1200 on the end of it and place it in the sump. I have the sump measured out to remove 15 gallons of water. Once I remove the 15gs I disconnect the maxijet from the hose and place it in my mixing container. Attach another hose to that and refill the sump with 15gs of freshly mixed saltwater.
Cover - I built a nice screen cover for the tank with netting I got from amazon. A 14 ft x 7 ft 1/4" square pond net was only around $14.99. I then went to HD and purchased the window frame, spline, and spline tool. Make sure you get the proper sized spline :x, I got one a bit too big, but fortunately was able to get it in with some muscle.
My tank came with 2 glass covers as you can see I have on the other side since I hadn't finished making that side's frame. With the glass covers my temperatures were high and they blocked a lot of light/got dirty quickly. With the screen netting there is no light blockage and they look great. Also to account for the wires from my koralia all I did was cut a 2 x 2 section of the net on the left side and run the wires through them. The cut is so minimal that it would be difficult for a fish to get out. I also made it so that if I do need to remove the net for whatever reason I can simply swing it out and let it hang without having to remove the wires
.
The brains of my system - Apex Lite w/ 2 EB8s controlling everything. I would never run a tank without a controller, they are a must have piece of equipment IMO.
Skimmer/ATO/Drain - You can see my ATB 840 v2, it seems to be almost broken in as it is not overflowing nearly as much. Also you can see my ATO hose. I had to place the end of the hose into the pvc pipe angled because otherwise it would create a siphon and empty completely into my tank. The hose is cut and probably extends only 2" or so inside the pvc pipe.
The barb fitting, which is also pictured above is my water change drain. The hose connected to it sits behind the sump. When I want to do a water change I just unravel it and connect a maxijet 1200. I open the valve at the drain and turn the pump on. The sump is measured so I know at what level is 15 gallons with the return and skimmer of. Once the 15 gallons empties I then disconnect the maxijet 1200 and place it in a brute container to the left of the sump. I refill the 15g and everything is perfect in the world.
I am using the JBJ for ATO at this time, but am considering maybe changing it for a different model. I am considering either an apex breakout box to control my ATO or maybe a different model. Not sure at this time though.
Lights - both AI sol blues hung and configured w/ wire management + both covers assembled. I put some tape on the left side cover as I do not forsee having to remove it too often and to help straighten out the framing to help it sit as flat as possible.
Well hope you enjoyed thanks for looking.
Lmao Paul Item #7 I took off Friday 1/25 - Tuesday 1/29 for a "staycation" to relax. I work in the auto insurance field and between Sandy, the holidays and just everything I am exhausted. I've been working from around 8 am - 7 pm, 6 days a week to get everything taken care of!
Item 3: I think I want to add it more so for peace of mind when it comes to diseases and the spread of algae. I was under the impression that not having one is fine, but having one can't hurt either?
Item 5: I can completely empty the place I'd be putting the sand, no need for funnels and paul engineering in that case
. I just want to add it to my fuge to help w/ filtering. Figured it'd be about 20 lbs total. Item 10: I can't wait to add corals haha!
Oh and on a side note in the room I have my 5.1 setup
got a receiver from ultimate corals and connected it to my onyx speaker system. Next Friday I'll be watching Batman Dark Knight in bluray w/ 5.1 and a nice bottle of crown royal maple yum!
As far as the UV is concerned, you might consider the fact that you will have to clean it fairly often, and replace the lamp at about 6 month intervals. I believe that they can be/are useful in a quarantine/hospital tank, but if you are diligent in your tank husbandry in your DT, you most likely don't need one. If you're not diligent in doing regular timely cleaning, replacing, etc., of the consumable items in your tank, then it probably isn't going to be very effective anyway.
These are best installed at the end of your filtration system, so as much of the particulate matter as possible can be removed before entering the UV unit. If you're going to use a refugium to help feed your tank, the use of UV will most likely kill off anything that might make its way out of the fuge, which would be detrimental to not only any coral you may have, but also any type of fish that may feed on them, i.e. Mandarin's, Anthias, Wrasses, etc. It won't discriminate between the good and the bad.
These are best installed at the end of your filtration system, so as much of the particulate matter as possible can be removed before entering the UV unit. If you're going to use a refugium to help feed your tank, the use of UV will most likely kill off anything that might make its way out of the fuge, which would be detrimental to not only any coral you may have, but also any type of fish that may feed on them, i.e. Mandarin's, Anthias, Wrasses, etc. It won't discriminate between the good and the bad.
err wrong account
I knew it wouldn't last long.....what was it, about a week or so.
So I'm guessing we no longer have a FOWLR.
I knew it wouldn't last long.....what was it, about a week or so.
So I'm guessing we no longer have a FOWLR.
He'll be full blown reef within 3 months!!!
Three months???? This is Brandon….”oh yes he did!“ He’ll be full blown reef by the end of February. In three months he’ll have a complete frag system set up, being fed by that complete reef tank.
Some exciting updates to the Brando adventure. Since my ATI light doesn't seem to want to sell I am going to hang on to it and eventually when I start keeping more corals I plan on hanging it either behind or in front of my 2 AI sol blues :X.
Now for some updates:
1. Current stocking list as of today 2/2/13
Sustainable Aquatics Snow Onyx Clownfish
Sustainable Aquatics Snow Onyx Clownfish
Blue Hippo Tang
Melnarus Wrasse
Yellow-Flanked Fairy Wrasse
Orange-Back Fairy Wrasse
Carpenter's wrasse
Blasto coral
2. Added a fuge bulb - fathom led par 30 bulb w/ red led
3. Carbon + GFO on line as of 1/20/13
4. changed RO filters on 1/20/13
5. ordered CUC from reefcleaners, should be here end of week.
6. I have nice diatoms going on the rocks, hopefully the fuge + cuc can take care of that.
Now some photos for all you more visual folks.
Now for some updates:
1. Current stocking list as of today 2/2/13
Sustainable Aquatics Snow Onyx Clownfish
Sustainable Aquatics Snow Onyx Clownfish
Blue Hippo Tang
Melnarus Wrasse
Yellow-Flanked Fairy Wrasse
Orange-Back Fairy Wrasse
Carpenter's wrasse
Blasto coral
2. Added a fuge bulb - fathom led par 30 bulb w/ red led
3. Carbon + GFO on line as of 1/20/13
4. changed RO filters on 1/20/13
5. ordered CUC from reefcleaners, should be here end of week.
6. I have nice diatoms going on the rocks, hopefully the fuge + cuc can take care of that.
Now some photos for all you more visual folks.
