Dual 250 gallon Marineland Monterey Deep Dimension build

[worm5406]

Very good looking so far...

How is it all going?

[cu0ngsayz]

Very nice! I saw your thread in the reefbreeder section so I thought if try to find the build thread. Haha

[davidfrances]

Updates to my build. For the few people that follow this, my thoughts and ideas have morphed over time. :

MIXED REEF (left side tank)
This tank is intended to be a mixed coral reef. My equipment thus far follows:

1. Lighting – Four (4) 24” Photon 24’s
2. Sump – 40 gallon breeder – I have one baffle straddled by a sponge filter
3. Return Pump – two (2) Eheim 1262’s, each plumbed to a separate overflow return.
4. Skimmer – Skimz SM 251 Monzter E-Series
5. Filter – Blue 15 ppi sponge in sump baffle. I used to also have filter socks on the overflow returns in the sump, but jettisoned those a couple weeks ago. Too much overspray, they got clogged a lot and were a pain to clean. The blue sponge is easier to clean and I haven’t noticed any decline in water quality.
6. Freshwater top-off (to maintain constant osmotic balance) – 25 gallon transport tank, bellows pump and float switch. I top off with kalkwasser made from Mrs. Ball’s pickling lime.
7. Water motion – 2x VorTech MP40w’s. I also have 2x MP10w’s embedded in my rockwork to increase the flow
8. Heater – Eheim Jager TruTemp 250 Watt
9. Misc. Equipment – Red Sea Aquazone Ozone Generator/Controller (ozone, when generated, is pumped into the skimmer); American Marine Pinpoint pH monitor
10. Sand bed – CaribSea Flamingo Reef Sand (1-2mm) ~2”deep
11. Water Quality Parameters – tested with a Sera Aqua-Test Box Marin Master Test Kit for Saltwater Aquariums unless otherwise noted:
a. pH – 8.01 via pinpoint pH monitor
b. Temp – 80-81 degrees F, down from an average of 84
c. Calcium – 600
d. Ammonia – 0
e. Nitrite – 0
f. Nitrate – 0
g. ORP - ~400mV measured via Red Sea Aquazone Controller
h. phosphate - 0
12. Fish Stocking list:
a. Coral Beauty Angelfish (Centropyge bispinosa);
b. Red Stripe Angelfish (Centropyge eibli);
c. Flame Angelfish (Centropyge loricula);
d. Yellow Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus);
e. Purple Dottyback (Pseudochromis porphyreus); (I actually have two of these, the first ended up in one of the overflow – I though he died – bought a second one and then found the first hiding in the overflow. He seems fine; although I can’t get him out without a major tear down, so he’s stuck there unless he makes his way to the sump)
f. Six Line Wrasse (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia);
g. 9x Yellowtail Damselfish (Chrysiptera parasema);
h. 1x Blue Damselfish (Chrysiptera cyanea);
i. 2x Blue/Green Reef Chromis (Chromis viridis);
j. 2x True Percula Clownfish (Amphiprion percula)

Notes – This tank was the first to be set up, cycled and stocked. The other tank build lagged by 3 weeks or so, simply due to constraints on my free time. It went through the usual new tank headaches. I did not have a significant diatom bloom, but did have a cyanobateria bloom on my sand bed for about 30 days that was absolutely noxious. It has since subsided, and coralline algae is beginning to grow rapidly. I’m not experiencing the level of soft coral growth I am seeing in the adjacent tank. I attribute this to several factors: 1) the level of nutrients is lower; 2) the MH’s I previously had on the tank weren’t sufficient; and 3) this tank does not receive as much ambient natural sunlight as the other tank does. I also have been experiencing some problems with one of the pumps in the Skimz 251 impeller binding. It restarts with a little work, although I may need to replace the impeller.

Changes –
A. I swapped out the Hamilton Belize Sun MH’s for LED’s.
B. I swapped out the Tunze’s for the EcoTech’s. Tunze’s are fabulous, but they’re very obtrusive in the tank, and their controllers and ballasts take up a ton of room inside my stand.

SOFT CORAL TANK (right side tank):
This tank is intended to be a dedicated to larger more aggressive marine fish. I’m trying to keep some of the more noxious softies here, but the focus will be fish and not inverts in this tank. Given the design of the room and the placement of this tank, it receives a fair bit of natural sunlight on the right side.

1. Lighting – Four (4) 24” Photon 24’s
2. Sump – 40 gallon breeder – I have one baffle straddled by a sponge filter
3. Return Pump – one (1) Eheim 1262 plumbed in tandem to both overflow returns.
4. Skimmer – Skimz SM 251 Monzter E-Series
5. Filter – Blue 15 ppi sponge in sump baffle, same as above
6. Freshwater top-off (to maintain constant osmotic balance) – 25 gallon transport tank, bellows pump and float switch. I top off with kalkwasser made from Mrs. Ball’s pickling lime.
7. Water motion – 2x VorTech MP40w’s
8. Heater – Eheim Jager TruTemp 250 Watt
9. Misc. Equipment – Red Sea Aquazone Ozone Generator/Controller (ozone, when generated, is pumped into the skimmer); American Marine Pinpoint pH monitor
10. Sand bed – CaribSea Flamingo Reef Sand (1-2mm) ~2”deep
11. Water Quality Parameters - tested with a Sera Aqua-Test Box Marin Master Test Kit for Saltwater Aquariums unless otherwise noted:
a. pH – 8.01 via pinpoint pH monitor
b. Temp – 80-81 degrees F, down from 84-85 degrees
c. Calcium – 600
d. Ammonia – 0
e. Nitrite – 0
f. Nitrate – 0
g. ORP - ~400mV measured via Red Sea Aquazone Controller
h. phosphate - 0
12. Current Stocking list:
a. Harlequin Tusk (Choerodon fasciatus);
b. Sailfin Tang, Desjardini (Zebrasoma desjardini);
c. 5x Spotted Cardinalfish (Sphaeramia nematoptera);
d. Blue Girdled Angelfish (Pomacanthus navarchus);
e. Annularis Angelfish (Pomacanthus annularis) - tank raised juvenile;
f. Yellowstripe Maroon Clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus);
g. Red Coris Wrasse (Coris gaimard)

Notes – Set-up of this tank lagged the other tank by 3 weeks or so, simply due to constraints on my free time. Right off the bat I had a significant diatom bloom that lasted about a month. It subsided about the time the ‘pod population exploded. Since this tank receives quite a bit of morning sunlight, I could see clouds of ‘pods swimming in the light beams scattering throughout the tank. Now I have a cyanobateria bloom on my sand bed that’s pretty bad, but is rapidly tapering off. My coralline algae is beginning to grow rapidly, all part of the new tank cycle. I notice that my GSP’s, anthelia, and colt corals are all growing aggressively. I’m planning on adding xenia as well. I suspect the higher nutrient load contributes to the growth, and I’m not really concerned about the invasive nature of these, especially given the fish I’m keeping. One of my Mag 12’s died, so I decided to swap both out for one Eheim 1262 and plumb it to both returns.

Changes –
A. I swapped out the Hamilton Belize Sun MH’s for LED’s.
B. I swapped out the Hydor Koralia’s for the EcoTech’s. The Hydor’s were an ill advised cost control solution, and I was very disappointed with the ability of the mounting hardware to hold the pumps in position. Several times I returned home to find the pumps had slipped their moorings and were running loose in the tank. Like the Tunze’s, the Koralia’s are very obtrusive in the tank.


Applies to both tanks:
Maintenance:
• Every other day or so, or as needed, clean the glass with Algae Free Magnets.
• About twice a week I clean out both skimmer cups (nasty).
• Once a week:
o Weed out some strands of bryopsis and attack couple spots of bubble algae.
o Use a turkey baster to blow water on the soft corals for a deep cleaning.
o Stir up small parts of the sand bed.
o Fill up the ATO reservoirs on both tanks. I basically run a 50 foot length of tubing from my R/O unit to the reservoir. With my R/O unit rated at 120 GPD, it takes anywhere from 3-4 hours to top off the reservoirs.
• Once every two weeks:
o Rinse the sponges in the sump baffles.
o Test water quality parameters.
• Once a month:
o Check all plumbing connections.

Feeding:
• Daily at 1200 and 1700 hours – Sinking dry pellet food, a mix of Spectrum and Instant Ocean dry pellet foods, via an Eheim automatic feeder. I also use a feeding ring to keep the food from floating into the overflows.
• Every other day – Frozen food mix with enriched brine, ocean plankton and mysis. The Tusk also gets chopped table shrimp and frozen krill.
• I’m considering trying to wean everything onto pellet food, we’ll see how that goes.

Additives:
• Mrs. Ball’s pickling lime added directly to the ATO reservoir – 1 cup every month
• Kent Marine Lugol’s solution – 10 drops per week
• SeaChem Magnesium – ¼ cup per week
• I’m not testing for Mg or Iodine yet. I hope to begin doing so shortly – dosing without testing is a major sin, I know.


Quarantine Tanks:
I originally had five (5) ten gallon tanks and five (5) twenty high tanks drilled and plumbed to a 40 gallon sump and a 20+ year old LifeReef wet dry filter. The ten gallon tanks cracked one by one, and then the 20’s starter to crack. I ditched those tanks, and installed two (2) 40 breeders with HOB overflows. These are now plumbed to the 40 gallon sump and LifeReef wet dry filter. I had a couple old 400W HQI metal halides. These tanks are my fish and coral quarantine tanks, and will eventually become my frag tanks.

[davidfrances]

Late last night I noticed some spots on my Tusk. This morning, I noticed spots on my Sailfin Tang as well. So, I pulled the rock and coral out, netted out then ten fish in the tank, and placed them in my QT. The clock starts today on leaving the right hand side DT fallow for 8 weeks.

I'm treating the fish with hypo salinity treatment.

I'm not exactly sure how this happened. I've quarantined every fish, and dipped all the corals I've added.

Oh well, time to focus on getting everything better.

[worm5406]

Thanks for the update... Very nice read.

Sorry about the spots.. but you caught it early at least.

[MstgKillr]

What do you think of the quality of the stand and canopy? How are they holding up? What are they made of? How's the finish? Would you buy them again?

[davidfrances]

When I had MH's, I hated the canopies. Now that I'm hanging LED's in the canopy, they're fantastic. The quality is great, and they hold up well to salt spray. They are made mostly of plywood.

[MstgKillr]

Originally Posted by davidfrances

When I had MH's, I hated the canopies. Now that I'm hanging LED's in the canopy, they're fantastic. The quality is great, and they hold up well to salt spray. They are made mostly of plywood.

Is there anyway that you could post a few closeup pictures of the stand and canopy? Maybe the inside and outside?

[davidfrances]

Like these:

[davidfrances]

[Newbie Aquarist]

Things are coming along well. Sorry for the setback. That's just what comes with reefing.

[davidfrances]

Originally Posted by MstgKillr

Is there anyway that you could post a few closeup pictures of the stand and canopy? Maybe the inside and outside?

Stand, doors open:



Stand, left side:




Stand, right side:




Canopy, closed, full tank:



Canopy, open, full tank:



Inside canopy:
right side

middle

left side

[david00061]

lets play fish tank real soon. I gotta see this set up

[davidfrances]

impulse buy from last night, large T. Deresa. On the way home, I was worried he'd spawn out. Fortunately, he didn't. Photos from my iPhone this afternoon



I've added a lot of corals recently, and hope to update pictures soon.

Full Tank Shot, right side tank:




Full Tank Shot, left side tank:

[reefer999]

Tank looks good, nice clam addition

[davidfrances]

Updated photos:

[davidfrances]

oops

[davidfrances]

[Newbie Aquarist]

Now thats sexy. How are the fish doing?

[davidfrances]

Just posted a few updated photos. My photography skills stink.

Updates to the system - I cured the ich outbreak in the right side tank by leaving it fallow for 11 weeks. My fish have been back in the tank for 4 weeks now, and no further outbreaks. Fortunately I didn't lose any fish.

Coral growth in both tanks is nothing short of amazing. I am getting some good coloration in my LPS and zoos, but sometimes it takes a little trial and error when introducing new corals to avoid bleaching. Some of my GSP's are browning out. They're growing and appear happy, but are losing their green coloration.

I unfortunately lost both my green carpet anemones. They decided to go on a walk about, and my vortech's ate them. I also lost both my squamosa and maxima clams in the left tank, both were growing and doing well, and then one day just died.

My algae problems seem to be tapering off. I bought a rabbitfish and a purple tang for the eft tank, and they're tucking into the remaining bubble algae. My sailfin and PBT in the right tank have almost wiped out the remaining hair algae.

Things are developing nicely.

[mayjong]

how are you liking the lights?
looks like good growth...

[has no life]

wow nice set up

[davidfrances]

Originally Posted by mayjong

how are you liking the lights?
looks like good growth...

Now that the corals have adjusted to the light, every thing is growing nicely. I'm getting great growth from the LED's

[davidfrances]

Originally Posted by has no life

wow nice set up

Thank you.

[mayjong]

cool, i'm looking at them too.
looking at the 300dd