Daniel's RSM 250 SPS tank

[nemodan]

Here is the refugium. 20 G for a tank of 65G that has 50G of real water volume. Plus a HOB acrylic refugium of ~ 2-3G full of Matrix, plus last month added two media reactors with Matrix (seen in the picture).





The tank just a few minutes ago.

Camara with exposure reduced 1 value (Note 4 Samsung)



Camara with factory setup (No Mods)


Cheers
Daniel

Ps: the fuge has 3 fish: a Clown, and 2 trigger fish (I will never add them in the main tank).

[nemodan]

Originally Posted by markalot

Nice video, finally had a chance to watch it. Tank is looking terrific. I just have to say this is exactly how I'd like my 150 to look someday, completely packed with healthy corals. The birds, the spongodes, the acros, can't decide which I like more.

Thank you Mark !!! Your tank is a beauty and big. It will be packed and will be amazing . Just add it all !!! :-) and you will see how fast the real state is gone

Cheers
Daniel

[nemodan]

I just replaced pump 1 ( in the picture of posting 76 , is the left return pump in the back wall) of my RSM 250 it is the biggest and very powerful. I also replaced the pump that takes water to the fuge for new ones. I regret not taking pictures. They were covered in feather dusters. Nice size, the tubes were brown and the feathers white. I just dumped them right away in the tank.

I will try to take a picture, using the flash, of the chamber inside. It is cover with those feather dusters.

Now I will clean the pumps with vinager + water and save it in the fish room. I will replace the ones I added with these ones in a year from now. In that way I also have a replacement if they decided to fail.

I was expecting to find, who knows what, after one year without cleaning pump 1. Well it wasn't bad at all.

I also replaced the skimmer pump with a new one. Probably it was also a year ago, last July, when I added a new pump after my impeller cracked issue.

In thanks giving week I will clean the chiller pump, and with that I will be done for some time with pumps maintenance. I will see if I buy another Eheim 3000 compact (chiller pump). But I was hesitant because I would like to find a similar pump (Gl/hours) but smaller. Let me know if anyone's knows about one.

Cheers..... Daniel

[M007]

Why no triggers in your DT?

[nemodan]

Originally Posted by M007

Why no triggers in your DT?

Beside the blue throat I am afraid of the rest. The next one will be the Niger Triggerfish. I had it in the fuge now. I LOVE ALL TRIGGERFISH But, for what I have read all arround, beside the blue throat any other, of the Reef safe triggerfush, you never know of a change of mind and start to eat my SPS.

I have the Niger and can't remember the name of the other. It has strips. I have some softcorals with them as an experiment. As of today they have not touched them.

What is your experience ?

Cheers
Daniel

[sporazoa]

Love your tank & I too run a top sump with a MJ900 feeding it.

Ya know you could get a 40g breeder tank, which go on sale at Petco & Petsmart on the $1/1G sale every now & again. Then you get one of those clamp on sock holders & run a filter sock into a container that you can pickup at a $1 store or Walmart. One of those storage containers, but just make sure it is food grade or has the recycle number "5" on the container & I think "3" can be used as well.

[nemodan]

Originally Posted by sporazoa

Love your tank & I too run a top sump with a MJ900 feeding it.

Ya know you could get a 40g breeder tank, which go on sale at Petco & Petsmart on the $1/1G sale every now & again. Then you get one of those clamp on sock holders & run a filter sock into a container that you can pickup at a $1 store or Walmart. One of those storage containers, but just make sure it is food grade or has the recycle number "5" on the container & I think "3" can be used as well.

Thank you for compliments and the tips !!!.

My fuge is being feed by a MJ1200.

Yes, I am aware of those sales. I am not sure I have a "comfortable working space" to upgrade the fuge to a 40 breeder. It will have to be a tall old stile tank. I will need to have space in the back for the HOB fuge with Matrix and I will need a taller ladder. I already use a 4 step ladder to do maintenance of the fuge. But, nevertheless, I will give it a thought.

About the sock, definitely I will NOT go that route. It will be another complication. For someone who travels a lot, is another complication. You need to clean it / change it frequently. Now the system do NOT have any mechanical filtration. Like in ocean, all that floats is around floating. If that is organic, at some point will be used by corals, macro algaes and bacterias. Also it will be used by the clean up crew. I have big serpent starts (at least 5 in the DT and 2 in the fuge) plus snails (all types) and hermit crabs. The inverts in the fuge survive the triggerfish because they do their job hidden by the macro algae .....LOL. And, whatever's that cannot be eliminated by biology or that needs replenishment, like iron, potassium, Mg etc, it's done with a ~15% weekly water change.


Cheers
Daniel

[M007]

Originally Posted by nemodan

Beside the blue throat I am afraid of the rest. The next one will be the Niger Triggerfish. I had it in the fuge now. I LOVE ALL TRIGGERFISH But, for what I have read all arround, beside the blue throat any other, of the Reef safe triggerfush, you never know of a change of mind and start to eat my SPS.

I have the Niger and can't remember the name of the other. It has strips. I have some softcorals with them as an experiment. As of today they have not touched them.

What is your experience ?

Cheers
Daniel

Some what limited as I only have a Crosshatch but he's never been a problem and shows no interest in any coral.

[plyle02]

Daniel,
The tank looks great, corals look very healthy and are colorful too... I absolutely love your husbandry approach to diversity, your fuge is killer! The 20 gallon fuge has to be keeping the display quite stable, I see no visible signs of algae in the main tank, so you are doing some really cool stuff with this setup. Well done!

[reefmutt]

Daniel, I love your fuge. All that red macro algea is very nice. I'm not sure I could get it to grow in my system...

I would bet that after 4-6 months, the the resins, gfo and carbon in the Chemi pure elite are all exhausted... I'd pull it out.. Probably doing nothing.

I asked about the carbon because of the diversity in your tank and the common thought that sps won't thrive in a system with soft corals.. I think it was sporazoa who was asking about it on Matt's thread.. I sent him here!
What about your skimmer? Do wet skim? Somehow I doubt you do since wet skimming requires close attention and with your traveling, not easy to do..

About our frag swap on the beach next year, it's still illegal to bring even coral frags across the border, unfortunately.. Otherwise, I'd fill a cooler and bring them down!

[nemodan]

Originally Posted by plyle02

Daniel,
The tank looks great, corals look very healthy and are colorful too... I absolutely love your husbandry approach to diversity, your fuge is killer! The 20 gallon fuge has to be keeping the display quite stable, I see no visible signs of algae in the main tank, so you are doing some really cool stuff with this setup. Well done!

Thank you Perry !!. Every day I took wood and pray that nothing change. Yes, algae totally disappeared in the display tank. I just saw one of the Macro growing under an Acro. If the Tang cannot reach it by next weekend I will try to take it. But having a Macro on the DT do not bother me.

[nemodan]

Originally Posted by reefmutt

Daniel, I love your fuge. All that red macro algea is very nice. I'm not sure I could get it to grow in my system...

I would bet that after 4-6 months, the the resins, gfo and carbon in the Chemi pure elite are all exhausted... I'd pull it out.. Probably doing nothing.

I asked about the carbon because of the diversity in your tank and the common thought that sps won't thrive in a system with soft corals.. I think it was sporazoa who was asking about it on Matt's thread.. I sent him here!
What about your skimmer? Do wet skim? Somehow I doubt you do since wet skimming requires close attention and with your traveling, not easy to do..

About our frag swap on the beach next year, it's still illegal to bring even coral frags across the border, unfortunately.. Otherwise, I'd fill a cooler and bring them down!

Thank you Matt !!!

When we meet for the BQ next year I will give you a bunch. It is "Breath Dragon". Has a nice red color. Plan to bring a small bucket and a heater to the beach. You have there free water .... LOL. Then you bag it and in a cooler until your house. If you plan to come by airplane, just drop it in your luggage with just a very small amount of water. Lets plan !!!

If you want I can mail a piece and see what happens.

Don't worry about the frags. I do not want you go to jail for a small frag !!! :-)

Skimmer: Can you really explain me what is wet skimming. I have seen it in many threads, but do not have the concept. My skimmer produce foam up to 1-2" of the top. Then, during the day or mostly during the night, that foam increase and drops in the cup. Most of the "green dirty stuff that smell as dead dinosaur stay in the column". I collect only like 2 tea cups of green liquid every 2 weeks.

Cheers
Daniel

[Deftones2015]

Love the videos! Crazy how many fish you can keep. Looks like coralline is a huge issue for you though.

[nemodan]

Originally Posted by Deftones2015

Love the videos! Crazy how many fish you can keep. Looks like coralline is a huge issue for you though.

Thank you !!!!

I have 13 fish total. 10 in the DT and 3 in the Fuge. They eat like pigs. I spent , in average, 3 cubes of frozen food per day in one feed every evening. A couple of days I gave them pellets and at least once per week I add algae for the Tang.

Coraline., nice observation. I have coraline growing all around but not on the rocks. I would love to have those colored rocks, but most is on the glass. With my travels it is not easy to keep it in line. On my December vacations I will work on that issue seriously, scrapping the glass borders. Let see if I win.... LOL :-) .

Cheers
Daniel

[reefmutt]

Originally Posted by nemodan

Thank you Matt !!!

When we meet for the BQ next year I will give you a bunch. It is "Breath Dragon". Has a nice red color. Plan to bring a small bucket and a heater to the beach. You have there free water .... LOL. Then you bag it and in a cooler until your house. If you plan to come by airplane, just drop it in your luggage with just a very small amount of water. Lets plan !!!

If you want I can mail a piece and see what happens.

Don't worry about the frags. I do not want you go to jail for a small frag !!! :-)

Skimmer: Can you really explain me what is wet skimming. I have seen it in many threads, but do not have the concept. My skimmer produce foam up to 1-2" of the top. Then, during the day or mostly during the night, that foam increase and drops in the cup. Most of the "green dirty stuff that smell as dead dinosaur stay in the column". I collect only like 2 tea cups of green liquid every 2 weeks.

Cheers
Daniel

Everybody is invited to a bbq on the beach!!!
Well.. I'm not sure the city of Oqunquit really allows that but.. We'll see..

My definition of wet skimming is bubbles bursting right at the very top of the skimmer neck. No foam is produced because as the bubbles burst, they splash into the skimmer cup. I can fill my collection cup in 24 hours. I would say it is easily 6 cups of liquid.. This method will lower your salinity rather quickly, so you have to watch that. The collected liquid is still golden brown but not yet stinky because it is removed daily..
Others may have different definitions of wet skimming..

[nemodan]

Originally Posted by reefmutt

I asked about the carbon because of the diversity in your tank and the common thought that sps won't thrive in a system with soft corals.. I think it was sporazoa who was asking about it on Matt's thread.. I sent him here!

Matt .... you are correct. But there are many soft and LPS that do OK In an SPS tank. Zoas, mushrooms, leathers etc you can have them. Many say that leathers are toxic for SPS. in those thread the owners had HUGE leathers. I will not allow them to grow too much. I already sold 2 to a LFS. My hammers have a very slow growth. I will say almost no growth, just 2 heads in 1.5 years. For me that means the tank conditions are not optimal for them. But I like that, they are healthy. Some of my beautiful palies just disappeared. But other survived and are growing. Also slowly, but healthy.

Bottom line, some of the softies and LPS manage to live on SPS water conditions, as you can see in my video. But they do not growth at the rate they will, in a lower water quality tank.

Cheers
Daniel

Ps: some palies when they touch the SPS kill them in that sector. Then I killed those palies. The green mushrooms you saw in the movie are not good. They kill the SPS skin where they touch them. So what I do is with a razor take the mushroom beside the SPS. Let see if I can continue doing that.

There will be a time I will not be able to use my hands to keep the tanks "under control" then it will be like in Nature "only the strongers will survive". :-(

But for that there is still a long way to go. If I achieve that point then I will be proud that I was able to have a wealthy SPS tank where nothing else can fit. Let see.......

Cheers
Daniel

[nemodan]

Originally Posted by reefmutt

What about your skimmer? Do wet skim? Somehow I doubt you do since wet skimming requires close attention and with your traveling, not easy to do..

MATT.... I did this short video. Is this dry or wet skimming ?
https://youtu.be/90fjIHgCPOg

Thanks
Daniel

[reefmutt]

I would call that pretty normal dry skimming..
Wet skimming doesn't allow for foam to accumulate because the bubbles are bursting higher up to the rim of the neck...

[nemodan]

Originally Posted by reefmutt

I would call that pretty normal dry skimming..
Wet skimming doesn't allow for foam to accumulate because the bubbles are bursting higher up to the rim of the neck...

Thanks! ! Now I understand the differences. You are correct, if I were using wet skimming I wouldn't be able to travel. I clean the skimmer and cup every other week.

Daniel

[DaveRaz]

Beautiful reef. What is your photoperiod for the T5s?

[nemodan]

Originally Posted by DaveRaz

Beautiful reef. What is your photoperiod for the T5s?

Thank you !!!!

6 T5 ON at 10:30 AM and OFF at 8:30 PM

9:30 AM sunrise with LEDS and 8:30 to 9:30 PM sunset. LEDS stay ON with the T5.

Cheers
Daniel

[nemodan]

Some weekend pictures for future refrence.

[nemodan]

[nemodan]

[nemodan]