Picking up a 90G rimless tomorow! [Archive] - Reef Central Online Community

nualln

11/18/2009, 12:04 AM

Over the past few months I've been planning a 90 gallon rimless build based on a few of the reefs I've seen around here. Tomorrow Im driving to Dallas to pick up the tank. Hop along for my build thread!

Tank Specs:

90 Gallon (48x18x24) Oceanic (from The Fish Gallery in Dallas)
Stand - DIY out of 2x4's and 3/4 inch plywood based on http://www.projectaquarium.com/plantedAquariumArticles_ADAAquariumStand.aspx
Sump - Eshopps RS-100
Skimmer - Hydor performer 500
Lighting - Tek T5 six bulb from reefgeek.com
Rocks - Reef Saver Eco Rox from Bulk Reef Supply

Rocks cooking in 10 Gallons of water and 3 gallons of Vinegar
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2549/4114394944_348309d439_b.jpg

Aquascape mockup. Two big rocks are cooking in saltwater and fish food to jump start cycle.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2491/4114393942_93279dbdb6_b.jpg

Sump
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2660/4114394304_b6d58234e5_b.jpg

Auto Top off kit from BRS
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2724/4113625887_a5961eee1e_b.jpg

Container for Chaeto. Bought at Wal-Mart for 7 bucks.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2495/4113626509_d1c53e6e96_b.jpg

Top off water container. 10 Gallon rubbermaid from Wal-Mart
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2693/4114395764_d5bc460305_b.jpg

The stand is built and ready for the tank. I need to drill holes for the overflow. More pictures coming tomorrow!

nualln

11/23/2009, 05:05 PM

I built the stand from 2x4's and 3/4" plywood. The design was based on ADA aquarium stands. The total cost of the stand was around $150.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2799/4128688391_7f61ffbd79_b.jpg

All load-bearing joints were glued.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2704/4128710743_34a3272fb0_b.jpg

Just testing it. I'm something like 1/8th the weight of what the final load will be.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2643/4129485468_a71c4afbae_b.jpg

The legs were difficult to get square. It will take two people and a good vice.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2588/4129494942_3303c7da19_b.jpg

Let's see...150 lbs for the aquarium, 80 lbs for the sand, 100 lbs for the rocks and 800 lbs for the aquarium. Yep. This is an expensive and heavy hobby.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2708/4129498712_e45db648be_b.jpg

At this point I'm thinking... "I wonder if I have enough clearance for the bulkheads?"
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2742/4128736365_25f613fb1d_b.jpg

Top and doors are cut. I made the top easily removable. That means no glue and no putty over screw holes.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2745/4128740151_a465fea221_b.jpg

And after the third t-shirt change, I have my aquarium.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2504/4129514268_7988ce11f9_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2691/4129516042_e7b9cf5210_b.jpg

I wasn't happy with the doors at first. The plywood wasn't as smooth as I wanted it to be, so I covered the inset portion with vinyl from the fabric store.

Hagisan

11/23/2009, 05:07 PM

Container for Chaeto. Bought at Wal-Mart for 7 bucks.
+1
Nice - holes for flow and everything!

gatorchem

11/23/2009, 05:13 PM

This has the making af a nice tank. That's some nice rock! Nice trick on the vinyl I might have to try that on my next build.

nualln

11/23/2009, 05:30 PM

Moving the tank from my parents house to my apartment was a pain. I have no idea how much it weighs but it took two people to carry and three people to move it to and from the truck.

Here's it filling up. I thank God I bought a 75gpd rodi system. It took about a 22 hours to fill up. I ended up using about 38 cups of salt which makes me think the rocks displaced a lot of water. My total system volume is probably around 75-80 gallons.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2530/4128757001_6658fbae2c_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2608/4129528464_8dccc2d547_b.jpg

48" 6 bulb tek light
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2614/4128762249_25069953be_b.jpg

3 ATI Blue Plus and 3 ATI aquablue specials.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2540/4129532120_7fec662f4b_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2509/4128765031_ab829e48ba_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2612/4129535112_b45fd0feaa_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2682/4129536754_9cf9ca5dbe_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2608/4129543552_44f569647a_b.jpg

cuda70bill

11/23/2009, 06:02 PM

I am doing a 90 myself, great start like the setup so far

laredo300c

11/23/2009, 06:18 PM

wow love those rimless tanks,,, tagging along:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

reefkeeperaxm

11/23/2009, 07:10 PM

That's sweet idea to have a ceiling fan right on top of it.

diverbh4

11/23/2009, 07:50 PM

The tank and rockscape look amazing!

What are you planning on stocking it with?

nGo

11/23/2009, 07:54 PM

Looking good, keep up the great work! :thumbsup:

somdinwong

11/23/2009, 08:16 PM

i just calle dmy wife from the other room. she had to pick my jaw off the floor

lougotzz

11/23/2009, 08:27 PM

You did a nice job on that stand.

muhnandr

11/23/2009, 08:33 PM

looking very nice

lordofthereef

11/23/2009, 09:17 PM

Looking great so far. Word of caution for the top-off container though... those guys tend to bow if they are filled too much for long periods of time. Not sure how high you plan to fill it, but thought I would mention it.

mdemuth

11/23/2009, 09:37 PM

Nice looking setup

mnml

11/23/2009, 10:18 PM

pretty cool build. the rocks look great!

any issues with mixing the saltwater inside a tank with sand+rocks?

nualln

11/23/2009, 10:34 PM

reefkeeperaxm - It's not really above the tank. Its in front of it by quite a bit, but I never turn it on. The fan is really noisy and rocks back and forth wildly. If I was using Halides it might help a bit though.

diverbh4 - Mostly LPS and a few SPS. I'm thinking about some star polyps, torch, frog, hammer, acans, favia....the usual. I'm going to try my best to keep the reef looking clean. I don't like tanks that have a million different corals in them, but ones that are very well planned out. As far as fish, I've got a false clown and a purple chromis in my other tank. I'll most likely get yellow and blue tangs.

lordofthereef - I totally agree about the bowing containers. If you look in the 2nd sump picture you can see a 2.5 gallon water container that I'm using now. The 10 gallon took up too much space and I couldn't fit my phosphate/carbon reactors in there.

mnml - Yeah I probably should have mixed it beforehand. I had to wait about 24 hours before I got a stable salinity reading. I made sure to dump most of the salt near the powerheads and kind of cast it across the tank so it dissolved before it hit the sand or rocks. I did get a little bit of the salt to settle on the sand but it dissolved pretty quickly. I'm now stable at 1.025. I didn't add all my sand to the tank before I filled it. I wanted to make sure I didn't kill everything in the sand (beneficial stuff) so I only put about half of it in and then the other half once the salinity stabilized.

Does anyone have any tips on cycling a tank with just dry rock? I put about a cup of sand from my current tank into this one to give it a boost, but I need a good ammonia source. Shrimp? Fish food? Straight ammonia from a bottle? This is the first non-live rock tank I've cycled and I'm kind of at a loss.

nualln

12/06/2009, 03:13 AM

UPDATE!

1: Light brackets came in. I plan on eventually suspending the light from the ceiling. However, I only have 4 months left in my apartment and I haven't really found a good way to suspend it without making a panel to fit on the ceiling. This will have to wait until I move into a house permanently.

2: The bulb selection is a little too actinic for my tastes. I'm thinking about replacing one of the Blue+ with a daylight bulb.

3: My skimmer was up and running perfectly. It got a whole bunch of crap out of the water that I had no idea could be in there.

4: The tank is cycled after adding donor sand/live rock from my nano. I used a cocktail shrimp as my ammonia source. I'm kind of scared about how quickly it cycled and I think I'm going to let it stew a little longer before I add livestock. I'd like to see some algae growth take over before I add the cuc.

Current Params:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 2.5
SG: 1.025
Temp: 78
Calcium: 420
Alk: 12 dkh
pH: 8.0 (A little low, but I'm guessing that this is because I'm not running the lights fully yet)
Phosphate: Haven't tested since I added the reactor.

5: I added 2 phosban reactors. One for carbon (BRS ROX) and another for GFO. The addition of these two reactors and about 2-3 quarts of new saltwater to make up for the reactor space caused my skimmer to stop foaming. I'm getting a ton of bubbles but no bubble column. Is this normal?

Pics!

Actinics only
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2496/4161877577_c2329a8375_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2642/4161876939_1152c8cbd6_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/4161876479_51a16832c9_b.jpg

zachfishman

12/06/2009, 09:46 AM

Very nice, I love rimless tanks. Your whole setup is very compact and efficient; and going with T5's not only saves you mucho on the power bill... you'll never catch yourself eyeing chillers. But you already knew that. :thumbsup:

spleify

12/06/2009, 10:21 AM

Its looking sweet already. Nice work

lin0501

12/06/2009, 10:34 AM

Those are some nice Eco Rox. I'm considering ordering some myself. How many pounds is that? Nice tank BTW.

nualln

12/06/2009, 01:24 PM

Those are some nice Eco Rox. I'm considering ordering some myself. How many pounds is that? Nice tank BTW.

It's 100lbs. I would definitely do an acid bath on them if you do decide to order. There is so much gunk that will cloud up your water on these rocks.

nualln

12/07/2009, 03:11 AM

Here's my tentative stocking list. The bottom third will be purchased first, with Monti's next, then SPS. Can anybody see any potential problems? Any suggestions?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2689/4165935610_494d279de5_b.jpg

stylolvr

12/07/2009, 06:12 AM

With all the nice corals you have selected to add, I would be sure that the rock with the GSPis isolated from the rest of the rock. If it is connected, you will forever be battling to keep them from overgrowing your other corals.

The tank looks great - I really like the rockwork, and think that maybe even a really nice stag placed in the middle of the tank, on the left island but behind the zoas, would make an awesome centerpiece. Just my thoughts - keep up the good work!

nualln

12/07/2009, 05:07 PM

Good call on the GSP. I might substitute torch coral in that location. With all of the sps stuff, I need some movement in the bottom area of the tank.

Here's a picture update:

Alkalinity, calcium and magnesium suppliments. This is what comes with the two-part kit from Bulk Reef Supply. (Except the Kalk. I have no idea why that's still in there. I never used it.)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2764/4167683684_a3b5e5803e_b.jpg

32 gallon trash can for mixing. I bought two of these. Inside the bucket is a rio powerhead and a 150 watt heater.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2737/4167689554_f6f436f503_b.jpg

RODI sink adapter.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2756/4167682874_66f4b9b21a_b.jpg

I had a little accident a couple days ago that involved a 4 gallon bucket and about 15 gallons of water, so I figured I should post a reminder before I run out the door.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2578/4167685418_79b9c524e1_b.jpg

Today's test kit. Nitrates at about 5-10 ppm. (I can't tell the difference between the colors for 5 and 10 ppm. API needs to fix this.)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2777/4167684560_e9789b7e70_b.jpg

I transferred some of the corals from my old tank to the 90.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2562/4166926233_b77161fd70_b.jpg

The tooth is still getting used to the new lights.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2723/4167686070_edbdfd3631_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2568/4167687412_d0e1995b21_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2562/4166926233_b77161fd70_b.jpg

Big water change tomorrow. I'm hoping my skimmer starts foaming again.

silverstool

12/07/2009, 05:26 PM

i never liked those API kits for that same reason. the colors are too close!

silverstool

12/07/2009, 05:27 PM

for the eco rox, would you recommend these? i've been looking at them for a while now.. tough choice between eco and mixed dried rock. tank is looking great so far.

nualln

12/07/2009, 05:34 PM

for the eco rox, would you recommend these? i've been looking at them for a while now.. tough choice between eco and mixed dried rock. tank is looking great so far.

I love the eco rox. The only thing I would change is that they're slightly too big. I have a few pieces that are bigger than footballs, and they're really heavy and hard to aquascape with. I'm sure you might be able to break them apart though.

If I were to do it over again, I might get 50-60 lbs of eco rox, 20 lbs of mixed dry rock and 20 lbs of their shelf rock.

lougotzz

12/07/2009, 05:36 PM

how long did it take for your tank to cycle with the eco rox?

silverstool

12/07/2009, 05:38 PM

I love the eco rox. The only thing I would change is that they're slightly too big. I have a few pieces that are bigger than footballs, and they're really heavy and hard to aquascape with. I'm sure you might be able to break them apart though.

If I were to do it over again, I might get 50-60 lbs of eco rox, 20 lbs of mixed dry rock and 20 lbs of their shelf rock.

would you say the eco rox is similar to fiji for density?

Snow Leopard

12/07/2009, 05:47 PM

Looks good! Like your sump set up and your T5's. Hope the color combo works out.

nualln

12/07/2009, 06:09 PM

Here was my cycling process:

Add eco rocks, 50lbs Arag Alive sand and saltwater.

Add 2 cups of sand from an already cycled aquarium (my nano).

Add 1 small piece of fiji live rock (about 5 lbs)

Add 3 chopped up cocktail shrimp.

Dose .3ml of vodka per day and about 1 teaspoon of sand from my nano. I did this because ammonia kills the bacteria that turns nitrite into nitrate, and I wanted to replenish the bacterial population if any had died during the cycle.

The tank cycled in two weeks. When I say cycled, I mean the nitrogen cycle only. I have 0 algea right now and I expect to get some in the near future. I did not run my skimmer or lights during the cycle, and I did not do any water changes. I'm a little concerned about how fast it cycled, and I'm going to wait until after Christmas to add fish. I'm adding a tiny pinch of flake food a day just to see if the bacterial filtration holds up. I want to simulate having fish so I don't see an unexpected spike. So far so good.

On another note, my zoanthid colony opened up when I placed it in the 90. It was having a few problems in the nano. I believe the water quality in the nano was lacking, as they would usually open up for a day or 2 after a water change, then close back up.

As for the rocks, I would say they are less dense and more porous than fiji. The rock is not like any live rock I've seen from the ocean. Its fairly light as far as rock goes.

silverstool

12/07/2009, 07:47 PM

more porous is good. and now you know you have no pests in your tank. maybe i'll try it in my new tank.

nualln

12/13/2009, 02:33 PM

I went to The Fish Gallery Friday to pick up some corals. They had a ton of beautiful ORA stuff in but it was $75+ for 1 1" frag, and most of the really awesome stuff was $90-100. Instead I picked up a fairly large lobo and an acro frag. Both are doing awesome under the T5's.

I also got three heads of hammerhead from a local hobbyist as well as a tiny birdsnest frag.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2508/4182661470_1347861f42_b.jpg

I've gotta get a 100mm macro. My 50mm just doesnt cut it for aquarium stuff.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/4181898671_d17d4d563e_b.jpg

Hydnopora
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4181897643_bb70cb8aea_b.jpg

Sorry if it's a little blurry. I was at 1/20th of a second.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2775/4181896711_900460470b_b.jpg

For size reference, the big polyp is about 3-4" across.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2610/4181895815_98e21fb267_b.jpg

So I totally lied about waiting until christmas to add fish. I put my clown and my purple chromis from my nano into the 90 and they were doing fantastic. I added a coral beauty and a foxface this week. On a sad note, my chromis went carpet surfing the other night. The guy never jumped out of my 20L so I wonder if the coral beauty chased him out.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2573/4182662628_5a3a29e913_b.jpg

jhoff

12/13/2009, 03:40 PM

Tank look's awsome great job.Love your chaeto container I have the RS75 think i will try that out with mine great idea ya had there...

nualln

12/18/2009, 04:03 PM

Picture update:

My water parameters are near perfect. I have 0 Nitrates and 0 phosphates. I'm currently dosing Microbakter 7 and .7ml of Vodka per day.

My current dosing schedule is as follows:

Daily:
30ml each of 2 part
1ml Strontium
6 drops of MB7
.8ml vodka

Weekly
1 ml iodine
6 drops of amino acids (twice a week)
5ml reef snow (twice a week)

And now for pictures.

5 head torch from LFS
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2597/4196121828_87f1dab1cf_b.jpg

I think my clown is having a small bout with ich. He's had several spots come and go, but he's eating like a pig. So for now I won't quarantine.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2680/4195366643_f12e87efbc_b.jpg

The Foxface might be my favorite fish.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2803/4196124714_ff544ffb9c_b.jpg

The Coral Beauty is definitely the alpha.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2599/4196125738_c3909f740c_b.jpg

FranktheTankTx

12/18/2009, 04:27 PM

No problems with the Coral Beauty nipping at corals?

P.S. Why are you dosing vodka?

nualln

12/18/2009, 04:33 PM

Nope. The only thing the coral beauty nips at is a little bit of GHA growing on the glass. I have not had a single problem with him.

I'm dosing vodka so my fish can share in my love for all things Russian :)

Actually, after doing a ton of research, vodka dosing with a bacterial source (MB7) seemed like the best option. I don't have room to run a full refugium or deep sand bed. We'll see if it works. If you want to talk me out of it, go for it.

asl4me76

12/18/2009, 04:42 PM

Lightsluvr

12/18/2009, 04:43 PM

Picture update:

The Coral Beauty is definitely the alpha.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2599/4196125738_c3909f740c_b.jpg

Love those Coral Beauties... that's not ich spots on his gills, is it?

Great job on the tank.

nualln

12/18/2009, 05:10 PM

Hey nualln -- Great looking tank you have going there.

You ever come over to the Dallas metroplex, let me know you're more than welcome to come by and see my set up. I never make it out to Tyler, but I may just have to try to get out there sometime :D

Anyways -- I was wondering what kind of favia that is that you have on your sand bed?

Absolutely. PM me sometime with your info. I grew up in Grapevine so I'm out that way probably twice a month.

No clue about the favia. I bought it at the fish gallery in Dallas and it was labeled as "Favia frag." Sorry I couldnt be more help.

Lightsluvr: Nope, it's just a spot on the glass or a bubble or something. It caught me off guard when I saw it too and I ran back to the tank to check.

I'm having a problem with Alk/Calcium right now. Whenever one goes up, the other goes down and I'm having trouble keeping things balanced. Right now I'm at 420 cal and 7 dkh. Last week it was 360 cal and 9 dkh. Why can't I seem to get it in the middle?

jbird69

12/18/2009, 05:54 PM

I'm having a problem with Alk/Calcium right now. Whenever one goes up, the other goes down and I'm having trouble keeping things balanced. Right now I'm at 420 cal and 7 dkh. Last week it was 360 cal and 9 dkh. Why can't I seem to get it in the middle?

This could be caused from low magnesium. Your mag should be 1250-1300.

Your setup is stunning and Im reeling with jealousy. I GOTTA UPGRADE!!!!!!!

A couple suggestions if you dont mind. I would put a black background on the tank (forgive me if you mentioned this earlier and I missed it) Painting will be tough at this point but a black aquarium back ground could be taped well to the back and they look almost as good as paint.

Also, be cautious with hammers, froggies and torches. They can get scary-long sweepers that not many corals will survive. I like the idea of a tank with a designated sps zone and lps zone with minimal chance of contact. The other benefit to this is you can manipulate flow to give a lot to the sps areas and less to the lps....I know easier said than done.

Finally, be aware that capricornises, in the right environment will grow like a weed. They will shade anything below them and snuff them out. I was looking at your plan for one on the top left pinnacle. Picture a frisbee....only bigger. I love the idea of glueing caps to overflow boxes. That would look sweet in your tank IMO.

Very nice setup!

nualln

12/23/2009, 02:04 PM

asl4me76

12/23/2009, 02:15 PM

Hey Nuu --- will definitely send you a PM with my contact information. If you are over this week within the next week, let me know when and etc. My other half is out of town, so I can talk fish stuff all day long and not have her drive me nuts about how long someone was here for.

I'm not sure what's going on with the lobo. I haven't had one ever, so I'm not knowledgeable on them.

I am thinking of attaching my red cap monti's to the overflow. I have 3 pieces, but I don't want them to shade everything underneath them. So, I may end up attaching them to the back corner of the overflow (seeing as how mine is in the center) so they can still grow decently (not get overly large either) and not blow anything from getting some much needed light.

Here's a photo of my tank to give you an idea:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2635/4201511791_6928394e97_o.jpg

(Sorry, not trying to hijack your thread)

asl4me76

12/23/2009, 02:16 PM

My lobo I bought three weeks ago doesn't look to good. When I bought it, it had a small white/clear spot on the top ridge of the big polyp. Now the white spot is much bigger. Any ideas? My water params are perfect and I got the calcium and alk in line. Any ideas? Bleaching? Should I move it lower/higher?
Before:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2610/4181895815_98e21fb267_b.jpg
Now:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2614/4209578718_c3ce0d08e4_b.jpg

It also appears as though it is spreading. In the second photo, the bend on the bottom is whitening out as well. Not good we have to put out this fire soon, dont want you losing your lobo. Where'd you get it, if you don't mind my asking?

nualln

12/23/2009, 02:20 PM

I got it from The Fish Gallery on Greenville Ave. in Dallas.

asl4me76

12/23/2009, 02:27 PM

I got it from The Fish Gallery on Greenville Ave. in Dallas.

I have never gotten anything from the Fish Gallery, although they are a good store. I'd call them and see what they have to say and see if they have any input on this.

BTW, YGPM.

nualln

12/28/2009, 04:16 PM

Christmas was good to me. My folks got me a reefkeeper lite, which I've been tinkering with for a couple days. This thing is awesome. I cant imagine what the "elite" version does!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2713/4222832957_b4d802c375_b.jpg

My inlaws got me a $50 gift certificate to my LFS. I've been eyeing this zoa colony for some time now. It was listed at 114, but I was able to talk them down to $50. I'm a frequent shopper there and they pretty much know I'll be back :)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2527/4222828683_b84d64012d_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2532/4222829565_49b8ddc2a0_b.jpg

On a sad note, my open brain isn't doing so well. It lost about half of its pigment and I've moved it to a shaded area of the sandbed. It looks like it's starting to recover, but we'll see. I cant seem to get it to eat anything.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4028/4223598802_e17dedabe5_b.jpg

FTS:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2705/4223595660_7cc11f9ed6_b.jpg

I made a bracket out of acrylic for some moonlighting. I'm using a cheap light right now, but I expect to purchase the RKL moon light module with a couple of lights.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2637/4222834389_3d81e87163_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2781/4222833757_f48b61becf_b.jpg

I've been experimenting with LED's for a few days now and I retrofitted my 12 gallon eclipse freshwater with 4 LED's from a refugium light I used on my last tank. I absolutely love the shimmer from the LED's. I'm trying to find someone to take over the livestock from the FW tank so I can convert it to a non-photosynthetic tank. Anyone want 2 tiger barbs and some driftwood?

Lastly, my mother got me a $100 gift card to Vivid Aquariums. Since they have free shipping for anything over $225, I loaded up on corals. I put in an order for the following:

Hulk Zoanthids (Zoanthus sp.) - 8-10 Polyps:

Lunar Eclipse Palys (Palythoa sp.) - Frag 2 polyps:

Tubs Blue Zoanthids (Zoanthis sp.) - 2 Polyps:

Electric Torch Coral (Euphyllia glabrescens) - One Head:

Purple Tip Frogspawn Coral (Euphyllia paradivisa) - 2-3 Heads

Red Montipora Capricornus (montipora capricornus) - Size: 1"-1.5" Frag

Green Lobo Brain Coral (Lobophyllia hemprichii) - Small: 2”-3”

ORA Neon Green Acropora(Acropora sp.) - Frag: 1"-1.5"

ORA Scripp's Green Staghorn Acropora (Acropora sp.) - Size: 1.5"-2"

It's more corals than I would want to add at one time, but 9 corals for 225 and free shipping with a $100 gift card was too good to pass up. I'm still not sure where I'm going to put the monti. Any ideas?

mnml

12/28/2009, 04:50 PM

Pretty slick mod with the moonlights. Sounds like you had a pretty good Christmas. ;)

bwilcox

12/28/2009, 05:24 PM

Ok. Where did you get that big of a filter sock? Also do you run any Ozone?

nualln

12/28/2009, 05:33 PM

No ozone. I don't see a huge benefit to it, and I'm trying to minimize things that are disastrous when they fail (i.e. Kalk reactor).

The filter sock is 7", 200 micron and came with the Eshopps sump. You can buy the socks from Marinedepot.

Gill again

12/28/2009, 06:03 PM

Just read through your entire post. NICE TANK! Very good Christmas I see. Yeah get the MLC. I love mine. I am hooked up to the elite and that thing is smarter than me. That aint hard to do though. Back to the MLC. I have 3 of the blue leds on my 90 gal and when its on the "full moon" 100 % it really looks nice. I wouldn't go with less. Im taggin along from here.

nualln

01/01/2010, 03:48 PM

Yesterday I went to the Dallas area with a couple local reefers. Together we spend about 800 bucks, but I got out pretty good. Here's the new additions:

Scolymia
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/4235042896_1634421390_b.jpg

Purple Acro
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/4234269795_070efa5d39_b.jpg

Candy Cane
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2662/4234270925_cf0a7d3909_b.jpg

FTS. Notice anything different?
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2598/4234272161_d0e170d955_b.jpg

My brain (Trachiphyllia, not a lobo as I originally said) still isn't doing great. It's not losing any more pigment, but it does have some tissue recession on a small part of the skeleton. This part was originally touching rock, and I believe the polyp oscillation was causing it to rub away. We'll see if it recovers, or if it becomes a $50 rock. Fingers crossed.

My buddies purchased a bunch of stuff yesterday, including a pink tip acro colony, green milli, ORA pearlberry, green stylophora, and a really awesome gold and black squamosa clam. All in all it was a great trip.

I also added Brightwells Bio Fuel (organic carbon instead of vodka) and Replenish, a trace element additive. I'm cutting back on the carbon dosing for a week because I'm having some cyano issues.

Happy new year!

Sooners

01/01/2010, 04:32 PM

What type camera are you using to take the pictures? They look good.

What's the coral on the top left (green).

nualln

01/01/2010, 04:55 PM

What type camera are you using to take the pictures? They look good.

What's the coral on the top left (green).

I'm using a canon 5D mkII and a sigma 50mm macro. Photography is my profession though, so pretty much any decent macro and SLR will do the job. Use manual and edit for correct color in photoshop or lightroom. T5's and digital camera sensors don't always mix well. Point and Shoots are worthless for this kind of stuff in my opinion.

Is this the coral you're talking about?

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/4181898671_d17d4d563e_b.jpg

If so, my guess is Stylophora. It wasn't listed at the lfs, except as "acro." So who knows. There are people better at identifying corals than myself.

Sooners

01/01/2010, 05:43 PM

Yea, that's a neat looking coral.

As you note, my little Canon point and shoot can't zoom it and take a coral pick to save its life.

nualln

01/01/2010, 05:52 PM

Yea, that's a neat looking coral.

As you note, my little Canon point and shoot can't zoom it and take a coral pick to save its life.

I can vouch for that. Even after doing photography professionally for 5 years and shooting more than 80,000 photos this year, I have to say taking pics of an aquarium is one of the most difficult things to do. Don't get discouraged.

our6pack

01/01/2010, 05:58 PM

Nice tank. Hoping on this thread ;)

mnml

01/01/2010, 06:09 PM

way to start out the new year, the purple acro looks fantastic!

nualln

01/02/2010, 05:44 PM

Heres a before and after of the Stylophora. The left was taken on Dec 13, and the right was taken yesterday (Jan 1). You can see pretty good growth and a bunch of new heads. This thing is growing fast!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/4238187533_0d65fc6580_b.jpg

gtaylor67

01/02/2010, 10:40 PM

Tank is looking great. I would like to have the new addition you put in the lower right hand corner in my own tank.. Looking great and continued success...

nualln

01/05/2010, 12:00 AM

So after a week in my tank, the new pink Zoanthids stopped opening. I was worried that my coral beauty was picking on them, but as it turns out i found 2 of these guys stuck to the top of a closed polyp.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/4246514313_1bc75b10e7_b.jpg

After some googling, I came across Melev's page (http://melevsreef.com/id/pycnogonid.html) about Zoanthid pests. I've already done a dip in coral revive, but I don't have any lugols. I do however, have Julian Sprung's Iodine. Does anyone know what the ratio of iodine to water is good for a dip?

nualln

01/05/2010, 03:12 PM

The shipment from vivid aquariums came in today. Things are still starting to open up, but here's some introductory pics.

ORA neon green acro and ORA scripps green staghorn acro.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2758/4249179262_aed02b3638_b.jpg

Electric green torch. This is NOT actinic light. It's really that green!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2790/4248402973_9b8bba8de2_b.jpg

Lunar Eclipse Palys.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2515/4248406507_41182fcf17_b.jpg

Hulk Zoanthids.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2758/4248407181_182963a57b_b.jpg

3 headed frogspawn.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2703/4248425091_9527f019a7_b.jpg

Also purchased: Green Lobo, Orange monti cap, tubs blue zoanthids. These were hard to photograph, so I omitted them from this post. The monti cap is placed in the back of the aquarium behind the green stylophora. I figured that way it would be least likely to shade other corals. The zoanthids will be placed higher on the rocks once they acclimate to the light.

And that's it for now. My future list contains about 10 more sps frags, but for the time being I'm going to wait for some grow-out.

Oh, forgot to add a FTS:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4007/4249182882_d483c1c51a_b.jpg

96gts

01/05/2010, 05:38 PM

Looking good, I also have a rimless 90gal, but it's 36"x24"x24".

lougotzz

01/05/2010, 05:49 PM

Has your tank gone through any nuisance algae cycles yet?

NaClCrocodile

01/05/2010, 06:02 PM

That torch is sick. Wow...

nualln

01/05/2010, 08:05 PM

Has your tank gone through any nuisance algae cycles yet?

Yeah. My tank is a cyano farm at the moment. It was brought in on the only piece of live rock I put in there. I've stopped vodka dosing at the moment to see if it goes away.

boxer385

01/05/2010, 09:49 PM

Looking good, I also have a rimless 90gal, but it's 36"x24"x24".

do you have a photo of your tank I'M considering that size tank, glasscages stock that size.
disregard i located it, nice tank

grizwalt333

01/05/2010, 10:07 PM

Re: your brain

Mine does best in on the sand bed, but it doesn't like sand getting on it so if you want a goby... your tanks huge NVMND. If I move it up for more light I have to place it so when it expands thru the day the tissue never touches rocks. Ive seen it get white and contract down to the skeleton before. I would say get yours in the light but off the rocks

Tank is amazing.

Rennsport

01/05/2010, 11:13 PM

Love this setup, well done! Great IQ as well!!

nualln

01/05/2010, 11:52 PM

grizwalt333

01/06/2010, 01:06 AM

I don't think my "experience" has gotten to the point that I can tell you about what is going on in your tank. I have had a Hammer get Brown Jelly or Necrosis never found out, it didn't spread, nothing I did helped it, just watched it wither away. Fresh water dips, iodine baths and cleaning the affected area. On the other hand my Candy Cane has gone dormant at times, IE after I moved my tank, and it always comes back. So I think be patient. Get it good light good flow is very key, try to keep things away from it and ride it out. It nothing else like you said you will have a really nice rock to mount a new frag on.

FranktheTankTx

01/06/2010, 05:11 AM

Yeah. My tank is a cyano farm at the moment. It was brought in on the only piece of live rock I put in there. I've stopped vodka dosing at the moment to see if it goes away.
What type of flow do you have in the tank? What are your feeding habits and what are the bulb combinations?

cdbias2

01/06/2010, 08:26 AM

How did you end up making out with those zoa spiders?
Do you think you got rid of them?
Do you know where they came from? Was it an online retailer?

nualln

01/06/2010, 01:16 PM

What type of flow do you have in the tank? What are your feeding habits and what are the bulb combinations?

I have two Koralia 4's and a Mag 7 for the return. I feed a combination of flake and frozen mysis once a day.

Bulbs: 3 ATI Blue+, 3 ATI Aquablue special.

It's weird that the cyano is growing in areas of the highest flow, and barely growing at all on the sandbed.

How did you end up making out with those zoa spiders?
Do you think you got rid of them?
Do you know where they came from? Was it an online retailer?

Well, I picked about 8 or so directly off of polyps, and I've been looking for them after dark. I picked two off last night and 2 fell off in a freshwater dip. Today the Zoa's are opened up more, but still not fully. The colony was on a big piece of live rock from the LFS, which I'm sure is where they came from. I also found a tiny sundial snail after I did the dip. With all those pests, I'm surprised the colony is alive at all. Pretty aggravating.

FranktheTankTx

01/06/2010, 02:33 PM

I have two Koralia 4's and a Mag 7 for the return. I feed a combination of flake and frozen mysis once a day.

Bulbs: 3 ATI Blue+, 3 ATI Aquablue special.

It's weird that the cyano is growing in areas of the highest flow, and barely growing at all on the sandbed.
Well, your flow is a little low if you're planning to keep SPS. But 30x flow shouldn't be a cause for cyano. You're bulb spectrum doesn't seem to be the problem either. However, what is your photo period?

So next in line is your feeding habits. I don't know how much you feed each time, but I'll give you an idea that I would only feed my reef tanks 3-4x per week. And I fed only 1/2 cube of mysis each feeding. Some people feed their reef tanks way too much... which causes high nutrients & nuiscance algae in the long run.

Tested for PO4? I believe I saw you were running GFO. And you grow chaeto too. This is a little puzzling, but I would have to consider feeding habits first, though I'm somewhat in the dark on what you do exactly.

nualln

01/06/2010, 02:43 PM

My photoperiod is the following:

Actinics 11:30-5:30 p.m.
Daylight 12-5 p.m.

I'm going to hold back on the feeding a little bit. We'll see how it goes.

grizwalt333

01/06/2010, 04:48 PM

About two months ago my entire colony of Zoas closed up all day all night for like a week. I decided that it was time to fix them. Asked around at the good LFS not the bad one : ) and did a series of Fresh Water dips. Just buffer your Ph and maintain same temp. A couple of nudi's droped off one or two of these spiders and a whole bunch of tiny red star fish , don't exactly know what they were but my Zoas are out every day and they stay out all day.

C.

nualln

01/06/2010, 05:37 PM

grizwalt333

01/06/2010, 10:59 PM

I dipped them for 5mins on the first dip and shook them out before returning to DT. Then the second time I dipped for 10 mins. See how they take it, I would say no more than 20 but don't hold me to that. Check some threads on Nudibrachs (SP?) that would be good reference.

C.

grizwalt333

01/06/2010, 11:04 PM

Regarding the Cyno.

I had a bad outbreak due to bad RO DI water I was buying from a LFS. I had to vacuum it all out, for weeks. I see you have you own RO setup are you storing mixed water? Is it covered? Is it heated and mixing 24/7 ? You may have brought a little in with a new coral, or it could be you tank algae cylcin' not really shure if Cyno is part of this natural cycle.

grizwalt333

01/06/2010, 11:04 PM

Can we get a updated Front Tank Shot :)

nualln

01/06/2010, 11:14 PM

I honestly think the problem with the cyano has to do with the new carbon source I started using. I went from good old fashioned vodka to Brightwell's Bio Fuel. I'm not storing RODI water at all. I only make as much as I need right then. I need to get a TDS meter to make sure things aren't out of whack.

As for the FTS, I'll get one tomorrow when the lights are on. The previous FTS was from Yesterday.

nualln

01/07/2010, 03:15 PM

FTS as requested. I blew off a ton of cyano last night and it doesn't look like it's coming back as quickly this time. We shall see.

Click here to download the full resolution (Warning, it might melt a 56K modem). (http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4043/4255051306_678d776f50_o.jpg)
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4043/4255051306_106b5a63e7_b.jpg

nualln

01/08/2010, 04:07 PM

So here's what's in the works:

I've got a shipment of stuff coming in from Marine Depot, which includes the moonlight module to go with my RKL, new filter socks, new calcium test kit (that stuff gets depleted fast!), and the rest of the products for the brightwell's neozeo system.

I also had John from Advanced Acrylics make an auto top-off container that will leave me more room in my sump. The container is 22" high and only 5" wide. I got the idea from a forum member, mnml, who had a similar container built. Here's the image of the one he built for mnml.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v192/Zenit/125g/atofront.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v192/Zenit/125g/atoside.jpg

I'm also thinking about adding more flow. I've been looking at the Vortech mp20 and placing it on the back of the tank. However, it's really expensive. I mean, 300 for a powerhead? I need to be sold on it before I commit to buying. If not, I'm going to get some more SPS stuff instead. Opinions?

Two days ago I blew off a bunch of the cyano that was covering my rocks and changed the carbon and GFO. The cyano is not coming back, which is a very good sign.

Fig

01/08/2010, 04:53 PM

You won't be disappointed in the MP20. Check out Youtube for some vids.

nualln

01/09/2010, 02:50 PM

Time to get rid of the Coral Beauty. I caught it nipping at my acro frags twice in the last two days.

Ugh. I don't want to tear down my tank. Any ideas on how to get it out of there without removing everything?

MOB1224

01/09/2010, 03:02 PM

Congrats on the 90gal it looks great

mnml

01/09/2010, 03:28 PM

That's sweet you pulled the trigger on the ATO, John does really great work. :) You can find a deal on the MP20 in the For Sale forum, I see them posted there all the time. Another alternative would be the Tunze Streams.

Bummer on the Coral Beauty, it's one of my favorite fish but Acros takes priority for sure. ;)

nualln

01/09/2010, 03:44 PM

Yeah it's a bummer for sure. I spoke with the owner of the LFS whom I bought it from, concerning the reef compatability of this specific Coral Beauty. He said "I would easily put it in the coral tank with 40 grand worth of livestock."

I'll have to ask him about that on Monday.

mnml

01/09/2010, 03:54 PM

nualln

01/09/2010, 04:02 PM

I guess you'll have to take what he says with a grain of salt. I think it's hit or miss with dwarf angels in an SPS tank. I have a buddy who has on Coral Beauty in his SPS tank and the fish doesn't bother the corals.

By the way, I've been following your thread for a little while now. I love the cleanliness of the setup. Have you found that you need to dose more 2-part than the instructions recommend?

Av8bluewater

01/09/2010, 04:32 PM

Great looking tank. Are you a member of DFWMAS?
If not I would join just for the discount at the local stores. I've got most of my high end frags from people on the message board.
Fish gallery is nice. I like the guy there. Not sure if he's an owner or manager. Neptunes cove has a great selection.

Juruense

01/09/2010, 04:36 PM

Sure is a nice looking tank, love the rimless!

nualln

01/09/2010, 04:54 PM

mnml

01/09/2010, 06:32 PM

By the way, I've been following your thread for a little while now. I love the cleanliness of the setup. Have you found that you need to dose more 2-part than the instructions recommend?

Thanks. Your tank is pretty clean as well man. :beer:

Right now I'm only doing 10ml of 2-part per day. However, I have a SPS frag pack coming next week so I'm going to have to bump it up some more.

fox2589

01/09/2010, 06:35 PM

there's an mp 20 for 210 shipped on the forums right now i believe..go for it i love my mp 10..tank looks great keep up the good work!-Drew

nualln

01/10/2010, 04:19 AM

Just purchased an MP20 from That Fish Place. They're having a 10% off everything sale until Tuesday. Saved 30 bucks.

nualln

01/10/2010, 03:11 PM

Here's FT+Stand shot. I had to combine 2 exposures to get this right.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2689/4263089499_fdfb39f668_b.jpg

nualln

01/11/2010, 11:42 PM

Shipment from Marinedepot came in today. Here's the goods.

I did a ton of research on zeovit methods, and after Sunnyx's success with MB7, I decided to give it a shot. The Brightwell method seemed very accessible to me. Brightwell actually tells you what's in the product. I've been dosing a little bit of MB7 since I started my tank, but now I'm in the first week of using the full method, which begins like this:

Weeks 1 and 2: Place 200 g each week of NēoZeo for each 100 US-gallons (378.5 L) in the entire aquarium system into an appropriate media reactor; adjust the rate of water flow through the reactor to ~25 gph (94.6 lph). Add 2.5 ml MicrōBacter7 per 100 US- gallons daily.
Weeks 3 and 4: Add 200 g each week of NēoZeo for each 100 US-gallons (378.5 L) in the entire aquarium system into the media reactor; increase water flow through the reactor to ~50 gph (189.3 lph). Add 1 ml MicrōBacter7 and Reef BioFuel per 100 US- gallons daily.
Week 5: Add 200 g of NēoZeo for each 100 US-gallons (378.5 L) in the entire aquarium system into the media reactor; increase water flow through the reactor to ~100 gph (378.5 lph). Add 1 ml MicrōBacter7 and Reef BioFuel per 100 US-gallons daily. Once the first 5 weeks of usage has passed, adjust the dosage of MicrōBacter7 and Reef BioFuel according to the appearance of the system, the inhabitants, and as dictated by the water parameters. Refer to the instructions on each of the afore-mentioned supplements’ labels for additional information. Every six-weeks, change 25% of the NēoZeo media and add 1 ml MicrōBacter7 and Reef BioFuel per 100 US-gallons daily for one week before resuming normal dosing schedule.
You can read the pdf from Brightwell on the method here: http://www.f3images.com/IMD/PDF/NeoZeo_Method.pdf

By the way, the stuff in the foreground is for the tank, and the stuff in the background is for me (and anyone who wants to help me move my tank in April)
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4060/4267589549_1b15f6308b_b.jpg

This is a john guest bulkhead fitting for my ATO container. Sadly it didn't include a gasket, so I had to make a quick trip to Lowe's.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2744/4268335064_63095d738d_b.jpg

I also purchased the Moon Light module for my RKL. They look blue on camera, but they're lunar white pods.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2698/4268335568_5c9faeb597_b.jpg

The current lunar cycle is "Waning Crescent," so the pods are on about 10%. (FYI, you can view the current phase here: http://www.calculatorcat.com/moon_phases/phasenow.php)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4267591073_d5e147cfc1_b.jpg

mnml

01/11/2010, 11:49 PM

I didn't know MD sells Jack Daniels? :lol:

Good luck with the NeoZeo, I'm very curious to see the results. I plan to dose MB7/Carbon in about 2 months. If you're successful with the NZ, I will probably give it a try.

nualln

01/12/2010, 12:00 AM

I think all reef equipment should come with some sort of highly alcoholic beverage.

Concerning NZ, have you read this thread? http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1467662

There's a ton of good info including a member who spoke extensively with Chris Brightwell.

kikireef

01/12/2010, 12:43 AM

nualln

01/12/2010, 12:47 AM

I just read through your whole thread and I am very impressed. I am running a similar lighting setup and love it. I believe on page 2 or 3 someone asked about a green branching coral and you thought it might have been a stylo. I have the exact same coral and I am nearly 100% sure it is the ORA green birdsnest. Do a google images search and you will see it. You have probably already noticed it but this thing will grow like a weed...seriously. I have fragged mine almost 10 times already and it keeps growing outward more and more. Its a good thing you put it in an area to grow up instead of placing it near the bottom so it can't grow into other corals too much.

Keep up the pics, I (we) love them!

YES! Holy crap this thing grows fast. I got about a half inch of growth and 6 new branches in two weeks. I'm guessing you're correct about it being a birdsnest. Good call on the Image Search. I hope mine looks this awesome when it's fully grown:

http://www.aquaculturefrags.com/web_images/SPS/ORA%20Green%20Birdsnest.jpg

asl4me76

01/12/2010, 12:56 AM

Hey Nuu ... you still planning on making the meeting in Mesquite on Saturday, the 16th? I think you'll definitely have fun there. Looking forward to meeting ya!

nualln

01/12/2010, 12:58 AM

Hey Nuu ... you still planning on making the meeting in Mesquite on Saturday, the 16th? I think you'll definitely have fun there. Looking forward to meeting ya!

I'm going to do my best to be there. My fiance is going to a baby shower in Arlington on the 16th, and thankfully, the baby's father is a reefer too. Depending on when the shower is we're going to try and get out there to escape the ladies for a couple hours :beer:

asl4me76

01/12/2010, 01:27 AM

That's when you have her drop you off at the meeting and have your friend meet ya there :). That way you are able to escape, as guys are not allowed to be at typical baby showers :D

kikireef

01/12/2010, 08:39 AM

YES! Holy crap this thing grows fast. I got about a half inch of growth and 6 new branches in two weeks. I'm guessing you're correct about it being a birdsnest. Good call on the Image Search. I hope mine looks this awesome when it's fully grown:

http://www.aquaculturefrags.com/web_images/SPS/ORA%20Green%20Birdsnest.jpg

To give you an idea...I had mine start as a 1.5" frag around May of 2009. It's now the size of a softball. Considering its one of the cheapest sps I have, its one of my favorites.

Anemone0524

01/12/2010, 10:31 AM

nualln

01/12/2010, 12:19 PM

nualln - our reefs are very similar in equipment and size, yet i can't get my SpS to grow.

What are your parameters? I assume it must be the vodka dosing and mb7 dosing that is allowing your corals to grow very quickly in a LNE.

Also, how are you liking the TEK? I assume you are paranoid like i was about salt spray on the reflectors? 7 months in with that unit and I've got a lot of spray, even having it up at 6-8 inches above water. I eventually gave up and put it 4 inches above water.

What are your thoughts on this?

NICE TANK MY FRIEND.

Well my tank is very new, so I haven't seen a huge explosion of growth in my SPS stuff yet other than the birdsnest.

I only dosed vodka for a short amount of time when I cycled. I then started dosing MB7 at about 6 drops a day.

I have the TEK light all the way up and I only get a little bit of salt spray. What is your bulb combo? What about flow? Are you feeding your SPS stuff anything?

Params

SG: 1.025
CA: 420
DKH: 8
PH: 8.2 or 8.3 (colors are too hard to tell)
Nitrate: 0
Phosphate: 0 (at least according to the test kit)

Anemone0524

01/12/2010, 01:16 PM

nualln

01/12/2010, 03:09 PM

Front:
Blue plus
Fiji Purple
Blue Plus
GE White
Blue Plus
Blue Plus

I've got a MP40 on reefcrest, a Koralia 4 pointed up for oxygen.

I'm not feeding sps anything now except fish poop. I tried feeding Cyclopleeze with no appreciable affect on sps growth.

Then again, my NO3 has never been below 5, and usually hovers 7.5 - 10. I suspect this is why my sps have been sitting for 7 months with barely 10% growth, and why my chaeto doesn't grow.

What you think?

I never had much luck with Chaeto. Do you prune it at all?

Read up on the zeo methods. It might be worth a shot if your nitrates are giving you problems. I also feed reef snow every couple of days, but if Nitrates are a problem for you, I would get control of that before you load up on food. Are you running any kind of carbon or GFO?

nualln

01/15/2010, 02:33 PM

Today was a good day. Today....is Vortech day.

And here's the photos to prove it. I'll give my initial observations at the end.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4065/4276648737_6b66828ef6_b.jpg

Packaged very well. But could I expect anything else from a $300 powerhead?
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2719/4276649425_ff149f1287_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4032/4277395912_5b6ed2915a_b.jpg

This thing is bulkier than I expected.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/4276650849_fd70fb82e0_b.jpg

Sorry about the dirty glass and such. I'll get a good FTS in a couple days.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2708/4277397300_a86940a41d_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4049/4277397960_c5b937e5a3_b.jpg

Initial thoughts:

I think a lot of people expect these powerheads to do more than advertised. They expect immediate growth in sps, gentle flow for Euphyllia tentacles, a wave that you can surf, and also expect it to clean the tank like a vacuum cleaner. My expectations were a little less dramatic. I wanted to increase the flow in my tank with erratic and random currents. I already had two Koralia 4's, and while they're powerful, they were more akin to an squirt-gun brigade, not an ocean current simulator. The MP20 does all those things.

My SPS stuff seems to love it, my LPS stuff doesn't hate it (which is important for frogspawn, torch, and hammerhead -- all of which have a limit on the flow they can take before receding into their skeleton). While it pumps out 2000 GPH at it's highest setting (Faster than the K4's 1200 gph) it doesn't feel like a hurricane force wind that I get from the K4's. It's powerful, but it's spread out and more gentle.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely. However, for a tank my size, the mp40 would be a better option -- especially if you want a true wave from side to side. I'm wasn't looking for a wavemaker. I have problems with the concept in general (i.e. the pulses aren't long enough to push water as far as it needs to go). In the future, I will probably get an mp40 and place it opposite an mp20 on each end, and get rid of the K4's.

Oh, a little off topic. Brightwell's Kalk+2 is awesome. The old Kalk(purchased at the grocery store) I was using just wasn't giving me as much CA as I wanted it to.

butchik

01/15/2010, 02:46 PM

Your tank looks great. Taggin along to get more good ideas.

mnml

01/15/2010, 02:58 PM

Congrats on the MP20. What mode are you running?

nualln

01/15/2010, 03:12 PM

Reef Crest seems to be the overwhelmingly popular mode, so that's what I'm sticking with for now. I think long pulse is also a good bet, but reef crest is basically long pulse with randomization.

pwfish

01/15/2010, 11:31 PM

I wish I would have read this thread earlier, I also have a 90(not rimless) and could have told you a MP20 would not be enough I have a 40 and I could still use a little more power. Like the looks of your rimless tank, and great job on the stand.

Cody Ray

01/15/2010, 11:57 PM

How are you lighting the algae tray in the sump?

Still Wet

01/16/2010, 12:03 AM

congrats on a great purchase

bryman

01/16/2010, 12:20 AM

I might be able to help with the open brain. I've had several and brought a few back from the brink, even with about 50% tissue recession. I am almost certain that yours started bleaching from high light. I have had it happen to me before. Your best bet is to put it in a more shaded area, relatively low flow, and start feeding it a few times a week brine shrimp or other meaty foods. Be patient, keep water params and temp in check (especially when doing water changes), and it will come back.

nualln

01/16/2010, 02:48 AM

How are you lighting the algae tray in the sump?

I no longer have the chaeto in the sump. The container was taking up too much room and the algae was constantly falling out of it. I have about a baseball sized piece in the overflow, but I doubt it's doing any good. Switching to MB7 pretty much takes care of my Nitrates.

I wish I would have read this thread earlier, I also have a 90(not rimless) and could have told you a MP20 would not be enough I have a 40 and I could still use a little more power. Like the looks of your rimless tank, and great job on the stand.

I'm not using the 20 as my main flow source though. It's just creating an erratic flow pattern in the top-middle area of the tank where the SPS stuff will reside.

I might be able to help with the open brain. I've had several and brought a few back from the brink, even with about 50% tissue recession. I am almost certain that yours started bleaching from high light. I have had it happen to me before. Your best bet is to put it in a more shaded area, relatively low flow, and start feeding it a few times a week brine shrimp or other meaty foods. Be patient, keep water params and temp in check (especially when doing water changes), and it will come back.

I did all those things, and the flesh basically melted away. I was worried about an ammonia spike from the dying tissue and I removed the brain. It was a sad, sad day indeed.

kikireef

01/17/2010, 10:07 AM

congrats on the mp20. I have the 40w version and its awesome. I would highly recommend getting one when the funds are available as they are not cheap....as you already know. They are awsome pumps and the flow has been great for my sps. They really seem to love it

I am currently running a VERY large refugium and have not had issues with nitrates or phosphates although of the two, phosphates are more an issue that I battle with from time to time. I did start using the MB7 a week ago and was curious what you think of the product so far. I personally have noticed my water seems to be clearer even with me always running carbon in a reactor and my skimmer is working overtime pulling crap out of the water. I believe you started the whole line of products at the same time....is that correct? I am also going to start dosing the Brightwells Amino Acids but am waiting to get to the 2 week mark on the MB7 or until I see corals start lightening in color (whichever happens first).

Tagging along

nualln

01/19/2010, 06:57 PM

I can't seem to keep open brains alive. My Trach is gone, and the Lobo I got two weeks ago is on the outs. I've seen my coral beauty pick at it. I might just have to get that fish out of there. He doesn't pick on anything else, but fleshy open brains.

Also, my false perc clown went carpet surfing this morning and I found him too late. It was pretty upsetting so I just had to go to the fish store this afternoon. Pics of what I bought should be up tomorrow :)

This hasn't been a good week for the aquarium...Trach lost, Lobo on the outs and a carpet loving perc. On top of that, a small SPS frag (Acropora Carolinia) got RTN and I tried to save it by fragging, which didn't work too well. I think it was on the way out when I put it in the tank. All the other SPS stuff is doing great and growing like crazy. The Scripps staghorn has a new 1cm long branch, the violet nana has a few new extensions. As always, the green birdsnest is growing like a weed. This hobby has so many ups and downs. Phew!

I'm in the second week of using the full NeoZeo system from Brightwell Aquatics. I'm up to 400 grams of zeolite media and I'm currently dosing the following:

Daily
1.8ml mb7
10 drops replenish
14 drops koral color
14 drops restor
7 drops vitamarin-c
5ml strontium
7 drops AA's

MWFS
7ml potassion

TR
15 drops iodion

Reef Bio Fuel dosing starts next week. I'll keep everyone updated on the progress.

kikireef asked about MB7. I attribute my quick cycle and clear water to the MB7. I also attribute this awful brown film to MB7. Solve one problem, start another. I'm hoping once the neozeo goes full on I'll be able to see zeovit-esque results. I started dosing MB7 based purely on SunnyX's luck with it.

Still Wet

01/19/2010, 10:16 PM

get rid of the coral beauty i had nothing but problems with mine

nualln

01/20/2010, 12:45 AM

get rid of the coral beauty i had nothing but problems with mine

Wanna come over and catch it for me?

Seriously, I'm getting rid of it as soon as I feel like tearing my tank apart and draining most of the water. I've tried traps, but the Coral Beauty is the smartest fish in the tank.

nualln

01/20/2010, 07:30 PM

So I teased yesterday about my new additions. Well, here they are:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2770/4291117395_e4ddfe9a0f_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2730/4291117823_ca5cd00515_b.jpg

FTS:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2767/4291852886_d939a6c4c7_b.jpg

lougotzz

01/20/2010, 07:36 PM

Tanks looking good. something that is odd though is my tank is coming out very similar to yours.

nualln

01/20/2010, 07:37 PM

Tanks looking good. something that is odd though is my tank is coming out very similar to yours.

Ya got pics?

mnml

01/20/2010, 11:37 PM

very nice colors those clowns have. me likey

nualln

01/22/2010, 03:25 PM

The ATO container is here and it fits like a glove. I do however, need to drill a 1/2" hole in it. Can anybody recommend a place to get a plastic drill bit? Home Depot?

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4051/4296340442_b32e43e560_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2753/4295595317_bdcf5f42e7_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2798/4295595939_ef8c1c591b_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2704/4295596551_b4032e0ddd_b.jpg

d2mini

01/22/2010, 04:13 PM

Nice ATO!
Get a bit that creates threads so you can screw in a john guest fitting for 1/4" plastic tubing.

mnml

01/22/2010, 04:45 PM

Gotta love AA's craftsmanship. The John Guest fitting is a fantastic idea!

grizwalt333

01/22/2010, 11:32 PM

Do you have two nets?

nualln

01/22/2010, 11:33 PM

Yeah, why?

lougotzz

01/23/2010, 02:00 PM

Ya got pics?

It hasnt been updated in a while, but if you look its a rimless 75 with a tek light, black back round. I even think If I put some more BRS in the middle the aquascape would look similar lol.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1746689&highlight=lougotzz

nualln

02/09/2010, 04:05 PM

Sorry I've been lazy with posts for a little while. My taxes werent too good to me this year. I committed the crime of making too much money last year and I'm going to have to put new coral purchases on hold for a while.

...or so I thought. My birthday was good to me as my fiance and my family bought me a ton of stuff, including some money for corals. Here goes.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/4344678882_e187d74bce_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4007/4343941809_365d07e623_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2712/4343938953_11b565941d_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4025/4343937305_c4d70c8aa5_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/4343935543_2e3b0b4236_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4027/4344669378_e134d76344_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4002/4344675902_24c7b79578_b.jpg

FTS. It's starting to look pretty sweet. I'm hoping to get some good growth in the next few months. The NeoZeo system is working great and everything is taking off.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/4343945329_32f9d86042_b.jpg

mnml

02/09/2010, 10:30 PM

Wow, those are great new additions for sure! Congrats and Happy Birthday!

nualln

02/21/2010, 06:52 PM

I made this short little video to show off the reef. Be sure to watch it in HD.

<object width="601" height="338"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9627373&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=428e 96&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9627373&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=428e 96&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="601" height="338"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/9627373">Reef Tank</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2887658">Allen Arrick</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>