Austin goes Rimless - mojo's 203g mixed reef

[mojo]

I have a thread on RC, but I wanted it here too so I could get some local viewing action. After having a 30g tank for nearly 2 years, I feel like I'm ready to move up in size. I love the look of the European and Japanese open-topped tanks, and a little closer to home the tanks of Invincible and Naka in Houston. With that in mind, I decided to go with a rimless tank for my next system.

Here's what's planned. Of course I need to give credit to John and Brian of Kingfish Aquarium for helping me design and acquire most of the equipment.

First, here's a cartoon sketch of the overall system.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/system4-15-07.png

I'm not sure if I'll mount the controller into the door or not, but it's drawn that way for now. The small box to the left of the system is just a decorative covering for the chiller if necessary. That is, if my wife doesn't like the appearance of the chiller itself.

The tank's dimensions are 60 x 30 x 26.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/newtank6-23-07.png

The tank is made of 3/4" Starphire glass on the front and 2 sides, and it was constructed by Aquarium and Glass Exhibits. The tank has a PVC bottom that has been predrilled (machined) for Hayward bulkheads to support the overflow drains and returns, as well as the closed loop. The overflow contains dual 1 and 1/2" drains, a 1" return from the sump, and a 3/4" return from the chiller. Adjacent to the overflow is a 1 and 1/2" drain for the closed loop, and this will return via an OceansMotions 4-way to the four 1" bulkheads toward the front.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/newtank3D4-30-07-2.png

The back will be covered with a black material for the background, to go along with the black acrylic overflow. As you can see in the picture above, the overflow does not go to the top of the tank. This is to accomodate the wave that will be created by the Tunze Wavebox. The overflow is centered to minimize any sloshing sound.

This image shows the machining process for the PVC bottom.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/pvcbottom3.jpg

And here's the bottom, completed.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/pvcbottom4.jpg

[mojo]

The stand is constructed from steel, and I'll eventually skin it with a nice wood cabinet. There will be no canopy. Here's the stand, powdercoated and with leveling feet.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/steelstand.jpg

I chose steel so that I could optimize the amount of storage space inside the cabinet, since all of the equipment will need to be concealed within. Plumbing through walls or the floor is not an option in my current home. Here's a close-up of one of the leveling feet.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/steelstand2.jpg

The sump inside the stand will sit upon a starboard bottom that will lay inside the steel shell.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/starboardbottom.jpg

This will cover about 2/3 of the length of the cabinet. The other 1/3 will be used for dry components, and to salvage a few extra inches of height I'm putting a pan in the bottom that recesses down to the floor instead of sitting on top of the bottom "shelf" of the stand. This will also serve a dual function in that small drips or spills will be directed into the pan instead of onto the floor.

Here's the pan.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/pan.jpg

I'll be using a rimless 3/4" acrylic sump to house most of the supporting equipment. The dimensions are 40 x 24 x 16. Here it is, without baffles and still at the shop.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/acrylicsump.jpg

3/4" plywood was cut to accomodate the plumbing from beneath the tank, and here's the system minus the most important part ... the actual tank.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/standandequipment.jpg

I hope you like what you see so far!

[Ram_Puppy]

nice, have you seen the rimless tank from marsh on RC as well? it is gorgeous! yours looks like it will be a showstopper as well!

[mojo]

Thanks, Ram Puppy, which one is that? The ones I'm familiar with on RC are those of Invincible and naka.

[captexas]

Wow, very nice and well planned out.

[Ram_Puppy]

i'll see if i can find it.. I think it's an 800 gallon or so... softy and lps w/ tons of angels if i remember.

[LoneStar]

I've seen Naka's on RC and I believe he is in Houston. Very nice setup.

Also I believe Invincible is in Texas too. I wish I had a AGE tank!

[mojo]

Hey LoneStar,
I love the look of the European and Japanese open-topped tanks, and a little closer to home the tanks of Invincible and Naka in Houston. ;)

Now go on and get yourself an AGE!

[mojo]

captexas - thanks, dude

Ram_Puppy - I'll do a search for it too, and between the 2 of us we should be able to find it. Thanks for the "heads-up."

[LoneStar]

Now go on and get yourself an AGE!


I would have but I found a good deal on a cherry Oceanic :) My next tank will be one for sure :lol

[ClownReef®]

Rimless is the way to go! ;)

[Ram_Puppy]

I hate that reefcentral is always to busy to be searched! arrrgghhh!

[LoneStar]

I hate that reefcentral is always to busy to be searched! arrrgghhh!

I believe if you pay your dues, searching is a little easier. I wouldn't know for sure since I'm a slacker on there ;)

[ClownReef®]

..Its only $25 ;)

I'm trying to find pictures of those rimless Japanese tanks..

[Ram_Puppy]

I know Diego,

I wish I could part w/ that 25$ right now, but sadly, 3 surguries in 2 months makes Rampuppy a poor... um.. puppy. (and of course that blood red anemone purchase did no good to my bank account either! :) ) lol

[Ram_Puppy]

hmm..

I think it was invincible...

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1033086&perpage=25&page number=1

That is the only rimless thread i have read on RC and I remember him saying somewhere that they were in houston.

[mojo]

Yeah, I've been following Invincible's tank for a long time now. It's pretty **** spectacular.

Anyway, here's my tank, still in the shop. It should be in Austin any time now.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/overflow1.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/overflow2.jpg

[mojo]

I've already received a number of pm's asking about the price of the tank and stand. I've sent some pm replies, but I'll just go ahead and post my most recent answer, which hopefully will satisfy all who are interested.


"I'll give you the honest answer - I don't know how much it was! I ordered and paid for it, along with the stand, starboard bottom, drip pan, plywood top and 3/4" acrylic sump as a single package, and I don't remember how much each item was. I'm not at a location where I can look up the total bill, and quite frankly I prefer not to do so. It's money that's already been spent, so it's time for me to move on. I'm not trying to be a jerk, I just don't like to harp on money that I've already spent, know what I mean? I can say that it wasn't cheap, but I'm willing to pay for quality. If you ask your LFS to contact AGE (they don't deal with Joe Public) you can get an estimate in pretty short order. Hope that helps."

[erikharrison]

Really nice! I'd love to see the progress down the road, and look forward to it. :D

[LoneStar]

Its going to be a really nice tank :)

For those intersted in it, heres Naka's tank from RC.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=839423

And we all know Brian (GreenMako) has a AGE tank.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=987151

[captexas]

Thanks for the link to Invincible's tank, even though my mouse is now smoking from scrolling through all that.

[thedude]

Pics from today:

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r269/kingfishjohn/DSC_0016.jpg

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r269/kingfishjohn/DSC_0019.jpg

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r269/kingfishjohn/DSC_0020.jpg

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r269/kingfishjohn/DSC_0023.jpg

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r269/kingfishjohn/DSC_0024.jpg

[thedude]

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r269/kingfishjohn/DSC_0025.jpg

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r269/kingfishjohn/DSC_0026.jpg

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r269/kingfishjohn/DSC_0028.jpg

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r269/kingfishjohn/DSC_0030.jpg

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r269/kingfishjohn/DSC_0033.jpg

[LoneStar]

WOW that glass is purdy :)

[Ram_Puppy]

itd look even purdier on the back of my truck heading out to the ranch! :)

[mojo]

erikharrison - Thanks, and I LOVE your avatar!

greenmako - Schnookums? Really? Thanks, bro. I can't wait, either, and from the looks of the photos above, it seems I won't have to. The eagle has landed!!

Thanks for posting those links, LoneStar, those tanks are da bomb.

thedude - Holy crap, John, it looks better than I had even imagined. Now we've gotta get that beauty into my crib.

[cpreefguy]

Like I said, looks awesome!

[sharkboy]

Nice.....question, how do you guys with closed loops drilled on the bottom of the tank prevent the water from coming out? such as in the case of a power outage or something???

[Texreefer]

lots of ball valves :D

[mojo]

Thanks cpreefguy, I bet some of those purple monsters would do great in this tank ;)

sharkboy - No worries with leaks and the closed loop, as long as the plumbing is sound. Since it's a "closed" system, turning on and off pumps does not have any effect on the tank's water level, and there's no place for the water to drain. It sounds like you're unfamiliar with what a closed loop is. Basically, water drains out of the tank to a pump, which returns the water back to the tank. It's a "closed loop" circle, and if the power fails, the water remains in the loop with nowhere else to go. Got it? I'll be using ball valve unions so that I can service my OceansMotions 4-way and the pump that will be running the closed loop.

Any guesses as to which pump I'll be using?

[cpreefguy]

Sequence hammerhead? :innocent

[mojo]

A Hammerhead?? Geez, thanks for bursting my bubble. I've got a Hammerhead on my 450g office tank. That pump would blow the walls off of this thing.

I went with a Sequence Barracuda. I originally considered a Dart, but I figured I could always dial down the flow on a 'cuda if the flow is too great, and this would be more energy efficient anyway.


I went to Kingfish today and saw the tank. WOW, I'm in love. It looks so much bigger than the photos depict. I need to give props and a huge thank you to John and Brian for uncrating it and setting it up at their shop. Hopefully they won't sell it ;) .

[erikharrison]

Looks sooooooooooo sweet. You can steal my avatar if you wanna. I saw it, and was like "yep, that's the one".

[cpreefguy]

A Hammerhead?? Geez, thanks for bursting my bubble. I've got a Hammerhead on my 450g office tank. That pump would blow the walls off of this thing.


Oh, I thought you wanted a Jacuzzi tank like Brian's :lol

[ClownReef®]

A Hammerhead?? Geez, thanks for bursting my bubble. I've got a Hammerhead on my 450g office tank. That pump would blow the walls off of this thing.


Oh, I thought you wanted a Jacuzzi tank like Brian's :lol

I remember when Brian had like 8 Tunzes, LOL..the tsunami tank!

[mojo]

I want a lot of flow, for sure, but a Hammerhead in this tank would be ridiculous. Keep in mind that I'll also have 2 additional returns, 1 from the chiller and 1 from the sump. I calculated the total turnover once before, and it was a silly high number. I'll have to go through that exercise again and post it.

Today I went to Kingfish again, and I took most of my plumbing supplies. I'll be pretty busy over the next several days, so we'll probably get started on the plumbing late next week. I tried reaching the bottom to screw in a bulkhead and my arm is about 1" too short. Guess I'll have to put on a snorkel when it's time to add the clams.

[LoneStar]

Sooooo....barebottom or sand? :)

What controller are you planning on using?

[Ram_Puppy]

Sooooo....barebottom or sand?

-RamPuppy crawls under desk and looks timidly out wondering when the nukes will start flying....


jk


:roll

[mojo]

Ram_Puppy - :lol

LS - Don't worry, Ram_Puppy, I ain't scared to answer this. I'm going with sand, all the way! I truly dislike the look of barebottom tanks. The only one I think pulls it off is naka. I've been diving for over 25 years, and I don't remember the last time I was on a reef that didn't have sand at the bottom. I like the color contrast that substrate provides as well, and I'm a believer that if the sand bed is stirred regularly, either with inverts or manually, and if the flow is adequate to suspend most of the detritus, and if the clean-up crew contains enough detritivores, then there's nothing wrong with having an inch or two of sand. There, I said it, and so far the Austin alarm system has not been deployed ;) .

The controller question is an excellent one, and I could use everyone's opinions here. One of my goals with the controller, aside from the features that they all provide, is to be able to send me SMS messages for alerts. I also want to be able to communicate back to the controller remotely so that I can fix a problem if one arises. I dislike the X10 modules, not from personal experience but from a multitude of bad reports from others, so the Neptune series is essentially ruled out. The Elos controller and the IKS are both bad-a@#, but they cost way too much. My front runners are the Aquatronica, and the Biomatix that will hopefully come out soon. I've heard great things about the Profilux recently, so that one is now creeping into the picture as well.

Thoughts, anyone?

[LoneStar]

The Profilux caught has caught my eye too. I really like the features it offers...with the price it has. I'll be following this and see what you end up with :)

[erikharrison]

One of my goals with the controller, aside from the features that they all provide, is to be able to send me SMS messages for alerts. I also want to be able to communicate back to the controller remotely so that I can fix a problem if one arises.

Wow, that sounds like awesome technology, what kinds of things can it adjust for? I assume just temp? Or can it dose etc? If so, I might be on that bandwagon. Assuming that the iphone will accept sms (it sure had better)!!!!

[mojo]

LS, why does my computer not allow me to write out your username? Weird.

erikharrison - Dude, you've got to check out the aquarium controller website. http://www.aquariumcontrollers.com/index.php

It's got an excel spreadsheet with everything you could ever want to know about controllers, and it's continually being updated. As I understand it, some of the most advanced controllers can allow you to send SMS messages back to the controller with language that lets you turn off lights or pumps, turn on heaters, just about anything that's programmable. I need to read up on it more, but at the very least I want to be notified remotely if there is a problem with my tank. Information on the Biomatix isn't up yet, and I'm patiently waiting before pulling the trigger.

[LoneStar]

LS, why does my computer not allow me to write out your username? Weird.


Not sure. You got some sorta prohibition setting on your computer? :lol

[mojo]

LS - Well I dunno. On both my PC and my wife's Mac I get the following error message when I try to post with your full username in the text.


"Forbidden
You don't have permission to access /index.php on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request."


From now on, you'll just have to be LS to me.

Who else has an opinion on controllers - anybody have experience with the Aquatronica or the Profilux?

[LoneStar]

I guess I'm special :)

Check on Reef Central for the Profilux. I've found a handfull of users that use them. Most are up in Canada though. Heres a US dealer:

http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalo ... ts_id=1259

I've asked the owner a few questions about these units, and he has been very quick on the responses.

[mojo]

On Sunday, the tank was transported from Kingfish to my house. Huge props to Brian, Dallas, John and Marcus for their help. Fortunately Dallas has a truck and he volunteered to replace the U-Haul I was going to rent. The thought of driving this beautiful glass tank in an open-bed truck at highway speeds was a little nerve-wracking but all's well that ends well. It was adequately padded and very well secured. Here it is, with the stand and some boxes of plumbing equipment that I had ordered on-line, backed into my driveway.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/tankontruck1.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/tankontruck2.jpg

Here's another look at that starphire glass, with one leg of the stand just to the right.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/starphireblue.jpg

While the tank was outdoors and easily accessible, we applied a black adhesive material to the back glass, the only non-starphire panel. Brian has applied this to numerous tanks in the past, and as a result the actual application process wasn't all that onerous. It looks incredible, just as good if not better than painting, and without the mess or risk of getting paint on other surfaces. The stand was leveled at its desired location, then the tank was taken indoors, with just enough space to squeeze through the front door. We then put Hayward bulkheads in all of the cutouts in the PVC bottom. In case anyone's counting and the numbers don't add up properly for you, it may look as if one 1.5" bulkhead is missing, and there are two extra 1" bulkheads. That's because one of the 1.5"ers was already installed, and the extra 1"ers are for the sump.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/haywards.jpg

The OceansMotions Omniflex CL return nozzles were then plumbed into the bulkheads. Here's the tank on the stand, and note the black background (looks lighter on the right side due to glare, sorry).

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/tankandstand7-8-07.jpg

You can barely see a mirror on the wall behind the tank. After a bit of negotiation and tremendous understanding on my wife's part, it will be coming down. Sure, it would have been a lot easier to remove the mirror BEFORE the tank was in place, but at least it's still dry and empty.

[LoneStar]

Nice Skimmer! Is that the AP851?

[mojo]

Yep, you nailed it. We put it there to make sure it would fit, as the starboard bottom takes up 3/4". The sump floor is also 3/4" thick, so I'll be left with a whole inch or so to remove the collection cup. Cuttin' it kinda close, for sure.

[erikharrison]

looks sweet! Can't wait to see it all skinned!

[mojo]

erikharrison - Me too, although that's going to be quite a while. I've got a lot of work to do before making the cabinet look pretty, although I think my wife will probably push that part of the project along. For some reason, I don't think she'll get the same satisfaction as I will watching the skimmer pull out tank waste.

[mojo]

I've been away for a week but just before leaving, John, Clint and I got started on the plumbing. I thought I had everything I needed before starting, but you know how that goes. Anyway, I'll show you what we got done so far. First off, here was the bait for getting some help.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/bait.jpg

No plumbing project should ever be attempted without these, IMO.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/SUBV.jpg

The first thing we did was to move the tank away from the wall to take down the mirror. Everything was re-leveled, then the plumbing on the closed loop began. Here's the CL pump, a Sequence Barracuda.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/barracuda.jpg

The drain to the pump is 1.5", and critter protection is provided by this strainer. The pipe is double male threaded and screws into the bulkhead and the strainer. This elevates the strainer 6" off the tank bottom to keep sand from being swept up into the closed loop.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/closedloopstrainer.jpg

Notice in the image above that the Barracuda was resting in the pan. I didn't like that since any drips would accumulate in that pan, and I didn't want the pump to be submerged. The pan is 2 and 1/4" deep, so we just elevated the pump temporarily on a few scraps of 2x4. To account for the extra thickness needed for vibration control, a few layers of drawer liner material was added to both the top and bottom of the 2x4's. Eventually I'll make a more suitable base for the pump to be affixed to, but this worked in a pinch.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/4way-1.jpg

Notice all of the turns that the drain pipes take? This is not ideal, I know, but I really wanted the pump fan to blow out the back of the stand toward the wall, to dissipate heat instead of blowing it into the cabinet. This also made the return plumbing a little easier. Here's another view.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/4way-2.jpg

And finally, a close-up of the 4-way with SUBV's at each outlet.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/4way-3.jpg

Not pictured is the plumbing inside the overflow box, both the drains and returns. For the drains, I went with CJ standpipes due to the experiences of greenmako and others.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/cjs.jpg

It doesn't look like much was accomplished, but it actually took a while, especially when you include the unwelcome but almost expected trip to Lowes. At that point, progress was severely halted due to a lack of gray spa-flex and not enough gray 1" fittings. I ordered everything I thought I would need and, alas, I still haven't received the spa-flex in the mail. Hopefully it will come later today, and if not then early next week. As always, I'm happy to hear your comments.

[LoneStar]

I ordered everything I thought I would need and, alas, I still haven't received the spa-flex in the mail.


I've been waiting for mine too for about a week... Where did you order yours from?



For the drains, I went with CJ standpipes due to the experiences of greenmako and others.


Please post how well you like those standpipes. My Oceanic came with some standard Durso pipes, but haven't used them yet.

[mojo]

I got mine from flexpvc.com, and you? As for the CJ's, I'll try to remember to let you know. At this pace it'll be some time before I'm ready to drain any water into a sump.

[LoneStar]

I got mine from flexpvc.com, and you? As for the CJ's, I'll try to remember to let you know. At this pace it'll be some time before I'm ready to drain any water into a sump.

Same here. I got mine from Flexpvc. Great prices..just waiting on a UPS tracking number...but it could be that I had a few pieces cut to lenght, which takes longer according to them.

Got a website for the CJ's? I know I looked them up on Brians tank but forgot to bookmark the page. Plus I don't wanna dig through 24+ pages on his thread for it >_< :P

[mojo]

Thanks, Brian, for the compliment and for providing the link to Nautilus reef. That guy was fun to work with, and I'd buy standpipes from him again in an instant.

BTW, flex pvc arrived late today. I've got some plumbing to do.

[mojo]

So I finished plumbing the closed loop. I'm no plumbing expert so please feel free to critique. Brian will probably cringe when he sees this, but it's the best I could do. I didn't waste any fittings in the process, and hopefully there will be no leaks. I'm a little concerned due to the fact that there's quite a bit of tension at a few of the joints, specifically at 2 of the connections onto the 4-way and at 1 of the elbows heading toward the left side of the tank. I guess I didn't cut the pipe at exactly the correct length, which forced me to torque the pipe a little at the unions. Should this concern me? Anyway, here's how it came out.

Here are 2 of the 4-way returns, heading to the left side of the tank.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/4way-5.jpg

I had to elevate 1 of the returns a little so that they'd both be able to pass behind the stand, offering a little more room inside the cabinet and avoiding the overflow drains.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/4way-4.jpg

Next came the 2 returns that were very close to the 4-way unit itself. The short distance and odd angles dictated that I use spa-flex, which if you haven't used it before, isn't as flexible as you'd think, or as I had hoped.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/4way-6.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/4way-7.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/4way-8.jpg

And here's the final photo, looking up from beneath the 4-way.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/4way-9.jpg

I realize that I need a photo, a "money shot," if you will, of the pump with all of the closed loop plumbing. I'll get that done tonight. Next step will be adding some water to the system to ensure there are no leaks and to check the flow generated by the 4-way. Wish me luck!

[RayAllen]

Looks great! Looks very professional!

[LoneStar]

VERY Clean looking! http://forums.ircspy.com/images/smilies/pimp.gif

Did you get your plumbing parts from Savko? Those +GF+ ball valves are nice. Smooth turning action. Plus they have a shorter profile which makes plumbing a lot easier and cleaner looking.

[mojo]

greenmako - Doh! Wish I knew about the oven trick BEFORE I plumbed the CL. Oh well, guess I got it together anyhow. Thanks for the compliment, means a lot coming from you.

RayAllen - Thanks a lot!

LS - Thanks man, and yeah, I love the SUBV's. I got'em from USPlastics, I think. They save a ton of room and make the plumbing much simpler.

[mojo]

I had a fairly productive weekend. I finally got around to making the wood mount for the Barracuda pump. I screwed 2x4's together for height so that the pump would rise above the drip pan, and holes were drilled for the lag bolts, which were countersunk. The wood was then treated with 2 coats of urethane. For vibration control I'm using drawer liner material between the wood and the pump, and between the wood and the pan. The pic shows the bottom and top of the wooden risers. The one without the holes is for the "inlet" side of the pump, which doesn't have holes for mounting.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/pumpmount1.jpg

Fortunately my measurements were correct, as the pump was resting on a temporary mount and I didn't mark the holes with pencil. Not the smartest thing, but it worked out fine. The photo doesn't show it, but like I said, I put 3 layers of the drawer liner material between the pump and the wood.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/pumpmount2.jpg

At this point I was ready to photograph the system as it stands, with the closed loop fully plumbed, including the pump. Here's the left side ...

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/4way-9-1.jpg

and the right side ...

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/4way-10.jpg

and here it is from the front.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/system7-29-07-1.jpg

Here's a more detailed view of the CL strainer in its place. That's a 6" riser to help prevent sand from blowing into the CL and potentially clogging the 4-way drum.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/strainer2.jpg

[mojo]

Next came the time to add some water and test my plumbing. This would have made a huge mess if there were a problem, but even though I'm a novice I still felt pretty comfortable that everything would be water tight. I have been making RO/DI for a little while and storing it in trashcans. So here's the 1st 80 gallons or so.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/system7-29-07-2.jpg

Fortunately everything was dry, so it was then time to fire up the closed loop. I aimed all of the outlets sideways since I didn't know if the water would fly out of the top of the tank (wishful thinking, right?). I was psyched to finally see some flow in this bad boy!

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/closedlooptest.jpg

The pump mount worked wonderfully. There was no rattling, and all I could hear was the sweet hum of the Barracuda's fan. Now it's just a matter of making more water and then the aquascaping can begin.

[erikharrison]

Looks absolutely gorgeous!

[LoneStar]

http://funkyheart.com/images/stories/Borat/verynice.gif

[erikharrison]

Where can I find that adhesive backing that you used? It is soooooooo shinyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.... I love it!

[mojo]

Thanks a ton everybody, and thanks for following along! I can't wait to aquascape this weekend. I got the black backing at AquaTek, they always have it in stock. If you eventually use it let me know and I'll give you some tips for a trouble-free application.

p.s. still laughing at Borat!!

[captexas]

Man, you don't even need to put a cover on that stand, it's so cleanly done you can just leave it open as is for everyone to see!

[mojo]

That's the whole point, Chris, it'll be open top. Check out the 1st diagram on p.1 of this thread ;) .

[mojo]

I guess now this will start to be a true marine aquarium. I'm about a day ahead of schedule from where I thought I'd be regarding water production. The RO/DI maker was on since 6:30 this morning, and below is the result.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/nearlyfull.jpg

I'm using a Mako 6-stage RO/DI unit, and I replaced both DI resins, as well as all of the other filters, just prior to filling this tank. The DI's have color-changing indicators so I'll know when they're exhausted, and the 1st chamber is about 3/4 spent. Here's the unit.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/30g%20cube/RO-DI1.jpg

Here's the salt I'll be using, at least to start.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/tropicmarinpro.jpg

I fired up the 'cuda and added the salt. Here's the salt storm.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/saltadded.jpg

I'm amazed at how quickly the salt dissolved and the water has cleared. I'll let it circulate and aerate for several days, and I'm not adding any more water since the sump isn't plumbed into the tank yet. That's it for now, hope you still like!

[cpreefguy]

I cant wait to see this all set up!
So, you going to sell the 30 cube? :innocent

[mojo]

Yeah, you want it?

[captexas]

That's the whole point, Chris, it'll be open top. Check out the 1st diagram on p.1 of this thread .


I've been following along so I knew you were going topless on the tank. I was talking about how clean everything is under the stand so far. You could go without putting a wood skin on the bottom.

[mojo]

Woops, my bad Chris, now that I re-read your post I feel foolish. Thanks for the compliment! And personally, I wouldn't mind the look of an unskinned stand, but I don't think I can say the same thing for my wife.

[captexas]

No need to feel foolish. Yeah, have to keep the wife happy so we can continue to enjoy our expensive and time consuming hobby :P

[urban79]

No need to feel foolish. Yeah, have to keep the wife happy so we can continue to enjoy our expensive and time consuming hobby :P

Aint that the truth.. LOL :lol

[mojo]

I got a few more things done last night. Brian at Kingfish finished baffling the sump, and it turned out just great! Thanks a ton, Brian! Here it is, with the bottom covered by the adhesive material to protect the acrylic. Man this thing is solid, and heavy! For anyone who was worried before, I have no concerns for this thing ever bowing.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/acrylicsump2.jpg

You'll notice that there are 2 bulkheads. They've been placed for possible future expansion in the event that I plumb in a frag tank or something. Anyway, the rear right chamber receives water from dual 1.5" overflow drains. It then passes to the front which is the skimmer chamber. Moving to the left it crosses some teeth to an equipment chamber which will house the calcium reactor (PF601S), carbon reactor, and kalk stirrer. It then passes across the over-under-over baffles to reach the return chamber. This is where I'll keep the Zeovit reactor, the sump return pump, and the chiller feed pump. Here's another view.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/acrylicsump4.jpg

Here's how it looked when I put it inside the cabinet. It sits on top of 1 layer of the drawer liner material I used beneath the CL pump, just in case any of the pumps inside the sump would cause some vibration. Probably not necessary but oh well.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/sumpinstand.jpg

Here I got lucky! Notice how close the sump is to the Barracuda pump :o . When I planned the size I didn't account for the fact that I'd have a bulkhead on both ends of the sump, and it actually hangs off the starboard just a little and over the drip pan. The sump is literally 2 or 3 mm from the pump!

Lucky move #2: I almost couldn't get the equipment into the sump when it was inside the cabinet, and due to the CL plumbing I wouldn't have been able to slide the equipped sump into the stand. When planning out the sump, each chamber size was determined based on the equipment. The measurements were spot on, but in retrospect it may have been wiser to go with equipment that wasn't so large, as it will be tight when working in the sump. There's about 1/2" of clearance to get the skimmer collection cup off, and there's no way I'll be able to remove the entire skimmer unless I first take the calcium reactor out. While I'm discussing the skimmer, that brings up Lucky move #3: Look how close the 4-way plumbing comes to the skimmer's collection cup. The photo makes it look like they're right on top of one another, but there's actually a couple of inches to play with (which isn't a lot). On the bright side, I have very reliable equipment so those sorts of maintenance items shouldn't come up very often. Anyway, look how crowded it looks now! This just goes to show you, it's better to be lucky than good 8) .

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/equipment2.jpg

Here it is from the side, and you can see the FR509 that I'll use for carbon. The kalk reactor isn't in there yet (it's a Deltec KM500).

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/equipment3.jpg

Here's how the entire system is as of last night.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/equipment1.jpg

The chiller, a 1/3hp Arctica, is sitting to the side, and I'll plumb it in tomorrow. This will serve as the temporary sole return from the sump, as my primary sump return pump hasn't arrived yet. Hope you enjoy!

[BJanecka]

Wow!

You mentioned a 1"-2" sandbed in the main tank. What brand/type of sand will you be using?

[mojo]

I'll be using CaribSea Arag-Alive Ocean Direct sand, about 180-200 lb. depending on how it looks depth-wise. The purpose of the sand will be for aesthetics, and filtration will be a secondary function.

[blueboy]

wow! this is proving to be a very clean, and well planned system. i can't wait to see it running.

[mojo]

Thanks blueboy!

Just a quick update -- the initial aquascape was completed but we're not real happy with it. There's a bit of a rock wall effect. Huge pieces of Lalo rock were used, and that along with the CL returns in front made for a much narrower surface to aquascape than anticipated. The plan is to replace some of the large pieces for smaller ones, which should add some flexibility for the aquascape.

[tropicana]

I will be replacing most of my "Base" rock with Marshall Island Live Rock. I beleive that is the best looking :) I havent seen Lalo, im going to look that up. I already have 17lbs of Marshall Islands at $10/lbs it is expensive. Im going to buy more in a week or 2.

[mojo]

OK, a little catch up. First off, I finished the plumbing from the overflow box to the sump. Here you can see the two 1.5" drains. The lowest section of PVC was cut in a spiral spray bar fashion (not pictured) so that if the water level rises in the sump for any reason, water would still drain out fairly quietly from the drains. Eventually I will attach filter socks to these drains for mechanical filtration, since I don't want to have to siphon out the sump very often. You can also see that I've been running carbon since introducing the LR.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/drainsreturns.jpg

The green hose is Eheim tubing returning water back from the chiller via an Eheim 1262, and this ascends through the overflow box and into the tank via LocLine. The right-most return under the overflow is 1" plumbing that currently dead-ends with a SUBV. That will eventually connect to the primary sump return pump, which to date I still do not posess.

I also received my skimmer feed pump, a Hydor L35, and the skimmer was fired up 3 nights ago. I placed the pump in the chamber just beneath the overflow drains. The clear 1/2" vinyl tubing connects the pump to the Deltec skimmer, which you can see better in this next photo.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/equipment4.jpg

Here it is from the side, showing also how I had to angle the overflow drains so that they'd place the water more centrally in the sump chamber as opposed to directly against the sump's back wall.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/overflowdrains.jpg

The skimmer has pulled out what I would describe as clay. There's almost no odor, and I'm wondering if this is just proteinaceous material released from the live sand? At any rate, here's what it looked like when I cleaned it out tonight for the 1st time.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/firstnog2.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/firstnog1.jpg

Now that it's been cleaned, I'm starting to see what I think is the real deal skimmate -- nog!! A 3-day break in period seems about right to me, eh?

[mojo]

The sandstorm has abated and the aquascape is visible! I had previously removed the drum from the 4-way so it wouldn't be damaged by the suspended sand, and this has been left on so that I could see where any sand voids would develop. In total there's 195 lb. of Lalo live rock, which as I understand it is a deep Tonga rock. There's also 120 lb. of CaribSea Ocean Direct live sand. The aquascape has 3 separate zones. On the far left an alcove was created, and I concealed the CL returns reasonably well. Adjacent to this is a valley that extends to the back of the tank, offering some depth to the 'scape. Centrally is the tallest peak which nearly breaches the water surface. Then, to the right of this is a separate rock mass that hides the CL strainer from view. The photos don't show it, but from above there is actually a meandering gap between the center rock mass and the one on the right. I'm very happy with it, especially since it's the 1st aquascape I've ever done alone, but I'm not closed to criticisms, so please be honest if you don't like it. Of course the pictures don't truly portray the depth that's been created in the tank, but at least you'll get an idea. Enough typing, here's the pics.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/aquascape1.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/aquascape2.jpg

This one's taken from the right side of the tank.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/aquascape3.jpg

[Jynxgirl]

Your rocks look great. I like how open it looks. Very nice, high five!

Jill

[mojo]

Thanks for the compliment, Jill, and thanks for my first-ever cyber high five!

[erikharrison]

Looks great! Make sure you have enough room to fit a scraper/mag float inbetween your rocks and the glass!!!!!! :)

[mojo]

Looks great! Make sure you have enough room to fit a scraper/mag float inbetween your rocks and the glass!!!!!! :)

I did, thanks! There's plenty of room for my Tiger Shark Float magnet cleaner.

[mojo]

Thanks Brian, but I bet your wife would have done a much better job :)

[mojo]

I've confirmed it -- the Barracuda's more than enough pump for my tank. I installed the drum in the 4-way today, so instead of the water flowing through all 4 returns, it's now being pushed through only 2 returns at any one time, then switching (for those who aren't familiar with the 4-way). I had to dial down the pump for fear of water squirting over the back lip of the tank. I guess the bends in the plumbing weren't all that harmful, either 8) .

[cpreefguy]

Good to hear, maybe put some more 90degree elbows in to help out :lol :lol :lol

[mojo]

True that, Sean!

I've completed my first tests. Guess I was a little tardy on this stage of the game. Keep in mind I haven't added any bacterial source (like a raw shrimp), only the live sand and rock that have had some die-off, I presume. I've also not added anything else to the water with respect to supplemets, buffers, etc. This is straight TM Pro. All test kits are Salifert.

T 79.1
salinity 1.026
pH ~8.2
alk 7.4
Ca 410
Mg 1290
Nit 2.5
NH3 0

The only result I don't trust is the ammonia. The test kit expired 9/06. I've decided to use ZEOvit to initiate the cycle instead of a shrimp or fish, so I'll have to order that stuff right away. I leave town tomorrow and I'll be gone for 5 days, so hopefully the products I need will greet me when I get home.

[mojo]

The tank's just been percolating for a while, without much action at all. That finally changed. I had been seeing lots of copepods on the glass, and now I'm seeing a ton of amphipods crawling all over the aquascape. The sand is developing worm tunnels, along with an ugly coating of film on the surface. But more importantly ...


I'm now officially a ZEOvit dude! I chose to use this form of filtration due to the glowing results I've seen in many of the European tanks, particularly those lit with T5's, as I intend to do. The corals just seem to have richer, purer coloration than most other systems, in my opinion. I also like the fact that it's a fantastic method to keep phosphates under control, which seems to be a hastle even for many of the more experience reefers out there.

I received my reactor late last week but didn't have time to begin setting it up until yesterday. It's a GroTech reactor and came with an Eheim 1250. Here's how it looks.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/zeovitreactor.jpg

The reactor didn't come with a manual, and you wouldn't believe how difficult it was for me to figure out how to get it situated and running. First of all, being a German product, all of the plumbing is in metric sizes. This mattered because the Eheim puts out 317 gph, and I need to run only 150-170 gph through the reactor. I wanted to dial down the flow from the pump but instead thought I'd try to dial it down from the effluent plumbing, which is closer to 1", in order to conserve space in the sump. When I dialed down the effluect flow with the ball valve I installed, it simply flooded the top off of the reactor, rendering this option a dud. So I looked around my tank supplies and happened upon a MaxiJet600 which, as fortune would have it, puts out 160 gph. Perfect! I rigged this up to fit into the 20mm reactor inlet plumbing by wrapping the MJ outlet with teflon tape, and I squeezed this into a segment of 1/2" nylon tubing. This was secured with a plastic hose clamp, and the assembly was inserted into the 20mm plumbing. Here's how it looks.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/zeoreactormaxijet1.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/zeoreactormaxijet2.jpg

It's now running in the sump, although it takes up more room than I had anticipated. Once I add the gate valve to the Eheim pump, I'm not sure I'll have room in the sump for this.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/reddragon2.jpg

[apedroza]

Your tank is AWESOME!!!! I'm sooo jealous. I want a wide rimless tank!!!

[LoneStar]

Ahh I can see why the update took so long. You had to save up for this new equipment. Nice pump.

[mojo]

apedroza - Thanks! What are you waiting for, go and get you one.

LoneStar - You're right about that. Cost aside, all of the equipment came from Europe so shipping took a while as well. Since you like the pump, here are a few more pics. I ran it in a basin of water to try it out and it about blew the walls off! It's a friggin' ninja pump - powerful, but completely silent.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/reddragon1.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/reddragon3.jpg

[LoneStar]

:photo::shades::thumbs_up:

[sawarf]

Thou shalt not covet Mojo's tank. Thou shalt not covet Mojo's tank. Thou shalt not covet Mojo's tank. I am sure that is the 11th commandment. Or at least it should be. Lord, please forgive me! I know Mojo forgives me. Thanks man.

[greenmako]

looking sweet man, and you will have to find a spot for that Red Dragon they are amazing pumps.

[javajaws]

Tanks looking good! You're giving me some great ideas for my next tank. I think I need to come over and check it out! What part of Austin are you in? You ready for frags? :)

[mojo]

Thou shalt not covet Mojo's tank. Thou shalt not covet Mojo's tank. Thou shalt not covet Mojo's tank. I am sure that is the 11th commandment. Or at least it should be. Lord, please forgive me! I know Mojo forgives me. Thanks man.

Too funny, dude.

greenmako - I decided to stick with the MJ pump for the ZEO reactor, and I moved the Eheim pump that feeds the chiller from the return chamber to one of the working chambers of the sump. This gave me all the room I needed for the RD.

javajaws - I live in the hills on the west side. Send me a pm and we can talk about arranging a visit, I'd love to show it to you. As far as frags, I'll be ready in 3 weeks, since I got great news that my light has just been shipped!

[mojo]

So here's what I worked on yesterday. As indicated in the photos above, I'm using a Red Dragon 6.5m3 for my main sump return pump. I chose this for many reasons, some being that it's deadly silent (I'm torn between calling it a ninja pump or a stealth pump), it requires very little maintenance due to the calcium bypass from the impeller, it creates almost no heat even when it's run internally, and it runs on only 65W. All of this comes with a price, but I became so tired of my Mag12 seizing and late night emergent impeller cleanings that it was worth it to me. This will probably result in more flow through the sump than I want, but I can live with that. I'm running it internally so I only need plumbing for the outlet. The only problem with the pump is that the inlet and outlet are metric sizes. It's supposed to come with silicone tubing but none is available currently. To get around the whole metric connection, here's what I did. I used a piece of 1" clear vinyl tubing, heated it in hot water, then with the strength of 10 men I applied it to the pump outlet. This was connected to a barbed fitting, followed by a threaded adaptor, and finally a SUBV was glued to that. The photo doesn't show it but, naturally, I used teflon tape at the threaded fitting. The connection was incredibly tight, and I would have to name it Houdini if it were able to pop off, but to make sure I added a bunch of zip ties for added security. I feel very confident that this won't come off unintentionally. Here's how I rigged it up.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/reddragonplumbed1.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/reddragonplumbed2.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/reddragonplumbed3.jpg

This will return to the underside of the tank via a 1" bulkhead in the overflow box, then to the tank via an OmniFlex nozzle. When I fired it up the it didn't work properly, although it tests out perfectly in a large basin. There's a problem somewhere in the return plumbing between the SUBV and the OM nozzle, I just can't seem to figure out where. There are no visible leaks anywhere. Maybe the riser tube inside the overflow box isn't seated well? I'll have to check that tomorrow. In the mean time, the pump is sitting idle in the sump.

[javajaws]

You'd think as much as people pay for those pumps that they could include some adapters for the metric fittings. It looks almost comical with that tubing and the zip ties. I guess on the plus side you'll have even more vibration isolation!

[mojo]

javajaws - As you saw on RC, Red Dragon will have a pump with U.S. fittings! Too late for me, unfortunately.

As for the ZEOvit method, I believe it really works. I've been using the basics (carbon, ZEOliths, ZEObak and ZEOstart) for 6 days now and already the water is clearer! The tank has always looked clear to my eye, but when gazing from the side with the sun shining through the window on the other side of the tank, I've always seen a faint haze in the water column. After only 4 days of this method that haze has completely resolved and the water is truly crystal clear. I'm so hooked and I don't even have any corals in the tank yet. I also tested my potassium (K+) and it was 330. It needs to be raised to around 390, so I'll need to get the supplement eventually.

[erikharrison]

I've been reading up on the zoevit stuff (thanks for the links headless) and Im still a baby when it comes to saltwater, so alot of what I have read was a little much to take in all at once. You have really put together a great thread, and I know all of us are thankful to share in the experience vicariously! I may just get straight into the zeovit stuff and do it right the first time! lol! I know there is a good portion of maintainence involved in that particular method, but this is my hobby, and I am truly, truly loving it. What kind of lights are you getting? T5s? I can't remember if you had said that or not.

[apedroza]

Awesome job!!! Can't wait to see it stocked!!!

[jehudson]

All I want for christ-mas is a tank like that, a tank like that ... I know I'm not supposed to covet thy neighbors stuff ... but ... that's a nice tank:) keep us posted! :)

[mojo]

Thanks everyone for the compliments, it's been a lot of fun putting this project together. I'm already a believer in the ZEOvit method, and I hope I'm not disappointed when I start stocking with corals in a few weeks.

Erik, thanks for the perfect segue, as I just received my Powermodule in the mail. I won't have time to hang it until next week, and I'll post photos at that time. To answer your question, it is a 10-lamp 54W T5 fixture that is, as they say in T5 vernacular, a PAR Monster!!

[mojo]

So I couldn't stand it having my new light in the closet, wondering how I was going to be able to mount it. With the help of other Powermodule owners I got the assistance I needed to get started, and I didn't need 2 other dudes, just my father in law, as it only weighs in the neighborhood of 50 pounds. Here it is, in all it's glory. It's a 10-lamp x 54 watt unit, measuring approximately 46" x 22" x 2.5". On the far left of the 1st image is the gray power supply. This splits farther out to 2 separate power cords, which I'll explain more about later.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/Powermodule8.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/Powermodule9.jpg

Here are the fans, each cooling 2 lamps.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/Powermodule10.jpg

For my lamp selection, I went with 90% of the recommendation made by The Grim Reefer on Reef Central, a well-established guru of T5 lighting. I wanted to add a lamp that would bring out a little more of the reds, so I substituted a super actinic for an ATI Pro Color. Here is the fixture with all lamps aglow.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/Powermodule5.jpg

The lamps are situated as follows:

front
Blue plus
Aquablue
Super actinic
Aquasun
ProColor
Super actinic
Aquasun
Blue plus
Aquablue
Blue plus
rear

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/Powermodule7.jpg

Notice how shiny the reflectors are? You can read the lamp names very clearly, and there's an acrylic shield covering the entire fixture that slides out quite easily.

Positions 3 and 8 are on a separate power cord from the other lamps, and these will be used for dusk/dawn. I originally had both of these as super actinics, but Grim suggested I include a blue plus in the mix, as it's supposed to look great combined with an actinic.

Here are the 2 super actinics.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/Powermodule1.jpg

And here's how it looks with a super actinic and a blue plus.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/Powermodule2.jpg

[cpreefguy]

S.I.C.K.

Gotta love the powermodule!

[mojo]

Now that you've seen the light, it was time to mount it to the ceiling over the tank. First I covered the tank with a tarp to protect it from drywall chips off the ceiling, and to keep the power cords out of the water (this actually came in handy). Next I laid some wood planks over the tank upon which to center the fixture.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/Powermodule11.jpg

Notice in this close up the ventilation slots on the side of the fixture to assist with cooling - nice!

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/Powermodule12.jpg

Once the unit was centered over the tank I used a plum bob to locate the spots on the ceiling that correspond to the place where the hanging wire joins the hardware on both sides of the fixture. The Powermodule comes with hardware for mounting to strong material, like wood, but unfortunately those places on my ceiling have no extra support other than the sheet rock material, and there's no attic above for me to install any extra support. I considered using toggle bolts but fortunately I found studs approximately 1 and 1/2 inches closer to the front of the marks. I stopped at that point to think it over, and I've finally decided that I'll mount the fixture about 2" front of center. Unfortunately, however, that will have to wait for a few days, as I'm leaving town tomorrow morning. When I return mid-week I'll have it hung and update everyone.

[LoneStar]

Nice light fixture :thumbs_up:

[apedroza]

Awesome setup!!! Can't wait to see it stocked and running!!

[mojo]

LoneStar and apedroza - Thanks! I just got back into town so I should have the pendant hung tonight.

[sharkboy]

Impressive! I've actually read every post...can't wait to see it stocked full of corals and critters!

[hobogato]

im interested to see a zeo tank up close - would love to come visit once you get it stocked.

[mojo]

sharkboy - I can't wait, either. I may be stocking sooner than I had originally expected.

hobogato - Keep up with the thread, and whenever you're satisfied that it's stocked enough, come on up to Austin!


IT'S UP!! I finally hung the Powermodule.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/topdown2.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/topdown1.jpg

You can see that it's not exactly square over the tank, and it is quite a bit forward of center. I'm not happy with the fact that it's not square, but it's tough to see if you're not looking for it. I am happy with the fact that it's tweaked toward the front a little, as the light does not hang over the overflow box at all. This does mean that the rear of the tank is somewhat poorly illuminated, but I'll just keep corals there that require less light.

Here's how the tank looks. I think the light helps you to appreciate the depth of the aquascape much better in these photos than the ones I originally posted. Hope you like them!

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/lightsjusthung4.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/lightsjusthung5.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/lightsjusthung3.jpg

Same angle as above, but with dusk/dawn effect (super actinic in front, ATI blue plus in back)

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/lightsjusthung6.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/lightsjusthung2.jpg

Here's the side view.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/lightsjusthung1.jpg

And the same view with the dusk/dawn configuration.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/lightsjusthung7.jpg

I hope everyone enjoys the pics.

[LoneStar]

Awesome. Are you going to run the different light combos on timers to simulate the times of day?

[hobogato]

very nice and clean - looks great!

[MissT]

Lights look good... keep the pictures coming!

[mojo]

LoneStar - Yes, I haven't decided on the length of the ultimate photoperiod, but I plan on having 1-2 hours of dawn, then all lights on, then 1-2 hours of dusk. The 2 dusk/dawn lamps are on separate power cords, so it'll be easy to do with my controller (if it ever arrives).

Hobogato and MissT - Thanks to you both!


I encountered a little problem last night. It seems, I learned, that my 30g cube tank shares the same electrical circuit with this system. When I tested out the newly-hung lights, the chiller kicked in. No problem. But when the MJ 600 that feeds my ZEOvit reactor turned on (it's on a 3-hr on/3-hr off cycle) the circuit tripped. Unbelievable that I had been teetering on the edge, only to be pushed overboard by a little'ol Maxijet. At any rate, the tank tests 0 for ammonia and nitrate, and I've been circulating with cured LR and live sand for around 7 weeks already. Add that to 2 weeks of ZEOvit, and I felt the easiest solution to my electrical problem would be to shut down the 30g and transfer critters to the 203g.

I moved over a green-polyped ORA toadstool, a small frogspawn frag, a green/purple favites, some green/purple rics, a green plate coral, and a red open brain. My other corals and 2 clams have bryopsis on them, so they won't be transferring. I put a post on the Austin Reef Club site offering them up for free for anyone who wants them.

Next came the fish. I didn't want my clownfish pair to be test fish, but I was feeling confident and I went for it. I left the light off and they hid behind the 'scape. After a couple hours I turned the dusk/dawn lighting on, then went out for dinner. When I returned, they were hanging out together at the front of the tank over their host frogspawn frag, looking as happy as ever. The female ate readily, but the male did not. I'm sure he'll come around.

I also moved over some nassarius snails, but the astreas won't go. They all have bryopsis on their shells and they look like mini-Don Kings.

Currently I'm working through a problem with my OM 4-way. Previously I had the Barracuda CL pump dialed down a bit, and with the anticipation of adding corals I opened it up full bore. This caused some sand to fly, which resulted in a clicking sound from the 4-way. I figured some sand got in the drum, but when I tried to take it apart I couldn't get the drum out of the unit. I spoke with Paul on the phone (great guy) and he gave me some tips, but no success yet. I'll work through it again tomorrow at a better hour when I can call him again for more assistance.

[mojo]

I may need to replace my OM 4-way drum. I was totally unable to remove the drum from the housing, so I had to separate the unit from all of the return plumbing. Paul had told me to use a 3/4" MPT fitting and use that to self tap into the top of the drum, then remove it that way. I tried this, but the drum material actually smoothed out the threads on my PVC fitting. I then pounded it out with a dowel (I used a piece of 3/4" PVC pipe). There wasn't much sand in there at all, at least I thought not. But I guess it was enough to cause a jam. I've reinstalled the 4-way but without the drum for now. Paul's been atypically unavailable, but I plan to speak with him on Monday to work out a solution. Even though there's no sand blowing around currently, I'm a little reluctant to put this drum back in considering the difficulty I had removing it.

Aside from my activities with the closed loop, I've been busy with other things as well. John (thedude) came over and we were unable to make my Red Dragon return pump work properly. I partly wish he would have pointed out something obsurd that I did wrong, but I'm also glad I didn't overlook anything obvious. I've got a thread on one of the other forums where a lot of folks use these pumps, and hopefully I'll get an answer soon. In the mean time the sump return is only via an Eheim 1262 that first passes through a chiller.

We also changed the aquascape ever so slightly, but it made a huge impact on the overall look. The large rock topping off the center island was moved onto the top of the cave on the left side of the tank. This rock now breaches the surface and by moving it out of the center, it provides an entirely new sense of depth to the tank. No photos yet, unfortunately, but they are forthcoming. It's amazing how much moving 1 rock can impact the entire tank. Great suggestion John, thanks!!!!

After looking at the lighting more carefully, I'm not happy with the color. There's too much red/pink in the center, and the rear is too dark. I'm going to move the lamps around a bit until I get the color I'm looking for. I'm not going to trade out any lamps yet, as I want to give them time to burn in a bit before making my final judgement.

The last bit of news regarding this system is that it has a new occupant. It's one of my favorite fish of all time, a copper banded butterfly. John had it at Kingfish (his shop) for several weeks and he had it eating PE mysis. I saw it at the shop weeks ago and really liked it. John told me it had an awesome personality and he would know, as he is The Fish Whisperer. Oh, and as a bonus, it ate all of the aiptasia out of the tank John held it in. It hid in the rocks of my tank for only about 20 minutes, then it was roaming about as if it had lived there for years. I fed it PE mysis and it attacked! I already love this fish.

[crossxfire2]

Wowowowo!

[mojo]

crossxfire2 - I assume that means you like? Thanks!


I hooked up the Tunze Wavebox 2 nights ago. I've got a 1" wave throughout the entire tank, and I really like it. I'll need to eventually shoot a video so everyone can see how it looks on my tank. I think it looks great with the rimless tank, no sea sickness whatsoever. I'm also incredibly impressed at how it detracts so little from the aquascape. You would think that being at the front of the tank would make it incredibly noticable (which it is!), but with the rocks (and eventual corals) to the rear of the left side of the tank, the eye is actually drawn away from it. There's no way I'll be able to capture what I'm describing with photos, but I'll do my best when I get home from work tonight.

[erikharrison]

Video would rock! :) Let me live vicariously!! :)

[mojo]

I had a reasonably productive weekend, along with a lot of fun outside the aquarium world. I'll limit this update to events around the tank.

Carbon was changed for the first time in my fluidized reactor, and I did my first 5% water change, along with siphoning of the sand.

I received a new drum for my 4-way from Paul. The circumference has been machined down a bit to allow for some sand to escape and not clog the drum. I haven't installed it yet, still waiting for things to settle a bit inside the tank.

I changed the lamps around on my Powermodule, as I was unhappy with the band of pink in the center. I also felt like the rear of the tank was too blue/dark. I like it as it is now, but I'll have to look at it a while before I decide to keep it this way or not. The setup is now as follows:

front
blue plus
aquablue
super actinic
pro color
blue plus
aquasun
aquablue
super actinic
blue plus
aquasun
rear


If you recall, I've had a Red Dragon 6.5m3 as a return pump, but it hasn't been plumbed in due to troubles dialing it down and with bidirectional flow through the intake. I finally inspected the interior of the pump and I found a black "X" written with permanent marker on the impeller. I don't know what this means, but it gives me some concern. To rule out a plumbing problem as the source for the pump's failure, I hooked up a Mag12 to the exact same return plumbing I had been using for the RD, and the Mag pump works just fine. I guess I could just continue to use this pump, but I really don't like them all that much. I'll probably replace it with a RD4.5 pump, as the 6.5 created way too much flow through the sump anyway.

Lastly, I have a short video illustrating the wave action on the tank. You'll also see how the aquascape is changed, with the highest peak (now breaching the surface) now located on the left side of the tank. The video, while being of extremely poor quality, also shows off my CBB and my beloved clown pair, as well as the few corals I moved over. The video gives a much better sense of depth of the aquascape than photographs could.

Anyway, ENJOY THE VIDEO (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaNILarCYN0)

[erikharrison]

The anemone really shows the sway created from the wave. Too cool.:shades:

[apedroza]

I strained my eyes looking for the wave box but couldn't see it!!! Is it on the left side of the tank??

[mojo]

erikharrison - It's actually a small frogspawn (can't tell with that crappy video), but same effect. Thanks!

apedroza - Yes, the Wavebox is on the left. You can see it fairly well in the very opening seconds of the video.

[mojo]

I hope you all don't mind, but I took a few more pics tonight. Here's the new light configuration as described a little earlier. This gives a more balanced color distribution throughout the tank.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/newlightarray.jpg

I liked this shot since it shows the lamp reflections at the water line.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/sideview1.jpg

And here's a standard side view. Much less of a pink stripe in the middle.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/sideview2.jpg

Here are a few full tank shots at different angles.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/fulltank1.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/fulltank2.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/fulltank3.jpg

To be continued ...

[mojo]

Next are some corals that moved in from my old 30g cube.

ORA green polyped toadstool
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/toadstool.jpg

open brain
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/openbrain.jpg

green and purple-tipped frogspawn frag (host to both clowns)
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/frogspawn.jpg

And here are a couple of critter shots. You can see where the addition of the wavebox and the recent manipulation of the 4-way has caused a few bare areas to develop, but this will be remedied in time.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/fishes1.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/fishes2.jpg

The last piece of business for tonight is my sump. At low flow with only the Eheim 1262 providing return and through-sump flow it was fine, but after adding the Mag12 the extra flow has caused water to flow over the partition and away from the skimmer chamber. This has resulted in a lot of microbubbles in the display, as you can imagine from this image.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/sump.jpg

Water is supposed to flow from the back right chamber to the front right chamber, then into the larger middle chamber. The orange ball valve is connected to the Mag12 return pump, so you can see how a lot of bubbles are getting into the tank. I'll need to get some acrylic and make the partition taller, which will force water into the skimmer chamber, then into the "working chamber" where I'll eventually put the RD 4.5m3 pump, as well as the kalk reactor and calcium reactor.

[captexas]

Nice video. Looks like you either need to feed your fish or they are camera hogs! :p

[mojo]

Agreed. I only feed once per day, and they do learn quickly from whom that meal comes. I'd like to feed less and more often, but I can't do that reliably. If you look at the girth of the female clown, I think you'll agree that at least no one's going hungry.

[mojo]

I got my controller a couple of days ago. No beaming posts however, as they sent me the starter kit as opposed to the elite package I ordered and paid for. At least now I'll be able to install my calcium reactor and get that going, which should make the tank more hospitable for SPS. It'll also allow me to dial in the temperature control more tightly. The JBJ chiller I'm using allows a tolerance of 2 degrees F, so the temperature ranges from 77-79 degrees with the internal thermostat set at 78. I feel like this is too large of a temperature swing, and the controller will do a better job of keeping it tighter.

On the pump front, that won't be coming as early as I had expected. The package I received was a potassium supplement (K-Balance Strong), and the RD 4.5m3 is being shipped separately direct from the importer. I don't know when it will arrive, but the Mag12 is holding it's own for now. Now I'll be able to increase the K+ to NSW levels, considered important for SPS coloration and growth.

Regarding filtration, my AP851 is dialed in perfectly (thanks John), and with the increased bioload in the tank it's starting to produce some respectable nog, both in volume and quality. The ZEOvit protocol is proceeding along without any hitches and I recently changed out half of the ZEOliths. My wife has been great about stirring the rocks when I'm unable to get home due to work. The cyano has regressed already, and there is only a modest amount of short hairy algae on the rock surfaces. I feel like the ZEOvit method has certainly reduced the severity of the expected early algae blooms. I'm going to add a small clean-up crew in the next week or so. I'm also gradually prolonging the photoperiod of the T5's.

Last piece of news is that I increased the power to the circuit upon which the tank is run. It was running on a 15A circuit, which according to my calculations should have been enough for this system. I was wrong, and I suspected as much due to the fact that the power to all of the equipment would turn off momentarily whenever the chiller turned on. It turns out I was running just over 16A on the circuit, so I had this upgraded to a 20A circuit. No more power concerns now! Unfortunately everything is on the same circuit, but at 20A I shouldn't have a problem.

[mojo]

Uuugh! Last night I went to put the new drum into my OM 4-way. After installing the drum I had a hard time making the black cap sit onto the body of the 4-way, but I was able to, well, let's say I 'inticed' it down. When I opened the valves of the returns there was a small leak from between the 4-way body and black cap, so I decided to fix this by tightening the screws a little more. Note to self, don't try to fix a 4-way without first talking to Paul. When I tightened the screw, I stripped the thread, resulting in a much larger leak. I therefore had to leave the Barracuda pump off. For supplemental flow I threw in a Tunze nanostream 6055 I had laying around. I spoke with Paul today, and he said stripping the thread on 1 screw is no problem. I'll need to take it apart and make sure the o-ring is well lubed and intact, as this was probably the problem in the first place. I don't think I'll have time to trouble shoot this tonight, since I'm taking my daughter out for trick-or-treat, so this will have to wait until the weekend. Honestly, the 4-way has been this system's biggest problem thus far, but I know it will be worth it once I get it dialed in.

After that I needed a little pick-me-up, so I unpacked the Aquatronica controller and set up a few basic functions. It's not as simple to set up as my former controller (ReefKeeper) but it's in a totally different league. I really think I'm gonna like it.

[erikharrison]

Is that the same one (Aquatronica) invincible569 used? Sorry to hear about your 4 way, but I have been contemplating one on another tank, we will have to see! I am liking the rimless tanks more and more :sigh:

[mojo]

I'm not certain what type of controller Edward (invincible) uses.

Now go ahead and get yourself a rimless!!

[erikharrison]

I'm not certain what type of controller Edward (invincible) uses.

Now go ahead and get yourself a rimless!!

I plan on a 10'er with wireless vortechs! It's gonna be tang-o-rang heaven!

[mojo]

Now that I gotta see!

[mojo]

Today was fairly productive. I fixed the 4-way and installed the new drum which will tolerate a little sand. Now I can remove the Tunze 6055. Paul instructed me on what to do to repair the 4-way. He is very smart, extremely patient, and overwhelmingly helpful. No problem seems too great for him to assist with on the phone. I'll be an Oceans Motions customer forever. He figured out that I had probably pinched the o-ring in the lid of the 4-way. He had me remove it, lubricate it with vaseline, then reinstall it ensuring there was no entrapment, and that fixed the problem right away.

I hooked up my Osmolator for ATO. This was delayed so long because I was waiting for a replacement peristaltic pump. I can't believe I've been dumping water from a bucket into the tank every day for nearly 2 months.

I also set up several more functions on the Aquatronica controller, including the lights, light fan, chiller and heater. The more I play with it the simpler it gets. I'm already almost out of room on powerstrip, but the second powerstrip should be on the way.

Next on my list of things to do is to add filter socks to the overflow drains, which should solve my microbubble issue, and install the calcium reactor. After that -- SPS here I come!

[mojo]

Today I got my clean-up crew from Reeftopia. I really like ordering from them. Despite everything arriving quite cold, I had no losses as far as I can tell. The cerith snails are all in the same spot, even after being in the tank for 8 hours, but I'm pretty sure they're still adjusting and after a few hours of 'lights off' I think they'll start wandering around.

Also today I had to take the 4-way apart (again) as the drum had jammed. This is the drum that's supposed to tolerate sand. When I took it apart there was almost no sand that I could see, but when I put it back together it worked just fine. I think I'll just keep my Barracuda dialed down to ~50% for several weeks before trying to ramp it up again.

I also added the filter socks to the sump drains. What a huge difference in both noise reduction and tank clarity. This has almost completely solved my microbubble issue, although I still want to raise the baffle between the drain chamber and the return chamber, as this would likely completely eliminate all microbubbles.

The last piece of news is that the rest of my Aquatronica equipment arrived. I don't think I'll have time to situate all of it in the next couple of days, so this will have to wait a little while.

[greenmako]

sorry to hear your having so much trouble with the 4-way I only had trouble one time and it has been going ever since. I hope it settles out for you soon

[mojo]

Thanks Brain. Since the last problem it's been running quite smoothly. BTW I didn't receive an email notification that you had responded, which explains my late response.

I finally got around to hooking up my calcium reactor properly. I've got the tank's alkalinity up to 8.0 dKH, Ca 420. I didn't test Mg, but I'll get to that. I also hooked up some more modules on the Aquatronica, namely the pH controller for the Ca reactor and the density probe. Lastly, I unboxed a brand new pH probe for my Pinpoint monitor, which I'll use to test the tank water intermittently. I might just eventually get another pH interface for my controller and monitor the tank's pH continuously.

This was a bit weird (and concerning). I calibrated my brand new Aquatronica and Pinpoint pH probes in the same solutions, and put them both in the tank at the same location. Their readings were off by 0.2.

Next I want to hook up the dosing pump module so that I can automate one of the ZEOvit additives. Sorry no pics right now, not much to photograph.

[greenmako]

you will find that out about probes they will always be off a little bit regardless of how much calibrating unless you drop a ton of money on a scentific one but I don't think it will matter that much

[mojo]

Thanks for reassuring me, Mr. President. And I'm sure you're right in that it won't matter that much. I generally use pH monitoring as a trend and don't tend to treat absolute numbers.

[greenmako]

as long as the measurements are only off by .2 or so it won't matter but I have had a few probes which were brand new be off by 1 or more which I sent back to the dealer.

[mojo]

Last night I hooked up my ORP probe to the Aquatronica. I'm supposed to leave the probe in the tank water for about 2 weeks before calibrating, so I'm not paying much attention to the values it's reading.

I also went on a little reconnaissance mission. I saw my red brittle star on top of the closed loop strainer. I should have realized that it was fine, as it was moving its extremities around and, looking back, I'm nearly positive it wasn't stuck on the strainer. I have a history of notting leaving well enough alone, and I felt I needed to do something about this. So I turned off the Barracuda to allow it to climb off of the strainer more easily. This backfired, and the brittle star actually climbed inside of the strainer, where it hung out all night. This morning I couldn't take it, so I unscrewed the strainer from the riser tube, and in the process the star fled down into the riser PVC. I simply waited a few minutes and it climbed out back into the tank. I promptly replaced the strainer and fired the 'cuda back up. I used this opportunity of having my arm in the tank to redirect the flow from my 4-way outlets. I wasn't happy with the flow pattern or the surface agitation, as there were 2 spots where particulates were visible on the surface. With the new positioning of the returns the flow pattern is much better.

I really need to increase the alkalinity demand in my tank (MORE CORALS!!). After running the Ca reactor for only 1 day my alkalinity rose to 9.9 dKH (from 8.0). I'll need to get it down to less than 8, as elevated alkalinity is lethal to SPS when using the ZEOvit method. I adjusted the controller so that it runs much less, and I have a coral shopping spree planned for next weekend.

[erikharrison]

Alrightttttttttttttttttttttt, sounds like some more pics to come! Glad you got the OM situation worked out.

[debutis]

Good to hear your tank is doing well Mike, how do you like the zeovit system?

[mojo]

erikharrison - Yes, I am now one with the 4-way, we are in complete harmony together. Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

debutis - ZEOvit RULES! Unfortunately I don't have any SPS yet to truly evaluate its benefits, but my LPS look fantastic. I even have a nonphotosynthetic gorgonian that is doing great; it must be receiving nourishment from the bacterial populations provided by zeovit, as I'm doing nothing at all to supplement it's health. By the way, the shopping spree I have planned for next weekend is at your place ;) . You gonna be there?

[debutis]

Haha, i'll be there! You wouldn't want to help install a 500g refugium by chance would you?

[mojo]

I'd love to help out with the 'fuge install Matt! Let's plan on it.

[mojo]

I did some maintenance today, it felt good. This included a small water change with sand siphoning, scraped algae off of the back glass and overflow, changed carbon, cleaned filter socks (I really need more of these), cleaned salt splash off the Powermodule, and ran some tests.

pH ~8.2
S.G. 1.026
alk 7.85 dKH
Ca 415
Mg 1260
nitrates 0

I had my calcium reactor off for a couple of days as the alkalinity actually climbed to over 10. Now that it's more reasonable I'm going to gradually tweak it up. I'm also starting to supplement potassium. My level was 275 and I need to get it up to around 380. I'm dosing K-Balance Strong, a K-Z product.

I just finished hooking up the dosing pump for the Aquatronica. I'll use this to dose one of my ZEOvit components, ZEOstart2, twice daily. I've been doing it pretty faithfully, and when I'm not home my wife has been doing it for me (most of the time), but this will certainly simplify things. The dosing pump is really slick, and it's able to dose at volumes of only 1 ml at a time. It's actually a 3-pump unit, and as I get more into ZEOvit and increase the coral load in the tank, I'll have other supplements to add so that eventually I'll be using all 3 pumps. I need to get some flexible tubing, as for now I'm using the rigid 1/4" polyethylene which is a little cumbersome. What tubing do people use for dosing pumps?

[mojo]

I received the RedDragon 4.5m3 pump to replace the one that was sent damaged in the mail. I'm also happy to report that I was able to score one of the new models with imperial plumbing! I was quite surprised to see that this pump is actually a bit taller than the one with metric plumbing. Check out what I mean. The one with the red metric intake/outlet is my RD6.5m3, which is rated for higher flows than the all gray RD4.5m3. They both have the same size impeller housing and base, but the pump itself is raised higher off of the base on the newer model. I wonder why they did that?

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/reddragoncomparison1.jpg

The intake is set up with a 1-1/4" union, while the output has a 3/4" union.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/reddragoncomparison2.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/reddragoncomparison3.jpg

Hopefully I'll get a chance this week to plumb it in and replace the Mag12. The RD4.5m3 is rated for about 900gph at 4-1/2 feet of head height, which is just under what the Mag12 is rated for. This should slow down the flow through my sump a little, which will be good.

While I'm discussing equipment, here's what the sump looks like at this point. You can now see the addition of the calcium reactor and some other things. The sump is actually too full for me to fit the kalk stirrer, but there's room for that in the pan along side the topoff reservoir. Sorry the skimmer wasn't bubbling, I had the cup off for cleaning.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/sump11-21-07.jpg

This is what I'm skimming out on a regular basis. This is 3 days worth of nog. It reeks! Pretty good, I think, considering there's not much in the tank.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/3daysofnog.jpg

[txstateunivreefer]

What do you have planned for the skins on your tank wood choice stain color etc?

looking fantastic still im counting down the days until i can purchase a house and start my dream build.

i feel your pain on the 4way i gave up and sold it on RC i may try again with my dream build.

congrats on your progress and keep em comming

[mojo]

Thanks for the question and the interest.

I've been all over the place deciding on a skin for this tank. Initially I wanted a very elaborate and bold stand that had a bordering shelf upon which to place things when working on the tank, or a beer when not. I'm now leaning toward something much more simple, like perhaps a darkly-stained wood with a simple grain pattern that could simply be mounted to the metal stand with magnets. Any suggestions on a wood? I think simpler is better, as I don't want to detract from what is inside the glass. I will probably add some insulation to the inside layer of the wood to further lessen the noise from under the tank.

The 4-way has been behaving quite nicely as of late. Even though it pained me in the beginning, I'm glad I have it. I think the reef will benefit.

[PeeJ]

Althought I love the idea of bottom-drilled, I don't think I'd sleep well at night.

[mojo]

Thanks for your concern, but with schedule 80 Hayward bulkheads threaded into a PVC bottom, I sleep just fine.

I haven't posted any tank pics in a while so here are a few.

full tank
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/fulltank11-21-07.jpg

left side - check out the red gorgonian, it has white polyps
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/leftside11-21-07.jpg

right side
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/rightside11-21-07.jpg

side view
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/side11-21-07.jpg

duncan
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/duncan11-21-07.jpg

you wanna piece of me?
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/ricordea-emerald11-21-07.jpg

The ricordea above are the ones in my avatar. They were one of the first corals I ever purchased in this hobby back in October 2005 and they've survived through almost every tank destroyer imaginable. I am really happy to have them in this tank.

[mojo]

I have some bad news to report. The CBB died last week. It just completely stopped eating one day, and the next day it was gone. I'm not sure why it died, and due to its poor track record I don't think I'll be trying another one anytime soon. I did manage to get some replacement fish three days ago. They include a yellow tang, a powder blue tang, and a Swale's reef basslet (Liopropoma swalesi). The yellow is, well, a yellow tang, not much else to say about it, except for the fact that it's been at John's shop for a year and if it dies on my watch, I'll never hear the end of it. The powder blue is simply exquisite in coloration and there's not a speck of ich to be seen. These two tangs have already rid my tank of almost all algae. I'm going to get some nori and broccoli tomorrow as well as some veggie cubes for these guys. They're both larger than I had hoped for, but they looked so good I couldn't pass them up. I don't think I'll have a problem when I eventually add a Chevron tang, since it's in a different genus, but I'll need to get a pretty good-sized purple tang or it will get completely harrassed by this yellow dude. As for the Swale's basslet, it's been in hiding since it went in the tank. I've located it in caves on opposite ends of the tank and it appears healthy, although it doesn't come out to eat. I'm providing enough food so that the current takes food particles to every hole in the tank, so it's probably getting enough. If not, it's also known to eat small crustaceans, and since my tank is teeming with pods I feel fairly certain that it's not starving. This fish is fairly squeemish and will occasionally remain out of sight for weeks to months before venturing out, but its colors are so stunning that I really wanted to give this fish a try.

I also had another issue with the OM 4-way, although this was easily solved. On Friday when acclimating my new arrivals I heard the CL return plumbing smacking and rattling around with a loud thumping sound. After some inquiring on the OM forum I deducted that this was a "water hammer" which was fixed by removing the lid of the 4-way and cleaning off the magnets and relubricating them. Pretty quick fix. While doing this I realized something that I could have improved upon. At first I thought the water hammer was created by something, perhaps a snail, inside the return plumbing that was being banged around. Withought SUBVs directly beneath the tank's returns I realized that I simply don't have the ability to remove or replace any section of plumbing between the 4-way and the tank. When I eventually get a larger tank that's something I'll do for sure.

I finally put some SPS in the tank 9 days ago, and some of them are losing their color despite good PE. At first I thought it was attributable to something I may have been doing wrong with the ZEOvit method, but I also suspected bleaching from excess light. I got an early holiday gift, a PAR meter, so I thought I'd take some objective measurements. Here they are, with the ATI Powermodule located 6" above the water line. It should be obvious but I'll just mention that larger size numbers are closer to the camera, and smaller size numbers are farther away. Oh, and these photos are old and don't show my new corals, although most of the PAR readings were taken at areas where I have new corals mounted. For instance, I have a frag of Paletta blue acropora that's located at the "580" marker, and this coral is now a light sky blue as opposed to the deep rich blue of its parent colony.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/PARfront12-8-07.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/PARside12-8-07.jpg

So what do you think, PAR masters out there? Those are some pretty steep numbers, eh?

[greenmako]

Nice numbers would love to borrow that par meter to test my tank some time

[mojo]

Any time Brian, any time. I'd be happy to deliver it to your house, that would give me another excuse to see your tank. Let's set up some time!

Mike

[jtrux]

That is a great build up, it gives me a lot of ideas for the rimless 75 I will be getting in january although on a little smaller scale.

[MissT]

tank looks like it's coming along nicely! Where'd you get the PAR meter?

[copperband]

wow thats an awesome looking tank keep the pics coming

[mojo]

Sorry for the delayed response everyone, I didn't receive a notification that anyone had responded since my last post.

jtrux - Thanks a lot, I'm glad you can use some ideas.

MissT - I got the PAR meter on-line at
http://www.apogee-inst.com/quantummeter_options.htm

copperband - Thank you for the encouragement!



Today I made a 2 lb. batch of food. First I went to Kingfish and picked up:

Brightwell Aquatics Vitamarin-M, 250 ml
Brightwell Aquatics Vitamarin-C, 250 ml
Brightwell Aquatics Fish Amino Acids, 250 ml
Selcon, 60 ml
PE mysis, 1 pack
H2O Life Cyclops, 1 pack
H2O Life Mini Mysis, 1 pack
H2O Life Fish and Reef #2
H2O Life Brown Algae

At the grocery store I picked up:
1 lb. fresh shrimp
1/2 lb. fresh scallops
1/4 lb. fresh squid with tentacles
10 live clams

I then pulled out some Cyclop-Eeze, Kent Garlic X-treme and some green algae (nori) that I already had at home. All of the fresh ingredients were kept very cold. I rinsed the PE mysis in some RO water, but nothing else was rinsed.

I split the above ingredients into 2 batches. The liquid additives were poured into the processor, then the fresh seafood and algae sheets were added. These were permitted to soak for about 5 minutes so that the seafood and nori would absorb the vitamins and aminos. I then added the frozen bits and about 10 droppers full of Garlic X-treme before grinding up the gruel. The contents were poured into ziploc bags and flat frozen immediately. I intended to add banana to the mix as well, but I didn't have any at home and by the time I realized it, I was already committed. Let's hope the charges appreciate their upcoming meals!

I've also begun adding some additional ZEOvit supplements. Included are B-Balance, Pohl's Coral Vitalizer, Amino Acid High Concentrate, and perhaps the most exciting product of them all, Sponge Power. I'm also adding a little iodide (Lugol's) to the tank, albeit very sparingly, to hopefully help with coral coloration. I really need to take some pics.

[mojo]

So as an overall update, the tank is doing quite well. Coralline algae is starting to take off. The new additives haven't had any ill effects, and I might be hallucinating, but it seems like the corals are looking a little better to me. Maybe it's a placebo effect, not sure, but I'm really liking the way things are going. I removed the Deltec reactor that was used for running carbon, and I placed some KZ carbon in a media bag which sits atop the ZEOlith rocks. The ZEO reactor runs 3hr on/3hr off, so it's like an intermittently-active running of carbon. I'll change this carbon every 3 weeks. Removing the reactor gave me the necessary room in the sump to install this.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/reddragon45.jpg

This pump replaces the Mag12 as the main sump return pump. I installed an elbow on the intake, aiming down to reduce microbubbles and to ensure it's adequately submerged. If you recall, I had problems with the RD 6.5m3, but this one works like a charm. I'm convinced that pump was defective, and so is Aquarium Specialty who gave me a full refund for that pump.

Since I had the camera out to photograph the pump, I snapped a couple of some fish, just for grins.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/yellowtang.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/pbtandyellow1.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/pbtandyellow2.jpg

[cpreefguy]

Let me know how you like that Red Dragon 4.5 M3. Ill be ordering a RD shortly for my new tank and would like to know your overall impression of it.
Also, are you using the ZEOvit Sponge Power?

[mojo]

I already love the pump, and yes, I'm using Sponge Power :)

[cpreefguy]

Im interested in running sponge power even though Im not running any other Zeo products, yet.
Do you know if it works as a stand alone product very well? I saw the thread on the zeovit forum but havnt had time to read it yet.
I know youve probably stated it somehere, but just how quiet is the red dragon?

Thanks!

[mojo]

Sponge power is supposed to be a great stand alone product, and the KZ folks recommend it for non-zeo tanks. We just started using it on my office tank as well. As for the RD, it's the stealth pump, deathly silent!

I had a photo session last night. My wife got a new camera, a Nikon D300, but unfortunately the cheap loser who bought it for her (that's me) didn't get a macro lens. Additionally, the front 2 lamps on the Powermodule were out due to a faulty ballast, so these pics don't show the true appearance of the tank and corals. But I had to post some pics, for fear of losing everyone's interest in this thread. I didnt' get shots of many of the corals, but this should give you an idea of what's going on in the tank at the moment.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/fulltank1-13-08.jpg

sunset monti
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/sunsetmonti1-13-08.jpg

purple selago (badly faded but alive = BFBA)
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/purpleselago1-13-08.jpg

frag from wild colony pink table and efflo
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/pinktableandefflo1-13-08.jpg

montipora confusa
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/monticonfusa1-13-08.jpg

pink eye oxypora
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/pinkeyeoxypora1-13-08.jpg

Wait, there's more ...

[mojo]

monti cap
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/monticap1-13-08.jpg

Miyagi tort (BFBA)
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/miyagitort1-13-08.jpg

pink with green polyp mille
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/millepora1-13-08.jpg

Idaho grape
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/idahogrape1-13-08-1.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/idahogrape1-13-08-2.jpg

green slimer - not happy in this much flow, was much more polyped out before it was mounted in this position. I was gonna move it but I really like where it is, so I'm hoping it will come around and get used to its current condition. A little out of focus, sorry.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/greenslimer1-13-08.jpg

favites
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/favites1-13-08.jpg

[erikharrison]

It just gets better and better! :)

[mojo]

duncan
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/duncan1-13-08.jpg

Cali tort (BFBA)
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/calitort1-13-08.jpg

blue-tipped stag
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/bluetipstag1-13-08.jpg

aussie acan
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/aussieacan2-1-13-08.jpg

more aussie acans
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/aussieacan1-13-08.jpg

acro tenuis - color not well represented here, this is actually one that looks pretty good in reality
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/acrotenuis1-13-08.jpg

acro sp.?
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/acro1-13-08.jpg

[mojo]

Here's my poor PBT with ich. I thought it was getting better, but the ich has come back again. It doesn't seem to bother the fish, but his color is pale, and I can't stand to see this. There's now even some ich on the true percs. This has got to end, soon I hope.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/pbtich1-13-08.jpg

[cpreefguy]

Looking good, Im liking the KZ frag system

[mojo]

I haven't updated this thread in a while so here's the skinny. All of my fish died, I've got flatworms (NOT AEFW), and there's a cyano bloom, probably from adding too much ZEOvit product without titrating the doses. That's about a month's worth of frustration boiled down to one sentence. Regarding the fish, I'm keeping the tank fallow for a full six weeks before adding any more. I'll get some wrasses to eat the flatworms, until then it just bothers me that they're in there. I tried a FWeXit treatment but the worms just laughed and the snails just died.

In more positive news, I finally got the opportunity to change out the ballast on my Powermodule. If you recall, the ballast that controls lamps 1 and 2 went out, and I received a replacement from Reefgeek a while ago but didn't have the time to make the switch. Wow, this was a pain, but it was a success and I now have all 10 lamps firing. I took the opportunity to clean the unit well and I changed out a few of the lamps to give a bluer spectrum which I hope will color up the corals better. I removed a UV Aquasun and replaced it with a KZ Fiji purple, and I removed an Aquablue (which actually looks white) and replaced it with a Blue plus (20K look). Here's the new array.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/lamparray2-12-08.jpg

For those keeping track, the lamps are as follows:

top
blue plus
auablue
super actinic
pro color
blue plus
fiji purple
blue plus
super actinic
blue plus
aquasun
bottom

"Top" corresponds to the front of the tank, while "bottom" corresponds to the rear. I'm in the midst of some maintenance but I'll get a photo of what the tank looks like with this lamp configuration soon.

[BA]

WOW those lights look awesome

[atxchris1234]

What a setup!

DROOL

[klondike4001]

That sucks about the fish, but it is an otherwise awesome setup.

[mojo]

Thanks everybody, I'm really glad you all like it. Yes, it does suck about the fish, and from now on, mandatory 6 wk quarantine for all incoming fish. Period, no exceptions. I'm sure all my other fish would be fine now if I hadn't added the PBT.

[Paul28]

Are the brands you are yousing t5 UV and ATI ? or all UV, Why im asking im going to purchase https://diyreef.authsecure.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=55_89&products_id=459&osCsid=b4ada9ca938a58f1ea2a2fa00988ed3f

And run these 2 kinds of t5s [1]https://diyreef.authsecure.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=59_88&products_id=449&osCsid=cceb4c0005e9b5e7925490cc07990822
[2] https://diyreef.authsecure.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=59_86&products_id=394&osCsid=e1a5de0d518a1756f0b8ea8454203767

Just for my Actinics i Have Halides for the main lights is that a good combo for actinic t5 opion plz best for the nice blue color mix

[kooolaid]

Dont have words to say for your setup! Breathless!! How much have you spend for your new tank including everything? ;)

[jaustiniv]

SWEET lights!!

[mojo]

Sorry all, I never got an email that there were responses.

Paul28 - Your lamp selection is perfect. I love the ATI blue plus and the UVL super actinic. Both have great PAR and look awesome, especially when combined. That with your halides will look sweet!

kooolaid - Thanks for the very nice words, I'm flattered. I don't know how much I've spent, and I truly don't care to calculate it. Some things are better left alone, know what I mean?

jaustiniv - Thanks, man.


Here are some long-overdue pics. First, the obligatory FTS. You can probably appreciate the difference in color with my new lamp configuration, more blue than before and more natural, IMO.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/fulltank3-12-08-2.jpg

Slightly different angle.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/fulltank3-12-08.jpg

Side view.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/side3-12-08.jpg

Added a couple critters as well ;) .

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/achilles1.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/achilles2.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/achilles3.jpg

cont ...

[mojo]

In addition to the achilles, I got a Hawiian flame wrasse, Cirrhilabrus jordani.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/Cirrhilabrusjordani1.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/Cirrhilabrusjordani2.jpg

His jumping tendencies necessitated putting a lid on the tank. Instead of egg crate, which is bulky and not too nice to look at, I fashioned a top out of bird netting and a window screen. All materials were purchased cheaply from Lowes, and this is a well-described top. You may have noticed it in the tank photos above, but if you didn't here's a better look.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/meshtop.jpg

I also picked up 2 cleaner shrimp and 2 linkia starfish. The orange one isn't looking so hot, whereas the blue one is doing quite well so far.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/bluelinkia.jpg

Here's my red gorgonian with white polyps. It's hard to get this in focus, especially with the pumps on.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/redgorgonian3-12-08.jpg

I hope you all like the pics, and thanks for following along.

[JeffCo]

Coming along very nicely, I love the flame wrasse, have been wanting to get a pair of these, but I'm afraid my 6line would kill them.

[mojo]

That's a valid fear. A solution could be to get a large pair, but it's not like they're easy to come by. I had a sixline that was a terrorist as well. Both cleaner shrimp I tried in my former tank were attacked the moment they hit the water, and neither survived. It was a great flatworm eater, however, but after having it for about 18 months it went carpet surfing.

[mojo]

I picked up some frags yesterday. Most of them will be shown in the following photos. I mounted most onto KZ frag plugs, which attach to weighted bases. They can be moved around the tank safely and without being blown around until a 'happy' spot is found, then the tops simply pull off of the bases for permanent mounting.

Here's a full tank shot, actinics only. I need to scrape the coralline off of the back.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/fulltankactinics4-20-08.jpg

And while we're in actinic mode, here is a cluster of new frags.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/newfragsactinics4-20-08.jpg

Acro turaki
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/turakiactinic4-20-08.jpg

birdsnest
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/seriatoporaactinic4-20-08.jpg

milles (ORA rose and another one)
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/millesactinic4-20-08.jpg

efflo
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/effloactinic4-20-08.jpg

Lights all on. This ricordea is in my avatar and is the 2nd coral I ever purchased some 3 years ago. It only recently became happy in my tank since the change from the 30g cube.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/ricordea4-20-08.jpg

more to follow ...

[Paul28]

Very Nice !! love the colors of t5s

[mojo]

I mentioned I've had some improved coloration recently. Here's what I mean. There's also been some growth, it seems :) .

Miyagi tort, 1/13/08

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/miyagitort1-13-08.jpg

4/20/08

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/miyagitort4-20-08.jpg

acro tenuis, 1/13/08

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/acrotenuis1-13-08.jpg

4/20/08

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/tenuis4-20-08.jpg

green slimer, 1/13/08

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/greenslimer1-13-08.jpg

4/20/08

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/greenslimer4-20-08.jpg

blue tip stag, 1/13/08

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/bluetipstag1-13-08.jpg

4/20/08

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/bluetipstag4-20-08.jpg

[mojo]

cali tort, 1/13/08

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/calitort1-13-08.jpg

4/20/08 - still not yet dark blue, but getting much better

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/calitort4-20-08-2.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/calitort4-20-08-1.jpg

Beneath the toadstool you can see a new gorgonian.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/gorgonian4-20-08.jpg

In the background is the Leng Sy cap, looking mighty fine.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/lengsycap4-20-08.jpg

I got this acro frag from Austin Aqua Farms a while ago. Here it was on 1/13/08

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/acro1-13-08.jpg

4/20/08, sorry, different angle, but the same angle is above with the gorgonian.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/aafacro4-20-08.jpg

[mojo]

Here's the Hawaiian flame wrasse. See if you can find him in these photos.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/Hawaiianflamewrasse4-20-08-1.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/Hawaiianflamewrasse4-20-08-2.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/Hawaiianflamewrasse4-20-08-3.jpg

This is the achilles tang. Don't worry about the spots you see, that's stuff blowing around the tank as I did not turn off pumps for any of these photos. There is absolutely no ich and he's gaining weight nicely. His color is as black as black can be.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/achillestank4-20-08.jpg

Here's the full tank, all lights on.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/fulltank4-20-08.jpg

Right side.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/mjosephs/179g%20rimless/rightside4-20-08.jpg

[debutis]

Looking great Mike! Getting nice growth outta those acros as well.

[mojo]

Thanks Matt! How do you like how that acro frag from A.A.F. turned out? Things have really come around for my tank, that's for sure. The only thing that hasn't done well coral-wise is the aussie acans which have almost completely melted away. Unfortunately the life span of this tank is limited, as I'm moving in about 6 months into a new house. I'm planning a new tank build for that house, so if anyone's interested here's a planning thread.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1360795&perpage=&pagenumber=1

[klondike4001]

That tank is looking better by the day, I'm loving the achilles and the turaki frag! I sincerely hope my up and coming 90 gal will look half as good as that system.

[mojo]

That tank is looking better by the day, I'm loving the achilles and the turaki frag! I sincerely hope my up and coming 90 gal will look half as good as that system.

Thank you, I am humbled.

[gjuarez]

Hey Mojo, any updates?

[Robb_in_Austin]

He sold it. There is a build thread on RC of the new, better, setup.

See: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1360795

[mojo]

Whoops, yeah, sorry, I forgot to mention that. I sold the entire system to Clint (fishypets). He has the tank in better shape than I ever did. Thanks for posting that link Robb. We moved into the new house on St. Patrick's Day. I've got a lot of work to do on the house first, but once that's finished I'll get started on the new tank.