Ians Yardwork Finnex is done! (Almost)

[Iplantz]

Ok, so to explain the title off the bat, my name is Ian and I am a sophmore in highschool, and and I spent literally my whole summer doing yardwork for 5$ an hour to piece together my "dream" tank. I have been poking around these boards about this tank and setup for quite some time and well its finally here!

I have to say, this is my first "custom" setup, and man it was wild. I thank my brother (my twin) a ton cause though I had saltwater all over me yelling, he still helped me a bunch and kept it cool http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif

I was worried that the overflow wasen't right flow, so I watched and tinkered with it for some two hours, loosing much water onto the floor to the dismay of my parents.

The wild part was I had tested positive to mono the day before I started this, and I felt like I was run over by a truck when it was over. http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/images/smilies/brickwall.gif

The frag tank was inspired my some ideas on various boards, and I hope to have it thriving with frags when I get a job in two week! http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/images/smilies/party.gif

I will be dosing either Bulkreefsupply two part or Bionic reef two part, I have yet to decide for various reasons.

Some info on the Dt:

Finnex Glass M tank
(24” x 18” x 17”)

Custom overflow (Special thanks to Thesponge) and Mag5 return

Oddessey 24" 250w Metal halide with 2x65w Pcs
(I modded this with a new fan, and it has the new version Icecap ballast)
(thanks to rz1a)

Frag tank:

20g long
(30" x 12" x 12")

Holds 82 frag tiles and is lit by a Finnex 4x24w HO T-5 fixture, the frags being 6" from the surface for possible Sps and Lps frags in the future.

To solve the flow problems (and bubbles) I bought a nice hang-on-back fuge, (24" x 4" x 13") <-(also thanks to Thesponge) and wala, had a nice flow for a good fuge to feed my frags http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/images/smilies/bigg.gif

Some stuffed I am in the near future of purchasing (once my old tank is sold) is:
JBJ ATO
Either Tunze 9002 or 9005 or AquaC Urchin (you know who you are :ph34r:)
(because of small footprint left)
Some Koralias (undecided on models)

And then some nice stuff to fill this baby up!

But the worst part of my writeup is the pictures, for I don't have an amazing camera, but its good for what I need.

Thanks everyone here at MAAST!
Finally here! http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/images/smilies/banana.gif http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/images/smilies/banana.gif http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/images/smilies/banana.gif http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/images/smilies/banana.gif http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/images/smilies/banana.gif

Pictures will follow in posts!

And I almost forgot my two friends and warriors through thick and thin, my Tomato clownfish and Falco hawkfish. The Falco was origionally to be a Pixy hawkfish (from SWF.com), but they sent me him and I couldn't have had a happier mistake.

Picture one is FTS and frag tank
Picture two is 10K daylight and Pc's <-(need replacing)
Picture three is actinics only
Picture four (blurry) is moonlights only
Picture five is frag tank FTS



http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/images/misc/progress.gif

[LoneStar]

Thats looking really nice. The frag tank is a nice touch too. Congrats on all the hard work.

[clone]

great job thats very creative

[Iplantz]

The frag tank was an idea the grew on me, just like the numbers on gas prices! I was looking to help with costs and I knew that 30g of Dt wasen't enough. Plus now I can learn some good methods for the future.

Also this tank was setup with already 1 year cycled live rock, sand, and water.

[CynthiaM]

Very Nice!!!! I love to hear young minds showing interest in this hobby. We just recently inspired a 15 yr. girl to take part in setting a reef tank w/her parents. Mother and daughter came to pick up some free frags, took a look at our main tank, and she got hooked.

[Iplantz]

Thats great! I might even know her? Im not too far from Leander. My love of the hobby started with cichlids and moved on up. Started saltwater with a 29g at 11 and was hooked! I had my fair share of death and trail and error but it has helped me to where I am now. I take great pride of my tank and pay for all of it myself (gifts excluded). I even help 15$ a month with the electric (I know its less than what it will probabley cost, but they said it was ok) :bigsmile:

[ACE]

Great Job! very nice to see something different!

[topsoil]

very nice

[glennr1978]

That's an awesome tank!! it's even more awesome that you actually worked and saved up the money to buy it all yourself. Not many kids do that these days.

the only thing I would possibly reconsider is the JBJ ATO. I've read alot of threads lately (not so much here, but on other boards) about people running into alot of problems with these ATOs. I've been using the "basic" unit from top-off.com for a while now, and have never had a problem.

PM me if you need anything. I have tons of spare nano equipment in my garage. I even have a couple of Koralias (#3, and #4), and a couple of Tunze 6025's I could part with. The problem is that I just moved to a new house and I have absolutely no idea which box those pumps are in.

[mama]

Way to go!! You need to come talk to my senior, who is at Mcneil High, and get him into the hobby with me. I wish he had the passion like you do...I could use the help with all the water changes!! Do you ever shop at River City Aquatics?

[Iplantz]

Im going to race Mcneil this saturday in cross country, hope hes not a runner :bigsmile:. I have been to Rivercity like 4 times in 2 months, I did my shopping at Partners Pets in RR and they were ridiculously priced! I love Rivercity, and I hope to sell some frags there when I get all the livestock set in motion.

[Iplantz]

I am reconsidering the ATo to maybe the Deluxe model that premiumaquatics.com sells. I wish there were more young reefs around I could talk with! I also wish my parents like reefing so I could get some help with getting coral. They are the very supportive of me though so I love them. As for the korilias I was thinking maybe 1 and 2, Or a 3 and 2. Want a clam and sps semi dominant tank so I do need good flow. Thanks for all of the compliments by the way! I love the sense of pride I get from buying all my stuff too, I can also say I can really appreciate a hard earned dollar too.

[mama]

WOW!!! Cross country??? We are the ones who will be parking the cars this Saturday!! We are in Mcneil's FFA program (Future Farmers of America) and this is one of our fundraisers to help support our club. My son does not run...he raises his lamb at our school farm.

If you ever come into River City...ask for Laura...that's me!! I'll be happy to work with you. I work Mon.Tues.Wed. and Thurs...sometimes weekends too...

Hope to meet you soon and I am very proud of your passion and the hard work you put into your hobby of reef aquariums. I know how expensive this all can be.

[Iplantz]

Sounds cool, maybe I'll see you there if I am allowed to attend (recovering from mono). So your son is in Ag? <--(don't know how to spell really). We have an ok program at my school, but not encouraging enough to take the class really. Rivercity is closest to me, and I love your prices! I have only met Misty and Carlos there, but I hope I will meet you! I was at the last meeting there, if you were there?

Oh and thank you!

[apedroza]

Nice job on the tank. Looks very promising.

[cpreefguy]

Lets see some updates!!! :)

[Iplantz]

If you like pictures of hair algae sure! I had a bit of trouble with diatoms and hair algae, but I was expecting this. I had been using some water that had some undesirable TDS levels, which I have fixed. Just need some more snails as my reefcleaners order didn't fair well. My nitrates are a little high at 50, but they are coming down. My chaeto died though, I didn't realize it wasen't receiving enough light till it was almost too late, but it is now on a 14 hour cycle, and if anyone in G-Town has some that be greatly appreciated. My inhabitants are a yuma ricordea, tomato clown, falco hawfish, and unproudly a dersa, who has been managing great belive it or not. I have had it a month and its coloring up and even getting a new line of growth. I got a flow accelerator and have 2 Koralia #2s on it, virtually no dead zones at all. I have my meatl halides on 8 hours a day. I seperated the plumbing on the frag tank, and got a stand for it, but shut it down for now as its a waste of effort and RO water if nothings in it for a while. Ill have some picture tomorrow when I admire it on my Christmas break! Yay. I have to leave after Christmas and won't be back until January 5th, but hopefully the chaeto, mangroves, and ulva will polish off some phosphates and nitrates by then. Then hopefully I can order my 20 zoanthid frags from pacificeastaquaculture I have been wanting so bad. Still need to sell my tank and stuff though, so its one day at a time (Not the show :P)

[dustint21]

If you are having algea problems you may want to cut back on the 8 hours you are running your metal halides. Looks like you have a really nice setup going!

[blindside]

Nice job! I might have to come take a look at it sometime! You should also come back to my place and give me a hand with my tank! Its a lot different then the last time you stopped by. :)

[Iplantz]

Do you still have the same tank? I know you did some light changes, and other stuff blindside.

The reason I can't cut back on my 8 hours of light as I need that much for my clam to survive, any less it too little. I need to get some chaeto mostly.

[dustint21]

What kind of clam are you keeping? Ive never heard of other people having to run their lights that long. I was wanting to get a few clams for my 90G, but if that is the case I will not be buying any clams! Anyway are you running any phosban or phosphate removers? You could try that also. Good Luck, Im sure you will get it figured out.

[Iplantz]

Nope, not yet anyway. How long does the phosban reactor media last? I need it to be economical.

[blindside]

Yeah same tank. I put a sunpod on it though. And it looks great! Also added a few things, and I have way too many clowns, two Picasso clowns, one naked clown, and two false percula's, so I need to cut down. Got to mention my leopard wrasse orange spot goby, and fire fish. Its top many fish. I lost track, and now I need to make space, I only have a 30h! Ha you need to come check it out, and take some of my clowns

[Mr Cob]

Nice tank setup! Love the frag setup.

[Iplantz]

If I can rid myself of my current Tomato I will gladly buy up your pair of clowns. The frag setup died and may be for sale if I can pass it buy my dad.

[Iplantz]

Update after what seems to be forever. I went on vacation over Christmas and came home to utter and complete DESTRUCTION! My tank looked like a UPS box when I entered the room. After calming myself and not killing the pet sitter I thought about what to do and how this happened. Closer inspection of a brand new container of food half full in 8 days (with two fish) told it all. Heres were the fun started. I had bryopsis and diatoms everywhere so I had 1 option.

I took out and manually scrubbed every piece of rock with a thick bristle brush for 2-3 minutes. Then I scraped the glass and polished the back wall of all algae and siphoned most I could. I used a water pump with a tube to stir everything that had settled and the sand or that had been buried and netted and siphoned it out. I used a Maxijet with a fish net covering to take out all the sand that had leaked into the back chambers that was accumulating detrious. I had flow problems that were returning too much too fast flooding the tank and emptying the reservoir, so I swapped the Finnex pump with a Maxijet, loosing flow but fixing the problem. Them I let the sand settle, added Purigen and Chemi-Pure Elite to a Filter bag by swapping the bag with the sponge so it could trickle over it. I let the rock swirl in a dark thrash can for 4 days, scrubbed the rock again then added it to the tank again. To clean up what I missed I added a Sea Hare (which is now for sale) which torn the leftovers apart, added filter floss, and now I am where I am. My only regret is that I didn't take before pictures to see how much work I really did. All in all it took 20 hours and lots of cleaning. Here is the result:

My current livestock list is:

Firefish Goby
Tomato Clownfish
Falco Hawkfish
Tons of reefcleaner (thanks to John)
Derasa Clam
Green Ricordea Yuma
Sea Hare

Some of these are 65w actinic pc's only some are 250w 14K metal halides

[Iplantz]

For some reason my file fail to load? Can't you load picture on here from a camera or do they have to be hosted?

[blindside]

I think they have to be hosted?

[cbianco]

Props for the setup and dedication!

I'm also considering an m-tank as my comeback tank. I'm a nano lover at heart.

If I remember correctly you have two options for pictures: 1. you can host your pictures elsewhere and use bbcode to "show" them or 2. you can upload them to MAAST (limited size) in the current post. I could be wrong but I believe this to be true.

Christopher

[cpreefguy]

^^^ Do it Christopher :D I love my Finnex, and that 30g looks nice!

[Iplantz]

The only 2 things I could down play the Finnex's on is that macro can escape from the fuge, and that it is hard to get the return flow to work right. Besides that they are the best of the best I think.

[cbianco]

^^^ Do it Christopher :D I love my Finnex, and that 30g looks nice!

OT but check out my sig for thread.

That's a couple of votes for the Finnex, now.

Christopher

[texasfootball21]

Any recent updates Ian?