Kevin's little ocean

[kkiel02]

Ok so I thought I would post up, finally.

Lighting-3x 250w reeflux 12k in lumenbright large reflectors

(have 2 of the above reflectors on the side with a 36" t5 unit in the middle soon will go with LEDs in the middle)

Flow-Return is from two sicce 5.0 and in tank flow is from a tunze wavebox and 4 koralia evos on an Apex unit

(Went with 4 k4 units I had. Never got around to the evos and am debating trying mp40s again)

Stand- Gabe hooked this up. It is built in three pieces to fit through the door. It has self leveling feet to make leveling easier. It is made from 2x2" steel except the middle piece which is 1x1" and 2x2" to clear the bulkheads. It then has a 3/4" piece of plywood that is painted with KILZ then another 3/4" foam piece.

Tank/Sump- Tank is made by DSA and is 375 gallon at 8'x3'x25" The 200g sump is being cut down by Jack from 24" to a little narrower at 18" to get it in and out of the stand easily.

(also added a skimmer chamber which is about 30-35 gallons)

Rock/Sand- Most is dry rock from reefcleaners. The sand is ArgaSnow from Tropic Eden.

Fish Closet- I call it that since it is too small to call it a fish room. It is dropped down 1" from the rest of the slab and is 8x3'. It has a water outlet for my ro unit. It also has a drain for the big spills. It has GreenBoard to prevent drywall from getting ruined, and has tile instead of base boards so the wood wouldnt warp if there is a spill. It has a door back there so I have access to the back of the tank. Two dedicated circuits were ran back there plus I share a circuit with the living room.

Livestock-Tangs and Wrasses- Lots! It will be LPS dominant.

Aquascaping Inspiration- Belize- We vacationed there two years ago and I loved swimming in the rock piles that were in the bay. The tank has three large pillars with a couple smaller ones sporatically placed throughout.

(I still need to take out some of the extra live rock I have in there to make the pillars take form better)

Thanks to everyone who has helped along the way!!! Heres some pics as I cant think of anything else to post as of now. Ask any questions if you have them!

[FireWater]

What are your plans for skinning the stand?

[kkiel02]

I had our cabinet guy come take a look at it but I dont think he wanted to do it from talking to him. So I guess at this point I really am not sure.

My to do list right now is:
1. Finish the stand
2. Get the lights up
3. Get sump and plumb tank
4. Buy controller and get it up and running

Next weekend I should knock out 2 and 3. Although I am a little unsure about how I am going to end up doing the lights.

[stoneroller]

Congratulations! Too cool to have your own fish room (regardless of size!) with a drain. NICE!

[BSJF]

I'm so jealous!

[buck27]

I really need a fish room (or closet). Great build, I look forward to following along

[Mr Cob]

looks great Kevin, will be fun to watch it develop into Belize! Love the fish "room" too! Did you have that built into the home or was it already there? It will work out great for you, you have the perfect spot for that tank.

[Europhyllia]

Nice. You must be so excited (and now we all *NEED* a fish room!)

[kkiel02]

looks great Kevin, will be fun to watch it develop into Belize! Love the fish "room" too! Did you have that built into the home or was it already there? It will work out great for you, you have the perfect spot for that tank.

I had it added although it took away porch space. I will have to add a patio or something when we get settled in.

@Europhyllia yes I am very excited. I hadnt bought a fish in about a year until this past weekend.

As for the move I ended up losing my female Kupang Damsel, I am not sure if it was from old age or what happend. I had her for about 3 years, now the male(same age) is alone. These damsels have been suprisingly very timid if anyone is looking for a less aggressive damsel.

[kkiel02]

Oh and for those that know- I have been trying to get my flametail blenny out of my systems since the 180 and low and behold when I was transferring rock without water or anything, he plops into the water as I put a piece in the tank. I am going to have to try and use a fish trap to get him out.

The reason is he eats- Clams, Acans and Brains. Those will be in my system this go around for sure so hes got to go.

[CoryDude]

Which tangs did you pickup at Gabes? I had my eye on that tomini tang he had.

[kkiel02]

I got the two smaller yellow tangs and the Desjardini. He still had the Tomini there when I left but that was last week. They get along great with my Purple and Blue Hippo.

The only other ones I am looking for is the Powder Brown, Blonde Naso and a regular Naso. Then on to the wrasses!

Added 3 bags of sand today and wow I love this stuff! It just sinks straight to the bottom no floating flakes. Definately will be using this stuff from now on. I though as a sugar fine it would blow all over the place.

[Kristy]

Arghh! I can't believe that devilish flametail is in your 375!! Best of luck trapping him, we've been trying to figure how to get ours (Osama) for over about two years now. Hey, come to think of it, we can get Bin Laden , surely there is hope for you and me, Kevin!

[kkiel02]

Yeah he mocks me daily! He will swim out until I get close to the tank then he quickly receedes in a crevice if I get close. He will make it out eventually but I cant believe he made it in.

[kkiel02]

Not too many updates but ordered my Apex controller today! I will post up when it comes in! If anyone wants to help me set it up I would greatly appreciate it! At least the networking part of it. :)

[FireWater]

I went with the Tropic Eden sand as well. Great reviews from everything I read.

I am hoping one of the LFS will carry it. I had to order mine in and still waiting on it. Afraid I didn't order enough though. Where did you get yours from?

[kkiel02]

I got mine of ebay. I love it. I may have too much so if you need some let me know.

[Scream311]

Hey Kevin. There's an Awesome Naso over at TT and he's HUGE would go great in your tank

[kkiel02]

Is it a male? And is it blonde or regular Naso? Thanks for the heads up.

[Scream311]

Don't know sex. Didn't ask Chris but I know its a Regular Naso but Beautifuk. And at a Great Price ! Streamers Look Great

[kkiel02]

Ok thats what I was looking for. Males have streamers. Might have to go check him out.

[kkiel02]

Well worked on plumbing a long time today. I will install it tomorrow and post pics. The ATS was a little challenge but I think it will work nicely. Ill find out tomorrow. Sump should be online tomorrow! Yay

[Europhyllia]

Yay. I bet you're nervous - and excited. Hope everything goes smoothly!

[kkiel02]

Everything is going great minus the water level being too high for the wavebox. It worked sooo good before I had the sump online. I thought I was good to go as far as flow goes. Now I am leaning toward either 4 6055 nano streams on the back wall on the controller or maybe even two streams on the back to create random flow. Off to the drawing board...

Plumbing works great, of course. lol That irrigation class came in handy!

I am pumped to get the ATS online. I just need to mount the lights down there. The water flow seems to be just about right. We will see what kind of algae grows to see if I need to increase the flow.

Also should be getting my ballast power cords this week so I should have my MH setup this coming weekend. Also will put the skimmer online this week sometime. But everything is coming along great so far...

Ive added alot of fish(fairy wrasses, leopard wrasse, powder brown, starry blenny, bangaii cardinals(hoping for babies here), and another kupang damsel since I lost my female in the move) lately so I am going to let the tank settle some before too many more are added.

My chalices from Lucky are doing good. Actually even my monti cap has greened up again. Oh and I am currently trying Salinity salt with good results so far but I have just started this week.

Thats my update as of now.


PS- Karin I like your sig.

[LuckySingh]

My chalices from Lucky are doing good. Actually even my monti cap has greened up again. Oh and I am currently trying Salinity salt with good results so far but I have just started this week.

Thats my update as of now.




I am glad ur chalices r doin gud...Is this the salinity from aquavitro...bc i am using the same but for sme reason i always hve to add extra alk after every water change to boost it up a bit...

[kkiel02]

Yeah I have only used 4-5 cups so far. We will see when I do my next water change I guess.

[kkiel02]

Ok got some real good news today! First My leopard wrasse went after some frozen mysis which I hadnt seen her do yet so that was a plus. Next got a few more chalices from Lucky. Still want to get the Flamethrower, My Miami and Tangerine Dreams but those will come later.

This weekend I did some work quieting my sump and built a light rack(sadly I didnt get to hang it yet). I am still getting alot of microbubbles so I think I will be trying to add some baffles to my fuge/ats side of the sump and get a bubble box made for the frag side of the sump. Yes I am still going skimmerless at this time. Which I am liking so far, I am already getting gha on my turf scrubber so I am not very worried about nutrient levels spiking. I will eventually add a skimmer to supplement the ats but at this point I dont have the bioload or time to get that up and running. Tomorrow I am going to harvest the algae from the ats which isnt much but was told to do it weekly even in the beginning. My Apex controller will be in this week I think, so once that happens the ATS lights will go on the timers the t5s are on currently. Right now the ATS is being lit 24/7 I know that isnt ideal but until I free up those timers I dont really have a choice unless i did it manually.

I lost a wrasse which either managed to jump through my eggcrate top or slid down the overflow to the sump and jumped from there. My fish list is getting smaller thanks to a trip to Gabes followed by a trip to Aquadome. I take some shots once the mh are up and running this weekend.

[CoryDude]

Sorry about the wrasse. Can't wait to see how your light rack turned out.

[kkiel02]

Heres where I am now-Got the Apex. Still need a couple things for it but they are ordered.(Thanks again Gabe).
Got the lights hung.
Am finishing up my skimmer section of the sump tomorrow.(Home depot should be open 24/7)
Im getting nice algae on the ATS which was a breeze to clean today :)
I am still getting micro bubbles in the tank but now that the tank will drain to the skimmer section hopefully that will reduce it alot.
Corals and anemones are doing good.
Fish are fighting a case of ich so I bumped up the feeding.
Got in my Tiger Shark floating glass cleaner!
I am going to move the t5 to the middle once my helper isn't so stressed about this tank. :)
And here is what it looks like now:
Click below
11864

[ErikH]

Looks great man! If you need anything, let me know. I am going to hang my lights this weekend. Can't wait!

[LuckySingh]

lookin nice....
would like to see sme pics of the equipment u r using...:)

[kkiel02]

I will try and shoot some this weekend. I ran into a little hiccup today with the skimmer section.

[kkiel02]

Here are the long promised pictures of the equipment from my camera phone. Cant find the charger for my camera right now so these will have to do.

Skimmer sideways of course. (sorry)11954
ATS it is now covered with hair algae!!!11956
The Ballast for the MH and the APEX modules which are behind the tank.Sorry this one is upside down and blurry. I was holding my phone from the front.11957

[CoryDude]

How is the apex system working for you? Love the turf scrubber.

[kkiel02]

Ok did my first tests today. Used the Red Sea kits(thanks for talking me into these Gabe) they were much more accurate than my old API and easier to use than my Seachem copper test kit.
Mag-1200
Cal-395
Kh-6.7
Ph-7.9

I dont test Nitrite and Ammonia anymore as I'm past my initial cycle phase. It was a very fast cycle upgrading to this tank. I also dont test phosphates or Nitrates because of the ATS and relatively small feedings. If anyone was wondering why Im testing- Im mainly trying to boost coral growth at this point.

[cbianco]

Not to sound silly or anything but... (now you know it's going to be a silly question!)

How did you get the algae to start growing on your scrubber screen? On it's own? Seed it somehow? Rub a hamburger on it?

Christopher :)

[clone]

im guessing a hamburger

[kkiel02]

Not to sound silly or anything but... (now you know it's going to be a silly question!)

How did you get the algae to start growing on your scrubber screen? On it's own? Seed it somehow? Rub a hamburger on it?

Christopher :)

LOL

The algae is already present in your tank. It just grows on the screen because you give it a better habitat for it. This wont ever truly get your nitrate or phosphate down to zero as the algae takes time to use it. It is just a better fuge if you will because the algae grows fater than the macros we have in our tanks.

[cbianco]

LOL

The algae is already present in your tank. It just grows on the screen because you give it a better habitat for it. This wont ever truly get your nitrate or phosphate down to zero as the algae takes time to use it. It is just a better fuge if you will because the algae grows fater than the macros we have in our tanks.

Cool, I didn't know if you had to encourage it to grow on the screen somehow. It will be interesting to see how fast the algae grows or rather how often you will have to harvest it.

Christopher :)

[stoneroller]

IMO, for corals, KH and Ca are most important. If running a CaRx or KalkRx I'd be checking pH too -- I don't but I still check pH occassionally. How do you plan to maintain Ca and Alk? I think nitrate tests should be done on a routine basis as a measure of security.

[kkiel02]

How do you plan to maintain Ca and Alk?
This is a good question. I used to run a Kalk reactor but have since sold the reactor. I still have quite a bit of kalk though so I might dose that for now. I have always done small weekly water changes to keep my numbers fairly good but I didn't test before besides Kh and Cal. They were with a API test kit though so I don't know how accurate it actually was.

Have any ideas?

[kkiel02]

It will be interesting to see how fast the algae grows or rather how often you will have to harvest it.

Christopher :)

It grows from a blank screen to fully green and thick in a week. I clean it on either sat. or sun. or every week. Next week I'll take shots of how mine looks after a weeks growth.

This time frame works great for me as I really only clean my tank(skimmer, ATS and possible WC) on a weekly basis.

[kkiel02]

Teaser- Got some new chalices in. They are Cornbread's Rasberry Monster, WWC Pink Saphire, Tyree OME, Tyree Keylime, Tyree Creamsicle, and Tyree Rainbow Delight. I will try to get some pics up this weekend.

I am thinking about using a kalk reactor again and just dosing magnesium as needed. My ph has stayed higher at 8.0-8.1 since raising my kh which acts like a buffer for ph. If I remember correctly. :)

[LuckySingh]

Teaser- Got some new chalices in. They are Cornbread's Rasberry Monster, WWC Pink Saphire, Tyree OME, Tyree Keylime, Tyree Creamsicle, and Tyree Rainbow Delight. I will try to get some pics up this weekend.

I am thinking about using a kalk reactor again and just dosing magnesium as needed. My ph has stayed higher at 8.0-8.1 since raising my kh which acts like a buffer for ph. If I remember correctly. :)

Gud goin Kevin.... Chalices r addiction and u sound like me trying to collect every k chalice....I Wana see the pic of threes rainbow delight...


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[stoneroller]

Shoulda got the blue gecko too!

[kkiel02]

I wanted to but it was hard to get get approval for the pack. I guess I should have asked for forgiveness rather than permission. I wanted that red rim chalice he had too.

[LuckySingh]

Hey bro how's the Apex working for u.....


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[kkiel02]

Sorry missed the post till now. Its working great. Ive been using the basic stuff they have programmed already for lights and heaters.

[LuckySingh]

Mines works great too besides me dealing with it's network problem... Keeps flipping IP...


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[CoryDude]

Any updates kevin? How's the monster coming along?

[kkiel02]

Lol its ok. I took my water into Elegant to get the phosphates tested to see how the scrubber was working and they were .05 if I remember correctly. Nearly 0 on the Hanna meter. Some of my chalices have lost some color while others have colored up? Im thinking it might be nitrates so I will do that next.

Im having trouble with my new filters on the ro unit. I think I might need a booster pump for the new ro filter? Just been super swamped at work right now...

Oh and I bought a couple new fish since the last update- One really large sailfin, two bangaiis, one starry blenny, and one engineer goby. Fish are super healthy and I now feed pellets along with the usual cube a day routine because of the sailfin.

[CoryDude]

What makes you think there's a problem with your ro unit? High tds readings, low output...

It could be that your tank is still maturing. I had issues 4-5 months after restarting my tank. Then after a few months the coral colors started to return.

I bet that sailfin is loving all the room in that tank.

[kkiel02]

The problem is the low output. Ive ran 75 gpd ro membranes on it before but this one is super slow. Also I dont think anything comes out the "bad" side of it.

Yeah the sailfin is amazing! I can't believe it was still at Elegant on a weekend as he is usually picked pretty clean by the time I make it. Which is a good thing...

Im not too worried about the corals but I do know I need to do a water change. The problem there is the ro unit is super slow... It would take me over a week to make 100 gallons right now. Do you happen to know where I could get a booster pump from?

[CoryDude]

Aside from one of the sponsers, I've seen them a few times at home depot in the water heater and water filter section. Personally, Buckeye FS gets all of my ro business.

Yeah, I found out the hard way that you better get it while it's hot at elegant reef. He had a green/pink acro there one weekend, and when I went the following weekend it was gone.

[kkiel02]

Ok updated the tank with some new livestock and went ahead and automated my ro/di unit. Also added a booster pump as my in house water pressure was weak. The livestock was 5 yellow tangs which after a spat with my purple tang, everyone seems very happy now and eating!

Also went ahead and got everything to use aquanotes on my phone today for the apex so I will be hooking that up tomorrow!

[Europhyllia]

So where did you update that (in other words where can we find the pics???)

[Louis]

Did you have a chance to install the new membrane tonight? Updates?

[kkiel02]

Yes installed the membrane. Getting great flow from the ro/di. Still didn't install the wireless to the apex yet. We went out of town this weekend. Karin I will try and snap some pics this coming weekend. I know Im way overdue...

[kkiel02]

Ok working on the hair algae, not very hard though. Thought I would put up a fish list of what I have now as it is getting close to being fully stocked.
Tangs:
4 Yellow+ one in the frag part of the sump
1 Purple
1 Sailfin
1 Blue Hippo

Wrasses:
1 Leopard Wrasse
1 Black Leopard Wrasse
3 Tricolor pencil wrasses(1M, 2F)
1 Lubbocks Fairy Wrasse(although I think I am going to yank him out)

Clownfish/Damsel:
2 Percula Clowns
2 Kupang Damsel

Basslets:
1 Royal Gramma

Blenny:
1 Midas
1 Starry

Goby:
1 Engineer

Anthias:
1 Sunburst

Cardinalfish:
2 Bangaii

Inverts:
Anemones:
4 BTA
2 Maxi Mini Carpets
1 Tube

Shrimp:
1 Cleaner(hes lonely)

Starfish:
1 Banded Serpent
1 Banded Brittle(in sump)
Alot of mini brittles(thanks to Mike and Kristy)


I also took a video yesterday so I am going to create a youtube account and try and post that tonight!

[CoryDude]

What's up with the lubbocks? Can't wait to see the video.

[kkiel02]

He has always chased around my Kupangs which is fine as they are hardy but now he is either flashing or chasing the midas, the sunburst, and the pencil wrasses.

Im uploading the vid now. Ill try and get some of the other fish more visible on the next video. The GFO went online today so dont mind the hair algae. :)
http://www.youtube.com/embed/k5TpzDy1PfA


And go easy as this was my first video next time will be much better. The TV show for my "background music" made me laugh. Didn't even think about that. Ill try one probably this weekend. And can anyone point me to the code for embedding the video in the post?

[LuckySingh]

Bro really would like to see some vid or pix of ur flame anemone !!


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[alton]

Thanks for posting video

[kkiel02]

RRASCO helped me setup my internet access to my Apex today!!! Thanks again.

I will shoot a better(i hope) vid of the tank tomorrow.

Sadly I lost my black leopard wrasse. I am not sure exactly what happend as he was on frozen and eating then that night he started swimming around weird so I put him in my sump where he later died. He wasn't being bullied or chased by any of my other wrasses. I know they are prone to flukes and parasites as they sleep in the sand in the wild but he has been at the LFS 3 weeks so I was hoping he was good to go.

The three pencil wrasses are so fun to watch. One female is slightly more shy but they are out and about now.

[kkiel02]

Reef Journal Update- Well I am done with new wrasses for awhile as my fairy wrasse pestered the 3 pencil wrasses to death. :( And he is too smart for a fish trap. Who would have thought a fairy wrasse would be the bully? Maybe I should buy a mystery or 6 line to bully him. JK

I took the step into Acros today. I know this will be a slippery slope.

Also picked up a My Miami today from fishypets! Two more chalices and I will be set- Tangerine Dreams and BPC Flamethrower!

Still battling hair algae but am winning that fight. Also will probably redo my plumbing this weekend to remove my frag section. I am gettting micro bubbles if I don't keep the foam perfectly clean. The foam was a temp fix anyway and the new plumbing should be easy to do.

And I will try my hardest to get some video of the flamethrower nems for you Lucky. Sorry I forgot.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

kool video. Did you have any probs with the yellows tangs chasing each other? Theres a lot of room in the tank. very nice

You can allmost go scuba diving in there:bigsmile:

[kkiel02]

I orginally had 5 in the display but one got bullied and now has the whole fuge to himself. Now there isn't aggression between the yellows just the purple will go after one every now and again. This was why I added so many to help spread out the aggression since the purple is bigger and was in the tank first. Those little yellows hold their own though.

Ill get an updated video tonight.

[kkiel02]

Updated Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5MH1NYMsDk

I still cant figure out which youtube link to embed video of. I know the code is- [ youtube ] [ /youtube ] without the spaces but cant figure out which link to copy in there.

The next purchase will be for one more large lumen bright pendant for the center section. It will probably have to wait until later this month though. Im getting a hermit crew to finish off the hair algae here pretty soon along with a variegated red flower anemone. That will bump my anemones up to 8. :)

Lucky I tried to get better vids of the flamethrowers but I can't zoom in with video and my pictures are horrible. Thats the My Miami I just got in the beginning. Also sorry about the coraline algae.

[alton]

Looking good

[kkiel02]

Well my test acro has really purpled up nicely. This is taking me down a path I said I wouldn't take. I think Im going to biopellet the tank and go sps. This would of course require me to setup a LPS tank as well because I've gone off the deep end with chalices. :)

After the wedding and after talking with Chris(Big_Pun) Im going to make the call.

[allan]

Doesn't chris have chalices?

Never having done just sps, seems like you should be able to do both.

Your tank is looking awesome, though. Love the height.

[FireWater]

Kevin, you should be able to keep a mix of lps and sps even running the pellets.

What pushed you over the edge into thinking about pellets?

[allan]

Chris's subliminal messages... :)

[FireWater]

Figures?

He tried to use the force on me too, but I ain't doing it. Yet.

[Big_Pun]

Chris's subliminal messages... :)


yes i have chalices and if kevin wants to give me a frag of high end one ill gladly test it lol..... yes i have hot pink and hollywood stunner both grow fast and i dont feed them at all. i hear if you actually spot feed them they grow quickly. either way my tank has lps,sps, softies, clam, non photo all with no problems.

[LuckySingh]

Kevin how's the widowmaker doing


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[kkiel02]

Kevin, you should be able to keep a mix of lps and sps even running the pellets.
What pushed you over the edge into thinking about pellets?
I guess I've been thinking about it since lmar. I've been waiting to hear results on them and most the ones I've heard have been positive. The subliminals finally pushed me over the edge. Haha
I'm probably going to keep some hammers and other LPS in the big tank but some of my new chalices I'll be getting will do better with daily care and it's hard to do that in this big of a tank.

[kkiel02]

Kevin how's the widowmaker doing


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Lost a little color fragging it but it now has three eyes. Still mainly has red and that like blue color.

[Mr Cob]

edit....just saw your videos! Sweet bro!

[kkiel02]

It looks better now. Plus, Allan would be glad to know I scraped off most of the coraline that was bothering him the other day. :)

Yeah after talking with Louis and Chris Im going to take the leap into biopellets. So now Im expecting an sps addiction to kick in again.

Anyone else go through waves of sps to lps to zoas to anemones etc. etc.??? I guess it keeps the hobby interesting. Thats why I've enjoyed the hobby as long as I have I guess. I'm usually pretty a.d.d. with hobbies.

[kkiel02]

So I gave up an arm and a leg and am getting two chalice packs tomorrow! Hope everything comes in good. Ill try and post up pics this weekend inless they look bad in which case I will be too upset to do so. lol

Im going to try to get the biopellets running this weekend but if not for sure by the following weekend that way I will feel better about buying sps at the frag swap...

Everything did fine for the week I was gone although the tank looks to have maybe shifted a little. Im going to take a better look at it tomorrow before work and am crossing my fingers I dont have to relevel my stand. Gabes going to have to come out of retirement if it did shift.

[LuckySingh]

kevin which skimmer r u using right now??

[kkiel02]

I'm using a reef octopus extreme 250 I think. I had it on my 180 and just used it for this build as well.

[kkiel02]

Sorry forgot to update last weekend and since Im on nights it makes it hard to take pics since Im always home when the lights are off. As you might know, one shipment came in great.... the other not so much. Im trying to work that out with the supplier, he's been great so far and said he would replace them if they parish. One other good note is I am making my first purchase with WWC(for a chalice they just released). I've heard great things about them so I am not that worried with their shipping.

Also really debating enlarging my fishroom which would just be me enclosing my porch and pouring a new covered porch. Sounds easy huh? lol I have a couple general contractors I am going to get quotes from. This would eliminate two problems: 1 The tank would be all the way in the fishroom instead of being half in and half out. 2 My fish room would be bigger. It could be a mini man cave for me.

[kkiel02]

Heres an updated video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te4DmgMIZlU

And of course my colors are a little out of whack since it was shot with my iphone.


So as of right now this tank will be drained at the end of may. Don't worry Im not done yet. Im actually upgrading alot. Going to enclose our porch to make it a 10x15' fishroom. I will run another system with two displays- one for my flamethrower anemones and one for my chalices. This tank will be scooted back about 2 feet and be SPS only(well maybe a few LPS but NO SOFTIES). Scooting it back will give us some more living room space and then it will be completely in-wall. So now I go back and look at mini split ac units again, figure out how big I want my other system and decide on lighting and flow for the big tank. Im trying to stay around 700-800 gallons with both systems(but Im already at 500 with this setup).

The hardest part for me is that everything has stabilized and is growing so well, finally.

[CoryDude]

Wow, that sounds like quite a project Kevin. LMK if your lookin' for some free frags when you convert the beast over to sps.

[kkiel02]

Well Ive made some decisions as far as the tank goes-
Going to run two mp60 and as the sps grows in I will add either tunze or mp40s to the back wall for more sporatic flow.
Going with the radions, after seeing the spread on louis' nem tank I know they can cover 3x3 so that allows me to only run three saving money over ai and maxspect. I may add some diy units depending on my final aquascape.

Once the bids are complete I should end up with 10x15' tank room/man cave. So I have lots of room to mess with- My DT will drain into my skimmer tank which will drain into a large chaeto/fuge tank and then go into my sump where my reactors and equipment will be. Im going eventually run Kalk and calcium reactors once the tank starts to fill in. I will need to get schooled on cal reactors as I have always been to scared of them. :) I hear geo makes a good one though. Dosing pump will be the bubble magus. Im still debating on my frag tank. Ive been looking into a raceway and maybe keep sps and zoas under one light fixture. Ill try and sketch it up better if anyone is interested. It would fall in right after the skimmer, I think.

Lastly Ill also be setting up a smaller system probably with twin tanks with one sump. This will hold my chalices in one tank and my flamethrower anemones in the other. The tanks will be somewhere in the 40-75 gallon range. I will probably get another sump made for this that will, of course, be fed from the display into the skimmer/reactor section, which would then flow into the chaeto section then to the return pump. I will probably just using dosing pumps on this since the system is much smaller and dose two part and maybe trace minerals if needed.

The room will utilize a minisplit ac unit for heat and cooling.

So there you have it! Now we are just waiting until the summer rolls around so Alyssa can be here to watch everything go together.

[LuckySingh]

Seems like a gud plan!!!
Three radions should gve u enough coverage ...I do recommend a kalk reactor for ur giant tank ... I myself getting one today also .. Kalk is very useful if dose the right way thou I am still debating to use mine via ATO or dosing pump..
I sent my both mp60s back but for ur tank size they might be gud...
Mp60 r gud for the larger tank but they r too strong for the corals within 3 to 4 ' range
I am using tunze's 6305 and 6155 along with wave box and I am very pleased with the results... These pumps r strong and with the gud spread as mp60s...
U r most welcome too come by my house and play with the controller and see the massive amount of water they
Move

[hobogato]

i vote dosing pump. it is a safer way to go and you have more control over how much you add.


Seems like a gud plan!!!
Three radions should gve u enough coverage ...I do recommend a kalk reactor for ur giant tank ... I myself getting one today also .. Kalk is very useful if dose the right way thou I am still debating to use mine via ATO or dosing pump

[LuckySingh]

i vote dosing pump. it is a safer way to go and you have more control over how much you add.

Thanks ace that's what I was thinking too... U control the dosage via pump than let it over dose via ato if it evaporates like gallon s day...

[hobogato]

exactly :)

looking forward to seeing this come together kevin!

[kkiel02]

Yep I will be doing this via dosing pump. I used to use kalk on my 180 and almost crashed the tank when the ato pumped the same time the stirring was occuring.

And Ace I really look forward to it coming together as well. Its been a tough call since the tank is doing good but I would rather get it done now rather than later.

Lucky I know what you mean and also don't really like that you can't aim the mp60 but I plan on having these both push the water down the front of the tank in front of the aquascaping. That way my return pumps can push water down the back while these take care of the front.

[ErikH]

Put that 60 on on Nutrient Export Mode!

[kkiel02]

Well its been awhile but everything is still doing great even my sps. I had a little problem but everything bounced back after a water change. Everything has been on standby until I can decide on this fish room. Ive decided to make the large tank softies and LPS to keep it easy on maintenance then have a little tank in the back for the chalices. Anyways I will be lurking but will have to wait until the summer for any good updates. :( Oh and my two baby bangaiis made it just fine, well they aren't really babies anymore. Haha

[350gt]

Good to hear...


Where are the pics though?

[kkiel02]

Well I'll admit I was getting a little bored of the mixed reef idea. So I had a little talk with the boss and she gave me the go ahead on a new direction. I will be doing so next summer but I will post pics and upgrades as they occur. Here's a hint- I'm keeping all my anemones along with adding a "few" more. :)

[kkiel02]

Well this one is dead... Stay tuned for the restart. Haha

Oh and not really dead just broken down. :)

[Mr Cob]

Dry Kevin?

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[Big_Pun]

Well this one is dead... Stay tuned for the restart. Haha

Oh and not really dead just broken down. :)

oh what are you doing ;)

[kkiel02]

Oh yeah it's dry right now. Hopefully I'll get a quick cycle once my new rock comes in.

Lol @ Chris. I thought you were there. Haha

[Big_Pun]

Oh yeah it's dry right now. Hopefully I'll get a quick cycle once my new rock comes in.

Lol @ Chris. I thought you were there. Haha

lol oh yea thats your tank..... i forget. reason my back hurts! sorry about the light being left on lol. glad to see your excited about the rebuild.

[kkiel02]

Oh yeah. Im pumped to have the tank cleaned and even lower maintenance corals. :)

Im going to miss that turf scrubber but hopefully I can make do. If anyone ever has trouble with nuisance algae that would definitely be my first recommendation if they have room for it. Well have to go make another fish list to get everything out from Louis's tanks.

Looks like I need to charter up again too. haha

Edit- Already chartered. Im so happy we can do it online now its so much easier!!!

[kkiel02]

Let's try and update. I went through a big ich outbreak. Lost quite a bit of fish but got a
Uv sterilizer and was able to save the fish I told my wife if we lost I was out. So I've been rebuilding over the last year or so. It's in wall now and I have it framed up. Hopefully can finish skinning the tank Monday. I'm still running my radions for lighting, sicce 5.0 for return and my reef octopus skimmer. Looking to add a fuge here in one sump compartment real soon.

Livestock- tangs-dejardini, hippo, yellow and purple tangs

Wrasses-Pair of blue sides fairy wrasses, yellow fin fairy, ruby head fairy, lubbocks fairy, pink margin fairy, and just got 2 leopard wrasses radiant and a yellow banded possum and a yellow headed cleaner wrasse.

Misc- 2 green mandarin, midas blenny, royal gramma and 10 clowns(Picasso and snowcasso)

For corals- mainly zoas, chalices and various other LPS(favias, brains etc)

Got a few Hanna checkers and absolutely love how fast they are. Way better than my red sea coral pro test kits. The downside is that there are only a few so I still have to test with color charts for most my levels.

[buck27]

Talk about crazy and upsetting

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[CoryDude]

We need an updated pic! I'm glad you decided to frame in the tank. Trying hand at a 25w sterilizer too. Love you wrasse community.

[Mr Cob]

Yeah man...where da pics? How about the clowns Kevin..?




Sent from my Samsung note3 using Tapatalk.

[kkiel02]

I took a vid but can't post it. Only pics I guess. IlI snap some in a bit.

[LuckySingh]

Damm bro I didn't even know u went through crash. U got one giant tank !!! I hope all is doing well for u

[kkiel02]

Yeah I almost stepped out of the hobby but now we bounced back.

Here's three pics of the tank. http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/26/7upypu5e.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/26/2y8a5yty.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/26/uju7y7yn.jpg

[kkiel02]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/01/emyne4u3.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/01/azuduvu5.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/01/epuruvu4.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/01/u8evune9.jpg

Some newer wrasse and some of robs clowns. Hopefully these pics come out better than last try.

Edit- some are still a little grainy but you get the idea.

[kkiel02]

Tomorrow I will try and get some pics with good color of my hammers and torches. Along with a Favia goody and no it's not the dragon soul form the leopard wrasse pic. :)

[Mr Cob]

Looks great Kevin... that one onyx picasso (without the picasso markings) is getting dark!

Can't wait to see the other stuff :)

[kkiel02]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/02/umy8ysy7.jpg
My new neon striped Favia

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/02/a7y6u4ur.jpg
My new branching hammer collection- orange, 3 marbled hammer, yellow hammer the next picture is my masterpiece. It's got a little toxic, little marble and is bicolor. http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/02/ahe3yzat.jpg

[Mr Cob]

Here are a couple of pics I took of some of your pieces Kevin...

The Tiger stripe favia (this piece looked amazing under my LED)
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/02/aju2ema8.jpg



Your Aussie marble/toxic hammer colony (in low flow it really opened up)
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/02/arytuput.jpg



Your Aussie Duncan colony
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/02/u9ubyqa8.jpg

[Dean]

Very nice additions! That favia is awesome.

[kkiel02]

Ah forgot about those Duncan's. Good catch. Yeah my pic is pretty bad of that Favia. I'm just taking pics with iPhone and I lack the skills. Haha

[CoryDude]

Is it just the picture or is that euphylua (hammer?) coral two different colors?

[kkiel02]

Yep that large one is split down the middle. One side is blue and one side is mainly green although there is a purple patch on the left side of robs pic.

[CoryDude]

That's too cool.

[kkiel02]

Ok I know I need to update this a lot but I just wanted to post a few pics I took this week with my new iPhone app. http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/02/23/834d8832ced347541f146d2946e7a88b.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/02/23/f7ea351ed969dbc06c8a57df31e85125.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/02/23/c88c0a417364093f113b6bb7b269428c.jpg

Some are a little over saturated with blue but it's getting better!


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[Kristy]

Nice! We still want to get by to see this beast of a tank.... :) Hope y'all are well.

[kkiel02]

Yeah everything is good. The tank has been improving a lot lately since I started using biopellets. Give me a buzz yall are always welcome to see it.


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