Clowndude's 65 Tank Build

[clowndude]

Greetings fellow Maast Members:

I wanted to document my tank build progress here on Maast so everybody can enjoy.

Here are the tank specs:

Tank: DSA 65 Gallon Rimless Tank
Stand: DSA 65 Modern Mahogney Stand
Sump: Trigger System Sump 18X18 built just for the 65
Skimmer: Seaside CS1
Lights: 2x Black AI Sol Blues with AI Controller
Monitoring System: Reefkeeper lite
Media Reactors:
-Reef Octopus BR-70 bio pellet reactor with Ecobak pellets. Pump running reactor is a Sicce 1.0
-Nextreef MR1 media reactor running BRS GFO HC and ROX Carbon. Pump running reactor is a Sicce 1.0

I purchased all the equipment at Elegant Reef Studio. Louis was able to track down Black AI Sols, which I was really happy about considering I was holding off getting lights till I had black AI Sols. I must say they were well worth the long wait.

Here are some pictures of the system.

FTS:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/b5cdf60c.jpg


Stand:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/65%20Gallon/5b6e4391.jpg


Lights:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/2b037397.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/9c4ac475.jpg


Inside Cabinet (Still a work in progress with all the wires:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/65%20Gallon/384e7f18.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/c9681460.jpg


Skimmer:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/65%20Gallon/701912e8.jpg


Any questions or suggestions are always welcome. Hope everybody enjoys the progress so far

[Big_Pun]

nick!! what's up buddy. very nice tank and equipment!!! that's how you do a reef tank. love how you cycle with a naked clown lmao

[clowndude]

nick!! what's up buddy. very nice tank and equipment!!! that's how you do a reef tank. love how you cycle with a naked clown lmao

I would have cycled with two naked clowns, but there was only one. Hopefully I can get a second one soon to pair them up together.

[joelozano]

Nice setup

[Europhyllia]

That looks very nice and clean. I am also happy to see you have fish toys ready as well. Few aquarists even consider enriching their fish buddies lives at all!

[Kristy]

Sweet setup! Only thing I see missing is a Vortech powerhead... I give you three months (til you buy one). :D

[clowndude]

Sweet setup! Only thing I see missing is a Vortech powerhead... I give you three months (til you buy one). :D

How did u know? It is def next on the list as the current jbj wavewaker powerheads have to go. :-)

[SinisterLou]

Nice set up clowndude. I can't wait to see it down the road when it is stocked.

[bigdscobra]

Nice Tank!! Time to come get some more rock!!!

[KING]

...i see u now clowndude..lol nice..:shades:

[KING]

HEY ANY NEW PICS WITH THE NEW LIGHTS?

[clowndude]

Here is are some updated pictures of the tank with its new light. I also changed the powerheads out for three vortech mp10s.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/95f47397.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/c0632075.jpg

[350gt]

Any notable differences from the Ai'S??..... Which do you like better and why?

[Big_Pun]

nothing like metal hilade, your the 5th person I've seen go back to the "dark side". tank is looking great how are coral handling new lights

[KING]

looks nice..is the light all over the house with the mh ?

[clowndude]

Any notable differences from the Ai'S??..... Which do you like better and why?

Oh yes noticable difference for sure. I swear every few days I notice new growth in my coral now. I've also notice the underside of Sps are starting to look better also. Most corals washed out and are now regaining their colors back. Another month and things should look really good.

[350gt]

Thats cool, well everything looks good in the pics.

[LuckySingh]

Dude looks awsome.. Metal halide glws...
U r second person besides me got rid of AI sols...
Any recent pic of the corals and hot wrasses!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Zack]

I'm absolutely in love with your rock work and the overall return/overflow setup.

[clowndude]

Been a while since my last post. I put together this short video tonight.

Enjoy!


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

[Big_Pun]

looking good nick! one the best in town!!

[lt1z28]

Tank looks awesome! Where did you get the Scotts Fairy Wrasse? I plan on adding one to my 180.

[Kristy]

Nice wrasses, Nick! (Still have the open top? Just makes me a little nervous.)

Keep us updated on how the pipefish and the flower pot coral do for you. Most folks can't keep either of them for long but I've heard that maybe that's changing...

[bigdscobra]

I have had some flower pots stashed away in the reef tank at the store for over 6 months now I think the key to them is having very low phosphates we can always tell when the gfo needs to be changed. Looking forward to moving them into my personal tank as soon as we get it finished.

[clowndude]

looking good nick! one the best in town!!

Thanks Chris, I plan on having a chiller on the tank by the end of the week. I should have all the parts by the end of the week as they shipped today.

[clowndude]

Nice wrasses, Nick! (Still have the open top? Just makes me a little nervous.)

Keep us updated on how the pipefish and the flower pot coral do for you. Most folks can't keep either of them for long but I've heard that maybe that's changing...

Hi Kristy, I built a screen top for all the fish before I put them back in the tank. I wouldn't sleep good if it wasn't for that screen top. It's how I lost my blue spot jawfish which hopefully should be back on the list this month. I really miss that fish.

I've had the pipefish and flowerpot for about 2 months now that they are all doing great. Def love sitting in front of the tank watching the clownfish play in their flowerpot and the pipefish on the hunt. I keep hoping I can find another type of long tentacle flowerpot for them so this one can get a break every now and then. I heard there is is a red long tentacle flowerpot, but haven't seen one other then on a couple website's here and there. Lets all hope flowerpots are here to stay, but they are def one of the nicer LPS out there.

[clowndude]

Tank looks awesome! Where did you get the Scotts Fairy Wrasse? I plan on adding one to my 180.

I got the Aust Scott's Fairy Wrasse Male from Elegant Reef. This fish def has some character to put it mildly. He straddles really easy so there have been numerous times just walking past the tank that he hits the screen net or splashes water against my back wall or out of the tank. There have even been some times I'm sitting there watching the tank and he will spit water out at me. Fish is always causing me to have to do extra work with the glass needless to say, but his colors are awesome so he is worth all the extra headaches.

[clowndude]

I have had some flower pots stashed away in the reef tank at the store for over 6 months now I think the key to them is having very low phosphates we can always tell when the gfo needs to be changed. Looking forward to moving them into my personal tank as soon as we get it finished.

Another thing I noticed is they really love light and good flow. When I switched from AI Sols which put out some light to MH it's almost like it doubled in size over night. Also they really love mid to moderate flow I've noticed. I believe collection habits have changed for them also or they are collecting them from different areas because it seems like everybody is having success with them. Even I'm having great luck with them even though my clowns never leave it which you would think they would have killed it already. Funny part is they have three anemones they can play in and don't even pay any attention to them.

[Zack]

Just curious, what made you make the switch back from the AI Sols? Was it the features? The output? I see a bunch of people on other forums that have done the same and I'm curious as to why they are doing this.

[clowndude]

Just curious, what made you make the switch back from the AI Sols? Was it the features? The output? I see a bunch of people on other forums that have done the same and I'm curious as to why they are doing this.

There were quite a bit of factors that made me switch away from them. The tank looked very cold as if it had no life. SPS didn't seem to be really happy in the tank and the I noticed the undersides of the sps were fading out. I think that is a characteristic of LEDs because I've read a lot of people complaining about that. Another thing I didn't like and it may have been just due to the lack of red spectrum was that nothing that should have been red or pink looked right. Their colors were totally washed out, even the pair of flame wrasses I have didn't look right to me. I must say I did like the features of the AI sols as it was nice being able to dim down to moonlights. I've been still trying to come up with a way to somehow get moonlights back. I'm thinking after I move getting the lumenbright fixture that they make with two MH, two t5s and moonlights.

This is the fixture I'm thinking about:

http://coralvue.com/lumen-brightt5led-fixture/

If you are looking for a fixture that will do LPS and softies then I truly believe the AI Sol will def do it, just make sure you don't full on blast the colors with light. As for SPS yes they work, but I don't think they are the greatest for SPS getting their full color. Of course this is just my opinion.

[Zack]

I see, thanks for that! I understand how that would be frustrating. Just curious, do you still have the fixtures?

[clowndude]

I see, thanks for that! I understand how that would be frustrating. Just curious, do you still have the fixtures?
I sold the AI sols. I knew I wasnt going to go back to them.

[KING]

going mh my self..they r nice ,,but just not for me after all..:ph34r:

[clowndude]

going mh my self..they r nice ,,but just not for me after all..:ph34r:

Back to the dark side eh?

[clowndude]

Tank is just over a year now. Few things have changed now. I am running a dual 250w XM with 2 39wT5 fixture now instead of a 400 watt MH for more even spread. Plus I am able to get a dawn/dusk effect using a blueplus and coralplus which really makes the corals pop. I also added a bubble magus doser to the system which does a pretty good job at keeping alk and calcium stable. I don't seem to need adjusting of Mag since the water changes seem to take care of this.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/5E132F51-9F26-4674-98C8-38FBAF61D12B-5131-0000021DDF202E86_zps7f8a245c.jpg

As you can see the tank is getting really crowded now. I will be getting a 190 soon in the next month or two. Tank will be 60x27x27 and run dual 400watt MH with 5 T5s and LED moon lights. More to come on that when the tank is in my hands.

[Big_Pun]

sexy tank!!

[hobogato]

nice tank nick, looking forward to seeing what you do with that 190

[KING]

Looks good...

[clowndude]

Thanks guys. I just flat out don't have any room anymore both in tank and in cabinet lol. Looking forward to more room for sure. :-)

[Big_Pun]

nick is reef mafia underground lol

[aquasport24]

Beautiful tank, keep up the good work.

[350gt]

nick is reef mafia underground lol


In other words, he has a life....... Lol

tank looks great....

[FireWater]

I agree. Looks very nice Nick. I think I see some familiar items in there.