3rd Time's The Charm

[CoryDude]

After battling algae and aiptasia for longer than I cared for, I Started a new rebuild a few weeks back. Actually it started a few months ago when I began piecing together various goodies. I had significant losses of fish and corals over the past 6 months so I figured now was as good a time as any to do a hard restart.

Here are the new items that I've collected over the past two months:
1. Speed Wave DC10000 variable speed pump for the return pump. It will also feed my uv sterilizer, chiller, gfo reactor, and possibly my calcium reactor and sulphur denitrator.
2. 1/2 hp commercial grade sunlight supply chiller that will be plumbed outside.
3. Aqua ultraviolet 25w uv sterilizer with wiper sleeve.
4. Hamilton cayman sun 250w hqi reflectors.
5. Reef Octopus calcium reactor with a mixture of dolomite to boost magnesium and reborn aragonite.

[CoryDude]

My live rock is currently simmering in a tub full of bleach. It will also be frozen and power washed before cycled back into the new setup. I'll probably put together a video to document this build so I may not be able to post pics for a while.

the existing fish are in a 60 g tank undergoing a copper treatment for ich. The surviving corals are in a 29. They were fragged to avoid any reintroduction of pests once the new tank is cycled.

The new build will also consist of double stacked 20 L or 30 L tanks for fish qt and a separate coral qt. it will be a few months before those are setup. But I figured I need to act like a long time hobbyists and do this one right.

[Kristy]

Oh wow, I'm sure this will be greatness. (I'd rather hear about your livestock plans than your equipment though.)

i didn't realize you were struggling with those nuisances. What kind of algae?

[Zack]

Cory, did the Vegas not perform well for you? I saw you had sold some recently, just curious about how they did for you.

[CoryDude]

Oh wow, I'm sure this will be greatness. (I'd rather hear about your livestock plans than your equipment though.)

i didn't realize you were struggling with those nuisances. What kind of algae?

Not sure about greatness, but thanks. I lost a few good fish. So right now the hold overs will be the flame back angel, spotted mandarin, and the lyretail anthias. But the mandarin will be in qt for 5-6 months to allow pod populations to rebuild in the new setup. Not sure after that, but I'm going to be real selective on new additions.


Cory, did the Vegas not perform well for you? I saw you had sold some recently, just curious about how they did for you.

They just never seemed to work well with all of my sps. Torts loved the LEDs but my Millie's, stags, efflo, purple/green rhodactis, and acans hated the switch. Almost all sps started to lose flesh on the undersides. I'm pretty sure my color settings had a part in this problem as well.

I'm starting to think that growing sps colonies under led and vho combos and then switching to LEDs may be too much of a stress on more delicate sps species. So I'm going back to what's worked for me in the past.

[CoryDude]

Hard PVC plumbing is hard...to do. Geez, 4 hours today and it's still not ready to go. Using 1" PVC for the chiller and return and a 3/4" line for the manifold that will run the uv, gfo, calcium reactor, denitrator, and a 5th take off if I decide to add something in the future.

And did I mention that all those compression fittings, ball valves, bushings, elbows, 45's, etc add up? $130 alone on PVC supplies and I need to make a 2nd trip back to the store. I'll post pics tomorrow.

[zerreissen]

And did I mention that all those compression fittings, ball valves, bushings, elbows, 45's, etc add up? $130 alone on PVC supplies and I need to make a 2nd trip back to the store.

Yeah, when you look at everything individually, you think "oh, that's not so bad!" And then you go to pay for it all and it's $100's instead of $10's. And then you either break something, or decide to change it up...

[CoryDude]

Houston...we have water in the tank. No leaks! I've got pics but just too lazy to load them now. This dc variable speed pump is super quiet. The durso overflows are louder than the pump.

Prodibio biodigest wil be added this weekend. Now the waiting game begins on the nitrogen cycle.

[Big_Pun]

very nice!! real reefers never quit!!

[ramsey]

Right on man! We need more SPS tanks!

[Flyride95]

Very excited.


180gal + 30gal sump with an awesome wave.

[CoryDude]

Super quick video with cruddy pics, but hey at least it's documented, right?

MuRtLgYAFgI

[koa25]

Ha ha. Awesome video man. Love beastie boys.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[rrasco]

Is that in-wall?

[ramsey]

That's a serious manifold.

[CoryDude]

Is that in-wall?

Yes sir. It's a pain sometimes. Not sure if I'd do it again.


That's a serious manifold.

Thanks. I made the mistake the other night of turning the ball valve the wrong way and got a faceful of water.


Very excited.


180gal + 30gal sump with an awesome wave.

Thanks man. This has been the longest most expensive build yet. But it's worth it a few months down the road when the frags start encrusting over and you see those new growth tips.

[CoryDude]

Shot some video this weekend. Will have something up later this week.

Build is pretty much done. Got the chiller plumbed in. Since it's outside I built a housing stand and roof complete with shingles. Ran into my first leak in my plumbing. It was at a threaded connection on the chiller. But a quick disconnect (thank God for PVC unions) and a few extra turns and she's ready to go.

This commercial chiller runs loud,but man is it effective. With halides on and during the middle of the day it can literally drop the temp by 2 degrees in 10 minutes.

[CoryDude]

Also installed the new lumentek 250w ballasts and with the new hamilton reflectors, this tank is bright. My wife even made a comment about the difference between the old geissman reflectors and the new hamilton ones.

Now I just need to resist the urge to plop the fish in the system. The cycle is about 1 week old and I'll be looking for an ammonia spike soon.

[Paul28]

Haha love the vid, Lol loved at 7 secs the pose in front of the tree hahah

[CoryDude]

Documenting the tank's progress. This is a short vid I edited together today. The scum bubbles you see were filmed about 2 days after the tank cycle began, so there were a lot of organics in the water from the live rock die off. Will post a better quality video in the next month or so once corals get added to the tank.

I moved over the flame hawk and a gonistrea, leptastrea, and some tonga mushrooms (that's all that made it) to the tank last week. Had a severe RTN event in my coral holding tank so all sps have been lost. But, I banked a few with some friends so I'll eventually get some of the lost sps back.

Got a 48" build my led xb super actinic fixture being built and if I like it, I'll add one more 48" fixture with some cyan led's added for color accent. The VHO's showin in the video on the light rack have been removed.

-n7giEsXP1o&feature

[kkiel02]

Cory sorry to hear about the rtn. I don't have any sps or you would be welcome to it. Might jump back in with robs deal he is doing. Going to follow along on your thread to see if you are using the korallin denitrator again? The only bad reviews I saw were that it didn't get nitrates to 0 but with my Zoas I don't want that anyway. :)

[CoryDude]

Yeah the denitrator is in use. Not able to get nitrates to zero? I can run it to the point of starving a system. They can't be used for high bioload systems unless you really oversize the reactor. I have more problem when nitrates get to zero. So i usually shot for a sweet spot of 2-5 ppm.

[CoryDude]

Live Aquaria order arrived today and atl corals order arrives Thursday. Got a total of 6 nice pieces between the 2 orders and it's all sps.

Also picked up a nice sunburst anthias. It's eating but I didn't realize how secretive they are. From what I've read they tend to seek out the shadows in brightly lit tanks and that's exactly what this little guy does.

Tank is settling in nicely. Ph is solid at 8.2, calcium is at 420ppm and total alk is at 3.0. I'm only using an API nitrate kit but it's showing zero but I bet a low range salifert would register a 0.2 meq/L.

I augmented the light rack to add a build my led 48" actinic fixture and 3 reefbrite xho strips. It gives a nice crisp blue when mixed with the 14k mh bulbs. LEDs run for 10 hours and halides are on for 5.

[CoryDude]

So far my stock list includes:

Fish:
flame hawk(holdover from last setup)
midas blenny
solar fairy wrasse
sunburst anthias

corals:
red/green gonistrea
mystic sunset monti
bubble gum monster chalice
to be revealed ora frag
to be revealed dfs tabling acro
orange lepastrea

invert:
purple/gold/green crocea clam

[CoryDude]

Picked up the following...

dfs peacock feather tabling acro
ora green planet

from atl order that arrived today...

incredible hulk acro
atl joleen's Aussie red tabling acro
tyree montipora undata
atl appleberry montipora

Next on my list are ora borealis, red planet, purple plasma, and blue bottlebrush.

[Dean]

Nice sps grabs there Cory. Would love to see some pics!

[BBQHILLBILLY]

Nice videos. I picked up a Midwest Aquatics Denitrifier with eheim 1048 pump from Dipan sometime back. Its just sitting collecting dust. lol Been using a pellet reactor.
May be moving over to the Denitrifier.

[CoryDude]

If it's pictures ye want, it's pictures ye get. Argh! Take a look at this booty

http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp100/cpryor74/DSC_2165.jpg

http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp100/cpryor74/DSC_2218.jpg[/URL]

http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp100/cpryor74/DSC_2290.jpg[/URL]

http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp100/cpryor74/DSC_2427.jpg[/URL]

http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp100/cpryor74/DSC_2443.jpg[/URL]

[CoryDude]

Full tank shot. Still under construction.

http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp100/cpryor74/DSC_2312.jpg

[Bill S]

Good start Cory!

[Dean]

That clam is a beauty!

[CoryDude]

Thanks Bill and thanks dean. I'm dealing with some hair algae but so far nothing unexpected.

i actually came to appreciate that clam taking that picture. Since the tank is in wall I don't normally get to view things from the top down. Like most clams the color shifts when you change the viewing angle so that was the first time I could see those colors.

[kkiel02]

Looking real good. If it's hair algae giving you trouble research the ats. I made a waterfall version that would grow hair algae and cyano so it wouldn't be in my display. I'm looking at the hog3 by Santa Monica as it keeps the light out of your sump but my sump is acrylic and have heard about the LEDs cracking the acrylic. I might just make a small glass section and put it there.

[Dean]

Since the tank is in wall I don't normally get to view things from the top down. Like most clams the color shifts when you change the viewing angle so that was the first time I could see those colors.
I definitely know what you mean. My squamosa looks a drab brown through the glass. Gold with blue rim from the top. I saw a build on R2R where a guy used optical glass on his front pain. Definitely something for me to keep in mind when I eventually get to build my dream tank.

[RayAllen]

Very nice!

[CoryDude]

Frags have colored up nicely.

ATL appleberry
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp100/cpryor74/DSC_2454.jpg

Tyree Undata
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp100/cpryor74/DSC_2477.jpg

ORA Green Planet
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp100/cpryor74/DSC_2474.jpg

ORA Hawkins
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp100/cpryor74/DSC_2460.jpg

[CoryDude]

DFS Peacock Feather
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp100/cpryor74/DSC_2472.jpg

Incredible Hulk Acro
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp100/cpryor74/DSC_2469.jpg

ATL Joleens Red Acro
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp100/cpryor74/DSC_2465.jpg

ORA Borealis
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp100/cpryor74/DSC_2461.jpg

[Dean]

Your frags are indeed coloring up very nicely Cory. Very nice collection! The ORA Green Planet looks identical to what an individual sold to me as ORA Red Planet. Having the green base Green Planet definitely makes more sense but mine had a light pink base when I bought it. It's a beautiful green now like yours. Great contrast with the long red polyps. One of my favorites for sure and grows extremely fast! Do you feed you acros?

Edit* After looking at the ORA website I think we both actually have the Red Planet. Distinguishable by the red polyps over green base. the ORA Green Planet is a solid green color including the polyps.

[kkiel02]

Looking good Cory! I tried to talk the wife into letting me setup a nano sps but she shot me down. Even tried "its for the baby" but that had no effect on her. Haha

[CoryDude]

Edit* After looking at the ORA website I think we both actually have the Red Planet. Distinguishable by the red polyps over green base. the ORA Green Planet is a solid green color including the polyps.

Thanks! I purchased that one from liveaquaria so it's definitely a green planet. I've had the red before and there is is a slight difference. But I have also had my red planet go completely green so can see how they can look alike. The pic is a little washed out but it's a gold green polyp on a deep green base. The plan is to buy a red planet and have them side by side.


Looking good Cory! I tried to talk the wife into letting me setup a nano sps but she shot me down. Even tried "its for the baby" but that had no effect on her. Haha

A baby! That's awesome. Congrats!

Next order will be battle corals and then I'm done.

[Dean]

Thanks! I purchased that one from liveaquaria so it's definitely a green planet. I've had the red before and there is is a slight difference. But I have also had my red planet go completely green so can see how they can look alike. The pic is a little washed out but it's a gold green polyp on a deep green base. The plan is to buy a red planet and have them side by side.



A baby! That's awesome. Congrats!

Next order will be battle corals and then I'm done.
My bad. The polyps looked like they may be red. Not sure how soon your wanting to get the red planet but if it isn't for a while mine may be big enough to swap a frag with you.

[CoryDude]

Sure thing! I'm in no rush right now until this hair algae issue is done. Got a pretty good size reefcleaners order coming in tomorrow. Cerith, dwarf ceriths, and nerites seem to eat this stuff so I'm adding more to the system.