60g 36Lx24Wx18H brick build log (56K go home)

[GraviT]

Hey..at least I set the thing up!!! I am getting tired of seeing the canopy from my 55 on top though!

Yeah, I drip kalk 24x7 and have been through 2 3-day periods of no light and several days of using a kalk slurry to push the pH above 8.4 (talk about wreaking havoc on the pumps), yet the stuff still keeps coming back. I'm beginning to think that the Pavestone in the tank has become a nutrient sink and I'm fighting a losing battle.

[melev]

Hey Kevin, nice avatar.

I'm surprised the 3 days of darkness didn't solve the problem. You must have a skimmer that isn't working as efficiently as it could. When did you clean it last?

[GraviT]

Originally posted by melev
Hey Kevin, nice avatar.

I'm surprised the 3 days of darkness didn't solve the problem. You must have a skimmer that isn't working as efficiently as it could. When did you clean it last?

Heh, thanks...it's always been my avatar here! I'm still running the Lifereef VS2-24 w/ Mazzei injector (rated for 250 gallons)and I clean the cup and neck every other day. The body has stayed nice and clean as it gets very little light where it sits. I suppose I could give the impeller on my Mag 9.5 another cleaning, but it's only been about a month since the last time.

[makoJ]

nice tank, I'm taggin along on this one!
keep the pictures coming

[ReeferMonkey]

Originally posted by makoJ
nice tank, I'm taggin along on this one!
keep the pictures coming

Thanks! I need to make a run down to ATX/SATX check out some of the MAASTards tanks and bring back some frags H-Town would be another good stop, I could drool over James/Naka and Edward/Invincible's systems.

There will be more pix coming, I get my Vortech and battery backup today and may pick some stuff up at a shop. I'm also going to visit a buddy of mine to watch the UFC fight and he has been holding a few things for me although I have to treat for RB

One thing I'll have to come to terms with is the hot spot under my single halide. I'm not really keen on having to bullseye my light-demanding acros in the center of the tank but may not have any other choice. I'd also like to incorporate some LPS and softies into the mix as well for the benefits of my fiance and visitors who don't appreciate colored sticks We'll see how it goes.

[makoJ]

Originally posted by ReeferMonkey
Thanks! I need to make a run down to ATX/SATX check out some of the MAASTards tanks and bring back some frags H-Town would be another good stop, I could drool over James/Naka and Edward/Invincible's systems.

There will be more pix coming, I get my Vortech and battery backup today and may pick some stuff up at a shop. I'm also going to visit a buddy of mine to watch the UFC fight and he has been holding a few things for me although I have to treat for RB

One thing I'll have to come to terms with is the hot spot under my single halide. I'm not really keen on having to bullseye my light-demanding acros in the center of the tank but may not have any other choice. I'd also like to incorporate some LPS and softies into the mix as well for the benefits of my fiance and visitors who don't appreciate colored sticks We'll see how it goes.

This summer I was hoping to swing by Dallas and H-town and see some tanks and your welcome anytime you can make it down.

My wife is a fan of LPS and not so much on the colored sticks lol so I have a lot of LPS in the tank.

oh and we will be watch UFC also

[saltpeter]

I noticed you have Tonga branch in your fuge . I'd add that to the main and get porous base for the fuge or sump . Branch isn't good for filtration but great for show ! Great build,love the photos.Keep on reefin.

[ReeferMonkey]

Originally posted by saltpeter
I noticed you have Tonga branch in your fuge . I'd add that to the main and get porous base for the fuge or sump . Branch isn't good for filtration but great for show ! Great build,love the photos.Keep on reefin.

Yeah, I just picked up a small piece of LR and am going to do some reconfiguring in the back. It's not going to be visible from teh front but it will give me more mounting room in the high-light spot for acros.

Just picked up the Vortech, unfortunately plans for the evening will delay the setup until tomorrow.

[SERVO]

Hey Nathan

Brad Ward has been growing the Palau Green Sinularia for eons. You might want to talk to him.


I'm down for a trip like the one you talk about above! You and I need a senseless 3-4 hour drive to look at glass boxes.

[ReeferMonkey]

Originally posted by SERVO
You and I need a senseless 3-4 hour drive to look at glass boxes.

It's not like we've ever done it before

[ReeferMonkey]

Yesterday I made a long run about town picking up my Vortech, some supplements, a little LR, a yellow sea cucumber and some pink ricordea. I spent the better part of this morning fiddling with the tank before Sunday chores commenced. The Vortech was unpacked, inpsected and installed. I got a little frustrated wrestling with one of the rubber pegs in the standoff bending at an odd angle but eventually worked out the problem. The MP-40 is a lot larger than I realized it would be but it moves an incredible amount of water. I estimate it's turned down to 40%-50% of it's full power.

Good things come in small, heavy packages.


Well packaged pump.


12oz. can for scale


The BB is a brick, it weighs 13.5#.


Of course, once the pump was installed it was time to reaquascape based on the new flow pattern. I don't think it's quite right yet but almost.






Updated shot of the guts. Note I have not mounted the Vortech controller or the battery backup. Also, if I ever have money burning a hole in my pocket I'd like to replumb the whole area in grey or black flex PVC.

[naka]

Nice clean setup Nathan! You should run the vortech power line horizontally along the top towards the back using 2 stickers. I can show you how I did mine if you want.

You're welcome to stop by my house for some frags when you're in town. Keep up the good work.

[ReeferMonkey]

Originally posted by naka
Nice clean setup Nathan! You should run the vortech power line horizontally along the top towards the back using 2 stickers. I can show you how I did mine if you want.

You're welcome to stop by my house for some frags when you're in town. Keep up the good work.

Thank you for the compliments, your setup has really been inspirational.

I'm still mulling over the final location for the pump - it may go a tad bit higher and a little further back. I got excited earlier and attached it on my first try at placement and had to scrape it off - only two tabs left now. Once I nail the position then I'm going to run the line horizontally.

I would really enjoy a trip to Houston, it's been quite some time. I'm going to have to make it happen before too long.

[GSMguy]

great looking tank reefermonkey i like it very much : )

[ReeferMonkey]

Originally posted by GSMguy
great looking tank reefermonkey i like it very much : )

Thanks man, yours is also looking pretty sharp! Do you have a build thread going anywhere? I only saw the pics in the 3' tank thread.

[DaveG99]

where is the 3' tank thread?

[ReeferMonkey]

Originally posted by DaveG99
where is the 3' tank thread?

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1113786

Tank looking better with some stuff in it?

[tigerarmy40]

so othre then you sea swirl, what do you have for returns and how much flow are you putting through your sump? even before you added the new vrtechs there was a lot of surface movement and I am wondering how you concealed the returns so well?can you take more pics of the overflow and returns?

[ReeferMonkey]

Aside from the (temporary) Seio that was a placeholder for the Vortech, the only flow on the tank was the Eheim 1260 on the 3/4" sea swirl. The nozzle is aimed straight out, as pointing too high pushed almost all the water into the overflow and pointing too low scoured out all the sand.

I'm a little frustrated with the Vortech, as now my sump/skimmer/fuge surges every 10-15 seconds. My skimmer is constantly overflowing. I'm not sure if the Vortech is a good choice for a tank this size or maybe I've just got it turned up too high. :/

[tigerarmy40]

when you say surge you mean that it is rushing water down into the sump causing everything to go out of wack or are you talking power surge? like it may need its own outlet?

[ReeferMonkey]

Originally posted by tigerarmy40
when you say surge you mean that it is rushing water down into the sump causing everything to go out of wack or are you talking power surge? like it may need its own outlet?

Water flow not electricity. Something is happening with the cycle of the sea swirl and the flow pattern of the Vortech; when they hit a certain couple of spots, a larger surge of water goes over the overflow and disrupts my drainage, sending bubbles into my sump, fuge and skimmer. My skimmer has overflowed on me everyday for since Saturday.

I may try to lower the Vortech since it's only 4"-6" below the surface - the impact on my Calfo overflow may be too great. But if it goes lower I get sand problems I don't want to go BB but it may be the best solution for this problem. As I only have two sources of flow, I want to maximize each one as best I can.

[tigerarmy40]

what if you tried the vortech on the opposite sideof the tank? that way the sea swirl is further away?

[ReeferMonkey]

Since our last episode, my sandstorm has continued and my hands in the tank don't help much. I've managed to re-tune my skimmer and got it back under control, although I disabled my Sea Swirl to prevent the surge. I'm having a weird issue with the chaeto in my fuge - parts of it seem to be decaying or thinning out. I'm not sure if photoperiod is the issue but I would prefer a reverse daylight schedule anyway.

I picked up some corals at our local MAS meeting and from a friend in the area, including a few acros, some zoanthids and a Palau sinularia. So far the Palau isn't particularly colorful but the tank it was coming from had some issues, so I'm hoping it will improve. Most (I know, I know) of the acros were treated simultaneously with fluke tabs (1/4 tablet per 2.5g) and Interceptor (approx 8x dosage) for 20 minutes before being acclimated into my systems.

My camera's white balance is off, so these pics are slightly duller than in person.

FTS:


Isometrics



Left side:


Tyree tenius, recovering from the meltdown in the 20L


Crayola Table, from a much larger colony that was fragged to spread around to friends.

[ReeferMonkey]

I've been scraping my glass every other day but mostly for sand buildup; algae comes and goes. I'm scaling back the size and frequency of my feedings as I begin to dose small amounts of Pappone after lights out, preceded by amino acids.

What is everyone using to measure their pappone servings?

More eye candy:

Red table with blue tort beyond.


Acropora lokani


A friend was incredulous that I was going to put GSP in the tank, but I've isolated it to a small outcropping and will keep it pruned as necessary. Green slimer above.


Ryan's Green Mille and ORA Blue mille, hoping to see some color improvements.


Tenius colony


Pinkish palys and orange florida rics.


Purple and green blastos.


Palau Sinularia, supposedly now extinct in the wild. Slightly greener in person but not much. Hope to see improvement.

[TCU Reefer]

Looks good Nathan. Your tank will be rockin in no time.