tas5tas' 237g Total System Build (1 Viewer)

[tas5tas]

The new skimmer is here!!!!! Out of the box.......milk white reaction chamber, thick foam head forming, and DEAD SILENT!!!! I will take some pictures and post them in a little while.

 

[tas5tas]

Here are the pictures of the new skimmer in action......

HURRICONE CAT2.....Skims like a Hurricane Catagory 5!!!

 

[tas5tas]

Just finished doing my weekly 10% water change. Things are really starting to show major signs of growth. I'm not sure if it's because the tank is now a little over 4 months old, or if it's because I raised the tank temperature a month ago. The tank now stays between 79.5 degrees and 80.0 degrees instead of the 78.5-79.0. Growth has really accelerated over the last month though and corals are starting to become different and brighter colors than before. It could also be attributed to the new Hurricone Cat2 skimmer......it pulls out half the skimmer cup of almost black gravy every 3-4days. I clean the cup, neck and body every 3-4 days also. I'm hoping that within another 3-4 months my small frags that I originally put in will turn into small colonies and by the 1 year mark be around the size of a baseball or bigger.

Here are the latest test results as well......

Sg-1.025
KH-9
Ca-440
Mg-1400
PO4-0
NO3-0

 

[tas5tas]

Here is a current full tank shot from today. The tank has really changed over the last 3 months since the first day corals were put in. As you can see, the tank is progressing nicely.....just need to buy some more colored sticks!!!LOL

 

[tas5tas]

Ok...I added a few more corals this weekend, but not as many as planned. I'm glad I didn't buy anymore because I don't know where I would have put them. I added the following ORA Corals.....Blue Voodoo Stag, Joe the Coral, Rose Mili, and Blue Mili. I was unable to aquire the fish I wanted to get because none of the local stores or the stores in Houston had them. I may just wait and purchase them online since the overnight shipping is about the same as gas to drive to Houston and back. I did start a new dosing regiment today that I think will not only improve growth, but also vastly improve my already great coloration. I picked up a bottle of Lugol's and a bottle of Coral Amino, both made by Brightwell Aquatics and will be dosing acordingly. I now have a total of 16 different SPS species in the tank and all but one are ORA. They are all on different rocks and about 6"-7" away from the next closest piece. I think the tank will look great in about a year to year and a half once everything grows in.

 

[cliner]

Nice work, you should be proud.

 

[tas5tas]

Nice work, you should be proud.

Thanks....I just wish I had a little more flow.....I need to keep sweet talking the wife into letting me get a pair of Vortechs.

 

[cliner]

I hear they are great, but a little too much for my budget. But you should get the ones that you want and are comfortable with. I don't reckon yall have too many resources other than fellow reefers out there do you?

 

[tas5tas]

I usually end up going to Houston for my needs or purchasing online. We only have one local store now and their tanks never look too good so I'm afraid to buy any fish there. I went to Global Leader yesterday and all I can say is WOW!!! Nice clean store, plenty of selection, higher end products, low prices, and James' customer service is out of this world. I'm going back this Tuesday to pick up a couple of fish he ordered for me.

 

[tas5tas]

OK....here is an update that I felt needed posting.

I have sold my current lighting setup of Lumenbrights, 12k Reeflux, Dimmable Ballasts, and VHO Actinics.

I am switching to a 6x80w T5 Retro kit from Reefgeek.com. The lights will feature the new Reefgeek reflectors and will be overdriven by two Icecap 660's. I haven't quite made up my mind on the bulb combo yet so I ordered three ATI Aquablue Special and four ATI Blue Plus. I will play with the number of each bulb type and placement once everything arrives. I should have my lights on friday according to the tracking info.

I am also ditching the Koralias that are all over the tank as well. Yea!!! I went ahead and dropped the big dough on a pair of Gen 2 Vortech MP40w's and they should be here this thursday. I think the added flow should make for alot better growth and a cleaner bottom in my barebottom setup.

Last but not least.......an update on the dosing of Lugol's and Coral Amino I started last week. I called Brightwell Aquatics and actually got to speak to Chris Brightwell and he helped me come up with a dosing regiment that he thought would benefit my tank the best. I explained to him that I had great polyp extension and good color but my growth just seemed to be lacking and that I wanted my blues to blue up just a bit more. He recommended that I start dosing 3 drops of Lugol's daily and 5 drops of the Coral Amino daily as well. It's been a week now and all I can say is WOW!!! I thought I had great polyps extension, but now it is truely unbelievable. Polyp extension overall throughout the day and night has almost doubled and when the drops of Coral Amino hit the water.....It's like SPS on steroids!!!! So far I have seen no adverse side effects of either of these products and the Lugol's has already started to help with my blues a little also.

I will shoot some new pics of the tank and corals once all the new equiptment has arrived and in on the tank.

 

[HongT713]

tank is looking great! did u do bare bottom? i tried it but stuff kept floating every where. If u did bare bottom how are u liking it?

 

[tas5tas]

I went barebottom on my 55g due to Open Brains dying from sandstorm in the middle of the night. That was almost 2 years ago.......I haven't looked back since. I love barebottom...it looks so much nicer and makes maintenance a breeze. It's also a big plus for high flow SPS tanks. I did raise my rocks up though this time on my 125g with acrylic rod and that made a huge difference in the amount of stuff that gets trapped on the bottom. I have one corner I siphon out every week and it's about the size of a half dollar.

 

[HongT713]

i tried bare bottom but couldnt do it anymore. Looks good on your tank though!

 

[tas5tas]

I can't wait until my tank is about a year old to see how everything grows in. I'll tell you this much.....I'm a perfect example of how to reef on a budget. Everything I've gotten for my tank has been bought after saving for months and also from selling things in my attic and closet that I just don't need or use anymore.

 

[tas5tas]

Just a quick update on the lighting and pump upgrades........

The T5's are installed and look alot brighter than my halides ever did. The corals seem to be responding nicely as well also. My current bulb combo is as follows......

Front
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue Plus

ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue Plus

The combo is just a little off spectrum wise as my purple caps and blue mili just doesn't look their true color. I tried the combo with 3 Blue Plus and 3 Aquablue Special and there just wasn't enough actinic pop to some of my greens. I plan on adding another ballast and bulb in the near future and already left a space in the center of the setup. I may try a GE 6500k bulb to see if it helps even my spectrum where it's needed or just put in the extra Aquablue Special.

As for the Vortechs.....unfortunately one of them arrived DOA, but Ecotech was quick to ship me another one out and it should be here this Thursday. The one that works moves more water than all 4 of the modded Koralia's I had in the tank though. You definately get what you pay for when it comes to powerheads and pumps. I've already made up my mind to start saving up for another pair as I feel that having 4 of them in my setup would just be truly amazing and would be beneficial to my SPS once they're colony size. I plan on running 2 of them up high towards the front of the tank on each side for now in reefcrest and when I purchase the other 2 I will run them towards the back and about 7" off the bottom on each side in lagoon mode. I will post pictures of the setup in another 2 weeks, including a full tank shot as it will be the tank's 6 month anniversary.

 

[tas5tas]

I talked to my father in law who is a professional photographer and he gave me a few pointers over the phone that I put to use. Boy did it ever enhance my photo taking ability!!! I always thought my 4mp Camera was junk....until now. Here are the pics.......

Green Bali Slimer

Blue Tip Acropora

Blue Voodoo Stag

Cali Tort

Cup Coral

Green Star Polyps

 

[tas5tas]

Green Table Acro

Green Tip Stag

Green Cap with Purple Rim

Joe the Coral

Orange Cap

Purple Cap

 

[tas5tas]

Rose Mili

Orange Digi

Tri Color Valida

Blue Mili

Green Toadstool

Full Tank Shot

 

[tas5tas]

The pictures from today were taken under the new T5 lighting also with a bulb combination of 4 ATI Blue Plus and 2 ATI Aquablue Special.

 

[RR-MAN]

Very good selection...

I love the green cap with purple rim. Could you put me on the list for a frag when it's time for it to be fragged.