150 Gallon Build Thread

Ok! I got the fans working, after a call to Reefgeek. They seemed stumped. I was stumped.

When I'm stumped, I start taking things apart. So out came the three screws that held the DC adaptor together! Nothing seemed to be loose inside, so I put it back together - and bingo - the fans started to work. Very strange, but must have just been something wrong inside the DC adaptor.

I hooked my new DC-8 up to my aquacontroller 3 and had it enable all the plugs, and plugged the fixture in for some photos!

First off - the fans - which are finally working...

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/3886009850/" title="DSC_0011 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2470/3886009850_80ae235a48.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="DSC_0011" /></a>

And then the unit off, as I left it last night..

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/3885212179/" title="DSC_0003 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2480/3885212179_8520eb7a88.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="DSC_0003" /></a>

....and then today, with everything plugged in!

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/3885212401/" title="DSC_0008 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2516/3885212401_4755facbfb.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="DSC_0008" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/3885212639/" title="DSC_0009 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2611/3885212639_261a8272a8.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="DSC_0009" /></a>

Right now, I have 2 more ATI Blue Plus bulbs in there than I wanted, so I'm going to replace them with ATI Aquablue Specials. Once that's done, this is the order of the bulbs, front to back:

ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue Plus
GE Daylight 6500K
KZ Fiji Purple
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue Plus

For now, it's just 6 Blue Plus though.
 
Maybe the purple pseduochromis will have to go into the tank at work instead. I've seen it be aggressive in the past...

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15640511#post15640511 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wetWolger
My Purple Pseudochromis killed my mandarin (he constantly was picking on him)....And I don't think it is too uncommon ether. I intend to give mine away soon, because I want a mandarin a lot more.
Click to expand...
 
I've just placed an order with Ali of Amazing Aquariums and Reefs in Orange, CA for two boxes of Bali Alor live rock for the tank. That should put me around 100 to 120 pounds of rock, but I'm going for an open rock scape - and this rock is supposed to be very very lightweight so it should work out well.

I'm excited to make the drive down sunday (should be about 4 hours each way) to pick up the rock. It lands at LAX that morning, so it should be out of the water for less than 24 hours in total ocean-to-tank.

It's being collected in Indonesia, so I guess I'll have to do some searching for hitch hikers and that sort of thing between now and then to know what I might expect. I've never purchased uuber fresh rock before - I usually get "uncured" from one of the major online retailers. I'm used to the curing process and all that - is there anything more that I should be doing for this rock? I was planning on filling a bucket with salt water and swishing the rock around to dislodge loose pieces before adding it to my tank.

I plan on starting this tank bare bottom, with plastic eggcrate between the rock and the glass. Then, once the rock is cycled and the levels look good I'll do a final water change and siphon out all the nonsense that's left at the bottom of the tank - and then I'll add the agaronite sand that I've had sitting next to the tank for a while (180 pounds of Special Grade Seafloor).
 
Hello,

I am in the process of setting up a similar tank and just bought the spaflex tubing for plumbing...di you use regular PVC glue to connect the hose to the fittings? The guy at HD said that PVC cement did not work and that I should only use barb fittings and hose clamps...I do not like that idea...
 
I wouldn't use barb fittings. They make a special PVC glue for it - I bought mine at Savko. What I got was Weld-On PVC 795.

I used normal PVC primer, and then used the weld-on glue. It dries with a flexible joint so that when the tube flexes the joint doesn't break. Pretty nice stuff. Horribly smelly though...
 
I'm not totally sure, but it looks like 2 MP40s is all I might need on this tank for flow...

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/3891902424/" title="DSC_0003 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2462/3891902424_6671eee2fa.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="DSC_0003" /></a>

I get some nice surface boiling with them both going. I've got them on "reef crest" anti-sync mode - I figure that'd be the best sync to have them at with one at each end of the tank.

I also went ahead and cut my plastic egg crate "bottom board" that I'm going to use between the rock and the glass.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/3891113359/" title="DSC_0004 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2657/3891113359_ea8a637652.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="DSC_0004" /></a

I think that this will give me a good surface to build up my rock work on - I'm trying to not have to drill the rock for acrylic rods if I can help it. With the egg crate, the rock won't be on the glass, so hopefully it'll hold up better to being stacked, etc. We'll find out tomorrow!

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/3891113765/" title="DSC_0009 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2669/3891113765_d77362a7a3.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="DSC_0009" /></a>

I'll be heading out to LA to pick up 2 boxes of freshly flown in Bali Alor rock. It's about a four hour drive - but I hope to get the rock into my tank by 9 or 10 tomorrow night. I plan on washing the rock as best I can in a pail of saltwater, and then adding it into the tank. Hopefully my skimmer and large water changes can get me through the cycle quickly =)
 
Live rock is in. I took lots of photos since there really wasn't all that much out there for people considering Bali Alor live rock.

I ordered 2 boxes, it came to about 118 pounds of rock, mostly small softball sized pieces. I didn't special order anything in particular, so you could possibly expect to get the same or similar sizes and shapes if you ordered boxes of Bali Alor with no special instructions.

The rock flew into LAX this morning on Quantas, and is in my tank as of 6 or so this afternoon. It had a slight odor to it, but nothing major - I hope it cycles quickly =)

This is box 1. It had mostly "shelf" pieces, which was nice to get (and something I wasn't expecting!).

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/3894619307/" title="DSC_0001 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3426/3894619307_3c5178ee36.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="DSC_0001" /></a>

Box two had the shapes of pieces that I was expecting - curvy pieces with lots of holes, etc.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/3894619565/" title="DSC_0002 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2488/3894619565_9787b2b6dc.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="DSC_0002" /></a>

I pulled out one of each "style" to show off the various shapes this rock comes in.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/3895405082/" title="DSC_0003 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3535/3895405082_f603e96e87.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="DSC_0003" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/3895405340/" title="DSC_0005 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2665/3895405340_88dee22de8.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="DSC_0005" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/3895405544/" title="DSC_0006 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2463/3895405544_10f6be7d50_o.jpg" width="1024" height="685" alt="DSC_0006" /></a>

A couple pieces had algae on it that glowed bright pink under lights.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/3894620673/" title="DSC_0011 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2530/3894620673_9045b9b3f1_o.jpg" width="1024" height="685" alt="DSC_0011" /></a>

It's too bad that this algae probably won't make it through the cycle. Oh well =)

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/3894620851/" title="DSC_0012 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2456/3894620851_2ee9e56274.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="DSC_0012" /></a>

For now, I've got the trusty rock wall. It's not intended to actually stay this way - I just wanted to get as much of the rock as I could exposed to water current. I'm planning on having to hills with a valley in the middle.. hopefully it'll work out =)
 
No. Do you have any suggestions for that? I can already tell that I'm going to need to figure out something...
 
I'm really interested in your 150g. I was thinking of doing a 48x30x24. I assume you ordered yours how you wanted it from Lee Mar?
 
I ordered it through Lee-Mar and just told them what I wanted. They actually have a base model that has the eurobracing with an overflow, so the only changes from that are that I wanted starphire glass on three sides and black silicone for the joints. Very easy to order.

Keep in mind that if the size you want isn't quite a normal size - the price goes waaaay up. I think they have a stock room with all the precut pieces for their normal sizes, and if you make them cut something specific it's going to cost you =p

Lee-Mar actually cracked my first tank somehow (something about how they polish the glass), so it took the better part of a month to get delivered to me since they had to build a new one with glass that wasn't cracked.

In regards to those light hangers - they look really nice. I'll have to look for something similar. Those state they're good for up to 22 pounds with a pair of them - my powermodule weighs in around 40 pounds =\

As far as the eggcrate contributing to algae - I've never heard that. So until just now I wasn't concerned about it... A quick search for "eggcrate algae" didn't turn up much though. What have you heard?

The eggcrate will be below the sand once the tank cycles, if that matters. I can see with the way it's shaped algae would probably love to grow on it - I wonder if that isn't the cause of the rumors?

Is it safe to leave it in there long term? I was considering using some more to build a little structure for my live rock to rest on/around - bad idea?
 
Last edited:
Thanks. You tank is coming around very nice. Do you have a link to Lee Mar. The only one I found was "under construction", but I don't know if that is the right one.
 
You can't actually order directly with them - you'll have to go through a LFS.. the site that they've got up is pretty useless.
 
So far so good with the tank. My MP40s have /really/ quieted down in the last day, it's night and day and now I cannot hear them at all.

What I can hear is the sound of water crashing through my overflow into where I've plumbed the durso. Any tips on quieting this down? It's the single loudest part of the tank - it sounds like a full on fountain running in there, or a waterfall (only not as relaxing).

Is this something that will go away with time & "slime buildup"?
 
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