150g reef tank build
- Thread starter OneReef
- Start date
Mako Shark II
Fish are Friends not Food
I've had them on two separate occasions. I'll wait to try them again, only when I'm Boldly Confident that I won't lose them again. They're gorgeous, but frail.:worried:
Oh... AND they're $pendy!!
OneReef
Reef Guru
Goodbye Sicce 4, hello Koralia Magnum 7.
The Sicce is a great pump and never failed, a very nice pump. But I needed more flow, and after adding the #7, the tank looks much better.
I was probably getting only 1100gph out of the Sicce since I kept it half closed for the 'swirl' pattern. So in essence, I am adding 1600gph more, at 2 less watts. :0)
It is slightly bigger, but the black blends in with my black background.
The Sicce is a great pump and never failed, a very nice pump. But I needed more flow, and after adding the #7, the tank looks much better.
I was probably getting only 1100gph out of the Sicce since I kept it half closed for the 'swirl' pattern. So in essence, I am adding 1600gph more, at 2 less watts. :0)
It is slightly bigger, but the black blends in with my black background.
OneReef
Reef Guru
Haven't updated in awhile. Now the Koralia 7 is gone and another Vortech MP40 has been added. I have both of them synced together and I set it to do the exact opposite of what the other is doing, as it ramps up and down in reef crest mode.
I have moved all of LPS out and into the frag tank for the frag swap, and am going all SPS. My decision now is whether to stay with my 150w halides, which have been doing fine, or moving up to 250w, so I can keep SPS lower in the tank. I don't want to have to have all of my SPS up high just to get enough light. I guess I could go all T5, have never tried that.
Some fish have been removed or sold due to aggression, or untimely death.
Fish list as of now is:
1 female Tierra anthias
1 female Lyretail anthias
1 female Sunset anthias
2 Occ. Clowns
1 Leopard Wrasse
2 small blue/green reef chromis
2 large blue/green reef chromis
1 black comb-tooth blenny
1 One Spot Foxface
My next additions with be a female Bellus Angelfish (again), and some more anthais. I would like to try the Copperband Butterfly again, but it is such a picky eater, I would hate to get one and it die again.
I hope to pick up some cool SPS pieces at the frag swap. I will have some LPS for sale and some zoas.
I have moved all of LPS out and into the frag tank for the frag swap, and am going all SPS. My decision now is whether to stay with my 150w halides, which have been doing fine, or moving up to 250w, so I can keep SPS lower in the tank. I don't want to have to have all of my SPS up high just to get enough light. I guess I could go all T5, have never tried that.
Some fish have been removed or sold due to aggression, or untimely death.
Fish list as of now is:
1 female Tierra anthias
1 female Lyretail anthias
1 female Sunset anthias
2 Occ. Clowns
1 Leopard Wrasse
2 small blue/green reef chromis
2 large blue/green reef chromis
1 black comb-tooth blenny
1 One Spot Foxface
My next additions with be a female Bellus Angelfish (again), and some more anthais. I would like to try the Copperband Butterfly again, but it is such a picky eater, I would hate to get one and it die again.
I hope to pick up some cool SPS pieces at the frag swap. I will have some LPS for sale and some zoas.
dianeteuton
New member
WOW !! A job well done
OneReef
Reef Guru
Also moved a few rocks around today in a small aquascape change, nothing major, but with my LPS gone, I can rearrange things a bit for more high placement areas with SPS.
I have some of those new Warner Marine EcoBak ULNS pellets. I am going to dump out the GFO from my phosban reactor and add this new media. Supposed to give your tank a constant carbon food source for bacteria that consume phosphates and nitrates. Can help get my SPS system to an ultra low nutrient system and hopefully some awesome colors. Downside, I will have to start dosing amino acids and all that junk.......
I guess it is similar to vodka dosing but much, much easier. Just putting pellets in a fluidized canister. I have a plenty enough skimmer to handle it, so we'll see how this goes.......
I have some of those new Warner Marine EcoBak ULNS pellets. I am going to dump out the GFO from my phosban reactor and add this new media. Supposed to give your tank a constant carbon food source for bacteria that consume phosphates and nitrates. Can help get my SPS system to an ultra low nutrient system and hopefully some awesome colors. Downside, I will have to start dosing amino acids and all that junk.......
I guess it is similar to vodka dosing but much, much easier. Just putting pellets in a fluidized canister. I have a plenty enough skimmer to handle it, so we'll see how this goes.......
OneReef
Reef Guru
Well, I am trying the female Bellus Angel again. My last one died after a week, I could never get it to eat. It was a large sized fish, this new one is small. I have much better hopes for this new one, since he is eating on day one like a ravenous pig. I put some brine shrimp in with a couple of drops of garlic, and he was running around the tank, eating up every piece he saw, even fighting amongst the other fish for the food. I could never get my first one to eat. This is a promising sign. Hopefully this one will stay with me for the long haul. Always wanted an angel, but had to find a reef safe one with my SPS. Had to order online since the LFS didn't have it on its order list, and I needed some other stuff too. Dr. Foster and Smith had a free shipping sale and I had to get some ORA corals too.
OneReef
Reef Guru
I would like going to 250's. But it would be an expensive upgrade. Would need 3 new ballast, 3 new pendants or mogul/reflectors, and 3 new bulbs. Not a cheap switch. Maybe first of the year. :0)
OneReef
Reef Guru
Ok, trying a new experiment since I am going all SPS. Trying to take the system to low nutrient and feed Oyster eggs, amino acids and the like. I just dumped all of my GFO out of my phosban reactor and added a can of the Warner Marine EcoBak ULNS pellets.
As you can see I trimmed some embroidery plastic mesh sheets to make a circle to replace the sponges on the top and the bottom. Word is that the sponges gets clogged up with the bacteria and what not.
Then it says to rinse in fresh water, so I hooked it up to a bucket to rinse. Getting ready to add it to my tank. Supposedly in about 4 weeks, my skimmer will be pulling out lots o nasty junk. I guess this is vodka dosing simplified. And the pellets last along time. Will update on the progress as I see any changes.
As you can see I trimmed some embroidery plastic mesh sheets to make a circle to replace the sponges on the top and the bottom. Word is that the sponges gets clogged up with the bacteria and what not.
Then it says to rinse in fresh water, so I hooked it up to a bucket to rinse. Getting ready to add it to my tank. Supposedly in about 4 weeks, my skimmer will be pulling out lots o nasty junk. I guess this is vodka dosing simplified. And the pellets last along time. Will update on the progress as I see any changes.
OneReef
Reef Guru
With me upgrading from 150w halides to 250w, I wanted to cool off my interior canopy a bit more. I just switched out my old SilenX fans for a little more airflow. I was using the 72cfm @ 14db, and just changed them out to 90cfm @ 18db. I can feel more air being pulled, and can't even tell an increase in noise.
Below are pictures, one is a fan on the back of my canopy, venting the canopy air into the attic through the wall.
Back:
Below are pictures, one is a fan on the back of my canopy, venting the canopy air into the attic through the wall.
Back:
OneReef
Reef Guru
Salt Change:
I have decided to abandon the Oceanic Salt that I have been using since my 150g tank has been set up. I have found that the calcium levels are just too high for my taste. It is staying up at around 460-470ppm, even with my calcium reactor turned down to bare minimum drip and bubble count. Oceanic is said by many to have high calcium levels, so to bring it down I am switching to a new salt that has come onto the market in the last year. It is Seachems AquaVitro Salinity. The unique thing about their salt is that they test the parameters of every batch and print them right on the back label of the bucket. You can see the label in the pictures. I will report back after I do my first water change with the new salt.
I have decided to abandon the Oceanic Salt that I have been using since my 150g tank has been set up. I have found that the calcium levels are just too high for my taste. It is staying up at around 460-470ppm, even with my calcium reactor turned down to bare minimum drip and bubble count. Oceanic is said by many to have high calcium levels, so to bring it down I am switching to a new salt that has come onto the market in the last year. It is Seachems AquaVitro Salinity. The unique thing about their salt is that they test the parameters of every batch and print them right on the back label of the bucket. You can see the label in the pictures. I will report back after I do my first water change with the new salt.
OneReef
Reef Guru
PAR:
Its amazing what a different ballast and reflector will do for par.
I have added a 2nd Lumenarc, I still have to add the 3rd reflector and bulb. Everything is much brighter! I have a few sheets of screen and eggcrate up right now to acclimate. Par has drastically changed.
Here two Par Meter readings, one a 250w SE Radium 20K bulb in a Lumenarc reflector, on 250w Hamilton magnetic M80 ballast. The other is a 150w DE Phoenix 14K in a Hamilton Reefstar pendant (hammertone finish), on a IceCap 150w electronic ballast. Both were taken at the same distance, at the waters surface. Can you guess which is which?? LOL
Its amazing what a different ballast and reflector will do for par.
I have added a 2nd Lumenarc, I still have to add the 3rd reflector and bulb. Everything is much brighter! I have a few sheets of screen and eggcrate up right now to acclimate. Par has drastically changed.
Here two Par Meter readings, one a 250w SE Radium 20K bulb in a Lumenarc reflector, on 250w Hamilton magnetic M80 ballast. The other is a 150w DE Phoenix 14K in a Hamilton Reefstar pendant (hammertone finish), on a IceCap 150w electronic ballast. Both were taken at the same distance, at the waters surface. Can you guess which is which?? LOL
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Mako Shark II
Fish are Friends not Food
Can I borrow meter Jay?
OneReef
Reef Guru
OneReef
Reef Guru
The attic venting is working good. Not as well with the 250w's as it did with the 150w's, but still better than without. I still need to vent the part going into the attic to the outside so it doesn't create mold in my attic.
