AwkwardParrot
Premium Member
Amazingly clean build. Love the light set-up. Tagging along!
29g AGA build/journal
- Thread starter BennyFrank
- Start date
BennyFrank
New member
Welcome to Reef Central! I will spare you the colorful/moving banner, but I'm sure someone else will hit you with it soon. Yeah the flying pool balls is a concern of mine also and yes, the #1 rule is break towards the couch. The #2 rule is also break towards the couch. I can't talk about rule #3
We had a party last weekend and I was extra nervous:worried2: I considered putting up a piece of foam insulation in front of the tank, but I figured that defeats the purpose of having the tank in the first place. Again, welcome! I feel honored that your first post is on my thread.Does my mild case of OCD show through? Thanks for following.
Thanks adddo. I've been lurking on your thread for awhile now and it has inspired me quite a bit, so your compliment means a ton! I love the bonsai tree you have sitting next to the tank. I've been interested in bonsai for awhile but haven't acquired a tree yet.
Thanks on all accounts. I probably spend more time looking at the sump than I do at the display.
BennyFrank
New member
Lights out on Caulerpa?
Lights out on Caulerpa?
I got most of the live rock from my old tank cleaned up and moved over to the sump last night. It was COVERED in Caulerpa serrulata; I'm kind of embarrassed but I will post the pic anyway. I got most of it but there were few runners that I either couldn't get to or was too lazy to pick off.
If I leave the lights on the sump out for an extended period of time, do you think the caulerpa will die off completely or will it come back once the lights come on and nutrients are present?
I want a few different kinds of macro in the sump but I would like to stay away from this stuff as I know first hand how invasive it can be.
Here are the before and after pics;
Lights out on Caulerpa?
I got most of the live rock from my old tank cleaned up and moved over to the sump last night. It was COVERED in Caulerpa serrulata; I'm kind of embarrassed but I will post the pic anyway. I got most of it but there were few runners that I either couldn't get to or was too lazy to pick off.
If I leave the lights on the sump out for an extended period of time, do you think the caulerpa will die off completely or will it come back once the lights come on and nutrients are present?
I want a few different kinds of macro in the sump but I would like to stay away from this stuff as I know first hand how invasive it can be.
Here are the before and after pics;
BennyFrank
New member
I like them a lot so far. I had a crappy power compact fixture over my last tank, so going to LED spotlights is like trading in a ford fiesta for a BMW. When I first got them, one of the bulbs flickered when it first turned on and then would burn steadily. I contacted RapidLED and they sent out a new one immediately. They have GREAT customer service and I would purchase from them again. As for the bulbs, they look great now but I guess time will tell if they live up to the hype of LED longevity. It will be nice if they can grow corals too :idea:. I got the fixture at menards. I looked all over and then randomly came by this one that fit the dimensions of my tank nicely. I had to wire a plug to it and turn it into a pendant. I can raise the lights easily if need be though, which is nice.
BennyFrank
New member
Yep, this rock has been submerged 8 plus years so it's full of the good and the bad. All of it will stay in the fuge so I'm not really concerned but I am planning on throwing a few peppermint shrimps in there once the tank is more stable. What they don't get I will manually remove.
refeerkram
New member
Welcome to Reef Central! I will spare you the colorful/moving banner, but I'm sure someone else will hit you with it soon. Yeah the flying pool balls is a concern of mine also and yes, the #1 rule is break towards the couch. The #2 rule is also break towards the couch. I can't talk about rule #3
Hey thanks for the welcome! Dude your LED fixture is the best looking one I've seen on any of the forum sites.
BennyFrank
New member
Wowzers, that's a hefty compliment! This was the easy way out compared to a lot of the DIY LED setups that are out there; but thanks regardless.
Will do. I'm a big fan of your tank too, by the way.
Thanks msr224. One of the major goals of this build was to keep costs and energy consumption to a minimum. I'd say I've spent under $600 total so far, which is cheap in reef tank terms. As far as energy consumption the breakdown is;
Display lights = 30W
Refugium Light = 16W
Vortech = 18W
Eheim return pump = 32W
Heater = 50W
future skimmer = ~30W
So running full blast, the entire system uses only ~175W of energy. It's crazy thinking that's the same as just (3) standard 60W incandescent bulbs :idea:
BennyFrank
New member
Quick update:
The cycle has started:thumbsup:. I can't believe how excited I was to see diatoms. There is also some filamentous aglae growing on the dryrock in the display (none on the established liverock in the refugium). NH3 and NO2- levels are zero so I added a small cleanup crew.
I also cleaned up all the wiring in the sump room and added a powerstrip that has individual switches on each outlet. Besides the DJ powerstrips, it's the only one I could find that has switches.
I've been eyeing skimmers for awhile and just came across this article.
I think I'm going to order it once it starts selling in the states and the tank is ready for it. Some of the things I like about it;
- small footprint
- surface skimming (even though it is in the sump, it makes sense for a protein skimmer to skim from the surface as that is where the protein-laden water is).
- uses 6.5W of energy
- not ridiculously over-rated for my tank size
- inexpensive
- cool looking
Any opinions?
The cycle has started:thumbsup:. I can't believe how excited I was to see diatoms. There is also some filamentous aglae growing on the dryrock in the display (none on the established liverock in the refugium). NH3 and NO2- levels are zero so I added a small cleanup crew.
I also cleaned up all the wiring in the sump room and added a powerstrip that has individual switches on each outlet. Besides the DJ powerstrips, it's the only one I could find that has switches.
I've been eyeing skimmers for awhile and just came across this article.
I think I'm going to order it once it starts selling in the states and the tank is ready for it. Some of the things I like about it;
- small footprint
- surface skimming (even though it is in the sump, it makes sense for a protein skimmer to skim from the surface as that is where the protein-laden water is).
- uses 6.5W of energy
- not ridiculously over-rated for my tank size
- inexpensive
- cool looking
Any opinions?
BennyFrank
New member
http://www.hydor.com/prodotti/show/famprod/52/list/11
As far as I know it's not available through any US retailers yet, but here are a few from across the pond;
http://www.aquariumsuperstore.co.uk/product.php?productid=16575
http://www.reefstore.co.uk/shop/Hydor-Slim-Skim.html
http://www.cityaquaticscardiff.co.uk/store/hydor-slim-skim-performer-protein-skimmer-928.html
BennyFrank
New member
Thanks maazreef. I bought the bulbs from RapidLED. There are similar bulbs available through; Nanocustoms, Ecoxotic, BoostLED, and a few others. They range in color temperature from ~12,000K - 20,000K, and you can have custom ones built outside those ranges. All of these were designed with aquarium use in mind. If you've been looking at the PAR30/38 bulbs at Home Depot/Lowes, then no, you won't find anything higher than around 6500K.
btw... I can't wait to see it with corals either
btw... I can't wait to see it with corals either
BennyFrank
New member
Bryopsis sp.? Never had it before but it definitely doesn't look like typical hair algae.
Introducing "Hector" the Yellow Watchman Goby (Cryptocentrus cinctus).
Hector's namer and biggest fan.
Introducing "Hector" the Yellow Watchman Goby (Cryptocentrus cinctus).
Hector's namer and biggest fan.
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