~360 In Wall Build

[Raoul5Duke]

Started filling the tank with RO/DI water last night. It should take 2-3 days to fill it totally and then I will mix in salt and test it. Hopefully I can at least get my aquascape done this weekend and start moving livestock soon. I have my fingers crossed that there are no plumbing issues. I plumbed in the manifold after my initial leak test so I think that is the only area that could have issues.

 

[Raoul5Duke]

Tank is full and currently mixing the first batch of saltwater. I cranked up the heaters this morning as well. Hopefully, I can get the salinity where it needs to be by the end of the day and test both tanks as well. My goal is to get the tank aquascaped this weekend and hopefully move everything over to the frag tank, etc. this weekend. Its an ambitious goal, but my schedule is pretty hectic moving forward so I want to get this done. Its been a long 6 months getting to this point.

I have 1 small leak in the manifold that needs to be patched and I need to work out a few bugs with the Genisis system, but overall no major setbacks. The most difficult task has been running and organizing all the wires.

 

[MrineLfRlz]

Great build!
Whats your water change schedule going to be with your genesis system?

 

[Raoul5Duke]

Great build!
Whats your water change schedule going to be with your genesis system?

I'm not totally sure just yet. I'm still working out some bugs with the Genisis as well as trying to get my Apex and Reeflink working properly. I believe there was an article in Reefkeeping magazine about the benefits of continuous water changes daily so I plan on finding and rereading that but I will likely do something along those lines. I do a 10-15% weekly change on my current setup and I am happy with the growth and color of my sps.

I took some pics this weekend I hope to post later tonight if I find the time, but things are pretty hectic right now. I was very fortunate to find enough time this weekend to aquascape most of the rock I have and put some soft corals in the tank to see how they do. All is going well so far (knock on wood)!

 

[Raoul5Duke]

Aquascape

Aquascape

Here are the pictures of my progress on the aquascape. I assembled 90% of the rock I previously had in my live rock bin. I still need to transfer the rock from the current display tank, but I can't do that until I get the corals moved over. I want to finish getting all my systems (Apex, Reeflink & Genisis) working properly before I move any SPS corals over. I'm considering 3 pillars on the right side of the tank and possibly something offset in the middle where the cove I created ends. I used E-Marco 400 cement from marco rocks to hold the rock together. I was really happy with this stuff, very easy to use and holds great. I also purchased a 13mm hole saw and drilled the rocks for coral plugs. I put a few plugs in so all I have to do late is remove the plug and add my corals. Any feedback or suggestions are welcome.

 

[Raoul5Duke]

More pics

More pics

Just a few more pictures. The first is the JNS Shark Series 7 skimmer in action. I'm really happy with this so far, even with no bioload and fresh saltwater it was already pulling some gunk out of the water. The second is a few test corals I put into the tank, mostly some green sinulara and a toadstool leather. I'm not sure if I will keep these long term, but it cleared some space in my frag tank and gives me an idea how the water quality is. There were also a few snails that hitchiked in and appear to be doing well.

Next few things on my list: 1) finish getting all the systems working properly (Apex, Reeflink) 2) get the genisis working properly, I currently have a siphon with my ATO so waiting on a siphon break valve I ordered 3) Rinse the rest of my sand and put it in 4) move the res of the livestock

Thanks for looking.

 

[EDAT6]

Great build!!
What are you going to run in the bluefin reactors?
What size are they?

 

[Raoul5Duke]

Great build!!
What are you going to run in the bluefin reactors?
What size are they?

Thanks! I plan on running Carbon & GFO in the two reactors. I was never quite satisfied with my BRS dual reactors so I was looking for something new. I like the design of these with the "cupped" bottom which supposedly helps flow. I also like that they are a local company near Cleveland. I can't remember the exact size, I think they are the 410 or 420s.

 

[Wspangler]

Anything progress?

 

[Raoul5Duke]

Anything progress?

Yeah the tank has been up and running for about 2 months. All the livestock was transferred over with minimal loss. Unfortunately I have been so busy lately I have not had time for updates. My schedule should clear up in the next week and I hope to do a full update with pictures then. I haven't added any new livestock. I also want to redo part of the aquascape. The majority of my SPS corals were so encrusted I could not remove them without significant damage so I need to rethink my original aquascape plans. Right now all I do is set the Genisis system to change 20 gallons a week, change carbon & GFO monthly and feed everything. The Genisis system really was worth all the trouble to get it setup. I attached a few crappy cellphone pics of one side of the tank as I was trying to sell a few corals to someone. Thanks for asking.

 

[Galtamar]

How is the skimmer working for you..... building a similar setup, was goin w a BK supermarin 250 but this seems lika a good and less expensive option

 

[Raoul5Duke]

How is the skimmer working for you..... building a similar setup, was goin w a BK supermarin 250 but this seems lika a good and less expensive option

I've been very pleased with the JNS skimmer. Although I have never had a system this size before, so I guess I have nothing to compare it to. I previously had a Vertex Alpha 170, which was a quality skimmer and performed well, but I thought the price was steep and the pump stopped working recently after 3 years of use. The sicce pumps on the JNS are probably the loudest pieces of equipment on the whole setup, but they really allow the skimmer to pull out some nasty stuff.

 

[Raoul5Duke]

Update

Update

I tried making 2 short videos this time. Hopefully they came out decent enough to show the progress that has been made. The first video shows the front side of the tank and gives a demonstration of the Radions being controlled via my Iphone by connecting to the Reeflink.



The second video is a tour of the backside of the aquarium and the equipment that I am using. Also near the end I turned the Ipad to get a horizontal view thinking the video would automatically adjust so it ends up filming sideways. Rooking mistake.... Thanks for looking.

 

[Raoul5Duke]

More Pics

More Pics

A few more pics of the front and the wood I will be using to finish the front. I need to stain it and then frame everything in.

 

[Raoul5Duke]

I finally got the QT tank setup and put in an order at Blue Zoo this a.m. I have 6 Bartlett Anthias (1 Male, 5 Female) on the way along with some inverts and Golden Sleeper Head Goby to help stir up the sand bed. I also acquired a nice 8-10" Engineer Goby from a local reefer that has made himself at home. Starting to get some life in there other than just corals.

 

[Raoul5Duke]

Anthias are doing well and eating a ton. I hope to fatten them up over the next month while they are in QT and I hope keeping them in the 40 for 30+ days will establish the hiearchy and I won't have any of the females change to males in the large tank. I hope to have the wood for the front access panels and frame stained and installed this weekend.

 

[Raoul5Duke]

Pics

Pics

We finished the staining and installing the skin for the tank on the finished side of the basement. I also took some full tank shots and a couple of livestock pics. I need to work on my photography skills. I finally feel like the build is complete and I can focus on the livestock and maintenance, although I still need to polish up my apex programs.

 

[Raoul5Duke]

Pics2

Pics2

Continued...

 

[svavrek]

Lookin' good Bryan!

 

[Raoul5Duke]

Thanks Steve. I hope to get down to the store this weekend, hopefully we can catch up then.