Chrisrush
New member
Yikes. $600. Maybe they have a smaller version.
A Reef Tank in the Desert - +/- 1,400 gallon system
- Thread starter danfeig
- Start date
Yikes. $600. Maybe they have a smaller version.
pleuralplexus
New member
I was at MACNA also. My first one too! It really was a great event! Had a great time talking to Julian Sprung, and really enjoyed Custeau at the banquet
danfeig
.Registered Member
Friday!!!
Friday!!!
Today was Friday wasn't it???
Well you know what that means... FedEx Friday resumed after a weeks absence at MACNA.
I received several items today and yesterday, many of which I ordered last week in Dallas and had shipped home.
First though I need to update everyone on two issues that occurred while away and when I got back.
While I was away, my wife called me somewhat panicked. It appeared that a lot of air bubbles were coming out of the returns in my tank. When I instructed her to go in the fish room for me, I could immediately hear what the culprit was...my sump was incredibly low and the pump was sucking in air.
My oldest daughter was given great, clear instructions on feeding while I was away. 8 cubes of mysis, defrosted in a capful of garlic solution and a small amount of RO water. Well, she decided to spend the afternoon with her boyfriend so she called my youngest daughter and gave her instructions on how to feed. Apparently she was confused about the garlic solution - she ended up defrosting the food in about a half cup of garlic. Needless to say my skimmer went bonkers!!! So much so that about 30 gallons of water went down the drain.
Unfortunately, I did a major water change the morning that I left and did not have 30 gallons of SW made up. My wife and daughter had to dump 30-40 gallons of RO into the sump.
This brought up two issues for me: 1) I can't have my skimmer dumping directly into the drain when I go away. 2) I need to install some floats into my sump that will immediately notify me when I have a low water level. Wait a minute, I was supposed to be notified by my ReefKeeper.
I texted Justin from Avast Marine who was walking the halls at MACNA. Justin came and sat down with me and helped my work out my problems.
[/IMG]
The Davy Jones Skimmer Super Locker. This cap, which will fit on any 5 gallon bucket, will serve as the drain for your protein skimmer. It is air tight to keep in the smell and has a built in carbon changer to break down any odors that might escape. There is a built in float (just like on ATO's). When the bucket starts to get full, it will trigger a mechanism that will shut off your skimmer pumps. I opted to order a clear 5 gallon bucket to make it easier to tell when the bucked needed to be emptied.
My next task was dealing with my Controller. How this happened, notifying me, shutting off my pumps... I sought out the folks at Digital Aquatics but surprisingly, they were not a MACNA. I then strolled over to Neptune Systems and fell in love. I was instantly sold on the APEX unit when I saw the controllability of my tank from using my iPad or iPhone. Their display tank that was set up with all the modules and probes did a great job of explaining all of the possibilities. I believe that Neptune Systems had five different employees giving presentations on the Apex unit. I came back five times and received a different presentation from each employee.
This bad boy arrived today!
[/IMG]
The other issue that I had this week was absolutely, positively, terrible.
While at MACNA, I visited a booth that was being run by Prodibio, the makers of BioDigest, Reef Booster, etc. Their products are basically a bacterial solution that helps biologically reduce waste, remove nitrates, feed corals etc. Essentially, you are a putting a lot of beneficial bacteria into your tank.
I spent considerable time speaking with one of the owners from France. I told him about my Nitrate issues. They usually run high because I like to feed so much. He convinced my that I should give his products a try. I did not buy them on the spot. For two nights I went back to my room and read testimonials about their products (Marine Depot has great reviews).
I have had issues with low oxygen levels in my tank. Despite 2 MP60's and 2 MP40's churning the water. So much so that I have ordered a couple of pumps to place in the bottom, lower 1/3 of the tank to direct water and circulation up so I would have better gas exchange. I think you know where I am going with this...
I used the Reef Booster on Monday night. I followed directions to a "T" and shut my skimmer off for the night. When I awoke, two of my Yellow Tangs were dead
. These were pretty thick tangs - veroucious eaters and were completely acting normal. I couldn't figure out why. I checked all my chemicals and everything was normal. Wednesday morning, my two Blue Tangs and two Purple Tangs were deceased. Again, thick tangs, no ich or diseases or signs of distress. I called Mike at Simply Elegant Aquatics. He asked if I recently added anything to the tank. I told him about the Prodibio. He immediatley told me to check my oxygen levels... Sure enough they were dangerously low.
I did a 200 gallon water change and threw into the tank two mag-drives pointed up to the surface causing some serious surface turbulence. My oxygen levels are back to normal. I should be receiving three (3) pumps tomorrow that will replace the mag-drives in the tank.
I can not blame Prodibio. The oxygen level is an issue with my tank and I should have been paying closer attention to it. Perhaps I should not have used as much as was directed. I will say this - since using the product, my corals appear to have they polyps opened a lot more often.
What else came in today. I bought a ton of corals from Simply Elegant Aquatics. They also brought in for me a pair of Chevron Tangs, a new Purple Tang and Clown tangs. I also received a small order from BlueZoo and Divers Den. I will try to post livestock photos tomorrow.
Oh yeah, there is more. I picked up this awesome Frag Rack at MACNA and had it shipped to me.
[/IMG]
I picked up this small sump/refugium for below my old 150 gallon that I will attempt to set up tomorrow. My plan is to cure about 200 lbs. of live rock in the tank before attaching it to my system. I will then use the top 1/4 of the tank as a frag/grow-out tank.
[/IMG]
I hope to have lots more to add tomorrow or Sunday!
Friday!!!
Today was Friday wasn't it???
Well you know what that means... FedEx Friday resumed after a weeks absence at MACNA.
I received several items today and yesterday, many of which I ordered last week in Dallas and had shipped home.
First though I need to update everyone on two issues that occurred while away and when I got back.
While I was away, my wife called me somewhat panicked. It appeared that a lot of air bubbles were coming out of the returns in my tank. When I instructed her to go in the fish room for me, I could immediately hear what the culprit was...my sump was incredibly low and the pump was sucking in air.
My oldest daughter was given great, clear instructions on feeding while I was away. 8 cubes of mysis, defrosted in a capful of garlic solution and a small amount of RO water. Well, she decided to spend the afternoon with her boyfriend so she called my youngest daughter and gave her instructions on how to feed. Apparently she was confused about the garlic solution - she ended up defrosting the food in about a half cup of garlic. Needless to say my skimmer went bonkers!!! So much so that about 30 gallons of water went down the drain.
Unfortunately, I did a major water change the morning that I left and did not have 30 gallons of SW made up. My wife and daughter had to dump 30-40 gallons of RO into the sump.
This brought up two issues for me: 1) I can't have my skimmer dumping directly into the drain when I go away. 2) I need to install some floats into my sump that will immediately notify me when I have a low water level. Wait a minute, I was supposed to be notified by my ReefKeeper.
I texted Justin from Avast Marine who was walking the halls at MACNA. Justin came and sat down with me and helped my work out my problems.
The Davy Jones Skimmer Super Locker. This cap, which will fit on any 5 gallon bucket, will serve as the drain for your protein skimmer. It is air tight to keep in the smell and has a built in carbon changer to break down any odors that might escape. There is a built in float (just like on ATO's). When the bucket starts to get full, it will trigger a mechanism that will shut off your skimmer pumps. I opted to order a clear 5 gallon bucket to make it easier to tell when the bucked needed to be emptied.
My next task was dealing with my Controller. How this happened, notifying me, shutting off my pumps... I sought out the folks at Digital Aquatics but surprisingly, they were not a MACNA. I then strolled over to Neptune Systems and fell in love. I was instantly sold on the APEX unit when I saw the controllability of my tank from using my iPad or iPhone. Their display tank that was set up with all the modules and probes did a great job of explaining all of the possibilities. I believe that Neptune Systems had five different employees giving presentations on the Apex unit. I came back five times and received a different presentation from each employee.
This bad boy arrived today!
The other issue that I had this week was absolutely, positively, terrible.
While at MACNA, I visited a booth that was being run by Prodibio, the makers of BioDigest, Reef Booster, etc. Their products are basically a bacterial solution that helps biologically reduce waste, remove nitrates, feed corals etc. Essentially, you are a putting a lot of beneficial bacteria into your tank.
I spent considerable time speaking with one of the owners from France. I told him about my Nitrate issues. They usually run high because I like to feed so much. He convinced my that I should give his products a try. I did not buy them on the spot. For two nights I went back to my room and read testimonials about their products (Marine Depot has great reviews).
I have had issues with low oxygen levels in my tank. Despite 2 MP60's and 2 MP40's churning the water. So much so that I have ordered a couple of pumps to place in the bottom, lower 1/3 of the tank to direct water and circulation up so I would have better gas exchange. I think you know where I am going with this...
I used the Reef Booster on Monday night. I followed directions to a "T" and shut my skimmer off for the night. When I awoke, two of my Yellow Tangs were dead
. These were pretty thick tangs - veroucious eaters and were completely acting normal. I couldn't figure out why. I checked all my chemicals and everything was normal. Wednesday morning, my two Blue Tangs and two Purple Tangs were deceased. Again, thick tangs, no ich or diseases or signs of distress. I called Mike at Simply Elegant Aquatics. He asked if I recently added anything to the tank. I told him about the Prodibio. He immediatley told me to check my oxygen levels... Sure enough they were dangerously low.I did a 200 gallon water change and threw into the tank two mag-drives pointed up to the surface causing some serious surface turbulence. My oxygen levels are back to normal. I should be receiving three (3) pumps tomorrow that will replace the mag-drives in the tank.
I can not blame Prodibio. The oxygen level is an issue with my tank and I should have been paying closer attention to it. Perhaps I should not have used as much as was directed. I will say this - since using the product, my corals appear to have they polyps opened a lot more often.
What else came in today. I bought a ton of corals from Simply Elegant Aquatics. They also brought in for me a pair of Chevron Tangs, a new Purple Tang and Clown tangs. I also received a small order from BlueZoo and Divers Den. I will try to post livestock photos tomorrow.
Oh yeah, there is more. I picked up this awesome Frag Rack at MACNA and had it shipped to me.
I picked up this small sump/refugium for below my old 150 gallon that I will attempt to set up tomorrow. My plan is to cure about 200 lbs. of live rock in the tank before attaching it to my system. I will then use the top 1/4 of the tank as a frag/grow-out tank.
I hope to have lots more to add tomorrow or Sunday!
david00061
New member
nice new toys.
Newbie Aquarist
Reefing is my middle name
I guess Saturday is the new Friday for Fed Ex now huh? Nice items. I don't know if we talked about this but are you or have you thought about ozone?
SUPPOReefer
New member
So sorry to hear about your losses. Glad you figured it out so quickly. Can't wait to see the new livestock.
danfeig
.Registered Member
I just started fooling around with the setup last night. I am hoping to have it done before I leave town on Thursday. So far, I am impressed. I am keeping the ReefKeeper on for a short while to compare the parameters. So far so good though!
danfeig
.Registered Member
Thanks Made2Rock. Glad you found my thread!
I am very happy with the 48" height. If I have any regrets, it would be that I didn't go another 6" deeper. The height is allowing me to to with SPS in the top and middle and LPS on the lower portion of the tank.
The Radion's are fantastic! I only running them at 76% and am having some nice growth. My clams seem to be doing well with the lighting on the bottom too! I still haven't put the TIR Lenses on. I just haven't had the time or desire to mess with them.
danfeig
.Registered Member
Pictures
Pictures
So I owe everyone new pictures of the Tank and Livestock. I am hoping to have the opportunity to shoot some real soon.
I had to post this one that I took from my iPhone this weekend.
I've been wanting to move some corals in my tank and to install/place some of the corals that I recently received or have been sitting in my QT's. This past weekend I had Joe come to the house to assist me.
Not only did Joe climb on top of the ladder, he laid a sheet of plywood down and climbed onto the tank itself. He threw on my daughters "Barbie" goggles and submerged the upper half of his body into my tank; glueing corals in those hard to reach places.
[/IMG]
My skimmer went nuts all night, but the tank looks great!
Pictures
So I owe everyone new pictures of the Tank and Livestock. I am hoping to have the opportunity to shoot some real soon.
I had to post this one that I took from my iPhone this weekend.
I've been wanting to move some corals in my tank and to install/place some of the corals that I recently received or have been sitting in my QT's. This past weekend I had Joe come to the house to assist me.
Not only did Joe climb on top of the ladder, he laid a sheet of plywood down and climbed onto the tank itself. He threw on my daughters "Barbie" goggles and submerged the upper half of his body into my tank; glueing corals in those hard to reach places.
My skimmer went nuts all night, but the tank looks great!
fazilosman
New member
LOL, that's just plain awesome....
Made2Rock
Member
Dan,
Now you did it. I read your reply to my wife who loved the idea of going 6" deeper. Me on the other hand is trying to imagine doing maintance on a tank that would be 54" deep. If I can wrap my arms around living with a tank that deep I do believe I would love it (The problem is skimmer's don't take kinly to someone diving in the tank.
Joe
Now you did it. I read your reply to my wife who loved the idea of going 6" deeper. Me on the other hand is trying to imagine doing maintance on a tank that would be 54" deep. If I can wrap my arms around living with a tank that deep I do believe I would love it (The problem is skimmer's don't take kinly to someone diving in the tank.
Joe
Chris Lakies
Active member
Awesome work!! The tank is so spacious! I was wondering if you have taken par measurements on the sand? I think i saw a crocea down there?
danfeig
.Registered Member
Thanks CoralFiend! Glad to have you following along.
The one thing that is constant is that things are always changing. I see something new and different everytime I look at the tank!
Rapide
New member
I hear you... I hope you remembered to take a shower before diving in :spin2:
Two friends of mine have a tank where they have to actually dive in, like dive in. I think that's when stepped to the dark side you have.
dotcommer
Active member
What size tank do they have?
Sleepingtiger
Member
First of all, this tank build is awesome! I am amazed at the time and money put into this build. Congrats on convincing your wife to letting you spend the childrens college fund into the aquarium. LOL
I just have a question. You mentioned you were using digital aquatics reefkeeper and now your using the APEX. I am saving up money to get a controller. Do you have any suggestions? Why did you like the Apex more than the reefkeeper? was there something about the reefkeeper you didn't like? Thanks
I just have a question. You mentioned you were using digital aquatics reefkeeper and now your using the APEX. I am saving up money to get a controller. Do you have any suggestions? Why did you like the Apex more than the reefkeeper? was there something about the reefkeeper you didn't like? Thanks
