A Reefaholic's 1000+ Gallon Mixed Reef System Build

zigzag1 said:
I really like the DIF-30 that I won at the INDMAS swap. I really like the Orphek's output and color. It's really amazing for only 30 Watts. It's currently mounted over my 40 gallon tank.
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Can't say I disagree. I really think multi-chip LEDs have a future and especially with DIY fixtures as it makes it a much easier job comparted to putting together hundreds of 3 watt LEDs. I'm hoping to make it to MACNA (Still not confirmed) but I'm having a feeling a lot of nice fixtures will be released as well as at InterZoo in a couple weeks.
 
Not a lot of work has been done on tank lately. Cleaned up the fish room this weekend and added some shelving (Inspired by drummereef). Serves for storage for a lot of test kits, additives, and my dosing pump which you can see I did not get hooked up due to me forgetting to grab the tubing while in town today....

This will serve as my frag station in the future and still need to grab the propper bar stool and LED lighting above it for being able to see:thumbsup:

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Great progress... U talk of always cleaning up the fish room, let's see what ur cleaning! Lol. Not sure if I have missed it but have you started on the rockscape?
 
MattyO said:
Great progress... U talk of always cleaning up the fish room, let's see what ur cleaning! Lol. Not sure if I have missed it but have you started on the rockscape?
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Seems like a never ending process....The cleaning was really just organizing with the shelving so you see it;)

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I'm looking for a good source for 3-5 gallon storage for calcium, magnesium, and alk dosing. Currently I have the following BRS storage containers but they are extremely flimsy and I don't trust them. I'd really like a jug like this that can save shelving space but I don't have to worry about the plastic splitting!

Any recommendations that you've used? If I can't find anything I like, I thought about just using 3 5 gallon buckets with uniseals on sides, with barb elbow, and clear tubing on side so I can see level of additive in it and throw a powerhead in each so I ensure each is properly mixed. (I'll likely only use dosing for a little longer until I have to pick up a massive calcium reactor)
 
Yeah I'm with you, I don't like the way those BRS container smell when you rinse them with hot water even after years of use. They give off a very plastic smell. I think it's just a super-cheap material. Same smell you get from just about any clear hard plastic water container though, and I don't trust those either (they make the water taste funny too)
 
Dustin1300 said:
Not a lot of work has been done on tank lately. Cleaned up the fish room this weekend and added some shelving (Inspired by drummereef). Serves for storage for a lot of test kits, additives, and my dosing pump which you can see I did not get hooked up due to me forgetting to grab the tubing while in town today....

This will serve as my frag station in the future and still need to grab the propper bar stool and LED lighting above it for being able to see:thumbsup:
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The new shelving looks great!! :thumbsup:
 
Thanks to the DIY section, think I found some good dosing containers for two part + mag. These have a spigot too so I can ditch the pump style ones for manual dosing when I need to make adjustments.

5 Gallon Carboy
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Ricardo Coelho said:
Excelent work and progress.

Your are so perfectionist, i definately like your fish roon.
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Thanks a lot but my wife might say otherwise:lmao: I still have a lot of work to do but it will come along soon enough.

shannonpayne86 said:
What Bayer insecticide do you use when dipping corals? What concentration do u use and how long do ya did them for? Cheers mate.
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I used the Complete Formula - Concentrated, 40 oz bottle and my concentration was 10mL of Bayer to 1 L saltwater for 10 minutes. In the Bayer thread I started a Google Spreadsheet so everyone can start contributing and outline what corals it's not had a negative impact with. Seemed to be effective but have not noticed any pests on the frags I picked up and they bounced back from the dip in nearly no time:dance:
 
Tonight I finished up building the frag racks for the frag tank. 4 squares of egg crate, 144 zip ties, and 36 cuts of PVC later it's together to start moving frags/fish over soon. Before I move the frags over I'd really like to get LEDs over the frag tank so hopefully I figure something out very soon. Local club has a meeting on DIY LEDs this Saturday so going to look at some local member's DIY fixtures to see if I think it's reasonable or not.

End View:
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Side Pic:
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You'll notice in the pics above I removed two of the return pipes in the frag tank. In theory I wanted additional returns but once they were in I was not happy with how much obstruction/clutter they added to the tank. With the returns from the four outlets and 2 MP40s, it has plenty of flow and did not see the reason to keep them in place. Just plugged them and shut valve off...If I ever decide to add back later it'll be an easy fix:)
 
Awesome build.... I might have an acro or two to donate. What side of Carmel do you live? I'm up around 32 and Grey Rd.
 
great job with your system, how is your algea scrubber working out for you and will you ever consider removing your protein skimmer to run your system with your algea scrubber once stablish?
 
Tristan66 said:
great job with your system, how is your algea scrubber working out for you and will you ever consider removing your protein skimmer to run your system with your algea scrubber once stablish?
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It's too early for me to make a verdict on the ATS. I'm still very skeptical about them and have no plans in the future to replace a skimmer, just think they are a supplemental filtration for a tank of my size and type of corals I'd like to keep. If they can save me some salt/GFO it might be worth it but honestly the maintenance is something that needs to be considered. Cleaning the screen weekly is a cumbersome task and they are not going to be effective if your not keeping up on the cleanings as the algae will fall off screen and release the nutrients right back into the water.

Most importantly, I've still not seen a really successful LPS/SPS tank that is running one. Most are FOWLR and Softies tanks that prefer 'dirty' water. If we start seeing nice LPS/SPS tanks with scrubbers, it'll be a milestone for the ATS community IMO.

***I don't want to start an ATS debate here, just presenting the opinions/observations I've made. Long term success is the important factor to consider:hmm4:
 
Thanks for the great info. do you think that this ATS will elongate your water changes? at this point what do you think your water changes schedules will be in the future with the ATS stablish. thanks again.
 
Tristan66 said:
Thanks for the great info. do you think that this ATS will elongate your water changes? at this point what do you think your water changes schedules will be in the future with the ATS stablish. thanks again.
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There is no replacement for water changes. It is a box of water. Anytime i see someone skipping on water changes their tank goes south.
 
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