BUILDING A DREAM....SPS Dominated Tank build

[sahin]

I bought a new Tropic Marin Pro Reef bucket. I mixed the contents by pouring out the contents from one bucket to another.

I got a alk reading of 8.3, which I think is spot on. Did you guys mix the contents?

I also use the Salifert and TMC Alk kits. The Salifert comes with the ref solution as well, and my Salifert kit is spot on according to the ref kit. In any event, the reading matches the reading from the TMC Alk test.

 

[vincepits]

looking good

 

[Reef_Noob]

I bought a new Tropic Marin Pro Reef bucket. I mixed the contents by pouring out the contents from one bucket to another.

I got a alk reading of 8.3, which I think is spot on. Did you guys mix the contents?

I also use the Salifert and TMC Alk kits. The Salifert comes with the ref solution as well, and my Salifert kit is spot on according to the ref kit. In any event, the reading matches the reading from the TMC Alk test.

Hi sahin,
Thanks a lot for the input.
You do have a point. I had emptied the contents of the Tropic Marin bucket to another bucket which is air tight. (the Tropic Marin bucket has to be improved and it's not got a good seal)
But I hadn't mixed the salt per se. Another thing was the salt showed clumping and was in chuncks when I emptied it. Maybe it could be the reason? I adjusted the Alk of the freshly mixed water by adding buffer and let it mix for a week before I added it.
I'm using Aquavitro but it was outta stock so used Tropic Marin. Il be reverting back to it once stock arrives.

 

[Reef_Noob]

Great looking tank. Could you tell me where you go this from as im based in uk

Hello blandy,
Thanks a lot for the kind words.
Regarding the units I got it from a local shop and not online.
I'm not UK based :hammer:
It seems to be OEM.
Have you looked at American DJ? They were my first option and pretty sleek. I couldn't find em locally. They do come in 220v that's the power supply in UK right?

 

[Reef_Noob]

looking good

Hi vincepits,
Thanks for viewing my thread and for the kind words.
Iv added SPS corals over the past weeks and will post pics. Still to figure out how to take true to life colour pictures under LEDs.
Other than that nothing much...trying to keep things stable, easier said than done :hammer:

 

[Aquatron]

What a great read and quality system") But even more enjoyable is your respect you show for all those that post on your thread......very cool!
Could you share where you picked up the different color hose's on your doser? And why you don't use color hose on feed lines for pieces like reactors, skimmer, ect...

Thank You,
Mace

 

[sahin]

Hi sahin,
Thanks a lot for the input.
You do have a point. I had emptied the contents of the Tropic Marin bucket to another bucket which is air tight. (the Tropic Marin bucket has to be improved and it's not got a good seal)
But I hadn't mixed the salt per se. Another thing was the salt showed clumping and was in chuncks when I emptied it. Maybe it could be the reason? I adjusted the Alk of the freshly mixed water by adding buffer and let it mix for a week before I added it.
I'm using Aquavitro but it was outta stock so used Tropic Marin. Il be reverting back to it once stock arrives.

That may be a reason. My TM salt was perfect. No clumps etc...

I do agree with the salt bucket lid being cr@p. Its not airtight. For that reason I transferred all the salt to another salt manufacturers bucket.

Hello blandy,
Thanks a lot for the kind words.
Regarding the units I got it from a local shop and not online.
I'm not UK based :hammer:
It seems to be OEM.
Have you looked at American DJ? They were my first option and pretty sleek. I couldn't find em locally. They do come in 220v that's the power supply in UK right?

Blandy, I'm certain the American DJ units wont work in the UK because of the voltage differences...I looked into it years ago.

But any 240v units from elsewhere should work fine providing they come with the UK plug/socket design.

 

[SneekaPeek]

That may be a reason. My TM salt was perfect. No clumps etc...

I do agree with the salt bucket lid being cr@p. Its not airtight. For that reason I transferred all the salt to another salt manufacturers bucket.

Which salt bucket is air tight? could you throw me an example so I can get my hands on one?

Reefnoob, we need pictures or atleast I do. It has been way tooooooo long! :headwally:

 

[Acronic]

Looking forward to the pics!

 

[sahin]

Which salt bucket is air tight? could you throw me an example so I can get my hands on one?

Reefnoob, we need pictures or atleast I do. It has been way tooooooo long! :headwally:

The D&D H2Ocean buckets are airtight. But hard to take off and put the lid back on.

Kent Salt buckets are very good too.

 

[SneekaPeek]

The D&D H2Ocean buckets are airtight. But hard to take off and put the lid back on.

Kent Salt buckets are very good too.

Thank you.

Reefnoob, I found out it is the salt. Check my thread about my results. I am going to have to prep my salt before I put it into dt. I just bought a saltwater mixing station and it should be setup very soon.

I love your system, very well thought out!
Now, on with the pics :thumbsup:

 

[Reef_Noob]

What a great read and quality system") But even more enjoyable is your respect you show for all those that post on your thread......very cool!
Could you share where you picked up the different color hose's on your doser? And why you don't use color hose on feed lines for pieces like reactors, skimmer, ect...
Thank You,
Mace

Hello Mace,
First up, thanks a lot for taking the time to read thru my thread. Your compliments and kind words gives me a lot of inspiration.
I'm just trying my best to keep my thread interactive and trying to learn everyday
The tubing I picked up from Ace Hardware store.
Regarding not using more colours...I wanted to keep plumbing to minimum and did not want to add contrasting colours because I felt it takes away the attention from the overall theme. That's just my opinion

 

[Reef_Noob]

That may be a reason. My TM salt was perfect. No clumps etc...

I do agree with the salt bucket lid being cr@p. Its not airtight. For that reason I transferred all the salt to another salt manufacturers bucket.

Hello sahin,
Yep big time clumping. I do feel it's moisture contamination. For a premium brand I do feel they should invest more in a proper delivery system/bucket.
I miss Aquavitro already :strange:

 

[Reef_Noob]

Which salt bucket is air tight? could you throw me an example so I can get my hands on one?

Reefnoob, we need pictures or atleast I do. It has been way tooooooo long! :headwally:

Hi SneekaPeek,
Oh yes if you want a quality bucket Aquavito is one il recommend. Not only the buckets but il recommend the contents too.
Let's say "Beauty with Brains" :lol2:

 

[Reef_Noob]

Looking forward to the pics!

Hey Kevin,
Nice to hear from ya man!!
Thanks a lot for taking out the time to view my thread. I know your hands are full buddy. Wishing you the best.
Il post some updated pics by the weekend.

 

[Reef_Noob]

Check my thread, alk/ wc guide. Very recent. Bunch of answers in there. I was going to set up a seperate system and buff the water accordingly, but I wanted to get more references of the accuracy of my tests. Seems reasonable, but time consuming. I like my WC to be simple and not drawn out

Thank you.

Reefnoob, I found out it is the salt. Check my thread about my results. I am going to have to prep my salt before I put it into dt. I just bought a saltwater mixing station and it should be setup very soon.

I love your system, very well thought out!
Now, on with the pics :thumbsup:

Hi SneekaPeek,
Thanks a lot for the compliment.
I did go thru the thread and also found out others too had the problem.
I definately second the idea of you prepping the water and testing it before hand. One can never be too sure in this hobby. Mixing station is a great idea. If space permitted I wouldv done the same.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Thanks again for your interest on my Reefing journey I will soon post some updated pics.

 

[Reef_Noob]

The D&D H2Ocean buckets are airtight. But hard to take off and put the lid back on.

Kent Salt buckets are very good too.

+1 :thumbsup:

 

[BHD]

Hi Reef_Noob,

I just went over your thread. Very impressive.
I have to say, you found a lot of enjoyment with the this build.

Bao

 

[Reef_Noob]

Update...

 

[Reef_Noob]

Hi Reef_Noob,

I just went over your thread. Very impressive.
I have to say, you found a lot of enjoyment with the this build.

Bao

Hi Bao,
Thanks a lot for spending time reading my thread and for your kind words.
You are absolutely right...I enjoyed every step of "building my dream"
The journey is ongoing slowly but steadily. Wish me luck!!