Cully's SCA 120 build

[Capt_Cully]

Nice. I may gravitate in that direction. Looks like you add snails like 10 days in, then fish a week or so later.

 

[terry4505]

Correct. I followed the system exactly as Red Sea laid it out. It worked well for me.

 

[HerbC]

Wait, so you do kalk and top off water separate? I've been mixing. What do you use to pump the kalk?

 

[Capt_Cully]

No sorry, mainly dose Kalk, but I have an RO line too. I'll run just RO until my coral stock increases to the point that I notice Kalk depletion. Then I'll switch over to Kalk. They both feed into that same stand pipe.

 

[Capt_Cully]

Wait, so you do kalk and top off water separate? I've been mixing. What do you use to pump the kalk?

I guess I didn't answer your question. I made my own Kalk reservoir/reactor. It's run via an old Neptune Aquacontroller Jr.

Pump in RO reservoir pumps RO into the 5 gallon food safe bucket. As it goes it, under high pressure, it pushes the precipitate into suspension. Then it sits for 12 hours.

Then via Spectrum Litremeter slave pump it is dosed in intervals every hour or so right through the night. Generally about 2.5 gallons daily. No float switches. I have it pretty well dialed in via trial & error.

 

[Capt_Cully]

 

[HerbC]

Wow, a lot more advanced than me. I have a bucket higher than my sump and hand mix kalk and water, then gravity feed to the sump. This is the only thing I use for top off. Usually 6 gallons lasts 4 days. Down side, there is a lot of residual kalk I wash out of the bin and down the drain, and I still have to look at the float every day to see if the kalk froze and locked it up. Thanks for the pic and info.

 

[Capt_Cully]

Yeah the gravitys clog up it seems. I only top off my Kalk powder every few weeks and wash out the sludge every few months. What doesn't get saturated settles back out. If you just mix it or add more water and mix it should still product effective Kalkwasser. Don't pour it down the drain so often, you can reuse it!

 

[Capt_Cully]

Stack's done. Final answer.



Side view

 

[HerbC]

Very nice. Going SPS or LPS?

 

[Capt_Cully]

Jerry-rigged my old mag-float by knocking the plastic cap off the dry side and using a driveway marker pole. Now I can fit it back between the plumbing and back glass.

I'm too paranoid about scratching the Starphire glass with the mag-float so I ordered the Tunze Care Magnet for the other panes.

 

[Capt_Cully]

Very nice. Going SPS or LPS?

Mixed. Planning SPS up high, LPS, zoos down low. Gorgs and euphylia for movement.

Of all the tanks I've done, I'm really pleased with the aquascape on this one.

 

[dreaminmel]

Sweet scape! Looks great Capt!

 

[Neoz]

Nice Scape. What is the middle rock to the right sitting on holding it up in the air? PVC pipe?

 

[Capt_Cully]

Tonga branch.

 

[Capt_Cully]

Tonight's "Reef Helper":

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Tenfidy?

Tenfidy?

What the...

Must be pretty good cuz that stack came out RAD!
You're reef crazed!

 

[fatrip]

Lookin good.

 

[FPSD]

Beautiful tank. I am looking into a SCA 120 now also.

 

[drtango]

Looks great! Looks like you're doing the back to front Vortec gyre, me too!