drummereef's 180g in-wall build

[drummereef]

The Emeralds seem to be taking interest in the bubble algae. However, they seem to get easily distracted. :lol: But, not only have they been snacking on a little bit of the Valonia, they also have taken interest in some of the tube worms. I saw one of the crabs tear off a few tubes and literally pick out and eat the worms inside. All in all, they are very interesting to watch. Here's a couple pics...


Sneaky but effective move. haha

What you never want to see at night... if you're bubble algae.

 

[110galreef]

Great shots!

 

[sahin]

I used the same species of crab to elimate 99% of bubble algae in my tank. The crab got to work right away and cleared almost all the Valonia. I suppose he couldnt find the few stray bubble algae in a few places. But they do work against bubble algae.

I love the tidyness of your whole setup. I can see that a lot of thought and effort goes into the execution of everything. Very meticulous.

As for the rest of the tank, its good to see how the corals are making a comeback. Keep up the good work and keep up the excellent photography too! :thumbsup:

 

[cromedogg33]

Where do you think you got the bubble algae from? Just come in on a frag or something?

 

[drummereef]

Great shots!

Thanks 110g.

I used the same species of crab to elimate 99% of bubble algae in my tank. The crab got to work right away and cleared almost all the Valonia. I suppose he couldnt find the few stray bubble algae in a few places. But they do work against bubble algae.

I love the tidyness of your whole setup. I can see that a lot of thought and effort goes into the execution of everything. Very meticulous.

As for the rest of the tank, its good to see how the corals are making a comeback. Keep up the good work and keep up the excellent photography too! :thumbsup:

Great! Good to know, thanks sahin. And thanks for the kind words.

Where do you think you got the bubble algae from? Just come in on a frag or something?

Yeah, that would be the only place I could think of. I dip everything but knowing how hardy the stuff is I wouldn't doubt it could survive a dip too. But, with the extra NO3 I had before I put the pellets back online, the stuff just took off. I attempted manual removal on several occasions but like I said it just came back. I manually removed some more last night to give the crabs a little head start, especially with the bigger bubbles. I saw one of the crabs nipping again at some just a few minutes ago so I'm excited to see their progress over the next few days/weeks.

 

[drummereef]

You're probably sick of seeing pics of crabs, but... Look closely at what's between his claws. Seeing this little guy chow down on a big piece of Valonia makes me want to go :dance:

 

[Grayhead]

Man, you have a beautiful tank. Stole many ideas from you in my build, and many things I wish I did before I began.
One this I want to copy is the type of sand you used. I want to switch sand out since mine blows around so much. How did you go about removing the sand without tearing the whole tank down? I have a little more rock in my display than you but dont think it will be to bad.

 

[drummereef]

Man, you have a beautiful tank. Stole many ideas from you in my build, and many things I wish I did before I began.
One this I want to copy is the type of sand you used. I want to switch sand out since mine blows around so much. How did you go about removing the sand without tearing the whole tank down? I have a little more rock in my display than you but dont think it will be to bad.

Thanks for the kind words Grayhead. Siphoning the sand bed is easy. I took some tubing, 1/2" ID if I remember right, and just siphoned it out into empty buckets. I did the whole tank over the course of a few days so I had time to make up new saltwater to replenish the water I removed. If you are set up with more reserve saltwater then you might be able to remove it all in one shot, depending on how deep the sand bed is. I'd only recommend this if your sand bed is shallow, less than 2". If it's a DSB you would have to go super slow as to avoid any release of excess nutrients or worse - hydrogen sulfide.

 

[salali]

Back to your tank after long time

Love new sand bed great job.

 

[drummereef]

Back to your tank after long time

Love new sand bed great job.

salali!! Great to hear from you again. How ya been?

 

[Musbtr1pin]

Holy flipping flapjack Jesus... That made no sense, but it was the first thing to come to mind...

I have a 180 as well... I envy you took me three days to read every post... Worth every minute... Now I must upgrade and start a new build... Great job!

 

[drummereef]

Holy flipping flapjack Jesus... That made no sense, but it was the first thing to come to mind...

I have a 180 as well... I envy you took me three days to read every post... Worth every minute... Now I must upgrade and start a new build... Great job!

Haha, thanks Musbtr1pin.

 

[drummereef]

UPDATE:


Couple new pics for you guys...


First, a new FTS. I messed with the ISO setting on this one and it really made the overall clarity come to life.

And some growth pics... (my closeups need a little work, colors are a bit off. :hmm3

January 2011

Today

January 2011

Today

January 2011

Today

Question... What would you do with this coral, let it grow or frag it into somewhat of a shape? It's growing a little asymmetrical so I don't want to limit it's growth into a colony. Thoughts? The two new offshoots (left and right) are growing fairly quick but the middle has kind of gone stagnant.

Need and ID for this little guy in the center of the pic. Any ideas?

 

[kawicivic]

I would let the coral grow the way it is growing. I have found that SPS will only grow in a sustainable fashion. I believe the reason you have noticed growth stopping on the largest branch is that it is probably thickening up and allowing the other branches to catch up. I have been studying my largest acro's growth pretty closely, and tend to notice that it spurts up and then thickens to support the additional growth.

The other thing that could have happened, was its environment changed. SPS may grow a certain way based on flow, if that changes, the growth will shift to deal with it. The growth of the coral or another coral could cause flow to change enough that the SPS will begin to redirect to take better advantage of the flow.

With that being said, the only downside I see to pruning the frag is the healing time of the area of the frag. If the frag is growing well, I don't see an issue with snipping it off. It should heal the area snipped within a week or two at most (sometimes within a few days if it is really growing).

Your growth shots look very nice! Keep up the good work!

 

[salali]

I have been good thanks for asking.

I am buys looking for a job when I find one I am going to upgrade and steal you ideas lol

 

[cromedogg33]

Brett,

Took me forever but I finally found something that will work with the doser and containers to make a nice clean look.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/1-4-push-connect-bulkhead-tank-adaptor.html

Don't know how I missed them earlier.

 

[drummereef]

I would let the coral grow the way it is growing. I have found that SPS will only grow in a sustainable fashion. I believe the reason you have noticed growth stopping on the largest branch is that it is probably thickening up and allowing the other branches to catch up. I have been studying my largest acro's growth pretty closely, and tend to notice that it spurts up and then thickens to support the additional growth.

The other thing that could have happened, was its environment changed. SPS may grow a certain way based on flow, if that changes, the growth will shift to deal with it. The growth of the coral or another coral could cause flow to change enough that the SPS will begin to redirect to take better advantage of the flow.

With that being said, the only downside I see to pruning the frag is the healing time of the area of the frag. If the frag is growing well, I don't see an issue with snipping it off. It should heal the area snipped within a week or two at most (sometimes within a few days if it is really growing).

Your growth shots look very nice! Keep up the good work!

Thanks for the advice kawicivic. I'll keep an eye on it a while before I start cutting.

I have been good thanks for asking.

I am buys looking for a job when I find one I am going to upgrade and steal you ideas lol

Haha! Good luck, hope you find one soon.

Brett,

Took me forever but I finally found something that will work with the doser and containers to make a nice clean look.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/1-4-push-connect-bulkhead-tank-adaptor.html

Don't know how I missed them earlier.

Awesome! I had seen those on BRS's site but didn't know if it would work with the tubing that ships with the doser. I ran by Home Depot today and tested the "ice maker" tubing (same stuff that comes with the doser) in a 1/4" quick connect and I think it will work for you. Otherwise, I've read standard 1/4" RO tubing will work with the doser if you heat the end up really well before attaching it. I think it just has a slightly smaller ID than the supplied tubing.

Are you using it in your Kalk reservoir?

 

[110galreef]

I use those BRS bulkhead adapters for my ATO. I pass my line thru the holding tank with them.

They will work on flexible or rigid hose(john guest stuff) as long as they match OD. Ie 1/4 or 3/8 or 1/2 etc.. They hold either just fine!

 

[drummereef]

I use those BRS bulkhead adapters for my ATO. I pass my line thru the holding tank with them.

They will work on flexible or rigid hose(john guest stuff) as long as they match OD. Ie 1/4 or 3/8 or 1/2 etc.. They hold either just fine!

Sweet! Do you put anything on the opposite side of the push connect? Trying to visualize what you are describing... any pics?

I'm thinking of adding another Brute to my system and use it as a fresh water reservoir. I could use one of these tubing bulkheads to connect to my 5g bucket to replenish my top off so I'm not running my RO/DI as frequent.

 

[110galreef]

Ok, here is my crappy early morn low light phone pics!:bounce1:
You'll get the idea!

So here is the plan:

My ATO bin is a ~30g container. Just enuf water for about 8 days of being gone. I manually fill it up every week or so. I also have a float valve inside the bin (failsafe of overflowing bin incase i forget to turn off water in time) So I have a manual valave on the outside of the bin. I use the bulkhead to route the ATO feed tube thru it to the ATO pump. Also this quick disconnect allows me to easily remove the bin and give it a quick clean every few month. I also am able to leave the lid on it as the tube comes out the side of the bin. This bulkhead is about 2" above the highest water level controlled via the float valve. The little white thing at the bottom of the bin is simply a piece of PVC that I have the supply line for the ATO attached to to keep it at the bottom of the bin!

The filling of the bin manually each week, ensures minimal TDS creep (my DI lasts about 3 mos on a 300g+ system. Also it limits the amount of water that could ever be added if I was gone to the 30g (salinity drop is minimal and also my sump can hold that amount. Also my aqualifter pump is controlled via 2 float switches as redundancy. I also limit the times that the ATO can run via my apex. I have a 30 minute window at 12-12:30, 3-3:30, 6-6:30 and 9-9:30 that the pump could run as well. Basically only allowing up to 6 gals of top off a day. incase BOTH floats stick.