First SPS

cmhollis

Active member
Well after about 8 months I have got my new 120g in-wall up and running. I still have to build the cabinetry around the tank, but there is no rush on that as I want to do it right.

Anyhow the tank/systems are as follows:

- 120 AGA RR w/ 2 megaflows, 2 1.5" drains for CLS and 4 1.5" returns
- CLS Pump is Sequence 5800 via OM 4-way
- One megaflow drains to 70g Rubbermaid stock tank fuge in basement
- Other megaflow drains to 100g Rubbermaid sump in basement
- Fuge gravity drains into sump
- Return pump is Sequence 3200 to two 3/4" Locline nozzles
- Skimmer is dual-Beckett MR3 driven by Blueline HD70
- MRC CR3 Dual chamber spray bar Calcium Reactor (still finishing off the setup on that)
- 2 250W 10,000 MH
- 1 150 W 20,000 MH
- 2 110W VHO URI Actinic White
- 2 110W VHO URI Super Actinic Blue
- Actinics driven by Icecap 660 Ballast
- 1 250W 14,000K MH in LAIII over the fuge
- Neptune Aquacontroller III

Total turnover I figure is somewhere around 40-50x/hour. Anyhow, the wife is very happy to have the tank finished, as she can now start collecting SPS frags.

Enough talk, here is the first SPS we bought:

56609860.FirstSPS.jpg


Run of the mill Acropora?

Here is a photo of tank from today, still waiting on the 120# of base from reeferrocks.com to seed up:

56610816.TankShot.jpg


Here is a photo of the basement setup:

53831047.BasementEquipment.jpg


There is a vertical standpipe inside the fuge so that if power goes out, it won't completely empty and overflow the sump.

Comments and critiques welcome, and thanks for looking,

Mike
 
Hi Mike,

Great looking setup. Seems well planned out.
It's refreshing to see a tank with sand intead of a cutting board-like material.

- Mac
 
Mac,

Thanks for the look. I am still waiting for all of the flow to stop blowing the sand around. I like the random shape the sand was sculpted into by the flow. And I promise the plumbing in the basement has been cleaned up since the photo was taken, it also doesn't show the LAIII MH over the fuge.
 
that is a very nice setup, Mike. i'm definately envious.

your acro looks like a tricolor valida. how much does your anenome move?
 
Hehhee, you're talking to a very lazy person Mike, I won't tell you what my plumbing looks like. ;)
You can try adding an urchin, the grazing will help the corraline algae spread. I've also found B-Ionic is like crack for the stuff. If there's a speck of it in the tank, it will spread very quickly. Dunno what it is they put in that stuff, but it works like magic in my tank. I just add a shot of it every once in a while (maintain the alk/ca. w/ a Neilsen reactor).

- Mac
 
Moku,

The nem has stayed in that spot since we transferred everything to the tank a couple of weeks ago.

Going to have to look up tricolor valida, thanks for the lead.

Mike
 
I do have a Diadema urchin in the tank, the sucker nailed me with a spine when I transferred him to the new tank.

I am currently dosing B-Ionic daily, but will be starting up the calcium reactor tomorrow (was supposed to be today but I had to get an extension for the pH probe to hook up to the ACIII). Anyhow, I will keep in mind your comment about dosing B-Ionic every once in awhile. I also need to setup an automated kalk with a peristaltic pump, then build the cabinetry, etc, etc.

Someday I will be finished,

Mike
 
It looks like a maricultured acro. I wouldn't say valida but still nice. I have one that is huge now and if I recall, it came from Bali.
 
Ok,

I noticed a little hitchhiker crab in the above acro colony. Anything to worry about?

I will try and get a picture if he will show his face long enough.

Thanks,

Mike
 
Do a search. There are a lot of previous threads, many w/ pics, showing various kinds of crabs found in hard corals. Most are bad, but there's a few good one's that are real gem's.

- Mac
 
doesn't really look like a valida to me, i think is just a common purple tip acro. but a nice one at that.
 
Thanks all. The wife bought 3 more SPS's the other day, one I know is a Blue Tort (A. Tortuosa), but I am unsure of the other two. I will try and post pics later tonight for some help in identification.

Thanks,

Mike
 
Xinu,

Thanks. We have a couple of softies and a Crocea clam, but most purchases from now on will be all SPS. When I was coming up with the tank setup in my mind, it was all geared towards being able to keep SPS's. I think that I have sufficient flow and lighting, I still have to get the Calcium Reactor dialed in, and setup a kalk topoff system using a persitaltic pump.

I still need to buy a few of the damn DC4HD's for the ACIII to control the lighting (it is currently on one of those digital timer power strips). She only agreed to the ACIII because she was tired of going to the basement to start/stop pumps when it was time to feed the tank, and we only bought one unit for pump control. Now she saw the electric bill, and has given the go ahead to purchase a couple more to control the lighting.

She has no problems spending money on SPS's, but I have to get approval for more tank toys. I love that woman, she keeps my tank spending in check.

Mike
 
Thanks Angel. I just got back from helping a club member move his new custom tank into his basement. Anyhow, I met a fellow club member who is a custom woodworker, so he is going to come over to the house on Sunday and give me a quote on doing the cabinetry.

Mike

PS: The wife just got back with a neon green hydnophora (according to the LFS it is hydnophora, but it doesn't look like the photo's I just looked at). I gotta get photo's posted for some ID help. And I really gotta get the QT tank up and running.

Mike
 
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