Joe's 75 Rimless SPS - Updated Pics

[RTMA]

Hey Guys,

Here are some updated pics of my tank.

When I first built it, if you saw my initial build thread, I made 3 acrylic rod towers which were nice, but didn't provide much room for coral growth. I have since changed my aquascape a lot. I removed over 30 pounds of rock.

Here are some shots of the new layout. This is with the new T5 bulbs. As you can see the KZ fiji purple adds more of a purple hue to the tank and the Giesemann Aqua Blue+ adds a bit more brightness with the whiter color. The dusk dawn is bit brighter then the old bulbs.


FTS

Center

Left

Side

Inventory so far..

Fish:
Misbar Gold Stripe Maroon Clown
Hippo Tang
Tomini Tang
Longnose Hawk
Diamond Goby
Sixline Wrasse
Coral Beauty Angel
Copperband Butterfly
4 Green Chromis ( trying to get them out!)

RIP Fish
My Original Sixline - carpet surfing
Bellus Angel
Pearly Jawfish

Corals.
SPS: (Mini Colonies & Frags to grow out)
ORA Purple Plasma
ORA Plum Crazy
ORA Pearlberry
ORA Red Planet
ORA German Blue Polyp Digitata
ORA Orange Polyp Digitata
ORA Verde Acropora
ORA Tri-color Valida
ORA Aussie Delicate
ORA Borealis
ORA Original Oregon Tort (Looks like a Cali tort to me)
ORA Spongodes
ORA Pink Birdsnest
Bob's Blue Oregon Tort
Yellow Tort
Bob's Rainbow Milli
Bob's Sky Blue Sarmentosa
Neil's Massive Blue "Ark"ropora
Idaho Grape Monti Cap
Scolly's Green Monti Cap
Orange Monti Cap (frag)
Paletta Blue Polyp Acro
Rose Tipped Acro
Yellow Polyped Acro (looks like a bright Bali Slimer type)
Bali Efflo
Grape Limeade Acro
LE Pink Lemonade Acro
LE Pink Jade Acro
Garf Bonsai
Pink Pocillipora
Sunset Monti
Superman Monti
Pokerstar Monti
Purple Haze Monti
Reverse Sunset Monti
Green / Yellow Scroll


RIP SPS
Pink Milli - mostly dead due to RTN

LPS
UC 2 polyp Dendros
UC Starry Night Chalices (5 Eyes)
3 Head Candy Cane

Zoas
Blue Hornets
RPEs
Ring of Fire
Whammin Watermelons
Radioactive Dragon Eyes
WeedyGreens
Gorilla Nipples
Kedd's Reds
LE Electros (Teal Rings)
Jolly Green Giant pallys
Various other no names - Pinks, Oranges

Others:
Purple Gorgonian
Neon Orange Fungia
GSP
Susan's purple star Polyps
Pink pulsing Xenia
GBTA - Since removed..(Scolley scared me!)

Clams:
Maxima
Crocea

Equipment:
Glass-holes Overflow
2 x 250 mh - Ushio 10K
4 - T5 (1 - KZ Fiji Purple, 2 - ATI Blue Plus + , 1 - Giesemann PowerChrome Aqua Blue+)
Dosing is done with DIY dosers from this thread (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1773806) & BRS two part.
RKE handles Top off, Lights, Heating / Cooling, Dosing (3 PC4s, SL1)
DigiKits Moonlights
Vortech MP20
Koralia 1 & Koralia 2
Mag 7 Return Pump
Coralife Superskimmer 125 - Fishing line modded.
BRS Single Carbon / GFO Reactor
18" Current Nova Extreme - T5s for frag tank w/ 1 T8 Actinic
Cooling is done with 1 clip on fan & 4 120mm Antec Fans controlled by RKE.
Hydor 200 watt Heater & Stealth 50 in tank (not controlled in case Mag 7 dies)

Latest Params:
CA - 450
KH - 8.8
MG - 1500
Nitrate - 0
Phosphate - 0

Dosing Regimen (still working this out)
KH - 5 ml x 11 times daily
CA - 5 ml x 10 times daily

Water Changes - 20 gallons monthly.
Water General 5 stage 150GPD RO/DI (Ebay)
5 Galllon Top Off bucket with Garden Watering Timer (Agoro) running for two hours every other day to refill.

QT - 15 Gallon Tank
Penquin 125
Stealth 50 Heater
Koralia 1
ZooMed Fixture - 2 - 36 watt 6500K screw in bulbs & 1 18" 18 watt Coralife Actinic.
Ghetto thread Top off - Aquafina Bottle (with two holes and two pieces of 14" tubing) sitting on top of the tank.

 

[RTMA]

I turned the 9 gallon acrylic cube into a frag tank.

Frag

Here are the dosers I built. Many thanks to killab443 for posting the DIY thread.

Dosers

Here is the bubble production on the CSS125 with the 2lb test fishing line mod. Night and Day. I was going to purchase a NAC7 and was even considering the I-TECH 100 as an upgrade before this mod. Amazing how much better it skims now with this and the air line mod.

CSS125

 

[Kdocimo90]

Lookin good Joe!

I like that zoa/paly garden. I see my RPE's are growing nicely

 

[scolley]

Joe - Tank looks great! I love the whole rimless thing! Gotta be a drag cleaning coralline off of three sides though.

GBTA - Since removed..(Scolley scared me!)

Huh? That's ringing a real dim bell. But I don't remember... I'm just a newb. What could I have possibly said?

Great tank! :thumbsup:

 

[RTMA]

I see my RPE's are growing nicely

They multiply like crazy! I've fragged that colony like 5 times already.
I'd love to get some PPEs, Rastas and Hornets but I keep buying SPS instead. I seem to be addicted to Acros.

So if anyone wants to trade for some SPS... :wavehand:

Gotta be a drag cleaning coralline off of three sides though.
I'm just a newb. What could I have possibly said?

The coralline isn't so bad - three words - Kent Pro Scraper. Greatest Stocking stuffer ever.
I told you that he has never moved...and you said he hasn't moved...yet. lol

 

[tank o tang]

Great looking tank. Can't wait see progress shots.

 

[nakama]

I was over Joe's house last Saturday. His tank is goinna be awsome as it fills out. Very nice overall setup, Kudo's Joe
Neil

 

[Wheel of Time]

Joe that is looking nice. I like the new aquascaping. Looking very nice. going to be sweet as it fills in. Looks like you have some nice zoas in there.
Wanna do some trading? I could use some more colorful zoas. Im overloaded with AOG and fire and ice (cant believe how they have taken over some rocks)-- need some more variety.

Great looking set-up.

 

[RTMA]

Thanks for all the kind words.

Seth - Sure, anytime. Trading is the fun part about the hobby. Of course a lot of my colonies are still small. I'll see if I can get some better pics of some of the stuff I have already fragged or you could always stop over. I think a club "want / have" list to help facilitate trading, would be cool.

 

[RTMA]

3/3/2010 Update

3/3/2010 Update

Some New Corals - Finally figured out how the macro works on my camera!

PPE, LE True Undata Montipora, Rasta Zoas, Nightmare Pallys

Wonder twin powers activate!! Form of....a Macro Lens! Form of...a Pail of R/O water!

Fruit Loops Zoas

Acro Corals
UC Strawberry Shortcake Acro frag
UC Acropora Carolina frag
Purple Montipora Digitata (thank you Greg)

Big thanks to Alex @ FragExpress - Fedex never picked up my shipment, Alex found it and drove it to me from Brooklyn, as you can tell the Zoas and Undata made it. Awesome Customer Service.

 

[rjinct]

Wow! Nice additions Joe!

 

[Kdocimo90]

Nightmare palys!!!! Let me know when those grow out!!!!

where'd you get them from?

 

[terahz]

Hey Joe that Undata looks awesome! So rastas huh? I also got rastas and nightmares together for christmas

Kevin, I can probably frag you a nightmare or two. Mine seem to be growing pretty well

 

[RTMA]

where'd you get them from?

From Alex @

They are in Brooklyn.

 

[RTMA]

Hey Joe that Undata looks awesome!

I agree, that purple and blue with white polyps is crazy. It's my new fave. Which changes daily almost.

So rastas huh? I also got rastas and nightmares together for christmas

Doh! I wish I knew that or looked at your tank better when I was there. I would have given you the cash for a frag

The strawberry shortcake is supposed to look like this is one day. I doubt it will with my 10K bulbs.

 

[Kdocimo90]

Hey Joe that Undata looks awesome! So rastas huh? I also got rastas and nightmares together for christmas

Kevin, I can probably frag you a nightmare or two. Mine seem to be growing pretty well

Would you trade 2 polyps of your nightmares for 1 purple hornet polyp?
where are your nightmares from?

 

[terahz]

Doh! I wish I knew that or looked at your tank better when I was there.

Yeah, they were on the right frag rack ... I want a piece of that undata when you frag it

Would you trade 2 polyps of your nightmares for 1 purple hornet polyp?
where are your nightmares from?

Let's take this to PMs.

 

[Frag Express]

beautiful tank Joe! I love rimless tanks!!

 

[RTMA]

I want a piece of that undata when you frag it

Yep no prob. Been wanting this one for a while.

beautiful tank Joe! I love rimless tanks!!

Thanks!

 

[RTMA]

4/30/10 - Update

Been a while since my last update.

Ripped out all this Xenia. It was taken over.

Replaced it with a nice Welso I got from Bob at Exotic Fish and Corals.

Added a few new corals.

Red / Green / Purple Welso (in addition to the one above)
Purple Montipora Digi
Blue / Purple Montipora from Westport Aquarium
Some more Deepwater Zoas.
Raptor's Rainbow Pallys
Rainbow pallys
Candy Apple Red Pallys
Various Rainbow Acans (Skittles) from UC & Pacific East Aquaculture

The New NAC 7 Skimmer is working great. This beast skims much better than my old CSS 125. No shock there.

The Codium in my fuge has taken off. I think I will move some to the display.

Dosing has been stable. I haven't tested my tank in over a month. Tested it last night and Calcium was over 500, Alk was 8.5 and Mg was over 1500, so looks pretty good. Corals seem happy.

Moved a bunch of stuff to the nano. The LEDS there make the floresce remarkable. Can't wait to start the build for the 75.

Added a APC SmartUPS 1500 as a backup for the return pump. Tested and Ran the Mag 7 for an hour with only losing one of the battery status lights, so looks like I could get about 5+ hours easy. I'll have to remember to move the Heater from the Reefkeeper to the UPS if there was a outage.

After way too much research, I got a Nikon D5000 to replace my old Sony point and shoot, which was getting very temperamental (its about 4 years old now).
The standard 18-55mm VR lens is nice, but isn't great at Macro shots. I Tried a Tamron 70-200 (180-200 Macro) mm lens with extension tubes and it just didn't work out. The new Macro lens I ordered is a bit of a enigma. It's an old Phoenix / Cosina 100mm that I got for 99 bucks on Ebay. General reviews said it was underrated optically, but lousy build quality. Maybe this will work fine, else I'll have to save up for a good one like the Tamron 90 or Sigma 105. On my DX camera, it says it becomes a 150mm, so that should give me some decent working distance. I am taking a flyer here with this lens and we'll see if it works out. None of the Nikon ones are cheap, but the D5000 is very nice so far, and I'd still buy it if I had to do it again.

That's it for now....