LeeMar starfire 290 mixed reef build
- Thread starter kmooresf
- Start date
kmooresf
New member
Thank you very much. A lot goes into keeping the coral happy, but I would have to say "STABILITY" is KEY!! Swings in temp, alk, PH, Mag, etc, etc. Can keep a coral from being happy. You also have to make sure the lighting and flow are good. If / when a coral starts looking bad......the FIRST thing I check is always Alk. It is usually the culprit. It can have major swings if you are not dilligent about dosing / checking. I keep my alk between 9 and 10. Also keep your nitrates as low as possible. Mine are zero......phosphates also as low as possible. I keep mine between 0 and .08.
kmooresf
New member
Kris,
Your tank turns out to be more and more beuatiful each day, but what really fascinates me is your personal joy of everything working and when something is done nicely, that`s the reason we`re all doing it right?
also, are you a climber? perfect combination, marine tank and mountaineering for me too lol
fingers crossed
michael
Thanks Michael. Yes, I have done a lot of Mountaneering in my day, although not recently. Thanks for checking out the tank.
kmooresf
New member
Thanks!
Here are some pics.
The Wet room........built linear along the garage wall, behind the tank.
Super Reef Octopus 6000. A BEAST!!! Get's cleaned every 2-3 days.
kmooresf
New member
Great Skimmer. I figure I have approx 470 gallons of total system volume. Handles it very well.
Ah, the Coug! 1969 Cougar convertable XR7. Needs some love, but it will get it soon enough. The tank has delayed that project for a few more years. It's not going anywhere though.
thereefster
New member
That is one hell of a sump !! congrats on your setup
kmooresf
New member
That is definately the one thing people remember about these cars. It is very cool! I'll be making progress video's once I start the restoration.
kmooresf
New member
Thanks reefster! I am very pleased with how it all came out. Now it's a waiting game to see if things can stay in line another few years. We'll see. :fun4:
kmooresf
New member
SOMEDAY!
kmooresf
New member
Thanks, it really is a nice size for aqua scaping.
pkane11384
New member
Gorgeous tank. I'll be upgrading hopefully sometime next year (not quite that big), but your's in an absolute inspiration. Good work. The Cougar ain't too shabby either
kmooresf
New member
Appreciate it, thanks! Good luck with the upgrade.....the planning is just as fun for me.
kmooresf
New member
Thanks very much. The clam is one of my favorites. Unfortunately it is living in my frag tank at the moment. One of my wrasse' started picking at the mantle's in the display. I am going to put it back in and see if it happens again at some point, but it seems it may have to live in the frag tank.
The skimmer is fantastic. The only time I have problems with the skimmer is when I am glueing a lot of coral. However I plumbed a ball valve between the feed pump and the skimmer, so a quick adjustment fixes it.........after a few hours I put it back and it's fine.
I am incredibly pleased with how the tank is set up. The HUGE sump seems to be paying off........I am happy with the lighting, the ATO, the temp controller, etc, etc, etc. The one thing I would have done differently.....The returns are only 3/4" The original plan was to use a Reeflo pump that had a 1.5" outlet. Split this line to 2, 3/4" returns and you are golden. Well, I decided I wanted two primary pumps in case one failed......didn't even think about it until I was putting the tank together. My primary pumps have 1" outlets and are pushing through 3/4" returns. :mad2: DUMMY! So I would have the tank built with 1" returns if I could do it over. Oh well.
Not sure what you are asking about "Tweaking back and forth?"
The pulley system has proven VERY useful when cleaning.
