My new 120

[tgunn]

Thanks, it's a good thing that extruded acrylic cuts easily, otherwise I might have torn up the skimmer.

I've been borrowing my dads circular saw and jig saw to work on the cabinetry. I really need to get them back to him some day. Or if I hold onto them long enough, maybe he'll forget.

I like the 3/4" oak but man is it heavy, especially at a length of 50" x 40". I might cut out the doors and then use 1/4" for it. Then again, I might not.

Chris

Must've been a bit nerve racking to start butting into the skimmer. Heh. But at least it worked out in the end.

Heh, the classic extended tool loan. I think I've got a few borrowed things I should be returning come to think of it....

I know what you mean; my canopy is reasonably heavy being made from 3/4" oak. I was a bit worried about the weight at first until I read how heavy some others' canopies are...

Tyler

 

[Chrisrush]

Must've been a bit nerve racking to start butting into the skimmer. Heh. But at least it worked out in the end.

Yea, it was a little nerve racking. I had drilled some other DIY projects with a hole saw, so it wasn't my first time, but it would have been a very costly mistake. But in the end it turned out great.

Heh, the classic extended tool loan. I think I've got a few borrowed things I should be returning come to think of it....

Yea, luckily he doesn't have any projects going on currently or he may be wondering what happened to his tools.

I know what you mean; my canopy is reasonably heavy being made from 3/4" oak. I was a bit worried about the weight at first until I read how heavy some others' canopies are...

I built my canopy out of 1/4" oak making it very light and sturdy. I need to finish it off w/ some nice trim pieces and stain it. Luckily, it has blocked almost 95% of the light spillage so my wife can now enjoy the tank.

Chris

 

[Chrisrush]

Well, I'm starting to look and chart my ca and alk levels now that the ca reactor has been going pretty strong for a couple of weeks now. I'm shooting for 400 ppm Ca and 10 dkh Alk.

Date CA ALK Comments

8/9/2005
425 ppm 11.25 dkh May not be accurate, 1st reading

8/14/2005
390 ppm 6.24 dkh

9/9/2005
380 ppm 8.32 dkh Reactor online

9/13/2005
390 ppm 6.4 dkh Added Baking Soda and Ca

9/14/2005
415 ppm 9.9 dkh

9/26/2005
390 ppm 9.3 dkh Added Baking Soda (2 tsps) and SeaChem Reef Complete (5 caps)


Anyone see anything wrong with this? Looks like I'm using 25 ppm and .6 dkh per 12 days. I'll see if that stays constant. I may have to bump up the ca reactor a little depending on how many new frags I get. I'm looking at getting around 15 different SPS frags in the next 2 weeks.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[mcdonaldtj]

How is that DIY calcium reactor coming along, I think that I am going to follow yours if it is working out well for you.

 

[Chrisrush]

It's working out great. The pump vibrates a bit, but in terms of keeping the ca and alk levels in check, it's doing a fine job. I would diy it again in a heart beat. I may have to diy a second chamber down the road.

Chris

 

[Cprowler]

Hi Chris,

Iv'e been watching your thread from the beginning and things look like they are coming along nicely.:thumbsup:

I am looking at purchasing the same tank and was wondering how you like it? Also how are you liking the penductors?

Witch CA reactor did you go with, WmTasker's $200 and a day off?

Do you have a new full tank pic?

 

[Chrisrush]

Prowler,
I'll work on a full tank pic, I'm trying to get the cabinets finished before I post the pictures of it finished. The skimmer has helped clear up a lot of microbubbles, which up until last weekend, really hindered the full tank pictures.

Yea, I went with the WmTasker reactor. Very easy. Of course, I got 75% finished with DJ88's reactor, but I never finished it so now I'm using it as a bubble tower.

I like the tank a lot. My only complaint would be the center brace. The size is perfect, 4x2x2. If I had the space, I would have gone with a standard 180, 6x2x2 with eurobracing or acrylic.

Thanks for the compliments, I was hoping someone was aying attention.

Chris

 

[NoSchwag]

Hows the G4x working out for you so far? Did you get it dialed in yet?

 

[Cprowler]

Prowler,
I'll work on a full tank pic, I'm trying to get the cabinets finished before I post the pictures of it finished. The skimmer has helped clear up a lot of microbubbles, which up until last weekend, really hindered the full tank pictures.

Yea, I went with the WmTasker reactor. Very easy. Of course, I got 75% finished with DJ88's reactor, but I never finished it so now I'm using it as a bubble tower.

I like the tank a lot. My only complaint would be the center brace. The size is perfect, 4x2x2. If I had the space, I would have gone with a standard 180, 6x2x2 with eurobracing or acrylic.

Thanks for the compliments, I was hoping someone was aying attention.

Chris

I look forward to the pics.

I will be starting my WmTasker reactor soon, I just got the CO2 tank the other day.

The brace is that annoying? it seems fairly thin, well thinner than my 4" glass center brace.

How about the penductors? Would you use them again?

I think I read the noise level has been coming down since you have been closing everything in, How quiet do you expect it to get?

 

[Chrisrush]

I look forward to the pics.

I will be starting my WmTasker reactor soon, I just got the CO2 tank the other day.

The brace is that annoying? it seems fairly thin, well thinner than my 4" glass center brace.

How about the penductors? Would you use them again?

I think I read the noise level has been coming down since you have been closing everything in, How quiet do you expect it to get?

Prowler,

Getting all the CO2 accessories can be the expensive part of that system. I think that the reactor itself cost me about $75 (incl. the pump), but everything else was around $250.

I think that you mis-understood me, I was referring to the center brace, not the trim around the tank.

Penductors, yes, I would use them again in a heartbeat. They turned the 1100 gph pump into a 4-5000 gph pump. I have to aim the penductors down so that the water does not shoot out of the tank across 4'. Even with them pointed down, they still distrupt the surface enough to casue slight waves.

Noise level, most of it has been reduced greatly. I think that if I can get the temp stable (80-81), the fans should be used very sparingly and things should quiet down again. There is no splashing or flushing noises, which is great, only a slight hum from the 3 pumps (gen-x, mag 9.5 and mag 3). Like I said before, if I were to replumb it, I would go w/ the 1.5" output of the mag 9.5 and I still plan to wrap the mag 3 w/ something.

Chris

 

[Chrisrush]

Hows the G4x working out for you so far? Did you get it dialed in yet?

Noschwag,
I think that I've got the skimmer dialed in, but I believe that it's still breaking in. I am getting a light colored (tea-like) skimmate constantly, which I hope to continue. I need to install a drain in the collection cup so that I don't have to worry about emptying the cup every few days.

Chris

 

[NoSchwag]

Yeah I agree about the penductors.

I mean sure, they're the first thing I ever used, but they're more powerful than any powerhead I've ever seen. You're right, they alway have to be pointed at a downward angle or things get a little crazy.

I was curious what they put out, now I know.

 

[Chrisrush]

From what I've read, some have stated they put out 3-5x what is put in. Putting your hand in front of them is very painful, I know that. The water is flying out of the nozzle end.

I think that I may remove a section of locline so that they aren't as visible.

Chris

 

[NoSchwag]

I think that I may remove a section of locline so that they aren't as visible.

Chris

Same here. there is no need for 10 feet of loc-line.

 

[Chrisrush]

Agreed. Maybe I'll do that this weekend when I'm siphoning.

 

[Chrisrush]

Prowler,
I was taking some pictures today when my camera ran out of batteries. I'll post them once they recharge. I read a lot of photography tips today, so I'm hoping they will turn out better then before.

Chris

 

[Chrisrush]

Took some more pictures last night. Things are starting to color up better, getting rid of some of the brown in favor of purple. The water change and switch in skimmers are probably the reason for that.

Criticism is always welcome.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[tgunn]

Beautiful shots Chris!
What kind of camera are you using again? I'm assuming you're using a tripod?

Tyler

 

[Chrisrush]

No tripod yet. Just holding the camera on the back of a chair. I'm going to borrow (once again) my dad's tripod.

I'm using a Olympus Stylus 500 camera. It's not the best in terms of manual, but @ 5 megapixels, it'll capture a pretty decent shot.

Chris

 

[Cprowler]

Prowler,

Getting all the CO2 accessories can be the expensive part of that system. I think that the reactor itself cost me about $75 (incl. the pump), but everything else was around $250.

I think that you mis-understood me, I was referring to the center brace, not the trim around the tank.

Penductors, yes, I would use them again in a heartbeat. They turned the 1100 gph pump into a 4-5000 gph pump. I have to aim the penductors down so that the water does not shoot out of the tank across 4'. Even with them pointed down, they still distrupt the surface enough to casue slight waves.

Noise level, most of it has been reduced greatly. I think that if I can get the temp stable (80-81), the fans should be used very sparingly and things should quiet down again. There is no splashing or flushing noises, which is great, only a slight hum from the 3 pumps (gen-x, mag 9.5 and mag 3). Like I said before, if I were to replumb it, I would go w/ the 1.5" output of the mag 9.5 and I still plan to wrap the mag 3 w/ something.

Chris

Hi Chris,

I have been debating the CA reactor, my LFS has a used one with a very large chamber for around $400 Cdn (340 US) and all I need is my tank. Who knows how much the WmTasker reactor will cost and then finding all the parts up here.

I went back to page 1 and looked at you tank, the ones Iv'e been looking at have a skinny black center brace like the trim. I can see what you mean now, Is your tank the All Glass Aquarium brand?

I think I will try the Penductors.

Noise is a big thing for me, in my 40g thread Iv'e started trying to figure out the configuration for my new 120. Any tips from you would be greatly appreciated since you have/are going through the same thing.