My RSM 34G LED tank

nam2212

Active member
I got out of the hobby about 3 years ago and have always wanted to get back to it. Someone locally was selling a RSM 130D for a great price and I found my excuse to get back to reefing. I bought the tank with all stock equipment and went about finding the silver stand for the RSM 130D. That proved to be really difficult considering they no longer make it. I tried for months to find one with no luck. I finally broke down and had one built. While trying to locate a stand I realized that the stock lighting was not going to be powerful enough to keep what all I wanted for this tank. I also didn't want to have to deal with the heating issues that PCs bring to an all in one tank. I decided to go with LEDs. I read a lot and tried to find an easy way to retro some LEDs into the stock hood. I quickly realized that I had no interest in burning my house down if I messed up the electrical. I stumbled across LEDreef.com and found that I could FedEx the hood to them and have them retro the LEDs into it for me. I decided on the 23 LED system. The lights look great. It is a nice 15K color with all of them turned on 100%. Here are some pics:

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The stand

The stand

A word about the stand:

I started looking at designs for DIY stands and found a few I liked. I wanted something that looked unique and matched my furniture. I decided on on one that was longer than the tank on one side. I thought it would look better being the width of the window it was in front of and I was planning on adding a ATO water storage tank. My girlfriend really hates that it isn't symmetrical but I like it. Here are a few pics:

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Equipment List

Equipment List

1. Tunze 9002 DOC Skimmer with InTank collection cup
2. InTank media basket/ skimmer mount
3. Eheim Jager 150W heater
4. EcoTech Marine VorTech MP10 w/ EcoSmart Driver
5. Magfloat Medium
6. JBJ 4 in 1 Scraper
7. Air, Water & Ice Mighty Mite 50GPD RODI
8. Refractometer

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My tank officially gets started

My tank officially gets started

September 23, 2011

I added the sand and water to the tank and waited for the sandstorm to die down a little before adding rock.

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September 26, 2011

I went to the LFS and purchased 15 lbs of base rock and 16 lbs of LR. They were added to the tank along with 10 small hermits. I let the tank run for about a week and waited for an initial algae bloom. I fed the tank even though I had no fish to help get the cycle kicked off.

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Unfortunately for me my local reef club had our annual frag swap a week after I got the rock in the tank. I tried really hard not to buy anything but ended up grabbing a few small zoa frags. I also ended up with a few heads of neon green candy cane when the owner said they were going to toss them if nobody took them. I was just hoping that everything would make it. I had plans to house them in another tank if I saw any trouble. Fortunately after a week everything looked great. I still hadn't gotten the typical algae bloom so I broke down and bought a test kit. I tested all pH at 8.0 ammonia, nitrite and nitrates were all at 0. I ran the tests twice just to make sure I was reading them correctly. It seemed that the tank had cycled in under 2 weeks.

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Adding fish:

Adding fish:

October 8, 2011

I headed to the LFS today to pick up a pair of clowns. I really liked a pair of snowflakes but ended up going with one common ocellaris and one black and white ocellaris. They seem to really be taking to one another as soon as I released them in the tank. I also got a small Royal Gramma. I have had them before and they are one of my favorite fish. The ones I had were always very reclusive. The new one isn't at all. It is out in full view at all times. I got a peppermint shrimp for one small aiptasia that I have noticed on the liverock. I hope it takes care of it. I picked up one head of Duncan out of the frag tank at the LFS too. Here are some pics:

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Awesome! " Subscribed" as I wanted to switch my RSM to LED lighting as well. What company did you decide to go with on the LED? Any more pics of the actual mod taking fruition?

Cheers!
 
Awesome! " Subscribed" as I wanted to switch my RSM to LED lighting as well. What company did you decide to go with on the LED? Any more pics of the actual mod taking fruition?

Cheers!

I went with LEDreef.com

Christopher at LEDreef.com is the man to email if you are interested in LEDs. I highly recommend them. I just shipped the hood off to him and had it back in about a week. He has about 4 options listed on the site but will do pretty much whatever you want. I went with the 23 LED option. Here is a link:

http://shop.ledreef.com/Red-Sea-Max-130-LED-Retrofit-RSM130Dretro.htm
 
I picked up a few more corals over the last few weeks. Here is a rock with a dozen or more ricordia.

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Here it is with just the blue LEDs on:

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I also added a cleaner shrimp and a couple of peppermint shrimp.
 
Beautiful tank. Just curious but what are you running that MP10 at?

I am running it on reef crest at about 60%. I have upgraded the return pumps in the RSM so those coupled with the MP10 give it a lot of flow. Anything over 70% and the sand starts to stir.
 
I removed the gramma when it started attacking all the other fish. I replaced it with a pink streaked wrasse and a shark nosed goby. They have been model citizens.

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I have added a torch:
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A bunch of frags that I ordered from an online vendor:
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I am not sure the scoly is doing well. It doesn't swell up and hasn't put out feeders at night in a few days.

I also picked up a small Maxima clam a week or so ago:
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Here is a FTS:

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What pump did you use to upgrade with.

What pump did you use to upgrade with.

I am running it on reef crest at about 60%. I have upgraded the return pumps in the RSM so those coupled with the MP10 give it a lot of flow. Anything over 70% and the sand starts to stir.

I just bought a 130d 14 days ago and love it. I also bought a mp10 and it will be here in a few days along with the intank media filter and new skimmer. What pumps did you upgrade with? I am in Nashville, any good stores in Memphis?
 
It really is amazing to look back and see what the tank looked like when I first set it up. I will try to update with some photos when I get home later. I have had a terrible outbreak of GHA and am at my wits end trying to get rid of it. I finally added a 2LF Phosban reactor to control phosphates. It has been on for 2 weeks but I have seen no difference yet. I also added a small tuxedo urchin hoping it would help combat it. He eats some of it but can't keep up.

A word about the LEDs: I am completely unimpressed with the LEDs. Had I not paid so much for the retrofit I would have scrapped them long ago. Every single coral I have added has lost color. Very few of those corals in the older pics are still around. The few that are still around are MUCH less colorful. I have had almost no growth besides the Duncan. It is about 5 heads now. Everything slowly browns out and then dies.
 
So your saying that you did not like the retrofitted LEDs? I just purchased this kit today and i will be setting it up around christmas time. i am so excited and im trying to pay attention to everything that you like and don't like about the stock equiptment in the kit.
 
So your saying that you did not like the retrofitted LEDs? I just purchased this kit today and i will be setting it up around christmas time. i am so excited and im trying to pay attention to everything that you like and don't like about the stock equiptment in the kit.

Did you buy the retro LED kit or just the RSM 130D? I am still not sure about the LEDs. At one point I thought they were too much light but I am not so sure that is the case anymore. Every single coral I put in the tank looks great for a few weeks and then slowly browns out.
 
Did you buy the retro LED kit or just the RSM 130D? I am still not sure about the LEDs. At one point I thought they were too much light but I am not so sure that is the case anymore. Every single coral I put in the tank looks great for a few weeks and then slowly browns out.

I bought the RSM 130D and i havent set it up yet. It says its a plug and play and comes with everything...Is there anything i should really be thinking of upgrading in time, my funds are kind of limited right now because i would like to get the tank up and running and to start the cycling process soon.
 
I bought the RSM 130D and i havent set it up yet. It says its a plug and play and comes with everything...Is there anything i should really be thinking of upgrading in time, my funds are kind of limited right now because i would like to get the tank up and running and to start the cycling process soon.

I can't comment on the upgrades as mine was already upgraded before I ever set it up. I never actually got to see what it was like before adding the upgraded equipment. Quite a few people upgrade the pumps and the lighting though. I did replace the stock heater and the skimmer. I went with the Tunze 9002 with a InTank collection cup. I also added a InTank media rack for it.
 
The white and most of the blue LEDs have been out for about 12 days now. I have attempted to contact the company that installed the retro-fit for me but have gotten no response. I seem to have a ton of hair algae and my anemone has moved and looks to be in bad shape as a result of the lighting malfunction. I was finally able to get some temporary LEDs over the tank last night. They are nowhere near powerful enough for the corals but it is better than nothing. Hopefully I hear back from the company soon.
 
How do you find the Tunze 9002 skimmer to be working out - is it doing a good job?
I am considering the same skimmer for my nano.
 
How do you find the Tunze 9002 skimmer to be working out - is it doing a good job?
I am considering the same skimmer for my nano.

It is a decent skimmer. I am not overly impressed with it but it was my only option in order to keep the stock hood. I used to have an AquaC Remora on an old 29G that was a much better skimmer.
 
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