New 20g long build

Haven't updated in awhile but cycling has been over, I had 2 black perc's, but one was too small and got sucked into the sump the next day I had him. :( So now I have one black perc, a cleaner shrimp, and an acro frag, and blue hornet zoa's. The rockscape is done, and the refugium I will begin to add algea too.
I also stopped the popping noise by adding an air valve and it is so peaceful. I can barely hear water moving through pipes, with no trickling noises its so nice now.
Here are some pics..

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I added a reefkeeper and have the SL-2 with the pH probe and iTemp probe, soon when DA releases the new Salinity/Conductivity probe I'll get one. What pump can I use for an ATO with a reefkeeper? Also I have been very lucky with my salt mix, and my pH is sitting right at 8.2, my salinity is 1.023 to 1.024, ca is 440, dkh is 11, ammonia and nitrites and phosphates and nitrates are all at zero. One question I have for everyone is how often do you replace the filter socks in the sump, I cleaned them out this time but when should I replace them?

Thanks!!!!
 
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Long time since update, but not much has happened, the refugium has cheato, and today i just received a clam from liveaquaria. The tanks pretty stable and i have a new ventalation system from outside keeping my ph stable at around 8.0 to 8.07. Later today when i kick the light back on ill post a pic of the tank and the new critter. :)
 
I really like how you approached this setup. Your 20 long has made me rethink my 33 build altogether. I think I'm going to have to adopt the entire return from the iwaki up. Keep them updates rollin!
 
I had to break down and move my tank, but now ive traded all the fish and now have two ORA false os. clowns, and a bta, the clams great but i cant post pics till i get back from boston, my buddys texting me updates, and it looks good the sps frag seemed to not wanna make it back for some reason, the zoas are looking extremely healthy, and im getting some sort of algea bloom, ive used phospate remover and my nitrates are being eaten by cheato so im not sure what else could cause it? when i post a pic maybe some one can help me out, oh and the cleaner shrimp looks much bigger prolly grown 1/3 of an inch. Thanks for all the compliments, if only i could get a dosing schcedule and a bunch of sps i would be set!!! :)
 
Refugium is growing back the cheato!, got a new CUC 20 dwarf blue leg hermits, and a cool little brittle star, ill post a more recent pic tomorrow but heres the tank after the move. also added a nice purple piece of live rock to try and get the coraline to pick up growth and help get rid of that brown/green algea i had from being not able to get to R/O water, but now i have a car! yay~~ im gearing towards some new frags here pretty soon and maybe a little goby stay tuned for more updates,

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Also my coralife skimmer pump went out and i hated it at times, so i broke down and bought the eshopps psk75 in sump skimmer which hopefully ill have some better luck with :) Ill have it latest tuesday ill post updates of that with a review as well.

Im starting to dose very small amounts weekly with oceans blend, hopefully that will make the tank look a little better too.

Any recommendations for a jbj 150 mh bulb thats 14 to 15k?

Thanks guys!!!! I highly appreciate feedback and comments!!!
 
Traded in the clowns, and the anemone, im going to restart the tank, i havent been able to get the water right since i moved, and my LFS here sucks, their RO/DI water is garbage, When I restart im going for all softies, and mushrooms, for live stock a cool wrase, a goby, and maybe a firefish. I need to order an RO/DI system.

BTW i got the eshopps psk75 in sump skimmer and its so awesome prolly the best skimmer i have ever bought. I highly recommend it.
 
I have everything perfect, Salinity is at 1.023, and my ATO on my reefkeeper adds R/O DI for 2mins every hour to keep salinity from swinging, My pH is stable, sits at 8.14 in the morning before the lights go on, i dose 4 drops of two part once every two weeks to help the clam, and i dose a few drops of iodine to help the shrimp and the mushrooms and anemone, I do a water change every sunday morning and use reef crystals salt, my ammonia is untraceable, along with my nitrites, nitrates are under 0.05 almost untraceable and i use a small amount of phosphate remover once a month to help kill phosphates. the refugium is growing the cheato like nutzos, my Metalhalide bulb is only two months old, and for some reason my whole display is breaking out with terrible red slime, and this really ulgy brown/green algea, i have 20 blue legs and a brittle star, and 3 trochus snails for a CUC. I dont understand, and No i dont vaccum my sandbed, ill do a small part once every two weeks if needed. I will note that I didnt have a skimmer for almost a two weeks, but have the new eshopps psk-75 in there. Does anyone have any ideas that could help, All i can think is that the R/O im getting is crap. Oh, and i wash and rotate my filter socks every two weekish.

Ill post a pic, and I didnt trade the clowns they wanted to give me 5 a piece. Got a cool piece of ricordea from a buddy for free.
 
I havent given up yet, for I have changed the light cycle to 10 in the tank and 12 on the refugium instead of a 12/12 cycle. Seemed to help in the tank I believe the algea is starting to subside partially. I netted out some of the redslime off the rocks, and left it alone on the sand. Im going to slowly clean it out and hope to god that helps. I acclimated 20 hermits when i resetup the tank and for some reason a good 8-10 of them are upside down in the front of the tank, they are definatly still alive, just no sign of them crawling around, is this normal behavior?

Thanks for following! I appreciate the help too!
 
Half the hermits died, there was a small cycle because of the piece of live rock i added. now the tank is doing great, all of the cyano slime is dying off and flowing into the filter socks, when i do a water change sunday im going to get a new set of socks, and try to cleanup the rest of the slime, also im going to add a few new hermits and a snail or two. Happy and glad i figured it out damn i feel like a ******* haha.:headwally:
 
Awesome setup you got going on, Im going to have a similar setup, just with a 30 gallon cube. Pretty stoked to get it up and running. Glad you like the Eshopps PSK75, cause thats the one I just bought recently. Keep us updated man, hope to see more on this thread. PICSS!!! :thumbsup:
 
And on top of the cycle :uzi: LOL my LFS was selling me 300ppm RO/DI water!! wow. I talked to a buddy and im going to split the costs of new filters for his 5 stage 150gpd nice spectrapure unit RO/DI so now on i will have some 0ppm water. I cleaned out the whole tank with a toothbrush man that red slime sucks, threw out my filter socks im getting new one, traded in my clowns, got some carbon i will use with the new socks. Also ordered some new fish for the tank and a CUC Ill spoil the surprise with pics when they arrive. Im also working on upgrading the light setup!!!!!!!! My pops just helped me out with his woodshop expertise and built me a hood to keep fish from jumping out *HINT* and im going to buy a hanging fixture with t5 atinics and a 150watt mh if im lucky ill get one with supplemental leds for night time viewing lol. Ill go take some pics of the hood right now to show you and tomorrow ill post a pic of the clean tank. :)

:beer:
 
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Lights off for the day, tomorrow i'll post one with the lights on.

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Glues drying, need to sand and apply a nice coat of semi-gloss black. :)
 
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I haven't beaten it yet. LOL! It seems like its trying to take over again but very slowly, i think its going to take some more time to get the refugium eating all the nutrients again, and to get my water back to nice and clean, i think the carbon is going to help alot. Ill post pics of the hood when I finish it, and still waiting on my fish to ship from aquacon.
 
Got some carbon and phosphate remover running through the tank still waiting on new filter socks. I got my fish order today! A new mystery wrasse, he is so sick looking, Cleaner shrimp, emerald crab and a few hermits, also tisbe reef pods im going to try and get them to reproduce and stick around so maybe later i can get a mandrin goby or something that eats copepods. I've had this purple firefish for awhile but he was really shy i finnaly got a pic of him while coming out to snack on some pellets.

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Im a little nervous about the wrasse he hasnt eaten yet and hes being shy, he is very active in swimming through the back of the tank, i think he will hopefully start eating tomorrow and loosen up to the new home. Ill post a pic of him tomorrow in the tank.
 
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