Nubie with a BC 29 with questions!

[slumpysix]

I have the stock pump, saphire skimmer in 2nd chamber, the 4.36 pc upgrade from NT and a MJ-600 inside the main tank. I have a chemipure bag in the 3rd chamber which I might relocate to the first because there is weak flow on top of the stock pump in there. Possible stagnate water could develop.

My tank maybe reaches 80 during the day and I have my heater set to 73-75 which comes on rarely. I change 5 gal. of water every week. My nitrates seem to stay between 10-20 ppm. A little high but everything is thriving.

My Xenia is growing like crazy, I have a acan in there with 25+ heads and is rockin. 2 different LPS green candy canes that are splitting from original 3 heads. 1 orange ricordia that is happy, well looks happy anyways. The fish are loving life, 3 true percs( one is being giving to my friend) and a firefish.

I feel that the skimmer helps with keeping the nitrates in check. I clean the cup every three days. You can't have live rock in chamber 2 if you put the skimmer in there. I reuse a BC filter cartridge with the old floss and carbon removed. I just cut 4 squares to fit in the openings and it really collects the crap. I change those out when the water gets changed. Here is my tank build if you want to see the upgrades I did. I really need to update it with some new pictures and such. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=958885

 

[tsmonrad]

Great advice everyone. Thanks. I have a new BC set up as well. Replaced bioballs with LR today. Will also follow your lead with getting rid of the prefilter- it decreases flow.

I filled the middle chamber with LR but of course all of it is not totally submerged- should there be just enough in the 2nd chamber so it all stays submerged or am I OK.

 

[chemistmike]

Update of my BC29

Update of my BC29

Okay everyone. Here is an update of my BC 29 progress with a lot of pics. Also, I need some help with some IDs. By the way, I know that I need to harvest the hair algae again, I just did it a few days ago, and it is already coming back strong. I am still looking at buying a lawnmower blenny, but I will have to wait a little while now that I added this coral.

This is a picture of a coral that I need help in identifying. The LFS had it labeled as a branching goniopora, but it looks like a M. digitata. Can anyone help with this, and if so, what is the best way to feed it. I have been giving cyclops, but it does not look like the polyps are grabbing them, although they do extend out further when I feed the tank.

This is a pic of all of the other new additions to the tank as of yesterday.

This is a closer pic of the zoa and mushroom rock.

This is a pic of the mushroom rock with a blue-legged hermit on top checking it out.

I believe that this is a hairy mushroom rock. I could be mistaken, so someone please correct me if i am wrong.

 

[chemistmike]

Update - continued

Update - continued

This is a pic of how I had to plumb my chiller. Due to the lack of room with the BC29, and the space under the stand, i had to use my MJ1200 to supply the flow to the chiller.

I don't think that this pic came out that well, but I was hoping that someone could help out with this. I have these small white star-shaped things that come back everyday that I have to wipe off of the front of the glass. Are these algaes?

This is an updated shot of chambers 2 & 3. In chamber 2 I drilled a hole in the back of the hood right above chamber 2 for the return of my ATO. I drilled a hole with a 3/4" bit, then pushed through 5/8" tubing. I then pushed a rubber o-ring up to the point I wanted it to hold. I also had to cut the length a little to be sure that it did not extend into the water because of back flow.
Chamber 3 now houses the ATO float.

This is an updated pic of chamber 1. You can see the tubing from the MJ1200 that leads to the chiller going out behind the chamber 1 housing. Instead of drilling holes, I just expanded the stock opening on the hood. You can also see the return tubing from the chiller placed directly into chamber 1. I placed an o-ring on the tubing, then ran a tie-lock through the tubing and tied it to the screen for the overflow to keep it in place.

Now a couple of pics of our lone fishy friend. It is a purple firefish that has been in there about a week now. He is coming out to eat in the first pic, and actually taking in food in the second.

 

[Illuminati]

Totally a goniopora. They are hard to keep, needs phyto foods, things like reef roids, reef chilli or DT's phyto. I think there is a website called www.goniopora.org that has info, check it out.

Cool firefish.

The little white dots could be either micro-stars or pods or snail eggs (I have Nerite snails and they lay eggs all the time).
Have any snails? Do they ever move?

 

[chemistmike]

colinadam - yes i do have snails, but they are not on the glass that often. These white things are spread sporatically all over the front and sides of the glass.

I was hoping that it was a mislabeled digitata, and not a goniopora. I have read that they are very difficult to keep, and am now considering trading with someone in my local marine group.

 

[Illuminati]

Yeah I've heard they are hard to keep as well, slukach from this thread has 2 that look to be doing amazing, he's had his tank up for a little over a month and bought the green one without knowing what it was, did some reserch and bought the red one.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=999069&perpage=25&pagenumber=34

 

[tsmonrad]

nice work on the BC 29- I ordered a sapphire skinner and ditched the stock prefilter for chemi-pure and purigen. how do you like the 4.36 upgrade? I have been looking at that and the MH retro. Have you heard anything about the MH kit?

 

[chemistmike]

I personally really like the 144W. You can really tell the difference when the two extra 36s come on. I t is not as bright as what I thought it might have been, but it seems just right for the depth. I don't really know anything about the MH on this tank. I have never seen one on it, or have really heard anything about it. I would think if you went the MH route, you would have a tougher time with the temp. than what I had in the beginning. I was having enough trouble to purchase a chiller. Good luck with your BC. If you decide to go with the MH, let us know how it works out.

 

[tsmonrad]

For the first time my temps hit 80. I was holding at 77 since start up. So I think you are right on about the MH upgrade.
Which chiller did you purchase, and how are the upgraded fans? Any increased noise?

 

[chemistmike]

I bought the Current USA 1/10HP from premium aquatics. I probably could have gotten away with a 1/15HP, but I figured that if I was going to spend that much money, I could eventually use the 1/10hp on a bigger tank down the road.

The upgraded fans seem to be about as loud as the stock fans. I did not really notice any increased noise, but then again, the stock fans are not that quiet either.

 

[tsmonrad]

Thanks Mike.

 

[wiszmaster]

do you have a link to the MH retros?

 

[dragonforce]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9245504#post9245504 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chemistmike
I bought the Current USA 1/10HP from premium aquatics. I probably could have gotten away with a 1/15HP, but I figured that if I was going to spend that much money, I could eventually use the 1/10hp on a bigger tank down the road.

The upgraded fans seem to be about as loud as the stock fans. I did not really notice any increased noise, but then again, the stock fans are not that quiet either.

I run the JBJ nano arctica 1/20th HP titanium chiller on my 37g reef to pull down temps to 80 even. It works great.

 

[o2zen]

I love my bc29. I cut the overflow to allow more flow, replaced the stock pump with a mj1200 and put a Hydor on the outside of the bulkhead. I removed the bio-balls and filled the back chamber with 10lbs of LR rubble. I put a piece of filter floss under the spill tray and another on top of it. I added a heater to the first chamber for now and then cut two holes in the back of the hood to slip in a Fluval 405 for added filtration and flow. I pull from chamber one so my overflow chamber gets a ton more flow now and I out the return on the inside of the display at the middle back. I do not have a skimmer yet and my levels always remain good.

Stocked fairly heavy even with 2x clowns, 1 flame angle, 1 firefish, 1 blue dot sleeper goby, 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 peppermint shrimp, 1 bristle star, about 30 snails and 30 more hermits. I also have some peanut worms that came with my tonga.

I plan on getting 1 feather duster and 1 coco (sp) worn for more motion and color. I also have LPS/SPS/Softies which all seem to be doing great in the tank.

I have the 144w upgrade and run 1x 10k, 1x 50/50, and 2x actinics since I love the way the blue makes my tank colors "POP"

I am considering adding a skimmer to the middle chamber but with the Fluval 405 I have had no need and my tank seems to be strong 3 months in now. The pic in my red house is my tank a month ago roughly before I added all the corals. Working on getting a new pic up now but I keep forgetting.

 

[CharAznable]

Where can you get the 144w upgrade?

 

[wiszmaster]

www.nanotuners.com