Parts and Pieces 29

[monkey4life]

Seeing as I had a 29, 20l, 100w LED box light and heater, I figured why not set up a 29 reef?

I was given a biocube (Link below) and this will be taking its place.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2459816

Plan is a side mount coast to coast with modified 1" herbie overflows, 400 gph pump, 2 Koralia 425's. 20 long sump with 3 chambers (6 gallons reserve), and a simple ply box to cover everything up.

Protein skimmer is the only thing I don't have, and with a kid on the way I have to think budget. best I've seen so far for this size range is a SCA-301.

2 things I'm still undecided on-
- Adding 2 reactors for GFO and carbon instead of a tray in the sump.
- using a diy doing pump for kalk or just a drip.

 

[Zwickm]

Seeing as I had a 29, 20l, 100w LED box light and heater, I figured why not set up a 29 reef?

I was given a biocube (Link below) and this will be taking its place.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2459816

Plan is a side mount coast to coast with modified 1" herbie overflows, 400 gph pump, 2 Koralia 425's. 20 long sump with 3 chambers (6 gallons reserve), and a simple ply box to cover everything up.

Protein skimmer is the only thing I don't have, and with a kid on the way I have to think budget. best I've seen so far for this size range is a SCA-301.

2 things I'm still undecided on-
- Adding 2 reactors for GFO and carbon instead of a tray in the sump.
- using a diy doing pump for kalk or just a drip.

I got a AquaMaxx HOB-1 for the custom sump on my Biocube 29. It's a bit pricey ($230) but well worth the money. I have an eShopps 75 sump inside the stock Biocube stand so it adds more space and water volume.

Regarding the reactors, I have a Phosban 150 reactor with GFO media on the bottom and carbon on the top half. A piece of foam separates the media so it is not mixed. carbon has a shorter lifespan than GFO so I can pull out the carbon while leaving the GFO. No need for two on a tank that size.

Attached a pic of what's in my stand. Reactor hardly visible on the right side of the sump and the AquaMaxx on the back center.

 

[monkey4life]

Thanks for the info on the reactor. much appreciated. any benefit of purigen instead of the carbon?

Pricey is not an option at this time.... lol. This is a 29 tall, so the 20l fits on the iron stand below it just fine.

I got a AquaMaxx HOB-1 for the custom sump on my Biocube 29. It's a bit pricey ($230) but well worth the money. I have an eShopps 75 sump inside the stock Biocube stand so it adds more space and water volume.

Regarding the reactors, I have a Phosban 150 reactor with GFO media on the bottom and carbon on the top half. A piece of foam separates the media so it is not mixed. carbon has a shorter lifespan than GFO so I can pull out the carbon while leaving the GFO. No need for two on a tank that size.

Attached a pic of what's in my stand. Reactor hardly visible on the right side of the sump and the AquaMaxx on the back center.

 

[Zwickm]

Thanks for the info on the reactor. much appreciated. any benefit of purigen instead of the carbon?

Pricey is not an option at this time.... lol. This is a 29 tall, so the 20l fits on the iron stand below it just fine.

I prefer regular carbon but make sure you get the right kind. One that is psychically activated vs. chemically so it will not raise phosphates. Should also say "low ash" or "will not raise PH". I would recommend glancing over this article which is very reliable and thorough: https://joejaworski.wordpress.com/2008/05/09/does-a-reef-tank-need-carbon/

I use 1/4-1/3 cup max of ROWAphos in the bottom chamber of my reactor. GFO should lightly tumble or simmer while carbon should be more packed. I add about 2/3 cup of carbon packed in the top. Keep the flow at 40gph max through the reactor fyi.

 

[monkey4life]

Very interesting read. Thanks for the link!

Finished the sump baffles and the left side overflow on the 29. glass was sourced from a broken 10 gallon, and a broken 48" plastic hood cover thing.

So far I'm in this for <$30 above what I had already (bulkheads, fittings, and a holesaw)

 

[monkey4life]

Keep the flow at 40gph max through the reactor fyi.

I was planning on running a separate pump for the reactor, I have a tiny 50gph ebay pump, do you think that will suffice?

 

[Zwickm]

I was planning on running a separate pump for the reactor, I have a tiny 50gph ebay pump, do you think that will suffice?

You'll want a pump that can push water at least 2 feet at the proper flow rate (Phosban 150 does come with a ball valve). Usually the pump will push water up a foot into the reactor from the tank than it must go down through the reactor center tube and back up and out. I used this - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027JAXNQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Perfect flow rate.

 

[monkey4life]

How about stocking? Right now all i have is a pair of nano clowns and a single green chromis. Thinking a firefish, clown goby, and sixline wrasse to round it out.

 

[Zwickm]

How about stocking? Right now all i have is a pair of nano clowns and a single green chromis. Thinking a firefish, clown goby, and sixline wrasse to round it out.

Nice! I think those would all be great but would be cautious with the six-line as they can be aggressive towards other fish especially in a small tank....

I have 2 Purple Firefish, 1 Royal Grama, 1 McCosker's Flasher Wrasse and a Yellow Coris Wrasse. Sadly, pretty much maxed out for my Biocube 29 at this point. Although with my sump, there is about 39 gallons total water volume in the system.

I recently had a flatworm outbreak and got the Yellow Coris Wrasse to eat them. Within a week, the population has dramatically dropped. This is an excellent fish for any reef as it eats all sorts of parasites. Both LFS near me and from online reading recommend that all reef tanks have one. I generally like to think that each fish in my system must contribute to keeping the ecosystem in check somehow

 

[cherubfish pair]

I have a sixline wrasse that is a model citizen, in fact all 8 of my other fish pick on her including non-aggressive fish. I've been told that it must be a female and that most sixlines are male. For your sake I wish there were some way to tell because they are such awesome fish.

 

[monkey4life]

Almost done with the display. 1" pipe. I know... still need to add the T in place of the elbow. Sump is done too, but i didnt get pictures yet.

 

[monkey4life]

So, question on a protein skimmer. If i have a total volume of 45ish gallons, how big of a skimmer do i need? I have a ASM G2 (rated at 200gallons capacity) with no pump. If I use a smaller pump will it still function alright?

 

[Zwickm]

So, question on a protein skimmer. If i have a total volume of 45ish gallons, how big of a skimmer do i need? I have a ASM G2 (rated at 200gallons capacity) with no pump. If I use a smaller pump will it still function alright?

Very cool setup so far!

I would run a skimmer that is rated for at least double the tank volume so 200 would be more than enough. Skimmer efficiency is a more important factor than a simple volume rating. I use the AquaMaxx HOB-1 which is rated for 75 gallons but is super efficient so could probably be used for an even bigger tank. Bubble Magnus and Reef Octopus are also great options!

 

[monkey4life]

It lives!!

 

[cherubfish pair]

Is this a peninsula tank?

 

[monkey4life]

Is this a peninsula tank?

no, it is against the wall. I could set it up that way, but my driving factor is that it needs to protrude as little as possible into our dining area.

 

[monkey4life]

I need to build a stand wrap and get lids made, tidy up the wiring, and hang the light

 

[cherubfish pair]

So, question on a protein skimmer. If i have a total volume of 45ish gallons, how big of a skimmer do i need? I have a ASM G2 (rated at 200gallons capacity) with no pump. If I use a smaller pump will it still function alright?

You don't want to oversize your skimmer. The neck size is what's important. When the neck is too big there isn't enough organics to drive the foam upward. Organics is what gives the foam volume so that it can be driven up. When the skimmer is oversized, there is buildup in the neck and it never gets into the cup. So bioload must match skimmer rating although it's tricky to match it up right as each tank and skimmer are different.

 

[monkey4life]

After much searching, I found a used skimmer for a reasonable price, and the picture shows the first 3 hours of skimming. Dialed it in a bit and it is now a dark brown skim.

Innovative marine 'skim-mate' rated to 65gallons.

** edit **
I truly don't understand why tapatalk is not maintaining picture orientation. Anyone have tips?

 

[monkey4life]

So, I put the clowns and the green chromis are in, along with a bunch of corals over the last 2 weeks. Everything opened up just fine (softies/LPS/easySPS), and the fish appear happy. I bought a firefish yesterday afternoon, drip acclimated, and checked on him both a midnight and 3am (our dog is sick atm). This morning at 6 I find him jammed under a rock, dead as a doornail. After pulling him out (half eaten from the CUC), all his colors are still bright, and there was nothing I saw out of the ordinary. Going to take him back this afternoon, and going to get my water tested at the same time.