Rebuild and recovery of a dead tank

[jason2459]

I've been thinking of the direction I'm going to go. Reading though this thread brought back ideas I had before but never tried them due to one thing or another.

I think I want to go with some anemones and mostly softies this time. Maybe a couple LPs or sps here and there but not going to focus on those. I've always wanted a rose bubble tip so that will be the first thing I think I'll get. Also, I've always wanted a large Fiji yellow leather and will get that after the rbt gets settled in.

 

[jason2459]

Wish list time now that I'm getting an idea of where I'm going. All of these will be added over time and definitely not all at once.

Top of the list
Rose Bulb Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor)
Longspine Urchin, Black (Diadema setosum)
Yellow Fiji Leather Coral (Sarcophyton elegans)

I was always afraid of the RBTA wondering around and killing my LPS so since I'm not really focused on them this time I feel better. Kind of the same with the Urchin as they tend to knock over stuff but I'm not as worried with the softies as what I'm looking at would just keep propagating and recover easier. I have wanted a yellow leather since when I had the 55 but just never did get one.

Fishies:
Royal Gramma Basslet (Gramma loreto)
mate for my false perc after RBTA gets settled in
mate for my mandarin
some how mate for my Kaudern's Cardinal
Flame Angelfish (Centropyge loricula) way last after the softies are established well.

Always wanted a Royal gramma and had one for a split second but it didn't last long at all. Never got around to replacing it. The false perc was the first fish I got as a pair and have would always breed. I really like watching that and the same goes with the Kaudern Cardinal's. The mouthbrooding is pretty cool to see. I've been meaning to get the mandarin a mate. Now's as good enough time as any. I really love the flame angel and had one that came in with fluke and developed hlle and never fully recovered. Never replaced it as I didn't want my lps to be killed. I would hope that a well established softy tank could handle a periodic nipping.


Corals:
Chili Coral (Nephthyigorgia sp.)
Sinularia Finger Leather Coral (Sinularia sp.)
Various mushrooms, tree's, polyps.

Besides the yellow leather I've also always wanted to try out a chili coral but again never got around to it. I've also seen some really nicely colored finger leathers and think they look pretty awesome when grown out and waving around. Then fill in a lot of area with various other colorful stuff.

Inverts I miss.
Maxima Clam (Tridacna maxima)
Various Feather Dusters (Sabellastarte sp.)
Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp pair (Lysmata amboinensis)
bumble bee shrimp pair (Gnathophyllum americanum)
Sexy Anemone Shrimp pair (Thor amboinensis)
Snapping Shrimp, Red Banded (Alpheus randalli)
Replenish my blue leg and scarlet crabs and snails

These I miss the most. It's always been the smallest things in my tanks I liked more then anything else. I loved just watching them go about their business.

 

[jason2459]

I got a reply from Bulk Reef Supply this morning and they gave me store credit for the one 50ml/m pump that was still under warranty even though I already tossed it and couldn't send it back. That's pretty awesome. They didn't have to do anything but I figured I should ask anyway and let them know what happen.

Thank you BRS! :thumbsup:

 

[jason2459]

Just posted this in a skimmer thread in the equipment subforum.

I got the Sea Side Aquatics ES2 in today! That was pretty fast. It could have been boxed a bit better. The pump was kind of loose unpackaged in there but everything else was packaged and wrapped up well. Really wasn't much room for the pump to move but wasn't expecting it to just be laying there when I took the top foam layer off.

First impressions are good. Material seems like really good quality. 1/4" acrylic used for the body and collection cup. The seem could have been polished out but I was expecting it as its in all the photos I've seen.

I really like the design of it overall. Easy 1/4 turn cup removal. The exit/vent pipe can easily be positioned exactly the direction you want and super smooth fine adjustments. Haven't seen any microbubbles escaping so far and water exits pretty much at the base. I like it sits lower in the sump then the sro-3000sss does. I have it at just under 9" of water right now. I love that the base attaches to the body. I really hated the SRO just pressed together and very easily came apart. Otherwise nothing really special about the rest of it. Standard cone and standard bubble plate with count sunk drilled holes. It is a bit bigger then it looks in the pictures but not much.

The listed dimensions are spot on and nice small foot print being a sump saver design and the straight up exit/vent/adjustment pipe. The cone just above the pump is slightly under 8". The neck is about 4.5". I believe it will be a well balanced skimmer with the psk1000 in there. I'm really hoping for long term stability that I didn't quite have with the sro3000sss. Time will tell. I would say though I wouldn't put this on anything over a 180.

Then the most important part to my wife and future guests, this is by far the quietest skimmer I've ever not heard. As long as it stays this way my wife will be super happy and that will make me even happier. I modified the output of the SRO with a T and vent pipe. There's a crazy $50 piece you can buy separate but made my own for under $5. But you could still hear it in the room next door. The only noise I can hear on this ES2 is if I put my ear right up to the air intake silencer or lift the lid off and hear the fizz of the bubbles.

Putting the skimmer together was really easy and didn't realize there was directions until I was done and throwing everything in the box. The only issue I had was the bubble plate nylon screw was to long. In order to tighten it down so the top plate wasn't loose it would push the entire housing up and not be level. So I got a small piece of tubing that fit over the scew and used it as sort of a washer. Its just something I had laying around I could easily trim to size.

Had to put a spacer to secure the plate and allow it to remain level and not be pushed up

Output fully open and facing the camera. After putting in the sump I took the pipe out and reversed its direction.

Now to let it break in and wait to see if I goofed or not

 

[jason2459]

Well, this is nice. Its already producing a nice foam head.

 

[jason2459]

I got a few more things done yesterday and today. I checked on the skimmer and its not doing to bad for just a day or so of skimming and breaking in.

So as I had it pulled to wipe out I also installed a float switch, controlled by a reef keeper lite, I like to put in the lid of the collection cup. This way if the skimmer ever does happen to go nuttso, I haven't had a skimmer yet that hasn't, it will just shut off.

I also got my avast peristaltic pump in today for the ATO/kalk. I have that hooked back up.

 

[jason2459]

I got my led fixtures in but won't be able to take the time to mount them until next week after all Christmases are over. From the way it looks I should be able to use a couple rails I installed for the reefbrites and using the wiring used to hang them from the ceiling. Will take pictures when its finished.

 

[jason2459]

Quote LiveAquaria in regards to the red velvet wrasse ( Cirrhilabrus rubrisquamis)

They will not bother any corals or invertebrates making them a perfect fish for the reef aquarium.*

I decided to start adding in some invertebrates. I haven't had any issues before with any of them being eaten with the fish I currently have in the tank.

I decided on a couple cleaner shrimp to start with. Apparently they looked really tasty as my red velvet fairy went straight up to one. Looked at it. And took a nice big bite. Second bite the shrimp was gone. So, now I have one cleaner shrimp to start with.

 

[jason2459]

Two more days of skimming. Who needs a break in period. I'm going to have to dial it back a bit.

 

[jason2459]

Shrimp still alive and other inverts that happen to survive are all coming out now. Seems like anything that was buried in the sand survived so my astrina star population is taking off. It's like I'm cycling a new tank all over again. The GHA is slowly dieing off. Which of course means my cyano is now growing more. Once I can see my rocks again I'll start adding something. I'm still thinking of predominantly softies. Big yellow fiji leather, ricordea, etc, and a couple lps here and there. Still going back and forth on the anemone. Just like before. Don't know why anemones scare me so much.

 

[jason2459]

I got a couple new fish addition for Christmas. Wife asked the LFS what they recommend based on what I had before...

So she got me a one spot fox face. Pretty small at maybe just over 2.5". Also got a sailfin tang at maybe just under 2". I still haven't gotten a chance to get very good pictures and both are hiding out right now.


Can't remember if I posted this in here or not but posted this picture in a full wall shot thread. I'm sitting in my normal spot to read and enjoy the tank to take the picture in a comfy recliner. And have a close up viewing seat next to the tank. Above that seat is a reef map of the Florida keys where I grew up diving for over 20 years. Wife made that frame for me for Christmas too.

 

[jason2459]

So far I'm very happy with this seaside aquatics es2 skimmer. Its constantly producing even after scaling it back. It started producing right away but I wouldn't say it was broken in per say. I'd say its fully broken in now which is really pretty quick. A week to break in is perfect. Also, its still very quite which is perfect as we had guests over since last Wednesday staying in our new spare room next to the fish room. They didn't hear anything from the sump. Now to see how the long term consistency and reliability is like.

Here's 4 days of skimmate now dialed back a bit and probably where I'll keep it.

Look out little shrimp there's that shrimp killer. And look some bare rock with no algae on it. Its slowly going away.

 

[Paul B]

Nice filter socks Jason

 

[jason2459]

Nice filter socks Jason

They are much more effective when applied that way. Just ask my kids.


Actually had to scroll up to figure out what you were taking about. I thought I had them removed when I took the carbon and gfo back offline. I don't want my algae to die off to fast.

 

[muttley000]

Thanks for the update on the skimmer. Looks like,it is doing real well for you!

 

[jason2459]

Thanks muttley. So far I cant complain so far.


I took out the reefbrite strips tonight and installed the ocean revive s026 fixtures. I repositioned one of the wood rails I installed for the 48" reefbrites. I set one of them off center slightly forward. Then just used the hanging kit to loop over it and tilted them slightly forward. This was also a recommendation of one of the company reps on here. Makes them about 6" off the water line.

Its nice having them on that rail as I was able to tilt and slide them around to get the coverage I wanted. When I first turned them on I got shadowing from the braces and shifted them a bit until it was gone.

With the shadowing

After shifting around a bit

I have them set at about 50% white channel and 75% blue channel. I still have a little tweaking to do but its good for now.

 

[jason2459]

Just the blue channel is on now and it looks very similar to when I had a nice array of T5s with the aqua blue specials and blue+ I think it was. Its very nice looking. Also a bit brighter then just having the all blue reefbrites on. I gave up on trying to take a picture as my phone totally doesn't look like what I'm seeing. Like the pictures above look a lot bluer in the picture then in person.

 

[jason2459]

Wife commented to me last night that the tank looks a lot better and brighter. She said she really likes the new lights. This was with the all blues on. So they seem to be wife approved. .

 

[jason2459]

Well, I went ahead and added some green zoas from my mantis tank that were getting wilted from some Xenia near by so will see how they do.

I put them on the sand for now and will move them up eventually.

I also picked up some red Actinodiscus mushrooms. Last mushrooms I had were ricordia that melted away with in a day in my mantis tank so I hope I'm more successful with these. There's about 5 heads all twisted in this rock and can't see them all.

I'm considering adding in some white pom pom Xenia from my mantis tank too but hesitant about that. Don't know if I want that kind of maintenance in my 180 of constantly trimming it back. I love the look of it though.

 

[jason2459]

Shrooms are looking much better and zoas look a little better. The mushrooms are definitely filling out more now then they were before with the lighting in my 180.

I've decided against the Xenia. In my 20l they stay on a single rock. I don't see that happening in the 180.

I've also decided to go ahead with the BTA. In fact now I'm thinking a green and a red would look pretty nice. I want some more mushrooms too. I'm really liking them for some reason. I still want a yellow Fiji leather and would like a maxima clam again. I might try some gorgonian this time around too.

A couple more equipment changes are coming up. I'm waiting on my LFS to get a maxpect gyre in and will try it out. It would replace my two controllable Tunzes I have now I I like it. So I'll wait until I have that setup the way I want it before I get the bubble tips so the flow is all ready for them.

I'm also planning on a 2gpd automatic water change system. I'm looking at a dual head peristaltic pump driven by a single drive setup. Then once every two weeks I'll just have to make some new ASW.