Reeferhead's 150DD Build
- Thread starter Reeferhead
- Start date
Not my pic but this is the same serpent I have. As far as I've read they're not known to be predatory.
http://www.melevsreef.com/id/harlequin_starfish.html
http://www.melevsreef.com/id/harlequin_starfish.html
Apollo1K9
New member
Man, two wrasses down, that really sucks. Hope that's the last of your losses, and hopefully the McCosker's shows up! The most dumbfounding loss for me was when I lost my Maroon Clown... in a 10g. Had no idea where the darn thing went, and I figured it was that "damn cat" also. I found it a month later, stuck in the lighting fixture, nice and crispy.
Now that my SPS are growing well, I think I'm going to concentrate on developing the reef itself and hold off on acquiring new fish for a while. I’ll likely start up again once the corals have grown in a bit and provide a more diverse environment. I’ve ran through most of the obvious reasons for the disappearances and pretty much came up empty:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2030123
I think part of the problem is that I have a lot of dominate fish all competing for very few primo sheltered spots within the rock work. The marco rock is pretty dense and doesn’t provide much in the way of large holes to hide in. I may break out the drill and create some
Perhaps some of the newer fish are subjected to some unobservable stress due to this that I’m not noticing. As the reef grows in, this will all improve. I just have to be patient, something I’m trying to be better at. 
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2030123
I think part of the problem is that I have a lot of dominate fish all competing for very few primo sheltered spots within the rock work. The marco rock is pretty dense and doesn’t provide much in the way of large holes to hide in. I may break out the drill and create some
Perhaps some of the newer fish are subjected to some unobservable stress due to this that I’m not noticing. As the reef grows in, this will all improve. I just have to be patient, something I’m trying to be better at.
I recently switched from BRS's High Capacity GFO to their Pellet GFO and have found it actually lasts longer. The high capacity kept clumping on me due to the high pH it produced in the reactor. The high pH caused a lot of CaCO3 precipitation which in turn clogged the reactor's sponges, thus reducing flow and causing clumping.
Well, I did two things I said I wouldn't and karma made me pay for it. I said I was going to take a break from fish for a while, I lied. I said I would never buy a fish from the LFS the day it arrived, lied again. I was out at the new Marine Solutions store at they had just received this awesome Koi Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus adornatus) like the one pictured below. I had never seen this fish before and I don't get out to MS very often, so despite my better judgment I bought it. It lasted less than 3 days in QT 
smoothdog
Active member
That sucks Nick, it looked great in the bag. Did it not eat in quarantine? It's usually a catch 22 with fish like that, if you wait until it's been in the store long enough to feel confident it will survive, then it usually gets snatched up before you can go back to get it. If it's any consolation, I would have jumped on it too.
chadscamaro
Active member
Bummer, cool looking fish
It stayed hidden most of the time and did not eat. I looked good in the store though.
Useful_Idiot
Artificially Intelligent
Nice setup! Any updates? If you don't mind I just got this tank and have a few questions. Your build thread is much more informative than the others.
What do you think is a good turnover rate? I'd like to have a similar sump and wonder what you backed yours down to.
How much water drains to the sump when the return pump shuts off? Although I guess that depends on how low your siphon breaks, how low below the surface does your siphon break?
How are the mp40s? Enough flow or are they cranked all the way up? Have you tried them on the sides facing each other? I've heard they work unbelievably good that way.
Do the miniflakes move around? I was gonna go with the reefflakes because my coral is getting sandblasted by my sugar grain sand and I wasn't gonna do that again, but I like the finer look to it.
Is there anything you would do different?
What do you think is a good turnover rate? I'd like to have a similar sump and wonder what you backed yours down to.
How much water drains to the sump when the return pump shuts off? Although I guess that depends on how low your siphon breaks, how low below the surface does your siphon break?
How are the mp40s? Enough flow or are they cranked all the way up? Have you tried them on the sides facing each other? I've heard they work unbelievably good that way.
Do the miniflakes move around? I was gonna go with the reefflakes because my coral is getting sandblasted by my sugar grain sand and I wasn't gonna do that again, but I like the finer look to it.
Is there anything you would do different?
I've been traveling a lot lately for work and its showing in my tank. Some cyano issues on the sand bed and really bad bryopsis in the frag tank. I had the bryopsis under control by manually dosing Tech-M but I got lazy, let the Mg level drop, and it came back. I really need to get my Mg doser running on the controller.
I'm also having a really hard time keeping my GFO from clumping. The flow thru the reactor is topped out but it rarely lasts two weeks before solidifying. Perhaps I need to lower my Alk? Its around 10-11 and my pumps get calcified rather quickly as well.
I lost my Red velvet wrasse (my last wrasse) about a month ago, which was really depressing. It was a transfer from the old tank and was doing phenomenal for the longest time. I think it’s quite possible that one of the other wrasses brought some infection/parasite into the tank that affected them all.
I also had to pitch a couple monti frags out of the QT tank once I discovered nudis on them. Tried to treat them but they kept coming back. I figured the best bet was to just cut my losses and let the QT run fallow of montis for a while. I’m waiting a couple more months before moving anything out the QT and into the display just to be safe.
So there’s really nothing new to show off, just waiting to resolve these speed bumps before crack’n away again
I'm also having a really hard time keeping my GFO from clumping. The flow thru the reactor is topped out but it rarely lasts two weeks before solidifying. Perhaps I need to lower my Alk? Its around 10-11 and my pumps get calcified rather quickly as well.
I lost my Red velvet wrasse (my last wrasse) about a month ago, which was really depressing. It was a transfer from the old tank and was doing phenomenal for the longest time. I think it’s quite possible that one of the other wrasses brought some infection/parasite into the tank that affected them all.
I also had to pitch a couple monti frags out of the QT tank once I discovered nudis on them. Tried to treat them but they kept coming back. I figured the best bet was to just cut my losses and let the QT run fallow of montis for a while. I’m waiting a couple more months before moving anything out the QT and into the display just to be safe.
So there’s really nothing new to show off, just waiting to resolve these speed bumps before crack’n away again
Nice setup! Any updates? If you don't mind I just got this tank and have a few questions. Your build thread is much more informative than the others.
What do you think is a good turnover rate? I'd like to have a similar sump and wonder what you backed yours down to.
I’m running a Water Blaster 5000 which is rated for right around 900 g/hr, I think. Its running my return and my dual GFO/Carbon reactor. I have it dialed back a fair bit. I’m using both drain lines but the overflow wier/teeth is the choke point. Without modding I can’t see getting more than 600 gal/hr through it.
How much water drains to the sump when the return pump shuts off?
Although I guess that depends on how low your siphon breaks, how low below the surface does your siphon break?
Not sure, maybe 5 gallons. My siphon break holes on my return are set just barely under the water line
How are the mp40s? Enough flow or are they cranked all the way up? Have you tried them on the sides facing each other? I've heard they work unbelievably good that way.
For flow, I think it would be ideal to have them face each other. I wanted the tank three sides viewable with little intrusion, so I put them both on the back and barely notice they're there on the black background
Do the miniflakes move around? I was gonna go with the reefflakes because my coral is getting sandblasted by my sugar grain sand and I wasn't gonna do that again, but I like the finer look to it.
There not bad, They tend to "stick" a little bit better with more age in the tank. I do have to push some back into the front left corner (high flow)about every 4-5 days but I don't get any sand storms
Is there anything you would do different?
- Yeah, I should have added an extra outlet from my return. I would like to have two single reactors rather than a dual. My GFO needs more flow.
- Prazi all my fish in QT
- used different drawer slides for the hood lift so I could raise it more than 1'
Hope that helps
Useful_Idiot
Artificially Intelligent
It helps a lot actually. Thanks and good luck with getting things back on track. Subscribed so I don't miss your update.
Its been a long time since I made an update. This system has now been up for a year. I've had a few issues, some I've worked out and some I'm still working on. I haven't been getting as much SPS growth as I would like and plan to switch to the 400 watt Radium the winter.
One of my biggest issues was that I was over dosing 2-part and didn't even realize it. I was trying to maintain 10 DKH and 425 Ca. However, I wasn't properly balancing the additions, I was just testing and trying to make adjustments to my Ca and Alk dosers independently to try and make up the difference. This issue was complicated by the fact the my dosers were drifting in their output, unaware to me. The GFO was clumping in as little as two weeks and many of my pumps would seize up in as little as six weeks after cleaning. I have recently cut my dosage in half and re-calibrated everything so that all three parts are added in chemically balanced proportions.
I've also had issues with the Tropic Eden Mini Flakes. Its too fine for an SPS tank that needs a lot of flow. Cyanobacteria is growing pretty strong on the sand probably due to all the detritus it traps but unfortunately the Miniflakes are too fine to vacuum. After a year I've decided to replace it. I 'm going to try Tropic Eden Grand Select. Its similar in size to Special Grade but much whiter. I'm going to change the sand in stages and it will take several weeks. I removed about a third of the old sand today.
I'm still working to eliminate the bryopsis that has taken over my frag tank. I brought my Mg up to 1850 using Epson salts but the algae continued to grow like nothing happened. I've decided to go back to what I know works and bought three gallons of Tech-M. I have no idea what the difference is but there is one!
Ok, how about some pics?
I had to build a overflow lid to keep the snails from ending up in my skimmer... ...it's fed by the overflow
IMG_6817 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
I'm adding three DSBs to my sump. This is the first one, in the return pump chamber. I'm going to split the frag tank to create two more. I used silicone to hold the acrylic panel in case I change my mind. These DSBs are purely for nitrate control, nothing else. I couldn't care any less about the life contained in them other than anoxic bacteria. I plan to swap out one of the sand chambers every year or so, that is of course if I don't rip them out first.
IMG_6812 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
FTSs...
IMG_6784 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
IMG_6786 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
IMG_6789 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
Spongodes from Nook
IMG_6791 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
Sweet Chalice from Farmer
IMG_6790 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
Agu Frogspawn from rbnice1
IMG_6792 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
Acans from Logik, coloring up nicely
IMG_6797 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
One of my biggest issues was that I was over dosing 2-part and didn't even realize it. I was trying to maintain 10 DKH and 425 Ca. However, I wasn't properly balancing the additions, I was just testing and trying to make adjustments to my Ca and Alk dosers independently to try and make up the difference. This issue was complicated by the fact the my dosers were drifting in their output, unaware to me. The GFO was clumping in as little as two weeks and many of my pumps would seize up in as little as six weeks after cleaning. I have recently cut my dosage in half and re-calibrated everything so that all three parts are added in chemically balanced proportions.
I've also had issues with the Tropic Eden Mini Flakes. Its too fine for an SPS tank that needs a lot of flow. Cyanobacteria is growing pretty strong on the sand probably due to all the detritus it traps but unfortunately the Miniflakes are too fine to vacuum. After a year I've decided to replace it. I 'm going to try Tropic Eden Grand Select. Its similar in size to Special Grade but much whiter. I'm going to change the sand in stages and it will take several weeks. I removed about a third of the old sand today.
I'm still working to eliminate the bryopsis that has taken over my frag tank. I brought my Mg up to 1850 using Epson salts but the algae continued to grow like nothing happened. I've decided to go back to what I know works and bought three gallons of Tech-M. I have no idea what the difference is but there is one!
Ok, how about some pics?
I had to build a overflow lid to keep the snails from ending up in my skimmer... ...it's fed by the overflow
IMG_6817 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
I'm adding three DSBs to my sump. This is the first one, in the return pump chamber. I'm going to split the frag tank to create two more. I used silicone to hold the acrylic panel in case I change my mind. These DSBs are purely for nitrate control, nothing else. I couldn't care any less about the life contained in them other than anoxic bacteria. I plan to swap out one of the sand chambers every year or so, that is of course if I don't rip them out first.
IMG_6812 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
FTSs...
IMG_6784 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
IMG_6786 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
IMG_6789 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
Spongodes from Nook
IMG_6791 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
Sweet Chalice from Farmer
IMG_6790 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
Agu Frogspawn from rbnice1
IMG_6792 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
Acans from Logik, coloring up nicely
IMG_6797 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
Blue Acro from Nook, Falco can't stay out of pics
IMG_6799 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
IMG_6803 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
IMG_6808 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
IMG_6799 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
IMG_6803 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
IMG_6808 by nickgrant79, on Flickr
:lol:
Ya, he's grow'n quick in this tank. Its been sticking to the spot for a while now. If it stays there for a couple more months I'm going to start glueing SPS to it.
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