ReefTECK's 75 Gallon Update

[ReefTECK]

The rest of this thread was started HERE in the general reef forums, but nobody talks or gives a **** about it there, perhaps some of my fellow Iowans will give it a gander. Or not....you know whatever.

To date, this tank has been up for 1 year 8 months, and is moving along nicely. I can't wait for another year of growth!

I will add photos of some of the equipment soon;
-the tank is equipped with 4x89watt T5's 2x10k 2xactinic03's, and 2x175watt metal halides at 14k.
-I have a wet dry filter underneath, with a Kent Nautilus EX24 skimmer,
-a MRC nano calcium rxr, controlled with a Reef Keeper2 digital multi controller,
-18watt UV sterilizer, phosban rxr, JBJ 1/10hp chiller, all recirculated by one main pump a Little Giant (dont remember model #) ~800gph, there is a crazy mainfold system built off of this pump all hard plummed with pvc, and feeds return line into main tank also.
-Wave action is provided by 2 Korallia 4's on a wave timer with the RK2, and a Tunze 6060.
-I have constructed a refugium to fit into the tight quarters behind the newly installed wet dry filter, I'll be installing it sometime this fall.

update soon

 

[apjohnson]

Your tank is looking good! And it looks like that D90 is serving you well too. Let me know if you're ever willing to be a stop of the GIRS tank tour. We had an Iowa City tank tour earlier this year and this tank would have been a great addition to it. Again, nice looking tank!

--AJ

 

[NexGen]

Very nice pics and tank!

 

[Fig]

Nice job!!

 

[matt the fiddler]

very nice..
love the anthias.

BTW, what's your substrate?

I figure local threads are better, who cares if fewer people read them- the ones that are important do

 

[matt the fiddler]

btw. linky dead

 

[tangers]

great pics and even better tank!

 

[ReefTECK]

Thank you for all the replies. Looks like I've gotta live one here!

Here is the link to my former thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=11471784#post11471784

Let me know if you're ever willing to be a stop of the GIRS tank tour

Yeah absolutely, if you guys decide to do one please contact me via email, which is listed here in my profile, it is andyclnic@yahoo.com, or I have my web server mail set up at andy@andysecomedia.com.

I figure local threads are better, who cares if fewer people read them- the ones that are important do

Agreed, but you know I've gotten more bites this past couple days than I would in a month on my general forums thread.

BTW, what's your substrate?

I kind of hate it, it doesn't look good to my eye, and my wrasse sometimes nicks his scales up on it. It consists of 20lb aruba shell, 15lb crushed coral, 40lbs special grade reef sand.

Any tips on replacing a sand bed anybody? I have a new 80lbs of special grade reef sand ready to go. I've been waiting to do it for the last 6 months...idk why, I just fear I will destroy alot of healthy nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria.

love the anthias.

They're my favorite too!

New pix of the filtration system coming tonight, and you can all see what a beast this thing is.

ltz,
andy

 

[gb387]

Looks great!!! Nice work!

 

[SlukBunWalla]

your red caps make me moist.

 

[ReefTECK]

Why thank you for the kind comments adam...I think....lol

As promised an updated view of my filtration system beneath the tank, which consists of a 24x16x8" wet/dry sump filter, little giant return pump, 18watt UV sterilizer, Kent Nautilus EX24 protein skimmer, Two Little Fishes phosban reactor, MRC-Nano calcium reactor, controlled by a Reef Keeper 2 DA digital controller.

 

[apjohnson]

Thanks Andy! I'll keep you in mind for future tank tours in your area. If you want to be more in the loop on tank tours and other area events, I would recommend keeping an eye on the forums at www.greateriowareefsociety.org. I know there are lots of people that never check RC that would probably enjoy seeing pics of your tank and hearing about what you have done. Nice looking tank!

--AJ

 

[jmadison]

Meh, it's ok...

 

[jmadison]

Hahaha ok it's looking great man! Def think the lighting changed helped a bit! Miss your big ol' hosted clam.

We def. need to get together in the next couple weeks-month to put specific and prioritized list of parts.

 

[matt the fiddler]

Any tips on replacing a sand bed anybody? I have a new 80lbs of special grade reef sand ready to go. I've been waiting to do it for the last 6 months...idk why, I just fear I will destroy alot of healthy nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria.



depending on how deep it is... (how deep is it???) I would probably

1- start a new sand bed either in the tank's water (fuge) or off site to get it cycled and seeded. stirring the new one every day until placed could be good.. let it sit once it is in the tank.

wait a while

2- slowly remove the existing stuff over a few weeks. that bed will have trapped a lot of stuff, and have some anaerobic areas (depending on depth)

3- replace the old bed once it is all gone. the advantage of running the new bed in system, is that you can do it all at once with out messing things up, assuming the new bed does not have decaying matter in it.




have lot of water and filter sock ready for mess in the tank and keep alert for that rotten egg sulfur smell.


I personally really like barebottom, but that will not work the best with your wet-dry. If you are willing to give up the wet dry, and the sand... I think you could be even happier

don't worry about destroying the bacteria.. as long as you make slow changes, and have plenty of live rock in the tank/ or a back up bed in the system that has populated. Remote deep sand beds are the bomb.

 

[DaKineReef]

SWEET

Ike

 

[RadReef]

The tanks looking great Andy! I'm still in the process of aquascaping my 75 gallon "Arrecife de Coral" tank. About half my rock is cycling in my old 20 gallon tank. It's a process

 

[ReefTECK]

Hello there everybody, Josh M., Rad Chad, I'm happy to see you guys joined the conversation. I am writing to you all from Norwich Connecticuit at a Holiday Inn. Tomorrow Rhode Island, and Tuesday we head up Cape Cod.

Thanks again for the comments everybody.

I personally really like barebottom, but that will not work the best with your wet-dry. If you are willing to give up the wet dry, and the sand... I think you could be even happier

You damn bare bottom guys! lol I guess I kind of like the look of a sand bed, but I am marginally opossed to a deep sandbed in the display tank. However I do have a 2" sandbed. My Halochores melenarus wrasse sleeps in the sand bed, and he's my favorite fish:

 

[jmadison]

I was surprised to see a new post in this thread from you whilst you were on vaca! Hope you're having fun.

When I replaced my sand bed, I took a small (butter dish) and put it in the corner of my tank pretty full with established sand. Then, as Matt noted, I also slowly removed my sand over the course of about 2 weeks leaving the butter dish with the sand. I used the opportunity of water changes to do much of the removal via syphon. Then I just slowly added back "dead" washed sand back over the course of 2-3 weeks ( my thought being adding it all at once could cause a cycle, but I dont know). Then after all the new sand was in after about a 2weeks, I took the old sand from the butter dish and dumped it out across an open area of my sandbed. I didnt want to disturb the sand in the dish while removing or adding new sand because I figured it was stable'r that way. I let it sortof start to seed for two weeks then dumping out the sand finished it. (sorry so windy...)

 

[SkinnY T120]

I hope you're having fun on your honeymoon! Tank looks better every time I see it. The lights made a huge difference. Hurry home and bring that camera to kalona so you can make my tank look sexy. I'll buy you cheese curds.