Rhodes19 180 Build

[Rhodes19]

Well, I added some 4 peppermint shrimp last week to the tank and then never saw them again!! The nasseriums did the same thing. LOL Well, as I was checking my overflow the other day, I found 2 of the peppermint shrimp at the bottom of the overflow!! I have know idea how they got there but it took a while to flush them out, well, one of them. I haven't seen the second one yet. Here is a picture of them in the acclimation bucket before I put them in the tank.

I added 2 cleaner shrimp and a coral banded shrimp this weekend and of course, I forgot to take a picture of them before they went in. They seem to be doing well.

I'll try to get a better picture of him when I can.

I finally installed a float valve for my RO/DI system last night because I got tired of waking up in the morning finding a flood in the garage (forget to turn the RO/DI filter off before going to bed). It works like a charm. I woke up this morning to a dry garage floor!!

I also pulled the curly Q CF off the fuge and replaced it with a T5 fixture. I think the bulbs are actinic and blue and gives off a purplish light. I'm not sure what the color will do for the cheato growth but I think I'll pick up a 10K when I get a chance and replace the actinic for better cheato growth. Looks cool though.

 

[Rhodes19]

Here's a pic of the tank with just some T5s.

 

[MarineGirl411]

That looks really good. So are you going to switch to T-5's? If so, why?

 

[nanchil]

I read the whole thread... Great job!!! One quick question though.. How did you do this "I finally installed a float valve for my RO/DI system last night because I got tired of waking up in the morning finding a flood in the garage (forget to turn the RO/DI filter off before going to bed). "... I have the same problem

 

[Rhodes19]

That looks really good. So are you going to switch to T-5's? If so, why?

LOL Hi MarineGirl, thanks.

No, I'm going MH. A good friend gave me some nice reflectors and ballasts that I'm going to use. I took the MH off the tank for this picture because I was trying to get a nice FTS and there was a stark difference with a MH on one end and some T5s on the center and left side. So, I took the MH off and temporarily put a T5 up. The MH is back on and as soon as I have time and $$$ at the same time I'm going to make a canopy for the tank and place the MHs into it. I have a 250w and two 175w MH that I'll be using. My plan is to put the 250w over the center where I hope to have a nice clam or 2 and place the 175ws on the left side and right side of the tank. I may put some T5s in the canopy but that will be for actinics or blues for color accenting. I'm not sure yet.

 

[Rhodes19]

I read the whole thread... Great job!!! One quick question though.. How did you do this "I finally installed a float valve for my RO/DI system last night because I got tired of waking up in the morning finding a flood in the garage (forget to turn the RO/DI filter off before going to bed). "... I have the same problem

Hi nanchil,

Thanks, and I feel your pain. I have an OCEAN REEF + 1 FIVE STAGE 75 GPD RO/DI from the Filter Guys and it has an auto shut off valve as part of the system. I didn't know what it was for until much later (I can be slow at times ). Had I known, I would have gotten the float at the same time and saved myself some flooding. LOL If your system has an auto shut off then all you need is a float valve. I drilled a 1/2" hole into the flat side of my Brute trash can, slid the float into it and screwed the nut onto it to hold it in place. There is a compression fitting for the RO/DI water. It took maybe 5 minutes. If you don't have an auto shut off, you can get one for about $8 and install it on you RO/DI system. It works nicely. Then the float goes up and blocks the water line, the auto shut off senses the increased pressure and closes the wast water off and stops the flow of water through the filter. HTH Let me know what you wind up doing.

 

[zmckenzie]

Do you plan on adding doors to your stand?

 

[Rhodes19]

Do you plan on adding doors to your stand?

LOL, yeah, some day. :worried: I was going to just make some plain wooden doors but I've been thinking about making frames and having my wife put a stained glass design in them (got that idea from some others here on RC). At night the fuge light can back light them. Well..... I better go with the wooden doors, it might be a while before I can get some stained glass work!!

 

[Rhodes19]

Well, I woke up to an aquarium temperature of 70 deg!!! I thought I had the heaters set for the correct temp but I guess not. This was the first morning the house temp dropped to 68 deg. I guess I'll be looking for a controller. I've seen a few reef controllers and they are about the same price or a little higher than the heater controllers alone I was looking at. I'm leaning toward the Reef Keeper Lite ($99) at the moment but if I find anything for sale for about the same price I may get it. Need some auto parts and repair first .

 

[Alaskan]

Just picked up on this build looks very cool will be starting my own 180 mixed reef next month when all the stuff gets here. I think I'm going to steal some of your stand ideas it looks very good and the wife likes the looks of it as well (Very Important).

 

[Rhodes19]

Just picked up on this build looks very cool will be starting my own 180 mixed reef next month when all the stuff gets here. I think I'm going to steal some of your stand ideas it looks very good and the wife likes the looks of it as well (Very Important).

Hi Alaskan, and welcome to RC. Feel free to steal as many of the ideas as you like, that's what I did, LOL. There are some great builds here and that's were I got my ideas. Also, its very important to keep the wife happy. Mine said that as long as it looks like furniture, she would be happy with it. I let her pick the stain. Good luck and let me know how you progress. I would love to see some pictures when you get it done.

 

[Rhodes19]

Oh, I am so brain dead!!! I moved my diamond sifter goby from my QT into my DT and forgot to take a picture of him. I also had to fish out, more like flush out, the 6 line wrasse last night because he got into the overflow box again!!! (3rd time). After I got him out of the sump (swam into the bubble trap and decided to hang out there), I cut some left over plastic gutter guard material, placed it over the notches where the returns would occupy, and used a zip tie to hold it in place. I meant to get pictures of that too and forgot. Like I said, brain dead. I'll get some pics over the weekend.

 

[MarineGirl411]

Can't wait for the pictures! I had a jawfish that jumped into my overflow. He made it all the way downstairs to my sump. I looked for him for an entire month! Finally one night, I went downstairs to top off the water, and he jumped in midair when he saw me! It was a last ditch effort. He was completely emaciated. Poor little guy. Now he is in my BioCube and really fat! Those dang fish. He survived for an entire month without any direct feeding. Gotta love them though. :bounce2:

 

[Rhodes19]

Can't wait for the pictures! I had a jawfish that jumped into my overflow. He made it all the way downstairs to my sump. I looked for him for an entire month! Finally one night, I went downstairs to top off the water, and he jumped in midair when he saw me! It was a last ditch effort. He was completely emaciated. Poor little guy. Now he is in my BioCube and really fat! Those dang fish. He survived for an entire month without any direct feeding. Gotta love them though. :bounce2:

Now that's a fish!!! I've been thinking of getting a jawfish or 2 but not sure which one to get. $$$ will probably be the determing factor.

 

[Rhodes19]

Well, its time for me to step up and join the skimmer club. I ordered a skimmer for my 180 and should have it soon. Its a SWC 200 Xtreme
Skimmers from GREENSKIMMER.COM Mark was excellent to work with and I'm looking forward to getting it in my tank. I think that's really going to make a big difference in my water quality. This will work well too if I go zeovite.

 

[MarineGirl411]

He/She is just a pearly headed jawfish. Could not afford the spotted. Or, I could not justify spending that much. I also hear that they are not meant for high temperatures.

You know what is funny? I just picked up an SWC 250A skimmer. LOL. Great minds think alike eh? :lolspin:

 

[60G]

cool tank

 

[Rhodes19]

He/She is just a pearly headed jawfish. Could not afford the spotted. Or, I could not justify spending that much. I also hear that they are not meant for high temperatures.

You know what is funny? I just picked up an SWC 250A skimmer. LOL. Great minds think alike eh? :lolspin:

I'll have to check out the pearly headed jawfish. I like the spotted jawfish but the $$$ is more than I want to spend on one at the moment. Maybe when the economy gets better. I hear they like to jump too.

I've heard a lot of good things about the SWCs and can't wait to get it. I've been fighting gha and cyano with bigger water changes. I got some cheato and it has been growing but it doesn't seem to put a dent in the nitrates.

Great minds? Thank you. I've been told I have a sick one myself.

 

[Rhodes19]

cool tank

Hi 60G, thanks. It's a slow build but its been fun.

 

[MarineGirl411]

I also am battling cyano and nitrates. I started to dose vodka. Hopefully the skimmer will help as well. I would have loved a cone, but they are really expensive. :hmm3: