RocketEngineer's 75g/125g Setup

[RocketEngineer]

RocketEngineer, nice build...................... you ever thought of getting a lawnmower blenny along with maybe a yellow tang? I have one of each and they keep my algae in check. I also have a sailfin tang, 2 blue hippo's and a powder brown. Mine was allot worse than yours cause it was literally growing all over my rocks onto my zoas, mushrooms and LPS, so i ended up running ROWAphos along with regular water changes and it went in less than a mth with just small patches here and there. The Tang clan devours all algae in my tank. More snails will also help.

Right now, I'm hesitant to add another fish. However, adding more snails and running GFO are definitely two good options I will implement shortly. "Nothing good happens fast" so I'm going to take my time and get things back under control gradually.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Made a visit today to a local reefer who had some equipment for sale. Picked up a DC8 that matches my old AC3 Pro, a second socket extension that I can use when I get the LEDs online, and a Mag-Drive 7 that I can use as the return pump for the 125g. It never hurts to look around, you never know who has stuff they are willing to sell.

 

[iwishtofish]

Made a visit today to a local reefer who had some equipment for sale. Picked up a DC8 that matches my old AC3 Pro, a second socket extension that I can use when I get the LEDs online, and a Mag-Drive 7 that I can use as the return pump for the 125g. It never hurts to look around, you never know who has stuff they are willing to sell.

So true.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Today I decided to rework the rocks in the tank to improve flow through the rocks.

The Before:
FTS:

Left:

Center (a.k.a. the problem area):

Right:

 

[RocketEngineer]

Sorry for the cloudiness but the dust is still settling.

After:
FTS:

Left:

Center:

Right:

 

[RocketEngineer]

The results:
Left side openings:

This came about by moving some of the rock around and repositioning for bigger openings.

Center Openings:

By putting two smaller rocks on the base pieces, I was able to lift up the plate to give space under this shelf rock.

Right Pile Openings:

This pile was opened up by rearranging the rocks as well as pulling out the halimeda that was filling in the openings.

And now, some coral pictures:

Notice the new polyp peaking out from under the edge of the main group. This is the first coral I got and its so encrusted onto the rock it will take a hammer and chisel to get it off.

With everything stirred up, this Acan Lord decided to stick out some tentacles and see what it can grab.

 

[RocketEngineer]

And the fish:

The jawfish:

Tomini Tang:

The pair of clown fish:

Six Line Wrasse:

Citron goby sitting on the brain coral:

I would say the six line was trying to steal the spotlight.....

And before the work was rearranged I snapped one that has the whole gang in one shot:

Overall, I am happy with the results. Oh, and the other reason for all the pics is a new camera.......Had to try it out on the hardest thing I normally do, take pics of the tank.

RocketEngineer

 

[xris]

can't wait to see how it turns out after the upgrade.

 

[RocketEngineer]

can't wait to see how it turns out after the upgrade.

Thanks,

I look at this hobby as a learning experience for me. While I'm an engineer, what I work with everyday is metal and plastic. This hobby has shown me some gaps in my experience such as plumbing/flow and the effects that biology have on things. When I bought this house, I had a 30g tank that had been a FW but which I turned into a SW setup. It had a DIY overflow with a 10g sump and it taught me a lot about what it took to run a FOWLR setup. That setup ran for 2-1/2 years before I moved it into the 75g setup. If things pan out, the 125g will be set up about 2-1/2 years after the 75g first saw water. While that may look like a trend, consider that going beyond the 125g will involve buying a new house and that's not in the cards for the foreseeable future.

 

[iwishtofish]

Big improvement, IMO, with the rockwork. Looks like you did some manual algae removal, as well.

I love your fish, and the new camera takes geat pictures of them.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Big improvement, IMO, with the rockwork. Looks like you did some manual algae removal, as well.

I love your fish, and the new camera takes geat pictures of them.

Yeah, I got radical on the algae both the hair and the halimeda. Next step is to get some GFO to knock it back further, but that's still in the mail.

Having the new camera makes a world of difference. Even at just the auto settings it snaps pics I never could have gotten with the old one. Point in case:

Now that's an action shot if I ever saw one.

RocketEngineer

 

[iwishtofish]

Haha, that's a pretty neat picture. Makes me wonder if those two get along?

 

[RocketEngineer]

Actually, I think it was me moving outside the tank that spooked the jawfish. It is one of the more paranoid fish out there. It never leaves the vicinity of its burrow except when going after food. Even then, it will dive back in once it has grabbed what it was after.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Let me preface this by saying that Ecotech Marine has some of the best customer service out there. However, the Velcro they supply with their controller is not to be trusted........

I came home one night and noticed that one of the powerheads wasn't working. I looked under the tank to find that the controller had taken a swim. Now, it wasn't directly above the sump but instead it was above the wires for ATO. Needless to say, when the wires coming out of the bottom hit the wires for the ATO, the controller was above the lip of the sump and into the drink it went. Now, I know this is pretty much my fault but I called Ecotech to warn them about the Velcro. During that discussion, the individual on the phone offered to send me a "refurbished" controller that had been removed from a return where the motor wasn't working. In other words there wasn't anything wrong with it, the dry side was bad but the computer was good. Long story short, I connected the new controller and its worked perfectly since.

Now, this engineer was NOT going to mount the controller via something as unreliable as stick-on Velcro. So tonight I built a pair aluminum brackets and mounted them plus a screwed-in wire tie mount and the controllers aren't going anywhere.

Empty bracket:

Left Controller:

Right Controller:

When I upgrade to the 125g, I will be buying two MP40s. Those controllers will mount under these using the same mount (or an improved version) to make sure they stay where I put them.

Lesson Learned.
RocketEngineer

 

[iwishtofish]

Yes, that is staying put. Good customer service is everything, too, isn't it?

 

[RocketEngineer]

Yes, that is staying put. Good customer service is everything, too, isn't it?

I would prefer something with a more finished look. I'm surprised Ecotech hasn't come up with a bracket for these already. They already get the cases molded, why not a simple mounting bracket that folks can screw in place.... Heck, even a loop at the top that can go over a screw would make sure they never fell.

I always crack up when I hear folks talk about bad customer service. Half the time I wonder if the person writing it came off as a jerk and got a bad response because of their own words, not the person taking the call. Being an engineer, I tend to offer suggestions to fix the problem rather than just spout off about a bad product. In the end, you catch more bees with honey than vinegar.

RocketEngineer

 

[RocketEngineer]

Last night I was checking out the tank with a flashlight. Its amazing how much corals change when the lights go out. While its neatto see, getting a decent picture is a challenge. The brain coral proved to be the most photogenic:

RocketEngineer

 

[iwishtofish]

In the end, you catch more bees with honey than vinegar.

RocketEngineer

This same logic can often be applied fruitfully when one is pulled over for a minor traffic infraction.

Last night I was checking out the tank with a flashlight. Its amazing how much corals change when the lights go out. While its neatto see, getting a decent picture is a challenge. The brain coral proved to be the most photogenic:

RocketEngineer

That's a great picture! I can only see my favia's tentacles through contrast when looking directly through my tank, after lights out.

 

[RocketEngineer]

The only time I have gotten pulled over was while lost on the back roads of NJ. I didn't realize it was only a 2-way stop and cut across too close for comfort. The officer was nice enough to give me directions and let me off with a warning. You really don't get anywhere by arguing with the cops.

I'm still playing with the settings on the camera. Hopefully I can find some that really show the corals at night but its difficult with the high contrast from light to dark. Folks may say that corals only need light to survive but looking at a tank at night with all the tentacles out in the water, you can see how the corals use every energy source they can get.

 

[iwishtofish]

I was in your neck of the woods yesterday, along with others from my local club. We all went to Dr. Mac's, and it was even better than the last time I was there (maybe 4 years ago)!

I though their 6 display tanks were amazing. I now get the impression that only a fraction of their stock is listed on their website at any given time, even though we were told that 90% of their transactions occur online.

Anyhow, I ended up coming home with a good-sized maxima. It's pretty neat. Will you keep one or more of those in your new tank?