Setting up a 180

[muelpaul]

Other notes:

I would also use 1/2" pvc plumbing instead of 3/4", cheaper fittings and easier to find. Flow would be plenty with 1/2" and it's what most reactors are made with anyway.

Quietone 1200 pump, I am happy with the choice so far. Could have gone with a Ehiem but again more expensive.

I would also have liked to find a better fitting for the PH probe, like a self sealing type so I can take the probe out without having to drain the reactor. Not sure if there is such a thing but it would be a big help.

I have been thinking of trying another one, maybe a little taller and wider....well see.

The cost of weldon #40 is a bit much but I have plenty left of both #16 and #40 to complete another reactor.

 

[NanoGurl]

Okay... not only is your tank BIGGER then mine... now you're SMARTER then I am! Not cool!!!!

 

[erics3000]

Nice..Thanks for the pics. I will definetly go with the 1/4 for the tube. Thanks for sharing your lesson you might have saved someone money down the line, including me. How tall of a chamber would you go for a 430 gallon? What do you think about nylon nuts? Good idea about probe. Where does your probe go?

 

[muelpaul]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10243103#post10243103 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NanoGurl
Okay... not only is your tank BIGGER then mine... now you're SMARTER then I am! Not cool!!!!

:wavehand: :dance: :lolspin: :lmao: :bounce1: :bounce3: :bounce2:

Just kidding NG I am not smarter but my tank is sure bigger:lol:

 

[muelpaul]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10243921#post10243921 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by erics3000
Nice..Thanks for the pics. I will definetly go with the 1/4 for the tube. Thanks for sharing your lesson you might have saved someone money down the line, including me. How tall of a chamber would you go for a 430 gallon? What do you think about nylon nuts? Good idea about probe. Where does your probe go?

Not sure about the size for that big of a tank, check this out
http://www.precisionmarine.com/html/rfca6.html

It says for up to 400 gallons.

I was worried about the nylon bolts stripping but I have a lifereef protein skimmer that has them and now I think they would work fine.

The ph probe goes in the clear PVC T fitting above the output of the pump.

You are very welcome erics3000

 

[erics3000]

Thanks for the info. How much is the media and how long does it last? Last question..I think..

 

[muelpaul]

No problem erics3000, I have been using my reactor since march in my 46 and then moved to the 180 about a month now. The reactor media has gone down about an inch in that time, however while in the 46 I had a quick drip through the output. With the 180 I have a steady stream through the output, with the ph controller holding between 6.9 to 7.0. As I add more stony corals I may have to lower the ph to 6.7 to 7.0 using more co2, but doing so degrades the media quicker. It's kind of a balance to find the sweet spot between output flow and co2 use.

I was hoping to get 6-8 months from the media and Co2, as it is going now it might last longer.

I purchased the A.r.m. media from foster and smith and my reactor could hold a little more than half the container. Quite cheaper than additives for sure.

 

[muelpaul]

Update pics

Just before feeding time tonight.

Full tank sot

blue tip acro growth 1

blue tip growth 2

 

[muelpaul]

blue tip acro growth 3

This is what broke off of very center of last Pic.

Plate coral, purchased yesterday at foster and smiths
coral conference " from a frag vender".

Time lapse of plate eating mysis shrimp.

 

[muelpaul]

And plate under actinics.

Sorry about acro pic 3. I thought it was clearer than that. It's
supposed to show the bottom encrusting to the rock.

 

[NanoGurl]

Great photos! That crab is too cool looking! Love the FTS. I really like the plate too... nice find! =)

 

[erics3000]

looking good..

 

[2farNorth]

Looking good!! Did you get any other additions from the swap this weekend?

 

[muelpaul]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10256567#post10256567 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NanoGurl
Great photos! That crab is too cool looking! Love the FTS. I really like the plate too... nice find! =)

Thanks much NG, the crab really is something else, it's been in the open more often than not lately, but never far from the BTA'S. The plate coral is impressive...I really did not know what it ate, I just fed the fish and some mysis drifted down by it and the pics show just what happened next

I was going to look up feeding requirements just after feeding the fish, it was a good surprise to see it eat right in front of me.

 

[muelpaul]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10257425#post10257425 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by erics3000
looking good..

Thank you erics3000!

 

[muelpaul]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10257524#post10257524 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 2farNorth
Looking good!! Did you get any other additions from the swap this weekend?

Thank you 2farNorth, though there were many zoos, sps, lps mushrooms and other soft corals, we only picked up the plate. My wife and I wanted a green open brain that a vender had also...but he had bought it from another vender for himself. Big bummer to, cause it looked great.

A person could create a great reef tank from purchasing numerous $5-$10 frags of zoos, sps and softies. But for my wife and I we were looking for corals that really stood out. The plate and open brain were the only corals we saw that we were interested in.

The frag venders are very proud of their frags and you can see by the way the frags look that they truly love reef keeping. Very nice people as well.

 

[muelpaul]

Has this happened to anyone else? My lawnmower blenny went missing for a day, I thought it might not be feeling well and went into hiding. Tonight at feeding time, I looked down toward the sump to check out the temp and there he was!
He wasn't frantic or too upset but I was horrified :eek2: I could not believe my eyes, how did he get there? I quickly got a net and he actually swam into it and back into the tank he went. Not even a scratch, but I think I know what happened...as soon as I put him back in the tank the PBT started chasing him around the tank and picking at him.
I have not seen this behavior from the PBT before and I am not sure of its reason for doing so. After about 10 minutes PBT and blenny settled down and blenny started eating leftovers on the sand bed.
Blenny must have jumped over an overflow while being chased and got sucked into the durso pipe and down the 1" drain pipe into the sump, a rough and swift ride it must have been.

I am so glad he went over the overflow and not over the tank wall, he was in the 46 from the beginning which had an open top and he never looked like a jumper. He didn't however have anyone picking on him at the time.

 

[2farNorth]

Wow!! That would be a wild ride!! I got plans to cover mine .... and now I think I will get on that!! Glad he's ok!

 

[NanoGurl]

Not sure but here is another theory. A Powder Brown like the Powder Blue can be really aggressive when adding anything new to the tank. By "re-adding" the fish back into the system, the PBT could have thought it was something new being put into his territory and they were battling out their dominance.. which could be why after a few minutes he left him alone. Your PBT will probably do this to anything added to the tank. But it could have been your fish trying to get away from him.. just something else to consider. That would also explain why you have not seen this behavior before.. since you haven't added anything into his territory before?

I am glad he is okay though! We had a clown fish that would constantly jump into the MegaFlow box. It was our game. Every day he would jump in and when I noticed I would shut down the pumps and fish him out (no pun intended!).

Yea, you can feed your plate every week if you want. We feed ours for sure. You will see it swell and inflate and even move it does a lot of neat stuff. Very cool corals =)

 

[muelpaul]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10262197#post10262197 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 2farNorth
Wow!! That would be a wild ride!! I got plans to cover mine .... and now I think I will get on that!! Glad he's ok!

Thanks 2farNorth, so far blenny has been back to normal and seems to be staying away from the top of the tank.

It's a good idea to place something over the top, if I wasn't so stubborn I would place something over the top too.