Sonny's Rimless Shallow Reef.

[SunnyX]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15343897#post15343897 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CeeGee
Your tank doesn't look anywhere near as good as you do!







Just kidding Sunny! Man I crack myself up sometimes!

The tank looks awesome although it looks like it is going to be time to find that blue tank a new home soon.

Does your head hit the ceiling in there? I know you are a tall guy.

Thanks :lol:

I am in the planning phases of a larger tank. I seen Todd from www.Cherrycorals.com yesterday and found out that Miracles actually can build a tank on site. This is great as my biggest worry was getting a large tank into the basement.

Here is a link to Todd's tank: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1659101

He is experimenting with plasma lighting right now. From what he has told me two of these should have no problem lighting an 8' tank!

Oh, and check out his website while you're at it. You wont find hotter corals out there than at www.Cherrycorals.com . :thumbsup:

 

[SunnyX]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15344424#post15344424 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dave's Reef
Sonny, how do you like the Vortechs compared to the Tunze's? Have you ever used a Tunze wavebox and if so how does the Vortech perform in comparison? I'm debating on which route to go between the two so, I'd love to get your input/experience.

Thanks

By the way, as usual your tank and now your man-cave look great!

Thanks!

I really like the flow the Vortechs have given me. Tunzes are great too but the Vortechs just move so much more water.

I have never used a wave box but I am sure you could create similar motion with a Vortech on pulse mode.

The best way I could describe it is the Tunze pushes out a stream of water while the Vortech pushes the ENTIRE volume of water.

They are both great pumps so you can go wrong with either. :thumbsup:

 

[Tobit]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15344281#post15344281 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Bill14
Not to be picky, but any chance we can see the frag tank?

+1 :smokin:

 

[SunnyX]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15344562#post15344562 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 143gadgets
The tank looks amazing bro! I'm inspired to put the extra effort in my system now. I've been down the last couple weeks and this was the kick I needed to get jump started again.

Awesome! I cant wait to see what you get going again. We all go through those down periods and any motivation we can receive from outside sources is always great.

Bill14 : I will clean up the glass in the frag tank get a pic up for you.

 

[SunnyX]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15344977#post15344977 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jbanks
Way to go Brother! The pics are awesome and inspiring as usual. Love the mancave too.. Every man should have one :lol: Why is it that all us big guys are such hams?? :lol: I'll tell you.. The similarities are piling up! Now if I could just mimic that Tank! Question... How does your Sohal get along with your other tangs and how do the two yellows get along?

Thanks! Yeah, we need our man-caves! A place where we can get away and watch the game or regulate chumps on my xbox 360. :lol:

The Sohal is getting more and more aggressive. He does not get along well with the yellow tangs. I may have to give him away if I dont get a larger tank by the end of the year.

 

[SunnyX]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15345649#post15345649 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ct_vol
Sonny~ Great pics... Thanks for sharing...

Were your XM 10K's SE or DE???

Thanks!

The XM 10k's were run on M58 ballasts and were SE. JBNY ran the same combo as well on his old 180gl and they looked amazing.

With supplemental blue bulbs they are really hard to beat.

 

[kfick]

Sonny, you were totally right about the dangers of not running a skimmer with a bacteria driven system!

I cleaned my ATB this weekend and it was only out out for a few hours while it got a vinegar bath, but you can certainly see my pH going in the toilet! At least the pH hopped right back up after being on for a bit. The ORP graph is also interesting. You can see I dose vodka/MB7 twice a day.

I hope you don't mind me posting a pic here, but it defnately proves your point!

 

[SunnyX]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15345681#post15345681 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by platax88
Hey Sunny,

Would you recommend continuing the use of UV while dosing vodka/MB7?I currently shut mine down for 4 hour after addition as suggested on the MB7 bottle but want to make sure there is no conflict with the vodka.

Stop all UV and or Ozone when running a bacteria system. The UV can and will kill off and interfere with the bacteria you are trying to cultivate.

Trust me, the MB7/Vodka combo will do more for your tank then UV ever will. :thumbsup:

 

[SunnyX]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15346020#post15346020 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kfick
Sonny, you were totally right about the dangers of not running a skimmer with a bacteria driven system!

I cleaned my ATB this weekend and it was only out out for a few hours while it got a vinegar bath, but you can certainly see my pH going in the toilet! At least the pH hopped right back up after being on for a bit. The ORP graph is also interesting. You can see I dose vodka/MB7 twice a day.

I hope you don't mind me posting a pic here, but it defnately proves your point!

:eek1: Your Ph took a nose dive!

Thanks for posting these charts. It is imperative that all who decide to go with a bacteria driven system run a strong skimmer.

Thanks again for the detailed charts as I am sure it will aid many reefers here. :thumbsup:

 

[jackson6745]

Sonny I love the colors you're getting with the T5's. Well done bro!

 

[ct_vol]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15345998#post15345998 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SunnyX
The XM 10k's were run on M58 ballasts and were SE. JBNY ran the same combo as well on his old 180gl and they looked amazing.

With supplemental blue bulbs they are really hard to beat.

Thanks for the input... I'm debating between Ushio 10k's and XM 10K's... With T5 supplements of course...

 

[newsalt]

Do you shut down your skimmer after dosing MB7 like the bottle instructs?

 

[mcrist]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15346023#post15346023 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SunnyX
Stop all UV and or Ozone when running a bacteria system. The UV can and will kill off and interfere with the bacteria you are trying to cultivate.

Why do you recommend stopping ozone while dosing bacteria?

 

[CeeGee]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15347760#post15347760 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mcrist
Why do you recommend stopping ozone while dosing bacteria?

Maybe the part about the ozone killing all the bacteria you are trying to populate?

 

[mcrist]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15347957#post15347957 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CeeGee
Maybe the part about the ozone killing all the bacteria you are trying to populate?

If that were true then no system could ever run ozone because it would remove all beneficial bacteria. I might agree that it might remove any bacteria that makes it to the protein skimmer but wouldn't any functional skimmer also remove the bacteria?

 

[SunnyX]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15346396#post15346396 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ct_vol
Thanks for the input... I'm debating between Ushio 10k's and XM 10K's... With T5 supplements of course...

XM10k's crush the Ushio 10K's! The Ushios are much more yellow and dont give you the same pop or PAR that XM10K does.

Look at the chart below from Sanjay's lighting program:

The Ushio has less output and is in the 9K range, while the XM10K is in the 12K range with higher output. Both were tested on M58 ballasts

 

[SunnyX]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15346409#post15346409 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by newsalt
Do you shut down your skimmer after dosing MB7 like the bottle instructs?

I do not shut down my skimmer with MB7 as it can negatively affect the system PH as seen above in the charts posted by kfick

As far as I know, the new labels on MB7 now say that it is OK to leave the skimmer on.

 

[SunnyX]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15347760#post15347760 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mcrist
Why do you recommend stopping ozone while dosing bacteria?

Ozone and UV can reduce the populations of the bacteria we are trying to grow. They can also affect certain elements in you system when dosing bacteria and a carbon source.

I am not 100% sure of the consequences of running ozone in a bacteria/carbon driven system but Zeovit,Ultralith, and Prodibio all recommend that you not use ozone or UV.

 

[naz42]

Nitrates are now at zero from 20ppm after a week and a half of MB7. SO glad i found this thread!!!! PO4 is still kind of high .24, hopefully that drops. Cut back on fish feeding to every other day, its tough since ive been spoiling them for so long.

 

[rs1831]

Hello Sonny,

I've really enjoyed reading through your thread and I have couple of questions for you. I'm currently in the process of getting a larger tank and some new equipment. Would you go with a vortech 40 or a 20 for a 75 gallon tank that is going to be mostly sps? Also, I've decided to stay with halides for the time being and I am using phoenix 14k bulbs and I am curious what you would recommend for t5 supplementation? I am going to add 2 t5 bulbs. And my last question is I am going to be dosing vodka and bacteria and I am wondering if you think MSX160 would be a choice?

Thanks,
Roland