The journey of BOBS never ending SPS build

[bobssecrtsn]

Hey guys I decided to make a journal of my tank, this tank is a 42g cadlight VERSA series, it'll be homing all SPS corals, I got out of the game last year but i knew I was going to come back some day.

not much to give but we are about half way with the cycle!

i went with seaside aquatic 3.5 skimmer, 2 jebao rw8! i also got 2 more webcams. Apex Jr controller,

as for dosing I'm setting up the apex doser and AWC system as well keeping it relaxing as possible!

FTS


my apex fusion set up!


im still setting up the auto W/C as well is their new doser.

with my cabinet webcam just in case

 

[coral102]

Very nice and clean build!

BTW, are you using Apex ALD module? How come your Leak Detector Probe SWX4_2 is

CLOSED (Wet)?

 

[bobssecrtsn]

sw2 is my high float switch, if for some reason my sump water level increase and turns that float to open(high) (open is also the normal state if for some reason it loses connection) it'll turn off my return pump and send me an email and text message

 

[sahin]

Nice start. I'm sure I've followed your tanks before either here or on N-R.

 

[coral102]

sw2 is my high float switch, if for some reason my sump water level increase and turns that float to open(high) (open is also the normal state if for some reason it loses connection) it'll turn off my return pump and send me an email and text message

Thanks for your explanation mate!

 

[nashorn]

I like the way you have a live camera on apex
Was that easy to setup?
What cameras did you buy? Nice clear pic

 

[bobssecrtsn]

I like the way you have a live camera on apex
Was that easy to setup?
What cameras did you buy? Nice clear pic

if you know how to port forwarding and know how to do router and whatnot, its easy as pie. also there are some information here http://www.neptunesystems.com/downloads/docs/Comprehensive_Reference_Manual.pdf how to do it.

im using a dlink DCS932LB1. there are other cameras out there that has better quality. but more $$ i got mine on amazon 2 for 90 $. so that was a pretty good price!

 

[bobssecrtsn]

Update 5/12/15
I added BRS GFO in my reactor, 10 table spoons to start off! sad news is the chromis with the messed up eye didnt make it, but i did add some new members to the tank, designer clowns, 40 for a 1" pair(one is a it smaller then the other)! i love them to death, but the pair seems to be nipping at each other and the smaller one keeps running away, so I put the small one into a bottle until he does the sexy dance, but so far both clowns sleeps in the same location!




on to the corals, i purchased 4 frags for 70$ hawkins, SSC, red planet, and a pink lemonade on sunday ! I'm excited to see how they do in the tank as well i dipped with bayer 8 minutes, i wont be suprised if they loose the color!






as well. a package arrived today! the radion gen3 pro upgrade! i want to get the wide angle lens so it covers more, but time will tell!


I made my first purchase of test kits, Red sea ALK,CA,MG tests, i hope it will be here tomrow so I can begin testing!

FTS 5/12/15

 

[oldbones]

I love your rock work, can't wait to see more!

 

[sahin]

Where did you get such a good deal on the 4 acros??? :bounce3:

Tank is looking good man. :beer:

 

[Pife]

Your clowns are just working out who is going to be the female. They should be fine.

 

[bobssecrtsn]

thanks for your reply's! the SCC is really popping and but unfortunately it lost some color. due to dipping it with Bayer.

UPDATE 5/20/15 i will be out of town from thursday-monday. so the tank will go on cruise control and hopefully there wont be any mishaps.

i also got some new fish. I knew the big chromis was going to bully the smaller one so i took him out and traded him for some other fishes.

Female barlett anthias, Firefish, and carpenter's wrasse.

I'm almost done with my fish stockings, I'm looking for a mccosker wrasse, and a male anthias.

coming to conclusion i am not sure this skimmer is sufficient enough for this bioload, any thoughts? its kind of alike the bubble magus 3.5, but this one has a siccre pump, better performance I assume!

hopefully by next Monday I will be getting a ton of mariculture sps so time will tell!

FTS:

 

[reefmutt]

Looking good!
Nice set up.
I guess the description at the bottom of your posts is an old system?
I love that foursome of frags- all classic beauties and great price.
I'll be watching things take shape.
Why not leave the skimmer for a while and see how it does- your system is barely broken in..

 

[bobssecrtsn]

update 6/1/15

I havent updated in awhile, and alot of things happened!

Lets just put this here FTS June 1st


i got 10 new acros from Steve Garrett, on may 25th, so this will be my last batch of sps until RAP. my filefish is in QT at the LFS because it has a fungus on its lip.
1 garf bonsai
1 green slimer
4 different types of stag horns
1 rainbow millie
1 unknown tort
1 red millie
1 purple passion
and 2 freebies monti of some kind?










my wrasse is picking on my blue chromis non stop so i caught the chromis and put him in a bottle to see if the aggression stops,

as for ALK,CA the comsumption is off the charts, i was dosing 7-8 ml when I got my first batch of sps (4) now im at 24ml ALK and counting. my alk went from 7.2 to 6.9 in under 2 nights, i was lucky enough to catch it in time. CA on the other hand went from 4ml to 12 ML daily and rising !

as well as additives I am dosing Pohls Xtra and Coral Virtalizor!
no algae yet, i did have some brown algae on my rocks, so i purchased 2 turbo snails, my tank looks alot cleaner with them 2! since i banished all my hermits down to the sump for the time being.

as for the fish stockings, I am going to wait until the corals color back up, ATM they're already encrusting ! At least i am doing something right!


on the other hand my #2 outlet on my apex JR was acting strange, it kept disconnecting my internet browser when i log on, and while that has gotten resolved all my maintenance logs has gotten wiped clean. I guess i should have kept a back up log somewhere on hand.

 

[bobssecrtsn]

even though these sps lost colour, they are making a recovery from the dip and encrusting !
1 month ago

today


1 month ago

today

1 month ago

today

 

[Myka]

Nice start! Looks great for only a month in!

 

[sahin]

Lots of nice additions! :beer: Colours will come in time. Good to see the acros looking healthy.

Is that Hawkins a green colour or metallic blue in person? We dont have ORA stuff here in the UK, but I've been trying to source a Hawkins copy for many years..most of the ones I pickup are a green colour...never the metallic blue.

 

[bobssecrtsn]

Lots of nice additions! :beer: Colours will come in time. Good to see the acros looking healthy.

Is that Hawkins a green colour or metallic blue in person? We dont have ORA stuff here in the UK, but I've been trying to source a Hawkins copy for many years..most of the ones I pickup are a green colour...never the metallic blue.

Sorry for the late reply! the Hawkins is is a greenish blue colour, the new growth is blue, so maybe it needs different lighting to get that deep blue color.

 

[bobssecrtsn]

UPDATE: 6/18/2015



so much stuff has happened recently,
1. Jebao rw8, these are nice pumps for the money, but as a SPS fan I believe these pumps cant produce the correct flow ( variety range of flow). so i upgraded them and bought myself 2 MP40WES, anti sync mode and on reef crest. so far they've been on the tank for 1.5 weeks now and i see alot better p.e then before. I can also tell that detrius is getting picked up from the sand bed and between the rock work and getting sucked into the overflow now, rw8 has a narrow turbulance, not so wide, ( thats my idea of why its settling down the detruis)

2. I recently changed my schedule for my gen3 radions. I was getting good growth, but the colour wasnt there, even dosing AA and pohls extra did not get me anywhere. so i lowered the Red/Green/White when the intensity is about 40% ( I have the peak hours for 4 hours with intensity at 60%).

3. my biggest mistake: i thought my pinklemonade deserved more lighting, and more flow, so i decided to move him to the top of the rockwork. sadly to see it has lost all its colour and its brown now with NO P.E like before.. ( maybe expelling their zooxanthallae) thats the only thing i can really think of. I cant find any pest or any fish nipping at it. i wouldve thought if it was to much light it would bleach. but its the complete opposite. I have now moved it lower to the old location and keeping an eye on it.
before


after



4.my cheato has grown into a softball size now. (from a baseball size) and now its in need of some trimming. as for as coral growth, everything seems to be doing great besides the P.L.

as for fish list goes, i traded in the carptenter wrasse and got myself a royal gramma, did not change any aggression to the tank ( they are both really mean and picks on other fish) so im keeping the fish stock for now as:
Barlett Anthias Female
Royal Gramma
Hifin Goby
2 clowns

 

[cFloor]

Your tank is looking great! Very nice