ZM's 200g build

[zoomonster]

This rehash is really for my benefit to map out what I have and need to get.

Tank: DSA 200 w/black back, center overflow, 3 X 1" drains, 2 x 3/4 returns
Stand: DSA Black with PVC liner
Sump/Refugium: Precison Marine R36+
Lighting: TBD
Return Pump: Waveline DC6000 Internal/External Pump w/Controller
Heaters: 2x300w Eheim Jager
Skimmer: Super Reef Octopus XP3000int w/ Bubbleblaster HY-3000s
Reactor: BRS GFO & Carbon Reactor "“ Dual with MJ1200 Pump
Calcium Reactor: GEO 624, Caribsea ARM Coarse media, AquariumPlants electronic regulator and 10g tank.
Calcium Reactor: Nextreef ML1 inline for effluent with Caribsea ARM Coarse media
Controller: Neptune Systems Apex Gold, with added PM1, temp and lab grade PH. NS Magnetic probe holder.
Powerheads: TBD
RO/DI: BRS 5 Stage Water Saver PLUS RO/DI System - 150GPD. Auto shutoff kit with pressure valve.
ATO: Tunze Osmolator Universal 3155 Auto Top Off.
Chiller : N/A at this time
Plumbing: Spears 1" backflow valve w/ unions for return.
Ground: 2 x Titanium ground rods
Misc : Carbon, GFO, Salt, ARM media, test kits, refractometer.

Need to get:
Main lights
Refugium light
Powerheads/wavemaker
PVC pipe and fittings
Sand
More rock
2 x 55g plastic drums for RO/DI and premade saltwater.
5-7g container for ATO

Calcium reactor feed. BRS threw in a Cobalt MJ600 but I'm undecided if I'll use it or the MJ1200 that came with the media reactor. I may plumb it all and run off the return pump. I'm thinking if I do that may exchange the DC6000 for next size up. That came from Salty Supply which is close by.

BTW with the additional order from BRS yesterday running total is up to ~6600.

 

[zoomonster]

I was rummaging through some old pics and decided to throw one up from one of my old tanks. Don't quite remember where/when but I lost 100's of my ricordia, zoo and other pics.

Anyway all the hardware is getting boring... this is the endgame and what its all about. Out of everything I gave away or sold I miss these guys. These were a mated pair of true Percula and my favorite rose anemome. I think I had 4-5 left in that tank. The original I bought probably produced 20+ in a matter of a couple years under halides and VHO actinic.

 

[CaptAndrew]

Looks like we're doing some similar build work. I'll be tagging along. You can see my build at http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2328299

 

[zoomonster]

Well finally got a confirm on the tank. Apparently Hagen got it messed up and it had to be reordered as a custom (DSA thankfully intervened). So as it stands now estimated delivery time is at the 3-4 week time frame. I expected worse so I can live with that (even if I am chomping at the bit :worried2. Sunbrite 72" F series V3 are supposed to be available in that time frame also. If the lights don't work out then I'll have to look at other alternatives. Got my fingers crossed Hagen can get the tank here the first time around in one piece and undamaged.

 

[zoomonster]

Well my good buddy Mr. UPS showed up today with more toys. I got the stuff from salty and my sump showed up unexpectedly from Precision Marine. I'll say one thing about this hobby today... the quality of goods is dramatically improved from a lot of what I've had in the past. The quality of what I got today is exceptional, particularly the sump.

Sump was very well packed it took some effort to unpack it w/o a huge mess of peanuts. Funny thing is the wife asked if that was the aquarium... "not quite dear" lol. Of course my first act was making sure the skimmer fit. Any larger skimmer and it would have been a problem but the xp3000 worked out well and slid right in. The tradeoff with this unit is it is missing a few things I would have preferred like black walls in refugium and a top especially over the refugium area. No matter a few mods and it will be good. I would prefer whatever light I use for the fuge not having an opportunity to fall in. A return pipe support and integrated probe holder would have been nice too but that's covered with the Neptune holder. Not really faults per se as I knew these items were not there when I bought it.

The Nextreef ML1 is pretty nice as well. The one criticism I have is the hanging bracket. For whatever reason they made the four mounting holes the same size as the top screws and threaded. That seems to interfere with securely mounting the top. I may just drill out the threads so the screws slide through. Then again I'm not set on using it anyway.

The Waveline DC6000 I'm not opening yet. I may take a ride and exchange that for the next size.

Other than that the Neptune probe holder is also nice looking and exceptional quality and the ground probe is well... a ground probe

 

[zoomonster]

 

[ntrlsur]

Why are you thinking of trading in the DC6000? You don't think it would have enough flow for you? Its supposed to flow 1500gph which should give you 5x times the turn over in the tank per hour.

 

[Reefsi]

What made you bump up the Calcium reactor to a 624? A 618 should be more than enough with LPS and softies, really a little overkill, but that is personal preference. Looking good so far.

 

[zoomonster]

What made you bump up the Calcium reactor to a 624? A 618 should be more than enough with LPS and softies, really a little overkill, but that is personal preference. Looking good so far.

If I said that must have been a typo somewhere. I had ordered a 618 and got a 418 and waiting on replacement shipment of 618. Regardless of tank makeup I have always run high calcium levels and I will likely do some SPS this time around so it should be good. If it maintains calcium, alk and strontium I'll be happy. Goal is few to no dosers. If I can find some dolomite I will add that to the reactor also for magnesium and play those levels by ear. Maybe iodine and vitamin/trace for fish and corals by hand weekly.

 

[zoomonster]

Why are you thinking of trading in the DC6000? You don't think it would have enough flow for you? Its supposed to flow 1500gph which should give you 5x times the turn over in the tank per hour.

That's not decided yet... I need to sit down and do the math and figure what else I want to do with it. That thought came up when I was thinking other than skimmer pump I only want a return pump in sump. That means I need flow for carbon/gfo reactor and a minimal amount for the calcium reactor and possibly a spare for anything else I might want to do plus head loss. Just would, at the moment, like to get rid of the two prone to failure MJ600/1200 powerheads. Not just that brand but any traditional powerhead. Plus being that I finally broke from my old school mentality of fixed flow AC pumps I have the luxury of adjustable flow leaving me room for expansion and I like the idea of having a pump I don't have to run at full power. The DC6000 may be fine just need to think it out. It's also a 1" pipe that will feed two 3/4" returns although I may adapt the pump up to larger pipe.

 

[zoomonster]

BTW I'm usually pretty particular about equipment and only occasionally stray and that's what I did on powerheads/wavemaker. I went ahead and took a chance on the Jebao FS14000 (new wp40) twins controller package. That's two heads, power supply, controller, extension cable and spare night sensor for $188 including shipping from Hong Kong. Fairly simple mod to use them with the Apex but that's not really a priority to start. If the rumor is true now's a good time to buy before Neptune snatches them up, rebrands them and charges 2x+ as much for them when they expand into wavemakers. I thought about this a long time and think its worth a shot. If they work out that's a lot of money saved vs. the other options that will go towards more livestock.

 

[zoomonster]

Fish

Fish

I was giving some thought to the future fish population. While certainly a few months down the road I always plan things out at least in the rough and this is really a blog to me. When it comes to fish I'm pretty predictable in certain fish I will always have, a lot of which are pretty common. Add to that I like smaller fish (lots of them) and seldom keep anything larger than maybe a tang. To me the benefit is being able to keep more fish and more variety for a given tank size while still supporting corals and rock. This will be a startup tank and will have to cycle but a lesson learned a long time ago is don't buy cycle fish you don't want to maybe end up surviving (especially short cycling). I've had nuisance damsels survive that literally stayed until the tank was taken down. That being said probably the only fish I will use when the tank seems ok is green chromis as the proverbial canary in the coal mine. They add some green to the tank and are an entertaining schooling fish. Now that I have more real estate and a better system overall I can expand on my usual population. There's only a couple here I have not had and kept together before. I certainly won't end up with everything but this is my general shopping list.

I've always had success and love dwarf angels. Best results have always been had by buying smalls-medium and introducing most to the tank at the same time although I've also had good luck with later additions. Properly fed never really had an issue with damaging coral or clams other than an occasional nip. Out of all these the flame back pygmy has always been the most aggressive to newcomers.
--For sure
Flame angel
Flame back pygmy angel
Coral beauty (Assuming I find a specimen I like. They tend to vary a lot)
Hawaiian potters angel
Eibli angel
--possibilities
Golden angel
Half black or black angel
Hawiian lemonpeel angel
Multicolor angel - never had one but want one.

I've kept a variety of basslets/dottybacks and there will probably be more but these are a couple of my favorites I'll have at minimum.
Purple pseudo
Royal gramma
Springeri Dottyback

Tangs I have never really been obcessed with but I usually keep at least 1 of (I've sold a few when they got too big).
Yellow tang
Hippo tang

I will likely add a few more clowns but at min will have these. I tend to avoid the more aggressive clowns (tomato, skunks, sebae etc) although I've had them all at one point or another. Maybe a maroon or maybe a pair of anyone of the designer perculas. The blacks would be nice. As in the past I only really plan on having Indo rose anemones and possibly a carpet if I find one I like.
True Percula Clown pair

Wrasses are kind of up in the air too but I always have at minimum these. A few flashers and fairies that catch my eye will probably get added later.
Blue cleaner wrasse
Six line wrasse

Gobys/blennies are for later. Once tank is well established with ample pod populations I will at least have.
Green mandarin
Ruby red dragonet - another never had but want
Lawnmower blenny if and when needed

Anthias have always been some of my favorites but will likely get added a little further down the road. I've kept a variety over the years and this will be my schooling fish which could be any of
Evansi
Dispar
Lyretail
Bartletts
Purple queen

I've never really been too interested in butterflys. The only ones I ever liked/tried were copperbands years ago w/o a lot of luck.

Maybe some misc. fish I have kept before
Longnose hawk
Blue Chromis

 

[zoomonster]

Mistake

Mistake

Well UPS showed up with the CarbonDoser CO2 reg and tank and the misc stuff from BRS including the additional PM1 + probes, heaters, check valve and RO/DI shutoff kit. Short of powerheads and tank arriving that should be about it other than picking up lights.

The 2 Eheim Jager 300 watt heaters will probably go back to BRS. Hadn't really considered just how long these really were (and most sites don't say). So long they won't fit anywhere in the fairly large sump I have and I really don't want them in tank if I can help it although maybe one. Forgot to measure before reboxing but box is 22" so heater is probably 21". Anyone had experience with the Catalina dual titanium and controller setup? That might be an option.

I really like the CO2 setup (so much simpler than traditional valve) and the tanks pretty nice. Glad I got the 10# tank which is mostly just fatter than the 5# (and it was less than 5's at most places). The less frequent the refills the better with not a lot of gas places close by, at least that I have found so far. Only comment would be the extension on the valve is not quite long enough to mount the valve completely vertical.

 

[zoomonster]

Chomp chomp chomp

Chomp chomp chomp

Tank just can't get here soon enough. Too much stuff I want now and reefapaloza is in Orlando next weekend. That's going be a painful trip but maybe I can pickup some misc. hard goods and make some contacts.

I've been going back and forth on lights and I spent a good deal of time during the past week researching. Looks like I'm going to open the wallet a little wider and go with three hydra 52's and mounts. I've pretty much eliminated everything else I had considered (for various reasons) including Sunbright and Maxspect razor. Hydra 52 is just hard to beat for price/performance and full Apex compatibility. If I understand correctly w/o buying the remote, cables or AI director I can control all via the Apex AWM. Speaking of network I will probably connect the Apex to my network via a Netgear wireless extender I have sitting around. All said and done I will have full control from my primary computer and eventually a tablet and/or phone via fusion. Well phone maybe later... not feeling the love for my Nokia Lumia 920 Windows phone but its near upgrade time anyway.

With three lights, three extensions, three ext tank mounts and a Apex AWM module that adds up to $2,222. Of course being MAP items the price adds up the same wherever you buy them so I guess BRS gets the nod with no tax, no shipping and of course points. But if I get impatient I could go salty-supply for next day delivery or same day pickup and eat the 6% sales tax.

The catch is I'm waiting until tank arrives to order. 1) I want to make sure the tank that arrives actually has two cross bars. 2) Need to make sure the back of stand is suitable for mounting the EXT tank mounts. The real catch is when the tank is delivered and set in place whether it will be movable for back access. Its all sitting on a mixed 20x20/10x20/10x10 textured tile floor but being glass its pretty damn heavy even empty.

Plus who knows I might see some other mounting options at the show next weekend. Reefkoi also makes an interesting 72" $219 mount for AI and Radion which is still a possibility and does not require drilling tank stand. Need to see more on that before deciding though.

 

[Lilmatty5dimes]

awesome build can't wait to see it.

 

[zoomonster]

Thanks... Yes its getting time to put my mouth where my money is and actually build the system lol. While certainly building a tank is no small expense and effort the real task is ahead. Starting the tank, aquascaping it, stocking it and waiting for the garden to grow.

 

[zoomonster]

If anyone has not read this thread it is a must read http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2019225&highlight=sfiligoi

Aside from an awesome thread with stunning pictures and video it has a wealth of information and experience particularly with lighting. Actually that thread makes me not feel quite so crazy when it comes to lighting. Up to the point I departed the hobby I had used just about everything and my primary lighting was MH/VHO. That thread pretty much continues where I left off and he has been through the whole gamut of lighting options/issues and in the end he's another that's falling back to metal halide.

Good thing I'm not a politician or I would be accused of flip flopping on issues :bigeyes:. Needless to say between that thread and some other reading I'm as undecided as ever and rethinking lighting again. If I do LED it will still likely be Hydra 52 but I'm seriously reconsidering MH/T5. Various reading, including that thread, did not shed great light on the hybrid LED/T5 fixtures either (pacsun, ATI etc.). It just seems any reef light w/o the presence of MH is settling for something less in terms of growth and proper coloration. So time will tell... when I actually post a picture of a light on my tank you will know for sure where I landed (well at least that day anyway :crazy1

Just got tracking for the Jebao powerheads. That was actually quicker than expected since I still got the 10% off preorder deal. The replacement calcium reactor is supposed to be here today too.

 

[dave.m]

Here's a recent article on what it takes to design a modern LED fixture (remember, the technology is still relatively recent and things are constantly in motion). It will give you an idea of what to look for in a LED fixture and what sort of shortcuts the cheaper models take to shortchange you.

Here's another article that will help you understand why you don't want red LEDs in your fixture.

Dave.M

 

[Upstate GTI]

That's not decided yet... I need to sit down and do the math and figure what else I want to do with it. That thought came up when I was thinking other than skimmer pump I only want a return pump in sump. That means I need flow for carbon/gfo reactor and a minimal amount for the calcium reactor and possibly a spare for anything else I might want to do plus head loss. Just would, at the moment, like to get rid of the two prone to failure MJ600/1200 powerheads. Not just that brand but any traditional powerhead. Plus being that I finally broke from my old school mentality of fixed flow AC pumps I have the luxury of adjustable flow leaving me room for expansion and I like the idea of having a pump I don't have to run at full power. The DC6000 may be fine just need to think it out. It's also a 1" pipe that will feed two 3/4" returns although I may adapt the pump up to larger pipe.

You might want to look into the Waveline 10kII or the 12k. I have the six on my 110. It may just be that I have a bit more head than you are going to have because of restrictions and height but I am running mine at 8/10ths right now and probably could go up a notch. Toying with changing my plumbing a bit to see if I get more flow.

 

[zoomonster]

The correct CR618 calcium reactor did arrive today and I just got through putting it together. They sent the Eheim 600 again instead of the 1048 but I guess that was a manufacturer change for the better. This pump just attaches to base with 4 plastic screws and no need for base removal etc. as in 1048 directions. I really like the pump solidly mounted to the base vs. the CR418 where it just sits there unattached. Pretty simple assembly but you would think the manufacturer could bother to include a one page quick setup in package. The directions on Geosreef are pretty lacking as well. Overall pretty impressed with the build quality of the unit but time will tell when it gets put to use. They do include two pieces of black vinyl air line and a small inline valve for effluent. If one piece is enough then I'll use the second section for CO2. If not I'll need to get some more CO2 rated tubing. Also nice is they provide the feed line along with a step down and hose section to attach to the feed pump. I'll be interested to see how well that probe holder (black fitting on top) works out. Maybe its just me but looks prone to leaking. Probably the only change I will make is adding a small clamp to where the line attaches to the effluent output. Probably not absolutely necessary but that is a pressure line and I prefer to avoid leaks and mishaps. One plus to this house is the floors are all tile except carpet in master and hardwood in dining. Makes for easier cleanup and little to no damage if something does occur.