Evolution of my 30g tall

[GrimReefer]

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/FTS.jpg

I'm going to track the changes that I'm making to my sumpless 30 gallon in this thread. I've decided to upgrade my lighting to a 250w HQI Sunpod, which should arrive within the next two weeks. With the new lighting, I'll be able to add some SPS!

Since winning TOTM, I've added a pair of Tunze Nanostreams. I love them.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00718.jpg


I recently ditched my Emperor HOB filter for a Fluval 405 canister. After realizing that the canister wasn't really accomplishing anything (and that it would probably end up being detrimental to the tank, since I wouldn't clean it often enough), I decided to ditch that too. I'm now Berlin style with only a skimmer. I've hidden my heater and grounding probe in my skimmer. I'll also be placing a small bag of carbon in there that I'll be changing every two weeks.

[GrimReefer]

today I added some more rock. I've also recently added a torch coral. placement of corals is temporary, as I'll move them to the lower rockwork when my light arrives. the topmost portion will be reserved for acropora.

I'm also planning on adding a tunze ozmolator for top-off with kalkwasser. I'm looking for a used system, but I'll buy new if I can't find one within the next few weeks.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00722.jpg

[X-Treme]

Just curious as to what skimmer you are using.

[GrimReefer]

Prizm Pro. it does not get hot reviews. i have no complaints, however.

[BCOrchidGuy]

I used to like my SeaClone so different strokes for different folks.

I really like your tank and the way you've decorated it, it's easy to see why you got the TOTM.

Doug

[GrimReefer]

thanks doug, i appreciate that.

I got my Tunze Osmolator top-off installed, and I received my Sunpod today!

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00745.jpg

i love the sunpod so far, the LEDs are beautiful. the LEDs on my lunar light were never bright enough to be seen with ambient light in the room. and the white LEDs allow for a more gradual light cycle.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00746.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00747.jpg

I modified the bracket on the Osmolator. I cut off the lower portion (about 7 inches!), and glued the sensors in a custom configuration (the osmolator uses an optical sensor for control, and a float sensor for backup). I also purchased a kalk reactor with this setup. I'll post a pic when I actually get kalk in it.


The next step is a Reefkeeper 2. It will monitor temperature and pH, control my heater, fans, and MH lamp based on temperature... run my lights on timers, and run my flow pumps on cycles. I'm stoked on this gadget, it looks awesome! I can't possibly think of another way to upgrade my equipment after this point (although i'm sure i'd be open to suggestions :P ). After I've got my temperature under safeguard, I'll start stocking my acros.

[Doug]

Looking good. As I await my 30,s drilling, your thread keeps me interested. :D I agree about the Osmolator. I think my friends has been running great for about 3 yrs. now, except for the pump replacement from being direct in kalk. Look forward to seeing the sps added.

[michika]

That looks really good!

[GrimReefer]

here's my kalk reactor in the top-off bucket.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00753.jpg

taking pics under the new halide is going to take some getting used to...but here's a few shots.

one of my more recent additions; zoas and protopalys. i really like this rock.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00769.jpg


elegance coral. the pic does not do it justice. it's one of the most fluorescent corals i've ever seen.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00756.jpg


http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00783.jpg


my reefkeeper 2 is in the mail. it might seem like just an expensive toy, but it's more for my peace of mind. after i got the sunpod, and before i had a fan, my temp went up 4 degrees in two hours. then the fan i had was too powerful and dropped my temp 8 degrees below normal. then i forgot to turn my fan back on the next day. a temperature controller is a definite necessity for my tank with the new lighting.

i'll probably post some more pics of the elegance coral under LEDs later tonight.

[demon666]

tank is looking great........ how does that little kalk reactor work?

[GrimReefer]

thank you. the kalk reactor is a complex piece of equipment (sarcasm). fresh water is pumped into the bottom where the kalk powder sits, and flows out near the top. it saves the pump from sitting in kalk, which shortens the life. and i can basically put as much kalk into the reactor and not worry about dosage or powder being pumped into the tank. as long as there's kalk in there, a saturated solution comes out.

[demon666]

kool a neat little peice of equipment

[GrimReefer]

it's nice...but way overpriced for how simple it is. kinda like most reactors....and skimmers...and most everything that's designed for reefs.

[GrimReefer]

i edited a full tank shot. the 14,000k halide really blues out the pics and i had to really up the saturation. more accurate than the last pic, but i still can't capture the true colors.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00780.jpg

[GrimReefer]

some more pics.

this is the FTS under LEDs (6 white, 6 blue).
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00789.jpg

this is under blue LEDs.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00799.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00809.jpg
i'm getting better at shooting under the intense light. if anyone has any suggestions as to how i can capture the intensity of the colors without overexposing the shot, and without it coming out dark (like this pic), i'd really appreciate it.

[demon666]

love the elegance coral!!!!!!!!!!! wouldnt mind getting one myself.... are they hard to take care of???? what are its requirements?

[michika]

How do you keep your sand so pretty and white?

[GrimReefer]

they have a mixed reputation as far as ease of care goes. they should be fed every so often, are tolerant of different lighting conditions, but are extremely delicate. apparently most losses can be attributed to poor handling or placement (abrasion from shipping or rockwork).

so far, so good.

michika, i periodically stir my sand and pick out smaller shells and bits of rock. there is very little detritus on/in my sandbed, which i attribute to good flow and small sand grade (sugar size).

[Moogled]

That's some mad fluorescence in the pictures; I love it.

Is that how the tank looks in person or is there image tweaking?

[GrimReefer]

it looks a lot brighter and fluorescent in real life. i'm struggling with my camera settings...

[Moogled]

What settings are you trying to change? On all counts, the pictures are super impressive.

I like the clarity that's bringing out all the colors of each coral piece.

[GrimReefer]

well i'd like to capture the colours without making the pic so dark. it either comes out bright and washed out, or too dark. it doesn't seem possible to show both the colour and light intensity.

[GrimReefer]

got my reefkeeper today! it was a lot smaller than i thought it would be. i need to calibrate the pH probe, and tweak the settings. but it's up an running; controlling my lights, fans, and heater. i'm not planning on letting it run my pumps...unless i decide to later add another one or two nanostreams. probably not though, i'm satisfied with my current flow. my top-off is also connected for one-touch standby during water changes.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00849.jpg

it will be interesting to see how much my temp actually stabilizes. heater is set to off at 80, fans are set to on at 80.2, safety cut-off (for MH light) is at 84.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00850.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00852.jpg

[untamed]

With no sump, where are you going to put those probes?

[GrimReefer]

in the tank. they're installed in the previous pic. here's a couple close-ups.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00855.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00856.jpg

you can see where i've assembled both sensors for the top-off and the temp probe from the reefkeeper into a single array. that's the ph probe on the far right. for the most part, the probe is pretty camouflaged. the only noticeable part is the bright tip. i've got my heater and grounding probe hidden in my skimmer.

[untamed]

Very nice...the blue probe turns out to be very convenient.

[GrimReefer]

my temp has not exceeded the 80.0-80.2 range within the last 12 hours. I didn't notice the fan operating at all after the MH had been off. when the MH is on, the fan turns on and off about 15 times an hour. this next payday i'll buy what i need to hook up the RK2 to my computer so i can upgrade the firmware. i'll then be able to log and graph my temp and pH. it will be interesting to see how this system performs in the peak of summer. i imagine i will have to turn up the speed of my fan. if that's not enough, i have a safety cut-off for the MH light set.

[GrimReefer]

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00933.jpg

got an acro. unfortunately it came with STN. it was free and cultured, so no sweat. but i'll probably try the superglue technique tomorrow.

[Zylumn]

Nice tank grim you have done a great job.

[michika]

Where did you pick up your ReefKeeper 2 from?

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Beautiful! It looks so.....clean!

[LostMind]

Hey Grim,

Do you have a full equipment list somewhere?

[GrimReefer]

michika, i got it from Prairie Reef Supplies.

Lost, i don't think I have a full equipment list anywhere. but here it is:

-Sunpod 250W HQI MH
-2 x Tunze Nanostream 6025
-Prizm Pro Skimmer
-Marineland Stealth Heater
-Reefkeeper 2 Controller

[michika]

Thank you!

[LostMind]

Wow Grim, that's it? My friend has a 46g bow and he has a very similar equipment list except he can't maintain any sort of water quality. I have him using a hagen powerhead for extra filtration.

You have a great tank.

[BlondNasoTang]

Awsome tank! looks good nice aquascape job too.

[GrimReefer]

Wow Grim, that's it? My friend has a 46g bow and he has a very similar equipment list except he can't maintain any sort of water quality. I have him using a hagen powerhead for extra filtration.

You have a great tank.
actually, no. that's not it. i forgot:

-Tunze Osmolator Auto Top-off



thanks for the comments. :)

[GrimReefer]

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/protopalys.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00937.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00756.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00938.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00841resize.jpg

[woodcarver]

Wow ! Wonderful photo's .
Should encourage me to finally get on with my planned 30g cube :)
Thanks for sharing.
.................Dave

[justinl]

man you take some VERY nice photos! my fave by far is the elegance coral. God that one is a STUNNER!

keep up the good work, ill be tagging along.

edit: mind if i use it as my computer desktop?

[GrimReefer]

edit: mind if i use it as my computer desktop?

not at all. :)

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00886.jpg

[michika]

That just looks beautiful! Its so pretty! Like an ad for moonlights.

[GrimReefer]

thanks.

the last couple days i've been toying with the idea of adding a refugium. here's a sketch of the basic idea.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC00949.jpg

it will use a diy PVC continuous siphon overflow. non-surface skimming. my skimmer has a surface skimmer and i want to keep the overflow as unobtrusive as possible. the fuge will be a custom 5g tank to fit under the stand, 12x10x10". it will house a live sand bed, macro algae, a bit of rock, and maybe a seahorse or two...or maybe a seahorse and mandarin goby. it's purpose is strictly nutrient export. depending on how nice i can make the fuge look, i may very well cut my cabinet door in half, horizontally, to display the fuge.

thoughts or suggestions welcomed.

[04scoobysti]

I toyed with that idea too and i ended up just putting a 10g tank under my 20h main tank as a quarantine. I still think what your proposing is a good idea and a fun DIY project!

[GrimReefer]

any reason you decided against it?

[04scoobysti]

I think it was mostly because i was trying to keep the construction of the tank and stand within a budget, and i didnt have the tools or experience to drill my tank for bulkheads. Plus i've heard all the horror stories that come from not quarantining corals and livestock. I will definitely be doing a sump/refugium when I setup a permanent tank. I'll have to take some more pictures and post them in my tank journal thread http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=31874

[GrimReefer]

made a trip to vancouver and picked up some corals. 3 stony colonies, 2 frags, a zoo rock, a zoo frag, and 2 ricordea.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC01053.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC01060.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC01064.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC01067.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC01056.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC01109.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC01083.jpg

[niloc16]

where did you pick up the corals from. nice acros

[GrimReefer]

all of the frags and one of the colonies are from Ocean Aquatics. the other two are from J & L. I was very impressed with Ocean Aquatics and Wendell even gave me a free frag. There is a LOT of coral in that store.

[GrimReefer]

a few more corals..... i'm an addict.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC01169.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC01166.jpg

[GrimReefer]

most recent update...

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC01223.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC01222.jpg

****ing tank started leaking. royal pain in the ***, but it could have been worse. luckily i had my prop tank empty. and i can use this opportunity to move the tank, get the new one drilled, and swap out my fish.

[Skimmerking]

looks really good man love the tank with the corals, how do you like the reff keeper what is so good about it any ways

[GrimReefer]

i like the reefkeeper. i bought it as a temp controller. as a bonus, i get a pH monitor, timers for my lights, wavemaker....and it looks cool.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC01224.jpg

not sure why the silicone is so discolored like that, but that's where the leak was.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/gnx/DSC01225.jpg

[GrimReefer]

the new tank is up and running.

new thread here:

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=33043