Madmak's 200G Reef Build

[Madmak]

After first trying SW in the early 90s and having some luck (despite the limitations back then) I bought a Nano-Cube 24 a few months ago to see if having a tank again would be wise. I would say that there is no going back now! After some snooping around I will now be bringing and older 200G back to life and adding in some new features.

Within the first 24 hours :) I have scrubbed it up, removed the corner overflow, started on a 5' wide Bean Animal overflow, and started sourcing some plumbing for an 8 outlet closed loop system. The tank cleaned up very well and the starfire front is sweet.

Here are a few quick pics for now and I will try to document the build, step by step.

Thanks again to Misty for a great tank and a fair deal :)http://img.tapatalk.com/461cf54b-a6de-9ef1.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/461cf54b-a701-8793.jpg

[AquaticFinatic]

Tagging along on this one. Good luck with it :0)

[Madmak]

Drilling holes, lots of holes, in a perfectly good tank.
http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-28b4-6c74.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-28ee-ddfa.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-2913-481a.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-293a-110c.jpg

[Madmak]

Still waiting for the overflow to be finished but started working on the stand and the sump. Using 2 30G long tanks for the sump, 1 is purely a refugium. New 3/4 plywood and foam with all the holes necessary for the closed loop returns. Need to find some adjustable feet for my stand...http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-0916-aca5.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-0937-26b6.jpg

[phi delt reefer]

if those are old tanks i would take a day to remove the silicone seals and put new seals in them. Always worth the effort on an older tank.

[gregzz4]

For feet you can use appliance ones. Drill and tap the stand if the bottoms of the down tubes are sealed, although you'd probably be better off having someone weld some 1/4" plates under there to drill and tap. The more threads the better. I think the thread rule is basically 1/2 the size of the thread for the metal thickness ie; 1/2" thread, 1/4" metal.
Also, you could just use bolts if you can't find appliance feet.

[Madmak]

The sump tanks are new, cheap at the LFS. I also wanted the option of a good sealed canopy / light for the refugium tank and new makes that easy. Trying to limit noise and evaporation where I can.

Good hints on the feet. I will snoop around a bit. I could tap the steel but also wanted a bit more threads available.

Lighting is the next big ticket item, have to research this a bit.

Return and closed loop pumps are also on the need list. I'm worried about the closed loop pump sizing, can't really turn it up or down if the flow isn't right. I'm going to keep the flow through the sump fairly slow, I'm a believer in giving the LR, slimmer, and media some time to do their jobs. I'm also going to feed the refugium with a separate pump from the raw tank water chamber at about 100 GPH, nice and slow.

[Madmak]

Found a ReeFlo Barracuda pump today for the closed loop :)

Also found some heavy duty leveling legs for the metal stand. They got installed and the stand is getting a coat of gloss white paint.

Siliconed in the new overflow today as well. It is 5"X5"X48" and will be using a bean animal style drain with 1" pipe.

All my loc-line came in today as well and I installed some of the closed loop lines on the bottom of the tank. Can't wait to have almost 5000 GPH flow without any equipment showing, no powerheads, no cords :)

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-6a9a-8c92.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-6ab5-ca89.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-6ac6-f119.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-6adc-b3eb.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-6b0e-f110.jpg

[gregzz4]

Cool. Hope that does the trick

[Cade]

Vary cool, good luck! :biggrin:

[mseepman]

Looking good. That pump looks like it's already put in a few good years!

[Madmak]

Thx, it is coming along ok.

The pump was in the box of my truck on the way home on a gravel road, hence the dust. I think it is 2010 model, based on the seller and the dates on all the PVC and spa flex it came with and used on a FW tank. Also came with 3 2" double union ball valves and a 2" check valve. Kijiji is my friend :)

[Madmak]

I was able to wet test the tank with the closed loop and refugium off line for now. All is good. The overflow is HUGE and works very well. The Bean Animal drains work great and are dead silent when dialed in. I'm using a Mag Drive 12 wide open without issue.

Hoping to complete the other items soon and get this baby in place!


http://img.tapatalk.com/b897de08-100b-0b0b.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/b897de08-1020-c046.jpg

[Madmak]

Refugium is drilled now and in place, fed by a tiny pump from the raw tank water chamber and through a ball valve for control. It feeds the return area via gravity through a 1.5" line. A ball valve here can isolate the refugium and DSB.

The closed loop is fed by a 1.5" empty foot valve and through a ReeFlo Barracuda pump. The manifold is a spa part with 8 .5" outputs. Each output is plumbed separately and through a union and ball valve. It really gets the water moving.

If things run smooth for a few days I will empty it and move it from the garage to the basement.

I have the option of using a typical stand (viewable 3 sides) or built in to the wall (viewable 1 side). Any suggestions???

http://img.tapatalk.com/b897de52-c16d-20eb.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/b897de52-c183-bb5a.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/b897de52-c198-dbdb.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/b897de52-c1bc-2be4.jpg

[Lampshade]

I love your CL set-up, should work out great. As for the open or in wall set-up, I love the look of my in wall, but it is a pain to access most of the tank. With a 200 it would even be harder to reach the front bottom of the tank. Well worth doing if you plan on having a step ladder close by all the time though, really makes everything look finished and neat, even if behind the wall is a mess of hoses and wires like mine.

[The Grizz]

I would add 6 more of those feet if it was me. Reasons: there only 1/2" bolts and not structual bolts, your stand is only 1/8" thick tube & the bolts you used are very tiny and don't take much force to break.

[bauder1986]

I would add 6 more of those feet if it was me. Reasons: there only 1/2" bolts and not structual bolts, your stand is only 1/8" thick tube & the bolts you used are very tiny and don't take much force to break.

Another solution i see greg, if you will help me with this(either criticize or elaborate) I noticed that the ends of the tubes where the feet screw into are open. What you can do to solve the issue of having all the weight transfered to only the outer edges of the tubing is insert a block like this through the ends to line up with the bolts.

http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu172/bauder1986/Concept.jpg

The block would have to be a very snug fit but it will properly transfer the weight of the tank from the pillars down through the block and into the threaded foot bracket instead of through the pillars and into the very thin walls of the square tubing which would buckle under the weight over time.


but greg is one hundred percent bang on about the 1/2 bolts.....they should be at least 3/4" bolts.....but, if you were to insure that no more then 3/16" of thread was out it would REDUCE the risk of snapping the bolts but it wouldnt be a full garuantee....

[The Grizz]

I would have opted more for drilling right though the tube, 1/4" square washer plate both side with a nut on both sides. But still add more feet.

[Madmak]

The feet are rated for 900 lbs each with the flanged nuts used. They are designed for industrial machines, not from Home Depot. With only 6 uprights on the stand adding more feet won't help anything at all, thats just physics. I'm quite sure that I'll stay under the 5400 lb capacity.

[The Grizz]

Sure but what are the little screws / bolts that are holding them on threw very thin tube wall rated for? That's your weak point.

Other wise I am digging the build, looks great! Can you show me how you did the inside of the OF piping?

[Madmak]

The 3/4" feet were rated for 2100 lbs each but the flange on the nuts were far wider than the tubing.

The feet are simply for leveling, they don't change where the weight is distributed at all. It is always going to be under the 6 uprights. I do agree that they should be extended as little as possible.

[Madmak]

The screws just kept the flanged nuts in place while they were welded on the inside.

[Madmak]

I guess you can't really see the inside of the leg mount from my other pics. Here is an example of the flanged nut style used, about 5/8" of threads. I also spot welded the back side and drilled the opposite side of the tube to accept the extra leg length.

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-dbe0-2cf9.jpg

If I was starting the steel stand from scratch I would have done a few things different but I think this will do the job, held this tank up for nearly 15 years already :)

Thanks for the kind comments, it's shaping up nicely and I am really glad I changed from a corner overflow to the 48" Calfo with a Bean Animal drain, very quiet and pulls a huge sheet of water off the top. The closed loop will be interesting to tune once the sand and rock are in as well. Hoping to hide all of it.

[Madmak]

The inside of the overflow is simply 3 90s threaded in to the bulkheads, 2 pointing down and the emergency pointing up. I painted these fitting black. http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-6de4-d46c.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-6eb4-389a.jpg

[The Grizz]

Very nice, this is what I want to do with my 8' - 300gal. Complete coast to coastand thinking of doing 2 set of 3 drains like yours.

[martinmcnally]

How is that Reeflo pump working out for you? Mine is ridiculously noisy however they are replacing it so just curious as to how loud they should actually be.

[Madmak]

It seems reasonable for the amount of water it moves. It is out in the open at the moment but I think it will be okay in a cabinet and sitting on a gel mousepad.

[Lance]

It seems reasonable for the amount of water it moves. It is out in the open at the moment but I think it will be okay in a cabinet and sitting on a gel mousepad.


I have the same pump. The mousepad should help a lot; I used two layers of carpet underlay. Make sure that no part of the pump or even the plumbing is touching wood floor or walls or the vibration will be very loud.

[gregzz4]

I have the same pump. The mousepad should help a lot; I used two layers of carpet underlay. Make sure that no part of the pump or even the plumbing is touching wood floor or walls or the vibration will be very loud.
+1 to that about the 'no contact to structures' as it will definately make noise. I have absolutely no contact between my pumps and my tank. Spa-flex all the way and everything is isolated the best I can. It was hard to do, and I re-plumbed it twice so as to have no contact at all. Made it very hard to position my over-the-top return. I'm glad I did it.
I initially clamped the return to the wall to make the spaflex form to it's position, but after a day or so I removed the clamps and it's been good ever since.
And if the mousepad idea doesn't work for you, I use this stuff to keep a pair of Eheim 1262s quiet
http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/product-info.php?product_ID=cl-amgr19

[Madmak]

Water softener / RO/DI in place and the start of a mixing station. Still deciding on the plumbing details to get water to the DTs. http://img.tapatalk.com/b897de22-3aba-415c.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/b897de22-3ad6-212d.jpg

[mseepman]

Very nice, this is what I want to do with my 8' - 300gal. Complete coast to coastand thinking of doing 2 set of 3 drains like yours.

Grizz, they don't recommend double Bean Animal overflows as its hard to balance them to make them perfectly quiet.

See the big thread on RC.

[FishyFishy!]

Great looking build! Could you post more regarding your closed loop? I like the manifold there. Looks wikid. How was it put together?

Did you snag that pump of a gentleman in Lake Bonavista? I took that guys sump off him, and was going to get the pump a couple days later, but it went missing on me!! haha

[Madmak]

Grizz, they don't recommend double Bean Animal overflows as its hard to balance them to make them perfectly quiet.

See the big thread on RC.

I did read that as well, better to go larger diameter than double it up.

[Madmak]

Great looking build! Could you post more regarding your closed loop? I like the manifold there. Looks wikid. How was it put together?

Did you snag that pump of a gentleman in Lake Bonavista? I took that guys sump off him, and was going to get the pump a couple days later, but it went missing on me!! haha

I will take a few more pics of the closed loop when I am reassembling things but it all starts with the PVC manifold made for spas or hot-tubs. It is a 1.5" to (8) .75" , one part for $11. Those spa shops have some cool PVC stuff. The rest is spa flex, ball valves, and unions.

Yes, that is where the ReeFlo came from, sorry. ;) I did see where the sump was sitting, pretty big one!

He had hundreds of FW fry in all the other tanks, it was cool to hear about how he bred them.

Here is a link to an on-line catalog that shows some of the spa specific PVC parts available, cool stuff that can solve a lot of problems.
http://www.aquaspapak.com/Websites/aquaspapak/files/Content/611132/8-ASP-2011-jets.pdf

[The Grizz]

Grizz, they don't recommend double Bean Animal overflows as its hard to balance them to make them perfectly quiet.

See the big thread on RC.

Mine will be 2 - 4' OF

[Madmak]

The %#!!* &$@();: $"&"$$$&! $;:/;(&@## tank is in the $&#"&$# basement. What a @&$#%#! pleasure!

[Madmak]

OK, I feel better today. What a chore that was! Now to prep the tank location, going with an in wall look as I have a 4X8' nook in my theater room that will fit the tank nicely and allow some work space behind (wife's tanning bed has to be relocated). Decided to remove the existing carpet and pad now, instead of after a spill.

A simple false wall surrounding the tank should look good and keep most of the noise down. I have just enough room to frame in an 18" matching door off to one side for access in behind. Thinking of removable panels to have the fuge and sump visible if desired.

[Madmak]

Mine will be 2 - 4' OF

That will work and allow for a monstrous amount of flow :)!

[Madmak]

Tank's new home, some people thought I was going to leave it in the garage!http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-c09f-95e0.jpg

[gregzz4]

:cool:
Keep us posted

[Madmak]

Things are somewhat reassembled in the basement, leveled up and progressing. Running 2 20A circuits to next to the tank, a 1" spa flex line for water changes, a USB to the Neptune EB4, and a 1/4" line for top up RO/DI.

Also started carving up 100+ lbs of Marco rock to create a permanent base rock aquascape. This is working well but is a messy job. It is surprising how tough that rock is even with a diamond blade.

Will have more pics as the rock goes in.

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-3cd7-b31a.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-3d24-5be1.jpg

[gregzz4]

Wow, look who finally posted something :razz:
Great progress.
Word of warning when cutting up base rock;
I drilled some of mine and rinsing didn't do much. I ended up running it in a rubbermaid with a heater and powerhead to get all the powder off it. Sure made a mess of the tub that I'd hate to see in your tank :mrgreen: It was like an Alk precipitation storm

[Madmak]

You should see my garage, looks like a cocaine factory! I might sweep up the dust and return it to Red Coral for a credit!

I can't avoid all the dust but am blowing each piece off with a compressor before taking them downstairs to be siliconed in place. I think I will give things a good vacuum and maybe a fresh water rinse before the $150 of salt goes in. :)

Planning on 3 or 4 tiers in the sand bed, might look pretty cool.

[gregzz4]

The compressed air should help lots

[Madmak]

8 hours of this:

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-7f43-8b6e.jpg

A bunch of this:

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-7f7d-d65e.jpg

Some of this:

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-7fc1-48cb.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-8153-a288.jpg

And now we have this:

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-8014-fa99.jpg

Added 240 lbs of sand and waiting for the fill! :)

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-8188-1958.jpg

[ensquire]

[QUOTE=Madmak;707679]8 hours of this:

A bunch of this:

Some of this:


And now we have this:

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-8014-fa99.jpg

Added 240 lbs of sand and waiting for the fill! :)

Wow, I love the left side structure , very open concept .
Nice job.
How much live rock are you adding?

[Nano]

Looks outstanding! If I did something like that on my next build (which I might now ;))I would air brush the background to make it look like the rock goes through the glas and just fades out into the deep blue :)

Edit-- Is the silicone holding the rock quite well?

[Madmak]

Wow, I love the left side structure , very open concept .
Nice job.
How much live rock are you adding?

Thanks!
I'll add a bunch in the sump and refugium and there is lots of room in the DT for more. Maybe another 100 lbs or so.
The left side is a large glass shelf that is outlined in rock but will be about a 14" square raised sand bed. It also covers my closed loop inlet below.

[Madmak]

Looks outstanding! If I did something like that on my next build (which I might now ;))I would air brush the background to make it look like the rock goes through the glas and just fades out into the deep blue :)

Edit-- Is the silicone holding the rock quite well?

Thanks a lot!

I saw some neat ideas on backgrounds and my options are still open as there is 30" or so behind the tank. It will be an in-wall eventually.

I fit the rock carefully and used a fair amount of silicone and it is very strong. The upper right piece is probably over 10 lbs and is held only with silicone.

I've left room for a bottom to top branching structure in the middle but need to source this stuff first.

[Nano]

Thanks a lot!

I saw some neat ideas on backgrounds and my options are still open as there is 30" or so behind the tank. It will be an in-wall eventually.

I fit the rock carefully and used a fair amount of silicone and it is very strong. The upper right piece is probably over 10 lbs and is held only with silicone.

I've left room for a bottom to top branching structure in the middle but need to source this stuff first.
awesome! Well it looks great I must say, cant wait to see it all finished (are we ever finished :lol:)

[FishyWoman]

How is the bond between the silicone and the glass and rock on rock? Never throught of using silicone before.

[Madmak]

It is very good if the surfaces are prepared right. I cut the rock flat to match the glass with a diamond blade which leaves a large contact patch.

[Nano]

is that silicone, or the silicone adhesive type?

[gridley]

Your whole set up is looking good. Great job!

[Madmak]

It's the same silicone that they build tanks with. Silicone is an incredibly strong adhesive when used correctly, it's what hold our tanks together for years under huge pressures.

And thanks for the kind comments. The business end of things needs some more work but I think the plans are in place :)

[gregzz4]

Very cool rockwork. Who says OCD is a bad thing :wink:

[Madmak]

Everything is now wet, 3 days to fill. SG is bang on 1.026 (almost a full large pail of salinity!). 260 lbs of sand is in and settling as is the 150 lbs of Marco rock. All pumps and skimmer are on. 2 GFCI 20A circuits are in as is the network drop and pull cable for the Apex USB. 1/4" line from RO/DI to dump float is in and adjusted. 1" line to mixing station isn't yet done.

Picked up a 12 X 39W T5 fixture today for temp lighting, refugium lighting is done as well as dual under cabinet lights.

The Bean Animal Drains on the 48" overflow are sweeeet. A great surface skim and VERY quiet if not totally silent. I can hear a Koralia nano over the sound of the overflow and drains.

Closed loop ReeFlo Barracuda is dialed in as are the 8 outputs (it's like a hot tub in there). Dual Jäger 300W heater are keeping up well.

3 beautiful 4" raw zipperback pacific white shrimp hang in a media bag rotting away. 30 lbs of old LR are hanging in the refugium as well.

Patiently waiting for the silt to settle to take some pics but we are now in business. My Apex Controller was DOA and is back at the factory. I have ran a EB4 at the mixing station to monitor those components and have 2 EB8s under the tank with a PM2 and Breakout Box. Temp, pH, ORP, and conductivity probes in the sump ready to go.

Thanks to all for the quick answers to my questions lately, it's nice to have a second or third opinion before committing to a design or purchase.

Pics to come as soon as they are worthy.

[gregzz4]

Excellent progress
Sucks about the Apex
A vid of the flow when it clears would be cool :wink:

Cmon cmon cmon, clear damnit :razz:

[Madmak]

Cmon cmon cmon, clear damnit :razz:

ha!

Ditto

[Madmak]

A vid of the flow when it clears would be cool

And will do, maybe a little raw tank tour.

[gregzz4]

Exactly. Something to show my wife your rocks besides a pic

[muck]

Tank is coming along great!
Love the look of the rockwork... taking the time to cut the rocks really paid off IMO. :biggrin:

[Madmak]

A quick pic for now, more to come. http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-cefa-51f4.jpg

[fishytime]

the scape looks killer man!....are you seeding the marko with some live?

[Madmak]

Thanks and yes I am, just put 10 or 15 lbs of rubble I had around and 25 lbs of fresh premium rock in the refugium just now. I will move it up once I trust it:)

What's in the tank now is permanent and I hope to build some neat stuff off of it with LR, branch, and corals once I'm able.

Rock slides and falling frags have always been a big pet peeve of mine.

[Madmak]

Things have come together quickly lately, here are some updated pics. I will do a video as promised but will wait for my Apex unit to arrive first.

FTS

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-3482-8ce6.jpg

Right scape

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-34b1-3c81.jpg

Left scape

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-34eb-32c3.jpg

Close up of my glass shelf turned raised sand bed to cover the closed loop inlet

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-352b-43f1.jpg

Fuge

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-3545-ebd4.jpg

Sump

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-3567-a029.jpg

Closed loop manifold above fuge

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-3598-5b10.jpg

Apex hub point, RO/DI feed, LAN feed, 2 x 20A GFCI outlets, USB to mixing station, all on back of tank.

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-363b-888c.jpg

And look at all the happy fishes!

[gregzz4]

Holy crap !!! You really put that together fast :biggrin:
It all looks wonderful
I guess I better get off the pot :mrgreen:

[Madmak]

Coming from a 24G nano all my fish seem so small! And they are wandering around all confused, bumping in to things, asking for directions...

[gregzz4]

bumping in to things, asking for directions...

You made me laugh big time ... thanks :razz:

Can't wait 'till I show you all my crappy little build with fish in it

[coolhandgoose]

I love the shelf that you created, very creative way to put corals that need lots of light up high.

[FishyFishy!]

Looking killer! love your scape idea. I might try the cut and silicone as well. Nice big fuge too!

[Madmak]

I always knew I had a thing for Tangs but never had a tank that could accommodate them properly. Well below is now my current livestock list. I Introduced them all relatively close together and tried to source younger, passive, and similar sized specimens and all has been great so far. It is such a pleasure to be able to keep such beautiful animals.

Yellow Tang
Purple Tang
Sailfin Tang
Powder Blue Tang
Naso Tang
Kole Tang
Six Line Wrasse
Seagrass Wrasse
Fire Fish Goby
Orange Diamond Goby
Ocellaris Clown Fish x 2
Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
Brittle Starfish

[HaZRaTTy]

More Pictures, are needed.

One of the best builds I have ever seen in regards to rock work - When I setup my next tank that is def the way im going. I guess the big decision is to do it once, and make sure you cut twice; glue once :lol:

Now can we can all wait for the coral to grow into their happy homes and I can't wait to see your tank all filled in with coral and fish.

Good luck!

[Madmak]

Some cell phone pics for now, diatoms and all.

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-546d-6c06.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-5480-0c5d.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-5496-841a.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-54bc-dd43.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-54d7-5767.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-5529-f47d.jpg

[gregzz4]

Man, that's lookin' great
I really gotta get off the pot :rolleyes:
Even Kenny's harassing me now

[Madmak]

Thanks all, it's coming along.

There is a fair bit of work and attention needed in the early stages of a tank and that is keeping me busy.

I'm soon to start the build of the false wall to create the in wall look. The tank actually sits in the basement theater room in a 4' x 8' nook area. I won't end up with a fish room but a full 2' behind the tank for access and storage.

Vids will come when my mess leaves :)

[mseepman]

This is really some impressive work! I like the box of rocks around the intake. Was the Marco rock completely dry when you started this or had you started it in a cycle beforehand?

[DCDN]

Looking really good. I'm loving the open scape you have set up

[Madmak]

Tank and rock were dry, that made it easy. ;)

[Madmak]

My skimmer was ****ing me off repeatedly. Would not restart after a FEED command and after a month, no skimmate.

I happened to find a used Elos NS4000 and spent some time cleaning it up and fitting to my sump. It's rated for 550 to 1100 gallons. I hope I don't skim the scales right off my fishies!! :)

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-4a44-86e1.jpg

[gregzz4]

Holee mackerel, that's a beast :razz:

[reefgirl189]

Good find, it looks brand new!

[Madmak]

Is it possible to over-skim?

[Madmak]

It still had the plastic on the acrylic in places but was in use for several years. I may scrap the 2 Eheim 1260s and use a Mag 12 I have just for space reasons.

It came with 2 huge reactors as well, not sure I can use these yet.

[Madmak]

Yikes! I've never seen such a powerful skimmer. Dialed in wet it pulled almost 2 liters of light coffee skimmate in less than 24 hours. Dialed down now of course.

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_viewitem.aspx?idproduct=EO5551&child=EO5565&utm_source=CatchMatrixPages&utm_campaign=CatchMatrixPages&utm_medium=cse&utm_content=EO5565

$2400 MSRP?? That's nuts!

[gridley]

Wow - great deal!

[Madmak]

A couple critter pics, all seem happy but a purple tang that has signs of self induced ich. He's not big enough to pick the fights he is with the powder blue.

Put all new bulbs in the fixture, thanks Dave :), and now will let things mature for a while. Did a 50 gallon water change today by hand so that should motivate me to finish of the plumbing between the mixing station and DT.

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-7327-c391.jpg

[Madmak]

There has been a flurry of activity with my tank lately, added another light, UV, some fish, and nearly 60 pieces of coral. I will catch up in the next posts but had to show off these guys :)

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-6054-e7b7.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-607a-3ad0.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-60c8-0531.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-6108-526b.jpg

[gregzz4]

Wowee, nice additions

More pics please :razz:

[Madmak]

Not even entirely sure what I have exactly but here is a 3 part FTS left to right. All iPhone pics ;)

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-0dcf-8a1c.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-0de4-2ba5.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-0dfd-a8cb.jpg

And a few more unique pieces...

http://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-0ed7-15a1.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-0ef0-d534.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-0f0a-89b8.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-0f2e-46d7.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-0f4d-d713.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-0f7a-b52b.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-0fa2-d4e9.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-0fc4-34f2.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-0fe8-21de.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-1023-5cf5.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-103b-985b.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-10ac-70e3.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/464b85f3-10c9-3567.jpg

[Pinnochio5]

Awesome tank Cam! I like the sand mix. Is it Fiji black arag mixed with pink?

I don't even know how I'd go about transporting that much LR! :D

[Madmak]

Thanks Shawn. My sand is called a Pacific Fiji mix (or something like that). It is in stores but not as popular as the pure white stuff.

I just picked up a new Canon 7D DSLR so the picture situation should improve drastically in the next little while :)

[Pinnochio5]

Although I'm a Nikon fanboy myself since my dad got me into Nikons (he just got a D800E, it's legendary!) The 7D is a sweet SLR.

How are the new frags doing?

[Madmak]

I'm forcing myself to revive my build thread by posting this crappy, at night, iPhone pic. :) I haven't done much with the tank other than let it mature and stabilize for the past several months.

I'm now in the market for new MH bulbs or new LED fixtures, hoping I can swing the LEDs.

I have saved some fish and lost some fish, saved some corals and lost some corals, just like everybody else I'm sure.

I am loving the 50 gallon mixing station that is plumbed in to my tank directly. It takes 15 minutes to do a 50 gallon water change and all I do is turn some valves and control my Apex with my iPhone. Here is a link to that thread:

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=87648

I'll set some time aside to take some nice DSLR pics in the near future and get them posted up here, can't revive an old thread for nothin' !

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/01/21/yresy2a3.jpg

[gridley]

You have had a very good looking tank setup and I had been wondering if anything had been happnening. I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of your tank!

[Madmak]

Been busy changing things up lately. You know how it goes, one thing leads to another...

First big change is swapping my lights to the GHL Mitras, still waiting on one in transport, but have had one up for a couple weeks. They will be a great improvement and allow me more coral options and much easier tank access. I am more impressed with these lights every day, it's like a Blu-Ray remake of my tank!

I also changed up my return pump, 2 skimmer pumps, and reactor pumps to DC pumps. I wanted some room back in my sump and was attracted to the low power consumption, soft start, and flow control features. I'm really diggin them so far as well. Now I need to find a 5000GPH DC pump for my closed loop.

Cleaned up some wiring and plumbing while I was at it and it looks like I'm nearly ready to build the false wall/cabinet that will surround the tank.

I've also been toying with the idea of going with Zeovit or Biopellets and I think it's going to be pellets. I want to lower the nutrients in my tank but don't have the daily time or discipline to go full Zeovit. I have allowed for an additional reactor in my new plumbing and will start them slow some time this week.

I finally got around to gluing down some random frags, relocating some colonies, and making some other coral/livestock changes and additions as well.

The first pics will be up shortly after my second GHL is hanging! :)

Thanks to all the folks who's ears I've bent while making these decisions and purchases, I appreciate it.

[sphelps]

Now I need to find a 5000GPH DC pump for my closed loop.
2640+2640=5280 :)

[Madmak]

Smart ass

[Madmak]

That means more plumbing...

[Madmak]

A couple iPhone pics, more to come. http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/08/u5egeryz.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/08/ajabyha3.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/08/erutazut.jpg

[gregzz4]

That's a nice 'nem
Looks well fed too :rolleyes: :mrgreen:

[Madmak]

A couple more

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/08/hyremyhe.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/08/qura2u9e.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/08/e8a7ynan.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/08/4eze3y2u.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/08/8y7y5emu.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/08/9aba8ury.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/08/2esu3ere.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/08/e6aru7y7.jpg

[gridley]

It is looking very nice Cam - nice pictures.

[Madmak]

Thanks George.

[Madmak]

A FTS from today. Everything continues to be happier and happier under the Mitras. :)http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/17/azyjabep.jpg

These almost made it to my tank but $499.00 for the 3, WTF!!
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/17/ha7yva3e.jpg

[gregzz4]

Tank's lookin' great Cam
All that hard work on the 'scape sure paid off

[Madmak]

Thanks Greg.

[kien]

looking great man! Ya, those anthias are so tempting until the sticker shock hits you LOL. Also, one needs to consider where those anthias are coming from :neutral:

[Madmak]

Reworked a big ole reactor I had here in to a recirculating biopellet reactor. I have had it online (not recirculating) for close to a month already but not heavily loaded with pellets. I haven't seen too many changes in the tank other than an upset open brain coral but I have tested at lower than previous levels for nitrates and phosphates. I still run "Seachem SeaGel" in another reactor for a bit of extra phosphate control. SeaGel is a blend of MatrixCarbon and PhosGuard. MatrixCarbon is an ultracapacity carbon for the removal of organic and color impurities. PhosGuard is a powerful remover of phosphate, silicate, toxic metals, and acids.

I think I could put 10+ liters of pellets in this thing! ;)

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/26/ajy5yny6.jpg

I also found a nice purple goniopora coral to add to the mix.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/26/emeza6ut.jpg

[kien]

nice Goni! My vertex reactor looks exactly like yours. It's massive!

[Madmak]

Thank Kien, this is an MRC reactor, 6" diameter and almost 30" tall. Plenty big enough for pellets.

Here a few new zoa and paly pics...

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/28/yjyregar.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/28/puryjuzu.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/28/adyny9eh.jpg

[Coralgurl]

Ohhhh, I like those zoas in the first pic!! Very nice!

[Madmak]

Reaquascaped a bit tonight to move all my refugium and old frag tank rock to the DT. The refugium is out and will be my new frag tank now that the biopellets are running. I'm keeping the sand bed and rubble in the frag tank, for now. In all I bet I moved 80 lbs of rock around. I built 2 tall towers to allow SPS to be in the top third of the tank.

Pics ASAP.

[Madmak]

A couple pics to share. Need to work on a video...

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/03/05/udebunas.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/03/05/sugebagy.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/03/05/ejy8yhu5.jpg

[Kryptic4L]

tanks looking good man. shame u didint get tgise anthias... super gorgeous

[Madmak]

Thanks.

I'll hand paint a few damsels pink before I spend $500 on 3 fish...

[HaZRaTTy]

A couple pics to share. Need to work on a video...

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/03/05/udebunas.jpg


How do you get all the water to stay in sideways? Defying the laws of gravity... Teach me?


Ps. Looks good! all the open spots are starting to fill up with frags