Antrias' Venture into Saltwater

Antrias · #1 07-21-2013, 05:39 PM

Hey Everyone!

I am new to saltwater fish but here is my new 27g tank setup! I'll post more pictures as I complete it with more rock and corals.

First I bought this 14G BioCube... and was like... lame not enough space and the lighting in it makes it way to hot during the day. but I got it cheap off kijiji with a few corals in it already - all of which will be moving to the 27g once I get my new lighting.

http://i.imgur.com/SjGLHtv.jpg

Anemone is attached to the Zoa... He likes it there apparently
http://i.imgur.com/HHkilrm.jpg

Four fish in this shot - Cardinal Fish (Spock), Purple fire fish (Unicorn), Royal Gramma (Scar - his face looks like it has a scar :P), and a black clown fish (Oreo)
http://i.imgur.com/8k8clKO.jpg

In my sump 1) didn't think about it at the time but i used grey pvc cemend and purple pvc primer... Next time I now know that they both come in clear.
2) Media bag covers the end of the drain to stop a lot of microbubbles
3)Skimmer Chamber (Skimmer coming)
4)Foam between the baffold - the baffold system didn't eliminate enough microbubbles

As well on the drain pipe I have a ball valve to create some back pressure so that the system is silent.
You will also notice my terrible cut job on the stand... I had to open it up more to fit the sump in... I was going to buy a little plastic cap for that to make it look better
http://i.imgur.com/YObbUhi.jpg

I'll post more once I build my LEDs - waiting for the heatsink to come in the mail

Edmonton newbie · #2 07-21-2013, 06:03 PM

welcome looks good, just a tip tho, that particle board will come right apart if you dont get it sealed, water even evap is very hard on it. a little paint or epoxy now will save you lots later

Antrias · #3 07-21-2013, 06:21 PM

I was thinking about trying to put a lid on the sump somehow to get less evap. Will the paint / stain thats on the board already be good enough or i need more? Or are you talking about the part where i made a cut on the board. I could paint that and seal the board with a plastic cap

The Grizz · #4 07-22-2013, 03:13 AM

Welcome Antrias, nice to see another salty in red deer. When it comes to partical board stands its best to seal any joints & cuts with silicone to help prevent swelling if it gets wet.

Antrias · #5 07-23-2013, 03:58 AM

Got the heatsink today (just took 24 days to ship... Terrible)! Got the LEDs and drivers on there and tomorrow i'll be soldering the connections and testing it out.
Http://imgur.com/Lgq5Xjb.jpg

Antrias · #6 07-28-2013, 06:02 PM

I got the LEDs up and running and everything moved into the tank. Now I'm second guessing if i actually have enough LEDs on the tank. My mushrooms aren't opening up very much anymore. Maybe I need some 90 degree optics on them?
http://i.imgur.com/GNqyPFQ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/NpUAxoC.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/I0NYvHm.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/GSj8lQS.jpg

Antrias · #7 08-27-2013, 04:32 AM

got http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...E:L:OC:CA:3160

Seems like a crazy low price for the specs. Screw building LEDs haha

Antrias · #8 08-31-2013, 02:27 AM

Not sure which skimmer to go with - is the price difference worth it?

http://www.reefsupplies.ca/online-st...er-canada.html

or

http://www.reefsupplies.ca/online-st...nt-200gal.html

The Grizz · #9 08-31-2013, 02:59 AM

I would go with the Diablo skimmer. With a controllable DC pump they are very silent & give you a little more control to get the skimmer set just right plus it's a quality built skimmer.

Antrias · #10 09-01-2013, 06:12 PM

Now my final debate is the extra $100 for the larger size on my 120 + 40(ish) gal sump

http://www.reefsupplies.ca/online-st...nt-200gal.html

or

http://www.reefsupplies.ca/online-st...nt-125gal.html

More money than I wanted to spend on a skimmer but the specs on these diablo skimmer pumps are just amazing with the 900 l/h of air vs 520 l/h air - from what I understand more air the better + pinwheel gets a finer skim to the needlewheel