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  #1  
Old 07-02-2018, 10:03 PM
Goomba Goomba is offline
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Default Tank reno

Heya folks, I usually enjoy skimming through reefin' logs and pictures in my free time so I figured I'll contribute and throw up some content for others to glance over. Early this spring I dismantled my tank and had a new one built about a foot to the right and forward, why so much effort for so little gain? It allowed me to remove the two step sunken landing at my front door which the aquarium had been previously hiding in the basement.



It's 50" long, 24" tall, and 26" wide. Rear mounted overflow chamber in the center, two returns in the top back corners, and the same sump as before with a refugium for random algae scum in the middle.

Running an eShopps skimmer which is probably rated just right for the new tank, two maxspect 230 gyres on alternating 10 second waves up high, and still have to pickup some bigger wave pumps for that rocking effect.

Tank is filled now with rock but my light is still a couple days away so I'll throw up some aquascaping pics when it's here. In the meantime here's my somewhat unhappy corals waiting for treatment in quarantine before they move in.



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Old 07-04-2018, 03:21 AM
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Your unhappy corals are still quite nice
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Old 07-07-2018, 12:22 AM
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A couple corals are super browned out, but most have handled things ok.

Almost done with the outside of it, I tried to make an opening hood out of the wavy panels but they are just too flimsy even with 1/4" sheet for support. Probably have to make something firmer and just match the wall instead.





Light is supposed to arrive on the 10th, and I'll most likely get some cheapo wave pumps like Jebao for the ocean motion.
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Old 07-07-2018, 12:34 AM
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Those panels are tres cool. What about half inch ply? It may sit a bit proud of the wall but will look great!
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Old 07-10-2018, 07:37 PM
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Got my light and started to finish the upper front panel. I just beefed it up to 1/2", it's actually flush on the right side but exposes that I didn't line the tank up perfectly with the wall on the left and the panel sticks out a bit. Not gonna mess with it anymore, I'll just turn one issue into more. All that is left is to smooth out the panel joint some more and paint it.



I basically ended up with a "wall-o-rock", but jazzed it up a little with an arch up high connected to an island and a low bridge joining the peninsula out front back to the wall. I do like the way more artistic bonsai or reef bommie inspired aquascaping looks, but the good ol' wall offers up so much room for coral. I've kept as few pieces as possible in the back to allow for more flow so it's not so much of a brick in there.







The lights aren't nearly that blue, old iPhone just picks it up soooo much. Now is time to wait for the algae cycles and then add some fish and inverts. In there now are sand sifting stars, tiger cucumbers, and a gold watchman gobie pair with a pistol.
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Old 07-15-2018, 09:23 PM
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Whole thing is fully hooked up now, all that's left is to finish treating the corals and move the quarantine/frag tank into the sump room so I don't have these extra wires hanging across the hall.



Was expecting the rock to re-cycle after coming out of the tubs but I got the white bacteria film followed by the "brown stage" of algae fairly quick with no spikes of anything. Green hairy algae just started growing too so I added the algae eating crew of snails, urchins, and a powder blue tang. By next weekend I hope to have most of the corals back in barring any problems.

Secret sump room door in storage



It ain't pretty like those all-in-ones or designer plumbing, but it gets the job done.







The room is really small even without the other tank in it, I'm as far back as I can get for these pics. I'll work on the quality of pics too, this old iPhones camera is really starting to show its age compared to newer stuff.
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Old 08-05-2018, 07:58 PM
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Everything I have is back in now, LPS are super pale probably from lower light in the temporary tank and no nutrients in the new one. Acros browned out hard, lost 4 colonies in the end; purple nana, blue tenuis, reddish "dragon" type, and yellow tenuis (<-worst loss for me). Not too bad I guess considering the poor conditions for three months and horrible alk swings in the temp tank.

Added a school of firefish to pump up the nutrients in the main tank, and popped a sea hare in frag tank to deal with the hair algae farm I got going on in there.

New equipment seems to be working well. Satisfied with the Jebaos, there's really not much to speak of for options on them, but for the price they accomplish what I wanted quite well. I added two T5s for supplemental lighting to help kinda "fill" the water with light more. I'm pleasantly surprised with LEDs so far in terms of growth and look, however the diffusion and shadowing doesn't seem to be fully solved yet with them, hence the extra T5s. They should start making them curved or something to help bend the light into crevices and whatnot.

Still only have smart phone and a Fuji point-n-shoot for pics, feels like reefin' almost automatically wants to make you a camera guy too so you can properly share all your work lol.









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Old 08-05-2018, 08:13 PM
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Your coral looks really sweet. Where did those wavy panels come from?
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  #9  
Old 08-05-2018, 11:44 PM
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Pretty sure the panels were from Rona on Macleod and Southland, there was a whole bunch of different patterns too. It was the "last chance" clearance section though, so you may have to hit up a couple locations to find enough.
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Old 08-20-2018, 10:14 PM
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Main tank is doing well, pretty pleased with all the changes and new stuff. Adding corals has halted a bit cause I want to at least attempt quarantining and the frag tank is having a tough go.

After moving everything out and the subsequent hair algae explosion caused the nutrients to hit a hard 0.0 for nitrate and phosphate. All the lps frags bleached out big time but seem able to recover, most of the "back-up" acros rtn'd, but a few toughed through it. Being extras, it didn't bother me toooo bad, still sucks when corals die though.

Added a little Burrfish to help bring nutrients up, wanted to try and keep something unusual. Jury still seems to be out on whether they bother corals or not, I imagine inverts are a no go, but it doesn't seem to care so far.
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