Antrias' Venture into Saltwater

[Antrias]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

[The Grizz]

Looks good, that candy canes in the one pic look happy. Corals need time to acclimate from one light to another. Give things time to get used to the LED's before you do anything.

[Antrias]

I'll give them some time - my anemone is also completely hidden - he jammed himself between rocks. Also go the interior of my stand water proofed. It seemed worked out good actually just taking some clear drying silicone and painted a coat of that on - cant even tell it's there.

Now I'm on a hunt for a good yet cheap protein skimmer to throw underneath and I'm ordering a new nozzle for the return line form the sump: http://www.ebay.com/itm/U-Tube-Direc...item43b4f8e761

My self made PVC one is ugly and can't direct the flow at all.

Sometime in the future (probably sooner than alter) I'll build / find a case for the heatsink to go in so that it looks a bit nicer - and so the dimmers have a spot to go

http://i.imgur.com/ha8lLUE.jpg

as well a case for the PSU to go in so that it's not sitting on my sub woofer and can get proper cooling

http://i.imgur.com/8VfD70l.jpg

As well Thanks Grizz for some input

[chef]

nice tank
I'd move the rocks away from the glass. much easier to clean and you will be happier in the long run.Just sayin'

[Antrias]

That's a good idea. I'll have to rearrange it. I already noticed that in these salt tanks the stuff that crusts on the glass is super hard to get off! I'm going to buy a cleaner / scraper too of some sorts because my sponge doesn't cut it anymore.