Photos of DIY refugium and Aquaticlife fixture

Koresample · #1 03-09-2009, 12:38 AM

Refugium in a new AC110, modified by making two chambers to allow for carbon and phosphate treatment, plus bubble trap and a large area for LR, LS and chaeto.
Top down view showing (L to R), main chamber, bubble trap/phosphate chamber/carbon chamber.
[IMG]

[/IMG]

View from rear showing the chambers and rubble etc.

[IMG]

[/IMG]

Coralife 2X9w 6700k light siliconed onto the top of the lid, i cut out underneath the lid with a dremel (didn't take a pic, but you get the idea).

Shot showing the awquatic life sittiing on the top of the tank. The four legs slide into a channel in the aluminum housing allowing you to slide them into position to sit on top of the tank, slick and easy!

[IMG]

[/IMG]

I have the coralife programmed for 8 hrs on, 16 off for now. I also have the intake plugged with foam to cut down the flow and the adjuster on the AC on the lowest setting. I would estimate i am getting about 50gph max flow right now. As soon as my trigger pods arrive, i am going to stock the fuge to feed the mandarin. I will post new images as the refugium matures. Comments and feedback/suggestions welcome!

I just got my test kits for CA, KH and MG today and i am reading CA 340, KH 11 and MG 1250...hopefully my calcium and magnesium show up this week so i can get those where they need to be!

Mike

Samw · #2 03-09-2009, 12:47 AM

Looks good. What kind of tank is that? Where did you get it?

Tom R · #3 03-09-2009, 02:27 AM

Looks Great

Tom R

Koresample · #4 03-09-2009, 02:52 AM

Thanks, its a Fluval Osaka 155 tank, got it from Total Pet in Penticton.

nanoreefer · #5 03-09-2009, 05:53 AM

i would be carefull with that anemone and a mandarin good chance it might eat it, also if your hopeing to grow pods in the ac110 i would add more rock and less sand, it would probably help a lot if you set up another HOB filter with just rock or some other porus matterial and keep it totaly dark i think that would grow a lot more pods sence they like the dark, especialy if fed it and the tank with phyto, selcon, cyclopeez ect every few days

Koresample · #6 03-09-2009, 04:57 PM

thanks nanoreefer, are you using something like this?

nanoreefer · #7 03-09-2009, 09:05 PM

no i have thought about it before, and ended haveing a lot of pods growing in an 110 that i left on my tank after cycling all it had in it was the origonal sponge, also i added a bottle of tigger pods to my tank and i dont think they lived, i might have screwed up though, your best bet for pods and other life is good LR from the LFS or from other reefers, mandains dont just eat pods they eat anything small liveing in the tank mine has eaten all the bristle worms in mine

Koresample · #8 03-09-2009, 09:27 PM

i've got 55 lbs of LR that i got from another reefer that were in his tank for 2+ yrs and after a couple of weeks my tank looked like the sand was crawling after lights out! I just started putting frozen brine shrimp soaked in garlic as well, and today, for the first time, he actually went after that while it was suspended in the water column. I think i am also going to raise some pods in a bucket per the instructions that came with the bottle, and just keep transferring a wack into my display tank each couple of weeks to re-seed it.

FBNitro · #9 03-11-2009, 04:55 PM

What do you think of the light? I haven't seen many reviews of it and I've been looking for some.

Koresample · #10 03-12-2009, 05:18 AM

At first i didn't think it was as bright as my two bulb Hagen Glo, but after only two weeks i noticed an explosion of corraline growth on my rock and my PH case. i just started checking and dosing my Ca, Mg and dKH, so i will know better in a couple of weeks as to how things are doing. I think the only way i will be able to tell is by the colour of my corals and their growth if i keep my chemistry in check. What do you run for lights?