tpallas

Also spent some time programming the Apex, but that’s going to be an ongoing project! Vortechs are dialed in OK - the MP40s are set to wavemaking mode and the MP10s to reef crest.

So in the spirit of our conversation, today I mounted a lot of the Apex components and associated wire management on a “temporary” basis. Given how much work I’ve put in, how much there is to go, and how satisfied I am so far, maybe the controller board project is more of a long term thing! Given the sheer magnitude of crap I am squeezing into a 3 foot stand, plus more things in the works, this may be better. I just think I need to mount an exhaust fan or something like that to keep the humidity down?

100% unnecessary! But if that was the yardstick I’m using I’dve been up and running a while ago. Pretty much for the porn aspect TBH. although I do want a waterproof box on the backside to protect the connections as you suggest. When you say user interface do you mean a GUI or just access to the connections? I do plan on putting an Amazon tablet in there.

That looks great! I ran into the same issue with the eurobracing, my bigger pieces just barely squeeze in. Have fun mortaring. One thing I found helpful was to use a water spray bottle to moisten the rock prior to application, and then after over the mortar to help it flow into holes and crevices to lock the pieces in my place.

Kicked the cycle of with some Microbacter 7. I did order a small amount of live rock & sand for the refugium, so I will dose Turbostart when that arrives. As far as cycling goes I'm just in standby mode while I tinker around with the equipment. One last major hurdle is the controller board. I asked the tank builder to install a door on the left hand side of the tank so I could mount one. I feared I got a little too greedy with the sump size, as I have about 6 inches between the side of the stand and the sump. Also as you can see the state of the wiring is currently disaster-tier: But, I found this YouTube video where this guy has a custom board built and the total thickness is 4". The board setup is also pretty much exactly what I'm looking for. So, I contacted the builder who is out in LA. He said since this video, the guy's tank leaked and ruined the board (it was made of MDF). Because of this he recommends plastic (he mentioned acrylic but I inquired about polycarbonate). Anyways as you can see from the video, he has the precise measurements of all the Neptune gear that I'll be using. So I've asked him to help me with cutting one out for me. It will need to be in 2 pieces as there isn't a large enough opening in the stand, but I think that will be OK. I am interested in the color scheme to match the Neptune orange/grey, with orange LED accent lighting tied to a magnet switch like the main stand area.

Wow those look great!

After 6+ months - and 3 days of watching my 50 GPD RO DI - our tank is finally wet!

MP40s came in today: Based on this layout, I’m thinking the MP40 goes center left and MP10 center right?

Thanks! Came from Addictive Reefkeeping. It’s a water-based pigment that dries waterproof.

Definitely not my cat

lol that was fast. Looks great!

Thanks! Started the long process of Laing enough water. My wife’s darned cat chewed through the tubing so had to place a protective cover on all of it.

Aquascaping is done. Here’s some pics of the painting process. Lots of happy trees. I tried to make different shades using water to get a two tone look. And the final product: Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lookin good in the hood. What do you feed?

Looks great! How is the cycling coming along?

I saw on Reef2Reef where someone was doing just that. The result wasn't half bad. What I'm using is this product from Addictive Reefkeeping. I've used it on a nano tank and it hasn't killed anything yet. It's a very watery consistency so it just flows into the rock and doesn't clog up the pores etc. https://addictivereefkeeping.com/product/8oz-purple-reef-safe-colorant-for-dry-rock-aquascape-touch-up/ You're right, the MP10s maxed out aren't really where they need to be. My tank is 3' but wider and taller so definitely need more power. I did go ahead and pull the trigger on 2x MP40s last night, looking forward to testing the 4 out. Yeah TBS would be my first choice. The next highly rated source seems to be KP Aquatics (https://www.kpaquatics.com/product-category/aquacultured-live-rock/). Gulf Live Rock gets mixed reviews. This is the source I'm lookin at for live sand (https://www.liverocknreef.com/catalog/florida-live-sand-and-crushed-coral-substrates/florida-live-sand-sold-by-the-pound-7929.html), I will probably order 20 lbs as that's the minimum and would give a pretty deep sand bed. We can definitely do a group order and let them know we're looking for nano pieces. I'm targeting towards the end of the month, I should have the tank up and running and cycling this week, want to give some time to establish some bacteria before adding the live rock.

Random question - does anyone remember Marine Care Specialists off Rockville Pike near 355 in the mid to late 90s? It was my first job in high school and to my knowledge the only saltwater store in the area. Asking for nostalgia's sake.

A few musings on this setup after another TB12 victory.... Did some experimenting on flow. I've got 2 existing MP10 QDs that I'll be moving to this tank, so I set them up to test. For some reason I'm fixated on having a standing wave + supplemental random/high energy flow. I've tested the MP10s and the standing wave generates, but is not impressive - perhaps +/- .5". I'm trending towards 2x MP40s to generate a larger standing wave and the MP10s to provide the random flow. I think, on their own, the MP10s could provide enough flow for the tank but the wave effect is something we really want. The second thing I've been considering is the refugium. I'd like to use it as something more than just a chaeto chamber. I'm moving more towards a lagoon type fuge with soft corals and some macroalages. I'm also seriously looking at Florida live rock and sand for the fuge. Up side is massive biodiversity to the tank - downside is unwanted species. From my research (read: reading Reef2Reef posts) it seems that the biggest offenders are gorilla crabs and mantis shrimps. If I confine the rock to my fuge, then this should be easy to correct while populating the rest of the tank with the desirables. KB Aquatics seems to be the place to get rock from, live sand is less clear but Gulf Live Rock offers it (they have horseshoe crabs in their pics which I'd hope not to get). In either case the point is to not get something that would endanger SPS but it looks as though AEFW and the like are not a Florida species to be concerned about....I think. It does harken me back to the old days of reefing when it was exciting to see what life the rock brought in. Lastly we should have the tank filled with water this week. The holdup has been the rockwork itself. I am painting it with a pigment solution (paint?) that makes it purple. Anyways I ran out of my original jar the other week and ordered a second, it is taking some time to arrive and should be here Tuesday. Once that happens I will paint the rock, give it 24 hours to cure, then place in the aquarium with sand and fill with RO/DI water. More details on that once it happens.

Ok thanks - that is helpful. Love your tank!

Thanks for the feedback! I'm looking at this one for sand. KB Aquatics for rock. Live Sand | Gulf Live Rock

Does anyone have experience using Florida live rock? I'm thinking of putting Florida live rock & sand in my refugium. This would colonize the rest of the tank but keep undesirable crustaceans in the fuge where I could get to them. Any negative experiences?

How far away is the Trident from the water source? I'm contemplating a similar setup and am curious if there are problems with the line clogging or something like that.

Yeah it stays on the whole time which is really nice.

It's good, throw a tang in there.