Reefoholic

This is such an epic build! Can't wait to see the finished product.

Amazon dropped the ball big time; now the ammonia additive is scheduled to be delivered on Monday. SO, I went the old route, I put a frozen shrimp into one of my media reactors and fed the tank some fish food this morning. I cranked up the temp to 80F so I am making shrimp and rock soup for dinner, HEHE Last night everything read ZERO so I am curious to see what the ammonia will read when I go home today after work. Stay tuned.

yo, I asked the group about that. no one said anything, I felt shamed.... hahaha oh well, only $6 went to amazon. next time, I will use the beer method.

So now I realize that I need to add some ammonia source to the tank to start the cycling so I ordered Dr. Tim's Ammonium Chloride from Amazon arriving on Thursday. Per the literature I read online, I am now gradually raising the tank temperature to 79 - 80 degrees so that the bacteria will have a more suitable environment to propagate. Open to suggestions/feedback on the elevated temp (have never done that before).

Love the look! Lot's of inspiration for my new tank! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks! There are many little caves and crevices for the fishies and the critters. I think I will put the two anems in there first to have them settle in before corals, etc. Not rushing the cycle tho. Don't wanna have nasties later on.

Added Dr. Tim's One and Only last night around 8pm to kick start the cycle. Does anyone know if I need to feed the tank some source of ammonia now? (fish food or raw shrimp to decay OR I have heard people adding some of their urine; unconventional but might work) After adding Dr. Tim's, the Ph sky-rocketed to almost 12. It has been coming down gradually but still very high at around 11. No skimmer running and I took the filter sock out per the instructions for 48 hours. PS: There is a steady decline on the temperature of the tank that I just realized looking at my ApexFusion. I shall check the heater when back home this evening.

Good reminder Aaron! I am using a different kind of a tool (sponge on a stick) hehe! I find the magnet things very annoying to be honest! I realized that since I DID NOT buy any live rocks and the tank is brand new spanking clean, I am will need to use some ammonia source to kick-start the cycle. I am going to use Dr. Tim's. More pics and updates to come.

More rocks arrived this afternoon. I think I am liking this new high island very much. Sent from my BND-L34 using Tapatalk

Hello Reef Buddies, I got a lightly used Red Sea Reefer 170 from a WAMAS member some time ago and have been working hard to put my new tank together for the last couple of months and just last night, I finally filled it up and turned it on. This is by far my biggest tank (and biggest hobby related purchase $$$) so far but I am SO VERY EXCITED to start over with this new setup. I also scored a used Apex Classic with one EB8 from eBay for a good price and got another DB8 from a WAMAS member. Given my OCD, I really do not enjoy looking at cables in the middle of our living room, so I decided to build a side canopy that houses the Apex modules and all else. Here are some pics of the canopy in the making: I got glued-wood -sheets from the Home Depot and built this canopy to go next to the tank. After sanding it down good, I stained it with a dark walnut shade varnish. What a beauty! After the canopy was built, I moved on to the rock work. I got about 20lbs of Dry Live Rock from BRS. In the past, I have lots of trouble with the rocks tumbling down, or moving when I was moving things in the tank so I had a plan. After watching hours and hours and hours of YouTube videos on "rockscaping", I decided to make an egg-crate base to hold the foundation rocks together. I used epoxy to hold everything together so that it is one solid structure except for one piece that I can easily remove to get to the back of the structure. (FYI, while building the rockscape, I realized that I needed more rocks so more are coming today.) Here is what is looks like inside the tank canopy. I was able to comfortably fit the skimmer and a reactor. I chose to hang the BRS dosers in the back and will be putting the Alk and Calc containers on the side where the screen is sitting now (waiting to be built - any help with that is much appreciated. The instruction manual is so darn confusing tbh). Here is what it looks like on the back of the tank. Simply NO MESS! Let the cycle games begin! hehe

Mods please close this thread. I am starting a new tank thread for my new Reefer 170. Thanks!

What he said

Got the new AI Nero! Debated between that or the Gyre and I am VERY impressed by the AI Nero to be honest! I love my Vortech silent drive but the Nero makes no sound ( since all happens in the tank) Also, have not seen any temp spikes at all so it does not warm up either. I am planning on using the Nero and one Vortech MP10 in my new setup Reefer 170.

Tapatalk is the easiest way to upload photos, bud! It is available for iOS and Android. Welcome to the club! This is a great group of people who are ready to help when you need advice, equipment, and even reef care when you are away...

I think someone was selling their Reeflink on the forum. That will help immensely to automate randomize things in the tank. May I suggest placing one of the MP40s in the lower mid range of one of the sides? That with a randomized flow should move up whatever has been building up in there. Note that the MP40s create a wide-conical (three dimensional) flow; and with enough power it can turn water around in the tank easily.

They look like CANDY!!!

Looking good! I actually like this version better than the original arrangement; especially am loving the branches on the left side of the tank and LMAO for that cacti pattern tablecloth! Cracks me up ever time! I think someone was selling some GFO on here, I would suggest looking in the trade/sell forum. Here it is: When are you adding the livestock?

Make sure you use some heat resistant, maybe even boat paint if you can get some. https://www.westmarine.com/boat-paint-solvents I think that will work just fine and what an innovative idea! Make sure to share pics please! Matt

I wanna be a clown fish in that tank! Looks awesome!

What a great suggestion! I would layer it with a yoga mat since they tend to be on the cheaper side of cushioning. Was the rock dry live? I am curious about the curing time frame since I will be setting my Reefer 170 up soon. Are you planning on using any additives to speed the cycle up? Also, what does your SUMP look like? Tagging along! Matt

They have taken good care of my stuff in the past, worry not! It is clearly their product and they will stand by their products. If you need a back up MP10, I have one that is laying around. Given that, I cannot agree more with the back up comment; it is ALWAYS a good idea to have an old but functional power head, some water made if you have space, and some small tank (I have a tiny 2.5 gal) to move stuff into quickly in the event of a spike or an overdose. These are things one learns over time, with experience... Matt

Such a sweet setup! Also everything looks so well planned out and orderly! Is there a pic of the entire tank with the corals in? Tagging along for sure! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looking great buddy! Is that a GIANT anem or the pics make it look that big?

This is me now: I want to go to there...

Hopefully this will work: Reefoholic NEW 29 Gallon LED Setup https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?share_fid=2873&share_tid=78986&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ewamas%2Eorg%2Fforums%2Findex%2Ephp%3F%2Ftopic%2F78986-Reefoholic-NEW-29-Gallon-LED-Setup&share_type=t Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk