bcoop78 April 10, 2012 Share April 10, 2012 Hello all, I have been on this forum for a couple of months now, and have slowly been acquiring all that is needed to setup my reef. Here is my progress thus far: When I get to work tonight I will have time to fill in with all the details.... This is very exciting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epleeds April 10, 2012 Share April 10, 2012 Do you have enough room in the sump when the power goes off. Water level looks really high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incredible Corals April 10, 2012 Share April 10, 2012 Can't get the pics to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.OptimusPrime. April 10, 2012 Share April 10, 2012 Do you have enough room in the sump when the power goes off. Water level looks really high. +1 that's the first thing I noticed as well when I saw the sump pictures. He seems to have some kind of drain (elbow in the corner) which might make up for the overflow?? Coming along nicely. What are your stocking plans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcoop78 April 10, 2012 Author Share April 10, 2012 <br />Do you have enough room in the sump when the power goes off. Water level looks really high.<br /><br /><br /><br />believe it or not, it works out well... The reason is that the sump is 2/3 the size of the display. The water level only goes up 2" when the return pump stops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcoop78 April 10, 2012 Author Share April 10, 2012 <br /><br /><br /> +1 that's the first thing I noticed as well when I saw the sump pictures. He seems to have some kind of drain (elbow in the corner) which might make up for the overflow??<br /> <br /> Coming along nicely. What are your stocking plans.<br /> <br /><br /><br />nah. The elbow in the corner is my inexpensive way of "plugging" the hole that was drilled by the previous owner. The 40g breeder has more than enough space left to hold what siphons down during power outage. Trust me, I've tested it numerous times....lol. Just running tap water now for a few days to check for leaks and silence the system. I think I went too big on my return pump. It's a Mag 9.5, and I've got it dialed way back in order to keep my sump from being a whirlpool spa. I wish there was a way to have the return pump reduce power automatically during the night, since the tank is in our bedroom..... Also my MP10 seems to be working pretty well on my 1/2" acrylic. Am I missing something?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishie April 10, 2012 Share April 10, 2012 the sump led for the chaeto is very cool...i got the same from marinescene ...very easy to move around looking good....is it starphire on the dt ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcoop78 April 10, 2012 Author Share April 10, 2012 <br />the sump led for the chaeto is very cool...i got the same from marinescene ...very easy to move around <br />looking good....is it starphire on the dt ?<br /> <br /><br /><br />hey thanks man... I couldn't resist that light. No, the DT is 1/2" acrylic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcoop78 April 10, 2012 Author Share April 10, 2012 (edited) OK. So here are the nitty-gritty details of my build. Custom Built 1/2" Acrylic 60 gallon cube euro-braced with flame-polished edges. Black Acrylic overflow with 1" Bulkhead. (2) 3/4" return bulkheads at back corners. The tank was built by Adam Bowers, whom I believe will be a member here soon if he is not already. Stand was custom made by Rockville Steel, using 1 1/2" square steel tubing. I plan to fabricate painted wood panels with magnetic attachments to finish it off soon. The tank does not sit centered on the stand. I plan to create a coral-skeleton structure to the left of it- as an attempt at something artistic..... The sump is a 40B, and is set up as a "high flow" sump, with a skimmer section, refugium section, and return section with bubble trap. Equipment List: EcoTech Radion Light Fixture EcoTech Vortech MP10esW Vertex IN-100 Protein Skimmer Innovative Marine LED Refugium Light Mag 9.5 Return Pump Apex Jr. Controller with: WXM PM1 Remote Display Avast ATO Air Water & Ice Typhoon 3 RO/DI I plan for a mixed reef, keeping mainly LPS and some SPS. I may keep a lionfish, but will upgrade the skimmer first. Thanks for looking! Edited April 10, 2012 by bcoop78 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefoholic April 11, 2012 Share April 11, 2012 Looks like a great plan. I love your tank. Cube tanks are way too awesome! In the future, when you add fish and such, you could built a screen for the top. Just in case there will be any jumpers. I am excited to see your aquascaping. Tagging along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcoop78 April 11, 2012 Author Share April 11, 2012 Looks like a great plan. I love your tank. Cube tanks are way too awesome! In the future, when you add fish and such, you could built a screen for the top. Just in case there will be any jumpers. I am excited to see your aquascaping. Tagging along. Hey thanks man- much appreciated. One question- don't screens block light? I have had more than a couple wrasse and clown casulties from jumps, but never wanted to cover my tank because I heard that it can block a good amount of light. Whats your take on this? Others please chime in! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefoholic April 11, 2012 Share April 11, 2012 A mesh screen (such as a window screen from HD) might block some light but I think it will be ok. I would say the light blocked would be minimum towards the top of the tank. Also, looking at the pictures, I can tell your radion is not that high away from the water surface. You could place your prospective SPS closer to the top of the tank. But LPS should be fine with correct intensity settings for Radions. Now, I don't have any experience with Radions, but from what I have been reading so far, they provide enough lighting to grow almost anything. If it were AI Sols (which I have lots of experience with and totally despise) I would advise you to dict them, burry them in the backyard and buy a nice MH/T5 combo just like I did (ok, I burried mine in my closet) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcoop78 April 11, 2012 Author Share April 11, 2012 <br />A mesh screen (such as a window screen from HD) might block some light but I think it will be ok. I would say the light blocked would be minimum towards the top of the tank. Also, looking at the pictures, I can tell your radion is not that high away from the water surface. <br /><br /> You could place your prospective SPS closer to the top of the tank. But LPS should be fine with correct intensity settings for Radions. <br /> <br /> Now, I don't have any experience with Radions, but from what I have been reading so far, they provide enough lighting to grow almost anything. If it were AI Sols (which I have lots of experience with and totally despise) I would advise you to dict them, burry them in the backyard and buy a nice MH/T5 combo just like I did (ok, I burried mine in my closet) <img src='http://www.wamas.org/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /><br /> <br /><br /><br />cool. Thanks for the info! Yeah, I could have gotten 2 AI Sols for the price of the Radion, but went with the Radion. The funny thing is, back in 2010, the AI Sols were the cat's meow..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcoop78 April 13, 2012 Author Share April 13, 2012 Got off of work early tonight, so it's off to the house to start filling the tank with saltwater and live sand!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcoop78 April 14, 2012 Author Share April 14, 2012 Beginning the slow, arduous process of tank-filling. 75gpd RO with 15 gallon reservoir takes forever!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcoop78 April 19, 2012 Author Share April 19, 2012 (edited) And here it is with a car payment's worth of rock in it. (I just can't get over the fact that I'm "buyin' rocks"...) lol. I tried to stack it balanced in an effort to make it pleasing to look at from any angle. I did not use any structural support because I chose not to. Please share with me any thoughts or ideas you may have. Thanks! Edited April 19, 2012 by bcoop78 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incredible Corals April 19, 2012 Share April 19, 2012 Looks great. Can't wait to see it cleared up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epleeds April 19, 2012 Share April 19, 2012 Have you tried to hook up your MP10 yet? I don't think they secure correctly on 1/2" material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcoop78 April 19, 2012 Author Share April 19, 2012 Have you tried to hook up your MP10 yet? I don't think they secure correctly on 1/2" material. Sold it. Getting an MP40 this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcoop78 April 19, 2012 Author Share April 19, 2012 Mannnnn.... I feel like I need another 40lbs of rock.... Is there a safe way to add live rock to a system once established? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epleeds April 19, 2012 Share April 19, 2012 Yea. Just buy some rock from another member that is fully cured. No issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcoop78 April 20, 2012 Author Share April 20, 2012 Here's a coral that came on my LR... Wonder if he'll open up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni April 20, 2012 Share April 20, 2012 probably won't survive, though I've been surprised before. Where did you get the rock? In the past, the walt smith transhipped fiji rock would occasionally have small pipe organs and sps somehow survive the trip! Most of the rock I've seen more recently doesn't have much life on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcoop78 April 20, 2012 Author Share April 20, 2012 Oh it's got LOTS of life!! Sponges, mollusks, worms, tons of algae (much of which I removed before tanking). The rock is from Saltwaterworx- Solid guy. More pics to follow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcoop78 April 20, 2012 Author Share April 20, 2012 I believe these are aiptasia or majano Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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