Nathan's 210g Reef Tank Build

[YHSublime]

You're making good progress. The stand an canopy stain is very nice, I like it.

[n8n]

Wife was cool with screening top and back. Should help out. The screen is the pet tear resistant one that should keep the Tigers out.

[n8n]

Lots of updates ...

 

Here is the canopy being finished, this is showing the top and back. It's screened in tiger proof screening to let air in and out but keep tigers out!

 

I haven't done the doors for the canopy yet but the lights are mounted and adjustable height.

 

here it is with stand closed. The doors for canopy will be same wood / stain / trim. Not sure if they will be removable or hinge.

 

Most of rock work is done. Still a few pieces in old tank. Tomorrow will move corals, anemones, and a few fish. I already have reactors and skimmer on new tank. Need to do a ton of work getting electronics properly setup cleanly.

[n8n]

Here is the canopy the tank, still need to add the doors, and make a few adjustments.

 

I really like the way the screen defuses the reflection but still lets the tank breath.

[n8n]

Rock work basically done, transferring live stock and corals. Still have the 2 foot wide anemone to move. It's decided to plant itself on the glass of the old tank :/

 

 

 

 

[n8n]

The randomly placed Fiji high up is where we plan to put him

[n8n]

We moved the big anemone today. I still have a lot of finishing touches to do.

 

 

 

 

[n8n]

So, now that most of the tank is assembled there are a few improvements I've already spotted. First off I want to add a stand light hopefully door activated. Second off the automatic feeder and screens are awkward, and I want to engineer a perch or something for it to sit on.

 

Anyways open to suggestions on feeder.

 

 

 

Here is a pic with iPad air2 to give perspective. The iPad is directly above the nym.

[n8n]

I managed to grab this image with dropcam zoomed out. Lighting looks good when zoomed properly. Anyways trying to figure out if I should raise/ lower / separate lights more. I'm on list for par meter, but trying to figure it out by eyeball right now. Below is my guess on how it's working with areas marked with higher intensity.

 

 

[n8n]

This is what I did to get my feeder secured with eurobraced tank, it's about 2 inches above the screen.

 

 

 

[YHSublime]

Looks like it will keep the Anthias happy.

[n8n]

Last night I got the 93 g cube moved to the other room, most of the equipment has been moved to the sump. I plan to get the cords and everything tied back. The cube will go up for sale shortly. The old skimmer is now in the sump, bio pellet reactor, carbon/Gfo reactor, marine pure blocks moved, dosing pumps, ATO is now online, I installed a light in the stand, I'm one hose that I need to install away from automatic water changes again.

 

 

[n8n]

My new lifereef 30 inch skimmer arrived today. Decided to go old school.

 

Jeff at lifereef did a good job packing

 

Here it is in front of my tank that I'm setting up. ( I'm still making canopy from scratch)

 

A little closer

 

Mod to input to tie to my bio pellet reactor

 

YouTube video of it in my sump not broken in yet

[tpallas]

Looking great! I'm really glad the Tonga shelf is making a comeback.

[n8n]

Today we stained the back of the stand doors and the canopy doors.

 

We actually had them cut more than we needed to pick the best ones.

 

 

Here is the doors without the leaf crown molding installed. When I get done the doors on top will match bottom.

 

a little closer peak.

 

 

 

This is what's going on in my tank. The clowns we're hosting on opposite sides. Now they are hosting a few inches from each other.

 

My new powder blue tang and marine beta in quarintine.

 

The new skimmer started pulling yellow gunk out of water in 2 hours and is still working like a champ. I'm also way happy I moved from vortech to Neptune wav pumps. I can't believe how silent living room is and I have 4 wav pumps running, that monster skimmer and a bigger return pump. Way happy with results.

[n8n]

this is what the room looks like when tank is going into night mode. The black mesh back and top is doing a good job diffusing some light but still letting tank breath.

[xabo]

Keep us updated on the skimmer performance after it's broken in.................been looking at the Life Reef.

[n8n]

Keep us updated on the skimmer performance after it's broken in.................been looking at the Life Reef.

The skimmer's activity is strongly based on bio-load but I will do my best to explain. So I have 30 inch lifereef flanged model. I'm running it with Mazzei Venturi option which is a little additional. The performance is strongly based on the pump, I'm running Mag 18 dedicated into this skimmer. (all of which recommended by Jeff @ Lifereef).

 

Initially I was running it about half way between the flange and the top of the rim, and left the stand door open while we were watching tv. Every 30 minutes it would start to overflow a little and I would turn the knob to lower it. After a couple hours I lowered the skimmer down to the flange (where the black thumb screws are) to goto bed. I sat and watched it for 2-3 minutes after I lowered it and magic happened. I noticed the bigger bubbles forming and building to the top of the cup. The next morning I think there was about 1/2 quart of yellow orange stuff collected. I don't have my log book with me, but I think I emptied the skimmer (5 qts) on Friday. Today is Tuesday and there are 2 1/2 more quarts. (so around 7 1/2 quarts have been skimmed since I installed it).

 

So how wet/dry/etc? So its my understanding (and people at reefcentral also recommended) that the "idle" for this skimmer be at the flange/black thumb screws which is where mine is set, so I think its set correctly.

 

So how dark? You tell me this is my skimmer form this morning right after feedmode (My apex still turns off skimmer/reactors when it goes in feed mode):

 

image

 

image

 

Like I was saying, it was 5 qt on friday, i empted it, and you can see where it is now.

 

I plan on adding more fish to the tank so I think I could put more load on it. It's also connected to the output of Avast Biopellet reactor which might cause it to be a little wet.

 

Noise wise it is the loudest thing on my system. The Venturi sucking in air is where noise is from and it's tied to cup which doesn't really dim the noise. I can't hear mag drive over Venturi. The sump has filter sock where water drips into sock. The sock is louder than Venturi but I keep a small spunge to mute the Noise making Venturi louder. When stand door is shut however it's very quite. At night you can barely hear skimmer when there is no noise in entire house. Compared to vortech that was on old tank, skimmer is way quieter.

 

There is no head in this picture because skimmer was just turned on like 5 seconds prior.

[n8n]

So this is my third skimmer. I also own aquamaxx hang on back blue model running on quarintine and an aquamaxx cones cs2. The lifereef has awesome build quality. Feels solid and like something that will be in my sump for years. The only mods that I have done is. 1st it came with a schedule 40 threaded gate. I ordered ahead of time a spears schedule 80 1 inch gate. All the pics at lifereef show a schedule 80 but all the skimmers ship with schedule 40. Maybe me just being picky. I also put a tee on the pump input so I could hard plumb the bio pellet reactor to input of skimmer. The skimmate hose goes to avast marine container with apex integrated overflow prevention. Everything else is out of box setup.

[xabo]

Looks like a winner so far. I have a Deltec AP702 that's doing a good job with the current bio load: 4 Tangs, a pair of Japanese Swallowtails, Saddleback Butterfly and a pair of Anthias. Problems.............the thing sucks in so much air that I have to shoot fresh water down the valves daily to keep them clean and clear to run effectively and the Aquabee pump is getting harder to find when it breaks.

[n8n]

Looks like a winner so far. I have a Deltec AP702 that's doing a good job with the current bio load: 4 Tangs, a pair of Japanese Swallowtails, Saddleback Butterfly and a pair of Anthias. Problems.............the thing sucks in so much air that I have to shoot fresh water down the valves daily to keep them clean and clear to run effectively and the Aquabee pump is getting harder to find when it breaks.

I've got:

1 diamond goby

1 yellow tang

1 Kobe tang

1 matted filefish

3 blue green chromis

4 lyratail anthias

2 oscillious midnight clownfish

2 maroon clown fish ( they host their own anemones and don't fight )

1 purple dotty back

3 blue eye cardinals

1 lawnmower blenny

2 green bta

1 rose bta

1 monster 15 or 20 inch across Ritter anemone

1 long tentacle anemone

Large cleanup crew

 

That's the load on the 210g right now plus some corals

[n8n]

I cleaned the skimmer's neck last night at 10pm.  Tonight if I remember i'll snap a picture of it so we can see what it looks like after 24 hours with neck cleaned.

 

-Nathan

[n8n]

So last night I cleaned the neck, here is neck and skimmate 24 hours later.. The neck was 100% clean yesterday night about same time.

 

 

Comparing the pictures it looks like almost 1 quart per day. ( difference in container plus amount accumulated in cup since I emptied cup also )

 

Hopefully that helps,

 

Nathan

[n8n]

Tonight I trimmed three of the four doors. ( all the visible doors have trim ). The last door I'm going to have to install without hinges since it's near the wall like the way I did the stand.

 

 

 

 

Pretty happy with final result.

[n8n]

I snapped so pics of the inside since most of the recent pictures are of hardwood plumbing or the skimmer. Since I took the shots the long tentitcle has moved back to the left side of the tank.