Iostream's 90G Mixed Reef

Iostream · 04/08/2008, 01:13 PM

Well, work has started even though the tank is not ready for water, so I figured I would start my 90G build thread. Here are the particulars as they exist today:

Oceanic 90G Reef Ready
4 x 110W VHO lighting (2 ballasts)
ETSS Protean 400 sump/skimmer
Mag 7 skimmer pump
Quiet One 2200 Return pump
Yet undetermined though likely JBJ 1/4HP chiller

I will be moving most of the contents of my RSM over to the 90G and possibly plumb the RSM into the shared sump to make the RSM FOWLR. Existing stock that will move:

1 pair False Percula Clownfish
1 Yellow Wrasse
1 Firefish
2 Cleaner Shrimp
and possibly 1 Potters Angel

1 Frogspawn
1 rock of zoa
possibly one rock of GSP. The xenia will stay in the RSM since it grows like a madman.

I would like to keep a snowflake eel in the RSM, but I am not sure that the RSM is big enough. My son also wants a puffer, probably a saddle valentini.

I am currently sanding and staining the canopy and stand. Once that is done, I will add sand and rock and let it cook for a bit before plumbing the tanks together and moving things over.

Iostream · 04/08/2008, 08:14 PM

Okay, having a little bit of trouble deciding on the chiller. i think I have narrowed it down to:

JBJ
Teco
Tradewinds

I know tradewinds makes a great chiller, but I am concerned about noise levels with it. JBJ and Teco are supposed to be fairly quiet, and my current JBJ is certainly quiet. Any advice on those?

Iostream · 04/10/2008, 01:02 PM

Slight change in direction on the lighting. I am going to go mixed VHO and T5. With a total of 3 ballasts (1 VHO 2x T5) I will set up as:

VHO Actinic
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Aquasun
VHO Actinic
UVL Aquasun
ATI Blue Plus

This will allow me to do a better dawn/dusk setup as well.

VHO Actinic on at 8:30AM
Blue Plus on at 9:30AM
Aquasun on at 11AM
Aquasun off at 6PM
Blue Plus off at 7:30PM
VHO Actinic off at 8:30PM

I am using Fans with Blue LEDs to cool the canopy and hopefully that will provide plenty of moonlight.

kar93 · 04/10/2008, 01:15 PM

Sounds good, Pics?

Iostream · 04/10/2008, 01:26 PM

No pics of the 90 yet, I am still in the process of staining the hood and stand. Pics will come in a couple of weeks when all of that is done. Here is an older pic of my RSM though. The xenia and GSP have grown considerably since then, which is why they will remain in the RSM rather than taking over my 90G.

Iostream · 04/14/2008, 01:01 PM

Update: Canopy stained, once it is completely dry, I can do the poly coats and be done with it.

Whee, fun filling in the missing pieces over the weekend. New equipment decisions:

* I am upgrading my Aquacontroller II to an Aquacontroller III with the AquaSurf controller for Tunze pumps
* Replace my X-10 modules with more reliable DC-8
* Adding 2 Tunze 6055 for flow. After looking at the new Koralia setups, Tunze, and Vortech, this just seems like the best deal, plus I have been very happy with my 6025 in the RSM.
* Pretty certain I will go with the Teco chiller. While I have been happy with my JBJ mini Arctica, the Teco is a little bit more quiet on spec, and if there is a warranty issue it would be taken care of locally.

Iostream · 04/23/2008, 10:38 AM

I was out of town for a bit, so no further work on the stand/canopy, but I did finish up the equipment purchases. Final equipment list:

Oceanic 90G Reef Ready
2 x 110W VHO Actinics (12H)
2 x 54W T5 ATI Blue Plus w/ Icecap SLR reflectors (10H)
2 x 54W T5 UVL Aquasun w/ Icecap SLR reflectors (6-8H)
ETSS Protean 400 sump/skimmer
Mag 7 skimmer pump
Quiet One 2200 Return pump
Aquacontroller III w PH, Orp, Temp probes
DC8 Power Control
Aquasurf wave controller with 2 x Tunze 6055
Teco Seachill 1/5HP chiller
Blue LED cooling fans in the canopy to also act as moonlight.

Reeftanks6 · 04/24/2008, 05:10 AM

Sounds like a great tank. Keep it up!

Iostream · 09/13/2008, 09:09 PM

Wow, time flies... So the tank is finally up and running with water, all the electronics in place, etc. I decided to use the Neptune Systems Lunar Simulator with 2 LEDs instead of the LED cooling fans. At this point the tank only contains 50lb of Eco Rox from Bulk Reef Supply, 90lb of sand, and some cheato in the refugium. Letting the rock cycle before I move anything over from the RSM. I will post pics soon.

Tony25 · 09/14/2008, 07:24 PM

Wow thats some serious hair algae.

Iostream · 09/15/2008, 02:29 PM

My Aquacontroller Program:

VHO$-A01 # VHO Actinics
SKM#-A02 # Skimmer Pump
RTN#-A03 # Return Pump
HEA%-A08 # Heater (set at 80 on actual device)
REF$-A04 # Refugium Lights
CHL&-A07 # Chiller (set at 77 on actual chiller controller)
BLU$-A05 # ATI Blue Plus
DAY$-A06 # UVL Aquasun
ALM&-A09 # Dummy Alarm timer for email notifications
LSM$-C01 # Lunar Module LEDs
WV1#-E01 # Tunze 6055 #1
WV2#-E02 # Tunze 6055 #2

If Sun 000/000 Then VHO ON
If Sun 060/-045 Then BLU ON
If Sun 127/-128 Then DAY ON
If Sun 000/000 Then REF OFF
If Moon 000/000 Then LSM ON
If Temp > 80.0 Then CHL ON
If Temp < 79.0 Then CHL OFF
If Temp > 83.0 Then ALM ON
If Temp > 84.0 Then CHL OFF
If Temp < 77.5 Then HEA ON
If Temp > 78.0 Then HEA OFF
If Temp < 76.0 Then HEA OFF
If Temp < 76.5 Then ALM ON
If PH > 8.40 Then ALM ON
If PH < 7.90 Then ALM ON
If Time > 00:00 Then SKM ON
If Time > 00:00 Then RTN ON
If Time > 00:00 Then ALM OFF
If Timer VHO = ON Then WV1 PF1
If Timer VHO = ON Then WV2 PF2
Pmp MODE sD for PF1
Pmp Int 030/075 for PF1
Pmp OSC 04/08/00 for PF1
Pmp MODE SD for PF2
Pmp Int 030/075 for PF2
Pmp OSC 00/08/04 for PF2
If Timer DAY = ON Then WV1 PF3
If Timer DAY = ON Then WV2 PF4
Pmp MODE sD for PF3
Pmp Int 030/100 for PF3
Pmp OSC 04/08/00 for PF3
Pmp MODE SD for PF4
Pmp Int 030/100 for PF4
Pmp OSC 00/08/04 for PF4
If Timer VHO = OFF Then WV1 PF5
If Timer VHO = OFF Then WV2 PF6
Pmp MODE sD for PF5
Pmp Int 030/050 for PF5
Pmp OSC 04/08/00 for PF5
Pmp MODE SD for PF6
Pmp Int 030/050 for PF6
Pmp OSC 00/08/04 for PF6
If FeedA 000 Then RTN OFF
If FeedA 000 Then WV1 OFF
If FeedA 000 Then WV2 OFF
If FeedD 000 Then WV1 OFF
If FeedD 000 Then WV2 OFF

craab · 09/15/2008, 02:38 PM

ackkckckc my eyes!!!! code!!!!!!!!

<--- ex-software engineer

Iostream · 09/15/2008, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by craab
ackkckckc my eyes!!!! code!!!!!!!!

<--- ex-software engineer

Heh, think of it more as a shell script than actual code...

Iostream · 09/22/2008, 11:15 AM

Okay, pictures as promised. Ignore the rock work, this is just the Eco Rox I got, and it will be redone when I move some of the rock from the RSM into place.

Full Tank Shot (9 days up):

Sump/Refugium:

Lighting:

Control area:

Chiller:

Iostream · 09/29/2008, 07:09 AM

Slight setback last night, the temp probe on my AC3 went nuts, started reading well over 100 degrees. Luckily I get emails, and I have triggers set up to make sure that equipment isn't forced on if things go nuts. At this point I just reset the chiller to the desired temp because the heater has never come on yet. It would be slightly more of a problem if the temp fluctuated a bit more in the tank.
From what I can gather, Neptune had a bad batch of temp controllers a few months ago, hopefully they will make it right. The warranty on the probe is expired, but it has only been powered up for 2 weeks. Here is the temp graph from last night. the line you can barely see on the left is things working perfectly, with the temp cycling between 78.9 and 80.1, and suddenly it starts to jump as high as 123.

Iostream · 09/29/2008, 10:57 AM

Put in a call to Neptune, and they are making it right, going to replace the bad probe. They didn't specify that it was a known problem, but I am glad to see that they stand behind their products. I have had an AC2 that was purchased in 2001, and has been bulletproof. Hopefully the AC3 will be the same after this replacement.
Until the replacement arrives, the temp based actions in my program have been disabled (AC3 shows a temp of 22 with no probe plugged in). The chiller seems to be doing a good job of keeping the temp stable.

reefman13 · 09/29/2008, 11:14 AM

Looking nice. What are your plans for doing the transfer?

Iostream · 09/29/2008, 11:22 AM

Once the rock is cured, and the new temp probe arrives, I am planning to transfer all fish, and any rock without zoa, GSP, or xenia attached. Bascially the SPS frags I have and the Frogspawn plus the fish and a bit of the live rock will move over. The softies will remain in the RSM. My only concern is finding the yellow coris wrasse. When I drained and moved the RSM so that I could put the 90G in place, it had buried itself in the sand and I couldn't find it to save my life... Luckily it survived the move just fine. I will be testing the parameters on the 90G tank later today to see how the cycle is going. The diatoms are certainly receding quickly.

thor32766 · 09/29/2008, 11:29 AM

looks like a great start.

Iostream · 09/29/2008, 02:51 PM

Tank stats so far:
Ammonia: 0.25ppm (somewhere between 0 and 0.25)
Nitrites: 0.2ppm
Nitrates: 20ppm

SG: 1.025
PH: 8.0-8.15
Temp: 78-80

So the cycle is moving along nicely, the fact that nitrites and nitrates exist is a good start. Hopefully the cheato in the fuge is helping to soak up some of those nitrates and phosphates.

Iostream · 10/01/2008, 03:39 PM

I went ahead and added 2 TLF 150 reactors, one with Phosban, the other with carbon. I had heard that the Phosban could cause a ph change, so I wanted to add it before fish were present, but I didn't notice any parameter changes. Things seem on track.

The PH in my RSM is a little bit high, wondering how to best lower it.

Iostream · 10/02/2008, 09:52 AM

Added another 30lb of sand, I was a little concerned that I didnt have enough. Now I get to wait for the tank to clear again, but better now than when it is stocked.

kruse_alan · 10/03/2008, 03:58 PM

Your tank looks great! I am also looking at protean system. Did you change your filter sock?

Iostream · 10/03/2008, 07:44 PM

Thanks. Yes, I changed the filter sock and turned on the return pump after about 30 mins. It was clear by this morning. The filter sock isn't completely clogged, but I will change it soon anyway to get all the sand out. Everything is rocking now, I will test water again tomorrow. I am very happy with the protean system. Frankly I have been happy with every ETSS product I have used over the years.

tydtran · 10/04/2008, 06:47 AM

Nice loking start to your tank. A word of advice. The RSM picture that you showed had a lot of nuisance algae. If you transfer content from the RSM to your new tank, you'll be introducing this to the new tank as well. If you don't mind, then it's not an issue. But if you want to lower the possibility of having to fight a long battle against nuisance algae in your new setup, I would take this into consideration.

6 months ago my 55 was doing great. I then took down my RSM which looked a lot like yours and transfer the content to the 55. It has been misery ever since, so give it some thought if you haven't done the transfer yet.

04/10/2008, 01:02 PM	#3
Iostream Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 433	Slight change in direction on the lighting. I am going to go mixed VHO and T5. With a total of 3 ballasts (1 VHO 2x T5) I will set up as: VHO Actinic ATI Blue Plus UVL Aquasun VHO Actinic UVL Aquasun ATI Blue Plus This will allow me to do a better dawn/dusk setup as well. VHO Actinic on at 8:30AM Blue Plus on at 9:30AM Aquasun on at 11AM Aquasun off at 6PM Blue Plus off at 7:30PM VHO Actinic off at 8:30PM I am using Fans with Blue LEDs to cool the canopy and hopefully that will provide plenty of moonlight. __________________ Click on the little red house to see my 90G build thread. Current Tank Info: Red Sea Max 34G started 9/07 90G Reef Ready restarted 10/11

04/14/2008, 01:01 PM	#6
Iostream Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 433	Update: Canopy stained, once it is completely dry, I can do the poly coats and be done with it. Whee, fun filling in the missing pieces over the weekend. New equipment decisions: * I am upgrading my Aquacontroller II to an Aquacontroller III with the AquaSurf controller for Tunze pumps * Replace my X-10 modules with more reliable DC-8 * Adding 2 Tunze 6055 for flow. After looking at the new Koralia setups, Tunze, and Vortech, this just seems like the best deal, plus I have been very happy with my 6025 in the RSM. * Pretty certain I will go with the Teco chiller. While I have been happy with my JBJ mini Arctica, the Teco is a little bit more quiet on spec, and if there is a warranty issue it would be taken care of locally. __________________ Click on the little red house to see my 90G build thread. Current Tank Info: Red Sea Max 34G started 9/07 90G Reef Ready restarted 10/11

04/23/2008, 10:38 AM	#7
Iostream Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 433	I was out of town for a bit, so no further work on the stand/canopy, but I did finish up the equipment purchases. Final equipment list: Oceanic 90G Reef Ready 2 x 110W VHO Actinics (12H) 2 x 54W T5 ATI Blue Plus w/ Icecap SLR reflectors (10H) 2 x 54W T5 UVL Aquasun w/ Icecap SLR reflectors (6-8H) ETSS Protean 400 sump/skimmer Mag 7 skimmer pump Quiet One 2200 Return pump Aquacontroller III w PH, Orp, Temp probes DC8 Power Control Aquasurf wave controller with 2 x Tunze 6055 Teco Seachill 1/5HP chiller Blue LED cooling fans in the canopy to also act as moonlight. __________________ Click on the little red house to see my 90G build thread. Current Tank Info: Red Sea Max 34G started 9/07 90G Reef Ready restarted 10/11

04/24/2008, 05:10 AM	#8
Reeftanks6 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: PA Posts: 3,857	Sounds like a great tank. Keep it up! __________________ 110g Reef build in progress Current Tank Info: 110 Gallon Reef

09/13/2008, 09:09 PM	#9
Iostream Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 433	Wow, time flies... So the tank is finally up and running with water, all the electronics in place, etc. I decided to use the Neptune Systems Lunar Simulator with 2 LEDs instead of the LED cooling fans. At this point the tank only contains 50lb of Eco Rox from Bulk Reef Supply, 90lb of sand, and some cheato in the refugium. Letting the rock cycle before I move anything over from the RSM. I will post pics soon. __________________ Click on the little red house to see my 90G build thread. Current Tank Info: Red Sea Max 34G started 9/07 90G Reef Ready restarted 10/11

04/08/2008, 01:13 PM	#1
Iostream Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 433	Iostream's 90G Mixed Reef Well, work has started even though the tank is not ready for water, so I figured I would start my 90G build thread. Here are the particulars as they exist today: Oceanic 90G Reef Ready 4 x 110W VHO lighting (2 ballasts) ETSS Protean 400 sump/skimmer Mag 7 skimmer pump Quiet One 2200 Return pump Yet undetermined though likely JBJ 1/4HP chiller I will be moving most of the contents of my RSM over to the 90G and possibly plumb the RSM into the shared sump to make the RSM FOWLR. Existing stock that will move: 1 pair False Percula Clownfish 1 Yellow Wrasse 1 Firefish 2 Cleaner Shrimp and possibly 1 Potters Angel 1 Frogspawn 1 rock of zoa possibly one rock of GSP. The xenia will stay in the RSM since it grows like a madman. I would like to keep a snowflake eel in the RSM, but I am not sure that the RSM is big enough. My son also wants a puffer, probably a saddle valentini. I am currently sanding and staining the canopy and stand. Once that is done, I will add sand and rock and let it cook for a bit before plumbing the tanks together and moving things over.

04/08/2008, 08:14 PM	#2
Iostream Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 433	Okay, having a little bit of trouble deciding on the chiller. i think I have narrowed it down to: JBJ Teco Tradewinds I know tradewinds makes a great chiller, but I am concerned about noise levels with it. JBJ and Teco are supposed to be fairly quiet, and my current JBJ is certainly quiet. Any advice on those? __________________ Click on the little red house to see my 90G build thread. Current Tank Info: Red Sea Max 34G started 9/07 90G Reef Ready restarted 10/11

04/10/2008, 01:15 PM	#4
kar93 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Lincoln Posts: 5,521	Sounds good, Pics?

04/10/2008, 01:26 PM	#5
Iostream Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 433	No pics of the 90 yet, I am still in the process of staining the hood and stand. Pics will come in a couple of weeks when all of that is done. Here is an older pic of my RSM though. The xenia and GSP have grown considerably since then, which is why they will remain in the RSM rather than taking over my 90G.

09/14/2008, 07:24 PM	#10
Tony25 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Baltimore,MD Posts: 344	Wow thats some serious hair algae.

09/15/2008, 02:29 PM	#11
Iostream Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 433	My Aquacontroller Program: VHO$-A01 # VHO Actinics SKM#-A02 # Skimmer Pump RTN#-A03 # Return Pump HEA%-A08 # Heater (set at 80 on actual device) REF$-A04 # Refugium Lights CHL&-A07 # Chiller (set at 77 on actual chiller controller) BLU$-A05 # ATI Blue Plus DAY$-A06 # UVL Aquasun ALM&-A09 # Dummy Alarm timer for email notifications LSM$-C01 # Lunar Module LEDs WV1#-E01 # Tunze 6055 #1 WV2#-E02 # Tunze 6055 #2 If Sun 000/000 Then VHO ON If Sun 060/-045 Then BLU ON If Sun 127/-128 Then DAY ON If Sun 000/000 Then REF OFF If Moon 000/000 Then LSM ON If Temp > 80.0 Then CHL ON If Temp < 79.0 Then CHL OFF If Temp > 83.0 Then ALM ON If Temp > 84.0 Then CHL OFF If Temp < 77.5 Then HEA ON If Temp > 78.0 Then HEA OFF If Temp < 76.0 Then HEA OFF If Temp < 76.5 Then ALM ON If PH > 8.40 Then ALM ON If PH < 7.90 Then ALM ON If Time > 00:00 Then SKM ON If Time > 00:00 Then RTN ON If Time > 00:00 Then ALM OFF If Timer VHO = ON Then WV1 PF1 If Timer VHO = ON Then WV2 PF2 Pmp MODE sD for PF1 Pmp Int 030/075 for PF1 Pmp OSC 04/08/00 for PF1 Pmp MODE SD for PF2 Pmp Int 030/075 for PF2 Pmp OSC 00/08/04 for PF2 If Timer DAY = ON Then WV1 PF3 If Timer DAY = ON Then WV2 PF4 Pmp MODE sD for PF3 Pmp Int 030/100 for PF3 Pmp OSC 04/08/00 for PF3 Pmp MODE SD for PF4 Pmp Int 030/100 for PF4 Pmp OSC 00/08/04 for PF4 If Timer VHO = OFF Then WV1 PF5 If Timer VHO = OFF Then WV2 PF6 Pmp MODE sD for PF5 Pmp Int 030/050 for PF5 Pmp OSC 04/08/00 for PF5 Pmp MODE SD for PF6 Pmp Int 030/050 for PF6 Pmp OSC 00/08/04 for PF6 If FeedA 000 Then RTN OFF If FeedA 000 Then WV1 OFF If FeedA 000 Then WV2 OFF If FeedD 000 Then WV1 OFF If FeedD 000 Then WV2 OFF __________________ Click on the little red house to see my 90G build thread. Current Tank Info: Red Sea Max 34G started 9/07 90G Reef Ready restarted 10/11

09/15/2008, 02:38 PM	#12
craab Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 444	ackkckckc my eyes!!!! code!!!!!!!! <--- ex-software engineer

09/22/2008, 11:15 AM	#14
Iostream Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 433	Okay, pictures as promised. Ignore the rock work, this is just the Eco Rox I got, and it will be redone when I move some of the rock from the RSM into place. Full Tank Shot (9 days up): Sump/Refugium: Lighting: Control area: Chiller:

09/29/2008, 07:09 AM	#15
Iostream Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 433	Slight setback last night, the temp probe on my AC3 went nuts, started reading well over 100 degrees. Luckily I get emails, and I have triggers set up to make sure that equipment isn't forced on if things go nuts. At this point I just reset the chiller to the desired temp because the heater has never come on yet. It would be slightly more of a problem if the temp fluctuated a bit more in the tank. From what I can gather, Neptune had a bad batch of temp controllers a few months ago, hopefully they will make it right. The warranty on the probe is expired, but it has only been powered up for 2 weeks. Here is the temp graph from last night. the line you can barely see on the left is things working perfectly, with the temp cycling between 78.9 and 80.1, and suddenly it starts to jump as high as 123. __________________ Click on the little red house to see my 90G build thread. Current Tank Info: Red Sea Max 34G started 9/07 90G Reef Ready restarted 10/11

09/29/2008, 10:57 AM	#16
Iostream Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 433	Put in a call to Neptune, and they are making it right, going to replace the bad probe. They didn't specify that it was a known problem, but I am glad to see that they stand behind their products. I have had an AC2 that was purchased in 2001, and has been bulletproof. Hopefully the AC3 will be the same after this replacement. Until the replacement arrives, the temp based actions in my program have been disabled (AC3 shows a temp of 22 with no probe plugged in). The chiller seems to be doing a good job of keeping the temp stable. __________________ Click on the little red house to see my 90G build thread. Current Tank Info: Red Sea Max 34G started 9/07 90G Reef Ready restarted 10/11

09/29/2008, 11:14 AM	#17
reefman13 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: CT Posts: 4,323	Looking nice. What are your plans for doing the transfer? __________________ Regards, Dave ______________________________________________________________________ "One day I will be back in this hobby..." spoken like a true High School student... Current Tank Info: None for now...for now...

09/29/2008, 11:22 AM	#18
Iostream Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 433	Once the rock is cured, and the new temp probe arrives, I am planning to transfer all fish, and any rock without zoa, GSP, or xenia attached. Bascially the SPS frags I have and the Frogspawn plus the fish and a bit of the live rock will move over. The softies will remain in the RSM. My only concern is finding the yellow coris wrasse. When I drained and moved the RSM so that I could put the 90G in place, it had buried itself in the sand and I couldn't find it to save my life... Luckily it survived the move just fine. I will be testing the parameters on the 90G tank later today to see how the cycle is going. The diatoms are certainly receding quickly. __________________ Click on the little red house to see my 90G build thread. Current Tank Info: Red Sea Max 34G started 9/07 90G Reef Ready restarted 10/11

09/29/2008, 11:29 AM	#19
thor32766 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Chuluota, FL Posts: 6,072	looks like a great start. __________________ "Live your life so no one has to lie about who you were at your funeral" click on my red house to see my tang compound! Current Tank Info: 29 gallon in Wall!

09/29/2008, 02:51 PM	#20
Iostream Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 433	Tank stats so far: Ammonia: 0.25ppm (somewhere between 0 and 0.25) Nitrites: 0.2ppm Nitrates: 20ppm SG: 1.025 PH: 8.0-8.15 Temp: 78-80 So the cycle is moving along nicely, the fact that nitrites and nitrates exist is a good start. Hopefully the cheato in the fuge is helping to soak up some of those nitrates and phosphates. __________________ Click on the little red house to see my 90G build thread. Current Tank Info: Red Sea Max 34G started 9/07 90G Reef Ready restarted 10/11

10/01/2008, 03:39 PM	#21
Iostream Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 433	I went ahead and added 2 TLF 150 reactors, one with Phosban, the other with carbon. I had heard that the Phosban could cause a ph change, so I wanted to add it before fish were present, but I didn't notice any parameter changes. Things seem on track. The PH in my RSM is a little bit high, wondering how to best lower it. __________________ Click on the little red house to see my 90G build thread. Current Tank Info: Red Sea Max 34G started 9/07 90G Reef Ready restarted 10/11

10/02/2008, 09:52 AM	#22
Iostream Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 433	Added another 30lb of sand, I was a little concerned that I didnt have enough. Now I get to wait for the tank to clear again, but better now than when it is stocked. __________________ Click on the little red house to see my 90G build thread. Current Tank Info: Red Sea Max 34G started 9/07 90G Reef Ready restarted 10/11

10/03/2008, 03:58 PM	#23
kruse_alan Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: indiana Posts: 94	Your tank looks great! I am also looking at protean system. Did you change your filter sock?

10/03/2008, 07:44 PM	#24
Iostream Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 433	Thanks. Yes, I changed the filter sock and turned on the return pump after about 30 mins. It was clear by this morning. The filter sock isn't completely clogged, but I will change it soon anyway to get all the sand out. Everything is rocking now, I will test water again tomorrow. I am very happy with the protean system. Frankly I have been happy with every ETSS product I have used over the years. __________________ Click on the little red house to see my 90G build thread. Current Tank Info: Red Sea Max 34G started 9/07 90G Reef Ready restarted 10/11

10/04/2008, 06:47 AM	#25
tydtran Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: New Jersey Posts: 853	Nice loking start to your tank. A word of advice. The RSM picture that you showed had a lot of nuisance algae. If you transfer content from the RSM to your new tank, you'll be introducing this to the new tank as well. If you don't mind, then it's not an issue. But if you want to lower the possibility of having to fight a long battle against nuisance algae in your new setup, I would take this into consideration. 6 months ago my 55 was doing great. I then took down my RSM which looked a lot like yours and transfer the content to the 55. It has been misery ever since, so give it some thought if you haven't done the transfer yet.