Mark's upgrade to 120 Oceanic Tech

[mark54321]

Yes,for some reason I can't get the white balance right on my camcorder,pictures show the accurate colors.

[clowndude]

I figured the pictures to be way more accurate. My wife wants to know what the bright green one is in the center of the tank? She likes that one.

[mark54321]

It is called green slimer,very fast growing and undemanding.By the way Happy Father's Day to all fathers out there.

[clowndude]

Thanks Mark. Happy Fathers Day.

[mooners559]

Wow nice tank

[shelby_cos]

Love the tank Mark
Looks like the biopellets are working well for you. Im about to switch from zeo stones to the biopellets. Any tips or info you can share as to your success with them? Do they keep p04 and n03 undetectable?

I have been happy with the stones ability to keep p04 and n03 at 0, but Im getting tired of the having to pump them every day and having to change them every 2 months.

Would appreciate your experience with these.

[aandfsoccr04]

wow your tank is absolutely incredible! Great job with all the planning and patience. It certainly has paid off

[mark54321]

Originally Posted by shelby_cos

Love the tank Mark
Looks like the biopellets are working well for you. Im about to switch from zeo stones to the biopellets. Any tips or info you can share as to your success with them? Do they keep p04 and n03 undetectable?

I have been happy with the stones ability to keep p04 and n03 at 0, but Im getting tired of the having to pump them every day and having to change them every 2 months.

Would appreciate your experience with these.

Thank you ,yes the biopellets are definitively working for me.My suggestion is to start slow,because they can strip water of nutrients very fast.I use original NP pellets mixed with WM EcoBack pellets in TLF 550 reactor with very little tumble.I use MJ 1200 to power the reactor.Started with 250 ml.,after 2 weeks added another 250 ml,and finally month later another 250 ml. for total of 750 ml.My PO4 and NO3 are undetectable.After about a month I noticed my corals to fade in color,so I started to feed my fish more (2-3 times daily) and I am adding amino-acids and Lugol's solution. Within couple of weeks colors come back even more vibrant than before.Some people reporting negatives with pellets,but so far they working for me.My tank is turning one year this week and color and growth are phenomenal. Also make sure you have adequate size skimmer to export the bacteria,I have outlet from reactor in front of skimmer pump.I do use small amount of carbon to keep water crystal clean,but no GFO.Good luck,hope it helped.

[mark54321]

Originally Posted by aandfsoccr04

wow your tank is absolutely incredible! Great job with all the planning and patience. It certainly has paid off

Thank you for kind words,it is definitely a source of pride now ,seeing how it evolved over this year.I will be posting more pictures this weekend,marking a "milestone" one year.

[kmacartney]

Great set-up! Could you give a more detailed tour of your sump configuration?

best,

Keith

[mark54321]

Originally Posted by kmacartney

Great set-up! Could you give a more detailed tour of your sump configuration?

best,

Keith

Thanks,my sump is very simple.In first compartment I have skimmer,bio pellets reactor and carbon reactor.I don't use filter socks,because with bacteria driven systems they get clogged up very fast.Second compartment contains a few pieces of LR for more filtration capacity, and in third compartment I have return pump.

[shelby_cos]

Originally Posted by mark54321

Thank you ,yes the biopellets are definitively working for me.My suggestion is to start slow,because they can strip water of nutrients very fast.I use original NP pellets mixed with WM EcoBack pellets in TLF 550 reactor with very little tumble.I use MJ 1200 to power the reactor.Started with 250 ml.,after 2 weeks added another 250 ml,and finally month later another 250 ml. for total of 750 ml.My PO4 and NO3 are undetectable.After about a month I noticed my corals to fade in color,so I started to feed my fish more (2-3 times daily) and I am adding amino-acids and Lugol's solution. Within couple of weeks colors come back even more vibrant than before.Some people reporting negatives with pellets,but so far they working for me.My tank is turning one year this week and color and growth are phenomenal. Also make sure you have adequate size skimmer to export the bacteria,I have outlet from reactor in front of skimmer pump.I do use small amount of carbon to keep water crystal clean,but no GFO.Good luck,hope it helped.

Thanks for the info Mark, Im thinking to start with little less than a cup along with some of my zeo stones to get the bacteria going quicker on the BP's.
With the zeo im already at ulns, and like you i have corals pale out because of lack of nutrients and am still trying to color them up.

Another question: How are you finding the monthly WCs? I have been trying 3 weeks between WCs and so decided to do monthly like you, because with ulns nutrients are not a problem and being on zeo I add enough blue bottles that there is plenty of good nutrients for corals, but curious to here your experience with this.

[mark54321]

I keep my WC at 10 gal.once a month,I think it is enough,my corals and fish looks happy.Here is my most recent picture:

[clowndude]

Wow Mark, I can't believe that is a years growth right there.

[mark54321]

Yeah,sometimes I am surprised how well my corals are doing.I made one little change with my bulbs and I like this combo a lot better.
Front to back:
ATI Blue Plus
KZ Fiji Purple
KZ New Generation
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue
ATI Blue Plus
KZ New Generation
ATI Blue Plus

I really like those New Generations bulbs.

[clowndude]

What K rating would u say the new generation bulbs are like?

[mark54321]

I would say somewhere around 12K-14K

[nitroreef]

are you using any Uv lights ?

[clowndude]

What combo do you run when you only have two bulbs on? I run blueplus and purpleplus and really love the look.

[shelby_cos]

Originally Posted by mark54321

I keep my WC at 10 gal.once a month,I think it is enough,my corals and fish looks happy.Here is my most recent picture:

Thanks for the info, and I must say the tank is looking fantastic

I just was looking close at your FTS and was wondering if the tank is bare bottom or not, if so do you recommend over having a substrate?

[mark54321]

For sunrise and sunset my fixture has 4 bulbs on,not two.I run blue plus,fiji purple,new generation and blue plus.The last picture is under those four bulbs.

[mark54321]

Originally Posted by nitroreef

are you using any Uv lights ?

No,I am not.

[mark54321]

Originally Posted by shelby_cos

Thanks for the info, and I must say the tank is looking fantastic

I just was looking close at your FTS and was wondering if the tank is bare bottom or not, if so do you recommend over having a substrate?

Good eye,I have shallow sand bed,but when cleaning it, I removed some of it up front.Never got to replace it.I like the look of sand better then bare bottom,but now with corals grown it is hard to get there with siphon and clean it.I am thinking of redoing my tank a little,and most likely it will be BB for ease of cleaning,but I will add sand to my sump.I believe it helps to keep parameters more stable.

[clowndude]

Mark, does your tek light fixture have active cooling fans?

[mark54321]

No,it does not,that is why I change my bulbs every six months.