The Reef Central Corner Club Thread

[Misled]

I agree with Jim. Go with mostly dry and get a couple cups to seed it with. Don't use the wet/dry unless you are going all fish. It will cause you problems down the road.

[lotusstar]

Hey everyone. Tanks are looking good, mine is coming along slowly. Finally have fish that are living, royal gramma is doing great and got a couple of chromis that are living well too. Time to figure out what fish to put in next, trying to decide between a flame angel next, small tang, or poor man idol.

P foley, I agree with reefscape on the live sand.
Jbird, your tank is looking great, I love the way you have the corals positioned. looks very sweet.
Mlivvy, welcome to the corner
Simon, your tank looks great. I currently use MH but been debating on T5 and LED as I'm trying to decide on a canopy. Your LED's look great, how have the corals reacted to the switch?

[reefscape15]

Well sorry to say everyone but a recent event in my family life has forced me to tear down my corner. I've loved having this tank and it's pretty sad to see it go, but down the road I'll set it up again. And next time i'm going to do things right! Good luck to everyone and their corner tanks, and i'll probably be checking in from time to time looking for some updates. Thanks goes out to everyone for being so helpful here! See you soon.

[jbird69]

Jim
Im so sorry! Your tank was coming along so well. Next time you can do everything you wanted to do.

Ironicaly, I may be in the same situation soon.

[awitowsk]

Hi, Nice tanks! When I came across this thread last fall it convinced me I wanted a corner

I finally picked up a 92 corner in January and have been palnnning/gathering pieces along the way. Actual setup won't be for another month or two. I will be combing two other tanks into this one so have some stuff such as rock, sand livestock, some lighting (24 cree Q5 from a nano and a 2x150 halide, thinking of swaping it for 4x39 t5 though) NAC6 skimmer and will be building the stand and canopy.

My question for the corner guru's is now that you have been running one how would you ideally set it up if you were to start over?

From reading the thread so far I have some great ideas and a plan, but would like to get some input before actually setting anything in stone. The intent is for a softy tank with a lot of color an movement.

One of the things I am having trouble visualizing is water movement, what works best with this shape? I would like to run a wavemaker, but am also thinkning of a wavebox. Would a wavebox in the back be able to push out a wave to the front or would the changing width throw it out of sync?

Thanks!

[epstein]

Glad to see this post is still going!!!! Lots of Great tanks!!!!.......

[L98-Z]

Originally Posted by awitowsk

Hi, Nice tanks! When I came across this thread last fall it convinced me I wanted a corner

I finally picked up a 92 corner in January and have been palnnning/gathering pieces along the way. Actual setup won't be for another month or two. I will be combing two other tanks into this one so have some stuff such as rock, sand livestock, some lighting (24 cree Q5 from a nano and a 2x150 halide, thinking of swaping it for 4x39 t5 though) NAC6 skimmer and will be building the stand and canopy.

My question for the corner guru's is now that you have been running one how would you ideally set it up if you were to start over?

From reading the thread so far I have some great ideas and a plan, but would like to get some input before actually setting anything in stone. The intent is for a softy tank with a lot of color an movement.

One of the things I am having trouble visualizing is water movement, what works best with this shape? I would like to run a wavemaker, but am also thinkning of a wavebox. Would a wavebox in the back be able to push out a wave to the front or would the changing width throw it out of sync?

Thanks!

I'm going to be running a wavebox on mine, but I don't expect it to work very well. They work better with distance for wave to travel.

[awitowsk]

I'm going to be running a wavebox on mine, but I don't expect it to work very well. They work better with distance for wave to travel.

Thanks, Thats what I was thinking. Have you heard any results from anyone who has tried it?

Do you think 4 PH (1400-1600gph) two on either side alternating would work better?

[reefscape15]

awitowsk - I would opt to run seperate powerheads instead of a wavebox unless you had a long rectangular tank. The "wave" effect will not really work in an odd shaped tank, and it really doesn't do much other than provide looks unless the tank is large enough to allow for a good size wave. Don't get me wrong, I think it looks really awesome, but for the $400, I'd go with a better skimmer. Is the NAC6 skimmer one of the bubble magus? If so, that will be way undersized for your system. An SWC/Reef Octo 200 extreme series would provide adequate skimming for any amount of bio-load that you end up putting in. As for the lighting, either option would probably work, but to be able to penetrate all the way to the bottom effectively, 250watt MH would be needed. The T-5's would be good for LPS and some lower light SPS, but probably not enough light for a fully blown SPS tank if you were planning on going that route. Hope that helped somewhat! Keep us posted on the progress and ask all the questions you wish. I love helping out the new corner owners and seeing the builds~!

Jbird - Say it isn't so!!!! There's no way that you can let that beauty go to rest! I'm glad I only have a 54 to tear down instead of a 120. Hopefully if it does have to happen we can both meet up here again with new ideas and a couple of great tanks. I was really getting my tank to where I was starting to be happy with all the coral placement and rockwork, but having no sump or skimmer really made it hard to keep on top of the algae. I lost my Angler about 6 months ago, which I was kind of happy about, but then my Bi-Color Angel started picking at everything! I still can't get it out, so this tear down will allow me to remove that stupid fish and start over sometime with all the right livestock. I'm planning on whenever I'm ready, to do all smaller Goby's and a Blenny or two, and a nice big sump and skimmer with ATO.

[salsipuedes]

trying to get a video to post of the tank and the corals from about 2 months ago to upload.... I'm gonna shoot another vid tonight so everyone can see the growth comparison

[salsipuedes]

Hi once again to everyone on this thread, I've had corner tanks for a while and love em. the pics i posted previously dont do the tank justice so I thought maybe a video would of some of my inhabitants. Remember, the tank was only set up about a month when the video was taken. I'll post one later tonight so u can see the progress and new additions

and nudibranchs isn't an easy word for me

[SimonSKL]

Originally Posted by salsipuedes

Hi once again to everyone on this thread, I've had corner tanks for a while and love em. the pics i posted previously dont do the tank justice so I thought maybe a video would of some of my inhabitants. Remember, the tank was only set up about a month when the video was taken. I'll post one later tonight so u can see the progress and new additions

and nudibranchs isn't an easy word for me

Salsipuedes, nice tank! Looks like you had a great start with your tank when the video was taken.

Here is a video of my 92g tank. The tank is lit with a Maxspect G2 230W LED.

[jbird69]

Originally Posted by reefscape15

Jbird - Say it isn't so!!!! There's no way that you can let that beauty go to rest! I'm glad I only have a 54 to tear down instead of a 120. Hopefully if it does have to happen we can both meet up here again with new ideas and a couple of great tanks. I was really getting my tank to where I was starting to be happy with all the coral placement and rockwork, but having no sump or skimmer really made it hard to keep on top of the algae. I lost my Angler about 6 months ago, which I was kind of happy about, but then my Bi-Color Angel started picking at everything! I still can't get it out, so this tear down will allow me to remove that stupid fish and start over sometime with all the right livestock. I'm planning on whenever I'm ready, to do all smaller Goby's and a Blenny or two, and a nice big sump and skimmer with ATO.

Jim

A couple months ago my wife lost her job. She was an executive at a big company. Theres no way she will find an adequate replacement here so we will have to move at some point. Who knows how near or far...

She got a great severance package so were okay for a while...

Sadly, When the teary phonecall came about her being let go, the very first thought that crossed my mind was "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! My tank!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

[tangers]

Originally Posted by jbird69

Jim

A couple months ago my wife lost her job. She was an executive at a big company. Theres no way she will find an adequate replacement here so we will have to move at some point. Who knows how near or far...

She got a great severance package so were okay for a while...

Sadly, When the teary phonecall came about her being let go, the very first thought that crossed my mind was "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! My tank!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

I hear ya! I got my good bye 1 1/2 yrs ago. Sold almost everything we had, kept some cherry stuff in a Red Sea Max, and moved from Florida to Iowa. Keep your head up, good things will come again!

[jbird69]

Originally Posted by tangers

I hear ya! I got my good bye 1 1/2 yrs ago. Sold almost everything we had, kept some cherry stuff in a Red Sea Max, and moved from Florida to Iowa. Keep your head up, good things will come again!

Thanks man!! I appreciate the encouragement. Ive been in the same house for 13 yrs and Im actually kind of excited to embark on a new adventure.

Maybe sometime down the road I'll be able to set up my dream species tank. All clowns and anemones

[salsipuedes]

well i was going to post a video but the tank looked like hell

I'll post a new updated vid soon as things return back to normal.

[reefscape15]

salsipuedes and SimonSKL - the tanks are looking very good!

Jbird - Sorry to hear about her job! I guess nothing is too certain in this economy anymore. Just last year I was in the second lowest paid position at my job (2nd year apprentice in the Electricians Union), and I was layed off for 3 months. Out of a local of only 240 members, there were over 90 layed off at one point last winter.

Anyways, I may be able to put all my stuff in a friends tank for the small price of helping him build a 30x30x16 shallow cube. Once we get that built and my 54 broken down, I'll be setting up my old 20gal sometime. This time I'm going to drill it and run a sump. Probably just LPS and Softies with a few gobies. Something easy.

[Misled]

Sorry to hear about the troubles jbird.

Originally Posted by awitowsk

Thanks, Thats what I was thinking. Have you heard any results from anyone who has tried it?

Do you think 4 PH (1400-1600gph) two on either side alternating would work better?

I think that would be way too much for a softie tank. That's a 60 times turnover rate. For sps that would be ok, but for softies, you'll be blowing them out of the water. Maybe 2 ph, one on each side at 1400 gph, then add something like a sea swirl on your return from your sump to alternate the flow.

Hi everybody!!!!!

[awitowsk]

awitowsk - I would opt to run seperate powerheads instead of a wavebox unless you had a long rectangular tank. The "wave" effect will not really work in an odd shaped tank, and it really doesn't do much other than provide looks unless the tank is large enough to allow for a good size wave.

Thanks. Thats what I was thinking, but figured I would ask. Maybe somewhere down the road I will try a DIY one if I get bored.

Is the NAC6 skimmer one of the bubble magus? If so, that will be way undersized for your system.

I was thinking/hoping it would be enough. I have had it on a low stocked 110 for the past 8 months and am very happy with its performance. The bioload on the 92 should be very low, but if I end up needing to upgrade skimmers I am not married to it.

That's a 60 times turnover rate. For sps that would be ok, but for softies, you'll be blowing them out of the water. Maybe 2 ph, one on each side at 1400 gph

Ok, Thats helpful, thanks.

[reefscape15]

Well as long as the skimmer works for what you have it'll be fine, but it's not a really strong skimmer if you start getting into heavy bio-load. Also have to agree that the flow you described would be too much for softies. You could go with 3 of the new Korallia Evolution pumps. They can be ran on a timer now and they're just about the same price as the older style. I'd try to get 3 that have maybe around 800gph. Just a suggestion, but with the correct placement you could get nice strong flow without blowing the corals all over.

[salsipuedes]

question for you guys....

on the 92 the lighting consists of 1 175 watt mh iwasaki 14k on a magnetic ballast. The 14k iwasaki apparently has better par then alot of 250watt mh bulbs (I'm sure most of u already know that)

also, I have 2 24 watt t5 bulbs and 2 39 watt t5 bulbs overdriven on an icecap 660 to 40 watts each and 60 watts each. add it all up and I have 375 watts over 92 gallons.... for a grand total of 4 watts a gallon...

now I know for a mixed reef this tends to eb towards the lower end BUT the t5 bulbs are over driven and have reefgeek individual reflectors. Does anyone have any suggestions or comments concerning the current lighting to perhaps increase it? By the way I have 2 fans blowing in, 1 flan blowing out, 2 fans inside to keep the t5s cool and 1 to blow across the MH bulb. Temp ranges daily from 79 to 80 (approx 1.3 of change max in the day) and I dont want to run a chiller.

Since any corner is a pain to light, any suggestions from anyone? Its not that my corals aren't growing, cause they definitely are... I just want them to flourish!!! all my water parameters are good... very low nitrates, phosphates, 440 calc, 10.5 alk, 1140 mag, still bringing it up a little higher, was around 800 when i first started testing... i was wondering why my corraline algae stopped growing!!!

[Misled]

You don't mention and I don't know what reflector you have for the halide.

[reefscape15]

with a 175mh you will not be able to penetrate all the way to the bottom, but with a mixed reef usually set with SPS higher up, and LPS/Softies lower in the tank, you should be fine. Also, the reflector will make a world of difference.

175watt MH will start loosing tons of PAR after a depth of 14-16"
250watt will start loosing after 20-22"
400watt will keep good numbers up to almost 30"

Also, as you go higher in K rating above 10k, the less PAR will be available. That's to say that a 10K bulb will have better PAR than a 20k bulb of the same brand.

Depth of the corals that need the MH light is really the main concern when choosing between different wattages of MH lighting. The K rating will make a difference, but not as much as different wattages. I went with a 250 watt on my 54g so that I'd be able to run a 20K bulb and still have plenty of available light almost all the way to the bottom of my tank. I could probably get just as good of growth from lighting if I were to use a 175 watt 10k. All my SPS are only about 4" under the surface of the water so they get pretty blasted by the light.

[tangers]

Originally Posted by salsipuedes

question for you guys....

on the 92 the lighting consists of 1 175 watt mh iwasaki 14k on a magnetic ballast. The 14k iwasaki apparently has better par then alot of 250watt mh bulbs (I'm sure most of u already know that)

also, I have 2 24 watt t5 bulbs and 2 39 watt t5 bulbs overdriven on an icecap 660 to 40 watts each and 60 watts each. add it all up and I have 375 watts over 92 gallons.... for a grand total of 4 watts a gallon...

now I know for a mixed reef this tends to eb towards the lower end BUT the t5 bulbs are over driven and have reefgeek individual reflectors. Does anyone have any suggestions or comments concerning the current lighting to perhaps increase it? By the way I have 2 fans blowing in, 1 flan blowing out, 2 fans inside to keep the t5s cool and 1 to blow across the MH bulb. Temp ranges daily from 79 to 80 (approx 1.3 of change max in the day) and I dont want to run a chiller.

Since any corner is a pain to light, any suggestions from anyone? Its not that my corals aren't growing, cause they definitely are... I just want them to flourish!!! all my water parameters are good... very low nitrates, phosphates, 440 calc, 10.5 alk, 1140 mag, still bringing it up a little higher, was around 800 when i first started testing... i was wondering why my corraline algae stopped growing!!!

I currently have 2x250w mh and 4x24w t5's, and my corals (especially all my sps are loving them!)

[salsipuedes]

Originally Posted by reefscape15

with a 175mh you will not be able to penetrate all the way to the bottom, but with a mixed reef usually set with SPS higher up, and LPS/Softies lower in the tank, you should be fine. Also, the reflector will make a world of difference.

175watt MH will start loosing tons of PAR after a depth of 14-16"
250watt will start loosing after 20-22"
400watt will keep good numbers up to almost 30"

Also, as you go higher in K rating above 10k, the less PAR will be available. That's to say that a 10K bulb will have better PAR than a 20k bulb of the same brand.

the iwasaki 14k 175 mh is the one freak of the bulbs though that has as much if not more light output then many 250 watt mh. No clue how (witchcraft) but with the iwasaki, should i be alright with clams on the bottom of the tank? I mean with the 2 40 watt actinic t5s overdriven on an icecap 660 to 40 watts each... thats gotta account for something, right? or do the old rules of watts per gallon still apply?