90 Gallon Tank Journey

[wireefman]

Originally Posted by CoralReeForrest

But he's only running around 90 gallons, a 200 gal skimmer should work superbly correct?

not all skimmers are created equal... just because it says its rated for 200 gallons doesn't mean squat...

id look for a really nice used skimmer.. may still end up spending 5-700 bucks but your tank will thank you in the long run

[unfamous]

Skimmer worm can opened!

Lets open the light can now. Lighting is by far the hardest item to pick. Everyone has a favorite a swears that it is the best for X, Y and Z.

I ran White/Blue 36" LED strip and 2 T5s for a while on my 90. It was okay for a fish only environment. I added another dual T5 unit to it and was able to successfully maintain mushrooms and a Torch coral. Zoa's did not keep and I had tons of algae issues.

I ended up a year ago with 2 "Cheap Chinese" dimmable LED fixtures. Each was $168. There are crap loads of threads on these lights. Good, bad, ugly, wonderful, you name it! Take your time and read some of them. Then add a liberal shake of salt and weight your choices.

I have a complete mixed reef, softies, LPS, SPS, fish, inverts the whole shooting match in mine and everything is thriving. I moved my LED strip to the sump and added a clap on style work lamp. My Cheato is growing and I have no algae issues in the DT. Thats how they have worked for me. They are running at about 75% power on the 10/12k whites and about 85% on the Actinics. Others will chime in with good and bad stories about their experiences with these so be prepared. I'm not here to defend them or scare you away. Just note there are LOTS of choices.

[CoralReeForrest]

I can't yet debate on those points, I just feel from all the reading I've been doing that with all the stuff out there and the pace at which someone quickly outgrows what they have if they get sucked in that its best to save and get the best equipment not buy the cheap one to hold you till you get the nice one cuz now you're out even more money. Save up take the time to do it right the first time and I feel this will be a far more rewarding hobby in the long run! Just my .02

[wireefman]

Originally Posted by unfamous

Skimmer worm can opened!

Lets open the light can now. Lighting is by far the hardest item to pick. Everyone has a favorite a swears that it is the best for X, Y and Z.

I ran White/Blue 36" LED strip and 2 T5s for a while on my 90. It was okay for a fish only environment. I added another dual T5 unit to it and was able to successfully maintain mushrooms and a Torch coral. Zoa's did not keep and I had tons of algae issues.

I ended up a year ago with 2 "Cheap Chinese" dimmable LED fixtures. Each was $168. There are crap loads of threads on these lights. Good, bad, ugly, wonderful, you name it! Take your time and read some of them. Then add a liberal shake of salt and weight your choices.

I have a complete mixed reef, softies, LPS, SPS, fish, inverts the whole shooting match in mine and everything is thriving. I moved my LED strip to the sump and added a clap on style work lamp. My Cheato is growing and I have no algae issues in the DT. Thats how they have worked for me. They are running at about 75% power on the 10/12k whites and about 85% on the Actinics. Others will chime in with good and bad stories about their experiences with these so be prepared. I'm not here to defend them or scare you away. Just note there are LOTS of choices.

im running a reefbreeders led... imo if you go led it MUST be a full spectrum unit...

[hawks66]

you'll be able to find a much more powerful skimmer used for not that much more. searching CL and or the reef central club pages, you'll find something from reef dynamics/reef octopus/ bubble king for not that much more. i got a reef dynamics ins80 for $100. and the higher power skimmer you get, the more fish you can keep with cleaner water!

[Fizz71]

Originally Posted by wireefman

you don't need chambers... I run a baffleless sump... buy the float valve for ATO.. that way your water lever is ALWAYS constant

Oddly enough I run a baffleless setup myself with a float that drips topoff, but you tend to need a big space to pull it off if you have a skimmer that produces a ridiculous amount of micro-bubbles. I discharge my skimmer a good 2 feet from the pump input and run a very slow sump--I generally don't recommend it to anybody running a fast turnover or small sump. ...but yes...it can certainly be done.

[DRRosen3]

Alright guys. So it's been about two weeks, but I've been constantly searching for the next step, which is a protein skimmer. This is what I'm looking at. Octopus Needle Wheel 150 Protein Skimmer. Click the link to check it out and let me know what you guys think. Again this is for a 90 gallon tank with a 30 gallon fuge set up.

[DRRosen3]

Bump

[Fizz71]

The problem with asking advice on skimmers is that you will only get info on what people have or have had and there are a gazillion skimmers out there. Getting 1 person with that exact skimmer to see this post (without constant bumps) is rare enough let alone multiple opinions. You're better off searching reviews on stores online.

I will say this...it's less then half the price as new and rated to 120g so as long as there are no cracks in the acrylic or joints, the needle wheel isn't missing a bunch of needles, it includes a pump that is in good shape and it fits your layout (footprint and height) it's a good deal.

Is it a good efficient skimmer? I've never used it, nor have I used Reef Octopus skimmers but they get great reviews. I will also say that I'm disappointed w/ my needle wheel skimmer because I wish it were a recirc...I don't get use out of enough of the chamber (only 1/2 has bubbles in it). I may mod mine one day to make it one and I already have the parts, just not the time or the money to buy a new skimmer if I f*ck it up.

If I ever buy a new skimmer, it will be a recirc of some sort.

Good luck.

[DRRosen3]

Alright guys. Well it's time for an update since I've done quite a bit.

Purchases include:
Coralife Pure-Flo II 50GPD 4 Stage RO/DI Unit - $119.83
Huge Aquarium Tank Protein Skimmer Filter w/ Power Pump - $59.95
Aqueon Submersible Aquarium Heater 300W - $39.99
100+ lbs. live rock from a fellow reefer getting out of the hobby. (He tossed in 3 tangs, 4 starfish and 4 snails. The tangs didn't make it. ) - $100
40 lbs. live sand from a fellow reefer getting out of the hobby. - FREE!
Coralife Turbo-Twist UV Water Sterilizer - $149.99 (I paid $40 to a reefer for it.)
Mag 7 Return Pump - $40 (To a fellow reefer.)
40 lbs. Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Reef Sand - $59.98
Random Plumbing Parts - Approximately $50

NOW COME THE PICTURES!!!

Here it is after getting the sand in and doing my aquascaping!



Got the water in!



One of the starfish I got.



Another one...in super hiding. The other two are SUPER-DUPER hiding.



Found this little guy emerging from the sand I got from the fellow reefer.



Plumbing all done!



Drainage, sump, skimmer, refugium (kinda), heater and return pump at work.




Alright, so there you have it so far. The next thing on my list is lighting. I'm looking into either Marineland Double Bright LED or Marineland Reef Capable LED Lighting System. Along the way I faced the trouble of leaky plumbing which you can say my angius HERE. Also, the reefer I got the sand from... Well unforunately I got her "infestation" of red bristle worms. I plan on grabbing an arrow crab or two first to get rid of them. And yes I know, I shouldn't have live-stock in the tank right now since it's a new tank. However, the only reason I took the starfish and snails from the reefer is because he was going to let them die. I figured they stood a better chance with me, then him just giving up on them. ...alright guys. Let it rip. Let's hear what you think.

[DRRosen3]

Bump

[CoralReeForrest]

You're making great progress and got some great deals! We get into our house Friday so I'll officially be able to start my build!!! So far so good! May wanna look into what kind of stars they are however as many are not reef safe. And since the rock and sand are from another up and running tank havin livestock shouldn't be a huge deal as it already has the necessary bacteria (cycling is starting that bacteria) to keep ammonia gone! Check after about a week what your ammonia levels are, in theory it should be 0!

[NyteGTI]

Originally Posted by DRRosen3

Alright, so there you have it so far. The next thing on my list is lighting. I'm looking into either Marineland Double Bright LED or Marineland Reef Capable LED Lighting System. Along the way I faced the trouble of leaky plumbing which you can say my angius HERE. Also, the reefer I got the sand from... Well unforunately I got her "infestation" of red bristle worms. I plan on grabbing an arrow crab or two first to get rid of them. And yes I know, I shouldn't have live-stock in the tank right now since it's a new tank. However, the only reason I took the starfish and snails from the reefer is because he was going to let them die. I figured they stood a better chance with me, then him just giving up on them. ...alright guys. Let it rip. Let's hear what you think.

DON'T BUY THE MARINELANDS! they're barely enough for softies(if that) from every experience I've ever seen.with lighting, the cheapest I'd even debate on is the reef breeders fixtures. there's a reason the "cheap Chinese" fixtures threads have tons of posts & you don't see many threads started on the marineland fixtures. they just don't put out enough light. if you're content with FOWLR then go for it, otherwise do yourself a favor & head over to reefbreeders and pickup 2 "value LED" fixtures or possibly even the photon series with built in controllers.

Bristle worms aren't a bad thing for the most part. they like to climb in rock crevices and eat detritus. they don't harm anything, I've seen 6"+ bristleworms in tanks, they're usually a good thing.

[DRRosen3]

Originally Posted by NyteGTI

Bristle worms aren't a bad thing for the most part. they like to climb in rock crevices and eat detritus. they don't harm anything, I've seen 6"+ bristleworms in tanks, they're usually a good thing.

I've actually only heard/read the opposite. They can become a nuissance because when they get big enough (6 inches and up) they begin to feed on corals, invertibrates and even fish that they can get their "hands" on.

[NyteGTI]

most bristles don't get that huge, they're pretty common in most peoples tanks. there's a constant debate over hitchhikers vs clean dry rock. Some people hate them, some love them. They CAN feed on anything, but most times wont unless you're a very stingy feeder in your tank and there's not a pellet,flake, or anything left over from feeding. I personally haven't had an issue with a bristle I've had. That includes a 4-5" in a 12g nano, but im a slightly heavy feeder to begin with.
To each his own

[DRRosen3]

Alright. So just a quick update. Tank's been up and cycling now for about 9 days. Tested the water today and:

S.G. - 1.028
NO2 - 0
NO3 - 40 PPM
NH4 - 0
pH - 8.0

So I'm currently buffering the pH over the next couple of days and going to adjust the salinity. I now know that my hydrometer isn't calibrated properly and is off by -0.004. I'll be snagging my planned CUC after I get the pH up and the salinity down (via a freshwater [RO] change). Plans for the CUC are:

Emerald Crab x1
Peppermint Shrimp x1
Nassarius Snails x3 (I already have 2)
Blue Legged Hermits x30
Turbo Snail x0 (Already have 3. Will add more if needed but not likely.)

The son and I are going to take a look over some fish possibilities, but none set in stone yet. Still on the hunt for a good (and affordable) lighting unit.

Also have plans to snag a Refugium Start Up Kit from Indo-Pacific Sea Farms mainly to start breeding amphipods.

[Genesis Corals]

Invest in a refractometer, well worth the reliability.

[DRRosen3]

Originally Posted by Genesis Corals

Invest in a refractometer, well worth the reliability.

Suggestions on brand? I've heard they can be just as unreliable as hydrometers if not properly calibrated as well.

[Fizz71]

Originally Posted by DRRosen3

Suggestions on brand? I've heard they can be just as unreliable as hydrometers if not properly calibrated as well.

Yes, but unlike a hydrometer you can actually calibrate it. ..and you can use RO/DI water and not have to buy anything.

I'd look for a model that is ATC (automatic temperature compensating) but I'm not sure an actual "brand" matters. I have a captive purity now, I forget the first model. Both rusted at the pin, the first one broke at the pin so once you do get one, dry it off and keep it in the case. My captive purity is about 5 years old now and like I said..I can see the rust, but it still functions perfectly.

[Saltwater_Biker]

Originally Posted by DRRosen3

Suggestions on brand? I've heard they can be just as unreliable as hydrometers if not properly calibrated as well.

I have the Marinedepot version, I like it. Stays calibrated.

[CoralReeForrest]

I got one of eBay for 30 bucks with atc and cal fluid from brs for 7. Works great well worth the money.

[DRRosen3]

UPDATE!

So got my pH level up to 8.3-8.4 and salinity down to 1.025. Added the startings to a CUC today in the form of 1 Peppermint Shrimp and a dozen small hermits. Also added some fish the wife and son wanted. 2 Blue Damsels and 2 Yellow Tail Damsels. Also added a single Decorator Crab. I'll be keeping my eye on that one though since it is omnivorous. Don't want it starting to feed on what I don't want it feeding on. >.>

Still hunting for a good (both in output and price) lighting unit.

[Fizz71]

You'll be regretting those damsels later. They're cute now, but a year from now they'll be the tank bullies you want to fry on the grill.

[DRRosen3]

UPDATE

Most of the original inhabitants are gone. The Decorator was moved into the refugium because he was harassing tank-mates; but he didn't survive. Have since rescaped the rocks (will post pictures later). The refugium is now going with some cheato, a sandbed, two rocks and a bottle of Tigger Pods was added (hoping they'll begin to populate the refugium). Damsels were caught and returned and in their place is now 1 McKosker's Flasher Wrasse and 1 Lubbock's Wrasse. Only thing remaining of the CUC is 8 Nassarius (lost my 3 Turbos, 3 Peppermints, 6 Hermits and 2 Emeralds 1-by-1 and can't figure out why although I've been told it could be due to poor Alkalinity).