120 Gallon In Wall Mixed Reef Build

[Reu2]

I just cut some PVC for now, water level is right at 6.25", and it helped tremendously. I can control it all the way down now (at the cost of a ton of micro bubbles, I have it over flowing for break-in currently), but at least I can control it. Going to have to improve the skimmer tray in the near future.

Tunze ATO is setup and working like a charm. I put the water line near the heater, made sense to me, don't know if that's the best place. Dead easy to setup. Does anyone know if I can place the top off container above the tank? I'd like to put it on the bench at about 4~5'.


ATO by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

Also started running carbon, just incase my skimmer issue is chemical/biological. This is one area I over spent, the Vertex UF-20 is way oversized for 2.5 cups of carbon. Still they are really nice and easy to work with.

Still have a lot to do with organizing the soft wall, and still lots of room for a controller....


Still Work to be done by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

This little guy showed up the other day but retreated in the light. Looks like some kind of feather duster, and near impossible to photograph as he's blowing in the tide. I.D.?


Feather Duster take 2 by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

[bader]

I have not had that particular ato but I would imagine you would just have to worry about a siphon what kind of pump does it use. Will it stop water from entering tube or just not push more water

[tombone86]

Thats looking really sweet. Cant wait to see it all done.

[Reu2]

So I woke up to a case of RTFM. My wife discovered water on floor this morning, only about a gallon. Turns out the Tunze Osamolator shouldn't have the outlet placed under water as it'll back syphon. It mixed some fresh water into the tank and reduced salinity slightly. But no damage other than some wet floor tiles.

Not sure how I missed that page. Still have found anything on forward siphoning. Just going to have to test it.

[bader]

If it siphoned a gallon that's not held in the line I'm going to guess it will siphon the other way too

[Reu2]

Tested and it does.

I'm thinking I can run the line to the emergency drain where it'll be high enough to put the reservoir on the bench.

[bader]

On the overflow ?

[HaiD888]

Great looking tank. I am planning on doing the same dimension tank as your, a 120 gal in wall with one side view. I am following your thread with interest. I have some questions for you regarding your top boarder hinged.

What is your suggest verticle opening?
Is your swing inward or outward?
What kind of hinge do you use?
Is it easier for you to clean from the front or from the back of the tank?

[Reu2]

The ATO output to the emergency stand pipe (more just over, don't want to impede flow) on the display tank. I don't want to add it in the overflow itself as that will cause issues with he Herby Style over flow. If I were to start all over again, I'd get a non-drilled tank and drill in a Bean Animals Overflow which would be more forgiving.

The vertical opening over the tank is 7", just enough to get my whole arm in there.

The top boarder swings outward, mainly to eliminate light leakage I needed it to overlap the tank, there is also a 1" piece of wood on the inside that rest just over the top edge of the tank.

I used a Piano hinge, and then added a spring arm to hold it up for me so I don't have too.

I use a Flipper magnet cleaner that has a blade on it to clean the front glass mostly. But I clean and preform maintenance task from the back more often than the front. Remember the stand is 40" high, putting the top edge at 64.5", and it helps to get out a step ladder to clean it.

[Reu2]

Anyone have a good Radion Pro schedule (etf, template, xml)? I was thinking about using the third one on this page.

http://ilovereefing.de/ecotech-marin...nload/?lang=en

He doesn't use a lot of the UV spectrum in the day, I wonder how he determined his spectrums throughout the day.

Any good resources would be appreciated also.

[bader]

That's good info about the overflows I am looking at a 120 too and am beating my head on the wall about overflows. Looking at the style you have the glass holes or a reef savvy ghost

[Reu2]

I've never heard an unkind word about Glass-Holes.com. That's where I'd order one from.

The bean animals is very straight forward and dead quiet. Do at least 1.5" drains, you can always reduce it if needed.

I've added a couple Sustainable Aquatics Vivid Fancy clowns to my observation tank today. They are just beautiful looking clowns. Can't wait for the new tank to be ready for them.

[Reu2]

All parameters are good, Temp 79, SG 1.025, pH 8.2, NH3 0, NO3 5 (up from 2), PO4 0.

No algea growth in the DT yet, but the refugium looks great with some algae growth, pods, and caroline. Some diatoms on the sand in the fuge, but mostly in the DT.

Chromis in there seem happy, eat well, and enjoy the larger space.

ATO is working great, I seem to go through around 2~3 gallons of evaporation. Don't know if thats low or high to be honest, but evaporation is key to oxygen exchange.

New SA Vivid Fancy Clowns are doing well, here is a blurry iPhone pic of them. I'll be sure to get out the macro lens when they get in the DT one day. They are really good looking clowns. I know the snowflake and platniums are popular these days, but nothing beats a good pair of bright classic looking clowns.


SA Vivid Fancy Clowns in OT by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

Here is a personal question; How do you guys organize the inventible mess of test kits? I'd like to organize them without having to keep the boxes in the way. Maybe a trip to the Hardware store will inspire an idea....

Test kit mess by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

[girlygears13]

If you have a label maker, try a lure tackle box. They have lots of adjustable compartments and usually a clear lid. Just label the sections and test away!

[Reu2]

I did order some test tube peg boards for drying tubes. I also looked at some wall mountable bins that might work. Thanks for the suggestions.

Parameters are sg1.025, NH3 0ppm, NO2 0ppm, NO3 2ppm, PO3 0ppm, temp 79.

Parameters are being coming down nicely. The Chromis seem happy and are already following me around the tank for more food. Diatom bloom is slowing, but no signs of algae yet.

Skimmer has stabilized and is pulling some pretty nasty gunk out.

As soon as algae is present I'll do a large water change and stir the sand bed.

Then, if level stay safe, I'll add 5 cerith snails, and maybe a couple more fish.

[Reu2]

Here are some tank updates.

Diatoms are still going crazy, some algae, water parameters are solid. Skimmer is kicking ***, and now I have most of the micr-bubbles under control.
I added half of the clean up crew, prematurely but the price was right. Also added the two Pajama Cardinals to the system.


IMG_0561 by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

The back is pretty cleaned up. Wiring and some hoses need to be routed a bit better. Added a 20 Long to serve as the Observation/QT tank at first. It will later be dried out, cleaned and plumbed to the main system to serve as a small propagation/frag tank. I'll add another QT/Hospital tank later.

IMG_0556 by Reuben Neese, on Flickr


IMG_0558 by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

Found these cool autoclave safe lab drying racks on Amazon, great for drying test kit equipment, here is the link http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


IMG_0535 by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

Overall things seem to be going well. I'm going to break down the 29 reef in the next couple of weeks if things keep moving along. Only have a Potter's Angel, Brain Coral, and some CUC left in there. Then the real fun starts; New Fish!

[Reu2]

Apex controller question;

120 Gallon 4'x2'x2' DT, 40 Sump, 40 fuge, 2 Radion Pros, 2 MP-40s, Reeflo Snapper Gold Pump, Reef Octopus XP-3000int, 2 Cobolt Neo-Therm Heaters.

Given the list of equipment on this build, what components should I get? Obviously I need the controller and power strip it comes with, should I upgrade to the Lab Grade Ph probe? I'll need the WRX module for the Ecotech Products. What else should I plan on right away?

[woodnaquanut]

Lab grade are supposed to be faster responding and longer lasting. I've only used the homeowner grade.

WXM for MP-40s. You do have the wireless model, right? I don't think the Radions are controllable (yet) by the Apex.

The standard package w/ the EB-8 + WXM would cover it. The Radions and MP-40s don't need to be plugged into the EB-8 unless you want to watch your amps usage.

You doing any dosing or ATO? This is your chance to get your full geek on!

[Reu2]

Originally Posted by woodnaquanut

Lab grade are supposed to be faster responding and longer lasting. I've only used the homeowner grade.

WXM for MP-40s. You do have the wireless model, right? I don't think the Radions are controllable (yet) by the Apex.

The standard package w/ the EB-8 + WXM would cover it. The Radions and MP-40s don't need to be plugged into the EB-8 unless you want to watch your amps usage.

You doing any dosing or ATO? This is your chance to get your full geek on!

I heard rumor the Radions would be controllable with a Firmware upgrade on the WXM Module in the near future. Although the Neptueaquatics.com list the WXM as out of stock:| Wonder if an upgrade is near...?

I already have a Tunze ATO, it would be nice to be able to shut that off, maybe a backup water level sensor?

I would like to dose 2-Part and maybe trace elements in the future, but not for several months yet.

I would also like to control the Refugium light and powerhead.

[ivar85]

Really nice !

[sn4265]

If you're looking to spend money... I would suggest a Liter Meter 3 to setup a continuous water change system. Going that route, you might want to get the breakout box for the Apex and some float valves to monitor/alert/control your water making setup. Similarly, I'm planning on a DIY skimmate collector with a high level float in a 5 gal bucket that will auto shutoff the skimmer to prevent a skimmate overflow.

Just a few ideas. It really is looking great. I'm quite jealous. We are hoping to do something similar but larger down the road. Going to need a bigger house for our plans though as we want the built in between two rooms to make it even more viewable.

[Reu2]

I like the skimate container idea, I was thinking of getting the reef octopus one but having it built through a controller sounds like it would make more since.

A continuous water change also sounds interesting but sounds as if it'll take some research.

[sn4265]

For me the DIY skimmate container makes tons more sense than buying one since I think I can make one for under $20 whereas the Reef Octo one looks to run about $140 or so. Plus, I enjoy doing the DIY stuff if it's not overly complicated like making an LED fixture or something.

There is a good bit of information out there on the continuous water change process. The LM3 definitely looks to be the way to go in my mind.

[MHG]

Very nice build. Take care with the washer and dryer in the same room. Make sure all the exhaust ducts on the dryer are taped tight so you don't get fabric softener dust into your system. It happens to my basement frag system and I get foam on the water surface...

[Reu2]

Originally Posted by MHG

Very nice build. Take care with the washer and dryer in the same room. Make sure all the exhaust ducts on the dryer are taped tight so you don't get fabric softener dust into your system. It happens to my basement frag system and I get foam on the water surface...

Good to know, thanks. I would have never thought of that. The tank is also near the furnace for the house, so I have other gas concerns as well.

I'm thinking of running a 3" duct to pipe in outside air to help with gas exchange. Of course then there are heat/cold concerns. But a slow intake shouldn't be a problem and the O2 would be very beneficial.