Choss' 96 Gallon Reef Savvy Tank Build

[wrxreefer823]

Originally Posted by choss

I hope you are right. This rock has so many small natural crevices and openings that its perfect for all forms of life.

I actually just added the rock and water to my tank today, and I'm doing a very similar scape in my 34g. The way it sits, and the way the rock is shaped, makes for some very nice little caves for critters to hide in.

As for the live rock you picked up, I agree with you on trying to keep your scape nice and clean. I'd probably end up keeping it in the sump as well.

[choss]

Pukani is now soaking in RODI water with some GFO running. I checked the PO today and its only .12. That is a lot lower than my last rock cure experience but this is the first time I have tried bleach and acid. Should I wait till its even lower or is this rock ready to go in the main tank? On the live rock, its still producing some really stinky stuff in my skimmer so I think it may need a few more days but I am thinking I may add both the live and dry rock this weekend to the display.

Wow as I read this I realize I'm returning to my former impatient self

[choss]

So today I was checking on my 10 gallon live rock holding tank and I felt a pair of eyes on me. I have to say, all week I was hoping to find some cool hitch hikers on my live rock. So far I just found a small basket star. But today, those eyes were following me with interest. Here is my new friend. I've named him Fred for no particular reason.



I will need to find him a home or I can set up yet another small tank in my basement.

[wrxreefer823]

That is so cool!!! The coolest hitch hiker I’ve ever had was a neon green mushroom or a few tiny stars. A few years back I read a thread where a guy brought in a small octopus on some rock, and it actually did very well for quite some time!

[FoxFace Fish]

Omg is that a mantis shrimp

[choss]

Originally Posted by wrxreefer823

That is so cool!!! The coolest hitch hiker I’ve ever had was a neon green mushroom or a few tiny stars. A few years back I read a thread where a guy brought in a small octopus on some rock, and it actually did very well for quite some time!

I'm really into this little guy. Today he came out and he's under an inch and a bright green color. Really beautiful. I'll see if I can get a few more pics.

Originally Posted by FoxFace Fish

Omg is that a mantis shrimp

It is!

[choss]

I have been testing my Pukani rock for PO - Its been sitting in a tub of warm RO water since I gave it an acid and bleach bath about a week or so ago. The last batch of Florida rock I cured (via acid bath only) had PO readings, each one taken over an 8 week period (so about 2 weeks apart)

.21
.32
.37
.02

With the Pukani I have taken two readings so far with the same Hanna checker:

.12
.03

Its almost too good o be true, or, doing the acid and bleach bath is super effective. Its also possible that the rocks that I received from Aquacave could have been treated similarly in the past. I sort of doubt it as I removed a few dead critters but its possible.

Anyway, that begs the question, do I refill the tank this weekend and get the new rock in there. I will add a few pieces of live rock as well and I have siporax that has been getting seeded in my 20 gallon frag tank where a small Kole tang is supplying the poop to feed the system.

So the checklist from a few weeks ago looks like this:

Determine rock - live or Pukani (check - I went with both)
Cure Pukani rock and check for PO (check - .03 and dropping)
Get live rock into holding tank, remove dead organics and pests (ongoing - first pest identified - Fred the Mantis shrimp, watching sponges carefully for die off, removing some here and there, but overall I can probably add some rock to my sump safely at this time and help speed along the cycle)
Get siporax seeded (check)
Fix metal halide issue (check) - add LEDs (check - Kessil 360 WE added, second is temporarily over my 40 cube)

So unless anyone sees any issues, I'm tempted to go for it this upcoming weekend. I can fill the tank via RO water from my basement setup, and add salt to the tank itself. I have read from one or two threads that its better to add salt before (as it can affect some equipment) but it would be really impractical to mix the salt and then have to bring containers up from the basement. Thoughts on any or all of the above?

Super excited to get this system wet & salty.

[Reef noob_]

Originally Posted by choss

Super excited to get this system wet & salty.

Wet and salty eh?? But seriously I'm excited to see this happen too! And I've always just mixed my original salt mix in the tank so that shouldn't be a problem at all.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[choss]

Reef_noob - I plan to do exactly that. Mix it in the tank. I'll do it slowly and allow for full absorption before I start running the main pumps. Looking at this weekend so check back in a few days. I should have full scape shots and will be looking for advice.

[choss]

My dry rock has been curing for a few weeks. I decided I might as well get he rock into the display tank. So here are the first few views of the scape. The scape essentially consists of two Islands. I want them to be asymmetrical but forming a main chasm or channel. Here is my first attempt.

left side front view by choerenz, on Flickr

The island to the right actually is made up of two large rocks.

right side front view by choerenz, on Flickr

It may be a bit too much rock. I'm debating clipping off a bit from the back rock behind the tower. Pukani seems easy to shape so I'll have to consider that.

Here is the view from my sitting chair. The question is, should I reverse the islands and have the lower island to the right?

view from chair by choerenz, on Flickr

My wife took a look and suggested I create a second smaller channel between the rocks making up the right island. I like it.

seated view with new arrangement by choerenz, on Flickr

Looking for suggestions.

[wrxreefer823]

Looking good! I like the idea of the second smaller channel between the two rocks. I can imagine it could be a nice hiding spot for a coral banded or something of that nature.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hbrochs]

How would it look with the tower rock in the back right?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[choss]

Originally Posted by wrxreefer823

Looking good! I like the idea of the second smaller channel between the two rocks. I can imagine it could be a nice hiding spot for a coral banded or something of that nature.

Yes I agree. This adds a lot to the look of the tank and actually looks more natural. I may chisel a bit off the smaller rock along the back to open things up a bit.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by hbrochs

How would it look with the tower rock in the back right?

I think then I would lose the chasm effect of the main viewing area. The one thing that I'm wrestling with is maybe switching the islands. The tower sort of blocks the view from my easy chair although the small channel keeps it interesting.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GT350pwns]

Really cool build! Following along!

Also interested in more pics of the mantis!!

[choss]

Originally Posted by GT350pwns

Really cool build! Following along!

Also interested in more pics of the mantis!!

GT thanks for following! The Mantis (Fred) has decided to hide in a different rock which initially was a concern as I was having trouble locating him. Of course he picked the nicest rock that was destined for my main display. I finally found him last night. I will try for some pics as I thin out the rock in the holding tank - moving some pieces to my sump once I get water into the display. I'm still working on final scape (plus travel is getting in the way) so it will probably be the weekend after next.

[James404]

Looks like it's coming along, I like the aquascape!

[choss]

Not as quickly as I'd like. I need a solid two days to get the water in and scape perfect and I'm traveling this weekend unfortunately. Might need to take some time off

[drtrash]

Reread build 2x great job got me thinking of going ghl on next build
Reef savvy should of told you to use sch 40 for union under ghost
Does felix recomend pad under tank?
Did you ever try the mp10 on 1/2" glass?
Good luck with wrap up

[choss]

Originally Posted by drtrash

Reread build 2x great job got me thinking of going ghl on next build
Reef savvy should of told you to use sch 40 for union under ghost
Does felix recomend pad under tank?
Did you ever try the mp10 on 1/2" glass?
Good luck with wrap up

Yes felix recommended 3/8" to 1/4" neoprene under the tank which is pretty thin but I have the phantom bottom, which is super solid. I'm really glad I went that route. I haven't had a chance to test the MP10s yet because I have them on my 40 gallon reef tank which is running in the basement. It will be broken down soon. I think I will need them on the back wall because of the rock work I'm considering. Speaking of....

Scape 2: For this scape and the next I turned the large low island rock on the left 180 degrees. This resulted in the main chasm facing the corner I will be viewing the tank from most (corner shot). I then tried the smaller rock on the right in a more upright position giving the tank a second small tower and a second canyon. I like it but it will really make flow a bit of an issue and I'm torn between loving it and worrying its too much wall. Let me know.

Front View

Scape 2 Tall Front by choerenz, on Flickr

View from Chair

Scape 2 Tall Corner View by choerenz, on Flickr

View from Right Side

Scape 2 side view by choerenz, on Flickr

View of main channel

Scape 2 main channel by choerenz, on Flickr

Scape 3: Similar to my first scape but with the left island rotated. Not as "tall" of a look. Probably slightly better for the flow but the second chasm between the tall tower and the rock on the right isn't quite as interesting.

Front

Scape 3 corner view by choerenz, on Flickr

View from chair

Scape 3 corner view by choerenz, on Flickr

Let me know what you think

[choss]

So today I took matters into my own hands and "made" the scape more suitable to the tank dimensions.

trimming rock by choerenz, on Flickr

Its amazing how easy it is to shape Pukani rock. I took 30%-40% off the smaller rock on the right side and now I'm really pleased with the Island on the right. I was able to create slightly more room in the main chasm and with the help of a few MP10s, I should be able to maintain a healthy flow in some of the back areas of the tank.

Next.....

rinsing sand by choerenz, on Flickr

and.....

rinsing sand 2 by choerenz, on Flickr

I was amazed at how clean the mesoflakes are. I am really happy with this choice of sand. Its really white with interesting flecks of green, purple, and red.

Here are a few pictures of the sand under lights and with a flash. I apologize for the crappy iPhone quality. This weekend I will get out the real camera..

wet sand in tank by choerenz, on Flickr

Those darker areas are wet from the rinsing

sand under lights by choerenz, on Flickr

And while I don't think this picture really shows how great this looks in real life - I will take some more once water is in the tank.

[wrxreefer823]

Very nice! I’m excited to see how the rock turns out, not that it looked bad before, by any means. Good call on rinsing the sand, I’ve always rinsed crushed coral but never tried rinsing sand. I guess I’ll have to start another tank to try it out... lol

I had a MP10 on the back of my 12, so between that and the Jeabos on either side, there really wasn’t a dead spot to speak of in the tank. I just added a MP10 to my set up, and it’s making a world of difference!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[choss]

Ok - things are really moving along now. Two updates in one day means water in the tank is on the horizon. Today was early (or should we say late) Christmas for Choss - check out what arrived today....

Director in box by choerenz, on Flickr

doser in box by choerenz, on Flickr

director by choerenz, on Flickr

doser by choerenz, on Flickr

Doser and Director by choerenz, on Flickr

Now if only I had a few corals and water in the tank...

[choss]

Tank being filled by choerenz, on Flickr

After today it gets serious. Hooked up my RODI and am leveraging the line I set up for auto water changes to fill the tank. The tank should be full by tomorrow evening.

[FernandesReef]

Great to finally see to water in this amazing project...keep it up!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[choss]

Originally Posted by FernandesReef

Great to finally see to water in this amazing project...keep it up!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thanks Fernandes. About 1/2 full.....should be done tomorrow night.