Reefermikes 72 Gallon Bowfront - Nov 5/06

reefermike

New Member
Updates, Updates, Updates.... Shes up and running and i love every inch of it. I couldnt wait to get it up again after ripping it down. I couldnt wait so bad that even tho i had my widsom teeth pulled today all for of them and i still didnt get set back from setting up my tank :D


Equimpment to date-

Berlin insump skimmer (Sticking out with it for a bit)
Mag 5 return pumps
Saline solutions 1000 GPH hang on overflow
4 x Maxi Jet 600's
1 x Maxi Jet 900
24" 55 watt 5500k fuge light
2 x 300 watt heater
2 x 54 watt coralife T5
Custom made sump/ fuge - 38"x 11" x 16" (8"x11" skimmer - 8"x 11" return zone)


Livestock-

100 - 120 lbs Live Rock (held in buckets with no light for a few weeks)
40 -60 lbs Live Sand
Basketball Size lump of Cheato in fuge (doubled in size with in a week)


Yet to get -

2 x 250 watt hqi fixure with 32 watt pc actinics ( think their 32 watt)
wavetimer
some form of phosphate remover
auto top off unit
Moon lighting
CLEAN UP CREW :D

Just brain storming on fish I havent really researched must yet but i thought is throw some ideas around.

Some form of clownfish (pair)
flame angle - 1
manderine goby - 1
koran angel - 1
regal tang - 1
yellow tang -1
royal gramma -1
firefish - 1 or 2
bi color blenny - 1
lawnmower blenny - 1
neon gobies - 1
copperbanded butterfly fish - 1
coral beauty angel - 1

Blood shrimp, Skunk Cleaner shrimp
Blue leg hermits, a few red leg hermits
Maybe a emerald crab
Turbo snails and astrea snails
Urchins?

thats all for now on that list. Not really sure which i can and cant have.. hope to get some input.

Not a shabby list i might say, how bout some pictures. Ok sounds good lets see some pictures.:D















 

islandcreation

New Member
Mike,

Sweet setup! I see you have a Berlin.... I have the same one and hate how much noise it makes even if you elogate the down spouts. What skimmer are you eyeing? I see your using eggcrates to hold up your light? Thats if I'm looking at it right? I had the same issue and got small acrylic strips cut just like the partitions in your sump but way thinner/smaller. I glued it to the top where I'd still have access hand/arm wise plus equipment. Works great and looks better. Can't wait to see your tank mature :mrgreen:
 

reefermike

New Member
thanks islandcreation... i really like this set up a lot more, its just cleaner. as for a skimmer, whatever i upgrade to has to fit a small footprint. My next skimmer will probally be a DIY one made by a guy that lives near me.

I still feel like i need more rock. I think im going to look for a large center piece rock.

As for the light. All i had was eggcrate right now. i forgot to get some pieces of acrylic the other night.

By the way my sump can hold 30 gallons but runs with 15 gallons.

Well i hope to hear from more people as the day goes on. Lets hear from the nanotank gurus haha
 

reefermike

New Member
Alright well i tested my water and this is where it stands

Ph - 8.3
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
Phosphate - 0.5 mg/L
Alk - 3.5 mEq/L
Carbonate Hardness - 150 mg/L
Calcium - 320 ppm
Salinity - 1.024

how bout that eh :D

plus some clear water shots


 

mikeguerrero

Active Member
Mike,

Just wanted to say that setup looks nice, I like your rock work. I have two small suggestions to help your look...

With the Maxi-jets you can use the smaller grill plate for each pump instead of the longer ones that you are using. This will help conceal the pump better and allow better flow...

The ones that you are using can and will get clogged and if they do the GPH will drop considerably, the smaller grill has more slots which means better flow and less space...

You can also remove from view the writing on each powerhead. It's very simple, just twist the powerhead so that the writing is to the back of your tank and set the suction cups on and that will conceal the writing without impeding any flow and in fact makes the pumps flush against the back of the tank instead of protruding forward...

Just my 2 cents...

MG
 

reefermike

New Member
New Rock work. Its getting there. I need a few more pieces of rock. To fill in the rest of the tank. I zip tied some pieces together and got great results, well at least results im happy with. Trying to go for arches, points where it sticks out and such, Instead of jsut the piled look. Its hard to get the real 3D effect it has through pictures. I moved the SPS LR into my sump/fuge. Heres some pics.



Left



Center



Right



Sump/Fuge



SPS LR
 

reefermike

New Member
Im liking it. I havnt done the maxi mods yet, The props come in this week i hope. Im going to be moding the 3 power heads you see in the pictures. 2 MJ600 and 1 MJ900. The Mj600 will do roughly 900 - 1100 gph i think it was and the 900 will do 1300 - 1500 gph maybe more im not 100% on the numbers, but what ever it is will be way more then i have now.

Now i need to hear some opinions. Should i place the 3 modded MJ's on a wavemaker, or just do the facing at each other placement?
 

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mikeguerrero

Active Member
Great job on placing the other grills on your MJ... My friend got his Yellow tang stuck on the first intake grills you used and he couldn't escape until I shut off the pump....

That is why they are dangerous compared to the ones I suggested.... Anyways the tank work looks awesome....

Keep up the great work....

MG
 

reefermike

New Member
Drummmmmm Rollllll Please

Alrighty then. Things are rolling. And rolling nice they are.

I have completed 1 MJ mod and wow thats some nice flow. Just working on the brackets for them. I have located some American DJ switch boxes, Im pretty sure i only need one for all my pumps. The box comes with 8 plugs, and the rest i will just run off of a Belkin heavy duty power supply.

I have some frothey green hair algae growing. Yes im waiting on my clean up crew. Thinking blue leg hermits, astrea/turbo snails, and a couple emerald crabs. I eventully want to get an urchin (long spine or halloween).

As for fish, Im going to probally get started with some tangs and maybe an algae blenny. You know with this new skimmer my eyes opened up wide to my stocking possibilites.

Oh wait i didnt mention that i now have a DELTEC! wahoo finally picked it up today. :lol:

Its beautiful. Boy was it ever dirty. But in thoughts of a skimmer dirty isnt so bad.
Ah what the heck on with the pictures.





Theirs 8 of them...Feather dusters? Dont really see tubes.


See its not that big
:???:


Oh whats that thing standing there, where that berlin used to be? :razz:


ya there she is.


Hard at work.


I really need an Auto Top Off. Like really really really need one!


Phosban reactor.

Theres always enough room.
 

reefermike

New Member
Completed my Mj mods. Heres a vid of my flow. Cant remember what kind of flow you get out of mj600's with nitro hammer props but my guess is 1000 gph, its really awesome and easy to do :D


Thats a run by on the tank.


This shows the random flow i get now.
 

reefermike

New Member
well its been awhile and a bit has happened. Still waiting on my light, so im looking for a pendant or something that will be temporary.

Stock list up to date:

1 Red Sea Sailfin tang
1 Yellow tang
1 Tomato clown
1 Yellow tail damsel
1 Christmas/ ornate wrasse
1 Royal Gamma
1 Benggai Cardinal
9 Blue/green Chromis
1 Peppermint shrimp
1 Blood Shrimp
1 Serpent star
10 Cerith snails
1 Mexican turbo

Im also getting very nice coraline growth with many different colours.

Pictures -





WHat kind of Coral is this?

What kind of coral is this?

Told this was a cabbage coral. IS that correct?




 
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