120-gallon Build (Reboot) Thread

[Dana Riddle]

October 29, 2020. Tropical Storm Zeta roared through Atlanta and dropped two 90-year old oak trees on the house. I was not prepared for the 3-day power outage and my reef tank suffered greatly. The tank is now up and running again, and this thread will document the tank's reboot.
I have a few minutes now and then to post pictures and describe the whole process of rebuilding. Please be patient with me as I pull photos out of files and make comments.

 

[ScottR]

Wow. Horrible Dana. Can’t wait to see what becomes of the new tank. But of course what is on everyone’s mind: what lights will you run?

 

[Eagle_Steve]

That sucks, but you got this. Will be following along for sure.

 

[Dana Riddle]

Wow. Horrible Dana. Can’t wait to see what becomes of the new tank. But of course what is on everyone’s mind: what lights will you run?

Just between us (LOL): Neptune Systems SKY LED luminaires.

 

[Bpb]

Following

 

[Dana Riddle]

October 29, 2020. Tropical Storm Zeta roared through Atlanta and dropped two 90-year old oak trees on the house. I was not prepared for the 3-day power outage and my reef tank suffered greatly. The tank is now up and running again, and this thread will document the tank's reboot.
I have a few minutes now and then to post pictures and describe the whole process of rebuilding. Please be patient with me as I pull photos out of files and make comments.

The power outage that claimed the tank was one of 2 in 4 years, and I would not proceed with a rebuild until a generator was in place. After talking to a generator salesman (who advised against a small portable generator - they sit around until needed and then they don't work - and he sells these things!), I bit the bullet and had a natural gas whole-house generator installed. This didn't happen until April 2021 (almost 6 months after the storm.) My advice - go this route if you can. If not, a portable generator might be an option if it is serviced and exercised regularly. If you go with a battery backup for your pumps (water circulation and gas exchange - oxygen depletion - was apparently the cause of the crash), make sure it can run them for several days.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

The power outage that claimed the tank was one of 2 in 4 years, and I would not proceed with a rebuild until a generator was in place. After talking to a generator salesman (who advised against a small portable generator - they sit around until needed and then they don't work - and he sells these things!), I bit the bullet and had a natural gas whole-house generator installed. This didn't happen until April 2021 (almost 6 months after the storm.) My advice - go this route if you can. If not, a portable generator might be an option if it is serviced and exercised regularly. If you go with a battery backup for your pumps (water circulation and gas exchange - oxygen depletion - was apparently the cause of the crash), make sure it can run them for several days.

Good choice. My NG/propane genny has saved my rear and the tanks quite a few times.

 

[Dana Riddle]

Not all the corals perished during the 3-day power outage and only one fish was lost (one of my favorites - a Lamarck's angel, not particularly beautiful but a very handsome one.) However, the tank biology rapidly changed and a mix of red cyanobacteria and diatoms smothered the rocks. In very non-scientific vernacular, the rocks were coated with 'brown snot'. Thinking the rock was doomed, I ordered fresh live rock from the Keys. It was cured in low light for a few months, and regular water changes kept nutrients and algal booms in check. The photo shows the rock tank with a ReeFi Uno LED light on it.

 

[Dana Riddle]

In my opinion, at least some of the rock should be 'live'. This will eventually seed the tank with beneficial bacteria, copepods, amphipods, calcareous algae, etc. There is a downside though - pests might be introduced. This is one of the reasons for the long cure time - pests can be seen and taken care of.

 

[Dana Riddle]

The sump. Water enters the sump and is mechanically filtered through two filter socks and then enters the skimmer chamber (Reef Octopus with the extended chimney). Also in this chamber is the Neptune Systems magnetic probe holder with sensors for pH, ORP, conductivity, and temperature - these report to the APEX Fusion. Water then overflows into the algae-scrubber chamber with Chaetomorpha supported by a foam block. Then water to returned by two Danner Mag 12 pumps (on ~12 hour shifts) and also controlled by the APEX (previously, this alternating flow was controlled by mechanical timers, which were problematic.) The return flow is accelerated by an eductor on each return line. To the right is the microalgae culture, which is feed to the tank daily by a peristaltic metering pump.

 

[Dana Riddle]

Lighting: The new Neptune Systems SKY LED luminaire. This is a beta version with the optional SHIMZ diffuser (~$15). I'll post soem pics of corals grown under this light soon. I'm also working on a full-blown report on the SKY. Will post here on R2R when finished.

 

[Njdevils1220]

Curious to see how these compare to Reefi Duo Extremes which seem to be king of LED at the moment.

 

[Dana Riddle]

I'm still using the ReeFi lights on a 90-gallon. I've got to finish the report on the SKY - the upgraded APEX software offers a few options for operating the SKY.

 

[Reef and Dive]

Wow! That’s so sad! But I’m sure things will get fixed soon and the new reboot will just thrive ASAP!
Best wishes of recovery!

 

[OceanDiver]

Dana I watched the “lets talk reefs“ with you Terrance. I’m one of the NSI test guys And I was ordering if you have posted your SKY schedule anywhere.

 

[truepercs]

microalgae culture, which is feed to the tank daily by a peristaltic metering pump.

Can you elaborate on this...Something I want to incorporate in my sump...