Greener Pastures (Amoo's 32g Rimless build)

[Amoo]

So let's see here, where were we, ah yes the PVC. All in all I'd give it about an 8 our of 10. Should have painted the return up to the union instead of up to the valve, but meh, it's in the sump right.

Next was to try to find some pieces of rock in the bucket I've had cycling for weeks and see what I could come up with.

Well that's a start but not really what I was hoping for. Wanted to kind of steal @Rakie 's rockwall dealio but put my own twist on it. Ok let's try again.

Man that picture does a really crappy job of showing the depth of the scape. Oh well you sort of get the idea. Time to run it for 24 hours and make sure I can process ammonia.

After 24 hours all ammonia was turned into Nitrates and sand was added. Still got some work to do, but tossed in three TINY reef Chromis to keep the bacteria doing there thing while I finish up the build.

As you can see we're still lacking a door. Wire management is "tossed back in there" after everything passed a leak test. The entire "refugium" compartment is filled with cycled rock rubble. I literally grabbed some rocks out of the cycling trash can that were too large for the build, took them to the front porch and beat on them with the 4lb until I got small chunks to load that puppy up.

The skimmer still isn't running yet because the water level is too high in the sump. I was good then added all the rubble. Been three days so far and I'm not evaporating near enough water

I'm currently running 1 Kessil A160 Tuna Blue WE, but went ahead and ordered a second one. I haven't hooked the Apex Lite up out there yet as that will all be part of the major and final wire management that needs to happen, but first this puppy needs doors.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Looking sweet @Amoo. I just scored a used 35 cube, 20" in every dirrection, and I was wondering about using just my one A160. I think two will be perfect.

 

[Amoo]

I should have accurate PAR number this week assuming I get around to cleaning up the wiring and putting the APEX Lite out there.

I may check the PAR just for S&G with 1 A160, but I'm sure I'm going to want two.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Oh, I forgot you had an APEX PAR monitor. Sweet I don't have to buy the seneye. If you can remember, tag me when you get your par readings in. I'd like to see where they are as I'm considering a second if only just for shadowing.

 

[Rakie]

Looks good, you should upgrade that to a 120 though

 

[Amoo]

Looks good, you should upgrade that to a 120 though

Look we all know you're a poor, don't spread your poor over here.

Besides it was a 125 I took down, not a 120

 

[Rakie]

Look we all know you're a poor, don't spread your poor over here.

Besides it was a 125 I took down, not a 120

Yep, student budget + reef = stupid. It's a well known equation but I keep trying to challenge it to no avail.

Although if you *do* have money, you should just trade your money for reef instead. Way more fun!

 

[Amoo]

Yep, student budget + reef = stupid. It's a well known equation but I keep trying to challenge it to no avail.

Although if you *do* have money, you should just trade your money for reef instead. Way more fun!

Dude I think I have spent more money on this stupid little tank (which I really like by the way) then I would have, had I recycled equipment and just gone with another big tank.

Once you get out of college and hopefully find a decent job, you'll learn the reef budget struggle never ends. This whole hobby is stupid and we're all a bunch of gluttons for punishment for even partaking.

 

[Maritimer]

Looks good!

I'm diggin' the spur-and-groove 'scape.

The sump under my 220 doesn't really have room for a 'fuge, so I put a layer of rubble and a layer of chaetomorpha in a pond basket. Chaetomorpha's almost all dead, and that under the same lights as it was growing under in the 65!

Good thing I've got more rubble . . .

~Bruce

 

[Amoo]

Looks good!

I'm diggin' the spur-and-groove 'scape.

The sump under my 220 doesn't really have room for a 'fuge, so I put a layer of rubble and a layer of chaetomorpha in a pond basket. Chaetomorpha's almost all dead, and that under the same lights as it was growing under in the 65!

Good thing I've got more rubble . . .

~Bruce

I hear you there Bruce, I wanted to do a combo rubble and Chaeto, but saw the size of this fuge and noped out. I'll be firing up the bio-pellets in a few weeks.

 

[Rakie]

Dude I think I have spent more money on this stupid little tank (which I really like by the way) then I would have, had I recycled equipment and just gone with another big tank.

Once you get out of college and hopefully find a decent job, you'll learn the reef budget struggle never ends. This whole hobby is stupid and we're all a bunch of gluttons for punishment for even partaking.

Oh yeah, I already learned that lesson. The only thing that changes are the zero's at the end of the next stupid thing we "need".

 

[SashimiTurtle]

I hear you there Bruce, I wanted to do a combo rubble and Chaeto, but saw the size of this fuge and noped out. I'll be firing up the bio-pellets in a few weeks.

Im going to try all chaeto in my small fuge. If that fails I'll go with marine pure spheres.

 

[Maritimer]

My pond basket is sitting atop a Marine Pure block - as is one of the sections of my reef. One high-flow, one low-flow, and both potential pod-condos.

~Bruce

 

[Natedogg559]

How are the X-in/outs working for you?

 

[Amoo]

How are the X-in/outs working for you?

Honestly not well enough that I would recommend them, but I'm glad you asked because you reminded me I needed to post about them. Welcome to the thread by the way @Natedogg559

So the only way to quiet them was to throttle them both and force most of the water to go through one or the other. So essentially I have 2 drains, but may as well only have one. So the one on the left is a straight drop into the sump so I throttled it until is is basically a full siphon, or at least REALLY close. This was mainly accomplished by closing down on the one on the right to force most of the water through the one on the left, then the one on the left was fine tuned. For a small low flow tank with only one overflow sure they would work fine, but running one overflow definitely comes with risks. I have never run a leak detection kit on any of my tanks, but this over flow design is going to force that.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

LOLOLOL! The back and forth between @Rakie and @Amoo in this thread is worth staying up to date on the updates. (And I AM up to date. )

My favorite part of this thread banter so far:

So I've always wanted to ask this to somebody who I see collects frags like you do, but don't want to come off as offensive. Since I know you can go cry to Daniel if you get offended I'll just ask you.

So seriously, what on God's green earth are you going to do with that many frags?

The plan is simple.

1. Get Corals
2. ???
3. Have Corals

 

[Clayton Jessup]

Tank looks great , how are you liking the overflows?

 

[sfin52]

Loving it you got some mad skills.

@Rakie you are going to be able to replenish the Great Barrier Reef.

 

[Amoo]

Tank looks great , how are you liking the overflows?

@Clayton Jessup welcome to Greener Pastures. Feel free to scroll up one post prior to yours.

Once you get there move up one more.

There ya go.

 

[Amoo]

Loving it you got some mad skills.

@Rakie you are going to be able to replentish the Great Barrier Reef.

@sfin52 this is like a game of Pokeman or something (I'm a little too old for that fad sadly) I've got to catch all you guys eventually who drop by and hit the like button but don't always comment Welcome to Greener Pastures man.