Greybeard's Wide, Shallow Peninsula

[Greybeard]

Currently, slowly, pulling sand from the system. Was fine when I was siphoning it during water changes, but now, with auto water changes, sand gunk was building up, nutrients rising... time to change things up. Adding MUCH more flow, and removing the sand. Looking hard at a auto mechanical filter of some sort... theiling roll... honestly, the Bubble Magus seems like it'd be the best fit.

Custom top from Octo aquatics should be arriving soon... Once it's here, I'll be adding a half dozen or so fishes...

A fairy wrasse of some sort, a midas blenny, some sort of dartfish... No rush, just peaceful communitiy fishes.

 

[Greybeard]

Octo-lid received

Time to add some fishes

 

[Greybeard]

On topless tanks: I've long been a defender of people who make the choice to go topless. I have, and do, belive that with proper planning, fish selection, and efforts to maintain a stress free environment, it can be done with a minimal risk... a very small risk, in compairison to taking fish out of the sea in the first place.

I still belive... but. I lost my beautiful Lamark's angelfish. Jumped at some time during the evening when I was entertaining... lots of noise that night, I'm sure it just got spooked, and ended up on the carpet. I'd said, after the last fish jumped (a clownfish, nearly 3 years ago), that if it happened again, I was going to cover the tank. Well... it happened.

One of the coolest tanks I ever saw was an 'endless' overflow tank... one where the water flowed down the outside edges of the tank, if you've ever seen one... anyway, it was 24" x 24" x 8" tall, mounted low, with a 250w halide pendent hung way high. It was mostly sand, a few bits of rock, a bunch of clams, and pipefish. Not much jumping risk with pipes... I doubt they can swim fast enough to clear the water's surface Anyway, that, and other topless tanks left me partial to that look... and I still like it.

Add in that DIY screen kits look awfull...

Anyone interested in a high quality, good looking screen top... look no further than Octo-aquatics. Just over 4 weeks, start to finish. Sign off process includes him sending you a detailed, measured drawing for your review. Quality, fit, and finish are second to none.

Having said that, I did actually have a minor issue with my top. Feed door won't close right. No big deal... I figure I can resolve the issue with a bit of file work, which I'm more than happy to do. Add in the fact that Matt, the owner, has already offered to send me a 2nd brand new cover... don't you just love it when a company stands behind their work

 

[minus9]

On topless tanks: I've long been a defender of people who make the choice to go topless. I have, and do, belive that with proper planning, fish selection, and efforts to maintain a stress free environment, it can be done with a minimal risk... a very small risk, in compairison to taking fish out of the sea in the first place.

I still belive... but. I lost my beautiful Lamark's angelfish. Jumped at some time during the evening when I was entertaining... lots of noise that night, I'm sure it just got spooked, and ended up on the carpet. I'd said, after the last fish jumped (a clownfish, nearly 3 years ago), that if it happened again, I was going to cover the tank. Well... it happened.

One of the coolest tanks I ever saw was an 'endless' overflow tank... one where the water flowed down the outside edges of the tank, if you've ever seen one... anyway, it was 24" x 24" x 8" tall, mounted low, with a 250w halide pendent hung way high. It was mostly sand, a few bits of rock, a bunch of clams, and pipefish. Not much jumping risk with pipes... I doubt they can swim fast enough to clear the water's surface Anyway, that, and other topless tanks left me partial to that look... and I still like it.

Add in that DIY screen kits look awfull...

Anyone interested in a high quality, good looking screen top... look no further than Octo-aquatics. Just over 4 weeks, start to finish. Sign off process includes him sending you a detailed, measured drawing for your review. Quality, fit, and finish are second to none.

Having said that, I did actually have a minor issue with my top. Feed door won't close right. No big deal... I figure I can resolve the issue with a bit of file work, which I'm more than happy to do. Add in the fact that Matt, the owner, has already offered to send me a 2nd brand new cover... don't you just love it when a company stands behind their work

Matt is top notch! I hate that I have to have a lid too, but keeping wrasses in the tank is a must. Sorry for your loss.

 

[Greybeard]

So... I did a thing...

Guy I know, used to run a fish store, is selling off a bunch of stuff he had on the shelf. I stopped by yesterday, and picked up an ApexEL to replace my Classic, and a pair of Kessel AP700 lights. All new, in the box. Cost was so low, well, it was hard to pass up.

So, my apex base unit, and one of the two EB8's, plus pH and Temp probes, all swapped out. Took me less time than I thought it would. Friend of mine wants the Apex Classic.

On the AP700 lights... I'm going to pick up a couple 4' lengths of aluminum 'L' angle stock. Mount the AP700's, and hang them from the same cables I'm using for my old T5 system. Should work out just fine. If, at some point, I decide to... I can always mount a pair of T5 bulbs on the outside edge of the angle stock.

Anybody want a 4' 8 bulb TEK branded T5 system? Bulbs are good, 4 are 6 months old, the other 4 were replaced a couple of weeks ago. It'd almost have to be local... wouldn't make any sense to ship it.

 

[Greybeard]

New Light Mount...

2x 1/2x1/2" aluminum L stock, screwed to my new Kessel Ap700's. I'm going to put a short length of cable between the two ends, and hang it from the existing hanging cables from my old T5 system. I think it'll look clean

 

[Greybeard]

Added one of my favorite ocean critters to my reef...

 

[Greybeard]

Sooo... Had a minor incident last week that I want to share... perhaps keep someone else from having the same problem.

I was looking at my sump closet, and thought to myself, you know, that AWC reservoir seems to be lasting longer than usual...

Take a close look, my DOS pump head is clogged. Only the one putting NSW back, mind you... the one removing old water was working fine. Auto top off system was doing what it should, and keeping the water level stable.

Salinity 1.020.

Ugh.

Corals, fishes, inverts... not displaying any sign of stress. No telling how long that pump was out.

So. I did a 10g water change manually, disabled the AWC systsem, turned off my ATO, and ordered a pair of new pump heads for my Apex.

Apex pump heads were nearing a year old. Doing 1.5 gallons per day... probably reaching their normal wear limit.

I'll manually top off with salt water until salinity gets back to 1.026. Nice and slow, as evaporation happens naturally.

Guess maybe I'll look into ordering a PM2 and Salinity probe... or, perhaps just check my salinity every week

 

[Viner87]

Oh guttter!! Doesn’t your apex have a salinity probe already? How long have you had your DOS out of interest? I love mine, they haven’t skipped a beat (touch wood)

 

[Greybeard]

Oh guttter!! Doesn’t your apex have a salinity probe already? How long have you had your DOS out of interest? I love mine, they haven’t skipped a beat (touch wood)

I had an Apex Classic... recently went to an ApexEL, no salinity probe.

DOS is right at a year old... maybe 11 months. Running AWC, 1.5gpd. Honestly, after looking at it, I think the connection at the pump head may have been letting in a bit of air, causing salt creep in the line. The one pumping water out of the tank is fine.

I'm not unhappy with the DOS... it happens. Luckily, no losses, and it's not an expensive fix.

 

[najer]

Appears to be a minor kick in the testicles, sounds like you are on it!

 

[cmaxwell39]

Just read through your journey with this tank. I applaud your stubborn....errr......persistent approach.

I am considering a new build and looking at a tank from Planet aquariums with similar dimensions (60x30x22). How do you like the tank, and any feedback you would have on planet aquariums.

How is the tank doing these days?? Hope all is still well with your little slice of the reef.

 

[Greybeard]

Just read through your journey with this tank. I applaud your stubborn....errr......persistent approach.

I am considering a new build and looking at a tank from Planet aquariums with similar dimensions (60x30x22). How do you like the tank, and any feedback you would have on planet aquariums.

How is the tank doing these days?? Hope all is still well with your little slice of the reef.

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you... Reef-a-paloosa over the weekend

Thanks, I suppose

As to the Planet tank... Excellent. There are supposedly 'higher end' tank builders, at least I know from pricing my tank, there are certainly more expensive tank builders, but I don't really know what could have been better. Edges are beveled and polished, silicone work was excellent, strength of tank appears to be very good... I'm not certain what I would have gotten if I'd have paid more. Yes, I fully recommend Planet aquariums.

I will say, the rep I talked to at Reef-a-paloosa was evidently _not_ there for his personality. Oh well...

As for how is the tank? Reboot coming. Bought new rock and a new sump this weekend. Wipe out, start over.

Ask me again in 3 months

 

[cmaxwell39]

Thanks for the review of the PA tanks.

Sorry to hear about the impending reset, but I hope it all goes smooth for you. Unfortunately sometimes that is the best thing we can do is just take a breath and start over. Good luck.

 

[Greybeard]

Update: Reset coming.

Ok. 3 years in, time to reevaluate.

Physical: Form, size, footprint... the way the tank fits into my life, not to mention my living room... A+. Works for me. Stand design, surround, painted bar top, under cabinets, the AP700 lights... love every bit of it. Don't want to change a thing. Sump closet, could be layed out a bit better, but it's functional, and since I can close the door on it, the fact that it's a bit unsightly doesn't really matter.

Now... the reef itself. I've got some cyano at the moment, neglect, no doubt. That's what happens when I'm less than enthused with a project. Bubble algae is still there, though not really a problem. Never did get Aptasia... this may be my 1st ever reef with no aptasia None of that matters, really... If it were just an algae problem, or anything else I could nail down, I'd fix it and move on. It's not.

This tank is unhealthy. Can't keep SPS, LPS, or Clams. Softies live and grow, zoanthids, palys, leathers, etc... Mushrooms don't do well... Anemones, well, I've only tried one, but it died.

I'm sick of killing corals.

Last weekend, at Reef-a-palooza, I bought a box of 'Real Reef' rocks... the purple colored dry, man made stuff, and a new sump from Bashsea. Nice stuff, prices were right. Talked to a bunch of people. Brightwell, WWC, BRS, R2R, spent a good bit of time with Julian Sprung... evaluated a bunch of coral growers, tried to talk to them about how they run their grow out systems.

Spent much of today reading. Red sea's 'recipes', Triton (remember, this tank was SUPPOSED to be Triton from the beginning, and it didn't work out for me... Brightwell, Aquaforest, Tropic Marin's Balling method...

I'm going to give KZ's Zeovit a try. It's a method that's always interested me.. seems right to give it a go.

So... I've got 80 lbs of Marco's rock, covered in xenia, zoanthids, palys, xenia, kenya tree... etc. Unless someone local wants it for some reason, I'm going to dump it in a hole in my back yard... along with the remaining sand.

Going to build some structures with the Real Reef rock, suspend them from nylon rod, and place them on the bare, sterilized tank, connected via sterilized plumbing, to a brand new sump, containing my old skimmer (sterilized), and everything else brand new. New Skimz Zeo-reactor is on it's way.

Wish me luck, time to take charge of this mess and get it fixed.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Update: Reset coming.

Ok. 3 years in, time to reevaluate.

Physical: Form, size, footprint... the way the tank fits into my life, not to mention my living room... A+. Works for me. Stand design, surround, painted bar top, under cabinets, the AP700 lights... love every bit of it. Don't want to change a thing. Sump closet, could be layed out a bit better, but it's functional, and since I can close the door on it, the fact that it's a bit unsightly doesn't really matter.

Now... the reef itself. I've got some cyano at the moment, neglect, no doubt. That's what happens when I'm less than enthused with a project. Bubble algae is still there, though not really a problem. Never did get Aptasia... this may be my 1st ever reef with no aptasia None of that matters, really... If it were just an algae problem, or anything else I could nail down, I'd fix it and move on. It's not.

This tank is unhealthy. Can't keep SPS, LPS, or Clams. Softies live and grow, zoanthids, palys, leathers, etc... Mushrooms don't do well... Anemones, well, I've only tried one, but it died.

I'm sick of killing corals.

Last weekend, at Reef-a-palooza, I bought a box of 'Real Reef' rocks... the purple colored dry, man made stuff, and a new sump from Bashsea. Nice stuff, prices were right. Talked to a bunch of people. Brightwell, WWC, BRS, R2R, spent a good bit of time with Julian Sprung... evaluated a bunch of coral growers, tried to talk to them about how they run their grow out systems.

Spent much of today reading. Red sea's 'recipes', Triton (remember, this tank was SUPPOSED to be Triton from the beginning, and it didn't work out for me... Brightwell, Aquaforest, Tropic Marin's Balling method...

I'm going to give KZ's Zeovit a try. It's a method that's always interested me.. seems right to give it a go.

So... I've got 80 lbs of Marco's rock, covered in xenia, zoanthids, palys, xenia, kenya tree... etc. Unless someone local wants it for some reason, I'm going to dump it in a hole in my back yard... along with the remaining sand.

Going to build some structures with the Real Reef rock, suspend them from nylon rod, and place them on the bare, sterilized tank, connected via sterilized plumbing, to a brand new sump, containing my old skimmer (sterilized), and everything else brand new. New Skimz Zeo-reactor is on it's way.

Wish me luck, time to take charge of this mess and get it fixed.

@Greybeard you inspired me this weekend to do my reboot. I picked up a box of the real reef rock as well. Gotta say I really like it! I'll be following your reboot
Heres my haul

 

[Greybeard]

Great!

I haven't unboxed the rock yet. Is that Medium? I bought Large... we'll see. Asked Real Rock what the best method for attaching their rocks is, and then ordered some 1/2" nylon rod and some I/O epoxy stick. Real rock never answered, but I'd guess this will work.

I'm going to have to do some minor alterations to a wall. The new sump I bought is 1/2" too long to fit crosswise in my sump closet, and I _really_ want it that way. Have to figure it out, but I'm sure I can find a way to make it work.

Current sump closet, 55g converted tank:

Model of new sump, with a shelf behind it. All the measurements work, excepting the 1/2" I need in closet width. It's got 3/4" drywall covered with 1/4" paneling... I'm confident I can squeeze the room out of it.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Great!

I haven't unboxed the rock yet. Is that Medium? I bought Large... we'll see. Asked Real Rock what the best method for attaching their rocks is, and then ordered some 1/2" nylon rod and some I/O epoxy stick. Real rock never answered, but I'd guess this will work.

I'm going to have to do some minor alterations to a wall. The new sump I bought is 1/2" too long to fit crosswise in my sump closet, and I _really_ want it that way. Have to figure it out, but I'm sure I can find a way to make it work.

Current sump closet, 55g converted tank:

Model of new sump, with a shelf behind it. All the measurements work, excepting the 1/2" I need in closet width. It's got 3/4" drywall covered with 1/4" paneling... I'm confident I can squeeze the room out of it.

Its medium/small. Stacks very very easily.

 

[Johniejumbo]

I hope your reboot goes good for ya. I’ll be following along. Too bad I’m not closer I’d have taken some of that old rock. Probably for the best. If YOU had issues I surely would too. I like the elevated sump. I’ll be doing mine that way soon. My “check knees” light came on this year.

 

[Greybeard]

Guy that runs the local reef shop says he's going to set up a quarantine tank and take my old rock.

Originally, I wanted primarily SPS. Because of the problems I've had, I'd lowered my expectations, and had lots of kenya tree, finger leather, cabbage leather, green palys, etc. Stuff I wouldn't really want in a primarily SPS tank. He's welcome to it... rather have it fragged off and sold than rotting away. I'll save frags of the few nice zoas I've got, and give him the rest.

Bring on the stix already