John's SPS Shallow 90g Peninsula-Lagoon build

[Marc2952]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! One of my AP700's just died on me today! Crap! and more crap! Apparently it didn't want to get turned up a little?

Yikes thats alot of money too

 

[minus9]

Yikes thats alot of money too

Yeah, and being out of work since March doesn't help that much either. I have a friend who has a Radion G3 or G4 I can borrow, but man, this really sucks! I wanted to upgrade the 700's to 360x's, but now is not the time. I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue. ;Rage

 

[minus9]

Fortunately, my reefing buddy had an old Radion g2 xr30 pro that I'm using temporarily. Wow, the difference in color, shimmer, spread, etc...... is night and day. Granted, it's a gen 2 and it kicks out par, but it just doesn't hit the mark for me. I know they've improved the light with each generation, but I would use the xr15's over the 30's all day long. I would have to mount the 30 at least 14" to 16" to match the spread of my 700 at 9". Man, I really wish I had the extra cash to buy two 360x's.

 

[minus9]

The next phase has begun.

 

[minus9]

Glass is dirty and it's a bad pic, but you get the idea. The lighting phase is 99.9% complete. I'm still considering adding another Orphek on the back, but it will have to wait until I'm working again. The spread on the 360x's is so much better than the AP700's and to me, a much better light overall. Currently running at 85%.

Also made myself a toggle box for the apex. I still need to set up the virtual outlets and program everything, but it's fully tested and ready to go. I can use a power supply to light up the LED's, but it's not necessary to operate the momentary switches, just a nice touch. Took me a bit to figure out the wiring and the pin out of the 8 pin connector, but if I make another, the work is all done. The box and switches are IP65 rated, so no worries about wet hands to turn off a pump, start a feed mode or start a water change. I'll probably set up the red toggle to shut everything down, the white toggle to turn on the canopy/stand lights, green to feed A, blue is feed D (20 minute and shuts off my mp40's and gyres). Still need to figure out what to do with the white and red buttons?

 

[drawman]

Looks great!

 

[minus9]

Looks great!

Thanks! Next phase is to remove or swap unwanted sps for desired pieces. I have a few multiples of the same acro, so it's time to thin the herd. Plus, I have a huge monti cap colony that takes up too much room and is covering too much sand, so it's the first to go. I'm hoping a local reefer will take it for $50, if not, I'll give it away in large chunks. I'm hoping to acquire a pearlberry and an OT frag soon?

 

[drawman]

Thanks! Next phase is to remove or swap unwanted sps for desired pieces. I have a few multiples of the same acro, so it's time to thin the herd. Plus, I have a huge monti cap colony that takes up too much room and is covering too much sand, so it's the first to go. I'm hoping a local reefer will take it for $50, if not, I'll give it away in large chunks. I'm hoping to acquire a pearlberry and an OT frag soon?

2 really good acros. OT is one of my favorites.

 

[minus9]

Reef Automation channel
If you haven't done so already, please check out Derrick Picker's reef automation channel on YouTube. If you're an apex user and want to get more out of your apex, then this channel is for you, plus Derrick gives away gear all the time.
Saturday's at 10am PST on YouTube.
I really enjoy his live streams.

 

[minus9]

Made some adjustments to the design. Now I can detach the front panel from the back with a couple quick disconnect cables.

 

[minus9]

Just a couple quick pics. I think the Kessil 360x's are doing their job.

 

[minus9]

I call them sprinkles and sprinkles Jr.

 

[minus9]

Just a visual update on a few sps.

 

[MightyMO]

This is not something I wanted to see happen. IM aqua gadget feeder magnet rusted. I only used this to hold my airline in place in my water change bucket once a week. Anyone else see this happen?

I have one of those in my tank... Imma have yo check it...

 

[minus9]

I have one of those in my tank... Imma have yo check it...

Anything with a magnet should get a monthly check. This is why routine maintenance is so important.

 

[Jgerm]

Amazing tank! This is just what I need to see right now. Building a 16” deep sps right now and I was questioning my choice for not going deeper. The corals seem to really like the light change. I’m interested in the toggle box you built. Very cool! All around great work. I’m following this for sure!

 

[MightyMO]

How is that nyos quantum 160 running for you?
I have one that's going in my trigger sump when I plumb it into the basement...

 

[minus9]

Amazing tank! This is just what I need to see right now. Building a 16” deep sps right now and I was questioning my choice for not going deeper. The corals seem to really like the light change. I’m interested in the toggle box you built. Very cool! All around great work. I’m following this for sure!

Thank you! In shallow tanks, aquascaping is very important. Don't go too high, you'll need room for things to grow. Just pm me and I can help you the toggle box, there’s just a few basics, but kinda easy to build if you take your time.

 

[minus9]

How is that nyos quantum 160 running for you?
I have one that's going in my trigger sump when I plumb it into the basement...

It’s a great skimmer, but can be a little finicky at first. The key is keeping up on maintenance. The best way to clean it, is a citric acid bath. I simply run it in a 5 gallon bucket with RO water and a healthy amount of citric acid. An hour or two is all you need. Rinse and put it back in. I take it apart once every six months or so, just to make sure there’s no extra buildup. I’m going to give it a bath this week.

 

[MightyMO]

It’s a great skimmer, but can be a little finicky at first. The key is keeping up on maintenance. The best way to clean it, is a citric acid bath. I simply run it in a 5 gallon bucket with RO water and a healthy amount of citric acid. An hour or two is all you need. Rinse and put it back in. I take it apart once every six months or so, just to make sure there’s no extra buildup. I’m going to give it a bath this week.

Rite on!!! How often you giving citric acid bath???