my 135 rimless - updated with new LED build!!

[johnanddawn]

been a long time since i had the camera out - lack of practice certainly hasn't improved my photo skills
i actually have added a few new pieces but don't have pics of anything else

a purple gorgonian with flash - i think that is why it looks redish - it's pure purple to the eye

captive breed bangai pair from LA

 

[Maximus]

Very nice cube! What lights are you running?

 

[stunreefer Verified Sponsor]

Awesome new gorg!

Very nice cube! What lights are you running?

8 x 39W T5's in custom oak pendent on 2 660's and ice cap reflectors
F --> B UVL actinic, current blue, act white, blue, aquasun, blue, act white, actinic

 

[johnanddawn]

yeah T5's but i changed my combo since then (many times) but still am not happy, i think i want to go more white
from what i have now:
f ---> b
actinic, blue, actinic, blue, aquasun, blue, aquablue, blue

back to something more like this:
actinic, blue, aquablue, blue, aquasun, blue, aquablue, blue

 

[NVTE]

Really nice layout and exquisite corals.

 

[I-K@ndY]

Your tank looks really good.. I love the placement of those millies as well .. seems they like that spot.. nice job

 

[johnanddawn]

thanks
yeah millis seem to like my tank - all 4 that i have are doing great, and they are one of my favs anyway so thats good
we have a frag swap coming up next week and i'm going to do a little changing - i'm going to pull a couple of the sps that i don't like as much, and hopefully pick up some new ones to replace them.
after that i'll attempt a new FTS

 

[johnanddawn]

some new pics
pink

yellow (believe it or not this is an ora green milli)

and together

 

[johnanddawn]

a couple of my other favorites

baby blue something or another

and another anknown

my tricolor - was two very small frags i glued close together

 

[johnanddawn]

and finally something new:

 

[johnanddawn]

dendro

 

[MAKcorals]

thanks
i have a couple more pieces i want to add but i'm running out of room

First off i want to say your tank looks amazing and is filled with awesome corals. I love the rimless cube look too, I have been looking around and am thinking that a cube is going to be my next endeavor and your thread makes me green with envy. Aquascape looks amazing too really original, but about the runnin out of room thing cover up that glass bottom with frags hehe it isn't full till it it is over flowing. Great job!

 

[johnanddawn]

thanks
you won't regret the cube shape - i just love the footprint and the tank is three side viewable
no frags on the bottom for me!
- but i've been thinking about one of two options
1) a couple nice fungias
2) a couple nice encrusting montis and letting them spread across the bottom

 

[johnanddawn]

i have two more for now
one of zoas

and a little better pic of my gorg and new cards

 

[Alpha Aquaculture]

Very nice!

So your tank is a 135g but your total system volume is roughly 350g?

Thats a lot of filtration, looks like its working wonders

Do you still only do weekly 5 gallon water changes?

 

[johnanddawn]

thanks
yeah about 350
i've rearranged the order of the sump some
the 40 is now the algae fuge, the 125 is cryptic rock, and the skimmer sits in the 90 with the return - seemed to make a bit more sense this way ???
so far so good, and yeah most weekends i do 5 gal change to syphon some detritus, occassionally more if i have time, i've had the last couple days off so i did some cleaning and picture taking
not a raceway like yours - but similar in thinking

 

[Alpha Aquaculture]

Adding a raceway for those bottom tanks would make sense for you, it would add flow so that your entire volume of water will pass more of your filter material. A raceway won't give you dynamic flow but you don't need that for filtration stuff. Maybe next setup

I like the setup for sure. Do you think the crypic tank would be better after the skimmer, so your water volume has to pass by your display before it gets skimmed? I would think there are two benefits of the cryptic tank, filtration is one. The other would be the larval stage of the sponges and tunicates as food for your corals. Same is true for algae growth, to clean the water and add phyto. I have my ats above my corals, but not my cryptic live rock yet

Great setup either way!!! I enjoyed reading your thread!

 

[Alpha Aquaculture]

But you have chaeto right so the algal filter won't produce phyto, a good and bad thing, no sexual stage means no phyto polluting and greening the water but also no phyto food for any corals that like that stuff.

 

[johnanddawn]

Looks nice I like it.

thanks

But you have chaeto right so the algal filter won't produce phyto, a good and bad thing, no sexual stage means no phyto polluting and greening the water but also no phyto food for any corals that like that stuff.

yeah, no phyto - but most scientific sources will say that hard corals are carnivores anyway
softies and gorgs may eat some phyto but sps/lps don't

Adding a raceway for those bottom tanks would make sense for you, it would add flow so that your entire volume of water will pass more of your filter material. Maybe next setup

I like the setup for sure. Do you think the crypic tank would be better after the skimmer, so your water volume has to pass by your display before it gets skimmed? I would think there are two benefits of the cryptic tank, filtration is one. The other would be the larval stage of the sponges and tunicates as food for your corals. Same is true for algae growth, to clean the water and add phyto. I have my ats above my corals, but not my cryptic live rock yet

Great setup either way!!! I enjoyed reading your thread!

the water flows via gravity through each of the four tanks (including the dt) - one pump runs the whole system and gravity does the rest - so in that way i guess it is like a raceway

as i see it i have two basic choices with my setup:

DT/skimmer/fuge/cryptic/return
-this order would add larval critters to the display fortified by the fuges - possible food to the corals

or
DT/fuge/cryptic/skimmer/return

- this order returns "purified" water to the display, cleaned three ways - and i feed the corals as much i want to

this is the ultimate question and i haven't decided yet which is best, i am leaning toward going back to what i had - seems more natural

any opinions?

 

[johnanddawn]

anyone want to talk about flow?
when i set up the new system i had two main goals - the one is the basement sump system we have been talking about

the second was in tank flow
- i wanted a system that bathed corals in a huge amount of water motion without having visable PH's. and no water directed at any corals.
- i considered going with a closed loop but decided against it cause i didn't want to lose any flexability
- i considered vortecs but didn't like that they were only capable of 90* motion from the glass, very limiting on where i could place them

so i went with tunzes - this is my system:
i have 4 tunze streams - 3 6101's and a 6201 i just picked up from a forum member

2 of the pumps (the 6201 and a 6101) run full bore under the rock structure and create a gyre across the bottom to the front, up the front glass, across the top to the back and the overflow, and keep all detritus suspended (8400 gph).

the other two are aimed from the back along side the overflow, toward the side glass one clockwise and the other counter clockwise. these run on the controller (variing from 1500 - 3100 gph each alternating pulse setting)

if you add up the full potential this is over 15000 gph with the return (well over 100x)

so far i love it and so do my corals - i get great polyp extension on my SPS and my LPS move like prairie grass in the breeze
btw the rocks were stacked with minimum contact with the bottom to allow good flow under them, and yes you can see the pumps from the side but not the front

any opinions?
right side

left side