ReefOctopus Octo LUX T90 Build

[Gumbies R Us]

Curious about updates as well!

 

[JNalley]

Any updates on your tank? Does detritus build up in the slim overflow at all? If so is it hard to clean or does the flow into sump keep it clean?

Curious about updates as well!

Thanks for the interest guys, sorry I haven't been keeping this thread updated. I've had to move twice since I initially got the tank, had some livestock loss because of it.

@PlowboyReefer, to answer your question, the overflows haven't gotten clogged with detritus at all, the flow keeps it clean. I've even shoved a long bottlebrush down there to see what had accumulated and it came back with relatively little wasted on it.

The two things I've grown to live with, but would change about the tank if I could are the return vent... Being a vent you can't direct it anywhere... When I get some free time I plan to model a deflector that clips into it and print it up on my 3D printer just to see how I like it being diverted either across the back or down to the sand. It's kind of limiting with what corals you can put on the front right of the tank (Tanks right, viewers left) because of how it functions. The other thing I'd change if I was ReefOctopus is the skimmer size, I'd go down a couple of sizes, it's definitely just too big for the tank, not once has it ever produced dark skimmate. It's always tan and wet. There just isn't a sufficient enough bioload in a 48Gal display to justify a skimmer made for a 200+ Gallon tank, that's an easy fix, but it makes you feel like you're buying a skimmer twice.

 

[JNalley]

Equipment and Livestock update:

Equipment:
Return Pump = Sicce Syncra Silent SDC 6.0
Wavemakers = Maxspect Gyre XF-330 Cloud Edition x 2 running Modified LTC (lowered the percentages to suit the size tank)
Dual Titanium Heaters
InkBird Temperature Controller (Dual Probe, Dual Socket)
Lighting = Kessil AP9X
(Might get 1 or 2 LED bars/strips for supplemental lighting in the future, but for now, the Kessil is doing a great job)

Substrate and Rock:
100lbs CaribSea Ocean Direct Sand
50lbs CaribSea Moani (Real, mined rock, with painted bacteria)
10lbs Live Rock from LFS Bin to seed

Current Stock:
1x Flame Hawkfish
1x Banded Sleeper Goby
1x Japanese Pistol Shrimp (transplanted from my Flex)
1x Orchid Dottyback
1x Lawnmower Blenny
2x Pajama Cardinal
2x Mocha Storm Ocellaris Clownfish
7x RBTA's (They all split from one)

I currently have 2 Damsels in my sump that I fostered for a friend, currently deciding if I want to place them in my display or not, they're a bit aggressive.

If I don't get them into the display, I am looking at getting a McCosker's Flasher Wrasse, and possibly 5 or so Blue-Green Chromis

Coral:
1x Orange Florida Ricordea
1x Duncan
1x 3 Mouth Micromussa Lordhowensis
1x 2 Mouth Micromussa Lordhowensis
1x 15 Polyp Zoa
1x 12 Polyp Zoa
1x 4 Polyp Zoa
1x Splatter War Coral
1x Sea Grass Cyphastrea


I'm also currently looking into the possibility of switching out the sump for a Synergy Reef Triton Method Sump so I can have a nice refugium with various species of Macro Algae for pod and snail breeding mostly, but also a nice place for other critters, and any fish that need to be put into timeout.

 

[JNalley]

Oh, and I did make one modification to the overflow... I increased the height of the partition between the main drain and the emergency drain so I could increase the water height in the aquarium. I took a piece of plastic, cut it to size, and superglued it to the right height. It will still prevent a flood (I tested it by completely blocking the main drain with the ball valve ), but it's now quieter than before, and my water level is about 1/4-1/2" higher than it was previously, which I like.

 

[JNalley]

It's been a minute, after 2 house moves, this is what the tank is looking like right now

I should probably run some carbon to get rid of the yellowing in the water, but everything is growing nice and the tank is stable. All of the coral are doing great save for my meanstreak montipora, I think it's bleaching due to too much light. Unfortunately, not much I can do about it at this point... We did lose a Hammer and a Frogspawn, but I am pretty sure that was my fault, both pieces were so large that while mounting them I may have pressed a bit too hard against the tissue and the skeleton causing STN, tried saving them, but they just weren't longing for this world apparently.


Since the last update I've gotten a Hydros Control X10, 2 of the WiFi power bars, the Control iV so I can monitor the Alk and dose Kalkwasser out of the IceCap Kalkwasser Reactor. Also, the second ReefBreeders Prism pump died, so I went ahead and bit the bullet and bought the Osmolator 3.

 

[JNalley]