ChrisQ0904
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Aside from the noise from the skimmer how do you like it so far? I'm thinking of picking up the same one for my 150. I like the direction you're going with this build so far and will be following along.
Terry's 180 SPS Peninsula Upgrade
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The skimmer performs well. It is easily the loudest part of the tank. Between the synergy reef overflow, vectra return pump etc., everything else is dead silent except for the skimmer. The noise comes from the air draw, not the pump itself. It isn't a pump vibration noise.
chriscq
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I was going through a pretty bad diatom bloom a little over a week ago. (I just started a 300g) a friend told me to try dosing sugar. I gave it a try and within 24 hours my tank went from this
to this
usernam invalid
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Nice build so far love that hybrid light fixture
The bloom has mostly subsided. Tank is clearing up nicely. I am going to start adding some more fish next week. The few corals that are in there are doing well (Duncan, Green Slimer).
The third Kessil should be here tomorrow, which is the last major piece of equipment for now. I have really enjoyed getting the tank up and running, now I get to spend a bit more time just sitting and watching it.
The third Kessil should be here tomorrow, which is the last major piece of equipment for now. I have really enjoyed getting the tank up and running, now I get to spend a bit more time just sitting and watching it.
Getting my 120 up and running currently. Do you attribute all the pod growth to the reef mature? Your thread got me looking into that program.
If so, I'm assuming that you seeded with some rock from your old tank? I didn't see anything on the product page about it introducing pods in any way.
Great build! Following has provided lots of good info.
If so, I'm assuming that you seeded with some rock from your old tank? I didn't see anything on the product page about it introducing pods in any way.
Great build! Following has provided lots of good info.
I couldn't say... The rocks sat in the sump of my old tank for a month or so before being moved to the new tank. I just have been surprised by the speed of the cycle. The Reef Mature program worked as advertised.
I also added the third Kessil to the fixture (I thought I updated this thread):
My early review of the Kessil A360We is this:
After having run Gen 1, Gen 3 and Gen 3 Pro Radions, I loved them. They were as advertised. They were controllable, customizable, and grew corals. I always like LED with T5 supplement, but I could not have been happier with the Radions. They simply didn't fit in this fixture. I wanted to try out Kessils, and my hand was forces, because no amount of modification was going to squeeze a 7" radion into a 5" gap between the T5 reflectors on the fixture.
The first and most obvious difference is ascetic. The Kessils are little cans, and they hang below the fixture. Radions would not. I actually love the look. I love the look of the three cans below the fixture.
The next most obvious thing is the shimmer. Wow. Everyone who has seen the tank has commented on the shimmer. I have never run MHs, so I cannot compare, but it is beautiful to see. I was afraid it may be too much, and it's not.
They are less controllable than Radions, which for some people is a good thing, as they don't want to tinker with their lights all of the time.
I do wish they would dim all the way down. They cut off at like 12%, which is OK, I have moonlights built into the fixture. But with LED, one of my favorite things is the slow ramp up/ramp down in the morning and at night. I don't have the replacement Kessil cable from BRS yet, so I am running them off of the Kessil controller, and it works fine. The Apex wizard is better.
I grabbed a utility sink off of the side of the road, which is going in the basement. In the next few months, I'd like to move the sump to the basement, directly under the tank. I think I'd like to give a Calcium Reactor a shot. I've done Kalk, I've done 2 part, both worked, both had good and bad things about them. I'd like to step up to a CaRx and give that a shot.
I started slowly adding livestock this week. Looking at an empty tank as gotten old:
I added a Yellow tang, a pair of Bangii Cardinals and a firefish that my daughter asked me for. So far, everything looks great.
I also added the third Kessil to the fixture (I thought I updated this thread):
My early review of the Kessil A360We is this:
After having run Gen 1, Gen 3 and Gen 3 Pro Radions, I loved them. They were as advertised. They were controllable, customizable, and grew corals. I always like LED with T5 supplement, but I could not have been happier with the Radions. They simply didn't fit in this fixture. I wanted to try out Kessils, and my hand was forces, because no amount of modification was going to squeeze a 7" radion into a 5" gap between the T5 reflectors on the fixture.
The first and most obvious difference is ascetic. The Kessils are little cans, and they hang below the fixture. Radions would not. I actually love the look. I love the look of the three cans below the fixture.
The next most obvious thing is the shimmer. Wow. Everyone who has seen the tank has commented on the shimmer. I have never run MHs, so I cannot compare, but it is beautiful to see. I was afraid it may be too much, and it's not.
They are less controllable than Radions, which for some people is a good thing, as they don't want to tinker with their lights all of the time.
I do wish they would dim all the way down. They cut off at like 12%, which is OK, I have moonlights built into the fixture. But with LED, one of my favorite things is the slow ramp up/ramp down in the morning and at night. I don't have the replacement Kessil cable from BRS yet, so I am running them off of the Kessil controller, and it works fine. The Apex wizard is better.
I grabbed a utility sink off of the side of the road, which is going in the basement. In the next few months, I'd like to move the sump to the basement, directly under the tank. I think I'd like to give a Calcium Reactor a shot. I've done Kalk, I've done 2 part, both worked, both had good and bad things about them. I'd like to step up to a CaRx and give that a shot.
I started slowly adding livestock this week. Looking at an empty tank as gotten old:
I added a Yellow tang, a pair of Bangii Cardinals and a firefish that my daughter asked me for. So far, everything looks great.
Honestly, not enough to be worth it. Prior to adding the skimmer, yes. The Jebao was all you could hear. Now, with the skimmer, the M1 because a bit of a waste of $. I removed it and am selling it to pay for a Gyre XF150 and IceCap controller.
I did some cleaning up under the stand (Finally!!!). I haven't done anything with the cords, because the plan is still to move the sump to the basement soon, so I don't want to spend a ton of time on cord management, only to move stuff downstairs:
Before:
I am noticing something I don't love... Many of the SPS frags I've added have browned out to one degree or another. Even the slimer. I don't know if this is a typical part of the diatom cycle or if I am dealing with high levels of phosphate. Nitrate tests at zero, and with the NOPOX, it has done a great job on Nitrates in my experience.
I just ordered a Hanna Phosphate checker today so I can get an idea where I sit with Phosphate. I am feeding a lot, and there is a chance the pukani is leeching some PO4 out. Any experience with this?
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Well done!
Thank you!!
I could not be happier with the tank. It is the absolute centerpiece of our new home. I just spent some time reading back through, and it is crazy to me to see the culmination of all of that work.
I also think I have nailed down the issue with the browning of the SPS. I am fairly aggressively removing nutrients from the system via GFO, Biopellets and NO3PO4-X. I used this combo with great success on my last tank and have incorporated it here as well with the result that I am testing at 0 Nitrate and .04 Phosphate. The problem is, the Alk as been up around 9.8-10, which is too high with the low nutrients. I am going to allow the Alk to naturally drop to 8-ish and see how things look over the course of a few weeks. Aside from the browning, the fish and corals all look great. My view from the couch this morning:
I could not be happier with the tank. It is the absolute centerpiece of our new home. I just spent some time reading back through, and it is crazy to me to see the culmination of all of that work.
I also think I have nailed down the issue with the browning of the SPS. I am fairly aggressively removing nutrients from the system via GFO, Biopellets and NO3PO4-X. I used this combo with great success on my last tank and have incorporated it here as well with the result that I am testing at 0 Nitrate and .04 Phosphate. The problem is, the Alk as been up around 9.8-10, which is too high with the low nutrients. I am going to allow the Alk to naturally drop to 8-ish and see how things look over the course of a few weeks. Aside from the browning, the fish and corals all look great. My view from the couch this morning:
revhtree
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I really like your aquascape!
Thank you!
I spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about and planning out this tank. Seeing it come together exactly as I planned as been great. I am starting to now think about putting some sides on the stand. Part of me wants to go with something super clean like flat pine panels painted the same color as the living room walls, attached to the stand with magnets.
Another thing I have considered is making panels out of the bamboo I have left over from the flooring and attaching them with magnets. I have also thought about doing barnwood with doors. Any thoughts?
I want something clean (barnwood wouldn't be that.) and easy to access. Keeping in mind that the sump is moving to the basement soon.
dbl
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For what it's worth Terry, I would suggest keeping the stand very clean and sleek looking, just like the rest of your setup. Let that beautiful tank you've set up be the star of the show, and let the stand blend in with the rest of the house decor. Just my opinion...
