The RC180ish Peninsula

[Zack K]

Cloudiness is just a fresh tank syndrome. It_should_go away on its own.
How did you Like Crystal Dynamics? Just started a conversation with them and they seem very cooperative and willing to accommodate your needs

-Zack

 

[Smprc]

CJ...how's it going. Glad your exams went well. Congratulations!
The Bashsea sump is nice. It looks great and is well made. Truth be told, its just a box that holds water. Albeit a nice looking one. So yes, if you are interested in upgrading your aesthetics then you can't go wrong. However, I would think about what long term filtration needs you are going to use and consider ordering a custom one. For example, since I decided to do triton, you know I hacked it up to remove the filter socks to increase the fuge size. I also would have liked to have 3 1.5 in. bulkheads, plus I would have liked it to be a little taller. Not that I am complaining, but this is hind site. Contact Steve Bash with any questions you may have. I placed my order with Luke at premium aquatics.

 

[Smprc]

Cloudiness is just a fresh tank syndrome. It_should_go away on its own.
How did you Like Crystal Dynamics? Just started a conversation with them and they seem very cooperative and willing to accommodate your needs

-Zack

Hello Zack,

I will say this, every time I spoke with Trent and/or Zoya, I never had any issues. They both were pleasant and gave me the information I needed. With that said, for whatever reason, my project took way more time then necessary. Order was placed late March and my tank and stand didn't arrive till December. I give people the benefit of the doubt and in the end everything usually works out. However, I would have appreciated more contact, some pictures and just overall better management and experience. The tank is good, the stainless steal stand is good, the cabinet is ok. The finished cabinet had some detail flaws and I was not particularly happy with that. I am also not the type to complain and ride people's butts. So, I let it go and will live with it. I have never seen a Reef Savvy in person, but if you want "perfection" might want to check them out as well. I am trying to be honest and at the same time realistic. Even with that said, the tank is nice, not perfect. I will add that I do like that they added a 1/4 in. HDPE board under the bottom glass. Per Trent himself, he said I did not need to place any foam or other material under the tank. I asked him several times and he said not needed and to place it directly on the stand. An added touch, since I live in SoCal, he personally delivered the tank and came to my home to pick up a sample of the furniture I wanted the cabinet stain to match. I wouldn't hesitate to order from them, but I would be way more insistent on turn around time and pictures.

Tell them you'd like to order, but if you have to wait like Raul Castillo...then hmm...maybe not.

 

[Clayton Jessup]

CJ...how's it going. Glad your exams went well. Congratulations!
The Bashsea sump is nice. It looks great and is well made. Truth be told, its just a box that holds water. Albeit a nice looking one. So yes, if you are interested in upgrading your aesthetics then you can't go wrong. However, I would think about what long term filtration needs you are going to use and consider ordering a custom one. For example, since I decided to do triton, you know I hacked it up to remove the filter socks to increase the fuge size. I also would have liked to have 3 1.5 in. bulkheads, plus I would have liked it to be a little taller. Not that I am complaining, but this is hind site. Contact Steve Bash with any questions you may have. I placed my order with Luke at premium aquatics.

Thank you very much Smprc for the congratulations! I have thought off multiple times of getting a Custom build sump from Bashsea , that would be large for me to still grow , or buying a large enough sump that I know will take me awhile to still grow into! So i have contacted Steve from Bashsea once or twice about getting a Custom sump build ! It’s just really coming down to if I really want to spend that much money on a custom sump. Plus I have also looked at the normal off the shelf Bashsea Sumps , from their Signature Series to their BIo-Fuge series . I currently leaning on the idea of a fuge and I am looking a lot into their Bio-Fuge line of sumps. But thank you for the advice Smprc !

 

[choss]

smprc - first I have to say that I read this build on my way home from work - I commute by train into New York - 35 minutes or so. Anyway, I started cracking up when I saw what you did to the sump. The guy next to me gave me one of those weird looks that only an irritated NY can give. Anyway, I love that you did what any sane reefer would do - modify an expensive piece of equipment to achieve reef perfection! I'm enjoying the build. I love the doors showcasing the sump and equipment. With proper planning I would have done the same but hindsight is 20/20. I think things look great. As a reef savvy owner I can say it is a perfect tank (and maybe I should have had them supply me with a stand) but it was quite a long wait and to compensate for this work of art tank I had to get my wife a very expensive Xmas gift in return lol.... Awesome progress so far - keep up the good work. following....

 

[eonflux123]

Any update man? Subscribing for my future peninsula tank!! ;Bookworm ;Bookworm

 

[Smprc]

Update...sorry for the huge delay for those that are following.

It's been been almost 4 full months since the tank got wet. I have learned quite a bit, well it feels like it at the very least. Here are a few bullet points.

#1. Takes a lot longer to cycle a tank that came with 100% complete dry rock and sand. EVEN with using Dr. Tim's stuff. I ended up supplementing with Purple Helix.
#2. Diatoms look crappy and I was almost about to go nuts, when all of a sudden this past week they started to calm down and the sand and rock started to look white again. Not 100% there, but I'll take where I am at. As a matter of fact, I never thought I would be so happy to see a smudge of green algae in the tank, I'll probably regret that statement soon.
#3. Adding chaeto at the beginning right after the cycle, was NOT the best use of resources.
#4. It really sucks when the method you are trying to use can not be found anywhere. I am full Triton. THIS IS THE MAIN REASON FOR THE DELAY IN UPDATES.
#5. Quarantining takes A LOT of patience and practice. I have lost 3 fish in QT. More on that later.
#6. I have to say that I am quite happy with the closed loop. I would only change the placement of the returns a little, but then again, I didn't know what to expect, the builder chose the location. I just love that I get no ickies on the edge and I don't have wires or pumps on that side.
#7. Hanna dkh checker is awesome.
#8. Love the Vee Gee STX-3 salinity tester. Absolutely fantastic.

Also, I have been very hesitant to add corals until my water parameters are where I feel they need to be. I am still working on fine tuning the dosing. Dkh is still below 8.

Here are a few pictures.

I also added a GHL doser along with the DIY dosing containers. Don't kill me the picture was taken before I cleaned up the wires....or was it doh!

Btw, that 3/4 inch tubing is used so that I can pump the water out when I have to do any water change.

I'll post on my QTing experience soon.

Thanks all!

 

[mrcole76]

Sweet build! I ordered a tank (150g peninsula) from crystal dynamics about four weeks ago. Just the tank, tho, so maybe it won’t take as long as yours. I echo your sentiment that they are great to work with. Keep up the good work.

 

[Smprc]

Sweet build! I ordered a tank (150g peninsula) from crystal dynamics about four weeks ago. Just the tank, tho, so maybe it won’t take as long as yours. I echo your sentiment that they are great to work with. Keep up the good work.

Thanks MrCole, good luck on your tank, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

 

[Smprc]

Update time...I know its been a while and for what its worth if you are still around I appreciate it. I can honestly say its been a journey of learning, dialing in my equipment and learning to deal with early loss. But I'm still going strong. Learned quite a bit and look forward to continuing in this fabulous hobby. Here are recent tank shots. I have subscribed to the coral club at WWC for the next 6 months to finally start adding some long over do corals to the tank.

 

[eonflux123]

Great tank! I am a HUGE fan of peninsula tanks (187g Dream!) and was wondering how your closed loop system has worked? Are you satisfied with it? Would you considered adding more location/holes? Did you just use the rocks to cover the loc line? Its hard to see from your early pictures.

 

[Smprc]

I love the peninsula, however I would do a couple of things different. #1. I would have added 6 more inches to the length of the tank and had the overflow "built" in. With the amount of return flow I have (I chose Triton), the turbulence creates a lot of noise and it took a while to dial in, even after that, there is a tremendous amount of salt creep that happens outside and I regret it. See pics below. #2. The location of the closed loop returns where probably not the best, with that said, the circulation does keep the ugly flooties from accumalating at the "open" end of the tank. The loclines are hidden with the rock, funny, I had them out more, but the wife said hide them or remove them! VERY IMPORTANT...the closed loop, does NOT provide any flow for coral maintenance. Which unfortunately if that is a goal you have, you will have to add some powerheads on the "open" end of the tank, which I personally was trying to avoid. I didn't want anymore wires on that side to distract from the view, but I've come to the conclusion that I just can't get enough flow across that side of the tank, if I turn up the gyres that I have any higher the sand bed gets blown and it looks awful. You can see from the above pictures how disturbed the sand bed is and that is with them alternating at 40%. So I feel you have to take that into consideration. Others have found other ways around it, but I want my tank to be a work of art not just function. The aesthetics is important to me. To some it is to others it isn't. I mean I destroyed a wonderful sump to make sure I had 10-20% for a refugium, but I didn't want to compromise above the tank. So now I'm waiting for black friday and I'm going to pick up some powerheads, MP40s or what not and going to purchase a new return pump as well. One other thing, the tank is 72 x 24 x 24, if I get another I like the length at 72, and I would not go any higher than 24, but I should have gone 30 on the width!!! GRRR! So take that for what its worth.

Thanks for checking the thread out, let me know if you have any other questions.