VbREEFERS 210 build

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A few other details....I've always hated the gap in-between the glass and the trim. Water drips down the glass when taking my hands out of the tank so I taped off and siliconed that gap on the front and sides. I did the same thing between the stand and the tank trim since the tank sits down inside a lip.

 

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Finally finished the 2 new side doors. Kept it easy and simple. Slab doors, no-mortise hinges , and a push-to-open magnetic latch. Offset the top hinges a little to ensure the door doesn't want to swing closed once opened. Had to mount a cleat to attach the latches.

Right side door is a little shorter to clear a step. I added a piece to the stand to make it all blend together.
Also finished the visible portion of my wiring.

 

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Picked up a broom holder type device from Lowe's for some of my tools.
I also added another half-sheet of the vinyl on the wall

 

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Lighting...
I've got 3 16" wifi black boxes. I run a long photoperiod and max out the black boxes for 2 hours midday. These evergrow/popular grow have 24 point ramping throughout the day. Think I have 18 set

Hanging from 5/4 cedar "beams" this is a work in progress as I've run out of cedar but want to go over the ceiling in an atypical way for a statement
I've also just finished the 3 screen tops with 1/4" mesh netting.

 

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Onto the aquascaping.
Tank is full. Took 3 days to clear up from the oolite dust. I used no epoxy or glue, but rather went with 3/8 delrin rod from Amazon. Used a 3/8 masonry bit and a cordless hammer drill. Kept the bit wet and it was a breeze( I did break 2 nice pieces of rock but well worth it I think) The base is all put together with the rods and can be disassembled if need be. I made a Bunch of these and then stacked rock on top. I bought a little more live rock then I needed and am still figuring this out though I'm really pleased with it being a one time deal and working with live rock vs dry rock

I also took some time and drilled as many 1/2" holes In The rockwork as I could manage. Built in frag racks...Yay

 

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Here's the first full tank shot. Before I bought more rock to finish it off. some may argue it was already full

 

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I think the tank has been running about a week now in this video
. Enjoy the video and subscribe to stay updated
Click HD this is uploaded and available in 1080p

 

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And a video showing the stand and matching coffee table
Black base with white pearl In a clear mid-coat
And clear top-coat
Looks jet black but at the right angle and definitely under bright light the pearl really pops. Just enough under normal viewing.

I had this coffee table for awhile and was going to restore it but the detail sanding would have been a nightmare. Goes better with the new tank, stand, and couch setup anyways. Had a glass top cut for it as well.

 

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For those that might be interested
My lighting schedule


So minus the 2 hours of moonlight(3rd channel, royal blue slider is only 3 LEDs per fixture)
It's basically a 16 hour photoperiod ramped from dawn till dusk(my version)

 

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I highly recommend adding these to your system. You can also kind of see how I routed my wires over the previously mentioned horizontal 2x4 to ensure good drip loops

Smoke alarms are 5 bucks per with the 9v at Walmart. Don't overload your power strips. Ans they are pretty cheap at 20per DJ strip. I've seen them fail(usually near the main power cord,hence the install location)
And there's always the chance of saltwater shorting something so this adds some peace of mind and well...An alarm

 

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And some under more blue lighting
I don't run this much. Only an hour in the morning(I never see) and one at night

 

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saw another thread from reef2reef on Facebook showing a burrow made from the 2-part marine epoxy sticks. So I borrowed this idea for my blue-spot. First one didn't turn out but the 2nd one worked. Awesome
#natgeo

 

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Livestock
Fish
I have
2 blue green chromis
3 lyretail anthias
1 yellow tang
1 sailfin tang
1 purple tang
All buddies to my relief
1 diamond goby
1 yellow head sleeper goby
1 bluespotted jawfish
2 banggai cardinals
5 firefish
1 copperband butterflyfish
1 flame hawk
1 lawnmower blenny
And 1 yellow clown goby.
And 2 or 3 pearly jawfish.
So 25 fish Total
And that's a wrap on fish.

 

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CUC
A ton of snails and hermits .
2 dozen tongan nassairus snails
1 large conch(queen?)
2 emerald crabs
3 skunk cleaners
1 blood-red fire shrimp
3 cucumbers
2 Fiji sand sifting stars
At least 2 peppermint shrimp


I'm not adding anymore large turbos or hermits. Done with both

 

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Here's a link to the latest HD video

As far as the build goes it pretty much finished. Have some wires to get straight and need to mount a few transformers but other then that I'm really happy with how it turned out.
Planning pays off.
Thinking of Turing my black boxes sideways for better cover front to back. Could do 6 sideways. Overkill? LoL
Really like to get my hands on one g4 pro 32 and see the difference against my boxes on my tank.


_________________
Newbie Legend Extraordinaire
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[revhtree Verified Admin]

Tank looks great~ Nice job!

 

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Tank looks great~ Nice job!

Thank you

Just need some growout time, and to get my dosing right.

 

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My skimmer(simplicity DC540) has been running wet, so I decided to make a stand to raise it up 1.5" (water level in skimmer section of sump is 8.5" deep)

5x 1-3/8" risers made from 1"pvc
And a 1/8" piece of lexan



Wish these came with better instructions. says set arrow to arrow and leave air wide open for the first week. but doesn't say what to do after that. can only get it to skim with air totally closed. seems more air would be better?

maybe the water is too clean and skimmer is still not really broken in?

 

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Would love some feedback or ideas
Maybe you saw something i could improve on?