Zibba's Reefs -- ADA 90P & Envision 100g

[Flipside]

Yeah, Rio's are definitely underated. Not the quietest pump out there, but I've never had a problem with one firing up. You're right too... they do quiet down a great deal after a nice slime coat builds up around the magnet.

For the skimmer... If that pump doesn't quiet down for you (to your OCD standards ) you can easily modify it to take an Askoll 1500 pump. I've done it many times in the past. Just have to get creative with plumbers tape and/or fittings. I love my SWC 230 cone just because of the pump and air management. My SRO2000XPint didn't have that option. Plus, it was significantly louder than my SWC (I'm OCD too). A huge plus is the Askoll/Laguna 1500 is very quiet.. oh, and pretty cheap (if you do it right). I like SWC's volute design and it's interchangeable with the commonly sold Ebay Laguna's. I have a backup Laguna, and was thinking of using it as a return. It's tons more torquey than my current QuietOne 4000.

Bah... Don't want to steal your glory here. The ATB is a solidly constructed unit. Sometimes these skimmer builders cheap out on pumps, sometimes they cheap out on the skimmer body. The pump is everything, but nothing perturbs me more than a cracked skimmer housing. You shouldn't have that problem with the skimmer you have. Not for a long time, any way.

If it's any conciliation to you, the SRO I had had a very cheap body to it. I mean, it was very thin! Customer support and the pump was solid, but I think you made the better choice given the options you presented. With your skills, I feel safe in saying this to you... Pumps are interchangeable. Skimmer bodies/designs are not.

EDIT: I OWN page 11! Woot!

 

[zibba]

For the skimmer... If that pump doesn't quiet down for you (to your OCD standards ) you can easily modify it to take an Askoll 1500 pump.

Funny, I was thinking the same thing actually when I purchased it. I'm definitely going to give it a good run with the psk-1000 and see how it holds up. My experience with different skimmers is very limited. I ran a EuroReef RS-135 on my 90-gallon several years ago -- it performed just fine after several mods (gate valve, mesh mod, and adding a silencer) and the acrylic/fit-and-finish was really good. I was temporarily running a Reef Octopus NW110, which I acquired in a 40-br system buy out (a set up that I've pilfered equipment for this build and plan to convert into a grow-out system), on this system and it was quiet but the acrylic seemed cheap. I can say that the ATB's acrylic/fit-and-finish sets a pretty high-bar with the exception of the silicone tubing connecting the pump to the skimmer body. The zip-ties seemed to have done the trick. I came home to this after 24-hours:

I don't remember ever having skimmate that nasty looking on my old skimmer. Granted, I was running an undersized skimmer on this for the last month so there was plenty of junk to take out. But I was pleasently surprised considering it's not even close to breaking in yet (there are still a lot of microbubbles coming out of the exhaust).

 

[zibba]

I got another package too! I mentioned earlier that I sold the MP40, partially because I couldn't mount it high enough on the backwall due to the coast-to-coast overflow and partially because it was loud. I ended up getting two Tunze 6105s:

I swapped out the housing for the wide-flow housing. Here's a few shots to show the difference:

They came with the 18v jumpers, which I kept in there for the time being. I didn't realize that I needed to buy the cable to connect them to the Apex -- so I'll have to order that too. That didn't stop me from setting them up in the tank though. I mounted one one the back right and one on the back left and they're anti-synced for 20-minute cycles. These things push some serious water! I kept them on the lowest setting with the 18v jumper and the sand is still blowing around (and creating a bare spot at the front of the tank). I will say though, that these pumps are QUIET! And, if you've been paying attention, that's extremely important to me, so I'm a happy customer.

 

[Flipside]

That's the kind of nog I like to see, bro! That's what a skimmer should "truly" be pulling! Congrats on that rapid break-in period. LOL! No seriously... keep watching it. You may need to fine-tune it for the next few days.

Those are some pretty nifty powerheads! Did you get the Tunze controller? I'm still sitting on two MP40wES' because I really don't like how the power cable comes out of the tank, and over the rim on my tank. Kind-of defeats the purpose of a "rimless" aquarium, IMO. I have very little experience with Tunze's... I'm seriously considering them, though... I hate noise as well (hence why my sump and "everything" is in the garage).

 

[zibba]

I didn't get the Tunze controller, but might eventually. I'm going to hook them up to the Apex, which allows for a lot of different programming options, even though it's doesn't allow for complete randomization like the Tunze controller or Vortech's reef-crest mode. I agree with you on the cords coming out over the top of a rimless, it doesn't look as clean. Also, the 6105's are pretty big -- they take up a lot more space than the MP40wes that I had in there. Sure wish there was a happy-medium.

 

[zibba]

I'm just starting to notice a little bit of this "clear slime" on the rock. I haven't seen this before, so I figured I'd post it to see if anyone else has had this experience. As a reminder, I started the cycle with a raw shrimp and left them in there to decay completely. I watched my ammonia and nitrite/nitrates peak out over a 4-week period and I did the standard water change to reduce nitrates. In turn, diatoms started showing up on the rock and sand -- still standard. The only live stock in the tank is a single test coral (a chalice) and some amphipods that were added to seed the fuge and display.


I did the second water change on 12/10 and noticed a really small amount of this clear slime coming off the rock as I was trying to siphon off some of the diatoms. The next morning, I noticed the slime showing up on some of the other rocks. Currently running the skimmer only -- no other filtration. I removed the filter socks and some carbon that I was running passively after initially adding the rock/sand.

I decided to take a quick video:



Has anyone seen this or know what it is? I've done a little research and it sounds like it might be some sort of bacteria. Others guessed that it might be feeding off excess ammonia so I ran a test last night:

I'm not a fan of this API test kit, but I read this as saying the ammonia levels are between 0 and 0.25ppm and the other levels are at (or near) 0. Agree? Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated. If nothing else, I just wanted to document this for future reference.

 

[Flipside]

Yeah, that looks about right for ammonia readings.

In regards to the slimy, wavy stuff... Not sure... almost looks like bleached out dinos... weird. That just popped up?

 

[zibba]

I know, right? Yeah, just popped up maybe Sunday night -- noticed it during Monday's water change.

 

[Flipside]

I'm hoping it's just that typical slime that builds up in our water bins after awhile. If it is, it's completely harmless and a part of the cycle. You're tank truly never is "mature" until a year, really... It takes a long time.

 

[zibba]

I'm not going to make any drastic changes, that's for sure. Excited...I'm picking up two fish tomorrow morning from a local reefer who's taking his tank down. Sounds like they're super healthy, but I'll put them in the QT set up for awhile just to observe. Won't treat or anything unless I see something worth treating for.

 

[Lilmatty5dimes]

zibba your build is awesome. everything looked really good. love the aquascape. i skipped over the SRO2000XPint also and got a skimz 181. so far its doing pretty good. cant wait to see your reef come alive.

 

[MarvinsReef]

I'm not going to make any drastic changes, that's for sure. Excited...I'm picking up two fish tomorrow morning from a local reefer who's taking his tank down. Sounds like they're super healthy, but I'll put them in the QT set up for awhile just to observe. Won't treat or anything unless I see something worth treating for.

Care to share what fishes? LoL. Seems like it's a surprise each time. Haha.. Suspense.


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[zibba]

zibba your build is awesome. everything looked really good. love the aquascape. i skipped over the SRO2000XPint also and got a skimz 181. so far its doing pretty good. cant wait to see your reef come alive.

Thank you very much Lilmatty! The Skimz product just straight up look sweet.

Care to share what fishes? LoL. Seems like it's a surprise each time. Haha.. Suspense.

Lol, didn't mean to keep you on the edge of your seat this time! I was just rushing out the door and didn't elaborate. I'm picking up a Orchid Dottyback and a Royal Gramma tomorrow. He had a coral beauty too that I really liked but I know that, ultimately, I want to try and keep 3-4 dwarf angels and I'll need to think carefully about how I stock the tank with them. And, knowing that I'm going to be starting with frags and small colonies, I want to give them a chance to get established so they can withstand a little nipping if the dwarfs end up getting curious.

These two fish have been in an established tank that hasn't had any health issues in 5-years so I could probably just add them right to the display. But I'm going to watch them for a few weeks just to make sure. Don't expect any pretty pictures for awhile Knock on wood that they make it safely to Phoenix tomorrow morning (they're coming from Northern AZ).

 

[Lilmatty5dimes]

awesome addition. cant wait to see them. i've got an Orchid Dottyback on my list to put in the tank.

 

[zibba]

awesome addition. cant wait to see them. i've got an Orchid Dottyback on my list to put in the tank.

Cool! I'd like to add a neon dottyback at some point too! So many cool fish to choose from, yet, so little room. Decisions, decisions...

 

[MarvinsReef]

LoL. Just giving yah a hard time.

But man, I'm looking forward to seeing what dwarf angels you decide to go with.


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[zibba]

Hehe, I know. There are a lot of dwarf angels on my "wish list," but, realistically, these are likely the few I'll be choosing from: Golden, Potters, Flame, and Pygmy.

 

[MarvinsReef]

Hehe, I know. There are a lot of dwarf angels on my "wish list," but, realistically, these are likely the few I'll be choosing from: Golden, Potters, Flame, and Pygmy.

No multicolor or Venustus?


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[zibba]

Opps, can't forget about the Venustus! The multicolor won't make the cut though. While they seem to have cool personalities, I think the coloration of the previously mentioned dwarfs are more attractive and shine in a reef. Just my two-pennies.

 

[zibba]

This is just me being bored and finding an excuse to put off work, but I made a few PVC structures for the QT. Pretty cheap too! $1 worth of 1" PVC x 4' and some pvc glue:

Hoping that the Royal Gramma and Dottyback will be able to find a little peace inside these tubes.