brent

Thanks everyone for your support Overflow Box: Here is a photo of the external overflow. It normally has an acrylic cover but I removed the cover so you can see the workings of it. For those of you are who have not heard of the Bean Animal overflow, it actually features 3 separate overflow pipes. The primary full siphon overflow is controlled by a gate valve to tweak the flow, which eliminates noise and results in a extremely fast return.(This is the return closest to me in the photo) There is a 2nd overflow called an open channel overflow and it has a little bit of water trickling down it. It also has a tube that comes out of the cap which will automatically transform it into a siphon if the water level rises because of a blockage on the full siphon overflow. The 3rd overflow is just for emergencies and so it doesn't have a cap. (Furthest from the camera in the photo). For more info about the design, check out Bean's website : http://www.beananimal.com/projects/silent-and-fail-safe-aquarium-overflow-system.aspx So far, I'm extremely happy with the overflow. It doesn't make any noise and it has absolutely no problem handling the output of my returns. It's definitely over engineered, which in this case is good. Substrate: For now, I’ve decided to go for bare bottom. I got tired of my power heads blowing sugar fine sand everywhere and so I finally ditched the sand. The major problem with bb is of course that it requires lots of siphoning if you want it to look nice. We’ll see if I can maintain regular maintenance. If I get sick and tired of siphoning, I’ll probably go with Calcium reactor media since it can’t be blown around. Another option would be to try placing zoas over much of the bottom in hopes the tank bottom will become a zoa carpet. Parameters: In the past, I spent a lot of time playing with the parameters in order to tweak the CA and dKH up for enhanced growth. Given that I had smaller tanks, which are especially difficult to dial in, I was quite frustrating by the ups and downs of the tank parameters. For this tank, I've decided to simplify my approach. I use DD Salt and so I’ve decided to just stick with its standard parameters, which are approximately: pH 8.3 dKH 9.4 CA 440 MG 1340 I figure that whatever gains I previously made from boosting CA and dKH, I probably lost more from lack of stability. By striving to maintain stock salt parameters, it will also reduce my workload when doing water changes since I don’t need to tweak the parameters of the new water. By keeping it simple, I also hope to do water changes more often. I maintain these parameters using a Bubble Magus Dosing Pump, which allows me to dose a small amount every hour. I consider this an absolute necessity and would only give it up if I decided to switch over to CA reactor. (On a side note, since I’m selling my extra Dosing Pump and I mentioned replacing one of the tubes, a number of people have reached out to me about getting replacement tubes. Razali aka Dr Evil from Delightings should now have them in stock.) While I enjoyed the integrated approach of the dosing compartments in the sump on my last tank, I didn't enjoy refilling them every 5 days. So, now that I have some cabinet space, I decided to just use 25L containers to minimize the hassle of mixing and add some stability. Lighting I am currently using my previous lighting arrangement plus another T5 DE unit (2 x 54W) Here is the current setup: 1. 48” DE T5 retrofit with ATI bulbs (Blue + / Blue +) 2. 1M DIY CREE LED (described in my previous thread) 3. 48” DE T5 retrofit with ATI bulbs (Coral + / Blue +) I’m using the Mazarra stand to mount all three on two DIY aluminum bars. As part of the move to the new tank, I lost a number of corals. Also, many of the corals that survived browned out due to poor water quality & reduced lighting. Now that my water quality is good and my light is finally set up, I’m hoping that they will color up quickly. I’ve had to maintain a lot of restraint since my natural inclination is blast them with as much light as possible to eliminate the brown. However, as we all know, this is not a very smart idea and would most likely lead to significant bleaching. Using this light set up has lead to one significant of issue: Since the light is high up and not especially focused, I’m getting a lot of light spillage. Of course, this hasn’t made me very popular at home since the tank is in our dining room. For now, I’ve fabricated a removable light shield out of acrylic but this destroys much of the benefits of going rimless and it looks quite unsightly. In order to permanently resolve this, I’m thinking of two options: 1. Buy the ATI Sunpower Dimmable Unit 54W (8 bulbs). While I would love to get this unit, it is quite expensive and to be honest I can’t justify spending so much money right after purchasing a new tank & cabinet. Most likely I would just use 6 out of the 8 bulbs and leave 2 for later when the tank becomes more densely packed. I would hope that since it can be mounted right above the water light spillage would be minimized. However, there are no guarantees that this would fix the problem and I would be very unpopular at home if I spent so much on a new light and didn’t fix the underlying problem. 2. Give up on the rimless look and ask CRA to make me a canopy that matches the cabinet. While I love the rimless look, once you clutter it with cables and light shields, it doesn’t have the same impact. One very positive side effect of this solution is that I wouldn’t need to worry about suicidal flying fish. On my previous tank I lost a Helfichi, a Basslet, and a Barlett. Without some type of cover, I will always run the risk of losing more fish. I can always fashion a screen cover using ¼” mesh but that would add further clutter. (I know that BRS sells ¼” mesh but does anyone know if it’s available locally?) I would be interested to hear people’s opinions about two of these different options. Is it really worthwhile to upgrade to the ATI fixture? How have other people with rimless tanks addressed the issue of light spillage? Flow I went a bit crazy in the flow department since my Eheim 1242 didn’t have enough punch last time to power my return and manifold. For the new super tankie, I upgraded to a RO Water Blaster HY10000. This 10,000 LPH pump is a real beast. I attached it to both returns and the manifold, which powers the FR, Chiller, biopellet reactor, refugium, and UV sterilizer. I also had CRA plumb in a 2nd return pump (my old Eheim 1242) into the secondary return. I only plan to turn on my 2nd return pump when I’m out of the country for the purposes of redundancy. It’s a bit confusing to describe and so I’ll post a drawing that clearly explains the design since there are multiple valves that allow me to run everything off of the main pump while I’m in SG but isolates the main pump from backup pump & backup chiller while I’m away. While I love the new pump, it does vibrate my sump a bit and so I’m looking for a while to quite it down. In terms of in tank flow, I have an MP40 and 2 x MP10s that are all controlled wirelessly through my Apex controller. One of the MP10s is opposite the MP40 and the other is on the back running in Ecoback mode. I split the day between Nutrient mode and Tidal mode. I also have a WP40 that I periodically run manually to clear out the detritus behind the rocks. However, it’s a bit bulky and so I might get rid of it since I don’t really need it since I have the other 3 powerheads.

Thanks bro. You are right. They are sweet

Hi Bro Slayer, What was the damage for the duncans? Thanks

Hey bros, I just tested the unit out again after having it storage for 2 months. The bulb burnt out. So, I'm dropping the price to $35 but you'll need to source your own replacement bulb.

Beautiful corals and nice logo bro!

Hey Bros & Sis I'm back and this time I have a new tank. This is just a placeholder / reminder for me that I need to get off my duff and get started on my build thread. My new 125 gallon mixed reef tank was built over one month ago and I haven't even started my thread. It's a sad, sad story. I know… I'm even disappointed in myself. In any case, I’ll start with a photo from today before I go back to its inception back in March. This baby BTA was suffering from shipping stress when I bought it last month. In the last couple of days, it split and now it’s become a big baby and a little baby. As you can see, the porcelain crab that normally hangs out on my Magnificent Anemone has decided to try something different. Here are some specs from my new tank: Size: 48" x30" x20" rimless Volume: 125 gallons Materials: 12mm low iron glass (3 sides) Overflow: External 2/3rds Coast to Coast with Bean Animal 1.5" Overflows (3 pipes). Overflow box is 36”x5”x6” Bulkheads: Schedule 80 from BRS Primary Overflow Valve: Spears Gate Valve Returns: Dual 1" returns Tank Builder: CRA (Coral Reef Aquarium) Sump: Same as with my last tank (This turned out to be a bad idea because it forced me to cut over to the new tank too quickly without time for a proper cycle) Bulkhead Overflow Valve To be continued.....

Very helpful bro. Thanks

Crystal clear water and it helps keep those parasites in check!

Give your corals some serious pop $95

This product gets excellent reviews and really simplifies 2 & 3 part dosing. http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/catalog/product/view/id/1932/ By dosing up to 24X per day, it provide extremely stable CA and KH levels that helps your corals thrive.

Thanks so much bro. I started looking around and this also might work. I've never been to a Daiso but something like this might be the ticket if they carry it in SG: http://www.daisojapan.com/p-20919-silicone-microwave-tray-sheet-square-4-color-ass-8pks.aspx However, I'm not sure I would feel comfortable going into the store and asking for a "4 color ass" .... I might give the guys at CRA a call since they were such good sports with my ridiculous requests when they built my last two tanks.

Now that's what I am talking about!!! Where's the best place to pick up the silicone bro?

<br /><br />Thanks. I've thought about filter wool but I'm concerned it will become a detritus trap. I was thinking of something similar to a mouse pad but that's reef safe.

Hi bros<br /><br />Does anyone know where to buy reef safe foam padding to help stop vibrations from being transferred from the return pump to the sump? I want some similar to a mouse pad but it needs to be safe in salt water. <br /><br />Thanks in advance<br /><br />Cheers<br />Brent

Letting it go for $235 Dealing in the East near Haig Road

Photos of actual light, reflector (NIB), and Power supply. Power supply is 60W and can power up to 2 additional units

Here are the specs: Dimensions 12.75”L x 1.5”W x 0.5”H Weight 0.4 lb. 8224 - 12 x 445nm Royal Blue Watts consumed: 16w Input Voltage: 24V Cord Length: 21”

Coralife Turbo Twist 3X UV Sterilizer Great condition UV Sterilizer. 9 watt unit is rated for tanks up to 125 gallons. I’m selling this since I have two of them from a decomm. Works great. Bulb has been used for about 4 months. Description: * Compact ultraviolet sterilizer with revolutionary "Turbo-Twist" design * Easy-to-install UV sterilizers help keep aquarium water crystal clear * Versatile UV sterilizer can be installed in-line or hang-on-tank Specially designed aquarium ultraviolet sterilizer maximizes UV exposure in a compact, easy-to-install unit. Water traveling through the revolutionary "Turbo-Twist" flow design is exposed to three times more germicidal UV light than in conventional UV sterilizers. The result is clean, crystal clear aquarium water. Multifunctional UV sterilizers can be installed in-line or as a hang-on unit. Simply connect to a water pump, powerhead, or on the return line of a canister filter. Includes PL-type compact fluorescent UV Lamp and hang-on-tank bracket, and barbed fittings. For fresh and saltwater use. Dimensions: 11" x 2-7/8" Barbed Fittings: 1/2" or 5/8" Flow Rate: 100-200 gph Aquarium Size: up to 125 gallons This retails for $98. I’m asking for $54. I'll post a picture of the actual unit in a day or two Dealing in the East near Haig Road

Any interest? 100 SGD

All traded. Mods pls close thread. Thanks

Change in plans. Both large reserved and one small reserved

Reserved

Sold to a nice reefer. Collected. Mods pls close. Thanks

Both small ones (0.6L) reserved Both larger ones (2.5L) are still available

Reserved