Soul

First things first ... do u understand the needs for SPS corals since u are eyeing a setup of livestock similar to AM's display tank? Its not just about having good equipment, u need to learn about the bio n complex chemical balance needed to sustain a home reef, expecially for SPS corals. I'm not trying to pour a wet blanket over u bro but over the years of reefing i have always encountered so many ppl who spend lots on a nice setup plus equipment but in the end giving up the hobby cos they could not achieve the desired results nor did they forsee the costs in sustaining one. U only have to look at the number of decoms in the 'Sell off/Pasar Malam Shop' section. Getting advice from Steve of cos is good but he cant be there for ya 24/7 nor can he be 100% right bout everything. No reefers will tell u they know everything about reefing cos its always an ongoing process. I cut the crap short, go do more readups on SPS corals n their needs. Then only should u decide on what equipment u need, what u doing now is ppl tell u change what u change what ... but why need to change u dunno. How it will effect the SPS corals u also dunno .... get my drift? I would start by learning about the chemical balance much needed in reefs if i were u, its the number 1 factor on a successful reef at home be it for sps or lps corals. I can provide u with the links to the various info u need if u r interested, no strings attached just pm me.

Oh yah one more thing, not advisable to put magnesium media in CR, since theres no such thing as magnesium controller or monitoring unit u might overdose since ur CR turns on and off quite a lot meaning everytime the CR kicks in ur magnesium level goes up regardless or whether ur corals are consuming magnesium the same rate ur CR discharges it.

Setting up ur CR, what ya need: 1. First thing to do is top up the CO2 tank, takes 3-4 days b4 u can collect its not a 'on the spot' top up kindof service. 2. Buy some CO2 hose to replace the old ones, they harden overtime so its good to change the old ones out. 3. Buy 2-3 adjustable valves to be fitted to the tubings for fine tuning output. 4. Prepare some teflon tape (white type used for piping threads) 5. Buy ur CR media if u havent, ARM by Caribsea is a good choice. Or coarse coral chips will do, see clementi uncle got sell or not. 6. PH controller if u buy second hand one make sure probe is in good condition as its the most expensive part to replace. U will need PH 7 buffer solution to calibrate the unit too. Dont buy the short bottle type of buffer, i bot b4 it aint accurate. 7. Some rubber holders to stick the tubing to desired areas. 8. U will also need a CO2 checkvalve to prevent backflow of seawater towards ur solenoid valve. Sells for pack of 2. 9. I dont suggest using a feeder pump for the CR its wasting electricity n the pump will spoil fast due to restriction of its output since the CR doesnt need more than 50l/hr, just T-off from ur return pump or chiller pump using a pvp T-joint can liao. (must drill small hole and glue an air tubing nipple to it) I can make 1 for u if u want but u come collect hehe i lazy to ride all the way to Bedok. Will post a pic so u know how it looks like. 10. Prepare some pvp glue as ur CR is an external unit so we want to reglue all joints b4 usage just to be sure. 11. Detach the CR pump first and test run in bucket of water, we dont want to last minute set everything up n have a bloody pump not working do we? Well thats about all that i can think of after recalling back the tedious n frustrating ordeal i went thru a few mths back while setting mine up alone. Feel free to call me if u need more help, i can come help u set up this coming weekend lah but my fee is 2 tiger beers! Heres a pic of the T-off joint i made for feeding water to the CR ...

u want orb controller for what? U using Beckett skimmer yet scared water not oxidised enuf? kekeke. No need lah get ur ph controller first, wanna keep sps first few things need to stabalise asap is PH n KH which only a CR can do.

Nah manual ... i go watch movie liao have fun reading http://www.aqua-medic.de/en/service/pdfs/o...%20_202.00_.pdf Oh yah almost forgot, tubing from the ozonizer going to the skimmer must use CO2 type of tubing dont use the normal silicon type will become poisonous in the long run. 1 pack of CO2 tubing about 4-5 bucks. Some places sell in meters can try asking. I suggest buying the whole packet lah u gonna need it for ur CR soon anyway.

???? Mmmm ozonizer suppose to use with airpump, air from airpump feed to input nipple then output nipple goes to ur skimmer. And i dont know if the model u bot is adjustable for the amt of ozonized air but dont overdose!! Skimmer body will turn brown n the sps wont like it.

wah good price for solid tank! Bro u neber tell them the overflow box is built outside, its a plus as compared to conventional design. Plus the hood can be opened from the front for feeding or scaping. UPPZ FOR YA BRO!

Thats not a table acro and be careful hor its so near the elegance coral. All it takes is one sting to activate RTN ...

purple tang will be the aggressor of the 3 if u do add one. Of cos size matters too, wanna add one better be smaller than the rest. Why not add gobbies or a flame hawk instead? Too many tangs and too many corals = lots of chasing around and things knocked over just my opinion. Bartlett's Anthias are nice fishes to have too .. heres a pic. I intend to get a few soon ... once my wallet recovers its thickness hehe

leave the lights off during cycling stage, minimises algae bloom stage. Love the look of the tank, very well made.

upz for u bro, pity i run out of space liao ... gotta clear away those LPS soon!

Well algae boom phase almost over, coralin growth getting more n more on the liverocks plus most of the sps i've gotten that initially lost its colouring or were tot to STN have regained most of its colours except 1 small acro frag. Have just changed to a reeflux 12k bulb a week ago which has yet to so called 'burnin'. Anyway heres some pic updates. Seem to have found a way to take clearer pics with my old 3.2 pixel cam.

scaping now looks a little weird to me, guess its cos u've run out of space plus tiredness but i think it would be nice if the 'red monti rock' was moved to the left mid level or mid middle, the cup coral is also droopingly placed (guess cos u were super tired) but do adjust it to get some light or it'll start to STN as its considered an sps species. Once u finallized ur main scaping dont touch liao bro, let the corals settle down n for ur tank to mature.

Heres the unique scaping i told u about bro from a reefer at RC. Its a 36 by 36 cube tank btw.

depends what type of SPS u intend to keep lor, most species prefer pulselike water current but i have seen many reefers succeeding with non-controllable units. Guess its just a matter of placement. If u do get a controllable unit i would only recomend the Tunze 6055 or 6000, any other models would be over strong for ur tank height ... lots of sandstorm.

Lobo or prata or cyonara(kiddin) it doesnt matter bro ... as long as u like it u can call it whatever u want just my opinion.

Brain put so high later bleach then u know, mine put below somemore on leftside of tank also bleach liao from MH. gotta stop fidgetting with the scaping bro, let ur tank mature if u intend to keep sps. Keep ur calcium lvl about 500, coralin must grow more else PH/KH not stable non hardy type of sps wont make it. Btw go see the G.O. forthcoming special sps shipment photos.... sibei laonua see liao!

*claps excitedly* .... smart move on removing doors while shifting. Theres one problem i spotted, i dont advice sitting your CR on top of the supposed 'chiller cover' covering your CO2 cylinder though, the CR is gonna get heavy once media added n when the CO2 needs to be sent out for topping up u gonna curse and swear. Plus theres lots of fine tuning involved in a CR in the first 2 weeks to get it to work right. U need easy access to the CO2 connections linked to the CR. Other than that i feel u need to neaten up the wiring a little, either use cabletie or cable trays.

The Suncorals shouldnt get stressed much dont worry, just put them in a corner of water away from harm they'll do fine. Its the fishes that would be stressed more so make sure you catch them out gently. Use cooking strainer to catch them out like some LFS shops do.

Managed to take a live pic of the male when it came out to feed, pic taken with mobile not so clear hehe but can see the incredible colors on it. Cant beliv the price so cheap!

And this is the species i bot this afternoon, pair of Melanarus Wrasse - Halechores Melanarus(male) - Medium (Australia / Melanesia). Female is darker n bigger in size ... now i know after reading hehe.

Heres the link for info on wrasses bro ... there are more sites but i think this one covers many species we can buy in SG. Read info bout compatibility and behaviour b4 u buy more. http://www.marinedepotlive.com/ps_ViewCat~...sh-Wrasses.html

u dont need to do everything in a day lah like that diekokstand plus ur livestock will be stressed like siao waiting a whole day b4 u put them back into maintank n dont forget the fish somemore need to re aclimatise to new scaping plus water paremeters, evenings after work free can make the eggcrate stands prepare for weekend. Pipework make sure u sketch out on paper first the diamensions n number of joints needed b4 u go buy hor, dont wait go home liao 1 or 2 joints not enuf haha drive all the way back. Get some union-joints for tricky areas so u can disconnect the pipes easily whenever u need to.

Eggcrates can get from Aquastar or this place http://www.dama.com.sg/home.htm but i dunno cheap or not compared to Aquastar at Yishun, u will need lots of cabletie also plus a drill/drillbit to drill rocks as some oddly shaped rocks if u just put on top of the crate formation wont blend in. Try to get black eggcrates btw, hides the fact u using them. And also u really need some flow below the crates so that the bottom doesnt collect debris n become a nitrated area. A small pump like a maxijet 800 or 1000 would do the trick. Pvc pipe cutter can buy from most hardware shops or u can borrow from me, doesnt cost much to buy though about 8-12 bucks depending on brand n size. Pvc pipes/joints u can try at the AMK industrial park, i bot cutter/pvc stuff all from there last time. Most are wholesalers but they will sell to u provided u know what sizes/shapes u need for the pvc, dont forget pvc glue too. Oh yah u will also need a saw to cut thru the crates to the shape u want. I used a makita electrical saw to do a eggcrate filtersock holder a few days back. U can borrow from me too if u need.