Start of the 125 reef

[abdhalim2]

some corals split because of stress? when did i write that? anemones can and do, but i'm not understanding the correlation.

the macroalgae in those 24/7 refugiums is exactly as healthy as the ones in the night/day ones.

sorry...might not be you...but by someone....maybe i read to much.....

 

[pat8you]

Just going to throw in one little bit of info. I've heard that if you have a smaller group of anthias in a large it gives them enough room that sometimes one of the females will decide to split off and change to male in an attempt to form his/her own group. I read that quite a while ago so that may not be 100% but i think it was something along those lines. Do some reading on it before you decide to pick up your anthias.

As far as lights go you should be able to keep everything you want. Possibly with the exception of high light clams (bright blue and green are usually a good indication). There may be a few high light SPS that you can keep but may not color up to their full potential favoring feeding as a larger portion of their nutritional requirements.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

I switched all the lamps in a 125 reef from the stock lamps in the Nova Extreme (4 10,000Ks and 4 Actinics) to 5 ATI Blue Plus, 2 ATI Purple Plus, and 1 Geisemann Aquablue. The Aquablue is 15,000k. I thought the tank would be 'too blue' but it is actually brighter than before. I could probably swap out 2 of the Blue Plus and put in one more Aquablue and another Purple Plus and it would really be bright and more purple. The Purple Plus and Aquablue really brought out the colors. Check this post

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f11/tank-journal-125-reef-125546.html#post1174501

edit: it does look more 'blue' in the pictures, but in person it looks way better. The 4 10,000Ks really washed out the coral colors.

 

[mr_X]

not to mention the ATI lamps have a lot more PAR than the current lamps. it's definitely an upgrade.

 

[kdogg85]

Like I said, when the tank parameters settle down, I will change the lamps to ati's or Geisemann's.I done some rooting around and did find these two brands give of great, if not the best par values for t5 lamps. In the meantime, no corals or clams will be present, so I don't see a problem yet. Floyd, the scrubber is going to be a reality, I always liked trying different ways of doing things. What would be a parts list for making one for this size tank? The sump will be a 30g standard. The anthia's will be alot of research, there are a few other concerns about feeding that go along with them.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

The biggest thing to consider is the accessibility of the screen. You need to be able to remove it weekly to clean it. Also the dimensions depend on the light source you choose. 24" T5HO lamps is what I use, you can do CFL but you get the most efficient system with T5HO hands down. With a 125 you will need a screen 125 square inches. The dimensions can be whatever you want to fit in the space you have, but the limiting dimension is the width. You need to design the system around the overflow rate, and you want to shoot for 35 GPH per inch of screen width. The issue I ran into is that it is difficult to properly predict the actual flow rate based on pump specs. The Mag12 should run 800-1000 GPH but the one I run actual flow rate is 433 due to improper return hose size (and the associated improper bulkhead). I can get into it more on Friday, I have to crash and drive all day on a work trip tomorrow...

 

[kdogg85]

So a 10x13 screen would do? The plumbing parts are what has me stumped. Do I use the same size piping all the way through or does the header that the screen hangs from need to be larger?

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

That would cover the square inch requirement (10x13 exposed to light, plus about 3/4" that extends into the tube)

Have you look at designs on algaescruber.net?

 

[kdogg85]

Here are the new shots. 50lbs of base rock(waiting on other box) and 180 lbs of sand.

I looked at them and get the construction(feed tube, screen, catch pan.) I just wondered what sized pipe to use that the screen hangs on? Is it larger than the pipe that comes out of the supply pump? when I get that figured out, do I start with a 1/8" slit to feed the screen, then enlarge 1/8' at a time to get ideal flow?

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

The screen (plastic canvas, 7 mesh) is 1/16" thick. Your slot tube needs to be 1/8" thick and no more, no crosscuts either. The water pressure in the overflow tubing will force the water through the slot. If you don't have an acrylic screen enclosure, then you need to make a blocker to account for sideways spray to protect the lights and eliminate salt creep. If you widen the slot, algae can grow up into the tube and partially block the screen - thus the reason for a 1/8" slot (leaving 1/32" of space on either side of the screen - and this is PLENTY of room for the water to get through).

The SM100 design uses a 3/4" pipe and that works fine. I use a 1" pipe. It really doesn't affect flow rate that much either way. A 1" pipe running at full siphon will push 2000 GPH. A 3/4" pipe has about 56% of the cross section of a 1" pipe, so the flow will be less, but not less than 800 GPH which is what you're shooting for with a 20" wide screen, yours is smaller right now so a 3/4" would be OK.

I would design your around the lamps. If you go CFL with clip-ons, you can do 10x13 and it will probably work fine. If you go T5HO then it would probably be something more like 18x6 or 20x5, and you would get more filtering so you could stock more fish and feed corals more aggressively. Not saying that 10x13 won't work, it will definitely be a good start and you can always upgrade.

 

[kdogg85]

the fish I plan on having are a powder brown tang, 3 resplendent or lyretail anthias(haven't made up my mind), a mandarin, 2 snowflake clowns, and a mccosker's wrasse. would that overload a 10x13 screen?

As far as the screen goes, I am assuming wider is better than longer, due to getting more flow across more surface area? And thank you for the slot size tip. (plastic canvas, 7 mesh) is 1/16" thick, is this a standard size and most common? And when I go and rough up the screen, should the first inch below the slot be left smooth to help keep algae from growing near the slot? For lights, would a pair of cheap ebay t5ho's work? I have the plumbing parts, but not the detail parts yet.

And is there anyway to improve on a hob overflow, my wife started filling the tank, and it has about 80 or so gallons of water and I would hate to throw that out if not needed.

the one I have now, does not use a tube, but still gets an air pocket and slows the flow from time to time. Could I drill a hole where the air pocket forms and silicone another tube to hook to the aqualifter pump? would this help or hurt?

 

[mr_X]

side note-i would choose either the mandarin or the wrasse. they are both going to compete for the same food.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

the fish I plan on having are a powder brown tang, 3 resplendent or lyretail anthias(haven't made up my mind), a mandarin, 2 snowflake clowns, and a mccosker's wrasse. would that overload a 10x13 screen?

The 20x7 screen on the 125 reef I maintain has:

Blue Hippo/Regal Tang 6"
Engineer Goby 10"
Flame Fin Tang 5"
Scopas Tang 5"
Pair of Black & White Clowns, 1-1/2" & 2"
Pair of Ocellaris Clowns, 1" & 1-1/2"
Blue/Green Chromis 2"
Banded Jawfish, 4"
Yellowtail Blud Damsel 1-1/2"
Scooter Blenny 2"
Starry / Snowflake Blenny 3-1/2"

And probably one more that I'm missing. I think your bio-load is fine for a 10x13 screen.

As far as the screen goes, I am assuming wider is better than longer, due to getting more flow across more surface area?

It doesn't make a difference what the dimensions of the screen are. The flow rate per inch across the screen is what matters, and that depends on the width of the screen and the total GPH being supplied.

And thank you for the slot size tip. (plastic canvas, 7 mesh) is 1/16" thick, is this a standard size and most common?

Pretty common. I got mine at a fabric store (Jo-Ann) but I've seen it at Michaels also.

And when I go and rough up the screen, should the first inch below the slot be left smooth to help keep algae from growing near the slot?

Leave the section that is inserted into the slot smooth, as well as about 1/2" or so of exposed screen.

For lights, would a pair of cheap ebay t5ho's work? I have the plumbing parts, but not the detail parts yet.

No, any old T5HO won't do necessarily. Get these bulbs if you're going T5HO. They are $4/each when you buy 8 and are the correct spectrum.

T5 2Ft - Grow Bulbs 24W HO 3000k

And is there anyway to improve on a hob overflow, my wife started filling the tank, and it has about 80 or so gallons of water and I would hate to throw that out if not needed.

the one I have now, does not use a tube, but still gets an air pocket and slows the flow from time to time. Could I drill a hole where the air pocket forms and silicone another tube to hook to the aqualifter pump? would this help or hurt?

Not sure what you're describing here.

 

[kdogg85]

Sorry, i meant the fixture itself, what I've read says the lower spectrum lamps do perform better for ts application.

I was worried that only a certain section of the screen would, would recieve good flow as it matures. Like some pics i have seen where the top 2/3 of screen will have algae and the the bottom will be almost bare.

The overflow box I have, has the nipple on top for the airline, this nipple is about an 1/8'' away from where the air pocket always forms. I wondered if there was a way to put the airline tube right where the pocket always forms, if that would cause any problems? I put a pic of the box, to the right of the nipple, where the water turns down, is where the bubble forms and the nipple won't catch it.

Doug, the tank will have around 180 lbs of live rock. Would that not support two pod eating fish?

 

[mr_X]

i suppose it would.

 

[kdogg85]

Here are a few pics of the base rock finished up. Hopefully, by the end of tomorrow, the sand will be settled and we can start to move everything else in.

 

[fishmonkey]

looking good so far, keep up the good work.

 

[kdogg85]

everything is in. here are a few pics. the 2 islands didn't happen because I had way too much rock. now get to work on the ats.

 

[melosu58]

Looking pretty good so far.

 

[mr_X]

yep. looks like you managed to aqua scape leaving very little in the way of dead spots.