The Rebirth/Rebuild of my 180g sps thread

[Acronuts]

I have decided that while I was at it I will do some other upgrades.
I would like to upgrade my main pump. It is an old gen x and i can tell it is about to die on me.
I would like to get a gph flow rate of about 10 times my actual gallons which when up and running is about 220 to 225 including sump.
What pumps do you guys recommend that are energy efficient ? And quiet? And can do about 10x the turn over of my tank?

I am upgrading my mp 40's vortex pumps to the es model by upgrading with the hardware kit like this one.

I have also taken the advice of a fellow reefer and ordered mortar for the reconstruction of the reef aquascape. This product is more cost effective than buying tubes of epoxy.

The tank is now almost ready. I got rid of most of the sand and did a 10% water change yesterday. This will be the last water change.
I have put most of the larger pieces of rock into a 35 gallon garbage bin with tap water. So far in one day I have not noticed any bad odors.

I do not want to add bleach to the rock but will be soaking with vinegar. I will also add a pump for circulation. The rock will be held for one week and then rinsed throughly and left to dry again for another week while the smaller pieces are soaked in vinegar, rinsed and dried.

Well guys that is the update for now.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Iwaki pumps. They are expensive, but I have run a pair for over 20 years now with no service issues. 20 years!

 

[Acronuts]

Iwaki pumps. They are expensive, but I have run a pair for over 20 years now with no service issues. 20 years!

Wow! 20 years is a long time gregcoyote!
Do these pumps need any maintenance like oiling? I used to do this to my little giant pumps.

I will definitely look into these! Thanks!

 

[Gregcoyote]

Nope. They are sealed magnetic drive. I have a hot tub style pre filter cage on their intakes so they don't ingest anything bigger than about a centimeter which has allowed the impellers to last this long.

 

[Acronuts]

Nope. They are sealed magnetic drive. I have a hot tub style pre filter cage on their intakes so they don't ingest anything bigger than about a centimeter which has allowed the impellers to last this long.

Very cool! Good for you!

 

[Acronuts]

Hey guys just tested po4 with API test kit and the bru is coming in at a whopping 1.5!
Not as bad as I thought but the rock has been sitting outside my back yard for 4 weeks and every week I would rinse. I know that i would be freaken if this were the measurement on a normal basis. But let's see what happens!

 

[Acronuts]

Today I removed the rock that had been soaking in tap water. Interestingly though was the smell. The typical smell one has when rock is cycling.
I plan on soaking in RO water and place a power head this time. I will test after a week and see what the phosphate readings are by end of next week.
Next week is install time! Stay tuned guys!

 

[Acronuts]

Well before I go and bathe the rocks in bleach and after that vinegar, here is an idea of what I am looking for as the final look to my aquascape. Looking at it from three angles for a couple of days allows it to be just right before I mortar it together.

Front view of proposed aquascape, two islands with lots of nooks, small and large cave like settings.

Proposed front right side of tank closer look

Proposed front left side of tank closer look

From a far looks like the islands are the same but when you see the pics individually you can see they are different.
I also took into consideration water flow. I want as much flow as possible so these pics show plently of room for my my vortechs and korallias.

I am also thinking of adding a bridge at top to connect the two islands. What do you guys think?

I am also taking into consideration the height of my islands. The tank measures 24" tall. With the Star board taking about 1/4" and the trim another 1 1/2". This leaves me about 21 1/2".
Right now I am about 18 to 19 inches from bottom. I think I have plenty of room for acros to grow.

Another factor I always hated was the the fact that I had things very close to the glass making it hard to clean and pass magnets around.
As you guys can see the star board has been cut and there is plently of room for siphoning detritus.
What do you guys think? Am I forgetting to think about something?

 

[rdnelson99]

Very nice. I like it a lot.

 

[Acronuts]

Very nice. I like it a lot.

Thanks!

 

[Acronuts]

Well guys a couple things to update:

I added more to the initial design of the aquascape. Some of you suggested instead of a bridge that I connect the islands for more coral space. After some thought and knowing that I had extra live rock I thought of combining the two ideas.

Here is a closer look. The bridges I decided to keep on the lower side to give a better feel to the overall look of the bigger and taller islands.
What are your thoughts?

Here is a shot of the whole look to the aquascape. Compare them and geive me your honest opinions guys.

Not sold on it yet but thinking about flow in the tank and thinking about not having any dead spots.
Rocks have now been bleached and throughly rinsed.

Interesting that these rocks have sat for 4 weeks outside drying out, then for 4 days in tap water with bleach and yet coralline algae survives along with these!!! What are they?

In cleaning up the rock I found this critter. Unfortunately gone but this half is embedded in the rock the other half I am keeping for a while. The surface is hard and the and the edges are sharp. Some type of clam I guess.

 

[rdnelson99]

Wow. Kind of gives substance to the idea that life can live on other planets. If it can take all that and still be alive, why can't it live in a sea of methane.

 

[Gregcoyote]

I am honored to be part of the launch of Curiosity, the new science laboratory going to Mars to do as you just suggested.

 

[Acronuts]

Wow. Kind of gives substance to the idea that life can live on other planets. If it can take all that and still be alive, why can't it live in a sea of methane.

LOL!!!

 

[Acronuts]

I am honored to be part of the launch of Curiosity, the new science laboratory going to Mars to do as you just suggested.

LOL!!!

 

[Ibrahim]

I love the bridge aquascap.

 

[Acronuts]

I love the bridge aquascap.

Thanks Ibrahim the more i look at the pic the more I feel like I can be happy with that.

 

[rdnelson99]

I am honored to be part of the launch of Curiosity, the new science laboratory going to Mars to do as you just suggested.

Man, what I would give to be a part of that. Reading a great book right now about the Appollo 11. This one has a lot of historical facts that you don't find everywhere. Being in 3rd grade when that occured cemented my love for anything to do with space. My wildest dream has always been to take a walk on the moon. In a way, you are doing just that.

 

[Acronuts]

Man, what I would give to be a part of that. Reading a great book right now about the Appollo 11. This one has a lot of historical facts that you don't find everywhere. Being in 3rd grade when that occured cemented my love for anything to do with space. My wildest dream has always been to take a walk on the moon. In a way, you are doing just that.

Interesting I too when I was young thought it would be the coolest thing to travel into space. Because of the shows like 'Lost in Space", Star Trek" and others I would always wish I had not been born yet. Why? The chances of going into space at this stage isn't as close as if lets say I was just born this year.

Funny as I look at the rock scape it does look a little like a walk on the dark side of the moon, lol!

 

[Acronuts]

Todays tasks involved cutting a final edge to the middle of the star board to match the two end pieces.
I decided that leaving a 1/2" gap on the edges of the sides and front/back of the boards would bring me to the 71.5 x 23.5 inches to match the demensions on the inside of the tank.
I will silicon the board to the tank's bottom. Run an edge of siliscon along the parimeter of each board.
At first I thought oh man my jig saw's blade is broken!

But then I remembered that I bought a larger one during the 2004 hurricane season.