Our mission

Jeff's 120

Alright... some updates and pics.

First stab at the aquascaping. I wanted to have the rock surround the overflow but still leave 2-3" between the back wall and rock for flow to minimize dietritus build up etc. This is as far as I got last night.

3152145236_e9c8cc2162_b.jpg

3151313577_e26151c9e7_b.jpg

3152146330_cf528161a9_b.jpg
 
A few sump/fuge in action shots. The DSB is about 6" deep. No bubbles at all in the sump area. The refugium has some minor surface bubbles where the T'd return comes in but it dissapates at the surface with a soft fizzing noise like after you open a soda. In the back of the refugium I have a 6" wide by 18" long by 10" high eggcrate container filled with LR rubble.

3152159056_eabed8af1c_b.jpg

3152159446_73a26132f9_b.jpg

3151327567_2b0d46fb93_b.jpg

3151327995_c697f32564_b.jpg
 
So I'm pretty happy with the aquascaping at this point. I have a few tweaks here and there to make but I think I'm getting pretty close to what I am wanting. There are lots of shelfs and ledges for SPS to be placed and some great verticle areas for Monti's. This is also making for a more open sandbed for clams and the like as well as lots of swiming room around the tank. I also am liking the many "cave" entrances in the rock wall for fish to swim in and out of.

3151328921_faa1997de4_b.jpg

3151329371_ea56c166be_b.jpg

3152163224_06d92c4de2_b.jpg

3151325595_0588d20d3f_b.jpg
 
Me to! No corals for now though.

Tonight I went ahead and transfered my cleaning crew over, snails and hermits. I also moved the pack of chromis over... they are having fun now riding all the new flow. The six line I had in holding I went ahead and moved him into my 20g frag tank for now with plans to move him into this new tank in a few months once I'm ready to put him in (last). He could do some good in the frag tank anyways. The only thing I have left are some darts, blennies and cardinals that I'll continue in the holding tank for now until i'm confident the 120 is ready for them.

The 120 is looking good all set up (minus the canopy and lighting). 200 pounds of live sand (cleaned thouroughly by rinsing repeatedly with SW) and 160-180 pounds of live rock (also cleaned and rinsed with SW) are in the tank with 160 gallons of new clean SW. Also a basketball size clump of Chaeto and a dozen runners of blade calerpa in the refugium. I have 3 upflow reactors going with just the right amount of flow in each running Phosbane, Hydrocarbon 2 and DeNitrate each for approximately 150G each. The ASM G3 skimmer seems to be at a good place and is producing some nice bubbles.

Tested everything just now to see what things look like and a few of the perameters are...

PH 8.12 (via Pinpoint)
Temp Steady at 80.1 to 80.3 all day (via Pinpoint)
Nitrates 0 - of course with all new water (via Salifert Test)
Salinity at 1.0260 (via Pinpoint)
Ammonia 0 (via Salifert)
Nitrate 0 (via Salifert)

I'll test these perameters daily for the next couple of weeks and be ready for a 10% Water change should anything get our of wack. Will do a 10% change at least weekly regardless for now. I mixed up another 60Gallons of Saltwater today so that gives me enough for 3-4 water changes over the next two weeks should I need that many. My Reef Fanatic ATO I ordered through Marine Depot still has not arrived due to being on back order but should arrive in the next week. I will be happy to have that hooked up to help bring some consistency to levels.

Tomorrow my day will consist of finishing up my back panel (vents, fans and plumbing ports), making some adjustments to the canopy (slightly different fit on this new tank) and trimming out the tank to stand transistion.
 
Jeff,

Everything is moving along quite nicely. :D

I noticed in your photos that your fuge area is quite high. :)
Did you allow enough backflow draining from the display tank in case there is a power outage ?
 
Yep... good eye. I actually tested it yesterday and I'm good. I am using a black U dispersal coming into the tank for aesthetics. Had to drill a small hole in the elbow just a hair under the display tank water line to break the syphon. It pulls about 2-3 gallons back down into the sump area now. So, the sump water level covers me with about an inch or two to spare. Before I drilled the hole I had my sump water level extremly shallow and the back syphon probably pulled 12-15 gallons down before it finally stopped when testing it. filled the sump up right to the brim. I was sitting there sweating, ready to plug the pump back in if it filled up any more ;D. But now I'm good. I just received notification this morning that my Reef fanatic ATO is shipped. Should get it in a couple days. Once I have that I'll set all my water levels to compensate for the back syphon and target water level and let it run on auto-pilot.
 
Picked up the makings for a new Refugium light today. Went with the n:vision daylight BR30 6500k bulb. From Home Depot the bulb was $7.97, the clamp light was $7.47 and the timer was $5.97.

3154339907_847b2b7e00_b.jpg
 
Set up it looks like this. Once i'm finally finished with the back panel I will get all the wires cleaned up. Will be running this light when the Halides are off to help keep a more consistent Ph. Also... this bulb runs really cool so I'm not too worried about heat down here compared to what I've run historically. The back panel will still be vented but i'm holding off for now on fans down here until I see what the temp gets like. May install a small thermosate down here to help monitor.

3155177738_fae3b20618_b.jpg
 
With the display tank being 30" deep I quickly learned while aquascaping and placing sand that I would need a couple of tools I have never needed in 75g and less tanks. Here's a few I've picked up to help out.

3154340591_b696c407e6_b.jpg
 
There are a few glitches with the 2009 membership renewal/usegroups. We'll get it sorted out soon. Sorry for the troubles.
http://www.bareefers.org/discussion/index.php?topic=5775.msg72177#new
 
[quote author=Gomer link=topic=4762.msg72194#msg72194 date=1230775950]
There are a few glitches with the 2009 membership renewal/usegroups. We'll get it sorted out soon. Sorry for the troubles.
http://www.bareefers.org/discussion/index.php?topic=5775.msg72177#new
[/quote]

Thanks!!
 
I too use all of those plus one more. Can remember what its called but really like it. Basically same as yellow one but smaller at the end for getting into tighter spots.
 
I just happen upon this thread and read all of it. Thank you very much for sharing Jeff. Outstanding work. Kudos to your wife too - I'm sure her support and looking after two boys are surely appreciated.

That "wave like back shield" is something I'm going to copy, if you don't mind. :)
 
[quote author=sid700 link=topic=4762.msg72201#msg72201 date=1230783163]
That "wave like back shield" is something I'm going to copy, if you don't mind. :)
[/quote]

Sounds great. It was pretty easy to do. Just clamped a left over scrap of 1/4" plexi to my work bench and used a jig saw (with standard wood blade) Just Blue tape over what you are going to cut and take a sharpy to draw your pattern. After cutting take some sandpaper to the cut edge to smooth. It has worked really great. You can tell from the pics the small splashes that are hitting it so it is serving a very real anticipated need.

.... and it looks cool. ;D
 
Back
Top