# Target's 90g reef



## target

It's time to finally start my tank journal. I'm building a 90g reef. I collected all the pieces for it almost a year ago, but then got too busy to get started. Finally have had time to get things moving. So, here's my journey as a newbie reefer. I am going to be doing a bean animal style overflow, so have a bunch of plumbing and stuff to do as part of the build.

A big thank you already to Anthony for helping me gather pretty much all the gear for this build. Through him I got my lights, skimmer, return pump, powerhead, and live rock. Also borrowed his drill bits to drill the tank and harassed him multiple times with every question that popped into my head. Thanks again.

The gear:


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## target

I built a new stand for this tank. It's built 6" higher than most stands so I had extra room for the skimmer.

Without paint:


Primed:




Completed:


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## target

I had to drill a few new holes in the tank for the bean animal overflow, and came up with a way to keep them all inline. I used this jig to start each hole:




After that, I drilled them through:




The back of the tank was painted blue, but I wanted to change it, so the blue was scraped off:




And it was prepped:


Then painted black (first coat):


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## target

Before it was painted, I installed the overflow box:


I also added the baffles to the sump:


The sump in the stand:


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## target

Ran into my first snag as well. I bought a 5g tank to use for an ATO reservoir, but during the build of the stand I changed the hinges I was using, and now am about 1/4" too narrow to fit the 5g beside the sump. So, if anyone knows where I can find a slightly narrower tank, or wants to buy a brand new 5g tank, let me know. I may have enough acrylic to build a custom tank for the ATO.


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## tony1928

Looking good Daniel! Glad to see you get back into it again! 

The details on the stand look amazing!


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## target

Thanks Tony. It was a fun challenge to get that pattern to look good. And I'm happy to finally be moving ahead with this build.


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## 2wheelsx2

Love that overflow in the back. Envious too, as I'd love to do it but don't want to drain my 125 and restart.


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## The Guy

*Nice !*

Hey Daniel: Looks great so far, very nice stand and I see you have some good help there, 90 Gallon is the perfect size IMO. 
Another salty "YES" you'll love reefing.


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## target

2wheelsx2 said:


> Love that overflow in the back. Envious too, as I'd love to do it but don't want to drain my 125 and restart.


Yeah I like the overflow as well. You should go for it.



The Guy said:


> Hey Daniel: Looks great so far, very nice stand and I see you have some good help there, 90 Gallon is the perfect size IMO.
> Another salty "YES" you'll love reefing.


Lol, thanks. I can't wait to actually get everything running.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic

Looks great so far. Awesome stand Daniel but then again you are the BCA resident stand expert.


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## target

Thanks Anthony. Tank is now back in the house. Need to lift it into the stand then get going on the plumbing.


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## tony1928

Last time I moved my 90, I asked my wife to help. Surprisingly she said yes. LOL.


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## 2wheelsx2

tony1928 said:


> Last time I moved my 90, I asked my wife to help. Surprisingly she said yes. LOL.


Probably didn't want you to hurt yourself and then end up having to wait on you hand and foot.


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## target

My wife helped me carry the tank into the garage, and the finished stand into the house. Her sister helped me carry the tank back in, and my wife will help me lift it onto the stand. I'm borrowing glass suction cups from my brother to put it on the stand. the stand is designed so the bottom trim is hidden and I don't want to crush my fingers (or my wife's!!) trying to get it in there.

I've started gluing some of the plumbing, and painted the elbows that will be inside the tank. Here's a shot showing the overflow box, return piping, and unpainted elbows:


And a shot of all the plumbing pieces I will have to assemble:


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## target

With my wife and her sister I was able to get the tank onto the stand without any crushed fingers. The extra height is so nice, but I'm going to need a chair to work on the tank. LOL


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## 2wheelsx2

That stand is awesome. Maybe it's time for me to get you to make me a new canopy for the cube.


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## target

Thanks Gary. What are you thinking you want the new canopy to look like?


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## target

Got most of the plumbing glued together today. Just have to do the longer runs and final connections. Here's what the set up looks like so far:


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## gmann

sorry for the noob question, but does this mean u are gonna have 3 return pumps running?


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## target

No, just one return pump. The 3 big lines are the bean animal overflow. The 2 smaller ones are the return, split from one pump.


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## Claudia

Wow u have been busy, looks really nice and will be a killer when all done. Cant wait to see more


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## tony1928

Glad you got the tank on the stand. Now things will really start to take shape. That overflow looks great. So tempting one day to make my cube a reef. One day....

The height does make everything tougher to work on. With the stand you made me (probably identical to Gary's), the extra high cabinet and then the 24" cube height doesn't make it easy to get to the bottom. In fact, I can't physically reach the bottom unless I pull out the full step ladder. The height is so nice though from a viewing standpoint.


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## target

Yeah I know what you mean Tony. I know I'll need to get on a step ladder to reach the bottom. But the extra height under for the skimmer, and for viewing is worth it.


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## target

Claudia said:


> Wow u have been busy, looks really nice and will be a killer when all done. Cant wait to see more


Thanks Claudia. I can't wait to see it filled. Hoping to have all the plumbing done tomorrow. Then let everything cure for a day or so and fill it with fresh water for a leak test.


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## The Guy

target said:


> Yeah I know what you mean Tony. I know I'll need to get on a step ladder to reach the bottom. But the extra height under for the skimmer, and for viewing is worth it.


My built in stand is high for viewing as well with lots of sump area head room which is great for doing anything sump area related.
I got one of those good quality 3 step folding ladders for getting to the bottom of the tank, works great. BTW looking good, keep the pictures coming.


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## target

Thanks Laurie. Glad to see it finally moving forward.


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## 2wheelsx2

target said:


> Thanks Gary. What are you thinking you want the new canopy to look like?


Same appearance as now, but taller, and of course, simpler to open. But I'm going to do that after I make the decision on which LED's to go with. This Xmas is the decision point as the bulbs are now all over 2 years old and fading fast and I have to spend $80 to replace them or $400 for LED's.

On your build, you didn't go with gate valves, but with ball valves? Do you think you'll have fine enough adjustment with the ball valves on the returns?


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## target

Ok we can definitely work something out. I'm using LEDs on this build.

I went with ball valves on the return because I can adjust the flow on the pump as well so wasn't too worried about it. I've got a gate valve on the main overflow line.


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## 2wheelsx2

target said:


> Ok we can definitely work something out. I'm using LEDs on this build.
> 
> I went with ball valves on the return because I can adjust the flow on the pump as well so wasn't too worried about it. I've got a gate valve on the main overflow line.


Ah ok. Can't waut to see the finished plumbing to see how it will all work.


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## tony1928

The one thing I found with ball valves I've used is that they tend to seize over time. I've had one that I could not even budge even with tools, which you shouldn't really use as you run a good chance of snapping the valve body altogether. I would suggest you turn them every once in a while to keep them smooth.


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## target

Thanks for the tip Tony. I'll remember to do that. They're basically just there to balance the flow on the return to both sides. Once set I'd probably not need to adjust again. But I'll definitely rotate them occasionally. I had 2 ball valves on my last set up, didn't turn them once in over 2 years and they still worked when I took the set up apart. But that was fresh water, salt may change things.


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## 2wheelsx2

Mine were installed the same time as yours and as Tony said, my were very diffcult to turn when I needed them, after about 3 years. I have since had a broken Eheim adapter so I have to turn them every month now, so there are no more problems. I do add a lot of buffers to the water though, so there might have been bulid-up from that.


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## target

2wheelsx2 said:


> Mine were installed the same time as yours and as Tony said, my were very diffcult to turn when I needed them, after about 3 years. I have since had a broken Eheim adapter so I have to turn them every month now, so there are no more problems. I do add a lot of buffers to the water though, so there might have been bulid-up from that.


Makes sense. I'll just open and close them at least once a month to be safe.


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## target

Most of the plumbing is complete. I just have the last few connections to cement, but ran out with 7 joints left.

View from the back:


And from the front:


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## 2wheelsx2

Plumbing looks very tidy. Beautiful job. Is that Flex PVC?


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## target

Thanks Gary. Yes that is flex pvc.


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## tony1928

Flex pvc is pretty neat stuff. There is still a bit of a natural curve to it though which can make it tough to keep straight sometimes. But overall pretty awesome to work with as you use it just like you do with regular pvc. 

Work of art there Daniel! 

Bulkreefsupply sells colour coded PVC now!


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## target

Color coded pvc would've been interesting. And yeah, the natural curve makes it a little tough to straighten but overall I'm glad I used it.


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## target

I finished all the joints last night. I was planning to wait until tomorrow night to fill it so it could cure, but after a quick google search it seems that there is no need to wait. So looks like I will be filling everything tonight for the leak test.


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## 2wheelsx2

Yeah, it looks like the cure time is minutes for smaller pipes.


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## target

2wheelsx2 said:


> Yeah, it looks like the cure time is minutes for smaller pipes.


Yeah. I was definitely thinking it would be longer. But I'm happy I can start filling it. The silicone for the overflow and baffles has already had a few days to cure so it's good to go as well.


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## 2wheelsx2

It'd be nice to verify how the Beananimal overflow works. You should do a youtube vid of it.


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## target

2wheelsx2 said:


> It'd be nice to verify how the Beananimal overflow works. You should do a youtube vid of it.


Yeah I'll have to try that. Probably while still running fresh water before I load anything else into it. One other thing I need to do is build an ATO tank out of the acrylic I have.


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## 2wheelsx2

Probably a good idea to test with fresh so you're not wasting salt, in case you have to drain it.


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## target

That's the plan. I'm going to fill and test with fresh while the stand is away from the wall, then drain, reposition and fill with SW.


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## 2wheelsx2

Good safe plan. When I did my test fill of the cube, I did it against the wall and one of the bulkheads leaked. What a pain.


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## target

Yeah, that's my concern as well. So test it with room to get behind. One thing I didn't work into the plan was an easy drain port. I could always add one as I've got a bulkhead that is just sitting there with a plug in it. Could change that into a quick drain with some extra piping.


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## 2wheelsx2

Do you really need that on a salt tank? You won't be doing large water changes like you would with a discus tank.


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## target

Probably not.


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## The Guy

target said:


> Yeah, that's my concern as well. So test it with room to get behind. One thing I didn't work into the plan was an easy drain port. I could always add one as I've got a bulkhead that is just sitting there with a plug in it. Could change that into a quick drain with some extra piping.


I wouldn't bother it will probably never get used as your water changes will likely be done in & out of your sump.


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## target

Went to start filling the tank and my python sink attachment is broken. I'm thinking I'll just buy a new unit from J&L. The old one is like 6 years old and the hoses aren't too clean looking.


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## Steve

Look into getting a safety siphon perhaps? Safety Siphon Aquarium Drain They're safer to use and will waste less water!


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## target

I had a safety siphon before too. But they don't help you fill the tank which is what I need right now.


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## Steve

Mine helps me fill the tank...?


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## target

Hey Steve, how do you use the safety siphon to fill the tank? I only ever used it to drain the tank, then hooked up the python to refill.


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## 2wheelsx2

I think Steve uses the one which has a garden hose adapter. All you have to do is just get a garden hose adapter for your sink faucet and hook up your hose. If you want the safety siphon Daniel, I can either make you one or send you the list of parts. I've made lots since the time I bought the first one. Tony also uses one I custom-made for the width of the openings of this 400, although it think it broke/leaked since and he has made a new one. It's just a few elbows and schedule 40 1/2" PVC along with a garden hose coupler.


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## target

Hey Gary, yeah send me the list of parts. I'll build my own. Thx.


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## target

Filled the sump last night and tested the return pump. I think I'll have more than enough flow. LOL


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## 2wheelsx2

Nah....get a Maxspect gyre in there too....that'll get a whirlpool going in there. 

Seriously, that looks awesome.


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## target

I also have a wp25 that will add to the flow. 

Yeah I was impressed by the power of that pump. Full flow right now, and it seems even per side even without adjusting the ball valves.


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## 2wheelsx2

target said:


> I also have a wp25 that will add to the flow.
> 
> Yeah I was impressed by the power of that pump. Full flow right now, and it seems even per side even without adjusting the ball valves.


It's even now as there's no backpressure. Once you have stuff and water in the it may or may not change. Also as grunge builds up in the pipes.


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## target

2wheelsx2 said:


> It's even now as there's no backpressure. Once you have stuff and water in the it may or may not change. Also as grunge builds up in the pipes.


Yeah that makes sense. I'll have to adjust as it happens then.


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## Steve

Basically as Gary said. I attached a faucet adaptor to the end of my plastic tubing and the other part of the faucet adaptor to the sink along with an elbow (the sink i use is small so the elbow gives me a better angle to attach it to). Basically when I drain the tank I just drain it into a bathtub and then when I want to fill it I attach it to the sink


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## The Guy

Your going to have great flow with both those inlets plus the wp25 in the tank. 
Looks awesome so far.


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## target

Thanks guys. I had to dial the flow back to half on the pump as it filled the overflow box faster than it could drain. I will need to play with the settings and see how much I can turn it up. 

Also, I seem to have a little water leaking around a couple of the bulkheads. I'm thinking a small bead of silicone around the outside of the nut on the back of the tank should fix that. Or is there a better fix?


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## 2wheelsx2

If you had put the bulkheads on when everything was dry, you'll have a leak. That was my mistake. You need to wet the gaskets before you put them on (on the tank side).


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## target

Ah, good call Gary. I'll loosen them off and try that.


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## tony1928

Yup, I had the exact same problem. Seems when the gasket is wet it seals better. Never been a big fan of how bulkheads work but what else is there?


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## target

Got the gasket issue sorted, no more leaks. Tank is moved into position and leveled. Tomorrow I'll most likely have it refilled and possibly start mixing in the salt. I'll need to get a test kit straight away as well. I just need ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite, correct? Anything else that would be useful?


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## scott tang

Yep unless your going to dose


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## davej

target said:


> I just need ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite, correct? Anything else that would be useful?


For a reef you are going to want to monitor 
Alkalinity
Calcium 
Magnesium
Phosphate 
Nitrate.

If you are starting with established live rock there is a good chance you won't see a ammonia, nitrite, nitrate cycle. 
There will be enough bacteria already in the rock to do the job. Do some research on vinegar or vodka dosing it is a great/inexpensive way to control phosphate and nitrate levels.


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## tony1928

davej said:


> Do some research on vinegar or vodka dosing it is a great/inexpensive way to control phosphate and nitrate levels.


no wonder your reef tank is doing so well Dave! It's getting Grey Goose cocktails!


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## target

Thanks Dave, I'll check it out. I have my LR from Anthony, but it's been in coolers for a number of months without much attention being paid to it so I'll most likely have a cycle when I get it in the tank. I'll pick up those other test kits as I get the tank more established and get closer to adding corals.


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## The Guy

I use Salifert testing kits and find them reliable, I only use the Hanna to test for phosphate as it is spot on. and of course a refractometer for salinity.
Pictures, we need pictures :lol:


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## davej

The Guy said:


> I use Salifert testing kits and find them reliable, I only use the Hanna to test for phosphate as it is spot on. and of course a refractometer for salinity.
> Pictures, we need pictures :lol:


What he said!


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## target

Headed out for lunch but should be refilling when I get back. What pictures do you want to see?


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## target

Has anyone used this:

Caribsea Purple-Up Accelerator - 16 oz.

I'm thinking of grabbing a bottle to help the LR once I get it in the tank.


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## tony1928

Where are you going to get your LR? When I had my SW tank, I tried that and it did work but I think its no different than dosing the tank with the appropriate Ca/Alk/Mg additives which you can get in bulk and likely a lot cheaper than purple up. I didn't know too much about this stuff since I didn't keep SW for long. A friend came by and helped me out and that's what he had told me.


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## target

I've already got all the LR. I got it from Anthony. But it's been I coolers for close to a year and I haven't really paid attention to it. One of the powerheads died so half was without circulation for a couple days. Then the pump I added instead over heated the rock in that cooler as well. So I'm guessing at least half unfortunately is probably mostly dead.


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## target

I went to do a reading with my refractometer last night, and even when the screw is adjusted all the way in, I'm still getting a reading of 1.008 SG. This is with tap water. Any ideas why it wouldn't be 1.000? I've noticed that around the prism the epoxy or whatever is holding it in place has chipped out and I can see below the prism. Could that be the issue? Would it be better to just get a new refractometer? I got this one second hand as a trade while selling off my FW equipment last year. I was really hoping to start adding the salt tonight but if I can't get a proper SG reading there's no point.

The tank is refilled and was running over night. Once I got the bean animal overflow tuned properly it went almost perfectly silent, and is able to handle all the flow my pump can produce, turned on to it's highest setting.

Before I add the salt I'm thinking I will drain the sump, just fill the tank with SW, then when I add the sand and LR it will push the extra water over the overflow and refill the sump so I don't have to siphon out the excess SW. Would it be better to place the rocks first, then add the sand around them? Or sand first?


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## scott tang

Do you have calibration water? That's what your supposed to use to calibrate ro water works to 

And I always place sand first so if I drop a rock on the bottom no biggy just wiggle them till you can tell there touching the bottom


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## target

No, I don't have any calibration water. Guess I could grab a bottle of distiled water from the store to test.


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## The Guy

That's what I use to calibrate mine, works great. I've only calibrated maybe 6 times in 2 years and it's always bang on.


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## target

Thx Laurie. I really want to get the SW mixed and the rocks in by the end of the week so it can start cycling


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## target

So I think I need a new refractometer. Even with distilled water I can't get it to 1.000. The lowest it will go is 1.018 which definitely isn't right. So guess I wait until Friday when I have the day off to get to J&L and pick up a new one.


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## target

Was able to get to J&L last night. Had them try to calibrate my refractometer and it wouldn't go to 1.000. Looks like the prism lifted somehow. So I picked up a new one as well as some sand and test kits.

Tonight when I get home I'll be adding the salt. I calculated my tanks inner volume at 76.5g so I'll be having to add 38.25 cups of salt! And that doesn't include the sump. My plan is to drain the sump fully, mix the full tank, then add the sand and live rock so that the water it displaces will fill the sump and I can have an accurate measurement of the operating volume of the tank and sump.


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## target

Got the salt mixed, let it run for an hour, tested and it was 1.025. So I added the sand, live rock, and turned everything on. It started off pretty cloudy from the sand:



This morning it was a lot clearer but still cloudy. Should I get a filter sock to help clear up the water?


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## target

Water is a lot clearer this evening but still needs some more time to clear. I did a test of the water and got:

0 ammonia
0 nitrite
0 nitrate

Now am I testing too early? Or has all the rock died during the time it spent in the coolers?


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## shift

Post some more pics once it clears


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## scott tang

Might be testing early wate a few days


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## target

Water cleared up and I started doing some scaping. It got all cloudy again so I was doing it by feel. The center is the area I was working on. I want to build both sides up higher and get some more cave areas. What do you think?


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## The Guy

Nice to see the water in, I have the ends built up too, just a suggestion to try and not have rock touching the ends , I was told to do it that way for cleaning with a mag block, swimming access for the fish to the rear of the tank behind the rocks and current flow, scaping is a lot of fun. What you do at the end of the day is up to you though.


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## target

Yeah I was going to make sure the rocks were away from the glass. The ones on the end were just there to stay under water.


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## target

It's now been 2 weeks that my tank has been running. I just tested and have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and 0 nitrate. I think the rock is dead. So I'm thinking of picking up a couple pieces of LR either from and existing set up or from J&L to seed my rock. Also thinking of maybe dropping in a couple of prawns to add a source of ammonia? Would this be a good way to get the cycle started? I want to make sure I'm actually moving forward with this tank instead of just having a tank full of salt water running through my pump.


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## The Guy

Give Anthony a call,he just took down a tank and I think he's got some extra live rock in his big sump.


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## target

Picked up a piece of fresh LR at J&L today and reworked the scape. Also got the lights onto the tank.


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## The Guy

target said:


> Picked up a piece of fresh LR at J&L today and reworked the scape. Also got the lights onto the tank.


Nice rock layout Daniel lots of holes, looks good. What lights are you using can't really tell from the picture?


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## target

Thanks Laurie, the lights are custom LEDs. They are turned up maybe half way in that pic. They are crazy bright when turned up full


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## The Guy

You may want to hang your lighting to give you a little better light spread, I hung my AI sols at 12" ABWL when I first set up my tank 2 years ago and it made a huge difference. Notice the LR against the right end of the tank glass which I was told about at the time by a member LOL!! It's great for when you want to work in the tank, there out of the way as well.


Looking good keep the pictures coming.


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## target

Yeah I'm working out what I want to do in terms of hanging the lights. Has to be functional but also aesthetically pleasing for my wife


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## The Guy

target said:


> Yeah I'm working out what I want to do in terms of hanging the lights. Has to be functional but also aesthetically pleasing for my wife


Ya you know the old saying " A happy wife is a happy life"


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## target

Exactly. She's currently obsessed with corals, and loving the expensive ones. More into the corals than the fish too. I love it.


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## scott tang

If go for 8 inch to 10 min of the lights


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## target

Moonlights


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## target

First tank inhabitants are in. 4 hermits, a lemon damsel, and a Kupang damsel. Once they start exploring I'll try to get better pics.


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## The Guy

Good choice for "canary" fish to give some load.


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## target

Thanks Laurie, I'm so happy to finally have some life swimming around in there.


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## target

Picked up my first corals today. Got an Australian Duncan, a frogspawn, and some radioactive dragon eyes Zoas.


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## tony1928

Wow Daniel looking good. Your patience is amazing!


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## target

Thanks Tony. Glad you think I'm being patient. I picked up a couple of clowns and ended up with a piece of pulsing Xenia as well.


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## tony1928

I just know that when I was trying my hand at SW...the waiting was agony. It was worth it to take my time but it goes against my natural impatience.


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## target

Yeah it's definitely tough, especially when you see a well established reef. So hard not to keep buying corals. LOL


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## The Guy

Hey patience is worth it, a year will go by quickly though, mine is at 2 years as of Dec.2 
Like Anthony says a crack habit is probably cheaper than reefing, "but only if you let it."


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## target

Lol Laurie, Anthony and I were talking about that today. Yeah, a year will go by quickly. I am going to be impatiently waiting to add some SPS and anenomes to my tank.


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## Daryl

I wanted to take a moment and compliment you on your work; that stand is a piece of art, and your plumbing is very tidy! I did have a couple of questions;

1. What is the hole on the bottom right corner (if looking at the tank) for? Is it plumbed to something or capped off?
2. Did you ever consider making the overflow box the entire length of the tank?
3. What did you paint the pvc with? Krylon Fusion?
4. I can only assume this wasn't the first tank you've drilled? Either way, I am impressed. Can you elaborate on the prep & tools used?


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## target

Thanks Daryl, I put a lot of thought and planning into this build and am pleased with how it turned out.

1. The hole on the lower right side is capped. it was my filter feed when this was a FW tank and was hooked to a canister filter.

2. I did consider the full length overflow, but already had the hole in the upper right corner from the previous set up and wanted to keep the plumbing symmetrical on both sides.

3. Yes, I used Krylon Fusion, satin finish I think. I should've done an extra coat or 2 on the back of the tank as it's a little thin in spots, but from the front you don't notice.

4. This was the first tank I drilled personally. The previous 2 holes were drilled by Anthony with me assisting. For the holes I needed I used the jig I showed in the picture to start the hole, just enough for the bit to stay where I wanted it. Then I used playdough to make a small dam around the hole. Filled the dam with water to keep the bit cool, and slowly drilled through the pane of glass. I did get a few chips when the bit cut through the other side of the glass, but for the most part it was no issue. The bit was a diamond coated glass bit, and I used my 18V power drill. Other than that, not much to it. It's more scary than difficult.

This tank has been a lot of firsts for me. First time to drill, first overflow I've built, first sump, first plumbing job, first SW tank. It's been a learning curve, but totally worth it.


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## target

So yesterday afternoon I went out and got a few more corals. Thanks to Scott Tang I came home with some purple, pink, and green palys, as well as a yellow tip torch. It's been a busy weekend for corals for me, LOL.

Also, Saturday morning I added a bunch of extra shells for my hermits, and less than an hour after I dropped them in my boy calls me to come quick, the crabs are checking out the shells. We then watched as 3 of the 4 crabs changed shells in 20 mins. I was impressed with how fast they knew the new shells were in the tank, and with how quickly they decided to change shells. I figured it would've been a few days at least before they got to it.


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## The Guy

YAAAAAAAAA I would say your hooked Daniel, reefing is Sooooooo much fun with lots of enjoyment.
Slowly BCA is becoming home to more and more salties, Have fun with it.
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you and your family Daniel.
More pictures please. Cheers


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## target

Thanks Laurie, yeah definitely hooked.

Clowns


Frogspawn


Radioactive dragon eyes


Australian Duncan


Pulsing Xenia


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## target

I'll post pics of the palys and the torch when I get home and take them.


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## target

Last nights additions:

Pink Paly


Purple Paly (terrible pic)


Green paly


Yellow tip torch (not fully open yet)


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## Daryl

target said:


> Thanks Daryl, I put a lot of thought and planning into this build and am pleased with how it turned out.


You should be pleased - and proud! Great job!



target said:


> 2. I did consider the full length overflow, but already had the hole in the upper right corner from the previous set up and wanted to keep the plumbing symmetrical on both sides.


 It's probably better aesthetically to keep it balanced... I presume the water flows over the sides as well (if they're the same height as the front), so you probably don't "lose" much flow opposed to if you could have run it full length.



target said:


> 3. Yes, I used Krylon Fusion, satin finish I think. I should've done an extra coat or 2 on the back of the tank as it's a little thin in spots, but from the front you don't notice.


 Krylon Fusion satin finish is what I just bought for some DIY filter intakes & outlets I'm making. I've seen it referenced a lot online as being "safe", but it's somehow reassuring knowing that someone locally is using it as well.



target said:


> 4. This was the first tank I drilled personally. The previous 2 holes were drilled by Anthony with me assisting. For the holes I needed I used the jig I showed in the picture to start the hole, just enough for the bit to stay where I wanted it. Then I used playdough to make a small dam around the hole. Filled the dam with water to keep the bit cool, and slowly drilled through the pane of glass. I did get a few chips when the bit cut through the other side of the glass, but for the most part it was no issue. The bit was a diamond coated glass bit, and I used my 18V power drill. Other than that, not much to it. It's more scary than difficult.
> 
> This tank has been a lot of firsts for me. First time to drill, first overflow I've built, first sump, first plumbing job, first SW tank. It's been a learning curve, but totally worth it.


 Wow. I'm even more impressed! Good thinking on the jig; I've read that it's common for the bit to skip at first... And your use of playdough is actually an elegant solution; I was wondering how one would work the drill and a spray bottle... As far as the chips on the negative side; are there any ways that you've heard on how to eliminate or minimize that? I assume you could flip the tank and start a new hole from the inside - but if you didn't have it lined up perfect it could be disastrous!


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## target

Thanks again. The overflow sides are the same height as the front and I made certain the tank was level when I put it in place. The water flows evenly over the sides and the front of the overflow. And with the overflow being level with the underside of the top trim I'll never have a visible waterline in the tank. The only thing I would change is to have the overflow on the outside so it's not visible. But that would've required cutting a long slot into the back of the tank and I wasn't comfortable attempting that. 

Yeah I had done a lot of internet research on paint and all seemed to point to Krylon Fusion. It coated the pvc very nicely. 

As for the chips on the negative side, I think I maybe have put a bit too much pressure on the drill when it was breaking through. The holes Anthony had previously drilled had very minor chipping. Just need to go slow and let the weight of the drill do the work. I definitely wouldn't attempt to try and start te drilling from the inside. Lining up the holes would be tough.


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## Daryl

I noticed you only have one standpipe with a valve on it. Is that your syphon drain? 

With the overflow box built up to the trim of the tank, does the water actually come over the trim? If it does, does the pressure of the water float your lids?


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## target

The standpipe with the valve is the main syphon drain. It runs at a full syphon all the time.

The overflow box is level with the bottom of the trim on the outside of the tank so it's about 1-3/4" from the top of the tank. Even when the syphon is restarting the water level never gets high enough to touch the lids or the underside of the trim.


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## target

So been thinking about the fish I want to add. I know I want some Bangaii cardinals and was thinking 2 or 4. Any advice on what number to choose? Hoping King Eds will have some for sale on Boxing Day.


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## shift

Good Choice so far on the bangai. I would do a small school of them. 3-5? 

The


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic

You'll want to look carefully to see if the Bangaii at the LFS are pairing off and try to get a male and female. A lot of times, if you have a small group, once they pair off, that dominant pair will defend their territory and pick on the odd fish out.


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## target

Good to know Anthony. What if they are small? Still better to get a pair?


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic

If they are small, a small school is fine. Just be prepared to sell/trade off the odd one(s) out if it becomes necessary in the future. Sometimes they all get along, but other times the dominant pair will nip at & tear the fins from the extra fish. 

Anthony


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## target

Thanks Anthony. I'll watch for that. 

So had a bit of a scare last night. Picked up some chaeto and added it to the sump. Balanced a 24" T5 over my sump and it slipped in while turned on. Luckily I had decided to install a GFCI outlet behind my tank and it did it's job and instantly tripped. Shut down everything in the tank. Definitely worth the extra couple dollars for that outlet. And I'll be headed to Home Depot today to try and find a clip on light.


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## target

Got the clip on light installed on Friday, and since I added the chaeto it seems like almost all of the brown algae on my tank has disappeared. Also added a orange rhodactis mushroom


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## The Guy

Orange rhodactis are my favorite mushrooms, sometimes hard to find, where did you get it?


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## target

I got it from a guy off of canreef. He's got more if you're interested. Was $15 each.


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## target

Having an issue with my heaters. I noticed my tank felt cool Tuesday and checked, the temp had dropped to 72. The heaters are both showing the light to say they are on but over a day later the temp hasn't come up at all. 2 defective heaters or having both crap out at the same time seems unlikely to me. Fish are fine, and corals are still opening. Any ideas what the issue could be?


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## The Guy

What heaters are you using? Should be at least 200 watt. I run a 200 watt titanium and a 125 Eheim back up.


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## target

I've got 2 x 250w marineland heaters. Should be more than enough


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## target

And now I've got another issue. The pump on my skimmer is now shorting out and shutting down my tank. It's unplugged and the rest is running again. But now I either need to replace the pump or get a new skimmer. Not what I was wanting to spend money on right now


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## Daryl

2 faulty heaters and a pump in less than 24 hours? Could there be an electrical problem?

Sure hope you get it figured out.


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## target

Don't think there's an electrical problem. The heaters went wonky a day or 2 ago. Not sure what happened with the pump in the skimmer besides it being a secondhand skimmer that was stored for a few years.

I'm looking at a reef octopus skimmer and hoping for some good sales tomorrow


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## tony1928

I think Reef Octopus is 10% off at J&L for boxing day event.


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## target

Yeah I've been watching the site. I'm planning to go to Ling Eds tomorrow too and see who's got the better price. Going to get the skimmer and a new heater. Not what I planned to buy for Boxing Day.


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## target

Went to King Eds and got a new heater and fish food. Then to J&L for a new skimmer. This reef octopus is silent!


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## jobber

Treating yourself very well.


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## target

Lol, yeah. It just meant no new fish or corals today though.


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## The Guy

Nice skimmer, If you have trouble getting it to skim run it in mixture of RO water and vinegar for 24 hour to break it in. I did that when I got my new Omega 150 then into the sump and has worked perfect to date. Nice finally meeting you Daniel.


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## target

Thanks Laurie. It was nice meeting you too. New skimmer is in the sump and is creating foam already. Watery foam with no waste in it but still working. LOL. I'll make sure and try your suggestion if needed though.


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## jhj0112

target said:


> Lol, yeah. It just meant no new fish or corals today though.


there is always tomorrow . very good deal on skimmer. I probably bumped into you this morning at J and L.

bumped into few familiar faces at kinged and J&L..


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## target

Yeah I saw a few people at J&L. It was so busy!


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## target

One of my hermits has taken on the biggest shell I placed in the tank. It's impressive he can carry it.



My boy loves the algae cleaner



And the latest full tank shot. Still really empty. Will be adding some sunny d and fire and ice palys tomorrow. Also hoping to pick up a few more fishes as well


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## noisetherapy

This is great. Just read through your entire journal. Looks awesome so far, got me really excited and inspired for my next project!


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## target

Thank you. It was a great decision to go salt. What size are you planning?

I picked up 5 more corals today including my first 2 SPS.


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## scott tang

looks good becare full of the xenia they like to take over !


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## target

scott tang said:


> looks good becare full of the xenia they like to take over !


Yeah I was warned of that by the guy I bought it from too. If it starts getting out of hand I'll start selling it off.


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## shift

I see life in the tank! This is when it starts to get exciting!


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## target

shift said:


> I see life in the tank! This is when it starts to get exciting!


Lol, been life in the tank for a few weeks now. Up to 14 corals now. Only 4 fish so the goal for the weekend is to pick up a couple more.


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## shift

Nice work!!! It's exciting getting corals. I picked up a few more frags today for mine


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## target

Yeah they are addictive for sure.


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## jhj0112

shift said:


> I see life in the tank! This is when it starts to get exciting!


Also, This is when your wallet/ credit card start to suffer!!


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## target

Lol yeah, it's not cheap. But I'm loving how the tank is starting to look


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## target

More new additions today. Picked up a cleaner shrimp, mandarin goby, and a firefish


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## noisetherapy

target said:


> Thank you. It was a great decision to go salt. What size are you planning?


I think I just scored a 90g myself. I'm poorer than dirt right now so I'm hoping to be up and running by end of summer 2015.


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## target

90 is a great size. So glad I started with it. Mine took me quite a while to get going as well, over a year. Collect pieces when you can. And I highly recommend the bean animal style overflow. My tank runs almost silent. A low hum from the return pump and that's it


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## Daryl

I've done a lot of reading on sumps and if I ever get a larger tank the bean animal style is the only one I would consider. It's not so much the silence or the fail safe design as it is the science behind how & why it works as well as it does... It's genius.


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## target

Agreed, it's pretty cool and with my adjustable pump I can play with it and see how it works on different flow rates.


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## target

Been meaning to add some new pics for a bit now, but been too busy. Here's the latest additions.

Mandarin Goby


Finger Leather


Orange Digi


Terrible pic of a cleaner shrimp


Bird of Paradise


And if anyone knows what zoa/paly these guys are, please let me know


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## target

Also, on the second picture above, anyone know what the thin green shoots are? They are growing off a piece of LR, and there are a few more showing up now as well. I like the way they look, just would like to know what they are. LOL


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## scott tang

The hair algea? You don't want that btw


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## target

Not the hair algae. LOL In the picture with the finger leather, at the bottom of the picture, is some skinny green stalks.


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## scott tang

oh haha thats probly a marco macro algea or a tunicate dependign what it feels like


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## target

Picked up a Kole tang last weekend as well as some Astrea and turbo snails. Those snails are awesome at eating algae. They have completely cleaned the overflow, inside and out, as well as eaten half of the algae off the rocks. The kole is starting to swim a little more freely, but likes to hide when I walk over to the tank. I also bought larger shells for my hermits. Some of them are getting pretty big. My Duncan also has a tiny new head growing on it.


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## Arcteryx

Wow. That looks amazing. Great work on it.


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## shift

Looks awesome!


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## The Guy

Hey Daniel
My Kole was shy for a few days too, now he never stops swimming and chowing down on glass algae as well pecking on the rocks. 
There very cool fish and peaceful for the most part, other than when new fish are introduced he acts up for a day or so then he calms down and leaves them alone.
I would think my big yellow would be the unfriendly one with new fish, but he could care less.


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## target

Arcteryx said:


> Wow. That looks amazing. Great work on it.





shift said:


> Looks awesome!


Thanks guys.


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## target

The Guy said:


> Hey Daniel
> My Kole was shy for a few days too, now he never stops swimming and chowing down on glass algae as well pecking on the rocks.
> There very cool fish and peaceful for the most part, other than when new fish are introduced he acts up for a day or so then he calms down and leaves them alone.
> I would think my big yellow would be the unfriendly one with new fish, but he could care less.


yeah he seems to be swimming more freely already. Likes to chase my clowns into the overflow though LOL. Also, the Azure damsel tried to push him around and it doesn't seem to work out for the damsel. The Kole is about twice the damsel for size.


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## input80

Heya Daniel, I just read through this journal, great work & tank. Now you just need an anemone for your clowns, didn't see any yet


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## target

Thanks Ian. No anemone yet. Would love to have one but am going to take my time before I add one. I've read they can be finicky. I just added 4 vanderbuilt chromis on Friday too. Tank is starting to look lively.


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## target

Some new pics.

Kole:



Shrimp going for a ride:



Bengaii's



And my Duncan with all heads closed for dinner. There's 3 new heads growing right now too.


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## target

Added some more to my tank. last week I added a lubbocks wrasse, and some green candy cane, Yesterday I added some green star polyps, red monti cap, and a green rhodactis mushroom. Wondering what everyone would suggest to add for my clowns to host. I'm not ready for an anemone yet. I'll have to post up some new pics some too.


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## target

Went to King Ed's on Saturday to get a bucket of salt. And of course I couldn't leave with just the salt. Came home with an emerald crab and a peppermint shrimp. Haven't seen the shrimp since it went into the tank, so hope it's ok. And I was able to see the crab for the first hour or so, then it moved to a new rock and I can't see it. That guy blends in so well. LOL

Also still looking for suggestions on a coral that my clowns could host besides an anemone. Right now they just stay in the top left corner of the aquarium and rarely ever come forward. I'd like to see them swimming more freely around the tank.


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## The Guy

Hey Daniel try a good sized pulsating exenia my clowns love theirs, pictures we need pictures. :lol:


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## hondas3000

get toadstool, or big hammer coral. Clown pretty much host in anything that they find it safe to hide in.


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## shift

Tank is looking good. Host corals. Toadstool hammer. Frogspawn tourch Duncan's. Lots of good ones


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## target

Thanks guys, I'll try to get some updated pics up in the next day or so. I've got a large Duncan, a small torch, a small hammer, and a massive finger leather. And they haven't gone near any of them. Will have to keep my eye out for a large xenia or toadstool then.

My torch also never seems to open fully. or it's just got really short tentacles. I moved it lower in the tank and it extended a bit farther, like 1.5cm long. But nothing like I see other peoples torches.


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## target

Got another new addition to my tank today. Picked up a flame angel from The Guy. Thanks Laurie. And here's some new pictures, finally.

Flame Angel


Full Tank


Left Side


Center


Right Side


Panorama


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## The Guy

Tanks looking good Daniel, now maybe the flame can have some peace, how were your clowns with him?


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## target

The clowns were completely fine with him. My clowns are total wimps who never leave the top left corner. The kole chased him right away but nothing serious. I'll monitor to see how that goes.


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## The Guy

target said:


> The clowns were completely fine with him. My clowns are total wimps who never leave the top left corner. The kole chased him right away but nothing serious. I'll monitor to see how that goes.


Ya my Kole chases everything new, but soon that aggression stops.


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## target

Good to know. he didn't seem to be trying to hurt the flame, just showing him who's boss.


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## target

I think something in my tank is killing my fish. I've lost almost all of them lately. My kole, the 2 clowns, the flame angel, and this morning found one of the bangaii cardinals in the mouth of a coral. Would 2 damsels be capable of taking out other fish? I've missed a WC, but the corals still seem to be doing great. Just the fish being wiped out. Any ideas?


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## The Guy

How are your levels?


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## tony1928

Sorry to hear Daniel. Always tough when you don't know what's causing it.


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## target

Been a few months since I posted. And a lot has happened. Lost all but 3 fish in my tank. Only have 2 damsels and a Lubbocks wrasse left. My lights kicked the bucket but fortunately I was able to work out a deal for some AI Sols which are awesome. I am also about to move the tank into my basement so I can reno the main floor where it's sitting. And that's got me considering upgrading to a 180g. I have my eye on a 6'×2'×2' tank. My wife is on board with a longer tank but will need a bit of convincing on the extra width. I'd be able to easily open the floor to reinforce it at this time as there's only subfloor right now. Carpets all been ripped out.

Also added to my family. We had a 3rd boy born on Sept. 19th. 6lb 14oz and everyone is healthy. We named him Greyson Andrew.


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## RMC

Busy guy! Reno, new born and new tank!

Congratulations on the new addition, the baby that is!


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## tony1928

Congrats on the baby Daniel! 

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk


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## April

Congrats on your third son! 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## 2wheelsx2

Sorry to hear about the fish but congrats on your new son Daniel!


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## target

Got the tank moved downstairs today. Man, what a lot of work. Now to decide if I should go big with the 180. Pics to come of the new tank set up tomorrow after the water fully clears. I've also got the Azure Damsel in my sump for now. Anyone interested in providing him a new home?


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## shift

New tank?!


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## target

Lol not a new tank. Just a new setup of the rock work in the existing tank. But playing with the idea of upgrading to a 180g


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## target

Here's some shots of the new layout in my tank. I'm liking all the caves and openings in the rock.





And I picked up 4 SPS yesterday as well

Purple Valida


Green Bali


Red Planet


Cali Tort


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## target

So someone, I won't say who (cough*Laurie*cough) has been bugging me about my lack of pictures. So I guess I should update this thread. When I moved the tank I caught out the damsels and they are currently residing in my sump. Anyone interested in a Azure and a yellow damsel? I've since acquired a caramel clown (was 2, one liked the overflow too much), a yellow tang, a splendid dottyback, and a clown goby, as well as a fire red shrimp, 2 coral banded shrimps, and a sexy shrimp. The sexy shrimp I haven't seen since it went into the tank. LOL Also, anyone want a big piece of finger leather? Mine's growing out of control and I need to trim it back a lot.

Anyways, here's some pictures:

Full Tank


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## Bluebarry

very nice tank !


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## target

Bluebarry said:


> very nice tank !


Thank you. Starring to get more lovely looking.


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## shift

Looking good


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## AKAmikeross

Please clear your inbox. I am trying to send you a message regarding a stand build but it says you have to many messages stored.


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