You talk like you think I planned everything out already. I don't know, really. Might just be hiding places for fish. I might attach corals to the edges of the overhangs and not worry about the shaded areas. We will see.
Feeling a little better about the LifeReef skimmer. This is after about 36 hours of skimming. Skimmate is very dark and the skimmer is producing plenty of foam. At first I was a little worried after I didn't see much skimmate - even during rock curing. A few months later and it seems to be working fine. Obviously there is a heavier bio-load now, so that may be one reason.
I know it's no DelTec, but for the price, I think it is doing a good job.
Also switched a few weeks ago to 250watt ReefLux 12k bulbs. The other 10k bulbs that I had were too yellow for my taste. I like these better.
I had a funky green color to my old rock that came out of my 75 after it perished. The rock had been bleached and sat in RO/DI water for months (with numerous water changes). I started using the PHOSaR HC in a reactor and that all went away - thank goodness.
Stocking is still going slowly. Starting to add a few test SPS frags. A few different monti caps and a couple milleporas. So far, so good. The tank will be mixed, but heavy on SPS at the upper level - eventually.
FTS from 11-23-07. Have added a number of corals over the last month. Still a long way to go.
Another front shot...
Bought this large pagoda coral today. I think it is dyed yellow like this. Just thought that it would still be nice if the color faded to a natual color because of the size and number of polyps. Looks to be a very healthy coral.
Also picked up this very nice green monti cap. Liked the ridges on the coral and the nice shape / color.
Also this week, I picked up an 8 month old used 1/2HP chiller. Now I have to find the time to plumb it in.
I think our tanks were done about the same time. You are well ahead of me on stocking. Guess I better get off my butt and do something about that.
Looks great.
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150 gal Custom. Born 5/7/07. 50gal, 29gal, 20gal Sumps. 30gal Frag Tank. ETSS 800 Skimmer, Deltec APF600 Skimmer. PFO Solaris Lighting on Display and Frag Tank
Yeah, our tanks are only a few weeks apart in age. I am stocking pretty slow, but in spurts. I have had two great deals in getting livestock from fellow reef club members that both moved large tanks. Both were downsizing, so I managed to get some corals for a good price - and I couldn't turn that down. I wish my tank looked as good as the two tanks I got those corals from. Both were excellent. There is probably only about 10 corals in there from a LFS.
I was really lucky in getting that 1/2HP chiller for $400. The thing retails for just under $1,000 and it is only 8 months old. Looks brand new. It has a 10 degree pull down rating on a 450 gallon tank and a 30 degree pull down on a 240. The reef club member that I got it from had it on a 150. It should be able to manage the 5 degree pull down I am looking for on my tank and hardly have to run at all to keep it there. Plus I would have the extra cooling capacity if my a/c ever goes down while I am out of town (which has happened to me before).
On another note, I have also added an Ecotech Marine VorTech propeller pump for added flow, but most importantly, to have a battery operated backup pump. The one I got has the wireless controller for different flow patterns and strengths. I got one battery, which is supposed to run the pump for a little more than one day, should the power go down. You can add batteries to the system to increase the run time. I plan to add two more batteries, so the pump will run between 3 and 4 days without a/c power and hopefully buy me time to get back home to get a generator on the tank (thinking of evacuations or weekend trips where Murphy's Law always seems to visit my house). Pretty neat little pump, a little pricey, but if it will keep the reef alive for a weekend in my absence, it is more than worth the cost. In case you are wondering about the batteries, they cost $149 each and are supposed to last several years. They can be refurbished by IceCap for only $65.
Wireless controller....
Backup battery...
Great surface agitation and the pump is located probably six inches below the surface.
Great. You just reminded me that I still haven't hooked up an automatic backup system. I'm still playing "Take my chances".
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150 gal Custom. Born 5/7/07. 50gal, 29gal, 20gal Sumps. 30gal Frag Tank. ETSS 800 Skimmer, Deltec APF600 Skimmer. PFO Solaris Lighting on Display and Frag Tank
That was a priority to me on this tank. Once you've cleaned out a dead reef, backup becomes a larger issue. This would not have helped me much during Rita, because we went so far away when we evacuated and we had no power for two weeks. But, I like to take weekend trips, so if I trip a breaker while I am out of town - which has also happened to me before - this is at least a little peace of mind.
I don't know, really. Might just be hiding places for fish. I might attach corals to the edges of the overhangs and not worry about the shaded areas. We will see.
Linear Mode
