JoJo's 135g in wall tank

[jojo727]

Thanks Culp, glad to be here.
Tank specs:
as of now i'm using the old 48" PC fixture from my 90g, it has 2 10k & 2 true actnic bulbs. i have an IceCap 660 ballast that i will be using to power t-5 bulbs in addition to the PC bulbs.
i have a 6 stage RO/DI unit that does about 100gpd, this feeds a 32g container which is connected to an auto topoff sensor. that same 32g has a valve at the bottom that i use to drain FW into another 32g container that i use to mix SW with. i use Reef Crystal salt and i have kalk ready to be mixed/dripped but with the little frags i have water changes are enough to keep up with the calcium demands. W/C are done by flipping a switch to my drain pump that pumps water to an outside drain, once thats shut off another switch causes my mixing tub pump to shoot new SW into the sump. W/Cs are done 3-4 times a week and it takes about 3 mins to do a 20g w/c.
i have about a 5in sandbed, underneath that is eggcrate that keeps the rocks from sliding. i have a black 18g container i will be using as a pod farm or fuge. i'm completing a algae turf scrubber now, it should be done by the end of the weekend

 

[mie]

Just a suggestion, but maybe replace the wood braces with plastic.

 

[jojo727]

Originally Posted by Culp
http:///forum/post/2879402
What all do you have in the tank fish wise?
as of now theres 2 Chromis(the 3rd went missing while we were at Disney over thanksgiving week), an O. clown, a lawnmower blenny and a male Anthias thats has about 2 more weeks in the QT before he can be added.
Originally Posted by mie
http:///forum/post/2879403
Love the progres of your build, looks great. Keep us updated,
Major props to educating ignorant people on on pits. Poor dogs get a bad name from stupid people, unfortunatly until people become more aware pits should not be allowed to be pets to most people.
Welcome to the boards.
Thanks. You're right, these dogs are not for everyone ESPECIALLY not the weeak at heart or the impatient. thats exactly why we do detail background checks and encourage the new parents to join our association or atleast attend the meetings to learn how to properly take care of their new "k-9 kids"

 

[culp]

Originally Posted by JoJo727
http:///forum/post/2879417
W/C are done by flipping a switch to my drain pump that pumps water to an outside drain, once thats shut off another switch causes my mixing tub pump to shoot new SW into the sump. W/Cs are done 3-4 times a week and it takes about 3 mins to do a 20g w/c.
i really wish my water changes were that easy!

 

[jojo727]

Originally Posted by mie
http:///forum/post/2879419
Just a suggestion, but maybe replace the wood braces with plastic.
that would probably work but since there would be another would brace that holds the light fixture it would probably complicate things. not to worry once the wood is painted with the marine paint it will "reef ready" lol

 

[jojo727]

Originally Posted by Culp
http:///forum/post/2879426
i really wish my water changes were that easy!

i feel your pain Culp

we owned a condo before this house and that is when i had the 90g set up. there was no place for an RO unit and i was using t-12 VHO so there was MAJOR evaporation. so i had to lug (3) 6g jugs to and from the LFS every couple of days. i knew when did this one i wanted it was user friendly as possible

 

[culp]

Originally Posted by JoJo727
http:///forum/post/2879429
that would probably work but since there would be another would brace that holds the light fixture it would probably complicate things. not to worry once the wood is painted with the marine paint it will "reef ready" lol
as long as it is good paint it should be fine. unlike the stand which is painted in cheap paint and now saltwater has gotten into the pours and caused the good the crack! last time i am ever buying a cheap stand.

 

[jojo727]

was it a prefabricated stand or a diy stand you brought from someone else? the stand that went with my 90g was made of 2x4 and sandply sheets that my dad built when he had the set up when i was about 12(i'm 25 now), it held up like a tank until the day i got rid of it 2yrs ago and all he did was put 4 layers deck sealant on it and it lasted about 12 yrs...the salt never penetrated the sealant

 

[culp]

Originally Posted by JoJo727
http:///forum/post/2879464
was it a prefabricated stand or a diy stand you brought from someone else?
it was a prefabricated stand. it was a cheap stand that was for the 55 gallon fish tank i bought that both were made for freshwater that i turned into a saltwater tank in June.
to fix the stand what i did was i got 6 2 by 4's and put them in side the stand. 2 at each ends, and 2 in the middle on both sides of the stand. and every thing is much better now.

 

[jojo727]

nice fix. i'm having an issue with my trates so i just got off work and now i'm tweaking the SW so i can do w/c. this will be the 3rd one in 5 days and it SEEMS like the more i do them the higher the trates go but i tested the new SW and the trates are zero. i noticed my ric starting to close up and cyano on the said but so thats what prompted be to test. hopefully i can get that turf scrubber finished tomorrow

 

[jojo727]

the ATS is nearly finished, i just need a piece of 1" pvc for the return into the sump. once i do a test run i will coat the wood.
lights in action

better view

 

[aquaknight]

JoJo, man, I wish you would have stopped around here earlier! Fantastic setup, everthing is top notch. Keep us updated on the turf scrubber, very interested in maybe doing one myself.

 

[buffett]

very nice set up

 

[mr.reef]

yep it is very nice and when it has some good corals grown out and some more fish it will look great..

 

[jpa0741]

JoJo beautiful work framing in your tank. It looks well thought out. I have a few suggestions. You might look into adding more flow. I am not sure what you plan on keeping., but I would say you are at the min. you would want for any SPS. I don't see a skimmer and you are battling trates already and you don't have many fish yet. I feel this is one the most important tools for a reef. Yes they can be ran without, but they do make life easier. Keep up the good work. I am subscribed.

 

[jojo727]

Originally Posted by AquaKnight
http:///forum/post/2880720
JoJo, man, I wish you would have stopped around here earlier! Fantastic setup, everthing is top notch. Keep us updated on the turf scrubber, very interested in maybe doing one myself.
better late than never, i'll keep pics posted of the ATS
Originally Posted by Buffett
http:///forum/post/2880883
very nice set up

thanks for stopping by
Originally Posted by MR.reef
http:///forum/post/2880929
yep it is very nice and when it has some good corals grown out and some more fish it will look great..
yea, it'll be a while before that happens but i'm looking forward to watching the growth of life.
Originally Posted by jpa0741
http:///forum/post/2881106
JoJo beautiful work framing in your tank. It looks well thought out. I have a few suggestions. You might look into adding more flow. I am not sure what you plan on keeping., but I would say you are at the min. you would want for any SPS. I don't see a skimmer and you are battling trates already and you don't have many fish yet. I feel this is one the most important tools for a reef. Yes they can be ran without, but they do make life easier. Keep up the good work. I am subscribed.
thanks for checking out my thread. to give a little feedback: the flow was calculated to be medium since i'm only putting softies and LPS corals in the tank because i only want corals that move with the current. but i do have 2 mod kits for the MJ i have laying around just in case the flow isnt enough. i have a Turboflotor skimmer, its pulling really dry dark skimmate. as far as the trates problem there could be several factors, one of my chromis is missing so it could be decomposing somewhere.
also i've been having issues with my RO/DI unit since about 6 weeks after having it, the problem was the TDS went from 0-100ppm quickly and after replacing all the membrane/filter/resins the TDS still rollercoastered. i have replaced the filters for a second time about 2 months and now its about 10ppm.
i'm still trying to figure out what else it could be, i'm lightly feeding the fish about every 3 days(i cant remember the food name, i'll post it once i get home).

 

[buffett]

so i know im rushing you but hows the turf scrubber coming along any new pics?

 

[culp]

Originally Posted by JoJo727
http:///forum/post/2881154
also i've been having issues with my RO/DI unit since about 6 weeks after having it, the problem was the TDS went from 0-100ppm quickly and after replacing all the membrane/filter/resins the TDS still rollercoastered. i have replaced the filters for a second time about 2 months and now its about 10ppm.
i'm still trying to figure out what else it could be, i'm lightly feeding the fish about every 3 days(i cant remember the food name, i'll post it once i get home).
there might be some thing wrong with your RO/DI filter. you might have to buy a new unit. because the membrane, filter and resins in it should lack much longer than 2 months.

 

[erock412]

Well done JoJo! Your tank looks great. I like what you did to make water changes easier, seems like you put a lot of thought into this build! I'm a pit bull advocate out here it Pittsburgh, trying to keep BSL out of my state, and it's always great to hear from people doing the same thing in their neck of the woods. Either way, do you have any ideas of what direction you're going to go with your tank? Stocklist?

 

[aquaknight]

JoJo, have you been to Finz of Tampa? I heard it's sick for rarer fish? I've been all over Orlando and the east coast, but haven't ventured over to the greater Tampa area yet...