jlanger's 120gal Arts and Crafts Inspired Reef Build (1 Viewer)
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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I've got a shiny new black box inside my stand!
It doesn't look like much on the outside, but it's what's on the inside that really matters.
Here's a sneak peak at what's going on inside the new shiny black box.
It doesn't look like much on the outside, but it's what's on the inside that really matters.
Here's a sneak peak at what's going on inside the new shiny black box.
mapierce7
Senior Member
Hmmmm doing some turf scrubbing are we?
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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Hopefully.
I still have some testing to do with the spray bar to get the best flow.
And I'll be modifying the lid to the screen box a little bit to fix a small issue.
But for now, the ATS is running as planned. I'm waiting on some algae to see the screen and then I can start seeing if my plans will pay off.
When do we get details on your secret plan?
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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It's no secret.
Pump water over a lit screen infused with algae that will consume nutrients.
What else is there to know?
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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It's quite amazing what you can get done when your main computer has been in the shop for the past two weeks or so....
I've been able to concentrate on finally getting my ATS built.
Here's a few pics...
And as for secret details, well...
I'm still working on the best method for the spray bar; hence the white pvc pipe. I've tried a straight slot, a tapered slot, a combination width slot and (for the heck it) a drilled spray bar. So far, I'm liking the drilled spray bar the best. I may add a series of smaller holes in between the holes I already have, but I may wait until I get some algae seeded and see how it reacts to the current drilled layout. Once I settle on a final spray bar design, I'll drill/slot the black pvc pipe so that everything is blacked out.
There are one or two other minor adjustments that I need to make before I'm completely satisfied with how it turned out; but it looks good!
And since I was in the shop, I might as well build another stand.
Thanks, Jeremy!!! I'll expect a build thread soon!
I've been able to concentrate on finally getting my ATS built.
Here's a few pics...
And as for secret details, well...
I'm still working on the best method for the spray bar; hence the white pvc pipe. I've tried a straight slot, a tapered slot, a combination width slot and (for the heck it) a drilled spray bar. So far, I'm liking the drilled spray bar the best. I may add a series of smaller holes in between the holes I already have, but I may wait until I get some algae seeded and see how it reacts to the current drilled layout. Once I settle on a final spray bar design, I'll drill/slot the black pvc pipe so that everything is blacked out.
There are one or two other minor adjustments that I need to make before I'm completely satisfied with how it turned out; but it looks good!
And since I was in the shop, I might as well build another stand.
Thanks, Jeremy!!! I'll expect a build thread soon!
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That's a pretty nice looking stand
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Oh? Does it remind you of something?That's a pretty nice looking stand
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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So here's a better pic of that Phoenix Montipora frag.
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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Okay, so I didn't make the trip to Rhinelander on Saturday.
But I did get over to AcanLord to take advantage of Stephen's sale; spend $XX and get a free goby. I couldn't pass that up. As it turned out, there was a small (under 2") Randall's Goby. I talked with Stephen about the goby and decided that it might be a match for my goby in the 120gal. After a quick observation, I purchased some coral and brought the little FREE goby home with me.
Would the two gobies form a bond? Or would the larger goby try to eliminate the new goby?
After acclimating the new goby, I placed "him?" into the tank directly in front of the burrows of the resident goby ("she?") and pistol shrimp. When the two gobies met one another, they sized each other up for a few moments and then the small goby darted into the burrows because of a curious kole tang.
For the rest of the weekend, the larger goby was present at the burrow openings while the little goby stayed hidden in the burrows. I knew the little goby was doing fine as it would come out to eat, but any other activity near that area of the tank caused the larger goby to chase the little one back inside the burrows. At this point, I was confident that "she" wasn't going to kill "him", but I wasn't sure if a true bond would ever form.
And now this is what I came home to today...
Sorry for the quick pic, but I didn't want to lose the opportunity to get the shot.
I think it's safe to say that a bond is in the making; even the Tiger Pistol Shrimp is in on it.
I've wanted to have a pair of the Randall's Gobies for a long time. I've had the one goby for over four years. There really isn't much of a difference visually to determine the sex of a Randall's Goby, so I was hesitant to ever take the opportunity to try and create a pair. What I noticed was different between these two fish was that the signal fin on the small goby has the larger frontal lobe. The other goby has a more uniform rounded signal fin. Another factor in trying to determine the sex of these two fish is that my larger goby keeps a well rounded belly at all times. I had recently learned that female gobies are perennially pregnant and just waiting for males. With having the pair of Wheeler's Gobies in my other tank, I have been able to observe them and their behavior. It will be really enjoyable to see how this new pair works out.
Thanks, Stephen!
But I did get over to AcanLord to take advantage of Stephen's sale; spend $XX and get a free goby. I couldn't pass that up. As it turned out, there was a small (under 2") Randall's Goby. I talked with Stephen about the goby and decided that it might be a match for my goby in the 120gal. After a quick observation, I purchased some coral and brought the little FREE goby home with me.
Would the two gobies form a bond? Or would the larger goby try to eliminate the new goby?
After acclimating the new goby, I placed "him?" into the tank directly in front of the burrows of the resident goby ("she?") and pistol shrimp. When the two gobies met one another, they sized each other up for a few moments and then the small goby darted into the burrows because of a curious kole tang.
For the rest of the weekend, the larger goby was present at the burrow openings while the little goby stayed hidden in the burrows. I knew the little goby was doing fine as it would come out to eat, but any other activity near that area of the tank caused the larger goby to chase the little one back inside the burrows. At this point, I was confident that "she" wasn't going to kill "him", but I wasn't sure if a true bond would ever form.
And now this is what I came home to today...
Sorry for the quick pic, but I didn't want to lose the opportunity to get the shot.
I think it's safe to say that a bond is in the making; even the Tiger Pistol Shrimp is in on it.
I've wanted to have a pair of the Randall's Gobies for a long time. I've had the one goby for over four years. There really isn't much of a difference visually to determine the sex of a Randall's Goby, so I was hesitant to ever take the opportunity to try and create a pair. What I noticed was different between these two fish was that the signal fin on the small goby has the larger frontal lobe. The other goby has a more uniform rounded signal fin. Another factor in trying to determine the sex of these two fish is that my larger goby keeps a well rounded belly at all times. I had recently learned that female gobies are perennially pregnant and just waiting for males. With having the pair of Wheeler's Gobies in my other tank, I have been able to observe them and their behavior. It will be really enjoyable to see how this new pair works out.
Thanks, Stephen!
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Davy Jones
Senior Member
Love your tank. Are the dimensions 4x2x2 or something else? I am playing with the idea of a new tank in the next year or 2 and its one of the sizes im considering.
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jlanger
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Yep; 4x2x2.
One of the best sized tanks you can readily find.
Not too long, not too high, just wide enough.
Plenty of options for commonly available lighting fixtures.
Filtration equipment options are still reasonably priced.
I highly recommend them.
Davy Jones
Senior Member
Avilibility is most of the reason i am considering it. Ideally id have something thats 48x30x18 or even 4x3x18 but realistically i couldnt affoard to go custom like that and still have money for any decent equipment. Id love custom but at over 2k for just the glass box itself i cant justify that. Did you ever run t5 over this tank? I would probably go with ATI sunpower 8 bulb fixture, not sure how it would do with a 24" depth though
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jlanger
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Not on this tank, but I had 8 bulbs of T5 over the 45gal Cube that upgraded into this tank. I switched from the T5 bulbs to LEDs primarily based on bulb replacement costs; and also heat generated by the T5 bulbs in the canopy. I really liked the look of the T5 bulbs though.
I did add the two T5 bulbs to supplement the LED fixtures and they seem to do well reaching down to the 24" depth.
I think you would have great results with an ATI 8 bulb fixture on a 120gal. You would see poorer results with a lesser quality T5 fixture with a single reflector.
Davy Jones
Senior Member
Good to know! Thanks for answering my questions! And yeah, if I did t5 it would be ATI or giessmann. Or if I did led I would do 2xr30s and maybe a xr15 as well.. But again lol just playing with the possibility if someday
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jlanger
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After some final modifications to my ATS, I was ready to seed the scrubber with some algae; "Thanks!" to David. He generously gave me a bag full of algae from his scrubber. I applied just enough to see how well the algae clings to my screen before I decide to add some more or just watch how well it grows in my scrubber.
Initial seeding; Day 1.
The bottom of the scrubber box collects about ½" of water while in operation. As of right now, I have the screen making contact with the bottom of the box, but I may trim that up if I see any issues with it being submerged. (The upflow scrubbers have submerged algae so it shouldn't be an issue, but I'll see how it does for now.)
Right now, I have the LEDs dimmed to the lowest setting; which is still quite bright. Over time, I'll monitor the algae to see if I need to increase the intensity; and adjust photoperiod.
Initial seeding; Day 1.
The bottom of the scrubber box collects about ½" of water while in operation. As of right now, I have the screen making contact with the bottom of the box, but I may trim that up if I see any issues with it being submerged. (The upflow scrubbers have submerged algae so it shouldn't be an issue, but I'll see how it does for now.)
Right now, I have the LEDs dimmed to the lowest setting; which is still quite bright. Over time, I'll monitor the algae to see if I need to increase the intensity; and adjust photoperiod.
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jlanger
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Three weeks into using my ATS and things have gone fairly well.
I scraped the screen yesterday and ended up with about ½ cup of algae. Good? Poor? Not sure, but it's better than finding nothing had grown in the first three weeks.
The screen itself was completely covered so I know that I'm getting enough water coverage from the spray bar. There didn't appear to be any burn out from the LEDs so I know the lighting is at least adequate but not too powerful.
I did need to make a slight modification to the algae box as any water that didn't go into the box ran down the seam and would drip through the door causing some leaking issues. I knew going in that this would be an issue, but I couldn't really know until the filter was in operation. The modification helped, but it doesn't eliminate the potential for more occurrences. Other than that, I'm pleased with the filter so far.
I have noticed that a small patch of bubble algae that had been growing inside a birds nest coral has collapsed and died away. If that's a sign that the ATS is competing for nutrients, I hope so but it just may be coincidental.
As far as nutrients are concerned, my nitrates and phosphates are holding steady at this time. The numbers are elevated, but I discontinued the dosing of NO-POX when I started the ATS. I expected the nitrates to rise before the ATS could help bring them down. Time will tell when the ATS starts to make an impact.
My latest battle has been with vermetid snails; the bigger ones.
These PITA have started to attach themselves into the recesses of the corals. This makes it very hard to remove or glue them. Some of the corals have been adversely affected and have lost tissue due to the secretions of the snails. I may have to take some of the corals and frag off the good branches and dispose of the bases with the snails.
There has got to be a good predator for these SOB's but most evidence is circumstantial at best.
Other than that, all systems normal.
My montipora corals are growing incredibly fast. I had to remove some plates to allow other corals to grow. The larger colonies at the top of the reef are getting to the point of either removing the majority of the coral or removing them entirely. This brings me full circle to when I needed to make this decision a couple of years ago. I like the colonies. The fish like the colonies.
I did have to move a few frags; specifically my Hawkins Echinata frag. It's a shame because the coral has been growing very well in it's location, but a small colony of the red montipora has made its way into that location and I don't want to risk losing the Hawkins.
I haven't been taking pictures lately as my camera was on loan since Thanksgiving, but I will get it back this week.
But here's a couple of pics of some lesser photographed corals.
I scraped the screen yesterday and ended up with about ½ cup of algae. Good? Poor? Not sure, but it's better than finding nothing had grown in the first three weeks.
The screen itself was completely covered so I know that I'm getting enough water coverage from the spray bar. There didn't appear to be any burn out from the LEDs so I know the lighting is at least adequate but not too powerful.
I did need to make a slight modification to the algae box as any water that didn't go into the box ran down the seam and would drip through the door causing some leaking issues. I knew going in that this would be an issue, but I couldn't really know until the filter was in operation. The modification helped, but it doesn't eliminate the potential for more occurrences. Other than that, I'm pleased with the filter so far.
I have noticed that a small patch of bubble algae that had been growing inside a birds nest coral has collapsed and died away. If that's a sign that the ATS is competing for nutrients, I hope so but it just may be coincidental.
As far as nutrients are concerned, my nitrates and phosphates are holding steady at this time. The numbers are elevated, but I discontinued the dosing of NO-POX when I started the ATS. I expected the nitrates to rise before the ATS could help bring them down. Time will tell when the ATS starts to make an impact.
My latest battle has been with vermetid snails; the bigger ones.
These PITA have started to attach themselves into the recesses of the corals. This makes it very hard to remove or glue them. Some of the corals have been adversely affected and have lost tissue due to the secretions of the snails. I may have to take some of the corals and frag off the good branches and dispose of the bases with the snails.
There has got to be a good predator for these SOB's but most evidence is circumstantial at best.
Other than that, all systems normal.
My montipora corals are growing incredibly fast. I had to remove some plates to allow other corals to grow. The larger colonies at the top of the reef are getting to the point of either removing the majority of the coral or removing them entirely. This brings me full circle to when I needed to make this decision a couple of years ago. I like the colonies. The fish like the colonies.
I did have to move a few frags; specifically my Hawkins Echinata frag. It's a shame because the coral has been growing very well in it's location, but a small colony of the red montipora has made its way into that location and I don't want to risk losing the Hawkins.
I haven't been taking pictures lately as my camera was on loan since Thanksgiving, but I will get it back this week.
But here's a couple of pics of some lesser photographed corals.
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Looks great Jason! Love the overlap of growth between the corals in the second pic
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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Okay...
If seeing is believing, I'm a believer.
Algae turf scrubbers are amazing!
Now, I just need some verification that it's working when I see the results from my water tests in a few weeks.
During my last water change on Friday, December 9th, I scraped my algae screen and collected about ½ cup of a nice thick dark green algae.
Tonight, December 13th, I decided to take a peek inside the ATS to make sure all was running well. It was better than well. The screen was completely covered in algae and needed to be scraped again. In a matter of four days, I collected another 2/3 cup of the thick dark green algae. The algae was a dense mat that easily pulled off the screen; maybe too well. But if this is any indication how my ATS is going to operate for the time being, I'm one happy reefer.
For documentation, here's the cup from this harvest; 2/3 cup.
Photo of the algae to show the color and texture.
Next time, I'll take a photo of the algae still on the screen for further reference.
And here's the cleaned screen as of Tuesday, December 13th.
Other information:
Lights are on lowest dimmable setting.
Lights are running 24 hours. (Need to get Apex back online to set up photoperiod.)
My nitrates are just under 32ppm; again.
I have not increased any feedings; cut back, in fact.
I am not dosing iron.
Still running protein skimmer.
If seeing is believing, I'm a believer.
Algae turf scrubbers are amazing!
Now, I just need some verification that it's working when I see the results from my water tests in a few weeks.
During my last water change on Friday, December 9th, I scraped my algae screen and collected about ½ cup of a nice thick dark green algae.
Tonight, December 13th, I decided to take a peek inside the ATS to make sure all was running well. It was better than well. The screen was completely covered in algae and needed to be scraped again. In a matter of four days, I collected another 2/3 cup of the thick dark green algae. The algae was a dense mat that easily pulled off the screen; maybe too well. But if this is any indication how my ATS is going to operate for the time being, I'm one happy reefer.
For documentation, here's the cup from this harvest; 2/3 cup.
Photo of the algae to show the color and texture.
Next time, I'll take a photo of the algae still on the screen for further reference.
And here's the cleaned screen as of Tuesday, December 13th.
Other information:
Lights are on lowest dimmable setting.
Lights are running 24 hours. (Need to get Apex back online to set up photoperiod.)
My nitrates are just under 32ppm; again.
I have not increased any feedings; cut back, in fact.
I am not dosing iron.
Still running protein skimmer.