Bubbles' 120gal

[Bubbles]

I've decided to create a build thread of my system.

My build is three side viewable, sort of a room divider or peninsulia style and not built in.

Here is what I have so far:
•   Standard 120gal (24x24x48) drilled.
•   40 gal breeder for sump ( baffles installed, including a fuge area)
•   MAG9.5 for a return pump
•   Super Reef Octopus XP2000 cone skimmer.
•   Reef Keeper Elite complete with NET, ALC modules. Storms are awesome! Hard on the lamps but nice to watch.
•   TEK light 8 x 54w light, the reason I went with this is that I had spare "dimmable" ballasts that fit right into the TEK housing, hence the ALC module.
•   2 x MP-40's for flow.
•   MR1 reactor fed by a Quiet One 1200 running Bio Pellets
•   TLF reactor with MJ1200 running GFO
•   TLF reactor with MJ1200 running carbon.

I started collecting the components about 6 months ago and started to assemble this project in October.


I built my stand to hold an F150... I used pocket screws and I also caulked the seams. After this I put 2 or 3 coats of marine epoxy on it to aid with clean-up when necessary.



Here is the tank



My daughter in what she thinks is her new pool. If you look behind her you can see the "herbi" style drain.





40 gal breeder for sump, I know that the baffles seem high and since I took these pictures I cut the bubble trap baffles down a couple of inches. but in the event of a power outage I only have 1 to 1.5 gallons of water return to my sump anyway.




You can see in the pic that the lights will be 3.5 inches off of the water. I cut my own lamp protectors out of left over Lexan from another project. I have three of them so when one gets dirty I just slide it out and slide in a clean one.





Lamp combo is
Bulb 1: ATI Blue Plus
Bulb 2: UV Lighting Actinic White
Bulb 3: ATI Blue Plus
Bulb 4: Korallen-Zucht Superblue 20K
Bulb 5: ATI Blue Plus
Bulb 6: UV Lighting Actinic White
Bulb 7: ATI Blue Plus
Bulb 8: ATI Blue Plus

I put down two 40lb bags of aragonite and then started to fill with fresh salt water at the begining of December. I did my aquascaping with dry rock on the work bench and over the holidays and added it to the system . I then seeded it with about 20 of cooked live rock.



In the fuge section on the sump (which is about 18gal) I have a Koraila 3 and will have around 40lbs of live rock once it is done being cooked and some macro algae.

So the system is up and running, I will post a few more pics later of the reactors, skimmer and the ATO in place and what ever other odds and ends I can find then I will post some pics of the inhabitants.

Any critisim would be appreciated as I can still change things up if necessary.

Thanks for looking
Jeff

[salvini55]

What amount of pellets are you using? Right now Im running half the recommended amount for my system and have great results so far. The only negative is there is a super small patch of cyano at the base of one of my SPS frags and it receeded about 3 mm. Other than that LPS are happier than ever, SPS growth is great, color is great NO3 is 2.5ppm and PO4 is zero but i wish I had a colormeter like the Hanna for PO4.

Great looking system but I think that mermaid is a little too large for the tank, I hear they like sugar dosing too 

[Bubbles]

What amount of pellets are you using? Right now Im running half the recommended amount for my system and have great results so far.

I started using 500ml on my 65gal about 4months ago. Sometime during the first week of Januaury I added another 500ml to the reactor and put it on this system, so I would say around 800ml or so. Probably could use a few more but I'm gonna let it go like this for a while untill I get a few more corals. Hard to find really colorful red acro colonies.

Jeff

[salvini55]

have you had any negative results? Or positive?

[Bubbles]

Color is coming back, see link

http://ovas.ca/index.php?topic=48871.0

[Rybren]

The build is looking very nice.

Great job.

[Bubbles]

I was taking some pics for another post today so I thought that I would post here too.

The last FTS was taken on Jan 11/11, these were taken today April 23/11













Sorry about the quality of the photos,  My hobby is my aquarium. I guess that I'll have to take a class in order to take better photos.

[White Lightning]

Nice looking set up! I love the aquascaping and school of chromis!

[SWFitzy]

very nice setup, i really like the build. Keep it up.
In one pic i see a very interesting piece?sorta  looks like a dewalt drill... whats that coral called? can you frag it?....lool
very nice tank!

[bongo]

very nice!

a little question: do you find your uvl actinic white to be a little red or pink?

[kole18]

very nice set-up tank!

[tophoo]

awesome!!!