Rob’s 150 wrasse haven reboot

[RobR]

Hey all it’s been awhile since I did anything on a build thread and I would  Really like to document the reboot of my 150.  My wife and I moved from Round Rock to Georgetown back in May and we have been pretty busy getting settled and getting the new house set up, so there hasn’t been much time for the tank which was sitting in the garage til a few weeks ago. My brother in law came up and we finally got it moved into it’s new home after getting it cleaned up. The few fish and corals I have left have been chilling in my QT and I am sure ready for the big tank to get set up.

last week I got the rock soaking in some bleach to get all the organics from the old tank off. Decided to try this after watching the BRS investigates the best way to cure rock.  We’ll see how it works out so far the rock looks really white....

This weekend my dad came up with his power miter and helped me get the plumbing cut. We had started with a hand miter and what a pain that was. Took less than half the time to get it all cut with the power miter. I like the way the blue and gray looks so hopefully there won’t be any leakswe did come up a little short on the return pump end and I had to order a new union and male adapter for the pump. Thankfully I have plenty of PVC left so that won’t be an issue. Hopefully I can get that taken care of later this week.  This is the first time I have ever heard plumbed a tank and I’m hoping it will hold up better than the felxible stuff I have used in the past.

Today the new skimmer came and it looks really nice. It’s an SVS-24 from Jeff at life reef. I have read really good things about his skimmers so I wanted to give one a try. Hopefully it will live up to the hype gonna use a laguna maxflo 1350 to feed it.

All the other equipment at this point will be from the old tank. 2x250 radiums on magnetic ballasts. BML super actinic strip for dusk dawn. Return pump is a sicce syncra 5. 2 MP40’s for in tank flow and a Neptune Apex to control it all.

My goal is for this to be an SPS dominant tank with a bunch of wrasse.  In the past I have used two part dosing and have had mediocre results with my SPS so I am looking at something that will keep the tank super stable. For dosing i’m Still up in the air. I have been doing some research on the Triton method and have seen some pretty good results, but there are just as many so-so results it seems. Plus I would need a 4 dosing pump set up, but I’m not totally against trying it. If anyone has any experience please let me know. The other option would be to bite the bullet and get a CARx, and honestly this is the way I may be leaning right now. I have never run one before and they seem kinda complicated.  If I was to do it I think I would do a geo 618 with the aquarium plants carbon doser or a dual stage. I am still researching these things so if you CARx gurus have any advice I am all ears 

other than that I have ordered some tropic Eden reef flakes for my new sand bed and some Red Sea blue bucket to start things off. Hopefully I’ll get it leak tested later this weak and get it cycling in the next few. Til then gonna continue reading about triton and CARx to try and make that decision. Like I said any advice from the CARx gurus or folks that have used triton will be much appreciated. 

[FarmerTy]

Nice! I'm glad you've jumped all over setting up the new tank! What a great start too!

CaRX all the way... Cheap in the long run after the initial investment and super easy to run. Its way more simple than most think it is... At its most basic level, you're bubbling CO2 to melt media. That's it. You just have to match it to your tank's uptake, which you have experience with that already with the dosers.

Geo with a carbon doser is a win-win setup there. Most people that I believe have issues with CaRXs buy ones that don't have the reputation to keep a stable effluent flow. I've run 4 of them over the years and its totally worth the money to get the ones everyone else runs and have had success with. Don't get cute and buy another brand because its cheaper or it is the newest thing on the market. Tried and true is what I recommend sticking to, as in your case, the Geo reactors.

Ol' aggie is the only person I know running Triton locally so it'd hit up your old friend and chat with him about it.

Great start Rob! Makes me happy you're planning on doing a wrasse-city tank with tons of SPS.

[jolt]

I second the Geo CaRx  -- I have two running and they are very nice,  Plumbing looks great!

[Paula]

I'm jealous of your plumbing! That blue PVC really pops. I look forward to hearing about your choices regarding Triton or CARx.



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[RobR]

On 10/9/2017 at 9:41 PM, FarmerTy said:

Nice! I'm glad you've jumped all over setting up the new tank! What a great start too!

CaRX all the way... Cheap in the long run after the initial investment and super easy to run. Its way more simple than most think it is... At its most basic level, you're bubbling CO2 to melt media. That's it. You just have to match it to your tank's uptake, which you have experience with that already with the dosers.

Geo with a carbon doser is a win-win setup there. Most people that I believe have issues with CaRXs buy ones that don't have the reputation to keep a stable effluent flow. I've run 4 of them over the years and its totally worth the money to get the ones everyone else runs and have had success with. Don't get cute and buy another brand because its cheaper or it is the newest thing on the market. Tried and true is what I recommend sticking to, as in your case, the Geo reactors.

Ol' aggie is the only person I know running Triton locally so it'd hit up your old friend and chat with him about it.

Great start Rob! Makes me happy you're planning on doing a wrasse-city tank with tons of SPS.

Thanks Ty! The more I read the more I like the CARx vs Triton. However now I am thinking that a two stage regulator may be a better option than the carbon doser. It seems that they are more robust and will last longer. Still need to do some more research on this stuff.  Def need to talk to Ol Aggie and see how he likes Triton. With all those bottles though it seems like it could get expensive when the tank gets established.

On 10/10/2017 at 6:04 AM, jolt said:

I second the Geo CaRx  -- I have two running and they are very nice,  Plumbing looks great!

Thanks Jolt!  The Geo reactors definitely look like they are well built and worth the money.  You are running a dual stage regulator on yours correct? I am hoping that once I get my tank setup I can have the same success with the colored sticks like you and Ty!!!

On 10/10/2017 at 7:20 AM, Paula said:

I'm jealous of your plumbing! That blue PVC really pops. I look forward to hearing about your choices regarding Triton or CARx.



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Thanks Paula, I just hope it doesn't leak This is my first attempt at hard plumbing so we'll see. Right now I think that the CARx is the way I will go, but theres still time and the tank isn't wet yet so things could change.

[jolt]

Correct, dual stage.  I bought refurbished industrial stainless steel units.  They are pricey but so far rock solid.  I've no experience with the carbon doser style setups ...

[RobR]

1 hour ago, jolt said:

Correct, dual stage.  I bought refurbished industrial stainless steel units.  They are pricey but so far rock solid.  I've no experience with the carbon doser style setups ...

Cool thanks Jolt, I think that something like you have would be a better option in the long run.  The carbon doser are $300+ and I have read that they only last a few years.  If you dont mind me asking where did you find/get yours?

[Paula]

2 hours ago, RobR said:

Thanks Paula, I just hope it doesn't leak This is my first attempt at hard plumbing so we'll see. Right now I think that the CARx is the way I will go, but theres still time and the tank isn't wet yet so things could change.

That was probably the scariest and yet most rewarding moment so far; turning on the return pump not knowing whether I'd flood my waiting room or not. Having the system come to life with no leaks was amazing! I can't wait to hear how it goes. Again, it looks great!

[jolt]

1 hour ago, RobR said:

Cool thanks Jolt, I think that something like you have would be a better option in the long run.  The carbon doser are $300+ and I have read that they only last a few years.  If you dont mind me asking where did you find/get yours?

AlanLe on plantedtank.net, you can search the for sale section there or PM him (though I think you need to be a member to PM)    I am not a member, I had a friend contact him

[RobR]

26 minutes ago, jolt said:

AlanLe on plantedtank.net, you can search the for sale section there or PM him (though I think you need to be a member to PM)    I am not a member, I had a friend contact him

Thank You, I will check it out!!!

[FarmerTy]

I bought mine 2nd hand from someone going full Triton... No, not Chris. Been very happy with it.

Had a carbon doser and it worked to perfection. My only complaint was the single regulator and the audible click releasing each bubble.

[Bpb]

Excited about this reboot.  You know where I stand.  CARX with a dual stage regulator all the way.  I love how Ty put it.  Don't get cute with your reactor.  From the sound of it you didn't plan to, but there are lots of brand new CARX out there by some of the more reputable companies out there, but they're trying to reinvent the wheel and you may bet burned.  GEO will do you right.

What are you thinking about for flow and lighting?

[RobR]

Thanks BPB, I’m excited for it too. Can’t wait to have the big tank back up and running.  As for lighting and flow gonna stick with the 250w radiums on the magnetic ballasts with the BML super actinic for dawn dusk.  Really love the look of the radiums. For glow it’s gonna be the 2 mp40’s I’ve had for a few years.  They have been great with the wxm module on the apex and at 100%  they are awesome. 

The geo reactors just seems to have a really good reputation everything that I’ve read has been positive. Plus they look pretty sick too. I def like the idea of the dual stage regulator, just seems like you get more reliability for the money.   Started looking for regs yesterday and checked out Alan Le, will have to reach out to him and see what he has and price. I saw a thread on another forum where he had some new ones for $480, which is a more than I’d like to spend. Gonna keep my eye out on the classifieds of the forums and maybe I’ll get lucky and find one at a reasonable price. Prolly gonna be Christmas before the CARx, so I got some time o keep an eye out. Thanks everyone for the CARx advice!!!

[FarmerTy]

I just wanted to mention I love my CaRX. MTC Procal... Handmade by a guy from New Jersey and just works. Has user replaceable parts too that are easily found at most hardware stores. Its a dual chamber CaRX with a flow gauge. Its awesome!

[Bpb]

MTC minical was actually on the top of my list but at the time he wasn’t taking any orders due to health reasons. I think you’d find differences in quality to be marginal/negligible between MTC, MRC, Lifereef, GEO


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[RobR]

16 minutes ago, FarmerTy said:

I just wanted to mention I love my CaRX. MTC Procal... Handmade by a guy from New Jersey and just works. Has user replaceable parts too that are easily found at most hardware stores. Its a dual chamber CaRX with a flow gauge. Its awesome!

Cool thanks Ty! MTC always gets great reviews as well, their skimmers rival the quality of life reef I’ve read. I will check them out for sure thanks for the recommend!!

[Gig 'em @ NDstructible]

Great to see a reboot! And it looks like you're on a path to a knock out tank. I look forward to watching this progression!

[RobR]

On 10/15/2017 at 8:15 PM, Gig 'em @ NDstructible said:

Great to see a reboot! And it looks like you're on a path to a knock out tank. I look forward to watching this progression!

Thanks gig em, I hope so too.

 

quick update, nothing too exciting. Got the parts to finish the return pump plumbing so I’m hoping to get that fixed and get the tank leak tested this weekend. Got my salt in from BRS, sand from premium aquatics, which I hope is enough. I had three bags in my last tank but this looks like it might be less guess we’ll see when it goes in the tank. Also got a new impeller for the laguna pump I’m gonna use for the lifereef skimmer, hopefully I’ll get that put together this weekend too. 

In other news just bought a regulator from a guy in Houston so I guess I have made up my mind to run a CARx  (thanks Ty for the heads up!!!) 

[FarmerTy]

Nice! No problem! I enjoy spending other's money when not spending my own. [emoji6]

[jolt]

Oooooo Matheson, excellent!

[Bpb]

That’s a beauty of a regulator!


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[RobR]

So fairly big update, it’s been awhile since I updated... again. Life... it’s just gets in the way sometimes...

so the tank is finally set up and just about cycled. Planning on taking a water sample to rca today just to double check my home test kits and make sure I’m not missing anything. Hope to pick up a nem too so my clownfish can stop hosting my torch... My fish are gonna be so happy to get moved into their new home. Took me a while to get an aquascape I was happy with and still may add a little more rock.  The big shelf peice I got from brs made things a touch difficult but I’m fairly satisfied how it turned out. There will be plenty of place to mount sps frags😜

had some issues initially getting my apex back online but after a call to Neptune we got the firmware updated and got it back online. Thought I was gonna have to send it in because it would not update and the screen was completely blank. When I researched the issue it said it was stuck in boot loader mode. Thankfully it’s running like a champ now.

The lifereef skimmer is up and humming along. This thing is a beast and I am very happy with it so far. It’s already pullled some junk outta the tank with no livestock so I’m sure it’s gonna pull some nasty junk when it’s stocked.

ordered a geo 618 during their Christmas sale and still need a co2 tank, ph probe and some sort of pump. The geo is a quality piece of equipment for sure I need to get some pics as it’s still sitting in the box😱I got some time To decide on the other equipment as I really want to get the tank stabilized before adding any sps. Plan is to run the tlf reborn. Any good places in town to get co2 tanks or just order from brs or somewhere like that???

thats it for now, here’s some pics. Hopefully I’ll get everyone moved over later today....

 

[RobR]

Also ordered some marine starboard from TAP plastics as an overflow cover and bottom for my acclimation box. Great stuff I would highly recommend them if you need some plastic that’s marine grade.

[jolt]

There is a CO2 tank for sale in the for sale section: 

 

Or you can get a brand new one for about the same price here, where I got mine: https://www.aquariumplants.com/Aluminum-Co2-Cylinders-p/t.htm

 

[RobR]

3 minutes ago, jolt said:

There is a CO2 tank for sale in the for sale section: 

 

Or you can get a brand new one for about the same price here, where I got mine: https://www.aquariumplants.com/Aluminum-Co2-Cylinders-p/t.htm

 

Thanks Jolt! Will check them out