My 90g reef

[zachrabbit15]

Hello, this is my new challange. It is a All Glass Reef Ready 90g that I bought from a fellow forum member. Was a smoking hot deal for a complete set-up that has been proven. I have changed a few things now that it is home. I removed the above tank closed loop system and went with a dual closed loop plumed through the back of the tank. It has roughly 60lbs of dry lace rock that I bought with the tank. I also went against popular opinion and have 60lbs of Gulf live rock that will be ging in this weekend after all the plumbing is complete. Than the long wait for everything to settle and stablize. My goal is a mixed reef with lots of color.

Here is the list of equipment:
All Glass reef ready 90g tank
All Glass stand and hood (reinforced by previus owener)
2-TaoTronics 120w Dimmable LEDs
20 long DIY sump
Reef Octopus 150 skimmer
Knop C calcium reactor with 5lb bottle
30g ATO tank in adjacent closet
Reef Keeper lite with 1-SL1 modual with ph and temp probes, 3-PC4 power strips
Rio 1700 return pump
2-Quite One 3000 cloosed loop pumps
2-300w titanium heaters
4-computer fans (2-hood/2-stand)

I'm keeping the two 150w halides that came with the tank as back ups for the LEDs and saving my pennys for some better LEDs in the future.

The reef keeper I am still getting familiar with, but plan is to have it control pretty much everything. I may need to upgrade to a Elite as I go. Well here are a few pics, tank shot is me playing with the dry rock, 2nd is a sump shot, and third is where the calk reactors home will be.

 

[pandora32]

Looks good. Only thing id really want to change is the led system. Ive looked at the tao tronics, read some reviews, not very efficient, but they are cheap. And as always, my opinion.

TaoTronics, SkyLED LED Light Reviews | My Aquarium Opinions

 

[zachrabbit15]

Hi thanks for the info. I know the Tao were marginal at best but for what I paid (free gift cards). I'll play with them for a bit. Not planning on adding any high light corals for a couple months. By than hope to be able to replace with better fixtures. Also want to replace the Quite Ones with Sicca pumps. Again the QOs were $60 for the pr.

At this point I'm into the who set up at less than $900. Can get everything up, plumed, and wired!!!!

 

[pandora32]

Well there ya go, cant beat free and you cant beat cheap. I just got a blackcap jawfish, a clownfish, and a niger trigger for free from a friend of mine that was taking down one of his tanks. The trigger is maybe 2 1/2".
Not sure if i want to keep the jawfish or not yet. But hey, free.

 

[ReefGeeker]

I'll take the Jawfish! Nice tank BTW, I too am setting up a 90g have just been to busy/lazy to make a thread... Good luck and enjoy! +1 on free being awesome, I got my yellow tang and pajama cardinal and several frags for freeeeee!

 

[zachrabbit15]

Haha if mine was ready I would offer him a home also. I plan to stock with mostly small reef fish (basslets, blennys, cardinals, wrasses, ect, ect). I would also like a multicolored angle and either a chevron or tomonini tang. My fience is loving the copper band but holding off untill later.

 

[zachrabbit15]

Well tank is stalled for a bit. Decided I want to add a dedicated electrical line just for the tank. Now on the hunt for a electrician. Does anyone know someone in the Snohomish area that would like to make a little extra Christmass $. The electrical panel has two slots not bing used and would like to add a 30amp breaker there.

Good news is I figured out how to do 90% of the progaming off the Reef Keeper. Just need to figure out the ph controls for the Calc reactor. The other change is I added the Dart pump back into the cloosed loop. Wanted the increaded flow and will used a couple surge pumps for the wavemaker.

 

[zachrabbit15]

So after a little delay I'm back on track!! Ran a new 20amp dedicated circuit for the tank. Drilled the sump for the remote rufuge. Calcium Reactor came in and working on getting it plumbed.

Today moved tank back into position after adding a sub plate under the stand to distro the weight better. ADDED SALTWATER!!. Also put the live rock and dead rock in the tank. Live rock hase been curing in my garage for the past couple weeks and looks great. Will need to remove/prune the halimeda algae that is on the rocks back. Very happy with the flow pattern in the tank with the closed loop and return. Well here is a pic. Lighting is just cool white LEDs on the left and a 14k 150w pendednt on the right. Machining brakets to hold the LED fixtures in the canopy this week.

 

[sedrostyle]

Very nice I can't wait for my bigger tank. 120+ I'm hoping. 90 would be awesome because of the width.
Looking forward to seeing more.
How is your cycling coming along. Ammonia starting to drop?

 

[zachrabbit15]

Had the Live rock in a 30g in the garage it spiked and is down. As for the tank itself, today is the first day with saltwater in it. Going to let it run for a week or so than start testing it. Still dialing the skimmer in right now. Foam is still a little too wet but skinnmate is a dull green color right now.

 

[user 26995]

Very nice. You have some great looking pieces of rock in there.

 

[zachrabbit15]

Yeah the 60-70lbs of lace rock I bought with the tank are great and the aquaculture Gulf rack is very appeling in shape and color. Just a little too much halimeda, but thats easy enough to keep in check. Will have to get in gear and join the PSAS.

 

[sedrostyle]

Where did the helimeda come from? Rock looks good. After toying with my tank again today I wished I wouldn't have gotten rid of my other 30 lbs I had

I would test now just so you don't miss the spike if there is going to be one.
Ammonia and nitrates. Once it's only your nitrates do a water change and ur ready for a clean up crew. You"ll see a brown bloom of diatoms all Over your tank. That's when your clean up. Crew comes in. Snails and hermits. Maybe a emerald crab

 

[zachrabbit15]

The halimeda came in on the live rock. Also alot of encrusting sponges, coralin alge, and some soft corals. Surprices how much has made it through to this point. I need to get a new set of test kits. The ones I have are what came with the tank. Waiting for some Hanna kits from Amazon and will be heading out tomorrow to pick up some others.

 

[Peppie]

Nice setup zack,
Your rock has very nice up and down peaks and valleys. Seems as though you will have many great places to mount coral.
You are on the right track for a very appealing reef.
From what I have read you have done your homework and have the ability to run a successful reef tank, keep up the good work.
The more pics the better!!!

 

[zachrabbit15]

Here is what I have decided on at this point and time.......I do like to tinker though?!?!

This layout gives me two nice flattish areas on each end and one in the upper center. Also several large cave like structures though out. Hard to get a feel for the depth, but the structure comes all the way out to the front glass just off center The left side has a nice 8" deep by 14" wide "sandy beach", the right side I wanted to creat a semi-sheilded cove for some lower flow corals to shelter in. The right side "beach is also a mix of fine coral sand a course coral rubble. I like jawfish and wanted a area of appropriate substrate for one to build a burrow in a good veiwing area. The reef structure is also very solid. I do want to reef putty it together before adding fish.

 

[sedrostyle]

Awesome layout. I wish I had the width to do so.

 

[ReefGeeker]

Looking good, What soft corals came on the LR?

 

[zachrabbit15]

Unsure of the names, one was a branching form with a soft cream colored body with brown polyps. It died off "as expected) and left behind a hard black twiggish skeleton frame. There is also some sun polyps, small fan worms, black, orange, and yellow encrusting sponges, coralin and halimede algea, and a couple mermaids fans.
Orange Encrusting sponge

Black Encrusting Sponge

Red Bodied Fan Worms

Dead Corals left over twig

Also did a round of test
Ph 8.2
NA3 .25ppm
No2 2.0ppm
No3 0.0ppm

 

[ReefGeeker]

Too bad twiggy didn't make it lol. You've got some large pieces of rock in there! Why is there no sand under the "cave" area is it because you just put it in or did the flow do that? I like the cavey look, but in the past I've had problems with detritus build up in caves but that was in a nanocube so you may not have the same issue as your tank/caves are much larger. Can't wait to see this thing get stocked very nice. What type of corals do you plan on keeping?