My 75 mixed reef

[mrbncal]

I have posted on here before but I wanted to give an update. I have been using a scrubber for a year. Started with a horizontal version and went vertical after problems with splashing and bubbles. The first pic is my scrubber now. Its a bit under powered with only 300 gallons/hour flow. Upgrading the pump this week. I am growing (rehabilitaing) tubeworms of all types and sizes. I buy the tube or coco worms when they are next to dead and dirt cheap. With in a couple weeks they are healthier and puttng on whorls of feathers. So cool. I will do a before and after on teh next one I get.

I scrape the glass panes once a week depending on how much i feed. My scrubber is not full speed so I take it easy now. I was going crazy feeding 4-6 cubes, crushed scallop and phytofeast but I was having to scrape more often. Now I feed one cube and dose a small amount of PF once a day to every other day. Oh and I feed a pinch of spectrum pellets when I get home every day. I only have a yellow tang, blk clown and a leopard wrasse at the moment.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/mrbncal/2011_0130ReefTank0004.jpg

Heres the tank :

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/mrbncal/2011_0130ReefTank0068.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/mrbncal/2011_0130ReefTank0070.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/mrbncal/2011_0130ReefTank0056.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/mrbncal/2011_0130ReefTank0057.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/mrbncal/2011_0130ReefTank0018.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/mrbncal/2011_0130ReefTank0060.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/mrbncal/2011_0130ReefTank0069.jpg

I have said it before, but really. . . thanks santamonica!

[spideybry]

Nice shots :) Do you have a full FTS?

[RandyAce]

nice ls! what light are you using? TIA

[SantaMonica]

Very nice tank

[tat2z_21]

That tank is awesome. I am new to the forum so looking into building a turf scrubber myself. Trying to find out if this woud work in my case

[mrbncal]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I could not be more pleased with the results of the algae scrubber. Well I guess if it cleaned itself I could be more pleased. Still its not bad.


nice ls! what light are you using? TIA

I just use home depot indoor outdoor bulbs, 120 watt equivilant. I have tried all three spectrums and I feel I get best growth with the "daylight " spectrum.


Nice shots :) Do you have a full FTS?

I will work on this Sunday.

Also, I just made ( what I hope will be ) an upgraded scrubber. Larger pump and all grey pvc pipe construction( for aesthetics only). I will be hooking it up Sunday as well. I am going to try running this with 8 on 4 off schedule. I read it somewhere that algae only needs the 4 hours of rest and its ready to go but also shuts down after 7-8 hours of light exposure also. So I will try and see what results I get.

[mrbncal]

Here are th updated pics. These are from tonight.

Full tank 3/28/11
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/mrbncal/2011_0328ReefTank0005.jpg

Just trying different camera settings. . . I know I am not much a photographer. Sue me. lol
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/mrbncal/2011_0328ReefTank0004.jpg

Can't get this nps gorgonian to open fully. A."efflo" and grape monti cap from frags. Wellso brain is a rescue. Doing well now.
Gonna try the "phyto in a bucket" trick for a few days to get it to open
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/mrbncal/2011_0328ReefTank0011.jpg

I am really becoming a tube anenome fan.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/mrbncal/2011_0328ReefTank0012.jpg

All my sps are from frags. Only way I can afford 'em. hahaha
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/mrbncal/2011_0328ReefTank0016.jpg

My newest and favorite coral right now. . . two head frag of orange frogspawn.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/mrbncal/2011_0328ReefTank0019.jpg

The newest tubeworm rescues, from petsmart. woohoot
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/mrbncal/2011_0328ReefTank0026.jpg

Leopard wrasse at two month point in my tank. Could not get a good pic of the bluestripe pipefish this time. But . . . HE'S HUGE!(for a pipefish)
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/mrbncal/2011_0328ReefTank0028.jpg

Still have to reposition my lights. Gonna buy new ones and hang them. Need to get them off the edge of the sump, they are in the way.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/mrbncal/2011_0328ReefTank0025.jpg

[SantaMonica]

Is that xenia in the back?

[maglofster]

Looks like it :)

anyway, really nice pictures of a really nice tank!

[mrbncal]

Is that xenia in the back?

I have always called it "Anthelia" . It doesn't grow a stalk like xenia. They are in the same family though.

Thanks for looking.

[Floyd R Turbo]

Yes, that is definitely Anthelia in the upper right of the tank. Good color to it also. I do believe that it is in the Xenia family. I have a ton of it. I've read that it like "pristine" waster conditions, but I've fragged some to someone running GFO & Carbon & it melted overnight. So maybe not TOO pristine.

What an awesome looking tank though. Wow.

[rygh]

Awesome looking tank!!!
Hope you can get that nps gorgonian going. Good challenge there.

I was hoping to use those pics to show some of my ATS-naysayer friends.
But I know what they will immediately ask:
What other filtration are you running??
Skimmer? Carbon? GFO?
And what is your normal water change habit?

[mrbncal]

Awesome looking tank!!!
Hope you can get that nps gorgonian going. Good challenge there.

I was hoping to use those pics to show some of my ATS-naysayer friends.
But I know what they will immediately ask:
What other filtration are you running??
Skimmer? Carbon? GFO?
And what is your normal water change habit?

Thanks...the gorgonian shows signs of life. Just not getting a 100% extension yet. Funny thing is some frags from the shipping bag have started encrusting the rock where I put them. These have shown the most polyp extension.

Of course you can use my tank pics. Your friends will have to take my word for it, I dont have anything other than the DIY algae scrubber and a bag of chemipure hanging in the sump. I change the chemipure when I change the scubber lights(90days). Water changes are done when I feel like it. Which is not very often(45 gallons twice a year). I was thinking I might change some this month or next when the weather is better and I can get into the garage for a little "spring cleaning". I have installed a 45 gallon bucket in the garage that I can isolate from the system. I drain it and mix the new water then open the valve and its back in the system. Works pretty well.

This was when I was starting the install. Then I forgot to take progression pictures, sorry.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/mrbncal/RemoteWaterBucket/2010_0318ReefTank0302.jpg

My sump
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/mrbncal/2011_0328ReefTank0025.jpg

Tell your friends, Im not saying this is the only way to do it. Im not saying its better than a skimmer driven system or a hi-tech system. I am simply saying this method allows me to enjoy this hobby again. I like the way my tank looks, the corals grow very well. I dont have to spend a bunch of money on skimmers, other reactors or equipment or salt. I dont spend a lot of time every week cleaning things, tweaking things to make them work right. Which works for me because with three youngsters in sports it doesnt take away a lot of time from my family to keep my tank going.

This works. And I dont get any free stuff for saying that.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/mrbncal/2011_0328ReefTank0021.jpg

[mikepao13]

Hi mate,

Very nice setup - TOP MAN

Which chemipure product you have in your sump and why?

Do you have any issues with the Xenia?

[mrbncal]

Thanks again. I use the original chemipure. NOT the chemipure plus or whatever its called. Now the why. Awhile back I was given a "corky finger" gorgonian by a friend. It did really well in teh tank but I started to notice a few of the lps were having issues. Not expanding, severe receding, etc. I also had some softies (sarcophyton) and a couple other gorgonians. After some reading about softy/gorg toxicity, I "jumped" to the conclusion that was what was happening in my tank. I have used chemipure in teh past (pre scrubber)and with great results, so I dropped a bag in. It seemed to help, although I am still having some death loss with acans. Now I am leaning toward a type of protozoan as the culprit. But honestly I dont know. I have dipped the ailing corals in lugols' and this seems to slow it down some but not always.

Before it gets assumed, let me clear up the time table on this. I received the corky finger gorg about 6 months after the scrubber was installed. Up to that point I had not noticed the problem I discussed above. I also received some lps from a local fish store, after the gorg was introduced,that was receding in his tank to see if my scrubber would be benificial. So I could have brought (most likely did bring) the problem in on that coral.

Anyway thats the story on the chemipure.

[SantaMonica]

If you can feed more, try it. Nutrition give corals greater ability to survive in whatever bad conditions there might be.

[mrbncal]

If you can feed more, try it. Nutrition give corals greater ability to survive in whatever bad conditions there might be.

I agree with that 100%. I need to go back to target feeding more frequently. I kind of got away from it because of all the food particles in teh water. I used to target feed all the time to cut down on exceessive food in teh tank that would cause algae. hahaha

[RandyAce]

are u using t5ho? or halides? nice tank btw.. :shock:

[mrbncal]

My tank is a 75 gallon and I am runnig three 150 watt DE MH 14K and one actinic T5

[RandyAce]

Any update of your tank?