2nd try with my 120g (and new to the forum).

#1
Hello MASC, new member here. Been dwelling on the site for a while but never registered or posted anything. You all have been a wealth of information and I look forward to getting to know some of you and exchanging thoughts. I have a 120g 4x2x2 that was completely taken down and washed clean of the mess that I created. Being new to reefkeeping I think I made every possible mistake a rookie could. I bought way too much live rock with lots of pests (aren't those anemone things all over the rock so cool looking!), had way too much bioload, not enough skimmer and not enough knowledge period. So, fastforward a few years to one month ago. The 2nd. try at a succesful mostly sps dominant tank. 75 lbs.of dry Marco Rock so no pests and all new sand. Upgraded my skimmer. I'm only getting 9 fish total. And most importantly, keeping up with husbandry of the aquarium much better. Here is the equipment list and pics of my new beginning, wish me luck!

- 120g all-glass standard 4x2x2
- 2x250 14k Phoenix mh's on Lumatek ballasts
- ADHI 40 three chambered sump
- Avast cs1 diy recirculating skimmer rated up to 200g
- MP-40 and Large Koralia
- 2 eheim-jager heaters 400w total
- BRS dosing pumps for Randy's 2 part
- 2 x Two little fishies reactors for gac and gfo
- Mag 9.5 return pump with eductors







 
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dv3

Beluga
M.A.S.C Club Member
#2
welcome to the club!

we are have a meeting next saturday ....you can find the info on the home page
 

KhensuRa

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#4
Digging the rock work. I really love those flat shelf pieces. Good luck with your second try, please feel free to ask any of us any questions.
 
#5
Thanks for the comments, the rock is Marco rock and what is impressive is that I put the rock directly in my tank without any cleaning. Started my skimmer, my fuge with algae, gfo and gac reactors, and tested a few weeks later for phospahtes and they measured undetectable on Hanna phosphate meter. I cycled my tank with very limited diatoms and algae bloom. The rock is very porous and clean.
 
#8
I love the skimmer! It's pulling gunk like crazy and I don't have any fish yet. It took a couple days to dial in but it is working great, way better than my old one. Is yours the recirculation model or the regular model? I'll take some pics of mine tonight to show the gunk it's pulling.
 
#10
There's the problem, you need to upgrade! You won't be disappointed. It's only 35 bucks for the kit. With the recirculator the depth of the water does not matter so you can have it shallow or deep and if the depth changes it is not affected. Plus more water from the tank gets exposed to the bubbles to maximize efficiency. Avast immediately made this upgrade available because so many people requested it. I've never had a recirculating skimmer before but this blows away my old skimmer from a local. I wont name names because they are local.
 
#11
AHH there is the problem! You need to upgrade, it costs 35 bucks and is well worth it. With the recirculator you don't need to worry about the depth of the water and therefore it is much less finicky about getting dialed in right. The recirculator exposes the water to much more bubbles therefore maximizing it's effectiveness and I will attest to the fact that it really works well. It is an upgrade that customers of Avast demanded and they quickly added the recirculator for good reason. Here is a pic of it.

 

Wicked Color

Tiger Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#16
Hello, Welcome to the club, very cool looking setup!!
Bummer on the cold bags, hope you and took pics and temp, DOAs are usually only covered in with pics and communication within an hour of delivery.
 
#17
I didn't know you had to reply within the hour, should have read the policy better. All 5 fish made it and are eating. one cleaner shrimp and crab made it but one cleaner shrimp dead and the coral frag pack looks horrible. If they don't send out some new stuff I won't complain I just won't order in winter again. It was 27 degrees yesterday when delivered, tomorrow it's going to be 60.:(
 

dvenson

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#18
Swanny;135502 said:
I didn't know you had to reply within the hour, should have read the policy better. All 5 fish made it and are eating. one cleaner shrimp and crab made it but one cleaner shrimp dead and the coral frag pack looks horrible. If they don't send out some new stuff I won't complain I just won't order in winter again. It was 27 degrees yesterday when delivered, tomorrow it's going to be 60.:(
Unfortunately this is a down fall with ordering from an online source. If it was me i would look at our local sponsors for reliable service and quality livestock.
 

cdrewferd

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#19
I really like the rock work you've got going on. Makes me want a bigger tank so I can have more space for corals.
 
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