Ace25's 75G Build Thread

[Ace25]

Yes, all 1100gph of the Gen-X PCX-40 pump is going out the floating reef. The output is T'd off and splits into 2 sides of the reef like the picture shows in the first post. Each side has about 30 holes drilled in the top of it as well as nozzle outputs in the center of each. There is a ton of flow coming out of it and all directed upwards. Some of the fish seem to love swimming in the updraft. Really helps in getting the tank clean by pushing everything to the top so the overflow can filter it in the sump/refugium. I have the closed loop pump turn off and on with the actinics so at night there is a break in flow. I did that so the little critters in the rocks have a chance to come out and do their thing at night without getting blown away. Still plenty of flow in the tank with the eheim 1262 return pump hooked up to a SCWD, then split on each side to 2 penductors. Then there are the 2 Koralia 3 pumps on the back.

I have put a lot of thought into how I designed my tank, some things, actually, about everything I have done have all been thoughts in my head up until recently. I had no real idea if what I had designed and thought would work, would actually work in the real world. But so far so good, everything seems to be doing good. Just one coral I had put up way too high in the tank and it started to bleach. I moved it to the bottom and it seems to be recovering. That PFO HQI ballast really pumps out some light.. 250w is actually running at 370w.. super overdriving the XM 10K SE bulb.

 

[Catpicklesdog]

Time for a picture overload me thinks:grinyes:

we want more, we want more.............

 

[boggs]

Dude that tank is da bomb!!!

 

[Ace25]

I will try and get some pics tomorrow. I just went to take some and my battery was dead on the camera so its charging.. but lights go out in 10 mins so no time today.

Between working at a LFS 20hrs a week after working my normal 40hr/wk day job as well as being the psuedo President of the local reef club (had a meeting last night, about 35 people showed up which was awesome for such a new club) my time to actually work on my home tank has been dwindling. I pretty much work at the LFS just to support my tank. LOL. I am spending around $500-$600 a MONTH on my tank and I don't see an end in sight to that this year. Still too many things to buy for it.. hardware and corals. One day I will have my near self sustaining reef tank.. but in the end it will cost me about $20,000 to accomplish just on my 75G, which I knew when I was in the design process so the sticker shock doesn't bother me. After years of doing things the wrong way (buying cheap equipment) I now know that to do things right in this hobby you have to be willing to sacrifice a few things... next week.. the vasectomy so I don't have to choose between a kid or the tank.. j/k.

 

[Subliminal]

Wow...Lookin' super sweet, Ace!

 

[ReefSparky]

So those penductors at the top only flow at night then?

 

[vteel]

Wow, that is absolutely amazing! What's up with the piping underneath the sand, I've never seen anything like that. What does it do????

 

[Ace25]

So those penductors at the top only flow at night then?

No, the penductors are on my return line, hooked up to a SCWD. Only the closed loop/floating reef pump shuts down at night. I have 2 big pumps on the tank, the Gen-X for the closed loop/floating reef and the Eheim for the return. At night the return pump and the 2 Koralia 3s are still on.

Wow, that is absolutely amazing! What's up with the piping underneath the sand, I've never seen anything like that. What does it do????

That is the floating reef, think of it as a spray bar like you would put along the back of a tank, except it is on the bottom shooting upwards all the way around the rocks and also inside the rocks. It also supports the rocks so my gobies don't dig under the rocks and cause a landslide.

Sorry guys.. no time for pics yesterday, between maintanence on the tank and having to frag a bunch of corals for reef club members who came by to pick them up I was a little busy. Still not much has changed in just a weeks time.

 

[Hungriee]

Ace, your fish are beautiful. Your leopard wrasse and potters angel look awesome.

 

[Ace25]

Just 2 pics.. FTS and Side shot. All my fish are super active, always swimming all over the tank and it is so hard to get a good picture of them. None of them show any aggression towards each other.. it is the coolest thing.. I have never had a 100% happy and peaceful tank until now.