Amp's 25g Cube Seagrass build REDUX

[Amphiprion]

The fixture finally came in today (yay!). Here's a few pics of the actual fixture:

As mentioned before, the bulb is a 250w 10000K XM lamp. To my surprise, contrary to what the website specified, the pendant came with an electronic ballast as opposed to the advertised M80 ballast. That should work out much better--in terms of heat, anyway.

 

[Amphiprion]

And... pics with the halide. Keep in mind the fixture is about 11" from the top of the tank (not the water's surface). I'm doing this to carefully acclimate the few corals I have in there. It's also much brighter in person. I was disappointed that the shimmer lines didn't turn out in the photo, though.

Now to wait for the overflow to arrive and the sump to finish curing...

 

[Sploke]

Those are nice lights, I almost bought the 2x250 before finding a deal on my Current fixture. Very sleek looking though. Can't wait to see some of that macro start coming back and filling in.

Did you see some of that macro got2envy is selling in classifieds? Some of those things are crazy, are you going for that kind of look?

 

[Amphiprion]

Those are nice lights, I almost bought the 2x250 before finding a deal on my Current fixture. Very sleek looking though. Can't wait to see some of that macro start coming back and filling in.

Did you see some of that macro got2envy is selling in classifieds? Some of those things are crazy, are you going for that kind of look?

Actually, the Ulva that is in there now is sort of a precautionary measure. I've only put it in there to soak up some extra nutrients while the seagrass attempts to fill in. Any macro will be temporary. In the end, I want nothing but the seagrass.

 

[Amphiprion]

Okay, my DIY acrylic sump is now complete and completely cured. I've water tested it for 5 days and it has remained completely water-tight. It won't be nearly as full as it is now, so I'd imagine that it would hold up just fine. I don't see any signs of any extreme stress on any of the seams and it has held its shape just fine. Pics tomorrow when I get it online.

 

[Amphiprion]

Aaaaand... pics of said sump:

Oh, and a pic of the pup I found thrown over the fence and abandoned last year--I've had the little guy for exactly one year today, so I took a pic to commemorate. He's the cutest little devil and he's sitting next to me right now gritching at me to share some potato chips :

 

[Amphiprion]

Oh, and no bracing because the outside perimeter is exactly the size of the inside of the stand (actually butts against the sides), so there will be no chance for bowing. FYI, because I know someone would catch it eventually.

Edit: I also didn't see the need for baffles. The only thing that will be down there is my scrubber and return. I was trying to maximize space for the scrubber and I'm not seeing a giant advantage to them for this particular application. I may have to think on it...

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

Nice tank! That light sure looks just like my fishneedit 250w i recently bought hehe. I kinda want to get a 10k bulb too for growth but i love the 20k that i got with it.

 

[Amphiprion]

Thanks .

After sleeping on it, I decided to place a single baffle in the sump--not for a bubble trap, since the flow will be low, but to allow for a semi-refugium. It won't have any substrate, short of some rubble in a corner and I'll be placing a couple pieces of rock from the display in there, which I had planned on all along. I want minimal rock in the display--basically enough for the anemone I will eventually get to settle its foot into, if it decides to do so. I think a bit of careful arrangement should maximize sand surface area for the seagrass, as well as things like my sea cucumber which needs as much surface as possible.

 

[Amphiprion]

Well, I managed to get the sump running today. The only hitch I had was a slight leak in the PVC, which was easily fixed. The HOB overflow is a bit louder than some of the others I've dealt with--not sure if it is the lower flow or what, but I'm going to have to build a small standpipe to eliminate the issue. Other than that, it works beautifully. Pics later.

The scrubber will be up and running in the next few days. I've got its spot in the plumbing capped off for now. I've also have to figure out how I'm going to situate the lamps for the scrubber, as well. I have this shelf above the sump where my ballast, temp controller, and auto top-off are located--I may get some eyelets and suspend the lamps while zip tying the cord to ensure that they won't fall.