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Blue Reef

INDMAS Member
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Everything posted by Blue Reef

  1. Hi All, I am considering making my own frozen fish food. Has anyone else done this and if so, what was your experience? I saw instructions for this on Marc Levenson's website and it doesn't look hard. If anyone does this, do you have a place you can get something similar to the frozen seafood medley here in Indy (preferably north side)? Thanks! Laura
  2. Any thoughts about the plan to run the PVC up and across the room via the ceiling? Just want to make sure I am not asking for disaster with this. The other option would be to put the sump in the stand under the tank and run the ATO/AWC through the ceiling from the fish room to the tank.
  3. This project will be going in spurts for a while. This weekend we looked into the possibility of creating a fish room/closet as part of the basement remodel. It looks like I am going to get about a 6' 10" x ~4' space to work with with plenty of access to drains/water supply. We will basically build it out as a closet, so there will be two doors that open out making access to everything very easy. The only downside is that it is on the opposite side of the basement from where I would like the display tank. It won't be a big deal to run plumbing through the ceiling to get water from the fish room to the tank, but I am trying to think through the best way to set this up. If I can, I would like to have an automatic water changing system. This is what I am thinking and would love feedback on this: Have the sump, skimmer, water station with a container for fresh water and one for salt water, and a small utility sink in the fish closet. The ATO and water changing system would need to run here too. This will take some strategic planning, but I can get everything to fit. I would need to have a pump powered enough to run the water from the sump back up and over to the display tank. The display tank would then drain into a frag tank inside the stand. I would need a matching return pump in the frag tank to send the water back up and over to the sump that sits in the fish room. Another option is to keep the sump in the stand. My water source feeding the ATO and water changing system would be in the closet. The lines to the tank would need to run through the ceiling. I was concerned about the potential future need to change them out, but if I ran a PVC conduit through the ceiling, I could simply attach new supply line to the old and pull it through. What I was less sure of here was how well the pumps for the ATO and water changing system would work because of the distance. Thoughts? It would be a lot simpler to put the tank on the wall next to the fish room, but I wouldn't see it as much because of the layout of the basement. With it on the wall we have planned, we can see it from the main seating area.
  4. I'm going with the Planet Aquarium tank. My only question is that the standard tank has a single overflow in the middle. When I started reading about optimal overflow placement, I saw that several people recommended external overflows but that these can require thicker glass. Thoughts on pros and cons of internal and external overflows and optimal placement?
  5. Thanks to everyone for the input. This is super helpful. I'm going to at least get low iron for the front panel. Any suggestions on best places to buy the tank?
  6. Hi All, I am planning on upgrading to a new 180g tank next spring (I currently have a 125 gallon). With this size tank, it is worth investing in low-iron glass? I haven't seen the low iron and standard glass side by side to know if the difference is noticeable. Thanks for your input! Laura
  7. I posted this on ReefCentral as well and got some cool suggestions. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2659294
  8. Hi All, I moved over the summer and despite my best efforts had a major tank crash and lost everything. Depressing to say the least. I am finally ready to rebuild my tank and am looking to improve on my previous set up. One thing I am considering is moving my controller and all other electrical components out of the stand. I had issues with my previous setup developing issues due to salt creep/moisture. How do you set up your electrical components (in or out of the stand) to keep everything running smoothly? I’ve been looking at various kinds of conduit, etc and wondered what everyone else has had success with I have a standard 125gal tank and just invested in a Neptune Apex controller for the new set up. Thx!
  9. Thanks so much for all of the replies! Sorry I didn't get a chance to thank you all sooner. Ended up finding a food grade 10 gal plastic container and set that up with an ATO system I picked up at PA, which has a dual sensor system to keep the pump from running if the water level in the reservoir is too low. Tank overall did great while I was on vacation. My tang could have used a little more food, but I will work on fattening him up this week.
  10. I know a lot of people use Rubbermaid Brute trash cans for mixing water and I do not believe these are marketed as food safe. What makes an ATO system different so that it requires food grade plastics? Just curious and wanting to learn. Thanks!
  11. I upgraded to a 125gal tank, but had not upgraded my 4gal ATO reservoir yet. Would like to do that before taking off for vacation. Would it be safe to get a plastic trash can/storage container at Lowe's and use that? Anything particular plastics/brands to watch out for?
  12. Hi All, I picked up a frag of Tyree Setosa at our 2013 frag swap. Had some horrible issues with algae in my old tank and the frag became overgrown and almost didn't make it. New tank is up and running and the frag appears to be making a comeback with better coloration (the picture does not do it justice - it is really a neon orange like it was when I first bought it) and good polyp extension. My question is whether I should just leave the frag as is and see what it does or would it grow better if I cut off the living portions into separate frags. Any suggestions? Thanks!
  13. I am planning my plumbing setup for a new 125gal RR tank. It has two overflows, each with two holes drilled into the bottom of the tank. I was going to use the two larger holes in each overflow to drain to my sump and the two smaller holes for returns. This does not leave me with a way to plumb an emergency drain (at least not that I can think of). Given that I will have two drain pipes, is this asking for trouble or should it be ok? If it is a major hazard, I could convert one return line to an emergency drain and run that return up over the back of the tank, but I would rather not do this if it can be avoided. Thanks for any advice you all have.
  14. I am upgrading from my 46 gallon tank to a 125 gallon and was hoping to use reef flakes as my substrate (mixed reef tank with substantial flow), but PA does not have any in stock. What would you all recommend as a good alternative.
  15. Hi All, I am working on getting things ready to transfer my old 46 gallon reef to my new 125 gallon tank. I have about 47lbs of live rock in my old tank that will transfer over to new one (after I hopefully get all of the algae off - was doing really well but had a recent outbreak of green hair/bubble algae), and I have purchased another 140lbs of marco dry rock from PA. What do I need to get the dry rock ready to go into the tank? I have read other forums and seen multiple different methods of prepping the rock and just wondered what everybody in INDMAS does. Thanks!
  16. Do you think the cork and rubber that you lined your stand with helped at all to reduce the noise?
  17. I am currently in the process of upgrading to a 125 gal tank. It will be going into my living room, and I am planning to line the stand with cork and rubber to cut down on noise. I need to buy a new return pump for the sump and was hoping to get some recommendations on what to buy/avoid buying. I'm leaning towards either the Eheim 1262 or the compact 2000, but wanted some input before making a purchase. Thanks!
  18. Thanks for the offer, but I am just going to reinforce the floor for my own peace of mind.
  19. I was pretty sure nobody could give me a definite answer, but was hoping to get some general guidance. I am upgrading from the 46 bow. The basement is beneath the living room floor. Thanks for the responses.
  20. I am looking to upgrade to a 125 gallon tank and was wondering if I will have to reinforce the floor to safely support the weight. I have a one story ranch home built in 1949 and the tank would be in my living room. Unfortunately, the only place I can put it runs with the joists and not perpendicular to them. It would not be placed against an interior wall if that makes a difference. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
  21. Blue Reef

    My New Reef Set Up

    Tore down the old tank that was contaminated with copper and bought a new one along with some awesome Manado rock from Premium. This picture is at 5 weeks out from buying the new setup.
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