Covey's 150G Photo Journal

Nice tank Covey. Im inspired to upgrade....Wait Im married, I need approval

 

AWSOME! T-5HO, looks great!

 

Nice Tank!

 

Talking you into T-5s Bruce quite possibly talked me back into T-5s. I am thinking again of going with the 2x660 Icecap driven 6x100W T-5 setup. Who knows I will still change my mind a dozen times between here and there.

 

So I have been slacking lately on the journal so I thought I would update. STILL haven't finished the stand. Needed to now what I am doing for lighting and that is still in the air.

Anyway what I have got done. If was looking for a BB miracile. I think I would go with this.

The A. robusta in the middle that was slowly getting over run by hair algae is algae free. In fact the entire tank now hair algae free.;D That and the acro is now encrust back over its base.

My Visa ad:
New tank $450
New skimmer $450
New way of reef keeping $0

Finally beating hair algae PRICELESS!!!

 

More Stuff More Toys.
Here is my Pacfic Coast recirc skimmer.
For size comparsions.
A Seaclone will fit down its neck
and my beloved but to small MR-1 next to it.

Here is the milky monster shortily after setup.

Here it is shortily after it started foaming. IF you set it dry this thing can skim coffee but I am a wet skimmer so this is probably the last pic you'll see it skimming dry.

A tiny tiny bubble pic.


I had been feeding the skimmer with a Maxi-Jet 1200 but just yesterday I switched to feeding raw water off the overflow. A serious upgrade IMO. 85% of the turn over thru the sump goes thru the skimmer first now. When I turn the skimmer on after a feeding leftovers pile into the skimmer. That and the dwell time in the skimmer is almost a minute. Recirc skimmers rock.

 

Circulation
Basically I have got that down now too.
I moded two MJ1200 with Dumas 1.75"

At around 3000GPH a piece. They are the main flow in the tank.

When I changed skimmers it freed up my Coralife Turbo-Sea pump up for a return. Quite, cool running and not bad at 1090GPH for 90W. After head and SCWD loss think I have about 600GPH thru the return. It replaces the rather shady Cap 2200 pump I was using.

Last but not least I buried my last surviving SEIO 1100 behind the main rock rack on detritus duty so I don't have to play contortionist to vacuum behind the rocks

 

My big project yesterday was I tried my first batch of DIY rock. A pretty new recipe from what I've noticed.

Basically 4 part rock salt to 1 part portland cement(mixed THICK).

A couple people have made rock so airy it floats!

Anyway messy but pretty easy. Its free standing no forms needed. I ened up going the DIY route because I want some very specific shapes to fill in the blanks left by my 110# of LR.

Here is some of the coolier looking ones.

It will be interesting to see what these look like when the 80# of rock salt cure out of them.

Total cost for 94# of base rock is $15.

There curing now.
So what do you guys think of my handy work?

 

DDDAAAAAMMMMMNNNN!! $15 for 94lbs of rock!? Once it becomes "live" that will be awesome!!!!

 

You can't beat that with a stick It is, imo, a good way to go. You can make some shapes that will look totally different.
How long do you think it will take to cure?

Jim