New 46 gallon Bow Front build: updated 5/23/10

not yet...the dry rock is still cooking in RODI. I plan on pulling out the rocks Thursday night then moving them to RODI saltwater. I'm concurrently running a small filter filled with phosphate granules to absorb any leached phosphates from the dead rock.

Only thing about this hobby...slow progress. Or I'm being overly cautious ;D

 

Too slow is 100x better than too fast in this hobby

 

welcome to the 46 gal bowfront club!! you probably want to return those koralia k1's for the k2's... k1's are pretty weak and i ended up having to switch to the k2's. i have two k2's and a maxijet 1200 and i find that's a decent amount of flow.

and you're probably gonna wanna do the Jwin canopy right? so for lighting you're gonna need something narrow like 10" MAX width... there are a couple nice t5 ho fixtures i'd go with... BEST would be the Aquactinics 36" it's a 5 x 39 watt and is still super narrow but super pricey BUT extremely nice there's also the Aquaticlife 36" which is nice too.. check em out, they're both nice.

 

Sounds like I need to put a patent on that thing

And 2 Koralia 2's will give you about the same flow as 3 K 1's, if you're into ratios. We use our K1's mainly for specific coral spots like our SPS and GSP. With 4 koralia 1's it's like a hurriane in there I second the 2 koralia 2's if you want less of a powerhead look to it. I know our tank looks kinda weird with 4 powerheads poking out everywhere.

 

Yeah I was noticing the K1's are a little weak. I put 1 in where I'm cooking my rocks and the flow is not as strong as I thought. I'm actually thinking of the 1 Vortech MP20. This way I don't power heads riddled in my tank.

I would love to make the hood...I'm not to savvy when it comes to carpentry ;D So I'm thinking of standing light fixture...I like those aquaticlifes.

 

ya you'd be a millionaire by now

and ya those aquaticlife's are a pretty good price. they have the built on timer and i think they only use 1 plug for both the lunars and the t5's. saves space on the power bar...

 

Oh man, if you're thinking about a Vortech you should just stop thinking and get one If I had the cash and the need, I would get a Vortech over a Koralia any day

 

that's what i'm doing! i asked it for my one expensive xmas present. They parents haven't officially said yes yet, but pretty much have, i'll be paying half of it though. I didn't like how bulky the Koralia's are so that's why i'm going with the vortech for my tank

 

You think I can get away with one and just tell my wife "It's a xmas present to myself"? ;D

So what you are saying...If I pass on the Vortech I can add another K1 to get required flow? I need to see If I can still return the 2 K1's first.

Oh and the Hood. I saw that video...very nice work Jwin! So feel free to send a fellow 46 gallon'r a xmas gift ;D

 

Ya If you have the money and can afford a Vortech, I'd go for it. Otherwise I would try to take back the K1's and get two K2's. The K1's are weak sauce.