Reefmonkey's 46 (Aip's B Gone Wand pics)

Hey all. I just joined the forum this morning and as promised here is a pic of my DT and fuge.


This tank is my first venture into SW. I've been in the hobby since childhood and most of the time in the hobby during 'adulthood' was in Rift Lake biotopes mainly Malawian and Tangyian Cichlids.
I wish now I had gone bigger with this tank but I had the 46 on hand. It had set empty in my dining room for 2 years. Here's the break down:
46g All-Glass bowfront, open top
6" DSB: I added 4lbs of GARF Grunge just over a month ago
50lbs base rock/35lbs of live
Nova Extreme Pro 6X39 (ATI Blue+ X3, ATI 12000k Bluespecial, UVL 75/25 white actinic, GE 6500K fullspectrum daylight)
R2 Solutions 4 3/8" blue LED moonlight w/ controller
Eshopps 300gph overflow
DIY sump: media bags w/ carbon and gfo in first chamber
150watt Marineland Stealth heater
ReefOctopus HOB 100gph skimmer modified to fit in cabinet and hang on sump. Makes emptying the cup a real joy LOL.
ViaAqua 725 return pump sends flow to ATS in remote fuge
22g rubbermaid clear tote for fuge
200watt Marineland Stealth heater (primary)
3" bed of CaribSea Special grade Reef sand
10lbs liverock
DIY Algae Turf Scrubber (Very useful in the beginning and now problematic)
30 red mangroves and what started out as a tennis sized ball of chaeto but is growing out of control
CUC/inverts
12 Nassarius
30 dwarf cerith
15 Nerite
6or7 hermies
2 emerald crabs
2 peppermint shrimp
Coral banded shrimp
Brittle Star
3 Hawiian featherdusters (started with 2)
Hitchhiking clam of unknown species..it's turning pretty yellow so I'm thinking it's a Derasa
Fish
Pair of Oscellaris Clowns
Yellow Tang
GoldHead Goby
Corals
Pavona
red monti cap
green monti cap
strawberry sherbert cap
torch
candycane
trumpet
purple ribbon gorgonian
gsp
neon green toadstool
silver branch xenia
kenya tree
finger leather
green toadstool
frilly green mushroom
blue mushrooms
ricordea on rock with unidentified palys
radioactive dragons eyes
lunar eclipse
gorilla nipples
yellow skirted zoa colony
whammin watermelon
purple people eaters
red skirted paly's

Think that's all LOL. To date I don't drip kalk or dose anything. I do a 10% waterchange weekly and my levels stay stable. I am in the process of coming up with a gravity fed ATO because my evaporation rate has risen to 1.5-2 gallons per day since winter rolled in. Only problem I have is room and a place to hide any type of ATO.
I recently had to replace a destroyed RO/DI so I built one myself with cartridges and housings purchased on eBay. I bought all of the 1/4" quick connects at home depot and the color changing nuclear grade DI resin from the filter guys. Total expense for a very functional 4 stage system: $78.
I'm currently researching H. Fuscus and am in the process of building the stand that will hold a 29 gallon drilled to eventually put them in.

 

Looks great.

 

WOW very nice setup! welcome to 3reef and K+ for joining the 46 bow club

 

Nice tank.
Looks like way more than 10 lbs of rock!

 

Great tank! especially for your firat attempt! I have ot ask though:

"DIY Algae Turf Scrubber (Very useful in the beginning and now problematic)"

What problems are you encountering with it? I was thinking of doing one after all the good things i heard bout it.

 

LOL you made me reproofread my post...the 10 lbs is in the fuge. The DT has 85lbs total.

 

It did it's job very effectively. After the mangroves began to root and sprout leaves and the chaeto started growing, the algae on the ATS couldn't compete for nutrients and alot of it died off. This (imo) released all of it's stored nutrients, which the mangroves and chaeto couldn't use fast enough so I had a bloom in my DT. It's gone through this cycle 2x now so I know it's the algae on the ATS dieing off. It's getting annoying so this weekend I'm going to plumb a line in ahead of it so that's it's still there and if I need to use it for a bit all I'll have to do is turn a valve, let it do it's thing, shut it down and clean it up for the next time I need it. Hopefully my DSB will be taking alot more of the load by then and I can just take the ATS out completely.

 

Wow I can't believe I didn't list my favorite Paly! It's only been in my tank for 5 days and has already popped 2 new heads. You can see one, the other is on the opposite side. It's common name is Armor of God.

 

Great looking tank! Thanks for sharing!

 

Thanks to everyone for the compliments!

Pufferchick...What is the 46 bow Club and do I get a free frag for being in it?? LOL JJ
I read thru quite a bit of your 46 build thread and liked what I've seen so far! Will finish reading it and follow along as you add to it.;D