yet another 90Gal build

more goodies:

...I HAD to get a Apex... just the wave maker functions alone make the purchase worth it...


I could go on and on about the convienece of light vs .temp controls, lunar & solar tables, email alerts, leak alerts, ATO functions, pH & salinity monitorings..blah blah....

So, I elected to be cautious and get the "JR" model...
1st off I am SO GLAD I did not get the RKL...after doing my due dilligence, I clearly see the Apex is superior; PERIOD
...but OTOH I now have buyers remorse and can see the Apex Lite is the better deal...I will be spending the difference anyway getting the PM1 & pH probe w/o the value add of the display or the 8 outlet power bar

Take my advice to the bank: get the Apex Lite at the very least!

.... at any rate, the unit was un-boxed and deployed within seconds of arrival....ha



...I'm not sure if its advisable to "slave" the powerheads to a powerstrip and thence to the controller, but for now short of a "powerbar" this is the only way to hook up 4 powerheads for a wavemaker (I doubt the cheapo surge protectors will take going on/off every 5 min 24/7/365 before failing before lone)

 

...and a BRS deluxe reactor....
I'm not 100% sure if Ill attempt to modify it for pellets or pair it with another deluxe reactor and do a carbon/GFO combo...I'm tempted to get the BRS double reactor anyway

...here it is deployed & paired with a MJ1200 (its running nothing at this time)

 

....my tank inhabitants thus far are:

4-6 hermits
pr Coral banded shrimp
pr GSM clowns
1 Royal Gramma
1 green chromis
pr Firefish gobies
falco hawk

...I'm not thinking of adding much more fish wise as those Maroons will likeley dominate the tanks as is...might add a kole tang or lawnmower blenny...and maybe 2 more chromis....

...tank pics tommorow or soon

 

Of course you HAD to get it. Im gonna HAVE to get it sooner than later. Still working on with the boss first.

Anyways, congrats, Im very jealous. I think Id still get the Jr over the Lite, tho. The lower initial cost is a big plus for me

 

You just got your priorities mixed up, lemme help you budget:

1) Apex controller
2) baby formula
3) womans hair budget
4) Car payment

Now get that Apex and thank me later

 

Congrats on the new adds. You will most likely need to boost your CUC unless you are very good at feeding without any not getting eaten immediately. Even then you may have more nutrients produced than your filtration can remove and have algae growth. Check out Reef Cleaners custom CUC for a suggestion.

 

I'm back after a LOOOONNG period of doing almost nothing...
I'm slowly adding critters to increase the bio-load of the rock....I can't seem to keep snails alive and suspect there simply isn't much to each

you folks already know its a balancing act...
I've added a frog spawn and an anemone (yes I know might be a lil early but I got some experience)....
both are still alive...

I've lost a firefish and a CBS, both losses were bad b-cuz they were 1/2 of a mated pair; and preventable because likley it was my rock re-arranging that did them in

So anyway, yeah I need some CUC: I got 2 stomatellas, a few nerites and a narsisus snail....

 

...I've also did a major rework of the sump area and ordered like $600 in equipment:

here is a box from Premium Aquatics (I love ordering from them for not just the lowest prices and good service but its next day to Cleveland from Indy)



...and a few goodies were in it











the new float switch plus the Apex pm1 and pH probe allowed me to now monitor my pH and tie in ATO function with Kalkwasser dripping (I can sorta "failsafe" the addition of kalk via a ATO with 2 tiers of safety: pH level & water level)

So I re-worked the sump and cabinet again

(you'll note the new Sock holder...its pretty nice!!!

 

Nice update that is some expensive taste you have there.

 

Naw thanks bro, but I'm no rich person, thats why this build is so slow....;D

but I did pull the trigger on a BRS reactor and a ATI T5



the light and reactor were packaged expertly 8)




...and BRS is the "bomb" ain't they!





still the light was slightly damaged

...nothing a few screws couldn't fix tho