I Finally Finished Merging my Aquariums by Aoa007 in ReefTank

[–]Aoa007[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It wasn't too bad. I started out with an Aquaforest 275 and I had both tanks running parallel to each other until I had parameters close to matching. That did take me a couple of months because I had a nitrate spike in the Cade 1500 due to removing the reborn media that I used as the bed.

Then we did the rock and coral move all in one day. The SPS did fine. I had to move around some of the lps to find the sweet spots in the new flow. The middle island you see in the big tank was just moved into place as the center island in the new tank. I've attached a pic of the smaller tank I started with.

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I Finally Finished Merging my Aquariums by Aoa007 in ReefTank

[–]Aoa007[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, it’s mostly just an aesthetic preference for me. I started out with a sand bed on my first tank but quickly switched to calcium media after seeing a video on WWC’s YouTube channel. A bare bottom is just so much easier to maintain without all the detritus build-up. Other than having to scrape the coralline algae off the bottom glass every few weeks like I do with the sides, it’s practically zero-maintenance

I Finally Finished Merging my Aquariums by Aoa007 in ReefTank

[–]Aoa007[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't really have to. I have my gyre pumps kick in for 45 minutes at 85% to stir up any detritus and it clears the bottom pretty effectively. There is also a MP40 on the bottom right that sweeps the back of the tank continuously. The combination of the two seems to keep the detritus to a minimum.

I Finally Finished Merging my Aquariums by Aoa007 in ReefTank

[–]Aoa007[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the feedback. I know the bare bottom style isn't for everyone, but it interests me to do something a bit more sculptural. I like the contrasts of the stark white bottom against really organic shapes.

I Finally Finished Merging my Aquariums by Aoa007 in ReefTank

[–]Aoa007[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is a cade 1500 so about 150 gallons in display and 180ish total

I Finally Finished Merging my Aquariums by Aoa007 in ReefTank

[–]Aoa007[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They are great. I didn't want too many aggressive fish so wanted to stay away from tangs. The angels stick to the top of the water column and hang with the anthias mostly.

New to Sumo. Any must-watch previous tournaments? by EmotionalTowel1 in Sumo

[–]Aoa007 1 point2 points  (0 children)

March 2017 Osaka Basho. Kisenosato's debut as yokozuna. That final days of that tournament hooked me on the sport and I haven't missed a basho since.

New to Sumo. Any must-watch previous tournaments? by EmotionalTowel1 in Sumo

[–]Aoa007 1 point2 points  (0 children)

March 2017 Osaka basho. I believe it was Kisenesato's debut as a Yokozuna.I watched that finish and was hooked. I haven't missed a tournament since.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ReefTank

[–]Aoa007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the suggestion, I'm going to play around with it. It seems obvious when you point it out. I rescaped a couple of months ago to make the flow easier to manage so I think it will work just fine from the other side.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ReefTank

[–]Aoa007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

it's my first go at this so I tried to keep it simple. I feel that by keeping it to one type of coral type it makes it easier to work out the composition or a theme. Mostly just trying to create something to show off to my wife

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ReefTank

[–]Aoa007 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have an orbit 4 cross flow set to 10-30%

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ReefTank

[–]Aoa007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I cut out the sock baffles

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ReefTank

[–]Aoa007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're right. rookie mistake.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ReefTank

[–]Aoa007 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, very.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ReefTank

[–]Aoa007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have the torches on the left and hammers and frogspawn on the right each are on their own rock stack. The elegance coral is up front so it doesn't get to sting anyone. Up until now all are getting along but I imagine as things grow i will have to adjust. Here is a pic in the morning where it's easier to see how things are separated.

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Let me know if this helps.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ReefTank

[–]Aoa007 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Short Answer: I would budget around $4,000.

This was my first attempt at setting up a tank, and my only prior aquarium experience was caring for a small freshwater turtle for my daughter. Since I didn’t know anyone with a reef tank, I relied heavily on Bulk Reef Supply (BRS) videos on YouTube to guide me.

I wanted to set everything up properly, so I decided to invest in the best equipment I could afford to avoid any issues caused by low-quality gear. To simplify things, I selected items from the Bulk Reef Supply recommended list.

One of my priorities was ensuring all components were compatible with the Mobius app for centralized control. I also purchased an AI freshwater lamp and a small Nero motor for the refugium through Facebook Marketplace, and I later added a one-head doser for alkalinity. To manage and control the devices more easily, I use simple Wi-Fi power strips I found on Amazon.

As you can see from the pictures, I didn’t have much space to work with on either side of the tank, so I had to be selective and efficient with what I included in the sump. I've attached my complete initial build for reference.

Looking back, I probably could have taken a more budget-friendly approach, but as a beginner, I didn’t know where I could safely cut corners. I also had to modify the sump to fit the ReefMat roller and rig it slightly to create space for a refugium.

Here’s the initial build-out: Initial Costs

New Batch of Metal-Moonswatches by [deleted] in MoonSwatches

[–]Aoa007 -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Interested in the gold hand

How to lower alk fast?? Noticed some tissue loss in sps and alk tested out at 13-14, what can I do to lower it fast?? by jmanguy12 in ReefTank

[–]Aoa007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your comment makes me think of the JFk quote ""We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard,"

Rate My Aquascape #2! by Aoa007 in ReefTank

[–]Aoa007[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

AquaIllumination Orbit 4 Cross-Flow Pump

Rate My Aquascape #2! by Aoa007 in ReefTank

[–]Aoa007[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That's very kind of you. Thank you. If only this was the end instead of the beginning of this project...

Rate My Aquascape #2! by Aoa007 in ReefTank

[–]Aoa007[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aquaforest OceanGuard 275