45g Shallow Rimless Peninsula Aquacultured Sps Reef

jroovers

Super Active Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2012
Location
London
Thanks for the comments, I'm happy how everything turned out, soon I can just focus on typical maintenance tasks as opposed to trying to get things "finished". :)

wow Jordan, that is an awesome looking tank but, it looks so empty compared to your other one...beautiful pictures...

Thanks, it is pretty empty at the moment, just frags that will hopefully grow out over time. My bioload is intentionally small as well, I'm going to maybe add a couple more small fish, but with a small water volume and SPS dominant tank, I want to strictly control what I'm throwing in the tank (i.e. prevent overfeeding or need to add other methods of nutrient control beyond skimming and LR).

Beautiful tang, but don't they get like a foot and a half ?

Yes, they get too big for this tank. He is a temporary inhabitant to assist with grazing over the short term, which is too bad, this fish has a ton of personality.

Travertine tile? Is that reef safe? I like it.

Yes, its a natural stone and from what I've read its mostly just calcium carbonate, just like aragonite. It is typically used by reefers for frag plugs and tiles.
 

curiousphil

Super Active Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2013
Location
London, Ontario
Tank is looking great Jordan, I like the aquascape - should look really nice once it's fully encrusted with coral. How do you like the gyre? (I think that's what I see in the first set of pictures)

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yveterinarian

Super Active Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2012
Location
Innerkip, Ontario
Love the look of this tank Jordan! The tile looks great and should be much easier to keep clean over the long run. I am looking forward to seeing it as it matures. :)
 

jroovers

Super Active Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2012
Location
London
Is that a RR Jawdropper i see in those pics??

No, not sure which one you mean but I don't have JD

Tank is looking great Jordan, I like the aquascape - should look really nice once it's fully encrusted with coral. How do you like the gyre? (I think that's what I see in the first set of pictures)

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It's great. Flow is perfect for this tank. SPS love it, they've perked up since adding it. Quiet and easy to use.

Love the look of this tank Jordan! The tile looks great and should be much easier to keep clean over the long run. I am looking forward to seeing it as it matures. :)

Yes, so far the tile is great, with the gyre flow I can literally see detritus move around without finding a spot to settle, then it gets caught up in the flow.
 

jroovers

Super Active Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2012
Location
London
Forgot to add a couple algae blenny shots, practical fish and fun to watch

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AdInfinitum

Super Active Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2012
Location
Thorndale, Ontario
Brilliant build!!! The overall aesthetics and details are fabulous.

My tanks have always been good places for things to live but not pieces of art in themselves. Your build has inspired me and contributed to getting me permission to make my tank the focal point of our entertaining area...I'm feeling the pressure to make something that approaches the standard that you've set.
 
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jroovers

Super Active Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2012
Location
London
Brilliant build!!! The overall aesthetics and details are fabulous.

My tanks have always been good places for things to live but not pieces of art in themselves. Your build has inspired me and contributed to getting me permission to make my tank the focal point of our entertainig area...I'm feeling the pressure to make something that approaches the standard that you've set.

The pulley idea was all yours, I would have never thought of that, so you've obviously got some ideas!

I would have to rate your new system as one of the best new builds on the net. It's refreshing to see your initial success with a such simplistic approach. Thanks again for sharing!

Thanks Tyler, I wouldn't have this tank and stand if it wasn't for the foundation you've laid, I'm indebted :)
 

jroovers

Super Active Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2012
Location
London
They're one of my favorite fish to watch as well. So much personality.

I just haven't been able to find one for my tank, or I'd have one too.

Sony Xperia Z3

Aaron seems to have them regularly in stock at Big Al's London, that's where this one came from, they are pretty common so I'm sure you'll come across one sooner rather than later.
 

AdInfinitum

Super Active Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2012
Location
Thorndale, Ontario
Hey Jordan, would love an update on how this system is developing (for better or for worse...lol).

I've been playing with a small system as my mega build/Reno project drags out...finding it challenging...would love to hear about your experiences with this system.
 

jroovers

Super Active Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2012
Location
London
Going from a large system to a much smaller one is definitely trickier than I thought! This tank has been through a lot of ups and downs the past 4 to 6 months, adding another family member to the brood really took away from tank time (and everything else lol). I had my RO unit go on me (which I didn't catch right away), nutrient spikes and crashes, resultant algae outbreaks and green water lol, and suffering SPS as a result of all the swinging. All things are pretty stable now, but I lost some frags, and the ones that survived are taking a long time to come around. Things are stable now though thankfully, I just haven't seen any coral growth up until the last couple of weeks, so I'm essentially still at ground zero (about where I was a year ago really, but much wiser into the workings of my system). Going from a larger 120 to a much smaller 45 gallon tank really leaves a much narrower margin of error, which I found out about through the roller coaster of the past few months. At one point I actually thought of shutting it down, but with a touch more sleep, that crazy notion passed. The one thing I had difficulty getting under control especially was phosphates. Even with a very very low bioload, and little to no feeding, I couldn't keep my phosphates under control (RO unit issues aside). I've traded thoughts with teebone, and maybe wondered that the dry rock was the source of some of this, but he treated it very extensively when he got it and before giving it to me, so I'm not convinced. I tried not to bring GFO online, but I had no choice, and should have done so sooner, once I did that things have really stabilized and turned around for the better.

I do have a bit more time now to devote to the tank, and I seem to be figuring it out. I will try and get and post some photos in the next week or so. Hoping to add some replacement frags soon now that things seem to be under control and my parameters stable... handy that the fest is coming up in a few weeks!

Oh, I should add I've tested my parameters more in the past two months than I recall doing in the span of 3 to 4 years on my 120... things can change so quickly with the smaller volume that I'm a bit paranoid now. My plan is to test once weekly Ca, Alk, and phosphate.
 

jroovers

Super Active Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2012
Location
London
Maybe its your tile bottom leaching phosphate into the system?

I thought about that, but I don't think its the case... its really no different than aragonite and/or calcium carbonate, and I rinsed it really well prior to its use. I was having issues with phosphates prior to installing this as well, so I don't think its the cause.
 

benzzzz

New Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2016
Location
CA
Just read your whole build thread. Simply a jaw dropper man. Your time and effort has made this the most beautiful setup I have seen on any forum. Congrats and all the best in the future

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AdInfinitum

Super Active Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2012
Location
Thorndale, Ontario
Good to hear it's not just me struggling to adapt to the needs of a small system!!!:)

Honestly I haven't had phosphates too high on my priority list, thinking that with so little going in...... likely the same as you were thinking...

Time for some more testing...

Even "no brainer" stuff like salinity is touchy with small volumes. I had to change my ATO system to something with a much smaller range. This was supposed to be a lower effort diversion while other thing we're taking up my time...lol
 
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