Blue's 40G Mixed Reef

[Blue Space]

Can't seem to find my old tank chronicle so I'm just going to pick it up here during my 40g (breeder) sump upgrade. I ordered the triton sump upgrade kit and it's going to replace a 20 gal long. That'll give me more room for a roller mat filter and my skimmer in the same section. The new sump will tie into the existing 40 gal breeder holding a pair of clowns, one buckshot and one snowflake extreme and various coral.

Here's a video from when I first got the buckshot:

ah! cute li'l thing has grown into a big girl now with what appears to be a skull-pattern on her left side.

triton baffle kit from jaxrax:


Sump upgrade currently in progress:

 

[Blue Space]

Here's a video from when it first started:

The tank is pretty much filled up and I'm ready for yet another upgrade (180 in the works) but here are some more pics for your enjoyment since I know we all love pics!



This Tyree neon green toadstool likes to reproduce and I always have something to trade at the LFS.


After they've grown up a bit place them in the sand. After a short time they'll have plenty of
sand on their foot that you can glue to a plug.

 

[Blue Space]

Older vid of my clowns doing what they do...

 

[Blue Space]

I got the baffles in place. I'm no pro that's for sure but I think the seams turned out pretty good overall and I'm pleased with fact that I didn't have to spend 500 bucks on a pre-built sump. I'll let the silicone cure fully before bringing the new sump online.

 

[PSU4ME]

Looks great!!! Silicone does look professional. Tank looks like it’s been growing well for you. What makes you wanna go triton?

 

[Blue Space]

Thanks sir! I'm not going to implement the triton method. I just needed some cast acrylic baffles (branded Triton Baffle Kit) because the Home Depot DIY acrylic warps like son-of-a-gun! There's plenty of evidence the triton method works well, but I'm sticking with the Berlin method.

Jaxrax had just what I needed and stood out among all of the choices I saw out there. Goal was just to upgrade to a sump that could accommodate both the Clarisea roller mat filter and the skimmer in the first chamber. I did NOT want to fork out the dough for a prebuilt sump due to the high cost. The baffle kit also comes in black but I preferred the red because it matches my Reef Octopus skimmer.

 

[Humblefish]

Nice tank!

 

[Blue Space]

Thanks sir! I've learned so much from the members here at RS and could never have done it without everyone sharing their knowledge. I'm deeply humbled because you're kind of a legend in this hobby! I have often heard your name dropped on many a forum when on the topic of treating fish.

 

[Blue Space]

I built a stand for the new sump upgrade. Since this tank is in the basement I like having the sump on the side of the DT instead of underneath and it's the perfect height to make maintenance easy -no bending over.

I've built 3 stands using this jig from Kreg and I think it really does a nice job. It has an adjustable setting that ensures the pocket holes guide the screws exactly to the center of the board for the strongest joint possible, or at least that's what the instructions say...

I hope to get the new sump plumbed in this weekend, depending on the honey-do list. We shall see.

 

[Blue Space]

I'm not sure if any of you have been looking into getting one of these roller mat filter units to avoid having to clean or replace filter socks but I decided to take the plunge.

Since I have never changed my filter socks at the recommended frequency (every 3 days), I'm certain that my tank has never enjoyed the benefits. I'd like to reduce the amount of filter media I burn through to reduce nitrates and phosphates so I'm excited to see the impact. Besides, anything has to be better than cleaning filter socks (or rather the detrimental effects of NOT changing/cleaning, which I'm guilty of).

For anyone interested, the unit was easy to put together. Though, I must admit the directions that came with the Clarisea Gen-2 SK-5000 are just a bunch of tiny pictures. Instead of breaking out the magnifying glass I turned to their online video which was an improvement but still left out the description of a step or two.

For instance, where to install the top rollers (common sense but still - it was missing) and which direction to point the internal pipe (either up or down) for best performance. Overall, it was pretty easy to assemble. I had it completed in about 30 min. once I had it unboxed and all the pieces organized. Oh, and the pieces no longer come with the annoying paper to protect the acrylic so that was a bonus. I heard lots of folks complaining that without finger nails (or a woman in the household) it was very tough to peel off, even after moistening.

I'll reply back to this thread to let you know my thoughts on ease of use, maintenance, and performance once deployed with the new sump. Happy reefing!

 

[PSU4ME]

Good luck man, I’ve heard of these being hit or miss but I love the theory of it.

 

[Blue Space]

Yep, I did a lot of online research on the subject before pulling the trigger. I guess you could say that I'm cautiously optimistic.

The dry run executed flawlessly and I was careful to align the take-up spool so it does't start binding on the inside edge. However, we won't know more until the sea trials are completed.

I'll let you know if it's a bust or not...

 

[Blue Space]

Okay, the new sump is now online and I'm amazed by how quiet it is now. Finished late last night and I'm very pleased with the new setup other than a couple of items that will need remedied. Let the sea trials begin!

First thing, I noticed that with the increase in water volume, my two Finnex heaters are now unable to get the tank any higher than 78.4 degrees. I'll be placing an order for a couple of up-sized heaters today.

Second, as a temporary measure I have some clear plastic tubing connecting my return pump to the return line until I get the return manifold built and installed.

Lastly, pay no attention to the rats nest of wiring in the background. That is a total figment of your imagination...
Just kidding. That's a whole other project that I'll need to tackle.

 

[Pancho75]

Okay, the new sump is now online and I'm amazed by how quiet it is now. Finished late last night and I'm very pleased with the new setup other than a couple of items that will need remedied. Let the sea trials begin!

First thing, I noticed that with the increase in water volume, my two Finnex heaters are now unable to get the tank any higher than 78.4 degrees. I'll be placing an order for a couple of up-sized heaters today.

Second, as a temporary measure I have some clear plastic tubing connecting my return pump to the return line until I get the return manifold built and installed.

Lastly, pay no attention to the rats nest of wiring in the background. That is a total figment of your imagination...
Just kidding. That's a whole other project that I'll need to tackle.

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[Pancho75]

Good job on setting up the sump Blue Space, the Clarisea looka like if it was built for that position.

 

[Blue Space]

Thank you sir! I ran both corner drains to some spa flex into the T sitting right on top. No issues to report yet. Though, I did cause it to alarm by advancing the the roll manually a couple times. It was just cool to see all the "nasty" rise up out of the water and know that I don't have to clean a filter sock!!

According to the website every time you advance manually you create "Clean Roll" situation, which means that it takes time to dirty up again. It must do within 8 hours or it will alarm thinking that there's something wrong with the float switch or Jammed. Oops! Ha ha! I cleared the alarm and all is well again, for now.

 

[Blue Space]

I received the Finnex HC-0810M digital heater controller matched with a single TH-800 Plus (800W) titanium heater from BRS. It replaced a pair of Finnex 200W heaters and is now keeping the tank at a perfect 79 F.

The old pair would've been fine except for some of the cold snaps we get in the winter. If they could barely keep the tank at 78 F when the temps were mild I doubt they'd be able to keep the tank in the comfort zone when the temps took a nose dive. Plus, if they have to run full blast all the time I doubt they'd last long. I'll hang on to them for a back up for the BC29.

 

[Pancho75]

Nice! titanium heaters are the future. I’m still running glass.

 

[Blue Space]

Yep! Make no mistake, they still fail.. I had one (1 out of the 5 now I've purchased) with a built-in controller that started alarming on me and then wouldn't hold temp in the bc29. I rather like not having to worry about them exploding or breaking though.

 

[PSU4ME]

Looks awesome. I’m still running my jagers and I’ve had great luck but I’d like to go titanium. I like the sump setup for sure..... great to have space!