addict's downsized reef

addict · 06-25-2007, 09:15 AM

Well, here I am again... I show up every year or so just so you know that I'm still around...

A lot has happened since the last time I was here, but it's nice to know that this place stays pretty much the same (aside from the improvements, of course

).

Anyway, since my wife's and my schedule keeps getting tighter and tighter as the kids get older, we've decided that 120 gallons is simply too much reef for us to take care of (and afford), so we're working on downsizing to something a bit more manageable.

We've chosen to downsize to a 24g Aquapod with the 150w HQI lighting. It's gonna be strange moving down to such a small tank, but we had considered getting out of the hobby altogether, and this seemed like a good compromise. We also may be moving sometime in the near future, and there's no way we could get the 120g cross-country without massive loss of life, so that's also driving our decision.

So far this is the equipment list for the new tank, which should be trickling in over the next week or so.

24g Aquapod with 150w HQI
Tunze 9002 nano skimmer
Tunze 6025 nanostream pump
Ebo Jager 100w heater
Prime Mini 1/15Hp chiller
30lbs. of Carib-sea sand (Fiji Pink and SeaFlor).
Mag Float 30
Hydor Flo rotating deflector (for the return).

I'm also in discussion with Marc over at marcorocks.com to get all new rock, since the rock I have is pretty loaded up and is getting tons of nuisance algaes on it... the sailfin tang is working overtime to keep it cleared, but he's losing ground. A lot of it has also been around since our first reef, and is probably spent by now.

We're not absolutely sure yet what will be coming out of the 120g to go into the 24g, but it will primarily be zoanthids, acanthastrea, caulastrea, ricordia, and probably a few SPS and xenia... oh, and can't forget the clams.

The 120g will then be torn down and parted out... that's gonna be the hard part.

I have absolutely 'zero' photos or even any diagrams at this point, unlike my previous build thread, but I still have to build a stand so I'll post some construction shots of that, and add to this thread as stuff arrives.

When I started the 120g, I was in the zone where I loved 'tweaking' everything all the time, but now I'm in a place where I just want to enjoy it and maybe tweak it every now and then... but we'll see how that goes.

Woodstock · 06-25-2007, 09:30 AM

Sorry for your need to downsize

But I am SO glad you're keeping a nano and staying in the hobby

and I am even happier that you're back here

addict · 06-25-2007, 10:41 AM

Thanks Doni.

I miss this place whenever I'm away too... there's just so little time in the day to do everything that I want to do, and I've been disgusted with our reef for a long time (I hate to say). It's always one pest problem after another, though thankfully I haven't pulled any more Eunicid's out like the last one.

Most recently it was flatworms... it took an entire bottle of flatworm exit to get them out, which was pretty much a double-dose. We put the recommended dosage in, and the flatworms just gave me the finger and laughed.

They got to be tough little buggers.

Before that it was valonia, then red bugs, and the worm from hell... now it looks like I've got some bryopsis growing and a rogue encrusting gorgonian that's threatening to cover half the tank. I think it's time to nuke it from orbit, just to be sure.

I'm already tossing ideas around on how to build the stand (no canopy this time), so I'll probably have a schematic sometime in the very near future.

Woodstock · 06-25-2007, 11:13 AM

Well, the water changes for the nano will be a cinch!!

blue_eyes53813 · 06-25-2007, 11:21 AM

Welcome back addict....I bet the nano will be great.

kathywithbirds · 06-25-2007, 11:28 AM

Good luck on the downsize, it'll be interesting to see the 24g.

BTW, love your avatar!! What the heck is that thing?

addict · 06-25-2007, 11:35 AM

LOL Doni... yeah, it will be a lot easier doing waterchanges with a 5 gallon bucket rather than a 32g garbage can.

Thanks blue_eyes53813, I'm hoping that it turns out good too.

Thanks to you as well kathywithbirds. It's going to be a definite change in mentality going to a nano from a medium-sized reef.

My avatar is a photo of my now-deceased Harlequin shrimp pair. The male was sitting on a blastomussa hunting for stars, and the female is coming up behind him.

They're great little shrimp, but expensive to feed. Unfortunately one day they were just gone... I'm still at a loss as to what happened to them.

cheeks69 · 06-25-2007, 11:38 AM

With your DIY skills this Aquapod is going to look fantastic !
I'm glad that your not leaving the hobby and I'm anxious to see the project develop

Woodstock · 06-25-2007, 11:38 AM

I was going to ask about your harleys. Sorry they're gone

I just bought 3 CC stars for mine yesterday... and yes, the cost adds up especially over 2 years time!

addict · 06-25-2007, 11:47 AM

Thanks Robert. Good to see ya.

Yeah Doni,
I figured that it cost about $150/yr to feed the shrimp, and that was at 1 star every two weeks, as a rough estimate. CC's are about $6.50 here, so about $7 after tax. Two per month x 12 months and it adds up quick.

But for such a unique creature, I found it to be worth it. We may end up with some more sometime in the future, once we get everything figured out.

Woodstock · 06-25-2007, 11:49 AM

I used to want the babies to hatch and thrive but then thought about feeding several dozen of them ....

No thanks! LOL~

addict · 06-27-2007, 10:54 AM

Oh yeah... raising baby Harlequins would be a chore, and would probably require you to be independently wealthy.

Well, stuff is starting to trickle in... the order from Marine Depot came in on Monday evening.

The Tunze 6025 nanostream is on backorder until mid-July, which isn't surprising with how popular this little pump is.

And I got the Aquapod 24 this morning from Dr's. F&S.

The chiller was here too, but for some reason FedEx screwed up the label and the delivery guy said that in order for FedEx to get paid for the shipment they'd have to take it back to the warehouse and relabel it, then it'll be back tomorrow morning.

Amazing that it traveled almost 2,000 miles before they figured that out... LOL.

I'm still waiting on Marc at marcorocks.com to get back to me on a custom order, so there's no development on that end yet. I also haven't decided if I'm going to DIY a stand or take the easy way out and just buy something (I know, I know... blasphemy!).

Just the way my work hours have been lately it's tough to find the time, coupled with the fact that we're in the process of preparing for our trip to North Carolina next month (looking to move), I'm surprised I have time to sleep.

I may just wait to set this up after we get back at the end of July, which would probably be the prudent thing to do, but I don't think that the word 'prudent' has a place in the reefkeeper's vocabulary.

Heck... even the word 'patience' only has a fleeting reference...

boozeman · 06-27-2007, 11:09 AM

looking good

cheeks69 · 06-27-2007, 11:13 AM

Now the fun part begins

vdituri · 06-27-2007, 09:51 PM

This is both a sad and intriguing thread. lol
Sorry to hear you're downsizing.
Keep me on the list when you get ready to tear down.
Where are you in the Sierra Nevada's? hint hint
I'm in Sacramento.

06-25-2007, 09:15 AM	#1 (permalink)
addict Reef Lobster Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Sierra Nevada Country Posts: 1,621 View Gallery Karma Komment	addict's downsized reef Well, here I am again... I show up every year or so just so you know that I'm still around... A lot has happened since the last time I was here, but it's nice to know that this place stays pretty much the same (aside from the improvements, of course ). Anyway, since my wife's and my schedule keeps getting tighter and tighter as the kids get older, we've decided that 120 gallons is simply too much reef for us to take care of (and afford), so we're working on downsizing to something a bit more manageable. We've chosen to downsize to a 24g Aquapod with the 150w HQI lighting. It's gonna be strange moving down to such a small tank, but we had considered getting out of the hobby altogether, and this seemed like a good compromise. We also may be moving sometime in the near future, and there's no way we could get the 120g cross-country without massive loss of life, so that's also driving our decision. So far this is the equipment list for the new tank, which should be trickling in over the next week or so. 24g Aquapod with 150w HQI Tunze 9002 nano skimmer Tunze 6025 nanostream pump Ebo Jager 100w heater Prime Mini 1/15Hp chiller 30lbs. of Carib-sea sand (Fiji Pink and SeaFlor). Mag Float 30 Hydor Flo rotating deflector (for the return). I'm also in discussion with Marc over at marcorocks.com to get all new rock, since the rock I have is pretty loaded up and is getting tons of nuisance algaes on it... the sailfin tang is working overtime to keep it cleared, but he's losing ground. A lot of it has also been around since our first reef, and is probably spent by now. We're not absolutely sure yet what will be coming out of the 120g to go into the 24g, but it will primarily be zoanthids, acanthastrea, caulastrea, ricordia, and probably a few SPS and xenia... oh, and can't forget the clams. The 120g will then be torn down and parted out... that's gonna be the hard part. I have absolutely 'zero' photos or even any diagrams at this point, unlike my previous build thread, but I still have to build a stand so I'll post some construction shots of that, and add to this thread as stuff arrives. When I started the 120g, I was in the zone where I loved 'tweaking' everything all the time, but now I'm in a place where I just want to enjoy it and maybe tweak it every now and then... but we'll see how that goes. __________________ -David *addict's tank specs:* Coming soon!

06-25-2007, 09:30 AM	#2 (permalink)
Woodstock The Wand Geek was here. ;) Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 22,857 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: addict's downsized reef Sorry for your need to downsize But I am SO glad you're keeping a nano and staying in the hobby and I am even happier that you're back here __________________ ~Doni Marie~ *GOT ICH???* ~120 Reef Chronicle ~ *~Breeding Picasso Clownfish~* "Energy and persistence conquer all things." Benjamin Franklin __________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ 120 mixed reef, dual Reeflux 10k 250 MHs, dual Geiseman Actinic T5s,Neptune AC III, ASM g3, 2x Korallia #3, Mag 9.5 return

06-25-2007, 10:41 AM	#3 (permalink)
addict Reef Lobster Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Sierra Nevada Country Posts: 1,621 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: addict's downsized reef Thanks Doni. I miss this place whenever I'm away too... there's just so little time in the day to do everything that I want to do, and I've been disgusted with our reef for a long time (I hate to say). It's always one pest problem after another, though thankfully I haven't pulled any more Eunicid's out like the last one. Most recently it was flatworms... it took an entire bottle of flatworm exit to get them out, which was pretty much a double-dose. We put the recommended dosage in, and the flatworms just gave me the finger and laughed. They got to be tough little buggers. Before that it was valonia, then red bugs, and the worm from hell... now it looks like I've got some bryopsis growing and a rogue encrusting gorgonian that's threatening to cover half the tank. I think it's time to nuke it from orbit, just to be sure. I'm already tossing ideas around on how to build the stand (no canopy this time), so I'll probably have a schematic sometime in the very near future. __________________ -David *addict's tank specs:* Coming soon!

06-25-2007, 11:13 AM	#4 (permalink)
Woodstock The Wand Geek was here. ;) Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 22,857 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: addict's downsized reef Well, the water changes for the nano will be a cinch!! __________________ ~Doni Marie~ *GOT ICH???* ~120 Reef Chronicle ~ *~Breeding Picasso Clownfish~* "Energy and persistence conquer all things." Benjamin Franklin __________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ 120 mixed reef, dual Reeflux 10k 250 MHs, dual Geiseman Actinic T5s,Neptune AC III, ASM g3, 2x Korallia #3, Mag 9.5 return

06-25-2007, 11:21 AM	#5 (permalink)
blue_eyes53813 Hey!Its not my fault Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Lancaster, Wisconsin Posts: 6,255 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: addict's downsized reef Welcome back addict....I bet the nano will be great. __________________ 265 Gallon Reef built into basement wall. Lighting = 6x250 watts MH, 2x96 watt PC ,and 2x140 watt VHO for a total watt of 1,972 watts . New addition on 4-14-07 of 100 gallon sump and 100 gallon refugium. I think I have lost my mind. Gotta love this hobby Vicki Life is like a pathway of untrodden snow. Be careful how you step in it for every mark will show Definition of FRIENDSHIP: All lives touch other lives to create something new and alive My tank chronicles. http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...wall-reef.html

06-25-2007, 11:28 AM	#6 (permalink)
kathywithbirds Social Darwinism victim Join Date: May 2007 Location: The Hood, NJ Posts: 5,711 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: addict's downsized reef Good luck on the downsize, it'll be interesting to see the 24g. BTW, love your avatar!! What the heck is that thing? __________________ (\ /) This is Bunny crying. ( ; ; ) He thinks Brainy and Bunnina . ' ' ...are having an affair. "Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials." ~Lin Yutang Start: 163.5 Current: I'm not looking at the scale, I'm not looking at the scale, I'm not looking at the scale...

06-25-2007, 11:35 AM	#7 (permalink)
addict Reef Lobster Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Sierra Nevada Country Posts: 1,621 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: addict's downsized reef LOL Doni... yeah, it will be a lot easier doing waterchanges with a 5 gallon bucket rather than a 32g garbage can. Thanks blue_eyes53813, I'm hoping that it turns out good too. Thanks to you as well kathywithbirds. It's going to be a definite change in mentality going to a nano from a medium-sized reef. My avatar is a photo of my now-deceased Harlequin shrimp pair. The male was sitting on a blastomussa hunting for stars, and the female is coming up behind him. They're great little shrimp, but expensive to feed. Unfortunately one day they were just gone... I'm still at a loss as to what happened to them. __________________ -David *addict's tank specs:* Coming soon!

06-25-2007, 11:38 AM	#8 (permalink)
cheeks69 Wannabe Guru Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Northeast Posts: 6,619 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: addict's downsized reef With your DIY skills this Aquapod is going to look fantastic ! I'm glad that your not leaving the hobby and I'm anxious to see the project develop __________________ Robert My Cube “A spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe—a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble.” Albert Einstein

06-25-2007, 11:38 AM	#9 (permalink)
Woodstock The Wand Geek was here. ;) Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 22,857 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: addict's downsized reef I was going to ask about your harleys. Sorry they're gone I just bought 3 CC stars for mine yesterday... and yes, the cost adds up especially over 2 years time! __________________ ~Doni Marie~ *GOT ICH???* ~120 Reef Chronicle ~ *~Breeding Picasso Clownfish~* "Energy and persistence conquer all things." Benjamin Franklin __________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ 120 mixed reef, dual Reeflux 10k 250 MHs, dual Geiseman Actinic T5s,Neptune AC III, ASM g3, 2x Korallia #3, Mag 9.5 return

06-25-2007, 11:47 AM	#10 (permalink)
addict Reef Lobster Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Sierra Nevada Country Posts: 1,621 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: addict's downsized reef Thanks Robert. Good to see ya. Yeah Doni, I figured that it cost about $150/yr to feed the shrimp, and that was at 1 star every two weeks, as a rough estimate. CC's are about $6.50 here, so about $7 after tax. Two per month x 12 months and it adds up quick. But for such a unique creature, I found it to be worth it. We may end up with some more sometime in the future, once we get everything figured out. __________________ -David *addict's tank specs:* Coming soon!

06-25-2007, 11:49 AM	#11 (permalink)
Woodstock The Wand Geek was here. ;) Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 22,857 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: addict's downsized reef I used to want the babies to hatch and thrive but then thought about feeding several dozen of them .... No thanks! LOL~ __________________ ~Doni Marie~ *GOT ICH???* ~120 Reef Chronicle ~ *~Breeding Picasso Clownfish~* "Energy and persistence conquer all things." Benjamin Franklin __________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ 120 mixed reef, dual Reeflux 10k 250 MHs, dual Geiseman Actinic T5s,Neptune AC III, ASM g3, 2x Korallia #3, Mag 9.5 return

06-27-2007, 10:54 AM	#12 (permalink)
addict Reef Lobster Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Sierra Nevada Country Posts: 1,621 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: addict's downsized reef Oh yeah... raising baby Harlequins would be a chore, and would probably require you to be independently wealthy. Well, stuff is starting to trickle in... the order from Marine Depot came in on Monday evening. The Tunze 6025 nanostream is on backorder until mid-July, which isn't surprising with how popular this little pump is. And I got the Aquapod 24 this morning from Dr's. F&S. The chiller was here too, but for some reason FedEx screwed up the label and the delivery guy said that in order for FedEx to get paid for the shipment they'd have to take it back to the warehouse and relabel it, then it'll be back tomorrow morning. Amazing that it traveled almost 2,000 miles before they figured that out... LOL. I'm still waiting on Marc at marcorocks.com to get back to me on a custom order, so there's no development on that end yet. I also haven't decided if I'm going to DIY a stand or take the easy way out and just buy something (I know, I know... blasphemy!). Just the way my work hours have been lately it's tough to find the time, coupled with the fact that we're in the process of preparing for our trip to North Carolina next month (looking to move), I'm surprised I have time to sleep. I may just wait to set this up after we get back at the end of July, which would probably be the prudent thing to do, but I don't think that the word 'prudent' has a place in the reefkeeper's vocabulary. Heck... even the word 'patience' only has a fleeting reference... __________________ -David *addict's tank specs:* Coming soon!

06-27-2007, 11:09 AM	#13 (permalink)
boozeman The CodFather ~ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: new york Posts: 8,800 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: addict's downsized reef looking good __________________ ...and when I'm old and wise little things mean little to me like autumn winds they'll blow right through me and someday, in the mist of time when they ask you if you knew me remember that you were a friend of mine

06-27-2007, 11:13 AM	#14 (permalink)
cheeks69 Wannabe Guru Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Northeast Posts: 6,619 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: addict's downsized reef Now the fun part begins __________________ Robert My Cube “A spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe—a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble.” Albert Einstein

06-27-2007, 09:51 PM	#15 (permalink)
vdituri Excellent Guesser :D Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Sacramento California Posts: 5,722 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: addict's downsized reef This is both a sad and intriguing thread. lol Sorry to hear you're downsizing. Keep me on the list when you get ready to tear down. Where are you in the Sierra Nevada's? hint hint I'm in Sacramento. __________________ Victor ----- People come into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

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