wa1tx Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhart032 Posted May 12, 2011 Author Share Posted May 12, 2011 just a quick update, the tank is now running the apex is installed and running the skimmer and the return for now. i think im going to need a chiller on this setup. running with no lights and just the skimmer and mag7 the tank is at 77.9, and the doors arnt on the stand yet. so not looking good for heat.. still need to put the rock in and get lights over it. i ordered the Hamilton Belize 3ft 2 t5hos and 250w MH with lunar lights last night. the build quality looks excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindflux Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 How about moving the Mag out of the tank? Don't those Danner pumps run really hot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atxmandarin Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 run the mag external buddy, if you want help holler at me. i got my tank running last night and with the mag 9.5 im using until i get my ehiem and a mag 7 for my berlin skimmer with the doors closed, canopy on and light in place its running at 76, light running for 6 hours yesterday got me to 81, i think im going to move my skimmer pump out of my sump this week and hopefully the lower wattage ehiem helps drop the temp a bit as well. looking great though! been a really cool build Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhart032 Posted May 16, 2011 Author Share Posted May 16, 2011 im replacing the mag 7 with a sicce syncra silent 3.0 i picked up. should be much better on the heat and lower voltage for the same flow. my order for the Hamilton Belize got canceled due to not being in stock for the next couple of months so ill be looking at other lighting options. i dont think i want to build a light box or have a canopy. i want to go with a fixture. ive been looking at the odyssea 3ft lights. i may get one and use my icecap ballast vs theres and replace all the bulbs vs there crappy. i mean heck i can fix all there issues that i read about just by going to my tank closet. i have a brand new phoenix 14k or a 2 month old reflux 20k and brand new Giesemann 2x pure actinic and 2x actinic plus t5s i never used in the closet as well as 8 icecap moisture resistant t5 end caps and 4 icecap single bulb reflectors 36ins and i can use my current icecap ballast or my coralvue 250w ballast, either one would be a good upgrade to there stock ballasts. I could just rewire the entire fixture in about 20 mins if i wanted to or needed to. just thoughts for now. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhart032 Posted May 18, 2011 Author Share Posted May 18, 2011 Got the rock in the tank and the live rock rubble in the fuge (thanks Chad and Belinda for such great cleaned cooked rock and rubble) the clean up crew in. finally got the tank to the rite level and the skimmer is all broke in. i did end up ordering the hamilton fixture after all. it was a bit more than i was going to spend at first but i know im getting a great fixture so its better that way. here are a couple of new pics. the rock on the top shelf is just to divert water till i figure out a way to run the return loc-line (overflow is to small) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoneroller Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Great job on the aquascaping! Can't wait to see it with the light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Nice scaping! I like the "cave". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atxmandarin Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 lookin good bud! i like the boulder rocks, looks big...on a small scale, we have some good lookin 40's goin on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhart032 Posted May 18, 2011 Author Share Posted May 18, 2011 Thanks, i think we do. be nice when mines done. its getting closer. still have a problem with to much air in the drain down to the sump. its loud. i built the gurgle buster to stop the noise and its dead quiet on top. its just in the sump that's the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atxmandarin Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Thanks, i think we do. be nice when mines done. its getting closer. still have a problem with to much air in the drain down to the sump. its loud. i built the gurgle buster to stop the noise and its dead quiet on top. its just in the sump that's the problem. i would try an elbow at the end, you can rotate it 360 degrees until you get to the point where the air escapes without gurgle, or run an airline tube or one of slightly greater diameter down to where the bubble is forming and maybe you can eliminate it that way, either way you need to get your light i have some goodies for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhart032 Posted May 19, 2011 Author Share Posted May 19, 2011 It doesn't gurgle, just loud. the gurgle buster killed the gurgle. the light will be here Monday. so ill have everything else done by then. its pretty much ready to go now. just have to install the reactors calcium and kalk gfo and carbon. finish setting up the apex then the light. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhart032 Posted May 21, 2011 Author Share Posted May 21, 2011 Did some work on the tank tonight. plumbed in the kalk rx and the ATO added the mp10 to the tank . have a decent 1 1/2 wave. but wondering if 2 mp10s would be better one on each side. or maybe an mp40? from my understanding the 2 mp10s put out more than the 40 and i would beable to have more direction with the 2 mp10s, im unsure as or yet. i setup the fuge light over the fuge, it didnt really fit the sump was to wide so i had to break out the acrylic and solvent once again and do more modifications on the sump but it looks good. the light will be here monday so i should have this thing ready for it by then. i just have to run the ato lines to the 50g tub in the closet. still need to finish the apex setup and configure the wireless adapter, mount the second dc8 and get it ready. Need to setup the calcium rx and plumb it in, and mount the carbon and gfo rx to the back of the stand. i like that the apex will be controlling my ato now and the kalk stirrer its going to be nice to have more than what the ACII offered. oh and i still have to finish out and bump and set the doors. but should have most done by Sunday. i thought about setting up the 250w pendent just to get some light over the tank but then decided to just wait and not be impatient. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan7 Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 I love the stand and the aquascaping is beautiful! Thanks for sharing it all. This is amazing to me (who went out and bought a plug-n-play cube). Can't wait to see what will make it's home in there. Duncan7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhart032 Posted May 24, 2011 Author Share Posted May 24, 2011 Ok so just a quick update. i got the light today, its a big fixture, meaning its think more than anything. ita a super nice fixture. im glad i spent the money on it, its going to look very nice. i painted the brackets tonight to match the light bar. i think im going to have to raise the light bar up to give me enough room for this light. witch means im going to have to add more pipe to it that kinda sucks cause im going to have to move the tank out to get back there. i ordered another mp10 today i went with another mp10 over the 40 for more variations of flow vs just a wave with the 40 or 1 mp10. this will be a nice addition. i finished the return tonight, i had to modify some fitting to get it to work. i took a T with hose barbs on 2 ends and the down tube is a 3/4 inch female that screws into a 3/4 in bushing. i had to take a torch and heat and bend the hose barbs in a Y to get it to fit, then im useing hose to connect to the loc-line mbt connecters, but i had to reinforce the hose cause it kept bending and cutting off flow, so i took a soldering iron and branded the hose in a crosshatching pattern in the bends and took some 8gage wire and coated it with liquid rubber that they use to recoat tool handles adn diped the wire in it and sealed it up and use the wire inside the brands to reinforce the hose so it wont bend as much. it worked well and and doesnt restric any flow now so the return is done, thanks god thats been killing me! im going to hang the light tomorrow and and see if i can get it mounted and the pipe extended or if i have to. thats about it for today. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhart032 Posted May 24, 2011 Author Share Posted May 24, 2011 I just wanted to give a shout out to the people that have helped me with things along the way. first atxmandarin for the great sump, Chad and Belinda for the great rock and such a great price. Mark aka Mcallahan for all the great deals on my expensive hardware (saved me some pretty good dough) so keep him in mind when your in the market for some new hardware. Calvin aka Medi for talking me into keeping it going when i was tired and wanted to sell it all and be done with it!. and for helping setup my calcium reactor next week, and to Mindflux for buying my solana triggering the new build. and thanks to everyone thats been following my build thread and the nice comments and suggestions ive got from you all. thanks Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhart032 Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 Well had a problem last night, the apex base module died so thats going to set everything back like the ato and the calcium reactor setup. kinda sucks. its less that 30days old. kinda pissed but what am i going to do. i did get the light hung and took a pic of it. sorry iphone pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa1tx Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Is the Apex covered under warranty? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindflux Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Looks like it's coming along nicely. Sorry the Apex died on you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atxmandarin Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 controllers seem to have nothing under control....anyone noticing a pattern with these things? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhart032 Posted May 26, 2011 Author Share Posted May 26, 2011 Yea the apex is covered there sending me another base module dont know what really happened but as long as there fixing it them im fine with it. well im down to just one tank now. i moved everything over tonight and set pretty much everything i was going to keep, the fish are super happy there out of the small tank. i picked up a blue green chromis yesterday and hes in there too. i sent the magnetic hamilton ballast back today they are going to upgrade me to the electronic ballast at no cost to me, so that makes me happy. here are some pics under actinics (only lights working rite now) lol. still a lot of work left. but at least i see a end in site now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atxmandarin Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 looks sweet! i need to stop by on my next leander trip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindflux Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 It's coming along real nice. That fixture looks very nice. (It should be for the price!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhart032 Posted May 27, 2011 Author Share Posted May 27, 2011 Thanks i love this fixture. not to sure on the 420nm bulbs. think im going to upgrade one to the 454nm. didnt do much to the tank tonight. fixed some small leaks and kinda cleaned everything up. i added the new mp10 to the system today, and got the other 420 bulb from hamilton today so i added that. like i say im not to sure on the 2 420s i want more combo in the light. bring out some other colors. ive read pretty good things about the UV 454 and the icecap 460s so im not tu sure. i mite buy both and see what i like the best and save the other. Hamilton sent me 2 new bulbs today so i have a spare 420 and then the 4 geismann bulbs but there super actinic and actinic+ so not really what im looking for. i bought a PCI CL-280 chiller today as even with just the t5s and the pumps the temp is still around 76. so it will be used, the MHs will increase the temp about 8-10 degrees so i bought the 1/10th HP so should be rite on. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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