Sascha D. Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Aww man! I could have hooked you up with all of those corals! Seriously though, it's a great looking tank and I'm sure you'll be happy. The LEDs I had mounted on my 150 were 7" above the water and they got all kinds of salt on them. I really like the look of the canopy, so it's a tough choice. Going lidless means that you will need some sort of screen to keep the fish in. You will also see that black trim, if that is something that bothers you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted September 9, 2015 Author Share Posted September 9, 2015 LOL...I wouldn't have had any room in the cube for those. The Trach is still doing great! I've decided to do what Josh suggested and cut holes in the canopy and sit the lights on top. That'll put them 9" above the water. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted September 15, 2015 Author Share Posted September 15, 2015 Making slow progress... Picked up the 90g on Saturday and working to get it cleaned up so I can get everything moved. Picking up a Gyre 150 from Pham tonight!!! I'm excited to get that thing in the tank and see how it works. Was hoping to have the 90 ready this weekend but found out today UPS "lost" my return pump I ordered. They left the package somewhere but we don't know where. :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Canopies do a good job of hiding lights and wires from the viewer. However, there are really nice tanks out there without canopies. You could use a light hanging bracket or do a floating canopy attached to the wall. Some people that have rimless tanks make a screen that fits over the tank and keeps the fish from jumping. I don't know, cutting holes in the canopy lid seems so final. If you ever change lights or go with a different brand of light then the fixtures may not fit in the holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted September 15, 2015 Author Share Posted September 15, 2015 Before I make any cuts I'll test them over the tank to see how it looks. I do like the idea of only seeing the light in the tank and not the spill over...we'll have to wait and see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted September 16, 2015 Author Share Posted September 16, 2015 On the 3rd day of christmas... Thank you Pham!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Before I make any cuts I'll test them over the tank to see how it looks. I do like the idea of only seeing the light in the tank and not the spill over...we'll have to wait and see. Take a look at how I did mine (build thread in my signature). I wanted to mask the top of the aquarium a little but didn't want a full canopy, so I created a "Faux Canopy". It's a frame around the aquarium just tall enough to hide the fixtures: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted September 16, 2015 Author Share Posted September 16, 2015 That's pretty cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Wow! I had to search what a Maxspect Gyre was and how it works. It definitely looks cool and the video on Marine Depot shows some awesome flow. Keep us posted on how quiet and efficiently it runs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted September 16, 2015 Author Share Posted September 16, 2015 I'm hoping I'll only need the gyre and not have to use the mp40s. Everything I've read and videos seem to indicate the 150 is perfect for a 6ft tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted September 18, 2015 Author Share Posted September 18, 2015 I'll be moving the contents of my cube into the tank once the water is ready. What's the best way to insure the bacteria survive and multiply and avoid a cycle? Should I feed extra amounts? I've got a pair of clowns and a small goby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryD Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 I would add a culture like fritz or biospira if you are worried about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted September 18, 2015 Author Share Posted September 18, 2015 oh yeah...forgot about that stuff. I've always used it on my freshwater tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryD Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 Ya it is pretty handy and should make up for any bacterial die off or shortcomings that you might run into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 I use the Drs. F&S bacteria on my tanks and it works just as well at half of the cost. The beauty of your set up is that you have time. If you have any pieces of LR without corals on them, then I would put those into the tank with the dry rock. After that you just need to add some nitrates and wait. The shrimp method is a clean way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted September 18, 2015 Author Share Posted September 18, 2015 Trying to avoid the shrimp method!!!!! luckily I have no corals attached to any of my LR. Plus I have 20-30lb of rubble in the sump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryD Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 I personally have never tried the shrimp method as I always saw it as hard to control. But that is just my uneducated opinion I know people that have succeeded with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted September 18, 2015 Author Share Posted September 18, 2015 Avoid it if you can...the entire house will stink!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 Trying to avoid the shrimp method!!!!! luckily I have no corals attached to any of my LR. Plus I have 20-30lb of rubble in the sump. I still adhere to the old method of thinking and use live fish and or even live shrimp. It may not be enjoyable for them for a day or so but they don't stink and didn't have to die to be used... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 Trying to avoid the shrimp method!!!!! luckily I have no corals attached to any of my LR. Plus I have 20-30lb of rubble in the sump. I still adhere to the old method of thinking and use live fish and or even live shrimp. It may not be enjoyable for them for a day or so but they don't stink and didn't have to die to be used... I've used Dr. Tim's bacteria in a bottle, and there are enough other brands at low enough cost now that I prefer to go that route over stressing out critters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Trying to avoid the shrimp method!!!!! luckily I have no corals attached to any of my LR. Plus I have 20-30lb of rubble in the sump. I still adhere to the old method of thinking and use live fish and or even live shrimp. It may not be enjoyable for them for a day or so but they don't stink and didn't have to die to be used... I've used Dr. Tim's bacteria in a bottle, and there are enough other brands at low enough cost now that I prefer to go that route over stressing out critters. Lots of options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Actually, cyling with a fish is more detrimental than most people believe. The ammonia can cause permanent damage to the fish's gills. I just wanted to mention for others reading and to hopefully stop the practice of cycling with fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 One piece of shrimp in a 175g tank will make your whole house stink? Have you decided how you keep the bacteria alive? I haven't had much success keeping corals in a tank, started with dry rock, aged less than 3 months. I believe the water is too sterile to support them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted September 21, 2015 Author Share Posted September 21, 2015 Yep, the first 175 I had several years ago stunk to high heaven! I'll be emptying the entire contents of the cube into the 175 plus a bottle of bio-spira. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted September 24, 2015 Author Share Posted September 24, 2015 Finally making more progress. Got about half of the pool filter sand removed and hoping to get the rest out by Friday night. Planning to refill it on Saturday and start cleaning everything. Goal is to have the reef sand and rock in by next weekend and start filling it. Also still need to get a couple of pieces of glass cut to reconfigure the sump to add a skimmer and refugium section. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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