The 120BB Blog

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And another one begins...

I have been meaning to do this for quite sometime to share my experience(s) with others, hopefully someone can gain something from my experience and others can shed some insight on other stuff for me.

The tank is a 120g AGA RR that is drilled for a closed loop. I have 4 1" returns and 2 1.5" intakes. I run 2 closed loops, one is a Dart utilizing the 4 1" returns and the other is a Pan World-150PS (pressure rated) powering 2 eductors that come up over the top.

Other equipment & junk: Pan World 150-PS powering PM Bullet-2 skimmer, 36w HO UV, TLF Phosban Reactor running ROWAphos, Aquatic Systems Design calcium reactor with a Milwaukee SMS122 + Milwaukee MA957 regulator, and some other junk...

Now on with the pictures.

Stand built, time to stain-


Its stained-


Canopy-


Canopy stained-

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The tank pre-wet testing-


Got flow?


Closed loop pump running the eductors-


2nd closed loop pump-


Got sand? Hopefully this will keep my PO4 and nutrients in check-

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During the wet testing I found something out... The place that drilled my tank didn't do a really hot job. E.g. EVERY SINGLE one of my bulkheads leaked... So after jacking around with them for a while I just put a nice bead of silicon around the rubber gasket on all the bulkheads and put them in place... That stopped the leak.

Originally I had my closed loop on the Dart setup but I had some plumbing leaks so I ditched all the riged plumbing and went with spaflex, and wow I should of thought of that before.

Now I setup the tank 2 weekends ago (Jan 22nd) and what a job that was. Taking down my old 75.

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Here is a full shot of the tank now setup-


Doors off-


Equipment pic-


Inside the canopy-


Long shot-


Some of my acros that have browned out-


Pics of my hideous pvc rock rack (temporary)-


And another-


Also a little more information... I'm cooking about 180lbs of old rock I had, yuck! And I put in about 45lbs of cooked rock so the shedding is very very minimal. I did happen to put in one smaller rock from the old tank and it is already showing signs of being in a low nutrient environment... Growing small patches of HA on it.

Please also excuse the Seio powerhead, I had one laying around and I'm still in the process of figuring out the best flow for the tank to keep all the detrius suspended and getting it into the overflow, or atleast trying to get any setting detrius to setting in the front so it is easy to siphon out.

I already have a pre-order in on 2 of the new VorTech pumps so hopefully in March they'll arrive! I would like to run a wave program or surge program on them to give the tank some random water movement. I may also order a Tunze 6100 on a single controller to help out with too.

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Also please excuse the mess of a room the tank is in, its getting a well deserved makeover, a nice new paintjob, new trim, new flooring and all... If you have any questions about why there is a unpainted part of the ceiling it is because I had a pipe freeze and burst since my kitchen sink sits right about the tank room. That got fixed and just awaiting a nice fresh coat of white paint =D

The tank experienced a small 'mini-cycle' shortly after being setup, I suspect it was due to a fresh tank with almost 100% new water and freshly cooked LR. The nitrites went up to a shade above 0. I lost a few inhabitants and I am sure that along with the stress of being moved to a new tank. I lost a female lyretail anthias that I have had for almost 3 years, I also lost a small green chromis but thats no big lost. And the last one I have lost is my spotted mandarin, I have had him for almost 2 years and he ate frozen brine. I havn't seem him in 4 days or so and I have looked pretty good.

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I now have a new want list for SPS:

Purple Prostata
Red Prostata
Multiple Valida
Multiple Tricolors
Enchinatta Gomezi
Azul Formosa
Purple Formosa
Red Hyacinthus Table
Sunrise Monti
Superman Monti
Assorted Secale
Blue Enchinatta
Assorted Mille's (blue green red yellow orange pink etc)
Purple/Green Formosa
Assorted Humilis
Blue Tenuis
Rosa Nasuta
Green slimer
Purple Samoensis
a Sarmentosa
and... Serianthopora Caliendrum...

Just to name a few =D

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As stated in my above posts (if you would of read them) I noted I have 180lbs currently cooking. Not to sound like an arse head but if your going to post in a thread commenting you might want to read about it first.

I will probably only end up using 80-100lbs since I don't want to pack it full to the gills, I want a very open setup, alot of room for my fish to swim and my corals to grow.

I have noticed one major difference since I have gone BB. My skimmer has gone absolutely NUTS since I have made the switch. It makes the smelliest, nastiest, darkest and wettest skimmate ever with ease.

Well after getting home from work tonight I'm pretty sure its safe to assume my tank is going through a cycle. I have diatoms on the starboard, the rock racks, the eductors and the glass.

I havnt tested nitrate or nitrites yet but that would be the only explaniation I think.

Thanks.

I sort of expected it, since I have never made the switch to a completely new system going from a SSB to BB with freshly cooked rock I had the thought in the back of my head that I may experience a cycle.

I got a 150 astreas waiting for me so hopefully with the nitrites come down just a hair to 0 I'll put them in.

I have decided on my fish load also...

4-5 female lyretail anthias (have one already)
1 male lyretail anthias (have it already)
1 naso tang
1 atlantic blue tang
1 flame angel

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I have ordered a new injector for my Bullet-2. PM came out with a new injector that is basically the baddest out there, definately most innovative and logical.



This is from the PM site...

Bullet Models 2,3 and all XL’s use the below Precision Marine designed injector. The entire injector disassembles for complete and thorough cleaning.

While the entire injector assembly is completely removable, once the injector body is threaded onto your skimmer, it never has to come off! The custom machined Precision Marine, Quik-Lok lid simply twists on and off making a positive seal. You can either hard plumb to your pump, or use the supplied insert elbow to adapt to 1” i.d. flexible tubing. No dangling plumbing hanging off the side of your injector. You’ll be impressed by the quality, functionality and performance of the entire Bullet Series of Protein Skimmers from Precision Marine.

Includes:

- Schedule 80 Union
- Ozone Port w/cap
- High Quality Air Valve
- JG Speedfit Connectors
- 1” Insert 90 (for flexible tubing)
- Custom Made Precision Marine Muffler.



It'll be here Tuesday along with my new massive 1 gallon waste collector so I'll definately post some pictures.

I don't think you'll be disappointed. Every PM product is superb. They really do it right, they have the proper machinery to build the stuff and they just do it good.

I go with PM because they are the highest quality and IMO have the best beckett design out on the market. They were also the original that everybody copies from... Now what does that say about their product? =D

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Well I testing everything last night and the tank is almost done cycling...

PO4: < .01
Nitrate: 10ppm (have 20g of new water made up to do some siphoning and a small water change)
Nitrite: .1ppm

The diatoms are starting to clean up also. Tonight I'm planning on doing some siphoning and then putting in 20g of new water.

Only downside to having a larger tank is that you have to do larger water changes =) But I think I can make due.

I finally got my reactor setup and running. It is almost tuned in, only 1 day too.

Well here are the latest water perams. All STN seems to have mostly subsided or stopped completely.

I did a 20g water change yesterday and siphoned out a fair amount of detritius.

Alk 9.4dKH
Ca 490ppm (turned the reactor down, a little high)
Nitrate 15ppm
Phosphate .03ppm
Nitrite .20 (almost finishing up the small cycle we had when switching over)

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Sorry for all the posts, I just copied from my RC thread

I like the BB people here more hehehehehe, shuush we won't tell.

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^bump