Myka's 90 gallon build & 3 province move (Pics Feb 6)

[Myka]

Can you guys believe I finally hooked up the sump? Plugged in the EuroReef RS-180 too. There is only one minor leak in the plumbing, but I'm not impressed with my sump design. It's noisy.

[mseepman]

Hey Mindy, I'm a firm believe that you are happier with things when you do them twice anyways...

[Myka]

But this IS the second sump!! Remember, I cracked the first one.

I have calculated the water space I need in the sump for a power outage, and I may need to make the first baffle shorter so I gain a bit more space. It in 9" deep, and the ER needs to be 6-8" deep. I only have room to prop the skimmer up one more inch...I think I should have made that first baffle 8", and then I can adjust the skimmer from there. I need to glue the bottom of the standpipes too so that the overflow box doesn't drain into the sump.

I'm crossing my fingers the power doesn't go out tonight before I finish up my testing tomorrow...I think I have enough room (even for the slowly draining overflow box), but it would be very close.

[Myka]

Wow, PE is awesome this morning!!

Sump built to my specifications by Engineered Aquariums (aka sphelps). Thanks Steve!

Sump in action:



Baffle and media rack details. I think I'm going to pull the first baffle, and replace it with a piece that is 8" tall instead off the current 9".



EuroReef RS-180. Currently sitting in 8 1/2" of water (it's on a rack), and manufacturer specs say 6-8", so it's a bit too deep (and not working as efficiently as it should), but due to my miscalculations, I don't have room under the sump to lift it much more, so I should replace that first baffle so I can get the water level a bit lower on the skimmer.

[Myka]

Today's testing results (all Salifert):

Calcium 350 ppm (oops, my dosing is off apparently )
Alkalinity 8.45 dKH on old kit
Alkalinity 9.45 dKH on new kit
Magnesium 1185 ppm on old kit
Magnesium 1320 ppm on new kit
Nitrate 0.2 ppm (this is not usually detectable)
Phosphate undetectable
Potassium (forgot to test)


So, I have to adjust my dosing. The new alkalinity kit is interesting because it comes with a 7.4 calibration solution. The new kit reads 7.4, and the old kit reads 6.4, which agrees with the difference in testing above. So that's interesting. I am concerned about the HUGE difference from the old to new magnesium kits. I tried to retest with the old kit, but I didn't have enough reagent. So now I'm not sure...???

My targets are; calcium 410-420 ppm, alkalinity 8-8.5 dKH, magnesium 1350-1375 ppm.

Current Zeo dosing (changes due to increased water volume):
Sponge Power 1 drop daily
Coral Vitalizer 1 drop daily
Coral Snow 3 mL 2x per week
B-Balance 1 ml daily
Kent Lugol's Solution 1 drop 2x per week
Spur2 1.15 mL every 18 days or so

[Navarchus]

very nice pic's
job well done!

[JDigital]

That RBTA and Cap are absolutely awesome!

Any FTS pics?

[Reef_surfer]

hey myka im new to the SW world and i think your tank is awsome... i like the pics and hope my tank is half that nice when its finished.. wouldnt mind stopping by sometime to ask some questions and maybe take a look at the tank since you have been in the hobby for quit sometime

[Funky_Fish14]

Myka;

Your tank and setup look fantastic! Great job on it!

And dang, nice blue rics! haha (not the only nice coral you've got, but they definitely stand out!).

Cheers,

Chris