- Location
- Southampton UK
Hi folks, I said id try and put some details up of my current system if i got a chance so here goes.
Current system is a fresh faced approximately 490 gallon in wall afair. basicaly the whole system and the room it sits in were built and designed by myself. ( I like getting my hands dirty )
Main tank is 6.5'L x 3.5'W x 2'H, with a full length weir, backed up with a tower sump assembly comprising of 4 2'x2' tanks. running from the top.. cryptic tank, then main overflow and cheato tank, then to the DSB tank and finally out to the bottom tank which is the take off for the return pump.
circulation consists of 4 x sequence 10,000's and 1 sequence 10,000 return pump. running a barrel role wave motion backed by timed tidal laminar flow patterns in a gyre motion.
skimming was an AP702 (but has now been replaced by an Orca 200). I Also run 03 at 25mg for 2 hours every day.
I constantly run Rowaphos via a fluidiser, and carbon in a secondary reactor.
calcium addition by a monster DIY reactor running branch media 24/7 (no kalkwasser addition)
Lighting a very moderate (for the surface area) 2 x 400W 10K BLV's running on Vue electronic ballasts and luminarc reflectors, backed by 4 x 54W Narva blues (future addition will be a couple of 150W 20K spots).
Lighting times: halides 9 hours a day, Actinics 11hours with an hour overlap each side of the halides
No addatives are used, just lots and lots of food.
perameters.
Temp 25.5 ( average drift is 25-26)
No3 usually 0.01>ppm
Po4 0.008ppm or below. (D&D kit)
pH average 8.3 (8.27 min / 8.34 max)
Alk: average 9.0 Dkh
Ca 430ppm
Mg 1350ppm
Sr between 4-10ppm
Notable feature: 95% of the systems rock is DIY snowcrete / aragamax / salt crystal mix that was seeded with LR rubble. the system runs both a DSB and shallow sand bed filtration.
Still a very very young system, with most of the stock so far origionating as frags rather than full colonies, so lots of growing out to do. but overal, im really chuffed with how its comming on at present (around 18months since the water went in and only 14 months since the first frags went in)
so some pics.
some build pics.
Building the rock structures.
This shot was taken between the rock being made and the side panes being put in place. You can see in this image the 4 strainers for the closed loops. 2 years later, they are still working fine with no loss of flow and minimal coraline growth as they are shaded under the rockwork.
The tank completed prior to filling and curing the rock structures for 6 weeks to leach out the salt and lime.
main tank room (looking at the back of the tank).
some plumbing
some more bits added in front of the plumbing including my DIY twin pump reactor.
The tank in its early phases about 8 months in, whilst the rock structures were still colonising.
initial frags and early inhabitants.
when this guy was added, he was less than 1" (he was about the size of my thumb nail)
More to come..
Current system is a fresh faced approximately 490 gallon in wall afair. basicaly the whole system and the room it sits in were built and designed by myself. ( I like getting my hands dirty )
Main tank is 6.5'L x 3.5'W x 2'H, with a full length weir, backed up with a tower sump assembly comprising of 4 2'x2' tanks. running from the top.. cryptic tank, then main overflow and cheato tank, then to the DSB tank and finally out to the bottom tank which is the take off for the return pump.
circulation consists of 4 x sequence 10,000's and 1 sequence 10,000 return pump. running a barrel role wave motion backed by timed tidal laminar flow patterns in a gyre motion.
skimming was an AP702 (but has now been replaced by an Orca 200). I Also run 03 at 25mg for 2 hours every day.
I constantly run Rowaphos via a fluidiser, and carbon in a secondary reactor.
calcium addition by a monster DIY reactor running branch media 24/7 (no kalkwasser addition)
Lighting a very moderate (for the surface area) 2 x 400W 10K BLV's running on Vue electronic ballasts and luminarc reflectors, backed by 4 x 54W Narva blues (future addition will be a couple of 150W 20K spots).
Lighting times: halides 9 hours a day, Actinics 11hours with an hour overlap each side of the halides
No addatives are used, just lots and lots of food.
perameters.
Temp 25.5 ( average drift is 25-26)
No3 usually 0.01>ppm
Po4 0.008ppm or below. (D&D kit)
pH average 8.3 (8.27 min / 8.34 max)
Alk: average 9.0 Dkh
Ca 430ppm
Mg 1350ppm
Sr between 4-10ppm
Notable feature: 95% of the systems rock is DIY snowcrete / aragamax / salt crystal mix that was seeded with LR rubble. the system runs both a DSB and shallow sand bed filtration.
Still a very very young system, with most of the stock so far origionating as frags rather than full colonies, so lots of growing out to do. but overal, im really chuffed with how its comming on at present (around 18months since the water went in and only 14 months since the first frags went in)
so some pics.
some build pics.
Building the rock structures.
This shot was taken between the rock being made and the side panes being put in place. You can see in this image the 4 strainers for the closed loops. 2 years later, they are still working fine with no loss of flow and minimal coraline growth as they are shaded under the rockwork.
The tank completed prior to filling and curing the rock structures for 6 weeks to leach out the salt and lime.
main tank room (looking at the back of the tank).
some plumbing
some more bits added in front of the plumbing including my DIY twin pump reactor.
The tank in its early phases about 8 months in, whilst the rock structures were still colonising.
initial frags and early inhabitants.
when this guy was added, he was less than 1" (he was about the size of my thumb nail)
More to come..
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Amazing!!
