Cali Kid Corals

Spoon v2.0 - IM Nuvo 16 + Kessil + Apex

Spoon

Spoon

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A Bit About me

I'm Justin! I'm originally from Monterey, and now reside in Union City. I work in Santa Clara as a data center electrician, and enjoy working on cars, watching the Giants, 49ers, Sharks and Warriors games. Those last two...sigh. And I like good beer. And good wine. ;) You can also find me on RC under the username Spoon671.


I've been in this hobby for well over a decade now. I left for a few years and currently am trying to make a comeback tour. I feel like a complete beginner this time around..it's totally weird. I catch myself hanging around the LFS' asking all those annoying questions. My two go to spots are Neptune and Reef Raft. LED lighting has me totally flipped...I came from Giesemann MH land.

This time, I know how to use the search function on the forums too. ;)

Below is simply what I'm starting with. I think I'm off to a pretty strong beginning..but who knows? I'm a little OCD about some things so I may swap stuff out as time goes on...I have come to grips that I may make a mistake or two. Forgive me in advance. I'll make sure to keep this thread updated.

:beer:

Equipment

Tank and Filtration
- Innovative Marine Nuvo 16 AIO
- Sicce Synchra 1.5 (357gph upgraded return pump)
- Stock return plumbing
- Deleted stock media baskets

Heater
- ViaAqua Titanium 200w

Lighting
- Kessil A350W
- Le Russo Designs Slim Line (glass mount, stainless steel hardware, CNC'd billet aluminum clamp and fixture mount)

Control
- Neptune Apex w/ Temp and Lab Grade pH Probes
- eShopps Magnetic Probe Holder

Inhabitants
- 11lbs Marco Rock
- 10lbs CaribSea Fiji Pink Live Sand
- Boring..sorry!


End Goal

Ultimately, not unlike everyone else here, I want to have my own little piece of ocean. I want a mixed reef. Some SPS I'd love to have are Plating Montipora and maybe a Birdsnest. LPS I'm shooting for are those choice colored Hammer Corals, and I'll probably look into a small Elegance. They can be aggressive though. Ugh, I am realizing it's going to be tough to fit all that in a small tank like this, so as time goes on I will of course roll with the punches and create what I can, while trying not to kill anything.

I may look into an Vortech MP10...once cycle is complete.

As for fish, I dunno. I really love those Gobies that take bites out of the sand. Those are super cool!


Here are a couple pics! Tank is in cycle.

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I love entertaining comments and suggestions. Thanks for looking!
 
Last night I lost internet. I was on Comcast tech support for over 2 hours..I am not exaggerating. Unable to play with Apex from my phone, beer dosing commenced. ;)

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RS tank shot...boring I know.

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Very nice crisp clean setup! Lots of high end equipment and I for one can appreciate the work you have put in so far. Let me know when you are ready for some corals, I can cut you a few pieces to get ya started.
 
Thanks @tr1gger! My lady has no idea so if you ever meet her please don't say anything. ;)

I remember back years ago when I started my first tank. Man I went from power compact, to more power compact, to finally MH lighting. I spent almost triple what I would have, had I simply researched and bought what I truly wanted the first time.

I'm happy you appreciate it! :beer:
 
Justin, welcome!

Very nice setup. I love the Apex in a drawer!

I'm not sure just one beer is enough after dealing with Comcast.
 
Cool, another reefer in Union City. Welcome.

Comcast said they would be down tonight for me, midnight to 5 AM.
Annoying, but at least late at night.

I like the look of the tank on those pillars.

Possible aesthetic issue though:
Your single light is in the middle, so the outside of your rocks are totally in shadow.
Usually the only thing that grows in shadow like that is thin brown/grey algae.
Face on, your tank will be fine. But looking at it from the ends, it may look ugly.
No need to fix, but you may want two lights.
 
denzil said:
Pretty clean setup! We follow the same teams and are in similar fields. Oh and beer is awesome!
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Indeed it is!! A brick would have found it's way into my television this weekend had it not been for beer. ;). I hope the Warriors and Sharks keep their coaches. Thanks for the nice comments!


Marc said:
Awesome set up man!
Click to expand...

Thank you very much!


Devon said:
Sweet setup! Welcome
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Thanks! I appreciate the welcome!


rygh said:
Cool, another reefer in Union City. Welcome.

Comcast said they would be down tonight for me, midnight to 5 AM.
Annoying, but at least late at night.

I like the look of the tank on those pillars.

Possible aesthetic issue though:
Your single light is in the middle, so the outside of your rocks are totally in shadow.
Usually the only thing that grows in shadow like that is thin brown/grey algae.
Face on, your tank will be fine. But looking at it from the ends, it may look ugly.
No need to fix, but you may want two lights.
Click to expand...


Union City has got to have some of the best and most diverse food options I've ever had in any place I've lived. It's awesome here! Close to everything too.

Comcast sucks. Bought our own cable modem from BestBuy, lo and behold we're actually getting the Blast! speeds we're paying for.

--

About the pillars and lighting, thanks very much for the feedback!

When designing this tank, I was looking for some contrast. I have done this with every tank I've owned. Single light, and causing shadows. I've kept sun coral in the shade with success. My main thing about this tank though is the contrast, and to keep this looking as close to a natural reef environment as I can. Natural reefs have shadows too! ;)

I am also inspired by the Iwagumi style FW setups as well (3 main rocks). I went from LFS to LFS, searching for the perfect rocks that would work with my design, and hand picked these 3.

Coral placement is going to be another challenge with this design. I will need all the suggestions I can get there!

Here's a pic of the "dark side". ;)

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^^Thanks!

Day14 - Rock Saw?

Just adding a journal entry for today..I took the rock on the right side and laid it down...covered it with sand. I'd actually like to saw the rock flat on the bottom side. Is this possible? Pic will be posted later because cloudy. ;)


Apex Snapshot

For now, here's a recent snapshot of my temp and amp readings. Amps are in blue, and you can see the spikes when my heater cycles on. Looks like I have about a .25-.4 degree fluctuation when this happens.

Since I've been out of the game for a while, I don't quite have a baseline for what's considered normal, or within spec so to speak. I know that natural reefs can experience up to 4-5 degrees of temp fluctuation, right?

Comments and criticisms are appreciated! :beer:

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Current FTS and right side tank shot as well (apologies for glare.) You can see the third stone turned on it's belly. I think I like it this way better.

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Spoon said:
I'd actually like to saw the rock flat on the bottom side. Is this possible?
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You totally can. I sawed the bottom of a few of my rocks, makes them very stable ;)

Spoon said:
Since I've been out of the game for a while, I don't quite have a baseline for what's considered normal, or within spec so to speak. I know that natural reefs can experience up to 4-5 degrees of temp fluctuation, right?
Click to expand...

I run my reef @ 78 at all times. This is highly debated between reefers. Anywhere from 78-82 is what I have heard. If you are consistent, that is what counts. Its quite difficult on small tanks. Looking at your chart, you are fine fluctuating between 79.6 and 79.0. If you swing 5 degrees everyday it may be more of a concern.

Lookin good!
 
Thanks Dan! What didja use to saw the rock? I have a bandsaw at work..it's got a metal blade on it though. Any tips?

Thanks for the reassurance on the temps.

:beer:
 
I would just say it was a hacksaw with a standard blade? Probably a wood blade if I had to guess. I was sawing pukani rock and its very porous and easy to cut.

Check this out, might help you

 
I only follow hockey, so I'm done watching sports for awhile. :(

Very nice tank! The Apex in a drawer is clever and it's a very organized setup. I love the Iwagumi style, but have yet to try it with a reef set up. I look forward to watching your progress.
 
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