JB's Reef Tank

[yote]

This would be a better light.
T-5 Aquarium Lighting: Nova Extreme T-5 Fixtures w/Lunar Lights
You can also get the Pro series that has individual reflectors.
Triple the light of the Glo fixtures.

[reeffreak]

Why buy a fixture now and another later.The one Yote linked to already has 4 bulbs plus lunar lights for about $220 shipped.If you can afford an extra $130 then the Nova Extreme Pro has 6 bulbs and individual reflectors.

[jb61264]

Just placed an order tonight for a 36" Nova Extreme T5...hoping it and my prefilter box from LifeReef arrive towards the end of next week.

One minor setback today...water tested my wet/dry and it had a small leak...I've been told to order some of this and go over all the seals with it to "re-melt" them to be sure they are sealed:

http://www.ellsworth.com/imagelibrar...ics/16_5OZ.jpg

So the guy at LifeReef told me wet/dry systems with bioballs are okay as long as you have enough water flow through them...I think I'll go without, but need to modify my existing wet/dry somehow...I made some slight modifications to my aquarium stand so the wet/dry will fit towards the back of the stand with two L-connectors for water flow into and out of the wet/dry.

Where does one get the chaeto algae that has been mentioned?...I have an old freshwater light that could sit on top of the wet/dry if that would be good enough for the cheato...

[reeffreak]

You can get chaeto at the LFS,online and if you know any local reefers,they may cut some out for you.

[Bifferwine]

I got my chaeto on Ebay. I paid $5 for a big ziplock bag full. Good deal!

[jb61264]

OK...so I am getting really excited...my 36" Nova Extreme and LifeReef prefilter siphon box are arriving Friday.

I made an "executive" decision to not use my previous wet/dry (the one in my first pictures). I purchased a new 20 gallon aquarium and cut out the back of my new stand a bit so I could easily slide it in and out of the bottom of the stand.

I've reviewed a sump/refugium design on melevsreef.com and received some very useful feedback from others on the forum and will be going to my mom and stepdads house this Saturday to cut some acrylic baffles to create the various compartments.

One tricky piece I'm anticipating is how to get the "middle" baffle of the three baffle setup in place...since they are only 1" apart, how do I get silicone in between the small space between?

My stepdad has a nice tablesaw and I'm buying a 60 tooth carbide blade (recommended by Jeff at LifeReef) so the cutting shouldn't take that long...any "don't foget to" recommendations before Saturday

[Bifferwine]

Don't glue the middle baffle in last. Go in order, 1st, 2nd, 3rd. For the first one, you'll be able to silicone both sides, but for the next two, you'll only be able to silicone one side of it, which is fine if you use enough of it.

[jb61264]

Originally Posted by Bifferwine

Don't glue the middle baffle in last. Go in order, 1st, 2nd, 3rd. For the first one, you'll be able to silicone both sides, but for the next two, you'll only be able to silicone one side of it, which is fine if you use enough of it.

Cool...didn't know if there was some sort of "trick of the trade" or special tool that people use to silicone in between the 1" wide sections...I suppose I should cut the baffles snug enough so technically they hold in their by themselves

[fatman]

You got it . A little over size so they hold themselves, then the silicone just seals against leakage. You can cheat and put on tape as far from you baffle as you want your seam to extend then just pull the tape off after you smooth down the silicone. If your really a stickler and want a neat seam go to a good hardware store, or concrete redi-mix company and get one of the trowels used to "point" the cement between concrete blocks or bricks. You can extend the length of your silicone nozzle out with a piece of semi rigid plastic pipe. just shove it tightly over the nozzle. I put my baffles further apart, about two inches. I have "thick" hands.

[jb61264]

OK...now I'm even more excited than I was yesterday because my new LifeReef prefilter siphon box arrived this evening (not tomorrow like I thought)...here's a picture of it:


I am toying with building a "T" from my return pump...here are a couple of pictures of my initial "thinking" for this...please let me know if this is a bad idea...I am not exactly centered because my return pump is located on the right hand side of the 20 gallon aquarium I'm modifying this weekend into my refugium/sump. Picture of me holding the initial "T" up to the tank:

and


Here are a couple of under the stand pictures with my 20 gallon aquarium underneath...I had to cut out some of the back so it would fit

Something that has worked out REALLY nicely is the fact that my skimmer has two square pieces that hold the collection portion and the reaction portion together and it sits PERFECTLY in the rim of the 20 gallon aquarium

another view