A New Reefing Chapter Begins

Just a small update on the tank.  My tank has been cycling for nearly a week now and in the meantime, I have been working on fine tuning the drains, finding the evaporation rate of the system and redoing the aquascape of the tank.  Below are some pics of it.
From the left side
From the center
From the right side
Here's a shot of the in-tank flow, two outputs from the return pump and two MP60s.  I have them in the tidal swell mode at full power right now and the sand is staying put so that makes me happy!
Next up is to put in the skimmer.  Other than that, it's ready to rock!

 

Holy cow, I had to go back 11 pages to find my thread!/DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/crazy.gif  It just shows you how active the members are and how badly I needed to update my thread.  Since my last update, I moved the MP60s to the right side of the tank to create an anti-sync effect with the flow from the return instead of splitting up the MP60s to one on each side.  So far, I like the flow and I think I will keep it this way until I can think of something else to try.
As far as updates go, I don't have a bunch.  I finally got around to installing my skimmer a few weeks ago.  It took over a week to break in before it would stop overflowing but now its working nicely.  It's an ATB 1050A V1.5.  Air draw is 1500 L/HR and it is rated up to 480 gallons.
The next thing I worked on was the background.  I really racked my brains on this one because I wanted something easy to use and looked solid black from the front.  At first, I was thinking of a standard background for aquariums that sticks on there with the adhesive and soapy water.  Then I was thinking of a big piece of black acrylic to go on the back.  But then I started thinking of how to keep the piece of acrylic attached and I couldn't really think of any solid solutions for it.  So I decided to use a thick piece of fabric hung on 3M plastic hooks.  I had to modify them slightly due to the size but the hooks worked out great.  All I had to do was cut a little slit into the fabric and I was able to hang it within seconds.  And it's just as easy to take it on and off.  It truly is a one-handed operation! 
Now I can easily access the back of the tank and work back there because I can see everything.
Here's a shot of the tank from the fish room side.  Everything is now tucked away.  The energy bars and controller are mounted on the side of the stand for easy access.  I also didn't have anywhere to put the ballasts so they are just sitting off to the right side of the stand.
Here's a shot of the sump.  I have everything hooked up sans the kalk reactor.  I haven't put it online yet because I don't have anything up that is using up the calcium beyond what a water change can replenish.
My tank cycled faster than I thought.  After 3 weeks, the ammonia and nitrite levels were down to zero.  Initially, I was going to wait to stock it after I got back from vacation (March 25th) but I didn't want to wait that long.  I added some fish to the tank and also added a few of my old corals back in.  So far everything is doing well so I will start stocking the tank with more corals and fish after I get back.  Here's a quick video of the display.  

 

Thanks Bud! If I didn't think of the fabric solution, I definitely would have gone with something from you. I had my measurements ready and was close to PMing you about it.

Tim, I always thought you were a recovering alcoholic so I didn't want to get you off the wagon. /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/wink.gif

 

Sorry, I don't have much to update. Most of my fish died when I went on vacation. One of the new fish I bought had ich so it spread and killed the others. It's my fault for not having a QT to acclimate the new fish. I will update later once I have more things to update. /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/smile.gif

 

Hey guys, I am still here! I haven't done anything with the tank all summer. I still have one yellow tang in the tank that has ick. I need to get him out of the tank but that's been next to impossible. It's been a busy summer but I'll get my head back in the game this fall.

Instead of working on the tank, I have been focusing on other things around the house. We recently replaced our 3-year old dishwasher, put in a Backyard Adventures wooden play set for the kids and upgraded a queen-sized bed to a king. I still need to replace the bed frame as well.