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PBJ DeLuxxe

pbjelly

pbjelly

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Manhattan Reefs
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Brooklyn
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FTS as of 11.28.14

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In spring of 2013, I decided that my little 14 gallon biocube was getting too crowded and I started looking for an upgrade.
I don't have a lot of room, so no 100 gallon tanks for me.


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I found a great deal on a Reef Octopus Luxury T60 32 Gallon Aquarium
- Yes, the one with the weird overflow (possibly why I got a great deal)... I bought it used, from a really nice member here on MR.
He helped carry it up the stairs into my living room, I took a picture of it and then left for a business trip.


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When I got back, I started making crazy plans.
You know, the ones where you stack multiple tanks and plumb them all together and add external lots-of-things and build all of it yourself?
Everything was going to be perfect.
The tank I bought just had a little broken piece that I wanted to fix before I set the thing up.

I contacted CoralVue - and they sent me the wrong part.


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I bought a bunch of rock and made complicated structures that required lots of zip tying.
I contacted CoralVue - and they sent me the wrong part.
I bought kits from gl*ssholes - to make more holes.
I bought lots and lots of tubing, pvc and plumbing supplies and set up the tank to leak test it.
I contacted CoralVue - and they sent me the wrong part.
I put the chunks of rock in a tank to cook for a while and built a light stand to mount the light I bought off another guy on MR.


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I gave up on CoralVue - and started feeling not so happy about my tank.
Obviously - without this one little piece it wouldn't be perfect.


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This spring, my 14 year old dog got sick and I didn't think about the new tank at all.

The biocube was getting crazy crowded and out of control. I'd already lost one monti cap because the one above it had grown to the point of starving the other of light. Things that had been happy for three years were on the move, jockeying for better real-estate. Then last weekend, while I was out of town, my tank crashed. I got back to murky water and everything dead, or dying. I managed to save my fish and crabs, but within hours - everything else was dead.

Because I'm that kind of genius - it occurred to me that now might be a good time to get that other tank set up - and lo and behold. Once I got over myself and all my 'fancy' plans, it took me one day of serious hauling.

One Day.

Necessity may be the mother of invention, but I'm the queen of denial.
I'm just glad I got off my duff and did it - a year late, but who's counting?


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http://www.manhattanreefs.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/
 
Last edited:
tunicata

tunicata

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awesomee. I've been wondering where you were. it's like I see you volunteering at swaps then don't see you until the next one!

I'm glad you were able to upgrade.

Did your doggy make it through? I hope so.
 
pbjelly

pbjelly

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Manhattan Reefs
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Brooklyn
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duromega said:
congratulations on the new tank
love the aquascape, looking great
Click to expand...

lnevo said:
Looks great!
Click to expand...

tunicata said:
awesomee. I've been wondering where you were. it's like I see you volunteering at swaps then don't see you until the next one!

I'm glad you were able to upgrade.

Did your doggy make it through? I hope so.
Click to expand...

Marek-S said:
Looking good
Click to expand...

Thanks Guys!

I kind of fell off the planet there for a while and haven't checked MR in forever. I have to catch up with what's going on with everybody.

I know a couple of you are beginning/in the middle of builds too. I have to go check them out - and probably get tank-size envy? :joke: (kind of...)

My dog didn't make it, but we were together for a long time and he lived a very long and active life. I hope I'm that happy at 98 years old.

- I need somebody to fill me in. I don't even know what the new hot lights/controllers/toys/gossip is nowadays.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/
 
pbjelly

pbjelly

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Manhattan Reefs
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Brooklyn
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Tank is cycled, but I've got issues...

Haven't managed to get rid of all of the microbubbles and my skimmer sounds like an airplane in mid-flight.

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Someday I'm going to have a tank where everything isn't so jam packed crowded that the tiniest adjustment involves jamming my hands into small, dark, sharp corners.

I had to fit the extra sump divider in order to try to minimize the micro-bubbles, but in a sump with no extra room, that's caused it's own issues. I also haven't moved the controller over yet as I needed to keep the old tank going while this one cycled.

I ended up with the world's craziest algae bloom after the crash - like the depths of the Sargasso Sea! Some of the coral survived, but while I was ripping things out and trying to clean up the mess, I apparently disturbed some green bubble algae that had been hibernating somewhere. Now the biocube is awash with green bubble algae so moving anything from that into the new tank is giving me hives. I had hopes of moving the survivors into the new tank - but ugh. Thank goodness the frag swap is coming up so I can put something in this new tank that isn't covered in bubble algae.

The clownfish are happily hosting the algae that grew over the dead monti cap skeleton.

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Not sure what to do about the skimmer. I replaced the air-intake with some silicone tubing in the hope that that would help - the old tubing was just barely long enough to reach - no room to add any noise reduction. Maybe it will break in...
 
pbjelly

pbjelly

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Manhattan Reefs
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Pointboy said:
I have a bubble magnus curve 5 skimmer in my sump; i run the same sump as you on my t90 tank. The skimmer has s compact footprint and creates zero microbubbles.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the recommendation. I got this skimmer with the tank when I bought it used from a member here on the forum and I'd like to see if I can get this to work the way I'd like it to before I throw more money at it.

I'm glad to know someone else has a Reef Octopus Luxury Tank up and running. I feel like they only sold five of these and people keep setting them up and then selling them.
I hope that doesn't happen with me and this set up. I'm not a fan of the overflow, but I think the tank dimensions and build are fabulous.

How do you like your system? Are you happy with it? Do you have a tank thread?
 
P

Pointboy

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Manhattan Reefs
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New Jersey
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I love the tank. When I first set it up it was way too loud. I went with a lower power variable speed pump and was able to find the sweet spot; also modified the plumbing a little going into the sump. The system is very quiet now. I don't have a tank thread. Here is a picture of my sump if that helps; the drain exits under the water at a 45 degree angle.
 

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pbjelly

pbjelly

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Manhattan Reefs
Location
Brooklyn
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Tonyscoots84 said:
pbj what is all that GHA :screama:
Click to expand...

It's disgusting, right?
That hell-in-a-box is what happened to my biocube after it crashed.

Too much stuff, too small space,gone for the weekend, maxi-mini attacked fiji leather and BOOM! :tank:
The GHA insanity grew in just a few days after everything either died or I ripped it out to keep it from further poisoning the water and killing the fish.

I kept the tank running for the fish while I cycled this new one and the algae is dying back now, but it's truly hideous to look at. I still have to catch the pom pom crab that's in there and move it, but after that - goodbye green box.
http://www.manhattanreefs.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/
 
pbjelly

pbjelly

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Manhattan Reefs
Location
Brooklyn
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New look for the fish nook.

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I'm just starting to work on an electrical/supply cabinet. The sump area is already too cramped and I want to try to keep as much of the electrics separate from water if possible.
I was so happy about the fancy access holes I drilled into the back of the cabinet until I realized that my MP10's were hard wired and I've got to either fit the wet side or the controller through the back in order to keep them inside the cabinet.
Right now they're trailing out the front :(

I also haven't figured out what to use for my top-off water container. I used to have a nice little gallon jug under the stand on my old tank, but I go through that in a little more than a day now, so I need to find something that holds at least 5 gallons and will fit under the shelf.

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The fish are comfortably at home, but I haven't mounted any of my frags yet.
I'm still not sure about the placement of my mp10's for flow. I could do two on the back facing out, but the light hanging rack limits where I can put the dry sides so for now the pumps are on opposite ends.

Not too exciting, but new FTS.

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http://www.manhattanreefs.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/
 
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