Budget Reefing!

One of the first questions I get asked by some one that is outside of the hobby is... "Isn't hard to keep saltwater fish?"  .. No.

The Second questions is "Isn't it expensive?" well... it is only as expensive as you want it to be.

Of course anyone can can just throw a bunch of money at a reef system and get it going, but there is just something about scoring a great deal. My system is just about (equipment wise) complete, but I am always looking at used reefing stuff for sale.

If someone is just getting started in the hobby and does not want to shell out THOUSANDS of dollars then a smart budget reefer can look towards the used market for their reefing needs.

I would turn to your local reefing forum for a great community and resource for knowledge and  great deals. Most states have local forums that you can turn to. Mine happens to be MichiganReefers.com


Reefing toys that I would buy used.

Protein skimmers.   After you have done all of your hours and hours of research, you will have an idea of what your looking for. Then you can look for that type of skimmer that might be just a couple years old and would perform just as well. After all, there is really not much to skimmers as far as moving parts, just the way bubbles and water move around.

Power Heads.  Providing that the manufacturer has been proven to have good customer support, such as Tunze or Vortech. So when something might go wrong with your old used pump, you can get it going again as soon as possible.

Aquariums.  Buying a brand new aquarium can give you serious sticker shock. Buying a used one can be much easier on ones wallet. But this is one item that you need to be careful and either reseal the seams and/or perform leak testing.  

Lighting.  Making your corals happy can be one of the most expensive parts of your reef tank. You can take advantage of a fellow reefers upgrade to new stuff or people moving. Just make sure that your are investing in a newer form of lighting such as LED, metal Halides, or T5.  If you get halides or T5, the first thing you do is replace the bulbs. 

Obviously when you are buying a used item, you need to be aware that you do not have warranties that you would get when buying new. So when you are buying used it is even More important to buy a quality piece so that it will last when you are using it for your reef tank by taking it for a second round of use.

Controlling Our Reefs

One of the best things that I have bought for my tank has to be hands down the controller. Having a tank controller will make your life easier when you are away from your tank and will instil stability in your system. 

This is an excerpt from Reefbuilders...

We have apps to check our aquarium controllers, turn off lights and signal us when the temperature gets too high but what if we were able to get everything controlled under one protocol — from aquarium lights, to the TV, to opening the front door for your maintenance guy. That day is getting even closer with Google announcing Android@Home, a promising new home automation technology to connect your Android devices to other appliances and electronic items in your home.
Before you get up in arms about whether or not home automation technolgies are new — they aren’t — what is unique about this is the backing of Google’s mobile operating system to power and control appliances in your home. The growth of Android as both a smartphone and now a tablet OS makes sense to be a key cog in the future of home automation.
So what is Android@Home? Through the protocol, anything plugged into an Android@Home receiver will work with Android’s automation APIs (application programming interface) to perform whatever function that device does and is controlled by any Android device. Google plans of realeasing APIs and open source libraries for development shortly.
Imagine you forget to give instructions to your friend who is watching your aquarium for you while you are on vacation. Well he calls you from the front door and you could verify through a security camera the person is there and with a push of a button, open the door to let him in. They can’t find the light switch for the fish room? Snap! You turn it on for them.
Although there are open source products like the Reef Angel controller on the Arduino system, Android apps that control controllers and Vertex Aquaristik’s Cerebra using Android as its operating system, they are limited to those proprietary devices. In other words sure you can program the Reef Angel to use 35 pH probes but it can’t turn off your home’s AC.
There are competing standards and while many aquarists tapped into the X10 system and we’ve even used devices like the Actiontec MegaPlug to network our aquarium controllers, as home automation comes closer to reality these standards are a start but it may be the sheer strength of Google that makes Android@Home the major player.
According to an article in PC Magazine the Android@Home network is similar to that used by ZigBee, a low-power wireless network used for short-range home automation. The A@H the network will be more robust to allow for enough bandwidth to transfer video but will not consume much power on top of what you are running already.
A big problem facing bringing a complete home automation device to market before was the investment in a central controller and being able to get a hold of useful devices that would work. The prospect of Android@Home being able to unite and control anything from an aquarium heater to your entire home’s HVAC is invigorating.

Top choices for water flow

Moving water in a natural way is a very important way to replicate what the natural ocean does. This not only looks good when viewing your aquarium, but also serves a vital role in your complete system. Two big reasons to get the water moving in your system is to allow the corals to repatriate and to allow to effectively perform nutrient export.

The following is my recommendation for a quality power head that is widely available in the aquarium trade. I have owned and used all of these products over the years.

Maxi Jet series of pumps.

This power head has been a work horse in the aquarium trade for years, and for a good reason. This pump can be bought at a fairly cheap price and is reliable. This pump is used in many other products from different manufactures for their own uses as a water movement needs.

These pumps can be modified very easy and almost have a cult following among hobbyist. For a small amount of time and or money, you can make this pump produce crazy flow for minimum cost.

This is a product that has hit the market with great response. It takes what the DIYer used to do them selves and makes it possible for anyone to make this modification easy to do. It basically changes the direction of the flow that is coming out of the pump and a greater spread of flow.

My next favorite pump for my fellow reefers to use with their water flow needs in the Koralia line from Hydor. This more recent product for the hobby takes water flow up a notch.

This pump provides a the reefer a very quality pump for a reasonable price. It has great water flow pattern and at a low voltage draw. One great feature that this pump has over the Maxi Jet, is that it uses a combination of magnets and suction cups to attach it to the glass. This is a must feature to have on a pump that could fall in the system and blow the sand bed all over and cause an ammonia spike.

Since the first generation of these, Hydor has changed the design of these pumps to be able to be controllable.



The best of the best!

The Vortech

Once you get past the sticker shock of this bad boy, you will be amazed of what it can do! This pump can do almost anything that you would want it to. It has several different flow modes, wireless ability to talk with other pumps and controllers, the heat from the motor is outside of the tank, and it has a very gentile and wide flow pattern.

I will let the results speak for themselves....

Its alive!!!

I thought I would take a look at the animals that really drive the reef aquarium hobby. It is the animals that make up the base structure of the wild reefs, its the vibrant colors that we all drool over, and the small joy we feel when we notice our favorite colony has grown a few new polyps.

To me coral are among the most "alien" animals that we share the planet Earth with. Most of the general public does not and will never realize that these animals exist with us. I think the one thing that separates us from these unique animals is that they have an infinite life span! I have found a few videos that show just how alive these animals are.


There are different kinds of coral in the world and I will show you a few different ones. The first is a video that shows five kinds of Xiena.

Next up is one of the corals that is near to extinction, the Stag Horn. This video is a time lapse that shows the corals growth over two years.

Some different shots of coral up close. Taken by a local hobbyist by a handle on Michiganreefers.com of Poseidon

Inspiration

We all need inspiration for what we do in life and the same goes for our hobbies. What I am about to show you is a system that I am trying to model off of. The tank belongs to a hobbyist in Michigan that owns a very nice reef. His name is Sonny Harajly.

The Build begins...

It has been a couple years since I have had a system that I could be proud of. Since I shut down my 100 gallon system a few years ago, I have kept a 2.5 gallon pico with good success. The plan was to wait until I get a house to go all out with an in-wall and a "man cave" of a equipment room. Well, plans change and while the house is looking like it will be on the horizon, I am building a system that I can enjoy now.


I would like to document this and will be posting pictures of every point of the progress and growth.

This all started because my friend is moving in 3 months. Since I currently have all of my expensive SPS in his system, I want a system that will be able to house them in a better (more stable) environment than I can provide with my current 2.5 gal.

So, I have about 3 months to have the system cycled and ready for my SPS to return home. That means I have to get off my butt and get this tank going like yesterday.

I love the rimless look and I had Great Lakes custom make a 20 gallon long because it is the same size as my friends tank. I was going to use his lights and they were going to fit just the same. Since the initial conversations, plans have changed slightly and the short of it is that I will be using half of his lights ( 1 out of 2 T5HO ) and my own LEDs.

I have been accumulating equipment in preparation for the build and am almost done. The most important part is getting the tank cycled as soon as possible, So the return pump is arriving in two days and I should have water in it by the weekend. I have a very busy schedule with 55 hours at work and attending Walsh, so this is not the best time but I am exited.

Now down to the goodies....I don't like to think about how much I spent on this little 20 gallon, but I feel that every single thing I will be able to utilize on my next larger system.

Equipment:

• Drilled, rimless, 20 gallon long with black silicone
• 1 (maybe 2) Ecoxic Par 38 LED 12k
• T5HO
• Vortech MP10Wes with battery backup
• Aqueon 40 gallon breeder sump/fuge
• Bashsea Calcium reactor
• Tunze 1073.050 Silence variable speed return pump
• Tunze osmolator universal 3155 auto top off
• Tunze Universal pump Mini 5024.04 to take care of any dead spots in sump
• Neptune Apex JR (pre-ordered)
• pH probe
• Conductivity probe
• I give this system its own desk top computer for internet and use my Android to graph and monitor it in real time where ever I am at with a live stream web cam
• 10 gallon auto top off holding tank
• No name protein skimmer (until I save up for a decent one)
• 72''L x 27''W 40''H DIY stand with separate electrical compartment, building this right now...

Live Stock:

Just about SPS only (maybe a few cool zoos but not much)
Fish? I don't know yet, not concerned since I enjoy coral much more. I am partial to wrasses though.
The whole time I was planning a high flow bare bottom, but I might have a shallow sand bed. (still on the fence with this one, but I think I am almost off) my current 2.5 is a BB


Here is the assembly of the system and shortly after I filled it with water with a video at the end:

Start of the new reef tank

Amazing reef tanks take some planning, but I will show you how easy starting a saltwater reef tank can be.