Deep Blue EDGE 57 Rimless Mixed Reef Build

beetlenut33

beetlenut33

Premium member
Hello, Chicago Reefs! I am starting a new build thread to document the progress on my new build. This is my first build, ever, I have owned all in one nano tanks since 2007.

I started building my stand with the help of fellow members of the CR community.

I decided to build the stand out of 3/4" birch plywood. All strips are 5.75" wide.

View attachment 18182

The overall dimensions of the stand are 37.5" wide by 19.5" deep by 36" tall.

View attachment 18183

Tonight, I plan on sanding and staining my stand. Pictures to follow.
 
I had a few hiccups in the stand build this week. Had some leveling issues with the pieces where the tank is supported. I cleared them up by removing all the small support pieces, planing the top of the stand to remove any major height differences in the wood, and then installing a single large piece of plywood to support the weight of the tank.

I was able to stain and paint the stand with my dad's help. I plan on drilling holes in the top plywood to allow access to the plumbing.

Here is a photo of where the tank will be located in my condo along with some other equipment.

View attachment 18227
 
I was able to build my sump today. I purchased a 20 gallon long from PetsMart for $15. I had some double strength glass cut at ACE Hardware for a about $20. After buying silicone, spent around $40 total for this build. This is my first time building a sump, so it isn't perfect. I will try cleaning the excess silicone with a razor blade after it cures.

I spaced the over and under baffles a little too close together. I can't fit my hand between them.

Here's a photo of the competed sump:

View attachment 18349


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Here are some updated pics of the tank! Sorry for the bad quality, I am working on improving my photography skills.



 
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Thanks to [MENTION=1455]Sawdonkey[/MENTION], I added some new SPS this week:

BC Therman's Rainbow
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ORA Spongodes
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Wet Thumbs Mother of Pearl
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BC Glowstik Acro
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BC June Ruby
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Vivid's Rainbow Delight
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BC Ponape Rainbow
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BC Garys Yellow Slimer
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Older, recent additions, thanks [MENTION=1658]Rcunning8[/MENTION]:
Pro Corals Rainbow Acro
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Peach Digitata Monitpora is starting to grow very well in the new tank:
Peach Digitata
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Here are a few of my fish:

True Percula Clownfish
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Potter's Angelfish
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Two Spot Bristletooth Tang
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I've been seeing some good growth on all my new additions.

I also noticed that most of my pieces have lost some of their vibrant colors and look bleached. Does that indicate my lighting is too high? I have the intensity of my Radions at 55%.

Parameters:
Alk 9.2 dKh
Calcium 550 ppm
NO3 0 ppm


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not an expert but 55% seems high for radions.it very strong for light! i believe i heard a lot of people keep it it at 20-25%.
btw,dealing with similar issue and wanna see what others say
 
I turned the intensity down to 50%.

What are your nutrient levels at? I think it may be also due to the fact that my NO3 and PO4 are 0 ppm. I may be starving my coral.

I am considering taking my GFO offline and also removing my filter socks to dirty up my tank a little.

I also feed like crazy too.

jp_75 said:
not an expert but 55% seems high for radions.it very strong for light! i believe i heard a lot of people keep it it at 20-25%.
btw,dealing with similar issue and wanna see what others say
Click to expand...




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Had a loss this weekend. I lost my BC Glowstik Acro overnight.

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I tested calcium, alkalinity, temperature, PH and magnesium and everything looked normal and stable.

I decided to take my GFO and carbon reactor offline. I will only run them on an as needed basis. I hope this helps and prevents any future RTN.
 
beetlenut33 said:
Had a loss this weekend. I lost my BC Glowstik Acro overnight.

I tested calcium, alkalinity, temperature, PH and magnesium and everything looked normal and stable.

I decided to take my GFO and carbon reactor offline. I will only run them on an as needed basis. I hope this helps and prevents any future RTN.
Click to expand...

I don't think anyone, scientist or expert reefer, knows why acros just RTN. Just hope it's the only one.
 
Last week, I made some new additions to the tank. All photos were taken with iPhone 7 under normal lighting, and here they are:

Poletti yellow tip

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Frag Farmers Red Robin

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Forest Green Psammacora

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Replacement for the BC Glowstik Acro I lost recently.

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After borrowing the CR PAR meter this week, I measured my lighting intensity to be too low. I was at 55% intensity, but decided to slowly ramp up to 75% intensity over the next 2 weeks using the acclimation timer in EcoSmart Live. I hope the increased PAR will increase my growth rate.
 
I just got a new macro lens today, and it is A LOT easier to take closeups of my fish now.

I added two new fish on Monday:

Leopard Wrasse
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Ruby Head Fairy Wrasse
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And after finally figuring out manual white balance, a proper full tank shot:
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Over the past few weeks, I have noticed the color on my SPS has been improving. I am starting to get more pronounced purples and greens.

Also, new growth has started to appear on my frags which I had not seen grow in months. My tank must be continuing to mature and my water is stabilizing.

In other news, I recently got married in Mexico and got back last week. I left my tank unattended for 8 days with a large top off container for my ATO, an automatic feeder and an internet webcam. Thankfully, everything went smoothly and I didn't have any issues other than an algae outbreak and dirty glass. I used the webcam to monitor my tank while in Mexico. Here is a pic of the video feed:

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