Newly Drilled 24 Gal Aquapod Set-Up [Archive]

Jessy

05-13-2007, 10:59 AM

Here is my new setup everyone. I drilled the rock this Sat, and I must say I am pretty happy with my work. You will notice that I have spoiled my sun polyp with basically the entire Southwest quadrant of my tank, but I love it. :)

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/JessyCat77/TankInhabitants.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/JessyCat77/tankandstand.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/JessyCat77/PinkyOpen.jpg

Comments or suggestions always appreciated.

davocean

05-13-2007, 12:16 PM

Looks great.
Sun polyps looks real nice.
Your toadstool already has a nub you could frag off prety soon, score.

j_electric

05-13-2007, 12:19 PM

I think i'd like to do that to my aquapod, Were can i get some acrylic rod in north county?

Jessy

05-13-2007, 12:26 PM

I just used some plastic clothing hangers

j_electric

05-13-2007, 12:29 PM

good idea never thought of that

davocean

05-13-2007, 01:16 PM

There's MGM plastics in San Marcos.
I'd be careful as certain plastics or dyes can be an issue

surf4ever

05-13-2007, 03:57 PM

wow , great job.. that looks very nice... The rock work looks awesome..:D

DaChrisDude

05-13-2007, 04:09 PM

Good job! Beautiful sun polyps...I want one... lol

SDguy

05-13-2007, 04:20 PM

Nice tank! Wow, quite the thorough diagram :D

Jessy

05-13-2007, 06:11 PM

Thank you all. The diagram is what you get when you mix obsessive graphic designer/photographer with newly obsessed reefer. :D Insane and couldn't be happier!! I just came from Jordan's and he hooked me up with some nice eagle eye zoos and some neon green zoos, a baby plate coral, a striped shroom, and some snails and crabs :) That guy is trying to rival Sea World in his garage for sure!!

seahorse_man

05-13-2007, 06:15 PM

Thanks, LMK how you like them.

I should start charging admission for my mini SeaWorld:p

onad75

05-13-2007, 07:47 PM

That sun coral looks really cool. Nice set up.

Jessy

05-22-2007, 09:02 PM

Here is an updated photo of my 24 gal Aquapod. New Livestock to note:
Electric Flame Scallop
New Clowns
4 head Green Tipped Frogspawn
9 head Pink Tipped Frogspawn
4 head neon green trumpet
2 Hot Pink frags of some deep water coral from Harold (forgot the name, can anyone else identify?)
Green birdsnest from Jasper (Thanks I owe you, it is doing great!)

I am thinking about doing some mods this weekend...possibly updating to a stealth fan to cut down on the noise when the 10K bulb is on, removing the stock pump and putting in a Maxijet 1200, and thinking about upgrading the lights and ballast to this 96W 4 bulb light (2 10K's and 2 460 actincs) that I was shown at OG. But I don't think I'll do the lights this weekend. :) Maybe next paycheck :D. Comments and suggestions always appreciated.

PS everything kinda looks squished down because of the perspective of the picture.

mramc3

05-22-2007, 09:07 PM

wow Jessy,
your tank is looking great..
now.. you will move on to the next step...

A BIGGER TANK!!!

seahorse_man

05-22-2007, 09:44 PM

Looks good jess keep up the good work and remember if you have any ?'s let us know.;)

If you still need the pump you can pick it up

davocean

05-23-2007, 07:31 AM

Hey Jessy tank is looking nice.
You may want to place that scallop in a shady cave type spot as they tend to do better in low light.
Also, I see 3 clowns, that could be an issue as they mature, one pair is usally best.
Keep pics coming.

Jessy

05-23-2007, 09:26 AM

Jordan, I am going to be getting that pump from you soon. On my To-Do list this weekend to switch them out.

Dave,
That spot is shaded by the big tonga branch, you can't really tell because of the camera flash, but I figured if it wasn't happy there it would move around right? it seems super happy. If a happy scallop means open mouth all the time, then he's good. there are only 2 shaded places in my tank, where it is now or where the sun polyp is. And I love my sun polyp where he's at. So let's cross our fingers that the flamer ;) will be happy.

davocean

05-23-2007, 09:40 AM

You are correct on that, they will move if they need.
It's pretty cool to see them swim when they do.
I had 2 that would flutter around my tank, and usually go where I couldn't see them.
That's when I put them in a cave spot where I could see them.
Glad all is working out for you/tank.
Looks real good.
Did you talk to Harold about specimen cube?

Jessy

05-23-2007, 09:45 AM

Did you talk to Harold about specimen cube?
Yes I had bought one from Harold b4. I was looking for a second one. :) I was trying to figure out how to seperate the 3 clowns and figure out which ones got along without letting the out in the tank. As most things do, the problem solved itself by the cube opening when I was moving it and all the fishies escaping. So that is why there are 3 clowns in my tank now. I will eventually sell one, I am just trying to see who likes who more. Right now they are all pretty happy, so I am just leaving them. If you know anything about clowns please check out the thread I have trying to identify this white spot on one of them.

FlipCyd

05-23-2007, 10:35 AM

is that the orange ricordea i sold u behind the gsp? how's it doing?

Jessy

05-23-2007, 10:56 AM

is that the orange ricordea i sold u behind the gsp? how's it doing?

Good eye! Yes that is the orange ric. It is doing fine. No growth or anything. Just sits there and looks...orange :) which is all I wanted it for. I would love for it to grow lots and split off though. How long does that take?

FlipCyd

05-23-2007, 10:58 AM

it took about a month for that one to split off, i'm still waiting for mine to split again. it's getting there:D hopefully soon

nanoreefbro

05-23-2007, 05:16 PM

Wow that sun coral looks great.. Does it open during the day or only at night?? I have the 24 gal JBJ and I was thinking of switching to a Aquapod.. They seem to look bigger than the JBJ..

coral diver

05-23-2007, 05:27 PM

I think i'll give her a 5 months max :D and she'll be asking for a bigger tank and over a year a much bigger tank :eek: :eek: :D

SECTER1

05-23-2007, 05:48 PM

I think i'll give her a 5 months max :D and she'll be asking for a bigger tank and over a year a much bigger tank :eek: :eek: :D

Took me about 2 mins after filling my 40G with rocks sand and water to look at my wife and say.."should of got a bigger tank"

davocean

05-23-2007, 05:56 PM

Nature of our addiction.
Even swapping my 90 to 180 I immediately thought HHMMM....shoulda went bigger.
It never ends.

Jessy

05-23-2007, 06:01 PM

Wow that sun coral looks great.. Does it open during the day or only at night?? I have the 24 gal JBJ and I was thinking of switching to a Aquapod.. They seem to look bigger than the JBJ..
It opens when I want it to, whenever I put food in. It was mad at me after my 5 gal water change, but it is better now.

Jessy

05-23-2007, 06:04 PM

I think i'll give her a 5 months max :D and she'll be asking for a bigger tank and over a year a much bigger tank :eek: :eek: :D

5 months..hmm. Well does a second tank count? I am looking for one of those tonight :D. For quarantine purposes only of course. :) never thinking about using it as a 10 gal in my office. ;) wouldn't think of it.:eek: No I've told myself, as long as I am renting I will keep the 24 gal. Mod the heck out of it, but keep the 24 gal going. When I get a house....(oh to dream) I'll go much bigger.

coral diver

05-23-2007, 06:07 PM

Seeeeeeeeeee See See What I Mean Jessy Seeee Addictingggg

Chanas4

05-24-2007, 06:52 PM

HOw many times did you upgrade Jo Jo?

Jessy

05-24-2007, 10:51 PM

Alright people I am doing some mods this weekend. I am going to take some pics and document the process if anyone is really bored and interested. I am going to do some homemade plumbing to wrap my maxijet flow through a tube to the front of my tank and have it flow out two nozels in the front top corners. Got the idea from someone else, but it is still going to be awesome. Saves me from having to drill into the back of the 45 degree wall to install a second pump. I've got the tube, the 2 maxijet 1200's (courtesy of Jordan's large stash....thanks for the great deal...AGAIN!) and the drill. Ohhhh this weekend is going to be so fun! OH! And I got a 60mm stealth fan to replace the stock fan, I need to wire that in, but I want to get a second one and do it at the same time. Fry's only had one in stock.

djleyo

05-24-2007, 10:57 PM

cool jessy cant wait to see the mods i want some ideas for my 24 gal
oh and the stealth fans i think i took the last ones they only had 3 in stock the day i went i got 2 they should get more on tuesday

seahorse_man

05-25-2007, 12:02 AM

No prob jess;) If you need any help or have any ?'s LMK;)

Jessy

06-08-2007, 01:02 PM

Hey all,
I did some modifcations to my aquapod a few weeks ago. Just getting around to posting the pictures.

#1 Switched out the stock pump for an MJ1200 and added the deflector to the output (forget the name of it....the kind that spins around and makes the water wave.)
#2 added a second MJ1200 into the right compartment and connected it to a tube that wraps around the front of my tank with two outputs. See pics.
I tried to leave the end of the loop open back into the left compartment (like I read they did on reefcentral.com), but no pressure came out the outputs. For a quick fix I pinched off the tube, but I am planning on cutting off the whole end and just plugging up the one side of the T connector or changing it to an elbow joint if I can find one. Splitting the MJ1200 flow definately decreases the output, but it is ok for my tank. Keeps the water moving fine. The new plumbing isn't too noticeable from my usual viewing angle, I just really like that I don't have any powerheads in the tank and didn't have to drill the back wall to get another one in there. I attached the tubing to my tank by drilling and treading zip ties through small clear suction cups. I looked everywhere for some kind of clip to use just clip the tube to the hood lip, but I didn't find anything. This was my next best solution. I was trying to avoid drilling into the tank plastic.

I've moved my rocks around since this pic and the tank was cloud from all the work, so I'll post a FTS soon.

Chanas4

06-09-2007, 02:56 PM

How is it working? It looks like a pretty good idea

Jessy

06-09-2007, 04:35 PM

Works great! Like I said I want to cut the last length of tubing off because it is unecessary and depletes the flow from having to reverse and come back out the two heads. The left nozzle's flow (farthest from the MJ1200) is actually the most powerful. I thought it would be the other way around. I really like the fact that I can have my deflector going around in circles and position these two to bisect the other flow. Makes a nice swirl.

j_electric

06-09-2007, 06:03 PM

How did you secure it to the tank?

Jessy

06-09-2007, 06:22 PM

I bought clear suction cups that you see in the picture, drilled a small hole in the "neck" of the suction cup and treaded the skinnest zip tie I could find through it. Then wraped that around the tube. The tube now sticks to the glass instead of the plastic rim.

nanoreefbro

06-09-2007, 06:40 PM

Wow that looks great Jess.. That's a really good idea.. You're a regular Bob Villa..:D

Jessy

07-24-2007, 08:31 PM

Hello everyone, even though I have been to hades and back with this tank, I still love it. And I realize I haven't put any new pics up lately. So here's plenty. Enjoy, comment, drool, whatever :D
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/JessyCat77/FTS2.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/JessyCat77/FTS1.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/JessyCat77/baby-orange-ric.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/JessyCat77/greenpink-frogspawn.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/JessyCat77/green-tip-frog.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/JessyCat77/more-zoos.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/JessyCat77/orange-and-blue-rics.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/JessyCat77/ric-garden.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/JessyCat77/rics-and-zoos.jpg

Jessy

07-24-2007, 08:32 PM

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/JessyCat77/yellow-ric.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/JessyCat77/twizzler.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/JessyCat77/Teal-Zoas.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/JessyCat77/threes-company.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/JessyCat77/Teal-Ric.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/JessyCat77/squirt.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/JessyCat77/sparticus.jpg

j_electric

07-24-2007, 08:35 PM

very nice i need to post pics of my aquapod:)

nanoreefbro

07-24-2007, 08:35 PM

Wow!!! :eek: Looks great Jess.. Where did you get the rics???:)

Jessy

07-24-2007, 08:40 PM

Wow!!! :eek: Looks great Jess.. Where did you get the rics???:)
Various Places:
Yellow and teal- pnguy3n
orange- harold
blue- fraggle reef
green - seahorseman
pink/green- limbo :D although it looked more orange in his tank than pink.

nanoreefbro

07-24-2007, 09:27 PM

And the Xenias??

Jessy

07-25-2007, 06:47 AM

And the Xenias?? I got that from a girl in NCRMAS. It was the first thing I put in my tank. She gave me two little stalks and now they've branched off like crazy.

DaChrisDude

07-25-2007, 07:00 AM

"Sparticus" - awesome name! Ever see the movie with Michael? / Kirk? Douglas? great old movie...

Lots of nice stuff in the tank there!

Jessy

07-25-2007, 07:16 AM

No I haven't actually. :D I don't really know where I pulled that name from. But, it works. Funny actually, I know the female is more aggresive than the male, but this guys is a WIMP! He is always laying on his side for the female...I'm waiting for him to live up to his name....Fish can't pimp slap can they? :eek: :D

"Sparticus" - awesome name! Ever see the movie with Michael? / Kirk? Douglas? great old movie...

Lots of nice stuff in the tank there!

Jessy

07-26-2007, 01:56 PM

Now that you can see my rock pile. Do you think I have too much rock in there? About 30lbs. It is butted right up against the false wall. I'm considering taking *out some of the rock when I redo stuff to get my nitrates down. The only thing I can think of is dead spots because the rocks are right up to the wall. Any opinions?

barometer

07-26-2007, 02:06 PM

I don't think you have too much rock, though maybe your flow could be adjusted if you're noticing dead spots. I see there's a Hydor Flo in the corner, is that new? I have one as well and though it was cool to have the jet direction moving, I noticed that it drastically reduced the amount of flow in my tank, especially those parts of the tank that were furthest away from the Flo. Anyway, I'd be concerned that you will loose some of your tank's biofiltration ability if you remove rock and I'm not so sure that dead spots alone can account for your elevated nitrates. My $.02, hope it helps :)

I'm diggin' the updated pics Jessy, things look pretty good for all the troubles you say you've been having. I'd love to get a frag of those orange & green zoas sometime :D

convict

07-26-2007, 10:34 PM

Wow Jessy, the tank looks awesome!

Jessy

07-27-2007, 01:44 PM

Wooohooo lighting upgrade! Just got a 70W mh sunpod. :) It comes with the 12K bulb..what are your thoughts about going to a 14K or 20K when that bulb burns out?

Also now that my nitrate source has been found I might still do a little change in the tank. Thinking about redoing the rocks to a more traditional mountain shape. The way they are set up here doesn't allow a lot of light to the bottom. The inside of the "c" is shaded by the tonga branch and the left side of the tank is shaded by the big shelf. I'm also looking to hang a remora off the back and possibly a fuge. :) So keep on the lookout for some new upgrade pics...let me know your thoughts on the rocks and the bulb though.

Jessy

07-29-2007, 08:43 PM

Here is the newest addition to my tank. Everyone say hi to Pilaf. Pilaf Bean is my new Pygmy Angel. You can't see when looking at him with the naked eye...but I was wondering what those missing scales (dark spots) mean that show up in the picture. Are they signs of sickness? Should I do anything special or just let him eat and heal...? I couldn't see it when I got him. And still can't they just show up with the flash.

nanoreefbro

07-29-2007, 08:47 PM

And what about the lights??? :D

Jessy

07-29-2007, 08:49 PM

And what about the lights??? :D It's coming, It's coming...can't unvail all the new stuff at once :)... Here is a close up of my baby plate coral. He's doubled in size since I got him.

seahorse_man

07-30-2007, 12:01 AM

I wonder where you got that from:rolleyes: What camera are you using?

Jessy

07-30-2007, 08:51 AM

I wonder where you got that from:rolleyes: What camera are you using?
:D See I take good care of my babies. I have a canon digital rebel. I think I need to switch out to my 70/300 lense to get really close up on stuff. Also I think that the bow front of the AP24 makes the pictures not as clear as other peoples with the flat glass.

barometer

07-30-2007, 10:13 AM

:D See I take good care of my babies. I have a canon digital rebel. I think I need to switch out to my 70/300 lense to get really close up on stuff. Also I think that the bow front of the AP24 makes the pictures not as clear as other peoples with the flat glass.

Hi Jessy,

Well aside from the same tastes in fish and corals, we have the same camera. Unfortunately, the 70/300 is not an ideal lens for tank picture. Even if it's a macro version, the zoom macros cannot give you the right stops to get good lower light images. I'd recommend getting either a fixed lens like a 1.8 or better 50 mm and a set of extension tubes (the cheaper solution) or a nice fixed macro that can open up wide (very expensive). Either will allow you to get very close to your glass and experiment with different settings to mess with your depth of field. The important thing is that you can get enough light even if you stop up take fast pictures without the flash. LMK if you need more info on this, I'd be happy to help :)

djleyo

07-30-2007, 10:42 AM

wow jess your tank is getting better and better i love the plate coral awsome color
i still haven't started mine since i went on vacation to rocky point in sonora for a week and i didn't want to return to a dead tank
keep up the good work :)

Jessy

08-04-2007, 05:47 PM

:eek: :eek: :eek: I just tore apart my tank....again. :) I redid the rocks in a typical mountain shape with enough room to get the mag float all the way around on three sides. (something I couldn't do before). I'm pretty satisfied with the new look. I moved all my corals to a little 12 gal nano with the old tank water for a little bit. I'm going to see if the main tank is going to do a little cycle because of all the new water and the sand being disturbed. I'd rather be safe than sorry. Looks like all the fish and corals are holding up ok in their cramped quarters for a bit. Will they be ok if I leave them there for 48hrs or so? I've just got a mj400 running in there. I wish I had planned a little better and had a bigger setup to leave them in for a week or two, but of course I didn't plan. I just went for it. :D

Fishaholic

08-04-2007, 06:39 PM

looks great!!! what a difference!! you have been busy :D

seahorse_man

08-04-2007, 09:12 PM

How is the clam?

Jessy

08-04-2007, 09:28 PM

How is the clam? Ok I hope. I had him in the bag floating under the MH for a little while. Then I aclimated him to the old tank water that is in the 12 gal right now....and just put him in there to sleep through the night. I'm so glad I set up that little tank and took all my stuff out because I've got an ammonia reading of .25 in my main display. Maybe you can answer a question for me. How long can 4 fish and tank full of corals live in a 10 gal nano with no filtration, just a mj400? I don't want to kill anything by rushing it into the AP24 while it is still having it's mini cycle, but I also do want to kill anything by leaving it in a septic little tank. Do you think by tomorrow night I can add stuff back to my main display if the ammonia gets to 0 by that time?

iwantone

08-05-2007, 06:08 AM

I had him in the bag floating under the MH for a little while.

If your clam survives that, he can survive anything...

Jessy

08-05-2007, 08:24 AM

I had him in the bag floating under the MH for a little while.

If your clam survives that, he can survive anything... How so? The bag didn't get hot at all, and they ship them overnight in bags....so how is having it stay in the bag for 2 hours under lights at a temp of 79 going to hurt it? It was actually opening up in the bag.

Jessy

08-05-2007, 10:17 AM

Here is a FTS 10 minutes after stocking. I've just got everything jammed in there right now, didn't have the patience to place everything right the first time. I was forced to put everything back in the main display because after checking the ammonia levels in the little holding tank they were .3, worse than the main display. Tell me what you think of my new rock setup. Lot more open, the fish love it...they have all kinds of holes now. There is actually a valley between the tonga branch that goes straight through the mountain and out the back.

j_electric

08-05-2007, 10:26 AM

looks good very full:)

Diver Dan

08-06-2007, 11:16 AM

Wow this tank is awesome! I cant believe how full it is. Good luck the SPS. Keep up the good work!

Jessy

08-06-2007, 12:57 PM

Wow this tank is awesome! I cant believe how full it is. Good luck the SPS. Keep up the good work!
Thanks, I know it is really full...actually a friend of mine came over last night and I sent him home with some PIF green trumpets and some people eaters :D. Trying to thin out the stock I so overzealously got in the beginning to fill the tank. I'm trying to make room for more of a choice selection. I've got the tank about to where I want it now, I'm going to pick up my yellow leather from jblaze (thanks a million for babysitting) and then I'll post some new FTS.

Jessy

08-07-2007, 08:04 PM

Here's an update. I've given away a few things, and got some more zoos, and a cup coral. :D...This is the way it is going to stay for a while. Oh and I got my yellow leather back from Scott. THANKS!!
Jim, that's your ric :D Thanks! I'm taking great care of it.

LMK what you think.

Jessy

08-07-2007, 08:05 PM

and another FTS

davocean

08-07-2007, 08:23 PM

Wow, that looks really nice.
Beautiful mix of colors.
It's going to look really nice when they fill in.

djleyo

08-08-2007, 10:20 AM

jess how did you arrange the filter media in the back chambers ??

Jessy

08-08-2007, 10:24 AM

I don't have any sponges.. Where the teeth are I have some chemipure and carbon, and a little bit of live rock, then where the return pump is I have a little more live rock, and that's it. I don't have room for anything else. I have a rio1400 on the right side and, 2 MJ1200s and 1 MJ400 jammed in the left side. :( I need to find a better way to run things.

djleyo

08-08-2007, 10:34 AM

barometer

08-08-2007, 10:40 AM

A koralia 1 properly placed should give you more than enough flow in that size tank. I'd only be concerned with the real estate that it will eat up. HTH :)

djleyo

08-08-2007, 10:47 AM

Jessy

08-08-2007, 10:49 AM

wow thats a lot of flow i only removed the stock pump and added a koralia #1 but cant decide where to place the kolaria hope this is enough for my lps and softie tank :) ??
i hope mine in time will look as good as your tank
beautiful just beautiful !!!
keep it up
and thanks for the info

The koralia you have, does it fit behind the false wall ok? I replaced the stock pump with one of the MJ1200's and added a hydor flo nozzle that greatly reduces the flow, but adds the wave motion. That is why I added the second MJ1200 connected to the black tubing that runs around the front of my tank. I wasn't getting enough flow there. The MJ400 is powering my chiller, so no added flow there. And the rio1400 is powering my RemoraPro. Is the koralia #1 more powerful than the mj1200? does it just plug into the stock pump spot?

djleyo

08-08-2007, 11:07 AM

i dont know if the koralia fits behind the false wall but im sure you cant connect it to the stock pump spot its more like a tunze with dispersed flow instead of a jet flow like the mjs the koralia #1 is rated at 400 gph

barometer

08-08-2007, 11:15 AM

yep i know they are big
do you have any advice on where to put it should i place it i was planning on placing it on the left side of the tank so that the 2 currents clash with each other or should i place it under the original output??

I'm not familiar with the placement of the stock items of your tank. But taking a guess, you can get a very good flow with just the Koralia if you place it higher on the back wall to one side or the other more or less level and pointing toward the opposite front corner. If that will cross the current from the stock pump that's probably even better. :)