Tank Update Pics: This will marked close to 6 months from initial set up.. enjoy!!!!

A Little LED Upgrade

Even though this tank has an amazing LED setup, Moonlights, Actinics and the 14k LED lights I needed something in between to give me more options to blend in and not to mention more coloration from my corals.
After doing some research I found that the Ecoxotic Stunner Strips offer low power consumption,  smaller size, and a variety of colors.  The Ecoxotic strips are water resistance and are the perfect size to install in my hood. I ended up going with one magenta strip and one ultraviolet strip.  I figure this would give me a nice blend since the actinic leds that come with the tank are really intense.
 I was very uneasy at first about taking the hood apart to make to make some mods.  I figure I would be able to install over the glass, even with a low profile height the stunner wouldn't fit accurately and they where to close to the water.
So ended up removing the plastic cover following with the glass. My 1st idea was to place them one on the front and one on the back. To my disappointment, the stunner strips where block from the inner frame.  So the next idea was to place them in the middle of the fixture.  The stunner strips where to large that the glass cover wouldn't cover it.  I had to remove side of the black frame that holds the glass in place.  After doing some measuring and cutting the side frame for the stunner strips, I gently snap them in place and they where flush with the frame.

After the stunner strips fitted nicely on the black frame and in between the 14k leds, it was time to arrange the cords around the reflector to cover them from being exposed.  The next step I did was to get my vacuum and suck all the dust in there.  Since you can daisy chain the strips, I had to cover the expose side with a fitted plug cover that comes with the stunner strip.

I use one of the output from the stock lights and resealed with the rubber fitting from one of my old 12 JBJ DX.  So it gives it a slicker professional look.  I ended up placing the glass lid and the plastic cover guard back in place. and gave it a test drive.  Now that I have more options to play with I can set it up to different settings to give it a unique personal look.

UV Stunner Strip

UV Stunner Strip and Moonlights

Actinic and UV Stunner Strip

Actinic and Magenta Stunner Strip at 10%

Actinic and Magenta at 20%

Actinic  and Magenta at 40%

 Actinic and Magenta at 60%

 Actinic and Magenta at 80%

Actinic and Magenta at 100%

14k, Actinic, and Magenta at 80%

How often should I maintain my tank? part I

Well this hobby can be really easy to maintain if you keep up with your chores.  Every tank is different and run differently but you can apply the same rules to all set-ups.  It's easier to break down the maintenance if you separate them.  I recommend a journal or a simple notebook to write down the days you need to clean your tank or change your media.  I myself keep a record on my phone and alerts me when it's time for some tune up.  

I run Filter Floss, Purigen and Chemi-Pure in my Mediabasket. 

I replace my Filter Floss every week, Purigen is recommend to be change every 6 months or until the beads exhaust and turn brown/dark.  The Chemi-Pure, according to the manufacturer is suppose to be change every 6 months as well, suggestions by other forum members and hobbyist suggest 3-4 months.  I look at it as depending how my tank looks and its bio-load, usually lasts me from 4-6 months.  Since this tank is fairly recent I used the Chemi-Pure Nano when I set it and let the tank cycle. Once my ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates where 0, it was time to get rid of it and replace it with a regular size 6.5oz.  Now I will place a memo on my phone to remind me to within  4 months to check the status on how it's doing.  

So being that I'm replacing my Chemi-Pure I figure I might as well check my Purigen and since my Filter Floss is schedule to be replace I start doing my changes.

Now as you can see my Purigen has turned brown and it's exhausted so it's time to remove.  The Purigen can be either replace or wash under a certain process to bring it back to life(I will discuss this on a later blog).  

As you can see we are ready to go. I then turn off my pumps and proceed to start scraping and cleaning my glass.  Any detritus will fall on the substrate and here is where your siphon tube is good for. I myself do a 10% water change.  You wanna make sure to siphon your substrate and pass on lightly enough to not disturb your sand.   I use a turkey baster to blast any detritus on rock surfaces. Now that you siphon your water it's time to replenish your tank.

I have my water ahead of time, it's always good to be prepare, either if you buy or make your water mix.  I use a 5gl container I bought at Home Depot to store my prepared water, I leave a heater and powerhead to get the right temp to match with my tank.  Once the desire temperature is achieve I start to fill in the tank.

I use a Maxi-Jet pump I have laying around to start filling the back of my tank.  I always place the hose starting on the back chambers to avoid any disruption on my aqua scape and corals.
Next step is to turn back on your pumps and your set to go for your next maintenance schedule.

 (Next upcoming blog... maintenance part II, taking pumps, skimmers, and powerheads and giving them a good scrub)