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Delphinus
09-27-2002, 05:21 PM
Welcome to Canreef James!

What an awesome looking setup. Nice sand, BTW :D That's quite the enviable depth of sandbed.

No idea what to suggest for the cuke. Looks cool though. Can you set up a refugium for him maybe?

jlaronde
09-27-2002, 05:44 PM
Actually he already is in my refugium. (Below the stand) I figured if I put him in the tank, I'd probably never find him again!

Yes, and the sand is quite nice!! ;)

James

djbravoleader
09-27-2002, 07:41 PM
Hi, that little guy you have there is a mmmm. let me think....i had the same exact one....it's a "chit" (i think thats how it is spelled) he's is an ok guy. You will notice hime come out at night time and seems to like to feed on the coral-line alage on rocks. They feel like sand paper and have a good grip when connected to a rock (where i'm sure he is living in now)...someone must have taken his home and moved him into a new neighbor hood...he,he,he. Hope that helps..

stephane
09-27-2002, 08:48 PM
From wath I know most kuke that are not bright colored like red,pink or yellow are ok and not poison as long as they live BUT if he get sucket in a power head there great chance that he will nuke you tank they have a substance I dont remeber the name but when release in the tank will consume all the oxigen and kill everyting around

They are realy good to clean up the sand and a great addition to a reef tank but be realy carefull , even an ordinary strainer that come with most power head will not protec from geting in the propeler of the power head

if he die and you not see it he will slowly decompose and you will probably not notice it
but for the colored one it is another story and I realy not recoment them

other ting to get in consideration is that your have a new tank and if you dont have big knowlege of saltwater aquarium he will probably die in your tank soon. They need good quality water to live and a new tank will kill it soon

conclusion you beter give it to a more experience reefer who will take care of it until you reef tank will stabilize (it take at least 3-4 month the more it better and I recomend you more 7-9 month )

[ 27 September 2002, 16:55: Message edited by: stephane ]

stephane
09-27-2002, 08:54 PM
For the identification of it ask the expert DR Ron here is the link in his Forum http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=40
but he is at MACNA and will be back 4 october :D

Ho I mostly forget!!! Nice tank and welcome in that awsome hobby! keep us in touch on more development in your reef :D :D :D :D

Doug
09-27-2002, 09:21 PM
James, :D Welcome to Canreef :D Good looking set-up.

I have seen lots of things in my years, but not your crawlie. Almost looks like some type of nudibranch. :confused: :confused:

SuperFudge
09-28-2002, 12:07 AM
Wecome Jlaronde ! :D

Looks like a nice job youve done.

FWIW,Its a Chitton(sp?).
And was Id`d by Dr.Shimek.

It isnt a cucumber,but some sort of grazer...like mentioned earlier,it seems to scrape at corallines and diatoms like an urchin does.

I think they bury themselves quite often during the day aswell.

They seem to be in abundance with Marshall island live rock....pretty tough cookies,to survive more than 40 hrs dry.

:eek:

[ 27 September 2002, 21:51: Message edited by: Superfudge ]

stephane
09-28-2002, 01:19 AM
Originally posted by Superfudge:
FWIW,Its a Chitton.
And was Id`d by Dr.Shimek.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">:( All my tread on kuke for notting, that baster is not one :D !!!!!

[ 27 September 2002, 21:19: Message edited by: stephane ]

jlaronde
09-28-2002, 04:46 AM
Just thought I'd post a pic of my new aquarium and hitch-hiker I found on my rock. Can anyone ID this cucumber?? I've banished him to my refugium until I can find some further info on him.

James

http://www3.telus.net/public/jlaronde/images/Aquarium/DSCN1866_small.jpg

Hitch-Hiking Cucumber.

http://www3.telus.net/public/jlaronde/images/Aquarium/DSCN1876_Small.JPG

Another Pic.

http://www3.telus.net/public/jlaronde/images/Aquarium/DSCN1882_small.JPG

Bob I
09-28-2002, 01:29 PM
Welcome to the board from me. I would like to ask something obvious. "Are you the only reefer in Brooks?" I would guess most likely. If so, us Calgary guys (sometime called "Fishboys") are probably your closest contacts. :D :D :D

BC_Grl
09-28-2002, 02:58 PM
Wow- what a nice tank! :D
Do you mind me asking the size of your tank?

jlaronde
09-28-2002, 10:17 PM
Thanks for all the positive feedback.

I'm glad I have an ID on my creature now - perhaps I'll give him an early release and set him free in my main tank. I just hope he survives the tank cycling.

My tank specs:
- Custom Inter-American w/ starfire glass on the front 3 sides. Dimensions are 48"L x 20"W x 30"D.(approx. 120 Gallons).
- The stand and canopy are DIY, with a metal frame and covered in oak.
- Lighting is provided by 2 x 96W PC Actinics w PFO electronic ballast and 2 x 250 Watt MH 10K DE HQI on Icecap ballasts.
- Canopy also contains 2 Icecap fans
- Refugium is a 20"L x 14"W x 14"D by Lifereef
- Sump is also Lifereef with a VS3-24 Lifereef Skimmer
- Calcium Reactor is also a Lifreef LCR-1 controlled by a Pinpoint Ph Controller
- The main pump is a little Giant 4MDQX-SC
- 2 x AquaClear 5000 powerheads in the tank
- There is approximately 300 lbs of sand in the tank (approx. 6") and about 40lbs in the Refugium (7") (Thanks Tony)
- Almost everything is controlled by an Aquacontroller II
- RO/DI is a Kent Maxxima 60GPD unit

Most of the equipment is housed in the furnace room below the tank. (Very small, but easier to access than under the tank). The Refugium is currently lit by a worklight, until I decide on the lighting I want.

As for reefers in Brooks - I have heard that there is 1 or 2 others with reef tanks (this from my LFS who doesn't even carry saltwater fish) but I have yet to meet them.

Sorry for the long post... I tend to get carried away sometimes.

James

Another couple of tank shots....

http://www3.telus.net/public/jlaronde/images/Aquarium/DSCN1909_small.JPG

http://www3.telus.net/public/jlaronde/images/Aquarium/DSCN1904_small.JPG

Underneath...

http://www3.telus.net/public/jlaronde/images/Aquarium/DSCN1905_small.JPG

Equipment room:

http://www3.telus.net/public/jlaronde/images/Aquarium/DSCN1910_small.JPG

Delphinus
09-28-2002, 11:32 PM
Wow, would you look at all that ... what a fantastic setup you have. Congratulations! That must have been a fair share of work. Hope to see more of this tank as it matures! ;)

Mak
09-28-2002, 11:59 PM
Yes, very nice indeed ;) .

billc
09-29-2002, 11:49 AM
Im impressed (big time) Nice looking set up, really clean and well thought out.. Be sure and post some pics when the tanks matures...
By the way where did you get your rock??

jlaronde
09-29-2002, 12:07 PM
I think the set-up was the easy part. I just hope I can get my mature tank to like like some of the tanks I've seen here.

The rock was ordered from J&L Aquatics. - 140lbs of uncured Vavau Tonga Rock.

James

Troy F
09-30-2002, 08:20 PM
Great looking set-up James and welcome to Canreef. I look forward to more pictures.

BCReefer
10-01-2002, 04:31 AM
How is your main tank connected to the closet?

nice clean tank. The rock looks cool.

Cheers,
Patrick

wayner
10-01-2002, 04:45 AM
Welcome to the Board!, I'd like to know if you were totally satisfied with your Inter-American tank?, do you feel the starfire is worth the extra expense?

Nice job on the stand, was this just a regular black iron aquarium stand that you framed in Oak?

also if you could, please explain your retuns, closed loop?

Thanks

jlaronde
10-11-2002, 03:01 AM
Sorry for the delay in responses...I've been away for a couple of weeks.

The Inter-American tank is great. I purchased it with beveled and polished edges on all surfaces - including the overflow. There was excess silicone in some areas, mostly on the bottom edges and on the bottom of the tank, but nothing visible once the tank was filled. I'm not sure if the Starfire glass was worth the extra expense or not since I have nothing to compare it to. I'm told though there is definitely a difference when placed side to side with regular glass.

One word of warning.... be prepared to wait for delivery! I actually ordered the tank on April 17th, and did not take possession until August 27th. Part of the wait was because Mitch from Inter-American had promised free shipping as he had a truck headed out my way. The delivery date kept changing every week for almost 3 months. I wasn't too concerned though as I wasn't ready for the tank until August anyhow.

When the tank arrived, it was drilled with the wrong size drain hole and one of the bulkheads he supplied was the wrong size. I had ordered a 2" drain and he had drilled it for a 1 1/2" drain. (It was no major problem since my Lifereef sump was built with 2 - 1" drains, it was just a matter of a changing a few fittings).

I had originally planned on placing the sump and all equipment under the tank, however after gathering everything together, it was going to be a little tight so I relocated the equipment into the furnace room below the tank. The 1 1/2" drain from the tank is split into 3 - 1" pipes. 2 go through the floor into the sump, the 3rd goes into the refugium, then down into the sump, right beside the intake of the main pump (hopefully bypassing the skimmer).

The main pump (Little Giant 4MDQX-SC) returns water to the main tank via 2 - 3/4" returns. Additional circulation in the tank is provided by 2 - AquaClear 5000 powerheads (approx. 1000 gal/hr each) I'm still trying different nozzles / tubing to obtain the best circulation. Presently the powerheads are each run independently at 10 minute intervals (on the Aquacontroller 2), creating a left - right current, then reversing. I would have preferred drilling for a closed loop, but I wasn't really sure on how I was going to go about it, so I settled on the powerheads.

The stand was made from a 2" x 2" welded square tube frame, then covered with 1" x 6" oak. The top and bottom is 3/4" plywood. The whole stand weighs about 300lbs. (way overbuilt, but I can sleep soundly at night.)

James

Stand fabrication:
http://www3.telus.net/public/jlaronde/images/Aquarium/DSCN1655_small.JPG

Another:
http://www3.telus.net/public/jlaronde/images/Aquarium/DSCN1722_small.JPG

AJ_77
10-13-2002, 04:23 AM
That stand is a DIY dream, too bad my relatives moved out of Brooks, I could've made an excuse to meet up and see it.
(way overbuilt, but I can sleep soundly at night.)

...unless of course the extra weight of the stand sends it all crashing through to the basement. :cry:

JUST KIDDING! :lol:

Alan