120G Almost 3 months running

[vertex]

Well, the new tank has been running great for almost 3 months now. Thought I'd post a few pics to show.

This tank was an upgrade from my 33G so never cycled at all since I used its water and water changes from our other 60G reef.

About 80% of the rock is home made from crushed oyster shell/cement and is getting covered FAST with very dark coraline. That is thanks to a 6500K 250W light on the right half of the tank. The left half is a 250W Hamilton 14K. Better color I know, still waiting for my other buld from Golds (hint, hint Albert!) The low kelvin light is growing coraline and corals like weed though!!

Am just finishing up a gravity fed autotopoff and will be adding RO unit soon.

Here are the pics of the system:

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/9966/img107983zq.jpg

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/7534/img111753da.jpg

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/2060/img9309filtered7be.jpg

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/2699/img117125wa.jpg

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/5458/img107015gj.jpg

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/1247/img10809filtered1ke.jpg

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/2830/img10825filtered2pn.jpg

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/5134/img111964ay.jpg

[DanG]

It's absolutely stunning.

[vertex]

Thanks Dan, I'll try to post a few more pics later this week of more of the corals. Its unfortunately very hard to show the aquascaping and depth of a tank in photos. I'm still hoping to build up a few more arches or something, I am considering using PVC and strapping/gluing some rocks to it to get things even higher in the tank and more cavers and openings between the rocks. The tangs love that and it keeps them very active.

[vertex]

I just took a couple of long exposure night shots. These are getting light from a window in the room behind the tank from up above. I think they actually look pretty cool and it gets the color of everything very accurately. Natural light I guess does that... The room was almost pitch black otherwise, no lights, no flash.

http://img452.imageshack.us/img452/3254/clipboardimage20uk.jpg

http://img452.imageshack.us/img452/1789/clipboardimage5tf.jpg

[vertex]

A few more shots to add to the gallery... All from the tank today.

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/164/img11841filteredmedium2tt.jpg

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/4717/img11852filteredmedium1dt.jpg

http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/5528/img11864filteredmedium0gw.jpg

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/5954/img11836filteredmedium4yj.jpg

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/8749/clipboardimage9hg.jpg

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/1269/img111454hf.jpg

[RonPeter]

Great looking tank! I love the tang...it looks like a photo hog...likes to strut it's stuff for the camera! LOL

[TheReefGeek]

Looking great!

What did you use to cover the back of your tank?

[phreezee]

Wow, great looking tank!!! I can only hope mine looks like that at 3 months :)

What are you dosing for calcium and such? I want coralline ;)

[Canadbis]

WOW that is looking awesome!!!
When did you get the Clam?

[Murminator]

I hope you put a hose clamp on your drain line after the pic was taken :mrgreen:....otherwise that tank looks awesome

[danny zubot]

Looks really nice! Good to see my corals went to a good home!:mrgreen:

[vertex]

Thanks everyone.

The back is just spray painted on the outside (3-4 coats). It turned out really well and can easily still run a magnet over it to keep the glass clean if I want to.

The Clam is new just a few days ago (thanks kens1)

I don't have a hose clamp on the drain, but do now on everything else. The drain is EXTREMELY tight and I cannot pull it off by hand. I have checked it a few times and it doesn't budge. I may still add one now that you got me thinking about it again.

As for dosing, I just run a gravity feed auto-topoff with a humidifier shut-off. In it I mix in reef builder to help raise the alk. Its not enough though, I am still having to dose more manually. Calcium stays aver 450 with regular water changes (also partly since the alk is low). Haven't dosed any calc. Will be adding RO unit next then maybe eventually a calc reactor. Need to research that a little though.

Danny, ya the galaxy (and xenia, etc) are growing well. The galaxy can't really reach anything so its just find where it is...

Cheers!

[Delphinus]

Wow - I could not get that blue tubing to seal completely over my 90 degree hose barb, clamp or no clamp I got slow but steady salt creep. I'm amazed at how clean yours is, I had given up thinking it was unsealable .. maybe it depends on what kind of hose barb you use.

Anyhow .. great looking setup Mike...

[vertex]

Ya I have not had any salt creep at all from it Tony. Just some around the top of the tank due to the bubbles from the return line, nowhere else. The blue tubing had a piece still on it from when I bought the tank from Pescador and it was epoxied on or something because all the goop stayed on the 90, not the hose. The new hose was extremely tight fit to get over top of it but it seems to have sealed it perfectly again with all the goop that was still on it.

Maybe pescador knows what he glued it with if that was what he did and you are still wondering.