265 gallon setup

[niloc16]

here is a couple pictures of my new 265 gallon tank on the stand, it is a little difficult to see where it ends but the cardboard on top is the cap and goes the whole length, there is another tank up against it at the end, sorry for the bad picture. the dimensions are 84"L X 24"W X 30"D. and the other pic is of the 5 chamber reactor, its also not a great photo but there will be better ones later. this reactor is amazing, it does it all and then some. definitely worth looking into for you to upgrade or to even start with a calcium reactor. i've got everything from hidden reef and they have been amazing, mike nikki and mark have spent countless hours answering my questions and bending over backwards to help me out. the tank should be plumbed in the next week, hopefully earlier (huh hmmm mike?) just kidding. i'm using a 70 gallon sump underneath with a dart for a return and a barracuda for the closed loop, i'm thinking this is still insufficient flow in the tank but we'll see how it turns out. skimmer is still in the air as to what to use but mike is looking into some options. some of you may have followed my other post of starting a 125 but i upgraded from that before it was done, figured it was easier to do now rather than later. for additional flow i'm thinking possibly 2 tunzes with controller or wavy seas with controller. i'm leaning towards tunzes but hope you guys can give some input here

[niloc16]

today i bought my equipment for my saltwater mixing. i 33gallon garbage can, GX 6000 pump to push the new water up to my sump on the main floor. i also installed my RO/DI unit and started flushing the system, i'm still waiting to get the fittings for it to do a final install. i installed the plumbing in the wall and through my cold air duct of the furnace to the main floor and installed 2 cable mounting plates and drilled the holes out to fit the RO line and the new salt water line. a neater install will be done in the basement once i get the remainging fittings for the RO. let me know what you think, and if someone would let me know how to make the pictures bigger on the post that would be awesome

this is the wall outlets where the lines will come through

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/thumbs/100_0511.jpg

this is the plumbing in the floor joists going in to the cold air duct
http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/thumbs/100_0512.jpg
here is the mixing bucket roughed in

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/thumbs/100_0513.jpg

here is the RO/DI installed and roughed in just flushing out

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/thumbs/100_0514.jpg

[Squiddy]

Have you got a webspace somewhere that you can host the pictures on? Like shaw webspace? If you put the pictures somewhere like that, you can have them a lot bigger.

[niloc16]

no i dont but thanks anyway

[Ruth]

You can sign up to host your pictures on photobucket - it's free and even I can do it most of the time.
What skimmer is that in the 2nd picture?

[Jason McK]

Looks Great Colin So have you decided on a skimmer. How bout that massive H&S. :)

J

[niloc16]

ruth thats not actually a skimmer it is a 5 chamber reactor, it is a calcium reactor plus what ever other media you want to run its an amazing setup, the picture didnt turn out well but when i get it setup and filled and i'll post more with more details, hidden reef is selling them right now.

jason - i'm still undecided, i may take on a new skimmer not on the market yet, but i'll let you guys know as soon as i get one.

[mr_alberta]

Those are pretty sweet dimensions on your tank. However, 30" would be a little too tall for me (curse these stubby arms :lol: ). It is nice to have a giant viewing pane though.

Have fun with the project.

[niloc16]

i'm thinking the same thing with the height, i'm going to have to invest in a 3 step stool or something. anyone know a link on ways of doing pvc structure, i'm thinking of doing alot of archways and overhangs so i'm thinking pvc would be strongest

[Ruth]

ruth thats not actually a skimmer it is a 5 chamber reactor, it is a calcium reactor plus what ever other media you want to run its an amazing setup, the picture didnt turn out well but when i get it setup and filled and i'll post more with more details, hidden reef is selling them right now.

jason - i'm still undecided, i may take on a new skimmer not on the market yet, but i'll let you guys know as soon as i get one.

Well I'll be snookered - it looked like a big H&S or something. I'll have to do some more research on that baby.
Here is my latest toy - just waiting for the rest of the PVC needed to plumb the outflow then I will fire it up - the thing I really don't like about buying European products is that you cannot find any fittings that will fit if you happen to break one or want to modify.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e384/RuthCh/IMG_3757.jpg

[Ruth]

ruth thats not actually a skimmer it is a 5 chamber reactor, it is a calcium reactor plus what ever other media you want to run its an amazing setup, the picture didnt turn out well but when i get it setup and filled and i'll post more with more details, hidden reef is selling them right now.

jason - i'm still undecided, i may take on a new skimmer not on the market yet, but i'll let you guys know as soon as i get one.

Well I'll be snookered - it looked like a big H&S or something. I'll have to do some more research on that baby.
Here is my latest toy - just waiting for the rest of the PVC needed to plumb the outflow then I will fire it up - the thing I really don't like about buying European products is that you cannot find any fittings that will fit if you happen to break one or want to modify.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e384/RuthCh/IMG_3757.jpg

[niloc16]

thanks pretty cool ruth. i know what you mean about the european products, the reactor i got is european so finding info on it right now is really difficult. the skimmer i'm looking at is european as well and again there is no info on paper right now to research it other than word of mouth and seeing the unit

[niloc16]

i know the tang police will probably freak out on me but this is why i am asking to get peoples input. i have a list of tangs i'm really looking at getting for this 265 and i'm wondering if the stocking is too many or if they will get along together in the system. remember i'm not planning on doing the typical wall of rock but doing a lot of archways and hiding spots. the ones i'm thinking of are

regal
blonde naso hopefully a male
powder blue
purple
achilles

any input would be good currently i have not had tangs because i felt a 55gallon was too small for them but they have always been fish i have wanted. additionally i'm thinking of getting a moorish idol. does anyone have good links to people experiences with them. i know they are one of the hardest to keep but i wanted to research they hell out of them before i make a final decision.

[Ruth]

Colin, I am by no means an expert on Tangs but I am sure that Naesco (sp) will chime in.
I have a Yellow and a Hippo in my 230g and they get along just fine but they are from different families and have a different colour and body shape. I think if you stay away from tangs from the same family you are usually OK.
That said I do know that purple tangs can be very aggressive so you may want to add that one last. Achilles are my all time favorite tang but I don't have a system that I could add it to as my Yellow tang is a real SOB and attacks anything even remotely similar in colour and body shape. I found out the hard way when I tried to introduce a Moorish Idol to this tank. I ended up moving it to my 190g and he is still doing great. Achilles are also the most prone to getting ich so quarentine is a must.
There is a thread on RC about Moorish Idols but I haven't read it for a while - lots of good information though the last time I did look at it.
Emily B (Deb) just lost her Moorish Idol yesterday and it had been kept in captivity for about 4 years which is a really long time for this particular fish - they have a very poor track record. Mine is about a year in my tank, although I did loose one to the SOB yellow tang before I got this one. Also as a note I did not order either of these fish - they came in with a shipment to one of the LFS in Vancouver and they asked me if I would try them given I have fairly healthy large systems.
Don't know if that helps any.
What kind of a skimmer are you looking at?

[niloc16]

thanks for the info ruth. as far as the skimmer goes i'm not sure the name, its from proline aquatics and they are bringing it in for me this week i believe. when i get info and pics i'll post. i'll try on rc for that moorish idol post.

[niloc16]

a quick update, there has been a few little equipment changes but i'll update that later, i have the stand in place and sump and equipment installed but just have to install plumbing to tank. the tank is in the garage because the 'movers' if you want to call them that could not lift off the ground. really really long story and i'm still to P.O'd to get into it right now, i promise i will vent about it later. anyway i cleaned out the tank wiped all the equipment down. and some quick pictures to show you a bit of whats going on
sump looking right
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0591.jpg

sump looking left
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0592.jpg

equipment in stand
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0590.jpg

sump in stand, on the rh side on the wall you can see where the RO line and water change line will come through the wall
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0587.jpg

calcium reactor
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0584.jpg

barracuda c/L pump and dart return
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0585.jpg

[Jason McK]

SWEET Colin it's lookin really good

[niloc16]

thanks, we've been buying stuff for the past 3 months i think it is. its exciting to finally see something for the money. i think it'll pay off in the end. i'll post more pics when the tank is on and the plumbing hooked up. wait til you see the job marc did with the plumbing. its nothing short of amazing.

[niloc16]

so i thought i would fill you in on exactly what happened yesterday. i thought i would phone to see how much it would be to have movers move the tank. so this guy says it would be $130, well of course i agreed. i told it him the tank alone is approximately 600 + lbs. he says him and the other guy have lifted alot more. so they get to the store and cant budge the tank and want me and mike to help him. i said what are you going to do at my house because of the stairs. so then he says that he has to have 2 more guys and its going to cost more. so after a bit i pay and he brings 2 more guys. so they get the stand and tank on the truck. we get home and the 4 of them are dying just trying to get the stand in the house. i've never seen movers like this. but they finally get it situated after damaging my banister. they have the tank on 2 4 wheeler dollies. they roll it down the ramp and get the tank caught on the ramp by the tanks 2 end corners. it rips the plastic trim off and chips the glass, i dont think the integrity of the tank is damaged but mike is going to come have a look. stupid idiots anyways they then roll the tank to the door way and get the tank of the doorstep but now they cant lift the tank up to a standing position, 2 of the guys are over 50 and in bad shape and they pop their backs out trying to lift it. they decide they cant do it but now they cant lift it over the door step to get it back out, finally they did but now the 'owner' says that he needs 2 more guys and it will be more money, i told him to stuff it 'you know where' and that he would be paying for it. so we roll the tank into the garage and put it on blankets. i never paid him any money and told him he would get it when the job is done. but i'm hoping to get some big guys together to move this upstairs without the guy so that i can tell him to stuff it again and not have to worry about him. mike from hidden reef said he is going to round some guys up and see if they can help out. the owner claims that he cant find 2 more guys to help out that i will have to find them but i said why would i pay you if i have to help with my friends. he just doesnt want to have to pay these guys out of his pocket. now i'm all worked up again. sorry about the big rant but thought you may be interested in this story

[Jason McK]

Holly Crap. When are you going to try again?

Mission isn't very close to me but let me know when Mike gets the guys together I'll try to make it out to help

J

[niloc16]

hey thanks jason, i'm not sure when i have to talk to mike and see whats going on. but thanks for the offer i'll let mike know

[Ruth]

That bites Colin - I don't blame you for being upset. When I moved my 230g into my house I rounded up my son (20) and 3 of his biggest buddies. I then talked to a couple of glass shops and they lent me the suction cups they use to move big pieces of glass. I actually had the tank in my horse trailer as that is how I transported it to Fort St. John from Edmonton. I tell you these guys were good. They picked that tank up - groaned a bit - but moved it in slick as a whistle. I, of course, supervised (I only weigh 110lbs so wouldn't have been much help with the lifting). If you can try to rent or borrow some of those big suction cups - they are wonderful for these kind of moves. Oh and get big young guys 'cause they all want to show each other who is the toughest and stongest etc. etc.

[niloc16]

good idea with the suction cups, i'll have to see if i can get some. did you put your 230 upstairs or down?

[Ruth]

I don't have a downstairs in my house so main floor. The tank had to come out of the trailer - up a couple of stairs to the deck - around the deck and through the front door - hard left turn then into the living room.

[niloc16]

wow sounds like fun. my worry is there is 13 stairs it has to go up. access to them is ok but its just a long way up

[Chin_Lee]

colin
if this helps any, when I moved my 300g cube tank, i custom built a wooden sleigh out of 2x6, 2x4 and plywood to the exact footprint of the tank.
The bottom is plywood with smooth carpet stapled onto the plywood. When the tank is placed on the sleigh, I used some 2x6 to brace the sides and ends so it can't slide off. Then i used a couple 50' thick ropes and i had about 8 people to help push the bottom and pull the rope up the stairs. The same concept was used for bringing it down the stairs. The carpet was placed on the plywood to minimize damage to the flooring.
let me know if you want more info. PM me and i"ll give you my number

[Johnny Reefer]

...... sorry about the big rant but thought you may be interested in this story No need to apologize. That does bite. Thanx for sharing. I am interested. Have a move pending. Looks like it'll be December. Biggest tank I have is a 180g which will require 4 people. Gonna go the friends/CanReefers route first but if that doesn't work out, movers it'll be. Good to know what to watch out for.

.... If you can try to rent or borrow some of those big suction cups - they are wonderful for these kind of moves. ... Thanx for the tip Ruth. (Edit: That'd be a good one for the "Tips and Tricks" thread).

Cheers:smile:,

[niloc16]

sounds like a really good idea chin, thanks. do you have any pictures of it. the 2X6 and 2X4 were just used for the sides is that right and the sleigh was just plywood?

[Midknight]

Hey Jason,

If you don't mind an extra body in your car if you go, I would be glad to lead a hand.
Allways happy to get my hands on someones elses tank. :wink:

Dan

Holly Crap. When are you going to try again?

Mission isn't very close to me but let me know when Mike gets the guys together I'll try to make it out to help

J

[niloc16]

thanks for the offer dan. thats awesome. i'll be sure there is wobbly pops and pizza in abundance

[Chin_Lee]

Niloc
sorry no pics but i drafted the following image to help you visualize it. Its in four steps cuz I can't draw 3d.
http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/Sleigh_jpg.bmp
1) The first top left pic is the plywood slab for the most narrow footprint of your tank (my tank was a 48x48x30 cube so the most narrow footprint was putting it on its side for a 30"x48" footprint)

2) top right - I added three 2x6 across (screw down with many screws)
3) bottom left - I added two 2x6 lengthwise (screw down with many screws)
4) bottom right - I put two 50' ropes through the opening you will have from the different layers of 2x6 wood and once the tank is on, screwed some pieces of 2x6's along the back and sides to keep it in place. Just the weight alone should keep the tank on the sleigh but you can use some straps to hold it down too.

hope that helps.

[niloc16]

wow thats awesome. i went and got some supplies tonight to start it before i seen you picture but ill have to get some more. i bought a 3/4" melamine board for the base it has industrial strenght mdf in between and the melamine is super slippery so i'm thinking it will help with sliding. thanks alot for the input chin, thats awesome i feel a little more positive about bringing this beast up now. those are really cool dimensions you have as well.

[surgeonfish]

I am glad not to be in your shoes. I have a custom 250 gal glass tank which took a year to build. It was at least 800 lb. It took my contractor and 5 guys to carry it into my house. They chipped the corner on the brick carrying it up the front steps. Thank God it didn't break the tank and the chip is on the back and not visible. They could hardly lift it onto the stand. I don't think they could have carried it up a flight of stairs.

Good luck with the move
Shane

[cprowler]

I working in Abby next week except wed and could help if it's after work on one of thoes days.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Using that sled & with enough guys, Chin's tank wasn't nearly as nasty to get down a narrow flight of stairs as it could have been.

Anthony

[niloc16]

thanks bill i'll let you know, i appreciate it. i'm going to build the sled tomorrow and post some pics

[niloc16]

well i built the skid today with the help of chin's drawing, thanks again chin, i modded it a little, i'm going to add 1/2" round to the front and back ends of the skid so that it wont catch the carpet and stairs and hopefully roll up if it does get stuck. i also bought 3 100ft ropes for pulling the skid up and 2 tie downs for attaching the tank to the skid. i also got this awesome set of lighting from home depot today to light up the inside of the stand for working. it is 3 20w halogens, they are only roughed in right now so that there is light to work in there to do plumbing. once i get my profilux controller i will really clean up all the wiring for all equipment. i've got the supplies for doing the wiring just a matter of assembling the tank. heres some pics
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0598.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0597-1.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0596-1.jpg

[Sebae]

Something you might want to consider, those studs are meant for vertical support not horizontal.Wider might be better as well. Just a thought.

[niloc16]

good point, what if i did another 2x4 on each side? would that be strong enough?

[Chin_Lee]

Colin looks good and looks...... familiar :)
Suggestion: Since your tank's longer than mine, I would put in additional cross planks (two 2x6s) in between whats there now. I would do this because you are using melamine base which is really just particle board. Any concentration of heavy weight in between those cross planks will cause the melamine to flex (this may occur when going up or down stairs). The main concern is that the flexing will cause the melamine to crumble around where the screws are located causing the melamine to break away from the 2x6 platform - not so bad if you are on flat ground but could be pretty inconvenient if halfway up the stairs.
Then I would do what you asked about putting a 2x4 on the sides but I would go with 2x6 and make sure you put a couple of 2.5" - 3" screws on each of the ends of the cross planks and every 6 inches along the long planks. The 2x6 will also serve to brace the sides of the tank from sliding.
That should make the sleigh pretty strong and reinforce the horizontal support.
Good luck.

[niloc16]

thanks chin i'll do that

[niloc16]

i know this thread is going a little slow but i may have the tank upstairs this week, crossing my fingers. but i completed to skid with chin's ideas, i'm glad i did it now. here is the updated pics of the skid
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0613.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0612.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0611.jpg

[niloc16]

i got my new skimmer today, it is H&S 200-1260 fits nicely in the stand with an inch to spare to remove the cup
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0617.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0616.jpg

[Jason McK]

SWEEEEET

[niloc16]

well after sleepless nights wondering how the hell i was going to move this beast it is done. the skid worked well, needs to be modded a little bit. the tank slid on the skid a little bit until the tie downs twisted a little but some sort of bracket needs to be installed at end to keep tank from sliding. although i will NEVER move this tank again, if need be it will be sold with the house or disassembled in the house and removed that way. lol. it was nuts, but we did it. and a major thank you to the boys at hidden reef mark, kelly, mike and a customer ray for their help, i could not have moved this without them. the tricky part was getting the tank from the front door onto the stairs, once it was there it was just brute force and ignorance to push and pull the tank up. 2 guys at the top with ropes wrapped around their waists pulling and three of us at the bottom pushing. using the melamine for a base of the skid was nice because it slid easily. also i need to design a 'ski' for the front because the half round trim was a little tricky while trying to get it on the stairs. should be plumbed by wednesday and i'll update when it is done, i have to work for the next 5 days so i wont be able to do much to it.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0618.jpg

[Dale]

Good for you colin!!!

I've admired your tank often when visiting the shop - and wondered how in the H anyone would move it.
I was a weeny when it came to my tank and paid Mike and the boys to deliver :rolleyes:
Best 5 bucks I ever spent!
________
TXR312M (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Aprilia_TXR312M)

[niloc16]

i completed my pvc structure for my rock work. i want a very open plan with lots of archways and crevices. i also plumbed my ro unit to a tap today. tomorrow morning the tank will be plumbed and i'll update then with some pictures hopefully. heres a few from today
the full tank
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0626.jpg
left side
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0628.jpg
right side
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0627.jpg
and the timer and plumbing i did for the RO/DI
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0639.jpg

[robzilla]

where did you get the timer for the ro unit?

[niloc16]

i got it from fraser valley building supplies, i believe it is also ace hardware.

[robzilla]

there's a reducer to 1/4 on the end?

[niloc16]

intially you have to go from a hose fitting (timer) to pipe thread and there is a reducer to go from 1/2" pipe thread to 1/4" compression fitting but you have to buy an insert to go inside the 1/4" tubing or the compression fitting will crush the line

[niloc16]

just a little update for you guys. the plumbing is completed system running and temperature finally up. i started some aquascaping today only half done one structure but i thought i would give you some updates to keep you interested. the skimmer was hooked up today and skimmed like mad. with 5 minutes i had a 1/8" at the bottom of cup of dark goo. sorry there is a couple blurry pictures. the rock in the middle of the tank is only temporary to keep it wet
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0654.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0653.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0652.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0651.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0650.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0649.jpg

[MoeReefer]

that is some absolutely amazingly neat pluming there niloc16. lookin good. keep us posted with pics and progress,

cheers

[Dave C]

How easy will it be to remove the skimmer for cleaining? It looks like a pretty tight fit.

[niloc16]

moereefer - i cannot take any credit, i was lucky to have had mark from hidden reef do all the plumbing, intially i wanted to the plumbing but after seeing his setup and how tidy it was i asked if he would do it. mine would have never turned out like that
dave c - skimmer actually comes out quite easily, i have to removed the cup, recirc pump and then the hole assembly pops right out.

[cprowler]

Looking good Colin. I need to get me one of those water timers.:mrgreen: That's exactly how I have my RO unit hooked up, just need the timer.:biggrin:

[niloc16]

i'm not super thrilled with this particularly timer. i didnt research it good enough because it is designed especially for outdoor sprinklers so max time it will run is 3 hrs at a time and 3 times a day i would have liked one that you could set for 10 - 12 hours a day steady

[Joe Reefer]

Your gonna need labels on those valves. :mrgreen:

[niloc16]

i agree joe, i know what they do but i'm thinking for the wife i should label them in case something happens when i am at work i can tell her what valve to closed.

[niloc16]

last night i FINALLY finished my rockwork. it turned out better than i anticipated. the downside to using pvc is you see some of the pipe but after i get the calcium reactor running it will be disguised with coralline. in the middle of the tank i'm saving to put some of the rock from my current tanks, i'm not putting it all but there some pieces i dont want to part with and they have some nice corals attached. the water is cloudy because i just put the crushed coral in last night but slowly it is clearing.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0671.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0670.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0668.jpg

[fishface]

that is spectacular rock work my friend...kudos to you!

[i2ik]

Very nice tank! Love the aquascape, very well done! I see that you are using a vortech pump, how do you find it?

[niloc16]

thanks guys, i like the vortech. the wiring is a little nasty, i'll clean it up once i do all the wiring. but the pump is awesome. extremely quiet whisper quiet actually, lots of flow. its a little annoying not being able to direct flow in any direction but for where i'm using i need it to go across the tank anyway. there is a second vortech on the way next week. i got some filter floss today to try and polish the water a little. it is still cloudy so i'm hoping it will help.

[niloc16]

here's a few more pictures from today, i made up some brackets to mount my co2 bottle to the top of my stand because of limited space at the bottom plus i think it looks alot neater. the brackets are 1/8" stainless and each held on with 6 3/4" wood screws so i dont think the bottle is going to fall. there is also a full tank shot of the rock work, i forgot earlier
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0674.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0676.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0675.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0677.jpg

[Dave C]

Very cool brackets. You might want to ask (someone more knowledgeable them me) if it's ok to mount a co2 tank horizontally. If I recall correctly that's not a good thing to do. I could be wrong.

[Ruth]

That is going to look so cool once it is all covered in coraline. I can't wait to see some before and after pictures in about 6 months. Great job.

[niloc16]

i've never heard that dave. thanks for the advice, i'm going to look into it. does anyone know more about mounting co2 horizontally?

[niloc16]

its been another busy day, i completed the plumbing of the ro top off and of the water change system. in the picture with the garbage can the plumbing runs up the wall against the 2X4 and to the right of the garbage can on the wall is a switch and outlet i wired in to control the water pump so that i dont have to unplug it all the time with wet hands. water and electricity dont mix too well and thats another reason i moved the switch a couple studs away. the tank water is really clearing up already after installing the filter floss, i put a filter bag over each overflow drain and layer under my coarse sponge baffle area and within 3 hours or so its almost crystal clear.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0679.jpg
i installed a couple t's in the flex line for the water change tubing just to make it more tidy and the tubing doesnt bend well without kinking also
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0678.jpg

[medican]

Great job on the tank......

Rock looks cool.....

How did you get it to stay on the PVC?????

[niloc16]

on the structure i drilled tons of holes to prevent anaerobic areas (i believe its called anaerobic, correct me if i'm wrong) anyways i used these holes to attach the rock with zip ties. it work awesome, i secured almost every rock with 2 zip ties to prevent them from turning. intially i tried using epoxy but it didnt work to well. i designed the structure to come apart in sections. i would take a section out sit it on the ground and would attach rock to it. way easier than doing it in the tank. i then reassembled everything in the tank.

[Dale]

very nice colin!!!
I also zip tied my rock, only to eggcrate instead of PVC. I really like the open design of your rockwork.
________
extreme vaporizer review (http://extremevaporizer.net/)

[Dave C]

i've never heard that dave. thanks for the advice, i'm going to look into it. does anyone know more about mounting co2 horizontally?

Colin, I did some checking on RC and found these statements...

"Always tie or chain the cylinder to the side of the stand to prevent it from falling, always use it in the vertical position to insure you get gas and not liquid. If in the horizontal position, liquid will pass to the regulator which can be trapped in the body, after expanding into gas the increase in pressure can blow the regulator body cap or the gauges if not your reactor."

"Tilting it 10 degrees won't be a problem. I'd think that you'd have to go past 30 degrees before liquid would enter the regulator."

One thing to remember is that a lot of times on the net people pass on information that they don't know for sure is accurate (take the example of me warning you about this subject). That doesn't mean they're wrong, or right. But if I were you I'd put that tank upright until you find out for sure. It doesn't sound like a good thing if these folks are right. btw, here's the links for those two statements so you can read the entire thread for yourself...

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=7513526&highlight=co2+horizontal#post7513526

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=3053728&highlight=co2+horizontal#post3053728

[fishface]

just outta curiousity, is the vortec and your sandbed playing nicely together or does the vortec shift things around alot?

[niloc16]

it doesnt seem to effect the sand at all. the first day the flow shifted the sand a little but after everything settled it was fine.

[niloc16]

i repositioned my co2 tank, thanks to the advice i did some research and found that positioning the bottle horizontally can be very dangerous. but i was still able to use the brackets so that was good, lost some space in the stand though but i will manage
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0683.jpg

[niloc16]

i've finally decided on my lighting. i'm going to go with the new icecap 250w/400w pendant 3 of them with 3 400w 14k aquaconnect bulbs and 400w icecap electronic ballasts and 8 54w T5 actinics. they will be mounted inside the canopy and we're going to put a couple fans on the canopy for circulation. the top of the canopy is routered out about 50% of the surface for venting so i'm hoping that i dont lose too much light reflecting out the top. i dont have the components yet but they should be in in the next couple days and hopefully by next week i should have some pics to show. i also a school of 8 chromis the other day, nitrite and ammonia was 0 as well as nitrate and salinity and temp have been good for 2 weeks so i thought i would add some livestock to build up the tank ecosystem before transferring stuff from my 55 gallon over. obviously i cant do that until the lighting is in but the school of chromis are doing really good. they have taken ownership of one end of the tank and dont seem to venture past halfway across the tank.

[niloc16]

well this is a pretty lame update but it is all i have for now. with advice from jason from proline and mark from edmonton i installed 2 15amp circuit. all together the tank will run on 3 15a circuits. by fluke i was looking around in the unfinished basement which is directly below the tank and found that the electrician had spooled up about 10ft of 14/3 wire already hooked up to a 30amp breaker. it was as if it was installed for the tank because once i finished wiring the 2 GFI outlets i had about 2 ft left over of the wire. the install went really smooth. i'm pretty confident now that i wont have any issues with power or lack there of. i lost 3 chromis for unknown reasons, they were really young though so i'm thinking that may have been it. otherwise tank is running good, still waiting on getting my lighting, been told that it should be arriving shortly. i know that my bioload is really low right now, only 5 chromis but i'm getting very little skimmate. and the skimmate i get is light tea colour. i've tried pinching off the airline to bring the bubbles further down the chamber and just this week i tried the airline wide open but with now change. it is H&S a200-1260, i'm hoping it is just that i have a low bioload because the first week and a half after the substrate and rock went in it skimmed like crazy, thick gross goo, but now like i said just light tea color.

[Coderad]

Looking good.
But that 14/3 should be on a 2pole 15 amp breaker, not a 30amp.
The breaker is there to protect the wire and the 14 gauge wire is only rated for the 15 amps.
If an overload ever did happen it would start to melt the wire before the 30 amp breaker would trip the breaker.

[niloc16]

sorry i didnt really know the terminology but it is a 2 pole 15amp breaker. it looks like 2 15amp breakers with a rod between the two. i am assuming that is what you were talking about coderad. if not please let me know. i only know basic home electrical

[littlesilvermax]

Just tuning in.

Ever considered a basement sump. Many many advantages to that.

[niloc16]

i have thought of it but i dont think i want to drill holes through the floor for plumbing and if i was to go into the wall and then drill through i dont think i could hide the plumbing. but i may be wrong, just never seen any pictures of how people do it.

[mark]

I agree with the basement sump if planning a new installation, having one myself, but looks like you're getting everything setup fine. Would be sad to rip out all your work and start over.

Seems like a lot of though and planning has gone into this, looks great.

[littlesilvermax]

i have thought of it but i dont think i want to drill holes through the floor for plumbing and if i was to go into the wall and then drill through i dont think i could hide the plumbing. but i may be wrong, just never seen any pictures of how people do it.

I cut a hole the exact same size as a normal heating vent. When I move (if I take out the tank) I will put a vent there and nobody will know the difference.

In my basement I have a suspended ceiling and the pipes just ran along the ceiling to the sump room.

[niloc16]

if i had more info on basement sumps when i started planning then i may have gone that route but it would kill me now to tear it all down and start again because i love everything about the setup and it turned out better then i imagined. the only thing that drives me nuts right now is the wiring rats nest but once i get my profilux controller then i will clean it all up but for now i just have to suffer with it

[Chin_Lee]

Not that I'm trying to push this idea to you but if you were to leave the close loop in the stand but extend the remaining sump and equipment into the basement, will it be that much work? I can't see all the piping between the sump and CL pump but I see two drains into the sump through the bulkheads. For that two connection, you would only have to cut the 1.5" tubing, add a coupling, and then extend the 1.5" PVC into the basement where the sump is located. Then find a return pump that you can connect from the basement to your return lines. Keep in mind you don't need a huge return pump since most of your flow is from your CL.I run my 180g sump in the basement and it is so SWEEEEEEEEEET :) I'm only using a mak4 for the return at 14' head height but soon I would like to upgrade to a high pressure iwaki55 or pcx-55 when I get my other tank set-up.Think about the pros and cons for your system but I would highly recommend moving the sump to the basement if you can, if you are able, and if you willing to do the extra work.

[niloc16]

good points. marc from hidden reef was the first one to put the idea in my head about doing a basement sump and i have thought about it. the extra work is not what worries me it is a matter of drilling through the floor, i mean the house is only a year old. if i did go in the basement the closed loop would have to go down there as well because the one thing i really dislike is the bloody humming of the pumps, with just the return pump going it is alright but once the barracuda fires up for CL it is loud and annoying at times. chin do you have pics or links to your setup as far as plumbing the tank to sump and what not. or does anyone have a link so i can what it looks like going through the floor. i've seen pictures of the basement setup but none of the upper floor where tank is and going through the floor. now you guys got me seriously thinking about this. the wife is going to kill me! maybe not, she hasnt yet with all the stuff i keep doing to this system

[Tarolisol]

If you put the closed loop in the basement your barracuda pump would onle be pumping at max 1000gph which is a waste of a good pump, plus the energy used skyrockets as well.

[mark]

Suggest we start a thread just for basement sumps showing pictures and leave this one just for niloc16 system.

Once I find my card reader I'll post some I just took of mine.

[niloc16]

basement sump thread would be awesome. there is very limited info and pictures out there for people to make a decision

[Chin_Lee]

Niloc
going through the flooring is easy. If you have carpet, cut an X in the carpet, peel it back and drill through the plywood. If you ever pull it out again, replace the hole with the piece you drilled out and reinforce with 2x4 and then just comb the carpet back in place

BUT just going through the photos, it appears you have laminate flooring. If its the more recent stuff, I believe you can unclip parts of it off. Get some extra pieces and store them away for the future. IF and when you dismantle, you would have to remove the pieces with holes drilled through and clip the new ones back. IT IS EASIER SAID THAN DONE but its do-able

I would not put the close loop all the way onto the basement floor - I would put the close loop just under the flooring and maybe between the joists. drill some 2x6's to make a shelf between the joist and put your baracuda in there. It will be a tight squeeze and if its too narrow, mount it as close to the ceiling as possible to minimize head height loss - I assure you the HUM will be greatly reduced especially if you are able to put in thick insulation in the floor joists between the pump and floor. I have lots of humming coming from my basement sump room now with an iwaki70, and mak4, and soon to be started up is the big mean barracuda...... I CANNOT imagine having all that humming in my living room.

[Chin_Lee]

i got another idea looking through your photos. if you want to plumb through the wall, cut a hole in the gyproc to the size of one of those air return vents.
Then drill the holes (you are gonna have to use some DEEP hole saws) through the 2x4's or 2x6's inside the the wall. just make sure there are no electrical lines running along the bottom of the studs.
when you dismantle, just put the return air vent on the wall and it will just look like another vent.

[Joe Reefer]

basement sump thread would be awesome. there is very limited info and pictures out there for people to make a decision

Imagine being able to stand inside your stand and have a 6 foot skimmer foaminig like a banshee. It really broadens your systems potential of being an even bigger money pit. :mrgreen: (reactors, denitrators, props, fuges, ozoners, hosptial tank, quarantine,zeovit,r/o unit...................)

[mark]

Started a basement sump thread in the pictures forum
http://216.187.96.54/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=28266



Niloc16, Still say be happy with what you have and relax for awhile. One of the things that got me when started was once I had my mind made up I would see a picture or talk to someone and started doubting my plans. Live with what you have for a bit, see waht you like or don't like, there's alway room for changing and upgrading later

[niloc16]

awesome ideas guys, and really you dont have to try and convince me. i would like to do it, but i guess its like chin mentioned earliers its a matter of whether i want take on the workload. i was under the stand earlier and examining the plumbing as far as where i would cut and if i am able to cut to attach new plumbing to it to send it downstairs. it does seem possible as far as attaching to the current plumbing but i'm definitely going to have to think harder on this one. i agree with you joereefer as to wanting to stand up in my 'stand' it would be awesome having everything downstairs, a place i could 'escape' to. to be honest the one factor making me hesitant is the fact of hacking my house further and in a permanent way too. i mean its pretty unlikely of us moving but still, the house is so new. i guess i'm just thinking out loud to you guys. if you having any pictures of your setups with basement sumps please post

[niloc16]

mark thats true. ideas continously change, more then i imagined. i'm going to do up some plans and drawings and get info from you guys and then make a decision.

[littlesilvermax]

A basement sump is cleaner, makes water changes easier, everything is just waaaay easier. I converted after 2 years.

Running a CL pump in the basement will nto affect its performance that much. The pump still sees no static head pressure, only the pressure induced by the pipes. Use at least 1.5 inch pipes and you will be pretty good. Use 2 inch pipes and you will be rockin. The pump IS NOT pumping water up only recirculating.

I will expand much more when I get from holidays if you like, for now I have to go.:biggrin:

[Dave C]

Chalk this up as one more reason to go with a Tunze system for current rather then a closed loop. I've never heard complaints about the sound of Tunze streams, and you'd be less likely to consider moving your sump to the basement if not for the noise of the CL. It's easy to find very quiet return pumps since the flow is typically much less.

I'm not trying to bash the idea, but I know how often people's hobbies change and it would be a shame to make holes in the floor of a new house and decide to pursue another hobby a year from now.

[niloc16]

good point dave. i have been thinking of cancelling the CL system and going tunzes. i wish the vortechs were easier controlled for direction because i would definitely go that route instead of tunzes. getting rid of the barracuda would be a very very good thing as far as noise goes, but it gives really good flow and using the loclines for it makes it even easier for directing flow. the dart is still noisy as a return pump but not so bad that is annoying.

[Coderad]

sorry i didnt really know the terminology but it is a 2 pole 15amp breaker. it looks like 2 15amp breakers with a rod between the two. i am assuming that is what you were talking about coderad. if not please let me know. i only know basic home electrical

Yep you got her right, ya just had me worried when you said 30amps. Melting wires bad!

[niloc16]

few things have changed. i got rid of my CL. i bought 2 wavy seas and 2 tunze 6100 to mount to them. still waiting on the tunzes to arrive. purchased a couple fish, no pictures though because i'm still waiting on lighting to arrive. i bought a med blonde naso, juvenile tomini and a juvenile atlantic blue tang. currently in the tank i have 4 chromis, 2 oscellaris clowns (from my 10gallong) and a bengaii cardinal. all tangs were doing really good in store, had them there for week and a half except for the atlantic blue but when i got home the naso was laying sideways in bag. so i acclimated and put them in the tank and the naso pretty much just gets blown around by the current until he finds a rock to prop himself up on. i hope he does better. the other two tangs are very happy, acting like best friends. nervous about the naso though. anyone had this happen with tangs acclimating. i've seen it many times in stores on new arrivals and then the next day they are fine.

[niloc16]

well i lost the naso this morning. i hate losing fish. i dont know what happened to him. like i said last night he was healthy and active in the store and by the time i got home he was sideways in the bag.

[Jason McK]

Doesn't sound like he was healthy. Sideways swiming could be a bladder problem. and if the current was pushing him around doesn't sound like he was in good shape at all. I could have happened when he was caught.

Sorry for your loss it's never a good feeling loosing a fish


J

[Ruth]

Aw crap. I agree with Jason - doesn't sound like he was in great shape to begin with or was injured when caught.
I finally got a bit better picture of mine - these guys get very big but are such a nice fish to have as they are not bully's at all - although at 12-14" nothing really tries to bully him although I am pretty sure my conspic would like to sometimes as he is a bully.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e384/RuthCh/Naso.jpg

[niloc16]

there is some good that has come of it. i called the LFS and they said they dont usually do it but they will make it good with me. still i hate to lose a fish, especially a marine fish. but thats part of the game i guess. that is an awesome picture ruth. the naso has been on the top of my list for fish that i want for this tank.

[niloc16]

i picked up the battery backup unit for the vortech pumps. pretty impressive unit. with a full charge it will run a pump for 30 hours at half speed. the driver in the pump will recognized the reduced power input and automatically reduce its speed to half speed. if you have your pump manually set below half speed it will stay there. this unit can power 2 pumps as well, i just have to buy the extra cable to hook it up. it is a little heavy so i'm going to have to try and figure out where to put it. initially i wanted to mount it on the top ceiling of my stand but i dont think the screws will hold it. the battery last for approximately 5 - 7 years and icecap will replace the battery at this time for a fraction of the cost which i thougt was pretty cool.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0818.jpg

[niloc16]

this has to be the slowest tank build/posting in canreef history. still no lighting but i did get my 2 tunze 6100's and 2 wavyseas. i hooked them up tonight and i used fudge's idea to mount the tunzes to the wavyseas (thanks mark). it is so easy. all you need is 2 1" caps, 2 plastic bolts and a drill and tap to tap threads in the cap. the fish definitely like the insane current to play in. my tangs are doing awesome. i think the atlantic blue had some type of bacterial issue but the 2 cleaner shrimp have helped him out and he is doing better. so here is some pictures of the tunze/wavysea setup. i'm told my profilux will be at the store monday. i'm so stoked to get it, let you know once it arrives.

the black piece is one of the mounting brackets that come with the tunze
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0884.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0885.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0886.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0888.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0889.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0891.jpg

[niloc16]

well its finally here, i got my cap and installed my lighting. it is three lumen max 2 400w pendants with aquaconnect 14k bulbs and icecap 400w electronic ballasts.. there is no T5's or anything else as of now, i'm working on mouting brackets. i built some mounting brackets for the pendants to mount them outside the canopy. they are not on a timer yet, still fighting with the WLAN on the profilux controller but i'm hoping tomorrow to have that done. finally i have pictures for you guys with lighting. didnt think this day was coming

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0983.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0984.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0985.jpg

[niloc16]

rh end

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0986.jpg

left side

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0990.jpg
right side

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0991.jpg

full tank

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0987.jpg

[robzilla]

looking good :)

[Carrera75]

wow!!! very very nice tank....
You must have spent a small fortune setting up that tank.

good work
cheers

[Ruth]

Boy I like that rockwork Colin. I'm surprised there is no controller floating in there as well:twised: :mrgreen: You must be having better luck getting it to work with your WLAN?

[niloc16]

thanks guys, i debated floating it ruth. but i have some new ideas to try. there is some new input on the profilux thread to set it up so when i get some time i'll try that.

[SuperFudge]

Very Nice Colin !

Good job, you should be proud of the aquascaping..it looks killer !

Glad to see the fun is about to begin for you and denise.

:D

Marc.

[niloc16]

tonight was productive, i got my controller hooked up with all the probes and calibrated them. i started cleaning up all the wiring for a final install. i have the lighting connected with the controller now as well. still no luck with WLAN but its at the bottom of my list right now. i transfered all but 2 pieces of coral from my 55 gallon (no pics yet). the pictures i do have wont be too exciting for you guys but its huge for me because it is the first sps frags i've ever had. i believe one is a blue millepora and clueless on the other. any insight on either would be cool.

i think this is a blue mille

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0994.jpg

not sure about this one

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0993.jpg

[niloc16]

here are some of the corals getting used to their new home. also my new blonde naso, mystery wrasse, whipfin wrasse, tomini tang,cleaner wrasse and chromis that had to have his pic taken. the fish have all been in here for a couple months so dont think corals and fish went in last night all at once

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1003.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1002.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1000.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0997.jpg

[niloc16]

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0996.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0995.jpg

[Delphinus]

Nice pics! :) Sorry for the off-topic question but I'm curious what camera you're using? Thanks!

[niloc16]

kodak c333 i think. its bare basic but it works

[niloc16]

i had to bring this awesome piece of montipora home. not 100% on the exact type of montipora but irresistible.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1015.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1013.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1012.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1011.jpg

the color is so strong on this piece it is hard to get the camera to adjust properly. the base is light yellow with bluish purple polyps but you cant see the base color too well. only in the tank for 1/2 hour and the polyps were out

[Joe Reefer]

I like the blasto.

[niloc16]

sorry i dont know what happened to the pictures on page 11 of the full tank shots and lighting. but i got it fixed

[niloc16]

i finally shut down my 55 gallon and transfered the fish and corals over. i added a couple pieces of rock to finish the center of the tank. here is a couple pictures of the new rocks from the 55. the corals are still in shock but slowly opening. i finally got a picture of my mystery and whipfin wrasse.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1034.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1031.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1030.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1026.jpg

[support@proline]

great job colin ,that monti is amazing

[niloc16]

i finished installing my lighting tonight. i have 2 HO T5 54w actinic with hagen GLO electronic ballast. i am only going to use them for dawn and dusk because the aquaconnect bulbs already produce enough blue light. also i installed the LED lighting from IKEA that someone on canreef posted about (sorry i dont remember their name) but they are 4 strips of led lights for my lunar lighting. no pics of the actinics on and lunar lights yet but tonight i'll try and take some. i took some pictures of the inside of the canopy with all the lights installed. i've been told that the GLO ballast is dimmable so when i figure out how to wire to my profilux i'll have dimmable T5's which will rock. it is the one reason i went with this ballast.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1045.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1044.jpg


i still cant figure out how to get my camera to adjust the color properly so it doesnt look so blue but you get the idea. the only lights on in these pictures is the halides. the small strips across the top between the pendants are the LED strips.

[niloc16]

i had to post this. my son is as hooked as i am on this hobby. he is almost 3 and he knows all the names of the fish, and almost the names of the corals now. my daughter is his 7 months and is amazed at it as well. sorry, just a little daddys pride and bragging tonight.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1048.jpg

[Delphinus]

Lookin' good!!

[niloc16]

here are the pictures of just actinics and then the LED's. the full tank shot of LED's seems really dark but in person it is just bright enough to see everything and produce almost a glow. i'm totally happy i went these. thanks to whoever it was that posted on canreef about the lighting from IKEA

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1052.jpg

there is actually 4 strips of these but you cant see the one above the camera
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1053.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1054.jpg

[niloc16]

i picked up a really nice 4" copperband butterfly. it eats frozen food like crazy. he is nice and thick too. an hour later he is at home in the tank like he had been there a year. i also got a 3 fan assembly for the profilux with the prop control for it. i have not installed the control yet because i need to get a splitter for the 1 - 10 outlets but the fan is running and is dead silent. with the halides on for 7 1/2 hours the tank temp is heating 84.5 to 85 degrees which is not good. i'm hoping with the fan it will keep it down. i have my heaters adjust to 80 degrees so that at night there is not a huge temp fluctuation. but the tank usually stables at 81 with no lights on. i wanted to go with the 5 blade fan but the sump will only accomodate the 3 fan mounting. i'm debating whether i should install some fans on the canopy to pull some heat out of blow cooler air into the canopy. some input here would be nice. i'll post some pictures tomorrow of the new stuff

[muck]

need more shots of the mystery wrasse.. :mrgreen:

[niloc16]

i totally agree muck, but holy cow trying to get him to stay still for the photo. thank god for digital cameras because i probably would have gone through a few rolls on him alone with 35mm. the mystery wrasse is amazing. the coloring of him is nuts. the whipfin wrasse is beautiful as well but again good luck getting pictures.

[muck]

I hear ya. :lol:

Also just wanted to say that I really like the way you have setup your rockwork. Your tank is coming along very nicely Colin!!



uh oh... Im starting to hear the call of "must have another tank" syndrome.. :eek:

Ryan

[niloc16]

i got some pictures of yesterdays new addition and i had to come home with another one today. an awesome powder blue tang approx 6" and 2 acro small colonies. one of them is really hard to take a pic of and get the right color but i think it may be a tricolor eventually. the base is pinkish purple the tips tint of green with pink polyps. it also as a commensal crab which is really cool. i always hoped to get a piece with a crab. the other colony is green, again it looks ok in pic but much brighter in person. i spent about an hour in front of the tank today getting some pictures of the 'family'. especially the mystery wrasse (for muck) and tried to get the tang group together but the bloody tomini is on speed or something. he hauls around the tank during the day. anyhow i'll let the pictures tell the story. some maybe be bland to you guys but i had to take 'em.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1059.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1060.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1064.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1066.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1067.jpg

[niloc16]

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1068.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1070.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1069.jpg


http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1072.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1073.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1074.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1075.jpg

[niloc16]

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1076.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1077.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1079.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1080.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1082.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1083.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1087.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1088.jpg

[Ruth]

Looking good Colin - lovely PBT. Any aggression from the Naso? Is the flame angel giving you any trouble with your coral?

[niloc16]

thanks ruth. the powder blue and naso get along really well. there was no aggression at all from either. the naso was a little bothered when the powder blue was checking out the sleeping spot of the naso but no battle just a push and that was it. i was worried about the flame at first, it went after my monti, but after watching for a week i think he is only eating the filamentous algae on it and not the polyps thank god. the monti hasnt retracted polyps at all. in my last tank the flame ate a brain and xenia but that was it.

[OCDP]

Very nice.. your fish look great.

[muck]

Thanks for the pics Colin.
I think I may just have to get a mystery wrasse myself now. :surprise:

[niloc16]

they are unreal muck, they are way more colorful in person and the personality of them is hilarious

[support@proline]

Looking good colin
Is that a flasher wrasse in there (not the 5 bar ,the other one in the last page).
I was told you have to have a couple of females with them or they eventually loose their coloration.
Is that 5 bar Wrasse really agressive?
Jason

[niloc16]

no i dont have a 5 bar, i have a mystery wrasse which was in the last couple pics and a whipfin wrasse, i dont think i've posted pics of him yet, i should. and a cleaner wrasse

[support@proline]

Colin mystery & 5 bar are the same ones ,hust another name.

[niloc16]

sorry about that jason, i thought they were 2 different fish. then yes it is a 5 bar.:redface: no there is not aggression from him. he was a little weary of the whipfin when i put him in but that only lasted the first day. i will have to research more on the female situation that you were talking about. i've never heard that before. i hope he doesnt lose the color

[niloc16]

i installed my calcium reactor today, i've had it for about 3 months but never hooked it up. i believe it is a marinetech dual chamber (jason correct me if i'm wrong), i'm using a eheim 1262 pump for supply. i started with a 1 drop effluent to 4 bubble co2 per min. this is the first reactor i've hooked up so if you think this rate is no good please let me know. i'm kind of teaching myself how to do this. i finally got a picture of the profilux and how i mounted it. please dont look at the wiring in behind, i had started to clean it up but now that they are replacing the profilux powerbars i'm going to wait until i get them. checked my CA today 425 alk 10kh and mg 1430. about 5 days ago i check my calcium it was 450 and i'm amazed at with little amount of sps i have how quickly the calcium is being used.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1095.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1097.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1096.jpg

[niloc16]

here is the 3 fan assembly i bought. this little unit is amazing. at night my tank gets down to about 80 degrees give or take a little and during the day it was hitting 85.1 so i went and go one of these. i'm waiting to get the 'y' adapter to hook the controller to the profilux but for now i turn it on with the lighting. the tank temp now only hits about 83.8. i'm a little worried though because my photoperiod so far is only 7.5 hours and i'm hoping that when i increase it the temp will not as well. i cannot fit the large fan assembly in my sump area. if it does get worse i'll have to install something on the canopy

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1100.jpg

[support@proline]

Colin
Looks great ,as for the CA reactor ,you can tighten those screws with a pair of pliers if need be ,or you can get the other screws from Mike that are same size but flathead so you can use a screw driver to tighten them.
I Would put some silicone gel on the pump's O ring ,or simply silicone it to the casing ,you will never have to open that the pump comes off with the unions ,if you needed to clean it ,& there is 1 year warranty on the pump for replacement (FYI).
The top sponge you have there ,is actually a replacement pad or if you using really small media ,you won't need to use it with large media.
I like the way you hooked up the profilux.
The fans come in a 4 fan & 5 fan version as well.
I do recomend a chiller ,specially for summer time ,however the fans take alot of strain off the chiller & you be using alot less electricity using the fans rather than just the chiller alone.
Great Job my friend ,keep the pictures comming.

[support@proline]

I just checked those fans are 12v DC & .15 A so very very little energy consumption.

[niloc16]

i looked at the 4 and 5 fan units but my restriction was length to mount to the sump. i've researching chillers but our house has central air conditioning and is actually cooler in the summer then in winter so i'm hoping that the chiller will not be needed.

there has not been any leaks aside from a very minor one which i learned something from. i need to figure out a way to get the water out of the reactor for changing media. the only way i could do it to fix the leak was disconnect at the supply pump and actually blow through it to force the water out to a point that i could take the top cap off. i feel kind of stupid now having that extra sponge in there but unless there is an easier way to drain the unit to get the caps off, the sponge will stay in there until i need new media. thanks for the input though jason.

[niloc16]

i love the look of the fans as well and they are frickin dead quiet. i'm thinking of using them to mount on my canopy to circulate the air in there and maybe that will help.

[mark]

For your Ca reactor, each unit and tank is different, but the indicator is measuring the effluent and tank and what rates keeps the levels.

I'm new to reactors but my tank (light load 145g) has been fairly steady the last month at Ca 350, Alk 8.6, with 60 drips, and 20 bubbles/min and no dosing.

[niloc16]

thanks mark. so in other words i'm just going to have to test every couple days and adjust as necessary?

[niloc16]

i mounted my external viewer for the profilux tonight. last update for awhile.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1102.jpg

[support@proline]

Colin
Have you seen the trim that Marc has around his view module ,looks awesome.
I think be pretty easy to do & will look great.Of course we be stealling Marc's Idea but It wouldn't be the first time @ least not for me:biggrin: :biggrin: .

[niloc16]

marc's trim looks awesome but i'm not good at wood working like him. i was trying to think of something cool to case this viewer in but no ideas so far. i guess the only i could do is copy marcs idea. wouldnt be the first for me either. he is 'guru' when it comes to this stuff

[support@proline]

There are many obtions ,plastic ,or wood
check home depot ,they have tons of differnt obtions for this

[i2ik]

Good Stuff! :) I love the way you mount your prolifux in your sump! Love the fans you bought for your sump, i will considered the 5 fans version for my tank so i am very happy to know that those fans are quiet! Have you ever seen and heard an Icecap fan? How does it compare?

[niloc16]

i have seen the icecap fans, never hear them personally but heard they are quiet as well. i went with this setup initially because it can be controlled by the profilux but after seeing it in use i highly recommend it for efficiency and noise

[niloc16]

these are my first ever top down pictures. they are a little underexposed because i'm getting used to my camera. in addition i just found my whipfin wrasse that i lost, he is in my overflow. dont have a clue how to catch him. excuse the algae as well, then tank is still maturing.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1128.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1127.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1126.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1125.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1123.jpg

[niloc16]

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1122.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1121.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1120.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1119.jpg

[mark]

got some nice pieces there

[niloc16]

thanks mark, i played around more tonight and these are more realistic to the actual color of the pieces. does anyone have a trick to catching a fish in the overflow. i have an open top canopy but it still does not give me a lot of room to dig around in there. i was thinking of syphoning all the water out and sucking him up with the tubing.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1130.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1131.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1132.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1133.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1134.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1135.jpg


and here is a couple new additions acclimating to the lighting

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1136.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1137.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1139.jpg

[bullit67]

Looks good are you having a problem with algae in your over flow as for chatching a fish in the over flow it is very hard with the deep over flows on these tanks I have been dreading the day it happens to me I picked up some gutter guard mesh to put around the tops of the over flows so fish and snails dont go over I had a wrease that loved to be in the over flow on my 72 bow I would fish him out and the next day he would be right back in there he lived like that for over a year till he died

[Delphinus]

thanks mark, i played around more tonight and these are more realistic to the actual color of the pieces. does anyone have a trick to catching a fish in the overflow. i have an open top canopy but it still does not give me a lot of room to dig around in there. i was thinking of syphoning all the water out and sucking him up with the tubing.


What I've done that's worked well for me in the past with fairy wrasses is actually the opposite of what you're thinking. Turn off the sump return and turn off the overflow drain, and then flood, overfill if you can, the overflow. Wrasse got in on his own, and he came out on his own. I had to wait 15 minutes or so and sometimes entice him out with flake food on the surface ... or show him a net and that would sometimes startle him and he'd jump out.

Another idea maybe is remove the standpipe and let the water drain out, fish and all (be ready to catch him). Maybe have a few buckets on standby to help flush him out once the water's drained in case he doesn't go down the hole. I've never tried this though, I'm just brainstorming some ideas for you.

Or hope he finds his way down into your sump one day. (??) :neutral:

Best of luck!

[niloc16]

those sound like good ideas, i'll try them. i never thought of flooding the overflow. yes i just noticed tonight the algae issue in the overflow. i'll have to clean that up next water change.

[bullit67]

A quick fix for the algae in the over flow is cut off the light source to the over flow other wise you will be for ever cleaning it out I used some black coraplast I have yet to have to clean out any algae from my over flows since I did this

[niloc16]

thanks bullit67. what is coraplast? any pictures of what you did?

colin

[bullit67]

Coriplast is corigated plastic just like cardboard only plastic comes in a 4X8 sheet you can get it at most hardwear stores comes in lots of colours including black purfect for tank related projects I also made my floating probe mount for my controler out of this stuff it is handy to have around and easy to work with

Doug

[bullit67]

Colin

Somthing I thought of after you left the store last night did the smell problem start after you set up your fans? I wounder if they are sturing it up blowing the oder out of the sump

Doug

[bullit67]

Colin if you want a bit of coriplast I have some black left save you from buying a whole sheet

Doug

[niloc16]

thanks doug, i have some alot egg crate laying around i'm going to try and make something out of that. and cover the top of it with some black plastic. the smell started around the same time as i installed the fans but cannot be sure. i got some chemipure and put it in last night so i'll see how it is today

[OCDP]

Those are some nice acros .

[untamed]

I agree...those are some nice looking acros.

[niloc16]

thanks for the compliments. i'm pretty stoked about having my first sps. i've been studying about them for months as i built the system and it is cool to finally have them in the system

[niloc16]

i finally mounted my pocillipora ( i think that is what they are). they have almost doubled in color in the week and a half that i have had them home. the purple one was pretty rough when i brought it home. the only color was on the tips so it is pretty cool to see it recover

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1180.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1179.jpg

i got some new additions yesterday. really nice acros and i believe a porites if im wrong please let me know.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1178.jpg

this piece is hard to tell by the picture but the polyps are fluorescent blue.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1177.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1176.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1175.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1174.jpg

[Ruth]

WOW those are beauties Colin. Where did you pick them up from?

[niloc16]

hidden reef got them in yesterday. i could not resist bringing them home

[untamed]

Three words...

Grow, Frag, Visit.

Brad

[niloc16]

:biggrin: sounds good brad. i finally got a picture of my whipfin wrasse today. the second one i have had, the other got stuck in the overflow and then jumped and became a fish stick. i got this guy yesterday. these are jut a couple length shots. this is the view from coming down the hallway. as you can tell i've been bored today and playing with the camera. actually i've been recovering from my bday party last night, and i'm not feeling to great today:drinking:

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1183.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1182.jpg

[untamed]

Nice looking at 84" of length. I'm trying to imagine what my 72"L will look like from the right side viewing panel. sigh...

[niloc16]

so today i did my first attempt at cutting the acros from the base plug. i was bloody nervous thinking i was going to destroy these pieces. i dont know if people already know this, but i figure out today an easier way to removed the acros from the plugs. instead of cutting it off with shears, i used a flat head screwdriver and at the base of the acro i wedge the screwdriver in and wiggled it which popped the acro out of the plug. the cool part is you dont end up killing the base of the flesh because the skeleton that was in the plug can now be used to glue to the rock. it worked for these anyway. anyhow here is some pics of their new locations

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1216.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1215.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1212.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1211.jpg

these last 2 pics are of a piece i 'borrowed' from nicky at HR. she had this piece on hold in the tanks and after annoying her enough she agreed to sell it to me but on the basis that i HAVE to give her the first frag. thanks nicky

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1214.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1213.jpg

[untamed]

I just HATE those plugs. I guess they are a necessary evil. Nice job mounting those. In some cases, I can't even see any cement at all.

[niloc16]

i finally got my hands on a super pink birdnest. its a frag and in awesome shape. the seriatopora is got to be one of my favorite pieces. while at the store a friend of mine found this pocillipora that had green polyps. i hope the picture catches it because this piece is so cool. it is peach base and neon green polyps

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1220.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1219.jpg

[niloc16]

big change today. i got rid of both my vortechs and installed a tunze wavebox. this thing rocks. extremely easy to setup. it drove me nuts all last night i couldnt hook it up so as soon as i got up this morning i went swimming. i was a little bummed out though as to where i had to place it. it is at the end of the tank that is visible from the hallway. i just couldnt fit it at the other side because of rockwork and other tunze/wavebox setup. but it is not too nasty looking. i went with 2 6200 magnets. i was a little worried because they are rated for 3/4" glass max and i am at 7/8" but they still hold very well. you are probably going to think i'm a little loopy but an hour after it was installed the fish seem more relaxed in the tank. i'm assuming because of the more natural feel of the current. also there is a couple sps that the PE is already improved where usually these pieces didnt extend well until night. needless to say i'm stoked i went this route. almost had an overflow, thank god the wife wasnt there. i was trying to tweak it to get the max wave and i went just a tad bit more. i looked in the stand for something and heard a weird noise. the wave was crashing over the eurobracing. at first i was freaked out but after i had a huge smile thinking this thing is AWESOME. about 7" from the output of the box i mounted a new bright green monti frag last night. 5 mins after the unit was on it at broke a piece off the frag. what a chore it was grabbing that little piece. it is only about 3/4" by 1/2" frag but i couldnt just leave it there so i dug it out and mounted it somewhere else in the tank. i'm curious to see the growth difference of the two pieces being in different locations.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1228.jpg


any input on the name of this piece would be awesome. not a clue what it is but i'm thinking it may color up really nicely. it has some purple/blue hues to it.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1225.jpg

this is the monti frag before the wavebox attack

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1223.jpg

[blaster]

Where did you get the birdsnest?

[niloc16]

i got it from hidden reef. a customer brought it in from his tank

[muck]

Dang Colin, that looks just like a birdsnest i used to have.
Hope it does well for you!! (cause when i make it down to Abby next Im dropping by with my snips. :mrgreen:)

[Sushiman]

Colin, you are my HERO! Your set up is bloody fantastic. Any chances of a visit so I could see it first hand & get some advice?

[niloc16]

i was kind of shocked this morning when i took some 1 month pictures of a few of the acros as to their growth. the purple cross really does not have the white on it that the picture shows.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1074.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1246.jpg


http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1106.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1248.jpg


http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1109.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1243.jpg

[niloc16]

so i've mentioned before how my tank hits 83.5 degrees by the end of the day so today i bought another GHL fan assy but this time i got the 5 fan assy. i mounted it in my canopy and within 2 hours it lowered my tank temp 1 degree. i also picked up 2 wild colonies although the pictures do not do justice for the colors in these pieces. i'm hoping they have some good potential. there was another little frag i could not leave, it has the biggest PE i've seen in an acro yet.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1257.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1255.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1253.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1254.jpg

[untamed]

I assume you are on the upcoming tour...?

I'm glad that the additional fans have helped. I think that you might get even better results if you tilt the fans more toward the surface of the water.

I think that the cooling effect that you are getting is because you are removing the hot air from above the water. This increases the temp differential between the surface water and the air above it. That results in increased evaporation, which is cooling.

By tilting the fans toward the water, you'll increase evaporation even more causing more cooling. The downside is that you will also whip up salt onto just about every horizontal surface in the entire room so you want to control the fans such that they only run when really needed.

[niloc16]

thats for the input untamed. i'm not looking for a huge drop in temperature nor the additional salt creep. this is why i have the fans positioned the way they are. i mostly wanted air circulation within the canopy to blow the insane heat from the MH. the pendants do not have fans either so that is another reason i wanted so circulation within the canopy.

i am not on the upcoming tour. i dont think my tank is the point of showing off yet.

[untamed]

Ha..ha..Modesty... I don't think it is your choice. If we want to see your tank, then you are on the tour! ;-)

[niloc16]

:biggrin: i'll be sure and tell the wife that.

[niloc16]

the fans definitely did their job today. the tank never went over 82.4 compared to 83.5. so it was definitely a good investment compared to the cost of a chiller

[niloc16]

its been awhile since an update. i lost a few fish from some bacterial issue. it bummed me so i wasnt in the mood to update. i lost copperband butterfly, male black clown, female oscellaris clown, powder blue. the other fish have fully recovered now thank god. other then that set back awhile ago, the tank is coming along pretty good. there is a crab that is determined to kill my pink birdnest frag. it doesnt want it mounted and i am continually looking for the frag and remounting it. today i got my first small school of anthias, 3 female and a male. i'm not sure 100% the type, but they are definitely beautiful. the flame angel seem to have an issue with them for the day but this evening he has let them be and all are eating already. here are some pics but not the greatest since this fish are not the easiest to make stay still. the water looks a little dirty right now but i just finished feeding cyclopeeze

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1366.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1364.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1362.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1361.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1360.jpg

[Reefaddictions]

Hey Colin,

I believe those anthias are commonly known as Lyrtail Anthias (Pseudanthias squamipinnis). Beautiful fish to say the least especially when the male get's his full color. Good score!!

Cheers,

Paul

[muck]

Yep. Paul's got the correct ID.
Ive always wanted a school of those in a very large display tank one day.
Too bad about losing some of your fish Colin but the new ones are looking great!

[untamed]

Nice fish! I have the same plans for a school of lyretail in my tank. I've actually purchased an automatic fish feeder specifically for them since my understanding is that they need almost constant feeding.

[niloc16]

i was in hidden reef today and they got an awesome shipment of fish. i grabbed a juvenile powder brown and juvenile powder blue tang, both same size and are instant best friends (for now). i also grabbed a tiny regal tang, the healthiest i have seen yet when they are this small. i lost a powder blue about 2 weeks ago and is one of my favorite tangs so i'm trying this one again. they are eating really good so far and have only been in the tank for an hour. the striatus tang does not like them at all. but they are finally pushing back against him. the blonde naso seems to be the referree which is pretty cool. he gets right between them when they are flaring up. the peace maker i guess. they powder blue is really hard to get a pic of as you can tell by the picture. he's so bloody active

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1373.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1372.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1370.jpg

[niloc16]

haventy updated in awhile. corals are really growing. its a matter of tweaking my reactor to keep up with the demand now. i started the interceptor treatment last week. very impressed with the results. i could see the red bugs fall off in a matter of hours. i have to do the second dose this weekend. the corals recovered within a matter of days. here is FTS and some other practicing with the camera

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1492.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1493.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1495.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1497.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1498.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1502.jpg

[niloc16]

as far as equipment goes i have done very little. i added a third tunze 6100 on a wavysea. i am such a huge supporter of this setup, it is amazing the flow and random currents you get. handful of new corals added, all sps lately. trying to wean the lps out of the tank but the wife likes them because they 'move'. few new fish, i added a juve oranged shoulder and juve convict tang. they survived the initiation from the powder blue (the tank bastard). there has been some really good growth lately. thats about it, here some pics of whats happening


http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1852.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1860.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1661.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1888.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1887.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1886.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1885.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1884.jpg

[niloc16]

left end

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1891.jpg

right end

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1890.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1889.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1883.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1882.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1881.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1880.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1878.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1877.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1876.jpg

[michika]

Wow! The view from the side looks fantastic.

[Decz]

Hey Colin, tank looks great!

Have you run into any problems with putting your tank on laminate flooring?

[niloc16]

i havent had any problems. i have not heard of any problems with putting the tank on laminate. have you?

[Decz]

Hey Colin, Thanks for the quick reply! As for laminate floors + aquariums... I've heard mixed reviews, some say that it warps because the tank weight stops the floor from expanding/contracting with heat etc... I was in HR the other day and Marc was telling me that yours in on laminate so he suggested I talk to you. From what I can tell, it's only cheapy laminate flooring that doesn't hold up well with the weight of a tank. You've jsut sealed the deal for me! I'll be moving my tank on to the laminate floors at my new place next month.

[niloc16]

glad i can be some help decz. there has been no warpage or anything on mine

[Redrover]

Looking great Colin...real nice side shots
One day I'll have to make the trip over and have a look see
Keep it up my friend
Laterrrrrrrrr; Ron

[michika]

How do you like your little orange shoulder? How big is it? Has it started changing yet?

[niloc16]

the juve orange shoulder is awesome. the only thing that has changed is he has a brown band where eventually the orange shoulder is. his best friend is the convict tang. they sleep together at night. i think the biggest reason they hang out is to try and avoid the stupid powder blue. i wish i could catch em. he gives a daily beating to both the orange should and convict

[michika]

How big is your orange shoulder?

[Jason McK]

Looking Great Colin. such a great selection of Fish and Corals.

J

[Redrover]

Hey Colin I've spent the last two hrs. from start to finnish,man it's amazing work...Like you said Marc does one hell of a job...I'll have to get over one time and have a look see...I'm impressed

[niloc16]

michika - the OS is about 3 -4 " long.

thanks jason and ron. its slowly coming along

[niloc16]

well the tank has had water in it for a year this month. lighting didnt go on until i think january but none the less the tank is a year old. things are going good, wish corals would grow quicker. in fact i wish the corals would grow enough to support me so i would not have to work but i guess that is just a dream. overall i'm pretty happy with everything. i finally got rid of my bloody powder blue tang. he was a bastard. killed any tang added after him (only lost 2 before i refused to try again) and then he started after a copperband butterfly and when he did him in he went after the regal tang that had been in the system longer then him. so i got a fish trap and got rid of him. i have kept the fish load pretty low, i think i'm around 21 fish mostly small the naso is the largest at around 6 - 7" i guess.

i'm really happy with the lighting the lumen max, icecap electronic ballast and aquaconnect bulb combo is giving me some amazing color and growth. color is so strong in some of the colors i cannot take pictures of them because they turn out as a blur. i am seriously contemplating going to a 4th 400w pendant. in the small spots of 'V' shadow if you want to call it between the lights now the corals darken a bit and i think by adding the 4th light i could get max exposure in the system. if i do add it i want to do it soon when i do the bulb changes.

anyway if you are like me i prefer to see pictures rather then read a story so here is a TON of pics top down i took today. hope you like



thank god i finally got a pic with the pink monti i have been talking about and it is the true color

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2840.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2839.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2838.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2837.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2836.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2833.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2832.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2835.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2831.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2830.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2829.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2826.jpg

[niloc16]

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2825.jpg


this is more of a light blue but it is the closest i could get it to the true color

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2824.jpg

same with this one

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2823.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2822.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2821.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2820.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2819.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2818.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2817.jpg

[niloc16]

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2816.jpg

this is the same piece as a couple above here just different end and again it should be more light blue but you get the idea

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2815.jpg


http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2813.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2812.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2809.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2808.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2807.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2806.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2805.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2804.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2803.jpg

[niloc16]

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2802.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2800.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2799.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2798.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2797.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2796.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_2795.jpg

[michika]

I think this whole thread belongs in the "Lets See Them" thread, because wow!

So where do you aquire all these beautiful frags?

[Chowder]

Those are some amazing corals you have. Great pictures.

[robzilla]

great job with the pics!!

[niloc16]

thanks guys. the camera still has some issues with blues. i would like to redo the rockwork in the center of the tank. in the center i havent used pvc just stacked the rock and so to me they seem out of place but i cant motivate myself to build it up not to mention alot of the corals on that rock are encrusted to it

[georgiab]

Colin your tank is making me drool! Seriously brother its amazing. So when is that tank tour going on huh... hint hint....

[niloc16]

sorry guys, little bit of fatherly pride here, i had to post these. they are just as addicted as my wife and i. my son is 3 1/2 and he knows all the names of the fish and starting to get the names of corals and my daughter 1 1/2 every morning has to say morning to the 'bish' as she calls them.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_3008.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_3007.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_3013.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_3012.jpg

[Snappy]

Wow Colin I can't believe I missed this thread before. Looks spectacular.:biggrin:

[Mik_101]

thanks mark, i played around more tonight and these are more realistic to the actual color of the pieces. does anyone have a trick to catching a fish in the overflow. i have an open top canopy but it still does not give me a lot of room to dig around in there. i was thinking of syphoning all the water out and sucking him up with the tubing.


http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_1133.jpg



What kind of acro is this? I am intrested in 1.

[niloc16]

that is not the real color. but i believe it is a tenuis. but i'm pretty bad at id's

[Snappy]

that is not the real color. but i believe it is a tenuis. but i'm pretty bad at id's
I think you nailed the id Colin. Looks like A.tenuis to me with the polyps are retracted.

[niloc16]

few new additions from the past couple days. my camera skills suck when pieces are at the bottom of the tank but you get the point. :biggrin:

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_3023.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_3022.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_3020.jpg

[niloc16]

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_3019.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_3018.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_3016.jpg

[Haloreef]

Hey colin, the new additions look great.
What time did you get out of there this morning.
I have that Eflo on hold. I should be picking it up tonight on my way home.
Ditto on the tour.

[martinshaver]

Beautiful tank. Any chance you have a full tank shot :)

[niloc16]

this is the latest i have right now. tank is really really struggling right now and i have NO idea why. i'm fighting a massive dark black cyano outbreak and its REALLY starting to get my PO'd. i'm waiting on new bulbs to come in and i'm praying thats it because if its not then i'm lost at what else to do. i was saying the other day that if the tank wasnt so damn heavy when its empty i would have shut it down and quit by now. guess i started to vent sorry

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff2/100_3007.jpg

[martinshaver]

I had the cyano algae in my tank and it was the bulbs. I replaced them and slowly over time, it disappeared. Good luck on your quest.

[untamed]

I've been so envious of your setup because it started up just ahead of mine, yet you seemed to have none of the problems I went through and be way further along...

I seem to have passed the cyano stage by siphoning it away as much as possible, and doing some sand vaccuuming. It was pretty bad for quite a while. I knew it wasn't my bulbs because they were still relatively new.

The extended siphoning was made possible by rigging up a sort of "continuous flow vaccuum" that pulled from the main tank, dropped it through a cloth filter and returned the water to the sump. That way, I could vaccuum for extended periods of time without drawing out hundreds of gallons of water.

I looked hard at replacing my skimmer with something bigger. In fact, I would have done it had it not gone away when it did.

I also began running some Phosban media right around that time. I could never accurately measure any phosphate, but I figured it wouldn't hurt.

My guess is that you'll get through it and the tank is still relatively young.

[Delphinus]

Indeed, in a way, it's a fairly common rite of passage for tanks under a year or just at the one year mark (seems to me anyhow). It's beatable - perservere and you will get there. :) It's a great looking tank. :)

[skylord]

Now I dont want to hear this givin up stuff....my build is based primarily on what you two have done. The tank is built, now I'm waiting on all the goodies to arrive. I may have water in it by xmas.

Scott

[niloc16]

thanks for the support and compliments guys. i'm really really hoping it is the lighting. the bulbs are almost 10 months old. i syphon sandbed every week with the water changes and have always done so. i syphon all the cyano away now off the rocks during the water change but by the next week it back with a frickin vengeance:twised:

[niloc16]

well lucky frickin me today. i'm lettin you know in advance this is a major bloody vent. i'm happy to announce today that i pulled out half an instant ocean salt bucket of dead frickin corals. i've been fighting this stupid algae and put the tank in a black out state as a last resort to kill it. well i guess with everything so stressed already and just my luck a whole bunch got wiped out. and some of my favorite too. the biggest colony was about 8" or so across a wild acro plana. it was a killer tricolor piece. i'm not even going to bother to list everything because it will just **** me off more. sorry about the vent but who else will listen

[untamed]

Oh man...that's terrible.

[Ya Dude]

did this cyano brake-out occur after your last coral addition.
I had a serious cyano problem after adding 3 colonies from HR last shipment.
I haven't even seen any in 2 years and I attribute it to that.It seemed to be a stronger strain. Probably a hitch hiker IMO

[niloc16]

no it didnt happen after the last addition. to be honest i dont know what brought it on. its been slowly building for 2 months and now its a killer.

[justinl]

man, that sucks. pat, pat. it happens to the best of us.

[Delphinus]

I'm really very sorry to hear this.

I feel a tinge of guilt because I said I thought the corals could withstand a 2 day blackout. :( I really don't know what to say. I'm sorry.

I know about the dead coral thing. I can at least share a little of your pain there (different reasons - and still ongoing :( I've given up on the tank in question - it's beyond fixing).

I really hope you get on top of this soon. I know the frustration of dinos, I had it twice, and nearly quit the hobby 100% both times. It's very demoralizing. I hope it resolves soon.

[niloc16]

good god tony you dont need apologize. its not your fault at all. but thanks for the input though

[untamed]

Maybe you've considered this...Keep siphoning it away from the corals, rock etc...but leave it alone where you can stand to leave it (on the sand?).

I'm thinking that whatever nutrient it's living on..maybe it will use it up if allowed to grow.

If large water changes haven't helped...do the opposite. Back off on your water changes....see if it gets worse or better.

In my previous life, I knocked it out with a new skimmer. On my new tank, it just went away in exchange for hair algae...which is the lesser of two evils.

[niloc16]

that may be an idea because today is the 2nd day i have turned lights on for 4 hours to help the corals a bit and it does not seem to be coming back on the rocks and stuff but is takiing off on the sand.

[blaster]

Without reading previous posts you should give chemiclean a try.It solved my problems and never had a prob after.

[niloc16]

well i think i may have finally kicked the dinos. dont know what 1 thing killed it but i tried alot of different things. heres a list

replaced ro/di filters twice
cleaned all pumps and redirected wavyseas
more water changes/ less water changes
replaced MH bulbs
cut feeding down to every 3 or 4th day
turned CA reactor off
tested any water associated with tank
ran lots of carbon
excessive sandbed syphoning and cleaning rocks
wet skimming
chemipure
the final draw was an 8 day blackout which killed it off finally. but the dino spread was so big that when it died off it completely polluted the tank and killed alot of corals and caused a big chain reaction of death.

but so far it has not returned. most of the corals really really browned out but now they are starting to color up again. all LPS but 2 frogspawns died. we'll see how it goes. i really hope it doesnt come back though

[niloc16]

i'm actually enjoying looking into the tank again so i couldnt refuse taking a couple tank shots. i know its pretty drab looking right now with stuff browned up but slowly the color is coming back. i kind of wish i had taken pics when the dinos overrun everything to compare to now.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/100_3237.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/100_3238.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/100_3239.jpg