400 gallon project

[hillegom]

Too bad about the corals, but I know you will persevere.
Outstanding bar!
I wonder what the fish think of the "other" fish in the mirror, while looking around the bacardi

[High tide]

Dealing with some coral death at the moment, actually. I had this spot on where a colony of hynophora used to be, and it kept growing back and killing other coral nearby. So I attacked it that spot with a scrub brush to try to kill it. It worked, but it has triggered an outbreak of STN death in my other two large colonies of hynophora, which has also caused some tissue loss for nearby stylos. I think I'm going to lose one entire colony of the hynophora before this is done.

So...you know...pretty typical stuff.
Sheesh!!...that sucks!...."typical" is right. It's that chain reaction effect that comes in ,hits you hard,keeps on coming,and stops only after its killed a few prized colonies.....oh brother, how I know! Frag what's left and turf the rest!

[untamed]

Really tough times going on here. I'm losing coral all over the place. Mostly from the tips.

Desperate to try to figure out what is going on, I took a measurement of Nitrate and Phosphate yesterday. Historically, I've rarely been able to detect nitrate, and had barely measureable phosphate. Today...20ppm nitrate and 18ppm phosphate. Every other measurement I can make seems fine. I've turned my Ca reactor down a bit as my alk was reading 8.5dKh....but really...8.5dKh is not something I would usually be concerned about.

That's not the kind of numbers that cause coral to die that I'm aware of...but I suppose it is a signal that something isn't right. I'm running some ferric oxide to see if I can absorb phosphate, but so far it has made no difference.

So....I thought I would vaccuum out the main sump as it has become pretty filthy. I look into the sump at something I think is a fish poop...and learn I have sea cucumber babies! I bet there is 50+ of them in that sump. I was easily able to find about 15 once I started to look. Here's a shot of a couple babies. The larger of the two might be 1" long.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/100_0508-1.jpg

Since they most look like this cucumber, I'm assuming this is mom...or dad...or both...I'm not sure how it works for cuces! New promo...Free Donkey Dung with frag purchase!

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/100_0509.jpg

[Rbacchiega]

Sorry about the coral loss, but the baby cucumbers is a neat little developent.

It does look like poop!

[High tide]

Perhaps there is a correlation between the coral death and the cuc's. Just a thought because cuc's are toxic and all. Maybe young one's getting sucked up the return? I have had a cuc nuke before but usually fish are affected as well...this could be a low grade nuking or I could be trippin' out.

[lastlight]

That's exactly what I was thinking. Sorry to hear about the troubles bro.

[High tide]

If it's cuc toxin, maybe time to do a really good water change and add a healthy dose of carbon.

[untamed]

If it's cuc toxin, maybe time to do a really good water change and add a healthy dose of carbon.

I suppose anything is possible. I always run GAC anyway...I'll step up that a bit. I'm going to focus on the 'trate and 'phate because that is something I can measure to verify improvement.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

My guess would be phosphates. The only time I have ever really had problems with sps was with high phosphates. Nitrates don't seem to bother them all that much (within reason of course). When I had a phosphate spike a few years back in a smaller sps tank I was keeping, everything browned out VERY fast. But nothing actually died off, so maybe its not that.

Man this is so terrible to hear! I hope you get things back in order soon...:sad:

EDIT: I have also had a cucumber die in my tank and it did kill all the fish but never effected the corals. Perhaps I was just lucky though.

[High tide]

Yeah, it's tough to say, all you can do at this point is clean up your water and hope for the best. Maybe separate the young ones just in case. This hobby kills me sometimes, I have close to 20 reef,FOWLR,and freshwater aquariums, keeps me busy but does nothing for keeping the hair on my head!lol

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Yeah, it's tough to say, all you can do at this point is clean up your water and hope for the best. Maybe separate the young ones just in case. This hobby kills me sometimes, I have close to 20 reef,FOWLR,and freshwater aquariums, keeps me busy but does nothing for keeping the hair on my head!lol

20!!! LOL....your nuts. I had 5 at one time a few years back and couldn't do it.

130G Reef
180G FOWLR
100G Brackish
33G Brackish
10G Fresh

[High tide]

20!!! LOL....your nuts. I had 5 at one time a few years back and couldn't do it.

130G Reef
180G FOWLR
100G Brackish
33G Brackish
10G Fresh

Yup, I must be nuts....I can't help myself. I am planning some consolidation though, maybe get it down to 10 or something.lol

[karazy]

Just get 1 huge tank and mix all 20 tanks together xD

[High tide]

Just get 2 huge tank and mix all 20 tanks together xD

You must be karazy.....

[Rbacchiega]

zing!

[untamed]

Things continue to go badly, with almost every coral in the tank now showing signs of decline. I've lost two or three colonies completely...As usual, polyp extension is great, even as they die!

However, I think I may have found something. Oh...how I hope that I've found something.

I've just noticed that my pH is not even making it back up past 7.9 at the peak and dropping to 7.74 overnight. That is too low. I recalibrated the probe to ensure that was accurate...and it is.

So the Ca Reactor is now shut off, and the Kalk reactor will be running all night..and I've got to figure out how to get the tank some fresh air. (both the tank and I need to vent some CO2!!)

I hope I'm right about this. Stay tuned...might be a few days before I know if I'm right. I hope I have that much time...

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Things continue to go badly, with almost every coral in the tank now showing signs of decline. I've lost two or three colonies completely...As usual, polyp extension is great, even as they die!

However, I think I may have found something. Oh...how I hope that I've found something.

I've just noticed that my pH is not even making it back up past 7.9 at the peak and dropping to 7.74 overnight. That is too low. I recalibrated the probe to ensure that was accurate...and it is.

So the Ca Reactor is now shut off, and the Kalk reactor will be running all night..and I've got to figure out how to get the tank some fresh air. (both the tank and I need to vent some CO2!!)

I hope I'm right about this. Stay tuned...might be a few days before I know if I'm right. I hope I have that much time...


Jeez...Im so sorry to hear this Brad! Thats so terrible :sad:

I really hope this works and you get things turned around. Your tank is by far my favorite tank to visit. Every time I have been to your place, my 10 minute plan to pick up frags turns into an hour or two :)

Good luck man.

[hillegom]

I as well hope you have found the answer.
Wish you well

[Chowder]

Wow Brad sorry to hear the bad news. I hope that is the answer.

Chris

[Jason McK]

WOW Brad Sorry to hear of your issues.

Let me know what your working on

J

[JDigital]

Oh man! Sorry as well... Hope things turn around for you..

[Delphinus]

Yes, good luck indeed. I know how it feels, I can only imagine how amplified it would be in a tank of this stature.

I'm sure you've checked, and sorry if I've missed the info, but you've confirmed that you're not getting a NO3 reading? Elevated NO3 can depress your pH somewhat.

[fragNplug]

ubber build, what is the final cost if i may ask?

[untamed]

Yes, good luck indeed. I know how it feels, I can only imagine how amplified it would be in a tank of this stature.

I'm sure you've checked, and sorry if I've missed the info, but you've confirmed that you're not getting a NO3 reading? Elevated NO3 can depress your pH somewhat.

I got a NO3 reading of 19ppm a few days ago. My last water change seems to have reduced that to 14ppm. Phosphates are also slightly high, measuring 12ppm yesterday. Not perfect...but not the kind of levels that kill coral.

[Parker]

Sorry to hear about your troubles, I hope things turn around for you.

[untamed]

It has been a very challenging month or two...but I think I can say that the tank is on the mend. For the past week or so, I do believe that I'm seeing improvement in the coral health/colour and polyp extension. Here is what I believe happened.

1) My lights bulbs were nearing the end of their life. They were almost 1 year old and were not putting out enough light anymore.
2) As a result of less light, calcification slowed down.
3) As the tank began to use less calcium/alk, my Ca reactor began to deliver too much Ca/Alk.
4) Too much activity in the Ca reactor drove my Alk too high and burned off many of the acro tips.
5) I changed my refugium to a 'fuge/frag tank and began lighting it on the same daylight cycle as the tank. Combined with the fact that it is winter and the doors/windows of the house are always closed, the overall pH of tank tended to be lower than normal. This makes it even more difficult for coral to calcify. Tank was never reaching pH of even 8.0 at peak.
6) I shut the Ca reactor down completely and fired up my Kalk reactor trying to drive up pH.
7) I increased water changes, carbon and phosphate removal trying to drive Nitrate and Phosphate levels down. They were slightly elevated, but I now doubt that these were the problem.
7) I replaced the light bulbs. I measured that my existing bulbs were putting out 25% less PAR than the new bulbs.
8) Coral immediately began to look better. I had not realized how much coral colour had gone away.
9) Kalk alone began to fall behind Ca/Alk demand. Calcification was happening again.
10) I began dosing baked, Baking Soda in order to keep up with increasing Alk demand and carefully restarted the Ca reactor. The baked, baking soda tends to drive the pH up, but I still only peak at 8.1.
11) I put an addition flourescent light on the fuge and returned to reverse lighting cycle on the refugium.

So..in the end I now believe that my ONLY problem was that my bulbs were old. Everything else was a spin off effect from there. At this point, I believe the corals are healing. Unfortunately, some have suffered such damage that it will probably take months to recover completely. I probably lost 2 or 3 corals completely.

[fkshiu]

7) I replaced the light bulbs. I measured that my existing bulbs were putting out 25% less PAR than the new bulbs.
8) Coral immediately began to look better. I had not realized how much coral colour had gone away.

So..in the end I now believe that my ONLY problem was that my bulbs were old. Everything else was a spin off effect from there. At this point, I believe the corals are healing. Unfortunately, some have suffered such damage that it will probably take months to recover completely. I probably lost 2 or 3 corals completely.

That's an important observation made possible by the little PAR meter. I'm glad that the time/money/effort that went into its purchase has paid off for someone in a tangible way.

[fkshiu]

ubber build, what is the final cost if i may ask?

As Dr. Evil would say: "One miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiillion dollars!"

[untamed]

That's an important observation made possible by the little PAR meter. I'm glad that the time/money/effort that went into its purchase has paid off for someone in a tangible way.

The bulbs were scheduled to change out regardless, but the PAR meter gave me some hard data concerning how bad they had become.

I gave up attempting to accurate measure the PAR at various tank depths. I simply measured the bulbs at surface level with the lights a set height above that. That's about 8" or so and I can easily measure a 25% difference between my old and new bulbs (same bulb type) At depth, this seemed to translate into about 1/2 the PAR, but these readings were pretty sketchy.

Yes...now to follow up with that device every now and then to find out how quickly the bulbs fall off. Clearly, my original plan of annual replacement isn't going to work. Maintenance cost just went up!

[mseepman]

Glad to hear you figured it out Brad...I'm a regular visitor to your thread and enjoy this build a lot.

[JDigital]

So what are you thinking Brad... every 9 months for replacement bulbs now? maybe even 6?

What is your lighting schedule like?

[Whatigot]

excellent detective work.
nice to see you got to the bottom of it, I can only imagine how much stress this episode gave you, probably more than it did your corals....

[fkshiu]

So what are you thinking Brad... every 9 months for replacement bulbs now? maybe even 6?

What is your lighting schedule like?

Brad and the other purchasers of the PAR meter will be keeping a close eye on our PAR levels over time to determine how quickly PAR levels drop off. It will probably vary somewhat depending on bulb and ballast combos.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Glad to hear you figured it out!


There is a big thread on RC about how quickly PAR levels drop off and with what bulbs. I think it was pretty much determined that the biggest drop was after a few months and then the next year was pretty minimal.

I would have to go back and read (too lazy) but in the first 3 months, most bulbs dropped to like 70% and then a year later were around 65%. Or somewhere around those numbers anyways. One guy tested for 1.5 years and was still at 60% of the original output and stayed there until the burned out.

[untamed]

So what are you thinking Brad... every 9 months for replacement bulbs now? maybe even 6?

What is your lighting schedule like?

Brad and the other purchasers of the PAR meter will be keeping a close eye on our PAR levels over time to determine how quickly PAR levels drop off. It will probably vary somewhat depending on bulb and ballast combos.

I sure hope I don't need to replace those bulbs every 6 months...they cost $600 a set! Based on this past experience, I'm guessing that my current situation will result in new bulbs every 10 months. The PAR meter will help, but I'll also be a bit wiser than before about recognizing the symptoms.

My lighting cycle is such that the bulbs are running 9 hrs per day. Just this moment, I realize that I increased the lighting hours/day in the 2nd year of the tank. That might explain why my first bulbs seem to make it to 1 year without problem, while this set didn't...I ran this set 11% longer.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

I sure hope I don't need to replace those bulbs every 6 months...they cost $600 a set! Based on this past experience, I'm guessing that my current situation will result in new bulbs every 10 months. The PAR meter will help, but I'll also be a bit wiser than before about recognizing the symptoms.

My lighting cycle is such that the bulbs are running 9 hrs per day. Just this moment, I realize that I increased the lighting hours/day in the 2nd year of the tank. That might explain why my first bulbs seem to make it to 1 year without problem, while this set didn't...I ran this set 11% longer.

You may want to read some of the threads around about photoperiod too.

I am at 6 hours now and corals have never looked better. Bulbs should last much longer too. I decided to give it a shot after seeing the RC TOTM a few months back that was at 5 hours only. He explained all his experiments over the years with photoperiod and how coral can only use a certain amount of light anyways. In many cases people seem to be finding that 6-7 hours gives their tank best results for color and growth. For SPS anyways.

There is a thread right now in the SPS keepers section of RC about this. Might be worth looking. Might not be for you but many have been shortening the photoperiod and getting nicer growth. I have seen nothing but positive results and there are the added bonuses of less bulb use and less algae. I have a feeling the cyano I used to have was from a long photoperiod (used to be 10 hours). And since corals are not using the light the whole time, may as well not feed the cyano I figure :D

Just thought I would mention it.

[untamed]

I'll read that...and I might consider dropping to 8 hours per day.

However, growing coral isn't the only goal. Part of the goal is having a pleasant aquarium to enjoy..and it's much less interesting when it is dark! (well...sometimes it is interesting in the dark also...but you know what I mean)

[Delphinus]

Dropping to 6 hours a day though is ... well, I don't know. I've seen those suggestions before too, but to me the problem is .. I'll never see my tank during the daytime hours then, except for maybe on weekends. It's not really something that appeals to me, don't know how others feel on the subject though, maybe I'm alone on this :p

Short of throwing the daytime cycle so far off the regular daytime at least .. I guess that's an option but then the problem is sunlight from the windows will interfere with your "daytime."

Maybe just enough white lights to give aesthetic appeal but not the most intense for the actual photosynthesis.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Dropping to 6 hours a day though is ... well, I don't know. I've seen those suggestions before too, but to me the problem is .. I'll never see my tank during the daytime hours then, except for maybe on weekends. It's not really something that appeals to me, don't know how others feel on the subject though, maybe I'm alone on this :p

Short of throwing the daytime cycle so far off the regular daytime at least .. I guess that's an option but then the problem is sunlight from the windows will interfere with your "daytime."

Maybe just enough white lights to give aesthetic appeal but not the most intense for the actual photosynthesis.

When I lived in Florida, I knew many people who run their tanks at night because of heat in the day. They would have lights on around 5-6pm and off in the middle of the night.

For me, I have my lights on at 3pm to 9pm. There certainly is a decent amount of light from windows on the tank before 3pm and it allows me to view the fish nicely.

I work from home though, so 6 hours is more than enough time for me to view the tank. My fiance enjoys the tank too and usually gets home around 6, so she also gets a good 3 hours of lights on.

Certainly not for everyone. Just thought it was worth mentioning since bulb life is also an issue.

Just in case anyone wants to read:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1582958

And the TOTM that convinced me to try a shorter photoperiod. He talks about how too much light causes coral growth to slow and color to fade.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2009-01/totm/index.php

[untamed]

If you are one of those who check the video camera frequently, you've probably noticed that Nick (the Lookdown) isn't in the tank anymore.

It was time for him to move on. He had become so large that he was taking runs at the smaller fish and it was only a matter time before he inhaled one. That would have been fine with me, except that I am completely dependent on the gobies to keep the sand bed under control. I can't live without the gobies, so Nick had to go.

Since he will NOT swim under any rockwork, he was quite easy to catch. I simply spooked him in the direction of the trap and Chris dropped the trap door. Total time...maybe 3 minutes. He wasn't very happy and let us know with a few loud grunts.

JL has agreed to sell him on my behalf. I do hope he finds a good home. He deserves it. He lived in the tank for about 1 year. If you have an aggressive fish-only tank, I would highly recommend these fish.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/100_0511.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/100_0516.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/100_0517.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/100_0519.jpg

[JDigital]

If you are one of those who check the video camera frequently, you've probably noticed that Nick (the Lookdown) isn't in the tank anymore.

Funny you should mention that.. I was just watching it about 15 mins ago...

Sorry to hear about Nick.. but if it's for the benefit of the tank, I guess it's just something that needs to be done.

[reeferious]

saw that specimen at j@l, absolutely splendid looking like a slab of pure silver.

[untamed]

With little fanfare, the tank had it's 2nd anniversary recently. Unfortunately, it seems that I've spent more time lately hauling OUT giant pieces of dead/dying coral than anything else.

I look back and it really doesn't feel like the tank has progressed anywhere for over 6 months now. Every tank parameter that I can check seems fine and I've even made progress on raising my average pH considerably. The mystery is that some coral continues to do very well, while others just stop all growing and decline slowly. Without growth, any damaged area on the coral eventually spreads and the coral dies. Flesh between polyps thins and dies and the very last part to go is actually the individual polyps themselves.

I'm experimenting with various dips. Since some of the coral is thriving, I'm pretty sure now that there isn't anything with water conditions that I can improve.

So...I'm really in the process of removing every coral that isn't healthy and just ditching it. This has resulted in removal some colonies that I have had for 10 years or more.

Meanwhile, the fish are quite happy and continue to grow. If you've skipped all the blah..blah so far, here are some fish pictures!

"Freckles" is just plain huge!
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/100_0523.jpg

"Ripple" has finally turned into a real Atlantic BLUE tang and is now significantly larger than the Achilles Tang.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/100_0526.jpg

"Lance" has also grown considerably and is now probably the 2nd largest fish in the tank.
(spots you might notice are algae on the glass in front of him)
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/100_0532.jpg

"Moe" Getting more fancy every day, although somebody shortened his bottom tail streamer recently...
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/100_0528.jpg

[marie]

I had the same problem with my corals last year, and coincidentally it was right at the 20th month to 2yr mark.
The only thing I could think of was the inteceptor treatment I did but I will probably never know for sure

[JDigital]

What type of tang is "Lance"?

[untamed]

What type of tang is "Lance"?

Naso unicornis...aka Bluespine Unicorn fish. Fortunately, he shouldn't get to be more than 2 feet long!

[Lance]

Naso unicornis...aka Bluespine Unicorn fish. Fortunately, he shouldn't get to be more than 2 feet long!




He's a beauty! And I really like his name. :wink:

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Brad, sorry to hear your still having coral troubles :neutral:

I am glad that your fish are doing so well though. They look great!

[JDigital]

Naso unicornis...aka Bluespine Unicorn fish. Fortunately, he shouldn't get to be more than 2 feet long!

Very nice fish!

You weren't kidding when you said your Vlamingi is the biggest in the tank.. I've had the webcam running for awhile now, and he is one WIIIIIIIIIIIDE fish.. :mrgreen:

[Myka]

Phosphates are also slightly high, measuring 12ppm yesterday.

Is that a misprint? I freak out if my phosphate reaches 1.0 ppm! :lol: What are you using to test phosphate and nitrate?

I'm glad to hear you have figured out the problem. Sometimes automation kicks our butts doesn't it? Eep! I look forward to hearing about the turn around! :)

[untamed]

Is that a misprint? I freak out if my phosphate reaches 1.0 ppm! :lol: What are you using to test phosphate and nitrate?

I'm glad to hear you have figured out the problem. Sometimes automation kicks our butts doesn't it? Eep! I look forward to hearing about the turn around! :)


Phosphate - Hanna low range colorimeter
Nitrate - American Marine Nitrate Moniter (probe)

How are you able to detect 1ppm of phosphate? The Colorimeter isn't accurate to more than about 1ppm.

[Snappy]

With little fanfare, the tank had it's 2nd anniversary recently.

"Freckles" is just plain huge!
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/100_0523.jpg

"Ripple" has finally turned into a real Atlantic BLUE tang and is now significantly larger than the Achilles Tang.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/100_0526.jpg

"Lance" has also grown considerably and is now probably the 2nd largest fish in the tank.
(spots you might notice are algae on the glass in front of him)
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/100_0532.jpg

"Moe" Getting more fancy every day, although somebody shortened his bottom tail streamer recently...
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/100_0528.jpg
Congratulations on the anniversary! Awesome pictures, thanks for sharing.

[untamed]

I just like this photo. I suppose it would have been better if the feeding clips weren't there, but cropping them out seem to ruin the shot.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/100_0580.jpg

[christyf5]

I just like this photo. I suppose it would have been better if the feeding clips weren't there, but cropping them out seem to ruin the shot.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/100_0580.jpg

Simply stunning, and I bet he knows it :wink:

[lastlight]

Wow I love that fish. He's amazing and seems pretty darn plump too. Are you planning on keeping him for his full lifespan?

[Snaz]

I just like this photo. I suppose it would have been better if the feeding clips weren't there, but cropping them out seem to ruin the shot.


I can photoshop out the clips if you like. Email me the largest version you have of this image if your interested. chokomoloko "at" yahoo . ca

Keith

[untamed]

Wow I love that fish. He's amazing and seems pretty darn plump too. Are you planning on keeping him for his full lifespan?

Full lifespan? Sure...but does anybody know what that is? I'm obviously concerned about how large he might actually get, but I would say his growth rate has slowed a bit lately. (slower..meaning less than 1" per month!) I think if he gets much beyond 2 feet long, it is going to be a problem. Just checked...I've had him in the tank for exactly 1.5 years now.

For obvious reasons, you just don't see people post images of N. vlamingi at full maturity. For over a year, Freckles had no visible sign of the Naso twin spines...but in the last few months they are starting to show. Maybe they never develop beyond small bumps, but spine-wise...he's still a baby.

[untamed]

I can photoshop out the clips if you like. Email me the largest version you have of this image if your interested. chokomoloko "at" yahoo . ca

Keith

Thanks, I could do that as well. No big deal.

[Chaloupa]

GORGEOUS pic!!! I wouldn't even care about the clips...I wouldn't even notice if you hadn't pointed it out! It's fantastic!

[AHHope]

Any updates on the mantis?

[untamed]

Any updates on the mantis?

I have not seen a mantis in over a year. I have no idea why they didn't make it...or it could be that they've settled into places where they stay pretty secretive. There are plenty of loud "cracks" coming from the tank, but that could be any number of pistol shrimp that I know were there.

At one point, I know I had at least 6 mantis.

[ddier2020]

I am not sure if this has been asked, but what do you use to clean your tank. I have a big acrylic tank and access is not as easy as a regular rectangular tank, so its hard to clean it.

[untamed]

I am not sure if this has been asked, but what do you use to clean your tank. I have a big acrylic tank and access is not as easy as a regular rectangular tank, so its hard to clean it.

1" thick acrylic required me to use the Great White Mag cleaner. In order to avoid scratching the outside of the 'glas, I wrap the outer magnet in a baby diaper and lubricate it with "brillianize" acrylic cleaner. I have to clean the 'glas about every 2nd or 3rd day..which involves cleaning almost all the way around the tank since it is almost 4 completely 4 sided viewing.

[sohal tang]

INcredible set up....

May I ask what depth you went for your sand bed and what type of substrate you used?


Thanks,

Tim

[untamed]

INcredible set up....

May I ask what depth you went for your sand bed and what type of substrate you used?


Thanks,

Tim


The sand bed is intended to be decorative and is only 1" to 2" deep. It is crushed coral that came from Florida and is the substrate that naturally surrounds the live rock in that area.

[ALBERTA REEF]

Love the bar beside the tank. Nice tought.

[untamed]

When I returned from two weeks holiday, the tank had moved in a few ways.

1) Things got too hot (hitting 85 degrees F a few times). It turns out this was primarily because someone accidently shut off my ventilation fan. That won't happen again.

2) Salinity got a bit lower than I would prefer...measuring 1.020 when I got back.

Overall, I lost another 3 or 4 coral colonies...and browned out a few others. One of the gobies hasn't yet been seen, but that isn't entirely unusual. We'll see.

So...some rapid salinity adjustment, a water change, and getting the fan turned back on seems to have returned the tank to as normal as normal has been for the past while.

Here's the interesting part...the events seem to have triggered a massive spawning. My urchins spawned last night and.... for the first time in 12 years, my carpet anemone spawned at the same time. This turned the tank so milky you could barely see into it and I was very concerned that the tank couldn't take it. By next morning, all was fine aside from a slight unusual smell and a LOT of skimate.

While spawning, the anemone changes shape distinctly....stretching itself as high as possible and forming a "cup" shape. It seems my anemone is a male...or..it was this time.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/100_0598.jpg

[Snappy]

That is pretty cool!:biggrin:

[christyf5]

Wow, neato! So is your anemone male because it made that funny shape? :razz:

[untamed]

I can't believe that it took me 3 years to figure this out.... doh!

2 years ago, before we air conditioned the house, the tank was getting too hot. So...I naturally installed central air conditioning to the entire house.

That prevented the tank from getting too hot, but there was still a significant high/low day/night swing in the temperature. For some dumb reason, I figured that by keeping the tank warmer at night, it would minimize the daily swing. Stability is better than instability, right? I adjusted my heaters to keep the tank at 79 overnight.

It only just became clear to me that this didn't really work at all. Each day, the lights added a certain amount of heat energy to the tank, while the air conditioning was able to remove a certain amount of heat energy. That all happens mostly independently of the temperature that the tank happens to be every morning when the lights start up.

In other words...the tank goes up about 3-4 degrees every daylight cycle, and it is going to do that regardless of how cool I allow the tank to get at night.

So...I've decided that a range of 78-82 is probably much better than 79-83. In fact, I'll probably end up dropping it right down to 77-81 or even 76-80.

[Delphinus]

Erm .. I'm not sure I follow. You mean the A/C *eventually* kicks in and lowers the tank temperature, but there is still a heat "surge" (for lack of a better term) when the lights turn on ?

If I do understand this correctly, it seems there may still be a case to add a chiller to a tank even if the house has central air?

[untamed]

Erm .. I'm not sure I follow. You mean the A/C *eventually* kicks in and lowers the tank temperature, but there is still a heat "surge" (for lack of a better term) when the lights turn on ?

If I do understand this correctly, it seems there may still be a case to add a chiller to a tank even if the house has central air?

The lights are putting heat INTO the tank when they are running....and the air conditioning takes heat OUT of the tank pretty much all the time. During the time when the lights are on, the lights win...and the net contribution moves the tank about 3 or 4 degrees. When the lights go out, air conditioning drops the tank toward room temperature, but the tank stops dropping because heaters kick on. (which now happens at 78 degrees)

A chiller would probably be able to prevent any rise in the tank temp at all during light cycle. However, I don't really have space for a chiller...don't want the noise...and I would need to vent the heat out of the fish room and can't come up with a simple plan to do that.

As an aside...the central air conditioning does not have a vent directly into the fishroom. It therefore is less effective at cooling the aquarium than it could be. I plan to tap into a duct in the ceiling of the fishroom that should improve that situation quite a bit. It could be that once I do that, I might end up at very stable temperature.

[untamed]

This took an entire day of work, but I finally got that new skimmer into place. What a beast! This is a Reefmania PS12-4 with wet neck option. I don't yet have the wet neck plumbed in and working.

So far, it hasn't skimmed much at all. Still breaking in, I hope.

The key changes from the G6 are:
1) The volume of the skimmer is almost 2x
2) There are 4 Sedra 9000s instead of 3
3) All 4 pumps are recirculated and out of the water
4) The skimmer is now directly gravity fed from the main display

I'm a bit concerned that I'm flowing too much water through, so I intend to order a 9" height extension to the skimmer which should result in a dwell time of about 2 minutes based on chamber of 20 gallons and flow of 600gph.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/100_0675.jpg

[Delphinus]

Holy moly, that's a big skimmer!!

[untamed]

I have been wrong once before...but this time I really think the aquarium has turned around.

As most everyone knows, the past year has been a steady downward decline in the health of the coral. I lost so much coral, I can't even begin to describe it.

However, for the past 2 weeks there has been a dramatic reversal in the tank. Unfortunately, I can't say with certainty WHAT caused the reversal....but coral is growing like mad and colours are returning. Coral that had been reduced to a small puddle is suddenly shooting up branches.

1) The new skimmer went in 3 weeks ago. Could be that.
2) I began feeding ozone to the skimmer off/on. Could be that.
3) I began dosing VSV (Vodka, Sugar, Vinegar) at 4ml/day. I never measured nitrate higher than 10ppm, but since dosing began my nitrate is down to 1ppm. (almost unmeasurable) Phosphate levels have also dropped...but from a high of 8ppm to 1ppm.
4) I vaccuumed the sand bed (but I had done that 50x before) For whatever reason, this time the cyano didn't come back (VSV?)

Some things that I have NOT changed:
1) Same Salt
2) Same water change schedule
3) Same fish feeding amounts/schedule
4) Same lighting
5) Same water movement

[Lance]

Very puzzling, Brad. But the main thing is your tank is on the mend. Whoo Hoo!

[christyf5]

Wow thats some skimmer! :eek: Sometimes I think this hobby is funny as nobody can ever pinpoint what they did to make their tank "better" yet we can usually figure out what we did to make it worse :razz:

[lastlight]

I can sense the excitement in your comeback and I'm happy for you! Great to hear and I'm eagerly waiting for some new pictures =)

[untamed]

These things just kind of sneak up on you and suddenly you notice..."Hey, Freckles has tail streamers".

Because "he" is so huge, it is easy to forget that Freckles is still a baby. He has not yet been in the tank for 2 years. (2 years in Jan, 2010) It seems that shortly before 2 years old, he suddenly developed tail streamers confirming that he is, in fact, a he.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/000_0173.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/000_0191.jpg

The timing is about right, IME. I added Moe (the blonde Naso) almost 2.5 years ago and when I purchased him he was at least 1 year old judging from his size. He first began to show streamers about 1 year after purchase. Now, at about 3.5 years old, his streamers are just getting more stunning all the time.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/000_0185.jpg

So....is my youngest next? Lance (the unicorn), has only been in the tank for 18 mohths and was a small juvenile when purchased. I don't even know if Unicorn Tangs develop tail streamers but his tail looks like "he" might. I could get get lucky for a 3rd time!
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/000_0175.jpg

[JDigital]

That's AWESOME! :mrgreen:

Congrats... to Moe I suppose.. haha

[pterfloth]

Skimzilla! Very happy to hear your tank has turned around.

[untamed]

Here's an updated full tank shot and one from 1 year ago to see how far the tank has fallen. You should be able to see all the large colonies that aren't there anymore.

Oct, 2008
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/100_0306.jpg

Oct, 2009
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/000_0192.jpg

Fortunately, there are survivors. Let's classify these ones as "hard to kill".
The Hammer Coral and this very-hairy acro...
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/000_0193.jpg

Don't know what this is, but I'm glad I didn't lose it. It is quickly regaining its purple with brown colour.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/000_0195.jpg

This moss-green acro also seemed to do OK while everything else died. It never even lost it's colour. Recently, this coral has started to grow like crazy! The red milli behind it took a real beating, but looks to be recovering. If you look closely at the red milli, you'll see that a couple of branches are orange. That is because they died and were covered over by orange encrusing fire coral....another coral that seems impossible to kill.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/000_0197.jpg

[Boomboy]

wow untamed, your tank looks really purple now in that shot. those fish are definitly georgeous. your tank is truly and inspiration to not quit when the going gets tough. your tank is a dream tank for me. great photos too by the way, i wish i could see this tank is person i would be blown away compared to what i have ever set up.

[untamed]

wow untamed, your tank looks really purple now in that shot. those fish are definitly georgeous. your tank is truly and inspiration to not quit when the going gets tough. your tank is a dream tank for me. great photos too by the way, i wish i could see this tank is person i would be blown away compared to what i have ever set up.

Well...between the cyano on the sand and the uncleaned coraline on the glass...there is more purple there. But I think you are mostly seeing some bad colour balanced photography on my part.

[hillegom]

Wow Brad: Sure did lose quite a few. Glad things have settled down and recovery is on its way. Fish look good. How are those gobys doing? Still excavating?

[hillegom]

Thats a humungus (sp?) hammer coral.
Is that new skimmer working out? Is the cyano getting less?

[untamed]

I've had that hammer coral now for 15 years. I can't imagine how large it would be if I had not sold off most of it when I sold my first tank. I purchased it as a single head.

Sadly, I lost both Gobies over the summer...just shy of two years in the tank. I'm trying to replace them now.

I think the new skimmer is the reason for the tank turnaround. I still have cyano, but I've always had cyano even when the tank was extremely healthy. I just feed too much.

[untamed]

The extension for my skimmer arrived today and I couldn't resist putting it in place. Unfortunately, the carbon cup for the very top wasn't built quite correctly so that will have to wait for another time.

If I ever get out of the hobby, I've got a start on an interesting Halloween costume!
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/000_0205.jpg

Close a valve and water stops going to the skimmer allowing me to dismantle it even while the pumps are still running.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/000_0206.jpg

Add the new section....
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/000_0207.jpg

Put the top back on, open the valve and away she goes! I can't go any higher than this because the water line in the skimmer would become higher than the overflow box that is feeding the skimmer. At this height, the reaction chamber is 12"D x 40"H. At 600gph that makes the dwell time inside the skimmer about 2 minutes. The water is calmer at the top of the skimmer now than previously.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/000_0210.jpg

[fkshiu]

That's a good look for you Brad.

One of these days I'm going to get a phallic skimmer as well.

:)

[golf nut]

The extension for my skimmer arrived today and I couldn't resist putting it in place. Unfortunately, the carbon cup for the very top wasn't built quite correctly so that will have to wait for another time.



I'm guessing it didn't fit.

[untamed]

I'm guessing it didn't fit.

It fits...but it is supposed to replace the top lid currently on the skimmer and the builder forgot that the existing top lid has a tube on the underside that is part of the skimmer function.

It also has holes in it, where there shouldn't be holes.

Here's my existing lid on the left...and the replacement lid (with carbon top) on the right. This builder builds things so custom, I don't think he ever does the exact same thing twice. He just forgot that the lid has a function other than carbon filtration. I'll document this better when it is ready to go on.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/000_0200.jpg

[lastlight]

Wow I'd need a tiny head to fit in my skimmer! That is hella impressive haha!

[04scoobysti]

I was diggin around in some of my photos and came across this,

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w40/04scoobysti/IMG_0968.jpg

He was way over 2 feet and the blades on his tail were over an inch.Theres a little powder blue behind him to give some scale, yours is well on its way to gettining this massive.
Tank is still looking good, glad its on the road to recovery.

[Van-rookie]

wow.....wish i have a bit of those caps in my tank

[untamed]

Gad...that unicorn Tang is a monster! That hump on his back makes him look very different than mine. I wonder if that develops with maturity or if that is actually a different type. I suppose we'll see.

I wrapped the skimmer with thin black foam that I picked up from Michael's today. It comes in a roll so all I had to do was cut the length/height and the natural curve of the foam holds it in place. This should prevent coraline etc from growing inside the skimmer. When you come for a visit, I'll take it off so all you see is a clean white skimmer!

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/100_0688.jpg

[untamed]

The necessary modification for my skimmer carbon cup arrived today. It was a two minute installation to get this thing installed onto the skimmer. No more ozone/skimmate stinkiness....Yeah!

For my non-aquarium followers... The carbon cup is filled with carbon. It sits on top of the skimmer collection cup. Fumes rise up through holes in the top of the skimmer cup and are absorbed by the carbon.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/100_0689.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/100_0690.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/100_0691.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/100_0692.jpg

[globaldesigns]

Gad...that unicorn Tang is a monster! That hump on his back makes him look very different than mine. I wonder if that develops with maturity or if that is actually a different type. I suppose we'll see.

I wrapped the skimmer with thin black foam that I picked up from Michael's today. It comes in a roll so all I had to do was cut the length/height and the natural curve of the foam holds it in place. This should prevent coraline etc from growing inside the skimmer. When you come for a visit, I'll take it off so all you see is a clean white skimmer!

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/100_0688.jpg

You've got to be kidding me, that isn't a skimmer it's a NUCLEAR REACTOR! Puts my 2 skimmers to shame, Very nice!

[lastlight]

Great skimmer cup mod. The way mine is already stinking I'm wondering if some DIY is not in order to do something similar.

[Jason McK]

Cool Mod. But isn't that smell an integral part of reefing? LOL

[untamed]

Cool Mod. But isn't that smell an integral part of reefing? LOL

Yes....but there's a slight health issue with the ozone. Mostly for me, as I'm the one who spends all the time back there breathing it!

[Jason McK]

Got'ya. that is the main reason I do not run ozone.

Some Parrot deaths and health problems have been connected to ozone generators in the house hold. Having 5 birds in the house means no ozone for me

J

[christyf5]

Wow, neat skimmer cup mod :cool:

I was just wondering though, can you really smell the ozone? How much do you dose? I'm just asking as I ran ozone for awhile in small doses (like 25mg/hr) and never smelled it (even when I cranked it which made me wonder if it was even working or if the "tank clarity" was all in my head.

[untamed]

Wow, neat skimmer cup mod :cool:

I was just wondering though, can you really smell the ozone? How much do you dose? I'm just asking as I ran ozone for awhile in small doses (like 25mg/hr) and never smelled it (even when I cranked it which made me wonder if it was even working or if the "tank clarity" was all in my head.

Oh yes, you can certainly smell it. It's not a strong, unpleasant smell....sort of vaguely electrical-like. The ozone generator I have is 250mg/hr. The ozone is controlled by Redox measurement on the AQT controller, but it mostly runs all the time. Redox swings daily in the exact opposite way to pH and temperature...going down in the daylight, and up at night.

As Redox rises at night, the controller shuts off the ozone, so there are periods at night where it is not on. I'm not certain, however, that the 250mg/hr that I'm adding actually has a measurable impact on redox in my tank. I may not be adding enough to be concerned about.

Yes, I don't know if it is really doing any good or not. It seems to be doing no harm so I'm going to continue. Ironically, smelling the ozone is about the only way I can know for sure that the ozonizer is still working!

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Awesome Vlamingi. I got one a couple of months ago & I'm hoping that mine will also turn out to a be beautiful male with streamers & awesome colouration.

These things just kind of sneak up on you and suddenly you notice..."Hey, Freckles has tail streamers".

Because "he" is so huge, it is easy to forget that Freckles is still a baby. He has not yet been in the tank for 2 years. (2 years in Jan, 2010) It seems that shortly before 2 years old, he suddenly developed tail streamers confirming that he is, in fact, a he.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/000_0173.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/000_0191.jpg

The timing is about right, IME. I added Moe (the blonde Naso) almost 2.5 years ago and when I purchased him he was at least 1 year old judging from his size. He first began to show streamers about 1 year after purchase. Now, at about 3.5 years old, his streamers are just getting more stunning all the time.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/000_0185.jpg

So....is my youngest next? Lance (the unicorn), has only been in the tank for 18 mohths and was a small juvenile when purchased. I don't even know if Unicorn Tangs develop tail streamers but his tail looks like "he" might. I could get get lucky for a 3rd time!
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/000_0175.jpg

[Millepora_Maniac]

wow

[Canuckgod420]

Hey brad

Thanks for allowing Ken and I to come over and gauck at your incredible setup. I'm already in negotiations with the wife to come to some sort of deal with getting a new much larger setup.:mrgreen:

My invitation is always open for you to come look at my setup anytime.

[untamed]

Xmas came a bit early to my house. I bought a new TV and so I had to renovate much of the basement. I think the room is much improved as I can now sit and enjoy the TV and the aquarium at the same time. Next up..new seating!

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/IMG_1403.jpg

....and a nice picture of Ripple, who is feeling blue because he can't see the TV as well as before.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/IMG_1394.jpg

[JDigital]

That's my dream chill room right there! :mrgreen: Nice xmas gift... 50"?

[untamed]

... 50"?

Ha...ha.. I guess the wall is making the TV look smaller than it is....

I guess I should have put a nice aquarium photo up there on the screen.

[JDigital]

:lol:... 65" ... Final Guess! It is pretty deceiving at first glance.

[Jason McK]

Looks Great!!!!!

[muck]

Fantastic room to spend all your time in.
If I had a room like that in my house I don't think i would ever go out. :lol:

[Tom R]

Hi Brad

Great work the new TV looks fantastic.

Once you get that new Lazy Boy theatre seating your unwanted REEF friends may just come over for an hour and stay a week.

Oh and what can I say about your Atlantic Blue it is fantastic.

Tom R

[christyf5]

Looks fantastic and man, Ripple is one awesome looking fish! :cool:

[Lance]

Looks fantastic and man, Ripple is one awesome looking fish! :cool:


ditto

[lastlight]

There's nothing about that room that *doesn't* make me want to come hang out. I clean up really nice and barely make a mess man.

[muck]

Always wanted an Atlantic Blue...great photo of Ripple!!

[banditpowdercoat]

87 pages and almost 200,000 view's!!!!!

I bow before the thread master :D

[untamed]

One of the things that I get asked about a LOT is how bad a problem scratches are on the acrylic tank...and would I do acrylic again...etc. etc.

At almost three years running now, the tank is pretty badly scratched. It's the tangs. Their spines just leave marks. There are also a fair number of urchin chew marks, but those are mostly around the edges where the coraline grows.

Mostly, the scratches are only visible to me. While the tank is filled, it takes a pretty bad scratch to be noticeable. Unfortunately, algae tends to get into them and the magnet doesn't remove the algae from the scratches. It requires that I get my arm in there and rub in order to remove the small algae spots that cling inside the scratches.

So....I decided to polish the entire aquarium. As this is the first time I've attempted this, I was pretty nervous. First, I hand spot-rubbed the worst of the scratches using 2400 grit paper. This is pretty upsetting to look at...
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/100_0699.jpg

Then I began to polish the entire panel working my way through 3200, 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000 grits using the Mag cleaner. With each change in grit, you change the direction of the rub from sideways to up/down. Rubbing up/down is extremely difficult. Each pad takes about 30 minutes to cover the entire panel a few times. The final grit (12000) is so smooth that you can no longer use the mag cleaner and you have to do it by hand.

The result..? At least 95% of the visible scratches are completely gone. Some of my original 2400 polish is still visible in some areas and I've learned that you have to be consistent with the pressure you apply. As I rubbed the 2400 by hand, and the rest using the magnets..the difference shows. Three years from now, I'll do a better job! All done...
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/100_0701.jpg

Sorry for the generally poor pictures here. These are taken through the side panel, at an angle, showing the backside of the front panel. That is a terrible way to take pictures, but the only way to show the effects of the sanding.

[Snappy]

Xmas came a bit early to my house. I bought a new TV and so I had to renovate much of the basement. I think the room is much improved as I can now sit and enjoy the TV and the aquarium at the same time. Next up..new seating!

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/IMG_1403.jpg

....and a nice picture of Ripple, who is feeling blue because he can't see the TV as well as before.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/IMG_1394.jpg
Very nice!!!:biggrin:

[christyf5]

Wow Brad, thats pretty awesome to hear that that method actually works. I've heard a lot about people "planning" to do it but never heard any of the results. I'm glad it worked out for you (even though when I was there last I never really saw the scratches, hard to see them past the gorgeousness of the tank contents :wink:).

[mseepman]

That room looks great! As always the tank is inspiring for those of us working up to a bigger tank.

[fishytime]

Sounds like a pretty tedious process...how long did it take you?

[untamed]

Sounds like a pretty tedious process...how long did it take you?

3 hours for the large front panel...about 1.5 hours for the back panel and 2 hours for the side panel. One panel per day is all I could handle, but once you start on a panel you don't want to stop halfway.

It is mostly the same as doing a magnet cleaning of your tank...continuously for multiple hours!

[untamed]

I finally got around to changing the skimmer wet-neck supply line from 1/4" to 3/8" and that seems to have done the trick.

Here's a quick explanation of the wet neck and a video showing it in operation.

I tapped into a nearby return line.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/100_0718.jpg

The water is pushed into a chamber that surrounds the neck of the skimmer inside the collection cup. The water overflows the top edge of this chamber and flows down the inside of the skimmer neck.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/100_0717.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/100_0719.jpg

I'm hoping that this keeps the skimmer neck a bit cleaner. Immediately, I can see that it creates a higher foam level even though the input water/air is the same as before.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/th_100_0721.jpg (http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/?action=view&current=100_0721.flv)

[Jason McK]

Very cool. I did not realize that the foam would actually rise in the neck. But after thinking about it, it makes sense as there is less resistance as the foam climbs

J

[untamed]

A quick report on the performance of the wetneck: I'm very pleased. The wetneck is keeping the throat of the skimmer clean, so I will only have to remove the top of the skimmer every month or two now. I would say that the volume of skim has tripled, but that the skim is less dark than before. Basically, I'm skimming much wetter than before.

Nitrates measured "0" the other day, so either the skimmer is working or 6ml/day of vodka/vinegar/sugar combo. Either way, something is good.

Breaking the cardinal rule of "clean tank before photographing...." Here is how things look at the moment.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/IMG_1405.jpg

A few fish hit 2 year anniversary in the past weeks. Here's some shots of a couple of birthday boys, along with the newest fish.."Rusty", who arrived in November.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/IMG_1429.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/IMG_1416.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/IMG_1414.jpg

[JDigital]

That wet-neck mod is GENIUS! Is that a feature of your specific skimmer, or just some awesome idea you came up with?

Does your Achilles always have Ich? Can't recall if I read a post by you or someone else on RC in the Achilles Thread in "Reef Fishes" that mentioned theirs always has it.

Rusty Angel looks awesome BTW..

[untamed]

The wet neck came with the skimmer, which I purchased used. The maker sells it as an upgraded version.

That was me on RC, talking about my Achilles tang. For the most part, I've simply ignored the ich. In keeping an Achilles for over 2 years with ich, I think I've done better than most with this particular fish. It doesn't seem to be the death sentence people think it is.

[JDigital]

No doubt.. He certainly doesn't look "not happy". :mrgreen:

[untamed]

Actually, it turns out it was my Foxface that just turned "2" in the tank. The Achilles was added in May, 2007...so he's actually closer to "3", than "2".

Checking the records also tells me that my oldest fish is "Chuck" the (now) female clown who will be 4 years in April. Mostly, I still have young fish.

[pascalsimpson]

I'd love to go have a drink at your place

[untamed]

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/IMG_1431.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/IMG_1437.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/IMG_1438.jpg

[es355lucille]

That is a beauty Tank!! WOW

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/IMG_1431.jpg

[Tracey2]

I must have missed this but can you explain how your water gets from sump 1 to sump 2. I know sump one is elevated but the pumbing to sump 2 goes in at the top, how is the water traveling up?

[Doug]

Superb work. What a beautiful display.

[untamed]

I must have missed this but can you explain how your water gets from sump 1 to sump 2. I know sump one is elevated but the pumbing to sump 2 goes in at the top, how is the water traveling up?

Sump 1 (my Water change Sump), is just slightly higher than Sump 2 (Main sump)..but only 1" or 2" higher. The water level in sump 1 however, is significantly higher than Sump 2.

This is achieved because the sumps are connected by a Herbie "overflow" system. Sump 1 is bulkheaded at the bottom and connected directly to sump 2. There is a gate valve on this connection. If the gate valve is wide open, then the two sumps settle out at the same operating water level. But since the gate valve is partly closed, it takes more pressure to push the water through and the water level in Sump 1 is higher.

As it is not advisable to run a standard Herbie system with a single pipe, there is a second overflow connection that would kick in only if the water level in Sump 1 ever got too high.

This is the most unusual of the 4 Herbie overflows in my system.

[Tracey2]

Thanks for the info, so when you do a water change you just close the valve to sump 2, empty sump 1 and fill again? So you don't have to shut return pumps or anything off?

[untamed]

Thanks for the info, so when you do a water change you just close the valve to sump 2, empty sump 1 and fill again? So you don't have to shut return pumps or anything off?

Yup, that is exactly it.

As soon as I stop the flow between the sumps, sump 1 fills up capturing 50 gallons. As soon as it fills, I stop the flow INTO sump 1 and that sump is now completely isolated even as the return pump continues to run. (water just flows directly into sump 2 through the Herbie emergency drain).

I then dump sump 1, and refill it with new SW which is pumped in from the mixing tank. Then put the sump back into circulation. One advantage of this system is that I get to drain away any stuff that has settled in Sump 1 when I dump it. It is a good way to get rid of detritis.

[Tracey2]

Perfect, I am setting up a new tank and your thread has given me all kinds of ideas, thanks for sharing.

[bvlester]

great tank and some great idears in this thread.

Bill

[Tracey2]

Is there any reason if I didn't have the same space you have that I couldn't bypass the sw mixing container and have that be sump #1. So I would just close sump 1, rinse and drain, add salt and ro water and then turn it back on? Love your setup, thanks for your help.

[untamed]

Is there any reason if I didn't have the same space you have that I couldn't bypass the sw mixing container and have that be sump #1. So I would just close sump 1, rinse and drain, add salt and ro water and then turn it back on? Love your setup, thanks for your help.

Yes, that would work. But it advisable to mix SW for 24hrs or more before you use it. This would leave that sump out of commission for that length of time. You would also have to design that sump to be a good "mixer" as well as a sump.

That sump would also tend to be clean since you would probably kill anything living in there each time you dumped FW into it. That would probably be a good thing.

[Tracey2]

Thanks for your help. Can I ask how tall your sumps are? One of my sumps is 60x24x24, 36" will be under my DT and 24" in my fishroom/closet, I was planning my stand 36" tall with a door on one end to access the part of the sump under the DT but if I use the 2x6 like you have on top I will not have alot of clearance, could I do the top frame in 2x4 for a 270g tank?

[superduperwesman]

Did I ever tell you how nice your tank is...? :) Amazing!

[untamed]

Thanks for your help. Can I ask how tall your sumps are? One of my sumps is 60x24x24, 36" will be under my DT and 24" in my fishroom/closet, I was planning my stand 36" tall with a door on one end to access the part of the sump under the DT but if I use the 2x6 like you have on top I will not have alot of clearance, could I do the top frame in 2x4 for a 270g tank?

I'm not an engineer, so I don't know for certain what you can and cannot do.

I believe it is the span of the top frame that drives the choice. In my case, that span was 4 feet and I used 2x6's on edge about 12" apart from each other. This turned out to be plenty of support. (overbuilt)

I don't know the dimensions of your 270 gallon tank, but I would guess that the width is less than 4 feet. So maybe you could use 2x4s. You could also use more of them..maybe every 6" or 8".

My stand is 40" high, btw.

[untamed]

I'm quite happy with how the tank is doing, but there are always things to deal with.

Last week, the CO2 solenoid stopped working. After purchasing an entire new solenoid, I discovered that the thing is removable and serviceable. It probably only needed a bit of grease. So, I guess I have a spare part now.

After that, I must not have sealed the regulator on the tank properly, because 3 days later I ran out of CO2 without warning. 500lbs one moment...0 the next. It is always something.

Anyway, for your viewing pleasure. Here's Freckles doing what he does best..blocking the view into the aquarium. His tail streamers are really coming along now.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/100_0729.jpg

[lastlight]

Def looks like the tank has turned around again nice pic. Freckles is one stunning piece of fish! And did I read that right...you have a 500lb cylinder?!

How large is the hammer coral across?

[christyf5]

After that, I must not have sealed the regulator on the tank properly, because 3 days later I ran out of CO2 without warning. 500lbs one moment...0 the next. It is always something.



My tank used to do that all the time to me. It would read 500 for the longest time, then be completely dead. I just figured it wasn't sensitive enough to read anything in the "redline" below 500.

Freckles is quite the photogenic fish :biggrin: How big is he now?

[untamed]

My tank used to do that all the time to me. It would read 500 for the longest time, then be completely dead. I just figured it wasn't sensitive enough to read anything in the "redline" below 500.

Freckles is quite the photogenic fish :biggrin: How big is he now?

You might be right about the sensitivity of the regulator. I may not have had a leak at all.

...and for Lastlight....500lbs is bad shorthand for 500 "lbs per sq. inch...psi". It is only a 10lb tank. It lasts me at least 6 months.

It is hard to measure Freckles, even though he poses nicely. I tried to measure him the other day and I get maybe 15" or 16". He seems larger.

You can see the right side of the hammer coral in the previous photo (back left). It is larger than a basketball...smaller than an exercise ball. It is probably 1.5feet diameter. When I carve a hole in it, it fills back in pretty fast. It expands steadily outward maintaining its overall ball shape.

[untamed]

Fang is a little seen resident of the tank who is not very photogenic (shy). He's been in the tank now for about 2 years. I don't think he is getting any larger at this point.

I managed to get a reasonably complete moult out of the tank the other day, so this is a good shot of his hollow outsides. As you can see, he's a pretty fair size! Those of you who are keeners for detail will note that the back two legs are missing from this moult.

In the 2nd photo, you might be able to see why he is named Fang. (the moult retains all his unique colorations)

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/100_0028.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/100_0029.jpg

[fishytime]

Das is a big crab!.....Great pics

[Skimmerking]

WOW I see that you are battling red turf algae too, do you find that it goes away and comes back? Im sick of mine i find that if i beef up the phosban it goes away

[superduperwesman]

Very cool pictures!

[untamed]

WOW I see that you are battling red turf algae too, do you find that it goes away and comes back? Im sick of mine i find that if i beef up the phosban it goes away

I wouldn't say I was battling it...In fact, I've not paid it any attention whatsoever. What you see there is about what is always there. It doesn't go away, or get worse. That's just how my tank is, I suppose. The orange firecoral seems to eliminate it, but that coral has it's own challenges.

I run some phosban, probably not enough. It is rare that I get any kind of reading on the Hanna LR phosphate photometer.

[christyf5]

Wow! Fang is awesome :cool: I had no idea they got that big. I guess you don't have any small fish for him to catch. I had one about half his size when I started out. I could watch him eat gobies for lunch catching them if they swam too close to his rock.

[kien]

Whoa!! What exactly do you feed it?!?!

[Delphinus]

What kind of crab? It reminds me of the crab alien things from that (really cheesy) remake of Lost in Space from around 12 years ago...

[burtonboy]

What kind of crab? It reminds me of the crab alien things from that (really cheesy) remake of Lost in Space from around 12 years ago...

Looks like a sally light foot crab to me!!

[Delphinus]

I agree it sorta looks like one, but I also thought it looked a little different. Then again I've never seen one that big so what do I know. :lol:

[untamed]

It is a Sally Lightfoot. I don't feed him anything, directly. I'm sure he gets his share of the frozen food I feed everyone else. He always seems to be picking at something.

I've seen him have lots of opportunity to grab small fish. Never shown any interest whatsoever.

[lastlight]

So many nice surprises in this tank. You've done things just a little differently and that makes your tank ever cooler. Love that crab!

[Stevey87]

This aquarium is art.

[plutoniumJoe]

Progess is steady...but slow. (I suppose it didn't help getting buried by snow this weekend)

I've managed to get the front-access doors installed. The idea behind these doors is to get the look of an in-wall tank, but still have front access when I need it. The doors will be painted to match the beige walls.

Still no high-tech solution to holding the doors up. As you can see, a simple prop actually does a very good job. I think I'll try to make some nice props out of stainless steel or something.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/100_0488.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/100_0489.jpg

Not to dig up the past, but I am in the process of building my canopy and I like what you did. I had a question though. Does the framing sit directly on the acrylic and if it does do you need to compensate for expansion?

- Joe.

[untamed]

Yes, you have dug up the past!

The weight of the upper walls is carried by the tank. However, there is a layer of that foamy door sill material between the tank and the walls. I did that primarily to prevent water from splashed out the seam.

Those walls are NOT attached to the ceiling. The walls are three pieces (left, right, front) They are screwed to each other and only screwed to the surrounding walls at the back left and back right only.

If you look closely, you might be able to see the foam layer in this photo. You can also see the bolts that connect the left and right frames to the front frame.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/100_0479.jpg

[untamed]

Things are going quite well. Nothing unusual to report...coral growing, fish growing... It is nice not to have any crisis at the moment.

Glass and sand both happen to be clean at the same time, so that seemed a good reason to take some photos!

Left:
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/IMG_1583.jpg
Right:
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/IMG_1582.jpg

Lance (the unicorn) as he usually struts around in the evening trying to impress somebody.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/IMG_1571.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/IMG_1569.jpg

Hard to get the camera out and not take a few photos of these two.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/IMG_1570.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/IMG_1560.jpg

[andestang]

Love the Achilles, looks nice and fat :)

[untamed]

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/IMG_1585.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/IMG_1584.jpg

[christyf5]

Wow Brad, the tank is looking great. I can't believe how huge your fish are! Love the gorgonians, how many different types do you have in there?

[Chaloupa]

Looking fantastic! To have a large tank like yours would be a dream come true!

[untamed]

Wow Brad, the tank is looking great. I can't believe how huge your fish are! Love the gorgonians, how many different types do you have in there?

There are three or four types. All the tall ones in the centre are the same and I've begun to take frags from them to keep them under control.

[kien]

I have a question! Being so gigantic, do your fish have hiding spots? Do they even bother to hide at night? I suspect maybe the littler fish do? Asssuming you even have caves for them to hide in. Just curious :-)

[untamed]

I have a question! Being so gigantic, do your fish have hiding spots? Do they even bother to hide at night? I suspect maybe the littler fish do? Asssuming you even have caves for them to hide in. Just curious :-)

The blonde Naso seems to just hang around all night. All the others have set sleeping spots. Right at lights out, there is a lot of disputes over sleeping places. It never ceases to amaze me how you can look in that tank and see almost no fish at night.

[Delphinus]

Brad, I can't remember. Did you stain the bar before attaching it, or did you stain it after the fact?

Also, for the river rock, did you attach that direct to the plywood, or did you go through the process of putting up tar paper, then the metal grill, then the mortar, etc.?

[lastlight]

I think Brad's boulders are fake Tony. Don't read too much into that but I don't *think* they required mortar =)

[untamed]

Brad, I can't remember. Did you stain the bar before attaching it, or did you stain it after the fact?

Also, for the river rock, did you attach that direct to the plywood, or did you go through the process of putting up tar paper, then the metal grill, then the mortar, etc.?

Yes, the bar got multiple coats of stain, then multiple coats of spar varnish all before installation.

The river rock is fake stuff used on exterior of houses. Because it was an indoor install, we skipped the tar paper...but it is installed over a metal grill, then cemented in piece by piece.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/100_0494.jpg

[Delphinus]

Oh ok, thanks. Yeah I know the stuff is fake, I thought it was the same kind of stuff that you can put around fireplaces, of which you can get "river rock" (which looks *just* like what Brad has there) or a host of other kinds of things. I don't know if the stuff I was looking at was for both indoors and outdoors but the literature showed indoors only - but I was just reading up on the technique for how to build that stuff, and well, it sounds basically the same. They said you should do tar paper even for indoors though.

Alternatively drywall would be a quick and easy way to skin my tank stand and canopy, but also kind of boring. But at the same time I don't want the tank finish to take away from the tank itself. I'll never be in the silver orb or pheasant ball or artsy red chair with concrete walls kind of interior design category that some looloos are in but at the same time I'd like to try to at least say I put some thought into how it would look. :p I don't think I'd want river rock since that look has been done now but there are a number of other kinds that are pretty nice.

Anyhow just things I'm thinking about. Thanks for the info.

[lastlight]

Two things wrong here:

1) Brad never made any perverted comment in response to mine. His thread so I'll respect that.

2) Tony...looloo? Come on dude that was as lame as my orb.

That said I love the rock Brad! Tony I don't think it's a good fit for you since this rock will weather away over the next couple hundred years due to dust and debris blowing over it in your basement. You're going to want something that will be intact for when your tank is done.

[untamed]

The rock was a pricey...and really permanent. Those would be the downsides of it.

[Delphinus]

Yeah, I priced it out to around $500ish for the surface area of my tank stand. I'm still undecided on it.

Would you do it again if given the chance?

[untamed]

Yeah, I priced it out to around $500ish for the surface area of my tank stand. I'm still undecided on it.

Would you do it again if given the chance?

I really like how it looks. It fits really well into the style of the house. If I did it again, I would look around at wall panelling. I'm sure there must be another way to get the same look without the expense and permanence.

[fishoholic]

Lance (the unicorn) as he usually struts around in the evening trying to impress somebody.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/IMG_1571.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/IMG_1569.jpg



Sort of like another Lance we all know :lol: :razz:

The tank looks great!

[Lance]

Sort of like another Lance we all know :lol: :razz:

I may strut Laurie, but my horn is most definitely not on my forehead. :lol:

[lastlight]

And here we all thought that was a unicorn in your pocket. Hot damn dude.

[fishoholic]

I may strut Laurie, but my horn is most definitely not on my forehead. :lol:

And here we all thought that was a unicorn in your pocket. Hot damn dude.

:pound: I'm laughing so hard right now I'm tearing up and I almost fell out of my chair!

[untamed]

Here's the sequence of events...draw your own conclusions:

1) SpG of the tank falls from 1.025 to around 1.022
2) Pulsing Xenia self distructs completely! Total meltdown. This, of itself, was not really of concern to me. I've seen Xenia do this before. It usually comes back, but if it doesn't I'm not going to get upset about it's loss.
3) Achilles Tang breaks out in worst ich ever. Won't eat.
4) I've rapidly adjusted the SpG back up to 1.025.

The Achilles became so lethargic that I was able to reach in and basically hand-catch him. Those of you who are familiar with achilles tangs would know this is REALLY lethargic. I dropped him into a bucket of FW (at tank temp) to try to relieve him of some of the parasites. This puts the fish into some kind of rigor and I could only stand to leave him in there for about 1 minute.

Thinking he was basically frozen still, I was only holding him loosely in my hand when I removed him from the FW. He exploded in violent flipping and I was lucky to throw him across the top of the tank where he bounced off the top of the light fixture and back into the tank!

He seems much better this morning. I suppose we'll see.

[Tracey2]

Wow, I hope he makes it.

[gobytron]

Hey Brad...
when are you going to change the title of this thread from "project" to "masterpiece"?

[Lance]

Here's the sequence of events...draw your own conclusions:

1) SpG of the tank falls from 1.025 to around 1.022
2) Pulsing Xenia self distructs completely! Total meltdown. This, of itself, was not really of concern to me. I've seen Xenia do this before. It usually comes back, but if it doesn't I'm not going to get upset about it's loss.
3) Achilles Tang breaks out in worst ich ever. Won't eat.
4) I've rapidly adjusted the SpG back up to 1.025.

The Achilles became so lethargic that I was able to reach in and basically hand-catch him. Those of you who are familiar with achilles tangs would know this is REALLY lethargic. I dropped him into a bucket of FW (at tank temp) to try to relieve him of some of the parasites. This puts the fish into some kind of rigor and I could only stand to leave him in there for about 1 minute.

Thinking he was basically frozen still, I was only holding him loosely in my hand when I removed him from the FW. He exploded in violent flipping and I was lucky to throw him across the top of the tank where he bounced off the top of the light fixture and back into the tank!

He seems much better this morning. I suppose we'll see.



Brad, IMO I don't think the lowered SG made the Ich worse as the Ich parasite needs higher SG levels. I believe the lower SG stressed the Achilles and thus made it a target for the parasites in your system.

[untamed]

Well...Achilles is one tough fish. At this point, he has not eaten anything for at least 7 days. He still looks pretty solid at this point. Just as I start to think he is behaving a bit better, he turns for the worse. Lately, he's become the target of attacks by my yellow tang and ABT.

So...he's been moved to the refugium for some refuge. He may not make it, but at least now he won't get harrassed and he has unlimited food all to himself if he wants it.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/100_0772.jpg

In this photo you can see the extent of the parasitic attack. The large spot near his gills is just coraline on the glas, but everything else you can see is ich. You can also see some damage done by the yellow tang on his mid/upper back.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/100_0774.jpg

[untamed]

Since I know everyone loves a challenge.... See if you can spot the algae blenny in the following photo of Achilles in the 'fuge. This blenny has been living in the 'fuge now for almost a year.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/100_0772.jpg

BTW...if you see a frag that you really like, everything in this tank is available...cheap as always.

[hillegom]

Hope he recovers

[Lance]

Poor guy! Get better Buddy.
Brad, I give up, I can't find the Blenny. :noidea:

[Delphinus]

Good luck with the Achilles.

I can't see the blenny either. Only thing I'm not sure of is that blob under the eggcrate but that could be a snail shell too for all I know.

[fishoholic]

I hope your Achilles gets better, and for the life of me I can't find the blenny :twised: Which is annoying because I'm usually pretty good at finding hidden items in pic.'s.

Edit: never mind I found him, he looks to be covered in green fuzzy algae (looks almost like gsp) he's right behind the egg crate on the right side and you can just make out his face poking up from the egg crate hiding partly behind the orange sps frag.

[fishytime]

Since I know everyone loves a challenge.... See if you can spot the algae blenny in the following photo of Achilles in the 'fuge. This blenny has been living in the 'fuge now for almost a year.

Get well soon......Is he curled up under the shroom on the right?

[fishoholic]

Get well soon......Is he curled up under the shroom on the right?

Nope read my edit above

[Lance]

Edit: never mind I found him, he looks to be covered in green fuzzy algae (looks almost like gsp) he's right behind the egg crate on the right side and you can just make out his face poking up from the egg crate hiding partly behind the orange sps frag.


Oh yeah, I see him now. Good eyes Laurie!

[untamed]

Edit: never mind I found him, he looks to be covered in green fuzzy algae (looks almost like gsp) he's right behind the egg crate on the right side and you can just make out his face poking up from the egg crate hiding partly behind the orange sps frag.

Well done! Yup, that's him. If anyone wants some TomR GSP, I seem to be in the same business now.

[lastlight]

Hope he pulls through that fish is too beautiful to see like that.

[fishoholic]

Well done! Yup, that's him. If anyone wants some TomR GSP, I seem to be in the same business now.

Yay I figured it out, do I win a prize? :lol:

[imcosmokramer]

beautiful fish!
________
LadyPosh live (http://camslivesexy.com/cam/LadyPosh)

[untamed]

Yay I figured it out, do I win a prize? :lol:

Free behind the scenes tour. No expiry date.

[muck]

Free behind the scenes tour. No expiry date.

hahaha... Im sure you would love to give the tour to anyone geek enough to listen.. :razz:

[fishoholic]

Free behind the scenes tour. No expiry date.

Sweet :biggrin: If I ever get out that way I will definitely take you up on that, and yes Ryan, I am geek enough to want to listen.

[muck]

...and yes Ryan, I am geek enough to want to listen.
Yes... I know, as are all us regulars on Canreef. :mrgreen:

[banditpowdercoat]

Sweet :biggrin: If I ever get out that way I will definitely take you up on that, and yes Ryan, I am geek enough to want to listen.

LOL, Ya some wouldn't call it Geek. I show them the door hahaha

[tony_3a]

wow, i am just getting into this i have a 70 gallon osaka that i thought looked cool, but this is just amazing, i started reading at about 7 and just finished now at 1245, awesome job looks incredible. I am just starting up my tank so this gives me a lot to look forward too.

[muck]

Welcome to Canreef tony_3a!!
Make sure to start your own build thread and ask as many questions as you need to. :smile:

[tony_3a]

thanks! just added some fish so im excited to go from here.

[untamed]

My Achilles Tang died. In a last attempt to save him, I took him to a LFS so they could put him into a medicated tank. Achilles tangs don't take well to new environments and it is likely that this final move was too much for him in his weakened condition.

In keeping this fish for over three years, I suppose I did better than many. However, in the end I'm disappointed that I've lost two Acanthuras tangs in my time. I don't think I'll be rushing out to get another Acanthuras tang of any type soon.

[DCDN]

I'm really sorry to hear that

[fishoholic]

:cry: That really sucks, I had hoped he'd pull through and be ok :sad:

[Lance]

So sorry to hear this Brad. :cry: Corals, shrimps etc. come and go but it really sucks to lose a fish.

[hillegom]

Its too bad he died Brad. You did your best.

[lastlight]

You did amazingly well with that one man. Still, sorry to hear this it's really hard when that happens.

[christyf5]

Sorry to hear, I was hoping he would pull through :neutral:

[Ron99]

Very sorry to hear that brad. He was beautiful.

[Tom R]

Hi Brad

I feel your pain.

It is always very troubling when we loose any of our favorites.

Tom R

[Tracey2]

You did do better than most, I'm sorry for your loss.

[fishytime]

aw that sucks Brad!.......sorry to hear:sad:

[galeas]

took me 2 days to read your thread, and all i have to say is wow...

Your tank is an inspiration and i hope that someday i can have something in my house close to what you have done.

hope to see more from your tank soon!

[hound96]

i was planning on going with a 400 long for my next tank build but after this i'm going with the deep footprint you tank is insane man

[untamed]

Not much of an update...but I accidently stepped on the power cord of the aquarium camera, knocking the camera into the sump. While it is currently drying out, I expect it did not survive and there will be no on-line camera for a while....

[lastlight]

Ouch that is brutal! I'd dunk it again but in ro/di and then let that dry out.

Trouble is it fell in while turned on I guess...too bad man. I've viewed that quite a few times over the last couple years.

[untamed]

I'm not thrilled with my latest photos...but this should give you a good idea of how the tank is doing these days.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/100_0879.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/100_0882.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/100_0881.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/100_0880.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/100_0883.jpg

[Chowder]

Looks great to me .

[christyf5]

Ditto! :mrgreen:

Love those big tangs and the gorgonians look awesome :biggrin:

[hillegom]

I love it
You are an inspiration
Must work on mine!

[Hawkaholic]

I am now addicted to build threads because of this one...lol. Nice build and VERY nice tank. How did those sponges do for ya? Any problems with them?

[untamed]

I am now addicted to build threads because of this one...lol. Nice build and VERY nice tank. How did those sponges do for ya? Any problems with them?

Some of the sponges are still doing well (yellow ball sponges)...others didn't make it (large orange/red branching sponges)...and others have appeared from the live rock. In general, it is important to place them somewhere where they don't get any light.

If you are able to leave your rockwork and flow alone for an extended period of time, sponges tend to find the places where conditions are good for them.

[Hawkaholic]

Some of the sponges are still doing well (yellow ball sponges)...others didn't make it (large orange/red branching sponges)...and others have appeared from the live rock. In general, it is important to place them somewhere where they don't get any light.

If you are able to leave your rockwork and flow alone for an extended period of time, sponges tend to find the places where conditions are good for them.

I have a yellow sponge that just appeared one day and has takin over my tank. I dont mind it cause it stays hidden in behind the rocks and it actually glues them together...lol

As far as leaving the rockwork alone...I dont think I have two pictures where the rockwork is the same...lol

[untamed]

This is the 2nd time this has happened in the 13+ years that I've owned this green carpet 'nem. There was a full moon last night....coincidence? Probably.

The carpet changes its shape into a cup. This seems to limit the water flow in over the mouth and concentrates the sperm in this area. If not for the actions of the host clown, this would have pooled in the bowl formed by the anemone.

If you have ever dosed coral snow into your tank...that is what the tank looked like after an hour or so!

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/101_0016.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/101_0019.jpg

[Delphinus]

It's also equinox and that might not be so coincidental. For what it's worth, all the anemone spawnings I've had in my tanks over the years, with the exception of maybe once, they have all been inside a small threshold value of equinox or solstice (as in, if not the actual day of, within a couple days of it). I wish I kept better notes so I could say more authoritatively but I didn't, but I can say that it occured often enough that I'm pretty sure it's not so coincidental anymore.

FWIW it was the H. maginifica would spawn (quite regularly in fact) around solstice and the others (S.haddoni carpet, who was male and green.. just like yours) and BTA's would seem to spawn near equinoxes. The S.gigantea I currently have, have not spawned for me ever, which makes me wonder, could they be females and internal brooders, or could the trigger to spawn for that species be something else entirely, that's simply missing in captivity.

[untamed]

That is very interesting. I've made notes this time, so maybe we'll learn something more next time. Checking my notes I also confirmed that I've had this anemone for over 13 years now.

Here's some fun. Everyday I drain the skimmer cup...and everyday I get two cups worth. Today...10 cups.

[untamed]

Lately, the water has not looked very clear. It was very difficult to tell if it was filled with small particles or small air bubbles. I decided that I might have a small plumbing leak in one of the closed loops, so I pulled the pump out to have a look.

The impeller was FULL of snail shells (14 in all). After cleaning those out, I pulled the other CL pump and it had another 8 shells in it. My snails must be breeding somehow, as I can't remember even having added that many snails in the first place!

Removing the shells solved the water clarity problem. The shells in the pump were pulverizing the water so much that they were causing cavitation to occur right around the impellers. So...mind your pumps!

Now that the water was clear again, good time for some more photos. These include a few of fish that I rarely get a clear photo of...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/IMG_1723.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/IMG_1722.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/IMG_1720.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/IMG_1712.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/IMG_1711.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/IMG_1717.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/IMG_1715.jpg

[Sebae again]

Great pics! Everything looks healthy and happy.

[Lance]

Tank looks great Brad! Nice pics too.

[lastlight]

Wow man things sure did turn around it's nice seeing so many nice big colonies and they look great too. What's the orange covering across that one big round boulder? Is it some sort of encrusting coral or what?

[fishoholic]

Wow looks great :biggrin:

[scherzo]

I've seen this tank in person and the pictures do not do it justice.

Brad's fish are GIGANTIC! Very healthy and active... loved seeing it up close.

[untamed]

What's the orange covering across that one big round boulder? Is it some sort of encrusting coral or what?

There are two orange encrusting corals on that front rock. The top is some sort of monti(?) that flouresces beautifully. The sides are a fire coral that is native to Florida where the LD came from.

The fire coral is spreading rapidly around the entire tank...even up the back wall. Fortunately, it has no defense against any acro that wants space, so the rest of the coral holds it at bay.

Unfortunately, the gorgonians do not have any defense against the fire coral and one of my gorgs became completely overgrown by it. This seems like the natural behaviour of the fire coral as both the gorg and the fire coral come from the same ecosystem.

The orange encrusting monti is actually doing a service by surrounding that patch of gorgs, preventing the fire coral from reaching them. If not for that good fortune, I would have lost all those gorgonians to the fire coral long ago. The monti is also trying to grow up the gorgonians, but is doing so at a MUCH slower rate. The fire coral can fully encrust a 6" gorgonian in less than one week. It looks like it will take the monti years to accomplish that.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/IMG_1712-1.jpg

If you aren't a diver, I will add that fire coral is so named because you don't want to touch it! It has zapped me a few times, but it is only mildly painful.

[Snappy]

Things are looking great. Nice to see things turned around for you.:biggrin:

[MitchM]

Beautiful!
:smile:

Mitch

[untamed]

While I was looking at the tank today, I thought..."there still seems to be some microbubbles floating around...." Not nearly as many as a few days ago, but still some.

So I decided to take apart my return pump, even though it had been completely cleaned out only 2 months ago.

Here is what I found. I believe I have located the final source of microbubbles in the tank. The intake strainer in my sump had become detached and I didn't think it would matter. I guess it does.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/101_0884.jpg

[zum14]

WOW! Hahah! Im surprised it didnt sound like there was a handful of rocks in the pump. Crazy.

[hillegom]

What kind of snail is that in the pump?
Tank looking great!

[Travis]

Love the tank!
but i was wondering how u like the g-6 protien skimmer?

[untamed]

What kind of snail is that in the pump?
Tank looking great!

I don't know. I can say that this kind of snail is ALWAYS the kind of shell that I find in my pumps, although they are usually 1/4 the size of this particular one. I believe they are a carnivorous type because they are always first on the scene of another snail's death.

Love the tank!
but i was wondering how u like the g-6 protien skimmer?

G6 has long been replaced. My current skimmer is double the volume of the G6 and nearly 2 feet taller. You can read about that install. It started on pg 84!
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=28436&page=84

[christyf5]

Tank is looking great Brad!! I can't believe how much stuff your pumps are collecting without any damage to them :eek: