400 gallon project

[Delphinus]

Congrats on hitting 4 digits with the reply count! :lol:

Oh ya, tank looks great too. :cool:

[globaldesigns]

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

hey Greg, how are things with your tank? I hope things are going ok after some of your tank upsets.

[gucci17]

Awesome tank! So Corix helped you out with the fittings and pipe? Great company!

[lastlight]

Which pump is that? I can't believe you had a frag IN the pump!

[DCDN]

Looks amazing

[untamed]

Which pump is that? I can't believe you had a frag IN the pump!

All three pumps are Reeflo Darts. Normally, something that big could not get past the intake screens. In this case, the intake screen in my sump was not in place for a few weeks. I'm not sure how a coral frag got into the sump in the first place. That is another mystery.

[Kona]

Just wondering that when you take the pumps apart to clean them, do you need to buy a seal kit or do you just use the old seals?

[untamed]

Just wondering that when you take the pumps apart to clean them, do you need to buy a seal kit or do you just use the old seals?

It has been almost 4 years and I've only replaced the seals on one pump. (and those seals were bad since the pump was new) For basic service you don't get near the seals. All that needs to be done is to remove the volute and clean the impeller. You only get into the seals if you remove the impeller. I also clean and regrease the volute o-ring.

[Delphinus]

What do you use to grease the O-ring and how often is a good rule of thumb?

[untamed]

What do you use to grease the O-ring and how often is a good rule of thumb?

I use silicon O-Ring grease that I picked up at a dive shop. I don't know if it is toxic or not, but it works.

I re-grease an O-ring every time I see one. So anytime I break apart a pump or union fitting, I re-grease. O-rings keep my world dry.

[Chowder]

Tank is looking amazing Brad. Good to here it has rebounded from your earlier problems.

Chris

[untamed]

When the lights came on today, My female blue throat trigger had locked herself into a coral head directly below one of the return jets. She refused to move, even when I reached in and pushed her with my hand.

When I redirected the water flow, she swam off and has been hiding ever since.

Her belly looks like she just ate, even though she had not been fed in a day.

I'm worried....stay tuned.

[Lance]

Uh Oh! :sad: I hope she's ok.

[lastlight]

Saying a fishy prayer for ya :neutral:

[MarkoD]

i've looked through about 50 pages of this build and its frikin amazing.

i dont know if its been asked. but how much does a tank like this cost?

[untamed]

i've looked through about 50 pages of this build and its frikin amazing.

i dont know if its been asked. but how much does a tank like this cost?

Thanks. The tank itself cost about $3000 (as I recall). Of course, that hardly scratches the surface of the cost of the entire system. I've not added up what I've spent, so don't ask for a total because I don't know.

Day II: Hera, my female Blue Throat, continues to look well fed and is acting strangely. I'm suspecting a case of constipation and hoping she will work it through (literally).

[Lance]

Good news! Sort of. Hopefully she becomes her old "regular" self again.

[Foxface]

Saw this tank yesterday, all I can say is WOW. The tank is beautiful, the fish are huge, and their colour is awsome. Thanks for tour Brad. And the frag. Hope Hera is doing better.

Steve.

[untamed]

Day 4: Hera continues to struggle. She hides for the entire day, coming out only during feeding time. While she looks fine, she has lost the ability to suck food in and I'm not sure if she can still close her mouth.

Some food continues to get in, so this could be a long decline.

I suspect she has some sort of tumor in her jaw/throat area which is finally interfering somehow.

[untamed]

Day 6: It is difficult to say if Hera is any better today. She still hides all day, coming out only at feeding time. Today, she had more success eating than yesterday. She had a little more "pop" in her bites today. Maybe some recovery?

[lastlight]

Awesome any progress is good news.

[Delphinus]

+1 - really hoping for the best here for you..

[untamed]

Sometime yesterday, Hera (female blue throat trigger) died. It took until this AM to find the body. My best guess is some sort of tumor growing in her mouth/throat killed her. She lived in the tank for just over 3 years.

Sept, 2007 - Jan, 2011.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/IMG_1720.jpg

[christyf5]

Aww, sorry to hear that Brad. I was really hoping she'd pull through :neutral:

[Delphinus]

Sorry to hear that..

[lastlight]

Sorry to hear that man.

[Foxface]

Sorry to hear that Brad.

[golf nut]

3 Years is a great accomplishment, you did your best.

[Lance]

So sorry to hear this Brad.

[hillegom]

Sorry to hear that too Brad.
Will you be getting a replacement?

[untamed]

Sorry to hear that too Brad.
Will you be getting a replacement?

Yes, but I'll be very patient to find the right fish. I'm thinking a blue throat, sargassum or
Crosshatch...but it will have to be small and young. I have not seen too many like that. I should probably find a job before buying a crosshatch!

[Jason McK]

Sorry to hear about Hera

[michika]

Really sorry to hear this.

[ensquire]

[quote=untamed;242243]I got tired of removing the skimmer cup every time it got full....so I put this little modification on yesterday. A little 1/4 inch line with a valve on the end so that whenever the cup looks a little full, I can drain it without shutting down the skimmer.

I'll put one other bulkhead in as an emergency overflow. Emergency overflow will just fall back into the tank. If the cup gets too full, the skimmer starts percolating like a coffee maker.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/100_0188.jpg


Enjoyed your journal immensely and it was very informative. You have a beautiful tank and basement setup. Congratulations
Where can I get one of these fitting, I need one in the worst way and of course Yellowknife would never have anything like this.
This would do the same thing for me, drain skimmer,one with a 90 degree elbow would be better but I could make this work.

[untamed]

Very sad news, I'm afraid.

Freckles (vlamingi tang) is not doing well. About 3 days ago, I first noticed a white-grey-ish area on his lower right side. At the time, he seemed to be his usual hungry self.

However, over the next two days the area spread in all directions and now covers a significant part of his lower right. A 2nd lesion has now appeared on the upper right, now a third on his upper left. In each case, the lesion seems to have a starting point spreading outward from there. The smaller lesions have a distinct fan shape as a result.

By Day 3, the largest affected area is now showing three very reddish areas along his bend lines. Since this characteristic developed later, I don't think that any physical injury is to blame..athough it looks like he has been scratched by some three-toed beast.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/101_0899.jpg

He is now hiding most of the time. When he is tempted out with food, he seems prone to sudden outbursts of very violent and dangerous swimming.

Most concerning is the fact that this looks VERY similar to whatever killed my gold-rim tang nearly 2 years ago. That was a horrible, decaying death which I don't want to see on the scale of Freckles!

He is still eating, so I've been able to get a good bit of Seachem Kanamycin into him.
http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/sc-kan005/SeaChem+Kanaplex+Bacterial+and+Fungal+Treatment+-+5+Gram.html

I have no idea if this is a proper medication for this particular problem. As I read the instructions for differing medications, none really seem to recommend feeding the medication directly to the fish. As of now, there is still no chance of removing Freckles from the tank for external treatment.

I have some Maracyn as well....but the instructions don't say to feed to the fish.
http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/md-mars116/Virbac+Maracyn+Medication+-+16+Packet.html The ingredients say it is Erythromycin, so that could be effective internally...but I have no idea what might be a safe or unsafe dose.

Any suggestions?

[MitchM]

Any chance of getting him into a quarantine tank with UV while you treat with antibiotics?
Are the 3 slash marks a result of scratching the affected area, or is the white patch a result of something spreading from them? Is he rubbing against objects?
Not nice to see.:sad:

[untamed]

No... No rubbing. I get the impression that any touch is painful and that is causing the panic swimming. The white patch is first...as it got larger, the red lines appeared.

It is very unlikely that I could get him out of the tank at this point.

[MitchM]

Each antibiotic has a spectrum of bacteria which are susceptible to it, and under-dosing may result in the creation of a bacterial population resistant to the antibiotic that you were using.
I guess if it was my tank I would try to section the tank off using some egg crate and try to catch him. Remove him so the infection and treatment doesn't affect the other aquarium inhabitants.

[MitchM]

Erythromycin dosage is recommended at 250 - 500 mg per 20 gallons every 24 hours with a 25% water change before each treatment. Treat for 10 days.

[untamed]

Erythromycin dosage is recommended at 250 - 500 mg per 20 gallons every 24 hours with a 25% water change before each treatment. Treat for 10 days.

What if I fed it to him? Wouldn't it be more effective than trying to dose the whole tank?

[MitchM]

A few unknowns:
Is the bacteria was coming from inside the fish? The medication won't be very effective if the bacteria originated from outside.
What will the liver do to the erythromycin as it passes through?
I have no idea what the dosage would be for taking it internally.
HAving said that, it could be worth a try.
What size tablets do you have? Maybe we could figure out a concentration from the recommended tank treatment.

[untamed]

What if I fed it to him? Wouldn't it be more effective than trying to dose the whole tank?

Hmmm... It seems that Maracyn doesn't taste very good. Option to feed it to him probably won't work. I have the powdered packets.

[MitchM]

I did come across this chart (http://www.pets-warehouse.com/Fishmed3.htm) from Frank Greco
However, it states that both antibiotics that you have are ineffective when taken internally.

It show a dosage of 20 mg/kg of erythromycin and a similar dose for kanamycin.

[untamed]

I did come across this chart (http://www.pets-warehouse.com/Fishmed3.htm) from Frank Greco
However, it states that both antibiotics that you have are ineffective when taken internally.

It show a dosage of 20 mg/kg of erythromycin and a similar dose for kanamycin.

Thanks. Interesting.

So... Assuming I could get him to quarantine... What would you treat with?

[Tom R]

Hi Brad

Are any other fish showing any sighns?

I have some Proto Marin left from when I was fighting Ich and Velvet if you want to try it.

Tom R

[MitchM]

As most marine bacterial infections are gram negative, I would go with Kanamycin.

[untamed]

Hi Brad

Are any other fish showing any sighns?

I have some Proto Marin left from when I was fighting Ich and Velvet if you want to try it.

Tom R

No, all other fish seem fine. This is similar to my gold rim tang. It died horribly, while no other fish showed any sign whatsoever.

[untamed]

As most marine bacterial infections are gram negative, I would go with Kanamycin.

I'll keep treating with kanamycin...and try to get him out for treatment.

[lastlight]

Oh that's a tough picture to look... freckles is the bomb afterall. I know nothing about fish treatments but you certainly have my sympathy man.

[spoot]

Not sure if you can find this locally, but maybe try looking this up?
http://www.amazon.com/Fish-Disease-Diagnosis-Edward-Noga/dp/081382558X

My GF works at a veterinary clinic, and she says that if anyone knows of a fish vet, Parkgate Animal Hospital would be the people to ask.
http://www.parkgate.ca/

She says maybe try asking the ichtyologists at SFU/UBC, or an aquaculture specialist, who may have experience with aquatic diseases.

Hope Freckles will be ok!

[untamed]

Freckles has been successfully captured!! I've placed him in my water change sump...medicated it...and we'll see.

[MitchM]

Good luck!
I hope it works out.

[Lance]

Good to hear. Hopefully Freckles is on the mend.

[fishoholic]

Very odd, glad you were able to catch freckles here's hoping the med.'s work.

[christyf5]

glad to hear you're able to treat freckles. i hope he is ok

[hillegom]

Here's hoping it'll work. Pulling for you

[untamed]

Today, my Xmas wrasse died. No symptoms..just dead.

However, my smaller Naso literatus now has a lesion that is identical to that on Freckles. So, whatever I'm dealing with has now spread to another fish...and I have one death that could be related.

Sigh... Others have gone through stuff like this, but in 20 years it has never happened to me...

[fishoholic]

:sad:

[Lance]

Oh Crap! Sorry to hear this Brad. I know it hasn't been long but has Freckles shown any signs of improving since treatment? Any idea yet what the lesions are?

[es355lucille]

Hi Brad....I have been trying to keep up on your thread. Could the lesions be from an attack from something in your tank? I see you say your Christmas wrasse died....(sorry).......no marks on the fish at all? Have a close look at everything....snails and other things in your tank.....does everything look ok?

Brad

[Tom R]

Hi Brad

Your fish problems sound very simaler to what I went through last November.

Hopefully you will get to the bottom of it very quickly.

Tom R

[untamed]

Oh Crap! Sorry to hear this Brad. I know it hasn't been long but has Freckles shown any signs of improving since treatment? Any idea yet what the lesions are?

It has only been 24 hrs in iso treatment. It is difficult to see for sure if he is improving or not...but he seems no worse than yesterday. He won't eat.

Hi Brad....I have been trying to keep up on your thread. Could the lesions be from an attack from something in your tank? I see you say your Christmas wrasse died....(sorry).......no marks on the fish at all? Have a close look at everything....snails and other things in your tank.....does everything look ok?

Brad

No, it is not a wound or injury. The wrasse didn't look too good in general when I found him, so I could not see any obvious cause of death. He didn't have any visible marks 24 hrs earlier. Everything else seems fine.

[Delphinus]

I don't know what to say or suggest other than I really hope for the best here.. Good luck.

[fishguynad]

Wow!! Awesome read on the build buddy!! All the ups and downs and and craziness! I laughed, i cried, it was an emotional rollercoaster!!
Alrighty, back to sick fishes. This is only my second post on here btw! Hi all im new around here and soon i will post pucs of my craziness!!
Brad are you giving your fishes vitamins? Ie garlic and vit b? I know there is a good product you can feed from zeovit. Its like cold fx butt for our fishies. I think there is something about tangs and copper that dont quite mix butt i would have to double check and the last i heard you have to fw dip for like 10 or so minutes to cure. They also say its harder on the owner then the fish when you do it!! Are you running uv on your system? It might be something to look into quickly before things start falling apart fast. Good luck with your fish, you have a few of my fav's and cant wait to share pictures with everyone!!

[untamed]

I don't add vitamins or anything to my feeding. I'll consider starting that.

I have a UV sterilizer, but it isn't tied into my system at the moment. I may FW dip Freckles this weekend.

So far, Freckles seems unchanged... But it is hard to say because I can't see him as well in the hospital tank. Meanwhile, my small Naso seems to have beaten it, because his lesion has almost disappeared. He did not receive any treatment and has remained in the main display. No other fish affected (so far).

[MitchM]

Is Freckles still doing the panicked swimming action?

[untamed]

Is Freckles still doing the panicked swimming action?

He is not able to swim much at all in his current situation. That sump is only 1/4 the area of his usual home!

[untamed]

Freckles was in the medicated sump for 5 days. In the sump, it was difficult to see if the affected areas of his skin where improving or not. I could reach into the sump and roll him onto his sides in order to see how things looked, but it wasn't easy and he didn't like the handling much. (I learned that the dorsal and ventral spines of Naso tangs are REALLY sharp!)

Today, he seemed interested in food for the first time in a week. So I decided to move him back into the main display tank. A few hours later, he ate pretty well during regular feeding time. (He's still not quite himself though...not as assertive with the food as he was previously)

One week ago photo...
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/101_0899.jpg

Here's how he looks now. Although this looks like some sort of injury, I assure you that it is not. I'm assuming that these marks will go away now with some more time and that he has beaten whatever that was.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/101_0901.jpg

So...the question is... Did I save him by medicating him in the sump? Or did he just naturally fight off whatever that was just as snaller Naso did in the main display? I suppose I don't really care, I'm just happy that he seems to have made it.

[Delphinus]

Good to hear. Hope the upward trend continues..

[MitchM]

I think he looks better.
Without being able to identify if it even was a bacteria that was affecting him, you'll never know, but if it was, he had to be isolated in order for the antibiotic to work given the size of your tank.
I thought the antibiotic treatment was required for 10 days?

Good to see.

[fishoholic]

glad he is doing better :biggrin:

[Jason McK]

Great to hear he is doing better!

J

[hillegom]

I'm glad he's better.
What did you treat him with Brad?

[Lance]

:thumb::thumb::thumb:

[untamed]

I think he looks better.
Without being able to identify if it even was a bacteria that was affecting him, you'll never know, but if it was, he had to be isolated in order for the antibiotic to work given the size of your tank.
I thought the antibiotic treatment was required for 10 days?

Good to see.
The instructions said "every other day, max 3 doses"...and the other said "every day for 5 days". Both said to run full treatment even if symptoms improved.

My opinion is that it was a fungal infection...but, of course, that is a guess.

[untamed]

What did you treat him with Brad?

Seachem Kanaplex
Seachem Para Guard
Mardel maracyn

[christyf5]

So great to hear this Brad!!! :mrgreen:

[lastlight]

Awesome news! Best of luck with the big guy.

[untamed]

Steady recovery. As you can see, the damage has almost completely healed. His normal, voracious, appetite has also returned and he has resumed his position at the top of the pecking order. (Lance pushed him around for a few days there)

This photo isn't quite good enough to see...but he is also just starting to get his tail spines. I didn't think that vlamingi's ever got tail spines, but it seems that they start to come through around the age of 3.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/44833a72.png

[fishoholic]

:cheer2: Good to hear he's doing well :biggrin:

[Delphinus]

Agreed, great news!

[Lance]

Good to hear Brad. Way to go Freckles!

[untamed]

Since December or so, I've been having my same old problems. Coral began slowly dying. Last time, I struggled for a year before finally replacing my skimmer and adding ozone. That solved my problems at the time, but I was never sure if it was the skimmer or the ozone.

I've lost all my gorgonians and the rest of the coral is slowly declining. Here's a couple of photos showing how unhealthy some look at the moment:
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/a485e4c3.png
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/f02c06e2.png

A few weeks back, I confirmed that my ozone generator was fried. I just installed this replacement unit... an Ultralife UZ360. This kind of generator doesn't require an air dryer and should be more reliable than my old unit.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/a19e67f9.png

If this doesn't work, I don't know what I'll do. I don't see the point in paying for all that electricity if the coral is just going to die in the long term. FOWLR here I come!!

[MitchM]

Nutrient buildup?
H2S accumulation under your rockwork?

[untamed]

Nutrient buildup?
H2S accumulation under your rockwork?

No amount of cleaning seems to make any difference. I've added a few more rocks in the sump to add more area for filtration.

My tank is basically bare bottom beneath the rocks.

[Delphinus]

Bummer. Hope the new generator does it for you. You've eliminated the possibility of fish nibbling at them?

[untamed]

Bummer. Hope the new generator does it for you. You've eliminated the possibility of fish nibbling at them?

No, that is not the problem...although the angels do start to nibble once the tips are dead and covered with algae. If the ozone does the trick, I'll nip off all the dead SPS tips so they can regrow.

[MitchM]

Do you think there would be any merit in rotating the salt brands you're using?

[Ron99]

My corals did the same thing due to a voltage leak. Do you have a ground probe or two?

[untamed]

My corals did the same thing due to a voltage leak. Do you have a ground probe or two?

I do have a ground probe...but I'll give it a cleaning. No harm in that.

[untamed]

I've been dealing with a lot of dead coral lately, so when I saw a big dead area in one of my coral heads I cut it out aggressively.

When I looked closely at the part I removed, it was covered with eggs. It seems that my yellow coral gobies have started breeding...and I wiped out their first home. Sorry...I'm sure they will try again.

[isaac1]

amazing tank, with all that plumbing you could redo your house!!!

[untamed]

I thought I would shock everyone by providing an update! Things in the tank are going well. I should actually be back in the frag business again soon. All I did to fix things was change my water change procedure. Now, I vacuum the sand bed every week and discard 50 gallons on vacuum water during the 50 gal change.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/b4310849.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/5ece4244.jpg

[reefwars]

I thought I would shock everyone by providing an update! Things in the tank are going well. I should actually be back in the frag business again soon. All I did to fix things was change my water change procedure. Now, I vacuum the sand bed every week and discard 50 gallons on vacuum water during the 50 gal change.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/b4310849.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/5ece4244.jpg


beautiful tank man that hammer is hugeeeeeeee lol cheers:)

[lastlight]

That hammer is amazing. Happy to hear things turned around for you! Freckles is also looking super.

[hillegom]

Looking good Brad

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Looking great my friend.:mrgreen: Love the massive hammer.

[JMes]

Beautiful tank!!OMG those corals are HUGE!!

[untamed]

Things continue to go pretty well with the tank. My Ca reactor pump died recently. I didn't notice it had stopped for a few days. By the time I did, my Alk had dropped to 4.5DKH! The coral didn't seem to mind a bit though.

Even two weeks later, my ALk has only climbed back to 6DKH. (My Alk normally runs at 7.5 or so)

A couple views of the two big boys...

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/0aa37d2f.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/f84f0f57.jpg

[hillegom]

What a big horn he has!

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Gorgeous tangs. Lovely tank too:biggrin:

[christyf5]

Woo dems some big boys! Great to see they're doing well and the tank is doing well too :biggrin:

[mseepman]

Always loved your tank...those are some beautiful fish.

[Snappy]

I vote this as the next FTOTM.
Looks great!

[untamed]

Thanks, but I don't know if you can be FTOTM twice... My tank was chosen back in Nov, 2008...(and I think the tank was better back then)

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=46222

[lastlight]

Freckles alone could be TOTM!

[untamed]

Maybe we can make a new category... FOTM (fishofthemonth)

Freckles alone could be TOTM!

[Nano]

I actually went through your whole build today. And I must say.... You fricken rock man. :mrgreen:

[tang daddy]

Wow I am glad to see this tank back into the swing of things... Sps is looking great, Brad!

[fishoholic]

Love the big tangs, the tank looks good too :biggrin:

[Snaz]

Update please!

[untamed]

OK...OK... The tank is doing very well. I've removed all my use of carbon and phosphate binders. Simple sand vacuuming during water changes seems to have solved any issues I may have had.

I just increased my frag capacity by 5x with a new rack system I built.

Now...more pics.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/ff39d651.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/7236f3b1.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/71c2efc3.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/df79a570.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/b3df3cc3.jpg

[Delphinus]

Man that is a big fish!! :) Tank looks awesome!

[untamed]

Yes, my two big boys... I'm glad they get along...mostly.

[Jason McK]

Looks spectacular Brad!

[christyf5]

That first photo is just spectacular! I love how big your vlamingi is, simply awesome to see that :cool:

[Lance]

:thumb::thumb::thumb:

[hillegom]

The tank is looking very healthy indeed.
How many inches of sand do you have Brad?
Thanks

[untamed]

The tank is looking very healthy indeed.
How many inches of sand do you have Brad?
Thanks

Very little. Some areas are bare, some have as much as 2". Goby moves it around.

[fishoholic]

looks great, I love seeing the big tangs in there.

[Leah]

Due to how HUGE the tangs are, it is hard to fathom the actual size of the tank. :mrgreen:

[bunvic]

wow O.o..
YOUR TANK IN AN INSPIRATION TO US NEW COMERS IN THE HOBBY!

[NightShadeFairy]

This is an amazing journal, thanks for sharing!

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

You know the other tangs are big when your Nasos are the little guys:biggrin:

[michika]

This tank still makes me grin and smile everytime I see photos. I adore your tank Brad, and I think its served as inspiration to many people.

[JDigital]

This tank still makes me grin and smile everytime I see photos. I adore your tank Brad, and I think its served as inspiration to many people.

Same here... It was one of the first big build threads that I read when I got into the hobby. I read 79 (or close to that) pages in one evening to get up to date with the progress of it.

Awesome to see that it keeps going strong!

[untamed]

I suppose I should let everyone know that the tank continues to be just fine. Fish seem to have stopped growing, which is great. Seems like I'll have most all these same fish for quite a while!
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/691eaee163a4d9caf74117944c9efac3.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/864b52a2c05284231aff0e49f010ab84.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/84fbd59429d594e6018b760ef8fb3e3d.jpg

[mseepman]

Beautiful! Always have loved this build!

[Lance]

:thumb::thumb::thumb: As per usual

[chris88]

love the large sps colonies. what kind of bulbs are you running for you mh and
t5's?

[Myka]

Tank looks great! Love the big fishies! :D

[untamed]

love the large sps colonies. what kind of bulbs are you running for you mh and
t5's?

13K Geissman with actinic T5

[untamed]

I have two colonies RTN yesterday. I haven't had that happen for years... I should have seen it coming. One colony was having some trouble, and when it went it took out the healthy colony right beside it.

Fortunately, I had already fragged the original colony and was able to carve off 5 small frags from the other colony last night.

In case anyone out there thinks this has anything to do with water quality... The original frag in the frag tank is doing fine and is part of the same system.

Sorry, too busy saving stuff to take pics.

[BlueTang<3]

Interesting... makes me wonder why anyone keeps sps. Well at least you saved a frag. On a side note your tank still ranks up with my favorites so much we are building a similar system right now hope we can one day also have to beautiful large tangs and large colonies.

[untamed]

It is a shame to only update this thread with bad news....but tonight I lost my bicolor angel (Jeckyl) after 5.5 years in the tank. It appears to have been a violent, sudden end...probably made a high-speed wrong turn during a chase from my majestic angel. Those two had been doing that quite a bit over the past month or so.

[hillegom]

You sure have had that angel for a long time. sad its gone.

[fishoholic]

It is a shame to only update this thread with bad news....but tonight I lost my bicolor angel (Jeckyl) after 5.5 years in the tank. It appears to have been a violent, sudden end...probably made a high-speed wrong turn during a chase from my majestic angel. Those two had been doing that quite a bit over the past month or so.

:sad:

[Lance]

I always hate to hear news like this. Sorry Brad.

[Delphinus]

Sorry to hear that..

[Bblinks]

Sorry to hear Brad.

[gobytron]

Hey Brad...

I will need to re-home my scribbled rabbitfish soon as he's cleaned out my Caulerpa.

He's eventually going to get wayyyyy to big for my tank and I admit, I impulse bought him on an LFS employees suggestion before going home and doing my DD.

If you would like him, he's yours.

Hes worked real hard for me, so I'd like to reward him for it.

Let me know via PM.

[BlueTang<3]

How's everything in the tank ?

[untamed]

Things are OK, but not great. I have a fire coral that has overgrown the entire tank. I'm burning through Ca/Alk like mad, but I know it is this darn fire coral that is the consumer. The only cure is going to be a complete rock replacement and I can't even imagine how I'm going to do that. Some of those rocks are probably much larger now than they were when I put them in there. I'm not even sure I CAN get them out.

The fish don't care. They are all doing well. I'll have to check my records...most of the fish would be 6 by now...?

[WarDog]

Just spent the last 4 hours reading this journal... amazing work! Hopefully I can get some frags from you in the future!!

[Rayne]

Amazing tank and build!

I am curious how you feel about Envision? I am thinking about getting them to build me a 600G tank so am looking for someone with first hand experience with them.

[untamed]

The pros and cons of acrylic tanks are more than well discussed. I'm VERY happy with the quality of my Envision tank. It is overbuilt, there is no bowing whatsoever and he even built in things I didn't think to ask for (removable overflow strainers). Tank is so strong that I routinely sit on top of it in order to do maintenance. Absolute best in class.

[Scuba Diver Gal]

I just wanted to post a thank you! My son is new to the hobby and I have sort of followed along. We have spent the last 3 nights going through every single page and photo of this post. I have loved the "salt opera" that is your tank, and the life of your fish.

Hope all is still well. Thanks again for the inspiration, I love how you love your fish so much!

[untamed]

Thanks very much. The tank continues to do well enough. The fish are certainly doing great, however my coral has not thrived for some time now. OK.. But not what it has been in the past.

[Toongraeme]

Absolutely epic! Spent the last couple of weeks flicking back and forth.... It certainly has been a soap opera lol.... It's like we all know the stars of the show, whether they are past or present! I'm definitely inspired by your build, I can only dream one day that I can have a huge tank with a fish room. I've kept tangs in the past and I'm determined to do it again once I have the room for it! Keep up the good work.....

[untamed]

An update. Nothing much has changed. I've lost a lot of my coral lately...even while some coral shows a lot of improvement. So...I don't really know what my problems are at the moment. Old tank syndrome...

Anyway, here is how things are looking. As you can see, the fish are always happy.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/1194457819f13a387e0a0ae28ea462b6_zps3e74ca62.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/d7294dccdd31901e6fe6108fcaf0f525_zps568cb128.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/4f917431489cb7738c7700abb429bbf1_zpsa43ccfd6.jpg

[Tom R]

Hi Brad

The tank looks great.

Tom R

[Scythanith]

The blue tangs fins are amazing! I feel for you and mysterious coral deaths while everything else looks good.

[Jason McK]

WOW Incredible. Always love to see the updates

[hillegom]

Good looking happy fish!
Hope you get the coral problem solved although they look pretty good.
Nice to hear from you again Brad

[untamed]

I did something today that I have not done for a long time... I added some fish. Anytime you add fish, you can be sure of one thing. There will be ONE resident fish that will attack the new guy(s). In this case, my rusty angel seems to dislike my new butterfly fish.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/b9c6c524291b24eb37fc3d77a4c7faad_zpsf7d1f46b.jpg

I also added a hawkfish, but he is smarter and has hidden away for now.

[Marcel Legros]

Good luck with the new additions untamed. I just finished reading through the whole thread - love the build! I'm going for something similar soon.

After having set up your system and run it for several years, is there anything you would go back and change or have built differently?

[lastlight]

Those are pretty. what sort of qt do you do?

[untamed]

Those are pretty. what sort of qt do you do?

Absolutely nothing. Maybe I'm lucky...maybe it is a matter of healthy fish. Ich has always been in the tank.

[untamed]

The three butterfly fish turned into a bit of a love triangle last week. Two of them decided the third one was a third wheel and #3 was relagated to living in the very top left corner of the tank.

This came to its inevitable end today as #3 has vanished. Another body that will never be found.

In addition, one of my halides blew up it's protective glass, showering glass bits all inside the tank. Directly under this, I found the body of my abalone. Could be related...or not.

Fun spending an hour fishing tiny glass pieces out of coral heads.

[banditpowdercoat]

I did something today that I have not done for a long time... I added some fish. Anytime you add fish, you can be sure of one thing. There will be ONE resident fish that will attack the new guy(s). In this case, my rusty angel seems to dislike my new butterfly fish.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/b9c6c524291b24eb37fc3d77a4c7faad_zpsf7d1f46b.jpg

I also added a hawkfish, but he is smarter and has hidden away for now.
What is that coral? Is it a Montipora? I have what looks similar, gets brown polyps. Came with my tank and never been able to completely identify it. Soft tho, Like stiff leather I guess

[Jeff000]

The butterflys aren't just eating everything reef in your tank?

[untamed]

The butterflies peck at coral constantly... But there is so much coral that the aren't able to do any damage.

[untamed]

We lost power here for about 24 hours yesterday.

I was prepared...or so I thought. At the 12 hour mark, I unpacked my gas generator. I had purchased this many years ago for emergency use.

The generator fired right up and I connected my circulation pumps. After about 3 minutes, all the pumps overheated and shut down. By alternating one pump, then the next, then the next for 2 mins each I was able to get circulation for about 30 mins. I decided I would repeat this every hour or two until the power returned.

When I fired up the generator an hour later...it was dead. Motor runs fine...no electricity generated. It seems that I now own a gas powered noise maker!

When power finally returned, I had lost only 1 fish...my rusty angel. 6 or so frags have also died.

Another casualty may be my aquatronica controller. After several hours of trying, I cannot get it to recognize my pH probe, so I have limited control of my Ca reactor. I also cannot reconnect my computer, so getting the controller even functional at all was a major challenge.

A tough day...

[Jaws]

Wow, sorry to hear that. Why do you think the generator caused all that?

[hillegom]

I guess you would have checked the fuses on the generator.
Hopefully an electrician can chime in. I do know that some generators produce a modified sine wave that not all electrical devices can utilize.

[untamed]

Wow, sorry to hear that. Why do you think the generator caused all that?

I guess you would have checked the fuses on the generator.
Hopefully an electrician can chime in. I do know that some generators produce a modified sine wave that not all electrical devices can utilize.

Yes, I think that is what was causing the pumps to overheat. I've checked all the most obvious things with the generator. As it can't be used to drive my pumps anyway, I'm not inclined to spend much effort fixing it. I'll just give it away as is and someone else can deal with it.

[hillegom]

Brad, I would be interested in that
pm sent

[banditpowdercoat]

We lost power here for about 24 hours yesterday.

I was prepared...or so I thought. At the 12 hour mark, I unpacked my gas generator. I had purchased this many years ago for emergency use.

The generator fired right up and I connected my circulation pumps. After about 3 minutes, all the pumps overheated and shut down. By alternating one pump, then the next, then the next for 2 mins each I was able to get circulation for about 30 mins. I decided I would repeat this every hour or two until the power returned.

When I fired up the generator an hour later...it was dead. Motor runs fine...no electricity generated. It seems that I now own a gas powered noise maker!

When power finally returned, I had lost only 1 fish...my rusty angel. 6 or so frags have also died.

Another casualty may be my aquatronica controller. After several hours of trying, I cannot get it to recognize my pH probe, so I have limited control of my Ca reactor. I also cannot reconnect my computer, so getting the controller even functional at all was a major challenge.

A tough day...
Electrician is here!!!
I bet is was a inverter generator right? Most inverter generators make a Suedo Signwave. A square wave. Good quality ones are Pulse Width Modulated which will smoothen the signwave. But cheap ones are like cheap UPS and car inverters where they make a square wave, just alternating DC 60 times a sec. This can and will overheat motors as they are not made to run on DC even a Alternating DC. Most likely played havok with the controller too. My other hobby, RC Heli's we have troubles with these cheap generators to run our power supplies for our chargers too.

Sorry for your loss. It REALLLY sux.

[untamed]

I knew somebody would know why the pumps overheated. Thanks!

I never connected the generator to anything else, so that can't explain why my controller is so messed up. Basically, the Aquatronica is sh*t...which is the main problem.

[lastlight]

sorry to hear brad. hope you don't suffer anymore losses.

[Delphinus]

Sorry to hear of the frustrations.

Wow, I wouldn't have guessed that this is something to check for when looking for a generator.

I wonder what would be a good architecture to go with then, instead. Maybe a UPS or battery backup for the pumps or circulators, and let the generator simply charge the battery? Sort of like how it works when we plug our cell phones or laptops into the wall - still running on battery, it just charges faster than it discharges?

[hillegom]

I have heard that when the power comes back on, sometimes there is a surge.
This has screwed a few friends computers, in different years.
The way I understand it, when the power goes out, you turn everything in the house off, except maybe a light, so that you know when the power is restored.
This saves your delicate electronic devices.
One friend (about 10 yrs ago) complained to hydro, and in his area, there was a big surge, neighbours had trouble as well, so hydro settled with him.

[untamed]

Another year seems to have drifted by so I suppose it is time for an update or two.

Over the past year or so, I've struggled with keeping my Ca/Alk levels up. I continuously tried to get MORE out of my Ca reactor, but I was frustrated that I was burning through CO2 at a startling rate. I had basically given up because I wasn't willing to spend any more $ on CO2 and I couldn't get any more production out of the reactor when my CO2 solenoid died.

I replaced the solenoid. MAGIC! All of sudden, I stopped going through CO2. Turns out that the solenoid must have been leaking badly for a long time. (yes, I checked for leaks many times but must have missed it somehow). So now I'm back to trying to raise my Ca/Alk and push my reactor harder.

I also became frustrated with constantly fighting with the peristaltic pump that drives the reactor. Not only do you need to change the tubing every few months, but the pump drive dies every couple of years. I decided to just flow the reactor continuously and put a JG solenoid on it to shut it down in the event of power failure. So far, this simpler arrangement is working well and I've got my Alk up to as high as 9! (Typically, It had been down at 6.5 for the past year or so)

Life and Death: Following the great power failure, I lost my Atlantic Blue. It is hard to say if it was related or not, but he got really sick and died in the weeks that followed the outage. Just recently, my eyelash Blennie died. His death seemed kind of "normal" to me. He seemed to just start to look quite old...his appetite diminished and he just faded away over the past few months. I didn't keep a record of his time in the tank, but my Atlantic Blue was just over 6 years.

The rest of the fish continue to thrive. Most of them have been in there 7 years now. Moe (Blonde Naso) and Corona (yellow tang) will be 8 years in a few months. Female clownfish will be 10 years in March. (Still laying eggs like clockwork every few weeks)

Coral still grows like mad...even though I have not replaced my halide bulbs in over 2 years and my T5 ballasts have all died. Eventually, I'm going to have to replace all the lights and will probably go LED at that point.

There is an ongoing war between the orange fire coral and other corals. Basically, if I keep the tank parameters healthy, the good coral holds its own. If I let things slide, the fire coral takes over. I can't face the project, but my entire live rock probably needs to be replaced in order to remove the fire coral. I'll probably need a crowbar to get it out as all my rock has become fused into one 500lb lump.

A couple of pics:
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/e61b1947-90f8-4e3c-92cb-8f77e6e4ab7e_zps6405211a.jpg (http://s142.photobucket.com/user/untamed_photos/media/aquarium%20views/e61b1947-90f8-4e3c-92cb-8f77e6e4ab7e_zps6405211a.jpg.html)
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/100_1285_zps855f1cd3.jpg (http://s142.photobucket.com/user/untamed_photos/media/aquarium%20views/100_1285_zps855f1cd3.jpg.html)

[hillegom]

Its still looking awesome.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Brad.

Sorry to hear about the power outage problems.

Thanks for the update. Always look forward to reading about your monster tank and seeing pics of this beautiful reef system. Would like to come by and see it in person one day. Haven't come by since we used to organize those reef tour events years ago.

Anthony

[lastlight]

Its still looking awesome.

Amen!

[Tn23]

Still looks great Brad.
That yellow Sponge stuff has really taken over your rocks since I've last come by. Wow.

[asylumdown]

it's funny how things you paid for at one point can become such a nuisance. The fire coral makes the tank look freaking cool, however.

[untamed]

Still looks great Brad.
That yellow Sponge stuff has really taken over your rocks since I've last come by. Wow.

I wish it was a sponge. It is an encrusting hard fire coral, with stinging cells that causes me a lot if itchiness if I happen to touch it. It also drives my CA/Alk usage through the roof.

Yes, it does look kind of pretty...but I can't enjoy that view so much.

[mikellini]

Now on p 14 of 118... amazing.

Regarding the fire coral, what about removing your healthy colonies and keeping them in a bin under some light for a while, then going dark to kill off the fire coral? Might be easier than removing everything... although a bit less entertaining :)

[gobytron]

Still one of the nicest builds in the GVRD...

[untamed]

Still one of the nicest builds in the GVRD...

Still working on things. I finally decided to upgrade my CA reactor. ( pics to follow).
It is working, but I think I need to put the first reactor back in as an additional reactor. ALK doesn't seem to get higher that 6.5. The more I add, the more the tank uses.

[mikellini]

Did you see my post above?

[gobytron]

Still working on things. I finally decided to upgrade my CA reactor. ( pics to follow).
It is working, but I think I need to put the first reactor back in as an additional reactor. ALK doesn't seem to get higher that 6.5. The more I add, the more the tank uses.

I would feel similar to yourself and be looking at the fire coral and wondering how much of your alk is it using...

I can't imagine the work it will take to remove it from your system but it sure seems like it LOVES the parameters in your tank and has a growth advantage over the rest of your corals...

If you ever need a hand getting in there and removing it, I'm sure a lot of us would be happy to help.

Did switching your solenoid wind up just offering a temporary boost?

I wonder if there are any biological options or if you could blast them with hot water or something and kill it off in small batches.

The Millepora genus, although not susceptible to many things, does have few areas that can lead to its demise. Having zooxanthellae algae makes them susceptible to bleaching. Higher temperatures than they are used to will cause this too, along with their being too close to a Metal Halide lamp.

From http://animal-world.com/Aquarium-Coral-Reefs/Fire-Coral and in regards to the branching fire coral so possibly not applicable.

Predators are another nuisance. These include the Pyrgomatina barnacles, both commensal and carnivorous marine worms, (polychaete), and Filefish from the Aluterus and Cantherhines genus. The Crown of Thorns Starfish Acanthaster planci, will also eat these hydracorals, even thought they are stung in the process.

Some of the most interesting predators are nudibranchs, such as the Phyllidia nudibranchs. These feed on Fire corals but can ingest the stinging nematocysts without digesting them. They then use these same nematocysts as defense by transporting them through their intestines to their dorsal appendages. When the sea slug feels threatened, it will then fire the stinging nematocysts at the predator!

[untamed]

Now on p 14 of 118... amazing.

Regarding the fire coral, what about removing your healthy colonies and keeping them in a bin under some light for a while, then going dark to kill off the fire coral? Might be easier than removing everything... although a bit less entertaining :)

That might be a bit extreme. I suspect a month of darkness might be needed, and I'm not sure how every other creature in the tank would fare, including the fish. Easier to physically remove the rocks, but that is no easy task at all.

[mikellini]

I think whatever you do would need to be extreme for it to work. But you gotta do something! This tank could be amazing!

[gregzz4]

ALK doesn't seem to get higher that 6.5. The more I add, the more the tank uses.
What's your Mag @ ?

[lastlight]

Could you not cover large areas with some dark plastic? Thinking black garbage bag strips anchored for a week maybe? You'd have to weave the bags underneath your other colonies but one rock at a time might be manageable. If they're pressed close to the encrusted coral and there's no flow over it maybe a day or two would kill it.

[untamed]

New reactor is starting to work. Alk is up to 8.5. Tank doesn't look too bad.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/image.jpg1_zpsjzhaa7bg.jpg

[untamed]

What's your Mag @ ?
Don't know. I last measured it years ago...it was always fine. I'll check it again.

[mikellini]

On second thought, removing the rock is probably the best idea. All that coral dying would release a lot of organics, and potentially toxins, into the water.

[gobytron]

New reactor is starting to work. Alk is up to 8.5. Tank doesn't look too bad.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/image.jpg1_zpsjzhaa7bg.jpg

Brad, the tank looks amazing.

The fire coral adds to the aesthetic really...such a striking orange.

If they didn;t pose any danger to your other coral and werent so expensive to "feed" I can;t imagine why you would want to change a thing.

[untamed]

The new reactor continues to drive my Alk up...now up to over 9.

For years, I had assumed that I would be unable to keep up with the Ca/Alk demand because I was burning through CO2 like nobody's business. So I accepted what was. Then the CO2 solenoid crapped out. When I replaced it...boom...no more excess CO2 use. Clearly, it had been leaking for quite some time.

So my current thinking is that I will manipulate the tank conditions back to that which favours SPS and then try to outcompete the fire coral with SPS. Or at least beat it into a stalemate with the SPS.

Yes, the fire coral is pretty. Basically, my tank is orange instead of purple. It is kind of like many things. (ie star polyps, mushroom)...they are really nice until they take over the tank. Then you wish they weren't there.

[gregzz4]

Good to hear your alk is up there now. Guess it really does use that much and mag wasn't an issue, or at least isn't an issue now :smile:

[gobytron]

I wonder if the fact that the spectrum on your lights is probably much different than when you first started and your sps were the predominant species in your tank has had any effect on this SPS vs Fire Coral escapade...

[untamed]

I've had this Ca reactor sitting for nearly 5 years and FINALLY installed it. It is making an immediate improvement in my Ca/Alk levels. I should have done this a long time ago.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/image.jpg1_zpsrcvukuip.jpg

[gregzz4]

Wish I had the money for a Ca reactor ...

I'd dump all my dosing stuff in a heartbeat

[untamed]

I just lost my Majestic Angel. I noticed some odd behaviour last week, but then he returned to normal. Then, yesterday, he began to swim in one spot just in front of a circulation pump exit. Died tonight.

Doing my best necropsy, it looks like he had not eaten in some time. Even though he appeared to be a very healthy body weight. Can't find anything really wrong with him. When I first noticed symptoms, his appearance was completely normal.

I had only had him for 7 years. I suspect his natural life expectancy was longer than that.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/IMG_1722.jpg (http://s142.photobucket.com/user/untamed_photos/media/Fish%20pictures/IMG_1722.jpg.html)

[Myka]

]So my current thinking is that I will manipulate the tank conditions back to that which favours SPS and then try to outcompete the fire coral with SPS. Or at least beat it into a stalemate with the SPS.

Sorry to hear about the loss of your Majestic. One of my favourite (semi) large Angels. Are you making any progress with the Fire Coral?

[untamed]

Yes, the larger Ca reactor and more diligent use of Phosphate binder has changed the tank such that my SPS are now able to hold there own against the fire coral. I'm currently tossing away many lbs of SPS every month just to ensure the fish still have room to swim.

[Myka]

Yes, the larger Ca reactor and more diligent use of Phosphate binder has changed the tank such that my SPS are now able to hold there own against the fire coral. I'm currently tossing away many lbs of SPS every month just to ensure the fish still have room to swim.

Sweet! So it's time for a FTS then! :D

[gobytron]

any updates Brad?

[untamed]

Tank is fine. Same fish are mostly still there. I'm making the slow transition to LED lights. I got fed up with ballast failures on my halides. So, right now, the tank is 1/3 lit by LED. I will clean the glass sometime and take a photo for you.

[hillegom]

Brad, what is the model # of the ballasts?

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

I'm currently tossing away many lbs of SPS every month just to ensure the fish still have room to swim.

Hmmmm, interesting:wink::mrgreen::mrgreen:

[Reef-Geek]

I'm currently tossing away many lbs of SPS every month just to ensure the fish still have room to swim.

Can I show up with a clipper and a bucket lol:biggrin::biggrin:

[untamed]

Brad, what is the model # of the ballasts?
I have burned through Galaxys, then Lumenarks.... Tired of the expense associated with bulb and ballast replacement. Further, all the fluorescent ballasts in my light fixtures have blown and been replaced...and blown again... So...time to move on.

So far, I like the look of the LEDs over the 1/3 of the tank. They don't grow the coral as well, however...but I don't care.

[Myka]

I'm currently tossing away many lbs of SPS every month just to ensure the fish still have room to swim.

So far, I like the look of the LEDs over the 1/3 of the tank. They don't grow the coral as well, however...but I don't care.

It sounds like LEDs are perfect. :D That's weird you've burned through so many ballasts - are they overheating or something? I've never burned out a ballast - except some 10-year old T8 fixtures I use on the QT.

[untamed]

Yes, the tank is still running along...

The conversion to AI Hydra 52's is ongoing. Now, LEDs light 2/3 of the tank. My coral doesn't much like the LEDs much. Too bad. Adapt or die is my attitude on it. One thing, the green pavona fluoresces so brightly under the UV LEDs that the fish bellys glow when they swim over it. It really looks like I have light in the bottom of the tank shining upwards!

It looks like I have successfully introduced a new fish. I don't get to buy fish very often since my existing fish have a habit of living forever and killing newcomers...I've tried before to replace my Blue Tang and failed. This time, I purchased a very thin, sickly looking, juvenile and kept him alone in the sump for a month to fatten him up. I finally got him into the main tank last week and he is doing great. Nobody seems to be harassing him and he is eating well. Might even name him soon!

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/aquarium%20views/image_zpskx7abvkj.jpeg (http://s142.photobucket.com/user/untamed_photos/media/aquarium%20views/image_zpskx7abvkj.jpeg.html)
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Fish%20pictures/image_zpstwlzsill.jpeg (http://s142.photobucket.com/user/untamed_photos/media/Fish%20pictures/image_zpstwlzsill.jpeg.html)

[hillegom]

Tank looks awesome as usual Brad.
Glad your new fish is being left alone.

[Tom R]

Hi Brad

Your tank is still one of the best tanks out there.

Tom R

[gobytron]

Agreed.

Brad's set up is about as good as it gets.

His aquarium is also a bar!

Tom, yours is no slouch either.

both had some great planning and execution.

[untamed]

Unfortunately, my Female Naso tang has suddenly decided that she dislikes my male blonde Naso tang. What could make her decide this after 7 years of peaceful coexistance I will never know.

Anyway, she has been removed from the display and is living unhappily and lonely in my sump.

Anyone interested in purchasing her? $100. She is maybe 7" or 8". VERY healthy...about 7 years old. Eats pellets, frozen food and nori. Should b fine in a 200gal system, but probably nothing smaller.

Brad

[Myka]

Sorry to hear that! It would be tough to sell a fish after all that time together too! :(

Do you have any tank updates? How's it looking? (Photo bomb???) :D

[untamed]

Bump... I'm still here.

Brad

[kien]

Bump... I'm still here.

Brad

Pics, or it didn't happen! Seriously, are you new here???

[Mattyb]

Would love to see a upadate on your tank.

[corallivore]

Still one of the most memorable tanks I've seen in person.

How is it looking these days?

[Bblinks]

Really impressive when the shimmer is the size of a cruise missile. lol

[untamed]

Well...the tank is still running. Most of the fish are approaching 15 years in there now. By most accounts, it still looks lovely....but I know it is not what it once was.

However, due to my planned retirement and interest in extended travel, I've decided to shut the tank down. That is not a simple thing to do. I'm trying to dismantle it in parts while it is still operating.

I have removed the ca reactor and no longer do any kind of Ca supplementation. I expected this to lead to coral death, but nothing has really changed. That was done about 3 months ago.

I have been removing rock and coral from the display for many months now. The idea behind this is to free up enough space in the tank to catch fish so they can find new homes. With all the rock and coral in the display originally, catching a healthy fish would be nearly impossible.

Many of the rocks in the display are now significantly larger than they were when they went in. Many hours have been spent with a hammer and chisel whacking off sections. These need to get small enough to lift out the top of the tank. More work needed in this regard.

[hillegom]

Your tank has been an inspiration to many. Very well taken care of.
It is sad that you have to dismantle it.
However, life goes on and things change.
Enjoy your retirement Brad. A new chapter

[H2o2]

Maybe one last photo for old time memoirs

[mseepman]

This tank was one of my favorite inspirations. It was spectacular and I'm sad to hear about you getting away from things. I agree one last pic for posterity!!!!

[Tom R]

Hi Brad

I have always loved your tank I will miss your updates.

Sorry to here its coming to an end.
I should probably do the same

Tom R

[AlbertanReef777]

Hey Brad some one told me you may be selling your tank

If so can you send me a text 5872270964


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