Stampede Toyota & Red Coral 400g Build

[Red Coral Aquariums]

Stampede Toyota & Red Coral Aquarium are proud to announce a 400 gallon display salt water tank build. Stampede Toyota is in the process of completing a new facility off Barlow and 32nd in Calgary which will house a fish dominated 400 gallon aquarium for customer enjoyment. Red Coral would like to invite all interested to join us in this build as we encourage POSITIVE feedback.

Tank dimensions are 126" x 24" x 31.5" high

Sump 1 is 60" x 18" x 24" high

Sump 2 SW mixing station 20" x 30" x 32" high

Sump 3 FW top up station 20" x 30" x 32" high

Automated system and setup

T5 HO lighting

Oversized Skimmer

UV Sterilizer and RO/DI Unit

Tunze Auto Top Off

Metal Stand.


Pictures to come as they develop .

Kevin
Red Coral Aquarium

[digital-audiophile]

Spounds like it will be sweet. Why so little depth though?

[Red Coral Aquariums]

Spounds like it will be sweet. Why so little depth though?

Space restriction unfortunately. But the length makes up for the lack of depth and will be perfect for a FOWLR (fish only with live rock) setup.
Kevin

[Myka]

Can't wait for pics!! Any thoughts on stocking options?

[JDigital]

Awesome.. This will be a sweet build thread.

[Keri]

That's so awesome....I'm the kind of person who would choose a dealership with a tank over one without....or a restaurant....or a dentists' office... ;)

[EmilyB]

That's very exciting ! :mrgreen:

[christyf5]

That's so awesome....I'm the kind of person who would choose a dealership with a tank over one without....or a restaurant....or a dentists' office... ;)

LOL, yeah I'd probly be the same :razz:

A couple years ago I chose a local restaurant with two huge cylindrical tanks full of salmon/rockfish/etc. The food was no hell but the view was fantastic! :wink:

[Carmen]

Excellent Opportunity Kevin!! So glad you could share it with us all!

[i have crabs]

id like to donate one "SHOW SIZE" speckled grouper :)

[Delphinus]

Neat!! :)

[Trigger Man]

LOL, yeah I'd probly be the same :razz:

A couple years ago I chose a local restaurant with two huge cylindrical tanks full of salmon/rockfish/etc. The food was no hell but the view was fantastic! :wink:

great to know I'm not the only one like that. Fish tanks (preferably saltwater) and those reward points cards get me every time.

Oh ya, back on topic, great for you guys Kevin and Doug, I guess I'm gonna have to check out that toyota dealership when the tank is all setup.

[ColinD]

LOL, yeah I'd probly be the same :razz:

A couple years ago I chose a local restaurant with two huge cylindrical tanks full of salmon/rockfish/etc. The food was no hell but the view was fantastic! :wink:

Hopefully it wasn't The Landing, I was the Chef there from Oct 03 to Aug 05 :surprise:

Cool Tank build guys, just down the road from work so I will be watching the progress.

Colin

[Red Coral Aquariums]

Thank You all for the encouragement and the kind words.

Can't wait for pics!! Any thoughts on stocking options?
With the 126" length large angels and large tangs (Sohol, Archilles, etc).

That's so awesome....I'm the kind of person who would choose a dealership with a tank over one without....or a restaurant....or a dentists' office... ;) I cannot agree more Keri. Red Coral has the maintenance contract and maintenance was a major factor with Ownership and staff at Stampede Toyota and our maintenance staff is second to none. Now on the other hand I have seen restaurants, dealerships, and business that have aquariums that are maintained poorly which I believe reflect on THEIR products and service as a whole.

id like to donate one "SHOW SIZE" speckled grouper :)
Thank you for the offer but the grouper might be a little aggressive as ST wishes might include Anthias and Clowns.


The projected opening date for Stampede Toyota is April 2009 so we must have everything set up, the tank cycled and viewable by then.

- A little more about the setup.
The tank will be viewable from 3 sides with an overflow built on one complete end. A "herbie" setup will nearly eliminate noise. Feeding and lights will be on timers.
Cycle- To help the cycle along we will be using cured live rock and adding around 200 gallons of water from fish bank tanks from the store. The live rock will have sat in this water for 6 weeks or more before placement into the tank.
Due to the tanks minimal depth Red Coral will be making PVC structures to place the live rock down the middle of the tank as it is viewable on both large sides.

The stand has been constructed (trigger coatings) and delivered and set up. Information about the stand (from the trigger coatings mouth) and pictures will be put up this evening Jan 25th.

Kevin

[untamed]

I'm very curious to know what "oversized" skimmer you think is required. Are you going to try to fit this skimmer under the tank? That will be a trick.

[Red Coral Aquariums]

I'm very curious to know what "oversized" skimmer you think is required. Are you going to try to fit this skimmer under the tank? That will be a trick.

At Red Coral we carry Hydor Skimmers and since we sell and service them and they wholesale out of Calgary we felt it would be our best option.
Performer 3000
26 in height
16.5x21.5 in footprint
793 gal heavy stocking
1057 gal normal stocking
3 recirc pumps
1 feed pump

With the inside of the sump at 17" and the possibility of going 21" inside and inside height of stand at 38.5" and also since the sump is dedicated to the P Skimmer we should have lots of room for maintenance. Any suggestions would be helpful. We do not want to carry a skimmer that there could be a possibility of not having readily available parts for and don't really have the room or financing to hold an additional one.

Kevin

[Myka]

With the 126" length large angels and large tangs (Sohol, Archilles, etc).

Awesome!!! That would be my choice as well! Good luck with the Achilles. ;)

[Red Coral Aquariums]

The stand was delivered and will be permanently set up when work on the counter top (that runs from the open end out) begins.
We fastened pressure treated 3/4" plywood on top and bottom of the stand.
Here is a detailed description from Francis (Trigger Coatings) on the dynamics and details of the stand.

"For the steel, I used two dimensions of what industry calls HSS (which stands for "hollow structural sections")

The uprights (legs), diagonal braces and the floor perimeter were made with 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 1/8" wall square tube. I used this based on it's rating of 13 Kips for a 3' column (1 Kip = 1000 lbs) so each leg supports about 13,000 lbs of concentric load! In a real world the forces may not be 100% centred straight down so this is why I tend to "over engineer" things.

For the top frame I used 3" x 1 1/2" x 1/8" wall. This unfortunately doubles the steel cost but was used because of the requirement of the 49" wide opening to fit the sump through. A 4' span (beam) in 1 1/2" square isn't even listed in my references, the max width shown is 3' which is only rated at 1800 lbs and almost a 1/4" deflection in the center...too much risk in my opinion with 4000 lbs of water and tank. The 3"x 1 1/2" I used is rated at 3500 lbs over a 4' span with only 0.17" deflection. This is why the stands at BXXXls scare me..4' wide with 1 1/2" tube that not even rated for structural use (less than 1/8" wall)

Enough technical steel info..boring you to death right?

Corners were all mitre cut at 45 deg. so that both pieces of steel are sitting on the uprights (legs)...not relying on just welds to support weight of the tank. Completely seal welded so that no moisture can collect inside the tubes and cause corrosion (another problem with the cheapo stands)

After welding was completed, the entire stand was sandblasted, this removes any rust and/or welding contaminants and also provides a surface that improves paint adhesion.

For paint I used Endura's Intermix 3:1 two-part epoxy primer. This was topcoated in Endura EX-2C polyurethane (Black 160) For more info on Endura's paints check out their website: http://www.endura.ca/

This is the same paint I use for painting about 90% of the time. We use it for oilfield equipment, trailers and heavy trucks."


http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/P1240135.jpg

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/P1240136.jpg

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/P1240137.jpg

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/P1240139.jpg

Cheers
Kevin

[Trigger Man]

Awesome!!! That would be my choice as well! Good luck with the Achilles. ;)

I was going to say the same thing, great fish but might be to much care issues to worry about.

[Nate]

you got it right on the skimmer kevin...hydor is no problem for me to get you parts...been using one on my personal tank for a while now, and I am going to start switching over all of my customers tanks to them now. They are a great skimmer.

[tang daddy]

looks like this will be a nice build!

[Pan]

Awesome!!! That would be my choice as well! Good luck with the Achilles. ;)
What no Clown gobies..? Sheesh

[Red Coral Aquariums]

An update finally.


The metal Frame has been leveled and bolted to the cement floor.
The Skimmer and return sump has been added.
The main tank shell has been constructed.
The wall where the overflow will be tucked in is finished.
The Electrical 2 x 20 amp with GFI breakers and GFI main panel breakers is in place.


Pictures thanks to JDigital.

You can see where the overflow part of the tank will be tucked into the wall. The rock wall will have a bigscreen tv on it.

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/Toyota2.jpg

An amazing shot it looks a mile long (actually 126")

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/Toyota3.jpg

Skimmer and return sump with 2" Bulkhead hole for Sequence Dart Pump.

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/Toyota6.jpg

Another view showing room left over under the stand for the RO water and Salt mixing sumps.

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/Toyota4.jpg

2" bulkhead hole for drain 1.5" emergency 1.5" for return

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/Toyota9.jpg

Here's a great overhead shot (Geeze I am funny looking)

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/Toyota7.jpg


Note to self:

Things I plan on having accomplished this week/weekend

1) Ultra quiet BR fan in place above main tank overflow with access to from the top.
2) Finish the main tank with Eurobracing top and bottom.
3) Build PVC racks for holding live rock.
4) specs drawn out for metal Main tank canopy.
5) Draw up plans for R/O tank and Salt mixing tank


I'll keep up with the updates
Thanks for looking
Kevin

[Delphinus]

Neat. :cool:

[Alberta-newb]

Thanks for the pics....wow that tank looks huge in those shots! Makes the 90 gal fuge look tiny.

[brizzo]

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/Toyota9.jpg

Any idea what brand bit was used, or method to get such perfect holes?

[sitandwatch]

I like the sign that says "do not tap or touch the glass" any finger prints yet?

[Rbacchiega]

Colour me Excited!

[fdiddy]

Business at Toyota must be good still ;) Great tank!

[JDigital]

Business at Toyota must be good still ;) Great tank!

.... or at least better than the Big 3.. :lol:

[mseepman]

I don't know...37% loss at Toyota isn't much better than the 40% at Ford last month. That being said, I know the people at Stampede and they are great.

[Snappy]

Kevin I guess I am lucky I didn't get hurt because I forgot to wear a hard hat during my tank build.:razz:

Will the tank be covered until the construction is completed? Likely pretty dusty.

[Red Coral Aquariums]

Kevin I guess I am lucky I didn't get hurt because I forgot to wear a hard hat during my tank build.:razz:

Will the tank be covered until the construction is completed? Likely pretty dusty.

Ya a hard hat would have come in handy on your job. There is cardboard covering the top but it will still get a good water and vinegar rinse. Thanks for the input all.
Kevin

[andestang]

Kevin, looking really good. Are you planning on using any powerheads in it? BB or sand bed ?

[StirCrazy]

how are you going to handle water flow in that tank, seeing as you are putting a strip of rock down the middle you have the opertunity to use some mass water flow principles, allowing you to creats massive water flow with minimal pumps.

Steve

[Red Coral Aquariums]

andestang Kevin, looking really good. Are you planning on using any powerheads in it? BB or sand bed ?

**I havn't determined on the powerheads yet, It will definitely be coarse sand bed.

StirCrazy how are you going to handle water flow in that tank, seeing as you are putting a strip of rock down the middle you have the opertunity to use some mass water flow principles, allowing you to creats massive water flow with minimal pumps.

** I will be running a Sequence Dart or Hammerhead for the return pump. It will be plumbed up the overflow hidden in the wall and run across the inside of the top canopy with 1.5" tube. At 6 or 8 different points on this tube we will have it split to 3/4" loc-line with the majority of the pressure going to the front end. This will skim the top surface and keep enough disturbance in the water to suspend debris to be pushed into the overflow.

Thanks all for your interest and the kind words.
Kevin

[Purple]

Can't wait to see the finished product, they couldn't have picked better people to build it! Do you think they will let us move in? :biggrin:

[workn2hard2day]

any update on this tank? Isn't the dealership opening soon?

[Red Coral Aquariums]

Things are starting to move along now as opening day is approaching. I am not sure of the exact opening day but suspect it to be middle to end of May.
Saturday the 26th I was able to get the majority of the plumbing done and finally was able to take some pictures.

* http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/ST01005.jpg

Here I ran two water lines a 1/2" in and a 3/4" drain. I am glad I was able to run it before they got the rest of the cabinets in. You can see where the drain and water line is coming out of the floor. Above that will be a coffee maker and sink.

*http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/ST01002.jpg

This is where those hoses end up at the two water change tanks. I will have the 3/4" out plumbed into the return from the sump controlled by a ball valve. The 1/2" will be hooked up to a r/o type water filtration unit.

*http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/ST01001.jpg

Here I have set up a Sequence Dart return pump plumbed from the sump with unions and ball valves in case we need to pull it out for cleaning and maintenance. The return will be pumped through the 1.5" line through the center bulkhead in the over flow. Here we will run the 1.5" line through the canopy to the front end of the tank. There will be minimum four loc-lines dropped down from that at different stages of the canopy. The majority of the return will go at the end to push the surface water to the over flow.

*http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/ST01003.jpg
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/ST01004.jpg

Gate valve for Herbie overflow setup and plumbing for water change tanks(not complete as I don't have the mixing pumps in).

*http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/ST01010.jpg
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/ST01009.jpg

As you can see the mill works is coming along and all our measurements were perfect. The cladding covers the bottom of the tank just covering the top of the silicone. The canopy will be painted the same color as the wall.

*http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/ST01008.jpg
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/ST01007.jpg

This is a clean look and with the matching canopy; it will have a stunning effect.

Things to accomplish.

- canopy delivered this week.
fasten lighting and water return pipe.
- Run 2 surge protectors and fasten into place under the stand and set up timers.
- Start drilling Live Rock to place on pvc structure (pvc already completed sorry no pic.) Live rock is cured and ready to go.
- Bring equipment (setup UV sterilizer, mixing pumps, )
-Next weekend water and plumbing test.

Kevin and the Red Coral Team

[Rbacchiega]

looks great Kevin! If there's anything I can help with let me know

[JDigital]

Looks awesome Kevin! much better than the last time I was there.. :lol:

[Adam NS.]

urge them not to put a tv on that rock wall, it will distract from the tank!!

[Alberta-newb]

Wow! Things are really moving now, a lot of progress since I popped in a few weeks earlier.

Hope you don't mind I share some pics I took back then:wink:


Kevin cramming himself into a tight space to drill out the plumbing holes in the stand:

http://www3.telus.net/lucas-mustangs/AQUA/stampede1.jpg



This is a shot of the exhaust duct from the ultra-silent fan to vent moist air from the canopy and wall space.

http://www3.telus.net/lucas-mustangs/AQUA/stampede2.jpg



Test fit of the canopy frame:

http://www3.telus.net/lucas-mustangs/AQUA/stampede3.jpg



Looking forward to more updates!

Francis

[mseepman]

This is looking just awesome. Could you tell me more about how the return plumbing will be pushing the water towards the overflow? I have been working on how I would do a peninsula tank (smaller than this) and not have holes in the tank for the return other than through the overflow like this.

Looking forward to some new pictures.

[Red Coral Aquariums]

Thanks for the encouragement all.

looks great Kevin! If there's anything I can help with let me know

Thanks for the offer I will most likely take you up on it as I am planning on moving 300+ gallons of water + 400 lbs of LR into it.

Looks awesome Kevin! much better than the last time I was there.. :lol:

The contractors are doing great.

urge them not to put a tv on that rock wall, it will distract from the tank!!

Too funny.

Francis: I'm not talking to you after you posting a picture of my @$$ with me laying down on the job. LOL We are on the final stages now. They made the doors so small that they had to add a wood frame for the doors around your openings in the metal frame. It is hard to get your hand in the water change tanks. Have to make sure no-one drops anything in them. LOL

mseepman: The last picture from alberta-newb you see the frame of the canopy sitting on the tank. That will be enclosed in wood. The return plumbing 1.5" comes up through the over-flow and will attach and follow inside the canopy all the way to the front of the tank. At the front there will be dropped down a spray bar or loc-line nozzles pushing the top of the water back towards the overflow thus skimming the surface. It will be a week or so till I get pictures of the finished project but I will make sure I get detailed shots of this for you.

Kevin

PS

A question for debate!!
I am not sure I can easily run a drain line for the R/O unit. So I have been considering a 4 stage 2 x sediment and 2 x carbon filter instead of a R/O membrane. Since this is a FOWLR (fish only with live rock) and I will be running a large UV sterilizer also the water change water will be mixing for 7+ days I am hoping this top-up and water change filtration will be sufficient. Any thoughts, concerns are welcome.

[StirCrazy]

I would ass at least a deionization to it also. RO would be the best, espcialy with Calgary's hardness of there water. Even in FOWLR the excess minerals are going to contribute to algae.

Steve

[sharuq1]

I would ass at least a deionization to it also.:lol:A$$ on the brain?

[Alberta-newb]

You could run the RO waste to the coffee maker, never been to a dealership that had good coffee anyway:mrgreen:

Are they plumbing a small sink in the counter? My RO at home is tapped into the sink drain just above the trap with 1/4" tubing.

[Blom]

Are they plumbing a small sink in the counter? My RO at home is tapped into the sink drain just above the trap with 1/4" tubing.

Thats a pretty good idea!
Nice job on the setup guys, looks like it will be stunning.

[mseepman]

Thanks Kevin, looking forward to those pics.



mseepman: The last picture from alberta-newb you see the frame of the canopy sitting on the tank. That will be enclosed in wood. The return plumbing 1.5" comes up through the over-flow and will attach and follow inside the canopy all the way to the front of the tank. At the front there will be dropped down a spray bar or loc-line nozzles pushing the top of the water back towards the overflow thus skimming the surface. It will be a week or so till I get pictures of the finished project but I will make sure I get detailed shots of this for you.

Kevin

[geobee]

WOW, now I will be eager to bring my truck in for maintenance service:lol:

[mseepman]

Any new developments???

[mseepman]

bump....still wondering how this is going.

[Red Coral Aquariums]

Any new developments???

There has been some new developments as it is coming close to opening time.

I filled the tanks (all 4 of them) with fresh water to test for leaks and run the pump. Everything was perfect except 1 bulkhead was leaking.
YOU LEARN SOMETHING EVERY DAY.
When I cut the wood out in the stand for the overflow lines I cut the wood about an inch larger around than I needed for the bulkheads. It was no problem dealing with the Bheads when no lines were attached and when no doors or tanks were in the way (hence the pic with my big butt showing(thanks again Francis)) but I couldn't get anything to get a grip in the tight spot to tighten the Bhead. I had to cut away a little extra wood and it was not an easy job. When I finally could get a wrench on it it took a 1/4 turn and lesson learned.

The canopy is finished and lights are mounted in it. A lot of thought went into the lights. I decided T5 for the heat factor and since it is a Fowlr system it is the best choice. There is under 10 feet of space to put lighting in and due to a limited width a 6 bulb TEK was not doable. I also wanted glass covers, UL rating, and reliability. I choose the Aqua medic T5 set up
http://www.aqua-medic.com/Aquastarlight_T5.shtml. My combination's were (2 x 4' and 1x 2') or ( 3 x 3' ) as it worked out neither combos would fit. What did work was 3x 2' and 1x 3' figure that LOL.

Now I wait for the plumbing and electrical to be hooked up and I can start bringing in equipment and draining out the fresh water and start the salt process.

Time to crash
Thanks for reading.
Kevin

[Rbacchiega]

offer still stands for when you need to move rock and everything over Kevin.
(secretly, I'm just trying to find a way to get in and see this tank ASAP)

[mseepman]

Thanks for the update. Looking forward to seeing the latest pics.

[Red Coral Aquariums]

Well Francis and I put in a good day at ST today. Thanks Carmen for covering for me at the shop.

I will list the things we accomplished today.

Electrical setup and run
Plumbing to drain and Fresh water in.
Canopy up; plumbed and lighting tested
sand in
heaters in
worked on canopy doors ( back wall that canopy fits in has huge bumps and bulges and is far from being straight)

The pump is running and all that is needed is the loc-line connectors as I am just running a straight pipe down now.

We washed the sand out but it still caused an Iraq Eclipse. The pics look blue but I am happy how it is progressing.

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/RCA-Stampede_08-05001.jpg
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/RCA-Stampede_08-05003.jpg
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/RCA-Stampede_08-05006.jpg
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/RCA-Stampede_08-05008.jpg
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/RCA-Stampede_08-05014.jpg
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/RCA-Stampede_08-05005.jpg
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/RCA-Stampede_08-05002.jpg

I am back at it again tomorrow
Thanks for looking
Kevin

[ElGuappo]

Looks great....

[Leah]

Wow, that is one nice tank. I am excited to see more photo's of this one. Good work
you guy's. Need someone to come and take care of it! he, he! Will have to make a trip
out to see this in person, I mean visit my cousin.

[Carmen]

INCREDIBLE Kevin! You really accomplished alot! It looks fantastic!

[lastlight]

wow looks great! Who parked that dodge out front? I think my taco needs a new service dept. Show us more!

[wickedfrags]

Great set-up. How did you decide on the clear silicone for the tank?

[Red Coral Aquariums]

Looks great....
Thank You lots to be done yet.

Wow, that is one nice tank. I am excited to see more photo's of this one. Good work
you guy's. Need someone to come and take care of it! he, he! Will have to make a trip
out to see this in person, I mean visit my cousin.
Look forward to meeting you (drop by the store)

INCREDIBLE Kevin! You really accomplished alot! It looks fantastic!
Everyone is contributing including yourself. Thank you

Kevin

[Red Coral Aquariums]

wow looks great! Who parked that dodge out front? I think my taco needs a new service dept. Show us more!
Ya thats twice my old Dodge has jumped in the pics.

Great set-up. How did you decide on the clear silicone for the tank?
I am glad you brought this up. In hind sight I should have gone Black silicone as you don't see any growth on it; but for the first 3 - 6 months it will be enjoyable seeing the transparent seam.

Kevin

[andestang]

That is really looking good, I sure could picture that sitting area/tank as my living room nver mind a dealership :high5: Great job so far Kev

[mseepman]

Hey Kevin, that's an interesting picture showing the lighting in the canopy. Do you have any further pictures of the plumbing that will be going through the canopy to the far end? I see the straightpipes that you are using but not how it runs through the canopy.

Thanks.

[wickedfrags]

Exactly what I was thinking. Over the long term clear silicone is a bad idea. It always gets nicked and then the algae become visible, where as with the black silicone this does not occur.

Whomever is doing the maintenance on this tank, well I would keep the scraper away from the silicone. Use a toothbrush to clean the corners and the silicone will keep looking good longer and remain free of nicks. Good advice for all corners really. Cheers.

I am glad you brought this up. In hind sight I should have gone Black silicone as you don't see any growth on it; but for the first 3 - 6 months it will be enjoyable seeing the transparent seam.

Kevin

[Blom]

Black, clear... you could have gone with hot pink silicone and the tank still would have looked fantastic. Really coming along nice.

[JDigital]

Not a bad looking tank... :wink:

[fragNplug]

That is going to one relaxed secretary sitting next to that tank, i assume she is not going to work very hard and spend alot of time watching the fishys.
Suppose tho she will be an expert on the fish after a while, but really anoyed with the questions peeps are gonna ask about the fish.

Great Job Kevin, no one can do what u do!!.

[mseepman]

Hey Kevin,

Any updates on this one? Especially pics?

[Red Coral Aquariums]

Hey Kevin,

Any updates on this one? Especially pics?

No pics sorry . We are on the last stages as they open on the 1st of June.
350 lbs of live rock is in and we've been cycling for 3.5 weeks. 2 weeks with Krill and LS and 1.5 so far with cured live rock. I took the live rock right out of the tanks that housed the first group of fish being moved there. The skimmer is pulling hard for us already and we have had no leaks in the plumbing. Tuesday and thursday we will change out 150 gallons of water each day from Red Corals fish system. And Friday we will put in 7" yellow tang, 6" Niger Trigger, 5" Blue Throat trigger, 6" Emperor Angel (changing to adult), 6" Koran Angel (changing to adult), 2 x XL Black Clowns, 20 XL Margarita Turbo Snails, A few large mushroom corals and a few rocks of GSP and Zenia. So we will keep a close eye on things as we will be dumping in 7 fish and 20 snails at once. All these fish have been housed together in the same water and this live rock for 3 + months and I feel should be hardy enough to weather a small cycle from their addition.
Hopefully pics soon.
Kevin

[mseepman]

Wow, sounds like a lot happening. Looking forward to seeing the progress.

[mseepman]

Hey guys...I think they must be open now...any new pics?

[mseepman]

Still very interested in the final product with this one.

[Purple]

I agree with Mark. Would love to see pics.

[Red Coral Aquariums]

Thank You all for your continued interest. I finally was able to take some pictures and take a close look at everything.

It will take some time to type everything as I am one of those 2 finger typists.


I guess to start I will talk about the cycle and how we accomplished it in a demanding 2 month period.
It started by having the Fish, the Live Rock, and the Water already cycled months in advance. Still there will always be a cycle period.
We had 350 lbs of rock and 75% of the fish in our store fish system waiting for the transfer.
Prior to this we set up the Stampede tank with salt water and ran it with krill and sand in it for 1.5 weeks. This started the cycle of the 400+ gallons of water and also broke in all the equipment.
Next came the Live Rock (400lbs), 300 gallons of water out of our fish system, and 7 of the hardiest of fish that was in that water and with the LR. Also we added 20 xl turbo snails and 15 algae crabs. This we maintained for close to 6.5 weeks before any more additions.
We have since added another group of fish, snails, and crabs.

Our List to date is:

7" changing Emperor Angel
7" changing Koran Angel
7" Yellow Tang
6" Powder Brown Tang
5" Regal Tang
8" Queen Adult Angel
4.5" Juv. French Angel
4" Blue Devil Damsel
3" Black Clown
5" Niger Trigger
5" Blue Throat Trigger
2 X 4" Orange Spot Gobies
30+ XL Mex. Turbo Snails
15 Algae Crabs
5 Red Legged Crabs
2 x Pillow Stars ( I found out the hard way they are not reef safe)
For corals that are doing great are some xl hairy mushrooms and GSP.

When I took a really good at the fish I noticed that something had picked on the 4" Blue Devil Damsel as it looked a little rough and the 4.5" Juv. French Angel had a white spot on one of it's fins. When I tested the auto feeder everything took their turn eating. I was very pleased with their health.

This picture is to show you one of the problems we face with sunshine.
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/ST01049.jpg
Some different side views.
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/ST01050.jpg
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/ST01052.jpg
Top and Overhead shots
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/ST01053.jpg
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/ST01054.jpg
Our return plumbing.
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/ST01066.jpg
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/ST01065.jpg
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/ST01064.jpg
Just a few fish shots but enjoy.
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/ST01047.jpg
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/ST01055.jpg
And my Favorite Pic is the Queen checking out some mudders.
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/RedCoralAquariums/ST01067.jpg

Thanks for looking.
I will finish this update later in the week.
Kevin

[mseepman]

Thanks so much for the update. It looks great!

[lastlight]

Love the overhead shot. Classy build you guys are pros!

[kien]

wow, awesome tank! I love them peninsulas :-D Did you notice that there was a tire (or part of a tire) showing in every single photograph? :lol:

K.

[Snappy]

Looks great. Well done Kevin.

[mseepman]

Any updates on how this tank is filling out? How does the customer like it?

[Snaz]

Can anyone update this thread? Is the tank still running and how does it look? Thanks.

[Red Coral Aquariums]

Can anyone update this thread? Is the tank still running and how does it look? Thanks.

You Bet:

The tank is looking awesome.
I go in for maintenance once a week for 1 hour. I can do a 50 gallon water change, clean the skimmer, clean the glass, fill the auto feeder, in an hour and still have time for the million and one questions from customers there that are delighted with the system.

I do have 2 regrets and changes I would make if I was to start over.
1) They had the option of a coral (reef tank) or a Fowler and they chose the fish.
As the building is a complete glass house (perse) Stampede agreed to tint the upper windows around the building. This being agreed upon we went with T5 lighting and we ran only appropriate electrical to accommodate the T5's. Unfortunately the tinting did not happen and we are finding that during the mid day hours there is so much ambient light in the building that the tank looks darker than I would like. Mornings and evenings are great. Also we don't have enough amperage in our electrical lines to accommodate metal halides.
2) One of the fish that were chosen was a panther grouper. (what a mistake). I have spent TOOOO many hours trying to catch it as it has found a taste for any fish put in under 4 inches and I would like to put in some sand sifting Gobies.

I have a hard time getting pictures as when I get there the tank the tank needs cleaning and after I am done I stir things up to the point of (not good pics again).

The Fish:

Unicorn Tang 12+ inches (beautiful and very healthy)
Blue spot Naso 12+ inches (beautiful and very healthy)
Blonde Naso Tang 12 + inches (beautiful and very healthy)
Panther Grouper 10+ inches (beautiful and very healthy)(ARRRGHHH)
French Angel 8+ inches (beautiful and changing to adult)
Koran Angel 8+ inches (beautiful and changing to adult)
Blue Face Angel 8+ inches (beautiful)
Blue throat trigger 5+ inches (beautiful and very healthy)
Yellow Tang 6+ inches (beautiful and very healthy)
Blue Tang 6+ inches (beautiful and very healthy)
Sail Fin Tang 7+ inches (beautiful and very healthy)
Clown Fish Black and Red 4+ inches (beautiful and very healthy)
Couple Damsels 4+ inches (Healthy and laid back)
Long Spine urchin Quills are 6+ inches
Red Legged Hermit The shell is the size of 2 fists. A model citizen.
Numerous snails and crabs.

6+ colonies of Mushrooms (seems the only coral that survives the Angels)

I will try to get pictures one of these days. (no promises though) You need to go see their line up of Toyota's and check out the tank at the same time.
Thanks
Kevin

[Snaz]

I will try to get pictures one of these days. (no promises though) You need to go see their line up of Toyota's and check out the tank at the same time.
Thanks
Kevin
Awesome update. I enjoyed this build thread and I applaud the business owner for the commitment.

Pics yes please!