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doch
05-31-2011, 04:25 AM
Well, I guess it's about time that I do up a tank journal. I've just moved my 55 up from Edmonton to Fort Mac, and the trophy wife has given the go ahead to upgrade!! YIPPEE!!

This first post is essentially going to be my plan in words... not much else.

I am having a custom tank built for this build. I've heard many say that they regret buying a used tank, so.... I'll bite the bullet and go new. The dimensions are:

48Lx30Wx26H... Euro braced, Black Silicone, External overflow in the center of the back, and an external Tunze wave box on the back left corner. The only equipment that will be visible will be the 2 Tunze 6105's... one in each rear corner, up top.

I'll be skimming with a Vertex IN 250
Lighting with a 6x54 Tek, as well as a 4x54... 10 bulbs total (All KZ, 4 Coral light II, 3 Super Blue, and 3 Fiji Purple)
Dosing with my 3 individual dosing pumps (BRS Ca, Soda Ash, and Mg)
Nutrient reduction will consist of a full Zeo system supplemented by GFO, and of course Carbon.
In the 55 gal sump will be a fuge with frag rack, and cheato.
The control system is courtesy (not free... I wish) of Digital Aquatics RKE. Virtually everything will be run by the RKE, but the important thing to mention is the APC, or Advance Pump Control module. This is designed for the Tunze line, and will be running the wave box, as well as the 6105's giving a well designed, and all encompassing dynamic flow through the tank.

I will continue on with my SPS addiction as the dominant force in this tank as well. On top of that, there will be the Zoa fillers, a small handfull of LPS, and, of course, the clams!! Hopefully my luck with clams improves, as I had a bad streak for a while there... along with many of the rest of us!

Anyways, entry one is now complete. Wish me luck, and feel free to tag along. Any suggestions, tips, or ideas are more than welcome.

Oh, and one last thing... I want to pre-emptively thank Dez for the inspiration, and frags over the last while... thanks for creating and fueling my addiction buddy!! I also want to thank Steve at Red Coral in Edmonton. Fantastic stock, prices and service! Thanks man!

doch
05-31-2011, 02:52 PM
As I lay in bed last night thinking (read: obsessing) about this build I had an epiphany. I bought 2 used Tunze waveboxes, and could not decide if I wanted to use both, (facing each other, one on either side), or just use one (and have a backup). I asked for opinions, and decided to use just the one. Now... since this tank is going to be viewable on 3 sides, I didn't like the idea of having the external waveboxes taking up viewing space on the side, but until last night, I could not think of a good way around it. Suddenly... it dawns on me. Why not use both boxes, put the external boxes on the back side of the tank leaving 3 fully viewable sides, and have the flow coming out towards the front, and then sucked back in towards the back? Done! Problems solved! Soon, I will be doing up drawings, and see if I can figure out how to post them here.

One question for you though... what would you use for a return pump? I don't really want to spend big dollars, but I want something of a good quality. The tank is about 160 gallons, and will be in the basement, with an average sized stand... so I'll need a pump for good flow at about 5 feet of head pressure.

I'm sure I've missed other details, but this will be ongoing... keep watching!

doch
07-12-2011, 05:08 AM
Well, not much of an update, but here's a little one. After much planning, thought and well... way too much money, I now have my tank which is fully cured and ready for water. On top of that, I have all of my equipment except for my tunze 6105's which are unfortunately on back order, and my APC which the suppliers don't have yet. Apparently I`ll be using my koralias and the waveboxes for flow for now. Oh... and I'm missing one fiji purple bulb due to my jerk dog and his 106lb foot. Thankfully it was only one.
I also have this week off... and all (I hope) of my plumbing except for the means to tie my RO system into my house plumbing. I'll pick that up tomorrow when I go to grab all of the wood for the stand.

Oh... one more thing. I also ordered up two more tanks. (not received yet though) A 40x18x18 frag tank, and a 24x18x18 water change tank. My existing 55 will be used as a sump, on top of that will be the frag tank, and on top of that will be the water change tank. Flow will all come from my new Sedra 2000a pump. It will be tee`d off to 2 3/4" lines... one to the display, and the other going up to the water change tank. From the water change tank, water will over flow to the frag tank, then down to the sump. For a water change, I will close a valve to the water change tank, and open a valve to the frag tank, isolating the water change tank. Then a drain valve from the water change tank will be opened and will drain to the floor drain. From there, fill the tank with RO water, put salt in, turn on a Koralia and a heater, and walk away... wait for a while and revearse the valves. Done. For the record, I fully admit that I stole this idea from Dez... Thanks buddy!! I will likely also use this tank as a quarantine tank when need be.

Anyways, wish me luck. Thinking time is over... GAME ON!


I`ll post some pics over the next few days. The tank is a beauty!

fishytime
07-12-2011, 02:08 PM
Looks like a great start to what should be a kick arse tank..... Have you looked at the reeflo line of pumps? They are not overly expensive, seem to be a good quality and definitely have the push to get you up from the basement

Dez
07-12-2011, 03:59 PM
Johnny,

I wouldn't have the water change tank drain into the frag tank (this will cause bubbles and salt creep). Tee off the pump and feed the frag tank separately. Hope this helps. And I've already showed you how to post pics, so get on it stat!

doch
07-12-2011, 05:45 PM
Looks like a great start to what should be a kick arse tank..... Have you looked at the reeflo line of pumps? They are not overly expensive, seem to be a good quality and definitely have the push to get you up from the basement

Negative. I actually went with a Sedra. I was originally thinking I'd use the 3 pumps that I already have, but changed my mind when I found a good deal on a 2000a which should run all of the tanks.

doch
07-12-2011, 05:49 PM
Johnny,

I wouldn't have the water change tank drain into the frag tank (this will cause bubbles and salt creep). Tee off the pump and feed the frag tank separately. Hope this helps. And I've already showed you how to post pics, so get on it stat!

Yeah, yeah... give me some time to make a little progress worth taking pics and I'm on it! lol

I'm confused. Why would the WC tank draining into the frag tank cause this? I was just going to use a pipe stand overflow plumbed directly into the frag tank. Maybe I'm missing something... but I don't see the issue. Please enlighten me.

BTW... sorry I didn't call yesterday. V wasn't feeling well, and as is I made her run around town until 4 with me getting parts.

Dez
07-12-2011, 07:09 PM
Drains always have bubbles, unless you have your WC tank outfitted with a Herbie. Bubbles will rise and splash, causing salt creep. Does this make any sense? I think you'll be happier with a separate feed and overflow.

doch
07-12-2011, 09:27 PM
Ok... but wouldn't I end up with the same problem in the sump... x2? That said... the level in the sump is lower... which is probably where you're going with this.

Dez
07-12-2011, 09:33 PM
Sumps are designed with baffles etc so that bubbles don't end up back in your display tank. Think of your frag tank as a display tank - you probably don't want to see bubbles while inspecting or viewing your frags. That's where probably most of the salt creep in a tank happens - in a sump. A lot of people have covers over the drain area of the sump to try and reduce this. The use of filter socks helps (I don't use em). But if your think of your frag tank as a secondary display tank, you probably don't want to see bubbles. It will work the way you have it planned, but I'm just giving you an option that I would go for if I had the choice.

doch
07-12-2011, 10:05 PM
You might be onto something here Dez. Fortunately for me, I found out that Rona in Fort Mac has PVC fittings. Wish I would have known that before running around the entire city on Sunday! hahaha

doch
07-13-2011, 04:33 AM
Well... the stand is built The old tank is temporarily relocated to the bathroom The new tank is on the stand. The waveboxes are tucked neatly into their new holes. The lights are on top of the tank (and going to fit PERFECTLY)..... and the RO water is trickling (that might be overstating the matter) into the tank. I'm BEAT. Movie time. I'll see about pics tomorrow.

doch
07-14-2011, 02:06 AM
PICS! First one's a test... the new tank in transport:

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01406.jpg

doch
07-14-2011, 02:17 AM
SUCCESS!!!! WAHOO!

Here's the progress so far:

Kindly excuse the half arsed stand... the stucture is complete, pretty will come once me and my wife decide on a design.

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01407.jpg

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01408.jpg

top view of the back side:

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01409.jpg

The lights... you know, in case you haven't seen tek lights before! lol
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01410.jpg

The gear and piping which all make my basement look like a war zone.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01411.jpg

Side view of the wave box... needs a little tweaking. Unfortunately that tweaking may involve 2 new motors. Damn.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01412.jpg

And the last pic of the old tank (after the move into the bathroom). Unfortunately, this is not at it's prime. I'll see what I can do about getting a good shot of it when it looked nice.

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01413.jpg

doch
07-14-2011, 02:24 AM
So, the plan as it stands is to let the tank get up to temp (or as close as it will come to it by the time I go to bed tonight) and put all of the rock that I have been cooking for the last 3.5-4 months in there. I'll likely also put some, if not all of the dry marco rock that I picked up in there. Tomorrow the temp should be good so I'll put in a few of the rocks from the 55. As long as it has no coral attached (maybe some tester zoas) I figure it can go in. Once that's done I'll get on 'operation plumbing'. and bring the piping over to where the stand will be in the fish room. Let that sit for a bit, then go and learn how to weld on my brand new 1940's buzz box donated by my sister. That sounds like a good days worth of work... hopefully by Thursday morning I'm ready for the last bit of plumbing, and I can transfer everything else over.

Dez
07-14-2011, 03:36 AM
Finally, pics. Looks good. I would take the foam ring off of the wave box so that you never have to take them out to clean. I've only had to take mine out I think 2 or 3 times in almost 2 years - due to snail climbing in. If you take the foam ring off, you get less resistance also, making it a tad more efficient.

doch
07-14-2011, 03:40 AM
Thanks buddy! And once again, thanks for the tips.

doch
07-14-2011, 09:21 PM
Here's the freshly (and crudely) welded and painted stand that will house my sump on the bottom, frag tank in the middle, and the water change tank up top. Trust me when I say this... you don't need to see the welds! I just tought myself today!! hahaha.

What I did is took an old 90g stand, cut it to 40"W, rewelded it, then added the square tubing frame up top for the water change tank. All three levels will have a plywood base.

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01414.jpg

Now onto the plumbing! Ugh.

doch
07-15-2011, 07:27 AM
Poorly ventilated basement + pvc primer and cement + a few beers = BAD IDEA!

I feel stoned... kind of tempted to call poison control. Meah..


The last two fittings that I had to do.... effed up. Oh well... back to Rona in the morning. LONG day. Started at 10am. Welded that stand, ate, started plumbing... finished at 1am... incompete. 97% complete.... but still incomplete.

phi delt reefer
07-15-2011, 12:14 PM
looking good man - love the built in wavebox!

doch
07-16-2011, 03:18 AM
FINALLY the plumbing is done! I now have all of my livestock in thhe new tank, and the old 55 is tucked neatly in the bottom of that stand. Encountered a new little problem though... the IN 250 that I bought will not fit under the frag tank as is. GAH!!! I'll have to do a little thinking on this one. Also... one of my wave boxes is no longer working. It's just on full time (doesn't pulse). No good.

Anyways... here's a few pics. Don't mind the aqua scaping.... that's for tomorrow.

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01418.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01417.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01416.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01415.jpg

doch
07-16-2011, 03:19 AM
BTW... WOW! Is this ever a lot of work!! I didn't think it was going to be this labour intensive!! lol

doch
07-17-2011, 01:28 AM
OK... all seems to be well and good! Thankfully! Here's a few shots of the preliminary aquascape. Most of this will be staying as is, but there will be a few changes. Specifically, many of the corals will be relocated to space them out some, and already a few of the rocks look to me like they need a tweek.

Anyways, let me know what you think.

The view from the couch.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01419.jpg

The right side view.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01420.jpg

The left side view.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01421.jpg

Looking down the tunnel.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01422.jpg

And, of course, the full frontal!
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01423.jpg

Please excuse the wires and junk. They didn't make the priority cut, and this took WAY longer than planned/expected.

doch
07-17-2011, 01:31 AM
Oh... and btw, it's not actually that blue. I'm running 4 New Gen, 3 Super Blue, and 2 Fiji Purple. (I'm still down a FP because of my jerk dog's foot) And sorry for the poor pics... get used to it! lol

Dez
07-17-2011, 03:01 AM
Love the plumbing behind the foosball table. Did you finally lube it up?

doch
07-17-2011, 03:28 PM
Haha! No, not yet. Basement has been in pretty rough shape, and no time for foos lately. I actually found an unopened bottle of lube with the spare handles though!

doch
07-18-2011, 02:54 AM
Alright... here is the second attempt (more or less final) at the aquascape. I can't figure out why my pics look so blue... any tips? I may have already mentioned this, but I'm running 9/10 4' t5's (one broke, no replacement yet). There are 4 KZ New Gen, 3 Super blues, and 2 Fiji Purples. It's really not that blue. Anyways, here ya go!

Here is the left side:

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01425.jpg

Here's the right side:

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01426.jpg

Here's the semi secluded, and fully temporary (until my frag tank arrives) 'frag bed' (almost all of these frags have been accidental casualties of the 3 tank moves in the last 4 months) Anybody need some birdsnest? lol But seriously!
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01427.jpg

And last, but most importantly, the full frontal! Take note of the set up at the front right of the tank. There are 3 marco rock in a little island secondary to the main rock set up. There`s a smallish one on the left, then a really big one that is mostly flat, with a decent sized protrusion on the top, (in betwween these two is the green candy coral) and then on top of it is another smallish one that I epoxied to the big one with the protrusion. I really like how that part turned out. There is a sepertaion of about 4 inches in between this section and the main section.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01424.jpg

doch
07-20-2011, 04:35 PM
Got home last night to disaster!! Could have been much worse, but the was a water spill all around the tank. I checked the actual tank... all seems well and good. Checked the plumbing... dry. The only thing that I can come up with is that the waveboxes started to spash over the edge somehow. I don't understand how, but this is what I came up with. When I set them up, I was getting a pulse that was hitting every 3rd wave. The waves were fairly small, about 1/2"-3/4". The trail of dried up salt was over the one side right beside the wavebox that I've been having some troubles with. I wonder if there was an issue with the wave controller, and the pulses changed giving me a larger wave which spilled over??? Who knows. I wish I had a video camera on there to see what happened. Unfortunately, the puddle of water hit the drivers and the wavecontroller, so I don't know if I have wave boxes at all any more... :-( I'm going to let them dry out for a day or 2, and see what happens. I just wish that my 6105's were not on back order. All I'm running right now is 43 koralias (various sizes up to 750 gph) and my return pump which claims 2100 gph @ 4' - no way I'm getting that out of it. I'd guess that since I've got my 1.5" valve on the herbie choked back... I'm gettting about 1000gph out of it.

In other news, I now have my Zeo reactor running, and the Zeo dosing has begun.

Tonight (assuming that I have no more water on the floor) I'm going to set up my dosing pumps which will be fed from a 5 gallon water jug in order to keep maintenance down to a minimum. I'm hoping that 5 gallons will last me about 6 months. That's likely a little bit of wishfull thinking, but we'll see.

Also, Im' starting to get a little bit of a diatom outbreak. To be expected I guess. I should probably do a parameter check... especially for amonia and nitrites. Maybe on the weekend.

Oh... one more thing. I lost a coral in the switch. My orange M. Cap is on the way out, if not already out. Not really sure why, but it happened.

doch
07-21-2011, 05:36 PM
Not really sure how/why I didn't think to put this in here, but here is my current stock list:

Fish
2x Black and White Oscilarris Clowns
1x Regal Tang (not to toot my own horn, but one of the nicest I've ever seen)
1x Purple Firefish
1x Back Capped Basslet
1x Rainfords Goby
1x Tail Spot Blenny
1x Barnicle Blenny (one of the coolest little dudes I've ever seen)
1x Flame Hawkfish (one of my faves!)
1x McKosker's Wrasse
1x Yellow Clown Goby

Inverts
1-2 Small Emerald Crabs
1-2 Pom Pom Crabs (LOVE THEM!)
1-2 Fire Shrimp (have only seen one lately... starting to think the other has died)

Clams
2x 2" Ultra BLue Maximas
1x 5" Golden Teardrop Maxima
1x Purple with unique greyish pattern Crocea
1x Blue mantled Squamosa

Corals
1x open brain
1x Hammer
1x Chalice
4x Really nice Zoa Colonies (don't care about their names)
A whole bunch of various SPS (Milles, Acros, Montis, etc)

And here is what I want to add:

Fish/Inverts
1x Majestic Angel or a Glod Flake Angel (I like the size/looks of the Gold Flake, but the price of the Majestic)
1x Powder Blue or Achilles Tang (can't decide which yet)
1 male, 3 female group of Anthias (likely Lire Tail, Dispar, or Bartletts)
1x Six Line Wrasse
1x Other wrasse (Melanarus, Blue Star Leaopard or Ruby Head)
2x Blotchy Anthias (I prefer to call them 'Punk Rock Anthias')
1x Fathead Sunburst Anthias
1x Venustus Angel
3x Purple Firefish
1x Blue Spot Jawfish (maybe)
1x Pitol Shrimp/Goby I like Yasha Hase, and High Finned Red Banded... we'll see.
1-2 Neon goby
I want a group of 3-4 Fire shrimp (have to add accordingly)
3-4 Cleaner Shrimp

I'd certainly appreciate some input. If you see something that I've overlooked that won't work, please inform me. BTW, I know that the Angels are risky... wish me luck. Also, I'd appreciate opinions as to what to add first and last. To me, the only things that may be an issue are Achiles Tnag and the Angels which I plan to add last. Everything else I think should be ok whenever... Yes?


Oh... and of course I'll be adding whole bunches of more corals!!!

I'll have some better pics coming very soon. It seems that my cell takes better pics than my $400 camera. GRRRR!

fishoholic
07-21-2011, 09:01 PM
6-line wrasse will most likely terrorize any other wrasse and probably any anthias you want to add.

doch
07-22-2011, 01:36 AM
Thanks Laurie! I definetly missed that one. I'll do some more in depth research on each of the fish on the list and come up with a plan, and I'm sure a few modifications. In light of the six line not working out, I think I'm leaning towards the Melanarus. Teh lost pest control from the six line can hopefully be made up by the Melanarus.

Skimmerking
07-22-2011, 01:41 AM
looks good man.

doch
07-22-2011, 02:03 AM
Here's the photo's I promised.
Still looks pretty blue, but the colours are better than the other camera.
Here is the little island of rock I talked about earlier... close up style.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2011-07-20212817.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2011-07-20212827.jpg
And a few coral shots, with some specific areas included.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2011-07-20212404.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2011-07-20212238.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2011-07-20212230.jpg

Evidence of my dead M. Cap... :(
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2011-07-20212219.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2011-07-20212315.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2011-07-20212351.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2011-07-20212153.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2011-07-20212139.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2011-07-20211834.jpg

Dez
07-22-2011, 02:21 AM
Looking good there Camino. Man, all of your negative space kinda makes me jealous. The phrase "open water" doesn't exist in my household.

doch
07-22-2011, 03:33 AM
Looking good there Camino. Man, all of your negative space kinda makes me jealous. The phrase "open water" doesn't exist in my household.

Funny... your lack of negative space makes me jealous. Maybe we could work something out...? I'll trade you some negative space for some colonies!!

I guess it's true, eh? We always want what we don't have!

Any thoughts on my stock list? I think I'm sitting pretty good, but I wouldn't mind the Dez seal of approval!

doch
07-23-2011, 03:57 PM
Busy night last night!! Wasn't feeling well all day, so I ended up napping on the couch off and on for most of the day... and then of course, couldn't sleep last night. Took the opportunity to get a few things completed.

First, I hooked up my Moon Light Controller for the RKE. I had to run about 20' of extension wire for each pod as my controller is in the fish room which is about 25 feet from the tank. 4 lunar blue LED pods strategically placed to shine over the good areas. Looks amazing when they're on. I'll try to snap a pic or 2 tonight with them on... hopefully it turns out ok.

Then, I mixed up 4 gallons of Calcium Chloride, Soda Ash, and Magnesium Sulfate/Chloride. I couldn't remember which dosing pump I used for each, so I set up the pumps to pull water from the sump and just return it back in. Hopefully this will flush it well enough that I don't end up with any solids forming and plugging.

I then FINALLY hooked up the tunze ATO to my RO reservoir. All I need now is a level switch of some sort fro the reservoir.

And last, but certainly not least... I cleaned up after 'hurricane upgrade' that hit my basement while all of this was happening. YIKES!!! Can't believe that my wife didn't kill me in the mean time!

doch
07-23-2011, 10:39 PM
Today I put together a shelving unit from Canadian tire to store all of the fish gear. It's in the bathroom right beside the fish room.
After that was done, I cleaned the rest of the disaster area, and properly ran oll of the cords and dosing pump tubing inside the fish room.

And....

Some more pics for anyone that likes to... um... see pics! lol

Here's my Tailspot Blenny and his favorite hiding spot
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01427-1.jpg

Here`s the `fish room`. Notice that my skimmer is too tall for the stand? Damn. My frag tank will be on the middle level (apparently on a 2x4 frame so that the skimmer will fit), and the water change tank will be on top. The lights up top are for sale, but if nobody wants them, I'll use them for the frag tank. I'd like to go DIY LED though. And, yes, that is my little beer fridge that's built right into the wall conveniently located right beside the foos ball table.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01430.jpg

Shot of the 'Man cave' now that the mess is starting to subside.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01433.jpg
This is a shot of the amount of plumbing and electrical that had to be run. The plan is to put 2x4 pieces to support the pipes, and then cover it up with either tile or wood. It will be used as a little beverage shelf for aroun the foos ball table.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01432.jpg

And as I had promised earlier, here's 2 shots of the 55 in it prime (before the move)
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/Mobile%20Uploads/2011-01-22_112416.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/Mobile%20Uploads/2011-01-22_112433.jpg

doch
07-26-2011, 07:50 PM
Well... the second casualty of the tank swap is now somewhat official. I haven't seen my flame hawkfish (one of my favortite fish) in about 6 days. I've been holding onto hope, but I'm no longer optimistic. Crap.

phi delt reefer
07-26-2011, 08:15 PM
very nice;


whats your bulb combo? Love the greens you have in the tank. Normally i HATE green for almost every damn coral is green or brown but you got the good greens :D

fishytime
07-26-2011, 09:09 PM
Sorry to hear about the flame:sad:.... I have one and he's one of my fav fish

doch
07-26-2011, 11:03 PM
very nice;


whats your bulb combo? Love the greens you have in the tank. Normally i HATE green for almost every damn coral is green or brown but you got the good greens :D

Well, I guess that the answer depends on which pic you're refering to. The 2 most recent pics are of my old tank before we moved to Fort Mac. The lights were 2x kz Coral Light II, 2x KZ Fiji Purple, and 2x KZ Super Blue. The pics before that are of the new tank whick I'm running 9 bulbs (broke the 10th). 4 New Gen, 3 Super Blue, and 2 Fiji Purple. The other bulb that broke was a fiji purple... I'm kind of leaning towards another New Gen to replace it.

doch
07-27-2011, 01:40 AM
Well, I sold a few pieces of equipment today. One of them is the lights that I had on my 55. Since they would not have fit my new tank or the frag tank very well, I just purchased a cheap ebay LED fixture for the frag tank. This fixture apparently got the Dez seal of approval, so... I'm in! Hopefully it works out well.

chris88
07-28-2011, 03:29 AM
wow it looks great. You have lots of room now to let your corals grow in. Keep in touch and when your tanks settles in i would love to come take a look and ill bring some frags for you.

doch
07-28-2011, 03:43 AM
As far as I'm concerned, she's settled in. Everthing that took a hit from the swap is in recovery mode now. I'm actually getting better polyp extension in my milles than I ever had before!! lol. Anytime you want to come check it out, I'm ready.

doch
07-29-2011, 08:20 PM
Well, since I'm STILL waiting on my 6105's to show up, and my waveboxes are still out of commission, I am now runnning an old style mp40 for the time being. Once the wavebox problem is fixed, and the 6105's are here, this will be running in my frag tank... but for now, it's getting me out of a jam.

Thanks to Asmodeus for getting this to me ASAP!!

PS Real men ride Suzuki. And 4 strokes!! HAHAHAHAH!

doch
08-16-2011, 06:21 PM
Well, we're on vacation in bc right now, and had the chance to stop in at oceanic, and j&l so far. At oceanic, I put my name on a 'chilli pepper monti'. It's awesome.... Kind of a mintgreen with bright red polyps! I went to bed that night thing about it, so I had to call back and hold it.... We'll grab it on our way back. J&L.... Wow! phase don't tell my source how much I spent there! Got a majestic angel juvi, a PAIR of dracula shrimp gobies, some shrimp, a rainbow monti frag, and hopefully a few more thumbs to come in the shipment they expect on wednesday! On the way back, we'll stop in at ocean aquatics! My wallet it's happy that we don't live here! Lol

doch
08-20-2011, 08:03 AM
Sorry kids, no pics. Still on vacation, everyone crashed, and I'm hopped up on monsters. Had the opportunity today to hit ocean aquatics.... Sweet store! Good thing that I don't live in this area! Between the big 3.... I'd be broke! (they've already drained me pretty good!) J & L... Wow. That is all. From oceanic I picked up a couple of cultured colonies the nicest being a yellow stag with pick tips! From oceanic... Some high end stuff from the states. Some pink zoas w/green skirts (don't remember the name.... Then a chili monti, a something our other bonsai, and a birds of paradise, thanks to paul for the hook up on that one.... It was a mix up that he really didn't have to fix.

Fantastic stores! Nuff said. I'll post some pics when I'm back and settled in a little.

doch
08-20-2011, 08:16 AM
Sorry kids, no pics. Still on vacation, everyone crashed, and I'm hopped up on monsters. Had the opportunity today to hit ocean aquatics.... Sweet store! Good thing that I don't live in this area! Between the big 3.... I'd be broke! (they've already drained me pretty good!) J & L... Wow. That is all. From oceanic I picked up a couple of cultured colonies the nicest being a yellow stag with pick tips! From oceanic... Some high end stuff from the states. Some pink zoas w/green skirts (don't remember the name.... Then a chili monti, a something our other bonsai, and a birds of paradise, thanks to paul for the hook up on that one.... It was a mix up that he really didn't have to fix.

Fantastic stores! Nuff said. I'll post some pics when I'm back and settled in a little.

doch
08-31-2011, 05:53 PM
These first two are of one of my favorites. Colored up REALLY nicely since the upgrade. Trust me, the pics do not do it justice.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01479.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01440.jpg
These 2 are of a Sunset Mille I picked up from OC. It use to be green and pink, but it's turned all hot pink. Fine by me!
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01442.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01481.jpg
Little Bali cultured colony I grabbed from Ocean Aquatics while I was down there.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01439.jpg
Purple Mille from RCC - Still trying to color up... slowly but surely.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01438.jpg
Purple Hornets from RCE
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01448.jpg
Sour Apples, OC
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01449.jpg
Sunny D's, OC
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01452.jpg
Red w/blue tips mille - Dez
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01461.jpg

doch
08-31-2011, 06:04 PM
Pink Birdnest
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01466.jpg
Rainbow Stylo
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01468.jpg
Snappy's Convexa... still hoping to get the really nice reds that this one is famous for. I've fragged it a couple times and have it in different spots in the frag tank, so hopefully I can figure out the secret!!
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01469.jpg
Deep blue/Purple Mille
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01470.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01472.jpg
Purple Tipped Valida (WAY nicer in person!)
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01473.jpg
Galaxay Green Birdsnest, OC
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01477.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01478.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01480.jpg
DOn't know why, but I tried this pic 15 times, and couldn't get it to focus properly. Sorry. Little Maxima on the left, and Crocea on the right.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01482.jpg

fishytime
08-31-2011, 06:17 PM
Looking good man..... You've got some really nice pieces in there!

doch
08-31-2011, 06:20 PM
My first SPS!! Got this little guy as a brown and kind of yellow frag from Blue world. Since the upgrade, it has turned to this really nice pink.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01486.jpg
The little green frag on the left of this rock was by far my favorite... I just need to get it to grow and clour up again. When it's happy, it's a beautiful turquoise with deep blue tips. Unfortunately, it's been a VERY slow grower, and since we moved up to Fort Mac it's been miserable. I actually almost lost it, so I'm very happy that it has survived... hopefully it heals up! Also, the coral that most people show up and call their favorite... the little hot pink Pocci towards the top of the frame... Courtesy of Dez
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01487.jpg
Candy Apple Reds, OC
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01488.jpg
Magicians, AI
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01490.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01460.jpg
My new Majestic courtesy of J&L. LOVE this fish.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01462.jpg
Male Lyretail Anthias, MA
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01464.jpg
My favorite part of my aquascape... and a Maxima, "Teally" from Dez, and another little frags that I LOVE, but need to get growing. Oh, and I love the little neon gobies. They went to this rock as soon as I dumped them, and have hardly left since.
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01465.jpg
Rainbow Acan, RCE
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01444.jpg
Flame Hawkfish, V2, MA
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01467.jpg
And last of the fun shots... Chilli Pepper Monti, OC
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01476.jpg

doch
08-31-2011, 06:25 PM
Please pardon my pictures... I'm just starting to get interested in photography, but do not have the camera to back it. I'll be fixing that soon. Some of the pics above would just not focus for me... but I still wanted a shot in the journal, so they'll have to do!

doch
08-31-2011, 06:30 PM
And here are a few of the utility/fish room.

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01454.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01455.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01456.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01457.jpg
And finally, two full tank shots. Unfortunately my battery crapped out before I could take a shot of either side. Next time!!
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01458.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/DSC01459.jpg

Hope you've enjoyed! Let me know what you think.

doch
08-31-2011, 06:32 PM
Oh... and please excuse the hair algae! I'll be getting to that asap... just figured I'd wait until the new tank cycle was toned down.

doch
08-31-2011, 06:33 PM
Looking good man..... You've got some really nice pieces in there!

Thanks Doug! Mucho appreciato!

doch
10-02-2011, 02:20 PM
So, I'm not sure why I wouldn't have documented it in here vs the new post that I created, but I am now at the tail end of a big crash. It could have been MUCH worse, but it sucked bad enough. Anyways, the best thing that I can think to do is to put the link to it here:
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=78717

For the record, I learned a valuable lesson the HARD way. When people suggest to roll, shake and aggitate your salt before use... LISTEN. There were several factors contributing to this crash (I think), but the high levels in the bottom of the bucket of salt definetly didn't help.

Coralgurl
10-02-2011, 02:47 PM
Beautiful tank Doch!

doch
10-04-2011, 02:27 AM
When I got home this morning I did A LOT of work in the tank. I scraped the back wall with a fish net, scooped up all of the hair algae that I could and flushed it. I missed a few spots though... oops. Then, I took out one of my frag racks, sprayed it down in the bath tub and got rid of all of the hair algae on it. I'm going to do the other one tomorrow when I ge home from work at 7am!! Then, I took my skimmer and zeo reactor out, cleaned the skimmer from top to bottom, and emptied the zeo reactor. Once emptied, I set the flow of the pump to ~250gph as per the recommendations of the Zeo forums. The skimmer is now back in the sump, and the zeo reactor is awaiting the new zeolites that will be arriving tonight via delivery from RCE (Thanks Steve!). When I get home, I'll scrape the rest of the gunk off of the back wall, set up the zeo reactor with the right amount of zeolites, flow and proper dosing to get things started right.

I also ran a few water tests... PO4 is sitting a little higher than before at 0.04 compared to the 0.00 that I had it down to... oh well, still better than the 0.20 that it crept up to. Ca is at 442 on the Hanna... judging from the tests that I've made, I'll call that ~400ppm. Alk/kH is down to a whopping 168ppm/9.99dKh. Getting there... slowly but surely!

As frustrated as I am right now, I'm starting to feel better about this. A few more days of work, and she should A-OK!

Myka
10-04-2011, 03:24 AM
If you're going to use Zeolites you should be using Start and Bak too. That should really help you out.

If it makes you feel any better my tank is really trying to crash right now too...I hope I can stop it.

doch
10-04-2011, 04:27 AM
If you're going to use Zeolites you should be using Start and Bak too. That should really help you out.

If it makes you feel any better my tank is really trying to crash right now too...I hope I can stop it.


As much as I could use something to make me feel better about this right now, your pain will not be my cure. I feel for you. This morning I was ready to shut down the whole friggin' thing and sell it all. I'm sure I'll feel the same way tomorrow morning when all I want to do is sleep and I'm armpit deep in salt water.

But of course with the zeo... ZeoStart3, and ZeoBak... I've also got zeo food, but apparently that's not needed with ZS3...?

Myka
10-04-2011, 04:41 AM
I don't know anything about Start3...only ever used Start2. Like I said in your other thread though, if you're starting vodka dosing I would ditch the Zeo...I wouldn't do both. Plus, you're also using GFO. I'd say ditch Zeo, ramp up vodka as you ramp down GFO.

doch
10-04-2011, 06:24 AM
Yeah, I'm only going to dose vodka for 2-3 days. Once the Zeo is started up, I'll call it quits. I figured it can't hurt to give it a little kick start. Maybe I'm off on this.

doch
10-04-2011, 02:56 PM
Well, I got home today to find the goodies that I ordered from my boy Steve at Red Coral E-town sitting in my living room! WHOOHOO!! I FINALLY have a successful bulb placement in my 10 of 10 slots. I broke 3 bulbs on the way to this moment (actually, I broke 1, my dog broke 1, and my buddy broke 1 - unbelievable)... thankfully this one made it! I received my new dart/snapper hybrid.... can't wait to get the new sump so I can hook it up. My zeo rocks are here... and this time I'm doing it right!! 3L of rocks, and now I've done my homework... should work out well this time.
AND>>> I finally got my tiger shark magnet.... WOW!!! I absolutely love it! The biggest mag float doesn't even compare! Well worth the price!!! You know the corners of the tank the the mag float doesn't touch??? This one annihilates the gunk in there. I also got a Sea Hare which will be a temporary bandaid fix for the hair algae, and 20 or so snails... I think that there are 10 Nasarius, and 10 Turbo, but I didn't actually count. This will get me on track to algae reduction while the Zeo is kicking in... I hope.

Anywho... Parameters are: PO4 - 0.00, Ca - 348 (I attribute this to operator error on the hanna... yesterday was 442 I think), and 162 ppm/~9dkH. She's coming around... and I'm feeling much better about this sometimes stinkin' hobby!!

Oh... and I'm having an after work drink with my fish. A beer for me, and a shot of Vodka for them!

doch
10-04-2011, 02:59 PM
I don't know anything about Start3...only ever used Start2. Like I said in your other thread though, if you're starting vodka dosing I would ditch the Zeo...I wouldn't do both. Plus, you're also using GFO. I'd say ditch Zeo, ramp up vodka as you ramp down GFO.


I do appreciate the advice/opinion, but since I've already bought all the Zeo equipment, I'm going to stick with it, and see what happens. For the time being, the GFO will stay.... and I'm going to buy a "No PO4" sign and stick it on my tank!! lol

Myka
10-04-2011, 03:26 PM
Ah, ok. I thought you were trying the vodka on a more permanent basis, that's why I suggested you ditch the Zeo. One or the other doesn't really matter, just not both! :p I've run Zeo and GFO together with no issues, but I understand if you ramp down on the GFO over a few months that the Zeo will work better. I think it's because the PO4 acts as food for certain parts of the Zeo system (that's an educated guess though).

RedCoralEdmonton
10-04-2011, 10:12 PM
Good to hear that you have 10 bulbs running now lol.... once you get er all stable again, come to Etown and Ill hook you up with a bunch of free frags to help fill out your tank!

Steve

doch
10-04-2011, 11:30 PM
Good to hear that you have 10 bulbs running now lol.... once you get er all stable again, come to Etown and Ill hook you up with a bunch of free frags to help fill out your tank!

Steve

From this super high end sps order that you expect this week? You're the best Steve! ;-)

That wrasse is SO AWESOME, BTW.

doch
10-05-2011, 02:48 PM
OK... quick update. After a 3 day bender, my fish are officially off the sauce. No more Vodka for them. For now at least. Zeoliths were rinsed and then soaked for 24 hours... and zeo is now running. Properly. 3h on, 3h off. Proper start up dosage. Proper amount of zeoliths. Sweet.

Anyways, only other thing that I did today is a water test:
Ca 370
kH 8.66 (and dropping)
PO4 0.02
Mg 2300 (no way that I trust this test kit. I hope)

I can't wait until hanna has a nitrate test kit. Why don't they yet? Shouldn't that one have been one of the first?

RedCoralEdmonton
10-05-2011, 03:35 PM
oh btw the SPS should be here next week..... but seeing as how you wont make it til november the frags will have plenty of time to encrust up

Steve

Myka
10-05-2011, 04:10 PM
Glad to hear the tank is on the mend.

doch
10-10-2011, 03:17 PM
Well, here's a little bit of interesting info for you. I came hom etoday and did some testing. Good news! kH of 7.06, and I've started dosing again... this time I'll test daily for a while to see what's happenning. Ca is a little bit high at 500, but judging by the discrepancy between the hanna (~50 high) and the Elos (~50 low), I'm sititng at about 450ppm. Not bad, but I turned the dosing down by 5 minutes per day on the Ca... to be monitored. PO4 is sitting at 0.03 on the hanna... higher than it's been in a week. Still not bad though, and that could easily be an operator error in the testing.

Here's the interesting part. I bought a Sea Chem Mg test kit and tried it out today. I got 1200 mg/L. (Is that the same as PPM, or are my units off?) So, I tried the Elos, and got 2200. WOW. Here's the best part. In the Sea Chem kit, there's a bottle of known test fluid... 1250 mg/L Mg. I tested on the Sea chem and got ~1250. I tested on the Elos, and got 2450. WOW! It seems that my Mg has been low this whole time. I wonder if the whole time in my old tank my Mg was REALLY low? I'd test and it would come out at about 1200-1350 depending on the day. That may explain a few things. How critical is that Mg number?

Anyways... I'm in the clear. Zeo is running, hair algae has been removed as much as possible. Where I didn't remove it, it's receding!!! Whoo! All of my test levels are acceptable, but could use a little bit of tweaking. If I can keep the kH at ~7, drop the Ca to ~400, and get the Mg up a bit, I'm laughing! I figure that I should have her dialed in faily soon.

I also got 11 new frags from Snappy... they are all happy and alive, so that's nice compared to the last batch I had bought (not from Snappy) that I struggled to keep any of them alive (for the record, I do not blame the seller or the frags for that... my tank was in rough shape).

Funny story, one of the frags that I got from Snappy fell off of the plug, but I dropped it in the tank anyways... and then lost it. Literally... couldn't find it anywhere. Searched for an hour. Came home from work 2 days later and it was sitting directly in between 2 of the other frags. WTF!? Am I going crazy, or did that actually just happen...? lol. For the record, I know that it did actually happen, although I may still be crazy! hahaha

And BTW, I like this hobby MUCH more this week than I did the last few. Thanks to those of you who offered support, and advice!

doch
11-03-2011, 03:16 AM
Almost immediately after buying my T5's I came to the realization that I should have bit the bullet and gone LED. Oh well... thankfully my wife has given me the OK to go ahead and make the switch. On order through my buddy Steve at Red Coral in Edmonton.... 4 AI Sols and an AI controller. I thought about getting the DA RKE ALC, but I've heard that some are having troubles with the integration to the Sols, so why chance it? I also seriously thought about going with 3 instead of the reccomended 4 (since I'll be keeping them 12-15" above the tank), but since I know me, even I ended up perfectly happy with 3, I'd likely end up wanting 4 to see the difference... so 4 it is.

Anyways, I'll be heading to Etown next weekend, so I'll have them set up by the end of that weekend.

PS... as per my post, 1x48" 4 bulb tek light, and 1x48" 6 bulb tek light... For Sale!! 3 month old KZ bulbs. See my post if interested.

doch
01-05-2012, 07:40 PM
Well, it's been a while, and as such things have changed. I'm finally getting around to the not so tank portions of the tank... ie the stand and finishing carpentry. I've also had a little bit of a light upgrade Woohoo! Anyways, I'll let the pics do the rest of the talking.

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2012-01-05122302.jpg

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2012-01-05122321.jpg
This one just shows how I'm hiding the piping around the foos ball table. As a bonus, it makes for a nice beer shelf!
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2012-01-05122339.jpg
And last but not least, the 4 AI Sols!
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2012-01-05122356.jpg

PS as you can see, it's not complete, but it's coming along.

GracieLou
01-05-2012, 08:31 PM
I really like the stone!!
What's the plan for the canopy??

doch
01-06-2012, 06:23 AM
Thanks! I'm really happy with how it turned out. As for the canopy, I've got a buddy that's a carpenter... When he finds a free day he's going to head over and we'll finish the rest. It will be the same size as what you see, but with properly finished panels and trim. They will all match the piping enclosure and be stained the same color. Hopefully that will all be done in the next week or so... I just had to get a few pics up!

doch
01-20-2012, 08:15 PM
Not much of an update, as my carpenter buddy is lazy as eff. Grrrrr. However, I thought that I would mention that on Boxing day I bought a Yassa Hase goby, and a Helfrich's Fire fish. I put them in the tank, and never saw them again. Until today!!! WOOO HOOOO!!!! Both of them are hiding in the same rock, about 3" apart. Unreal. I also recently found my super awesome Black Capped Basslet that I thought had died months ago. I'm pretty sure that the reason for these fishies all hiding is that I have Satan himself living in my aquarium. He may look like a male Lyretail Anthias, but that's just the form that he's chosen for our world. On top of chasing these fish into hiding, I'm pretty sure that he's killed 2 other fire fish, a rainfords goby, and 2 dracula gobies (these make me very angry)... however, given this weeks findings, I wouldn't be all that surprised if they all came out of hiding once Satan has been extradited... to the sewer!!!!! MUAHAHAHAHAA!!! (just kidding, he'll be donated to Steve at Red Coral) I've been planning, and my wife's been nagging for the exorcism of this devil, but it just hasn't quite happened yet. Maybe this weekend...?

Also, here is a link to a post that I've made regarding some SPS troubles that I've been having lately:
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=82087

RedCoralEdmonton
01-20-2012, 09:18 PM
thanks for the "donation" lol....

Steve

doch
01-21-2012, 03:45 AM
Banana!thanks for the "donation" lol....

Steve

Hahaha! Anytime Steve! Hey... he's great with fish bigger than him.... just a bully to the little fellas.

RedCoralEdmonton
01-21-2012, 03:59 AM
so to the 300 he goes! lol

Steve

fishytime
01-21-2012, 04:00 AM
I'm pretty sure that the reason for these fishies all hiding is that I have Satan himself living in my aquarium. He may look like a male Lyretail Anthias, but that's just the form that he's chosen for our world.

:rofl:.......thats too funny man.....not that you have a nasty fish, but how you worded it.......

stand looks killer man:biggrin:

reefwars
01-21-2012, 04:00 AM
stand looks great bud, love the mitred corners looks clean:)

doch
01-21-2012, 03:17 PM
stand looks great bud, love the mitred corners looks clean:)

Thanks!
They actually didn't turn out as well as I had hoped... But I'm going to take a grinder and even the corners, then fill with a little grout. Should be darn near prefect! Now if only my buddy would get off his lazy butt... The finishing carpentry needs to be done! I've been looking for a deal on a decent table/mitre saw... Might end up doing it myself.

doch
02-02-2012, 05:13 PM
So, I come downstairs to find a giant puddle of water all over the floor. Again. Damnit. This is certainly not the first time that this has happened, and likely not the last, but this time, it took me a while to figure out why. WHY!?!?!?!?! As it looks, my 3 month old sump is leaking. ****!!! I've isolated the sump, put strategically placed heaters in the appropriate tanks (frag and display) and have drained the sump down to the levels of the baffles. I assume that when I get home tonight I'll be able to see which section of the sump is leaking, and hopefully be able to reseal that panel of glass. In the mean time, my wife is going down to the LPS (plumbing) to get me a list of fittings. When I get home, I'll be converting 2 rubbermaids into a temporary (or maybe permanent) sump system.

****!!!!

That all said, as I'm noticing this last night, (and taking inventory of what to list for sale today) I see my newly added female mandarin all cuddled up to and in spawn mode with the originally added male!!!! Fine. I'll keep the tank. ****ers. HAHAHA! Super cool to see, it made the whole experience not so bad.

A little side note about the mandarins... the male was always good and healthy looking. When I got the female, she actually looked pretty skinny which scared me a little, but I was told that she's eating frozen, so I risked it. Now, she's fattened up nicely, and the both are very active and fat and happy!! WHOOOHOOOO!!!!! I absolutely love these guys!!!

doch
02-22-2012, 02:25 AM
Well, the finishing carpentry is 99% complete. Since I likely have hit a wall with the last 1%, I'll post some pics now. My buddy Ryan helped (read: did almost all of this... except the tile and the trim on the bottom). I can't thank him enough! All that is left now is to mount a little bit of hardware (catches for the panels closest to the walls), and to paint the bottom trim white, stain all of the fir, and paint the pipe valences to match the walls (which will likely change colour too).

Enough talking... here's the goods!

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2012-02-21201500.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2012-02-21201525.jpg]
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2012-02-21201542.jpg

Please try not to pay too much attention to the crappy aquarium attached to the stand and canopy... I've been having nothing but troubles with it lately.

doch
02-22-2012, 02:50 AM
I'll try this again:

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2012-02-21201542.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2012-02-21201525.jpg
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa432/johnnycamino127/2012-02-21201500.jpg

Not sure why they wouldn't work in the other post, but here they are.

doch
02-22-2012, 03:27 PM
Is it still possible to adjust the title of a thread? I used to be able to, but can't now.

Skimmerking
02-22-2012, 07:57 PM
no we are not allow to edit anymore. just pm the mod and they can do it