Nicks 120 Gal work in progress
 

I figured that with all the fun stuff i have been getting and doing lately i would start a bit of a build/upgrade thread(somewhere i can post my rantings, nonsense, and a place to show off my new goodies).

I will start here:
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps4136bca7.jpg

Above is my tank not to long after switching my Coralife MH out for a could D120 LEDs. Definitely a good choice(especially since i was never fond of changing bulbs on any type of schedule and always would let them go to long).

And a few of my little friends:

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps9039cc96.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...psea2f0bdd.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps2b9ef17a.jpg

I guess the next thing would be that i dropped the mag 12 and went with a dc5000.

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...psad6d2b68.jpg

Quite happy with the pump. it has been up and running a while and has been reliable, quiet, and it is quite nice to have the feed mode and speed options.

More recently i decided that i wanted to make a light bar to hang my lights. I ended up using some aluminum angle and flat bar. I ended up using cotter pins to attach lights to light bar so i can pop them out if i ever need to quite easily.

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps83eb58af.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...psf80d18bd.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps39a4f8ac.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...pscc01ef53.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps9184f851.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...pscdc7a3c5.jpg

Love the codder pin idea!

Thanks Myka, i definitely felt smarter then i am when i thought of it :)

Check out these handsome/beautiful faces..

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...psc74ad44b.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps6a6f5d03.jpg

Very nice Nick...about time you gave us some shots. :)

So, my fuge has been sitting with some cheato and a mangrove in it not doing a lot for quite some time now. So i made a little (or big) upgrade from a 42watt cfl clamp on light to a 70 watt S2 Refugium LED pictured below: (and ordered up some mangroves, since i really like how the one i had was doing and looked).

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...pscb4fdbb6.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...pscc9b98a8.jpg

Shortly after the mangroves arrived and the roots started growing out of control in a matter of a week i decided to spread them out and split up the cheato in hopes to have the fuge bottom/sand covered in cheato(in between the mangroves) as to stop and nuisance algae from forming around edges as i have had in the past with just a ball of cheato in the middle.


http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps2f6dc576.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...psbf61d4ff.jpg

It has only been like this for a few days now and the cheato is spreading out well. It seems as though i will have bottom fully covered by the weeks end.

Nice light bar!

Thanks Cubeman.

Next is my frag/qt tank setup. I found a little 3g acrylic aquarium kit at the discount store for cheap (due to scratches). Below is Painting the back pannel and drilling for water in and out.

I have the pump and return easily moveable. Either drawing from my main system for frags or if i wanna use as a qt i can just drop pump and return hose into a 5g sump i have. For now i just have it on main system so i can keep frags.

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps7c63b325.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps9a166c00.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps2583dec7.jpg

Bulkheads installed

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...pse2d80dd7.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps5a645f9b.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps44b00c57.jpg

Hooked up

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...psc72a6751.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...psde873d44.jpg

luckily as the frags started arriving so did my new frag light. It is a S2 nano/frag light. Here are a few pics of the light and the frags it is helping to grow:

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps7759af33.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps93428246.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps03fbd612.jpg

this lil guy came in looking good but has a bit of algae growing and i couldn't get in there to snip it off so i ended up dipping it in diluted peroxide which seems to slow it down (most went white and died off the next day).

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps7e3dbc34.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...psf24909e0.jpg

and this Forest fire digi(and a few more) from a good fellow named Mark

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps2394cf4a.jpg

and this lovely strawberry shortcake acro from Harry

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps8e68e124.jpg

updates...
 

fuge is filling in quite well with cheato and mangroves are rooting quite well and a few are on the verge of popping out leaves:

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...psaa154ac6.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...psd480874a.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps09667154.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps891f5947.jpg

more updates
 

moved frags into display and they seem to be doing ok (except the 2 montis. The pink monti is a bit bleached and the pokerstar monti seems to have a bit less polyp extension then when it came). Some pics:

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...psda8ed4e3.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps01a78ea5.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...psfa863753.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps6671550d.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps16a57f89.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps3ea48308.jpg

pokerstar (a little sad)
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...psaded4540.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps6220c7dc.jpg

Anyone wanna help id this piece?
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps1876fcef.jpg

Cool, but it looks like that second one is giving us all the finger :D

LOL, I was just thinking the same thing :twised:

How do you like that fuge light? Do things seem to be growing ok? I was looking at getting a couple for my fuge.

yes, things are growing quite well... cheato was going crazy before i spread it out. But now it is hard to tell since it just thickened up and covers open area between plants.

Mangroves are moving pretty quick(as far as mangroves go). Should have some leaves on some of the new guys by next week.

You must have a pretty serious fuge if you are thinking of 2 of these (55gallon??).

Not overly large, just have 2 different ones. A macro/DSB fuge, and then a seperate mangrove fuge, so two needed! But good to know, maybe i'll order some up.

new additions from another local frag buy with some nice gentlemen.

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps0b8b56e3.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps6c15f8d0.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps9ab1b527.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...psea7a6049.jpg

you gotta update this ..how are the mangroves doing >? My wife wants me to have some growing in the overflow of my new tank .

Mangroves are doing very well.

Lots happened since last update. The biggest event being that i went to MACNA and while i was away i had a snail plug my overflow and ato ran on to flood the ole basement and kill all coral. Been a while since then and added failsafe since the old flood thing has happened one to many times. Mostly sps in the tank now and other then battling aptasia at the moment all is pretty well.

Here is a pic of those baby mangroves as of a couple weeks ago (Will post current pics in the next day or so):

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d9...ps79a562ca.jpg

Wholley mangroves. :D

Sorry about your losses Nick. If you want some frags when you come, we can make some.

ya those look GREAT !

I cant seem to find any vendors who sell them . Where does one get these things from ?

Thanks Doug. Th sadness has long since past and many frags in now and starting to grow out(a little bit anyway).

I brought a bunch with intentions of selling them and did sell a few but i had them under some LEDs and they grew way to big way to fast.

I might bring some in again and just put them under a CFL so they dont root to fast then can sell them as i have no more room for them once they grow out and once they get larger they die easily in shipping. If you are looking for a bunch (i will track down the contact for where i got em and pm it to you).

I dunno how any of you guys get those to grow. Started with 11 and now down to two. Yours look great though

What i found to help the mangrove grow at any reasonable rate was lots of light. I had it under a 42watt cfl and wasn't getting any impressive growth(it was growing just slow). WHen i went to a 70watt led with proper plant spectrum it jump started everything and see growth on a daily basis.

is it the same light as you use for the refugium?? S2 Refugium light??

Yes, same light just different layout. When i got the demo i loved it and still do but the cost of them would not be much lower then the d120 so i did not order a batch as i didn't think there would be much call for them at that price point.

Very cool idea!

Appears to be Leptoseris. A better pic could confirm.

thx!!! it is because i'm trying to setup a small 6 gal frag tank like yours, just right under my display tank. need to find a small and compact size lighting fixture over it.

the d120 seems a bit big over the tank with 10 x 10 foot print....:sad: