9 months, updated pics on 425

[reefkeeper2]

It's been nine months since the tank has been set up. I thought I would post some updated pics.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-full_tank2_2-16-07.jpg
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-full_tank4_2-16-07.jpg

[Headless_donkey]

Super nice! That makes me jealous. What do you use as filtration?

[SunnyX]

Outstanding!!!

Please, fill us in on the specifics!!

[tom obrecht]

I rember this tank when it first started. Nice!! Can we get some more pics?

[delphinus]

Outstanding!! I love it!

Where is the sump? The tank stand looks open underneath.

Is this a greenhouse or a conservatory room, is humidity a concern at all? Oh and is it really that green outside for you? Man I'm jealous.

[reefkeeper2]

The sump is in the basement I use carbon, 24/7 and phosban. There is a bubbleking skimmer and a RDSB down there as well. No fuge as yet. Hope to do without one but we shall see.
It's winter here too, thats just the hemlock hedge you see thru the windows.
I just got a new camera, a digital SLR so I'm still experimenting with it.

[crescent1]

takes my breath away, outstanding.

[Gary Majchrzak]

Very nice. Is there a build thread for this aquarium?
Did you construct that stand?

[reefkeeper2]

Thanks! I still have a few problems with cyano that keeps cropping up here and there. Hate the stuff.
I just licked a problem with my alkalinity by piggy backing an old calcium reactor on my schuran jetstream. I put ARM media in the old one where the schuran has the bigger stuff. Now it holds steady at 9DKH.

[reefkeeper2]

I did construct the stand, but there is no build thread . The stand is just a variation of the "shimmer stand". You can do a search and get the details. I think I spelled it right. It's just concrete blocks and steal I beams. Very simple. I added two center columns to distribute the weight more evenly (there is a basement below) and to hide the plumbing. Then I tiled over it to match the floor.

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

Two questions:
1. Does plumbing run through one of the columns?
2. Why are two of the four light fixtures so much higher?

Awesome tank by the way!

[reefkeeper2]

The water comes up the middle left column and goes down the right one. Electrical for the tunzes comes up thru there as well.
There are only 2 fixtures, the pic is misleading. The silver maristar fixtures can be raised up or lowered down from the white fixtures hanging above them. I didn't know exactly how high I wanted the bulbs to be so I gave myself a lot of leeway. In retrospect, I think I could have made the white ones a little lower, so there would be less space between them and the maristars.
Here is an older but better view of them.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140lighting.JPG

[Findland]

HOLY SMOKES dude your tank is sweet. Looks like you have some amazing coral growth. Good Luck with it!

[Zoos]

You obviously had a vision when you thought this up. Incredible.

[Alphabet]

Looks awesome, I remember this build!!

[rppvt]

Yeah I remember the build as well. Jealous of the natural light in there... as well as the lack of freeway noise you must have!

[mbunaman]

Sweet tank!!!!

[saltycreefer]

That is the coolest!

[Chaotic Reefer4u]

wow amazing...

[Tigger240]

good to see updates, need to post more pics and more details!!!

[55semireef]

The best part of this tank is the S. Gigantea for sure.

[Jeff]

Very very Very nice :)

[ThaNgBOm321]

i just want to tell you that YOUR A VERY SICK MAN!!!! SICK I TELL YOU!!!!!

nice set-up .. clean !!! i likes!!!

YzGyz

[55semireef]

I like where the tank is too. Looks like a meausam (sp?) almost.

[nyvp]

I remember as well the build amazing job well done.
ok here is what we need.
Close up pics of the tank from different angles as well as the basement and all equipment. when can we expect them......( J/K) Again great job amazing tank.

[reefkeeper2]

Right now I'm at work until 11:30pm tonight. I will try and take those pics tomorrow and get them on line before I leave for work again at 3pm.

[dgasmd]

Pictures of the corals upclose is a must. I know the colors must be outstanding, but from the distance the pictures were shot it looks like everything is brown. I second the equipment pictures as well.

[reefkeeper2]

Ok , I'll start with the sump and equipment.
This is an overall view of what I have in the basement. You can see the Dialyseas unit which controls the water changes and monitors the conductivity. To the left is the water reservoir. To the right is the kalkwater stirrer. To the far right is the battery backup. It is connected to the four Tunze pumps upstairs in the tank. Should the power go out there is enough in reserve to last for days. I have a generator as well.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0049.JPG

[reefkeeper2]

I don't have a big problem with humidity and here is why. I vent air from outside into the skimmer and back out again. I have discovered that it's the little things you do that add up to make a big difference. I try and supply a lot of outside air for good exchange (there is another pump with venturi in the deep sand bed container) and to get rid of excess CO2 from the calcium reactor. But I vent that humid air right back out. Thats what all those lines to the basement window are for. Naturally, the humidty in the summer will still be higher than normal, but it is well within tolerable limits and I rarely have to turn on the dehumidifier. A pox on the electric company! I also make sure that there are no objects down there that can absorb and retain moisture like cardboard.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0047.JPG

[asnatlas]

Where did you get that HUGH funnel at that is over your BK skimmer ??

[reefkeeper2]

Here is the carbon and anti phos reactor. It's a converted MRC calcium reactor. An Ehiem pump pushes the water thru the carbon first and then a portion goes off to the the other reactor thats filled with GFO. I change the carbon once a month. The GFO gets changed about every other month depending on what I observe upstairs in the tank. You can also see in this pic the calcium reactor effluent being dripped into a funnel that leads directly to the pump that drives the skimmer. This is to help drive off as much CO2 as I can.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0046.JPG

[reefkeeper2]

I got the funnel on line from a place that sells home brewery supplies.

[reefkeeper2]

Here is the RDSB. I just placed a pump inside with a venturi to increase oxygenization.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0048.JPG

[invincible569]

Awesome ideas! I really like how you thought outside the box.

[reefkeeper2]

This is the calcium reactor. It's a Schuran and the pH coming out of it is low, 6.5 to dissolve that media. I piggy backed an old Koralin reactor to it to take advantage of the low pH effluent. It almost doubled the alkalinity of the effluent. I don't know the pH of the effluent now as my hand held pH meter finally died. Got to get another.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0045.JPG

[reefkeeper2]

Here is my cooling system. When the tank temp reaches 80 degrees, a temp controller in the basement turns on this fan. It blows across the surface of the water and keeps the temp stable. It has never reaches 81 degrees. The room also has AC but it has to work like crazy to keep that room cool in the summer. I keep the room temp set to 78 in the summer.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0039.JPG

[reefkeeper2]

Now some tank pics. I love the look of an SPS dominated tank, but I really want to see diversity like you would on a real reef. Of course this is harder to do because you have to deal with the chemical toxins softies can release and you have to have the variety of light conditions required for both hard and soft corals. I think I am getting there but have a long way to go. Here is my colt coral that has really shot up in the past few months.http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0041.JPG

[reefkeeper2]

I'm hoping to add rockwork and/or coral that will help hide the Tunzes. Here is a view of the backside.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0038.JPG

[reefkeeper2]

My H. giganteahttp://http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0016.JPG

[reefkeeper2]

Frog spawnhttp://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0037.JPG

[reefkeeper2]

Acrotp://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0043.JPG

[reefkeeper2]

Hmmm, looks like I will have to try to post those pics again.http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0043.JPG

[reefkeeper2]

H. giganteahttp://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0016.JPG

[reefkeeper2]

Right now my main problem is with cyano that keeps cropping up here and there. I have the dialyseas changing 10gal a day and I have changed the carbon and GFO. I have done this before to no avail and had to resort to chemi clean. I hope this is just new tank syndrome and I can get rid of it this time without the chemicals. I almost lost my clowns the last time. One last pic. A deep water acro.http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0042.JPG

[hawaiianwargod]

Stunning!

[reefkeeper2]

I'm took these pics with a new digital SLR camera and used the auto setting. I can see I have a lot to learn about photography. I hope I can get better shots when I learn more about it. I bought the camera mostly so I could take some awsome pics of my corals.

[megaspoot]

Wow, I love your setup, I want your entire room. Everything is so clean!

[Stoneyscoral]

That is just a fantastic tank build, and the arboretum......wow!

I am no expert w/ my cam but if you are looking for a few good closeups try this. Set your camera to aperture priority, white balance to the camera's pre-set shade setting and focus in manually. You can up your ISO a little as well this will allow you to use a higher F stop. Now I have now idea what all that means but you will get some darn good closeups!

I am officially a fan of this tank, looking forward to more pics.

[Samson8]

great tank and setup

[poknsnok]

awesome... if I only had a basement.. Ther damage i could do

[reefkeeper2]

Thanks for all the kudos. I will try the camera settings and see how I do. Lots of experimenting to do!

[reefkeeper2]

Here's a few morehttp://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-mini-mini-IMG_0052.JPG http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0053.JPG

[Reef Man]

Totally awesome tank.

I think I already saw a thread with all the specifications and progress of installation of your tank, right? Can you point me there?

Very nice work !!!

[reefkeeper2]

I'm afraid there never was a thread on the installation. I put up pics once the tank was up and running. Because I was also putting an addition onto my house, including the room the tank was in, I was pretty overwhelmed. I regret not taking pics of the stand going up the most because I get a lot of requests for that.

[Reef Man]

I understand.

Can you tell me the dimmensios of your tank and how many and what kind of lights are you using?

Thanks!

[TandN]

I really love this setup best of luck

[reefkeeper2]

The tank is 84"long by 42" wide by 30"high. Those are maristar fixtures that have 2 250watt metal halides and 2 47watt t5 bulbs in each.

[reefkeeper2]

clamhttp://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0055.JPG

[reefkeeper2]

My breeding pair of clownshttp://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0121.jpg

[Zoos]

what bulbs are you running on the maristars?

[poopsko24]

wow, that would be a DREAM of mine., very nice, perfect

[reefkeeper2]

250watt 10k XMs. The t5s are the newer "actinic" VRI

[Zoos]

are you happy with the color? also are you running them on the bluewave ballast?

[fefo23]

One of the best sistems the i had seem before, well done.

[Julio]

this tank must look amazing in natural light. What is the deal with the funnel on the skimmer?

[asnatlas]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9475023#post9475023 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Julio
What is the deal with the funnel on the skimmer?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9272010#post9272010 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefkeeper2
I don't have a big problem with humidity and here is why. I vent air from outside into the skimmer and back out again. I have discovered that it's the little things you do that add up to make a big difference.

[reefkeeper2]

I'm very happy with the color, it's a bright white. I'm using icecap electronic ballasts.
The funnel vents the humid air from the skimmer outside. Since the sump is in the basement, I do what I can to address the humidity issues. It made a huge difference. The bubble king pulls a lot of air, (again from the outside), and venting that 100% saturated air back out helps keeps my basement dry.

[kcw1099]

Really nice tank.

[jamesbuf]

Very very cool. I love the setup and surroundings.

[hahnmeister]

That tank is soooo super-stylin'. Its just 'at one' in that greenhouse. A future TOTM for sure!

[reefkeeper2]

Thanks! That was my goal. I wanted to make the room and tank compliment each other in such a way as for the tank to look like it belonged there. I wanted a tropical get-a-way feeling when you go into the room.

[Zoos]

This thread in in serious need of some new pictures my friend. :)

[reefkeeper2]

I just added 2 wavyseas on the Tunzes to increase the flow on the front and back. I will eventually get 2 more when my wallet recovers from the shock.
The next order of buisness will be to look into installing a refugium in the sump in the basement. I have resisted doing this because I am very concious of the electric usage, and sis not want to add any more lights. This system uses less electricty than my 180gal system did.http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0127.JPG

[reefkeeper2]

I also have to get working on the back of the tank. It needs more rock and has few corals. I am pretty satisfied with the stocking in the front, although I would like more SPS. There is not enough light for SPS in front of the overflows except for the one specimen of deep water acro I have so I am always looking for softies with some color. Right now I'm looking for for some decent blue mushrooms. They seem to be pretty scarce around here in eastern Massachussetts. Here's an updated front left view. http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0128.jpg

[reefkeeper2]

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0128.jpg

[asnatlas]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9272079#post9272079 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefkeeper2
I got the funnel on line from a place that sells home brewery supplies.

What size funnel do you have on your BK300 ?? I have a BK400 and I need atleast a 15" but to fit over the lid it needs to be 17"... The largest I am able to find is a 14"

Plastic Funnel - 14'' (http://brewersclub.safeshopper.com/49/151.htm?775)

[reefkeeper2]

I measured the funnel and it's 12inches. I have the bubbleking 250internal.

[samson78945]

wow!! tank looks amazing!

[edwar050]

I know its been a while sense others have posted but I was wondering why you have halides on with natural sunlight. I thought that natural light was much stronger than current technology and that many coral farms did not use supplemental lighting. I love the filtration, equipment, ease of maintenance, and eletric costs~

[erics3000]

NICE

[reefkeeper2]

The sunroom is made with energy efficient E-glass. The whole spectrum of sunlight does not pass through the argon gas barrier between the panes though to our eyes it looks the same. Also, in the winter the sun is too low on the horizon to entirely light the whole tank.

[reefkeeper2]

Here's a new pic I took this week. I changed the orientation of the lights though it's hard to see from this pic.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-tank_8-24-07.jpg

[Alphabet]

Beautiful progression, more pics!?

[danskim]

Awesome!

[invincible569]

I've always loved this tank. So unique! I can never get enough pics.

[reefkeeper2]

here, some of my sps and my s. gigantea
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0180_1.jpg http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3140mini-IMG_0189.JPG