my reef from a little over year ago until now

[cilyjr]

now that i have set up larger tank, i took a trip down memory lane and went through old photos of when i set up a 46 gallon bowfront over a year ago. it was fun to see the progression. i enjoyed seeing the growth in some of the coral i have had since the beginning... anyway i thought i would share the photos...

just some live rock...i learned real fast why you don't hide a power head in the rock work!
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z43/cilyjr/tank/tank1.jpg

i got some coral and a few fish
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z43/cilyjr/tank/tank12-12-06.jpg

i figured out how to use white correction on my camera!
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z43/cilyjr/tank/tank2-22-07.jpg

my first SPS....oh purple firefish i will miss you.
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z43/cilyjr/tank/tank3-5-07.jpg

what an idiot! i put the open brain on the rock work!
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z43/cilyjr/tank/tank-4-28-07.jpg

look at all the crap i have crowded in the sand!
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z43/cilyjr/tank/tank7-19-07.jpg



parameters should be in my sig, thanks for looking

[cilyjr]

FINALLY! some breathing room, the 90!!!!!
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z43/cilyjr/tank/tank-9-17-07.jpg

10-15-07
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z43/cilyjr/tank/tank-10-15-07.jpg

11-12-07 I keep adding more rock! close to 200lbs now
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z43/cilyjr/tank/tank11-12-07.jpg

12/13/07 bubble coral, large pink acro (given to me by a friend)
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z43/cilyjr/tank/tank12-13-07.jpg

from out a bit
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z43/cilyjr/tank/IMG_2405.jpg

[cilyjr]

some close ups
Caulastrea sp (candy cane)
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z43/cilyjr/corals/candycane1.jpg

Echinophyllia sp (chalice)
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z43/cilyjr/corals/chalice5.jpg

Nemanzophyllia (fox coral)
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z43/cilyjr/corals/fox1.jpg

Acanthastrea (acan)
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z43/cilyjr/corals/acan4.jpg

[reefergeorge]

Looks nice. I like the step by step as it all grew.
What lighting are you running?

[cilyjr]

8 t-5 54 watts apiece
4 atinics
2 10k
2 12k
i might replace some of the atinics with 2 midday bulbs. but wont be for a while

[EWC88]

I have one question, why shouldn't you hide the power head under in some LR? Tunze offers this fake rock thing you can put your PH into to hide it, is that not smart to get cause I was looking at getting it.

[cilyjr]

the fake rock would be no problem....but i had to move all that rock just to clean it...and rock work never goes back the same....also it will disturb coral you might want to mount there in the future

[Swanwillow]

I can't wait til I can post pictures like you just did, congrats too!

[MrSquid]

Looks nice! I'll have to show this to my wife so she can see the light at the end of the tunnel. :D (just got a 125 a few days ago - pieces and parts are starting to roll in - hoping to have it wet by New Years)

Your pics are proof that patience pays off!

[Justinandkrista]

That a 46 gallon you started out with how did u filter it. It looks like you have an overflow in the left side. Im trying to figure out how to build a sump for mine. Could you post some pics of the equipment you used. I liked the rockwork on the 46 with the little cave in the middle. The jawfish looks like a character. Anyhoot cool tanks!

[cilyjr]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11381251#post11381251 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Justinandkrista
That a 46 gallon you started out with how did u filter it. It looks like you have an overflow in the left side. Im trying to figure out how to build a sump for mine. Could you post some pics of the equipment you used. I liked the rockwork on the 46 with the little cave in the middle. The jawfish looks like a character. Anyhoot cool tanks!
i will look through my pics tomorrow and see what i can find

[mg426]

Man that is a nice job !!!

[Deb91]

Wow, that was nice to see it progress. I have a 46 gal bow now that I am starting. I think I just sell it and get a 90 gal. now!LOL :)

[cilyjr]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11381251#post11381251 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Justinandkrista
That a 46 gallon you started out with how did u filter it. It looks like you have an overflow in the left side. Im trying to figure out how to build a sump for mine. Could you post some pics of the equipment you used. I liked the rockwork on the 46 with the little cave in the middle. The jawfish looks like a character. Anyhoot cool tanks!

ok i don't have any pics of my old sump or equipment.
i used a 20 long with baffles that i installed for a sump. it fit under the stand with a few modifications to the stand. used a mag 5 for a return . had a corallife super skimmer, an aquamedic uv sterilizer, and a cheap shop light with a 6000k bulb to grow chaeto.

[bigfruits]

hows the jawfish doing? what do you feed it?

[cilyjr]

she eats anything that the other fish eat. she will come right to the turkey baster and snatch food out of it.

[Tank Predator]

very nice

[MR PALM BEACH]

looking good, question are you running 8 T5 retrofit? or In a complete fixture?

[Justinandkrista]

What kind of mods to the stand i was thinking about doing 2 10 gallons and cuting holes in the sides and piping them together, but i like the idea of just one tank under there.

[ManotheSea]

Very nice tank. Its crazy how those coral move themselves around during the course of a year. Ha Ha Ha

[kware]

what kind of camera are you using
your pics and tank look great

[cilyjr]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11388185#post11388185 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Justinandkrista
What kind of mods to the stand i was thinking about doing 2 10 gallons and cuting holes in the sides and piping them together, but i like the idea of just one tank under there.

i cut the back center brace out. put a 2x4 across the back about 1/3 of the way down, and bolted it also i notched the wood. all that to support the weight then i put 2 more pieces of 2x4 in the middle back to distribute the weight better. worked fine for a year and a friend is using it now. its important to note that the tank does not fit fully into the stand because of the bowin the front of the stand it will hang out about an inch. so you need to put wood under the sump in the stand and just behind it as not to warp it and crack the glass.

here is a quick drawing
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z43/cilyjr/stand.jpg

[cilyjr]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11388812#post11388812 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kware
what kind of camera are you using
your pics and tank look great

just a little point and shoot cannon powershot

the cannon cameras have a fully manual setting which helps me....gonna get an slr someday

[jake32010]

nice!!!!!

[cilyjr]

also i had the 46 drilled in the back near the top. like many of the local fish stores do. big mistake. i don't really understand the physics of it. but a one inch hole near the bottom with an overflow will get much closer to the 600gph a 1 inch bulkhead is suppose to accommodate. i imagine it has to do with water pressure at different depths

[otrlynn]

Wonderful shots of the coral! If I had taken that shot of the fox coral, I'd consider having a good enlargement made and hanging it on the wall. That is artwork, not just coral! And, by the way the tanks look great. Hope for us Newbies.

[cilyjr]

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z43/cilyjr/tank/tank12-13-07.jpg

i switched to MH lighting these are dual 250 10k bulbs and dual 110w VHO super atinics.... i will have14k after sunday. i will be using the t-5 to set up a new tank in the spring!!!
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z43/cilyjr/tank/tank1-21-08.jpg

acans
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z43/cilyjr/corals/acan6.jpg

some random acro
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z43/cilyjr/corals/acro.jpg