Resurrecting the 72G Bowfront Reef

[vanburen]

Hello everyone- I have been out of the active hobby (while maintaining my 72 bow) for about 2 years as we've moved and life has been crazy. So I am restoring it now that we are settled in our new house. This thread is as much a motivator to keep me improving it as anything else.

I had a larger reef but the maintenance overwhelmed me. This tank was set up as a "penalty box" for my 1993 Tomato Clown but it is now evolving into my primary reef.

The setup is as follows:
72 Gallon Bowfront Reefready tank
ASM skimmer
EcoTech pump
1 Tomato Clown
1 Lemonpeel Angel
A few unimpressive zoanthids and soft corals - perhaps they will improve with my newfound love!
2 Brittlestars
New Kalk Reactor
Plenty of live rock and sand
2 96w PC lights on timers

I will get a picture or 2 up shortly. Please wish me luck!

Thanks, Ed

[MJT82]

I love that size tank... I'll be interested to see it "resurrected"! Keep us updated.

[vanburen]

OK - have made a lot of progress and want to share that, and am starting to have some questions so hopefully I can get some good input.

First - here are some pictures of the tank from this morning:
Full Tank Shot
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=4695&pictureid=32500

Equipment Views:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=4695&pictureid=32502http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=4695&pictureid=32503

Some Critters:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=4695&pictureid=32507http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=4695&pictureid=32506

So in the last week or so I have hooked up the AquaController II to monitor temp and pH, added a 2LF Kalk Reactor, gotten a replacement MP40 after a water accident on the controller (great customer service!), changed the water, aquascaped to try and get to two pile design, tested nitrate and phosphate (zero), added a filter sock and holder and reorganized my sump. And removed a ton of bubble algae. It is looking a lot better, but there is certainly a lot more to do. Some things I am wondering about:

Has anyone effectively come up with a strategy to aquascape a 72 bow and obscure the overflow (which is about 1/3 in from the left on my AGA tank)?

Lighting - I am running 2 3foot PC lights. This was fine when this was a FOWLR "penalty box" tank but as a reef, I think I need more. However, as you can see in the FTS, I have the cherry hood on top which limits my options. I have been thinking of adding either:
- some additional PC bulbs - not great as they are not 4 foot and I am kind of out of room for them while maintaining access to the tank from the access ports.
- a 4 foot t-5 retrofit - perhaps 4 bulbs total - a little narrower
- 2 AI SOL LED setups or something similar.
I only have about 7 inches above the tank so think that MH is probably not a viable option. The hood is 12 inches wide at its narrowest, and really more like 8 inches to leave access. Would really appreciate input here - have been out of the hobby since before LEDs and T-5s were on the scene.

Many thanks in advance!

[vanburen]

Another Update -
One week ago I stopped at the LFS and bought a clean up crew, a multiple polyp fused rock (mushrooms, zoas, clove polyps, star polyps etc), and an unfortunate midas blenny to add to the tank.

Acclimation went well. The non-fish members were fine, and the blenny was eating and seemed happy in his/her selected rock location. Lights were on.
Then he met his tankmates....

Came down after dinner - no blenny. Hoped he was hiding, resting, reading the paper etc.

A little later, started investigating - found him in the overflow. No tools at hand - a quick flip and back into the tank he went - into a corner and to sleep as it was lights out.

The next day off to work - came home, no blenny. Figured he went to the coral reef in the sky.

Fast forward - today was continuing my newly devout maintenance routine and lo and behold - in the sump is the blenny, looking a bit ****ed. Tossed in a few pellets while thinking (he ate them), and then decided that life in the sump was very dangerous, and that with tomorrow was a day I could watch - tonight was move night. I turned off the lights and added him back - hoping that by the morning, he might be in a better position to hide / defend. Here is a shot.http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=4695&pictureid=32853

Other updates include a 4x T-5 retrofit coming to replace the PC lights, and an Apex to replace the ACII w/o X-10 boxes. Probably didn't need the Apex but it is current and the AC is old and w/o internet - seemed like a great unit.


Also aquascaped to hide the overflow - would welcome any thoughts / opinions on the effectiveness of this or better ideas! Thanks, Ed

[dublo8]

Looking good. Keep up the good work. I think you'll be happy with the t-5's. It's going to be like a revelation when you flip them on for the first time. Coral should start to color up with them as well.

[vanburen]

Blenny is still in the tank - camped out behind a rock up high but looked ok - ate a bit of food. Hoping that as he spends some time in the tank will get a bit less aggression from the brute squad. Hope my gear is on the way...

[evojoe67]

The Lemonpeel is my favorite fish,unfortunetly my experience with them has been poor.My LFS has even stopped ordering them.

[vanburen]

Have been quite busy lately with the tank. The T-5 LET retrofit from Reef Geek is fantastic.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=4695&pictureid=33248

It went together pretty quickly once I figured how everything fit together.

The Apex Controller is pretty sweet. I had to rig a wireless game adapter to get internet to the tank. Between the Unofficial users guide and the manual, I managed to get it working on my Fios network so I can control it by Mac, iPhone, iPad via the app or the webpage. It sends email alerts and is pretty darn sweet.

Went shopping yesterday and added a 6-Line Wrasse, a Derasa clam, small Hammer Coral, an unidentified softy, and some more mithrax crabs for algea control. The wrasse seems to have fit into the tank - the lemonpeel doesn't like him(?) but the wrasse seemed non-plussed.

The tank is really cleaning up. Between the Vortec pump, the clean up crew, and my filter socks, I am making good progress on the algea and it is starting to look like a reef again. Pictures will follow once the lights go on.