"OverKill" Reef - My Project

[Jcohen9999]

Hi All,

I started out as a member of this board by lurking for many months and then about 3 months ago I posted my plans for my first tank setup<< click here >> (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=290940) .

Basically my plans are the same except that I am going for MH lighting from the get go. Anyway, I have finally started the project and following in the footsteps of others I have decided to keep a weekly log of my trials and tribulations in this thread and maybe along the way get some hints/tricks/traps from you all.

Here we go....Weekend #1

Got my Rubbermaid sump and refugium tanks:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we1_3.jpg

and started plumbing them by creating an overflow:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we1_4.jpg
from the fuge to the sump:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we1_7.jpg

and of course I had to start the plumbing inside of the cabinets before the counter top goes on:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we1_10.jpg

Next week's installation will include the RO/DI unit, the closed-loop and the pumps.


Wish me luck and thanks for viewing my post. Any comments or suggestions would be most welcome.


Regards,
Jeff

[christsoldiers]

wow, that's a serious amount of sump for a 26 gallon tank! You'r gonna have like twice the tank volume in the sump! Lookin forward to seeing it all done.

[Jcohen9999]

Me too :)

But actually it should about 175 gallons total for a 26 gallon display....So here's a question that I dont have the answers to:

When I go to buy liverock do I buy for 175 gallons or 26 gallons?


Jeff

[xfactor]

175 - as long as you have a good sand bed, you don't really need rock in your sump, its really up to you.

thats nothing when I do my new setup in my basement I am going to have a 300 gallon sump :P

[Jcohen9999]

Oops....there goes the budget. Buying enough LR for 175 gallons is going to hurt.

But let me ask you for clarification: There is no way that 350 lbs of LR is going to fit in the 26Gal tank so I would assume that a lot of this rock is going into either the sump or the fuge. How does this mesh with your statement about not needing LR in the sump?



Jeff

[Wheeldog63]

I would put the majority of it in the 'fuge, with a little in the some if you want, that way the liverock will host a plethera of differant creatures in the 'fuge and you also get the filtering capabilities of the rock. Your filtering capabilities on this will be insane for a 26 gal display. Also, how long before you upgrade:D Since we all know you will want to in the near future, and will have the setup to do it.

~Kelly

[jon007]

I wish i had a basement so i could have a crazy sump / fuge setup like that. With such an elaborate / huge filtration setup, why not with a bigger show tank?

[reefjunkie3]

Originally posted by xfactor
175 - as long as you have a good sand bed, you don't really need rock in your sump, its really up to you.

thats nothing when I do my new setup in my basement I am going to have a 300 gallon sump :P


Talk is cheap:rolleyes:

[xfactor]

yah it is, but the price diffrent between a 150 gallon and 300 gallon tub is 30$ so BLEH! ;P

and depends on how much flow you depend on having in your sump, if its a wide and deep enough sump, I would turn the entire thing into a fuge like I will be doing with mine.

[BarryG]

That’s a serious sump I wish I had a basement so I could have one. Good luck….:thumbsup:

[xfactor]

yah hehe I got a finished basment that is the size of the foundation of my house, so :P I got room for 20+ of them if I really wanted to put some massive tubs in there.

[marine61]

You don't need that much rock as long as you don't put a heavy bioload in the main display. Of course more is better.

[Jcohen9999]

Thanks for the replies.

The plan is to eventually add another 100-150 gal tank sometime in the future so i guess you could consider this part of that plan but then again the situation worked out where what ever sump/fuge I was getting was going to be in the basement so the 2 100 gal stocks tanks still cost me less than a smaller acrylic sump/fuge and I did have the room.

Anyway, I am considering getting a "package" from TBS for a 40 gal tank as a starter and then add live rock from different locals as I go. Most of it would go in to the display tank as I don't plan on having very many fish (except for the required clownfish - bosses orders :) ) but I know about the benefits of LR in the sump so that's another reason it is so big.

I plan on updating this thread as I go so check back from time to time and make sure I dont screw this up ;)

Regards,
Jeff

[Jcohen9999]

I got tonight a little early so I was able to drop the tank off to be drilled.

Specs for drilling:

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_drilling.jpg

I also decided to make my own internal overflow but the acrylic store was closed before I got there. I'll try again later in the week.


Any input would be appreciated....


Jeff

[Tarasco1]

Looks good. SCWD's are getting a bad rap at the moment, supposedly they cause a loss of flow rate. Some people are just going with T's. Keep us updated!

[Jcohen9999]

I know about the loss of flow rate that is why I decided to go for Mag18s for both the return (15 ft of head loss) and the closedloop (10ft of head loss and the SCWD). Should be enough for a 26 gal tank. If it turns out to not be enough for the sump then I could always add a PH in there.


Thanks,
Jeff

[Jcohen9999]

Just ordered the the following:

PF5517 .24IN ACROLIGHT:150MH+2X55WCF+PFO BLST
AS2141 SeaTesT Hydrometer
SFPR SALIFERT REEF PACKAGE TEST KITS
DN1115 Mag-Drive Supreme 1.5 140 GPH Water Pump
DN1131 Mag-Drive Supreme 18 1800 GPH Pump
3Q1111 SCWD - SWITCHING CURRENT WATER DIRECTOR
WB1127 WON Pro-Heat IC Heater 500 Watt
VA1123 ViaAqua VA300G Heater 300 Watt
FT1514 Plastic Hose Clamp 3/4"
FT1515 Plastic Hose Clamp 1"
SF1135 Salifert pH Test Kit
SF1129 Salifert Nitrate Test Kit

From MarineDepot.

Now I need to sit and wait for the UPS shipment....I guess I can spend sometime with the family for the next 5-10 business days :)



Jeff

[Jcohen9999]

I just got the tank back and it looks great!

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we2_2.jpg

Still waiting for my order from MarineDepot.


Jeff

[Jcohen9999]

This was a slow w/e without the order from MarineDepot but I did manage to get a few things done....

Painted the tank:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we2_16.jpg

and built the stand for the fuge:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we2_11.jpg


Thanks for visiting....and as always any input would be appreciated....

Jeff

[dubluv]

hey Jeff, your setup is coming along very nicely. an inspiration to us other newbies! btw, where did you buy the rubbermaid tanks? i was thinking Agway might carry them. (Hicksville) also, you can buy the sand at Homedepot, but they might not have it in stock because its a seasonal item. there are numerous places online to get your LR, which i'm sure you've discovered by now. i got mine from marinedepotlive. however, i wouldn't buy from them again, as the rock was 'too' cured. mostly dead stuff, but that's not uncommon with fiji rock coming across the country to the eastcoast. at least that's what i was told. i might try the gulf stuff (aqua cultured), or at least some of it to mix with other LR

steve

[Jcohen9999]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the compliment. I just decided that if the boss was going to give the ok on this then I was going to go for it. (she likes it better than my other hobby).

I did buy the stock tanks at Agway in Hicksville. I called them to order in the 75gal version but this was all they could get...works for me though.

Still hunting down that sand in quantity but I should be picking up a few from a fellow reefcentral member fishome25 (IslandReef.com).

As for LR...I am seriously leaning towards the 40 gallon 'package' from TBS as a starting point. I then want to add in a few rocks from all origins for my display tank for a good mix. Does this sound like a reasonable plan?

Regards,
Jeff

oh...and I got most of my marinedepot order in today...I am stoked for this w/e

[Jcohen9999]

Well a mixed bag this weekend. Some sucess in that I received and installed my RO/DI system from Aqua-Safe Systems:

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we3_1.jpg

It works great and I was able to produce approximately 28-30 gallons in about 8 hours (gotta find a use for that waste water).

and picked up about 10 bags of Southdown from islandreefs.com(thanks a bunch Tom - btw everyone on LI should check him out) and the HomeDepot in Copiague.

Unfortunately, the PFO Acrolight that I ordered from MarineDepot was bigger than advertised on either of their sites:

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/big_top2.jpg

...so back it goes. If anybody who reads this far ;) knows of a MH/PC (or similiar) hood that fits a 26 gal Bowfront well, you know where to reach me.


Next weekend should be a big one as the tank will finally be placed and plumbed into its final position.

[dubluv]

you're right about Tom, he's a good guy and has really nice stuff. i recently picked up a zoo colony and a shell with mushroom coral, plus some more tonga branch rock. he gave me some sand to seed my tank also. my tank is a 36bow, and i'm considering adding a sump and refugium also.

[jun41]

So is the tank is still going in the bathroom?

[TheUltimateNoob]

i was also wondering. if you're spending so much money and have such a big sump and spending so much time, why not do a bigger display? but everything looks very nice.

[hammerhead]

I have the same RO/DI and I love it. It's been running for about a year no problems. Im still using the same RO membrain 0 TDS.

[Jcohen9999]

@jun41: Yep (and welcome back, I see you found this thread). As you can tell by the tiling in the background of that counter top picture the theme of the room is fish.

And I even populated on of the tanks already:

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we2_20.jpg :jester:

@TheUltimateNoob: Thanks and while I would love a larger display tank right now I will need to settle on this. Ultimately, the master plan has me adding at least one more tank in the den using the same sump/fuge setup. The only way I could justify the cost of this initial setup was by making it part of the bathroom redesign and doing all the bathroom work myself and using the money we saved on a contractor on the SW setup. I havent done the final calcs with my changes but I dont think it was that much more to use the larger sumps and plan for a larger setup.



Jeff

[jun41]

Sweet bowl.

[Jcohen9999]

LOL

[Forestal]

Your setup is looking great so far. Anxious to see you progress.
Always fun to follow a fellow DIY'er

[Blindmelonbob]

Here's an idea: remove existing cabinetry, replace with 150-200 gallon tank. Make countertop flip-up, mount lights underneath. ;)

[DaveJohnson]

For the remaining rock I'd get base rock from www.hirocks.com Soon enough it will be LR and as long as it's in the sump/fuge who cares if there's no life on it right away. And it's about $1/lb shipped so that will save you heaps of cash.

When I ordered from them last summer (an eBay sale of theirs) I got 120 lbs delivered to San Antonio for $120. Several of the pieces are 15+ lbs so they should have awesome denitrification capacity.

Cheers,
Dave Johnson

[Jcohen9999]

@DaveJohnson: Perfect!!!! Thanks. This is just what I was looking for to put in my sump/fuge. I will order this once I get some life in my tank.

@Blindmelonbob: LOL...Do you think I can get someone to make me an acrylic tank that would have room for two sinks and some drawers?


btw, I think I might have to bite the bullet and make my own canopy out of leftover tiles. I can't see hanging a pendant over this tank with the chance that my kids will continually be looking up into the MH lighting.

Jeff

[Bax]

Great set up!

I had a real hard time trying to fit PC, NO actinic 03, LEDs and 175 MH lighting on my 26 bow. It's tough. Not a lot of room at all. the basic shape is 24" x 10 1/4" with 15" at the bow.

I am building a canopy and stripping the reflectors out of the PC & 03 strip lights and a pendant MH to DIY them into a canopy.
Since your going with only the MHs you could get a smaller rectangle relfector and break out the tin snips to trim it to fit.
Then you can go to the auto store and pick up $18 worth of LEDs for moonlights. All you have to do is drill 1/4" holes to pass them throught hte reflector, wire them to a 12v wallwart and boom.
They'ed be a great night light in the bathroom.

Love your project and will be following along.

[Jcohen9999]

Wahoo....we've struck water!

The mirror came in:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we4_6.jpg

...so it was time for some major plumbing and RO/DI making. By late Saturday night we had our first wet test and except for one bad fitting we look like we are 100% on the infrastructure:

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we4_10.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we4_9.jpg

Of course when the water rose to the bulkhead level I got the inevitable flushing sound which I was able to get rid of by simply putting an air tube down through the bulkhead. I would have like to create my own Durso type set up but there just wasn't room behind the tank. This seems to work fine.

And I believe I have found a MH/T-5 Combo that will fit :D ...I'm sure this will be better then anything I can build right now.

As alway, any input/feedback would be more than appreciated.

Jeff





@Bax: Thanks for the suggestions. I will def be researching moonlighting next.

[Jcohen9999]

oops...I must have tightened the barbed fitting onto the closed-loop pump too tightly because this morning I discovered a small puddle and a split on the pump cover along a seam. Strange that it took 3 days to split but I called Danner and they are going to send me another pump cover under warranty :)

Looks like I will be ordering my LR sometime next week as I will be gone for the rest of this week and my lights are probably still 2 weeks away.


Oh and I added salt last night. :)


Jeff

[Razing Kane]

I really like your plumbing setup. I'm interested in the design if you could let me know more about it. Anyway< I dont know what your exact intentions are, but this is what 50 lbs of LR look like in a 26 gal Bow.
http://members.cox.net/uspirate/Tank/tank.jpg

[Jcohen9999]

Razin,

Thanks and thanks for the picture. That is exactly where I want to go! It looks great. Nice aquascaping. What type of LR is that and how long have you had it in the tank? Also, what did you do for lighting? Inquiring minds want to know :)


As for my plumbing....ask away (keeping in mind that all I have is a tank full of salty water)


Jeff

[Razing Kane]

Thanks, I dont want to hijack your thread,but just want to help you out. This is actually my best friends tank. He just took an updated pic for you a few minutes ago. I have the same tank but with 35lbs of LR. He has given me 10 lbs of his, so now he has about 40 or so lbs in there. the tank was set up on feb 1st a couple of months ago and the LR is a mix of gulf & fiji. a mix is generally the best I would suggest Tamba Bay Saltwater rock. I'ts full of life and they ship it to your door.
http://members.cox.net/uspirate/Tank/040604.jpg

[Bax]

Razin Kane

Nice 26 bow!

Jeff

I am between digital cameras but will post pics when I can. Iv'e got 42 pounds of LR in my 26 bow and thinking about rounding up to 50. I was worried it might be over the top but Razin's looks pretty good. No sump yet but it's in the planning stages but with no fish as yet the bio load is low and things are developing nicely.

I like your sump and wish my wife would let me plumb through walls but I don't think that's going to happen.

Keep us informed & good luck!

[Jcohen9999]

Wow, I can't believe i forgot to update this thread for last weekend....

Well since adding the salt to taste ;) I have been playing with the flow in the tank by adjusting the valves for the pumps. I can get some pretty good turbulence and flow in there without stressing my psuedo overflow (an upturned elbow with an air tube) and without adding bubbles. I just need to fashion a strainer for the 'overflow' it out of eggcrate.

Also, even though it wasnt necessary I started a cycle with a small piece of LR, a cup of LS and a green chromis so that I could play with my testing kits.

I should be ordering 60lbs of LR to arrive early next week and then the real fun begins...

2 questions that I have are:

Just how slow (or fast) should the flow in the fuge be and should I take the fuge off line for the LR curing process?

Any comments or suggestions are most welcome....

Jeff

[Razing Kane]

Let it run the way it will run when fully cycled.evrything going. with that awesome sump setup you will be fine!

[Razing Kane]

Oh yeah, It might be nice to put some lighting over that sump. that would be too cool.

[Jcohen9999]

Thanks for the input, Razin.

Here's a picture of the sump with a 5" Southdown DSB:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we5_1.jpg

I cant wait to get some algae and other life in there. I might even consider stocking it with some seahorses just for fun.

Anyway, over the fuge/sump area I have a 4' dual NO 40W fluorescent utility-type fixture with daylight bulbs (6.5K) that I will be leaving on 24/7. Will this do the trick?

Finally, I spoke to the distributors of the SCWD and they assured me I could run my closed-loop with the ball valve wide-open without risking a blowout of the SWCD so when I cranked it up tonight I caused a minor sandstorm:

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we5_3.jpg

but I am sure it will calm down in a few hours. You can even see the turbulence it causes at the top of the tank even with the downward pointing spray bars...

Boy this is fun :)

Jeff

[Silver Vortex]

looks like a fun project!

[Bax]

Looking good Jeff this is the MEGA 26 bow project of all time for sure!

[Jcohen9999]

@Bax, Gee thanks but I have a long way to go before I make 'Tank of the Month' :jester:

[Bax]

I wonder what the smallest display to make tank of the month was? It's worth a search.

With your overall system, 12 months from now, you could be in the running.

[jeremism30]

Think it was Dana's 20.

[Bax]

So I checked, and I knew there had been a 40 gal recently that's nvert's 40 gal TOM for Jan 2004.
Another 40 to be TOM was thurman's 40 gal for Oct 2001.
Getting smaller yet salt creeps 29 gal was TOM for May 2003.
Even smaller yet... physhi's 20 gal was TOM for July 2002 and
dana's 20 gal for Feb 2000.

For those of us with smaller reefs due to space, budget or desire these look like pretty good systems to learn from.

It also prooves that small budget system can be tank of the month. Some of the equipment on these smaller tanks is innovative and low budget.

Enjoy!

[Bax]

I must have been typing while you were posting jeremism thanks.

I think I am just a little envious of Jeffs space for a sump, I am still scratching my head over shoehorning a 5 gal sump into my stand with all my other gear.

[Jcohen9999]

Another slow w/e due to family matters but I did mange to wire up 2 dedicated 20amp circuits with GFI protection:

http://www.spydrweb.org/saltwater/sw_we6_1.jpg

LiveRock will be ordered today!

Jeffrey



@Bax and jeremism30, Boy those TOTM are certainly inspiring. I never thought to look backwards. I would defintely classify my setup (while taking up some space in the basement) as low budget since I have beening doing it myself and staying away from prefab overflows and sumps/fuges but it is going to take a lot more effort (and knowlegde) to make things look like any of those.

[Bax]

Keep up the great work, it'll be worth the time .

And we'll be reading the updates.

[Jcohen9999]

@bax, Thanks.

addendum to w/e 6 update:

Just ordered my LR. I will be splitting an order with a friend so I am getting 30 lbs of Vanuatu and 33 lbs of Premium Fiji. Unfortunately, as a trade off for a great price I need to wait until next week for it to ship.

Hopefully, my lighting system ships this week so I have something to playwith/report on next weekend (otherwise I'm going to have to pay some attention to the hellspawn yet again ;) )


Jeff

[Drowningfish]

Cool. Good luck on your tank. THough at first I thought you were kidding about that 26 gal show when I saw the sump...

[Jcohen9999]

I never kid about my toys :)

and by way of an update....I received a bunch of Red Mangrove seedlings that I ordered for my fuge. It will take a little while to adapt them to the saltwater but without any nutrients in there for them anyway I'm in no rush.

Jeff

[Jcohen9999]

Well they say you need to have patience went setting up a SW tank and I have learned that I don't have any...better work on that...

Anyway, my LR was delayed for another week (coming next week now) and my lights won't be done for another 2 weeks.

So to fill the time I have:

1) Cut an Lexan XL10 cover for my tank as a way to seperate the tank from the...how should I say...air in the bathroom. Once I get the hood I will cut it back to size:

http://www.spydrweb.org/saltwater/sw_we7_5.jpg


2) Created my own strainer for my drain:

http://www.spydrweb.org/saltwater/sw_we7_7.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/saltwater/sw_we7_6.jpg

3) Started to acclimate my red mangrove seedlings (one the fast way and the other 2 more slowly):

http://www.spydrweb.org/saltwater/sw_we7_3.jpg

4) Set-up my eventual dosing pump as a top-off system until I get a chance to build one myself:

http://www.spydrweb.org/saltwater/sw_we7_2.jpg


But, alas, until I get my LR and lighting I can only dream of what this tank will someday look like:
http://www.spydrweb.org/saltwater/sw_we7_8.jpg

That's all for now...but I do expect my skimmer (got the dolphin pump today) to arrive tomorrow so more pics next week.


As always, all comments are most welcome (before I screw this up too badly :) )


Jeff

[Bax]

Looks good Jeff

[mikrok]

just tagging along...that's a sick bathroom...be sure to keep a couple good fish books in there cuz im sure you'll be spending a lot of time in there:lol:

[Jcohen9999]

Thanks guys....just found out my LR is flying in on Sunday! Now I'm really stoked.

Come by Sunday to take a look :p


Jeff

[Razing Kane]

you are one sick pup. LMOA a 175 gal sump on a 26 bow, i luv it bro!!! keep us posted!

[Jcohen9999]

A quick update:

After many delays, I finally received (what I thought what would be) half of my LR (the Fiji):

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we8_11.jpg

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we8_12.jpg

and I have it curing in the sump for now. Next week I should receive a 55lb box of the Vanuatu. Once I get that in I can start aquascaping.


Also, just in the nick of time, I received my Poseidon Series Protein Skimmer from NautilusReef:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we8_5.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we8_4.jpg

I don't have much of a bioload (1 Chromis and 170+ gals of water) but this puppy foamed right up when I 'primed' it with some fishfood and it continues to produce as the rock cures.


Anybody got some macro algae they can spare for my fuge? PM me if you do.


Also, if I don't start getting some constructive criticism I am going to get a swelled head :)


As always, all input welcomed.

Jeff


@mikrok: Any suggested titles :)

@Razin: Technically it's only about a 150 gal sump/fuge :p

[Bax]

Just Bumpin this to the front for my buds from the Nano Forum...

...They're gona love this!

[JeromeBaker]

WHat in the H#%&!!!! Awesome setup.

[Jcohen9999]

:D

btw, I received the Vanuatu on Monday night but I havent had a chance to post pics.


Thanks,
Jeff

[irishpete]

Nice job, 170g for 26g bow, INSANE, I love it. keep up the good work and thanks for sharing.

[Jcohen9999]

OK, so not much has happened except I finally got the rest of my LR and I realize I bought way too much for the 26gal BF...so much of it will remain in the sump (doing its thing) until I get on the next tank :D

This second batch of LR (Vanuatu) is way more interesting than the Fiji and has some interesting growth on it. I just hope that much of it survives the cycle:


http://www.spydrweb.org/saltwater/sw_we9_1.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/saltwater/sw_we9_2.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/saltwater/sw_we9_6.jpg


And to all: Thanks for all the encouragement.


Jeff

[smy168]

just keeping the thread up top.

[Sting]

I've always wondered if putting a tank in a bathroom would be harmful to the tank when you cleaned it...My tank is outside my bathroom in the hallway, and whenever I clean my bathroom I'm always worried about the tank being contaminated by the chemicals and I cover it with a sheet. lol

[Jcohen9999]

You mean your supposed to clean your bathroom? ;)



But seriously, I am worried about that too but this was the chosen spot so I am hoping to 'seal' the top of the display tank and allow all gas exchange to occur in the basement sump/fuge where there is approximately 16 square feet of water surface area.

Also, my wife has strict rules to only use a minimum amount of disinfectant in the room for the loo, floor and the bathtub. The area around the tank (the counter and sinks) are water only unless I am there to cover the tanks.

Is there anything I'm missing?

Jeff

[cich1]

sorry Jeff but i'm not buying this, 175 gal sump/refuge, dosing pump, poseidon skimmer, 2-20amp breakers for a 26g tank? tell that to the wife but i think as soon as the 26 is stocked there will be a 100+ tank in the living room,so tell me do you already have the tie in plumbing routed out? seriously though, nice work

[Jcohen9999]

;)

Actually some where in the back of my head I know there is a FOWLR tank going in the den. I already have the spot picked out but that is a few years away. I really want to get this tank established first.

Thanks,
Jeff

[cich1]

i'm just ribbing you a little because my 29g tank is only 2 months old and i'm already standing in the basement daydreaming about where the sump and plumbing will go for the 90g that i will set up next year, btw i have 6 fw tanks running ranging in size from 10g to 220g so aqua addiction is nothing new to me, i'm just moving up to the hard stuff:D

[Jcohen9999]

I got home a little early from work today so after doing a 25gal water change (ammonia was 8!), I decided to see what this LR might look like in my tank.

Is this too much LR?:

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we9_9.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we9_11.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we9_12.jpg

What do you think?


Jeff

[ciachef]

How many pounds of rock is that?

[Sardaukar]

In hindsight, would black PVC have been better for the visible in tank parts? BTW, you can "scoff" up the PVC to help encourage coraline algae growth :)

[wasp]

That protein skimmer looks MEAN. Keep us updated on that, I'd like to see what you think of it in time.

[ich_commando]

That is one hard core nano.

The possibility of toxic chemicals entering the system from air in the bathroom is kinda scary. Maybe you should run that air intake for the drain to the attic or something...

[Jcohen9999]

@ciachef: I bought 88lbs of LR and this is about half (the rest is in the sump). Too much?

@Sardaukar: I didn't even think of black PVC because I assumed that it would be covered by coraline soon enough. As you can see I tried 'painting' one of the pieces of white with primer. I guess it's not too late to change over since there is plenty of room to remove these if I find some black PVC. I will try the scoffing idea first since these are already drilled out nicely for my purposes.


@wasp: I picked the skimmer up on ebay as an impulse buy. I was going to try to build my own but the price was right and it looked like something I would have built anyway but nicer (acrylic instead of white PVC). Check it out at nautilusreef.com. BTW, in the last few days it has created some nice foam (that reeks) so I assume it's working.

Jeff

[rjwilson37]

Make sure no one is using Hair Spray or Hair Moose in there, it could be a total ahnialation.

[Tek]

Someone was spraying lysol or something else around my house one day and I am guessing some of it went into my sump. My whole tank crashed and everything died.

[NewSchool04]

NO NO NO!!!!!! THE ROCK IS FINE!!!!! Block off the bathroom, no crappin', no showerin', and no make up fixin'. . . sorry honey, bathroom got's a new life. . .live aquaria room!!!!! Some people call them "Florida Rooms"

[8BALL_99]

I'm just wondering what the sump on the large tank that I'm sure you will end up starting will look like.:rollface:

[ciachef]

Not too much rock in my eyes. I like the look of tanks fillled with rock rather than those that arent too filled. I think it makes the tank more interesting as it evolves, especially as coralline covers. It also gives ya more room to place corals.

[Jcohen9999]

Originally posted by Tek
Someone was spraying lysol or something else around my house one day and I am guessing some of it went into my sump. My whole tank crashed and everything died.

Gee, that really sux. I would think this would happen more often. How do ppl general protect their tanks from chemicals when they are in a well used area of the house?


As for the aquascaping...it's kinda growing on me even though I still think it might be too much. I can see all kinds of caves and such for corals that might not like the full MH lighting.

Thanks for the input.

Jeff

[Tek]

Your aquascaping looks perfect. I had to rearrange mine 3 times to look even close to how perfect yours does. You will definitely need some shaded areas.

[beaver]

Great job and i will follow your thread i am building my new house (no basement) and it will house its own fish room

I can finally use my 600.00 lazyboy for its intended purpose

Come on Sept. 1

Great setup Beaver
ps: got one of those tubs too.... sump for a 73 gallon hex-flatback

[Noon Taken Ova]

Geeze.. That sump is something a 200 gallon tank would have! lol.

It looks good man. You are one of the very few people that do things right instead of throwing something quickly together. It will all pay off when you get to brush your teeth next to your coral-- NOW HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN SAY THAT? lol!

[gwrulzmylife]

LMFAO (all week long!)

OK, IMHO this has long since passed from nano to large reef tank.

What do you have, 2x100g rubbermaid sumps? That's the same as I have on my 200 gallon display! LOL, I do believe that we think the same as I also like a large sump/fuge area - but I usually go for a 1:1 ratio!

Hee Hee! I really think this is an awesome project, you are a visionary amongst the blind. Good luck and keep us posted!

[Jcohen9999]

Gee, what a ruckus my sump seems to be causing. While I do know that a larger tank would be more stable, I did start out with the mindset of a nano. The rest was kind of an accident really.

All I wanted was a equipment free tank and tank area. That lead to putting everything in the basement. And that lead to the conclusion that it would be a waste to get a large pump (because of the additional head) for just a 10-20gal sump/fuge. That lead to the fact that even 2 large stock tanks cost less than a single large acrylic sump/fuge...and so on.

Isn't that how all hobbies go?


Jeff

[Carl_in_Florida]

You have no idea how many minds you have churning..."How can I get a lerger sump and fuge?"

[Jcohen9999]

Been a while since I've updated this due to the fact that I needed to let the LR cure. Along the way I couldn't help myself so I added macro algae (3 types), a few hermits, a red emerald crab and some snails. They didn't seem to mind that the cycle wasn't complete and went to town cleaning off the die-off on the LR.

The good news is that sometime last week all readings hit zero and stayed there (well almost all...nitrates are somewhere < .02) so today I went to purchase my second non-invertebrate inhabitant...a bi-color benny:

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we11_1.jpg

Cute little guy but it's a good thing I took a quick picture before I added it to the tank because he disappeared immediately.


Still waiting on the light hood but hopefully it will get here in the next week or two and I can start on some 'shrooms.


As always, all input welcome.

Jeff

[jun41]

Don't worry, you'll see him sooner or later.

[kayl]

wow- that's a sweet tank!

[NewSchool04]

Beware of the Bi-Color!!!!!! I'm a big fan, loved my guy and he was really entertaining, problem is that he loved to pick at my coral. Beat my brain star until it had a dead spot at least an inch long and wide, started going at my candy cane, nearly destroyed a head on my flower pot and started picking at my open brain. I declared war and finaly got him out. They don't mean it, but if anything has a thin film of algae, he'll start going to town and it doesn't matter if it's the glass, rock, or a $60.00 investment.

[Jcohen9999]

Originally posted by NewSchool04
Beware of the Bi-Color!!!!!! I'm a big fan, loved my guy and he was really entertaining, problem is that he loved to pick at my coral. Beat my brain star until it had a dead spot at least an inch long and wide, started going at my candy cane, nearly destroyed a head on my flower pot and started picking at my open brain. I declared war and finaly got him out. They don't mean it, but if anything has a thin film of algae, he'll start going to town and it doesn't matter if it's the glass, rock, or a $60.00 investment.

Whoa. That's a bummer. Everything I read had them as reef-safe. I guess that just goes to show you that there are absolutely no absolutes in this hobby. I know that they are algae feeders but is it possible to supplement with prepared food?

Thanks for the warning.

Jeff

[NewSchool04]

mine ate anything, flake, worms, pellets, corals, you name it, he ate it. I read the same thing about algae and being a herbivore, thats why I got him. he just turned out to be the hannibal lecter of bi-colors. everytime my hand was in the tank, he'd pounce on that also. like i said, he was real cool but real destructive. i guess it can happen.
has yours turned colors yet? once i had mine in the tank and he was comfortable, he turned a real bright purple and the tail section was very bright yellow.

[Jcohen9999]

Well I guess I let this go for a few weeks again....

At this point my tank is well cycled and the reading do not seem to deviate much even as I have added livestock. Which I guess leads me to a point where I should list my current inhabitants:

bi-color blenny
yellow chromis
Red Firefish
Mandarin Goby (i know, i know but I couldn't resist)
Fire Red Shrimp
various typical hermits/snails

Chili Coral
Sun Polyps
Feather Duster Worm

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we13_1.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we13_2.jpg

In the fuge I have 4 types of macro algae and they all seem to be growing nicely. I guess not as rapidly as I would have predicted but that is probably due to my lack of a large bio load.


I s/b getting my MH lights in the next week or so (finally).

Jeff

[Nosferatu]

Nice clean work. I like the way you did all your plumbing, excellent. Just have a question if you have time? Were did you get those rubbermaid tubs at? Just PM me if you get the chance. Keep up the quallity work there.

[Jcohen9999]

@Nosferatu: Thanks. I had time to put some thought into it as I was working on the bathroom. The rubbermaid stock tanks are the type that are used for watering horses and they come in sizes from 50-300 gallons. I got them from my local Agway (a kind of lawn and garden store) but I'll bet you'll have a few more sources out in Colorado.


hth

Jeff


oops...just saw your note on the PM...you've got mail.

[Jcohen9999]

LET THERE BE LIGHT!

It's been a long wait but my MH/T-5 Hood has finally arrived!!!! :dance: :beer:

Some specs: 1-175W 10K Ushio; 2-24W Actinic T-5; Dual fans and a UV Shield....

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we16_2.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we16_7.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we16_9.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we16_10.jpg

I plan on posting a more detailed review in the appropriate forum but this unit was custom made by Tom from Aquatinics and I couldn't be happier.

Jeff

Inhabitant List:
Bi-color Blenny; Yellow Chromis; Red Firefish; Mandarin Goby; 6-Line Wrasse; Fire Red Shrimp; various typical hermits/snails

Porites with xmas tree worms; Chili Coral; Sun Polyps; Feather Duster Worm

[Bax]

Sweet light!

Tank is looking great Jeff.

[kayl]

lookin great!

[Forestal]

Looking super, anxiously following along.

[Jcohen9999]

Thanks all.

So now what???!?!?! I'm stymied. I spent so much effort on researching the set-up that I never really had the time to figure out what's what with Softs, SPS, LPS, Leathers etc.

Any suggests on what to get next?


Any input would be appreciated.


Jeff

[kayl]

get a clam :-P

[Silver Vortex]

how do you like the yellow chromis? Is it a kind that schools? Have any pictures? :)

[Conano]

Sweet tank man. As for criticism? dont like the color od your bathroom countertop...... :) joking. it all looks good.

[8BALL_99]

Originally posted by Conano
Sweet tank man. As for criticism? dont like the color od your bathroom countertop...... :) joking. it all looks good.

your kidding you like that color, ,,,,,,,jk :rolleyes: Looks good ,, thats hudge tank for a bathroom, guess it makes since lol Easy water changes, dont have to worry about spills.

[Anthony8858]

Very nice project.

However, my wife has a different opinion.

Basically, she says that if I ever tried to do something like that in one of our bathrooms, she would "flush" me right out of the house.

[Forestal]

get some montipora, acropora, would look great in there.

o, and for those whose wives are less than enthusiastic. try something that worked for me. take them to see live seahorse and set up a tank for them. my wife is now asking when the we will get the next tank :D. she is now almost as hooked on sw as me.

[datman422]

Im not sure if anyone had asked this, But how many hours do you spend in your bathroom a day? 3, 4, 5, 8 hrs.... cause that sure is a beautiful tank. It will be asshame if you only enjoy if for a few minutes a day.

[tokinreefer]

Tank looks awesome man, my one suggestion would be to maybe move your tubastrea to a little shadier spot.
And then, add an acropora or two with that great light you got. I might stick away from a monti because it seems like it might grow too big too fast and start shading some stuff pretty quick-like. I have a monti cap that I have had for 6 mo or so and it has grown 10 times the size of the frag I started with.
Keep up the posts it looks sweet.

[Jcohen9999]

LOL...nice range of responses....Thanks

Anyway, I know it's kinda strange to have a tank in the bathroom but since it is on the bedroom side of house there is a lot of foot traffic in that area. Plus it was kind of a finishing touch on the fish themed bathroom anyway.

@tokinreefer: Thanks for the suggestions. I have read in various places that the tubastrea doesn't really care whether or not it is exposed to light. I do agree that since it doesn't need all that light it should be moved to make room for a more light sensitive coral. However what I would really like to do is break up that piece and put the polyps all over the place in the tank.


@Silver Vortex: I am not sure of any of the specifics on the yellow chromis because I only have one and to behonest I wish I didn't. Even though this type of chromis is supposed to be less aggressive

Jeff

[UNIFEX]

with all that light and such limited space i would focus on rare and highly colorful hard corals, and possibly some clams. i can see some blue acropora tortuosa, pink/blue millipora, purple rimmed green montipora, purple stylopora pistilatta,as well as a maxima and a crocea clam, oh and dont forget the blue and red zoanthids for ground cover. only the best for such a fine nanoreef!! :D
and i thought i went overboard on my 20g, hah!

[UNIFEX]

p.s. check out soutassaltwater.com and ecorals.tv for rare corals,
if it's cool or rare most likely i've bought one from these guys, they are out of portland and ship nationally.
and as others have requested keep us posted how you like the poseidon skimmer, i came this close to getting one but opted for euroreef, but they look awesome!

[Jcohen9999]

Originally posted by UNIFEX
...focus on rare and highly colorful hard corals...

Got any frags ;)


As far as the NautilusReef 'Poseidon2' skimmer goes it's so far so good. It seems to be doing a great job without any fuss and my nitrates are almost unmeasurable (of course I don't have much bio-load for 175gals of water).


Thanks for the suggestions.

Jeff

[cyates]

How are you keeping the mandarin alive? I'm guessing you happened to find one that will eat prepared foods? Lucky you!

If not, from everything I've read in preparing for my future Mandarin, you're in for some trouble. Especially with a 6-line wrasse as a competing pod-eater. But, I am extremely new, and still in research phase, so I dunno. (See here (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=396765))

Oh, and neat setup! Thanks for sharing.

[kayl]

he has a huge refugium

[cyates]

That has no impact, according to what I've read / been told. Any pods that would build up in a refugium (which actually depends on amount of LR (or places the pods can multiple) in the REF, not the actualy size of the REF) would be killed by the pump returning the water back to the tank.

[EdKruzel]

Pods and many types of fauna can survive quite well going through an impeller.
It's not much of a concern for many species.

Ed

[cyates]

Hmm, if that is the case then my setup will be a lot easier. However, http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mandfdgfaqs.htm and various other Mandarin care sites repeat and repeat the need for gravity-based refugiums for the pods to stay alive.

My question is, do you have any links to studies or reports which lend reason to believe contrary to all the other sites I'm reading? Thanks!

[Tek]

Pods will survive going through a pump easily. The water rushes them through the pump very fast and is nothing like how a fan chops air.

As for the Mandarin, I had 80lbs of LR in a 55g and my small Mandarin completely destroyed the 2 year old pod population in 2-4 weeks. The pods population looked like an ant hill in the daytime and night since they had no predator in the tank. Even that many was not enough to sustain him. He ended up lasting only 2 months. Just having a fuge is not enough to keep one healthy.

[Jcohen9999]

Thanks for the input guys.


Originally posted by Tek
Just having a fuge is not enough to keep one healthy.


Ok, first off, I realize there is no real defense to my having bought the madarin. It was not the smartest move and I can't blame a newbie mistake since I knew the issues. The good news is that this guy seems to enjoy the frozen thawed mysis and brine shrimp that I feed the tank regularly and forget about the wrasse, it eats any food that I feed. Also, besides the fuge (with macro and rubble) I have about 40 lbs of LR in my sump both of which are teaming with life. So I am hoping for sucess here.

But to Tek's point: is there more I could be doing to ensure sucess with the manadrin in my small environment????

Thanks,
Jeff

[Strandedthinker]

Your sump is enormous and hes already feeding what you give him. I think there is not much to worry about.

[Reef This]

Just curious where you got your light from? I'm looking to put a 2x150 setup over my 55g to replace my PC lights. Yours looks good. Does your temps go up sitting over the top of it like that? That's my biggest fear, I don't want a chiller on my tank, at all.

My bi-color is a great fish in my 55, he'll eat out my hand along with my maroon's. and loves to sit inside the return for my refuguim with his head popped out, he's a fish filled wth lots of character, if there is such a thing.

[Strandedthinker]

marinedepot.com

[Flipturn88]

If he eats frozen, you're okay. :) great tank!

[Tek]

Your very lucky to have one that eats frozen. The guy should be fine if he continues to do so. I still have hopes of keeping a pair one day and maybe will try to wean them on live food in a small tank first.

[Jcohen9999]

Well at this point I am keeping a very close eye on the mandarin at every feeding to make sure that it continues to partake of the frozen thawed.


@Reef This: I bought the light hood from Tom @ aquatinics. He set this up so that seeminglyno heat gets exchanged with the tank and my temp did not move even one degree. I would highly recommend his product for quality and value.


Jeff

[Jcohen9999]

Yikes! I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted to this thread but here it goes....

In the last few weeks I have been adding a few items and enjoying the tank as it matures some what. All traces of the original cyno that had appreared in the 'fuge are gone and all stats are stable with 17-20 gal water changes every 2 weeks. My biggest issue now is a slight outbreak of a fuzzy algae (hair?)along the upper layer of LR due to the intense lights but I think the clean-up will take of soon enough.

I need to work on my photography skills but here are some very recent shots:

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we20_01.jpg

zoos, monti frag and candy cane:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we20_03.jpg

star polyps, porites with xmas tree worms and hermit (my favorite piece):
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we20_04.jpg

RBTA, zoos, hammer:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we20_05.jpg

1 1/4" T maxima:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we20_06.jpg

RBTA:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we20_08.jpg

Red and green ricordia (i have a small blue one too):
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_we20_09.jpg


Hopefully my mated pair of ORA ocellaris come in soon (and hopefully they like the RBTA).


More to come soon and I hunt for frags :)


Jeff

[Surfzup2k4]

How much was one of those tubs bro?

[Jcohen9999]

Assuming you mean the Rubbermaid stock tanks...I got them for approx $80 from Agway. I figured 2 of them were a lot cheaper (and larger) than any prefab sump/fuge on the market.


Jeff

[Aquactinics]

Jeff. Your tank it looking great. Keep up the great work.

-Tom

[Bax]

Tank looks great Jeff.

My O. clowns won't even look at my RBTA. I think they normally only host in carpet anemones and maybe one other type of anemone. But I have also read that any clown will host any anaemon if it want's to so ... who knows, you may luck out.

[Jcohen9999]

Dang...How did I mess that up? I would have sworn that the ocellaris was known to host in BTAs but now I realize that at first I wasn't going to get a BTA but a carpet. I guess I took my eye off the ball. I might need to change that order and get a more compatible clownfish that will fit my tank.

Thanks for the heads up.

Jeff

[kayl]

they still might take to it... you could always go with a GSM pair instead though...

[Jcohen9999]

I know I should probably know this but...GSM? And how big does the female get?

[kayl]

Gold Striped Maroon Clownfish (The one in my avatar) They get to about 6", but I've seen some bigger (@ shedd's in Chicago)

[Flipturn88]

GSM can be very aggressive--especially in pairs. They are beautiful fish though.

[Surfzup2k4]

Originally posted by Jcohen9999
Assuming you mean the Rubbermaid stock tanks...I got them for approx $80 from Agway. I figured 2 of them were a lot cheaper (and larger) than any prefab sump/fuge on the market.


Jeff

thanks for answering my Q! Sweet deal, I think I will try to find one for ro water storage.:)

[Jcohen9999]

Originally posted by Surfzup2k4
thanks for answering my Q! Sweet deal, I think I will try to find one for ro water storage.:)

I'm not so sure that's a good idea...as far as i know there are no lids available a because of their shape you may have a lot of evaporation (I lose 1 gal per day). The rubbermaid Brute cans seem the best suited for storage.

Just my $.02

Jeff

[Jcohen9999]

Well just after 6 months have past since I have set up the tank and things have gone relatively well. The only negatives that I can think of right now are that both of my serpent stars disintegrated (for lack of a better word) within days of each other and I have a nice healthy outbreak of hair algea in the tank.

The good news is that my A. ocellaris (decided to just get one) hosted in my RBTA:

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/clown_rbta.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/clown_rbta2.jpg


I also added a nice 4" T. crocea that has some awesome green highlights:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/t_crocea.jpg


overall the tank is looking pretty good (except for the hair algea) but still needs many more frags:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/tank0904.jpg


Any ideas on hair algea control????


Jeff

[Flipturn88]

Looks nice. I would suggest adding macro to a fuge if you have one for the pest algaes--that's what got rid of mine.

[jun41]

Looks good!
I had a pretty bad case of hair algae and I bought 3 big turbo snails and put them in my 75 and they mowed the big stuff down in a couple days. I still have work to do but at least now my tank looks a little better.

[Bax]

Wow! ... You're lucky that your o. clown took to your RBTA!

As for the hair algae, turbos, a mithrax crab and hermits keep mine in check.

Nice crocea, I just picked up two, the family really likes them.

And my brittle star just disintegrated about 8 weeks ago too, what cuases that? I though that a rogue gorillia crab had butchered him (i finally caught the crab and tossed him in the fuge).

[Jcohen9999]

@flipturn: You mean like this :)?

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/fuge_0904.jpg

At this point half of my 100 gal fuge is 1/2 full of cheato.

@jun41: I have a bunch of snails in there already (or at least I did since the hermits always seem to be sporting new shells). I did add a Lawnmower Blenny in there and he did a nice job on the glass but seems to avoid the very same algae that is growing on the rocks.

Thanks


Jeff

[Tek]

Crabs just kill snails for the shell and are a waste of money in my opinion. A large number of Astreas mowed my hair algae in 3 days and it has yet to return.

[cyates]

How is the Mandarin?

[RayLovesNemos]

wow u overkilled it...i wish i had that much pods for my mandarin to munch on... looks great cant wait to see the finished product

[Flipturn88]

WOW, okay, so much for my macro idea! :)

Your tank is still new, so there is a good chance that the hair algae is just part of its maturing process. Everybody looks great though!

[Jcohen9999]

cyates: Unfortunately, he didn't make it. I know I know...you can all say I told you so. I guess even though I saw him eating thawed/frozen, and I had plenty of 'pods in the tank and defintely a boatload in the fuge, he just didn't get enough food. Or maybe he was sick because now that I have seen quite a few more fat and happy mandarins I realize that my guy never had a chance.

Just an observation, I just never seemed to see these food items out and about at the same time that the mandarin is foraging....so how do they ever get enough food?

[Tek]

My mandarin finished the pod popolation in 2 weeks with 80lbs of LR in my 55g. He was not even an adult yet. They seem to forage most of the day and night.

[Jcohen9999]

Originally posted by Tek
My mandarin finished the pod popolation in 2 weeks with 80lbs of LR in my 55g. He was not even an adult yet. They seem to forage most of the day and night.

Did it make it?

[Tek]

He ate everything in 2 weeks and lived for a little over a month. I even tried to empty pods from my other tanks to feed him. I still want one, but will just have to wait until I get that 180+ tank. Mandarins are my favorite sw fish and it sucks not being able to keep one.

[Bax]

Hi Jeff, I am just bumping this up for some with a question about a sump in the basement. I just love this thread as an example.

[RayLovesNemos]

sry about losing ur mandarin mine is still happy and plump in my 20 gallon tank i dunno how but he is way fat...im doing something right....less about "my" mandarin more about the cool overkill project!! more pics!!!!!

[Jcohen9999]

LOL...I just added a few SPS frags this w/e so I will post pics at some point this week.

@Bax: Thanks for the bump. Are you linking to this thread from somewhere else? where?

And, I still want a mandarin but I will wait till I find one that eats frozen/thawed exclusively (I know it might be a long wait).

Jeff

[Bax]

I was refering some folks from the DIY forum on a thread called Fuge in Basement?

I can not do techy things like create links or post pictures as I am e-challenged.

In case you haven't noticed, I can't spell either.

[Jcohen9999]

@bax: no i hadnt noticed the spelling but I did see that post. I tried to help too :)

btw, for those keeping tabs (mainly me) here is a very blurry shot of some new addtions (that need a more permanant spot):

http://www.spydrweb.org/saltwater/sps_additions.jpg

And a very recent shot of the tank from the throne:

http://www.spydrweb.org/saltwater/throne_view.jpg


Jeff

*getting a Phosban Reactor this weekend to help combat all that nasty hair algae

[Darold]

Wow. Looking amazing. I really can't say much more. I hope to be able to setup such a well done system myself one day. Great job on overkilling it!

[Aquactinics]

Great job Jeff!!!

[Bax]

I saw your post Jeff, thanks.

I just started running a PhosBan reactor on my 26 for a red slime problem. It's been driving me nuts for nearly two months. The reactor will have been up one week this week end. The red slime spread during the day has slowed since turning on the reactor, but, I am not sure if that's because of the reactor or the fact that my MH bulb blew as the result of a brown out?

As for hair algae, I run a 9W UV sterilizer and it really seems to help. You may need a little larger unit on your system:)

[RufRidn]

Thats an awesome setup. Great job, it looks real good.

[Jcohen9999]

I was going to get the PFO moolight that attaches to MH mogul sockets but when I saw this thread (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=432050) I decided to take a shot and try it myself:

http://www.spydrweb.org/saltwater/moonlight2.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/saltwater/moonlight3.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/saltwater/moonlight1.jpg

and here's the result:

http://www.spydrweb.org/saltwater/moonlight4.jpg

I know it look kinda dark but it really doesnt look like this in reality...it's much brighter but not too bright. Kind of like a full moon.

It was a snap. The hardest part was getting up the guts to stick it to the reflector.


Next update...some new additions...

[yuhsuen]

just found this thread...man, this is one awesome setup!! I have a new found respect for what it means to be sitting on the throne :D Keep posting!!

[timbo_ska]

gulp!!! wow! :D

Thanks jeff, this is the first thread ive read so far here (apart from my own!) and i know salty is certainly the way to go for me :D

[Jcohen9999]

Well here is a picture of my latest, a purple monti and a green bali slimer frag:


http://www.spydrweb.org/saltwater/sps_new_before.jpg

And they were doing great until I came home tonight to this:

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sps%20damage.jpg

Who dunnit? Hopefully that purple monti recovers and the bandit doesn't return.

more to follow.

[c. dawg]

sorry to hear about your manderin - just found this thread lol. I guess some tanks can keep them and some just can't for whatever reason - seems wierd to me.

[Jcohen9999]

The mandarin didn't make it because my tank was just too new. I'll bet it would do better now as I have amphipods the size of shrimp, and every other size too, running around now in the tank, the fuge and the sump. Maybe if I see a nice example of one at one of my many LFSs I will try again but no rush here.

[Roadie]

Nice looking tank.

Hopefully your tang doesn't grow too fast or you might be putting that den tank up sooner than you thought.

[Jcohen9999]

Ummm..what tang? That's just a yellow-tail damsel ;)

[Roadie]

Uh huh.
Glad to hear it as I was thinking what kind of person in his right mind would put a hippo tang in a 26 gallon tank.

[Jcohen9999]

Hey look at my setup and location for a 26gal tank...i'm not in my right mind.

But hey, I decided to look at it this way: If he (the yellow-tail damsel ;) ) gets to the point of being too big before I finish setting up the larger FOWLR tank I can always move him to the sump (with its 80+ gallons of water) for the time being.

Jeff

Note to self: Airbrush out all fish from future pictures.

[Pistonkev]

Nice job Jeff your tank is looking great keep us posted.

[Tek]

That yellow tail will not get big.. but they make it hard to add any other fish to the tank

[Roadie]

Originally posted by Tek
That yellow tail will not get big.. but they make it hard to add any other fish to the tank

Tek, take a look at the photo... this "damsel" will get bigger than you think.

Hey, I'm not a card carrying member of the tang police. I think your tank looks very nice and the tang comment was just my personal observation. Geez.

[Jcohen9999]

@roadie...I never took it as anything other than that. I know it will grow. I also know that I have a reasonable plan to deal with it when the time comes. For right now I like how the fish look in the tank and believe it or not everyone basically gets along.

Jeff

do I hear sirens approaching? :)

[Tek]

Originally posted by Roadie
Tek, take a look at the photo... this "damsel" will get bigger than you think.

hahahha.... I did not even look at the fishes and was focusing on the rockscaping & corals. I have a yellow tail damsel in my tank and did not think twice.

[brad23]

I wondered how long it would take for the tang police to get on this one.

[FateX8]

wow that is an awesome setup
cudos to you

[ed102475]

Nice tank!Keep the pic's coming.

[FalsePerc]

Hey Jcohen,
I have just received word that you frequent the LFS that I volunteer at, Pet Stop. I was discussing my plans for my nano with John, and he said that there was someone setting up an "Overkill Nano." that I should talk to. Well, I have been following this thread for a while, and just thought it cool that we are in the same basic area. :D

[loumart]

jcohen,
great job! i can't wait to see how the corals grow and fill in. -Lou

[keefsama2003]

jcohen are you part of LIRA? if not come on out its a great club and we are always looking for new members

[Jcohen9999]

Thanks all.

Unfortunately, I haven't had much time to post and even if I did I haven't anything great to report. While all the corals and fish have been thriving so has the hair algae. I went away for a week and when I came back the tank was covered in hair algae (even the areas that had already cleared up). And then all of a sudden, this weekend, something released a mess of yellow 'pollen' (for lack of a better term) and everything was covered with it. Now that in itself was no bigger but then the water started to cloud. I just got that cleared up with some heavy filtering with a Diatom filter.

Jeez, what a relaxing hobby :)


@FalsePerc: Yes, PetStop is less than a mile from my house and, when things aren't crazy, I'm usually there 2-3x a week.

@keefsama: Yes, I am a card carrying member of LIRA. I joined last May and have been to about 3 meetings including the BBQ. I pretty much good for every other month. Met some great ppl there that have been a bunch of help. I'm going to miss November's meeting but I should be there in December.

[Jcohen9999]

I think I have licked the hair algae problem(or most of it) but I apparently fried most of my SPS corals by clearing up the water too quickly. Also, I may have harmed my "soft" corals by using Phosguard as a replacement for the Phosban that got nuked by the spawning event. Hopefully all of this is reversible. Only time will tell.

At least I have an almost cleaner tank now:

Before (not even at its worst):

http://www.spydrweb.org/saltwater/throne_view.jpg

After:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/tank%20120604.jpg

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/tank2%20120604.jpg

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/tank3%20120604.jpg

This w/e I will swap out the phosphate remover and see if the algae makes a return.


Jeff

[Conano]

Jeff, thought about trying Marine S.A.T biological clarifier? I had a bad algie problem, that cleared it right up. Takes a couple doses, but it went away and hasnt been back since.

[Jcohen9999]

Thanks for the suggestion, Conano. I will have to check into that as a fix if things don't continue to improve on their own.

Jeff

[Tek]

Just checking the tank again and it really amazes me each time. Do not forget to update this thread in the future.

[Jcohen9999]

This is my official "the hair algae is 100% gone" post.

Unfortunately this came at the expense of my few sps frags but I must say it will be worth it in the long run. And it even looks like some of the branches of those frags seem to be coming back a bit except I think the green / purple rim montepora capricornis is totally gone.

Here's the latest (bad) pic:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_0105_3.jpg

and here's my favorite recent close-up:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sw_0105_1.jpg

Good thing there's a LIRA meeting coming up so maybe I can grab a few frags.

Thanks for the stopping by.

Jeff


@tek: thanks for checking in. I guess I'm down to monthly updates now.

[Detritivore]

nice tank...sorry bout the monti

[FalsePerc]

I noticed that you go to LIRA, also that you recently lost a green/purple rim montipora cap. Well, I go to LIRA as well, and I just so happen to have such a coral that I was going to bring. It had a nasty case of RTN a month or so ago, but has bounced back completely and there are only 2 or 3 places where the skeleton still shows. It continues to grow over these areas.

If you're interested, send me a PM.

Also, would you be interested in trading/selling a frag of that sun polyp or Ricordea?

[Jcohen9999]

Hey Mike,

I don't think I am ready to frag either of those yet (there are only 3 ricordea polyps so far) but I am interested in getting a small, quarter size, starter frag of the monti. Any interest in Red Sea Xenia?


Jeff

@jonah...thanks.

[Sierra]

I think this was all a fantastic idea - If I had the resources time and motivation (got motivation) I'd overkill every cool thing I own.

Beautiful tank, Great idea for in the bathroom - see now if you run out of reading material in the bathroom you have something to look at.

[Toddrtrex]

Great looking tank and thread, good job. If the tang police didn't get you for the hippo they will for having both a yellow and hippo in a 26g.

[FalsePerc]

Originally posted by Jcohen9999
Hey Mike,

I don't think I am ready to frag either of those yet (there are only 3 ricordea polyps so far) but I am interested in getting a small, quarter size, starter frag of the monti. Any interest in Red Sea Xenia?


Jeff

@jonah...thanks.
Yeah, I like Xenia. I have a Red Sea Variety already, but there is great variation within Xenia individuals, so if it is something i do not have, then consider it a trade. Do you have any pictures of this particular xenia?

[Jcohen9999]

Mike,

No close-up pictures but you should consider that I have the xenia spp. from 2 sources (fishome25 and acopora), in 2 different areas of my tank, and they look exactly the same as any pom pom xenia you see that's not Xenia elongata (got that too but it hasn't budded yet.

Jeff

[Jcohen9999]

Originally posted by Toddrtrex
Great looking tank and thread, good job.


Thanks!


If the tang police didn't get you for the hippo they will for having both a yellow and hippo in a 26g.

Oops...you outed me. I guess I forgot to wait for them to both go behind the rocks before I took the last few picture. :rolleyes:


Jeff

[Toddrtrex]

Oops...you outed me. I guess I forgot to wait for them to both go behind the rocks before I took the last few picture.


Why do you think I new show pics. of my 75 :eek2:

[Jcohen9999]

LOL

[Jcohen9999]

Just getting my February updates in:

Recent tank shot:

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/tank_020205.jpg

Some mushrooms and my clam:

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/shroom_clam.jpg

SPS Shot:

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sps_shot_0205.jpg

[Jcohen9999]

Just trying to keep up with this log so that I have some photo records to refer back to...

Some pics:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/tank%20030605.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/tank%20030605-bright.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/tank%20030605-side.jpg


New situation: Everything, including my SPS frags, is really starting to grow now. Unfortunately, I am also realizing that I can't keep up with the demand for Ca and Alk with Kalk dripping only. So unless I want to continue with daily dosing, a Ca Reactor seems to be in my future.

Jeff

[Aquactinics]

Jeff,
Tank looks really good. Keep up the good work.

Tom

[danieljames]

Originally posted by xfactor
175 - as long as you have a good sand bed, you don't really need rock in your sump, its really up to you.


Did you mean to say 26? I can't think of a bigger waste of money (imo) than putting 175lbs of liverock in a sump (minus what you put in the 26) with a 26 gallon display. You could save that money and do some serious stocking for the display.

[PUGroyale]

This is one funny/cool thread :lol: I didn't read the whole thing but in a hobby where most people are a little reef crazy to begin with... it's hilarious to see the level to which you've embraced the madness :lmao: :thumbsup:

[Sugar Magnolia]

Awesome tank. I'm loving the fact that you incorporated a 150 gallon tank for a sump. That's insanely ingenious!

[seb187]

/drool

wow what a beautiful tank..



have you tryed a new manderin yet?

[Jcohen9999]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement.

Time for the April update of pics:

'Throne' shot:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/throne_shot_0405.jpg

Updated sps shot:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/sps_shot_0405.jpg

You can see a pretty big difference in that green acro in the back from February.

And, finally, I got tired of watching my 30 gal mixing buckets fill with RO/DI (and overflow a few times) so I added float valves:
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/overflow_prevention.jpg


@DanielJames: You are probably right that I didn't need that much LR but I do have about 44 lbs (of the 88 I bought) in my sump acting as additional 'filitration' and between that and the sand all ammonia and nitrate parameters stay at 0 (or undetectable).

@seb187: No I haven't tried another madarin yet but I think I might stay away from those from a while. No need to kill fish needlessly. My pod population (while ever present) never seems to get that big probably due to the wrasse.

[gaels]

a real beauty. :) two thumbs up
gael

[NexDog]

Just read the whole thread and it was a great ride. Love how much you've stacked that small tank. A real inspiration. :)

[jun41]

Good throne shot. I'd have to say that you have one of the nicest nanos out there. Congratulations on your tank.

[Travis L. Stevens]

Did you buy your 26g at a LFS or online? If online, where from and how much?

[Don_Gnomio]

I ENVY AND HATE YOU!!!

i wish i had that nice of a tank!

Great work!

[Jcohen9999]

Thanks, all. I really appreciate the positive feedback and, you better believe that I draw my inspiration from all of you guys and your tanks.

@Travis, The tank is just a standard AGA 26g bow front that I picked up from my LFS for like $50 and then I had drilled.

@Jun41, LOL. Didn't we discuss like 12 months ago that I probably left the land of the nano as soon as I loaded in 175 gallons of water to my 26 gallon 'nano'? But maybe I should post on nano-reef.com and see what those guys have to say.

[gatohoser]

Hey Jcohen9999,
I guess I'll be the first of the tang police to nicely suggest that you remove the tangs within 6 months. I dont have time to read the whole thread but I'm sure you are planning to do it soon right?

AWESOME IDEA btw. I've recently fallen for my nano tank and I can't see ever going back to a gigantic tank again but I always wanted to put a massive sump on. You have built my dream tank:)

[Jcohen9999]

Originally posted by gatohoser
Hey Jcohen9999,
I guess I'll be the first of the tang police to nicely suggest that you remove the tangs within 6 months. I dont have time to read the whole thread but I'm sure you are planning to do it soon right?

AWESOME IDEA btw. I've recently fallen for my nano tank and I can't see ever going back to a gigantic tank again but I always wanted to put a massive sump on. You have built my dream tank:)

Thanks.

And, YES, the tangs will not need to live their (un)natural lives in this size tank. I will be connecting a 200+ gal FOWLR (or possibly reef) to this sump (it will be on the other side of the wall) next Winter. So it's a little more than 6 months out, but if need be I can move the tangs into the fuge or the sump where they will have much more room to roam. But for now they seem to be pretty happy foraging among the rocks and are getting much chunkier than when I first got them.

Jeff

[Tek]

Still amazes me each time I see an update. Maybe I can take your idea and supersize it. 400g gallon tank and 1200g sump hear I come.

[topmav1]

I tried to go to islandreef.com but it brings me to some resort website....
???????????????????????????

Looks great!

[Sting]

If people only did it right the first time (like you) there wouldn't be all of this envy! It's not like you're extra amazing or have some special quality about you, you just did everything right from the get go and it's paying off.

Beautiful tank!

In addition, your tank holds a lot of fish for it's size, which not many people have mentioned. I admire your tank because you have such a large refugium and sump, that you can hold this amount of fish without problems. Concerning your tangs, yes, size and growth will be an issue. Tangs are also very messy, which make cause problems as well. However, you seem to be very responsible and have proven yourself worthy in the realm of reefkeeping thus far, so I can only trust you know how to deal with this properly, when the time comes.

Good luck!

[Jcohen9999]

Originally posted by topmav1
I tried to go to islandreef.com but it brings me to some resort website....
???????????????????????????

Looks great!

I goofed...it's www.islandreefs.com ...leave the s in for savings :)

Originally posted by Tek
Maybe I can take your idea and supersize it. 400g gallon tank and 1200g sump hear I come.

Go for it....I'll even come over and help you plumb together the 12 100 gal stock tanks. But that's going to take a lot of southdown :)

[new2u]

Hey Jcohen9999 your my new insperation. Ever since I've redone my room I've had this gapeing empty spot and I think I'm going to fill it with a 26 bow like yours, just minus the enormus sump and insane stocking. What did your lighting run you and does it add much heat and of course where did you get it? I'll start up my own thread though so i dont hijack...

[Jcohen9999]

oops....I missed that last post. Sorry, new2u. Hoepfully you read up the thread and saw that it was an Aquactinics.com hood and it adds no heat whatsoever.

Anyway, for my May update I figured I would try a link to a mpg of the tank (56k warning): http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/Tank0520.mpg,
and mention that I finally added an MRC CR-2 Calcium Reactor and a Single Stage Aqua Logic Temp Controller.

I can't believe I waited so long for either of these...especially the controller after having multiple Won Brothers heaters (the thermostat really) go out on me and the tank going down to 70 degrees.

More to come....

[Travis L. Stevens]

I hope that watery noise in the background isn't you....

[Jcohen9999]

LOL....no but I wish someone would answer the gosh darn phone already :)

[melev]

I just finished checking out your thread. You've come a long way in the past year, and the tank looks great.

Would you be so kind as to do a recap of all the specs for those that are unwilling to read 9 pages of posts?

[Jcohen9999]

Thanks, Melev. BTW, what makes you think I wanted to read through all 9 pages myself :lol:

Anyway, here it goes (so much for a very simple system):


Tank:
26 Gallon AGA Bowfront – drilled for 2 -1” and 3 - ¾” bulkheads
Approx 40 lbs of LR

Hood:
Aquactinics.com MH Hood (1 - 175W 10K Ushio magnetic ballast with 2-24W T-5 pure actinics ) (6/15hrs)
2 – 3 LED Autolumination.com fixtures as moonlights (24/7)

Closed-loop:
Genx PCX40 thru a T for 2 outputs (SCWD turned out to be a POS) (approx 900 gph with head)

Refugium:
100 gallon Stock Tank (3/4 full)
Approx 300 lbs of Southdown (6-7” deep)
Macro Algae
2-65W LOA PC fixtures (12 hrs offcycle from main tank)

Sump:
100 gallon Stock Tank (3/4 full)
Approx 50lbs of LR
Nautilus Reef Poseidon Skimmer w/ Dolphin pump
Mag 18 or GenX PCX 40 Return pump (depending on cleaning cycle) (approx 300 gph with headloss)
MRC CR-2 Calcium Reactor
Aqua Logic SS Controller (connected to a rag-tag collection of heaters include the Titanium wand from Won Brothers heater)
Flexiflow and IMED Gemini IV pumps for topoff from 30 gal Rubbermaid container containing saturated limewater

Offline/Stand-by Equipment:
Phosban Reactor
Aquanetics 30W UV Sterilizer
AquaSafeCanada RO/DI Unit
Lots-o-Oceanic salt

Maintenance:
Approx 28 gallon water change every 2 weeks
Continuous saturated limewater dosing (300 ml/hr) to replace Approx 2 gal/day evaporation


Did I miss anything important?

Jeff

[rjwilson37]

We could sure use a few new pictures.

[Jcohen9999]

I guess I'm overdue for my June update. I'll snap some picks this w/e and hopefully you all can see how much my SPS have grown since the addition of the CA Reactor. It's actually quite amazing.

Jeff

[Jcohen9999]

Some updated photos:

Bali tort (I think):
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/Tank_061905_1.jpg

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/Tank_061905_3.jpg

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/Tank_061905_4.jpg

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/Tank_061905_5.jpg

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/Tank_061905_6.jpg

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/Tank_061905_7.jpg


Jeff
Happy Father's Day!

[Bax]

Looks great Jeff!

HappyFathers Day to you too

[rjwilson37]

Looking good! Do the clowns host in the anemone?

[Jcohen9999]

Thanks, Guys.

@RJ, Yes they do. (check my avatar :) ) Actually, the larger of the 2 seems to have sole possession at night but during the day they both will rest in the anemone.

Jeff

[Jcohen9999]

Boy, oh boy, am I overdue for an update...so here it is:

Ever since I added the MRC Calcium Reactor (back in May) all growth has been phenomenol and almost noticeable on a daily basis. This has been somewhat interesting as I need to prune many of my SPS on a regular basis to keep them from bleaching each other. I have cut back to monthly 30 gallon water changes (of the approximate 200 gallons in the system) with no noticeable changes. Nothing else has changed and all numbers are stable without much interaction from me.

So here's the latest picture:

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/tank_2005_10.jpg


Jeff

[Forestal]

amazing system Jeff...Just love the pictures....growth is cool to see :)

[Jcohen9999]

Trying to keep to a schedule of quarterly updates so that I can refer back to this thread for past pictures for growth patterns....

Nothing much going on except for nice growth and the occasional colony breaking off of rock work due to glue failure :rolleyes:


http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/2006-01-17%20001_s.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/2006-01-17%20003_s.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/2006-01-17%20004_s.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/2006-01-17%20005_s.jpg

[img]http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/2006-01-17%20010_s.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/2006-01-17%20011_s.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/2006-01-17%20012_s.jpg[img]
[img]http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/2006-01-17%20013_s.jpg


Hope you like. Any comments appreciated.

Jeff

[Jcohen9999]

more:

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/2006-01-17%20015_s.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/2006-01-17%20016_s.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/2006-01-17%20017_s.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/2006-01-17%20018_s.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/2006-01-17%20019_s.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/2006-01-17%20020_s.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/2006-01-17%20021_s.jpg
http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/2006-01-17%20022_s.jpg


Jeff

[mmd]

nice tank, time for a bigger one ?

[Jcohen9999]

Believe me I've thought about it and have it all planned out from the tank itself to the plumbing perspective with sharing the current sump/fuge setup. However, I really like how this tank is going and I kind of like the nano feel. So I've back off on the bigger tank for now as I just focus on tuning this one which is a challenge unto itself...imagine trying to replace a watch battery with a pair of vise grips.

Thanks for looking and commenting.

Jeff

***note: as you can see from the pics somewhere between October and January I lost my clam. I have no idea what happened but one night it was fine and the next morning it was just gone! No parameters changed before or after and there were no repercussions other than a bunch of happy hermits.

[Bax]

Jeff

Looks great! This is still my favorite nano tank ever.

Too bad about the clam, lost two of mine when I moved my 26 when they go they go fast!!

[Jcohen9999]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6600739#post6600739 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Bax
Jeff

Looks great! This is still my favorite nano tank ever.

Too bad about the clam, lost two of mine when I moved my 26 when they go they go fast!!

Thanks, Bax. And, yes, it's a shame about the clam. The worst part is that I've hesitated to replace it without a good explaination of what happened. But I will probably get a replacement soon.

Jeff

[3rotorFD]

Oh my freaking GOD! that is beautiful. and crazy LOL!
I could sit in front of that tank and stare at it for hours and hours.......
AWESOME just AWESOME!:thumbsup: :beer:

[Jcohen9999]

Thanks!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6605044#post6605044 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 3rotorFD
...I could sit in front of that tank and stare at it for hours and hours.......


LOL Did you happen to notice the placement of tank in the house??????

[3rotorFD]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6605191#post6605191 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Jcohen9999
Thanks!




LOL Did you happen to notice the placement of tank in the house?????? :lol:

[Ocicat]

Wow, that's one cool bathroom. ;)

Do you have a pic of the whole bathroom, like maybe from the door? I am curious about the layout. Is there a bathtub from which you can view it? (I guess as a gal that would be my preferred viewing method, as opposed to the throne for the guys. ; ) )

[xtrstangx]

Get that tang out of there. Seriously, give him to the LFS. Its not fair to the fish.

Other than that, nice looking tank with great growth.

[Jcohen9999]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6606213#post6606213 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ocicat
Wow, that's one cool bathroom. ;)

Do you have a pic of the whole bathroom, like maybe from the door? I am curious about the layout. Is there a bathtub from which you can view it? (I guess as a gal that would be my preferred viewing method, as opposed to the throne for the guys. ; ) )

Thanks. I was inspired to put the tank there based on my wife's selection of tile.

As you can see from the picture, the tank is on the mirrored wall between the kid's sinks. The throne and tub are on the other wall...it's a smallish bathroom. Thanks for asking.

http://www.spydrweb.org/Saltwater/2006-01-27%20008.jpg

Jeff

[richw]

Nice pics. Where is the pink nepthea?

[Jcohen9999]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6606834#post6606834 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by richw
Nice pics. Where is the pink nepthea?


LOL...still in the fuge but will make it into the tank this w/e.


Jeff

[eng55]

Wow nice tank, just got done reading and browsing through the thread. Great pictures from beginning to present. Lots of growth. Has your rbta split yet. Can't wait until I get a house where I can have a basement sump and everything. Keep up the great reefing.
E