My new 380

[Bigred]

Here she is. First is the diagram that was sent to MA in Canada.

http://www.cvreefers.org/modules/gallery/albums/bigred/Final_Tank_Diagram.sized.jpg

Here's some pics of the tank being built. It'll be shipped out on wednesday.
http://www.cvreefers.org/modules/gallery/albums/bigred/big_red1.sized.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/modules/gallery/albums/bigred/big_red2.sized.jpg

Here's a pic of my DIY skimmer me and Weatherson built.
http://www.cvreefers.org/modules/gallery/albums/bigred/Skimmer_1.jpg

[zoocrazy]

nice!!!

[Frijoleros]

sweet tank. congrats

[Bigred]

Thanks, I can't wait to get this thing and move in to my new house. This tank will be a in wall. The front panel is Starfire. My new house will be done in June so the planning has begun.

[Bigred]

Here's some of the plumbing
http://www.cvreefers.org/modules/gallery/albums/bigred/Plumbing_2.sized.jpg

[hdtvguy]

Nice tank and skimmer!:)

[karsco]

Nice tank BigRed,

That is about the same tank I want to set up when I build a new house in a year or two. How much is that beast going to weigh?

Are you doing a steel or wood stand?

[Reef Addict II]

Very nice keep us updated :)

[ReefWaters]

Awesome tank. I love the width and the depth along with being relatively shallow. I think you will really enjoy the dimensions.

Are the returns from the OM going to drop down from above?

The only thing I would change on the plumbing (and this is just my opinion and a suggestion) would be to not have the OM on the return pump and split the returns from the closed loops more. I just think you will have a lot of flow coming from one single outlet on each of those Barracudas and not benefit you as much as splitting the flow. Maybe return from the sump through the bulkheads in the side walls and put the OM on one of the closed loops. Maybe even add a scond OM to the other CL. Can you still add holes in the tank for return bulkheads or is it too late?

Anyway, great looking tank and I cant wait to see it as it progresses.

[sonofgaladriel]

Awesome! That is the exact same size tank I was hoping for, but had to go with a 4'x4'x24" instead due to my pool table being in the way. You get the best of all worlds with a 6'x4', great depth for aquascaping and great length for the fish to swim.
Great planning as well. That will be a spectacular reef!

[Bigred]

Originally posted by karsco
Nice tank BigRed,

That is about the same tank I want to set up when I build a new house in a year or two. How much is that beast going to weigh?

Are you doing a steel or wood stand?

It weights about 550 lbs.. I'm going to make the stand out of wood.

[Bigred]

Here's some more pics. ReefWaters it's to late to add more holes but I'm going to run 2" lines on the closed loops so it should be a softin flow but a lot of flow.

http://www.cvreefers.org/modules/gallery/albums/bigred/big_red3.sized.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/modules/gallery/albums/bigred/BIG_RED4.sized.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/modules/gallery/albums/bigred/BIG_RED5.sized.jpg

[dougchambers]

Red - Looks like Derek did a nice job on your tank. This one should be around the corner in their shop somewhere. That reminds me, I need to get it shipped!

http://dougc3.home.mindspring.com/Reefpage/Graphics/135gtank/finished_profile.jpg

Shoot me a PM on how you shipped if you get a second.

-Doug

[steve68]

JunE thats to long the house should be built by next week!
:beer:
:D

[Bigred]

Well atleast I can start building the stand and then take it back apart to get it into the room and put it all back together. :hammer: back at ya :beer:

As long as it doesn't rain anymore I think it might be done early June. The roof is loaded, water lines ran, AC unit and ducts are in, tubs are in, and they started the styrophoam on the outside friday. I do the frame walk on thursday. No electrical yet, I'm waiting until then to take pictures. I had them run a designated 50amp 220V line into the room and I'm going to break it back into 110V by putting a sub panel in the room.

[NOLACLS]

Picked a good tank builder :D Nice looking tank btw 48"...dats deep man!

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/14772finaly7.jpg

[Bigred]

Thats a nice tank NOLACLS. I could have done the overflows like that but with the depth of the tank I didn't think it would make a difference. I'm thinking I'm going to have just about a 1000 lbs. of rock in it and the overflows will help with the space a little. LOL

[dougchambers]

BigRed - Don't forget the door ways... We had a minor panic attack before we thought about flipping the tank over 90° to get the tank through the door.

We had to build our stand so it can be torn down also.

We ran our reef room with two (2) dedicated 20Amp GFI breakers. Should be plenty... We were out there tonight and they fired up the furnace. I'm glad I ran an 8" duct into the reef room. It will give us options for AC and air replacement. No return to the main system though!

We are on a very similar course. Our place is supposed to be done June 8th. Check with your builder on having the tank in place for the final walk thru. Our builder wants the tank in the wall for the final. It doesn't have to be wet, but he want it there to verify the fit before everyone signs off.

[Bigred]

I have a 36x92 front door. So no problem there.

[Bigred]

Well my home is a track home so the builder is not user friendly and with the electrical I'm going to split the 50amp into a 30amp and 20amp circuts. I think I might run additional power to the tank room and to the 3rd car garage which is detached. The empty room is going to be the tank room.

http://www.cvreefers.org/modules/gallery/albums/bigred/Solano.sized.jpg

[dougchambers]

Nice layout Steve, where is the tank going?

If interested, I have a few shots of our tear-down stand over in our thread. We started some of the mock-up tonight. It's amazing how much room everything takes!

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=498863&perpage=25&pagenumber=10

[Bigred]

It's going in the blank room to the right of bedroom 3. The room is 11'x13' which is pletty of room even with the growout tank in the room. Here's the layout of the room.

http://www.cvreefers.org/modules/gallery/albums/album44/fishroom2.sized.jpg

[simple_joe]

Pardon my ignorance but who is MA in Canada? And what kind of material was used in the perimeter bracing? Thanks.

[dougchambers]

Originally posted by simple_joe
Pardon my ignorance but who is MA in Canada? And what kind of material was used in the perimeter bracing? Thanks.

MA is Miracles Aquariums (http://www.miraclesaquariums.com). Unless specifically called out, they use left over Starphire if they have enough for the eurobracing.

Ours will be here Tuesday...

[simple_joe]

Do they make Top Perimeter Powder Coated Angle Iron Braced/Framed Aquariums?

[mike89t]

Will you be cutting a hole in the wall so it will be visible from the Great Room?

[Bigred]

Here's where the tank will go.

http://www.cvreefers.org/modules/gallery/albums/bigred/Updated_Solano.jpg

[Bigred]

Well, hopefully it will be here this morning. Had some problems with a shipper from LA to me but it's not Miracle's fault. I can't wait to start this thing!

[NOLACLS]

Ahhh shipping problems are no fun :( Hope you get it today!!

Pics please :cool:

[dougchambers]

BigRed -

Can't wait to see the pictures. Good luck on the shipping!

-Doug

[sfsuphysics]

Wowzer nice blueprint drawing.. now I know exactly where to go for the goods! Mwuahahahaha.

Btw, I think you missed a door someplace, it looks as if the only way to get to the master suite is from the patio? Although I'm guessing that wall behind the media niche is actually an opening :)

[Bigred]

Yep, it' actually a arch way.

[sfsuphysics]

man I wish my house had that many bathrooms, I'd be giddy with all the different areas I could drop trow :)
\

[Bigred]

Got it today! WOOOOOOHOOOOOOO! Pics will be up later.

[Bigred]

Here we go.
http://www.cvreefers.org/modules/gallery/albums/album125/pic_1.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/modules/gallery/albums/album125/pic_2.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/modules/gallery/albums/album125/pic_3.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/modules/gallery/albums/album125/pic_4.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/modules/gallery/albums/album125/pic_5.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/modules/gallery/albums/album125/pic_6.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/modules/gallery/albums/album125/pic_7.jpg

[qwuintus]

Now thats what im talking about!! hurry up and get water in there!!

[NOLACLS]

Ahhhh NICE :cool: Yall had a lift gate...lucky haha. I did not and we had to take it out the crate while still in the truck. Then we slid it off the truck up about chest level into our hands so there was little time to snap pics.

So whats next?????

[sidewinder770]

Nice! The only thing that worries me is the last picture....going into storage so soon.... What a shame- when do you think it will be in it's new home? Keep the pics coming and good luck!

[dougchambers]

BigRed,

Glad to see you got your tank! The shipping container looks just like ours, but of course yours is bigger...

How many guys did it take to lift the pallet? I'm trying to figure out how we are going to roll our tank 90° to get it through the door and then lift it to a height of 44 inches to put it on the stand.

What is your time line looking like?

-Doug

[NOLACLS]

Doug I had to flip my tank on its side to get it in as well. We did it in the grass...put the tank down and rolled it onto its front. Then we lifted and carried it like that. With 7 of us it wasn't hard. I also built some dollies to put the tank on once it was in the house. It had to stay on its side to get into the tank room and the dollies made that a easy job.

[Bigred]

Well the time frame is about July because my new house will be done late June. Well we had 7 guys and we didn't lift it completely off the ground. We just lifted enough to get one end into the trailer and then just slid it in. I'm thinking I'll need more then that to get it threw the hole in the wall and up on it's 40" stand.

[NOLACLS]

I would think you will need more. Seven of us handled mine...but yours is a decent amount bigger...and heavier im sure. Good luck :D

[minfinger]

The guy with the 1000 or 700 G tank thread on here used something like 20+ guys to move his tank and they had no trouble.

The thing is, you've got a cube and he had a rectangle. That's 2 completed different ways of distrubuting weight around the edges.

You might try lifting up one side to about 1' or so and supporting it and then get the other side the same height. That way before you all of you have to do a dead lift from the floor, at least it will be a little higher. Maybe setting it up on 3 or 4 center blocks with towels on top of them on both sides would be good.

Then like I said you won't have to squat all the way down to the floor and you won't put as much stress on your backs. Make sure every squats to lift though or they will get hurt.

[NOLACLS]

The trouble spot is when its on its side to get through doors. You have one side with thick glass (bottom of the tank) and then on the other side is nothing. Makes it awkward to carry. I built some big dollies and put the tank on its side. When It got in the house I rolled it into the tank room. I have pics of them in my gallery.

[minfinger]

Yeah that's kind of what the other guy did, except he had to roll it down the side of his house on dollies.

Sounds like he's putting it in while the house is being built though, maybe it won't be that big of a deal.

Well you know what I mean.

[Bigred]

Actually I wish they would of atleast put the hole in for the tank. It's a new house and I can't do anything to the house while it's being built. Kind of sucks because I'd run more electrical and more phone lines.

[Bigred]

Here's a couple pics of my skimmer for this tank running on my growout system.

http://www.cvreefers.org/modules/gallery/albums/album125/skimmer_3.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/modules/gallery/albums/album125/Skimmer_dirty.sized.jpg

[minfinger]

Yeah I know the feeling.

Cookie cutter house! :( Nice plans though, congrats.

[NOLACLS]

Goodness that is a big ol skimmer :cool:

I wish I had the room for a big tall thing like that. I have to stick to 34" :(

[Bigred]

Luckly, I have a fishroom that all of this is going in to. I'll have a 100 gal acrylic sump which was used on my previous 265 gal tank. A calcium reator that measures 8"x8"x24" and a second chamber that is out of 4" pvc that is 24" tall. To equalize it I'm running a Kalk reactor the stands 24" tall out of 6" acrylic tubing. So far I still need a few things minor things to be ready.

[wonk]

I don't think your pictures spec'ed it: what size are your overflow pipes going to be?

[Bigred]

All the holes in the the tank are for 2" bulkheads which makes the piping 2" all the way around. Once it hits the pumps I'm going to reduce it to 1.5" since that's the size of the inlets and outlets of the pumps I'll be using.

[NOLACLS]

Originally posted by Bigred
Luckly, I have a fishroom that all of this is going in to. I'll have a 100 gal acrylic sump which was used on my previous 265 gal tank. A calcium reator that measures 8"x8"x24" and a second chamber that is out of 4" pvc that is 24" tall. To equalize it I'm running a Kalk reactor the stands 24" tall out of 6" acrylic tubing. So far I still need a few things minor things to be ready.

A room is so nice I bet...I am lucky that my tank is on a outside wall so I can at least put the pumps and chiller outside.

[robthorn]

the barracuda pumps are 2 inch slip on the outside. I run mine this way. just glue a 2 inch union to it. it is 1 1/2 inch threaded on the inside which chokes it abit.

[robthorn]

oh yeah this is one heck of an awesome project. can't wait to see it running.,

[tomviolence]

do you have anymore pics of the equipment you are using now? Skimmer info, etc.

[Bigred]

I get some pics up with in the week. We are updating our forum for the club. Here's the links to the pics for now. I has most of the pics from before also.

http://cvreefers.org/gallery2.php?g2_view=core:ShowItem&g2_itemId=1006&g2_GALLERYSID=7f75a1806df7c5cfb93b3a224cf78399

[Bigred]

Man I just order a bunch of plumbing stuff. That stuff adds up quick.

[dougchambers]

Plumbing is a killer! Between the Sequence pump, two Gen-X pumps, the 4-Way, stock tanks, and a ton of single union ball valves, the tank starts looking pretty cheap!

-Doug

[scolymia11111]

Looking good Steve! You da man!

[Bigred]

I hope to be some day. ;)

[LittleBlueGT]

Originally posted by robthorn
the barracuda pumps are 2 inch slip on the outside. I run mine this way. just glue a 2 inch union to it. it is 1 1/2 inch threaded on the inside which chokes it abit.

That is what I did on my Hammerhead. Cement on a 2 inch slip/thread union. Then you can screw in any 2 inch MPT adapter to what ever you need.

Get the most from your pump!

[TheCoralReef731]

wow. looks good

[Bigred]

Thanks.

Cool, I'll have to do that on the pumps. I think I'll go with a single union valve on the pumps for servicing.

Well I'm looking at my move in date as June 17th. Set up time fro 2 weeks then the cycle. So we're looking at adding the first sps piece in late August. Man I can't wait to get this thing going full bore.

[Bigred]

Well here we go. I'll post the pics when I have time but in the mean time here's a link to them.

http://www.cvreefers.org/v/CVR_members/bigred/album125/

[bassman57]

Very Nice. How much do thing think that thing weighed? You had a lot of guys helpin out ;).

[Bigred]

They told me 750 lbs. crated so I figured about 700 lbs.

[Bigred]

Here's some pics. First the wall work. It's had to be a load bearing wall so we put jacks on the other side which that is one of the pictures I didn't get. After we cut everything out without anything falling down on us(LOL) we put the 4x16 header in supported by 4x4'. The front three legs of the stand were built into the wall. The two front corner legs are 4x12's lagged to the 4x4's supporting the header with 6"x3/8" galvenized lag bolts. The other four legs are 4x8's supporting a 4x4 frame for the top of ths stand. On top of the 4x4's I put 3/4" plywood. For electrical I ran in two 50 amp circuts to a sub panel which will be split into 2x30 amp circuts and 2x20 amp circuts.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15407-2/pic+1.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15410-2/pic+2.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15413-2/pic+3.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15416-2/pic+4.jpg

[Bigred]

more pics....
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15422-2/pic+6.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15425-2/pic+7.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15428-2/pic+8.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15455-2/pic+15.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15437-2/pic+11.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15443-2/pic+13.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15449-2/pic+41.jpg

[Bigred]

For the install...... We strapped the tank to a dolly then lifted in on to it's back. We also use the suction cup handles.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15461-2/pic+17.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15467-2/pic+19.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15470-2/pic+20.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15476-2/pic+22.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15485-2/pic+25.jpg

[Bigred]

more pics.....
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15497-2/pic+27.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15503-2/pic+29.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15509-2/pic+31.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15515-2/pic+33.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15530-2/pic+38.jpg

[sonofgaladriel]

Simply awesome! This is going to be very nice! Gongratulations on getting in without incident! You've got some good buds there.

[NOLACLS]

Ahhh sweeet man! I really wish I had a room behind my tank for the equipment!

[matt_morton]

I can't wait to see that finished.

Matt

[boris MAC]

I could mised this detail but nowever, what glass thickness is used for bulding this amazing tank?

[Bigred]

1/2" sides and 3/4" bottom.

[boris MAC]

If not wrong, in metric system that sholud be 12mm, sides, and 20 mm bottom...hmmm looks like much thicker glass panes,r u sure?

[Bigred]

That's what I was told. Here's a few more pics. I used 2" black spaflex for my closed loops powered by Darts. Also put in about 270 gal of water, 500# of rock, and 400# of LS.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15723-1/pic+52+front+shot+7-22-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15720-1/pic+51+back.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15717-1/pic+50+side+closed+loop.jpg

[ReefWaters]

Bigred, in that second pic, what is that small T off and ball valve on the CL for? Water changes?

Are you adding any more LR to the display?

Also, is there enough room on the left side between the tank and the wall for you to stand or do you not need to?

Awesome set up! Keep up the good work.

[Bigred]

Yes, the T is for water changes.

As for the rock, it doesn't look like there is alot in there but it is pretty full. Also it was 500# of dead rock so if it was live figure in about 700+.

On the side with the wall there is about 14" just enough to get in and out to arrange stuff.

Started to setup the sump and main skimmer today. Had my back-up skimmer running for the past 2 days and it pulled out about 20 gal of skimmate. Not very thick but it smelled real good.

More pics to come soon.....

[dougchambers]

Originally posted by boris MAC
If not wrong, in metric system that sholud be 12mm, sides, and 20 mm bottom...hmmm looks like much thicker glass panes,r u sure? Boris -
Steve's numbers sound pretty close. Our 135g Miracles tank had 1/2" sides and top with a 5/8" bottom.

Steve - Congratulations! The tank is looking great already...

-Doug

[ReefWaters]

Steve, I personally like less rock. Id rather look at corals than rock and when you have a ton of rock, and then a ton of coral, you dont have much room for water.

My next tank will have very little rock compared to other tanks its size. Just enough to cover the bottom pretty much.

I dont know if you mentioned it already but it looks like you are curing that live rock in the display? Do you have another set up you will combine with this system or are you starting from scratch?

Looking good!

[Bigred]

Thanks Doug when are we going to see yours?

ReefWater: It's starting from scratch. The LR I had used to have clam parisite snails so I killed it off in the 105 degree weather for 3 days. All the rock is starting out dead for a fresh start with no bugs hopefully. I seem to like the look with less rock also but still need some for the corals to sit on.

[camaro03]

Any more pics of the progress

[Bigred]

Here's a few of the skimmer, 4-way, and sump.


http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15832-1/pic+53.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15835-1/pic+54+skimmer.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/15838-1/pic+55+4way.jpg

[skamin]

Steve,

Great job, that tank is a monster. In your plumbing schematic you had barracuda's for your CL, did you change them to Darts?
Is your return pump still a barracuda?

Also what type of ballasts are you using for your lighting?

keep the pictures coming.

Thanks

[JackRent]

Awesome tank. If you don't mind me asking, How much ?

[Bigred]

skamin: Yeah I changed to the Darts since the wattage was about half compared to the Barracudas and they seem to be plenty of flow. I kept the return as a Barracuda though. For ballasts I'm use magnetic M59's for 4 400 watt MH's which the front two will be XM 15K's and the back two will be XM 20K's.

JackRent: It was just under 3K.

[Bigred]

Here's a shot with 110 watts of pc's just to light it up for the pic.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/16009-1/pic+56+full+tank+7-31-05.jpg

[Bigred]

Here's the wall painted but I still have to stretch the carpet and put the base board back. I'm 250 lbs and 6' tall for a size perspective.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/16148-1/pic+58+size+perspective.jpg

[Bax]

Hence the name, Bigred :)

Nice system!

[mosuhu]

this sure is a dam nice tank........i love deep tanks, gives them lots of.......depth :D and loads of space to do some proper aquascaping!!

look foward to seeing more of this tank!! (piccsss!!!)

:)

[Julio]

those are some great looking tanks.

[reewik]

Very nice and what a nice selection for a footprint!

[Bigred]

Thanks, I love the dept. You can make it have some good character with aquascaping and placing the corals.

[ssbreef]

LOVE IT JUST THE WAY IT IS!! It looks GREAT!! Keep up the good work and keep us posted.

[Reeftoker]

tag

[jarhed]

2" Spaflex!!!! :eek1: :eek1:

WOW!!! You do really nice work BTW!

[Bigred]

Well I finished the second closed loop today and did my third water test and finally no nitrites or nitrates showing up but 0.25 of ammonia.

[A Reef Scene]

Great looking tank. Any thought of what kind of fish?

[Bigred]

Looking at something like this.

Here's the new list:
1. Unicorn Naso
2. Orange Shoulder
3. Copperband Butterfly
4. Labout's Fairy Wrasse
5. 3-5 Leopard Wrasses
6. Flame Angel
7. Green Manderin
8. Goby's?

[Dizzyswimmer]

Really looks good !

[Bigred]

Here's what I'm thinking for the fixture. Do you think I should turn the fixtures a different way?

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/16356-1/pic+59+light+fixture.jpg

[steve68]

do u think if u space them a part (the ones next to each other) u will get better coverage?

[Bigred]

I would if I could. They're 20" squre and I have 42" of tank on the inside wall in the back so I have to do it that way. I built the fixture already and I'm going to test it this weekend to see how the coverage is.

[steve68]

in that case they look great to me.
fire those baby's up.
:beer:

[Bigred]

Here's a pic of the finished product

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/16359-1/pic+60+light+fixture+complete.jpg

[Bigred]

And here they are hanging above the tank along with a full back shot. I'm thinking I might have to raise it up a little.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/16404-1/pic+61+fixture+hanging.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/16405-1/pic+62+full+tank+behind+8-14-05.jpg

[ejocam]

Looking good Steve, great job:thumbsup:

[Psyire]

I have my lumenarc's at 6" off the top of the aquarium, I think this is a good height. Your's look to be about 4", but it's hard to tell...

[Bigred]

I think I might raise them up to 6" for more coverage but I'll figure it out once they are fired up.

Eric, I can't wait to get those corals in there. I want to get a chiller hooked up before I run the light full time. The water is 82 right now. I'm picking up a 3/4 hp chiller from a club member.

[Bigred]

Here's a few more pics. The firts one is with 2 400's lit on the left. The second pic is with 2 400's on the left and 1 400 on the right lit. I haven't gotten the forth 400 wired up yet but it will be done tomorrow. The last pic is of my chiller. It's a 3/4 HP Custom Sealife. It is located in my garage to get rid of the excess heat.

http://www.cvreefers.org/./gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=16774&g2_serialNumber=1
http://www.cvreefers.org/./gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=16777&g2_serialNumber=1
http://www.cvreefers.org/./gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=16780&g2_serialNumber=1

[Bigred]

Here's pic without links.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/16774-1/pic+63+full+tank+2+400s+on+8-30-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/16777-1/pic+65+3+lights.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/16780-1/pic+64+chiller.jpg

[CAreefer]

If you haven't done so, I would put the A/C baffles and internal reflectors in your LA3's. You lose a bit of reflective capability throught the 2 holes. I put mine in, but didn't plumb them to anything. I love the reflectors.
http://www.careefer.homestead.com/Lighting-8_14_05.jpg
I am using the 400 watt ,14k Hamiltons on PFO HQI ballasts.
Just my .02 cents

CAReefer

[steve68]

Sweet :beer:

[Bigred]

WOW! I hope mine looks like that some day. What I was going to do was hook up a venting system to suck air from the reflectors and blow it up into the attic. I think that would pull a lot of heat out of the room and out of the tank.

[Bigred]

Well I started adding frags this week and they are doing great. I can't wait to get some nice corals back since I lost about $3K+ worth corals during my move. It makes me sick to even think about it. Right now I have 6 frags in the tank and will be get 6 more from a friend that tooks some during the move tomorrow.

[briane2]

looking good one day ill have my 270 set up if i ever get my fishroom done

[briane2]

I dont think u realy want to blow moist air up in the attic do u?

[Rainbowofcolors]

What made you go with glass? I am looking at a 220 gallon (72x24x30) that is going to sit on a custom cabinet then drywalled off. See through into 2 rooms. Access from bottom and top (one side and attic) I am getting a quote next week for glass. I just don't like a few things about glass...its glass and can crack (California does shake) and I don't know how long the seals will last and lastly its heavy. Acrylic is light more transparent but scratches to0 easily while cleaning.

Thanks in advance for help in deciding

Michael

[deansreef]

that is awesome, i want a bigger tank now

[Bugger]

How much was the tank. I live in the same city it was made.

[Bigred]

Rainbowofcolors: The scratch factor is what made me go with glass. I just can't deal with scratches. Yes the tank is heavy but it's only heavy the one time you left it onto the stand or if you move it 3 times like me. It went from my house to storage to my my new then on to the stand. It was ruffly 700 lbs.. Yes they are heavy but there is no bow in it and you don't have to deal with cracks and scratches. If it's built right like Miracle Aquariums did you have no problems with the seals and it breaking. MA does have low iron glass also which is my front pane. If I were you ask a few more buddies to come over to unload it. I think glass is much better then acrylic. We had a 2.9 earthquake here in Los Banos, Ca and I didn't even feel it and the tank is fine. We don't really have big earthquakes here.

Bugger: Just under $3K. They said half of the price was shipping.

[Bigred]

Here's some pics. First is the background, second is a full tank shot with all 4 400's lit, and the rest are of corals that are in the tank.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/17038-1/pic+67+background.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/17039-1/pic+68+full+tank+4x400s+9-10-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/17068-1/yellow+polyp+cap+9-10-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/17072-1/Yellow+purple+tip+acro+9-10-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/17078-1/Purple+acro+9-10-05.jpg

[Rainbowofcolors]

Thanks for the info Steve

The scratches are leaning me to glass as well.

Michael

[Bigred]

Rainbowofcolors I had a 265 that was 84"Lx24"Dx 31"T and it was glass but I wish it would have been drilled. If it's not drilled it's a pain in the butt because all of the hang on overflows. I had 5 on mine.

[asnatlas]

Originally posted by Bigred
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/17039-1/pic+68+full+tank+4x400s+9-10-05.jpg

Bigred, where did you get your LR at and about how much is in your tank ?? What kind did do you have, Marshall and Fiji ??

Shawn

[Bigred]

I bought 330 lbs of dead rock which is alot cheaper and you get more for your money. Also I had about 300 lbs of live rock from a tank I took down when I moved. I did kill that rock just to make sure nothing bad came into the new tank. There is Fiji, Haiti, Tonga, and Marshall Island rock in the tank. I have a business so I get it for wholesale.

Here's a pic of the rock when I go it. The sump in the background is a 30 gal for size reference.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/17082-1/pic+46+rock.jpg

[Dizzyswimmer]

That is some great looking base rock, Do you know it's origin ?
Thanks

[wangster]

looks like mix type of rocks..I see Tonga branch. I seen those rocks from WaltSmith

[Bigred]

Good memory, that's where they are from.

[Bigred]

Here's some updated pics. I'm still in the process of making my calcium reactor but it should be done the weekend. So right now I'm just dosing Kalk with the top off system.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/17685-1/pic+69+full+tank+9-27-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/17682-1/pic+70+The+Valley+9-27-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/17663-1/acro+unkown+9-27-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/17666-1/Gomezi+9-27-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/17672-1/blue+green+acro+9-27-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/17675-1/Cardus+9-27-05.jpg

[Bigred]

Here's a few more corals.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/17678-1/Purple+with+blue+tips+9-27-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/17681-1/wrasse+with+brain+9-27-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/17654-2/Acro+9-25-05.jpg

[mykoe817]

wow....

[Bax]

BigRed

Ya gotta love the aquascaping you can do in a 4' deep tank!

Lookin good!

Wish I could pull off 4' x 6'+ for tank dims, but 3' x 5' will have to do for me.

[Bigred]

Here's a few more corals added today. I'll be finishing my reactor tomorrow and hooking it up. I still need to figure out how to rig something up to pull the lights back so I can work on the tank. It's a pain in the you know what to reach the center front to place corals. I'll post a full tank shot tomorrow also.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/18033-1/acro+purple+unkown+10-9-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/18038-1/Purple+Rics+10-9-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/18042-1/fuzzy+blu+acro+10-4-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/18045-1/purple+with+green+polyps+10-9-05.jpg

[robthorn]

just curious how much your electric bill is running you since the tank addition.

[G_cuvier]

BigRed: HD has sliding door rails that work nicely for a light mover. Take a look in my gallery and you will see them. The 6' rails are $13.26 ea. You can't beat that with a stick.... ;)

[818]

Big Red Man I just found this thread today ITS SO AWESOME!! How much did you spend doin all this? Im 17 years old and I hope one day i can do a big @ss tank like yours, man that tank rocks!

[raskal311]

wow, that freaken nice!!!!

[JayC]

Awesome setup Bigred!!! Keep the pics a coming.

[Bigred]

robthorn: Right now it's $371

G_cuvier: Thanks, I'll take a look at you gallery

My F1sh R D34D!: I really don't want to know but probably close to $8000-$10000.

And thanks to the rest.

Here's a updated full tank shot takin on 10-10-05.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/18085-1/pic+71+full+tank+10-10-05.jpg

[akirasan]

Awesome tank Bigred! Just wait till those frags 'grow in' and it's look hellova sweet.

[Purple Haze]

very nice. Great job.

[onetrickpony]

Hi
Great tank setup
I keep looking for updates
Will you please post where you got your Walt smith dead rock
Or shoot me an IM
Thanks
Ken

[old salty]

I just found this thread and must say that it is truly inspirational!! I read all six pages with more excitement than when I get my monthly issue of Playb....... you know what I mean. Landscaping is excellent, and no doubt you're fish are going to be quite happy in their new environment.

[Bigred]

akirasan: Thanks, I can't wait for them to grow.

Purple Haze: Thanks

onetrickpony: You've got a PM

old salty: Thank you, The fish seem to love the depth to go from front to back. My Wrasse's go darting threw the valley and then up over the rocks. It's pretty cool to watch.

[Bigred]

Here's my DIY Calcium Reactor. All it has to be is plumbed in which will be tomorrow. Right now it's holding 2 8 lbs containers of A.R.M. media.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/18364-1/pic+72+calcium+reactor+10-15-05.jpg

[macDRE]

what are the demensions of your tank?

[Bigred]

78"Lx48D"25"T

[Bigred]

Here's some more pics I took tonight.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/18410-1/Acro+10-15-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/18416-1/purple+with+green+polyps+10-15-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/18402-1/valley+10-15-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/18399-1/valley+fish+10-15-05.jpg

[Bigred]

more, pics of my pink banner wrasse, Exquisite Wrasse, Unicorn, and Rabbitfish.
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/18393-1/pink+banner+10-15-1-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/18390-1/Pink+Banner+10-15-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/18396-2/Exquisite+Wrasse+10-15-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/18383-1/Unicorn+Naso+10-15-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/18387-1/yellow+rabbit+fish.jpg

[kimoyo]

Hi Bigred,

Are you concerned about the hair algae. I just put base rock in my tank also and had an algae bloom. Then I found out that there is a lot of phosphate in the rock itself. I'm considering pulling the rock and buying new stuff. Do you think the algae will go away soon? Thanks.

[Bigred]

I had the normal algae bloom with a cycle but no hair algae. I would just buy a clean up crew and let them go to town on it.

[kimoyo]

I noticed that my candy cane coral (first and freebie frag) had algae growing on its stem also. It looks nice but it got me thinking. I'm sure your parameters are good but with your cycling algae and the tank being fairly new how are the frags you added doing? I was considering adding several frags myself so I wanted to know what your thoughts were.

[Bigred]

Everything is doing good. Some corals have grown up to 3/4 of an inch. The only corals that I'm having problems with are my purple yuma's which are bleaching. I added frags within 2 months after starting my tank and those are doing the best. I've been told not to add SPS corals to your tank until it's established, but I have not had any problems. All my corals are doing good with growth and coloring up.

[tony13]

Truely impressive. The valley is a great idea. Aquascape is awesome. Lighting looks great, you have enough hieght to make a pulley system to get them out of your way. A buddy of mine did a pully and it works great.
Going back a few page in topics, do you have any pics of the intakes for the c.l. Also the water bottle waste collector for the skimmer looks like a good idea. Could you explain what you did for both with pics if you have it.
Tony

[True Percula]

nice fishes

[NexDog]

Great tank and maybe a candidate for TOTM when those frags grow. Love the aquascaping. :)

[Bigred]

tony13: Well what I did on the bottle waste collector is I got a rubber cupler and found a 1" T with a reduced size T and glued the hose inside the T but it can still vent out threw the side which when the water level gets to the hose inside the bottle it shut it down so no splills happen. As for the CL intakes I used some 4" perforated PVC for screens so nothing get sucked up. Here's some pics.

vi3tb0i: Thanks, but don't call the Tang police on me. LOL

NexDog: Some day it will be there hopefully.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/18483-1/pic+73_001.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/18486-1/pic+74_001.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/18489-1/pic+75_001.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/18490-1/pic+76_001.jpg

[Dizzyswimmer]

How does the waste colleter shut down ? The one I use has a pingpong ball that floats up, blocks the vent, and shuts it down. It is very small compared to the water bottle you are using. I would like to make one like yours.

[tony13]

Red,
Great idea on both. Simple and works. I'll be "borrowing" both designs. Can you post a parts list on the intakes. I'll be doing a CL on my 200g and was going to use a spa screen intake (the round 2" ones) but have heard of fish being sucked against them. Your design looks better. Looking good, keep up the hard work.
Thanks,
Tony

[Bigred]

Dizzyswimmer: When the waste level comes up to the end of the tube it shuts down just like yours with the ping pong ball.

tony13: I got the perforated pvc online at aquatic eco systems. here's the part number RT444 for 4". They also carry 1",2",and 3". For the rest of the pieces I just used ABS and PVC. The screen slides over the PVC. So just make a small lip that the screen can be attatched to. I used all plastic zip ties that way I can take it apart and clean it.

[kimoyo]

Originally posted by Bigred
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/18490-1/pic+76_001.jpg
Not taking into consideration how it will look with corals grown in, I like the back view of the tank better than the front right now.

[ReefWaters]

How many yellow tangs do you have in there?

[tony13]

Steve,
Thanks for the info.
Tony

[Bigred]

8 yellows at 1.5" each.

[ReefWaters]

Originally posted by Bigred
8 yellows at 1.5" each.

That's cool!

How much time do they spend together?

Does it look like the schools of yellows you see in the wild?

Do they gang up on other fish? Do you think they will when they get bigger?



The only thing I would suggest maybe changing would be the size of the valley. If possible, I would move some rocks out and make it wider. I only say this b/c in a year or two when your corals grow out, your valley will shrink to nothing. Just my 2 cents.

The tank is looking great. Keep it up.

[Bigred]

Most of the time they are all over the tank. When I first put them in the tank they stayed together but now they kind of went into smaller groups. 3 here, 3 here, and 2 swimming around. The 2 that swim around try to come into the groups of 3 and they beat them up. So I figure those are the 2 weekest. As they get bigger they will probably fight more but as of now everything is good. They don't mess with any other fish in the tank including my yellow rabbitfish.

[surg_xero]

beautiful tank.

[arconom]

I have to say from the back, the view is incredible. It looks like a valley and it gives it so much depth.

[Chaotic Reefer4u]

you have an awesome reeftank there red~dawg!

[Bigred]

surg_xero & ChAoTiCrEeFeR4U: Thanks, still has lots of work ahead.

arconom: Yeah, I like the valley more from the back then the front but it's still cool to look at.

[Bigred]

Here's a few more pics. I picked up some nice pieces yesterday. The first 2 pics are full tank shots one with all the lights and the second with just the actinics. After that is corals and fish.
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/19289-1/pic+79+full+tank+11-9-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/19292-1/pic+80+actinic+full+tank+11-9-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/19274-1/Loripes+11-9-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/19286-1/Valida+11-9-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/19280-1/purple+tip+green+polyp+11-9-05.jpg

[Bigred]

fish: banned pipefish, clown fairy wrasse, and vlamingi tang.
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/19295-1/Banned+Pipefish+11-9-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/19298-1/Clown+Fairy+Wrasse+11-9-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/19301-1/Vlamingi+Tang.jpg

[robthorn]

tank is looking awesonme.
kimoyo I think normally phosphates are bound to the outside of rock. if there were high phosphates inside it would have killed the animal that was creating it. at least it would have stopped growing again making it not be inside. a white vinegar scrub does wonders for knocking the phosphates off the rock. rinse it and scrub it again with freshwater dechlorinated of course and maybe even seed it for a while with tank water. buying new rock is very expensive so no way would I go that route
good luck,
robert

[tgcreef]

i love how you did your live rock and your placement on your sps corals

[Bigred]

NanoManMaster & robthorn thanks. I'm going to setup my light on the closet tracks this weekend since it's such a pain to reach the front middle of the tank. I made some brackets to run on both tracks to make it more stable. I think I'll have about 4-5' of motion.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/19762-1/pic+83+closet+hangers+for+lights.jpg

[Bigred]

Here's a few corals I added last week.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/19265-1/Acro+Small+11-9-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/19268-1/Deswali+11-9-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/19274-1/Loripes+11-9-05.jpg

[Bigred]

couple more
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/19281-2/purple+tip+green+polyp+11-9-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/19286-1/Valida+11-9-05.jpg

[PalmTree]

Looks great! Keep us updated.

[Bigred]

Here's some growth pics.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/19849-1/Coral+growth.jpg

[drjrose]

Originally posted by Bigred
I'm going to setup my light on the closet tracks this weekend since it's such a pain to reach the front middle of the tank. I made some brackets to run on both tracks to make it more stable. I think I'll have about 4-5' of motion.

Where did you get the rails from?

[Bigred]

Home Depot

[Bigred]

Here's the track up. I still need to put a pully system to pull it back and spring to pull it back.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/19943-1/pic+85+light+tracks.jpg

[Cody Ray]

You may not want to hear this right now, but drsfostersmith.com has an motor driven system to move your lighting back and forth across the aquarium.

[NexDog]

I'd like to see that. Got a link?

[onetrickpony]

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=13974&N=2004+113356

[Bigred]

Yeah that's cool but, I would rather spend $30 with a pully and have the other money for corals.

[yodawagon]

where did you get that dead rock?

[Bigred]

At Walt Smith's wholesaler

[cougaran]

Just found this thread. Nice tank!! I'll be watching it's progress..Good Luck.

[Bigred]

cougaran: Thanks, I need to take some more pics but have no time with the holiday coming.

[Croman]

That is one beautiful tank. What a show piece to your great room.

[edgerat]

holiday is over how about some more pics???? :)

[Bigred]

Here you go. One is a updated valley pic and the other is a cross shot. I'll take somemore coral pics and a updated full tank shot tonight.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/20186-1/cross+shot+11-25-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/20189-1/valley+fish+11-25-05.jpg

[Bax]

Can't wait to see a growth comparison shot in about six months after all those frags get some weight on, lookin good Bigred!

[Bigred]

Here's a few more. Still alot of frags you can't see in the picture and also still some spots for more pieces.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/20193-1/pic+87+tank+left.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/20196-1/pic+88+tank+middle.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/20199-1/pic+89+tank+right.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/20202-1/valley+front+11-28-05.jpg

[Rainbowofcolors]

looks great. I was wondering what you do to feed everything when you go out of town? I am beginning my 225 project I have a 100 now. A friend feeds the fish etc but sometimes even they are not around.

Thanks,

Michael

[Bigred]

I have friends and family that live near by if I need be.

[NexDog]

Looking great. Real slice of the ocean you have there. Wish I'd gone 4' deep looking at that. :)

[Bax]

That school of yellow tangs is just too cool!

[cougaran]

Bax, you stole my thoughts exactly..So ditto on the school!

[Bigred]

I like the yellow's but I have seen a couple of them pick at the polyps on my acros. I think I just needed to feed them more which I have and they haven't been picking lately. I started putting a half sheet of nori in in the mornings and I think that helped. As for everything else the corals are starting to take off and soon I won't have any room to add anything ;).

[ReefWaters]

Originally posted by Bigred
I like the yellow's but I have seen a couple of them pick at the polyps on my acros. I think I just needed to feed them more which I have and they haven't been picking lately.

They weren't looking to eat your polyps. They were just testing for something edible on the corals. But sounds like your right on feeding more.

I have tried yellows a few times and I found that they were like the hyper active step child of the tank. I removed them each time after a few months. But I only tried one at a time and in MUCH smaller tanks. I love the look of the school and I hope it works out for you.

Good luck :p

[Bigred]

Yeah, that's the only thing I don't like. They dart alot and I'm afraid they'll knock stuff down.

[duhfactor]

Bigred,
This tank is looking great! Now that it's been running for a bit, how has your flow characteristics turned out? Is there anything you would have done differently? I'm trying to plan out my plumbing on a 325, and am trying to learn what I can from others. You've got a great set-up going there! :thumbsup:

I don't want to derail this, so if you have any suggestions, my tank is at ;

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=6210681#post6210681

Thanks,

[Bigred]

I like the flow and don't think I need anymore. The one thing I need to do is to adjust my closed loops because my sand does stay where it's supposed to :D.

[Bigred]

Here's some more corals pics.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/20727-1/Acro+green+purple+blue+tips+12-8-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/20754-1/deep+water+12-8-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/20730-1/Deswali+12-8-05.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/20733-1/Green+nana+12-8-05.jpg

[cutsupremetrib]

where the heck are you getting all of these wonderful corals... i need some for my tiny 65 lol

[robthorn]

californians get first pick and aren't likely to let the nice ones slide through. thats were most of the corals come through before they get rebagged and shipped to local stores elsewhere in the U.S.

[Bigred]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6329618#post6329618 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by robthorn
californians get first pick and aren't likely to let the nice ones slide through. thats were most of the corals come through before they get rebagged and shipped to local stores elsewhere in the U.S.

Your pretty much right but every time I've been there they have a giant shipment of really nice stuff going out to the East Coast somewhere.

[cutsupremetrib]

well mr Bigred perhaps you should decide to get some of these nice corals growing and sell me some frags :) lol

[Bigred]

In time, everything is growing like a weed right know. The tank seems to be getting more established and healthier everyday. I had a few corals STN but since everything looks good. I think it was because they were large fiji wild pieces. I have no luck with them.

[jgsensor]

Where did you find the 2" spa flex? I am in the process of re designing my sump and refugium and I am trying to find both the 2" and 1.5" size spa flex. Did you find that here in the valley or online?

[Bigred]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6383301#post6383301 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jgsensor
Where did you find the 2" spa flex? I am in the process of re designing my sump and refugium and I am trying to find both the 2" and 1.5" size spa flex. Did you find that here in the valley or online?

Aquatic Eco Systems for the 2" but Home Depot carries up to 1.5".

[jgsensor]

What do you know, I just received their catalog today. just haven't had time to look at it yet. Thanks.

[cmhollis]

Savko also carries 2" spaflex, that is where I ordered mine from. You might also find it at a local hot tub/spa place.

Sweet looking setup red.

[deansreef]

how many gallons of water do you change at a time and how often?

[ReefWaters]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6335614#post6335614 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Bigred
I had a few corals STN but since everything looks good. I think it was because they were large fiji wild pieces. I have no luck with them.

I have had no luck with wild colonies either. Out of the 40 plus species in my tank, I have only lost one colony. That colony was wild. I have only tried 2 wild colonies total. The other one has yet to take off and do well after almost a year in my system. All of my aquacultured frags have taken off and routinely get pruned because of the excellent growth.

Aquacultured corals just do better in any system. I will be very wary before I buy another wild coral.

Good luck. The tank is looking better every day.

[Bigred]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6384438#post6384438 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by deansreef
how many gallons of water do you change at a time and how often?

I should be doing 50-100 gals a month but I have only done one water change since it's been set up since 6/05. I know I should be doing these on a regular basis. I'm actually doing a 50 gal change monday.

[asnatlas]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6390360#post6390360 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Bigred
I should be doing 50-100 gals a month but I have only done one water change since it's been set up since 6/05. I know I should be doing these on a regular basis. I'm actually doing a 50 gal change monday.

Do you notice a big diff after a water change ??

[Bigred]

Not really, I know the theory is you should do water changes every month but ever since I have been doing salt water I have only done water changes when it was needed but I need to step up and do them more often. I think everything would probably do better since after a while the nutrients get depleted and need to be replenished. You know how the time factor comes in in this hobby. I just started a new business so time is getting short but need to set apart some time to maintain the tank.

[Bigred]

Here's some updated pics of the tank.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/22333-1/pic+90+full+tank+1-19-06.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/22336-1/pic+91+left+tank+1-19-06.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/22339-1/pic+92+right+tank+1-19-06.jpg

[ReefWaters]

Bigred, the tank is REALLY looking good. That is all really going to fill in nicely.

Im sure you have talked about it before, but I like how your keeping the back wall clean. That looks really good with the deep tank and the way you have the aquascaping. Its looking very natural IMO.

[asnatlas]

Everytime I see your tank I get jealous :) I hope my 600gal looks 1/2 as good as yours...

[Detritivore]

do the YT's really school? how big are they?

-thnx

[Bigred]

Reefwater: Thanks, the side are a different thing. I'm going to have to get in there with a razor blade.

asnatlas: Thank, Don't worry your tank will look really nice when your done.

Detritivore: They do school alot but I just think they just follow each other to see what the other one is doing. When I got them they were about 2" and now anywhere from 2.5-3". They do there little spares here and there but nobody has any bad marks on them. They add so much action to the tank with the bright yellow flying around. I almost went with Purple Tangs instead of the Yellows.

[ReefWaters]

I wouldnt worry about the sides. The front and back is enough work to keep clean. I dont think cleaning the sides would add anything to the depth perception IMO.

Do you think adding an aggressive fish, like a sohal, would keep the YTs together more? Or would it scatter them more?

[chetm2]

Looks great. Reminds me of Steve Weast's tank. Love the depth and rockwork. Keep the pictures coming

[jnarowe]

Wow. Your tank has really come a long way in a short time. Very impressive.

[Bigred]

Here's a few new shots

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/23667-1/pic+94+valley+shot.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/23670-1/pic+95+middle+shot.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/23673-1/pic+96+left+tank+shot.jpg
http://www.cvreefers.org/d/23676-1/pic+97+right+sid+shot.jpg

[Bigred]

Full tank at 7 months old.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/23677-1/pic+93+full+tank+2-4-06.jpg

[jnarowe]

really nice job. I look forward to watching it grow, from afar! :)

[Bigred]

Here's a cross shot.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/24129-1/pic+98+cross+shot+3-5-06.jpg

[Bigred]

Here's a full tank shot.

http://www.cvreefers.org/d/24152-1/pic+99+full+tank+3-5-06.jpg

[Bax]

Looks great that's gonna fill out real nice.
I really like the open valley look of it.

[scaryperson27]

I wish i had a big enough tank to do a valley. The tank looks great keep it up.

[scaryperson27]

I wish i had a big enough tank to do a valley. The tank looks great keep it up.

[blide]

I forgot about this thread... Oh Big Red has disappeared!

[hawaiianwargod]

<a href=showthread.php?
s=&postid=8231106#post8231106 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by blide
I forgot about this thread... Oh Big Red has disappeared!


He sold his 380g tank. :mad: But he has a 190g that is getting full of nice sps pieces. :p

[ReefWaters]

Why did he sell that massive inwall tank? That was a lot of work to undo. Did he move or something?

[hawaiianwargod]

I think he sold it to downgrade to 190g. He is still in Los Banos.

[weatherson]

He sold it partially due to the crazy energy costs here and for family matters. He did in fact replace it with a 190 that fits in the wall and fills the hole but just isn't nearly as deep. His new tank is coming along nicely and hopefully he'll soon do a thread regarding it. A gentleman from the Bay area purchased the 380 so it continues on. ;)

Joseph.

[akbuuur]

NICe tank, bet you dont have algea probs with all those tangshaha

[blide]

If I remember right I saw a thread where he had AEFW and I'm sure that played a big role in starting over. :(

[Bigred]

Sorry for not responding sooner. I did sell the 380 due to the HIGH PG&E bills and the baby girl that's on they way and will be born on Oct 5th. I did start a 190 which has the same window size but just half the depth. Here's a pic of it. I'll start a new thread .

http://www.cvreefers.org/gallery2/d/28970-1/020+Full+Tank+9-26-06.jpg

[dougchambers]

Steve,

Congratulations on the pending arrival of your daughter! Glad to hear you were able to scale down and not get out all together.

Best of luck!

Doug

[LA-Lawman]

any new pics....

[drummereef]

Wow, congrats! You know this tank is going to be sweet. Updates?