40 Stretch Hex Upgrade

[BRISK495]

Hello All,

I will be upgrading my Nano Cube pictured below to a 40 Gallon Oceanic Stretch Hex. The upgrade will happen in mid May. Right now I am planning to have 250watt pendant, an Aqua C Remora Skimmer, and some type of "outside" filter to hold any media. Maybe even a small fuge will be attached. I would like to have a good amount of water flow since I will be keeping a decent amount of SPS. I would love to have a sump but am deciding against it since originally I just wanted to upgrade to 25-30 gallons max. I didn't want to go to overboard until I eventually settle down in my own house (the 40 hex will be in an apartment). I am also planning to paint the back panel with Krylon Blue. Any ideas on that? Maybe I should paint part of the extended Hex sides as well that are in the back? As far as aquascaping, I am going to stay away from the traditional wall look and will hopefully look to accomplish some type of partition in the middle...maybe have one side higher up and the other side half as high. I always thought that look is very natural. I have a decent amount of live rock in my Nano cube and a decent amount of corals and fish so I will be starting out pretty good with livestock. Any ideas on adding "new" liverock to an already existing syetem???

Well enough of this for now, I would love to see pics of anyone who has a 40 hex or 30 cube...or anything in that general size. I will most likely make this into a "journal" of my tank.

Pics of my Nano Cube below that will go into the new 40 Hex....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/Aquarium/112_1204.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/Aquarium/GSP.jpg

[Sugar Magnolia]

I saw one of those Oceanic stratch hex's the other day. Great looking tank.

My suggestion for painting would be, before you do it, get yourself some blue poster board, and tape it to the back, see how that looks, then tape two more pieces to the two back sections of the stretch and see how you like it. If it looks good to you, then paint all three panels.

The added length of the stretch will allow you to accomplish the rock structure you're thinking about. That will look really nice.

Good luck! Can't wait to see the progress.

[BRISK495]

That's a great idea Sugar!! I think the hex is a good looking tank. I actually really wanted a 30 cube but this hex tank was a lot less expensive!!! I still dont know why but it was. Maybe they had a lot of them in storage.

By the way, I m followng your thread as well... Your tank looks great!

[BRISK495]

Well, I got the tank this weekend. I think it looks really nice...I bought some Krylon Blue paint shown below. Does anyone know if this is what people mostly use to paint their background when the say "Blue Krylon"? I also have a pic of the tank down. I put some paper behind as suggested and def think I will paint the entire "back" vs just the single panel....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/112_1284.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/112_1287.jpg

[tapout]

what kind of fish is that yellow one?

[BRISK495]

Hey Tapout,

That's a yellow goby. They're perfect for a nano Cube. They stay small and have cool personalities. I've had mine about a year and his name is "Chauncy".

[Sugar Magnolia]

That's the stuff Brisk. Be sure to use some newspaper and tape to cover the top and front panels to avoid overspray. 3-4 light coats will give you a nice finish.

Good luck! Can't wait to see how it looks painted.

[BRISK495]

Thanks Sugar,

I should be painting it in the next week or so. Thanks for reminding me about the newspaper thing too. My girlfreind also mentioned I should do it too...! I wouldn't want to get paint on the Cherry or inside the glass....

[BRISK495]

Ok, well I finally got around to painting my tank last night. It only took me two tries...hahaha!! The first time it streaked and I thought it would be bad but after some experience, I don't think it would have mattered at all...Well here is a pic of it on the ground so that it wouldn't streak....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/113_1325.jpg

And here is the tank on the stand (that's still wrapped up). I have the little light that comes with the tank on.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/113_1335.jpg

[BRISK495]

Well, I finally got the tank to its final spot in my new place. I filled the tank with water and added the salt. SG around 1.025 Here's a pic. I only have a aquaclear filter on there now but will soon have my skimmer and fuge. I just got about 34 pounds of live rock that I put in last nitght. I will be posting pics of that soon as well....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/113_1392.jpg

[YodaHart]

Nice looking tank. Did you paint that INDOORS?! If so, then you're a crazy man.

[BRISK495]

Yeah, I did....it prob wasn't the smartest thing, but I also dont have an outdoors I could have painted it! it was actually bad at first and then it was fine. I opened all the windows to let air through.....and closed my door when I went to bed....I didnt get paint anywhere I didnt want it!! Oh well, at last its done....I totally reccomend painting it though!

[CitCat21]

I have the same size tank. I would go with a sump if you can. the space gets used up so quickly.

Heres a link to my startup photo log.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/azzk1k3r/album?.dir=/17e9&.src=ph&.tok=php0Q7CBAMXbarHR

i think i would much rather have the protein skimmer in sump than on the back of the tank it's so obtrusive.

i have 2 power heads in my tank. One pionts at the back of the tank and the other is opposite that pointing at the front. Kind of circle of flow that way.

The tank is still new but i'm happy with it.

[BRISK495]

Hey CitCat,

yeah...I would love a sump too....I am getting a Remora Skimmer and they arent too obtrusive, especially when the tank is painted or you hav a background. When you look into the tank you won't really see anything...A background may be helpful in hiding that equipment in the back, there are some good ones out there. I was going to try OceansVisions background but I decided to paint it instead. I agree though, sumps are always the best!!!!

[aural]

sexy looking tank! the blue turned out better than i expected. cant wait to see the rockwork you were talking about. i like the non-traditional approaches people take. they usually turn out pretty nice. keep us update for sure :)

[CitCat21]

i don't mind seeing the equipment through the tank it makes it easier to see if it's working being as it's tucked into a corner. The pump that powers the skimmer and the bubble trap that come into the tank are ridiculourly huge on my skimmer though.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Looks great Brisk. I like the blue background and painting all three sides turned out to be a really good idea. I can't imagine now how it would have looked with just the back panel painted.

Give us some more photos once the rock's in.

[BRISK495]

Here's a pic of my tank with 34 pounds of Figi. I will be adding more (@17 pounds Figi) after my Nano Cube upgrade. This picture was taken with just the stock light that came with the tank. I will be getting a PFO pendant and Phoenix 14 K. How does everyone like the Phoenix's? I've heard nothing but good things...

Also, the tank seems to be cycling pretty quickly....ammonia is pretty steady, not high at all. I think there hasn't been a tremendous amount of die off (yet). I will have to monitor it though...it seems to be moving along nicely.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/114_1405.jpg

[BRISK495]

Here's a straight on view.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/113_1400.jpg

[maxvan1]

That aquascape is kill'a (in a good way;)!

Not to much more IMO, Although, I like the "less it more" look.

[BRISK495]

Thanks Maxvan1...I will be adding abou 15 pounds more, but they will be piled up a bit....should still look very "open" i agree the less is more for sure, but i also think its good to have a decent amount of rock. I will be keeping rock rubble in my HOB filter and in a fuge....for additional biological filtration.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Nice looking rocks! Those will be great for the foundation to build upwards a bit. If you turn the one on the left forward just a tad bit from the angle that's it's currently sitting (right side forward about 45 degrees) and pile the new LR on top of those two you'll have a nice open sand bed area in the front for some fungia, clams or brains.

I see you went with a really shallow sand bed - looks nice.

I've had my Phoenix running now for a few months and love it. I'm getting incredible growth from my SPS. Remember, when you get your bulb, it takes about 100 hours of burn time for it to settle into it's true color.

[msudul]

I too have an Oceanic 40 gal stretch hex. I've spent a lot of time looking for photos of other tanks to get ideas for aquascaping, equipment positioning, backgrounds, etc for the stretch hex without much luck but managed to assemble a decent, open structure with plenty of hiding spaces and room to blow the detritus out of the cracks. I found plenty of ideas for hex tanks. However, the stretch hex is a bit wider and allows for a different aquascape than a straight hex is limited to.<br> Below&nbsp;is a photo of the tank from couple of months ago when the tank was about 3 months old. Not much different now other than the Xenia has quadrupled in size and the the colt coral has shrunk 50%.<br><strong>Here is a quick breakdown of the current hardware setup:</strong><ol><li>Oceanic 40 gal stretch-hex with stand<li>17lbs Fiji live rock, 20lbs Tonga branch live rock.<li>Custom Sea Life Power Compact with moon light, 1 65w actinic and 1 65w 20K<li>2 Maxi-Jet 900 power heads<li>600gph siphon type overflow feeding&nbsp;the sump<li>30gal Top-Fin long glass sump which houses:<ul><li>Coralife Super Skimmer 125<li>Coralife 9w Turbo Twist UV sterilizer<li>Power head which returns about 350gph back to the tank<li>Heater<li>10gal refugium partitioned off within the 30gal sump with a 14w Coralife Aqualight, Cheato and live rock</li></ul><li>Four&nbsp;X10 Pro modules to control the tank lights and refugium light. Modules are controlled via home automation computer running Homeseer.</li></ol><strong>Projects under construction:</strong><ol><li>Closed loop: 3/4" PVC pipe, Mag 7 pump and 1/2" SCWD. Will probably paint the non-submersed portion of the PVC with textured flat black paint similar to the light hood to help disguise the plumbing. Will post the design once it is completed and tested. This system will eliminate the power heads from the tank and free up more space. The overflow takes up enough space already.</li><li>After seeing this post, painting the back or some other form of background</li>
</ol><p align=center><img src="http://www.sudulfamily.org/portal/Portals/2/453/PICT1134.JPG"></p>

[msudul]

As I just mentioned in the last post, after seeing how good it looks on your tank, I am now planning to so some sort of background. I am also inspired to rearrange my rock after seeing your two pillar look. I am planning to purchase some more rock this week and will probably drill some holes to pin the rock structure together before rearranging since there is not much room to go in any other direction except upwards. Please, keep posting more photos as your tank progresses. I am very excited to finally see photos of another 40gal stretch hex and can't wait to see how it looks after you add the rest of the rock.

[mdt178]

I also have a 40 stretch hex, but it's still sitting in the garage. Has anyone seen a custom made canopy for this tank?

[BRISK495]

Sugar...thanks for your advice. I am going to be adding a bit more rock from my other tank...I will probbaly arrange that left side a little bit....

Msdul.... Your tank looks really nice too! The 40 Hex gives a lot of versatility. If you are looking for a backgrounds, there are some available called Oceansvisipons. Supposedly they work pretty well, especially once the tank is set up. Painting it is virtually out now...not worth the risk in my opinion.

Here is a link to info on that background:

http://www.aquaricare.org/generic.html;$sessionid$ML5IYRYAAAE3HTZENUFETIWPERWRJPX0?pid=4

You can purchase it at www.thatfishplace.com Under Backgrounds.

[BRISK495]

Here are some updated pics after I added another 13 pounds or so of live rock from my nano tank. These will also be the last set of pics before I add the 250 Metal Halides, Skimmer and fuge. I will also be able to hide the heater in my fuge....


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/114_1411.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/114_1412.jpg

[reewik]

Looking really good!

[BRISK495]

Here's a quick pick w/ the some OLF MEgachrome 13.5 K's MH on. The bulb in the ballast are well over a year old. But I put in the pumps, the skimmer (not on yet), the fuge (not on yet) and powerheads connected to a Wavemaster Pro. I will most likely put the Phoenix 14 K's in tommorow....and maybe a few inverts and my clown from my nano....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/114_1416.jpg

[reewik]

Are you going to sump the system. I would recommend it.

[BRISK495]

Hey Reewik,

Actually I would love to have a sump...I used to have one when I set up a 72 Gallon a few years back....there are soo many advantages to them.... I decided against a sump on this set up because I wanted to keep it pretty simple.....didn't want to drill or go for an overflow. The tank is located in my apartment which will be (hopefully) temporary and no more then 1-2 years. I will then set up a tank in my house....

Also, I have everything up and running, including the skimmer, fuge, and new Phoenix 14 K. Wow! I can't beleive how amazing this bulb is....soo far, I totally reccomentd it 100% just for the look....here's a quick snap I took after a long day transporting some items from my nano, including my clownfish (Milo).

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/114_1429.jpg

[BRISK495]

Ok, after a long weekend of moving my nano, I am finally all moved into the 40...fish, corals, inverts and all...well, minus a mantis shrimp that has been in my tank for 8 months...I will post pics soon...

[BRISK495]

Here's some quick shots...

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/114_1440.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/114_1436.jpg

[Sugar Magnolia]

Looks great! Amazing how so many corals in such a small tank look so tiny when placed in a larger set up.

[Coralover]

Looks cool I like it.

[BRISK495]

Thanks Sugar and Coralover. I know the corals do look a lot smaller but I hope with the MH up, they will grow a ton. I already notice tons of growth in just a few days.

Coralover, I see you are setting up a 43 gallon, is that a custom tank?

[Coralover]

Yeah it's a custom, I wanted to go as big as I could(I already have the stand) so I got the same dimnesions for the tank as the stand which is 36"L 18"W 19"T(the stand is not 19"), im really not sure if it's a 43g or more gallons. I did that tank volume calculation here at RC with the inside dimensions of the tank and that's what it said I think.

[BRISK495]

cool, post some pics as you go...definitely be cool to check out a custom tank....

[Coralover]

Im probably not going to have pics untill I set it up, which is untill I move. I don't want to set it up now since we are planning on moving ya know.

But I have most of the equipment, I just need to sell my T5's(that I bought and now I decided to go with MH), and buy a LA3 mini(250w).:)

I thought I was going to be happy with the T5's but I like MH better, gotta love the shimmer effects.:smokin:

[BRISK495]

Yeah MH has such a nice affect on the tank. I have the Phoenix 14K's and I relaly like them. What equipment are you going to use....skimmer? are you drilling a sump?

[Coralover]

Skimmer is an ASM G1-X, and yeah my tank is already drilled, im going to have a 20 long sump/refugium.
Do you think a 250w SE in a LA3 mini(15K XM) would looks pretty bright?

I want this tank to look very bright(but I don't want anything more then 250w) but I don't know much about MH, I don't really know how 250w of MH looks especially in a LA3 mini since I only see people have like 400watt bulbs in those.


And sorry im not trying to take over your thread, JLMK if you don't want me to post here about my tank anymore.:beachbum:

[BRISK495]

Hey Coralover,

Sorry for the late response...I think the 15K 250 Watt would look grewat on your tank....MH looks really really nice....it has the shimmer....and just makes the corals grow and grow and grow....so far I have had some nice growth in just 2 weeks!

Oh, and please do post pics of your tank....this forum is for anyone! Looking forwatrd to seeing your pics....

[borigirl]

K Chris, let's see some updated pics :)

While i'm still figuring out the specifics of the soon-to-be "big tank", here are my babies temporary home:



http://www.thereeftank.com/photopost/data/500/5030nano2.JPG

[BRISK495]

Looking good Borigirl!

I see your looking to start a 125 puffer tank. My buddy actually was on the same path, because his wife loves puffers....well, originally it was going to be a FOWLR set up but not its a full blow reef...no puffer as of yet though!!

As far as my tank, its been doing pretty good considering I had a bit of a nitrate spike and instant algae growth. The good news is its nearing its end. All corals and fish survived the move. I am real proud of that! Now I'm just dosing Oceans Blend each day for ALK and Calc. I will post pics soon.....

[Coralover]

Hey BRISK495, any updates on your tank?

BTW, haven't posted any pics of my tank cause I still haven't set it up.lol

[gfk]

so this might be a stupid question but im trying to figure out sumps and plumbing etc. is that white PVC return just coming out of that powerhead to the right of it? and if so whats the advantage over just having a powerhead in there?

[BRISK495]

Well the white PVC piping is for the return on my fuge that is the back of the tank. I don't have any sump for my tank. I have powerheads for increased flow....I hope that answered your question GFK

[BRISK495]

Ok, here are some updated pics after a little less then 2 months since I set everything up. Since my last pic, I added a Bali Slimer, Purple Mille, Pocipora, and a starfish. I had to remove my lil yellow goby because he kept picking at the Acros. I really didn't want to but had to for the health of the corals. I traded him in for credit towards the starfish. I will be adding many more frags in the next couple of weeks but thought I would add these pics before I did that.....

Side veiw so that you can see some of the new additions...some are starting to grow already!
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/114_1476.jpg

Front view....
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/114_1484.jpg

And side veiw...I hope to take macros as my corals start to take off.....
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/114_1481.jpg

[obarrera]

Looks nice, how much was the tank by itself?

[BRISK495]

The tank and stand were $294....the tank it self I guess is about $150....I got it at a place here in NJ that sells their tanks at good prices....usually these combos are in the 350 - 400 range.....

[obarrera]

I don't have the money to buy one of those right now hehe.
BTW, it's Coralover, my username "obarrera" was banned but the mod was nice enough to unbanned me again.:D
Coralover is just my friends username but I was using it since he doesn't post here much.

[BRISK495]

Here are a couple macro pics of some of the new inhabitants....

A Pocillopora coral frag...

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/114_1496.jpg

an Acro Frag...any ID's on type of Acro??

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/115_1505.jpg

My new Churub Angel...

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/115_1520.jpg

Afar away shot showing setup with MH....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/115_1527.jpg

[obarrera]

Awsome, do you clean the glass often?

I love how clean tanks look and it sucks that I have to clean the glass of my tank almost everyday.

[BRISK495]

Obarrera,

Actually, I really don't clean the glass all that much....just go over real quick with the magnet every couple days. I like to think that the refugium is sucking up the nutrients so its keeping the micro algae to a mnimum. When I first set up the tank, my tank grew huge amounts of micro algae overnite...oh, and I think the snails do a great job keeping the glass clean...do you have updated pics of your tank Obarrera?

[obarrera]

Originally posted by BRISK495
Obarrera,

Actually, I really don't clean the glass all that much....just go over real quick with the magnet every couple days. I like to think that the refugium is sucking up the nutrients so its keeping the micro algae to a mnimum. When I first set up the tank, my tank grew huge amounts of micro algae overnite...oh, and I think the snails do a great job keeping the glass clean...do you have updated pics of your tank Obarrera?

Looks like I can't keep any snails alive, last time I bought snails I saw some kind of worm attacking one of the snails, they all end up dead.

And no I don't have any updated pics of my tank, everytime I wanna take some pics I have to ask my sister for her camera since I don't have one, you do know that right now I only have a 10g tank set up right?

It's been running for a little over a year.

[BRISK495]

ohh ok, thats weird there are worms attached to your snails...not sure what that is. All my snails and hermits have done really well....have you tried Turbos or Astraas??...they're generally pretty hardy.....

[obarrera]

Originally posted by BRISK495
ohh ok, thats weird there are worms attached to your snails..

lol I said ATTACKING NOT ATTACHING.

I've never had any turbos or astreas, I might give the astreas a try since turbos are kind of big. The ones I had were margarita snails.

[XxMutedYouthxX]

your tank is looking awesome! keep up the great work

[Sugar Magnolia]

Brisk, the tank is looking really nice. No ID on that little acro, it's still too small yet.

Obarrera, sounds like you have a predatory Oenone worm in your system. If you know what rock it hides in, it's time to pull that rock and flush him out of there with some club soda or just give the whole rock a freshwater dip. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/index.htm Scroll down for more info on that worm.

[DarkXerox]

Wow thats a great looking tank! Ah and nice cherub, they're really active little fish.

[SFlogic]

nice tank cant wait to see it mature!

[BRISK495]

Thanks everyone for the nice comments. Tonite I just added a few new frags. I will get pics of them. A member in our local aquarium club is taking down his reef. The tank is soo amazing....So I bought some smaller frags from him....orange monti cap, green stag, blue stag, orange monti, multi colored ricordia...and many other lil goodies....

[grimmjohn]

Hey nice tank man...hows the cherub treating your SPS?
I really want to add a pygmy but I'm still trying to get a feel for the ones that are more prone to nip.

cheers,
grimmjohn

PS gotta love the 14Ks ;)

[BRISK495]

Hey Grimmjohn,

Actually the Cherub has been great...doesn't nip at any of the SPS. He mostly just swims around pecking at the live rock and algae....

Oh and yes, I do love the 14 K Phoenix!

[BRISK495]

A new Ricordia....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/115_1539.jpg

A frag of an orange cap....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/115_1562.jpg

A really cool Green Stag...forest green body, Darker polyps....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/115_1553.jpg

An orange monti....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/115_1552.jpg

[BRISK495]

Here's a pic down the center...you can see a few of my new frags...

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/115_1590.jpg

[Sugar Magnolia]

Very nice. I have one suggestion though. Speaking from experience here...that GSP needs to be taken off the main rockwork before it starts to spread. It WILL take over that entire side of the tank if left on the main rock structure. I ended up having to remove a good portion of my rockwork from my cube because the GSP was overgrowing everything.

[BRISK495]

Yeah, that's a good point....I know GSP spreads and grows very fast in my systems. The peice you see there was a small frag when I put it in my first Nano...I have it somewhat isolated, but I do know how it spreads once it strts going. The other thought I had was to just keep fragging it to people....

[JustFin]

wow, nice looking tank... will be spectacular after those frags grow out;)

I really like the color of that Green Stag, hopefully it stays that shade

[BRISK495]

Yeah the green stag was actually a yellowish color under the tank it was in before. They were under 10K's. I have it under 14K so it should stay that color green. Its a nice green in person.

[BRISK495]

Picked up a Scolymia coral today...has some really nice coloration under the 14K's.....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/115_1596.jpg

[Brooks_McClary]

Hey Brisk,

I am getting ready to set up my 20 gal tall and am looking at live rock. You appear to have approximately 1 lb per gallon and you have a lot of space left for more rock IMHO. How many lbs per gallon are most people running to get efficent filtration and denitrification in their reef tanks? Is more always better in this case? I am hoping to have approximately 30 lbs of fiji rock in my 20 gallon. Do you need more flow with the increase in rock to keep it filtering well? BTW... Your tank is incredible. I wouldn't change a thing. (of course if your a good reefer, you want to change EVERYTHING). lol.

[BRISK495]

Hey Brooks,

Thanks for your interest in my reef tank. As far as my live rock...I have about 51 pounds. It is all Figi live rock. 34 pounds were bought uncured and 17 pounds were brought over from my old nano reef. Not all 51 pounds are in the display, I also have some in the refugium and HOB filter. You are correct, I have about 1.25 pounds per gallon. My belief is to use the best quality live rock, vs the highest quantity. Some tanks go as 2.5 pounds per gallon. I am planning to have my corals grow out. Especially the Staghorn corals on top. So hopefully, there won't be any "unused" area in the top of the tank. As far as your denitrication question, you will acheive denitrification as long as you let your tank cycle and get high quality rock. Over time that aerobic and anaerobic baceria will do really well in the pourus rock. You'll be able to sustain a decent bioload. It's always best to add fish very very slow in my opinion so that there is no shock to the bacteria. Patience is the name of the game it seems with any tank I've had.

As far as flow, I have a wavemaker that has 4 powerheads on rotation. 2 are maxijet 1200's and the other two are Rio powerheads...I also have increased flow from the HOB filter....Well, hopefully this wasn't a long rant...and I helped answer some of your questions.

Also, good luck with your 20 gallon tall. I'm sure you can do lots of searches to find others with this same tank.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Nice looking Scolymia! What's the deal with the sandbed? Did the powerheads blow it around like that so you have bare spots?

[BRISK495]

Hey Sugar,

Yep, the front of the tank has some barespots. I don't want to sacrifice any flow. I have been trying to find a "sweet spot" where it doesn't blow around but can't seem to find that. I was hoping to put a coral there to cover that area.

[Travis Savant]

Nice looking tank :thumbsup:

[BRISK495]

Thanks Travis...still has a long way to go yet though!

[stargazer=2]

brisk you have a real nice reef going there thanks for shareing gota love that orange cap, good luck and keep them growing-Dane

[BRISK495]

Just thought I would update with a pic of a blue tipped stag.....The stag is mostly brown....and the tips (I suppose) are still adjusting to the lights and hopefully will get blue....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/116_1617.jpg

Everything in the tank is doing very well. I will take some more shots soon and show some growth shots of the SPS.

[mdt178]

brisk,
any new pics?
I just finished the transfer from the 24G to the 40 strech hex. The SPS were not happy in the NC, so I had to get off my lazy behind and get on with it.

Minh

[BRISK495]

Yeah, I can snap some pictures later tonite or this week. Everything has been doing great....most of the corals have been encrusting....except for the montis which grow in every different direction!

MDT- Yeah, take some pics of your tank too...post them up here so we can see....

[BRISK495]

Here's a pic of my German Blue Polyp Monti....This was grown from a frag...I was looking for a good "before" pic but couldn't find a good one...this was a small frag when I got it back in February...

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/116_1683.jpg

[BRISK495]

Here's a before after pic of a monti frag that I don't have an id on....

Before - 3/05

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/Aquarium/113_1354.jpg

After - 8/20/05

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/117_1703.jpg

[BRISK495]

Some nice zoos in the center of my tank....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/117_1757.jpg

[BRISK495]

Here are a few random shots....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/117_1727.jpg

[BRISK495]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/117_1715.jpg

[BRISK495]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/117_1722.jpg

[BRISK495]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/117_1732.jpg

[mdt178]

A few shots taken 3 days after the complete transfer:

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/699068-24-2005_Reef_tank_006.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/69906blastos.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/69906ORA_tort__2_.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/69906Zoas_rock.jpg

I hope the corals can recover their colors.

[BRISK495]

MDT- Lookin really good! I'd like to see more side shots and close ups if yo have them. Is that black sand you are using? When those frags grow out, it will look awesome....I like the aquascape too....

[mdt178]

Brisk,

I use black starboard/cuttingboard.
better pics here:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a11/mdt178/8-24-2005Reeftank004.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a11/mdt178/8-24-2005Reeftank003.jpg

right corner, mostly LPS
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a11/mdt178/8-24-2005Reeftank007.jpg

green monti w/blue polyps and red micromussa
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a11/mdt178/greenmontibluepolypsandbloodredmicr.jpg

teal stags
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a11/mdt178/tealstag.jpg

There are more than 10 types of zoas on this rock
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a11/mdt178/Zoasrock.jpg

[BRISK495]

oww!! Those are even better pics....I love the extra room on the left and right sides of the hex. I makes aquascaping easier.

That Teal Stag is really awesome....what bulbs are you using???

[RoBo2002]

Yes please post more info on your tank setup! I will be buying one of these tomorrow, they look very nice!

Curious as to what overflow/return pump you are using as well.

[mdt178]

Some info:
Oceanic 40G w/black starboard, Mini Lumenarc w/250W 14K CV Reeflux, ASM G1x skimmer, dual overflow, Mag12 return pump & 3/4" SeaSwirl, Tunze 6060 PH, 18T sump.

surface agitation
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a11/mdt178/Surfaceagitation.jpg

[RoBo2002]

Ugh, this is going to end up costing me more that I thought.

So with the seaswirl, there is only the one output correct? Also any more info on that overflow box? Is it amiracle (sp?) or any other "name brand"?

I just bough a dang 150watt pendant for my 20 gallon YESTERDAY and now I find myself having to upgrade that as well to a 250 watt. Ugh, I guess it will all be worth it once I get everyint up and running.

Also with the flow that you have in there, do you think it is absolutely necessary to go barebottom? I love the natural look of sand, but want to do SPS. I was planning on mimicing your exact pump setup, but with the tunze, looks like it will be a sandstorm with live sand in the tank.

[mdt178]

Actually I wanted to drilled the tank for the closed loop and possibly for the drain. But I never got around to drill the holes, then I ran into a good deal with the Tunze. The overflow box was a "no-name", $60 at a LFS, but I had to get another U-tube to up the flow.
Did you get a 150W DE? That's fine for many type of SPS. IMO water chemistry plays a bigger part than lighting.
Not just blowing the sand around; the Tunze is huge. It's just harder to stack the rock with that monster in there. Perhaps higher placement or another PH (SEIO) can help you deal with sandstorm. Or a smaller return pump.
IMO with SB, you'll also need a fuge to export nutrients.

[BRISK495]

Here is a link to a quick video of my tank...this is the first time I have done this, so hopefully it turns out ok....


<a href='http://media.putfile.com/117_1774'>Click here to watch '117_1774'</a>

[BRISK495]

Actually, I beleive this is the correct link...sorry!

<a href='http://media.putfile.com/Favorite-Shortcut-167'>Click here to watch 'Favorite-Shortcut-167'</a>

[obarrera]

Hey Brisk or mdt178, do you guys have a HOB skimmer?

I have a remora and the damn thing produces so much bubbles, I hate how my tank looks with these tiny bubbles but I don't know what to do, if the skimmer was in a sump or whatever I would find a simple solution to this, like put a foam block somewhere in the baffles but the thing is that I don't have a sump so what can I do?

I tryied putting filter floss where the water comes out of the skimmer but that just gets rid of all the bubbles and the skimmer kinda stops working.

And great tanks both of you, I like how clear they look.

BTW, BRISK, I don't think the video is working.

[Jimsmowen]

Thats an amazing tank!! What is your total flow in that tank?? And what type of macroalgae do you have in your refugium if any?

Your aquascaping is amazing, I am loving the whole valley type look to it.

[BRISK495]

Hey Jimsmowen,

Thanks for the compliment..I am assuming you meant mine because you said "valley". As far as total flow, I have 2 MJ 1200's and 2 other powerheads in the tank. They are on the Wavemaster pro...I also have a HOB filter on the back...it pushes an additional 800 GPH. I'm sure it could use even more flow!

As far as algae, I do have a refugium. I use Chaeto...the stuff multiplies like crazy. I don't have a light for it, it just uses the spill-off from my metal halide bulb....

I think the tank will look better and better as the corals start to grow in, its not even close to what I have envisioned...but its getting there....all my corals have been growing and doing well...its just a matter of time before they all start to give a nice natural look to the tank.

[BRISK495]

Here are some pics of 2/3 new acros I got....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/118_1823.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/117_1775.jpg

[BRISK495]

And two far shots....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/117_1798.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/117_1790.jpg

[Jimsmowen]

Hell yeah, I love this tank :D

It is giving me ALOT of inspiration for my new tank, definately going with a single MH and a blue background

[Jimsmowen]

Oh btw what sort of bulb do u have in that?? 14k?

[Travis Savant]

NICE!

[BRISK495]

Hey JimMowen,

Thanks for the compliment...Yep, I have Phoenix 14k's for the MH. They bring out some nice coloration in the corals and the fish....hard to get the full effect in a pic....

[BRISK495]

Hey Guys,

Just thought I'd submit two more pics of my tank. I was down at MACNA this weekend...it was such an incredible event! I was able to pick up three frags from DR. Mac's (at a great price too!) I will post some closeup's of them later. The colors of these new frags are soo nice...

Here are some far shots I took real quick....starting to "fill in" a little more...

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/118_1898.jpg

and another...haha... in this shot, it looks like my tank is square but it's definitely a hex...just the way the angle is...

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/118_1900.jpg

[RoBo2002]

Looking forward to seeing the close ups of your new frags! Keep us posted

[Sugar Magnolia]

The tank is coming along really nicely Brisk! Great growth on that orange M. cap.

[BRISK495]

Thanks guys...I'll try to post some close up picks of my new frags soon....

[Travis Savant]

Nice as always Brisk ;) The tank is realy starting to fill up.

[BRISK495]

Ok, here are a few pics of the frags I picked up down at MACNA. I got them from DR Mac's. They aren't the best picks, but they are surely nice corals....

Here is a pic of a light Blue Acro....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/119_1907.jpg

Here is a pic of a White Milepora....it has little blue tip highlights...that are hard to see in the pic.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/119_1909.jpg

And here is a tricolor Acro...it is purple with yellow polyps. The polys have yet to come out much yet. Still adjusting....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/119_1908.jpg

[vanmo92]

nice pics

[BRISK495]

piced up a purple monti last nite too.... heres a pic

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/119_1922.jpg

Tjos coral replaced the Tri-Color Acro I got from DR Macs...it bleached in 24 hours after I took the pic above. First frag to bleach :( OIther then that all has been doing well....

[BRISK495]

Here are two quick pics of my bi color blenny.....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/119_1971.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/119_1967.jpg

[BRISK495]

Here are two top down pics....the coral in the 2nd pic is starting to get blue tips....really cool!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/120_2002.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/120_2004.jpg

[Sugar Magnolia]

Looks great! You'll love that bi-color blenny. Lots of personality. Mine is a huge pig.

[whatnot45]

WOW I can tell your going to have a nice tank on your hands when all of those corals grow

[BRISK495]

Thanks Whatnot45...yeah I really want those corals to grow out. I have an idea of what it will eventually going to look...its SLOWLY getting there....

Here's a pic of my new Anthias...

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/120_2021.jpg

I also had to unfortunately remove my Bicolor Blenny....he was picking at my corals and literally taking chunks out. The next day after he was introduced there were little white spots on all the corals. Since he's been gone, the corals all look fine again....

[BRISK495]

This Anthias just loves to get pic taken....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/120_2072.jpg

[MarvinsReef]

very nice tank...

[BRISK495]

Here's a little DIY I did for the moonlights....I used velcro...worked perfect!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/121_2108.jpg

[BRISK495]

Updated pic.....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/122_2251.jpg

[BRISK495]

And a pic of an Purple tip Acropora Nana frag....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/122_2235.jpg

[BRISK495]

Here is a pic of my new Hammer Coral...I really like this coral. It adds a lot of motion to a mostly dominated SPS tank....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/122_2283.jpg

[gfk]

full tank shots?!? lookin good

[BRISK495]

Here's a video of the tank. The quality seemed to have degraded a bit. It looks kinda blurry in some areas but I guess its better then a photo!

http://www.zippyvideos.com/7119699222440026/122_2298/

[BRISK495]

Here's a pic of my newest addition...he's a 1 1/2" purple tang (smallest I've ever seen) I plan to move him up to a larger tank as he grows....I picked him up for three reasons...he was not fed properly at the LFS. They said they only fed brine to him. Secondly, I wanted a fish to pick at algae, all day. Third, he's just a beautiful fish. He's been doing very well since he's been added, his stomach is not skinny now....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/123_2382.jpg

[brainiac]

love the fish...ill keep a look out for the tang police.

[BRISK495]

Here's a couple full tank pics...Still got a lot of growing to go at the top half....things are picking up but still s-l-o-w.......

Oh, and I've had my clownfish two years this week....maybe I will try taking a pic of him.....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/123_2396.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/123_2394.jpg

[BRISK495]

Here are some pics of items that are or have a bit of orange in them....(just trying to work on taking better pics).

Orange Cap
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/124_2425.jpg

Orange Zoos
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/124_2428.jpg

Orange/Red Scolymia
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/124_2436.jpg

Orange....fish!
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/124_2444.jpg

ORANGE Orange

[Travis Savant]

Nice!!!

How are you keeping up with Ca levels in this tank? Do you dose powder, liquid, Kalk, or do you have a Ca Reactor?

[BRISK495]

Hi Travis,

I use a 2 part Oceans Blend. It was recommended to me by a guy who used it soley on his smaller tanks (under 75 gallons). His tanks were all vibrant and growing very well. I just dose it every morning....

[mdt178]

Brisk,
I like. The SPS are getting good colors and growth. I also like the clean background.
You no longer have the anthias?

[BRISK495]

The anthias is still in there....hes the yellowish fish on the left side of the tank. He is a Bartlet's anthias, but a very yellow Bartlett's...

[BRISK495]

Oh and I also still have the Royal Gramma and the Cherub...I haven't lost any fish yet, just had to return them for being bad inhabitants (nipping corals)! I actually did have two Green Chromis that didnt make it at all, my clown harrassed them to death unfortunately...

[Travis Savant]

do you have a link where I can buy some of that 2 part Oceans Blend?

[BRISK495]

Yep, here it is....The guys name is Jim. You can tell him you spoke to Chris (thats me) about it. He can tell you all about the success he has with his tanks

http://www.undergroundreef.com/additives.asp

[BRISK495]

I know I just posted an update pic yesterday, but here is another...I happened to go the store near me and pic up this cactus coral thats located right in the bottom/middle. I have been looking for either one of these or a brain. I just couldn't resist this one. Also, I moved a coral that I bought in the summer to the front. It wasn't do well from the start, so I fragged it then just stuck it in the back...just today I checked on it and it was encrusting and doing surprisingly well....go figure! Not the most colorful coral, but its growing very well, so now its right out in the front....


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/124_2452.jpg

[northerncal]

i smell something...........cant quite place it though.......

OH, of course......something about these pictures smells like tank of the month to me!

by the way....about how much do you think you have put into this setup?

[BRISK495]

Hey Northern Cal...Thanks buddy, thats a nice compliment, but my tank still has a loooooooong way to go as far as growth. As far as money, I buy mosltly buy all frags and I bought my equipment used from a fellow reefer. Ahh, I dont know maybe $500-600 bucks something like that I have spent..including additives, salt etc...Its a little bit each month I spend so its not a huge deal.

[trottman]

so those big green zoo looking things on the left front are cactus coral???

[BRISK495]

Trottman...haha actually, those green looking things are frags from my green monti. They do look like cactuses though!!! I may be incorrect saying that coral in the back is a cactus coral, it could be a blue ridge coral....i m really not sure....

[trottman]

.... i am looking at those humungus green zoo looking things directly in front on the bottem right hand corner. are those zoos?? if so what kind, they are huge!!

[BRISK495]

haah yeah those are Bali zoos....theyre much larger polpys then your traditional zoos.....really hardy too...many different colors too. I have those orange zoos right above the bali zoos, those have been growing like crazy....

[trottman]

they are interesting because they are so large! looks to be almost 2 inches across!

thanks

[BRISK495]

yeah, the bali zoas are at least 2 " across....and i had an entire other colony split off from that. It s on the left side of the tank but not in the pic....

[Sugar Magnolia]

Brisk! :thumbsup: Your tank is filling in very nicely. I love the rock layout with the two separate structures. One of my favorite scape designs. It looks really great now that you have all those corals growing on it. As your sps grow, you'll need to do some pruning to keep them from growing together. (yep...it happened to me)

[BRISK495]

Thanks Sugar!! For all my SPS, all I bought were frags so its been taking awhile for them to grow. SOme are obviously faster then others....do you have a link to your latest photos? I havent seen pics of your tank in prob 2-3 months....

[Travis Savant]

Hey Brisk, have you seen Your Cherub Anglefish nipping at any of the SPS? I am considering one for my tank.

[BRISK495]

Hey Travis...nope, not at all. He's been a model citizen....I love cherubs!

[Travis Savant]

Cool. Do you think that one would be happy in a 20H? I'd be getting it at about 1.5".

I have just begun the tank that it would go in, so it will be about 6 months from now before I would put it in there.

[Travis Savant]

BTW, here's a link to the tank's thread.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=722013&perpage=&pagenumber=1

[BRISK495]

Hey Travis....Well, the good news is that cherubs tend to be the smallest angels. They are also hardy and have cool personalities. Now for the bad news...they can be a bit rough to any other fish or any new additions. They act like they are 20 times their actual size....and pretty much fearless. So, if you were to keep one in a 20....that would be the only fish I'd keep in there because of its aggessiveness. The other thing is, the 20 gallon you have is high, so there isn't a ton of surface area for them to swim horizontally. But, I'm sure it could be done with much caution and knowing you should upgrade in the future to a larger tank. The same hold true for me, as I have a purple tang in my tank....luckily he is super small. Hope that info helps...

[Travis Savant]

Thanks Brisk, I've got alot to think about now :)

[RKSPORTDRIVER]

awesome I love this tank. You did great on the aquascaping. I never really liked hex aquariums but this is one of the best aquariums I have ever seen by far. I like how all your corals are small and there is so much to look at. Congradulations on such a great tank.

[BRISK495]

Here's a quick pic of my Blue Tort and Green Acro. They are both finally encrusting and growing outward. Eventually, I hope that they willl grow "close" to each other to show their colorations.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/124_2491.jpg

[Travis Savant]

Hey man, looks sweet.

I ordered that Ocean's Blend 2 part from that guy, and I got it in, but the messuring cup broke durring shipment. I'm going to go by the local drug store and see if I can find a medicine cup that reads in mm.

[BRISK495]

Hey Travis - That sounds good. You purchased it from Underground Reef? Right? I mentioned to Jim and he said he hadn't seen anyone buy any recently. Did you speak to jim at all? Yeah, I m sure you can find something to measure the amount you put in. For a tank your size, I d say to dose pretty small amount. Make sure to always dose EQUAL amount of whatever you dose in calcium. It will skew things off if you dont.....otherwise it will be perfect.

[Travis Savant]

I just used thier e-mail address, I'm not sure who it was that was responding back.

[RocketSeason]

great looking tank!

couple of questions.

what are you doing as far as a fuge goes? I heard you mention it, But how big is it? whats in it? pics?

And how is your Royal Gramma doing in a tank that size with other fishes? is he behaving himself?

[BiG_KiD]

Well after taking a break from the hobby i decided to get back into it.. I went out and purchased the same tank tonight based on seeing yours.. What does everyone think about a black backgroud instead of a blue one?.. Thanks..

[BRISK495]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6408011#post6408011 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RocketSeason
great looking tank!

couple of questions.

what are you doing as far as a fuge goes? I heard you mention it, But how big is it? whats in it? pics?

And how is your Royal Gramma doing in a tank that size with other fishes? is he behaving himself?

Hey Rocket - I have a fuge that sits on the back of the tank. Its about 18 inches in length and about 12 inches top to bottom. Its width is about 6-8 inches front to back. Its a customer made one tha thatbought used from another reef buddy. I have Chaeto in there and some live rock rubble.

The Royal Gramma is great. I've had him about 1 1/2 years. Awesome fish to watch navigate along the rocks. He's always hanging out along the ledges and never bothers any of the fish. Sometimes he'll get in a mini scuffle with the Cherub Angel but its minor. It only happens because the Cherub will tease him in his "rock lair"

[BRISK495]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6409847#post6409847 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BiG_KiD
Well after taking a break from the hobby i decided to get back into it.. I went out and purchased the same tank tonight based on seeing yours.. What does everyone think about a black backgroud instead of a blue one?.. Thanks..

Big Kid - I personally always liked the blue....but I think I would go with a darker blue the next time. I really like mine but I think a dark blue fits somewhere in between "blue" and "black".

[RocketSeason]

I have a graduated blue background that goes fom darker blue on bottom to a lighter blue on top.

Black is nice, but Its a bit oppressive in my opinion. I like the way fish look on blue much better than how they look on black. When photographed properly the blue will "disappear" anyway. Which is a good thing.

[BRISK495]

yeah there are a lot of options for backgrounds...they eventually start to get covered in pink anyway.....but I do prefer the lighter colors vs black also!

[Travis Savant]

I like blue personally.

[BRISK495]

Just got a new SPS coral this weekend...not sure of Acropora this is (in the back). Any ideas??

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/125_2518.jpg

[BRISK495]

Some updated pics....been about a month since my last full tank pics. My new coral is in the top right...its the Acropora pictured above.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/125_2530.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/125_2531.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/125_2549.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/125_2557.jpg

[BRISK495]

Here are two pics from the left side. I was just trying to show depth. Still working on camera skills. The one pic of the tang came out pretty good so I thought I'd post it.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/125_2566.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/125_2573.jpg

[BRISK495]

Here's a pic of my Scolymia going all whacky. It did this right after I fed the tank. Usually extends out but never this far!!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/125_2576.jpg

[Sugar Magnolia]

Beautful!! You've gotten some great growth on some of those corals!

[Travis Savant]

Nice!

[obarrera]

I barely checked out this thread since when you first started, Good progress.

[BRISK495]

Here's a pic of a yellow mille I picked up the other day. It looks a little white in the picture. Probably because of the photo and its been adjusting to the light...

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/126_2607.jpg

[BRISK495]

An updated side pic. The greenish Acro upfront is new....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/126_2629.jpg[/URL]


Full Tank....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/126_2627.jpg

Here's a pic of the new monti cap colony that I got on Friday (Top right). Someone in my club is going on all Softy so he had a couple SPS he didn't want....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/126_2632.jpg

[Travis Savant]

Nice, I updated my thread also if you havn't already seen it :)

[BRISK495]

Here's a quick video from the front....I haven't put a video on for a few months. I am going to put two others on as well. One from the side and one closer up. You may have to play with the "View Size" bar if it isn't working on your computer.

http://media.putfile.com/Reef-vid-1-Feb-5-

[BRISK495]

Side view movie....

http://media.putfile.com/Reef-Vid-2-Feb-5

[BRISK495]

And a little closer in....

http://media.putfile.com/Reef-Vid-3-Feb-5

[borigirl]

Looks great! Any updates?

[apedroza]

Im finally glad to see someone with the same tank as mine. Now I can see how the finish product will look. I just set mine up last night. Here are the beginning pics. I will post picks of the tank with water and rock.

This is the tank with the filter.http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/1/18299mini-DSCF0021.JPG

This is my 58gallon I will be moving some of the corals from this tank to my new one

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/1/18299mini-DSCF0157.JPG

[BRISK495]

HI apedroza

Your tank will look spectacular. It s a great tank. Definitely post some pics as you get them of the new system. I really like this tank!

BORIGIRL - Hey stranger!!! Send me some links to your tank..Id really like to see them. You have a great touch when it comes to aquascaping, I rem your nano was amazing...

I will post some pics later on this week....everythins been going well with the tank.

[apedroza]

Thanks BRISK495

I already have the water and sand in with about 20 lb of live rock in it just waiting for the water to clear a little before I add my corals. Wife has the Digital camera so I can't take any pics until she comes back, but as soon as she does I'll post em up. I too am running a pendant (AB) with a 250W Phoenix 14K and I love the color of this bulb. I highly recommend it.

[BRISK495]

Here's a pic of my Acropora Nana....it's been doing very well. Cool colors too....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/126_2667.jpg

[apedroza]

Well Hear is a few pics of my 40 hex let me know what you think. I was playing around with the camera so some of the pictures look a little bluer than they should be.

Heres the front
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/18299mini-DSCF0024.JPG

my Wellso and acropora
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/18299mini-mini-DSCF0030.JPG

The 2 big pieces of Montipora used to be one amazing large piece I had for almost a year. This thing was a small frag when I got it. It was amazing how fast this stuff grew.

[BRISK495]

apedroza,

The tank looks great You have a nice mixture of corals in the tank!Nice variation of softies and SPS....what are your additions and filtration???

[apedroza]

Thanks for the complment. I use kent essential elements, Seachem reef builder Concentrated Iodine from kent and DTs Phyto. I also add Calcium Hydroxide ( Pickling Lime) once a month to my topoff water. I want to add alot more SPS eventually but I need to get rid of the galaxia corlal.. Its sweepers are way to long.

[apedroza]

My filtration is the internal DAS filter I gutted (a picture of the chambers can be seen in my gallery) There some live rock rubble in one of the chambers that will hold some macro algae and act as a refugium. I will be adding a tunze skimmer soon but right now I am using a BakPak2 for skimming

[alien9168]

Very nice! I really like th placement of your corals and the aquascape!
:D
-alien

[apedroza]

Thanks Alien

I was really disappointed when my montipora broke in half The way it was spiralling was awesome hopefully both pieces will take off and I'll end up with 2 huge piece. As soon as I get rid of the galaxia, I wil add some more acros.

[alien9168]

from lemons you make lemonade...it might look coooler eventually. :D

-alien

[alien9168]

from lemons you make lemonade...it might look coooler eventually. :D

-alien

[alien9168]

from lemons you make lemonade...it might look coooler eventually. :D

-alien

[alien9168]

from lemons you make lemonade...it might look coooler eventually. :D

-alien

[BRISK495]

wow, it's St Patty's Day....not Groundhog day.....hahahhaha jk!

[alien9168]

lol
sorry - quadruple post. lol
:)

-alien

ps- iv never even seen it done before lol

[apedroza]

Well I was able to get rid of that pesky Galaxia Coral. My poor Bubble coral was all messed up today hopefully it recovers. Anyways I was able to get some Small Zooanthid colonies, a red Open Brain and a small acropora frag so I think I did OK. Here are a few pics
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/18299mini-DSCF0022.JPG
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/18299mini-zooanthids.JPG
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/18299Red_Open_Brain.JPG
Heres another pic of my Wellsophylia
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/18299Green_Welsophylia.JPG
My Little Lawn Mower
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/18299Lawnmower_Blenny.JPG

[BRISK495]

looking great.....the wellsophylia looks cool

[alien9168]

Brisk- your right, the wellsohylia looks good- and healthy too, ----what do you feed it ;)

-alien

[apedroza]

To tell you the truth I don't feed it anything directly. The only thing I add to the tank food wise is DTs

[alien9168]

Thats cool. I feed my tank DT's as well, maybe ill go the the lfs and try one out. :)

-alien

[apedroza]

BAd News Guys. I just found my little lawn mower Blenny on the floor he must have jumped out last night. Anyone know what I can put over the tank to stop other fish from jumping out?? Something that wont interfere with my light output

[BRISK495]

I'm not to sure....maybe some type of netting. I personally try to stay from jumpers, but there are also soo many that are neat fish...

[apedroza]

HEy BRisk I had a question for you. How do you top off water in your tank, and how often do you do water changes?

[BRISK495]

I actually just fill it with RODI water each day. If I m going for a long weekend, I just put more water in there so that it balances out. I do have a periastatic pump for water changes but I havent set it up yet......

[borigirl]

looking good!
my tank is still very very new... here's the 125 (finally)
:)
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f115/reefnerd/tank1.jpg" border="0" alt="Image hosting by Photobucket"></a>

[BRISK495]

looking great Michelle!! II see lots of room forf corals!!!!! I'll have to post some full tank shots of my tank soon....I ve been extremely busy with work.....

[BRISK495]

Here is a pic of 4 of my SPS.....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/126_2684.jpg


In the middle is my new Green w/ Purple Rim Cap. Also two different shades of Green Ricordia....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/126_2682.jpg

[Travis Savant]

WOW, that's a FAT CAP!

[hootie51]

Brisk,
Your tank looks awesome. I love the aquascaping. I have the same tank and have never been happy with my scaping so I might have to try something like yours! very inspirational!

[alien9168]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7073562#post7073562 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis Savant
WOW, that's a FAT CAP!

Certainly is! :smokin:

-alien

[BRISK495]

Hey Hootie51....

Thanks for the compliment!! Yes, I always liked the look of a more open tank vs just stacking rocks. Its been close to a year my tank has been up and I still like my aquascaping. I wouldn't change it. It's hard to really get the rocks to go "all the way to the top" without looking unnatural. So I decided to just put less rocks, and have a "canyon look"....

[BRISK495]

A side view showing my Blue Tort (top right). It's hard to see its true blue coloration from the front shots....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/126_2688.jpg

[BRISK495]

Update: I switched to a XM 250 on the tank. I am also planning on building a canopy. I want to supplement two 2' VHO actinic bulbs. I have a question, for anyone following this thread or just passing through, do you have diagrams for building a canopy for this tank dimension? Its a bit different then your standard tank!

ALSO, I just ordered an Icecap Vortech Pump, I will be getting rid of some of those Maxi jets....I hope it to replaced with Stag Growth!!!!!

[BRISK495]

Some pics of my canopy in progress. Got 2 24" 75 Watt VHO lighting and really like the look. They run on an Icecap 660 Ballast.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/127_2770.jpg

[BRISK495]

A pic of a fungia coral I picked up about a month ago. Also to the left is a blue rim cap that has really started to grow....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/127_2785.jpg

[BRISK495]

Right side with all SPS....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/127_2799.jpg

[BRISK495]

Updated Full Tank shot......Now under 10K w/ Actinics

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/127_2791.jpg

[BRISK495]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/128_2806.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/128_2807.jpg

[Travis Savant]

SSSSUUUUWEET!

[BRISK495]

Updated Pic showing left side of tank.....The Caps have been growing as is that Green Stag in the middle....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/129_2998.jpg

[lgoins]

It looks great as always

[tangreef68]

nice tank. i really like the caps. I am also thinking of getting a purple tang once my 58 is set up. I hope i can find one as small as yours.

kevin

[BRISK495]

A Cluster of Corals. Pic taken from above...some are really taking off.....finally noticing some large growth.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/131_3143.jpg

[Travis Savant]

Beutiful Digitatas. I wish "purple" would be that purple. It used was purple when I bought it at a Lousiana Reef Club Meeting but the guy who brought it left it in a bag un heated and it got realy cold in the bag. It's starting to come back though :)

You can see my orange Crush Digitata in my avitar.

[lgoins]

your tank is looking great.... especially the digitatas. Have you noticed any growth of your purple tang since you put it in there?

[BRISK495]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7816108#post7816108 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lgoins
your tank is looking great.... especially the digitatas. Have you noticed any growth of your purple tang since you put it in there?


Igoins,

Yea, the tang is a great fish. I bought him super super small....I do notice some growth but nothing drastic.....he still is really small. I hope by the time he may be getting big, I will be upgrading at that point...probably about a yr from now....I would not have bought him if i didnt have a plan for him to go into a bigger tank down the road.

[BRISK495]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7815799#post7815799 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis Savant
Beutiful Digitatas. I wish "purple" would be that purple. It used was purple when I bought it at a Lousiana Reef Club Meeting but the guy who brought it left it in a bag un heated and it got realy cold in the bag. It's starting to come back though :)

You can see my orange Crush Digitata in my avitar.


Travis, I have been following your thread and your tank looks great. That orange crush looks sweet too....! Named after the soda? hahahahah

[BRISK495]

Some growth/closeup pics...


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/132_3251.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/132_3257.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/132_3252.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/132_3241.jpg

[Travis Savant]

KLooking sweet man.

Are you still doseing Ocean's Blend 2 Part?

[BRISK495]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7987252#post7987252 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis Savant
KLooking sweet man.

Are you still doseing Ocean's Blend 2 Part?

I used to, now I drip Kalkwasser.......

[Travis Savant]

what are you using to drip it and does it keep the Ca, Alk, and pH in check?

[BRISK495]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7987388#post7987388 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis Savant
what are you using to drip it and does it keep the Ca, Alk, and pH in check?

i use a kangaroo perastatic pump....it seems to be keeping everything in check...as long as it is aadded in moderation...everything is fine.

[jcjstl]

I bought one of these yesterday at petcos sales ... yes sweet deal 40 bucks with top and light ... anyway ... does anyone know if this tank can be drilled .. i assume the bottom is tempered but what about the sides...

[BRISK495]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8010499#post8010499 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jcjstl
I bought one of these yesterday at petcos sales ... yes sweet deal 40 bucks with top and light ... anyway ... does anyone know if this tank can be drilled .. i assume the bottom is tempered but what about the sides...

not too sure, the best thing to do would be contact Oceanic directly. They are a sweet tank though....$40 is and awesomee deal!

[BRISK495]

Couple updated photos and full tank shots.....

Close up of CAP....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/133_3386.jpg

New Brain...

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/133_3389.jpg

Full Tank....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/134_3411.jpg

Full Tank....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/brisk495/134_3413.jpg

[DarkXerox]

You should get some peppermint shrimp to take care of that aiptasia. The SPS look great though! How is that vortech pump working out?

[BRISK495]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8055762#post8055762 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DarkXerox
You should get some peppermint shrimp to take care of that aiptasia. The SPS look great though! How is that vortech pump working out?

Yep, I am going to get peppermints as soon as they are availiable at my LFS. I hope the aiptasia isnt too obvious in full tank shot? i know closeups u can tell....

The vortech is awesome! I bought it knowing i wil lbe upgrading to a larger tank eventually, plus i didnt want to put powerheads that would look soo huge in a 40 gallon tank. I have it about half now and slowly moving the speed up so the corals get used to it....