The RONCO 150 (In-Wall 150 Gallon Mixed Reef)

[jdsabin1]

::also known as - The Lazy Man's Reef Tank::

As you walk downstairs to our basement, this is the view walking into the 'Tank Room'. I only share these particular pics with you because I helped finish this side of our basement. If you knew how inept I am with any kind of DIY project, you'd nominate me for the 'Bob Villa Handyman' Award after this. Seriously, I struggle with a hammer and a nail so this was a huge step for me.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/comingin-1.jpg

Looking into the 'Tank Room'. A futon fits nicely here. From the futon I can watch a movie on the television or normally spend more time staring at the tank.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/comingin-2.jpg

The view from the futon. I tried to be cool and put on the 'Coral Reef Adventure' DVD when I took the pictures. My wife absolutely hates the speakers and swears she is painting them white or something. I keep telling her they are Polk's but she doesn't want to listen.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/futonview-1.jpg

The view from the front (a spare bedroom is behind me actually, with a full bath attached to it. Guests really get a kick out of the tank being so close). The main door hides another bi-fold door that we installed to keep the tank wall symmetrical. We added the wanescote and then painted the tank wall a dark navy blue.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/front-1.jpg

[jdsabin1]

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/misc-1.jpg

The Ronco 150 (150 Gallon)

Here is my 150 gallon reef aquarium. ‘Ronco’ seemed to fit here as I took a non-reef ready tank and somehow made it work, and at a bargain basement price too! I do believe Ron Popeil was always able to make it easy and affordable (the spray on hair and the pocket fisherman to name a few :)). His mantra with the rotisserie chicken infomercial – ‘SET IT AND FORGET IT!’ is a good slogan for my reef tank really.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/misc-2.jpg

The tank has been up and running now for about a year with zero incidents to this point. An ‘incident’ is defined as something that forces me to curse, throw things, or bawl hysterically. No macro, no aiptasia, no cyano. Joy!

Seriously, I got this tank dirt cheap from a guy that was getting out of the hobby. The tanks dimensions are: 72 1/2 x 18 1/2 x 28 1/2 and that’s the largest tank I could fit in-wall based on the area I had to work with. It is drilled with two holes in the back of the tank, and a hole dead center in the bottom of the tank. I have come up with overflows in the back and a spray bar running the entire length of the tank along the back (using PVC and the hole in the bottom of the tank). And yes I know the risks here. I depend on a check valve from my return pump in the fuge to help save me (and a valve that is located right before the water enters the tank so if there are large problems I can stop the backflow).

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/misc-3.jpg

Underneath the tank I have a 40 long tank below the main tank being used as a sump with a drop-in fuge, a EuroReef skimmer, and an Eheim return pump. A simple topoff container (3 gallons) using a simple float switch takes care of the evap. I also use two phosban reactors hooked to a single maxijet pump, one filled with carbon, one with rowaphos. The drop in fuge is filled with chaeto. A small 50/50 smartlamp fixture stays on 24 hours a day over the drop in fuge/chaeto. I went ahead and used the stand that came with the tank. Heck it came with the tank when I bought it so why let it go to waste? It is ugly as all get-out but nobody sees it anyway.

Inside the tank I have a Seio 1120, a Seio 620, and a Tunze 6060 to provide flow (along with the spraybar with water being pumped to the tank from the sump). The Seios are a Godsend. They work very well and – you guessed it – cheap!

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/misc-4.jpg

All told, this gives me somewhere around 4,300 GPH in turnover which seems to provide plenty of flow based on the corals I keep in the tank. For lighting I use a straightforward canopy that I painted white (it’s a wood box basically – simple!) that has hinges on the backside of the front wall, drilled with vents and six 72” VHO lamps (2 AquaSuns, 2 50/50’s, and 2 Actinic blues- all URI). All of them powered with IceCap ballasts, with ball bearing fans on either side of the canopy for additional flow. For those of you who like to know watts per gallon that comes out to about 6.4 wpg (960 watts total). Not that it means anything but there you go.

Seeing the theme? Cheap, simple, cheap. I have come to realize that the more difficult or expensive a hobby is that I take on, the more likely it is that I will either run out of money trying to keep it going, or it will be so difficult that I will either do something wrong and destroy it all or I will simply lose interest and quit because the hobby becomes more of a ‘job’ than something fun and/or relaxing to do (I already have a job, I don’t need or want another one).

So far my plan to keep a reef tank long term (and when I say long term I mean years, not months) has worked out wonderfully. It’s only been a year but it’s been a very successful year, limited die off, limited troubles, limited maintenance and a lot of rewarding ‘aquarium time’.

I’ll keep posting pics in this thread as I take any that may look halfway decent. I used to have a point and shoot camera but somehow decided I needed a digital SLR with macro lenses and the like. BIG mistake. I know nothing about aperture or shutter speed and I am trying desperately to learn as I go. It’s getting better but I have a LONG way to go :). Hopefully you’ll see improvement as I post in this thread over time.

[jdsabin1]

livestock & junk

Believe it or not, there is about 200 pounds of live rock in the tank. I contemplated having more but I didn’t want to have the ‘wall of rock’ look so I left it at that. There is plenty of room for the fish to swim about above the rock and they most certainly do that. It’s a nice compromise I think. Corals on the bottom half of the tank, fish on the top half of the tank.

I got some of the rock from some local reefers, but most of it started as base rocks from reeferrocks.com. I would recommend those guys to anyone. I was in no hurry so in order to save money (there’s that theme again) I threw in base rock and watched it come alive over time (no bad guys came in on the rock either, always a plus).

I used fiji pink live sand (about enough to give me a few inches on the bottom of the tank is all – basically for aesthetics).

I’ll list the fish and corals in the tank but first it’s important to understand why I keep and add the animals I do. Initially I was going to spend my retirement fund (all of it) and load the tank up with rare and expensive corals (you know, like the RARE ones you see on E*Bay all the time ;)). I decided not to do that for a myriad of reasons, but a few primary ones include:

1) 99% of our friends are not ‘Reef Savvy’. What does this mean? It means that when they come over they ‘ooooh’ and ‘aaaah’ at the $20 yellow tang, the $15 colt coral that waves around in the current, and the $20 toadstool that does the same. If they’re happy, I’m happy.

2) I’ve spent $200 on a hot pink yuma that melted in a week, and the same on a neat red and green brain that died an agonizing death right before my very eyes. In the meantime, my mushrooms, zoanthids and ricordia thrive. If I want to throw money away, I’d head to Vegas. As it stands, my enjoyment of this hobby comes from watching things grow and thrive, not wither and die. On a related note, we like to go on vacations and trips. All a tank babysitter has to do is throw food in the tank and add water to the topoff reservoir and all is well. Easy.

3) Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. I actually do love my colt coral who has become a ‘tree’ on the left side of my tank, or the bright yellow leather on the right side of the tank. Don’t get me wrong, I always enjoy seeing SPS tanks and the like on all the reef boards on the ‘net too, but I dearly love my tank full of softies, lps and leathers.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/shrooms-1.jpg

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/shrooms-3.jpg

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/zoos-1.jpg

[jdsabin1]

Fish include:

Yellow goby – Easily the family favorite. Got her free from another reefer who realized it wasn’t going to work in his tank when one of his clownfish had half the goby in his mouth. He called me, I picked her up, the rest is history. Daughter named her ‘Marilyn’ for obvious reasons.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/marilyn-1.jpg

Bi-color blenny – Named Fozzie after Fozzie The Bear (Muppet Show) mainly because of his eyelashes that ‘poink’ out above his head. I will never have a reef tank without a blenny in it. Very entertaining fish with loads of personality.

Flame angel – I’m a sucker for the silhouette of the saltwater angelfish. I love the bright orange that these guys have too. Not sure why but not named to this point.

Coral beauty – ditto with the angelfish fascination. These two were introduced at the same time, still the coral beauty has a tendency to bully the flame angel if they are in close proximity. There is enough tank and rocks though that this doesn’t happen often. And yes, they nip at coral occasionally. A small price to pay for their beauty though IMHO.

Yellow tang – The DeFacto saltwater fish. And for all you yellow tang haters out there, I say this: ppppppbbbbbbbbbbbbtttt! Always a favorite for those that come over to see the tank.

Bluethroat trigger – Named ‘Jaws’ since he is such an oinker at feeding time. He is our largest fish but is also the most timid. Basically he’s a big wimp, truth be told. His blue eye shadow and unique fins and swimming style are a crowd favorite.

Two blue chromis – ‘The Twins’. These two rarely leave each others side. In the right light, they literally shine with their blue/green scales. Occasionally they will ‘kiss’. Whether they are fighting or doing something else, I have no idea. Super cheap, super easy to care for, always out in the water column swimming.

Maroon clown/RBTA – She’s a sweetheart and when I feed the RBTA a silverside every four days or so, she’ll come grab it and gently place it inside the RBTA. A real neat relationship to watch. Really cool at night and in the morning before the lights go on. She’s inside the anemone like a ‘pig in a blanket’.

All the fish were added within a few weeks of each other and all have been in the tank now somewhere in the neighborhood of eight months I believe. My lfs kept them for several weeks to make sure they were healthy before I took them home. I’ve never had an ich problem but now that this lfs is gone, I may have to go to a hospital tank to make sure nothing bad goes in if and when one of my fish passes and I want to add another one.

A cleaner shrimp that I believe prefers to clean my hand over anything else in the tank. Very friendly little guy and seems to eat non-stop. Three peppermint shrimp that stay in the rock work and come out at night. Neat shrimp if they would ever come out during the day.

Tons of snails, blue leg crabs, scarlet crabs, and soon some more emerald crabs. I got my cleanup crew from Reeftopia.com. They are fantastic (and cheap too ;)). I can’t imagine a reef tank without crabs. Talk about entertainment. Their antics remind me of a young Jerry Lewis except with shells, and antennas and … oh forget it. You know what I mean.

I have a starfish I added from Reefer Madness and after six months he is still doing well. He’s a mottled pink color. I also have so many bristleworms, I should farm them and make some money on the side. One is the largest bristleworm I’ve ever seen and is somewhere around 8” long stretched out near as I can tell. Pods galore also of course.

I feed 6 days on, with a day off. I feed a combination of frozen (green and red lifeline, mysis, cyclopeze) and flake – I swear by Omega One food. The fish love it. I feed veggie and regular marine flake.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/cluster-1.jpg

[jdsabin1]

Corals:

Too numerous to list them all really and I will photograph all of them at one time or another and post shots as I go. I have read many people reference a lot of the softies I keep as ‘garbage corals’. I got them at a reasonable price, they grow like crazy, they come in all kinds of colors and textures, and they are super easy to care for. This means less time hassling *with* the tank, and more time looking *at the tank*. That’s a win/win for me and my lifestyle.

Anyway, some of the list includes:

Colt (started as a 5” thing and grew to a mighty oak).

Anthelia – the prettiest mauve color ever and this stuff is hardy AND doesn’t bother other corals at all. It’s almost like other corals feel sorry for it and just leave it alone I guess. It waves beautifully in the current.

Shrooms – Yes I know how bad they are but the purple, blue and red tongas are great.

Ricordia
Frogspawn coral
Galaxea coral
Bubble coral
Candy Cane coral
Cynarina coral
Scolymia coral – Easy to care for and one of my first corals ever when I put it into my nano a few years ago. I’ve never directly fed it.
Polyps/clove – several variants, including daisy polyps
Fuzzy sinularia coral
Blastos (wellsi and merleti) – You know, I miss the days when vendors didn’t try to charge $200 for a nice colony of blastos. One day when they go down in price again, perhaps I’ll pick some more up.

Fox – Started out as a 4” coral. Now is a monster centerpiece.

Brains, brains, brains. I don’t have any open brains but mazes, and others I do keep.

Toadstool – again, started out a small thing and now is the size of a dinner plate. I have a few others I need to cut out and get out of the tank. Still, he’s unassuming, easy to care for, tentacles sway in the current. People love him.

Zoanthinds – Still the best bang for your buck based on the sheer number of colors and variants in the wild.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/palys-1.jpg

Some larger feather dusters and a coco worm. The more texture and variety I can get in the tank the more fun it is to watch everything interact.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/coco-1.jpg

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/duster1.jpg

An orange sponge that was given to me. I don’t expect it to live a long time but we’ll see. Right now it’s doing fine.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/sponge-1.jpg

A yellow leather that is very healthy and happy. A cheery, bright yellow color.

I do have a few SPS corals. One is a hot pink stylo and the other is a pink birds nest. I got them both as frags and they are both growing and doing fine. I have no plans at the moment to add any others.

[jdsabin1]

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/fox-1.jpg

Some people like to know more details like salt brand, temp, etc so I’ll provide some of those details:

Oceanic Salt – It provides high calc out of the box, it dissolves instantly, it comes in Ronco sized containers (buy a few 5 gallon bags, do a quick water change!). I have never used anything else.

The tank is in the basement. This is a very *good* thing. I have zero heat problems. In fact, in the winter I have to throw a space heater in the ‘fish room’ (well the ‘fish closet’ really as there is not much room behind the tank). Temps vary from 78 to 79.5 if it is very hot outside. This has been the working temp(s) for nearly a year now so I think it’s going to stay this way. I lose a few gallons a day (and replace it with water that comes from a Air-Water-Ice RO/DI unit). I also have a humidistat that blows any humidity right outside the house via a vent. Works perfectly. I use a remote digital thermometer if that means anything to you :). I am sure the VHO’s have something to do with keeping the heat down as well. I was going to go with halides but in the end, since this was going to be a mixed reef tank with just a few SPS, I decided against it.

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All the lights are on timers (Timers I bought from Home Depot. Originally I was using timers from WalMart but those were true crap for me). I run actinics for an hour, then the other four daytime bulbs come on. Lights don’t come on until 10:30 in the morning, and go off at approximately 10:30 at night. What’s the point of having lights go on too early when nobody is home but the dog to enjoy the tank? We watch movies in the tank room and it’s nice to have the tank lit most of the evening.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/brainclose-3.jpg

Salinity is 1.025, give or take. I quit testing for calcium, alk, etc months ago. It’s easy to eyeball if everything is doing okay.

Water changes? Ummm, sure they’re great. Normally I do a 15 gallon change every other month or so. So far, so good.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/redbrain-1.jpg

[jdsabin1]

Just a few more pics is all.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/blastos-1.jpg

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/zoos-2.jpg

[Dan Thrash]

wow! thats all beautiful!! very nice pics and a nice room too. very well done. i hope my tank looks that good...whenever i get a chance to get one.

[nebraskareef]

Jeff, I loved your 20L on n-r.com.

It's awesome to see that you have a bigger tank. I for one am glad to see a tank thats got some movement in it! Sticks aren't all they are cracked up to be. Looking good, keep up the good work.

Daniel

[jun41]

Good stuff. Just the way a reef should be...

[Mercutio]

That is awesome, I love it!

Pics from behind the tank?

[atram]

Jeff,

Another beautiful tank, I love the simplicity! Your 20L
at nr inspired me to get into reefing. My tank has been (15L)
going strong for a year. I have been bitten the upgrade
bug and will be moving into a larger tank soon, I need
more room for coral's.

Once again beautiful tank :thumbsup:

Al

[Hop]

WOW, Great looking tank. Very impressive in color and health. Great job. And the room itself looks good. Oh and how about a few behind the scenes pics?

[atram]

Yes, excellent work on the room! I'm interested in few
behind the scene pics as well.

[deansreef]

nice reef

[jdsabin1]

Thanks a lot everyone :). It's great when you get positive feedback from fellow hobbyists! I have several corals that came from my 20L and are doing wonderfully. Who knows, someday I may get the SPS call to duty, but right now this tank pretty much takes care of itself and with two kids always on the go and a wife who provides a list of 'honey-dos' a mile long, this works very well ;).

I'll snap some pics behind the tank tonight and post them. It's not much to see though I know that much.

[TippyToeX]

I'm drooling here Jeff. :D Outstanding, you know I love it. I do have a little something-something to add to it when you are ready/want it.

[zoocrazy]

man, that tank is awsome....i could sit and stare at that all day long.....room looks great!!!:D

[atram]

Originally posted by jdsabin1
two kids always on the go and a wife who provides a list of 'honey-dos' a mile long, this works very well ;).



Isn't that the truth! :D

I have two daughters 17 & 18 heavily involved in
sports/school and a wife who is the master of honey do!

fortunately, even though I'm a computer geek who
previously had limited DIY skills. I have obtained
many tools (Table saw, air compressor, brad nailer,
nail gun, mitre saw) under the guise of home repair.
I have done some serious remodeling of our home.
However, I am planning an inwall reef and I'm in the
process of building a dual MH/VHO pendant.

I always knew all that math I took in college would come
in handy for something. It wasn't long ago that I was
unable to read tape measure or accurately determine
angles. Just fractions and basic geometry.

[Rivenjim]

can we have some pics of your behind the scenes equipment

[45commando]

Awesome tank.I've had a reef tank for about 9 years now & couldn't imagine not having some softies in it.I love SPS,but my Toadstool is still one of my favs.It's about 18" across now & literally is the centerpiece of my tank.Great set up.Love the TV too.

[clown fanatic]

nice tank! i love it

[jdsabin1]

Thanks all :). Amy - you're a doll. Let me know when you wanna send and I'll PayPal you some $$$.

For those of you that wanted to see behind the tank, get ready to be UNDERwhelmed! Seriously, it's pretty basic back there so don't say I didn't warn you.

Without further adieu;

Walking behind the tank from the right side, looking up at the ceiling. This back area was covered in green sheet rock. I left the insulation like the builders had it when it was unfinished as it is covered in a thick plastic. Behind the front tank wall, I have green sheet rock, a thick layer of plastic and then cement board. Absolute overkill but I was paranoid of splashing and the like at the time. Oh well. In this picture you can see the humidistat, the wiring from the lighting coming from the canopy, and the Icecap ballasts. They are up out of the way and mounted to a board, per the manufacturers instructions. I have the humidistat set to 40% and it runs normally a few hours per 24 hour period. I've never seen any moisture in this area at all. You can also see one of the chains that is bolted to the ceiling that helps support the canopy (hinges on the front wall/canopy which you will see later).

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/guts-1.jpg

Just a closer view of the ballasts is all.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/guts-2.jpg

Looking straight down the tank from the right side entrance. Canopy is a simple, cheap, wooden (painted white inside and out) box. It has vents on the top and sides, and is mounted so there is a small space all the way around the tank for ventings sake. Two ball bearing fans provide air flow in and out also (across the lights). The canopy is attached via heavy duty hinges to the front wall and chains (bolted to studs in the ceiling). I have an attached hook that allows me to lift and keep the the canopy open (believe it or not, it's not very heavy) when it's time to feed, clean or aquascape.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/guts-3.jpg

Stainless steel shelves behind the tank. You can see the outlets halfway up the wall (all 20 amp circuits) some GFI, others aren't (based on what I am running). All attached to surge protecters, all cords labeled so I know what the heck they are. All plugs off the floor in case I get water on the floor. I painted the walls black to make sure I wouldn't get any light bouncing off the walls. Probably didn't need to do that actually.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/guts-4.jpg

[jdsabin1]

Entering from the left hand side of the 'tank closet' now, here you can see the overflows. Sort of like a 'reverse durso' I suppose. The tops of the PVC's have small holes so I don't get gurgling, using flex PVC that dumps water into the sump. The flex hose is modular. I can take it completely off should an alligator or something get stuck in the tubing.

I use some plastic needlework grid material you can buy at WalMart and stitched together caps for the overflows inside the tank so wandering snails couldn't escape into the sump.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/guts-5.jpg

Same thing, only looking from the other side. I didn't need to silicone the bulkheads and stuff but I did anyway. In fact, I siliconed wherever I could based on the fear that the tank would spontaneously explode while I was sleeping. I'm paranoid that way. :)

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/guts-6.jpg

This view just shows you the Humidistat hose that leads out of the house (attached to the outside is a small, inconspicuous vent that is located behind landscape). Again, the humidistat was cheap, easy to install, and it works.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/guts-7.jpg

Here is the sump. It's a 40 long and fits perfectly under the stand. I even have a spot for the calcium reactor that would fit perfectly that I am never going to get because I don't need it :). You can see the topoff hose coming in from the left side, the ebo heaters on the back of the tank, an Eheim return pump sending water to the spray bar running along the back of the tank, and the phosban reactors can be seen here. In another picture you'll be able to see the drop in fuge that is full of chaeto with a light over it that runs 24/7, and the EuroReef skimmer that is on the other side of the fuge (where the overflows are returning water). This is as full as I ever have it based on tests with the check valve and a power outage scenario.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/guts-8.jpg

[rtcpenguin]

Awesome setup, and excellent photography. I'm amazed anyone can keep cyano/algae free without massive amounts of work for such an extended period of time. I think the fact that your sand bed is mostly covered may help.

It'd be sweet if you could post captions below the coral photos though, since I'm still somewhat of a newbie when it comes to identifying them.

[jdsabin1]

The other side of the sump. Here you can see the Euroreef skimmer, the drop-in fuge and fuge light, and the return flex PVC pipes.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/guts-9.jpg

A pic of the PVC going into the center hole in the bottom of the tank. A gate valve to stop flow completely (or regulate it), and you can see where I have beefed up the stand some too. There's that paranoia setting in again.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/guts-10.jpg

Just a closer view of the outlets is all.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/guts-11.jpg

Another shot of the return pump end of the sump. Here you can see the topoff float valve clearly, and you can also make out the actual check valve coming from the return pump. The phosban reactors both have hoses that rest on top of the return pump so the carbon and rowa go directly into the main tank. The amount of feather dusters in the sump is amazing. They are everywhere on the bare bottom sump. As a sidenote, the phosban reactors both run off a single mj 1200, and so does the drop-in fuge.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/guts-12.jpg

[jdsabin1]

Hope you enjoyed seeing the 'bowels' of the system. Not very exciting eh?

This pic is really aimed at the rocket scientists in the house as an advanced degree is probably required to fully grasp the concept of this water topoff design ;). A 3 gallon container, a MJ 1200 pump, sends RO/DI water to the sump. I only fill it two gallons at a time in case the float valve gets stuck. If it dumps all the water into the sump it won't make a difference.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/guts-13.jpg

Another canopy shot.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/guts-14.jpg

The shelves and stuff from the left hand side.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/guts-15.jpg

Now I'll get back to taking pics of the critters in the main tank.

[jdsabin1]

Originally posted by rtcpenguin
Awesome setup, and excellent photography. I'm amazed anyone can keep cyano/algae free without massive amounts of work for such an extended period of time. I think the fact that your sand bed is mostly covered may help.

It'd be sweet if you could post captions below the coral photos though, since I'm still somewhat of a newbie when it comes to identifying them. Thanks! Interesting observation about cyano/algae. You could be right!

I'll post captions as far as coral ID's as I continue to post pics in the thread. I have some new stuff coming this week so hopefully I'll get some good shots of the new coral.

[@LVIN]

nice looking tank! how deep is your sandbed?


@LVIN

[twins6511]

Future TOOM!!!!!

[jdsabin1]

Originally posted by @LVIN
nice looking tank! how deep is your sandbed?


@LVIN Thanks. The sandbed is not very deep, just a few inches for aesthetic purposes. So far that has worked well.

[jdsabin1]

Necessity is the mother of invention. I use these to clean the front of the tank. One is a standard long scraper, the other is a paint scraper actually (found at Home Depot, etc), attached with a stainless screw, washer, and nut, to a broom handle. It works very well.

I had to do something as the coralline in my tank grows at an alarming rate.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/tools-1.jpg

[saltym3]

great writeup. excellent photos. That purple featherduster is sweet!

[drgabe]

Thanks for the time spent writing up your tank and taking some spectacular pictures. While I have great admiration for the SPS keepers in our hobby, it just isn't me. I am sucker for softies and your tank is no exception. Your comments about your friends coming over and googling over the little yellow tang, couldn't be more right! :)

Can't wait to see more, especially the blue throat trigger in this beast!

[atram]

Jeff,

I notice that you are using reverse durso's, it doesn't
look like theres any internal overflows. How are you
preventing critters from getting sucked in? Is the some
kind of screen or barrier on your bulkhead? The tank that
I am preparing would require a similar configuration
because the bottom is tempered.

Al

[Flanders]

I love this tank. Those clove polyps in the foreground are some of the best I've ever seen.

[Pike]

Beautiful system Jeff. You're a bit more handy than you give yourself credit. Nice picture taking skills too!

"But honey, they're Polks!!" That cracks me up :)

[Im Lon 2]

Do the lights get out of the way enough to work on the tank? I'm getting ready to start my Box for lights and was wanting to know thanks.

How tall is the canopy? What type of wood did you use?

BTW - Sweet setup!! Looks great

[jdsabin1]

Thanks everyone :).

Salty - yeah the featherduster is actually quite large. Does anyone know what their lifespan is? It's one of the first things I put in the tank so it's been nearly a year. I love these ornamental critters. I have two larger feather dusters and a co-co worm. They really add some uniqueness to the tank I think.

dgrabe - I am really going to work hard to figure out how to take good shots of the fish. I have some real characters in this tank and would love to be able to take some nice pictures of them. If I can get them to stay still that is ;).

Al - Yes I have some screen on the 'overflows' in the tank. It works wonderfully well. I'll snap a pic of that tonight and post it.

Flanders - Thanks .... I have three types of clove in the tank ATM. They grow like weeds.

Pike - Yeah, the wife doesn't understand that you can sacrifice a color for sound quality. There are so many things admirable people don't understand. Good thing I love her :).

Lonnie - Yes the lights/canopy sure does get out of the way enough for me to work on the tank. I will measure the canopy and post those dimensions tonight or tomorrow. I will also snap a pic with the canopy up to give you an idea of how that works. I believe I used heavier plywood is all and painted it a bright white.

I added a Leptastrea this week and hope to get some good pics of it soon too. I also pickd up a large UPS to give me some uptime should a power outage occur. I am currently researching generators so we'll see what I come up with.

[jdsabin1]

The canopy is: 19 1/2" deep, 73 1/2" across, and 8 1/2" tall.

Here's a pic with the canopy open. Sorry for the poor quality. My camera struggled with the bright light so I tried to darken it to make it look like something. As you can see it opens at a very nice angle and I can fiddle around in the tank from front to back to glue frags, clean, feed, etc.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/canopyopen-1.jpg

Here is a pic of the overflow sleeve-screen that I made with plastic grid and fishing line from materials found at WalMart. The only drawback to these is that coralline grows on them everywhere and I have to poke the holes through again (on the top anyway) with something sharp to make sure water can flow through. It does keep the snails and stuff out though :).

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/overflowscreen-1.jpg

[atram]

Jeff,

Thanks for the photo's. Pretty slick system you've got there.

Al

[jdsabin1]

A few pics I snapped today is all.

Some blasto merleti. Not to sound cliche but 'Jewels Of The Sea' come to mind :).

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/blastos-2.jpg

Some cloves. These things grow like crazy. They are actually pretty cool with their green highlights.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/cloves-1.jpg

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/cloves-2.jpg

Another feather duster in the tank.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/duster-1.jpg

[jdsabin1]

A new coral I got from Reefer Madness last week. I *will* get better pics of the polyps on this thing. It is a really neat coral (leptastrea).

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/lep-1.jpg

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/lep-2.jpg

Tucked away in the corner of the tank are these guys. Who says a coral has to cost a fortune to boast rich colors (sorry for it being slightly out of focus).

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/shrooms-4.jpg

[jdsabin1]

A few more pics of some zoos.

Got these from Sharky's Reef last week. I think they were $18 or so.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/zoos-5.jpg

Pink zoos that started spreading from a frag of 5 polyps about a year ago.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/zoos-4.jpg

Some lone orange polyps playing king of the mountain I guess.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/zoos-3.jpg

[Mook]

Awseome tank and great photos. Hope to see some more photo's of your fish soon

[atram]

Nice score on the leptastrea, some very nice zoo's, the pink
zoo's are my favorite.

Al

[jdsabin1]

Just snapped some more pics a few days ago. Sharky's Reef zoos and some zoos I got locally.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/zoos-6.jpg

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/zoos-7.jpg

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/misc-6.jpg

[jdsabin1]

Just some misc shots. In this one you can see one of the few SPS frags in the left corner (a rose colored acro).

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/misc-7.jpg

The leptatstrea has really colored up nicely with green centers and blue rims. As you can see the twins decided to get in the picture.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/misc-8.jpg

A favites from Reefer Madness. The picture does this no justice. It's a really nice shade of blue, almost turqouise. The green and red frag of favites came from Reefer Madness too as a freebie :).

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/misc-9.jpg

[jdsabin1]

Zoos on the left from Skarky's Reef, powder blue maze brain from Atlantis Aquariums, and green leptastrea from Reefer Madness. Green yuma under the maze brain from my LFS a few years ago.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/misc-10.jpg

Muave Anthelia from IPSF (came as a slimy frag about the size of a penny a few years back. I dare anyone to try and find a way to kill this stuff :p. I love it because it gives me filler, provides plenty of movement, and doesn't bother any other corals). Yellow leather from Atlantis Aquariums, a Florida ric from Blowfish Aquatics, a frogspawn from a reefing buddy, brains from Reefer Madness.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/misc-11.jpg

Green clove from a reefing buddy (had three polyps believe it or not about a year ago when I got it), neon green brain that looks like a bicycle seat from Atlantis Aquariums, brain frag above it from Farms Of The Sea, blueberry ricordia from Blowfish Aquatics, and you can see the edge of the showpiece Fox coral which I got free from a reefing buddy as a small 4" piece a little more than a year ago.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/misc-12.jpg

[atram]

Very Nice :thumbsup:

[tam]

Originally posted by jdsabin1
Thanks everyone :).

Flanders - Thanks .... I have three types of clove in the tank ATM. They grow like weeds.


I'll take some of those "weeds" of your hands bud :D

[jdsabin1]

Here are some corals I picked up over the last few days.

I've named these 'Strawberries And Cream'. They are a real striking berry color with white centers. This is a large piece.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/zoos-9.jpg

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/zoos-8.jpg

This is also a nice sized piece of copper colored paythoas. They really shine, alomost glimmer in the tank:

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/zoos-12.jpg

Here is another rock that had some real pretty zoos on it:

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/zoos-10.jpg

[jdsabin1]

A great little brain frag that just glows:

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/brain-1.jpg

Amazing how zoos can change color based on where they are placed in the tank. These have really started to come around:

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/zoos-11.jpg

I've taken pictures of these before but I just love them. They truly are this green. The camera has a hard time interpreting their rich color:

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/zoos-13.jpg

Some more zoos in the tank is all:

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/zoos-14.jpg

[jdsabin1]

A chalice(?) that came as a freebie from Reefer Madness. It's starting to get some blue eyes:

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/chalice-1.jpg

Orange Starburst zoos:

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/zoos-15.jpg

A freebie frag that started out about the size of a quarter. It has been through he** and back. It truly is this bright pink. I guess it's Birds Nest?

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/sps-1.jpg

One of the many rics I have throughout the tank. This is one of the blueberries.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/rics-1.jpg

[ReefHippys]

nice reef you did a great job!

[FlyGTI]

Man, I remember when that thing was an empty box! The only water it had in it was the water it collected when we drove it home from Minnesota!

Beautiful tank, Mr. Sabin. I wish that open brain of mine would have made it in there. From what I understand, it met its demise in another tank across town. C'est la vie, I guess.

When can we get some lunch together?

[jdsabin1]

Originally posted by FlyGTI
I wish that open brain of mine would have made it in there. From what I understand, it met its demise in another tank across town. C'est la vie, I guess. I just feel sick about that too. It was so gorgeous. I knew I was in trouble when I saw the dwarf angels nipping at it. Sorry about that :(.

Let's do some lunch soon!

[Torpus]

iF you ever frag the clauvaria sign me up, they look so soft.

also, curious how often you change, and how much you use of rowaphos and carbon. Ive been thinking about getting a couple phosban reactors....

awesome tank as always!

[jdsabin1]

Originally posted by Torpus
also, curious how often you change, and how much you use of rowaphos and carbon. Ive been thinking about getting a couple phosban reactors.... I fill one of the reactors up about 65% of the way using high quality carbon, and I use 275 ml of Rowaphos in the other reactor.

I change both of them every 30-40 days or so.

HTH! :)

[jdsabin1]

Wish I could do RL justice with these full tank pics but I just can't yet. I'll keep trying and in the meantime, here is the tank as it looked today. Everything is very healthy and happy. I did move some things around a little.

Gearing up for 4 or 5 new corals, and it looks like a few in the tank right now will have to go to a good home soon :).

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/tank070905a.jpg
http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/tank070905b.jpg
http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/150/tank070905c.jpg

[ThunderousTalon]

Where'd you get the tank from? Manuf? also you say a whole drilled in the bottom dead center, of the bottom peice of glass or back glass? tempered? Sorry for so many questions, really looking in to a 150 myself

[jdsabin1]

Originally posted by ThunderousTalon
Where'd you get the tank from? Manuf? also you say a whole drilled in the bottom dead center, of the bottom peice of glass or back glass? tempered? Sorry for so many questions, really looking in to a 150 myself A guy from Minnesota. I'd have to go back and look at old e-mails to find his name again. It's drilled in the bottom and yes it's tempered.

HTH! :)

[bassman57]

WOW. That is a stunning tank. The pictures are incredible. Great work. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[elephen]

Man thats a nice looking mixed tank, congrats everything looks nice. Ever plan to upgrade to halides?

[jdsabin1]

No halides for me. I'll enjoy the pics of other tanks with halides. I don't have to fiddle with a calc reactor, I have no heat issues whatsoever, all the corals are super easy to take care of too. It's basically a hands off setup that I come home to from work every day and really enioy it without much work at all :).

[ReeferMonkey]

Jeff,

I was just looking through your old thread on NR for some inspiration for my upcoming 20L. Although I'm saddened by the MH-to-VHO transition, your tank looks great and it sounds like you're enjoying it.

Keep it up!

[got2lb]

How about an update Jeff! Get any of that new stuff in yet?

[jdsabin1]

Still undergoing a pretty dramatic transformation. I know what I am adding as far as additional fish and corals though and have mapped that out pretty well.

I'll be ready to 'unveil' the new look in a month or so :).