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gregt
08/01/2005, 08:11 AM
This thread was automatically split due to performance issues. You can find the rest of the thread here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=5423451#post5423451

RocketSeason
08/01/2005, 08:11 AM
tanks are all looking great guys, I will try to post an update of mine soon. So far I added some Xenia and Shrooms. the Xenia didn't make it. (not enough light me thinks.) but the Mushrooms are going very well and I have a bunch of baby shrooms all over the tank.

My main problem is that I have slowly lost most of my coraline algea over the last several months. I think its because of two things: Not enough lighting, and Not enough water changes.

I want that coraline to grow like mad, what do I need to do to get it really going??

chrishet
08/14/2005, 02:08 PM
WOW, split because of performance issues, cool! I had no idea this thread would take on a life of its own. I was in the LFS last night and while discussion my tank with one of the stores consultants I mentioned my 30 gal cube thread on Reef Central and guess what, she knew all about it! Small world.

Hope all has been well. Some beautiful tanks out there, my complements to all.

My tank has been on autopilot for some time. I do a bi-weekly water changes and clean the skimmer cup once a week. but that is about it. The zoos are growing quite well, my shrooms just kinda do nothing, and my ric have each split once. All the fish are doing great.

Going to pick up a nice little fav today from the store. I'll post some pics later....

Sugar Magnolia
08/14/2005, 03:02 PM
Congrats on the split Chris!

robster
08/14/2005, 03:30 PM
I got someone in my neighborhood to build me a custom canopy. I will post a pic of the design I am using. I dropped off the wood to him today. Still have to find the right size hinge. I plan on resting my PFO mini on the top like a friend of mine did. Also see pic in my gallery.

Sugar Magnolia
08/14/2005, 03:44 PM
How tall is that canopy Rob? Is the PFO going to be attached to a bar that runs across the top from side to side like mine is? Seems like it would be hanging fairly close to the water, unless I"m not visualizing it right.

robster
08/14/2005, 05:27 PM
The canopy is 10" tall and the bottom of the fixture (glass) will sit 9" off the surface of the water. A hole will be cut in the top of the canopy, slightly larger than size of fixture and a metal rim placed inside the hole for the fixture to rest against. Look at the example in my gallery of Typhon's tank. He has two 250W setup like I am doing mine. His holes are much bigger than I am going to make mine though. The key is that the fixture sits on top of the canopy allowing heat to easily radiate out of the top and the fans inside will take care of the heat that radiates off the UV lens. I don't see any pics of your canopy inside your gallery but thought yours was setup with the fixture enclosed inside the canopy.

chrishet
08/15/2005, 08:32 PM
My tank has a lot of growing up to do, and I need to order some more acros' (my 3 acros died off while I was on vacation).

I have a new sum polyp and fav but they haven't opened up yet. I'll post picks when they do.

I need to order a few acros to fill my tank, any suggestions on an on-line retailer? I'm fine with frags....time is on my side....Also, any ideas how long a Phoenix 14k bulb should last? I started mine in Jan-05. I was guessing 10-12 months.

http://www.hetlage.com/images/green%20zoos3.jpg

http://www.hetlage.com/images/goby%20and%20rics.jpg

Lunchbucket
08/16/2005, 04:57 AM
there are about 1 million frag places. some even sell nano packs

www.reefermadness.us
www.reeffarmer.com might be farmers.com
Dr Macs
www.exoticreefs.com

hmm there was a thread a while ago listing about 50+ sites. might try a quick search for SPS sites and see if you can find that thread

Lunchbucket

chrishet
08/16/2005, 09:17 AM
Thanks Lunch, there are a ton out there....I've ordered from Liva Aquaria.com before and have limited success with a few smaller operations. Most of the sites I come across have very limited selections. I ordered some frags from Reef Science (I hope they arrive as good as they look on-line). The selection at Atlantis also looks very good.

Robster, can't wait to see the pics.

Maverick27
08/19/2005, 12:41 AM
Congrads once again on the split chris, this thread really is huge. I really like the polyps they look good. I was also looking for an online realtor for corals. I know you ordered from Liveaquaria and had an incident with one of the icepacks melting or the bag broke i believe, but let me know how the site you use is because i'm looking for some softies and maybe some acro also. Another question, what kind of camera do you have? I've been looking at digital and am deciding to go with a Digital SLR, i like canon and nikon, but i figured i'd use your judgement being you have astronomal shots and your tank shots are gorgeous as well.

Oh one more weird thing i'd like to ask everyone in here, if you don't mind chris. My refugium was stocked nicely with caleupra and had two shaving brush plants. ( don't know exact name ). I went on vacation for a week and when i came back there almost all gone with no trace. Nothing in the refuge but pods, few tiny hermits and a some snails...Any idea what happened to all of the plants?? Also i had 30g bag of phos-ban in there.

chrishet
08/19/2005, 07:02 AM
Hi Mav, This has been one long thread, no thanks to me. I think the reason for its populatiry is all the great advice and projects that folks post here. Pretty cool....

I use a Canon Digital Rebel camera primarily. For lenses I have a 70-200mm f2.8L, a 24-70 f2.8L, a 100mm f2.8 macro, and a kit lens. These are kinda expensive but I can tell you they are worth every penny.

Even though I had a problem with a leak from Live Aquaria they handled the problem very well and I was ultimately happy with the transaction. I buy from Dr Fosters all the time. I recently ordered some corals from Reef Science.com. I'm expecting these today, hopefully all will go well...Here is a collage of the frags I'm expecting....

http://www.hetlage.com/images/new_corals_small.jpg

I'll post some pics once I get them in the tank...

TigerWoods
08/19/2005, 09:18 PM
Good to see you again Chris!

Here is a tank update for me!
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/84196tank2.jpg

TigerWoods
08/19/2005, 09:29 PM
a better look at the canopy
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/84196tank1.jpg

chrishet
08/19/2005, 10:40 PM
Amazing! Well done TW! Those are some beautiful anemones you've raised.

Got my new SPS's today....we'll give it another try. The two large acro's look real nice, I was a bit disappointed with the green slimer frag though, it was only about 1/2 inch long. Oh well, I mounted it and we will see how it takes.

I took a long time to acclimate these, 2.5 hours. I followed the directions on the SPS forum except I used a small dosing container to drip in my water. Might be overkill but seems safe. All my water params are good except my pH was a little low, 7.89. I've been topping off my tank with RO/DI/Kalk twice a day. I've read that pH drops at night so I changed my timer to only topoff at night. Does anyone here use a buffer routinely? All I've been doing is feeding fish and kalk'n.

chrishet
08/20/2005, 01:49 AM
Couldn't sleep and wanted to see these baby's close up.

Looks like this blue tip acro couldn't wait to open its poyps. Let's hope they keep coming....

http://www.hetlage.com/images/new_acro_1.jpg

I bought these sun polys last week. These guys haven't opened up much yet. I've been told they like to feed at night, perhaps that will help bring em out.



http://www.hetlage.com/images/sunpoyps.jpg

I'll take more pics tomorrow...

chrishet
08/20/2005, 02:06 AM
Just as I was heading off to bed look who finally opened up. I guess feeding them at night is a good thing!

http://www.hetlage.com/images/sunpoyps2.jpg

chrishet
08/20/2005, 02:14 AM
http://www.hetlage.com/images/sunpoyps3.jpg

robster
08/20/2005, 07:18 AM
Tiger, where did you get your quad fixture? I was thinking about getting one to retro into my custom canopy that should be ready next weekend.

TigerWoods
08/20/2005, 07:56 AM
Chris those corals look sweet. I wish I had some room!Check out this link on sun corals. They should be placed in an area of low light like under a cave or hole.
http://www.flippersandfins.net/CoralOrangeSun.htm

Robster-- I just bought it off ebay, I'd give it to you but I sold it already. =(

chrishet
08/20/2005, 08:27 AM
Thanks TW, nice read.

Lunchbucket
08/20/2005, 11:13 AM
blue acro looks NICE keep posting pics

Lunchbucket

chrishet
08/20/2005, 02:00 PM
Thanks LB, here ya go...all my new corals from the past week

Full tank shot. I've got some mounting to do. Most of the new frags are on the bottom for now but the SPS will move up. Just above the female clown is a green/purple monti cap mounted.

http://hetlage.com/images/tank_082005_1.jpg

http://hetlage.com/images/tank_082005_2.jpg

I found this frag in the new shipment, only about 1/4 inch long. I mounted it to a piece of LR and so far it looks good.
http://hetlage.com/images/teal_082095.jpg

The yellow and blue tip acro
http://www.hetlage.com/images/new_acro_2.jpg

My first blaso
http://hetlage.com/images/blast_082005.jpg

One of 2 monti caps. There were 2 frags in my shipment, the other frag is mounted on the left side about half way up.
http://hetlage.com/images/cap_082005.jpg

The blue acro.
http://www.hetlage.com/images/new_acro_3.jpg

A favia I picked up last week
http://hetlage.com/images/fav_082005.jpg

And of course the sun polyps from above....I did move this below a large rock, we will see how it likes it there. I think the key thing with these is feeding them. They don't have zooxanthellae so you have to feed them. I fed it some mysis shrimp last night and it opened up. I'm going to feed it 2-3 times a week and see how that goes.
http://hetlage.com/images/sunpoyps3.jpg

chrishet
08/20/2005, 02:02 PM
I also have a teal arco frag and a green slimer acro frag, I just haven't go a good shot of these yet.

robster
08/20/2005, 07:07 PM
I didn't have much luck with my sun coral. It was too high maintenance. I had to hand feed it every other day by putting a large water bottle top (cut off) over the top and turkey baste the food into the water bottle opening to keep the fish, crabs and shrimp from stealing the food right from its polyps. Mine never opened when the lights were on until 5 minutes or so after I fed the fish. Then it opened partially just for 15 minutes or so. It looked its best after the lights went out and it was completely dark or first thing in the morning before sunrise. Everytime it was fully open (early AM) I didn't have time to mess with feeding it.

chrishet
08/20/2005, 07:31 PM
Robster, I hear you. These to look like a high maintenance items. I am starting to target feed my shrooms but during the day, so I am hoping the sun polyps will take food then. I only paid $20 for it so it's not a huge loss if it doesn't work out, or I just take it back for a credit. I noticed the LFS had several of these in an isolation tank and I asked about that. He said they only feed at night and since they were closed then they had to isolate them to get them to eat. Now that is high maintenance.....

TigerWoods
08/20/2005, 07:47 PM
Chris that tank is looking so good. Those sun polyps are cool. I want to try some one day when I get more reef real estate.

robster
08/20/2005, 08:43 PM
I hear ya. They were so beautiful I had to try them too. Some open more often than others. I fed mine myisis shrimp. I hope it works out for you.

chrishet
08/22/2005, 06:53 AM
They like mysis shrimp, but at 2am! yikes! just like a newborn baby, except I'm the one who has to get up with the baby!!! Hopefully I can get them used to taking food during the day.

chrishet
08/30/2005, 10:12 PM
Update - My BO Clowns were getting beat up by a frogspawn they decided to host so I had to remove it. I left one small frag for them to snuggle. It was kinda sad, like taking a blanket away from a baby....

I got in an order of 7 nice SPS frags from Pacific East. Very nice folks and great looking frags. They even threw in 2 additional frags for a total of 9. I'll be mounting them in the next few days.

I've also ordered an OM Squirt for a closed loop system. I need to slow down my fuge and to get my flow rate up in the tank. I've decided to move my Mag 9.5 to a OM closed loop and use a RIO 2100 (had one on the shelf) for the return from the sump, through the SCWD. any thoughts?

One more question, what are folks using for lighting over thier fuge?

robster
08/31/2005, 05:28 AM
I have seen alot of folks using a small CF fixture you can pickup at Home Depot. I have seen them there before. They are white plastic with a clear plastic cover. I think they are a mini quad CF bulb. I think the using the SQUIRT is a great idea. Ever since I tested a SCWD using a mag 9.5 and saw the signifigant flow reduction I have lost interest.
I too am saving to get a SQUIRT. I am focusing my funds on my canopy right now. I just got my fans. I got Orion A/C fans. Just $14 each + plugs and finger guards. I like them. Top quality aluminum housings and very quiet. The other nice thing is that they don't have that huge 12v transformer. The other thing on my radar is adding two T5's to the canopy.

chrishet
08/31/2005, 07:11 AM
The Squirt is on its way. I ordered the 4 way version. I'll keep the SCWD for now just as a return however I will probably slow it down a bit. I'm thinking about using the OM and 9.5 in a closed loop config with returns on each corner.

Here is a pic of my fuge light, It is a simple hang on home depot special with a 15watt coral life screw in 50/50 bulb inside.

http://www.hetlage.com/images/IMG_7111.JPG

The reason I'm asking about the light is I've lost my population of Caulerpa and I was just thinking it might be the lamp (but it could be the high flow rate through my fuge). I keep this light turned on for 12 hours/day. At first I was running it 7x24 as recommended by someone here, but that didn't help.

RocketSeason
08/31/2005, 07:25 AM
from what I hear, light wouldn't be a huge issue for caulerpa, they need some, but I don't think its nessicarry to have tons of watts or anything like that.

possibly the high flow would do it...possibly water conditions, I am not positive on either because I don't know much about caulerpa.

-Matt

TigerWoods
08/31/2005, 10:47 AM
Originally posted by chrishet
Update - My BO Clowns were getting beat up by a frogspawn they decided to host so I had to remove it. I left one small frag for them to snuggle. It was kinda sad, like taking a blanket away from a baby....


I had to do the same thing with my hammer coral. Thats why I bought the BTA but I really think its too big for my 30g. My LFS has a pair of clowns that host in a toadstool leather. Either way the clowns will do fine without a host.

TigerWoods
08/31/2005, 10:55 AM
http://www.reefaquariumguide.com/photos/watermark-jpg.php?file=/photos/data/500/3570Resize_of_DSC00613-med.JPG

This is a friend's tank in Orlando. Guess he got lucky with them hosting the leather.

chrishet
09/01/2005, 10:59 AM
Updated Cube Pic

I added a bunch of SPS corals this week. All look good so far....

http://www.hetlage.com/images/tank_090105.jpg

chrishet
09/01/2005, 11:44 AM
BTW, the powerheads are temporary till I get my closed loop installed.

Previously in this thread I discussed problems I was having with my AquaC Urchin skimmer not collecting skimate. I think I found a fix (found on RC!). There is a gab betwen the bottom of the collection cup and the tower. This gap prevents bubbles from going up into the cup. I wrapped a rubber band around the bottom of the collection to seal the gap. I also up'd the pump to a Rio 2100 (probably overkill). My Urchin is now going crazy with foam! and the cup is all the way up First time in months!

robster
09/01/2005, 12:09 PM
Which Urchin model skimmer do you have? The pro or regular model? I have the regular model and was thinking of upgrading my pump too.

chrishet
09/01/2005, 12:40 PM
I think it is the regular version, it came with a Maxijet 1200 pump. the Rio 2100 is probably overkill (too many bubbles being released into the sump) and I am working on some plumbing as we speak to choke it down a bit. A 1700 would probably be a better fit. For a test I put the 1200 back on and it still doesn't work. I would do the rubberband trick and upgrade the pump. Geesh, you would think AquaC would have enough complaints to figure this out....

TigerWoods
09/01/2005, 02:11 PM
Chris the cube looks fantastic. I want those green zoos!

chrishet
09/01/2005, 02:36 PM
Thanks Tiger! Perhaps someday I can send you a frag.

We've come a long way.....

Sugar Magnolia
09/01/2005, 02:42 PM
Wow, looks great Chris! I'm going through the tank doldrums right now and are just doing basic maintenence. This of course, is not good, as I have several monnitpora's growing into each other and I still haven't rescaped since I put the overflow in two months ago. I really, really need to get re-motivated to get these tanks of mine back in shape.

TigerWoods
09/01/2005, 02:47 PM
Sugar did you get burnt out from all that plumbing? I don't blame you but your tank always looks awesome. Can't wait to see some more pics of it.

Chris you dont have enough flow from your main return lines that are near your overflow?

chrishet
09/01/2005, 05:18 PM
Thanks SM!

Tiger, I think the two returns flowing through the SCWD was fine for LPS but to get the flow needed for these SPS's I'll need warp speed! Also, I only have one line, it all flows through my sump/fuge and it can't handle the high flow rate. I haven't decided on my OM design yet but my goal is to make it look good and not obstruct the view.

chrishet
09/01/2005, 09:03 PM
FYI, I got most of these SPS frags at Pacific East Aquaculture, Inc. Great folks to work with and the frags were all quite large, as your can see (no 1" frags here!). Highly recommended!

TigerWoods
09/02/2005, 09:13 AM
Originally posted by chrishet
Thanks SM!

Tiger, I think the two returns flowing through the SCWD was fine for LPS but to get the flow needed for these SPS's I'll need warp speed! Also, I only have one line, it all flows through my sump/fuge and it can't handle the high flow rate. I haven't decided on my OM design yet but my goal is to make it look good and not obstruct the view.

So if you removed the SCWD, would there be too much flow in the sump? I cant remember if you have sand in the fuge or not.

Sugar Magnolia
09/02/2005, 10:19 AM
Here's the updated shot of my tank. Needs some serious TLC. I've been battling cyano one the back left side of the tank. Driving me nuts!! Oh and those M digi's at the top - the tips are out of the water.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v513/stanton4/cube390.jpg

TigerWoods
09/02/2005, 11:09 AM
Your tank still looks great! Maybe you just need to donate those M digis or you can just donate some of those green zoos ;) I can't believe you have cyano in there....looks like such a clean system...maybe there is a dead snail or some detris hiding there. Btw what is that yellow thing on the bottom left. I see your yellow watchman..is that a yellow goby?

chrishet
09/02/2005, 11:30 AM
Hi T - I do have sand in the fuge and tried to grow some macro algae but it has all died off, maybe me water params are too good <grin> . If I crank up the flow to 100% from the Mag 9.5 through the SCWD it creates a lot of micro bubbles and kicks around the fuge area a bunch. I think the closed loop will work well for me....

SM - your tank looks great! Your corals all look very healthy.

chrishet
09/02/2005, 03:50 PM
Pic of AquaC Urchin skimmer upgrade. Upgraded pump to RIO 2100 and shutoff valve.

It is a lot louder and produces a lot of micro bubbles in the sump (hopefully these will go down over time) but I get foam.

http://www.hetlage.com/images/skimmer_upgrade.jpg

Jeff
09/03/2005, 04:54 AM
very nice

kimche'
09/03/2005, 06:11 AM
The Grand Unveiling...

My Sump-o-Fuge 3.0
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/swofse/6f8f8625.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/swofse/51d0ef60.jpg

Orp Controller, Ozonizer and DIY Kalk machine.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/swofse/Tank-Sump035.jpg

LifeReef overflow mods...

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/swofse/8739709a.jpg

OM Squirt install and DIY Acrylic Hood pix to follow.

Sugar Magnolia
09/03/2005, 06:16 AM
Whoa...what are those things on the Lifereef? Ledges for corals? Everything looks great! What's the gallonage on that sump/fuge you built? Do you have an updated tank pic Stevan?

Chris, that pump is massive on that Urchin! Hopefully the micro-bubles will diminish.

Tiger, that's a yellow Coris wrasse that I got a couple weeks ago. Very cool fish. Very active and it dives into the sandbed when startled and to sleep.

kimche'
09/03/2005, 06:31 AM
You got it right, those are shelves for rocks/frags. I'm working on a shelf thing to sit to the left of it also...The rockwork (hopefully) will blend together w/more nooks and caves then the typical mountain arrangement I had and hated.

Sug, it's 17.75 gallons gross. Gotta subtract the volume that the Remora/Pump displaces along w/the volume devoted to the live rock bubble diffuser column...But It's as big as I could make it.

I have a new idea about another step, but that's another story.

No new tank pix yet, I'm workin on them...I just don't like what the camera does to the colors.

kimche'
09/03/2005, 07:23 AM
Start-up pix...

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/swofse/ce5d18aa.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/swofse/f7d261ef.jpg

K9
09/03/2005, 08:34 AM
Wow, that's an awful lot of liverock :lol:. Where you going to put corals?

chrishet
09/03/2005, 08:35 AM
kimche' - very nice looking sump. Keep those posts coming and let us know how it's working after a while....I love those shelves on you over flow. I might give that a try on my box.

kimche'
09/03/2005, 08:59 AM
Chrisnet-Thanks...I hated that box just hanging there. UGLY and intrusive.

Those pix are a week old. It's working swell, now that sealed the 1 or 2 inter-chamber leaks that were stirring up the substrate and keeping the water cloudy.

FYI- That's a Hydor pump for the Remora which runs 500 gph and is adjustible. However it's been running full tilt since start-up. Lower wattage/running cooler then the Mag 5 I tried.


More pix later.

TigerWoods
09/03/2005, 10:22 AM
Kimche I cant wait to see that overflow filled with corals. :cool:

kimche'
09/03/2005, 12:32 PM
Me too...Just don't tell my wife how much more thats gonna cost!

Sugar Magnolia
09/03/2005, 01:17 PM
Originally posted by kimche'
Chrisnet-Thanks...I hated that box just hanging there. UGLY and intrusive.
Oh yes...very intrusive! Mine's getting encrusted with coraline, so it's starting to fade into the background.

kimche'
09/03/2005, 02:41 PM
Mine too, until I took it into my mind to make it do double duty. Why not? for what it costs and how overbuilt it is!

It's starting to look like it'll shape up nicely as a big cave. I'm thinking of having 1 of the OM Squirt's outputs exit thru it (ending in a Hydor SwirlyDohickey?).

FYI...My powersucking SQWD finally died. Sorry to say, SCWD's ummm, $uck. Another of my "Try Cheap 1st..." gambles had turned poorly.


Originally posted by Sugar Magnolia
Oh yes...very intrusive! Mine's getting encrusted with coraline, so it's starting to fade into the background.

Maverick27
09/11/2005, 04:43 PM
Hey everyone, wow, I've missed alot going on in this thread. I gotta say that overflow looks pretty cool kimche. I just spent 3 hours cleaning my tank due to neglagence and one of the things that took longest way scraping the overflow clean. I've got an idea for mine as well. It takes away from the tank to see this big bulky box sittin in the water.

Sugar i think your tanks looking great. I like the sound of the personality on that wrasse. I've been looking for a new fish to get for my tank but not sure what yet. My tank has been pretty stagnant for a while to with money going to vacations and having summer fun =)

Chris just gotta say tank looks great. Coming alot nicely with lots of nice corals. I also had the same dillema as you with the caulepra. I didn't know why but i left going on vacation with a nice amount of caulepra and still growing. Then i came back and for some reason it was all gone except for a few branches. Now my live rock thats under there is full of hair algae and some red plant stems starting to grow. Lots of pods as well. But my nitrate is finally at 0 so i could care less =) Apparently the algae is doing something good down there.

TigerWoods
09/13/2005, 01:38 PM
Kimche more pics please! Also what model blueline/panworld pump is that?

kimche'
09/13/2005, 06:41 PM
Howdy Tiger!

That'a a Pan World 50PXX AKA Blue-Line. Power curve is like the Iwaki MD30X, like 1/2 the $$$.

Spent the savings and more by getting an Oceans Motions Squirt...

I added a Pygmy Angel, BiColor Chromis and a Foxface ( it wiped out my Caulerpa problem in 5 day's!). These fish are really sweet and quite tiny.

Pix on the way.

robster
09/22/2005, 05:29 PM
Chrishet, what is that trick you did with the rubber bands on the Urchin. Can you eplain where you put them in detail?

chrishet
09/22/2005, 10:11 PM
I put the rubber band around the bottom of the collection cup, the square peice at the base. I think the biggest improvement was with the pump. Lots of bubbles though.

robster
09/23/2005, 05:21 AM
I tried that. How did you get it to stay on?

chrishet
09/23/2005, 08:50 AM
It's not easy! put a dab of super glue on the corners or use teflon tape instead of the rubber band. Did you upgrade your pump? I think I posted a pic a few weeks ago of my mod. I REALLY think this was the fix. Since then I have taken the rubberband off. The only problem I have now is too many micro bubbles (I may put the rubberband on again and try to slow down the flow rate). Let me know how your mod works?

On another note, I got a OM Squirt to replace the SCWD. This will be a closed loop with the goal of slowing down flow in my sump and to increase flow in the tank. Not much room under the tank so I am having to be very creative.

I am really thinking about building a new stand over the winter. I've got a few ideas, any other thoughts?

- removable panels (front/sides) for accessing sump, cleaning, etc...
- make stand wider then tank, perhaps 18in extra on each side
- include plenty of vents/fans for chiller
- electrical control panel
- make canopy height adjustable
- make canopy easily removable
- access doors on canopy for feeding and maint
- add actinics/moon lights to hood
- integrate OM Squirt closed loop into canopy

robster
10/09/2005, 05:17 PM
My neighbor was nice enough to build me a custom canopy for my 37 gallon tank. His carpentry skills are superb. I provided the wood and hinges and he built it for a nominal fee. He did a really good job

I used white poplar plywood. It is furniture grade wood for just $30 per sheet. It was the only wood I could find that matched well with the stand.

I bought Orion 51 cfm fans. One blowing in, one blowing out. A little loud. Any suggestions for making them a little quieter. These AC fans are great for the price. Only $13.50 each and there is no bulky transformer to plug in. You can get them here. Lots of different sizes and speeds to choose from.

http://www.arcade-electronics.com/c...-47105197945.6d

So far the temp is actually cooler than when I had it as an open top with a metalic silver egg crate suicide lid on it. I guess this is because of the fans blowing across the top. I am going to have to turn the heater up a bit. It is currently running 76.5 degrees.

The lighting is a PFO 250W HQI fixture. I got the idea of sitting it on top like that from Typhon back when he did this to his last tank. Thanks for posting your pics Typhon.

You can view the pictures in my shutterfly album here. I have never figured out how to insert pics in the post.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/...k4as2Ei&notag=1

The only problem I am having right now is the support beam in the inside front. It is in the way of being able to stick my arm into the tank to do simple maintenance such as turkey baste the substrate. He put that there to provide ultimate support. I might decide to take this out.

Maverick27
10/09/2005, 11:49 PM
Hey as far as your fans go, sounds crazy but might work. If they are identical, two sound waves in opposition to each other cancel each other out. I know that this actually works because if you hook two subwoofers up with different polarity's it sounds like you have no bass at all. I don't know if they're DC or AC but maybe if you can wire one of the fans to work with a reverse polarity and one with a regular. If it's a motor it shouldn't matter which way it's hooked up just turn diferent direction. Try playin with that....maybe it's worth a shot.

hubes1
10/10/2005, 12:14 PM
Wow, awesome thread. I just started up my own 30g cube and was wondering if there's been some discussion around fish options. Been poking through the first half, but there are a ton of pages to sort through :)

Was hoping to get a couple anthias, but seems like most (if not all) of them need more swimming room.

Reefvet
10/10/2005, 02:15 PM
Originally posted by hubes1
Was hoping to get a couple anthias, but seems like most (if not all) of them need more swimming room.

They definitely need more room.

I have a small Potter's angel, a saddleback clown and a watchman goby in my 30 gal. cube. They all seems to have enough room / territory to defend, but adding anything more would be too much IMO.

chrishet
12/14/2005, 07:07 PM
Hi ya'll, hope all has been well. Got out the old camera today and took a few shots. The full tank shot ain't that great, I need more acros!..maybe santa will be good to me this year!

The tank is running great. About all I do is;

-20% water changes 1-2 times per month
-add 2 caps Reef Complete 2-3 times per week (love this stuff!)
-feed fish daily, cyclop-eeze 2-3 times per week
-add 2 tbsp Kent Kalk mix to kalk reactor
-I feed the sun corals 2-3 times per week with mysis shrimp.

The sump is running fine and the auto top-off is also running great.

http://www.hetlage.com/images/tank_pics/IMG_7848.jpg
http://www.hetlage.com/images/tank_pics/IMG_7820.jpg
http://www.hetlage.com/images/tank_pics/IMG_7817.jpg
http://www.hetlage.com/images/tank_pics/IMG_7802.jpg

chrishet
12/14/2005, 07:09 PM
http://www.hetlage.com/images/tank_pics/IMG_7701.jpg
http://www.hetlage.com/images/tank_pics/IMG_7695.jpg
http://www.hetlage.com/images/tank_pics/IMG_7694.jpg

chrishet
12/14/2005, 07:11 PM
http://www.hetlage.com/images/tank_pics/IMG_7689.jpg
http://www.hetlage.com/images/tank_pics/IMG_7687.jpg
http://www.hetlage.com/images/tank_pics/IMG_7677.jpg
http://www.hetlage.com/images/tank_pics/IMG_7673.jpg
http://www.hetlage.com/images/tank_pics/IMG_7665.jpg
http://www.hetlage.com/images/tank_pics/IMG_7648.jpg

robster
12/14/2005, 08:17 PM
Do you still have your blue blenny?

chrishet
12/14/2005, 09:22 PM
Hi Robster, hope all has been well. The blenny, Lenny, is alive and well. He just isn't much of a ham and tends to hide when I start taking pics. I only spent a few minutes today taking these and I just didn't get a good one of him. The six line wrasse volunteered for a suicide mission a while ago, funny thing I am seeing more bristle worms now :o

How are things with your cube?

RocketSeason
12/15/2005, 08:33 AM
Looks fantastic! The Zoos are beautiful! And Watchman Gobys are still among my favorites.

My cube has gone downhill a bit since I had started concentrating on paying for my wedding and not concentrating on keep up with my Reefkeeping... Hopefully I will turn that around as the new year arrives.

Sugar Magnolia
12/15/2005, 09:43 AM
The tank looks great Chris. Your watchman is as fat as mine! Looks like yours doesn't spit sand all over his zoos. Lucky you. ;) Mine perches on a zoo colony and is constantly sifting sand onto them.

chrishet
12/15/2005, 12:56 PM
Thanks Sugar, The lower portion of the tank is doing fine but my SPS are not growing well. I'm going to try a new bulb, it's time anyway.

chrishet
12/15/2005, 12:56 PM
BTW, I posted a bunch of pics, some of them are on page 3 of this list.

MadTownMax
12/15/2005, 02:05 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6291332#post6291332 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chrishet
Thanks Sugar, The lower portion of the tank is doing fine but my SPS are not growing well. I'm going to try a new bulb, it's time anyway.

with sps mixed with lps and polyps mixed, the slow sps growth may be just a indicator of chemicals released by the non-sps inhabitants.....

chrishet
12/15/2005, 08:57 PM
you might be right...I've had good growth on some acros but my monti cap for example hasn't done a thing. I'm thinking about a new hood and use a 10k XM bulb and some actinics in place of just my 14k Phoenix. The bulb is over a year old and may be loosing its par.

-Chris

Maverick27
12/16/2005, 12:31 AM
Tank looks great Chris, i love all the pictures you take of your tank. You feel like your in the tank haha. Heard something your supposed to replace halide bulbs every six months? Is that true or is that overkill? If its true then im overdue for a bulb change myself

Maverick27
12/16/2005, 12:31 AM
Tank looks great Chris, i love all the pictures you take of your tank. You feel like your in the tank haha. Heard something your supposed to replace halide bulbs every six months? Is that true or is that overkill? If its true then im overdue for a bulb change myself

Kinetic
12/16/2005, 02:38 AM
WOW. that is sweet. I love your macro shots, they're really great. I really like everyone's aquascaping.

Hopefully in the near future my cube will be done too!

http://www.socalcreations.com/images/socal-pics/art_tank/tank4.jpg

http://www.socalcreations.com/images/socal-pics/art_tank/tank5.jpg

Maybe you guys can give me some cool ideas. My tank is 30" x 25" x 25" and still being built as you can see with an external overflow of 12" x 5" x 12".

http://i.xkinetic.net/12-05/tank_cad/tank_back.jpg

http://i.xkinetic.net/12-05/tank_cad/tank_back.jpg

I have four holes on the top of my eurobracing, the back two for vertical spray bars running down the back corners of the tank as sump returns, two on the front two corners for closed loop returns, two more closed loops in the back of my tank. The closed loop will be run with a quiet one 3000 1500gph pump with a OM Super Squirt. Sump return is 780gph pump. I have a 250watt hqi metal halide pendant, and I may put in my two 55watt Actinic PC's.

I was wondering if you guys knew the best ways to "point" the nozzles of my CL returns to get the best flow around the tank. Locline? I've heard of it but can't find any pages describing how it works.

Also aquascaping, I'm thinking of doing an offset C with the opening in the front, and then a small island to the left of it connected at the top with a bridge. Any ideas?

Thanks!!

chrishet
12/16/2005, 08:29 AM
All those plans sound great. Do you really need that large of an overflow? 12x12 takes up a lot of space. I think mine is roughly half that deep and I have my returns going through it. I'm using a Mag 9.5 through a SCWD 9.5 upgrading to a Squirt).

Locline is good stuff. Savko and Modularhose will have all the parts you will need. I love the stuff. Good info on the Modularhose site.

http://www.savko.com/index.asp
http://modularhose.com/

Looking forward to seeing more pics.

Regards,
Chris

KING OF THE REEF
12/16/2005, 09:26 AM
wow awsome tanks i love the zoos and what nots, when i get my new 20 set up later today or tmmrw ill post pics. will have a few corals and my pair of clowns because im just transohering stuff from another tank over (enogh water and rock and sand though)

MadTownMax
12/16/2005, 09:33 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6294549#post6294549 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chrishet
you might be right...I've had good growth on some acros but my monti cap for example hasn't done a thing. I'm thinking about a new hood and use a 10k XM bulb and some actinics in place of just my 14k Phoenix. The bulb is over a year old and may be loosing its par.

-Chris

very interesting - In my 24-gallon JBJ cube I had pretty good growth of monti digi's and caps and that was just under PC's; so I wouldn't think that it is the lights.

- but I also know that they were more sensitive than the acro's in the tank, as when I fragged some blue palythoa's (large zooanthids) it wiped out the six small colonies of montipora in my tank :(.

If you can borrow a par meter it may help a lot - some halide bulbs will loose par after 6-months, others will last for 4-years (seriously) all depends on the ballast they are on, and the type of bulb - even manufacturing difference from bulb to bulb could make one outlast another by a year - a par meter would probably pay for itself in that respect. Luckily there is someone in my local reef club with a par meter, so I haven't had to invest in one myself.

-Nick

robster
12/16/2005, 01:19 PM
I've been thinking of upgrading myself. This is the tank I liked. 30x30x31. 125 gallons. I would want a acrylic internal overflow, not clear glass. Not sure why anyone would want a clear internal overflow.

http://www.glasscages.com/?sAction=ViewPicture&lPictID=120

I was thinking of using a lumenarc reflector with a 400W SE Radium bulb with a 12" Canopy and steel cabinet frame with wood panels. I love these reflectors.

http://www.aquariausa.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idProduct=124


Sunlight supply is now making their own version. I like how it hangs.

http://www.reefgeek.com/products/categories/lighting/104928.html

Chris, your tank look gorgeous. Have you had any luck spawning your Onyx? Mine are growing quickly. The male has started to vibrate next to the female in the rose anemone. I am feeding them well and added a auto diming moon light from here:

http://www.fishbowl-innovations.com/

And my auto top-off from here:

http://www.autotopoff.com/

Did you guys see my post on my custom made 10" canopy back a few pages ago? It cuts off most of the spillover light and focuses much more light inside the tank. Learning the new top-off and temp settings at that point or the start of a new season has been challenging but finally under control with the right fans, heater controller, and top-off.

Here is where I got my new Aqua Medic heater controller. Great price. It controls up to a 1000W heater. Great price at only $60. You can run it with an existing heater or you can get a Titanium heater to plug in for an additional $28. That is what I did. I use the stealth heater I was using for heating water change water. I realized my coralife heater probe is reporting water 2 degrees cooller than what the biotherm reports. I think I was overheating the tank with the stealth also adding to my evaporation problem. The coralife probe is covered in coraline.


http://www.championlighting.com/product.php?productid=21402&cat=668&page=1

chrishet
12/16/2005, 03:05 PM
Thanks robster. My male onyx is always shaking a sputtering around the female but no spawning here.

I use the same auto topoff. It has worked flawlessly for the past year. I have it triggering the RO/DI unit in my bathroom. The output of the RO goes into a kalk reactor which in turn goes into my sump. So every night I am topping off with kalk. My calcium, pH and alk levels have all been fine. I do manually add Reef Complete.

I had a bad thing happen yesterday and didn't realize it till just a few minutes ago. I did a water change yesterday and used kalk water from the reactor for the water mix :o. I have a bypass on my reactor that I use when I need fresh water and I forgot to switch it, so all 10 gals of water that I mixed was dosed with kalk! This morning when I looked at the pinpoint it said 9.0, ouch! After searching around the RC lists I found a solution, white vinegar. I slowly added 30ml to my sump and like magic, my pH came down to 8.5. I'm thinking that is good enough for now and will just use freshwater for a few days to bring it down the rest of the way.

Btw, ordered a Reeflux 250w 10k bulb today. Reports look pretty good on it. I am a big fab of blue so I will probably add some actinics also, any thoughts on bulbs? I was thinking a pair of 28w PC's would work. I may be needing that hood sooner rather then later.

That looks like a great tank, love those cubes!

pimp2daizzo
12/16/2005, 09:52 PM
can i see some pics of the groth on the cup corals???

chrishet
12/17/2005, 10:15 AM
I'll try to get a pic tonight when I feed them. I haven't seen much growth in my Sun Polyps but they aren't attached to live rock so I don't really expect to. I did notice 2 small orange polyps on the opposite side of my tank. I have no idea how they got there!

chrishet
12/17/2005, 08:07 PM
Here are some pics of the sun coral tonight. It didn't open up much before I fed it. Also is a pic of what looks like another peice that somehow got attached to an old snail shell.

http://www.hetlage.com/images/tank_pics/IMG_7907.jpg
http://www.hetlage.com/images/tank_pics/IMG_7905.jpg

Feeding time....
http://www.hetlage.com/images/tank_pics/IMG_7922.jpg

Let the battle begin....
http://www.hetlage.com/images/tank_pics/IMG_7900.jpg

chrishet
01/11/2006, 10:52 PM
Woohoo! Check this out

I need help! What do I do next!!!!

http://www.hetlage.com/images/fry_day1.jpg

NanoCube-boy
01/12/2006, 02:39 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=5549848#post5549848 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chrishet
http://www.hetlage.com/images/sunpoyps3.jpg

Do you feed your Tubestraes mouth by mouth with a syrin?

Is that your True Clowns eggs? IF it is... WOW!!!!!!

chrishet
01/12/2006, 08:11 AM
Nanocube, I target feed my suns about once a week with mysis shrimp. About 15mins before I feed them the shrimp I add a little cyclopeeze to the tank. This makes them open up big. Then I just turn off the pumps and use a turkey baster to target the shrimp to the coral. I also feed with cyclopeeze every other night.

They are Black Onyx Clowns and yup they have laid thier first batch of eggs. I don't see much of a chance they will survive but isn't it cool!

MadTownMax
01/12/2006, 10:02 AM
Congrats Chris! How old are the clowns?

chrishet
01/12/2006, 10:11 AM
I think about 2 years old. They were an adult pair when I got them.

robster
01/12/2006, 05:24 PM
Congrats on the eggs. How exciting. I'm jealous. My BTA split into 3 on Christmas day and has moved all around the tank and confused my Onyx pair. Keep me posted on the progress.

NanoCube-boy
01/12/2006, 06:23 PM
nice...

chrishet
01/12/2006, 07:32 PM
Thanks All! After reading a bunch on the clown list I'm not expecting any new clowns from this and I'm not really ready to commit to the setup needed to raise clowns. Oh well, but it is fun to see them go at it!

NanoCube-boy
01/12/2006, 11:31 PM
What are you planning to do with the eggs?

Sugar Magnolia
01/13/2006, 02:08 PM
The eggs will either hatch and the fry will get eaten, or the parents will eat the eggs.

NanoCube-boy
01/13/2006, 03:52 PM
oh, so you don't remove them right?

Maverick27
01/15/2006, 03:27 PM
Congrads on the babies chris. I wish i had bought a pair of clowns. Just take lots of pics and hope for the best. Maybe not this batch but the next batch you should try to raise them or at least find out how hard it is.

Sugar Magnolia
01/16/2006, 08:02 AM
Pick up Joyce Wilkerson's Clownfish book - that goes into detail about rasing clownfish. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1890087041/qid=1137420123/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-9188703-0648716?n=507846&s=books&v=glance

Here's my update guys. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=751807

NanoCube-boy
01/16/2006, 01:45 PM
nice...

barnacleman
01/25/2006, 04:35 PM
have cube and want to post picts. what is the easiest way to reduce the file size of images (since need to be under 50k to post)?

RocketSeason
01/26/2006, 08:27 AM
ah geeze guys. My cube is doing really bad right now.

I upgraded my lighting which caused a Hair Algea and cyano bloom. Then my Purple firefish died of reasons unknown to me.

This hobby is getting a bit hard to enjoy.

NanoCube-boy
01/26/2006, 11:25 AM
did you check you paremeters?

Kinetic
01/26/2006, 12:44 PM
something's gone wrong with your tank. first thing to do is to do a huge water change, 30%, maybe more. then check the params of the water you just removed. scream accordingly ;)

Maverick27
01/27/2006, 12:06 AM
Rocket Season - I've been in you shoes a few times. Best thing to do honestly IMO, if the tank starts to become a hassle and more of a chore to have then an enjoyment, take it easy for a while. Check what's causing this bloom. First knock down your lighting on your halides to 6 hours, and use your actinics for the rest to make a 12 hour light period. If you have lunars only use them for an hour sunrise, hour sunset just to ease into a night transition. Then try to get the algae to slow down growth as much as possible. Once you do this, get rid of all the stuff. No algae on rocks, substrate, anything. Scrub as much as you can with a toothbrush, take whatever rock you can out and do into decently warm saltwater. If not do it in the tank with the filter at high blast and have a net handy. After you get everything all cleaned out do a small water change and change your filter media. Not all just a good amount, make sure you change your carbon. Give that 2-3 days with it all clean, then do a large water change, about 10-15 gallons. After that you should be ok for the most part. I did this with my tank the only thing i have now is a small amount of i guess brown slime algae growing on the substrate which i don't know from water circulation or the substrate not being turned enough.

Maverick27
01/27/2006, 12:35 AM
My tank before cleaning
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/83853Canopy.jpg

And after scrubbing and a little rearranging
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/83853Picture_005RC.JPG

NanoCube-boy
01/27/2006, 01:04 AM
tangs can live in a thirty? very nice T clown you HAVE. Mine died when i didn't have time to take cared it.

Pacific Reefs
08/13/2006, 09:39 PM
Beautiful cube...any updates here?

natep206
08/14/2006, 01:59 AM
no tangs cant live in a thirty....nice tank... like the clown!

RocketSeason
08/14/2006, 07:20 AM
Good rockwork! I like the 2 island structures. I found cubes much easier and more interesting to aquascape than the longer narrower variety.

sumyungviet
08/14/2006, 07:32 AM
i love that canopy, i started on one... started:rolleyes: and its been sitting next to the tank for 2 months now. haha i'm starting to like the open top look since im using a pendant.

NanoCube-boy
08/14/2006, 12:35 PM
Actually RocketSeason, Cubes are more advance and much harder to take care because everything are so dense together. The very small slight thing wrong and the tank can crash easily.

For instance, accidently overfeeding, Nitrate rise quickly. Accidently add alittle to much calcium, your shrimp may die. Rapid water parameter change and cause stress.

Larger tank are much easier because everything is so far apart. Not dense. So if you accidently over feed, then the live rock and sand do it's work, but in Nano. The sand and live rocks are too little, it can only process so much.

sumyungviet
08/14/2006, 06:43 PM
nc-boy, i think rocketseason was refering to just the aquascaping part, which i totally agree with, there's more depth to work with.

robster
08/14/2006, 07:09 PM
Chrishet, do you feed your green favia anything? Mine has faded from that nice brown color yours is on page 1. Just wondering if you turkey baste it with anything?

Maverick27
08/14/2006, 10:45 PM
I actually got the idea to do the two sides from when i went to discovery cove in FL. There reef is set up with a big gorge in the middle and it seemed good for me because of the swimming area it provided. Thanks Sumy. I'm also actually starting on a new canopy for my 58g, i made one but it doesn't function the way i need it too. Also the open top is great, my 30g stays at 75F year round. I guess all the extra air.
NateP - Actually my tang was very happy in my tank for a long time. I don't recommend everyone getting one because they do grow big, mine for some reason was dwarfed from another tank i guess when i bought him. He has died recently tho actually from some sort of fin disease.

NanoCube-boy
08/15/2006, 12:03 AM
Oh, I see. Then I agree if he said it like that.