Tank of the Month - October 2005

[Skipper]

This month we are featuring Jose Dieck's (jdieck) beautiful reef aquarium:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/totm/images/RChomepage.jpg (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/totm/index.php)

More details can be found here (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/totm/index.php) or by clicking on the picture above.

Congratulations, Jose!<table width="375" height="55" border="2" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="1" bordercolor="#006699">
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<center><font color="#FFFFFF" size="-1">If you'd like to nominate a tank
for Tank of the Month, click <a href="http://reefcentral.com/forums/newthread.php?s=&action=newthread&forumid=189" target="_blank"><font color="#FFFFFF">here</font></a>
or use the button to the right.</font></center>
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<td bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="27%"><img src="http://reefkeeping.com/images/nominate1.gif" border="0"> (http://reefcentral.com/forums/newthread.php?s=&action=newthread&forumid=189)
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[my2girls]

Very nice tank!

[A Reef Scene]

The tank looks better in person. It is one of the best tanks I have seen.

[Brewen]

Great tank thanks for the look

[mopecula]

All I can say is wow!!! Awesome!!

[Rendos]

I thought I had seen everyone's tank here on RC, but this was a surprise. What an awesome tank...mature growth on everything. I think this is what we all strive for in our tanks. Simply amazing!!!

[angelfishlover]

VERY NICE! MY FAVORITE TANK OF THE MONTH SINCE I STARTED REEDING THE RK MAGAZINE!

[maxpower2112]

Holy acros. Very nice tank, one of the more impressive I have ever seen.

[TheCoralNabber]

I just can't believe how big your acros are! A truly amazing tank. What kind of roids are you giving those things. I need to get my tank some of them.

Dan

[Jeremy B.]

Jose,

Your tank is truly amazing! The proportion of all the corals to one another, as well as the space that you have allowed them to have to grow and mature to the point they are now is absolutely stunning! Congrats!

[rjwilson37]

Excellent setup there Jose! You have outdone yourself. What a beautiful mixed reef tank.

My head is spinning from reading your setup. I think I am going to try and sleep now if that is at all possible since my head is swimming in reef heaven after looking at your tank and all the wonderful equipment you have running.

Isn't it funny that we do a lot to maintain our systems and think of it as not much work since it is something we just do as part of our daily routine.

[Lager]

Excellent choice RC,, his commentary was down to earth and made for excellent reading..Its good to hear that sucessfull tanks, like this one,, Included some disasters at the start..Beautifull tank and excellently written..

[Skipper]

I must say that this tank is very, very impressive when visiting in person. Jeremy: next year @ IMAC, you MUST have Jose give you the tour. :D

[ssbreef]

I was just as impressed with you tank as I was with your write up. GREAT JOB!!

[zoazoa]

It is really part of ocean.. Great.....

[reefwick]

Asolutely amazing system. I have been fortunate enough to see this in person and it is breath taking to say the least. Jose is the most helpful and generous person I've met in this hobby. Congratulations on the honor of TOTM!

[Awright]

Great tank. Huge acro's :eek1:
:thumbsup:

[billsreef]

Jose,

Congratulations on TOTM :D

[jeffbrig]

Jose,

Congrats on making TOTM. A picture of your tank and cabinetry that I saw almost 2 years ago is what inspired my wife and I to start plannig our room divider tank as part of a kitchen remodeling project. I'm still light years behind you, but thanks for getting me started in the right direction.

Jeff

[chilly01willy]

awesome looking tank!

[shells]

Truly an inspiring and amazing tank Jose!! Congradulations! :D

I have a 150 gal tank that is just starting out. My fans are very
noisy, How did you quite yours??

[DL_Canuck]

:D Awesome tank you have, I have a 210-gallon tank that I set up the same way too. You can see from kitchen and the living room. Again awesome tank and the set up you did. Thank you for some ideals you have to share with us. :D

[Jamesurq]

Very nice. Gives me and everyone a reality check of just how big these corals can be if not fragged....

oh - and get to fragging :)

[RevHtree]

Ditto on all the above! Great tank!

I have to say that I really enjoyed reading the article about your tank. I snickered a few times at your humor (tread mill), and your titles to each section were very funny!

Thanks for sharing...

[stretch415]

That is an amazing tank. I never knew such a thing exsisted outside of a zoo. The amount of time and effort is crazy but well worth it. Great tank.

[Cosper]

Great tank.. well worthy of TOTM.

A little off topic.. but, I was wondering.. what would it take for your false perc fry to live? Do they need to be removed (yes, I realize that would be impossible tho)? What is it that kills them, other fish?

[Blindmelonbob]

What a beautiful reef. Congratulations!

[yankeebobo]

Truly an amazing tank. A tank to easily get lost in. Very impressive.

[CuriousTucker]

For somebody that is new to the hobby but is currently in the planning stages, this TOTM is the best ever. Thank you for being exhaustive in your descriptions of your tank, maintenance, and design. Thank you thank you.

[mhurley]

Congrats buddy. Very well deserved!

I spend more time at Jose's house than I probably should and it is truly awe inspiring to see. Easily, he is the most generous and helpful reefer that I know.

[ribs]

WOOHOO, jdieck!

I'll add that you've been an inspiration to me for years. I've consistently referred to your website and RC posting archives while setting up and maintaining my system, my tank has a jdieck-slant to it :)
Your assistance, directly and indirectly, is very appreciated.
Excellent system, congrats and THANKS!!!!
-Rob

[fishman_CT]

Truly awesome!!

-Kevin

[cward]

Congratulations Jose!!! Very beautiful tank.

[JayC]

Thats one beatiful setup Jose!!! And congrates on getting to be totm!:thumbsup:

[juststartingout]

Jose, congratulations on getting TOTM ! I have browsed your website for idea's and am not surprised in the least that your setup was awarded TOTM.

[jdieck]

Originally posted by ncsugrad04
I just can't believe how big your acros are! A truly amazing tank. What kind of roids are you giving those things. I need to get my tank some of them.

Dan

:lol: No roids just the usual calcium, alkalinity and lots of T&L care.

[jdieck]

Thanks everyone for your nice comments.

[jdieck]

Originally posted by Jeremy B.
Jose,

Your tank is truly amazing! The proportion of all the corals to one another, as well as the space that you have allowed them to have to grow and mature to the point they are now is absolutely stunning! Congrats!

Jeremy:

Now you can see were half of your sales are going! :lol:

[jdieck]

Originally posted by rjwilson37
Isn't it funny that we do a lot to maintain our systems and think of it as not much work since it is something we just do as part of our daily routine.

Tell me about it. I travel a lot and half of the time either my wife or Mike (Hurley) help me with keep it going. (As of now I am writting from the beautiful Amish Country of Ohio)

[jdieck]

Originally posted by Skipper
I must say that this tank is very, very impressive when visiting in person. Jeremy: next year @ IMAC, you MUST have Jose give you the tour. :D

I'll be glad to arrange something for anyone who may wish a tour.

[jdieck]

Originally posted by jeffbrig
Jose,

Congrats on making TOTM. A picture of your tank and cabinetry that I saw almost 2 years ago is what inspired my wife and I to start plannig our room divider tank as part of a kitchen remodeling project. I'm still light years behind you, but thanks for getting me started in the right direction.

Jeff

Thanks! Hope she is also involved otherwise do not blame me for the constant requests of undivided atention... :D
Hope you guys enjoy it as much as we do.

[jdieck]

Originally posted by shells
Truly an inspiring and amazing tank Jose!! Congradulations! :D

I have a 150 gal tank that is just starting out. My fans are very
noisy, How did you quite yours??
Thanks!
I mounted the fans on rubber inserts and groomets that reduced the vibration and the noise by more than half.

[jdieck]

Originally posted by ReeferNOOB
Ditto on all the above! Great tank!

I have to say that I really enjoyed reading the article about your tank. I snickered a few times at your humor (tread mill), and your titles to each section were very funny!

Thanks for sharing...

Thanks, I keep trying to improve my "Spanish" :D

[jdieck]

Originally posted by Cosper
Great tank.. well worthy of TOTM.

A little off topic.. but, I was wondering.. what would it take for your false perc fry to live? Do they need to be removed (yes, I realize that would be impossible tho)? What is it that kills them, other fish?

Unfortunately they become food as soon as they are off the eggs.
I think if I locate a smooth black tile right in fromt of the spawning site and take it out with the eggs to a grow up tank a day or two before they hatch might make the trick. I just have not had the time or the extra tank to try.

[jdieck]

Originally posted by CuriousTucker
For somebody that is new to the hobby but is currently in the planning stages, this TOTM is the best ever. Thank you for being exhaustive in your descriptions of your tank, maintenance, and design. Thank you thank you.

Thanks. You might get some more ideas from the drawings page:
http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/drawings.html

[jdieck]

Originally posted by mhurley
Congrats buddy. Very well deserved!

I spend more time at Jose's house than I probably should and it is truly awe inspiring to see. Easily, he is the most generous and helpful reefer that I know.

Thanks Mike. Part of the credit belongs right with you.
:thumbsup:

[jdieck]

Originally posted by ribs
WOOHOO, jdieck!

I'll add that you've been an inspiration to me for years. I've consistently referred to your website and RC posting archives while setting up and maintaining my system, my tank has a jdieck-slant to it :)
Your assistance, directly and indirectly, is very appreciated.
Excellent system, congrats and THANKS!!!!
-Rob

Thanks. Glad to be of Help Rob.

[shells]

Hi Jose!
Thanks for your info. I will give it a try!

I took a peak at your website. Very Impressive. Very informative!!

What kind of camera/lens/settings do you use to take your pictures??


Thanks again !!!
Great job!!!:)

PS. I'd be interested in some frags, will you be shipping any
or strictly selling to local people??

[Cosper]

Originally posted by jdieck
Unfortunately they become food as soon as they are off the eggs.
I think if I locate a smooth black tile right in fromt of the spawning site and take it out with the eggs to a grow up tank a day or two before they hatch might make the trick. I just have not had the time or the extra tank to try.

Im sure it would be difficult considering the size and population of that tank. Be fun to try some day tho.

Agian- Great looking system..

[nepuck]

Very, very nice!

Sure would like to get some frags of those colorful SPS.

[mike89t]

Originally posted by CuriousTucker
For somebody that is new to the hobby but is currently in the planning stages, this TOTM is the best ever. Thank you for being exhaustive in your descriptions of your tank, maintenance, and design. Thank you thank you.

I agree. I've only been in the hobby for about 1 year and found the info very helpful. Also it was very well written and en enjoyable read.

How long has this system been up and running?

[Mr. Eko]

It looks amazing!
Good job on the TOTM

[hungtien]

Congratulation Jose!
Finally, I have a chance to see your tank!
Great works!
-David

[jdieck]

Originally posted by mike89t
How long has this system been up and running?
It has been up roughly three years now.

[rbaker]

Congratulations Jose! Another very well deserved TOTM...

Ryan

[Scuba Oz]

VERY nice!!!! Congrats on TOTM

[reefarena]

Hi Jose,

Very nice tank and excellent equipment set up. Had a couple questions; regarding the RO/DI unit and ¿purity & rejection monitors? What are those and where can they be purchased.

What brand calcium reactor and kalk reactor do you recommend?


Very nice tank.

Randy Arena ô¿ô

[peecook]

awesome acros. great description too. thanks.

[mimosa]

Hi Jose. After seeing your beautiful tank, setup and automated system in person, I have been wondering when your tank would be featured as TOTM. Congratulations!

[jdieck]

Originally posted by reefarena
Hi Jose,
Had a couple questions; regarding the RO/DI unit and ¿purity & rejection monitors? What are those and where can they be purchased.

What brand calcium reactor and kalk reactor do you recommend?

Randy Arena ô¿ô

Thanks for the compliments everyone.

Randy:
A rejection monitor is nothing but a dual on-line TDS meter that is set up to measure the TDS to the inlet and outlet of the membrane.
If the measured Rejection in % is 90% or less on a 75 gpd or less membrane or less than 85% on a 100 gpd membrane, the membrane has to be replaced

Rejection % = (TDSin-TDSout)/TDSin x 100

A purity monitor is also an in line conductivity meter but does not reads ppm but rather turns a green or red light depending if the water has exceeded the monitor set point. It has the disadvantage that does not read the ppm but has a higher sensitivity of down to 0.3 ppm while typical TDS meters resolution is 1 ppm +/- 1ppm at very low levels.

Here is a dual TDS meter that can act as a rejection meter just install the probes in and out the membrane rather than in and out the RO/DI unit.
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=AFX-100&Category_Code=Aquafxro

Here is the monitor:
This you can connect the probe at the pure water point or after any non color indicating DI cartridge so you know when it has been exhausted. Scroll down to the "Push to Test Monitor"
http://www.spectrapure.com/St_quality_p2.htm

There are a lot of good Calcium Reactors out there. But here are some tips:
a) For an SPS loaded tank. I would recomend a reactor at least three times larger than the manufacturer recomendation. If the manufacturer say it is for up to 400 gallons it will only be good for about a 120 to 130 gallon tank.
b) I like up flow in the chamber rather than downflow
c) A second chamber is also recomended to reduce the impact on PH
d) Get a PH monitor if not a controller. The reactor is imposible to set up with a test kit.
e) If using a two chamber reactor look for one were the PH probe can be installed either in the first chamber, first chamber recirculation or right at the output of the first chamber. This is a requirement to increase the controller or PH monitor responsiveness.
e) needle valves for effluent control are also my preference
f) Finally for a nice touch a flow meter; which is not required but, once you have it you will find out how convenient it is rather than using a stop watch and a measuring cup.

[mrreuben]

Ok i think i have a question that all of us would like to know. What was the initial cost for setup on your system. You must be rolling in the dough to aford a tank like this.

[Phishmike]

Great tank, I really enjoyed reading your whole story from begining to end, I too am a husband and father, and can relate (on a smaller scale) to the whole "will it be the tank or us" syndrome.

Good luck with continuing success.

Michael

[reefarena]

Thank you Jose for all the info, very informative...

Randy ô¿ô

[Don424]

Beautiful tank................ but looks like overkill to me with all the equipment etc.............the monthly electric bill must be astronomical.

[jdieck]

Originally posted by mrreuben
Ok i think i have a question that all of us would like to know. What was the initial cost for setup on your system.
I would say that about a lot more than I expected :D

[jdieck]

Originally posted by Don424
Beautiful tank................ but looks like overkill to me with all the equipment etc.............the monthly electric bill must be astronomical.
I think the power consumers like pumps and lighting are not really avoidable. The rest is just investment. Given my travel automation is really a blessing although I recognize a lot of it is just like for "engineering pleasure" :D

[bigeyetuna]

Very impressive! I like the way it is part of the house itself.

:bounce3: :bounce1: :bounce2:

[jdieck]

Originally posted by bigeyetuna
Very impressive! I like the way it is part of the house itself.

:bounce3: :bounce1: :bounce2:
Thanks, I like the bouncers :D

[M0E]

congrats, i love it

[blackjacks_mom]

Jose,

Unbelievably stunning. Great work & congratulations on totm. Well deserved. :thumbsup:

Pam

[J0EC00L]

Jose,

In your article you stated replacing your power heads suction cups. Where do you buy your replacement suction cups? I have been searching for a long time for a source of replacement suction cups for my maxijet 1200's. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

BTW

Your tank is a top notch setup. And your insane.

Thanks,

Joe

[steelcaveman]

Awesome setup! I am jeleaous of those with a basement.
I am curious how you resolved some of your problems: hair algae and ich in particular. I tried a bunch of stuff, and found that time, garlic, circulation, and high water quality fixed most of my problems better than any remedy or product, with the exception of ich. Foretunately for my fish, ich outbrakes are now rare and do not result in casualties. I noticed that you have a 40 watt UV sterilizer, did you have an ich problem with the UV sterilizer? What worked for you?
Thanks again for your great tank bio.

[jdieck]

Originally posted by J0EC00L
Jose,

In your article you stated replacing your power heads suction cups. Where do you buy your replacement suction cups? I have been searching for a long time for a source of replacement suction cups for my maxijet 1200's. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

BTW

Joe

Hi Joe...
After trying different brands I consider the Adams ones the best. I found a lot of cheap ones that just fall in a couple of weeks. The Adams are made of PVC rather than silicon, rubber or soft plastic and last a good deal of time.
They have diferent sizes and can come in bulk or retail. For the Maxijet 1200 I get the medium ones rated for 3 pounds. If you get them retail they come in packs of three with a metal hook, just remove the hook, if necesary just grind or cut the cup's holder to fit the PH base and that's it.
http://www.suctioncups.com/cup_images/C1-RV.jpg
Here is the manufacturer's site.
http://www.suctioncups.com/retail/CupsCCatalog.htm
You can find them at these stores. I get mine from ACE Hardware.

http://www.suctioncups.com/retail/RetailLocations.htm

[jdieck]

Originally posted by steelcaveman
Awesome setup! I am jeleaous of those with a basement.
I am curious how you resolved some of your problems: hair algae and ich in particular. I tried a bunch of stuff, and found that time, garlic, circulation, and high water quality fixed most of my problems better than any remedy or product, with the exception of ich. Foretunately for my fish, ich outbrakes are now rare and do not result in casualties. I noticed that you have a 40 watt UV sterilizer, did you have an ich problem with the UV sterilizer? What worked for you?
Thanks again for your great tank bio.
For the Algae it was the typical, patience and nutrient export (Good skimming, A great Tang grazzer, High ORP w/ Ozone, Refugium with Chaeto, Carbon, Purigen and lots of Phosphate removing media.. I use now a reactor with a capacity for a full 1.2 Kgs bucket of Phosban). I still have some small growth of hair algae only at the plugs I use for the coral frags. They are made or aragocrate so I guess they bring some nutrients with them. I will try different plugs and see how it goes. I have been toying with the idea of trying small ceramic tiles.

For Ich... Oficially if the fish are heavely infected I shall say quarentine, Hyposalinity and Copper... Having said that it is something I did not do :D but instead I just tried to help the fish fend it by themselves. Feed with lots of Garlic and Vitamins (Vitachem) not so much to fight the Ich but to boost their imune system, and the sterilizer 24/7 not to kill the ich but to weaken it and kill whatever tomonts (or whatever we call them) got free floating. Having done that the cycles of Ich continued for a while but never fatal and every cycle they were less and less until it showed no more.

[Airman]

Great tank. I don't think you have room to fart in your equipment room. I like the viewing from three sides.

[jdieck]

Originally posted by Airman
Great tank. I don't think you have room to fart in your equipment room. I like the viewing from three sides.
I can't! If I do the ORP will drop significantly!

[tacocat]

I like the frag tank lighting. Are the T-5 ballasts suspended also?

[jdieck]

Originally posted by tacocat
I like the frag tank lighting. Are the T-5 ballasts suspended also?

Yes, the T5s are mounted on a frame made of square PVC. The ballast is so slim that fits inside the PVC toghether with all the wiring. The frame is also hanging and can rise independently from the MH reflectors.

[Cgamer]

Amazing tank! The life is incredible, but so is the craftsmanship of the cabinetry. Great stuff!

[joseluisrdec]

great tank, wow...............

[ryantm]

Beautiful, don't have the time or resources for something like that but I can certainly appreciate the work that goes into one. Good job.

[cw150]

Could you post a closer up pic of the tank from the front?

[Skipper]

<img src="http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/totm/images/SideView2.jpg" border="2">

[jdieck]

Try a small video here, just give it some time to load:
http://jdieck1.home.comcast.net/aqvideo.mpg

[CPT. MURPHY]

Congrats on TOTM!!!

CPT.

[tokitay]

Congrats! Job very, very well done.

[onefin]

Beautiful.

[marilynrn711]

This is the most gorgeous tank I have ever seen!

Thanks Jose for taking the time out of your busy schedule to share with us.

[jdieck]

Thanks for your comments everyone.

[getoyute]

WOW!!!! What a tank. You should be every bit proud of that monster of beauty you created. TOTM like this one keeps me motivated to continue researching and learning. Can you please explain the method and the process of your water changing.

[jdieck]

Check the piping drawing below and look for the pre-sump and the mix tank and their valves. the operation is simple.
1. shut off the main pump taking water from the sump to the main tank. Shut off the skimmer pump.
2. Open the pre-sump drain valve and empty its 30 gallons.
3. Open the mixing tank transfer valve and close its recirculation valve and water is transferred to the sump.
4. Turn on recirc. pump. New water goes to the main tank, old water comes out the pre-sump drain. Close the drain when an additional 25 gallons are drained and pre-sump starts filling again.
5. When mix tank is empty close drain valve, close transfer valve and open mixing recirculation, shut off mixing pump and turn on skimmer pump.
RO/DI automatically re-fills the mix tank. It takes about 5 minutes to exchange the 55 gallons and about 8 hours to refill the mixing tank with RO/DI and have it ready to add the salt.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/578/18470Plummbing_1-med.gif

[jdieck]

Sorry double post

[clkwrk]

Very nice and congrats . I have always liked your tank and it has come along ways since it was setup . Truly a well thought out setup that deserves a :thumbsup:

[Dubbin1]

What a beautiful tank. The only thing I see that bugs me is how nasty the sand looks around the glass. Other then that it looks perfect!!! Your prop tank is also another work of art.

[jdieck]

Originally posted by Dubbin1
What a beautiful tank. The only thing I see that bugs me is how nasty the sand looks around the glass. Other then that it looks perfect!!! Your prop tank is also another work of art.
Thanks for your coments. You know that sand thing bother me too but unfortunately a good functioning sand bed usually looks like that. Light reaches the sides of the sand bed by reflection from the inside of the acrylic thinkness so algae and stuff grows on the internal surface. I sometimes tought of covering it from the outside but I will miss checking under the sand to see the worms and little critters growing in it.

[clkwrk]

Don't cover the sand IMO its a natural look and I too always like looking at it from the sides and bottom where I could . Its all about the life.

[jdieck]

Originally posted by clkwrk
Don't cover the sand IMO its a natural look and I too always like looking at it from the sides and bottom where I could . Its all about the life.

My heart say cover it my brain say no what could it be? :D
Agreed I think it is better to know what is going on in there.

[scuba connor]

hey i was just lookin at your tank its realy great how log have you hd that tabling acropa nana for its huge lol

[jdieck]

Thanks Scuba:

It was in the tank about 21/2 years. It is no longer there as it would not fit any more, about 10 months ago I got some help and we took it out. Because it would not fit the holes on top of the tank we had to chiesel it in place, while one peron supported it from the bottom, Anoderone used a chiesel and happer to break it apart while anotherone recieved the pieces to place them in ice boxes.
A lot of aquarists around the Chicago area got good sized frags of it.

[tony13]

Beautiful setup. Tank and equipment room look great.
I'm thinking about adding UV to my system and would like to know what benefits you think you receive from having it on your tank. (i.e. water clarity, algae control, fish health)

[jdieck]

Mostly what I think I am getting from UV is a reduction in the free spores of algae and fungal infections. I have not seen it erradicate Ich quickly but noticed that with each cycle the ich was less and less until after some months it was no longer present so I may assume that somehow it weakens the floating tomots during that phaser of the cycle.
For water clarity I use the Ozone, I do not think UV sterilizer will do much for it.
Part of the flow bypasses the UV unit to give a chance for pods to transfer from the fuge to the main and reproduce there.