65 Gallon Project

[newreefbishop]

Here are a couple pics of my setup. My first time....so comments are welcome.....

Ill start layout with tank...

65 gallon all glass flowing into refugium first chamber is bio balls with filter pad underneath. I will be removing bio balls and pad once i get more LR. second chamber is is free flowing water that gets pumped into Coralife Super Skimmer-Needle Wheel-65 Gallon which leads into refugium with LR, microalgae, LS, mineral Mud, and some Mangroves, last chamber is return to tank....in tank I have mix of 60 pounds of Carib Sea Live sand.....Im about a week in, and have begun ammonia spike.....which based on what i have read is about right in the next two days ill have a mix of 40 pound Ultra Premium LR Fiji and Marshall and 70 pounds dead base rock which, which in time will also become covered with coraline algae. Lastly is the lighting which I have not chosen yet, but know I will be using power compacts..without further adue here she is


http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture021.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture022.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture013.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture026.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture027.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture029.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture028.jpg

Ill have some more when the rock come in....let me know what you think



:smokin:

[sir_dudeguy]

cool...i always love new setups lol..now you just gotta get something in there!

[newreefbishop]

also trying to get my hands on some fine tonga to creat arches etc......

[newbiemike]

Fuge looks good. Just get something in the tank and keep posting pics for us.

[newreefbishop]

Ok so i got 20 pound premium Fiji LR today, waiting on another shipment of about 40 pounds, i cleaned it and places so dead coral at base for base rocks...so far so good, but even though i have 30 pound sof rock in the tank the it makes the tank look even bigger. Anyway I also started to get some cleaning crew, with 10 zebra hermits, thats about the limit I want on crabs, i also have a hitch hiker, (some species of crab) but he isnt hairy so im not worried yet. Next up are some shrimp and some snails and a couple damsels.


Below are the pictures

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/668453b0.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/fd423e84.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/110f8317.jpg

I was also asked about my filtration system

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/fd423e84.jpg

there is is


So what should i work on next. I was thinking of adding another powerhead. any recommendations?

And how long before the base rock is covered with coraline algae under normal circumstances?

[newreefbishop]

Oh sorry about first set of pics...I know they where massive :(

[newbiemike]

pics look great. Keep them coming. Coraline will take some time. Add stronitium every week to get it going. Before long you'll be cursing because you'll have to scrape it off the glass. Bu then again, that is the fun of it.

[meco65]

looks great

[newreefbishop]

the next phase im ready to take on is lighting, I live in south florida, and even though my A/C is on 24 hours a day at a constant 77, tank fluctuates between 79 and 80 degrees...I was thinking some power compacts, a total of 4. Can anyone recommend a system, keep in minds I want to reef tank, soft corals, and fish and some sponges, maybe one anemone tank is 36 inches long

[newbiemike]

Lighting can be a big decision. What do you think you might want to host in the future? Clams maybe? If so, you might want to look into a metal halide. You can host anything with those lights. And for corals that don't like that amount of light, you can shield them via a rock overhang or by putting the on the other end of the tank, opposite of the bulb.

[argus]

get the halide you wont be disapointed.

[newreefbishop]

Well I thought about the Halide which I will end up doing in time, but for now I dont plan on clams. Im doing Fish, and softies, My wife likes things that wave in the currentand most of you know that marines can hit the pocket pretty hard so to keep her quiet I agreed. Anyway I was thinking something like this

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12109&N=2004+113345

the 36" model

for starters.....

On another note the live rock i got in yesterday is beautiful, lots or coraline, and lots of fans, etc...its packed with life....my hermits seem happy so far which is good....and the price was 2.99 per pound for Fiji and shipping wasnt expensive either....

Anyway....more pics in a couple days, I plan on going to the Keys this weekend, I know a friends that grows his own rock down there, Im gonna see if I can get like 50 pounds of it or so. How long do you propose i should let the tank sit before I add anything else, apart from rocks, snails, shrimp etc. I dont am taking it slow as I dont want any loss of life.

[emilese]

I would suggest T-5 for lighting. Consumes less energy than MH's , doesn't heat the tank like MH's, and the bulbs last longer. I think T-5's would work well for your setup.

[newreefbishop]

Oh the website for the rock was

http://www.theaquariumonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=536

Once again 2.99 per pound and its hand picked and cured pretty well....didnt have to do much cleaning.....

[yeldarbj]

I just went through the same process in choosing a light. I have the exact same 36" Coralife Lunar Aqualife that you posted a link to on a new AGA 65g setup. I think it looks great. The tank is plenty bright, top to bottom for my taste. It doesn't get too hot and has cooling fans (not too loud, just a slight hum). There is a switch for the actinics, one for the 10k, and one for the LEDs. The fan only runs with the 10k.

I'm not planning on keeping anything too exotic and didn't want to spend too much either. A lot of people mention that it is not enough light for 24" depth tank, but the stuff that likes the most light does not have to be on the bottom. You can always place your things on top of your rock.

I bought from Drs Foster & Smith. You can't beat their price and service. If you order it, be sure and check the acrylic lens cover for any cracks. My first light was cracked and the silicon bands were broken. Drs Foster & Smith didn't hesitate to send me a new light immediately and a pkg of bands. They also sent a prepaid return label for the broken one. They have as good a customer service as I've ever seen.

If you have any other question or concerns about this light, just ask.

[ChunksInClemson]

I would agree with the coralife aqualight. Its working great with my 90. Get the lunar lights also, they look awesome!

[newreefbishop]

Thanks for the input....i feel alot better right now


do you get the shimmer effect from it?



Also how much rock would you recommend for a tank this size

[yeldarbj]

Can't say much for the shimmer effect...I don't have any comparisons.

I've got about 100 lbs of rock (45 live, 55 base), and it looks pretty good/full. I tried to stack vertically as much as possible, maintaining the stability.

[newreefbishop]

ok nightly tank inspection and found another hitch hiker.....

*** IS THIS AND SHOULD I KILL IT?

If I have to kill it how should i do it?

Here is the pic

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/00afa1ec.jpg

[newreefbishop]

Any thoughts on what this is?

[Sk8r]

That's an aiptasia. Sigh. There are always aiptasia.

Do get rid of the bioballs and filter pads. You don't need them: they'll only cause you grief [and nitrates]---and you can use that space for a 'fuge.

[newreefbishop]

cool......i will get some peppermint shrimp to take care of it.....or them....

On a brighter note I got some more LR tonight about 50 pounds worth....lots of fans, and pods, also a coral couple coral frags....not sure on how those will do....typically how long does it take for those to regen, and what do i need to feed them....they are softies....

below are pics of new rock

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/6e5abc3b.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/ad106fb1.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/e9ece867.jpg


Also there are some worms.....at least I think they are largest one is about 3 inches long....this batch of LR came out of an established tank so not sure if I should remove em.....the worms have what looks like tiny spikes....I will get pic if and when i can....any ideas?

[newreefbishop]

I think they are some species of bristle worm.....i guess Im definately gonna need some shrimp.....a couple of coral banded and a couple of peppermint shrimp.....can they co exist with some small zebra hermits, and my fans? or is there another way to get rid of my unwanted hitch hikers?

[Sk8r]

The worms are good. They're bristleworms, a detrivore that will keep that rock clean and free of pockets of nastiness. They'll sting human skin, but they are harmless to corals and fish [well, I have a fool of a firefish that gets a beard occasionally from feuding with one of my larger worms, but it goes away quickly.]

That's really good rock you've gotten. The purple is coralline algae, and the more of that the better---where it is, ordinary algae doesn't grow well, and that is a great advantage. With that, any cycle should be quite mild, all your hitchhiker inverts should live through it and multiply. Don't worry about the worms: they'll probably top out at about 10 inches, sooner or later, but they're good.
You'll be wanting to feed your tank a tiny pinch of Formula One flake food a day: the worms will get it, in this case; but generally it's to rot and prompt your bacteria to grow on both sand and rock. Get some test strips for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and expect to see them react positive [that's important, proving you have the process that should cause the bacteria to take off], then calm down and go to 0 over the next couple of weeks, at which point you can start adding inverts.

[yeldarbj]

FYI Here is what my 65g looks like with about 100 lbs of rock and the Coralife Lunar Aqualight.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/1285302006-06-28-----007__2_.jpg

[newreefbishop]

cool.....thanks for the tips on the lighting and the worms.....glad to know that they are good for the tank.

Also thats for the tips on the light....I think I have that exact tank....I think thats the light I will end up getting as its pretty efficient.


When should I start adding cleanup crew (more hermits, shrimp, snails, stars etc)

[Sk8r]

When your readings do their little spike and then go 0,0,0 on the test strips. That will indicate a fully functional sandbed.

Once that happens, add a very varied crew, as many species of snail as you can find, plus hermits [blues [they look black and are under the size of a dime] and scarlets, not much larger] with extra shells for their growth, plus maybe a fighting conch [a peaceful creature]---but do not get talked into an emerald crab, a cucumber or a starfish. The one grows and becomes a problem, some varieties of the second are toxic [big gelatinous inverts of any sort are a potential bomb, particularly in a new and delicate tank] and the third either eats your future corals, eats your coralline, or turns out to eat all the life out of your sandbed. Picking a starfish is for much later in your tank history. Shrimp, now---wait a few weeks, and I recommend the peppermints: they're pretty good citizens and do in aiptasia.

Remember when you get any of these that they should all be acclimated to your water the same as you would do for fish, shrimp even more so, since shelled creatures have trouble adjusting to salinity. [They don't 'sweat'.]

Like your rockwork. That's going to be a nice-looking tank! And you were so lucky, finding that corallined rock! The only caveat I have to add is to consider that glass contact on the end of the arrangement, because that coralline will start appearing on the glass as pink calcined spots, and there is no way but a handheld razor blade to get it off once it gets a good hold. Where you can't scrape, that stuff will take the glass and that will mean zero visibility and reflectivity in that spot. Make sure you can clean as much as you'll want to.

To prevent coralline on the glass [and tough algae,] get a mag-float scraper, and get a new one every time the old one starts acting tired. Where you keep ahead of the algae, you don't get the coralline spots either, or the little curled tubeworms that never get any bigger, or the other little items of life that you wish would stay to your rockwork.

You're doing a great job.

[Hopestar075]

I have the same set up I will post pictures in a litle bit, but I have T-5's from Dr. F&S and love them!

[newreefbishop]

Thanks SK8r, I was looking through the reef forums for links to places that are local.....found a dude unloading his tank....he sole me 50 pounds 100 bucks plus a two coral frags

[newreefbishop]

anywhere i can get lights cheap

ALso algea is not really growing is this normal....my levels are near zero

[newbiemike]

check out http://www.hellolights.com/

[newreefbishop]

cool site has been added to favorites....

[newreefbishop]

Got a couple turbo snails today and 10 more hermit crabs.....Tested water and everything leveled out at 0 so I surged forward. I got 3 yellow tailed Damsels. Beautiful......all I can say

Noticed I have alot of Red Fans, they started coming out in force. for now I have the light cycle tuned so I can monitor and watch at night, and in the day...its off...cant wait for algae to really take a foot hold and fill in some of the bare rock

Ill post some pics later....also coral frag seem to want to regen....need help identifying them.

[newreefbishop]

Also refering to an earlier reply I moved the rock work around a bit. Have pretty good space and kept th rock off the side and from of the aquarium. I do have some on the overflow and back as I would like it to colonize the back. So far so good....everything looks happy, I moved a couple of the lager hermits to the fuge, to clean up some of the stuff that has been collecting in the last few days....also notice skimmer is starting to collect some nasty stuff.....

Exit hose came loose, and seems to have failed, replace it with some left over hose i had, siliconed it and everything is looking good....tested water again tonight...everything looks good so far...once again pics coming in a bit

[newreefbishop]

Ok so here are some pics......algea starting to colonize back of tank....looks like some brown algae....

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/81aabe7a.jpg

Can someone help ID that frag

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/d874a008.jpg

Last pic of the night

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/75e7799d.jpg


what do you think so far fellas

[itz frank]

if everything is at 0 you might not have had a cycle and your rock was already cured and didn't have any die off. No algae is a sign of this. Plus, everyone keeps stating that metal halides are the way to go because they give off more light. This is actually a large misconception on RC. They look brighter because the same amount of light is given off from a smaller area. Flourescents and halides give off very similiar amounts of lighting. The only difference is size of light and how the light is spread out. Flourescents would actually be better to spread light out around your tank if you have shadowy spots. Halides are going to give you many cast shadows. It is also harder to cover longer tanks with such lighting. The only advantage to metal halides is in the use of TALL tank. The same amount of lighting gets down deeper because metal halides focus in a longer direction. So it's actually ok to cut corners by not get halides. Cuz theoretically it's the same light. Thanx WaterKeeper for the insightful thread you wrote. Look it up and read it. Helped me out alot.

[newreefbishop]

Thats what I was thinking....most of the rock came from a pre-existing tank, anand 20 pounds of it came from a LFS in orlando shipped over night.....Im still expecting a slight spike but, from my testing and pro testing results are similar....

[newreefbishop]

Can you take a look at the frag and tell me what it is?

[compulou]

Bishop,

Nice setup, it is exactly the same tank I have except for the wood trim. I opted for the black trim. Look in my gallery for pics of my setup. And the frag you have there looks like a Leather Frag.

Take care

[newreefbishop]

Thanks for the ID.....what type of lighting do you recommend and how long till it regenerates.....

ALso I have black trim too....the wife wanted tan...but none in stock ....

[newreefbishop]

So how about I caved and got some better lights tonight, total 192 watts.....will upgrade in 6 months to 384 watts.
192 though i a shallow tank should be a ok for softies. I will post pics tomorrow when things settle down...

[don954]

FYI; if you got that power-sweep power head at big als fish store in tamarack, the units they are stocking have a flawed design. they have an exposed neutral side on their electronics, if you plug it in backwards, you will feed electricity into your tank. The plugs are not keyed, so its trial and error. I found out by trying to move one by hand, got my hand near it and got bit. I went though 4 units and all of them had the same problem. I would be very careful using that power-head. The electric field can kill fish too.

[newreefbishop]

Yea I got it at Big Al, but mine seems to be three pronged....so not sure how I can get it backwords....i have also moved em two or three times by hand with no issues....I have two ove em in tank about 500 gph, I want to get one more a maxijet or something putting out at least 300......LOTS OF FLOW.....

On another note my leather frag doesnt seem to like the 50/50 lighting....polyps wont come out.....will keep monitoring it....

[don954]

im very glad they changed the design, mine were 2 prong and i got bit hard. I b!tched all the way up the management chain at big al's when i figured out all 4 of my units had the same problem and i took them apart and found an exposed neutral.

[newreefbishop]

So went to LFS and got some purple up.....added it to tank and not sure if it is just me but coraline seems to be growing somewhat faster......also my leather frag is back alive again....I will post some pics tonight....


Anyone have any experience with Purple Up?

[newreefbishop]

Oh and I got rid of Aiptaisia......Joes reef Juice.....good stuff

[don954]

i use purple-up, it seems to be helping accelerate my coralline growth. Since i starting using it, i noticed lots of new patches of coralline and a pink-dust look starting to settle into my base rock.

[newreefbishop]

Ok so here are some pics of the tank....
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/e4868f4b.jpg

Rock is coming along nicely
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/738767ea.jpg

Little Leather Frag reaching for the stars
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/8068f2bb.jpg

Night Shot
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/065bd891.jpg

Eye Level
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/47b105f0.jpg

Scallop
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/a8ca5cea.jpg

Anyway thats it tell me what you think.....

Purple up works all I can say....

[don954]

looking nice! Where did you pick up your live rock?

[newreefbishop]

I got my live rock here, http://www.theaquariumonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=536 and two pieces I got locally.....

I think I may start really adding softies this weekend, and some filter worms.....

No fish yet till I get reef looking how I want it

[newreefbishop]

Ok so I have let the tank sit for a few days to let new coral get properly adjusted. Here are the pics...hope you like em....I also think that I have some Diatoms growing so some advice would be holpful there. Just to let you know I am dosing kalwasser daily...

some of these are when sunset has just arived some of the corals have went to "sleep"

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/ac8e0cc4.jpg
Thanks Chris
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/6eaac5d0.jpg
Bristle Worm
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/e4b47b6a.jpg
My largest hermit (Kong)
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/de768bae.jpg
Zoos
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/116a5566.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/fb5e92db.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/8b2cdf83.jpg
does this look like Diatoms or algae
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/abead8b3.jpg
Anyway thats it for this week.... Let me know what you think and if thats algae. Will post some more on Friday?

[newreefbishop]

1000 views and no comments?

[Ludwigia73]

The coralife lunar aqualight is a good light for its purpose. In my opinion, it is NOT enough light for a reef tank, even though it looks good. The only things I'd try to keep are xenia elongata and zoos, maybe blastos. Now, the price is right, if you got 2 of those lights, you'd be doing good. But not great. The question is going to have to be, what kind of light do you want. Did you like the color of my tank? For the price, I'd look online for a pair of 175w metal halides, 10000k. You really don't need 250's like mine. If you like bluer or purpler light, go with 250w mh, 14000 or 20000k. You won't get as much growth, but the colors will be better. Almost every "beautiful" tanks as defined by me had 14000 or 20000k. Just my opinion.

Lastly, to make the decision even harder, there has been alot of great stuff done with T-5, I'll try to find a link to a nice price.

Here's one: $413 with lights and shipping... good setup
http://cgi.ebay.com/TEK-LIGHT-T5-HO-3ft-6-LAMP-FLUORESCENT-AQUARIUM-LITE_W0QQitemZ140004330846QQihZ004QQcategoryZ46314QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Ludwigia73]

By the way, that flame scallop is destined to die more than likely. They are for very mature tanks only, and even then they don't live more than a year or two. I've been very lucky, getting about 2 years out of 2 of them, from an original 4. Most people can't keep them.

[newreefbishop]

Thanks for the advice, I am upgrading lights this week 3x96 PC, and will start building canopy to house MH fixtures this weekend. I want more growth definately....

I like lighting that is more "warm" yeah the bluer light may look good but I want to have realism more than asthetics (did I spell that right)

[newreefbishop]

Oh and the flame was a "gift". Not bought by me, but a gift non the less.....After reading up on them I also saw that they are very difficult to keep, I will do my best however as I dont believe in terminating him.

[newreefbishop]

Ok so now I have a question about dosing, first of all what do you guys use, and secondly, how often, right now Im dosing kalkwasser daily and watching PH for spikes...and Purple Up once a weel instead of kalkwasser. Havent seen any ill effects yet....

[bigcity51]

Hey good job with you tank!!! Looking very good!!

[newreefbishop]

Thanks man....this has become an obsession like my wife puts it

[scubasteve247]

hey, if your looking for some good stuff, check out exotic aquatic, there in oakland.

[newreefbishop]

I will take a look at them.....I am trying however to do most of my stocking from local reefers, at least I know Im getting good stuff, and they will be honest.....

[newreefbishop]

Got some new lights today, every thing opened up even better....Will post pics tomorrow....

Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 2 ppm
PH - 8.4

Added daily dose of Kalkwasser, ZooPlankton And Phytoplankton, and a little flake

[newreefbishop]

So this week my father built me a nice canopy...first perfectly over the tank, all thats left is to stain it. There was one hitch my current lighting system does not fit. Only way it would is if I took it apart, and tried to mount everything.

http://www.esuweb.com/cardfile.asp?ItemNumber=53104&IDProductRelationship=36

Would anyone advise taking it apart?

Or would I be better of getting a retrofit system and mounting it.

If doing retrofit what should i do I was going to do halides which I already have a set but wanted to suppliment with PC's.....any advice on taking this thing apart?

[aquabomber]

Your tank looks very nice. Great set up.

[dp122098]

Best way to take it apart is with a screw driver.... But seriously little brother, I would sell the current lighting system if I were you and just go with the retro fits... You will have more flexibility in how you put it in without having to rewire anything. One think I did notice is that my retro fit 65 watt lights seen to be much brighter than yours.

[newreefbishop]

Its the reflector that came with the system......got new lights by the way....got em a week ago...not sure if you saw it when you where here last, but it looks way way brighter.....I chaged the 10,000 k buld to a 50/50 because i hate that yellow color, so its slightly dimmer, but much nicer looking......nice bluish color.....

I was thinking same thing though....

I can wait and spend 300 buck and have lighting system that I can transplant into a 100 or a 110 in a year or two.....

now the thing is what should i do just go full blown metal halides (150's) with 2 96 w PC supports or full T-5?

[newreefbishop]

Well I finally finished my canopy, pretty basic but will serve purposes well. Any way here are the pictures with some tank pics....

Got some new additions, a orange spotted Goby, a mandarin, and a beautiful brittle star.


Canopy Shots

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/NEWPICS007.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/NEWPICS005.jpg

here are some tank shots

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/NEWPICS009.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/NEWPICS010.jpg

Now here are some shots of my little friends

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/NEWPICS018.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/NEWPICS017.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/NEWPICS016.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/NEWPICS015.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/NEWPICS012.jpg

He is in front of his home....dub cave under nice live rock.....

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/NEWPICS011.jpg

Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrate - undetectable
phosphates- .2
calcium - untested
alk - 8.4
salininty 1.026

[newreefbishop]

not even one comment......wow
definately a bump

[Glimmer2]

Tank Looks really nice.

I was wondering if the sand size you got was sugar sized? It looks larger. Thanks!! And also, how deep is it?

I am planning a 75 gallon and was wondering how much sand I would need to buy? I went to this online calculator and it said 140 lbs to create a 4" sand bed. That sounded like alot but I new so not sure.

[newreefbishop]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7812028#post7812028 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Glimmer2
Tank Looks really nice.

I was wondering if the sand size you got was sugar sized? It looks larger. Thanks!! And also, how deep is it?

I am planning a 75 gallon and was wondering how much sand I would need to buy? I went to this online calculator and it said 140 lbs to create a 4" sand bed. That sounded like alot but I new so not sure.

First of all thank you. My sand bed ranges from 3-5 inches. Alot of people use shallow beds, or no beds at all...some use deep like me. Supports differnent bacteria, that help in keeping certain levels low. In anu case I used 75 pounds of aragonite. Not sure if im spelling it right.

I used 50 pounds dry and 25 pounds live sand.

depending on the overall length of your tank....you need at least 80-90 pounds....

[jwhitlow1031]

how longs the tank been up now? its looking good, FYI, i think you could keep almost any soft corals and a few lps with your pc lights, i dont even have that many and currently have a torch coral thats doing great-he's on the tip top of my tank.. lol

[ducati1212]

Looks great. How much of that rock is dead coral base.? I am trying to decide how much Rock I will need for my 30 Gal. Also I like that light looks great I just went with the Current USA orbit instead but after seeing that I am sorry I did. Do you have a glass cover on the tank.?

[newreefbishop]

I used about 15 pounds of dead coral for the base......it is actually started to grow coraline on it already. Because so much of my rock is covered with coraling I am dosing calcium daily. I have no hard corals but as you can see...the coraline algae is rampant.

On another note, I put on my canopy yesterday....I had to make some corrections because of the lighting fixture, and slotted the canopy so the fixture slides in and out without much fuss.

I am going to run a couple 20 mm PC fans to help move air in canopy. This is in leu of the halide light i will be plaing in it in the next month or so. Im thinking 175 watts at 14,000k should be enough to accomplish what i want.

Ducati, for your tank, get 20 pounds premium live rock, and 20 pounds dead coral....or if you have the luxury get a full 40 pounds and 5-10 pounds dead coral.

Not sure where your located and the price you get your rock at but

http://www.theaquariumonline.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=96

where I got my rock from.....and at 2.99 a pound i really couldnt find a place to beat it.

To help control heat I removed the glass covers completely. Temperature dropped 2 degrees when i did that.


Hope that helps....Cant wait for frag swap this weekend....got a couple things on my to-do list...

get mag 5-7 return pump - want more turnover in tank...only getting 3-4 times per hour right now...

Get some more live stock for tank - really havent seen anything that jumps out at me....plus i love corals.....

get centerpiece softie - looking for a nice finger leather and an anemone

Finish building emergency power supply - I live in south florida....DUH

build halide system - self explanatory

get a couple stony frags

Ill keep you posted....everything should be done within the next two months


Also new coral coming this weekend.

[newreefbishop]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7814403#post7814403 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jwhitlow1031
how longs the tank been up now? its looking good, FYI, i think you could keep almost any soft corals and a few lps with your pc lights, i dont even have that many and currently have a torch coral thats doing great-he's on the tip top of my tank.. lol

Thanks...Well you will be suprised when I tell you....tank has been running for one month......the trick was seeding.

I poured 25 pounds of live....(VERY LIVE) sand over washed dry sand....I used cured live rock......alot of it.....and a great skimmer with a decent refugium/sump design.....

I did a whole lot of reading, and figured that the way your tank cycles depends alot on your equipment and initial live stock (live rock, sand etc) I also fed my refugium daily to build up bacteria....to the point where i would put food in, and literally it disappeared in 12-16 hours.....and no pods where in it yet..

As far as coral....I also think any softie would grow well under those lights, and a few hardy LPS but Im taking that slow as I dont want any motality. I want to add my halide before I do any LPS. I will continue to add some softies...probably 2-3 more variations as I know then these grow out its going to look great.

but my ultimate goal is hard stuff and an anemone.

[newreefbishop]

Oh Ill show full pictures later.....

[dp122098]

I thought you had to have MH for LPS and it was optional for SPS? Do I have that fact reversed?

[Dr.Maybe]

I have a 65 gal and built 250mh for around 120 bucks. Its a lot less expensive to buy the parts and wire it together yourself.

[newreefbishop]

Dr. Maybe - That my intent.....hopefully I dont burn the house down.....but thats the plan...but with 175....dont want to deal with any heat issues.

DP - from what i read...depends on LPS....and wattage of bulds....higher wattage and good clarity mean more penetration....

[Stidd]

Nice Tank...

[newreefbishop]

Thanx stidd

[dp122098]

Dr. Maybe, I have the balasts but I haven't been able to find the mogul ends anywhere... Where did you get yours?

[newreefbishop]

Bey big Bro...thanks for taking over my thread.....lol

Are you still going to give me the ballast? And give me the info on the mogul ends you need i wil find em.

[newreefbishop]

SO got a couple things coming in by this weekend.....FrogSpawn...Brain....and Green Polyp I think.....and maybe another leather.....

Tanks will be pretty stocked with frags......so I can start on my fish, invert stock....

On another note....Did some shiftin around and figured out how to direct in tank flow to keep temp at 78.5 with lights of and 80-81 degrees tops with lights full blast.

Also pod population seems to have stabalized...since i added mandarin....will be starting brine cultivation in the next week or two...

I have a question though.....need some ideas on anemone....when should I add it...and should i add it before percula or after....or at the same time.

[dp122098]

I don't have any pods in mine... You can stil lget teh ballast but I think I am going to get the mogul base tomorrow from graybar.

[newreefbishop]

you have no pods in your fuge.....I know I saw some in you macro algae. Feed your fuge phytoplankton that will help increase population quickly....Im planing on a trip to O-town August 5, when I come up Ill bring some cuttings from my fuge....bound to have a coupld dozen pods in it.....once you have the population in the fuge take some out and sake it in the main display....a few will fall out.....or you can wash it out in a bin and filter it through a filter sock to catch pods then place in display....i have pretty good population now....if you come down to frag swap you can get some macro infused with pods....

[newreefbishop]

So Ive been trying to get an anemone for the last week or so. Is there a level of maturity your tank needs to be at to put one of these in, and also what kind of lighting does one require them. People say strong lighting but Ive always notices how most anemones seem to find little nooks with small amounts of light.

[jwhitlow1031]

you do need lots of light for anemone's, most anyway, what kind do you want to get?

[newreefbishop]

Well I wanted something with alot of color, either green, or pink, or white with colors at the tips, in either case lots of color, I have been reseaching them and havent really made a choice. I will be adding additional light in a few weeks, but wantede to know if I am delayed in that will my current lighting be ok?

[jwhitlow1031]

for a good "starter" anemone you may want to try a bbt or bubble tip, their easiest to keep and dont need as much light as other veriaties, they would be fine with the light you have, you can get them in many colors also, greens, pinkish, reds, etc... just be careful because anemones like to find their own spot in the tank-they'll keep mooving around untill they do, stinging and bothering your other corals in the process... just got to keep close tabs on where it goes and get your other corals out of the path.. lol

[newreefbishop]

Man, all I can say is wow. I have my tank about 90% stocked with corals, and inverts. Went to Frag Swap/Sale today, got 8 corals for less than 50 bucks, and 2 nice frags for my brother.....WOW....

Anyway I will be posting pics later when the atanics come on....

[newreefbishop]

So finally I got of my lazy butt....here are the pics of the stuff I got from the frag swap.....
:bum:

Green Leather with Cabbage leather on one rock...
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/tank038.jpg:beer:

Purple Zoo's (this is for DP...lol you owe me bro)
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/tank039.jpg

Rock anemone and green Zoos
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/tank041.jpg

Xenia (not sure what species)
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/tank043.jpg

Star Polyps (also for my bro)
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/75c3652a.jpg

There are a few more but ill just give ever all shot...
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/14d02d2a.jpg

[newreefbishop]

here is a better pic of the ZOOs

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/4f4cce98.jpg

and me beautiful rock anemone....cant wait to get my maroon percula :)

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/tank045.jpg

[dp122098]

Thought thought you told me you got some fire and ice polyps too?

[newreefbishop]

the ones that i saw didnt look so good....I will give you a couple of polyps of the orang ones in the second pic from the bottom.....just gotta let em grow out a bit....I think a frag swap is coming up for the peeps in your area.....I will try to make that one....still looking for that ONE piece you feel me....gotta get a centerpiece.....still dont think i have on yet....

[nickterp]

The tank looks awesome. What you've got looks really good so far, and seems to be very healthy. I've got a couple tips just based on what I've read others having problems with.

First, since your tank seems to be doing quite well as it is now, I would give it some time to mature in its current state. Its very difficult in this hobby not to rush in and buy everything that you want right away ;). As a new person to the hobby, you seem MUCH more informed than a lot of people that start reefkeeping.... especially more than I was 2 years ago when I started ;). I've just read a couple things in your posts that raised some alarm bells: the mandarin you bought and your desire to buy an anemone. Check out these FAQ's:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mandsysfaqs.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemsysfaqs.htm

The general information given on Mandarins is that to keep them alive long term you'll need around a 100gallon tank that has matured for at least a year. Check out these links from Melev's site, he's pretty trusted on his opinions of the hobby:

http://www.melevsreef.com/mandarin_care.html
http://www.melevsreef.com/mandarin_diner.html

As for the anemone... I would just give it some time before you decide to buy one. I've read many posts from experts having an incredible amount of trouble.

Good luck with everything! You don't have to take my word on everything, but please research on the mandarins and anemones before you buy and don't be afraid to just leave things as they are for a while and enjoy them. I think it could save you alot of frustration.

[newreefbishop]

NICKTERP....
Thanx, I still consider myself way noobish....lol
I plan on letting the tank mature and continue to grow out over the next few months. I have the intentions of purchasing some more live rock to build up the left side, and get a nice centerpiece. AS far as anenomes I picked a good starter as far as the Rock Anenome is concerned. It is very hardy and easy to feed. the mandarin is another question. I have a fuge, with excellent pod production, at night i see hundreds of pods scurring on my sand. the mandarin has tons to eat, plus it eats pellets....

I still worry about it though, but like anything else in this you win some and you lose some, I love my little mandarin though so if he does to that reef in the sky ill be pretty sad. ANyway....once again thanks for the compliment, still loads of work to do.

[nickterp]

Yeah, I think as long as you are patient and careful about what you do/add to the tank, you should be fine. Thats great that the mandarin is eating pellets, did you see Melev's site about the Mandarin Diner, I thought it was pretty funny. You can see all his other fish trying to get in on the meal....

Your rock anemone will prob be fine. If you're going to be keeping lots of corals in the tank then I'd stay away from BTAs and similar anemones. That's what I was picturing when you first said that, because thats what most people go for first. BTAs like to travel around the tank stinging other corals, catching slow fish/invertabrates, getting caught in powerheads.... I think they may be too much hassle unless you were dedicating the entire tank to work around the BTA.... But thats a alot of sidetracking I just did, sorry ;).

[newreefbishop]

No no need for the sorry......lol I was leading towards a bubble too, but read that they move ALOT.....that kinda worried me cause I have alot of softies

[nickterp]

Just gotta say one last thing about your icon that probably only you will get....

"Ignignot: You and your third dimension.
Frylock: What about it?
Ignignot: Oh nothing, it's cute. We have five.
Ur: Th-thousand.
Ignignot: Yes, five thousand.
Ur: Don't question it!
Frylock: Oh yeah? Well, I only see two.
Ignignot: Well that sounds like a personal problem."

Good luck again, that tank is gonna turn out real well.

[newreefbishop]

LMAO.....thats funny.....I love those guyz.....

[newreefbishop]

fed the anemone yesterday...and she gobled up some shrimp...like it was no tomorrow.....it was cool to watch ....well post some feeding pics.....

[newreefbishop]

Preparing my tank for a long weekend, everything looks great so far. However I do have a couple questions, first of how many people are running a skimmerless tank. Secondly what are you guys using for backup power?


Besides the Damsels, and the Goby I am seriously contemplating my first true reef citizen....what do you guyz recommend?

[theatrus]

Some people do run skimmerless tanks. I do have a skimmer on mine, and a large percentage of people do :)

I use an older (swapped out the batteries) BackUPS Pro 1000 computer backup supply to run the main pumps and the heater. It can last for an hour or two (haven't tested it in a long while). Beyond that, I do have one of those battery powered air pumps which will last a good while longer to maintain aeration.

[newreefbishop]

I guess I will set mine to run really dry this weekend. I am going to get two UPS's and a generator. I know it may be overkill, but I live in south florida. Last year we lost power for about a 2 weeks total during hurricane season, this year, Im not taking any chances.

On another note the not sure if this is normal anemone feeding habits, but I feed him 1/2 a shrimp which he promptly gobbles up. About 2-3 hours later he "spits" it out, I was going to remove it but its almost disintigrated.....is there a reason for this, is this normal?

[newreefbishop]

So this weekend me and the wife took a little vacation to Orlando. Sayed with my brother who has not only a beautiful home but a beautiful tank as well. Watching his flo it gave me some idea about mine. I figured out I need a new powerhead and a new return pump. I want to increase the flow to move sediment off rocks and overall just make tank "move". Also had the opportunity to go to Sea in the City. Beautiful little LFS, with excellent looking stock and fish. And cant say anything but good things about the staff. Anyway picked up a new inhabitant, a beautiful green tip BTA. My Bother has a huge one but....considering my tank is slightly smaller I didnt want to get a giant that would move around and sting everything to death.

Anyway here are some pics....

I redid my Rockwork...I will be adding another 30 punds of Live rock in about a 2 months....probably 5 pounds every two weeks till I get an adequate amount. This is overall shot.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/DSCN1327.jpg

Here she is....
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/DSCN1325.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/DSCN1323.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/DSCN1330.jpg

[nickterp]

Hey, about your Anemoney spitting stuff out 2-3 hours after you feed them.... that is absolutely normal and good. Basically they take in what you feed them whole, and a little while later they egest whatever they couldn't digest. Usually, bones, scales, or whatever... so that sounds really good! Tank is looking awesome.

Did your new BTA pick a spot and pretty much stay there after he found it? Thats a good sign, though they will usually move a little at first to get settled. Keep us/me updated on how the BTA does because I'm interested in getting one soon also! Thanks.

Nick

[nickterp]

Also, you asked if you should remove what the Anemone spits out. What I've read says you should definitely take that out of the tank right away. It won't poison the tank or anything, but the book said that what is spit out will produce alot of ammonia. And anyways... the Anemone doesn't want it anymore! Ha.

Nick

[newreefbishop]

If you notice on one side of the tank (left) I have a Rock anemone and on the other (right) I have a BTA. I put the re-arranged rock work last night before putting in BTA, and moved pretty much all of the rock work to the left side of tank with corals spaced so they wont fight. I placed BTA near bottom rock and it moved last night to a spot right above where I placed it. I will see where he moves tonight after lights out. I expect him to move, but hope he doesnt. And I may be able to get you one if your willing to wait a month or two. My brother has a huge one, the one i have now is a clone from same "brood" that may split in the next month or so. Beautifull addition to tank and from what i read, mushrooms, and zoos, can coexist nearby, but just be prepared, and have places for her to move when she wants....once they do....they usually dont move again unless they get ****ed.

[nickterp]

Thats pretty awesome that you got a "tank raised" Anemone. I've heard that a large portion of Anemone fatalities occurs because of how they are collected in the wild, such as divers ripping them from rocks, etc, doh! So, that gives your anemone a much better chance for survival. I bet he'll do real well.

I've got some zoos and mushrooms as well. But plenty of space for a BTA to travel around. I might pick one up from my LFS this week. They are one of those rare LFSs that really care and take care of their livestock well. They are actually only sell and maintain saltwater tanks. Though I think I would still need to really observe any BTAs they have very closely, because of how they are collected in the wild.

As a side note, your brother may be able to turn in some clones to his LFS for store credit/cash. One thing that I've heard can cause them to split is a couple weeks of feeding followed by a large water change.

[newreefbishop]

Well thanks.....Im actually going to pick up some clown today
will post pics after i do so

[nickterp]

What kind of clowns are you getting? I'm planning on getting some Maroons sometime soon, but I may be turning in a few of my Damsels first (I've got 5). I'll get store credit and have a few less agressive fish in my tank. Let me know how they do and if your yellowtails and clownfish get along ok. I'm definitely curious. Thanks!

[newreefbishop]

They will get along fine with most clowns and most clowns can actually be pretty agressive themselves....i thought about maroons, but not sure yet but i like the black and white, the onyx or a true percula. Either way Im shooting for a pair....

[nickterp]

Hey, is your BTA still settled and looking good like in the pictures you posted? Also, are you using T5's or PC lights? I couldn't tell from what you've written in the thread so far. I was just curious about how BTA's like that type of lighting.

Nick

[newreefbishop]

Well, thanks for reminding me....:D
Im using a coralife fixture....total of 192 watts....PC

I will be adding a Halide retrofit in the coming months.... The BTA hasnt moved since it found that spot....it opened up and ate last night. I fed is a cooked shrimp, cleaned and devined....

[andrew.flavell]

Nice looks well.Id second losing the bio balls read the thread on nitrates.

[newreefbishop]

ANDRE....Well, bioballs work for some people and others they dont....For me I use them to minimize microbubbles, I have a fuge as you can tell that helps in nitrate export. I havent had any issues so far, and it seems to be working. I clean 50% of them every week. So that will also remove the excess nitrates.

On another note...My BTA has settled in nicely, opened up and gobbled up a shrimp, it was beautiful. I am going to wait till the end of the month to get my clowns...want to let everything slabalize before i move forward.

[nickterp]

Sounds good. Here's a picture of one of my new clowns in the new BTA that I said I'd post:
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m243/nickterp/clownanem.jpg

Doing really good, eating some small pieces of silversides. The only thing I'm having trouble getting right is the flow. I had 2 maxijet 1200's at opposite side of the tanks. But that was a little too much for the anemone at first. So now one is running with a much smaller PH on the other side....

[newreefbishop]

Nice looking BTA and clown looks pretty happy. I will keep you posted when I get mine and the condition of my BTA. Today is feeding day. I will post some pics tonight of the event.

Did water last night.

Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - undetectable
Ca - 415 ppm
PH 8.4
Sal 1.025

SO far so good

I gave my LR a good cleaning as well, got a little brush and went to work. I was wondering does anyone else do this, and how can i keep them clean. Do I need more snails, crabs? Or more flow over rocks?

[newreefbishop]

SO last night I went out and got 2 fire clowns.....they are beautiful....

One actually was being picked on by my damsels, which I didnt know would be so vicious. Anyway, they didnt host right way, which concerned me. This morning I figured it was because damsels where fighting them. So I removed rock, coral, etc, and caught damsels. I went out for a couple hours to find one had moved right into the BTA. I was so happy...lol...anyway I will post some pictures before bed tonight.

Also on another note I made some Live Rock today...or rather I made some base rock that will soon be live. I made roughly 60 pounds of it. I have it curing in buckets of fresh water, and should be ready in about 3-4 weeks. Im optimistic about my success in that regard. My recipe was 1 part cement, 2 parts sand, 2 parts salt...the salt was water softner salt which made rock extremely light. I baked mix for 45 min then cool in oven overnight.

Will post pics of progress there also.

[drives300]

Great tank progress. Do you check alkalinity with your other parameters?

[newreefbishop]

I check tank parameters every other day.....

[newreefbishop]

So here are the pics.....

Im assuming the one in the anemone is the female, she is extremely protective. She actually attacked me....:eek2: :eek2: :eek2:

She doesnt like anyone near her anemone. I think I will let things settle for a few days before I attempt to re-introduce the damsels, wither that or sell them locally for a few bucks.

Anyway here are the pics.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Clowns006.jpg

female
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Clowns005.jpg

happy couple
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Clowns004.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Clowns003.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Clowns002.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Clowns001.jpg

I think the damsels hurt the male, I will continue to monitor his progress for the rest of the week, but feel he has about a 60% chance of surviving.:mad:

[theatrus]

See, Damsels are mean :(

[PatMayo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7641800#post7641800 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by newbiemike
pics look great. Keep them coming. Coraline will take some time. Add stronitium every week to get it going. Before long you'll be cursing because you'll have to scrape it off the glass. Bu then again, that is the fun of it.

I don't agree with this statement. It is not necessary or even wise to add strontium. There really is not reason to. If you have accepatble levels of alkalinity, calcium and magnesium it is not necessary. In fact the benefits of it are debateable.

This link will help with your parameters.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

My coralline really took off in about 65 days. It is out of control now and I have never added that chemicals. Check out the chemistry forum. You can really get an education there.

In my opinion you are moving much too rapidly and I hope you don't end up having one of those "help my tank crashed" threads. It's very critical that as you move forward you give the tank time to age and you understand the nutrients of it and how to maintian alk and calk at the proper levels. But I gotta tell you it looks good so far. I hope it works out for you.

Have fun.

Regards,

Pat

[newreefbishop]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7934706#post7934706 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by PatMayo
I don't agree with this statement. It is not necessary or even wise to add strontium. There really is not reason to. If you have accepatble levels of alkalinity, calcium and magnesium it is not necessary. In fact the benefits of it are debateable.

This link will help with your parameters.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

My coralline really took off in about 65 days. It is out of control now and I have never added that chemicals. Check out the chemistry forum. You can really get an education there.

In my opinion you are moving much too rapidly and I hope you don't end up having one of those "help my tank crashed" threads. It's very critical that as you move forward you give the tank time to age and you understand the nutrients of it and how to maintian alk and calk at the proper levels. But I gotta tell you it looks good so far. I hope it works out for you.

Have fun.

Regards,

Pat

Pat I understand your opinion, but how would you say Im moving too fast, I have a few soft corals, and 4 fish. Tank is two months old. I havent forced anything in there now to live and only chemical I dose is Calcium. I run tests every other day to watch water quality. Anyway just curious where Im moving too fast so I can resolve any issues. OH all the rock in there was Live Cured....and sand was also live.....

[NORTHBAY(707)]

Hey,nice tank. Looks great!

:smokin: later.

[nickterp]

Hey reefbishop, I sort of had the same situation with my damsels when I introduced my pair of clowns. My largest damsel was bullying everyone and keeping the clowns out of the middle of the tank. A day later they found my BTA and the Damsel completely gave up, ha. I think he tried once more but when he saw that BTA he doesn't touch them... even when they venture out.

If they are both hosting to the BTA then you'd prob be safe putting the damsels back in. If one of them is not allowed in yet (by the female) then you may want to wait, especially if one of them is injured.

Everything is looking great! Good luck!

Nick

[newreefbishop]

Northbay....Thanx...still have a way yet to go...but thanx...

Nick...I reintroduced on this morning he stam up to clown looked at BTA and kinda postured....the clown was visibly ticked off and postured right back. The second clown is hosting in area of BTA so he should be fine. The last damsel will go in tonight probably after I feed them and check status.

[nickterp]

Nice! Yeah my clowns are much more confident now. They venture out of the anemone some and swim right up to the other fish... and if they get a little nervous they just slowly swim backwards to the anemone. Of course they are maroons so once the female grows up I have no doubt she'll own the whole tank.

[newreefbishop]

I was thinking of getting a maroon, but figure that Tomato will do just nicely......

[newreefbishop]

Day 55...thought it would be good to post some pics of the progress.....

check out all the coraline growing on the overflow.
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Day54010.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Day54009.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Day54008.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Day54007.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Day54005.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Day54004.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Day54001.jpg

[newreefbishop]

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Day54002.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Day54006.jpg

[newreefbishop]

Oh pardon the cloudiness, I did a water change late last night 5 gallons or so....plus My goby was sifting all morning....

[newreefbishop]

I have a quick question, would it be wise to start running filter socks? Ive seen tanks where the water is crystal clear, and though my water is clear already I would love it if it was even more clear

[nickterp]

A filter sock will do the same thing as any mechanical filtration, and can result in your water flowing through wastes.

Couple things that can help alot with water clarity (I can't remember all your equipment): Skimmer and Carbon media.

I remember you asking a while ago if anyone runs skimmerless, but wasn't sure if you've gotten one yet. I think this alone can make a huge difference in the amount of "cloudiness" in the tank. It will also seriously lessen the bioload your good bacteria has to take care of.

My skimmer pulls out maybe a quarter inch of dark brown gunk every other day or so and I'm really glad its not in my tank ;).

Carbon media, which you can place somewhere in water flow (where it has to flow through it and not around it) helps clean up water also.

Good luck!

[newreefbishop]

look at page one....before anything was ever added to tank....I was running Skimmer....and upgraded CS 65.....I added bigger pump and a few secret things....anyway it pulls out a crazy amount of black gold......I actually dilute the stuff and use it for plant fertilizer. I am also running carbon, but Im about to graduate to the a larger bag for carbon.....cause I see where clarity can be improved.

[nickterp]

secret things? wahhh? Ha, anyways, it sounds like your setup is pretty good, not too sure why the water is cloudy.

[newreefbishop]

well water cleared up tonight.......not really a secret mind you....just something unconventional that i bought. Typically you see in a cheap freshy tank but I turn it on when Im concerned about filtration either in my cichlid tank or reef......it usually makes water crystal clear within 3-4 hours.......

[nickterp]

I've heard of people hooking up cannister filters, etc, just to for very short periods at a time, like a couple hours to polish the water off. Seems like a fine idea, especially if you are using fresh or cleaned off filter media.

[newreefbishop]

Nope not a cannister filter either. :)

Oh by the way on another note I have been curing some DIY Live Rock. It was my first try and honestly it came out pretty good. Wish I had some sort of molds, to pour it in though it would have come out so much better. Anyway, I have it curing in buckets of water....about 60 pounds or so of it....should be ready in about 2 more weeks to be placed in the tank.....

On a sad note last night two xenias seem to be upset, or on their way out. Not sure why as the other xenias, the mor edelicate ones seem to still be happy. I will keep monitoring them.

[newreefbishop]

I checked my DIY live rock this morning and cant wait to get them in the system.....I think once they are cured I will put them in sun to completely dry out then place in another bucket of fresh water for a day then into the fuge for a week, just doing this as precaution.

Im also looking forward to my next purchase. I was thinking eaither a coral beauty or a powder blue tang......what are your thoughts.

[dp122098]

And then everything dies!!!! You are close to the beach... how about finding somewhere down there to put it for a day?

[newreefbishop]

I thought about that.......not sure where I could do that....unless on one of my trips to the the keys to fish I leave it in the water all day while I fish....would hate fish and wildlife to pull me over and say I jacked rock from a reef.....

But following the directions of one of the DIY forum, it will cure fine in fresh water.....either way I will run tests on water before i put it in to see exactly where everything sits...

[Mtown]

Amazingly nice tank! From what I beleive dp122098 is your bro. Both of you have spectacular setups and I can really relate my future setup to yours since it close to the size of mine

Well how much was the setup:D?

Also I was wondering if it is actually fun having the tank. Do you get new things happen each day?

Holla back

[dp122098]

Hey take a picture of this thing with the hood on it so I can see what the hood looks like.

[newreefbishop]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7953111#post7953111 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mtown
Amazingly nice tank! From what I beleive dp122098 is your bro. Both of you have spectacular setups and I can really relate my future setup to yours since it close to the size of mine

Well how much was the setup:D?

Also I was wondering if it is actually fun having the tank. Do you get new things happen each day?

Holla back

Thanks man.

DP is my brother, lives in another city so we keep each other up to date via reefcentral, phonecalls etc. Equipment alone will run you about 1100 depending on how advanced your going to get. I made sump/fuge myself, and only bought 20 pounds of live rock. The thing about the cost its not the hard equipment that hurts your pockets, its the misc stuff. Probably another 8-900 bucks.

As far as fun, its a lifestyle, an obsession, its like a small dog, you love it, watch it grow, worry when its sick....its more than fun. I see daily changes but whats interesting is when I look at pictures, its almost like time lapse.

DP...Ill have your pictures shortly.

[dp122098]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7957019#post7957019 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by newreefbishop
Thanks man.

DP is my brother, lives in another city so we keep each other up to date via reefcentral, phonecalls etc. Equipment alone will run you about 1100 depending on how advanced your going to get. I made sump/fuge myself, and only bought 20 pounds of live rock. The thing about the cost its not the hard equipment that hurts your pockets, its the misc stuff. Probably another 8-900 bucks.

As far as fun, its a lifestyle, an obsession, its like a small dog, you love it, watch it grow, worry when its sick....its more than fun. I see daily changes but whats interesting is when I look at pictures, its almost like time lapse.

DP...Ill have your pictures shortly.

An how could you forget the price of the live rock. Remeber in some places, for just 40 lbs you may end up spending almost $250 or more. We goot lucky and found Ocean Blue here in Orlando and he has the best price by far for live rock and good quality stuff too.

[newreefbishop]

Yeah the Price of the rock was 2.99 per pound. Excellent quality Fiji. think the website is http://www.theaquarium.com/

Anyway as you requested here are the pics of canopy Dad made..

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/FULLTANKVIEW001.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/FULLTANKVIEW002.jpg

EWWWW GUTZZZ...I really need to clean up under there.
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/FULLTANKVIEW003.jpg

Scallop is still alive
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/FULLTANKVIEW005.jpg

Xenia and Zoos are spreading
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/FULLTANKVIEW006.jpg

By next week all powerheads will be gone from tank all together..
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/FULLTANKVIEW004.jpg

Turbos eatin algae...look at all that Coraline

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/FULLTANKVIEW009.jpg

Spot coming out to see whats going on..
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/FULLTANKVIEW010.jpg

Anyway thats it....going to test tonight....couple of the xenias still seem ****ed after water change...actuallly I think they are on the way out....which is wierd because the more sensitive xenia are still growing and spreading like crazy.....

DP let me know if you want to see under the hood.....he left it white so light would reflect and not be absorbed....

[dp122098]

The Coraline is booming in there. Make sure that your calcium is not too high.

[newreefbishop]

Yup its crazy that so much coraline is present at a little under 55 days

[newreefbishop]

I checked calcium tonight and wont be dosing for a few days......it was at about 420ppm

Seemed a bit rich.....so basically wont dose...

[Mtown]

Hey Do you think a porcupine puffer will last in your tank or your bros because I really want one yet I don't know if it survive in a 50 gallon tank

Thankss

[Mtown]

Hey Do you think a porcupine puffer will last in your tank or your bros because I really want one yet I don't know if it survive in a 50 gallon tank

Thankss

[newreefbishop]

I wouldnt put him in my tank and Im pretty sure my brother wont either......

Here is some infor on them.

http://www.marineaquariumadvice.com/porcupine-puffer-fish-puffers.html

[newreefbishop]

So time for a bit of an update...Im a bit torn.

Got payed today, after working 52 hours last week and need to make a decision. DO I get a bigger pump, or do I get some fish. Basically the pump I have now is a Via Aqua rated at 350 GPH, of cour I have a 65 with about 12 gallons running through fuge, the pump is fighting against about 4-5 foot of head so Im only looking at about 125 runing through system. The new pump has rated at 780, with that much head Ill still get 500+ flowing through tank. Should I get this now......as in tonight or do I get fish :)

as you can see my tank looks decent.....and adding pump will increase circulation...

[coker98]

get the pump

[ek9vboi]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7988701#post7988701 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by newreefbishop
So time for a bit of an update...Im a bit torn.

Got payed today, after working 52 hours last week and need to make a decision. DO I get a bigger pump, or do I get some fish. Basically the pump I have now is a Via Aqua rated at 350 GPH, of cour I have a 65 with about 12 gallons running through fuge, the pump is fighting against about 4-5 foot of head so Im only looking at about 125 runing through system. The new pump has rated at 780, with that much head Ill still get 500+ flowing through tank. Should I get this now......as in tonight or do I get fish :)

as you can see my tank looks decent.....and adding pump will increase circulation...

I hate my ViaAqua pump, it puts out about 370gph but makes so much noise (bedroom). I think I am getting about what your getting once it comes comes out into the tank, around 120-150ish maybe less because I have the return teed off to the refugium too.

If I were you and had the money get a new pump around 500-600gph. Anymore would be an overkill IMO. I really didn't see how your refugium was set up, but if u have the return pump teed off the to refugium, it will help lower the return rate.

The only thing holding me back from upgrading the return pump is the pump and the fact that I would want to upgrade my return pump piping to 1" rather then reuse my 3/4" piping.

Nice progress on the tank BTW. Control that xenia before it controls you... especially the pom pom.

[newreefbishop]

I think thats what Im going to do....get the pump and some plumbing supplies....

[t5Nitro]

nice job, looks good

[ek9vboi]

Your mailbox was full.

They way you have it set up: overflow - fug - return if i remember correctly. It should be 3-5 times the flow due to that type of set up. If you were to have refugium - return - overflow then you could control the flow in the refugium and have more then 3-5 times the return. That would be the only reason why I wanted to change return pump, so I can get more water running into my sump and returning to my tank without disrupting the refugium flow too much. Its all adjustable with ball valves for me. I would say for the return or sump itself, as long as you don't get mircobubbles coming from the returns.

[newreefbishop]

I cleaned mailbox....

The way I have it is overflow, fuge, return....and if I calculated right I am at about 3 times right now....so basically that answered my questions....I will go ahead and get a couple more fish.

An update I checked the live rock I made...well its not live yet....its coming along nicely....will test PH this weekend, which will put it at two week mark. Hopefully in another 2 weeks I will have it in the tank.....for a total of about 120 pounds of rock.

[UGA XI]

Really like your setup. Are you planning on adding more live rock in the future? Just wondering because I see so many people with their tanks packed full of LR.

[newreefbishop]

I have 60 pounds of Live rock now in the tank....I have another 60 -70 pounds of DIY rock kuring so there will be close to 130 pounds of rock in the tank.....I was thinking that may be too much...but I actually want to build withing inches of the surface and form something of a tide wash zone.....

And thanks for the compliment.....is a daily obsession in action.

[dp122098]

Where did you get the rock the the DIY stuff that you made?

[newreefbishop]

Well since your family and all ill give you recipe. I got a bag of portland type 1 cement, or you can use quickrete type 1 cement, (yellow bag), 1 bag Mortons Solar Salt, or water softner salt, and a bag of aragonite sand. Mix one part cement 2 parts salt 2-3 parts sand....depends on the consistency you are going for...shoot for putty....or thick cement....i would also mix small batches at a time as its tough to mix an entire bucket.....anyway once mice i places in those turkey baking thingys from publix....some people try to form it....i just poured it in like cake and bake it at 325 for 1 hr. Let it cool overnight the residual heat will dry it out.....then place in buckets of water to sit for 3-4 weeks. Change water once or twice a week. The salt "melts" leaving holes in the rock, just like sea found rock. Ideally i would like to let i cure in the ocean for that time but I cant as I dont have a spot to safely leave and retrieve it.

The other choice is leaving it in a stream for that period of time, for example the small stream behind the old house, would be ideal. The sign that it is done curing is a ph check make sure PH is between 8.2-8.4 as long as its not higher than 8.5 it wont cause issues.

Like I said I check them last night Im at about 8.6.....I figure two weeks Ill be 8.2.

[dp122098]

Everything I read said portland cement III for aragocrete... do you have pictures of the stuff that you made?

[newreefbishop]

no not yet....Ill take some tonight..., doesnt look like anything spectacular right now.....but in two months I suspect it will be covered with coraline. Did you look in the DIY forum at the DIY rock thread. The basic recipe is there. You tweek it depending on how dense you want it to be. I wanted mine to be of similar consistency to what I already have. I feel that the lighter the rock the easier it is to erode. The only think that bothers me a bit is the coloring of the rock, but once it gets covered with coraline, coral...etc I guess that wont matter.....Plus and extra 60 pounds at roughly 15 cents per pound I cant beat that.

[newreefbishop]

So went down to Reef Life today, in Davie.....and picked up two beautiful additions. A Coral Beauty with the most amazing colors I have ever seen, and a yellow tang.....both extremely healthy, and exploring the tank...needless to say the damsels are ****ed, but thats ok....they arent the top dogs anymore...lol

[newreefbishop]

Here are some Tank updates
Water Quality is pretty much perfect.....Im battleing some cloudiness but i think thats because i over feed.

[newreefbishop]

kleenex for the wife.....poor woman sold her nyquil for a tang...lol
j/k but sounds like something we would all do....

[newreefbishop]

I double posted....so my as well turn this into a question.....What is maximum amount of tangs you would put in a 65 and what species?

[newreefbishop]

Here are some Tank updates

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/newpicfromaug28023.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/newpicfromaug28022.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/newpicfromaug28020.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/newpicfromaug28018.jpg

I call him Mr. Ugly his big brother lives with my brother....AINT HE CUTE....SO MUCH PERSONALITY:bum:
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/newpicfromaug28017.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/newpicfromaug28016.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/newpicfromaug28014.jpg

and this is the woman who I owe everything to.....
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/newpicfromaug28019.jpg

[newreefbishop]

Oh like alwways let me know what you think of the tank.....

[newreefbishop]

Kleenex for the wife.....i would have sold it for another tang but hey.....lol

[newreefbishop]

I have been letting the tank sit for a week or so while I wait for my Rock to KURE. Anyway during this time I lost two specimens, a fire scallop and my 6 line wrasse. I think my damsels drove him to commit suicide and I didnt figure out the scallop had passed on until yesterday. I was wondering why water was so clowded but now I know and wont be buying one of those again as they are extremely difficult to keep. In any case I am actually planning a lighting upgrade right now. I am stuck between t-5's and t-8's.

I plan to keep my CF bulbs as they are now and running a 4 bulb setup in addition to what i currently have. That should make for about 300+ watts above the tank.

The thing is Im not sure what to go with the T-5 HO or T-8 VHO.

[Tobman]

Hey NewReefBishop,

Awesome tank. I have a 65 gal AGA without an internal overflow, that I am just in the beginning stages of setting up (still in the basement). Thanks for the postings, you are inspiring me and giving me some great ideas.

[newreefbishop]

Tobman.....thanks for the compliment.....The only thing I can really recommend is take it slow and investigate your options based on what your goal is. Its still a work in progress, but in a year or so when its done...It should be show quality

[bohlke]

Nce tank, have you decided on your light upgrade yet?

[newreefbishop]

Im going to do a combo t-5 with the PC till I can get more t-5's for now going to setup 2 t-5's I will let you guys know exact wattage. But two additional t-5's and in a few months I will add 4 more then get rid of the pc's. Shooting for 380+ over the tank

[bohlke]

I just put in the Tek 6x39W T5 light and wow its a lot of light. Should work great for what I am planning to do. I need to build a canopy as the light leaks out all over the room.

[newreefbishop]

So how about an update....first of all my DIY rock is ready and I put it in the tank...so far so good....added about 15 pounds more for a grand total of roughly 70 pounds total in the tank and I have another 15 pounds that is also ready.

This morning I woke up and did regular tank check.....missing my yellow tang.....he went carpet surfing last night.....:(

In any case I went fishing today and caught what what my friend says is a surgeon general....will investigate that and update in a minute....pic will come tomorrow....

[dp122098]

Boy where are the updates?

[newreefbishop]

OK, so after looking into the species, its a Sergent Major.....
it can get fiesty as it is related to damsels, I have already started looking for a new home for it. I took a few pics but want to wait till corals open in the morning to take some and post.....

DP....Im waiting for your pics....lol

[arowanadream]

Nice tank I wish I could have the same

[newreefbishop]

Well I have added most of my "home made" rock. Im letting the dust settle per say before I add anything else. Next is my new T-5 Lighting system....Im going to run 4 55 watt T-5 bulbs and two 96 watt PC bulbs......basically a whole lotta light :) Any way here are the current setup pics.....

Oh this is right after feeding time.....phyto and zoo plankton floating every where.....
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/june19007.jpg

a little under 4 months and so much coraline.......seems like I have the chemistry right.....THANKS RANDY

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/june19005.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/june19004.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/june19003.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/june19002.jpg


I got some more but that is for later....anyway look at at Sergeant Major.....I caught him at one of my local fishing spots.....I actually saw a beautiful Angel out there two, it was blue, yellow, a little grey....I think it was an Emperor Angel, but thought it was too pretty to house in my humble tank....next trip I plan on cathing a "local" tang.....But not before lights and more coral.....

[Divetime]

Looking good Newreef :rollface: What are you doing to get the great coraline growth? Tell us the secrets :D

I see you want to upgrade your lighting so what are you using now?

Thanks for the input.....and the recent pics update.

[fufi5]

Nice looking tank. Any mods to the canopy to prevent carpet surfing. Reef on

[newreefbishop]

Thanks all around

Divetime: Well, Ill address the coraline growth first....I used a mixture bought at my LFS, pure Ca, about a teaspoon of it in a gallon of water, for a tank my size I pour in 1/3 every day plus my gallon or so of top-off....I I add that and an hour later test PH and Alk and if needed add a buffer. Thats all I do, plus once a week I add purple up instead of my regular additive.

As far as lights right now I am running 2 96 watt PC bulbs....with an additional 25 HO, I plan on doing 4 t-5's with my pc ficture for roughly a total of 414 over a 65 gallon.....with low heat and low overhead cost....I hav elocated some places online that sells parts extremely cheap that work extremely well, with a 5 year warranty, just put it this way the ballasts costs 27 dollars.... :)

Fufi5: Thanks actually none yet but I will be adding something this week as I lost a fish a couple weeks ago...my yellow tang to carpet surfing

[hey fishy fishy]

taggging along

[dp122098]

When are they having the next frag swap down there?

[newreefbishop]

October 11

[newreefbishop]

So last night I came home and checked the tank and have bad news....my anemone is dead. Cant find him anywhere and lots of brown was on the glass. I may try a long tentacle anemone now.

[thor32766]

love the sgt major. you must have caught him down there in ft lauderdale.

[newreefbishop]

Yea, in the general area. I caugt him in near hillsboro....there are alot of angels there too, but no trying to get any of those till tank is completed.

[newreefbishop]

Updates updates updates......


So in the last week, I made some changes and gotten some things squared away.

First of all I added something I was eyeing before I even got the tank, I bought a Foxface...beautiful fish.....Its eating and exploring the tank and looks healthy overall. I had one of my clowns in quarantine for awhile and he passed away he had a bad case of ich and nothing was helping. when I spotted it I gave him a fresh water dip and proceeded to treat accordingly. he lasted about a week then died. I got rid of my Sgt Major because he was getting a bit aggressive and not only that be he decided to rearrange the tank, literally. Moving rocks and pushing over frags....and lastly one of my damsels mysteriously disappeared. THis isnt too bad though as I was looking for a home for him anyways.

I ended up redoing the aquascaping (which turned out great) also due to this and was horrified by the amount of bristleworms I found. I caught a few of the large ones but didnt find the one I was actually looking for. Last night after lights out, at about 12 am when the wife was sleeping I snuck downstairs to check out tank, and saw my target that I had been trying to catch. He was ONE FOOT LONG!!!! A huge worm, I dont think he was like the others.......looked more like a Fire Worm. I disposed of him quickly. I plan on getting a worm trap to try to get my worm count down. I know they are a good thing to have in the tank but they have no predators yet and dont want them to get out of control. I plan on getting a six line wrasse this week to help out there plus thats another critter that I have been looking at for a long time. Still plan on getting 2 Tangs Yellow and Naso and a Goby and Blenny then that should be it for fish. In the next few days I will also add a couple more snails and a Starfish.

ALso I have to note that I went to Home Depot and got some eggcrate to cover the tank. I cant afford anything else carpet surfing, my heart cant take the pain.

I will post pics later tonight.

[newreefbishop]

OK so as promised here are the changes.....some things to note....I got some new livestock.....and check out my DIY rock...made about 2 months ago and been in tank for nearly one month.....great looking and starting to blend in... anyway on to the pics...


http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/October2010.jpg


http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/October2009.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/October2008.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/October2007.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/October2006.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/October2005.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/October2004.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/October2003.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/October2001.jpg


OK thats it let me know what you think folks.....

[newreefbishop]

As expected the LTA moved, down to the bottom of the tank......honestly its pretty big.....Im already in love with it.....All the fish where sleeping so as I find out more I will let you know....

[newreefbishop]

Oh I forgot I have pics of that huge worm....Im posting now

[SaltyMember]

The DIY rock looks great. How many pounds of rock do you have total now in the tank?

[newreefbishop]

In tank I have an estimated 90 pounds of rock....oh and thanks...it was my first try.....my next tank will probably be a 110 or 125, which I plan on purchasing some marshall only about 20 pounds and making about 70 pounds of rock....

[KING OF THE REEF]

hey, nice tank man, i like it, however i liked the wya it was before the last redo. when you come up staurday, i got a few zoo frags and some other things that might look good in your tank, you can chelcthem out when you come, btw whats your name, i forgot to ask, im phil

[newreefbishop]

The name is Mylton...nice to meet you....I kind aliked it that way too but when I took it apart to catch the SGT Major....I forgot how to put it back the way it was.....Ill actually be adding another 20 pounds of rock to build it up completely to the topand removing the powerheads and getting two SEIOs one a wavemaker alternating currents......

[KING OF THE REEF]

bumping itup i love the tank

[newreefbishop]

:) thanks for the bump.....hey what kinda zoos do you have...

[racermike27]

Tank looks great Mylton. Hope to see some new pics. I have a few easy SPS frags if you want to try those out.

-Mike-

[newreefbishop]

Thanks mike.....I remember the days when I used to run track....Since I stopped I put on 20 pounds or so....I ran the 400 and 200 had sub 45 times in the 400....but hated practice....lol

Anyway I plan on mounting the lights tonight so when you get back I will definately take you up on the offer for the SPS. The lighting upgrade will definately help the growth of everything in the tank. In addition to getting new stock my goal is to stablize everything. Anyway....see you this afternoon and thanks once again.....once everything is mounted I will post some pics....

[KING OF THE REEF]

hey did you get my pm for tmmrw? i have tons of zoos i can trade or sell you'll see em when u come over

[racermike27]

Hey Mylton,

Here a few pics of some of the things I can take frags from for you.

Here is the blue w/ teal polyp marshall island stag
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k8/racermike27/frags8.jpg

Here is the orange monti cap and the rose/red millepora
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k8/racermike27/frags7.jpg
another shot
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k8/racermike27/frags6.jpg

Here is another millepora blue/purple/ brown
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k8/racermike27/frags5.jpg

Some of my GSP's
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k8/racermike27/frags4.jpg

[racermike27]

Here is one I really like. It is super bright green
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k8/racermike27/frags3.jpg

another shot of the marshall island stag
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k8/racermike27/frags2.jpg

and some cool zoos I can frag easily
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k8/racermike27/frags1.jpg

Here are some for fun...
One of my POMPOM Crabs
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k8/racermike27/pompomcrab.jpg
One of my favorite corals
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k8/racermike27/Turaki.jpg

Just PM me with what you want for sure or just call me up ok mylton.

Thanks,

Mike

[newreefbishop]

Man those are some nice lookin coral mike....I pm'ed you what I would like, based on photos.....Please let me know if they are going to be mounted so I can pic up some epoxy while we are at reef life saturday......

[racermike27]

Thanks,

I can mount most of them for you if you want. The only one I probably won't mount is the monti cap. Since is is much easier for you to mount it in your tank. The frags will be mounted on small discs. You can stop by to see if you want anything else as well. I just snapped those pics when I came home.

-Mike-

[newreefbishop]

O.K. so here are some updates. Ill get into deatails a little later.

Overall setup.....simple but effective
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture003-1.jpg

Side View - Actinics
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture002-1.jpg

Front View - Actinics
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture001-1.jpg

Ricordias - They Split like two weeks ago
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture023-1.jpg

Goby and my LTA
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture022-1.jpg

Green Star Polyps
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture021-1.jpg

Green Devils Hand
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture019-1.jpg

Zoos
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture018-1.jpg

[newreefbishop]

Polyps
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture017-1.jpg

You can barely see the Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture016-1.jpg

Full Daylight side depth shot
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture015-1.jpg

Foxface:D I Love that guy so much personality
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture013-1.jpg

Front Daylight Shot
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture012-1.jpg

Black and White Saddleback Clowns.... Think I have a male and female....he does this shimmy thing its funny but I think she likes him....now all they have to do is move home to the LTA if this doesnt happen in the next month Im going to try to trade for a BTA.
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture009-1.jpg

Here they are again
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture005-1.jpg

Final Shot....My baby LTA
Tell me what you think
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g16/jamaicanbishop/Picture006-1.jpg

[newreefbishop]

I had an idea but not sure how I can do it....I wanted to add a Phosphate reactor and a Nielson reactor......and a uv sterilizer.....not sure how I can do it with my limited space but after I get my last batch of coral from Mike in the coming week or so, Plus the torch coral I always wanted....I will try to get some equipment upgrades....


In the mean time let me know what you guys think.....

[ek9vboi]

Nice progress so far. As for the reactors and so on take your time and add only what is needed. I would really wait out on the UV because it seems like your tank is not at that moment yet, but a nielson reactor and phosphate reactor will do much more to your tank. Oh yeah, have you tested your phosphates to think you really need one? So basically the nielson reactor is the best bet if you are strapped for cash.

Torch ;) Loves flow and lights! Who knows your clowns might try to host it, I think mine tries but its too chicken so it hides and sleeps around the base (branch) area of it. For some reason I think clowns would prefer a big anemone and that LTA is really small, the clown might even kill it from hosting due to its size. It you trade it in try to get something 3x the size of the clown to be safe.

[newreefbishop]

EK -- Thanks, the primary reason I want to get the reactors is because of what I see in the sump/refugium.....every week or so I have to clean cyano out.....I checked phosphate levels and they are a little above normal..also I am seeing abnormal algae growth in the tank...I know that it may be attributed to heavy feeding, but I would rather be safe than wondering why red stuff is growing everywhere.

I am definately thinking about trading the LTA for a larger Bubble....as far as the torch I love that too.....will put it at the bottom of the tanks should look great.....

[ek9vboi]

Sounds like you have your head on right. How much and how often are you doing waterchanges?

[newreefbishop]

I do water changes every 10 days.....about 10 gallons....refill with R/O water everyday about 1.5 gallons.....temp is stable at 78.8 degrees by day...76.8 by night....the only wierd thing that has happened in the last few weeks is my pod population kinda dropped....


Only thing I dose is Calcium (kalkwasser) daily, trace elements come from water changes, though I test them to make sure of levels, and can dose if need be.

[ek9vboi]

Have you tried to just drip the kalkwasser 24/7? If not, it would do a lot to you tank. It could keep pH levels up, adding calcium and alk as it drips and is like a top off water system. Just have it on a slo drip rate that way it will add the kalkwasser mix as well as top off your water. But from time to time depending on how much water is lost a day you would have to top it off with freshwater.

I, myself am not too into dosing. Because I'm not doing any SPS, my calcium and alk levels are easy to keep stable but the last time I checked it was at 410ppm and 14dKH.

[newreefbishop]

Before I do that I need to increase flow through sump/fuge, Right now it is moving but waaaaay to slow for me. I am looking into a pump that will do 650 gph, the overflow is rated to 600 so with head loss I should be right around 550 any recomendations?

[Divetime]

newreefbishop - The tank is looking good :thumbsup:
What pump are you currently running? I have a 55 gal with external overflow & run a Mag 5 with okay flow. However from what I have read, it looks like a Mag 7 or Ehiem 1260 would provide enough flow without killing the overflow.

Happy Reefin :beachbum:

[ek9vboi]

Ehiem 1260 and nothing else. Super quiet and effiecent. As for the flow in the sump, do you have a refugium set up with it? If so keep it around 3-5x the display for flow otherwise it will create microbubbles that will just **** u off even more.

[newreefbishop]

I'm running a via aqua pump.....its ok....but I am would like a mag 9.5 or so with ball valves to control flow...

I have also been trying to figure out how to get rid of the power heads in the tank and either go with one or two.....i dont want alot of bulky stuff in the tank...

[newreefbishop]

I have a fuge in the sump..... I wans going to move the fuge to the far right side of the sump to limit bubbles etc.....but not sure how successful I would be.....Really I would like to rebuild the sump/fuge but wont really be able to do that till I move the tank....which wont happen for another year at the least. and at that point Im going to do a 125-150 gallon tank.....

[SaltyMember]

A Mag 9.5 is a lot of flow for a 65 gallon. I had a Mag 7 running on my 65 gallon and the return flow to my sump was pretty turbulent, loud, and was giving me microbubble problems despite baffles. I opted to go with a Mag 5 for my return which gives me about 300 gph in the main display once I accounted for head pressure and my plumbing. This works well for me. Just something to think about.

[ek9vboi]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8352848#post8352848 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SaltyMember
A Mag 9.5 is a lot of flow for a 65 gallon. I had a Mag 7 running on my 65 gallon and the return flow to my sump was pretty turbulent, loud, and was giving me microbubble problems despite baffles. I opted to go with a Mag 5 for my return which gives me about 300 gph in the main display once I accounted for head pressure and my plumbing. This works well for me. Just something to think about.

Sounds about right. I think I am getting about 150ish or so gph returned back to my display and I can see SOME microbubbles but by the time it returns into the actual display I see nothing.

[newreefbishop]

I see.....That may work out a little better....Even with the higher rates I thin the Mag 7 would work better for me....I want to get neer 500 gph.....I am gradually moving towards lps and Softies....and need more flow....and I dont want to clog tank with powerheads....... What do you think of a spray bar....a black pvc spray bar? and one seio powerhead?

[ek9vboi]

Maybe it will look right if done right. Just do a return manifold with 4 or 6 outlets. Then add any powerheads if needed.

[newreefbishop]

So four to six outlets in the spray bar? Should I still go ahead an upgrade my pump? considering my pump is pushing 260 gph into tank right now?

[ek9vboi]

When you say upgrade, you have to take into consideration why type of animals you will be keeping as well. For example, SPS require more flow then LPS and softies. For decent flow I would say around 1300gph which is about 20x the turnover rate would be good. So lets say you have around 500gph as a return, then you can get 2 or so maxi-jets and put them inside of the tank for more flow. I know you are trying to avoid phs in the tank, but if u get a pump that will put out 1000+ to a return manifold you are asking for trouble with microbubbles. I would say 500gph is ok, but really pushing it. Try one or two Maxi-Jet mods, they are small and consume less power then a big single pump.

I recommend:
2 X Maxi-Jet 600 mods inside of the tank
1 X Ehiem 1260 as a return pump or a Mag5 <- better choice
- Have 2-4 outlets on the return

that would set u up with a nice flow and u can put the maxi jet w/ mods on a timer to get even better flow.

[ek9vboi]

oh yeah not sure if ur getting my PMs... but yeah PM'd. lol

[newreefbishop]

I got it EK.....

I still want the torch, but gotta get flow moving better first......
This coming week I will get a mag 5 and some Black PVC drilled with 4 Holes 1/3 of an inch across. remove 1 of my powerheads till I get my SEIO at which time I will remove them all......

On another note one of my black saddle back clowns mysteriously disappeared last night. It was heart wrenching......I search everywhere and dont want to disturb the tank so didnt move any rocks....he didnt jump out as eggcrate is over tank, I doubt he got eaten, but he jsut vanished.....I swear this hurt more than when my tang went carpet surfing......because 10 minutes before I saw him swimming and eating and fat and healthy.....then he vanishes..........

Makes a reefer want to cry......

[ek9vboi]

Check the overflow. I've seen blue tangs go back there before. Hope you find it.

As for the return manifold, I was thinkning of something like a circleor rectangluar shape made of 1/2"PVC with 5 tees.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=944101&highlight=return+manifold

Something like that. You might want to look into doing a closed loop manifold. It will give you better control of where u want the flow to go.

So, my new suggestion or rather how I would do it if I had a bigger tank:
-Leave your return pump as is; the flow is good enough. Remember the sump is to add more water volume and with a refugium u want the water to move slowly so the macro plants can absorb the nutrients.
-Buy a good pump that can put out around 1000gph so it can be used on a closed loop manifold.
-Use loclines to control the angle of the flow.

Overall it will come out much cleaner and cheaper. Best to do it right the 1st time so u wont be disappointed.

[newreefbishop]

I like that alot. I am drawing plans now to implement that....

The question now is to my overflow, I llove the idea of a closed loop but because of the way the tank is now, would it be better if I use the return to tank fitting as a secondary overflow, or use it as the manifold. If I do use it as a secondary overflow, would this increas the flow rate of the overflow itself? And would you do 4 outlets or 6 for even flow across the tank....bearing in mind that some outlets would probably produce a higher amount of flow that others....

Still trying to figure out the best way to doa closed loop withouth disturbing the tank too much

[newreefbishop]

Oh by the way thanks EK.....you have been a great help in the last few days as far as laying out future plans....

[ek9vboi]

No problem, I wish I had a tank big enough to do it myself.

A secondary overflow would be great, but then wpn't u have to tear down the tank to install it? I was thinking of having another pump outside of the tank and have a tube or PVC pipe with holes in it to siphon the water into the pump and then out through the return manifold. I'm not sure how people do it, I just like the idea of a return manifold.

Oh yeah locline sells control valves too that u can hook up along the link.

http://modularhose.com/images/32092.jpg

http://modularhose.com/

Thats where I ordered mine from, fast shipping and really good stuff!

[newreefbishop]

Ok this is is the plan......I dont want to get too extreme, and end up botching it and worse destroying my tank. Since its already up and running, I will replace my pump with a mag 7 for increased flow across the board. Build a return manifold with 4 outlets....
The only question which Im stuck with is how to bring it up to the tank.....Should I use my regular return....or remove it and do a seperate pvc setup.....If I use the regular return I wont have to worry about what do do if I want to take of my canopy to tinker with the lights fans etc.....and the installation would be fairly easy once the manifold is built its just a matter of changing piping under tank and return...either way fairly simple.....let me know what you think

[ek9vboi]

However you feel, after all it is your tank. I would just worry about microbubbles. Well thats my ONLY concern... bubbles! lol

If your sump is big and has a nice amount of space between the baffles u should not have a problem. Also, how ur fuge is set it will let the bubbles disapate before they get to the return section.

[newreefbishop]

the bubbles will have to fight a mass of chaeto, to get back to display....i have a very small issue with bubbles, but this is with a small pump puttping out about 250 gph after head...I plan to double that but how do you think that setup would work and would that allow me to cut back to say one modded maxijet?

[ek9vboi]

I suppose you can do that. Have you looked into a sea swirl? That thing will get things moving in your tank with 500gph on the return. You might not even need another powerhead in the tank.

When people say a tank with decent flow is about 15-20x, they are talking about poweheads and returns that are going in one constant direction. But as soon as you have something that can make waves, well then thats another story.

But in your spot, maybe a sea swirl on ur return and a maxi jet mod on the other side oppsite of the tank perhapes? look in the classified for used sea swirls, i would get a 3/4" or even 1/2" will work. it would save lots of room and no need for more junk under the canopy.

[newreefbishop]

See eric thats what im shooting for......no cutting corners..... Sea Swirl would be cool, but your first idea would work great.....with the maxijet mod pushin close to 2000 ghp.... may get two and put them on 30 second timers....

[ek9vboi]

if u plan on doing some SPS 2 maxi jet mods will be great for a 65. but for lps and softies u might kill them with that amount of flow. dont under estimate these maxi jet w/ the mods. they can cause a sandstorm!

[newreefbishop]

I need something to do alternation flows that isnt too bulky

[newreefbishop]

So its either
http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=TA3711

Or

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=TZ1313

Or

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=AS1117
Plus the mod

I know people have the tunze, any idea of how good it is. And can I just have one of these in the tank or will I need two to even out flow?

[Divetime]

Newreef - I just upgraded from 2 MJ 1200's to 2 Seio 1100'2 on my 55 gal BB. The MJ are great little pumps however they have a narrow straight line flow.

The Seios are awesome from what I have seen :D Very powerful with a lot of broad flow additionally they are fairly cheap compared to the Tunze. The downside is they are a little bulky. They have many way to be mounted so that's cool :thumbsup:

The tunze are the S$%t'z from what I have heard. If you have the funds then go all out & get the Tunze. Note that the Tunze you selected is designed to run continuously and cannot be used with a controller or wavemaker. You'll need to go with
Tunze Turbelle Stream Pump 6000 (http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=TZ1311)

I don't have any but that is per the website. You may want to see who is running just the 6060 on a wavemaker or on timers & go from there.

Best of luck & keep us posted :beachbum:

[ek9vboi]

Tunzes are big, as for the seios I'm not too sure. I think maxi jets are ur best option. there are a few mods for the maxi jet if u decide to do it. ill find it later

[newreefbishop]

Ill see if I can get some tank comparisons.....The thing about the maxi mods is that once you mod em they get pretty big from what Ive seen. Plus I dont want to have alot of powerheads as I said before....so I need something with a "broad spectrum" as far as flow....

[racermike27]

Hey Mylton,

When do you wanna get the frags?
On another note the MJ mods are pretty powerful. I am going to be using 2 mods in my new 90.
For you tank I would probably go with the smaller of the mj mods, those put out around 1600GPH as opposed to the larger that gets 2000GPH. The smaller mods are smaller in size as well since they use smaller propeller shrouds. I was thinking of putting mine on timers, but I am worried about the life of the mod. Since the prop might be hitting the stoppers more often. That is the only downfall I suppose. But hey when compared to buying a Tunze i guess it is worth it. The little MODS are strong they put up a huge rush pf water in my 55 when i tested 'em.

Like I said previously I am using a MAG9.5 on my 55 but it is mostly SPS. I run a bypass on the return though to limit the current. I also have 2 MJ1200's, and a MJ900
FOr the 90 I am going to use a MAG12 that should put out 1000GPH at 5' of head, plus the 2 MJ MODS. DO you guys think that is overkill?

[newreefbishop]

LOTS AND LOTS AND LTOS OF FLOW.

I will pick em up tomorrow.....I am redoing my tank plumbing tonight, the 9.5 would be too much for what I want to do....I went ahead and ordered a Quiet One 3000.....got it today and hooked it up.....I am impressed and should work well with what I am trying to accomplish.

[racermike27]

I was going to order a quiet one pumkp as well but then i read so many reviews about it being so loud in some cases. This made me stray away from the pump. I instead went with what i know works... THE MAG DRIVE. LOL.
I hope the pump works out, I might order one in the future for a closed loop.

Hey about the frags... I can't mee tyou in the morning OK. I am going to be running in the BREAST CANCER RUN.
I can meet you afterwards or in the afternoon though. Just call me and let me know.

-Mike-