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View Full Version : Another "my tank" thread: 55g reef

theatrus
08/26/2006, 11:15 PM
Almost done with my "upgrades" to my 55g reef tank, and thought I'd snap some pictures of whats in it right now. The fish were mostly camera shy so no pictures of them. I'll have to get out the EOS 300D for them tomorrow.


Size: 55g (the impossible-to-aquascape model)
Lighting: 2x 250W Hamilton 14k MH. Some random blue LEDs moonlight. Currently have 2x96W PC lights mounted in the suspended canopy which I'm not using.
Return: PanWorld 40PX through a 36" spraybar on the bottom of the tank.
Chiller: 1/5HP JBJ Artica (don't usually run central AC, inside temps hit 85+)
Sump: 10g rubbermade bin
Refuge: 16g rubbermade bin, lit by 2x15W NO 6500k fluorescents.
Powerheads: 2x MJ 1200, 1x Seio 620
Skimmer: Octopus Recirc 150 (replaced AquaC Urchin).
Live rock: 40lbs from www.liverocks.com (company/site now dead or in hibernation - it was nice rock), 30lbs dead rock from HIRocks
Other: ATO now run by AC Jr. since I'm toping off with Kalk water from a DIY reactor
History: Tank is two and a half years old, turned reef at about the 8 month in period (from FOWLR). Acted as a xenia propagation system (unintentionaly) for about a year, just sold and traded about 80% of it off (if you see how much is in the pictures, 80% is a ton :)). Recently added the fuge and replaced the sump (cracked 10g aquarium by torquing drilled bulkhead). Been acquiring some LPS pieces to de-Xenia the tank a bit. Looking at adding some SPS to the higher flow region to the right.

Pictures below here:

Full tank shot:
http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/IMG_2033_sm.jpg

Crocea (its attached to a buried rock)
http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/IMG_2026_sm.jpg

Pearly meandering bubble (and bicolor pseudochromis :)):
http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/IMG_2028_sm.jpg

Favites (or Favia... not 100% sure)
http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/IMG_2029_sm.jpg

Hairy mushroom:
http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/IMG_2030_sm.jpg

Oxypora (tiny recessed region hasn't worsened in several months and was there at the time of purchase, and its been slowly growing, so all is good), also Xenia in this picture :)
http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/IMG_2032_sm.jpg

Not shown: Colt leather in center, Xenia, various mushrooms, some zoas, GSP to the right, fish, etc :)
reefD
08/26/2006, 11:37 PM
adding light wattage of pc's will be advantagous! think it over>.....
reefD
08/26/2006, 11:38 PM
reduce halides with distance also or wattage if possible
theatrus
08/26/2006, 11:39 PM
Halides are a good 11" up. I knew 250W would be too much for some items :). I'll have to consider the PCs.
theatrus
08/27/2006, 12:23 PM
I think I'll leave the PCs off for now until I get my bigger tank one day. They just don't do too much with the 250W halides there and their less than ideal mounting position. There isn't much space over a 55g.
hiero4life
08/27/2006, 02:00 PM
Looks good.
theatrus
10/11/2006, 09:48 PM
Ok, lot has changed :)

- Rearranged some stuff, added a bit of rubble in to get some more ledges.
- Added a bunch of SPS
- My Crocea came down with pinched mantle after about a year of having it (:()
- Replaced the 96W PCs with 2 54W T5s (1 UVL Super Actinic and 1 ATI Blue Plus on a Workhorse 7)

Some updated pictures (excuse the changing white balance):

Whole tank shot:
http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/10112006/IMG_2092.jpg

SPS "corner":
http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/10112006/IMG_2093.jpg

Pocillopora
http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/10112006/IMG_2095.jpg


Pink stylo with blueish polyps:
http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/10112006/IMG_2097.jpg
theatrus
10/11/2006, 09:52 PM
Blastomussa Merletti
http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/10112006/IMG_2098.jpg

Karl's Candlelight Acropora (new frag):
http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/10112006/IMG_2100.jpg
(un-whitebalanced: http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/10112006/IMG_2099.jpg)

Acropora Millepora:

http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/10112006/IMG_2101.jpg

Not pictured: Green Monti Cap, pink pocillopora, green slimer, some other green acro, various LPS, fish, etc.
theatrus
10/12/2006, 12:57 AM
Almost forgot the zoas!

Under T5s only
http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/10022006/IMG_2052.jpg

Whitebalanced orange and blue
http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/10022006/IMG_2056.jpg
theatrus
10/23/2006, 10:26 PM
Well, since my Crocea clam came down with pinched mantle a few months back, I've been looking for a new clam.

And here it is, this really nice Derasa. I'm so going to need that 180 gallon...

http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/10232006/CRW_2491_filtered.jpg
NJReefGeek
10/25/2006, 08:10 AM
Just a quick observation.
If you cut away the recessed part of the oxypora, all the way to and including some of the new flesh, it will regenerate faster in that are. They have a tough time growing over themselves.
Trigeek
10/25/2006, 08:19 AM
Looks great!! The new frags are beautiful. Did you change over to T5s from MH? I really like your new aquascape.
theatrus
10/25/2006, 01:42 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8411856#post8411856 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NJReefGeek
Just a quick observation.
If you cut away the recessed part of the oxypora, all the way to and including some of the new flesh, it will regenerate faster in that are. They have a tough time growing over themselves.

I've considered that, but never gotten around to it. I've noticed a few new polyps around some of the edges... just not that one.
theatrus
10/25/2006, 01:48 PM
Nope, I tossed out the out PC actinics and replaced them with one T5 ATI Blue+ and one UVL Super Actinic. I am still using the 250W Hamilton 14ks.

My re-aquascaping rubble rocks are starting to really blend in now (finally, no more white stuff :)). I broke down and bought an EF 100mm macro lens so I can nab some better up-to-date pictures. I've had some growth on my pocillopora, and some new frags :)
theatrus
11/19/2006, 09:47 PM
Was procastinating doing any real work tonight so I've updated my picture collection.

Figure I'd start off with a short tour:

This is what I started off with:

http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/11192006/beginning.jpg

(PS: Yes, I still have my DIY uncovered everything visible construction wood stand... I guess I should have finished it before putting water in the tank :lol: )

After adding some base rock:
http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/11192006/littlelater.jpg

(RIP firefish, he jumped :()

My happy clown couple and my first coral: xenia.

http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/11192006/firstxenia.jpg

Current picture snapped today (have done some more re-aquascaping):
http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/11192006/now.jpg

Never mind the yet again unfinished light fixture... I'm real bad at finishing wood projects beyond the structural stage :)
theatrus
11/19/2006, 09:52 PM
Also playing with my EF 100mm macro (I've taken lots of outdoor pictures, not as much in tank - its harder to focus in tank it seems because lots of my pictures have a bad DoF and focus :))

http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/11192006/birdsnest.jpg
http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/11192006/birdspolyps.jpg

http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/11192006/newblue.jpg

http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/11192006/zoos.jpg
sloshesv
11/19/2006, 09:57 PM
Beautiful tank, great pictures and an always nice to see tankologue. It's good to see all the 55g pic threads lately.
theatrus
11/19/2006, 10:54 PM
Another cute picture from the archives...

Miniclown!

http://www.stackworks.net/aq082006/11192006/miniclown.jpg
mg426
11/19/2006, 11:48 PM
very nice looking job!!
2fishy
11/20/2006, 12:11 AM
Looks awesome!:thumbsup: Great colors on the corals!
CPT. MURPHY
11/20/2006, 01:06 AM
Very cool I love the before and after thread pics :)

CPT.