introducing my 870gal tank (pics ahead)

[Joao Monteiro]

Originally posted by RalfP
[B]Joao,
theoretically you're right with the "L", but i think the "U" has a bigger part to be glued
to the pannel. "L" would be only the thickness of the material (3mm?) as contact area and
the "U" the high of itself.
If you glue the pannel inside the "U" it'll be as close to the glass as with the "L" version
but much more stable i guess.

Good point.

p.s. I bet your private message means TOTM

[EricBrian]

Ralf,

I don't know if I missed it or not but since when is the tank up and running with fish, corals and all?



Eric

[Joao Monteiro]

Eric,
There´s your answer

Originally posted by RalfP

the tank is running for nearly a year now, some coral/fish are a lot older
'cause this isn't my first tank.
Well i have to confess that some critters have been bought already bigger.
The 19" diameter Braincoral and 15" Tridacna derasa for instance.

[rberrie]

Ralf,
Outstanding! One of the best tanks in the world. I have seen a lot of great setups, and yours is definitely one of the best. Tell us more about your background in reefkeeping. We would all love to hear about the process that brought you to this point.

One more thing...why are Gremans so much better at engineering and details than us Americans? It seems to me that you guys make things as close to perfection as is possible.

[RalfP]

Whow...
what are you doin' ?
I don't know enough english words to thank you again for your kind words
withouth repeating myself. ;-)

Reef Man,
well, the waterflow... the thing i am still working on...

There are two Red Dragon pumps with about 3700 gal/h each, which get their water from one chamber (two drillings) of the overflow shaft you can see prior in this thread. You can't see their pipes around the tank because they sit directly under the shaft and their returnpipes also enter the tank in that shaft via 2 additional drillings.
One of the returnlines is located behind the reefrocks, so no detritus can pile up there.
The other is splitted in one big and one small one, the small running through a UV sterilizer, both entering the tank from the left side.

The two Tunze Waveboxes are located right and left in the tank (having nightslowdown)

Two Tunze Streams with about 5300 gal/h each are located right and left in the tank, pointing to each other. Running alternately, the right one is running at 100%, the left one at max. 30% (because there is already the Dragons from left). (nightslowdown)

Additional 2 Tunze Streams with about 3100 gal/h each are located near the
middle of the tank at the back-glas hidden behind a reef-pylon, one pointing 45 degree right one pointing 45 degree left.
Running alternately at max. 40%.

The returnpump from the sump (a Red Dragon with about 3700 gal/h) is splitted in two pipes, one with about 30% of water into the algae filter and one with
the rest back into the tank somewhere at the left.
The 30% into the algaefilter will later be connected to a currently planned
fragtank above the algaepartition of the sump, which then will return to
the algaefilter.

Hopefully that will be enough for some time. As corals grow, waterflow will
change!


plancton,
sorry for my bad english...
if u think about the pannels around the tank ("Frame") they are painted in
the colour of my wall, a little lighter and each surrounded by a stainless
steal shadow gap.
if u think about the frame ("Frame") thats located on the tank and keeping the
glas-plates together...
its made of Aluminium and powdercoated, its an connected L-profile glued with
silicone on the tank. Two bars additional to thouse right and lift connect
front and back of it.
Its stable enough to put wooden planks on it and lie myself down on it to
reach everywhere in the tank.

AcroSteve,
no work with the sandbed, A.phalaena (sand "eating" goby), sand cleaning starfishes, cucumbers and last but now least my 200 hermits are doin' that job

Michelle L,
thank you so much for praising my english, i am normally reading eng. books and webpages and talking to US friends and collegues... But writing feels a lot different ;-)

Sam,
good for me that with its about 10.000 pound weight its to heavy for you to carry it back to LA ;-)

Bebo77,
you're so right, Iwan is the standard, regarding colour of SPS for me.

Joao,
if the PM would mean that, i wouldn't say... ;-))

Eric,
its running for about a year now, corals, fish etc. are mostly older. After about 1 month with fresh cycled LR, Living Sand, used collected water,i put a lot of the corals in there. Seems that the algae didn't like that (food-competition?).

rberrie,
thanks so much...well, i don't think that Germans are better at anything...
some Germans in the past thought that and i pray that this will not happen again.
Maybe they are not as relaxed as you guys are (and thats good and bad ;-)

edit:
uuuups, i forgot to thank the german writing people here for their kind words and special
welcome.... Dankeschön!

Maybe this pic shows how the 2 Red Dragons under the overflow shaft are connected
(at least it shows one of them, the other is behind it and the UV-sterilizer from Deltec)
It was a strange feeling lieing the first time under the tank and taking a photo


Last part of my way to my actual tank was this one, my previous tank...
A little crowded, but i somehow still love it.


Ralf

[SunnyX]

Great Tank and color!!!

[EricBrian]

Originally posted by Joao Monteiro
Eric,
There�s your answer

Thank you Joao!

[djamil]

Hi Ralf,

Great looking tank!!!

Tell me one thing, I'm in Hanover for 10 more days and would love to visit a local LFS or public aquarium. Most people I've asked around know nothing of the hobby. Could you recommend few places that would be open this coming weekend (June 10-11) ?

I'd like so much to do that before I head back to Michigan.

[818]

Ralf Im not the only one in LA We can make a sweet group buy from your tank.

Awesome Awesome Awesome!!!!!!

[yoboyjdizz]

Awsome setup! Very clean and organized. Tanks like this reason why i got into this hobby.

[RalfP]

djamil,
thank you, will send you PM to not getting off topic ;-)
Ralf

left side... still working on that... some of the corals will have to grow to look really good

[nbd13]

Very Nice tank Ralph!

It's a work of art.

Are you planning on adding anymore fish? If so, what?

I sent you a PM.

Nick

[trmiv]

Wow, amazing. I would pay money to look at this tank and behind the scenes. Incredible setup. This almost makes me sad to go home and look at my humble 90 gallon.

[fishypets]

Hands down the best set up I've see so far. Your tank raises the bar! Congrats on your beautiful set up.

[Lunchbucket]

RalfP - flipping nice pics!!!!

Lunchbucket

[Art_Vandelay]

Absolutely breathtaking... reminds me of when I was out on the real reefs.

[Art_Vandelay]

you said "flippin" . . .are you a Napoleon Dynamite fan by any chance lol?

[bnlimit10]

you have a beautiful setup, I love the craftsmanship of the paneling. very modernistic look. But the tank takes the cake, great looking setup. you should be proud

[Bax]

This system is just incredible!!!

The aquascaping is so natural.

Just great!!!

[v8maro]

mother . of . god





So, i'm going to be the one jerk on the site to ask this, but there always has to be one, how much in american $ would you say this setup cost you??

Anyhoo, very nice setup man, VERY nice.

[cwegescheide]

I'm guessing he's got a brand new Corvette in his wall!!

[sf05]

This tank is up there with the best i've ever seen, good job man diffently worthy of TOTM!

[chtan]

beautiful tank

[mike89t]

Beautiful tank! I am in Awe.

I absolutely love how you aquascaped it.

[RalfP]

You're amazing *bow deeply*

Nick,
regarding fish i thought a pair of pseudrochromis fridmani would be great, love to see that
colour from time to time showing up in the reef.
I trust in creating a balance between feeding fish (and Anthias eat a lot!) and having coral
use what they drop.
Without anykind of PO4 or NO3(NH4) absorber, i have PO4 and NO3 not detectable but coral
growth is quite good.
If all surgeons are adult and the corals somewhat bigger, i'll think again about it, maybe adding some chromis... (but they tend to be relatively ugly if really big, hmmm)
I once saw chromis and anthias mixed in a reef, and still have to think on that view. :-)

trmiv,
please don't be sad... i had a 60gal reef and loved it as much as this one.
The key to smaller systems is patience like for the big and confinement in placing animals, i think.
Its still the same reef, only a smaller portion of it.
As you see i'am not very good at confinement

bnlimit10,
regarding the panneling, i was assisted by the carpenter, who also made a lot of my tables
and wall-cupboards. The brushed steel shadow-gap is to be found in other places in the rooms
also, so is the colour of the pannels. I feel the cladding and with it, the tank fits quite good
in its environment. At least it did, that i have no pictures at the walls :-).

v8maro, cwegescheide,
well you're right, i paid money for that and also more than for my last car.
(but you don't know my last car, it's certainly nothing like a new corvette :-)).
I get used to that question and my answer usually is:
I paid a lot, yes, i am mad, everyone who will build one himself has surelygot to do his/her own calculations and add at least 50% to get to the real price.
If he does careful planning (which he certanly will have to) the way to the price is not that far.
All others, that not build their own, will have to live with the fact that i am a little shy
regarding telling that .
sorry.

@all,
its amazing how beauty nature is and also amazing how far one is away if trying to
simulate it. For the basic rock layout (which is about 80% of what you see now) i had
lots of help from Michael Mrutzek, a well known guy in the German reef-scene.

Thanks for reading,
Ralf