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Unread 11/16/2005, 11:18 AM   #426
Kent E
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Sorry to interupt, but what is that coral in the 8th picture down, that is light blue, a table, with long "tips"? simply gorgeous!


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Unread 11/16/2005, 11:34 AM   #427
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one thing you guys need to remember is that alot of the corals and fish came from the system he had before the 1700g tank was put up. so thats why the corals are so big. he had aprox 700g worth of tanks in the basement before. then he took everything an put it in the 1700g tank. so alot of these corals and fish have been with him for years. so this tank is new but most of the corals and fish are old. lol


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Unread 11/16/2005, 10:57 PM   #428
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Very inspiring... I need a bigger tank. What type of 400w bulbs are over this tank?

Keep the pictures coming.


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Unread 11/16/2005, 11:30 PM   #429
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Nice pictures Scott and glad to have you over. This tank has been running since May -2005 with no break in. The salt was mixed on May 25th and the first coral was placed in the tank May 26th. This was limited to what frags were left over on the 1200 lbs of live rock that was being placed in the tank. The tank never cycled and the corals that were in place began growing immediately. I let it set for a couple months before really adding anything significant. Many of the corals and fish did come from my 700 gallon reef which was in the basement.
The resin- I used a standard paint brush to dab the sand into all the nooks and crannies created by the foam while the fiberglass resin was hardening. I tried other methods but in the end the good old paint brushed worked the best to reach in all the places.

Light Bulbs. I use 400 watt 14k coralvues, 400 watt 20,000k xms, 250 watt radiums and 250 watt 20,000k xms, I also use vho actinic and will be setting up 11,000k t-5's over the tank.


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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWaeCrjGsos&feature=player_embedded

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Unread 11/16/2005, 11:37 PM   #430
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Somebody asked about the magnets so here goes: I use three magnets to clean the 1.25 inch thick acrylic. I have three seperate surfaces so I tried three different magnets. Two are mag floats I believe they are the 500 and the 1000 unit. It was the two largest units they made. The third magnet is a magnavore 10 (non-floating). The magnavore does the best job cleaning the acrylic but also has the smallest surface area. I use whatever is handy to clean the coralline- Plastic card, scraper etc.


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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWaeCrjGsos&feature=player_embedded

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Unread 11/17/2005, 01:15 AM   #431
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Thanks for clarifying about the paint brush and it's role in making the faux rock/pvc stands..... I just didn't see how you could get sand and rocks to stick to a regular paint brush for application. but it sounds like you got the end of the brush "wet" in the resin first . One last question.. how long did you let the spray foam cure before applying the resin and how long does it take for the resin to set ? I mean, how much time do you have to apply the sand/shells/etc before the resin is too dry to accept any more ? I know that you previously stated that the resin cures in about a week.

Oh, and I forget now, did you say that you glued the PVC framework together before you started "foaming" it ? or jsut snug fit was/is good enough ? (seems like snug fit would be more than enough, what with all of the foam and resin covering it ).

Again, many thanks for your wondering innovations. It has been quite inspiring to say the least


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Unread 11/17/2005, 10:42 AM   #432
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Thanks for the magnet answer. I'm constructing a tank out of 1.25" acrylic & needed someone's experience with the mag-float 1000. I'm going magnavore. Thanks.


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Unread 11/17/2005, 11:07 AM   #433
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AQUAN8TOR, FWIW, I use the Tunze magnet cleaner 220.560 on my 1.25" acrylic and it does an awesome job. It used to even remove small patches of coralline but for some reason my coralline seems to be growing thicker now and has to be manually scraped off. This magnet is very strong and does require a little "work" to slide it across the acrylic.


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Unread 11/17/2005, 05:05 PM   #434
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Sparkss I snug fit the rack together so I could easily modify it at anytime in the future. I let the styrofoam sit for about 1 day before applying the resin. The resin itselfs sets up fast but this is dependent on how much hardner you apply to the mixture. Most resin is a two part mixture and the set time depends on what proportion you mix the two. Once it begins to set it hardens rather quickly. I made many small batches to complete the rack system. I also found out that if you pour the resin out and dump in substrate it will make an awesome flat rock. Just set up a mold to contain the liquid until it cures and hardens into the form you choose.


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Unread 11/17/2005, 06:37 PM   #435
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and also line the mold with the substrate prior to pouring the resin ? to both assist with removing the cured "rock" later and also to completely cover it with the substrate ?


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Unread 11/17/2005, 08:32 PM   #436
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travis, thanks for your magnet input. Energy, does the foam/resin/pvc rack float without rock on top?? This may be a dumb question, but I've considered the same thing before, and just want to be sure. Thanks. BTW, you are my new personal hero!! Congrats on the new baby boy!!


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Unread 11/17/2005, 08:40 PM   #437
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Energy, that is an awesome display!How much of your time goes into maintenance?A 10% water change is almost my whole system.

Emmett


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Unread 11/17/2005, 09:03 PM   #438
Sparkss
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Quote:
Originally posted by AQUAN8TOR
travis, thanks for your magnet input. Energy, does the foam/resin/pvc rack float without rock on top?? This may be a dumb question, but I've considered the same thing before, and just want to be sure. Thanks. BTW, you are my new personal hero!! Congrats on the new baby boy!!
Good question, although the racks are open, so the only thing that would maybe float would be the spray foam. The pvc, resin and sand/shells all would sink.... I guess alot would depend on how much foam you used compared to the other components. But like you, I would like to hear what Energy has to say about it


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Unread 11/17/2005, 10:10 PM   #439
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he has a automated 100g or so water change setup where he just opens a couple of valves and its done. He explained to me that with the exception of cleaning the Acrylic it almost is on auto-pilot. a tank that size you think would entitle alot of work, but it looks like he has it setup to where it runs itself (almost) I am sure that Energy could explain it better but that is what I took out of our conversation.


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Unread 11/17/2005, 10:23 PM   #440
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Quote:
Originally posted by AQUAN8TOR
Thanks for the magnet answer. I'm constructing a tank out of 1.25" acrylic & needed someone's experience with the mag-float 1000. I'm going magnavore. Thanks.
I have a Magnavore 6 that I use on my 92gal that I got with my used 220gal, I love it... Once I get the 220gal setup I will put the Magnavore 6 on that and I have a Magnavore 8 for the 600gal...

What I do is go to Walmarts and buy one of those algae cleaning pads for like $1.50 and cut it in half to fit the Magnavore, Since the magnet is soo powerful it will compress the pad some and and I use that for cleaning, cheaper then paying 10.00 + S/H for the replacement pads and works great...

Shawn


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Unread 11/17/2005, 10:29 PM   #441
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Quote:
Originally posted by Energy
I also found out that if you pour the resin out and dump in substrate it will make an awesome flat rock. Just set up a mold to contain the liquid until it cures and hardens into the form you choose.
Thanks Energy, you just have me a few ideas

Shawn


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Unread 11/17/2005, 10:30 PM   #442
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Quote:
Originally posted by Carman34L
he has a automated 100g or so water change setup where he just opens a couple of valves and its done. He explained to me that with the exception of cleaning the Acrylic it almost is on auto-pilot. a tank that size you think would entitle alot of work, but it looks like he has it setup to where it runs itself (almost) I am sure that Energy could explain it better but that is what I took out of our conversation.
Very nice, I can't wait to hear about this, the less time spent on maintenance the better...

Shawn


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Unread 11/17/2005, 11:09 PM   #443
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wow wow wow!!!


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save the reefs , Jeff...
We must provide pristine environments for our animals, they did not ask to be put into our tanks..

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Unread 11/17/2005, 11:09 PM   #444
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Can I say again WOW


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save the reefs , Jeff...
We must provide pristine environments for our animals, they did not ask to be put into our tanks..

Current Tank Info: 125 gallon aga, panworld 200ps return, 3 250 watt hlaides , 4 65 watt compacts, 1/3 hp tradewind chiller,Seio...=big electric bill
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Unread 11/17/2005, 11:51 PM   #445
Energy
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The foam is VERY bouyant. I siliconed the entire structure to the bottom of the tank as a precaution. In fact one of my island structures broke free from the silicone and floated at the top of the tank during the initial set-up. The weight of the rock is more than enough to keep it in place but without the rock the rack will float. Using thye resin to create rock structures is a neat idea without a prolonged curing process as associated with standard man-made rock. The down side is the resin is a lot more expensive to use to make solid structures which can be done using other man made rock recipes for less money. I used a political campaign yard sign as my canvas. I poured my structures on this and then when the resin cured I could easily flex the yard sign and seperate the resin in a solid sheet without it sticking. NEVER pour resin directly onto the aquarium bottom or sides. It heats up during the curing process and then shrinks which could cause tank damage. I did all of my resin work actually inside the tank but I seperated the tank bottom from the racks and resin during the pouring stage with the yard signs. It worked out fine.


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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWaeCrjGsos&feature=player_embedded

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Unread 11/17/2005, 11:58 PM   #446
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Is that the orange spotted foxfish?


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Unread 11/18/2005, 12:00 AM   #447
Energy
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I have a 90 to 100 gallon tank for my water changes. My RO/DI unit fills the tank up and the float switch shuts off the water once it reaches the top. I add the salt and turn on the pump to mix it. I have this tank resting above my sump so once it is ready I open a valve and the water dumps directly into my sump. I let this circulate in theo the aquarium for 5-10 minutes and then I go over to the sump and open up another valve which directly dumps aquarium water into my floor drain. I have elimated hoses and pumps this way. The longest part of the process is getting the salt into the mix tank. After that it is nothing more than opening a couple of valves. I do spend about 30-45 minutes a day maintaining the tank. This is more like therapy than maintence or a chore. It helps take my mind off from work. Some day's the only mainatence I do is feed the fish which can take as little as 10 minutes. I personally enjoy the little and big aspects of reefing so the maintence really isn't much bother. Some days I find myself looking for something to do to the tank.


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Unread 11/18/2005, 12:04 AM   #448
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Brooding wolf That is not the orange spooted foxface. A few names that fish goes by is : double barred rabbitfish, scribbled rabbitfish, vigrant(spelling?)rabbitfish. The orange spotted rabbitfish is on one of the first pages of this thread posted by spazz. Absolutely stunning fish up close but from 10 feet away it has little appeal.


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1700 gallon vivarium
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWaeCrjGsos&feature=player_embedded

Current Tank Info: 1700 gallon biotope
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Unread 11/18/2005, 12:09 AM   #449
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BTW I just checked and there are two pictures of it on the first page of this thread. Spazz took an awesome shot of it resting under an overhang.


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Current Tank Info: 1700 gallon biotope
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Unread 11/18/2005, 12:10 AM   #450
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Quote:
Originally posted by Broodingwolf


Is that the orange spotted foxfish?
Quote:
Originally posted by Energy
Brooding wolf That is not the orange spooted foxface. A few names that fish goes by is : double barred rabbitfish, scribbled rabbitfish, vigrant(spelling?)rabbitfish. The orange spotted rabbitfish is on one of the first pages of this thread posted by spazz. Absolutely stunning fish up close but from 10 feet away it has little appeal.
Is it a (Siganus doliatus) ??

Shawn


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