Tank of the Month - July '06 - Page 6

mg426 · 07/20/2006, 03:17 AM

WOW That is one sweet tank !!! Nice job !!

SunnyX · 07/20/2006, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by toccata
Sunny without saying, very nice tank. After reading the params of your system I noticed you mentioned nitrates were 'undectectable' I ask about this since for your size tank you do have a number of fish as well as keeping nice corals. I have been trying to get my nitrates down which range from 20-40ppm. I know my tank load is high but outside of the normal things like a refugium and water changes how do you keep the nitrates down?

TBH I have never had any Nitrate problems in this tank. I have many, many pounds or Live Rock in the tank along with an efficient skimmer. I preform my regular water changes and am careful of how much I feed.

Nitrates don't just happen, they are built up over time. Either you prevent them from accumulating or you dilute them with water changes. Make sure to use RO/DI, good Live Rock, efficient skimmer, reduce feeding, use carbon, and preform regular water changes.

onefin · 07/20/2006, 01:38 PM

Wow great job.

jiggly75 · 07/21/2006, 03:45 PM

very nice tank, congrats

dp122098 · 07/23/2006, 09:37 AM

I am new to reef keeping and notice that you said there was as small refugium in your sump. With that much flow, how do you prevent the algae from being sucked into the system? Could you post a really good picture of your current sump for me?

NanoCube-boy · 07/23/2006, 12:03 PM

You need like a plastic mesh or egg crate to hold it back, it's easy to make one too. Just make sure water can flow through the plastic mesh or egg crate, but not your algaes.

dp122098 · 07/23/2006, 12:30 PM

I think I would rather go with the egg crate solution because it's firmer. Do you have any idea where I could pick up a piece of that material where it has small enough spacing to allow water through and at the same time hold back the algae without clogging?

jacob30 · 07/24/2006, 07:37 AM

Beautiful reef! I do have a question for you:

Feeding:

"The fish are fed Spectrum and Formula 2 pellets. They also receive Cyclop-eezeâ„¢ once every two weeks. No special foods are given to the corals."

How often do you feed the spectrum and formula 2 pellets?

NanoCube-boy · 07/24/2006, 10:01 AM

Dp, You can find some material at home depot, search online, I'm sure you can find it.

SunnyX · 07/24/2006, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jacob30
Beautiful reef! I do have a question for you:

Feeding:

"The fish are fed Spectrum and Formula 2 pellets. They also receive Cyclop-eezeâ„¢ once every two weeks. No special foods are given to the corals."

How often do you feed the spectrum and formula 2 pellets?

spectrum and formula 2 pellets are fed everyday along with Formula 1 and 2 flakes.

jcck1 · 07/24/2006, 04:26 PM

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and your magnificent tank, I have started late in life with my obsession. but after several years with freshwater tanks I made the plunge and over the next year, I will be developing my own reef tank. I hope mine will blossom over time and one day make me as proud of it as you must be with yours! good luck! and God Bless Jim

spider86 · 07/24/2006, 05:55 PM

Wow- Sweet tank!!

SunnyX · 07/25/2006, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jcck1
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and your magnificent tank, I have started late in life with my obsession. but after several years with freshwater tanks I made the plunge and over the next year, I will be developing my own reef tank. I hope mine will blossom over time and one day make me as proud of it as you must be with yours! good luck! and God Bless Jim

Thank you.

Over time will grow to love this hobby more and more. Remember to be patient and do not get discoraged by the bumps in the road.

Good luck.

mortenN · 07/28/2006, 12:37 AM

Congrats SunnyX! Great tank.

dp122098 · 07/28/2006, 06:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by NanoCube-boy
Dp, You can find some material at home depot, search online, I'm sure you can find it.

Already tried that... Everybody knows what it is. Nobody has it. Since I don't know the proper name for it, that makes it a bit hard to search for.

poknsnok · 07/28/2006, 06:57 AM

there is a product called gutter guard. Look for that

dp122098 · 07/28/2006, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by poknsnok
there is a product called gutter guard. Look for that

Thanks. I really appreciate the info.

anothermineral · 07/30/2006, 07:53 PM

Beautiful!

PhLipStyLz · 08/03/2006, 05:11 PM

beautiful tank, love the setup

Behroz · 08/11/2006, 07:46 PM

Hi.
My name is Behroz, I live in Canada. Congradulations for your great tank. So how much did you pay for your tank?
Thanks

NexDog · 08/12/2006, 05:34 AM

Ralph, could you explain a bit how you upgraded from a 90 gallon system to the current monster? It seems like the rock in a 90g system wouldn't be enough to cycle a 900g system? I'd definitely like to know how you approached this. It is certainly possible as I upgraded to a tank ten times the size of the old one and simply put the rock from the old to the new then cured Live Rock separately and added it slowly over a month.

Skipper · 08/12/2006, 07:28 AM

NexDog: this ain't Ralf's thread.

NexDog · 08/12/2006, 11:49 AM

Doh! Sorry Sunny.

map95003 · 02/25/2008, 08:04 AM

Hey Ali, I know it's been a while since this thread was updated. I'm new to reefcentral and I'm in the process of setting up a reef. There are lots of great tanks in the tank of the month section, however I'm very impressed with your tank. When I saw it, that's what I had in my head when I decided to build a reef. The colors are great. Hopefully the tank is still doing great, I would love to steal some of your ideas for my build.

NanoCube-boy · 02/26/2008, 01:51 PM

dp, did you ever find what you need?

07/20/2006, 03:17 AM	#126
mg426 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: maryland Posts: 6,923	WOW That is one sweet tank !!! Nice job !! __________________ I found a way to make a small fortune running a reef tank. Start with a large fortune. Unofficial President of the SEACLONE haters club Current Tank Info: 125 mixed reef 110 lbs LR, 1x250watt XM 20K MH 2x175watt XM 20K MH on Magetics 2X96 watt actinic PC, 220 watt VHO actinic, 30 gallon refugium, closed loop system powered by Sequence Dart MSX 200 skimmer 38 gallon sump, Oceansmotions squirt

07/20/2006, 01:38 PM	#128
onefin Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Hurricane Alley Posts: 1,621	Wow great job. __________________ "Click my little red house to visit my Lagoon" Current Tank Info: 125 gallon /40gallon Ecosystem

07/23/2006, 09:37 AM	#130
dp122098 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 218	I am new to reef keeping and notice that you said there was as small refugium in your sump. With that much flow, how do you prevent the algae from being sucked into the system? Could you post a really good picture of your current sump for me? __________________ Damn Shame for a Pimp to get pimped by this tank!!! Current Tank Info: 180 Gallon Tank, 75 Gallon Sump, SeasideAquatics ES2 Skimmer, 8xT5 Sun System Tek Fixture, Dolphin Reflo Return, 2xMP40w

07/23/2006, 12:30 PM	#132
dp122098 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 218	I think I would rather go with the egg crate solution because it's firmer. Do you have any idea where I could pick up a piece of that material where it has small enough spacing to allow water through and at the same time hold back the algae without clogging? __________________ Damn Shame for a Pimp to get pimped by this tank!!! Current Tank Info: 180 Gallon Tank, 75 Gallon Sump, SeasideAquatics ES2 Skimmer, 8xT5 Sun System Tek Fixture, Dolphin Reflo Return, 2xMP40w

07/24/2006, 07:37 AM	#133
jacob30 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 813	Beautiful reef! I do have a question for you: Feeding: "The fish are fed Spectrum and Formula 2 pellets. They also receive Cyclop-eezeâ„¢ once every two weeks. No special foods are given to the corals." How often do you feed the spectrum and formula 2 pellets? __________________ "This is the last piece we will ever need and the last thing I will have to buy for a very long time" Famous last words Jacob! Current Tank Info: 350g AO glass tank SPS, LPS and soft corals, 3x400 watt MH 20K, Korallin Cal Rx, Deltec AP1003, 2x darts, Gen-X HP w/penducters, ACIII Pro, 80 g breeding system for Cards and Black Ocell., Deltec AP600

07/21/2006, 03:45 PM	#129
jiggly75 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: ohio Posts: 187	very nice tank, congrats

07/23/2006, 12:03 PM	#131
NanoCube-boy Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: San Francisco Posts: 1,930	You need like a plastic mesh or egg crate to hold it back, it's easy to make one too. Just make sure water can flow through the plastic mesh or egg crate, but not your algaes.

07/24/2006, 10:01 AM	#134
NanoCube-boy Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: San Francisco Posts: 1,930	Dp, You can find some material at home depot, search online, I'm sure you can find it.

07/24/2006, 04:26 PM	#136
jcck1 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20	Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and your magnificent tank, I have started late in life with my obsession. but after several years with freshwater tanks I made the plunge and over the next year, I will be developing my own reef tank. I hope mine will blossom over time and one day make me as proud of it as you must be with yours! good luck! and God Bless Jim

07/24/2006, 05:55 PM	#137
spider86 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 306	Wow- Sweet tank!! __________________ Zach Current Tank Info: 37g reef, 25g sump, OR 2500, Octo-150, Calfo overflow, 150w HQI Pheonix 14k, T5 retro, w/ closed loop, Little Giant 3-MDQX-SC, UV, PhosReactor, CarbonReactor, 1/10 Prime chiller

07/28/2006, 12:37 AM	#139
mortenN TOTM January 2006 Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Norway Posts: 606	Congrats SunnyX! Great tank. __________________ ---Morten--- TOTM jan 06: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-01/totm/index.php

07/28/2006, 06:57 AM	#141
poknsnok Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: tampa/ Brandon Posts: 2,802	there is a product called gutter guard. Look for that

07/30/2006, 07:53 PM	#143
anothermineral Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NJ Posts: 232	Beautiful! __________________ Live and Learn

08/03/2006, 05:11 PM	#144
PhLipStyLz Philip Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: The First State Posts: 278	beautiful tank, love the setup

08/11/2006, 07:46 PM	#145
Behroz Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 19	Hi. My name is Behroz, I live in Canada. Congradulations for your great tank. So how much did you pay for your tank? Thanks

08/12/2006, 05:34 AM	#146
NexDog Snail Killer Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kyushu, Japan Posts: 4,804	Ralph, could you explain a bit how you upgraded from a 90 gallon system to the current monster? It seems like the rock in a 90g system wouldn't be enough to cycle a 900g system? I'd definitely like to know how you approached this. It is certainly possible as I upgraded to a tank ten times the size of the old one and simply put the rock from the old to the new then cured Live Rock separately and added it slowly over a month. __________________ Laurence Flynn 340g In-Wall Envision Tank and 150g Sump. Current Tank Info: Deltec 902, PFO hood with 3x400w Radium 20k and 4x96w PC's. Hammerhead closed loop - and 2 x Tunze 6105 (and Vortech still sucks).

08/12/2006, 07:28 AM	#147
Skipper Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 18,271	NexDog: this ain't Ralf's thread. __________________ Skip Attix Former Editor of Reefkeeping Magazine

08/12/2006, 11:49 AM	#148
NexDog Snail Killer Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kyushu, Japan Posts: 4,804	Doh! Sorry Sunny. __________________ Laurence Flynn 340g In-Wall Envision Tank and 150g Sump. Current Tank Info: Deltec 902, PFO hood with 3x400w Radium 20k and 4x96w PC's. Hammerhead closed loop - and 2 x Tunze 6105 (and Vortech still sucks).

02/25/2008, 08:04 AM	#149
map95003 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Springfield, MA Posts: 276	Hey Ali, I know it's been a while since this thread was updated. I'm new to reefcentral and I'm in the process of setting up a reef. There are lots of great tanks in the tank of the month section, however I'm very impressed with your tank. When I saw it, that's what I had in my head when I decided to build a reef. The colors are great. Hopefully the tank is still doing great, I would love to steal some of your ideas for my build.

02/26/2008, 01:51 PM	#150
NanoCube-boy Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: San Francisco Posts: 1,930	dp, did you ever find what you need?