Dipping a toe !

[blainep]

Some of you may remember a while back, I said 'Never ignore any interest your spouse shows in your hobby'

Weeelllll, a quick trip to the fish store for supplies and guess who is starting the plans for a marine tank.

A saltwater tank is one of those things I've always wanted to try, but it has never made it to the top of the priority list.
Equipment wise, I think I have most of it covered, the trick now is for the 'extras' to get things started.
The plan is for a 50 gallon FOWLR tank and sump (not completely sure on the sump part yet)

So here are a few questions because my wallet hasn't fully recovered from the recession yet.

Cheap base rock - From my reading, some say Tufa/Texas holey rock are great. Others claim it will cause an algae nightmare and to use all live rock. Opinions ?
If I can find some, I'll use dead rock, but I haven't seen anyone getting rid of any lately.

Lighting - To start off will 4 - 48inch T8 tubes be ok. I can upgrade the lights later, but for now this might be as bright as it gets.

If T8's are ok to start with, what are the best colour temp bulbs to use ? Will this be enough light to support any other flora/fauna in the tank ?

Sand bed - Should it be all crushed coral/argonite sand (typical bags of live sand for saltwater) or can I cheap out and mix in some play sand ?
Does grain size matter ?
From what I read, a depth of about 4 inches is usually recommended, is this correct ?

From my reading, it sounds like an algae scrubber is geat for keeping nitrates and phosphates to a minimum, anyone here tried one ?
http://www.algaescrubber.net/forums/

If they're as effective as they sound, I might try them on my freshwater racks.


I'm sure there wil be lots more questions as I go :rolleyes:, but these should be enough to get the water running in the tank.

Thanks for your thoughts and opinions, once things start moving, I'll post a few pictures and updates.

[CACAdmin]

That's awesome, Blaine. I have zero insight to offer but having often considered a s/w tank will be watching this thread with great interest.

[Ursus sapien]

Sadly, I can't help with your questions, but I will be lurking about for the answers:-)

[Pamelajo]

Looking forward to your posts about the new tank.

[thegrandpoohbah]

The plan is for a 50 gallon FOWLR tank and sump (not completely sure on the sump part yet)
Do it! A sump increases total water volume and will make your system more stable (especially important in SW). Plus you can hide all the pumps, heaters and skimmer out of sight.

Cheap base rock - From my reading, some say Tufa/Texas holey rock are great. Others claim it will cause an algae nightmare and to use all live rock. Opinions ?
If I can find some, I'll use dead rock, but I haven't seen anyone getting rid of any lately.
Check the can-reef forums. There are lots of reefers from Calgary and I've seen many people selling cured live rock for WAY cheaper than the LFS.

Lighting - To start off will 4 - 48inch T8 tubes be ok. I can upgrade the lights later, but for now this might be as bright as it gets.
T8 would be fine for FOWLR since the lights will only be used to view the fish. Even 2 bulbs would be fine. You will need to upgrade if you plan to keep corals down the road. I think mushrooms would survive with 4 T8 bulbs but even they would do better with more light.

If T8's are ok to start with, what are the best colour temp bulbs to use ? Will this be enough light to support any other flora/fauna in the tank ?
2x 10000K and 2x Actinic blue is pretty standard. You can mix and match different bulbs to achieve different results (better coral growth, nicer colour, etc.) but that's how most people start out.

Sand bed - Should it be all crushed coral/argonite sand (typical bags of live sand for saltwater) or can I cheap out and mix in some play sand ?
Does grain size matter ?
From what I read, a depth of about 4 inches is usually recommended, is this correct ?
Crushed coral/aragonite is better because it will help buffer the water. Ideal sand bed depth is debatable. I've read that a DSB (Deep Sand Bed, 4+ inches I think...) can be beneficial, otherwise just go with a thin layer of sand (just enough to cover the bottom of the tank). If you have it too thick, but not quite DSB thick, then it will just trap detritus and result in toxic gas build-up.

From my reading, it sounds like an algae scrubber is geat for keeping nitrates and phosphates to a minimum, anyone here tried one ?
http://www.algaescrubber.net/forums/

If they're as effective as they sound, I might try them on my freshwater racks.
Sorry, never heard of them so I can't comment...
I'm sure there wil be lots more questions as I go :rolleyes:, but these should be enough to get the water running in the tank.
Use RO/DI water rather than tap water unless you like nuisance algae!

Good luck and keep us posted.

[blainep]

Thanks for the insights Wallace. I've got a long way to go before the water is running yet.

The plan is to put the tank in the office upstairs, so I've got quite a bit of prep work to do, but hopefully by the weekend I'll be able to start gathering up the needed bits to get things started.

[thegrandpoohbah]

If you plan to invest in a skimmer, make sure to get a good in-sump model. The HOB ones don't work anywhere near as well. I'd also recommend a refractometer over a hydrometer. They are more pricey but can be found for under $50 online.

[Namor]

http://i971.photobucket.com/albums/ae196/SaskPicDude/coral3.jpg

[blainep]

Boy, you can tell I'm old, fat and married ! That's one of the best offers I've had in a long time ! :laugh:

[blainep]

I decided to get off my butt today and get some work done.

I drained and cleaned the 2 50 gallon tanks, disassembled the stand and moved it upstairs.

So now this stand and tanks are in their new home.
http://tlfs.org/ntanks/fish2/2.JPG

In place of these 2 tanks is one of the metal shelving units I brought home from work with 2 of the tanks Wallace left here. (The Limias still needed a home to live in.)

Now that the heavy work is done, I can plug away at things whenever I have time to.

I picked up about 30 pounds of dry rock and I have to get together with another fellow who has a bunch of sand for me.

I've worked out a plan for the lights, still T8's to start with, but I should be able to upgrade to T5HO fairly easily as the pocketbook allows.

I've been reading so much, I think my brain is starting to leak out my ears, but if it results in a successful start, it will be worth it.

I'd show off a few picture of today's work, but I can't seem to find the little memory card thing for my camera. I remember picking it up and putting it away somewhere ........

No really, I have 3 of them and I can't find any of them ! :eek:

[CACAdmin]

Glad to hear you've got a start on it now. This is going to be fun (and educational) to follow.
I'd show off a few picture of today's work, but I can't seem to find the little memory card thing for my camera. I remember picking it up and putting it away somewhere ........

No really, I have 3 of them and I can't find any of them ! :eek:
I hate to admit how often I do stuff like that... but then I have an excuse... early senility. :wink:

[Pamelajo]

No really, I have 3 of them and I can't find any of them ! :eek:
That is bad!

[thegrandpoohbah]

I picked up about 30 pounds of dry rock and I have to get together with another fellow who has a bunch of sand for me.
A tip that I picked up a while ago: Set up your rockwork however you like but leave out the sand for the time being and run the tank bare bottomed. This way it is much easier to vacuum out detritus that results from die-off during the cycling process. Add the sand to the tank after the cycle is complete.

[Noctame]

You can also be certain that your rockwork won't 'settle' and crack the bottom of your tank because you didn't sink it low enough to be stable :3

[Blossom112]

argonite is the best ..as crushed coral will cause problems in the future(nitrate factory)
will Also get hard over time.

I would not gravel vac in saltwater ,when I see it dirty i blow the turkey baster and suck it out of the water .

dead rock is fine but you will need to put it in first then add the argonite so the rock is on the buttom ,surprisingly enough your cleaning crew will try and redecorate the rockwork lol
What I did was used purple up when I used dead rock and after it was cycled added a peice of live rock with lots coraline and it will spread quickly.

sump is a great idea and a perfect place for a skimmer.

with new tanks it is very normal to go through diatom boom followed by algae boom but not to worry that will pass and everything will be fine ...
every saltwater tank I have ever had started from scratch had this happen yes it is ugly for a while but it will pass .

I would not add playsand with sw as there are many sandsifters in sw ,what I got was sugar grade argonite to make things easier for any sandsifters and they are awesome to watch .
I have a few fav that I shall dig up for you as they are awesome for info!

Goodluck!

[blainep]

Thanks for all the input gang ! Keep it coming !

I'm still reading so much, so much to learn. One might think keeping freshwater tanks would give a good head start on a marine tank, wrong !

I've built onto the stand that I'm using, made a hanger for the lights and enclosed part of the stand with plywood. I'm going to add a set of doors to the front of the stand as well so the sump and equipment is out of sight.

I've also added baffles and a bubble trap to the sump, leaving a fairly large refuge area. Most of the plumbing is done as well.

Did a freshwater test last night, most everything works as planned, but I do need to make a standpipe for the overflow. You could hear it gurgling and splashing from every corner of the house ! :eek:

I need to pickup a pump before I can add salt to the water. The pump I planned to use to start off with was a backup pump for my freshwater racks. Unfortunately, it's dead as a doornail. Even with some severe percussive maintenance it wouldn't come to life (even the bad words I used didn't help).

I used my pond pump for the water test, it's a perfect match for water flow, but the manufacturers website says not to use it in saltwater.

I plan to order a skimmer online from the US, with dollar conversion and shipping, it's still nearly half the price of retail, so I'll be getting it coming next week.

I really want to get the water flowing asap to get a cycle started, it would be nice to have something that looks a little like a living tank by Christmas.

[CACAdmin]

Sounds like you're making steady progress. The one thing about not rushing things is that you find out what works and doesn't as you go (rather than having to backtrack.

You do realize you're tempting me to 'Dip-a-toe' as well. :Think: Although I think I must sit back and observe and ponder this a little more.

[thegrandpoohbah]

Did a freshwater test last night, most everything works as planned, but I do need to make a standpipe for the overflow. You could hear it gurgling and splashing from every corner of the house ! :eek:

A Durso pipe will be much quieter: http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=diy+durso+standpipe&btnG=Search&meta=&aq=f&oq=.

I plan to order a skimmer online from the US, with dollar conversion and shipping, it's still nearly half the price of retail, so I'll be getting it coming next week.
What are you planning on getting?

[blainep]

After mucking about most of the morning with no success, I went out and picked up a couple plumbing parts and a proper pump.

I now have a reasonably quiet standpipe in the overflow.

Originally I was going to build the Durso type of pipe, but in the end went with a Stockman type pipe, mostly for space restraints.

Now if I can shut up the bubbling in the sump a bit ..... :rolleyes:

By my reading, it sounds like a filter sock will quiet things down even more.

I see now that MOPS has the skimmer I was looking at for a little better price than I can find locally, http://www.mops.ca/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/skus/ps/PSAC-ACRMJ.asp?L+scstore+yhgn3249ffa1a2a1+1257998707

I was also considering this one, but haven't researched it yet.
http://www.mops.ca/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/skus/ps/PSAS-G.asp?L+scstore+yhgn3249ffa1a2a1+1257995603

I gave my base rock a washing up and placed it in the tank, not piled up yet, just soaking.

If the plumbing keeps doing its job, I'll be picking up a bucket of salt Friday :red_dance:, and looking for a couple of powerheads.

[Pamelajo]

After mucking about most of the morning with no success, I went out and picked up a couple plumbing parts and a proper pump.
Were you playing hooky so you could play with your new tank????:frown:
Sounds like it is coming along nicely. Fingers crossed the plumbing keeping doing it's job.

[thegrandpoohbah]

J&L has the AquaC Remora for $189.95. Not sure what their shipping rates are though. I've used it and while it is one of the better HOB skimmers, you should really go with an in-sump skimmer if you have the room for it. They are widely regarded as being better than the HOB variety. J&L carries Tunze and Deltec which are two of the better brands.

[blainep]

J&L has the AquaC Remora for $189.95. Not sure what their shipping rates are though. I've used it and while it is one of the better HOB skimmers, you should really go with an in-sump skimmer if you have the room for it. They are widely regarded as being better than the HOB variety. J&L carries Tunze and Deltec which are two of the better brands.

I had planned to go with an in sump type skimmer, I was looking at this one because it seems to get rave reviews and is supposed to be about as 'plug and play' as it gets.

I'll take a look at the others as well.

[blainep]

The tank has been running for a couple days with no visible signs of problems, so I bought a bucket of salt and a bag of argonite sand this morning.

So I now have the tank bottom covered with a thin layer (half inch at most) of substrate, a (somewhat pathetic looking) pile of rocks and specific gravity of 1.025 to my water.

We are now salty.

I haven't bought any powerheads yet, so I fashioned a couple from 2 small water pumps to help blow water around.

I still haven't found the memory cards for my camera, so I guess I'll have to buy another one. :mad:

So, next question.

With nothing alive in the tank yet, is it going to have any kind of cycle or should I find a couple of poop producing snails or something similar to get things started ?

[CACAdmin]

... the fun begins! :waycool:Too bad you weren't at the VAHC Auction today... there were lots of powerheads, a HOB skimmer and a hydrometer all for a song. I thought about you and only wished I knew what you needed. I I should have been armed with your phone number and a cell phone with a camera in it. That way I could have done your shopping for you. :spinny: :wink:

[thegrandpoohbah]

I'd get a few pieces of live rock in there to get the cycle going.

[blainep]

Well, about 35 pounds of live rock just went into the tank ! :waycool:

A very nice young couple in town here just sold it to me dirt cheap ! Lots of life on it, feather dusters, little shrimp like creatures etc.

Nice colours on it as well. Brightens things up a bit !

With the base rock I already have that makes about 80 pounds of rock for critters and bacteria to colonize.

[thegrandpoohbah]

Time for some pictures!

[fishykisses]

i'm not sure if you know about it but canreef is a great forum where you can pick up lots of sw stuff for really reasonable prices.

[blainep]

Ok, I give up on where I put my memory cards, I found my old camera and the memory card was still in it. A whole 32mb card.

But it will do.

Here's a shot of the tank, stand and sump.
1488

A closer look at the tank.
1489

A piece of rock with feather dusters.
1490

And finally, my DIY temporary powerhead ! :err:
1491

So there's a starting point.

[blainep]

i'm not sure if you know about it but canreef is a great forum where you can pick up lots of sw stuff for really reasonable prices.

Yup, been cruising Canreef for a few weeks now.

[thegrandpoohbah]

What bulbs are you running? It looks a little too white. I'd look into an actinic bulb if you haven't already.

[CACAdmin]

Looking great Blaine. I love your DIY powerhead... elastics are the duct tape of the aquarium. :wink:

[blainep]

Patience is not one of stronger abilities, but I'm learning. :yes:

The rock I picked up must have been pretty well cured, I've already seen a small ammonia spike and now I've got nitrates.

I took a little trip over to Red Coral Aquariums today (Great little saltwater shop FYI) and picked a couple small pieces of live rock with some great colours on them.
I also picked up the beginnings of a cleanup crew, 6 hermits and 6 Spiny Astrea snails. (Yes, I had forgotten they are the snails that can't right themselves if they fall on their shell.) But now my wife can't tease me about staring at my rocks. :rolleyes:

Looks like the live rock is becoming much more 'alive', in the last few days I've noticed quite few tiny little critters running around in the tank. :waycool:

I think I've decided on the long term lights for the tank, assuming I can keep the critters alive and healthy, I'm going to build a canopy and incorporate a high bay T5HO fixture into it. That should give plenty of light for anything I might want to put into the tank.
That is still a few months off though, so I'm sure I'll change my mind several times before I start building the canopy. :rolleyes:

Anyhow, a few update pictures .

1492

1493

1494

1495

1496

Maybe one day it will even look like a saltwater tank. :wink:

[Pamelajo]

Looking good so far. Some nice colours and neat looking snails.

[CACAdmin]

I think most of us understand the difficulty in being patient. I feel you've done well so far in that regard. Tank looks cool. Some neat colors in the rock. Nice little cleanup crew you've got there. As for the snails, they'll give you something to do (righting them) while you patiently wait for the tank to cycle.

Blaine, I'll have you know that this little adventure of yours had me perusing the s/w section at Pacific Aquatics today.

[thegrandpoohbah]

Ooh! Do it Jay! Pacific Aquatics had some really neat aquacultured live rock that looks fantastic.

[CACAdmin]

I'm just not sure I'm ready to venture into the dark side... however, one never knows if I'll give into temptation.

[blainep]

An option you might want to think about, I stumbled across a couple of websites describing a 'lagoon' type of tank, kind of a planted saltwater tank.

It looked like an intriguing idea, and opens up the possibility of a bunch of different salty fish, maybe even a Mollie or two.

Some were going for the brackish type tank, while others were full marine with sea grasses planted in the substrate.

Don't get me wrong, reef and FOWLR setups can be gorgeous tanks, but just like freshwater tanks, lots and lots of possibilities. ::D:

OOOOH, two tanks on a common sump, one reef and one lagoon ! The plants in the lagoon tank can suck up the nitrates produced in the reef !

Get right on that, ok Jay, we'll be waiting for the pictures !

Back on topic, looks like the first bits of Algae are starting to form, no real fuzziness yet, but a couple of spots are starting to turn a little brown, in a way, that's a good thing. Means things cycle wise are progressing.

Looks like the 'pods' are reproducing, I see more and more of them every day scurrying around the rocks, another good thing.

Maybe soon I'll be able to add a fish to stare at, instead of just rocks ! :yes::laugh:

[CACAdmin]

Cool ideas Blaine, but wise man that I am, I'm volunteering you to 'dip your toe' first. :wink:
Maybe soon I'll be able to add a fish to stare at, instead of just rocks ! :yes::laugh:
As this venture was from what a recall a response interest expressed by your wife, is she going to pick out the first fish (with a little guidance from hubby :wink: )?

[blainep]

As this venture was from what a recall a response interest expressed by your wife, is she going to pick out the first fish (with a little guidance from hubby :wink: )?

Most likely !

I've been Googling my brains out, creating a list of suitable fish for the tank. The plan is to try to give her a choice of pre-selected fish.

[CACAdmin]

Good plan, Blaine. You do realize this way you get to do all the work and she gets to just have fun. :rolleyes:

[blainep]

Good plan, Blaine. You do realize this way you get to do all the work and she gets to just have fun. :rolleyes:

Who says I'm not having fun .......:wink:

[CACAdmin]

Hey Blaine, I'll add a little more temptation to this project. I know you're setting up a FOWLER tank but to tempt you further into the dark side and add corals, the January 2010 edition of TFH magazine has an article called "Getting Started in the Reef Aquarium Hobby".:DevilGrin: :BOLTS:

[blainep]

Hey Blaine, I'll add a little more temptation to this project. I know you're setting up a FOWLER tank but to tempt you further into the dark side and add corals, the January 2010 edition of TFH magazine has an article called "Getting Started in the Reef Aquarium Hobby".:DevilGrin: :BOLTS:


The temptation already exists Jay !

Down the road a bit I plan to try a few simple corals, but I've got a ways to go before I get there.
I'll have to make some major upgrades to my lights, you can get some very pretty low/no light corals, but they generally require manual feeding.

First though, I have to be able to keep the critters that I put in the tank alive and healthy !

Patience ....... I'm working on it .......:rolleyes:

[Pamelajo]

First though, I have to be able to keep the critters that I put in the tank alive and healthy !


They'll do fine. :yes:

[blainep]

I suppose I should give an update, though there's not much to update right now.

The tank appears to be in full diatom bloom, not as bad as I expected. The snails seem to be doing a good job of cleaning up the rocks, but with only a half dozen of them, they have a lot work to do.

Looks like some of the coraline algae is perking up. Not spreading yet, but the colours are getting quite vivid.

I picked up a little ball of Cheato algae to setup in the refugium to help curb nitrates, I think I will likely add some kind of phosphate sponge as well to help cut down algae as well.

I've noticed the evaporation off this tank is crazy compared to my other tanks, not sure if that's just a normal part of saltwater tanks or if it's the amount of moving water, but I've decided I will build some kind of a top off system in case I'm gone for a few days.

Looks like I have some kind of of a Starfish in the tank as well, a hitchhiker, not sure what kind, I just caught a glimpse of it moving under a rock the other day as I was turning off the lights. Just a little one right now, about the size of a toonie.

Hopefully it's not a nasty one.

[CACAdmin]

A hitchhiking starfish? Now that is really neat! :waycool: I wonder if you have any other hitchhikers you haven't yet spotted.

Thanks for the update. It'll be most helpful to know what stages the tank is going through and your various observations if I decide to follow you over to the dark side.

[Pamelajo]

Thanks for the update. I never knew there were nasty starfish!

[blainep]

Well, patience be damned, I'm tired of looking at rocks !

I'd like you to meet some new friends.

Whatcha doin ?
1513

Dinnertime ?
1514

Not yet, See ya later.
1515

Someone say Dinnertime ?
1516

Group Shot.
1517

So I burnt my Birthday gift certificates on these 3 guys.
2 Ocellaris Clownfish and 1 Coral Beauty dwarf Angelfish.

The Clowns are tank raised and interesting to watch, apparently they're all born males and the largest of a group or pair will become female.

The Angel has amazing colours, the camera can't pick them up hardly at all. Very interesting fish, both timid and insatiably curious ! With a voracious appetite for algae.
Apparently, these fish are born all female, and will change to male if one is required.

All three fish appear to be healthy, eating and pooping, so that's a good sign.

I picked up a ball of Cheato algae as well to put in the sump. Got a light set up for it, but I need to get some doors on the stand so the light isn't blasting out of the office at night.

Skimmer should arrive this week, I went with a Red Sea Berlin 'in sump' skimmer. It wasn't my first choice, not because of poor reviews, just cost. But I got a screaming deal on it, so hopefully money well spent.

I'm still flip flopping on lights, I've found a couple of good deals on lights, but I'm still feeling the urge to DIY my lights. ( I love a project ! :yes: )
But for now, I think I'm just going to change a couple of the bulbs to give a better colour effect and maybe revisit the lights after Christmas.

[CACAdmin]

Love your choice of fish. I think you spent your money well. Great pics. That's really interesting how the sex of these fish are determined.

[Pamelajo]

Nice choice of fish. Looks like they are settling in nicely.

[blainep]

Hi Gang,

Must be time for an update. I've been so flippin busy last the few weeks I don't seem to have a spare moment.

Hopefully things will calm down a little now, I think I'm nearly caught up again.

The tank seems to be doing very well. I have to thank a couple of the local LFS stores for part of the tanks success so far. We in Calgary are VERY lucky to have some outstanding private aquarium shops.

I've been mucking with the rockscape a bit. I still want/need to find a few more nice pieces of live rock to add in to get the look I want.

I've added a few bits and bobs over the past couple of weeks.
A few Mushroom coral frags and a Star Polyp frag. They seem to be doing ok in my low light.
I hope to add a few more soft corals, but I'll need to get a little better lighting going first.

Enough chatter :SLEEP:, on with the pictures ! :yes:

Most of the pictures seem to have a yellow tint, must be time for new camera batteries.

Star Polyps
1551

A couple of Mushrooms and a hitchhiker coral, not sure what kind, it just started growing on its own.
1552

Group shot, two newest residents, two Cardinals.
1553

A closer look at the Clowns.
1554

A closer look at the hitchhiker. I assume it's some kind Colt coral, because I don't have the light to support much anything else.
1555

[blainep]

A few more.

Mushroom
1556

My most colourful piece of rock, 2 mushrooms on this rock, but one is nearly invisible in the picture. Hopefully in a while, all the rockwork will look like this.
1557

Another little Mushroom, about the size of a penny.
1558

Full tank shot.
1559

[Melody]

I'm impressed! I'm not a salty and know very little about it, but it just makes me that much more impressed! :laugh:

[CACAdmin]

Wow! Thanks for sharing the pics. The tank looks great. I like your chice of fish. Those new cardinals are a nice contrast to the clowns. Very pretty. As for the corals, I am impressed at the variety and that they seem to be doing well. Are they low-light corals?

[blainep]

Wow! Thanks for sharing the pics. The tank looks great. I like your chice of fish. Those new cardinals are a nice contrast to the clowns. Very pretty. As for the corals, I am impressed at the variety and that they seem to be doing well. Are they low-light corals?

Yep, mushrooms and polyps are about as low light as it gets without having to feed the corals.

Sun corals and Sea fans are essentially no light corals, but they require manual feeding since they don't use any photosynthesis.

So far, things are going well with this tank.

[blainep]

I suppose it's time for an update. Visually not much has changed.

Skimmer arrived and is now running. Amazing the the nastiness of the stuff the skimmer pulls out of the water.

I placed an order from reefrocks.ca as well for some more rock. It's dry rock, but it looks like it has some nice shapes to it.

The base rock I used to start out with will go into the sump for continued filtration and I'll use the new rock to ( try to ) decorate/aquascape the tank.

Sorry, no new pictures. I was lazy today and didn't clean up the tank for pictures. :laugh:

Tomorrow is water change day, so I'll see if I can get a picture or two.

[blainep]

Well, you knew it was only a matter of time ......

The JBJ 24 Nano Cube Wallace left behind has now been put into service.

1585

Right beside.....

1586

Lighting is supplied by one 38 watt power compact fixture (with a new bulb) that came with the tank and the second light is a terrarium hood that I put 2 coralife screw in compacts into.

1587

If it's needed, I could probably make a simple mod to add 2 more bulbs into the hood, but this seems to have enough intensity to give shimmer effect about half way down the tank.

A couple more pictures just for fun.

1588

1589

Hopefully, the rock I ordered from reefrocks will arrive this week and I can attempt to start making it look pretty.

The thought/plan is to make this tank a more reef oriented tank. Planning for soft corals, I like they way they sway in the current.

No plans to try out SPS corals right now, they're very colourful, but the softies have more visual appeal to me.

[CACAdmin]

Blaine, I see what has happened. Once you dipped your toe into the dark side, it was only time before it managed to draw you deeper. :wink: Nice tank for a reef (Wallace, you didn't really expect Blaine to be able to resist filling that tank indefinitely, did you? :twitcy: )

Now we have 2 s/w tanks to watch the progress on. (you keep tempting me, you know).

PS... what did your wife say about another tank finding it's way upstairs? (or has it dawned on her that the tanks are gradually taking over the house. :DevilGrin: )

[thegrandpoohbah]

Looks good Blaine, at least someone is getting some use out of that tank. I say turn it into a zoanthid tank!

[Pamelajo]

Looks good Blaine.

[blainep]

Looks good Blaine, at least someone is getting some use out of that tank. I say turn it into a zoanthid tank!

That's kinda what I was thinking, a couple of larger softies swaying in the current and zoo's and mushrooms filling in the rest of the tank.

[blainep]

Blaine, I see what has happened. Once you dipped your toe into the dark side, it was only time before it managed to draw you deeper. :wink: It's a bit like a vortex, but I'm sure you already know the feeling !

Now we have 2 s/w tanks to watch the progress on. (you keep tempting me, you know).You know you want to ..... just give in !

PS... what did your wife say about another tank finding it's way upstairs? (or has it dawned on her that the tanks are gradually taking over the house. :DevilGrin: )I suspect that by this point, she knew it was coming.

[blainep]

Time for an update.

Not much to report on the big tank. Things overall seem to be plugging along fine.
The only odd thing that happened was my ball of Cheato melted away.

I got the impression it was like Java Moss, nearly impossible to kill, but looks like I managed to kill it.

Got my box 'o' rocks from Reef Rocks. Nice looking rock, some nice big pieces in the box.

I've been mucking around in the Nano Cube with the rock. So far, this is what I have been able to come up with.

1621

1622

I laid out some eggcrate on the bottom in case the rocks come tumbling down, but they seem to lock together well, almost like Lego's.
I need a few more handfuls of sand as well, you can see some of the eggcrate still peeking thru.
I tossed in a couple of pieces of live rock from the display tank, and the new rock that wouldn't fit into the Nano went into the display tank.

I've been tossing around the idea of making a DIY PVC overflow and adding a small sump to the Nano, but haven't decided yet. It would make some room for a skimmer and let me hide some of the other equipment, but from my reading, many don't recommend using a skimmer on a nano tank. So it may really just be a waste of time.

I may just pick up an AC70 to hang off the back and and use it for a mini refugium.

Once this tank settles a bit, I'm going to put my little mushroom and polyp frags in the nano. My Coral beauty angel likes to play hide seek with them.

Lots of fun for her, not so much for me.

[thegrandpoohbah]

FYI, there is room to hang an AquaC Remora skimmer off the back of that NC. Or a Tunze DOC 9002 will fit in the back chambers. Or, since I'd already removed some of the plastic from the back, use the middle chamber for some chaeto. It would be easy enough to rig a light on the back of the tank for that.

[CACAdmin]

I like what you've done with the rock in the Nano Cube. Looks cool. I would never have thought of egg crate the take the impact should any of the rocks tumble down... good idea.

[blainep]

It's tank cleaning day, so that must mean it's time for an update.

The Nano seems to be settling in nicely. I've moved most of my coral frags into it now, they seem to be happy.

I went over to Red Coral today for a wander about and came home with a Candy cane coral and a small Hammer coral.

Assuming everything is still happy next week, I plan to bring home one or two Zoa frags.

The big tank is doing well. Other than the weekly maintenance, the tank seems to look after itself.
I guess now it's just a matter of time while the Coraline algae grows in and the tank matures.

So, enough chatter, on with the pictures.

The Nano tank
1642

Xenia soft coral
1643

Hammer coral
1644

Candy cane coral
1645

Green Star polyps
1646

[blainep]

Red and Ricordea mushrooms
1647

Some smaller mushrooms
1648

The Big tank
1649

Miss Coral Beauty posing for the camera.
1650


1651


Edit - I was going to try a couple of Actinic only shots, the Polyps and Candy cane really glow under Actinic light, but, dead camera batteries.

[CACAdmin]

I think you're now past the 'dipping your toe' part, Blaine... I think that ended when you started the second tank. Thanks for posting the pics. The tanks look great and you have some very pretty corals. Pardon my ignorance, but I have a question. What temperature do you keep the tanks at?

[Namor]

Wow... great shots Blaine, get those batteries charged up! :yes:

[Pamelajo]

Great shots and a very nice fish.

[blainep]

Must be time for an update !

I picked up a few more little goodies for the cube yesterday, 2 more Candy Cane coral frags in different colours, a small frag of Star polyps and a small Zoa frag.

Still no fish in the cube, I haven't yet decided what to add fish wise.
I am leaning towards one or two large Feather Duster worms as well, but I'll have to see how the real estate works out in a small tank.

For corals, I would like to add a few more Zoa's along one large rock in the cube and hopefully, they'll cover the rock with time. I would also like to add one more easy LPS like a Torch or Frogspawn coral.

I'm not to worried about the easier corals growing fairly quickly, the plan is frag and move the fast growers into the 50 gallon tank.

As for the 50 gallon tank, nothing new this week. I had another Apistia appear, so I must have another one somewhere in the tank spreading babies. I may have to get a Peppermint shrimp to eat them as they appear.
Other than that, the tank seems to be doing fine.

Of course, now I'm thinking that with some floor re-enforcements, and a new stand, I could just squeeze an 8 foot tank into the space the 50 gallon is in right now .........

But not for quite a while, to many other things that need my attention right now, besides, a tank that big just isn't in the budget right now.

Tired of reading yet, OK, here's a few update pictures.

New camera batteries, but I'm still not getting accurate colours. Maybe I need to find my camera directions book.
But an overview picture.
1664

Seems if the colours are close to right, it won't focus.
1665

Yet another close up of my Hammer coral.
1666

A close look at the Xenia coral. It has now attached to the surrounding rocks, so I should start to see some growth from it.
1667

Green Star Polyps. They're starting to grow, all the little polyps around the bottom are new !
1668

[blainep]

One of the new Candy Canes, with the stem covered in little Feather Duster worms.
1669

Another of the new Candy Canes, the red one behind is the other new one. This picture shows the head splitting on the coral, soon to be two heads.
1670

Mushrooms, some are starting to get quite large. The red one has a little one starting to peek out , but you can't see it in the picture.
1671

A larger Feather Duster sticking out of the rock, the plume is about the size of a quarter.
1672

Another of the new additions, Star Poyps. These ones are smaller than my other Star Polyps, they also don't have the light color centers. They seem to have a bit more of a disorganized/random look to them.
1673

[blainep]

The last of the new additions, the Zoanthids, don't know the specific type, just liked the colours.
1674

And one more for fun !
1675


:SLEEP: Yet ?

[MDahms]

Your tank is really coming along. The mushroom corals and the candy cane coral with feather duster worms are my favorites.

Mike

[CACAdmin]

I'm really enjoying this. Love your corals. I think you've found a talent for s/w. Tank is looking great.

[Namor]

:SLEEP: Yet ?

:NoWay: ... not a chance, too much beauty.

[blainep]

Update time !

Finally. Life has been a little hectic lately.

So, guess I made my first dumb move with the marine experience.

Two weeks ago I did the weekly maintenance, a water change and cleanup, I have been using one of the sponges that come with the filtration system built into the tank.
Not something normally done on a reef tank, but the tank had almost no bioload so I wasn't worried about detritus buildup in the sponge.

I took out the sponge and gave it a good washing out and then moved two small clown fish into the tank.

Sooooooo ..... Wipe out a big chunk of what little bio filter there was add two poop machines and guess what .....

Ammonia spike ! :Frustrated:

Not enough to show any visible stress to the fish, but more than enough to stress the crap out of my corals !

So, after two weeks of damage control, things are starting to recover.

I thing one of the Candycanes is a goner, the Hammer, Xenia, and one of the Zoanthids took a pretty good hit, but they look like they'll make it.

Interestingly, the Star polyps seemed to enjoy the the ammonia, during the past couple weeks the size of the encrusting mat they live on has almost doubled in size and has a bunch of little stars growing on it. Go figure.

So, enough chatter, lets get a few pictures going.

The tank, as of today.
1722

The stars of tonight's show.
1723

As cute as they are, I've come to the conclusion that Clownfish are, well.... Let's call it slightly mentally defective. Amusing, but truly bizarre behavior.
1724

The red Candy canes, they seem to come thru unscathed. A member of the clean up crew made it into the picture as well.
1725

This Candy cane was touch and go for a while, but it appears to be back to it's old self again.
1726

[blainep]

An important meeting ? :yes:
1727

A poor picture of some deep red Zoanthids.
1728

The zorched Zoas their fringes used to be all red, now a little grey. The mat from the Star polyps reaching out over the rock.
1729

The Hammer coral, lost a lot of it's colour.
1730

The Xenia, grey tipped as well.
1731

[blainep]

One of the newer additions, a Frogspawn coral
1732

Stretched Clown ! :laugh:
1733


:SLEEP: Yet Namor ?

[CACAdmin]

Sorry to hear of your trials and tribulations with the corals. However, I guess it's all part of the learning curve when you're starting out a new endeavor like this.

Great pics! Thanks for posting them. Cute little clowns. Bizarre bahavior? Maybe they're just trying to fit in and figure their new owner might appreciate a little goofy-ness. :wink: :laugh: As for the stretch-look caused by the rounded glass in the corner of the cube, remember the 'House of Mirrors' at local amusement parks? It's rather like seeing your fish in one of those mirrors (the ones that make us all look weirdly shaped). :laugh:

Keep the pics coming... we get to enjoy your s/w experiences vicariously.

[Namor]

:SLEEP: Yet Namor ?

:laugh: :NoWay:

[Pamelajo]

Thanks for sharing those Blaine, coming along very nicely.

[MDahms]

That new frog spawn coral is wild looking, very cool.

Mike

[blainep]

Must be time for a tank update.

The Nano Cube is nearly finished. I think one more larger coral near the top center of the tank and maybe a few small Zoa or Paly frags along the back sides of the rocks.

The new additions are
- A Yellow Clown Goby
- A Rainford's Goby
- 2 Red Fuzzy Mushrooms.

I've done some work to the mechanics of the tank as well, I reworked the lights, now producing about 125 watts of florescent light, enhanced with blue LEDs.

The rear filtration chambers are full of goodies as well. The first chamber still has a foam block in it, I find the water has a lot of particulates in it if I don't use the foam. So I pull it and wash it every week. On top of the foam is a big bag of 'Chemi-pure'.

The second chamber holds the heater and a Berlin airlift skimmer, last chamber has a 9 watt UV sterilizer and the return pump in it.

When the bank account permits, I'll be replacing the Berlin skimmer with a Tunze 9002, but for now the Berlin is doing the job.

Nuff chatter, on to the pictures.

Full tank shot.
1868

Fuzzy Red Mushrooms. They don't photograph all that well.
1866

1867


Mr Rainford. He seems to like that corner, so I'm going to add a layer of suger sand there for him to sift thru.
1869

1870

[blainep]

Yellow Clown Goby
1857

On his favorite perch.
1858

1859

Not to worry, I won't leave you two out.
1860

1861

They just finished off a dinner of Cyclops-eze, kinda like popcorn for them, they just sort of roll and flop thru the little cloud of food sucking up as much as they can. :laugh:


Great for the Gobies as well, they can't seem to resist them either.

[Pamelajo]

Blaine the first three links are not working, did not try the last 2.

[blainep]

I'll be shifting my focus back to the 50 gallon tank now that the cube is pretty much finished. The tank has been running for a few months, so hopefully it has matured a little.

I've added a few pieces of dry rock to it, and I will be adding a little more before the rockwork is done.

A few more fish, crank up the lights, a couple of proper powerheads and things should be looking pretty sharp. ( fingers crossed)

Some of the new rock and the princess of the tank.
1862

1863

Full tank shot.
1864

The sump.
1865

Got to make some doors for the stand as well to hide my mess. :laugh:

[CACAdmin]

Now that you've got the cube going successfully, you're all but a pro! This tank should be a piece of cake. :wink:

I meant to ask you, was 'Princess' your pick or your wife's? (After all it was her interest that got you started venturing into the 'Dark Side'.

[Pamelajo]

Nice!!

[blainep]

Blaine the first three links are not working, did not try the last 2.


Re-uploaded the pictures, they seem to be working now.

Thanks Pam.

[blainep]

Now that you've got the cube going successfully, you're all but a pro! This tank should be a piece of cake. :wink:

I meant to ask you, was 'Princess' your pick or your wife's? (After all it was her interest that got you started venturing into the 'Dark Side'.

I'm not sure which one of us named her the princess first, but she reminds of the story 'The princess and the pea'

That tank is HER tank and anytime I mess with the tank, she's perturbed for hours after ! :laugh:

[CACAdmin]

Good thing she's not a sand-sifter or she'd redecorate for days after you 'messed' with her tank. As it is, she can only pout. :laugh:

[Pamelajo]

Re-uploaded the pictures, they seem to be working now.

Thanks Pam.
Yep they are.
Sounds like the princess has quite the attitude

[blainep]

I could while away the hours, conferrin' with the flowers
Consultin' with the rain.
And my head I'd be scratchin' while my thoughts were busy hatchin'

If I only had a brain.

1879


:laugh:

No excuses now !

It will probably end having to go into the 50 gallon tank, it's a little big for nano, but it was a screamin deal, so it had to come home with me.

It's still a little PO'd from being moved, when it puffs up, it's quite huge.

A few more pictures that were in focus....

Had to do a little more DIY'n to my light, it was heating up the tank and deforming the plastic on the vents. A trip to the computer store and a chopped up 12 volt wall-wart and I now have a cool tank and lid.
The black tape looks a little cheesy, so I'll bring home some black RTV sealer from work to make it look prettier.
1880

FTS
1881

Baby Shrooms
1882

I swear they're smiling !
1883

[CACAdmin]

As long as that's not the brain you're relying on at work, you'll be fine! :laugh: Very nice and I can see why you couldn't resist bringing it home. For a freshwater guy, you seem to have adapted to the dark side rather well.

I like your ingenuity when it comes to modifications to deal with the excess heat from your lighting.

[CACAdmin]

How have the lighting mods worked out?

[blainep]

How have the lighting mods worked out?


Yup, the light fixture is cool as cucumber !