520g Peninsula Build

[reefman069]

Well to be fair, 8 of those are multiples I keep my fish very well fed and aggression is never an issue. I'm also very careful about introduction order, and take the time to get to know my fish in quarantine before dropping them in a display. There are some people around here that call me the "Tang Whisperer" and "Tang Lady," lol... I've never seen a happier tang gang. I can't wait to see them all together in the big tank.

Yes, I'm going to be doing LEDs. I'm thinking 4 of the 32" Evergrow controllable fixtures. If I find my light isn't spreading the way I want it, I'll switch out optics or possibly add 2 more lights.

4 of those led lights should be fine. i am running 4 evolutions 200's from reefkoi.com they work great on my 4x8 tank

 

[Rea17]

Hmm, looks like the same light with a different logo stamped on it. Glad to hear it's a good fixture and 4 is working for you, getting the extra 2 wasn't something I wanted to think about.

 

[trido]

I have two dwarf angels in my 210 mixed reef and they are not coral pickers. An african flame back and a tri color. Belus angels are also known to be reef safe.

Also I have four Tangs, a foxface rabbit and three wrasses amongst the other fish I have totaling 19 in my 210 display tank. My SPS are happy and colorful. Most would say I have far too many fish for an SPS tank but it can surely be done. With a lot of fish.

 

[Rea17]

I have read the same thing about the Bellus angels, as well as the whole Genicanthus genus, but frankly they don't appeal to me. I do like the flamebacks but they are pretty aggressive for a dwarf angel. Maybe it doesn't mean much coming from me, but I don't think you have too many fish If people criticize the fish based on a raw number and the type of coral that go along with them... it would seem to me they aren't considering adequate turnover and filtration for the system. If the fish have enough space and the reefer can keep up with the water quality, I see no reason why someone would say "there are too many fish."

 

[NC2WA]

I see no reason why someone would say "there are too many fish."

Because conventional wisdom of the hobby says so....

To that I say pffff......Rules are meant to be bent.

Most people will prolly say 8 large angels are too many in my tank, BUT the key is to have a lot of fish so no one fish can claim territory in the tank. The key is the order in which they are added AND getting them to eat feverishly which is why I QT.

 

[Rea17]

That's why I said provided they have space, and the water quality is good/stable.

 

[NC2WA]

I'm with ya..can't wait to see all of them in the tank

 

[Rea17]

The same to you post an update on your new guys if you haven't already!

 

[kpiotrowski]

taggin along on what seems to be an awesome build.

 

[Rea17]

I pulled the trigger on lights, skimmer pumps, salt, and a PhosBan reactor last night. Phew. I'm going to be penniless for a while. I will post pictures when everything shows up. I think I'm still in shock, lol.

The canopy got some attention last weekend, we removed the cabinetry and cut out 2 inches from the supports (for it clear the ceiling), reattached them, and now we're working on shimming out the cabinetry so it fits over the tile on the top of the tank. I think it's going to blend very nicely. My pukani rock is set up in the tank (after cooking for 2-3 weeks in fresh water I gave it another good pressure wash and I'm pretty happy with out it's coming out), so now it's just a matter of getting the sand rinsed and in! In case you guys were wondering, I'm getting the PhosBan reactor to help offset what the rock leaches into the tank. After all my effort to clean it, it won't be perfect. I'd rather start off on the right foot with this setup!

I'm trying to work out a quarantine/fallow plan for my livestock. I know you all probably think I'm being paranoid, as I've seen no definitive ich spots, but I feel like it's going to be a good idea to treat my fish and fallow the coral/rock in the new tank. Better safe than sorry, and I'd rather do it now than later. I've seen some increased respiratory rates and I'm worried something hitched a ride in on a montipora I got a couple months ago. Needless to say... I'm planning a coral fallow/quarantine tank in my sump room for the big tank. This ought to give my new rock a head start in the curing process, so it may work out for the best anyway. Here's my tentative plan:

-Run the tank with salt water, skimmers, reactor, etc for a couple of weeks to help stabilize the rock.
-Transfer coral/live rock from current display tank to the 520, siphon out sand to use in rubbermaid refugium.
-Ramp up Cupramine slowly over a week, reaching 4.0mg/L, treat for ~3 weeks. Run PraziPro for good measure.
-After an 8 week fallow, slowly begin introducing fish to the new display. I will probably do a small group each week.

It sounds easy when I list it out like that, but this is going to be a nightmare. I am trying to find another sizeable tank to help with quarantine space (125-210).

 

[NC2WA]

Ami,

Sounds good...so what brand of lighting did you go with?

if you want to add praziquentel directly to the food, I have some you can have..this would replace the prazipro treatment as prazipro only treats external not internal like praziquentel would.

 

[Rea17]

I ended up getting four of the Photon 32s from Reefbreeders. They have great layouts, customer service, and a better warranty than I could find anywhere else. Plus I can't argue with no sales tax

I have some Praziquantel in the powder form, though I prefer not to use it. With my fish, there's no way to control who eats how much of what, and attempting to target a certain fish with a certain dose would fail miserably. PraziPro will take care of the majority of internal parasites, but if I feel the need to get the medication into the bloodstream of the fish I would consider oral use of the Praziquantel.

 

[NC2WA]

nice...sounds good....

 

[Rea17]

Tyvm for offering

Also, I am planning on getting one of those water tanks you recommended, 250 gallons!!

 

[NC2WA]

Ami,

yeah buddy!!! now we are talking

 

[pandora32]

Is this the tank that was on craigslist in port orchard for the longest time? Just wondering.
Goin to be a sweet setup! Your tangs are gonna love you just that lil bit more!

 

[Rea17]

Sadly... yes. I worked something out with the guy selling it. Tbh, I wasn't all that happy once I got it home and had the chance to look things over more closely. Most of the equipment doesn't work and the tank has some bad scratches =/ The cabinetry is really nice and the tank holds water - so that's a plus

I'm trying to stay positive about it...

 

[pandora32]

Thought it looked familiar. Looked good in the ad. Bummer it wasnt as good as the ad. Atleast its in good hands now!

 

[Rea17]

Thanks I'm kinda over it now, at this point I'm just doing what it takes to get the thing set up. My fish will appreciate it, and in reality this is for them.

 

[Rea17]

One of the skimmers that I'm looking at hooking up is a SWC 250 cone. I need to get pumps for it, and I'm having second thoughts about the ones that seemed like the obvious choice. I went with the PSK-2500s because that is what they came with from the factory, but it would seem that's a big mistake. I don't really intend to turn the skimmer on and off, but as far as general performance goes, would the PSK-1000s be a much better choice? I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to pumps, so any input is appreciated.

I have a quad beckett dual stack skimmer that is going to be the long term skimmer on this setup, but until I can afford a second hammerhead for it I'm going to run my ATI and SWC, maybe my MRC temporarily. Thanks in advance.