ac7av tank build

[MGDMIRAGE]

Snag up a mandarin i'm sure he'd love to snack on some of those bugs

Very nice tank btw lots of action going on in there with all the fish!

 

[ac7av]

Hay I got one of them too, it’s a green one. I would like to get a few gobies but I think my coral banded shrimp may have had two of them for lunch. I’m not positive about that but I had a yellow watchman and a yellow clown goby that both went MIA. The coral banded shrimp is big and he is always trying to catch fish, or so it looks like it. Stay tuned because I am going to take another video tonight and hopefully get it posted by the end of the evening. The color is much better in the tank now that I got some carbon in there in a canister filter and also wanted to show the new corals I got. I also wanted some opinions on the frog spawn, it doesn’t look so good and never has since I got it. I’m hoping it will snap back.

 

[ac7av]

First one is the lime green eye favites

Next is the galaxea

The feather duster

Then the hammer

Torch coral

Candy cane

Finally the frogspawn. This thing doesn’t look so good. It never expands out of the skeleton. What do you think?

The new videos will be done after a while.

 

[ac7av]

Thanks mimosa for helping me figure out the picture thing.

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

Only thing i can suggest without knowing more about your parameters is: is it in a high flow area? I had a hammer that took almost a month before it would extend fully and it went from a low flow tank to a high flow tank.

 

[mimosa]

Thanks mimosa for helping me figure out the picture thing.

Sure thing, no problem.

Regarding frogspawn not expanding much, it has pretty much the same requirements as the hammer coral. Since your hammer coral looks fine, I suggest you either match the flow and light to that of hammer coral, or move the frogspawn around the same area as hammer coral for now until it opens up.

 

[ac7av]

Ill test everything in the morning and let you know what I have currently. As far as the water flow goes, I have no idea what it came out off. This was an online order. The hammer, torch, and frogspawn are all in about the same water flow. The hammer may be in the highest turbulence area compared to the torch and frogspawn. It kind of goes in and out a little but nothing like the hammer or torch. I under stand that these 3 are nearly identical corals and the skeletons look exactly the same. I could move it but as you can see from the blob job (first timer here), it’s already glued into place. When it was laying on the bottom for a couple of days it didn’t look any different and that was certainly lower flow. Hopefully it will perk up after some time. I’ve had good luck with the torch in the past. It’s always grown like weeds for me but when I took the tank down a couple of years ago it kind of withered away in a 10 gallon tank.

 

[ac7av]

Okay, you can see the difference that a little carbon can due for the water. The water looks blue now instead of yellow green. Just incase anyone is wondering about the color difference from each side of the tank, that is a 14k on the left and 20k in middle and right side of the tank.

<object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=12698746&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=12698746&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/12698746">Untitled</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3321973">Erik M</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

<object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=12700029&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=12700029&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/12700029">Untitled</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3321973">Erik M</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

 

[khaosinc]

Looking very nice.

One thing that you might want to think about with the 240v line is depending on the amperage and wire size is to wire up a small sub panal for just your tank. Amazing how fast we can end up with 50 things plugged in on 1 tank. A side benifit is that depending on how you rig it up you can have it easily plug in to a generator if the power goes out.

 

[ac7av]

Hay that I good idea. My thoughts were to have the 240vac circuit hooked up to a 20 amp breaker so to not have any problems with the circuit not tripping if there was a problem with a device. Most all this stuff is all designed to plug into 20 circuit. I plan on using an arch protection type breaker. The cable that’s run for the hot tub was an 8 gauge 3+ground on a 40 amp breaker. On the wall beside the tank I was thinking of mounting the plug system. Now I’m no electrician but I know a few and will definitely have one over to make sure it done correctly. As far as the plug on the wall goes, I was thinking of having the main line come in and split into 4 circuits. Each circuit will have a separate GFCI circuit on them that way if one item had a problem the hole system doesn’t go down and make it easer to diagnose any potential problems. I figure each of the 4 circuits will have 1 each GFCI and on other receptacle protected by its GFCI. Generator circuit is already in the house so I’ve got that covered already and I have a 5000 watt Chicago Electric generator that has been a work hoarse for 11 years. Its never failed me and we used it through out the construction process on the home and threw many power outages some lasting over a week at a time. It’s big enough to run the whole house except the forced air heading system. And your are right about how fast you can fill up a lot of plugs with stuff for a fish tank. I think my currant count is 16 plugs, and that’s just what’s plugged in, not what I have to plug in.

 

[khaosinc]

Its fairly simple to do depending on where everything is located though I tend to build for what works, and not what may or may not meet fire code. I'd just pick up a sub panal at like home depot and run a plug right in to the outlet. 40 w at 240 gives you lots of options for 110/220. Could have a small 220 breaker in there then also have seperate circuts for lights/pumps/ etc. The little 220 comes in handy for AC or a chiller on a big tank.

I love my old Chicago electric generator. Been through everything at least twice. Only thing I've had to replace is the gas tank.

 

[ac7av]

Update on the tank today 06/20/2010
I had to send the carpet back out to sea, it was just not going to come back. It turned the water in the QT cloudy in les then a day. Didn’t look good and smelt even worse. Sad day in the house. I really thought I could keep one of these awesome anemones but I guess not.

In the last 2 weeks my male 3 line damsel fish had got an injury on his eye. I don’t know if it was a fight protecting his nest or injury from scraping something but he had a case of pop eye on his right eye. I was not able to get a picture of it until today because he has been protecting it by staying close to the back wall so none of the other fish could see it was a weakness. The female had also stopped mating with him until today. I noticed a new nest and his eye is looking better. I’m not sure yet if he can see out of it but the swelling has gone down and looks clearer again. Still puffy and not normal but I can see it moving and he is not always turning in the left direction today. Here is a pick and a short video the little guy on his new nest. I’m so happy there back at it. I thought for sure she was not going to have anything to do with him now that he was less then a perfect specimen so mate with.

You can see just to the left of his tail the eggs on the vertical branch.

<object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=12722980&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=12722980&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/12722980">Untitled</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3321973">Erik M</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

 

[ac7av]

Does any one have any lime green eye favites that can comment on the best placement for this coral? As you can see in the post I made on the 18th I have a small frag that I put in my tank. In the picture you can see white tips on the brown ring. The white area seems to be increasing and I’m concerned. I have this coral low in the tank under 250MH HQI 14k bulb. It’s at least 20 inches down but looks like it’s getting too much light or is this something else?

 

[ac7av]

I’m one of those cheep bargain hunter people and way back when I was starting out with this tank I purchased one of those odyssey light fixtures that have the cheep silver ballasts. Well a few weeks ago I ran across a thread on RC that was talking about an update of the power transistors to get the ballasts to run up to 250 watts like they are suppose to. So I pulled out my UEi watt meter and proceeded to test to see what these things were really doing and except for one they didn’t average 200 watts. One was 199 the next was 170 and the best one was at 214. On two of that I had been having starting problems with them if the voltage was less then 115 vac coming out of the wall. I ordered the parts up and the total came to total of 38.81 with shipping I figured I would give it a try. Since I already have all the necessary equipment to do the job, that was a pretty cheep upgrade. Now my 250 hqi’s actually run 250. What a concept. It really seems to make a difference in the appearance and the ballasts seem to not have any starting problems now. Start right up, still takes a long time to heat up but doesn’t start flickering or anything like 2 of them were doing before. It so nice to not have to baby sit the lights when I turn them on any more.

 

[ac7av]

Couple of changes to the tank this week. I got a new yellow wrasse from joanndl this last weekend. Very nice fish and so active. Just that one fish added a lot of life to the system. He’s always zooming around the tank. I also rearranged the lights again since doing the mod to the ballasts. I put the 14k back in the middle and the 20s on each end. Looks much better now with the lights up to full speed. The 14k looks so yellow before that I didn’t like it at all. Now it has the look I was trying to get with the brighter look in the middle of the tank fading to a richer blue to the outside.

Note to self, stop getting distracted when servicing the water top off and skimmer. I over flooded the skimmer twice in the last week back into the sump while doing some work and getting distracted just long enough to dump all the skim back into the tank. I had to bring in the shop vac to get the (soap suds) bubbles out from under the tank. Man that skimmer can produce some suds when stuff goes flying out of the cup back into the sump. What a mess!

 

[tat2z_21]

So I was just thinking, your tank is a 210 correct. If so doesn't that put your tank at 30" deep. If that is true then are the 250w HQI's enough for a carpet anemone, being that they are bottom dwellers. Not sure. If someone out there has had success before with this depth and wattage let us know.

 

[ac7av]

Well I can’t answer that except to say everyone seemed to think it was good enough since I am using 50/50s on the CF bulbs where most people probably use all blue lights. My carped unfortunately didn’t last 2 weeks. I found it one day had started rooming around the tank and everyone said to just let it go where it wants. I found it upside down one day in the corner and when I flipped it over the mouth was the size of a pop can and nothing but slime coming off of it and it left some white goo on the gravel. I put it into a QT for the night and the water in the QT was milky in the morning and the carped just looked like blob of tissue and not resembling a carpet anymore. It kind of disintegrated and someone said it looked like it got some kind of infection. I’m not going to get another on. BTW water surface to the bottom is 26 inches. The outside dimensions of the tank are 24in X 29in X 6ft

 

[ac7av]

This is an important news flash on the ac7av tank front.
My clowns are laying eggs as I type. Cool! Cool! Cool beans!
I really need to get the stuff together to try and raise some of these fish. This is just awesome.

 

[thatguy559]

any updates???

 

[tat2z_21]

I have a 26 gallon bow front if you need to set up a separate tank for breeding.