My 90G starphire/rimless cube build thread

[Blazer88]

More more coral shots:

 

[roscoe]

Once again you have some great photos!!!! Great work!

 

[Blazer88]

Thanks for the comments man!

 

[NanoReefer411]

Wow it looks really nice! very beautiful. Can we see a shot of your skimmer/sump? Do you notice a difference with the starphire glass?

 

[trido]

Very nice cube!!!!
So, how much do you charge to do a photo shoot?!?

JK

 

[Sascha D]

Looks pretty awesome! How do you like that rock wall now?

 

[Blazer88]

Very nice cube!!!!
So, how much do you charge to do a photo shoot?!?

JK

Thanks for the comments man. I've taken shots from a few tanks (Ben and Dang's), it just depends on how much time I have available and what the tank looks like lol.

Looks pretty awesome! How do you like that rock wall now?

I'm digging the rock wall so far, I think it will look much better as coralline takes over and I get some frags glued to it.

 

[Sascha D]

Heck ya! Adding some frags will look pretty cool.

I'm getting ready to set up a cube and I hadn't planned on adding as much rock as you have but I like the way yours looks. How are you doing with flow to the back and inbetween the shelves of the structure? The flow and where to place my pumps is my biggest concern right now.

 

[morgan]

ur rock wall idea stolen buddy thats just awsome ill have to try something like that it seems easyer then making rock

 

[tigerarmy40]

amazing pics...I cant wait to see it all matured!

 

[lundy24]

The tank looks great so far! I love the dimensions (almost had Joel build be the same sized tank). How about an update?

 

[G&NSalty425]

That tank is one sweet tank. I really like the fake rock walls

 

[BCT182]

Any news or pics? Id like to see an update!

Hows the vortecs doing having them both on the back wall?

It looks great. Very nice!

 

[Blazer88]

I figure it's about time for an update, I'll see about getting some pics up tomorrow. The Vortech's seem to be doing great on the back wall though, no complaints from me. The flow is great, I can't hear them running, and I have no wires going over the rim of the tank. I'll post more tomorrow.

 

[BCT182]

If you'd find time and don't mind tell me a little more about the vortecs too. Do you run them up to full throttle? Waves modes or pulsing or more of a constant thing?

Only reason I ask is I see alot of guys putting them at opposite ends of the tank. I had wondered what kinda flow they would create on the back wall. Also, and dead spots that collect detritus in the back corners?

Once again I gotta say its looking great.... I may have to check out waves next time I go to upscales.

 

[Blazer88]

If you'd find time and don't mind tell me a little more about the vortecs too. Do you run them up to full throttle? Waves modes or pulsing or more of a constant thing?

Only reason I ask is I see alot of guys putting them at opposite ends of the tank. I had wondered what kinda flow they would create on the back wall. Also, and dead spots that collect detritus in the back corners?

Once again I gotta say its looking great.... I may have to check out waves next time I go to upscales.

I run the Vortech's at about ~50% in the reef crest mode. Running them at full throttle would be too much flow. And I really like running them on the back wall though. There is an amazing amount of undertow that goes along the sand bed which keeps everything nice and clean. I even had a few small frogspawn frags on the sand near the front of the tank and they ended up at the back wall from the flow, lol. But the sand stays in place just fine and I can't find any dead spots or detritus. Definitely worth the money IMO.

Now for some updated shots as promised. Looking back at earlier pictures, things have been growing quite well. The first thing I noticed is how much color/life the new rock has gained. Coralline is taking hold quite well and everything blends in now which is great. Here are some dated shots:

Sept 2008 (first setup)

November 2008
Just a bit of algae on the sand, no other nuisance algae has grown at all.

And on January 2009 (~4 months old)

Here is the island in the front corner of the tank. The piece of SPS on top has easily doubled in size over the past few months. Some other pieces haven't really grown much but other have taken off.

As for livestock, I have three Lyretail Anthias, Tailspot Blenny, two Osc. clownfish, Tomini Tang ($35 on sale from Barrier, what a deal), and two Yasha shrimp gobies.

 

[Blazer88]

This wouldn't much of a thread without some more livestock shots.

I love the Anthias, very colorful/active fish and have gained some weight since I got them. They love the camera as well.

older shot

Probably my favorite fish in the tank:

The quintessential "clownfish in the anemone" picture

I'll have to dig up some shots of the Yasha's and Tomini. The tang is quite shy when a camera is pointed at him.

 

[Blazer88]

Some coral shots as well:
Hammer:

Slightly deflated brain after I moved it:

I broke up my massive frogspawn to make some more room, I had to piece a few heads though:

This piece was nearly all white when I got it and now some green/purple is starting to show through.

Some more random SPS shots:

 

[reef18ster]

Awesome pics as usual man! Thanks for sharing.

 

[roscoe]

Tank is looking great Rick!!!!