Pics of my 120 peninsula.

[John Henry]

Hi folks,
I finally got around to figuring out how to use my girlfriend's digital camera. So here are some pics of my peninsula-shaped acrylic. Any thoughts on aquascaping or anything else appreciated.

Thanks,
Jh

 

[John Henry]

Livestock includes: Many zoanthids, GSP, hammer, torch, a green BTA (now 2), large Sebae anemone, 2 clownfish, 1 Flame angel, 1 lawnmower blenny, a friend's sohal (who's only a temporary guest), and a nasty looking crab that I wish I knew how to catch...

It's lit by a 14k 150W in the front, and 2 55w actinics and 2 more 20w actinics. Circulation is with an Iwaki-30 CL. I have hydorflo's on three of the 6 CL outputs.

I have a 20g refugium underneath with chaeto on 24/7 lighting.

The general idea of the layout is to have higher light critters towards the front, and keep the back side (righthand side in pic. #3) lower light for mushrooms and gorgonians. My next move will be to get a SCWD (?) to get alternating flow on the two returns. Any recommendations on a good one?

 

[wrightme43]

Thats cool man, I like it.

 

[NaH2O]

Awesome! Looks really really nice. I've seen mixed reviews on the SCWD...some people think they are great, and others think they are so-so.

Even though the Sohal is a temporary guest...have you experienced any aggression issues with it?

Do you have a skimmer?

 

[aquarookie]

Beautiful tank. What is that green lawn in the front made of? I want it!

 

[John Henry]

Thanks for the comments!

I've had the Sohal in for about four weeks now, and so far she's been a perfect angel. No aggression issues whatsoever. My Flame angel and clownfish definetly get out of the way when she comes by, but not because she's threatening in any way.

But I have no other tangs, and there has been plenty of macroalgae for her to graze on. (In fact, the excess macro I had was part of the reason I offered to babysit her while my friend gets his 250 going. And she's done a great job with it. )

I have a small, cheap skimmer: a Weipro-something-or-other. It's small and cheap and guess what? It works just like you'd expect a small, cheap skimmer to work. I'm planning to pick up a Deltec (still debating) when I go back to the States on Wednesday. Any other recommendations welcome!

Yeah, I've heard mixed reviews about SCWDs too. I think one would be great on my 2 returns, but I won't go for one if it's noisy or is prone to seize up. (I'm away from home often so can't afford to have any unreliable hardware.)

Thanks again for the comments!

Jh

 

[John Henry]

The green lawn is Scotts Premium Grass Seed, available in 10 lb. bags from HD or Lowe's.......






Just kidding. That's a mat of Green Star Polyps, one of my favorite corals! People sometimes complain about them growing too fast, which they do. But I say, 'If they look that nice, let 'em grow!' They really do look great under actinics: a very flourescent green. They like lots of random flow, and look better under it too.

 

[NaH2O]

The problems I've heard about the SCWD, and seen, is some stop switching. I haven't noticed any noise issues with them.

Other skimmer recommendations I have.... are the AquaC EV series, EuroReef, or ASM skimmers.

 

[goodice.com]

I like The green lawn ...

 

[Krish]

That's a nice looking tank! We'll have to get some goodies for it when you come

 

[John Henry]

Thanks All!

and thanks Krish! We're off tomorrow, can't wait!

 

[Maxx]

Looks good!

I'd reccomend checking out www.oceansmotions.com in place of a SCWD. Costs more, but its well made and the customer service is great.
I would reccomend gettting the magnetic drive motor, and a spare drum just in case you have a stoppage of some sort. The mag drive motor will let you know the drum isnt rotating by clicking loudly when the magnets reverse polarity as they pass each other, and the spare drum would be to pop in if you have one of those rare stoppages. All you'll have to do is unscrew the top, remove the old drum and pop in the new one which should get you going again quickly, giving you all time you need to sort out what caused the stoppage in the first place.

I only suggest this because I had a random stoppage....
I've done ALOT of checking on the net for anyone else who might ahve experianced something like that with an OM unit, and I couldnt find anyone else....I'm guessing I had a fluke of somesort....

Nick

 

[dabears26]

Sweet tank,I really like the peninsula look...

 

[Detri]

Wow, very nice tank!

I love the green Carpet

If you are looking into a Deltec. You may want to look at Bubble King or H&S. The Bubble King is along the same price line. It is also comparible in performance. The best quality of the Bubble King is the Red Dragon pumps that they come with. The Pumps are SUPER silent, range from 48w-98w. For the GPH they push they will save you money in the long run via hydro.

H&S, they are a little less pricey but do an amazing job. I have seen many in action. They are made with high quality in mind. I think they are a very good looking skimmer.

ASM and Euroreef are great skimmers for the price ranges.

All these skimmers will do what you expect. The features are what set them in seperate catagories. Read the specs on each brand and figure out from there what suits your needs.