Sneak Peak of new tank!
- Thread starter Donovan
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carpetride
Member
That's going to be sweet
wrightme43
Well-known member
Hey is that a rocket ship in your living room? LOL nice skimmer, this is going to be really neat to see. Steve
Mauisreef
Rigameyer
Sweet!
Maui
Maui
mattseattle
Well-known member
wow - i could sleep inside that skimmer!
kevinpo
Expert
Hi Donovan,
Is it a downdraft or Beckett style skimmer? I really like the moulding. Could you take a close-up picture of where the lower moulding meets the side piece? The tank has a great overall look!
Regards,
Kevin
Is it a downdraft or Beckett style skimmer? I really like the moulding. Could you take a close-up picture of where the lower moulding meets the side piece? The tank has a great overall look!
Regards,
Kevin
Kevin,
As far as the skimmer goes, I really don't know the difference of the two! It is a MR-8. Andy at My Reef Creations made it for me.
I will take another photo for you when I get home from work tonight of the molding.
As far as the skimmer goes, I really don't know the difference of the two! It is a MR-8. Andy at My Reef Creations made it for me.
I will take another photo for you when I get home from work tonight of the molding.
We filled up the tank with tap water to test it - good thing too.
Two problems with the set up so far. First, the upper trim is above the water line. So I need to take it off and cut about an inch off the side pieces to lower the top. You can see it in the pic. Not that big of a deal.
The overflow box isn't water tight so it fills up with the tank. Kind of defeats the purpose. I really don't know how to tackle this. I guess I have to drain it completely and try to seal up all the seams with Weld On 16 or whatever that acrylic glue is called.
Any other ideas?
Other pic is for Kevin...
Two problems with the set up so far. First, the upper trim is above the water line. So I need to take it off and cut about an inch off the side pieces to lower the top. You can see it in the pic. Not that big of a deal.
The overflow box isn't water tight so it fills up with the tank. Kind of defeats the purpose. I really don't know how to tackle this. I guess I have to drain it completely and try to seal up all the seams with Weld On 16 or whatever that acrylic glue is called.
Any other ideas?
Other pic is for Kevin...
SaltwaterTeen
Well-known member
Oh, I thought all those corals were alive. I was like "WOW!!! An Instant Reef!!!" LMAO. So you havent cycled it yet?
RedEyeReef
Well-known member
Are your pre-forms anchored to the bottom of your tank?
What are you planning on keeping in that beauty?
What are you planning on keeping in that beauty?
RedEyeReef said:
No they are fairly heavy so I just set them in place - that way I can remove them if I ever need to give them a thorough cleaning.
Still deciding on what to keep - probably a bamboo shark, a zebra moray, a puffer, some kind of wrasse, a couple of angels and a couple of tangs. Haven't decided exactly what kind yet!
Hey Donovan, Weldon-40 would be better then 16. All you need to do is get some from the local plastic supplier. I would tape off the area near where you want to seal w/ masking tape to keep it clean, but leave about a 1/4" gap for the glue to go. Get a BIG syrenge like 60cc, and mix the 2 parts. Draw it into your syrenge and apply it as if it were silicone. Weldon-16 will also work but it bubbles up a lot and could still leak after 1 application.
Thanks Tom,
Larry from IAP is going to come over from Bremerton and use Weld On 40 to fix it on Thursday, which is pretty awesome. Plus I would rather have a pro do it then try it myself.
I'm not too upset about it. These things happen and Larry is going out of his way to get it fixed in a timely manner, so everything is cool.
Its fortunate that we have a good tank builder locally to handle these type of things.
Larry from IAP is going to come over from Bremerton and use Weld On 40 to fix it on Thursday, which is pretty awesome. Plus I would rather have a pro do it then try it myself.
I'm not too upset about it. These things happen and Larry is going out of his way to get it fixed in a timely manner, so everything is cool.
Its fortunate that we have a good tank builder locally to handle these type of things.
Wow.....am just about to convert my 7ftx3ftx2ft fish only tank into a reef setup.....makes me wonder if i should stick with fish only set ups ...given the major cost of a reef setup and all the associated problems....
Biggest problem ive had in fish only tanks can be how quick the artificial corals get covered in algae etc....they can look ok with some algae on them (even makes them blend in together giving a less harsh look) but after a few months they need cleaning...still given the fact those corals come straight out in one piece...doesn't look like a major problem.....in fact it looks better than a lot of real reef tanks ive seen!...plus the bonus of adding whatever fish you like!!..mmmm.....i like it!
One of my reasons for converting to a reef setup was to manage my nitrates better in a more balanced and interesting ecosystem with lots of denitrification etc in the living rocks .
But after keeping big fish only tanks in the past and enjoying almost unlimited possibilities on type of fish kept it makes me wonder if i could just use living rock and artificial corals?.......the use of a giant skimmer would reduce the bio load in the tank and the inevitable nitrate build up associated with fish only setups.....mmmmmm .........makes me wonder what the possibilities are....
I used a combination of lights on my setup to acheive a nice balance.....ordinary (150 watt) security lamps with a blue filter to reduce the yellow light are a cheap and effective option.....plus a blue actinic tube to give that nice marine glow!
10ftx3ftx4ft.......lucky bu**er!!
Wish my tank was bigger now...boo hoo!
Forgive my ignorance but is the tank acrylic Donovan?....if so how thick is the stuff?
Glass is so heavy its a pain.....that looks quite light on wheels .....
Anyway good luck with the project......Bigger is better!!!!!
Biggest problem ive had in fish only tanks can be how quick the artificial corals get covered in algae etc....they can look ok with some algae on them (even makes them blend in together giving a less harsh look) but after a few months they need cleaning...still given the fact those corals come straight out in one piece...doesn't look like a major problem.....in fact it looks better than a lot of real reef tanks ive seen!...plus the bonus of adding whatever fish you like!!..mmmm.....i like it!
One of my reasons for converting to a reef setup was to manage my nitrates better in a more balanced and interesting ecosystem with lots of denitrification etc in the living rocks .
But after keeping big fish only tanks in the past and enjoying almost unlimited possibilities on type of fish kept it makes me wonder if i could just use living rock and artificial corals?.......the use of a giant skimmer would reduce the bio load in the tank and the inevitable nitrate build up associated with fish only setups.....mmmmmm .........makes me wonder what the possibilities are....
I used a combination of lights on my setup to acheive a nice balance.....ordinary (150 watt) security lamps with a blue filter to reduce the yellow light are a cheap and effective option.....plus a blue actinic tube to give that nice marine glow!
10ftx3ftx4ft.......lucky bu**er!!
Wish my tank was bigger now...boo hoo!
Forgive my ignorance but is the tank acrylic Donovan?....if so how thick is the stuff?
Glass is so heavy its a pain.....that looks quite light on wheels .....
Anyway good luck with the project......Bigger is better!!!!!
I am very very impressed with the lights. Looks gorgeous. What are you doing for flow and biological filtration in the tank?
People underestimate how good a nice FO tank can look. You have the potential and room for some gorgeous fish we can't have in reef tanks like angels, puffers, trigers, and butterflies. So many possibilities. Keep posting pictures as you progress.
Having a good local tank builder is an amazing resource 99+% of the reefers around the country don't have.
People underestimate how good a nice FO tank can look. You have the potential and room for some gorgeous fish we can't have in reef tanks like angels, puffers, trigers, and butterflies. So many possibilities. Keep posting pictures as you progress.
Having a good local tank builder is an amazing resource 99+% of the reefers around the country don't have.
Hi Donovan,
It really looks quite amazing. A couple of questions for you if I may.
1. How do you like the corals now that they are underwater. Do they look real and do they "sway" at all in the current? I have seen them before out of the water and the colors seem brighter, but in the water they do seem to appear more natural.
2. With the lights you are using, do you get intermittent dark areas or are they bright enough throughout the whole tank? Also, do you find they create a "spotlight" effect on one area of the sand or does it diffuse enough given the depth of the tank.
As a side note, I really like how you have layered the pieces in the tank to give a great sense of depth. It looks great.
Kip
It really looks quite amazing. A couple of questions for you if I may.
1. How do you like the corals now that they are underwater. Do they look real and do they "sway" at all in the current? I have seen them before out of the water and the colors seem brighter, but in the water they do seem to appear more natural.
2. With the lights you are using, do you get intermittent dark areas or are they bright enough throughout the whole tank? Also, do you find they create a "spotlight" effect on one area of the sand or does it diffuse enough given the depth of the tank.
As a side note, I really like how you have layered the pieces in the tank to give a great sense of depth. It looks great.
Kip
Maxx
Staff Housemonkey
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2003
- Messages
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CoolCol,
If you keep nitrate levels and phosphate levels as low as possible, you shouldnt have much algae to speak of....Think SPS tank levels, and you'd be amazed how much cleaner your corals will stay...they will still get some, but not nearly as much.
Nick
If you keep nitrate levels and phosphate levels as low as possible, you shouldnt have much algae to speak of....Think SPS tank levels, and you'd be amazed how much cleaner your corals will stay...they will still get some, but not nearly as much.
Nick
