Sneak Peak of new tank!

[kevinpo]

Thanks Donovan,
When I upgrade to my next tank it will be in-wall and I would like to copy your trim
Andy makes beckett style skimmers that have a beckett valve which mixes the air and water. They were designed for the pond industry. They should be cleaned once every 3 months or so.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[Donovan]

Thanks Kevin,

Now I know to clean those things!


Coolcol,

I guess you need to decide what type of tank you want! Reef or fish only. I wouldn't mix the LR with the fake corals. Then you are going to be dealing with keeping the LR alive and the fake corals clean. My lights will be on very little. There is enough natural light that comes into the room that the fish don't need anymore. I will only turn the lights on when I am viewing the tank. I know I wanted a big tank and it just wasn't feasible to do a full reef tank at this size. The amount of maintenaince and the running costs would kill me.

Then tank is 1 inch acrylic. I think - have to double check with Larry.

Dgasmd,

For water flow I am using two 1200 gph pumps that go to the sump. A third 1200 gph pump flows through the corner corals on a closed loop. Lastly, a AMP 5600 (6000 GPH) is set on a closed loop with two returns. So the flow is pretty good for a FO tank.

The skimmer is rated at 1500 gallons or so. I will be using a large sump with bioballs and a 120W UV filter.

Like Maxx says, I will treat it like a real reef tank. I am using RO water, low stocking levels, and good flow to keep the algae down.

Ktani,

I am really happy with the lights. Its not like like my old 240 gallon SPS/clam tank. They do give a spotlight effect which is good. There are some dark areas but in my opinion this looks more natural. I get alot of intermittent shadows from the surface ripple and it really did achieve the shimmering effect I wanted.

The corals look much better in the water. They were almost too colorful at first.

 

[Donovan]

Larry from IAP came all the way over from Bremerton yesterday to fix the leak in my overflow box. Thanks Larry!

Now if he can get moving on my sump!

Depending on how quickly he can finish it I should have everything plumped by the 1st of the year.

 

[Zephrant]

I am lighting the tank with 8 50 watt Ushio MR-16 bulbs. They are 12 degree narrow spot beams that will give me that "shimmering" look you get with halides. I have two 8 foot tracks so I can move them around and highlight certain points.

Can you post a source for those bulbs? I use MR-16 track lights all over my house, and have always wanted to use them on a tank, but the yellow light has stopped me.

Thanks-

Zeph

 

[Krish]

Donovan, I just wanted to say that your tank looks really nice. I think I might take the same route as you did and get some fake coral...It's so hard to kill LOL. Keep up the good work

 

[Donovan]

here is a link for the lights I used - they are more yellow than I initially thought - with my PC actinic supplements the color is perfect - without them it is too yellow.

If you are looking for halide type brightness you will be dissappointed.
But if you are doing a FO tank this beats the crap out of flourescent tubes. You get the shimmer like a halide without the intensity, algae, and power consumption.


Here is where I got them.

http://www.businesslights.com/index.php?cPath=37_97

 

[ktani]

Donovan,

Have you discuessed with the manufacturer regarding the potential long-term damage to the rock if a tang, for example, picks at the "coral" as it browses for algae?

Also, with the front of the tank being a solid wall, have you found it challenging to clean algae off the front? I am thinking of putting in a series of panels that will be insulated for sound so that way I can get to the front of the tank easily. Also, will be putting tile down in front for the invitable spill.

Thanks for the help.

Kip

 

[Donovan]

The corals are a hard rubber like texture. You can pick up the rocks by the corals. They are really strong. I guess a big trigger or a parrot fish could do some damage but they are pretty indestructible.

Cleaning the front isn't too bad - I can reach all three sides from the back so with a long enough cleaning stick it is easy to reach the front.

 

[coolcol]

Hi again donovan.....if you can get a transformer(12 volt easy!...high amps though!) then some of the latest car headlights using the new Xenon-plasma technology bulbs might just be the ticket for your setup...these lights are very blue/white without that yellow.
Maybe the future for fish only setups.....
Am sure someone with your Diy have a go approach could rig something up to test.

Heres a link to look at

http://www.coolbulbs.com/bulbsbody.asp

 

[Craig Manoukian]

Wow the ultimate bad boy fish only tank! Vey nice and ambitious. Great job of planning your system. What have you found as a strategy to keep green and brown algea from taking over your sythetivc corals?

 

[Zephrant]

Thanks for the link- People have talked before about using filter glass in front of these. How about a light blue filter on them to absorb some of the yellow wave lengths?

Then you might not need actinic at all. Since you are not growing animals with the light, the exact PAR is not critical. The only thing important is the looks.

Zeph

 

[Donovan]

yeah most mr-16 bulbs require a UV filter over them. These Ushio bulbs came with them and they are tinted blue.

 

[Zephrant]

Some of the MR-16's have the filter built in. My track-lights have a UV lens that comes installed in each light.

They did have some "blue" party lights in the 50W MR-16 bulb. Maybe one of those for each pair of the 6500k bulbs would help balance it out.

Zeph

 

[Donovan]

Updated pics

Here is some new ones with fish

 

[Donovan]

a few more

 

[Donovan]

Full tank shot

 

[Craig Manoukian]

Great stuff Donovan!

 

[reedman]

Tank looks great! Best looking FO tank I have ever seen.

 

[NaH2O]

Wow! Outstanding job!

 

[Elmo18]

Those look almost real

Very nice and clean! Love those fishes, too.

- Elmo