450 Gallon Reef, 855 Gallon System

[oxx155]

Lost power for 7 hours last night (some stupid drunk driver hit a power pole at 28th and centennial). I tried to get sleep, but was worried about my fish every hour till I finally got power back on at 4:15a.m.

I added a Naso Tang, Blue Tang, Longnose Butterfly, and Purple Tang to the tank recently. Also added a Green Bulb Anenome and some misc. crabs and snails.

The auto-water-change system has been running for a month now and is working great, the tank has settled out and is looking real nice.

Still working on getting better at tanking pics with the new camera. Here are some I have taken lately.

 

Auto-Water-Change System

 

Dinner plate size Carpet Anenome

 

New Bubble Anenome with Tomato Clown

 

Hoping to have this area fill with Green Star Polyps and various Zoos.

 

This Montipora seems to have some type of sponge? growing on the underside that sucks in water/nutrients in and shoots it out

 

Clam being cleaned by an Emerald Crab

 

Other Pics

 

Corals are showing good growth and hopefully by the end of summer will look real nice.

[Smann]

Nice, starting to look good!

Thats some serious water change...34 litres per day (rock2)

[ThePremiumAquarium]

Its defiantely coming along!

 

Out of curiosity, what are you using for lighitng? I see the VHO actinic whites and I see what looks to be 4 MH pendents and are the other flourescents that are alternating with the MH, are they t-5's or VHO's? What are the color temperatures/kelvin ratings that you are running and what wattages on the MH's?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Garrett

[oxx155]

Nice, starting to look good!

Thats some serious water change...34 litres per day (rock2)

 

I have a 300 gallon poly stock tank in a shed outside that it pulls saltwater from. At about 9 gallons a day I have to refill the tank about once a month to keep the system running properly.

Its actually refilling tonight and tomorrow I will add the salt and mix for a day or two. Finally do some testing to make sure everything is good and turn the pumps on again, pretty easy, much less work than actual water changes.

[oxx155]

Its defiantely coming along!

 

Out of curiosity, what are you using for lighitng? I see the VHO actinic whites and I see what looks to be 4 MH pendents and are the other flourescents that are alternating with the MH, are they t-5's or VHO's? What are the color temperatures/kelvin ratings that you are running and what wattages on the MH's?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Garrett

 

I have never been great at lighting, I kind of have been testing over the years and taking advice where I could get it.

I currently run

5 - 250 watt XM 15k HQI Metal Halides

4 - 48" 110w T12 VHO 10k Aquasun

8 - 24" 75w T12 VHO 10k Aquasun

8 - 24" 75w T12 VHO Super Actinic R

All lights purchased from HelloLights.

 

I might run more actinic in the future, I would like more blue in my light, and/or I might change the 10k to a 14k or 20k.

 

Any advice would be great.

[oxx155]

I also run Moon Lights for 1-1/2 hrs each night across the entire tank (although slightly darker in spots).

I have a duct leading outside pulling in fresh air from outside and a fan going through my wall pulling out the hot air (both in the lights area).

I also installed an air conditioner in the fish room yesterday to help keep the temperature down this summer.

I am also going to see if Pacific Coast Imports can tune-up (refurbish) my CW-1000 and hopefully make it more productive (it seems to be struggling recently even though its rated to handle the tank just fine).

[oxx155]

Just thought I would post my lighting schedule incase someone is wondering.

 

10a.m. - First bank of 24" VHO's come on

10:15a.m. - Second bank of 24" VHO's come on

10:30a.m. - Third bank of 24" VHO's come on

10:45a.m. - Fourth bank of 24" VHO's come on

11a.m. - 48" VHO's come on

11:15a.m. - First MH comes on

11:30a.m. - Second MH comes on

11:45a.m. - Third MH comes on

12:00p.m. - Fourth MH comes on

12:15p.m. - Fifth MH comes on

8:00p.m. - First MH turns off

8:15p.m. - Second MH turns off

8:30p.m. - Third MH turns off

8:45p.m. - Fourth MH turns off

9:00p.m. - Fifth MH turns off

9:15p.m. - First bank of 24" VHO's turns off

9:30p.m. - Second bank of 24" VHO's turns off

9:45p.m. - Third bank of 24" VHO's turns off

10:00p.m. - Fourth bank of 24" VHO's turns off and 48" VHO's turns off

10:00p.m. - Moonlights turn on

11:30p.m. - Moonlights turn off

 

Its currently a 12 hour period of light (not including Moon Lights), but I am thinking about changing to an 11 hour period during winter and a 13 hour period during summer, maybe.

[downhill_biker]

i can highly recommend phoenix 14k bulbs next time you buy bulbs. the PAR on the bulbs is AMAZING, definitely higher than the XM 15k, and more than most 10k bulbs even. i like the color. some think it is too blue, but it would greatly help the corals stay happy.

[oxx155]

i can highly recommend phoenix 14k bulbs next time you buy bulbs. the PAR on the bulbs is AMAZING' date=' definitely higher than the XM 15k, and more than most 10k bulbs even. i like the color. some think it is too blue, but it would greatly help the corals stay happy.[/quote']

 

Thanks for the advice, I might try them next time I buy.

[downhill_biker]

you will also like the fact that they are cheaper than XM bulbs.

[downhill_biker]

and last longer, here is a good article in reefkeeping magazing about the phoenix 14k bulb.

 

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/ac/index.php

[oxx155]

and last longer, here is a good article in reefkeeping magazing about the phoenix 14k bulb.

 

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/ac/index.php

 

Very good article. Some people really like projects. Thanks.

[ThePremiumAquarium]

Your tank looks great but as you mentioned it could definately use a bit more blue I think. I would start by switching all of the 48" VHO's to super actinics. This would probably help alot. Then I would probably switch to 20k xm's or something similar for your MH's. I think you would get alot more color pop out of your corals and I think it would also cut back on algal growth quite a bit. I think you would enjoy the colors and look of your tank much more.

 

Pheonix bulbs have always been pretty good to me aswell but I have also had great experiences with XM and from side by side comparisons I couldn't really tell a difference in PAR(of course not using a meter, so just eyeing it). I like the slightly more blue look of the XM's 20k's myself but the 14/15ks will be brighter.

 

Lighting can be tricky and often it takes a few different configurations/bulb changes before you find something that you are really happy with. Each tank is different and different lighting arrangments are required.

 

 

Garrett

[oxx155]

I just bought an amazing product

 

 

Eheim Sludge Extractor (battery operated gravel cleaner).

It doesn't take any water out of the tank and works just as well in saltwater as freshwater.

I just used it tonight on my tank and even though I had to clean out the "crap container" often it worked very well at cleaning debris out of my sand.

 

I was skeptical about this product when I first read about it, thinking it wouldn't have strong enough suction, it couldn't possibly really go submersible, and that it couldn't work in sand, but I was proven wrong on all counts.

 

I know that most problems with tank crashes occur because people don't do water changes and/or they don't keep the debris (dead fish, extra food, other debris) from accumulating on the bottom. I just thought you should all know of a product that seems to work real well at helping clean debris without the crazy mess, tubing everywhere, and loads of buckets.

 

Now I have heard a few bad reviews (most good) so I recommend anyone interested in this product read more information before taking my word wholly.

 

I am a firm believer in investing in the proper equipment to keep your tank working its best, so the $60 for this product was worth every penny to me.

 

Its funny, when I first started this hobby I had very little "tech" equipment and now it seems I have techy tools everywhere to make my job easier and make the tank run smoother, LOL.

 

Update on this product:

Even though it worked well for the first two weeks it has since died and warranty is "limited".

I think it works well for freshwater tanks, but maybe not for saltwater.

Just my opinion

[oxx155]

Update:

The auto water change system is running excellent and my water parameters have never been more stable. I spend about 5 minutes once a month pouring new salt in and starting up the RODI, it takes around 1 day to fill and for everything to properly mix, and then its as easy as hitting the "go" button.

 

I have been lucky enough to find a source for Acropora Crabs and have bought about 5 so far. The Acroporas were doing fine before but I hope the crabs will help in the long run.

I also added 5 Purple Chromis. I sold my last batch before the move and its taken me 6 months to find just 5 more.

 

My pods are growing like crazy and my mandarins look fat and healthy. I have also had good luck with my 2 Blue Tangs, Copperband Butterfly, and Longnose Yellow Butterfly, which all have died fairly quickly in the past.

 

I was also able to get my hands on a couple of Neon Gobies that are supposed to help clean the fish (and also reduce aggression because of fish on fish contact).

Added some nice Zooanthids and an SPS here or there.

 

Pretty much going to let the tank grow now and see how big things can get.

 

Here are some pics.

 

[undrtkr_00]

Looking good. Thanks for sharing your update and photos.

[oxx155]

Looking good. Thanks for sharing your update and photos.

 

No prob, just wish corals grew faster, LOL.

 

Saw a Sand Dollar for sale the other day on LiveAquaria, almost bought it.

Without going too expensive I am definitely trying to add some unique things to my tank (I think my $200 Mystery Wrasse is about as high as I would go, even though I only paid $70 for it).

[Smann]

looks good, when you mix or store your saltwater for the AWC do you have a circulation pump or aeration going all the time?

[oxx155]

looks good' date=' when you mix or store your saltwater for the AWC do you have a circulation pump or aeration going all the time?[/quote']

 

I have a pond pump circulating the water 24x7. But, I found out yesterday that the pump has died, so I need to replace it this weekend.

 

One other thing I forgot to put in my update: I was running my PCI CW-1000 Chiler for about 2 months and it seemed to do alright, but I felt it was struggling (when it should be handling my tank just fine), so I sent it back to Pacific Coast Imports to get refurbished. I just got it back last week and the temperature hasn't budged past 79.3 since. Just goes to show you that regular equipment maintenance (especially if you buy something used) is a very good thing. The maintenance only cost me $130, when a brand new one would have cost me $1,400.

[oxx155]

Update:

Well I found another Sand Dollar for sale and bought it. I didn't think of taking a picture of it before I put it in, and it immediately buried itself, so I don't have a picture.

I have also been buying up Acropora Crabs and now have about 6. I have 6 more coming next week. Does anyone know if its bad to add too many? I want to try and have at least one per Acorpora and Birdsnest I have.

I am ordering a new "media tank" to replace my current 75 gallon. It will be a 90 gallon and will feature 3 drawers that will hold my carbon, phosphate reducer, and nitrate reducer, or other media. The rest of the tank will have Live Rock and will be bare bottom. Its primary purpose is filtration and added volume to the tank.

This should bring up my total system volume to 900 Gallons (450 Gallon Main Tank, 180 Gallon Refugium, 180 Gallon Sump, and 90 Gallon Filter Tank). I usually don't add water found in protein skimmers or calcium reactors, but those probably hold 100 gallons themselves.

 

I recently have been finding weird things in my tank. I found a hairy crab in one of my acropora, I pulled it out and just happened to have received a brand new acropora crab that I added to the coral immediately. I also found a black with white spots thing that looked like a sea hare, but it disappeared before I was able to get back to it and net it. I also found a 6" long Sea Hare that appeared out of no where, here are some pics

 

All of my corals have been growing real well and I can't wait for a year to go buy and really see some more growth.

I have also been doing some reading lately about how corals typically see more blue spectrum because of how light bounces off of water. So, I decided to go with a slightly bluer spectrum metal halide and to change some of my daylight bulbs to actinic. I hope to have this help growth in all of my corals.

[oxx155]

For a long time I used the Sea Weed clips as is and almost always found the tangs immediately tearing it all of the clip and it getting sucked into or stuck to my overflows.

So, about a year ago I started using gutter-guard to keep the tangs from tearing too much at a time. Now it takes them a little while to eat it all up (even though they still eat about 5 sheets a day).

 

 

I also recently found a mesh bag (that was holding a kids toy) and decided to see if it would also work, and it has amazingly! I can now put in smaller flakes and they stay in the bag till eaten by the tangs, no longer floating all around the tank and possibly getting stuck in places and breaking down.

 

 

I feed the equivalent of about 6-7 sheets of seaweed a day.

[oxx155]

Here are some more pics I recently took, including a nice full tank shot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kilmca]

Tank is looking great, i too wish corals grew faster. The mesh bag is a good idea for the sheets of algae, i'm going to have to find something like that to try cause my tangs always rip off large pieces of algae that get stuck in the powerheads.

[oxx155]

Tank is looking great' date=' i too wish corals grew faster. The mesh bag is a good idea for the sheets of algae, i'm going to have to find something like that to try cause my tangs always rip off large pieces of algae that get stuck in the powerheads.[/quote']

 

It doesn't really impede their eating at all, they eat just as much just as fast. In fact I would think they eat more since its not wasted going into the overflow. You could also try a piece of gutter-guard, folded in half, put the algae in between and have the algae clip hold it all together.

 

I tie fishing line to the suction cup and place that on the back or top of the tank, then the other end of the line to the clip which I let free float in the tank. This way its harder for the snails and crabs to get to the algae and eat it all.

 

Just some ideas

[oxx155]

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Been busy with a lot of stuff. Work is busier than ever (just hired 5 more people in the last month) with bigger orders coming faster than we can produce (hence the hiring).

Went to Vegas for a week and had a blast toasting my friends wedding. Played poker at the Bellaggio, Venetian, Planet Hollywood, and Flamingo and won at each place. I even won quite a bit at BlackJack. Lets just say I came back with 3x more money than I went with and my vacation was completely paid for. Isn't that the way all vacations should be, LOL.

I have been having a great time fishing this summer with my parents (Umpqua River for Small Mouth Bass). I used to go a lot as a child and unfortunately haven't as much as I grow up, but that is starting to change and I am making more time for family.

Biggest thing that happened to me - I found out that I am going to be a Father! I am truly excited, the wife and I weren't "trying", but we were kind of letting it happen, which funny enough my wife got pregnant about 2 weeks after we stopped using protection. We will have a new little reefer around April 18th, 2010.

Here are some pics

 

Got to see Terry Fator (winner of America's Got Talent last year) on the night that Pierce Morgan just happened to stop by (promoting a new reality show he is producing for BBC)

 

We also saw "Peepshow" with Holly Madison but security is so tight you can't even take pics before the show starts (they make you take your camera battery out of your camera before you get through the door). We also saw Cirque Du' Soleil "O", but our camera battery was dead, so no pics.

 

Crazy guys and ladies in Vegas (Margaritaville Restaurant in Flamingo Hotel)

 

Fishing with my parents

I like to get into the good spots.

Caught about 30 bass that day, no keepers, I like catch and release.