75gal Sumpless Reef

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

So it finally came time to create a little more space in my house. The 125gal has been sold. In its place will be a 75gal reef. Right now the plan is for it to be somewhat mixed, but with a strong emphasis on SPS corals.
Lighting will be a Halide/T5 combo fixture. Lighting will start at 9am with 108w of Actinic T5 light, then at noon the 2x250w 15,000k halides will come on and the actinics will go off. At 6pm the actinics come back on and the halides go off and then at 9pm the actinics go off and the moonlights come on until 9am. Because this will be a system dominated by SPS, the fish stocking will be kept low.

I'll try to keep up with this with pictures as things progress. As of right now, I have the tank. lol Stand coming on Thursday and the lighting the following week. Once I have the tank on the stand, I start the process of filling it with RO/DI and mixing the salt in. Sand will be added after the SW is mixed. Shouldn't be much of a problem with cloudiness due to the sand being packaged wet. Going with CaribSea's Ocean Direct Original Grade sand. I love the natural look of that sand.

Stay tuned for progress. thumbs2:

[MCHRKiller]

Are you doing HOB skimmers and/or a HOB fuge? Sounds like a good lighting setup...cant wait to see pics.

[sheamurai]

Yes, I will be waiting for progress reports too! One of the reasons my reef tank isn't larger is becuase I figured I'd need a sump and all the plumbing that goes with it. I'd love to go bigger if I could keep it low tech like my 50gal...can't wait to read how yours progresses!

good luck ILMGB!

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Are you doing HOB skimmers and/or a HOB fuge? Sounds like a good lighting setup...cant wait to see pics.

Yes to the skimmer and no to the fuge. I've never used a fuge and I personally find their benefit does not justify the cost to set one up. I get plenty of nitrate reduction from my live rock and sand bed so it really isn't necessary. As for phosphate use, I have a Crocea clam and I will be adding a Maxima and either a Derasa or a Squamosa and that will take up all the phosphate I need taken up. Finally, since I am not planning on a Dragonette or any other fish that requires a healthy pod population there is no need for the extra pod production.

[Red]

How long will you keep this tank? 6 months?
Just kidding.

If this tank is anywhere as nice as your old one, it will be great :) GL barb.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Ironically, this isn't the first time I've done a tank without a sump. My 37 has been established and stable for over a year with no sump. In fact, that tank has only had a skimmer on it for the last 6 months. :)

Thanks for the vote of confidence Red. lol Hopefully, this tank will be nicer than anything I've ever owned before.

[MCHRKiller]

Awesome! My 55G only has skimmers as well...no sump and no fuge. Seems uncommon to see reefs these days without a fuge/sump. Best of luck! :22:

Is it your 125G walstad the one you parted ways with?

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

yes, it was the Walstad tank I parted ways with. I still have my 2.5gal Walstad though. :D

You're quite right about the rarity of these kinds of tanks. There is an erroneous belief that seems to be quite prevalent on the internet that sumps and fuges are necessary pieces of equipment for a marine tank. Tanks like yous and mine fly in the face of this "conventional wisdom." lol

[Cliff]

I'm looking forward to seeing pics and following the all the progress.

I too can get caught up in all of the "required" equipment such as sumps and what not. That's why I always enjoy reading about set-ups like this, keep sme more grounded in reality.

[labnjab]

You'll love the 75, easy to light and the perfect width:ssmile: Can't wait to see it going

[hockeyhead019]

Nice nice definitely gonna follow this one... however I gotta ask GB how come no sump? Room issue or you just don't think it's necessary or what?

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

It's not a necessity. As I explained earlier in the thread, hiding the equipment isn't that big of a deal, the heater isn't hard to hide and the skimmer is a HOB. As for extra water volume, I'll have more in my 75 then most do in they smaller reefs that have sumps, so there's no real necessity there.

[hockeyhead019]

I see well should be a pretty cool build haha

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

ok, so a slight delay. My stand was not available from the manufacturer, so it was going to be back-ordered. Was going to go with the black stand, but decided to go with the Oak one instead. It's cheaper, and I can have it here by next Thursday. So, now my lights will be here in Monday (hopefully) and my stand will be here next Thursday, a little backwards. LOL I may end up painting the stand black anyway. This tanks is going to be the centerpiece in our livingroom so we want it to look right. We have a nice deep red accent wall (you may have seen it in the pics of my 125) and the black will look really nice against it. It also will match the planned picture frames that will be going on the wall above the tank. Even with painting the stand, the price will still be cheaper then getting it already painted from the factory.

[labnjab]

What brand reflectors and ballast did you go with?

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Again, I didn't go popular. lol (what else would you expect from me lol) I actually went with an Odyssea fixture. I have had nothing but success with them, and I have a read a lot of good reviews from actually owners of these fixtures. Odyssea is kind of like Kia, when they first arrived on the North American market, their product was not good, and not up to the standards of the North American market, but since then they have improved greatly. Ironically, if you look closely at them, they bear a strong resemblance to Coralife fixtures. I had on of their 4x65w PC fixtures one time, and when I got my 4x96w Coralife fixture, they were identical except for the bulbs.

Honestly, I ignore 99% of the nay sayers about these fixtures, but 99% of them have never owned them, and are just spewing regurgitated, outdated "facts" about them. Yes, in the past they had some problems, but those have been fixed, you get just as many problems with more expensive fixtures now as you do with these. Too many people figure that you can't get a decent fixture for so little money. They assume that anything that inexpensive can't be any good. Are they the best fixture on the market? No, far from it, but that doesn't make them a bad one either. Every fixture I have ever purchased in this hobby, with one exception, has been an Odyssea fixture, and I have yet to come up with a single complaint about them. If it works, why change? lol

ok, I'm off my soapbox. :hmm3grin2orange:

[Dave66]

Good luck with your reef Bradley
I do sumps primarily because the more water in the system the better. Yes, I hide equipment in them, yes they are reverse daylight refugia, etc, etc., but the upshot is, more water in a system is why I take the trouble to install and plumb sumps. Would I do a reef without one? If it was all beginner softies, maybe, with a smaller tank. Hard corals and clams I'll do a sump every time.

Dave

[labnjab]

I see what your saying, lol. I'm in the same boat when it comes to coralife super skimmers and instant ocean salt. I've been using both since I started the hobby and love them, but everyone else seems to hate them.

I think 2x250 watt metal halide is perfect with a 75 gallon. Just the right amount of light. We have the same amount of light in our 75 (minus the t-5 actinic you have) Everything, including sps and clams seem to be pretty happy no matter where we put them

One other question, what are you doing for flow, several smaller powerheads or a few big ones?

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

I have a pair of Koralia 3's, but with the rock setup I'm planning on, I'm going to have to add a Koralia to blow behind it.

Dave, I have stony corals and a Crocea in my 37gal now with no sump. ;) Did nothing but SPS in my 46gal with great success as well. I definitely agree with the added ease of stability with the larger water volume, but stability is also achievable with the volume I will have.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Ok, so my flow has changed slightly. :) I managed to pick up a pair of Koralia 4's on a local forum for $45 shipped. :) So flow will be the pair of Koralia 4s in and a single Koralia 3. That should really get the water moving in there. :) With my rock setup I have planned, the Koralia 4's will be used to direct the flow in the main part of the tank while the Koralia 3 will be aimed behind the rock to keep things from settling back there.

[Artificial]

Sounds like it will be a nice tank. I can't wait to see it started.

What are you thinking about for fish?

[sheamurai]

lol since reading this I have been eyeing up my 77gal tank, thinking of moving my current no-sump 50gal tank into it, lol.
But I'll wait and see how yours turns out first. :)

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

What are you thinking about for fish?

Going to stay very limited on my stock. Still debating exactly what I want. Definitely keeping my McCoskers Wrasse. Not sure if I'm keeping the Maroon clown or not. Then from there I may add 1-2 more fish but that may change. Currently looking into the possibility of a Flame Angel or another of the Indo-Pacific dwarfs but still uncertain. I'm not worried about a Flame with the SPS at all, and I've never had a problem with Angels and LPS or softies, but I've never kept them with any of the Tridacnids. All the sources advise caution with them as they may nip at the mantles, but I've never heard of this happening in reality so it will be a wait and see, especially with as many as 3 Tridacnids planned for the tank. If I go with the Flame Angel, then I will go also go with a Yellow Tang. If not, then I may go for a Kole Tang instead. The fish stocking is the one thing I haven't really planned out much, as the fish are going to be somewhat secondary to all the corals.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Stand arrived at my LFS today, I'll be picking it up either tomorrow or Saturday. My light fixture also came today. It was well packaged and looks good. All the ballasts on the fixture are external, and can be mounted inside the stand. Can't wait to get the stand setup with the tank and lights and get it filled.

[Dave66]

Bet you're ready to put it all together on that tank.:) Been ages since I've started a new reef, but remember the thrill as equipment and livestock came in.

Dave

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

I'm loving it Dave. :) Got the stand in, and electric work done underneath. I'll post some pics tomorrow. Still filling the tank with the RO/DI. It will take a while, but with a 150gpd unit, it won't take too long. Then I'll add the salt and get it mixing. Sand will wait a little while, need to get the tax return. lol Learned a neat little trick to adding the sand after the tank is full and mixed. I'll share that a little later when I add the sand.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Ok, so here we go, I've got pictures. :)

Stand:
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75galReefJournal020.jpg

Electric Board with ballasts and power strips:
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75galReefJournal021.jpg

Filled with RO/DI and warming up + Halides on to show lighting:
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75galReefJournal024.jpg

Salt is now in and mixing.

[Cliff]

I can hardly wait to see this cycled and stocked

Are you still thinking about painting the stand black ?

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

No, we are leaving it the Oak color. It fits perfectly with the wall and the planned decor around it. As you can somewhat see in the last picture, I added a couple of rustic black handles to the doors.

[Artificial]

I can't wait to see it with the LR. Looking good so far.

[hockeyhead019]

Nice clean electrical man! How are you gonna cool the ballasts?

Can't wait to see this one start filling up

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

They stay rather cool under the tank on their own. I ran them for a while today and they were still cool enough to touch even after extended running. If need be I can put a fan or 2 under there.

[hockeyhead019]

Ok gotcha nice nice well keep us updated!

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Ok, first hitch. Discovered that my heater had died. Not sure what happened, but it had been on for over 24 hours steady set to 78 and the water temp was still only 64. I could reach in the water and touch the heater and it wasn't even warm. Oh well, new heater ordered. Thankful for gift cards. Brand new 250w Ebo Jager on the way for $14 shipped. :) Gotta love gift cards.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Ok, so it's time for an update. Got the egg crate on the bottom and got my sand in. I went with CaribSea's Ocean Direct Original grade sand. Very nice looking sand with variable size grains ranging from sugar grain size all the way to 3/4" shells. The shells are quite sparse but enough to make it look quite natural.
Also ordered my dry-rock from MarcoRocks and purchased one piece of premium aquacultured rock from my LFS. I'll add pics of the rock later. For now, here's the tank with the sand and powerheads. This was taken with just the actinics on. It's still slightly cloudy but is clearing fast.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galReefJournal029.jpg

[Cliff]

I'm looking forward to seeing your rock in there

Looking good so far

[kaybee]

Great thread!
Following with interest!

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Rocks came today. All I can say is: WOW. Marco rocks are great looking rocks. I asked for all medium pieces no more than 10" and that is exactly what I got, and are they ever beautiful pieces.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galReefJournal033.jpg

Premium Aquacultured piece
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galReefJournal036.jpg

2 examples of Marco Rock.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galReefJournal035.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galReefJournal037.jpg

Got things a little cloudy again, and pictures under the actinics.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Here we go, things cleared up, and I stacked the rock. lol This is not the final aquascape. this is also with the halides on.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galReefJournal049.jpg

[MCHRKiller]

Off to a good start :22: Are you planning a typical wall of rock or something more elaborate?

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Jenn, I planning somewhat of an atypical aquascape. It won't be a wall, but it won't be super elaborate either. Here are a couple of rough diagrams of what I have planned
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galFrontView.png
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galTopView.png

I also decided that I'm not going to use any of the rock from my old tank, it would look way too out of place in this tank with the rock I already purchased, so I ordered another 50lbs of rock from Marcorocks.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Ok, we are "rocking" now. :) Got all my rock and got it in the tank. Here's how it brakes down:
100lbs dry rock (purchased from Marcorocks.com)
~10lbs premium aquacultured live rock.
Here's how the aquascape turned out:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galReefJournal051.jpg

Not exactly what I had planned, but I wouldn't changed any of it. I love this rock.

[Cliff]

Your tank is look’n good.

That rock looks really porous and I like how you have arranged it.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Cliff, that rock is unbelievably porous. I've never seen anything like it. The big thing I'll need to get going in there is some biodiversity. I have no critters at all in there. The live rock I got is a premium aquacultured rock that is guaranteed clean. You get absolutely no negative hitchhikers with it, but unfortunately, you don't get any good ones either.

[hockeyhead019]

Wow... now that's some rock haha awesome job with the scaping I think it looks fantastic!

Any yea definitely gotta get some life in there lol keep updating lookin good ILMGB

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Wwo, it's been a while since I've updated this thing. Ok, well, I got the tank cycled nicely. Helps to have some nice premium rock in there. So I've been slowly adding corals. On the down side of things, one of my MH ballasts died last week, but thankfully the company is replacing it for free under warranty. So for right now, all the corals are on one side of the tank. Should have the replacement ballast this week sometime. When that happens I'll move some corals around and get some pics up.

[lovingmyclown]

thats some set up wow love to see the pics

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Ok, well, here are some pics of my latest additions.

Blue Acropora (possibly a Cluster species, wanting a Staghorn and Bottlebrush species as well)
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galReefJournal166.jpg

Pink Pocillopora (yes, I am aware of the tissue necrosis, but that branch can be removed if need be)
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galReefJournal195.jpg

Birdsnest (the pic doesn't do it justice)
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galReefJournal204.jpg

Montipora digi. (given a local name of Clemson Orange)
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galReefJournal196.jpg

Should have my replacement ballast this week so I'll get a FTS when I get it installed. I'll have to move my corals around a bit since they are all on one side of the tank currently. lol

[Cliff]

I'm looking forward you a FTS once you get your ballast replaced

Your Acropora and birdnest look really great.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Cliff, the Monti is actually really nice too, it's just hard to really capture the true color of it. The skin is green and the polyps are a bright orange. The local reefers call it a Clemson orange Digi for a reason. lol Go look at Clemson University's colors and that is pretty accurate for the color orange this thing is. It helps that the store I bought it at is in Clemson, and the owner is a Clemson grad.

Also, once I get the new ballast, I'll be moving the Pocillopora to the other side of the tank. When I do I'll probably turn it around to show off the better side.

[Cliff]

I just checked out those colors, that monti must look outstanding. I don't know a lot about any monti corals, didn't know they could color up like that. I'm going to have to look into these some more.

I'm looking forward to the pics after you lighting is fixed

[hockeyhead019]

awesome additions! definitely have to get a fts up once you get that ballast back to working order

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Ironically, when it comes to color, the Pocillopora blows them all away. It is a deep brilliant pink under the halides and a beautiful purple under the actinics. Once I get it turned around it will be one of the most stunning corals in the whole tank.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Ok, just a quick update. I haven't put up a FTS yet for one good reason, it's been a little cloudy in there. lol I added a 3rd Koralia 3 to the tank (took it out of the 37, I have a pair of Sicce Voyagers in there) and also redirected some of the flow. Well, that managed to get the sand kicked up really good and it has been suspended in the water column for a while. I finally decided to give Seachem's Clarity a try. I'm not usually a big fan of using chemicals for clearing up a tank, but it is advertised as being Reef safe so I decided to give it a try. All I can say is that I am now a fan of it and I recommend it. It does exactly what it claims to do. The tank should be clear enough for a FTS in the next few days.

[gem]

Very nice Brad! As I told you via PM, I'm downsizing as well. I'll only be using maybe one piece of rock out of the 110 gal and the rest will be Marco Rock also. Hmmmm have a build thread in my club forum on RC......Maybe I should post one here too. = ) That's if I can keep finding my way back here. So many forums so little time.
Back to your tank.....Very nice! Taggin along. thumbs2:

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

I really need to get a FtS up here sometime. I just keep forgetting to take one. I haven't gotten the camera out to do any shooting on it. Maybe Saturday. I'm only home for about 45min of halide light during the week, but I get it all on the weekends.

[gem]

Only takes a minute to take a picture, Brad. You've got 45 of them everyday. Get on it!!! :whipyellow: :hmm3grin2orange:

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Takes me a couple minutes just to get the camera set up. LOL

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Not much change since last time, but here it is anyway.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/93e216b5.jpg

[sheamurai]

thats looking awesome, ILMGB. Pristine with spots of colour waiting to take over, lol.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Well, moving sales bring mixed emotions. Sadly, the president of our local reef club is moving. He's a great guy with some great tanks, but on the upside, he just sold me 8 frags of various SPS corals (including a Tri-color Acro) for $40. Gonna miss John, but I'm gonna enjoy his frags.

[hockeyhead019]

ehh that stinks he's moving... but cool he hooked you up with some nice frags!! Pics?

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Yup. Coming soon.

[lovingmyclown]

cant wait to see pics

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Ok, here are the pictures I promised. These were taken after they had been in the tank for about 2 hours. Sorry, I don't have names for all of them. I do know there is a mix of Pavona, Millipora, Acropora, and Montipora in here.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galReefJournal438.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galReefJournal439.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galReefJournal440.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galReefJournal441.jpg

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galReefJournal442.jpg
Pavona
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galReefJournal443.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galReefJournal444.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/75galReefJournal445.jpg

[gem]

Nice little frags Brad! = )

[hockeyhead019]

Nice frags man! Those sure are tiny though lol... it'll be cool to watch em grow!

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Only 2 of them are really tiny. The rest really are not too bad.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

So I picked up a nice little addition for the tank. Seeing as how I am doing all SPS and LPS, I knew I was going to need to supplement calcium somehow, and obviously as a result, Mg as well. I've been pricing some different methods for going about this. I wasn't thrilled about the cost of a Ca reactor, and the fact that it only handled the calcium side of things. My preference is actually a Kalk drip of some kind because the Mg can be included in the drip. Again, there was a challenge, I went sumpless so I needed to figure out how to get it into the tank. The answer, a dosing pump. However, I checked the prices on these and they are crazy, so I kept looking for alternatives, and I found one. Thanks to my place of work, I ended up with a "feeding" pump that is highly adjustable. Not only will I now be able to do a Kalk "drip" it will also act as a bit of a top off. This pump is so versatile, I can adjust it from 1mL/hr all the way to 295mL/hr. What can I say, I love medical technology.

The plan is to mix a Kalk mix that also contains Mg to the proper ratio of 3:1 Mg to calcium. With both of these numbers known, I will be able to calculate just how much I will be adding per hour at the set flow rate of the pump. The great thing is, if I need to, I can adjust it.

[sheamurai]

excellent find. Perhaps is not the way to go about it, but I've been "dosing" calcium/mg by putting it in my top-off reservoir. Seems to be working, but I haven't checked levels in a long time now. My bad...should be doing that regularly even tho my tank had read steady for awhile...

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Picked up a couple of corals tonight from a local guy getting out of the hobby. A couple a beautiful LPS that are both rather large. One Torch and one Frogspawn. The Frogspawn is a bi-color with roughly 12 heads. These sell locally for about $50-$60 per head, and the torch has 4-5 large heads. I'll get pics tomorrow, all the lights are off right now. Forgot to add, the price was perfect, $50 for both. :D

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Ok, here we go.

Bi-color Frogspawn
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/06f1885a.jpg

Torch
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/70960140.jpg

Just for reference:
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/75gal%20Reef%20Journal/ed917900.jpg

[Cliff]

The tank is looking really good Goldbarb

Nice new additions as well

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Well, a deal too good to refuse has come along, and this tank, along with all my FW tanks, is going away. No, I'm not getting out of the hobby. lol In fact, in a way, I'm getting in a bit deeper. The halides themselves are not too expensive to run, but it's the fact that they keep the air conditioning running straight time in my small house, and that adds to the expense. Also, due to some other circumstances, available room is changing as well. So, the 20gal is gone, the 37gal is for sale, and the 75 will soon be gone as well. In it's place will be a single new system. Once the monster arrives, I'll start a new thread and post pictures. :D

[hockeyhead019]

such a vague post haha!! how big is the new tank gonna be??

[Cliff]

Looking forward to reading abuot the new set-up

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

such a vague post haha!! how big is the new tank gonna be??210gal. Here's what it currently looks like. We are not going to run it as a reef, just a FOWLR. Going to keep some nice "monsters" that we haven't kept before. We have always wanted to cut down to a single large tank, and now it is going to be possible.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/iluvmygoldbarb/a45aaa48.jpg

[Cliff]

Nice looking set-up

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Cliff, the setup is unbelieveable. It is a reef ready AGA 210gal. The stand is a custom stand. Total dimensions on the setup (stand and canopy included) are 77"x29"x85" It includes a custom 40gal sump, outfitted for 4 filter socks.

[sheamurai]

Nice!

There's something about keeping larger fish too...different kind of visual impact than smaller fish even tho the tank might be the same size...

Looking forward to the new Tank Journal...

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Yup. Gonna put a couple of my favorite monsters in that tank too. :)

[hockeyhead019]

that'll be awsome! Can't wait to see what you put in there... what's gonna happen to all the corals you have currently?

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

The couple we are buying the tank from have started a coral propagation "farm" in a greenhouse in their back yard. They have a 4000gal system and aquaculture corals using natural sunlight. They are going to take all of the corals as part of the payment for the tank and grow them all out... with the exception of maybe 1 or 2, they will end up in their new show tank.

[hockeyhead019]

wow that's awesome... a 4k gal system, that's nuts haha

congrats on the new tank tho bud!

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

well, 4000gal prop system is not too bad, but it's not your typical glass tank system either. It's a commercial setup so it's a series of shallow "tubs" all plumbed together.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Made the "down-payment" on the tank today. The guy has his new tank, he just needs to get it setup up and ready to go so he can transfer all his stock. Should have the tank sometime in mid October. His new tank is 96"x24"x30". I'm insanely jealous but I don't have room for a tank that size. LOL

[Surfdog]

Awesome ILMGB! Good for you! What are these monsters you are speaking of? Green Moray? Voltairs? The suspense is killin me!!!!

:waiting:

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

lol, no eels, my wife won't let me, they look too much like snakes for her. I'll say this, the 2 main centerpiece fish in the system will be a Miniatus Grouper and an Emperor Angel.

[Surfdog]

WoW, theres an investment on a fish (emperor) but increadably beautiful. Show your wife a photo of a Dragon Eel, Japanese or the one from Hawaii, It may change her mind, lol. My goal is to someday have one of those, but at $1,200 a pop, I want a lot more experience with eels before I get one...

http://ts3.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=1169040094274&id=bf5f57990245742bd8daede3c4fe6cea&url=http%3a%2f%2fgodscreationsunderthesea.com%2fpr od_images_blowup%2fDragon_Eel_Japan.jpg

[hockeyhead019]

emperors are awesome looking fish! get them juvenile though so you can watch the color transformation!

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

WoW, theres an investment on a fish (emperor) but increadably beautiful. Show your wife a photo of a Dragon Eel, Japanese or the one from Hawaii, It may change her mind, lol. My goal is to someday have one of those, but at $1,200 a pop, I want a lot more experience with eels before I get one...

http://ts3.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=1169040094274&id=bf5f57990245742bd8daede3c4fe6cea&url=http%3a%2f%2fgodscreationsunderthesea.com%2fpr od_images_blowup%2fDragon_Eel_Japan.jpg
She's seem them and hates them. :22:

hockeyhead, I wouldn't buy anything but a juvenile on the large angels. The juveniles are much more likely to adapt to captivity than the adults.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Ok, so we nixed the Grouper in favor of more fish and some smaller ones. This tank will appear heavily stocked by some standards, but remember, it is a FOWLR tank so pristine water quality is not quite as essential as it would be in a reef tank.
Going to have a nice group of about 5 Tangs, including a Trio of Yellows along with a Blue Hippo and probably a Kole of some kind. A pair of clowns is a must for my kids, and a small colony of 3-5 Firefish for my wife. Add to that the Emperor Angel, a Flame Angel, and probably a Genicanthus species and the tank will be close to full stocking level.

[Dave66]

Got to have at least eight of the yellows, as a trio two will gang up on one, with predictable results, then usually one of the remaining two one will kill the other.

Tough to have a school of any species of tang in a 75, save for convicts, since you have to have so many for peace. So maybe one yellow tang instead of three for your tank.

Dave

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Well, first off, the new tank is a 210gal, not the 75. Also, with all due respect Dave, I've had 4-5 experts suggest this very stocking to me. These people have kept trios of Zebrasoma species tangs with no issues. I may even bump it to 6 at some point.

[Dave66]

Oh, thought it was still the 75 sumpless. Maybe another thread start with the 210?

It's still a crap shoot doing trios of a species of tang, no matter what the experts say. It's like Mandarin Dragonets; someone has success keeping one on prepared foods, while the vast majority starve to death. By all means try a trio of yellow tangs, and say what happens. If they were caught together you have a decent chance.

Dave

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Ok, the 75gal is sold. We can close this thread now.