Tank Journal Archive
loving how this is looking! if I ever change tanks in between this one and the one I want in my house when I eventually if ever get to build it, I would want something like this!
not gonna go a plug and play again, as neat and clean as they look they can cause for some hazards that make life hard. a setup like this is the way to go I reckon (as in design, obviously depending on the purpose things can be different!).
but I do just love the way this one has been fabricated, looking so new and shiny, It looks clean and sleek!
not gonna go a plug and play again, as neat and clean as they look they can cause for some hazards that make life hard. a setup like this is the way to go I reckon (as in design, obviously depending on the purpose things can be different!).
but I do just love the way this one has been fabricated, looking so new and shiny, It looks clean and sleek!
Thanks mate, I tried to design everything to be as accessible as possible for maintenance.
This is slowly bringing all my ideas which I have had while building other systems for people.
The equipment list is vastly over-rated on this tank to allow me to upgrade to anything in the 1200L range quite easily in the next 12 months.
Yes it can be done. When you start cutting the teeth away, start rom the top, where the cord exits the pump on the removable screen. Leave two teeth on either side of the cord and cut every second tooth away. I am not sure if the smaller pumps have a tubed section after the propeller to the front of the screen.
If it does, they can be cut away to create a smooth transition so the water doesn't have to channel through the pipe to exit the shroud. There are a few videos on U-Tube with step by step guides.
All the KZ tanks run all their Tunze like this, flow modded :cool:
My heaters arrived from Germany :D
Schego 2 x 300 Watts & Dedicated controller
The thermostat can control up to 1000Watts of heaters.
The adjustment dial is made very well and allows precise adjustment over the complete range.
The heating elements are titanium.
The difference between these heaters and the glass type is the way they heat the water.
A normal glass type heater has an element that heats up and heats the glass around it.
The titanium in these is actually the element and has direct contact with the water, making them more efficient :)
The heater connects directly to the thermostat via a Schuko 2 Pin Euro Plug.
Then the thermostat body is connected to 240V mains via a Euro -> AU adaptor.
The thermostat body also has a temperature sensor that is placed away from the aquarium to allow monitoring of the tank. The sensor has a really good suction cup to hold it in place.
The suction cups on the heaters and sensor feel very well made - will they go hard over time like all others?? Only time will tell ;)
There are two heaters, I only took pictures of the one :p
Schego 2 x 300 Watts & Dedicated controller
The thermostat can control up to 1000Watts of heaters.
The adjustment dial is made very well and allows precise adjustment over the complete range.
The heating elements are titanium.
The difference between these heaters and the glass type is the way they heat the water.
A normal glass type heater has an element that heats up and heats the glass around it.
The titanium in these is actually the element and has direct contact with the water, making them more efficient :)
The heater connects directly to the thermostat via a Schuko 2 Pin Euro Plug.
Then the thermostat body is connected to 240V mains via a Euro -> AU adaptor.
The thermostat body also has a temperature sensor that is placed away from the aquarium to allow monitoring of the tank. The sensor has a really good suction cup to hold it in place.
The suction cups on the heaters and sensor feel very well made - will they go hard over time like all others?? Only time will tell ;)
There are two heaters, I only took pictures of the one :p
So with the heating/cooling and all vitals in place, I started to fill the tank with RO/DI.
I have been using ASW now since the terrible floods back in January. A reefer friend of mine swears by it and he has the nicest collection of LPS I have seen in real life. D&D is my salt of choice.
He tells me that you have total control with what you put into your tank, and what you take out :)
I lost the initial photos of the aquascaping process
. I have always been inspired by minimalist aquascaping and the ratio of 1/3rds. The use of negative space and what you can achieve with the less is more methodology has always appealed to me.
My tank was designed with the golden ratio, that is 1.6.
The length is approx 1.6 times the width.
The width is approx 1.6 times the height.
With a shallow tank, I tried to make the rock into three structures.
One on the left at the rear,
One on the right at the rear,
and one smaller placed in the front at the centre.
Left hand side view
Right hand side view
Semi top down left side
Semi top down middle
Semi top down right
Semi top down FTS
FTS
FTS Far
All the rock started out dry and was seeded with a small amount of LR for many months. Its funny how quickly coralline spreads once it takes a hold.
After running the tank barebottom for a month or so, I found it difficult to maintain nutrients.
So I added Caribsea Special as a substrate. I normally don't use substrate as I like crazy flow. This stuff stays still and I have come to like the "natural look" :rolleyes
I have decided to go for something different than a SPS dominant tank (for now).
Fish list is
1 x Powder Blue Tang
1 x Yellow Tang
1 x Twinspot Hogfish
1 x Cleaner Wrasse
1 x Ember Blenny
I will upload some pics of them and the corals shortly :)
The Powermodule has only been run with the 4 bulbs too ;)
I have been using ASW now since the terrible floods back in January. A reefer friend of mine swears by it and he has the nicest collection of LPS I have seen in real life. D&D is my salt of choice.
He tells me that you have total control with what you put into your tank, and what you take out :)
I lost the initial photos of the aquascaping process
. I have always been inspired by minimalist aquascaping and the ratio of 1/3rds. The use of negative space and what you can achieve with the less is more methodology has always appealed to me.My tank was designed with the golden ratio, that is 1.6.
The length is approx 1.6 times the width.
The width is approx 1.6 times the height.
With a shallow tank, I tried to make the rock into three structures.
One on the left at the rear,
One on the right at the rear,
and one smaller placed in the front at the centre.
Left hand side view
Right hand side view
Semi top down left side
Semi top down middle
Semi top down right
Semi top down FTS
FTS
FTS Far
All the rock started out dry and was seeded with a small amount of LR for many months. Its funny how quickly coralline spreads once it takes a hold.
After running the tank barebottom for a month or so, I found it difficult to maintain nutrients.
So I added Caribsea Special as a substrate. I normally don't use substrate as I like crazy flow. This stuff stays still and I have come to like the "natural look" :rolleyes
I have decided to go for something different than a SPS dominant tank (for now).
Fish list is
1 x Powder Blue Tang
1 x Yellow Tang
1 x Twinspot Hogfish
1 x Cleaner Wrasse
1 x Ember Blenny
I will upload some pics of them and the corals shortly :)
The Powermodule has only been run with the 4 bulbs too ;)
Here are some pics of the fish I snapped up the other day.
My PBT -
Here he is with the Twinspot hogfish
Twinspot
Cleaner Wrasse
Yellow Tang - I picked up this fellow of a Brisbane reefer, was really paper thin and not looking the best. Colours are starting to get vibrant and he's starting to fatten up nicely :)
Ember Blenny - This little guy has an awesome personalty
Always perched up somewhere so you can see him :D
All fish are fed Ocean Nutrition - The complete range, all formulas as a base diet.
A sheet of nori is consumed each day by the tangs.
Thanks for looking :D
Coral photos coming soon :)
My PBT -
Here he is with the Twinspot hogfish
Twinspot
Cleaner Wrasse
Yellow Tang - I picked up this fellow of a Brisbane reefer, was really paper thin and not looking the best. Colours are starting to get vibrant and he's starting to fatten up nicely :)
Ember Blenny - This little guy has an awesome personalty
Always perched up somewhere so you can see him :D
All fish are fed Ocean Nutrition - The complete range, all formulas as a base diet.
A sheet of nori is consumed each day by the tangs.
Thanks for looking :D
Coral photos coming soon :)
SAND?!?!?? TRAITOR!!! :P it's looking awesome, man. I love how you've progressed the 'scape, it's certainly looking more complete now. Will have to come over and check it out sometime. And hit up the hotspots, apparently there's some good corals about right now...!
Hey Matt, trust me, it was a hard enough decision to put any substrate in :rolleyes
The substrate is just enough to cover the bottom, I was sick of scraping the coralline of the bottom!
It doesn't move around much now, the Blenny is the culprit for diging it up, I don't mind as when he stirs it up, the particles in suspension feed the corals ;)
Thanks mate :D Leonardo has demonstrated this concept a few years back, its good to see the less of a "rock wall" look. The amount of LR needed, is a lot less than what most consider normal in the tank.
Yes I know, first tank I have set up with sand :p Come to think of it.....you gave it to me :D
I am happy with the left side, picked up some nice light green hammers. Just need to frag that torch on the right and start with that side ;)
Come round soon mate, we'll hit up the usual suspects and get some nice LPS :D
Here are some closer pics of the corals I currently have. When I first started keeping everything saltwater, I kept these corals. These are what drew me into the hobby. They are very simple to keep and I think they appeal to everyone. Don't get me wrong, as SPS dominated reef is a sight to behold! I wanted to get back to roots with this one :)
The first coral I ever had was a Duncan, and I wanted another.
I picked up this large head variety from a guy who propagates them on the south side of Brisbane. The colony has around 10 heads and I can see more ones developing. This coral had crazy polyp extension around and hour after it was placed in the tank :)
This Duncan looks a little different to the small head variety that seems to be the norm these days.
Next is a Hammer coral, I have 3 and these corals look great and react well to feedings.
This one is pink tips with a light green tinge to the polyps
This coral has grown considerably since I purchased it a few months back.
Next is a small light green hammer. This one is really difficult to capture and I have no photo editing software available to me - straight out of the camera.
Its about the size of a golf ball :)
Other side
The third is another light green hammer, this one looks white in the pictures though
Its placed next to a pink bubble coral
Here is the two hammers, the bubble and the duncan from the side - I like this shot
At the very front of the tank, I have a frogspawn with green polyps.
Its hard to see the green, a tinge can sort of be seen :( I said sort of :p
I am happy with the left hand side for now. I just need to frag or move on the large torch on the right hand side ;)
The first coral I ever had was a Duncan, and I wanted another.
I picked up this large head variety from a guy who propagates them on the south side of Brisbane. The colony has around 10 heads and I can see more ones developing. This coral had crazy polyp extension around and hour after it was placed in the tank :)
This Duncan looks a little different to the small head variety that seems to be the norm these days.
Next is a Hammer coral, I have 3 and these corals look great and react well to feedings.
This one is pink tips with a light green tinge to the polyps
This coral has grown considerably since I purchased it a few months back.
Next is a small light green hammer. This one is really difficult to capture and I have no photo editing software available to me - straight out of the camera.
Its about the size of a golf ball :)
Other side
The third is another light green hammer, this one looks white in the pictures though
Its placed next to a pink bubble coral
Here is the two hammers, the bubble and the duncan from the side - I like this shot
At the very front of the tank, I have a frogspawn with green polyps.
Its hard to see the green, a tinge can sort of be seen :( I said sort of :p
I am happy with the left hand side for now. I just need to frag or move on the large torch on the right hand side ;)
very nice mate :)
love the hammers and the frogspawn too! have always loved the frogspawn and they seem to grow well without to much help. one I had before my tank went downhill had a couple of little "babies" growing next to it on its stony part with only a couple of tiny little polyps on each. gonna get some more one day.
love the hammers and the frogspawn too! have always loved the frogspawn and they seem to grow well without to much help. one I had before my tank went downhill had a couple of little "babies" growing next to it on its stony part with only a couple of tiny little polyps on each. gonna get some more one day.
I am starting to have a preference for LPS lately, the frogspawns are so individual in their appearance :)
They are hardy little things too. There was a huge collection of them that have appeared in Brisbane over the past few months too.
You are right Matt, many more LPS tanks are appearing everyday. So appealing with the movement ;)
I picked up a Flame Angel and a Coral beauty from a fellow reefer who was closing down his tank today. Both had lived together in an LPS dominant tank so I am fairly confident they won't make a meal of my hammers :cool:
Pics to follow soon...
So its been 12 months since I changed my RO/DI filter cartridges.
Here is the 12 month old filter on the left, new on the right.
They are 1 micron cartridges that are first inline.
There is a fair amount of crud and it stunk pretty bad :confused:
Shows you how much crap we are drinking :eek
Second stage is the 5 micron carbon filter, this one wasn't so bad.
I am using a 4 stage unit with DI, the DI cartridge is fully enclosed, except for the inlet and outlets.
The first stage removes the majority of particles, the second removes taste and odour, the third is the RO membrane and the last is the DI.
Now my water is 0.00 again :)
Here is the 12 month old filter on the left, new on the right.
They are 1 micron cartridges that are first inline.
There is a fair amount of crud and it stunk pretty bad :confused:
Shows you how much crap we are drinking :eek
Second stage is the 5 micron carbon filter, this one wasn't so bad.
I am using a 4 stage unit with DI, the DI cartridge is fully enclosed, except for the inlet and outlets.
The first stage removes the majority of particles, the second removes taste and odour, the third is the RO membrane and the last is the DI.
Now my water is 0.00 again :)
I have a inline TDS meter on my R/O filter which saves alot of hassle to know when to change filters.Do you check it regularly(TDS).Its just it looks like you might need to change your filters a bit more often?And your tank looks great,I really like LPS more it moves around and gives your tank a more living look.
Members online
No members online now.