Tank Journal Archive
Ok, so an update!
Here is the new tank the day I got it. The dimensions are NQR - it was supposed to sit flush with my existing tank but is higher and wider. The silicone job could be neater (that blob on the front right is silicone btw). And I didn't get a ph call to say it was ready. If those things couldn't be disguised and if I had spent a fortune on it, I definitely would have taken it back, but I plan on putting black trim around both tanks so you won't be able to see it anyway. Considering you don't buy a tank every day I would have liked it to be right though. :(
NOW on to the exciting stuff!! I finally got around to making the coral food.... looks DELICIOUS don't you think? I minced it up with a barmix. You have to work quickly as the mussels don't smell particularly great. I then put a few tablespoons each in ziplock bags and froze them flat in the freezer, creating a layer of frozen food approx 3mm thick. It froze a dark green colour and looks a whole lot more appealing at that point - it's easy to snap a piece off at this thickness and is so packed full of goodies you only need a small amount. I dissolve it in tank water instead of RO so that the corals don't get fresh water blown all over them along with their food.
Now I said this was the exciting stuff because the response I get from the corals with this food is crazy. My biggest surprise was watching my Cladiella. When I feed the tank usually (with spirulina, mysis and brine shrimp), it retracts its polyps slightly in a synchronised response. With this new food, each polyp showed an active and individual feeding response, completely retracting and reappearing every few seconds. I think the reason the food is so effective is that it offers a variety of food types and particle sizes that should cater for most corals. Most importantly, the anemones consume it all without ejecting any of it and are active feeders. My new blue anemone was a bit slow to feed at first but it's ability to grab and consume food has been improving. Will be interesting to see how I go using the food in the long term but I have high hopes it will give my anemones all the nutrition they need.
Here is the new tank the day I got it. The dimensions are NQR - it was supposed to sit flush with my existing tank but is higher and wider. The silicone job could be neater (that blob on the front right is silicone btw). And I didn't get a ph call to say it was ready. If those things couldn't be disguised and if I had spent a fortune on it, I definitely would have taken it back, but I plan on putting black trim around both tanks so you won't be able to see it anyway. Considering you don't buy a tank every day I would have liked it to be right though. :(
NOW on to the exciting stuff!! I finally got around to making the coral food.... looks DELICIOUS don't you think? I minced it up with a barmix. You have to work quickly as the mussels don't smell particularly great. I then put a few tablespoons each in ziplock bags and froze them flat in the freezer, creating a layer of frozen food approx 3mm thick. It froze a dark green colour and looks a whole lot more appealing at that point - it's easy to snap a piece off at this thickness and is so packed full of goodies you only need a small amount. I dissolve it in tank water instead of RO so that the corals don't get fresh water blown all over them along with their food.
Now I said this was the exciting stuff because the response I get from the corals with this food is crazy. My biggest surprise was watching my Cladiella. When I feed the tank usually (with spirulina, mysis and brine shrimp), it retracts its polyps slightly in a synchronised response. With this new food, each polyp showed an active and individual feeding response, completely retracting and reappearing every few seconds. I think the reason the food is so effective is that it offers a variety of food types and particle sizes that should cater for most corals. Most importantly, the anemones consume it all without ejecting any of it and are active feeders. My new blue anemone was a bit slow to feed at first but it's ability to grab and consume food has been improving. Will be interesting to see how I go using the food in the long term but I have high hopes it will give my anemones all the nutrition they need.
That really sucks about the quality of work you got from Mentone Aquarium. I had heard they were a decent option for custom tanks, but was always wary just by gut instinct and the thousand bog standard tanks they have stacked up in the entrance. With the black it doesn't sound like it will matter too much through.
ah, silicon dab with a razor and some new strips ~ thats easy, 5 minutes max and dishes are done.
Chop chop. Only got one life you know, I'd like to see something wet soon, and I'd prefer if its the tank! lol
Chop chop. Only got one life you know, I'd like to see something wet soon, and I'd prefer if its the tank! lol
So I'm pretty sure this is the most disappointing tank journal on here but a verbal update shall be had none-the-less. :p
I will try not to write a novel!
Progress has been slow mainly because I haven't been motivated to get it done and have been working on a number of other projects these past few months. I have had an offer of help from an enthusiastic young lad I know who has looked after my tank before, so will take him up on that some time over the next month.
We had the first Vic Reefuge meeting in May, so when I made an order with Oceanarium, I ordered the corals for the frag-meet as well. The Reefuge meeting had a set date, so I had planned on making sure my tank was ready by then, but when it wasn't, I ordered my clownfish and Candy-Apple anemone anyway.
I now have 3 Blue Striped Clowns from Oceanarium. I am keeping them together as they are juveniles and appear to be getting along well. 2 were a distinctive pair from day one, and the third sleeps in a little crockery sugar bowl which I will be keeping in the tank for him. The other two stay close to him and they all interact with no fighting or displays of aggression - but he definitely prefers to have his own space at night. If I see any signs of aggression as they grow, I will put him in my soft coral tank and will consider getting him a friend then. For the moment their only concerns are eating, growing, flirting with each other and telling me to get lost if I put my hand in the tank. They are fierce!
Plans are:
- LIGHTING - hanging my 4 foot Illumagic over both tanks. The light weighs quite a bit, I have a cathedral ceiling and there are no studs where I want to hang it. Solution is simple, its just a bit of work... for a bloke, I'll hold his beer ;)
- PLUMBING - I deserve a giant smack for not getting this done by now, I got half way through assembling this then stopped when I needed to drill a hole in the back of my stand and didn't have the right drill bit (a hole saw... Sarg sent me to Bunnings prepared with the correct terminology so that I wouldn't say the word 'thingy' to any of the sales people... thanks Sarg!).
- TANK CIRCULATION - This is the biggest dillemma for setting up an anemone tank. I need it to be completely safe for them without taking a risk that one day a nem will go through a powerhead. There is so little info out there on anemone tanks - you can get foam guards etc but they require extra maintenance apart from the ug-factor. I haven't decided on a return pump yet and will be getting that going first so I can see what sort of flow I can get - I am hoping if I choose wisely I won't have to get a powerhead for extra circulation - any suggestions?
If I do need extra circulation I am going to take a page out of Tunze's book and make a Deco Rock to disguise the powerhead and protect the anemones - I'm going to need to make my own as the Tunze Deco Rock will not keep the anemone's out and they are WAY too expensive. This is where I'll be in my element as I can get my art on with some rock and Aqua-putty!
Here is the general idea - except I think its a BAD idea not to be able to remove the powerhead from the rock casing easily for cleaning purposes and I won't be using foam like this guy:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1436334
I will try not to write a novel!
Progress has been slow mainly because I haven't been motivated to get it done and have been working on a number of other projects these past few months. I have had an offer of help from an enthusiastic young lad I know who has looked after my tank before, so will take him up on that some time over the next month.
We had the first Vic Reefuge meeting in May, so when I made an order with Oceanarium, I ordered the corals for the frag-meet as well. The Reefuge meeting had a set date, so I had planned on making sure my tank was ready by then, but when it wasn't, I ordered my clownfish and Candy-Apple anemone anyway.
I now have 3 Blue Striped Clowns from Oceanarium. I am keeping them together as they are juveniles and appear to be getting along well. 2 were a distinctive pair from day one, and the third sleeps in a little crockery sugar bowl which I will be keeping in the tank for him. The other two stay close to him and they all interact with no fighting or displays of aggression - but he definitely prefers to have his own space at night. If I see any signs of aggression as they grow, I will put him in my soft coral tank and will consider getting him a friend then. For the moment their only concerns are eating, growing, flirting with each other and telling me to get lost if I put my hand in the tank. They are fierce!
Plans are:
- LIGHTING - hanging my 4 foot Illumagic over both tanks. The light weighs quite a bit, I have a cathedral ceiling and there are no studs where I want to hang it. Solution is simple, its just a bit of work... for a bloke, I'll hold his beer ;)
- PLUMBING - I deserve a giant smack for not getting this done by now, I got half way through assembling this then stopped when I needed to drill a hole in the back of my stand and didn't have the right drill bit (a hole saw... Sarg sent me to Bunnings prepared with the correct terminology so that I wouldn't say the word 'thingy' to any of the sales people... thanks Sarg!).
- TANK CIRCULATION - This is the biggest dillemma for setting up an anemone tank. I need it to be completely safe for them without taking a risk that one day a nem will go through a powerhead. There is so little info out there on anemone tanks - you can get foam guards etc but they require extra maintenance apart from the ug-factor. I haven't decided on a return pump yet and will be getting that going first so I can see what sort of flow I can get - I am hoping if I choose wisely I won't have to get a powerhead for extra circulation - any suggestions?
If I do need extra circulation I am going to take a page out of Tunze's book and make a Deco Rock to disguise the powerhead and protect the anemones - I'm going to need to make my own as the Tunze Deco Rock will not keep the anemone's out and they are WAY too expensive. This is where I'll be in my element as I can get my art on with some rock and Aqua-putty!
Here is the general idea - except I think its a BAD idea not to be able to remove the powerhead from the rock casing easily for cleaning purposes and I won't be using foam like this guy:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1436334
Maybe something like this?
Tank is drilled and he uses PC to control flow.
Drop the computer for one of these? http://www.guppysaquariumproducts.c...s-controllers/scwd-20mm-outlet/prod_1696.html
Larger model http://www.3iqventures.com/oneinch.html
Rig it as a closed loop I think Doc uses this sort of setup in his tank?
I think this is a great idea with the resined in rocks. Probably has its down sides though lol
No power heads to catch nems :)
Tank is drilled and he uses PC to control flow.
Drop the computer for one of these? http://www.guppysaquariumproducts.c...s-controllers/scwd-20mm-outlet/prod_1696.html
Larger model http://www.3iqventures.com/oneinch.html
Rig it as a closed loop I think Doc uses this sort of setup in his tank?
I think this is a great idea with the resined in rocks. Probably has its down sides though lol
No power heads to catch nems :)
I love it in the link, I built them, and now I'm selling them. ;)
Good idea to tinker with though. You giving it a crack yourself, or holding yet another beer..lol
Good idea to tinker with though. You giving it a crack yourself, or holding yet another beer..lol
Yes in my dreams!! His set up is so awesome - I did a quick Google search and couldn't find details about the design of this tank, equipment used etc? Neither of my tanks are drilled - if I ever set up another tank it will be but that's a long way off. Working with what I have and know right now. I have a SCWD set up on this tank already, just gotta finish the plumbing - should have mentioned that :) I want to get a powerful return pump that has a wide range of adjustable flow. Anything come to mind? I used to power this SCWD with my Eheim Compact 3000 and it was really weak.
What are you selling V? Beer-holding is much easier than using my non-existent DIY skills. :rolleyes You know men built the pyramids and the women watched right?!
Naaa the woman made the sandwiches :)
This is the closest I could find to a web site for them.
http://aquarium.kashtan.com/ats/
The inventors facebook page lol
http://www.facebook.com/david.fregger
Looks like he has gone conservationalist, maybe hates reef tanks now? Or being plugged into PC's was more trouble than it was worth hehe.
Just grab an over sized pump and slap a gate valve on the return line. I tried a ball valve and there just a pain in the butt.
Gate valve is little more expensive but way better fine control.
This is the closest I could find to a web site for them.
http://aquarium.kashtan.com/ats/
The inventors facebook page lol
http://www.facebook.com/david.fregger
Looks like he has gone conservationalist, maybe hates reef tanks now? Or being plugged into PC's was more trouble than it was worth hehe.
Just grab an over sized pump and slap a gate valve on the return line. I tried a ball valve and there just a pain in the butt.
Gate valve is little more expensive but way better fine control.
And specs on a similar system?
http://angel-strike.com/aquarium/CirculationSystem.html
http://angel-strike.com/aquarium/CirculationSystem.html
Members online
No members online now.