1000 Gallon Build- Here we go- Lots of Pictures

[Pastey]

The "difficult" tangs get a pretty bad reputation but I'm a firm believer that if you shop responsibly (buy from reliable sources, pick good specimens, etc.) and feed well, that you will have good outcomes. If I can sustain a healthy achilles, there is no reason you can't either.

 

[delmo]

Quarantining fish is the only sure way to not have ich or other diseases. I say get whatever fish you want (that are compatible with your system and tank mates).
The Triple S fish Ranch on RC has the right idea, don't introduce any disease and you won't have it. The misnomer that ich is some magical disease just waiting to happen or produced by stress is a farce. Ich is a disease introduced just like any other, (much like bed bugs) Go for a Hippo, but Be patient and guard the doors.
I really love my Achilles, Yellow, Sailfin, Orange Shoulder, and Purple tangs.
Great build and All the best.

 

[ekovalsky]

Until you get stocked with corals and/or have lots of coralline algae growth, you shouldn't need to use kalkwasser or a calcium reactor. Just pick a salt mix with slightly higher dKH than your target and you should be fine with routine water changes for a while. The Red Sea Coral Pro has a dKH ~ 12 which might be a good choice.

At some point, calcium and alkalinity will be removed from the water by corals faster than the rate it is replenished with water changes; you will know when your dKH starts to trend downward. That is a good time to start dripping kalkwasser. I use an Avast stirrer attached to my ATO and it works very well. I actually started using it too soon and my alkalinity drifted up to about 14, starting with the RSCP salt which was ~ 12. I have gradually lowered it to about 10 with 8-9 the final target.

Ultimately fast growing SPS corals will deplete calcium and alkalinity faster than water changes plus kalkwasser can replace it, at which point you could decide between dosing two part solution or installing a calcium reactor. The latter tend to require a lot of fiddling and maintenance, at least in my experience with a Deltec unit. Seachem also makes an inexpensive tablet that some maintenance guys swear by, as levels drop it starts to dissolve and raises them back up.

Have you thought about nutrient export with carbon i.e. biopellets, vodka, zeovit, etc. ? I tried Zeo years ago but found it too much work; vodka dosing was effective but didn't like the stringy bacterial growth I'd see in the display; this time around I am using biopellets which seem to be the best of both worlds.

 

[McPuff]

I think starting with dosing makes a lot of sense. See what the system demands and get used to it for a while. If, at some point, it's getting to be a crazy huge requirement and you're feeling like a change is in order, then you could move to a Ca reactor. But I'm in the same boat and like the simplicity of dosing.

As for the fish, I also think the naso literatus and lieutenant tangs would be super cool in your tank. They would be real eye catchers. And at some point, definitely consider a Conspicuous angel. There's one on Divers Den now. :0)

 

[reef_of_flames]

As for the fish, I also think the naso literatus and lieutenant tangs would be super cool in your tank. They would be real eye catchers. And at some point, definitely consider a Conspicuous angel. There's one on Divers Den now. :0)

It's "on sale" too hahahaha

 

[CuzzA]

Hard to beat Kalk from a still reservoir. (See Randy Holmes Farley). I've been using kalk on my nearly 2 year old 90 (mostly hard coral colonies). The extra vinegar in the still allows 3 tablespoons of calcium hydroxide and also serves as a carbon dose. At this point I have to frag and remove corals so I'm maxed out on space and the need to dose anything more is not necessary. The progression most people take is kalk, dosing, then reactor. With the larger footprint of my 300 I anticipate water changes, kalk and dosing will be sufficient.

At the end of the day the most important thing is consistency, not how it's done.

 

[Socaltoaz]

Update- tank now has a total of 11 small fish. 2 blue chromis, one blue damsel and 8 tank raised clowns. After adding the clowns- we did a water test- uh oh- ammonia spiked up- to be expected:

Here is another water test 24 hours later:

And a comparison:

Nitrites are zero. The ammonia spike is gone. Fish are doing great. All other parameters normal. Excited to start seriously planning my fish purchases in the coming weeks and months.

 

[Socaltoaz]

 

[rickztahone]

Nice group of clowns. You said you were going to get some nems as well right?

 

[csantanavaz]

Now it gets exciting

 

[Socaltoaz]

Assuming you are quarantining or having someone else do it for you, I wouldn't worry too much about ich. As large as your tank is, I would still recommend avoiding the submarines like the vlamingi and unicorns. A pair of naso literatus would look amazing in your tank, and you should be able to have any other combo of other tangs you want, as long as they are introduced properly.
I currently have a Kole, Mimic, Lieutenant, and Naso literatus in my 360, and they get along well. I haven't decided whether I want to chance another Acanthurus like an Achilles yet, but I've been considering it for a while.

Ok good to know. Just getting back from a business trip out of town but will check my water again and will be hunting for some fish this weekend to add to the collection. Stay tuned.

 

[Socaltoaz]

The "difficult" tangs get a pretty bad reputation but I'm a firm believer that if you shop responsibly (buy from reliable sources, pick good specimens, etc.) and feed well, that you will have good outcomes. If I can sustain a healthy achilles, there is no reason you can't either.

A pair of Achilles and a couple of naso tangs would be awesome.

 

[Socaltoaz]

Quarantining fish is the only sure way to not have ich or other diseases. I say get whatever fish you want (that are compatible with your system and tank mates).
The Triple S fish Ranch on RC has the right idea, don't introduce any disease and you won't have it. The misnomer that ich is some magical disease just waiting to happen or produced by stress is a farce. Ich is a disease introduced just like any other, (much like bed bugs) Go for a Hippo, but Be patient and guard the doors.
I really love my Achilles, Yellow, Sailfin, Orange Shoulder, and Purple tangs.
Great build and All the best.

Pauls thread- Triple S Fish Ranch is great. He has a fantastic set up. He seems to be having a lot of issues with his QT tanks from what I read. And this is what I've always wondered, that we spend all this money and time on our filtration and water parameters and yet the qt usually has a bare bones set up. I wonder if qt not done properly does more harm than good.

Regardless, nothing is going into my tank unless it's been throughly vetted. My water volume is also so large that I'm hoping I don't have as many issues as some of the smaller tanks out there that are constantly getting hammered with disease.

 

[Socaltoaz]

Until you get stocked with corals and/or have lots of coralline algae growth, you shouldn't need to use kalkwasser or a calcium reactor. Just pick a salt mix with slightly higher dKH than your target and you should be fine with routine water changes for a while. The Red Sea Coral Pro has a dKH ~ 12 which might be a good choice.

At some point, calcium and alkalinity will be removed from the water by corals faster than the rate it is replenished with water changes; you will know when your dKH starts to trend downward. That is a good time to start dripping kalkwasser. I use an Avast stirrer attached to my ATO and it works very well. I actually started using it too soon and my alkalinity drifted up to about 14, starting with the RSCP salt which was ~ 12. I have gradually lowered it to about 10 with 8-9 the final target.

Ultimately fast growing SPS corals will deplete calcium and alkalinity faster than water changes plus kalkwasser can replace it, at which point you could decide between dosing two part solution or installing a calcium reactor. The latter tend to require a lot of fiddling and maintenance, at least in my experience with a Deltec unit. Seachem also makes an inexpensive tablet that some maintenance guys swear by, as levels drop it starts to dissolve and raises them back up.

Have you thought about nutrient export with carbon i.e. biopellets, vodka, zeovit, etc. ? I tried Zeo years ago but found it too much work; vodka dosing was effective but didn't like the stringy bacterial growth I'd see in the display; this time around I am using biopellets which seem to be the best of both worlds.

Will keep this in mind. I'm thinking for nutrient export a pellet reactor is the way to go.

 

[Socaltoaz]

Nice group of clowns. You said you were going to get some nems as well right?

Yes. That's the plan in a few months when water is 100% stable.

Now it gets exciting

Yes sir! Definitely getting more exciting by the day.

 

[Jndragon79]

Awesome! I was wondering when you were going to start stocking. Have you thought of possibly doing wrasses? There are some really nice wrasses out there.

 

[Socaltoaz]

Awesome! I was wondering when you were going to start stocking. Have you thought of possibly doing wrasses? There are some really nice wrasses out there.

Taking it slow. Don't want to rush and cause problems. Not a huge fan of wrasses but I'm sure will get some in there. Going to go shopping this weekend from some trusted sources.

 

[Jndragon79]

Very nice. Have you thought about what your stocking list will be or are you still browsing?

 

[o2manyfish]

Until your stony coral population grows there is no rush. In the long run reactors are the most cost effective and least amount of time/maintenance for a large aquarium. I use Kalkwasser for all my top off, run a Calcium Rx with Dastaco Media for Calcium and Alkalinity and then only dose trace elements and acro power. With a tank your size, with a good coral population as it matures the demands for Calc and Alk will be high that dosing becomes costly and time consuming. A kalk reactor requires about 2 mins of attention every 2-3 weeks, and the calcium reactor is about 30mins of maintenance a couple of times a year. The Dastaco controller makes the Dastaco reactor one of the easiest to set and then make adjustments as the system matures. I am using a ph Probe in my Calc Rx with the Apex controlling the pH and it makes fiddling around with adjustments a thing of the past.

And if you are concerned about nutrient export rather than looking into pellets, look for a natural method - like a refugium. If you don't have the space in that giant sump for a refugium then look into the Pax Bellum algae reactor. It's a little more maintenance but packs a big whallop in a really small foot print.

Dave B

 

[Socaltoaz]

I'm in no rush like I said. Just trying to get my head around what other equipment I may need. Either dosing pump or calcium reactor. I hope that's it. I don't want to get unnecessary equipment. All fish are doing great. Clowns and Chromis. Added a few scavengers. Slowly working my way towards stocking properly.