150 Gallon Build Thread

[inktomi]

My lps would probably like a bit less light too. I try to wedge them under rocks as best I can, and I've recently stepped up feeding them mysis every other day.

I've never tried to remove the vortech hangers. I did have one fall off the back of the tank where its got the thick paint coating though.

I have a white cheek tang coming this week from the divers den. It'll be going into QT but I really hope it gets a taste for some of my algae :bounce2:

 

[goochesfish]

I finally got rid of all my hair algae and cyano, I think maybe a tank goes through these phases despite diligent husbandry. Try a few more layers of that stuff you used right over the LPS.

 

[inktomi]

I don't have hair algae - I have full blown caulpra macro algae. There's a bit of hair like algae in one spot but its really strong - takes maybe 20lbs of force to rip it.

I built the cover to keep fish in. I lost a blue line that way.... and now I cover my tank...

 

[Rotknee]

What I can hear is the sound of water crashing through my overflow into where I've plumbed the durso. Any tips on quieting this down? It's the single loudest part of the tank - it sounds like a full on fountain running in there, or a waterfall (only not as relaxing).

Awesome pics and detailed build documentary...nice job.:thumbsup:

Did you ever get the Durso to quiet down? If not, here is an option for you. On my 120 I use this version of a Stockman silencer from Premium Aquatics. I use a black 1" airline that looks stealthy and keeps the overflow a lot quieter than my Durso.

You can also adjust the height of the tube and control the water level in your overlfow with a simple turn of a screw. The only downside is that, like the Durso, it will do little to quiet the noise in your sump.

If interested let me know and I'll post a pic of how it looks in the overflow box.

 

[inktomi]

Its pretty much silent these days. By far the most noise comes from my skimmer and from the fan on the return pump. I think things just needed time to slime over etc...

Oh - my Moorish Idol is just about at the one year mark! It eats everything, from sponge to mysis to nori to shellfish. Amazing personality, great fish. For sure she/he is the star of the tank - it pretty much acts like a dog. I do think that 150g is about as small a tank as I would put one into though. It uses the full tank all the tme.

A few months back it had a bad infection on its side - full on flesh coming off and the works. I got it into a hospital tank and with meds it healed up and was back to normal in about a month.

 

[Rotknee]

Your tank looks like it is really coming along well. Good to know the Moorish Idol is model citizen. I think I have always wanted one but didn't have enough real estate to make it happen. I have to ask...where did you get the Black Onyx Percs from? That's going to be my first purchase when I get things moved over into the new tank.

 

[inktomi]

I got them from Premium Aquatics. I'm not sure if they still sell them.. if not they could probably point you in the right direction. They came absolutely tiny - maybe a quarter inch long.

I'm pretty sure they've paired up. They host the duncan coral in the front center.

 

[Rotknee]

This is one of my favorite pics. What size Loc-Line are you using? I got one of my orders in today and received some 3/4" Loc-Line at the base and 6" of 3/4" tubing and it is HUGE! I may use a pair of 3/4" elbows...just not sure yet.

 

[inktomi]

I am using 3/4" loclline tubing as well. It is pretty big but over time you don't notice them. The fish don't mind

I also don't have mine straight out - they arc up to break a siphon.

 

[Rotknee]

I got my tank yesterday and I am impressed with Lee-Mar's work. The tank is huge and with two 1.5" drains and two 3/4" returns the overflow was a tad bit bigger than I thought it would be; but still looks great.

To seal the holes in the pic below did you use a grommet? Lee-Mar didn't supply anything to seal the space between my 3/4" return and the 1" hole drilled in the overlfow box. I think I would like to use something to fill that small gap.

Again, many thanks for your input.

 

[inktomi]

I thought I'd give a quick update. All the montipora is gone from the sand now

I'm waiting for the water to clear up after today's water change, and then i'll get a full tank update for you all. Till then, here's some of my fish..

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/6019095961/" title="DSC_0437 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6005/6019095961_1ee6743e1e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0437"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/6019647182/" title="DSC_0435 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6143/6019647182_3444910495.jpg" width="500" height="335" alt="DSC_0435"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/6019087027/" title="DSC_0441 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6030/6019087027_7156162743.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0441"></a>

I'm still having a bit of trouble with various algae. It seems like if it's not one type, it's another. The tang is helping with that though!

I did give carbon pellets a try. I'm not really convinced after a few months - I didn't really notice anything except cyano got totally out of control.

 

[inktomi]

So here's a full tank shot to show the current status..

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/6020317944/" title="DSC_0495 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6006/6020317944_ae6680a352.jpg" width="500" height="335" alt="DSC_0495"></a>

As you can see, lots of random pest algae to annoy everyone with!

A couple fun coral shots though:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/6020318260/" title="DSC_0494 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6003/6020318260_986a261d98.jpg" width="500" height="335" alt="DSC_0494"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/6020318540/" title="DSC_0493 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6134/6020318540_0d4d3a8dc6.jpg" width="500" height="335" alt="DSC_0493"></a>
(this one actually came as a freebe in one of my orders and has grown into quite the little colony)

And, to further show the algae..

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/6019767887/" title="DSC_0492 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6025/6019767887_0fd323d1de.jpg" width="500" height="335" alt="DSC_0492"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/6020319426/" title="DSC_0490 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6150/6020319426_8ef0b7ba3c.jpg" width="500" height="335" alt="DSC_0490"></a>

I moved my vortechs down a few inches to blow lower into the tank with the hopes that they'll mix up organics and let my skimmer pull them out. To that end, I have been getting more skimmate.. so maybe it's working!

 

[goochesfish]

how far below the surface do you have them?

 

[inktomi]

They're about 12" down now. Before they were maybe 6-8" - blowing over the top of my rocks. Now they're much deeper and blow into the rocks.

As an aside - I've been getting a lot more stuff in my skimmer. I think the lower pumps really are getting more junk into the water so it can be removed.

PPS: More junk in the water seems to also mean more cyano. Really not liking this stuff. I hope it'll clear up as the nutrients are removed.

 

[inktomi]

Some more photos..

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/6043347456/" title="DSC_0508 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6069/6043347456_999f397f93.jpg" width="500" height="335" alt="DSC_0508"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/6043347780/" title="DSC_0511 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6147/6043347780_375034742a.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0511"></a>

-- And this is what I'm talking about as far as Cyano. It's all over --

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/6043348186/" title="DSC_0525 by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6069/6043348186_8610650ecb.jpg" width="500" height="335" alt="DSC_0525"></a>

 

[fraggleRocks]

how did you get rid of that cyano? any updates? im having a similar issue and i'm curious to see how other people have handled it.

 

[inktomi]

< removing double posting >

 

[inktomi]

My cyano is actually under control. I ended up taking my biopellets offline, and then doing lots of manual work to get it out. It's still there if I slack off at all.

I've also been dosing Lanthanum Chloride (I'm using Ken-Tek 5 step pool care "Phosphate Remover") a bit here and there when I'm able to detect PO4. That may also be helping?

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/6222873711/" title="Looking down the edge of the tank by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6167/6222873711_33f47ecc4b.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="Looking down the edge of the tank"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/6223394654/" title="Coral and Fish Detail by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6228/6223394654_fd057104f6.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="Coral and Fish Detail"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30998766@N03/6223393978/" title="The front of my 150g reef by inktomi, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6229/6223393978_ef959a0505.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="The front of my 150g reef"></a>

By the way - if you take your biopellets off line, don't leave the reactor around full of stagnent water before you get to it to clean it out. You'll discover a very special kind of horrible stench when you open it up...

 

[inktomi]

By the way, and I know this may be a special case, but my Moorish Idol is easily my favorite fish. He/she has a fantastic personality, really a wonderful fish. It'll come up and eat nori from my fingers, it's always inquisitive about what's going on outside the tank, and all around is a wonderful fish (companion?).

It sort of makes me sad though when I think about it - this is an animal that obviously has some personality, maybe it can't "think" per say (maybe it can?) but sometimes I think it'd be happier in the ocean. At least I seem to be doing a good job caring for it - mine's plump, colorful, and active.

I got this fish on 3/22/2010 from the LiveAquaria divers den. It's been through algae outbreaks, a blueline that got terrorized by my coral beauty, and a really bad runin with a gorilla crab that left it with a huge gash on it's side. It's been through vacations with less than perfect "helper" fish care, a few months in a 30 gallon hospital tank with a round of medication, frozen food, pellet food, fresh nori, biopellets, a Calcium reactor going off line, biopellets going online and offline.. it's a trooper!

I'm not sure I'm going to say that Moorish Idols are easy to care for. I've not had mine 2 years yet. I feed Rod's Reef vegetarian food twice daily, with NLS pellets 4 times daily in between frozen food. I feed additional cut up nori once a week as well for the tang. I keep the tank around 77. Other than that, I don't do anything special to keep this fish alive. It'll be a sad day when/if it dies though. Really, a great animal with all the personality of my Dalmatian.

 

[strout]

Very nice