180 build from scratch!

[Slakker]

Haha well, job starts on monday...so we'll see how long it takes before I start having conversations with my passenger seat.

My T5's just came in today, though I think i'll probably just be using them for actinics, but might try out a whiter bulb just to see.

I really like the 14k bulbs, I've been using a 175w Hamilton 14k for a while and I really like it. With the T5's, you may want to go with 11 or 12k whites with some actinic in there. The 11/12k will be pretty clean white, and the actinic would give a nice blue overtone to it and your corals would really pop.

That's the trouble with bulb experimenting...it's expensive to find what you want

 

[jnarowe]

bring a soccer ball with you. They make great conversation.

 

[michika]

I'm home for a few minutes, but I'm heading back out shortly. I will be all skated out come tomorrow afternoon. I hurt so badly, that after sitting down for 10 minutes that I'm pretty much frozen in place.

So after I get help up, and we head out to a birthday dinner, I'll come back, and won't sit down. I'll take eurobrace photos for you guys instead. Anything else you would like to see?

 

[Slakker]

...no comment.

 

[erics3000]

Do you feed your clams anything special?

 

[Renegade545]

Very nice tank, keep us updated.

 

[jnarowe]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12652919#post12652919 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Slakker
...no comment.

:lol:

 

[michika]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12652919#post12652919 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Slakker
...no comment.

Alright you wise guys, your photos;

The source of all my pain... What you can't see are all the bruises, and how swollen my feet are. I am officially couch bound for at least today.

No I don't feed these clams anything in particular. In the past when I've had considerably smaller clams, less then 1" up until about 2", I have fed them. Usually I place those clams on the substrate, and I have a pop bottle with the bottom cut off and airline tubing pushed through a hole in the lid. I put that over the baby clams and I inject phytoplankton, or sometimes phyto + something. I think its less stressful for a baby clam to have something put over it, rather then having it moved every few days out of the tank and into a container of phyto. Too much chance for me to screw something up if I have to continually remove them and replace them in the tank.

Can someone also tell me what is the new trend here with testing and supplementing potassium? On my homeboard, potassium testing/dosing seems to be solely linked with systems like Zeovit. Are people testing/dosing for potassium who are not on these bacteria systems? Why? What is it doing for for their tanks? Anyone have any links or literature about it?

 

[Mental1]

OUCH!

Thanks for the picture of the eurobracing. I think I am chickening out changing the center brace on my tank. Looks like a LOT of work, risky and I am not sure of my lights yet.

What is your current fish list? I am planning my 180 and I do love tangs! At the moment I am thinking a yellow, a kole and a PBT. Just curious what you are populated with at the moment. I know you are going to have a bigger system but what do you plan on keeping for the 180?

 

[michika]

My current list is;
- blond naso tang (4")
- powder grey tang (white cheek) (2")
- scopas tang (2")
- purple tang (2.5")
- doctor tang (2")
- red sea sailflin tang (3.5")
- Emperor angel (2")
- 2x chromii (0.5" each)
- yellow damsel (1.5")
- male psychadelic mandarin (2")

There is still the question about the vlamingii tang I've been offered for free. I have too many large fish right now, and once they start to grow out, it may become a problem. In the mean time I am sourcing out large (tall and thick) SPS colonies to add additional hiding spaces.

I love the eurobracing for the most part. I'm still working on making sure when I feed I'm actually feeding the fish, and not the eurobracing.

 

[kar93]

If the tank the Vlamingi is in now is smaller than yours then I would take it and then try and find a better home for it. But, you already do have a good number of Tangs so adding that extra one may just reach the limit. But, your choice. What do I know? What SPS are you thinking of getting? Branching, plating etc?

 

[jnarowe]

what kind of a leg shot is that??

 

[kar93]

I like those cool stockings you showed us on the 1st page.

 

[michika]

I agree with you, its more humane for the Vlamingi to be in a more appropriately sized tank. In the short time, say the next 6-8 months, I don't think I'd have any problems maintaining water quality or feeding my fish. I jut don't want my fish to become cramped and to cause behavioral problems.

Then again in the next 6-8 months we will probably be moving and construction on our 1K tank will have probably already begun. Its such a gamble, what if we continue on our bad luck streak when it comes to finding a house. Hmmm. I think I will take the Vlamingi whenever the other guy gets his act together and we can figure out a mutually good time.

 

[michika]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12657529#post12657529 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
what kind of a leg shot is that??

An awkward one! That is about all I can do right now. I have a very good idea what life will be like after 70 for me now. Why do you miss my collection of crazy striped stockings?

 

[Mental1]

What's a Doctor Tang? Local LFS has a Dussumieri - they get up to almost 2 feet according to one site. A bunch of sites said at least a 150g tank. Seems nutz. All your tangs are small for now --- so I would think they are fine. I am not going to be doing another tank for a long time so I think three will be the maximum. The ones I have picked are all under 10 inches as adults.

 

[michika]

This is my Doctor Tang, aka Acanthurus chirurgus

Some details from Fishbase.org
Max size: 39 cm
Max weight of 5100g

 

[maroun.c]

I agree with you, its more humane for the Vlamingi to be in a more appropriately sized tank

I would think that it's very human to take this fish for now knowing that you are probably upgrading to a 1000 G in the future or just look for another home for it if it outgrows your tank. as if you don't I'm sure someone else with a much smaller tank will try his luck with it.

As for the eurobrace, does it just go along the edges of the tank without center or crossing braces as I ahve a complete brace along the edges of the tank in addition to 3 crossing braces?
do you think it's safe to take the crossing braces off?

39 cm with a wright of 5 KG are you sure of those numbers as a human baby that measures 50 cm is around 3-3.5 KG:eek1:

 

[kar93]

If you find someone to take the Vlamingi, maybe they could hold it for you until you setup the 1k? I cant remember, Did you do the bracing yourself or was that done by a professional?

 

[michika]

Tentatively the Vlamingi may come home with us on Thursday, or Friday. The current owner says its behavior is becoming a bit erratic, and it has started splashing at the surface. We've decided that we will take it, and should we not make our original timeline for the 1K, we will be sure to find it an appropriate home, even if its temporary.

We did the bracing ourself. The bracing follows the edges. So there are two pieces that go the width of the tank, and then there are two smaller pieces that fit between the ones. I think I need to take some better photos. I was told by the building that we could go without cross bracing over the middle of the tank because of the height we chose. Here is another photos, maybe this will help more.

Our evaporation seems to have settled on about 1-2g per day. I expect it to rise once we finish installing the permanent lighting.