180 build from scratch!

[michika]

Okay good to know. I'm trying to see if we have enough acrylic kicking around here to make a test box tonight or tomorrow. Have you ever used a photo tube?

The guy who gave us the Vlamingi was just over, and he says the fish looks 300% better. I think thats great to hear. I guess the blue in the Vlamingi wasn't really showing in the other guy's tank, as well as you may remember it was displaying some very aggressive behavior. As well it seems that it was never offered nori before our tank. I feel good about having adopted it, and while our house dream has been pushed back, I still plan to give it a great home, fitting for its size, as soon as I can.

 

[jnarowe]

nope. never used a tube. I am still a major photog noob. Funny since my father was somewhat famous for his photography.

 

[michika]

Same here, photo noob! Kevin says if he can find some scrap acrylic, he'll make me a box this week.

I just realized that my MH isn't helping my pseudo refugium, also know as a drilled pop bottle with cheato in it. The cheato has been steadily shrinking over this past week, so I added my clip on light back on to try and help it on its way back to its former glory. Wow is that bulb yellow compared to my MH.

What should I be stocking my refugium with? I have Cheato, and I have Halimeda (I think its still alive). What about the red stuff? I so rarely see it, so I'm at a loss for its name, if I had to make a stab in the dark I would guess Dragon's Breath?

 

[jnarowe]

Halimeda is a calcifying algae so it soaks calcium up out of your system. You typically wouldn't want it in your fuge. Cheato is fine but can become filter floss so you have to harvest and spread it out.

Grape caulerpa is OK but not great because of its invasive nature. Same really of any caulerpa. I have feather in my fuge (came in on something)and it spreads like a disease.

I have never had good luck with the gracilaria (red stuff) myself but if you can get it to grow, then many fish will eat it.

My opinion on refugiums: If you are looking to use one to export nutrients, it's probably more of a waste of time than anything else. Fuges go through cycles and can be difficult to maintain sometimes, with very limited real effect on water quality. If you want a predator free zone to grow pods etc. and a place for a beaten down fish to hang out and heal, then a fuge is worthwhile. JMO.

 

[michika]

You make great points. I want the fuge mostly for pod growth, and for the export ability of macro algaes. I usually clean mine out pretty frequently as there are always people who want some locally. I'm going to put in a bit more thought and time on making it a good fish friendly place. I am afraid of caulerpa like nobody's business. I've heard of about 4 tank crashes triggered by it.

I'm going to post up some of the diagrams we have for the sump. I want to make ay changes I need to now rather then down the road have to take it offline, etc.

 

[michika]

I picked up 3 more frags today, all monti's, from a recent frag order I organized.

Photos;
Everything floating, raising up my water level. This also allowed my overflow chromis to swim out on its own. Wow we ordered a lot of stuff!

Some favia, lots of cool stuff came in for others.

TMPCC bath

My haul:

In the tank.

P.S. All-Bran bars really do taste great...

P.P.S We are also looking at houses again...I am such a waffler when it comes to this house buying stuff.

 

[RayAllen]

Wow! Great thread. I will admit I did not read every post. But things of interest DIY was awesome, Nice legs oh I meen stockings and im glad you pulled through your power companies reluctants to admit they were wrongs. Beautiful tank.

 

[michika]

Thank you! Its coming along nicely so far I think. I can't wait to get some more forward momentum on a few other DIY projects.

Speaking of, does anyone have any recommendations for sliders? We want to make a sliding platform for the top off bucket so I don't have to bend over awkwardly and worry about spilling in the stand. Garage door sliders?

 

[michika]

I'm going to try and work on the aquascaping tomorrow, or tonight. I'm going to make a pillar like I said I would.

More photos;
New frags from earlier this week with their polyps out, the back two are mine.

You can just see the acro crab if you look closely

Feeding time

 

[jnarowe]

Your fish look great.

I just got in 1 lb. of Ogo (graciullaris sp.) that I am going to experiment with and see if I can get it to grow. My sailfin like sto eat it too! Oh wait, he'll eat anything! :lol:

 

[michika]

Good things!
- The Red Sea Ozonizer shipped out yesterday. I'm just waiting on the postal service to update its tracking information.
- MH reflectors are in place now, need to get that correct 2nd bulb, maybe I'll just buy something in town.
- Kevin thinks he sees the beginnings of some growth on the purple cap
- New aquascape this evening

Not so good things
- Plans for MACNA are in jeopardy, Kevin only wants to do one thing, buy a house or go on a trip. I'm still angling for both things
- Lighting order arrived damaged *head desk*
- Kevin and I are still battling over how we want to do the return....

Kevin just wants to bring a single return over the back of the tank and leave it at that. I think its insufficient, and will probably be ugly. I am angling for something with multiple returns, and no large power heads if I can help it. If I have to settle for powerheads they MUST be hidden. While closed loops seem to be dying out in popularity, I'm still somewhat clinging to the idea. Anyone have any input or ideas they'd like to throw out there?

 

[michika]

The Vlamingi didn't come out for feeding this morning, so I was alarmed. I looked everywhere, and then I found it. Some how he jumped out of the tank, onto the eurobrace, and behind the tank. He was long gone. I feel like a failure. I even bought all the supplies last night to make net lid for the top. Too little too late...

 

[kar93]

Sorry to hear about the Vlamingi, Remember to take some aquascape pics. If you're waiting till new year for the house hunt, you should be able to go to MACNA right?

 

[maroun.c]

Sorry about the Valmingi, are they famous to be jumpers anyway?
As to the return issue I have mine as a single return didn't even divide it in two outlets as this will decrease your flow. Guess it all depends on the power of your return pump and how much flow you desire to have out of it. You have seen pics of my setup (single return and 2 CL with one of them on SCWD) i have a lot of water motion but unfortunately its still a bit a directional flow this is why I left those two Seios in the tank hidden at the upper left as they create very nice surface motion as well as turn the tank water from left upper towards right coming back from right lower towards the left. not saying that if you have enough power with 1-2 CL you can' t achieve decent water circulation without having powerheads in the tank. I hate to have any equipment in the tank which caused me to have that partition for powerheads for the CL behind the overflow in the first place. I might be adding an OM squirt on a CL which should handle flow from a 3/4 inch tube and therefore not cause any resistance on more powerfull pumps. Good luck with your aquascaping just don't do it with your halides running like did (burned my arm this way)

 

[jnarowe]

sorry to hear about the vlamingi. I never heard of one jumping before.

 

[michika]

When I think back I completely know when it happened. I was ready to leave and I was just waiting for the cable guy to finish some work. I heard a splash, and thought nothing of it. That must have been when it happened.

We are still waffling about the house-buying thing. You get 90 days from mortgage approval to find something, and since we are already approved we might as well use up the 90 days. If we don't find anything, no big deal, we'll go to MACNA. If we do find something, we probably won't go (however I will beg, and plead, and attempt to barter for the trip and the house).

I have Reeflo Dart and a Snapper available to me that we can use on this tank

 

[michika]

I'm taking a break and charging the camera battery to post a few photos.

I'm also revisiting my desire to have mangroves in some part of my system after seeing recent photos in Melev's, Goodwin9's, Jnarowe's, and a few other's tanks. I've kept mangroves in the past, however no longer have any right now. What I'm searching for is a good and subtle way I can plumb in them into my system. I want to make a display of sorts out of it. The plan, once I figure out how to situate them, is to get maybe 15-25 pods and grow them indefinitely.

 

[jnarowe]

don't forget to leave LOTS of head room for them to grow up!

 

[michika]

I want them to have their own separate area, I want to raise them at least 4ft off the ground to avoid them falling into the paws of our youngest dog.

Some more terrible news, this morning I was all caught up in the Vlamingi not appearing for its morning meal that I didn't do a head count. My powder grey is missing now too...I also found skeleton pieces when I was pulling out rock for the pillars tonight. This is not how I was envisioning my tank today....may I cry yet?

 

[jnarowe]

crying helps, but booze helps more.