I have a 300g starphire tank and I use a razor blade to keep it clean. I am very careful, and so far I have not had any scratches.
225 gal walk-around starphire from Miracles
- Thread starter summer6
- Start date
sfsuphysics
Active member
Get the algae sock from mightymagnets.com I use on my acrylic tank, cuts through algae like no tomorrow, plus it's a mesh so if sand does get caught it most likely will not rub right against the glass.
BTW was shipping expensive from Miracles? A local suggested them, however I cringe what shipping across the country would cost.
BTW was shipping expensive from Miracles? A local suggested them, however I cringe what shipping across the country would cost.
Really enjoyed this thread! Beautiful house and a perfect spot for that tank. I love the open floor plan. How long did it take you to figure out where to put the tank? I would have lost sleep for weeks and second guessed myself a thousand times : )
The stafire makes such a difference. Miracles really did a nice job. I see what you mean about using some tonga rock to open things up a bit. That's the great thing about this hobby. The tank is hard to move once full, but you can always change what's in it and what it looks like. Maybe down the road...
You did a great job and it adds a nice, elegant touch to the house. Going bigger would have been overkill. The size fits that space perfectly. I'm quite jealous.
The stafire makes such a difference. Miracles really did a nice job. I see what you mean about using some tonga rock to open things up a bit. That's the great thing about this hobby. The tank is hard to move once full, but you can always change what's in it and what it looks like. Maybe down the road...
You did a great job and it adds a nice, elegant touch to the house. Going bigger would have been overkill. The size fits that space perfectly. I'm quite jealous.
Thanks, I will definitely look into that algae sock, it sounds like a good idea.
Relatively speaking, shipping wasn't bad considering how well the tank, and stand were shipped - the crate was built like a tank!
Miracles (and Derek) was fantastic to work with over the course of planning, as i spent many hours on the phone, changing my mind a number of times.
Thank you so much!
This house is actually a modular (came in from PA in 14 pcs.) so the process of building was also quite a bit faster than traditional stick construction. We broke ground on the basement in July, the house was "set" in mid August, and we moved-in early Nov.
Planning from start to finish (house and tank) was just under a year, and i got really serious with Miracles in Sept.
My husband kids me (well, he's really kind of serious
that we built the new house for the new fish tank.It took me months to figure out what size tank i really wanted. I had to be serious about what i could really handle with water changes and general maintenance, and still have time to do other things!
I'm so glad that i went with this sized tank (originally wanted a 4'x4') but that tank would have overtaken the great room. The 72" x 30" tank fits the house better, is still a show piece, but does not overtake the space. I also like the fact that the tank is a standard 6 footer, where my old tank was 7' and tougher to light.
robert bell
New member
just ordered a 60" by 30" by 26" from miracles. hope to have it in a month. same 3/4 starphire glass, but with external overflow up against wall. I declined the corner top braces, what are your thoughts on including these on yours ( you have more gallons). nice tank you have, gives me faith in Derek making me a nice one too. any bubbles in your clear silicone on the vertical seams? I have got a couple of days to figure out whether to use black or clear silicone sealer on the tank. thanks for posting your tank, another work of rimless art!!
The external overflow is great, as you will have a lot of real estate inside that i don't have.
I've got 14 holes on the bottom of my tank (one negative of not having a tank against a wall) and through discussing with Derek, felt it was best to have the extra bracing. I could have had the euro brace, but am so glad i chose the triangles as it makes for cleaning even easier.
The black silicone is also really attractive. i based the clear silicone (clean job, no complaints) on the fact that the stand and house are traditional, with no modern aspects.
robert bell
New member
I like how the clear silicone really shows off the color of the starphire glass when lit up. now I might change my mind on that. your tank and about three or four others is the inspiration for my tank.
reefkeeper2
Premium Member
Lisa,
That looks fabulous. The new house looks fantastic too. Thumbs up on the stand and especially how it matches the rest of the room :thumbsup: Don't you love the open top and 360 degree view all around? I have a tip you might want to use depending on the fish you keep. I lost a few fish that jumped out of the tank becuase of the open top. I bought bird netting at Lowes and covered the top with it using suction cups. The netting is almost invisible ( and very cheap) and doesn't interfere with the light. The suction cups are underneath the lip of the acrylic, and the netting just hooks on to them. It is easily removed for maintenance or when you want to take pics. I see your tank is not acrylic and doesn't have a lip, but I think the suction cups would easily stick to the inside very top of the glass and not be seen. Just a thought in case you find your fish carpet surfing! Again congrats on a beautiful tank and design.
That looks fabulous. The new house looks fantastic too. Thumbs up on the stand and especially how it matches the rest of the room :thumbsup: Don't you love the open top and 360 degree view all around? I have a tip you might want to use depending on the fish you keep. I lost a few fish that jumped out of the tank becuase of the open top. I bought bird netting at Lowes and covered the top with it using suction cups. The netting is almost invisible ( and very cheap) and doesn't interfere with the light. The suction cups are underneath the lip of the acrylic, and the netting just hooks on to them. It is easily removed for maintenance or when you want to take pics. I see your tank is not acrylic and doesn't have a lip, but I think the suction cups would easily stick to the inside very top of the glass and not be seen. Just a thought in case you find your fish carpet surfing! Again congrats on a beautiful tank and design.
^^^ reefkeeper2, I'm hoping that I won't have jumpers, but as the open top is new to me, it could easily happen. I netting is something to consider, but i hope i won't need it, as i just love being able to access the tank so easily right now.
Have you had an fish jump into an overflow before? I'm hoping that won't happen, because right now I'm not planning on covers as i like to see what's going on with flow and such.
Have you had an fish jump into an overflow before? I'm hoping that won't happen, because right now I'm not planning on covers as i like to see what's going on with flow and such.
reefkeeper2
Premium Member
I always had the overflows covered. I didn't want algae to grow in there or fish to jump in.
SaltwaterChris
New member
Thanks for posting more pics your tank is realy nice to look at your fish are realy nice and look good and healthy and I love tangs they are awesome fish. How long have you had your tangs? Rimless tanks RULE
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14094045#post14094045 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SaltwaterChris
Thanks for posting more pics your tank is realy nice to look at your fish are realy nice and look good and healthy and I love tangs they are awesome fish. How long have you had your tangs? Rimless tanks RULE
Thank you.
My tangs get along pretty well. It was funny to notice that the day we moved the livestock, all of the tangs bunched together on one of the short sides of the tank. It's almost like they have a love/hate thing going on!
I've got 2 old tangs (9 and 10 yrs old) the Sailfin and Yellow. Both of them have LLD, but other than not looking great, they eat, and act normally. I thought I'd lose the Yellow T. a couple of times, but he's a fighter. The Yellow jockeys for position when I'm busy cleaning the algae off of the glass, picking-up the pieces.
The Hippo, Naso, and Powder Blue don't have any signs of LLD, and are thriving (knock wood).
laredo300c
New member
wow beautiful tank, looks amazing and one word comes to mind "perfection" LOOKS BEAUITFUL
