250 Gallon Starphire SPS tank

[Flatlander]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8639252#post8639252 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LittleBlueGT
I think it will trap a bit of detritus, but I hate siphoning from the display tank!

I will swish and siphon from the sump much more often, it is soo easy.

BTW my tank is 86 x 26 which is 2236 square inches.
Sump is 90 x 24 which is 2160! So it is pretty big.


I will also sell about 40 lbs of LR with zoos on it. I think 140 lbs of LR is enough for my tank.

I do have a fair bit of turn-over in my sump created by a Blueline HD 100 running a huge skimmer. Also the flow is helped by dividers that are generously spaced apart for addition of LR. Kinda like Anthony Calfo recommends a causway (sp?) for coral propagation. More usable flow for less.

An example:
-10 gph in a 100 gallon tank sucks!
-10 gph going through twenty 5 gallon tanks all vertically stacked is not too bad.


Besides I am starting to notice areas in my tank that could use better flow, but the corals are getting in each others way. If I get rid of most of the LR I will have much better dynamics!

Thats what I was thinking. Its a huge sump and the turnover in there is a lot. One would think the dividers would block more detritus than the rock.

However, like Tyler, I to have run sumps with rock & the detritus did collect. But it was still easier to clean & I have never had the type of flow you have.

Siz of one & half a dozen of the other. :lol:

 

[LittleBlueGT]

Put my (Doug's old) CBB in the display tank tonight and he gets along very well with the other fish.

I transfered a clam into the QT first to see what he would do. He went right after it! So I took my phophate collectors, er clams, and moved them all into my sump. Boy do they look nice from the top down.

My wife was complaining, "they were your nicest corals!" I took her downstairs, and showed her the top down view, "wow, that is amazing!!!!!!!!!!"

I had a couple of aptasia that were hard to reach (I normally kill two or three every month, never really been a big problem like my other anenomes) and within an hour they were gone!





Now for my kill the unknown anenome plan: Other then manual removal when I re-arrange my tank for more of a Japanese look I will get a Double-Saddle Butterfly fish and see if I can train him to eat those anenomes in the QT.

Do you think I will will have trouble with him picking at SPS polyps?

 

[hdtvguy]

cool! Jayson has one or 2 at the store Ben! 50/50 on the sps nipping I would say.

 

[tgunn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8726151#post8726151 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LittleBlueGT
Put my (Doug's old) CBB in the display tank tonight and he gets along very well with the other fish.

I transfered a clam into the QT first to see what he would do. He went right after it! So I took my phophate collectors, er clams, and moved them all into my sump. Boy do they look nice from the top down.

My wife was complaining, "they were your nicest corals!" I took her downstairs, and showed her the top down view, "wow, that is amazing!!!!!!!!!!"

I had a couple of aptasia that were hard to reach (I normally kill two or three every month, never really been a big problem like my other anenomes) and within an hour they were gone!

Now for my kill the unknown anenome plan: Other then manual removal when I re-arrange my tank for more of a Japanese look I will get a Double-Saddle Butterfly fish and see if I can train him to eat those anenomes in the QT.

Do you think I will will have trouble with him picking at SPS polyps?

I've always loved looking at clams top down.

Did you ever try peppermints for aptasia?
Did you ever find out what those mystery anenomes were?

Can't wait to see what the tank looks like reconfigured...

Tyler

 

[LittleBlueGT]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8726946#post8726946 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tgunn
I've always loved looking at clams top down.

Did you ever try peppermints for aptasia?
Did you ever find out what those mystery anenomes were?

Can't wait to see what the tank looks like reconfigured...

Tyler

I have peppermints, trouble is I have to keep them in my sump for a few months before they are big enough to handle the suction from the CL.

Still working on the anenomes, but I have a real good idea.



I think I will try the Double Saddle Butterfly in the QT and even try some SPS in there and see what happens.

 

[tgunn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8728611#post8728611 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LittleBlueGT
I have peppermints, trouble is I have to keep them in my sump for a few months before they are big enough to handle the suction from the CL.

Still working on the anenomes, but I have a real good idea.

I think I will try the Double Saddle Butterfly in the QT and even try some SPS in there and see what happens.

Mine seemed to have fared okay. But they weren't tiny-tiny I guess.

What's the running theory with the anenomes? I know I've got plenty of cup corals in my tank. I've even caught them eating cerinths! There was a big one on my DIY liverock and it tried stinging me when I was attempting to peel it off.

Your sump is going to end up being a tank in itsefl!!!

Hey, off topic, but how tall is your calcium reactor? I'm curious because I've got my beckett skimmer offline and I'm trying to determine how tall of a calcium reactor I should make out of it. What pump do you use to recirculate again?

Later,
Tyler

 

[LittleBlueGT]

My skimmer is about 40 inches tall I think. I can measure it if you want.

I am running my skimmer with a Blueline HD 100 pump (same as Iwaki 100) and it consumes over 350 watts.

 

[tgunn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8730484#post8730484 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LittleBlueGT
My skimmer is about 40 inches tall I think. I can measure it if you want.

I am running my skimmer with a Blueline HD 100 pump (same as Iwaki 100) and it consumes over 350 watts.

Whoops, sorry, I meant the calcium reactor. I'm running a new skimmer now; one of those 3 pump recirculating reef octopus skimmers.

I'm going to turn my beckett skimmer into a calcium reactor and was curious about yours..

Tyler

 

[LittleBlueGT]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8731485#post8731485 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tgunn
Whoops, sorry, I meant the calcium reactor. I'm running a new skimmer now; one of those 3 pump recirculating reef octopus skimmers.

I'm going to turn my beckett skimmer into a calcium reactor and was curious about yours..

Tyler

Calcium reactor is about 30 inches, I will measure for you.

I use a pcx30 to run it. More then enough.


Although I think I will have to enlarge my calcium reactor yet again.

Maybe we could trade? My calcium reactor is more then big enough for your system, ever.

 

[tgunn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8731666#post8731666 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LittleBlueGT
Calcium reactor is about 30 inches, I will measure for you.

I use a pcx30 to run it. More then enough.


Although I think I will have to enlarge my calcium reactor yet again.

Maybe we could trade? My calcium reactor is more then big enough for your system, ever.

My beckett's skimmer body is just over 36" and 6" diameter... That doesn't include the bottom box or the cup; just the 6" main reaction chamber... Add the cup and all that jazz and it reaches it's 54" height.

Lol, my skimmer is not yet a calcium reactor, so I'm not sure if you'd want to trade.

Tyler

 

[LittleBlueGT]

I was able to get all of my clams off of the starboard successfully, or so I thought.

I used a brand new sharp razor and cut as close to the bottom of the foot as I could. In fact it almost seemed as if I cut under the foot.

All clams were doing fine in my sump, but then this morning I noticed that one of clams lost his foot. It was there for two days, but I guess with all the trauma it decided to let it go and it was floating around the sump. He still opens up, though not as well as before.

I wonder if he will make it or not?

 

[tgunn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8736566#post8736566 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LittleBlueGT
I was able to get all of my clams off of the starboard successfully, or so I thought.

I used a brand new sharp razor and cut as close to the bottom of the foot as I could. In fact it almost seemed as if I cut under the foot.

All clams were doing fine in my sump, but then this morning I noticed that one of clams lost his foot. It was there for two days, but I guess with all the trauma it decided to let it go and it was floating around the sump. He still opens up, though not as well as before.

I wonder if he will make it or not?

Not that I'm anywhere near close to clam expert, but my understanding is that it probably didn't actually lose it's foot but it's byssal threads... Apparently it should be able to grow that back without a problem.

Check out this thread for a bit more background on what I just said.

Tyler

 

[LittleBlueGT]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8737617#post8737617 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tgunn
Not that I'm anywhere near close to clam expert, but my understanding is that it probably didn't actually lose it's foot but it's byssal threads... Apparently it should be able to grow that back without a problem.

Check out this thread for a bit more background on what I just said.

Tyler

That is exactly what happened, looks like I will be OK.

 

[Waxxiemann]

you guys think a CBB would pick on clams for sure? I've had one for about 5 months or so but I kinda want to add a clam cause Jayson just got like a ton of them. maybe not a good idea?

Ty

 

[LittleBlueGT]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8738214#post8738214 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Waxxiemann
you guys think a CBB would pick on clams for sure? I've had one for about 5 months or so but I kinda want to add a clam cause Jayson just got like a ton of them. maybe not a good idea?

Ty

No, but mine has been trained to eat clams, so he went right for the first clam he saw.

I would say 50/50 chance.

 

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8739095#post8739095 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LittleBlueGT
No, but mine has been trained to eat clams, so he went right for the first clam he saw.

I would say 50/50 chance.

Ditto.

 

[Flatlander]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8739095#post8739095 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LittleBlueGT
No, but mine has been trained to eat clams, so he went right for the first clam he saw.

Was that your show clams after moving them? :eek2:

 

[LittleBlueGT]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8741245#post8741245 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Flatlander
Was that your show clams after moving them? :eek2:

I stuck a "show clam" in the QT to see what would happen.

I was prepared to watch the QT tank for a couple of hours to see if he would go for it. He did within 10 seconds, so I removed the clam from QT and put it in my sump along with my other clams.

 

[kwl1763]

Ya I think any and all clams I have in the future will be relegated to a sump as I had a copperband who would only eat mussells for the first couple weeks.

I'm trying to dream up an acrylic contraption to suspend in one of my sumps and then mount a MH over it. I want to make it where I can close it off and dose food, etc!

Sounds like a MELEV project to me!

 

[kwl1763]

On the issue of live rock in the sump. You can always put a filter sock on the overflow! That's what I do and I have about 50 lbs in my sump that stays pretty darn clean.