Crawdads57
In Memoriam
Attached is my rough draft layout for a new build. I did this in excel to start, I'm attaching a jpeg screenshot and I'll follow up with a post containing the excel file (don't know if that will work).
Overview: I have all of these tanks except one already, but they are not configured like this. My idea is to have a display refugium at the top which flows into a succession of 2 more display tanks and then a sump / refugium. It will be a total of 66.7 tank volume, with an actual water volume of roughly 40-45 gallons. This is explained below.
Each display will have an overflow draining to the next display, and an emergency drain that goes directly to the sump. All are to be fed by one return pump, which only pumps into the top display (the display refugium).
I plan to install black acrylic "walls" on each end of each display, one where the input spills over, and one which acts as an overflow box. This will control my water level in each tank. I want to do this to give me the cleanest lines possible. I want to take great care to place powerheads behind rock work so that no equipment is visible from the front view.
None of these things are labeled, but I'm sure you will be able to see what I'm talking about. I'll start with the cabinet and then go down each of the tanks starting with from the top. Any advice / suggestions, either about livestock or equipment are much appreciated.
Cabinet: I'm going to build this myself. The front will be one large door that can be opened, well, just like a door
but that also has "windows" cut out to show the display tanks, with a "cover" or "lid" (what is the word?) allowing me access to each tank. Those are the orange things on the right. There will be no top, but the whole things is 84" tall, so I'll use a step stool to get into the top display refugium tank.
Refugium display: this is a 12 gallon long that I already own. 35.5 X 8.25 X 9.5 - the purpose is obviously pods and macro algae. I have some macros picked out, none of which are caluerpa. I also want to put feather dusters and snails (maybe hermits) up here. No fish or anything else that eats a lot of pods. Any live stock advice here? Light will be a current satellite planted tank light that I already own. I think it will grow the hell out of some macros.
Center display: this is a 12.7 gallon high that I do not have yet. It measures roughly 24 X 8 X 16. I want some height in this area while preserving my low water volume (more on that later) and its the same size front to back as the other displays. This tank will contain all my corals, some of which are already on the rock to the right. The darker brown rocks are live rock I already have. The lighter brown will be structures I plan to make out of prepared oyster shells. I asked about that in this post: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2589080&highlight=oyster+shell the purpose being to give me the ability to continue the structure up through all 3 display tanks.
I also want to have a small number of schooling fish in this tank. I am going to plan on a gamble here and go for a certain species of rainbow fish "blue back blue eyes" (P. cyanodorsalis). My original post about that is here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2587625&highlight=small+fish+for+small+tank and a discussion I had with some rainbow fish pros can be found here: http://www.rainbow-fish.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3122 I also want to keep some blennies or small gobies in this tank. Other suggestions welcome, but I want the majority of the pods to be available to the rainbows. Beyond that I want to keep gorgonians, softies, LPS (mainly acans) maybe some birdsnest, a lot of palys and zoas. CUC, etc.
I plan to buy an AI Prime HD LED, but other suggestions in the $200-250 price range would be welcome.
Bottom display: Another 12G long which I already own. Lots of live sand, some rock I already have and the base structures for my "oyster towers". The area on the left will be a deeper sand bed for some tube anemones and I also want get a, you guessed it, mantis shrimp. I wonder if some of the smaller ones could be kept together? This is a whole other conversation, but I see Pseudosquilla ciliata are the spear type and stay small. I think I could get away with some trochus snails maybe - what else to help keep it clean? I plan to get a current orbit 24-36" model. I have the 18-24" model on my 15 gallon cube, It gets the job done and I want this area to be mainly actinic anyways, with lots of shadows.
I'm not dead-set on the mantis, but I am set on the tube anemones. Any other livestock for this "semi-benthic" area, just let me know your thoughts.
Lastly, the sump: This is a good ol' 30 gallon that I already own and that is not fit to be a display tank. From left to right: overflows, sock, purigen, Tunze 9004, chaeto, carbon, heater, return. Pretty straightforward. Need a refugium light down here, but I'll find a good one for that chaeto.
What else, what else? Well, just tell me your thoughts.
Overview: I have all of these tanks except one already, but they are not configured like this. My idea is to have a display refugium at the top which flows into a succession of 2 more display tanks and then a sump / refugium. It will be a total of 66.7 tank volume, with an actual water volume of roughly 40-45 gallons. This is explained below.
Each display will have an overflow draining to the next display, and an emergency drain that goes directly to the sump. All are to be fed by one return pump, which only pumps into the top display (the display refugium).
I plan to install black acrylic "walls" on each end of each display, one where the input spills over, and one which acts as an overflow box. This will control my water level in each tank. I want to do this to give me the cleanest lines possible. I want to take great care to place powerheads behind rock work so that no equipment is visible from the front view.
None of these things are labeled, but I'm sure you will be able to see what I'm talking about. I'll start with the cabinet and then go down each of the tanks starting with from the top. Any advice / suggestions, either about livestock or equipment are much appreciated.
Cabinet: I'm going to build this myself. The front will be one large door that can be opened, well, just like a door
but that also has "windows" cut out to show the display tanks, with a "cover" or "lid" (what is the word?) allowing me access to each tank. Those are the orange things on the right. There will be no top, but the whole things is 84" tall, so I'll use a step stool to get into the top display refugium tank.Refugium display: this is a 12 gallon long that I already own. 35.5 X 8.25 X 9.5 - the purpose is obviously pods and macro algae. I have some macros picked out, none of which are caluerpa. I also want to put feather dusters and snails (maybe hermits) up here. No fish or anything else that eats a lot of pods. Any live stock advice here? Light will be a current satellite planted tank light that I already own. I think it will grow the hell out of some macros.
Center display: this is a 12.7 gallon high that I do not have yet. It measures roughly 24 X 8 X 16. I want some height in this area while preserving my low water volume (more on that later) and its the same size front to back as the other displays. This tank will contain all my corals, some of which are already on the rock to the right. The darker brown rocks are live rock I already have. The lighter brown will be structures I plan to make out of prepared oyster shells. I asked about that in this post: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2589080&highlight=oyster+shell the purpose being to give me the ability to continue the structure up through all 3 display tanks.
I also want to have a small number of schooling fish in this tank. I am going to plan on a gamble here and go for a certain species of rainbow fish "blue back blue eyes" (P. cyanodorsalis). My original post about that is here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2587625&highlight=small+fish+for+small+tank and a discussion I had with some rainbow fish pros can be found here: http://www.rainbow-fish.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3122 I also want to keep some blennies or small gobies in this tank. Other suggestions welcome, but I want the majority of the pods to be available to the rainbows. Beyond that I want to keep gorgonians, softies, LPS (mainly acans) maybe some birdsnest, a lot of palys and zoas. CUC, etc.
I plan to buy an AI Prime HD LED, but other suggestions in the $200-250 price range would be welcome.
Bottom display: Another 12G long which I already own. Lots of live sand, some rock I already have and the base structures for my "oyster towers". The area on the left will be a deeper sand bed for some tube anemones and I also want get a, you guessed it, mantis shrimp. I wonder if some of the smaller ones could be kept together? This is a whole other conversation, but I see Pseudosquilla ciliata are the spear type and stay small. I think I could get away with some trochus snails maybe - what else to help keep it clean? I plan to get a current orbit 24-36" model. I have the 18-24" model on my 15 gallon cube, It gets the job done and I want this area to be mainly actinic anyways, with lots of shadows.
I'm not dead-set on the mantis, but I am set on the tube anemones. Any other livestock for this "semi-benthic" area, just let me know your thoughts.
Lastly, the sump: This is a good ol' 30 gallon that I already own and that is not fit to be a display tank. From left to right: overflows, sock, purigen, Tunze 9004, chaeto, carbon, heater, return. Pretty straightforward. Need a refugium light down here, but I'll find a good one for that chaeto.
What else, what else? Well, just tell me your thoughts.
