A Reef Tank in the Desert - +/- 1,400 gallon system

danfeig said:
So one of the deals that I made with my wife and kids last week... I'd take them to all the parks at Disney World and Universal Studios - provided, they would come with me to World Wide Corals and some of the other LFS while in Orlando.

Newbie Aquarist (Wayne, Leroy or Reefing is my middle name) and David00061 were both customers and spoke very highly of them. David00061 introduced me to Victor from World Wide Corals at MACNA this past year.

My experience at World Wide Corals was nothing less than outstanding and exceeded any expectations that I had.

First off, when I walked into the store with my wife and kids, we were immediately greeted by friendly staff. A few minutes later, Victor came out to say hello and assist us. This is the first LFS that I have gone into with my wife where she did not complain about the "fish" smell. There was no odor from skimmers, stale water or fish. The place smelled absolutely fresh and clean.

Before I was through looking at the display tank, the most remarkable thing happened. My son came up to me and said, "You're not going to believe this, mom found a coral she likes!" A minute later my daughter found some fish that she liked and then again, my wife found another coral she liked. What is a man to do? This all took place while I was still looking at the display tanks!

Time was limited as we were flying home that afternoon (Wednesday), so I took a bunch of pictures of corals that I liked and told Victor that I would email him with everything I was interested in. Fortunately or unfortunately I was interested in a lot! Victor had some of the nicest acan colonies that I have ever seen.

I didn't waste anytime. Our flight home had internet available and I emailed Victor. The next morning, yesterday, I had a response from Victor when I got into the office. Needless to say, he was very accommodating and thus todays special FedEx Friday.

The pictures are all from my iPhone so they really don't give the corals justice.

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This is the first coral that my wife really liked. A beautiful Dendrophyllia coral that is about 6"x6". I can't wait for it to open up!

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These are the fish that my daughter loved. A beautiful and unusual pair of Domino Clownfish. Victor has had them for over a year. They are gorgeous!!!

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This picture does not give the following the slightest bit of justice. It is the largest Acan colony I have ever seen! It is "L" shaped and a good 15"x12". It is hard to tell the colors by the photo. It is orange, blue, purple and green.

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The next picture was another coral that my wife loved. It is a pinkish/orange flowerpot or Goniopora coral. It's just starting to open up.

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I fell in love with the attached Symphyllia Coral as soon as I saw it. It is a beautiful green and purple striped coral.

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Lastly, was a beautiful mushroom rock with bright green mushrooms. I am hoping tomorrow that it will all be opened.

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I need to add one last thing about World Wide Corals that was incredibly impressive. I have ordered thousands of dollars worth of corals, fish and equipment online, from several different vendors. Tonight, I received a call from Victor and his partner making sure that my order arrived okay and that I was satisfied with everything. I couldn't believe it! What incredible customer service and gratitude. It has never happened before with any of my other orders.

I hope to be able to have Griffin come out and take some better pictures for you shortly.
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I missed this post. The guys at world wide corals are very helpful. Shop is set up real nice
 
SPotter said:
WOW Dan just amazing as always. Are you going to upgrade your lights to the Pro model?
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Thanks Steve.

Absolutely upgrading the lights! I am real happy with Ecotech and the Radions. The growth that I have enjoyed is fantastic. That being said, I can only imagine the growth rate being improved, especially down deep, with the new Radion models.
 
edman79 said:
I saw that you have to dive into the tank if you have to fix anything due to it's depth. But how do you get out? Can the sides of the tank support you getting out? Or do you have someone pull you out?

Eddie Ed
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I haven't needed to be in since the early stages. I would have to brace myself on one of the corners (the tank is wrapped in steal braces) to get out. With my new scaffold system, I can basically just lean over if need be and I have acquired lots of different tools to take out or move things on the bottom of the tank.
 
I hope you guys realize that every time you say you like a company, I have to go to their site and bookmark it. I think I'm up to 25 or so at this point. That also goes with the labels on your packaging when you're happy with the delivery. I am in so much trouble when I start this project.
 
Hawg Pharm said:
I hope you guys realize that every time you say you like a company, I have to go to their site and bookmark it. I think I'm up to 25 or so at this point. That also goes with the labels on your packaging when you're happy with the delivery. I am in so much trouble when I start this project.
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Save up Hawg Pharm!!!

I think it is important for all of us to recognize and give credit to those companies that offer great products, livestock and customer service. It's equally important for us to advise against those companies that don't honor their warranties or whose products/livestock are not up to standards.
 
Beautiful photos. Every time I get overwhelmed and second guess my desire to go through with this project I simply come here to be reminded of the possibilities. If anything, kudos for keeping my dream alive.
 
Lightning Storm - Radions

Lightning Storm - Radions

So before Sam left back for school, he came over late one night when the lights were winding down. When he was here, one of the randomly programmed storms commenced.

My Radions are randomly programmed (storm mode) for a 20% cloud coverage and 20% chance of storms. So every few days, randomly, a 5-7 minute storm occurs.

Sam didn't have his good camera with him, with all the macro lenses, filters, etc., but he did manage to shoot this quick video and attach some music to it. It's not very long and the color isn't the best, but it give you the idea.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TzZrzJJ5LCc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
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OMG, Now that is one active reef. You can probably just sit there for hours watching the tank. Seeing it like this really puts a perspective on all those boxes of live fish and corals you have been receiving from FedX :-)

Thanks for listening and providing a full tank shot. I can't wait for the longer one he makes with the lights on bright. make sure its a minimum of 10 minutes. :-)
 
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