Building my Dream: It's a Miracles!
- Thread starter jt48
- Start date
david00061
New member
That's a big addition. Is your skimmer big enough?
david00061
New member
Looking fantastic. Keep it up
ashish
New member
Your tank is amazing and very similar to what I plan on doing. I enjoyed the build process very much and learned a lot as I am shopping for larger rimless tanks. However, I think i am sold on eurobrace since these larger rimless tanks scare me (especially ordering from canada). I might go with coast to coast aquariums as they are closer and i can always inspect the product.
This is my opinion regarding your aquascape. The larger piece on the left, you will eventually regret it being put in there - later down the road when it's encrusted overgrowing with 100's of animals. It's way to overpowering and you only need a small area for corals footing (leaving them air space to grow up).. For your tank's height your corals will grow to the waterline very quickly. It's also giving way to much shade to the substrate below it making it a low par zone and you'll have to put corals that need low light.
I think besides this piece everything else is great. I would just decrease the height somehow. We reefers love symmetrical, but in a real reef nothing is symetrical. I recently removed about 40% of my LR and my tank is crystal clear and free of aiptasia as I can get to them better. I noticed these improvements from removing rock: no more detrius/ deadspots, better flow, smaller fish/ inverts stopped disappear from my view, Pest become controllable, tank looks larger, I dont want to add more corals then I need, etc.
This is my opinion regarding your aquascape. The larger piece on the left, you will eventually regret it being put in there - later down the road when it's encrusted overgrowing with 100's of animals. It's way to overpowering and you only need a small area for corals footing (leaving them air space to grow up).. For your tank's height your corals will grow to the waterline very quickly. It's also giving way to much shade to the substrate below it making it a low par zone and you'll have to put corals that need low light.
I think besides this piece everything else is great. I would just decrease the height somehow. We reefers love symmetrical, but in a real reef nothing is symetrical. I recently removed about 40% of my LR and my tank is crystal clear and free of aiptasia as I can get to them better. I noticed these improvements from removing rock: no more detrius/ deadspots, better flow, smaller fish/ inverts stopped disappear from my view, Pest become controllable, tank looks larger, I dont want to add more corals then I need, etc.
jt48
Member
Thanks for the input. Coast to coast is very close to me, actually grew up in that town and could have inspected tank often. However, their cost was out of my league. I dont believe their is any other tank manufacturer more expensive. The huge pieces are overpowering, i couldnt believe how much room 160 pounds of pukani took up in the tank. However, i am happy with the results and am going to work around the height restrictions. For example, only encrusting corals such as war coral, acans, zoas, palys, etc will be on top of the large structures. As for the shaded areas, they provide an area for lower light corals, its not a negative. This area also provides an area of retreat from the lights for certain fish species. Also, below that left structure is an open tee pee shaped cave. In the cave is a bonded pair of cleaner shrimp and this has become my cleaning station.
jt48
Member
Warning
Warning
Well reef experienced another mistake. I have had my predatory snail eating crown conch for months now and had never bothered my deresa clam. This morning found the clam closed up tight but the conchs thingy apparently inside. I detached the conch and removed him to the fuge. I believe the clam is dead but uncertain.
Warning
Well reef experienced another mistake. I have had my predatory snail eating crown conch for months now and had never bothered my deresa clam. This morning found the clam closed up tight but the conchs thingy apparently inside. I detached the conch and removed him to the fuge. I believe the clam is dead but uncertain.
jt48
Member
I did it the wrong way! Turned off pump and allowed mixture to drop from the eye dropper into clam shell. I never target fed the clam before but thought it was a good idea for the hurting clam. Wont be doing that again. Thanks for the heads up. My clam expert friend confirmed what u heard.
WSPepsilon
New member
$100 for a 180? Not bad.
jt48
Member
Sure was!, so was the frag tank 72x24x8 for $20.
Newbie Aquarist
Reefing is my middle name
Those are some crackhead deals.
Reef1121
New member
Read through the whole thread again and must say this is a wonderful build, and am now considering a 4' 120 made by miracles. I had a couple questions in regard to your system. Does that gas bubble mess with you anymore at this point in the build or is it now overlooked? And given the amount of $$$, time and effort you've put into the system have you thought about putting a controller like the Neptune Apex on the tank for added controllability and safeguards?
jt48
Member
The gas bubble at the surface, if it was just the gas bubble in of itself would most likely be of very little concern and hardly noticeable, as it would look like just a speck of dust. However, when miracles came to home to attempt to remove it, they caused distortion in the glass due to applying too much friction which caused heat to build up. I only notice it when viewing at certain angles and it doesnt bother me. The common person viewing tank never notices it.
Regarding a controller, i will be soon be adding a triple pump doser for the soda ash, calcium and magnesium from brs.
In hindsight, if i was to start all over again i would have gone taller with eurobrace. I absolutely love the rimless, but after losing some prized specimens due to jumping, keep a cover on tank unless im showing the tank off to visitors.
I would have also gone with a coast to coast external overflow box. The internal boxes take up alot of real estates and due to plumbing, make covering the tank with custom built netting that much more difficult.
Reef1121
New member
Sorry about your male BT. I think on the build I do with them I'll have them install a small lip a half inch or so below the top so I can conceal one of BRS's clear mesh screens. Along with overflow holes for a bean animal overflow and 1-2 returns. Just have to wait to save the $$$ lol
jt48
Member
Just wanted to share some great news. First a bit of history; i obtained a pair of pajama cardinalfish for free before christmas. They have always stuck together but in recent weeks have been very elusive, often only periodically sseing one and rarely both at same time-to the point that i thought i lost one. Tonight, i observed both together and up close. One of them reminded me of Jay Leno. A quick internet search confirmed this is a mouth brooding species where the male holds the eggs in its mouth until they hatch.
