Colorado Reef

[wjgeese]

what's with the two TVs?

 

[benbarfield]

sometimes there's two games on... usually my wife gets to watch something on hers and I will play video games or watch something on the other and we are still spending time together.

 

[benbarfield]

updates

updates

Lots to update. I've been crazy busy at work and was luckily enough to travel to Hawaii for a week but have been spending a lot of time working on the tank. Here is basically the last 2 months of work. I left you with getting the display tank into its final resting position. Since then we are up and running"¦

With the display tank in place, I started on the wood wall. I did this in the old house and loved it, so it's coming back in the new house. The wood was then stained and some trim work placed to make the tank completely built in. This is my attempt at a living art display.

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Once the tank was in place, I started running the plumbing to connect all three tanks. The first picture shows the overflow from the main tank. I have two main drain lines and 2 emergency lines coming off the external overflow box. These lines drop down and empty into a filter splash basin in the sump tank. Pictured in the second and third photo.

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[benbarfield]

updates...

updates...

Here are some pictures of inside the tank room, skimmer, sump tank, and one of my apex wall unit boards.

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The tank was running for over a month going through its cycle, but luckily I have a friend who gave me a bunch of live rock that has been around for over a decade with tons of sponge and caulerpa growth and so the cycle was fast. I did add microbacter7 as well to the tank during this time.

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I need to do something to block the back wall from being able to see through, but I want something that is removable. I do like seeing in to the tank from the display room but would like to be able to block it out if needed. Thoughts or ideas? I went through a few rounds of plumbing to minimize and 90 degrees bends and I tried only using 45 degree bends. It didn't come out as clean of a look, but the flow dynamics are better this way. I got the Kessil lights above the refugium up and running last night and finished hanging the Radions with the aquatic life t5 hybrid unit above the main tank. I need to find a better way to attached the filter socks coming off the refugium drains over than my current zip-ties holding them on. Fish order being placed in the next 2 weeks"¦

 

[rygar]

Shadowboxes?
Nylon fabric with magnets glued to that and the top of the tank?

 

[benbarfield]

Sorry for the delayed in my updates. Big things have happened. I found some cheap black foam board that was used to cover the back of the tank so you can't see into the tank room. I will take it all down once the corals grow up and hide the plumbing. More rocks have been added to the tank after cycling to expand the aquascape. I am still wondering if I should build it higher? Thoughts? We've added fish and corals to the tank. We started with 3 convict tangs and one died within 24 hours of acclimation to the new tank. The other two started to fight for territory and one was taking a beating. He was removed into the refugium and is a model citizen in the there, even with a ton of caulerpa growing he has not shown an interest. Now both convicts are fat and happy. The next fish were 3 yellow tangs and 4 clownfish (ocellaris, snowflake, black snowflake, and a black ice). The snowflake developed what I am thinking is some kind of fungal infection and he was taken out and put in QT treating and is now back with the rest and doing great. The yellow tangs have been great. My wife loves Moorish idols and she wanted one. Despite my warnings she bought one, and I am happy to say it's fat and happy in the tank. I told her it was going to die and so far I am loving eating my words. Fingers crossed though, such a beautiful fish. Coraline algae has been growing great so I added a few montipora and sps frags to the tank, along with a few duncans and a torch coral. Will wait a while to see how these do. Cheers until the next update.

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[1claire]

It looks amazing, I just hope that you can cover those pipes with something.