CT 265 Build

[ca1ore]

I miss my mag so much.

IMO a Magnifica with clownfish is a necessity in a large reef tank. OK, they can be a MAJOR pain to acclimate (tho hardy once you do), and can go rogue on you, but not too many things more impressive as a center piece (or in my case, off-center piece )

 

[ca1ore]

Two month mark .....



Full tank shot ....



.... left end ....



.... right end ....



.... and newest additions!

All OK for the most part, though my Hippo does show a few suspicious spots periodically, but they don't materialize into anything so I am at something of a loss to explain.

Magnifica anemone has not moved off the tall rock, and the clowns are now laying eggs (twice, so far). Don't seem to be able to resist buying new fish, and I currently have, in various stages of QT, a Desjardini Sailfin, a Carpenter's Wrasse and a group of Pyramid Butterflyfish; though the latter are proving somewhat more problematic than their 'easy' designation.

 

[worm5406]

You need to figure out how to stitch that picture together.

 

[ca1ore]

A few minor tweaks:

1. Two MP40 pumps have proven to be on the low end of acceptable, so took advantage of the Vortech sale and picked up a 60 for the left end. Lot more flow, but also a lot more noise.
2. Added a Jabao 25 to the back wall to provide some flow along the back wall.
3. Planning to get one of those apex auto feeders.

 

[worm5406]

I looked in my storage... I now have 4 mp40's... hummm.. I thought I only had 2... hahahaha Well now I am ready and have no excuses for not enough flow.

 

[ca1ore]

Have added a few new animals to my tank. A QT'd desjardini sailfin went in on X-Mas day. I was expecting rough treatment from the resident yellow and purple, but I guess they are too busy beating the crap out of each other to actually notice anything new. Local reefer was selling a 6" squamosa clam for a good price, so I now have a second one. Wish I could find a gigas, but alas they seem to be unobtainable these days. Leopard wrasse trio doing well in the fuge. Next addition to the display will be this group of pyramid butterflyfish ......



I really like these fish, and am hoping in my big tank that they will move as a group. Have been having a tough time with them though. Bought an initial four online, all of which succumbed to a raging bacterial infection (my diagnosis, FWIW). Second quartet, bought locally, and through nitrofuracin green powder and now in chloroquine phosphate, appear to be faring better. If things go as planned, into the DT by the end of January. Most recent additions to QT are an Achilles Tang (doing well so far, two weeks in) and a Noaki (sp?) Wrasse.

Happy New Year to all my fellow reefers!

 

[maddmaxx]

what are the dimensions of the new tank?

 

[ca1ore]

Standard 265 - 84Lx30Tx24W

 

[ca1ore]

My next undertaking will be to bring some semblance of order to the various ancillary tanks that I either use or have bought and plan to use.



Basically, I want to make it easier to do water changes on the main display as well as on my trio of quarantine/hospital tanks - without lugging around buckets. Red lines are top off feeds, green lines are normal flow and blue lines are water change flow.

 

[ca1ore]

Almost 3 Months

Almost 3 Months

Tank continues to skate along the positive side of the 'thin edge of disaster' :lol:



Left end .....



.... the center .....



... and the right end ...... thus a FTS!



Most recent fish addition, a Desjardini Tang, and most recent invert addition, a nice squamosa clam.

 

[ca1ore]

Quick update ....

Added a quartet of pyramid butterflyfish that I had been nursing through QT. They are integrating nicely. Used a DIY acclimation box, which the resident fish completely ignored.



Also added my male bipartitus wrasse and that's not been going quite so well. My hippo tang, of all things, is giving the leopard quite a hard time.

At 26 fish, with an Achilles and naso in QT, I think I am reaching the limit for fish in this tank. The use of heavy skimming, 10% WC every two weeks and a large, dual-sided ATS is keeping nitrates at essentially zero, so no crisis yet, but I am feeding quite a lot each day.

 

[worm5406]

Nice... and I bet you are.

Thanks for the update.

I think we see a need to upgrade...

 

[ca1ore]

I think this is about as much tank as I can handle (though your addition of a 120 to your system has me thinking about the 90 that is sitting in my garage). Seems the old adage about storage space ('the amount of crap you keep will expand to fill the available storage space') applies to reef tanks also. I have managed to maintain the open look, though most would probably offer me a strait jacket for putting 26 fish even in a 265.

 

[worm5406]

LOL... think of it as a side room.

LOL

 

[ca1ore]

I have kept my prior 90 (partly because it has essentially no resale value) with the intention of making it into a FOWLR for those fish I couldn't keep in the reef. Had been undecided whether to plumb it into the same system as the reef, thus saving a bit on equipment duplication, or running it separately. Regardless, for now, in the interest of trying to maintains some sanity with the tanks, that FOWLR project remains on hold. I had also considered using the 90 as a large refugium, though again, not exactly keeping things simple!

 

[worm5406]

I did the same thing when I upgraded to the 180. But I did it because I knew I would want to add it into the mix. LOL

I drilled 5 holes in it last week, put the bulkhead sittings in it, and water tested and cleaned it out again and again.

Now this week/or next week I am going to plumb it in.

I hope to hear about some already live tonga/fiji branch and get this job done!!!

What are you waiting on?

 

[RJT]

Great looking tank.

It's really odd that the hippo tang is bothering the male leopard. Can you catch the hippo and put him in the acclimation box?

 

[ca1ore]

I haver tried and the hippo is just too fast. Curious thing is that I also have a female Meleagris leopard in the tank and she is left alone.

 

[RJT]

It's unlikely and very odd but maybe all of the other fish are female except for the hippo and leopard.

I had a similar situation when my otherwise peaceful lieutenant tang was constantly attacking one of my exquisite wrasses. I think that wrasse was cyanide caught because he was never quite right and died a few weeks later but not from the tang attacks. There wasn't a mark on him.

 

[ca1ore]

There is a male Dusky wrasse in the tank, but he is too busy fighting with my clowns at the moment (trying to sneak a few of their eggs me thinks). I guess time will tell with the hippo. The good news is that the male bipart continues to eat, and has actually decided that NLS pellets are acceptable.