dmorel's 220 Round & Shallow reef build

[dmorel]

also, the only advice i have to give is that maybe you'd want to dummy-cord those fuge lights to the pvc, just incase you give it a love tap or for some reason the clamp decides to give out.

I have finally added some zip ties to the fuge lighting so that danger is no longer present.

The tangs are still feeling each other out. With so much swim room I had really hoped it would go better. But they are doing a fair amount of dancing. No danger (yet) but I'm hopeful things will smooth out. If it doesn't happen soon I will be genuinely concerned.

Other things I did this weekend (other than yet another SUPER SIMPLE water change) include adding a few koralia's to the frag tank and a little MJ in the isolated water vessel to keep the gunk in suspension.

I have a few pieces I need to frag to prevent warfare shortly and want to be ready for that. Still need to build the rack out of some egg crate, maybe a project for next weekend.

 

[yukonblizzard]

WOW!!, just finished reading this thread. This tank has got to be the coolest I have seen on Reef Central! How are the tangs doing?

 

[yukonblizzard]

WOW!!, just finished reading this thread. This tank has got to be the coolest I have seen on Reef Central! How are the tangs doing?

 

[gnarlyswine]

I think a few convict tangs would look pretty good in there


*edit*

Doh sorry didnt see you had added a few - I found a gold eye and a powder brown co-existed peacefully , and at the moment I have full grown Yellow and Gold eye living in (not far from perfect) harmony along with a Majestic angel in a 112g.
Its been a year and no real trouble so who knows. I think like yourself my aquascaping has a lot to do with the peaceful coexistance - I have the tank set up as a peninsula with rock down the centre like a large outcrop - so fish can swim either side without being visible to the other. Also a lot of large hiding spaces under the rockwork.

I do unfortunately think the Powder Blue and Achilles may be a little too close for comfort - Id be tempted to scale back to just the Achilles from the pair(and get yourself an angel).

 

[coraldog]

Great Build!

 

[PaulOKC]

Awesome tank! Congrats on having one of the most unique set-ups around!

 

[FadeToGrey]

Absolutely amazing tank! I love it! The only thing that would make it better (too me, we all have our own tastes...) would be a school of little fishes zipping about in a group. [blue chromis?] I always think that makes a reef seem so natural... But again, that is just me, and your tank is divine just as it is!

 

[dmorel]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14830742#post14830742 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by yukonblizzard
WOW!!, just finished reading this thread. This tank has got to be the coolest I have seen on Reef Central! How are the tangs doing?

WOW indeed, that's a lot of reading! Appreciate the nice feedback. Unfortunately the powder blue had to be removed, the other three are getting along fine and swimming about. Disappointing to say the least, I really love PB tangs.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14831245#post14831245 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gnarlyswine
I think a few convict tangs would look pretty good in there


*edit*

Doh sorry didnt see you had added a few - I found a gold eye and a powder brown co-existed peacefully , and at the moment I have full grown Yellow and Gold eye living in (not far from perfect) harmony along with a Majestic angel in a 112g.
Its been a year and no real trouble so who knows. I think like yourself my aquascaping has a lot to do with the peaceful coexistance - I have the tank set up as a peninsula with rock down the centre like a large outcrop - so fish can swim either side without being visible to the other. Also a lot of large hiding spaces under the rockwork.

I do unfortunately think the Powder Blue and Achilles may be a little too close for comfort - Id be tempted to scale back to just the Achilles from the pair(and get yourself an angel).

The PB and the gold rim were more the issue than the achilles actually. Curiously the three still in the DT are getting along just fine.
I *think* I'm done with the stocking at the moment, but you never know down the road. I've never had this much water volume and absurd skimming ability so my options are a little open I guess.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14831739#post14831739 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by coraldog
Great Build!

thanks!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14835025#post14835025 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by PaulOKC
Awesome tank! Congrats on having one of the most unique set-ups around!

Appreciate that nice comment. I think it is certainly unique but I will set that there are many much more impressive set ups on RC. It is however turning out a lot like what I had hoped so I'm pleased

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14836313#post14836313 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by FadeToGrey
Absolutely amazing tank! I love it! The only thing that would make it better (too me, we all have our own tastes...) would be a school of little fishes zipping about in a group. [blue chromis?] I always think that makes a reef seem so natural... But again, that is just me, and your tank is divine just as it is!

If I didn't hate chromis so much I would probably do that. I do have a large number of little guys in pairs because like you there is something about a number of smaller fish zipping around that I very much like. Between all the wrasse's, gobie's and tangs with a CBB thrown into the mix, I'm really liking the mix.

I'm working on a new site to chronicle the tank, but have trips back to back for the next three weeks so it will be a while but kind of looking forward to that too so I can have a camera streaming 24/7 and the like.
Reminds me, I should order the net module for the RKE soon!

 

[FadeToGrey]

"If I didn't hate chromis so much I would probably do that. I do have a large number of little guys in pairs because like you there is something about a number of smaller fish zipping around that I very much like. Between all the wrasse's, gobie's and tangs with a CBB thrown into the mix, I'm really liking the mix." -dmorel

Like I said, it is fantastic already! I am sure there are hundreds of fantastic details that I can't appreciate over the internet. Wish I could see it in person! Lol.

 

[sfsuphysics]

Great great tank, truly a love hate thing for me, I love the ideas its giving me, but then I hate the ideas it's giving me ...

A browsed through yet again and forgive me if you already answered these but....

How thick is the acrylic on the tank, rimless means it needs to be thicker, but the fact there are no corners, might mean less of a thickness needed?

How exactly are you power heads mounted? I know early on you were talking about dry boxes, etc. its kind of hard to see them in any pictures (a good thing I'm sure! ) but looks like the cords are going into a pipe that goes through a bulkhead at the bottom??

Truly an inspirational tank, and as mentioned it unfortunately gives me ideas for my dream tank, in my dream house, etc... luckily for me that's a long way away

 

[MarineGirl411]

Wow!!!

 

[dmorel]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14856125#post14856125 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sfsuphysics
Great great tank, truly a love hate thing for me, I love the ideas its giving me, but then I hate the ideas it's giving me ...

A browsed through yet again and forgive me if you already answered these but....

HA! I know EXACTLY how you feel. It's a bit overwhelming sometimes

How thick is the acrylic on the tank, rimless means it needs to be thicker, but the fact there are no corners, might mean less of a thickness needed?

It's 3/4 acrylic. Pretty thick stuff. The story goes that this was basically a left over piece for a much larger tank.

How exactly are you power heads mounted? I know early on you were talking about dry boxes, etc. its kind of hard to see them in any pictures (a good thing I'm sure! ) but looks like the cords are going into a pipe that goes through a bulkhead at the bottom??

there are a total of four tunze nano streams. Two are actually mounted using the magnets to the edge of the overflow on opposite sides.
the other two are hidden (more or less) in the rock work on what would be the "front" of the tank.
The cords do go through a dry box, or dry chase in the overflow and out the bottom. They then run under the false floor and into the equipment room for power.

I actually have a lid for the overflow box coming. I think the acrylic builder has it completed and that will clean things up a bit.

Truly an inspirational tank, and as mentioned it unfortunately gives me ideas for my dream tank, in my dream house, etc... luckily for me that's a long way away

Well I hope that's a good thing --- This has certainly been an amazing project so far and should bring me years of pleasure (and immense frustration I'm sure).


====

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14856907#post14856907 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MarineGirl411
Wow!!!

thanks!

 

[dmorel]

Some updated pics.

I snapped 54 today. If you want to see the whole lot of them I tossed them onto photobucket if you want to see the whole group of them.

Here are a selection of the best tank, coral, and fish shots

First...

The Tank:

Some Corals:

Few more corals and some fish in the next post.

 

[dmorel]

couple more corals

Fish Pics:

Bunches more on the link above to photobucket.

I'm amazed and what resizing these images does to their quality.
They look SO much better coming out of the camera straight, but I'm shooting at a super high resolution I guess...
Anyway, this at least gives you a *sense* of the tank today

 

[sfsuphysics]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14857197#post14857197 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dmorel

It's 3/4 acrylic. Pretty thick stuff. The story goes that this was basically a left over piece for a much larger tank.

Yeah it looks like pretty thick stuff, just was curious about how bowing would affect a circular tank, I'm guessing not as dramatically as a rectangle simply because if if it pushes out at one side the other sides are going to push out equally kind of leveling it all out.

So a left over piece of acrylic? Was it a cast tube? Or a flat piece wrapped and glued upon itself? I've seen at one place down here some really large and tall panes that were glued and the seam is quite invisible unless you're looking at the right angle.

there are a total of four tunze nano streams. Two are actually mounted using the magnets to the edge of the overflow on opposite sides.
the other two are hidden (more or less) in the rock work on what would be the "front" of the tank.
The cords do go through a dry box, or dry chase in the overflow and out the bottom. They then run under the false floor and into the equipment room for power.

Gotcha. Just trying to run through my mind how to get a monster gyre working in a tank like that without having everything around the center.. hell thinking of how to get away not having a center overflow Guess I'd have to sacrifice a few feet of one side if I really wanted to go that route.

Thanks again, and good going with the tank.

 

[reeferstace]

OMG, you have a lavender tang! I hardly ever see those. Mine is my favorite fish.

I love the round tank. LOVE.

 

[nchin3]

Looks really good. You don't really see many circular tanks around.

 

[dmorel]

Well I sure haven't updated in a while... Was on the road for a month straight.
Temps are rising here in the desert and there was a LOT of heat in the sump room. Temps got as high as 84 degrees in the DT which was NOT good. All this happened while I was in Costa Rica on a much needed vacation after a crazy few weeks of work related travel. I put in a portable AC unit venting out the door of the garage and that's holding things SUPER steady at 80 degrees now and the chiller never has to run (I keep pretending that will offset some of the cost of running the AC 24/7).

I think I FINALLY have the calc reactor dialed in, will confirm in a week. Alk was drifting a bit low. The temps brought a bit of a diatom bloom again so Skip is bringing in a new round of clean up crew for me including a few dozen snails and maybe a cuke or two or three. Corals are growing and healthy which is nice.

Basically the tank is on autopilot at this point and it's time to sit and wait for a few months while things mature and stabilize. I'm looking forward to seeing this tank at the end of the month.

I'll take some more pics soonish.
I have a ton of PM's to answer, including a few about getting some lights on my next order, I'll get back to you guys soon I promise just been crazy busy.
Costa Rica was great

 

[AgentSPS]

What part of CR??? We just got back from our trip to the Oso Peninsula. We stayed at the Lapa Rios Eco Resort which was simply amazing!!

<img src=http://www.laparios.com/images/principal/Bungalow_g.jpg>

www.laparios.com

 

[dmorel]

AgentSPS:
We were outside Tamarindo, one of the JW Marriot resorts.
Wasn't an ideal location, but alas, I had a wedding to go to so I didn't get to pick the location.
Uploading some new pics, will post shortly.