Finally have a large tank... 280g Deltec Custom Reef Tank

[ReefingBuddha]

The sand was only about a half inch and was only there for looks. I only put enough in to just cover the open areas and assume it covers about 70% of the available surface area. From the sump you can see all the open areas in the rock work without sand. It has also been blown around a lot anyways so I doubt anything had a chance to begin colonizing it.

I think that I'm going to put a 40g breeder I have over the sump as a DSB and I'm looking for some cheato locally right now.

I have my skimmer set to wet right now and it is still pulling out a dark green nastiness. I'm going to turn it down a bit.

Its day two of the algone challenge and no terrible smell as of yet. They have turned very dark in color though. No change in Nitrate levels as of yet.

 

[cbui2]

yeah i guess with that little sand and tons of flow be all over the place. breeder sounds like a good idea, if you was closer i could give you some cheato as mine been growing like weeds. i have to harvest it every 4-5 weeks.

 

[ReefingBuddha]

can you airmail it to the UK?

 

[cbui2]

that would be too much work, hand delivered works out better

 

[Kannin]

That's one of the best aquascapes I've seen. I think it's hard to use Tonga branch and make it look natural. Nice job.

 

[ReefingBuddha]

anytime man. Long trip though.

Thanks Kannin. I'm happy with it but I would probably remove about 20% of it if I had room for it somewhere else. I think it will look much better once the corals start growing in. I also like the look of Tonga Branch rock and think it would work great for the base of a BB tank as there would be less contact. Also the fish love it.

 

[cbui2]

how did the sand removal process go? any updates it been a few days now

 

[ReefingBuddha]

Just sat down from working on it. All levels are steady and its to early to tell if the algone is working yet. The sand is now about 90% gone and the first signs of coralline growth has started on the bottom. Things seem good.

Also you inspired me to make fish food the other day. I had a bunch of leftover food that I got from the tanks previous owner and used to make a batch. Fish seem to really like it and after 3 days of feeding look plump and happy.

 

[cbui2]

started buying all the frozen cubes from DFS and spend about $200 dollars since you will only saved with mix and match w/shipping charges. so i wanted just to keep it simple, plus i get free fresh seafood all the time from my in-laws . i know my fish go crazy when they see me approached the tank so feeding 3 times daily making them very happy .

 

[ReefingBuddha]

I bet.. lucky fish. No fresh seafood for my fish yet, maybe when I'm back in florida

 

[cbui2]

so how your case going? will be back soon or can i buy some equipment

 

[chetm2]

thirschmann - very cool tank, nice find. It looks great. Any new pics of the tank with the sand out? Hope your case gets worked out soon.

 

[ReefingBuddha]

Still waiting to hear back from someone with power, his office is researching my case to see if they support my side of things. Going on 2 months now but feeling good about it.

And no bart my equipment is staying where it is. Unless you are interested in 4 60" Solaris fixtures. Thinking of getting rid of them but I really should run them first to make sure its not what I want. damn all this time to over think things.

Thanks chetm2 - I'll take some pictures today. I stocked some more corals and things are coming together nicely. Thanks for the words of support. Its been a trying year.

 

[Elliott]

things are looking good, I left a little sand in my display for looks and for my red coral wrasse to sleep in, really like your sump setup with suspended LR on eggcrate

great macro shots!

 

[ReefingBuddha]

Thanks man, it seems to be working really well right now, but I do want to put some more flow underneath, just trying to figure out the best way of going about it. I have a little bit of sand left right now for the sand sifter under the large overhang on the left side.

Now some pictures

some new pictures with the sand out and some night shots. Enjoy

 

[ReefingBuddha]

I know its a lot of pics but what can I say, sucker for pictures

encrusting little frag

And this crazy little guy has been running around for 3 weeks with this patch on his back. Its the only one left in the tank and its actually starting to grow. At first it didn't have any polyps on it at all, just the ooze of GSP

 

[nick063]

very nice, what kinda camera do you use?

 

[ReefingBuddha]

A nikon D80. I really like it but I'm thinking of getting a nicer camera sometime soon.

 

[Jflip2002]

Absolutely awesome, that BB look is pulled off to perfection. couple questions regarding your lighting.

1) You run just 14-15k bulbs?
2) How long a day?

That is all =)

 

[cbui2]

great pics Tom, that camera is a lot better than my point and click . how long does it take for your corals to start encrusting to rock and color change?