How to make Swiss Cheese - Krunchy's 275g Closed Loop monster!

[khanb31]

Thats pretty awesome ed. I really need to head to shotank. Ive never been there.

 

[ekrunch]

I got in from Dallas to find my box from Premium Aquatics sitting there waiting for me. Let me just tell you... these lights are too much for most people! They're VERY bright.

My initial impressions of the lights.

Good

• VERY BRIGHT - If you really want to see the tank at night, you will with these things!
• No goofy corroding power code like the R2 lights.
• Seems like they're constructed very solid
• Three position switch (Off / Dim / Bright)

Bad

• VERY BRIGHT - It's going to light that tank up like it's daytime... people with tanks in their bedroom should probably get something else.
• No way to control the dimming without butchering the switch so no automatic dimming control. Just having some dimming ability is better than most moonlights so it's not horrible, it's just not idea.
• COST! A hundred bucks!

And of course... here are some pictures.

 

[ekrunch]

And here's a taste of them running over a 90g tank. Sorry about the picture quality here but I'm too lazy to get the tripod out right now. I'll get better pictures when I have 3 of these monsters sitting over my 275g.

Lights on high but resting on the acrylic brace of the tank.

Lights about 8" off of the brace, low intensity

Lights about 8" off of the brace, high intensity

 

[ekrunch]

I've been busy this weekend... Saturday morning my second OM 4-way arrived, courtesy of maxxII (Thanks Nick, this thing is just what I needed.)

Time to tear apart the OM's and get to cleaning!

I made a Saturday afternoon visit to Sho-Tank to continue on with the discussions about stand/canopy/sidecar. Once again Matt threw some great ideas my way and we've pretty much come to an agreement on things. While I was there I decided to snag a new PM Kalk Reactor. (I'm such a sucker for shiny new equipment at good prices. :lol: Thanks again Matt.)

 

[ekrunch]

The disappointing part of Saturday was not getting a pair of Bellus Angels. Sara B sent me an email to let me know that Sea Schor had some in. (Thanks again Sara Bizzle!) I called on Saturday morning and the male was already gone. Seeing as I really wanted a trio, i'd rather not buy them one at a time.

At lunch on Sunday I decided to stop in at Exotic Aquatics in Algonquin and guess what was staring me in the face? A TRIO OF BELLUS ANGELS! All 3 fish looked great and were eating. Needless to say, guess what's living in my stock tub right now waiting for me to get this tank finished! Here they are being acclimated.

 

[maxxII]

Hey Ed,
Looks great! I'm jealous.....

Glad to hear the OM unit made it there fine......you've definately got the right tank for it!

Comments in no particular order....

If the tank isnt going to be viewable from the right side, why not run the side car, (nice term for that btw!) all the way to the top of the tank, flush w/ the canopy? Cleaner look that way, I have yet to see a reef tank where the owner didnt want some extra storage space....

The juvi Ctenochaetus tang might be a:

Two spot tang (Ctenochaetus binotatus)

or a Ctenochaetus striatus (near the bottom.

Great score on the Bellus Angels! Biggest issues with keeping them IMO is finding ones w/o swim bladder issues due to decompression problems and remembering that they are planktivores and need to fed several times daily.

Looks great and I cant wait for this to get finished!

Nick

 

[ekrunch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13715992#post13715992 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by maxxII
Hey Ed,
Looks great! I'm jealous.....

Glad to hear the OM unit made it there fine......you've definately got the right tank for it!

Comments in no particular order....

If the tank isnt going to be viewable from the right side, why not run the side car, (nice term for that btw!) all the way to the top of the tank, flush w/ the canopy? Cleaner look that way, I have yet to see a reef tank where the owner didnt want some extra storage space....

I need to update my drawings again. The problem with going full height on the sidecar is that there's a 44" bar to the immediate right of the tank. On the other side of that is the kitchen. So, it's not a true peninsula due to limited space in my town house. (Mental note : Don't buy an 8' sofa with a 6' chaise and a 57" TV if you live in a town house) I was actually going to run the sidecar from top to bottom but decided to drop it down below the ledge of the bar. This will also allow me access to the RO reservoir that will be behind the sidecar. I'm still working out the details of how that will work but hopefully it won't be too bad. I've got to make some updated drawings for Matt with the room features included, i'll post a copy here when I get them done.

The juvi Ctenochaetus tang might be a:

Two spot tang (Ctenochaetus binotatus)

or a Ctenochaetus striatus (near the bottom.

Let's hope it's the two spot tang, he's neat looking with the blue eye. Not to mention that my previous Ctenochaetus sp was an algae machine so hopefully this one will be as well.

Great score on the Bellus Angels! Biggest issues with keeping them IMO is finding ones w/o swim bladder issues due to decompression problems and remembering that they are planktivores and need to fed several times daily.

Absolutely. I'm a firm believer in 3 daily feedings for all of my fish. I use an Eheim autofeeder to dispense a mix of Prime Reef, Forumla 2 (flake), two different sizes of Spectrum pellets, and a touch of Coral Frenzy and/or Coral Vibrance for my corals. I also toss in frozen rotifers/cyclops for the little guys and some Rod's food every few days for a treat. It's probably excessive but all of my current fish are fat and healthy. The female Watanabe angel in the 90g tank has a double chin and the other reefers nicknamed the Mandarin "Sumo". I take that as a good sign that everyone is eating, including the pods. :lol:

Looks great and I cant wait for this to get finished!

Nick

Thanks again Nick. I'm REALLY anxious to get this thing online and running.

 

[ekrunch]

As a funny aside, the 3 Bellus angels and the Bicolor were schooling this morning. Apparently the Bicolor needed a friend. :lol:

If he's happy now that he has friends to swim with, just wait until he gets a little older and I get him a female. :love1:

 

[Roman Ogee]

:lmao: Glad to see how quickly you're coming along. At this rate, you'll have all of your fish before you get the tank on the stand!!:eek2::lol:

Hey, if you make that sidecar as tall as the canopy, you can put a surge tank on top! Surge baby, yeah! Yes, I had to say something. At least I didn't crack on the T5s...!:eek2:

Was lookin at your fish in RKC's tub and the acanthurus mac. was following around the leopard wrasse. Back and forth, side by side. The leopard would go to inspect a rock, the mac was right next to him picking at algae. When the leopard was in the chaeto mass, he'd follow the coris around! If thats not enough... The bristletooth apparently likes the chaeto on the top of the mass the best. When the surges kick, the water line rises above the chaeto by about 2". So when its "high-tide", your little bristletooth will go graze off the top until he is almost sideways, then he ducks out! It is hilarious! He's even got the mac. doin it a little! We should go over there with your video camera and youtube it! I'm sure RKC won't mind. Oh, the goldrim is doing well too. Still a little skittish, but out much more than the last time we were there.

 

[ekrunch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13720117#post13720117 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Roman Ogee
:lmao: Glad to see how quickly you're coming along. At this rate, you'll have all of your fish before you get the tank on the stand!!:eek2::lol:

Based on the fact that I forgot to send Matt the rest of the measurements for my tank, that could very well be the case! :lol:

Hey, if you make that sidecar as tall as the canopy, you can put a surge tank on top! Surge baby, yeah! Yes, I had to say something. At least I didn't crack on the T5s...!:eek2:

Oh the temptations! No surge in the living room though. 3 Darts is going to be loud enough.

Was lookin at your fish in RKC's tub and the acanthurus mac. was following around the leopard wrasse. Back and forth, side by side. The leopard would go to inspect a rock, the mac was right next to him picking at algae. When the leopard was in the chaeto mass, he'd follow the coris around! If thats not enough... The bristletooth apparently likes the chaeto on the top of the mass the best. When the surges kick, the water line rises above the chaeto by about 2". So when its "high-tide", your little bristletooth will go graze off the top until he is almost sideways, then he ducks out! It is hilarious! He's even got the mac. doin it a little! We should go over there with your video camera and youtube it! I'm sure RKC won't mind. Oh, the goldrim is doing well too. Still a little skittish, but out much more than the last time we were there.

Yeah, we need to do that. It's been a while since i've posted a fish video on youtube and i'd really like to at least get a glimpse of my new tangs other than on photobucket. I've also got to see if I can get one of my 3 Bellus Angels schooling with my Bicolor Angel.

 

[SaraB]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13720117#post13720117 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Roman Ogee
:lmao: Glad to see how quickly you're coming along. At this rate, you'll have all of your fish before you get the tank on the stand!!:eek2::lol:

:

Hey, there's nothing wrong with that strategy! :bum:


Glad you were able to locate some Bellus this weekend and a trio score at that! Congrats!

 

[ekrunch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13721052#post13721052 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SaraB
Hey, there's nothing wrong with that strategy! :bum:

hehehehehehe The voice of experience eh? The sad part is that i'm over half way done with stocking the tank... now I just need to get some place to put the tank and get some water in it! Oh, and I have to rinse about 300 lbs of sand from my old systems... that promises to be a fun week of funk removal.

You need to treat us to a picture of that nice looking fish you snagged from F&S the other day. Don't hold out on a Sara! I'll be stalking your build thread waiting...

Glad you were able to locate some Bellus this weekend and a trio score at that! Congrats!

Thanks! I'm really happy that I got that trio. It's all your fault for getting Bellus Angels stuck in my head! I was all happy waiting around for Lamarck angels but nooooooooooooooo... just had to be right about how awesome the Bellus Angels are, didn't you?

 

[mcliffy2]

The bellus trio looks awesome! cant wait to see them in their new home...

 

[SaraB]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13722256#post13722256 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ekrunch
You need to treat us to a picture of that nice looking fish you snagged from F&S the other day. Don't hold out on a Sara! I'll be stalking your build thread waiting...

It's all your fault for getting Bellus Angels stuck in my head! I was all happy waiting around for Lamarck angels but nooooooooooooooo... just had to be right about how awesome the Bellus Angels are, didn't you?

New Fish ... are you talking about that Whitleyi Anthia? He's going in the next new tank upstairs and I'm hoping to get him a few friends too! I got an email that Old Town had them, but I've been too busy to call and see if they are still around and how much $ they are.

Sorry, I fell in love with the Bellus a couple years ago and the Drs. F&S Swap and I had to have them. I just can't wait to get them out of my fuge where they have been living since last December. Need to learn how to plumb myself and git er done!

 

[ekrunch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13723780#post13723780 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SaraB
New Fish ... are you talking about that Whitleyi Anthia? He's going in the next new tank upstairs and I'm hoping to get him a few friends too! I got an email that Old Town had them, but I've been too busy to call and see if they are still around and how much $ they are.

I was actually talking about that Blonde that you had swimming around waiting for his big tank to come. That's a really nice fish. Makes me totally jealous of that 7.5' swimming room.

Sorry, I fell in love with the Bellus a couple years ago and the Drs. F&S Swap and I had to have them. I just can't wait to get them out of my fuge where they have been living since last December. Need to learn how to plumb myself and git er done!

Good news on the Bellus, they're doing great! I even managed to get some pictures tonight. Granted, it's just them in their stock tub, but they're still cool. Oh, and that male is fine, he's not bobbing or anything, he's apparently just very playful and curious! He comes to the surface every time I get around the stock tank and follows me around. The females are really active too, I can't wait to see them all in my 275. Thanks again for the recommendation Sara, these fish are great!

 

[ekrunch]

And here are some pictures! You'll have to excuse the focus issues and the lack of clean up work on these... I just got in from Dallas, TX and I only had about 10 minutes before the lights went out in the tub.

The Male

One of the females

And apparently my bicolor didn't want to be left out of all of the picture taking fun

 

[SexyReef]

nice set up!!

 

[ekrunch]

A quick update :

I'm stuck in Dallas during the week so tank progress has been slow. I'll be off for the week of Thanksgiving but back on the road for 3 weeks after that. I have ordered the remainder of the bulbs for the display tank and they should be waiting on me when I get home. Premium Aquatics had the ATI bulbs that I wanted to finish out the build. I'll hopefully have some more progress pictures this weekend and over the Thanksgiving holiday.

I've also decided to go with T5s over the refugium instead of the TCP bulbs. I'm going to build a frag rack in the fuge so I won't have to store frags in the display. Hopefully that will help to cut down on the hand traffic in the tank and keep the system more stable. I had a really bad habit of constantly swapping frags in my old display tank. :lol:

As far as the setup goes, it will be a similar setup to the display. 4 T5s using IceCap reflectors/standoffs on non-dimmable Universal Lighting ballasts. No need for dimming under the stand.

More to come!

 

[ekrunch]

More hardware has arrived!

My break out box for my AC3 is here, this will let me wire in a few switched inputs. I'm going to replace my JBJ ATO with a 3-switch setup and use the AC3 to control it all.

I've also received my ATI Blue+ bulbs for the display. Now I just have to get the ATI Aquablue Specials and the fuge setup and i'm done with lighting!

Here's a quick video of my Bellus trio having some Rods food. Normally the male eats out of my hand like the females are but for some reason he was spooked by the camera or something. He was still eating and all, he just wouldn't come right up and take it from me like he normally does.

 

[ekrunch]

I spent the weekend working on the tank plans and trying to get the rest of the equipment lined out. I'm hoping to have water in the tank shortly after Christmas. All I have left to buy is plumbing and a few other odds and ends. Matt at ShoTank and I had a long talk about the stand, canopy, and sidecar design. We've decided to lower the height of the side car down to the same height as the stand and move it back 6 inches to help accent the tank. The tall sidecar was pretty ugly, good thing I hired an experienced stand builder. :lol: We've also decided to add a rear panel on the back of the tank to help it look more like it's up against the wall and a lip to the bottom instead of 1.5' away. This will help hide the equipment behind the tank and such. The last addition is a lip around the top of the stand for aesthetics.

Here's an updated set of drawings of what things might look like. I've also added the back wall and the bar to give everyone an idea of how it will sit in my living room. The kitchen is on the other side of the bar.