introducing my 870gal tank (pics ahead)

Eidillitih,
feel free to do so... and don't forget to install pumps&pipes for your waterchanges if you have the choice. It pays off a lot (at least because you'll really do the frequent changes if its that easy ;-))

ReefMan,
is there anything you're particulary interested in?
It hurts so much to show those ugly old pics that i'll only attach some if you don't ask for more ;-)

boris MAC,
i attached a pic with the empty tank to this post.
The grey box at the left are two overflowboxes in one.
The left one in it is equipped with two pipes leading into the sump, one at the bottom
for normal overflow with a ball-valve in it to dam up the water so you cant hear the waves
and the other pipe ending a little above tankwater level for safety (if first is closed for some reason).
The right one has 4 drillings two for sucking-in the water for the external red dragon
current pumps and 2 for return into the tank.
I would always recommend dam-up able overflows if using waveboxes to reduce sound-output.

Here are the pics:

Theres a hole in the wall (and the old door is gone):
3-old-2006-1.jpg


The V2A steel stand:
3-old-2006-2.jpg


The frontglas is being lifted and later glued:
3-old-2006-3.jpg


The tank itself with half finished lighthood and installed waveboxes and some streams:
3-old-2006-4.jpg


The overflows from back side:
3-old-2006-6.jpg


The first coral (a montipora)
3-old-2006-5.jpg



best,
Ralf
 
I would always recommend dam-up able overflows if using waveboxes to reduce sound-output.

I wish you could describe me this, I do not speak English very well , so do not understand this profi terms :)

thanks
 
@boris MAC
i am sorry, maybe thats a problem I created, because I don't speak English well either :-).

What i wanted to say is that i would recommend the following overflow setup when using waveboxes:

Use 2 drillings in the tank and therefore 2 pipes in the overflow leaving the tank.
(1) One pipe ends/starts at the bottom of the overflow box.
(2) One pipe ends/starts at the top of the overflow box.
So the water will flow through pipe number one because its on the bottom and
pipe number two is not in use.
After pipe 1 leaves the tank there is a valve to reduce the throughput of water a little
(adjustable).
You now close the valve a little so the water rises in the overflow shaft near to the top but
not (or only a little) flowing through pipe 2.
No water is FALLING into the overflowbox (because its full of water) and no (or only a little)
sound is to be heard.
If pipe 1 or the valve is closed because a snail or something is getting in there, its still no
problem, because the water then flows through pipe 2.
Thanks for asking,
Ralf
 
Great work, Ralph ! A beautifull tank from any standard.

And with our costs for electricity (here in Europe) - your US guys are so lucky... - , that sure doesn´t come easy at the end of the month.

Starting with two questions:

- Your fish list
- I see you used PVC for the back pannels. Which kind and thickness ? Was it painted dark blue ? how is it supported at/attached to the top of the back glass ?

I just set up a 210g and am still working on the back glass. The tank (2nd hand) has a light blue plastic film glued to it but it doesn´t convince me. I´ve been planning on something similar to your pannels.
 
Thanks Ralf, I think you showed all I need.
Can you explain how is the flow of the water?
I can see some tunze devices, but not tu much pipes around the tank for the water flow.

Thanks.

PS, I will borrow alot of ideas from your setup ;)
 
@all
stop this!, i'am already blushed (but thanks anyway ;-))

Joao,
you're so damn right, about 3000 Watts of light at high noon above a tank in Europe proves that you're really mad about reefkeeping ;-)

I am feeling like you regarding the back cover of my tank. I want to be able to look into it,
behind the rocks.
Thinking about searching a lost fish and not being able to simply take a lamp and look behind the rocks makes me nervous.
So what i did was taking black foam-PVC from the local hardware store, which is sold there
for different handicraft purposes.
It is PVC but somehow foamed. Its 3mm thick (0.12"?) plates. As they are made of PVC foam, they can be easily processed with a simple cutter and still feel like solid plates.
I have 3 of them behind the tank and glued (PVC-glue) a PVC made U-bar to the top of each with the U opening pointing down. (U-bar made of 2 L-bars glued together).
I now can hang em on the back of the tank or take them away as i like.
The dark blue colour is d-c-fix (a self-adhering foil off the roll) in colour "marin-blue", as it
is used to pimp up old furniture.

bkwudzjeep,
Kassel is still 4-5 hours drive from Hamburg, but as i was told people in the US are used to
driving long distances. Germany seem way to small to get used to that :).

Ok, finally the "not coral"-list (sorry, for not having the english names for all of them,
hopefully i got the ones i have right).

-adult Siganus magnificus (Magnificent rabbitfish)
-Chelmon rostratus (Copperband butterflyfish)
-adult Acanthurus pyroferus (Chocolate surgeonfish)
-Acanthurus leucosternon (Powderblue surgeonfish)
-adult Ctenochaetus strigosus (Spotted surgeonfish)
-5 Pseudocheilinus hexataenia (Sixline wrasse)
-15 Pseudanthias dispar
-Amblygobius phalaena

-about 200 algae eating hermit crabs
-some Lysmata debelius (Fire shrimp)
-Alpheus frontalis (Pistol shrimp)
-about 200 algae eating snails
-some sand “cleaning” sea cucumbers
-sand “cleaning” starfish (Archaster angulatus)
-different sea shells from 2 to 15" Tridacna
-some higher algae

I like my P. dispars most, the 15 keep most of the time in a close shoal together
4-june_2006-1.jpg

4-june_2006-2.jpg

4-june_2006-4.jpg


4-june_2006-3.jpg


The Foxface is about 7-8" long
4-june_2006-5.jpg


4-june_2006-6.jpg

4-june_2006-7.jpg


Ralf
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7509777#post7509777 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RalfP
Joao,
you're so damn right, about 3000 Watts of light at high noon above a tank in Europe proves that you're really mad about reefkeeping ;-)


I´m dealing with "only" 840, and still...

I am feeling like you regarding the back cover of my tank. I want to be able to look into it,
behind the rocks.
Thinking about searching a lost fish and not being able to simply take a lamp and look behind the rocks makes me nervous.

That´s exactly it !!! And as tanks go bigger we see less and get more nervous...
Thanks for the explanation, it was perfect. I´m also planning on those PVC foams (I´ve found only grey around here), I´m only having some difficulties in deciding the color. Some dark-blue or black, perhaps...
I think for the top, a single "L" glued to the pannels will make the necessary "U" for them to be attached to the top of the back glass. Am I wrong ?

Just love your dispars. Congrats !
I´ll try a school of 11 or 13 threadfin cardinals (Apogon leptacanthus) in my tank - if I can find them here in Portugal - and 4 or 5 Lyretails anthias (p. squamipinnis)

p.s.: nervous about the worldcup ?
 
Joao,
theoretically you're right with the "L", but i think the "U" has a bigger part to be glued
to the pannel. "L" would be only the thickness of the material (3mm?) as contact area and
the "U" the high of itself.
If you glue the pannel inside the "U" it'll be as close to the glass as with the "L" version
but much more stable i guess.

Great idea with the cardinals... i've only seen them on pictures.
Read about them, that they'll stay very close together in their shoal and developing their
true colour only in the reef tank (not in the dealers tank).

p.s.: worldcup: well... have no cards... half Hamburg is already mad about it ;-)
 
You German's have all the cool stuf.

Very nice. So clean and well laid out.

What maintenance do you do to the sandbed?
 
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I've found my new inspiration to go bigger! This is an incredible set up! Very beautiful and natural looking. Looks like a reef reefscape to be sure.
I'm in the process of setting up a tank of very similar size and I will be using yours as a guide.
Thanks for sharing this beauty!!!
Wundebar!
 
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