New 210g - Portugal

[Joao Monteiro]

and more...

Acropora valida
July 1

August 5

Acropora formosa (acquired in bad shape)
July 1

August 13

Acropora (millepora or prostata ?) - I believe this whitening is due to growth and not bleaching (good polip extension), but the issue is still under discussion - your views ?
July 1

August 13

 

[NexDog]

And the big money shot?

 

[Joao Monteiro]

I´ll do it next weekend.

 

[thor32766]

yeah sweet setup! looks beautiful

 

[alien9168]

Awsome!

 

[Joao Monteiro]

Specially for Laurence, the "big money" shots:

FTS

Left

Center

Right

And 3 new beauties

Purple Pocillopora damicornis

Blue tip Staghorn frag

Tiny bright pink A. millepora (just let it grow...)

 

[NexDog]

Schweeeeeeeet.

 

[trmiv]

I love the rock work in this tank! I've seen a few people use the egg crate to support the rocks in the back, I like that idea. I had a hard time with the rocks in my current tank, I'm going to use that idea for my next one. Nice tank!

 

[Joao Monteiro]

Trmiv,
I like using structures because they help the rockwork, create good caves for the fish and - more importante - allow better circulation.
But if I did it again, I think I´d use PVC pipes (glued and totally sealed) instead of egg crate. Much easier to dissimulate, quicker to became "part of the rocks" and a bit more stable.

 

[Adrianto29]

Hi Joao,

Excellent reef tank. I notice that you use Red Dragon Pump, how is the performance ? Is it very silent ?

I've choose wrong Pump (Tunze Master Circulation 14,000 lph), three of those pump failed because of broken impeller.

At this moment my reef tank running on Tunze Master 9,000 lph.
I plan to change to Red Dragon Pump soon.

Adrianto

 

[Joao Monteiro]

Thanks, Adrianto

I´ve also been checking you reef. Looks excelent!
The Red Dragon pump is fantastic and absolutely silent. You only know its there because the water moves...fast.

I´ve also considered Tunze Master 9000 l/h (almost 50% cheaper here in Portugal), but a friend that used one told me that, although reliable, the pump was far from silent. So I put in the extra cash and went for the Red Dragon. I think its THE pump.

 

[Frostlimit]

Hi Joao

Great looking reef, I am very interested in this as I am in the process of setting up a tank with the meassures 200x60x55. is your circulation sufficient you think? Just to sum up do you have two Tunze streams and one Red Dragon? I am thinking very much the same, maybe hiding the streams in the rockwork but are still undecisive on the return outlet situation... You have 8 outlets? Do you use a squid or other to give random outlet and how is your outlets placed? It looked like they were coming down from the top?

Sorry on all the questions but I am really in the thinking box here to do it right the first time

 

[Joao Monteiro]

Hi Frostlimit,

I chose to have a mixed reef although SPS dominated. For that, I think the circulation is adequate, with the aquascape I used and the way the pumps are disposed.

I do have 2x6.100 Tunze Streams with the multicontroller 7095 + a 6.5k (say... around used 5.000 lts/h) Red Dragon pump for return.

That´s between 13.000 and 29.000 lts/h depending on the controller (presently set at "interval 2": pump 1 - 40%; 100%; pump 2 - 40% - 100% pumps 1+2 80%, switching every 10 sec.).
The tank is around 800 lts (a bit less with the columns).

The Streams are at the centre of the tank, facing each other; the return has 8 adjustable outlets. I don´t use a squid as they cannot support the flow of the Red Dragon (they´re recommended only for flows up to 4.500 lts/h).

The circulation is stronger in the centre, back, and upper areas of the tank (where I placed the SPS´s) and weaker in the side, front and lower areas (for LPS´s and softies).

With the egg crate structures, I also have nice flow under the rocks.

Of you´re planning to have only SPS, you may increase a bit the circulation, with a closed loop. But my SPS are doing fine (much better than the softies, if that´s a good indicator).

 

[Joao Monteiro]

I forgot one thing: the outlets are coming through one of the columns and then making a "U" at the top: 4 outlets front-to-back and 4 back-to-front

 

[Angel*Fish]

Wow, very impressive! And you're in Lisbon - I hate you LOL :lol:

 

[Joao Monteiro]

You´ll hate me even more: I´m presently working in the Algarve region (180 miles South of Lisbon), that has 150miles coast with fabulous beaches and average 75ºF (today, around 95º).

But... to be honest... the A/C of this office is very similar to the one I´m used to in the Lisbon office...

 

[Joao Monteiro]

A few more shots taken this weekend:

tank shots

down-to-top

Corals

(check this one 2 months ago when I got it)

and the fuge

 

[Adrianto29]

Did you notice any color change (darken) in your bird nest coral ?

Mine is slightly getting darker after 1 month. While other acropora's color remain the same.

 

[Joao Monteiro]

Adrianto,

you can see in page 2 how it was on Jnue 24 and August 1.
It keeps dhanging (slightly) its color.

 

[Adrianto29]

Do you think "bird nest" need stronger light to keep the color ?

My 400G use 1440W light, is this enough ?