"OverKill" Reef - My Project

[Surfzup2k4]

Assuming you mean the Rubbermaid stock tanks...I got them for approx $80 from Agway. I figured 2 of them were a lot cheaper (and larger) than any prefab sump/fuge on the market.


Jeff

thanks for answering my Q! Sweet deal, I think I will try to find one for ro water storage.

 

[Jcohen9999]

thanks for answering my Q! Sweet deal, I think I will try to find one for ro water storage.

I'm not so sure that's a good idea...as far as i know there are no lids available a because of their shape you may have a lot of evaporation (I lose 1 gal per day). The rubbermaid Brute cans seem the best suited for storage.

Just my $.02

Jeff

 

[Jcohen9999]

W/E #27 (Just Past 6 Months)

W/E #27 (Just Past 6 Months)

Well just after 6 months have past since I have set up the tank and things have gone relatively well. The only negatives that I can think of right now are that both of my serpent stars disintegrated (for lack of a better word) within days of each other and I have a nice healthy outbreak of hair algea in the tank.

The good news is that my A. ocellaris (decided to just get one) hosted in my RBTA:

I also added a nice 4" T. crocea that has some awesome green highlights:

overall the tank is looking pretty good (except for the hair algea) but still needs many more frags:

Any ideas on hair algea control????


Jeff

 

[Flipturn88]

Looks nice. I would suggest adding macro to a fuge if you have one for the pest algaes--that's what got rid of mine.

 

[jun41]

Looks good!
I had a pretty bad case of hair algae and I bought 3 big turbo snails and put them in my 75 and they mowed the big stuff down in a couple days. I still have work to do but at least now my tank looks a little better.

 

[Bax]

Wow! ... You're lucky that your o. clown took to your RBTA!

As for the hair algae, turbos, a mithrax crab and hermits keep mine in check.

Nice crocea, I just picked up two, the family really likes them.

And my brittle star just disintegrated about 8 weeks ago too, what cuases that? I though that a rogue gorillia crab had butchered him (i finally caught the crab and tossed him in the fuge).

 

[Jcohen9999]

@flipturn: You mean like this ?

At this point half of my 100 gal fuge is 1/2 full of cheato.

@jun41: I have a bunch of snails in there already (or at least I did since the hermits always seem to be sporting new shells). I did add a Lawnmower Blenny in there and he did a nice job on the glass but seems to avoid the very same algae that is growing on the rocks.

Thanks


Jeff

 

[Tek]

Crabs just kill snails for the shell and are a waste of money in my opinion. A large number of Astreas mowed my hair algae in 3 days and it has yet to return.

 

[cyates]

How is the Mandarin?

 

[RayLovesNemos]

wow u overkilled it...i wish i had that much pods for my mandarin to munch on... looks great cant wait to see the finished product

 

[Flipturn88]

WOW, okay, so much for my macro idea!

Your tank is still new, so there is a good chance that the hair algae is just part of its maturing process. Everybody looks great though!

 

[Jcohen9999]

cyates: Unfortunately, he didn't make it. I know I know...you can all say I told you so. I guess even though I saw him eating thawed/frozen, and I had plenty of 'pods in the tank and defintely a boatload in the fuge, he just didn't get enough food. Or maybe he was sick because now that I have seen quite a few more fat and happy mandarins I realize that my guy never had a chance.

Just an observation, I just never seemed to see these food items out and about at the same time that the mandarin is foraging....so how do they ever get enough food?

 

[Tek]

My mandarin finished the pod popolation in 2 weeks with 80lbs of LR in my 55g. He was not even an adult yet. They seem to forage most of the day and night.

 

[Jcohen9999]

My mandarin finished the pod popolation in 2 weeks with 80lbs of LR in my 55g. He was not even an adult yet. They seem to forage most of the day and night.

Did it make it?

 

[Tek]

He ate everything in 2 weeks and lived for a little over a month. I even tried to empty pods from my other tanks to feed him. I still want one, but will just have to wait until I get that 180+ tank. Mandarins are my favorite sw fish and it sucks not being able to keep one.

 

[Bax]

Hi Jeff, I am just bumping this up for some with a question about a sump in the basement. I just love this thread as an example.

 

[RayLovesNemos]

sry about losing ur mandarin mine is still happy and plump in my 20 gallon tank i dunno how but he is way fat...im doing something right....less about "my" mandarin more about the cool overkill project!! more pics!!!!!

 

[Jcohen9999]

LOL...I just added a few SPS frags this w/e so I will post pics at some point this week.

@Bax: Thanks for the bump. Are you linking to this thread from somewhere else? where?

And, I still want a mandarin but I will wait till I find one that eats frozen/thawed exclusively (I know it might be a long wait).

Jeff

 

[Bax]

I was refering some folks from the DIY forum on a thread called Fuge in Basement?

I can not do techy things like create links or post pictures as I am e-challenged.

In case you haven't noticed, I can't spell either.

 

[Jcohen9999]

@bax: no i hadnt noticed the spelling but I did see that post. I tried to help too

btw, for those keeping tabs (mainly me) here is a very blurry shot of some new addtions (that need a more permanant spot):

And a very recent shot of the tank from the throne:

Jeff

*getting a Phosban Reactor this weekend to help combat all that nasty hair algae