Pictures - 800 gallon reef - 7+ years in operation
- Thread starter hcrk
- Start date
why let it die? It is inspiring. To be honest, so is hcrk, who seems genuinely honest, considerate and thoughtful despite being very wealthy and successful. Those dont go hand in hand as often as I might wish.
I say keep it alive. Made my day today, maybe someone else's tomorrow.
I say keep it alive. Made my day today, maybe someone else's tomorrow.
..............
First of all, I should like again to convey my sincere apologies for not responding to your many questions earlier.
Unfortunately, there just does not seem to be enough hours available in each day to meet all of my many responsibilities and duties.
Having, reviewed the last batch of replies to this thread, I must say that I continue to be both surprised and gratified by the thread's longevity and by the many readers who have indicated that they have derived useful information and ideas from a review of this thread.
And now, on to a response to the many questions that have been posed in the past few months:
However, as I am planning a substantial makover for this area of my basement, I expect that I soon will be forced to make some long overdue decisions.
The origin of the majority of the rock is the Florida Keys. At the time, I contracted directly with the diver/collector who permitted me to attend on-site and hand select the various pieces.
The rock was then placed in large bags, boxed and air-freighted directly to my home where the "fresh" live rock was "cured" in 3 large tubs, each of which were lit by a 250 watt metal halide and serviced by a large skimmer.
A by-product of this process was that it allowed a larger potion of the the "life" in the rock to survive, which, in turn led to a more diverse environment.
Unfortunately, this sort of "hands-on" option lapsed years ago when the authorities closed the Florida wild live rock fishery.
I recently replaced an old calcium doser (that malfunctioned years ago) with a similar model and began "dosing" kalkwasser.
Basically this was done in order to try and increase my calcium levels.
In terms of fish my major loss was the female "Watanabi angel" (Genicanthus watanabi), who disappeared one day after years of residence in my reef.
Livestock additions included a long nose butterfly (Forcipiger flavissimus); Lyre-tail hawkfish (Cyprinocirrhites polyactis) and a shoal of bicolor anthias (Pseudanthias bicolor). I also found a replacement for my powder blue tang.
Finally, I expect shortly to be in a position to proceed with isolating the aquarium area by installing a an independant ventillation system.
1. When we finished the basement some 15 years ago, I insisted on a pure natural rubber underpad and a top quality carpet, In hindsight this was a crucially important decision in that I have never experienced a problem with "mould" - even though the carpet and floor have been drenched on several occasions.
In practice what this means is that whenever we have experienced a significant leak of one sort or another, we see it as an opportunity to get our carpet cleaned; so a call goes out to the carpet cleaning company who attend promptly with one of their machines and proceed to shampoo and clean the carpet. Thereafter the carpet dries without the need to lift it (or any other special tratment); and, the fact is that 15 yeas after it's installation, our basement carpet looks every bit as good as it did on the day that it was installed.
2. I have several water sensors distributed near the aquariums which are connected to the house alarm and a central monitoring station. This serves to limit the extent of the problem when it occurs.
3. The leaks that we have experienced all related either to the skimmers or to joints in the pipes; we never have experienced any sort of problem either with the aquarium itself or with the sump. The fact is that, over time, things get old and worn out and mishaps inevitably occur.
The moral of the story is that when you have that much water shooting around in your basement, you simply have to expect a problem from time to time, should plan accordingly and not become too discouraged when "the inevitable" happens.
I'm afraid that I don't isolate and quarantine new inhabitants. When I originally designed my first aquarium (the 225) I allowed for 2 separate quantantine tanks; which are plummed into my secondary system (these can either be linked to the system or isolated from the system through the use of a series of valves). Unfortunately, for one reason or another my "quarantine" experience was poor (in terms of the mortality rate of new arrivals). So, eventually I stopped using the quarantine tanks.
What I do is examine the fish carefully prior to it's purchase and observe it's behavior. I also limit my purchases to reliable sources. It is only where these 3 conditions are met that I will consider a purchase.
I know that this goes against prevailing opinion (and perhaps, to some extent, even logic) and I am not suggesting that my approach should be emulated by anyone else. It has just been my personal observation that the the rate of survival of new introductions is substantially greater when they are allowed to immediately roam the main reef rather than being isolated in a confined space.
On a final note, I should like, once again, to thank all of you for your very kind and generous comments in your replies to this thread.
.....and I certainly intend to return periodically and continue to answer any of your queries.
.....I also intend to take some pictures shortly and to post them
Cheers and best wishes
hcrk
................................
First of all, I should like again to convey my sincere apologies for not responding to your many questions earlier.
Unfortunately, there just does not seem to be enough hours available in each day to meet all of my many responsibilities and duties.
Having, reviewed the last batch of replies to this thread, I must say that I continue to be both surprised and gratified by the thread's longevity and by the many readers who have indicated that they have derived useful information and ideas from a review of this thread.
And now, on to a response to the many questions that have been posed in the past few months:
My original 225 seems to be working well. The inhabitants appear to be healthy and the environment seems stable. There is, however, no doubt but that this tank has not received a fair share of my attention and, as a result, appears a bit sparse (in terms of it's coral population). This results from the fact that I still have not decided on a final "coral" plan for the tank.
However, as I am planning a substantial makover for this area of my basement, I expect that I soon will be forced to make some long overdue decisions.
I'm afraid that I can't be of assistance in this regard; in-as-much-as the place that supplied me with the pane of Starfire glass in 1995 closed long ago.
The main reef contains approximately 2,000 lbs of live rock. The rear of the tank is composed entirely of live-rock with no supporting structure of any kind whatsoever. However, many of the pieces are rather large, permitting the stacking and balancing that you see.
The origin of the majority of the rock is the Florida Keys. At the time, I contracted directly with the diver/collector who permitted me to attend on-site and hand select the various pieces.
The rock was then placed in large bags, boxed and air-freighted directly to my home where the "fresh" live rock was "cured" in 3 large tubs, each of which were lit by a 250 watt metal halide and serviced by a large skimmer.
A by-product of this process was that it allowed a larger potion of the the "life" in the rock to survive, which, in turn led to a more diverse environment.
Unfortunately, this sort of "hands-on" option lapsed years ago when the authorities closed the Florida wild live rock fishery.
About 6 months ago I replaced my 3 "linked" skimmers with a new unit that was fabricated for me. More specifically, my 3 skimmers have given way to one very large (18" diameter) unit that is approximately 7' high. This new unit has two larger venturies (3/4") - each of which is powered by an Iwaki 55RLT pump.<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=5983725#post5983725 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by
AngGenova23
we need updatesany new livestock, upgrades etc.
I recently replaced an old calcium doser (that malfunctioned years ago) with a similar model and began "dosing" kalkwasser.
Basically this was done in order to try and increase my calcium levels.
In terms of fish my major loss was the female "Watanabi angel" (Genicanthus watanabi), who disappeared one day after years of residence in my reef.
Livestock additions included a long nose butterfly (Forcipiger flavissimus); Lyre-tail hawkfish (Cyprinocirrhites polyactis) and a shoal of bicolor anthias (Pseudanthias bicolor). I also found a replacement for my powder blue tang.
Finally, I expect shortly to be in a position to proceed with isolating the aquarium area by installing a an independant ventillation system.
Most of the pictures posted are of one large display tank. There, however, is a second tank located in our "library" some 30' or so from the main tank.
I've had several "leaks". Three points that come to mind on this issue are:
1. When we finished the basement some 15 years ago, I insisted on a pure natural rubber underpad and a top quality carpet, In hindsight this was a crucially important decision in that I have never experienced a problem with "mould" - even though the carpet and floor have been drenched on several occasions.
In practice what this means is that whenever we have experienced a significant leak of one sort or another, we see it as an opportunity to get our carpet cleaned; so a call goes out to the carpet cleaning company who attend promptly with one of their machines and proceed to shampoo and clean the carpet. Thereafter the carpet dries without the need to lift it (or any other special tratment); and, the fact is that 15 yeas after it's installation, our basement carpet looks every bit as good as it did on the day that it was installed.
2. I have several water sensors distributed near the aquariums which are connected to the house alarm and a central monitoring station. This serves to limit the extent of the problem when it occurs.
3. The leaks that we have experienced all related either to the skimmers or to joints in the pipes; we never have experienced any sort of problem either with the aquarium itself or with the sump. The fact is that, over time, things get old and worn out and mishaps inevitably occur.
The moral of the story is that when you have that much water shooting around in your basement, you simply have to expect a problem from time to time, should plan accordingly and not become too discouraged when "the inevitable" happens.
No I've not collected any of my inhabitants myself.
I'm afraid that I don't isolate and quarantine new inhabitants. When I originally designed my first aquarium (the 225) I allowed for 2 separate quantantine tanks; which are plummed into my secondary system (these can either be linked to the system or isolated from the system through the use of a series of valves). Unfortunately, for one reason or another my "quarantine" experience was poor (in terms of the mortality rate of new arrivals). So, eventually I stopped using the quarantine tanks.
What I do is examine the fish carefully prior to it's purchase and observe it's behavior. I also limit my purchases to reliable sources. It is only where these 3 conditions are met that I will consider a purchase.
I know that this goes against prevailing opinion (and perhaps, to some extent, even logic) and I am not suggesting that my approach should be emulated by anyone else. It has just been my personal observation that the the rate of survival of new introductions is substantially greater when they are allowed to immediately roam the main reef rather than being isolated in a confined space.
On a final note, I should like, once again, to thank all of you for your very kind and generous comments in your replies to this thread.
.....and I certainly intend to return periodically and continue to answer any of your queries.
.....I also intend to take some pictures shortly and to post them
Cheers and best wishes
hcrk
................................
guitarfish
Premium Member
YEAH!!! I knew you'd be back hcrk. Thanks so much for the update, you're an inspiration! We'll be anticipating some beautiful pictures.
melev
Well-known member
Hcrk, your tank has been nominated by several people to be Tank Of The Month in Reefkeeping.com - you should send a PM or email to Skipper if you are interested. I know he's tried to contact you in the past, and to be honest, your tank is a great one to consider due to its longevity - as well as your creativity and planning.
pennyguy23
Premium Member
Great looking tank. Good Job
Glad to see you're still at it.
I showed my wife the photos of your garden, and now she has me nodding as she comes up with a plan.
I also appreciated coming across your tank as I was struggling as to how I would layout my 375. I am following your lead and building straight up to the waterline.
Question as to the mirrored back. I see you you did it, but I cannot mount the mirror on the wall behind as its in front of windows. Have you attempted placing the mirrow directly touching the back glass? Any ideas on whether this would work? How about using an adhesive mylar or similiar backing.
Thanks again for the inspiration,
Justin
I showed my wife the photos of your garden, and now she has me nodding as she comes up with a plan.
I also appreciated coming across your tank as I was struggling as to how I would layout my 375. I am following your lead and building straight up to the waterline.
Question as to the mirrored back. I see you you did it, but I cannot mount the mirror on the wall behind as its in front of windows. Have you attempted placing the mirrow directly touching the back glass? Any ideas on whether this would work? How about using an adhesive mylar or similiar backing.
Thanks again for the inspiration,
Justin
onehundred20
In Memoriam
thanks for the update, hope to see you in tank of the month soon.
Lord Voldemort
New member
Abosolutely Astonishing :eek2: :eek1: :eek2:
