Randy's 180G Reef-Photo Journal

[tgunn]

Randy,
The animation around the tank was great! It really gives a three dimensional piture of what the tank rockwork is looking like.

So far so good! I really like how open the rock piles are in between. It gives the tank a very clean and uncluttered look.

Cool pics of the cucumber! Has yours started to rearrange the sand in your tank? Mine has a habit of pooping out the clean sand in a different location than it came from. He's made the sand near the left glass about 1/2" deep in some spots and the sand in the cave beside it around 3-4" deep. :lol: Guess he wants me to have a DSB...

Too bad about the hermits. I haven't had the guts to try more after my first two huge ones got banished to the sump. The plus side is they do a great job of scouring the sump clean.

Tyler

 

[rock455]

I've found the Titan to be very comfortable and I too take clients out in the truck -- there are two main comments I get every time

1 -- WOW this thing has a ton of room inside
2 -- I didn't realize the Nissan was so powerful

 

[wglenn]

Amazing, looks great! Congrats!

 

[FiberLux]

Randy, Melev is right, the animation is outstanding! I should have mentioned it the first time.

It really does give a great perspective, especially for those of us with only three sides to our reef! :lol:

I'm planning a 300 gl room divider once I can talk my bride into the next tank. I've just about got her believing that I only spent a few dollars on the 180! My son isn't fooled though, with comments like, "I really ..... appreciate how you're spending my inheritance, Dad" and I just smile!

 

[bkwudzjeep]

Those pics are great!! I was just thinking of what it looked like when I came by to pick up the penductors, and now look at it! You should be very proud!

 

[rdmpe]

Thanks everyone!!!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6704451#post6704451 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bkwudzjeep
Those pics are great!! I was just thinking of what it looked like when I came by to pick up the penductors, and now look at it! You should be very proud!

:lol: I think it was full of PVC fittings at that time wasn't it? It sat there full of that junk for months while I worked on the plumbing...

 

[rdmpe]

Nothing going on with the tank except the coraline is growing Kitty really wants to eat Jack the one eyed Royal Gramma though.

 

[tgunn]

:lol: Randy, those pictures are just priceless!

Are you worried about the kitty jumping into the open top of the tank at all?

Later,
Tyler

 

[bheron]

Hey Randy, great pics! Love it.

Have you implemented the Bubble Trap a few pages back? Im looking at putting something in my sump now, either out of PVC or plastic. Let me know if it worked out!

 

[rjwilson37]

If the Royal Gramma ever dissappears, you know who did it... and you even have the possible motive with these pictures as proof.

My Cat's play with the Eel in the 24g Nano I setup, they think it is there new toy. Thank goodness the Eel is practically blind and can't see them sitting there staring and waiting to attack.

 

[rdmpe]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6729790#post6729790 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tgunn
:lol: Randy, those pictures are just priceless!

Are you worried about the kitty jumping into the open top of the tank at all?

Later,
Tyler

I've thought about it. I don't think she'll get in the tank on purpose. She might jump up there not realizing that it is open, but hopefully she'll catch herself on the eurobracing and not actually fall in.

I could imagine her sitting up on the eurobracing and reaching in swatting at the critters though.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6729877#post6729877 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bheron
Hey Randy, great pics! Love it.

Have you implemented the Bubble Trap a few pages back? Im looking at putting something in my sump now, either out of PVC or plastic. Let me know if it worked out!

I am using it right now. I think it works OK for trapping bubbles, but the level inside of it varies with the sump water level. The reason is that the inside chamber is not tall enough. So in order for the inside chamber to be at a constant level, the sump water level has to be below the height of the inside chamber. That way the water has to fall over the edge of the interior chamber.

That is really confusing to read :lol: But anyway, when the inside chamber water level changes, it causes my tuned overflow water level to vary. So I have to fiddle with it more than I want to. It's not really that big of a deal, just a tiny tweak once in a while.

So I am eventually going to make a very similar bubble trap setup but with a taller chamber and more room between the walls.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6731096#post6731096 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rjwilson37
If the Royal Gramma ever dissappears, you know who did it... and you even have the possible motive with these pictures as proof.

My Cat's play with the Eel in the 24g Nano I setup, they think it is there new toy. Thank goodness the Eel is practically blind and can't see them sitting there staring and waiting to attack.

I think the Royal Gramma can see the cat pretty well. When she is at the tank, the fish just hangs right around there like it's waiting to be fed...

 

[rdmpe]

One of my Sally Lightfoot crabs

 

[conda]

That's a cool crab, did you buy him or did he hitchhike in?

 

[rdmpe]

I bought three of them, but one died about a month later. The two I have left seem to be doing really well. They are very active and interesting to watch.

I think my next addition will be an urchin. I am having a coraline explosion so I figure there is plenty for it to eat, and I have always wanted one. They are so wierd...

 

[conda]

By the way, how did you get your rocks stacked so high on the right side of you tank in that pic of the cat? I've been trying to get amy cave that high but it wont stay. Is it one rock?

 

[rdmpe]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6770310#post6770310 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by conda
By the way, how did you get your rocks stacked so high on the right side of you tank in that pic of the cat? I've been trying to get amy cave that high but it wont stay. Is it one rock?

There is a closed loop return pipe that comes up out from under the stand. The rock is stacked around it and tied to it with plastic zip ties so I can get the rock pile very tall and slender. I also used epoxy at some of the contact points, not so much to glue them together, but so that they have a good "seat" to each other for more stability. But in all reality, they can't be knocked over since they are all firmly secured to the pvc coming up the middle.


~~~ Before ~~~
In this photo the return "towers" are a little shorter than the final version of the towers that I used. I also painted all of the exposed PVC black.

~~~ After ~~~
Here you can still see the far return tower sticking up. I don't have enough LR to finish that one yet. The middle one is pretty much done, I may add another rock to it if I find one that fits nicely.

 

[rdmpe]

Well, I picked up something at the LFS, but it turns out when I got it home I found out it is actually a freshwater species, not a saltwater species. There were some strange hitchiker crabs that ended up in the bag with it also, they had big mossy shells and only four legs. So I set them all loose in the pond out back. Here are some pictures.

 

[gkarshens]

 

[GoldStripe]

that looks familiar!! although not in February up here

 

[FiberLux]

I think I saw one of those in my tank last week! :lol:

Could that be why things keep disappearing???

Looks great BTW