Randy's new 120 gallon Reef

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

:lol:

Maybe.

FWIW, the long horn cowfish had to be euthanized. He just seemed unable to keep food in his mouth anymore, despite trying.

 

[robinkurt]

oh sorry Randy..sad to hear that. i have not put my cowfish in my reef tank because he tends to try to eat crustaceans and i have 3 sexy shrimp that i know that he would eat. he trys to eat the small hermit crabs that are in his tank, so i have to keep him well fed and happy.

i have read that cowfish shouldnt be fed floating foods, because of buoyancy problems, but the only thing he eats are these vitamin enriched shrimp puff, brine shrimp and red algae on a clip...

if they take too much air in they get sick according to this article i read.

 

[Randall_James]

I did not see anything about the decline of your Cowfish, could you expand on what happened?

I find them interesting but up to this point never had one. Just do not know enough about them to go for it yet...

 

[robinkurt]

I love my cowfish. its the only fish that i have that actually seems to have a personality. he sure eats alot tho..

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Here's a thread on the cowfish:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=935033

We probably plan to get another assuming we can find a good one locally.

 

[boxfishpooalot]

Wow sorry to hear that Randy. Fwiw I lost a 12" unicorn tang. It died for no apparent reason? I think somthing in the chaeto killed him. Maybee to concentrated metals? Maybee a bristle worm in it?

No offence, why post in reef fishes? Nobody goes there!

My boxfish needs to be entertained. He has to have me hold his nori clip to eat it.... And likes to be fed chuncks of flake food in my hand. Somtimes it hurts!

How do you euthanize a fish?

 

[adddo]

Love your tank Randy! Keep posting pics

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

How do you euthanize a fish?

I chose to freeze it.

Love your tank Randy! Keep posting pics

Thanks.

 

[frazier]

what stain did they use on your stand? I'm having a walnut
stand built for my 180 and I was thinking of not staining
it at all and just put a clear coat on it for the natural look of
the wood.. your stand looks great!!!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks.

I don't think they stained it, just a clear coat. I asked for it to be a satin look, since I didn't want it glossy.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Here's a photo of the tank that I took today. Not the greatest technically, as there is a big difference in light level from the top to the bottom, but at least it conveys the image:

 

[MT1]

Looking good Randy. Sorry for your loss of the cowfish. And thanks for all your input.

 

[Dozer]

What a great thread! It sounds like a really cool system and has given me some ideas for a future system I am already planning . I did have a couple questions:

1) I think I have everything figured out that you did except for the sump/sumps. I understand the rubbermaids for RO/DI storage, Kalk and new saltwater, and I understand there are 4 separate refugiums plumbed together. Did you say you also have a sump or sumps in the system besides all of the aforementioned? If so, what are you using the sump for (extra water volume, equipment?) and approximately what size is it/are they?

2) is your skimmer an external model and if so at what point in the chain is it plumbed? If it's internal where does it sit, at what point in the chain?

3) could you provide a quick and dirty explanation (no diagram necessary ) of the flow of water through the system?

 

[boxfishpooalot]

WOW what a huge difference in growth. Now that sps near the top needs to be fragged.

One question about your yellow tang. The dorsal fin looks to be "Cut", I have seen other people who run ozone and have their fish look like that. Do you think its from the ozone?

finally we got a pic! This thread was starving for them....

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yes, things have grown a lot.

I had to frag the frogspawn on the far left as it go way too big.

could you provide a quick and dirty explanation (no diagram necessary ) of the flow of water through the system?

The sump consists of 2 x 44 gallon Rubbermaids connected with a big bulkhead connector. The first has the skimmer (ETS 800 gemini with an Iwaki 55RLT to drive it; inlet and outlet in this sump), heaters, water cooling coils, and water returns from the refugia.

The second can has a lot of left over live rock, and the main pump sending water back out.

That pump (actually 2 Iwaki 30 RLXT pumps in series) send water to the main tank, a second 90 gallon reef aquarium in the basement, and through my ozone reactor.

The water going upstairs to the main tank returns to the basement by gravity,a nd enters the first of two refugia. It leaves that one by gravity and enters the second. It leaves that one by gravity and enters the first sump.

The water going to the 90 gallon reef aquarium in the basement returns by gravity, to the first of two different refugia. It leaves that one by gravity and enters the second. It leaves that one by gravity and enters the first sump.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The yellow tang dorsal fin problem started before the ozone, but I suppose it might be making the problem worse. I'm not sure what the problem is. It hasn't changed much in the past few months.

I started a thread here a while ago:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=850249

 

[boxfishpooalot]

I posted there about the fin damage.

Was this fish effected before you bought it? Maybee the lfs you got it runs ozone too?

 

[boxfishpooalot]

I searched for ozone damage and fish for you on google. I found this :

"To maintain water quality and clarity ozone is run on most of the tanks, including the main aquarium. And this does require a decently sized ozone generator! Since ozone is being used, then the ORP on the tanks is monitored constantly. The risk is that residual bromine generated by the ozone when maintained at too higher levels causes serious gill damage to the fish."

You may have known this already. Also, just search under images in google, and you find plants that come up with ozone damage. Their leaves look much like the damage of fish ive seen in ozone tanks.

Maybee this was the cause of the cowfish not eating, gill damage,no low blood O2=lethargy, then not as enthusiastic to eat?

http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgu...ozone+damage+fish&svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&safe=off

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

My ORP is almost never above 320 mV even with the ozone, so unless there is a specific toxicity, I doubt the fish fin or cowfish eating has anything to do with the ozone. The tang developed it over the years in my tank, and did not come with it.

 

[boxfishpooalot]

I dont know, but all tanks that run ozone show this symptom in tangs...

There must be somthing in the water. You should test your water at the lab!