Rod's Gyre flow, Natural light, SPS dominated Reef

[NexDog]

It cuts down the chance significantly. Ich can of course be carried into an aquarium via Live Rock or Coral but it is unlikely. LR gathered from the ocean and then sent has a ridiculously low chance of carrying Crypto tomonts. Coral that has been house with other unmedicated fish in captivity would have a higher chance but it is still low considering the tomont can only attach to the coral base plug.

If you eradicate the parasite from your system then it can't magically appear.

 

[Rod the Reefer]

I agree entirely Laurence. I was one of those people who believed all I had to do was provide a stress free environment, make sure the fish was eating and healthy and their immune system would cope. Isolate and observe them and then after 6 weeks, if there was no signs of problems, that was good enough.

I now realize I was playing Russian roulette!!

Talking around with other reefers, it's amazing how many don't QT at all!! :eek2:

Rod. :thumbsup:

 

[crazzy]

Damn, I might get educated yet!
Thanx

 

[chingchai]

Great thread!
What a beautiful tank.
Thanks for sharing. Rod.

 

[jefathome]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14477675#post14477675 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rod the Reefer

Another problem was that the Solatube tubes only come in 16" and 24" lengths that you stick together with tape, which I thought was going to look pretty ordinary inside the room.
The way I got around that was to give them a twin skin of HIP â€"œ high impact polystyrene.


Here's a pic of my old tank when I first installed the skylight and Solatubes.

On my new tank the tubes have been shortened by about 2'.

Rod. :thumbsup:

Can you tell me more about the HIP (high impact polystyrene)?
I'm looking into doing a 14in tube over a 4ft tank (or two 10in's).

We also have a cathedral ceiling, but I'm perpendicular to the slope (90 degrees from what you have). Still, there are going to have to be some tubes coming down from the ceiling and there is NO WAY my wife will be cool with some raw metal. I'll either have to do what you did, or make a drywall "box" around it. Again, I'm lucky in that the tank is along the short wall, not the tall one so it only has to hang down about 2ft.

 

[Rod the Reefer]

Thanks Guys.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14914405#post14914405 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jefathome
Can you tell me more about the HIP (high impact polystyrene)?

Yep, the HIP (High Impact Polystyrene) came from a plastics store here in Adelaide.

It's available in White or black in sheets that are 6' x 2'6" in either .75mm or 1mm. (Although the black isn't available in .75mm) I had to use the 1mm, which I think was a bit harder to work with than the .75mm. The good news is that it's only about $10-AUD a sheet. It's light and strong and won't corrode.

I simply rolled the tubes in the HIP and stuck the join together with silicone and duct tape. (You can tell I'm a roofer) I put the join to the back.

Rod. :thumbsup:

 

[mgers21]

well thought out, nice work!

 

[Rod the Reefer]

Ok, 6 weeks into QT period.

Thought I'd share a couple of pics;

Fish QT

Coral QT

I've taken the opportunity to sell my tomato clowns (who were causing a bit of agro in the tank) and my blue assessor (who you couldn't see against the black background) I am also selling my purple tang for the same reason.

I have made a couple of choices for replacement fish (and a couple of purchases )

All these shots are in QT obviously and don't do these guys any justice;

Mystery Wrasse (purchased) - Pseudocheilinus ocellatus

3 x Dispar Anthias (1 x M, 2 x F) (purchased) - Pseudanthias dispar

4 x Purple Anthias (1 x M, 3 x F) (purchased) - Pseudanthias tuka

Watanabe Angels (1 x M, 1 x F) (purchased male, awaiting female) - Genicnathus watanabei

2 x Redline cleaner shrimp (purchased) Lysmata amboinensis

7 x Threadfin Cardinalfish (awaiting) - Apogon leptacanthus

Rod. :thumbsup:

 

[crooks]

Nice fish I really want to go solar tube on my next upgrade. Do you not run any actinics?

 

[Rod the Reefer]

Thanks Crooks.

Sure do;

ATI Blue Plus, ATI Pro Color, KZ Fiji Purple and ATI Actinic

Rod. :thumbsup:

 

[crooks]

Sorry for some reason I was looking at the old tank pic above. Can we see a resent FTS?

 

[Rod the Reefer]

Yep, this is with the hood up showing the Sola Tubes and Mh's;

Ths is inside the hood;

And a recent FTS;

Rod. :thumbsup:

 

[TRITON1]

I take it you quaratine all your fish?

Have you ever had a problem with ich in your display tank or does the quarantine period eliminate it? For some reason I can imagine it creeping back in.

In quarantine do you prophylactively medicate or do you just observe and see what happens?

 

[Western_reefer]

WOW!! AMAZING tank!!! How many hours of natural sunlight do you get over your tank?

 

[chasekwe]

Wanted to compare your earlier FTS where you weren't happy with the colors to now...

Guess you got it worked out! Stunning tank Rod, not that it wasn't before.

 

[Rod the Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15031934#post15031934 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TRITON1
I take it you quaratine all your fish?

Have you ever had a problem with ich in your display tank or does the quarantine period eliminate it? For some reason I can imagine it creeping back in.

In quarantine do you prophylactively medicate or do you just observe and see what happens?

I now quarantine all fish and corals. Leaving the tank sit fallow will ensure that the crypto will all die, as they need to find a host to survive. Medicating the fish in QT will ensue that the crypto will all die also. As they enter the free swimming stage they leave the fish and the quinine will kill them.

I now treat all new fish (and coral) arrivals as if they are infected.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15032369#post15032369 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Western_reefer
WOW!! AMAZING tank!!! How many hours of natural sunlight do you get over your tank?

Thanks Moses,

It depends on the time of year, but generally, I'm getting intense sun light from around 11 in the morning to about 4 in the afternoon. I get light before and after that of course, but not so strongly. Oh, I also get natural moon light!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15033010#post15033010 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chasekwe
Wanted to compare your earlier FTS where you weren't happy with the colors to now...

Guess you got it worked out! Stunning tank Rod, not that it wasn't before.

Thanks very much Nick.

Rod. :thumbsup:

 

[melev]

What a beautiful tank. I just took the time this evening to read all 8 pages. I'm very sorry to hear about the disease break out that occurred recently.

I didn't realize Solatubes could be used without the dome on top, and that a simple skylight window would be adequate.

Can you add more details about the way the light canopy raises and lowers? I noticed it was on pulleys, but you didn't mention how it stays up. I've been planning a similar system for a long time, using counterweights to balance against the weight of the canopy. My original plan was to hide everything, but the canopy is L-shaped and would bind. I'll probably end up doing exactly what you did, with pulleys up high on the ceiling. Did you use rope or high-tensile stainless steel cable wire?

 

[Rod the Reefer]

Thanks Marc,

Coming from you that is high praise indeed!

Yeah, the idea of the simple skylight top came to me as I didn't want to use the plastic domes as we live in a high bush fire danger area and I had a couple of skylights spare. I've never seen the concept before but it seems to work.

The light canopy is raised and lowered, as you've noticed, with pulleys, much the same as a blind is. The metal halides are suspended from the ceiling so their weight isn't on the canopy. I made the canopy as light as possible using acrylic and aluminium, with the T5's attached. I was going to use high-tensile stainless steel cable wire, but when I went to a boating store to get some they suggested this 2mm high tech mono filament rope would be easier to work with, which is used in boating. I asked if it would be ok around salt water..............they gave me a funny look. :rollface:

As far as how it stays up, if you check the photo on page 7 of the tank with the canopy up, you'll notice on the left hand side the rope going down to a hook on the wall. (All pretty low tech, I'm afraid)

HTH

Thanks again.

Rod. :thumbsup:

 

[melev]

Very interesting. Can you post a picture of the mono filament rope? It sounds like fishing line. That's about as invisible as you can get.

 

[Rod the Reefer]

Will do Marc.

It's actually a mono filament core with a covering of sorts.

I'll try to get a nice macro.

Rod. :thumbsup: