rickcasa
New member
Have you set up a QT yet? Be careful
I've been somewhat careful. But the QT tank is in the works I'm planning on getting an Achilles so I need to set up by then.
"The Cavernous Reef" - A 180G Build
- Thread starter rickcasa
- Start date
I've been somewhat careful. But the QT tank is in the works I'm planning on getting an Achilles so I need to set up by then.
Aquatron
Refugium pat.#D414,242
I know you got it dialed but not QTing your corals will do way more damage to your system than fish. You have a clean system now one or two bad corals with hitchhikers and all that work is for not As a fellow reefer and fan of your build who cares it needed to be said......OK moving on!!!!!
As a fellow reefer and fan of your build who cares it needed to be said......OK moving on!!!!!
rickcasa
New member
I know you got it dialed but not QTing your corals will do way more damage to your system than fish. You have a clean system now one or two bad corals with hitchhikers and all that work is for not
Spinner, I thought that a dip in something like Coral RX was the extent of coral pre-introduction care, no? I did find a couple of tiny aptasias on a zoa colony which I promptly scraped off. So is it dead?? I remember awhile ago, taking a lighter to an aptasia and burned it for about 20 seconds but only to see it come back in less than a week. There's no quit on these buggers. School me on coral qt please.
Newbie Aquarist
Reefing is my middle name
The tank has grown since I last seen it. That cave is a masterpiece of work. Love all the NPS and present ideas going forward. Great tank.
rickcasa
New member
Thanks Wayne. That's means a lot coming from you. Read though a couple more pages from your build and have come away armed with more awesome ideas.
Newbie Aquarist
Reefing is my middle name
Glad I can help out when I can. I try to use the K.I.S.S. method on this build.
rickcasa
New member
Cavern Lighting
Cavern Lighting
I too subscribe to that method...but with a twist. Onwards with the build...still a$$ backwards of course. Most of you would have taken care of these details in its proper order, but what would be the fun in that. So let's install a fixture directly above a fully running tank shall we.
Don't mind the dust. :uhoh3:
My impromptu workbench. Please don't try this at home. :uhoh3:
After considering many options to pull off the cavern lighting I had already established, I decided on this overhead ceiling fixture. It has 6 heads so it's adequate in highlighting the rock faces that would make the most impact.
The LEDS. These are colour changing RGBs that will mostly be set to blue in the back row.
I also have cool whites/blues at the front row that will wash the front facade. And a powerful par38 nearest to the Razor that will provide a full spectrum at the cavern opening.
Forgot to buy long screws that's why it's not installed as planned. Check back tmr!
Cavern Lighting
I too subscribe to that method...but with a twist. Onwards with the build...still a$$ backwards of course. Most of you would have taken care of these details in its proper order, but what would be the fun in that. So let's install a fixture directly above a fully running tank shall we.
Don't mind the dust. :uhoh3:
My impromptu workbench. Please don't try this at home. :uhoh3:
After considering many options to pull off the cavern lighting I had already established, I decided on this overhead ceiling fixture. It has 6 heads so it's adequate in highlighting the rock faces that would make the most impact.
The LEDS. These are colour changing RGBs that will mostly be set to blue in the back row.
I also have cool whites/blues at the front row that will wash the front facade. And a powerful par38 nearest to the Razor that will provide a full spectrum at the cavern opening.
Forgot to buy long screws that's why it's not installed as planned. Check back tmr!
Last edited:
rickcasa
New member
I know you asked about these months ago, but here's something I came across yesterday that would be a really interesting substitute (read the watermark to see the online retailer). They're out of stock though, but I wanted to order 2. Hope it helps.
Newbie Aquarist
Reefing is my middle name
Smart idea for the lighting of the cave. Do you think it might be overkill?
phantomg23
New member
this is awesome
reeftanknewbie
New member
I know you asked about these months ago, but here's something I came across yesterday that would be a really interesting substitute (read the watermark to see the online retailer). They're out of stock though, but I wanted to order 2. Hope it helps.
You will be pleasantly surprised by them as I have gotten a lot more flow from my little pump. Go to tidal gardens on YouTube and you will see them discussed there on the video.....and I trust what they do as I have seen their stuff in person at a Ohio frag swap.
rickcasa
New member
Bittersweet update PhantomG and Lowefx! My clown trigger has found a new home in a 260 g fowler. Best wishes and he will be missed but he was jeopardizing the idealistic balance I'm trying to achieve in this build. My tangs were never made to feel at ease like they were all in the 90g upstairs. I guess this was my fault as I introduced him in this tank relatively at the same time with the others. In the 90, he was the latecomer and was the perfect amiable new kid on the block.
I'll keep my avatar of him because once the stocking is established, I will add a baby clown trigger in the mix. Yes you heard right...just love 'em!
rickcasa
New member
Nice to hear it, thx for sharing Reeftanknewbie.
rickcasa
New member
Not really in terms of the the quantity of lights it gives me to play with. As for the intensity, it's only 4W per head, and it's dimmable, so I'll have control of it. Can't wait to pull it all together soon. Thx Wayne!
rickcasa
New member
I felt lucky to find this next new addition. Hey who knows, maybe it is common here in Toronto but because I wasn't looking for them before I never noticed them, but since I started this concept I just couldn't find a tall/big enough gorg/fan to showcase in the cavern.
How's this for presence!
Hmmm, yeah I know not quite there. A 13" Purple Candelabra gorg still doesn't seem impactful. Maybe later with the polyps out. This came in 2 days ago ay Big Al's but it wasn't priced yet so I had them hold it for me until it was. Came back to get it in the middle of a wedding, actually, you know the agonizing the 4 hour wait between the ceremony and the reception. Used my time wisely I thought!
Here's its base...neat how it almost grows rhizomes in a serial fashion like my Irises in the garden.
So I liked the pricing of the first so much, I grabbed the other PCG as well. PCG, I just coined that....genius! Standing a little shorter than the first, it's arms all bent obliquely which means this gorg was anchored to a rock in an angle and which I will most certainly try to emulate in this tank. It's a deeper purple and has more 'arms'...sorry the proper name escapes me (or, maybe I just never knew it :twitch but I'll Google it later and find out the proper term.
The guy told me it's photosynthetic. Wasn't planning on burying it deep in the cavern anyways, maybe in the middle of the tank would be nice, closer to the front glass??....how about the 2 bunched up together??
This reminds me of the David Saxby video we have all seen and admired and thinking then how odd it was to place a giant gorg front and centre of this magnificent display and somehow make it work. A masterpiece of a specimen that not only frames the view, but also to act as a soft horizontal transition that makes the display seem even larger (if that was even necessary).
But I digress... can't forget this 'little', comparatively speaking, Orange Finger gorg. At 9" tall it should colour up the corners nicely...wonder if this is an NPS.
How's this for presence!
Hmmm, yeah I know not quite there. A 13" Purple Candelabra gorg still doesn't seem impactful. Maybe later with the polyps out. This came in 2 days ago ay Big Al's but it wasn't priced yet so I had them hold it for me until it was. Came back to get it in the middle of a wedding, actually, you know the agonizing the 4 hour wait between the ceremony and the reception. Used my time wisely I thought!
Here's its base...neat how it almost grows rhizomes in a serial fashion like my Irises in the garden.
So I liked the pricing of the first so much, I grabbed the other PCG as well. PCG, I just coined that....genius! Standing a little shorter than the first, it's arms all bent obliquely which means this gorg was anchored to a rock in an angle and which I will most certainly try to emulate in this tank. It's a deeper purple and has more 'arms'...sorry the proper name escapes me (or, maybe I just never knew it :twitch
but I'll Google it later and find out the proper term.
The guy told me it's photosynthetic. Wasn't planning on burying it deep in the cavern anyways, maybe in the middle of the tank would be nice, closer to the front glass??....how about the 2 bunched up together??
This reminds me of the David Saxby video we have all seen and admired and thinking then how odd it was to place a giant gorg front and centre of this magnificent display and somehow make it work. A masterpiece of a specimen that not only frames the view, but also to act as a soft horizontal transition that makes the display seem even larger (if that was even necessary).
But I digress... can't forget this 'little', comparatively speaking, Orange Finger gorg. At 9" tall it should colour up the corners nicely...wonder if this is an NPS.
Last edited:
wii64brawl
New member
Orange one is Diodogorgia nodulifera. Non-photosynthetic.
rickcasa
New member
Thanks wii64brawl, any experience with them? Just read up on it and being NPS, I wouldn't necessarily place it in the dark.
The colouration is too beautiful but displaying them in full light is to risk the chance of algae or cyano forming on its branches causing both the polyps and tissue to rapidly deteriorate, as per Live Aquaria.
Last edited:
Similar threads
