The Reef Central Corner Club Thread

The live rocks in my current aquascape don't touch any glass on either side and the back except at the very top at the back. This way the water flow can move around the live rocks. I also use my powerhead to blow the detritus off the rock on a regular basis. I think it adds depth to the aquascape when rocks are not touching the glass and we let corals define the outlines of the aquascape.
 
I'll take some pics up close with the starboard tonight. It's mainly the detrious hiding underneath the deeper rock area towards the back that has my interest (not sure I can get a good picture of that). When I stick the baster way down in there, I get quite a bit of detrious that flumes up, that's all.

What got me thinking about this is that some tanks have the rock raised up a bit using PVC rods and the like so that there is more room for flow down on the bottom. I'm thinking that I may try something along that route in the near future with a rock formation. I need to repair my rock wall in the back anyways so I'm just thinking about a way to get the most done while I'm at it.

I do have my rock right up against the glass now. I'll be sure to get it away from the glass as you suggest.

Ocean Mang and Simon, thanks for your help!
 
This is what I have been looking for since I bought my 92 last Christmas. I don't really understand splitting a thread. I would think that if a thread had that much traffic and useful info that the site owners would just create a forum for that subject. I am a motorcycle forum admin and that would be how we would handle it. Not *****ing. Just suggesting. This is a little confusing and hard to read. I will read the whole thing but finding specific info seems difficult. If i am off the mark please correct me.
 
Ok so here is my situation. I started with a 92 corner from craigslist with base. My big box aquarium store Aquarium Adventures sold me on a cannister filter. I ran that until last week when I purchased an ASM G2 and drained the tank for drilling at my good LFS Phishy Business. I wanted as large sump as possible so I cut the bottom off of a plastic 55 gallon drum which I use for water storage and changes. By the way these can usually be had for free from dry cleaners. Just take them to the car wash to clean out the inside. Any way, I now have great filtration. I am running a Sedra 900 pump. You can see the sump in my base in my avatar.
On to lighting. My good LFS suggested using 2 250 Watt halides in two pendants to light the tank with no dead spots because of the shape of the corner. They also suggested adding some compacts for color since they are suggesting the haldes in 1200k for the fires year. I bought a 30in Orbit Power compact to modify into this setup. I have not decided weather or not I will build a canopy, custom pendant containing all of the reflectors or just build a radius cabinet over the aquarium. I am leaning towards the latter.
What do you guys think.
I am looking for the ballasts and pendants or reflectors now so if you have these items for sale let me know.
Thanks for your advise and help.
 
chrissu said:
I'll take some pics up close with the starboard tonight. It's mainly the detrious hiding underneath the deeper rock area towards the back that has my interest (not sure I can get a good picture of that). When I stick the baster way down in there, I get quite a bit of detrious that flumes up, that's all.

What got me thinking about this is that some tanks have the rock raised up a bit using PVC rods and the like so that there is more room for flow down on the bottom. I'm thinking that I may try something along that route in the near future with a rock formation. I need to repair my rock wall in the back anyways so I'm just thinking about a way to get the most done while I'm at it.

I do have my rock right up against the glass now. I'll be sure to get it away from the glass as you suggest.

Ocean Mang and Simon, thanks for your help!
Click to expand...

I found that after i went bare bottom in my 92 it helped keep the junk from settling in the rock work
 
92 gallon corner aquarium Hood

92 gallon corner aquarium Hood

I now have a lighting system that met my requirements. When I bought the the 92 corner tank I had no idea of how much of a pain it would be to light this thing. As I am sure you are all aware there is no good solution available commercially. My criteria where as follows:

1. Had to light all corners of the tank so that coral would grow any where.
2. Had to have easy access for feeding and servicing the tank.
3. Had to have good ventilation.
4. Must be asthetically pleasing.
5. Portable which ruled out built in.
6. Mixture of Halide and T5 with LED moon lighting.
7. Uncomplicated so that my 11 yo daughter can feed.
8. Light weight so it can be moved easily.
9. Adjustable in that the height of light over the tank can be changed.
10. Able to be concealed in a built in cabinet or with a fascia.
11. Incorporate existing proven reflectors.
12. Not cost a million bucks.

Having a design and fabrication background I believe I have hit all of my criteria.

My light canopy incorporates 2 250 watt metal halides with 2 Lumenarc mini 3 reflectors and 4 T5 100 watt supplemental bulbs for color or when the halide light is just too much. I also have 7 blue led moon lights. I went with tw0 250s instead of one 400 halide because the 92 corners I have seen That used 1 400 didn't seem to light the entire aquarium, My system does not have that problem. That said, the hood design could be modified to use one lumenarc3 or really any other reflector.

The canopy weighs a total of about 15 lbs with bulbs. It is suspended with 1/16th inch braided stainless cable running through three pulleys with 3 counter weights so that it can be raised from 1.5inches above the tank to 30inches above or anywhere in between with very little effort and even less if just opening for feeding.

I am running one 4inch in line fan drawing air from the halide reflectors and 2 3inch computer fans blowing air into canopy and on to the water surface.

The piece is made of aluminum and galvanized metal so it is light weight and corrosion resistant. It also is not in contact with the tank so there is no salt creep.

The whole assembly can be installed by drilling six holes in the ceiling and wall and screwing in six screw eyes. It can be removed from the tank simply by unplugging the lights and disconnecting the cable from three d-rings. Bulb replacement and cleaning can be done verily easily with the hood raised so there is really no need to ever move it once installed. If you raise it all the way up even a very large person can reach the very back of the 92 corner. It can also be raised at an angle like a car hood making the bulbs and reflectors even easier to get to.

The hood itself is not a bad looking piece although I plan to
to build a cabinet to hide it. I could also simply cut a rectangular piece of plastic, carbon fiber, bendable luan or really any flexible material and attach it to the front so that it can also be adjusted to compensate for height over water and not bleed light between the hood and the tank.

I'm currently using some lead shot dive weights and a couple 3 pound barbells that usually live on my girlfriends cloths hanger I mean treadmill however lead shot in PVC tubes with caps and screw eyes will probably be the final solution.

Currently I have not added the T5s. I have two Compacts on the wall edges that I cannabalized from a 30in fixture until I have the money for the T-5s and ballasts. The ballasts for the compacts are mounted to the canopy and the t5s ballasts will be as well. The beauty of the counter weight system is that adding more weight to the canopy doesn't really affect lifting effort because you just add more weight to the counter weight.

This being a prototype/first attempt I have already determined that there can be cosmetic improvements as well as the posibility that it can be made in half the thickness it now has. My question about this is how having t-5 tubes that close to the halide reflectors will affect the Halide light pattern.

I am very happy with the lifting system and the light output and foot print. Please let me know if you see room for improvement. Your comments are welcomed.
 
Here are some pics from when I first hung the light canopy. I modified the counter balance weights so that they are outside of the hood and hidden behind the aquarium since this was taken on Sunday. I will post new pics and a video of the lifting mechanism soon.

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67570_450027054343_821244343_5120752_5275109_n.jpg
 
I just moved this tank a month ago and rescaped. Luckily the move was only 2 miles. We left the sand, rock, and water in the bottom three inches because I was getting frustrated trying to catch everybody. I only moved the clown, tang, and cleaner and pep shrimps in buckets. Everything lived. Now that the tank is scaped for corals to grow and spread, they should start to take off. The old setup was a rock pile I threw together before I knew much about coral placement.

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anybody ever worked with one this big? 280gallon 4'radius 3'dept I am concerned about access since its deep and not totally open on the top
<center>
<a href="http://s286.photobucket.com/albums/ll85/Germanunltd/?action=view&current=IMGP3950.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll85/Germanunltd/IMGP3950.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />
<a href="http://s286.photobucket.com/albums/ll85/Germanunltd/?action=view&current=IMGP3949.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll85/Germanunltd/IMGP3949.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />
</center>
 
Ashkan, that's one big corner tank you have there! At 36" deep, getting enough light past 24" and to the bottom will be a challenge. The braces at the top further complicate light placement and penetration. Such a deep tank will probably more suited for fish only or FOWLR instead of a reef system with SPS.
 
I was thinking of a mixed reef with rock sheet or the foam with the rock work into the sides and a gradual raising rock work with caves and levels to the back corner with a built in wave box in the back corner and 4 2"or 3" overflow drains built into the sidewall rock work.
 
I just look at this thing and the view is so amazing that I am having a hard time being sane about my decision of walking away from a crazy long project.
 
Vandal996 said:
I now have a lighting system that met my requirements. When I bought the the 92 corner tank I had no idea of how much of a pain it would be to light this thing. As I am sure you are all aware there is no good solution available commercially. My criteria where as follows:

1. Had to light all corners of the tank so that coral would grow any where.
2. Had to have easy access for feeding and servicing the tank.
3. Had to have good ventilation.
4. Must be asthetically pleasing.
5. Portable which ruled out built in.
6. Mixture of Halide and T5 with LED moon lighting.
7. Uncomplicated so that my 11 yo daughter can feed.
8. Light weight so it can be moved easily.
9. Adjustable in that the height of light over the tank can be changed.
10. Able to be concealed in a built in cabinet or with a fascia.
11. Incorporate existing proven reflectors.
12. Not cost a million bucks.

Having a design and fabrication background I believe I have hit all of my criteria.

My light canopy incorporates 2 250 watt metal halides with 2 Lumenarc mini 3 reflectors and 4 T5 100 watt supplemental bulbs for color or when the halide light is just too much. I also have 7 blue led moon lights. I went with tw0 250s instead of one 400 halide because the 92 corners I have seen That used 1 400 didn't seem to light the entire aquarium, My system does not have that problem. That said, the hood design could be modified to use one lumenarc3 or really any other reflector.
Click to expand...

I dont know where you got the idea that you couldnt light the entire tank with 1 lumenarc. I currently run on a 92 corner 1 250w lumenarc mini stealth pendant. Along with a retro 4 bulb 24W T5's powered by an Icecap 660.
Im able to grow SPS even on the sand. As a matter of fact, most sps when I get them in I have to place on the sand and then gradually move them up.
<a href="http://s1041.photobucket.com/albums/b420/flfireman/?action=view&current=IMG_3225.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1041.photobucket.com/albums/b420/flfireman/IMG_3225.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s1041.photobucket.com/albums/b420/flfireman/?action=view&current=IMG_3226.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1041.photobucket.com/albums/b420/flfireman/IMG_3226.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
 
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