The Ultimate Eight Foot Softie Reef

[JustinReef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13688715#post13688715 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tankjunky
So is the tank going to be %100 softie dominated or is ther going to be some LPS and SPS

Yeah I was wondering the same...Mine was suppose to be 100% softies but somehow I mistook Green Digitatas and a purple stag as being soft corals Then came the orange crush acan and well...things have gone downhill from there! Mine has become very much a mixed reef...

Can't wait to see the tank out of that crate!!!

 

[InsaneClownFish]

So is the tank going to be %100 softie dominated or is ther going to be some LPS and SPS

Well, it will be predominately softies. I do have some Duncans that came directly from Julian Sprung(via a local store owner who had Sprung in for a symposium). I also have always wanted to keep a piece of chalice.

I have no serious plans for SPS, and at present, those will be the only two pieces of LPS. In the future, if the tank does well, I may add some metallic blue A. Millipora.

Here's a short list of the softies I know I will be keeping:

Yellow Fiji Leather(purchasing from a fellow reefer)
Toadstool Leather
Blue Xenia
Pink Frilly Mushrooms
Ricordia Florida
Ricordia Yuma
Zoanthids(I already have some pinks)
Duncans

I'm also acquiring a
Green Squamosa Clam

 

[tankjunky]

Nice coral choices

 

[JustinReef]

You should have lots of clams. I always think clams look great in shallow tanks!

 

[tankjunky]

since we making segestions I personaly think that soft coral reefs are not finished without a green polyp toadstool

 

[InsaneClownFish]

Teaser Pics!

This thing weighs well more than 120g glass tank. Wow.

Working on the plumbing. What a pain this has been with the tight space.

 

[InsaneClownFish]

Nice bathtub!

 

[tankjunky]

Nice

 

[melev]

That looks gorgeous there!

Any idea why James puts blue tape on everything? Just curious.

 

[JustinReef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13690861#post13690861 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
That looks gorgeous there!

Any idea why James puts blue tape on everything? Just curious.

I think the blue tape was in the corners and edges where the protective paper on the acrylic had been removed to build the tank. I could be wrong but I think it was to protect against scratches while inside the crate.

Looks amazing!

 

[JustinReef]

BTW, how much do you think it weighs? My acrylic 240G is quite light. Only 5/8" thick though. But also 8' and myself and my fiance (100 lbs.) can carry it relatively easily.

I guess the 1" thick stuff is that much heavier!

 

[InsaneClownFish]

I think the blue tape was in the corners and edges where the protective paper on the acrylic had been removed to build the tank. I could be wrong but I think it was to protect against scratches while inside the crate.

Marc, Justin is correct. This thing shipped in a mini Fort Knox.

I'm guessing somewhere between 240-280lbs. Don't forget, this is 1" Acrylic. Different animal..


Well as I was typing this, that was the amount of time it took to put about 12 gallons on my floor. Welcome to my first mini-disaster...:mad2:

I turned my back for less than 5 minutes and the pump hose feeding the tank from one of the Brute containers fell on the floor.

 

[melev]

 

[InsaneClownFish]

Lovely.

Here's how I aquascaped:

The tank's about halfway full at the moment. God did that freak me out- I thought there was something terribly wrong with the tank or my plumbing.

I should not I had to add cardboard shims under the styrafoam because the tank was not completely planar. Both ends did not seat to the foam.

 

[melev]

You're wasting no time at all! Awesome!!!

 

[FL.Joe]

ICF, you've done an incredible job on your build. i have subscribed to your thread and looking forward to the growth of your reef

 

[InsaneClownFish]

melev and FL.Joe - Thanks guys! I really appreciate the support. It's been a brutal all night and all day grind getting this thing up and running. I slept for a few hours and got right back to it. I've been under the weather all week, so this has been daunting at times. I also had to run out to Walmart and pick up 18 gallons of distilled water to compensate for lost water on the floor and my miscalculation for rock/water displacement. I simply ran out of RO/DI water and couldn't make it fast enough.

It was worth it..
We have a heart beat!

 

[jnb]

Looks like you got it level:smokin:

Lovein it

 

[JustinReef]

Wow, looks great!

This tank is going to look AMAZING once you have it stocked.

Good work!

 

[melev]

That is pure greatness. Seriously, it seems like it arrived yesterday and today it is up and running. Now <b>that</b> is how a build thread should be cared for.

If you are going to cycle this tank, you can leave the lights off after you know they are working as programmed. No reason to build up nuisance algae before it is ready for a clean up crew. 8' long - lots of snails.