Zachtos’ unique 240G reef w/ 375G sump/fuge-growout/RDSB/aggro tank
- Thread starter zachtos
- Start date
zachtos
Active member
My new additions, 2 clarki clownfish and a few new zoanthids, a blue montipora and a pokster purple/green. The clarki hosted right away to my sebae, which is on the move. I put it in a new spot up front for now. All is well at the moment.
As you can see, I have turned my 75G tank in the other room into a refugium. It has 32Wx4 T8 bulbs lighting the tank (6500K&4100K) 10 hours a day to grow more chaeto/calupera macro algaes. This will hopefully assist the refugium downstairs and help feed the display with copepods and increase my bioload capacity. Eventually, I hope to maybe stock this refugium with either, mandarins, seahorses or use it for fry from breeding clowns even.
Future problems:
-clowns have not discovered eachother yet... they will. I plan to add a bubble tip anemone to the tank as well, hopefully for the percula clowns.
-could use more neon gobies or cleaner shrimps. I have an ich problem in the tank, but I don't seem to be losing any fish still. They seem to all be very fat and fighting it off on their own, hopefully developing immunities.
-still dealing w/ a few annoyances, trouble with the skimmer, seems to be very ineffective as of late, maybe needs a cleaning? Purple/yellow tang still scraping... and there is a annoying rattling in my hood from one of the reflectors. minor stuff.
Additions
-3 more maxi jet mods in the mail! more flow! (1 in sump, 1 in display, 1 spare)
-debating on the last fish to be added... scratched the achilles due to uncertainties, maybe a powder blue tang instead? or 6-8 more female lyretails... what do you think?
gary faulkner
New member
Get the Powder Blue.
Same antics as the Achilles but easier to keep, they say.
Love my PBT, best fish in my tank.
Same antics as the Achilles but easier to keep, they say.
Love my PBT, best fish in my tank.
zachtos
Active member
problems problems... I've lost two lyretail females, and one of the clarki's to unknown causes. No nitrites/ammonia/nitrates, no Ph/Kh, SG or temp. spikes. I can't figure it out. My buddy thinks the fish are stressed from lack of sleeping locations?
I added 3 more maxi jet mods to the system to add more flow now, 1 in the display, and 2 in the sump region.
I also have been having issues with my skimmer and a lack of... skimming. It has produced NO skimmate in the last 2 weeks. I have cleaned the pumps and tower and airlines... I don't understand, nothing has changed. I added an airpump to the intake pump today and now I see alot more foam... We'll see if things improve. I think I should do a meshwheel mod as well. Maybe things will improve now that the new refugium is online?
I added 3 more maxi jet mods to the system to add more flow now, 1 in the display, and 2 in the sump region.
I also have been having issues with my skimmer and a lack of... skimming. It has produced NO skimmate in the last 2 weeks. I have cleaned the pumps and tower and airlines... I don't understand, nothing has changed. I added an airpump to the intake pump today and now I see alot more foam... We'll see if things improve. I think I should do a meshwheel mod as well. Maybe things will improve now that the new refugium is online?
melev
Well-known member
How often do you feed your tank? Lyretail Anthias need to be fed often. I feed mine twice a day.
Why do you need more flow in the sump? I'd figure you'd need the flow in the display area.
What kind of skimmer is it? What does the reaction chamber look like? Is it full of bubbles?
Why do you need more flow in the sump? I'd figure you'd need the flow in the display area.
What kind of skimmer is it? What does the reaction chamber look like? Is it full of bubbles?
zachtos
Active member
I posted a question on the bottom of this page asking about how to fix my skimmer. I'm planning to try a meshwheel mod on the skimmer to fix it possibly it. It's frustrating, yeah there is foam but I see hardly any skimmate production anymore.
I added one of the maxi's to the display. I would put more in the display, but it's cluttered. I have 4 maxi jet mods in the display now, and 3 of them rotate, one is fixed and stirs the bottom region more. The 3 seaswirls add a small amount of 1000-2000gph randomly and the maxis should add somewhere between 6,400-12,800gph. So I should get between 30-60 times turnover in the display, plenty enough isn't it? I could wedge one more maxi jet in the other side, but it'll be in the 'viewing' zone that, so for aesthetics, I opted against it.
I put one maxi jet in the 50G 'equipment' tank to help keep water stirred well where the skimmer is located. The other is in the 150G rubbermaid return tank, to help remove 'dead zones' in the rock piles. I don't know how necessary any of that is if at all.
I am feeding 2 full nori sheets everyday now (mostly because of the sailfin). The lyretail do not eat the nori though. I am feeding only once a day (I wish I could make more time in the morning, but I don't - bad habits).
My anemone also will not stay put. It keeps crawling to the back corner where there is no light/flow. It makes no sense. I can't keep it in a viewable zone. It sucks.
I added one of the maxi's to the display. I would put more in the display, but it's cluttered. I have 4 maxi jet mods in the display now, and 3 of them rotate, one is fixed and stirs the bottom region more. The 3 seaswirls add a small amount of 1000-2000gph randomly and the maxis should add somewhere between 6,400-12,800gph. So I should get between 30-60 times turnover in the display, plenty enough isn't it? I could wedge one more maxi jet in the other side, but it'll be in the 'viewing' zone that, so for aesthetics, I opted against it.
I put one maxi jet in the 50G 'equipment' tank to help keep water stirred well where the skimmer is located. The other is in the 150G rubbermaid return tank, to help remove 'dead zones' in the rock piles. I don't know how necessary any of that is if at all.
I am feeding 2 full nori sheets everyday now (mostly because of the sailfin). The lyretail do not eat the nori though. I am feeding only once a day (I wish I could make more time in the morning, but I don't - bad habits).
My anemone also will not stay put. It keeps crawling to the back corner where there is no light/flow. It makes no sense. I can't keep it in a viewable zone. It sucks.
melev
Well-known member
I put 1/2 a sheet of nori (6" x 3") in my tank every two or three days for my two tangs. 2 sheets is too much. I used to do that when I had 6 tangs and it was still too much.
Anthias like live foods. Maybe you could raise baby brine, which is easy to harvest and cheap too.
How many MJ Mods are in the tank? It's hard to imagine them producing 6400 to 12800 gph.
Once the anemone is happy, it'll stay put. Do you feed it? A friend of mine would feed it when it was in the perfect spot, and the anemone decided to stay there. Almost as if it was thinking "heeeey, this spot gets me food. I'll stick it out right here!"
Anthias like live foods. Maybe you could raise baby brine, which is easy to harvest and cheap too.
How many MJ Mods are in the tank? It's hard to imagine them producing 6400 to 12800 gph.
Once the anemone is happy, it'll stay put. Do you feed it? A friend of mine would feed it when it was in the perfect spot, and the anemone decided to stay there. Almost as if it was thinking "heeeey, this spot gets me food. I'll stick it out right here!"
zachtos
Active member
-4 maxi jet mods in the 240G display, each claiming 1600-3000gph flow rates in addition to my 1000-2000gph return from the basement through the seaswirls.
-I suppose I can cut my nori to 1 sheet/day for a while and observe, I have tons of chromis though that shred it apart as well as the tangs.
-I'm certainly doing the meshwheel mod to my gen-x 4100 on my custom skimmer. 3 layers of 1/4"-1/8" mesh is planned, w/ zip ties. I may change my venturi layout as well
* I CAN NOT get my brine to hatch. I think I got a bum batch. Brine shrimp direct keeps giving me the run around, so I guess I have to bite the bullet and buy another container since they wont pony up. It's been refridgerated the entire time. I follow their site directions to the TEE!!! Nothing. Like a tiny tiny hatch rate at around a week. Frustrated to say the least. My time and patience wears thin with this tank as it is lately.
-I suppose I can cut my nori to 1 sheet/day for a while and observe, I have tons of chromis though that shred it apart as well as the tangs.
-I'm certainly doing the meshwheel mod to my gen-x 4100 on my custom skimmer. 3 layers of 1/4"-1/8" mesh is planned, w/ zip ties. I may change my venturi layout as well
* I CAN NOT get my brine to hatch. I think I got a bum batch. Brine shrimp direct keeps giving me the run around, so I guess I have to bite the bullet and buy another container since they wont pony up. It's been refridgerated the entire time. I follow their site directions to the TEE!!! Nothing. Like a tiny tiny hatch rate at around a week. Frustrated to say the least. My time and patience wears thin with this tank as it is lately.
melev
Well-known member
They should hatch within 24 hours. I've had a bag of eggs in a can in my fridge for over a year, and I recently started hatching brine shrimp again and they are doing well. 2 cups tank water, 1/2 cup RO/DI water, 1/2 teaspoon eggs, steady bubbling (but not boiling). In 48 hours, they are ready to harvest.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-05/nftt/index.php
I've not heard about MJ mods moving nearly 3000gph. I think that is pretty optimistic, considering it originally moved 295gph without modification. Four of them in a 240g tank seems like barely enough flow, even if they are all pointing in optimum positions.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-05/nftt/index.php
I've not heard about MJ mods moving nearly 3000gph. I think that is pretty optimistic, considering it originally moved 295gph without modification. Four of them in a 240g tank seems like barely enough flow, even if they are all pointing in optimum positions.
Mr. Brooks
MASVC Member
If you're still considering a pbt... I would wait till you get your ich in check and get the tank balanced out. They are highly prone to ich. If you have visible signs of ich in your tank, a new pbt will have a rough time, most likely won't make it. Your yellow or purple tang may go after it as well.
