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stevefranks
03-31-2006, 02:42 PM
Hi everyone,

I would firstly like to say a massive thanks to Rob for all his help with both my own tank, and my work tank. I have gone from an absolute beginner to a beginner in just a few months! I really couldnt have done it without him.

I have been MSNing Rob, which is a bit naughty as it takes up peoples time, but also means no-one else benefits in the forums. I am now posting a tank journal so that everyone can see what I have had questions and problems with.

The tank is an 8ft x 2ft x 2ft custom build by Tank Build UK. The workmanship was poor, and the cost high. Any English viewers beware. The tank (with weir and pipework) and 5ft x 18" x 12" sump came in at about £1300. I was very disappointed by the work.

Anyway.....the tank is situated in the lobby of a block of 24 apartments we have built in Peterborough UK. The stand was built by our carpenters from 6"x2" and 3/4" ply. The system will have 4" DSB and 150kg live rock (Indonesian). I had a massive row with the supplier who sold us Fijian and delivered Indonesian (poor quality from what I can tell by looking at it).

Here are some photos of the tank etc...it is now on the stand and filling (drip by drip) from the RO unit...painful! It has taken days to fill 1/4 full...

http://britishstoneauctions.co.uk/p1040139http://www.britishstoneauctions.co.uk/halides.jpgLighting consists of 3 x 250w 10,000k MH's, 4 x 5ft 58w Actinics and 1 x Moontube 4ft.

Pump is Oceanrunner 6500, Skimmer Tunze Comline, Heaters = Tetra 300w x 5, Powerheads = MaxiJet 1200's x 5, Reef Crystals for salt (on Robs recommendation!)

I shall post again when tank is full and cycling..
http://britishstoneauctions.co.uk/halides.jpg
http://britishstoneauctions.co.uk/1040141.jpg

gwen_o_lyn
03-31-2006, 10:07 PM
Looks great Steve!

Scott
04-01-2006, 12:19 AM
I agree, it looks great. And watching the progress is going to be great.

Thanks for sharing! :)

Reefbaby
04-01-2006, 06:14 PM
Hey Steve! Wow, looks like a nice, sleek looking tank! Looking forward to seeing how this will develop.

Btw, what prompted you to put the tank in the lobby? What started this idea for you?

kj_yoda
04-01-2006, 06:59 PM
awesome job so far... keep up the good work.

Reefbaby
04-01-2006, 07:02 PM
I just might think about moving in to your block of apartments just to catch a glimpse of that every day! :-)

kj_yoda
04-01-2006, 11:56 PM
I'd love to see that every day on my way to work. Great Job

bband
04-02-2006, 01:11 AM
it is now on the stand and filling (drip by drip) from the RO unit...painful! It has taken days to fill 1/4 full...
Did you put plastic wrap over the top of the tank to cut down on evaporation while you are filling it?

stevefranks
04-02-2006, 02:05 AM
I will try the shrink wrap on Monday.

Our offices form the first floor of the building, and I decided I would install the tank to make the sale of the apartments more appealing.

We have a Japanese garden also, so it just sort of worked!

Thanks for your kind encouragement.

Bernie
04-02-2006, 11:22 AM
Wow, japanese gardens, marine tanks in the lobby and that chandelier! Had there been apartments like that in my area I wouldn't have wasted time buying a house!

Looks great so far, can't wait to see it fully stocked.

stevefranks
04-04-2006, 08:56 AM
Hi everyone.

I have now mixed salt (Reef Crystals) and added 150kg of live rock and 40lbs of live sand (on top of playsand 4-5" DSB). 2 boxes of liverock went "bad" when being stored in buckets, but with Robs advice I have scrubbed and put in display tank to kick start cycle. After changing the water in te buckets, the smell did go, but the sulphur seems to have killed off parts of the affected live rock!

I have a Tunze Comline in the sump (rubbish quality I think, badly made and flimsy - any views?) and my own Ratz skimmer (beauty). I have doubled up on skimming incase it helps with clearing sand scum and other nasties for the first week or two. By the way, I cant seem to make the Tunze work..

Here are the photos as of today....

8251Reefer
04-04-2006, 10:06 AM
looks real nice!

Amphibious
04-04-2006, 11:46 AM
stevefranks


the sulphur seems to have killed off parts of the affected live rock!I'm sure it did kill parts of the rock but, rock and it's inhabitants have a way of coming back. I'm sure it will be okay.


I have a Tunze Comline in the sump (rubbish quality I think, badly made and flimsy - any views?Tunze product's quality has never impressed me much. I think the Tunze Stream pumps are pretty good but extremely expensive IMHO.

Things are looking good, Steve, keep the pics coming. It will be nice to see this mature.

Dick

gwen_o_lyn
04-04-2006, 12:17 PM
Looks great Steve! ;)

jeepjon
04-04-2006, 02:10 PM
Looks great! Just be sure that the lobby isn't open to the general public! I would hate to have somebody put something in there! (like cigarette butts, trash, stupid stuff like that). Or make sure that most people don't have a way to get into it

I would move into your apartments in a heartbeat! I'm sure that it will make your place VERY appealing. Over here in the states, it is hard to find apartment complexes that appeal to crowds like you do (at least in my neck of the woods....Cleveland!)

Thanks for sharing!
-Jon

stevefranks
04-04-2006, 02:14 PM
Hi Jon,

There are 24 apartments in total, and there is secure access through two coded doors! There is CCTV above the tank too (notice the eye in the sky in the photo).

The tank maintenance (as well as Jacuzzi/Gym/Private Cinema) is all paid for by service charges (we have not finished the apartments yet, they go on sale in 1 month)

Thanks for your feedback!

stevefranks
04-04-2006, 02:21 PM
This is my first tank, so bear with me...

1) The RATZ skimmer is very well built, and I am pleased (thanks ebay!). Now, I have filled the sump to the optimum level so that when power goes off (power cut say) I have just enough in the sump to allow for "flood" water. This is the level in the photos. I dont think this is high enough for the skimmers. The ratz is bubbling nicely, but the foam does not quite reach the top of the hole. When the water level in the sump is higher the foam does overflow?

2) The Tunze skimmer is pants. Maybe I dont know how to use it, but it does not seem to foam at all. The ebay seller said it takes a couple of days to start working? Again, I fear the water level is not high enough?

Can anyone help?

Rob
04-04-2006, 02:46 PM
i cant speak to the Tunze system.
but it should be noted that because the tank is so new, you probably wont get much skimmate at this point..

let it go a week or two, and you should see a bit more int here

also worth noting, is that skimmers usually go through a "break in" period before they really start kicking the grunge out.. :)

stevefranks
04-04-2006, 02:50 PM
Thanks Rob.

I shall monitor them both. The Tunze however I am not holding out for as it is not creating a foam like the ratz.

Got to choose my tank inhabitants now, something I am a little worried about.

I have a budget of £800 to begin with...anyone want to help me spend it?

gwen_o_lyn
04-04-2006, 10:54 PM
purple tang, anthias, sohal tang, niger trigger

Scott
04-04-2006, 10:57 PM
Steve the tank is looking great. I only wish my apartment building was that nice. Of course with a tank like that in the lobby....I don't know how happy people would be with me camping out in front of the thing all the time. LOL

gwen_o_lyn
04-04-2006, 10:59 PM
ha ha Scott- yeah I'd be there too, don't worry!

Scott
04-04-2006, 11:01 PM
Hmm...I guess the two Lazyboy chairs in front of the tank are claimed by Gwen and myself. LOL :rolleyes:

gwen_o_lyn
04-04-2006, 11:02 PM
he he, maybe we can add one more for Steve since he did all the work? :mrgreen:

Scott
04-04-2006, 11:52 PM
Oops...forgot about that one. that's the deluxe lazyboy chair....with the built in fridge and snack bar. :D

gwen_o_lyn
04-04-2006, 11:54 PM
How about a mini pub for Steve too?? :mrgreen:

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/10/10_7_5.gif <---- look at Steve now!! Looks like a happy camper!!

stevefranks
04-06-2006, 02:20 PM
Hi Guys,

If you like lazyboys, you will like the private cinema for the residents:

stevefranks
04-06-2006, 02:22 PM
Hi everyone,

I thought I would post my fish list I would like to stock the tank with, and in a seperate post a conversation Rob and I had on MSN (If that is not good Rob, please remove this post!)


OPTIMA (CAMBRIDGE) LTD FISH LIST




Purple Queen Anthias x1

Yellow Skunk Anthias x1

Fork Tail Blenny x1

Black Percula Clown x2

Blue Damsel x1

Gregory Damsel x1

Royal Dottyback x1

Yellow Foxface x1

Naso Lipstick Tang x1

Long Head Unicorn x1

5 Striped Wrasse x1

Multicolour Doctor x1

Redlip Cleaner Doctor x1

Lieutenant Surgeon x1

Powder Blue Surgeon x1

Sabae Clown x2




ANEMONE/INVERT/CORAL LIST




SINGAPORE




Sticky Anemone x1

Blue Anemone x1

Carpet Anemone x 1

Clown Fish Anemone x1

Green Button x1

Lemnalia Cauliflower x1

Anemone Crab x1

Blue Crab x1

Feather Star x1

Flower Mushroom Luminous x1

Red Mushroom x1

Button Polyp x1

Glove Polyp x1

Long Polyp x1

Red Tailed Shrimp x1

Black Sponge x1

Blue Sponge x1

Purple Sponge x1

Xenia Pumping x1

Xenia Sea Hand x1

Xenia White x1

Super Polyp x1

Blue Starfish x1

Red Starfish x1




NON SINGAPORE

Acropora cervicornis x1
Acropora digitata x1
Montipora x1
Goniopora x1
Brain Coral (Diploria) x1

stevefranks
04-06-2006, 02:27 PM
Conversation about this list between Rob and I. Thanks Rob, it really cleared up alot of questions and things I didn't know!

ImaGeek says:
and your not going to add them all at once right...lol
Stephen Franks says:
I can buy minimum 1 box at a time
ImaGeek says:
I would recommend that.. you can't add all this stuff at once..
ImaGeek says:
lets see what help i can give..

first thing... black percula... the onyx clowns are almost always ocellaris, not percula, not that is big deal, but just fyi..
ImaGeek says:
now for the damsels... unless you are dead set on them, you might want to rethink them
ImaGeek says:
the tank is big so it shouldn't be a huge deal. but they are agressive... and the blue damsel (aka blue devil) is know for digging holes under your rocks..
ImaGeek says:
I am not familiar with the gregory damsel so i will only generalize that damsels tend to be agressive...
ImaGeek says:
most reefers regret starting with them as they have to remove them..
ImaGeek says:
ok.. moving on...
ImaGeek says:
foxface.. Great choice, they are wonderful fish, you will love them.. look for the metallic one if you can.. Foxface metallic vs Foxface Lo.. the metallic ones are just beautiful...
ImaGeek says:
the long head unicorn, is the unicorn tang?
Stephen Franks says:
yes
Stephen Franks says:
thats right
ImaGeek says:
ok...
ImaGeek says:
need to be careful with the tangs... you can't keep tangs with the same body shape in the same tank unless it's HUGE (huge=at least 500-600 gallons)
Stephen Franks says:
ok I have loads of tangs on the list!
ImaGeek says:
yeah... the amount is not what's concerning me, as much as the specifics..
ImaGeek says:
the naso and the unicorn have very similar body shapes.. they will likely not get along..
ImaGeek says:
the powder blue is an extremely sensitive tang, i would not recommend that one unless you are a very experienced hobbyist
ImaGeek says:
and even if you were, they should not go into a new tank at all...
ImaGeek says:
for the tangs, i would wait for the tank to mature... give it a few months. and follow with the naso, lieutenant, maybe a yellow tang, regal tang, Achilles tang...
ImaGeek says:
the wrasses are good, as are the other clowns
ImaGeek says:
everything else looks good, so in short.. reconsider the damsels.. and the tangs..
Stephen Franks says:
I am going to post the user/password for the importers site to see what ideas tr users have
Stephen Franks says:
they have loads of oddballs etc!
ImaGeek says:
another idea would be a bunch of chromis..
Stephen Franks says:
they look nice
ImaGeek says:
the blue and green chromis are docile, and like to school.. they look awesome in large tanks
ImaGeek says:
but that said, you have a starter list.. you can start with the clowns, wrasses anthias..
ImaGeek says:
but don't go beyond that.. let your tank catch up...
ImaGeek says:
after a month or so, revisit your fish list
ImaGeek says:
any other questions there, or shall i move on the the invert list??

Stephen Franks says:
cool
ImaGeek says:
ok.. inverts
ImaGeek says:
first thing i noticed is i didn't really see a "clean up crew"
ImaGeek says:
basic snail, hermits, stars, etc..
Stephen Franks says:
i put 2 crabs, 2 stars and a shrimp?
ImaGeek says:
ok.. i see them...
ImaGeek says:
you need lots more...lol
Stephen Franks says:
I wasn't sure of stocking levels, so i put 1
Stephen Franks says:
!!
ImaGeek says:
start with snails... you want to look as the nassarius snails
ImaGeek says:
and turbos and such...
ImaGeek says:
you want about 1 per gallon
ImaGeek says:
lol.. so you need lots more...
ImaGeek says:
hermits are the same way.. look at blue legged, red legged, scarlets...
ImaGeek says:
same thing about 1 per gallon
Stephen Franks says:
jeez 300?
ImaGeek says:
lol.. yea
ImaGeek says:
you can also look at the tiger tail cucumbers...
Stephen Franks says:
minus live rock
ImaGeek says:
no.. you are looking at about 300 each..
ImaGeek says:
if you are getting wholesale prices, they shouldn't be that expensive
ImaGeek says:
that said, i would refrain from the other items on your list...
Stephen Franks says:
ok, cool
ImaGeek says:
look at serpent stars also...
ImaGeek says:
and don't get the blue and red stars...
ImaGeek says:
these are linkias (i bet) and they are considered difficult to keep...
ImaGeek says:
they are VERY sensitive to water conditions, and often die in the first few days due to improper acclimation..
ImaGeek says:
they require a stable established tank
Stephen Franks says:
ok, good to hear
ImaGeek says:
now the anemones...
ImaGeek says:
what's a sticky anemone, and a blue anemone
ImaGeek says:
i'm assuming they are carpets...
Stephen Franks says:
hold on
Stephen Franks says:
Sticky + Stoicanthas gigas
Stephen Franks says:
= sorry
Stephen Franks says:
both are
ImaGeek says:
ok.. they are carpets..
ImaGeek says:
carpets are also quite difficult, require established tank.. and such..
ImaGeek says:
they have high lighting needs, but i think you would meet that
ImaGeek says:
i would look at bubble tips to start with
ImaGeek says:
they are more tolerant, and easier to keep
ImaGeek says:
they other thing is personally, i wouldn't have 4 of them...
ImaGeek says:
get one per clown pair (assuming you want them to host in the anemones)
ImaGeek says:
you can get more.. but they tend to get big, and they are very dominant... you will not be able to put any other corals, or anything anywhere near them as they will sting stuff

Rob
04-06-2006, 03:07 PM
no, thats fine, but if you get a minute, could you go through it and remove and non relevant info, and maybe fix my spelling errors>?...lol

stevefranks
04-06-2006, 03:25 PM
Edited spelling mistakes!

Kind of you to let me post that...I thought it would be nice for people to see whats happening?

Rob
04-06-2006, 03:52 PM
great thanks.. :)

Scott
04-06-2006, 04:24 PM
Hi Guys,

If you like lazyboys, you will like the private cinema for the residents:

Ok, I'm rolling up my tounge and closing my mouth.....gotta get some bath towels for all the drool though.

That is some apartment building!!!

gwen_o_lyn
04-06-2006, 07:15 PM
Here are my thoughts - same as what Rob said pretty much.

I would skip the damsels, be cautious when it comes to tangs, and I would not get a carpet anemone. On my tank tour last weekend, we saw a tank with 2 huge carpet anemones and they had eaten a few fish including a blue tang he had for 3 years. He wasn't happy about that.

And do get at least 1 snail and 1 hermit crab per gallon. I just ordered 85 more hermits for my 72gal and I must have at least 100 hermits in there now!! he he.. I love my hermit crabs!! Don't worry, I feed them well.

Be careful with the sponges too- they usually grow on the bottom of rocks and don't like much light. And if they die they can really poison your tank. They are more difficult to keep.

Consider a serpent star or 2 or 3, and cleaner shrimp too :)

CarmieJo
04-06-2006, 07:28 PM
Oops...forgot about that one. that's the deluxe lazyboy chair....with the built in fridge and snack bar. :D
...and a port & speakers for your iPod!

Scott
04-06-2006, 10:01 PM
Oh yeah..filled with TR podcasts. :) Hmm...wonder how Rob's video podcasts would look on that screen. LOL

gwen_o_lyn
04-06-2006, 11:20 PM
oooh that'd be fun!!

wildeone
04-07-2006, 12:11 PM
This is the first time I looked at this thread...nice job. Maybe when my wife kicks me out for spending all my time on my tank project I can jump a plane across the puddle and rent a unit from you! :) Just curious, how much rock did you plan to have in the tank? I know some died on you...shame....

wildeone
04-07-2006, 12:15 PM
Here are my thoughts - same as what Rob said pretty much.


And do get at least 1 snail and 1 hermit crab per gallon. I just ordered 85 more hermits for my 72gal and I must have at least 100 hermits in there now!! he he.. I love my hermit crabs!! Don't worry, I feed them well.



Thats a lot of hermits and snails! I read that theory on Tampa Bay Saltwaters Site, but I thought they were just trying to sell livestock. Is it working out well for you?

gwen_o_lyn
04-07-2006, 09:27 PM
Works fine for me. ;)

When I can get hermits for about 30 cents each, why not stock up on em. LFS wants about $3 each.

stevefranks
04-27-2006, 03:19 PM
First fish, anemone and coral in now.

Pair Percula Clowns
Malu Host Anemone
8 x Blue Chromis
1 x Lipstick Tang
1 x Algae Blenny
4 x Polyps
1 x Orange Sponge

Acclimated everything well. One of the Clowns looked a bit drained of colour, but it has now got back to full vibrancy.

Orange sponge is looking a bit washed out.

Polyps are all open now.

Clowns happy in their host (what a pain to get out of the plastic bag!)

Tang disappeared behind rocks for an hour, but is now fine. It does not look as colourful as I had imagined!

I pulled out some hair algae whilst waiting for acclimation, so water ended up algae ridden. The Chromis went mad for it, and Blenny is lawnmowing the tank as is the Tang!

Rob
04-27-2006, 04:03 PM
sounds great,
my only concern is the anemone. these are actually one of the most difficult anemones to keep. especially if its white or yellow, most people even professionals cant keep them alive for extended periods. and the your tank being so new, might not due well, so keep a close eye on it, and make sure you "feed and water" it often..lol.. ok, just keep and eye on it and keep it fed well

stevefranks
04-27-2006, 04:10 PM
It has a purple foot and greyish tentacles with purple tips.

stevefranks
04-27-2006, 04:12 PM
Out of interest Rob..are Clowns egg eaters?

stevefranks
04-27-2006, 04:23 PM
If they spawn that is!

Reefbaby
04-27-2006, 06:08 PM
Pictures Steve! WE WANT PICTURES!!!! :-)

Rob
04-27-2006, 08:50 PM
not sure what you mean..
the eggs dont eat, but the hatching fry do...

Reefbaby
04-28-2006, 04:37 AM
Steve - do you mean "Are they mouth brooders?" (like cardinals, for example)??

Rob
04-28-2006, 11:29 AM
Steve - do you mean "Are they mouth brooders?" (like cardinals, for example)??
if thats what you meant, no they are not.
they lay the eggs, and tend them until they hatch

stevefranks
04-28-2006, 05:51 PM
Sorry everyone, answers to questions!!!:

Live Rock 150kg

Pictures: Will take on Tuesday (We are on holidays now, and tank has been dwarfed by delivery of fridges for the apartments, photo not really possible)

When I said egg eaters, I meant do you have to remove clown eggs & fry due to parents eating the eggs/fry? Do you need special fry tanks etc?

Stephen.

stevefranks
04-28-2006, 05:58 PM
Update on tank.

Algae blenny is doing a sterling job. Malu & Clowns look like they are in heaven (I fear the worst for the Malu though - poor advice from LFS) Chromis are my favourite.

I have had to put the filter on the intake of one of the MJ 1200's on advice from LFS who said Malu will gravitate towards powerhed intake. It has actually done this, so I have put a filter piece on.

Rob
04-28-2006, 06:19 PM
steve, just some words of wisdom..
even though i, and maybe others may say there hard to keep, dont let that get to you. many people take advice thinking its good, and sometimes it is, sometimes its not.
the fact is you have it in your tank. just be confident and do your best with it. learn as much as you can about there needs and do your best to meet them.

when i started out i made many similiar mistakes. infact i got a rose BTA, and put in my first tank. it was about 3-4 inches in diameter. it was one of the first things i put in when the cycle ended, an obvious no-no.

well its years later, and its still alove and doing well. its now MUCH larger, and happy as can be. (as least as much as i can tell)

moral is, just becuase its your made a mistake, or did somethign thats not recommended, dont "expect it do die". the reality is that it might, but these are recommendation, and sometimes you can still pull off success.

so at this point try to make up for the mistake with education, as i stated, learn everythign you can about them and do your best...

"you can do it" :D