Hey All. My tank has been up and running for two months. All corals and fish are donig great. My mushrooms just sprouted a baby! It's so tiny and cute! I thought one was going to split, but it didn't split, just a new baby appeared on the rock. My new Aussie Duncan that I bought a week ago, also appears to have sprouted a new baby. Below is a picture of the tank when I set it up two months ago, and two photos I took last night. Pam
Tanks looks great. Love the colors that are developing.
So what brand/model of lighting fixture did you get? You were talking about an ELOS fixture, but I don't think you mentioned which one you decided on...
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I found a local ELOS dealer. They only had a few (older) ELOS models. The "ELOS 75" was the closest to your 80. I REALLY liked the tank! The diagonal cutout on the bottom corner of the tank for the overflow/return plumbing was really interesting...might allow for future mods.
I do not remember if there is a surface skimming overflow (with teeth) or simply a durso-style drain?
The ELOS website says that the stands are "high profile, high water-resistance laminated wood with a superior finish", but the stands at this LFS appeared to be MDF (white with white doors), not particularly well finished and showing some moisture damage and wear. Perhaps they've been in a LFS for too long? Perhaps the newer ELOS cabinets are better constructed?
Thanks Rroselavy! Now I know why people are so into coral. What a difference the color makes. I ended up with the Elos Planet.
150W MH with 4 24W T5's. I think the MH bulb is a 10k Elos Bulb and the T5's are 2 Blue+ and 2 Super Actinic. Fish look so much nicer when the MH/T5's are lit, but I love the look of the corals when the T5's only are lit. Fish look washed out when the MH isn't lit.
Only thing I'm not happy about, is my sandbed. I'd like for it to be cleaner, although it probably looks more natural the way it is. I've heard the best way for a clean sand bed, is diamond gobies, but they get to 6" and I think that's a bit big for my tank. (53 g 31"x19"x19"). I also have a tailspot blenny that I love, and I think I've read blennies and gobies don't always get along. I've tried siphoning off some of the top layer when I do waterchanges, but it doesnt' seem to be enough. Any other ideas?
Thanks!
Pam
Pam-
Tanks looks great. Love the colors that are developing.
So what brand/model of lighting fixture did you get? You were talking about an ELOS fixture, but I don't think you mentioned which one you decided on...
---
I found a local ELOS dealer. They only had a few (older) ELOS models. The "ELOS 75" was the closest to your 80. I REALLY liked the tank! The diagonal cutout on the bottom corner of the tank for the overflow/return plumbing was really interesting...might allow for future mods.
I do not remember if there is a surface skimming overflow (with teeth) or simply a durso-style drain?
The ELOS website says that the stands are "high profile, high water-resistance laminated wood with a superior finish", but the stands at this LFS appeared to be MDF (white with white doors), not particularly well finished and showing some moisture damage and wear. Perhaps they've been in a LFS for too long? Perhaps the newer ELOS cabinets are better constructed?[/quote]
Only thing I'm not happy about, is my sandbed. I'd like for it to be cleaner, although it probably looks more natural the way it is. I've heard the best way for a clean sand bed, is diamond gobies, but they get to 6" and I think that's a bit big for my tank. (53 g 31"x19"x19"). I also have a tailspot blenny that I love, and I think I've read blennies and gobies don't always get along. I've tried siphoning off some of the top layer when I do waterchanges, but it doesnt' seem to be enough. Any other ideas?
I've only been at this for a year+ with my 24g Nano (with 1.5" SSB ), so there may be others with more valid experience.
For me, having plenty of Detrivore snails (Nassarius & Tonga Fighting Conch) helps greatly. I also aggressively siphon the substrate where accessible (roughly 50%), concentrating on the dead spots. The siphoning stirs up the bed somewhat while it cleans the detritus. I change out 2 gallons per week on my 24g.
I may increase my flow to reduce the dead spots (being careful not to disturb the substrate), thus keeping more detritus suspended for the skimmer. Your setup should be conducive for good flow, since you have plenty of room around your LR to prevent dead spots.
I think SSB 's require stirring and agressive siphoning to keep things in order. When I upgrade my tank, I want to have a DSB to increase denitrification and to reduce substrate maintenance.
I agree with the Scott about the snails. I also have cerith snails that help maintain the sand. That being said, I think that it is hard to have an effective sandbed that looks pristine.
Thanks Carmie and Rroselavy. I do have some Ceriths. Only about 6 or 7, and I have about 6 Nacarrius, and 8 Astrea. I don't have any Conch's, but I might get 1 or 2 since I seem to keep seeing people recommend them. Are they huge and ugly like the Turbos? I'm keeping away from those! I think I definitely need to add a second powerhead. Right now, I have one Maxijet 1200, and the return pump which is a Eheim 1260. So I have about 15x flow. The surface of the water is nice and turbulent, but the side of the tank on the opposite side of the powerhead, where the powerhead points, is definitely a lot cleaner than the rest of the tank. I'm thinking I need to point the return output straight across and parallel with the back wall of the tank, and get a second powerhead to put on the right back side of the tank facing the front left hand corner. (currently, the one powerhead is on the back left corner facing the right front corner and the return pump is in the back right, facing the front left).
Thanks!
Pam
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Originally Posted by CarmieJo
I agree with the Scott about the snails. I also have cerith snails that help maintain the sand. That being said, I think that it is hard to have an effective sandbed that looks pristine.
Thanks Carmie and Rroselavy. I do have some Ceriths. Only about 6 or 7, and I have about 6 Nacarrius, and 8 Astrea.
I've read a general rule of thumb of [one snail for every 2 gallons]. Of course, you want to balance the LR/Glass cleaners (Astraea) with the Substrate cleaners (Nassarius, Cerith, Tonga). One snail I heard is an underachiever is the Bumble Bee...
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I don't have any Conch's, but I might get 1 or 2 since I seem to keep seeing people recommend them. Are they huge and ugly like the Turbos?
See this web page for a photo. Tonga Fighting Conches do not stir the sandbed quite as effectively as Nassarius, but they are like little hoover vacuums with their long mouth. Their eyestalks peer out of the sandbed when submerged, which is really neat. You can literally see them cleaning diatoms off the top of the substrate, grain by grain. They are pretty dedicated detrivores, while my Nassarius seem more interested in meaty foods. I often find my Tongas vacuuming the bottom 1" of glass where most of the algae collects, which I appreciate.
My Tongas are about 1.25" long. I heard that they can grow large, but mine do not seem to be growing fast at all.
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I think I definitely need to add a second powerhead. Right now, I have one Maxijet 1200, and the return pump which is a Eheim 1260. So I have about 15x flow.
You might consider getting a powerhead with a more powerful yet diffuse flow, like a
Tunze Turbelle or a Seio or a Hydor Koralia. These may be better than more narrow flow.
Hi nice looking tank, can you take one photo of inside of your corner OF, is it quiet?
here is photo of my 90gal ELOS custom made starphire, 15mm glas thicknes!
icon under their name to add to their reputation. 
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