Page 3 of 13 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 5 ... LastLast
Results 51 to 75 of 314

Thread: The Road to DanaMcK's 240g and 180g Dream Tanks

  1. #51
    Master Reefer Danamck's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Northern California
    Posts
    591
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    December Update

    It's been over a month since my last post. Things are going great with the 240. Water parameters are near perfect. The fish and corals all appear to be doing well. There is no sign of ich on the Powder Blue Tang (the sound you don't hear is me knocking on wood!) And the best part is that I'm spending more time enjoying the tank, and less time messing with it.

    My maintainence schedule is as follows:

    Daily:
    Feed fish
    Add appropriate water additives

    Twice weekly:
    Empty skimmer collection cups
    Feed Heliofungia actiniformis, Catalaphyllia jardinei and Turbinaria peltata
    Feed Green Brittle Star
    Replace make up water in drip system

    Weekly:
    Clean front and sides of tank

    Every other week:
    Replace micron sleeve
    Replace Poly Filter
    Replace Chemi Pure

    Once a month:
    40 - 50 gallon water change

    This schedule seems to be working very well, and gives me lots of time to just sit back and enjoy. I have decided to hold off on the 180 change over until after the holidays. I really want to take my time and set this tank up correctly the first time! (Famous last words!)

    Here are some photos. I really need a better digital camera!

    The third and fourth shots are looking down each side of the tank. I love looking at the tank this way - I can imagine what it would be like to have an 8 foot deep tank!

    The Colt Coral is about 15" W x 13" H. I've already split him in half once before. The Long Tentacle Plate Coral is over 10" in diameter when fully expanded. The Xenia has become a weed, though I can't imagine a prettier weed! It's time to put Rob's excellent Video Podcast on fragging Xenia to use soon! My new favorite coral is the Pipe Organ (second photo - center). It was the first time I saw a specimen in a LFS that was fairly large and still in excellent shape. These corals are amazingly fragile. But he seems to love the tank conditions.

    I have a question. Why am I refering to all my corals as males? I guess calling them "it" seemed a little too impersonal!
    Attached Images Attached Images

  2. #52
    Grand Master Reefer Reefbaby's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Göteborg, Sweden
    Posts
    2,092
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    Great shots! Nice to see your corals doing so great. And your tank looks nice and clean!
    Christi

  3. #53
    Expert Reefer PSH's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Waterloo, IN
    Posts
    465
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    Your tank looks great.

  4. #54
    Site Owner Rob's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    9,845
    Thanks
    1
    Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts
    thanks for the update.. everything is looking great, i love the powder blue.. i want one..
    Show people you appreciate there advice, click the icon under there name and give them Reputation points



  5. #55
    Master Reefer Small Fry's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Windsor,ON,Canada
    Posts
    791
    Blog Entries
    3
    Thanks
    1
    Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts
    yupp, great update, good to see everything is thriving and and you have time to enjoy your tank.
    Josh

    Small Frys 120

    Fish- 1 Percula Clown, Black fin Shrimp Goby

    Clown and Goby are just chilling in the NanoCube 12

    120 almost ready for re-cycle


  6. #56
    Grand Master Reefer CarmieJo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    Posts
    14,980
    Blog Entries
    4
    Thanks
    69
    Thanked 179 Times in 166 Posts
    Wow! It looks wonderful!
    Carmie


    Only disasters happen fast!





    Carmie's 54 Corner Tank
    Carmie's Cube


    Show people you value their advice! Click the STAR icon at the bottom of the post to add to their reputation.

  7. #57
    Master Reefer Danamck's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Northern California
    Posts
    591
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    Thank you all for the kind words. It's truly going to be hard taking it down. I'm sure I'm going to prefer having a 180 in my Living Room where it can be more easily enjoyed than having a 240 in the garage. And it will be nice to have a tank that is nearly silent thanks to housing the filtration equipment and pumps in the garage.

    I have decided to add a frag tank to the rack that will house the sump and refugium. It will be fun to frag some of the corals that are taking over the tank and trade with fellow hobbyists.

    Again - thanks for the support and the kind words. TR members are the best.

  8. #58
    Master Reefer Danamck's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Northern California
    Posts
    591
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    Happy New Year fellow Talking Reef members! Here's an update:

    Well, it's a good thing that I didn't purchase the stand and canopy for the 180 - I've decided not to set it up. That's right - the 240 stays in the garage. Why the change of heart? Well, I had lots of friends and family over during the holidays, and I had a blast showing off the tank. When I mentioned that I was downsizing to a 180, they all thought I was crazy. So one night, I sat alone in front of the tank - just enjoying it. After a year of ups and downs, the tank really has just become everything I dreamed it would. Everything is healthy, and I'm spending less and less time on maintenance. Why mess with success?

    And so the 240 stays. There are so many advantages of having it in the garage. No chiller needed - the garage stays cool in the summer. I don't have to worry about pump or water cascade noise. The area I make up my RO/DI water is 4 feet from the tank. Minor spills are no problem - it's a garage. And heaven forbid a major disaster struck (I do live in earthquake country) any leaking water would flow out onto the street.

    So my goal is to make the garage a nicer place to hang out. It's a completely finished garage. It's never even had a car parked in it! It's carpeted. I wired in a zone of music. It even has a TV. All I really need to do is get the boxes of stuff organized and make a good dump run. I also plan on setting up our treadmill there, so I can get lost in my aquarium and loose a few pounds at the same time!

    So there you have it - at least for this week! I've got to find a buyer for my brand new, still in the box 180. My wife still thinks I'm crazy, but she understands my reasoning. And she's happy that she gets a wall in the living room to decorate. Little does she know the other plans I'm making for the garage and my fish and reef obsession. I've often joked/dreamed of having a fish room. But I'll save that for another post ...

  9. #59
    Master Reefer iglowce's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Anaheim, CA
    Posts
    602
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    WOW great job and story =]

  10. #60
    Master Reefer Danamck's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Northern California
    Posts
    591
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    Thank you iglowce. I've had a blast writing it.

  11. #61
    Master Reefer Danamck's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Northern California
    Posts
    591
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    Here's a couple of shots of my new Yellow Leather. This was the toughest coral for me to QT, due to the fact that when it's fully expanded, it's about the size of my 10 gallon coral QT tank! It's actually 2 separate Leather's on the same piece of rock. It might have split on it's own. As an added bonus, the rock is covered with 2 different colored Favia corals. There's probably a total of 15 heads! Problem is, there was no way to mount it in the tank to show the Leathers AND see the Favias. So the only time I see them is before the Leathers expand each morning. Still very cool!

    While not the largest coral in the tank - it has become the centerpiece.

    (Sorry for the quality of the photos - I really need to get a better digital camera. Before I can do that, I need to stop spending my extra money on fish and corals!)
    Attached Images Attached Images

  12. #62
    Grand Master Reefer CarmieJo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    Posts
    14,980
    Blog Entries
    4
    Thanks
    69
    Thanked 179 Times in 166 Posts
    Maybe you could try to convince you wife that SHE wants a new camera!
    Carmie


    Only disasters happen fast!





    Carmie's 54 Corner Tank
    Carmie's Cube


    Show people you value their advice! Click the STAR icon at the bottom of the post to add to their reputation.

  13. #63
    Master Reefer Danamck's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Northern California
    Posts
    591
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    Great idea, Carmie. Unfortunately, my wife would see through that scam in a second! She's a smart one!

  14. #64
    Grand Master Reefer CarmieJo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    Posts
    14,980
    Blog Entries
    4
    Thanks
    69
    Thanked 179 Times in 166 Posts
    Yeah, my hubby is that way too.
    Carmie


    Only disasters happen fast!





    Carmie's 54 Corner Tank
    Carmie's Cube


    Show people you value their advice! Click the STAR icon at the bottom of the post to add to their reputation.

  15. #65
    Master Reefer Danamck's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Northern California
    Posts
    591
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    Hello fellow reefers! It's January 25th, and I am here to say that I have the greatest wife in the world. Allow me to explain -

    If you've read through the thread, you are aware of my trials and tribualtions with my 240. You are aware of the plan to downsize to a 180 to allow the tank to reside in the Living Room. And you are aware of the decision to keep the 240 in the garage. What you are not aware of is my wife's decision to allow me to keep the 180, and set it up in the garage next to the 240. How cool is that?

    The 180 will be located on the wall to the left of the 240, so that 1) both can be viewed from the same position and 2) neither will reflect into each other. The 180 will be a FOWLR tank, as I really do miss many of the angels and butterflies I used to keep before switching over to reef. The 180 will have a completely separate filtration system, to minimize the risk of a disease outbreak in the 240. Of course all the fish will be QT'd. I have a 46 set up for QT, currently housing a Black Cap Basslet and Purple Tang. Many of the inhabitants of my 46 FOWLR will be moved to the 180. These include a Golden Butterfly, Flame Angel, and a mated pair of Purple File Fish. The 46 FOWLR will be taken down and sold, of course. The plan is to add 2 - 3 additional Butterfly Fish, and 1 or 2 Angels to the 180 after it has settled in.

    So there you have it. The stand is on order and should arrive today. I've got about 60 lbs of live rock in the 46 that will go to the 180. I've got 100 lbs at a LFS to pick up. I will cure it myself. I need to build a leveling pedestal for the 180 stand, as the garage is far from level.

    I will be sure to take and post lots of photos as the set up begins. Any feedback and suggestions would be welcome.

  16. #66
    Master Reefer iglowce's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Anaheim, CA
    Posts
    602
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    loving so nice.... real corals still better than fake ones =]

  17. #67
    Grand Master Reefer CarmieJo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    Posts
    14,980
    Blog Entries
    4
    Thanks
    69
    Thanked 179 Times in 166 Posts
    Wow! That's great. I can't wait to see the pix.
    Carmie


    Only disasters happen fast!





    Carmie's 54 Corner Tank
    Carmie's Cube


    Show people you value their advice! Click the STAR icon at the bottom of the post to add to their reputation.

  18. #68
    Master Reefer Danamck's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Northern California
    Posts
    591
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    And so it begins ...

    Here's an update on the new 180 FOWLR:

    I have painted the back of the tank black. Took 3 coats, but it looks great from the front. No more salt creep between the glass and the paper backing!

    The pedestal has been built and painted. This is needed as the garage is not level, not even close. So the pedestal will create a level platform for the stand and tank. I made it out of 2 x 4's and plywood. It will need to support over 2100 lbs, so I made it extra beefy. It's not pretty, but most of it will be hidden by the stand.

    Speaking of the stand ... uggghhhh! What a nightmare. First my LFS gets in the right style stand in the right color, but it's for a 120, not a 180. The following week they get the right size, but it's the wrong style and finish. This week they were promised that the correct one would be deleivered. Nope. No stand was delivered - back ordered. How frustrating. It's not the fault of my LFS, this is an issue with their supplier. So my plan of spending this weekend setting up the 180 is ruined. And this was going to be the perfect weekend, as my wife will be recovering from minor surgery and will be house bound. Oh well.

    I also solved my electrical concerns. Having 2 large tank being powered by the same circuit was simply not going to work. So I took the 60 amp circuit for the dryer (which I don't use as I have a gas dryer) and turned it into 2 dedicated 20 amp circuits, one for each tank. And of course they are GFI protected circuits! PG&E, my local energy provider, is gonna love me!

    I've got 103 lbs. of Tonga live rock curing in a 32 gallon Rubermaid trash can. I'm trying to speed up the process by using major water circulation (see the photo - that's about 1000 gph of water movement), protein skimming and water changes. So far things are moving right along.

    And what's that fish front and center in the 46 QT tank? Yep! My favorite! A Moorish Idol. And not just a Moorish Idol, but an eating Moorish Idol. And not just an eating Moorish Idol. This is an "eat anything I put into the tank" Moorish Idol! He's got some ich and is a little thin, but I'm feeding him 4 times a day with a large variety of foods. He has yet to find a food he doesn't like.

    The other fish in the QT are a Racoon Butterfly, and Auriga Butterfly, and a Black Cap Basslett. The Black Cap is doing great and also eats everything. The Butterflies are much more challenging. In the past I have found that Racoons and Aurigas usually take to tank food rater quickly, but these 2 have only nibbled. It's been a week and I'm starting to get a bit worried. In he past I used to tempt them with live brine shrimp, but none of the stores seems to carry it anymore. Of course it has been many years since I've had the need to purchase live brine!

    So there you have it. Everything is here except the UV sterilizer and the before mentioned stand. I guess I can use this weekend to do a water change on the 240 (a week early) and the QT. The sound you can't hear is me sighing ...
    Attached Images Attached Images

  19. #69
    Apprentice Explosif's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Fort Collins Colorado
    Posts
    98
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    thanks for all the insight!

  20. #70
    Master Reefer Danamck's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Northern California
    Posts
    591
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    My pleasure, Explosif! I see that you are in the planning stages at the moment. You've come to a great place (Talking Reef) for lots of friendly advice and useful information.

  21. #71
    Master Reefer Danamck's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Northern California
    Posts
    591
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    OK - time for an update.

    I was having a lot of fun setting up the 180. Just taking my time - wanted to do everything right the first time. Was planning on finishing the set up today. All the plumbing was done, tank was filled with salt water, no leaks. The live rock was cured and ready to do. So the plan was that I would get up today and spend the whole day moving in the new live rock, then transfering the rock, sand, and livestock from the 46 gallon that the 180 was replacing.

    This all would have been great, except when I came home Thursday evening, the Rubbermaid trash can I was curing my live rock in a sprouted a nice leak! About 1/3 of the water was now on the floor of the garage, and the powerhead for the skimmer was barely below the water line. Had I come home an hour later, the powerhead would have burned up I'm sure.

    So I quickly moved the rock into the new tank. Then added the extra live sand I had purchased. The tank was clear enough on Friday that I decided to go for it and move the 46 livestock and rock into the 180. I am happy to report that all is well. Fish and tank are doing great. And because I had moved up the 180 schedule - I ended up do my monthly water change on the 240 today. Of course, in all the rush - I forgot to take pictures! UGGGGHHHH!

    So here's a quick picture of the 180. It's a bad photo - you can see the reflection of the 240 reef on the right side, but i wanted to get something up. In the future, taking photos of the 180 will have to be done with the 240 lights off!

    I'm still waiting for canopy. I decided today to frag some soft corals and mushrooms from the 240 and add them to the 180. Since this tank will house mostly non-reef safe Butterflies and Angels, I am curious to see if the new fish leave them alone or if they become tasty snacks.

    And, yes, the Moorish Idol is doing great. One more week in QT ought to do it. He aggressively eats everything I feed him, and has taught the Racoon Butterfly to eat as well.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  22. #72
    Master Reefer iglowce's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Anaheim, CA
    Posts
    602
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    i love all your tanks.. and you said "spend more time enjoying and less time messing wt the tank" i totally agree, i stop putting in new creatures, moving stuff around. finally my tank has some stability and i can totally see everything in there are happy and growing =]

  23. #73
    Master Reefer keyozoxmfc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Bay Area, California
    Posts
    679
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    ohhh man! danamck!!! im like kicking myself so hard right now! i cant believe i have never sat down to read this thread! i always just skim the pictures!! your tank is so amazing!!! this thread was very worth the like hour i have spent reading this at 3 am! lol

    and then again....now i hate you!!!! kidding kidding...but now i want to set up a big fowlr tank ...i always see the butterflies at the LFS. and then anthia schools and afhdjskahfldjksahfsldakjfhsldhf!!!!!!

    hahah dont you just love the bay area ..i do!

    and also were you the one who visited fish fish and more fish on lombard in sf? if you were ...you should check out lucky ocean aquarium on 2nd ave and between balboa and cabrillo in SF...my favorite place. may not look as nice as that place on lombard..and you may not think its nice...but thats the place !!! steve the owner and all the workers are great and help me out. and i have meet several reefing vets there as well!
    -Mark

    Tank Journal

    All Cows Smoke Grass.
    That is why we have HIGH GRADE milk.

    I've Got More Grams Than Teddy
    and don't worry, be hyphy

  24. #74
    Master Reefer Danamck's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Northern California
    Posts
    591
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    Ryan - Thanks for the compliment. I agree - the day you stop messing with your tank and just start enjoying it is a great day.

    Mark - Thank you as well. And yes - my wife and I are planning a day in the next few weeks to hit the fish stores in SF, so I will make sure we visit the ones you recommend. Right now - I have no room in my QT tank. My wife is so cool, she alrealdy know exactly what fish are going in the 180!

  25. #75
    Master Reefer keyozoxmfc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Bay Area, California
    Posts
    679
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    sounds like you got a keeper!!i just got my 10 gallon qt tank and i am going into fish....how was that 6 line wrasse?? did it pick at your corals?
    -Mark

    Tank Journal

    All Cows Smoke Grass.
    That is why we have HIGH GRADE milk.

    I've Got More Grams Than Teddy
    and don't worry, be hyphy

Page 3 of 13 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 5 ... LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 2 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 2 guests)

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •