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OF2F's New Tank: Round 3

36K views 189 replies 17 participants last post by  onefish2fish 
#1 ·
Well, Im at it all over again. For those of you just joining us feel free to catch up:

Round 1
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...fish2fishs-bowfront-salt-tank-progress-17236/

Round 2
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...videos/onefish2fishs-new-one-round-2-a-20611/

and Round 3 is here! stay for the fight, im hoping for a knockout! :lol:

Well.. after a few personal ups and downs over the last year or so i decided im not fully happy without a tank. To be more specific, a saltwater tank.
The tank is something i do have, which is a 40 breeder, but over the course of however long it takes me, just about all equipment will need to be purchased ( more like re-purchased :roll: ) all the way down to the refractometer.
The plan is to set up the 40 breeder with a 40 breeder sump ( already built back home just have to go back and pick it up ) leaving me with about 80 gallons of tank volume. ( i say "about" because the sump isnt full to the rim. ) i am also hoping i can dig out one of my old skimmers to use on this tank as well as that would save me a great deal in itself. im not even sure if i still have any of them.
this isnt going to be the fastest of builds, so i hope i didnt ruin anyones lunch by not having a bunch of progress to show.
A big part of the plan i cant decide on yet is if i want to have most, if not all my flow come from the return pump and loc-line setup or invest some cash into a wireless vortech mp10. either setup would have a "clean look" IMO but those vortechs arnt cheap and i think the end result i would like 2 of them which just cracks the piggy bank even more. i guess i could always start with one.
In the next month i should be ordering a few things for this tank. I think my first 3 purchases are going to be a 700gph glassholes kit, AWI RO/DI, and 80lbs marco rock that will come dry and need time to establish itself. the dry rock process alone is going to put this tank on hold for awhile, but this will allow me to get working on the stand and save some money for this project. i warned you it would be slow. :-(
 
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#126 · (Edited)
i hope everyone enjoyed their holidays.

i got 3 books for christmas this year ( not pictured, the new encyclopedia of saltwater fish ) all 3 seem to be good finds. i covered them per my homeroom teachers rules, more so to keep them new...


another reef keeper


new food ill be giving a whirl


bunch of corals from my other tank added


among them, what appears to be a shorter stalked clove polyp which looks awesome


i ordered lights yesterday.
 
#127 ·
i forgot to mention, i added a reflector to my sump light, its not the silver aluminum kind but one i had from a heat lamp. i needed this for awhile now. so much better then being blinded everytime your working under the tank lol, esp since i havnt added doors to the stand yet either.

 
#128 ·
if those blue clove polyps you have there start to take off becarefull nott o have them to close to another rock as they will spread extraordinarily fast and can be problematic to remove.super cool coral though i really dig em when they are next to green star polyps.any other close ups of some coral?:)
 
#129 ·
i have kept xenia, even blue xenia; cespitularia and pinkish/brown clove polyps before some with green mouths. all were fast growing but the clove polyps being the fastest. NOTE** all had long stalks leading to their polyps.

these do have a stalk but it is very very short leading to the polyp. they may very well be a clove polyp that was so close to the light they didnt produce a normal long stalk as i got them from a frag rack 2-3'' below the surface.
 
#130 ·
alot from my tank at home. multiples of some to sell or trade to get different corals. keep in mind lighting is yellow as i dont have my "real lights" yet


i got alot of green zoas



nuclear greens,


i think this is a milli, i dont remember


i dont remember this one either, knob coral or stylophora it seems


large hairy mushroom


originally wasnt going to do mushrooms in this tank... i guess i gave,


close up of caulastrea, polyps extended


close up, without polyps extended


coraline close-up


heres a chalice in the home tank ( to small to frag )


 
#132 · (Edited)
ive got to agree with that coral being a clove polyp, of some sort. again its "stalks" are very short, almost as if the polyps are like zoathids are close to the rock. theyve streched out slightly since having them but they came from being very close to lights actaully growing on the frag rack itself. i liked their look so i clipped a piece of the rack they were growing on ( its a DIY eggcrate rack ) and just super glued the eggcrate chip to rubble. i hope they stay as short as they are. as ive mentioned i also have clove polyps that have 2-3 inch "stalks"


in the future ( however long it takes ) i hope to have a bunch of different colored ricordia and acans. i might also do zoanthids and maybe even chalice but i think my main future focus is rics and acans.

speaking of chalice, those last 2 pictures on page 13 are in my tank at home. the second picture was taken about a month before the one above it was. its amazing to see how many new eyes formed. good stuff.
 
#133 ·
you know its funny as i was going to mention how nice it would be to get some ricoreas in there but i figured you wouldnt want to hear more recomendations.and i have had ton of those clove polyps.i have seen at least 5 differnt types of clove polyps but only about 3 types of xenia.those cloves should stay real short and blue if you have alot of light or purple when things arent so bright.have you seen the green cloves and the rainbows?
 
#135 ·
package came other day


knock off LEDs, theyre non-dimable but i like them so far





heres green zoanthids under my last light ( 2 strip t5 fixture )


i have to play more with the white balance on my camera but here they are with the blues of the LEDs


much better..


i think i am going to put 2 bulbs of t5s along with these LEDs. its in the works...
 
#137 ·
the first pic of coral is with my old light i had temp. until these lights came in. the 2 blue pictures of the coral are with just the blue LEDs on.
here is a coral picture with both white and blue LEDs on, again have to play around more with white balance on camera..


i already have the t5 ballasts and i ordered the bulbs and reflectors but im waiting for them to come in the mail. i believe i got 1 true blue bulb and 1 fiji pink. the LEDs give off a nice blue already ( not as blue with the whites on though ) so that 1 extra blue t5 bulb should help..the pinks more for my fish colors. im thinking ill have blue LEDs come on, hour or two later white, hour or two later both t5s, then towards end of day, t5s out, then whites then blues and id like to get a single LED or something for a moon light to be on for an hour or two.. we shall see.
 
#138 ·
an unrelated question in regards to your comment..why would one have to play with there camera.i have heard of this a few times but i never got a good justification asides from the photographer doesnt think it looks as good as it does in person as far as actinics and then the picture is edited. is this the case in most coral photos?
 
#139 ·
alot of cameras have the option to set the white balance. some you can take a picture of something white ( under whatever lighting your photographing ) a good way to do this is to use a piece of PVC in the tank to set it. at quick glance my camera didnt have this type of option but it still might, i just havnt found it yet. so far i only found a manuel adjustment.

setting the white balance will make the colors look less blue in photos but still provide the colors of the corals, how they are seen in real life. i think id rather have a picture come out as close to it looks in real life by doing this.
 
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