LOL! Still funny!!!!



Thanks, yeah wiring is a total PITA! I'm just leaving the sand for now, I'd like to minimize the rock near the display panels, but I'll mess around with it eventually.



Thanks!



Thanks!



I sure hope so, better to have too much than not enough... Corals can adjust up, terrible to get them to adjust down...



Available after the baby comes in March, and as soon as I have an all expenses paid trip.

BTW, Stevie if you print it, I'll hang it.

calvin, what sand are you using, looks great did the flow shape it that way, or did you manually shape it?
I'm actually building something similar but not as long; 6ftx16"x18"(h) and you have given me some great ideas (sorry for copying, but your ideas are better than mine).

+1 to this tank!
totally looking sweet Calvin. well done!
anyway beside chromis,
can I recommend this fish?

In my place, the owner of the fish shop calls it Mini Dart Goby. Scientifically, they are called Aioliops Megastigma. Does that sound familiar to anybody?
well, they are a school-lover. Always see them hovering over my friend's spses. will look great when you have a school of them
or,
may I recommend some cardinals? heh

and nice narration in your video. quite cute too haha

It's sugar fine aragonite and the flow is continuing to shape the sand bed... Copy away.



Thanks! I'll have to look into those, if you have an online source please post it up...

Well nothing new to report except that I'm out of cash.

I still have some endcaps and standoffs to buy and I'm working on a way to make that happen... It might be a little bit for another update, but I'll be back as soon as I can.

You sir are the man

i am also out of cash for my project, got to wait for the wife to throw us some bones our way eh

Begging the wife for an advance in your allowance?

Edit: It would seem Boomboy and I think alike......he just typed it faster.

its a common thing with the married men in this hobby.

My fiance put a spending cap on the aquarium. That's why I'm going LED for the lights everything is under $20 it's just that there are a lot of everything.

why is she still your fiance?!?!?! lol

Awesome tank Calvin, can't wait to see it with some corals in it.

The wedding is in March I plan on running away with the tank before then!

i would give up 100 tanks before i left my wife. she is the greatest, hence why i married her.

OH WOW! It's been awhile since I looked at this thread! Thumbs up! And when your head explodes,Something even better,with even more win will be created! Kinda like the big bang theory? And then it starts all over!

One of the advantages to being single...*Thinks to self* "I want to buy something for my tank..." *considers* "Okay I think I will go and buy something for my tank..." *Off to LFS*

See that's what i'm saying!!!!!! no worries Stevie.. I'll print it.. i'll do it up real nice too.. i'll even frame it for you calvin.....It has to go on the wall.. just fits with this build IMHO.

calvin...once i get it printed and framed i'll pm for your address so i can send it.
srsly..

I want to live in the cabinet under this tank.. i'll just lay on top of the sump...just need a ball of chaeto to lay my head on.

LOL! Thanks!



Yeah, I'll probably just buy some anyway this weekend, but giving it a week usually helps both of us...



Not sure it's the hobby as much as it's just facts of life... Never enough moolah no matter how much is made. My folks make way, way, way more than us and seems like they have the same problems. LOL!



I don't have a cap, but I'm not to charge anything so sometimes it take a little bit to get the cash together.



Thanks! If I could just get through this darn cycle things could move much faster.



Ditto! Granted I would miss the fish, but there is no replacing her or my boys!



Yeah, I already have even more tank ideas in my head, but just out of room.



LOL! Just let me know when.

No updates to report, I'm still waiting for my nitrites to come down, and my CUC is ordered will be here on Friday.

Are you anticipating adding the livestock as much as we are?

Im stoked to see this tank in a couple months, its awesome. Youre an inspiration.

Speaking of livestock. I saw you posted about having SPS and clams in the tank. How do you think it will affect the flow in such a long tank when the SPS start to grow upward and branch out? Could make for some interesting flow paths but may lead to more sand problems for you. Do you plan to trim regularly and keep the whole bonsai thing going? The whole build is very neat and clean thus far. Or do you intend to just let them grow how they grow and do their thing? As the taller coral start to fill it will really look spectacular but how it will change the pattern of flow in a tank of this shape should be really neat to see.

Another coral note. You should try a fungia of some type and record how long it takes it to travel the length of the tank, LOL. You could observe some very interesting aspects of the movement of coral just because of the length of the tank you have.

Keep up the good work.

Bill

Thanks! Couple months? I was thinking couple years...



Thanks Bill, yes SPS along with all the livestock will certainly affect the flow in the tank, but I'm already looking into a vortech on a wavemaker to help in the flow area. It will not be packed with SPS, but intead will have my favorite choice pieces in the upper half of the tank, which I will let grow to a respectable size (compliment the tanks dimensions) and then continue to frag to keep it in check. I hope by the time I reach this point I will be able to offer some sweet frag packs for some very cheap prices. The lower regions should be fine with the closed loop and will be reserved for LPS and a few choice softies. The large sand bed will be for a Derasa clam, while this certainly isn't the bigger clam, I figure it will have the same effect as a Gigas in a larger tank. Once I have the tank balanced I have no issue fragging and cutting what is needed to maintain a zen feel and keep everything to scale. Great question, thanks for asking!


By way of news, there is not much new to report, tank is still mid cycle, not sure what has been holding up the Nitrites, they've been sitting at about 1.0 all week. I added one of the large amp's of Prodibio, been dosing Brightwell's Nitobacter and still nothing so tonight I decided to experiment. I tested my nitrites, still at about .75, and I added 2 Tbs of white sugar to the sump. 6 hours later (30 min ago) I tested again and they were down almost to .50 already! I've been talking with members of our local club and finally decided to give it a shot, holy crap it's working! I will be looking at making this a VSV tank going forward.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php

Well by morning there was a film all over the tank and Nitrites were down to about .375 but after 2 min with a magnet had half the tank clear again. I'll test again this afternon.

Sorry I didn't get to post last night, but the bacteria ended up blooming (tank is cloudy), so I guess I added too much sugar. LOL! At least the chromies are still kickin. I tested last night and nitrites were down to about .125 so I bet they are all gone by now. I'll test again when I get home and hopefully that will be the end of the cycle for the tank... I am starting to get a small diatom bloom but the clean up crew will be here Friday. I'm going to order my endcaps and standoff either today or tomorrow, so hopefully I'll have the lights all done soon!

Sweet calvin thats awesome

lol your clean sandbed made me go down to the beach and get another 4kilos of sand, nice and clean white
and with them came silicates, and with that came a small diatom bloom
damn you calvin, damn you!
hahah
whats your CUC like?

Sorry about that East.

CUC is 50 Nassarius, 25 Astrea Snails, 25 Nerite Snails 2 Mexican Turbos and 2 Emerald Crabs

I also just ordered the rest of my endcaps, standoffs and some more bulbs hopefully everything will be here by Thursday/Friday.

haha, nah it was coming for a while, my sand bed was way too shallow, and its nice and white now no little brown particles in this lot
u didnt get any hermits? how come?
how much did all your lighting cost, btw? excluding the cosmetic parts (the frame, and any covering you plan) just the hardware?

Hermits are mean little buggers and I don't want a tank full of empty shells from them killing off my snails. Plus in the event of a red-bug outbreak with the SPS, I can nuke the tank without worry about loosing my CUC.

Not sure on the lighting, I've been piecing it together for a while now, but I have 3 IceCap 660's w/ harnesses, 12 pairs of endcaps, 12 pairs of standoffs, 12 reflectors, 12 t-5 bulbs and a coil of solid core copper wire for extending the wiring to the end of the tank. The 12 channel connecting bars for the wire connections were I think 12.99 each. I don't know what I've actually spent, I probably don't want to know... The lumber thus far is $50, and I still need to buy the plywood and vinyl.

Here's tonights test results:



Looks like I'm good to go. Just need to get my CUC and lights finished and it will be time to get started!

looking awesome in there

Thanks! Long ways to go still...

baller status....

Congrats on the completion of your cycle. Can't wait for the next step.


Adolfo

Are you going to be adding any bristle stars? or shrimp? I've been looking into non-hermit CuC members to help with detrius buildup but am not having a lot of luck. I'm thinking of getting a couple of those mini-brittle stars to help. I'm getting some nasty red slime from all the detrius on the rocks not getting cleaned up.

LOL! Thanks!



Thanks, I can't wait to get started stocking it!



I might add some shrimp down the road, and I'm sure I'll have plenty of mini-bristles but never had any issues with only snails, quite the opposite actually.

Verified the rest of my lighting will be here on Friday, and I am officially on the wait list with ORA (through a LFS) for a pair of Picasso Clowns. ETA is April...

well i think you found your center piece fish!!

Now you need a huge carpet anemone!

i would go with a RBTA, the colour in those things are just unreal and pop out.

WOW! How far you have come in just the few short weeks since I last checked up on you! I love it!

Hello Calvin,
once again, nice thread and fishes! ORA clowns in my place go for a bomb. How much does these 2 fellas cost you? (:

Anyway, what brand of test kits are these? (:

MJ

they are api

Dude that pair of clowns is gonna be awesome they will look so good in youre tank but I wouldnt be able to wait til april that for sure

Nah, I just didn't want any clowns in the tank until I saw these guys... no one will be screaming Nemo looking at them! LOL! Still looking for a center piece, but really leaning towards a powder blue tang.



Nope, no anemone's in this tank...



Nope, going to be way too much stuff to risk it to one of these guys.



Thanks!



The pair will cost enough... Test kits are API, cheap, reliable, and easy to read!



Yep



Yeah, I don't think I'll have trouble waiting, it should give me time to find some money... Plus time to make sure everything is stable before I put them in.


A friend came over tonight with his vortech, and I now I have to have one of these too! Man, will it ever end!?

I want one of those vortechs they are great. This hobby never stops Cal there is always something we want or "need"

Thanks for showing the Vortech. I was hoping 1 would be powerful enough to make waves in my 6 footer. Perfect!

Wow, I was looking at getting a MP40W for my 2ft, now i'm just gonna stick with the MP20

That's a testament to how strong the vortechs can be. Wow.