Current Full Tank Shot - April 14, 2010


Current Full Tank Shot - February 2, 2010


Current Full Tank Shot - November 30, 2009


CURRENT LIVESTOCK LIST

Fish
- Banggai Cardinalfish
- Ocellaris Clownfish
- Citrinis Clown Goby
- Purple Firefish Pair
- Starry Blenny
- Lyretail Anthias Trio (one male, two female)
- Mystery Wrasse
- Melanurus Wrasse
- Blue Spotted Jawfish
- Kole Tang
- Desjardini Sailfin Tang
- Ornate Chrismas Wrasse

Clean Up Crew
- Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
- Blood Red Fire Shrimp
- 4 Yellow Sea Cucumber
- 3 Emerald Crabs
- 3 Tonga Fighting Conch
- Scarlet Reef Hermit Crabs
- Cerith Snails
- Astrea Snails
- Nassaius Snails
- Fuzzy Chiton
- Nerite Snails
- Berghia Nudibranchs
- Limpets

Inverts
- 2 Teardrop Maxima Clams
- French Polynesian Clam
- 9 Maxima Clams
- 2 Crocea Clams
- Sebae Anemone
- Fiery Orange Rock Flower Anemone
- Baby Bubble Tip Anemone Hitchhiker

SPS
- Purple Montipora Capricornis
- Tyree Flower Petal Montipora Capricornis
- Strawberry Field Montipora Capricornis
- Billy's Imperial Montipora Capricornis
- Furry Big Foot Montipora
- Radioactive Montipora Foliosa
- Superman Montipora
- ORA Red Planet Acropora
- Electric Blue Millepora
- Water Mellon Millepora
- Tricolor Acropora Valida
- ORA Borealis Acropora
- Tri-Color Prostrata Acropora
- Purple Bonsai Acropora
- Neon Green Caroliniana Acropora
- 30,000 Leagues Lokani Acropora
- 20,000 Leagues Lokani Acropora
- Tyree Pink Lemonade Acropora
- Reef Exotic Rainbow Acropora
- Vivid's Rainbow Delight Acropora
- Reverse Sunet Montipora Capricornis

LPS
- Open Brain Coral
- Branching green Hammer Coral with purple tips
- Branching green Frogspawn Coral with purple tips
- Branching orange Frogspawn Coral with pink tips
- Wall transparent neon green Frogspawn Coral
- Wall purple Anchor Coral
- Yellow Scroll Coral
- Neon Green Trumpet Coral
- Superman Chalice
- Bright red and green War Coral
- Dark Red and green War Coral
- Purple and Green Micromussa
- Pipe Organ Coral
- Red and green Blastomussa Wellsi
- Disco Fever Acan
- 4 unnamed Acans

Softies
- Purple Death Palythoas
- Spiderman Palythoas
- Mohawk Palythoas
- Magicians Palythoas
- BPE Palythoas
- African Blue Zoanthids
- Sweet Dreams Palythoas
- Lunar Eclipse Palythoas
- Flaming Mean Greens Zoanthids
- Superman Zoanthids
- Hot Flaming Redds Zoanthids
- Atomic Green Zoanthids
- Aqua Sunshine Zoanthids
- Sunny Sky Zoanthids
- 3 unnamed Zoanthids
- Lemon Meringue Ricordea
- Spring Rainbow Ricordea
- Fourth of July Ricordea
- Pacific Current Ricordea
- Midnight Orange Ricordea
- Limon Supernova Ricordea
- Ultra Toxic Ricordea
- Lemon Lime Ricordea
- Ocean Inside Sanctithomae Mushroom
- Superman Rhodactis Mushrooms
- Red and white spotted Mushrooms


-------------------------------------------------------------------------


START OF TANK BUILD
Hi guys. This is my first time posting such a thread. I have been lurking and posting occassionally for the past year or so. I currently have a 28g Nanocube HQI that has been up an running for more than a year. For some strange reason, I never took any pictures of that tank except for some random fish pictures. Anyway, I just bought a new 120g Oceanic Tech aquarium last April and this time made a conscious effort to take photos along the journey. I know it is not a nano but this site has been the main site I go to ever since starting this hobby so it is the place where I feel the most comfortable posting.

So here are some specs:

Current setup:
Tank: 120g Oceanic Tech, Starphire front glass, 48" w x 25" h x 24" d
Sump/Fuge: Custom built acrylic, 43" w x 18" h x 16" d
Return pump: Mag Drive 1200

Planned Equipment
Lights: 48" Coralife Aqualight Pro 2x250w HQI + 2x65w CF
Pumps: Ecotech Vortech mp40w (one for now, don't know if I need two)
Skimmer: ASM G-3
Chiller: JBJ Arctica Titanium Chiller DBM-250 1/3HP
Controller: Neptune Systems AquaController Apex System

Livestock
I will be moving all the fish and corals from my nano and putting it here.
My current fishes:
Banggai Cardinalfish
Ocellaris Clownfish
Citrinis Clown Goby
Purple Firefish
Fridmani Psuedochromis
Yasha Haze Goby with Pistol Shrimp
Starry Blenny

I'm still unsure of what other fishes I'll be putting in but I know I would like to get some Jawfishes, some Anthias, and a Sixline Wrasse.

This will be a mixed reef with mostly LPS and SPS. Not too much softies except for mushrooms and zoos.

On to some photos...
April 4 - Brought home and setup


April 12 - Sump/Fuge arrived




April 16 - Plumbing finished






April 16 - Leak test


April 24 - Mix the saltwater in the tank


May 4 - Finished drilling live rocks






June 2 - Cleaned out framing and added the finishing touches to make PVC structure blend in


June 25 - Add the deep sand bed







That's my progress so far. For those that do not know what I'm doing with the pvc, I am trying this "live framing" thing I read about in a magazine. I do not know if all my effort in doing this is going to pay off in the end but man it's alot of work. I am hoping for maintenance and fragging, this will really help me out alot. One thing I hate is mounting frags on the rock and everything comes crashing down and I have to spend hours trying to put everything back into place and I could never get it back the way it was previously. It is taking me way too long to get it done but since I decided to do it, I just have to keep at it.

I decided to add the deep sand bed in already so I can have it cycle while I finish the rest of the rock structures. I figured it would be easier to stick the pvc thru the sand than to get the sand in between the holes. I went with the deep sand bed because of the Jawfishes that I would like to get. I have the rocks currently in my refugium area. I will probably need more along the way. I will probably have a mini cycle every time I put a new structure in. I think it will be okay. I have not really had any ammonia spikes since the beginning. I have been keeping the rocks well watered while I drill.

Anyway, I am still fairly new in this hobby. I have learned quite alot from the past year I have had my nano. I have learned from reading on this site and the internet as well as books and I've also learned the hard way. I will be updating this as I progress and I would love to hear everyone's opinions and concerns especially if I am about to make a big mistake. I really want this to be set up properly from the beginning so that the rest of the way is just basic maintenance instead of dealing with problems that should not have happened because I did not do something the right way. So I will also be asking alot of questions.

That's it for now. Thanks for reading.

Woo! you got my attention i will be following, very nice tank!

Amazing!

I really like the live framing. DId you read about it in Marine Fish & Reef USA, also?

Looks like a clean set-up.

Thanks everybody.




Yeah that's where I got the idea. I have been reading that article over and over before I got the tank. I tried looking for other articles about it online but nobody seems to be doing. It seemed so simple but once I started doing it, I never knew drilling live rock is so hard. I had to find so many different drill bits. I tried a 1" drill bit but it just tore the rock apart. I am left using my dremel to bore the holes for the pvc stick into. So it takes me a while to drill one hole. I may try other methods of attaching the pvc hooks to the rock, like zip ties. I already put together the pvc frame for the next structures. I'll take pics when I can.

Looks good.I hve been thinking my next tank may be a tech series also.I have always liked them.

Thank you. Yeah I wanted a bigger tank but decided to put it off until we get a bigger house. Then I saw the Tech and I just could not get over it and was convincing my wife until she broke down. I almost got a different tank cause I could have gotten it cheaper without the starphire glass but the place I got it from gave me a great deal on the Tech so I went for it. I got it for $1595 for tank and stand. I love the stand. I didn't think the doors on the side would be a big deal but man do I use it more than the front. I don't have a top off right now so I use the side door to top off until I get the Aquacontroller.

Your setup looks really nice so far. I know how hard it is taking the time and doing things just the way you want it. Good luck, and I cant wait to see all the rock in there!

WOW i like what youve done with your rockwork!
also like the tank in genereal...how much did that thing set you back (money wise)

That tank/stand combo is sexy! And your attention to detail is top notch. I'll be followin along for sure.

The tank and stand was around $1740 with tax and the custom sump/fuge was $480.

Thanks again everyone. I'm hoping to work more on the rocks today unless the wife comes up with something for us to do.

lol you and me the same i have mts, the tank looks sexy with the stand and everything. also hang the light fixture it will make it keep the sexy. also 1 mp40 is alot of power and since the tank isnt so long i think that will be all you need not sure if you will need a other one.

Thanks. Yeah I was thinking of hanging the lights. I told my wife that I wanted to do that and she rolled her eyes. I just hope I don't get too lazy and just mount it on top.

As for the mp40. I am hoping that all I need is one. My only concern is the sand. I got some bigger grain sand but they are currently under the finer live sand. I'm thinking that I probably have to dial the mp40 down a bit to prevent sand storms. I never tried the mp40 or seen it live in action before nor have I had experience with fine sand, just gravel sized substrate. So I will just have to try it out.

BTW, what is "mts"?

Well my recent updates has been lost so here it goes again.

I have since added a sun coral tank attached to this tank. I posted it here last time but I decided to put it in the nano section since it is really a nano and a separate entity.

Click here to see the addition of my Sun Coral Tank

As for the this tank...

July 9 - Purchased JBJ 1/3hp Artica Chiller and Coralife 48" Aqualight Pro 250W HQI


July 12 - Let there be light! Coralife 48" Aqualight Pro 250W HQI mounted


So far I am happy with the lights. It looks great. I love the moonlights. They are pretty bright. Then again there is nothing in my tank. I'm still working on the wife to let me have it hanging from the ceiling. She just does not get how it would look much better than with the mounting legs. The chiller is alot quiter than I had expected, which is great. So far I am pleased with my purchases.

I have not gotten a chance to work on my rocks. I really want to get that done real soon. I am working on getting the Vortech mp40 soon and hopefully the Aquacontroller Apex as well.

Well that's it for now.

This tank... and the SC nano connected, will be TOTM here one day!!! Mark my words!!!

Amazing!!!

Don't get a sixline it will kill your yasha goby (it kill mine). A $20 fish is not woth the death of a $50 or more (yasha goby). Nice rock structure, I spend 3 months building mine out of dry live rock and then cure them for another 3 months before putting them together and into my 90 gallon. The structure is very sturdy and you will never have a problem with the aquascape falling apart.

^^^^ Did you really have to quote the entire post?!

If I ever finish the darn thing. It would be great and it's something I could definitely strive for but with so many awesome tanks around here I highly doubt it. Besides it's not a nano. Maybe the sun coral tank. Who knows. I'll do my best with the tanks atleast. All that matters is having a nice healthy tank that the family and I can enjoy.




Is that really true? Did you add the sixline first? I will have to do more research on this. I have a Fridmani Pseudochromis and they get along fine. Are sixlines more aggressive? My Yasha is pretty bold. He's always out and about. He's one of my favorites so I definitely will think twice about the sixline if that is the case.

I've always heard that six-lines in large aquariums are usually pretty docile.

Cool that's good to know. Thank you.

This is amazing.

Thank you.

Very Nice looking setup, clean and professionally done.

Thank you.

BTW, just an update. I finally got around to working on the rocks. I have about 1/3 of the wall structure that I will be puting in front of the overflow box. I have been slowly working on it since yesterday. Boy is it alot of hard work planning and drilling. I'm getting there though.

Nobody cares what you have to say.
Just hurry up with the pictures

Okay PIPS, I got a couple pictures...

July 26 - New ASM G3 Protein Skimmer purchased
July 27 - New ASM G3 Protein Skimmer installed




I figured I would clean the water up so the tank will be ready for the time I start moving my livestock over. I had originally planned on getting the skimmer later on but I have been feeding the heck out of my sun corals and I am sure there will be alot of gunk that will be kicked up when I start adding the rocks. I'm not quite sure how to work it very well. There were no instructions. If anyone has experience with them, please don't hesistate to chime in. I'm just letting it break-in for next couple of days then I'll start fiddling with it.

Anyway, not quite a big update. I finished mounting the rocks last night and just have to add the finishing touches to the pvc structure and I should have the rock wall in the tank within a few days. Hopefully I can work on it tonight and add it tomorrow. We shall see.

Awesome tank and shots.

Thank you.

Hello! I have the G2 and had to raise it up so that it is only 8" under water and it started to work alot better
then you just need to find the sweet spot for the best skimming

Thanks Maria. I will try to lower my water level. Did you ever do any mods to your skimmer? I've read that you have to do them to get the skimmer working its best. I'm not really up for doing mods right now. lol.

I think mine works great without the mods...I read a long arse thread on RC about modding the ASM and some say it's not worth it just find the sweet spot

Yeah I just read some of that too yesterday but no way was I going thru that whole thread. That is good to know. The people I have talked to said that they are great skimmers but after reading a few threads like the on RC, I started wondering how good can they be if you need to mod them. I guess I'll see after my skimmer passes the breakin period.

Could you explain the rock framing process? How you mounted the rocks and pvc together?

Sorry for the late reply. I wanted to take some pics so I can show you instead. Explaining with words alone would be too difficult. Better to show you.

So here's how I mount them...




So basically you drill a hole in the rock large enough to put the pvc thru and then you putty it in. It helps to drill holes in the pvc for the putty to go thru and hold. Drilling smaller holes off to the sides of the big hole helps give the putty a stronger hold as well. Use super glue gel as well. Now drill a hole in the pvc and square out the bottom part of the hole. Trim out the pvc that is attached to the rock to create a hook just big enough to hook on to the hole you just created on the pvc frame. Just like the picture. You just want to trim just enough to hold the rock to the frame. You don't want to trim too much or it will fall off unless the rock holds itself up. It's fairly simple in concept but drilling the rocks and aligning the hole is not so simple. I could not seem to find the right drill bit big enough to bore out a hole for the pvc to go thru. I was using the biggest drill bit I have which I think was 1/2" and using a dremel to open up the hole. Which took forever. I tried a 1" drill bit but it was just vibrating too much and breaking off the rock instead of making a clean hole. That is it. Hope I explained it well enough. Let me know if you have any more questions.

looks amazing i love the rock work and u did a great job explaining lol. idk u could make another rock pillar like that with a nice overhang? idk thats just IMO i love overhangs haha

Okay finally...update time!

July 30 - Wall structure finished












July 31 - Wall structure added to the tank


After 30 minutes...


All cleared up after a couple of hours




I am not quite finished and I am not quite satisfied with it right now. So far it has not turned out as I had planned but I think a few tweaks and it will be okay. Anyway, it is getting there. I don't plan on building any more large structures. The rest will all be small additions.

July 31 - New equipment arrived. Phosban Reactor 150, Vortech MP40w and Neptune System IO Breakout Box.


I have not openned them yet. I probably won't get a chance to install them until tomorrow. In caseyou guys are wondering why a IO Breakout Box, I have placed an order for an Aquacontroller Apex from Marine Depot. They don't have it in stock so I have to wait. The IO Breakout Box is for top off. I also have an MP10 on order as well for the Sun Coral tank.

That's it for now...




Thank you. I'm with you. I love them too. I tried adding some overhangs in the wall but I could not find longer pieces. I don't know if you could see the one in the middle. I really wanted a long one there. I plan on adding another small pillar with overhangs. I will try to add bridges as well. Stay tuned...

August 1, 2009 - Added more rocks

Looks freakin' Awesome!!!1

That rockscape is sweet.. Thats one nice set up.

Interesting method.

I love the dimensions of the 120 it just looks like there is so much room to play with! I'm loving how you are doing the rock scape very nice indeed. Are you thinking of putting in seperate islands to break up the rear back wall with the front? Or are you leaving it open for swimming space?

Thanks as always.




Thank you.




Yeah, I read it on a magazine and I thought I would give it a try. I don't know yet if all the work was worth it but atleast I will not have to worry about rock slides when I add corals or mess around in the tank. The set up is kinda semi permanent but I am pretty happy with the results. There are a few rocks I can still move around if I'm bored with the look.




Yeah I didn't plan on having such a huge back wall but with the rocks that I got and not really measuring things out accurately, things just ended up being larger than I had planned. I wanted a mix of swimming area and alot of caves and pillars. I don't think I quite achieved that but in the end I think I'm happy with how it turned out.

Anyway, the last pic I posted is not final setup. Below is what I think is the final scaping. So updated time.

August 3 - Final Aquascaping
















As you can see, I installed the Vortech as well. It blew up some fine sand that were on the rocks at first when I first turned it on to align the head. It was at full power and now that I lowered it down a bit, no more sand storms. I am quite impressed at how much water it moves. It was blowing particles from one end of the tank all the way to the other side. Other than the initial sand storm, there is really nothing in there so I cannot see what kind of effect it will have on corals just yet.

That's it for now. I'm going to test my water and see what kind of damage I caused putting the rocks in. I'll probably let it cycle for a week or two before adding my cleanup crew.

BTW, does anyone know how to get rid of those pineapple/q-tip sponges? I have so much on my back wall and sump. I know I can just probably just scrape it off but I don't want to cause a really big cycle. Are there any natural predators for them? I am hoping a few days of getting hit with MH that they will just slowly die off since I think they don't like too much light. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks for looking...

wow amazing setup.
that aquascaping method is amazing and pure genius!

Thank you. I wish I could take credit for it but I can't. All credit goes to Marine and Reef USA Annual 2008 magazine. That's where I got the idea from. I don't even know if they came up with it. lol.

looks perfect

I absolutely loved how the rockwork came out in the end. Goes to show you how patience DOES pay off in the end.

Thank you. Not yet, hopefully when it's fully stocked.




Thank you. I know it just might be me, but at first I was not quite satisfied with how it turned out but it is starting to warm up to me. I am not one to be fully satisfied with the first try anyway. I think I have messed around with it a little so, I think I have it to the point where I am happy with it. I will never really know until I start putting things in there. Anyway, I will be slowly moving my livestock from my nano probably within this coming week or the next.

lol, i think ur rock work is good enough u might not need coral. : )

Haha. All that money spent just to have a bunch of rocks. Though, those rocks are pretty expensive themselves. Yeah after I move all my livestock from my nano, I will have to chill out for a little while. Give my wallet and my wife some time to rest.