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A Carib.Castle: Naughty Nibblers... June '15 pics/vid, Razors, 125g, diy LR


eitallent

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Starting an Index before I get too far behind:

 

April 2015 Pictures

 

Apirl 2015 short video

 

New frags from PEA

 

New frags from Flsvedlund

 

Close up pictures of YH Jawfish

 

Farm pictures

 

New arrivals MM Blennies!

 

My second First Fish! :lol:

 

My first fish Delayed! :(

 

Added DIY rocks & Media Basket Mod and skimmer from InTank for the AC110

 

It is raining snails! CUC arrived from ReefCleaners.org

 

New Macros and Copepods :) gorgeous dragon's breath from FlCandy!

 

Razors are hanging. Woo Hoo! Excellent FTS

 

DIY rocks and Mellow Jello :happy:

 

~~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~

[start of first post]

 

This lucky ducky got a new 72' x 18'" x 22" 125 gallon glass tank for Christmas.

 

2012-12-11_06-20-49_875_zpsea3364d8.jpg

 

Ocelot is trying to claim it as his own. :)

 

I had to tile the spot where the tank will go. Eventually the whole living room will be tiled but once the tank is set up it will not be moved!

 

I did not like the hieght of the regular stock tank cabinets. After many ideas I decided on a commercial metal shelving unit. I will add two more shelves in the middle space and Hubby is attaching it to the wall and triangle braces on the sides to add front-to-back stability. I will take more pictures as it comes together.

 

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We put together a top and now I need to stain it and seal it to make it water proof.

 

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I will be using dry reef sand and making my own live rocks. I just made my first one this day before yesterday. I like it. It is really porous, the water flows right through. It is curing in some fresh water now to leach out the excess lime. The curing water tests at pH 12.5. I will try different ratios of ingredients to see what I like best.

 

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That is all for now. Here is some of the links to the websites I found very helpful:

 

Reefcleaners.org info page

 

How to do info page on GARF.ORG (some links are broken on this page)

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ApiratenamedJohn

I will follow this one. You guys have some great ideasand it will be super helpful for me to watch your progress as i just got a 300 gal i want to set up. The rock looks good it will be interesting to see how it looks in the tank.

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I will follow this one. You guys have some great ideasand it will be super helpful for me to watch your progress as i just got a 300 gal i want to set up. The rock looks good it will be interesting to see how it looks in the tank.

Thanks!

 

I have drawn out the kind of rocks I want to stack up like legos. Then each will be removable to frag corals off or clean pests, etc. The hard part will be making the rocks look like what I have invisioned!

 

I tested the pH in the soak water for my first live rock. It tested at 12.5. Not ready yet! :P

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My dream is to have some special fish in this tank. I am searching for ways to make sure they get the best nutrition. Part of that nutrition will be whole foods like newly hatched brine shrimp, decapsulated brine shrimp eggs, shaved frozen clams from the supermarket (from Paul Baldassano), and maybe some live black worms (also from Paul.) B)

 

Here are some of the links that I have found helpful to me:

 

Shrimp egg online supply: http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/

 

Shrimp hatchery by Paul.b on Albert Thiel's NanoReef.com thread.

 

Slow release BBS feeder by Paul.b on Albert Thiel's thread.

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TeflonTomDosh

So you think those metal units are going to support 1000 lbs of tank & water alone? Not to mention rock/sand. Probably talking close to a ton. What are they rated for?

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Thanks for stopping by. :)

What kind of special fish? I cant even begin to imagine how to stock such a large tank.

 

Mandarins, wrasses, tangs, gobies, etc. :happy:

 

So you think those metal units are going to support 1000 lbs of tank & water alone? Not to mention rock/sand. Probably talking close to a ton. What are they rated for?

 

These are commercial grade and each is unit rated for 2000 lbs. I have two units which means I can load it up to 4000 lbs. Each shelf is rated to hold 800 lbs. In addition I added two more shelves in between each unit for added stability. We have tried racking it from side to side and front to back and it does not budge.

 

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We are finishing it up today with the ebony stain and varnish for the top. It will be set up penninsula style and lag bolted to wall studs.

 

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It was too cold to varnish the top today. The live rocks are turning out well. I am still experimenting with the ratios of Portland cement, sand and aggregate. FUN!

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Planning how to rockscape in a 72 inch long tank is a pleasure. There are so many options it is hard to choose one. I plan on dividing the tank into fifths and placing islands in each section with bridges and arches connecting them together.

 

As far as corals I want lots of color and movement. I am definitely going with some photosynthetic Gorgonians. There is an excellent new article about these on reefbuilders.com.

 

Flow is important and tricky in a tank like this. I am saving up my stoneys for VorTech powerheads. According to their calculator my tank can use the mp10 or mp40 for the thickness of the glass (3/8"). So I am planning on the wireless mp10's, starting with two since I will not have SPS corals initially. The wireless powerheads talk to each other and create wave modes of your choice.

EcoTech's info page: http://ecotechmarine.com/products/vortech/vortech-mp10/

EcoTech's calculator for powerheads/flow http://ecotechmarine.com/calculator/

 

Bulkreefsupply.com has excellent how-to videos and

 

I hope this helps out any newbies like me trying to learn as much as possible about this addictive hobby! :)

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This weather is just not cooperating! When it is warm enough out to apply the finish to the top it is too humid and windy! Now we are expecting severe weather with moderate chances of tornados! UGH!

 

Meanwhile I am experimenting with hatching brine shrimp eggs. I use a 1 liter bottle with the bottom cut out, and the cap tightly on I stand it in a pub glass lid down. I add 2 cups of sw from my aquarium and half a cup of RO water, add a bubbler, use the bottom to cover the splashing, heat with a light bulb (~80 F) & the hatch will happen (:fingerscrossed:) in 24 to 35 hours depending on the temperature.

 

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Hi, ApiratenamedJohn. It worked! I had tiny baby brine shrimp 24 hrs later! :happy:

 

Here is Skipper from my Nano Cube gorging himself silly!

 

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Just a heads up I think you, Albert and readers, might appreciate. Being in the research phase for new lighting for my new 125 g this was an awakening:

 

From a posting on reefcentral.com by user Janetora on 01/04/2013

 

Quote:

 

Warning! Ebay LED Lght-FIRE!!

 

I bought this light http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=281021489328 and a 30 watt 12000K. The Actinic light caught fire around midnight the 24th of December. The fire started somewhere in the LED housing. Insurance company fire investigators now have the unit. Luckily the schools sprinklers put out the fire. Unluckily the sprinklers flooded the school. I not only lost all my fish, corals, tanks, pumps, etc to the fire, everything in my room was ruined and is now unusable because of the water damage. Years of teaching materials gone! Between the smoke and HUGE water damage to seven other classrooms, the cost of repairs is going to be somewhere between $500,000 to a Million dollars. Insurance is suppose to cover the costs but it can't bring back what is lost!

 

End Quote

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Here is my latest pile of DIY rocks. I am experimenting with making legs and stackable, interlocking rocks. I got quite a few things to work out still. -_-

 

The glare does not allow the caves, nooks and crannies to show up but you get the idea...

 

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Stacked another way...

 

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Closer still...

 

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My hope is to leave sand below the rockscape accessible to fish, snails and other sand dwellers...

 

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This is my outdoor helper today, who showed up months ago. I have fattened him up and am trying to earn his trust so that I can take him to get snip-snipped (the ultimate betrayal) and keep him. He has been named Mellow Jello.

 

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Back when I first started my tank I seriously thought about making my own rock because real live or dry rock was a very large expense compared to a bag of aragonite and some cement...

 

But I was slightly dissuaded by the time needed to cure... That and I wasn't sure if I would be able to make and decent shapes.

 

Your shapes look interesting I hope to see this one as it's set up.

 

As for lighting, that's going to be tough! LED is going to be hard because it's so long. I'm thinking T5 would be easiest, DIY some 36 or 48" bulbs into the canopy.

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Back when I first started my tank I seriously thought about making my own rock because real live or dry rock was a very large expense compared to a bag of aragonite and some cement... But I was slightly dissuaded by the time needed to cure... That and I wasn't sure if I would be able to make and decent shapes. Your shapes look interesting I hope to see this one as it's set up. As for lighting, that's going to be tough! LED is going to be hard because it's so long. I'm thinking T5 would be easiest, DIY some 36 or 48" bulbs into the canopy.

 

I am thinking about three of these RapidLed lights with neutral whites instead of cool white and substitute the green with a cyan. I calculated the cost of building the solderless kit to the one they offer already assembled and it is $100+ more...

 

I would line them up evenly over the length of the tank and about 12" above the water's surface and tht should cover it.

 

What do all of you think? Ideas? Experiences with this company? Thanks!

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Hello PirateJohn and Gena. :) And everyone who reads this! :)

 

Hubby and I thought we could get the stand level, tank level, sand rinsed and SW in the tank. Time to get wet right? Wrong. :(

 

Our concrete floor has more waves than Cape Hatteras during a hurricane. We used self-leveling concrete to smooth it out and tiled the floor which evened it out a bit more but STILL it did not eliminate some of the high spots. BAH! So it took all day but we did get it level. However, we will have to level again when the weight of the sand and water is in it. I will take pictures when that momentous occasion comes to pass.

 

Ho hum... I will be rinsing sand through out the week and I will attack on Saturday!!! :lol:



Nice! I like the clown goby, always been one of my favorites.

 

He is too sweet to look at and his clowning around keeps me gazing through the glass at him.



125g omgomgomg

I just stumbled across this thread. I had no idea!!!!! :D

Awwww...Mellow Jello. What a pretty kitty. Love the name too :)

 

Yes! Finally some room to play in the 125g! :happydance:

 

Mellow Jello has a name that fits; he is like a big, squishy bowl of jello and he is very chill. :D

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jedimasterben

Is that ceramic tile that is going to be under the tank?

 

Also, for waterflow, I would start with two MP40, not MP10. If you did MP10, I would do a minimum of four, one on each end and two on the back. Two MP10 are barely enough to get the water moving for a 4' long tank.

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Is that ceramic tile that is going to be under the tank?

 

Also, for waterflow, I would start with two MP40, not MP10. If you did MP10, I would do a minimum of four, one on each end and two on the back. Two MP10 are barely enough to get the water moving for a 4' long tank.

 

It is an outdoor/indoor porcelain tile. It is the the same color all the way through so minor chips are not as visible. It is r

rated for heavy to extra heavy traffic and up to 750 lbs breaking strength. We installed it in the utility room and it is impervious to water and the grout we used has the epoxy sealant and it does not stain.

 

Do you have concerns regarding the tiles? Thanks for your input on the PHs.

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jedimasterben

You'll have a seriously large amount of weight concentrated into eight 1" areas. I would reconsider using that type of stand and go with something with more surface area, otherwise the tiles might break from such pressure on such a small area.

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