lilmatty5dimes Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 awesome tank. i'm in the process on building a rimless tank like this in the months to come. sump area looks really good. love the clean look. and when or if you ever need tubing for your dosing pump here a less expensive option. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Replacement-tubing-kits-Aqua-Medic-pumps-/140575471522?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20baf377a2 Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted December 31, 2013 Author Share Posted December 31, 2013 awesome tank. i'm in the process on building a rimless tank like this in the months to come. sump area looks really good. love the clean look. and when or if you ever need tubing for your dosing pump here a less expensive option. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Replacement-tubing-kits-Aqua-Medic-pumps-/140575471522?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20baf377a2 Cool, thanks for the pro tip! That looks awesome tj...love how organized it is. Didnt know you had a freshwater planted as well. The planted tank is actually a dart frog vivarium. Just sold it off tonight actually! That Sump is just wow TJ! Is that a pro flex? It is; I am not a massive fan of them, but they do work fairly well. They bow quite a bit though... the acrylic they use is too thin. Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted January 1, 2014 Author Share Posted January 1, 2014 Last night I haphazardly tossed some rock in the tank so that it will cycle sooner than later. Already starting to get some diatom algae so it is already well on its way. If all goes according to plan, I should have a partial CUC and some more corals in the tank by the end of next week. Link to comment
metrokat Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 Which clams are going in here? Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted January 1, 2014 Author Share Posted January 1, 2014 I am only planning to put 2-4 maxima clams into this system. I will purchase them when the system settles in. I won't be skimming this tank if I introduce clams. Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 Aquascaping & Coral Placement I want to talk a little bit about my plans for aquascaping and placement of corals in this aquarium. This step of setting up a reef aquarium is the one that I feel is most overlooked by the majority of new and older reef hobbyists alike. Taking the time to plan out your reef scape in as much detail as possible is one of the best ways to achieve the reef of your dreams while honing your ability to create a natural and full looking reef. Too often we find ourselves creating beautiful and intricate aquascapes with our live or base rock, only to later realize that it is actually taking up precious space for coral placement. The minimalist approach to rock work as been a good remedy for this, but nevertheless, we need to consider where we are planning to place which types of corals in order to accurately determine what rock formation will best support them without wasting space.For many years I have been a huge fan of a certain Japanese reef aquarium, and have linked to it several times in the past; some of you will have seen this tank already. This reef is, in my opinion, hands down the best aquascaped tank I have come across. The placement of corals and sessile inverts makes sense, and it comes across as natural and balanced. This is obviously still a matter of taste, and certainly won't be for everyone.This is the tank I am referring to: The separation of plating, tabling, and bush type acros from thicker branched staghorn growth formations gives this display its natural look and feel. The use of negative space around the reef helps to complete the illusion that this is an entire reef, rather than a close up view of a port of the reef. I also enjoy the placement of the clams up on the rockwork amongst the corals, as well as the lone derasa on the sandbed in the center of the aquarium where the rockwork opens up leaving a nice centered focal point where fish can swim in full view with the reef as their backdrop.My aquarium is considerably smaller than this Japanese reef, and I will have to compact the design in three directions to make it suitable for my peninsula style display. That being said, I am aiming to replicate the feel of this aquarium, rather than attempt to duplicate it. I have far less space for acros to grow enough to show their mature formations, and will have to keep much less variety in corals in order to achieve the same look. This simply means I will have to be more selective with the livestock I choose, and make sure that it serves its purpose in color, shape and placement. I will likely go through various SPS colonies over the life of the aquarium while trying to achieve the 'perfect' balance. I intend to have a mound of rock that is higher on one side of the aquarium (close to the overflow), with another mound that is much lower on the other side where the tank can be viewed from the shorter side panel. The low side is where staghorn SPS will be placed, and I already have a few in mind including the classic Green Slimer. The center between the two rocks may be left open for a large colony of Purple Rim Monti Cap, but I may also choose to bridge the mounds together with rock, and place a different color of Cap on each side to add variety to the mix. I haven't decided what types of tables or bush type Acros to use, but I will likely utilize a colony of Pink Birds nest, and possibly another color variant due to their predictable and stable growth, and vibrant coloration. Every system of mine has had a different goal, and at the end of the day, this tank isn't about the rarity of corals for me, so much as it is about getting the right selection of coral colors and shapes in the appropriate placements required to achieve my desired look.I intend to aquascape this weekend, and will update as soon as I am finished. Link to comment
Rehype Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Every system of mine has had a different goal, and at the end of the day, this tank isn't about the rarity of corals for me, so much as it is about getting the right selection of coral colors and shapes in the appropriate placements required to achieve my desired look. Totally agree with your methodology. Look forward to seeing what you come up with. Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share Posted January 4, 2014 Here is my first pass at aquascaping this reef; I have yet to glue anything down just in case I decide there is a more effective way to accomplish my end goals. This scape isn't all that much to look at and leaves a ton of open space above the rock work, but that is exactly what I need for all the corals I plan to put in this tank.I took a series of photos to try and capture the depth/dimension from all angles. For now I am happy with it. I will leave it for a week or so (or possibly the duration of the cycle) before committing and gluing everything in place. I want to put a lot of hard thought into this before pulling the trigger. I have already got a ton of ideas for coral placement with this scape, but you never know... I could come up with some tweaks here and there to make it better. Link to comment
Rehype Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Looks really good tj...i can definitely see your vision with this scape. Link to comment
metrokat Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Paint the plumbing black maybe? Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share Posted January 4, 2014 Paint the plumbing black maybe? I actually want it white Link to comment
BRADYBUNCH7 Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 This is Prob one of my favorite tanks on NR! Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share Posted January 4, 2014 This is Prob one of my favorite tanks on NR! Some very kind words, considering this tank still has no livestock... Link to comment
metrokat Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 That says a lot, considering this tank still has no livestock... Lol Ya. And look at all that water all willy nilly without any thought put into it. Link to comment
BRADYBUNCH7 Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Sorry It just looks like a great tank and I mean its my favorite that hasn't been filled because it seems to have some potential! Thats all I was trying to say! Ya. And look at all that water all willy nilly without any thought put into it. Some very kind words, considering this tank still has no livestock... Link to comment
metrokat Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Just teasing you. Welcome to the forum. Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share Posted January 4, 2014 Sorry It just looks like a great tank and I mean its my favorite that hasn't been filled because it seems to have some potential! Thats all I was trying to say! Yeah I was just yanking your chain Glad your enjoying my build! I promise it will only get better Link to comment
BRADYBUNCH7 Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 You should check out my build! I won't Dissapoint Link to comment
evo_2679 Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 TJ - glad you're back !!! Wicked build so far / following this thread!!! Link to comment
Arkayology Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 The scape looks pretty nice. Great equipment list too! I'll be following. Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 Just got a package with the supplements I am planning to use on this system. Trying to keep things cost effective without losing out on quality; SK Aquaristik makes a solid line of dry additives that I am really going to enjoy premixing! Their packaging looks pretty awesome too, and zip-lock never hurts. Link to comment
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