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AcroporaLokani's Frag Tank


AcroporaLokani

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AcroporaLokani

29 gallon frag tank on page 5

 

Here are my two AquaPod 12 gallon HQI frag tanks, They have been setup for about two months and i am starting to stock them with SPS coral. I have upgraded the stock pumps in both tanks to maxi-jet 1200s, They both have 25 watt heaters in chamber four. I also have about one pound of live rock in chamber two of both tanks. I took out the stock media before i even started the tanks.

 

The tanks on the left has both stock pumps in it, in total with the maxi-jet 1200 as the main water pump it has 615 gallons of water movement an hour or about 51 times turnover rate an hour.

 

The tank on the right has two maxi-jet 1200s and a koralia 3, One maxi-jet is in chamber one the other is the main water pump. It all adds up to 1440 gallons an hour or 120 times turnover rate.

 

(Maxi-jet 1200 rated at 295 gallons and hour, Stock AquaPod 12 gallon water pumps rated at 160 gallons an hour, Koralia 3 rated at 850 gallons an hour)

 

I am happy with the 120 times turnover rate but i am not happy with the 51 times turnover rate, I plan on only having SPS and zoanthids in both tanks and i feel that the 51 times turnover rate is not enough (for me that is).

 

There is a 70 watt SunPod metal halide on both tanks, i am very happy with the SunPods but i may upgrade to a better wattage in the future. I also run both tanks with out the glass top.

 

Both tanks run at about 78F and they may swing to as high as 79F.

 

I have three layers of eggcrate in both tanks the top will be for SPS only and the 2nd and 3rd layers will be for zoanthids.

 

I had some sand in there but it was a sandstorm and i did not expect to have so much flow in the tanks, so i took it all out.

 

Well here are the tanks.

 

img4901fv3.jpg

 

Heres a small montipora cap.

 

img4923ty6.jpg

 

Top down shot of the tank on the right.

 

img4918uo9.jpg

 

Heres a full tank shot of the tank on the left I do not have any SPS in there as of yet only a few LPS and finger leathers.

 

img4941xr7.jpg

 

Heres a picture of the water movement for the tank on the right, 120 times turnover rate.

 

img4916wz0.jpg

 

Heres a picture of the current on the left tank, 51 times turnover.

 

img4933ot2.jpg

 

 

 

I ordered some acropora and montipora so i will be updating with new pics soon.

 

Thanks for looking .

 

 

 

AcroporaLokani

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AcroporaLokani

Here are the acropora and montipora.

 

 

 

img5004sm9.jpg

 

img5069qg2.jpg

 

This is a very cool monti it has white flesh and green polyps.

 

img4984zy1.jpg

 

img4991et5.jpg

 

 

 

Here's an above shot without flash.

 

img5080ie8.jpg

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AcroporaLokani

I added a protein skimmer to one of the tanks, Its an Aqua-C Remora.

 

img5053bw7.jpg

 

Protein skimmer water feed pump in chamber two.

 

img5052bi1.jpg

 

After 24 hours of skimming.

 

img5055rf3.jpg

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AcroporaLokani
what are those two cups on the back of the tank on the left?

 

 

They had bubble tip anems in them but i moved them to my main tank.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the feed back every one.

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AcroporaLokani
That white flesh and green polyp looks sweet!

 

 

Yea, Ive never seen a monti like that one before, And the picture doesn't make the green polyps look as good as in real life, they just glow in person.

 

I also got some stuff so i can make my frag plugs.

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  • 3 weeks later...
AcroporaLokani

Ok well made about 350 frag plugs in two different sizes.

 

 

I used dixie cups to form these ones.

 

img5144ma6.jpg

 

img5117ps0.jpg

 

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For these ones i spread out cement on a trash bag and used a piece of PVC as a "cookie cutter".

 

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Heres both of them on some egg crate so you have an idea of the size of the two.

 

img5278is8.jpg

 

Heres some pink stylo, white montipora and green candy cane frags

 

img5249lb1.jpg

 

Heres another pick of the candy canes.

 

img5206ca6.jpg

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AcroporaLokani
I think the idea of the dixie cups...

 

awesome tanks!

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

As for curing them i soaked them for two days in distilled white vinegar and then after the vinegar i soaked them in water for 24 hours.

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AcroporaLokani
what recipe did you use? there are so many out there...

 

I used regular S type cement you can find it at almost any home improvement store, I have never added sand or anything to my frag plugs. Then for curing i soak them in vinegar for 48 hours.

 

 

Awesome tanks!

 

But when you want to move something from the bottom tray you have to remove all the others?

 

Yes, but i rarely have to move anything on the bottom trays and if i have to move some thing i usually move it when i clean the bottom of the tank or do a water change.

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  • 2 weeks later...
AcroporaLokani
What is the potint of this tank. I love it! Is the puropse to get small frags and grow them for your reef tank? Or to sell?

 

Thanks,

 

I am looking to sell the frags and grow my favorites out, I have already made about 100 frags and i will be posting pictures of them in the next day or two.

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So your taking a larger frag breaking it down and selling each frag for more to profit off of them. Why can't you just put them in a reef tank and then frag when they get big or ready.

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AcroporaLokani
So your taking a larger frag breaking it down and selling each frag for more to profit off of them. Why can't you just put them in a reef tank and then frag when they get big or ready.

 

Well, with some that is what i did grew them out and then fragged them, with others i ordered colonies of corals/colors i did not have and I am now fragging those aswell. I am not looking at makin it big with two twelve gallon frag tanks, I just started these for fun hopeing that the coral would simply pay for its self and I would break even.

 

I also started these two tanks because in my main tank i have a few large sea urchins and they knock frags over if they are not glued or epoxied to large rocks, and with this tank i can keep what i want and stock my main tank and sell/trade the exces.

 

The idea of fragging seemed so fun to me that i would be able to have maybe 3 or 4 corals instead of one colonie that i just had to try it. And with seeing all the frag tanks on this site and others it just seemed like a new learning experiece in the hobby.

 

And by ready what do you mean? Most colonies of coral are ready to be fragged if they are healthy and have multuple branches and all my colonies are healthy, growing and have multiple branches.

 

 

 

Acroporalokani

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Thanks for the response. So it's almost like collecting different kinds of coral. Almost like baseball cards. Keep the ones you like, trade/sell others. Also buy stuff at a good price and sell it or frag it.

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AcroporaLokani
Thanks for the response. So it's almost like collecting different kinds of coral. Almost like baseball cards. Keep the ones you like, trade/sell others. Also buy stuff at a good price and sell it or frag it.

 

 

Exactly, exept any one who has looked at the price of SPS colonies at there LFS knows there arent many good deals.

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  • 3 weeks later...
AcroporaLokani

Hey, Sorry for the late update.

 

Ok so i have made about 50 SPS frags and here they are.

 

Most of the frags have already encrusted to the plug.

 

Heres a top down shot.

 

img5836nv1.jpg

 

On the bottom corner you will see a few blue tip acropora frags they seem to have encrusted in half the time of some of the others.

 

img5804zd7.jpg

 

Heres a small frag of orange plating monti and a few frags of that white fleshed with green polyp encrusting monti pictured on page 1.

 

img5792kk5.jpg

 

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Two tank shots of the top egg crate rack.

 

img5833tj5.jpg

 

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Thanks for looking, Sorry a few of them are a bit blurry ill have to take more pictures.

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