Konolua - Volcano Tank

[~LadyBug~]

Thanks! I appreciate that!

 

I am hoping to have some pictures and some updates up this weekend.

pictures?

[DrCooper]

Coolest tank i have ever seen!

[29biocube]

Thanks for reminding me how much my tank sucks. Great job and thanks for the inspiration.

[Chimpo]

I just went through this thread and also watched the 3:30 minute video.......wow..............

we are not worthy........

[Giga]

I just went through this thread and also watched the 3:30 minute video.......wow..............

we are not worthy........

 

 

I don't know my tank might come close when it's done

[HardDog]

I just read through all 32 pages of this thread, and I have to say - this rocks!

 

Any updates?

[konolua]

Well, it has been a very long time since I have updated anything. The main reason was because nothing had changed. Growth, coral fighting, and time had happened, but nothing warranting any updates. However, my visions of grandeur started to become painful, though I was not prepared to gut this tank and build the larger one I referred to way back. Not yet at least. As such, I modified the Volcano Tank to include a larger basin and my attempt was to further the “realism” of the set up. Now, the Volcano was a privilege to photograph, but in person, it was easy to see that it was a mixture of rock in an unnatural way, and I have fixed that. What is ironic, is it doesn’t photograph as well, but in person looks more natural! Go figure!

 

Further still, I have not taken good pictures, and I suppose it is suicide to toss up pictures that don’t meet the quality of the previous shots, but we are all reefers out here so we all know. There will be some die-off and it will take a couple of weeks to find the groove. Lastly, this is RIGHT after the change, so the water hasn’t settled, some detritus is on the rocks, and the corals aren’t out. So, no judgement calls on the photo shots or “cleanliness,” deal?!

 

Anyway, the basin is about a full 3-4” deep now, which is cool! Plus, underwater looks more natural as well....

 

Let me know your thoughts!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rehype]

It does look look more natural.i love the basin at the top...has a very cool tidepool look

[Chris L]

That crab is freaking awesome!

[yoshii]

Awesome tidepool/basin! Do the shore crabs hang out in there?

[animalmaster6]

Love it man!

 

Glad to see you back

 

How is everything? Your Staghorn still doing great?

[~LadyBug~]

it looks great!

[Banjo]

It still looks astonishing with what you call 'bad' pictures. I love the tide pool look on top. Also, in one of the pictures, there almost looks to be a cave/cove type deal on the right hand side. Looks awesome!

[konolua]

It still looks astonishing with what you call 'bad' pictures. I love the tide pool look on top. Also, in one of the pictures, there almost looks to be a cave/cove type deal on the right hand side. Looks awesome!

 

Yeah, that was where they hung out prior to the change, and that was out of water already. Essentially, what I did, was move the rock that was on the right Volcano wall and flip it horizontal and drill a hole in it for waterflow. I have just finished putting some putty on three or four zones that the water was spilling out of to redirect the waterflow out of the basin to the left. Now it is DEAD SILENT. The Volcano Tank itself was already pretty quite, though in the room it sounded like a water piece that you would buy at Target or something. Now, the only thing you hear is the muffled skimmer pump under the tank. Seriously, it is the quietest tank I have ever experienced.

 

Now, I will get some die off smells, but once we are through that, we should be good. The only concern I have is whether or not the algae that is now out of water will turn white or not. Oh well.

 

Got two richordia mushrooms, some store bought snails, a candy cane and the LFS gave me a large crocea clam (absolutely stunning clam; they are huge fans of the tank and they were all jazzed I mentioned their name in the magazine article that was done on the tank), so I got some fun stuff! I am doing a small secondary water change in a moment.

 

I am hoping to get some pictures up tonight, but forsure tomorrow of the "finished" product and the new additions. I am also getting home for the Sailfin next Saturday. I am glad. He has been here too long. Though, he is fat, colored, and appears happy, but this will be good. I am keeping the Purple Tang however, and will be adding some chromis back. I also have 6 mangroves on order too.

 

Glad to be back on the forum here!

 

Love it man!

 

Glad to see you back

 

How is everything? Your Staghorn still doing great?

 

Yeah! But I am worried. He got caught on a rock in the "shade" and his porities died. Usually the hermits die if their coral does...so, let's hope the best.

 

Awesome tidepool/basin! Do the shore crabs hang out in there?

 

They were always in the small basin on the Volcano, but this is much larger now, so I am thinking they will be there a lot. So far, there has been two consistently in their, 5 at once one time, and 1 hasn't left since this was put up (Friday at 6pm).

 

I did a volume check and it seems that the basin holds about 2.5 gallons! How cool is that?! Man, it is so killer to look at. The surface ripples just like tank itself, and the water spills on the left side now, so there is no noise! I love the basin!

[animalmaster6]

Can't wait to see the new pics and additions. Update more often!

 

My fingers are crossed with the Staghorn

[konolua]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! Looks like the new set up is a hit. Most people mentioned the sadness that is missing the Volcano, but everyone dug the new, more “realistic” set up. Me too. After looking at it for two days, it really seems like it is so much more versatile.

 

So, there were some details I was going to share with everyone since I was asked so much. First, it is interesting to note, that through simple water displacement, I gained almost 10 gallons of water. I removed a huge rock, three medium/large rocks, and about 5 fist-sized rocks. That, and the biggest rock in the tank was removed and turned into a basin! It also seems that there is about a gallon and a half to two gallons in the basin. Holy cow!

 

I also raised the water level in the basin. I did that because I wanted the water to spill out the left side. When I first set it up, it was very noisy and the water spilled over the front in about 4 different spots. So, I got some putty and created “dams” to force the water to the left. Now, it’s funny because the rock was in the tank, and now is not, so the putty sticks out like a sore thumb, BUT because of the way the water flows, some still seeps and spills over the front at a very very low rate, so I am expecting it to algae up like the previous basin had. I am guessing about 3 months before it looks a bit more natural.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Clavius85]

LOVE the new look!

[konolua]

Also, you can see the water line to the basin here. I used the cyanoacrylic glue. That will algae up pretty quickly too.

 

 

Got some new animals today too. Cool stuff. Some orange richordia mushrooms, a candy cane coral, an amazing crocea clam, a red cucumber, some store bought snails and hermits (I hate that, because the crabs just eat them, but needed help cleaning the recently disturbed detritus), two sea stars, and ordered 6 mangroves (here in two weeks).

 

Here are some shots of those guys, along with a nice left and right shot.

 

Keep the feedback coming! Thanks to all that takes the time to read this and write back!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOVE the new look!

 

Thanks!!!!!

 

Last of the shots....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TheNordCelt]

Big change man , but looks good. I dig the clam.

[animalmaster6]

I love all the little pools. Can't wait to the corals encrusting in them.

 

Looks like the big anemone is doing great

[rb1685]

I read all 33 pages of the thread today, and I must say this tank is incredible. I definitely like the latest re-scape too. It has a much more realistic feel. I think my favorite aspect of this tank is the concealment of the overflow and/or lack of powerheads and other equipment in the tank. It just looks so realistic.

 

I think crabs have so much character and are just fun to watch. The crabs, beautiful corals, and paired clowns and GIANT NEM make this tank one of my definite favorites.

 

I'm tracking this thread.

 

[konolua]

I read all 33 pages of the thread today, and I must say this tank is incredible. I definitely like the latest re-scape too. It has a much more realistic feel. I think my favorite aspect of this tank is the concealment of the overflow and/or lack of powerheads and other equipment in the tank. It just looks so realistic.

 

I think crabs have so much character and are just fun to watch. The crabs, beautiful corals, and paired clowns and GIANT NEM make this tank one of my definite favorites.

 

I'm tracking this thread.

 

 

Thanks, man! Glad you like it. I am uploading a video right now. Should be available soon. I am loading at a higher quailty so it might be a while. Technically, it's a boring video (nothing special happens) but I just filmed what I see. Hopefully everyone likes it.

[konolua]

Love the improvement. It will be astounding when the central pool grows in full of zoas. It's like haveing a top down, zero edge in the middle of your regular tank.

 

I am really liking the overhang on the left side.

 

To make the putty look more realistic in the future, you should take a dry piece of coral and press it into the mud once the main portions have been set. This should give it a textured appearance rather than the smooth fingerprint appearance.

 

Will all the water in the bowl drain out if the power goes off? If that happens will you need to be home to prevent a large die off of the life forms in the bowl? Could you perhaps have the hole above the minimum water line so that if the power goes out, the pool just keeps the water in there? Also if you drilled right in the bottom of the pool, it would seem the water would drain completely to prevent this just put a small piece of rigid tubing into the middle and extend the pool bottom up with a small mound of epoxy or rock and make it water tight so the water would stay in the top pool.

 

Looks great!a

Aaron

 

Actually, that is exactly what I am doing! I built the main "fortifications" and will be putting in the finishing touches this weekend. When I took some of the rock out of the tank, I needed to make what is now the front rock. When doing that, I had a ton of bits and pieces and I was also going to in bed them and use them as texture! Funny you said that. Further still, I will be adding some cyanoacrylic glue for texture, since the lacerock itself has white parts.

 

For the rock, when the power goes out, the bowl keeps all the water. There are very slow seeps from the epoxy walls, but that takes it down about 10%...much like how the tank itself drains. Since the waterfall tubes all have open ends, very little water backflow happens, and the return to the basin is actually very high. None of that was planned either......just some great luck there. The one hole the basin had in its bottom was glued in with a scallop shell and cyanoacrylic glue and is totally water proof.

 

What is funny about this whole thing is that it was spontaenous and unplanned, so I had limited to to work. My original intent was to take it down and do a freshwater plant tank with bamboo sticking out, driftwood sticking out and some freshwater crabs. Decided against it because my wife liked saltwater better. Unfortunately, I like setting up crazy things rather than maintaining the tank. That is why I am saving all of my good ideas and planned hardwork for the BIG tank to come! That one is going to have completely fabricated "rock" that I will make from scratch. The idea on that one is going to be maximizing crab-viewing angles.....

 

When that one rolls around, I will ask for some of your ideas because you seem to think along the same lines I do! Love to hear some of your ideas then too!

 

Hey Konolua how does it feel to be such a inspiration to the community BTW i hope you dont mind, i stole one of your pics for my PC background.

 

Thanks! You know, it is funny, because so many people have communicated with me about the style of tank. Maybe not doing a "Volcano Tank" or whatever, but the idea of removing all wiring, plumbing and etc. to create a tank that looks "clean" as well as awesome. Now, tons of people have better growth in their corals and stuff, and sure, now that I upended the rock work, I will have a set back on growth, but I think this new set up will really allow for so much versatility.

 

Glad you like it and thanks to EVERYONE for your awesome comments, both here and on my website. Much appreciated!

:love2:

[JByer323]

I loved the volcano, but that new basin is so much better in my opinion!

 

I've read through the whole thread, but not real recently, so sorry to repeat questions that have been asked. What are your tank dimensions, what's the total volume, and where did you get the tank?

 

Love it, keep it up!

[konolua]

I loved the volcano, but that new basin is so much better in my opinion!

 

I've read through the whole thread, but not real recently, so sorry to repeat questions that have been asked. What are your tank dimensions, what's the total volume, and where did you get the tank?

 

Love it, keep it up!

 

Thanks!

 

4' x 2' x 12" and nets about 75gallons. It's a Glasscages.com tank. Love it. Required some prep when I got it, but at 60% less than others, who cares!