fewskillz' 55 aggressive softy reef

[fewskillz]

Broke down a 54 corner FOWLR and setup this tank. I've always wanted to do a Peninsula style room divider tank, just never had the room to do it.

 

This setup sits between the desk and the door of the office in the new house. It makes a pretty good room divider. My goal is to have as many different colored fish as I can cram in it. For now equipment is an old 2x96 watt Coralife PC light, a 200w visi-therm stealth heater, two koralia 2s, and a BakPak R2 HOB skimmer. The CUC consists of a ragtag group of scarlet tipped hermits. There's probably a few scarlet reefs and blue legs mixed in there too. Trying to catch the emerald crab in my 10 gallon to add as well.

 

Livestock:

medium gold striped Maroon clown (bossy female)

small white striped maroon clown

yellow watchman goby

lawnmower blenny

royal gramma

Lemonpeel Angel

McCosker's flasher wrasse

small Niger trigger

 

I also want to add a small copperband butterfly, there are some serious aiptasia in this thing. All of this rock and the first 4 fish belonged to my buddy who was laid off and moved away. I've done just enough to keep all of his stuff alive until now, now I'm going to get all of this stuff right since I've moved it to a tank I'm interested in.

 

On to the pics. Excuse the yellow, my actinic recently burnt out.

The view from the desk chair where I'm typing this:

 

and from the doorway you can see through the background of the first photo:

 

Of course everyone is hiding because they've already had dinner...

 

Yes, I know thats a lot of fish, they're all still relatively small, and I'm passively searching for a 75 or 90 to upgrade to. If I find a 75, I'll also add a vagabond butterfly, if I find a 90 the vagabond and an antennata lion! Once I figure out the light situation I'm planning lots of softies to help soak up nitrates! I love coral too much to stay FOWLR for long!

 

Sorry for the book. Good night.

[Militant Jurist]

I like the scape you've got going on. It would look even more fantastic with coral.

[fewskillz]

It will get coral soon. It's begging to be a softy reef with the bioload it's going to have.

[animalmaster6]

Awesome Tank!

[Lalani]

Sheesh you have a lot of tanks..

 

[travisurfer]

Sheesh you have a lot of tanks..

 

You've only seen (some of) the tanks with water in them...

[fewskillz]

You've only seen (some of) the tanks with water in them...

Total, I own 16 aquariums:

 

2.5 (empty)

3 gal Picotope (in the planning stages...leaning towards SPS pico!)

5.5 (empty)

5.5 rimless (Elizabeth wants a planted FW nano, we'll see...)

10 (empty)

10 (Caribbean biotope, getting broken down soon)

15 (holding tank for a pair of clowns I'm giving away and the rock that the trigger is hiding in)

20h (fuge under the 125)

20L (holding some spare live rock at the moment)

30L (sump under the 125)

37 (tropical community FW, I should post a picture, it's pretty nice looking for a bunch of tetras)

40b (empty)

54 corner (now empty)

55 (peninsula style fowlr soon to be softy reef featured in this thread)

55 (mbuna African Cichlids, still being babysat at a friends house, I'm getting it back as soon as I paint the bedroom and giving her those clowns from the 15)

125 (my pride and joy)

 

That doesn't count the cracked 20h on the back porch. I am going to de-silicon it and keep the 3 good sides and bottom in case I need to make some baffles.

 

There's also a 20 gallon keg bucket cooking some live rock. Oh...and a 32 gallon Brute trashcan for the RO unit that is scheduled for delivery Monday ...and 8 or 9 5-gallon buckets and gas cans. This spring I'm planning a 2-300 gallon pond for the new backyard, too.

 

 

 

I have full-fledged MTS. I don't think it's terminal though. I'm actually on the road to recovery, as soon as I'm done with the holding tanks I'm planning on selling anything of value that is empty except for the 40b.

 

The first step is admitting you have a problem, right?

[Lalani]

omg.

[nanoty]

omg.

[fewskillz]

omg.

What? Is 16 too many?

 

 

But seriously, omg is kinda how I feel about it. I've just been collecting them over the last 4 or 5 years. Most of them were bought used or on sale. Other than the 40b, the empties and temporarily in-use ones aren't worth enough to bother selling and don't take up that much room. The 54 corner is definitely going. The 20 long will probably go too since I have a spare stand for it. The rest of the empties just about fit one inside the next and aren't worth more than a few dollars apiece. It's nice to have a few lying around for QT or holding tanks and such. I was up to this many once before and purged and sold off some. I think I was down to 11. It's time to purge again.

 

The 54 and this 55 are actually tanks I've owned twice now. The 54 is going for good. The 55 will go if I find a 75 or 90 to replace it.

 

Besides a 75/90 the only other kind of tank I would like to try that I've never had before is a cube. Never had a cube... I do miss my bowfront, but I have no use for one. Maybe an upgrade for the 37 if I stumble across a cheap one.

 

Like I said, my MTS is bad. The worst part is aquariums aren't my only hobby. I also race, golf, and fish. Aquariums are the worst, but racing is trying it's best to take over.

 

 

Awesome Tank!

Thanks!

[nanoty]

The worst part is aquariums aren't my only hobby. I also race, golf, and fish. Aquariums are the worst, but racing is trying it's best to take over.

 

Dude that is my problem to the letter. Well I dont race anymore and I suck at golf but fishing, jeeps and 4 wheelers are a few of my other hobbies that I bounce back and forth between. I finally worked my way down to only one tank but I cant stand it and am working on another.

[fewskillz]

Dude that is my problem to the letter. Well I dont race anymore and I suck at golf but fishing, jeeps and 4 wheelers are a few of my other hobbies that I bounce back and forth between. I finally worked my way down to only one tank but I cant stand it and am working on another.

 

We have a 4wheeler too, luckily it's built and runs great. Just maintenance and gas. I would love a Jeep, but I know better. Maybe after the Miata is finished. Elizabeth wants a Jeep too.

 

My brother got a motorcycle yesterday, ( http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c75/mads...14/IMG_0163.jpg ) so I know as soon as I ride that I'm going to want one too. AND....I'm getting that new car itch again (every 2 to 3 years, we're coming up on 3 for the Miata). I want a fun daily driver. A mazdaspeed protege or a GTI or something similar, practical but fun. It's always something. I'm also keeping my eye out for 96-99 Suburban's or Tahoe's. Next year I'm going to need something that can tow a fully loaded 16' enclosed trailer. My S10 can tow the car, but not our club's equipment trailer. If I'm going to be Chapter Coordinator I'd like to tow the trailer myself, I don't want to ask members to tow the thing to our races.

 

It's always something...

 

Anyone know of some cheap t5ho's? I think that's what this tank needs. 3 or 4 lamps would be perfect. I could probably manage with 2 though.

[animalmaster6]

Total, I own 16 aquariums:

 

2.5 (empty)

3 gal Picotope (in the planning stages...leaning towards SPS pico!)

5.5 (empty)

5.5 rimless (Elizabeth wants a planted FW nano, we'll see...)

10 (empty)

10 (Caribbean biotope, getting broken down soon)

15 (holding tank for a pair of clowns I'm giving away and the rock that the trigger is hiding in)

20h (fuge under the 125)

20L (holding some spare live rock at the moment)

30L (sump under the 125)

37 (tropical community FW, I should post a picture, it's pretty nice looking for a bunch of tetras)

40b (empty)

54 corner (now empty)

55 (peninsula style fowlr soon to be softy reef featured in this thread)

55 (mbuna African Cichlids, still being babysat at a friends house, I'm getting it back as soon as I paint the bedroom and giving her those clowns from the 15)

125 (my pride and joy)

 

That doesn't count the cracked 20h on the back porch. I am going to de-silicon it and keep the 3 good sides and bottom in case I need to make some baffles.

 

There's also a 20 gallon keg bucket cooking some live rock. Oh...and a 32 gallon Brute trashcan for the RO unit that is scheduled for delivery Monday ...and 8 or 9 5-gallon buckets and gas cans. This spring I'm planning a 2-300 gallon pond for the new backyard, too.

 

 

 

I have full-fledged MTS. I don't think it's terminal though. I'm actually on the road to recovery, as soon as I'm done with the holding tanks I'm planning on selling anything of value that is empty except for the 40b.

 

The first step is admitting you have a problem, right?

[fewskillz]

I just got a text from Elizabeth:

 

The skimmer is here.

 

 

Pics tonight!

[fewskillz]

Picture time!

 

I skimmed really wet overnight and dumped out a half cup of some pretty thick brown stuff this morning.

 

Skimming a bit dryer now. This thing is loud as hell. Is there a better venturi pump than this MaxiJet? Or even a small needlewheel pump I could retro on there? Anbody know?

 

 

 

 

 

 

apparently the lemonpeel is camera shy:

 

but the YWG is not:

 

 

and the trigger still in his 15 gallon holding cell:

That shadow is his hole. He darts in there anytime Im within arm's reach of the tank.

[animalmaster6]

the tank looks good!

 

I love blennies especially Lawnmowers!

 

[fewskillz]

CAUGHT THE TRIGGER! He's acclimating now.

[animalmaster6]

CAUGHT THE TRIGGER! He's acclimating now.

awesome!!!!!

[fewskillz]

Have I mentioned how loud this skimmer is? I'm going to try to mod the maxi-jet before I give up hope, but I have a feeling this skimmer is doomed for the FS section. Too bad, it skims pretty darn well.

[jeremai]

nice trigger.

[fewskillz]

nice trigger.

Thanks. Yours ain't too shabby either.

 

 

*added quote b/c of page break.

[cmador]

When you do the bak-pak mod on the mj1200 - a few tips that may help reduce the noise - use a long piece of airline (like 3') and you can also put an airstone on the end of the airline. It still may be too loud for you, mine is in the living room so the noise isn't a problem. On my biocube I am running this skimmer which I've been happy with and it's quieter than the bak-pak - http://www.aquacave.com/reef-octopus-bh-10...alvue-2347.html It uses the same pump as my old Octopus nw110 did and the pump sits outside the tank.

[fewskillz]

When you do the bak-pak mod on the mj1200 - a few tips that may help reduce the noise - use a long piece of airline (like 3') and you can also put an airstone on the end of the airline. It still may be too loud for you, mine is in the living room so the noise isn't a problem.

Thanks for the tip, I was going to try a long hose with a cotton-filled 35mm film canister silencer. If that doesn't work then I will buy another reef octopus. I love the Extreme 200 on my big tank.

 

This tank is in the office right next to my desk. The skimmer is about 4 feet from my head when I'm in the desk chair, it can get pretty annoying. It was worth a shot, I got it for a great price. It does skim well, so it would do great in a less noise-sensitive room.

[fewskillz]

The fish in this tank are getting boring. They all just kinda hide, except the McCoskers. I'm going to rearrange it, and probably remove a fish or too. I'm not going to keep an overstocked, high-maintenance tank around if it's going to be boring.

 

We'll see what I come up with this weekend.

[fewskillz]

Ok. Decided what I'm going to do. The lemonpeel, McCosker's, and yellow watchman goby are coming out. I'm adding a heniochus and a dwarf zebra lion.

 

I'm removing a lot of the rock to open up some swimming space. I'm probably going to put this tank against the wall. 9' of glass is a lot to keep clean. Plus if I put it against the wall I can slide the rockwork back, out of the center of the tank, that will open up some swimming room too.

 

Pics this weekend.