ADA 60-F Shallow in Texas

[albertthiel]

Yep ... they should be fined especially for keeping passengers IN the plane ON the tarmac for long periods of time often with no water or soft drinks available and if it lasts for too long with the bathrooms being closed off on top of it ... not good

 

Albert

 

 

 

http://chippwalters.posterous.com/private/uolIagmtCv

 

Not supposed to do this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/business/22passengers.html

 

 

That is a great looking addition for your tank that is for sure. Wow ....

 

Albert

 

 

Just bought this: (Japanese Dendro)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?V...#ht_3335wt_1294

 

 

Never been disappointed from Austin Aquafarms. Pick it up on Wednesday-- can't wait.

[chippwalters]

Yep, albert. It is.

 

Here's the latest pict. My duncan is going absolutely crazy, too!

 

[chippwalters]

And the latest FTS. I've still not made my final aquascape plan. Right now I'm just trying to get things settled in.

 

[albertthiel]

Wow this is gorgeous ... great work ... super looking

 

Albert

 

 

Yep, albert. It is.

 

Here's the latest pict. My duncan is going absolutely crazy, too!

 

 

 

Looks great ... Nicely done ...

 

Albert

 

 

And the latest FTS. I've still not made my final aquascape plan. Right now I'm just trying to get things settled in.

 

 

 

And for a not completed one as you say this looks great too

 

Albert

 

And the latest FTS. I've still not made my final aquascape plan. Right now I'm just trying to get things settled in.

 

[chippwalters]

Wow this is gorgeous ... great work ... super looking

 

Looks great ... Nicely done ...

 

 

And for a not completed one as you say this looks great too

 

Albert

 

Thanks, Albert. Sorry so late responding, I didn't see your post.

 

 

Been awhile since an update, so I thought one was in order...

 

I acquired another tank build from Craigslist and sold most of the corals and LR, but kept the ocellaris clown. She (he?) is not mated, and has been living alone. She didn't get along with the damsel, who was half her size but insisted on bullying her, so the damsel was deported to the 3.5" gallon where I'm hopefully building a lagoon.

 

I also got from the tank build 3 brand new Ecoxotic Panorama Pros (2 of them unopened the other a week old), a less than 1 year old MP10, a gorgeous glasscages.com 20 gallon acrylic tank with two drilled and installed 1" bulkheads, and a killer cabinet, plus a lot of other stuff including a skimmer and very nice Eheim pump, which I'm now using. Oh, and did I mention a really nice RODI system as well. Overall, I'm pretty happy ;-)

 

Here's a pic of Perky, the clown:

 

 

She's currently hosting a nice patch of GSP which is interesting, as at the beginning, the GSP closed up completely not knowing what was going on, and now is quite enjoying the relationship-- as you can see!

 

I rearranged stuff to allow for more sand bed visibility, and I added a stunning green frogspawn (a frag from the tank build purchase), which is doing superbly. Then I've had to rearrange some other stuff around, so the sand isn't quite as open now as you can see:

 

 

And I put all the Acans together to create an Acan garden (like the minuture zoa garden pictured above). They're doing well, but not really coloring as nice as I'd like:

 

 

And get this. I've been jonesing for a Radion light but really can't justify the almost 8 bills it takes to get one. So, I'm knocking around eBay and I find one, brand new, in the box, for only $690. Well, we all know these things never go on sale and I wanted it-- but still...$700 is still a lot of money. The VERY NEXT THING, I click my browser tab and I'm in Gmail where a PayPal messages JUST ARRIVES telling me I have an account which will be closed down if I don't do something about it. A lost PayPal account? WTF-- right? I open it and YEP, I do remember creating it a hundred years or so ago and YEP-- it has just over 700 bills in it!!!

 

That's a sign from God. Right? I mean He wants me to have the Radion-- at least that's what I told my wife.

 

So, I'm hoping the added light will help the Acans (and the rest) color up a bit. If not-- I'm seriously considering Zevoit (or other-- comments WELCOME!)

 

Here's the latest FTS. Someday I'll get a real camera and not have to use my iPhone for all this...

 

[cmac23]

So do you think the 2 lamps were not enough? Also did they cover the whole tank

[chippwalters]

Yes, I don't think there's enough light for some of my corals.

 

Tim Hanson, a local reef exptert, was kind enough to drop by and we chatted about my tank and saltwater in general. He had a PAR meter and we created a light map for my tank, which has two

 

Ecoxotic PAR38 12K Aquarium LED 3-6500K White 2-455nm Blue

and one

Ecoxotic PAR38 Royal Blue Aquarium LED 5-455nm Blue 21W

 

 

We only did the readings for the two 3-white 2-blue Par 38's as I typically only use the 5-blue Par 38 at night when the others are turned off.

 

Anyway, for those of you who are interested, my lights are 9" off the surface of the water, and from the water to the sand bed is just under 6". Thanks Tim!

 

Here's the map:

 

 

I suspect there's enough light for LPS and softies, but maybe not the correct spectrum. Plus, if I want to have any SPS's, I'll certainly need better PAR.

[albertthiel]

Thanks, Albert. Sorry so late responding, I didn't see your post.

Been awhile since an update, so I thought one was in order...

I acquired another tank build from Craigslist and sold most of the corals and LR, but kept the ocellaris clown. She (he?) is not mated, and has been living alone. She didn't get along with the damsel, who was half her size but insisted on bullying her, so the damsel was deported to the 3.5" gallon where I'm hopefully building a lagoon.

I also got from the tank build 3 brand new Ecoxotic Panorama Pros (2 of them unopened the other a week old), a less than 1 year old MP10, a gorgeous glasscages.com 20 gallon acrylic tank with two drilled and installed 1" bulkheads, and a killer cabinet, plus a lot of other stuff including a skimmer and very nice Eheim pump, which I'm now using. Oh, and did I mention a really nice RODI system as well. Overall, I'm pretty happy ;-)

Here's a pic of Perky, the clown

She's currently hosting a nice patch of GSP which is interesting, as at the beginning, the GSP closed up completely not knowing what was going on, and now is quite enjoying the relationship-- as you can see!

I rearranged stuff to allow for more sand bed visibility, and I added a stunning green frogspawn (a frag from the tank build purchase), which is doing superbly. Then I've had to rearrange some other stuff around, so the sand isn't quite as open now as you can see:

And I put all the Acans together to create an Acan garden (like the minuture zoa garden pictured above). They're doing well, but not really coloring as nice as I'd like:

And get this. I've been jonesing for a Radion light but really can't justify the almost 8 bills it takes to get one. So, I'm knocking around eBay and I find one, brand new, in the box, for only $690. Well, we all know these things never go on sale and I wanted it-- but still...$700 is still a lot of money. The VERY NEXT THING, I click my browser tab and I'm in Gmail where a PayPal messages JUST ARRIVES telling me I have an account which will be closed down if I don't do something about it. A lost PayPal account? WTF-- right? I open it and YEP, I do remember creating it a hundred years or so ago and YEP-- it has just over 700 bills in it!!!

That's a sign from God. Right? I mean He wants me to have the Radion-- at least that's what I told my wife.

So, I'm hoping the added light will help the Acans (and the rest) color up a bit. If not-- I'm seriously considering Zevoit (or other-- comments WELCOME!)

Here's the latest FTS. Someday I'll get a real camera and not have to use my iPhone for all this...

Wow tank looks great indeed with everything really nicely open and looking perky !

 

And on the Paypal account ... gee that is indeed a bit of luck I would say, wish I could find 700 in my Paypal account :-)

 

Guess you can now get the Radion, if you have not already done so.

 

That should perk up the colors in all of the corals quite a bit more than they already look.

 

Nice ... Love it !

[metrokat]

PAR values look good for SPS to me, but I'm not the expert. Yay for 700 bills! wow.

[Spirofucci]

Cool on the Radion score! It's goona rock that tank!

[chippwalters]

Wow tank looks great indeed with everything really nicely open and looking perky !

 

And on the Paypal account ... gee that is indeed a bit of luck I would say, wish I could find 700 in my Paypal account :-)

 

Guess you can now get the Radion, if you have not already done so.

 

That should perk up the colors in all of the corals quite a bit more than they already look.

 

Nice ... Love it !

Yep. Bought the Radion. Should be here next week! I'm hoping it helps colors, too.

 

PAR values look good for SPS to me, but I'm not the expert. Yay for 700 bills! wow.

I was told these values were ok for LPS but not good enough or SPS.

 

Cool on the Radion score! It's goona rock that tank!

[chippwalters]

Arrived!

 

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

Can't wait to see it with new light

[Deleted User 4]

Nice buy!!

[milk]

lets see that bad boy!

[chippwalters]

Can't wait to see it with new light

 

Nice buy!!

 

 

lets see that bad boy!

 

Yes, me too!

 

Unfortunately, I'm tying all of this with a new update on my setup, including new plumbing, sump, etc.. So it may be a week or two UNLESS I get terribly motivated this weekend!

[metrokat]

Oh Chipp! Let's see that light on!!

[chippwalters]

Oh Chipp! Let's see that light on!!

Kat,

 

You thinking of going rimless with a floating Radion?

I'll create you a new button!

[metrokat]

Kat,

 

You thinking of going rimless with a floating Radion?

I'll create you a new button!

 

Nevah! But I do have a super secret project up my sleeve.......

[adinsxq]

new pics!

[chippwalters]

Yeah, I know. Been busy at work, and I'm planning an overhaul of my sump and fuge tanks. I recently purchased a cabinet where I'll put the sump, but need to figure out the fuge as it's a separate tank and there's no room for it on top. Maybe below...

 

Also, I bought a 3D printer so I can make my own racks, gizmos, thingamajobs, and widgets for this hobby. Looking forward to playing with it! It's called "the Cube" and is built by 3Dsystems. Should be here in a few weeks.

 

As you can see, it can even print Kat's high heels!

 

[nano_tank]

A local reef club expert was kind enough to drop by today and we chatted about my tank and saltwater in general. Great time. He had a PAR meter and we created a light map for my tank, which has two

 

Ecoxotic PAR38 12K Aquarium LED 3-6500K White 2-455nm Blue

and one

Ecoxotic PAR38 Royal Blue Aquarium LED 5-455nm Blue 21W

 

 

We only did the readings for the two 3-white 2-blue Par 38's as I typically only use the 5-blue Par 38 at night when the others are turned off.

 

Anyway, for those of you who are interested, my lights are 9" off the surface of the water, and from the water to the sand bed is just under 6".

 

Here's the map:

 

 

Very nice Tank! You came a long way since the Pico! Love the clean look

[chippwalters]

Been a few weeks since last posting. All because I had to finalize my new tank build before posting..

 

Here's the deal...been fighting a bunch of algae in my sand bed. I tried PhosGuard, all kinds of macros, water changes, nothing worked. It wasn't killing the tank, but it did take a LOT of time cleaning it each week. So, I decided to get a new sump and replace my old one which was just an empty tank with a skimmer, reactor, and activated charcoal bag along with Purigen bag.

 

So, I went to the LFS which I think has the cleanest tanks, Fishy Business, and talked with the owner there, Shane. He has a different take on sumps and tank management than others, and after talking with him, I hired him to build me a 20 gallon sump for my 8 gallon tank + another 3.5 gallon tank. I like the fact he uses glass tanks for his sumps.

 

I paid for the sump, then a couple days later Shane called me and asked me to bring my skimmer down there for a fitting. I sketched up a sump modification I'd like to see, one which added some filter socks, which his didn't have. He didn't agree with the idea, and after a discussion, he refunded me the cost of the sump rather than make the modifications. He is so convinced of his sump design he'd rather lose a sale than make me something he didn't thing would work.

 

Turns out he SEALS off the intake chamber which keeps salt creep to ZERO. I looked at his sumps there in the store and didn't see much detritus and realized he really didn't need filter socks. Still, I sure did in my current tank. I showed him a few pics and we talked about my particular problem, and he pointed to two huge issues which he believed contributed significantly to my algae problem.

 

1. The first was the sand. And he was right that I just couldn't get the algae out of it. He showed the only tank in his store which had sand it had hardened and clearly created problems. He uses crushed coral and swears by it. He took a stick and stuck it into one tank after the other, stirring up the substrate-- and no detritus! OK then. I know what some say about CC, but his tanks don't lie. This is what he's using:
    
   
    
   
2. The other, and even bigger problem, is my not so live rock. When I started this tank, I already had some LR in my sump, so I bought some dead dry rock. I added some bacteria supplement and figured my "new" LR would be good to go in a month or so. That's what many on the forums say. Of course there was some cycling-- a fight with dino, which I finally won, then cyano, green hair, and finally some sort of brown algae which just started taking over.
   

 

Shane said the rock wasn't really live. He said he didn't believe dry rock would be as good as LR until after a coupleof years passed. Wow. So, I did some research and didn't find out anything much. Later, a local longtime saltwater expert friend came by the house and actually told me that older LR has filter feeders and sponges in it which can add considerably to their function. He corroborated Shane's story.

 

I was sold. We swiped my card a third time (first time to buy, then to refund, then to buy again!) and Shane began the build.

 

It's actually pretty cool. Shane's not much into macro algaes or fuges, and pretty much discourages putting any macros in the sump at all. Instead, as I said, he's a live rock fanatic, and imports the BEST LR from Figi, but it's not called Fiji rock-- it's more porous and lighter. He recommends 1.5lbs LR per 1 gallon of water.

 

Here's a pic of it as it was being built in his shop. The Reef Octopus is mine.

 

The compartment to the right of the skimmer is to be filled completely with LR rubble. He has a foam filter which presses up against eggcrate as water passes through to the pump chamber. He also added a bubble trap between the LR chamber and the skimmer.

 

I just picked it up yesterday, and moved EVERYTHING around. Cleaned out my ADA 60-F, moved all the corals and fish to another holding tank, installed a new 1" bulkhead to replace the 3/4" one I had previously and routed Shane's flex pipe from the tank to the sump.

 

Today, I filled the sump with LR and reloaded the tank. Also, I added my Radion light fixture which I recently purchased on eBay and programmed it to be NOT so bright-- at least for the first weeks.

 

So, here are some pics:

 

Radion hanging above tank. I have 2 lines feeding from the sump. I'll fix it later so it's only 1.

 

Sump under cabinet. The cabinet I purchased awhile back as part of a full tank sale. It's sound-proofed and setup nicely for the sump! Nothing in the skimmer chamber yet other than a couple of heaters. Note I had Shane build 4 intakes (3 capped) so I can add other bulkheads from this tank and a second tank-- if I want to.

 

Kind of a crappy shot showing everything. Had to use some HDR magic or else the whole thing blows up with the Radion.

 

I finally did get all my corals back in the tank. I took the time to fresh water dip most of them. Managed to find my PomPom and a few brittle stars from the OLD 'not so live' rock, and will be giving it away tomorrow. It is pretty nice looking rock and I think it should work in a more mature tank.

 

So, I'll fire up some more images as soon as things settle down.

[metrokat]

Also, I bought a 3D printer so I can make my own racks, gizmos, thingamajobs, and widgets for this hobby. Looking forward to playing with it! It's called "the Cube" and is built by As you can see, it can even print Kat's high heels!

 

That new sump and the stuff you learnt from Shane is awesome. I can't wait to read more.

[albertthiel]

Been a few weeks since last posting. All because I had to finalize my new tank build before posting..

 

Here's the deal...been fighting a bunch of algae in my sand bed. I tried PhosGuard, all kinds of macros, water changes, nothing worked. It wasn't killing the tank, but it did take a LOT of time cleaning it each week. So, I decided to get a new sump and replace my old one which was just an empty tank with a skimmer, reactor, and activated charcoal bag along with Purigen bag.

 

So, I went to the LFS which I think has the cleanest tanks, Fishy Business, and talked with the owner there, Shane. He has a different take on sumps and tank management than others, and after talking with him, I hired him to build me a 20 gallon sump for my 8 gallon tank + another 3.5 gallon tank. I like the fact he uses glass tanks for his sumps.

 

So, I'll fire up some more images as soon as things settle down.

 

Great story and great explanations chip ... Thanks