waldoz Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 So what did you do to support that tank? Any ideas of how much it weights fully loaded? I did hear about 10lbs for rock sand and water which I think is a good rule to go by. Quote Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 Okay, just asking because I was feeding Phyto 3-4 times a week to keep the filter feeders happy and I ended up with a nori farm I saw a bottle in the back with a green substance in it, looked like phyto, thought I would ask. I am feeding 1 drop a week now, water changes = 80% weekly Put some GFO in again to try and get rid of this algae, it's no longer growing and the snails are working on it (slowly). Otherwise things are smooth running. Embrace the algae! Thats one thing I have been trying to do with this build is provide a more realistic environment in a temperate tank by incorporating algae and embracing the high nutrients So what did you do to support that tank? Any ideas of how much it weights fully loaded? I did hear about 10lbs for rock sand and water which I think is a good rule to go by. I had to do a small modification to adjust for the weight, I took out the wooden dowels that supported the shelf and held it in place and replaced them with steel dowels. Then I weight tested the shelf with about 20lbs more than the tank would weigh. The water is 7.2 gallons @ 9lbs which comes to 64.8lbs. The tank weighs maybe 10lbs The rock is only 2lbs worth of sand and mixed gravel. So the whole system weighs under 80lbs and I tested it up to about 95 or so. 1 Quote Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 Added in a small submersible pump into the rear filter chamber and ran a vinyl airline tube off of it back up to overflow grate as another source of flow. Mostly for surface movement to add the visual benefit of LED shimmer from a single point light. Turned out pretty awesome for just having it all laying in a drawer and not having to clutter up the tank with an internal powerhead. I'll see if I can get a video uploaded to show it Here's a few pics I snapped the other day Shows how ridiculously bright a DIY version of a Kessil A150 can be Using a 50w Cree B/W chip that has 10 x 5w LEDs on it with no optics. Growing the macros like crazy now and the green anemones (only photosythetic invert) are doin great too. Heres a pic of inside the stand/cabinet. Tank is holding pretty steady at 55/56, I had to add another fan into the cabinet for airflow but that was a whopping $20 and everythings been good to go...........except that I need to clean up my wiring......... 3 Quote Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted March 6, 2014 Author Share Posted March 6, 2014 Did a little chiller remodeling today Swapped out the Pacific Coast Imports CL-150 thermal electric chiller in favor of a Resun Mini 200 1/13th HP compressor chiller. Even got some usable space to store all my Brightwell Aquatics Coldwater additives 3 Quote Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted March 7, 2014 Author Share Posted March 7, 2014 Just added this tiny little scorpionfish to the tank today He's about 2" or so. Not positive on the ID yet. 6 Quote Link to comment
Belac Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Haha I just saw that fish on Facebook. I was reading through this thread and went "that bottle looks really familiar" then I realized why about two posts later when I realized who's tank this was. 1 Quote Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 The Yellowfin Fringehead is not so keen on the new Scorpionfish, lol. 5 Quote Link to comment
Dark_ice Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 wheres the lumpfish? Quote Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 wheres the lumpfish? Between the scorpionfish and the fringehead the lumpies wouldn't last a day. I have one left but its in holding for a local until he gets his tank up. If it wasnt so small it would be in there for sure I'll probably put a Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker in there once I get them since they are a bit larger. Got a few more of the scorp. 1 Quote Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted April 2, 2014 Author Share Posted April 2, 2014 Thought it well overdue for an update BIG THANKS TO MIKE GUERRERO @ MICRO-REEFS for building this tank exactly how it needed to be Video link to facebook below. Is there a direct way to post facebook videos here? https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152099494171056&l=7131117234643576501 2 Quote Link to comment
Dark_ice Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 still loving this tank, never gets old. 2 Quote Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 still loving this tank, never gets old.Speaking of not getting old, I just fed my big fat Shaggy Mouse Nudibranch (Aeolidia papillosa) that I am keeping in there a quarter sized Aggregating anemone, and it took him maybe 10 seconds to eat the whole thing. Next time I will be ready with the camera, lol. Quote Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Thought it well overdue for an update BIG THANKS TO MIKE GUERRERO @ MICRO-REEFS for building this tank exactly how it needed to be Video link to facebook below. Is there a direct way to post facebook videos here? https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152099494171056&l=7131117234643576501 Anytime Stu! I am glad you are enjoying the tank and I am glad you are about to announce the winner of my contest! It will be nice to see the excitement of another cold water reefer materialize on this forum... 1 Quote Link to comment
Tamberav Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 That Yellowfin Fringehead pic is great. How many fish are you keeping in there now? Do you think it would be safe to use rocks from Lake Superior? They are granite, quartz, agate, slate, sandstone, limestone, ect. I know we're not supposed to put odd rocks in our reef tanks but sure if cold water follows the same rules? I can get them in a million sizes and it looks a lot like the natural granite substrate found there I think? Should I use dry reef rock for my live rock since it is more porous? or is it not going to make much of a difference and I should only worry about mechanical filtration? I'm a little but worried about cycling time too. There doesn't seem to be a lot of information out there but some posts said it could take months If this rock is useable I am thinking about putting a bucket of saltwater with some rock and fish-food in it outside since it is cold here yet to get a jump start. The temp will flux with whatever it is outside but I am assuming the bacteria should be okay since it should still be cold? I guess I could cycle it in the fridge too assuming 40 degrees isn't too cold? Quote Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 That Yellowfin Fringehead pic is great. How many fish are you keeping in there now? Do you think it would be safe to use rocks from Lake Superior? They are granite, quartz, agate, slate, sandstone, limestone, ect. I know we're not supposed to put odd rocks in our reef tanks but sure if cold water follows the same rules? I can get them in a million sizes and it looks a lot like the natural granite substrate found there I think? Should I use dry reef rock for my live rock since it is more porous? or is it not going to make much of a difference and I should only worry about mechanical filtration? I'm a little but worried about cycling time too. There doesn't seem to be a lot of information out there but some posts said it could take months If this rock is useable I am thinking about putting a bucket of saltwater with some rock and fish-food in it outside since it is cold here yet to get a jump start. The temp will flux with whatever it is outside but I am assuming the bacteria should be okay since it should still be cold? I guess I could cycle it in the fridge too assuming 40 degrees isn't too cold? Cycling was never an issue when I ran my three cold water systems. But I think that key is that I used live sand from our coast and that made a huge difference. If Stu can send you live sand from Oregon it is going to make a huge difference in time to seed your system. I have also been successful in converting tropical live sand into seeding my 55F degree system. So, live sand is very key in my experience. Those rocks you show are perfect for the top layer to be applied over live sand from Stu. Let us see what Stu has to say. 1 Quote Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted July 5, 2014 Author Share Posted July 5, 2014 Changed the livestock up a bit in this tank. Its now home to about a dozen seagrass bay dwelling jellyfish called Red Eye Medusas. Only took about $5 to mod the existing system to be medusa friendly. These jellyfish don't require the circular kreisel flow like many other jellyfish since they feed by drifting down to the bottom and grabbing copepods as they settle down, then will pulse and stir the sand a bit to find more food. Mine are all eating tigriopus right now and have been in the tank for about 2 weeks. Pics in just a bit 1 Quote Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Interesting to see the mod you did to support jellyfish. ... 1 Quote Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted September 4, 2014 Author Share Posted September 4, 2014 Wow coming up on the 9 month mark for this tank Being a livestock collector and supplier its been tough to keep the same thing in there all the time, which has had me go from native tidepool to jellyfish and everything in between but the sytsem has been running solid through it all. I've finally settled down I think and will be keeping this tank primarily filled with European coldwater livestock so I can concentrate on breeding out the 3 European anemone species I have in there now. Also, keep your eyes peeled for a another Micro-Reefs AIO tank build! I'll be starting from scratch with dry rock, sand, tank, and only using the Brightwell Aquatics Temperate Fast Cycle and Microbacter to establish the system. Pictures of the European anemones in tank coming later today Quote Link to comment
spazizz Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 PIcs of the jellies? Quote Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted September 4, 2014 Author Share Posted September 4, 2014 Oh yeah the Jellies I no longer have them in the tank (someone bought us out) but here's when I did have them in there. 4 Quote Link to comment
waldoz Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 How long do they live? Quote Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted September 4, 2014 Author Share Posted September 4, 2014 So far its lifespan is unknown even in public aquariums. One thing that is known about them is that they do better in a non-kreisel flow tank. Preferable just a low flow system since they dont drift feed like other jellies. They need to float downwards to the bottom and grab food along the way, generally amphipods off of seagrass. They dont occur often in open ocean and are primarily found in estuine environments and bays. Quote Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted September 4, 2014 Author Share Posted September 4, 2014 Here's some quick pics of the current inhabitants 2 Quote Link to comment
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