nicfirth
24-03-03, 23:01
Its been about a month and I've got more than halfway through the set up of my new tank now.
The change over went reasonably well but I lost a regal tang that I had had for a couple of years, and most of my lemnalia spp. colonies. Some of the softies had been showing signs of chemical attack before the change over and I think that housing them in closer confines for a week did for them, the other significant loss was a large toadstool that I had had since I began. An interesting event was that my hydnopora dripped 2 days after being placed in the new tank and the "drip" seems to be forming a new colony. Some of my branching sps had small patched of tissue recession but all have healed over now.
All the pipe work for the closed loops is now connected, although I still have to drill the sump as the return pump a Deltec hlp4040 doesn't always prime from its siphon if the power breaks.
Last week I added the 400W halide to run along side my existing 2 150's. I am delighted with it and I no longer need to have the room lights on in the evening!! Since the room lights use 6 candle type bulbs that blow at a rate of at least 2 a month at about a quid a piece and use 240w of energy that will end up being a generous off set towards the running cost of the halide!
Yesterday I added some sand, and now the water has mostly cleared. So its starting to look more complete. I will have to add some more rock to hide the pipes, although I am considering making some Aragocrete type of structures specifically for that purpose.
All the livestock is thriving and I have so far added a clown tang, and a pair of skunk clowns with a bta which adds to the existing stock of a blue trigger, pair of chromis, bicolour basslet and engineer goby. Corals wise I've added a frogspawn and hammer corals, both of which were too good to miss.
The tank had 2 days of diatoms followed by a coupe of days of hair algae growth, and I'm expecting a new diatom wave now that I have added a substrate.
Still to do is to make the face frame and doors for the stand, drill the sump, modify the overflows to supply the skimmer, install my actinic tubes and connect my calcium reactor.
My next livestock addition will be 6 anthias but not for 2 weeks and then I'll maybe add a hawk and wrass of some variety.
All in all I'm happy with the progress, and will post some pics when the water is fully clear.
Regards
Nic
Spec’s
-6X2X2 display tank
-75 gal sump (using about 50 gals of it) 36”X20” 4” DSB seeded with sand, rock and caulerpra from my refugium and lit by an energy saving houshold bulb (about 4300k)
-AP850 skimmer.
-HLP4040 return pump
-2 Auqabee 3000’s on closed loops.
-2 150w 10,000K halides
-1 400w 10,000K halide
-2 40w actinic tubes
-DIY calc reactor made from an old ehiem canister filter.
-Rowaphos in a fluidised bed.
The change over went reasonably well but I lost a regal tang that I had had for a couple of years, and most of my lemnalia spp. colonies. Some of the softies had been showing signs of chemical attack before the change over and I think that housing them in closer confines for a week did for them, the other significant loss was a large toadstool that I had had since I began. An interesting event was that my hydnopora dripped 2 days after being placed in the new tank and the "drip" seems to be forming a new colony. Some of my branching sps had small patched of tissue recession but all have healed over now.
All the pipe work for the closed loops is now connected, although I still have to drill the sump as the return pump a Deltec hlp4040 doesn't always prime from its siphon if the power breaks.
Last week I added the 400W halide to run along side my existing 2 150's. I am delighted with it and I no longer need to have the room lights on in the evening!! Since the room lights use 6 candle type bulbs that blow at a rate of at least 2 a month at about a quid a piece and use 240w of energy that will end up being a generous off set towards the running cost of the halide!
Yesterday I added some sand, and now the water has mostly cleared. So its starting to look more complete. I will have to add some more rock to hide the pipes, although I am considering making some Aragocrete type of structures specifically for that purpose.
All the livestock is thriving and I have so far added a clown tang, and a pair of skunk clowns with a bta which adds to the existing stock of a blue trigger, pair of chromis, bicolour basslet and engineer goby. Corals wise I've added a frogspawn and hammer corals, both of which were too good to miss.
The tank had 2 days of diatoms followed by a coupe of days of hair algae growth, and I'm expecting a new diatom wave now that I have added a substrate.
Still to do is to make the face frame and doors for the stand, drill the sump, modify the overflows to supply the skimmer, install my actinic tubes and connect my calcium reactor.
My next livestock addition will be 6 anthias but not for 2 weeks and then I'll maybe add a hawk and wrass of some variety.
All in all I'm happy with the progress, and will post some pics when the water is fully clear.
Regards
Nic
Spec’s
-6X2X2 display tank
-75 gal sump (using about 50 gals of it) 36”X20” 4” DSB seeded with sand, rock and caulerpra from my refugium and lit by an energy saving houshold bulb (about 4300k)
-AP850 skimmer.
-HLP4040 return pump
-2 Auqabee 3000’s on closed loops.
-2 150w 10,000K halides
-1 400w 10,000K halide
-2 40w actinic tubes
-DIY calc reactor made from an old ehiem canister filter.
-Rowaphos in a fluidised bed.