View Full Version : Maestro's rio 180
EDIT 21st FEB 2010 -this tank has been shut down for a good while now but I was searching through an old camera and find these few pics which id like to add to this thread, this last one was just before it was shut down.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2010Q1/zeo58.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2010Q1/zeo59.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2010Q1/zeo60.jpg
Ive been reearching marines for ages and have finally managed to set up my first marine tank which is a rio 180 bought from Pete D on here.
I wanted a tank that was large enough so I could have a few medium/small fish with space for them to swim around but also wanted a tank than was manageable and wouldnt cost the earth to setup and run, the rio 180 is about 40 gallons and is perfect for me and fits neatly into the alcove the wall.
The setup is as follows.
Tank: Rio 180 40 gallons
Lighting: 4x 39watt t5's 3 deltec aquablues (6kand 20k mix) and 1 aquamedic actinic.
Skimmer: mce600
2 maxijets for movemnt while I wait for 2 seio 820's to arrive in the next few days from singapore.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/tank003.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/tank005.jpg
I added salt last night and parametres are
SG 1.024
12 DKH
440ppm Calcium
temp = 24.7 C
Ammonia, nitrite nitrate = 0
ph = 8.4
I plan to run it for a few days, add a heater and then 15- 20kgs of live rock
Good luck mate :) I am sure you wont need it though, good equipment right from the start helps alot :)
Do you plan on adding a sump?
I thought about it but I dont plan to add a sump for a few reasons:
It will cost about £200 to add a sump and plumb it in.
The sump would have to be tiny - about 6 gallons as this is all the cabinet allows - not worth it.
I really dont want floods and sooner or later something is bound to happen, it always does
comming along nicely. one point i will make is if you are going to put live rock in the tank it might be worth putting a couple more power heads in.
best of luck.
aNdY
Coming on nicely, I got a Rio180 which I drilled for a sump.
If you are worried about space for a sump in the cabinet, you could always do what this guy did http://www.freewebs.com/warrens_tank/
I'll post pics when my tank is ready. Just waiting for silicone to dry on my pipes.
Thanks slappy, thats a impressive sump setup that guy has!
Have you done the same or are just putting a sump in one of the compartments?
No, my Juwel cabinet holds my tv, dvd etc.
My tank is on a custom built stand and the sump is in the cabinet next to it which holds other stuff.
I will post pics in the next few days. :thumbsup:
If you are planning on a sump, now is the time to do it as I chose to do mine afterwards which proved to be a nightmare storing the live rock, livestock etc.
I wished I'd done it before everything was set up. :wacko:
Just to update,
I went to knights aquatics in godstone and they had some freshly cured liverock, nice pieces that werent too big so I got 20kgs worth and added that to the tank, i havent arranged it yet, just put it in.
Only noticed one hitchhiker so far, what looks like a fan worm of some kind.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/tankrock001.jpg
chronic2005
19-09-05, 20:30
looking good, what have you planned for it? :thumbsup:
Good luck Maestro
Tanks looking good, i bet your wallet is feeling as bad as mine after buying LR :o
I really like the blue background, looks quality
Only advice i can give you is lose the thermometer :lol:
Matt
Yeah the thermometre was just put in there to make sure the digital one was accurate as it kept fluctuating, the floating thermometre is on 27 and the digital on 28.
Im going to buy a lab grade one and then ill know how much the digital one is out.
I was speakign to a couple of shops and theyve all had people sayign the digital ones fluctuate a bit, for example it may read 27.5, you turn it off and then back on and it reads 26.9??
Chronic I plan to wait a fair while because I really want to get it mature but when I do im goign to stock with a pair of clowns, then a royal gramma, a bottom dweller which i havent decided on and teh centrepice will be 2 centropyge angels which will be added at the same time.
Coral wise its goign to be stocked with mainly soft corals plus maybe 1 or 2 lps.
Yeah i know, i bought the tube type just to see if my digital was working properly
Seems pretty good at the moment, plus i need the extra thermometer for water changes
Good luck mate :thumbsup:
Today I bought 2 boxes of aquaputty and rearange the rockwork, it was abit of a messy job but got their in the end, the aquaputty clouded my water a little and drove the skimmer a bit mad.
Ive noticed that the rockwork is starting to brown a little so the daitoms are arriving.
Tommorrow im going to get anti antiphos and put it in a sock in teh media compartment of the skimmer,
heres an updated pic, with the blue evening lights, I 2 of the white tubes of at 8 and this gives a nice effect with the actinic tube and deltec aquablue.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/tankrock003.jpg
Hi
Thats looks really nice,nice aquascaping also
:thumbsup:
Chris
Hi Maestro
Reading your last post has made me cheer up a little :D
"Ive noticed that the rockwork is starting to brown a little so the daitoms are arriving"
My sand/rock has started to go brown as well <_<
After searching it seems all new tanks go through this in the early stages, Can't wait till i can add a clean up crew ;)
Matt
Matt B,
My sand is going brown too, looks a bit grubby a the moment and i imagine it will get worse before gettign better.
Ive had this stage with my tropical tanks and it lasts for a while and then clears up quiet quickly
Day 9 update.
The sand and glass have been getting really brown so ive been cleanign them everyday, in the last couple of days ive seen a bit og green algae appearing on the rocks so hopefully the brown stage is nearly over, I hate everything being brown, looks so grubby.
Ive put some antiphos in a bag in the media compartment of the skimmer, I bought this before I knew about the cheaper stuff from UDA which is exactly the same but I know know for next time.
Me seio's arrived yesterday, very impressive for the price, only £30 a peice and they put out 3500litres each, I was worried about them being too powerfull but actually the flow is really dispersed and gentle and I could of actually gone for the next size up without any worries.
A couple of pics
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/update001.jpg
Ive got lots of pink thing sappearing on the rock, any idea what they are? excuse the photo im rubbish at pics!
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/update004.jpg
Originally posted by maestro@Sep 28 2005, 21:31
Day 9 update.
The sand and glass have been getting really brown so ive been cleanign them everyday, in the last couple of days ive seen a bit og green algae appearing on the rocks so hopefully the brown stage is nearly over, I hate everything being brown, looks so grubby.
Ive put some antiphos in a bag in the media compartment of the skimmer, I bought this before I knew about the cheaper stuff from UDA which is exactly the same but I know know for next time.
Me seio's arrived yesterday, very impressive for the price, only £30 a peice and they put out 3500litres each, I was worried about them being too powerfull but actually the flow is really dispersed and gentle and I could of actually gone for the next size up without any worries.
A couple of pics
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/update001.jpg
Ive got lots of pink thing sappearing on the rock, any idea what they are? excuse the photo im rubbish at pics!
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/update004.jpg
Very nice keep up the good work :thumbsup:
p.s where did u get your pumps from?
I ordered them from eaquanature.com in singopore, they took around a month to arrive but they didnt have them in stock, basically they are like a stream but much cheaper
Good powerheads.
I ordered 4 for mine to keep the postage down on them. Mine took 2 weeks to arrive.
karen1bernese
28-09-05, 23:56
Looks great hope water stays that clear.You said you visited godstone fish shop is that surrey and how much marine do they sell??Im in Crawley so usually go to world of fishes in east grinstead but somewhere else would be good.
Knights in Godstone is good and definately worth a visit, its at the back of a garden centre but run by knowledgeable people, the tanks are always spotless it has about 20 or so marine tanks and 1 huge invert tank which is really great, its about 8x4foot and you can walk around it.
Comparing it to world of fishes It doesnt have as many tanks so probably not quite as good on the fish side but the selection they do have have looks healthy and the huge central invert tank you can walk round is very impressive and has some excellent corals on display.
Only takes about 10-15 minutes from World of fishes so worth a visit
maestro, do you know that there is a mod you can do to the bracket that way it hangs on the side of the tank?, also looks less bulky, the mod is on reef central
Yeah I dont think it will work, the jewel tanks have 3 inches of trim above the water line and I dont think the bracket is long enough to reach that far down, i.e the pump will be too high and suck in air
tank is looking nice maestro which seio did you get the 620 or the 820
Originally posted by maestro@Sep 28 2005, 23:43
Yeah I dont think it will work, the jewel tanks have 3 inches of trim above the water line and I dont think the bracket is long enough to reach that far down, i.e the pump will be too high and suck in air
ahh right, my trigon only has a three qurter inch trim on it at the back corner, thought yours would have been the same
There is another mod on that thread which will work though silicone the holder to a half of a claner magnet with the other half outside the glass, this cuts out the use of the suckers which are complete rubbish
like this
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/17227SEIO_SERA_magnet.jpg
be wary of the magnetic field from the magnets doesnt damage the pumps, think one of 2 people did this on rc with pumps failing, not sure if they siliconed it directly to the pumps though
Hows the tank comming along Maestro?
Be good to see a few pics ;)
Hi matt b
The tank is coming along ok.
Im having a problem with purple cyno growing on the rocks and sand, I syphon if off every evening but it keeps coming growing back, I think this might be my fault though because ive been having the lights on too long so im cutting it down to 6 hours a day and leave it alone to hopefully let it run its course.
Ive added a arcadia luminaire as I bulbs under the lid were too close to the water, they were causing heat problems and getting alot of salt creep.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/update010.jpg
Ive also added an eheim 2217 for circulation, I have a spraybar both end of the tank on the surface, they seem to offer alot more agitation compared to the seio's.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/update008.jpg
Apart from the algae the tank seems to be maturing quite well, ive noticed alot of life on the sand at rocks at night, a few bristle worms, lots of pods and some minute stars on the glass, had some coraline algae growth aswell in places.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/update009.jpg
Looking good :thumbsup:
Wish my algae bloom was as small as yours!! your tank still looks spotless :P
Must admit i had my halide too close to the water and the temperature was rising 3 degrees, got my fan wired up today and within 30 mins it dropped 1 degree :D so hopefully i can stabilise it a bit now
If you find your water is still warming up too much from the light i'd definatly recommend a small fan
Good luck mate
Matt
To be honest matt I have got my fair share of purple algae, I just cant stand it and soon syphon it off every evening and brush it off the rocks, Im not sure whether its best to do this or just to leave it but it looks awfull and I cant stand having it in there
Looking good.
I just got hold of an Arcadia Series 3 150w halide with Actinics/Analogue timers for mine. Not had a chance to put it up as yet though.
Not had red cyno algae as yet.
Thanks guys
The equipment looks a bit of a mess at the moment but i plan to tidy that up in the next week or so, when the corals start to grow my plan is for all or as much of the equipment as possible to be hidden.
Slappy how are you overcoming the problem with the brace bar causing a shadow?
My brace bar is removable and I had a second brace bar given to me so in theory, I can place one about 4 inches from the right hand side of the tank and the other on the opposite end.
I will probably leave it in the middle (one brace bar) and place some corals in the middle which does not require so much light, like Warren has
http://www.freewebs.com/warrens_tank/
To update - day 33
Ive added my first last week, some clean up crew 10 days ago and then a pair of wild caught percula clowns last tuesday.
I originally tried to get tank bred percs but the colour on them was just awfull, I must have visited about 7 different fish shops looking some some good ones that compared to the wilds but all the ones I saw were pale, washed out and extermely thin.
I also enquired about a pair of Onyx perculas, Sue from Coral garden aquatics was very helpfull and sent me a picture of the beautiful pair of Onyx clowns they have but in the end I decided that although they were asking less the other shops, they certainly arent cheap and I decided that with the price it wasnt a sensible choice for a first fish.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/tankupdate09.jpg
I also modified one of my Seio pumps you can see in the background by siliconing the holder to a jumbo claner magnet, I did this because the suckers are absolutely useless after they have been in the tank a few weeks and even turning the pumps on and off caused them to give way, this has been a nightmare so I decided that somethign needed to be done! Im really impressed with the result, the pump is now really easy to move and much more user friendly, I plan to do the other one but as the jumbo magnets cost almost £20! it will have to wait for a bit.
I have 2 pics of my clowns, the pictures do not really do them justice but they are a really nice strong colour and eating like pigs, at the moment im feeding them omega enriched brineshrimp soaked in a few drops of marinvits but plan to gradually try them with flake aswell.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/tankupdate09005.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/tankupdate09002.jpg
The only plans for the next couple of weeks is to sort out the heater problem, I only have a 100 watt heater in there with cant cope, in the night the temperature is droping 1 degrees even with the heater turned up and with colder whether coming this is only going to get worse.
I plan to use a hydor external heater which goes inline on the external filter, I will run this controlled by an external thermostat for adding security.
The thermo will be set at the temperature you want, e.g 26C and the heaters own inbuilt will be 29C, this way if wither one sticks the temp will only rise 3C.
mariusz621
23-10-05, 00:17
Good progress :thumbsup:
Very nice clowns.
Coming on nicely Maestro. Keep up the good work. :thumbsup:
Very nice m8..its a pleasure watching new setups in progress :thumbsup:
nice setup maestro
just starting myself with a rio 180 so
nice to get some ideas and see how good it can become.
keep up the good work
:D
PYTHON2674
23-10-05, 18:41
maestro,
Fantastic mate, I think you have done a really good job there. I just wish my sand looked half as clean as yours. I am guessing I will have to syphon the sand to clear the diatom from the bottom.
Keep up the good work and the pix. Nice clowns by the way.
ATB
Carl :D
Very Nice Dave
What skimmer & lighting you using
Del
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Thanks for the Kind comments,
The lighting is an Arcadia 4xT5 luminaire, 2 deltec 60/40's 2 Aquamedic blues.
The skimmer is a Deltec mce600.
Regarding the sand - for the first 2-3 weeks I had some bad cyno outbreaks and was stirring/syphoning the sand every night, just when I was getting worried it then dissapeared over a couple of days and havent had any problems since.
:thumbsup: looking good mate,nice and clean .
i am a rio 180 owner as well :cheers:
Originally posted by sharktale@Oct 24 2005, 21:20
:thumbsup: looking good mate,nice and clean .
i am a rio 180 owner as well :cheers:
Have you put any pics of your tank on here as yet?
I'm a Juwel Rio 180 owner as well. :thumbsup:
Bought myself my first coral yesterday, a sarcophyton aka toadstool, couldnt resist, it was a really nice healthy looking one, with really nice polyps.
It opened up within an hour of being put in the tank and seems really happy, Ive found a nice place for it with gentle flow.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/tankupdate09001.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/tankupdate09003.jpg
instantsquid
26-10-05, 07:09
That Sarco looks really well - good job!
- Ian.
I was given a dun coral this week, It was actually sat an an old clam mabtle and easilly broke into 2, I decided to break it into 2 as its easier to place.
Its polyps are out all day and retract at night which seems to go against the norm, im feeding it a little everyday
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/suncoral.jpg
DroidBaron
03-11-05, 14:01
Hi maestro.
Your tank is looking excellent! :)
I have a question regarding your overtank luminaire. I'm thinking of getting something similar myself, and i too have a Rio 180. I was wondering if you had any problems with shadows being cast into the tank by the brace bar in the centre of the tank? That's my only concern before purchasing something similar myself B)
Regards.
SpanishTony
03-11-05, 14:21
What's the modification you have used on the outlet of your skimmer.
Tony
I would definately recomend buying a luminaire, its been one of my best buys, you wont get a shadow problem from it at all as its not a point source of light, its only halides that will give you a shadow.
I bougth mine for £160 which is the best price i could find so make sure you shop around as some quoted me £200+
The only thing I would say is that many people dont like the arcadia bulbs the luminaire comes with, they say it gives a pink tint, I already had some different bulbs so that didnt effect me, I simply sold the arcadia's on but its worth mentioning
DroidBaron
03-11-05, 14:36
Excellent :) Thanks for your help! :D
Originally posted by SpanishTony@Nov 3 2005, 15:21
What's the modification you have used on the outlet of your skimmer.
Tony
I bought some 40mm push fit marley waste pipe fittiings from B&Q, a 90 degree elbow attached to the output pipe from the skimmer, then connect that to a 45 degree elbow via a small piece of pipe, and then a another piece of pipe so the output is aimed back into the side of the tank at about the water level.
I no longer get bubbles and it also stops having that output plate in the tank.
Its not my idea by the way, I copied it from on here but it works well
hello. ur tank look damm good.
i hope to set up my 180 just after xmas.
am gonna have a setup quite like yours with a mce 600 and no sump.
can't decide what to do about the lights though. either an i bar with two exta t5,s or the over tank like yours. Do u have to top up ur water alot? if so how much and how often? if i go with the i bar i can keep the lid, but i think the tank will get to hot in the summer, and also might look a bit messy. sorry to ask u question, i'm just trying to get everthing sorted in my head b4 i set up me first tank.
keep up the updates looking good :thumbsup:
I have to top up about 2 litres per night.
I previously had a 3/4 lid with 4 t5's under and the temperature was getting too high and that was in the cool weather, since ive changed to a luminaire the temp is steady, you definately will get temperature problems in the summer with a lid.
The luminaire has been a great buy, it looks nice and is so much much easier to work around as it lifts up on its hinges, definately would recomend one instead over a hood
Nice Tank, great to see the start and progression like stages. Real credit to you. :)
Inspiring, and i just hope i understand it all as well as you seem to, as i go through the stages.
Alan :wacko:
withoutabix2002
04-11-05, 12:53
ive got an arcadia overtank luminaire i brought mine second hand for £120 with deltec bulbs but its definaltly one of the best things ive brought. but my tank does require alot of topping up though temp runs at around 25 degrees steadily compared to around 25-28 degrees when i had a closed hood which didnt like.
great lighting sytem and the rio 180 is good too lol
neil
Thanks for the reply.
do u think is't possible to make an auto top up system without a sump. i have room for a container next to my tank, or would float switches and stuff be to messy in the tank. 2L a day sounds like loads. is it a problem if u go away for the weekend? O and does the tank pong a but without a lid? my bird will get the hump if my lounge stinks of crabs and fish.
Thanks for your time
RIO :thumbsup:
To be honest im no sure how messy it would be in the tank, you could put it in a back corner and plan to have corals in front to hide it.
What I think i will do is buy a 10 litre or so container and put that in the cabinet, then I will use a peri pump on a timer to come on a a certain amount of time ever couple of hours, say 15 minutes, Ill plan it so the max of water pumped into the tank per day is 2 litres which i do now. If i find its not enough then ill just run teh pump for a bit longer the next day.
Where is ur tank located in ur house?
does it make any noise?
any new pics?
?
?
? :P :D
The tank is in the dining room, the tanks produces a humming noise but its acceptable, certainly no-one has complained
I bought a nice mushroom rock yesterday, Rhodactis indosinensis, common name knobbly mushroom, It was quite expenive for a msuhroom but I thought it was a little different and in the tank it looks really good
Heres a couple of pics, 1st under normal light and 2nd in the evening under the blue lights
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/knobbly%20002.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/knobbly.jpg
very nice, :thumbsup: were did you get them.
spot. on buddy
keep um coming :cheers:
have u had any running probs?
or is it all going to plan?
Originally posted by RIO@Nov 12 2005, 00:28
spot. on buddy
keep um coming :cheers:
have u had any running probs?
or is it all going to plan?
Its been fairly smooth so far, I had some cyno algae come back but Ive put this down to overfeeding with frozen food, I was feeding 3 or 4 times a day plus feeding the sun coral evryday.
Ive now changed to flake food, I feed the fish 3 times a day and the cyno algae has gradually gone away
Recieved my order of corals from the US yesterday, will add pictures once theyve all settled in, the metalic green zoanthids are been teh first to fully open but maybe they are a little more hardy than the more exotic colours.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/green123.jpg
Looking Good Mate
Cant wait to see the Rics
:thumbsup:
very nice m8 coral fanatics got mine wednesday
Originally posted by bigray@Nov 18 2005, 22:56
very nice m8 coral fanatics got mine wednesday
You received order on wednesday bigray? did you order all zoo's?
my eagle eye zoo's have opened up a little too now
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/green%20005.jpg
ye 8 frags of zoa's and fully open in 30 mins them eagles are nice i got some as well
Another one of the frags is now fully open, green and clue and red and blue on same piece
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/green%20008.jpg
Nice work and choice of tank i have the same 1 chris
Picked up my first 2 Hard corals today,
A blue tip and a yellow acropora, just put them in the tank, but still need to attach them to the rockwork
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/acropora87%20003.jpg
A couple more pics
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/acropora87%20005.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/acropora87%20006.jpg
An updated tank picture
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/acropora87.jpg
WOW maestro fine looking tank
Its came a long way since i last looked :thumbsup:
Maybe i'm being a bit tooo patient :blink: i'm still waiting to january till i get back of holiday to stock anything
After looking at your tank it seems i'm missing out!!
Good luck mate looks like your doing a damn fine job ;)
Matt
Looking Very Good Dave, (any pics of yer Ric's yet) :thumbsup:
& Matt, you must the most patient man I know, I cant believe you are still managing to hold out :wacko:
I admire your patience Matt b, atleast you have atlot of time to play the layout of yoru tank and research everything you need to.
Here are a few pics of the rics, you'll have to excuxe the quality, im only using a basic camera,
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/riecrodea%2099%20006.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/riecrodea%2099%20011.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/riecrodea%2099%20014.jpg
Also managed a more front on shot of the tank
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/riecrodea%2099.jpg
very nice mate :thumbsup: .
when did the tang go in
Nice Lookig Ric's mate - I got some in the last couple of weeks ( 1 Blue, 4 Orange/Dark Blue & 1 Turquoise)
Tank is looking gooood - I take it the Tang is a Juvvy
:thumbsup:
Ive had the Tang about 6 weeks ago, when I bought him it was the size of a 50 pence piece and has grwon about an inch since then, hes just a little bigger than my clownfish.
Obviosly an adult one would need a much bigger tank but I beleive a smaller tank might make the tang feel a bit more secure, certainly he seems very happy and doesnt ever have any whitespots on him.
The only problem with the tang is that he now thinks he is a clown fish! he stays with them all day long and never leaves their side, you can see in the picture hes next to them, the only other problem is that a have a 40" tank and all 3 fish always stay in the right hand corner!, its quite cute though
At night he sleeps behind the powerhead
hiya maestro
iv got 180 vision. how long has your tank been set up now?
it looks good by the way! :P
sarah
Meastro, where did u order your polyps from?
The tank is about 3 months old, the zoanthids were from coralfanatics.com
Just wonna say great thread maestro, the tank is looking great! :)
Xmas update
I bought a yellow angelfish C Heraldi for christmas, I was lookign for a fish to bring more colour to the tank and the bright yellow heraldi looked really colourfull at the shop so couldnt resist. Its quite a shy fish, it weeves in and out the rocks, I like this though, It looks much more natural than just hanging out at the front like the others do.
I did a comprehensive testing session and the results were as follws.
Salinity 1.025
PH 8.4
Alk 8 dkh
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate less than 1ppm
Calcium 405
Magnesium 1215
Everything seems in order, im pleased that the nitrate is so low after 3 months.
I havent managed to get a picture of the angel as he hides alot but heres a few updated shots.
A full tank shot
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/new%20tank%20002.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/new%20tank%20003.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/new%20tank%20777.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/new%20tank%20873.jpg
Maestro you said you ordered the polyps from coralfanatics.com did they ship to uk?
Very nice
Phil
yes, ordered 6 ricordea and 6 zoanthid frags and it came to £230 inc shipping
I havent done anything in the last month so I cant really update.
I havent had too much success with the zoo's, 2 frags came unattached and got lost in the rockwork, one frag kind of melted, the green is going strong though and the blue and red fargs is ok too but neither have grown, so overal I have to say its been a dissapointment.
The rics have howver grown a little or maybe now they are just fuly inflated, I did lose one which become unattached, I reatched in with an elastic band bit it didnt work and its dissapeared.
The acros have shown some growth, I have to say that unfortunately the blue tipp has browned out alot but the yellow is still holing its colour ok, I plan to invest in a mini fluidiser to help lower the phosphates even more.
see how you've added the arcadia luminaire would u say there space on the top of the tank for put another one or not?
I would say theres not quite enougth space to add another but there would be space to add another 2 t5 bulbs if you made a part hood at the front or deltec twin t5 unit
The tank is nearly 6 months out and I thought id post some pregression pictures
When first set up
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/tankrock001.jpg
rock aquascaped
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/tankrock003.jpg
algae bloom after 2 weeks
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/update001.jpghttp://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/update001.jpg
after 1 month
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/suncoral.jpg
Tank today after 5 months, you can see some coraline lgae starting to grow on the left hand side.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/fluid017.jpg
These mushrooms are growing like crazy, should have some frags soon
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/fluid014.jpg
My 2 clown fish and 'stag' the regal tank, he never leaves their side, he thinks he's a clownfish, in teh background you can see where im fraggign some ricordea
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/fluid016.jpg
Right hand side of the tank where im growing some zoanthid frags, so far i have greens, pinks, eagle eyes and some red and blue ones, it will probably take a year or more for them to look anything at all but I prefer growing frags than just buying big rocks of corals.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/fluid011.jpg
lovely tank hope all goes well
im thinking of getting a Rio 180 marine setup from "just marine" does any body know if there any good and worth the money thank you
dave
If you post up what you get for what money im sure people will offer their advice.
Ive been quite busy fragging my ricordeas and buying in another 1 or 2 mushrooms.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/mushies003.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/mushies005.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/mushies006.jpg
Just waiting for them to grow out for a few months and then I can frag then again, my plan is to cover alot of the base rocks with ricordeas and other types of mushrooms
I was quite nervous at first fraggign £20 a piece ricordeas but I havent lost a frag so far, just make sure you get a bit of the mouth on each frag, put in a shallow tray (i used the base of a pot noodle cut so its about 1/2" deep) with some course gravel and cover with some soft netting (i used the netting that come with the 3 pack of garlic its nice and elasticy), leave for 3 weeks and then check to see whwther they are attached, then take out the tank and superglue the gravel which they have become attached to a larger rock.
anychance of a picture under normal lighting
ill get some tomorrow, I was just taking pictures on my ebay items a little earlier and thought id take some of my tank, I think they look better under normal lights tbh but didnt want to disturb the fish too much as they had gone to bed!
look forward to seeing them
Some daylight shots of my small collection so far, I love mushrooms, colourfull, hardy and easy to frag!
Ricordea, florida and yuma
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/mushies012.jpg
Bright purple mushrooms
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/mushies011.jpg
Green stripe with reds
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/mushies008.jpg
The frags I have taken (the 2 rocks in the centre)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/mushies007.jpg
An overal view of my collection
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/mushies010.jpg
Added a new fish today, a potters angel,
I saw it about 2 weeks ago at hertiage aquatics, I went back today and couldmt resist, im just hoping it gets on akoy with my heraldi angel, so far theres been a little bit of chasing but nothing major, im keeping an eye on it.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/mushies.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/mushies023.jpg
Its been a while since Ive updated this thread and I think my tank has come on a bit, the more I learn the put into practice the better I can get it to look.
Received my new halide today dual 150 and 4 x18 watt actinic, so total wattage has gone from 156 to 372, im planning to add more more sps and try the zeovit method, here is a shot taken
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/zeo.jpg
looks good mate - have you had a change of angels there.... think I can see a flame in that last shot?
Yeah its a long story but this is what happend.
I orginally had a Potters angel and A yellow angel (centropyge heraldi).
I lost the yellow angel, I belive it was due to the the aquascape that I had used, basically it was full of health one day, used alot of putty that night and the next day it was stone dead, see this thread, this was my first fish loss
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/showthread.php?t=188641
I loved having 2 angels together and had always wanted a flame so I tried to introduce one with the existing potters, previously my 2 angels lived in piece and the potters was the more passive of the 2 so I thought Id take a gamble.
BIG MISTAKE, the potters went mental, it chased the flame non stop, it would have killed it if I hadnt of scooped it out.
I took the flame back to the shop and asked them to look after it for me, when it was back to full health I asked them to pair it up with a Fiji angel (Centropyge woodheadi) I wanted one of these as you dont see them that often, somethign a little different ,its identical to the yellow except for a black spot on the end of its dorsal fin and a blue line running at the end
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Centropyge_woodheadiFJ.jpeg
I then caught the potters using a fish trap, took it to the shop and then came home with 2 angels that you see if the photo, already playing together nicely thanks to the fish shop.
Nice tank and good luck with the propagation!
Ive got a few pictures of my favourite corals,
First is my eagle eye zoa's, purchased these from the US last year, they didnt grow at all for the first 6 months, I then moved them up near the top of the tank and they started to grow.
The look best under actinics
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/luminaire%20005.jpg
I also really like my birdnest coral, seriatopora hystrix it started of quite pale but has become to show a bit more colour, im hoping that under my new halides it will colour up even more, I couldnt get a good picture unfortunately
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/zeo 002.jpg
Also picked up a nice brain coral recently, I just liked the colour, it looked like a little kid has scribbled in the green rim with crayon
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/luminaire%20016.JPG
My moon coral, I picked this one because of its small size and really bright colour, Ive learnt that in my tank smaller pieces look far more natural so im always on the look out for these sorts of pieces in the fish shops
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/luminaire 008.jpg
I have recently started using a home made 3 part dosing recipe for Alkalinity, Calcium and Magnesium, invented by Randy Holmes-Farley
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php
Its very easy to do, It is fully automated using 3ml aquadoser peri pumps and electrical timers, I decided to use this method because kalk alone didnt keep up with demand.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/dosing 003.jpg
Here is a picture of inside my cabinet, one bottle contains the calcium part another contains the Alaklinity part, you add these in equal amount. There is a third magnesium part but this isnt needed very often so I keep it in a cupboard,
I ran it in conjuction with the kalk stirrer but after awhile I found I no longer needed the stirrer.
Ive uploaded a short clip of the tank, Its not great but gives you an idea,
hopefully this works, just click the image, the tank is nice and blue but isnt as blue as it looks
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/th_tank.jpg (http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/?action=view¤t=tank.flv)
Whitetrash
11-10-06, 19:07
How much did the Kalk set-up cost to make??? and how much does it actully cost to run these calcium systems out of interest??? your tank looks great btw
Thanks, In the picture above I was using 2 systems
I originally just used an automated kalk Setup, the costs were as follows,
Ratz kalk stirrer - £80 of ebay
Aquadoser peri pump £50
Digital timer £10
I found that kalk didnt keep up with demand so introduced a 2nd system along side it, the home made calcium and alkalinity additive from this link
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php
To set it up all you need is 2 slow peri pumps and 2 digital timers which together cost £120, the chemicals cost about £6 a month
I found that with this 2nd system I no longer needed the kalk stirrer so just you the dosing method 100% now.
bleedmarshall
11-10-06, 21:56
dude see when your dosing your ALK and CA are you using individual peri pumps for each additive?
Tank looks bitching though ;)
Scott
Yeah I use individual peri pumps, 2ml aquadosers.
I beleive aquamedic do a dual peri pump but they are at a much faster rate, you want the solutions to be dripped in as slow as possible, I did get a quote from Williamson for a custom made dual peri pump but it was more expensive than 2 individual ones put togther, also I was concerned that it would be extremely hard to sell in the future if I ever decided to do so.
bleedmarshall
11-10-06, 22:40
how many ml per day of randy's mix does your system usally require?
Im dosing 120ml of each part of formula one per day.
I have my peri pumps on digital timers to come on 15minutes 4 times a day, I dose the alk part at night to keep the PH up.
Whitetrash
12-10-06, 00:07
sounds quite cheap after the initial outlay!!!
Yeah the chemicals are quite cheap,
Sodium bicarbonate can be bought from tesco and costs about £1
Calcium chloride is currently the biggest expense, £5 a bottle but I am looking to get some in from a swimming pool company, costs a hell of alot cheaper but need to make sure it is safe.
Whitetrash
12-10-06, 11:53
Excellent!!
feeding time
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/th_feeding.jpg (http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/?action=view¤t=feeding.flv)
Ive got a lovely Pearl octobubble, over the last couple of weeks It hasnt looked too good, it started receeding and didnt expand much at all, this got worse and worse, untill at one stage I wasnt sure if it was dead, there was no expansion at all, previously the the past few months it had been fine, I wondered if it was a parasite or infection or somwthing like that, the parameters were fine.
I thought id do anything I can so I moved it to the lowest flow area possible and tried to target feed it a few times with limited success and within a week this is how it looks.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/zeo 004.jpg
Im really pleased
nice one, i had a bubble that nearly went the same way too, i realised just in time they like low flow & low light.
Tank is really coming on.
Thanks Fras
Ive decided to use Zeovit for increased colouration in my corals, you can if you look around find some really stunning maricultured acro's and I want to be able to maintain that colour, hence the upgrade in lighting and the zeovit.
I was tempted to try The new Fauna Marin products which seem to copy the zeovit method but Ive decided to stick to the orginal, mainly because there is a hell of alot of reefers who have a great deal of experience using the Zeovit method and they can help abd advise you, there is even a large zeovit forum.
As I dont have a sump a standard zeovit wont work so If been in contact with a couple of people and im getting a custom hangon zeovit filter made.
Here is the design
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/zeoadjust-1.jpg
I should be starting the zeovit experiment very soon, just waiting on supplies, also tuning on all the parameters to come in line with NSW values as adviced by zeovit. i.e
KH 6-8 Higher than that has shown to cause TN
Ca 400-450
Mg 1200<1400
K+ 380-410
Levels of Pottasium seem to be defficient in most salt mixes and over time K+ ionic deficiency does occur cause coral consequences, color-fade, & TN
What I plan to do is take pictures every so often to see the effects good or bad.
This is what a yellow acro looked like when I first had it - stunning
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/acropora87003.jpg
This is the same coral today several today months later. its browned out a bit but still my favourite
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/beforezeo.jpg
I will post pictures of this coral every month
I picked up a nice Stylophora pistillata (otginally thought it was pocillopora) today, its not any great size but I love the colour, picture doesnt really do it justice
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/beforezeo002.jpg
Also bought a nice white acro, not sure of the Species.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/beforezeo 003.jpg
looking very good! Seeing that you scrapped the juwel hood, I was quite suprised you didnt go for halides
upgraded to halides a few weeks ago, the reason I went for t5's at first was because on the black brace bar which usually cause a horrible shadow, eventually I found a dual halide that was only 100cm long, most are 120cm.
If you look at the picture you can see the slimmer lines a little.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/zeo.jpg
Hi maestro, what halides have you got on the tank? i am looking at halides for a rio 180 but as you said they ae all 120cm!!
Cheers,
Kris.
Aquaone MG1000,
it has 2x150watt halides and 4x18watt actinics.
yer. those are good. I was thinking of getting that, but am going for the Atmans (external ballast) instead for my 48*24*24" which is comming in 'hopefully' early next year after building work is out of the way.
Picked up some lovely zoanthids yesterday, I was quite lucky because you cant get these colours from the UK :D ;) these pics are under normal 14K lighting, more pics to follow of the others
'blues clues'
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/beforezeo011.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/beforezeo 016.jpg
Fire and Ice
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/beforezeo 020.jpg
just read through the whole thread, love the tank its really progressed!
Cheers mate
Ive been off this week and spent most of my tank tracking down some nice stock, spent a small fortune but Im really happy with what ive bought.
Picked up this pink Acropora millepora, its a lovely red colour, best of all, it was FREE!
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/beforezeo 033.jpg
This neon green hammer coral also had to be purchased! my tank looks like a stock tank at the moment theres corals everywhere! my 3 new sps corals will spend 1 week or so on the sand before gradually moving them into there final position.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/beforezeo 034.jpg
Some of the zoa rocks are too big so they will need to be reduced so should have a few nice frags available,
This is an awesome yuma, didnt want to spend anymore money this week but couldnt resist, who said you cant get quality stock in the UK?
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/beforezeo 569.JPG
nice yumma maestro is that the one that was at WOF
Yeah, thats the one stingray
stunning , i can say that , that pic is a good pic of said yumma if i wasnt so skint i would of had it stunner mate
This is a top down photo of my little zoa collection
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/frag785 001.jpg
My clowns have found a new home in the green hammer, not sure how pleased the hammer is though!
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/th_clowns78.jpg (http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/?action=view¤t=clowns78.flv)
Plus a pic of a new green plating monti, you cant tell from teh picture but it has a nice purplish rim to it
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/frag788.jpg
I'm in the market for some corals now and just wondered where you get yours from. If it's a non sponsor then perhaps you could pm me. I don't really have any decent LFS near me so it's difficult finding decent stuff at reasonable prices in this expensive hobby.
I mainly buy from STM and World of fishes in East Grinstead, sometimes I also pop into Heritage aquatics.
As I have said before, your tank is stunning. Keep the pics coming. Any full shots?
cheers craig I apreciate that, heres a full tank shot, its a bit of a mess on the right hand side, thats my aclimatization zone.
Cant wait untill next year when ill fill the top with sps
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/frag788 001.jpg
SpanishTony
09-11-06, 18:34
Maestro
Looks great mate, have you noticed much difference moving to the halides from the T5's? Also is unit suspended or on legs like the luminaire?
Tony
The unit is suspended via wall brackets
Ive noticed that tank looks much more alive with the shimmer lines, the sps corals have more noticeable growth tips and the zoas look more colourfull, saying that I have more than doubled the amount of light so you would expect better growth but overall I am really really pleased with the halides, the colour for me is spot on too.
My Zeovit reactor finally arrived, Im really pleased, ive been waiting for what seems like ages, I helped with the design and suprisingly it seems to fit ok! and the adjustable bracket works a treat.
Obviosuly it will hang on the back of teh tank but im going to test it at the front for a day or so so I can spot any problems or leaks
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/zeoreactor.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/frag780 104.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/frag780 105.jpg
A couple of acros ive picked up this week
Stm coral blue and green acro
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/frag780 001.jpg
Aquaworld blue acro
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/frag780109.jpg
this is an awsome tank, can't believe i haven't commented before now but i've been following it from the start. It's filling with some fantastic stock.
Stunning little tank mate! i am very impressed!!!
Looks very nice with some superb stock in there!
Keep the updates coming.
John
reefmechanic
18-11-06, 15:53
looking good mate love the new reactor !!!!!! i want one now!!!!
Thats a stunning tank, i love the zoo's yumas and sps mix, something i'm hoping to do in the future
blazesnake
19-11-06, 11:42
nice tank, ive just bought a rio 180 myself, beautiful tanks
You've done a grand job with a small tank, M. - good on you! There's hope for us all.
Thanks clive, I try my best!
Not really bought much lately but this weekend picked a lovely blue tip acro and a nice small zoa rock
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/monti876 027.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/monti876 024.jpg
liquidlogic
03-12-06, 13:42
hey mate where do u get ur zoos from ?
from stm and also world of fishes and a I have 2 colonies I imported from the US, im building up quite a collection now!
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/monti876 034.jpg
Wow that is quite a collection!
Im loving your tank mate!
Reef bloke
15-12-06, 21:48
Oooo! Looking very good,great stock selection too.Nice one mate.
Cheers mate,
Heres an updated pic.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/monti876048.jpg
The lower right hand side I want to fill with really nice zoas and almost have, room for about 3 colonies more I reckon, the upper right hand side Im growing out a red monti and also theres the green one
Left hand lower side will be filled with ricordeas, picked up about 50 from stm the other day, worked out less that £2 each!
The top im going to fill with acros and a nice hystrix colony, its starting to come together!
Also want to get rid of those big looking seios in exchand for the teeny nanostreams but I better get saving first, spent all my money on presents!
Psycho_Eddie
15-12-06, 23:23
Looks Supurb mate, i love the Corraline Alage growth looks amazing. Lots of corals and zoos their. U need a Yellow Tang in their, or a Powder Blue tang.
Do you think i could achive the same look in my Juwel Rio 125?, its same depth and height but just 2/3 the length. My Coral Sand is starting to brown, its three weeks in now with a peice of live rock. Since i added the rock the tank started to come alive with little shirmps etc. The live rock has started to get specs of a dark red algae. Is this normal?, going a 20% water change and adding more live rock this weekend.
Lastly how would u rate the Seio 820M, ive got one comming 2moz for my tank. Will the flow on it be enough for the tank?, any tips for using them?
The tangs would be too large for my tank, I do have a yellow fish, a fiji dwarf angel which is stunning and a better choice
I think you could do the same thing no problem, when I was setting up my tank I bought I giessemann light from a member on here and he had a great sps rio125.
You have to be patient with the sand, I found it took 6 months for it to clean up, adding some Cerith and Nassarus also helped.
If you keep your alk, calc and magnesium levels in check then the coraline wil come but again it seemed to take a good 6 months to take off.
The seio 820 has been great for me, the suckers I found to be useless and ended up silconing the seio to a jumbo algae magnet which has worked great.
ULTRALITH 1 MONTH REPORT
Its been 1 month since Ive started doising the ultralith system and I thought Id update my thoughts so far.
The system as im sure you know is an alternative to the the zeovit system and comprosis of the following.
The ultra-lith which is a stone like zeolite media than you put in a reactor.
The Ulta-bio concentrated bacteria that you dose - little dissapointed by fauna marin to find out its the same product as prodibio biodigest but just twice the price, the ampoules still had prodibio stamped on the side but I think theyve now changed to bottle format.
Ultra - bak which is a food source for the bacteria
Ultra min s which is an amino acid and vitamin food for corals.
First of all this system takes along time to get to work so dont expect too much, but so far ive noticed a reduction in nitrate from around 20 to 10ppm and also Ive noticed the coraline has become a alot brighter in colour and has a greater sheen from it, you can see that effect a bit from the whole tank picture at the bottom of the previous page.
Coralwise Ive noticed a little bit an extra polyp extension but not as impressive as some people have said, Ive also noticed that my yellow acropora has a little bit of extra sheen to it, before it was very matt in colour and not although the colour isnt great there is to my eye a small change.
Ive taken a picture but the shadows make the coral look darker than it is so its very hard to tell.
2 months ago
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/acropora90.jpg
Now
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/maverick451/acropora92.jpg
Cost wise I thought it would be expensive to run this system but actually for my small tank it works out very cheap.
A 250ml bottle of ultamin s and ultrabak cost about £32 but it will last me well over a year for example as I only dose 0.6ml and 0.5ml per day
As an estimate I probably reckon all the additives will cost about £150 a year on my small tank.
Its also quite easy to do, I have a spreadsheet of what I need to dose and tick it of each day, it literally only takes 1 minute to dose the quantities needed with a small syringe.
Conclusion
So far Id have to say that Ive seen signs of it working so im quite impressed buts its far to early to get carried away, Im suprised the costs arent as high as I thought and also the ease of use.
The next update will be at 3 months.
Psycho_Eddie
17-12-06, 19:03
Seems expensive, but if the supliaments are getting good results then why not espetially when u got £100's worth of corals all benifiting from the dosing.
About the Seio, sounds a good idea to remove suckers and make a custom job with a large magnet. But wouldnt the magment bugger up the motor?, i personally prefur the unit with the box on still. Clings closer to the glass then as without u get the long unit. With the box on ive wrapped the main unit will poly-wool stuff and its gone brown in a couple of days, just think how much crap is going into your filter and slowing it down.
Getting 15kg of live rock for £90 soon, along with some Turbos,Hermits, Shrimps.
tomcoleman
02-01-07, 09:08
I used to be into Marine / Tropical and then stopped for awhile and sold my tanks due to house move etc.
Now wanting to get back into it again!
I was looking at the Rio 125 Tank as its looks a nice size and will fit in my room nicely.
One thing i always wanted to do is have a drilled tank and have the following.
http://www.tomcoleman.plus.com/fish_tank.JPG
Also with some good lightning. I have searech the board but cant find anyone else with a rio 125 modded or simular!
I dont want my lights to hang from the celing, what do yours look like?
I have mine suspended from wall brackets, they look fine to me, there are a couple of rio 125's but I cant remember who owns them of teh top of my head.
Havent updated this for a while,
As far as the ultralith goes its been up and down, takes alott of time to find the right wmount for your tank but im pleased the nitrate level has gone down to zero, coral colouration is ok, not brilliant but I only have 150 halides so thats probably why
Here is an updated tank shot, added a few pieces of rock to the left hand side to create a more realistic scape
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/FTS 143.jpg
another
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/FTS 140.jpg
Cool as mate, Thats the best rio ive ever seen bet yer very proud of it.
This is a tank many of us can afford and should look to espire to.
Havent updated this for a while,
coral colouration is ok, not brilliant but I only have 150 halides so thats probably why
Tank's looking good. How many watts per square meter do you have?
looking really nice, I especially like the zoo corner. The tank looks bigger than it actually is in the photo's which I think is always a sign of a good aquascape.
Tank's looking good. How many watts per square meter do you have?
Including actinic I have 1125 watts per square metre
An updated shot, its interesting to see that from the last shot a couple of months ago ive actually had some decent growth on the green monti especially, didnt realise some corals had grown that much, the colours arent bad but ive had to turn down the exposure to get a decent photo,
The right side of my tank is nearly finished now, just the left side to work on , the left hand side seems a little dark so I want to put in there some bright colours, a couple of frags from my yellow acro and maybe a bright hystrix are my thoughts right now.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/FTS 219.jpg
I lost a couple of acros due to carelessness, I use to test ALK twice a week and it was always spot on so I just left it for a couple of weeks and then noticed a couple of acros werent looking too hot and the when I retested it was down to 5! looked in the cabinet and the plug for the dosing pump had come out the socket slightly so wasnt powered!.
Lesson definately learnt there, however much I think my parameters are spot on always check!
:thumbsup: looking good there maestro,how about some close ups,especially off them zoo's:wub:
Tanks looking great Maestro! :thumbsup:
What about an orange moni digitata?
Dave
Update,
Stopped using FM as couldnt get the dosage right and Im not the most patient so jumped aboard the zeovit boat :D
This is a picture of my tank 3 months after using zeovit, upgraded the lights to 2x250 plus 2 39actincs so 1445 watts per m2 now
This week changed lamps to xm10K's wowsers these are bright and nice colour aswell, had to lift the lights right up
pciked up some really nice acros last couple of months, the colours are there if you try, reefworks have also been topnotch, STM today was very good, have 3 nice acros from Jasons aquatics
Full tank shot
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/fanunit 069.jpg
Side shot
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/fanunit 070.jpg
Bad news is the Zoanthids are suffering under the intense lighting :( not sure what im going to do, luckilly the eagle eyes my fav dont mind the light but everytime I try and introduce a new colony it closes up so not going to buy anymore, real shame that is
I reaquascaped the whole left hand side of my tank at the wkend.
It started of I just wanted to adjust one rock, then a 2nd etc and before I knew it I had the whole rockwork apart and outside the tank.
It went back together eventually and after 5 and a half hours I eventually got it finished, I know it doesnt look any different from the photos but in Ive opened up alot more space to place the corals on, before the ridge ran very narrow and now its quite wide.
Over the this last week ive gone through 2-3 packets of putty to place the corals back where I want them, I try and limit myself to half a packet a day so to not overdo it
Im really pleased with the results, the only downside is my corals browned out a little and a little cyano appearing on the sand, Im not sure if this is from the putty or all the crap I stirred up, the last 2 days the corals are just starting to lighten up again.
I also picked up 2 awesome corals from STM, a purple acro and a blue acro which are centre and far left.
All I really need now is a superman monti to go above the purple monti at the bottom
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/Hanging Baskets80.JPG
Looking really nice mate! goes to show that you really don't need a big tank!
That's a nice tank and I can only see it getting better :thumbsup:
How do you find the Tangs get on? We were going to look for a Regal or Yellow tanvg, but wasnt sure if the tank was too small for them really?
Cheers
I think the tank is too small really, I bought the tang when I was new to the hobby, he was the size of a 50p piece about 18 months ago, obviously at this size it is fine but soon I will need to find a new home and everyone loves 'stag' as we call him so it wont be easy.
Love the pic in your signature maestro - looks superb!!
John
Imo for the size of the tank and all the problems that are assumed with juwel tanks this should be a totm ... I think you should upgrade mate .. Ive said it before and will say it again stunning tank ... Verry well done!
stunning tank m8 real credit to you , have you still dumped FM ?
Thanks very much sigster, its all the nice corals ive been getting :)
Possibly upgradding last next year sigster, really want to finish this one properly first, I only have one smallish alcove to site the tank so the max tank I could fit would be "42 x 20 wide by say 24" tall, be nice to have sump and nicely made cabinet though, plus the extra depth
Jaggy I think I was one of the first batch of people to use the FM ULNS, I basically dosed as per instructions on the bottle and ended up with nothing but algae problems, to be fair If I tried it again I would probably do it alot different but for the last few months ive been having superb results with the zeovit method so im definately sticking with that.
How are you utilizing ULNS with no sump for the reactor?
maestro
could you let me know what youre zeo regime is, on a day to day basis
other than that, lovely tank, as usual, be good to go a bit bigger though
all the best
rupert
aquadorge, I have a hang on back zeovit reactor custom built for me by I-aquatics, its run by a closed loop pump that sits in the cabinet, there should be some pics a few picture back.
Rupert I received this instructions from the kind people over at zeovit.com and follow them exactly.
1)place 100ml carbon in a filter sock, passively, in your sump, kneaded daily & exchanged monthly. I strongly recommend using K-Z's carbon for the best results of color.
2)place 0.4 ltrs,. zeolites in a reactor with the flow rate of 140-160 l/h. Do not exceed the maximum or coral consequences can occur. Clean the stones 1-2 x's/day with 10 repetitions each time. The stone exchange at first is at 4wks. therafter, this timeframe is extended to 6wks. You will use 15% of these "old" to speed-seed the new with each exchange.
3)dose 2 drops ZeoBak & ZeoFood7 daily for the 1st 2wks. then dose these
2x's/wk. Turn off your skimmer for 60min. after dosing these. ZeoBak is refrigerated.
4)dose 0.2ml Start2 2x's/day everyday. It is not necessary to turn off the skimmer when just dosing Start2.
5)dose 1 drop AAHC, 4 drops C-V[also refrigerated], & K-Balance 1ml daily.
These provide the necessary elements that are needed for our corals while adapting to water chemistry changes. Other zeo-supplements can be added later down the road for color-enhancement.
KH 6.5 – 7.5
Ca 400 – 420 mg
Mg: 1250 – 1300 mg
K+ ~ 380 mg
I honestly dont mind having a smaller tank, nice to be a bit wider though, 40" by 24" wide by 20" or so tall would be ideal for me.
I reaquascapped the left hand side last night, wasnt really happy with it and wanted to move my zoas into a shaded position to help them a bit, think it looks better now, have still got to putty the frags back on the top.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/Hanging Baskets 079.jpg
wow, lovely tank maestro. It's been good following from the start and seeing it progress. While the dosing isn't complex the daily maintenance would put me off, what do you do when you go on hol etc?
Good question, I havent been on holls since using zeovit but basically I would just stop dosing, the alk and calcium should take care of themselves as they are dosed automatically, on return the colours may have faded but they would soon come back.
cheers for the very detailed reply
tank does look fantastic
all the best
rupert
Your post was a great little helper for newbies. It shows the tank from starting with the basics and goes on to show all the extra add-on (you have a fair few now!)
I'm planning on using a Vision 180, again little room for sump and don't fancy drilling as the tank was bought new by my wife as a present.
Will use MCE600 and luminaires, the internal filter will go and will make more room for Nanostreams. Like you said in your PM the cabinet that could of housed the sump soon gets filled with extra kit ;)
:thanks: Great tank mate :applause:
cracking tank!!
have you noticed a big/good colour change since using the zeo? interested in your results with using it as thats around 4 months now,ive been thinking of using FM but maybe the zeo is the better option
Mark
hi what heaters do you recomend for this setup
Definately noticed alot of colour improvement, one coral, a yellow loripes Ive had for 2 years, when I bought it it was a stunner but then turned brown and remained like that for 18months, when I started zeo it coloured back up to its former glory! I find now that If I buy a great colour coral it will remainn that colour in my tank.
I dont use heaters in the summer janboy but before that I used a single 200 watt heater that was plugged into a habistat external thermostat.
The external thermo was set to 26.5 degrees and I set the in tanks heater own inbuilt thermostat to 29 degrees just incase the external one stuck on, this way you get double protection.
fireproofcujo
29-08-07, 00:06
Great thread super looking tank some great coral stock in there :thumbsup:
Thanks, unfortunately in a couple of months it will be more :cry: the tank is cited above a central heating pump that needs to be changed, so will have to strip the tank down and move all the stock to a temp tank that im trying to sort out.
Will then start again with a sump based system in the new year, its sad to not see the tank mature as I wanted but atleast I have keep the livestock.
Reef bloke
29-08-07, 01:43
O bum! Hope the move goes o.k.
Ive taken a couple of photos today, since the last set ive added some more flow, now have 4 nanostreams, also moved one to 2 corals, thats about it.
Heres the first
with the 2nd I really tried to adjust the white balanace to get a true reflection of how it appears under the xm 10ks and 2 blue t5's
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/Hanging Baskets 2915.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/Hanging Baskets 2916.jpg
Picture of my hystrix
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/Hanging Baskets 2910.jpg
fireproofcujo
01-09-07, 09:17
thats a damn shame why have the good ones got to be pulled apart :annoyed:
It probably will be more than 2 months before I have to move it, maybe even next year, plans are always changed!
Not sure whether to start again with a new slightly larger tank with sump or whether just to put it all back as it was before, im getting some quotes for a new tank and ill see what they come back as, Im enjoying it at the moment as for the first time in its history my reef is costing me next to nothing to run, I dont really want to start forking out all a fortune all over again.
That hysterix pic was taken about 2 weeks ago, and supringly its actually put on a bit of growth since then, noticed it yesterday
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/Hanging Baskets 2919.jpg
Looks really good mate!
Loads of colour!!
Hi mate, just wondering if you currently use an external filter on your tank? If so which one? Im starting my rio 180 and not sure if i should go for on or not.
thanks
Sorry mate, didnt see that question, I used to have an external filter for carbon and phosphate and found it quite usefull, now I dont have one.
Just an update
Ive now been using Zeovit system for a while now, just the basic system
Bacteria
Carbon sauce
Zeolite stones
Carbon
Coral Vitaliser
zeofood7
Ive had very good results, they are a couple of further advanced products for colour tweaking which I might try which make the corals appear lighter and even more colourfull, I dont want to mess it up so ill go slow.
This is an updated pic, Ive tarded in a couple of corals, as Im not really a fan of staghorn type acros, prefer the neat rossette foring acro's.
I have 1 rock on the left of the pic which is empty, I havent decided what out their yet, ill probably be on the looking in the next few months for 2 or 3 across, I prefer the yellows blues and pinks but they arent so easy to find
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/Hanging Baskets 2943.jpg
looking really nice:thumbsup:
How do you keep tank cool? Also what is your temp range?
It has 2 lots of the 4xazoo clip on fans, I started off with 1 set of 4 but in the summer that wasnt quite enough so I bought another unit.
Now its cooler I only need one unit, in the last week the tank has run 26.1 - 26.8, I could probably fine tune it a little more but tbh I think this is more than acceptable.
Been really impressed, they look good and work well.
Really coming on nicely, nice colour in the SPS. :thumbsup:
hecticheron
19-11-07, 01:48
Gorgeous!Absolutly stunning tank!!!
I'm just collecting bits to start, but was thinking of changing my RIO 180 for something larger - now i think, perhaps not. Better to have a smaller amazing tank.than a 2/3 empty sparse one....still.. a juwel 400/450 would be nice...
So far i've only got a Deltec MCE600, and a RO Man unit. I'm planning on 2 tunze nanostreams, and a twin halide of some sort. Early days and on a sever budget, but in no rush.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Karen
Stunning tank, be a shame to see you break it up:(
thats pretty amazing seeing the page one how this tank started :) good work
just read through the thread, its been gr8 to see the tank grow =]
has to be the best 180 ive ever seen ! love the sps's !
sorry to hear about the strip down =[
Jake
Cheers guys.
I am really proud of my tank but do feel the need for a break.
I want to start again on another tank in around a year so will still be on here to look for some bargains.
Dave
hey dude, do you have a list of what fish your stocking?
Stocklist was as follows
Flame angel
Fiji Angel
Pair of clowns
Starki Damsel
Orchid dottyback
Yellow Wrasse
I know this is an old thread but just wanted to say I enjoyed reading the progression of this tank and it looked amazing at many times, in different ways!
I am just starting a rio 180 myself so its an inspiration :) Thanks!
Oh if your still around, 1 question, did you put your liverock on eggcrate or anything?
An update is long overdue. Don't you think?
T
I wish I could, this tank was closed down in jan 2008
currently have a knew sps tank up and running but without any stock yet.
Hi Maestro just found this thread ,your old tank was the dogs doodars ,cant wait to see your new one ,any chance your starting a new Thread? ;)
phil richardson
02-01-10, 10:08
looks good my friend:dance::dance::applause:
many thanks,
this tank was shut down a good while ago, ive been searching through my old camera tonight and find these 3 old pics, the last one was just before it was shut down, thw growth under the xm10K's was very good, I just wanted to post these pics on the thread incase I lose them
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2010Q1/zeo58.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2010Q1/zeo59.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2010Q1/zeo60.jpg
hi m8
just read this all the way through stunning tank pal it was a credit to you
im just about to change my lighting from 4x39w t5,s and 4 aquarays to a2x250w halide do you have any tips for me it will have 10k bulbs and all blue aquarays for actinics
once again lovely tank m8
lee
Hi
many thanks
Do you mean tips on lighting? I would use 10K blv's with the blue aquarays.
yes m8
general tips on switching from t5 to 2x250w halides
how far away from water to start with should i shorten my lighting period for a while (currently 8hrs with 1hr blues extra either side of the light period)
just wondered what you did when you swapped over if you had any tips
cheers
lee
I would start of with the unit quiet high and then bring it down over the course of a few weeks, if anything looks like its bleaching then raise them back up.
Id run the halides for 8 hours a day, I dotn think you need anymore than that
thanks for the swift reply and advice m8
i hope one day my tank can look as good as yours did
lee
I would start of with the unit quiet high and then bring it down over the course of a few weeks, if anything looks like its bleaching then raise them back up.
Id run the halides for 8 hours a day, I dotn think you need anymore than that
Hi Maestro,
If I start to use a MH unit for the first time, how long should it be left on initially when the unit is at its highest position from the water surface? Would you start to run the MH unit eight hours straightaway?
:thanks:
Hi
Yes I would start with 8 hours, if you find you are losing sps colour, i,e the colours turn from deep to very pastel then cut the photoperiod.
Hi
Yes I would start with 8 hours, if you find you are losing sps colour, i,e the colours turn from deep to very pastel then cut the photoperiod.
Thanks. What is the "ideal" distance of a MH unit from the surface of tank water? 8", 9" or 10"?
Hi
many thanks
Do you mean tips on lighting? I would use 10K blv's with the blue aquarays.
I've 2* 150W hailde 14K's (no actinics) on mine but find it quite "yellow" do the aquarays really pack enough punch to make much of a difference to the overall appearance of the tank?
I've tried standard LED's but these are just washed out by the halide almost regardless of the quantity
:thanks:
I had 2 blue t5's on my tank, my halide unit didnt have actinics built in so I made a little shelf to sit on the rim of the tank at the front, only about 3-4" wide.
It made so much of a difference, without my tank was yellow but with it had a nice blue tint, I would highly recomend it.
Tanks looking good m8, well done.
I think maestro has shut this tank down, I'd like to see the 'new' one if this is the case ;)
fish fingers
11-10-10, 18:22
Great little rio180 you had there, shame it was shut down !
vBulletin® v3.8.7, Copyright ©2000-2012, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.