View Full Version : TOTM November 2006 - jonock
UltimateReef.com is proud to feature its latest
'Tank of the Month'.
Owned by Nick Jones aka Jonock, congratulations on a superb set up.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Full%20Oct%202006.jpg
Entering my system in tank of the month isn’t something I’ve ever aspired to, it is nice however to receive the nominations and interest and I thank all of those involved and hope it is up to people’s expectations. For many years I’ve kept a wide variety of fish including coldwater, tropicals and Marines. This is my Second ever reef tank, it’s a ‘slight’ upgrade from my previous 30 gallon Jewell Rio.
The Rio was what I term a ‘manual’ tank i.e. it was a beginners tank and had no automation on it with the exception of timers on the lights. This was in my opinion an invaluable way to learn the art of reef keeping (along with much reading and observation) as it showed exactly how much calcium was added and how much buffer to maintain alkalinity (and what happens if too much or too little is added) rather than just measuring and adjusting equipment to attain specific levels of this and that. It had no sump and only fluorescent lighting but it was a nice tank nonetheless.
After keeping that for 4 years and 2 house moves I realised that of all the years I had been keeping fish (and now inverts) I had attained a reasonable amount of knowledge but didn’t really have very much to physically show for it so I decided to build a new tank, one that you couldn’t miss if you came round.
I’d also like to thank my much better half Pascale for putting up with the time taken, mess made, money spent and obsessive behaviour she has had to endure (not to mention my other obsession; carp fishing) over the years. She has endured it all silently without complaint…
The House
When we bought our house we (well more me really) already had the tank in mind, I wanted to find a house that we both liked but that a garage on the side of the house next to the lounge. The intention was to place the tank in the garage and knock a hole through for the main tank. Once we found the right house though, I soon went off that idea and began fixating on knocking the garage down and rebuilding it but as an extension to the lounge so I could fit the tank in the corner and have a bigger room at the same time.
Current System
The new system consists of 5 individual tanks; the main tank, the sump, the refugium plus two other tanks about 20 gallons each, one for water changes and one as a freshwater reservoir. The total system volume for the main tank, sump & refugium is estimated to be between 400 and 450 imperial gallons.
The entire system was designed as thoroughly as I could over the period of 6 months with a build time of about 3 months from start to finish. The design was built around several key features: Accessibility of tanks and equipment for maintenance including rear access to the main tank due to its 36” width, functionality of the design - long term, and making it as ‘clumsy’ proof as possible - I’m not a clumsy person but I know that it’s sods law that if things are in a position to be knocked or toppled eventually they are and with all that glass, water and electricity in a confined space I wanted to reduce the risk of such things occurring. I’m also a bit of a stickler for things looking nice so I had quite a challenge hiding all the cabling required to run such a system.
Behind the main tank is the ‘fish room’ which contains all of the equipment, all of the tanks and all the other useful things like a sink and water in and out of the building. This room is also air conditioned using a split 0.67Kw Fujitsu unit, this is essential as the room is small and heats up quite a bit especially in the summer. The air con is only switched on between 12.00pm and 12.00am as if it runs constantly the tank cools too much over night and the heaters come on whacking my electric bill up to even more frightening sums. With the air con not running at night the heaters never ever come on and the tank remains between 27.8˚C and 28.0˚C 24/7.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Middle.jpg http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Middlegood.jpg http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Rightgood.jpg
The Main Tank
8’ x 3’ x 2.5’ (97.5”L x 36” W x 30” H)
The tank is 12mm float glass with an Optiwhite front panel and was built by Windsor Aquatics. The tank has a single base, but for rock stability and in case I accidentally dropped a rock; the inside of the base is covered with 4mm acrylic sheets. With regards to rock stability, rock has less of a tendency to slip on acrylic than glass and although my rockwork is drilled, secured with rods and about a million cable ties, having a stable non slip base greatly reduces the possibility of a rock slide.
The rockwork itself was built over the course of one week (one back-breaking week) and sits directly on the tank floor before sand was put in. This allows me to remove the sand if required without destabilising the rocks. The design includes several different areas to provide different types of territories for different fish types. Part is a rock stack for smaller cryptic species & Anthias that like to hide if frightened, a much larger cave area for tangs and angels and then some different cave type areas of different sizes to accommodate other fish. The whole reef itself is quite flat and attempts to emulate the reef crest and back reef wall opposite to the open ocean.
One of the main features of the main tank and to complement the rock-work is the splash-proof surge & simultaneous reef-flushing device (what a mouthful!) Basically to emulate wave surge (hence the reef crest design) I wanted a surge device like a dump bucket but without the splashing or associated salt creep, at the same time wanting to keep detritus build up behind the rocks to a minimum. To achieve this I designed a 4 pump, twin manifold closed loop system made from 40mm pipe work and 40mm tees. Each manifold is fed by 2 pumps (each is a sequence 15,000l/h) that work against each other, one remains on constantly, the other pulses on and off using an IKS creating the surge. There is one manifold on each half of the rear panel. Water is jetted out of the tees and directed both up and down simultaneously, the downwards water hits the bottom and flushes detritus out of the rocks and the upwards water rushes up the back pane and hits the ‘surge-plate’; a piece of glass siliconed on at the water’s surface at 45º, forcing the water to roll away from the rear panel and tumble in a wave type action towards the front. See the pictures to get a clearer understanding.
The tank itself is situated on a 3 tier stand built from engineering bricks to prevent any crumbling through moisture or weight and 3 painted RSJ’s with a double 18mm screwed and varnished plywood base. The tank itself sits on a 2” thick polystyrene layer. The floor on which it all sits is solid and reinforced as per my wishes as the extension was built. I was talking no chances!
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Righttop2.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Topmiddle.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Topmiddle2.jpg
The Sump
3’ x 2.5’ x 1’ (36” L x 30” W x 12” H)
Water leaves the main tank through the 3 external weirs and travels through a ‘communal’ pipe to the sump. The sump has been designed purely for equipment and has a water depth of only 5”. It houses the skimmer, kalk stirrer and calcium reactor. I use a Ratz stirrer, though I am looking to get a larger model at some point as the stirrer only just holds enough kalk to run for one week before needing a refill (I dose about 29 litres of kalk per night). The skimmer is a Deltec 1004. This is by far the biggest and best skimmer I’ve ever used and removes unbelievable amounts of muck from the system – I believe that heavy skimming in a highly stocked tank like mine is paramount for success and if I could afford (and fit) a bigger skimmer I wouldn’t hesitate. I also run 200mg ozone each day for 6 hours; this keeps the water absolutely sparking and negates the use of carbon. This is fed directly into the skimmer. A quick note to those would-be users; ozone is a dangerous substance and should be used in a ventilated area (The ‘fish room’ has a built in extractor system to ensure air is drawn from my lounge and not the other way around). It also, in my opinion should be either used or not used – not every now and then or on for a few days then off again, I’ve discovered that if mine is switched off for more than a day now, the tank begins to crash and corals die – this I put down to a ‘redox drop shock’ - if there is such a thing - so ozone isn’t something to be used lightly.
I use a large H&S reactor filled with ARM; it works very well and is controlled by the IKS and a PH probe – if it wasn’t for the ARM turning to mush every 6 months I’d never have to touch the thing.
The advantages of the sump in this configuration are that all equipment is extremely accessible and easy to maintain, an important factor when running a system of this size. The sump itself is also an excellent detritus trap and makes removal easy. The sump also houses PH & temperature probes and the level switch.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Improved%20Sump.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/tankroom1.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Newpumparray.jpg
Improved Sump: The sump with its equipment array, all easily accessible for maintenance
Tank Room 1: The rear of the tank showing the closed loops, external weirs, the top up tank and above the sump the water change tank.
New Pump Array: Pictured here is the ‘heart’ of the system; these little pumps provide all circulation and power the skimmer and cooler
The Refugium
7’ x >2’ x 1.5’ (84” L x 20” W x 18” H)
Water leaves the sump and enters a system of pipes powered by 2 sequence 10,000 l/h pumps. These feed the skimmer, the eco cooler and the refugium. The fuge consists of 2 – 3” of Caribsea mineral mud and oolitic sand. This in turn houses plenty of Caulerpa and all the pods and worms that live in it. The fuge is lit by 3 20W energy efficient lamps with reflectors and is lit 24/7 to prevent the Caulerpa going sexual. The large fuge design has been incorporated to keep phosphates and nitrates to a minimum which is does (PO is undetectable using a Deltec kit and Nitrates hover at about 2.5ppm)I use no other filtration except the rock in the main tank and the ozone.
Water leaving the fuge travels back to the main tank under gravity, this assists plankton that might otherwise be destroyed by pumps.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/fuge.jpg
Fuge: The refugium – the lights in this picture have now been replaced with 3 low energy 20W bulbs
Lighting
Lighting over the tank consists of four 54 watt T5 actinics and reflectors and four 400 watt metal halides. The bulbs are 14K Coralvue’s. The actinics come on at midday until 1.00am and the halides come on one every 15 minutes beginning at 1.15pm and go off again one every 15 minutes beginning at 11.30pm for a total of 10 hours 15 minutes. I prefer to have the lights on later during the day so we can enjoy the tank in the evening after work and not have the lights go off half way through the evening as many people do.
Water Changes
I don’t have a specific water change routine, I usually change about 100 gallons every couple of months over a 5 day period in 20 gallon per day lots - the water change tank is only 20 or so gallons so I fill the tank with salt and RO water one day and mix it for 24 hours; then by switching off the circulation pumps, the sump fills up, I open a tap, which is plumbed into the sewer, this drains the old water away without the use of buckets or hoses, then ,open a tap on the water change tank, the sump fills up to the normal level again switch the pumps back on et voila! Aquamedic reef salt is used to a specific gravity of 1.024. RO is produced using a 5µm pre-filter, carbon, 60GPD membrane and passed through DI resin. I have a 50 gallon reservoir above the aquarium in the loft space; the water is then piped down again to the water change tank, the top-up tank and on tap above the sink for cleaning things and filling the kalk stirrer when cleaning each week. It all makes life very easy!
Maintenance
I find that routine is the best way to run my tank; it’s not very complicated but does make sure that things get done regularly and not forgotten (tip there folks)
The front panel is cleaned either everyday or every 2 days at most. There are 2 reasons for this; firstly I like to see the tank and its contents! Secondly I prefer to have a regular trickle of algae released into the water column from the clean rather than let it build up and have large quantities that could affect water conditions; I am unsure what eats the stuff or whether biological filtration just takes care of it but this may constitute a source of phytoplankton that clams and filter feeders use, if this is the case then regular cleaning means regular feeding and if I am talking rubbish then regular cleaning just means regular amounts for a balanced filtration system to deal with and not large amounts that suddenly begin to break down – I mean, the skimmer can’t get it all, it has to go somewhere right?
I dose Iodine 3 times per week; 40 drops of Lugols solution on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays – this is the only thing I dose as the rest seem to be replenished by water changes.
On Sundays the skimmer cup is removed and completely cleaned, the air intakes are all cleaned of scale with a piece of stiff titanium wire, the Kalk stirrer is removed emptied and cleaned, then refilled with as much kalk as the until can take without overflowing paste into the tank when the pump stirs the mixture and the peri-pump is running (about 9 super heaped tablespoons each week) and the ozone unit is unscrewed and the ionised dusty deposit on the ceramic plate is cleaned off to prevent it restricting air flow into the skimmer.
I replace the actinic lamps every 6 months, I have noticed a definite decline in coral health or even death if they are left any longer than this, and the halide lamps are replaced once per year.
Once every few weeks I unscrew the down pipes in the weirs, this allows the weir to drain down (quite violently) and remove all trapped detritus to the sump where most of it is trapped and removed.
Livestock
Corals
The tank contains a variety of Acropora’s, Montipora’s and Euphyllia’s most of which have been generously given to me as frags – I’m especially interested in LPS but have found that although they do OK in my system SPS seem to fare better. My Regal angel also prevents me keeping bottom dwelling species like brain corals as he just loves picking at them. Also included are an Echinophyllia, Nemenzophyllia, Pectinia, Merulina, Hydnophora, Parvona, Psammocora, some Millipora and a Catalaphyllia which have all come to me as frags from others tanks. I don’t keep softies with the exception of a large leather which has grown massively since I bought it and is now about 24 inches across and an encrusting Heliopora. There are also a few different Stylophora Pistillata colour morphs including pink, green and purple a few colonies of Seriatopora caliendrum and numerous colonies of Pocillopora damicornis that have spread naturally through the tank through polyp bail-out giving the whole tank a really natural look.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Fox.jpg
Fox Coral
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Green%20Frogspawn.jpg
Green frogspawn;
My favourite piece of LPS, the colour of this specimen is just stunning.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Spot%20the%20damsel.jpg
Can you spot the Damsel Fish in this picture????
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Left%20.jpg
Inverts
I also keep a number of the usual clean up crew including brittle stars, hermits, various snails & abalones and cucumbers. These animals do an excellent job of keeping the tank running. There are also some sand sifting stars and a blue Linkia that I’ve had for 2 years now. The tank also houses 4 clams; 2 Maxima’s, 1 blue Squamosa and 1 Deresa and a few cleaner shrimp (unfortunately peppermints have to reside in the weirs or they get ‘snacked’ on by the Scarlet Hawks – but they keep the weirs Aiptasia free) There’s also a ‘Malu’ anemone - Heteractis crispa that host my Tomato clowns and a 6”+ long-spine sea urchin.
Fish
My main love in life as far as life is concerned is fish; I keep a variety of fish as these are for me the centre point of any tank, I love the corals and they make a fascinating and beautiful addition but if I had no fish I wouldn’t keep a tank. Some of the fish I keep came to me the size of a 50 pence coin and have now grown to about 8 inches now – my tank is a very lively place and not for the timid especially at feeding times. The fish get a main feed of Brine shrimp, Mysis, Krill and chopped Atlantic prawns in a frozen cube at 5.00pm then half of a sheet of Nori along with another feed of Brine shrimp and Cyclops (for the Anthias) at 7pm and then again at 9pm and sometimes a pinch of flake too if I’m feeling generous at the end of the evening.
So far, I’ve had the following fish spawn so they must be doing OK; Green Chromis, Tomato Clowns, Scooter Blennies and Orchid Dottybacks.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/I bite.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Elvis.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Maletuka.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Shoal.jpg
Fish List
I’ve listed the larger one’s sizes to give a better idea of how crazy it all gets at feeding time.
1 Powder Blue Tang Acanthurus leucosternon 6”
1 Atlantic Blue Tang Acanthurus coeruleus 8”
1 Mimic Tang Acanthurus pyroferus 5”
2 Yellow Tangs Zebrasoma flavescens 4”+
1 Emperor Angel Pomacanthus imperator 7”
1 Regal Angel Diacanthus pygoplites 5”
1 Multibar Angel Paracentropyge multifasciatus
1 Flame Angel Centropyge loriculus
1 Blue Damsel Pomacentrus cyanea
2 Orchid Dottybacks (Pair) Pseudochromis fridmani (Captive Bred)
2 Tomato Clowns (pair) Amphiprion frenatus Female 5”+ (Captive Bred)
3 Green Chromis Chromis viridis
2 Randall’s Anthias (pair) Pseudanthias randalli
7 Purple Queen Anthias Pseudanthias tuka
2 Onyx Percula Clowns (pair) Amphiprion percula
1 Mandarin Synchoiropus splendidus
2 Scarlet Hawkfish (pair?) Neocirrhitus armatus
1 ‘Rainbow’ Wrasse Halichoeres iridis
1 Blue Neon Goby Elacatinus oceanops
1 Golden Midas Blenny Ecsenius midas
1 ‘Tail Spot’ Blenny Ecsenius stigmatura
1 ‘Thingy’ Blenny Labrisomidae species I think
And last but by no means least (actually he’s everybody’s favourite) one 9” (including horns) Long Horn Cowfish (Lactoria cornuta) called ‘The Rel’ - an odd name for a very odd fish. The Rel spends the entire evening cruising up and down the front of the tank staring at us watching TV, waiting impatiently for his beloved Nori feeds. He’s a fantastic character but is the one fish I have to watch out for when working in the tank as he has a terrible habit of waiting until you’re not watching then swimming up and biting a bit out of your hand, you’d be surprised how incredibly sharp that mouth of his is, it draws blood every time!
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/The Rel Full.jpg
Problems
Every reef keeper encounters problems from time to time, anyone who hasn’t is either a liar or hasn’t kept a reef tank long enough to experience any – even the most experienced keepers I’ve met have had one problem or another, it’s my opinion that this is what builds experience and allows one to solve these problem rather than throw an organism at it to ‘hide’ the effect of the cause.
I’ve been quite lucky with regards to potential problems with this tank so far, though I did have an episode of SPS corals bleaching and dying a year or so ago. I tried everything to find the problem including large water changes, light changes, carbon etc but nothing worked. I finally started to dose iodine after Steve ‘Silverreef’ Newman asked if I’d tried it. I tried it out and within a week the problems had all disappeared and the corals were colouring back up again. I’ve continued dosing this element ever since. Thanks again Stevie.
Currently I have a few Bryopsis patches appearing here and there so have currently removed the sand bed and plan to replace the entire contents of my refugium very soon as I feel this may be the cause through organics saturation – the promoters of these types of systems recommend such mud beds are replaced annually; mines 2.5 years old now hence my belief this being the cause. Fingers crossed.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/NoriTime.jpg
This is the Tank 18 months ago-notice the lack of coral and how small the Rel was :)
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Regemp.jpg
Again this shot is from 18 months ago. This shows just how much the Emperor has grown in this time, the Regal has remained the same size.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Rescue.jpg
Final picture, Pascale tempts the Rel to one side, whilst I take the photos. Without her help he would have been in every single shot.
If anyone has any questions for Nick please leave your comments on this thread.
Having seen this tank in the flesh have to say..its one of the greats.
Thanks jobr and Nick for another GREAT TOTM feature.
Craig
Simply stunning, something to aspire to :D
Congratulations :D
dan-the-man
01-11-06, 18:57
Fantastic setup, a credit to you, hmm that skimmer....
simon garratt
01-11-06, 19:00
agreed Craigg.
Well done Nick. youve done yourself proud sir. one f this country's best tanks, not just on looks but desighn as well imo.
Regards
Si.
Ps. hows that Blue squammosa doing these days.?
wow..... that really is very very nice. well done. im new and only got a 55 gallon tank, but im telling you one day i will get a monstrous tank like that.
puts a tear in my eye!
again well done mate
and a very good choice for TOTM
marc
absolutely stunning!!!!!! stunning stunning stunning. man i love this tank!!!!!
awesome!
one of the best ive seen to date, well done :)
Johnymajors
01-11-06, 19:54
Lurvley tank, awsome!!! :D
Have heard a lot about it from will, but words dont do it justice.
and Rel :eek: ...... How cool is he !!
Well done.
MaidstoneMarine
01-11-06, 20:23
Very VERY impressive. One tank I'm definitely putting on my 'must see in person' list!!
Like the tank, like the pics and like the write up! Awesome tank of the month - congratulations!
Wow, What can you say other than well done, true dedication there, Congratulations on TOTM.
jobr, a good call what a tank and you must have had a great time visiting this one.
I have also wanted a cow fish in my new tank, had one around 8 years agobut back then it was always know how you have to be very carefull with them.
Great reveiw.
:D
new reef keeper
01-11-06, 21:10
Simply stunning, certainly something to aspire to
Congratulation
petergillett
01-11-06, 21:56
Fantastic! A big credit to you.
Several people have told me about this system and now that I have read the write up I can understand why they were so enthusiastic. A truly stunning setup with a unique mix of fish.
Well done, excelent TOTM
keith hellyar
01-11-06, 23:01
Congratulations Nick. Very well deserved accolade. Its a truly stunning tank and a truly amazing system which I've had the priviledge of seeing.
Regards
Keith
Superb tank and suberb write-up. Congratulations.
Congratulations Nick, a well deserved accolade.
An inspirational setup and a truly awesome tank. It is so much better in the flesh. The pictures, while stunning, just don't do it justice.
Tony
If you're tank was a women, she would be Eva Mendez. Very very nice ;)
Absolutely awesome.
Lovely pics and a really nice write up - thanks for making the effort to share :)
Silverreef
02-11-06, 22:17
Well done Nick, well deserved for a stunning tank, the best water movement idea I have ever seen, a wave travelling from back to front, an awesome sight, this tank has to be seen to really appreciate it, congratulations again.
Regards
Steve
SPS Hoover
02-11-06, 22:50
The No.1 tank on UR IMO and I would say one of the top tanks in UK not just for stock within, but also for layout of system
Reef bloke
03-11-06, 00:23
My God man its a reefy work of art!If its was a beer without a doubt it would be Carlsberg!
Absobloodyloutly out of this world!
Jaw droppingly good. I need to see my doctor...suffering from extreme envy and depression over my tank now.
Stunning. Tom http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/images/icons/icon14.gif
well done mate great tank:)
Congrats Nick on a great tank & super write-up. I was amazed seeing this tank a couple of years ago & it's a pleasure to see how it's progressed now. Fantastic growth & colours. Still love that Frogspawn too....
Well done m8!
:D
fantastic mate ,lost for words !!!
picky
Absolutely awesome tank, something to inspire to :cool::cool:
Definately would like to see this in flesh.
Dave
Thanks for all the comments folks, I'm glad you like it.
SiG: The Clam's doing great thanks, it's getting quite a size these days.
one hell of a tank. great job. im jealous
dave
well deserved tank of the month :D
best piece of ocean ive seen ever :D :cool:
Fantastic - an inspiration - love th eengine room too.
MarineManMercer
11-11-06, 13:19
Hi Nick,
First of all what a beautiful tank and really well set up.I have noticed a couple of fish there that reef keepers would say is a big no no in a reef set up.Does the emperor angel or cow fish give any bother,,ie nipping corals etc.I would love either in my tank but have been put off but seen your emperor is now adult and seems to be happy or is that the photo before or after it ripped the sps apart:D .All the fish look so happy and are a nice size.
Thanks Trevor
well, i am biast and it has some absolute fantastic corals that would you belive came from a mh aquatics :eek::eek::eek: {nick i told tal about this to cheer him up after the green frogspawn incident :D;)}
looking good bud, as always, just a shame your never at home to look at it, youd rather be at the lake in the rain pretending to catch something else than a cold ;);)
Hi Trevor,
Thank you for your comments.
All of the fish have been in there for a minimum of 18 months and have been grown from small juveniles (as pictured) They are model citizens with the exception of zoanthids with the emperor and lettuce slugs with the cowfish.
There have been occasions in the past when the emperor has nipped the tips off a certain acro, but he soon bores of it and loses interest. It will always depend on individual personalities and I expect to a degree what the fish has fed on in the wild before capture as to whether or not they work out in a reef tank. Keeping your fish well fed and fed at the regular times they expect helps stave off unwanted interest in corals as well.
Perhaps I just got lucky too.
Hi Nick,
First of all what a beautiful tank and really well set up.I have noticed a couple of fish there that reef keepers would say is a big no no in a reef set up.Does the emperor angel or cow fish give any bother,,ie nipping corals etc.I would love either in my tank but have been put off but seen your emperor is now adult and seems to be happy or is that the photo before or after it ripped the sps apart:D .All the fish look so happy and are a nice size.
Thanks Trevor
looking good bud, as always, just a shame your never at home to look at it, youd rather be at the lake in the rain pretending to catch something else than a cold ;);)
I'm allowed to pretend if I want to...anyway you're just jealous because your Mrs won't let you go out after dark.
MarineManMercer
12-11-06, 18:01
Thanks for the reply Nick you have inspired me to try an emperor or maybe a cow fish,,all the best and happy reefing.
I'm allowed to pretend if I want to...anyway you're just jealous because your Mrs won't let you go out after dark.
pmsl, i wish i had to be in before it was dark it would mean short days for me :rolleyes:
Hi Nick,
It really is a stunning system, a credit to you and your skills. Got your PM thanks, I'll get back to you soon.
Cheers,
Cam.
Reefer Madness
14-11-06, 18:45
Well done mate, it's a credit to you,...... outstanding.
a tank to aspire to..well done
teejay36uk
16-11-06, 16:04
lol makes my aquamedic chromis look like a goldfish bowl stunning tank tho...
Lucky Eddie
17-11-06, 13:19
Nice one NIck. Told you so !!!!!!! :D
I cant believe how your tank has filled out since I saw it last year.
Absolute quality.
blazesnake
18-11-06, 19:47
Woh... i looked up some of the names of te fish on google and thay are spectacualar, especially the emporor angel and the Mandarin Synchiropus.
Nice job
Inspirational, I believe you have a little peice of ocean in your living room. Well done.
blazesnake
23-11-06, 09:38
again lovely tank, you have alot of fish, how do you calculate the number of fish you have in your tank?
PM replied to. But if anyone else is interested, I've cut and pasted it here.
Hi Sam,
Thanks for the compliment.
I have no rule regarding inches per gallon of fish, I find you need to work out what species you want to keep and figure out how much space they need - I mean, six inches of powder blue tang needs more tank space and swimming water than six inches of damsel fish if you know what I mean. Sorry if that's not quite the answer you're looking for, but it's the way I find you have to figure it out. You also need to take into account how large your chosen fish will get - my tank looked very empty to start off but the fish grew into it after about a year.
again lovely tank, you have alot of fish, how do you calculate the number of fish you have in your tank?
Absolutely stunning :cool::cool::cool:
Dave
What can I say simply Brilliant
angelfishman
24-12-06, 14:12
stunning tank something to proud of.does the emperor angel peck at any of your corals mine used to attack large leathers and zoas.derek
stunning tank something to proud of.does the emperor angel peck at any of your corals mine used to attack large leathers and zoas.derek
Hi Derek,
The emperor does on a rare occasion become transfixed with a particular coral and takes a few bites over a few days but he soon gets bored and gives up. The corals always heal up again and no permenant damage is done!
Reef bloke
24-12-06, 20:45
I keep going back for another look at this tank,it really is truelly stunning and you have mananged to do something that most of us can only dream of.A superb mix of stunning fish in a beautiful coral filled reef tank.
Hats off to you Sir.
Tony
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