View Full Version : Aloha!
I've been planning an upgrade to my system for over three years now, indeed the current system was set up expressly as a pilot to test some concepts for this upgrade. Yet I wouldn't blame those of you who have seen my occassional posts and polls over this period for questioning whether these grand designs would ever really see the light of day. Well now they will! Negotiating an agreement with my family has cost me (so far) a Golden Retriever puppy, a Maine Coone kitten, and a Sony laptop computer, and I'll be running my Saab into the ground rather than trading it in for a new model as planned.
But in exchange I can now start this thread on my new project - three new aquariums (365L, 970L, & 3,020L) connected to a central sump, all made of acrylic. I estimate the total system volume will be around 5,000L.
The project is being conducted in two phases, with work on the third and largest aquarium (the 3,020L Hawaiian biotope) not expected to begin before the summer/autumn, as I first have to obtain planning permission and then build the extension to house it.
However, preparations for the two smaller aquariums and the central sump are already well underway so I thought I would start a thread on these now.
The plan is for both of these smaller aquariums and the sump to be placed in a stack in the garage - with the sump on the floor and the 970L aquarium above, and the 365L aquarium above that, supported on heavy duty long-span metal racking.
There are two reasons why I have chosen acrylic for these first two aquariums. First, I need to keep the weight down so as to stay within the maximum loading for the racking. Second, I wanted to use them as a test. The large 3,020L aquarium will have to be made from acrylic and I want to ensure that I’ve got my acrylic cleaning techniques properly honed before I start any work on that – if I make mistakes then I want them to happen here on these behind the scenes tanks, not on the main display aquarium.
365 Litre – Filter Feeders aquarium
This aquarium will be approximately 1.8m long, by 0.45m wide, by 0.45m tall and will form the top shelf of the racking. This aquarium is being set up especially to house non-photosynthetic corals, sponges and other creatures that shun light. It will also fulfil a secondary role, acting as a kind of refugium/zooplankton breeder that will feed these and other corals in my system.
The water from this aquarium will drain into the 970L aquarium that will be set-up on a rack immediately below it.
970 Litre – 'No Rules' aquarium
This aquarium will be approximately 1.8m long, by 0.9m wide, by 0.6m tall. The initial role for this aquarium is to act as a temporary home for the fish and corals from my current Hawaiian biotope set-up (see TheReef.info (http://TheReef.info)) which has to be dismantled as part of the upgrade to the larger 3,020L biotope display. Once that new display is established the fish and corals will be transferred and this aquarium can then act as my safety valve, a ‘no-rules’ aquarium where I can indulge myself with whatever takes my fancy and perhaps grow a few frags for trade.
Lighting will be provided by ten 80w T5s.
Water from this aquarium will then drain into the sump positioned below it.
Sump
The sump again is around 1.8m long, but 0.6m wide and 0.6m tall – with a maximum capacity of 650 litres.
Equipment connected to the sump will include a Grotech HEA300 skimmer, a Grotech HKR200 calcium reactor, and an Aqua Medic bypass filter to hold the phosphate remover. Capacity to add further equipment that could support an expansion of up to 15,000 litres is being built in.
Heating or cooling needs will be met by a 1KW air-sourced titanium heat pump that delivers up to 4.3KW heating or 3.8KW cooling power, and this for no more than what I could have spent on just a chiller for this size of system. This will be backed up by an independently controlled Deltec evaporative cooler and traditional heating elements in case the heat pump should fail - though I am considering purchasing a second heat pump and then selling the Eco-cooler and heaters.
Once this sump is up and running I can then transfer the stock from the current set-up and rip out the old sump in the garage which will free up an awful lot of room.
Most of the equipment has been ordered and much of that, plus the aquariums and sump, should start to be delivered within the next couple of weeks. I'll post pictures and updates once there is something to see or more to tell!
Meanwhile, my thanks to Brian and Sue (Coral Garden Aquatics) who are providing all of the Grotech and Tunze equipment at a keen price, and to Steve (Talking Plastics) who is making the first two aquariums and sump.
Keith
petergillett
30-01-07, 23:23
That's sounding like a major project Keith - will be nice reading, and especially seeing, how it progresses!
Wreckfish88
31-01-07, 00:14
Sounds like another great tank on its way :D
That is going to be a superb setup.
Keep us well informed with pictures of your progress :)
Tony
This doe`s sound like one to follow, and i shall
Reef bloke
31-01-07, 00:47
Blimey! Monster,monster!
Wow, 5,000 litres! Loads of pix on the whole thing, please!
Wow. What kind of budget you got in mind?
Sounds amazing :D
Will be following this one closely :)
Yeah!
An uber tank thats local !
Needless to say I'm a pony girly but if you need help to pass you stuff and make tea I'm here if hear want me!
Thanks everyone - promise I'll post lots of pics once there is something to see.
Wow. What kind of budget you got in mind?
It's well over £20k....
I could do it cheaper but I want to do it right. So the price includes at least one spare for every type of pump, an 8.8kva generator, UPS, multiple controllers rather than have all my eggs in one basket with just one, duplication of other key elements such as sump pumps so they can be run on separate electrical circuits (if one fails or a fuse trips the other should keep going), etc, etc. This all adds to the upfront cost, but I see these elements as a sound long-term investment.
Yeah!
An uber tank thats local !
Needless to say I'm a pony girly but if you need help to pass you stuff and make tea I'm here if hear want me!
Cheers! Appreciated - may well need some help when the tanks start arriving. :)
Keith
Keith, I am jellyass big style! :o
Seeing what you're capable of has me excited:) ; I can't imagine just how good this is all going to be, more so in 24 months once things grow in!
If yuo need any help at all, lifting or moving stuff, I would love to help!
Watching with interest does not quite sum this thread up.....more:
Jaw on desk, tounge hanging out, driblin like a fool :D
dan-the-man
31-01-07, 14:36
Sounds an awsome setup and with the one you have now as a judge I'm sur eit will be :)
Cant wait to see it develop, please get some pics up asap. :)
Keith, I am jellyass big style! :o
Seeing what you're capable of has me excited:) ; I can't imagine just how good this is all going to be, more so in 24 months once things grow in!
If yuo need any help at all, lifting or moving stuff, I would love to help!
Watching with interest does not quite sum this thread up.....more:
Jaw on desk, tounge hanging out, driblin like a fool :D
Lol!
Cheers Tony, that would be great. I'm sure I'm going to need some help shifting the tanks when they come. (I thought you'd have enough on your plate with the Swallows project.)
dantheman - pics asap I promise, but nothing much is going to happen for a couple of weeks
Keith
Reef bloke
31-01-07, 18:49
Im sure the Kentish crew will be around to help shift stuff if you need any help Keith.Keep anything with a pointy end away from that Scoob bloke though!
Watching with interest does not quite sum this thread up.....more:
Jaw on desk, tounge hanging out, driblin like a fool :D
I stand corrected :D :D currently feeling deep shame at my apparent lack of enthusiasm :o :D
Nice Kieth - Going for Gold:) Are you considering any dark side technologies?
... Are you considering any dark side technologies?
:)
The sump has been designed with three sections that can each hold a basket of up to 12 litres of biological media if necessary. I've built this in as I plan on having a fairly light load of live rock in the displays (for ascetic reasons) so will have to make good elsewhere. My original plan was to just stick 12 litres of SeaChem Pond Matrix in there, divided between the three sections, and rotate and replace a third every 3-4 months or so. The alternative might be to go with a cut down version of the UltraLith system (i.e. just the media).
The problem is implementing the full Zeovit/UltaLith methodologies becomes pretty expensive when you scale up to 5000 litres. For example, if I went with UltraLith and added Ultra-bak daily (as recommended) this would cost around £1.30-£3.30 a day. If I then fed Ultra MinS (as recommended) this adds a further £2-£3.30 a day. So we are talking up to £200 a month!
What I'm not clear on is whether there would be much point in using the media without the additives. So undecided at present. May experiment a bit and see.
Regards,
Keith
Lol!
(I thought you'd have enough on your plate with the Swallows project.)
Yes, busy as a bee, but I can always chop and change, a couple of Saturdays with you can easily be done buddy! :)
At the risk of telling a granny how to suck eggs, I'd love to see you run the system free from "the dark side" for while, maybe first 12-24months, then by all means add it. I would love to hear your honest feedback, you have previously (still are afaik) getting super results without zeo, I almost have to wear sun glasses to stop the bright colours of you sps blinding me! It would be very interesting to see if you felt that zeo did give things that final bit of polish, more interesting would be if the extra improvement was worth the extra faffing about/extra cash......
........Just lifting my jaw up off my keyboard, the muscles fail each time I read this thread! :D :D
Rob Martin
01-02-07, 11:09
Wow,will definatley follow this with interest Keith,as others,I'm only in Southend & am more than willing to lend a hand should the need arise!
Regards,
Rob.
MaidstoneMarine
01-02-07, 11:41
As Tony said - the kentish reefers will be more than happy to come lend a hand if you need a crew to help!
I'm not jealous in any way, shape or form... honestly guv, I'm not !$&'#!@ jealous at all :D
Lucky Eddie
01-02-07, 12:51
Yep, count me in Keith.....about time I saw inside your garage !
I agree with your comments on the Ultrabak. I prefer vodka...............it is much more versatile and tastes better !
Perhaps Babelfish would start up a still for us, manufacturing vodka for marine-keepers !!!!!!!
At the risk of telling a granny how to suck eggs, I'd love to see you run the system free from "the dark side" for while, maybe first 12-24months, then by all means add it. I would love to hear your honest feedback, you have previously (still are afaik) getting super results without zeo, I almost have to wear sun glasses to stop the bright colours of you sps blinding me! It would be very interesting to see if you felt that zeo did give things that final bit of polish, more interesting would be if the extra improvement was worth the extra faffing about/extra cash......
On reflection I think that is a very good idea. Get the system up, running and well established to create a baseline against which I can judge other methods should I feel the need to experiment (and assuming I can afford to!). SPS Hoover's own trial will have been running a good while by then too.
And thanks to the rest of you for your offers of help. It really is appreciated.
Keith
On reflection I think that is a very good idea. Get the system up, running and well established to create a baseline against which I can judge other methods should I feel the need to experiment (and assuming I can afford to!). SPS Hoover's own trial will have been running a good while by then too.
And thanks to the rest of you for your offers of help. It really is appreciated.
Keith
Very sensible;) The trouble with huge systems is the huge costs. Do pop in if your down my way and want to see a dark side system that has been in opperation long enough to judge with unflintching robustness. Much better to see in the flesh than an academic pro/con debate. I think its worth factoring in at the planning stage due to the opportunity cost implications.
Fortunately, some of us in the southern sps club who have moved byond the naturally skeptical stage beacuse of experiantial results -are looking at ways in which the potions can be identified and procured at a cheaper price.
With a system like yours run along dark side methods - frags will flyout faster than cash from HMT:D
Thanks, I will certainly take you up on that if I get a chance. I've admired your reef and yet photos rarely do a setup justice IME, so seeing yours in the flesh would be a real treat!
Regards,
Keith
Must be an Essex thing, I got away with a new persian kitten which arrived on Sunday and decorating the lounge.
Looking forward to seeing this one take shape, as with the others, if you want any help let me know. Would help me learn a thing or too as well.
Matt.
lol - thanks Matt.
Meanwhile, the first and most important piece of kit has arrived, a direct import from Hawaii... :cool:
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/hawaiian-shirt.jpg
Now that should start getting me into the mood!
Mrs thinks I've completely lost it now... :D
Keith
lol - thanks Matt.
Mrs thinks I've completely lost it now... :D
Keith
All of them do don't they?:D
wow, holy cow, words just aren't enough, gobsmacked, man you are so lucky, i would kill for one of those shirts :D :D :D
looking forward to seeing the tank system take shape too :D :D :D
Mrs thinks I've completely lost it now... :D
Why? Did you buy her a hula skirt as well :p
simon garratt
03-02-07, 16:53
You aiming for the 2nd edition of 'Ultimate marine Aquariums' Keith...?
Bloody well looks like it...:D :D :D
Agree with the 'get it up and running' mentality as well...Its always worth knowing that the core system works well, before attempting alternative methods/alterations imo
This will certainly be one to watch folks....
regards and good luck with it Keith..I know you'll enjoy yourself immensely..:p
Si.:)
Why? Did you buy her a hula skirt as well :p
No - the hula skirt was for Scoob :D
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/scoob-hula.jpg
Keith
You aiming for the 2nd edition of 'Ultimate marine Aquariums' Keith...?
Bloody well looks like it...:D :D :D
Cheers Si,
You have to promise to tell me if I do, as by then I won't be able to afford to buy a copy of my own ;)
Regards,
Keith
dagnabbit, why is it always me who gets photoshopped, just you wait jackson, your card is marked, you're on the list now!!!!!
I think you look lovely scoob! Def outfit for the 28th IMO!
Tell me keith does this shirt really help with the reef magic? I might have to make it uniform for my building team!
Tell me keith does this shirt really help with the reef magic? I might have to make it uniform for my building team!
Not sure about that, but by detracting attention from my face it obviously enhances my sex appeal. In a similar vein, the natural squinting reaction it elicits makes people desperately try to focus on, and thus be pathetically grateful for, anything else that might be in the same sightline. So helpful for ensuring good reviews...
So in short I suspect it might cause more trouble than its worth for the tank build, but flaunt it once its time for the public viewing!
Regards,
Keith
Keith where do you order your glass?, I'm having problems with mine, cant seem to find someone to make it and deliver it?
Whilst I was making the coffees at CGA this weekend (T boy Tony, I can hear the nickname now:rolleyes: ), I developed a semi; I spotted your new skimmer!! :) What a brute, it's huge! ;) If you take the cup off, I reckon you could swim in it :D :D :D
Keith where do you order your glass?, I'm having problems with mine, cant seem to find someone to make it and deliver it?
Now pay attention April - I can only assume you missed this because of the stunning shirt...
three new aquariums (365L, 970L, & 3,020L) connected to a central sump, all made of acrylic.
:D
Keith
I developed a semi;
Tooooooooooooooooo much detail...
I spotted your new skimmer!! :) What a brute, it's huge! ;) If you take the cup off, I reckon you could swim in it :D :D :D
How come I'm the last to know? Last I heard it wasn't arriving on these shores until next week! And knowing your skimmer fetish I was planning on charging you hard cash for a peek, and now you've got yourself a freebee! Clearly gonna have to have words with Brian and Sue... ;) And now I know you've been drooling (or worse) near it I'm definately going to insist on a steam clean before the handover :p
Regards,
Keith
I've seen it too... that thing is huge!!!!!!!!!!
I have a severe case of skimmer envy. :(
Bloody hell! My skimmer has become a fairground attraction....
I was about to say "well it's big enough to ride on!" but then i thought better of it...:o
I was about to say "well it's big enough to ride on!" but then i thought better of it...:o
Very wise - last thing TonyB needs is encouragement ;)
Keith
Precisely! He gets excited enough over skimmers as it is!
Now pay attention April - I can only assume you missed this because of the stunning shirt...:D
Yeah DOH! sorry I had read that earlier!
in my defence someone in India took out a mint card!
in my defence someone in India took out a mint card!
PMSL :D :D :D :D very good, very good
(frantically scribbles down clever/dumb balance joke to use on colleagues at a later date)
Keith,
What made you go for Grotech brand of skimmer? Did you consider the Fauna Marin? http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/showthread.php?t=194097
Or a bubble king or Deltec? :)
Keith,
What made you go for Grotech brand of skimmer? Did you consider the Fauna Marin? http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/showthread.php?t=194097
Or a bubble king or Deltec? :)
Looked at Deltec, Royal Exclusive Bubble King, Aqua Medic, ITC, Sander, Ratz, and a couple of American offerings. (Fauna Marin arrived too late for this beauty contest.) The shortlist became Deltec, Bubble King and Grotech.
Deltec - not wild about Deltec build quality (bits keep falling off my TS1064); little more expensive to buy and run with four pumps; but Eheim pumps so dependable and easy/cheap to service; and self-cleaning head if you want it.
Bubble King - zeoheads go wild for these; excellent build quality; very economical to run with the Red Dragon pumps; but horrendously expensive to buy and spares won't be cheap either.
Grotech - a bit of a leap of faith because I'm relying on reviews I've read elsewhere, and the smaller ones that I've seen in the flesh. But found owner reviews by people who'd experienced Deltec but still prefered their Grotech which was encouraging. Eheim pumps again (larger but fewer than Deltec). Felt it seemed to offer the best combination of performance, cost and economy.
Let's hope I'm right!
Keith
Just looked at bubble king's prices, nearly choked! http://www.shopsolution.nl/shop/home.asp?shopid=seameuk&deptid=aquaconnect5
Grotech - a bit of a leap of faith..........Eheim pumps again (larger but fewer than Deltec).
Your new skimmer runs eheim 1260s as re-circulation pumps. I have an AP1004, runs 4 1260s. Same pumps?
Your new skimmer runs eheim 1260s as re-circulation pumps. I have an AP1004, runs 4 1260s. Same pumps?
Yep - got myself mixed up.
Keith
Emporer Angel
05-02-07, 19:45
Hi there, looks a great project, some thing that has always bothered me is finding out the cost of acrylic tanks, in America they seem to be the tank of choice. Over here if you ask a manufaturer for a quote for a 6ft x 2ft x 2ft tank the answer you get makes you think you asked to spend the night with his daughter. What is it with these people, how come they ratchet the price up without actualy telling me what the cost is. I would be very interested if you have a guideline price, or a tank supplier that would at leasr tell me what the price is rather than asking me what i am prepared to spend!
He He
Phil
Hi there, looks a great project, some thing that has always bothered me is finding out the cost of acrylic tanks, in America they seem to be the tank of choice. Over here if you ask a manufaturer for a quote for a 6ft x 2ft x 2ft tank the answer you get makes you think you asked to spend the night with his daughter. What is it with these people, how come they ratchet the price up without actualy telling me what the cost is. I would be very interested if you have a guideline price, or a tank supplier that would at leasr tell me what the price is rather than asking me what i am prepared to spend!
He He
Phil
Hi Phil,
Acrylic is usually a lot more expensive than glass until you start getting to the big sizes.
Even then small changes in dimensions can have a huge impact on the price. For example, my main aquarium is going to be a pentagon. I ended up changing some of the original dimensions so that the base could be cut out of a 2 metre sheet. If I'd gone bigger than that then they would have had to use the next sheet size up - which would have added around £3,000 to the price! :eek: Yet going from 0.75m high to 1m high only added £270.
The other thing is, if you are after a fairly standard size then you are probably better off looking for a mass manufactured tank, rather than a bespoke made-to-order one. The UK market doesn't seem to be big enough to support that kind of mass manufacture so you have to look for firms importing some of the American makes such as Tenecor - Parrymore Marine Systems is one firm I know of that supplies these.
If you really do need the tailored kind then Talking Plastics (who are making the first batch of my aquariums) or Neptune's Acrylic Tank Manufacturers are two firms I know of.
HTH
Keith
Emporer Angel
05-02-07, 23:09
Thanks for the info Keith, i hope all goes well with your set up. I will read the updates with interest.
Its amazing how much a few milimetres cost in acrylic. He He
Thanks
Phil:)
Progress at last! :dance:
The two aquariums (1.8x0.9x0.6m, 1.8x0.45x0.45m) and sump (1.8x0.6x0.6m) were delivered on Saturday. Very happy with the build quality.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/20070310-Tanks-and-sump-arr.JPG
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/20070310 Sump.JPG
And with just TonyB's help managed to get them installed on the racking. So much lighter than glass. :D
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/20070310-Tanks-on-racking.jpg
Am now busy installing the plumbing and discovering as I go along all those little bits and pieces that I should have ordered to start with :banghead:. Cue trips to LFS / more internet orders...
Think I should be able to bring the sump online by the weekend, and connect it to the current setup. I can then sell off the live rock and sand in the old sump and rip that out, which will free up loads of room.
But it will probably be a few more weeks before the two aquariums get wet as I am awaiting the ceramic relief panels from Germany that will be fixed to the back and side panes instead of live rock.
Keith
Great to see you again Keith, glad I was able to help.
These plastic tanks are very well built indeed, and best of all, they're so light! :)
wooo hooo!:D
Well they look good to me:thumbsup: , Hope it all goes well and good luck with the plumbing!
looking good Keith, fishy porn!!!
what's the gro-tech dealy in picture 3 also the red light? is that to be a hospital tank?
they look really nicely made (and huge!), can I ask where you're getting the ceramic relief panels from? I like the idea of them if they look good.
nice to see it starting to take shape, hope the change goes smoothly :thumbsup:
what's the gro-tech dealy in picture 3 also the red light? is that to be a hospital tank?
That top tank is going to be for non-photosynthetic hard and soft corals, along with other filter feeding inverts and light shunning fish. The red light is so I will be able to look in without disturbing the occupants.
Its going to have a mixed muddy/gravel/rubble base that I hope will turn into a bit of a pod farm to help to feed the occupants here and in the rest of the system. To encourage that I'll be dosing phytoplankton and that Grotech dealy on the top shelf in picture three is the phytobreeder and phytocontroller that can churn out up to 6 litres of the stuff a day.
The phytobreeder has a 9w power compact light in the centre, and the base contains a magnetic stirrer that keeps everything in suspension. The phytocontroller controls the lighting cycle for the breeder as well as the built in dosing pumps which add measured amounts of water and fertiliser.
Pictures below are from the Grotech site
http://www.grotech.de/ENGLISH/pics/PhytoControl_96dpi_rgb[1].jpghttp://www.grotech.de/ENGLISH/pics/Breeder20200[1].jpg
Keith
ooh lovely. Awesome, I wonder how many donated dendros and scleros you get that are wasting away in other peoples tanks :D
so a non-photo tank in the system, any other hidden gems we don't know about yet :D
looking good Keith, fishy porn!!!
what's the gro-tech dealy in picture 3 also the red light? is that to be a hospital tank?
Phyto breeder
The red light is how Keith funds this hobby; he opens the garage door late at night, flicks the red light on and then can't sit down for the next week :eek:
Only joking; it's for his dendros and all his "can't keep" soft corals, filter feeders etc :wave:
I type WAYYYYY too slow :o :laugh:
they look really nicely made (and huge!), can I ask where you're getting the ceramic relief panels from? I like the idea of them if they look good.
Hi, you can find pictures in the (German language) catalogue here (http://www.korallenwelt.de). I'm not aware of any UK importers, so searched the web. This is one supplier (http://www.aquapro2000.de), there are others.
Trythechi did something similar on his setup but used resin cast plastic (so non-porous) 'rock' from TMC (I think).
nice to see it starting to take shape, hope the change goes smoothly :thumbsup:
Thanks, I'm having a sort of semi open day (well an open afternoon) on Sunday 22nd April. It's also a wake for the current setup which will be broken down shortly thereafter. You'd be welcome to pop round and see how its progressing.
any other hidden gems we don't know about yet :D
Maybe, maybe not :whistling: ;)
Keith
Thanks, I'm having a sort of semi open day (well an open afternoon) on Sunday 22nd April. It's also a wake for the current setup which will be broken down shortly thereafter. You'd be welcome to pop round and see how its progressing.
Keith
Thanks for the invite, would like to see the current setup before it goes.
Progress has been a bit stop/start due to hiccups in the supply chain, with goods either not being in stock, disappearing into some black hole en route, or the wrong goods being dispatched, but I am slowly getting there.
Plumbing of the sump is done, with the ten tank-connectors installed and fitted with 63mm ball valves and the four Tunze Master pumps (2x 13,100lph and 2x 8,600lph) are now in place...
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/plumbing.jpg
The Grotech HEA300 skimmer has also been set-up and bedded in...
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/skimmer.jpg
And 12 litres of Seachem Matrix media has been added to the sump and seeded with material from the old system. The old sump has been taken off-line and will be stripped out just as soon I’ve shifted the live-rock and sand.
Meanwhile, the first pallet of reef ceramics from Germany has arrived, with a second on the way, so I am busy making a start on ‘scaping the 1.8x0.9x0.6m aquarium. The first of the wall plates are now being glued into place.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/ceramic-wall-plates.jpg
Keith
that wall plate looks great, thanks for the info.
Reef bloke
22-03-07, 00:44
Impressive!
Looking good Keith :thumbsup:
wow, that wall plate is awesome. do you have to specify the sheet size upon ordering or cut to size yourself.
is this why you went braceless?
is this why you went braceless?
Eh? Who said any thing about braceless; those tanks have braces, I lifted them all into position with Keith - bloomin muppet! :laugh: :p
i thought they were acrylic and braceless, hang on let me go back a few pages, you're seldom sober and i've yet to see a photo of you with your eyes open, i'll believe it when i see it!
I am right, you are wrong - ner-nicky-ner-ner:p :p :p :dance:
Tony is right - the tanks are braced, but the sump isn't which might have confused you.
The pic is actually of three wall plates, not one. They are available in different heights and widths of either 40cm or 50cm. So you can mix and match to fix most tanks. And you can trim them with an angle grinder if necessary. There are visable joins between the plates which you can't see from the picture because of the angle, but I'm confident they'll be pretty unnoticeable by the time I've finished.
Keith
Apologies for lack of updates - been busy!
Both tanks are now wet, fortunately I found I had enough salt ;)
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Salt-pyramid.jpg
The switch over from the old sump arrangement to the new has been less than smooth. :(
Have had a number of mishaps - floods, power failures, disconnected temperature probes, etc. - that have seen parameters yo-yo round on my system. Temperatures at one point rose to over 30C and salinity fell to under 1.030. DKH also plumetted at one point. Corals in existing setup have weathered this surprisingly well considering, but the new tanks are suffering with cyano.
Anyway, have continued to press on. The old shed that contained the Teco RA680 chiller and the Eco-cooler...
http://www.thereef.info/shed.jpg
Has been removed and a base laid for the air-sourced heat pump...
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Base-for-heat-pump.jpg
Which has now been installed and plumbed in. The heat pump will heat or cool the system as required, either by drawing heat from the surrounding air or by pumping it out like a normal chiller. This can deliver up to 4kw of heating or cooling power for just 1kw.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Heat-pump-installed.jpg
You can also see in the picture the 127mm hole I've drilled in the garage wall for the extractor fan - this is to keep humidity levels down.
That's all for now.
Keith
MaidstoneMarine
16-04-07, 09:01
Apologies for lack of updates - been busy!
Both tanks are now wet, fortunately I found I had enough salt ;)
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Salt-pyramid.jpg
That is just sick... you can't post that type of picture here... where's a mod when you need one.:laugh:
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Heat-pump-installed.jpg
i'm liking that!!!!!
Keith, you are such a show off! :D :cool: :cool:
See you Sunday buddy! :wave:
Keith, you are such a show off! :D :cool: :cool:
See you Sunday buddy! :wave:
If you've got it, flaunt it!
:D
Seriously, anyone that fancies popping over on Sunday afternoon drop me a pm for the address. Food, drink, frags, and good company guaranteed (Tony B excepted obviously... ).
Regards,
Keith
Reef bloke
17-04-07, 01:03
Wowza!This is gonna be some set up!
Meanwhile, the first pallet of reef ceramics from Germany has arrived, with a second on the way, so I am busy making a start on ‘scaping the 1.8x0.9x0.6m aquarium. The first of the wall plates are now being glued into place.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/ceramic-wall-plates.jpg
Keith
Looks like its going to be huge Keith. The reef ceramix looks excellent - was it made to your specs? Are you gouing of ceramic or LR islands?
Cheers
Simon
Looks like its going to be huge Keith. The reef ceramix looks excellent - was it made to your specs? Are you gouing of ceramic or LR islands?
Cheers
Simon
I've just used the standard sizes/shapes and 'adjusted' with an angle grinder where necessary :whistling:
I'm going all ceramic. The only live rock will be that attached to frags and corals, which is why I'm relying on biological media in the sump.
I'll try and post some pics of the finished scaping if I can later.
Keith
Not very good pics I'm afraid but give the idea
View of smaller (1.8m x 0.45m x 0.45m) filter feeder tank - you can see the surge in the far right as the Borneman surge system I've set up dumps 13 litres of water into it.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/view-of-filter-feeder-tank.jpg
View from left of larger (1.8m x 0.9m x 0.6m) tank
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/view-from-left.jpg
View from right of larger tank
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/view-from-right.jpg
Keith
now this i'm liking, those pics remind me of a public aquarium display, only yours will get better :)
really looking very good, care to take any pics of your surge device, i fear that your description alone may not lend itself to newbs who have no idea what you mean :)
great pics - are those your tanks too? The bottom to top covereage gives a real slice of the ocean look. How do you compare th eprices of this and LR?
Looks superb keith, Ian is thinking along the same (ceramic lines) in his new tank, but from what i recall at the moment the prices are still very high. Hopefully in time the prices will drop and someone will import this in to the UK.
looks fantastic ,keep up the good work:applause:
can i ask how much was the new chiller/heater and where did you get it, and what gallons it it rated for please
thanks Andy
now this i'm liking, those pics remind me of a public aquarium display, only yours will get better :)
really looking very good, care to take any pics of your surge device, i fear that your description alone may not lend itself to newbs who have no idea what you mean :)
Cheers Scott :)
Not sure these pictures explain much to be honest but I'll try... (There is a better thread by Claude in the DIY forum on his surge set up which is the same basic design).
A feeder tank with a capacity of around 13 litres has been fixed to the wall nearly a metre above the aquarium, supported on two microwave wall brackets. As the aquarium itself is nearly 2 metres up that feeder tank is rather high up - hence the angle of the photo below!
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/header-tank-for-neilson.jpg
The feeder tank has been drilled and fitted with two diaphram valves. (I've used diaphram valves because you can adjust the flow rate more accurately than with ball valves. At the moment only one of the valves is connected to a pump in the sump. A second will be fitted later, running on a seperate electrical circuit, to provide some redundancy.)
The base of the feeder tank was drilled and fitted with a standard flapper valve as in the pic below. The plastic chain was fixed to the valve with milliput instead of the metal clips provided. Instead of the other end of the chain then being connected to a lever as you would on a toilet, the chain is connected to a float (with milliput again). So as the feeder tank fills with water the float rises until it is able to pull open the flapper valve....
http://www.screwfix.com/sfd/i/cat/71/p4511771_x.jpg
Because of the design of the valve almost all the water in the feeded tank rushes through, holding the valve open, until it eventually flaps back into place. You can see from the first photo that I've used 50mm pipe to feed this water through the side of one end of the aquarium.
As currently set up the device dumps around 13 litres of water into the aquarium every 70 seconds. The effect is dramatic!
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/close-up-of-surge.jpg
That said you wouldn't want to run something like this in your lounge because of the noise. Plus not everyone will like the bubbles, and you'll need to prepare for the spray.
HTH
Keith
great pics - are those your tanks too? The bottom to top covereage gives a real slice of the ocean look. How do you compare th eprices of this and LR?
Yes, currently have these two tanks in the garage plus the original hawaiian display in the lounge which will be broken up at the end of the month.
It's not cheap, but in total the cost of all the ceramics for these two aquariums came to around £700. Total volume of the two tanks is 1250 litres - not sure how much live rock you'd use for that? £500 quids worth maybe?
Keith
Keith, Fantastic setup!
What species will you be keeping in your filter feed tank? and Why did you chose to use a surge device on this tank? wouldn't laminar flow be a more natural choice?
looks fantastic ,keep up the good work:applause:
can i ask how much was the new chiller/heater and where did you get it, and what gallons it it rated for please
thanks Andy
Thanks Andy,
The air-sourced heat pump I bought cost £1,900 from Dyden Aqua (http://www.drydenaqua.com/heating_cooling/heat%20pumps/heat%20pumps.htm). These things are normally used on swimming pools so they simply state the cooling (3.8kw) and heating (4.3kw) power. But for comparison Aqua Medic state that their Titan 4000 chiller (with 4kw cooling power) would maintain temperature difference of 10c on 3000L or 5c on 4000L.
Before everyone rushes out to buy an air-sourced heat pump I should point out they do have limitations, the main one being that they stop operating at temperatures below 5c. So you need a more traditional back-up for those very cold days. This isn't a problem for me as I'm deliberately setting up my system with duplicate systems for redundancy. So as well as the heat pump I will also have around 3kw of titanium heaters, and two Deltec eco-coolers (total 3.6kw cooling power).
HTH
Keith
thanks keith ,
im actully running a aquamedic titan 4000 at the mo ,i was just looking for something a bit cheaper to run:whistling: ,how do you find the eco collers ,i was thinking of add one of these as well to cut down on running costs a bit,
:thanks: Andy
Keith, Fantastic setup!
What species will you be keeping in your filter feed tank? and Why did you chose to use a surge device on this tank? wouldn't laminar flow be a more natural choice?
You're right of course, laminar flow, perhaps alternating, would be more natural for many inhabitants. Main reason was simply to reduce any dead spots. There is going to be pretty heavy feeding in this tank and I want to keep the food in suspension. And then I've wanted to play with this device ever since I'd read about it in Bournman's 'Aquarium Corals' :D.
On the inhabitants I expect I'll assemble a collection of non-photosynthetic gorgonians (Diodogorgia, Swiftia, etc) and other soft corals (Nephthyigorgia, Nepthea, etc); sponges; tunicates; scallops; filter-feeding crabs and sea cucumbers; feather stars.
Keith
thanks keith ,
im actully running a aquamedic titan 4000 at the mo ,i was just looking for something a bit cheaper to run:whistling: ,how do you find the eco collers ,i was thinking of add one of these as well to cut down on running costs a bit,
:thanks: Andy
Eco-coolers are excellent, they only struggle a bit on very humid days. But with 1.8kw cooling power from just 88w you can't complain (except at the price ;) ).
This is why my aim is for the eco-coolers to be the prime means of cooling with heat pump as a backup. (The situation is reversed on heating where I want the heat pump to be the prime source with the conventional titanium heaters as the backup.)
On the cost, it wouldn't be hard to DIY an eco-cooler if you are that way inclined - its essentially just a small trickle tower with computer fans blowing air up it.
Keith
Eco-coolers are excellent, they only struggle a bit on very humid days. But with 1.8kw cooling power from just 88w you can't complain (except at the price ;) ).
This is why my aim is for the eco-coolers to be the prime means of cooling with heat pump as a backup. (The situation is reversed on heating where I want the heat pump to be the prime source with the conventional titanium heaters as the backup.)
On the cost, it wouldn't be hard to DIY an eco-cooler if you are that way inclined - its essentially just a small trickle tower with computer fans blowing air up it.
Keith
:thanks: Andy
Had an amusing visit from two members of the local constabularly this evening. Very polite and curious about the bright lights emanating from my garage.... :D Just as well they weren't around on Sunday during the reef club meet when lots of dodgy geezers were left carrying bags of white powder (mag sulphate and citric acid -honest)!
Anyway, parameters are still yo-yoing around in the transition while I sort out the new sump. Finally got the new Grotech calcium reactor online at the weekend (pic below) but over did it a little - calcium almost off the scale on my Salifert kit :whistling: . So now offline while I get levels down...
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/grotech-calcium-reactor.jpg
Bigger concern is heat with the weather we're having. Unfortunately my shiny new heat pump is stubbornly refusing to cool, only to heat at the moment :( . So I desperately need to get the two eco-coolers online while I sort this out.
Keith
Had an amusing visit from two members of the local constabularly this evening. Very polite and curious about the bright lights emanating from my garage.... :D
Keith
Good to see Bobbies walking the beat.....or neighbourhood watch?
Did they stay long looking at the inland reef?
Good to see Bobbies walking the beat.....or neighbourhood watch?
Did they stay long looking at the inland reef?
A couple of bobbies. They gawped at the skimmer and equipment. Observed that keeping marines a is little more complicated than freshwater. And said they'd want to come back once the new tank was set up. But didn't stay long once their curiosity was satisfied. ;)
Keith
Not commented in this thread before, wasn't my fault though, only just managed to stop my face looking like this :eek: from when i first read it! Christ on a bike mate, thats some awesome setups you got there. There huuuge!
Keep the pics coming, loving watching this get built!
:wave:
Marc
The Chiller
25-04-07, 07:38
Skyline50
If u saw Keiths set up in the flesh u would do more than:eek: more like:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: its that impressive :worship: to Keith
Gary
simon garratt
25-04-07, 09:15
Looks to be comming along superb Keith...(I'll say that with a distict tone of jealousy in my voice and not a shred of guilt about it :D )
On the Plod note.. I still havent put my blinds up in the tank room (which is at the front of the house) so every time one of the local bobbies walks past i get sideways glances at the glare from a couple of 400W halides spilling out onto te drive way..
Im just waiting for the visit....You know the one..
"Erm, sir, we just want to come in and make sure your not growing 5 tonns of the green stuff in there.."..:whistling: :whistling:
Good luck with the rest of the build m8... i know its going to be a really stunning system once completed..
Regards
Si.:)
Keith, stop telling fibs............
Keith has no fish, coral or tanks at all, we all went around there for a smoking party with the best home-grown canabis that Essex has seen.
The amount of plants your growing is amazing, the lights are so bright:p :
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e156/brazao123/DSC01188.jpg
The Chiller
25-04-07, 09:30
Photo evidence sent to Essex Police Station
wow tony is that you in the photo?
wow tony is that you in the photo?
Yep, it was one hell of a smoking party alright, still got the munchies now! :laugh:
Yep, it was one hell of a smoking party alright, still got the munchies now! :laugh:
i miss all the good events! :(
:)
so that's what's in his pyramud :D
Had an amusing visit from two members of the local constabularly this evening. Very polite and curious about the bright lights emanating from my garage.... :D Just as well they weren't around on Sunday during the reef club meet when lots of dodgy geezers were left carrying bags of white powder (mag sulphate and citric acid -honest)!
Anyway, parameters are still yo-yoing around in the transition while I sort out the new sump. Finally got the new Grotech calcium reactor online at the weekend (pic below) but over did it a little - calcium almost off the scale on my Salifert kit :whistling: . So now offline while I get levels down...
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/grotech-calcium-reactor.jpg
Bigger concern is heat with the weather we're having. Unfortunately my shiny new heat pump is stubbornly refusing to cool, only to heat at the moment :( . So I desperately need to get the two eco-coolers online while I sort this out.
Keith
Totally missed this thread :annoyed: looks great mate, pleased to see the surge in action :)
The story about the visit from the Feds amused me ;)
Thanks Marc, Si, Claude :o
Tony - you promised you wouldn't take pictures! :busted:
Regards all,
Keith
bristlebasher
26-04-07, 14:57
Realy very impressive Keith - just wondering why you are using the small welding canisters as your co2 supply?
why you are using the small welding canisters as your co2 supply?
Multi tasking at its very best!:laugh:
Realy very impressive Keith - just wondering why you are using the small welding canisters as your co2 supply?
It's just what I had available. Got a couple of (empty) 2kg refillable bottles knocking around too but I'm intending to upgrade to a BOC account and a much bigger refillable bottle when I can get round to it. It's competing with a lot of other things on my 'to do' list.... ;)Keith
Thought you might like to see this extract from the planning application which gives you an idea of the size and shape of the main aquarium.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Planning application.gif
As you can see, the aquarium is a pentagon shape. The three long sides are 2m long, the two short sides are 0.6m long. The aquarium will 1 metre tall and will stand on a solid block base just 100mm tall. This low position will create the right viewing angle for me when seated on the sofa in the lounge. The low height means working in the aquarium should be a lot easier.
Expect to get the result of the planning application by mid-June. Fingers crossed....
Keith
Great picture Keith, really shows the perspective of size well, your Mrs must be very understanding to be allowing the loss of that much lounge.
Great picture Keith, really shows the perspective of size well, your Mrs must be very understanding to be allowing the loss of that much lounge.
Ah, well the lounge is a new extension so she's gained not lost! And fortunately she's not only a glass-half-full kind of person, she's also bribeable (a silver tabby maine coon kitten) :)
And fortunately she's not only a glass-half-full kind of person, she's also bribeable (a silver tabby maine coon kitten) :)
:laugh::laugh::laugh:
Oh god Keith, waiting till mid June will kill my pig! but thats me! your a bit more collected. Looks ace from the drawing just figured out which bit is the new extension!
Oh god Keith, waiting till mid June will kill my pig! but thats me! your a bit more collected. Looks ace from the drawing I cant figure out what bits the extension though? Prolly me being dumb again!
That whole living room, with the aquarium, is the extension to the house. The internal layout of rest of the house has then changed so as to allow for a bigger kitchen and dining room.
On the second floor the extension allows us to add another bedroom with ensuite and walk-in wardrobe.
HTH
By the way, June is just when we hopefully get planning permission. We then have to find a builder. The good ones will tend to be busy unfortunately so we'll probably have to wait in line. So it could easily be spring 2008 before that 3000L tank sees any water...
Keith
If this is anything like your previous tank I'm sure it will be a stunning display. . .
. . . but if it were me with the seemingly limitless budget ;) :whistling: , I'd move the tank so the side nearest the dining room was flush with the wall and instead of the access door, have a second viewing pane from that room which would give a completely different perspective of the same tank.
Access to your maintenance area could then be from the lounge.
Just me dreaming though . . . :)
John
If this is anything like your previous tank I'm sure it will be a stunning display. . .
. . . but if it were me with the seemingly limitless budget ;) :whistling: , I'd move the tank so the side nearest the dining room was flush with the wall and instead of the access door, have a second viewing pane from that room which would give a completely different perspective of the same tank.
Access to your maintenance area could then be from the lounge.
Just me dreaming though . . . :)
John
Thanks John,
Yes that would have been an option, but I've got a particular aquascape effect in mind which wouldn't work well viewed from two sides.
Also, its been a priority to ensure good access to the tank. Cleaning that front pane will be a pig if my only access is from one side. Having an access panel above the front pane is not an option because this section of wall above the aquarium will form the screen for a HDTV projector - so it has to be smooth and seemless.
But perhaps the killer is that a few years down the line, if I can ever afford it, I'd like to add a further quadrant shaped tank, sited in that corner of the dining room. A Red Sea FO perhaps...:whistling:
Regards,
Keith
this section of wall above the aquarium will form the screen for a HDTV projector - so it has to be smooth and seemless.
Bloody hell Keith, Now your just showing off!:cool:
really though, thats going to be awsome! Dont tell Darren he'll want one!:whistling:
Bloody hell Keith, Now your just showing off!:cool:
really though, thats going to be awsome! Dont tell Darren he'll want one!:whistling:
Sorry! :o
But this is why I ended up with that pentagon shape, rather than a quadrant which I had been considering - I needed a flat surface.
Keith
perhaps the killer is that a few years down the line, if I can ever afford it, I'd like to add a further quadrant shaped tank, sited in that corner of the dining room. A Red Sea FO perhaps...:whistling:
Blimey, that's planning ahead!! Sounds a great idea though!! :thumbsup:
John
Well one of the many bribes to family members that have allowed me start this project was the promise of a maine coon kitten for my mrs...
Went to see it last weekend (still weaning so can't collect until June 9th)
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/maine-coon-kitten.jpg
Ahhhh!
Mrs is now putty in my hands :devil: :D
Keith
awwwww, what a cutey...
...ok what do you want from us, posting pics like that, 'we' wont turn to putty so easily, gonna cost you a load more than that keithy baby!
Yes, I recognise influencing the hard men of Kent will require a different approach. I am therefore assembling a collection of incriminating photos as part of my campaign for TOTM. Here's just one sample... name that orc!
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/orc-muppet.jpg
:)
Keith
oh for the love of god, he's nothing to do with us i promise!!!!
oh for the love of god, he's nothing to do with us i promise!!!!
PMSL:D :laugh:
Oh dear I cant breath!!!!!!!:eek: :laugh:
MaidstoneMarine
20-05-07, 16:06
Well that didn't take long to get posted! Thanks Keith. I was going for the ringwraithe look but I think i failed in the top i was wearing! time for a different colour top I think!
A pictoral record of the stock in the filter-feeders tank. This set-up is an experiment to see if I can keep some of the more difficult subjects for any length of time. So these pics are what I currently have, and I'll do another post a year from now and we'll see what, if anything, is left! :whistling: (Excuse the quality of some of the pics, using daughter's camera as it turns out my Fuji S602zoom doesn't float :( )
Feather Star #1
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/20070522-basket-star.jpg
Feather Star #2 - smaller and much more reclusive than the first (bought from Mysticwave)
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/20070522-basket-star-2.jpg
Chilli Coral (Nephthyigorgia) - have two of these both around 3/4 years old now
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/20070522-chilli-coral.jpg
Scleronepthea (I think) - two orange and two pinks
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/20070522-nepthea.jpg
Diodogorgia
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/20070522-diodogorgia.jpg
Swiftia
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/20070522-swiftia.jpg
Sea Fan #1
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/sea-fan-1.jpg
Sea Fan #2
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/sea-fan-2.jpg
Sea Fan #3
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/sea-fan-3.jpg
Tunicate #1 - I have two of these and they seem pretty hardy. This one has already added two 'heads' since I first got it from CGA a couple of months back.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/20070522-tunicate-colony.jpg
Tunicate #2 - a hitchiker I found on a bit of liverock. Has doubled in size in about three weeks.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/20070522-tunicate.jpg
I hope to get the Grotech Phyto reactor up and running next week, but for the last month or two I've been dosing Phyto-Feast. Am also trying some of the Fauna Marin foods with Golden Pearls/cyclopeze.
Keith
wow wow wow.
incredible extension!
Looking good Keith, I love those sea fans!
The Chiller
23-05-07, 09:38
wow wow wow.
incredible extension!
I think Si may think so to soon Scoob
Gary
Certainly a different set of animals for the tank. Very rewarding if you have the setup for them. Love the gorgs!
I thought crinoids were known as "feather stars" rather than "basket stars" which are a different animal altogether.
Keep us posted!!
John
I thought crinoids were known as "feather stars" rather than "basket stars" which are a different animal altogether.
:o
I stand corrected! :thumbsup:
watching this with interest i love feather stars:thumbsup:
Lucky Eddie
23-05-07, 13:39
Blimey Keith, that tank has come on a treat since we saw it the other week.
Any thoughts on other stuff that might fit in there ??????? I know you were after a flashlight.
Any thoughts on other stuff that might fit in there ??????? I know you were after a flashlight.
Yeah a flashlight would be nice, but perhaps even nicer would be a Pinecone/Pineapple Fish (http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1830&articleid=1969), but probably even harder to find. If all else fails, maybe a squirrelfish or two, or a Bigeye.
Keith
Planning application has been rejected. :upset:
The proposed development would, by reason of its excessive depth, height and position close to the boundaries of the site, be an unacceptably dominant and visually intrusive feature in the streetscene, harmful to the appearance of the surrounding area.
And that was after scaling back the original plan on the advice of the planning officer.
Back (quite literally) to the drawing board...:ponder:
man that sucks!
all isn't lost tho, tell us you have a plan c :D
Sorry to hear that keith, gutted for you:(
Cheers all.
Options would appear to boil down to appeal or a more fundamental redesign. But need to talk to architect and bottom this out. The only thing that is certain is more delay and more expense.
C'est la vie!
simon garratt
13-06-07, 09:21
thats a real crapper Keith. the plans looked for a stunning set up...:(
Have you considerd taking the local council official out for a meal...:whistling: :whistling: :whistling:
Hope it all comes together for you though, it would be a real shame if you cant come to some kind of compromise.
regards and good luck.
Si.
Sorry to hear that Keith:(
As a last resort, you can always move house, although being in the line of work you're in, I guess you're too aware of the taxation that will sting you ;)
...just seen this thread...haven't had time to read it through yet.....but you are probably aware that sometimes you do not need planning permission (and the rules are being lessen later this year sometime as well I believe). Basically you do not need planning permission if it is in the back garden, the floor space is less than a fixed amount, and is lower than a certain percentage of your existing property (pre any previous extensions)...is a certain distance away from your boundary, is not above a certain height..so dig down a little way if necessary (2ft say...be carful if next to the house), your not in a conservation zone or your house isn't listed (in fact probably only a problem if you breach the actual listing conditions)....these are AND conditions..fail on one and off to planning it goes....If you do not know these rules then find out from your planning department they have to tell you. Bear in mind that for permanent structures then the structure has to pass a building inspection.
Good luck.
You may find that keeping on the good side of your neighbours helps and making the structure sound as eco friendly as possible (a coral propergation room to protect wild species helps)...or why do you need to tell them what the structure is for...you can always add the fish room later....as long as it is not structural changes!
Best Regards
Nigel
PS: My planning department is very helpful...but then I am lucky enough to live in Wandsworth (the cheapest yet one of the most efficient councils in the country! in the top three I believe)
Lucky Eddie
13-06-07, 13:27
Planning application has been rejected. :upset:
And that was after scaling back the original plan on the advice of the planning officer.
Back (quite literally) to the drawing board...:ponder:
Doh ! Were there issues from the neighbours ?
Its always worth appealing. Get the bloke round and prove to him that no-one will be able to see the extension through all that bamboo !!!!!!!
that sucks, build it under the back garden instead! Then nobody can complain!
While I wait for the planning issues to be resolved I still have plenty occupy myself...
This is some of the feeding paraphenalia for the filter-feeders tank.
This is the slime food for dendros, produced from mixing Fauna Marin UltraClam, UltraMinS, and UltraBio with the UltraPak and UltraLife carriers.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070604-dendro-slime.jpg
I made up 1.5 litres of this stuff, which I then diluted down with RO water to 6 litres in volume and froze into handy-sized icecubes.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070604-freezer-and-cubes.jpg
I made a separate mix of particulate foods - UltraMinF, UltraSeaFan, and cyclopeze with UltraOrganics - which was also dliuted and frozen into cubes. This is the bag of brown cubes in the top of the freezer.
These cubes are used in an Aqua Medic AquaBreeder 1000. Each day I put in an ice cube of each mix and top it up with RO water. An air pump agitates the water in the unit, breaking down the ice cubes and keeping the particles in suspension. A dosing pump then slowly draws the feed from the breeder and feeds it into the tank over a 24 hour period. Seems to work fine.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070704-aquabreeder-1000.jpg
I've also finally set up a phytoplankton culture in the Grotech Phytobreeder. The volume is slowly building up and I should be ready to start dosing my own live phyto by the weekend. Initially I'll be dosing 1 litre a day - will be interesting to see what impact that has.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070604-grotech-phytobreed.jpg
Keith
Peculiar_Clown
19-06-07, 09:35
Nice Keith, planning an Octocoral biotype myself, some very useful stuff here, thanks for sharing.
Looking good there Keith!
Did you leave slime food at room temp for a couple days before feeding?
Also, How deep (front to back) are the reef ceramics you used?
Looking good there Keith!
Did you leave slime food at room temp for a couple days before feeding?
Also, How deep (front to back) are the reef ceramics you used?
Left the slime for a couple of days before freezing.
On the ceramics I'll dig out a tape measure when I get home and pm you. I assume it is the back/side panels you are particularly interested in? This reminds me - I owe Tiggsy some measurements too.
Keith
Keith - dont worry about measurments for me.....i am getting the company to build a bespoke set for my tank made to my own design :D
Thanks Keith, yep - looking for the depth of the back panel/side panels
Keith - dont worry about measurments for me.....i am getting the company to build a bespoke set for my tank made to my own design :D
Show off! :laugh:
The Chiller
20-06-07, 06:06
Keith
Just read Planning application has been rejected.Sorry to hear that mate whats the next plan of action ? Have u got your cat and dog yet ?
Gary
Keith
Just read Planning application has been rejected.Sorry to hear that mate whats the next plan of action ?
Will put in a revised plan - may just go with a single storey - but am discussing this with architect.
Keith
Have u got your cat and dog yet ?
Kitten arrived a couple of weeks back and has ingratiated itself into the household. There is now a monstrous cat tree where the old hawaiian tank used to be and Mrs has already started agitating for a second cat "so he'll have someone to play with".
Won't get the dog until after the extension is done ;)
Regards,
Keith
New addition to the filter feeders tank - one of the more surreal sponges - a candy sponge. Forgive pic quality, taken with my phone, but you get the idea. :D
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/candy-sponge.jpg
Now if I can just keep it alive... :whistling:
wish i could see pics at work :( i have a feeling my post is about to be followed with wow's and awesomes!!! :(
MaidstoneMarine
25-06-07, 22:30
WOW.... that is awesome
aww... scott you're missing out :D seriously though that is nice!!
That's incredible - never seen owt like it!!
Hope it thrives!
John
Keith, looks fantastic, do you have a latin name for it?
Also, where are you sourcing most of your filter feeders?
Keith, looks fantastic, do you have a latin name for it?
Also, where are you sourcing most of your filter feeders?
Still looking for a name - I'm sure I've seen it in a book or magazine at some time but haven't found it yet.
I'm getting my filter feeders from all over the place - Home Marine, WetPets, CGA, etc.
Keith
I think it's Axinella damicornis, the white blobs on it are an encrusting sea anemone Parazoanthus axinellae which live in association with the sponge.
EDIT: Though having said that and looked round the web they all seem to be yellow! The pic in Baensch looks very similar to yours though with the blobs (tech term) all over it
Swallows have some filter feeders in from time to time.
That candy sponge is something else? :wub: The colours, the white and the red....Wow! :wub: :D :thumbsup:
I think it's Axinella damicornis, the white blobs on it are an encrusting sea anemone Parazoanthus axinellae which live in association with the sponge.
EDIT: Though having said that and looked round the web they all seem to be yellow! The pic in Baensch looks very similar to yours though with the blobs (tech term) all over it
Thanks for that :thumbsup:
Yes - I saw that picture in Baensch and wasn't sure.
Keith
fireproofcujo
26-06-07, 09:35
cool looks good enough to eat :thumbsup:
The Chiller
27-06-07, 06:19
Keith
Like Scoob can't see the pics but I could if u gave me an invite :whistling:
Gary
Keith
Like Scoob can't see the pics but I could if u gave me an invite :whistling:
Gary
Your welcome to come round Gary, but you may have to wait a week or two. There are some senior management changes going on at work just now :whistling: that are going to keep me busy and may require me to work the next couple of weekends.
Regards,
Keith
There are some senior management changes going on at work just now :whistling:
:D :D :D
fireproofcujo
27-06-07, 21:36
Something like this http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa273/fireproofcujo/alansugar.jpg
And when i grow up i wan't a setup like yours its truely awesome i will just stick with my little gold fish bowel :worship: :applause:
Something like this http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa273/fireproofcujo/alansugar.jpg
You might think that, I couldn't possibly comment...
Well the new fangled air-sourced heat pump has turned out to be a worthless piece of junk that never worked properly and has now finally given up the ghost. :annoyed: So I will be returning this and replacing it with more conventional heating/cooling arrangements (an Aqua Medic Titan 4000 and more titanium heaters) to supplement the eco-coolers and heaters I already have.
But on the positive side, a rather successful bet on who would be the next Chancellor of the Exchequer is now funding the purchase of a second phytobreeder and controller from CGA :whistling: :D God bless Ministerial reshuffles and Alistair Darling :worship:
Keith
Keith, I'm sorry, I feel so rude, after seeing your system on the day of the CGA open day I meant to post on this thread but forgot (I was the dodgy looking drummer bloke that turned up with Chris (corrsets)).
Anyway, thank you so much for your hospitality and showing us round your system, IMO the filter feeder tank was particulaly impressive:thumbsup: and the monties in the display tank.
So here is my long over-due :thumbsup: :applause: :worship:
Jim
Wetpets currentlyt have two of those candy cane sponges ou have
Have looked in on this thread for a while - great stuff Keith.
Are you using the Ultra PAc on the SPS tank? If so any changes to pigmentation at all? I'v just done a whole stack of Pappone only just cautiously starting with it - have you tried it, and if so any effects to report?
The GSPs are driving me to distraction and so am on the verge of ripping the current fibergalss background out and starting over with Riffkeramik - did you buy direct from Germany? and chance of a link pls?
Many thanks
Simon
Simon,
If you are after a UK importer PM me.
Simon,
If you are after a UK importer PM me.
Hi Tiggsy
your PM box is full
Cheers
Simon
Have looked in on this thread for a while - great stuff Keith.
Are you using the Ultra PAc on the SPS tank? If so any changes to pigmentation at all? I'v just done a whole stack of Pappone only just cautiously starting with it - have you tried it, and if so any effects to report?
The GSPs are driving me to distraction and so am on the verge of ripping the current fibergalss background out and starting over with Riffkeramik - did you buy direct from Germany? and chance of a link pls?
Many thanks
Simon
Hi Simon, the UltraPac is used on the small filter feeding tank but this drains into the larger tank below that has a mix of softies, LPS and some SPS frags. Unfortunately I couldn't say what the effect has been on the SPS - I lost all the original SPS stock when the heat pump failed. So the frags I have now were added after I'd started with the UltraPac. They seem to be growing ok as are the colours, but I don't have a real comparator.
Sounds like Tiggsy may be sorting you out on the ceramic front but for reference I bought most of mine from AquaPro2000 (http://www.aquapro2000.de/Decoration.51/Riffkeramik.348/?osCsid=e2b82fe6ccaa7013443fdf3d1cac7053)
Let me know when you've sorted your GSP problem, I'll dig you out a xenia frag :whistling: :innocent:
:D
Regards,
Keith
Hi Simon, the UltraPac is used on the small filter feeding tank but this drains into the larger tank below that has a mix of softies, LPS and some SPS frags. Unfortunately I couldn't say what the effect has been on the SPS - I lost all the original SPS stock when the heat pump failed. So the frags I have now were added after I'd started with the UltraPac. They seem to be growing ok as are the colours, but I don't have a real comparator.
Sounds like Tiggsy may be sorting you out on the ceramic front but for reference I bought most of mine from AquaPro2000 (http://www.aquapro2000.de/Decoration.51/Riffkeramik.348/?osCsid=e2b82fe6ccaa7013443fdf3d1cac7053)
Let me know when you've sorted your GSP problem, I'll dig you out a xenia frag :whistling: :innocent:
:D
Regards,
Keith
Many thanks Keith - great, I use them now and again - they have a limited number of the products on the web from the manufactruers catalogue, did you more than they show?
The bottom is going to fall out of the UK GSP market, when I strip my tank down, insider info I know, but sell sell sell while u can:whistling:
Cheers
Simon
I use them now and again - they have a limited number of the products on the web from the manufactruers catalogue, did you more than they show?
Simon
I expect they could get hold of other items if you ask. Wish I had - instead I tried KN-Aquaristik (http://www.meerwasser-aquaristik.de/shop/catalog/default.php?cPath=78&sort=1a&filter_id=24&osCsid=629ab0b787e72a23afc08749ea201fca) who were awful. Took over a month to deliver and when they arrived almost every single piece was broken, which wasn't really surprising when you saw the quality of the packing :annoyed:
In contrast AquaPro delivered the next week with no casualties. :thumbsup:
Keith
Aquapro can get any of the reef ceramic bits and you can deal direct with them (but there are UK importers who can also negotiate for you in getting custum "scenes" built to order (if your Germans no good :))
Keith - how have you found it? Few RC posts talking about algae issues and a number of people ripping the ceramics out of their tanks!
Keith - how have you found it? Few RC posts talking about algae issues and a number of people ripping the ceramics out of their tanks!
Early days but I don't think its behaving badly. Seemed to go through the normal new tank phases, most persistant/severe was a diatom outbreak, but I've never had any hair algae.
Keith
I expect they could get hold of other items if you ask. Wish I had - instead I tried KN-Aquaristik (http://www.meerwasser-aquaristik.de/shop/catalog/default.php?cPath=78&sort=1a&filter_id=24&osCsid=629ab0b787e72a23afc08749ea201fca) who were awful. Took over a month to deliver and when they arrived almost every single piece was broken, which wasn't really surprising when you saw the quality of the packing :annoyed:
In contrast AquaPro delivered the next week with no casualties. :thumbsup:
Keith
Thanks for the tip off - did KN sort it out for you?
Cheers
Simon
Aquapro can get any of the reef ceramic bits and you can deal direct with them (but there are UK importers who can also negotiate for you in getting custum "scenes" built to order (if your Germans no good :))
Keith - how have you found it? Few RC posts talking about algae issues and a number of people ripping the ceramics out of their tanks!
Thanks Tiggsy - how do the UK importers compare on price for the stock items?
Cheers
Simon
no idea i'm affraid (good i would expect)....as mine is being done bespoke i never asked about the stock items.
Revised planning application is in and I should hear the result of that around 18 August.
Have had to reduce the size of the extension by 20% - not quite sure whether this will have an impact on tank shape/size yet, still thinking this though.
Meanwhile, I've been playing with my new toy - a Canon 400D. A couple of macro pictures of the 'candy sponge' with the symbiotic anemones opened up. Enjoy! :thumbsup:
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070721-candy-sponge-macro1.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070721-candy-sponge-macro2.jpg
Just stunning Keith - I didn't realise the patterns on the candy cane were anemones (although reading back through your thread it does say that's the case). Nice pics too!!
John
JOHN & CAM
21-07-07, 18:45
Sounds nice
hmm new application, new camera? how many cats did that cost you?
hmm new application, new camera? how many cats did that cost you?
Funny you should say that ;)
This one - Tiberius (or Mr Tibs according to she who must be obeyed)
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070721-Tiberius.jpg
... and having weakened once, its now been explained to me that poor Tiberius (Mr Tibs) could not be expected to live alone without psychological trauma, but must have company. Hence the deposit on second Maine Coon from a litter expected in the autumn....
:rolleyes:
Reef bloke
22-07-07, 00:05
Excellent shots Keith,what lens are you using?Id hazard a guess and say those shots were taken at iso 800,f 8,shutterspeed 1/60.Anywhere close?
Thanks everyone!
Excellent shots Keith,what lens are you using?Id hazard a guess and say those shots were taken at iso 800,f 8,shutterspeed 1/60.Anywhere close?
The candy cane macro shots were taken with a Canon EF-S 60mm f2.8 macro lens, iso 400, shutter speed 1/60 for the landscape, 1/40 for the portrait aspect shot ;)
Keith
Reef bloke
22-07-07, 12:44
Ah superb little lens and superb pics!
JOHN & CAM
22-07-07, 13:20
I would like to know how well the sponge and nems are doing and how long you have had them. It would be interesting to know what foods you are feeding aswell
Funny you should say that ;)
This one - Tiberius (or Mr Tibs according to she who must be obeyed)
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070721-Tiberius.jpg
... and having weakened once, its now been explained to me that poor Tiberius (Mr Tibs) could not be expected to live alone without psychological trauma, but must have company. Hence the deposit on second Maine Coon from a litter expected in the autumn....
:rolleyes:
priceless :D :D :D
I hope you aren't getting a new car any time soon :D
keith
sponge pic is stunning and youve certainly got some photography skills
will you be putting up some more coral pics
regards
rupert:worship:
I would like to know how well the sponge and nems are doing and how long you have had them. It would be interesting to know what foods you are feeding aswell
Hi, I've had that Candy Cane sponge/nem for exactly one month, so still very early days. So far it seems to be doing ok - photo below was taken earlier today.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070722-candy-cane-sponge.jpg
Feeding for the sponge is phytoplankton while anemones pick up zooplankton and particulate feeds (I add a mix of cyclopeze and Fauna Marin feeds - e.g. UltraMin F, Ultra SeaFan).
HTH
Keith
The Chiller
23-07-07, 05:57
Funny you should say that ;)
This one - Tiberius (or Mr Tibs according to she who must be obeyed)
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070721-Tiberius.jpg
... and having weakened once, its now been explained to me that poor Tiberius (Mr Tibs) could not be expected to live alone without psychological trauma, but must have company. Hence the deposit on second Maine Coon from a litter expected in the autumn....
:rolleyes:
I expect 2 dogs not 1 then later Keith
Gary
Keith, stunning candy cane! How often do the anemones stay open?
keith
sponge pic is stunning and youve certainly got some photography skills
will you be putting up some more coral pics
regards
rupert:worship:
Cheers Rupert :D
Will get some new pics up at the weekend if I can - still getting to grips with the camera. :whistling:
Keith, stunning candy cane! How often do the anemones stay open?
Almost all the time as my tank is normally only lit with a red light. They seem to withdraw after a little while under brighter lighting.
Keith
Stunning tank & pics Keith! That Candy cane is something else :wub:
What lens are you using on your canon out of curio?
Cheers, Shelton.
Thanks. All of the candy cane sponge shots were taken with a Canon EF-S 60mm f2.8 macro lens.
Keith
Hi Keith, How are your Diodogorgia and Swiftias doing now? Have you noticed any growth on them?
Excuse the length of this post, but its been a while since the last update.
First, I now have planning permission for the extension that will house the 3,000 litre Hawaiian biotope. :dance: Next stage is getting the detailed plans drawn up for Building Regs approvals, and then finding a good builder.
Meanwhile the 'no-rules' tank has been coming on nicely. It’s been ‘wet’ for five months now and the ceramic is covering up nicely with coralline and I think you'd be hard pressed to immediately tell it apart from the two natural pieces of live rock that are in there.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070905-No-Rules-tank-pano.jpg
(You can find a larger copy of the above picture here (http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070905-No-Rules-pan-1024.jpg) )
As you can see, I've been busy accumulating various fish and corals. This took much longer than planned due to the earlier set-back with the heat pump which cost me a lot of stock.
Almost all of the fish are destined to be moved on to the larger Hawaiian biotope when that is completed. The exceptions are the Magnificent Foxface (my favourite), the Pink Bellied Wrasse, and a very shy and retiring Chalk Bass which I can't get a picture of.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070905-Magnificent-Foxfac.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070905-Pink-Bellied-Wrass.jpg
Not being confined to Hawaii in this tank there are lots of new coral choices opening up to me, so I've been indulging myself with LPS...
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070905-Anchor-Coral.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070905-Acans-Coral.jpg
mushrooms and polyps...
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070905-Pink-Zoos.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070905-Silver-and-Orange-.jpg
and other colourful soft corals…
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070905-Purple-Yellow-Sinu.jpg
I am having some problems though. First is from a crab or crabs that have managed to hitchhike in and have been slowly munching away on my goniopora. I've been setting traps but without success so far. The second was a slow fading away of many of the Montipora which was puzzling me, as the Acroporas seemed fine. A Seriatopora also began to show signs of recession and a Stylophora began to show signs of fading too. I think I have finally bottomed this out as being due to a severe potassium deficiency and am now trying to get levels back up NSW levels.
Despite all the planning there have been numerous changes and additions to the hardware. After experimenting with a mix of 250w halides and T5s I've now switched over completely to T5s as I was finding it hard to light some sections of the tank. I am now using two ATi Powermodule 8x80w T5 pendants with a mix of 8x Giesemann AquaBlues, 4x Giesemann Pure Actinics and 4x Korallen Zucht Fiji Purple lamps. This gives me around 790w of lighting per m2.
Besides the lighting there have been changes to water flow too with, on the ‘no rules’ tank, three new Vortech pumps replacing the stream and two WavySeas that I had been testing out. Meanwhile the Azooxanthellae/filter feeders tank has been switched over to a closed loop and the streams and Nielson surge setup removed. I’ll post more on the filter feeder tank at the weekend.
For water changes I bought myself a dosing tank with electric agitator. These are normally used for mixing up chemicals for dosing in swimming pools and similar situations. This will allow me to quickly mix up 500 litres of saltwater at a time, which will equate to a 10% water changes once the whole system is up and running.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070905-Dosing-Tank.jpg
But there are still a number of jobs to complete and changes to make.Cooling - I still haven't got round to plumbing in the two Eco-coolers or the Titan 4000 chiller. So far I've been muddling along with a combination of fans and an old Teco RA680 chiller.Wiring - I need to get a proper power supply sorted out to replace the current gerry-rigged collection of extension leads.Control - and I need to set up the two GHL Profilux computers that will be sharing overall control of heating, cooling, lighting, and calcium addition.:wave: Will post more on the filter feeding tank set up at the weekend.
Keith
Lovely full tank shot! Nice to see a familiar face enjoying himself :)
I was at Keith's last week, take it from me people, Keith's tank looks so much better in real life. Pictures do not do it any justice at all!
Lucky Eddie
05-09-07, 17:21
I was at Keith's last week, take it from me people, Keith's tank looks so much better in real life. Pictures do not do it any justice at all!
Agree 100%.
Cant wait for the biggy though ! :)
Didn't remember seeing the Achilles in there Sunday ?
:thanks: everyone
Didn't remember seeing the Achilles in there Sunday ?
I thought you'd be the one to spot that :D
Yes - she only went in yesterday. Surprisingly it was the Chevron that gave her the most grief (thought it would be Danny's Yellow). But all calmed down after half an hour. Helps that she's bigger than just about anyone else ;)
Nice to see a familiar face enjoying himself :)
Yes, your Pink Tail trigger is becoming bolder by the day. Quickly started on flake too. Really gorgeous and gets along fine with the Blue Throats. When I get the big tank I'll have to round off the set with a pair of Crosshatch triggers (was offered some the other week but that would have been too much for this size tank I think).
Keith
Keith, looks fantastic! Looking forward to your filter feeder update :) Why did you remove the surge device?
Keith, looks fantastic! Looking forward to your filter feeder update :) Why did you remove the surge device?
The simplest way for me to plumb to closed-loop was to use the existing inlet from the Nielsen surge. I'll explain more in my weekend post.
Regards,
Keith
Fantastic pics Keith, the tanks just keep getting better and better, can't wait to see the build of the Hawian biotope.
Jim
Reef bloke
05-09-07, 22:56
Superb! The Achilles is out of this world!
Incredibly impressive. I enjoyed the thread and the pictures even more - must really be something else in the flesh. And the time and effort !
The Chiller
06-09-07, 06:11
Was also a Keiths on Sunday it is a site to behold in the flesh Must say though that with all the equipment tanks,fish,ect ect I think he is secretly starting a new LFS in the Essex area
Was also a Keiths on Sunday it is a site to behold in the flesh Must say though that with all the equipment tanks,fish,ect ect I think he is secretly starting a new LFS in the Essex area
Yes, Keith has a massive problem, one that I can see (hope) myself catching! :laugh: All those lovely toys :D
The filter feeding tank is also a cracker, all the stock in their is looking great :worship:
The ricordia nano was also nice:thumbsup: , trouble is there's so much to look at in your fish room, you can easily overlook something quite nice! :o
Cant wait to see how good it looks at 6 months then at 12 months :thumbsup:
Keith - Looking fantastic. Saw the achilles at the shop last Monday looked really good. Will be adding one to my tank, which I hope arrives on Monday.
Did you take the pineapple as well?
Did you take the pineapple as well?
Yep - been after one for a while and the guys finally found a nice one for me. It's for the filter feeder tank. Will post pics at the weekend.
Keith
Rigged up a white light temporarily so I could take a full width shot of the filter feeding tank that sits on top of the larger reef tank.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070909-Filter-tank-white-.jpg
You can probably see that I've started fragging some of the gorgonians. And on the left you can also see my latest addition - a Pineapple Fish :wub: - with many thanks to Richard at WetPets. Another pic of him and a few other macros shots of some of the gorgonians are below.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070909-Pineapple-Fish.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070909-Gorgon-macro-3.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070909-Gorgon-macro-1.jpg
Regards,
Keith
Reef bloke
09-09-07, 17:40
That pine cone fish is superb!Has he lit up the little light emitting organ yet under the eye?
The tank is superb!!!!
And on the left you can also see my latest addition - a Pineapple Fish :wub: - with many thanks to Richard at WetPets. Another pic of him and a few other macros shots of some of the gorgonians are below.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/hawaiianreef/20070909-Pineapple-Fish.jpg
Regards,
Keith
Oooooo! thats a stunner! :wub::wub: Never seen one of those before?
Cheers, Shelton.
Oh wow!! What an lovely fish!! I have to say, I LOVE your gorgonians!
I love the one with the purple polyps.
MaidstoneMarine
09-09-07, 21:51
I'm stunned and speechless with all this keith. it's looking absolutely fantastic!!
can I come up and have a proper look around... pretty please.. cherries on top ;)
That pine cone fish is superb!Has he lit up the little light emitting organ yet under the eye?
The tank is superb!!!!
I thought I saw something yesterday - wasn't sure, quite faint if it was, but then room lights were on.
It's a bit weird keeping something like this 'cos you can't really tell if its feeding. Anyway, its got a colony of river shrimp for company, plus I chuck in a batch of live brine shrimp every night so its got no excuses...
I'm stunned and speechless with all this keith. it's looking absolutely fantastic!!
can I come up and have a proper look around... pretty please.. cherries on top ;)
Well its very early days yet - the filter feeder system is only just over four months old while the reef is five months. Will be sooooooo much better in another 6-12 months! But of course you're welcome to pop in sooner if you can't wait - and I could do with a hand shifting a Titan 4000 chiller anyway!
I've heard a rumour you might be heading Rayleigh way sometime soon?
Regards,
Keith
I've heard a rumour you might be heading Rayleigh way sometime soon?
Chris,
There's no need:eek: , I am sorry. You are bigger than me and you will win, I wont be so fast to demand TOTM again :o
MaidstoneMarine
09-09-07, 22:30
Chris,
There's no need:eek: , I am sorry. You are bigger than me and you will win, I wont be so fast to demand TOTM again :o
Too late :D The trip is scheduled and we're ready to roll...
Looking forward to it Keith.
I thought I saw something yesterday - wasn't sure, quite faint if it was, but then room lights were on.
Just popped out to the garage to retrieve some beers from the fridge :whistling: and could clearly see the bioluminescent light when there was no ambient lighting. Cool :cool:
Reef bloke
09-09-07, 22:43
excellent!
The Chiller
10-09-07, 05:57
Keith
If you need any help with the Titan 4000 chiller give me a ring.
Gary
Reef bloke
15-09-07, 21:51
Hi Keith,thanks for the hospitality today and the dough nuts.Thought id post a few shots of your reef(not the filter feeding reef up top peeps).Keith's tank is full of great ideas and cutting edge technology,this man has more kit than most shops lol.
I love that ceramic rock and the aqua scape you have achieved,i think members will agree it looks very similar to a natural reef in one shot.
Hats off to you mate.Tony
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/fullish66.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/reef look.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/tangy77.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/achilles66.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/unknown.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/sarco88.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/poc66.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/hammerhead44.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/hystrix3.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/duncan777.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/cat66.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/acro7777.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/alv9999.jpg
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2007Q2/acro55.jpg
Lovely Tank, great pictures Tony:)
Bloody hell Tony - don't know how you do it - looks better than I remember it! lol
You are all welcome back anytime. Now that the parameters have stabilised, and the new lighting is in place, I think the frags should start growing out quite quickly.
I am pleased with how its come on in the first five months, but I think its going to be at least another 6-12 months before we see the best IMO.
Keith
Keith's tank still has to be seen - photos never do tanks justice, not even with experts like Tony behind the lens (not having a dig at your photos Tone, they're superb)..... :)
Keith, I think I may have ID'd a few of your Zoa's in the ID section :o
Just read through the thread, great build so far Keith. I cant wait to see the pièce de résistance up and running. :applause:
Has there been any recent progress?
Jeff.
Just read through the thread, great build so far Keith. I cant wait to see the pièce de résistance up and running. :applause:
Has there been any recent progress?
Jeff.
Apologies Jeff - missed this post completely! :o Will try and post an update and new pics at the weekend.
Keith
I'm currently in a hole...
Received a letter today from a firm of receivers telling me that my architect has gone bust - unfortunately this was just three weeks after I sent them a cheque for many thousands of pounds that was supposed to cover the outstanding design work and building permissions for the extension. The cheque has been cashed but I don't have the outputs (plans/permissions). The feedback from the receiver is that I'll only get back pennies for every pound I've paid. So basically it seems that I'm pretty stuffed!
If that wasn't enough I've also suffered severe problems with the filter feeding tank. I was away for a few days and at some point the pump for the closed loop stopped. The lack of flow has had a rapid and horrendous impact, particularly on my prize specimen - the candy cane sponge. This sponge has really suffered. It is shocking how quickly its health has changed. Once I realised what was happening I chucked in some nano steams to compensate but I'm not convinced this has been enough.
Reefkeeping is hard enough as it is - I really could have done without all of this!
:(
It's my birthday next week and I had been planning on treating myself to various reefkeeping goodies, but now I don't have either the money or the inclination!
fireproofcujo
01-12-07, 00:47
That is the pits really feel for you hope things start to brighten up for you on your birthday next week and just keep getting better ;)
nick_orton
01-12-07, 00:49
Bad one mate... I know the feeling sometimes it feels that everyone and everything is against you...! And I haven't even got started yet! Keep your chin up can only get better!!
Reef bloke
01-12-07, 00:55
Dont know what to say mate,chin up.Your tanks are stunning and have always inspired me,try not to let this set back get you down too much.Hope things cheer up soon.
All the best Tony
Keith,
Sorry to hear this mate :) .
You have the worst bloody luck when it comes to this hobby :annoyed: ....
Do you want to track the directors of the firm down (I might be able to), not to beat'em up, but maybe they have done enough work that will enable another firm to 'pick up' where they left off? Better than getting another firm to start from scratch :).
Speak more tomorrow mate, have a stiff drink or two, if you need any help from me you know I'll be happy to lend a hand :).... :wave:
Pomacanthus
01-12-07, 02:01
I feel for you, it's situations like this that really get me mad :angry:
Hope your fortunes change my friend, and hope you have a great birthday.
Sorry to hear this bud! :(
These things are always sent to test us at the best of times! I'm sure you of all people can get through it
Cheers, Shelton.
Thank you all for the sympathy :thumbsup:
Woke up this morning poorer and with a hangover, but after chatting with a few of my reefing buddies, touring round a few of my favourite LFS, and picking up a couple of fish for my frag tank, I'm positive again! :cool:
Regards,
Keith
man that sucks!
fingers crossed for you!
Sorry to hear your news; yours has been one of the threads that inspires me. Hope things improve for you and that you still have a good birthday when it arrives.
All the best.
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