View Full Version : Tank of the Month - October 2008 - acropora
MaidstoneMarine
01-10-08, 23:33
They always say it's better late than never but this was far later than we'd hoped for. Not to worry... it's finally here and it's an absolute cracker.
This is a mighty fine tank, a tank that has stood the test of time by being in place for nine years now. In order to survive that long it's had excellent husbandry practices and has been continuously modified and adapted through the years to adopt and embrace the new techologies and practices as they're discovered.
This is one of the finest tanks that you will ever get the pleasure of seeing and long may it continue. Twenty five months ago this tank was featured as TOTM right here on UltimateReef. A lot has changed since then... congratulations Martin for what is simply the most superb system.
Martin Lakin (acropora) October
http://www.ultimatereef.com/TOTM/2008_october/
http://www.ultimatereef.com/TOTM/2008_october/images/topImage.jpg (http://www.ultimatereef.com/TOTM/2008_october/)
Thanks and congratulations to Martin for allowing us into his home to bring you this months TOTM. If you have any questions or comments then please post them in this thread.
BOXING SHRIMP
02-10-08, 06:29
Wow what an awesome tank,
Some truly stunning stock:thumbsup:
atb rich...:)
execellent:applause: a very good read
Wow, that's a fantastic tank! :thumbsup:
disco_dave
02-10-08, 08:13
Stunning tank..also really like your tricolour.
Dave
Stunning tank Martin, great right up, thanks.
Well done Chris.
As you said, definitely worth the wait!..... Label it as September and October TOTM!.
Well done mate. Top international tank!
:applause::applause::applause::applause:
Mo
Hi all
Thanks to Chris and Sarah for writing such a great article and producing some great pictures.
Regards
Martin Lakin
Very nice indeed well done to you.
:applause:
Stunning setup :thumbsup:
very jealous of the dedicated fish room.
Great write up aswell, made good reading :applause:
amazing tank.
Notice a few differences in the fish stock from the last entry back in Sept 06.
What happened to the big lipstick tang, starcki damsels, flame angel pair, venustus angel etc?
Also, it mentions butterflies for control of aips in the article but there is no mention of them in the stock list....
Halfsleeve
02-10-08, 10:50
Absolute cracker of a tank and a great write up, some excellent points and advice many thanks for sharing your knowledge.
A truely stunning tank :worship:
dxmarinefish
02-10-08, 12:17
Amazing tank. Simply the Best.
amazing tank.
Notice a few differences in the fish stock from the last entry back in Sept 06.
What happened to the big lipstick tang, starcki damsels, flame angel pair, venustus angel etc?
Also, it mentions butterflies for control of aips in the article but there is no mention of them in the stock list....
think he sold of lot of that stuff off when he did the strip down as they werent required any more or wanted to change the system, remember a thread on here about the angel for sure
Hi
In answer to your queries, in January this year, I almost stripped the tank, undertaking some major maintenance, I also reduced the fish stock, some intentionally, and some not, which was probably due to the trauma of the changes.
Butterflies, yes have been used, but only for a short period of time.
Chris, may be able to post a picture of the trap I use.
Regards
Martin
MaidstoneMarine
02-10-08, 13:12
This is Martins fish trap. As you can see it's very large but with large systems and large fish the smaller traps tend not to work. The trap itself sits within the brace bars and can be baited with anything to lure in the fish. If you've got a clam the fish is pecking at or a coral for example you simply put that in the trap and wait for the fish to come and snack! Very simple, very effective and less stressful on both you and the fish!
http://www.ultimatereef.com/TOTM/2008_october/images/additional/img_9625.jpg
nice write up, some good words of advice in your final thoughts.
Lovely system, great write up - congrats.
Enjoyable write up and excellent pictures. Well deserved.
lovely tank you have there martin
have read it three times now, has to be said, I think this is the best TOTM presentation ever.
Thanks to all involved, a great read!!!
dan-the-man
02-10-08, 19:15
Superb tank, superb write up, superb pics.
Gorgeous tank Martin.
Chris, the videos add something to this one, and the music when you round the corner on the equipment video is class.
Every time you see this setup it just gets better and better stunning.
:applause:
Snowsurfer
02-10-08, 19:52
Stunning tank so glad ive seen this in the flesh !!!
I was just thinking yesterday i wonder if anyone has won TOTM twice.
Reef bloke
02-10-08, 21:00
Top notch.
A truly stunning tank and write up,it was great to see this one in the flesh back in march on the muppet tour wkend,and trust me its even beter in real life.Thanks for sharing it with us again Martin hopefully it will kick start my enthusiasim for mine again.
Superb tank - superb presentation. Worth the 20 minutes plus wait for the download of the videos too!
John
Stunning tank indeed and something we can all aspire to, great write up as well well done.:worship::worship::worship:
Tank is absolutely Stonking, love the Hawkfish, love the Tuskfish, seen the tank 3 times now - Stunning - Truly Stunning. :)
Lovely tank Acropora, amazed by it all. The last video really conveys the front to back depth of this tank, wonderful:thumbsup:
superb tank, totally amazing and beautiful coral
Thanks everyone for bringing this to my screen! Martin your reef is a true spectacle, long may it develop and continue looking so very very striking.
One amazing malu :wub:
Such great photos :thumbsup:
I do love the little filefish :)
Thanks and congratulations Martin and to all the totm team again,
Will:)
love the tank wish i had that black tang what a cracker
scottishreefer
03-10-08, 21:54
Stunning set up. Well deserved recognition. :thumbsup::thumbsup:
thecairnser
03-10-08, 23:41
Truely awesome tank, its a credit to this truely amazing hobby... all I need now, is a euromillions lottery win and a more understanding wife.....maybe one day!!!!:applause:
lovely tank mate. well done very natural looking a real credit to your reefkeeping abilities :)
:thanks:thank you for sharing. magic
paul
Ocean Corals
04-10-08, 10:37
:worship::worship::worship:
Very very nice mate.... well done :)
Fantastic! Great to see this tank still going strong after all these years & jsut goes to show what can be achieved with a lot of hard work & dedication.
Well done Martin for a thoughly deserving 2nd TOTM award.
:worship:
1.Thanks so much for everybodies very kind comments.
2. It's great to continue be a member of this great board.
3. Mr Charlton what's a Mojo ? (first video)
4. Chris has a superb drawing of the sound attenuation box, which perhaps could post up some time.
Regards
Martin
Martin
Volitans13
05-10-08, 17:31
Im so jealous! I want my tank to look that good. :(
Seriosly tho, very very nice tank mate!
Thats a great setup well done. :applause:
I was wondering about your UV as I have been considering something along those lines. Do TMC make that for you or is it of the shelf so to speak? Is it expensive?
MaidstoneMarine
06-10-08, 08:57
1.Thanks so much for everybodies very kind comments.
2. It's great to continue be a member of this great board.
3. Mr Charlton what's a Mojo ? (first video)
4. Chris has a superb drawing of the sound attenuation box, which perhaps could post up some time.
Regards
Martin
Martin
Charlton? Thats a football club! I'm a Carlton :D Anyway... back to work!
Mojo... thats a mad song isn't it! How many people have got that one line stuck in their head now! It's driving me nuts....
The sound attenuation box... images below!
The box in it's entirety. The slot on the top is to let the air escape.
http://www.ultimatereef.com/TOTM/2008_october/images/additional/1.jpg
With the top cover removed you can see the lining martin has used to reduce the noise and vibrations.
http://www.ultimatereef.com/TOTM/2008_october/images/additional/2.jpg
With the side panels missing the pump is now visible.
http://www.ultimatereef.com/TOTM/2008_october/images/additional/3.jpg
A top down view. Air is drawn in from the slot in the bottom right of this image. It's moves down the corridor around the corner and past the pump exiting the chamber through the top via a slot behind the pump.
http://www.ultimatereef.com/TOTM/2008_october/images/additional/4.jpg
You clearly have far too much spare time Chris. Nice work, well done
Still one of the top UK Tanks Martin despite your overhaul. Can't wait to see how it continues to develop over the next few years. Well done sir!
Chrismueller1000
07-10-08, 19:27
Fantastic tank and a fantastic read
What a great tank and read!
Well done Martin :applause:
Robsmith8268
08-10-08, 16:23
well deserved Martin ... your setup never fails to amaze me ... something we should all aspire to ..
Excellent! I'd heard great things about this tank from those priviliged enough to see it in the flesh and the photos and videos (a nice addition to TOTM by the way) show its very well deserved.
A few questions Martin if you don't mind!
Did you clear out all of that damned sponge, or is some still lurking in there? How much of the original live rock do you have now? And have you noticed any enduring difference from the rock exchange on water parameters / stability?
You mentioned the costs of running a large set-up. I wondered whether and how you'd tried to minimise these? I note your lighting period seems shortish at 9 hours - what determined this? Economics or some other factor? And in that vein have you tried even shorter photo-periods, if so with what result?
Regards,
Keith
Hi Keith
In answer to your queries.
1. The tank is illuminated using both natural and artifical light, so I guess it's longer than 9 hrs.
2. The blue sponge was irradicated from the rock by taking out and using a jet wash.
3. 10 moths on, there's about 6 locations where there are patches about 2" diameter,I should get these rocks out now, before they become a real issue again.
4. i only removed most of the rock from the main tank, all the sumps were kept running, so no issues with 'continuity'. The tanlk was re-contructed using 90% old rock, with some new.
5. Chris (Maidstone Marine)might be able to post a link to the estimated running costs, whcih I drafted for running a tank like this.
Would be more than happy to answer any further queries.
Regards
Martin
The blue sponge was irradicated from the rock by taking out and using a jet wash.
Ah - that's how I got rid of the red sea xenia in my old tank! How did we manage before the jet wash?! ;)
Regards,
Keith
Truly deserved TOTM:worship:.
scottishreefer
11-10-08, 21:23
Absolutely superb set up. I loved the videos, especially looking at the tank from the room. Well done!!!:thumbsup::worship::thumbsup:
DAMMN,I JUST LOVE THIS TANK:wub:WELL DESERVED:worship:
Great write up....Great TOTM, a stunning reef! :thumbsup:
Wher di you get that multi-color yellow tang? Thanks:)
WOW!!!:shocking:, stunning tank, a well worthy totm :cool:.
leslie hempel
22-10-08, 07:47
very impressive.. would love to achieve something like that one day...
bristlebasher
22-10-08, 13:40
Gorgeous tank :wub::wub:.
Martin
Just wondering in this pic how the lights are positioned above the tank or is it just the way the photo was taken and where the skylight is in relation to the light units ??
2ndly do you have a screen or cover of some sort you place behind the tank or is it left open ??
http://www.ultimatereef.com/TOTM/2008_october/images/original/img_9736.jpg
Hi
In response to the queries.
Light, - The sky light is immediatly above the tank, it's about 4'front to back and about 5' wide.
Screen - there is no screen at the back of the tank, because I like to see the tank when I'm in the fish room.
Tri Colour - Cam from Home Marine, but also know Taunton get them in too. Interesting to note, it was only a 'bi-colour tang' with yellow and back, and developed into a 'tri-colour' the white has been gradulaly appearing over the last few months.
Fo the more techy members, they may be able to find some of the older photos showing the tang at earlier colour phases.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Martin
Martin, you have helped and advised us, nice one mate. Another one in the family into Marine's (Jenna's Husband) got 2 tanks already..lol Your set up is wicked, as always.
Asa
Stunning tank Martin.. i overcame my blue spong with the help of a Blow torch. i joke you not it annoyed me so much each offending rock was removed from the tank the area was blow torched and then put into a sperate tank for any nutrient die off and eventually recycled and added back to the main tank.
Its been a long and ardous process and i wish i'd managed to catch the offending piece of Live rock years back when it first developed its an absolute menace.
GRAHAM CARPENTER
02-11-08, 18:47
Hi my name is carpo i wish to start up a tank i have no experiance at all can you give me some help:whistling::thanks:
You have posted this in the wrong section.
I would advise you to begin reading all about this hobby to gain as much knowledge as possible. Also we are all here to help so just ask:D
Paul
Stunning, but I'm confused re the comment regarding sun light, sorry to start a thread from this BUT, I thought any sunlight was the kiss of death for a tank, I now know from the comments made by Martin that its not. Could Martin please give advice and examples to a novice regarding sunlight please.
Thanks
MARK GOODCHILD
05-11-08, 10:11
wow
what an amazing tank i just wish i had the time and the funds to run such a stunning tank well done keep up the good work
great write up to
cheers
mark
tom nichol
25-01-09, 12:43
Hi Martin, long time no see. I remember viewing the tank not long after you set it up and it was impressive then but now it is stunning. I just hope you never have to move house. All the best and long may your tank improve, its an inspiration to all budding reefkeepers. Cheers, Tom from Sheppey.
ive just watched the video,:wub:well done that man:thumbsup:
vBulletin® v3.8.7, Copyright ©2000-2012, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.