Anybody in Central Virginia? - Page 2

A.Astore · 01/24/2016, 08:55 AM

60 inch lights on a 48 inch tank sounds like a waste of electricity! Not to mention I would think the replacement bulbs would be more! Hopefully they weren't trying to give the right watt per gallon ratio by extending them past the ends of the tank...

I have the Reefbreeder 60W! I absolutely love it still. It is nice to be able to set it and forget it with only one cord rather than various to have different bulbs turning on at different times. The custom option is great because you have a nice build up and then decline that you can manage. Logan was great to work with too. Shipping of the light was super fast and the packing was great. There is no way the shipping company could damage the light the way they pack it up. One of the major selling points was the fact I am not having to replace bulbs all the time. I think it was a great find.

My 150 is 60x24x24 and the 24 from front to back was one of the reasons we went with the one we did. It gives you the ability to really play on depth in the tank. As long as you are careful with what you place at the bottom I don't think the 30 inches high will be that big of a deal. I think my only complaint with that would be reaching the bottom for something

CarrieB · 01/24/2016, 10:19 AM

Thanks for the thumbs up.

Good thought about reaching things. I remember I used to use a stepladder so that I could get to things in my old tank - I'm 5'3".

I'm thinking a fairly deep sand bed would help. And fortunately my DH is much taller than I am if things get desperate.

Koop · 01/24/2016, 04:01 PM

Carrie

Another craigslist tank. 270 gallon with lights sump,skimmer,rock etc. Only 4' wide Just FYI

CarrieB · 01/24/2016, 05:23 PM

Woof. I could swim in that.

CarrieB · 01/30/2016, 06:06 PM

So just to let you guys know that I have decided to buy the 150 tall that I was looking at. I've ordered a basic Spectrapure RO/DI unit, salt, sand, a refractometer, and a Tunze pump for the sump.

The seller thinks he has a home for the fish, which are gorgeous, fat and apparently healthy. I didn't see any obvious pests besides normal green algae. Lots of purple coralline algae, two black urchins, some hermit crabs and a theoretical starfish. I think I can just brush the algae off the rocks before I move them. Going to put them in tubs with a heater and a power head so we can take our time cleaning up the tank and re-plumbing. I want to try an herbie setup- just two holes.

The tank has some scratches from the magnetic cleaner. I may turn it around, which would put the overflow on the front right. Maybe put some window tint film over that section to make it less noticeable. They aren't that big of a deal, so I'll just see which looks better.

A.Astore · 01/30/2016, 07:25 PM

Hope the move goes well for you! Can't wait to see pictures once you have everything together and your rock work the way you want it

CarrieB · 01/31/2016, 08:46 AM

Thanks, I am going to try to remember to take pictures as we go. I'm a little nervous about arranging the rock in a 31" tall tank.:-)

Koop · 01/31/2016, 02:41 PM

That's great Carrie. Did you get the lights figured out?

CarrieB · 01/31/2016, 03:20 PM

The owner found two single T5 48" lights fixtures that also came with the tank. I'm going to use those while I set the tank up and then probably add a photo 48 when I want to start adding coral. Leaving the 6' fixture for the seller to find a home.

CarrieB · 02/06/2016, 01:02 PM

Picked up the rock, two urchins and a large hermit crab this afternoon. The inverts are now in a temporary 20g holding tank with a cucumber that was looking for a home. They will stay in there until the big tank is ready.

I'm not sure the small urchin is going to make it. He dropped some pins in the way home. The owner had to move the rock in the big tank to get the fish out and I think probably instigated a tank cycle with the disruption.:-(

A.Astore · 02/06/2016, 01:14 PM

Oh no! Hopefully the little guy bounces back and pulls through. Good weekend to be moving stuff at least... no precip in the forecast!

CarrieB · 02/15/2016, 05:34 PM

Just wanted to share a look at the new used tank now that the rock is in.

Thanks goodness for snow days. I put 50 g of water in, then did the bottom rocks and then put the sand in, so that I do it without having to hold my breath, but the water was too cloudy after that to finish the aquascape. I finished it up this morning.

CarrieB · 02/15/2016, 05:38 PM

My favorite bit.

Koop · 02/15/2016, 05:43 PM

Looks great. Are the urchins and hermit still in holding or did they get to check out their new digs?

Koop · 02/15/2016, 05:45 PM

Did you just stack the rocks or are they attached together is some kind of way?

CarrieB · 02/15/2016, 07:24 PM

Hi Koop!

The hermit crab and a sea cucumber that followed me home are waiting in a 20g. The sea urchins didn't make it.

I think they were doomed when I picked them up, and I wish I'd been more proactive.

The rocks are not attached to each other. That was just not something I was willing to tackle, and I can't imagine being that sure about how I wanted them to be arranged. I just moved them around until I found something I liked that felt solid. I had to resort to leaning a couple of the smaller ones on top on the back glass. Several of the rocks are pretty big, so I started with those on the bottom and that helped. Having said that, I did the whole right side over at least three times and have no fingerprints left. Yes, I bought gloves but then couldn't remember where I left them.

Koop · 02/16/2016, 07:47 AM

Sorry to hear about the urchins. I like your setup. How tall is the tank?

rvareef · 02/16/2016, 07:52 AM

lookin good carrie!

A.Astore · 02/16/2016, 08:14 AM

Looks good! There are some really interesting shaped pieces of rock there! Glad everything is coming together for you.

CarrieB · 02/16/2016, 11:33 AM

Tank is a 150g tall - 4'x2'x31" high.

Yes, I love the rock. I was dying to get it into the tank and arrange it. My husband liked the height of the tank because he's tall. He liked not having to bend over to see in the tank. It's going to be a bit of a challenge for my short arms, though. I guess it's motivation to keep my hands out of the tank.:-)

Koop · 02/17/2016, 08:39 AM

That is tall. Have you decided what you are going to put in it yet?

CarrieB · 02/17/2016, 08:59 AM

I haven't sat down and really started making a stocking list. I need to have one or two Ocellaris clowns, because my two year old grandson is my justification for the tank. (He already loves it, even without the fish.) Probably a cleaner shrimp and a bubble coral because they were favorites in my old tank. I only had old school fluorescents so I didn't get into the fancier corals, so I'm looking forward to learning about those once I upgrade the lights. Also, I saw a reference to fancy macro algae that has me intrigued.

I'm going to wait the requisite 72 days before putting fish in the tank, so it's going to be a slow process. That's okay because I've spent the budget for now.:-)

01/24/2016, 08:55 AM	#26
A.Astore Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Waynesboro, VA Posts: 418	60 inch lights on a 48 inch tank sounds like a waste of electricity! Not to mention I would think the replacement bulbs would be more! Hopefully they weren't trying to give the right watt per gallon ratio by extending them past the ends of the tank... I have the Reefbreeder 60W! I absolutely love it still. It is nice to be able to set it and forget it with only one cord rather than various to have different bulbs turning on at different times. The custom option is great because you have a nice build up and then decline that you can manage. Logan was great to work with too. Shipping of the light was super fast and the packing was great. There is no way the shipping company could damage the light the way they pack it up. One of the major selling points was the fact I am not having to replace bulbs all the time. I think it was a great find. My 150 is 60x24x24 and the 24 from front to back was one of the reasons we went with the one we did. It gives you the ability to really play on depth in the tank. As long as you are careful with what you place at the bottom I don't think the 30 inches high will be that big of a deal. I think my only complaint with that would be reaching the bottom for something

01/24/2016, 10:19 AM	#27
CarrieB Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Charlottesville, VA Posts: 526	Thanks for the thumbs up. Good thought about reaching things. I remember I used to use a stepladder so that I could get to things in my old tank - I'm 5'3". I'm thinking a fairly deep sand bed would help. And fortunately my DH is much taller than I am if things get desperate.

01/24/2016, 04:01 PM	#28
Koop Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Madison, VA Posts: 79	Carrie Another craigslist tank. 270 gallon with lights sump,skimmer,rock etc. Only 4' wide Just FYI

01/24/2016, 05:23 PM	#29
CarrieB Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Charlottesville, VA Posts: 526	Woof. I could swim in that.

01/30/2016, 06:06 PM	#30
CarrieB Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Charlottesville, VA Posts: 526	So just to let you guys know that I have decided to buy the 150 tall that I was looking at. I've ordered a basic Spectrapure RO/DI unit, salt, sand, a refractometer, and a Tunze pump for the sump. The seller thinks he has a home for the fish, which are gorgeous, fat and apparently healthy. I didn't see any obvious pests besides normal green algae. Lots of purple coralline algae, two black urchins, some hermit crabs and a theoretical starfish. I think I can just brush the algae off the rocks before I move them. Going to put them in tubs with a heater and a power head so we can take our time cleaning up the tank and re-plumbing. I want to try an herbie setup- just two holes. The tank has some scratches from the magnetic cleaner. I may turn it around, which would put the overflow on the front right. Maybe put some window tint film over that section to make it less noticeable. They aren't that big of a deal, so I'll just see which looks better.

01/30/2016, 07:25 PM	#31
A.Astore Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Waynesboro, VA Posts: 418	Hope the move goes well for you! Can't wait to see pictures once you have everything together and your rock work the way you want it

01/31/2016, 08:46 AM	#32
CarrieB Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Charlottesville, VA Posts: 526	Thanks, I am going to try to remember to take pictures as we go. I'm a little nervous about arranging the rock in a 31" tall tank.:-)

01/31/2016, 02:41 PM	#33
Koop Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Madison, VA Posts: 79	That's great Carrie. Did you get the lights figured out?

01/31/2016, 03:20 PM	#34
CarrieB Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Charlottesville, VA Posts: 526	The owner found two single T5 48" lights fixtures that also came with the tank. I'm going to use those while I set the tank up and then probably add a photo 48 when I want to start adding coral. Leaving the 6' fixture for the seller to find a home.

02/06/2016, 01:02 PM	#35
CarrieB Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Charlottesville, VA Posts: 526	Picked up the rock, two urchins and a large hermit crab this afternoon. The inverts are now in a temporary 20g holding tank with a cucumber that was looking for a home. They will stay in there until the big tank is ready. I'm not sure the small urchin is going to make it. He dropped some pins in the way home. The owner had to move the rock in the big tank to get the fish out and I think probably instigated a tank cycle with the disruption.:-(

02/06/2016, 01:14 PM	#36
A.Astore Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Waynesboro, VA Posts: 418	Oh no! Hopefully the little guy bounces back and pulls through. Good weekend to be moving stuff at least... no precip in the forecast!

02/15/2016, 05:34 PM	#37
CarrieB Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Charlottesville, VA Posts: 526	Just wanted to share a look at the new used tank now that the rock is in. Thanks goodness for snow days. I put 50 g of water in, then did the bottom rocks and then put the sand in, so that I do it without having to hold my breath, but the water was too cloudy after that to finish the aquascape. I finished it up this morning.

02/15/2016, 05:38 PM	#38
CarrieB Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Charlottesville, VA Posts: 526	My favorite bit.

02/15/2016, 05:43 PM	#39
Koop Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Madison, VA Posts: 79	Looks great. Are the urchins and hermit still in holding or did they get to check out their new digs?

02/15/2016, 05:45 PM	#40
Koop Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Madison, VA Posts: 79	Did you just stack the rocks or are they attached together is some kind of way?

02/15/2016, 07:24 PM	#41
CarrieB Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Charlottesville, VA Posts: 526	Hi Koop! The hermit crab and a sea cucumber that followed me home are waiting in a 20g. The sea urchins didn't make it. I think they were doomed when I picked them up, and I wish I'd been more proactive. The rocks are not attached to each other. That was just not something I was willing to tackle, and I can't imagine being that sure about how I wanted them to be arranged. I just moved them around until I found something I liked that felt solid. I had to resort to leaning a couple of the smaller ones on top on the back glass. Several of the rocks are pretty big, so I started with those on the bottom and that helped. Having said that, I did the whole right side over at least three times and have no fingerprints left. Yes, I bought gloves but then couldn't remember where I left them.

02/16/2016, 07:47 AM	#42
Koop Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Madison, VA Posts: 79	Sorry to hear about the urchins. I like your setup. How tall is the tank?

02/16/2016, 07:52 AM	#43
rvareef In Memoriam Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 664	lookin good carrie!

02/16/2016, 08:14 AM	#44
A.Astore Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Waynesboro, VA Posts: 418	Looks good! There are some really interesting shaped pieces of rock there! Glad everything is coming together for you.

02/16/2016, 11:33 AM	#45
CarrieB Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Charlottesville, VA Posts: 526	Tank is a 150g tall - 4'x2'x31" high. Yes, I love the rock. I was dying to get it into the tank and arrange it. My husband liked the height of the tank because he's tall. He liked not having to bend over to see in the tank. It's going to be a bit of a challenge for my short arms, though. I guess it's motivation to keep my hands out of the tank.:-)

02/17/2016, 08:39 AM	#46
Koop Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Madison, VA Posts: 79	That is tall. Have you decided what you are going to put in it yet?

02/17/2016, 08:59 AM	#47
CarrieB Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Charlottesville, VA Posts: 526	I haven't sat down and really started making a stocking list. I need to have one or two Ocellaris clowns, because my two year old grandson is my justification for the tank. (He already loves it, even without the fish.) Probably a cleaner shrimp and a bubble coral because they were favorites in my old tank. I only had old school fluorescents so I didn't get into the fancier corals, so I'm looking forward to learning about those once I upgrade the lights. Also, I saw a reference to fancy macro algae that has me intrigued. I'm going to wait the requisite 72 days before putting fish in the tank, so it's going to be a slow process. That's okay because I've spent the budget for now.:-)