Tank of the Month - August 2007

[fishcraze2002]

Originally posted by jtesdall
I dream to one day have a tank as beautiful as yours! WOW! Congratulations!

You mention a nitrate reactor. I know you said you don't need it anymore, but what kind is it and did it work well when you did need it?

The nitrate reactor has a very long 1/5" tube that was rolled into a coil inside the 4" reactor chamber. The long tube helps prevent air to get into it and providing the anaerobic conditions for the nitrate eating bacteria..
It works well. At the early stages of my tank, i have mearsurable nitrate content in the tank water (~1-5ppm), but the outlet from nitrate reactor would have 0ppm nitrate. Nowadays, my tank is mature so both outlet and inlet have 0 ppm NO3.

[fishcraze2002]

Originally posted by NanoCube-boy
The tank is outstandly clean look inside the house. Con graduation being TOTM. Your name sounds like Vietnamese, are you?

Anyways I have some question, it's probably some noob questions, but hey, at least I ask.
What is a close loop?
What do you mean by RTN?

Why did you need to tide the frag tank down?
How do you trim the zoanthids on your tank wall?

I heard you on temp. control. I experience the same thing on my nano, my two fan blew off, but my tank never been running on a heater, they tank constantly at 84s-86s degree.

Answers to your questions:
1/ A close loop: Not sure how to decribe it clearly generally, water from the main display tank flows through a outlet nozzle to the pump (call the closeloop pump) and pump right back to the main tank. So the differential pressure head between the outlet and inlet of your pump is essentially the height difference (or static head) between those two nozzles in your main tank. So the static head is very low (normally less than 2 ft) or even zero if the outlet and inlet nozzles are at the same height) for the closeloop system; hence you get more flow out of the pump.
In contrast, the sump return pump system can be considered as an 'open' loop system since you pump from one reservoir(the sump) to another reservoir (the main display tank). The static head in this case is the diff b/t the sump level and the display tk level - which normally > 4ft; so you get less flow out of the same pump. You can do a search on this forum for 'closeloop' you may find a lot of thread and pics of the closeloop system

2/ RTN = rapid tissue necrosis. = quick dead (or loosing meat) of SPS corals It's a disease - I think

3/ There used to be a center brace for that thin wall frag tank but the center brace broke when i got the tank. So this acrylic tank does not have any brace at all (or rimless), and it was a little bulged out. So I have to tie it up w/ that rachet (sp?)

4/ To trim the zoanthis on the tank wall => just use a razor blade to scrape it off. Or you can buy the blueline rabbit fish like the one I got and it'll eat all those zoos up

[animaldoc1]

Quoc, beautiful tank, and I can not think of a more deserving tank for TOTM. Keep up the good work.

Jen

[FroMan]

Very nice tank. The monti growth upfront is very impressive.


Hypothetical question..... (and I realize that it is vague)

If you had a blank slate to start over, how would you change your setup to improve an aspect or to correct an issue that you have??

[fishcraze2002]

Thanks Jen and Froman for the compliments.

[fishcraze2002]

Originally posted by FroMan
Very nice tank. The monti growth upfront is very impressive.


Hypothetical question..... (and I realize that it is vague)

If you had a blank slate to start over, how would you change your setup to improve an aspect or to correct an issue that you have??

Something I would like to change if I start over:

- I would build an enclosing room around the tank in the garage with a window unit if possible so that I can keep my tank temperature stable all year round. Or I can setup the tank like a friend (Invincible) did: install the main tank inside the house and keep most equipment (chiller, pumps...) and the sump in the garage. The tank would be a rimless with starfire glasses as Invincible's since these tanks are just awesome by themselves already!

- I may change my aquascape a little bit to create some low flow region so I can keep certain LPS like blasto, ricordia, etc.. that don't like high flow.

- I'd incorporate more T5 lighting and keep MH at the minimum (maybe just for shimmer effect only).

Otherr thhan those, I'm sastified w/ my current setup

[gimmito]

Quoc, Beautiful tank...I love the various anthias you keep. How did you choose them ? How long did you quarantine them ? In what order did you introduce them ? Have you had any fighting ? What is your feeding schedule for them ? Jim

[fishcraze2002]

Originally posted by gimmito
Quoc, Beautiful tank...I love the various anthias you keep. How did you choose them ? How long did you quarantine them ? In what order did you introduce them ? Have you had any fighting ? What is your feeding schedule for them ? Jim

sorry for this late response Two of them (a pair) were ordered from L.A so I didn't get to choose them. The others I got from LFS and picked them based on their appearance only (bright color, no scratch, itches...).
I didn't quarantine them either, just acclimate before putting in the tank. The ones I have are pretty hardy anthias. I bought them at different times as i saw them at LFS or online. No major fighting at all.
Feeding is everyday with frozen brine shrimps/ mysis.. now they also eat dried food!

[DaMonkey]

Beautiful tank - great work! Tank looks amazing.

[fishcraze2002]

Originally posted by DaMonkey
Beautiful tank - great work! Tank looks amazing.

Thanks for the nice words

[bluewalk20]

hi first of all great reef set up you got going and congrats on tank of the month. I live in laredo tx south of you where the temp can get really bad and i have a friend that keeps his dogs in the garage at times or lets them due there thing during the day but he installed some exaust vest in the garage and let me tell you the temp is much better or if you want to spend a little more money build a small room in the garage close it up and placed a window unit to keep the area cool for your tank just some ideas from a reefer from the hot areas of the us.

[SPS_77493]

RIP Quoc...fishcraze2002