75 gallon Money Pit.

[SptfireXIV]

Long time no see!

Yeah, I'm still in the hobby, but I had to take an 8 month break from it.

And yes, I did find a job at a CPA firm here in Virginia. I'm loving it!

[SptfireXIV]

So, I got a couple of new bulbs in tonight. I wasn't happy with the overall color of the tank before, so I ordered 2 ATI Blue+ bulbs to make it look closer to 20k (looks about 14k actually).

Before:


After:



I also picked up a Chaulk Basslet and a photosynthetic gorgonian last weekend. I couldn't pass one of those up.

Jason

[SptfireXIV]

Took a few new pics. I know they're grainy, but its the best I could come up with tonight.

I finally got a shot of one of the new guys (there's multiple new additions to the tank)


Another new face


Here's a frag of the photosynthetic gorgonian that I snagged in case the mother goes downhill.


And a pic of the big colony


A hermit crab who's obviously compensating for something


And last but not least, a pic of the first fish I got



The white balance is terrible, but ever since I added the new blue + bulbs, my camera's white balance has been freaking out and I've been trying to fix it. I over compensated a bit this time.

[chujai]

very nice tank, i recently picked up something similar, glass tank, 39" x 24" x 18"

i dont think i can run a 36" wide light cause it wont fit, so i might be doing more 24" but t5 as well... you think you can put some clams in your tank?

i also noticed your tank seems to be upstairs... if the upstairs is not concrete would it be too much weight?

[wizzbane15]

very sharp. you may want to consider adding a little height to the rock sets to create more area to place corals.

[SptfireXIV]

Originally posted by chujai
very nice tank, i recently picked up something similar, glass tank, 39" x 24" x 18"

i dont think i can run a 36" wide light cause it wont fit, so i might be doing more 24" but t5 as well... you think you can put some clams in your tank?

i also noticed your tank seems to be upstairs... if the upstairs is not concrete would it be too much weight?

Thanks! I think its entirely possible to keep clams under T5's. I was hesitant about getting T5's to begin with because I was afraid that they weren't as strong as metal halides, but after I added my first bath of corals (mostly zoanthids), about 50% of them bleached after the first week.

As far as keeping the tank upstairs, I was told that as long as it was against a load bearing wall it should be fine. That being said, its not as sturdy as I would prefer, so I'll probably be adding some extra support under the tank, but I'm sure it would work fine without it.

Originally posted by wizzbane15
very sharp. you may want to consider adding a little height to the rock sets to create more area to place corals.

I've taken that into consideration. There's actually plenty of places to mount corals on the structure, it just doesn't show up well on the pictures. Depth never does. I've always had a very low, open rock structure in mind when I was planning this tank, I think it's got lots of potential for SPS.

[trigger111]

What combonation of bulbs are you using. I am about to get that same t5 fixture and am trying to decide on what bulbs to get. I really like the color you are getting in your after picture.

Thanks

[SptfireXIV]

The combo is:

Actinic (not sure which kind)
Blue +
AquaBlue +
AquaBlue +
Blue +
Actinic


To be honest, the actual look of the tank is somewhere between the before and after shot. Its not near that blue in person. In fact, you'd probably have to have all Blue+ bulbs to get that effect I would think.

[perky]

your tank is very inspiring

[tangyreefer05]

nice tank dude, I too wanted to start a reef tank about that size using t5's and not MH. t5s are way more economical, nice hoods, less hassle imo. But, I would like to know why that guy sees you upgrading to MH soon If he would respond and support his claim, thx.

[SptfireXIV]

2 significant additions this weekend. Basically, I can now finally say I'm satisfied with the fish/invertebrates in the tank. From here on out I really don't care what we add.

Y HALO THAR.





My fiance picked this one out. She has GREAT taste in starfish.

[SptfireXIV]

Got the cowfish to eat last night! I'm past the first big obstacle with him! Next I'll try turning one of the Tunze's back on to help him get used to the flow.

[Ursus]

I also run 6 x T5's. Are your colors really 'popping' under the combination you have right now? How about growth from the zoos?

[goldenTee]

Nice!!! Wanna send some cash my way?

[DouglasTiede]

Amazing Tank, and Beautiful pictures! My wife and I love waiting for your next set of pictures and story.
One question, can you please post a few more pics of your overflow and sump/fuge below.. we are curious and
love the way you have the y inverted and it looks like inline filters.

Keep up the great work!

[SptfireXIV]

Originally posted by Ursus
I also run 6 x T5's. Are your colors really 'popping' under the combination you have right now? How about growth from the zoos?

Well, I think they probably will, but I bleached about 70% of the corals I added and haven't added any since. That being said, I'm getting some good growth out of my zoanthids, and they're coloring back up nicely. These T5's are definitely a learning experience for me, I never imagined that 6x39 watts of T5's would bleach corals sitting on the sandbed 23" away from the bulbs.

Amazing Tank, and Beautiful pictures! My wife and I love waiting for your next set of pictures and story.
One question, can you please post a few more pics of your overflow and sump/fuge below.. we are curious and
love the way you have the y inverted and it looks like inline filters.

Keep up the great work!

Sure! The sump that I'm using is temporary though, soon I'll be building a fish room in the basement. The space constraint under the stand is too much to handle, and I'm tired of having to refill the 5 gallon reservoir for the ATO twice a week.

[Ursus]

Awesome. I need to upgrade my bulbs and was wondering if this combo would work out. I'll have to be careful as I only have 18" of water to deal with

[vessxpress1]

I love that gorgonian. I gotta get one of those. Tank's looking great.

[SptfireXIV]

Thanks!



I've decided to move the sump into the basement because I'm tired of not having any room for equipment under the stand. I need to find a new return pump, but I'm not sure what to get. I was thinking reeflo dart, but now it may not have enough umph to get the water to where it needs to go. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[K9]

Great looking setup already. I have a standard 75 that I'm still working on the stand for. Some words of caution though: that cowfish will eventually grow too large for your tank (well over 1ft long). Also, they can have trouble competing for food with faster fish and may become malnourished due to their slow swimming speed. Finally, when they die, they release toxins into the water that can kill other inhabitants.

Otherwise, it seems you're headed down the right path, even if that path leads to the poor house.

[SptfireXIV]

Originally posted by K9
Great looking setup already. I have a standard 75 that I'm still working on the stand for. Some words of caution though: that cowfish will eventually grow too large for your tank (well over 1ft long). Also, they can have trouble competing for food with faster fish and may become malnourished due to their slow swimming speed. Finally, when they die, they release toxins into the water that can kill other inhabitants.

Otherwise, it seems you're headed down the right path, even if that path leads to the poor house.

Well, in my defense, when I called the store, I asked if they had a Thornback Cowfish in, which supposedly stays around 5-6". They said they did, and agreed to hold it for me till I could get there on the weekend (its 2.5 hours away). Once I got there, I realized it wasn't the same species I was looking for, but since I have a weak spot for cowfish, I brought it home anyway.

So far though he's had no trouble adjusting the flow in the tank and he eats like a pig, I was afraid he would get outcompeted for food as well, but that doesn't seem to be the case at this point!

[porthios]

i'm really, really, really not trying to turn this into a dsb vs bb debate thread. i'm just curious what _your_ reasons for using sand on this tank were..

are you satisfied with the flow you're getting?

[SptfireXIV]

Purely aesthetics. Its only about 1.5" deep, and I've got lots of critters to help keep it stirred. My last tank was barebottom and it just looked too unnatural for me.


The flow... is different than I'm used to. There's definitely movement all over the tank, but its such a gentle flow that I'm just not sure if it'll be enough for SPS at the far end. Only time will tell.

[143gadgets]

Holy cow Jason! You have a wonderful tank. I am getting the same one built by NAGA. I am glad that those Zoanthids are growing well for you. how about some updated pics.

[SptfireXIV]

Thanks Chris!

Luckily, I haven't lost any frags, even the A. mille is alive and growing (albeit slowly).

I'll try to get some pictures up over the weekend.