Tank Journal Archive

BlakeyBoyR

Member
Aug 5, 2014
70
43
So It Begins ...
Hey guys! So after a lot of consideration, I've decided NOT to go for an uber big tank at this time. The Mrs. has given the okay for my dream tank (12x4x2) to be built as part of the plans when we start building our house, so this tank is going to be something to keep my occupied until we start drawing up house plans.

System Objectives: To have a colourful and eye catching tank filled with rarer corals and a diverse range of life. The plan is to hold off buying the more common stuff and instead wait until the more uncommon livestock comes up.

System Type: The Mrs. prefers SPS and I love my Acans and Zoas. I'm going to have to try and see if I can give both coral types what they need.

Display System:

Strike up Date: Before Christmas

Display Tank: Eurobraced 6' x 3' (actually 85cm but it's easier to say 3') x 2'. The tank is being built by Lang and supplied through Le Aquatic on the Hume Highway at Lansvale. The sump will be fed by two large bulkheads at the back of the tank. I wanted an external overflow but I don't have the space to fit it into my house :P It was a choice between the bean animal or a wider tank, I chose the wider tank!

Display Lighting:
DsunY LED lights (can't post a link because I have less than ten posts)
OR
Chinese CT LED (can't post a link because I have less than ten posts)
AND
LEDS will be supplemented by T5. Two reflectors with 4x80W in each

Stand: White, poly 'modern' cabinet.

Hood: Crown rather than a hood. It'll be a 'topless' hood. The plan is to buy a sheet of MDF and mount my lights to it. That way I can disconnect the lights and lift them all off attached to the MDF in one piece.

Sump: 4x20"x20" if memory serves. It's a basic three compartment job. Tank feeds through a filter sock into the skimer/reactor compartment, then into the refugium before hitting the return pump.

Refugium: Looking at 2x20"x20", so a couple of hundred litres.

Refugium Lighting: Cheap LED most likely.


Support systems:

System Water: Natural salt water. Unfortunately water changes are going to have to be by hand because I'm renting and cant install new drains or cut into the wall. I'll probably buy an IBC and keep plenty of NSW delivered. Does the NSW need to be circulating within the IBC?

Skimmer: Internal, I prefer to over-skim so something rated for a 1500L tank most likely. I love the Royal Exclusiv stuff provided I can afford it.

Aquarium Controller: None for now. I'm trying to keep costs down on the build and whilst a controller would be awesome, it's not a necessity.

Evaporation Top Up: Probably Tunze Osomolator

Chemical Support:

Calcium Addition: Dosing Pumps (I'd like to set up a calcium reactor but I've heard it's quite expensive to get a decent one going)

Alkilinity Addition: Dosing Pumps

Other Chemical Maintenance: Dosing Pumps

Reactors: Bio Pellet


Current Water Chemistry:
Nitrates:
Phosphates:
Alkalinity:
Calcium:
Salinity / Specific Gravity:
Magnesuim:

So there we have it. Apparently the build should take a few weeks. In the mean time I'm going to start buying my gear. Expect lots of "so what do you think of xxxx" posts :)
Thanks for reading!
Cheers,
Blake
 

BlakeyBoyR

Member
Aug 5, 2014
70
43
Hey Ron thanks for that. Good to have a positive review. Also, thanks for the Alibaba link. Now I don't have to pay the EBay mark up!

Lesley and Dave I hope you keep following my build :)
 

BlakeyBoyR

Member
Aug 5, 2014
70
43
Rob what changes would you recommend making to the standard spectrum? Do you have contact details for Rose? I haven't searched for them myself yet mind you
 

ReeferRob

Solidarité
Oct 22, 2014
2,661
931
Bel Air
I'm using the full spectrum panels over the reef tanks and I would just do white with 1-2 red LEDs on the refugium. You can ask questions on the CHAT NOW feature of the listing.
 

Wrangy

Member
May 7, 2013
2,923
1,567
Research
This sounds like an awesome tank in the making!! :) Looking forward to when you start the 12 footer too haha I'm definitely going to be tagging along for the ride as well mate :)
Post as many what do you think questions as you'd like! We are all around to help answer lol If you can't afford to go RE for your skimmer I'd have a peak at the RLSS line of skimmers, I have one and it's bloody fantastic! :)

Any thoughts on the wonderful scaled friends you plan on adding?
 

BlakeyBoyR

Member
Aug 5, 2014
70
43
Rob mentioning your name got me a discount with Rose so thanks for that!
Wrangy thanks for the encouraging words. I was concerned about the RLSS skimmers because they use Waveline pumps and I heard Waveline were unreliable?
As for livestock I'm a big fan of Wrasse so I was thinking Wrasse dominant with a few others thrown in. Perhaps a clown tang, a few of the more reef friendly angels too.
 

Wrangy

Member
May 7, 2013
2,923
1,567
Research
Rob mentioning your name got me a discount with Rose so thanks for that!
Wrangy thanks for the encouraging words. I was concerned about the RLSS skimmers because they use Waveline pumps and I heard Waveline were unreliable?
As for livestock I'm a big fan of Wrasse so I was thinking Wrasse dominant with a few others thrown in. Perhaps a clown tang, a few of the more reef friendly angels too.
No worries :) I've had my RLSS skimmer over a year and a half now and have't had a single issue with it or the pump, I know the older models were crap but the skimmers are all kitted with the new waveline models and seem to be pretty solid if you ask me :) Been pulling crap since day dot!

Another angel lover :D lol That's definitely an excellent idea and would look awesome with the wrasse in the tank :) Genicanthus sp. are probably one of my favourite reef-safe angels out there :) And they really are reef-safe too!
 

BlakeyBoyR

Member
Aug 5, 2014
70
43
Yeah the Genicanthus sp. are beautiful, particularly if you're lucky enough to get a trio that plays nice!
I'm a big fan of the rarer dwarves. It'd be awesome to get my hands on Centropyge interruptus, Centropyge nahackyi or Centropyge resplendens. As far as the larger angels, I've heard quite a few success stories of people keeping Pomacanthus navarchus without too many issues.
I'll definitely look into the RLSS skimmers now that you've had a good experience with them. You know what it's like, you read things on the internet but it's so subjective, it's difficult to form an accurate impression at times.
Thanks for following and adding your input Wrangy, I appreciate it :)
 

BlakeyBoyR

Member
Aug 5, 2014
70
43
Hahaha, Rob I think it's luck of the draw. I had a Potter's Angel that was very well behaved but I also know people that've had to dismantle their tank to get them out. I guess it's a bit of a gamble. Is it worth the risk? Hmmm ... :P
 

Wrangy

Member
May 7, 2013
2,923
1,567
Research
Yeah the Genicanthus sp. are beautiful, particularly if you're lucky enough to get a trio that plays nice!
I'm a big fan of the rarer dwarves. It'd be awesome to get my hands on Centropyge interruptus, Centropyge nahackyi or Centropyge resplendens. As far as the larger angels, I've heard quite a few success stories of people keeping Pomacanthus navarchus without too many issues.
I'll definitely look into the RLSS skimmers now that you've had a good experience with them. You know what it's like, you read things on the internet but it's so subjective, it's difficult to form an accurate impression at times.
Thanks for following and adding your input Wrangy, I appreciate it :)
I'd pretty much fill a tank with angels and butterflies and nothing else and be happy as a pig in shit haha but they would be some amazing fish to have!! :) It would be an amazing tank with some of those beauties!
I've heard the same things but I honestly haven't had any issues to this day! I know @Sam Parker uses the R8-i and @Synodontis uses a R10 I think :) Hopefully they have some positive input as well. I get a solid gunky skim every week and I'm skimming at over double my tank size too :) As far as I'm aware the new pumps are much more reliable as one of the selling points on my skimmer when I got it over a year ago was that it came with the new model DC waveline pump :)
Happy to have some input and follow what looks like it's going to be an awesome tank :)
 

ReeferRob

Solidarité
Oct 22, 2014
2,661
931
Bel Air
Yeah the Genicanthus sp. are beautiful, particularly if you're lucky enough to get a trio that plays nice!
I'm a big fan of the rarer dwarves. It'd be awesome to get my hands on Centropyge interruptus, Centropyge nahackyi or Centropyge resplendens. As far as the larger angels, I've heard quite a few success stories of people keeping Pomacanthus navarchus without too many issues.
I'll definitely look into the RLSS skimmers now that you've had a good experience with them. You know what it's like, you read things on the internet but it's so subjective, it's difficult to form an accurate impression at times.
Thanks for following and adding your input Wrangy, I appreciate it :)

I will make an exception for a Resplendent Angel. I have NEVER had an issue with large angels, Emporer, Blue girdled or Blue mask. Never had an issue with my Maculosus or Asfur either. The trick to the large angels is to FEED them, when they get bored they're like a bored puppy, why WILL wreck your tank in short order. I know that Mike Paletta is very fond of his Red Sea Regals in a reef tank, they eat mostly sponges like Atlantic angels. The only one I ever had an issue with is the Koran angel, they eat everything, ESPECIALLY your prized zooanthid and palys. Every damn one of the Coral Beauty, Keyhole, 1/2 black, Lemonpeel, Flame and Bicolour angles were bastards that took a nip off everything they encountered. When we had the 240 if I could have shrunk myself with a speargun I'd have taken out the Centropyges I put in there. :mad:

I LOVE their systems. I'm considering a 9 panel system when we start importing full time after the New Year. Rose emailed me thanking me for another customer, lol. She's great to deal with.
 
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BlakeyBoyR

Member
Aug 5, 2014
70
43
Wrangy there's some beautiful butterflies. I particularly like Chaetodon lunulatus and the Red Sea orangeface butterflyfish (Chaetodon larvatus).

Rob I'm going to ask her about custom spectrum and see what she says. I'm definitely getting lights from her, it's really just a matter of whether I'm allowed to customize or not :)

So what's everyone's view on hosting multiple angels in a tank? I've heard a dwarf with a larger one should be okay, but not so sure about say, a Majestic and a Regal in the same place.
 

slin1977

Member
Jul 13, 2011
3,476
1,661
Sydney
I've kept many dwarf angels and even an emperor over the years. None are reef safe however mine were all model citizens.
Saying that to a mate spurred on a blue face angel purchase.
This angel ate every single coral in his tank. Turned it FOLR.

Following this build with anticipation.
Love the dimensions.
Cheers for sharing the journey.
 

ReeferRob

Solidarité
Oct 22, 2014
2,661
931
Bel Air
Wrangy there's some beautiful butterflies. I particularly like Chaetodon lunulatus and the Red Sea orangeface butterflyfish (Chaetodon larvatus).

Rob I'm going to ask her about custom spectrum and see what she says. I'm definitely getting lights from her, it's really just a matter of whether I'm allowed to customize or not :)

So what's everyone's view on hosting multiple angels in a tank? I've heard a dwarf with a larger one should be okay, but not so sure about say, a Majestic and a Regal in the same place.
Larvatus and semilarvatus will damage acros,no ifs, ands or buts about it mate. If you're willing to let them snack now and again, then go for it, other wise steer clear of those 2. If you keep them well fed, they will snack, not go at them like a fat Yank at a buffet.

You can customize them any way you want, I've had excellent success with their full spectrum units, 1 red and 1 green in there with the rest being blue, violet and white.