ReefWaters
Premium Member
Beautiful set up!
Who built the tank?
Who built the tank?
Tank of the Month - March 2005
- Thread starter Skipper
- Start date
danano
Member
thanks. Glad you like the write-up and pics.chuckd, I know the ATI bulbs are in the US but I've not seen the fixtures either. Perhaps in time, ATI will design one with US voltage in mind. The fixtures are known as ATI T5 Powerbalken in Europe.
John, your tank and numerous others (including Steve Weast's) are inspiring my next "BIG" project. But that's at least several years away and would involve moving to a bigger place, i.e. house-hunting with a 300-500g and dedicated reef-room in mind.
It's still a dream at the moment. Thanks!Spearfish, the T5s give excellent edge-edge coverage. And the ATI bulbs provide the right intensity and spectrum for the corals. The Germans seem to have gotten it just right. Good reflectors and fixture design play an equally important role - to maximise intensity. Although still no where near 400W MH bulbs. I've seen excellent results and color in tanks using 400W MH bulbs coupled with well designed reflectors. But there's always a trade-off somewhere. With T5s though, bleaching and UV effect on corals is much less of an issue.
Reefwaters, it was custom built by local tank maker. Euro bracing all around, with extra strips of glass on all side and bottom edges for added strength and support. Probably overkill but better safe than sorry.
Dan
Last edited:
danano
Member
xxr66t, to moderate the effect of the heavy bioload, I use a powerful skimmer, perform very frequent water changes and vacuum detritus build-up off the top layer of the sandbed as necessary. I feed small amounts every two days, hence minimising introduction of undesirable/external elements. The quality LR act as a natural food source for many of the fish. Regular spawning (crabs, shrimps and sometimes, the fish)provide another natural source of food.
On the subject of spawning, I noticed a few of the fish were in a frenzy just after sunrise this morning (some light streams into the living room in the morning) and the sps polyps were still out. On closer inspection, I saw that the Sally Lighfoot had just released its fry and there were thousands tossed around in the flow/current! And I've never seen the bellies of the two green chromises and orange skunk so full before.
Skip, you are correct. The overflow box is attached to the left side of the tank. A 16" x 2" U-section was cut out from the left galss panel. A black acrylic sheet slightly shorter than the left glass panel (so the sheet would fit beneath the Euro bracing) is glued to the glass. Before that, slots were cut out across the top edge of the acrylic for the overflow into the external box. DC794 silicone was used to attach the overflow box and a wooden bracket attached to the stand gives added support.
On the subject of spawning, I noticed a few of the fish were in a frenzy just after sunrise this morning (some light streams into the living room in the morning) and the sps polyps were still out. On closer inspection, I saw that the Sally Lighfoot had just released its fry and there were thousands tossed around in the flow/current! And I've never seen the bellies of the two green chromises and orange skunk so full before.
Skip, you are correct. The overflow box is attached to the left side of the tank. A 16" x 2" U-section was cut out from the left galss panel. A black acrylic sheet slightly shorter than the left glass panel (so the sheet would fit beneath the Euro bracing) is glued to the glass. Before that, slots were cut out across the top edge of the acrylic for the overflow into the external box. DC794 silicone was used to attach the overflow box and a wooden bracket attached to the stand gives added support.
lovetoreef
New member
congratulations - a beautiful tank and setup!! very deserving!
when you mentioned dosing the amino acids, what product are you using and where did you find it?? additionally, how frequently and how much do you dose?
thanks.
gm
when you mentioned dosing the amino acids, what product are you using and where did you find it?? additionally, how frequently and how much do you dose?
thanks.
gm
danano
Member
gm, I'm now using aminos by Korallin. I've used Salifert and Kent Marine before as well. I'm indifferent to the brand, they all do the job IMO. I follow the recommended dosage although given my stocking level, I'm probably under dosing.
Ti, how far off the water surface is your TEK T5 fixture and what bulbs are you using?
Ti, how far off the water surface is your TEK T5 fixture and what bulbs are you using?
mhornsby858
New member
Very nice, in the article you mentioned porites, how much light do they require? My LFS who sold it to me did not know that much. It was all green when I bought it and through out the day it shifts in color from green in the morning actinics to brown under the MH by the end of the day and through the night the green returns. I have been shading it but it still turns colors.
gary smith
New member
superb tank keep up the good work
danano
Member
Julio, the 54w bulbs are almost 10 months now and still going strong. The 24w bulbs over my prop tank are 20 months and sps still maintain color or colour up. The older bulbs are really the test for me but I plan to change them out soon. I plan to replace the main tank bulbs every 18 months or so or if I observe a degradation in overall sps color.
I find that regular cleaning of bulbs and reflectors is important as precious light intensity is lost with salt coated bulbs/reflectors.
mhornsby, porites are pretty hardy sps and seem to do well under a diverse range of lighting conditions. All of mine are in low light regions, except for my purple porites that's getting direct light on the sandbed.
I find that regular cleaning of bulbs and reflectors is important as precious light intensity is lost with salt coated bulbs/reflectors.
mhornsby, porites are pretty hardy sps and seem to do well under a diverse range of lighting conditions. All of mine are in low light regions, except for my purple porites that's getting direct light on the sandbed.
