Reefs.org Forums

[Matt_]

Possibly a smaller diameter vinyl hose that slips inside the larger ones.

Won't that just increase velocity?

I had to use 2 layers of hose to put enough back pressure on the line. It works though! The flow doesn't seem too fast to me.

It's a Mag 9 going through (now) a total of 4 holes--two 1/2" and two 3/4".

Good deal! Now, where are those pictures?

There's not much to photograph yet. Lots of little corals that I want bigger. Check back in a year or so.

[seamaiden]

But, we're gonna be there next week!

[ReneX]

Matt, great tank. I've really been enjoying following along on the progress of this...enough so that I wanted to join the forum so I could ask a few questions

Now that the tank has been up for a few months, are you still doing the same in terms of feeding, or have you added/taken away/changed amounts of food? How has the water quality been staying for you?

What has shown growth for you? What's staying the same? Is anything not doing well? How is the sponge growth coming? Did you intentionally add any of the sponges, or did they pop up from the live rock?

I'm suprised you don't have any tubastrea or dendrophyllia given that they would seem to do well in this tank. Are you trying to stay away from them because of their need for larger meaty food and the strain it would place on the system?

I read your build thread for this tank. Ingenious. In a few years I'd like to do a very similar tank for similar corals and I had a question about the construction. Is the acrylic bit with the overflow teeth just held on with silicone? I heard silicone did not bond glass and acrylic well.

Thanks in advance for your patience, I just love this tank. It's nice to see something different from the "oodles of Metal Halide" school of reef tanks.

[Matt_]

Matt, great tank. I've really been enjoying following along on the progress of this...enough so that I wanted to join the forum so I could ask a few questions

Now that the tank has been up for a few months, are you still doing the same in terms of feeding, or have you added/taken away/changed amounts of food? How has the water quality been staying for you?

What has shown growth for you? What's staying the same? Is anything not doing well? How is the sponge growth coming? Did you intentionally add any of the sponges, or did they pop up from the live rock?

I'm suprised you don't have any tubastrea or dendrophyllia given that they would seem to do well in this tank. Are you trying to stay away from them because of their need for larger meaty food and the strain it would place on the system?

I read your build thread for this tank. Ingenious. In a few years I'd like to do a very similar tank for similar corals and I had a question about the construction. Is the acrylic bit with the overflow teeth just held on with silicone? I heard silicone did not bond glass and acrylic well.

Thanks in advance for your patience, I just love this tank. It's nice to see something different from the "oodles of Metal Halide" school of reef tanks.

Cool!



The water quality has been a pretty consistent issue, primarily phosphates. I am reluctant to use a GFO or other phosphate remover because they strip silicate from the water, and they cause my sponges to shrivel up and look ready to die. I like the sponges. I've cut back on the amount of phytoplankton I add to the tank, increased water changes, and dose ethanol and sodium nitrate to reduce phosphate levels.

The Scleronephthya are still hanging on, but I can see that they're on a slow decline down. I have been tremendously busy at work and have simply just not had the time to add food as often as I should to the tank. The Menella gorgonian is doing quite well, it's sprouted a new branch and has grown about a half inch on each branch tip. It catches cyclop-eeze and so it is quite easy to feed. There is a Duncanopsammia coral that has grown considerably as well, but those are like growing mushrooms. I added a Tubastrea sp. about 3 months ago, which seems to be doing fine. It's polyps are open most of the time and it catches the Cyclop-eeze I add a few times a day.

The piece of acrylic with the teeth is siliconed to the glass. It's not a very strong way to bond acrylic to glass, but it doesn't need to be. The seal does not need to prevent leaks, and there is no pressure on the acrylic from either side. The silicone just holds the piece in place. If it was a glass to acrylic bond that was on, say, the corner of a tank, that would be a bit different. In that case a good amount of silicone can work for shallow tanks but it's usually not a safe thing to do.

[ReneX]

Have you considered running a vegetative filter to export phosphates? Your sump is pretty crammed but some chaeto and a light might make a difference with the phosphates.

That's suprising that the Menella catches cyclopeeze, but a good thing. I have yet to see one in person but I sort of assumed their polyps were too small to handle it. It sounds like you're getting pretty decent growth out of it too, for a non-photosynthetic gorgonian.

Do you think the scleros are doing poorly due to lack of food or something else? There's a very long thread over on RC called "Dendronepthya sp. study group" that looks to have some good information in it, if you haven't seen it already.

I'd love to see a picture of that tubastrea. I'm keeping tubastrea sp. and dendrophyllia sp. and I love them.

[jt48]

Can you send a link or at least name of the power center that you are using?

[Matt_]

Have you considered running a vegetative filter to export phosphates? Your sump is pretty crammed but some chaeto and a light might make a difference with the phosphates.

Not enough space.

That's suprising that the Menella catches cyclopeeze, but a good thing. I have yet to see one in person but I sort of assumed their polyps were too small to handle it. It sounds like you're getting pretty decent growth out of it too, for a non-photosynthetic gorgonian.

It helps that the Cyclop-eeze doesn't move! Live baby brine is strong enough to struggle out of the polyps, even though it is much smaller.

think the scleros are doing poorly due to lack of food or something else? There's a very long thread over on RC called "Dendronepthya sp. study group" that looks to have some good information in it, if you haven't seen it already.

I'd love to see a picture of that tubastrea. I'm keeping tubastrea sp. and dendrophyllia sp. and I love them.

Next time I go through a bout of picture taking I'll get it. I think the scleros are just not getting enough to eat. They need to be fed all day long.

[Matt_]

Can you send a link or at least name of the power center that you are using?

http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=98444&start=0

[JohnHenry]

Great tank, Matt.

I'll be starting something very similar soon. Just wondering if there's anything you would have done differently with yours.

Is that overflow quiet?

[JohnHenry]

And... what's the layout like in that sump? Kind of hard for me to tell from the pictures. Is it all one large baffle-less chamber?

Thanks again-

[Matt_]

And... what's the layout like in that sump? Kind of hard for me to tell from the pictures. Is it all one large baffle-less chamber?

Thanks again-

It is one large chamber. The overflow drains into a 100 micron Polyweld filter sock (buy one and you will forever be happy) so there is no need for baffles. Tomorrow at work I'll draw a bird's eye diagram of the sump.

[Matt_]

Great tank, Matt.

I'll be starting something very similar soon. Just wondering if there's anything you would have done differently with yours.

Is that overflow quiet?

I think if I could change anything I'd do less flow through the sump and place a vortech pump on the back. It's the only way to make flow within the tank and stay simple and aesthetic. I could cut a closed loop with the intake inside the overflow box, but it would just make the back a confusing mess on such a small tank. I dig everything else.

And if I could build any tank at all, it'd be in-wall, with a trapezoid footprint and a Kydex backing to create a single smooth curve for a back wall. It looks much nicer and less distracting than a rectangular box. I'd also make the tank 12" taller than I planned on filling it, and cut the empty vertical space out of view by framing the tank on the wall approriately. More diagrams.

[JohnHenry]

Thanks for your answers, Matt.

(I'm now leaning towards a sumpless system, maybe one of those all-in-one jobbies even. I started a thread in GRD if you're able to give any feedback.)

[Matt_]

I'd love to see a picture of that tubastrea. I'm keeping tubastrea sp. and dendrophyllia sp. and I love them.

I'll need to take some pictures soon. I just noticed that there are at least 3 new baby Tubastrea polyps in random places in the tank.

[Matt_]

Thanks for your answers, Matt.

(I'm now leaning towards a sumpless system, maybe one of those all-in-one jobbies even. I started a thread in GRD if you're able to give any feedback.)

Will do. Here's the diagram.

[marillion]

...and new pictures, Matt? I'd like to see the tank's aquascaping.

Peace,

Chip

[Matt_]

...and new pictures, Matt? I'd like to see the tank's aquascaping.

Peace,

Chip

All right Chippo, just for you I took a picture with my ratty little phone so you can get an idea of the layout. I have a lot of open space that's just covered by coralline algae, but that's fine by me.

[marillion]

Schweet! Thanks for that crappy pic!

Lots of coralline...what are you using, NSW?

Peace,

Chip

[Matt_]

Schweet! Thanks for that crappy pic!

Lots of coralline...what are you using, NSW?

Peace,

Chip

Nope, just IO. I drip in kalk via a Litermeter 3. NSW actually tends to be a bit low in Alk due to die-off of bacteria and plankton in the water. It helps if you can run a mechanical filter on it right away.

[ReneX]

Ah, are those some ventralis I see? How are those doing for you?