120g 5month update.

[REEFWAVE]

alright just hit the 5 month mark. the last post was at 3 months and since then i have made a few changes. first of all i had to catch a fish and in the process of doing so i ended up re-aquascaping the tank. i also got a new frogspawn and two cleaner shrimp. here are the pics....

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/full_tank_new.jpg

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/new_left_side.jpg

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/new_right_side.jpg

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/frogspawn.jpg

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/lawnmower_near_frogspawn.jpg

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/cleaner_shrimp.jpg

[REEFWAVE]

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/center_of_tank.jpg

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/frogspawn_5-20-04.jpg

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/star_polyps_5-19-04.jpg

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/mushrooms_5-19-04.jpg

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/trumpet_5-20-04.jpg

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/hermit_on_hermit.jpg

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/plumbing.jpg

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/refugium.jpg

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/refugium_with_macr.jpg

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/hermit_on_snail_1.jpg

[suver569]

Looking very good. I love your aquascape.

[TommyD]

Not to be critical (I love DIY stuff); but what's the deflection like on that rubbermade sump? Maybe you could build a square frame to keep if from bowing out so far on the long sides...

-TD

[REEFWAVE]

oh yeah you could easily build a frame of some kind i was thinking even a pvc pipe with elbows on each side placed across the middle would be fine. im not really worried about the bow there isnt that much pressure on it at leats not enough to cause it to break. i have found rubbermaids to be very sturdy and durrible.

[REEFWAVE]

also the refugium is made of the thinner type container than the sump i couldnt find the size i needed in the heavier stuff, but if it starts to look like it will be a problem i will drain it a little and put a brace in place. it has been pretty constant and doesnt seem to be bowing any more than where it is now.

[REEFWAVE]

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/cleaner_shrimp_at_work.jpg

[REEFWAVE]

thanks for the kind words. here are a few more....


http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/fox_coral_3.jpg

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/fox_atinics.jpg

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/blue_stripped_mushrooms_1.jpg

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/frogspawn_close_up.jpg

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/trumpet_original.jpg

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/sweeper_tenticles.jpg

[REEFWAVE]

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/shrimp_on_shrooms.jpg

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/strar_polyps_4-20-04.jpg

[JeromeBaker]

the pictures never end.............

[Drea]

nice tank. I like your GSP and candy canes.

[nalbar]

nice tank!


nalbar

[REEFWAVE]

i just got a awsome desjardini at AW the other day, but so far he has taken refuge in the rocks and is being shy. i saw him chase my other new fish a kole tang which has been there about 2 weeks, but he never touched him or postured with his spine so i think there just marking there territories. hopefull he will come out so i can get a pic, ill post as soon as i do..... also gonna get some new corals at the end of this week so with fingers crossed there should be an update with pics in the next week or so...

[suver569]

Reef-I noticed you have one of those bendable spraybars. I have a setup also, but I"m wondering.....In the event of a power failure, do they spraybars being submerged create a suction and drain the tank? Or, have you even tested for a power failure to see if you drain?

I noticed this happening with mine, and I temporarily took the heads out of the water till I can get an anti-siphon hole drilled.

Lemme know. Thanks.

[REEFWAVE]

there are two of the bendable outlets that come into the tank and what i did was i bent one so that it is in the water about the same depth as my overflow slots. this way when the water drops below the overflow it also drops below the outlet cutting the syphon. i did test at the start and there have been a few short outages since and there has never been a flood or even a close call. i also am using a little larger sump then i used to. upgraded from a 20 to a 30g.
a syphon break hole is another good idea but be carefull if there is not a good lid on the tank i have heard that when things start up there can be a little jet of water that comes out and a few people have had a little water come squirting out into there hood and or on to the floor. i guess you could drill the hole on the side and fix that easy enough so the water just went across the long way of the tank instead of spraying forward..

[suver569]

Well, the setup I have is a Y adapter, splitting into 2 spray heads. I'm thinking of doing something similar by putting one below the water line to get more direct flow, and another above the waterline to keep the siphon from happening.

Another option would be the anti siphon hole, but I was thinking that a T pvc fitting on the backside of the tank, with a 90 degree fitting, and a small riser on it, pointing back to the top of the tank (just in case you get an inrush of water after a power failure).

I might mess around with this idea this weekend. I really want to angle the heads on the sprabar down inside the tank, but I dont want to siphon.

Any other input would be great :)

[REEFWAVE]

mine return goes up from the sump pump via 1" pvc it then hits 2 90 degree elbows up and over and then enters the 3/4" black bendable Y piece and is split between the two outlets. here another pick with a few editing modifications so you can see the way my outlets are a little better. this pic is from about 2 months after the cycle completed so you can see a nice covering of brown HA that dissapeared almost as quickly as it came.

http://img29.photobucket.com/albums/v86/staticfishmonger/DSCN0091.jpg

hopefully you can see that both the outlets are in fact pointed down but the one on the left kinda bends up then down (like an upside-down U) and so it is close to the surface yet still pointing down....
your idea sounds interesting and it should work i would guess. if you end up trying it let me know how it works out....

[joe_bui]

I see your tank is facing a window with mini blinds on...What direction is your tank facing? N,S.E. or W? I am thinking about setting up another tank. The spot I am thinking about is similar to yours. Do you have a lot of algae growth from the window light?


Thanks!


Joe

[surf4ever]

for the return line u need Clear PVC Swing Check Valves....
Designed to be used any place where you want to stop blackflow and siphoning.

http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_plumbing_parts_fittings_2.asp#cv

[REEFWAVE]

the window faces west. the blinds are accually wood shutters, they were open a little in the picture. when there closed there is very little light from them, and i have not see any abnormal algae growth. in fact compared to some of the tanks i have see i consider myself lucky as far as unwanted algae.

[joe_bui]

Cool...that's what I wanted to hear. West face gets a lot of sun and if your blinds are able to block it out so that you aren't getting any unwanted algae makes me feel more at ease...


Joe