Jump to content





Posted Image

PCS & Stuart M. Grant - Cichlid Preservation Fund - Details here


Photo

4X2X2 Marine

Marine Australian Native

  • Please log in to reply
22 replies to this topic

#1 Leichardti

Leichardti
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 14
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Butler

Posted 29 October 2017 - 09:48 PM

Hey guys, this is the first marine tank in this house so decided to make a journal for it just now. Below you can read a bit of info on setting up and what brings us to the current moment / state of the tank. 

 

4x2x2 - This tank is technically my mums tank, so I'm sort of writing this part of the journal on her behalf. Ok ok, it is her tank. I however have been helping setup and design the aquascape - Hope you like it.  :) This tank has been a downgrade (really an upgrade) from my mums fully planted 6x2x2. A few things from that "old" 6x2x2 have gone into my own 6x2x2 - Specifically the CO2, some plants and eventually some fish.

Anyways, moving onto better things, haha:  

The Tank!

 

Sorry for the lack of progress photos, skip to bottom if you're just here for photos :)

 

The tank itself is a Waterbox 135.4 which was bought from Aquarium Gallery Perth in Wangara. This is a really nice ultra clear tank which is fully decked out for saltwater - Comes with a good sized sump, super nice cabinet, auto top off, weir + plumbing. Even had it delivered and assembled by some guys, awesome! Would probably make a super nice planted tank too.

 

The tank arrived about a month ago and was sitting while we planned, moved it about and decided on the best place to put it. We eventually decided to place it in the corner between couches, as it didn't make a reflection on the tv too much there...  :ph34r: It was really mainly put there as there was plenty of space round the cabinet hehe. 

 

When moved to the correct spot we realised we were going to have to move it again - There was a large brown patch of paint where the 6x2x2 used to be, from when the house got repainted and we couldn't move the tank haha. The wall was repainted and the tank finally moved to its final position. Then we were ready for equipment and aquascaping materials. We managed to get nearly everything in one deal from somebody shutting down 3 tanks (all marine!). We got a shit ton of dry rock, a Bubble Magus 220cs, a Reef Octopus reactor, heater, IBC & pump + 150l of salt water and a RODI unit. IBC was placed down the side of the house but is nearly in line with the tank, so we can put a hose through a window and pump water straight to the tank. We also got some aragonite sand and some more rock from a guy nearby, and a Tunze return pump also from AGP.

 

From there, as you could imagine, we put the sand in, filled the tank partially and invented some different aquascapes. The general idea for the aquascapes was to make 2 "piles" of rocks, one larger than the other. The IBC was later fully filled with salt water later and we filled the tank + sump. What followed was a lot of frustration (and excitement) today, while getting our first sump properly working. Eventually it was all done and working silently, though we are still having a bit of trouble with the ATO. Finally being done I was well and truly happy to mess around for the rest of today's afternoon scaping.

 

Though not totally happy with the current scape, mum and I really like the general shape: 

 

Attached File  22829934_1840048716035550_3632491409234763422_o.jpg   107.63KB   15 downloads

 

That catches us up to now - Everything is running, scape looks good (or so we think  :rolleyes:) and all that is now needed is some T5 globes, or a new light unit. 

 

Hope you enjoyed reading, not the most exciting read I'm sure, but it leads us to the current moment. Keep an eye out for further journal updates  :)

 

PS Could someone please move this to marine section... accidentally posted it in wrong place.


Edited by Leichardti, 29 October 2017 - 09:59 PM.


#2 Aiden

Aiden
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 22-March 16
  • Location: Baldivis

Posted 29 October 2017 - 09:55 PM

Nice setup. Tank would look mad with some oddballs in it

#3 Delapool

Delapool

    Membership Officer

  • Admin
  • Joined: 10-July 15
  • Location:Swan View
  • Location: Swan View

Posted 31 October 2017 - 07:34 AM

Looks nice! Great project.

#4 malawiman85

malawiman85
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 08
  • Location: Geraldton

Posted 31 October 2017 - 09:48 AM

Another one gone to the darkside :-)

Looks good... What's the plan from here on?

#5 Leichardti

Leichardti
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 14
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Butler

Posted 31 October 2017 - 09:08 PM

Next up we'll be needing some live rock to seed the tank to help cycle it. Also need to hang a light from above the tank, which is a 6xT5ho from the 6ft planted tank.

Mum wants my 6ft's metal halide for it though, has some blue globes in it at the moment too  :Rofl_3f:



#6 Delapool

Delapool

    Membership Officer

  • Admin
  • Joined: 10-July 15
  • Location:Swan View
  • Location: Swan View

Posted 01 November 2017 - 10:39 AM

Not going to LEDs? Just curious as have been changing the t5ho bulbs every 9 months or so (on a planted tank). The cost is a bit but I like the bulb spectrum. Never used metal halides though.

#7 Leichardti

Leichardti
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 14
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Butler

Posted 01 November 2017 - 03:59 PM

Metal halides are on the same sort of boat, have to replace the lamps annually. I would have gotten an LED for my tank myself (the one the halide is actually going on) but the halide was cheap when I bought it. 

 

LEDS are definitely an option on the 4x2x2, however the initial cost is a big factor. It does look like LED's in the long run would be cheaper considering the T5ho's can be $40 a pop to replace, depending on the globes



#8 Chopstick_mike

Chopstick_mike
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 31-March 15
  • Location: Tapping

Posted 01 November 2017 - 05:35 PM

Metal halides also chew the power and give off quite a lot of heat , can pick up led for that size tank reasonably cheap off gumtree

Edited by Chopstick_mike, 01 November 2017 - 05:35 PM.


#9 Delapool

Delapool

    Membership Officer

  • Admin
  • Joined: 10-July 15
  • Location:Swan View
  • Location: Swan View

Posted 01 November 2017 - 10:26 PM

Yes, every time I replace the bulbs I think LEDs but have also cooked a few boxes under the tank hood as well

That interesting on replacement time frame - sounds pretty similar. I started doing a par decay chart by month but plants are taking up all the convenient spots to sit the meter.

#10 Leichardti

Leichardti
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 14
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Butler

Posted 11 November 2017 - 09:30 PM

Got the last 2 things we really need for the tank at the moment over the last week or so:

 

Picked up a bunch of live rock from the Fish Doctor last week. It's covered in pink and purple coralline algae which looks pretty cool. Just stuck it around the tank in random spots for now, as the liverock will seed the tank as I understand. Eventually it will probably be moved to the sump. There is now also a prawn sitting in the bottom of the tank going fuzzy  :D providing ammonia. 

 

Today we also bought 2 lights for the tank. 2 MarsAqua dimmable "Full Spectrum" LEDs, 165w I believe. Nice lights which are very bright. Would attach a photo but the first thing that needs to be attached is them to the roof.  :) Since we're using them and not the T5ho's they're for sale, PM me if interested. $250 for both ono.

 

Also put 2 wave-makers on either side of the tank to get some flow behind the rock formations. They're doing the job well but one needs to be readjusted as there is a large hole at the front of the tank lol. Plenty of flow in there now for sure.

 

Now that we have everything really required for the tank we just need to cycle. Yipee! The wait begins....  :lol:


Edited by Leichardti, 11 November 2017 - 09:30 PM.


#11 malawiman85

malawiman85
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 08
  • Location: Geraldton

Posted 12 November 2017 - 06:35 AM

Cycling a marine tank can be a bit of a funny business! Filters are predictable... Live rock, not so much... Slowly, slowly... But not too slowly cause I can't wait to see what you guys do with it.

Edited by malawiman85, 12 November 2017 - 06:36 AM.


#12 Leichardti

Leichardti
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 14
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Butler

Posted 20 November 2017 - 01:35 PM

Haha thanks MM. Slowly figuring that out atm. 

Yesterday we hung the MarsAqua LED's from the roof. They look great and cause a bit of a shimmer effect in the tank. At the moment we have them at the lowest settings and will slowly turn them up as we go. Eventually we're planning on getting a power socket put in the roof, but at the moment they're just linked together and connected to an extension board. Here are some photos:

Attached File  23757809_1868517469855341_1492502995_o.jpg   116.45KB   12 downloads

As you can see, each light has two power cords. One of these is for the blue lights, while the other is for all of the other colours. With these lights you can adjust how much blue and how much of the other colours you want with a little knob which is on top of the light. There is also two "sockets" on each light which allows us to connect one light to the other, meaning that we only have to plug in 2 cords to the power board rather than 4.

Attached File  23757792_1868517449855343_1949713408_o.jpg   89.04KB   11 downloads

There is also a tiny bit of sponge growing on some of the live rock we bought - Cool! 

Attached File  23757792_1868517476522007_1567488434_o.jpg   126.62KB   11 downloads

 

On the other hand, we also have a small damselfish in the tank already. Sort of. It is currently in there as we started testing the water parameters and picked up no ammonia or nitrite, but 25 nitrates. I believe this is because we have enough liverock in there to convert the prawn's ammonia. The other rock is also hopefully partially seeded.

 

The damselfish itself is pretty cute... Apparently they're assholes though, so he's staying in his jail until the tank is 100% ready for livestock. He will then be going back to the fish doctor. Will attach some better, cuter photos of him later  :)

Attached File  23722087_1868517486522006_68164560_n.jpg   45.18KB   11 downloads

Attached File  23756299_1868517499855338_716208194_n.jpg   34.2KB   11 downloads

That pretty much wraps it up for this update, so here are some full tank shots to finish up: 

Attached File  23722077_1868517463188675_2054928145_n.jpg   27.86KB   11 downloads

Attached File  23755911_1868517489855339_201580917_n.jpg   28.11KB   11 downloads


Edited by Leichardti, 20 November 2017 - 01:38 PM.


#13 Delapool

Delapool

    Membership Officer

  • Admin
  • Joined: 10-July 15
  • Location:Swan View
  • Location: Swan View

Posted 23 November 2017 - 05:26 PM

Tank is looking good! What’s next for it?? Good idea on hanging the lights. I cooked one under the hood even with fans.

#14 Stormfyre

Stormfyre

    Sausage enthusiast

  • Admin
  • Joined: 11-August 14
  • Location: Wandi, WA.

Posted 23 November 2017 - 07:09 PM

Hope we see you at the next meeting Keelan? Marine Aquariums.



#15 K.M.

K.M.
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 22-November 17
  • Location: Como

Posted 01 December 2017 - 10:46 AM

Nice setup.

 

-Kamran



#16 Leichardti

Leichardti
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 14
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Butler

Posted 03 December 2017 - 07:19 PM

Fish, Critters and Diatoms  :angry: 

A couple of days ago we got 4 Trochus snails and 5 Hermit crabs...

 

Then....

 

On Friday arvo went to collect 2 sea urchins and 2 starfish, except she came back with a little more than expected. Not against it however, the clownies are soo cute  :wub:

 

Here are some more bad photos lol: 

Attached File  24282387_1889262724447482_2046089460_n.jpg   37.34KB   8 downloadsAttached File  24331284_1889262767780811_752857535_n.jpg   46.4KB   8 downloadsAttached File  24331325_1889262794447475_355166447_n.jpg   42.3KB   8 downloadsAttached File  24331398_1889262811114140_1223595679_n.jpg   33.32KB   8 downloadsAttached File  24331542_1889262791114142_548648914_n.jpg   50.79KB   8 downloadsAttached File  24337247_1889262774447477_1278907106_n.jpg   33.06KB   8 downloadsAttached File  24337425_1889262797780808_1252061021_n.jpg   21.89KB   8 downloadsAttached File  24337607_1889262751114146_15951209_n.jpg   31.3KB   8 downloadsAttached File  24550584_1889262757780812_624061686_n.jpg   38.26KB   8 downloadsAttached File  24581420_1889262741114147_746376423_n.jpg   43.36KB   8 downloadsAttached File  24740406_1889262717780816_1120057772_n.jpg   56.18KB   8 downloads

 

In the above photos there should be:

Trochus Snails 

Hermit Crabs

Spiny Urchin

Collector Urchin aka klepto

Ocellaris Clownfish

 

There is also a Spotted Moon Crab buried in the sand with his eyes poking out 

 

Haven't got any photos but it looks as if the tank is currently going through the "new tank" stage. Diatoms all over the rock and sand. Not too bad but doesn't look too great either. Glad to see it though, validates that the tank is mostly cycled. 

 

Will put some better photos on at a later date  :)



#17 Redevilz

Redevilz
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 02-September 12
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Scarborough

Posted 14 March 2018 - 11:53 PM

Is this tank still running? Was starting to come together in those photos, cool clowns.

#18 Leichardti

Leichardti
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 14
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Butler

Posted 16 March 2018 - 09:50 PM

It is indeed still running, forgot about the journal however. Thanks for the reminder haha, new update up soon.

Bunch of new corals, critters and fish


Edited by Leichardti, 16 March 2018 - 09:50 PM.


#19 Redevilz

Redevilz
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 02-September 12
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Scarborough

Posted 17 March 2018 - 02:08 PM

Sounds good. Do you find the snails and hermit crabs actually help out with cleaning the algae and sand bed much?

#20 Leichardti

Leichardti
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 14
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Butler

Posted 09 June 2018 - 10:19 AM

Been a while since I updated this, here are some update photos:
Attached File  IMG_1883.JPG   126.24KB   4 downloads

Attached File  IMG_1925.JPG   104.21KB   4 downloads
As you can see there’s a new light on the tank.. my Metal Halide which was on my 6x2x2. Managed to fix the side which wasnt working and put 2x 14,000k globes in. Not as blue as it looks in the photos but looks fantastic.
Actinic fluros make the fluros really pop too
Attached File  IMG_1909.JPG   132.98KB   4 downloads
Attached File  IMG_1903.JPG   114.61KB   4 downloads
Attached File  IMG_1888.JPG   174.78KB   4 downloads
88727783f732b02adb9b3e95c8d3be1f.jpg
Some new fish - Cardinals, Blue Chromis, A Bi-Coloured Blenny 2 Wrasse and one of my all time favourite fish - a Butis Butis
Unfortunately the collector urchin dropped all of his spines and died ☹️ unsure why
Got some new corals too. Not exactly sure of all the names but here are a few:
Pulsing Xenia
Mushrooms
Torch
Hammer
Bubble Tip Anemone
Just the ones that I know of names in there
Attached File  IMG_1917.JPG   178.61KB   4 downloads
Attached File  IMG_1908.JPG   133.36KB   4 downloads
Attached File  IMG_1884.JPG   163.84KB   4 downloads
Attached File  IMG_1918.JPG   161.86KB   4 downloads
Attached File  IMG_1919.JPG   171.42KB   4 downloads
The tank has progressed heaps, I personally think it looks fantastic. Been a few rescaped here and there to get it looking a bit cleaner, really like the hardscape now
Attached File  IMG_1924.JPG   139.17KB   4 downloads


Edited by Leichardti, 10 June 2018 - 01:56 PM.






Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: Marine, Australian, Native

3 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 3 guests, 0 anonymous users