32 replies to this topic

[Riggers]

Hi all

Ok, So I aquired a 4x2 tank a while back and have had no time to do anything with it until now... After hauling my ass to bunnings to get the neseccary bits and pieces to get the stand looking like it could have a place inside the house, I had a spot for the tank so now it too has made it's way inside..
The tank itself is one I bought sight unseen and i was happy to see a corner overflow with 40mm base hole all ready built into the tank, saving me a job, and was pleasently surprised when I took it home and found, under the gravel, 3 pre-cut holes with patches on them.... Luckily again this saves me more cutting time when it comes time to do the plumbing..
Under the tank I have a 3x18x18 sump which is big enough to hold all the necessary bits. I have a metal hailide light which will be hanging from the ceiling and will be purchasing a new protein skimmer tomorrow (I don't have one big enough!!) as far as pumps etc these are all generic but from past experiences seem to work very well (thanks eBay!!) and are very cost effective in terms of running costs and purchase price....
Ok so the next step is plumbing..... Unfortunately this needs to be a next week job as work gets in the way of playing fish tanks!! So I will continue to keep updating and will soon put up some pictures of the ongoing progress. I welcome any and all comments or tips anyone has along the way but for now all I can do is sit and stare at the tank that will be

Edited by Riggertron, 24 June 2011 - 10:47 PM.

[Riggers]

Ok so tank progress is on it's way, the sump tank is now in place and the main plumbing is in, I have ordered a new protein skimmer from guppys online (great range at great prices) and now I am eagerly awaiting delivery... I have also ordered a bunch of wavemakers etc which will also come soon.. The main return pump is a 4500Lt/hr which is securely fastened in the corner of the sump and is awaiting plumbing..
As for the Sand bed I have opted for a 2mm natural crushed coral sand as I find it works quite well, this came from Malaga aquariums..thanks guys..
As for lights I have a metal hailide unit I am currently using on a smaller tank which I have purchased two new 14000k globes for from prolamps (around $120) per globe.. But worth the money!!
So for now I'm still looking at an empty tank but getting closer to being able to get it running and get some live rock in there... Although I'm having thoughts of putting a stand together to house both 4x2 tanks side by side and plumb both in to the sump but maybe I'm dreaming
I'll keep you posted and pics coming soon!!
Nick

[Neakit]

What ballasts do you have? Electronic or magnetic? Cause if they are magnetic they are usually built to run only specific globes.

[Kieran]

By the way this might help: http://www.saia-onli...e/fish-selector

They do a free downloadable fish selector program to help make sure everything matches up.

[Riggers]

Hey guys

To be honest I'm not sure what ballast's are in the unit, I just took the whole unit with me and had the lighting experts take a look, the guys at pro lamps are a fountain of knowledge when I comes to lighting

Thanks a bunch for the great link too kieran I'll be sure to check it out when it comes time to stock the tank
Cheers

Nick

[golden_dase]

Yay! Another marine journal. Looking forward to it, mate!

[Riggers]

Ok so you remember in the first post I said I bought the tank sight unseen............ Well NEVER AGAIN!!!!! as it turns out there's a pinhole leak somewhere as I found out last night when I filled it to leak test my plumbing... Great news is all the plumbing is tighter than a dolphins blowhole but the damn tank!!! So now comes the hard part... I need the remove all of the plumbing and cut back all of the silicon in the tank and re-do it!!! Not happy Jan!! Oh well these things happen but I will endeavor to get it sorted in the next couple of days but it means at least a week of curing time
I'll keep you posted
Nick

[Neakit]

might be cheaper and easier to buy a new tank, since that will be the cheapest thing you will out lay, also you have a new scratch free tank then.

[Riggers]

Ok crisis over!! After some shuffling of fish today I have a plan, my Oscar is now going in a four foot large the F1 fronts are going into a 4x2x1.5 so that leaves me with one tank left! A 4x2.... Because I am impatient I want it now!! So now all I need to do is cut a few holes in tank number two and hey presto new tank ........... We shall see

[Riggers]

hey All

after the crisis with the 4 x 2 i finally decided to use the 4x2x1.5 as the marine tank and build the rack to house both of the 4x2's......if that makes sense

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ok this is the tank after being filled with just a 3000lph sump pump and a 700lph powerhead for a bit of extra flow (wavemakers to come)
the sump i made from an old tank i had lying around and fits like a glove on the stand

[Riggers]

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this is the tank with some of the new larger pieces of live rock thanks to the guys at vebas and ocean reefs

i also have the octopus calcium reactor in there now with the secondary chamber as well

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now a bit of landscaping for effect and lots or cracks and hidy holes for coral


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the tank with most of the rock in there now, i picked up a few kilos of base rock from vebas for a little extra under the really nice pieces of live rock

[Riggers]

Hey guys n gals

Just wanted to put up some new pics of the tank.......... since last post a have added a second protein skimmer(home-made) and a nice deep sandbed to the sump, 2 koralia vibration pumps and a 14'' led moonlight tube (fully submersible).. Livestock wise i have moved everything from my smaller tank and added a few more bits n pieces (cheers Ocean Reefs).... ill post up some more pics later for all you tech heads

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[Riggers]

So the tank is running really well right now, I was away working for a couple of weeks and returned to see a heap of red algae (now gone) in the tank but I have since sorted that and given the tank a third water change all levels are still sitting perfect and the fish and corals are growing more everyday..... My fluro green morons have split quite a few times so I now have about 15 and I have successfully fragged my Xenia several times and it just seems to grow back twice as strong!!
I'm starting to get some really strong coraline algae growth and some strange things are growing in the sump too hardware wise everything is still running perfect and the corals look great with the koralia's running, it seems to create that perfect surge that you see in the ocean
I have also invested in a high quality 400watt MH unit which I have installed a 20,000K globe. It looks so nice and the light has really made a difference, I have had no problems with heat at all with the light hanging 250mm above the tank... I opted for the MH because after plenty of research and advice from various places and people it seemed to be the best option for me. I'm not saying everyone should use MH (the running cost are large) but for my setup its perfect And you just can't beat that rippled reflection off the waters surface!! (that's the hippy in me talking)!! I added a couple more fish last week that I picked up from Ocean Reefs, I can't remember what there called but they are orange and pink and very pretty hahahah..... anyway that's all to report for now I'll put some pics up tomorrow when the light is on

[Riggers]

Some New Fish......

Today i went up to Ocean Reefs for some more coral food and yes i ended up walking out with more fish!! I cant help myself!!

2x Firetail Damsel's
1x Dory
1x Mandarin
1x Box Fish
1x Starfish

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[dazzabozza]

Sweet lookin starfish!

[kinh]

tank looks great mate. even better in person. looking forward to see future upgrades.

[Neakit]

dos the mandarin eat frozen food? you might be fighting an up hill battle.

[Riggers]

No the mandarin is a very picky eater, he mainly eats leftovers on the live rock so he might be a challenge but we shall see
At the moment they get a mix of food for the fish/coral

Brine shrimp
Mysis shrimp
Daphnia
Krill
Nutra plus complete
Eel gets northwest coral prawns

Everyone seems to be happy, I start with a few drops of the nutra then wait about 5 minutes before adding frozen foods.

[Paddy]

You may also want to get some nori every now and again as your Blue Tang is primarily a herbivore.
I would be very sceptical about your mandarin fish eating off the live rock. In general he will eat small bugs in the liverock and once these are depleted he will starve and die. A good alternative is to hatch your own brine shrimp as they will often eat these live. I managed to keep one alive for 18months and from what I read this is longer than most.

Don't take anything I say as having a go but you are going to need to be careful when purchasing these fish as your blue tang will reach 30cm long and your tank is only 45cm wide. Another consideration to keep in mind is that with that eel and adding more fish you will quickly reach your maximum fish load and after this you will have trouble keeping water levels at their desired levels. In the end if you add too much (which I'm not saying you have yet) your corals will suffer from the high nitrate levels initially followed by other problems.

[Riggers]

All very good points paddy so far I'm being very selective on what is going in there because like you say I'm wary of overstocking, and sorry yes your right I didn't explain the mandarin thing so well again, he's is not eating from but off the rock... im currently hatching brine shrimp to use for feeding also thats a good idea I'll have to get some seaweed roll for the tang he should be well into that and rest assured I'll keep an eye on his size if he starts getting too big it's a simple matter of a trade in but for now he's happy as