zportell
New Member
In 2016, this tank was a full mixed reef. It contained nearly 50 different coral species of both LPS and SPS, along with some really cool sponges, fans, and inverts. The fish load consisted of 1-yellow tang, a pair of mated occ clowns, 1-bangaii cardinal, 1-foxface, 1-Flame Angel, 1-midas blenny, 1-hawkfish and during which time, also housed a bluespotted ribbontail stingray (small).
With two-kids that needed more attention than the tank, it all came to an end. Since then, the tank sat empty. Displaying a void of what was once a magical underwater world, it simply had some sand specks, and hints of coralline algae in it. My kids wondered what was in the tank that sat empty for so long...I'd tell them year over year about how great it was. How much fun it was. How much joy it brought to me, and how relaxing it was just to sit in front of the glass and watch it... OR - I COULD SHOW THEM... so here goes the restart, this time kids in tow! This time, they're involved and they're already dreaming. One wants a seahorse and the other wants a shark. We'll start small and i'll be teaching them along the way. Nothing like science and biology to create a living piece of art!
System specs:
Aqua-scape Design/Thought Process
With the large footprint of this tank and having it previously setup for about 5 years, I wanted to try something different for this tank restart. Previously, This tank had nearly all of the live rock in the center of the tank—giving the impression of an "underwater island/volcano". However, this caused the inhabitants to constantly swim in circles—sometimes creating unnecessary aggression between aggressive fish. This time around, I worked the rock-scape to includes an "S" shaped wall—located in the back, along with 3—rock pillars, located in 3 out of the 4 tank corners.
The "S" Curve idea:
My intention for the "S" curve is create a habitat where fish can go in and out, around-and-through the aqua-scape; but also provide multiple areas for different species of coral to thrive in. The "ins-and-outs" of the bend create areas of high-flow and low-flow. My intention is that will ultimately provide areas on the sand, and in the rocks, to grow LPS and SPS corals based on individually required flow. The wall is nearly 3.5 feet long and is far enough away from the back glass to create a detritus-free zone. It also allows for glass cleaning/maintenance without having to move any of the structure—in turn, allowing all glass panels to be cleaned with relative ease.
Pillars:
Each pillar is nearly the same height (18-inches) and spaced away from the corners of the glass, allowing the ease of interior glass cleaning. The glass/algae scrubber will slide around each of the pillars without having to move any of the rocks. They are also positioned where inhabitants can freely swim around the entire tank - creating a "race-track" environment. While I am not yet sure of the PAR in the corners, my plan for these pillars is to cover them in low-light corals such as zoa's, mushrooms, or even leathers. (it's a shame that GSP, as easy as it is to grow, will grow on everything. But a pillar of neon green could be pretty cool!)
Maintenance Note:
For additional easy-maintenance, I plumbed in a drain line that goes directly into my home injector pump, located in the basement. Water changes have been extremely easy as everything is within reach. 50G water changes are as simple as draining about 4.5 inches of water out of the DT by opening a valve. Close it, and then refill with newly-mixed saltwater. The drain and RODI system are literally golden nuggets to reefing. The less I have to lift a bucket, carry water throughout my home, or even dispose of it via a bathroom/shower/sink the better the hobby becomes. I fully encourage everyone who is building a tank to invest and/or utilize these two items!
The tank is currently going through it's cycle (longer than anticipated and another thread on that here) but anxiously awaiting for the levels to come down so the creatures / fish can be added.
With two-kids that needed more attention than the tank, it all came to an end. Since then, the tank sat empty. Displaying a void of what was once a magical underwater world, it simply had some sand specks, and hints of coralline algae in it. My kids wondered what was in the tank that sat empty for so long...I'd tell them year over year about how great it was. How much fun it was. How much joy it brought to me, and how relaxing it was just to sit in front of the glass and watch it... OR - I COULD SHOW THEM... so here goes the restart, this time kids in tow! This time, they're involved and they're already dreaming. One wants a seahorse and the other wants a shark. We'll start small and i'll be teaching them along the way. Nothing like science and biology to create a living piece of art!
System specs:
- Display Tank Brand / Size: Deep Dimensions / 250G - 60"L x 37"D x 27"T
- Corner overflows x 2
- Substrate: 2.5" depth sand bed containing approximately 280 lbs of Pink Fiji sand
- Aqua-scape: approximately 300 lbs of live/reef rock
- Lighting: 6x54w T5 with LED supplement / timers / dimmers
- Sump / Fuge: 40G breeder sectioned off using 10G tanks to contain macro algae and skimmer
- Heated with 1x1000w digital controlled heater (2x 300w backup) - all placed in overflows (hides the heaters and protects the DT if return pump fails)
- Flow: Two (2) DC wave-making power-heads (max-4,500 gph each) + the return pump (2,000 gph) in the sump, total (max) gph turn-over is 11,000 GPH or ~36x (max) turn-over per hour.
Aqua-scape Design/Thought Process
With the large footprint of this tank and having it previously setup for about 5 years, I wanted to try something different for this tank restart. Previously, This tank had nearly all of the live rock in the center of the tank—giving the impression of an "underwater island/volcano". However, this caused the inhabitants to constantly swim in circles—sometimes creating unnecessary aggression between aggressive fish. This time around, I worked the rock-scape to includes an "S" shaped wall—located in the back, along with 3—rock pillars, located in 3 out of the 4 tank corners.
The "S" Curve idea:
My intention for the "S" curve is create a habitat where fish can go in and out, around-and-through the aqua-scape; but also provide multiple areas for different species of coral to thrive in. The "ins-and-outs" of the bend create areas of high-flow and low-flow. My intention is that will ultimately provide areas on the sand, and in the rocks, to grow LPS and SPS corals based on individually required flow. The wall is nearly 3.5 feet long and is far enough away from the back glass to create a detritus-free zone. It also allows for glass cleaning/maintenance without having to move any of the structure—in turn, allowing all glass panels to be cleaned with relative ease.
Pillars:
Each pillar is nearly the same height (18-inches) and spaced away from the corners of the glass, allowing the ease of interior glass cleaning. The glass/algae scrubber will slide around each of the pillars without having to move any of the rocks. They are also positioned where inhabitants can freely swim around the entire tank - creating a "race-track" environment. While I am not yet sure of the PAR in the corners, my plan for these pillars is to cover them in low-light corals such as zoa's, mushrooms, or even leathers. (it's a shame that GSP, as easy as it is to grow, will grow on everything. But a pillar of neon green could be pretty cool!)
Maintenance Note:
For additional easy-maintenance, I plumbed in a drain line that goes directly into my home injector pump, located in the basement. Water changes have been extremely easy as everything is within reach. 50G water changes are as simple as draining about 4.5 inches of water out of the DT by opening a valve. Close it, and then refill with newly-mixed saltwater. The drain and RODI system are literally golden nuggets to reefing. The less I have to lift a bucket, carry water throughout my home, or even dispose of it via a bathroom/shower/sink the better the hobby becomes. I fully encourage everyone who is building a tank to invest and/or utilize these two items!
The tank is currently going through it's cycle (longer than anticipated and another thread on that here) but anxiously awaiting for the levels to come down so the creatures / fish can be added.
