60 gallon Copperband Butterfly Fish Sanctuary Tank Upgrade

[Fish Think Pink]

November 12th I purchased replacement tank to upgrade my second aquarium. My Copperband Butterfly Fish Friends are a week into their new-to-us 60 gallon tank with internal overflow and return, sump underneath. I found it used on FaceBook Marketplace. It included aquarium, canopy, stand, skimmer, sump, and sock holder.

This was my original Copperband Butterfly Fish Tank:

Build Thread - 55 gallon Copperband Butterfly Fish Sanctuary Tank

After more than a year, my Copperband Butterfly Fish suddenly found with least 3 bites out of its tail. This was out of the blue. Uncertain who did this in tank, though historically my tangs and flame angel have been Death Dealers... but July 2021 did 3 weeks of acclimation box and rehomed worst...

www.reef2reef.com

Here are photos of our new-to-us tank:

December 5, 2022:

December 25, 2022:

 

[Fish Think Pink]

aquarium,

Random Photos:

December 22, 2022:

Really need to use my filter for photos, and its hard to get everyone into the same photo... More photos further below.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

canopy,

Canopy is vented on three sides, and it lifts open in the front. We've mounted our light onto it, which makes it front heavy.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Aquarium Stand​

Having love hate relationship with stand doors... Finally reattached them but I leave them hanging open and they don't fold back flush... here is the stand (minus doors, they are off to the side when photo was taken)

January 13, 2022 update:
Still hate that doors don't fold back... going to either look into different hinges OR might go back to without doors... but I have to admit when those doors are closed - WOW I love that look... but I'm always peeking inside!

 

[Fish Think Pink]

skimmer

love hate relationship with Reef Octopus skimmer. It is physically not possible to take up any more sump footprint than this skimmer does in my sump. Additionally, it airlocks and causes me headaches. Its annoying vibration against sump has me turning it right back off. BF wants me to cutup silicone mat, but this skimmers days are short... watch this space for skimmer change... smaller footprint coming as want to share area with at least some rocks for those amphipods to go into

starting 2023 with new skimmer

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Sock Holder​

Acrylic sock holder was designed to fit over the lip of the sump and was not integral. Having had an add-on acrylic sock holder before, I know that when water gets up on top of acrylic, then it may drain over the edge... and sometimes that edge can be right over the edge of the sump into the cabinet making HUGE mess.

The sock chamber had both a slit for water return, as well as a notch lower down. The lower down notch likely is to prevent overflow if rate of water is too fast for slot to handle, or more likely if slot gets clogged by something.

Notch was shorter than sock holder, and while it seemed like we could balance the sock holder on both its edges, instead we decided to use a hacksaw and trim the notch just a bit wider on one side so the acrylic sock holder would be able to sit flush and be fully supported.

Had instead we gone with the mostly unsupported option, having the sock holder supported by both its edges, it then would have been flush with the inner sump wall, which was flush with the outside front/back sump walls... so water potentially might still have traveled out of sump (though a dab of silicone added on either side, making little hump, would have broken the flow). Our notch expansion and fully supported sock holder we feel was a better solution.

Ours takes 4 inch sock.

Sock Update - December 2022 - Reef Diaper​

My Reef2Reef Secret Santa came thru HUGE and gifted me with Reef Diaper disposable socks!

An advantage to these no one talks about, I can rip apart sock before throwing away and save my critters from the trash... probably average 30+ amphipods and 1 starfish each cleaning! NEVER KNEW!! My felt socks would have hidden these from view and hosed away.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Sump - Original Setup​

It took us 3 home improvement stores and over a day to get the underside plumbed, and I still don't like it. It came with an adjustable durso drain, so of course I've tapped into it several times inadvertently changing drain height. While adjustable is interesting, I think I'm voting for fixed height. Additionally on short notice, we couldn't locate 1 inch diameter flexible tubing with much flex so PVC hard plumbing was done. By the time the water drops all the way into the sump, it is HIGHLY oxygenated with this setup. My sock sump chamber instead seems to be skimming...

Sunday night after fish moved in, we were settling in, just before lights out, return pump failed... Called around to LFSs and found SICCE Syncra Silent 3.0 (731 gph) which is rated slightly higher than the old failed pump we had. Our old pump had taken a PVC modifcation to put it inline, so removing it, the SICCE pump is too short. I used its original suction cups, but BF instead wanted its rubber feet. Its hanging in the air, vibrating against acrylic annoyingly so I inserted flossy filter between pump and acrylic to quiet it.

Also looking at where BF felt water should be kept for return pump, even if I can get the bubbles from the sock section under control with floss or something temporary in the second section (where my skimmer or refugium is supposed to go) then the drop from second section to return section is so great that still I may have bubbles coming from that drop...

Sump - December Setup​

Still not thrilled with microbubbles. Phosphates are coming down. Still hard plumbed but bought flexible hose from Saltwater Paradise to make change to return. Also, original skimmer has moved out of sump to floor. This way BF can't turn it on, leave room, and leave me returning to room getting headache from it... I'd rather be skimmer-less. Still very light fish load as only 1 fish has moved over from main tank to this tank (diamond goby - think ate too many aiptasia in sand.. he's bounced back well). Aiptasia Eating File Fish (aka AEFF, HA - NOT) was moved here to preserve berghia, but aiptasia are so bad that AEFF has moved back to main tank (where he/she continues to enjoy all other foods other fish get fed... ). Bought mesh pad as way to combate microbubbles, it's marketed as nitrate removing... and maybe it does as my nitrates are crazy low but phosphates high. Weeks later, looking still for just plain mesh pad, Saltwater Paradise recommended carbon pad to help with microbubbles... these pads are likely trapping detritus and contributing to the high phosphates... but still have microbubbles... and there IS a phosphate mesh filter pad I saw at Dallas North Aquarium (or was it Fish Gallery, hmm probably most have it)

Sump - January Setup​

Still have not resolved the microbubbles entering tank. Carbon pad was helping AND even more than that, where I placed it cut back on the number of amphipods ending up in the sock (down to ~10 from an average of 30... still a starfish but those mostly live IN the tank, so not doing a full circle like the amphipods mostly starting out in sump, riding up, riding back down...)

January 13, 2023 photo:

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Auto Top Off (ATO)​

Since evaporation happens, I need to get an ATO for this tank. Initial container isn't as important as just getting something that can sense water is low and pump replacement water over into sump.

Earlier this year, Melev's Reef (online store) had table at Fort Worth Coral Farmers Market. While I don't remember the details, I do recall thinking Marc's product offering was WAY nicer than what I had on my 180 gallon and affordably priced. I also enjoy helping small business that tries so hard to educate hobbyists. I've set a personal goal to help support this man and his dog Jack:

Home | Melev's Reef

www.melevsreef.com

Ordered.

 

[Peli45]

Auto Top Off (ATO)​

Since evaporation happens, I need to get an ATO for this tank. Initial container isn't as important as just getting something that can sense water is low and pump replacement water over into sump.

Earlier this year, Melev's Reef (online store) had table at Fort Worth Coral Farmers Market. While I don't remember the details, I do recall thinking Marc's product offering was WAY nicer than what I had on my 180 gallon and affordably priced. I also enjoy helping small business that tries so hard to educate hobbyists. I've set a personal goal to help support this man and his dog Jack:

Home | Melev's Reef

www.melevsreef.com

Ordered.

Any updates? I am really intrigued abt how this would come together

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Cleanup crew finally started. Had some wicked hair algae move over from the other tank and wanted to get that under control so I knew just how much cleanup crew I needed.

I have two picos (other build thread) and when this pico was featured, I used it to model my own snails for the 60 gallon. Snails arrive Wednesday. This other person's pico will never be my FOWLR 60 (though toy with the idea of some corals maybe on Reef Rax Frag Racks high up):

REEF OF THE MONTH - December 2022: Lou Schiavo's Pico Deskmate Masterpiece!

Lou Schiavo of World Wide Corals is the winner of our Pico Tank Showdown! We've decided to feature his award-winning @ESHOPPS.INC DeskMate Pico tank as our Reef of the Month for December 2022! Photo of the reef as it was just getting started. Introduction: The Eshopps Deskmate 4.8 gallon AIO...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[CoralB]

 

[trsmith18]

Can’t see any pics…but it sounds cool

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Can’t see any pics…but it sounds cool

Here are the latest photos. Its a FOWLR with black painted back glass, so for color I have added artificial saltwater plants (GASP!)

My Hector's Goby - these have a terrible habit of water change escaping to alley... I've had to change up my entire water change process mostly to save small fish from going in street drain but added bonus of saving my back... Lost count on Hector #X but this one has been here thru multiple water changes!

Think everyone is present in above 60 gallon photo - Diamond Goby (moved over from main tank), Hector's Goby, Bumblebee Goby, Citron Goby, Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, Neon Blue Cleaner Goby, and Linckia Starfish

Linckia was supposed to be EASY (liars) and isn't anything like the red brittle starfish I should have instead gotten... There are about 40+ astrinea starfish which maybe linckia might eat (because sure isn't enough biofilm...) Peppermint shrimp did Olympic Carpet (Tile) Surfing moving from main tank to FOWLR (before initial berghia went in main tank) and peppermint died in FOWLR (sad).