Bagbos Dream Miracles Build - powered by Sfiligoi - Updated 2/8!

[Lacktaters]

I just worked my way through this entire thread. I must say both the frag and display tanks are amazing! I really enjoyed the video of the labouti mating behavior. I recently picked up 3 of them from DFS when they were discounting them by almost 60%. I picked up three in hopes that one will eventually become a dominant male and I will get to witness exact same behavior on a nightly basis. Thanks for sharing

 

[jdd7781]

Soccerbag - awesome setup! Just read through from the beginning. Very nice work! I somehow missed what happened to the Hybrid PBT. I remember reading that it was in QT at the LFS, but don't recall reading any more about it. Did it ever make it into your DT?

 

[Haimat]

Amazing reef with a nice aquascape!

Sorry if you've answered this question before, but how much live rock do you use and how is your filtration beside the skimmer?

Thanks for sharing,
Ken.

 

[soccerbag]

Soccerbag - awesome setup! Just read through from the beginning. Very nice work! I somehow missed what happened to the Hybrid PBT. I remember reading that it was in QT at the LFS, but don't recall reading any more about it. Did it ever make it into your DT?

Sorry for the late reply - haven't been on much lately due to business travel. I never actually got the Hybrid PBT. I purchased the fish but was having so many other fish issues (velvet)at the time that I didn't want to try and introduce another fish to the system - especially a PBT hybrid that is very susceptible to disease anyway. MY LFS eventually sold it to another local reefer. I have not heard anything more about it so I hope that it went to a good home and is thriving. It was a beautiful specimen!

Amazing reef with a nice aquascape!

Sorry if you've answered this question before, but how much live rock do you use and how is your filtration beside the skimmer?

Thanks for sharing,
Ken.

Hey Ken. Sorry for the delay in response here. I don't think I've actually covered that question in the past and it's a good question. I do not have a lot of live rock in my display at all (as you can see from the earlier pics). I don't like the cluttered look of a big rock wall and since it is viewable on 3 sides, there are just a handful if small islands. If I had to guess, I would say I have less than 100lbs in my display. I do have a 150g vat in my basement with another 150lbs. My goal was to eventually add another 150lbs to that vat but I never quite got around to it.

So, I have around 475 total gallons of water volume (tank, sump, and vat) and around 250lbs. of liverock. Filtration is just the skimmer. I do not use filter socks or anything else for filtration. I just run Carbon (although I ran out a couple of months ago and have not added any since), GFO (of some sort), and the Alpha 300 skimmer - that's it.

Hope that helps. Thanks so much for the comments on the tank. I really appreciate it.

 

[skinz78]

Ahh man, I got all excited for pics....:sad:

 

[soccerbag]

I figured I would give a quick update on the tank to try and revive this dinosaur of a thread....lol. The tank has gone through some changes over the past 6 months so I figured I would cover some of them. As we all know, priorities in life change constantly. And since my wife and I do not have kids, my priorities likely change more than most. Over the past year, the tank has taken a back seat to some other things in life. My wife and I have been traveling more, work has been a bit more stressful which has led to more work travel, and I have taken the time to get myself into better shape. Up until February of last year, I spent every ounce of energy I had with the tank (maintenance, water changes, cleaning, etc.). I have gotten into running Spartan races and have done 4 of them over the past year (with another 3 scheduled this year) and have taken off around 45lbs by training for them. I train pretty hard on a daily basis which has not left me a lot of time to spend with the tank.

I ended up selling most of the corals out of my frag tank to a good friend of mine. I will likely be selling the rest of them here over the next month or so (not a shameless plug by any stretch, just telling the story) so that I can take my frag tank off line. It has moved away from a propagation system and is now just something else to clean. I hate to say that but it's true. I'm hoping that by getting that tank offline, it will cut down on the "perceived" amount of maintenance I have to do. My display has also suffered a bit over the past year. I lost a few acros but most of them have been thriving. And some of them had grown to monster proportions so something had to be done. Over the past couple of days, I have done a complete overhaul on my system. I fragged some pieces of my overgrown acros and am starting over with them. I changed some of the rockwork around, changed out the sand, T5 bulbs, halide bulbs, and just did a good once-over on my system. It had been a while and neglect had led to some nuisance cyano which was driving me crazy.

I also did my first water change in 5 months! I was always religious in my water changes but going this long without one has changed my perception of how often they "really need" to be done. I am going to try for one every 2-3 months from here on to see how that goes. It's amazing just how much most of my acros grew without the constant water changes. Something to think about.....

I will try and post a few pics here of the new "look" this weekend. My priorities have shifted to more of an active lifestyle that has gotten me out of the house and away from my tank. While I do not regret this decision, I do feel constant guilt for not paying more attention to the tank inhabitants. The fish are happy and well fed, I added a new Vlamingi tang as well, and they have not missed a beat. I thought it was important to make this post as we all go through "cycles" with our tanks. While my cycle has led to a healthier me and a much better lifestyle, I do hope to that I can find some balance to get back to my love of reefing. I'm sure there is room for both.....I'm just struggling to find that happy medium.

Sorry for the novel....lol.

 

[MarvinsReef]

Thanks for the update Craig. good for yah on the healthier, more active lifestyle. yay on more travel too. we also love to travel.

I'm sure you'll figure out a happy medium soon with the new lifestyle and reefing.

 

[Aquaph8]

Great to see an update Craig, our lives are so opposite. My trips consist of Disneyland and other than being a non smoker now, I'm so out of shape. Maybe some races would be a good idea Glad things are going well for you, looking forward to seeing your beautiful tank.

 

[spspirate]

Hey Craig good to hear about your new endeavor! Thats great! Ive been running a lot these last couple of months. Its almost a type of meditation for me. You must be ripped by now brotha! I miss that frag tank..LOL. Can't wait to see the new look Thanks for the update

 

[Benson0219]

Any updates on your tank? :smile:

 

[PSU Reefer]

Any new pics Craig?

 

[wildcrazyjoker81]

Bump of an old thread and interested to see where it has gone from the last update a while ago. Still up and running or sell it all off or what?

 

[CoralReefDoc]

Craig. Whats the latest w the system ? No worries if its not near what it was, we get it ...

Post some pics &/or words !

I know I am speaking for many when saying I would love to hear the latest : )

 

[falconerr]

Craig. Whats the latest w the system ? No worries if its not near what it was, we get it ...

Post some pics &/or words !

I know I am speaking for many when saying I would love to hear the latest : )

Unfortunately he sold this tank, it is now a show tank at one of the lfs' s here in town. Hate to be the bearer of bad news.

 

[A+Aquatics]

How disappointing! I had a feeling about halfway through this thread that it wasn't going to end the way it it was conceived haha
A wonderful journey nonetheless!
I preach and preach and preach to clients about the importance of a quarantine system...few follow the guidelines. I suppose some individuals enjoy living on the edge