Bryan's 180g CustomAquariums Build
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bean2986
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Not too much going on right now. I did introduce all of my surviving inhabitants from my 65g into the new DT a few weeks ago. For the first few days all they did was inspect the black silicone and go up and down the corners non-stop for days. All 4 fish were doing this and it was fun to watch.
Once that stopped they seem quite at home. Seeing a 180g with just four nano fish that spend most of their time together still is sad but I’ll get there.
As far as QT, I picked up a Firefish from my LFS and ordered 3 Scissortail Dartfish and Tanaka’s Pygmy Wrasse from Liveaquaria.
The Firefish is done with 2 rounds of Prazi and a week into copper.
The Dartfish arrived in tough shape. 1 DOA and another with what looked like flukes in the eye. It passed away right after I dosed Prazi. The other Scissortail and the Wrasse are doing great, completed Prazi and started got up to full dose copper today. Not really happy with losing half my order, so might be stick to LFS moving forward.
The DT itself is definitely going through an ugly phase. I just got my Chaeto in it today from QT and I’ve got a considerable amount of GHA from what I can only assume is the Pukani. I’m going to just let it run it’s course and hopefully it will pull everything out of the rocks and die off.
Once that stopped they seem quite at home. Seeing a 180g with just four nano fish that spend most of their time together still is sad but I’ll get there.
As far as QT, I picked up a Firefish from my LFS and ordered 3 Scissortail Dartfish and Tanaka’s Pygmy Wrasse from Liveaquaria.
The Firefish is done with 2 rounds of Prazi and a week into copper.
The Dartfish arrived in tough shape. 1 DOA and another with what looked like flukes in the eye. It passed away right after I dosed Prazi. The other Scissortail and the Wrasse are doing great, completed Prazi and started got up to full dose copper today. Not really happy with losing half my order, so might be stick to LFS moving forward.
The DT itself is definitely going through an ugly phase. I just got my Chaeto in it today from QT and I’ve got a considerable amount of GHA from what I can only assume is the Pukani. I’m going to just let it run it’s course and hopefully it will pull everything out of the rocks and die off.
I just ordered a 48x36x24 Peninsula tank from custom aquariums 2 weeks ago. I am in the same boat as lead time is mid January so lots of time to settle on equipment. Hoping to be able to take advantage of black Friday deals and Christmas to get the necessities. Curious to see if those braces settle. I did order the foam as suggested from the sales person and their steel stand that we will skim out. We only live about an hour from the facility so we are going to pick up ourselves. They gave us $250 off for picking up but said tank will not be "crated" just on pallets and wrapped in plastic. Hopefully we don't run into issues with the bracing in the move. How do you like the overflows? We ended up going with one siphon overflow with box and 2 returns. Hoping we made the right decision...
On another note I have nearly the same fish as you in my Nano. They sure are going to look funny in the 180!
On another note I have nearly the same fish as you in my Nano. They sure are going to look funny in the 180!
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bean2986
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The corners still have not settled, and I'm guessing they won't at this point. The weight of the tank is on the foam now and not the metal so I imagine it's going to take a long time.
The overflow serves it's purpose very well but it is louder than I was expecting. I wasn't aiming for a silent set-up though, so it's fine for me. If you need dead quiet though, might not be for you.
The overflow serves it's purpose very well but it is louder than I was expecting. I wasn't aiming for a silent set-up though, so it's fine for me. If you need dead quiet though, might not be for you.
Your tank looks well thought out. Love your scaping, too!!
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bean2986
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Long time with no updates! Was very busy with the holidays and was then hit head on by a wrong way driver, so the tank has taken a back seat for awhile. Regardless, I’ve been continuing to stock the tank.
I’ve had a few QT mishaps. I killed a Tanaka’s Possum Wrasse with copper poisoning on day 5 of 5 of “slowly” ramping it up. Moving forward all wrasses will be ramped up over 7+ days. I also bought 5 “Small Female Lyretail Anthias” that were supposed to be 1.5” or less. I received 5 LARGE females (3”+), two of which were morphing. After about two weeks, the bigger female killed the smaller morph and I ended up with 4. I’m amazed the rest lived, because the biofilter in my 65 QT could not keep up. That’s why I ordered small...
My algae has gotten worse but has since plateaued. If anything it’s starting to lose its hold a bit. Tomorrow I have 20 snails going into the DT from my invert QT so I’m hoping that helps. I assume it’s all from the rocks leaching phosphates since it’s only the back wall and the rocks with growth.
All the fish seem happy and energetic. The corals are growing slowly but I haven’t started dosing yet so CA and Alk are staying around 380/7 so not much expectation there. So far the stock list is:
4x Lyretail
3x Green Chromis
Scissortail Dartfish
Yellow Banded Possum Wrasse
Pink Streak Wrasse
Royal Gramma
Firefish
Occ Clown
In QT I have:
Midas Blenny
Yellow Coris Wrasse
Once those two are out and in the DT, I will be done with fish for awhile. I’ll focus on getting the algae under control and getting my dosing up and running. I really want more corals in the tank, but it’s not even close to ready for that.
I’ve had a few QT mishaps. I killed a Tanaka’s Possum Wrasse with copper poisoning on day 5 of 5 of “slowly” ramping it up. Moving forward all wrasses will be ramped up over 7+ days. I also bought 5 “Small Female Lyretail Anthias” that were supposed to be 1.5” or less. I received 5 LARGE females (3”+), two of which were morphing. After about two weeks, the bigger female killed the smaller morph and I ended up with 4. I’m amazed the rest lived, because the biofilter in my 65 QT could not keep up. That’s why I ordered small...
My algae has gotten worse but has since plateaued. If anything it’s starting to lose its hold a bit. Tomorrow I have 20 snails going into the DT from my invert QT so I’m hoping that helps. I assume it’s all from the rocks leaching phosphates since it’s only the back wall and the rocks with growth.
All the fish seem happy and energetic. The corals are growing slowly but I haven’t started dosing yet so CA and Alk are staying around 380/7 so not much expectation there. So far the stock list is:
4x Lyretail
3x Green Chromis
Scissortail Dartfish
Yellow Banded Possum Wrasse
Pink Streak Wrasse
Royal Gramma
Firefish
Occ Clown
In QT I have:
Midas Blenny
Yellow Coris Wrasse
Once those two are out and in the DT, I will be done with fish for awhile. I’ll focus on getting the algae under control and getting my dosing up and running. I really want more corals in the tank, but it’s not even close to ready for that.
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I decided I wanted a more furniture-like stand than what I could buy pre-made. I wanted oak for the grain and durability, and I wanted the stand to look similiar to a buffet/ server instead of a fish tank.
I started by using templates for the 2x4 frame and decided to go with a 2x6 upper rim with 2x4 vertical posts every 2' on center.
I bought Bessey clamps (best thing ever) for pretty cheap at Woodcraft/ Home Depot and went to town. At no point did I need another person to get this built. Actually, the plan was to use screws and glue, but the clamps made it so easy I skipped screws altogether.
The bottom frame was made of 2x4 with 1' on center spacing to support the weight of the 75g sump going under the tank.
For overall height, I wanted 40". I wanted to be looking into my tank when standing. I'm 6ft tall, so the top rim being at 64" was good enough, and about as tall as I was comfortable going. I'll need a step ladder to get to the bottom, but that's fine.
Vertical legs were all 2x4. The ends were two 2x4 in an L Shape for extra support. I needed a minimum opening of 18.5" for the sump to get in and out through the ends so the short end of the L is facing the sides. Both ends will be large doors. One side primarily for sump access and the other for my Apex and other electronics.
Skinning of the stand was done in sections. Do get my faux buffet look I created fake doors by cutting a 2x8 into sections and flying them to the 2x6 rim and the 2x4 legs.
To create the doors, I cut 1x4 red oak into the correct length, and used a table saw to crest groves for oak paneling I purchased at the lumber yard. The completed product gave me the look I wanted.
I messed around with 4 different stains trying to get the "driftwood" I wanted, with no luck. I decided to go with Minwax Weathered Oak and then whitewash. After putting down my first coat of stain, I loved the way it looked and decided not to mess with the whitewash.
I purchased hardware at Hobby Lobby and installed magnets on the doors.
Last minute I added some plywood to the back for additional support. Once done, into the house it went while I waited a few more weeks for the tank to arrive.
So pretty.
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bean2986
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Out of desperation for not being able to physically perform big water changes and harvest algae, I decided to buy a bottle of Vibrant. I just read about this stuff for the first time, so it's worth a shot. I'll document the process here. Here's some pictures of my tank taken right before the first dose. My oldest fighting conch can't even bury himself in the sand because he's covered in algae (pic below). I'm not entirely sure what everything is, but I think I have GHA, Bryopsis, Cyano and Diatoms. This is definitely from the Pukani rock. I never had algae issues like this in my previous build.
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bean2986
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My new Refugium light arrived today. Trying to get a more powerful light than the flood light to outcompete the algae/ T5 in the display. I ordered a 300W Viparspectra grow light.
I’m starting to see subtle changes from the vibrant. What I thought was Beyopdis is starting to go grey and wilt and the ends. None of the other algae seems affected yet though.
Today I also go an awesome deal on a Chevron Tang, so I drove around getting all my wish list tangs so I could QT and add at once.
4” Convict
3” Chevron
2-3” Scopas
2” Hippo
The Convict, Hippo and Scopas all ate nori when I threw it in. The Chevron is too stressed with the new surroundings to eat. Hopefully tomorrow. I’ll post pictures when I can get some good ones.
I’m starting to see subtle changes from the vibrant. What I thought was Beyopdis is starting to go grey and wilt and the ends. None of the other algae seems affected yet though.
Today I also go an awesome deal on a Chevron Tang, so I drove around getting all my wish list tangs so I could QT and add at once.
4” Convict
3” Chevron
2-3” Scopas
2” Hippo
The Convict, Hippo and Scopas all ate nori when I threw it in. The Chevron is too stressed with the new surroundings to eat. Hopefully tomorrow. I’ll post pictures when I can get some good ones.
Out of desperation for not being able to physically perform big water changes and harvest algae, I decided to buy a bottle of Vibrant. I just read about this stuff for the first time, so it's worth a shot. I'll document the process here. Here's some pictures of my tank taken right before the first dose. My oldest fighting conch can't even bury himself in the sand because he's covered in algae (pic below). I'm not entirely sure what everything is, but I think I have GHA, Bryopsis, Cyano and Diatoms. This is definitely from the Pukani rock. I never had algae issues like this in my previous build.
I'm new. However, if your physically limited have you considered talking to your local club, maybe get some local assistance? I would totally do weekly water changes for someone unable if they were in a 30 minute radius of me. I know I can't alone.
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bean2986
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Yeah,.. I’ve though about it. I’m hoping between therapy and time I’ll be better soonish and get the restrictions lifted. If this ends up being a long term injury (more than another month), I’ll hire an LFS for maintenance and send a bill to the guy who hit me
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bean2986
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Eventful last two days! Finished acquiring my entire stock list (assuming they survive QT). I purchased the tangs I mentioned above into the 65 Gal QT AND I also I got another Scissortail Dartfish and juvenile Melanarus Wrasse for the 20 QT.
The Chevron, Hippo and Scopas are all eating multiple foods and nori. The convict ate nori on the first day, but hasn't eaten in front of me since. I noticed the Hippo flashing yesterday repeatedly for several hours, so I started copper immediately. I'm quickly raising it to theraputic over 3 days as a precaution. Usually I treat Prazi first, but didn't want to risk it with these guys.
As promised here are the tangs:
Final stock list is a bit different than I originally planned but close:
4 Lyretail Anthias
3 Green Chromis
1 Royal Gramma
1 Pink Streaked Wrasse
1 Yellow Banded Possum Wrasse
1 Firefish
2 Scissortail Dartfish
1 Yellow Coris Wrasse
1 Melanarus Wrasse
1 Occ Clown
1 Midas Blenny
1 Convict Tang
1 Hippo Tang
1 Scopas Tang
1 Chevron Tang
The Chevron, Hippo and Scopas are all eating multiple foods and nori. The convict ate nori on the first day, but hasn't eaten in front of me since. I noticed the Hippo flashing yesterday repeatedly for several hours, so I started copper immediately. I'm quickly raising it to theraputic over 3 days as a precaution. Usually I treat Prazi first, but didn't want to risk it with these guys.
As promised here are the tangs:
Final stock list is a bit different than I originally planned but close:
4 Lyretail Anthias
3 Green Chromis
1 Royal Gramma
1 Pink Streaked Wrasse
1 Yellow Banded Possum Wrasse
1 Firefish
2 Scissortail Dartfish
1 Yellow Coris Wrasse
1 Melanarus Wrasse
1 Occ Clown
1 Midas Blenny
1 Convict Tang
1 Hippo Tang
1 Scopas Tang
1 Chevron Tang
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bean2986
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Not much to update. I've had a heck of a time getting the Convict Tang to eat. I started a thread about it here:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/getting-new-convict-tang-to-eat-in-qt.360678/page-2#post-4486777
As of now he still isn't really eating, just picking. At this point it's just a waiting game to see if he starves or not...
The most exciting update is that I'm winning the algae battle thanks to Vibrant. Here is my tank after 6 doses (new phone so pics are better). Same snail was up against the glass today so I got pics of him too.
The bryopsis is almost gone. Some red slime is popping up, but 95% of the algae is gone. I am confident I can control the rest through normal export. I feel like I can focus on the fun parts of the hobby again... This stuff is a miracle worker. All corals and inverts actually look better now. I have more PE and my snails seem less lethargic.
Overall very excited about the next few weeks. Huge frag swap next Saturday, so that will probably be my next update.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/getting-new-convict-tang-to-eat-in-qt.360678/page-2#post-4486777
As of now he still isn't really eating, just picking. At this point it's just a waiting game to see if he starves or not...
The most exciting update is that I'm winning the algae battle thanks to Vibrant. Here is my tank after 6 doses (new phone so pics are better). Same snail was up against the glass today so I got pics of him too.
The bryopsis is almost gone. Some red slime is popping up, but 95% of the algae is gone. I am confident I can control the rest through normal export. I feel like I can focus on the fun parts of the hobby again... This stuff is a miracle worker. All corals and inverts actually look better now. I have more PE and my snails seem less lethargic.
Overall very excited about the next few weeks. Huge frag swap next Saturday, so that will probably be my next update.
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bean2986
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After 8 doses of Vibrant the tank is pretty clean. The last of the bryopsis just went so I will be backing off the aggressive Vibrant regimen and moving towards a maintenance dose.
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
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bean2986
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Two big updates this week. I was finally cleared to lift up to 50lbs which gave me the option to do a big water change and finally finish putting the stand together.
As I mentioned in earlier posts, I wasn't anticipating the plywood or the foam when I designed and buillt the stand. This left me with quite a bit if exposed plywood and foam that you can see in many pictures in this thread. My solution was to use 1x2 red oak strips and create a rim/ moulding around the tank giving the stand the shaker-style look I really wanted. Below is the completed product and I couldn't be happier.
Also I am completely stocked with fish. My list has evolved a few times based on QT deaths and not wanting to buy the fish again. I lost the following in QT over the last 6 months:
Tailspot Blenny - aggression
Firefish- jumped
Tanaka's pygmy wrasse - copper poisoning
Scissortail dartfish - bacterial infection
Convict tank- Starved to death
Overall, I'm sad about the losses but i feel like I still did pretty well. The only fish I feel like i murdered was the wrasse...
So the final stocking list (QTs are gone!) Is:
4 Lyretail Anthias
3 Green Chromis
1 Royal Gramma
1 Pink Streaked Wrasse
1 Yellow Banded Possum Wrasse
1 Firefish
2 Scissortail Dartfish
1 Yellow Coris Wrasse
1 Occ Clown
1 Midas Blenny
1 Hippo Tang
1 Scopas Tang
1 Chevron Tang
Everyone is getting along great. The only aggression is the male anthias who is nuts. Now it's time to move on to corals!
As I mentioned in earlier posts, I wasn't anticipating the plywood or the foam when I designed and buillt the stand. This left me with quite a bit if exposed plywood and foam that you can see in many pictures in this thread. My solution was to use 1x2 red oak strips and create a rim/ moulding around the tank giving the stand the shaker-style look I really wanted. Below is the completed product and I couldn't be happier.
Also I am completely stocked with fish. My list has evolved a few times based on QT deaths and not wanting to buy the fish again. I lost the following in QT over the last 6 months:
Tailspot Blenny - aggression
Firefish- jumped
Tanaka's pygmy wrasse - copper poisoning
Scissortail dartfish - bacterial infection
Convict tank- Starved to death
Overall, I'm sad about the losses but i feel like I still did pretty well. The only fish I feel like i murdered was the wrasse...
So the final stocking list (QTs are gone!) Is:
4 Lyretail Anthias
3 Green Chromis
1 Royal Gramma
1 Pink Streaked Wrasse
1 Yellow Banded Possum Wrasse
1 Firefish
2 Scissortail Dartfish
1 Yellow Coris Wrasse
1 Occ Clown
1 Midas Blenny
1 Hippo Tang
1 Scopas Tang
1 Chevron Tang
Everyone is getting along great. The only aggression is the male anthias who is nuts. Now it's time to move on to corals!
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