Labridaedicteds 180 Build

[Labridaedicted]

Also, I prefer running titanium heaters and understand that they can be problematic at high wattage in an acrylic sump.

Well, I came up with a solution for that problem!

I took pvc pipe (1.5") and used a hole saw to make Swiss cheese. I used a pair of bushings to keep the heater suspended by the rubber ends inside the pvc, so the heater doesn't contact acrylic or pvc outside the rubber ends.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Also, I prefer running titanium heaters and understand that they can be problematic at high wattage in an acrylic sump.

Well, I came up with a solution for that problem!

I took pvc pipe (1.5") and used a hole saw to make Swiss cheese. I used a pair of bushings to keep the heater suspended by the rubber ends inside the pvc, so the heater doesn't contact acrylic or pvc outside the rubber ends.

Cool idea!

 

[Susan Edwards]

Following. Wow, what an undertaking! Can't wait to see all finished pics. I'm planning on a larger tank at some point but won't be able to do a sump room as there are no closets anywhere that I'd put the tank. Hubby wasn't thrilled with my thought of putting a shed against living room wall and plumbing to that. Plus, my area is so hot I'd really have to have a large chiller. Maybe 2...

 

[Labridaedicted]

Thanks Susan! You'll get your big tank eventually, I'm sure! Took me a decade before I had the space for this behemoth. It was kind of negotiated into our house shopping that I would need a space for a big system.

I realized I have been neglecting my build thread since getting back from Montana. (Which was amazing! I'll include a few pics from that in this post, too!!!)

I ran the cycle on the tank while I was gone and used my dosing pump to add microbacter each day to the dt. I also dosed with ammonium chloride up to 4ppm before I left. Before I even left, I had measured a decrease in my ammonia and a measurable amount of nitrite. I had my father in law check the tank when he came to feed the chickens while we were away. About 4 days before we got back he asked if there was supposed to be fuzzy green on the rocks. I replied, sure it's cycling, so a little hair algae would not be unusual. Then I received this pic...............[emoji44]

More hair algae than I've EVER had in a cycle. I assume my dry rock must have leeched phosphates. I should have cooked them... lesson learned. (I had never used dry rock before, always LR and figured how bad could the phosphates be in rock that's quarried? Bad, it turns out.)

Once I got home it was time to get to work! The tank was cycled with no ammonia, nitrite, and about 8ppm nitrates. So cleanup crew was en route! Got the CUC in the tank and did a water change by siphoning as much algae as possible out. Mainly the rocks. The glass could wait. Seemed like a good nutrient sink. I also took this opportunity to transfer the contents of the 29 over. Everything went well.....

Which reminds me! I also had to finish the filter rack! Really is was done, but needed to add the frag rack and dial in the pump and whatnot. I also added the RapidLED Corona i had on the 29 to light the frag tank plus a spare dual t5 light I had laying around. Pretty happy with how that turned out.

Back to main tank action...

I figured the cleanup crew could use some heavy artillery, so I also took this opportunity to add one of my stocklist fish... a yellow blotched rabbitfish!

There wasn't much else in the way of fish in the tank and he was aquacultured and treated at the LFS upon arrival, so I took a gamble and added him directly to the display along with a pearly jaw and rainfords goby. They got a few days of obs qt, but after showing no signs of sickness and eating like pigs, they also went in (again, a gamble so quick, but gobies aren't particularly prone to parasites and they had been through copper and malachite at the store).

Also, got a little frag tank candy... well... bubble gum, actually.

Since then the tank is looking better. Got the calcium reactor up and running and some GFO. The GFO has slowed the algae growth along with a shorter photo period until it's in check.

Auto feeder is ready to run, but not actually dosing yet since I don't have enough fish to really need it, yet. Soon, though...

Calcium Reactor...

Big sale this weekend at the LFS and I'm hoping to get one of my bucket list fish that is in stock.... fingers crossed!

Will update after that! [emoji1]

 

[Susan Edwards]

Wow What a sweet set up and nice vacation pics. Never been to Montana. fingers crossed on your new additions! Eager to get my tank restocked but will try to go slow. Remaking a fish list and what corals I want to add next.

 

[Steven Hunter]

Most definitely going to follow this build. I like the deep sand bed on the end, awesome build so far.

 

[Labridaedicted]

I owe y'all a monster update post.... I'll take some pics and do a write up for tomorrow.

Here is was my project from today...

I wired in my breakout box and my wife and i made the labels today.

[emoji16]

 

[Labridaedicted]

Ok, so without further ado, here goes the prior mentioned monster update...

Since I last checked in, the tank has fully broken in and the algae is gone. Ended up having to get a seahare to get things in check, but he and the rabbitfish did good work. The seahare is now in the frag tank keeping things tidy in there. He'll be going to a more green home soon.

This is what the tank looks like as of last night...

I know what you might be thinking to yourself..... "But Chan? I only thought you had a goby and a rabbitfish?"

Well my friends, allow me to elaborate!

So, in my last big update, I mentioned a big sale at my LFS (and some sort of lists of bucket fish or something). Well, I did in fact luck up and get 2 of my higher end must have fish. First up, my fave fish. (Whom you may recognize from my avatar nowadays)

My Lineatus Wrasse!

During this same sale, I also managed to snag a White Tail Bristle tooth Tang

This is his good side. He had a cut on his side that is healing. He did not respond well to a prazi treatment and most of his pectoral and caudal fin dissapeared. His photo is also from last night, so as you can see, he has recovered well. Selcon soaked foods work wonders for fish health.

Later, I added 2 more new inhabitants....

Pearly Jawfish

McCoskers Flasher Wrasse

In a dissapointing turn of events, my Yashia also jumped out of the tank through 1/8 inch acrylic mesh somehow.... it is rather remarkable that he managed to go through since he seemed larger than the mesh size. So I have picked up a new larger shrimp goby. He'll get some photos once he's more settled. [emoji4]

I've also been stocking coral now that the calcium reactor is settled and my parameters are nice and stable. I didn't break out the macro lens, but here's a few shots of what's in the dt and frag tank now...

I've also gotten things more settled in the fish room. I got the breakout box wired up and made a skimmate vault with an integrated float switch and a carbon air filter (prepare yourself for some clearly DIY with what I had around the fish room scraps beauty.......)

And built a brine hatchery

The electronics cabinet is starting to fill up, but most of my equipment is installed now and I don't anticipate needing to put too much more in it. So it's a bit of chaos inside, but looks nice on the outside...

You'd hardly be. Be able to guess this is what it looks like inside, haha

I also got the auto feeder plumbed in and running. Mysis gets fed 3x per day with the doser, roe 1x in the afternoon, pellets (pe or spectrum) 1x per day, Selcon soaked mysis 1x per day, and Selcon dried nori once per day or every 2 days (depends on how the herbivores are looking, and they are usually pretty rotund at every other day. You ever see fish waddle, because that rabbitfish waddles)

I plan on some more coral additions and adding my anthias harem next, so expect an update soon!

 

[Labridaedicted]

Here's a few more random photos from last night's photo session....

 

[Maritimer]

Beautiful setup!

Love the dosers for feeding frozen - so will those anthias. What species are you planning?

The terraced sandbed on the right ... for jawfish?

~Bruce

 

[Labridaedicted]

Beautiful setup!

Love the dosers for feeding frozen - so will those anthias. What species are you planning?

The terraced sandbed on the right ... for jawfish?

~Bruce

Thanks!

The plan was for the jawfish to use the deep sand bed, but as these things go, he set up under the middle rock stack. He looks pretty happy there, though.

As far as anthias, I'm debating on lyretails or Bartlett's. With the frequent feedings I do, I think most anthias would be ok, but I think I want to stick with hardier species.

Also, transferred a few things from the frag tank over this evening. It's starting to look a proper reef in there!

 

[Maritimer]

Nice!

I will say that when I brought home the four smallest Bartlett's I could find, one turned male, bullied two others into hiding, the remaining one turned male and the two fought horribly. The smaller (and better-looking) of the two wound up dying, and the remaining Bartlett's bullied my flasher wrasses into constant hiding.

I wound up taking that single remaining fellow to the LFS, and am considering having a go with Randall's once the 220 is ready-steady and the QT opens up. (When I get good at this game, I'd like to try purple tukas . . . )

~Bruce

 

[Chris Kelly]

looking cool

 

[Chris Kelly]

looking cool

 

[Labridaedicted]

Nice!

I will say that when I brought home the four smallest Bartlett's I could find, one turned male, bullied two others into hiding, the remaining one turned male and the two fought horribly. The smaller (and better-looking) of the two wound up dying, and the remaining Bartlett's bullied my flasher wrasses into constant hiding.

I wound up taking that single remaining fellow to the LFS, and am considering having a go with Randall's once the 220 is ready-steady and the QT opens up. (When I get good at this game, I'd like to try purple tukas . . . )

~Bruce

I was also considering pictilis and resplendant, but they have their own set of issues. I've still got time to decide, haha. Thanks for heads up on the bartletts. I had heard they could be pugnacious fellas!

looking cool

Thanks! I'm becoming more happy with it now that it's getting stocked. I wasn't sure 100% on the rockscape (but really... how many of us are at first, haha) but I think it's going to look good once the colonies start filling out.

 

[Labridaedicted]

Finally managed to get a good shot of the goby. He was generically listed at the lfs as a watchman goby, but I'm pretty sure he's actually an Amblyeleotris. Amblyeleotris latifasciata is my best guess. He paired right up with the shrimp when I plunked him in, though. I knew where the shrimp was burrowed and released the goby in the dt right next to that stack.

 

[Labridaedicted]

Took a short video of the tank just now.



Also, no one can claim my fish don't eat enough, haha! I've got one fat wrasse!

 

[Labridaedicted]

Hey gang! Few more updates! I think a few of you saw my post the other day about butterflies in reef tanks? Well that was in response to me picking up this fella!

I regret not getting pictures of him early in qt, because he ended up nosing the glass the first few days and damaged his mouth. He is eating selcon soaked blood worms (even with the mouth damage) and had since stopped nosing the glass and it seems to be healing. I decided to run him through antibiotics though as I didn't like the look of the wound. I'll post some more pics once he's out of treatment.

I also got another one of my wrasse must-haves...

I picked up the pintail on Friday and he's running through qt now but was eating within an hour of going in the tank.

Got a few more acro colonies, too, but they're still coloring up, so I'll post them later.

 

[Maritimer]

Nice!

Both of those fish are on my wishlist too.

~Bruce

 

[Labridaedicted]

Nice!

Both of those fish are on my wishlist too.

~Bruce

I was originally planning on a pyramid butterfly, but when I came across a copperband that was eating I had to go for it. Hopefully he doesn't develop a taste for coral