my 180g tank build when returning to saltwater hobby

[Sleeping Giant]

Wow love the pod culture

 

[kevgib67]

Like many of you, I started with a dream. Previously I had 5 saltwater tanks but when life happened sold tanks and fish. Memories of those tanks as well as any scuba or snorkeling would fan dream of returning to saltwater tank hobby. Those original fish only tanks were decorated with dead/dry corals, many from my parents trips to Florida Keys most winters while I was a child. I hung onto those corals, shelved in boxes in my parents' basement. Early 2019 those corals made their way to me in Texas, and dream took on more urgency. I joined local DFWMAS. I bought fish and coral books trying to replace what I used to have. I made my fish list. I dreamed more. In 2020 we completed remodeling enclosed porch off back of home. I set return to hobby target of Spring 2021.

Summary of thread:
- Original setup:
--- post #1 - initial purchase & setup, including tank floor shim
------- chiller undersized & replacement TBD August
------- floor shim aka support underneath tank
--- post #3 - water change plan (RO setup in laundry room)
--- post #5 - cleaning filter socks
--- post #6 - aquascape caves for fish sleeping (coming)
- Ongoing documentation
--- post #4 - mail order ICP water results from aquariumwatertesting.com
--- post #7 - coralline algae growth (main tank and its sump)
--- post #8 - CBB Copper Banded Butterfly (2nd try)
--- post #11 - live black worms (fridge keeper vs aquarium culture)
--- post #12 - UV sterilizer and bio-pellets (aka green hair algae control)
--- post #17 - Princess Anthias (aka my pink dream beauties)
--- post #18 - Pod Culture (aka growing pods using banana peel)
--- post #19 - Indoor Pod Lazy Culture 2.5g tank culturing bottle per day
----- jump right there: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/m...rning-to-saltwater-hobby.815645/#post-8744125


Original Setup:
Our home came with a "bonus room" which most in neighborhood had ripped off their homes due to poor construction. We framed out 2x4s on two walls to hide the house exterior bricks. We added ceiling and wall insulation, which likely is why most neighbors hated their bonus room electrical usage and/or temperature control (had NO insulation). We added ceiling canister lighting with two lights at "small end" (between doorways path) being controlled by dimmer and middle and other end of room 4 lights being controlled by another dimmer. Then we dry walled and trimmed so now entire room looks like "room" intended to always be there. We'd planned a mini-split heating/cooling unit but haven't yet purchased for installation (as of Summer 2021) but we do need/want that enhancement.

Before laying our travertine floor tile, we ground down cement super high areas, used thinset and cement to raise floor. We tried to ensure our tile laying was most flat where tank would go. As soon as room was remodeled and we were just doing our 'punch list items' I actively was watching for used reef parts to reduce my costs.

My local DFWMAS club sales forum included a complete tank setup sale from someone leaving hobby. I bought it. Our original planned tank size was smaller and middle of room along different wall. This meant our electricity plan for dedicated circuit with 4 outlets would essentially be unused and tank would share room's electricity. This also meant our careful flat floor placement wasn't going to be used by fishtank. Further below is 6 foot shim box details.

November 11, 2020 used a DFWMAS partner LFS to relocate tank, fish, anemones most water & all to our home. This first photo is eleven days after move on November 22, 2020 once water parameters, coral, 13 anemones and my 2 fish seemed stable.




Chiller (undersized replaced):
Above also came with a broken chiller which we fixed. The chiller has turned out to be undersized for our 180 gallon display tank. Adding to that, our room doesn't have the planned mini-split heating/cooling originally planned. The glass sliding door that was original to house is left open all the time so this room gets all its heat and cooling from main house. There is a ceiling fan to move air, and a giant original window that opened from kitchen to room is left open as well. We have added a floor box fan blowing from doorway to undersized chiller. We are also keeping tank canopy top side doors open to remove heat from tank area.

Replacement 1/4 HP chiller ordered and expected arrival by early August 2021.


Support Underneath aka "SHIMS":
Before stand and tank went in, we had to compensate for flooring. This room originally was porch, so sloped from front to side and side to side to facilitate draining away from house and garage foundations before original builder turned slab porch into bonus room. While floor may SEEM level, if you peek at white peeking underneath tank stand, you may be able to tell a little more white on right side than left side, when facing tank (see photo, above)

Since originally we had planned smaller tank, our tank placement shifted to area shown in above photo. This is because the original cement slab is thickest where room corner has house on one side and garage on other side.

Once realizing we were getting 180g tank, we measured stand then determined where it would be placed. We ripped down 1x6 lumber as "shims" to level all direction making flat surface to then sit display stand. These 1x6" also compensated for differences in each tile as the rectangular tiles in hex pattern had more rise/lift in the area where the 180g would ultimately be placed (shown).

For our 180g shims, we also used 4x4 posts cut crossgrain for added support and those went in corners and where down support posts in stand came down. We were also thinking ahead when laying 2 supports across bottom of stand so over time no bowing within stand itself, even though sides had support.

Instead of leaving bare wood, we painted all individual 'shim' parts with white paint leftover from room's remodel. After white paint dried, all parts were then taped to floor using painters tape so they would not shift when display tank was moved into place. After tank stand, tank itself, fish, water, etc was in, we removed visible blue painters tape from the three visible edges.

<TBD picture of 360 degree level 'shims' painted white, before tank stand on top>

Wow, great build thread! Your tank looks great, Impressive.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

today had water off going after aiptasia with F-aiptasia and thought our pink gonipora looks gorgeous... though suffering from 'bad hair' day lol

and in full tank shot our lawnmower blenny has to do photo bomb on pink goni... Muppet is such a ham!

Diamond goby has built 'sand castle' along right side front glass edge... suspect there was an aiptasia as I've noticed our diamond goby will bury aiptasia if we don't nuke them quickly enough. Our anemones were rehomed (with their clown fish) but we don't yet have replacement corals to make up for what anemones killed.

 

[kevgib67]

Amazing, looks great! Do you have a and sifting goby! What made the sand castle under your frag rack?

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Amazing, looks great! Do you have a and sifting goby! What made the sand castle under your frag rack?

yes, diamond goby

 

[kevgib67]

yes, diamond goby

That is what I expected, got one myself. White sand but uneven. Love them though!

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Aiptasia ​

Aiptasia snuck in, and given tank size and aquasculture, I can't reach them all for F-Aiptasia treatments. Did try CBB (long story). Did try peppermint shrimp (yes right types and sadly loved eating our hammer corals). Did try Berghia. Did try Biota Aiptasia Eating File Fish (diva, prefers other foods to aiptasia).

So, if money and resources were unlimited, I'd get myself three new tanks - frag tank to salvage corals, quarantine tank where all corals spend 3-6 months, and brand new tank to move into... knowing I might have to again move from main reef tank into another since aiptasias are so sneaky...

Going back to Berghia, combined with F-Aiptasia treatments. I may look into replacement canopy as I can't get the larger rocks out of tank without removing canopy and I can't remove this 180 gallon tank's canopy on my own. I also really wish tank had been positioned so I could get physically behind it (between tank and wall) so I could better go after aiptasias.

Here is my Berhia Breeding Tank Build thread:

Lisa's Pico Pair Aiptasia Farm for Berghia Breeding

Lisa's Pico Pair Aiptasia Farm for Berghia Breeding October 28, 2022 I just purchased 2 AIO DeskMates 4.8 gallon tanks Bundled tank supplies will be split among both tanks. One of these AIO (the one that gets the heater) will be for aiptasia, as it grows best between 78-80 degrees. Berghia...

forum.dfwmas.org

Since file fish and peppermint shrimp enjoy eating berghia nudibranches, they'll been rehomed into the 60 gallon CBB FOWLR tank.

Just picked up another four bottles of new pink colored F-Aiptasia from Melev's Reef (might still have to ASK for PINK as PINK is very very new):

F Aiptasia | Melev's Reef

melevsreef.com

Here are some of the upcoming victims as the Berghias aren't yet winning (aiptasia do eat berghia if able to catch it... plus my abundance of bristle worms may be irritating those fragile berghia) - thank goodness F-Aiptasia exists:

WOOP WOOP - December 9, 2022 update - Berghia are in the Pico Pair Berghia Breeding Tanks... okay, just one tank in use at the moment... got 7 young ones from local guy, got another 7 from saltyunderground up north (bit older), and got 13 breeding age berghia from florida... what a week!

December 31st update... then by following week's end we killed them all moving frags into breeding tank... started berghia breeders all over about December 18 or 19th ((hoping ones in main tank (shown) are doing well)... what a month!

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Aiptasia (continued)​

End of December, end of 2022 aiptasia. 2023 is going to be a better year than the way this year is trying to wrap up due to aiptasia.

These photos were taken December 26th:

 

[kevgib67]

Wow, just Wow!

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Aiptasia (2023 continued)​

Jan 5, 2023 update:
Last night, BF reports seeing large berghia on underside of flat rock in center of tank. Reports it seemed alone. On the plus side, this means:

• have not yet supplemented main tank with breeder bergia pico pair supply
• we didn't kill (all of) initial berghia that went into main tank

Curiously optimistic of positive outcome ... patience is the magic - I just need to believe that quote when it comes to my own _________ (fill in the blank).

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Aiptasia and Berghia​

February 1, 2023 update:
Late last night I spotted one extra large adult berghia carefully navigating its way thru medium sized aiptasia. I was feeling sad for it to hunt on its own, only to then notice it was making its way over to another extra large adult berghia.

On my phone last night, this below photo seemed much more clear, though it was late night.

In the center is the second berghia. At about 11 o'clock is the original discovered berghia. Nearly everything else that seems fuzzy is aiptasia on rock as well as some closed up zoas on left upper to middle side (with aiptasia intermixed).

I hope that last night's story goes (sooner than later):
Once upon a time there was a crazy heavy infestation of aiptasia, but a pack of berghia were lucky enough to join them. After lots of eating as if it was Thanksgiving feast every night and with lots of cuddling, the aiptasia were eradicated. Then the berghias with their generations of offspring lived happily ever after by moving to other aquariums.

Reality is my berghia breeding MAY have failed (again). They were hard to locate previously and aiptasias seem to be growing in the egg grow out tank instead of aiptasia disappearing. I am still adding tiny aiptasias just in case baby berghia are there, just still nearly invisible small.

I was lucky enough (aka spent MORE $$ at least 2x - nearly every payday I've been buying more berghia) in January again get some sub-adult and very juvenile berghias that I fed/feed aiptasias until they were/are bigger. Once young adult size I move packs over from tiny grow out tank to main tank. Ideally my growout juvenile tank and my egg grow out tank both have berghias I can fatten up, lengthen and move over. It may SEEM like an approach would be to leave 2-4 berghias to reach full mature extra large size because at about 60+ days their egg laying both quantities and egg viability are supposed to be outstanding... but that also means they have to be fed and they'll WAY out compete any babies and other young sizes... I'd rather have fully mature eating IN my main tank. If something happens that I think their babies are not doing well in main tank (guess by end of Feb/early March make decision... but not sure how I will really know given all my 'grow out' juveniles also being added to main tank)... but my Pico Pair Breeding Berghia Tank may need third Berghia egg laying tank for adults... I've got two aiptasia tanks going but its really my main tank that supplies nearly all aiptasias pico tanks berghia eat. Some day, hope is main tank is empty of aiptasia and instead berghia will be eating from aiptasia specific tanks...

 

[Hawgpharm]

I had the same problem during my first run. The berghia eventually hit a point where they apparently "won", only for me to realize later that the aiptasia hiding within the bowels of the rock were better at surviving than the starving berghia that I couldn't rehome.

I've got to be more patient this time.

Good luck with yours.