My First Saltwater Adventure - 120 Gallon Peninsula

[dbl]

Took awhile to read through this thread. Very nice build and im loving that tube nem!!

Thank you. The Tube Nem belongs to my better half. It's one of a couple of things that are hers. But I will say, that thing is really beautiful and it too is doing great.

 

[dbl]

I finally got a semi-decent picture of the Pintail, albeit with my cell phone. The Pink Spotted cooperated pretty well too. Lastly is the CBB just happened to swim by. The last one is the view of the tree the fish have enjoyed...lol.

 

[Crabs McJones]

I finally got a semi-decent picture of the Pintail, albeit with my cell phone. The Pink Spotted cooperated pretty well too. Lastly is the CBB just happened to swim by.

I've said it before (probably in this thread even) and I'll say it again, absolutely LOVE your CBB your pintail is gorgeous as well

 

[Flippers4pups]

Me too on the CBB! Pintail is a looker as well!

 

[Janci]

I finally got a semi-decent picture of the Pintail, albeit with my cell phone. The Pink Spotted cooperated pretty well too. Lastly is the CBB just happened to swim by. The last one is the view of the tree the fish have enjoyed...lol.

Nice shots.
Happy holidays!

 

[Shefilbel7]

Everyone likes pictures, so here we go. Remember, although the first picture is not actually in my aquarium, it is a shot of me with my favorite "fish" and the reason I'm now in this hobby - yes, it's her fault. I'm still trying to master aquarium photography and as you will see, I haven't quite figured it out. So this is just a small sampling of what's going on so far. Still working on getting a decent full tank shot.

What size plywood did you use for the panels? And what type of magnets did you use? I’m looking to put all removable panels on my new stand but haven’t found too many examples of that yet

 

[dbl]

What size plywood did you use for the panels? And what type of magnets did you use? I’m looking to put all removable panels on my new stand but haven’t found too many examples of that yet

Well I actually made these a little differently than I would a normal panel or door. I knew they were going to be heavy and I didn't want to rely solely on a magnet. So...

I actually made the frame of the panels out of a 1x2 board, and the 1/2" plywood panel is attached to the frame so it sticks out from the frame, creating a "ledge" if you will, on the inside of the panel. When the panel is installed on the stand, that ledge actually rests on the bottom of the stand opening itself, thusly supporting the weight of the panel. The panel actually supports itself without a magnet to hold it in place for the most part.

I did put one simple magnet on the top simply to keep it from falling as a back up. The picture below is the magnet I used.

The latest thing I did was put a magnetic light switch on one panel on both sides, wired to the breakout box. Pop a panel off and the underbelly lights come on. I'm rather technologically challenged, so that was quite the accomplishment for me...lol.

Hopefully all this makes sense, if not, I'll try to grab a picture to help explain it further.

 

[DSC reef]

@dbl we have similar taste in corals, we had a pumpkin patch chalice too Tank is looking absolutely stunning.

 

[dbl]

@dbl we have similar taste in corals, we had a pumpkin patch chalice too Tank is looking absolutely stunning.

Thanks Dennis. To be honest, my philosophy when it comes to corals is quite simple. If I like it, I buy it. I really don't care what it's called or if it has a fancy name.

As you know Dennis, I posted the picture below of a colony of rastas in another thread. My wife bought them as a few polyps because she liked the color. We had no idea that rastas, at least at one point in time, were a big deal...lol.

 

[DSC reef]

I agree 100 percent my friend. Colors and contrast build a reef. We can't wait to start our clam garden.

 

[Crabs McJones]

I cant wait to see this system in person some day

 

[dbl]

I cant wait to see this system in person some day

Oh man...make sure you give me plenty of warning. It's been rather neglected over the last many months....lol.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Oh man...make sure you give me plenty of warning. It's been rather neglected over the last many months....lol.

Nah I'll just show up at your door one day lol

 

[dbl]

Nah I'll just show up at your door one day lol

And you know I would open it pal. Remember, the clowns are named Grey and Goose for a reason.

 

[Janci]

Hi David, how is the reef doing nowadays?

 

[dbl]

Hi David, how is the reef doing nowadays?

Surviving...lol.

My poor little tank has been all but neglected for the last many, many months. Despite that, I haven't lost anything thank goodness. So I'm still doing something right knock on wood.

I really need to spend some time with it and give it a kick in the behind. I've actually been meaning to outline a plan here and get some feedback. I'll work on that and post it up.

 

[GoVols]

Amazing coral, David

 

[dbl]

Amazing coral, David

I'll let Deb know you said so since it's hers...lol. Thanks a bunch Freddie.

 

[dbl]

Well, I'm terrible at keeping this updated, but figured I'd do a little PSA update with something I discovered today.

The tank has been badly neglected for a while now, but I've noticed the water level in the display had raised just enough that I was starting to get splashes on the outside of the glass. Fiddled with the siphon over the last week or so to no avail.

So today I decided to check the main drain because I have a statiner on it. Although very, very dirty, water level was still high after cleaning it. Then I just happened to notice the coraline algae build up on the teeth of the overflow.

Got out the scalpel and went to work. I was shocked at how thick the build up was and the restriction it was causing. Let's just say the water level is back to normal so I should be good for another five years.

So if anyone reads this and ever discovers their water level raising for no apparent reason, check your overflow teeth. It may be the issue.

 

[dbl]

A rare update to this thread. In the last update, I noted the tank had been neglected and there is nothing to update there. In fact, if anything it had gotten worse...to the point I had even stopped cleaning the glass regularly. Just enough that I could check in on the fish while feeding them.

Thankfully my bride finally put her foot down and said clean it, make it look nice again, or get rid of it. So I decided to spend about four to five hours yesterday doing one thing - cleaning the glass as the first step to recovery.

So I'll share a few pictures not to demonstrate anything in particular. Not to show growth or colonization of corals. Not to show off any fish or inverts. These pictures are merely to show that you can once again see inside the tank somewhat clearly...lol.