Squig
New Member
Hey Everyone!
Just joined the site today and I thought it would be fun to document my progress! I have been in the aquarium hobby for 16 years now, ever since my dad and I had a 20 gallon freshwater tank when I was young. I really enjoy the hobby because of all the skills you learn keeping these complex biological environments thriving.
Last year I got into reefing by purchasing a 120 gallon tank. Its was going to be my first endeavor into reefing, and by god it was going to be big!
Picture of the tank filling (Lets hope she holds boys!)
I guess it didn't break (phew). This is a few months later after some elbow grease and a couple of (minor?) apartment floods.
I had to move about two months ago to a new apartment. Now, if you haven't moved a tank before, you probably don't know that it is a task believed by some to be the punishment of the ninth circle of hell. This tank is no longer set up.
I learned a lot from this tank. Firstly, I used too much rock. I feel like there was not enough depth of view. In a few places, the tank glass was really hard to clean because there was not much space.When I did the layout for this tank, I designed it in the tank. I didn't enjoy this method because it was super hard to place the rocks and I was running back and forth constantly to see how it looked. The next time around I was going to use dry rock and glue everything outside the tank and then cure it. I really feel I could get a much better layout without feeling rushed.
I used cement blocks for a base with egg crate and fiberglass reflector rods that ran up the rock structures. The next time around I used epoxy. I think the extra rigidity from the epoxy is great. I also think you can really get the shapes and angles you want with epoxy. The cement blocks were detrimental for my yellow rose antenna goby and candy cane pistol shrimp pair, who couldn't burrow any where they pleased. However, the biggest problem was that you could really see the supports, and when the sand blew around, the cement. Finally, the need for a controller became really apparent about the third time I had water on my carpet.
On to new things!
I have come to the conclusion that I will probably be moving a fair amount in the next couple years. So I have decided to do the biocube thing. Now I have had this cube set up for two months and I have to say that I am really enjoying the size. I had the bigger is better mentality; now I am seeing the benefits of having a small tank. Here are some pics of the tank now.
I took the best rock from the 120 and kind of just piled it in there for now. The tank is currently bare-bottom. I plan to use the rock in a future frag tank..
The first thing I did to the tank was pop the rim off. This process was fairly easy. There are a couple of articles around the web which are helpful. What I did was take a dremel and cut all the way around the plastic at the junction when the rim meets the sump area. After that was cut all the way down to the glass I took a used high E string from my acoustic. I ran the wire under the rim using back and forth motions to cut through all the silicone (and there was a lot!). The rim came off really easy after that.
After that process the tank was ready. Right now I am running a Kessil A360WE with gooseneck. I love the kessil. I have been running t5 lights before and was getting frustrated with the ongoing cost of bulbs so I too the plunge and got the Kessil. I figure if I get a larger tank the Kessil will still work great and I can just get another if required. The next upgrade for the lighting will be a 90 degree adapter for the light. This will give me another 6 or so inches of clearance. Frankly, I think this should have been included in the gooseneck package :/.
I found a Reefkeeper Elite on Ebay for a good price. I honestly think this is the best upgrade I have made for my personal enjoyment, and for the health of my corals. A couple summers ago I completely fried a freshwater tank with a faulty heater while I was on vacation (not a great conversation to have with the person watching the place). The controller mitigates this by directly controlling the heater. I used an aqualifter pump with two float switches for an auto top off solution that rocks.
My livestock is doing pretty good through the move. I had a few casualties :< Namely Bert and Ernie my goby shrimp pair :(:(:(. I loved those guys.
Fire and Ice Zoas. Pesky Fruit Loops that won't open. OG and Kryptonite Candy Canes.
Wondering what these blue/turquoise zoas might be. Got from a trade.
Purple and green mottled hammer coral. This guy had a big bubble in the center and is currently deflated. Hoping that means its growing a couple new heads for trading :D? Really cool looking normally. I'll post another picture when it perks back up.
Green Bay Packers
Looking for an I.D on these guys too. Same trade. One of my favorites.
Got cool plans for this tank so stay tuned! Loosing steam for tonight. Future plans for this tank include a SWEET (hopefully) new rock structure that is curing as we type, sand, and plenty of other stuff. More things to come!
Thanks for checking it out!
Just joined the site today and I thought it would be fun to document my progress! I have been in the aquarium hobby for 16 years now, ever since my dad and I had a 20 gallon freshwater tank when I was young. I really enjoy the hobby because of all the skills you learn keeping these complex biological environments thriving.
Last year I got into reefing by purchasing a 120 gallon tank. Its was going to be my first endeavor into reefing, and by god it was going to be big!
Picture of the tank filling (Lets hope she holds boys!)
I guess it didn't break (phew). This is a few months later after some elbow grease and a couple of (minor?) apartment floods.
I had to move about two months ago to a new apartment. Now, if you haven't moved a tank before, you probably don't know that it is a task believed by some to be the punishment of the ninth circle of hell. This tank is no longer set up.
I learned a lot from this tank. Firstly, I used too much rock. I feel like there was not enough depth of view. In a few places, the tank glass was really hard to clean because there was not much space.When I did the layout for this tank, I designed it in the tank. I didn't enjoy this method because it was super hard to place the rocks and I was running back and forth constantly to see how it looked. The next time around I was going to use dry rock and glue everything outside the tank and then cure it. I really feel I could get a much better layout without feeling rushed.
I used cement blocks for a base with egg crate and fiberglass reflector rods that ran up the rock structures. The next time around I used epoxy. I think the extra rigidity from the epoxy is great. I also think you can really get the shapes and angles you want with epoxy. The cement blocks were detrimental for my yellow rose antenna goby and candy cane pistol shrimp pair, who couldn't burrow any where they pleased. However, the biggest problem was that you could really see the supports, and when the sand blew around, the cement. Finally, the need for a controller became really apparent about the third time I had water on my carpet.
On to new things!
I have come to the conclusion that I will probably be moving a fair amount in the next couple years. So I have decided to do the biocube thing. Now I have had this cube set up for two months and I have to say that I am really enjoying the size. I had the bigger is better mentality; now I am seeing the benefits of having a small tank. Here are some pics of the tank now.
I took the best rock from the 120 and kind of just piled it in there for now. The tank is currently bare-bottom. I plan to use the rock in a future frag tank..
The first thing I did to the tank was pop the rim off. This process was fairly easy. There are a couple of articles around the web which are helpful. What I did was take a dremel and cut all the way around the plastic at the junction when the rim meets the sump area. After that was cut all the way down to the glass I took a used high E string from my acoustic. I ran the wire under the rim using back and forth motions to cut through all the silicone (and there was a lot!). The rim came off really easy after that.
After that process the tank was ready. Right now I am running a Kessil A360WE with gooseneck. I love the kessil. I have been running t5 lights before and was getting frustrated with the ongoing cost of bulbs so I too the plunge and got the Kessil. I figure if I get a larger tank the Kessil will still work great and I can just get another if required. The next upgrade for the lighting will be a 90 degree adapter for the light. This will give me another 6 or so inches of clearance. Frankly, I think this should have been included in the gooseneck package :/.
I found a Reefkeeper Elite on Ebay for a good price. I honestly think this is the best upgrade I have made for my personal enjoyment, and for the health of my corals. A couple summers ago I completely fried a freshwater tank with a faulty heater while I was on vacation (not a great conversation to have with the person watching the place). The controller mitigates this by directly controlling the heater. I used an aqualifter pump with two float switches for an auto top off solution that rocks.
My livestock is doing pretty good through the move. I had a few casualties :< Namely Bert and Ernie my goby shrimp pair :(:(:(. I loved those guys.
Fire and Ice Zoas. Pesky Fruit Loops that won't open. OG and Kryptonite Candy Canes.
Wondering what these blue/turquoise zoas might be. Got from a trade.
Purple and green mottled hammer coral. This guy had a big bubble in the center and is currently deflated. Hoping that means its growing a couple new heads for trading :D? Really cool looking normally. I'll post another picture when it perks back up.
Green Bay Packers
Looking for an I.D on these guys too. Same trade. One of my favorites.
Got cool plans for this tank so stay tuned! Loosing steam for tonight. Future plans for this tank include a SWEET (hopefully) new rock structure that is curing as we type, sand, and plenty of other stuff. More things to come!
Thanks for checking it out!
