Swannyson7's 180g mixed reef

[swannyson7]

Looking very good! I like the idea of monitoring everything on your cell phone and the live video!

Thanks! It was actually pretty easy to set up. The software for my droid was like $5 and it can use any webcam as long as your computer is hooked up to the internet and you install the free software on your computer. You can also set a password to limit access in case the room is in a bedroom or anything. The software for the computer is called eyespyFX if anyone is interested and the droid app is called "My Webcam" by eyespyFX and it's in the droid app store.

Excellent job! I love the look of the led lights you got from Luke. Are those 1w or 3w? Those are impressive next to the phoenix bulbs. The test tube holder is ingenious. I can't even count the number of times I spilled them on my desk while testing.
1smile1

Yeah, me too. I always tried to balance them on a little stool and spilled so many reagents on the carpet that if my wife only knew.... let's just say I'd be in trouble. The LEDs from Luke are the Gen2's with the 3 watt diodes.

 

[butterfly032176]

The tank looks awesome. Love the drawer idea. But in my case I begged my husband to make the whole in the wall, I didn't want the big furniture a tank takes in the middle of nowhere.
:haha: Great Job...

 

[swannyson7]

A few pics under the new lights.... Everything seems happy!

I can't seem to get the white balance adjusted properly to show how much the colors pop, but you get the idea...

 

[hawkfishman]

great setup, nice work man!!

 

[swannyson7]

Well I just decided to ditch the RKL and go with a Neptune Apex. Also ordered a couple MP40s for the sides and an MP10 for the back to get rid of these bulky Koralias. Also got a few new fish and a scoly!

 

[swannyson7]

Here's a few shots of the new fish... not so hot, but you get the idea.

 

[swannyson7]

And now for a few coral shots. Some SPS:

 

[swannyson7]

Some LPS:
My new Scoly!! :xd:

Anybody like Acans???

My Red Lobo is starting to get yellow/orange streaks:

 

[swannyson7]

And a couple of Z&Ps:

 

[swannyson7]

I ordered a new frag tank setup to add to the fish room! It's a tiny one, but it's something to keep me entertained for the time being. It's an acrylic 16"L x 16"W x8"H (9 gallons) tank that I'm going to power with a DIY LED setup and plumb into my DT. Today I made the frame for the stand, and I'll be skinning it over the next few days. I plan to make it on a stand with a few drawers to hold all my tank supplies & test kits, and hopefully it comes out as nice as my current stand/canopy. Overall, I was pretty happy with the build for the 180, but I can hopefully learn from the mistakes I made during that build when I start this venture. Pics to come...

 

[swannyson7]

I lost all motivation in building the stand for the new tank until it arrived the other day. For the price I paid for the tank on Ebay, I'm quite impressed with the workmanship. Over the past few days, I've managed to wire up some LEDs, build a frag rack, and get a little bit of work done on the stand. Here's a few pics:

The tank has routed edges to round them off with an external overflow (still has the protective coating on the bottom of the acrylic).
Here's the frag rack I built:

And in the tank...

The LEDs are 12 Cree XR-Es (6 white & 6 blue):

And a bit of work on the stand:

Right now it has a wet coat of wood putty on it that still needs to be sanded, so forgive the ugly pics. The sides will have a similar drop panel style to them and there will be 3 drawers with the same routed edges on the drawer fronts as the 180 stand doors and I'll use the same hardware. It will once again have columns on the edges, but they will be a different style. No rosettes this time, just a square column with some trim and crown moulding up top. I haven't really put much thought into a canopy to conceal the LEDs, but I'll worry about that when the stand is done. I'd love to use a linear actuator for a canopy lift, but it's more money that I'd like to put into this project.
The tank is going to be fed with a Mag 3 pump to some Loc-Line with a Y and the flared tips. If that's not enough flow I'll figure out what type of powerhead to use.

 

[swannyson7]

A bit more work on the stand. I finished the drop panels on the sides, put a panel on the front, and cut holes for the drawers:

 

[gar732]

It look great Scott! That frag rack looks awesome, I may have to enlist your assistance when I finally set mine up. Keep the pics coming.

 

[RZ5T]

Here's a few shots of the new fish... not so hot, but you get the idea.

What kind of wrasse is this? Freakin sweet!

 

[swannyson7]

What kind of wrasse is this? Freakin sweet!

It's a mystery wrasse. I always wanted one, and finally decided to pull the trigger.

 

[RZ5T]

Man I've got to get one of those. You did a great job on the furniture.

 

[swannyson7]

Thanks for the compliments! I just finished building & installing the drawers on the frag stand and I'm going to start the trim after lunch. The stand should be ready for a final sand-down and paint by tonight!

 

[swannyson7]

I got a ton of work done on the stand today and it's just about ready for paint. Here's a few pictures:
The first of the drawers built and installed:

And the other two:

Added some trim:

And the top piece added:

Tomorrow I have to do some sanding and then I can start painting!!

 

[firereef]

Nice work. Can't wait to see the finished product.

 

[swannyson7]

Here's the tank stand with some paint:

And here it is in the room with the fish tank...pretty tight fit but it's in there:

Even though it doesn't completely match the stand for the 180, I still think they look pretty good together:

And two quick FTSs with my P&S:

Now that all the SPS is settled in, I'm getting some nice growth tips and things are starting to look up. I can't wait to get this frag tank up and running so that I can get rid of the frag racks. It'll hold 84 frags, so I should be able to get rid of all 4 frag racks after mounting a couple corals (crosses fingers).
I just noticed that the middle drawer isn't sitting on the slide correctly in the pics. It's level with the other 2 drawers... I've just been drinking while moving the tank in. :tire: