My 150 tank (1 Viewer)

[wazzel]

The tank it 54X26x26, lit by 2ea 250watt 10KK DE (XM and Reeflux) on coralvue e-ballast and 2ea 110 watt actinic on an icecap. Circulation is a panworld 150PS with 2 penductors. In tank flow is a Tunze 6200 on a controller and a SIEO 1100 (to be replaced with a tunze 6200 when funds allow) Skimmer is a euroreef RS250. I top off with kalk through a home made kalk stirrer

18 various SPS frags
3 LPS frags
1 pipe organ
rose BTA
5 hermits
4 turbo and 7 asteria snails

2 ea PJ Cardnials
Purple tang
Bristle tooth tang (looking for name)
Coral beauty Angle
Copper Banded Butterfly Fish

Tank at 4.5 months wet and about 3 months since first frag and fish added. Pictures taken 25-Fab-07.

Front

Right end

Left End

 

[cstewart79]

I like the aquascaping...its different and really allows a good view of the tank.

 

[wazzel]

Thanks. It's a lot more void under the piles than it looks.

 

[MarkieB]

I like the rock placement as well! KOOL!

 

[wazzel]

Thanks, Now I just need time and more frags.

 

[crvz]

Thats a great looking tank. It's got some interesting dimensions, who built it?

 

[wazzel]

A local vendor. I forget who the builder was, but I got it through wetdryfilter.com.

 

[crvz]

Thats cool. A couple months ago I was trying to get a tank through them, but at the time their supplier/builder was going out of business. Ended up with an Oceanic, but I like your setup.

Your bristletooth tang looks like a Kole (Ctenochaetus strigosus). Have you had any trouble with it? I'm thinking I need to get one...

 

[wazzel]

I have not had trouble with the tang. I am fairly sure it is not a kole. It has slighly different markings and I had a kole in a previous tank and they have different markings. It is in the same family I am sure of that.

 

[crvz]

Hmm, interesting. Can you get a close up shot of it? My curiosity is piqued!

 

[wazzel]

Here you go. Not a great shot It has blue poka dots.

 

[crvz]

I'm terrible at photographing fish, so it's a superb shot per my definition.

There is a spotted yellow eye kole tang (Ctenochaetus trunctatus), so maybe thats it? They hail from the Indian Ocean as opposed to the more common Kole, from the Pacific.

Question, though. What made you decide not to put a substrate in the tank (or even some sort of material to protect the glass)? I am actually a fan of the ease of maintenance which a bare-bottom tank provides, and plan on doing the same. Any specific reason you went in that direction?

 

[wazzel]

IMO I do not see where the plaatic that some put on the bottom is necessary. Unless of cource you have really thin glass. The bottom of my tank is 3/4" thick glass so I really did not see the need.

Second is I had a DSB (6" deep) on a previous tank and over time I had issues. Not entirely sure if it was an inherent issues with a DSB of my tank keeping skills. But wanted to avoid that. Not having the DSB takes it out of the equation.

I want this tank to be simple to keep. I travel for my job quite often and some times for seveal weeks. I needed to set it up so that all my wife has to do is feed the fish and fill the top of tank once a week. Part of the planning was to have massive flow so the tank would not have to be vaccummed every week. I have about 60x turn over right now. When I chage out the seio for another tunze 6200 I will be around 85x. I think any sand would get blown around at those levels. Also, it's kind of a personal thing, but I am always concerned about things piling up under and behind my rocks. That is why I have the returns pointing strainght down behind the rocks. You can not really see (by plan) but each return has a penductore on it.

To help out I run an over sized skimmer.

 

[wazzel]

I searched on the name you gave me and the pics of the spotted yellow eye tank really resemble what mine looks like both in color and body structure. Thanks.

 

[crvz]

You're tank is amazingly similar to my own thats in the works! (click the link if you want to see some of the details). I'm planning on using only a pair of 6100s, but I also have a EuroReef CS250, and plan on the barebottom with the returns pointed right behind the rocks. The only main difference is that I'm planning on using T5 bulbs.

What long-term goals do you have with this setup? Any fish or corals you are specifically interested in?

 

[wazzel]

My long term plan is an SPS/LPS mixed reef with a "high" fish load (between 10 and 15), a clam or two and a BTA (I already have a rose). I am letting my kids and wife pick the fish. It keeps them interested. I am looking for a pair of clowns right now for my rose BTA. The only fish on my must have list is a mandarin dragonette. IMO the coolest $20 fish out there. For corals I would like to have a few of the must have SPS pieces, but it is not a prioroty. A few nice acans would not be bad either. If I can get a nice reef with a minimum of green and brown I will be happy.

Some links to my tank build if you are interested.

http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=89782&highlight=build

http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=96205

 

[landfish]

If you want a nice pair of clowns you should check out Karen's tank raised clowns. Check out this thread

My long term plan is an SPS/LPS mixed reef with a "high" fish load (between 10 and 15), a clam or two and a BTA (I already have a rose). I am letting my kids and wife pick the fish. It keeps them interested. I am looking for a pair of clowns right now for my rose BTA. The only fish on my must have list is a mandarin dragonette. IMO the coolest $20 fish out there. For corals I would like to have a few of the must have SPS pieces, but it is not a prioroty. A few nice acans would not be bad either. If I can get a nice reef with a minimum of green and brown I will be happy.

Some links to my tank build if you are interested.

http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=89782&highlight=build

http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=96205

 

[crvz]

I remember seeing the link to your build thread in the past, I suppose you've shared it here before. I keep trying to get my wife to pick out some fish, but she's afraid; right now her main job is finding names! Anyways, great setup and I look forward to seeing it grow out.

 

[wazzel]

If you want a nice pair of clowns you should check out Karen's tank raised clowns. Check out this thread

My long term plan is an SPS/LPS mixed reef with a "high" fish load (between 10 and 15), a clam or two and a BTA (I already have a rose). I am letting my kids and wife pick the fish. It keeps them interested. I am looking for a pair of clowns right now for my rose BTA. The only fish on my must have list is a mandarin dragonette. IMO the coolest $20 fish out there. For corals I would like to have a few of the must have SPS pieces, but it is not a prioroty. A few nice acans would not be bad either. If I can get a nice reef with a minimum of green and brown I will be happy.

Some links to my tank build if you are interested.

http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=89782&highlight=build

http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=96205

I have and they are nice, but a bit more than I can spend right now.

 

[wazzel]

I remember seeing the link to your build thread in the past, I suppose you've shared it here before. I keep trying to get my wife to pick out some fish, but she's afraid; right now her main job is finding names! Anyways, great setup and I look forward to seeing it grow out.

I have posted the link before. When I started the tank I had no intentions of getting a BTA, but my wife asked if we could have one and some clowns. That was her only request so I figured I could honer it. My kids love picking out fish. My son is wanting a blue fish now. Going to have to do some looking. My oldest daughter is getting into picking out corals. She picked out my last three SPS frags. I just got a copper banded butterfly at the request on my younger daughter. One day I was at B&B on 1960 at feeding time. The CBB was eating like a pig so I got it.