Rob's 3X2X2

[Anguilla82]

Hi all,

as prompted by seffie, i thought i should start a journal on here about my new tank.

Background:
Got into marines around 18months ago when a 24g D&D nano came up cheap on a certain auction site.
It came 'mature' with 2 seahorses, a firefish and a shrimp.
Little did i know what i was letting myself in for!
didn't come with much live rock so we promptly bought a few more kilo's, and a couple of corals (leathers i think) and a harlequin shrimp.

the guy had been using tap water NOT RO, so had a massive diatom bloom at the time. <img src="http/www.fishforums.net/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/angry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="angry.gif" />

Anyway to cut a long story short everything died over a short period as the tank re-cycled itself.

serves me right for not reading up on everything first! <img src="http/www.fishforums.net/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blush.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="blush.gif" />

Thanks to everyone on here who helped me out back then!

Tank is now doing really well as you can see in the photos.
I've got a bit of a thing about LPS so the tank has quite a bit in as will the new one.

pics below are of the old nano as it developed.

21 Oct 07
<img src="http/i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll158/anguilla82/Nano%20Diary/21_10_07.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />


27 Oct 07
<img src="http/i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll158/anguilla82/Nano%20Diary/27_10_07.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />


6 Jan 08
<img src="http/i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll158/anguilla82/Nano%20Diary/06_01_08.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />


24 Jan 08
<img src="http/i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll158/anguilla82/Nano%20Diary/24_01_08.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />


11 June 08
<img src="http/i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll158/anguilla82/Nano%20Diary/nanojune08.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />


28 Sep 08
<img src="http/i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll158/anguilla82/Nano%20Diary/28_09_08.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />


20 Nov 08
<img src="http/i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll158/anguilla82/Nano%20Diary/nano1.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />


Jan 09
<img src="http/i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll158/anguilla82/Nano%20Diary/IMG_15021.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />



My wife and I decided (well the wife finally caved in and let me!) think about getting a bigger marine setup on the proviso that i get rid of the 4ft tropical in the garage and the 5ft tropical in the lounge. Eventually the 24g will go as well.

I had my heart set on a 2ft cube, but chatting with someone else realised that i should probably go bigger.
soooo

last week i ordered a 36x24x24 with a 24x18x17 sump from ND aquatics.
have also managed to pick up a 400w halide with actinics <b>very</b> cheaply
and an eheim 1260 return pump.

have splashed out on a vortech mp40w as a circulation pump, (wow they're expensive, i just hope its worth it!)

not going for a skimmer just yet as i don't intend on having much in the way of fish just the pair of b&w clowns and the pair of bean gobies i already have to begin with.
this is bound to change pretty quickly when i get the tank though!
sump is gonna be mostly a DSB, but would also like to light part of it and get some chaeto growing in there.

anyways thats about it at the moment will update with anything news worthy.

 

[john.o]

Hello Anguilla
Just got to say your D&D 24 is looking really nice.

Can’t wait to see your new tank progress I will be watching with interest. What you got planed sump wise? Lay out ect.

 

[ben1987]

great sized tank, looking forward to pics.
You will cave on the fish thing pretty quickly!

 

[seffieuk]

The D & D looks really good , looking forward to seeing the new tank progress and reading about your set-up

Seffie x

 

[n3ont3tra]

I am so jealous.
What are your stocking plans?

 

[SkiFletch]

Tank looks great

Couldn't convince her to to let you use the 5' for the marine?

 

[Anguilla82]

Tank looks great

Couldn't convince her to to let you use the 5' for the marine?

For me it wasn't a practical size/shape.
It was a gorgeous tank but i wanted more front-to-back depth, and as the 5 footer was bow fronted it only had the right depth in the middle
as it is the 5 footer was 385 litres, the new setup including the sump is probably gonna be more litreage anyway!

cheers for the comments guys, we worked damnded hard to get the 24g looking good, i'm hoping with the knowledge i've now got and teh amount of planning i'm doing that i can get the new to look just as good if not better.

 

[Anguilla82]

Hello Anguilla
Just got to say your D&D 24 is looking really nice.

Can’t wait to see your new tank progress I will be watching with interest. What you got planed sump wise? Lay out ect.

sump wise, its gonna mostly be a DSB, i picked up 30lb of CaribSea oolite yesterday which should be more than enough for a 6" bed.
also wanted an area to grow chaeto etc, but this is on hold as i've read that the DSB should have nothing on top of it to maintain good flow and should also be in the dark.
If i do go teh chaeto route i'll need to get some perspex to make a dark enclosed area for the DSB, and a lit area for the chaeto, with high flow over teh DSB and a lesser flow through the chaeto.

anyone done anything similar?

Rob

 

[john.o]

Here is a pic of what i am planning for my sump.



The water flows into chamber 1) then under the bubble trap and into chamber 2) cheato and DSB. {But i will have to look into the DSB as i did not know that it should be kept in the dark ) And as for the cheato i was going to have it in the same chamber as the sand bed with a MJ 900 or possibly a MJ 1200 power head for flow, The water then spills down into chamber 3) carbon and phosphate remover bags. It then spills over into chamber 4)into the mc500 skimmer, then under the bubble trap again and into finale chamber with the return pump, a ocean runner 2500 connected to a UV then a SCWD device, {thinking of upgrading OR 2500 to a OR 3500 will have to see how the flow is first though. I am also going to put a small chamber with plain RO water in for auto top of system hope this helps john

 

[Anguilla82]

have pm'd a link to you john, about DSBs

thats alot going on in your system john!

trouble is i don't know the exact layout of my sump yet as its being built as we speak, and i (maybe stupidly) didn't specify what i wanted.
as i'm going for low stock am not thinking bout a skimmer yet.
and hadn't even thought about putting an extra powerhead in teh sump for increased flow.
mmmm food for thought

 

[john.o]

have pm'd a link to you john, about DSBs

That was a very good read with lots of info ,
Quote from the link……………One of the largest benefits to the DSB is the large amounts of released planktonic larvae, which stem from the reproduction of the sand bed creatures. This constant influx of live food has a very beneficial side effect when keeping high energy requiring corals such as SPS, Sun corals of the Tubastrea family or soft corals such as Dendronepthalia's. As such, it is essential that any sump based DSB is placed 'AFTER' the skimmer and not before. Otherwise a large proportion of this beneficial food will be skimmed off ..........'what a waste of free food'..
Time to move my skimmer I think and like you, have a look into making the DSB a dark area THANKS again for that anguilla82

 

[Anguilla82]

no probs

 

[Anguilla82]

just thought i'd update you all on whats happening.
i've spoken to tank builders and it should be ready in around 2 weeks!

they are sending through a sample of the cabinet so that i can make some supports for the halide in the same colour.

Below are pics of the equipment i've got for it so far.

400w Metal Halide with actinics (the bulb is a beast!)

got some fake background that looks like tonga branch. its got some really good shapes for supporting corals on.

Vortech MP40w

300w heater, sugar sand for DSB and some extra sand for the main display area

Eheim 1260 return pump and a small pump with importantly a hydor deflector thing

Egg crate and acrylic rods for building the rock stack

Holding vat for curing rock and for when transferring stock over

Just need to get some more egg crate, some live rock from an existing tank somewhere and then the tank, then the fun will really start!

Cheers,

Rob

 

[seffieuk]

Woo hoo you are certainly moving on at a pace and a half

Where pray tell does that lovely fake background come from?

Seffie x

 

[Anguilla82]

comes from Reefstock.
bit pricey but certainly a hell of alot cheaper than the real thing!

some of the bits broke in transit but have warned them, so in the future they should package them better!

Rob