My Little Bit Of The Great Barrier Reef. 8x2x2 Tropical Marine Tank.

[Cossack1977]

Hi all. Im back.
Haven't had a tank up and running for about 2 years now. Still got my 6x2x2 in storage and gave my 4x2x2 to my brother http/www.fishforums.net/content/Members-...ical-Fish-Tank/
Anyway I got my girlfriend a little 30l freshwater tropical about 6 months ago filled with dwarf gouramis, neons, corys, whiptail catfish, long finned bristlenose and an orange spotted bristlenose. It is heavily planted with amazons and milfoil and drift wood. Looks nice and natural. She loves it.
For her birthday she wanted a larger tank. We were looking at a 8x2x2 cichlid tank due to the expense of a marine tank. To cut the story short we were ready to order our tank when we fell over a 2nd hand marine tank advert for about a third of the price of a new tank and well lets say 6 weeks latter and over $6k gone here is our new tank.

The anemones at the moment:

5 x balloon tip anemones
1 x condy anemone (living in sump due to eating smaller fish)

Corals:

15 corals (assorted - will list names in coming days)

Fish:

1 x Half striped gold Maroon Clown
2 x Clarkii Clowns
1 x Moon Wrasse
2 x Cleaner Wrasse
1 x Moorish Idol
1 x Yellow Tang
1 x Blue Tang
1 x Porcupine Fish
1 x Blue Face Angel
1 x Singapore Angel
1 x Emperor Angel
1 x Barramundi Cod
1 x Blue spotted Sting Ray
1 x Bumblebee Lion Fish

Pics are from build to now:

Starting the setup. 3 days solid work and a week after work from 17:00 to about 3:00 in the morning

Hood on and lights on. Doors are off as i restained the whole cabinet and hood

Digital timers running lights and powerheads. 4 x 4ft double T5 Fluros 58watt: 4 x 20k and 4 x 12k, 2 x 150watt metal halides 20k, 1 x 70watt metal halide 20k, 3 x 9watt 2700k compact fluro, 3 x 20watt 4000k compact fluros. Light simulate sunrise, early morning, mid morning, noon, high noon, afternoon and sunset. cloud periods are also programmed in.

Filter System. Reef octopus protein skimmer rated for a 2000L tank, 3500l submerged pump no biological as tank had 200kg of live rock. Sump soon to be upgraded as i see it being to small. Water always crystal clean

Tank during a few different lighting stages

Some fish, coral and anenomee pics

Well I hope you all enjoy. Love some feedback.
More pics to come soon. Have a few more fish and a couple more pieces of coral since these photos, so will post new ones shortly.

 

[jennybugs]

I'm just doing research into getting my first marine set up, so I am very green to it, but I know a lovely tank when I see one!

How long has it taken you from set up to as it stands now, with regard to livestock introduction etc? I'd love to read a timescale map for your tank

 

[HoZy]

Some awesome pics there Andrew, Yes this was a very timely build for a fishtank, So much wiring in the Hood...

I found some pics of the Hood while I was wiring it up! Here they are, just quick snaps off my phone.

Pics were during progress, I didn't have fully wired up pics.

Cheers
MaT

 

[Ace Of Spades]

Holy FASHIZZZLE mate, I love it. The Porky Puffer and Empoerer angel are my favourite, keep us updated as it matures mate

 

[MadMan-JaMeS]

sweet tank

 

[mark7616]

Sweet looking tank mate. One question where is the pics of the Ray?

 

[Ace Of Spades]

Sweet looking tank mate. One question where is the pics of the Ray?

Oh god I didnt realise he had a blue spotted ray!!!, Geif pics now!

 

[VictorMeldrew]

That is a super tank i have just started my 72x18x18 and the 6k bit has me very worried

 

[andywg]

Why oh why oh why do people insist on trying to keep moorish idols? These things just do not last in public aquaria and have an even poorer success rate in home tanks.

It's a great tank and gear, but the stock could be a little more conscientiously chosen

 

[mark7616]

I didnt know they were hard to keep. The dentist in Nemo has had success his is the oldest fish in the tank even when the filter stops working he still hanging in there lol.

 

[Ace Of Spades]

I didnt know they were hard to keep. The dentist in Nemo has had success his is the oldest fish in the tank even when the filter stops working he still hanging in there lol.

Yeah and there was no sump, but a sUMP with Lazor's. How big was the tank in Nemo, Id say about 80-120 litres

 

[blodhi74]

Very nicely done.

 

[paul_219]

Thats a superb tank wonderful.

 

[Cossack1977]

Why oh why oh why do people insist on trying to keep moorish idols? These things just do not last in public aquaria and have an even poorer success rate in home tanks.

It's a great tank and gear, but the stock could be a little more conscientiously chosen

The moorish idle is doing very well. He eats both live, frozen and flake. He is none aggressive and no other fish seem to bother him.
His colors are fantastic and he seems to enjoy gliding up and down the tank. My supplier is very well known for the quality of his fish and expertise.

 

[andywg]

The moorish idle is doing very well. He eats both live, frozen and flake. He is none aggressive and no other fish seem to bother him.
His colors are fantastic and he seems to enjoy gliding up and down the tank.

I shall quote from the excellent Wet Web Media site run by Bob Fenner:

"Just “eating” is not enough with this fish as most will still decline. I think there is something about their diet/dietary requirements that we don’t yet understand…although, there has been anecdotal proof that specimens that will feed on New Life Spectrum pellets may be fulfilling that unknown requirement

...

the fact that it is feeding is no guarantee. There have been many instances where these fish ate heartily, only to die 'mysteriously'"

My supplier is very well known for the quality of his fish and expertise.

Good for him. He is still supplying a fish of which over 99% of those taken from the wild will be dead within a year. These things make cleaner wrasse look like hardy souls that do well in captivity. I'll bet he will happily supply a ribbon tail blue spotted ray to you too, despite only around 1 in 10 making it past the 12 month mark in captivity (including public aquaria).

I wish you success with the fish, and I would advise you obtain some New Life Spectrum pellets as these are the only potential shot of an idol lasting anything like its natural life-span. However, I still maintain that until anyone has an actual idea of what essential nutrients are in the sponges eaten in the wild but lacking in the food we offer they should not be offered in anything like the numbers they are to the general public.