Tina's Mega Bommies

[TigerIssey]

Just a quickie to show you the day the day tank landed.

Now this is copied and pasted so is not in real time, however on the day the tank got here, we were in a panic as we had a problem with the help we should have had.

The tank in the van

The site for leak testing

There are a few problems with access to my garden, more pics later when the now 4 helpers arrive.

We ended up getting farmers round to help lift the tank over the wall as it would not have fit through the gate and then turned to get into the garden.



Ya gotta love farmers

Took them literally 30 seconds if that to lift it over the wall )


) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )

Leak test tomorrow

Tink I will be removing the section on the end, take the divider out.

Does not seem a scratch anywhere, although Andrew did manage to chip the bottom edge.

The big fill for the leak test has just ocurred

We seem to be leak free



A few piccies of the filling

Took over an hour to fill with a hosepipe

 

[TigerIssey]

This next post is just for Seffie

I know how Seffie likes to see the room decoration bits too.

Reet, as the decorating in the living room is due to start 2 weeks today (oh hell, I have to pack everything away yet), we have today ordered two chandeliers.

At present we have really old fashioned naff ceiling fan lights whose light is sickly yellow colour. Does nothing for the room but they were here when we moved in.

A reminder of the wall paper and flooring

(The background colour has come out strange on the pic and the flowers are more aubergine.)

The floor to go down is this

I already have wrought Iron scroll end Curtain rails, here are the chandeliers we ordered.

Manufacturer price £107, we paid £27.98 each and afetr we bought the last two, the price went back up to £87.40. I am soooo jammy at times.

The ceiling is being painted in antique creamy stone colour and the 2 largest walls are being painted in Dulux Natural Hessian.



Need lots of boxes now to pack all my Cut glass up (my mums friend has bought me glasses or decanters and vases for birthday and xmas for the last 8 yrs, I have quite a collection)


Wait till you see what it looks like with my Xmas tree (always a real one and always at least 15-16 ft tall. The decorations are purple and gold.

I will of course photograph the whole room for you then.

 

[ben1987]

Looking good TI, glad it didnt leak.

Nice to see you back on here aswel.

 

[seffieuk]

Nice to see you back on here aswel.

Look forward to seeing those Christmas photos - Oh I just love rooms with a huge tree

And of course echo Ben's sentiment - nice to see you posting again

Seffie x

 

[TigerIssey]

Thank you both, I did say I would be, just needed a break.

I have the nice dark skin back so that I can see the board once again, have been about but mostly reading.

Also got liquid morphine now, is controlling pain better, hopefully I won't be as snappy with this

I am looking forward to the xmas tree this year, (although not xmas funnily enough), purely because the room will be decorated, my nice hard floor will be down and everything will be in my nice new colour scheme (except tree, that has been those colours for 3 years now in anticipation of the decorating) lol.

 

[TigerIssey]

I have got a couple of sump tanks off a local reefer friend.


He also gave me a glass trickle filter thing that I am working out what I want to put in there atm, thats the long glass thing on top.



The taller tank on the right is the sump tank for the protein skimmer, this will be drilled on the side of the tank and drain into the sump tank on the left which will contain a DSB and refugium and the return pump.

 

[Morri]

Good to see you back T

 

[scott133]

hi tina

good to see your back and that tank was a steel what are you fish stockings for it

rgds scott

 

[TigerIssey]

hi tina

good to see your back and that tank was a steel what are you fish stockings for it

rgds scott

So far, in my current tank I have

1 pair Mandarins (green / red striped)
1 Pair Perc Clowns
Yellow tailed Midas blenny
Yellow Watchman Goby + Pistol Shrimp (seperate as they still have not found each other)
1 Royal Gramma
1 Filamented Flasher Wrasse
1 Bangaii Cardinal (female)
1 Caribbean / Atlantic Blue Tang

I would like to firstly pair off the Bangaii by getting a male.

I would also like a Red Scooter Blenny (may be too much with Mandarins, unless on Frozen)

I have an Iridis Wrasse waiting for me to buy from a friend in Swansea that is moving to Blackpool, will get that after xmas probably.

Regal Tang (just big enough I think)
Achilles Tang
Indian Ocean Sailfin Tang (desjardini)
Purple Tang
Yellow Tang
Naso Tang

Thinking about juvenile Sohal and juvenile Vlamingii but still unsure whether I could part with them after they have grown too big.

Possibly a few more depending on what becomes available, what money I have at the time and the water tests.

This tank will be stocked slowly as 2 of the tangs on the list come to over £200.

I also intend to get an Ozone unit, the Midland Reefs one is looking favourite atm.

For the sea horse tank I am looking at

A pair of Giant Brazilian Reidi (Need to breed some L260 plecs to afford those)
then

Either pair of Augustus or Barbouri

I am tempted to try a pair of spotted Mandarins in here.

Definately a blennie and goby as these will help clean around the tank between them. Perhaps Jewel blenny and pink spotted watchman or something similar.

I will be culturing copepods on quite a large scale, will have at least 2 containers and am looking to culture Rotifers too. I may even go for phyto culture aswell and will also do Baby Brine Shrimp but not constantly.

I should have enough room in cabinet to be culturing in there, if not, need to find somewhere as cannot do windowsills in this house as they are too low and the dog would knock them off.

 

[ben1987]

TBH i reckon you will have WAY too much aggression in there with all those tangs. Especialy the ones that go in first. They can be so stroppy at times.

If you get an achilles i will be well jelous

 

[TigerIssey]

You may be right Ben, I want to add all the tangs as Juvis if I can.

I also will have the 20x 20 sea horse cube spare once that is connected and do not intend to stock that until the main tank is stocked, this is because the most risky time for W/S imo is on introduction. I do not want to risk the sea horses at all, so will wait till display is stocked.

This means I will have a tank to move fish to should any aggresion occur on introduction.

Northernmonkey has just added a Kole tang and Achilles to his established Purple Tang an Bicolour Angel.

The bicolour was more trouble out of the two, he beat on the kole tang. After a little while the purple started on the achilles. Things are fine there now so I am more optimistic it can work.

The more aggressive the fish, the later it will be added.

If I have problems after time outs, then I will have to swap the fish. I will give it a go though, these are the fish I want.

 

[ben1987]

id deffinatly skip the sohal and probably the naso.

sohal are really hard and stroppy...yet stunning all the same. Both of those would outgrow the tank aswel imo.

 

[TigerIssey]

Yep, thats why I have to think hard about those.

If by naso you mean the vlamingii, I am thinking I may pass on that one.

The sohal is still soooo tempting even though I know now it will outgrow the tank at some point.

I love the red sea, and these are the fish I see there most often and completely take my breath away.

It would have to be the very very last fish anyway so have time to decide about that yet

 

[ben1987]

have you thought about powder brown? they stay smaller than some of the bigger ones. I had one for a while and it was lovely


mind you

you dont beat

 

[TigerIssey]

That is just making me drool

I went over to Northernmonkeys today to collect my Duncans he forgot to put in my box when he dropped me off on Saturday.

His Achilles is stunning, not one bit of aggression and that purple has been in there months. He now has Purple, Tomini, Kole and Achilles.

They look stunning, they really do.

The tank goes up next week.