Blue Tang Clan

Life has been busy but the fish and corals are doing well.

I’ve been buying and selling a ton on WAMAS so I think tank tours will be 1:1 with frag purchases going forward. My wife keeps giving me side eye because of the time I take away from our toddler for hobby activities so I need to streamline things!

Honestly I think it's just the breed. Rose bubble tips always seem to go long and stringy on me, but the rainbows (at least the ones that I have) have stayed fat and bubblicious.

Tank Transfer Method is the absolute best. Outrun the disease’s ability to reproduce - all without the chemo-like treatment of copper.

So that’s where all the 60G Seapora tanks have been hiding! Been trying to find one for a year! The room looks amazing! Let me know if you need help repairing the Cat6 cable.

Bubble tips everywhere!

It's been almost 1.5 years so I figured I should update my build thread once in a while. The big changes in the next month are lighting (below) and bringing a calcium reactor online to deal with a significant uptick in Alk/Cal consumption. The latter scares me as a newbie, but with some patience I'll get it squared away. 8 of the lights will be on the main display (there are 5 sections) and then two XR30s will be added to two 4x2 frag tanks.

Seal the concrete, or put polyurea down on top of it. It can handle any type of corrosion (chemicals, etc.) including saltwater. It's a little pricey, but well worth it. The installer can go up 4-5 inches on the perimeter wall so any big spills are contained. You cannot treat a concrete floor with that type of protective coating after you put living things in the area, as the smell/vapors will kill everything in your tank. Also consider FRP (PVC wall board) for the bottom half, like this from Home Depot: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Glasliner-4-ft-x-8-ft-White-090-FRP-Wall-Board-MFTF12IXA480009600/100389836

Floor drain - it’s invaluable on a new build. I did a trench drain and it saved my butt a few times when things spill (and they will) On a new build, a 20amp circuit cost Pennie’s more than installing a 15amp circuit. Run 3 and you’re fine - the cost is negligible at the time of build. And don’t let the electrician tie in other mechanical equipment on the same circuit - they can sometimes be lazy and try to combine circuits if they aren’t explicitly told. Also consider mounting those outlets higher in case there is splashing.

Ha, that's generous @lynn.reef.nerd! The plumbing is colorful for sure! 1. I would suggest more flow -- you'll need at least 2 MP40s on each 4' side, and then more of something on the back wall. 2. Electrical isn't mentioned anywhere, and that is pretty important. Since you have walls open, I would STRONGLY recommend another circuit or even two (15 or 20amp) if you can still get wiring through the studs. Lighting can take up an entire circuit once you start adding fill lights, refugium lights - lights in the room itself, etc.. The important thing is that you want REDUNDANT circuits so it one breaker trips, you don't cripple the tank: Circuit 1: 80W - Return Pump 1 80W - UV? 45W - Skimmer 38W - MP40 38W - MP40 52W - Gyre 300W - Heater 200W - Large LED light 200W - Large LED light ======== 1033W Circuit 2: 80W - Return Pump 2 38W - MP40 38W - MP40 52W - Gyre 300W - Heater 20W - ATO 200W - Large LED light 200W - Large LED light 120 - Refugium light ======== 1048W What if you add more lights? What about random stuff you plug into the wall? A standard 15amp circuit maxes out at 1800W, and you should only run it at 80% max continuous, which is 1440. You have enough headroom with two circuits, but one more wouldn't hurt, if you're able to tie one in from adjoining room.

Morning -- I've been contemplating pushing this out a bit more due to Omicron. I'm fully vaccinated and barely go anywhere, but my one trip to the post office gifted me COVID-19 last week. Keeping everyone safe is my first concern so I'm going to update the Post #1 to reflect February. Let's hope the world calms down a little by then.

All six are locked in now. Thanks! @Abe@DFR@Marley1083@cpeguero@lynn.reef.nerd@George S.

Thanks so much @AlanM!!

Yeah, Lynn tried to help us out but it seems like the issue has less to do with the thread itself and more with user permissions. Taking a guess from similar forum systems, the thread appears to be unlocked — for a limited group who have permissions to post (probably just the Mods)

Same for me too, even as the original poster. Mobile, desktop all the same

I wanted to host a Tank Tour and posted in that forum, but I got a few messages saying that it doesn't allow for replies -- it looks to be locked. The instructions on the Tank Tours page says "To sign up, post in pinned thread in "General Discussion" forum." -- but I don't see the Pinned instructions. Can someone point me in the right direction to unlock my tank tour thread? Thanks!

Attendees: Lynn.reef.nerd DFR cpeguero Abe Marley1083 George S [Edited - Background] Hi everyone -- I've wanted to go on a tank tour since joining the WAMAS community years ago, but I haven't seen many offered -- COVID definitely slowed down that desire with many people. Now that my tank is in pretty good shape, I'd like to host one myself. I view these opportunities as a two-way street: I want to show you the things that I think make the system work really well, but I also want feedback/tips/tricks/criticism from attendees on what I can do better. What might fail? What could I add (or subtract) to improve my enjoyment of the tank and its maintenance? You get the idea. Time: TBD in February 2022 - likely a Saturday morning @ 10:00am Location: Potomac, MD -- near 270/495 Slots: 6 people total -- COVID being what it is, I want to limit the number of people in the fish room and display area so everyone has enough room to move around comfortably My wife and I have a youngling, so I would like to ask that everyone in attendance show proof of vaccination ahead of time. If that's not your thing, I completely understand, but it's the entry fee for our house these days Topics of interest to me: Calcium reactor or 2-part? What is your favorite DIY fish food recipe? Flow and lighting in the context of an aqua scape If you're interested, post here and I'll keep you up to speed as we get toward the last month of 2021. Thanks! -Justin

Thanks! That large dark fish is a huge Desjardini Sailfin Tang. He is sometimes pure-white, and other times completely black - but always fat and happy! He's been that way since I first got him from another fellow WAMAS member!

You're definitely not the first subscriber -- check the channel -- or go right to the source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNwmKkFvzXc&feature=emb_title

To nudge myself toward creating new video content, I'm going to try to add some more subscribers to my YouTube channel. At 11:59pm on December 30th, I will be giving away eleven $10 gift cards to Bulk Reef Supply. Anyone who subscribes to my YouTube channel is eligible and I will notify those usernames (chosen at random) so they can place an order on the 31st. Subscribe for a chance to win!

COVID and a new baby have slowed down progress, but things are still progressing. I've had water in the tank since March and things are finally stable. Some of my woes were just from new tank syndrome and getting a massive amount of bacterial filtration instituted. As we always say, nothing good ever happens quickly in reef tanks. My goal for 2021 is to take a more active approach to updates, so I made a quick Fish Lab video with some full tank shots as well. It's still has a ways to go, and my 4-month old takes all my time when I'm not at work! Here is a quick video of the behind the scenes:

Hey! I have been slowly plumbing everything, and just got my second return line finished. It has a big 120W UV sterilizer on it so that will be one of my disease and algae prevention methods. I'll try to snap some pics later. It seems ever so trendy to post "control board" photos with lots of Neptune gear -- which seems silly since those things never really move. I'd love to see Medication / Fragging / Testing stations more often!

Thanks for stopping by my thread! The tank weighed right around 1000 pounds if I remember correctly -- maybe 1100. Definitely not something you would be moving without a crew. 8 of us with large suction cups were struggling, but we were able to move it around. 10 would have been safe, 11-12 would have been comfortable. You need suction cups. Reread that last sentence a few times. If you can find 8 other guys, rent suction cups from the club and call it a day.

Ha, thanks Tom! The rest of it is kind of a mess right now; I'm selective with my photos Hopefully I can get the big tank wet soon, and then have a WAMAS meetup. I'm not sure if we do that sort of thing, but I'd love to show off the setup to the group to brainstorm ideas on how to make it better!

Wow, that is unbelievable -- thank you so very much! Losing all my SPS has been heartbreaking, but the kindness of the WAMAS community keeps the hope alive!