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smokythemattman@gmail.com

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Everything posted by smokythemattman@gmail.com

  1. @cpeguero he is super chill. I don't have any inverts, most I had when I set my last tank up 5-6 years ago so they died off. I never added more yet because of the trigger. The betta hasn't eaten anything in a few years. They are more slow/lurky. Just my take but unless it was a really tiny goby that just sat in front of the betta I don't think its much of a threat even then I still doubt it, they are more of a sit in a cave and wait for something to swim by variety, not really active predators from my experience. Mine could easily eat the dottyback and others and it shares caves with some. I'd pull the trigger, mine is quite shy during the day but will swim around here and there and at dusk/night he's out alot. I'd pull the trigger, super cool fish. Ill take picture of it for sure once I get a chance here soon
  2. So far the setup is 3 MP 40s on reef crest ramping between like 60-100%. 2 Amazonas 960s on about 60% most light colors except for orange/red. Probably to high still Couple Finnex heaters and the return pump is a chunker on from Dolphin I think. Fish Vlamingi Tang Hippo Tang Chocolate Tang Desjardini sailfing tang Niger trigger Female blue throat trigger Marine betta Royal gramma Flamr hawkfish Starry blenny Mystery wrasse Clownfish pair Splendid dottyback Potters angelfish Corals Toadstool leathers like 3 different kinds Cabbage leather Green slimer Some assorted zoas Couple big gorgonians (still mad from being in a stock tank I think) Sinularia Different mushrooms. Have a few rocks covered in them, I mostly got rid of the green hairy ones that were a plague Kenya trees (down from probably 50) Xenia on a rock by itself Other softies Im forgetting Upcoming stocklist Corals SPS of the easier ish fast growing varieties. I miss having SPS can't wait to watch it grow out in this tank. Fish to buy Melanarus pair or single Talbots damsels pair Sapphire damsel pair Dusky jawfish Yellow watchman goby Coral beauty A Genicanthus angel pair TBD by what I can find in that genus Moorish Idol (survival rate sucks but Ill give it a try in a tank this size) Yellow coris wrasse pair or trio Anthias trio either lyretails or dispars Probably others as time goes on but those are most of my current targets
  3. Correct, I've had some back and forth with the LFS about it, they want me to pay to have them come back out and fix what I paid them to do the first time which I shouldn't even have to explain to them why I won't accept that offer. I've ordered new pieces so I await their arrival and will attempt myself. For now I am going to setup a funnel to catch the drops (right on the side of the sump of course) and hookup the returns so I can get it all going and see what the flow situation is. I had everything in a stock tank and decided it was time so moved em over. So far these Orphek Amazonas lights are insanely powerful. I have managed to have some bleaching on a couple leathers that were probably higher up than they should have been so have moved them and reduced the lighting a teensie bit.
  4. Version 1 of get the rocks and existing angry corals into the tank. Everythings been ok for about a week now. Still have to fix the leaking bulkhead. Have learned of a LFS to never use again. Beginning to look for more corals to start to fill the tank in and let it grow.
  5. Thanks everyone! I've got some glue being delivered tomorrow. I'll likely take the bulkhead off and check the inside of it and the gasket in there as well. I forgot the bottom of this tank isn't glass its PVC so I gave a little more of a tight turn on the nut but still no luck. Not sure why they used one threaded fitting and not another but I may try that approach. Hoping taking apart and putting back together fixes it. Just have to wait for some pieces and parts to do it right so I don't have a big open hole in the overflow haha
  6. I tightened that side as much as possible and it is slightly better but still pretty leaky. The pipe isn't flush cut cut and is able to with maybe handshake strength be pulled out which also doesn't seem right so I will likely try to cut it so it's a better cut. I reached back out to the LFS that did the install but nothing so far other than tighten the nut. The other pipe with that piece to hold it in place inside the overflow is not going anywhere easily. Shouldnt there be a threaded piece on the pipe to connect into the bulkhead body or does the pipe jut sit in there?
  7. Thanks for responses. Seems one side is different than the other and that is likely my source of issues. Went to tighten the inside nut and don't think there is a piece to tighten? Maybe again I'm stupid with plumbing but the other side sure seems more "correct".
  8. Thanks guys! Next dumb question, I assume to tighten it there is a piece in the overflow I need to lock in place with a set of pliers while tightening it from the bottom. I assume to remove it would just be reversed. I can't tell if anything is glued in place already or anything. I'm forcing myself to learn some more on the plumbing side instead of just putting a big ass funnel underneath of the drips to direct it into the sump lol (that will be plan D), I think it may be to severe to self seal. As soon as I poured a couple gallons into the overflow it started to leak. The glass is thick there its 1" so I will probably try to tighten it more but not break anything, if that doesn't work probably best it seems to just buy another bulkhead/gasket and replace it vs sili
  9. New tank had the plumbing done by a LFS that did the tank install. As soon as water enters the overflow immediately the leaking begins from underneath the glass where the what I think is a bulkhead connects to another piece and the glass. I'd truthfully do not much if the drops didn't land on the sump edge and splash everywhere. It seems snug with slip joint pliers, maybe to snug is why it leaks? Can I just silicone inside the overflow chamber around the pipe and on the underneath where it leaks? I know nothing of plumbing and I'd hate to replace the pieces and just have it still leak if the glass isnt flush etc. Any ideas, sub-par picture shows the water drops around the flat gasket looking piece above the threading, it's the pipe connection nearest the camera.
  10. @Gatortailale thanks I can't wait to have it stocked. Trying to be slow, I've had some moving curveballs and kept mostly everything alive. I have about half my rocks from my 180 in a big stock tank with my corals and fish, I've added a few small ones from that into the main to seed it. I was only slightly concerned with some of the die off from some of my extra rocks but once the very much alive ones go in it would be enough. Kept them wet and at around 70 degrees and the ammonia tests don't really show anything in there. Hopefully have enough of a bacteria base alive when I add those rocks in it can do the job. I've done it this way before same as yourself did you run into any issues?
  11. Rocks starting to go in. Added all of my very much dead rock and some of what I hope is still alive ish rock. Added some salt to keep salinity in normal ish ranges. Going to check for any ammonia/mini cycles and other levels in the next couple days to week or so before adding my livestock in.
  12. Tank is filling up, has sand and about half full of water so far. Rocks going in tomorrow and setting up the lighting. Livestock being moved from their stock tank in hopefully this weekend pending no mini cycle in there
  13. Tanks trim is done, moving stuff into it within the next two weeks was hoping.to have had it done mid January but the snow bamboozled some building final touches. All my current livestock are in a 150g stock tank. For equipment for this thing I'm doing 3 mp40s from my 6 foot tank, those things on like 2/3 reef crest mode grew a tank stuffed with SPS for years, 2 on the right side looking at the picture (the left is open for viewing) one on the back wall and Ill likely add a maxpect gyre to the back wall for some more random flow. That and the return should be pretty solid for a good fairly strong random flow. Lighting I have 2 Oprhek Amazonas 960s. Those lights are absolutely insane, highly recommend giving them a look, they are beefy but really strong. I have 1 lighting the 150 stock tank to light acclimate a little bit. Its currently 6+ feet from some corals and at less than half strength and they are happy and open. I went with two of those for 2200$ instead of multiple smaller lights. Sorting through some ideas for return nozzles from the return pipes now. I had trouble with my 180 being to clean with ~20 fish. So I will start with just a fuge and see how it goes before adding any more filtration. Next up is the part I suck at... rockscaping
  14. I have had a WB 230.6 or 220.6 (180G) one for the last 4 and a half years. Wife and I building a new house so I decided for an upgrade, the original tank was ehhh much larger than the current one but I was told "we are not putting that in our basement". (She is not on here) but maybe one day..... So we compromised on a 8.5x3x33 inch tank that would go in the wall with 2 sides visible. The tank was made by Planet Aquarium and was installed by Armco Aquatics. Steel stand, rubbermaid stock tank as the sump. In the next 2-3 weeks the tank will be getting filled up and await the livestock transfer from my current tank.
  15. Hey guys thanks again keep it coming haha! First let me address the net zero without turning this into a home design thread more than it is haha. There is geothermal, solar, triple pane windows and overkill insulation. It should end up being net zero or as you said I think we should push some back to the grid(that and resale if need be is the only reason for the hookup). Really just wanted a home with no grid dependence (well + septic + solar) and the house isn't overly large at all but it is quite open and has a mini ocean in the basement haha so wanted some efficiency. And don't want a 400$ a month power bill. Flow- I wasn't against closed loop but I like the fuge/sump and I can handle looking at powerheads for some reason but dont like heaters in the tank. Electrical again. Seems like the verdict is 3 20 amp circuits. This is good because now I at least know what to ask for instead of getting a best guess! As far as placement of the boxes @cpeguero my fiance is going to love you as she didnt want me to take over that whole utility room haha and "make it smell like a fish store". I think I will end up splitting the utility room so there is a fish room and all the mechanical stuff separate. I actually think this will be much better for us longer term as well. Not just for electrical but controlling humidity and more. As for drains and spills and water proofing. I am glad someone brought it up. The floor will just be concrete back there and some rugs because I knew it would take a beating and its just storage/fish room. There is going to be a floor drain near the tank in case it decides to have an incident there isn't a lagoon in the basement. However I think with where the utility sink and the tank will be there may be a better drain option(Googles trench drains) . I didn't even think about waterproofing but I have some more reading to do there now a well. Funny how much can go into a fish tank hahaha. I knew I would get some great feedback. Much appreciated keep it rolling! This will eventually get turned into the build thread!
  16. I am glad you asked about electric haha. My knowledge of electrical is probably equally as poor as my plumbing. The nice thing is we aren't to the point of electrical yet and can still make some design changes as we are finishing up with some MoCo permitting(takes forever). Let me preface all the below by saying I appreciate your response because I am definitely going to talk with the builder and the electrician about this one. I didn't even think about it much really. The tank is going into a storage/mechanical room with the tank having 2 sides open to the basement. That room also has the main 400 amp box for the house. The house will have solar power and be on the grid as a backup with enough solar batteries to run the house essentials(inluding tank for about a week). Buttttt I definitely wasn't even thinking about a separate circuit or anything electrical in my planning really. Figured well 400 amps seems like enough but you are right there is much more. Ill talk to the electrician and builder about this more for sure. Thanks! It seems so far the flow is also definitely something I need to up. I think now what I am going to do is run 2 mp40s on each 4 foot side and two gyres on the back. If I need more at that point Ill upgrade to the mp60s. Those things move some serious water
  17. Appreciate the response @WheresTheReef! Yeah I plan to get in the tank to clean it and by the time I am not we should have kids to handle that for me lol. Thats the reason for the stand being a little short. Gives me room to stand in the tank. When I scape it I plan to not scape as much around the outer edges so I can walk in there. I am pretty tall with long arms with my significant other loving to use the mag floats lol. I feel decently ok with the inconveniences of cleaning it. The flow and the lights I am much less certain of... That is what I am thinking I may need some more flow in there just to cover more of the tank. I think I may add another mp40 or even an mp60. I worry more about the spread and dead zones so I hope someone with a large tank chimes in. Maybe adding a few more gyres instead is better? I have never owned one but supposedly they less laminar than the mp's and wavemakers. I dont need a ton of flow as really just softies but dont want to have a dead zone/s that I have to clean all the time either. Light is definitely my biggest curiosity. That depth will look great but definitely makes lighting and cleaning a challenge. The photon 50s say they can cover a 72x24x36 for softies. I am thinking 2 next to each other(hung from the ceiling) and then a light bar on each side of the tank should give enough coverage(since I am not scaping much around the edges). I am just doing softies for now anyways. I have only seen a photon 48 in person and it looks like it could do the job. But lighting is definitely what has me hung up. I don't want to spend 8k on radions like I have been quoted for soft corals. That is overkill in my opinion. I have never used anything non LED either but maybe those are best? Not sure hopefully someone chimes in to help. Minimal sump equipment. Just the return pump, heaters and a refugium light/lights. Should be about 12" of clearance which I think should be enough really just have to be able to get the return pump in there. Really the only purpose of my sump is a fuge to eat up all the trates and a place to hide the heaters.
  18. We are in the process of building our next house and I am upgrading my tank. I currently have a Waterbox 220(180g 6 foot tank) that has been up for about 3 years now. I will be moving all my livestock and corals from that into the new one. I am curious for any and all feedback as I describe out how the tank is designed since I have time to change things a little still. I already have the logistics set up with Planet Aquarium and a LFS for delivery and such the tank will be an 8x4x4 glass tank so a big boy at nearly 1000g. I like higher viewing windows and my other half doesn't want a much bigger footprint than my current 6x2x2. The reason for the depth is the tank will be visible on two sides, the front and one of the short sides. The other two sides open to a large fish room/utility room and will be blacked out. The stand is steel and I will have extra space on the back and one side to stand on the stand. The tank is in the basement and there are 9'6" foot ceilings and the stand is 30 inches tall so I should have enough room to clean the tank including getting in it(I hope). Equipment(100% open to input here please) I have 3 Mp 40s already I plan to re use so about 12,000 gph minimum flow since i run them high Plan to buy one of the biggest outputs of gyres I can(never owned a gyre). Should be enough flow with these and the return for just softies Return pump is a dolphin 625 Lights I want to do 2 reef breeders photon 50 pluses with a couple lumen bars from them. (I only have softies and dont intend to have rock on the whole tank really only in a 6.5x2.5x2.5 area which the lights can cover. ) Sump = a 125g aqueon so it fits under the stamd, I will just use eggcrate or cannibalize a cheap tank and make a baffle or two. The sump will just be big a big refugium and a place for heaters and a return pump. Tunze ato Heaters(couple finnex ones for the temp probes and a couple big eheim ones) I have most if not all of the rock and I will rinse and reuse some of the sand. My plumbing knowledge is terrible. The LFS will be handling that part. I know my stock list as I have about a third of the fish already and will start QTing them over the summer before the tank is ready in the fall. If you made it this far what am I missing? What would anyone change?
  19. Well it's been a while since I have updated this. I have run this tank as a softie tank for a year and a half and its done great! Havent lost any fish or corals in almost two years since posting last. I have realized that I enjoy the easy corals that move more so than the fancy sticks. That being said.... We are building our next house and will be putting a large tank from planet aquarium in there. Should start being built any week now. It is an 8x4x4 so its a big boy at nearly 1000g. I would start a build thread but I believe this section is for tanks underway(even though that one is sort of just slowly) as I have already got the design down and most of the equipment. It should become a reality around this fall and I can't wait. I had to give up doing a big big tank(other half didn't like the 5000 gallon tank so I had to compromise). Its just a matter of time until it becomes real and I move all my fish and corals to a much bigger home.
  20. That is what I was thinking. Was to build some scaffolding that can also have the lights somehow as well as something to hold onto. I will have room to get in, ceiling clearance is more than enougy and I will scape it so I can get in. The scaffolding is good idea could use it to pull myself up and drop myself in. That gives me some hits and ideas on Google thanks!
  21. Completely serious question that surprisingly can't find much info on. We are about to start building our next home/tank with an 8x4x4 tank. The stand will be oversized so there will be a platform on the back. But how do I get inside to clean it lol? Do people just use the glass to pull themselves in and out? for some reason conceptually that scares me. A ladder of some sort makes sense to me? I have a bunch of mag floats from my current tank but eventually I will have to go inside of that tank and just want to make sure if there is anything I can do to make that easier I do it now.
  22. As title states I am looking for large tank builders. Looking to have an 8x4x4 built and I know some folks in here have some nice large custom tanks. Looking for recommendations!
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