Lanman 225-gallon tank build

[stratos21ss]

Bob,

 

I like all that brightness and the alive feel it creates within your tank...always looks really nice.

 

 

_Matt

[GaryL]

if no one has seen this tank up close...when bob opens his doors for a tank tour..i would advise ya'll to go see it.

 

it has great depth.

 

bob, tha frags are still doing good btw

[Larry Grenier]

Been there, seen it, WOW

 

It's a great illustration of what T5s can do even on a deep tank.

[lanman]

if no one has seen this tank up close...when bob opens his doors for a tank tour..i would advise ya'll to go see it.

 

it has great depth.

 

bob, tha frags are still doing good btw

 

Tank tour will take place when I can get the stupid aiptasia under control, despite my wide tank and short arms.

 

I have an assortment of 'lengthened' syringes - but so far nothing is quite perfect. Today I bought a cheap mask and snorkel. Maybe working from the top will be better.

 

bob

Edited July 7, 2008 by lanman

[Larry Grenier]

Now that would be a priceless picture... Bob with his head and arms in the tank LOL

[steveoutlaw]

What about a copperband butterfly? Mine has eaten all of my aptasia.

[lanman]

It's been a while since I updated.

 

A couple of months ago, I added a refugium on the side of the tank:

 

And a week ago I added a remote deep sand bucket (http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=26319)

 

I went through a couple of months of really high nitrates (25-50)ppm). I have it 'under control' now - but only by doing 2x20-gallon water changes per week. That keeps it around 20-25ppm.

 

The high nitrates cost me a couple of corals dead, and a couple more badly wounded. The huge monti cap in the back right corner suffered a lot - and is now growing back quite well. I need to take new tank shots, but here are a couple of real quick ones. FTS:

 

The far right side of the tank, where I keep chalices and the like:

 

Will post good tank shots when I get a chance.

 

bob

[lanman]

An update is overdue...

 

Nitrates seem to be well under control. Everything is growing... I had to turn up my calcium reactor, because my alkalinity has been falling. Some of the corals are getting close enough together, I am going to NEED to frag them.

 

Full tank shot 02/26/2009

 

Left side 02/26/2009

 

right side 02/26/2009

 

 

bob

[Larry Grenier]

Nice Bob, do you attribute the nitrate reduction to the RDSB?

[lanman]

Nice Bob, do you attribute the nitrate reduction to the RDSB?

 

I'm not sure - but I think it helped a bit. I put in a bigger skimmer, I am feeding less, I am rinsing the food, I added more sand to the refugium, and I added the RDSB. Lots of little things that apparently just added up.

 

bob

[st9z]

very nice FTS

[Hilary]

Looking good!

[lanman]

Two more months go by... updated tank pictures:

 

FTS:

 

Left Side:

 

Right Side:

 

Took these because I'm going to make some changes; remove a few corals that have over-grown, or don't have the color I had hoped, etc.

 

FTS from one year ago:

 

 

bob

[dandy7200]

good growth. Did you switch to more daylight bulbs on your setup or does the pic just make it look that way?

[lanman]

About time for another update!! Yay!!! Tank is now One year and 9 months since I made it wet.

 

My nitrates still run 'high' - compared to some tanks, and higher than I want them. With water changes every 5-7 days, I can keep the nitrates around 20-25. On the bright side, I haven't seen them over 30 for a good long time. My 'Fiji aquacultured favorite unknown acro STILL doesn't grow worth a darn, and loses a tip every now and then. The other frags of this coral, in the other two systems, both grow steadily, and never exhibit the lost tissue. I still can't grow birdsnest type corals in this tank! I continue to have a small problem with cyanobacteria in the places that don't get direct flow. Growth has been excellent for the last 6 months - if you compare some earlier pictures, you will see phenomenal growth of my 'Leishman Acro. Hyacinthus'. It is also encrusting - leaping from rock to rock; and will probably take over the entire tank if I let it. Another fast grower - but not easily seen in the photos, is a yellow-based tabling acropora that I picked up as a frag from Gadgets. In the last year it has grown from a 3" colony to about 8"; and that's after I have trimmed it several times to keep it from growing into/over Davelin's xmas tree acro. Two corals stay healthy, but still refuse to grow. My Chips acro - still only 2" tall after 2 years - and my 'Pink Lemonade' from Dr. Mac. The pink lemonade has encrusted nicely - but still only has the original little 2" spike on it after also almost 2 years.

 

I am not happy with the left side of the tank. One reason I am posting this update is because I'm planning to get medieval on that left side; probably a complete re-scaping, and will have to cut that blue-tip staghorn down to a reasonable size, so it doesn't dominate so much. I also have a couple of corals that I want VISIBLE, such as my awesome Montipora Spongodes. Yes - it is about 10" tall, 6" across, and it is in that tank - see it? Didn't think so!

 

Using my new Easy-blade, I have cleared the ends of the tank again - so you CAN see it if you squeeze into the space on the right end of the tank. I will post shots from the left-end and right-end of the tank.

 

 

Full Tank Shot:

 

Left Side:

 

Right side:

 

Left End:

 

Right End: (NOW you can see it!)

 

bob

Edited August 15, 2009 by lanman

[jamesbuf]

Looking good man. Your corals have definitely come a long way.

 

In regards to not being able to grow birdsnest corals, I had the same trouble when I was running high phosphates. After I got my phosphates in check, I had much better luck with the birdsnests. I know of other people with the same experience. Do you have any detectable phosphates?

[Nate]

Looking good Bob, that's really weird that your still having nitrate issues. Is that big purple beast in the back the purple-tipped acropora nana?

[lanman]

Looking good Bob, that's really weird that your still having nitrate issues. Is that big purple beast in the back the purple-tipped acropora nana?

 

Yes - that is the nana - purchased as a small colony from BRK a couple of years ago.

 

I haven't measured phosphates in quite a long time - but I do run phosphate removing media and carbon. I'm sure it's just too 'nutrient rich' ... same corals grow well in the frag systems.

 

bob

[www.fishnreef.com]

Bob,

Looks great! I love the easy blades...the cut coraline and algae like butter.

N

[lanman]

Bob,

Looks great! I love the easy blades...the cut coraline and algae like butter.

N

 

I wouldn't go that far... I still have some places that dozens of strokes haven't cleared off. Mind you - up in those corners, the coralline had been growing for so long that I had a volunteer pocillopora colony growing on the glass! Who needs frag-mags! It does work exceptionally well on 'reasonable' quantities of coralline.

 

bob

[onux20]

Looking GREAT Bob.

Ron

[dandy7200]

Did you add rock after that initial transfer from Steve?

[lanman]

Did you add rock after that initial transfer from Steve?

 

I don't think so - except maybe a smaller piece now and then. I already HAD a bunch of extra rock in the sump of my 58-gallon tank. I put that, plus what I got from Steve in for my major aquascaping. The pieces I have added came from a 'buy everything I have for $600' sale. Rocks had been sitting in cold salt water for most of a year. But before I used them, I put them in a 45-gallon tank with lights and movement for many months. And just for fun - I checked that tank for nitrates some time back - they were LOW! Despite only one water change in over a year, a Psychlone skimmer, NO and PC lights, and one Seio powerhead moving the water. I have a VERY fine crop of Kenya tree coral growing in that tank, now.

 

bob

[lanman]

Kind of an update of sorts... I just added my 4th frag tank. Not quite full of water or plumbed yet - will be by tomorrow evening. Now have 240 display, and 33-40-50-50 gallon frag tanks on two separate systems. (Three separate systems, counting the display.)

 

 

 

bob

Edited September 18, 2009 by lanman

[Sikryd]

Looking good Bob!

 

Now I see what I saw throught the window - the top right of the 240

 

I recognize the light