Build thread - 180 gallon - final tank pics added 7/22

[Scoot]

Lights are on their way - I picked 2 XM 15K's to go with my no-name 14K's (which look like 10K's to me). The ballast and reflectors didn't ship yet, so I'm going to have to setup my 2x175W for now, and hope the rest of the new setup comes soon.

Last night I setup my 45G bucket for mixing SW, hooked up my RO to the float valve I put on it. Should be full by this afternoon. I put in 2 clean sump socks (no way to clean them there), which caused my skimmer to go nuts with foam for awhile.

 

[Scoot]

New additions

I added a clown and a niger trigger... They're both small, I'm not worried much about my lone cleaner shrimp right now - he hasn't been performing much cleaning duties anymore anyway. Not that I hope he gets eaten, I just won't be heartbroken.

Both new fish look great tonight, after about 12 hours in the tank.

I'm more interested in having a diversity of fish than invertabrates.

Also changed about 20G of water. Until I get a siphon hose to run clear up to the tank, I'm going to do a bunch of small PWC's each day.

I did a parameter check - no ammonia or nitrite spike since I added all of the fish a few days ago.

I've got a bit of a micro-bubble problem. Where the water hits the sump socks, a ton of bubbles are getting formed. The brackets are too low for the top of the socks to be out of the water, so the water pressure from the drain lines is really generating a ton of bubbles, which are in turn getting sent up to the main tank. It doesn't look great, the microbubbles are making the water look cloudy, especially when viewed from the end.

I temporarily setup the sock brackets up on the cross-brace (seems stable enough). I'm going to permanently mount them (with temporary screws and acrylic glue) to the corners around the bracket - that gets them up high enough that the top of the socks are out of the water, and bubbles don't seem to be an issue.

Update 3:35PM
Fish all look great (even a chromis that had been acting funny since putting him in). Water is clearing up - having the sump socks up out of the water is helping - but after 2 days the two new ones are already brown and starting to overflow. I'll have to take my other two which I just cleaned out to swap them.

I drilled a hole in the sump and added a float valve for the auto top-off setup.

Did another 20G PWC. That's two today. Until I get a siphon setup from the display tank down to the basement I can't do much more than that at a time. I've got everything to do it - just not enough time.

I have all the 175W MH setup out there - ready to install. Trying to decide how to space them, considering my 2 250W's will be here next week sometime.

Water temp has stabilized quite well at 80F. Params are still all dead-on, but 'trates are starting to climb towards 20. Need to do a big PWC soon.

 

[lando]

Sounds like it is coming along. I would love to see pics of the new additions!

 

[Blazeherd2306]

of your new fish.

 

[Scoot]

Will do tomorrow - been carrying so much stuff out to the house that I keep forgetting the camera. Plus, the water has had so many micro bubbles and particles floating in it, I haven't wanted to take any pics

Once I get the sump socks figured out (mounted high enough that they don't just overflow all the time) I'll get some pics of that setup.

 

[Scoot]

No pics yet (maybe tonight).

Been busy cleaning sump socks. They're dirtying to the point of overflowing after about 24 hours. Ones I just put in last night were overflowing this evening. That overflowing is generating a ton of microbubbles.

The water was crystal clear this afternoon - but since then, the socks started overflowing, and now the water is back to cloudy again. I'm not sure if my sand goby or more active fish are stirring up a lot of sediment when I'm not looking, or what. Maybe its still just sediment from the sand and LR. I'm hoping after a few more days I won't be cleaning sump socks on a daily basis. At least by tomorrow I should have a big basin sink right next to the sump, which means I won't have to drive the filters home to clean them.

Like I said above, getting them mounted higher, so they're not 1/2 or 2/3rds in the water will help, just haven't worked it out yet. Need to build some sort of support bracket for them over the sump.

 

[Scoot]

Added the 2x175MH last night with my home-made roof-flashing reflectors. The 250W's won't be here until after the home show has started, so I don't think I'll get them added for a few weeks.

I think the chromis that was being really shy has died - haven't see it for a few days.

I posted a topic about water clouding up in the late afternoon/evening in another thread. Don't want to repeat that here.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?p=828109#828109

 

[ellisz]

How did you do the DIY reflector? I am getting ready to upgrade the PC side of my frag tank from a 2x55 to a 2x96. I need to build a canopy to put them in. I would love to have something simple and easy

 

[Scoot]

I bought some metal flashing that's used for roofing, at Lowe's. It's silver aluminum. Not very shiny, but very heat resistant. It's not real easy to cut or to bend, but if you have some tin snips, or a good hacksaw, you can cut it pretty cleanly.

Downside is that the edges are sharp. Upside is that it has a natural parabolic curve, that if you cut carefully, will be retained.

$5 I think.

 

[ellisz]

I saw some of that I believe. I think it comes in small roll that was not less than $10? Or did you buy a small sheet?

I might try it out. I just need to see if I can manage the width I need and still get some sides. What I want do do would be like 3 bat wings with ends. I believe the bulbs are around 40".

 

[Scoot]

Bought a roll. It doesn't bend easy, I'll add a pic sometime, but you won't get batwings out of it for sure.

I think I lost my parrotfish. This really bothers me. I've had him over a year, and he was the only fish that like me - he would brush against my hand - almost like a cat - when I'd have my hand in the water. I hope he was just sleeping or hiding, but I looked for him for over an hour last night, and its not like him to hide.

 

[Jayhawker518]

Sorry for you maybe could of loses. I have to say those this post is very addicting. I look forward to reading your progress like everyday. Tank looks amazing. I dont know about everyone else but I think its time for some updated pictures!
Good luck

 

[Scoot]

Still no princess parrotfish. She's gone, I'm sure.

On the upside, new bulbs and wiring / sockets came today, but no MH ballast yet. Grrrr.

Also - water did not cloud up today nearly as much as previously. The activated carbon and newly cleaned canister filter must be working. Also, the sump socks aren't dirtying up as fast.

I am concerned I have a 9" fish rotting in the tank somewhere. I'm afraid to move the rocks to look, there are too many fish (mandarin, sand goby, blenny) all live within.


(UPDATE 7/13)

Sorry about the big pics. These were from late last night when I was doing some maintenance. I'll get better pics when I have some more time.

The note on the canopy door is for the cleaning people to know not to use any cleaning agents around the tank. You can tell from the pics that 2x175W is not nearly enough light. I've mounted them in the center positions, with the intention of installing the new reflectors on the outside positions, but moving the 250W's to the center.

Started putting holes in the canopy for cooling fans, but the battery died on the third hole. Temp is staying around 82-83 now with the 2 MH. I'll definatley need to put some fans in there when I add the 2 MH's.

The top-off float valve hookup is leaking. Evaporation isn't too bad, and the sump holds about 15G from full to when the pumps are sucking air, so I'll just have to check it every day or so.

Sump socks are now going 2 days before overflowing and needing cleaned.

Also - realized my light timer wasn't working - somebody who was working late last night told me they weren't shutting off. I put a new timer on. That couldn't have been very good for the fish or corals, but was only setup that way for a couple days, if not just 1 night. I confirmed they shut off last night.

One of the new additions - blue trigger. Beautiful fish. The clown trigger hid after the first flash went off.

Last pic to show how it fits into the kitchen/dining room.

 

[20 20]

OK, I lurk more than post here, but I just gotta say that your tank is gorgeous! 8O

 

[lando]

STUNNING! Not just the tank, but the entire space. It has sure come a long way...nice work!

 

[artoledo]

WOW Scoot! Beautiful tank and home. Sorry to be so nosy. l0l

 

[Scoot]

Thanks all. Now that I dont' have a parrotfish (sob, sniff!) I can start looking at stony corals... I think everything else I have is safe with pretty much everything but inverts.

 

[Scoot]

Tonight - did get a little clouding, but much less than last night. Barely noticable.

Lights are shutting of at the right time.

Probably 1,000 or more people came through the house tonight - as part of the Street of Dreams home show here, and the aquarium got a ton of attention. I overheard (yeah, evesdropping) lots of wow's, oohs and ahhs, when people saw it walking into the kitchen.

The house got a little hot - doors were open all night. The tank got up to about 84. Still need to get those cooling fans installed.

Not counting plumbing parts, tubing, and existing hardware (2x175 MH, XP3 filter, UV), the project came to around $2K. I don't have a price for the cabinet and canopy because that was part of the overall kitchen cabinet system. I did probably spend a few hundred of the vinyl tubing.

(Update, 9:40PM)

Water looked great today. Fish look great. Temp is better since I put 3 3 1/2" holes in the canopy. Fans will come later, but even though the house was in the 80's, the water was still steady at 82. Sump socks need cleaned, and my overflow valve is leaking (stripped it a little putting it through the hole in the side of the sump).

Anemone's are moving from the left and right ends towards the middle. One has moved quite a bit, but is staying up on top of the rocks, closest to the light. Need my 250's.

The triggers love krill!

 

[Scoot]

I was trying to sleep the other night, wondering what could have happened to my parrotfish.

The only thing that kept coming to mind, was that she somehow jumped into the overflow. They're pretty big, but she's a big fish, so I really didn't think that'd be possible.

I decided, just in case, to look down in the overflow chambers tonight with a flash light. I saw something moving. Sure 'nuff, it was her. I pulled out the standpipe, which of course caused all the water to drain out of the chamber. Reached down, felt around (this is a tall overflow chamber). Felt something, gently scooped her up, and lifted her out and set her in the water.

Within 5 minutes, she was back to nibbing on my LR and swimming around. Just amazing. I'm very happy.

It wasn't easy putting the overflow standpipe back in. It's an akward place to work. I've got the measurements to cut some covers for the overflows so this doesn't happen again. I'll secure them with a few drops of silicone.

Tomorrow, I'm going to check the other overflow for the missing chromis - I don't have my hopes up, that one was acting funny for a few days before it dissappeared.

A b it of bad news - the new blue trigger has a slightly cloudy right eye, with two white spots (not ich - these are more like white smudges). Planning on a big water change tomorrow, hope that helps.

 

[artoledo]

Hey Scoot, take a pic of that Parrot fish to see how its doing.