Doug's 250, now 300, in wall build

[redsea]

you mean the monti digi frags? they are doing good too. the pics of those didn't come out too clear.
here's one the day i put it in-

and a couple days ago-

Wow, it looks really nice! Your tank looks great just from those shots right there. I really like the rocks with the Yellow Polyps.

 

[mr_X]

those aren't yellow polyps. they are probably green long lash palys that are brown and white from lack of light. this rock was in a trash can full of water void of light for a few weeks before i got it. thanks though!

 

[redsea]

those aren't yellow polyps. they are probably green long lash palys that are brown and white from lack of light. this rock was in a trash can full of water void of light for a few weeks before i got it. thanks though!

Sorry about that, I just recently started getting into corals a few months ago so I am still learning the right names, . I learn something new everyday on this forum, one of the reasons I like it so much!

 

[Gregcoyote]

I have been using third generation Chinese LED panels for over a year now and I love them. As a importer of these panels and a line of P4 tactical LED flashlights, I have the drivers,fans and spare emitters if anything blows out, and so far so good. My corals didn't just expand, their growth exploded. I am a big proponent of buying USA, but open up one of those USA fixtures and see where the drivers and LEDs come from... And as they are half the money, they were what I could afford. The early panels were a nightmare, these are much improved.

 

[coffeetwitch]

where could a person find these fixtures greg? knowing nothing of lighting let alone led lighting, the more simplistic the better.

 

[Gti_Leo]

message greg for details

 

[Gti_Leo]

DIY Cree xpg and xpe LED aquarium light PT. 2 - YouTube

thats the same kit that rapid LED sells. later in the video he talks abotu the PAR output and its pretty beastly, they are getting about 370 PAR at the sand bed and that looks like a 48x24x24 120g tank

 

[scubasteve03]

Hey Mr x I got a question if you don't mind. What salt did you use to start this bad boy up? Dose it mater what kind you use when you first start.

 

[mr_X]

i used D&D H2ocean, but that's only because i got 3 cans of it in a tank breakdown. any salt is fine. i like to use reef grade salts because they are closest to natural sea water.

 

[scubasteve03]

Awesome thanks

 

[Felix T Cat]

I've used Instant Ocean reef crystals for all my tanks and never had any issues.

 

[Donkey Gun]

Any new updates on your wall build?

 

[mr_X]

well, i'm going to close up the wall this weekend. other than that, i have nothing to report, except that i still haven't seen the filefish eat. i tried pellets, flakes, raw food, and algae sheets, and he's interested in nothing. he is constantly looking at the glass and the rock, searching for something. I'm afraid he's a pod eater and will starve. i sure hope not. i'm open to any ideas.

 

[Donkey Gun]

I must have missed a page or something on this thread because last I knew the tank wasn't even filled mounted. It's hard navigating this forum on an iPhone..

 

[mr_X]

nothing like a good old computer!

 

[Sqasnatch]

You can try a quick batch of live brine.

 

[Gti_Leo]

have you tried soakign some foods in garlic?

by closing up the wall you mean the drywall around the tank correct? it would be a huge let down to close it up and not make it an inwall like you wanted

 

[scottayy]

He means closing it up around it.

Doug with a tank this size, is it still up to choice whether to use rigid or soft piping? Or must one go rigid because of the sheer amount of volume?

Also, when you cycled, did you empty out like 90% of the water and refill? That would've been a huge job.

 

[mr_X]

yes, i mean sheetrocking the hole around the tank...lol.
you could use rigid or soft pvc. ...up to you.
no. i did not empty out any water after the cycle. i cycled the rock in the 120, and then added the 265 full of water to it at the end. then transferred the rock to the 265.

the stock list so far is-
1 vlamingi tang
1. hippo tang
1. algae blenny
1. aptasia eating filefish
2 ocellaris clowns
50 red leg hermits
35 astrea snails
12-15 nassarius
1 green bubble tip (which i can't seem to find)
1 rose bubble
a few sps frags
a pearl bubble coral
a toadstool frag

 

[Gti_Leo]

i figured thats what you meant i just had to make sure it would have been a shame if the girlfriend wouldn't let you make it an in wall. it happens all to often where women have the say in what goes on