Some pics.

[SamsonNY]

Not sure if I should place this in Aquarium specs, so mods move it if necessary.

Here are some shots I took:

S/W Tank. (http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?selected=349453)

[mogurnda]

The fish are gorgeous! Makes me wish I could have a trigger.

[lebloom]

Some LR would make that tank look even better. I started out that way but kept reading about it and 1 day just change the whole thing, replaced my CC with aragonite sand and added some LR. And today I wouldn't go back for anything. Think about it.

[Awestralian]

Good work!

:D

[MFish]

I second the LR comment. But the trigger and puffers might nip at it. [Even though Niger's tend to be nice, they are still Triggers afterall]

Is this the ray tank? I havent been around in such a long time, heh, i lost track of peoples tanks. If it is, are you still running that UV sterilizer?

[SamsonNY]

Thanks all!

And, maybe oneday I will add some live rock. Don't know. Right now, I was after a particular look that I had in mind when I decided to go for s/w. I just added 3 more pieces of coral (dead skeletons) tonight for the fish to have fun with and also, to help with the buffering. (Must complain: **** those pieces are expensive! :mad: )


Mfish: Yes, it's the former ray tank. And, yes I'm running the U.V. I kept it off the first 10 days waiting to see if I was going to have any spikes. But, none registered (and still none: well, except for the nitrates which are steadily rising; God I miss my constant water changer system). I figured keeping it off would help any freefloating bacteria colonize (if necessary). But, it looks like the bacteria on the bioballs are easily handling the job.

I've searched regarding U.V.s and s/w set-ups and I've read that they are not recommended for corals (and possibly lr) since they need bacteria (besides the nitros.. ). But, since it's a fo tank, I thought it would be fine. (Plus, a little extra protection against ick, etc. and, as always, the bonus of crystal clear water).

BUT, please let me know what you're thinking. Any problems with the U.V. and my set-up?

I'm still immensely in the learning phase here and will listen to all informative replies... :)

Thanks for the compliments and also, thanks again to all that helped me out along the way.

Richard.

[kreblak]

Wow, good looking tank. How many gallons is that? From the dimensions I saw it appeared to be about 400 or so.

[SamsonNY]

Thanks. Yes, it's a 400 gallon. :cool:

[OrionGirl]

Nice! Thanks for sharing the pics!

[Triggerman]

Fantastic looking tank.
Nice choice on the tenecor.
I will have my clown trigger someday.As good as a dog.
More pics please.

Triggerman

[SamsonNY]

Thanks Orion and Trigger,

I'm in the midwest right now (business trip this week), but, I'll post some more pics (of the new corals) when I get back to NY this weekend.

:)

[SamsonNY]

A couple of more with the additional coral pieces:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-7/36280/SaltwaterJuly5,200317.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-7/36280/SaltwaterJuly5,200316.jpg

[latazyo]

with those aggressive fish, do they attempt to claim a territory or a cave, or since there are none, do they just swim freely in the water column?

[Triggerman]

Looks great.
What did the coral skeletons cost you?
I bought a 100g tenecor off of ebay for 370 dollars.It came with a magnum 350 canister filter,power heads,test kits,and 10 coral skeletons.Five of which are very large(15-18 inches across).Deal of a lifetime.About 1200 dollars worth of stuff.I love my tenecor.
You are leaving no stones unturned with your set up.Nice job.
Just wondering what the skeletons go for.

[SamsonNY]

Thanks latazyo,

They all get along very well (so far). The tank has a lot of room and there are caves on the back sides of the corals. The center large blue and white pieces are fake corals which have "built-in" caves in the back. No one really dominates any certain part during the day. Basically, during the day, they're all over the place looking for food. BUT, I have noticed that they each have declared their own "bed" at night. Except for the clown trigger who goes everywhere and picks a different bed each night.

Thanks Triggerman,
You got a great deal. (I wish I saw that. ;) )
Unfortunately, I believe I'm pretty much getting ripped-off by the LFS's when I buy the coral skeletons since the 10 pieces (8 real, 2 fake) have run me close to $1,000. But, all of the LFS's have basically the same prices. But, it's the look I wanted and the fish seem very happy with their home. And, it keeps the water's Ph at 8.2ish which is great since I haven't added any chemicals since the start-up.
I have noticed that the triggers are actually nipping at the corals and breaking chunks off. I think I'm going to charge them for the damage. :D
Total set-up so far (not including fish) ran me around $7,000.
Just looking for a nice Emperor to finish my collection. I saw one the other day but, he didn't seem very healthy so I passed on him. He was very pale in color versus the pictures I've seen of them. The employee told me that he would brighten up in my tank, but I just wasn't impressed.

The filtration is working great. Am and nitri sit at 0. Ph sits at 8.2. Temp runs hot but I've controlled that with the room a/c.
Water is crystal clear (thanks to the U.V., I think, but not sure).
The only problem I'm still having is with the protein skimmer. I'm not getting the "gunk" that I'm supposed to get. If I turn the pump's valve too high, I just get bubbly saltwater in the collection cup which is just draining my sump. Still have to tweak that thing out. :confused:

[kreblak]

You may be having trouble with the bubbles. The tiny bubbles are what does your skimming. Do you have a venturi? If so, try adjusting the flow until it works.

[SamsonNY]

Honestly, Kreblak, I'm just not getting that **** thing.
I've read the booklet (it's the Berlin Turbo XL; comes with it's own pump.).

It tells me to first leave the air valve (at the top of the skimmer) wide open and tweak the regulator (on the pump) until the water/bubble's come down the second tube about mid-way. Then, use the air valve to have the bubbles come down to just around the skirt at the bottom. No bubbles should be coming up the outer tube.

I've done all of that and still can't figure this thing out. The regulator is set at around 4 (on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being wide open). Air valve is almost fully open. If I open the regulator anymore, I'll get bubbles coming into the collection cup but, it looks like bubbly saltwater. Not the "gunk" I see the skimmers at the LFS's pulling out of their systems.

:confused:

[SamsonNY]

:confused:

[kreblak]

Mine produced some oddness at first, too. I had a skilter, but hated how noisy it was, so I got a Remora. I just let the thing bubble up the water for a while, and eventually gunk began to appear. Now, it takes about 4 hours of skimming before I have to empty the collection cup.... nasty stuff.

If this helps any: I run the venturi wide open when I skim, and put the water through at a medium flow rate.

[SamsonNY]

Sorry about the double post. I have no idea why it did that.

Thanks for your help, Kreblak. I definitely need to figure this thing out. I'll try again tonight when I get home. But, last night, I just got frustrated and left it alone.

[kreblak]

I just got frustrated and left it alone.

Boy, have I been there! I got so frustrated the first time I tried to replace a wobbly impeller I nearly just smashed the thing against a wall. Once I figured out a couple of things, though, I was able to make actual progress. Some people just understand machinery innately. I'm the first to admit that I need the directions manuel! :D

[SamsonNY]

:D

I hear ya.

[MFish]

I wanna know...

a)Where the rays went..they were much cooler

b)How the rays and aro's even survived with the dead coral skeletons in there, the PH and hardness should've been way to high for 'em

[SamsonNY]

Originally posted by MFish
I wanna know...

a)Where the rays went..
Capable hands of Jon Rare who found them good homes.

they were much cooler
I prefer this set-up MUCH more. Colors, activity levels, overall appearance, etc.

b)How the rays and aro's even survived with the dead coral skeletons in there, the PH and hardness should've been way to high for 'em
I'm assuming then that you've known about my previous set-up; then you should know that I did not have any coral skeletons in there. I bought all of these current decorations AFTER I changed the tank to saltwater.

But thanks for the kind words. ;)

[SamsonNY]

Some more pics added with more fish:

More pics. (http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?selected=349453)

[Hebdizzle]

how big is your Moray Eel? Its a beautiful fish. I also love the Clown Trigger!

[SamsonNY]

Roughly 18".

And thanks. The clown trigger is my favorite.

[Triggerman]

When did you add the angel fish?
Are you adding live rock?
Nice pics.

[SamsonNY]

Thanks Triggerman,

I added the angels about 2 weeks ago. (the last of the fish: I reached # 10 :) )

Live rock: not certain. Right now: No. Plus, I don't want the usual shapes that I see from the on-line retailers. I want LARGE arched, structures type of stuff.

I just finished my last project on the tank last night (the chiller) and I'm taking a break from big stuff on the tank.
I originally put the chiller behind the tank (Tuesday night when I got the chiller) and realized it was too loud and too HOT (for the room). So, I moved it into the garage. Works great.

I'm now basically covered on equipment:
Large w/d filter
Protein skimmer (Berlin Turbo XL)
Ocean Clear 340 canister (for extra mechanical)
CSL 36 watt UV
1/2 HP CL Chiller (keeps temp between 77 and 80)
And, the other "stuff."

Time to take a break. :p


Richard.
:cool:

[Triggerman]

Tank looks great.
Lots of hungry mouths to feed.
It'll be great when you get everything in order so you can just sit in front of the tank for hours as the rest of us diehards do.
Nice job.

[latazyo]

well, since we've talked about the fish, let's talk about the room, do you have recliners facing this thing as if it were a TV or something?

[kreblak]

Wow, quite a plumbing job you've done on that tank. Did you set all of that up yourself? If so, I think you might want to consider becoming a plumber. That was impressive. The fish look good too. ;)

[SamsonNY]

Thanks guys. Great forum as usual. :)

Unfortunately, no recliners. Couch and loveseat.

And, yes, did all of the plumbing myself. I call it my therapy. After a hectic "mentally" stressing day at work, I actually look forward to working out the details of the tank at night. :cool:

Time to sit back now. I need a break. :D

[liquafaction]

Hey bud, on your skimmer,,,,, I have purchased a Berlin clasic, I was jacking with it because they said they are hard to figure out, but I am not using it yet.

They said not to block the "outlet" lines, or give them any restrictions such as putting "exhaust" under water line, or making "exhaust" travel up from the "outlet". It looked as if your water was traveling uphill? I also noticed that bubbles never really enter the collection cup, I guess this is because all the "protein" will just be pushed up as more and more are skimmed? Finially, my skimmer would get big (gram size) air bubbles on the outer tube, is this mis adjustment, or just part of it?

[SamsonNY]

Funny you mentioned the skimmer. I heard they're a ***** to tweak-out, but I spent some time and did some rearranging and now: I'm very happy with it. It's pulling out a nice dry foam (working properly :) ).


First, my exhaust tubes (as required) run immediately downhill. I drilled 1/4" holes in them BECAUSE the ends of the tubes are submerged. They need an air escape. So, if you just let the exhaust water "splash" down into the sump, don't worry about anything. But, I have the exhaust lines exiting under water level so, I drilled the holes.

Second, fluctuating water level. And, perfect water level.
I set up a tub. Have a Rio 600 sending water to the tub. (sits outside the cabinet in the back and ABOVE the sump). Then, a 1" bulkhead with hose leading back to the sump as the drain for the tub (bulkhead is near the top). Positioning the bulkhead will determine the water level in the tub. I made it 6 inches.

Now, all works well.


I have air-bubbles (micro size) going up the inner tube and "almost" all the way down the second tube. The bubbles get less dense since it's not a cloudy look near the bottom of the second tube. Then, the third (outer) tube has no bubbles going up and to the exhaust lines.

HTH.
Richard.