MGDMIRAGE's 40 Gallon Stretch Hex (high res picture overload)

[MGDMIRAGE]

Build recently started, tank and stand were bought at an incredible price from a local reefer that wanted to downsize. I drilled two 1" bulkheads and am doing a mini coast to coast overflow via PVC with a slot running the length or slots cut all the way across it making teeth. The only real downfall i find with this system is I'm limited to a 10 gallon or 14 gallon sump, since i don't have access to a 14 gallon I'll be using a 10 gallon sump. The sump is being baffled currently i started it last night and have one more baffle and then it's time to let it sit until leak test time. 600GPH return pump and 200 gallon box of reef crystals is in the mail and I'm hoping will be here by Thurs or Friday, once those are here the tank will be up VERY soon.

The 40 is replacing my current 20 gallon long which i found to be severely lacking in room :(

Anyway here are some pics of the build, lemme know what you think.

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/first-pic.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/DPP_0004.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/DPP_0005.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/DPP_0003.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/DPP_0001.jpg

Also all the overflow plumbing inside the tank will be painted black to match the background becoming hopefully near invisible.

Here is the 20 gallon long that it will be replacing.

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/20gal/11-20-09/fts.jpg

Some of the life inside the tank.

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/20gal/Untitled-1-1.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/20gal/Untitled-2.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/20gal/IMG_0780.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/20gal/11-20-09/IMG_1717.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/20gal/11-20-09/IMG_1719.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/20gal/11-20-09/Shrimpy.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/20gal/11-20-09/rightside.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/20gal/11-20-09/middle.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/20gal/11-20-09/leftside.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/20gal/11-20-09/Untitled-1.jpg
A cap that i thought for sure was dead but it's making a comeback!

That's it for now, more updates to follow.

[Cheech]

Great shots!! Nice looking tank!

Glad to see things are moving along

[Ace25]

Holy closeup pictures batman. LOL. Great pics. Nice start to the new tank as well!

[MGDMIRAGE]

Thanks you two!

Yeah just playing with the D-SLR it's still a new toy hehe.

[thrak76]

I do love the six-line wrasses! Very nice tank, and i look forward to seeing what you do with twice the space!

[hmotorsol]

That's an awesome looking tank.

[Conski]

can you say potm?

[MGDMIRAGE]

Thanks all, this seems like quite a friendly community, glad i found it! Wish i had found it sooner :(

[MGDMIRAGE]

Finally got the guts to finally transfer rest of rock over and most of the corals :) I totally love how my ATI T5s look on this tank they look way better than on the 20L for some reason. Perhaps the shallow depth on the 20L made the color get lost a little bit because the intensity was so high and now that i have some depth to work with i can now see the spectrum better(theory).
Anyway here is the FTS i took about 30 mins after the liverock and coral transfer. Still no fish in the tank they are in the 20 gallon yet, i'll be bringing most of them to Barbies today, only fish i'll be keeping is my 6 line.
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/3-27-10FTS.jpg

[MGDMIRAGE]

Some pictures since i'm bored while i wait for my GDM to ship :)
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/3-29-10/084.jpg
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/3-29-10/085.jpg
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/3-29-10/093.jpg
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/3-29-10/095.jpg
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/3-29-10/096.jpg
What happend to my Slimer from my 20g long heater fiasco apparently SPS hates extended periods of time at 65 degrees :( I chopped off most of the STN, lost over two inches off that frag.
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/3-29-10/101.jpg
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/3-29-10/108.jpg
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now for some Sixline Wrasse Glamour shots since he is my only fish at the moment.
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/3-29-10/110.jpg
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/3-29-10/114.jpg
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/3-29-10/117.jpg
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/3-29-10/120.jpg
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/3-29-10/121.jpg

[MGDMIRAGE]

Some nifty Acrylic frag tiles i made today :) They are hazy because i sanded them to give them a bit of texture for zoos to grab onto, hopefully.
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/007.jpg
Oh and my Eel shipped! He said it should be at the hub tomorrow morning or thursday morning, i can't wait!

And here is a better more clear FTS with some more corals that i added recently.
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/3-30-10FTS.jpg

[Ace25]

Those frag holders came out very nice... and again I have to say, GREAT PHOTOS!! :cheers:

[MGDMIRAGE]

Thanks Ace!

[MGDMIRAGE]

First pic of my new little buddy :)

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/019.jpg

[Ace25]

You gonna help us out and tell us what type of eel that is? I haven't a clue myself. ;)

[MGDMIRAGE]

Haha sure thing, Golden Dwarf Moray Eel (Gymnothorax Melatremus).

[Ace25]

WOW that is a pricey eel!!! I had never heard of that one until now. Very cool!

[MGDMIRAGE]

Yeah they are pretty spendy at other places i got him/her from Wetpets in Hawaii, the guy was having his once a year customer appreciation sale and i got him for $94 shipped :) Most places online range anywhere from $250-$350 so it was a pretty sweet deal.

[Conski]

are those gorillasnipples zoas? and awsome frag tiles dude!

[MGDMIRAGE]

are those gorillasnipples zoas? and awsome frag tiles dude!

Thanks! the zoas in the pic with the eel if those are the ones you are talking about are called pink sparklers or pink wagon wheels. I have some gorilla nipples on the far right of my tank though. The two do actually look a bit similair these days it's amazing how different colored corals can become.

[Conski]

wow really? those look so much like gorillas! either way nice zoas and awsome eel :)!

[MGDMIRAGE]

Yep here are my gorilla nipples they are pretty close unless you see them side by side.

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/022.jpg

[odinthejd]

great shots!! Hope I can get a tank to look like that in the future!

[MGDMIRAGE]

Added a Starry Blenny today, always wanted one :)

[MGDMIRAGE]

PeekaBoo!
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/024.jpg
Hes still pretty reclusive!

[MGDMIRAGE]

Ordered 2x Koralia Evo 1050 today, birthday present to myself :)
They will be replacing the two Koralia 2s in the tank for an added 900gph flow. 2100 gph overal for a total of 52.5x turnover rate up from the current 30x turnover.
I may keep one of the K2s and put it lower and in the middle so that rockwork gets more flow through it, that would put me at 67.5x turnover which may be a bit much but we'll see :)
Also ordered two bags of frag disks because i really hate frag plugs.

[duke33]

Awesome shots! The 40 will really make a difference.

[MGDMIRAGE]

Wife got me this awesome little black misbar clown for my bday hes so gorgeous and jetblack.
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/121.jpg
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/128.jpg
And a super crisp face pic of the Starry Blenny :)
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/085.jpg

[Conski]

wow awsome blenny! never heard of one!

[MGDMIRAGE]

They have always been one of my favorite blennies, dunno why i didn't get one sooner.

More updates tomorrow!

[MGDMIRAGE]

Update as promised.

Coral Shipment came in this morning with the following corals:

MrCoral™ Eaters Palys

Blue Cloves

Fire & Ice Chalice

Purple Passion Zoas

Hell's Kitchen Zoas

Lilypad Zoas

Hulk Galaxy Coral

Lifesavers Acan

And some sort of Maze Brain (it was free!)

I'll try and get some pics up soon as everything settles in, most everything is fully opened up cept the galaxy isn't fully content yet, hes got some sweepers out though.

[MGDMIRAGE]

K here are the pics of the latest Corals, the Galaxy still isn't fully opened and one of the zoas i didn't get a good pic of so i'll have to add that later.

The Galaxy
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/4-13-2010/082.jpg

Maze
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/4-13-2010/083.jpg

Fire and Ice Chalice
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/4-13-2010/088.jpg

Some sort of Eater Paly
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/4-13-2010/091.jpg

Blue Cloves
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/4-13-2010/093.jpg

More Zoas
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/4-13-2010/094.jpg

More Zoas
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/4-13-2010/095.jpg

Lifesavers Acan
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/4-13-2010/096.jpg

Throwing this one in because i love how Candycane feeding polyps look :)
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/4-13-2010/077.jpg

[MGDMIRAGE]

Added final fish today, another black little clown. My other clown took right to him and they are following each other around, they even slept next to each other lastnight.

[Rbishop]

Awesome corals!

[MGDMIRAGE]

Awesome corals!

Thank you!

------------------------------------------------------

Todays addition:

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/004.jpg

[Markushka]

Nice to see a familiar face here, pics are huge on this site! don't fit my screen lol. I'll be adding my hex here to soon. keep up the great work and keep the pics comin :)

[MGDMIRAGE]

Ordered 250W MH today and going to pick up some SPS frags tonight pics soon.

[MGDMIRAGE]

Wavemaker arrived today and seems to work great with the new Koralia Evolutions.

Yesterday i picked up a few corals:

Acropora Valida (Purple)

Very large frag of Idaho Grape Monti

Teal Tabling Acro

Green Pocillipora

[MGDMIRAGE]

Actinic FTS

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/013.jpg

[MGDMIRAGE]

Decided to mess with my MH so stuck it on the back of the tank and let it run for 15 mins. It's friggin' hot and super bright! My clowns were freaking out from the intensity. I put the T5s back on for now until i can hang the MH and start it out way above the tank and slowly lower it.
Some pics with the MH, it's really blue with the 20K bulb, i love it!
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/002.jpg
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/003.jpg
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/006.jpg
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/010.jpg
Acropora Valida.
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/016.jpg
The slimer frag all healed up now!

[MGDMIRAGE]

Added a torch and orange monti cap.

[fishiefishie]

Awesome pix!! Very nice looking tank -- love the way you set up the LR. Great job!

[MGDMIRAGE]

Awesome pix!! Very nice looking tank -- love the way you set up the LR. Great job!

Thanks!

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/5-17-2010/043.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/5-17-2010/038.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/5-17-2010/035.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/5-17-2010/031.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/5-17-2010/029.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/5-17-2010/028.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/5-17-2010/022.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/5-17-2010/020.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/5-17-2010/018.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/5-17-2010/015.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/5-17-2010/014.jpg

[MGDMIRAGE]

Was bored today so took a few pics. All flash pics except the blue cloves pic and kit lens.
Golden Dwarf Moray named Eelie (wife named it)
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/055-1.jpg
And probably my two favorite pics of the sixline so far.
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/071.jpg
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/070.jpg
Blue cloves, i've been in love with these things since the first time i saw them last year and finally got some recently. No flash.
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/044.jpg

[MGDMIRAGE]

And here are a few more pictures.
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/045-1.jpg
Bunch of new baby heads all around the bottom of it.
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/037.jpg
Galaxea with a bunch of babies around the base also.
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/004-1.jpg
The Starry just chillin'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And guess the coral!
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/007-1.jpg

[MGDMIRAGE]

I recently moved to a new place and had to transfer my 40 gallon so i setup two 20 gallon longs to house all my livestock. I didn't realize how many more frags i had accumulated from being in the 40 and i barely have enough room in a 20 gallon long now days lol. Everything will be waiting in this setup until i can get my new 90 gallon setup ready to go.
Just thought i would share, this setup took me about 30 mins to setup and seems to be working well so far. I'm using a CPR continuous overflow style box with aqua lifter and i have it at lowest setting hoping it will keep my GD moray in :D Skimmer is rated for about 250 gallons and sitting in about 25 gallons total system volume after rock water displacement.
This is about 10 mins after actinics came on so most stuff isn't even open yet.
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/003-1.jpg
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/004-2.jpg
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww172/mgdmirage/40%20Gallon/007-2.jpg

[WeedCali]

That skimmer looks huge in a 20g!

[the wizard]

40 was looking great can't wait to see what you do with the 90