187 Gallon Build Thread

[fishfreak2009]

So everyone, It's almost time for me to start my rebuild on my 187 gallon tank (I plan on starting during Christmas break since I've got alot of homework right now). I'm looking at easier soft corals right now (mainly shrooms and polyps), but would like to get some LPS in the tank eventually. Here's everything I've got to work with.
60" by 24" by 30" Acrylic tank with pre-cut overflow/return
30 Gallon Refugium/Sump Combo being torn off and not being reused for this tank
55 Gallon refugium sump combo I built about a month ago (already tested for leaks)
G200 Protein skimmer
6, 65 watt T5 Bulbs (will only be growing coral in the upper portions even though the mushrooms seem to do wonderfully on the bottom)
2 Koralia Powerheads (the biggest size they sell)
1 150 Watt U.V. Sterilizer
250 Lbs. of Coralline covered Rock
100 lbs. of crushed coral (going to replace this with 200 lbs. of aragonite)
Some brown and olive green zoanthids
1 massive frilly pink and green mushroom
Many lavender mushrooms
1 Blue Ricordea
300 astraea snails (they keep breeding)
3 lbs. of grape caulerpa (trading to the LFS for some chaeto for the new sump)
1 PJ Cardinal
3 Smithi Damsels
6 Yellow Tailed Blue Damsels
1 Royal Gramma
1 Bicolor Angelfish
2 True Percula Clownfish
25 Blueleg Hermit crabs

[greech]

So your tearing this down to do a soft coral reef with some LPS and redoing the sump?? Sorry, confused on what is staying and what is going :)

[fishfreak2009]

Pretty much.

I might also add a BTA.

[Haydn24]

Sounds good :) can't wait to see it

[Lady G]

OMG, I love this section....so many build threads!!!!

Can't wait to see how it transforms!

[fishfreak2009]

Well, looks like I'm going Fowlr for a while (although I'm keeping the mushrooms, snails, and hermits I've already got). Maybe someday I will be able to afford the lighting for my tank... :(

Good thing is I get to go spend $250 over break on freshwater fish at a wholesaler!

[fishfreak2009]

I wish my parents could make up their minds. Now they decided against the wholesaler, so it looks like I'm going to be getting 4 bags of aragonite and some saltwater fish for my tank.

BTW, the reef just might be a little closer than I thought. One of my LFS has a 4ft, 6 bulb t5 light for $175...

[fishfreak2009]

Sorry for such a long post, but there is pics at the end!
So we decided to just replace the bulbs in my current T5 sets I have over the tank. Just started working on it today, and it is already costing me more than I had expected. My heater broke and I didn't know it. I reached into the tank and was sent to the floor! :swear: now, I have a really sore back. At least my dad took me to get a new one. Turns out my parents already bought the sand for the tank (they were gonna wait till christmas), now that the tank is torn down they plan on letting me finish the tank in the next 5 days (My christmas break started today). Got all the crushed coral out of the bottom, and all the fish are living in the previous 30 gallon sump right now (set up across the room on the floor). Using the old sump as a temporary holding tank for all the fish, coral, and some of the live rock, I realized that it would be an amazing quarantine tank! :woot: I am really excited so far and I'm finishing cleaning the tank when my dad gets home later (I can't lift the tank down myself). Hopefully, tommorrow comes all the plumbing and sand, maybe even fill-up! Now Here's some pics of my progress: :dance:

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[fishfreak2009]

This thread is sad. No one even has a reply. :flamed:

Anyways, I finished putting together the sump and all the plumbing today. Adding water and sand to the main tank tommorrow or monday (depending on when I buff the scratches out. Here are some pics of today's progress.

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[goalieman59]

looks like a good, cant wait to see the finished product.

[Lady G]

YAY, You're getting there!!! Thats awesome of you parents.....love your little cardinal ;)

[fishfreak2009]

So tank has all the live rock with no coral, all the sand, and salt water in it now. Pics when it clears up. BTW, all the plumbing went absolutely perfect. No leaks anywhere, and the water flow is much faster than before.

[greech]

Looks like you are making great progress. Glad you were not hurt more from the defetive heater (what kind was it by the way?). Look forward to seeing pics of the new digs!

[fishfreak2009]

I really don't remember the heater brand (and my dad threw it away already). I know it was glass though, and it had a crack up by the top seal.

Today's progress: I added all the fish this morning along with a new guy. I went and got a coral beauty, along with a couple more hermits and a ball of chaeto for the fuge. Bicolor went after the coral beauty, but after turning off the lights, stirring the sand (which made the tank very cloudy), feeding heavily, adding mirrors to the sides of the tank, and changing up the caves, they are now getting along. They even graze together from the nori sheet! I just have to hope it stays this way. :)

Oh Greech, I almost forgot to say that I was sorely tempted to skip the Coral Beauty today. I went to the LFS, and for $160 they had a mated pair of Potter's Angels. Too bad I don't have $160. :shakehead:

[fishfreak2009]

Tank is not 100% clear yet, but enough to get pics. Only problem is no pics of the coral beauty because as soon as you get near the tank she darts back to the caves, and the water is too cloudy to get a distance shot. However, I did get pics of most of the other inhabitants, and I did manage to build an egg crate filter guard to prevent the damsels from being sucked down the overflow.

BTW, the coral beauty and the bicolor swim together around the tank and graze together as well. They get along like they've always been together.
:nilly:

Pics:

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[goalieman59]

Very nice.

[Lady G]

Looks great...nice to see it up and running!!! BTW, I lay claim on "internet Mommy" for your cardinal....I just love those cuties!!!!

[fishfreak2009]

Pics of the inhabitants that were not shown previously (including the new coral beauty that eats like a pig and grazes with the bicolor :D ).

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[fishfreak2009]

BTW, I lay claim on "internet Mommy" for your cardinal....I just love those cuties!!!!

He is great! Currently he's my oldest fish. As of Monday, I've had him for 6 years.

More pics of him:

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[fishfreak2009]

I have a question for you all. Now that I have 2 dwarf angels, (one of which previously ate a flower anemone), do you think I should make this a FOWLR (I would still be adding shrimps, an emerald crab, hermits, and snails however) and add a filefish and some heniochus, or a reef and add corals, a bubbletip, and some tangs?

[greech]

By eating your nem, I think the angel answered the question. If it did that it proabbaly would not be safe with coral except maybe softies. Glad you're having success with both DA's btw.

I would much rather have a reef with a tang or two. You have a really nice FOWLR though so it's a tough call.

[fishfreak2009]

Well, I guess it'll be a FOWLR, and I will skip the filefish because I don't want my hermits eaten (I forgot that I owned one previously and it ate all my nerite snails... )

[fishfreak2009]

Definitely a FWSI (Fish with selected invertebrate) system now. I added 2 new animals today! One is a cleaner shrimp that I couldn't get any pictures of before it hid. The other is a pearlscale butterflyfish! It already eats like a pig, and is swimming all over the tank. I also managed to get a picture of the clowns together.

Pics:

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[Lady G]

Wow...6 years, that's great!!! He is soooo cute, love your angels too!

[fishfreak2009]

Mom and dad were so happy with how the tank looks, they took me to the LFS again today! I got three new animals! Pics of them, but still none of the shrimp (I did see him cleaning both angels though). I purchased a greedily feeding copperband butterfly, a lubbock's fairy wrasse, and a blue linckia starfish (which is already grazing on my nori after a 2 hour drip acclimation. Nitrates are officialy at 2ppm, and there's no ammonia or nitrite.

Pics:

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[fishfreak2009]

Ya, about the copperband. It kept eating but it passed away last night. The fish looked great when I bought (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/#) it, but it rapidly broke down and died. I called the LFS today, and apparently all of the other copperbands from the shipment also broke down like that. http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/images/smilies/frown.gif What sucks even more is that it lasted less than 24 hours, but the store doesn't guarantee any saltwater fish.

Good news is that everything else still looks good. I got a magnetic algae cleaner for the tank, and $180 to spend (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/#) on any fish I want for the tank for christmas.

[WeeNe858]

sorry to hear about the copperband :/. the tank looks great! have you thought about adding some more rocks to branch out towards the front? i think it would add a lot of depth. also, check and see if you can put the egg crate screen on the inside of the overflow. ;] keep up to good work!

[Haydn24]

Looks great! And nice fish, sorry to hear about your loss. At least you know it wasnt your fault. Keep going :)

[the wizard]

That is a very nice looking set up you have there. Your fish are gorgeous you have made some very good selections.

[fishfreak2009]

I tried egg crating on the inside, but it doesn't fit because there is piping in the way. However, it should be covered in coralline in a few weeks anyways.

As for adding more rock, I really want to keep the tank as open as possible, and there is already 250 lbs. in the tank (some of my rock is really dense). I also want to have a small group of heniochus in this tank, and I want to give them as much swimming room as possible.

[fishfreak2009]

Went to the LFS today to spend some Christmas cash on a cleaner shrimp. All the shrimp were sick looking or dead, so I ended up picking up 2 more Lubbock's Fairy Wrasses for the tank. I also ended up buying 12 baby black lace angelfish for $12, and a healthy, heavily feeding motoro stingray for $110.