Khemul's 120 Gallon Tank

[TL1000RSquid]

Did find out my pod population wasn't nearly as strong as I thought it was. But I've now got the Scooter eating frozen and accidentally eating pellets and flakes (mix it in with the frozen and he accidentally takes a bit while hunting :evil_lol. He seems to be slowly fattening up again but feeding is a pain. Have to shut off all flow and basically shower him with food. The corals love it though. Think the Kenya Tree wants me to keep the pumps off permanently :laugh:.

What Frozen is yours eating? Mine didn't take any training to go after frozen mysis and NutraMar OVA, also he goes for some of the stuff in the marine cubes, might just be mysis again not sure since its a mix of frozen stuff. Never seen mine go after flakes, occasionally I've seen him nose around shrimp pellets but I don't think he actually he's much of those.

 

[Khemul]

Mysis is the only thing I've tried. He spits out shrimp pellets, NLS and flakes. But rain down Mysis and he goes to town (often taking in the other foods without noticing).

Not sure if there is a tank-raised vs wild-caught difference with them. Mine was pretty big when I got him so I'd assume wild but who knows. He didn't take any convincing though on the Mysis. He still doesn't get chasing food yet though so it basically has to fall right in front of him and stay there.

 

[TL1000RSquid]

They supposedly breed pretty easy in captivity mine may of been CB he was around 1.5" when I got him grown another 2" or so since. I know ORA sells some CB dragonets already trained for frozen but I dont think they have scooters just mandarins and they're like $50 more then normal manadarins.

 

[Khemul]

Haven't updated this one in a while... :laugh:

The tank has been going mostly smoothly. The Tang came down with a little bit of ich and died a day and a half after being put into the hospital tank. The ich wasn't really bad so I guess it was the stress of the transfer. Everything else has been going pretty well though.


Unfortunately this tank will probably go through a drastic change pretty soon. We are looking for a new house to move too so at the very least a massive rescaping/restocking will occur. But I suspect when we get to the new place money and time will become tight so a full reshuffling of the aquariums in the house will happen. So far the plan is to swap this tank with my freshwater planted and combine in the 75 gallon setup. The 40b would become saltwater and this would become the new home of the swamp eel and a bunch of random cichlids (making it a "planted" tank with the stocking it'll have should be VERY interesting...).

At the moment I've got a vision in my head for a saltwater 40b. Open top, right side with a regular rock island, left side with a rock island that sticks out of the tank by about 6-7" and have a few mangroves growing around it. Maybe a mini-waterfall if I can manage it but that could be an evaporation nightmare and the idea is minimum maintenance. Lighting will probably be an experiment. I'm thinking a few CFL lamps in a track-lighting setup (everything I've read on forums says it won't work, but I know from the refugium that a CFL daylight bulb can grow softies and mushrooms just fine so may be an interesting experiment). Stocking I'm not sure of just yet. Thinking of continuing the saltwater blasphemy (it will already look more like a saltwater version of a turtle tank then a reef tank if everything comes out how I'm picturing :laugh and letting the mollies stay in their home (currently the 40b planted tank). Then maybe round off the true saltwater fish with moving the clowns and lawnmower blenny over. I want to keep the Engineer Gobies, but I don't think a 40 gallon tank would be very comfortable for them so that is uncertain. Everyone else will probably have to go.

 

[greech]

How about I drive down to south FLA and take that 120 off your hands? Real shame to let a tank that nice be converted into a planted tank .

Good luck with the house search!

Looking do to something like this with the 40B?

 

[Khemul]

Yep. That tank is the one that keeps popping into my mind when considering going with a shallower tank. Just not on such a noticeable scale. That and the turtle tank we have here, which is a 30B with a rock pile waterfall on the left side and a rock arch on the right side that occasionally sticks out of the water when I fall behind on topoff.

If I can manage the concept without an open top I may try to keep the shrimp goby, but anytime I walk by the tank at night right now I hear *splash* *thump* *splash*, so he is definitely not allowed in an open top setup that'll be put in a bedroom. :laugh:


It is a shame but I can always switch it back when money isn't as much of a concern. Or use it as an excuse to upgrade to a 180 in the future... :evil_lol:

 

[TL1000RSquid]

Ugh one of my LFS has a used 60g frag tank for sale every time I see it I think of that volcano tank and want to take it home with me.

 

[Khemul]

Lesson of the day, unplug heaters when draining water from a tank, even if you think you have plenty of water in the tank. :laugh:

Still working on the new home search and paperwork and everything, but figure I'd get the transfer to the smaller tank out of the way now rather then wait. Took most the day but it is just about done. Will start up a new thread with pictures on that one soon. The island/mountain concept ended up being too complicated so the tank is just a standard layout. :swear: But it is coming along very nicely anyways.

Only slight hiccup came when taking 10 gallons out of the 120. Thought I had plenty in the refugium. Turns out I was wrong. Returned to the room 5 minutes later to the strong smell you usually get when a computer melts down. Then a popping sound, then smoke. Turns out the water level dropped below one of the heaters. It is toast. It still turns on but eventually trips the circuit for that part of the house.

 

[greech]

I'll make a note of that . Glad you only lost a heater. Sounds like a long day. Hope everything settles in ok.

 

[Khemul]

Yep, was very happy it was only the heater.

When I realized what was burning I ran over and pulled the plug on the return pump. I am curious what the heater could have done if it were left alone longer, but I've heard enough stories about them taking out the side of a tank when they randomly fail to not want to risk intentionally allowing one too. :laugh: