New 72 gallon bowfront,FOWLR.

haha sorry guys i will have pictures up today or tomorrow. Made a few additions of corals and fish. Probably nearing overstocked now but i've been trying to get a couple fish out but can't catch 'em.

just received the reef octopus bh-2000 skimmer in the mail that i ordered wednesday night. Tried putting it together but it's a pain in the you know what. The instructions have a picture and says something along the lines of "put it together to match the picture" what a big help that it. Any help would be appreciated.
 
Reef Octos seem to be well known for bad instructions from everything I have read. Just do a google search for your model and you will find a number of threads on setup.

Oh and didn't you say something about pics?
 
yea, we want pics, we want pics!
 
hey guys. i'm back. was going through a lot of time consuming projects as well as some overtime with the job.

About a week ago i found a good deal on craigslist. I bought a 48" Metal Halide Fixture, with 2x 250w halides, 2x 110w VHO, and the 8x Blue LED Moonlights. With 1 new(in box) halide bulb and 1 new(in box) VHO bulb for $200.

Its 720 watts. For my 72 Bowfront, is 10 watts per gallon this overkill? How many inches should this be above the water? I had it about 7" away and it brought the temp from 80F to 83.5F after a little over 8 hours. Is this temp change stressful for the fish/corals?

Also, the legs are too big for my tank. any ideas on DIY legs/mounting? I am not very handy at all, so keep that in mind. Right now i have the fixture propped up with a few pieces of wood.



Also, i'm dealing with some ich. Killed both of my clownfish and now my purple tang has it bad but is showing no sings of stress. Hes eating liek a pig, very active, doesn't rub against anything) Only fish in the tank are the purple tang and 3 chromis. Any ideas on treatment? I have Cupramine(sp?) but can't catch the fish to put them in the QT.The LFS suggested NoSickFish, and i was also thinking about IchX. Anything you guys can recommend as being "reef safe"? To be honest the hermits might be my favorite part of the tank and don't really wanna lose them. (Weird how the least expensive things can be my favorite)
 
Wow, that sounds like a heck of a light and a good deal to boot! Do you know what brand of fixture it is? Not sure why the legs would be too big? Maybe post some pics? Most of these fixtures have adjustable legs that slide in a rail and can be tightened once they are in the right place. The other option would be to hang the fixture somehow, either from the ceiling a shelf or some sort of angled bracket screwed into the wall or your stand.

I think 7" is about where you want it but if you suspend it above the tank you could make it so it's adjustible. Does your fixture have built in fans? Maybe they need to be replaced? 83+ is a bit high and would try to get it back down and maintain around 80. They're just computer style fans. The other option to keep heat down is a fan:

http://www.marinedepot.com/Azoo_Coo...uarium_Lighting-Azoo-AZ71021-FILTACAF-vi.html

I have also see those small plastic fans that you see at WM clipped on tanks as well as well as larger room fans that are meant to be bolted into the wall.

I'm sure many will disagree but if those are the only fish you have and they are eating well then I would just leave them in the tank, feed them very well, keep your water quality high and stable and just try to keep your hands out of the tank, etc. to reduce stress. While not a cure, a garlic and/or vitamin supplement would help IMO.
 
Its a Catalina Fixture. I haven't seen too many reviews of them but the fixture is awesome so far.The slide rail changes the length of the fixture but not the width. Problem with the legs is that the fixture is about 12" wide to begin with and when you put the legs on they add about 1" to the width on each side. SO its a couple inches too wide for the 12" or so ends of the 72 bow.

Its got one built in fan on the unit (definitely not enough) although it does do a good job considering how hot those bulbs get. I will get a digital thermometer today or tomorrow to get an exact degree as to how high the temp gets. Would it be better to lower my heater to 78 degrees and see how hot the tank gets when the lights are on? I'd rather not add fans because of the increased evaporation but will if its an absolute must.

Also, is there a certain material i could use to block the excess light thats coming into the room from the fixture. Because its about 7' off the water i'm getting a lot of light coming into the room. The tanks close to where i watch TV and the light is too much if i sit on one end of the couch.
 
do you have pics yet?
 
I would definitley try lowering the heater a couple of degrees and seeing how that changes things before you try something else. Other than a canopy (which may make your heat issue worse), I can't think of anything to shield the light. I'm sure there is something though.
 
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