jph's downsize, new tank plans

[jph]

okay, time to edit my 1st post, and give some factual information, instead of me rambling and guessing at what i'll do.

the plan still remains that i'll be moving my 90 into this 24. but not everything will fit, ofcourse. most of the rock will be up for grabs

currently on order;

current aquapod 24g with 150W HQI sunpod fixture.
BioCube 29 stand (i like that one better than the aquapod stand)

i will be going bare bottom in this one, most likely with some starboard, and some rocklifts.

i'm not sure if i'll be able to comfortable fit a skimmer in the back section of this tank, so, not sure if there will be a skimmer.

for flow i will start with a hydor flow on a maxijet as return pump, and a Koralia nano inside the display. i will also add a small maxijet behind the rocks, blowing down, to keep a constant flow under the rocks across the bottom, making sure nothing will settle down there.
if this isn't enough flow, i'll add more later.

livestock - all coming from the other tank(s);

true percula pair
blue assessor
two peppermint shrimp
one emerald crab (two, if it turns out that the other one is still alive and hiding in the rocks)
bunch of hermits, astrea, cerith, nassarius & turbo snails

frogspawn
pink birdsnest
red acropora millepora (no longer red, i've got one brown-ish version, and two frags that are turning green/lime-ish in color.
blue mushrooms
hairy mushrooms
pink palys
fire&ice zoas
open brain
blastomussa wellsi (if it survives long enough, i's been randomly loosing polyps, but also growing new ones)
candy cane

that is the plan, will most likely add more later when everything is up and running long enough.


J.

Originally Posted by jph

well, i overdesigned the 90g when i set it up, and right now just don't have enough free time to properly maintain (or even finish the build) it. i guess a big tank will be for when i retire.

so here's the new plan.

after we get done remodeling and installing hardwood floors in the living room, i'm going to setup a new tank, transferring the smaller pirces of LR from the 90 into it.

planned equipment and stocking;

- 29 gallon glass tank
- 4 bulb T5 light fixture (can someone suggest a bulb combination that works with just 4 bulbs?)
- FSB
- liverock (to be taken from the big tank)
- clean up crew, to be taken from the big tank
- will try various zoas/palys and some LPS corals, most likely a few SPS too
- a few small fish, my percula pair will definitely end up inthere.

how it will work;

i'm going to put a divider in the tank, about 6" away from the left or right side. this small compartment will become my "sump". i don't want to do any more plumbing for a sump under the stand. i'm still not sure how i'm going to build it in all details though. this will also be where the heater(s) sit
so, keeping in mind the glass thickness, i'll end up with ~20G tank volume and ~5G sump volume.

for flow in the tank, i'm going to rely on two strategically placed powerheads. not sure what kind just yet.

i'm going to try and make a FSB that has somekind of textured and liverock look and feel to it. into this i will try and incorporate some acrylic rock lifts, keep the rock off the bottom, for easy detritus siphoning when needed. it should also add with supplying good water flow through the rockwork.

[DarthOcellaris]

Awesome! Welcome to the build-off

[husky_1]

Sounds like a nice plan, I like the "In-tank" sump idea for nano's as well. IMO nanos should be simple.

FSB...hehe, I did not know what that was until it popped in my head. I run BB in my 92, but will have an SSB in the nano. If the SSB in the nano does not work, I may give the FSB a shot as well. Seems like the best of both worlds.

[miniwhinny]

Welcome and good luck, Can't wait to see start up pics.

[Loverotties]

Sounds good!Good Luck!

[Phishnoob]

Sounds great. I kind of like the keep it simple approach too. We are moving in a year or so to a bigger house and I don't want to destroy our townhome with this project.

Looking forward to lots of pics.

[jph]

well, in anticipation of setting up this new tank; sometime this year
a while ago, i ordered some frag plugs along with my last order of DI resin.

and did my first attempt at fragging some corals.

the acropora millepora that almost completely bleached still has the very ends of two branches alive. these were very small <1/4" but i decided to snip them off, and glue them to a disk to see if i could grow them out.

i snipped off one <1" frag of the pink birdsnest.

and when i moved the rock with the fire&ice zoas, they were growing on the rocks around it, so i was able to pluck a few of those free. resulting in about 5 or 6 frag plugs with zoa frags

i hope that everything survives. and if it all works out, i'm hoping that a local reefer sees this and thinks; hey i want some of those and in return i'll give you some of my awesome looking frags

anyway... pics to follow later when i'm home.


J.

[Dego Red]

Sounds like you and I think alike! My build...

Are you doing three viewing sides, or two?

[jph]

Originally Posted by Dego Red

Sounds like you and I think alike! My build...

Are you doing three viewing sides, or two?

yes, i saw your thread, and all i could think was; this guy is reading my mind haha. mine will be two viewing sides though, not three.

i still haven't figured out how i'm going to arrange the flow yet.
i'd like to keep the pumps/powerheads as small as possible. don't want to add too much heat to the water. and i REALLY hope that i can run this tank without a chiller once the CA summer hits.

i have added two modified MJ900 to the 90 gallon tank for extra flow. i alternate them every day or so, because if i turn both of them on, my LPS are getting smacked around. i think that i'm going to replace one of them with a MJ400 and see how that one does. it might be an option for the small tank.

i'd like nice overall water movement, but nothing too frantic that ticks off LPS.

one thing that i noticed is that since i put the clowns in the 5.5G tank, the frogspawn that they were hosting in is feeling and looking a lot better


J.

[Wiskey]

Great idea for a tank! Should be allot of fun to see this build

I have clowns that host in a frogspawn, and I've notice that when they leave it alone for a little while (move to the anthelia to host) it blows up much nicer as well lol.

Whiskey

[fish.freak]

Originally Posted by jph

- 29 gallon glass tank
- 4 bulb T5 light fixture (can someone suggest a bulb combination that works with just 4 bulbs?)

J.

stager them from left to right, or get a 36" fixture and use a wire hanger

[dobejazz]

Welcome to the build off !

[jph]

here they are, in anticipation of the new tank
the two tiny acro frags are in the big tank, i'll move them over this weekend when i do the waterchange.





anyone care to trade ?


J.

[Phishnoob]

Looks great. Hope you get some action on your frag swapping.

[VWD]

Good Luck on the Build!!!