Tank of the Month - September 2004

[Skipper]

This month we are featuring John Coppolino's (copps) beautiful reef aquarium:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/totm/images/homepage.jpg (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/totm/index.htm)

More details can be found here (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/totm/index.htm) or by clicking on the picture above.

Congratulations, John!

[guitar_lord]

Wicked tank man
Congrats!!

[kali77]

Congrats Bro. Been anticipating this;)

Gene

[SoKaL ReeFiN]

Beautiful tank, congratulations!

[reefez]

Well deserved. An insperation to me :) Very nice work.

[reelbadfish]

unbelievable tank... nice work, lots of good detailed information!!

[Art_Vandelay]

Excellent job of making it look so natural; people often overlook that aspect and yet it is so important! I also loved your detailed, comedic commentaries on the fish rather than just a list of what is present. Great photos too. . . loved the close-ups! And yes, thanking our wives most of all is a futile yet valiant effort at gaining their approval for an overwhelming amount of funds spent. lol!!! Seriously though, AWESOME JOB.

[yuhsuen]

Awesome colors!!! I love your rics and clams :D Great job:thumbsup:

[lisajulia]

Hi!
I am pretty new to this board, but noticed in the article you are from NoVA....I have been trying to find other addicts near me, so it was nice to see your tank!!!
It looks lovely and I too loved the rics and clams...WOW!
CONGRATS!!!!

[majesticangelfish]

LOVE YOUR TANK!!! WELL DONE MATE!

[35gallonhex]

very nice

[JumboShrimp]

John, PM me where exactly do you live? Ive been thinking about joining the washington area marine society, but am I too young? (16) I live in centreville...

[AnemicOak]

Nice tank! That Regal Angel is beautiful.

[Chip Douglas]

Congratulations copps!

Copps is a very nice guy, I had the pleasure of doing business with him a few months ago, I got about 7-8 sps frags from him I believe, and it's all doing great. His tank is nice, and he deserves this.

[bristopher]

Nice.

How shallow is sand bed and what type of cleanup crew do you use.

[z28cam]

Very nice indeed... I could sit in front of that for days on end :)

[busybrunette]

Beautiful!!!

Fantastic close ups too.

My current aquarium is 60 gal - and yours gives me hope. :)

[Melody]

Congrats on TOTM, it's well deserved! Your tank is phenomenal. Like your wife, my favorite is the funny/wierd/goofy/nosey flame hawk fish. :D

[Atkins]

Really really impressive tank, incredible colour and a real choice selection of fish. Have my eye on a red sea regal myself...and the bristletooth tang,never come across one of those before.


Great job keep it up:)

[NM reef]

Congradulations on making TOTM!!!

You've always been one of my most respected reefkeepers and this is a well deserved nomination.

Your reef is a true inspiration and a system I've long repected.

[chideloh]

Congrats John. Happy for you !!! :)

[Leishman]

Looking good John!
PM and e-mail boxes full yet?

[ckuhndog77]

Congratulations Bro. First you got a NANO reef TOTM award and now this. Can't wait until you move and get your 180 up and future 450+ up to see what you can do with something that big.

Nice to look at your tank and know some of my coral frags once again made it into a print story.

I'm happy I met you when you first joined WAMAS and was able to help populate your original 10g tank with some corals. You have repaid me nicely with your generosity of many frags in return over the years. You really are one of the best reef keepers I know and am proud to call my friend. I know the highlight was having Bruce Carlson come see your tanks in person this summer when he came and spoke at WAMAS symposium.

Well buddy-boy, get busy cause we host MACNA XVII next year and your 180 will be up by then and you can host a mega tank tour for all that come to the area.

Craig

[dgasmd]

John:

Extremely nice. I am very glad to see how you have progressed from the best nano I have ever seen (refugium and all) to a gorgeous tank. Keep up the good work.

Alberto
the aquarist formerly known as a WAMAS member!!

[kev apsley]

Congrats on TOTM! system looks great! I really like how the bottom is covered in clams and ricordea...awesome!

KEv

[ann7757]

Very nice tank, John. I love the colors! I'm looking forward to pics of the 500g tank when you have it set up!!

[JB NY]

John, congratulations on TOTM. You already know how I feel about your tank, it's a beauty!! Robie did a great job with the pics, sorry I didn't send you any, got too busy in RL.

Again, love the tank my friend! :thumbsup:

[jcontreras]

hey, hey, what a spectacular tank... I can hardly wait for the 500gal! pls. keep us informed on that... congratulations

[original-reefland]

Amazing pictures!

[ROBZ]

CONGRATULATIONS Jonny and Virginia, you guys have done a beautifull job taking care of those animals... as i said to you before I havent seen a tank that looks so well kept in such colorfull harmony in a long time !!!!:cool: :cool: :cool:
kudos for you buddy!!!!!

well deserved...









Robie

[febeast]

Stunning, John, just stunning. I am very impressed and humbled by your dedication, knowledge and love of this "hobby". Great inspiration for all of us.

[socalreefer73]

Hmm I was stumped to just what purpose a "frag" tank would have, but now I'm thinking its for coral propogation?

oh, nice tank, btw...

[John Brancheau]

Very nice tank, love the regal, best of luck with it in the future........

[ihavtats29]

all i can say is sweeeeeet!!!!!!

[copps]

Thanks very much to all! Like probably all of us here I love to check reef profiles and I am happy you all enjoy mine. I’m away on business right now writing in from my hotel in Groton, CT. When I get back I will add more pictures to the thread including those from some of my other systems.

Skip, thank you and great job on the layout!

Gene, thank you for providing me with many of the coral in my reef… we’ll meet up soon…

Art Vandelay I thought you were an architect (Virginia and I are huge Seinfeld fans)… giving our reefs a natural look is way up on my list… I see so many tanks that look like LFS sale tanks as opposed to natural reefs… this is indeed a living art and more appropriately should be termed coral gardening… and regarding the wives they really don’t get enough credit for dealing with us nuts…

Jumboshrimp I live in the Dulles/Sterling area but will be moving to Leesburg in January as our house is being built. WAMAS has many young members in high school, including reefer44 on this board, and most of all membership is FREE for all students! Come on out!

Chip thanks for the thumbs up. When we move and my larger systems go up I plan on selling more frags to help fund the ~500 project. To bad I can’t put it into the mortgage as I did with the room addition…

Bristopher the sandbed is around just an inch or two… enough to cover the bottom. When I get the 180 up I’ll either go BB or a larger grain shallow bed. For those who don’t like the look of BB, I suggest you cover it with rics and clams like I did :D Cleanup crew is snails only… nassarious, cerith, and astrea.

Busybrunette… size doesn’t matter:D In all seriousness this tank is much more spacious than my 10 gallon nano… I’ll post pics of this tanks later but you could check it out at nano-reef.com where my username is Brooklyn Johnny. The largest thread where my tank was feautured can be found here (http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=11234&highlight=pics+of+new+green+maxima) …

Atkins good luck on the regal. I have no idea of your experience but I just want to make sure I stress that regal angels should be reserved for experienced reefers only. With that said there are some great threads on this board with great firsthand accounts on keeping this tough but gorgeous fish…

Leishman… yeah I have to clear the box… Thanks for all your help local buddy and congrats again on the 250 gallon…

Craig thanks for the kind words. Having other reefers by the house is always fun, but having Bruce Carlson by was incredible. I could talk with him for days straight and look forward to the opening of his new aquarium.
Alberto you’ll always be part of the WAMAS family… good luck on your big boy and I may use you as a consultant soon!

Kev apsley the next big craze after BB with be ricordia clam bottoms… :D

Joe thanks for the kudos and I was very happy to meet and have you over. Thanks again for the consulting on the Interceptor treatment… I’m bug free!!!

Robie gracias por las fotos y todo! Ditto to you as we all know you are one of the masters. Between you and me we could start terming tanks with ric and clam bottoms DC style! It’s been great having you as a friend inside and out of the hobby…

Febeast I have always had a passion for this hobby that I just cannot explain… I just let myself get caught up in it with my wallet wide open!

Socalreefer73 I have always liked to keep my display tanks natural looking with the glass spotless… anything to make it appear like the ocean… and I hate having frags cluttering the display… my wife always says the frag tank is ugly and my reply is “That’s what it’s for!�:D In the new house this will be behind the scenes.

John Brancheau thanks bud! Your tank I’ve admired too and is a definite future TOTM…

Thanks again to all... when I get back in town I will share more photos and info on my systems as I know there can never be too many photos. It's great to share this info with fellow reefers who can relate... I've run out of ways to try to explain this hobby to those nonreefers...

Copps

[copps]

NM reef I also want to thank you personally for the kind words... you are a wealth of information at saltwaterfish.com and have helped so many reefers in your thousands of posts... keep it up!

[fuzed]

impressive tank! :D

a quick question for you, how do you find the bristle tooth tang in respects to other fish, is he agressive or placid - I seem to find mine chases any new additions to the tank (for this reason the flame angel has been living in the sump for about 2 weeks so far) :(

I think he may have killed the previous flame angel, as i'd seen him attack it a few times (my thinking, they both have a very similar body shape).

[shred5]

Very nice tank.

Dave

[fishykid9212]

wow thats an awesome tank how much money did you put into that:eek1:

[hollback]

Great looking tank! I love your Ricordia patch surrounding your clam. Great Idea! It looks natural.
~Jason

[DemoDick]

Great Job! It looks Awesome!!!! :beer:

[jackson6745]

John,
Congratulations on TOTM. It is very well deserved. It's nice to see some other Brooklyn born 65 gallon reef tank owners out there!:D

:thumbsup:

[danano]

Congrats John! Awesome tank, corals and colours... a true testimony to your passion, dedication and reef husbandry! ;)

How time flies... it seems like not too long ago when we were tinkering with our 10g nanos. :)

Look forward to your 180g and later the 500g!

Dan

[zebrazoma]

Congratulations! Beautiful tank!:thumbsup:
I’d like to know how you clean the sand of this tank. It’s full of rics and tridacnas

[reefkeeper02]

great looking tank! can we see some more pics of your tomini tang?

[drblank1]

Beautiful tank. Love the srooms.

Question, how do you deal with the nuisance algae? Does it ever invade you SPS' space?

Also, do you have a large sand bed in your 7 gallon algae tank? Do you think that could be contributing to your algae problem in your show tank?

Again, awesome tank!!!

[Radicaljbr]

Great tank Man!!!!

[ffighter17]

Great Tank!!!! Breath Taking.
What is your normal PH, I noticed you have 7.7 to 8.1.

[Dz99ls]

great tank! keep up the good work

[rjwilson37]

Your tank is very sweet especially with all the fish life you have kept as well.

If you don't feed DT's or some other phytoplankton, how is your pod population? I've always been told that the phyto is not only for the filter feeder corals/inverts but the pods as well to keep them plenty.

[cliffrouse11baseball]

Congratulations. Do you ever sell any ricordia frags. I would love to take a couple off your hands.

[richfavinger]

Outstanding, makes me think I don't need the new 140 I'm planning? ;)
You guys truly make the smaller tanks "Larger then Life"

Do you run a chiller?
Is there a framework supporting the rock, or is it just well placed rock?

Rich :cool:
75g Reef Cycle Phase #2

[rtcpenguin]

Great tank!

I also live in NOVA (at least some of the time), and was wondering what you consider your favorite LFS. I actually use the many petcos in our area because they have such inexpensive livestock, but I've found that "Super Pets" (in Annandale) and "Marine Scene" (Herndon) have some very nice more expensive fish/corals.

[Poseidon9697]

Great job, one of my favorte TOTM. You have quite a fish load, is there any agression between tangs and the angel?

[michaelmcl47]

Very impressive to say the least.Its gives us newbies something to look forward too.

[Thunil]

that is one of the coolest tanks i have ever seen but i count 15 fish. i like stocked tanks(my 30g will have 7 fish) but i'm suprised no-one has commented on this. not the slightest bit of offence meaned by this but i think that it is good to see someone else with a highly stocked tank;)

[Thunil]

sorry i forgot to add i absolutely love that white tiger goby :) :) :) :)

[fishykid9212]

Just wondering how much does it cost you for electricity monthly

[Deacon]

Beautiful tank and incredible photographs. I'm more than impressed. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[Leishman]

you're back in town, where are the additional photos???

[atram]

Beautiful tanks...Your 10 gallon nano-reef was a big inspiration
to me.

Congrats

[boozer7]

Unbelievable tank!!! Great work!!

[moga]

great tank..johnny..
from the 10 gallon tank to 65gallon you have..
just gave one more reason to continue this hobby..and i live closed to you .........

have you got anything from Tang Police??? LOL..

[chrisd4421]

Congratulations!!! That is a beautiful tank.....

I was wondering if you could explain a little more in depth on the plumbing around the circulation of the main tank as well as the Neilsen and Ca reactors. am interested in a simular set up (sort of) but am tryign to get ideas on how to go about it

Thanks

Chris

[chrisd4421]

Congratulations!!! That is a beautiful tank.....

I was wondering if you could explain a little more in depth on the plumbing around the circulation of the main tank as well as the Neilsen and Ca reactors. am interested in a simular set up (sort of) but am tryign to get ideas on how to go about it

Thanks

Chris

[copps]

Thanks again everyone for the compliments… I am back in town and will get some new pics together for everyone to view.

Fuzed, regarding my tomini tang, he has been very accepting of other fish. Originally he did bother the flame hawk for a while, but that subsided a long while back. We all know that while each species has its general tendencies, each fish is an individual. My local buddy Ckuhndog has since gotten one and he may be able to chime in again with his experiences. I got this fish from Liveaquaria.com when he was on sale for just $55, and they have them in stock right now for just $79. This is a good price for this rare fish that isn’t available very often. This fish as I said looks spectacular in person and is a great alternative to the standard koles.

Fishykid, while I’ve put a lot of money into the tank I’m always hunting for the best prices with the best quality. It’s tough to say specifically, but let’s just say it’s been a lot!

Danano thanks for the compliments from Singapore… keep doing the great work with the T5s!

Zebrazoma there is no need to clean the sand…

Reefkeeper I will post more pics of the tomini tang soon…

Drblank… the algae growth isn’t really a problem and is by no means excessive. For that reason I’ve stayed away from the phosphate removing medias. Whenever I show it to visitors they think it’s no big deal, however I tend to be a perfectionist and am always thinking how to better the tank every day. It’s been doing well enough that I don’t want to rock the boat…

Ffighter17 the pH of my systems in this small apartment has always run on the lower side, and I stopped worrying about it long ago. Air does not circulate much from outside. When I leave the windows open in the apartment the pH gradually rises on all tanks within hours. I originally thought this a myth but have seen it with my own eyes. My view on pH is that it is not a problem by itself, as my tanks have done well even with the low pH readings. However, usually low pH is a side effect of something else wrong in the aquarium that is causing problems. I refill the Nilsen reactor every week with kalk, and the first few days the daily fluctuations are about 7.9 to 8.1 or 8.2, and by the end of the week the pH bottoms out at around 7.7. Without the Nilsen though these readings would be even lower. After vacations I’ve seen the tank bottom out as low as 7.55 with no ill effects. These readings are with a calibrated Pinpoint monitor, but I originally would test in disbelief with test kits and verify it. The calcium reactor is pretty cranked now with this small system and that is no doubt a major contributor…

Rjwilson even since dropping the phyto I’ve always had a huge pod population, although now it is recovering after doing the Interceptor treatment for red bugs. In most healthy reef tanks there will be plenty of pods to go around without worrying about specifically feeding them… The fact that there are pods shows that the cycle of life does fine in the tank without additional feedings of phyto, so this is more money to keep in the wallet for me.

Cliffrouse I will keep you in mind in the future when I need to thin out the rics. With rics though it’s all about buying from a respected source as they are not all alike and they are just unnecessarily expensive to buy WYSIWYG. I like etropicals.com and blowfishaquatics.com for these. Many of the blue rics you see are from etropicals.com and were less than $7 a polyp and are still that price NOW! I have ordered a lot from etropicals and liveaquaria and am always happy with the quality. Add that with the 14 day guarantee and free shipping over $175 and you’re set!

Richfavinger thanks for the compliments. I always shoot for a natural look that doesn’t look like a “wall of rock�, and I always try and make the tank look larger than it is, so those compliments are especially appreciated. As I said in my article, people concentrate too much on “levels� and the like and too little on the design of their aquascaping. There is no framework supporting the rock, it is just all carefully placed. I run no chiller thanks to the design of the system. The 4 inch fans contribute, but more than anything having two aquariums on one system that alternate lighting cycles really helps. I plan on doing this with the 180 combined with a larger frag system, although on that I’ll still probably need a small chiller. We’ll see…

Rtcpenguin by far my favorite LFS is Roozens. I’ve bought many of my corals there and a few fish, although you need to have a good eye for healthy fish and get them “off the boat� when they come in. They do retail and wholesale, and I have seen so many LFS in the area buying their fish there at close to the same prices that we pay. The bottom line is that they bring in livestock DIRECT from around the globe that avoids cherry picking, so many of the things you see in my tank are from there at normal non-cherry picked prices. Most of my fish I buy online now though, due to the guarantee and superior quality. Regardless of how healthy fish sometimes look, many die for unapparent reasons and it’s nice to know they are guaranteed. Also, companies will sell you only the best and healthiest if they know they have to replace it if it dies.

Poseidon, everyone gets along great, except for the cardinals that are always fighting for breeding rights…

Thunil you bring up a good point. Not all 65 gallon tanks would be able to support this fish load, but mine does. There are two reasons a tank could be overstocked IMO. One is by territory. Everyone gets along fine there so no worries. The second is through bioload. Between my 100 pounds of live rock, Euroreef skimmer, refugium, filter sock, and water changes I am able to keep levels not only within check, but good enough to keep sps. Also, number of fish is never a good determinate of bioload. There are clownfish breeders who keep hundreds of clownfish in 10 gallon tanks when they are small. I also stocked this tank knowing I would have the 180 up when the new house is built. There is a difference between stocking a tank and stocking a tank for the long term, as is evidenced by the clownfish example above. However, this does not justify those that say, “If I have problems I’ll just buy a larger tank.� Just because I keep these fish does not mean every 65 gallon tank can handle the bioload. With all of this said it’s obvious that in recent years the ability to handle higher bioloads in saltwater aquariums has risen. The old days of a few fish in a tank aquascaped with dead coral skeletons are long behind. Also, those starting in the hobby should keep much less of a bioload than the system can potentially handle to help when the unavoidable mistakes we have all made arise. As we continue to advance in the hobby you’ll see more tanks with higher loads of fish. Another important point is that, for example, one five inch fish will add much more biolaod than five one inch fish. Also, certain types of fish contribute much more than others. Oh yeah, the tiger goby is just really neat I think too! I love fish I’ve never seen that don’t cost an arm and a leg…

Fishykid my electricity averages about $120 a month for the apartment, although there are times when they don’t read the meter and bill us for an “estimate� which is around $50. We then suffer when the bill comes when they catch up in reading the meter and it is significantly more. It all works out the same though now that I’ve spoken with the company and understand why we get varying bills despite the tanks consuming the same monthly.

Leishman you crazy Brit, my internet is down at work so I have no access to the images. At the latest they will be up on Monday… they would also get up faster if I didn’t have local reefers asking for help with their new 250 gallon tanks… oh wait that’s you! :D JK by the way…

Atram thanks… that 10 gallon had 180 gallons of ideas in it as I always say. The funny thing was that I thought that would hold me over until our house was built:D

Moga, are you a WAMAS member? My view on tangs is different than most of the tang police… Most people group all tangs into one group requiring a certain size tank, but I divide them up by genus and sometimes species as some are vastly different. Those of the genus Zebrasoma (yellows, scopas, black) are much more suited to smaller aquariums. I would not keep these permanently in a three foot tank when larger, but these are much more suited to small confines than some other tangs. The bristletooth tangs of the genus Ctenochaetus like my tomini are the same. However, those in the genus Acanthurus (Achilles, powder blue, clown, shoal) are much more mobile and require much larger systems IMO. On the species level some of these are VERY nasty like the shoal and the clown even when given enough space. Look at 64Ivy’s 500 gallon that is ruled by his sohal. I have always loved clown tangs, but I have reservations about adding one of these to even the future 500 gallon for that reason. Even when these guys are small they should be kept in larger tanks IMO… I could go on and on about this but I am always very concerned about the welfare of my animals, and for that reason I would not have these two tangs in my tank if I didn’t think they were well cared for. I feel most sorry for the tangs left in LFS tanks with nothing to graze on and nowhere to hide. My guys display natural behavior and are fat and healthy…

Chris I will elaborate on the plumbing later to help you out…

Thanks again all for the kind words as they mean a lot. This hobby is exciting in so many ways and there is no telling what the future will bring. First hand accounts are the best form of knowledge and this board has them on every aspect thanks to reefers like all of us. Pictures will be coming…

[Aquaguru]

WOW great tank and it looks very natural too. Keep up the good work.

[auckland]

Great tank,

How do you get such nice Photos, what camera are you using???

[copps]

Auckland many of the photos as mentioned were taken by my good bud Robie Sayan (Robz), but I'm not sure what camera he has, although it's an expensive one! However, all of the photos from my nano thread were taken by me using the same model camera that Robie used when his tank was TOTM... the Nikon Coolpix 990. I have also used the newer yet not so expensive Nikon Coolpix 4300 (around $400) on some of the photos in the article. The Nikon Coolpix line is well known for its abitilty to take great macro shots and I am looking into buying another one soon. They also make great underwater enclosures for these guys for those who scubadive.

[MikeG]

Congrats! That Regal is beautiful! I've been searching for an eating specimen for over a year now. Best of luck.

[copps]

Thanks Mike... it's a tough search, although I have always heard good things about The Marine Center's regals. I was ready to order from them before finding mine. Also, Liveaquaria has small Red Seas available now which they almost never have. As I've mentioned Liveaquaria really does ship nice fish although I'd write them and ask them if they get their regals feeding first.

[auckland]

Congrats! That Regal is beautiful! I've been searching for an eating specimen for over a year now.

We get regals in new zealand and they never have a problem eating. the smaller one are best , however it is a good idea to put them in a bare tank for 2-3 weeks to get them eating and them out them in a reef/fish tank.

[Carl_in_Florida]

And I was impressed with the 10! Can't wait to see the 500.

Congrats

[copps]

Yeah you know I really think this fish in particular is benefitting from better collection and shipping methods... auckland where are the specimens coming from that you're talking about?

[copps]

Carl while I know the 500 will require more work than the 10, I really don't think any tank will be as complicated as that little 10 was...

[auckland]

We get regals from indo and red sea.
Actually i have found that the small indo species do really well and found them to be much more agressive eaters compared to the red sea species,
To have better success with these fish you do need to feed them up for 2-3 weeks and dont house them with too many fish as they wont be able to compete.

[MikeG]

it's a tough search, although I have always heard good things about The Marine Center's regals. I was ready to order from them before finding mine. Also, Liveaquaria has small Red Seas available now which they almost never have. As I've mentioned Liveaquaria really does ship nice fish although I'd write them and ask them if they get their regals feeding first.

I've been thinking about the Marine Center; it is just tough to part with that kind of money for a fish that may live. I'll keep looking though. Keep up the good work and keep me in mind when you have to frag those babies!

We get regals in new zealand and they never have a problem eating. the smaller one are best , however it is a good idea to put them in a bare tank for 2-3 weeks to get them eating and them out them in a reef/fish tank.

I am quite sure your specimens DownUnder are healthier then the ones we get on the east coast (NYC). The shear travel time to cover some 8000 miles is hard on these delicate fish. Like I said, i'll keep looking. :D My favorite fish to join my PBT; both of which I fell in love with while diving Ras Mohammad.

[Bemmer]

John,
I feel like I know a celebrity...

Seriously, getting to know you and your wonderful wife Virginia has been awesome for me as a fellow aquarist. Your talent, dedication and respect of the hobby is quite evident in the accolades that you have received from your peers and the experts in the field. I feel very lucky to know you and truely appreciate your patience as you share your wealth of information with me and many of us on these boards.

Your tank is incredibily beautiful, not just in the photos but so much more so in person. Like many on this thread, we can't wait to see the 180g and 500g in the near future.

Congratulations on such an honor as the TOTM. Also, tell Robie that they are some awesome photos as well.

[Thunil]

Will any of your fish out grow your 65 gallon, because the largest tank that i could have in the future would be a 75g (i'm 14 so i still live at home) can you reccomend any larger fish that would be good for a 75 (by larger i mean things bigger than clowns, damsels, cardinals etc.)

[cutting]

Congrats on TOTM, i noticed your quick line about your tank stand being 40" high, when i built my own stand i had the same idea in mind, its good to hear other people that dislike having short tank stands.

[copps]

A few more pics are on the way...

My efflo colony with green Pocillopora damicornis underneath...
<img src=http://images2.fotopic.net/?iid=yf4zou&outx=600&oq=0>

green table colony
<img src=http://images1.fotopic.net/?iid=yf4zow&outx=600&oq=0>

top shot of the left side...
<img src=http://images2.fotopic.net/?iid=yf4zo0&outx=600&oq=0>

one of my favorites... fuzed branch blue millepora grown from a frag...
<img src=http://images3.fotopic.net/?iid=yf4zov&outx=600&oq=0>

[bigworm616]

your regal angel is awesome, its the nicest looking one ive ever seen. Your tank is truely inspiring.

[copps]

Some more fish shots... I've gotten more responses on the tomini tang than anything else...

The tomini in the days before my regal came along and my zoanthid collection moved to the other system...
<img src=http://images2.fotopic.net/?iid=y2lszp&outx=600&oq=0>

another...
<img src=http://images2.fotopic.net/?iid=yfg187&outx=600&oq=0>

more of the cardinal gang...
<img src=http://images3.fotopic.net/?iid=yfg13o&outx=600&oq=0>

and another of the regal...
<img src=http://images1.fotopic.net/?iid=yfg18s&outx=600&oq=0>

[Thunil]

will your regal outgrow your 65g? thanks in advance:D

[copps]

I would not feel comfortable keeping the regal long term in the 65. He will surely appreciate having the 180 in a few months as he grows...

[Celso Suguimoto]

Nice tank :)

[Brules]

Very Nice :)

[Mormy]

Congratulations!! You have a beautiful tank.

I've got only one question:

Your Pygoplites diacanthus disturb in any way the hard coral?

Becouse I've got a tank with many hard coral, but I'm afraid to buy this fish.

Best Regards
Lorenzo

P.S.
Sorry for my English :)

[Gerard Alba]

...and you deserve that 500 gal John Coppolino's.
Fantastico.

[rjwilson37]

I am afraid of puting things so high in my tank because when I do a water change, the water level goes down in the main tank.

Copps, does your water level go down in the main tank enough to expose any corals to the air at all for a short time during the water change?

[Gerard Alba]

How deep is your sand bed?.

[copps]

Thanks guys...

Mormy, my Pygoplites diacanthus has never touched any hard coral in my tank. While it is ALWAYS a risk, the regal angel is one of the safer choices with most hard corals...

rjwilson yes this does happen when water changes are done, and I've long since stopped worrying about it. I've seen this in a few other local tanks too. I just shut off the halides so the corals don't get blasted, while leaving just the actinics on. I do try and go as quickly as possible, which probably results in ten minutes or less of exposure of the corals.

Gerard the sand bed is between probably about one inch or so throughout the tank... I layed down just enough to cover the bottom.

[jackson6745]

John, 2 simple questions

How high do your run the pendants from the surface of the water?

Where do you buy the micron socks from?

thanks,
Rich

[Opiy]

Love the tank looks great!!

Curious though... did you just buy alot of the same ricordias and mount them on a rock by each other or did you buy 1 or 2 and cut them to make more? Ive read you can cut rics to grow more but kind scared to cut such an expensice shroom. If there is good sucess in it, then ill prob give it a try.

Thanks

[copps]

Thanks guys...

Rich, the glass shield on the pendants (the lowest part of the pendants) sits exactly 8 inches above the water. The filter socks are bought from a local retailer/wholesaler that does have a website at www.roozens.com, but I don't know if they ship. They are nothing special, but they really pull out a lot of detritus and things that would no doubt break down and become a burden. Yeah it also pulls out some good pods and things, but there is still plenty to go around and the benefits really justify their use IMO.

opiy I've never gotten into the slicing and dicing as they spread by themselves enough and have now filled most of the available space I have anyway on the bed.

[sid700]

Congrats. Your TOTM is well deserved. I'm very impressed and am now even more motivated to start my tank.

I am planning on having a high circulation rate in my tank, but I am concerned that it might not work too well with my planned DSB. Did you have any problems with your circulation and your southdown? What were your reasons to not go with DSB?

Thank you for sharing your tanks with us.

[TexasTodd]

Where have you found most of your sps frags?

Thanks,

Todd

[Bunifa]

I love the Regal angel, is he hard to take care of?

[Julio]

Beautiful tank, love the angel.

[aquad]

Great aquarium I like your aquascaping. All your corals look very
healthy. I like your lighting system it looks like a good combination.

[Oceanic105]

Wow,very nice!

[CinnamonPair]

simply gorgeous!!
Congrat!

[AktionJaxsun]

copps,

Nice tank man. I love it. I don't know if this has been asked already, but I wasn't about to sort through a 101 threads. Anyway, I am thinking about starting up a 65 gallon tank and since you were going to get your 180 going sometime soon i was wondering if you were going to sell anything that is 65 gallon specific? If so please let me know.

Patrick

[jun41]

Where did you get your cardinals? If I remember right they're yellow striped cardinals but I can't find them anywhere online.

[JenDub]

simply stunning.......great job!!!!:D

[copps]

Originally posted by chrisd4421
Congratulations!!! That is a beautiful tank.....

I was wondering if you could explain a little more in depth on the plumbing around the circulation of the main tank as well as the Neilsen and Ca reactors. am interested in a simular set up (sort of) but am tryign to get ideas on how to go about it

Thanks

Chris

Chris, I went back and realized I never got to your questions... The circulation for the whole system is provided by two MAK4 1200 gph pumps. The first is the return from the sump, and this tees off to the frag tank (through its own SCWD alternating to each side of the frag tank) and to the main tank (through a 3/4" Sea-Swirl placed in the center of the 65). The second MAK4 is on a closed loop and is fed through a hole drilled through the back of the 65. This then goes through a SCWD with outlets on each side of the 65.

The Nilsen reactor is fed from a reservoir of fresh water hooked up through a float switch in the sump. The reservoir holds a max of five gallons or so, so if the switch ever stuck it would not be a big problem and the sump would handle the extra volume.

The calcium reactor is simply fed by a powerhead in the sump... nothing real special there...

Let me know if that covers everything and again sorry for the late reply...

John

[copps]

Thanks very much all... your comments are so much appreciated...

Sid, the tank took a little to settle in, but after a few weeks all of the sand stayed put. When I upgrade I will not use Southdown though, but rather switch to a coarser grade sand for a few reasons, with one of them being I'm going to be using the Tinze Streams. In my opinion DSBs are now outdated and unnecessary. Dealing with nitrates is no longer an issue, and the long term sustainability of DSBs is too much of a hassle to deal with while offering benefits that I achieve through other means. Some things will enter a DSB and never come out... the basic debate has been discussed in many threads... I could elaborate if you like but the last thing I want to do is debate it... I'm not saying they don't work of course...

TexasTodd I have attained them through so many places, with alot being from local buddies... I've been very picky and my patience has paid off...

Bunifa, I think the key to success with this fish starts with an experienced aquarist getting a specimen that is eating, providing it with great water conditions like those seen in sps tanks, and a diet containing sponges and green matter... as always throw in a bit of luck...

AktionJaxsun I spent so much time and effort on the stands and hoods of this system that I'll probably always keep it. When I upgrade to the 180 this guy will become a softie tank, and the calcium reactor will follow the sps... the only thing I'll sell will be frags...

jun41 I got the cardinals from Liveaquaria and as of this moment they have some in stock. They carry them from three different locales. I have the new Scott Michael volume 3 Reef Fishes book (Angelfishes and Butterflyfishes, but also includes a great section on cardinals), and he mentions how Apogon cyanosoma is a complex containing many species. The only other local reefers keeping Apogon genus cardinals I've seen was Robie Sayin (Robz) who keeps Apogon leptacanthus which get along pretty well in a large group. Unfortunately these guys get VERY aggressive when they breed and are widdling themselves down as I find one here and there with "death blows" as a result of breeding pairs. I may increase the school again when I have the 180... they are so striking and almost never seen. I love cardinals and the natural behavior they display in small tanks... except for the death blows :D ...

cardinals for sale link (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1431&TopCatId=26)

Thanks again all... I promise I will post many more pictures this week...

Johnny

[AktionJaxsun]

copps,

Thats alright. Well, hopefully you don't mind if in the near future i bug you about what you think is best since i will be setting up a similar system.

Patrick

[superseawave]

really nice tank very inspiring!

you da man

[sid700]

Thanks for the response John. Everytime, I think I've figured out the setup for my tank, something comes along that makes me look through a bunch of postings.

Nevertheless, your tank and other TOTMs inspire me to keep planning and building (lots of DIYs).

BTW, are there physical or behaviour differences between the orange-striped cardinals from Fiji, Indo-Pacific or Coral Sea? Which ones do you have?

[copps]

Boy Sid I know what that's like... but that's one of the many things that make this hobby so enjoyable... no two tanks are the same...

Regarding the cardinals I have ordered both those from Fiji and the Coral Sea from Liveaquaria. Until reading Scott Michael's book recently I had no idea there were differences in appearance but apparently there are. Now that the group has widdled itself down I don't know who is from where. If I had known in advance I would have been able to see the difference possibly. If the very slight color difference were an indicator, any behavioral differences would be negligible.

Are you thinking of getting these guys? What size group in what size tank? Do head over to Amazon and order Scott Michaels volume three... it's the best yet. I was excited to see these cardinals while diving in Guam recently. I'm heading back to Guam next month and will try to get some pics of those...

[moga]

yeah COPPS i am a wamas member..sn is LoveReef..
fan of your tanks for long time.

[reefkeeper02]

i must inquire about your angel. It does ok in a 65? also, besides zoos what other corals might one pick on? Also, what is the best way for the average reefkeeper to get one. I am going to start a new tank and am looking for ideas. thanks for your help :)

[aquad]

A very nice reef aquarium. I like your pic's

[solojrbb]

nice tank I guess a anemne is out of the question in a tank like this. I have lots of brains and new corals sprouting daily, but want to add coral as well. Your tank looks great. take care

[FalsePerc]

:eek2: :eek2: :eek2: :eek2: :eek2: :eek2: :eek2: :eek2: :eek2:

:thumbsup:

Excellent job! This type of tank is what the pop-eyed smilies were made for!

[FalsePerc]

Oh, and BTW, if your mind/sanity ever walks out on you and you decide to randomly and spontaeneously give away your tank, i'm here!:p

[OceanproAquatics]

Sweet looking picture of your reef! I love it when you see someone do such an awesome job in setup!

[lilko]

Great tank!!!! I notice that your skimmer sits on some sort of the pad. What exactly did you use? Was it to silent the skimmer down?

Thanks.

[jmk]

While we would all like to think our tanks look this good....wow! Being raised on the ocean I think this tank looks nicer than the reefs I dive at. Nice Job!

[copps]

thanks guys very much for all the wonderful compliments... it feels great to know other people can enjoy this tank after I've put so many hours into it...

moga, are you going on the trip next weekend to Penn State to meet with Sanjay? If not I'll see you at the next meeting...

reefkeeper he's fine for now in the 65, although he'll be moving soon to the 180... check out this thread here (http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=367022&perpage=25&pagenumber=1) for more info on regals in reefs...

solojrbb I would not keep an anemone in this tank for the simple reason that if it decided to move it would wipe out too much...

lilko my skimmers sitting on a little plastic platform (the baskets used for hoarding jewelry... at least by my wife) to boost it up a bit so it sits at the ideal level in the water...

More pics to come...

[copps]

Here's me in the living room at the laptop (probably refreshing the reefermadness page)... Scott Michael's new book is open at the kitchen table... sorry for the mess...
<img src="http://images2.fotopic.net/?iid=yfx42u&outx=600&oq=0.jpg">

Another full tank shot...
<img src="http://images3.fotopic.net/?iid=yfx42v&outx=600&oq=0.jpg">

Right side shot...
<img src="http://images1.fotopic.net/?iid=yfx426&outx=600&oq=0.jpg">

Left side shot...
<img src="http://images2.fotopic.net/?iid=yfx42r&outx=600&oq=0.jpg">

[copps]

Some of my many montiporas... 7 of these 11 were started as frags...

<img src="http://images1.fotopic.net/?iid=yfx42q&outx=600&oq=0.jpg">
<img src="http://images2.fotopic.net/?iid=yfx42p&outx=600&oq=0.jpg">
<img src="http://images3.fotopic.net/?iid=yfx42o&outx=528&oq=0.jpg">
<img src="http://images3.fotopic.net/?iid=yfx42t&outx=600&oq=0.jpg">
<img src="http://images1.fotopic.net/?iid=yfx4f6&outx=586&oq=0.jpg">
<img src="http://images2.fotopic.net/?iid=yfx4fu&outx=600&oq=0.jpg">

[copps]

<img src="http://images3.fotopic.net/?iid=yfx4fv&outx=600&oq=0.jpg">
<img src="http://images1.fotopic.net/?iid=yfx4fw&outx=600&oq=0.jpg">
<img src="http://images2.fotopic.net/?iid=yfx4f0&outx=600&oq=0.jpg">
<img src="http://images3.fotopic.net/?iid=yfx42m&outx=600&oq=0.jpg">
<img src="http://images1.fotopic.net/?iid=yfx42n&outx=600&oq=0.jpg">

[copps]

Amid the loads of tank pics I have this one of my wife Virginia and me. Always nice to put a face to the name... for those of you locals I don't see at the WAMAS meeting next month, I'll see you next year at MACNA as it is hosted by our great club here in DC!

<img src="http://images1.fotopic.net/?iid=yfxgd3&outx=600&noresize=1&nostamp=1.jpg">

[dulim]

Great tank!! I was wondering how you went about feeding the the regal out of a turkey baster without frightening it away at first.

[copps]

It was a gradual process... each day he would become bolder and bolder and go closer to the baster... finally he just began attacking it... it's been a great way to deliver food directly to this guy with so many voracious feeders in the tank... this photo was taken by a local WAMAS member now living in Russia while I was feeding... Thanks Andrii for the beautiful shots!!

<img src=http://images2.fotopic.net/?iid=yfxx1u&outx=500&oq=0>

[tanker240]

That is a great pic.

[OceanproAquatics]

Yea John,
That's a killer photo!

[kang seung han]

good~~~~:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Dz99ls]

great shot!

[CaptiveReef]

Incredible colors!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where did you buy most of your frags? Tank looks great!!!!! The 500 gallon is going to be eye popping!!!!!!!!!


:thumbsup: CaptiveReef

[Piero]

but what really amazed me was your excellent photography....you have a good eye for imagery and composition!
nice shootin!:)

[creetin (SG)]

this is a superb tank! congrats......

btw can u tell me how high u have your 250w DE lights from the water? e hood looks pretty high up, i guess about 10 inches from e water?

[WmTasker]

Every month a new tank come out as tank of the month, and every month I find a new reason to keep reefing.

Great reef :D:D

[copps]

Thanks all!

Captivereef I have got frags from all over really... but most have come from local buddies...

creetin, the glass shield on the pendants (the lowest part of the pendants) sits exactly 8 inches above the water.

[mirium1]

Wow, that's all I can really say!

[skeetemup]

That is one beautiful tank i have a 72 bowfront that i just added a regal i've tried many combinations of food he eats but i don't think he gets enough because he eats so gracefully and the other fish are pigs. i've been using the turkey baster method but he is still very timid if you could give me some pointers it would be cherished once again little tank but big tank features (thats what i tell my buddy who has the space for a 180g i can only have 75g in a apartment 0

[drblank1]

Skeetemup,

Do you have corals in your tank, and if so, what kind? Does your regal bother them? I would love to have an adult regal if I could.

Thanks,
Dennis

[drblank1]

John,

I forgot to say I love your tank. Nice job.

[copps]

Thanks guys...

skeetemup how's the regal? The fact that you've just gotten him and he's eating is a huge step in the right direction. Be patient and he should become more bold. As long as he's eating a little for now he'll be fine. If things don't improve in a few more days you could take other steps, but for now just do what you're doing...

[bradleyj]

Your tank is incredible, that is what I want mine to look like, I have a 65 g tank, same shape, same skimmer and two 150 DE HQI pendants. I just started collecting sps corals , do you think that they will have enough light? they seem to be doing fine , I'm just not patient enough, it seems like it takes them forever to grow.

[skeetemup]

just wanted to say thanks for the input i've done a lot of research on this fish and i'll do what ever it takes to make him happy i tried mussells that i picked up from my local grocery store he went wild and is eaten great so for now he's on a mussell diet i still feed the tank with a comination of formula 1, formula 2, plankton, angel formula, krill, blood worms, tubeworms,cyklopiese so eventually I guees he'll catch on plus i put red seaweed in the tank attached to the rock so i guess i'll have to see

[copps]

To all... I have a list of frags available for all who have been interested, including blue torts... please e-mail me if interested in a list (try not to PM as it fills up fast)...




skeetemup good luck!

bradley 2x 150s is fine... just have patience Bud!



Thanks,

John

[copps]

http://img80.exs.cx/img80/1226/7268.jpg

[ROBZ]

I think I might stop by to collect before they are all gone ;)

[JTice]

Beautiful Tank! You mentioned that 2x150 would be fine, but do you feel 250's would be best? Do you think you could have made your tank as awesome as it is now with only 2x150s? I'm going to have a tank similiar in size to yours and I can not decide if I will go 250 or 150. The only reason I'm undecided is because of heat issues. What made you decided to put 250's on your tank instead of 150s?

Thanks,
Tice

[Dz99ls]

verry nice from the pics you cant even tell its only a 65

[ogdlow]

thats one great tank

[beckj2000]

Amazing 65!

This has inspired me to build one this size. I don't have the room for a 4' long tank.

[tankslave]

what kind of algae do you have in the refuge there?

[piscies75]

HI I liked it so much, I did something I have never done before. Showed a woodworking friend the picture and had him do a stencil and cut it out with a bandsaw. I used a dremel tool and hours of sanding, then painted it with acrylics (first time too, I usually use watercolour) then made the base , a dead piece of coral and shells, sea urchin and presto ....thanks John for allowing me to do this.
http://dunn.smugmug.com/gallery/277778/1/12230564

[Skipper]

Wow, piscies!!! That is really awesome. :thumbsup:

[copps]

Man that's cool piscies! Don't thank me... thank the Red Sea:) !

My wife and I close on the new house next week and I'll be moving all the tanks over the course of about a three week overlap, including the upgrade from the 65 to my 180. I'll update as things progress.

tankslave, I have a mix of algaes, including Caulerpa and Chaetomorpa species...

Jtice, the 250s have really worked out well, and I don't have heat issues because I run the frag tank overnight, so one tank cools the other. Despite being only 65 gallons, it is a 24" deep tank, so the 250s add the extra punch to get to the bottom of this deep tank...

Will update soon...

John

[cardking411]

first nice looking reef.

here's my question in reading your setup i noticed you saying Stockman type drainpipe in your overflow what is that exactly? any pictures.?

[copps]

Thanks... Stockman overflows were designed by Ken Stockman and have a smaller footprint than dursos, which I needed after having two drains in the small AGA overflow. Look at Ron Durso's site linked here (http://www.dursostandpipes.com/) and look under "popular modifications" and then "Stockman hangon overflow". I use many of these on my new system and am very pleased. If you have questions beyond what Rich's site gives you just shoot...

Hope that helps...

John

[Leishman]

Show us the new 180 and the fish room John

[copps]

I showed you already Rik.:p It'll be a while before I post pics... but you know I will...

[PaulB]

I am curious to see some pics about the "built-in" frag tank.

[Leishman]

Hey John:

Thanks for the frags, colors are great so were the frag sizes.

[33g]

One of the best ive seen.

[exoticaquatix]

it seems i missed the boat on your tank the first time around, i hope you still check this thread.
i just wanted to say i love this tank, i saw that you were selling it a little while back as was wondering what your progress is on your new tank(s). its late and i have get up in 5 hours so im not going to get started on another thread tonight. :D im working on a 65 gallon right now and have a 400 watt 20k on it, i was wondering if you had any tips for replacing the center brace among some other questions. again, LOVE this tank, my favorite so far. ill look you up again tomorrow.
-nick

[CONST]

When you first started this SPS aquarium, what did the rock arrangment look like? did you place the rocks on the sand, or the sand around the rocks?

Very beautiful aquarium.

[reefing102]

very nice

[Justusfish]

I just bought a saltwater tank and I have to say. Your tank is un-fraggin-believable!!!

Clarity, colour, class. I real gem!! Artistry mixed seamlessly with technical know-how. Kudos to you!

Spencer

[GregW]

John
What's the name of this monti?
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/totm/images/Clipboard05sm.jpg

[copps]

That monti has been around a while and has been spread around. It's a branching Montipora species (so of course it's always called digitata), but its probably one of the other branching Montipora species that aren't as smooth as M. digitata. I have no idea who's distributing it now, but it was known as the green base red polyp digitata or something along those lines... The green comes out much more under bluer lighting...

[Marko9]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10910571#post10910571 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GregW
John
What's the name of this monti?
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/totm/images/Clipboard05sm.jpg

I believe ROAB was distributing it thru exotic reefs back in the day. Its Roab's Green and Orange digi.

John, the tank looks amazing. I love this thread.

[copps]

Thanks bud... Yeah, I knew it was one of the Exoticreefs guys... before it was exotic reefs I think... it's amazing how time passes...