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Skipper
07/02/2005, 12:18 PM
This month we are featuring Tuan Pham's (tlp) beautiful reef aquarium:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-07/totm/images/RChomepage.jpg (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-07/totm/index.htm)

More details can be found here (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-07/totm/index.htm) or by clicking on the picture above.

Congratulations, Tuan!

GregM779
07/05/2005, 10:13 AM
Gorgeous Tank! Congrats!
I love the large amount of fish, it looks like the ocean. The pic above looks like it goes on forever.
I'm trying to accomplish the same thing, a self sufficient mini-ecosystem. Tanks seem to stay much more stable and healthy that way.
Great idea on the water change tank, makes it much easier for that water volume.

annasor
07/05/2005, 10:40 AM
I didn't see anywhere in the story how many gallons the DISPLAY tank is???...although 11,000 gallons total is impressive!

kase
07/05/2005, 11:02 AM
love the tank.you're living in a perfact world......you must have a lot of time on you hand.....kool love to see my pix if you can..

LobsterOfJustice
07/05/2005, 11:10 AM
I am wondering how you figure there is 11,000 gallons in the system. It did not tell the heights of any tanks other than the display, but assuming a height of 24 inches for the water change sump and a height of 12 inches for all the others, the volume is around 1070 gallons. I know I didnt count water in all the piping, which probably makes a difference, but I notice 1070 is somewhat close to 1100... possibly a typo?

Anyway, nice tank!

Aquaguru
07/05/2005, 11:22 AM
I like the open space that you created so that all of your fish can swim and can be seen by others. You have a ton of fish and that makes it look more realistic. Awesome job on it!!

Jamesurq
07/05/2005, 11:52 AM
main tank is about 500 gallons... Based on my estimate.

Beautiful setup! Amazed that there really isn't any noticable difference in color and intensity between the areas.. (at least not anything that's noticable with the pictures that were taken)

sixxer
07/05/2005, 11:57 AM
Great Tank!!!! Perfect Display look!

sfsuphysics
07/05/2005, 01:14 PM
yah awesome tank.. that width is absolutely amazing it's almost like the ocean in that you see that "extinction" area where you can't see any further in any direction you look, it just fades out. Granted you can see the back but it's almost like it's not there (although I do see the coraline :)).

Oh yah it does look like a typo, that's not 11,000 gallons. The main display is about 520(ish) gallons so I'd hazard a guess at 1100 as well :)

scothew
07/05/2005, 01:14 PM
Amazing tank.

raskal311
07/05/2005, 01:50 PM
WOW, great tank and a great choice for tank of the month.

tlp
07/05/2005, 01:56 PM
Thanks for the compliments.

Altogether there are 5 tanks connected together. The display tank is 7.5' x 4' x 2.5' (567 US Gallons, 472 Imp Gallons, 2,145 ltrs)
.
Refugium tank is 84" x 26" x 15" (141 US Gallons, 117 Imperial Gallons, 534 ltrs)

Two large sumps 8' x 2' x 2' and 5'x 3'x 2' and a frag grow out tank as well.

So yes, a lot of water, but I think it was a typo. It's meant to be over a 1000 gallons ( though each time I do a water change it does feel like 11,000 :rolleyes: ).

F35-Joint Strike Fighter
07/05/2005, 02:25 PM
Congratulation!!! I noticed that your name is Vietnamese..... so I would like to say "Chuc Mung"...

Great job...

sbgreen
07/05/2005, 02:35 PM
Gorgeous
very inspirational - just shaking my head at how much effort went in before it was set up. Very nice my friend, very nice.

AtlanticReef
07/05/2005, 02:43 PM
Chuc mung Tuan! Congratulation! If you have time just check out the link SoCal Viet reefers and give us some of your advice...

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=621903

Triggerfish
07/05/2005, 03:12 PM
freaking awesome!!! nothing more to say.

"central heating gas boiler is installed specifically for the tank"

lol...unreal what some folks got going on..:D

Skipper
07/05/2005, 03:46 PM
Oops, my apologies folks on the total system gallons. My bad!

Hey... I was only off by a zero, though. :p

I'll get that corrected. Thanks for pointing it out.

druluv
07/05/2005, 03:48 PM
Wow well thought out plan

Acroholic
07/05/2005, 04:31 PM
Beautiful Tank. Great Effort deserves TOTM! It's nice to see a well thought out plan, followed thru, and receive the accolades it deserves. I noticed a crosshatch trigger (Xanthicthys Mento) in your pics, not listed in your wet friends, just wondering, do you have a pair of them also?

tlp
07/05/2005, 04:55 PM
Originally posted by CapeCoral
Beautiful Tank. Great Effort deserves TOTM! It's nice to see a well thought out plan, followed thru, and receive the accolades it deserves. I noticed a crosshatch trigger (Xanthicthys Mento) in your pics, not listed in your wet friends, just wondering, do you have a pair of them also?

Thanks & well spotted. The pink tail trigger is one of my most recent purchases, not paired up unfortunately, it is a great fish.

TippyToeX
07/05/2005, 05:30 PM
Absolutely beautiful! :thumbsup: Congratulations.

Pavlo
07/05/2005, 05:43 PM
Well done Tuan

I followed the progress of this tank on Ultimate Reef with great interest and I am very impressed with how it has matured.

It is easy to see how much work has gone into your system and it is nice that it has got the recognition it deserves.

All the best

Paul

Simon.g
07/05/2005, 05:54 PM
Congratulations. and very well deserved Tuan. Nice to see a fellow UK reefer get an award as prestigious as this. :cool:



Regards


Si. :D

kbd
07/05/2005, 05:59 PM
Tuan,

Many congratulations, and so well deserved.

:)

Did you ever worry about using copper piping ?

kim

Morgandy
07/05/2005, 07:03 PM
I'm out of adjectives, they list grows smaller each month with each TOTM. This is just breathtaking...oh the peace it must bring to sit absorbed for hours by it. Question, you said you had trouble initially getting your mandarin a partner..did it reject others at first? Many congrats to you!!

Reef Junkie
07/05/2005, 07:10 PM
WoW!:D
This setup may even rival a local on this side of the pond, JBNY.
He has one of the most intense systems I have ever seen first hand.
He doesn't have as many gallons, but his system is completely automated.
Very impressive Tuan.:thumbsup:

Absint Reefer
07/05/2005, 07:25 PM
very nice!

John Brancheau
07/05/2005, 07:29 PM
Congratualtions, beautiful system, must be a real sight to behold in person........


Very well thought out indeed......Makes me want to upgrade.........

kevensquint
07/05/2005, 07:44 PM
Its none of my business ,so feel free not to answer. Did you ever do a grand total on how much you've invested on the set-up of your tank? Mine is only 65 gallons and I'm in the thousands. I ask you this also since I have never seen such an incredible tank. You should charge people to come in and see it, I bet your tank is nicer than the local aquariums tanks.

TrojanScott
07/05/2005, 07:51 PM
Fantastic tank! Tanks like this make me want to quit the hobby! It's just unreal! Great job.

Art_Vandelay
07/05/2005, 08:00 PM
Absolutely incredible! We should all be so grateful that we have eyes to behold. BTW. . . Why can't I view all the photos? They are not all present on my screen. Anyone else have this as well?

Skipper
07/05/2005, 08:05 PM
They're all working fine as far as I can tell, Art. Try a 'refresh' maybe?

Art_Vandelay
07/05/2005, 08:08 PM
YAHOO!! My pics are working!! Thankyou, Skip.

Art_Vandelay
07/05/2005, 08:10 PM
Man, What a beautiful arrangement of corals and fish, good job!

Gary Majchrzak
07/05/2005, 08:13 PM
tlp: :thumbsup:

macro
07/05/2005, 08:45 PM
very nice congrats

danano
07/05/2005, 08:45 PM
Tuan, I'm speechless...:thumbsup:

Congratulations! For all intents and purposes, a perfect reef tank setup!!:)

Space is a wonderful thing to have in this hobby and passion of ours. And so is a patient and understanding wife.:D

Well done, Tuan! Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed the article and pics.

Dan

DLCanuck
07/05/2005, 09:15 PM
Hey Tuan, Congratulations!

I'm speechless too :D

Nuhtty
07/05/2005, 09:18 PM
Arguably one of the best TOTM ever featured on RC.

Deepsea2005
07/05/2005, 09:34 PM
Beautiful tank Tuan.
Congratulation.

Khanh

Guelphie
07/05/2005, 09:45 PM
I love the way you've done the lighting. Having the zones really creates a neat effect on a tank that size.

Absolutely stunning.

ReefWaters
07/05/2005, 09:51 PM
tlp...the easiest thing to do is just ditto everyone's comments.

Perfect might be a good adjective.

One question. Did you plan every sub-system/detail of the tank before you began to build it or did you add on as you thought of new ideas? I ask because I keep postponing a new system due to the fact that I'm constantly changing my mind and discovering new and better ways to do things...like water changes and temperature control. :D

Congratulations again! Tanks like yours are what inspire me and keep me in the hobby.

ReefWaters.

mattls
07/05/2005, 09:56 PM
How do you get water up to your refugium.

Awsome tank.

dvmsn
07/05/2005, 10:02 PM
This is the best on yet by far. It is like looking at the ocean. This is my goal.

Ebisan
07/05/2005, 10:25 PM
This is now one of my favs. Awesome tank.

Elite
07/05/2005, 11:05 PM
Wow .. Chuc Mung :D
I wish you close by so I check it out in person :p ...

ray-ray's_55
07/05/2005, 11:09 PM
curious..I was looking at the plumbing and are those copper pipes? And if so have you ever had a problem..it doesnt appear that you have had any..GORGEOUS tank!!!

Jonnyacrofeed
07/05/2005, 11:22 PM
Great setup, very cool. Like having SeaWorld in your living room! I was wondering if you siphon out your sandbed?

Silver_Stang
07/05/2005, 11:33 PM
OMG, YOUR TANK IS INSANE!!!!!

The pictures look like pictures of the ocean, not a fish tank, awesome job. I wish I had a tank like yours, thanks for sharing pics, etc. with us.

Freed
07/05/2005, 11:46 PM
Originally posted by Art_Vandelay
Why can't I view all the photos? They are not all present on my screen. Anyone else have this as well?

I can't see them all as well. Same thing has happened in past TOTMs at times. Please see if there is a failure in the upload somewhere or in the software that displays the pics or something. Most aren't showing and none will open when clicking on them as is supposed to happen to enlarge the pics.

cperez155
07/05/2005, 11:56 PM
hit the refresh button ...that worked for me.

o yea btw nice tank you have going there!

jumboshrimp18
07/06/2005, 01:31 AM
Just spectacular. A big ambitious project done to perfection. The open water effect really makes me feel like I might be scuba diving when I look at your display.
I would like to hear about your automatic feeder set up--with pics--if you have a chance. Actually your system is so sweet that I think a picture of anything would be a treat.

dogstar74
07/06/2005, 02:05 AM
Arguably the best TOTM that I have ever seen. Well done! Smashing job!

Aaron

FunkieReefJunkie
07/06/2005, 02:10 AM
I love how the coral are displayed in kind of a wave fashion. It creates a flowing relaxing picture. I'd like to fall asleep on your couch after being lulled into dreamland by the swimming fish and the many colorful coral hues.

LynusAnn
07/06/2005, 02:52 AM
I just wanted to add my own congrats in. Gorgeous tank and has given us some nice ideas for our 300gal.

burntom
07/06/2005, 03:28 AM
Just to add my congratulations! Nice to see a UK reefer doing so well in the home of reefing fanatics! A worthy addition to the TOTM pantheon.

Also encouraging to see that there are decent SPS available in the UK, for when I return next year (when I'll be setting up again). Where did you get yours Tuan?

Tom

MangroveCoral
07/06/2005, 03:56 AM
My God! Your set up is so scientifically technical. I flunk physics so my I'm just happy that I can fix a minor leak. I mean, your refugium makes mine look like a small baby bottle...LOL

I must say it is exciting trying to reach your idea of perfection. That's why this hobby is great...there's always something new to learn. However, your tanks is so incredibly (and physics--cally) self-maintained now...do you have any new project or challenge now?

tlp
07/06/2005, 04:30 AM
Originally posted by kbd
Tuan,

Many congratulations, and so well deserved.

:)

Did you ever worry about using copper piping ?

kim

Kim you teaser! You know that the copper piping is isolated from the reef's water by a very costly titanium heat exchanger!

Thanks :D

tlp
07/06/2005, 04:33 AM
Originally posted by ReefWaters
tlp...the easiest thing to do is just ditto everyone's comments.

Perfect might be a good adjective.

One question. Did you plan every sub-system/detail of the tank before you began to build it or did you add on as you thought of new ideas? I ask because I keep postponing a new system due to the fact that I'm constantly changing my mind and discovering new and better ways to do things...like water changes and temperature control. :D

Congratulations again! Tanks like yours are what inspire me and keep me in the hobby.

ReefWaters.

I spent a good few months sketching out all the details and planning and then did a big-bang build in one go. The only real modifications made after completion was to add four more stream pumps as time goes on to increase the flow as the coral growths took off.

A few things could have been done better with hindsight obviously, but this would always happen, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and go for it.

tlp
07/06/2005, 04:37 AM
Originally posted by kevensquint
Its none of my business ,so feel free not to answer. Did you ever do a grand total on how much you've invested on the set-up of your tank? Mine is only 65 gallons and I'm in the thousands. I ask you this also since I have never seen such an incredible tank. You should charge people to come in and see it, I bet your tank is nicer than the local aquariums tanks.

Let's just say I sold a rather nice sport car to fund it. It made sense at the time as we were planning on having children so we knew we would spend more time at home anyway than being able to use a two seater. Cost wise I think I would have been able to save about half if I was in the US.

tlp
07/06/2005, 04:56 AM
Originally posted by burntom
Just to add my congratulations! Nice to see a UK reefer doing so well in the home of reefing fanatics! A worthy addition to the TOTM pantheon.

Also encouraging to see that there are decent SPS available in the UK, for when I return next year (when I'll be setting up again). Where did you get yours Tuan?

Tom

Most (all but one) of my SPS were grown from frags. Many were bought from a local farmer (Martyn Huyler), some were given/traded with friends. We're still quite limitted on what's easily available but the situation is improving.

guitar_lord
07/06/2005, 06:11 AM
I just wanted to add my comments and say congrats for tank of the month!

I am amazed by all the time, hard work, and dedication that you've put into this hobby.

Thanks so much for sharing that
simply amazing......:eek2:

Ricardo Lacerda
07/06/2005, 06:23 AM
Congratulations....
.. i just fell that we could never do something like that here in Portugal !! Our prices are insane !!! It would take a two year income to do that ...

....and i thought my Tank (http://www.reefforum.net/showthread.php?t=252) was OK .... :mad2:

Just one question ...
... don´t you have problems with all that copper??


Thanks a lot...
...and greetings from Portugal!!!

Skipper
07/06/2005, 07:42 AM
For those having problems with all the images displaying...

If you click on an image before all the images in the page have loaded, the rest of the images will stop loading. Wait until your status bar shows that the entire page is finished loading.

tlp
07/06/2005, 07:44 AM
The copper pipes are part of the heating/cooling system and are isolated from tank water by a titanium heat exchanger. ie. the heated/cooled water (tap water) pass through one side of the heat exchanger in one circuit, tank water on another circuit pass by on the otherside and are not in contact. The heat exchanger in the middle transfer just the heat across from one circuit to another.

Broodingwolf
07/06/2005, 07:56 AM
tuan --

Possibly one of the best tanks I've ever seen on the TOTM page. For that opening shot, I had to do a double take, my first thought was that it was a gag shot of an actual ocean setting. Your tank really beautifully captures the depth and feel of open ocean. Congratulations on the award! I would like to know, how do you sex the mandarins to get a pair?

THE_PROPAGATOR
07/06/2005, 08:12 AM
Speachless, just totally speachless
That tank is truly one of the best tanks I have ever seen.

hats off to you my friend

Dan

Ricardo Lacerda
07/06/2005, 08:21 AM
Originally posted by tlp
..... tank water on another circuit pass by on the otherside and are not in contact...
Sorry ... i didn´t understand.... Now i see how you made it.

Other questions (sorry but i am trying to learn with the masters...):

1-How much water do you loose by evaporation?
2-Do you use Kalk?
3-How often do you replace your bulbs?

Thanks a lot,

Ricardo

spamin76
07/06/2005, 08:24 AM
Originally posted by tlp
Thanks & well spotted. The pink tail trigger is one of my most recent purchases, not paired up unfortunately, it is a great fish.

I noticed this too :)
I am inspired to see a trigger in such a set up - I would love to create a similar set up with crosshatches.

tlp
07/06/2005, 08:42 AM
Originally posted by Broodingwolf
tuan --

Possibly one of the best tanks I've ever seen on the TOTM page. For that opening shot, I had to do a double take, my first thought was that it was a gag shot of an actual ocean setting. Your tank really beautifully captures the depth and feel of open ocean. Congratulations on the award! I would like to know, how do you sex the mandarins to get a pair?

Mandarin sexing was fun. The male is supposed to have an extended/elongated dorsal fin but typically mine didn't so I had a real problem trying to pair it up mistaking it for a female initially.

LisaP had some beautiful shots of male & female mandarins. I'll see if she can drop in a link here that might help.

tlp
07/06/2005, 08:46 AM
Originally posted by Ricardo Lacerda
Sorry ... i didn´t understand.... Now i see how you made it.

Other questions (sorry but i am trying to learn with the masters...):

1-How much water do you loose by evaporation?
2-Do you use Kalk?
3-How often do you replace your bulbs?

Thanks a lot,

Ricardo

1 - a lot. as the tank is in my garage which is quite drafty and I also encourage evaporation via fans (extractor and blowing at the water).
2 - yes, with high evaporation I can add a lot of kalk. Most of the kalk solution is dripped in at a constant rate 24/7 via a dosing pump, some is added periodically and automatically via the float switch when the evaporation is more than the constant dripped rate.
3 - the lamps are replaced around 12-15mths cycle, although recent attendance at a seminar where Sanjay Joshi was speaking I getting more convinced that we can replace the lamps less frequently.

anothermineral
07/06/2005, 08:48 AM
Tuan,

Congrats, The tank is awe inspiring.

dc
07/06/2005, 09:12 AM
Another amazing tank! Thumbs up on the reefslides also!:D

Witchdoctor_h
07/06/2005, 09:21 AM
Tuan, first let me say BEAUTIFUL!!

I have only one question. You mention in your description about the live rock that you have a "two level structure". Can you describe more about what exactly you mean and how you did it?

Thanks

tlp
07/06/2005, 09:28 AM
Originally posted by Witchdoctor_h
Tuan, first let me say BEAUTIFUL!!

I have only one question. You mention in your description about the live rock that you have a "two level structure". Can you describe more about what exactly you mean and how you did it?

Thanks

Sounds a lot more sophisticated than what it is... what I meant is most of the structure is only 2 average sized pieces of live rock high.

mattls
07/06/2005, 09:31 AM
Great Tank.

How do you get the water up to your refugium?

tlp
07/06/2005, 09:39 AM
Originally posted by mattls
Great Tank.

How do you get the water up to your refugium?

Some of the return feed from the main pump is diverted up to the refugium. The flow isn't great but sufficient.

Cosper
07/06/2005, 09:58 AM
That setup is absolutely breathtaking. Your photography is also awesome.. One of those pics makes your tank seem as though it goes on foever like the ocean!

I realy enjoy the tank of the month articles!

jthnhale
07/06/2005, 10:18 AM
:thumbsup: absoulutly amazing.

the size of the colonies is great. I would be tempted to go for a swim in your tank :D
did you ever have to use a mask and snorkel to reach something in the front?

sean48183
07/06/2005, 10:57 AM
Best design I have ever seen for a tank. Above the tank refugium and water change vat that can be used for a QT tank. You have got to be kidding. Absolutely brilliant. What's the longest you have ever just sat and stared at that tank? I stared for 20 minutes and that's just on a computer screen!

jnarowe
07/06/2005, 11:56 AM
tlp[/B]

Just when I think I have seen it all, another, even more psychotic reef turns up! You certainly could tell a few public aquariums a thing or two.

I am very interested in your refugium setup. I clicked on your www link but it brought up another message board, and I would really like to see pictures of how it is now. You used a 25% size to main tank ratio, and I would like to know if that was based on research, or the size of the shelf available. I have been debating the refugium in sump method, but something you wrote has been bugging me since your tank became TOTM:

You stated that you placed it above the main so that the pods and plankton wouldn't be chewed up by a pump. That does make sense, although I have never heard of that before. I have also read that some reefer try to get rid of pods, which has me somewhat confused.

Anyway, how is the refugium overflow designed, and what rate of flow do you think you have? I am planning a tall tank (given to me) and want to build a reef somewhat like you have, with a decent amount of water above it. My plan is to get the TBS package for that size tank, but put someof the rock and sand in the refugium. How did you start the macroalgae? How do you keep the refugium clean? You say you have no predators in it, so either the tank is a total mucky pool, or your cleaning it by hand?

Also, the diagram shows the frag tank not attached to the system. Is it totally seperate, or somehow plumbed in? I really appreciate any input you can give. Thanks!--J

PS. You guys complaining about the photos not working really should understand that TOTM puts a lot of strain on the RC servers, and sometimes too many people are trying to access them, which gives you a little "x" where the photo should be. You can refresh, or even BETTER, wait a day or two to check it out. I know it's hard, but it would lighten the workload for RC staff!

tlp
07/06/2005, 12:16 PM
I am very interested in your refugium setup. I clicked on your www link but it brought up another message board, and I would really like to see pictures of how it is now. You used a 25% size to main tank ratio, and I would like to know if that was based on research, or the size of the shelf available. I have been debating the refugium in sump method, but something you wrote has been bugging me since your tank became TOTM:

It's simply as big as I can fit in the space available. Ideally I would have gone for a refugium many times the size of the display tank.


You stated that you placed it above the main so that the pods and plankton wouldn't be chewed up by a pump. That does make sense, although I have never heard of that before. I have also read that some reefer try to get rid of pods, which has me somewhat confused.


The idea of the refugium above the tank is not new. Many people have it set up already. If you search on here for example, there are some great examples of refugiums above the tank. Not sure why people would want to get rid of pods/critters... my aim is to create diversity with as much variation of life as possible. There are some 'undesirable' stuff growing like some flatworms and tons of aiptasia, but as long as I have the "control" in the display tank (ie. wrasse for FW, CBB for aiptasia) then there's no probs.


Anyway, how is the refugium overflow designed, and what rate of flow do you think you have? I am planning a tall tank (given to me) and want to build a reef somewhat like you have, with a decent amount of water above it. My plan is to get the TBS package for that size tank, but put someof the rock and sand in the refugium. How did you start the macroalgae? How do you keep the refugium clean? You say you have no predators in it, so either the tank is a total mucky pool, or your cleaning it by hand?

I don't clean the refugium at all and amazingly it isn't mucky. Only maintenance is remove a lot of macro algae growth as a form of nutrient export. The flow through is quite slow as the aim is to allow the population of critters and pods to breed instead of being washed through too quickly.


Also, the diagram shows the frag tank not attached to the system. Is it totally seperate, or somehow plumbed in? I really appreciate any input you can give. Thanks!--J

The refugium has two overflows, one falls into the frag grow out tank feeding it with plankton enriched water, the other falls into the main display tank. The frag tank then has an overflow which rejoin the system via the main system sump.

I've started to write up the system on my website:
http://www.reefhaven.co.uk/aquarium.html which is also available as a link off my forum. Please feel free to ask whatever questions if I can be of any help.


HTH.

Julio
07/06/2005, 12:28 PM
WOW!!! CONGRATS, beautiful well thought out system.

Julio
07/06/2005, 12:30 PM
Do you have any pics of the filtration system in action?

DC321
07/06/2005, 12:37 PM
Beautiful tank!

jnarowe
07/06/2005, 12:40 PM
tlp

Thank you so much for your response! What kind of overflow is on the refugium? Is it a screened pipe, HOB, or what? Top or bottom?

I notice as with most reefers that the refugium is clear. I have have several Rubbermaid 50 gal "ponds" that are not see-through. Do you think it would be OK to use those, or is it important to have it clear since it is somewhat above eye level?

Thanks! I'll check your web link.--J

ajd344
07/06/2005, 01:06 PM
That is the best planned tank I have ever seen or heard of by far. I love the water change idea and will definitely be employing it when i set up my larger tank.

Holyreefer
07/06/2005, 01:09 PM
Great looking tank.
I'm just trying to get color on my corals, great job!

dgasmd
07/06/2005, 01:55 PM
Gorgeous set up. Very well thought out too. It is nice to always see people that do take the time to plan it out to the last detail. I am also very encouraged by your number and size of fish. Keep up the great work.

Alberto

rjwilson37
07/06/2005, 02:02 PM
Congratulations!

That is just an incredible setup, those pictures where there right against the tank so you don't see the frame at all... they look like they were taken in the Ocean. That 4ft depth makes it look so nice and gives you so much to work with for aquascaping your environment.

Again.. WELL DONE, just an outstanding job!

spe934
07/06/2005, 03:12 PM
Beautiful tank. Well planned and well designed. What/who were your inspiration for your overall design and layout? Now that your tank is getting more mature, what is next?

tlp
07/06/2005, 03:37 PM
Originally posted by spe934
Beautiful tank. Well planned and well designed. What/who were your inspiration for your overall design and layout? Now that your tank is getting more mature, what is next?

Good question!

I've been reading a lot about biotopes and getting more convinced with the thinking that it would be better and perhaps more challenging to tune the reef to a specific environment. In the long term it should be better for the inhabitants in a more familiar environment closer to where they came from so they can truly thrives instead of being stressed and surviving.

So perhaps I will take a look at the majority of my stock and restart a little, exchanging and removing some that does not belong and hunt around for replacements. Otherwise there's just nowhere to go now except for keep watching them grow and grow until the tank is cramped and start to get neglected from eventual boredome.

The good thing is all the equipment is there. The stock unwanted can easily be traded or passed on to other reefers and I get to extend my research/knowledge (and test my patience and dedication) again.

tlp
07/06/2005, 03:45 PM
The overflow is nothing more than just the standpipe. No screen/filter or anything as there is no fish in the refugium tank.

You can pretty much use any thing as long as it is reef safe, as in, not going to leach any nasty chemical to the water in the long run. Mine is a glass tank only because it was convienent and cheap to get it made (i had 5 tanks made onsite).

I do spend a lot of time looking through the refugium though as it is full of sponges/squirts and creepy crawlies of interest so it's nice that it is glass. One of my fav is watching the water column buzzing with free swimming pods and baby mysids - cant really count them that well but sometimes it looks like there's about 20-40 little dots buzzing in a square inch of water to give you an idea of the richness.

Originally posted by jnarowe
tlp

Thank you so much for your response! What kind of overflow is on the refugium? Is it a screened pipe, HOB, or what? Top or bottom?

I notice as with most reefers that the refugium is clear. I have have several Rubbermaid 50 gal "ponds" that are not see-through. Do you think it would be OK to use those, or is it important to have it clear since it is somewhat above eye level?

Thanks! I'll check your web link.--J

boxfishpooalot
07/06/2005, 04:02 PM
Hello very nice tank. Your fish spawning also means your doing somting well. My questions concern export. Just wondering how much skimmate you remove on a daily basis. Also what kind of macro-algae do you use in the refugium?

jnarowe
07/06/2005, 04:47 PM
tlp

So the stand pipe is drawing from the surface, not the water column?

I think the clear refugium makes sense on that basis, because there are things to keep an eye on.

Thanks...and YOU are an inpiration!--J

tlp
07/06/2005, 05:22 PM
Originally posted by boxfishpooalot
Hello very nice tank. Your fish spawning also means your doing somting well. My questions concern export. Just wondering how much skimmate you remove on a daily basis. Also what kind of macro-algae do you use in the refugium?

Haven't really measured skimmate as such. I have two skimmers, one has a drain fitted so I let it run 'wet', ie produce lighter coloured skimmate. With the drain fitted I dont really care how much is produced, and with it running wet I'm losing some salt so there's a mini water change happening when I add more salt into the sump to compensate.

The other produce more concentrated stinking skimmate - this skimmer I empty 3/4 full cup every week.

In the refugium I was aiming for seagrass but as it's so difficult to get hold off I started it with two/three pieces of live rock with algae so initially it was sargasum & caulerpa. Recently managed to get some chaetomorpha which is now the dominant species.

bstone
07/06/2005, 06:16 PM
Congratulations! A very impressive tank..

I am just about to start my upgrade system which will be aprox. 1000 gallons. My biggest problem has been costs associated with cooling and heating; both equipment and electrical costs. I love your cooling and heating system that you have on your tank system. Could you please forward me some detailed information on your heat exchager system? Or, even direct me to a manufacture of the heat exchanger? I would very much like to impliment this sort of system. Again, Great Idea!!! Thank You.

SERVO
07/06/2005, 06:36 PM
Now thats a tank!!!!!! You have created what I hope to achieve with my 400 gallon in wall project. I don't think I'll have as much fish, but if it works, go with it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Awesome job and congrats. I love that tort and your millipora!

philipm
07/06/2005, 08:28 PM
You mentioned using an automatic feeder in your descriptive and I was curious what brand. Would you recomend it?

I have been searching for a good automatic feeder.

jawwad19
07/06/2005, 09:40 PM
The tank left my jaw on the floor at how intricrately you set it up. Once I graduate from college, Im going to start on a project like that, but for now Ill try to be optimistic about my 55 gallon (sigh)

doczahi
07/06/2005, 10:58 PM
Amazing.
One of the best looking I've ever seen!!
Congrats
Zahi

kimoyo
07/07/2005, 12:16 AM
Hi Tuan,
Really awesome! I just had a question about something you said in your description:

"I didn't want to add all the pumps right at the beginning as I find that in strong flow the SPS colonies grow in tight formation, so if they're subjected to very strong flow at the start it gets harder and harder to increase the flow later, as they grow."

I hadn't heard this before and I was wondering if you knew why this happens? Seems like most of the SPS people just say put a lot of flow in there but not to gradually move up. Can you talk a little about why you believe this and results you've seen. Thanks.
Paul

tlp
07/07/2005, 12:43 AM
Originally posted by kimoyo
Hi Tuan,
Really awesome! I just had a question about something you said in your description:

"I didn't want to add all the pumps right at the beginning as I find that in strong flow the SPS colonies grow in tight formation, so if they're subjected to very strong flow at the start it gets harder and harder to increase the flow later, as they grow."

I hadn't heard this before and I was wondering if you knew why this happens? Seems like most of the SPS people just say put a lot of flow in there but not to gradually move up. Can you talk a little about why you believe this and results you've seen. Thanks.
Paul

SPS corals needs a lot of flow. As I've grown them from frags, the way the colonies grow depends on the flow that they're getting, so if you have strong flow the formation of the branches will generally be closer together, weaker flow the branches will be less tight.

As the colonies gets bigger the flow will be hampered somewhat and you will get dead spots (sometimes this can eventually kill the coral as the base of Acro may suffer from lack of food or detritus settlement leading to bacterial infection etc...)

So I think you need to start with strong flow, but also plan ahead to increase the flow as times goes on, by adding more pumps etc.. This serves the dual purpose of getting the coral to grow in fairly open structures at the start and just as importantly, right at the beginning you may not be able to afford all the pumps right away.

I started with two large close loops pumps and a pair of Tunze 6100 streams, then added 2 more streams and then 2 more recently, totalling flow of somewhere in the 60x plus for in-tank circulation.

kimoyo
07/07/2005, 01:10 AM
Thanks! That is very interesting because you see a lot of people going with 60x right away. I got two tunze 6100's on a mulitcontroller for my 120 but I think I'll throttle them back for a while and increase them after my corals grow a bit. I appreciate the info.
Paul

tlp
07/07/2005, 06:51 AM
Originally posted by philipm
You mentioned using an automatic feeder in your descriptive and I was curious what brand. Would you recomend it?

I have been searching for a good automatic feeder.

I use an Eheim auto feeder. On my particular one it seems to do a feed each time power is applied so I took the batteries out, hook it to an adaptor and plug into a timer to give a feed every hour or so during the day.

aquaria_rn
07/07/2005, 07:58 AM
I could not stop "Hahing and Ohing" at about every picuture I looked at. You have got an amaizing set-up. I was even awed by your plans and configurations. I could only hope to one day have a set-up to half the way your set-up is now. I recently had a leak in my 55 gallon and up graded to a 72 bowfront. I can't tell you how much easier i find it is now to care for my tank. I left to Montego bay for 5days and came back (much to my amazement), to a thriving tank. All I had to do was top off and feed. When I had my 55 gallon and went to Bermuda for vacation I came back to a half dead tank. With your self service system, it must be easy to go and not worry as much as I did on my vacation. Thank you for sharing your experience with me. I can't wait to up date and try your plans. It must of cost a fortune ,but your end result is well worth it. Congratulations on your success!
P.S. I feel you, when you mentioned your wife, my aqauspacing, coral selection and tank are greatly attributed to her. I'm just glad I have her on my side so I can spend the money on my tank and not have to get yeld at. (Ha! Ha!). Good luck and again thanks for your insight.

mdt178
07/07/2005, 10:44 AM
tlp,

holy cow! what a tank! simply stunning!
however, you know you not moving anywhere anytime soon.

cward
07/07/2005, 10:46 AM
Awesome tank!!! I love the dimensions.

lcdd
07/07/2005, 10:54 AM
STUNNING!!! completely changed my thinking on my future tank size. Was going to go with 3 ft wide, and longer tank but i love the depth created by the 4ft wide tank. Thank you for sharing. would be great to post links to larger size pics to use as my wallpaper;) Congratulations!

MUCHO REEF
07/07/2005, 11:34 AM
Absolutely beautiful, an outstanding job. Congrats on a well deserved TOTM.

Mucho

megachrome
07/07/2005, 05:24 PM
Awesome tank, but the system is just breath taking. ?? Where did you get your titane heat exchanger?

kmagyar
07/07/2005, 09:29 PM
Tuan, Congrats on TOTM. Your setup is fabulously wonderful to say the least. I was wondering what type of bulbs you are using and have used in the past. Were they always 400 watt bulbs? The progress photos of your cap colony show different coloration from each year.

Tagareef
07/07/2005, 09:44 PM
Tuan...Congratulations, I think you have mastered the art of replicating a natural reef environment in your beautiful display!

Thanks for sharing it with us.

Luis

jumboshrimp18
07/08/2005, 01:45 AM
Tuan,
You wrote, "About ten times during the day an automatic feeder dispenses a mixture of dry flakes/pellets and Cyclop-eeze." I would very much like to hear what kind of automatic feeder it is and how it operates.
Thanks.

tlp
07/08/2005, 04:07 AM
Thanks again everybody. Putting an extra spring in my steps despite recent events here.

Originally posted by jumboshrimp18
You wrote, "About ten times during the day an automatic feeder dispenses a mixture of dry flakes/pellets and Cyclop-eeze." I would very much like to hear what kind of automatic feeder it is and how it operates.

Posted a reply above, hope that helps.
I use an Eheim auto feeder. On my particular one it seems to do a feed each time power is applied so I took the batteries out, hook it to an adaptor and plug into a timer to give a feed every hour or so during the day.

Originally posted by megachrome
Where did you get your titane heat exchanger?
I used the ones Koi keepers use. They are generally available I think.

Originally posted by kmagyar
Tuan, Congrats on TOTM. Your setup is fabulously wonderful to say the least. I was wondering what type of bulbs you are using and have used in the past. Were they always 400 watt bulbs? The progress photos of your cap colony show different coloration from each year.

My set up has always been 400watt DE lamps. I did experiment with different lamps, not always successful, and some of the pics were probably taken with just the T5s on. The colouration variation is more to do with the not so good camera technique earlier on. Orange is a truer colour of the coral.

AcroSteve
07/08/2005, 05:45 AM
Does your feeder just drop the food on the surface of the main tank?

Any issues with the food floating over the overflow before it soaks up enough water to sink? Any concerns with the skimmers removing some of the food before it can be eaten?

Great tank by the way. Very impressive.

tlp
07/08/2005, 06:18 AM
Originally posted by AcroSteve
Does your feeder just drop the food on the surface of the main tank?

Any issues with the food floating over the overflow before it soaks up enough water to sink? Any concerns with the skimmers removing some of the food before it can be eaten?

Great tank by the way. Very impressive.

Not really. The food has to run the gauntlet of passing across 7.5' feet of water full of very greedy fish. Not much will make it pass them! I guess some is lost via the skimmers but nothing significant.

druluv
07/08/2005, 11:33 AM
With a lot of people going bare bottom, and taking out their fuges, it is nice to see a tank win TOTM, and flourish with a fuge plumb into their system.

I have always toyed with the idea of placing a fuge on the top my tank to feed corals naturally. Now I'm really going to try and put one in action

Dudester
07/08/2005, 01:11 PM
Is grey the standard color for PVC in the UK? I've noticed that in tanks from Europe and elsewhere, grey PVC is utilized instead of our uglier white PVC. I also noticed that the plumbing is extremely neat and tidy in systems done outside of the US. I want some plumbing supplies and lessons from our friends abroad before I do my tank.

Beautiful job, probably my favorite TOTM thus far!

tlp
07/08/2005, 02:20 PM
Originally posted by Dudester
Is grey the standard color for PVC in the UK? I've noticed that in tanks from Europe and elsewhere, grey PVC is utilized instead of our uglier white PVC. I also noticed that the plumbing is extremely neat and tidy in systems done outside of the US. I want some plumbing supplies and lessons from our friends abroad before I do my tank.

Beautiful job, probably my favorite TOTM thus far!

It's not necessarily standard. Overhere our DIY suppliers arent very good for plumbings, if it doesnt fit the toilet or the kitchen sink most plumbing suppliers don't have a clue. We can't just walk into home depot and get a tank connector and valves.

Even worse is when you do try to get some parts we're in the middle of trying to go metrics but doing it on the cheap so you buy something that says 40mm and another piece elsewhere, 40mm isn't necessarily 40mm! :rolleyes:
So we end up going for manufacturers like VDL or George Fischer and get everything from one place, which tends to be grey. Personally I like white !
;)

Dudester
07/08/2005, 02:26 PM
so it's true ... the grass is always greener ...

NexDog
07/09/2005, 04:05 AM
Speechless, absolutely speechless. :thumbsup:

Going to read it in more details later and go through this thread. I'm sure there's a wealth of info that needs to be thoroughly absorbed.

Flatlander
07/09/2005, 07:22 AM
:D

An absolutely amazing aquarium. I know word is over used, but it fits here.

Congrats on your selection. Skip did his job well this month. :beer:

jawwad19
07/09/2005, 05:00 PM
I CANT STOP THINKIN ABOUT THIS TANKKKKKK lol

Cosper
07/09/2005, 05:09 PM
Here it is the 9th, and I still think about this tank iono 10-15times a day!

I dont completely understand the point/ benefit of the refugium and how it works.. etc.. I am in the dark on it, all I have read is what is on the tank of the month page. Could someone elaborate?

jnarowe
07/09/2005, 06:02 PM
Refugiums have 2 main purposes that I can think of:

1. Nutrient export, translated into english is removing excess nutrients, and what I call fertilizer. As the tabk accumulates waste product, macro algae can consume it, therefore exporting it. They also provide oxygen. Things that I have had trouble with are nitrates and phosphates, both of which are in some measure used by plants. These can be harmful to fish , inverts, etc.

2. Refugiums also are used to grow macro algae which feeds tank inhabitants. Some fish eat it etc. Coral and anemones also benefit from the good nutrients produced in the refugium.

Some reefers will also use the refugium to house fish that are stressed out, or "bad" hitch-hikers that come in on live rock. There's alot of info. out about refugiums so you shouldn't have any problem figuring out if they can help your system.--J

onefin
07/09/2005, 06:40 PM
It just keep's getting better & better, beautiful.

reefarchitect
07/09/2005, 07:17 PM
Truly amazing. incredible planning and execution.

Well deserved TOTM

sharkboy
07/09/2005, 08:05 PM
wow! your tank is awesome! It looks like a real ocean reef! It makes mine look really bad. How many gallons is it? It must be huge!

josepha
07/10/2005, 12:20 AM
Tuan-
I noticed tons of fish, tangs, CBB, etc. but I didn't notice a UV sterilizer?do you use one? do you have any fish disease/parasite problems?
I also have a (much smaller) fuge above my tank for the same benefits, looks awesome. Do you use a dehumidifier with all that evap?

NexDog
07/10/2005, 12:59 AM
Just wondering how the front glass is cleaned with no front access panel?

tlp
07/10/2005, 02:29 PM
Originally posted by josepha
Tuan-
I noticed tons of fish, tangs, CBB, etc. but I didn't notice a UV sterilizer?do you use one? do you have any fish disease/parasite problems?
I also have a (much smaller) fuge above my tank for the same benefits, looks awesome. Do you use a dehumidifier with all that evap?

I don't use a UV. Personally I dont think they're very effective anyway unless you have a very powerful commercial ones and replace the lamps very frequently. Otherwise I think the hobby ones are just about powerful enough to give whatever bugs you're trying to rid off a sun tan.

Touch wood, not had any diseases with the fish stock. Generally if they survive past the first month of being bought then they'll be OK.

Re: dehumidifier
The whole system is in the garage, sealed off from the house, which is well ventilated. An extractor fan with a humidistat is used to remove moist air and suck in fresh air into the fish room (garage).

tlp
07/10/2005, 02:31 PM
Originally posted by NexDog
Just wondering how the front glass is cleaned with no front access panel?

I use a powerful algae magnet (floating one). For coraline that needs shifting another algae magnet with built-in razor blades can scrape most of the main viewing panel. The tank is physically wider than the viewing window (around 6" each sides) to make scraping easy as you don't hit the silicone in the corners.

cuti_75
07/10/2005, 04:36 PM
i thought emperors will eat corals isn't it right?

cuti_75
07/10/2005, 04:38 PM
how do u keep your sand so clean??? I have trouble to keep it clean ( got brownie worms ). By da way r u vietnamese? Tank của anh ðẹp wá .

tlp
07/10/2005, 05:35 PM
I had the Emperor since juvenile. It was a model citizen until recently when it started to have a taste of the brain coral. I took the coral out and selling it on. It hasn't touched anything else yet... I think they're OK with SPS (if there are enough SPS corals to spread the damage).

The only cleaning of the sand is done by one very large black cukes and numerous tiger tail cukes (bought one, subsequently split into quite a few). Also have a few conches in there too.

Ca'm o+n

cuti_75
07/10/2005, 06:20 PM
xin hỏi anh cuke vÃ* conches lÃ* ca' gì vay ???

Damn Yankee
07/10/2005, 08:40 PM
Come on,you say you have very little knowledge and experience.
Do you work at Sea World ! There's no way you learned what you know off the treads on RC unless you been reading them for the last thirty years. Even though, a beautiful tank,and I'm jealous.:smokin:

lowem
07/10/2005, 11:49 PM
awesome overall setup...
thanks for sharing and keep it up!

mr9iron
07/11/2005, 12:09 AM
Congratulations on the TOTM, it is well deserved. What an amazing accomplishment you have achieved. I bet you and your family get many hours of enjoyment out of that tank. If I had one like that I would probably be in the dog house all the time because my wife wouldn't be able to get me from out in front of it.
:thumbsup:

Justin74
07/11/2005, 04:45 PM
Simply the most natural looking setting Ive seen short of National Geographic! I think I 'd be to tempted to slap on a wetsuit and mask though!;)
Seeing the glory of you non-biotope specific tank, I cant wait for the sequal!
Amazing system and soo well deserved for TOTM! Thank you for sharing your insperational tank and valuable tips, well done!

-Justin

jnarowe
07/11/2005, 04:58 PM
Nice artwork...are you the lost son of Salvador? :D

MargaritaMan
07/11/2005, 08:07 PM
Great tank. The one thing you have that I have never seen before is lighting that is strategically placed, that is, not equi-distant from each corner or edge. It is that aspect that I think gives it the natural look of sunlight beaming through the water. Your thinking outside the box!!! Very cool. Jeff

SFlogic
07/12/2005, 01:48 AM
nice tank!

jbaflyer
07/12/2005, 02:48 AM
I think he is hiding his real profession, he works at the Monterey Bay Aquarium during regular business hours. Impressive mechanical setup with proper allowance for access space. Them employment of color and texture contrast is great. For you reefers, read up on landscape plant design and or floral arrangement. The basics of spatial layout and color contrasting can be emloyeed in reef setups endlessly. I enjoyed reading the article at 12:30 in the morning.........I guess I have an addiction.

jnarowe
07/12/2005, 10:03 AM
jbaflyer

And it's not even on your web site...kiteboarding looks awesome. How many times have you landed on, well, NOT water???

Cool cat--I just lost mine. Had her for 20 years. Now I just have a friggin' wife and kid. Time for a REEF!

appellativo
07/12/2005, 03:57 PM
tuan, your tank is out of the ordinary and breathtaking. when I first looked at it I noticed the depth/3D effect in your aquascaping, and it looks like a natural reef the way you cant detect a specific background and also the way the 'sunlight' penetrates the water. also your setup is quite impressive (hardware/plumbing). kudos to you.

chriscobb
07/12/2005, 06:24 PM
Totally Awesome.....Any pics of the plumbing work?

davidh202
07/12/2005, 07:28 PM
I just registered on RC and don't even have my tank yet. Your tank was the first hit I viewed and I am blown away!! I only hope
I will be able to accomplish a fraction of what you've done.
Absolutely stunning and well executed.

digital_dragon
07/12/2005, 08:19 PM
Tank looks awesome. Great job and congratulations on winning Tank of the Month.

Earl

salineh2o
07/13/2005, 06:29 PM
Sa- wa- dee-cap!!!

Your tank is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You have inspired me.

Thank you!!!!

reefD
07/14/2005, 01:15 AM
huge!!

blitz552
07/14/2005, 08:51 AM
awesome

ReefWaters
07/14/2005, 10:51 AM
tlp,

could you shed some more light on the details of your DIY kalk reactor?

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-07/totm/images/DSC01855aSM.jpg

What is the bucket to the left for?
Does the par. pump pump water through the bucket continuously?
What is the pump being fed by? Your RO unit?
Are you using any kind of mixer in the bucket or are you mixing by hand?
You mention that any additional make up water is handled by the computer. Does it flow through the kalk reactor or dump straight into the sump?

Sorry for so many questions. Im just interested in maybe building one myself and would like to know if you basically copied a commercially built acrylic reactor or made up your own design. Any details on how the path the water takes from start to finish and how much you have to play with it would be greatly appreciated.

Moretank
07/14/2005, 11:00 AM
Hi Tuan,

A well deserved TOTM, beautiful tank.

A question, How often is your water change interval ?

tlp
07/14/2005, 01:47 PM
Originally posted by ReefWaters
tlp,

could you shed some more light on the details of your DIY kalk reactor?

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-07/totm/images/DSC01855aSM.jpg

What is the bucket to the left for?
Does the par. pump pump water through the bucket continuously?
What is the pump being fed by? Your RO unit?
Are you using any kind of mixer in the bucket or are you mixing by hand?
You mention that any additional make up water is handled by the computer. Does it flow through the kalk reactor or dump straight into the sump?

Sorry for so many questions. Im just interested in maybe building one myself and would like to know if you basically copied a commercially built acrylic reactor or made up your own design. Any details on how the path the water takes from start to finish and how much you have to play with it would be greatly appreciated.

The reactor is just one of the bucket. I have a float valve in there to control RO water addition ensuring the bucket is always full.
A maxijet powerhead is suspended from the lid with some strings, to about 3" from the bottom, with the nozzle pointing down. This pump is on a timer, ON for about 10mins every 6 hrs or so, to stir the content.

A peristaltic pump takes water from 6-10" ish from the top of the surface and drip into the sump continuously, except for when the mixing pump above is on, when it stops for about an hour to allow the solution to settle down.

Periodically I would just throw in a cup full of kalk powder to top it up. That's it essentially. If I was flash I would add a conductivity probe to ensure that the solution was saturated to allow dosing at optimum level.

A float valve in my sump calls for additional top up (via the IKS computer) when the dosing rate above doesnt' meet the evaporation demand, in which case another small powerhead (throttled back) add in additional RO (or kalkwasser depending on calcium demand of your tank).

The second bucket is just my 'spare' RO container for miscellanous use. When I was making my own phyto this bucket hold the pre-mixed solution for phyto production, with it's content being passed through a UV unit constantly to ensure sterilisation.

tlp
07/14/2005, 01:49 PM
Originally posted by Moretank
Hi Tuan,

A well deserved TOTM, beautiful tank.

A question, How often is your water change interval ?

Not very often. Tend to be 4-5 months depending on my work schedule. I change the water mainly because I want to remove the detritus settling at the bottom of the sump. Not noticed any other differences to be honest. It's such a huge volume of water (and salt) that it takes a good week before I can make up enough for a change.

ReefWaters
07/14/2005, 02:24 PM
Thanks for the reply Tuan. Sounds pretty easy.

Do you have to adjust the Kalk drip rate or your Ca Reactor very often to keep your Ca and Alk levels stable or is the volume so big that it just stays stable without swings?

Also, can you provide a link for the IKS Computer your using? I can read up on it there but it sounds like it does everything and more.

Thanks again and keep up the great work...or fun should I say. :p

tlp
07/14/2005, 02:48 PM
Originally posted by ReefWaters
Thanks for the reply Tuan. Sounds pretty easy.

Do you have to adjust the Kalk drip rate or your Ca Reactor very often to keep your Ca and Alk levels stable or is the volume so big that it just stays stable without swings?

Also, can you provide a link for the IKS Computer your using? I can read up on it there but it sounds like it does everything and more.

Thanks again and keep up the great work...or fun should I say. :p

I don't adjust very often. As the whole system of 5 tanks is effectilve outside in terms of ventilation a lot of evaporation happens so a lot of kalk is added so the pH and Ca/Alk levels are generally quite high. To tune the levels I simply increase /decrease the flowrate of the calcium reactor supplementing the tank.

tlp
07/14/2005, 02:54 PM
IKS: http://www.iks-aqua.com/html/engl/aquastar.php

It's similar to other aquaristic computers really, except that it has the ability to have whatever modules you like, so for me I actually have 4 pH probes.

ReefWaters
07/14/2005, 03:23 PM
Thank you Tuan....again. :p

I checked out the site for just a minute. It looks like I would have a hard time getting one in the States though. Not a huge deal but the power difference probably would be. Ill email them and find out if they have any systems for US power but they dont have any dealers here so Im doubting it.

I like the idea of multiple probes. How many temp probes do you have? Do you monitor the fuge and prop tank temp or just the display?

Dudester
07/14/2005, 03:54 PM
With that much kalk addition, do you have to dose magnesium, or do you even test mag levels?
Thanks and I've said it before, stunning system!

tlp
07/14/2005, 04:08 PM
Originally posted by ReefWaters
Thank you Tuan....again. :p

I checked out the site for just a minute. It looks like I would have a hard time getting one in the States though. Not a huge deal but the power difference probably would be. Ill email them and find out if they have any systems for US power but they dont have any dealers here so Im doubting it.

I like the idea of multiple probes. How many temp probes do you have? Do you monitor the fuge and prop tank temp or just the display?

Just one temp probe at the moment as all the tanks are connected together.

tlp
07/14/2005, 04:11 PM
Originally posted by Dudester
With that much kalk addition, do you have to dose magnesium, or do you even test mag levels?
Thanks and I've said it before, stunning system!

I don't test very often. I use coral skeletons in my calcium reactor, not sure how effective it is, but Mg levels are around the NSW. Minor corrections done about every 6 mths or so.

jnarowe
07/14/2005, 07:06 PM
Wow! And I really mean WOW!!!

That Aquastar system is awesome. Is there anything even close to that in the US? I have seen many items that cover 1 or 2 of the functions, but all of them in one system could really simplify my tank system. PLEASE post if you have any further info. --Jonathan

pangaea6
07/14/2005, 07:23 PM
Very nice tank!

UNIFEX
07/14/2005, 09:33 PM
very inspiring, and awesome hardware to boot, just beautiful!

cuti_75
07/14/2005, 09:53 PM
hi anh tuan. tank cu?a em bi. brownie worm nhieu wa' la`m sao ma` cure duoc?

cuti_75
07/14/2005, 09:53 PM
co' phai ta.i metal halide mo? nhieu wa' khong???

F35-Joint Strike Fighter
07/15/2005, 12:44 AM
Hey Cuti_75, I know you are a Viet, so welcome to this Thread all Viet guys..

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=629254

tlp
07/15/2005, 04:28 AM
Originally posted by cuti_75
hi anh tuan. tank cu?a em bi. brownie worm nhieu wa' la`m sao ma` cure duoc?
I'm guessing you mean brown flat worms?

I've had flat worms in this tank too, earlier on when the tank is new'ish, then they disappeared. There are lots of ways to cure flatworms and lots of threads already posted on here. One method that worked for me was to add a leopard wrasse as a natural control. It took a while but eventually cleared the infestation.

bigreddog
07/15/2005, 07:17 AM
Nice read and a beautiful setup. Sounds and looks like you put plenty of thought and planning into what you did. It definitly paid off, at first glance the main pic looks like it was taken over a wild reef, sweet. Thanks for sharing with us.

chadde t
07/15/2005, 02:38 PM
Thanks for sharing your tank with us.... I was in awah looking and reading about it. It brings a smile to everyone looking at it and a little light goes off in your head. chad

Tristan
07/15/2005, 06:52 PM
you sir have one awesome system

bradleyb
07/15/2005, 09:35 PM
unfreaking believable, one of the better looking tanks that I have seen and definitely one of the best all-around setups with all the other various tanks!

DNA
07/16/2005, 04:29 AM
This is one of the best looking tanks anywhere.
The sense of depth and natural looks is really working here.
Congratulations of a remarkable reef tank.

NexDog
07/16/2005, 05:53 AM
Tuan, what pumps do you have powering your Deltec 902 skimmers? I think I'm going to get one....

tlp
07/16/2005, 10:14 AM
The Deltec skimmers have their own recirculation pumps so you simply need to feed it as fast or slow as you like, with whatever pump or ideally directly from the overflow.

NexDog
07/16/2005, 08:54 PM
Ah, I didn't realise they were recirculating, that's great! But I'm stuill interested to hear what you have powering them. Because you said you felt they were underpowered for your system but the specs on that skimmer say it will handle a heavily stocked 500g and you have 2. Yea, you have 1000g sys volume but I wouldn't say you were that heavily stocked for 1000 gallons - 500 yes, 1000 no. So if you feel that the skimmers aren't working hard enough, maybe some powerful pumps?

I was thinking about gravity feeding too but kind of scared of the return pump failing and consequences of that....

tlp
07/17/2005, 11:43 AM
At the moment I just have one Sequence 10000 (10,000lph) pump supplying the skimmers as well as the main return pump for the whole system.

I'm making some mods in a couple of weeks time to install a second pump to push more flow into the skimmers and increase turn over rate from the display tank.

tomas5547
07/17/2005, 07:46 PM
Very nice tank!

NexDog
07/17/2005, 09:36 PM
Originally posted by tlp
At the moment I just have one Sequence 10000 (10,000lph) pump supplying the skimmers as well as the main return pump for the whole system.

I'm making some mods in a couple of weeks time to install a second pump to push more flow into the skimmers and increase turn over rate from the display tank.
That's about 1500GPH per skimmer - very respectable rate for a recirculating skimmer of that size.....

gio17vani
07/18/2005, 03:22 PM
Stunning

gio17vani
07/18/2005, 03:23 PM
absolutely stunning

mungus
07/20/2005, 12:59 PM
Congrats Awsome looking tank!

tlp
07/21/2005, 11:53 AM
Thanks guys. Here's a pic of my latest addition, inspired obviously.

http://www.reefhaven.co.uk/fulltank/IMG_3903.jpg

jnarowe
07/21/2005, 12:01 PM
WOW!!

What a beaut...and nice photo. --Jonathan

tdude294
07/22/2005, 02:43 PM
nice tank, and i love the colors of that fish

Nem0
07/24/2005, 12:33 AM
Tuan,

Great looking tank. This gives me the motivation to plan for my next tank upgrade. :)

Couple of questions:

1. How often do you change water using your water changing sump? I read the article and seems like you only change water once every 6 months? Am I mistaken?

2. For such large tank, what is the most expensive item for your running cost of the tank? e.g. rowphos, carbon, electricity, etc.

Thanks,
David

tlp
07/24/2005, 02:08 AM
1 - Afraid so. Not very frequent water changes. I try to as often as I can when I can, but life's a bit hectic. TBH, I've not noticed any major differences before/after water changes.

2 - Electricity is the main cost, once the tank is up and fully stock the main running cost is really just electricity. I don't use much rowaphos as I rely on the algae growth in the refugia for export.

bluebastion
07/24/2005, 05:23 PM
Can I go scuba diving in it?

Gisho
07/25/2005, 04:15 AM
Simply fantastic. I love your aquascaping. Very different and unique. I dream for a tank with enough width to be able to attempt that effect. For now I am stuck with my 23" wide tank.

Congratulations and well-deserved TOTM!

olipug
07/26/2005, 03:50 PM
absolutely inspiring, better than anything ive ever seen in a shop or public aquarium. You must get so much enjoyment out of it, personally, i'd never leave the room!!

rockindacheeks
07/26/2005, 07:44 PM
your tank is gorgeous!! it looks like it goes on forever. that is the most a,azing tank ever! congrats

Morgandy
07/26/2005, 07:53 PM
Originally posted by tlp
Thanks guys. Here's a pic of my latest addition, inspired obviously.

http://www.reefhaven.co.uk/fulltank/IMG_3903.jpg

:beer: PIC OF THE YEAR! Stunning!!!!

starpolyp
07/30/2005, 03:04 AM
Originally posted by tlp
Thanks guys. Here's a pic of my latest addition, inspired obviously.

http://www.reefhaven.co.uk/fulltank/IMG_3903.jpg

That is an incredible aquarium. Nice work!!

Sohal tangs get sooo mean. Even in a 500 gallon aquarium. Good luck with him/her. I had a Sohal tang kill about a grand worth of fish. Ugh.

mmounajjed
07/30/2005, 02:41 PM
I wonder where is your geographic location considering the way you have your cooling set up.

I also didn't understand the copper piping is it part of the system.
or this is before the RO filter

Melody
07/31/2005, 06:21 PM
Gorgeous, stunning, most impressive tank!:thumbsup:

st3scully
07/31/2005, 11:47 PM
Beautiful display and awsome setup. A Very impressive tank.

I have a couple questions.....Your heat exchange loops are piped with Copper???? Did I read that correctly? If so, is there no adverse affect to that? I'm pretty new to all this but I thouht copper was a "bad" thing to use.....Can you or anyone please set me straight on this?

tlp
08/01/2005, 08:14 AM
The heat exchanger is made from titanium, totally reef safe. The heating/cooling side is made from copper pipeworks, but this water never touch the tank water, which is on the other side of the heat exchanger.

tlp
08/01/2005, 08:16 AM
Just wanted to say a big thanks to all the very kind and generous comments posted and sent privately. It has been a pleasure to share my aquarium with you.

I've had several requests for some hi-res photos so I'll work on uploading them and post links on here soon.

Flighty
08/01/2005, 12:50 PM
What kind of anthias are those?
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-07/totm/images/tn_IMG_2757_jpg.jpg

I think I have the same ones and never have gotten a definitive ID, but I don't see them in the fish list. Randall's??

tlp
08/01/2005, 01:47 PM
I believe they're Pseudanthias pulcherrimus

cookies
08/02/2005, 12:01 PM
Noob alert!

That said: Your system is certainly something to strive for!!

Question: I'm looking into raising food in a 'fuge fo rthe main tank. I've found resources for stock and feeding.

How do you get the critters into the main tank? Do you simply raise so many that some portion of them will regularly flow from the fuge into the main tank? Is there any other transport mechanism?

What sort of critters to you raise in your 'fuge?

My apologies if this is not the appropriate forum!!

appellativo
08/02/2005, 01:21 PM
"Do you simply raise so many that some portion of them will regularly flow from the fuge into the main tank? Is there any other transport mechanism?"

you can pump water from the refugium up to the main tank (will be required if the fuge is below the main tank, and it will pulverize the pods in the process) or if the fuge is above the main tank, let the critters 'fall' back down to the main tank (better method).

you could always chase the pods around the fuge and catch them with a net....(I am being silly)

tlp
08/02/2005, 01:39 PM
Originally posted by cookies
Noob alert!

That said: Your system is certainly something to strive for!!

Question: I'm looking into raising food in a 'fuge fo rthe main tank. I've found resources for stock and feeding.

How do you get the critters into the main tank? Do you simply raise so many that some portion of them will regularly flow from the fuge into the main tank? Is there any other transport mechanism?

What sort of critters to you raise in your 'fuge?

My apologies if this is not the appropriate forum!!

The fuge is fed with some food and has no predatory fishes, and so the population of pods/mysids simply breed and expand continuously (to available food). Some of which gets into the main tank via the overflow (fuge is higher than the tank) as live food.

foundahobby
08/03/2005, 11:29 PM
Wow, very nice tank.
Any chance of seeing this thing in person when in UK?

tlp
08/04/2005, 12:37 PM
All depends on when really. I have had a few visitors though life is very busy at the moment.

mopecula
08/04/2005, 07:56 PM
I just finished reading this thread and saw your tank on totm and I wanted to say WOW!! I always dream of the day when I will be able to upgrade to a larger tank but nothing like your tank, lol
Again thanks for sharing your reef.

Seamenow
08/05/2005, 01:26 AM
I was pointed to see your tank by a sales rep. at Marine Depot.com I was blown away, like everyone else is saying.
I had to join this board and congratulate you.

Your tank has given me so many ideas for my work in progress 220g.

Thanks for sharing!

Seamenow
08/05/2005, 06:30 AM
Can you please explain in more detail the plumbing from the overflow to the water change sump and main sump?

You speak of a change in height restricting flow, do you mean there is one large pipe from the overflow that is Tee'd so the horizontal side of the T goes upward, then back down? or does it do a complete loop>?What stumps me is what happens when you shut the flow to the water change sump? Since your main sump's pump is set for pumping a larger amount of water out, now will it be emptying your sump out? I am confused...

tlp
08/05/2005, 01:33 PM
http://www.reefhaven.co.uk/fulltank/image001.gif
Here's a rough diagram - excuse my noddy sketch!

The overflow, big grey pipe from the top, splits into two branches, the higher branch feeds the main sump, and the lower one into the water change vessel.

Gravity and the velocity of water falling down means the water would try to go for the lower branch first, ie. into the water change tank. With the tap open this happens, and then the water overflow back out of this tank into the main sump using the blue overflow pipe.

With the tap closed, water is forced to exit via the higher branch and into the main sump, isolating the water change tank with just one valve.

jimcombs9
08/06/2005, 01:18 PM
First off, amazing tank! I had a few questions if you had a quick second. . .

1. Where did you get the stand/shelving to hold your refugium, frag tank, and sump? I really love the concept (great use of vertical space) and would like to use one for my filter room redesign.

2. Do you do anything special to avoid bubbles entering the display tank from the refugium?

WOW!

tlp
08/08/2005, 03:50 PM
Originally posted by jimcombs9
First off, amazing tank! I had a few questions if you had a quick second. . .

1. Where did you get the stand/shelving to hold your refugium, frag tank, and sump? I really love the concept (great use of vertical space) and would like to use one for my filter room redesign.

2. Do you do anything special to avoid bubbles entering the display tank from the refugium?

WOW!

1. I just used a second hand storage rack, the heavy duty kind for warehousing kind of thing, painted it black.

2. There's no micro bubble problems in the tank due to the large volume so bubbles have plenty of time to dissipate.

jimcombs9
08/08/2005, 06:35 PM
Thanks!

jgagel
09/11/2005, 03:34 PM
Ditto to what everyone else has said. I had to read all the pages to get the answer of my question ... how exactly the water change tank and sump were plumbed together. I have a couple questions:

1. Is you sump divided at all?
2. Is the water change tank divided to try and trap most of the detritus in it instead of the sump?
3. Do you have any pictures of your tank room now that it is running (in particular, you plumbing, etc.)

Thanks for the inspiration. I will definitely use the water change idea for my next tank.

tlp
10/02/2005, 02:45 PM
The sump has a one simple divider to separate the water coming down from the tank (from which the pump for the skimmers is pulling out), and the skimmed/filtered water which is being returned back into the display tank.
This is just to maximise the skimming efficiency passing as much of dirty water through the skimmer as possible.

One nice feature of the water change tank is that as the flow is relatively slow it works very well as a settling tank for detritus.

jimcombs9
10/05/2005, 01:29 AM
Tuan,

I am sure your tour of duty for TOTM is well over, but I would appreciate your thoughts/approach on DSBs and refugia if you have time.

I had a question about your refugium and DSBs in light of what I've read recently from Dr. Ron. From the sound of things, your fuge w/ DSB is teaming with life and has done very well despite getting mostly "clean" water that has passed through your skimmer, filters, etc first. If I understood Dr. Ron correctly, he said remote DSBs are worthless. He argues that DSBs that get clean water receive no food, and therefore cannot populate with the necessary organisms to denitrify or to provide interesting critters. Obviously, the proof is in the pudding, and you are apparently happy with yours, but I hoped you could provide your two cents on a remote dsb/refugium. Do you feed the fuge?


Secondly, you have a deep sand bed within the main tanks with around 50x flow. What's your secret to avoid sand storms? Do you reseed this sand bed? Do your cukes seem to keep it pretty well turned and clean?

The ping pong battle of to DSB or not to DSB can make a guy go nuts, and I'm trying to decide how I want to proceed with my new tank. I've noticed at least the previous two TOTMs have used DSBs, and your tanks are amazing, so I am inclined to do the same. Nevertheless, I would love to hear your thinking on the subject.

Thanks,
Jim

tlp
10/05/2005, 09:02 AM
Re: remote refugia
My refugia is fed from the sump in the area where the main tank overflow falls in so the water being pumped up into the refugia would have suspended food (when I feed the tank I feed enough particulate food for the water to go cloudy!) as well as rich in organics. So I wouldn't say this is 'clean' water, quite the opposite in fact.

Also, it's large size and strong lighting (300watt worth of MH!), means quite significant food input, if you consider that light is food, and so we're talking about creating food from the grounds up as algae/photosynthetic organisms.

Occasionally I do throw in food into the refugia as well. Not as often as I should perhaps, but some food do get there. Sometimes I throw in food that I didn't want to feed the fish (e.g. like when I forget to put the food back into the freezer! ).

Re: main tank DSB
With a lot of flow the sand does shift about in the display tank. However, with strategic placements of rocks in the sand, and deep enough sand, after a while it settles down to dunes and troughs that doesn't really move. If I move some rocks or a large coral which affect the flow dynamics then the sand dunes will move to a new pattern but again will settle down. The key points is the large area, rocks acting as current breaks and deep enough layer.

As for the constant battle between the DSB & BB gangs I can't really comment. With my DSB and strong flow one thing I've noted is the water column is not quite crystal clear but having lots of particulate matter (which looks a bit closer to a real reef to me rather than 'laboratory grade crystal clear'). It takes a bit of getting used to but I guess in the end it's good for the filter feeders (I have some a Gonipora which seems to do a lot better in this tank). The other pain of having a DSB is you can't really move the rocks about once it is established so you really have to make up your mind and then leave it well alone.

HTH.

tlp
10/28/2005, 03:10 PM
Took this tonight.. the rose BTAs have been splitting big time:-
http://www.reefhaven.co.uk/fulltank/IMG_4077.jpg

ziggy95
11/06/2005, 01:30 PM
Been to see Tuan's tank this week and believe me, as good as the pics are there's nothing like seeing it in the flesh to take your breath away.

Looking down from above the tank those BTA's are huge and sooo colourful..


Superb

crossley
03/05/2006, 08:56 PM
You mentioned a successfull recovery when your anemone got shredded. My rose anemone has been looking worse and worse for some time now... bleaching and shrinking with the weeks. I believe this is because I had some serious temperature problems that I only recently got worked out. Any tips in bringing it back to life and beauty?

--

Elliott
01/18/2007, 10:04 AM
I'm planning to locate my sump, refugium and frag tank, etc. in a remote room off my garage, on the same floor, about 35 ft away, but plumbing must go up in the ceiling of the garage and over to the remote room. The remote room was previously used as a dark room with a sink and climate controlled.

Plans include a stacked array set up much like yours with the return coming from the top.

I plan to control potential overflows with redundant float switches, adequate tank volumes and syphon breaks in the event of pump failure or power outages.

Plumbing between sumps will use 1" insulated pvc

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Elliott

ReefWaters
01/18/2007, 10:28 AM
Elliot, your plans sound right on so far. But how are you getting the water from the display to the sump room? Obviously not gravity. Are you pumping the water directly from the tank to the frag room or is it feeding to a sump under the display, and then to the frag room? Sorry if I misunderstood.


tlp, Im about to begin setting up a very similar system. The main difference will be size :D (mine will be a little smaller) and I will only have one sump. No WC sump even though I would love to have one. I just dont have the room. The fuge and prop tank will be on a rack behind the display just like your's. The frag tank will be above the fuge, which will be just a few inches higher than the sump. I would love to have the fuge gravity feed directly to the tank but it just wont work for me. Is there anything you would change about your system now that its several years old? Also, do you have any updated pictures of the display or any changes you have made to the filter room?

Again, BEAUTIFUL tank! Probably the most natural looking display I have ever seen.

Elliott
01/18/2007, 10:58 AM
Reefwaters: tank overflows will go to below tank sump, then pumped up and over to remote sump, pumped up to stacked frag, etc. to top fuge and return by gravity to tank

Luiz Seadorf
03/21/2007, 01:36 PM
Tuan

Very nice reef, congratulations

I have an adult Emperor algelfish too and this get me some problems with some LPS and zoanthus. I have some euphylia and duncan with no problem at all. But others like candy can, acan, blasto, brain the emperor attacks. What LPS you have and what's the behavior of your emperor ??

Another question : You have SPS and LPS . Is your nitrate zero ? If yes your LPS are well ? Do you feed them ?

Thanks
Luiz Seadorf

tlp
03/21/2007, 04:23 PM
The Emperor has started tasting fleshy LPS such as brain corals etc... has not touched Euphylia sp. corals though. I've removed most of the fleshy LPS corals anyway.

Other victims have been zoox and some of the mushrooms. I had a nice blue colony of zoox that disappeared overnight due to it. On the possitive side, it also demolish aiptasias too, so it's not all bad.

The LPS I have are OK, growing but I wouldn't say thriving specularily. Nitrates has never been detectable really with the large areas of deep sand beds in the tank. I don't especially feed the LPS directly, just feed the tank with meaty food like squid/mussel/clam meats all minced up finely at night when the corals are feeding.

cbui2
03/21/2007, 05:15 PM
hey tuan, did similar setup so hopefully you can give me some pointers, haven't start plumbing yet will do soon, just finishing on building the stand for all equipments, electrical work will be done this week with all trimming, but plumbing will be the last step.

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1067858&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

flame_angel11
04/16/2007, 06:14 AM
:eek1:
That is possibly the most amazing tank I have ever seen!

It looks identical to the reefs off Thailand where I went diving!

Great job!!

:D