Reef Central Online Community

Home Forum Here you can view your subscribed threads, work with private messages and edit your profile and preferences View New Posts View Today's Posts

Find other members Frequently Asked Questions Search Reefkeeping ...an online magazine for marine aquarists Support our sponsors and mention Reef Central

Go Back   Reef Central Online Community Archives > Special Interest Group (SIG) Forums > Large Reef Tanks

 
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #51  
Old 06/07/2006, 04:27 AM
Joao Monteiro Joao Monteiro is offline
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Lisbon (Portugal)
Posts: 256
Quote:
Originally posted by RalfP
[B]Joao,
theoretically you're right with the "L", but i think the "U" has a bigger part to be glued
to the pannel. "L" would be only the thickness of the material (3mm?) as contact area and
the "U" the high of itself.
If you glue the pannel inside the "U" it'll be as close to the glass as with the "L" version
but much more stable i guess.
Good point.

p.s. I bet your private message means TOTM
  #52  
Old 06/07/2006, 07:56 AM
EricBrian EricBrian is offline
Premium Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: DC
Posts: 672
Ralf,

I don't know if I missed it or not but since when is the tank up and running with fish, corals and all?



Eric
  #53  
Old 06/07/2006, 08:20 AM
Joao Monteiro Joao Monteiro is offline
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Lisbon (Portugal)
Posts: 256
Eric,
There´s your answer

Quote:
Originally posted by RalfP

the tank is running for nearly a year now, some coral/fish are a lot older
'cause this isn't my first tank.
Well i have to confess that some critters have been bought already bigger.
The 19" diameter Braincoral and 15" Tridacna derasa for instance.
  #54  
Old 06/07/2006, 08:51 AM
rberrie rberrie is offline
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Boca Raton, Florida
Posts: 128
Ralf,
Outstanding! One of the best tanks in the world. I have seen a lot of great setups, and yours is definitely one of the best. Tell us more about your background in reefkeeping. We would all love to hear about the process that brought you to this point.

One more thing...why are Gremans so much better at engineering and details than us Americans? It seems to me that you guys make things as close to perfection as is possible.
__________________
Richard-
"Stock Hard and Stock Fast!"
Nexdog

Home of the BocaReef netcam. For live video of my reef, click on the little red house.
User Name - guestuser
Password - bocareef
  #55  
Old 06/07/2006, 12:53 PM
RalfP RalfP is offline
Premium Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Posts: 88
Whow...
what are you doin' ?
I don't know enough english words to thank you again for your kind words
withouth repeating myself. ;-)

Reef Man,
well, the waterflow... the thing i am still working on...

There are two Red Dragon pumps with about 3700 gal/h each, which get their water from one chamber (two drillings) of the overflow shaft you can see prior in this thread. You can't see their pipes around the tank because they sit directly under the shaft and their returnpipes also enter the tank in that shaft via 2 additional drillings.
One of the returnlines is located behind the reefrocks, so no detritus can pile up there.
The other is splitted in one big and one small one, the small running through a UV sterilizer, both entering the tank from the left side.

The two Tunze Waveboxes are located right and left in the tank (having nightslowdown)

Two Tunze Streams with about 5300 gal/h each are located right and left in the tank, pointing to each other. Running alternately, the right one is running at 100%, the left one at max. 30% (because there is already the Dragons from left). (nightslowdown)

Additional 2 Tunze Streams with about 3100 gal/h each are located near the
middle of the tank at the back-glas hidden behind a reef-pylon, one pointing 45 degree right one pointing 45 degree left.
Running alternately at max. 40%.

The returnpump from the sump (a Red Dragon with about 3700 gal/h) is splitted in two pipes, one with about 30% of water into the algae filter and one with
the rest back into the tank somewhere at the left.
The 30% into the algaefilter will later be connected to a currently planned
fragtank above the algaepartition of the sump, which then will return to
the algaefilter.

Hopefully that will be enough for some time. As corals grow, waterflow will
change!


plancton,
sorry for my bad english...
if u think about the pannels around the tank ("Frame") they are painted in
the colour of my wall, a little lighter and each surrounded by a stainless
steal shadow gap.
if u think about the frame ("Frame") thats located on the tank and keeping the
glas-plates together...
its made of Aluminium and powdercoated, its an connected L-profile glued with
silicone on the tank. Two bars additional to thouse right and lift connect
front and back of it.
Its stable enough to put wooden planks on it and lie myself down on it to
reach everywhere in the tank.

AcroSteve,
no work with the sandbed, A.phalaena (sand "eating" goby), sand cleaning starfishes, cucumbers and last but now least my 200 hermits are doin' that job

Michelle L,
thank you so much for praising my english, i am normally reading eng. books and webpages and talking to US friends and collegues... But writing feels a lot different ;-)

Sam,
good for me that with its about 10.000 pound weight its to heavy for you to carry it back to LA ;-)

Bebo77,
you're so right, Iwan is the standard, regarding colour of SPS for me.

Joao,
if the PM would mean that, i wouldn't say... ;-))

Eric,
its running for about a year now, corals, fish etc. are mostly older. After about 1 month with fresh cycled LR, Living Sand, used collected water,i put a lot of the corals in there. Seems that the algae didn't like that (food-competition?).

rberrie,
thanks so much...well, i don't think that Germans are better at anything...
some Germans in the past thought that and i pray that this will not happen again.
Maybe they are not as relaxed as you guys are (and thats good and bad ;-)

edit:
uuuups, i forgot to thank the german writing people here for their kind words and special
welcome.... Dankeschön!

Maybe this pic shows how the 2 Red Dragons under the overflow shaft are connected
(at least it shows one of them, the other is behind it and the UV-sterilizer from Deltec)
It was a strange feeling lieing the first time under the tank and taking a photo


Last part of my way to my actual tank was this one, my previous tank...
A little crowded, but i somehow still love it.


Ralf
__________________
hez! rho sritched mz keztops awound?

Last edited by RalfP; 06/07/2006 at 01:20 PM.
  #56  
Old 06/07/2006, 01:31 PM
SunnyX SunnyX is offline
Alpha One
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Dearborn Heights,MI
Posts: 2,069
Great Tank and color!!!
__________________
*****July 2006 TOTM*****

Sing, goddess, the rage of Achilles the son of Peleus,the destructive rage that sent countless pains on the Achaeans...
  #57  
Old 06/07/2006, 01:55 PM
EricBrian EricBrian is offline
Premium Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: DC
Posts: 672
Quote:
Originally posted by Joao Monteiro
Eric,
There�s your answer
Thank you Joao!
  #58  
Old 06/07/2006, 02:34 PM
djamil djamil is offline
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Michigan, USA
Posts: 2
Hi Ralf,

Great looking tank!!!

Tell me one thing, I'm in Hanover for 10 more days and would love to visit a local LFS or public aquarium. Most people I've asked around know nothing of the hobby. Could you recommend few places that would be open this coming weekend (June 10-11) ?

I'd like so much to do that before I head back to Michigan.
  #59  
Old 06/07/2006, 02:43 PM
818 818 is offline
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: City Of San Fernando, Ca
Posts: 5,676
Ralf Im not the only one in LA We can make a sweet group buy from your tank.

Awesome Awesome Awesome!!!!!!
__________________
My whip blacked out so they wonder like Steve-e...
  #60  
Old 06/07/2006, 03:30 PM
yoboyjdizz yoboyjdizz is offline
Registered Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 2,575
Awsome setup! Very clean and organized. Tanks like this reason why i got into this hobby.
  #61  
Old 06/07/2006, 05:21 PM
RalfP RalfP is offline
Premium Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Posts: 88
djamil,
thank you, will send you PM to not getting off topic ;-)
Ralf

left side... still working on that... some of the corals will have to grow to look really good


__________________
hez! rho sritched mz keztops awound?
  #62  
Old 06/07/2006, 05:27 PM
nbd13 nbd13 is offline
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Tecumseh, Michigan
Posts: 3,269
Very Nice tank Ralph!

It's a work of art.

Are you planning on adding anymore fish? If so, what?

I sent you a PM.

Nick
  #63  
Old 06/07/2006, 05:59 PM
trmiv trmiv is offline
Premium Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 2,544
Wow, amazing. I would pay money to look at this tank and behind the scenes. Incredible setup. This almost makes me sad to go home and look at my humble 90 gallon.
  #64  
Old 06/07/2006, 07:24 PM
fishypets fishypets is offline
I brake for sps
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Austin Texas
Posts: 693
Hands down the best set up I've see so far. Your tank raises the bar! Congrats on your beautiful set up.
  #65  
Old 06/07/2006, 08:21 PM
Lunchbucket Lunchbucket is offline
Master of the Box Lunch
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Brookings, SD
Posts: 12,379
RalfP - flipping nice pics!!!!

Lunchbucket
__________________
Trying to lose weight by walking is like trying to bake a cake w/ a cigarette lighter
- Lunchbucket -

"Nancy-Boy Extraordinaire"
- maxxII-
  #66  
Old 06/07/2006, 08:29 PM
Art_Vandelay Art_Vandelay is offline
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Circleville, NY
Posts: 183
Absolutely breathtaking... reminds me of when I was out on the real reefs.
  #67  
Old 06/07/2006, 08:30 PM
Art_Vandelay Art_Vandelay is offline
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Circleville, NY
Posts: 183
you said "flippin" . . .are you a Napoleon Dynamite fan by any chance lol?
  #68  
Old 06/07/2006, 10:02 PM
bnlimit10 bnlimit10 is offline
Premium Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: glendale az
Posts: 384
you have a beautiful setup, I love the craftsmanship of the paneling. very modernistic look. But the tank takes the cake, great looking setup. you should be proud
__________________
life is all about what you make of it, even in the darkest of times, there is always something to be Grateful about.
  #69  
Old 06/07/2006, 10:04 PM
Bax Bax is offline
Keeper of the Hair Algae
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 3,050
This system is just incredible!!!

The aquascaping is so natural.

Just great!!!
__________________
Click my Red House to check out my 120 in office reef (upgraded in Aug 06)
Seeking therapy for my fish tank ADD
  #70  
Old 06/08/2006, 12:34 PM
v8maro v8maro is offline
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Utica, MI
Posts: 293
mother . of . god





So, i'm going to be the one jerk on the site to ask this, but there always has to be one, how much in american $ would you say this setup cost you??

Anyhoo, very nice setup man, VERY nice.
  #71  
Old 06/08/2006, 12:37 PM
cwegescheide cwegescheide is offline
Moved out
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Tampa, Florida
Posts: 2,477
I'm guessing he's got a brand new Corvette in his wall!!
  #72  
Old 06/08/2006, 01:16 PM
sf05 sf05 is offline
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Birmingham, UK
Posts: 37
This tank is up there with the best i've ever seen, good job man diffently worthy of TOTM!
  #73  
Old 06/08/2006, 01:33 PM
chtan chtan is offline
Premium Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Singapore
Posts: 384
beautiful tank
  #74  
Old 06/08/2006, 02:33 PM
mike89t mike89t is offline
Premium Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Chandler, Az
Posts: 1,800
Beautiful tank! I am in Awe.

I absolutely love how you aquascaped it.
__________________
Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach that person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.
  #75  
Old 06/08/2006, 06:22 PM
RalfP RalfP is offline
Premium Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Posts: 88
You're amazing *bow deeply*

Nick,
regarding fish i thought a pair of pseudrochromis fridmani would be great, love to see that
colour from time to time showing up in the reef.
I trust in creating a balance between feeding fish (and Anthias eat a lot!) and having coral
use what they drop.
Without anykind of PO4 or NO3(NH4) absorber, i have PO4 and NO3 not detectable but coral
growth is quite good.
If all surgeons are adult and the corals somewhat bigger, i'll think again about it, maybe adding some chromis... (but they tend to be relatively ugly if really big, hmmm)
I once saw chromis and anthias mixed in a reef, and still have to think on that view. :-)

trmiv,
please don't be sad... i had a 60gal reef and loved it as much as this one.
The key to smaller systems is patience like for the big and confinement in placing animals, i think.
Its still the same reef, only a smaller portion of it.
As you see i'am not very good at confinement

bnlimit10,
regarding the panneling, i was assisted by the carpenter, who also made a lot of my tables
and wall-cupboards. The brushed steel shadow-gap is to be found in other places in the rooms
also, so is the colour of the pannels. I feel the cladding and with it, the tank fits quite good
in its environment. At least it did, that i have no pictures at the walls :-).

v8maro, cwegescheide,
well you're right, i paid money for that and also more than for my last car.
(but you don't know my last car, it's certainly nothing like a new corvette :-)).
I get used to that question and my answer usually is:
I paid a lot, yes, i am mad, everyone who will build one himself has surelygot to do his/her own calculations and add at least 50% to get to the real price.
If he does careful planning (which he certanly will have to) the way to the price is not that far.
All others, that not build their own, will have to live with the fact that i am a little shy
regarding telling that .
sorry.

@all,
its amazing how beauty nature is and also amazing how far one is away if trying to
simulate it. For the basic rock layout (which is about 80% of what you see now) i had
lots of help from Michael Mrutzek, a well known guy in the German reef-scene.

Thanks for reading,
Ralf
__________________
hez! rho sritched mz keztops awound?
 

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:09 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Use of this web site is subject to the terms and conditions described in the user agreement.
Reef Central™ Reef Central, LLC. Copyright ©1999-2009