Tank of the Month - September 2004

[auckland]

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

[MikeG]

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

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

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

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

[Bemmer]

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

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

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

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

[Thunil]

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

[cutting]

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

[copps]

A few more pics are on the way...

My efflo colony with green Pocillopora damicornis underneath...


green table colony


top shot of the left side...


one of my favorites... fuzed branch blue millepora grown from a frag...

[bigworm616]

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

[copps]

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

The tomini in the days before my regal came along and my zoanthid collection moved to the other system...


another...


more of the cardinal gang...


and another of the regal...

[Thunil]

will your regal outgrow your 65g? thanks in advance

[copps]

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

[Celso Suguimoto]

Nice tank

[Brules]

Very Nice

[Mormy]

Congratulations!! You have a beautiful tank.

I've got only one question:

Your Pygoplites diacanthus disturb in any way the hard coral?

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

Best Regards
Lorenzo

P.S.
Sorry for my English

[Gerard Alba]

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

[rjwilson37]

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

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

[Gerard Alba]

How deep is your sand bed?.

[copps]

Thanks guys...

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

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

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

[jackson6745]

John, 2 simple questions

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

Where do you buy the micron socks from?

thanks,
Rich

[Opiy]

Love the tank looks great!!

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

Thanks

[copps]

Thanks guys...

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

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

[sid700]

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

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

Thank you for sharing your tanks with us.

[TexasTodd]

Where have you found most of your sps frags?

Thanks,

Todd

[Bunifa]

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

[Julio]

Beautiful tank, love the angel.

[aquad]

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