Our Progress To-Date on New 135RR (Image Intense)

[dmiannay]

Originally posted by Algae Blenny
... What do you plan on keeping in it, fish, invert and coral wise (I know you have been thinking of it.) Also, what are you going to do for a substrate?

Bob: Actually, in the spirit of partnership with my wife and a desire to divide the total labor for this project, she took on studying the fish and invertibrates while I concentrated on the hardware. The essentially complete listing of fish we plan on introducing within the first year is:

2 Ocillarus Clowns
2 Banggai Cardinals
5 Bicolor Anthias
1 Flame Angel
1 Royal Gramma
1 Yellow Longnose Butterfly
1 Regal Blue Tang
1 Sailfin Tang

We haven't spent too much time (some, but not a lot yet) on corals (LPS/SPS) since I will have plenty of time during the cycle to focus dedicated time. I'm already partial to zooanthids, green star polyps, hammer corals, frogspawns, etc. Still have a long way to go before I better understand which types play well together and which tank positions are preferred for specific species. Much of the enjoyment in this hobby has been the research It has been a real blast all around!

As for substrate... 4" DSB. Going with a DSB has been a difficult choice, but we've thought long and hard about it. There's clearly no shortage of opinions on the subject on these boards !! Ultimately we figure a DSB will initially give us a better margin for error considering this is our first marine tank adventure. Who knows what we'll do the next time . We'll be seeding Southdown (80%) with live sand (20%). We'll also try a similar ratio with base rock (60%) and LR (40%). Since we are OK with trading time for money, we aren't concerned with it taking longer for the biological filtration process to mature.

[Algae Blenny]

Everything sounds good, but I don't know how reef-safe a Longnose Butteryfly is, but all the other fish sound great they are some of my favorite.

[Chris Mu.]

i've seen a bunch of copper bands do okay in a reef .. you might try one of those instead

[dmiannay]

Originally posted by Chris Mu.
i've seen a bunch of copper bands do okay in a reef .. you might try one of those instead

Chris: I'll mention that to Cathy. No doubt she'll look in to your suggestion. Thanks for the tip!

Originally posted by Algae Blenny
... I don't know how reef-safe a Longnose Butteryfly is, ...

Bob: Yea, Cathy had similar feedback in a previous thread and is considering if there are acceptable alternatives. We have some time to settle on the final list

[maxxII]

I don't think that Long Nose butterfly's (Forcipiger longirostris, or flavissimus) are obligate coral eaters. I don't recal them being coral eaters in reef tanks when I was a kid working in a LFS in Hawaii. We saw an average of 100 per week in this store, and they were very hardy, and very popular. I think you would be okay with one of these in your tank, but just to be on the safe side dbl check w/ either Eric Bourneman in the Corals forum, or Bomber might know as well...(Starboard reef thread)
Nick

[dmiannay]

Originally posted by skeets
... If you dont mind, how much would you estimate(not including timers) did your electical setup cost?

skeets: I apologize for the delay in responding. The total for just the electrical mod to the stand is $200.00. That includes the two American DJ power centers at $29.99 each. Bear in mind that there are many here that could have done this for a lot less since they have home work shops and lots of extra stuff lying around. I didn't have anything and had to get everything new from Home Depot.

HTH!

PS: If you need an itemized listing, PM me and I'll email the Excel spreadsheet.

[REEFnR6]

dmiannay- I'd be wary of a flame angel nipping at your coral. The same goes for most butterlfly's. They are hit or miss but I would not recommend them. If they ever do decide to start nipping you will have a very hard time cathcing it among the rockwork. Just my $.02.

[melev]

Doug, you have a 50/50 chance of success. My Flame behaves for the most part.

[REEFnR6]

I wouldn't take those odds.

[dmiannay]

Since I'm not that educated yet on corals... is there a specific category of corals that the flames prefer or aren't they picky

[wady]

WOW Just read for the first time your thread. Its exciting to read. Gonna follow your progress if that ok. Keep up the good work.
Wady

[isom]

dmiannay,
IME pygmy angels really love to nip at LPS corals such as open brains (they can't seem to resist these). If you are dead set on keeping a pygmy I think a lot of people have better luck w/ SPS or noxious softies.

[cmiannay]

Originally posted by dmiannay
Bob: Actually, in the spirit of partnership with my wife and a desire to divide the total labor for this project, she took on studying the fish and invertibrates while I concentrated on the hardware. The essentially complete listing of fish we plan on introducing within the first year is:

2 Ocellaris Clowns
2 Banggai Cardinals
5 Bicolor Anthias
1 Flame Angel
1 Royal Gramma
1 Yellow Longnose Butterfly
1 Regal Blue Tang
1 Sailfin Tang

Actually, our fish list has been revised several times since this one. Doug could not have known this 'cause my project has been researching the fish, while he's pretty much been neck-deep in all the other pre-setup research and development.

The current list is this:

2 Ocellaris Clowns
2 Banggai Cardinals
5 Anthias (haven't decided what type yet)
1 Royal Gramma
1 Flame Angel (but will watch carefully and settle for a Watanabe's Angel if I have to return it for bad behavior)
1 Yellow Tang (or Purple Tang)
1 Regal Blue Tang

And after our tank has been established for about a year, I would love to have a Moorish Idol. Maybe by then we will be able to handle a "difficult to feed" fish.

Any feedback on our list is appreciated!

[LanceB]

Looks nice but I hope that 1 strip of wood is enough for a brace for that massive tank!!

Nice wiring job too

[dmiannay]

Originally posted by LanceB
Looks nice but I hope that 1 strip of wood is enough for a brace for that massive tank!!

Nice wiring job too

Hi Lance: Appreciate the encouraging comments on the wiring! Not sure what you mean by "1 strip of wood", though. If you're refering to the missing center brace on the rear of the stand, I'll be replacing that with the same type and size of 3/4" hardwood plywood this weekend. Once I put the replacement brace back in the stand, it will be in exactly the same configuration as when we received it (except that we've modified it with the new electrrical panel, etc.). The stand in its original delivered configuration is more than adequate to support the 135RR tank and canopy since that's what Oceanic designed it to do .

If I missed your point, please clarify...

Thanks!

[LanceB]

Well, I am just a bit worried that 3/4" plywood won't be stong enough for all that weight. It needs to be at least a 2 x 4 for support I would think. I had the same situation with my 130 gal. that I cut some braces out cause we didn't take into account the holes drilled into the bottom of the tank and when we filled the tank up and had it running for a day you could actually see where the tank had moved down some!! We had to empty it back out and add 4-2 x 6 support braces so I could sleep at night!!!! And this stand was built extremely sturdy with 2 x 8's throughout. I'm just saying for "peace of mind" I would go with something bigger than 3/4" plywood. It's better to be safe than sorry.Here's a pic of my stand...



Believe me when your laying in bed at night and you start thinking about all that weight sitting there it will definitly freak you out a little

[pamela-troy]

dmiannay

Are you going to be adding a DSB (deep sand bed)? after reading this i am going to be taking mine out. just thought that i would give you a heads up.Here is the thread.BTW it is 25 pages...

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...postid=2071954

Troy

[dmiannay]

Originally posted by LanceB
Well, I am just a bit worried that 3/4" plywood won't be stong enough for all that weight. It needs to be at least a 2 x 4 for support I would think ... I'm just saying for "peace of mind" I would go with something bigger than 3/4" plywood. It's better to be safe than sorry ... Believe me when your laying in bed at night and you start thinking about all that weight sitting there it will definitly freak you out a little

LanceB: Wow! I understand what you mean. Are you suggesting (and I'm serious here) that the stand Oceanic builds is not adequate to hold up the tanks they sell. If this is so I believe they would have gone out of business by now. I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just a bit incredulous that a major aquarium and stand manufacturer would design , build, and deliver equipment that is not strong enough to do the job! Do you, or anyone else on this board, know of others who have stock Oceanic stands that failed?

[spanker]

I think what we are looking at here is the difference between building a stand for a Glass tank, and building a stand for an Acrylic tank.

Acrylic tanks are built in such a way that there is a major amount of force placed down on every square inch of the bottom of the tank surface. A stand must be built in such a way that the load is accepted and distributed just as evenly to avoid dips or sags in the stand and tank.

Glass tanks carry all of their weight on the outside edges of the tank, and thus, the centers of such stands don't need nearly the amount of re-enforcement as is required with an acrylic tank. Being that all the weight is carried on the outside edges of the tank, it is really only necessary to re-enforce those areas, I.E. where your doors attach to the stand, and in the back, the one large piece you took out to put your sump in. If these pieces are firmly attached and glued, they will not bow or snap unless enough horizontal force is applied to the top or bottom of the stand to force them. The ends of the stand ensure this won't happen, except in extreme cases (I.E. a buldozer being driven by a drunk comes through your front wall and takes out your stand.) 3/4 plywood is a very strong material and is not likely to give, especially when it's given proper backing when assebled to the stand.

[cmiannay]

Any comments on the updated fish list??

[dmiannay]

Originally posted by spanker
I think what we are looking at here is the difference between building a stand for a Glass tank, and building a stand for an Acrylic tank.

Acrylic tanks are built in such a way that there is a major amount of force placed down on every square inch of the bottom of the tank surface. A stand must be built in such a way that the load is accepted and distributed just as evenly to avoid dips or sags in the stand and tank.

Glass tanks carry all of their weight on the outside edges of the tank, and thus, the centers of such stands don't need nearly the amount of re-enforcement as is required with an acrylic tank. Being that all the weight is carried on the outside edges of the tank, it is really only necessary to re-enforce those areas, I.E. where your doors attach to the stand, and in the back, the one large piece you took out to put your sump in. If these pieces are firmly attached and glued, they will not bow or snap unless enough horizontal force is applied to the top or bottom of the stand to force them. The ends of the stand ensure this won't happen, except in extreme cases (I.E. a buldozer being driven by a drunk comes through your front wall and takes out your stand.) 3/4 plywood is a very strong material and is not likely to give, especially when it's given proper backing when assebled to the stand.

Thanks, spanker. Although I didn't think there'd be a problem with the stand, LanceB's comments did get me thinking. Your explanation is reasonable as well as the understanding that it's highly unlikely Oceanic would manufacture and deliver a stand for a 135RR glass tank that is only marginally effective and possibly subject to collapsing with a full setup. Thanks to your comments, my confidence is restored !

[Racenrich]

Awesome setup! Great Job. Ive been thinkin of a neat way to do the electrical and yours rocks!
Guess i have to do the box thing.

Good luck and look forward to a complete setup.
RK

[Mantis]

As far a your fish list is concerned, I would stay away from the Moorish Idols. Way too difficult. A similar looking fish, the Bannerfish, Heniochus diphreutes, would be a better choice down the road.

I have not had too much luck with flame angels in the past. I would recomend a Majestic Angel instead. I have had one for several years with no problems and I have all types of coral, and even a clam he leaves alone.

[cmiannay]

Hmm... Majestic Angels are really beautiful, but Scott Michael's book (Marine Fishes) says they are not really reef safe. We don't want anything in the tank that will limit our coral/clam choices. I know the Flame Angel will be risky, that's why I said we would watch it closely. Most people on this forum agree there is a 50/50 chance the FA will behave. We can always take it back to the LFS. I want a big, striking fish to add last. Any other recommendations?

[tang_man_montreal]

How about a nice NASO tang, Powder Brown tang, or Achilles tang?