90 gal acrilic update page..

[CORALFISHG]

well finally after wanting to go bigger for a long time. i finally have the oppertunity. I started this hobby with a 75 gal glass tank. and got started in a very poor way. i did absulutly no research and more less did everything blindfolded. i bought all the wrong equipment and lost tons of fish and corals. not this time!

for the last year and a half i have spent countless hours on the boards and in the books, learning as much as i can. i was not gunna make another attept at this hobby without knowing what i was doing. although i am not a profesional, i do believe that i have the basic knowledge of coral husbandry, and water understanding that i need to make this tank work this time. and i owe it all to YOU GUYS!!!

well lets get started with the project at hands.

i purchaced a 90 gal acrilic tank (48L x 24H x 22W)
i pretty much got everything with the deal. it came with a turbofloater skimmer, being run by a rio 2200 (very, very soon to be changed out with something more reliable). the skimmer is sitting in a wet dry sump. there is a bulk head on the side for the water to go into a iwaski pump for my return.

for lighting the deal came with a retro fit helio power compact kit. 2 6500k day light, and two actinics. it also came with a ice cap 660. and it's powering two actinics, and one aqua sun.
so for tottal lighting it looks like i will be about 6.1 gpi of light.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid74/p8406fb564c25384afad3f738c2f1ac3c/fb64cac9.jpg

this was when i first picked up the tank.. to me this tank looks more like a piece of furniture, than just a tank. (atleast that's how i convinced my wife that this whould make a good addition:D ). the thing is acrilic, including the stand and canopy.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid74/p31725ace7d7b69a268a2e877ea517bb4/fb64cab0.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid74/p367a93794a64e1dc266a5c0e01401584/fb64cab9.jpg
all the equipment is in this black box in the corner. the box covers up the sump skimmer, and return pump
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid74/p3635bf933cd6e22d7192bfd6f346ab8a/fb64ca9e.jpg
here it is with the top removed
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid75/pd813af59ed70dbfd4465b75ffd0a7c88/fb5c47d6.jpg

[CORALFISHG]

here are some pictures of the back of the tank.. the actual main tank only holds about 75 gal's of water. the other 15 gal's is in the back. i plan on making this area my refugium.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid74/pc7996e7a49cc42b0aaee7ce3f209e97b/fb64caa3.jpg
this part was removed in the previous picture. i really don't know how to explain it but i will try any ways. more less there is a bunch of egg crate dividers in there. the water flows down through the slits in the top of the tank. and goes down through this area. what im figuring is this is where you were supposed to use bio balls and such like that. i will be using this area to place carbon bags, or anything else that i see needed. the bottom area is where i plan on making the refugium..
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid74/p9c5d7a2bb0e7ff4ae37cabcd4c902991/fb64cad0.jpg

my origanal plan was to use two sea swirls for circulation. but as it turns out, there is not enough room to fit the sea swirls. so i am gunna go with the squid.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid74/p90f3848f293d7d78f8c33fa4ff16651e/fb64cae0.jpg
i bought a little giant 2-mdqx-sc to run the squid on. i was also thinking of maybe putting one on the return line. but i am afraid of the possible flow loss.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid74/pbbc4b9b291365b29933ee6a999c82fe9/fb64caab.jpg

[CORALFISHG]

yesterday i started making the rock structure. i am very happy with the end result. my intension's was to make a structure that could support the weight of the rock and at the same time add alot of caves and crevises for the fish to hide and swim through.
i went with two seperate units, so that it can be easily romoved if ever need be. the hole thing is made out of 1/2 inch pvc, and tons of T and L's. the hole thing cost a little over 20 bucks

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid75/pea6b1b9510c99959d5af0568acac50ee/fb5c7632.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid75/pd64660ad22192e411f641ab51eb99207/fb5c762d.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid75/pac6fd2aa6868a8bb1c3d775fd32e06d3/fb5c7629.jpg
the thing that i like most about it, is the bridge. this is where i plan to keep my more light demanding coral's.

this morning i added 100pds of southdown. hopefully tommorro i will make it out to get a bag of live sand. so all toghther there will be a tottal of 150 pds of sand

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid75/p20233188d9b59c274a2bcbbb17cf86d2/fb5c7620.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid75/p5cae7d7ca6f41026cea7f143002b2484/fb5c761c.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid75/p6f308df93b47c4406900b7c7c7947a4b/fb5c7625.jpg
this gives you a idea of just how much sand is in there. in the highest spots it's about 5 1/2 inches, down to 3 inches.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid75/p65d551ae4ab37551882fb64d41dd9def/fb5c7619.jpg

sorry about all the pictures. any help, or suggestion's would be greatly apprecated. thanks to all of you!!!!

jason