My 1000 Ga built-in tank

[Anonymous]

I would assume there is a sodium chloride quary in the back yard.

The property boundary is the beach below, however, our local aquarium kindly provides us with filtered and tested WC salt water for around $14 a year. We fill up those plastic 1000 liter cubes and bring it home. The new system is going to run near 8000 liters when its plumbed for both tanks, the new sump, and all the piping.

 

[Anonymous]

Blimey. This thing is going to be huge Andy.

How do you plan to access the tank? Will there be some room behind it?

No room behind the tank Tom, but there is access from the side where the sump, skimmer and other equipment will be kept. There is enough room to climb into the tank to do any work required, although I anticipate that will be fairly infrequent. I have had a long pair of stainless tongs made up for more common maintenance. It is also possible to crawl over the top of the tank as the lighting hood will retract into the tank equipment room in need on rails. More pics to follow, and there are some in the renovation thread in the Sump.

 

[Anonymous]

Some of the tank room, giving it a bit of perspective, including photo of some of the many plug points and the separate distribution board, and a shot of the ventilation panels built in to remove some of the humid air...

 

[Anonymous]

That's a pretty sweet deal with the aquarium! Saves a fair packet in running costs, I'd reckon. Now all you need are solar panels. :wink:

It's going to be a stunner! 8)

 

[Anonymous]

Some preliminary photos of the tank stand. It still needs to go for galvanising, after which it'll clean up real nice! It weighs in at a tad over 500 pounds! It has been built for me by a friend and his son. The friend is a mechanical engineer, and the stand is designed to carry over 20 tonnes.

 

[Anonymous]

You must be itching to get this thing up and running! Any thoughts on what the inhabitants will be?

 

[Anonymous]

The glass arrives in a week's time, we are going to get the stand back at the same time from galvanising. I am hoping to have water and rock in by the middle of October, 6 weeks before my expected occupation date. I already have 250 kg LR curing in a friend's tank.

The intention is to make this a LPS tank Tom, I will be using my existing tank as a FOWLR, possibly a predator tank with lionfish and moray eels.

 

[Anonymous]

With that much swimming space, I can't believe you're not already thinking about having a school of yellow tangs or something! No big angels in an LPS tank though...

 

[Anonymous]

That goes without saying! A shoal of tangs would be great, I also want some shoaling Antheas- they are indigenous here and are available everywhere. I want a proper group of percola clowns too. But mostly, I want lots of elegance corals. I have found out why they are not surviving (Actually, Tracy- Lawdawg- found out for me) and now have a way to ensure that specimens miss the contaminated storage facility in question.

Aside from those specific wishes, I will try and concentrate on unusual colouration in some LPS species, although, if I know myself, I will just look to put what I think is interesting together in there. I suppose a proper plan would be better.... :?

I do intend putting a large Emperor angel in the FO system, along with any trouble butterflys. :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

Might be tempting to try a carpet anemone for those percs, but with a tank that deep, I wonder if it would work. Still, it would be something to think about once the tank is set up and matured. :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

...(Actually, Tracy- Lawdawg- found out for me) and now have a way to ensure that specimens miss the contaminated storage facility in question.

Thanks for the props . Search here on the board for threads about the food requirements for the anthias Andy, they need some special care.

 

[Anonymous]

Tom, I have a carpet that is moving with the new system, it has been in my old tank for several years now. It seems to like indirect MH light, and as the tank depth doesnt vary much between the old and the new, I bet it thrives in the new system.

Dawg, thanks for the heads-up on the antheas, I am aware of their special requirements.

 

[Anonymous]

I also want some shoaling Antheas- they are indigenous here and are available everywhere.

You are already kind of my hero, but you will be even more so if you get a shoal of these (and send 5 to me):

South Africa's only endemic anthias

The females look pretty similar to common lyretails, but below is a full blown male. Yeah!

 

[Anonymous]

Matt, those fish are so common here theycan be caught in any decent rockpool at low tide. Its one of the reasons I have never had any in my system. One trip to any one of the many wrecks we spearfish on would yield a hundred plus of them with little effort, they swim in clouds above any decent underwater structure.

This time around I am going to get a shoal of at least 10...... including some males. I have seen a lot of purple ones before, I always took them for a different species.

(Edit: spelling)

 

[Anonymous]

Matt, those fish are so common here theycan be caught in any decent rockpool at low tide. Its one of the reasons I have never had any in my system. One trip to any one of the many wrecks we spearfish on would yield a hundred plus of them with little effort, they swim in clouds above any decent underwater structure.

This time around I am going to get a shoal of at least 10...... including some males. I have seen a lot of purple ones before, I always took them for a different species.

(Edit: spelling)

The females look nearly identical to the other 2 species you have there, but you see these half purple supermales with the white stripe commonly?

How well do you know the exporting regulations in your country??? Those fish are never seen here and I'm guessing would be worth a lot of money here. 8O

 

[Anonymous]

The females look nearly identical to the other 2 species you have there, but you see these half purple supermales with the white stripe commonly?

How well do you know the exporting regulations in your country??? Those fish are never seen here and I'm guessing would be worth a lot of money here. 8O

Matt, they are pretty common, even the males in your pic. The area off my renovation project has a coupla reefs and a wreck that are heavily populated with them.

I checked for you, its near impossible to export anything legally from here, with heavy regulation our end, and big issues at the European/UK/US end as well. You will just have to look at pics of mine! :lol:

 

[Sea Turtle]

Yea, a big green moray eel would be awsome!

This really is turning into quite a project. There is no better feeling than building something on your own like that and looking at what you accomplished hen it is all complete. It is just so much better to have built it yourself.

 

[Anonymous]

The females look nearly identical to the other 2 species you have there, but you see these half purple supermales with the white stripe commonly?

How well do you know the exporting regulations in your country??? Those fish are never seen here and I'm guessing would be worth a lot of money here. 8O

Matt, they are pretty common, even the males in your pic. The area off my renovation project has a coupla reefs and a wreck that are heavily populated with them.

I checked for you, its near impossible to export anything legally from here, with heavy regulation our end, and big issues at the European/UK/US end as well. You will just have to look at pics of mine! :lol:

IYou have to get some man. Aquarists in Japan and the US will bow down to your tank. 8)

 

[Anonymous]

IYou have to get some man. Aquarists in Japan and the US will bow down to your tank. 8)

I swill, because they are freely available, indigenous and reef-safe. My reefkeeping ability is nothing to admire- quite the contrary..... just because my location makes some species easy for me to obtain does nothing to prop up my low level reef knowledge.... sadly!

I dont know the spelling, and I dont know what it looks like (I'd recognise it if I saw them and probably know them by a colloquial name) there is a highly desireable fish freely available here that is in big demand in the hobby..... its called a jamartin (Spelling is no doubt out). Apparently US hobbyists dont get access to them regularly, if at all, and its freely available here. I will find out more details and someone can fill me in on just how desirable they are....

 

[Anonymous]

For those that are still interested, the stand arrived late this afternoon, some pics- glass arrives on Friday (3rd world Friday usually means wednesday next week....) anyway, for your viewing pleasure.....