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Richard L

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    Dual Personality Frag Tank

    in Tank Builds

    Posted

    If you can change your order for the larger frag tank I think that's a superb idea. 48x24 is fine but I think there's a good chance you would be wanting more space in a relatively short time. Especially when all your support equipment and stand can handle a bigger tank

    My metal fabricator buys the feet from his metal supplier. I'm pretty sure they are standard fare.

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    Dual Personality Frag Tank

    in Tank Builds

    Posted

    Sorry Im late to this party, but I just read thru this thread and still trying to process all the info. Well done Reburn, your thoroughness and taking time to think about your build will surely pay off. Since you asked me for some input, here are a few things you may want to consider:

    • Make sure the fabricator adds adjustable feet to the corner posts. No floor is level and feet are a good, cheap solution. Four of them will appear flimsy compared to the rest of your design but they can handle a ton of weight.
    • Consider removing the 5 floor braces and set your sump directly on the floor on a sheet of high density foam insulation. Structurally those braces do very little and you would pick up a few more inches of clearance and save a few bucks.
    • Along those lines, I would suggest moving any of the horizontal braces off the floor so the post are the only thing on the ground. Much easier to level and they won't end up sitting in saltwater when you have the inevitable spill.
    • Just curious, whats the purpose of the double braces at the bottom?
    • Long term Id be concerned about hot dipped galvanized metal holding up. Love the idea of the Rhino coating though.
    • Consider having the stand fabricator add some tabs to the back supports so you can easily bolt a piece of plywood to the back to mount odds and ends (BRS reactors, ATO controllers, Apex components, etc.) Avoids drilling holes in the frame exposing bare metal. Probably do something similar for the top braces so you can easily mount your fuge light (if needed).
    • Is the ATO reservoir a custom piece? If so consider slanting the bottom so if you add Kalk it will settle to one end for efficient mixing. I found flat bottom tanks build up old Kalk over time.
    • Now that I have a few frag swaps under my belt, I think the traveling frag tank is something you will find impractical. Moving your corals into a separate tank with different flow, lighting etc. for any period of time before the swap risks pissing them off and not looking their best. Plus you cant really transport the corals in a shallow frag tank with water without it sloshing out and knocking the corals around so youll be draining it before the swap anyways. I think youd just be adding more steps to get ready for a swap and you really want things to be simple and streamlined. Plus I like storing my frag tank dry and clean so it looks perfect for the swap. No coralline, salt creep or gunk to worry about.
    Even with my architecture background, I find napkin sketches (no offense) difficult to really understand. I threw my best translation of your design into SketchUp to see what it looks like.

    post-2030-0-20663400-1421364489_thumb.jp

    Here it is again but with my suggested modifications. I think the results speak for themselves.

    post-2030-0-52650500-1421364508_thumb.jp

    General thought about this frag tank. Im assuming that the primary goal with this frag tank is to raise coral in perfect conditions, hence the long list of equipment which most of us have on our DT's. But isnt main for most of this stuff is to counter the heavy nutrient loads that fish create? It seems to me that adding fish to this system would be counter to the primary goal. If you go fishless, I'd bet you could get rid of bio pellets, macro algae (and associated light) and the GFO reactor. Maybe even get away with a smaller skimmer and less live rock. Less of a chance for a nutrient roller coaster ride which our precious SPS will not tolerate.

    In any event I'm excited to see your build progress and feel free to ignore any and all of my comments without hurting any of my feelings. Also while your waiting for these things to be built, feel free to come over and I'll show you some of the trials and tribulations I learned with my frag tank build.

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    In Loving Memory

    in Reef Keeping

    Posted

    Tim and I went in together on a frag of Sherita's pink hippos at the frag swap last year. We agreed to let them grow out for a month or so in my tank and then split them since the 4 polyps were so tightly packed. He'd text me every couple of months to see if they were ready and we would trade a few lol's since these zoas refused to grow beyond the four polyps. Last week, 5 months later, we were trading text again and I suggested that he take the zoas and see if they would do better in his tank. I never heard a reply and I now imagine he had more on his plate than worrying about zoanthids. Crushes me when I think about it.

    Just to let everyone know, I decided to auction off the zoas in the story above and donate the funds to Tim's scholarship fund that ARC started. They'll be in my frag tank Saturday at C4. I'll have a silent auction sheet setup for those who may be interested. And now that I'm looking at examples on the web, I think these might actually pink zippers. In any event they are beautiful and unique.

    • Like 6

    In Loving Memory

    in Reef Keeping

    Posted

    Tim and I went in together on a frag of Sherita's pink hippos at the frag swap last year. We agreed to let them grow out for a month or so in my tank and then split them since the 4 polyps were so tightly packed. He'd text me every couple of months to see if they were ready and we would trade a few lol's since these zoas refused to grow beyond the four polyps. Last week, 5 months later, we were trading text again and I suggested that he take the zoas and see if they would do better in his tank. I never heard a reply and I now imagine he had more on his plate than worrying about zoanthids. Crushes me when I think about it.

    How do we "pour one out" for Tim? Do you frag it and throw it on the ground like a drink?

    Well, if I could get it to grow out faster it would be nice to offer free frags for all members as kind of a memorial in all our tanks. But since it isn't really multiplying I asked Ty to find out if there is another hobbyist in Tim's family that I could give it too.

    In Loving Memory

    in Reef Keeping

    Posted

    Tim and I went in together on a frag of Sherita's pink hippos at the frag swap last year. We agreed to let them grow out for a month or so in my tank and then split them since the 4 polyps were so tightly packed. He'd text me every couple of months to see if they were ready and we would trade a few lol's since these zoas refused to grow beyond the four polyps. Last week, 5 months later, we were trading text again and I suggested that he take the zoas and see if they would do better in his tank. I never heard a reply and I now imagine he had more on his plate than worrying about zoanthids. Crushes me when I think about it.

    440g Custom Starphire Metal-framed Reef Dropoff Tank

    in Tank Builds

    Posted

    Guys,

    I'd like you to all bow your heads. This is a very sad day.

    From A.J. himself,

    "I had to abandon it, when my fiancee that I shared the house with and I split. Can't have a 440 gallon reef tank in a third floor apartment, for some strange reason. ~sigh~"

    Women. Can't reef with em, can't reef without em. [/size]

    Sorry guys but I'm not buying any of it. Got a good feeling tomorrow is the day! I pledge allegiance to the tank that may or may not actually exist, and to the dropoff...

    • Like 1

    440g Custom Starphire Metal-framed Reef Dropoff Tank

    in Tank Builds

    Posted

    Amen. Thank you Ian. The first order of business is to formally ratify the group's motto that was selected at last month's meeting: "In Phasmatis Aquarium Nos Fides" which of course is Latin for "In the Ghost Aquarium we do trust". Our second order of business is to open the floor to nominations for the group's theme song. I would like to throw out the first nomination for consideration: Burt Bacharach's beautiful ballad "Any Day Now". Preferably Elvis' version. Any other nominees...?

    • Like 2

    440g Custom Starphire Metal-framed Reef Dropoff Tank

    in Tank Builds

    Posted

    It's been four months since my build and my man-made rock from Reel Reef has been a really pleasant surprise. I wasn't convinced that it was the way to go but Mark (mcallahan) really wanted to try it and I am sooo glad we used it. Really cool shapes, easy to build with, no hitchikers and the integrated pigments make it look like it covered in coraline from day one. That and a bottle of Dr. Tim's and the tank was cycled and fully stocked within 3 weeks! That's 3 weeks with no die-off to contend with. I never had any spikes just blips on the amonia and nitrite radar. Just a thought. Give Mark a shout if you're interested, I think he is now a dealer for them and could get you a good deal.

    That said, I can't wait to see some pics of the stand and frame!

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