The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

Many of our brothers here keep reef tanks.
I was talking to Dan (hardcz) on the phone tonight about how nice it would be if we had a thread where we could all show off our tanks, talk about what we're doing, share our stock, ask questions, give answers, and enjoy each other's ideas.
So here it is.
I love my reef and it's come along dramatically with the help of all the gentlemen here and at CS. I know you guys love your tanks as much as I do, I'm very much looking forward to seeing what you all have to share.

I'm going to go get some pics of my setup right now to get this thing started. :)
Have fun!!!
Scott

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

You talked me into it.

Here is my 90 and a video of my Eel eating. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4ZwRQIPDyo
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...DSC_0001-1.jpg

in it is a maroon clown (Barter) a clown goby (Jaws)and a Zebra moray eel (Leela). Tomorrow im going to be adding either a flame angel, coral beauty or one spot fox face.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...0/DSC_0042.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...DSC_0048-1.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...DSC_0405-1.jpg

Here is my former reef tank that is getting a total overhaul now. I lost most of the livestock and corals in a tank crash about 4 months ago and have been really out of the hobby.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...0/DSC_0314.jpg

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

i am really looking forward to this thread

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

Me too. Just the pictures so far are cool!

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

How about those of us with saltwater tanks that are not reefs?
I love Angels.
Angels love reefs.
That would mean they eat my reef.:D

Boy did you spark an interest here. I had a thread like this on "another" site. Glad you did it here.

Here goes:
225 Gallon Fish Only/Bleached Coral

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...o/DSC_0009.jpg

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

Quite rare Conspic Angel, worth about $3K.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...o/DSC_0212.jpg

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

Even more rare Clarion Angel, worth around $5K.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...o/DSC_0155.jpg

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1.5 foot long New Caledonia Emperor Angel - Quite rare also with streamer.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...o/DSC_0167.jpg

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

Where my user name comes from.
Blueface Angel

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...o/CSC_0157.jpg

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

Those in the hobby, how rare is to see this?
Black Tang

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...o/DSC_0147.jpg

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

You have to go diving over 150 deep to catch one of these, hence their hefty price also.
Declavis Butterfly

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...o/CSC_0237.jpg

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

Foot long Red Sea Blonde Naso Tang with streamers.
One of my favorites.
I call it "puta" for all the make up on its face.:D

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...o/DSC_0163.jpg

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

Wow, there are some great pictures here. I've always been fascinated by the hobby, but never evolved past my 10 gallon pedestrian tank that I had many years ago.

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

If I saw it , it can't be rare.

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

:r:r:r

You nut job!

Come to think of it, you did get to see these guys in person.

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

yes I did, I wll have to do that again :)

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

The Black Tang would be a lot less rare if they shipped well. One onf the main reasons they command such a hefty price is they do not ship well and those that arrive alive wont eat. I am very glad you are not having problems with yours. They are a VERY beautiful fish although probally the most aggressive from the Zebramosa family.

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

He was the pick of the litter.
My son worked for a major importer at the time and that is where they all came from.
Has been with me over 7 years.
Only thing I dislike is that as they age, they get more grey to them.

There is always a simple fix for aggressive fish that always tames them.
Place them in the tank small and have other, bigger aggressive fish in there with them as well.
My Angels keep him in line.:D
Being in the business for quite some time, designing, installing and maintaining high end tanks, I was lucky to learn lots of tricks on introducing them and compatibility that goes against the norm.

He got aggressive on me years ago and I took care of it.
Stuck him in plastic bottle, with holes in it for water flow and left him in the open overnight.
He was as docile as could be the next day and ever since.;)

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

A more rare version of the common Fox Face, the Magnifica.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...o/DSC_0026.jpg

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

haha nice! I have only seen a Clarion Angel once in my time as a reefer. they were demanding 3.5k and the one they had was full grown and its colors were pretty dull. If you are in the mood for another awesome rare addition look for a Gem Tang. They have the ame personality as the Black Tang but they dont lose color as they age.

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

The little butthole that beats my hands up royally every time I service the tank.
I have to place him in a container as he will otherwise leave me hurting and with ample bites.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...o/DSC_0025.jpg

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

My grandson's buddy.
Always greets him.
Lets my grandson stick his hand in the tank and touch him.
Will actually let you scratch his belly.
A Scribbled Angel.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...o/DSC_0034.jpg

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

dont we all???

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

Almost had my hands on a few of them actually.
The importer was scheduled to receive a mass shipment of them and right before that, he went out of business. Long story.
I was getting three for $300 each, landed cost in my hands.
Haven't had the desire to add a fish in over five years since then.
Just not worth losing what I have over diseases.

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

Blueline Angel.

Don't recommend them.
They are not hearty although this one is with me around 6-7 years.
They have the tendency to go blind like Harlequins.
He can still get around and eats well but can't see squat.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...o/DSC_0205.jpg

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

Last one.

No swim bladder.
Cool fish.
Uses fins as we use hands and swims in the tank as we do.
Can't sustain himself in the water column as no bladder to do so as normal fish have.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...o/DSC_0204.jpg

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

Ive always wanted a salt-water tank.

On average how much time do you need to dedicate on a weekly basis to the maintenance of the average sized tank?

How difficult is that maintenance?

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

I got this guy when he was about the size of a very small Flame Angel.
Have had him for around 5-7 years, guessing but closer to the 7 mark.
He had his juvenile colors and lines.
As he became an adult, the lines left and the solid brown/tan face set in.
Cool to see transform.
I had another Emperor Angel that I raised from juvenile to full adult, that got along just great with the larger Emperor believe it or not.
Decided to sell him to make room for the growing fish.

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

I agree 100%!

for those out there thinking "oh its just a fish tank. Whats the big deal."

Many of these tanks ivestments are wekk in the thousands. My 24 gallon tank certainly was. If you dont pay attention or cant take care of them for even a week. This can happen, and did to me.
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...h_DSC_0314.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...h_DSCF1341.jpg

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

That will vary.
For most, early on in the hobby, they either do too much or not enough.

I believe in hands free.
Great equipment, like a massive skimmer, triple to quadruple what the tank would require normally.
Water changes once a month - I do 50%.
Remove the rocks (in my case as I have to bleach them), once a month, when I do my water changes.
My tank takes once a month, but that day takes me about 3-4 hours due to the slow process in bleaching the rocks, to ensure no chlorine back in the tank.
The same regimen is what I did for my customers for years.

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

Beautiful tanks and fishies!!

We had a couple of freshwater tanks while I was growing up. Loved to sit and watch them.

Thanks for the pics.

Please, sirs, may I have some more?

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

That sucks so badly.
We have all been there.
My son lost a 75 gallon reef thanks to a hurricane.
I was lucky mine survived.
He then set it up again and it crashed again due to rust from the UV going in the tank.
Each time, he had the most unreal reef, due to working for the importer.
He got to take home all the frags on a regular basis and they would all grow to nice corals.
Lots of rare stuff and thousands of dollars lost.

I have a generator dedicated to my tank for power failures.
That is how crazy this stuff is.

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

For a beginner, would you recommend a reef tank, or a fish tank? It is my understanding that you cant have many fish in a reef tank

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

You can do either.
Just don't go crazy until you have it down.
Me? I would go fish only, then add corals or modify to a reef as you develop more.
In my case, I never finished developing as I stayed with fish only due to the kind of fish I wanted.
What I do recommend is to go as big as you can and have all the equipment you need before you add a drop of water, let alone fish.
Most don't do it that way and pay dearly.

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

wow... I think I just died a little inside.

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

Anyone can face that day in this hobby and boy, does it suck.

Here is a sucking story.
I have two mated Conspic Angels.
The larger, male, gets PO'd with the smaller one and goes all over the place chasing it, continuously, for days.
I decide to get the aggressive one out and sell it (that is where I got my money for my Clarion).
As soon as I pull it out and sell it, within a week or so, not having ever been harmed or injured, not showing any signs of stress, a $3K fish is belly up.
I could only imagine it died from heartbreak that I didn't give them a chance to work it out or go to counseling.:r
I guess I can laugh about it now as I was able to soon find another Conspic to replace her.

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

Thanks for the info.

sounds like its a whole 'nuther slope!!!

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

OMG!!!

You have no idea.

That tank of mine has around $12K in fish and another $10K (wholesale and doing it myself) in equipment.

Talk about a slope!!!
I was fortunate to do it as I was in the business, got the equipment wholesale, did my own labor, and bought the fish at wholesale, cheaper than the stores as I got them from the importer directly.
Otherwise, heck if I would have this.

You can imagine how much I look forward to hurricane season and power failures.

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

I sense another reality TV show: The Fish Whisperer :r

That does indeed suck, sir.

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

this thread has inspired me to look back into the hobby

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

Hey Moe-sy,
I keep a reef tank, and it's super low-end. Despite that it's gorgeous and there are so many awesome critters living in there that you can see something new every day. :)
I spend maybe an hour a week doing maintainence. That consists of scrubbing the inside of the glass every other day with a magnet thingie (takes 2 minutes) and cleaning the glass with windex because a lunare wrasse I have splashes water out of the tank every time it eats.
The best thing I ever did that made this so much easier on me is:
1.) Added plants
2.) Bought an RO unit (makes 100% pure water).
My tank has been 15 years in the making and has frozen twice due to power outages while I was away.
Despite that, not everything died.
I do a lot of things that guys say that you should never do, but it's because I've wanted to create a self-sustaining biosphere, or a symbiosis.
Withh fresh water tanks it's very easy to do. With reef tanks it's taken me 15 years to get it right.
Carlos' tank is the extreme polar opposite of mine. His is like a hospital while mine is like a swamp. :D
His costs a fortune, and while mine isn't by any means cheap, it's definately affordable.
It takes a few years to cycle your tank, or at least it has mine.
If you get a good light, a good filter, and a good skimmer, and an RO unit you're on your way. Then you use a lot of live sand, coral, live rock, critters (crabs and snails), and some little fish and watch it like a hawk and do lots of water changes.
Add some razorwire chaeta (a plant) and it will come with all the "bugs" you need. Little shrimp and worms and stuff. They clean the bottom and process all the waste. In turn that processed waste feeds the plants. The plants clean the water. The baby bugs feed the live rock.
When it's time to add corals, everything is there that they need.
While my tank isn't a striking art statement like Carlos', it's beautiful in it's own right because of all the colors and activity. Much like cigars, it's one's taste that dictates what they want.
What you want will dictate what you have to do and how much work you have to do.
Carlos has to know a LOT to keep the environment he's created. He has to be right on top of it, too.
Mine is a lot less delicate, and it takes care of itself for the most part.
I still have to pay attention to it though. I'd say I do as much work on my tank as I do on my cat. Maybe less.
Nothing is "hard" either.

You should try a little nano tank. They're little tiny desktop environments and you can put a couple little fish in there, some live rock and some corals. They're inexpensive and a real bang for the buck. Easy to care for, too.
That way you could see if you like it before going crazy and spending millions. Plus you could just move your stock to a bigger tank.
I bet you'd love it. :)

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

Here's a start on the pics.
http://home.comcast.net/~shilala/reef1.jpg

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

Never owned a fish tank, but thanks for this thread. Really enjoyed the pictures. I love all animals, and fish are so beautiful and majestic, this is awesome.

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

Beautiful Coraline.
First sign of a very healthy environment.

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

That is the beauty of a reef system v. a fish only.
The reef is truly very self sustaining other than water changes.
The critters, the live rock, the fish themselves all maintain it for you.
In a fish only system, more labor involved in cleaning the corals.

Knowledge wise, not really hard. I feed them when I remember. I change the water once a month, the month I remember. Once in a while, I may even remember to change the dirty, nasty old pad on the wet dry.:D

Do you have a refugium? Wet dry? or combination of both?

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

My 90 has been really low maint. Its been up for about 6 months now and I haent needed to do a WC yet. 5 of those months the only fish in there was a maroon clown. nitrates are still only at 5ppm I love large water volumes.

I went to the LFS (local fish store) today and placed a hold on a 4" Hippo tang. I would have bought him but i let with $60 in coral instead. I will be picking him up next week sometime.

Pictures of my coral later tonight maybe.

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

Nope, Carlos, no refugium.
Actually I do, though. It's a giant wad of Chaeta that's jammed behind the mountain of rock. :D
I just cut it back when it grows out too far. I have to cut it back or tuck it back in about once a week. I tear about half of it out every few months and throw it in the garbage. I always look in the bucket and I'm amazed at how many shrimp and worms are flopping around. :)

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

That's my starfish Henrietta on the bottom. The fish is Little Yellow. He's Kerri's fish. He's the replacement for Big Yellow who perished in the Great Freeze of 2006. :D
http://home.comcast.net/~shilala/reef2.jpg

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

I used to have a colony of fans that covered half the floor of my tank. They've been recolonizing the last couple years and are starting to spread out into the light. The piece of dead coral on the left is covered on the back and the fans you see are new, they've started spreading around the front. Pretty soon that whole corner of the tank will be covered.
The fans really spread when hatches come off. The whole tank will be swimming with tiny baby shrimp that eventually all get ate by the fans and coral and other critters growing in the live rock. It's cool. :)
http://home.comcast.net/~shilala/reef3.jpg

Re: The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread
 

This pic shows the great big yellow sponge that grew over the last 2 years. It was literally a yellow speck when it started.
Anybody know what the orange thing is that's growing on the left of the sponge?
I'll try to get a closeup in the next pic...
http://home.comcast.net/~shilala/reef4.jpg