The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by Wolfgang

Also quick question about Mr. Eel. How big was he when you got him? And since then has his pattern changed? I have read that as Zebra morays age and mature their White stripes get thinner. Can you confirm or deny this?

Never heard of that.
Mine has the stripes the same as when I got him, or at least it seems to me.
I do recall seeing some with thinner stripes but has had nothing to do with size. just a natural variation.
There is even differences in the black. Some are more brown.
Mine is not as large as one would think given it has been with me for as long as it has.
I don't feed him as often and that is key in growth.
Frankly, wouldn't know its length but you have now made me curious.
They are quite docile and entertaining.
Blind as heck.
Can't see crap unless it practically smacks them.
However, as far as ability to smell, amazing.
I can place a drop of water in the tanks from a container that holds shrimp and that darn thing is out in a heartbeat.

BTW, I want to say I have had it for about 8-9 years now.

[Wolfgang]

Same with mine You put 5ml of shrimp water in a 90 gallon tank and she goes nuts swimming all out in the open. Mine had pretty good eyesight though im not brave enough to hand feed her (yet). She is small so therefore her food is small and I wont want my finger to be mistaken.

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by Wolfgang

Same with mine You put 5ml of shrimp water in a 90 gallon tank and she goes nuts swimming all out in the open. Mine had pretty good eyesight though im not brave enough to hand feed her (yet). She is small so therefore her food is small and I wont want my finger to be mistaken.

Hand feeding is half the fun of owning them.
Hold the shrimp by a hair.
Regardless, eventually, you will get caught.

In anticipation, go to the garage and get a vice grip.
Practice catching your finger in it.
Squeeze.
Lock it.
Shake your hand all over the place without it falling off.
Now you will be prepared for when you get caught by the eel.

One time, I shook that bastage all over.
Pulled him literally out of the tank caught on my finger.
Wouldn't let go.
Eventually decided the water was better than my finger.

[Wolfgang]

Way to convince me to start trying. Video later hahaha

planning on setting up a 120 gallon, 48x24x24

lighting suggestions?

[shilala]

Originally Posted by j-easy

planning on setting up a 120 gallon, 48x24x24

lighting suggestions?

I have the 24" Nova T5 from right here.
The bulbs cost about 60 bucks a year to replace (and it's very important to replace them every year).
You should probably check the bulb replacement cost of any light you choose. They're super expensive.
My light doesn't get real hot and it's in excellent shape after almost three years sitting on top of my tank.
I'd never have guessed it'd last half that long, as nothing for salt water ever does if it has metal involved. The only thing that's ever happened is that the fan started making noise. It was full of crud (salt, dust, etc.) and I had to wash it out. I dried it carefully and lubricated it very lightly and it's back to being silent and works great.
I'd happily suggest the Nova T5's to any of my friends. I could not be more pleased with it and it had came highly recommended to me.
I don't think you could possibly go wrong.

[Blueface]

OK guys.
Made me go back and dig up some old photos.
Loading up to Photobucket right now.
I have some shots I am very proud of involving tanks I designed/built for customers.
Will post soon.

[Blueface]

First one.
Believe it or not, this is a 225 gallon tank that is six feet wide.
That is how huge this furniture is that the tank looks tiny within it.
This is a $40K wall unit/tank.
The tank is custom acrylic, made to customer specs, with a built in fiberglass, handmade artificial reef with very neat looking (as close as you can get) to live coral.
After three months of having, and me having told him not to do it as he wouldn't be happy long term, the customer paid me to do a whole new tank to mimic mine with bleached corals.

This customer later moved and we built the same system but with twin tanks with a large screen TV in the middle.
My son has those shots somewhere. Need to see if we can find them.

[Blueface]

Left side of tank filtration.

[Wolfgang]

What are youinterested in? Coral or Just fish?

If Just fish I reccomend a "Tek Light 4X54"

If coral and fish a "Tek Light 8X 54"

This fixture has the best reflectorsI have ever encountered. As far as T-5 ho fixtures go the fixture is only as good as the reflector. Also They are Very Reliable, dot consue a whole lot of energy, and give of very little heat.

can anyone guide me to a 20+ gallon nano reef, set-up that wont break the bank? something in the 150-200 buck range for the tank? and then possibly a list of stuff to get to make it run right. Looking to set up a reef using Fuji live rock. Is this decent live rock? colorful?

set up reccomendations? website so I dont have to bug you?


Brad

Originally Posted by Wolfgang

What are youinterested in? Coral or Just fish?

If Just fish I reccomend a "Tek Light 4X54"

If coral and fish a "Tek Light 8X 54"

This fixture has the best reflectorsI have ever encountered. As far as T-5 ho fixtures go the fixture is only as good as the reflector. Also They are Very Reliable, dot consue a whole lot of energy, and give of very little heat.

I want to do a reef with different types of coral, I am worried about getting lights that can penetrate all 24" of water with the full spectrum

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by j-easy

I want to do a reef with different types of coral, I am worried about getting lights that can penetrate all 24" of water with the full spectrum

24" is not deep for today's bulbs.
You can go with VHO's and if still a concern, go with metal halides in addition but expect to generate a whole lot of heat.
In the store my son worked, all corals were maintained in metal halides.
My son had a combination of VHO and metal halides in his 75 reef, which is 24 deep and worked fine.
You will need a chiller to go along with that.

[Wolfgang]

Beautiful Eel. Somehow, I have a soft spot for eels. That is a huge system.

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by Wolfgang

Beautiful Eel. Somehow, I have a soft spot for eels. That is a huge system.

I panicked on that eel as I assumed it would dine on my small Clarion.
He ended up being quite docile in that customer's tank.
He ended up dying in a power failure at that home.
Have tried to get another one since then but they are way overpriced when available.

[Wolfgang]

My LFS has a 1500 gallon DT with 4 eels in it. all of them are between 3 and 5 feet lond and as thick as my arm. They are sooo awesome! A green Moray, Jeweled Moray, Tesselata Moray, and a Zebra Moray. Also in the tank is a huge queen angel, a panther grouper, and a minatus grouper. I love looking at that tank.

[Ahbroody]

Will take some pics of mine. Have not been keeping it up as I should but recently started making an effort to restore it to its OMFG status it used to have.

I am more of a clownfish anemone guy.

Have a pair of spawning Nigripes clowns in the 70 reef with two rose bubble nems and a 3 foot pink atlantic carpet nem.

Just started a second tank for a pair of chrysogaster clowns my buddy was able to secure me through questionable methods Currently at his shop for the past month to make sure they are safe.

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by Ahbroody

Will take some pics of mine. Have not been keeping it up as I should but recently started making an effort to restore it to its OMFG status it used to have.

I am more of a clownfish anemone guy.

Have a pair of spawning Nigripes clowns in the 70 reef with two rose bubble nems and a 3 foot pink atlantic carpet nem.

Just started a second tank for a pair of chrysogaster clowns my buddy was able to secure me through questionable methods Currently at his shop for the past month to make sure they are safe.

Clowns are so cool.
I have a mated pair in my tank.
One is normal orange/white and the other is the black one pictured in this thread.
Amazing that I don't have a reef and they regularly lay eggs on the bleached coral.
None will ever make it as they are delicacies for the other fish but cool that in spite of not having anenomes, they still spawn.

[md4958]

Im assuming the point of a chiller is to cool the water, but do the lamps generate THAT much heat that they actually heat the water that much?? So Im assuming that in a saltwater tank a heater isnt necessary??

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by md4958

Im assuming the point of a chiller is to cool the water, but do the lamps generate THAT much heat that they actually heat the water that much?? So Im assuming that in a saltwater tank a heater isnt necessary??

Does it heat up the water that much?
Sure.
Especially the smaller the tank is or the lower in height.
My 225 fish only is lit by four 4 - 36" Power Compact Units (96 W each).
That generates some heat but not much as Power Compacts run quite cool.
However, VHOs run hot.
Metal Halides run incredibly hot.
You can and should use fans to get some of that heat out of there (you can see that in the design of the last tank I pictured) but when you throw in the heat generated by recirculating pumps, UV, etc, it does raise your temperature quite a few degrees. Enough to make corals quite uncomfortable.

As for the heater, depends.
In South Florida, don't use them. Don't need them.
We will never have a low temperature concern.
The opposite is true. Just about everyone should have a chiller.
In the NE as an example, yeah, you would still need a heater for the cold winters.

I keep my house temperature at 75. Without my chiller, with cool Power Compacts but three pumps and a UV running the system, my temperature will rise to around 82-84.
The chiller maintains it at 77.

Many folks get away with reefs in some parts of the country without a chiller.
Most have one.
Depends on where you are and the temperature your water goes to.