Gofor's 60"L X 30"W X 24"T Upgrade
- Thread starter gofor100
- Start date
MANNN BEAUTIFUL TANK! and props on taking it slow and doing everything right...did a little research on "cryptic fuges" and everything ive read made it sound like they were not meant to replace a regular fuge..are u planning on running it along with a reg fuge? i like all the advanced acrylics stuff...i have the same ATO res and my sump looks identical..John does bitchen work!...but ur stand and light mount looks AWESOME!!! its funny to see that huge tank and only 1 fish....what u planing on for future fish? (that wrasse is a yellow corris isnt it?)
Well done! You now have a really nice system
Thanks bro'!!! I have definitely learned patience in this hobby and want to do it right this time around. That means proper QT of fish and inverts and not rushing into things (although my wife sometimes wishes I just dump everything in and see how it turns out
).Yeah, the cryptic fuge is actually going to be the only fuge in the system, but I figure that since I didn't run ANY fuge on my prior tank, this will be better than nothing. I mainly just didn't want yet another light running and wanted to experiment a little on different options out there. Who knows, it might eventually turn into a regular fuge, but for now I'll see how it goes.
John does do awesome work! He is an artist with acrylic for sure...
As far as fish, I actually have some updates that should be up shortly
Thanks for following along guys!
-Chad
So nothing much to update on the tank as of right now. I'm hoping to get some work done on the stand/canopy skinning sometime this week with my friend/expert woodwork-guy, Jeff.
I did end up moving some of my corals/clams/etc. around to get a final placement of some of the stuff and clear up the sandbed a little.
Here's some pics I took yesterday after messing with the tank a little...
First my Squamosa... getting bigger by the day it seems.
Here's my Neon Green Frogspawn... not growing nearly as fast as I would like it to.
My Maxima clams...
My Bubble Coral...
Acans...
And a full tank shot as of yesterday...
The SPS are still showing good PE and some are actually gaining some color back, but I'll be patient with those.
-Chad
I did end up moving some of my corals/clams/etc. around to get a final placement of some of the stuff and clear up the sandbed a little.
Here's some pics I took yesterday after messing with the tank a little...
First my Squamosa... getting bigger by the day it seems.
Here's my Neon Green Frogspawn... not growing nearly as fast as I would like it to.
My Maxima clams...
My Bubble Coral...
Acans...
And a full tank shot as of yesterday...
The SPS are still showing good PE and some are actually gaining some color back, but I'll be patient with those.
-Chad
Alright... now for the fun update. I have 4 fish in QT (and have had them in there for over 2 weeks now), and I just started treatment with Cupramine last week. Happily, I can report that all of them are doing great so far, so I wanted to give you all an update on what's going on there.
Here's what I've got...
> McCosker's Flasher Wrasse and Starry Blenny: I picked both of these up together and they have settled in quite nicely. Unfortunately, I can't get a decent picture of the blenny for the life of me, so here's a few shots of the Flasher.
> Hawaiian Flame Wrasse (male): picked this guy up from a local hobbyist getting out of the hobby for a while. I always wanted one of these but didn't really want to put down $200+ for one... luckily I got an awesome deal on this one.
> Potter's Dwarf Angel: I never truly realized how awesome these little angels were until I saw one in a LFS recently. This one seems to be slightly different than most I've seen though... it has STRIKING AND VERY DISTINCT lavender lines (some I've seen are quite dull) that make them "pop" against the orange background that much more. Unfortunately, when it was in the LFS, even though extremely fat, it wasn't eating. It showed a ton of interest, but it seemed like it didn't know what to do when it got to the food. So, after much deliberation, and since I was quarantining with a few pieces of LR in the tank it could pick on, I figured I would take the chance and see if I could entice it to eat. Well, after almost a full week, it was still showing interest but no cigar... I tried rubberbanding slices of scallops to a piece of LR... nothing... live brine... nope... finally, I figured that since these type of fish like to forage from the bottom/rocks, I would try sinking pellets, leave them in for the day and see if it would eat any. Well, when I got home from work, I noticed that the few pellets I left were gone (so someone must have eaten them). After a couple of days of that, I finally witnessed the angel actually eat the pellets from the bottom. Then after another day or so, the angel started eating the pellets as they were floating down to the bottom (so finally figuring out that items suspended in the water column are edible). Now, this last weekend, the angel is eating small pieces of brine/mysis shrimp along with gobbling up any pellets it can get its mouth on. He/She's doing AWESOME!!! Here's some pics...
And a really crappy picture of all of the fish together (I'm sure the blenny is in there somewhere but with really good camouflage)...
Now another 3 or so long weeks until they get added to the DT... patience is definitely key with this hobby.
Thanks,
Chad
Here's what I've got...
> McCosker's Flasher Wrasse and Starry Blenny: I picked both of these up together and they have settled in quite nicely. Unfortunately, I can't get a decent picture of the blenny for the life of me, so here's a few shots of the Flasher.
> Hawaiian Flame Wrasse (male): picked this guy up from a local hobbyist getting out of the hobby for a while. I always wanted one of these but didn't really want to put down $200+ for one... luckily I got an awesome deal on this one.
> Potter's Dwarf Angel: I never truly realized how awesome these little angels were until I saw one in a LFS recently. This one seems to be slightly different than most I've seen though... it has STRIKING AND VERY DISTINCT lavender lines (some I've seen are quite dull) that make them "pop" against the orange background that much more. Unfortunately, when it was in the LFS, even though extremely fat, it wasn't eating. It showed a ton of interest, but it seemed like it didn't know what to do when it got to the food. So, after much deliberation, and since I was quarantining with a few pieces of LR in the tank it could pick on, I figured I would take the chance and see if I could entice it to eat. Well, after almost a full week, it was still showing interest but no cigar... I tried rubberbanding slices of scallops to a piece of LR... nothing... live brine... nope... finally, I figured that since these type of fish like to forage from the bottom/rocks, I would try sinking pellets, leave them in for the day and see if it would eat any. Well, when I got home from work, I noticed that the few pellets I left were gone (so someone must have eaten them). After a couple of days of that, I finally witnessed the angel actually eat the pellets from the bottom. Then after another day or so, the angel started eating the pellets as they were floating down to the bottom (so finally figuring out that items suspended in the water column are edible). Now, this last weekend, the angel is eating small pieces of brine/mysis shrimp along with gobbling up any pellets it can get its mouth on. He/She's doing AWESOME!!! Here's some pics...
And a really crappy picture of all of the fish together (I'm sure the blenny is in there somewhere but with really good camouflage)...
Now another 3 or so long weeks until they get added to the DT... patience is definitely key with this hobby.
Thanks,
Chad
Yeah... that's the one thing I'm worried about. But I hope that if I keep it's belly full with a pretty varied diet (so far it's eating pellets like a champ and picking and choosing the brine/mysis that he eats- prefers the smaller pieces), then I'll give my clams a chance. Luckily, I also have a smaller tank that will be plumbed in as well that I can move the clams to if needed.
We'll see!
Thanks,
Chad
We'll see!
Thanks,
Chad
So, nothing much has happened with the tank lately, just seeing some algae pop up on the rocks a little (nothing that I'm worried about), and at least my snails will stop starving. I'll probably install my Vortechs sometime this week to get more flow going, along with some more water changes to stop any further growth.
Here's a full tank shot I took last night (which has the tank at about 2 months old)...
And here's some random shots of some corals that are looking better by the day.
First, my torch, which I might swap out with a more colorful one down the road, but I kind of like the look of the white tips (other than the sand, you don't get too much white stuff in your tank that you actually want).
Then there's my Neon Green Frogspawn... I love this coral! And it's actually getting bigger by the week (it hadn't grown that much in my old tank).
Finally, there's the Superman Scoly I saved from near death about 1 1/2 years ago (I got it from a LFS that had an ATO get stuck in the "on" position and took out a good portion of their corals in one of their tanks). It also seems to be expanding more and more each week.
My SPS are all showing great PE still, and some are starting to color up, but I'm playing the waiting game with them since I know it can take SPS a while before coloring back up completely. At least the SPS I just got recently are still as colorful as they were when I got them.
Thanks,
Chad
Here's a full tank shot I took last night (which has the tank at about 2 months old)...
And here's some random shots of some corals that are looking better by the day.
First, my torch, which I might swap out with a more colorful one down the road, but I kind of like the look of the white tips (other than the sand, you don't get too much white stuff in your tank that you actually want).
Then there's my Neon Green Frogspawn... I love this coral! And it's actually getting bigger by the week (it hadn't grown that much in my old tank).
Finally, there's the Superman Scoly I saved from near death about 1 1/2 years ago (I got it from a LFS that had an ATO get stuck in the "on" position and took out a good portion of their corals in one of their tanks). It also seems to be expanding more and more each week.
My SPS are all showing great PE still, and some are starting to color up, but I'm playing the waiting game with them since I know it can take SPS a while before coloring back up completely. At least the SPS I just got recently are still as colorful as they were when I got them.
Thanks,
Chad
Very nice setup! Im just wondering why u decided to go with MHs and T5s? I personally love T5s, but the hassle of changing 8 bulbs every 6 months or so doesnt seem worth it. and the MHs..idk i HATE my MHs..so hot and it makes my house really humid. Im in the process of switching over to LEDs. I currently run 3-250w MH and 2-48" T5s..and i get great growth..im just so over the heat and humidity im willing to try anything...ur setup is awesome dont get me wrong...
Thanks!
As for the lighting, there were a few factors for my current set-up...
1) I already had all of the MH fixtures
2) I'm not yet completely on board with LEDs... don't get me wrong, they look pretty sweet and nothing compares as far as dimming and customization capabilities, but it seems like a new fixture comes out everyday, and this, to me, means that the technology is still progressing/improving. So I don't want to put down some major money for something that will be outdated within a year.
3) I've had success with MH in the past, so I figured why not stick with what I've got.
We'll see though... when the LED-craze slows down and they perfect the technology, I might upgrade, but I'm happy with my current set-up for now.
Thanks,
Chad
As for the lighting, there were a few factors for my current set-up...
1) I already had all of the MH fixtures
2) I'm not yet completely on board with LEDs... don't get me wrong, they look pretty sweet and nothing compares as far as dimming and customization capabilities, but it seems like a new fixture comes out everyday, and this, to me, means that the technology is still progressing/improving. So I don't want to put down some major money for something that will be outdated within a year.
3) I've had success with MH in the past, so I figured why not stick with what I've got.
We'll see though... when the LED-craze slows down and they perfect the technology, I might upgrade, but I'm happy with my current set-up for now.
Thanks,
Chad
Ya i see what your saying. I thought u purchased the MHs brand new (they look new) so i was just saying u prolly could have spent a little more and just got LEDs...anyways to me it seems like the technology is there, they just keep coming out with brighter/more efficient LEDs. Im sure u could probably go get some of the first LED lights and they would still work just as good..just might not be as bright/efficient. The new 3w Crees seem like they are as good as it gets.. LEDs put out some serious light. anyways looking forward to seeing some more pics as ur tank progresses
Thanks for boosting my confidence!
I have a theory that as long as you can feed the angel enough of the right food, then you should be pretty safe. So far he/she's eating Formula 1 & 2 pellets, and Prime Reef Frozen pieces (sometimes going after bits of Mysis). That, fed at least 3 times a day, along with any algae it finds in the tank, I hope will be sufficient.
He's a little piggy when it comes to pellets though... won't let anyone else go after them!
Thanks!
-Chad
I have a theory that as long as you can feed the angel enough of the right food, then you should be pretty safe. So far he/she's eating Formula 1 & 2 pellets, and Prime Reef Frozen pieces (sometimes going after bits of Mysis). That, fed at least 3 times a day, along with any algae it finds in the tank, I hope will be sufficient.
He's a little piggy when it comes to pellets though... won't let anyone else go after them!
Thanks!
-Chad
Hey Guys,
So this weekend was a pretty constructive weekend...
> Thursday: stopped by Jeff's place to cut out the doors for the stand/canopy. Now all I have to do is stain/seal everything, and install it. Also got some more of my CUC (mainly conches, nerite snails, and some chitons) to ward off the algae growing on my rocks.
> Friday: Did some more things to fight the algae (changed the carbon and GFO, and did a water change sucking up some of the algae I could get). But here's where the fun starts...
I gave my Yellow Wrasse some new friends!
First, there's the Potter's Angel (actually got a few decent pics considering I was just using my iPhone)
Then there's the Starry Blenny just chillin' in one of thousands of holes...
Then the McCosker's Flasher Wrasse (who initially was a little shy, but has come out more each day)
And finally the Flame Wrasse! He seems to be best of friends with the Yellow Wrasse...
I restocked my QT on Saturday, so I'll see how everything does this week and probably post some pics later on.
Thanks,
Chad
So this weekend was a pretty constructive weekend...
> Thursday: stopped by Jeff's place to cut out the doors for the stand/canopy. Now all I have to do is stain/seal everything, and install it. Also got some more of my CUC (mainly conches, nerite snails, and some chitons) to ward off the algae growing on my rocks.
> Friday: Did some more things to fight the algae (changed the carbon and GFO, and did a water change sucking up some of the algae I could get). But here's where the fun starts...
I gave my Yellow Wrasse some new friends!
First, there's the Potter's Angel (actually got a few decent pics considering I was just using my iPhone)
Then there's the Starry Blenny just chillin' in one of thousands of holes...
Then the McCosker's Flasher Wrasse (who initially was a little shy, but has come out more each day)
And finally the Flame Wrasse! He seems to be best of friends with the Yellow Wrasse...
I restocked my QT on Saturday, so I'll see how everything does this week and probably post some pics later on.
Thanks,
Chad
