http://www.reefaddicts.com/blog.php/45-mhowe9 en Thu, 23 May 2013 17:08:27 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.reefaddicts.com/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.reefaddicts.com/blog.php/45-mhowe9 http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/28006-245G-and-Breeding-Room-Updates Sun, 25 Mar 2012 03:43:42 GMT Here is the latest on the tank in the last couple of months. I have done 2 major updates: This first update was that I bought a MARS unit which... Here is the latest on the tank in the last couple of months. I have done 2 major updates:

This first update was that I bought a MARS unit which allowed me to eliminate the back section breeding setup (which I will later used for larval rearing and other stuff). I spent parts of this weekend plumbing the remaining breeding set up into the sump that was part of the MARS unit. I purchased a Super Reef Octopus 5000 External Skimmer that should be here this week to complete the breeding setup. This allowed me to move the 180G that was the sump in the breeding system and using that as the sump for the display tank along with the ATI 3000 skimmer that was in that system. Here are pics of how the system look now.

180 Gallon sump ( Divided into cryptic zone --> Refugium with DSB --> Skimmer and Return


Full fish room shot looking from the back of the tank



The second is that updated the lighting and flow on the display. I purchased a Vortec MP60 and upgraded my MP20s with the wireless module (so now they are basically MP40s). I also go rid of my T5 lights and am running 3 Apollo dimmable fixtures. So far I have been very happy with both. Here is current video of the tank
]]> mhowe9 http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/28006-245G-and-Breeding-Room-Updates http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/27880-A-couple-of-short-videos-of-the-display-and-latest-broodstock Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:33:03 GMT I took a couple of short video's today of the display tanks and some broodstock that I got for the breeding system a couple of days ago.

Display tank



New Spotcinctus Clown Pair

]]> mhowe9 http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/27880-A-couple-of-short-videos-of-the-display-and-latest-broodstock http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/27852-The-Display-Tank-and-Breeding-Setup-are-back!!! Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:02:40 GMT After posted about this back in August, I have finally had a chance to update the progress on my system. Unfortunately, I didn't get take many build pictures since I was too busy building. I am happy to have both the breeding set up and display tanks back up and running. Below are some pictures and some descriptions of the both of the systems.

In wall display tank (245G)



Sump for the display with a ASM G6 skimmer, carbon reactor, and live rock


Breeding setup. When it is all complete it will hold 23 tanks.


Left racks


Right Racks including the sump with a ATI skimmer, Reeflo Dart Return Pump, carbor reactor, and live rock.


Quarantine Sytems (2 22G tanks and a 29G cube)
]]> mhowe9 http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/27852-The-Display-Tank-and-Breeding-Setup-are-back!!! http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/19311-Captive-Bred-McCulloch-s-Clownfish-MACNA Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:31:02 GMT Very cool find at the the ORA booth at MACNA. Captive bred McCulloch's clownfish. Here the video below. The fish is in the bottom right corner.


http://www.youtube.com/my_videos_tim...id=8MZ76ofrJMY ]]> mhowe9 http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/19311-Captive-Bred-McCulloch-s-Clownfish-MACNA http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/12442-Aquarium-Apps-for-IPhone Fri, 02 Sep 2011 18:12:39 GMT I just got an IPhone and was curious what good apps there are out there? Thanks I just got an IPhone and was curious what good apps there are out there? Thanks ]]> mhowe9 http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/12442-Aquarium-Apps-for-IPhone http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/8348-New-House-New-Fish-Room-Build Mon, 29 Aug 2011 02:05:50 GMT In early May this year, my wife and I made the unexpected decision to move. This was just after I completed a project that include a new breeding... In early May this year, my wife and I made the unexpected decision to move. This was just after I completed a project that include a new breeding room and dual in-wall tanks (245G and 180G). The tanks had been up for about six months when we decided to move. The allows both of us to cut a significant amount of drive time off of our commutes each day. We ended up moving to the new house in the first week of July. In the process of getting ready to move and actually moving I ended losing quite a bit of livestock . After the movers took the two big tanks and the I moved the breeding set up and remaining livestock, this is what I ended up with.



Not pretty but it does the job. I was originally going to keep this set up this way but I have decided that I want some more space in the fish room to add at least one of my display tanks if not both. I talked it over with my wife and she was ok with me walling in that section of the basement and adding my 245G tank into the wall. It does come with a catch, however, I have to get rid of an old wood burning stove that is currently living in the basement. I did a couple of sketch up drawings to show where my head was at on this project. I didn't add a lot of intricate details on these drawings but I figured they would give you the idea of what I was planning.

Front view


Top Down view (yes, there is a toilet with no sink in the fish room)



I haven't decided yet what I am going to do with the 245 Display. I am leaning toward doing the Angelfish/Butterfly tank that I failed with at the old house but I am not set on that yet. A lot depends on how or if I can get the 180G into fish room somewhere also. We will see what happens in the coming months. First order of business will be to start in the back of the room and add insulation, build racks, and start the process of transferring the fish from the table to the new system ]]> mhowe9 http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/8348-New-House-New-Fish-Room-Build http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/1518-Finally-eggs Tue, 05 Apr 2011 03:03:22 GMT After setting up my initial breeding setup and then updating and moving it. After over a year, I have finally got my first clownfish spawn. Here is... After setting up my initial breeding setup and then updating and moving it. After over a year, I have finally got my first clownfish spawn. Here is my first video of the pair with their eggs. NOTE: The eggs are on the left hand side of the pot.

]]> mhowe9 http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/1518-Finally-eggs http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/1349-245G-Stocklist-Updates Sat, 12 Feb 2011 13:14:43 GMT Now that my 245G has completed its cycle. It is time to add some fish. One of my goals was to keep more difficult fish. Here are the fish... Now that my 245G has completed its cycle. It is time to add some fish. One of my goals was to keep more difficult fish. Here are the fish additions that I have made over the last few weeks.

Falcula Butterfly (Chaetodon Falcula).

Found this at one of my the stores I go to regularly. He had been there for a couple of months and has been eating mysis.





I have also picked up 2 Moorish Idols. These have been in thoughts for a while. When I see them they are usually emaciated and are difficult to get to eat. I got these yesteday and didn't feed yesterday but they were eating mysis at the store. In all honesty, these are 2 of the best idols that I have ever seen so I took a chance and picked them up.

Hawaii Moorish Idols
]]> mhowe9 http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/1349-245G-Stocklist-Updates http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/1348-Breeding-System-Update Sat, 12 Feb 2011 13:03:26 GMT The last time that I updated Reef Addict on the breeding there were just shelves with no tanks/sump or fish. A little over three months later it is... The last time that I updated Reef Addict on the breeding there were just shelves with no tanks/sump or fish. A little over three months later it is now operational with tanks, a complete sump, and all the fish moved from the prior system. Here is how it all took place.

29G Drilled and placed in the their positions.



Return line plumbing completed


Plumbing the drain lines


T5 Strip lights installed


10G section complete with fish


29G Section complete


20G Section complete (Need to install lighting and get the last tank running)


Here are some complete system shoots.








Finally, here is the current stocklist

A. Ocellaris (2 pairs)
A. Ocellaris - Darwin Black Variant (2 Pairs)
A. Percula - Grade B Picasso Variant (1 pair)
A. Percula (1 pair)
A. Akyndynos (1 Pair)
A. Bicinctus (1 Pair)
A. Frenatus (1 individual male, female lost in transfer)
A. Ephippium (1 Pair)
A. Allardi (1 pair)
A. Clarkii (1 pair)
A. Polymnus - Brown variant (1 Pair)
Premnas Biaculeatus (1 Pair)
E. Oceanops (1 Pair)
Meiacanthus oualanensis (Group of 6)
Pseudochromis coccinicauda (1 Pair) ]]> mhowe9 http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/1348-Breeding-System-Update http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/1255-245-amp-180-Gallon-Display-and-Breeding-Room-Latest-progess Fri, 21 Jan 2011 03:52:37 GMT I just realized that I hadn't posted any updates to this project since Thanksgiving. I guess I will start with the punch line and move back from their. As of right now I have both the 180G Reef and the 245G tank set up and running with my ASM G6 skimmer, heaters, and 100G Rubbermaid sump. I still have to install my Vortecs, calcium reactor, and carbon reactor but at least I have thing up and running. Here are the latest full tank shots.

180G Reef Tank



245G Angel & Butterfly tank (One thing I didn't mention above is that I decided to run 2 36" Marineland Double Bright LED Strips on this tank)



Just for fun I picked this guy over Christmas. He has been eating and is doing well.



Now on to how got this point.

One of the major obstacles that I had to over come was taking down the 180G and moving it across the basement above 15 feet. After 2.5 hours of catching all the fish, getting the tank drained I was left the following.



In the meantime, all the fish were relocated into a 100G rubbermaid tub. They remained in the tub for about 1.5 weeks.



While they were in the tub I was able to get my cousin to come over and help me move the tank and the stand. While moving the tank I was able to get my glass-holes.com overflow box installed and the plumbing from the 180 to the sump completed.

Overflow box installed


Plumbing from the 180 to the sump.


Finally after that was all completed I was able to move all the fish back into the 180 and get the return pump going. The one thing that I don't have pictured are the returns from the 245G which also are plumbed into the same sump as the 180G.

As for the breeding room, there has been progress in terms of plumbing completed and some of the tanks installed. I am still running the old breeding set up right now and am hoping to be ready to relocate the fish this weekend. I will post an update on that once I have all the fish moved. ]]> mhowe9 http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/1255-245-amp-180-Gallon-Display-and-Breeding-Room-Latest-progess http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/1076-Aquascaping-the-245G Fri, 26 Nov 2010 23:50:03 GMT After all of the Thanksgiving Festivities yesterday, I got some motivation to aquascape the 245G. At MACNA, I had purchased a bunch of Marco... After all of the Thanksgiving Festivities yesterday, I got some motivation to aquascape the 245G. At MACNA, I had purchased a bunch of Marco Rock to use as the rock for this tank. I was really happy with the rock and how it came together. I ended up going with 4 separate islands. Here are the pics on how thing turned out.

Full Tank Shot



Left Side



Left Side (Top Down)



Right Side



Right Side (Top Down)

]]> mhowe9 http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/1076-Aquascaping-the-245G http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/1026-245-amp-180-Gallon-Display-and-Breeding-Room-Latest-progess Wed, 10 Nov 2010 02:14:36 GMT Here is the latest update on the progress that I am making with the fish room and display setup. I have finished the second breeding rack, including... Here is the latest update on the progress that I am making with the fish room and display setup. I have finished the second breeding rack, including foam, paint and installation. I used the same process as with the first breeding rack. Here is a pic of it completed with the rubbermaid sump underneath.


My skimmer arrived about a week ago. I have taken it out of the box but I haven't put it together yet. I am storing it in a rubbermaid until I get around to putting it together. My plan is to use the new skimmer in the breeding set up since it is not as high as the ASM G6 and would allow me better access to the shelves.



Next steps are to get the electrical and plumbing completed on the breeding system. My goal is to finish the electrcial on Monday and to get plumbing done by the end of the month. After that I can finally starting thinking about the fun aquarium side of things and start getting ready to move the fish, which is the part that I am most looking forward to. ]]> mhowe9 http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/1026-245-amp-180-Gallon-Display-and-Breeding-Room-Latest-progess http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/965-Purchased-a-New-Skimmer-Which-Skimmer-to-put-on-which-system Thu, 28 Oct 2010 01:59:56 GMT Today I found a good deal on an ATI Bubble Master 300, so I decided to purchase it. Getting the second skimmer purchased was one of the major... Today I found a good deal on an ATI Bubble Master 300, so I decided to purchase it. Getting the second skimmer purchased was one of the major roadblocks in progressing with my 245G/180G and Breeding Setup build. I now have a skimmer for both the dual in-wall tanks and the breeding set up. Both systems will hold about 500 G of water each. I have the above mentioned ATI and an ASM G6. Anyone have any suggestions as to which system would get which skimmer? Thanks for your input. ]]> mhowe9 http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/965-Purchased-a-New-Skimmer-Which-Skimmer-to-put-on-which-system http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/960-245-amp-180-Gallon-Display-and-Breeding-Room-A-big-change-of-events Tue, 26 Oct 2010 20:29:57 GMT After much thought and consideration came to a rather big decision regarding this build. All along I was struggling to really fit the 180 G tank... After much thought and consideration came to a rather big decision regarding this build. All along I was struggling to really fit the 180 G tank (my current reef) into the fish room. After playing around with the tape measure, purchasing 2 100G rubbermaid feed troughs, and some consideration, I decided that I am going to build my 180G into the wall and keep it the current SPS reef that it is today. As for the 245G, that is going to be a large angel, butterfly species tank. Both tanks will run through 1 of the 2 rubbermaid sumps that I purchased and will be run off of one of my reeflo Dart pumps and my ASM G6 skimmer. Here are the revised plans for the project.



Here is pic of space where the 180G reef will be relocated.



A little more detail on the breeding setup side of things. Moving the 180 out of the breeding room allowed my to revise the fish bank #2 into a much larger setup. Both fish banks will drain into the sump that is located beneath fish bank #2. Below are the plans for fish bank #2




Here is a pic of fish bank #1. Notice the sides are painted black and holes are drilled for 1 -1/2" bulk heads

]]> mhowe9 http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/960-245-amp-180-Gallon-Display-and-Breeding-Room-A-big-change-of-events http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/944-245-Gallon-Display-and-Breeding-Room-Breeding-Rack-1-Build Wed, 20 Oct 2010 02:24:38 GMT Over the past or so I have working on getting the first of two breeding racks built. Here are the pics. Framing of the shelves and shelf tops... Over the past or so I have working on getting the first of two breeding racks built. Here are the pics.

Framing of the shelves and shelf tops installed.



Breeding unit installed with supports



Breeding rack painted and foam padding installed on the shelves



Getting closer to the fun stuff aquarium stuff. The carpentry stuff isn't terrible but I am looking forward to the aquarium set up part. Still have to get the electricity done and the second breeding rack built, before I can start getting into that. ]]> mhowe9 http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php/944-245-Gallon-Display-and-Breeding-Room-Breeding-Rack-1-Build