Tank of the Month - August 2005

Skipper · 07/30/2005, 05:49 PM

This month we are featuring Aleksandr Pyndyk's (ealex) beautiful reef aquarium:

More details can be found here or by clicking on the picture above.

Congratulations, Alex!

If you'd like to nominate a tank
for Tank of the Month, click here
or use the button to the right.

***************************

AcroSteve · 08/05/2005, 10:14 AM

Simply tunning! Very nice job.

Could you provide any more detail on the automatic phyto reactor / dosing system?

How did you get such a clear shot of the squamosa? It looks to be under the overhanging stag.

Are these fish eggs? From which pair?

The growth of the corals since 2002 is very cool to see. Looks like some heavy fragging is in your future.

Skipper · 08/05/2005, 10:23 AM

Hey Steve. Yeah, those are clownfish eggs.

maxpower2112 · 08/05/2005, 10:31 AM

Amazing tank, the best I have seen in a very long time. Gonrats.

Aquaguru · 08/05/2005, 10:58 AM

Great tank and I loved the slide show to show your growth rates. Great job and congrats on such a beautiful aquarium

TheCoralReef731 · 08/05/2005, 11:12 AM

How many gallons is your tank. Sorry, but I am an American, and didn't bother to learn conversions (i probably should have since we are the only ones who are different)

Skipper · 08/05/2005, 11:22 AM

TheCoralReef: here's an online liter to gallons converter:

http://www.onlineconversion.com/volume.htm

Electrobes · 08/05/2005, 11:41 AM

His is about 214 gallons or so.

Aleksandr - That is really a beautiful reef, and you should be proud of it. I really love the clams, especially the squamosa, they look so happy

I have to admit that thought your calcium is a bit low for me, your tank's growth is undeniable

, very well done!

Ebisan · 08/05/2005, 12:28 PM

Awesome tank. Well deserved.

reefdadx2 · 08/05/2005, 01:07 PM

Slide show made my day. Reach over your shoulder and pat yourself on the back for your great achievement.

atram · 08/05/2005, 01:12 PM

Simply beautiful! Loved the slide show.

DAQ · 08/05/2005, 01:56 PM

Tang is bright as *&%#

JonK · 08/05/2005, 03:51 PM

Gorgeous!!

NexDog · 08/05/2005, 05:47 PM

Slide show was great. All too often you see tanks rammed with 200kg of rock but as we can see, you don't need that much.

matt the fiddler · 08/05/2005, 06:07 PM

man, that growth shot is very nice... good work, congrads on the honor...

SFlogic · 08/05/2005, 07:29 PM

Love the tank! simply Amazing!

TippyToeX · 08/05/2005, 08:07 PM

Outstanding!

It's like a rainbow in there.

Does the peppermint hog cause any trouble for the inverts in the tank? I've always love that fish, but had been afraid to buy one for fear of it swallowing the shrimp up.

Cosper · 08/05/2005, 10:49 PM

Just when I thought the TOTM couldent be any better... we get this! Great job!

GregM779 · 08/05/2005, 11:09 PM

Awesome tank and some really awesome growth rates. What do you do to get such amazing growth while keeping the colors?

eAlex · 08/06/2005, 01:42 AM

Thank you all for kind worlds!

My English is not very good, so I would like to thank ReefKeeping staff for editing article and correcting my language, they did huge job to make this article readable.

AcroSteve, phyto reactor is a 2-gallon jar with overflow. One peristaltic pump dose aquarium water to the jar through ~ 50 Ã‚Âµm sieve, same amount of phytoplankton will go back to aquarium through overflow. Another peristaltic pump dose phyto food needed for fresh added amount of water. I use ~ Ã‚Â¼ of normal phyto food dosage to minimize unused nutrients in phytoplankton.

Photo of T. squamosa is older, now I cannot make shot of whole clam, this is a best shot after harvesting acropora above it: http://ealex.aqua-web.org/kuvat/alla...5/img_0676.htm

TippyToeX, Peppermint hog does not cause any trouble for invertebrates and seems to be plankton eater from water column. It only may slightly harass fishes with similar eating behavior, like other wrasses or Nemateleotris decora in my case.

jimcombs9 · 08/06/2005, 12:33 PM

Echoing previous posts, the tank is amazing and I really loved the photo timeline.

I was wondering if you could share your general thoughts and inspiration for your homemade Beckett skimmer. I will probably build one myself, and I didn't know if you had a good blue-print or lessons learned.

Thanks, and what a tank!

tlp · 08/06/2005, 12:55 PM

Great job! I really like the way you've DIY a lot of equipments and particularly admire your attitude of nursing corals and achieve wonderful colours.

So many others would just buy and buy the bright coloured choices from the shops, bidding ridiculous monies for them, and having them turning brown eventually in their own tank!

Congratulations!

newmoon · 08/06/2005, 01:29 PM

Amazing Reef! And some people say you can't keep colorful/healthy SPS with a sand bed, huh? Riiiiiiiiiight.

Beautifull, colorfull and very natural looking reef tank, congratulations!

TippyToeX · 08/06/2005, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by eAlex
TippyToeX, Peppermint hog does not cause any trouble for invertebrates and seems to be plankton eater from water column. It only may slightly harass fishes with similar eating behavior, like other wrasses or Nemateleotris decora in my case. [/B]

Very good to hear! Thanks for the info, and again you have an amazing tank.

Erik · 08/06/2005, 02:26 PM

Very beautiful tank Aleksandr! Congrats to the TOTM - you really deserve it. Keep up the good work.

Is the DIY wavemaker you made still working? I did not finish mine unfortunately...

08/05/2005, 10:14 AM	#2
AcroSteve Make my Funk a P-Funk Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Electric Avenue Posts: 5,092	Simply tunning! Very nice job. Could you provide any more detail on the automatic phyto reactor / dosing system? How did you get such a clear shot of the squamosa? It looks to be under the overhanging stag. Are these fish eggs? From which pair? The growth of the corals since 2002 is very cool to see. Looks like some heavy fragging is in your future. __________________ **************** "Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard, grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em." -- The Webb Wilder Credo -- don't go ninjin' nobody that don't need ninjin'! Current Tank Info: 220g custom plywood. SPS heavy with Sequence Hammerhead return with 4-Way OM. Tunze 6100, 6200 and Wavebox. 5000btu DIY Chiller. Lighting is 10K mh 250W / VHO Actinic Skimer - H&S A200-2x1260

08/05/2005, 10:23 AM	#3
Skipper Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 18,271	Hey Steve. Yeah, those are clownfish eggs. __________________ Skip Attix Former Editor of Reefkeeping Magazine

08/05/2005, 10:31 AM	#4
maxpower2112 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: New York Posts: 690	Amazing tank, the best I have seen in a very long time. Gonrats. __________________ Reefin Aint Easy Current Tank Info: 72 gallon Reef Tank 2X 250watt MH 4X 65watt PC 20 gallon sump, Miracle mud filter(No skimmer).

08/05/2005, 10:58 AM	#5
Aquaguru Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Cincinnati,OH Posts: 628	Great tank and I loved the slide show to show your growth rates. Great job and congrats on such a beautiful aquarium __________________ "You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there." ---Yogi Berra Current Tank Info: 120 started Aug. 25, 2004

08/05/2005, 11:12 AM	#6
TheCoralReef731 Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Norwich, CT Posts: 993	How many gallons is your tank. Sorry, but I am an American, and didn't bother to learn conversions (i probably should have since we are the only ones who are different) __________________ Peter Current Tank Info: 29g and 90g Mixed Reefs, 37g Freshwater

08/05/2005, 11:22 AM	#7
Skipper Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 18,271	TheCoralReef: here's an online liter to gallons converter: http://www.onlineconversion.com/volume.htm __________________ Skip Attix Former Editor of Reefkeeping Magazine

08/05/2005, 11:41 AM	#8
Electrobes Montipora type guy Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Fort Myers, FL Posts: 2,945	His is about 214 gallons or so. Aleksandr - That is really a beautiful reef, and you should be proud of it. I really love the clams, especially the squamosa, they look so happy I have to admit that thought your calcium is a bit low for me, your tank's growth is undeniable , very well done! __________________ Christian Current Tank Info: 100G Half Cylinder

08/05/2005, 12:28 PM	#9
Ebisan Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,141	Awesome tank. Well deserved.

08/05/2005, 01:07 PM	#10
reefdadx2 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Salem, VA Posts: 941	Slide show made my day. Reach over your shoulder and pat yourself on the back for your great achievement.

08/05/2005, 01:12 PM	#11
atram Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bettendorf, Iowa Posts: 403	Simply beautiful! Loved the slide show.

08/05/2005, 01:56 PM	#12
DAQ Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: North Carolina Posts: 3	Tang is bright as *&%#

08/05/2005, 03:51 PM	#13
JonK Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Lehigh Valley, PA Posts: 1,394	Gorgeous!!

08/05/2005, 05:47 PM	#14
NexDog Snail Killer Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kyushu, Japan Posts: 4,804	Slide show was great. All too often you see tanks rammed with 200kg of rock but as we can see, you don't need that much. __________________ Laurence Flynn 340g In-Wall Envision Tank and 150g Sump. Current Tank Info: Deltec 902, PFO hood with 3x400w Radium 20k and 4x96w PC's. Hammerhead closed loop - and 2 x Tunze 6105 (and Vortech still sucks).

08/05/2005, 06:07 PM	#15
matt the fiddler Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Quad Cities Posts: 1,897	man, that growth shot is very nice... good work, congrads on the honor...

08/05/2005, 07:29 PM	#16
SFlogic Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 179	Love the tank! simply Amazing!

08/05/2005, 08:07 PM	#17
TippyToeX Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 10,711	Outstanding! It's like a rainbow in there. Does the peppermint hog cause any trouble for the inverts in the tank? I've always love that fish, but had been afraid to buy one for fear of it swallowing the shrimp up. __________________ -Amy-

08/05/2005, 10:49 PM	#18
Cosper Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 403	Just when I thought the TOTM couldent be any better... we get this! Great job! __________________ mad reefer DIY never saves money.. just makes for a nice weekend project. Current Tank Info: 400Gal Pond, 75Gal Fresh, 125Gal Fish only marine, 30Gal L Reef

08/05/2005, 11:09 PM	#19
GregM779 Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: West Palm Beach, Florida Posts: 1,961	Awesome tank and some really awesome growth rates. What do you do to get such amazing growth while keeping the colors?

08/06/2005, 01:42 AM	#20
eAlex Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Tampere, Finland Posts: 28	Thank you all for kind worlds! My English is not very good, so I would like to thank ReefKeeping staff for editing article and correcting my language, they did huge job to make this article readable. AcroSteve, phyto reactor is a 2-gallon jar with overflow. One peristaltic pump dose aquarium water to the jar through ~ 50 Ã‚Âµm sieve, same amount of phytoplankton will go back to aquarium through overflow. Another peristaltic pump dose phyto food needed for fresh added amount of water. I use ~ Ã‚Â¼ of normal phyto food dosage to minimize unused nutrients in phytoplankton. Photo of T. squamosa is older, now I cannot make shot of whole clam, this is a best shot after harvesting acropora above it: http://ealex.aqua-web.org/kuvat/alla...5/img_0676.htm TippyToeX, Peppermint hog does not cause any trouble for invertebrates and seems to be plankton eater from water column. It only may slightly harass fishes with similar eating behavior, like other wrasses or Nemateleotris decora in my case.

08/06/2005, 12:33 PM	#21
jimcombs9 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 17	DIY Skimmer Echoing previous posts, the tank is amazing and I really loved the photo timeline. I was wondering if you could share your general thoughts and inspiration for your homemade Beckett skimmer. I will probably build one myself, and I didn't know if you had a good blue-print or lessons learned. Thanks, and what a tank!

08/06/2005, 12:55 PM	#22
tlp Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: UK Posts: 190	Great job! I really like the way you've DIY a lot of equipments and particularly admire your attitude of nursing corals and achieve wonderful colours. So many others would just buy and buy the bright coloured choices from the shops, bidding ridiculous monies for them, and having them turning brown eventually in their own tank! Congratulations! __________________ July 2005 TOTM: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=622913 Current Tank Info: Spec: 7.5'x4' in the wall tank, with SPS and LPS. 8'x2' refugium. Water volume 1000gal approx.

08/06/2005, 01:29 PM	#23
newmoon Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: N. Miami Beach Posts: 1,622	Amazing Reef! And some people say you can't keep colorful/healthy SPS with a sand bed, huh? Riiiiiiiiiight. Beautifull, colorfull and very natural looking reef tank, congratulations! __________________ "But you have heard of me."

08/06/2005, 02:26 PM	#25
Erik Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 15	Very beautiful tank Aleksandr! Congrats to the TOTM - you really deserve it. Keep up the good work. Is the DIY wavemaker you made still working? I did not finish mine unfortunately... __________________ Erik