Tank of the Month - Apr 2002

JohnL · 04/10/2002, 02:51 PM

This month we are featuring John Nguyen's (va_reefman) beautiful 180 gallon Reef Tank. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-04/totm/index.htm

Playfair · 04/10/2002, 03:58 PM

Congrats John! Great, mature reef!

stereomandan · 04/10/2002, 04:35 PM

Beautiful Tank. Someday....

Congratulations,
Dan

kevinpo · 04/10/2002, 06:26 PM

Another quality pick! Outstanding tank. Very healthly looking mature corals. keep up the great work.

Best regards,
Kevin

Marco67 · 04/10/2002, 07:40 PM

John,
Congrats - how many times did I say '***' or "Coool" while checking out your system ?

Aesthetics !!!
System !!!
Layout !!!
And check out that Maintenance schedule !!

It's hard top belive it's only your second reef!

Way to go RC for another outstanding choice!

mgk65 · 04/10/2002, 09:42 PM

Hey John!

Congratulations!

Beautiful tank!

mgk

Fourseahorsemen · 04/10/2002, 10:29 PM

And you are moving next month! good luck. A big part of the enjoyment is the challenge that adversity throws at us. Plus having new digs will be cool. Keep us posted on the new setup.

Rickeejb · 04/10/2002, 10:33 PM

As a person who is getting everything together at this time to set up my first reef tank. You are an inspiration. Hopefully in years I will have a tank 1/2 as nice. Just one question, with your tank evaporating 15 gallons of water a day in the basement. Do you have some sort of dehumidifier running to get all of that water out of the air?

GREAT TANK.

va_reefman · 04/10/2002, 11:37 PM

Thanks everyone for your compliments. The tank would not be the way it is today if I didn't find this board. I did not post too many questions in the past few years but I read and learned alot from all the wonderful resources on this site.

As with other reefers here on the board, we have had our share of cycling pain, hair algae, and other chemical spikes but we made it through. Now the biggest chalenge for us is to safely move the system over to the new house on the 4th of May.

Rickeejb,

We bought the biggest dehumidifier we can find at Home Depot and run it 24/7 in the basement. So far we have not seen any sign mildew. The air always stay fresh. We also open the walkout basement whenever the weather is good outside to get fresh air in the house.

Happy reefing,
John

RandyM · 04/11/2002, 07:16 AM

John
Excellent job!!!!!!!!

Congrat"s on the new house, I hope the move goes smooth and safely for you and your critters

Reefraff · 04/11/2002, 10:41 AM

John - great tank, beautiful colors on the corals. One question on lights. You currently have 3 400w 20Ks - what type/brand - Iwasakis? And you have 3 175w 10Ks -what type/brand?

va_reefman · 04/11/2002, 10:55 AM

Reefraff,

The 400 watters are 20K radium german bulbs and the 175 watters are 10K Redsea something geman bulbs also.

Later,
John

piercho · 04/11/2002, 06:44 PM

John, I had to go to your webpage to find the identities of the bright green Montipora (pictured by the Tridacna) and the brighter-green (like, holy cow, that is GREEN) Hydnophora. Do those 2 green coral hold their color under Iwasaki light and will either ever land on your "Frags-for-sale" page?

yuriy · 04/11/2002, 06:49 PM

HI, i am planning to start 200 gallon tank. Can you possibly tell me how high are your lights are off the water surface. thanks, Yuriy

va_reefman · 04/11/2002, 07:41 PM

Piercho,

The hydno and the green monti digitata will keep their color under the Iwasaki. That's what I was using the first 3 years before I switched to my current light setup. Those two are a little bit different than the green that you ussually see around. They both have bright green body tissue and polyps with no tint of brown or any other color. I have not seen another hydno like that around here yet.

I use to frag the hydno before but not anymore. I may have some available in May since I am moving by the end of this month. I am sure there will be alot of frags right after the move

Juriy,

All my bulbs are 8" away from the surface of the water.

HTH,
John

Purple Reef · 04/11/2002, 08:27 PM

Very solid tank...! All most like a piece of the ocean in your hands....

One crazy question. How did you attach your maxis 1200 to the tank. I like the way you put them. I have 2 and I am using the three sucktion cup system it bring but it take up space. I am planning on adding 2 more to improve the movement and eventually get your hard corals growth and health...

Thank.

FISH · 04/11/2002, 09:10 PM

Very Nice, it's what we all strive for !!!!
Congrats on your success and good luck on your move .
I'm in the process of getting rready to relocate my mature system , although in the same house it will still be a chalange.
Hey , I will think about you on my Bday , the 4th

, I might be moving minr then also.
Again , very beautiful setup , thumbs up

JB NY · 04/11/2002, 09:28 PM

Wow beautiful tank. Congrats!

scubadude · 04/12/2002, 12:30 AM

John

Thanx for sharing your tank with everyone.....Im glad you won tank of the month, you definately deserve it! but on the flipside it kept me up all nite lookin at your pics

Really you should be proud.

FishDaddy · 04/12/2002, 06:49 PM

John,
What a beautiful tank and setup!

A real credit to the art & science of reefkeeping!
Congratulations!
Dick

Auchinek · 04/12/2002, 09:01 PM

Nice Tank...

Congrats!!

BTW, if you get some frags, let me know, dont think it would be a problem for me to make a trip. Im in Fredericksburg...

Good luck with the move

Auch.

OJsreef · 04/14/2002, 12:30 AM

John, congrat's man. Great pic, you should get george to take a new pic so everyone can see the auwsome new growth (Birds nest looks on fire). The green table I got from you has encrusted the rock I mounted it on ALREADY

.
OJ

P.S. Good luck with the move.

cvye · 04/18/2002, 11:52 AM

Stunning tank!

You appear to have plumbed a bulkhead through that 55 gal AGA tank (sump). How is that? Aren't they made of tempered glass? Did you have a specialist drill it for you?

va_reefman · 04/18/2002, 01:43 PM

CVYE,

It is a 55g perfector tank that I bought around here. The LFS drilled it for me. I didn't know it was tempered or not but they did it.

HTH,
John

neoplasm · 04/21/2002, 12:47 PM

That is a sweet tank. I love the picture of the table top acros. great job.

neo

04/10/2002, 02:51 PM	#1
JohnL RC Staff Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 14,294	Tank of the Month - Apr 2002 This month we are featuring John Nguyen's (va_reefman) beautiful 180 gallon Reef Tank. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-04/totm/index.htm __________________ Peace - John Current Tank Info: 140 gal post El Nino Acropora dominated reef Last edited by JohnL; 04/10/2002 at 03:52 PM.

04/10/2002, 03:58 PM	#2
Playfair Premium Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Rochester, NY USA Posts: 2,306	Congrats John! Great, mature reef! __________________ "Anything worth doing, is worth OVER doing" Current Tank Info: 120 gallon mixed reef, 7 gal mini-bow

04/10/2002, 04:35 PM	#3
stereomandan Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Michigan Posts: 2,893	Beautiful Tank. Someday.... Congratulations, Dan __________________ 90g Tank, 75 lbs Live Rock, T5, T8 and VHO Lighting, Closed loop on Snapper Pump 1.5" Sand in main tank, DSB in 38g Sump, B-ionic Daily, Temp 79, SG 1.026 LPS, Softies Current Tank Info: 90 Gallon Reef

04/10/2002, 06:26 PM	#4
kevinpo Premium Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Spokane Valley WA Posts: 3,533	Another quality pick! Outstanding tank. Very healthly looking mature corals. keep up the great work. Best regards, Kevin __________________ SPS Guy I owe I owe so off to frag I go. On - On Current Tank Info: 600 reef (set up June 2001) 38 fish, 56 SPS, 8 LPS, and 2 soft corals with 112 gal refugium and 100 gal sump. 450 gal SPS tank with 150 gal refugium.

04/10/2002, 07:40 PM	#5
Marco67 RC Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Cape Cod Posts: 2,820	WoW John, Congrats - how many times did I say '***' or "Coool" while checking out your system ? Aesthetics !!! System !!! Layout !!! And check out that Maintenance schedule !! It's hard top belive it's only your second reef! Way to go RC for another outstanding choice! __________________ Complicated yet simple Frustrating yet rewarding The more you think you know...The more you need to learn Current Tank Info: Too many tanks, Need to buy stock in the eletc co

04/10/2002, 09:42 PM	#6
mgk65 Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Huntington, WV Posts: 1,638	Hey John! Congratulations! Beautiful tank! mgk

04/10/2002, 10:29 PM	#7
Fourseahorsemen Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Fishers Posts: 413	And you are moving next month! good luck. A big part of the enjoyment is the challenge that adversity throws at us. Plus having new digs will be cool. Keep us posted on the new setup.

04/10/2002, 10:33 PM	#8
Rickeejb Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Lucas, Tx. Posts: 700	Beautiful Tank As a person who is getting everything together at this time to set up my first reef tank. You are an inspiration. Hopefully in years I will have a tank 1/2 as nice. Just one question, with your tank evaporating 15 gallons of water a day in the basement. Do you have some sort of dehumidifier running to get all of that water out of the air? GREAT TANK.

04/10/2002, 11:37 PM	#9
va_reefman Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Chantilly VA Posts: 1,111	Thanks everyone for your compliments. The tank would not be the way it is today if I didn't find this board. I did not post too many questions in the past few years but I read and learned alot from all the wonderful resources on this site. As with other reefers here on the board, we have had our share of cycling pain, hair algae, and other chemical spikes but we made it through. Now the biggest chalenge for us is to safely move the system over to the new house on the 4th of May. Rickeejb, We bought the biggest dehumidifier we can find at Home Depot and run it 24/7 in the basement. So far we have not seen any sign mildew. The air always stay fresh. We also open the walkout basement whenever the weather is good outside to get fresh air in the house. Happy reefing, John

04/11/2002, 07:16 AM	#10
RandyM Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Western NY Posts: 189	John Excellent job!!!!!!!! Congrat"s on the new house, I hope the move goes smooth and safely for you and your critters __________________ The more i know,The less i understand. Current Tank Info: 120 Berlin System Reef

04/11/2002, 10:41 AM	#11
Reefraff Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Redondo Beach-CA Posts: 653	John - great tank, beautiful colors on the corals. One question on lights. You currently have 3 400w 20Ks - what type/brand - Iwasakis? And you have 3 175w 10Ks -what type/brand?

04/11/2002, 10:55 AM	#12
va_reefman Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Chantilly VA Posts: 1,111	Reefraff, The 400 watters are 20K radium german bulbs and the 175 watters are 10K Redsea something geman bulbs also. Later, John

04/11/2002, 06:44 PM	#13
piercho Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Puget Sound Posts: 2,099	John, I had to go to your webpage to find the identities of the bright green Montipora (pictured by the Tridacna) and the brighter-green (like, holy cow, that is GREEN) Hydnophora. Do those 2 green coral hold their color under Iwasaki light and will either ever land on your "Frags-for-sale" page? __________________ Howard Current Tank Info: Tank shut down 8/1/2007

04/11/2002, 06:49 PM	#14
yuriy Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: baltimore Posts: 0	HI, i am planning to start 200 gallon tank. Can you possibly tell me how high are your lights are off the water surface. thanks, Yuriy

04/11/2002, 07:41 PM	#15
va_reefman Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Chantilly VA Posts: 1,111	Piercho, The hydno and the green monti digitata will keep their color under the Iwasaki. That's what I was using the first 3 years before I switched to my current light setup. Those two are a little bit different than the green that you ussually see around. They both have bright green body tissue and polyps with no tint of brown or any other color. I have not seen another hydno like that around here yet. I use to frag the hydno before but not anymore. I may have some available in May since I am moving by the end of this month. I am sure there will be alot of frags right after the move Juriy, All my bulbs are 8" away from the surface of the water. HTH, John

04/11/2002, 08:27 PM	#16
Purple Reef Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 423	Very solid tank...! All most like a piece of the ocean in your hands.... One crazy question. How did you attach your maxis 1200 to the tank. I like the way you put them. I have 2 and I am using the three sucktion cup system it bring but it take up space. I am planning on adding 2 more to improve the movement and eventually get your hard corals growth and health... Thank.

04/11/2002, 09:10 PM	#17
FISH Registered Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Pompano Beach, Fl. U.S.A. Posts: 488	Very Nice, it's what we all strive for !!!! Congrats on your success and good luck on your move . I'm in the process of getting rready to relocate my mature system , although in the same house it will still be a chalange. Hey , I will think about you on my Bday , the 4th , I might be moving minr then also. Again , very beautiful setup , thumbs up

04/11/2002, 09:28 PM	#18
JB NY Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 8,280	Wow beautiful tank. Congrats! __________________ -Joe Current Tank Info: 270G SPS tank. LR/LS modified berlin

04/12/2002, 12:30 AM	#19
scubadude Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Wichita Kansas Posts: 1,876	Very Nice! John Thanx for sharing your tank with everyone.....Im glad you won tank of the month, you definately deserve it! but on the flipside it kept me up all nite lookin at your pics Really you should be proud.

04/12/2002, 06:49 PM	#20
FishDaddy Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Tennessee Posts: 742	John, What a beautiful tank and setup! A real credit to the art & science of reefkeeping! Congratulations! Dick

04/12/2002, 09:01 PM	#21
Auchinek Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Fredericksburg VA Posts: 20	Nice Tank... Congrats!! BTW, if you get some frags, let me know, dont think it would be a problem for me to make a trip. Im in Fredericksburg... Good luck with the move Auch.

04/14/2002, 12:30 AM	#22
OJsreef Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: B-more.MD...USA... Posts: 289	John, congrat's man. Great pic, you should get george to take a new pic so everyone can see the auwsome new growth (Birds nest looks on fire). The green table I got from you has encrusted the rock I mounted it on ALREADY . OJ P.S. Good luck with the move. __________________ Dedication and patience are the keys to perseverance and I have A.D.D... Current Tank Info: 46BOW DISPLAY (SPS,LPS,SOFTYS,CLAMS AND INVERTS) 30BREEDER (PROP AND BABY CARDINAL TANK) 30BREEDER

04/18/2002, 11:52 AM	#23
cvye Reefer Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: RI Posts: 331	Stunning tank! You appear to have plumbed a bulkhead through that 55 gal AGA tank (sump). How is that? Aren't they made of tempered glass? Did you have a specialist drill it for you?

04/18/2002, 01:43 PM	#24
va_reefman Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Chantilly VA Posts: 1,111	CVYE, It is a 55g perfector tank that I bought around here. The LFS drilled it for me. I didn't know it was tempered or not but they did it. HTH, John

04/21/2002, 12:47 PM	#25
neoplasm Moved On Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: VanBuren MI Posts: 304	That is a sweet tank. I love the picture of the table top acros. great job. neo