Tank of the Month - June 2004 - Page 3

Andy · 06/04/2004, 09:22 PM

Once again, thanks folks for the kind words. It means alot to me. I will answer questions in sequence.

Dudester...I will take more photos of the sump and stand this weekend and post. It really isn't all that crammed. All the sump contains is a MR3 skimmer and a couple of Mag Drive pumps. The calcium reactor and skimmer collection cylinder sit outside the sump to the right.

Julio...The overflows were built by Interamerican as part of the custom tank manufacture. I plumbed in the Durso drains and the returns.

fishman520.... I buy most of my corals from Superior Reef Aquatics in North Bay and Peters Reef Pond in Sudbury. I haven't done much mail order on livestock. I like to see what I am buying in person.

sseaner...I use Carib Sea substrate. I think most of my sand is select grade. I really like it.

BobB...Thanks for the compliments on the photos. I got the Pentax Optio 555 digicam just before Christmas and am just starting to get the hang of it. A tripod is a necessity for clear macro shots. Unfortunately, I don't have a tripod and rig up supports to take most of my macros.

Thanks again guys and gals.

Andy

loui · 06/05/2004, 03:04 AM

you said in the article that some of your rock is great barrier live how did you get your hands on it?

Very nice tank good job

kramer1 · 06/05/2004, 02:00 PM

Hi Andy,

Congrads on the tank of the month !!! Totally awesome setup !!!

I have a few questions for you. How much did the inter-american tank run you in the configuration you got ? If you had to do it over again would you have gotten any other options on the tank that you passed on when you had it built such as closed loop? How long did it take to get the tank ? How much for the stand and canopy ? I love the design of the stand with huge door openings and the nice height to fit a nice size skimmer in there.

thanks , Rich

burton14e7 · 06/05/2004, 03:48 PM

This is my favorite TOTM i've seen since I stumbled across reef central

Andy · 06/05/2004, 04:47 PM

Loui...The Great Barrier Reef rock was some of the first live rock I obtained when I got into the hobby 6-7 years ago. It is plate rock and was available at my LFS. Very nice stuff.

Kramer1...The tank cost me $1125 Cdn ($833 US) delivered to my door from Interamerican Pet Supplies in Calgary, Alberta. The custom sump cost me $260 Cdn ($192 US) and the welded 2" tubular steel frame for my stand cost $275 Cdn ($203 US). If I had to do it again, I would have added closed loops and used 1" returns instead of the 3/4" returns I currently have. The Black Indicoat mirror backing is kinda useless now that its covered in coralline algae and hidden behind the rock work. I waited a while for the stand but I told Mitch I was in no rush. Custom built stand and canopy cost me $1527 Cdn ($1131 US) from Aquaview Industries in Toronto ordered through Mail Order Pet Supplies.

Andy · 06/05/2004, 05:32 PM

For those that asked for more pics of the sump area, here's a few.

kramer1 · 06/05/2004, 07:31 PM

Andy thanks for the reply. I have a few more questions about the stand though. Is the stand built to fit around the steel frame or is the stand actually attached to the steel frame ? Was the steel frame built by inter-america or aquaview ? Did the sump at 48" long fit through the front door opening or did you have to install the sump some other way into the stand ?

thanks, Rich

Andy · 06/05/2004, 08:19 PM

Rich..The steel frame was manufactured by Interamerican in Calgary. The stand was built around the steel frame by Aquaview Industries in Toronto. It is not physically attached to the steel frame. The sump fits through one set of doors even at 48" long.

acroreef123 · 06/05/2004, 09:54 PM

Hey great tank. PLEASE HELP ME !!! I am 13 and have had a reef tank for about a year, my latest addition was a green open brain about 6 inches long. He has been in the tank for about two weeks with no problems. then one morning i noticed a white cotton like patch about the size of a pencil lead. then over the next two days it spread all over the one side, and the tenticals are not coming out on that side as the others do when i feed them phyto. I am using Kent marine-c and coral-vital daily and Kent lugol's solution iodine weekly.

my water perameters are perfect, any ideas?

Acroreef123

Andy · 06/06/2004, 06:28 AM

Acroreef123...I'm afraid I am not all that well versed in coral disease. Why don't you try posting this on the coral forum and see what Eric Borneman says.

Reef Junkie · 06/06/2004, 11:10 AM

Your aquarium is amazing!
It looks so natural and healthy. I cannot get over the colors on some of your colonies.
Bravo!

Bill

kramer1 · 06/06/2004, 05:38 PM

Andy,

A few more stand questions for you. How tall is the steel tube frame ? Does the aquaview stand you had built hold any of the weight of the tank or does the tank sit only on the steel tube frame ? I guess what i want to know is does the aquaview stand have a top to it or is it just the 4 sides covering up the steel frame for looks only. I am going to look into getting a stand setup like yours from aquaview if shipping does not kill me , so I need all the info. I can get. If there is anything else you can add to how it is built please do.

thanks a bunch, Rich

Andy · 06/06/2004, 05:52 PM

Hi rich

The steel frame is 30" tall (outside dimension). With the exception of the back, it is completely enclosed by wood panels including the top and bottom. The steel frame carries all of the load. Holes are cut in the top for drain and return lines. One of the holes can be seen in the first pic of the undertank set of pics above. Here is a link to Aquaview Industries web site.

http://www.aquaview.com/sf_about.html

The contact there is Mike. Point him to the TOTM article to refresh his memory on the stand and canopy.

HTH

Andy

melev · 06/07/2004, 12:08 AM

I will re-read the TOTM article when I have more time, but I had to drop a note to congratulated you and to tell you that I love the Powder Blue Tang.

Man, that is a fish I hope to keep myself one day.

!!!

gwrulzmylife · 06/07/2004, 03:55 AM

Thanks for sharing photos of your tank! Kudos!

Carl_in_Florida · 06/07/2004, 06:50 PM

Congratulations, Andy!
Great job.

Jegg · 06/07/2004, 07:15 PM

Well Done , awesome to see your tank recognized , looking forward to seeing it one day, excellent pics.

John

beaver · 06/08/2004, 10:16 AM

Hi Andy how and what were your methods for hold your livestock during the cycle of the new tank and congrats
Beaver

biodegraded · 06/09/2004, 12:40 PM

Bravo. Breathtaking tank, Andy. The photos are just amazing. So many great shots, but I think my favorites are in the last set of 8. The color contrast of green and violet of the 2cd down on left is positively electric under your light choices. The top one on the right has every pastel color ever invented and a bunch that haven't yet. What an inspiration, thanks again for writing up for TOTM.

-Keith

ShallowWaters · 06/09/2004, 02:53 PM

Andy,
Terrific tank!
I am curious about your canopy and DIY light setup because your canopy looks nice and compact (i.e. not very tall.) Obviously your corals love the arrangement. How high off the water are your 400w MH's from the water surface?
Thanks,
Mark

Andy · 06/10/2004, 06:56 AM

Beaver...I set up three 30 gallon tanks each lit by 2 NO fluorescent bulbs, transferred water and live rock from the 125 gallon system to each along with the corals I decided to keep which didn't amount to too many. All fish and sand were sold off. The rock and corals stayed in these tanks for up to 4 months. Once the 280 gallon system was up and new live rock was cycled, I started to transfer pieces at 1 week increments from the holding tanks. Four months after the 280 was setup, all live rock and corals were transferred.

Mark....A friend of mine, Marc Gamelin built the lighting system for me. The stainless steel reflector is suspended about 2 inches down from the canopy top to allow for air venting and the MH bulbs are about 8 inches off the water surface. They get hit with a bit of salt spray. I have 4 Ice Cap fans blowing in onto the reflector and bulbs to help with cooling.

Here's a pic of the retro.

And a pic of the lit retro.

And another of the remote ballast box containg 3 son agro ballasts, internal fan for cooling and timer.

beaver · 06/10/2004, 10:25 AM

Thanks Andy just looking for tips for when I move in september
Beaver

DownUnder-Reefer · 06/13/2004, 02:16 AM

Andy, I'm very interested in your use of filter floss, this is generally a HUGE no no in reefing, yet your tank stands as a superb example that it works.

Can you please give some details as to how often you change it out and how you actually use it and where?

Thanks Andy for any info you can share with us.

Chicago · 06/13/2004, 12:47 PM

great tank andy... mitch and the guys do great work.. i have gotten two tanks from them. great corals.. love the colors.

Andy · 06/13/2004, 06:37 PM

DownUnder-Reefer.... There is a pic posted above of the sump area. The second pick shows the white filter floss sitting in the first compartment of the sump. Two 2" drains pour onto this floss and catch most of the large pieces of detritus that leave the overflows. I try to change the floss every other week but sometimes I go a month before changing. Haven't had any problems with nitrates as most would suggest when using this stuff. It seems to work for me. I would guess that with a smaller setup, it may be more important to switch the floss out more frequently.

Chicago...Mitch sure does do great work. I have no complaints with his workmanship on this tank. It was built to spec.

06/05/2004, 03:04 AM	#52
loui Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 948	you said in the article that some of your rock is great barrier live how did you get your hands on it? Very nice tank good job __________________ Fisrt Page loads slow, under contruction.

06/05/2004, 03:48 PM	#54
burton14e7 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Keller, Tx Posts: 2,009	This is my favorite TOTM i've seen since I stumbled across reef central __________________ Go Lakers! Current Tank Info: Currently awaiting relapse.

06/08/2004, 10:16 AM	#68
beaver Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Mobile AL Posts: 471	Hi Andy how and what were your methods for hold your livestock during the cycle of the new tank and congrats Beaver __________________ Red House Current Tank Info: 75 gal\30 gal sump bb cooked lr downdraft skimmer halides vho geo reactor oceans motions cl brain dominated mixed reef

06/10/2004, 10:25 AM	#72
beaver Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Mobile AL Posts: 471	Thanks Andy just looking for tips for when I move in september Beaver __________________ Red House Current Tank Info: 75 gal\30 gal sump bb cooked lr downdraft skimmer halides vho geo reactor oceans motions cl brain dominated mixed reef

06/13/2004, 12:47 PM	#74
Chicago Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: earth Posts: 3,218	great tank andy... mitch and the guys do great work.. i have gotten two tanks from them. great corals.. love the colors. __________________ "If the thunder don't get you then the lightning will" ..famous poet.. Current Tank Info: 500 gal starphire, reef sps dominated, 40 plus fish, 300 gallon sump in basement below, reeftek calcium reactor, reeftek kalkwasser reactor, lifeguard fluidized filter for rowaphose, 4 400MH 10k xm, 2 160 vho super attinic, DYI 50 gallon denitrator

06/04/2004, 09:22 PM	#51
Andy Registered Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Sudbury, Canada Posts: 329	Once again, thanks folks for the kind words. It means alot to me. I will answer questions in sequence. Dudester...I will take more photos of the sump and stand this weekend and post. It really isn't all that crammed. All the sump contains is a MR3 skimmer and a couple of Mag Drive pumps. The calcium reactor and skimmer collection cylinder sit outside the sump to the right. Julio...The overflows were built by Interamerican as part of the custom tank manufacture. I plumbed in the Durso drains and the returns. fishman520.... I buy most of my corals from Superior Reef Aquatics in North Bay and Peters Reef Pond in Sudbury. I haven't done much mail order on livestock. I like to see what I am buying in person. sseaner...I use Carib Sea substrate. I think most of my sand is select grade. I really like it. BobB...Thanks for the compliments on the photos. I got the Pentax Optio 555 digicam just before Christmas and am just starting to get the hang of it. A tripod is a necessity for clear macro shots. Unfortunately, I don't have a tripod and rig up supports to take most of my macros. Thanks again guys and gals. Andy

06/05/2004, 02:00 PM	#53
kramer1 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Bourbonnais,IL Posts: 146	Hi Andy, Congrads on the tank of the month !!! Totally awesome setup !!! I have a few questions for you. How much did the inter-american tank run you in the configuration you got ? If you had to do it over again would you have gotten any other options on the tank that you passed on when you had it built such as closed loop? How long did it take to get the tank ? How much for the stand and canopy ? I love the design of the stand with huge door openings and the nice height to fit a nice size skimmer in there. thanks , Rich

06/05/2004, 04:47 PM	#55
Andy Registered Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Sudbury, Canada Posts: 329	Loui...The Great Barrier Reef rock was some of the first live rock I obtained when I got into the hobby 6-7 years ago. It is plate rock and was available at my LFS. Very nice stuff. Kramer1...The tank cost me $1125 Cdn ($833 US) delivered to my door from Interamerican Pet Supplies in Calgary, Alberta. The custom sump cost me $260 Cdn ($192 US) and the welded 2" tubular steel frame for my stand cost $275 Cdn ($203 US). If I had to do it again, I would have added closed loops and used 1" returns instead of the 3/4" returns I currently have. The Black Indicoat mirror backing is kinda useless now that its covered in coralline algae and hidden behind the rock work. I waited a while for the stand but I told Mitch I was in no rush. Custom built stand and canopy cost me $1527 Cdn ($1131 US) from Aquaview Industries in Toronto ordered through Mail Order Pet Supplies.

06/05/2004, 05:32 PM	#56
Andy Registered Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Sudbury, Canada Posts: 329	For those that asked for more pics of the sump area, here's a few.

06/05/2004, 07:31 PM	#57
kramer1 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Bourbonnais,IL Posts: 146	Andy thanks for the reply. I have a few more questions about the stand though. Is the stand built to fit around the steel frame or is the stand actually attached to the steel frame ? Was the steel frame built by inter-america or aquaview ? Did the sump at 48" long fit through the front door opening or did you have to install the sump some other way into the stand ? thanks, Rich

06/05/2004, 08:19 PM	#58
Andy Registered Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Sudbury, Canada Posts: 329	Rich..The steel frame was manufactured by Interamerican in Calgary. The stand was built around the steel frame by Aquaview Industries in Toronto. It is not physically attached to the steel frame. The sump fits through one set of doors even at 48" long.

06/05/2004, 09:54 PM	#59
acroreef123 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Arlington,TX Posts: 238	Hey great tank. PLEASE HELP ME !!! I am 13 and have had a reef tank for about a year, my latest addition was a green open brain about 6 inches long. He has been in the tank for about two weeks with no problems. then one morning i noticed a white cotton like patch about the size of a pencil lead. then over the next two days it spread all over the one side, and the tenticals are not coming out on that side as the others do when i feed them phyto. I am using Kent marine-c and coral-vital daily and Kent lugol's solution iodine weekly. my water perameters are perfect, any ideas? Acroreef123

06/06/2004, 06:28 AM	#60
Andy Registered Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Sudbury, Canada Posts: 329	Acroreef123...I'm afraid I am not all that well versed in coral disease. Why don't you try posting this on the coral forum and see what Eric Borneman says.

06/06/2004, 11:10 AM	#61
Reef Junkie Premium Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Somewhere, NY Posts: 6,595	Your aquarium is amazing! It looks so natural and healthy. I cannot get over the colors on some of your colonies. Bravo! Bill

06/06/2004, 05:38 PM	#62
kramer1 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Bourbonnais,IL Posts: 146	Andy, A few more stand questions for you. How tall is the steel tube frame ? Does the aquaview stand you had built hold any of the weight of the tank or does the tank sit only on the steel tube frame ? I guess what i want to know is does the aquaview stand have a top to it or is it just the 4 sides covering up the steel frame for looks only. I am going to look into getting a stand setup like yours from aquaview if shipping does not kill me , so I need all the info. I can get. If there is anything else you can add to how it is built please do. thanks a bunch, Rich

06/06/2004, 05:52 PM	#63
Andy Registered Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Sudbury, Canada Posts: 329	Hi rich The steel frame is 30" tall (outside dimension). With the exception of the back, it is completely enclosed by wood panels including the top and bottom. The steel frame carries all of the load. Holes are cut in the top for drain and return lines. One of the holes can be seen in the first pic of the undertank set of pics above. Here is a link to Aquaview Industries web site. http://www.aquaview.com/sf_about.html The contact there is Mike. Point him to the TOTM article to refresh his memory on the stand and canopy. HTH Andy

06/07/2004, 12:08 AM	#64
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	I will re-read the TOTM article when I have more time, but I had to drop a note to congratulated you and to tell you that I love the Powder Blue Tang. Man, that is a fish I hope to keep myself one day. !!!

06/07/2004, 03:55 AM	#65
gwrulzmylife Awaiting Email Confirmation Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 1,052	Thanks for sharing photos of your tank! Kudos!

06/07/2004, 06:50 PM	#66
Carl_in_Florida Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Delray Beach, Fl Posts: 2,348	Congratulations, Andy! Great job.

06/07/2004, 07:15 PM	#67
Jegg Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Ont, Can Posts: 127	Well Done , awesome to see your tank recognized , looking forward to seeing it one day, excellent pics. John

06/09/2004, 12:40 PM	#69
biodegraded Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Coast Range, Oregon Posts: 380	Bravo. Breathtaking tank, Andy. The photos are just amazing. So many great shots, but I think my favorites are in the last set of 8. The color contrast of green and violet of the 2cd down on left is positively electric under your light choices. The top one on the right has every pastel color ever invented and a bunch that haven't yet. What an inspiration, thanks again for writing up for TOTM. -Keith

06/09/2004, 02:53 PM	#70
ShallowWaters Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Boston Posts: 75	Andy, Terrific tank! I am curious about your canopy and DIY light setup because your canopy looks nice and compact (i.e. not very tall.) Obviously your corals love the arrangement. How high off the water are your 400w MH's from the water surface? Thanks, Mark

06/10/2004, 06:56 AM	#71
Andy Registered Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Sudbury, Canada Posts: 329	Beaver...I set up three 30 gallon tanks each lit by 2 NO fluorescent bulbs, transferred water and live rock from the 125 gallon system to each along with the corals I decided to keep which didn't amount to too many. All fish and sand were sold off. The rock and corals stayed in these tanks for up to 4 months. Once the 280 gallon system was up and new live rock was cycled, I started to transfer pieces at 1 week increments from the holding tanks. Four months after the 280 was setup, all live rock and corals were transferred. Mark....A friend of mine, Marc Gamelin built the lighting system for me. The stainless steel reflector is suspended about 2 inches down from the canopy top to allow for air venting and the MH bulbs are about 8 inches off the water surface. They get hit with a bit of salt spray. I have 4 Ice Cap fans blowing in onto the reflector and bulbs to help with cooling. Here's a pic of the retro. And a pic of the lit retro. And another of the remote ballast box containg 3 son agro ballasts, internal fan for cooling and timer.

06/13/2004, 02:16 AM	#73
DownUnder-Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: South Coast, New South Wales, Australia Posts: 259	Andy, I'm very interested in your use of filter floss, this is generally a HUGE no no in reefing, yet your tank stands as a superb example that it works. Can you please give some details as to how often you change it out and how you actually use it and where? Thanks Andy for any info you can share with us.

06/13/2004, 06:37 PM	#75
Andy Registered Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Sudbury, Canada Posts: 329	DownUnder-Reefer.... There is a pic posted above of the sump area. The second pick shows the white filter floss sitting in the first compartment of the sump. Two 2" drains pour onto this floss and catch most of the large pieces of detritus that leave the overflows. I try to change the floss every other week but sometimes I go a month before changing. Haven't had any problems with nitrates as most would suggest when using this stuff. It seems to work for me. I would guess that with a smaller setup, it may be more important to switch the floss out more frequently. Chicago...Mitch sure does do great work. I have no complaints with his workmanship on this tank. It was built to spec.