Tank of the Month - March 2007

Skipper · 03/04/2007, 03:17 PM

This month we are featuring John Tangeman's (drtango) beautiful reef aquarium:

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

Congratulations, John!

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

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

Ellery · 03/06/2007, 08:24 PM

Congratulations John! You have an awesome system --- I'll hopefully meet you in person if you're coming to the Seneca Park Zoo event. It's great to finally meet all the people you chat with online.

Misled · 03/06/2007, 08:45 PM

Beautiful tank John. Love the way you hid the overflows and pipes!

tom obrecht · 03/06/2007, 08:48 PM

Another well deserved honor! Keep up the good work!

Gary Majchrzak · 03/06/2007, 08:58 PM

Congratulations! One of the most beautiful reef aquariums I've seen in person.

KEEPERZ · 03/06/2007, 10:03 PM

very nice-congrats-do you dose anything to your tank besides fish poop?

805puffer · 03/06/2007, 11:06 PM

nice looking tank, good job! if i may ask, what is that green coral on the very bottom of the tank, it kind of looks like grass? thanks

blue20051 · 03/06/2007, 11:47 PM

delete

SEAFLOWERS · 03/07/2007, 06:55 AM

well deserved my friend, and I love the Angelfish, one of my favorites!

drtango · 03/07/2007, 07:33 AM

Thanks all!

Keeperz--I dose Kalk, Calcium reactor, water changes and fish poop--that's it. I briefly fooled around with prodibio, thinking I could make my skimmer work better with a higher bacterial load--made no difference as far as I could see.

1203 Custom--those are Green Star Polyps, growing all over the place. Looks nice on the bottom, royal pain when it creeps up the rock towards the SPS

John

TropTrea · 03/07/2007, 08:18 AM

While I'm personaly not a SPS buff when I look at some of the tanks like this one I do start getting that itch.

I realy like the degree of DIY here. In my mind if can Do It Yourself successfully that is a big advantage. I had seen to many DIY projects where someone wanted to bulid something for $100 instead of spending $150 for a ready made unit. However in the long run they enned up spending $300 and it never worked as good as the one they could have bought for $150.

Well I'm hoping on having my rebuild done in a few months provided money holds out. My big hope is that it wioll come out to look half as good as this unit and I'll be a happy camper. Personaly I'm threading into some uncarted territory for DIY projects on this one. But with seeing John's finished tank my hopes are building up fast.

Lets see more tanks with a high percentage successful DIY ideas.

blide · 03/07/2007, 11:01 AM

John,

Was there ever a time your SPS lacked in color? Did you notice any increase in coloration when the colonies grew larger? What about phosphate control?

Sorry for all the questions...

Oh and your tank is amazing.

tared · 03/07/2007, 11:48 AM

what a beautiful tank and after you reorganize, just out of shear indulgence i would love to see what you do with a larger tank.

thanks

reef_research · 03/07/2007, 12:00 PM

Great job!

just a few questions:

You mentioned you had a maxima and a blue lincknia starfish. Dont stars prey on clams?

How long, and when (relative to the tanks begining) did you have the tiger tailed cukes?

What are the biggest pro's/con's to having such a proportionally large sump?

Sorry for the questions,

TropTrea · 03/07/2007, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by reef_research
Great job!

What are the biggest pro's/con's to having such a proportionally large sump?

Sorry for the questions,

I'm not John but I'm also planning on a large Sump system. As far as know the only drawback is cost wich is actually minimal compared to other items.

Pro's
First off the larger the total water column the more stable everything is and when you get changes they are usually much slower.

I'n my system I'm giong with a 70 galloon Refugium on a 120 gallon display tank. The refugium is a great ade in the consumption of different nitrogen molicules, and phosphates. Besides that it can be a great source of microganism to feed your system with.

I have read some older books where individuals had huge Refugiums/sumps and were successful even without protein skimmers.

drtango · 03/07/2007, 02:52 PM

Blide-I think I noticed and increase in color as the fish got bigger, and ate/pooped more. Big skimming and some GFO keeps phosphate down.

Reef-Research-agree with the above statements--the pro of having a larger water volume is huge, also plenty of room for skimmer and other stuff. Expense is minimal, as a big rubbermaid tub is pretty cheap, though you do need a more robust pump if your sump is in the basement.

The main Con is space--you need a basement or dedicated reef room for a sump this size.

John

reef_research · 03/07/2007, 02:54 PM

thanks!

You mentioned you had a maxima and a blue lincknia starfish. Dont stars prey on clams?

How long, and when (relative to the tanks begining) did you have the tiger tailed cukes?

thank you,

Skipper · 03/07/2007, 04:52 PM

Hey reef-research... No, linckia starfish do not prey on clams.

taflaw · 03/07/2007, 07:18 PM

Congratulations! Your reef is amazing!!!

drtango · 03/07/2007, 08:37 PM

Skipper is right-on, blue linckia are likely herbivores. Actually, I've never even seen it go for leftover food like a serpent star.

The cukes have been in the tank since day 1, they came from my previous system with a DSB. Seems like they don't miss the sand at all...

John

blueplanet · 03/07/2007, 09:44 PM

Hi John,
awesome sight! beautiful!
Some specific questions if u don't mind:
1. How high is your cabinet, tank and canopy?
2. What's dimension of your tank & sump?

m plannning a new set up (upgrade). your experience certainly helps.

.

Rokdog · 03/08/2007, 01:30 AM

Now thats a beautiful tank

meschaefer · 03/08/2007, 02:18 PM

Beautifull tank. I love the way you hid the overflows.

MiddletonMark · 03/08/2007, 05:57 PM

Beautiful tank, I've admired it for a few years now.

Congratulations

cwemde · 03/08/2007, 09:24 PM

Impressive corals. Incredible color. The Emperor Angel is indeed a unique addition to a reef system. Congratulations.

03/06/2007, 08:24 PM	#2
Ellery Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 954	Congratulations John! You have an awesome system --- I'll hopefully meet you in person if you're coming to the Seneca Park Zoo event. It's great to finally meet all the people you chat with online. __________________ ---------------------------------------- part-time jacque-cousteau Full Time money spender. Current Tank Info: 125G SPS Reef+ 120G + 80 Shallow Frag + 40B LPS/Anemone + 12g Clam + 20L Nano + (30&40g)sumps

03/06/2007, 08:45 PM	#3
Misled RC Mod Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa Posts: 11,440 Blog Entries: 11	Beautiful tank John. Love the way you hid the overflows and pipes! __________________ Jesse I'm not saying I'm Batman. I'm just saying nobody has ever seen me and Batman in a room together.

03/06/2007, 08:48 PM	#4
tom obrecht Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: WI Posts: 3,014	Another well deserved honor! Keep up the good work! __________________ Reef keeping is where Murphy's Law and your bank account collide!! TOTM May 2006

03/06/2007, 08:58 PM	#5
Gary Majchrzak Team RC Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 41,560	Congratulations! One of the most beautiful reef aquariums I've seen in person. __________________ over 24 years experience with multiple types of marine aquarium systems see Upstate Reef Society Forum on RC and FB GOOGLE JUNIOR'S REEF Current Tank Info: 84x24x30 265g reef past TOTM honors

03/07/2007, 06:55 AM	#9
SEAFLOWERS Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: yorktown,va. Posts: 366	well deserved my friend, and I love the Angelfish, one of my favorites! __________________ If humans can control the temperature on earth, then dammit I want it 70 degrees and sunny everywhere! Current Tank Info: 20 gal.sump,Euro-reef RS6-2+ Skimmer,2x175 SE 14000k Iwasaki bulbs+(2)T-5 39 watt bulbs.Mag 12 return pump, (3) Tunze nanostreams (6025)

03/06/2007, 10:03 PM	#6
KEEPERZ Registered Member. Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: LAS VEGAS Posts: 993	very nice-congrats-do you dose anything to your tank besides fish poop?

03/06/2007, 11:06 PM	#7
805puffer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 4	nice looking tank, good job! if i may ask, what is that green coral on the very bottom of the tank, it kind of looks like grass? thanks

03/06/2007, 11:47 PM	#8
blue20051 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: usa Posts: 200	delete

03/07/2007, 07:33 AM	#10
drtango Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Williamsville, NY Posts: 1,741	Thanks all! Keeperz--I dose Kalk, Calcium reactor, water changes and fish poop--that's it. I briefly fooled around with prodibio, thinking I could make my skimmer work better with a higher bacterial load--made no difference as far as I could see. 1203 Custom--those are Green Star Polyps, growing all over the place. Looks nice on the bottom, royal pain when it creeps up the rock towards the SPS John __________________ John www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-03/totm/index.php Current Tank Info: 200 DD, 400w halides, low tech

03/07/2007, 08:18 AM	#11
TropTrea Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: SE Suburbia Wisconsin Posts: 2,910	While I'm personaly not a SPS buff when I look at some of the tanks like this one I do start getting that itch. I realy like the degree of DIY here. In my mind if can Do It Yourself successfully that is a big advantage. I had seen to many DIY projects where someone wanted to bulid something for $100 instead of spending $150 for a ready made unit. However in the long run they enned up spending $300 and it never worked as good as the one they could have bought for $150. Well I'm hoping on having my rebuild done in a few months provided money holds out. My big hope is that it wioll come out to look half as good as this unit and I'll be a happy camper. Personaly I'm threading into some uncarted territory for DIY projects on this one. But with seeing John's finished tank my hopes are building up fast. Lets see more tanks with a high percentage successful DIY ideas. __________________ Dennis B. Current Tank Info: Main tank 120 Gallon, 432 Watts T-5's plus 30 Watts of LED's, Frag 40 Gallon tank 234 Watts T-5's, 3 Frag tanks all 40 Gallon with LED lighting between 60 and 84 Watts. All LEDs are DIY Oh and then there is fresh water tanks 270 gallons

03/07/2007, 11:01 AM	#12
blide Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 590	John, Was there ever a time your SPS lacked in color? Did you notice any increase in coloration when the colonies grew larger? What about phosphate control? Sorry for all the questions... Oh and your tank is amazing.

03/07/2007, 11:48 AM	#13
tared Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: palmdale Posts: 6	what a beautiful tank and after you reorganize, just out of shear indulgence i would love to see what you do with a larger tank. thanks

03/07/2007, 12:00 PM	#14
reef_research Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New England Abroad Posts: 239	Great job! just a few questions: You mentioned you had a maxima and a blue lincknia starfish. Dont stars prey on clams? How long, and when (relative to the tanks begining) did you have the tiger tailed cukes? What are the biggest pro's/con's to having such a proportionally large sump? Sorry for the questions, __________________ Thomas "Success is moving from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm." Winston Churchill "Build it and tell us if it works, conjecture only goes so far." Agu Current Tank Info: In process of restructuring

03/07/2007, 02:52 PM	#16
drtango Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Williamsville, NY Posts: 1,741	Blide-I think I noticed and increase in color as the fish got bigger, and ate/pooped more. Big skimming and some GFO keeps phosphate down. Reef-Research-agree with the above statements--the pro of having a larger water volume is huge, also plenty of room for skimmer and other stuff. Expense is minimal, as a big rubbermaid tub is pretty cheap, though you do need a more robust pump if your sump is in the basement. The main Con is space--you need a basement or dedicated reef room for a sump this size. John __________________ John www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-03/totm/index.php Current Tank Info: 200 DD, 400w halides, low tech

03/07/2007, 02:54 PM	#17
reef_research Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New England Abroad Posts: 239	thanks! You mentioned you had a maxima and a blue lincknia starfish. Dont stars prey on clams? How long, and when (relative to the tanks begining) did you have the tiger tailed cukes? thank you, __________________ Thomas "Success is moving from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm." Winston Churchill "Build it and tell us if it works, conjecture only goes so far." Agu Current Tank Info: In process of restructuring

03/07/2007, 04:52 PM	#18
Skipper Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 18,271	Hey reef-research... No, linckia starfish do not prey on clams. __________________ Skip Attix Former Editor of Reefkeeping Magazine

03/07/2007, 07:18 PM	#19
taflaw Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 166	Congratulations! Your reef is amazing!!!

03/07/2007, 08:37 PM	#20
drtango Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Williamsville, NY Posts: 1,741	Skipper is right-on, blue linckia are likely herbivores. Actually, I've never even seen it go for leftover food like a serpent star. The cukes have been in the tank since day 1, they came from my previous system with a DSB. Seems like they don't miss the sand at all... John __________________ John www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-03/totm/index.php Current Tank Info: 200 DD, 400w halides, low tech

03/07/2007, 09:44 PM	#21
blueplanet Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 60	Hi John, awesome sight! beautiful! Some specific questions if u don't mind: 1. How high is your cabinet, tank and canopy? 2. What's dimension of your tank & sump? m plannning a new set up (upgrade). your experience certainly helps. .

03/08/2007, 01:30 AM	#22
Rokdog Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Australia Posts: 105	Now thats a beautiful tank __________________ Excuse me, does this smell like chloroform to you? Current Tank Info: New 150g on the go

03/08/2007, 02:18 PM	#23
meschaefer Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Astoria, NYC Posts: 564	Beautifull tank. I love the way you hid the overflows. __________________ Matt Current Tank Info: 220 gallon w/ starphire, 120 gallon starphire sump, Skimmer DAS Ex-2, Calcium Reactor Geo 618, Trade Wind 1/2 hp compact Chiller, 2x 250 HQI Lumenarc Reflectors, Vortech mp40w, AC Jr.,

03/08/2007, 05:57 PM	#24
MiddletonMark Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 14,441	Beautiful tank, I've admired it for a few years now. Congratulations __________________ read a lot, think for yourself Current Tank Info: 58g stony reef [250w10k, 250w 20k MH, 2x vho act, Octopus150, 6060 + 6000] ; 60g mixed tub

03/08/2007, 09:24 PM	#25
cwemde Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: las vegas Posts: 1	Sweet... Impressive corals. Incredible color. The Emperor Angel is indeed a unique addition to a reef system. Congratulations.