Tank of the Month - November 2002

Skipper · 11/05/2002, 05:06 AM

This month we are featuring Ryan Baker's (rbaker) beautiful 180 gallon soft coral reef tank:

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

Congratulations, Ryan! U go, boy!

Special K · 11/05/2002, 05:46 AM

Another beautiful tank to look up to!

Most deserving.

Special K

KenT · 11/05/2002, 06:50 AM

Ryan, Great tank!!!

I am very interested in your baffle set up in the refugium. Can you explain how to set it up? I will be setting up a 150 refugium and 100 gal sump that will be in the basement and I need to control turbulance in the refugium.

Thanks

Flatlander · 11/05/2002, 08:12 AM

Very nice Ryan

Congrats on a beautiful tank.

Gary Majchrzak · 11/05/2002, 08:24 AM

Beautiful mixed stony and soft coral reef aquarium, Ryan! Congrats!

ejloomis · 11/05/2002, 11:04 AM

Looks like a great mix of coral types coupled with elegant coral placement -- great job.

Impressive plumbing arrangment too -- 40' across the house and up a level!

I'm curious if you've ever tried unplugging one of the skimmers for a few days/weeks? It *might* be the case that some of those softies would benefit from a little more organic content in the water. (Or maybe not).

rbaker · 11/05/2002, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by KenT
Ryan, Great tank!!!

I am very interested in your baffle set up in the refugium. Can you explain how to set it up? I will be setting up a 150 refugium and 100 gal sump that will be in the basement and I need to control turbulance in the refugium.

Thanks

Ken,

Thanks...

The baffle is very simple. The PVC pipe comes thru the top of the box and forms a "U" at the bottom. I drilled 3- 2" holes at the bottom of the right side of the box. The water and bubbles are sent to the top of the box where the bubbles pop. The water leaves the box via the holes on the side. I got the idea from my downdraft skimmers

Ryan

rbaker · 11/05/2002, 03:27 PM

Thanks to everyone for your kind words...

Ryan

kevin_kramer · 11/05/2002, 04:23 PM

Beautiful tank, I really like the mixed look. I really like the Flame hawk.

Kevin

Stix · 11/05/2002, 05:10 PM

Wahoo! Softies and Hardies tank of the month! Awesome job!

Stix · 11/05/2002, 05:24 PM

Ryan, I see that you have lots of "fast spreading" softies like xenia. How often do you have to cut them down to size?

rbaker · 11/05/2002, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Stix
Ryan, I see that you have lots of "fast spreading" softies like xenia. How often do you have to cut them down to size?

Stix,

The Xenia and the hairy mushrooms are the only things I pay special attention to. I prune them as needed to keep them in check. I let most everything thing else fight for their space on the reef. I only step in when something is in danger of dying...

Ryan

in2deep · 11/05/2002, 06:31 PM

Ryan, awesome display you got there. I would like to ask if you think the stoneys have a hard time with chemical warfare from the softies. They seem to be doing great all mixed together and you are surely doing something right. Any insight appreciated. Thanks, Mike.

rbaker · 11/05/2002, 06:42 PM

in2deep,

I haven't had any problems with chemical warfare in my tank. I do however run carbon most of the time and have a lot of waterflow.

I do have problems with the sweeper tenticles sent out by my LPS corals...

Thanks,

Ryan

Siddroww · 11/05/2002, 08:04 PM

This is absurd . Another TOTM dominated with softies and LPS and ,,,,,,,,,what ??????? softies ????????? LPS ??????

Did I count right ? 6 species of SPS and 17 ,,,,,,, SEVENTEEN species of soft corals ???????????? And and even 6 up on the SPS to LPS count .

IS this RC ? Wow , who nominated this tank ? Who would have ever thought this tank was worthy of TOTM ?????????? What a find , I would like to shake the hand of the guy who suggested this one .

Sorry skipper , I had to poke .

Ryan ,

What can I say man , one helluva setup you have there . I'm so glad to see all your hard work pay off with such an honor . Your tank is awesome and as worthy of TOTM as any others I have seen . Your dedication to the hobby is easily seen .

P.S. dude , you need to add one more LPS so they out number the SPS .

Nice pick skipper , thanks for adding the variety we have asked for .

Skipper · 11/05/2002, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Sorry skipper , I had to poke .

FISH · 11/05/2002, 09:42 PM

Congrats rbaker, very nice indeed.

Flatlander · 11/06/2002, 08:15 AM

After looking at all the pics & reading the info, I must say its very inovative, well set-up & the tank is even more beautiful than the first time I looked.

Superb choice !

docwells · 11/06/2002, 02:50 PM

I am getting ready to build a stand for a 180 gallon tank and I liked the looks of your stand. The slide show was good. I was wondering if you had a list of materials that you used to construct the stand and even plans if you had them. I was going to use 2x4's as internal bracing, but now that I have seen your tank, I guess there is no need to. The lighter the better. Did you glue the lumber together to make the front area? What did you use to make the doors. Again great stand and tanks.
Thanks for the information

Wellington

MaxSeeley · 11/06/2002, 08:04 PM

I see that you are housing SPS's with in your tank. What is your growth rate and sucess rate with these is association with such a large number of soft corals. I have a tank that is soft corals and lps and I have never been able to keep most sps's alive. The sps's that I have kept in the tank had almost zero growth.

Please explain your R.O. system. It looks as though you have the output of 1 RO running into the input of a second RO unit??

Have you ever had a cyno bacteria outbreak?

Thanks,

Max

This thread has been moved to the current forum.

Agu · 11/06/2002, 08:54 PM

Ryan,

Great tank, great setup, congrats !!!

Agu

AuroraDave · 11/06/2002, 09:29 PM

Great looking tank Ryan.
I really like how you designed your canopy.

rbaker · 11/06/2002, 09:33 PM

Thanks everyone for your kind words.

Docwells,
I've built a lot of stands so I didn't really have any formal plans. I worked mainly from memory and some rough measurements I had jotted down... I used glue and biscuits for most joints and I screwed and glued the corners together. I made the doors on my table saw. It's a little harder than using a router, but IMO it's worth the extra effort. You can send me an email and I'll give you some more details...

Thanks,

Ryan

Newreeflady · 11/06/2002, 10:10 PM

I hope i'll be able to mix some softies in when I setup my new tank (90g) as it'll only be 175w mhs on each side... and will be tall, too. As of now, they don't do so well with the lighting so I moved them out (400w over my 65g).

Great setup! Very healthy looking ! I can't believe it has no sandbed, do you have to vaccum a lot of gunk, or does the flow take everything out?.

Angela.

melev · 11/06/2002, 10:21 PM

Ryan,

Great looking tank, and I love the vats you used for your sump and refugium. Excellent idea, especially if you have the space like you do.

You guys with basements are blessed imo! I'm on a slab foundation, so it's all on the same level in my home.

I too have a mix of hard and soft corals, and everyone seems to do well. I'm probably going to do the same for my new 55 gal that I got last weekend.

11/05/2002, 05:06 AM	#1
Skipper Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 18,271	Tank of the Month - November 2002 This month we are featuring Ryan Baker's (rbaker) beautiful 180 gallon soft coral reef tank: More details can be found here or by clicking on the picture above. Congratulations, Ryan! U go, boy! __________________ Skip Attix Former Editor of Reefkeeping Magazine

11/05/2002, 08:12 AM	#4
Flatlander Premium Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 2,886	Very nice Ryan Congrats on a beautiful tank. __________________ Doug TOTM April 2001 Current Tank Info: 50g sumpless sps tank..Evergrow 2081 led..Apex control..Tunze 9012 skimmer..Tunze calcium reactor..Tunze kalk reactor..2 rw8,s..1 MP40..1 Hydor Korillia 1200gph..Tunze ATO..all propagated sps frags

11/05/2002, 08:24 AM	#5
Gary Majchrzak Team RC Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 41,560	Beautiful mixed stony and soft coral reef aquarium, Ryan! Congrats! __________________ 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

11/05/2002, 03:27 PM	#8
rbaker Reef Central Admin Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 32,642 Blog Entries: 4	Thanks to everyone for your kind words... Ryan __________________ Ryan A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. -- George Bernard Shaw

11/05/2002, 06:42 PM	#14
rbaker Reef Central Admin Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 32,642 Blog Entries: 4	in2deep, I haven't had any problems with chemical warfare in my tank. I do however run carbon most of the time and have a lot of waterflow. I do have problems with the sweeper tenticles sent out by my LPS corals... Thanks, Ryan __________________ Ryan A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. -- George Bernard Shaw

11/05/2002, 05:46 AM	#2
Special K Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Baltimore MD Posts: 65	Another beautiful tank to look up to! Most deserving. Special K

11/05/2002, 06:50 AM	#3
KenT Moved On Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: NJ Posts: 1,481	Ryan, Great tank!!! I am very interested in your baffle set up in the refugium. Can you explain how to set it up? I will be setting up a 150 refugium and 100 gal sump that will be in the basement and I need to control turbulance in the refugium. Thanks

11/05/2002, 11:04 AM	#6
ejloomis Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Mobile, AL Posts: 217	Looks like a great mix of coral types coupled with elegant coral placement -- great job. Impressive plumbing arrangment too -- 40' across the house and up a level! I'm curious if you've ever tried unplugging one of the skimmers for a few days/weeks? It might be the case that some of those softies would benefit from a little more organic content in the water. (Or maybe not).

11/05/2002, 04:23 PM	#9
kevin_kramer Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: ohio Posts: 164	Beautiful tank, I really like the mixed look. I really like the Flame hawk. Kevin

11/05/2002, 05:10 PM	#10
Stix Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 876	Wahoo! Softies and Hardies tank of the month! Awesome job!

11/05/2002, 05:24 PM	#11
Stix Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 876	Ryan, I see that you have lots of "fast spreading" softies like xenia. How often do you have to cut them down to size?

11/05/2002, 06:31 PM	#13
in2deep Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Tampa Bay Posts: 880	Ryan, awesome display you got there. I would like to ask if you think the stoneys have a hard time with chemical warfare from the softies. They seem to be doing great all mixed together and you are surely doing something right. Any insight appreciated. Thanks, Mike.

11/05/2002, 08:04 PM	#15
Siddroww Registered Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: the state of intoxication Posts: 701	This is absurd . Another TOTM dominated with softies and LPS and ,,,,,,,,,what ??????? softies ????????? LPS ?????? Did I count right ? 6 species of SPS and 17 ,,,,,,, SEVENTEEN species of soft corals ???????????? And and even 6 up on the SPS to LPS count . IS this RC ? Wow , who nominated this tank ? Who would have ever thought this tank was worthy of TOTM ?????????? What a find , I would like to shake the hand of the guy who suggested this one . Sorry skipper , I had to poke . Ryan , What can I say man , one helluva setup you have there . I'm so glad to see all your hard work pay off with such an honor . Your tank is awesome and as worthy of TOTM as any others I have seen . Your dedication to the hobby is easily seen . P.S. dude , you need to add one more LPS so they out number the SPS . Nice pick skipper , thanks for adding the variety we have asked for . __________________ When I started reading about the evils of alcohol I quit reading . Current Tank Info: 150g Reef - 65g Reef - working on 400g basement propogation setup

11/05/2002, 09:42 PM	#17
FISH Registered Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Pompano Beach, Fl. U.S.A. Posts: 488	Congrats rbaker, very nice indeed.

11/06/2002, 08:15 AM	#18
Flatlander Premium Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 2,886	After looking at all the pics & reading the info, I must say its very inovative, well set-up & the tank is even more beautiful than the first time I looked. Superb choice ! __________________ Doug TOTM April 2001 Current Tank Info: 50g sumpless sps tank..Evergrow 2081 led..Apex control..Tunze 9012 skimmer..Tunze calcium reactor..Tunze kalk reactor..2 rw8,s..1 MP40..1 Hydor Korillia 1200gph..Tunze ATO..all propagated sps frags

11/06/2002, 02:50 PM	#19
docwells Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Wilmington, NC Posts: 952	stand construction I am getting ready to build a stand for a 180 gallon tank and I liked the looks of your stand. The slide show was good. I was wondering if you had a list of materials that you used to construct the stand and even plans if you had them. I was going to use 2x4's as internal bracing, but now that I have seen your tank, I guess there is no need to. The lighter the better. Did you glue the lumber together to make the front area? What did you use to make the doors. Again great stand and tanks. Thanks for the information Wellington

11/06/2002, 08:04 PM	#20
MaxSeeley Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 32	Tank of the Month - November 2002 I see that you are housing SPS's with in your tank. What is your growth rate and sucess rate with these is association with such a large number of soft corals. I have a tank that is soft corals and lps and I have never been able to keep most sps's alive. The sps's that I have kept in the tank had almost zero growth. Please explain your R.O. system. It looks as though you have the output of 1 RO running into the input of a second RO unit?? Have you ever had a cyno bacteria outbreak? Thanks, Max This thread has been moved to the current forum. Last edited by Skipper; 11/07/2002 at 06:40 AM.

11/06/2002, 08:54 PM	#21
Agu Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Sarasota, Florida Posts: 30,279	Ryan, Great tank, great setup, congrats !!! Agu __________________ Less technology , more biology . Current Tank Info: 30 gallon half cube and 5.5, both reef tanks

11/06/2002, 09:29 PM	#22
AuroraDave Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Chicago - NW burbs Posts: 1,270	Great looking tank Ryan. I really like how you designed your canopy. __________________ <)}}}}>< ><{{{{(> Give a man fire and he can warm himself for a day. Light a man on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life Current Tank Info: 180gal Reef w/ 150gal Refugium 100 gal sump

11/06/2002, 09:33 PM	#23
rbaker Reef Central Admin Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 32,642 Blog Entries: 4	Thanks everyone for your kind words. Docwells, I've built a lot of stands so I didn't really have any formal plans. I worked mainly from memory and some rough measurements I had jotted down... I used glue and biscuits for most joints and I screwed and glued the corners together. I made the doors on my table saw. It's a little harder than using a router, but IMO it's worth the extra effort. You can send me an email and I'll give you some more details... Thanks, Ryan __________________ Ryan A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. -- George Bernard Shaw

11/06/2002, 10:10 PM	#24
Newreeflady Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ithaca, NY Posts: 4,840	I hope i'll be able to mix some softies in when I setup my new tank (90g) as it'll only be 175w mhs on each side... and will be tall, too. As of now, they don't do so well with the lighting so I moved them out (400w over my 65g). Great setup! Very healthy looking ! I can't believe it has no sandbed, do you have to vaccum a lot of gunk, or does the flow take everything out?. Angela. __________________ A university professor went to visit a famous Zen master. While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked about Zen. The master poured the visitor’s cup to the brim, and then kept pouring. The professor watched the overflowing cup until he could no longer restrain himself. “It’s overfull! No more will go in!” the professor blurted. “You are like this cup,” the master replied, “How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup.” Current Tank Info: 56g, 20g.

11/06/2002, 10:21 PM	#25
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	Ryan, Great looking tank, and I love the vats you used for your sump and refugium. Excellent idea, especially if you have the space like you do. You guys with basements are blessed imo! I'm on a slab foundation, so it's all on the same level in my home. I too have a mix of hard and soft corals, and everyone seems to do well. I'm probably going to do the same for my new 55 gal that I got last weekend.