FarmerTy

Rob, Check out the link below for the "unofficial" guide to setting up your Apex. Once going through that, if you have any questions, feel free to post them and there will be plenty of people able to help you troubleshoot. BTW, awesome brother you got there! http://reeftech.webs.com -Ty

Great. Glad to be of help. Hopefully you will like the color off the 20k's. I am a big fan of mine. KingJames - Thanks for the comment. I can't find them locally but just look at my post for the link to where I got my bulbs. I replace mine without fail every 6 months as I don't trust the bulbs to not start shifting spectrum after that time period. -Ty

I used to buy the SE 250-watt plusrite 20ks from 1000bulbs.com. When I made the switch to DE 250-watt plusrite 20k bulbs, I bought them from Affordable Aquatic Supplies as 1000bulbs.com didn't carry the DE version. Affordable Aquatic Supplies' website is currently down for maintenance but it was up yesterday. I don't know if they carry 150-watt but I thought I saw 150-watts yesterday. Once the website is back up, I can check. Here is a link regarding an ebay seller that carries the plusrites. I was never comfortable ordering from him as you have to ask him specifically to give you plusrites but others have had success. http://www.austinreefclub.com/topic/23701-plusrite-mh-bulb-group-buy-16ea/

I heard he no longer contributes to ARC but I don't know why. As for the BB, if aesthetics is your main deterrent to running BB, I've seen some people mock up white arylic floor panels and glue sand to it have the look of a sand bed.

I couldn't imagine the nightmares that yellow tang has...

I have never used the 150 watt version of the plusrites but I have used both the SE and DE versions (currently using) of their 20k bulbs. I have had no issues for 2 years now and run a predominantly SPS tank with zoas. I think my colors are great but that opinion is obviously biased. I know when I used to run the reeflux 12k bulb, I felt like I had slightly better colors but not $120 worth it better. I am happy with my cheap bulbs and I will speak for my corals and say they are happy too. One thing, the phoenix bulbs are known for an overly blue color than most bulbs and plusrites seem to be on the opposite spectrum. Meaning, a 14k phoenix bulb looks almost 20k while a 14k plusrite bulb looks almost 10k. For sure get the 20k plusrite but it may be way less blue if your eyes are used to phoenix bulbs. It will look crisp white with a hint of blue.

Never ran a bare-bottom tank before but have had success with 1-2" layer of sand. A con I heard about having a barebottom is if you are a neat freak, you'll spend a lot of your time vacuuming out pieces of sediment or liverock that falls onto your bare-bottom. I'm not a big fan of the unnatural look of a bare-bottom either but I heard the benefits of stable water parameters outweigh the look sometimes.

George, I was leaving electricity and water costs out for simplicity. Just a ballpark number without having to calculate average electricity costs and average water usage. If anybody does have those numbers, please post if you want to share.

Klayton, Sorry about the devastating loss man. It isn't much but when you get another tank up a running, hit me up and I'd be happy to replace any of the frags you got from me... plus some freebies. -Ty

Hi ARC gang, Just a curiosity question. How much do you estimate you spend per year to maintain your tank? This is not counting buying the coral/fish or equipment... just maintenance items (bulbs, media, food, salt, supplements, etc...). Here's my estimated annual maintenance costs for example: Bulbs - $240/year GFO - $50/year Carbon - $20/year Biopellets - $20/year Food - $50/year RO filters - $40/year Hanna Reagents (phosphate/alk) - $30/year Additives - $80/year Salt - $5 (no water changes, replacement for salt creep or removal of detritus) ~$535/year in costs to run my tank (not including water/electricity costs). It's still cheaper than cable and way more entertaining! Let me know if I forgot to include any important costs but that should be a good ballpark number. What's your number? -Ty

bump

I have a weakness for little round fungia plates... what can I say!

Its a restaurant concept owned by the guy that runs Landrys and Joes Crabshack. Another one of his theme restaurants is the rainforest cafe... same concept... theme of the "aquarium" restaurant versus actually being a city aquarium.

Yeah, just let us know what you have to bring down (coral/fish-wise... pictures would be great) and we can try to make the move as smooth as possible for your tank inhabitants. -Ty

I moved from SoCal to Austin with my nanocube. Granted it was tiny and all I had were softies and a monti or two but it came out fine after a 24hr drive. I figured at the time if you can ship corals overnight and they are fine, no different then driving them overnight. The main issue would be to have a ready and cycled tank in Austin for the corals. Maybe you can pay a LFS to hold corals for you once you arrive and can cycle a tank.

There was an experiment I remember reading where the guts of cleaner shrimps were examined and they never found remnants of ich in any of the stomach contents of the shrimp. I think ich and cleaner shrimps is just one of those unsubstantiated claims in the reefing industry we all like to hold on to. Those tiny tangs they sell have dismal survival rates. Maybe hit up Juiceman as I know he got one to live that started out about that size. When I first bought my hippo tang, I QT'ed him and then put him in my sump afterwards before introducing him into the main DT. I thought he was going to die for sure. Never came out, hid under rocks, barely ate. The minute I put him in the main tank, he was swimming around, making new tang friends, and eating up a storm. They are such skittish fish... but introducing it to the main tank was what kept him from dying for me at least. He learned appropriate aquarium survival skills from his tankmates and felt more comfortable coming out with other fishes around. Get some garlic extract or garlic extreme and soak all your food in garlic prior to feeding the tank. Do that as well with the nori you feed your tangs and angels. That should help a little. QT would be best but you would have to quarantine your entire fish population, not just the blue hippo since you've already introduced him into the main display tank. Personally, I don't think ich is the end of the world. I put it akin to cyano in a reef system... it's always there and lurking and under the right conditions, it will come out. If your fish are healthy and happy, they will rarely succumb to the terminal effects of ich. They may get smaller episodes but nothing to be concerned about, especially with options as soaking food in garlic available. There is not an eradication of ich from my system mentality... as I feel it is not needed. I am sure not everyone agrees but just my own approach. I've had 3 happy and healthy tangs for the past 3 years (blue, yellow, and sailfin) and none of them have ever looked worse for wear.

I noticed greater success when feeding all polyps as far as growth is concerned but I think as long as they are sharing "flesh" that nutrients should be distributed to some extent.

I have a 25-30 gallon tank you can borrow if you want. Have timers, heater, hang on the back filter (need to buy your own filter pads), and nano koralia to use. Should be a full working setup minus the light. Let me know if you want to grab it. -Ty

Hi 10gReef, These are moguls (SE - single end) that are for sale. I just mentioned the DE because that is what I switched to and don't need the SE anymore. Let me know. I am available Thursday evening and Saturday afternoon. -Ty

My money is always on the RBTA winning... unless its against a powerhead. I would clear the path of destruction until it settles somewhere and is happy. They typically like to attach their foot in a crevice and extend outwards towards the light. -Ty

Mine extend roughly 2-3 inches when the light is on. Goniopora and alveopora are my most coveted corals... that and fungia plates. Very nice specimen you have James. -Ty

I switched to DE last year and have these unused bulbs sitting around. $30 takes them... save you shipping and then some. -Ty

Looks like an alveopora to me James. They are the hardier and easier to keep version of goniporas. Mine likes medium flow and medium light. I have it on the sandbed in an area where detritus likes to settle in my tank and it's been doing great. -Ty

Sounds like you got it covered! Where's my full tank shot! Haha -Ty

Looking good! Glad you got your build thread up and running! Keep an eye on ammonia, nitrate, and phosphate levels... that was a quick jump from an empty tank to a fully functioning one. I'm sure you dosed some quick-start bacteria when first starting the system. Also keep an eye on the mandarin goby's weight. They are usually recommended on mature tanks with lots of live rock for a large pod population to feed them. Keep us updated on the status! Looking forward to the full tank shot! -Ty