500 Gallon SPS tank

[Baggerhog]

Well its official, I now have a 500 gallon acrylic tank in my basement. The tank dimensions are 8'x4'x25". I want to first say thank you to Chris Bell and Joe Ayers for their friendship and help. The three of us left Saturday morning at 3 am from Batavia and drove to Ball Grove Georgia to pick up the tank. Then we drove straight back. It was a great trip and we had lots of fun. I am looking forward to getting the tank setup. I will take it slow so I can finish my basement and layout my sump room the way I want. I will be getting rid of my 92 gallon corner tank and my 150 gallon 6' tank. So I am sure Niki will be first in line to buy up a little 150. What do you think Niki? JK I have been following the Reef Central tank of the month threads to get ideas on what I want.

[micki]

                                               

[Baggerhog]

Pics will come as the build starts. I can post a couple of pics just to show the tank if you want?

[reefman]

Sounds fun!

[MechanicalEngineer]

Woooo!  500g...that's awesome!  I can't wait to see pictures of it...and in person!

No, I've been forbidden to set up anything longer than 4' or bigger than a 120g.  Oh well, my time will come. 

At the minimum, you can post up specs of your equipment for now until you get pictures!!

[aquavista99]

Is the tank new or used?  Did you take any pictures with the tank in your truck to share? I wish I could fit such a large tank in my basement....maybe in our next house we will have a walk out basement with french doors or something. Congrats on the new tank!

[Viggen]

Great tank at a GREAT price!!!  I wanted to go snag the tank for myself but lack of time kept me away

He was selling also selling a skimmer, did you snag that to?   

[Baggerhog]

No I did not buy the skimmer but it was tempting. I purposely only took enough to buy the tank. Tim, to answer your question the tank is used but was never set up. The tank has only ever had fresh water in it. It is very nice, I am very happy with it. I did not get any pictures of it in the truck. I may be able to get Joe and Chris to come back over and reload it in the truck so we can get those pics. lol jk not a chance of me doing that. The tank is 3/4 acrylic. I would say it weighs about 400 lbs. Hell Joe and Chris probably could have carried it by themselves, but I was a paranoid kid trying to make sure it didnt get scratched or broke.

[aquavista99]

I did a google search on "500 gallon aquarium for sale" and I think seller still has a picture of the tank you just purchased on craigslist.com in Atlanta. Very nice footprint for acros and montis to grow out. Great find!

[verper]

That sounds awesome!  You definately have the Ohio Reef largest tank.  I can't wait to see it.

[Baggerhog]

can someone tell me how to add pictures, I have done it before but I forget.

[verper]

[ img ] [ /img ] with the pic hosting address in between and the [] tight to the img.  It is the second icon from the left in the second row when replying.

[aquavista99]

Is this the tank from craigslist.com?

[MechanicalEngineer]

Thaaaaaat's a big tank!   

[micki]

Host youir pics on photobucket (it's free) and use their img tag to place on here. 

[JoeAyers]

Tim,

That is it. Even the pic does not do it justice. It fills the back of a 8' truck bed from top to bottom, left to right, front to back. It is a monster.

Andy,

Stop over today and I will show you how to upload pics.

Joe

[Baggerhog]

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u183/Baggerhog/IMG_0202_edited.jpg[/img]]

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u183/Baggerhog/IMG_0201_edited.jpg[/img]]


Here are the only 2 pics I have so far. The stand that the tank is sitting on is temporary. My good friend Joe and I will be building a wood stand. The stand its sitting on now is 2" square bar, I will use this stand as a walking platform behind the tank. The 180 gallon sump I have will sit inside the metal stand. I plan to run a rdsb, a criptic fuge, and a chaeto fuge as well. All three of these will sit on top of the metal stand on the platform deck. 

[JoeAyers]

Now that I see it again, it looks small. Maybe you should just bring it over here and get a 10x4x3

[olsaltybastard]

Yeah, no kidding!!  Did you get a free rubber ducky with that??


I'm excited for you man.  Have you got a skimmer picked out for all that water volume?  Either way, stock in Duke should be rising shortly.

[verper]

Now that I see it again, it looks small. Maybe you should just bring it over here and get a 10x4x3

You know Andy HAD to out do your 4x4x2.  So your the one in line to get the 10x4x3 

[Baggerhog]

True that Joe, You need to step up and go bigger. lol I will help you go get the new tank.

[aquavista99]

I'm excited for you man.  Have you got a skimmer picked out for all that water volume?  Either way, stock in Duke should be rising shortly.

That is why the aquarium stayed empty in the last owner's garage as well!!!  Just kidding!!! 

[JoeAyers]

That is why the aquarium stayed empty in the last owner's garage as well!!!  Just kidding!!! 

In all reality, It will cost him same or less to run the 500 than the 150 and 92 he was running before. If you're willing to spend the money upfront, it's not too offensive to run a big tank, just got to plan it out and be smart about your purchases.

But really can we put a cost on happiness anyway.... 

[verper]

But really can we put a cost on happiness anyway.... 

That's right!  And Andy has a real big smile right now.   

It might be even a little bigger now that he has the biggest tank in the club. 

[Baggerhog]

You mean the biggest tank sitting empty trying to get the basement done. I hope to have this up and running before the end of the year. My goal is by July, but we will see. As far as having the biggest tank that will be past soon I am sure Joe will go much bigger or Tim.

[aquavista99]

As far as having the biggest tank that will be past soon I am sure Joe will go much bigger or Tim.

It will be Joe with his brand new 10x4x3. i am looking forward to Andy's 500g build! 

[ohioreef]

I can't wait to see the build thread on this!!

[MechanicalEngineer]

Let me know if any of you ever need help.  I'm not of much use, but I'd love to try anyway. 

[Amstar]

just being part of the building process with some of these guys in the club,  you could learn alot through their DIY, and mods that they do.  Awesome club, awesome members,  awesome advice

[Baggerhog]

Well I was planning on getting the lumber to start on the stand with Joe this weekend but the weather had to ruin my plans. I will try to get the lumber on Friday so we can build it on Saturday. If all goes well I will have a framer framing my basement in the next week. I will post pics of Joe in action. I am sure his skills will amaze as always, plus he has a sweet new drill.

[aquavista99]

I have been following the Reef Central tank of the month threads to get ideas on what I want.

Andy, here is a link from a monster tank ( 1" thick acrylic  6 feet x 4 feet x 26" high) build thread from Canada that may give you some good ideas as well.

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=28436

[Baggerhog]

He gets all his strength from his socks!



He did all the work while I watched!



I am smiling because there is a brace in my ass!



If the stand will hold my fat ass it should hold the tank wouldnt ya think?

[JoeAyers]

I just want to point out for those who have not met me. I am not really that short. That stand is over 50" tall

[olsaltybastard]

I just want to point out for those who have not met me. I am not really that short. That stand is over 50" tall

I've met you before, and you really are that short!! 

Not to worry, Andy's biceps really aren't that big.  Notice the placement of his hands to facilitate maximum push.

Nice to see things coming along for you Andy.  If you ever decide to fill the tank with lead, you have a stand that will hold it up. 

[Baggerhog]

Hey you were not suppose to pick up on that you old salty bastard. lol jk 

[olsaltybastard]

Pictures don't lie!!  Anyhow, the lab has been really busy last week, so I haven't been able to make any calibration fluid.  I will check in on them this week and see if things are less hectic for them.  I try to keep in mind that they actually have work to do.

[verper]

I love the "gang style" pics.  You guys can really "sexy up" an unfinished wood stand.   

[Baggerhog]

Glad we could add some sexy to the site.

[JoeAyers]

I've met you before, and you really are that short!! 

Not to worry, Andy's biceps really aren't that big.  Notice the placement of his hands to facilitate maximum push.

Nice to see things coming along for you Andy.  If you ever decide to fill the tank with lead, you have a stand that will hold it up. 

Hey now I'm not short, just big boned.... or something like that.

I'm glad you said that. Andy wants to go ahead and add 6x6 supports under the middle of each joist. Took my 6 weeks to convince him that he didn't need to make the entire stand out of 2x12s.

I heard a rumor today that Andy bought a new toy for the tank...

[verper]

I heard a rumor today that Andy bought a new toy for the tank...

So spill the beans!

[JoeAyers]

So spill the beans!

I'll let him post the details...plus I don't think it is GEOlogically at his house yet. 

[verper]

NICE!  I can just imagine.

[Baggerhog]

Well I have a Geo Dart Needlewheel skimmer that was originally made for CWard on Cora and then Seand purchased it for his 400 gallon tank which I saw today and he has some sweet caps and corals. He has the biggest caps of any I have ever seen in a tank. Back to the skimmer, the reaction chamber is 12" diameter by 30" tall. The total height of the skimmer is around 40"s or so. Since the commitment I have contacted Geo to see about getting him to make me a 6-12" neck extension so I can pump more air and water through it. I will be selling my Aquamedic turbofloater 5000 twin for a good price when I get my new skimmer. So stay posted.

[Baggerhog]

I wanted to give everyone an update. I should officially have my basement completely framed in within a 10 days. I will be scheduling drywall after the framer gets done. I have moved my stand and tank into place tonight. I am also using a metal stand made out of 2 inch square bar as a place to house two 100 gallon rubermaid tanks. One will act as a fuge and the other will be a sump. I have purchased 4 seaswirlsfor my returns. I will be running 2 reeflo snappers as my returns. Each snapper will feed two seaswirls. I also have purchase my third luminarc and a third hqi bluewave 250 watt ballast. I will be taking pictures as soon as the framer finishes around the tank. Right now all you can see is a big white box as I have the tank and stand wrapped in 1 inch white styrofoam board to protect the tank.

[reefman]

How is this going?

[Baggerhog]

Well its going slow. I did just pick up my skimmer with its geo modifications. I must say that Geo is one of the best vendors I have every had the opportunity to deal with. He does exceptional work and is very particular. I had a 8 inch addition to the neck. I will post pics soon. The basement is now framed and most of the wiring is done. I will have a dedicated 60 amp sub box for the tank and equipment. I have purchased almost everything I need to set up the system. I need to get the sump room in drywall. The sump room will be 14'x17'. This room also has a walkout. I also purchased a 220 gallon water container that will serve as my salt water mix tanks. This will be used to do water changes. I will try to post pics sson.

[Baggerhog]

Well just an update, the drywall is being delivered this friday. My drywall guy starts on Saturday. I hope to have the the basement mostly done and the tank up and running by Mid September.

[JoeAyers]

Well, we are hosting mid September so you have no choice but to be done...

[verper]

   I can see another postponement in your future.   

[verper]

My drywall guy starts on Saturday.

What happened to those two construction dudes pictured a few pages back?  The ones that built the stand?  Can't they hang drywall? 

[MechanicalEngineer]

Pfffftttt!  Even I could hang drywall.   










Hehe...jk.

[JoeAyers]

What happened to those two construction dudes pictured a few pages back?  The ones that built the stand?  Can't they hang drywall? 

Oh yeah, we can hang it. But for what we pay Jose it isn't worth our time. (plus I suck at finishing )

[Baggerhog]

true that and if you ever want me to host you would want me to pay Jose. With Joes and my schedule it would never get done.

[Baggerhog]

I will update the setup somewhat.

Filtration will consist of 1 hundred gallon rubbermaid to serve as a fuge, 1 hundred gallon rubbermaid to serve as a sump and a criptic fuge, 1 180 gallon 6'x2'x25" tank to serve as fuge/frag tank. The 180 has baffles in it that will allow me to have chaeto in one compartment and frags in the main section. I will be running a geo needlewheel skimmer one of the first that he ever built that has been modified. It is 12" diameter by 36" tall with a 6"x12" riser neck. It is powered by a large baldor needlewheel pump. This pump is the same diminsions as a barracuda. I am having a venturi custom made for that will be exactly like the reeflo venturi.

Flow will consist of 2 reeflo snapper pumps that will be plumped from the sump/criptic rubbermaid. These two snappers will return to the 500 gallon display and each one will be flowing through two 1" sea swirls. I have 4 tunze 6100s on a controller with 2 tunze waveboxes.

Lighting consists of 3 large luminarcs powered by 3 bluewave 250 HQI ballasts that will be running 10k XM bulbs. I will also be running 4 x 48" T5 lights with Ice Cap reflectors. This entire system will be on a light mover that Joes dad built for me. The lighting for the fuge/frag tank will consist of a 250 hqi bluewave ballast on a light mover or T5s i am not sure which i will go with as I have both.

I have a large exhaust fan that will be controlled by a Humidistat system. It moves 200 cfm. I may also run a dehumidifier in the winter months if needed.

I have 2 water holding systems. One is a 55 gallon barrel and the other is a large 200 gallon holding tank. I am not sure how I will configure this just yet. I may just have 200 gallons of salt water mixed up at all times.

I currently have 2 Lighthouse controllers that help maintain my lighting and ph probes. I would like to upgrade to a neptune system so I can operate my Tunzes and waveboxes as well.

I have a gas powered generator for power outages but I need to be home to start it up. I may invest in a natural gas back up generator that automatically kicks on in the event of power outages unless I can find enough marine batteries to operate a batery backup for just my return pumps.

I plan on having a shallow sand bed with limited rock. I like the look of an open tank. I want to have plenty of room for my fish to swim around. I plan on having like 3 or 4 islands of rock that will maintain my corals. I also want plenty of grow out room so I can have large corals.

As far as fish gow I currently have 1 blue hippo tang, 1 villimigni Tang, 1 Blue Atlantic Tang, 1 Coral Beauty, 1 Yellow watchman goby, 1 Mandarin, 1 True Perc, 1 blue green Chromis, 1 purple psuedochromis, 1 Lamarick Angel, and 1 Black Onyx Clown. I also have 1 Coral Banded shrimp, 1 Skunk Cleaner, and 12 or so pepermint shrimp. I have tons of snails mostly astrea.

I want to add 2 Blue Jaw triggers and several yellow tangs. I would also like to add a true Naso Blonde tang as well.

I have a couple of Clams and may add a few more.

I will do a 50 gallon water change 2 x's a month.

I will be running a calcium reactor and a dosing 2 part through a dosing pump.

If anybody can think of anything I have missed please let me know. I am still open for suggestions.

[Amstar]

I think you should scrap the whole project and donate it to me. 

Sounds awesome.. cant wait to see it up and running.

[quicksilver]

yah scrap it but i will give you some $$$ for the hole thing. how does a $100 bucks sound l you know i am just kidding.

[JoeAyers]

yah scrap it but i will give you some $$$ for the hole thing. how does a $100 bucks sound l you know i am just kidding.

There's $100 worth of scrap metal in the screws in the stand.

[quicksilver]

Still better than giving it away for free 

[Baggerhog]

Yea maybe I should scrap the idea. If I do I can make one hell of a pass through kitchen slash bar area in the basement. I will think about it. If I do is there anybody interested in the whole deal?

[reefman]

Price?

[quicksilver]

hes not selling it were just pretending we could own something for so little. 

[Baggerhog]

Everything has a price but nobody would pay what I would take. I have my heart in this project. I just finished hanging the last bit of insulation in my sump room. Thanks again to Joe and his family for coming over and helping.

[Baggerhog]

Well once again I want to say thank you to Joe for all the help in moving my current 92 gallon and my 150 gallon reefs down to my basement. My plans have changed somewhat. I moved everything into 3 40 gallon tubs. I also have 2 100 gallon tubs that will serve as a sump for one and a crytic fuge for the second one. When I set up the 500 which will be soon as the grywaller will be done soon I will use 1 40 gallon as a frag system, 1 40 gallon as a RDSB, and 1 40 gallon as a chaeto fuge. I will use a light mover and have my frag and chaeto fuge tanks covered with 3 T5s on a light mover. My wonderful wife took some pictures today and I will be posting them soon. Thanks againJoe I cant wait till you want to go bigger so I can repay the debt and help you.

[Baggerhog]

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u183/Baggerhog/IMG_0005.jpg

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u183/Baggerhog/IMG_0006.jpg

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u183/Baggerhog/IMG_0009.jpg

[Baggerhog]

Well here is a little teaser. Joe came over today and he and I level the tank, and set it for its last time. (hopefully) We also mounted the barn door rails to mount my light rack from. I have decided to move in a different direction. I was going to use a light mover but have decided not to. I currently have two and will probably sell them both. I think I will be adding an additional 4 x 48" T5s. Currently I will be running 4 x 48" True Actinic T5s and 3 x 250 watt HQI MHs with 10k XM bulbs. The reflectors for the Mhs are the large Luminarcs. On a seperate note the entire Fish room is now painted gloss white including the ceiling. I will be taking some pictures tonight to give you some ideas of what it looks like. I am also going to skip the chaeto tank for now and just do a RDSB and a frag tank along with a criptic tank and a large sump. I believe I will have about 600 to 700 pounds of live rock in the critic and the sump.

[Baggerhog]

Well this project is moving slower than expected. I am trying not to go into debt in the process. I have finished painting the entire basement and I have hung my light rack. I will be working on trimming out the viewing areas on both sides of the tank. The tank is set and I have decided to run 3 sea swirls as my returns and for my 6 one inch drains I will be running those into a 4 inch pipe that will drain into the main sump. So here are some new pics. Feedback is always appreciated.

[UDJustin]

why isnt it done yet I need a spot to put my baby whale shark

[Baggerhog]

Its getting close, I bought the drain plumbing and the casing for trimming out the viewing sides today. Another $225 at the Ho. And no whale sharks allowed I dont think my skimmer can handle the bioload.

[quicksilver]

I demand more pictures!!!

[apelaston]

They only poo if u feed em. . . . .

[Midwest Express]

Its getting close, I bought the drain plumbing and the casing for trimming out the viewing sides today. Another $225 at the Ho. And no whale sharks allowed I dont think my skimmer can handle the bioload.

That's because you have a tiny skimmer.  I think it is time you look at getting a bigger skimmer!

[Baggerhog]

     So true, I may upgrade in a few years. I have thought about a 16 inch diameter by 60 inches tall with a removable bubble diffuser of course it would be a GEO custom. No time soon, I cant afford it.

[aquavista99]

Looking really nice, Andy!

[apelaston]

Crap! i am 62 inches tall!

[Baggerhog]

Some new pics

[verper]

That's a mighty nice fish you got there Andy! 

[JoeAyers]

Your daughter has grown up to be a beautiful woman.

[Baggerhog]

Yes indeed Scott, and Joe dont make fun of me to much because if we have a boy I will teach him everything I know on getting beautiful women. And your daughter is sure to qualify. Wont that be cute to merge the Crum/Ayers family.

[Amstar]

I hope for your sake that happens (having a boy)  I am officially done trying for a boy.  In my home I have 4 daughters, my wife, and even the two dogs are girls. 

I have my own little room in the basement that I run to when needed.   

[Baggerhog]

For the ones who like to see pics here ya go!

[Baggerhog]

For perspective the third pic shows the 4" diameter drain for the 6 one inch overflows.

[quicksilver]

  ahhhhh... Its all I have to look foward 2.

[Secondgen]

Great to see water in it finally! Looking forward to seeing it up and running.

[Baggerhog]

Its almost full and I am warming the water and adding the salt. The drains are plumbed now I need to plumb the returns.

[Baggerhog]

Well its officially up and running. I was up late last night plumbing two of my returns to 1 inch sea swirls. Joe came over this morning and we flipped the switch and let it start circulating with the existing system. The tank has cleared up nicely and I will be moving my fish over on Sunday. I will probably move my corals over as well if I have time. I will be posting many corals for sale since not all will be going into the main tank. I have been contacted by a fellow reefer who will be selling me his Powder Brown Tang, Naso Tang, and a Tomini tang. He is taking down his tank and made me a great deal for these fish. He wanted them to go to a big home and they are all fat and healthy. He has had them for a couple of years now from what I understand. Looking forward to seeing some activity in the tank. I will post some pics sunday if I have time and if you want to see them and you are not bored with this long drawn out tank build.

[scott wilson]

pew .... Amateur!!!





Just Kidding!
Nice tank!  How do you like those ceramics?

[Secondgen]

Looking forward to seeing those pics.

[Baggerhog]

The ceramics are nice so far. I will be curious to see how they color up. I like the structure they represent.

[aquavista99]

I have been contacted by a fellow reefer who will be selling me his Powder Brown Tang, Naso Tang, and a Tomini tang. He is taking down his tank and made me a great deal for these fish. He wanted them to go to a big home and they are all fat and healthy. He has had them for a couple of years now from what I understand.

Are the fish from OSB (Brian AKA Old Salty)? If so, I am sorry to hear Brian is taking down his reef. Sounds like the fish will have a nice, new home.

[Baggerhog]

Are the fish from OSB (Brian AKA Old Salty)? If so, I am sorry to hear Brian is taking down his reef. Sounds like the fish will have a nice, new home.

Yes they are. The tank is coming along nicely, I have moved some of the fish and corals. I still need to move my Blue Hepa and a Lamark Angel as far as the fish go. I have moved my bubble coral, ricordia, clams, hammer coral, frogspawn, my big sps (not sure what it is), favia, and some acans. I only have 2 of my 250 hqi light running the tank along with 4 54 watt t5 actinics.

[Baggerhog]

[apelaston]

Great to see life in there!

[rmstevensiii]

Lookin good Andy!

[slandis3]

so what time is the meeting at your place? 

[Baggerhog]

i think you should host first.

[olsaltybastard]

Whew!!  You don't know how excited I am to see this tank setup!


There has been a slight change in my plans, but you will still make out quite well.  I am doing whatever needs to be done to keep the reef setup.  I enjoy this hobby too much to walk away from it; not to mention I have beaucoup $$$ invested in equipment.  I HAVE to get rid of my fish, so no worries there.  As things stand right now, I have converted my 65g FW tank to a SW tank.  What I am going to do is catch the fish as I can and putting them in the smaller setup.  When it comes time to give you the fish, all I need to do is take down the system. 

Again, congrats on the new system.  I look forward to seeing some really nice fish inside there!!

[Baggerhog]

Sounds good Brian, we can shoot for the 20th or so if that works for you? Are you gonn bring them over so you can see the setup?

[olsaltybastard]

Andy,


The 20th is actually a perfect date to do all of this.  I most definitely want to see your system.  By then, I should have the tangs caught and in the smaller tank.  I'm really happy that these fish are going to such a nice new home. 

[Secondgen]

Hey Andy, it looks really good. Did you make those rock pillars that are in the corners of your tank, and if so what was your method?

[Baggerhog]

No those are made by a reef ceramics. I bought them on reef central.

[Secondgen]

Those are sweet lookin. Whats the price range, if you don't mind me askin?

[Baggerhog]

Well the rest of the fish and corals that I am keeping have been moved over. As you can see I have a diatom bloom and today I just started dosing vodka and prodibio. I also switched out my MH bulbs to XM 10k today.

[Baggerhog]

Some new pics

[JSLeedy]

I love the red sand and rocks you have.  Where did you get it.    Seriously though your tank is sweet.  Post some more pics of the set up behind the scenes if you get a chance.  I think people would get some good ideas from them.  I'll have those prices to you after the holidays.

[MechanicalEngineer]

YAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!

[Amstar]

what is your fish list in the tank??

[lazylivin]

WOW fantasic!, Love that Green Milli. Is that old school ORA?

[apelaston]

Yea great piece and color... will my green slimer grow in that fashion or more unstructured n wirey?

[lazylivin]

unstructured n wirey.... Like you....Couldn't resist 

[apelaston]

Wirey? yea bout 35 lbs ago.... but thanks. . .was making sure i had it in a good tank spot for growth.

[Baggerhog]

what is your fish list in the tank??

I have the following in the tank.
 1. Vilgmini Tang
 2. Hawian Naso Tang
 3. Tommini Tang
 4. Blue Hepa Tang
 5. Atlantic Blue Tang
 6. Powder Brown Tang
 7. Blue Throat Trigger Male
 8. Coral Beauty
 9. Yellow Watchman Goby
10. Black Onyx Percula
11. True Percula
12. Lamark Angel

Shrimp
 1. Banded Coral
 2. Skunk Cleaner
 3. Pepermint (4)

 

[Baggerhog]

WOW fantasic!, Love that Green Milli. Is that old school ORA?

I can not be for sure it was purchased two years ago at the csea swap.

[Baggerhog]

Yea great piece and color... will my green slimer grow in that fashion or more unstructured n wirey?

I am no expert but every green slimer I have seen grows without a uniform structure and I have never seen one table like my green millie is.

[olsaltybastard]

Andy,


How are the tangs doing?  Did the aggression stop after a few days?


You'll be happy to know that I am the proud owner of a Blackhawk holster with finger release!! 

[ohioreef]

You'll be happy to know that I am the proud owner of a Blackhawk holster with finger release!! 

Just what is going in that nice holster?

[apelaston]

his wife got him a cap gun for xmas along with some chaps and a sheriff star to wear on his new leather tasseled vest 

[micki]

his wife got him a cap gun for xmas along with some chaps and a sheriff star to wear on his new leather tasseled vest 

       

[quicksilver]

thats funny 

[Baggerhog]

Andy,


How are the tangs doing?  Did the aggression stop after a few days?


You'll be happy to know that I am the proud owner of a Blackhawk holster with finger release!! 

Yes the Tominni rammed the Atlantic Blue and it has not been aggressive since. Glad to hear you have a useable holster. The tangs are doing awesome so far.

[Baggerhog]

Just what is going in that nice holster?

 I have a personal home protection company called Glock, Smith & Wesson, Remmington, and Marlin. The holster is for the Glock GL22 40 caliber handgun. Its the best for home protection. Leaves big holes.

[Riderc82]

The model 22 is a nice gun, I carry mine at least 40 hours a week.  I have fired at least 5000 or so rounds through it in the last 3 years and it has never jambed once.  I also have a G26 but I have only ran about 200 rounds through it.  I think the best home protection is a 12 gauge, almost everyone knows the sound of a shotgun being racked.  Ok back on topic

[Baggerhog]

Yes Riderc82 I have several shotguns. I have double barrel, single shot and pump shotguns of various models.

[olsaltybastard]

I carry a G23 with 14 rounds of Speer Gold Dot.  I carry it everywhere and the leather holster that I had hung onto it a lot more than it really should have.  Andy showed me his holster and I immediately knew it was what I wanted. 


Anyhow, glad to hear the fish are doing well.  I know they will be quite happy in that huge ass tank!!

[aquavista99]

Yes the Tominni rammed the Atlantic Blue and it has not been aggressive since. The tangs are doing awesome so far.

Over time, the Atlantic Blue tang will get large and may become the aggressor in your tank. Viggen's Atlantic Blue tang was so aggressive, he had to return it back to Joel's shop.

The Atlantic blue tang is one of my favorite tangs. Attached a few pictures below of Atlantic Blue tangs I photographed on natural reefs in June 2008.

[Baggerhog]

Over time, the Atlantic Blue tang will get large and may become the aggressor in your tank. Viggen's Atlantic Blue tang was so aggressive, he had to return it back to Joel's shop.

The Atlantic blue tang is one of my favorite tangs. Attached a few pictures below of Atlantic Blue tangs I photographed on natural reefs in June 2008.

I would agree if it is one of the larger fish in the tank. It is the smallest tang I have now. It has not been aggressive since being rammed by the Tommini. The Atlantic Blue will be one of the smallest tangs and he has not grown fast at all. He is not much bigger than when I got him from Scott Wilson about 8 months ago.

[quicksilver]

I sawl a bunch of them In the Bahamas they get pretty big. 

[reeflover]

my dream tank! any updates

[Baggerhog]

I need to post some new pics I just havent got around to it. I love the new tangs and they are all getting along. I think I need to add a fish or two but not right now. I am also thinking of switching my MH bulbs to 12k or 14k bulbs. I am not sure I like the color of the XM10k. I also want to buy another large media reactor so I can run carbon.

[Viggen]

looks great...

The Atl Blue's are also one of my fav tangs... they get pretty big & have a really cool blue color like the diving pics show.  But like Tim said, my last Atl blue was probably the meanest fish I have owned.  I purchased him from a friend in Columbus & he had no attitude but the bigger he got he became a killer.  Joel said he would take him & unfortuntly I beleive he killed a blueline/fuscus trigger who was probably 6+ in long. 

My 1st Atl blue was similar size (probably 8in) & had zero attitude.... I do plan on getting another atl blue when the new tank is running

[James S.]

Looking good Andy!!! Thanks for sending me the link to your build thread.... Couple Questions, (Sorry if these have been answered in the thread somewhere)

1. I see you setup the 500 just like my 600 in the wall, have you found it fun to clean the front pane yet !!!!! Mine is a pain in the butt. Do you have magnets yet???  I am buying some of those mighty magnets for mine...

2. Are you planning on covering the overflows with anything so the plumbing is covered up?

[Baggerhog]

Thanks for the compliment. I have two Tiger Shark mag cleaners. One for the front and one for the side. I dont think I will cover the plumbing up I am sure in time I will have coraline frowing on it.

[Viggen]

I have been wondering about those acrylic safe magnets..... do you put floss on both sides of the acrylic or just the inside?

I have been debating on trying a magnet on my new tank or just doing it the old way.... arm in h20 with floss in hand

[Baggerhog]

I use the Tiger Shark and I have a the acrylic safe scrub pad only on the inside.

[Baggerhog]

I am in the process of ordering some new fish. I have on my list a male mandarin and a male leopard wrasse. Does anyone have a suggestion of a really cool reasonable priced fish they think would make an intresting addition to the reef? Lets keep in mind I said reasonably priced so under $100 after shipping would be the most I would ever pay for a fish. I would also prefer to get my fish from Joel at Aquarium Etc. if he can get them.

[larrynews]

joel has an exquisite wrasse in now and i got the other one they are sharp.

[Baggerhog]

I will have to search that and see if I like it. Thanks for the suggestion.

[UD Flyer]

Any updates or pictures of the tanks progression?

[Baggerhog]

I am working on it. I just got the carpet in the living room and office downstairs installed and I just have a few things left to trim out then I am done with the outside. My next step will be to setup my 220 gallon frag tank. I hope to have this done before the frag swap. I will take some pics soon.

[Baggerhog]

I just purchased two awesome carpet anenomes from coral ranch last week. I have a blue and a purple carpets that are attached to the same rock. They have become a show piece in the tank. As soon as I can get my wife to remove all the baby pics off the camera card I will post some pics. You would think that the baby is going to grow up to fast and she needs to take pics all the time. lol I hope to post pics tonight. I am also setting up my 200 gallon salt water mix tank for water changes and just got the acrylic to get the 220 gallon frag tank holes plugged up and plumbed into the main system soon. I also purchased a beautiful wantannabe angel from coral ranch also. This is a really cool fish.



JK to the party that has it on hold at CR. The fish is awesome though.

[Reefd Up]

That *party* might want to remain anonomous with threats like that!

[Baggerhog]

What threats? I am confused.

[TechGuy]

What threats? I am confused.

Me too. She's not herself today, she forgot how to read it seems 

[JSLeedy]

Maybe thats why I get in trouble from her all the time.  She doesn't understand whats she's reading.  That makes me feel better.  I would love to see some pics of your carpets if you can remove a few baby pics.  I know she's precious but maybe a few pictures can magicly disappear.

[Baggerhog]

Here is a few pics. The first pics are through the acrylic then the rest are underwater pics.

[jd]

Andy, can we got a FTS?

[lazylivin]

WOW those are gorgeous carpets Andy. I am so jealous of your tank size. Did your clowns take right to them or did the come with the carpets?

[JSLeedy]

Those are awsome.  I have been looking for the same thing.  Thats a great addition.

[JoeAyers]

That *party* might want to remain anonomous with threats like that!

I wonder who the *party* is? 

[TechGuy]

If you don't mind me asking, how much did the blue carpet cost?

[JoeAyers]

I've actually tried to order those angels several times over the last two+ years when they show up on price lists at a special price or online when I see them and never had show up.

[rmstevensiii]

Those are great looking carpets Andy.  You need to post a FTS.  It's been a while.

[Baggerhog]

Andy, can we got a FTS?

I have tried several times to get a full tank shot and I cant get a good pic as I have to stand away so far to get it. The tank is 8' long x 4' wide x 26" tall. If anyone has a suggestion on how I can get a good full tank shot I would appreciate it. I am by no means the best photographer in the club.

[Baggerhog]

WOW those are gorgeous carpets Andy. I am so jealous of your tank size. Did your clowns take right to them or did the come with the carpets?

Thanks Lazy, yes the clowns took to them within seconds. It was amazing to see that happen so quick. You would have thought that I had just made their day the way they were swimming in and out and all through them. For reference the total size of the two anenomes attached to that rock are about the size of a basketball in diameter.

[Baggerhog]

If you don't mind me asking, how much did the blue carpet cost?

They were purchased from Coral Ranch for $135 each.

[jd]

I have tried several times to get a full tank shot and I cant get a good pic as I have to stand away so far to get it. The tank is 8' long x 4' wide x 26" tall. If anyone has a suggestion on how I can get a good full tank shot I would appreciate it. I am by no means the best photographer in the club.

Andy, You can take several pictures and stitch them together with some software.

http://www.clevr.com/stitcher

I just found that, haven't tried it yet but it looks pretty easy. Just take all your pictures without flash and at the same angle relative to the tank.

[TechGuy]

Andy, You can take several pictures and stitch them together with some software.

http://www.clevr.com/stitcher

I just found that, haven't tried it yet but it looks pretty easy. Just take all your pictures without flash and at the same angle relative to the tank.

These never seem to work well close to object with straight lines. Might want to stand back a bit.

[jd]

These never seem to work well close to object with straight lines. Might want to stand back a bit.

Humm, I've never used them with a picture like this.

Andy if you take some pics of different sections of the tank I'll try to put them together for you.

[UD Flyer]

Does your camera have a panoramic option? If you do that should work to give everyone the jist of a FTS.

[Baggerhog]

These never seem to work well close to object with straight lines. Might want to stand back a bit.

I can stand on the opposite wall which is 14' away and I still cant get a fts with any detail.

[jd]

How about just more pictures?!

FTS be darned. A tank this nice can't be summed up in one picture!

[TechGuy]

I can stand on the opposite wall which is 14' away and I still cant get a fts with any detail.

LOL. Did I somehow miss the length of the tank? Just how big is this beast?

[Baggerhog]

LOL. Did I somehow miss the length of the tank? Just how big is this beast?

Its 8' long x 4' wide and 26" tall.

[JSLeedy]

They were purchased from Coral Ranch for $135 each.

That is a great price for those.  I have to get to the Coral Ranch.  Everytime I am in their area they are closed.  Hope they get a few more in so I can be just you.  You know your my Hero Andy.

[TechGuy]

So what did the tank itself cost?

[Baggerhog]

That is a great price for those.  I have to get to the Coral Ranch.  Everytime I am in their area they are closed.  Hope they get a few more in so I can be just you.  You know your my Hero Andy.

Thanks Steve, I may even let you play golf with me again. So when are you taking Stephen and I up to your club. We have been playing at least once a week, with no improvements on our game. lol

[Baggerhog]

So what did the tank itself cost?

I bought the tank from a guy in Atlanta, the same guy the Joe had purchased his large cube tank from. I paid $1500 for the tank. It was a steal in my opinion. Then I realized how much other big stuff I had to buy to set this up and now I feel like I over paid for the tank.lol jk It has not been cheap to get it to where its at so far. For me to do a 10% water each week would require a 75 gallon water change. I am only doing a 50 gallon water change about once every 3 weeks. I am in the process of setting up my 200 gallon salt water holding tank. I am using a reeflo snapper as a mixing pump for it. It will have a valve that will allow me to do a 75 gallon water change in about 4 minutes. My goal is to have 200 gallons of fresh salt water at all times. Just in case something bad where to happen. I also invested in a whole house alarm system that monitors water spills in the tank room. If I develop a leak the sensor trips the alarm and my alarm company calls me. The down side to having a large tank is all the saftey nets you have to put into place.

[JSLeedy]

We can play any time your schedules allow. Give me a day your free and I'll make sure the course is open and make my schedule open. 

[Baggerhog]

We can play any time your schedules allow. Give me a day your free and I'll make sure the course is open and make my schedule open. 

Any Saturday would work for us. Stephen has to have surgery to repair the nerve damage he has in his arm on the 29th. How about tomarrow morning? Is that to soon?

[Baggerhog]

Well I am very excited to say that I have my 200 gallon salt water mixing tank up and running. I just started filling it tonight and based on my new RO/DI system I should have it filled in 24 hours. I have the mixing pump hooked up to a timer. The pump is a reeflo snapper. I am going to have it set up so it will draw in air from the top to oxygenate the water in the tank. The snapper has a 1 inch T off of the 1.5 inch return side so I can pump water into the sump quickly.

[Baggerhog]

Well its been a long time since I have posted any updates so her ya go. The first pic is the ORA Bird of Paradise coral and it was a 1" frag when I got it 1 year ago and now its the size of a baseball. The second pic is my carpets.

[UDJustin]

looks good andy i need to come out there and visit your tank again

[Baggerhog]

Come out anytime! I even have a special live white coral just for you. No joke the coral is alive and white. I got it from Coral Ranch and in high light it turns blue but in to high of light its white. I have not taken the time to move it but it is alive and growing great. It is completely encrusted and you can see the polyps but its white, your kind of coral huh?

[UDJustin]

now your talking my language I will have to come see this cool coral

[ghurlag]

I read through this entire topic today while off work.  I must say it was awesome to see the process from the beginning.  I like all the DIY tasks along the way, too.  That's part of what makes this hobby so fun.  If you can't find what you want, just build it yourself!  I'm looking forward to continued updates on this masterpiece.

[HUNGER]

wow a white coarl  love to see that 2  looks good by the way

[Baggerhog]

Thanks everyone, as soon as Joe and I finish this house and one other project I plan on setting up my 220 gallon frag tank that will be plumbed into the system and contain a dsb. I have just been so busy with the houses we are working on and a beuatiful 6 month old little girl. I must say that she has been more fun to play with than my tank. She changes everyday and my tank does not, so maybe I am just a touch ADD. I did clean my skimmer and all but one of my Tunzes tonight. I also just ordered another Tunze 6200. This will be my first 6205 so I am curious to see the differences. I will be running 2 tunze 6200s, 1 x 6205, and 1 x 6100.

[HUNGER]

sounds like  you have ur hands full

[Baggerhog]

Yes I do but I have absolutely no complaints and I would not change a thing!

[HUNGER]

thats good 

[jd]

Just saw Andy's tank today for the first time, it is awesome in person. His fishroom is to die for. I'm pretty sure its bigger than the first floor of my house! Thanks again for the RO/DI unit also, Andy.

[UDJustin]

Yeah thanks for letting us come over Andy the tank looks great, I think my wife said she either wants to date your wife or go on a double date with you and your wife sometime I cant remember which it was

[ghurlag]

Yeah thanks for letting us come over Andy the tank looks great, I think my wife said she either wants to date your wife or go on a double date with you and your wife sometime I cant remember which it was

Either way, that's HAWT

[Baggerhog]

Just saw Andy's tank today for the first time, it is awesome in person. His fishroom is to die for. I'm pretty sure its bigger than the first floor of my house! Thanks again for the RO/DI unit also, Andy.

NP Josh it was a pleasure to meet you. I am glad you guys could stop by. I look forward to seeing you tank as well.

[Baggerhog]

Yeah thanks for letting us come over Andy the tank looks great, I think my wife said she either wants to date your wife or go on a double date with you and your wife sometime I cant remember which it was

Either way I am fine with that, I have a HD video camera and think this could get intresting. Maybe we would have a new hobby Justin that makes us money. lol

[UDJustin]

Either way I am fine with that, I have a HD video camera and think this could get intresting. Maybe we would have a new hobby Justin that makes us money. lol

sounds like a good deal lol

[Baggerhog]

Hopefully, next time you come out the tank will be all trimmed out.

[HUNGER]

wow

Yeah thanks for letting us come over Andy the tank looks great, I think my wife said she either wants to date your wife or go on a double date with you and your wife sometime I cant remember which it was

[cyberwollf]

Hopefully, next time you come out the tank will be all trimmed out.

Nahh.. It will just be bigger. 

[Baggerhog]

Just added three new corals from Rich at Coral Ranch. I will post pics in due time.

[HUNGER]

sweet

[UDJustin]

what did you get me andy

[Baggerhog]

I got a sweet porite yellow in color, a forest fire digitada, and a copper colored polyp encrusting monti.

[HUNGER]

did you get the copper colored polyp encrusting monti from coral ranch  thats where i got mine about a week ago

[Baggerhog]

Yes I did it is a sweet looking coral. Do you have yours in high or low light?

[UDJustin]

sounds really cool

[HUNGER]

mine is in high light and high flow

[HUNGER]

it looks like it likes it the  do you rember the white with blue polp monti  i got one of those  but can rember the name    and anything about it

[Baggerhog]

Sweet that was a nice coral.

[HUNGER]

yes it is  its a weid colar