My Little Tank Journal

[tayhonglee]

Hi everyone,

i decided to make a little online journal of my second tank. its not much really. i haven't even added any livestock yet. just going to take it slow and easy, and try to not kill everything that comes my way

anyway, here's how i started. like everyone, i wanted a big tank. an 8 feet monster would have made me quite happy. setting it up is not too tough, but maintenance costs will be back breaking. but it sure looks nice in my dreams

so, finally, i decided on a 1.5 X 1.5 X1.5 feet baby. and since im no good at pipings, i decided to 'attach' a sump to the back in order to simplify things. as for the tank itself, i considered using acrylic, but everyone says it scratches easily. so i sourced around for information and decided to get a starphire glass pane for the viewing side. surprisingly, there aren't any information at all in src about where to get it. apparently, there were lots of comments about starphire and other low iron glasses, but nothing about where a new bird like me can get some.

so after lots of phone calls to friends and acquintances and thumbing through the yellowpages, i finally ended up with this.

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=33432

diamant its not as expensive as you might think. its cheaper than starphire at any rate. my 18 X 20 inch 12 mm piece cost me $50. could be worth investing if you have chio corals in your setup. if anyone has any other account in other forums, help spread it around. it'll be good to see starphire and diamant tanks popping up all around.

so, back to my tank. it was delayed for almost 2 weeks. i got it made from kwong ling. workmanship was not bad at all. (and its cheap:)) front pane is the diamant, the rest are ordinary 10mm glass.

almost every equipment i have is secondhand. lots of brothers here helped my out by selling me stuff at super low prices. lots of thanks to jefnbl and bloodlamb and nano1 and acidjazz.

so far, im using a macro 350 venturi, a cl 350 chiller, diy 250w de mh, an enaly ozone generator. im still waiting for my orp controller. hope it comes soon. with some additional equipment from my previous tank, im all set up and ready to go.

this is a picture of the glass

[tayhonglee]

here's the stand i got from nano1. size is perfect. i sawed off the nubs from one end.

[tayhonglee]

this is the tank. the viewing side is in foreground. the back part is just a 'sump'.

[tayhonglee]

heres my tank on its stand, doing its thing....

its just a leak test.

[Gouldian]

Nice work Henry! Have been anticipating to view your post for very long liao.

Keep it coming bro!

[tayhonglee]

all the liverocks i got from jefnbl were dumped into the tank. still haven't got the eggcrates yet, so no choice but to leave them inside first. beautiful rocks

im running the macro now. haven't attach the mh yet.

[Gouldian]

all the liverocks i got from jefnbl were dumped into the tank. still haven't got the eggcrates yet, so no choice but to leave them inside first. beautiful rocks

im running the macro now. haven't attach the mh yet.

Just a suggestion, maybe you will link to use Oyama papers to cover the sump area so that it is neater.

[blueheaven]

Yeah and then paste on some photos of your tank (once its set up) on it to totally hide it

[tayhonglee]

thanks gouldian! actually, im going to diy a false cabinet that covers boths sides, the lower front, and the top where the mh will be. that way, only the viewing panel can be seen. there will be a vent in a corner to allow heat from the chiller to escape.

believe me when i say my wife is particularly mindful of the aesthetics. on the same note, i saw a picture of you and your wife on another post. congrats man! when's the d day?

[roidan]

your stand will get rusty pretty soon, why not get a wooden stand before you start stocking up....

otherwise a few months down the road, u may have to move the tank to change the stand

[tayhonglee]

actually thats not a bad idea blueheaven, that way people will think my tank is a lot bigger than it is. hehe

hey, you remember me? i saw you at aquarama.

[tayhonglee]

really? that's how long a metal stand lasts? dang...

[roidan]

really? that's how long a metal stand lasts? dang...

in fact i have seen rust appearing just weeks after the stand is used....

especially if you are the kind that drips saltwater around the tank while meddling with your tank.

even if we try to coat the stand with anti-rust paint...it is just delaying the inevitable, so my advice is get a wooden stand if you do not foresee yourself changing the tank or upgrading in a few months time.

If it is going to be a more or less permanent fixture in its current location, get a wooden stand.

[Gouldian]

thanks gouldian! actually, im going to diy a false cabinet that covers boths sides, the lower front, and the top where the mh will be. that way, only the viewing panel can be seen. there will be a vent in a corner to allow heat from the chiller to escape.

believe me when i say my wife is particularly mindful of the aesthetics. on the same note, i saw a picture of you and your wife on another post. congrats man! when's the d day?

Good, false cabinate is a good way to hide all the unsightly stuffs.

Hehehe, my son suppose to due 12/06 but till now no news yet. Gynae says have to give another few more days. If 18/06 still no news then induce.

Roidan is right, get a wooden stand rather than iron ones. If you want a sturdy one bro Chinmo is selling his super solid one. PM him if you need.

[blueheaven]

actually thats not a bad idea blueheaven, that way people will think my tank is a lot bigger than it is. hehe

hey, you remember me? i saw you at aquarama.

Yeah i remember you...Henry right?

The guy who passed the glass samples to the SRC booth

Would be great to see how your tank will look like with the diamant

[RAV-65]

Looking good bro... How come only Diamant glass on one side when your tank is viewed from three? Also, beware of the ozone in your small tank, coz maybe potentially hazardous!

[Jimng]

Cool.....liked the journal style threads...keep it coming....

[daimy068]

Good work but like the rest advised, better to get wooden stand in the long run.

All the best and keep the pics coming.

[tayhonglee]

hi everyone,

thanks for all your comments. i really appreciate it. i am now looking for a wooden stand. i can't imagine moving everything a month from now, put in another stand and move everything back.

anyone knows if chinmo still has his stand to sell? i pmed him a few days ago but no reply yet leh.

anyway, here's what i did yesterday. after trying in vain to stack the rocks i have into a decent looking scape, i decided to use racks instead, and then cable tie the rocks to it.

so i went out to buy a light diffuser. its expensive. cost me $16.50 for a 4 X 2 ft piece.

next i cut them out to size. i sawed off some ordinary plastic wire casings to prop up the base, and then dump them into the tank to see how it looks.

tadaa!

[tayhonglee]

this is what it looks like this morning after i tied all the rocks to the crates. some parts of the crates are still visible, but i should be covering them up with corals within the next few months. the pump is just there to help circulation.

the main problem i have is how to attach a black or white piece of acrylic to the back. i can't possible silicone it to the glass. maybe i'll just stack some rocks against it.

[chucky]

woh.... goog idea and nice/beautiful rockscape...

[bloodlamb]

hi

nice tank bro!

I would suggest you leave the back bare. After a while coraline algae will grow over and it should be less visible.

You puting any sand?

[tayhonglee]

wow, my thread got knocked back to page 4....everyone update so quickly....

nothing much has changed for my tank. just did a rescape by adding some new rocks onto the eggcrates, tightening the others, rearranging them, stuff like that. cycling is really kinda boring.

i didn't want to add any sand originally, but after trying a couple of futile hours to get a decent looking base, i finally gave up. i don't have a digicam with me right now, but i will take a picture and you'll know what i mean when i say bare bottom CMI. especially with eggcrate as my bb. mine looks like a squatter landfill.

tomorrow im getting some grade 0 sand, and thereby caving in to the almighty urge to forgo easy maintenance in favor of beauty.

i also started using my ozonizer this afternoon....without the orp controller....even though its arriving tomorrow night.

but instant gratification has its benefits, because......

three hours later, voila! i have an amazing headache. thanks to the ozone gas.

good news is, the tank water has become incredibly clear. it really looks like there's no water inside. even my live rocks looked dazed and confused. i can only begin to imagine what it would look like in a 4 or 6 feet tank, under metal halides, with lots of fishes and corals.

im planning to keep my redox value at 390mv. i don't know how to say it without sounding like im crowing, but......!!ITS A GREAT PIECE OF EQUIPMENT!! la equipmente es mui bien! hen hao! bagus!

*please note that i have been using the ozoniser for 3 hours only. base on my track record, i may have to eat my own words eventually.....

but seriously, if anyone wants to come and have a looksee, just pm me. lots of ice cream in my house, and you are more than welcome. provided, of course, you present me with a suitable house warming 'gift' (sps prefered). or alternatively you may cross my palm with red paper graced by the likeliness of yusof ishak and topped with the ever youthful image of sm lee and his soccer ball on the other side.

its 4am and i can't sleep.....