400ltr Marine System

Hey folks,

So I think the new setup has progessed enough to post up a few pics and talk a little about the equipment Im using and the setup I hope to eventually achieve. Please note, this is still very much a work in progress...




Ok, this is the light unit I opted for. Its the Betta 1200 6x54w T5 unit. This Over-Tank Luminaire came with 4x54w marine white lamps each packing 14,000k and 2x54w 420nm Actinic lamps. With this unit came a suspension bracket, built in splash guard and reflectors.







This is the protein skimmer Im using. Its the Deltec Mc-500 and is the workhorse of my filtration method. This skimmer came highly recommended and for good reason. The amount of gunk that it has begun to remove from what looks like clear water is amazing. An absolute essential piece of kit in my opinion and although a little noisy at first, a few adjustments here and there make it barely noticable.






For mechanical and chemical filtration I opted for the Tetratec 1200 canister filter. Its from the new batch so hopefully I shouldnt experience the problems associated with them when they first arrived on the market. Its nice and quiet and has good flow with lots of room for maintenance which is at least a bi-weekly chore with a marine setup to keep nitrates down. Is stocked with course sponge, Rowphos, PhosEx Ultra, Activated Carbon and floss. Used purely as mechanical and chemical filration, as the Live Rock in the system is my biological filter.







This is an image of the system under the marine white lamps. Notice the depth of the sandbed is a mere one quater inch to help keep nitrates down. Some will recommend no sand at all but I intend on keeping certain species that require a sandbed.







This is a shot of the system under the actinics only. I love the effect and this light unit has really impressed me.







This image was taken about a month after I first filled the tank. It contains about 55kg of Live Rock some hardy inverts as the janitor crew and some fish. Please note, that this Live Rock was fully cured and no cycle took place in this system. I was very lucky in that regard as I really didnt have to wait to add the first fish. That said, all are of the particularly tough species recommended for beginners but Ive plenty of room for the more exotic species and they will be added as soon as I get corals in and things settle a little.


Thanks for reading and all feedback and pointers welcome!!

Jay

Looking awesome Jay. What a setup. Man freshies cost buttons compaired. The luminaire is deadly, throw up a pic when you have it instlled.

I know nothing of Marines except they are hypnotic:)

Mark

Jay well done your away now

Congrats Jay, tank looks great and a good setup by the looks of it.Marine is like a drug always looking at the next fix, fish,corals, equipment:cheer:

What clean up crew did you go for and what fish do you have in it at the moment.

Thanks for the comments lads, much appreciated.

@ JohnH, thx for the tips earlier, worked a treat.

@ Gerry,

My janitors are two Skunk Shrimp, one Fire Shrimp, three Turbo Snails, three Red Leg Hermit Crabs and two Nerite Snails. My fish stock is two True Percula Clownfish, three Humbug Damselfish, two Green/Blue Chromis, one Yellowtail Damsel and one Sixlined Wrasse. I have a complete stocklist in mind which should be reef safe but I may run it by you sometime and see what you think if thats ok. I also have a stocklist of corals but to be honest Im afraid to look at it again after I tallied up the final cost . Ill keep this thread updated as things progress and Ill throw up some close up shots of the inhabitants when I can.

Jay

Well done mate looks great keep up the good work. Gerry

Looks great,nice thread that Im looking forward to keeping an eye on. Get some-ups of those fish and inhabitants.Marines are awesome,some day...some days I'll turn saltie but for now I'll keep my freshwater learning on track and stay with it for another while!

Gavin

Just a quick update on how this setup is going. As some of you know due to unforseen circumstances I have had to scrap the idea of a reef setup and have decided to go with a predator only tank. It was a tough decision but one I know was for the best. Anyhow I now have a couple of occupants, one of which just arrived today and I thought I would post up a couple of images and some info on them.

Jeweled Moray Eel


IMG]i394.photobucket.com/albums/pp29/Viperbot/CIMG0094.jpg[/img]







The Jeweled Moray Eel originates from the shorelines of the Eastern Pacific, from the Gulf of California and south throughout Central America. They are one of the smaller Moray Eels, only attaining a maximum size of 24 to 36 inches. They are black with beautiful white markings. As a juvenile, these eels are brown with gold spots. This species adapts readily to aquarium life, and does not require a large amount of space.
This is a very hardy eel, but is an escape artist, and requires a tightly sealed aquarium. A 50-gallon or larger aquarium with plenty of live rock for hiding is ideal for the Jeweled Moray. Most of the eels that are lost in an aquarium are due to poorly sealed tanks. These eels are very aggressive in the aquarium, and will eat any fish, crustacean or other eel that it can swallow. Do not house more than one of this species in the aquarium, unless the aquarium is larger than 120 gallons, and the eels are of the same size and acclimated at the same time.

The Jeweled Moray Eel is a nocturnal predator, ambushing fish and crustaceans. In the aquarium it will learn to feed during the daylight hours, and it will take frozen or freeze-dried krill, fish, shrimp, and most meaty foods. It can be taught to hand feed, although this should be done with caution, as it can inflict a painful bite.


Big Eyed Soldierfish







The Big Eyed Soldierfish aka the Blackbar Soldierfish comes from the coral reefs in the Indo Pacific and is generally nocturnal. Huge eyes and a downturned mouth distinguish the soldierfishes from the similar squirrelfishes. They can make audible pops and grunts and do best in groups but will be quite content on their own once their tankmates are not overly aggressive. These fish are durable and tough and are lightning fast, especially when feeding which is always a thrill. They relish chopped seafoods and other frozen preparations. Its best to catch them in a container as their large eyes can be damaged by nets.


So, thats the story so far. I still have a couple of other occupants to think about and hopefully they should be along soon so watch this space.

Jay

The Tank lends it's self nicely.

Kev.

Cheers Kev, wouldnt be what its is if not for you efforts also .

Jay

Love the eel Jay, i say he will be a real character to watch once he settles in.I hope your rockwork is nice and secure:P Did you get the eel from Andy?

What else is on the fish list of you.

I am lovin this thread so far, keep up the great work Jay......when the eel settles in a video would be savage......

Yeah the Moray the better:)

the soldier fish is a beaut. Couldn't take my eyes off him, hyperactive little soldier.


Excellent stuff, Eels are such a great creature to watch. Whats next Jay for the predator tank? Maybe this


Get to the Choppa



Mark

@ Jeff, yeah spent a lot of time on the rock. Caves galore to intice him to move between them ya know. No, this wasnt the eel from Andy's. His is a Zebra Moray, Im pretty sure its still there. Have no idea why cos its in great shape and is an impressive size. Just thought this one was a little unusual so went with it. Im planning on adding a Dogface Puffer and MABEY a Clown Trigger

@ Mick, will do bro. Gonna give him a little time to relax in the tank and will be sure to stick a clip up.

@ Mark, LMAO. Sweet pic. I believe the new movie to be rubbish though. Shame.

Jay.

Nice one Jay, those brutes will flip the lid on a Juwel tank no problem. I'd add some velcro straps if you havent already got something to secure it.

Looking forward to seeing the puffer and trigger. Considered a porcupine puffer? I know they get big but how cool are they...

Hey Patrick,

Thats a great idea. At the moment I have the rear lid taped down with ductape and the front weighed doen with a weight. The velcro would make things a lot neater and handier also, cheers for that. I have seen the porcupines for sale but they were quite small but I would def consider a decent sized one. I guess it will come down to what I can get my hands on when Im ready for them. Cant wait. Oh, and the tank is an Aqualantis .

Jay

So heres the new guy . I had my heart set on either a Picasso Trigger or a Clown Trigger but I stumbled across this guy today and couldnt resist. I had done a bit of reading on the Niger Trigger whilst doing the research on triggers and considered one but I had always seen small ones for sale, so nothing I would risk in the tank. However, this one has a bit os size on him and the pics dont do justice to the colour of this fish.









The Niger Trigger is found in the Indo Pacific. It is one of the few triggers that can be kept with conspecifics, albeit in a rather large tank as they can reach 20 inches but usually no more than 15 inches. Like all triggers they are aggressive but these are relatively mild mannered, unless provoked. You do NOT want to be bitten by a Niger Triggerfish. They are hardy and tough and can live up to ten years (even longer in the wild) and will eat just about anything. This one was in the tank an hour and took food straight away when I offered it, almost bit through the feeding claw .

So thats it for now, I hope to have the puffer in the next few weeks (still trying to decide on species) so I will hopefully be updating this thread again soon.

Jay

I don't blame you for changing your mind, Striking specimen.

Kev.

Cheers Kev, you should pop by some time and see him up close. He changes colour depending on mood and he grunts like mad when eating. Im very happy with him.

Jay

Promise I will Jay, as soon as I get my blasted Car back.

Kev.

Nice choice Jay!! I kept one myself for a while & found them very placid.

Very personable too, give it a week and he'll come to the surface to take prawn from your hand. You can hear them making sounds sometimes when they get excited at feeding time.

Wow, you fed yours by hand? Brave man. This one goes nuts when being fed. I think Ill pick up a chainmail glove brfore I try that. They have them in Fins Fur Feathers in Swords. Mabey you can help me out here. Ive been getting mixed info on sexing these triggers, some saying its impossible, others saying the males have a much deeper blue coloration to the throat. I know the colour can differ in them depending on the region they are from and a couple of other factors so whats your take on that? Is there a way to sex these...safely?

Jay

Viperbot wrote:

Wow, you fed yours by hand? Brave man. This one goes nuts when being fed. I think Ill pick up a chainmail glove brfore I try that. They have them in Fins Fur Feathers in Swords. Mabey you can help me out here. Ive been getting mixed info on sexing these triggers, some saying its impossible, others saying the males have a much deeper blue coloration to the throat. I know the colour can differ in them depending on the region they are from and a couple of other factors so whats your take on that? Is there a way to sex these...safely?

Jay

They go crazy when being fed alright. What I used to do was hold a large, whole prawn into the water with my fingers an inch or so out of the water and he would come to the surface and bite chunks off it.

No idea re: sexing them I'm afraid. Like you've observed, they change colour all of the time so I wouldn't be inclined to sex them based upon colour.

If you like triggerfish you've gotta check out the Sargassum triggerfish too. Stunners.. I had one ordered for months only for it never to arrive. As soon as I broke down my marine setup of course they become available

Those Sargassums are fantastic Patrick, not too mean either. I think Ive settled on the Spiny Puffer over the Dogface. She weighed in on the decision and tipped the scales. Dont suppose you have seen any around?

Jay

all looking great jay,i love the moray ell,fairplay

Viperbot wrote:

Those Sargassums are fantastic Patrick, not too mean either. I think Ive settled on the Spiny Puffer over the Dogface. She weighed in on the decision and tipped the scales. Dont suppose you have seen any around?

Jay

Good choice, Andy always has a porc puffer in stock so that's where I'd look first.

Smooth. Cheers Patrick, will give him a shout soon and see what he has.

Jay