Hoopsdaddy's 8 foot built-in w/tank room

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Just a few photos tonight. I can't get a good shot of the lighting in the display to save my life....any suggestions. Just a Sony Cybershot 16.1Megapixel.
Got the ATO finished up tonight. Gonna hang the lights for the frag tank tomorrow and fire up the bio-pellets.

Anyway, the lights look awesome on the tank. We had a bunch of friends over tonight and they loved the way the tank looked and there is not one fish or one coral in it yet....I can't wait for them to see it transform over a year or so.
 
Taking pictures of a full tank is hard. No other lights in the room to cause reflections, wear dark clothing, select a low ISO, no flash.

You'll need to adjust the blues, decreasing their intensity. You'll probably need to also adjust +/- button two steps down, and focus on a neutral spot in the tank -- not too bright, not too dark -- so the image won't be blown out or too dark. Let me know if that helps.
 
That would be awesome G. I will give you a call when it finally has some stuff in the tank. I am arguing with my Apex right now. I think my primary problem is that my Ethernet cable is old. So I am going to buy a new cable today and run that through the attic to the fish room.
How is your tank doing?
 
Its doing well, thanks, yes im also trying to monitor my tank through my RKL. i got it online, can see everything on my computer at home, now i just need to figure out how to do it on my phone when i get away from my home network.
 
I ordered the new cable last night. Hopefully when it gets here I will be good to go as far as network connectivity. The tank is doing well. Got the temp and PH looking good. I am still raising the salinity a little bit. Had it all a little watered down for a while and now bringing up the salinity. Wanting to stay at 1.025/26. Got the ATO setup so now salinity should stabilize. Tank looks sharp with the new lights on it and I am ready to start putting a few corals in the frag tank to see how they do. I might try that this weekend once I finish the frag rack.
Fish wise we are thinking primarily a bunch of little fish. Anthias, Chromis, Bar Gobies, Chalk basslets, and several wrasses. I may add one or two tangs last. Still looking for a couple of "show" fish. I am thinking a pair of Bellus Angels, or a trio of yellow or hippo tangs, or something else that gets a little bigger than the primary fish but stays relatively mild tempered. Suggestions from anyone on a pair or trio of "show" fish that don't become a pain.
Grod, when you trim your cheato next time give me a call. I am wanting some for my fuge.
 
OK, finally posting some updates. I have the APEX up and running with no problems so far. I have a lot of stuff to learn about this thing. I at least have it all hooked up to the router so that problem is gone. I have been testing my alk every other day to try and get my levels figured out. I would like to keep it at dkh 9 so that is what I have been testing against. I need to order a Hanna checker for Alk. I have the BRS doser kit so once I figure everything out I will start to dial in the doser. The skimmer is rocking some nasty junk and I have been very pleased with its performance so far. Easy to dial in and it really is pulling the nasties out.
I picked up a chiller from Lance. Great guy and enjoyed getting to see his tanks and get a few corals while I was there. [smilie=clapping.gif] I have the chiller hooked up and it is keeping the tank very stable temp wise. My primary temp problem is just the location of the room, not equipment, so it is just something I am going to have to deal with for a while. I have AC ran to the room, it just doesn't keep up in that room as well as I would like.
I finally got some fish in the tank and everything is looking good so far. I also got some pods, cleaner clams, and a small clean up crew.
I also finally got the component box installed and have several items already wired to it and got all my hoses, cords, and wires cleaned up and mounted in the stand how I wanted them. My wife likes how neat and clean it is all looking now. [smilie=lol.gif]
I have straightened up the fish tank room and took a few picts. Enjoy.
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Here are a couple of sorry shots of my fish so far. Sorry they are so bad, I didn't mess with the lighting or anything just took the shot. Chromis, Dispar Anthias, and Lubbock's fairy wrasse
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Lubbock's peaking through.
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Finally, some shots of the coral in the frag tank. I had a few nice pieces, and then picked up a few more nice pieces from Lance. I then went by Rift2Reef and met Dane and he hooked me up with some really nice pieces as well. Here they are... drool if you must. [smilie=smile.gif]
I have really liked the lights I went with and so far I have seen no issues with coral color, in fact I have only seen a deepening of color but that is purely my opinion. I have seen visible growth and and zoa's in the frag tank have added polyps and they have only been in for a few weeks now.
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After I cleaned the frag tank today and organized a bit.
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Thanks everyone! It has been fun. I am going to start trying to put some frags in the main tank soon.

BigD, you are right, that is a great looking enclosure on the wall!!!! :)
 
I had the privilage of seeing hoopsdaddy's aquarium a few weeks back. What a dream! Pictures just do not do this build justice. This set up looks absolutely stunning from his living room. The room in the back is clean, well thought out, and a relaxing work environment. I can see him for years to come just having a blast with this system. Thanks again for letting me see it hoops daddy, I wish you the best man, -GROD
 
You bet G, and you are welcome any time. Thanks for the Cheato. It is doing well. Since you were last here, all algae on the rocks is completely gone. A few spots on the back glass, but I can just clean it off easily with the magfloat. I moved all my frags that I had in the main tank to the frag tank until the initial algae boom was over. Next step should be the beginning of the lifetime of coraline scraping. :)
Holler at me what ya wanna talk coral. Hope your tank is doing great man. I wanna see how yours looks in the new place. Thanks for the kind words.

Laser, I will PM ya.
 
Well, this build thread is way overdue for some updates. Tank has a long way to go, but it is coming along nicely. I am still looking to add some Anthias, and lots more SPS, but I am liking how it is turning out. 24 fish in the tank now and it still looks empty. Nice having a 75g QT that I can transition groups of fish from rather than doing a small QT and only one fish at a time. I will shut up and post some pictures since that is what we all like anyway. All photos are unedited except for being resized. [smilie=wink.gif]

Three shots of the frag tank which is plumbed into the main tank. It needs a good cleaning, but it is working out nicely.
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A full tank shot from about 15ft away.
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Digi...
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Mt Montipora......
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Couple of acros...
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New Naso and purple sea fan.
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Man the tank looks awesome great job!! What is the sheet that is on the back of the big tank? Also, what kind of lights are you running I cant find where it is posted?
 
The lights are Reef-breeders Photon Series. I have 2-32's and one 16 on the tank. I really like them and the customer service was and has been top notch.
The back of the tank is a black piece of fabric that my wife made. It has Velcro strips at the top that make it super easy to take on and off. Really clean looking in the fish room and from the display side you would never guess it is fabric and removable. Really nice for when I am working in the tank to be able to see everything easily.

Thanks for the compliment.
 
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