175 gal Bowfront

thanks for all the comments. much appreciated.

luna: yep just a newbie that has done a lot of reading.


IBM: i'll let you know how it goes. during the water test i fired that baby up and it was working like a champ. however i need to install some sort of air control valve on the venturi tube because it's quite loud. any suggestions or what you use on yours? i bought it used and it did not come with one.

vegas: i attached the rock to the pvc using plastic zip ties. i drilled multiple holes in both the rock and pvc. the zip ties kind of stand out now but after it gets in the tank the coralline will cover it up. i also bought some underwater epoxy for added strength and for the smaller pieces that you can't drill thru

 

Great job rudzy17, keep the pics coming

 

awsome, i wish i could get one of them!

 

i'm almost there. i just need to get a little more LR and then i'm ready to start cycling. here are some photos of what i've gotten done since last post:






this last photo is my 26gal bowfront. i'll have to admit that ever since i've started working on the 175 i've slacked quite a bit on keeping the 26 looking good. all this will be going into the 175 after cycle has finished. enjoy!

 

OOOOOHHHHHHHHHH almost there............I cant wait :trampolin

 

very very nice.i had the same idea with the pvc when i go igger.hopefully soon.

 

alright fellow 3reefers...i've got it up and running. here are some pics. let me know what you think.

FTS: (no that's not the sun rising in the background. it's my crappy photography skills)


Right Side:


Left Side:


enjoy!

 

WOW has it really been 3 months since my last update?? time flies. much has changed. i finally have lights, fish, and a few corals in the tank. here are some pics:

FTS:



Inside Canopy: 3 LumenBrite Reflectors w/ 400 watt Coralvue 14K MH's



coral photos:





i got these free from a friend that was getting out of hobby. anyone able to ID these two coral frags?






one last thing...i can't seem to get the microbubble issue under control? any suggestions? it's starting to drive me crazy!!!!

 

We have the same tank

I have an older version of the tank you have. I think it's been roughly 5 years since I bought it. There are a few things I have learned after having it for a while. If your planning on growing hard coral then you need the 400........14-20k. But if your only planning on doing soft coral then 250 watt MH HQ would be perfect, with some VHO 2 (Actinic) and the 4 MH bulbs would give you the ability to layer your coral a tad and get more variety. I used two RIO quiet ones 6000 before and was very happy with them. I used a few maxi jets with a wave maker and all my coral were ecstatic. I was able to get about 20 fish and about same amount in coral into it and I didn't have any problems with it water quality. I use a 40 gallon sump and gravel bed. I have seen about four different filtration systems work well it all comes down to preference I guess. I know there are a ton of different ways to do that tank you have and allot will depend on your wallet and how much of that wall your tanks against you can mess with.......loll. I would defiantly find a way to get water there with a paddle shutoff and run the output of your RO system into the sump so your investments don't get stressed out. I love my tank and so does everyone else who comes by my house, so much better than a boring square one!! I used to have the 150 square and there isn't any comparison!!
Make sure you got the overflow PVC setup to remove the constant waterfall sound, its quite annoying. I made mine using plans from the internet and 1 inch PVC.

 

Wow you did a great job!! How do you like the spectrum? I saw my buddy with the same tank melt the center palastic supports on the top running 400's and he was hanging his with just a reflector from the ceiling.