Tank Progression

[Shad]

I am on this site everyday, several times a day and have really learned a lot. I figured I would show the progress of my tank from back in 2006 when I became a member of MR.
I have almost all soft corals. I would really like to start getting some LPS. I believe due to the high toxic level of secretions the soft corals give off, is the reason why I have such a hard time keeping LPS alive in my tank. Any suggestions or comments about what I could do would be appreciated.

 

[MikeyZO]

I think its time to frag that leather! LOL!

nice tank

 

[nanchil]

Nice looking tank..

 

[Shad]

Someone from this site is supposed to trade me another coral for it. It got HUGE this past year!

 

[Pinkheine]

Holy HUGE!! That is awesome! Love to see progression pics. Makes it all worth it to watch things mature. Very nice

 

[Shad]

I know the leather is gigantic. I need to learn how to frag it or give it to someone who knows how to do it!

 

[Pinkheine]

You could always upgrade to a bigger tank hee hee.

 

[masterswimmer]

Hey Shad, its grown a bit since I last saw it Wow, it's huge.
The tank looks beautiful bud. Keep up the great work.

R

 

[Shad]

Thanks Russ! I have to give you Props for helping me out on several occasions. With helpful insights as well as coming over to check things out.

 

[Killerdrgn]

Run carbon to get rid of the softy toxins.

 

[Shad]

I do run carbon, you could see it in the pic of the sump. I have a lot and I mean a lot of shrooms in the tank that I need to thin out. I think that may be a problem also.

 

[jackson6745]

Nice looking softie tank shad. What types of LPS have you tried?
Have you tested for phosphates and nitrates?
I see a rio powerhead in the old shots. Don't know if you still have it in your system. There have been loads of problems with these pumps. I would clean it, and take a close look to see if has malfunctioned in anyway.
That leather is quite huge! You may have to downsize it or get rid of it if you wish to keep LPS

Besides that, keeping the chiller under your tank is counterproductive. It throws off a lot of heat. If you ran a fan over the tanks surface it probably wouldn't even come on during the winter months.

 

[DrCooper]

that leather is amazing

 

[Shad]

Thanks Rich for the info. I should place the chiller on the outside of the cabinet then huh? I guess this is why I had trouble keeping the tank cool even with the chiller over the summer I pretty much did it to just look cleaner than having the chiller on the outside. What kind of pump should I get to use not only on the chiller, but on the return as well. They both seem to really suck! Also could I use just one pump to use on both the chiller and the return?

I have tried acans, frogspawn, torch, brains, acros, etc. They all seem to slowly die. Its very frustrating! I try to take the time to do things right, but they slowly seem to die off.

 

[jackson6745]

I am a fan of Eheim pumps. They are more expensive but not many people have had them fail inducing myself.......and they're actually still worth money if you decide to sell them.

 

[Shad]

Does anyone have an opion on running chiller and the return with the same pump? Too much flow? not enough?

 

[midtownman]

i love ur tank i got the same one but in oak

 

[jejton]

You can run the chiller and return off one pump. You have to calculate your head, then see how much pressure/flow you need for the chiller and that will dictate the pumps you choose from. The tank looks good. As for the LPS, it might be the softies but you do run carbon. How are your water parameters? What do you have for flow besides the return pump?

 

[Shad]

I have three power heads plus the return. I def seem to have enough current. I have a fuge with small pieces of live rock-rubble mixed with cheato. I cant find any reason besides the softies for the death of all the LPS. Its like they have a 3 week life span and then begin to dwindle away to a skeleton.

 

[masterswimmer]

Does anyone have an opion on running chiller and the return with the same pump? Too much flow? not enough?

S, just put a ball valve on the input side of the chiller. The return pump, if it has enough oomph will be fine for both the return and the chiller. Just regulate the flow into the chiller with the ball valve. This way it won't be too much or too little. It'll be like baby bear, just right

R