Beginnings of a 220Uk gallon reeftank

[Navarre]

Thanks for the comments )

I wont be replceing the mothfish. They are very slow feeders and would compete for vital pod life with any future mandarin or wrasses i would get. They are fantastic fish but not really suited for the reef i have in mind anymore

The tank is 7ft long, 2ft high and 2.5ft deep (front to back). A bit of a monster to get intothe house i can tell you

 

[houndour]

I have just read this post from start to finish and you have inspired me to one day set up a huge marine tank. The most recent pictures are beautiful. Makes it worth the long journey. How much maintenance (hours per week?) goes into a marine tank of this size?

 

[Navarre]

Very little in all honesty.

I have not changed the water in this system since the day it was started. I would however suggest that in new systems that water changes of about 10% are done every 6-8 weeks.

I do top up the system with water every couple of days (its loses about 5 gallons of water through evaporation per week!).

Every week i clean out the skimmer most recomend a daily scrub but my skimmer is not taking much nutrient out of hte system at present.

And thats about it.. other than feeding hte fish twice daily.

The smaller the system the more vigilant you need to be and these need more maintenance although not as much as you would expect.
Large tanks are far more stable than smaller tanks and thus the need for alot of maintenance is not needed (unless something goes wrong)

The advantage of large marine systems is that you can have theentire eco system working right in front of you, even the bane of freshwater tanks that are known as nitrates are removed in a ref tank so there really is no need for water changed other than to replce lost trace eliments that were in the water and are now used by corals etc.

 

[houndour]

Sounds like less work than my 20 gallon planted tank!! When I buy a house I plan to have the floor reinforced like you did (whether I have marine or fresh, I am definitely going to have a huge tank). How much roughly did that cost? Or did a mate do it?

 

[Navarre]

The reinforcing of the floor only cost me £100 and that includes the bricks for the tank stand and the wood base. (The new 3 piece suite that i had to buy the wife in compensation for the turmoil was the most costly thing! )

The tank was given to me, the equipment was taken frommy old tank and bits and pieces here were added to.
The mot costly thing i would say was the extra liverock that was needed for the tank. (about £250 more)

 

[black angel]

Ive just read this from start to finish as well and its a work of art, absolutely stunning!

 

[Angel Lady]

I read every bit of this topic. I love the tank and I have a 180 gallon which I think I will switch over now. I love those fish. Are they hard to care for? I will be the first to say with the big tanks they are a lot of work when it comes to water changes. But they are worth it in look alone. I have to say it is a great tank. I bet it has drained your wallet because the 180 gallon has drained mine. I am still working on my tanks apperence everyday and each thing I do it seems to drain my wallet alittle more.

 

[Navarre]

The fish themselves are actually quite easy to care for. Lets not try and paint a perfect picture here of course, there are difficult fish to keep just like there are in freshwater hobbies. Some fish are very aggressive and wont tollerate other sorts of fish (just like in freshwater also). However, if the tank is stable and you are not overstocked then the fish and the tank as a whole looks after itself. The tank can even produce its own live food over a period of time and thus the need for feeding has been said to be unecessary.. i dont actually agree with this a si personally like to feed with good quality food to ensure the fish get enriched vitimins. The livefood produced can be considered a bonus for the tank.

If you have a large tank and its stable then you wont need alot of water changes. a tank of this size that is well matured and stable woudl require about 10 water changes per year.. perhaps as little as 6. All that would be needed would be about 10% so a 180 gallon would require a modest 18 gallons (lets round up to 20) every 8 weeks at longest stretch.

If you heavily stock with fish and or corals then more frequent water changes would be required of course.

 

[JackDemp528]

The tank is gorgeous! And I love all of those fish. I now have seen the art of marine, and want a marine tank. MTS...

 

[Ethos]

Looks fantastic with your new hood!
I had my doubts, and to be truthful I'd much rather spend the money and buy a stand. Cemment blocks just dont cut if for me.
Must be hard finding a stand fior that though.
I still think it looks great!

 

[CluelessScot]

I do top up the system with water every couple of days (its loses about 5 gallons of water through evaporation per week!).

emm mite be a silly question but 5 gallons is alot of water... where does it go, like will this be messin up your room?

 

[Mr Miagi]

I wont be replceing the mothfish. They are very slow feeders and would compete for vital pod life with any future mandarin or wrasses i would get. They are fantastic fish but not really suited for the reef i have in mind anymore

...............

LOL, JK. He was a cool little fella. B)

 

[-cAtFiSh-]

get one of these:

i saw one in an lfs today and was intrigued by its awesomeness

 

[Ben]

Looks amazing Nav! Well done
IS that a mickey mouse doll i see?

DD

 

[Skint]

Im a Newb

Your Mental

Awesome stuff. One day I may be brave enough to attempt something like that, after I win the lottory ovcourse