SteveA

I'm actually very seriously thinking of going the other way to two 1000s that move along the tank. I have already written the program for the Moeller to control this. The problem with more bulbs is more cost. A 250W bulb is not generally only 62.5% the cost of a 400 and the drive gear isn't scaled in cost either (then, of course, is all the crap above the tank). I suspect 2 x 1000 will be a lot cheaper than 5 x 400 over an extended period and , if they move, will probably do a better job. Even if I stick to 400s I still plan to make them move. Steve

It's still far too noisy for that. Once I get the spur for the Hifi installed (same time as new tank wiring) and all the equipment, particularly the plumbing, out of the room I will give it a go. Most of the small tips I just biffed (rather too buggered to wory about collecting all but significant branches) but there are plenty more still waiting to be plucked if you need the odd new colony. I actually did more damage removing corals from the old tank than transporting them or putting them in the new tank. Steve

Pic was taken about 10 minutes after adding the sand. Had a drink in hand by the time it cleared and taking a new pic didn't seem so important at the time. The main move took from midday Saturday (30 April) to 04:30 Sunday (01 May) morning. Tank was pretty much up and running with lights and skimmer by Monday evening. Took two days to dismantle old tank and stand into a skip. More details: - Eight corals (1 monti, one seriatopora, 6 acro) were transported into a tank at another site on the Thursday prior. - On arrival, rock went into main tank and corals and fish went into spare 600L tank beside it. This let me build the reef structure without worying about the animals. - Animals existed, quite hapily, without filtration or lighting in 600L tank till Monday. - Corals brought home from other site (except 1 acro and the seriatopora - which I had dupes of) the Saturday after the move. AND, having followed a few threads about the circulation systems many of you guys are now using, I am thinking of fitting one of these to the tank.. Steve

Drop by any time, Pies knows the way. Steve

He managed to loose 3 x 1.5 cm tips, that didn't exist when that photo was taken, near the base. This one went in paper towels. Tank is 2400 * 1000 * 650. Steve

Oh, yes - a few details... One small coral (favia) physically lost during reef rebuild. No other fish or coral losses apart from the odd branch (about 5, and not counting a few tips) that needed to be epoxied back in place next to their parent colony (fragging can come later). The rock was transported in 2 x 200L drums fill with it and tank water. Many of the most delicate corals (including foliaceous montipora) were transported on top of the rock in these drums and this proved the least damaging method, in fact no coral was damaged at all during transit in the top of a drum. All other rorals were transported wrapped in wet paper towels in styrene boxes and these were the ones that lost some tips. God it took along time to get the animals accross. Steve

The tank since 1994... The space it left... Getting ready... Old carpet ready for the odd teething trouble. It Arrives, 90% the volume of old tank but 98% of surface area... Having survived the slide down the concrete stairs.... Tight corner... Last corner... Going In... Done... Thanks for the help boys. Going... Still to do (in order): - Add automatic evaporation replacement similar to old tank - New electric supply (sub main, check meter, 3 RCD outlets) - Move electrical equipment outside room - Move skimmer and sump outside room - New light system (probably going from 4 to 5 400W bulbs. - Program up Moeller control relay to manage the thing. Steve

It can be a bit tricky when you are trying to mix different corals. I have just moved my own animals to a new tank at home (first time I have actually had a reef tank in my own home in about 12 years) and one of my current issues is finding out the best spot for the bubble coral as, even though this tank uses more or less the same circulation system as the big one with the Acro plates, it is difficult to find a place calm enough for its liking. I suspect I only have to move it another 15cm as it appears to be now getting a down draft off the end wall, whereas previously it was getting knocked around due to being directly under where the streams from two pumps collided. Luckily it has grown used to being kept in full light, even if near the bottom, otherwise I would have to be juggling that parameter also. And then there is getting the circulation right to keep the Galaxia from beating up its neighbours. I have found that corals, if you get them small enough to start with, are quite happy to change their growth form to a more open and delicate configuration if kept in moderate, but sufficient, currents, as they do on the reef. Steve

Not direct. General turbulence is better than plain flow. Some these days seem to have enough circulation to propel a small (and sometimes not so small) jet boat and it looks like the water movement stairway has replaced the lighting intensity/spectrum stairway that was prevalent when I first started reefing in the early '90s. Since, over the last 2-3 years, I have managed to grow two acro tables, each from a single branch, to a diameter of 30cm without difficulty or decline in a 2000L+ tank with only 3 Eheim 2400 L/h pumps operating off the light timers and the main circulation pump for circulation, I have to conclude that many are taking the power of their circulation a bit too seriously. Good for the pump manufacturers no doubt, but as long as there is sufficient circulation to blow waste products out of the coral structures, I don’t think they really care a lot about all the extra horsepower being lavished on them. Steve

Stunning but I hope my tank never gets that crowded, nor as garish. Steve

Use hydrometer. Used refractometer for a while and when it arrived it proved my hydrometer to be sufficiently accurate if used correctly. Refractometer was a lot easier to use and got used a lot. Refractometer developed a leak after a while and is now in bits waiting for spare parts (seal round prism) from the supplier (some hope I suspect). Failing spare parts it works out a very expensive option for only 18 month usable life. Steve

They have tought me the benefit of having a large tank and then NOT filling it up with a lot of small colonies with no room to grow. That tank is just over 2000L and has less than 20 hard corals in it, and 5 of those are still frags. The other thing I have learnt from this, is just how impressive a big plate can look from above. Based on this experience, my new tank, while being about the same volume as the old one will be shallower, but wider to give the corals more room and low down so I can crank the lights up (hanging on block and tackle arangement from the ceiling) and admire from above. I am even considering the idea of, at some future time, replacing the 4 x 400s with two 1000s or 1500s mounted high up, and possibly moving through the day. Steve

Hydnophora, bottom left corner of picture. I have several of them, 2 in bright metallic green, 2 light brown and one large light brown with a lime green tint (best looking of them). The latter actually grew from a 3rd light brown one and has grown extremely fast and changed colour after moving to different, and a lot less crowded, tank (same tank as has large acro plates). This one often puffs up and sticks out its tentacles and then looks looks just like the one in the pic except for having a more open structure. The acro I was referring to was the one in the dead centre of the pic, probably actually purple more than pink. From what I can tell, apart from a Mintipora at the bottom and the Hydnophora, all the rest of the corals in that picture are Acropora. Steve

Not quite. The largest one measured at 31.5cm across about 10 days ago. The smaller would be about 28cm. I have recently put a bit on that green Stylophora in the same tank and it has nearly doubled in size in about 2 months. That tank took a long time to mature (for ages it was really hard to get corals to take) but now it has, and I have put cuttings of most of my favourites in there. Steve

Furry pink is an acro with its polyps open. Furry green is hydnophora, also fully open. Steve

In my case, the end result of the planning cycle was a sum total of 2 x 50mm holes, the lowest of which is centred 20.5mm below the top. Even then, they are surrounded by a glass cofferdam/overflow that only goes a few cm deeper itself. Call me paranoid if you like.... but I figure over the last 10-12 years of reefing I have spent enough time mopping up carpets. Steve

While I sympathise with your plight, having had a 1600L start to split a bottom seam in the past myself, your experience certainly reinforces the stance I took when Pies and others were trying to convince me of the wisdom of drilling holes in the bottom of my new tank to put circulation pumps in. Some basic plumbing lessons sink in slowly, sometimes requiring wet feet before the dubious nature of the pressure as depth/PVC pipe/silicone sealer/glass interface is fully appreciated. Steve

Found this on my computer, might be more what you had in mind. The colours don't come out very well in the pic but it is a sort of a dark red/purple colour with purple branch tips. This was taken about a year ago and it looks even more staghorm like now. Steve

Some of the others have blue, green or purple tips but that particular one has always had white tips. It is between two lights though, so it might change if it ends up closer to a light in the new tank. Interestingly, I have an acro that is all pink/red except for the growing tips, which are white, and it is pretty close to directly under a 400. The latter is a bit of a strange one since for about 3 years is sat there growing extremely slowly but for some reason (possibly just increased Ca levels) it has tripled in size in the last 4 months and gone from a nice pink, but not very spectacular, branch to a potential centre piece specimen. Steve

'Staghorn' is a generic name and does not really refer to any particular acropora coral, only to the way they grow. The way they grow can vary depending on the environment they are in, so a number of different acro species get called staghorn. Basically, if it looks like one, it is. That one has finally gone too high and lost 3 of its branch tips (about 1cm) after I cleaned the overflow and the water level dropped. On the other hand, that little branch at the bottom RHS has sprouted into a whole new cluster of branches. Steve

Fixed. Odd. It was like that after a couple of initial tries (I am used to fora that add the [???] bits automatically) and the image appeared in the thread. Not sure why it would have reverted. Anyway, thanks for the pic, it was one you took. Steve PS: Apparently my new tank is being built this weekend - with only 3 holes, including the big one on the top.

Like this?

Corals don't shoot out little red balls as a defence mechanism. If you have found one that does, you might become famous. Steve

Without actually seing it, it sounds like your coral spawned. Steve

It it happens again try putting a mirror in front of the tank. The troublemaker(s) can then take their ire out on their own reflection. I have done this to distract incumbants from a new arrival and ended up with even the new arrival out with the other fish attacking its own image. Steve