Marine Tech Show Tank

[Blue]

This is our show tank.
Having a wife, three kids and managing a busy marine center, I don't have time to keep a tank at home, but this is why I have a tank in the shop that I treat as my own.
The tank itself is 4' x 2' x 18" and has a DSB sump . I also use kalkwasser with white vinegar.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a147/mr_midnigh_uk/Our%20Marine%20Tank/tankadditions22-1.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a147/mr_midnigh_uk/Our%20Marine%20Tank/tankadditions22-2.jpg
I hope you like it.
I know the frogspawn is a bit close to the acro but it is a frag of the one in the top left that I am bringing on.
Kind regards Chris

p.s. I know we've all seen better but this tank is only 8 months old

[Paul P.]

All seen better ???

It`s a tank i`d be more than happy to have :wink:

[total*clowns]

that's great, if our tanks look anywhere near as good as this once we have finished I will be more then happy !!!

I know what you mean about the three kids bit....although our eldest does love to help!! Oh and the hubby does a pretty good job too!! :lol:

[Macca]

Chris , I would love some frags of off some of these corals. :roll:

James

[Tangman]

Hi Chris. The tank looks good m8 you have to run before you walk, in a few months time you wont recognise it. It will soon fill out as long as James does not get his hands on them :lol: .Eric

[Blue]

Thanks for all the nice replies.
And of course you can take frags anytime James :wink:

[Macca]

I will be over shortly. :roll:

I just wish you were a bit closer. How Steve manages to go to and from Hull to Leeds is beyond me. That M62 is a bit of a bore :shock:

James

[Blue]

Don't worry James, I know what it's like , I don't get time to go anywhere also, but we'll meet 1 day I'm sure. regards chris :) :)

[tonyponty]

thats is a wondeful tank well done

[marcoz]

Excellent tank Chris, so much colour- I've haven't seen many better!
Ps. can u please explain the use of kalkwasser and white vinegar?

[Blue]

This method is not for beginners and you need to know exactly what your water parameters are before you even think of using this method ie; PH,DKH,calcium, magnesium and nitrate.

Pour 10ml of 5% Acetic Acid (or ordinary Distilled White Vinegar) into a 1Ltr container with a drip attached to the side of it (which you will probably have to adapt yourself). The drip will need an in-line valve on it also to control the amount of mix added to the tank. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of lab-grade Ca(OH)2 (or commercial Kalkwasser mix) in the Acetic Acid, and then dilute to 1Ltr of RO water.

What kalkwasser and vinegar mixed does;

Dissolving the Kalk powder in the Vinegar first will accomplish several very good things.

First - it will get more Calcium ions (Ca++) into the solution because you are dissolving the Ca(OH)2 in an acid instead of water, and forming Calcium Acetate, which exists as a dissociated equilibrium of free Calcium ions and Acetate ions.

Second - the Acetic Acid (Vinegar) provides an equivalent of all the CO2 you need to avoid precipitating the newly-added Calcium ions as useless white Calcium Carbonate powder.

Third - leftover Acetate ions from the broken-down Vinegar leaves you with free organic Carbon in the water that feeds the bacteria in your tank so that it converts more poisonous Nitrates to NO2 gas (a very good thing).
You should check your parameters before and after you do this,for the first few months at least as they will all be affected by dripping Kalk.
________________________________________

________________________________________
Never use any coloured or flavoured Vinegars, only use distilled white vinegar.

If you are using Vinegar in your Kalk mix for the first time, I'd start off with a half dose to 1Ltr at first and drip this in slowly(ideally into a sump or in the flow of a powerhead) at lights out time, I use it at night as this is the time that your PH will be at its lowest when the lights are off. Do not drip too fast as this could seriously affect your system. If you find you still need to get more Calcium into your tank per unit Kalkwasser work up to it over a few weeks so as not to shock your animals and the balance of your aquarium water.
Do not use the full dosage of mix from the start until you are sure your tank needs it , so as not to experience radical changes in PH, Calcium, Alkalinity, Magnesium, and the health of your livestock . Measure the PH, DKH, Calcium, Magnesium, and Nitrate as you work up to the stronger mix.
Observe your livestock, especially if you have any really delicate corals or fish, to see that they behave normally as you build up to the stronger solution.
As with all the things you do in your tank, go slow, observe the reaction of your tank to any changes in what you add every week, and understand what and why you are adding this solution.

Remember that all aquariums are not the same ie; size of aquaria,amount of live rock, coralline algae,corals and fish etc, so the amount of kalk and vinegar you use will depend on what your tank needs.
By the way, I am not a chemist, the above chemical equations are what I have gathered before I started using this method.
This is only what I do in this tank which is 4’x2’x18, so you will have to calculate the amount of mix to suit your own tanks needs and “again” is not for beginners who do not understand the chemistry of their aquariums!!
Kind regards Chris :wink:

[marcoz]

thanks for sharing your knowledge chris- think I'll get to grips with what I've got before attempting this method! :worried: You never seem to stop learning in this hobby :shock:

[Blue]

You never ever can stop learning about this hobby, thats the great part about it and you can never know all of it either in 1 lifetime :)

[Simon]

Wish my tank was like that! excellent! :Thinking:

[liquidlogic]

wow nice!

[streetfighter]

tip top Chris but ya know i like it as i always have a nosey round when i'm in the shop
Nige :wink:

[Blue]

Hiya nige, nice to see you on here. Thanks for the kind words.
You can't have anything any cheeper though lol :-D :-D
See you in shop mate :wink:

[oakwell]

looks great!!

[liquidlogic]

can we have more pics :)

[robbie]

A quick tip for making up your own device to add Kalk is to go to your local Vets and ask for a Saline bag and Giving set, once you explain what you want to do they are more than willing to help.

the giving set is basically an IV drip which allows you to control the flow rate into the tank and you can get saline bags for Horses in up to a litre bags.

You just fill the bag, attach the drip and hang it from the tank. They charged me just £2 for the giving set and the saline bags were free, as they had some out of date stock, which they were throwing away anyway.

[Blue]

Just a few more pict of the tank

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n226/marinetech/marinetech09-6.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n226/marinetech/marinetech09-7.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n226/marinetech/marinetech09-5.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n226/marinetech/marinetech09-3.jpg

[Pinkfish]

Nice pics the tank is looking great, maybe I'll pop up one day ... but its a bit of a drive from london.

Still filling my very first tank with RO water :( :( :( will get there eventually
Mike

[Blue]

more pics

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n226/marinetech/marinetech09-1.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n226/marinetech/marinetech09.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n226/marinetech/cid_001101c6d50e34537160c901a8c0Kat.jpg

[Blue]

Nice pics the tank is looking great, maybe I'll pop up one day ... but its a bit of a drive from london.

Still filling my very first tank with RO water :( :( :( will get there eventually
Mike

Would be great to see you 1 day,
you never know.
Thanks for the nice words.
Good luck with the tank, any advice you need don't hesitate to ask.

chris

[Macca]

Chris do you take these photos yourself? There awesome.

James

[Macca]

Did that fugia come with the live rock?

James

[Blue]

Ian took the pics and yes the fungia came in in live rock. It was the size of a ten pence piece and is now about 70mm in diameter. It should grow even faster now with the better lighting.
chris.

[P.A.D]

Chris, Your tank is beautiful and maturing nicely. Couldn't take my eyes off it when I was in last Tuesday.

What kelvin are the bulbs in the halide ??

[callum_parsons]

wow!!! that is stunning

[Blue]

That tank has altered a lot since these pics were put up. The bulbs are only 150W 10,000k with 4 T5 blue actinics. I shall post some more pics shortly, I just keep forgetting :D :D Thanks for the comments:)

[Macca]

Yes and a few of the corals are now in my tank :D

James

[Blue]

Yeah, you're like a magpie. That should be your new name :D :D

[TerraC]

i've got my name down for some of that green fragspawn ;)

[Blue]

I will have some for you 1 day :)

[Buster]

That tank has altered a lot since these pics were put up. The bulbs are only 150W 10,000k with 4 T5 blue actinics. I shall post some more pics shortly, I just keep forgetting :D :D Thanks for the comments:)

Chris is hoping for a camera from santa :D . Then he might update the photo's. lol.

[Blue]

Too right m8 :D :D :D

[Tetley]

Chris is hoping for a camera from santa :D . Then he might update the photo's. lol.


Me also :)