AK's 240gal build thread....

aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
The will be a big island on the very left, then a just slightly smaller island just to the right. The goal will be to have a tight vertical rock face between the two islands. The right side will be mostly open, maybe a few rocks down in the sand to help with the realism and hopefully some macro/sea grass that the angels/tang will leave alone.
This is actually KJR's tank I had saved a pic of just after we first got the tank and was playing with different aquascapes.
 
ibanez

ibanez

Member
How is it comeing, lets see a pic with it full. Hey about that little art job you did for me. They have another male and female available. I highly recommend this fish if your looking for another couple of fish. It is larger than I expected but a beautiful fish. Mine immediately accepted frozen food.
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
Originally Posted by IbanEz
http:///forum/post/3265955
How is it comeing, lets see a pic with it full. Hey about that little art job you did for me. They have another male and female available. I highly recommend this fish if your looking for another couple of fish. It is larger than I expected but a beautiful fish. Mine immediately accepted frozen food.
It's slowed down. I have company over this week, so no real time to work on the tank. Sorta hit a roadblock as well on the overflow. My simple idea for just an elbow up for the drain, isn't flowing fast enough, so I'll have to empty out about a 1/4th of the tank and silicone in an overflow trap. Also pretty steamed on the doors, I bought really nice polished hardware (door handles and hinges) from Home Depot a while ago. Well the hinges are a wrong style
.
Yea I saw the new Redfins up today. I would love 'em, but A.) I got new fish last week, B.) Now with 5 holding tanks (plus the 240 and a 90gal reef) I'm really at capacity. One of them is a 46gal bowfront that's planted with a ton of macros that is eventually going to became a scorpion tank. I already have an Hawiian dwarf lion for it. I think leaning more towards a Cockatoo Wasp for that tank.
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
Originally Posted by skate020
http:///forum/post/3267799
looks awesome, you not going for a hood on this?
Thanks!
There will be a full canopy, that matches the stand. Just the canopy isn't really needed, so just built the stand so we could get the tank up and running and then I will build the canopy.
 
kjr_trig

kjr_trig

Active Member
Originally Posted by AquaKnight
http:///forum/post/3264087
The will be a big island on the very left, then a just slightly smaller island just to the right. The goal will be to have a tight vertical rock face between the two islands. The right side will be mostly open, maybe a few rocks down in the sand to help with the realism and hopefully some macro/sea grass that the angels/tang will leave alone.
This is actually KJR's tank I had saved a pic of just after we first got the tank and was playing with different aquascapes.

LOL, that's pretty cool....It's my tank, but not my tank. That actually makes me want to stack my rock a little higher, it looks good like that.
How are the QT fish doing?
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Just found your thread AquaKnight..... Looking good
love the stand and color. Reminds me of my 240 stand. Did you use a mahogany stain? Waiting for updates!!!!!
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
Thanks for the comments guys! Should have update pics tomorrow. Have about half the sand in (so I can start aquascaping), and 70 or so pounds of rock tossed in. Just finished putting in a overflow box (the elbow up wasn't flowing much at all), so the tank's sitting half full right now.
Originally Posted by kjr_trig
http:///forum/post/3267953
How are the QT fish doing?
Doing good. Moved the Crosshatch to a larger QT with the Blueface and Rock Beauty now that she's eating strong. The Blue Spotted Angels are coming along as well. The larger one eats out of the water column nicely, the smaller one started to peck earlier, but spits food back out. Though eating fresh clams on the half shell, which they love.
And with the Blue Spotteds, I think that should about do it for the stocklist, save for an anthias group I think would mesh well.
Originally Posted by acrylic51
http:///forum/post/3268150
JDid you use a mahogany stain?
Great eye! Used Minwax Prestain first, then Minwax Polyshades 'Bombay Mahogany Satin' stain.
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
Overflow box is in!

Some sand and 70# of rock in.

Found this guy on the rock. Apparently it managed to save alive in my 90gal sump with no light directly on it.
 
G

gtdarock

Guest
Looks good Aqua. How much lbs of rock you are putting in there -?
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Nice work on the overflow box......You'll definitely see that having the box around the exposed bulkhead will make it more effective at skimming the water.....
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
Originally Posted by GTDAROCK
http:///forum/post/3268806
Looks good Aqua. How much lbs of rock you are putting in there -?
Including the rock that will go into the refugium, around 350, so 300 in the display?
The rocks soaking in the pic on the previous page are all in the tank now, which account for 250#. Spent most of the day unsuccessfully trying to get the left island aquascaped. Got some of it I like, but mostly didn't. It's hard aquascaping for larger fish, but still have denser rock work.
Originally Posted by acrylic51
http:///forum/post/3268809
Nice work on the overflow box......You'll definitely see that having the box around the exposed bulkhead will make it more effective at skimming the water.....

Originally Posted by acrylic51
http:///forum/post/3268813
Again....love the 240 and stain work.......
Curious you just have 1 overflow in the tank?
I started the return back up and now she's able to run wide open now.

Yea, just one 1.5" overflow. I've never really been too much of a fan of extreme flow through the sump. Gives the equipment better contact time. Most of the display circulation will be done via powerheads. I thought about using the present overflow for a closed loop, and an external overflow for the drain, but I thought it was too close to the surface (the CL pump might suck in air).
Thanks for the comments on the stand. Mine ain't too shabby, but
yours is on a different level.
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Understand it probably would suck air if using it as a CL....What are you using for a return pump? I have 2 1.5" drains on my 240 with center overflow....
 
G

gtdarock

Guest
Very true Aqua,its really hard to aquascape for larger fish.Did you ever checkout the Macro Rocks -? KJR recommended them. They have good rocks,like Key Largo and shelf rock.The prices are very cheap
 
ibanez

ibanez

Member
I think you'll find that less water circulating through the sump may cause increased algae problems within the tank since nutrients will not be quickly transported down to where the macro is. But, it will work fine.
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
Bit of an update lol.... The door are finished and on. 120'ish pounds of sand in the display, another 150'ish in the refugium. About 75% of rock is in. The rest is in my 55gal temp tank and will be added in with the other fish (they need it in there for now). The island in the center will be built up using that rock. The big boulder on the right side will be the only rock over there. I am hoping to have a seagrass bed over there.
Tank is cycled and has two fish
, the Crosshatch and Naso, both of which are so glad to finally stretch their fins.
Left a 7gal blue water jug for sense of scale;

That's it for the good news. The bad news is that we are pretty positive we are going to be moving again. For the second time in about as many years, the owner of the house we're renting has decided to sell. She canceled her contract will the rental company, and is looking to up the house up for sale again, however will likely be facing foreclosure. Luckily that will happen after our contract expires at the end of July. This was all learned after the owner's new realtor stopped by out of the blue. She is offering for us to stay at $300 more a month, but that would put the monthly payment way above market, and in the same range as some really nice houses.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top