Barry's 55 Gallon Reef

[Siderjan]

First and foremost I'd like to thank Camps23 for introducing me to this site!!

I built myself a custom 59 Gallon tank in 2009 but never had the cash to set it up.  Oct. of 2010 I came across a 55 gallon on Kijiji for sale with everything I needed for $200 so I bought it.

That build can been seen here.  http://www.livingreefs.com/custom-build-started-sept-13-2009-present-t29668.html I'm not going to re-post that build here as it's too long.  The tank I built ended up leaking so I bought a 55Gallon with a corner overflow.

Here's what my stand looks like.  It's the old tank in the picture.  I built the stand out of 2x4's and old tobacco slats.

Here's the new tank after I filled it in March.

I started with a 35 Gallon sump/refugium but it didn't have enough room so I built a new one.  It's about 47 gallons.

Here's what the tank looks like tonight.

I have/use the following;

Equipment;
1000GPH return pump.
Seaclone 100 Skimmer <- Need replacing.
2 150W heater
TLF Phosban Reactor fed with a maxi-Jet 400
2 Maxi-Jet 600 Power heads
36" 6 Tube T5 Lights.

Livestock
Yellow Tang
Blue Tang
Bi-Colour Blenny
Snailfin Blenny
Red Spotted Hawkfish
Green Maradine Goby
2 Clowns

Clean Up Crew
8 Hermit Crabs
2 Cleaner Shrimp
1 Hallow'een Urchin
1 Pink Urchin
1 Huge Emerald Crab
2 Zebra Turbos (1 in Sump)
3 Cerith Snails (2 in sump)
6 Astraea Snails
1 Nassarius Snails
1 Chestnut Cowrie

Corals

I also have a 10 Gallon frag tank that I'm trying to save 3 heads of fragspawn.  I glued them to a skeleton last night.

 

[Darryl_V]

Nice....

old tobacco slats eh....way to rep t-burg.....my back still aches when I hear that word!

 

[Blob-79]

lol..ugh..my back hurts right at this moment

 

[shayneh]

LOL it is that time of year....sure do miss throwing tobacco worms, pissing on plants at the end of the row (reserved for people I didn't like) and driving boat all f'ed up from drinking all night. Don't miss lifting wet GD sand leaves in the morning though....

 

[phi delt reefer]

....country folk....

 

[MDGraves]

My wrists are still f'ed from stupid sand leaves. At least the hair grew back on my arms, lol

 

[shayneh]

LMAO anyone else ever just nod their head and smile when a newbie decided they would wear a short sleeve shirt on the primer? Nothing like watching someone all jacked up on the nicotene rush of a lifetime ......Wow I was evil! 

 

[Darryl_V]

LMAO anyone else ever just nod their head and smile when a newbie decided they would wear a short sleeve shirt on the primer? Nothing like watching someone all jacked up on the nicotene rush of a lifetime ......Wow I was evil!

huh......we all wore t-shirts and shorts....hands, arms and legs covered in tar.  Can't ever say I felt the rush of nicotine though.  Just a pain in the arse to get off.

 

[shayneh]

[quote author=shayneh link=topic=1359.msg9051#msg9051 date=1313796056]
LMAO anyone else ever just nod their head and smile when a newbie decided they would wear a short sleeve shirt on the primer? Nothing like watching someone all jacked up on the nicotene rush of a lifetime ......Wow I was evil!

huh......we all wore t-shirts and shorts....hands, arms and legs covered in tar.  Can't ever say I felt the rush of nicotine though.  Just a pain in the arse to get off.
[/quote]

Seriously? Makes me wonder what the hell I was working with then. I remember watching new guys on the primer getting sick for the first week because they didn't take precautions to keep the leaves away from their skin. After that they would be wearing full rain gear if the leaves were wet.

 

[Darryl_V]

[quote author=Darryl_V link=topic=1359.msg9053#msg9053 date=1313800157]
[quote author=shayneh link=topic=1359.msg9051#msg9051 date=1313796056]
LMAO anyone else ever just nod their head and smile when a newbie decided they would wear a short sleeve shirt on the primer? Nothing like watching someone all jacked up on the nicotene rush of a lifetime ......Wow I was evil!

huh......we all wore t-shirts and shorts....hands, arms and legs covered in tar.  Can't ever say I felt the rush of nicotine though.  Just a pain in the arse to get off.
[/quote]

Seriously? Makes me wonder what the hell I was working with then. I remember watching new guys on the primer getting sick for the first week because they didn't take precautions to keep the leaves away from their skin. After that they would be wearing full rain gear if the leaves were wet.
[/quote]

What you are talking about is tobacco poisoning....which is caused by nicotine absorption but I can tell you I'm not a smoking and never noticed a thing...neither most of the guys I worked with.  It can cause rashes and vomiting...nice eh.  In all my years on a tobacco farm though I only knew one guy who got it really bad.  Most people are fine working in tobacco.

anyway...sorry to get the thread off topic....

 

[shayneh]

[quote author=shayneh link=topic=1359.msg9056#msg9056 date=1313851582]
[quote author=Darryl_V link=topic=1359.msg9053#msg9053 date=1313800157]
[quote author=shayneh link=topic=1359.msg9051#msg9051 date=1313796056]
LMAO anyone else ever just nod their head and smile when a newbie decided they would wear a short sleeve shirt on the primer? Nothing like watching someone all jacked up on the nicotene rush of a lifetime ......Wow I was evil!

huh......we all wore t-shirts and shorts....hands, arms and legs covered in tar.  Can't ever say I felt the rush of nicotine though.  Just a pain in the arse to get off.
[/quote]

Seriously? Makes me wonder what the hell I was working with then. I remember watching new guys on the primer getting sick for the first week because they didn't take precautions to keep the leaves away from their skin. After that they would be wearing full rain gear if the leaves were wet.
[/quote]

What you are talking about is tobacco poisoning....which is caused by nicotine absorption but I can tell you I'm not a smoking and never noticed a thing...neither most of the guys I worked with.  It can cause rashes and vomiting...nice eh.  In all my years on a tobacco farm though I only knew one guy who got it really bad.  Most people are fine working in tobacco.

anyway...sorry to get the thread off topic....
[/quote]

Yea I saw a few guys that got sick with chills or fever and puked their brains out for a few days or some came down with rashes all over where they weren't covered up. Some never came back and some would be fine after the first week...LOL! All the seasonal workers wore pants and long sleeve shirts.

 

[Siderjan]

Nice....

old tobacco slats eh....way to rep t-burg.....my back still aches when I hear that word!

I wanted to use something unique, and I picked them up for free from a farmer I worked for.

 

[Siderjan]

Holy.  It's amazing how a thread changes topic fast.  It went from my tank showcase to tobacco experiences.

 

[shayneh]

LOL sorry....it definitely was a unique choice of materials.

 

[Siderjan]

Oh No!!! Kim & I went shopping today. We went to London for curtains for our daughters room, and this is what we came home with.

3 Headed Blue Ric and a coral I can't remember the name of even though I was told it 5 times. (Sealife Central)

2 Trochus Snails, 3 Cerith Snails, an Emerald Crab since both of mine have died, a nice 3 headed Blue Mushroom, and another coral I have no idea the name, but loved the way it looked. (Incredible Aquarium)

The Emerald Crab landed here out of the net, and started eating right away.

My Blue Ric.

Blue Mushrooms.

Unknown Coral 1.

Unknown Coral 2.

My Trochus Snails.

The Cerith snails went for a run under the substrate as soon as they hit it.

 

[Darryl_V]

Unknown #1 ..im not sure but
unknown #2 ..well that is a sun polyp.  They are non photosynthetic so put it somwhere in lower light.  I've never owned them but I think you may have to feed them in order for them to do well.

If you are ever in Woodstock...I have some hammer coral, green star polyps, blue&green candy cane and some zoa's you might be interested in.

 

[Blob-79]

unknown 1 are clove plolyps. I know cause i was there when he bought them

 

[Siderjan]

That's what they're called.  Thank Blob!!  I was going to ask Bill what they were.  The other one is a dendrophilia <SP>.

 

[Siderjan]

Unknown #1 ..im not sure but
unknown #2 ..well that is a sun polyp.  They are non photosynthetic so put it somwhere in lower light.  I've never owned them but I think you may have to feed them in order for them to do well.

If you are ever in Woodstock...I have some hammer coral, green star polyps, blue&green candy cane and some zoa's you might be interested in.

Thanks Darryl.  I'm in Woodstock about twice a month.  Soon to be more since my wife likes getting groceries at Wal-Mart.  Send me a PM with your phone/cell number so I can look you up the next time I'm there.

 

[Siderjan]

I know I'm going to catch some slack over buying this, but it was $40 and I needed a better skimmer for this tank.  I know there are better, but for the cash I had on me, it was all I could afford until I get a new one for the 120 gallon.  It's a Coralife 220G.  The collection cup is already soaking to be cleaned.

I'll post pics later of my old skimmer which hasn't been emptied in over a week and what this one pull out in a week along with now and then pics of my tank.  I'm hoping this helps clear up this tank.