Blog Comments

I have to agree.... skimmers were one of the first things that impressed me in the marine aquarium hobby when I started, and they still amaze me. How simple and effective!! Whoever figured them out was/is a genius.

Where is Atlantis Aquarium?

Atlantis Aquarium and Steinhart Aquarium.

Yes, that has been my plan. I'll have to figure out a way to plumb it in though, which is easier typed than glued.

Hey Marc quick question and maybe you are already doing it but do you plan to fill the 400gal with new salt water and just plumb it to your sump and run both tanks on the sump for a period of time to balance the 2 tanks? If not are there some draw backs to doing it that way that you have considered? The reason i ask is because i currently have a 108 and may be moving to a 300gal in the spring. Thanks

Very nice ,, cant wait to see everything in the new tank!,,,

That one is definitely on my list.

You must check out Shedd Aquarium in downtown Chicago. You could literally spend days there (which I have : ) )!

Please feel free to reach out to anyone you think may help. You can link them to this blog, as that's pretty easy I'd think.

I have a couple from CoralCon as well that I can email you if you like.

The Chattanooga Aquarium is very very nice also.

So, how did these test kits fare in your evaluation?

Here's a little more information discussing how this might be possible: http://reefbuilders.com/2013/10/09/l...rine-aquarium/

120 drops.

How many drops of RX do you dose? Just curious

When I set up the 400g in early 2011, my buddy Wes came over and helped me create the acrylic support system that was buried in the sandbed. No-one ever saw it, and I never got around to writing the supporting article. At the Aquascaping presentation I did with Scott Fellman at MACNA last year, I did show images of this rack to the audience. This time, I'm taking better pictures and will do a full write up.

What you see is a teaser shot of the project. The foundation rock is supported on acrylic rods that are glued into a full sheet of 3/8" acrylic. The pressure is equalized across the panel. Once water and sand is in the tank, you'll never see it. The rockwork is very shallow at the moment because it is the foundation layer; the rest of the rocks are in the 215g with corals all over them. These will be stacked on top of the foundation. Putting rock on the sandbed only works initially, but can shift over time due to flow and livestock interaction. Placing rock on the bottom of the tank and adding sand merely wastes 3-4" of rock buried beneath the substrate. This way I can have a DSB and my rockwork won't move, no matter how many cucumbers process detritus beneath the structure.

Hey Marc can you explain why you are supporting your rock this way? I can think of a few reason but just curious on your thought process. Also do you think it may trap unwanted waste between the bottom glass panel and acrylic base support?

PS waiting for the next update.

Very nice write up Marc sorry it took so long to finish it!

No, once this part is ready, sand will fill in beneath the rock and hide the acrylic support system.

Contemplating bare bottom?