Blog Comments

Well.......After my original post I have been giving this project a whole lot of thought and your suggestions have pretty much confirmed what I was beginning to worry about. This would be too big for me alone. I've been wanting a large reef tank since I got into the hobby four years ago and I let the excitement of the project almost get me going down a road that would end in potential disaster. I am so glad I asked and got confirmation that a 600 gallon tank would be too big! At this time I do not have a 'tank team' but we are a large church and it shouldn't be too hard to find some responsible and reliable people who would want to be a part of the team. I do have a person I can call on if I run into any major problems.

My next question is this how big of a tank could I get away with. I know that is a question that has no one simple answer but I'm trying to get a feel for what is possible for one person to handle (in the event that finding a team proves difficult).

Cost was another one of the things that had me beginning to doubt the 600 gallon. I am very fortunate that we have people that donate to the aquarium so that will be a huge help in offsetting the costs of the larger aquarium. I am starting to put together a list of equipment and supplies that would be necessary for a large reef aquarium to get an idea of what it would take for such a large aquarium.

Thank you all for your help! It has been a huge help so far.
Audra

I suggest that you enlist the help of a 'tank team' to maintain the tank and its accessory components. We love this hobby, but the switch from 100 to 600 gallon display and maintenance thereafter will require a lot of attention and diligence, as Marc said. Is the church aware of what the maintenance costs will be (salt mix, supplemental minerals, filters,etc)? Taking it all on yourself may seem like a great idea until you try to find someone willing to feed and maintain the reef when you go on vacation.

600g is a massive challenge, and if you get the big room with area for water storage, qt, a sink and work area, you'll have the RO/DI system in the same room.

At times a big tank can feel like a full time job. Especially when things are going wrong. No quick fixes, and every solution is exponentially more expensive.

Thanks a bunch!!! This is awesome information to have!! I am so glad I asked!! I had only thought of a few of those things. I read about your walk board one your website some time back and I definitely plan on adding one of those!! I have been thinking about planning this for a couple years now since they first started talking about a new building. I definitely will be trying to get the biggest room I can get away with. It will be wonderful having everything in one location. Right now I have my aquarium in one location, my quarantine tank and supplies in a closet somewhat nearby, and my RO/DI unit is, unfortunately, in the men's restroom so that can be inconvenient at times .

Just thinking about going from a 100 gallon to a 600 gallon is a little nerve racking as well as super exciting! I will definitely be having more questions in the future!!!

Thanks again for your help!!
Audra

Hi Audra. Sounds like a great opportunity.

Here's what the fishroom needs:
1) Multiple circuits with outlets low and high and multiple locations. A circuit just for the heaters, so when they come on the circuit doesn't trip due to excessive items running on the same one. I have a circuit for the heaters, and a circuit for the A/C unit (or chiller unit).

2) Floor drain or french drain.

3) Sink (mop sink is best) to cleanup duties.

4) Ventilation. I have a vent fan running 24 hours a day on my 400g system, year round. It's been going for 3.5 years and the fan is about to be replaced because it has definitely slowed down over the past 30-60 days.

5) Temperature control. That room the aquarium is in needs to be climate controlled all year long, no matter what is going on. Many businesses and schools will have computers that shut off a/c during off hours and weekends to save electricity, but you want that room powered and cool at all times.

6) Emergency backup for power outages. A generator would be ideal.

7) Level floors that can handle the weight.

8) Room to work, walk around etc.

9) A walkboard to make your life easier. I love mine.

10) The ability to access the tank from all sides, and move the lighting out of your way when you really need to get in there.

Awesome!

Now keep wet skimming and doing water changes. I ended up with a massive hair algae outbreak right after I killed the dino's. I'm guessing it was from all the nutrients relased by the dying dino's.

Congratulations!

Well, it looks like it worked. The eight days of dosing ended late last week and I don't see any dinoflagellates in my aquarium any more. Again thank you so much for your help!!!

Thank you all so much!! I started dosing today. So we will see what happens.

I don't believe it matters, but I tried to do it about the same time of day to stay on routine.

Thank you so much!! Is there a particular time of day I should dose?

I'll second Marc, that definitly looks like dinos. I had huge problem with them years ago. Finally got rid of them by elevating the pH using Kalk for a couple weeks. I didn't keep it up long enough the first time and had to repeat the process a couple weeks later. I've read that only works for a couple of the hundreds of varieties though. I also experienced a huge hair algae outbreak as soon as the dinos were gone, but that's another story.

Yes, it looks like dinoflagellates to me as well. Try the peroxide method.

I tried attaching the file but it just showed me a little box with an "x" in the middle. I've included the link just in case the picture doesn't show up when I post.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hudh8u8bw9...le%20Dinos.JPG

I took this picture this afternoon. This picture was taken after I shut the lights off for three days. Prior to this it was a whole lot worse. It would "go away" at night but late in the afternoon it would be just a bit worse than the previous day. This stuff was all over my rocks and sand as well as on some of my corals.

Thank you so much for all your help!!
Audra

I'd feel more comfortable if I could see the problem before giving you specific advice on Dinoflagellates. But if you actually do have them, siphon out what you can and replace the lost water with more saltwater -- don't recycle the water.

When dinoflagellates appeared in a few spots in my 400g, I used 3% Peroxide, the stuff we buy at the market and put on cuts and abrasions. Determine the total water volume of your system minus displacement of rock and sand. 1ml per 10g of water, dosed daily into the sump for eight days in a row. This should remove it from your tank.

If you want to aquascape during this clean up process, I would siphon out some water out of the tank into a barrel, then violently shake off the rocks in the barrel of used water, and put it into your tank where desired. You could make supports under the rock, like cutting 2" or 3" diameter PVC that are 2" tall. Use these circular pillars to stabilize the rock, and then add sand around the PVC to hide it. If your fish tries to dig, it won't be able to undermine the aquascaping.

Unless you really like the look of crushed coral, I wouldn't use it.

Awesome!!! Thanks a bunch!! I'll be ordering it today (once it's back in stock). Should I wait to redo my aquascaping and substrate before I treat it?

check out fauna marin algae x from BRS. I have used it in my reef with stellar results.

The Irving Bible Church as a nice reef tank too. I think it's a 240g.

yeah no problem i always like to help out a fellow reefer, i plan to be posting on my blog here soon ive been meaning to but i haven't gotten around to it

Hey, thanks for getting back to me on this!!