I think my post got buried. #2. What is the reasoning behind the stacks? It looks so cool.
hey friend, sorry, your post didnt get buried, i jus got busy around the house... i always respond to all concerns and questions, and will continue to do so here, and ill get to everyone...
as far as your question, the following are some exerpts from my system thread on RC... i'll list a few that will help explain my ideas and theories for my approach... they are pasted here cuz i jus dont feel like typing it all again... lol
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#1... the question was "whats up with the tiles?"
the tiles are my own thing... an idea thought of through wanting to display my corals and only the beauty of the corals themselves and emphasizing that above all else... as well as create a good enviroment for them to thrive along with barebottom and awesome flow (which i believe far too many do not have enough of, or understand how truely important it is)... I also do not like my corals contaminating my rock and/or growing on it, which is why i keep it in my fuge and sump... and i REALLY dont like seeing corals that have their growth inhibited by being cramped up against another colony... its my way of seperating my setup from what EVERYONE else in the world of reefing does... I am not a coral farmer as some have accused me of... however, like most everyone else, i do frag a bit here and there, but clearly if you look at my corals, i am no chop shop, for the most part they are completely left alone... i jus choose to make a display case style out of my setup... when it reaches the point of a couple years down the road, i hope to have a large, shallow tank with nothing but a spread of beautiful corals visually enhanced by altering, but pleasing to the eye heights along with the need of each colony first and foremost... right now i am thinking a 6' x 3' x 18" tall, lit with a (10) bulb, 60" t5 fixture... filled with hopefully 100 or more or so of my favorite sps and zoas/palys w/ a few select favorite fish of mine to add to it's beauty and presentation...
the tiles are not everyone's "cup of tea" as i have been trashed a little here and there about my approach... but there are many more who think its awesome and truely unique, which was my goal... unique, and different, but yet something of substance...
also the tiles allow me to adjust the light they get, the flow, and height of the corals placement in the water column... so i can really create a custom station for each and every colony... i will say, a standard 75g isnt the best tank to do this with, but for now its what i have... i do have a standard 120 in wait, but i dont think i am gonna use it for my corals at this point, if i use it at all... i prefer 18" or shorter for height, and even the 21" of my 75g now is too high for my liking... the tiles also make for an amazing place for pods to find safety and nest between... i cant even tell you how many pods of various sizes are in my system... thousands upon thousands... you really see them when you look in when the lights first come on in the morning...
so again, the tiles get different reviews, but its more about the beauty of the corals, the growth patterns I get with the heavy flow (dense and thick) and their overall health... so far, knock on wood, i have had some very good luck, even with all the mistakes i have made in the first year, which will not happen in my second year... of course barring anything stupid happening by chance...
personally, i love my approach, and aside from perhaps plumbing in a nano style small volume tank into my system so i can show off my aquascaping skills, i will never change my style of setup... I am the first i have seen in 5 years of reefing to do this, and I am very proud of it...
thanks for the interest in my system bud, and anyone else who jus appreciates the corals and can get past their particular dislike of my presentation and style
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#2 same sort of question, jus some more info on my approach...
... it was jus kinda my idea of a showcase... one idea i had that i really liked, and i really think would look sharp... is using 1.5" acrylic rod as your column, and on the top have a 2.5" acrylic disc and a 3.5" disc on the bottom, and fuse them together to make a sleek, yet bold coral pedastal made of a very clean and clear material... i think this would look very clean and very awesome... and of course have them all in different and proprotioned heights... i was going to go with this, but when i priced it out, it jus wasnt financially feasable... to get roughly 40 pedastals, with a even number of them at 3", 4", 5" and 6"... it would be at least four hundred dollars, most likely more with the cost of materials... so i went another way... and also, it wasnt as heavy as the tiles, and isnt height adjusstable like the tiles, which i REALLY love about them...
and feel free to try it, i am not sure anyone else has gone in this direction with presentation and growth as i have not seen any anywhere in 5 years of saltwater (started April 06'), but please anyone and everyone... get creative, not only can it be a love for the ocean, but a method of art and expression... a real show of beauty, colors and shapes straight out of your sense of creativity... it gives you a whole new sense of pride about it... pushes you that extra mile and keeps you goin...
these things i get for $8... a 1' square with 36 tiles, and i jus remove them from the mesh backing... the glue that i cant get off doesnt seem to have any negative effect whatsoever and most will come off with a quick rubbing with a good file... so it helps... one thing I need to do is get some more lol, as always... but to start re-glueing them as when i first started i didnt realize how high i wanted to go, so some of them need a good re-do for the safety of the corals... but anyways, i am very satisfied with the look of the tiles... they are jus plain, uncoated in anyway, and jus have a good "underwater feel" when they color up a bit... personally, i think they work out great, and make for a great look... as well as make it very possible to keep the tank very clean looking especially in the area of detritus removal... with those 2 mp40s, that stuff doesnt have a chance... I even use a koralia magnum 6 at 2200 gph to keep everything off the bottom of my sump now i am gonna work on getting a diamond goby for the 65g to keep the sand constantly stirred... and its shallow, like 1/4" throughout the bottom... so i feel very little will settle their either, but i got some clean up crew so i am not too worried once i get the goby... again, hope this to become the nice lps and anenome part of my system... it wont be any nutrients for them, but ill feed them all for sure if they need it and jus to help them along...
anyhow, again, i encourage all to get creative... regardless of how over the top, or however simple... make it yours and unique... as many of you here do already and not to take anything away from anyone, as i have learned from so many of you... i think its the empowering feeling of creation mixed with that oceanic re-creation thing that gets us going about it all, and its the greatest thing about this hobby... its my passion, as well as yours...
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#3 same sort of question, but much shorter answer lol
they jus make for a nice and clean, height differ'd display, and allow for lots of flow through the whole tank... jus kind of what i like to do and a good way to present my corals...
