New 36 Bow Front

[Arcticfirefighter]

Brand new setup, it's only been up for about seven days. I think the waiting is just as hard for me as for my six year old daughter. Every morning she runs down and turns on the lights to see if there are any "critters" that decided to show up. Here is a list of what we have so far.

- Hydor Evo 850 Power Heads
- Aqueon Pro 150 Watt Heater
- 20 lbs Live sand
- 10 lbs Dry Rock
- 20 lbs Live Rock
- AQ150 Digital Thermometer

Next Purchases
- Hydor Smart Wave Controller
- LED Lights (Still Not Sure What Kind)

 

[cancun]

Nice set up so far! I really like your aquascape! Do you guys have a fish stock list in mind?

 

[Arcticfirefighter]

Nice set up so far! I really like your aquascape! Do you guys have a fish stock list in mind?

Right now my daughter wants two clowns. We are going to let it ride for a good while after adding those before get more. Not really sure yet what else we will put in there after the clowns.

 

[jsker]

Look good!!

 

[cancun]

Right now my daughter wants two clowns. We are going to let it ride for a good while after adding those before get more. Not really sure yet what else we will put in there after the clowns.

LOL! Don't forget to name one Nemo! That's what I named my first clown back in the day! It will be a nice set up for sure! [emoji3]

 

[SPR1968]

I love the aquascaping. It’s a very nice design how it slopes away, very natural.

And welcome to R2R as well!

 

[Arcticfirefighter]

Well since my wife would kill me if I dropped $300 on a custom screen top for the Bow, I decided to build one myself out of egg crate. It might not be the best thing out there but it works for now. First thing I did was go to Home Depot and grab a 4' x 2' white egg crate. Once I got that home I cut it to size using two pieces. The first one was basically a rectangle with holes cut out for the power cords and skimmer. The second part was a bit trickier and took some marking up to get it correct. I did it in two pieces so I could just remove the smaller front piece for maintenance and feeding. I didn't want a white top so I ran and grabbed some Rustoleum 2X in flat black and sprayed it. I used the 2x because it is formulated for indoor/outdoor and for plastic. Once that dried over night I put it back on the tank and added the light. The light is pretty weak using the stock single strip LED; however, I think once I upgrade to a multiple strip/output unit it should be ok for the meantime. I also swapped out one of my Evo 850s for a smaller Evo Nano 240. the flow with both 850s was just too much.

 

[jsker]

Well since my wife would kill me if I dropped $300 on a custom screen top for the Bow, I decided to build one myself out of egg crate. It might not be the best thing out there but it works for now. First thing I did was go to Home Depot and grab a 4' x 2' white egg crate. Once I got that home I cut it to size using two pieces. The first one was basically a rectangle with holes cut out for the power cords and skimmer. The second part was a bit trickier and took some marking up to get it correct. I did it in two pieces so I could just remove the smaller front piece for maintenance and feeding. I didn't want a white top so I ran and grabbed some Rustoleum 2X in flat black and sprayed it. I used the 2x because it is formulated for indoor/outdoor and for plastic. Once that dried over night I put it back on the tank and added the light. The light is pretty weak using the stock single strip LED; however, I think once I upgrade to a multiple strip/output unit it should be ok for the meantime. I also swapped out one of my Evo 850s for a smaller Evo Nano 240. the flow with both 850s was just too much.

Nice DIY on the cover, no carpet surfing for you!!

 

[Neo Jeo]

Looks great!

 

[hdsoftail1065]

It turned out great! I love watching the DIY stuff on this forum. Proof that you can make this hobby as expensive or as cheap as you make it!

 

[Arcticfirefighter]

First addition to the tank. A few "critters" to keep my daughter interested while we wait for the clowns in QT.

2 Nassarious Snails
2 Cerith Snails
2 Red Leg Hermit Crabs

 

[Arcticfirefighter]

Added two clowns about two weeks ago and they are doing great. Got a bit of an algea out break that I though was diatoms; however, it has been hanging around for about 5 days. So I went and got 4 more scarlet hermits to deal with the rest of it. The original two scarlets are still pretty small and cant keep up with it. The clowns in the pics are trying to figure out who their new tankmates are. Looking at adding either a Royal Gramma, Yellow Watchman, or Orchid Dottyback next. The QT tank is lonely, so it needs a buddy.

 

[Ghost463]

That is a great tank!! Nice setup! I would step away from the c3 filter and go for a fluval306 canaster.
This is an awesome tank and kit! It has so many potentials and the bow front makes a deeper tank. More floor space and taller!
Good choice there! Qell done!!

 

[Arcticfirefighter]

That is a great tank!! Nice setup! I would step away from the c3 filter and go for a fluval306 canaster.
This is an awesome tank and kit! It has so many potentials and the bow front makes a deeper tank. More floor space and taller!
Good choice there! Qell done!!

Thanks, much appreciated. It fit perfectly in the space I had for it, and the bow front made it easier for the aquascape.

 

[hdsoftail1065]

Looking good! Nice set of clowns! I guess this weekend I better go buy a couple. All my fellow bow fronters are passing me! Mine is still white rocks and water!

 

[Arcticfirefighter]

Looking good! Nice set of clowns! I guess this weekend I better go buy a couple. All my fellow bow fronters are passing me! Mine is still white rocks and water!

Thanks! It's been killing me going so slow in this hobby. But everything everyone is saying is, "only bad things happen fast in reef tanks".[emoji1]

 

[hdsoftail1065]

It' killing me too! I'm finally seeing some diatoms, water is spot on so it's time "if" I can find the right pair of clowns. I don't plan to rush anything. Not planning to fight the uglies or chase parameters like we did on the wife's. I plan to let nature run it's coarse. I have first hand experiance with the outcome of rushing things along. The school of hard knocks!

 

[Arcticfirefighter]

One of our Scarlet Hermits decided it liked one of the nicer shells we put in there for them. He put it on and climbed right up to the top of the rock work to show it off.