Fiesta Vallarta Restaurant Tank

[H2OPlayar]

The sump is not big enough to hold the water that drains when the pumps are off?

Drill a hole on the side of the return pipe that extends into the tank. Close to where it enters the tank. This will be your siphon break. Once the water drains to that point, air will enter and break the siphon. Doesn't have to be a big hole.

Appreciate the feedback. That is my backup plan if the hardware store doesn't have the fittings I need. The outlets were just a little too far pointed down. Thinking of using a lighter and a pin to make the hole, but I should bring my drill in case that doesn't work.

 

[iani]

Appreciate the feedback. That is my backup plan if the hardware store doesn't have the fittings I need. The outlets were just a little too far pointed down. Thinking of using a lighter and a pin to make the hole, but I should bring my drill in case that doesn't work.

Don't make the hole too small as if it gets plugged with salt creep it won't work.

 

[H2OPlayar]

Don't make the hole too small as if it gets plugged with salt creep it won't work.

How big do you think a small hole is? Because Jesse thought .125" would be small enough and it squirts like a super soaker! Good thing that part ends up under water and is shooting in the same direction as everything else.

It ended up not being the pump, but rather the check valve we used had a metal spring and it seized shut. A few unions and an extendable pipe and we are back in business!

 

[iani]

How big do you think a small hole is? Because Jesse thought .125" would be small enough and it squirts like a super soaker! Good thing that part ends up under water and is shooting in the same direction as everything else.

It ended up not being the pump, but rather the check valve we used had a metal spring and it seized shut. A few unions and an extendable pipe and we are back in business!

If you have enough pressure on your return that it is shooting out of the hole like a super soaker, I would not worry about it getting clogged.

 

[H2OPlayar]

New Tomani Tang! Thank you @Srt4eric

The owners did some minor scaping and moved the zoas and a green nepthea into more viewable places. Now that the tank looks better, everyone is more excited to interact with it and make it the way they want. There is good motion in the tank between the dozen plus nems and the list of fish so far are below

3" Two bar rabbitfish
5" Fox face Rabbitfish
5" Tomani Tang
3" Orange Shoulder Tang
7 Yellow Tail Damsels
1 Blue Damsel
2 Azure Damsels
3 Clowns (one pair in the nems and one that hides on the other side of the tank, this only works because the tank is very wide and has lots of rock hides to break line of sight of the fish)
1 Purple Firefish
1 Longnose Hawkfish
1 Aptasia Eating Filefish
1 Lawnmower blenney
1 Royal Gramma Basslet

 

[svreef]

Hard to tell from the pics but it looks like the algae is under control?

 

[H2OPlayar]

Hard to tell from the pics but it looks like the algae is under control?

Yeah, there is no algae to be seen. The flow seemed to do the biggest trick, but adding algae eating fish and clean up crew also helped.

 

[Kensington Reefer]

Once all the algae is gone, those fish are gonna need a lot of food

 

[H2OPlayar]

Once all the algae is gone, those fish are gonna need a lot of food

Yep, they have nori and an auto feeder with TDO. Feeding is the fun part! Getting the owners onto frozen food is the next step. I have a couple bulk boxes from the MD shutdown.

 

[H2OPlayar]

The Tomani Tang is really camera shy, but happy and good sized.

The foxface is less camera shy and also eating well. It's buddy the 2 bar is eating like a pig and destined to be as big as mine at home.

Happy softie tank with very little maintenance.

 

[popper]

I can donate a red mushroom rock with some zoas.

 

[H2OPlayar]

I went for lunch yesterday and saw a couple new things. They added this green anemone that looks like it split off a baby and a red starfish.

Glare and fast moving fish make pictures hard during the day, but the tangs and rabbitfish are growing and look healthy.

 

[H2OPlayar]

I also snapped a couple pictures of their 300 gallon freshwater tank that we shut down the closed loop filtration on, added an FX6 onto and 4 x 48" Fluval 3.0 planted LED's to make a nice planted tank.

 

[Coral reefer]

I suspect that starfish ain’t reef safe… looking good tho

 

[H2OPlayar]

I suspect that starfish ain’t reef safe… looking good tho

I don't know anything about it. Does anyone have an ID? Red Starfish on google look different from these. So long as it doesn't consume the softies faster than they grow, they are happy with it I think.

 

[Coral reefer]

Does it have bumps on the top side?
Linkia are ok I think, but have skinnier arms(legs?) than that one looks to have.

 

[H2OPlayar]

Does it have bumps on the top side?
Linkia are ok I think, but have skinnier arms(legs?) than that one looks to have.

Yes to the bumps

 

[MolaMola]

Yes to the bumps

I have seen red starfish with thick legs like that for sale called Fromia. Don't know about their care but thought they would be difficult to keep fed.

 

[H2OPlayar]

I have seen red starfish with thick legs like that for sale called Fromia. Don't know about their care but thought they would be difficult to keep fed.

A quick read says large/mature tanks, so we might be ok here. Also that is in the price range they would likely buy without asking me first

 

[H2OPlayar]

Just had dinner there again last night and things are looking great. A dad of a high school water polo teammate sat next to me and we started chatting about the tanks. My favorite part was when he asked who was taking care of them, they shrugged and said no one really. Shows that a low effort tank can be possible with the right biology.