Zibba's Reefs

Clayton Jessup · Sep 16, 2016

WOW that thank and stand looks unbelievably good. Very well job well done on this build. Props out to you fer much deserved. What made you go with AI lights over say like Ecotech or Kessil?

Siasl · Dec 4, 2016

Hey man - its looking gorg. I am moving to Tampa and getting back into the game. Starting a build thread and going!

Keep well.

gettaReef · Dec 4, 2016

Come on man! Been waiting since August for an update! Can't spare just a minute or two loading pics?

Daniel@R2R · Dec 5, 2016

@zibba, the natives are begging for an update! We crave pics, please!

zibba · Dec 18, 2016

Hey all!

The wind is out of my sails on this one right now because I found a seam that's separating and it's got me very nervous about longevity. I really don't want to come back to a house full of saltwater!

The tank manufacturer is in the process of building a new tank and shipping it out but the entire process has me really bummed out. I'm hoping to swap out the tanks at the end of the month if everything goes as planned. It's a very expensive and nerve-racking process, as I'm sure you can all appreciate.

Very concerned about losing our livestock and the logistics of the entire thing. First the flatworm set back, now this...we must really love this hobby or just be flat out crazy!

A lot of the corals are doing well right now. I'll get some pics up before taking the tank down.

Mike&Terry · Dec 18, 2016

zibba said:
Hey all!

The wind is out of my sails on this one right now because I found a seam that's separating and it's got me very nervous about longevity. I really don't want to come back to a house full of saltwater!

The tank manufacturer is in the process of building a new tank and shipping it out but the entire process has me really bummed out. I'm hoping to swap out the tanks at the end of the month if everything goes as planned. It's a very expensive and nerve-racking process, as I'm sure you can all appreciate.

Very concerned about losing our livestock and the logistics of the entire thing. First the flatworm set back, now this...we must really love this hobby or just be flat out crazy!

A lot of the corals are doing well right now. I'll get some pics up before taking the tank down.

Wow! We are so sorry you are having to go through this... having suffered through 2 tank fails, we can appreciate what you are feeling right now. In the aftermath of our catastrophic bottom seal rupture in 2010, we purchased a 180g stock vat that has saved us twice and really came in handy during the move to our new Reef Savvy. We store it under our deck when not in use. Just something you might want to think about...

prsnlty · Dec 18, 2016

Sorry to hear this. I do hope it holds out for the new tank to arrive. Is there any way to temporarily brace it so that it doesn't rupture? I think getting a stock vat in the meantime it's a good idea if you could afford to do so.

gettaReef · Dec 18, 2016

Such a BUMMER! So sorry to hear this. Hope the new tank comes asap and you guys have a smooth transition! Good luck!

coral tarracino · Dec 19, 2016

All will be Well! Please Dont' cry on the Corals'!

revhtree · Dec 19, 2016

Wow hate to hear this! You getting the same size tank built?

zibba · Dec 22, 2016

Mike&Terry said:
Wow! We are so sorry you are having to go through this... having suffered through 2 tank fails, we can appreciate what you are feeling right now. In the aftermath of our catastrophic bottom seal rupture in 2010, we purchased a 180g stock vat that has saved us twice and really came in handy during the move to our new Reef Savvy. We store it under our deck when not in use. Just something you might want to think about...

I've thought of your past experiences many times as I've watched the air bubble in the seam slowly get larger -- it is very big now and very scary. I think we have a good plan in place so that we can move everything to a 300g horse trough stock tank, then make the transfer happen in 1-2 days. We also have our frag tank running and it's currently pretty empty (and no fish). Our QT tank can be used to temporarily hold some of the fish too -- it has a net and won't take much to get up and running.

prsnlty said:
Sorry to hear this. I do hope it holds out for the new tank to arrive. Is there any way to temporarily brace it so that it doesn't rupture? I think getting a stock vat in the meantime it's a good idea if you could afford to do so.

We thought about temporarily bracing it and we haven't come up with a good solution. For now, we're just counting down the days for a new tank to get here and hoping for the best.

gettaReef said:
Such a BUMMER! So sorry to hear this. Hope the new tank comes asap and you guys have a smooth transition! Good luck!

Thanks for the well-wishes! I'll keep ya posted.

coral tarracino said:
All will be Well! Please Dont' cry on the Corals'!

I think the corals will stress out but I think they'll manage. We're mostly concerned about the fish and other inverts (harlequin shrimp, tiger tail cucumbers, conchs, etc.).

revhtree said:
Wow hate to hear this! You getting the same size tank built?

Very similar dimensions -- going with 29" high instead of 30" high so we don't have to take out the window again! LOL. At 29" total height it will fit through the door. At 30" + the eurobrace, it didn't fit. The outside dimensions should be very close but they have to put metal bracing around the corners on this size of a tank (the original defect that resulted in the separating seam) so the stand's ledge might need to be redone.

It has been a rough few years for this tank even though it has been on the brink of being great a few times. I still think it looked the best right before the acros were pulled out for AEFW treatment but it is looking alright now, especially under actinics since it's LPS dominant. Hard to capture with the camera but we really enjoy it in person, which is what this hobby is all about.

Merry Christmas everyone!

prsnlty · Dec 22, 2016

Merry Christmas Zibba!

Daniel@R2R · Dec 23, 2016

Merry Christmas, @zibba! Following to see the progress on the new tank. Are you gong to start a new build thread, or will you keep this one going?

zibba · Dec 29, 2016

mdbannister said:
Merry Christmas, @zibba! Following to see the progress on the new tank. Are you gong to start a new build thread, or will you keep this one going?

I'll probably just keep this thread going since it's essentially the same dimensions and we aren't taking down the 40g tank that's connected to the larger tank.

Our clownfish finally laid eggs (great timing! lol) and we know that the tank will be coming down soon so I decided to take some pictures. Sorry, not FTS -- it's not looking great because we know it's being removed and the back glass has algae, etc. Anyway, enjoy the photos!

Here are the clowns:

DSC_3094-2 by E Z, on Flickr

DSC_3094 by E Z, on Flickr

Other random shots:

DSC_3108 by E Z, on Flickr

DSC_3107 by E Z, on Flickr

DSC_3105 by E Z, on Flickr

DSC_3104 by E Z, on Flickr

DSC_3103 by E Z, on Flickr

DSC_3101 by E Z, on Flickr

DSC_3137 by E Z, on Flickr

DSC_3134 by E Z, on Flickr

DSC_3133 by E Z, on Flickr

DSC_3131 by E Z, on Flickr

DSC_3130 by E Z, on Flickr

DSC_3129 by E Z, on Flickr

DSC_3126 by E Z, on Flickr

DSC_3123 by E Z, on Flickr

DSC_3117 by E Z, on Flickr

DSC_3111 by E Z, on Flickr

DSC_3109 by E Z, on Flickr

DSC_3114 by E Z, on Flickr

DSC_3113 by E Z, on Flickr

DSC_3112 by E Z, on Flickr

revhtree · Dec 29, 2016

Beautiful photos! What type of Monti Cap is that?

zibba · Dec 29, 2016

I believe it's the Jason Fox Slow Burn or Outrage. One of the two. Someone else might be able to sort it out. I have both.

prsnlty · Dec 29, 2016

Gorgeous pics Zibba! I love the yellow with pink polyp acro in the last picture, stunning!

gettaReef · Jan 26, 2017

WOW!! Great shots (as usual), that Beach Bum must love it in there, its gotten so big! I dont think I've seen one that grown out yet. I've missed your AMAZING pictures! Really looking forward to the new tank.....I hope you decide to post your progress when the new tank arrives with plenty of updates like in the past (and with tons of pics too

)

evolved · Jan 27, 2017

gettaReef said:
Really looking forward to the new tank.....I hope you decide to post your progress when the new tank arrives with plenty of updates like in the past (and with tons of pics too )

I'm spoiling zibba's thunder, but too late for that request.

The old tank is out, the new is in and all setup again. I know because I was there...

Well, mostly there. Showing up 30 minutes late got me out of being one of the hands to move in the new tank (maybe I arrived on time?

)
I didn't realize how many fish he had, until I caught most of them in a 300g stock tank.

revhtree · Jan 27, 2017

evolved said:
I'm spoiling zibba's thunder, but too late for that request.
The old tank is out, the new is in and all setup again. I know because I was there... Well, mostly there. Showing up 30 minutes late got me out of being one of the hands to move in the new tank (maybe I arrived on time? )
I didn't realize how many fish he had, until I caught most of them in a 300g stock tank.

WOOT! Tell him to get on it here!