first suspended reef?

Blue Spotted Ribbon tail. Pm replied to.

Mark what size was that tank? Also what kind of ray was that?

Mike that looks freaking awesome. I especially love the ray that swims under it. AWESOME JOB!!!

Those batfish juveniles are so cool. I understand the juveniles live in mangrove swamps. It makes sense, they look like a dead mangrove leaf swirling in the water. I think they get whitish and quite big as adults. I also understand they are hard on corals as adults. I could be wrong though, does anyone know for sure?

Turbostud653 wrote: Wow! love the pics.  Lve the flow from the top as far as I can tell.  How do you ahve your waterflow?  Also How do you keep your Sand so clean?

The tall black 2" standpipe on the left is a modified Durso overflow. The water drains to a skimmerless RDP Refugium and then returns over the back center directed left and right. A Closed Loop intake on the right bottom returns on both bottom back corners through loc-line. The Closed Loop pump sits on a platform suspended from springs right underneath the tank, which makes plenty of room for the 40 gal breeder used for the Refugium.
The sand is Utah Oolitic which stays relatively clean anyway, but is helped by Mr. Ray when he goes looking for buried crustaceans and fish by jetting water straight down into the sand and using his mantle like an overturned bowl to keep them from escaping.
I miss this tank. Dion has taken good care of the Ray, the Batfish changed to adult form and coloration and recently passed away, and I don't know where the Tomato Clown has gone. It is a tank raised clownfish from David Tea so is probably still swimming.

Thanks Jake and Jon. Jon thanks for reminding me of your raised reef. I and others I'm sure, would really enjoy seeing pics.

To answer Mike's question, I originally wanted to suspend it from the top but realized that could be a problem if the nylon cable suspension broke, so as you know, I raised it on a platform of 1/2 inch PVC pipe. So the topic should say raised rather than suspended, but it does look like it's floating above the sand, doesn't it.

I dont like most batfish, but that one pulls the look of pretty well.

What is that cool fish in the middle of the second pic.  That thing is awesome.

Was KeoDog's considered "suspended" then?

I had a suspended 125 in 2000.  I will look so see if I have any pics.  I know tha platform I made was still being passed around a few years back (it was PC pipes with an aragacrete top).  Who was the structual concrete guy?  I think I last saw them in his tank.

Edited by Jake Pehrson - December 04 2008 at 7:44pm