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Achilles Tang DIY 300 curved Tank Build (1 Viewer)

Well it’s been about 14 months since I started the tank up. Things are running pretty smoothly these days added a volcano skimmer around spring I now have 100% of my system returning through the skimmer and has made a huge difference. The mechanical room has become a well oiled machine only project on the books these days are a new RO holding tank and the introduction of an economizer for the mechanical room so I can take advantage of this cooler fall – winter and spring weather.
Here are the long overdue pictures, have I mentioned I am not a photographer…


the start​
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Current
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LEFT​
LeftTank.jpg

Middle​
Middle.jpg


Right​
Right.jpg

And of Course​
Achilles.jpg
 
Well after a little creative baiting tonight I was able to catch my giant serpent star. To date it has eaten three Cromis, one Lubbocks Wrasse and one Diamond Goby. Sooo… it has lost its display tank privileges and has been sentenced to solitary confinement in the sump. Here is a pic of it in my frag system. The system is 18” across and when fully stretched out it can just reach the sides. I threw in a 2” frag disc for reference. It is pretty cool to watch it hunt. It will find a place in the rock work that is a passage for fish. Then crown up so the disc is up against the bottom of the rock work and then collapse on the fish as it passes under. It also ignores anything too big for it and waits patiently for small fish.

Serpentstar.jpg
 
Poor dude - he gotta eat too! :gay1:

Glad to see an update on this one - its one of 3 threads I actually subscribe too :biggthumpup:

Not to get off the reefin subject but uh, how did the rest of the room turn out?
 
I’ll snap off some pics of the room tomorrow and post them. Directly opposite of the tank is an 8’ movie screen the acoustics are pretty amazing because of the rooms shape. I was just telling some people today that at night when I go down stairs and the house is quiet I can hear all sorts of things from the tank like I was wearing a stethoscope. Even though the tank is in a totally separate room with insulated walls etc… At night when the house is quite you can hear bubbles, the trigger when it clicks etc... It really sets the mood for tank watching. I have been wondering if the convex shape of the main tank panel acts like a mega phone for the underwater happenings.
 
Well after a little creative baiting tonight I was able to catch my giant serpent star. To date it has eaten three Cromis, one Lubbocks Wrasse and one Diamond Goby. Sooo… it has lost its display tank privileges and has been sentenced to solitary confinement in the sump. Here is a pic of it in my frag system. The system is 18” across and when fully stretched out it can just reach the sides. I threw in a 2” frag disc for reference. It is pretty cool to watch it hunt. It will find a place in the rock work that is a passage for fish. Then crown up so the disc is up against the bottom of the rock work and then collapse on the fish as it passes under. It also ignores anything too big for it and waits patiently for small fish.

Looks like it might be one of the green serpent stars I've heard/read about as being active predators of healthy small fish. Is the picture accurate and if that's what this turned out to be? I've heard and read some people defend all serpent stars with a blanket statement that they are all just scavengers and would never eat a healthy fish so I'm just curious to know exactly what your experience was.

Either way, congrats on catching the thing, hopefully that stems the tide of violence in the tank. :)

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/ac/feature/index.php
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/grbritstarid.htm
 
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I’ll snap off some pics of the room tomorrow and post them. Directly opposite of the tank is an 8’ movie screen the acoustics are pretty amazing because of the rooms shape. I was just telling some people today that at night when I go down stairs and the house is quiet I can hear all sorts of things from the tank like I was wearing a stethoscope. Even though the tank is in a totally separate room with insulated walls etc… At night when the house is quite you can hear bubbles, the trigger when it clicks etc... It really sets the mood for tank watching. I have been wondering if the convex shape of the main tank panel acts like a mega phone for the underwater happenings.

Ahhhh - see the tank in itself is friggen amazing, but I was also totally wanting to see how the room turned out with it....

Looking forward to pics!!!!!

Thanks!!!
 
Looks like it might be one of the green serpent stars I've heard/read about as being active predators of healthy small fish. Is the picture accurate and if that's what this turned out to be? I've heard and read some people defend all serpent stars with a blanket statement that they are all just scavengers and would never eat a healthy fish so I'm just curious to know exactly what your experience was.

Either way, congrats on catching the thing, hopefully that stems the tide of violence in the tank. :)

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/ac/feature/index.php
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/grbritstarid.htm

I was talking about this with chad today. I've always said, bah they don't eat fish, but then I have never had the experience with keeping one for years (not the green kind). I believe I will be changing my tune to, "great for refugiums" They are very pretty.
 
Looks like it might be one of the green serpent stars I've heard/read about as being active predators of healthy small fish. Is the picture accurate and if that's what this turned out to be? I've heard and read some people defend all serpent stars with a blanket statement that they are all just scavengers and would never eat a healthy fish so I'm just curious to know exactly what your experience was.

Either way, congrats on catching the thing, hopefully that stems the tide of violence in the tank. :)

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/ac/feature/index.php
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/grbritstarid.htm

After reading your links I may have to add the two missing cleaner shrimp to the list and stop looking at my Niger Trigger with one eyebrow raised. I have not personally seen the actual kill. I have seen the hunt and near misses and it eating breakfast. There was also the questionable death of Dory who my daughter and I have had for 5 years. She looked perfectly healthy not a mark on her(that I could find), fat as can be, but laying dead in the rock work one morning. I wondered since she would lock herself into a rock crevice at night if the star trapped her and was able to kill her but did not have time to feast. Dory was about 4 ½” All kills happen at night when the system is dark. I did not raise this from a small star. I got it about a year and a half ago from another member when it got too big for his tank. It has easily grown a ¼ to 1/3 again it size since I have it. And well it should have considering all the fish it’s ate. I have talked to at least two other members over the years who have had similar experienced once the green brittle star reached a certain size roughly 10 – 12” round. Other than my Niger trigger everything in my tank is an algae eater or small fish.
 

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