180 Gallon Florida Coral Reef Aquarium Build at the Ocean Discovery Visitors Center

[Brandon McHenry]

Awesome stuff! Thanks for the response and keep that tank looking amazing until I get up to Florida to see it after all this stuff we are going through comes back to normal!

Of course! And will do! Things are finally starting to look like an established reef which is super exciting!

 

[chizerbunoi]

Outstanding tank growth for these past two years. But what a wonderful shot. That tang is so healthy and vibrant. Kudos to your husbandry and care.

 

[Brandon McHenry]

Outstanding tank growth for these past two years. But what a wonderful shot. That tang is so healthy and vibrant. Kudos to your husbandry and care.

Thanks! Hard to believe it has been so long. I remember when this tank was just a daydream lol. And yes I love that tang

 

[Brandon McHenry]

It’s been a while since I’ve updated so I figured I share a few pictures! Enjoy!

 

[Tristren]

Beautiful.
Low tide or water change in that first pic?


Tonh

 

[Brandon McHenry]

Beautiful.
Low tide or water change in that first pic?


Tonh

The first one is just low tide, the second is a water change ;Hilarious

 

[fishybizzness]

Hi Brandon! Any updates on the beautiful tank?

 

[Brandon McHenry]

Hi Brandon! Any updates on the beautiful tank?

Honestly not a ton lol. Tank is still chugging along. It’s been busy lately and lots of working remotely so not a ton of time to photograph things. Here’s a few quick shots I took recently.

Still growing out of the water ;Hilarious

 

[fishybizzness]

Looking great!

 

[Brandon McHenry]

Looking great!

Thank you! I appreciate it!

 

[fishybizzness]

I have a question. I set up a 120 last year and used caribsea liferock. I remember that that's what you used as well. My question is, do you remember how long your ugly stage lasted? I've been going through mine for going on 2 months now and the algea is still there even though I scrub the rocks and vacuum the sand every week. Thanks

 

[Brandon McHenry]

I have a question. I set up a 120 last year and used caribsea liferock. I remember that that's what you used as well. My question is, do you remember how long your ugly stage lasted? I've been going through mine for going on 2 months now and the algea is still there even though I scrub the rocks and vacuum the sand every week. Thanks

The tank didn’t really go through an “ugly phase”. I cycled the tank for several months with a large clean up crew before adding any fish. I also started the refugium right from the beginning. What kind of algae are you dealing with?

 

[fishybizzness]

Hi Brandon. Thanks for the response. It's mainly some gha and brown looking algea. The brown one blows or scrubs off pretty easily but comes back in a few days. I'm currently running a skimmer and filter pad as my only waste removal. I am thinking about setting up a refugium but was afraid of stripping too much from the water. I added a longspine urchin, some hermits and some Caribbean top snails along with a few brittle stars. In my 55 dt the snails always keep any algea to a minimum but in the 120 the strangest thing happens. Every morning I have to flip all the snails over as they seem to just fall off the rockwork when they get to the edge. I figure that the texture of the liferock is too uneven for them to keep a good grip. What type of cleanup crew have you found to have good results with? Thanks for taking the time to read my post!

 

[Brandon McHenry]

Hi Brandon. Thanks for the response. It's mainly some gha and brown looking algea. The brown one blows or scrubs off pretty easily but comes back in a few days. I'm currently running a skimmer and filter pad as my only waste removal. I am thinking about setting up a refugium but was afraid of stripping too much from the water. I added a longspine urchin, some hermits and some Caribbean top snails along with a few brittle stars. In my 55 dt the snails always keep any algea to a minimum but in the 120 the strangest thing happens. Every morning I have to flip all the snails over as they seem to just fall off the rockwork when they get to the edge. I figure that the texture of the liferock is too uneven for them to keep a good grip. What type of cleanup crew have you found to have good results with? Thanks for taking the time to read my post!

No problem! I’ve had luck with Atlantic turbos, nerites, margarita snails, ceriths, blue legs, scarlet reef hermits and peppermint shrimp for this tank. I definitely think the refugium could be good. Don’t worry about stripping the water just feed you fish more. Heavy in and heavy out is my method for success.

 

[fishybizzness]

Thanks for the response Brandon! Next time I go snorkeling I'll have to grab a bunch of hermits and different types of snails. The weather has been pretty rough as it usually is this time of year in the Caribbean. The small island in the photo is where I usually go when the weather permits.

 

[Brandon McHenry]

Thanks for the response Brandon! Next time I go snorkeling I'll have to grab a bunch of hermits and different types of snails. The weather has been pretty rough as it usually is this time of year in the Caribbean. The small island in the photo is where I usually go when the weather permits.

No problem! Wow that looks like a nice place! Yeah hermits and snails pretty much cover the spectrum of algae.

 

[Elmer.]

How is this beautiful reef doing?