# Newest venture.....



## clare n (Jun 22, 2012)

Know this is totally un-tortoise related... But I had to share our newest venture  new house, why not just knock an 8foot hole in the lounge wall.... Gives me an excuse to decorate eh?


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## wellington (Jun 22, 2012)

Okay, explain. Huge aquarium or tortoise/turtle tank? I want to see pics when what ever is going in it, is in it. That's a great size for some great marine fish or even some stingrays.


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## ALDABRAMAN (Jun 22, 2012)

Interesting!


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## clare n (Jun 22, 2012)

It's the marine tank upgrade. Building it into the wall this time so it's just a window of fish corals invertebrates etc


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## Tom (Jun 22, 2012)

That's cool.


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## clare n (Jun 22, 2012)

It's been a long haul  having ceramics put in tomorrow...


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## pam (Jun 22, 2012)

Awesome


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## wellington (Jun 22, 2012)

That's great keep us updated on the progress. How many gallons is it? I have a 100 gal. marine only. Down sized and got rid of the smaller coral tanks. Can't wait to see it finished.


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## clare n (Jun 22, 2012)

I'll get back to you on the gallons I'm not sure, it's 7x2x2 size wise. The fish have dwindled off over the last year and when we moved my husband had to take the 5footer apart to cherry picker it over the balcony,so all the stuff from that is crammed into a smaller one at present, waiting patiently... And the poor old 5er has been downgraded to "sump" 
Fish wise we still have the token clownfish (hehe) a morish idol, filefish, one yellow tang and a 2foot-ish snowflake eel. We lost the best one recently, "Gilbert" he was a long horned cow fish, he was amazing, my husband had to put him to sleep and that's the first time in 5 years I've seen him with tears in his eyes. I'll add a pic just so you can see what an odd creature he was  (Gilbert, not my husband. Ok, well, both but I'll only leave a pic of gilb haha)


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## TortieLuver (Jun 22, 2012)

That is very neat I bet it will be very peaceful to look at when it's all done. Large aquariums seem to be a calming and relaxing thing to have.


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## chase thorn (Jun 22, 2012)

SPS dominate!


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## bigred (Jun 22, 2012)

Very nice, Big adventure for sure


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## lynnedit (Jun 22, 2012)

Ya'll are part way there!


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## clare n (Jun 22, 2012)

Lots of sps and lps yes  Also having "clam island"


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## Arizona Sulcata (Jun 22, 2012)

I've always wanted one like that!


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## chase thorn (Jun 23, 2012)

Vivid has some sweet clams!! Also a Zoa garden perhaps? All I did was collect zoas haha


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## clare n (Jun 23, 2012)

Yes we have lots of zoas, been looking for some nice colours, pinks and purples. My husband has been on zophoria (website) some beautiful ones on there.


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## wellington (Jun 23, 2012)

I know how it is when you lose a favorite pet, even a fish. I lost my dog face puffer earlier this year. He was like, well a dog. Always excited to see me, and I could pet him. I raised him up for 20 years. It was a sad time. I can't wait to see your fished pics or step by step would be cool.


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## clare n (Jun 23, 2012)

Yes Gilbert was good with the greeting, used to come to the side when Newton fed him  he's talking about getting another at some point.

Well I went tattooing today and came home to the ceramics fitted. The islands move about so Newton now trying to arrange them to how he likes them before fixing them...















And I also had the sole of my foot tattood... unrelated tho hehe. But never again.





:earlier question on gallons, 792litres or worked to US gallons it's 209 excluding sump. With the sump it works out at 354g.

Also- talking puffers, I REALLY love/would like a porcupine puffer... But he'd have to be in another tank


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## wellington (Jun 23, 2012)

Did you make the aquarium yourselves and also the ceramics, home made too? Looking really nice. The tat, is the more painful on the bottom of a foot then most places?


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## clare n (Jun 23, 2012)

No the ceramics were hand made in Germany by a guy out there, then shipped to Manchester, the man drove all the way down to us to deliver and fit them today. the actual tank was bought second hand. 

And yes so far out of all of them that was agony, and i have a high pain threshold!


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## wellington (Jun 23, 2012)

Ah yes, Germans, which I am, they are the tops when it comes to aquarium anything, especially filters.


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## clare n (Jun 23, 2012)

It has a deltec protein skimmer. It's the size of me when I sit next to it lol

Other than that the main filtration is the ceramics


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## chase thorn (Jun 23, 2012)

Interesting scape!


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## clare n (Jun 24, 2012)

30k of coral sand has gone in today, now filling the whole thing up with RO water. Should be interesting considering my Newton hasn't actually tested how water tight it Is yet...


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## BowandWalter (Jun 26, 2012)

clare n said:


> 30k of coral sand has gone in today, now filling the whole thing up with RO water. Should be interesting considering my Newton hasn't actually tested how water tight it Is yet...



Uh oh. I recently had an 80 gallon explode because it wasn't water tight.


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## Melly-n-shorty (Jun 26, 2012)

Ha ha ha you are setting up a new tank and we just broke down and sold our 220 custom tank. Interested in a skimmer or Hamilton lights? Lol. Looks good! Keep up the updates.


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## clare n (Jun 26, 2012)

Well it's turned out to be water tight  it's now filled completely with r.o. Water. Now it's a case of wait.... That has to be in there for up to a month to clear out all the impurities and the silicone that's floating about. So more waiting... Melly&shorty are you in the uk? I think we have lighting sorted, but I'll get back to you. As for the skimmer... That thing could filter the north sea in a couple of hours it's enormous so we are def ok there thank you


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## Tom (Jun 26, 2012)

Corals and inverts are cool, but I gotta say, I could never resist the dogface and porcupine puffers. Throw in the angels, a trigger or two, a nice moray or banded cat shark on the bottom, and you have the makings of MY dream come true.

I can't think about this anymore... I only have time for one all encompassing obsession, and its tortoises right now... Salt water tanks had their chance a few years back.


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## clare n (Jun 26, 2012)

I'd love a porcupine... But I'll set a different tank up eventually  we had a Niger trigger, he was nice, I really love the Picasso ones too but I don't think he would go with what we have.snowflake eel is lovely. Hardy too, I came downstairs and he was glued to my wood floor, I shouted up to Newton who ran down, I thought he'd had it. Peeled him off with gentle persuasion and the bloody thing just swam off as if nothing had happened I couldn't believe it... He must have been out for hours.


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## clare n (Jul 16, 2012)

A bit more progress. The water is still filtering stuff out of this ceramic rock. But the lounge is starting to look a bit more tidy now that the wall is coming along.... We can see it all taking shape now. It makes the wall look rather large.





Plaster board up




Plastered, what a mess on my return from work. I'm still finding it now, I pulled a lump out of my slippers last night.... Hmm.




Night time view 




Now that's all done, one more rub down and I can finally start decorating. It won't be long until all the living things will be in there now


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## wellington (Jul 16, 2012)

Looking good. Can't wait for the finished project, as I am sure you can't either. You have way more patience then I do.


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## clare n (Jul 16, 2012)

Well I don't mind how slow it goes really, the tortoises keep me occupied, I did ask my husband the other day "what's the hold up" lol he basically rushed his last tank to get it up & going, but never really liked it, so this time he's pacing himself  I was getting a little impatient regarding the untidiness of it all and the use of my kitchen space for the temp tank, but I can see improvement now and an end in sight so it's all good 

Here should sit my dining table... One day haha


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## clare n (Sep 30, 2012)

Well it's been 4 months but today the fish went in, it all looks a bit lost! Wall and ceiling all painted, new house is coming together 





























The "engine room"





And the new tank, the mantis shrimp....


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## TortoiseBoy1999 (Sep 30, 2012)

Wow! I'm completely gobsmacks!


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