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08/05/2012, 11:47 PM | #251 |
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Read the whole thread, you have an awesome tank!!! ... definitely subscribing, keep us updated!
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90g SPS Dominant, ATI 6x54w T5HO + Reef Brite LED blue strip, Reef Octopus XS-160 Skimmer, DIY algae scrubber, and other cool stuff |
08/06/2012, 08:33 AM | #252 | |
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How did your corals perform and look wth the LED's compared to T-5's etc.... Also was it a mix or just single type light source. ie, MH only vs LED only vs T-5?? Thanks,
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Inwall Basement Setup w/ Growout Tank & Common Acrylic sump, SRO XP3000E, Neptune Apex, Bubble Magus Triple Doser, CLS- Super Dart Gold + OM 4way, 2-400w MH & 4-80w T-5, ROX .08 carbon... |
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08/19/2012, 05:00 PM | #253 | ||
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Quote:
Planning on a big breakup of the purple humilis. It doesn't get a lot of attention, but it's sort of the foundation of the reef. Nice shape, slow grower, and always deep purple. Quote:
I spent several thousand dollars on different 24 inch fixtures and borrowed others from friends and am currently working with one wealthy gentleman in Bedford, NY that has a multithousand gallon system and is trying to use LEDs exclusively. I have seen the results from Maxspect, AI, Radion, PacSun, and several cheaper no name fixtures. There is no question that LEDs work and work well for certain applications (see my article in Reef Hobbyist Magazine last quarter for one good example) but I also saw some corals that never made it under LEDs including my O.T. and pink birds nest. In general I find that I simply like the colors under T5/metal halide better than LEDs and in my experience sometimes LEDs actually killed corals. They are all the rage and people have very extreme opinions, but it's simply MY opinion that they don't work as well as a T5/metal halide. Now having said all that, I think you should go with whatever you like. This is a hobby, and I'm sure you'll enjoy whichever option you choose. On another note . . . Took some macro's today. I really think the T5s are making the pinks pop and the Garf Bonsai purple up. My purple rim, blue polyp, green cap is finally getting a purple rim, and I hate to even whisper it but maybe just maybe my O.T. is turning the corner and improving not to mention that everything has super polyp extension. Always so hard to know which factor causes a change in a reef, but I feel that all the flourescent light as well as the different types is making a huge difference. . . |
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08/20/2012, 01:53 AM | #254 |
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Stunning tank and i love the aquascape and the depth it makes. Great job
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08/21/2012, 02:15 PM | #255 | |
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Quote:
Thanks! Got a decent flash shot today. Usually I don't like the look of flash shots since they tend not to show the colors too drab as compared to actinic lighting in real life, but I thought this shot was fair enough to put up. I also thought about adding a couple miscellaneous ramblings: 1) I believe more and more in biological control. Had redbugs now I don't, and I think it's because of gobies. No proof of gobies eating bugs, but I can't find a single red bug anywhere. 2) Had a gazillion majanos. Bought a file fish and now I have zero, and the file fish is a model citizen today eating all the mysis I can feed him(her?) 3) Had cyano but added a reactor with a bunch of zeolite and made it drip real slow; now no more cyano. None of that is at all scientific, but these anecdotes plus many others really make me a believer in "biology" as the best answer for a healthy tank. The other musing is . . . boy does this hobby take up a LOT of time Last 3 days I changed 150 gallons of water changed out a CO2 tank and refilled the calcium reactor with media removed and cleaned 4 Tunzes cleaned sand bed cleaned glass everyday sometimes twice in a day changed out the RO/DI cartridges trimmed and glued corals turkey baster blasted inside the tank and of course fed the fish twice a day Well that's it for the moment! can't tell which I like better . . . flash or no flash. It's interesting 'cuz it looks very different on my Mac as compared to my HP . . . color match is so hard. Last edited by JPMagyar; 08/21/2012 at 02:37 PM. |
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08/21/2012, 03:26 PM | #256 |
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and a different angle . . .
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08/21/2012, 03:30 PM | #257 |
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I would love to read your daily routines and what not about this tank!
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08/21/2012, 05:02 PM | #258 | |
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Quote:
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08/21/2012, 05:54 PM | #259 | ||
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Daily: clean glass, feed twice (frozen: brine+, mysis, cyclop-eeze, arctic pods, bloodworms, sushi grade fish eggs), check basement, worry about developing algae bloom, top off sump with RO if not right on, check pH monitor for 8.1 and temp for 79, add 100 ml of B-Ionic 2 part. Bi-Weekly: 150 gallon water change (ESV salt), clean skimmer, clean teeth on overflow, clean anti-siphon hole in return line, pull and inspect Stockman drain, mix next weeks water, siphon barebottom of frag tank. Monthly: siphon sand bed clean, test water for Ca (Elos), Mg (Salifert), pH (Pinpoint), salinity (D-D refractometer), kH (Salifert). Make adjustments as necessary to hit 420 ppm Ca, 1250 ppm Mg, kH 8, pH 8.1, salinity 35 ppt. Quartlery: Take out the 2 Tunzes and replace with clean standbys, then leave the dirty ones to soak in vinegar for a couple days, take out 2 Maxi-jets in frag tank and replace with clean ones then soak old ones in vinegar, remove and clean stockman drain, clean pump intake screens, vacuum sump bottom, rinse live rock in sump with old tank water saved in 40 gallon garbi can, sell frags and make some new frags. 6 Months: change RO/DI carbon block and 0.5 micron pre-filter. 9 Months: Change T5s and record date on end of tube and in tank journal Annually: Change MHs, exchange 2 main pumps for clean pumps and disassemble and clean old pumps for next year using Muriatic Acid, change RO/DI DI cartridge and RO cartridge, 300 gallon water change (usually associated with some major event like plumbing change or re-aquascape or, heaven forbid, a pest treatment or just a major sump cleanout. When Needed: add sand if bottom shows, run phosphate remover, clean scale off heaters, buy cleanup crew to knock back whatever algae bloom hits Mithrax for valonia, nudibrancs for Briopsys, etc; clean and refill calcium reactor, exchange CO2 bottle, replace RO float shutoff switch, trim corals or even remove whole overgrown colonies (this happens once a year atleast and is always a little sad) change Via-Aqua powerhead on bottom of sump (keeps the surface stirred up). Quote:
It's all highly unscientific, but after much reading and looking I decided that the heart of Red Sea NoPox and Zeovit was the concept of feeding bacteria to increase their presence in the tank. Turns out much research has been done on bacteria that eat phosphate and they like to live in tiny areas with no oxygen so I bought a cheap Precision Marine all purpose reactor, filled it with Kent Marine zeolite, attached it to a Maxi-jet and set it to a fast drip. Nothing happened for the first 4 weeks, but after about 4 weeks I noticed a dramatic improvement in the cleanliness of my sand and water. After that I stopped using phosphate remover and carbon altogether. That was about 1 year ago. I turn the reactor upside down every couple months and flush it out with tank water. I don't know if it's actually doing anything because I haven't tested the effluent ever but my tank is happy so for the time I'm happy too Thanks for askin' , it's always fun to share my thoughts! Joe |
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08/21/2012, 06:31 PM | #260 |
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Love your tanks!
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08/21/2012, 08:49 PM | #261 |
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you have a great tank! Sorry for the silly question but what type of coral is hosting your clowns?
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08/21/2012, 09:38 PM | #262 |
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Thanks for the explanation of the zeolite. Do you carbon dose to try and drive up the bacteria content, or is the bacteria colonizing the zeolite just naturally occuring?
Also, how awesome is the ESV salt? I've been using it for several months now, and love the consistent parameters... not to mention how fast it mixes and the lack of any residue left in the mixing barrels. But I don't change 150 gallons at a time, you've got to be spending a small fortune on salt alone!
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08/22/2012, 08:00 AM | #263 |
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JP,
Are you running socks in your sump? Also which gobies do you have again in your tank. I will probably add a few to my DT as well as frag tank. Ohhh, and i prefer the flash shot.(assuming it's the first pic) It seem to show the details of the corals and the transitions/depth of the tank due to the subtle shadows. Plus all the corals retain their colors. It is subtle tho
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Inwall Basement Setup w/ Growout Tank & Common Acrylic sump, SRO XP3000E, Neptune Apex, Bubble Magus Triple Doser, CLS- Super Dart Gold + OM 4way, 2-400w MH & 4-80w T-5, ROX .08 carbon... |
08/22/2012, 09:34 AM | #264 |
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I love the new lights and the tank looks amazing, it has always been one of my favorite tanks. I have used many bulbs over the years and the 150 watt Radiums are one of my all time favorites. The Sfiligoi fixtures are great and probably the best reflector available in a fixture. I think the tank will respond very well to the new MH/T5 combination.
I have been battling cyano after changing from the 150 watt Radiums to Ushio 10K's, I am living with it because after rebooting the tank from a move I needed the fast growth. I may try the Zeolites and see if it helps or I will be putting the Radiums back in. Thanks for the tip and keep up the awesome work.
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08/22/2012, 10:52 AM | #265 |
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beautiful tank i hope someday i can have a tank that nice, great job
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08/24/2012, 07:09 PM | #266 | |
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Quote:
The.coral hosting the clowns is actually a Magnificent Anemone also known as a Heteractis or Ritteri. It's definitely my pride and joy! Joe
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Joe Peck TOTM Apr. 2013 Advanced Aquarist Featured Tank March 2011 Reef Hobbyist Magazine journalist, and all around SPS nut! Current Tank Info: 240 with 750 gal total system, ATI LED Powermodule, MTC-HSA 1000. MTC Pro-Cal.. |
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08/26/2012, 09:19 AM | #267 |
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Two interesting developments today . . .
1) Looks like the last split was never complete and the anemone was trying to tear the last piece linking itself to a new clone. I've never interfered before, but this time I used a scalpel to snip the last piece holding them together. We'll see 2) I also noticed this morning that the largest females in the school of Chromis have developed yellow coloring on their dorsal and anal fins. Have to see if this means they're a different chromis than I thought I had. Last edited by JPMagyar; 08/26/2012 at 09:29 AM. |
08/26/2012, 09:50 AM | #268 |
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How long has your anemone been going through this split?
My brown based H.magnifica anemone started to split in late December, last year. The split finally finished in early February.... This is the first time this anemone has ever split for me, and I've had it since March of 2006. How long do the splits normally last? How frequently does your anemone split? Nick
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08/26/2012, 10:28 AM | #269 | |
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Did your 'nem have lots of room to spread out? Do you have any pictures? Thanks for sharing. Also, I just learned that the coloring on the chromis is a change they undergo signifying their readiness to breed. Pretty cool stuff! Joe |
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09/06/2012, 02:41 PM | #270 |
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Just thought I'd put some recent observations on the web for anyone interested.
As has been mentioned earlier, I've had a Magnificent Anemone since January of 2002, and it now has turned into 7 clones. Around May of this year it started splitting again, but the split never completed fully and left a small 1 inch wide piece of tissue connecting the two clones. Each clone formed a new mouth and 2 weeks ago they tried to pull apart again. I have never before tried to interfere with the anemone's behaviour, but this time I couldn't resist such a clear chance to try what I hoped would be minor surgery. I used a modeller exacto-blade cleaned with alcohol and severed the remaining tissue link. Then I carefully extracted the smaller clone and gave it to Jason and extracted the larger clone and placed it higher on the rock work as it had moved lower on the reef under a shelf of rock where I feared it would not get enough light. It appeared to me that the clones did not have enough room to pull themselves apart as they were restricted by other colonies surrounding them. In any case here are the interesting observations. I am not a biologist so I really have very little understanding of the nervous system of the creatures, in that way I admit I was quite surprised at the response. 1) I had to slice the tissue several times to create the division. Each time I made an incision the smaller clone would violently contract on itself and slowly re-expand. Even after the incision was complete this pulsing behaviour continued for another half hour or so. 2) After I removed the two clones and replaced the one, it balled itself up tightly and became neutrally bouyant. If I had not wedged it into a bowl like area on the rock work, it would easily have blown around the reef like a tumble weed. 3) During the time that it was balled up the clown fish it had been hosting kept pulling at a few tentactles that were extended and pulling them towards an area of open and available rock. After about an hour the anemone unballed it's pedicle and attached it to the rock in the area where the clowns had been tugging. 4) Over the next week the anemone moved very slowly back to a position from which it could touch the location from which I had pulled it and then it climbed back up to it's perch where it had been before the split. The action seemed as if it was searching for the other clone in the previous vicinity. None of this is in any way scientific, but just thought it might be interesting to some and of course if there are any biologists out there with thoughts on this whole process or perhaps links to research that has been done on these fascinating creatures, I'd love to hear from you! Joe |
09/06/2012, 02:42 PM | #271 |
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Ooops . . . double post. My bad
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09/06/2012, 02:48 PM | #272 |
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Interesting info and great pics, as always. Thanks. I gotta make some time to see this tank in person!
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09/18/2012, 04:32 PM | #273 |
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Just a quick update to say that everything is going "swimmingly" well with the new lights
I know . . . how droll to laugh at one's own jokes. |
09/18/2012, 04:43 PM | #274 |
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Thats probably the nicest anemone I've ever seen.
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09/18/2012, 06:13 PM | #275 |
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I was looking for this thread last light but forgot who started it. The pictures of this person's tank are like a 1,000,000 words, mostly about care in placement of corals they know well. I sit and stare at different pictures of this tank and ask why there. Most of the time I think I have a sensible answer. Then I look at the anemone, the one that should be moving but it's not. It's like I am being teased, so many people say no no no, especially this species. Rebellion, is in order.
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