Russter's 20 gal Reef - Page 3

Russter · 12/30/2010, 06:02 PM

Today I fragged my first ever frags. Nothing fancy, just some colt and xenia branches. I used the needle and thread method to attach them to the frag plugs. My local LFS will take these as credit so I am hoping to get a couple of new corals once these attach to the plugs.

Russter · 12/31/2010, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by javisaman

^ Congrats.

This is my first time seeing your tank. Very nice. I absolutely love the aquascape!

Thanks javisaman, things are growing well in the tank.

suds1421 · 12/31/2010, 07:07 AM

Wow, looking good. Love the back fish room, gives you lots of space to spread out.

Russter · 12/31/2010, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suds1421

Wow, looking good. Love the back fish room, gives you lots of space to spread out.

Thanks suds1421. Fish room was my best idea yet. When I was fragging yesterday, I was able to spread everything out on the work bench right beside my sump and do everything there. No more bending over and trying to move something in a tight spot under the cabinet.

If you have the space, I highly recommend building one.

Russter · 01/01/2011, 07:06 AM

☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆ ★ ☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆
╔╗╔╦══╦═╦═╦╗╔╗ ★ ★ ★
║╚╝║══║═║═║╚╝║ ☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆
║╔╗║╔╗║╔╣╔╩╗╔╝ ★ new year ☆ 2011 everyone!!
╚╝╚╩╝╚╩╝╚╝═╚╝ ♥￥☆★☆★☆￥♥ ★☆★☆★☆

cman_pogey · 01/01/2011, 10:57 AM

Wow man, this tank looks great! I love how clean everything in your tank looks, and really digging the fish room as well. Sure does seem like an awful lot of work for a nano though lol. I top mine off and hit the "autopilot" button and let everything grow :P

Russter · 01/01/2011, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cman_pogey

Wow man, this tank looks great! I love how clean everything in your tank looks, and really digging the fish room as well. Sure does seem like an awful lot of work for a nano though lol. I top mine off and hit the "autopilot" button and let everything grow :P

cman_pogey, I think I have finally got mine to the stage where I can hit the autopilot button too, without having to do manual topups. LOL. Things have been growing great too. Thanks for the kind words.

Russter · 01/02/2011, 06:59 PM

Here's some updated photos as of today. Interesting to see the growth from the first FTS of the thread as well as some of the minor aquascaping changes.

Russter · 01/02/2011, 07:01 PM

You can see in this picture that the chalice healed itself very nicely and the wound is almost completely covered with new growth.

And some fishies:

Russter · 01/12/2011, 02:35 PM

Got a new coral yesterday in trade for some xenia frags (which is growing as fast as I can cut it down it seems).

Devils Hand Leather coral:

PDCASU · 01/12/2011, 09:12 PM

Great Looking Tank...love the rock design and Coral selection....

Russter · 01/13/2011, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PDCASU

Great Looking Tank...love the rock design and Coral selection....

Thanks for stopping by to take a look.

reefhustler · 01/13/2011, 08:39 PM

really like the tank. how do you like the odessea light fixture? i just recently order the 4x24, just waiting for it to come for my 20L.

Russter · 01/13/2011, 09:51 PM

I really like the fixture, especially for the price. It is not the best made one and the reflectors are not top notch, but it does the trick. The bulbs it comes with suck big time though. You will need to replace them ASAP. I have had no mechanical problems with it (knock on wood) and my corals are all growing and healthy.

Russter · 01/14/2011, 02:28 PM

Got a MP10 today! It is running at 50% power in lagoonal mode right now. Gonna see how this works for a bit before I decide to switch modes.

RyDub03 · 01/14/2011, 03:00 PM

Excellent. Did you get an ES? I like reef crest but lagoonal is great too. I don't really use my ES modes.

Russter · 01/14/2011, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RyDub03

Excellent. Did you get an ES? I like reef crest but lagoonal is great too. I don't really use my ES modes.

Yes MP10 ES

Russter · 01/17/2011, 11:46 AM

Here is a new video showing the flow from the MP10 ES on lagoonal mode at 50% max power. The corals seem to be really enjoying the water movement and fish look like they are almost playing in the flow. Video quality from the Blackberry still sucks...hopefully I will buy a video camera soon.

Russter · 01/18/2011, 03:36 PM

This is a video tour of my fish room.

Russter · 01/25/2011, 09:38 PM

Got two Bangaii cardinals out of quarantine and into the display tank the other day. I have always liked this type of fish and since all they seem to do is swim in one spot I thought they would be the perfect final fish added to the tank.
Apparently my strawberry basslet had other ideas. He has harrassed these cardinals from the moment they entered the tank. I did not think there would be a problem because they are quite a bit bigger than the basslet. When I got home yesterday, one of the cardinals was gone...stuck in the overflow and dead. Not impressed. I am thinking the basslet chased him in there.
I am contemplating trying to catch the basslet for a more peacefull fish and replacing the cardinal. I think I will have to build a fish trap because the basslet is way too fast for a net.

Russter · 02/17/2011, 10:13 PM

Almost had a disaster today. When I woke up this morning there was no power to the tank. The GFCI had tripped sometime overnight and the tank was 71 degrees. Corals were not looking too happy and neither were the fish. The strawberry basslet decided to jump out of the tank to see if it was warmer. It wasn't. I turned everything back on brought the temp back up. So far the basslet seems to be the only casualty although my devils hand leather is still looking PO'd.
Time will tell but I think I need to figure out a better way to power the system. The RKL and the DJ power strip are both plugged into the GFCI outlet. If the GFCI trips, no power to anything. Any suggestions?

Russter · 02/21/2011, 11:59 AM

Since this last incident, it looks like everything will pull through in the tank, although the Devil's hand leather is still looking PO'd without full polyp extension during the day. All polyps were out last night though so I am not too worried. Here are some updated pics I took the other day.

The last cardinal

Time to get cleaned up

Some good growth on this monti cap

Russter · 02/24/2011, 05:24 PM

Picked up two firefish, a pink birdsnest frag and a monitpora confusa frag yesterday. Will post pics once everything is settled in.

Russter · 02/28/2011, 04:45 PM

Here are the promised pics of my new frags, courtesy of Reliable Reef in Thunder Bay.

The firefish are still being shy and staying in the rock but are coming out at feeding time for a snack.

duncantse · 02/28/2011, 06:17 PM

LOVE your aquascape! Can you name your full fish livestock?

01/01/2011, 10:57 AM	#56
cman_pogey Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Missouri Posts: 132	Wow man, this tank looks great! I love how clean everything in your tank looks, and really digging the fish room as well. Sure does seem like an awful lot of work for a nano though lol. I top mine off and hit the "autopilot" button and let everything grow :P __________________ -Its always better being down here wishing you were up there, than being up there wishing you were down here. Current Tank Info: NanoCube DX 12 http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=17635763&posted=1#post17635763

01/17/2011, 11:46 AM	#68
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 531	Here is a new video showing the flow from the MP10 ES on lagoonal mode at 50% max power. The corals seem to be really enjoying the water movement and fish look like they are almost playing in the flow. Video quality from the Blackberry still sucks...hopefully I will buy a video camera soon. Last edited by Russter; 01/17/2011 at 11:51 AM.

01/25/2011, 09:38 PM	#70
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 531	Update Got two Bangaii cardinals out of quarantine and into the display tank the other day. I have always liked this type of fish and since all they seem to do is swim in one spot I thought they would be the perfect final fish added to the tank. Apparently my strawberry basslet had other ideas. He has harrassed these cardinals from the moment they entered the tank. I did not think there would be a problem because they are quite a bit bigger than the basslet. When I got home yesterday, one of the cardinals was gone...stuck in the overflow and dead. Not impressed. I am thinking the basslet chased him in there. I am contemplating trying to catch the basslet for a more peacefull fish and replacing the cardinal. I think I will have to build a fish trap because the basslet is way too fast for a net. Last edited by Russter; 01/25/2011 at 09:52 PM.

02/28/2011, 04:45 PM	#74
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 531	Here are the promised pics of my new frags, courtesy of Reliable Reef in Thunder Bay. The firefish are still being shy and staying in the rock but are coming out at feeding time for a snack. Last edited by Russter; 02/28/2011 at 05:19 PM.

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12/30/2010, 06:02 PM	#51
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 531	Today I fragged my first ever frags. Nothing fancy, just some colt and xenia branches. I used the needle and thread method to attach them to the frag plugs. My local LFS will take these as credit so I am hoping to get a couple of new corals once these attach to the plugs.

12/31/2010, 07:07 AM	#53
suds1421 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 121	Wow, looking good. Love the back fish room, gives you lots of space to spread out.

01/01/2011, 07:06 AM	#55
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 531	☆¸.•°”˜˜”°•.¸☆ ★ ☆¸.•°”˜˜”°•.¸☆ ╔╗╔╦══╦═╦═╦╗╔╗ ★ ★ ★ ║╚╝║══║═║═║╚╝║ ☆¸.•°”˜˜”°•.¸☆ ║╔╗║╔╗║╔╣╔╩╗╔╝ ★ new year ☆ 2011 everyone!! ╚╝╚╩╝╚╩╝╚╝═╚╝ ♥￥☆★☆★☆￥♥ ★☆★☆★☆

01/02/2011, 06:59 PM	#58
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 531	Here's some updated photos as of today. Interesting to see the growth from the first FTS of the thread as well as some of the minor aquascaping changes.

01/02/2011, 07:01 PM	#59
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 531	You can see in this picture that the chalice healed itself very nicely and the wound is almost completely covered with new growth. And some fishies:

01/12/2011, 02:35 PM	#60
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 531	Got a new coral yesterday in trade for some xenia frags (which is growing as fast as I can cut it down it seems). Devils Hand Leather coral:

01/12/2011, 09:12 PM	#61
PDCASU Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: North Carolina Posts: 14	Great Looking Tank...love the rock design and Coral selection....

01/13/2011, 08:39 PM	#63
reefhustler Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 71	really like the tank. how do you like the odessea light fixture? i just recently order the 4x24, just waiting for it to come for my 20L.

01/13/2011, 09:51 PM	#64
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 531	I really like the fixture, especially for the price. It is not the best made one and the reflectors are not top notch, but it does the trick. The bulbs it comes with suck big time though. You will need to replace them ASAP. I have had no mechanical problems with it (knock on wood) and my corals are all growing and healthy.

01/14/2011, 02:28 PM	#65
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 531	Got a MP10 today! It is running at 50% power in lagoonal mode right now. Gonna see how this works for a bit before I decide to switch modes.

01/14/2011, 03:00 PM	#66
RyDub03 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Oswego, IL Posts: 62	Excellent. Did you get an ES? I like reef crest but lagoonal is great too. I don't really use my ES modes.

01/18/2011, 03:36 PM	#69
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 531	This is a video tour of my fish room.

02/17/2011, 10:13 PM	#71
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 531	Almost had a disaster today. When I woke up this morning there was no power to the tank. The GFCI had tripped sometime overnight and the tank was 71 degrees. Corals were not looking too happy and neither were the fish. The strawberry basslet decided to jump out of the tank to see if it was warmer. It wasn't. I turned everything back on brought the temp back up. So far the basslet seems to be the only casualty although my devils hand leather is still looking PO'd. Time will tell but I think I need to figure out a better way to power the system. The RKL and the DJ power strip are both plugged into the GFCI outlet. If the GFCI trips, no power to anything. Any suggestions?

02/21/2011, 11:59 AM	#72
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 531	Since this last incident, it looks like everything will pull through in the tank, although the Devil's hand leather is still looking PO'd without full polyp extension during the day. All polyps were out last night though so I am not too worried. Here are some updated pics I took the other day. The last cardinal Time to get cleaned up Some good growth on this monti cap

02/24/2011, 05:24 PM	#73
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 531	Picked up two firefish, a pink birdsnest frag and a monitpora confusa frag yesterday. Will post pics once everything is settled in.

02/28/2011, 06:17 PM	#75
duncantse Fish Advisor Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 1,604	LOVE your aquascape! Can you name your full fish livestock?