Shallow SPS Cube

_Aaron_ · 10/12/2013, 01:21 PM

I thought I'd start a thread for my tank, it completed it's cycle at the end of April this year. It's still fairly young and I've had a few issues but I've got things back on track the last few months.

The Tank

Progress so far...

FTS 06/10/13

October FTS by --Aaron--, on Flickr

October FTS by --Aaron--, on Flickr

The tank measures 24(l)x24(w)x18(h) and is built by Windsor Aquatics, it is braceless and rimless, finished in black. It will has a left hand weir in black with a black background to match. The sump has 2 chambers which measures 21in(l)x18in(h)x17in(w). The display is 170L before displacement and the total system volume is around the 220L mark. The tank is controlled through my Profilux 3.1N.

Lighting

GHL Mitras 6200 HV

Light composer file is here. Last tweaked 28/8/2013

Filtration

I have used 17kg of Aquaroche to create my own structures.

The Skimmer is a Deltec SC1455, I use Ozone through this skimmer.

Livestock

Pink Skunk Clowns x 2 (Amphiprion perideraion)
Sunspot Goby(Amblyeleotris guttata)
Yasha Goby (Stonogobiops yasha)
Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto)
Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon bipartus)
Bicolour Blenny (Ecsenius bicolor)
Scooter Blenny (Synchiropus ocellatus)
Yellow Coris Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus)
Sixline Wrasse (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia)

SPS dominated reef with some LPS.

Equipment

GHL Profilux 3.1 N (Ph, Temp, Conductivity and Redox probes, level and leak sensors, Vortech module)
Deltec SC1455
Vortech MP10W ES x 2
Ocean Runner 2500
Devon Discus Ozone
GHL 3 channel doser (controlled through Profilux)
Reefloat 25 ATU (controlled through Profilux)
Aqua Medic 300w Titanium heater
Chippypah Reactor (used for PO4 media)

Water Parameters

Tropic Marin Bioactif Salt

Salinity - 1.0262
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
PO4 - 0.024
NO3 - 0.2 (Salifert)
Calcium - 420 (Salifert)
dKH - 8.3 (Salifert)
Magnesium - 1310 (Salifert)
02/09/2013

Husbandry

25L water change on a weekly basis.
200ml of ATI phosphate remover every 4 weeks.
200g of carbon every 4 weeks.

Build Progress Photos

April

May

May FTS by --Aaron--, on Flickr

June

June FTS by --Aaron--, on Flickr

August

Colours returning by --Aaron--, on Flickr

October

October FTS by --Aaron--, on Flickr

_Aaron_ · 10/12/2013, 01:22 PM

Some photos of the inhabitants.

Angry Gramma by --Aaron--, on Flickr

Leopard Wrasse by --Aaron--, on Flickr

Skunk Clownfish by --Aaron--, on Flickr

Maxima by --Aaron--, on Flickr

Pom Pom Crab by --Aaron--, on Flickr

Female Yasha by --Aaron--, on Flickr

Sunspot Goby by --Aaron--, on Flickr

Acropora by --Aaron--, on Flickr

Acropora subulata by --Aaron--, on Flickr

Acro by --Aaron--, on Flickr

zzl630 · 10/12/2013, 01:48 PM

Nice tank. Beautiful shots. What kind of lens are you using?

MammothReefer · 10/12/2013, 02:05 PM

great work, nice photos. That gramma looks mean ha.

blackchicken · 10/12/2013, 03:21 PM

Nice work here, do you have some photos of your maximas? Which lens do you use? 60/100?

_Aaron_ · 10/12/2013, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zzl630

Nice tank. Beautiful shots. What kind of lens are you using?

Thanks, Sigma 105mm.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MammothReefer

great work, nice photos. That gramma looks mean ha.

It doesn't take any crap lol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackchicken

Nice work here, do you have some photos of your maximas? Which lens do you use? 60/100?

Sure, I'm using a 105mm Sigma.

Some pics of my Clams, I'll do a top down tomorrow for a better view from above.

Squamosa by --Aaron--, on Flickr

Maxima by --Aaron--, on Flickr

wav0718 · 10/12/2013, 05:32 PM

what camera body are you using to take these amazing shots?

_Aaron_ · 10/13/2013, 02:15 PM

I'm using a Nikon D600.

Some pics showing the colours on the clams.

Top Down October by --Aaron--, on Flickr

reefsahoy · 10/13/2013, 07:21 PM

Forget the camera! Without a great subject you wouldnt have such a nice picture! NICE tank! Noticed you had a radion then the mitra. Why the switch? Thanks

_Aaron_ · 10/14/2013, 03:20 AM

Thank you.

Basically GHL offered me a 6200HV just before they got released to the public to test and review. I was that impressed with it I got rid of the Radion Pro in the end. The spread from the unit is fantastic (first thing I noticed) and I felt it was the better option to use for my tank. Also the rest of the GHL stuff I'm using is rock solid and superbly built like the Mitras.

The Radion was still good though when I used it and my only gripe was ES live was a PITA. It kept altering my schedule each time i went in. However it was in beta at that point (not sure if it's still in beta now). I also had LED's remain on very slightly when the unit was off, I was informed this was a software issue, it may of been resolved by now.

Frontosa99 · 10/14/2013, 03:55 AM

Congratulations!!!
Absolutly stunning tank and photos!

What camera gear do you use?

_Aaron_ · 10/15/2013, 02:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frontosa99

Congratulations!!!
Absolutly stunning tank and photos!

What camera gear do you use?

Thanks, it's still pretty young (5 months). I'm looking forward to watching it all grow out over the next 12 months. I use a Nikon D600, Sigma 105mm and some shots I use a SB700 flash remotely.

A few more pics.

Montipora by --Aaron--, on Flickr

Acan by --Aaron--, on Flickr

Montipora by --Aaron--, on Flickr

Heliofungia by --Aaron--, on Flickr

Alveopora by --Aaron--, on Flickr

Porcelain Crab by --Aaron--, on Flickr

Cleaner Shrimp by --Aaron--, on Flickr

glaukos · 10/15/2013, 05:43 AM

insanely beautifull pics aaron!!
Welldone!

ksicard · 10/15/2013, 06:11 AM

I've never seen better photo's of a reef, bravo.

v1...rotate · 10/15/2013, 07:04 AM

Great to see you posting your tank here Aaron!! I've been following your other thread in the photography section for some time.

The quality of your photos are simply outstanding!! Well done

Could you share some more info here or in your other thread on how you take such clear photos and techniques you use please.

Thanks
Andrew

s2nhle · 10/15/2013, 12:57 PM

Wow, awesome.

s2nhle · 10/15/2013, 12:59 PM

how much intensity you are using on your light?

Haksar · 10/15/2013, 01:09 PM

Nice tank and amazing pictures.

jroovers · 10/16/2013, 08:45 AM

Nice to see your tank over here on the SPS forum Aaron, fantastic photos, definitely the best I've seen on any forum. Cheers!

_Aaron_ · 10/16/2013, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glaukos

insanely beautifull pics aaron!!
Welldone!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ksicard

I've never seen better photo's of a reef, bravo.

Thank you both, much appreciated.

Quote:

Originally Posted by v1...rotate

Great to see you posting your tank here Aaron!! I've been following your other thread in the photography section for some time.

The quality of your photos are simply outstanding!! Well done

Could you share some more info here or in your other thread on how you take such clear photos and techniques you use please.

Thanks
Andrew

Hi Andrew.

Thanks for checking out my thread and your kind comments. I've posted some info on the other thread. To be honest there's not any real secrets. Best advice I can give is find the highest ISO without compromising massive amounts of quality. This will give you more scope with the aperture and shutter speeds. Shoot in RAW, keep the lens straight at the glass to minimise any distortion. Fish - faster shutter and wider aperture. Corals - slower shutter and narrower aperture. I don't use a tripod personally and they're not much use for moving objects like fish but for static stuff it may give you an edge. For stuff further back you can push the lens against the glass to stabilise the camera.

Quote:

Originally Posted by s2nhle

Wow, awesome.

Thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by s2nhle

how much intensity you are using on your light?

Full blast on high output. I've recently added some corals quite high up so I'm running some cloud cover to stop them being fried. I'll reduce it over the coming weeks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haksar

Nice tank and amazing pictures.

Thank you for looking.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jroovers

Nice to see your tank over here on the SPS forum Aaron, fantastic photos, definitely the best I've seen on any forum. Cheers!

Thanks Jordan. That's really kind, I think you definitely have talent from the images you post up.

v1...rotate · 10/17/2013, 05:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _Aaron_

Hi Andrew.

Thanks for checking out my thread and your kind comments. I've posted some info on the other thread. To be honest there's not any real secrets. Best advice I can give is find the highest ISO without compromising massive amounts of quality. This will give you more scope with the aperture and shutter speeds. Shoot in RAW, keep the lens straight at the glass to minimise any distortion. Fish - faster shutter and wider aperture. Corals - slower shutter and narrower aperture. I don't use a tripod personally and they're not much use for moving objects like fish but for static stuff it may give you an edge. For stuff further back you can push the lens against the glass to stabilise the camera.

Excellent... Thank you very much Aaron

Lamnguyen1313 · 10/18/2013, 04:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _Aaron_

I'm using a Nikon D600.

Some pics showing the colours on the clams.

Top Down October by --Aaron--, on Flickr

I love clam look beutifull

trueblackpercula · 10/18/2013, 04:45 AM

Very nice work congrats

michael stuart · 10/18/2013, 06:13 AM

Lovely tank Aaron; clean and clinical looking. Really excellent job.
As a matter of interest, where did you source your sps? Both colour and form are excellent.
Michael(Belfast)

_Aaron_ · 10/18/2013, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lamnguyen1313

I love clam look beutifull

Thanks, it's definitely my centrepiece.

Quote:

Originally Posted by trueblackpercula

Very nice work congrats

Thank you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by michael stuart

Lovely tank Aaron; clean and clinical looking. Really excellent job.
As a matter of interest, where did you source your sps? Both colour and form are excellent.
Michael(Belfast)

Thanks Michael. I got donated a lot of SPS in the early stages as off cuts from a friends tank. Shop wise I use MA Windsor, AAC or H2O. Down south we're less spoilt than up north, not sure how you guys over the water are fixed for shops?

10/12/2013, 01:21 PM	#1
_Aaron_ Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: UK Posts: 443	Shallow SPS Cube I thought I'd start a thread for my tank, it completed it's cycle at the end of April this year. It's still fairly young and I've had a few issues but I've got things back on track the last few months. The Tank Progress so far... FTS 06/10/13 October FTS by --Aaron--, on Flickr October FTS by --Aaron--, on Flickr The tank measures 24(l)x24(w)x18(h) and is built by Windsor Aquatics, it is braceless and rimless, finished in black. It will has a left hand weir in black with a black background to match. The sump has 2 chambers which measures 21in(l)x18in(h)x17in(w). The display is 170L before displacement and the total system volume is around the 220L mark. The tank is controlled through my Profilux 3.1N. Lighting GHL Mitras 6200 HV Light composer file is here. Last tweaked 28/8/2013 Filtration I have used 17kg of Aquaroche to create my own structures. The Skimmer is a Deltec SC1455, I use Ozone through this skimmer. Livestock Pink Skunk Clowns x 2 (Amphiprion perideraion) Sunspot Goby(Amblyeleotris guttata) Yasha Goby (Stonogobiops yasha) Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto) Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon bipartus) Bicolour Blenny (Ecsenius bicolor) Scooter Blenny (Synchiropus ocellatus) Yellow Coris Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus) Sixline Wrasse (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia) SPS dominated reef with some LPS. Equipment GHL Profilux 3.1 N (Ph, Temp, Conductivity and Redox probes, level and leak sensors, Vortech module) Deltec SC1455 Vortech MP10W ES x 2 Ocean Runner 2500 Devon Discus Ozone GHL 3 channel doser (controlled through Profilux) Reefloat 25 ATU (controlled through Profilux) Aqua Medic 300w Titanium heater Chippypah Reactor (used for PO4 media) Water Parameters Tropic Marin Bioactif Salt Salinity - 1.0262 Ammonia - 0 Nitrite - 0 PO4 - 0.024 NO3 - 0.2 (Salifert) Calcium - 420 (Salifert) dKH - 8.3 (Salifert) Magnesium - 1310 (Salifert) 02/09/2013 Husbandry 25L water change on a weekly basis. 200ml of ATI phosphate remover every 4 weeks. 200g of carbon every 4 weeks. Build Progress Photos April May May FTS by --Aaron--, on Flickr June June FTS by --Aaron--, on Flickr August Colours returning by --Aaron--, on Flickr October October FTS by --Aaron--, on Flickr

10/12/2013, 02:05 PM	#4
MammothReefer Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mammoth Lakes, CA Posts: 3,442	great work, nice photos. That gramma looks mean ha. __________________ Reefin @ 8298' Current Tank Info: 105 Peninsula

10/12/2013, 05:32 PM	#7
wav0718 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: elk grove, ca Posts: 541	what camera body are you using to take these amazing shots? __________________ Wes Current Tank Info: custom cube

10/13/2013, 02:15 PM	#8
_Aaron_ Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: UK Posts: 443	I'm using a Nikon D600. Some pics showing the colours on the clams. Top Down October by --Aaron--, on Flickr Top Down October by --Aaron--, on Flickr

10/15/2013, 05:43 AM	#13
glaukos Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 2,106	insanely beautifull pics aaron!! Welldone! __________________ Mike Just doing my hobby and having great fun with it....no room/need for drama:) the only way to win with a toxic person, is not to play

10/12/2013, 01:22 PM	#2
_Aaron_ Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: UK Posts: 443	Some photos of the inhabitants. Angry Gramma by --Aaron--, on Flickr Leopard Wrasse by --Aaron--, on Flickr Skunk Clownfish by --Aaron--, on Flickr Maxima by --Aaron--, on Flickr Pom Pom Crab by --Aaron--, on Flickr Female Yasha by --Aaron--, on Flickr Sunspot Goby by --Aaron--, on Flickr Acropora by --Aaron--, on Flickr Acropora subulata by --Aaron--, on Flickr Acro by --Aaron--, on Flickr

10/12/2013, 01:48 PM	#3
zzl630 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: League City,TX Posts: 132	Nice tank. Beautiful shots. What kind of lens are you using?

10/12/2013, 03:21 PM	#5
blackchicken Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Prague Posts: 55	Nice work here, do you have some photos of your maximas? Which lens do you use? 60/100?

10/13/2013, 07:21 PM	#9
reefsahoy I can see thru you! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Milky Way Galaxy 3rd planet from the sun, in a country called USA! Posts: 2,685	Forget the camera! Without a great subject you wouldnt have such a nice picture! NICE tank! Noticed you had a radion then the mitra. Why the switch? Thanks

10/14/2013, 03:20 AM	#10
_Aaron_ Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: UK Posts: 443	Thank you. Basically GHL offered me a 6200HV just before they got released to the public to test and review. I was that impressed with it I got rid of the Radion Pro in the end. The spread from the unit is fantastic (first thing I noticed) and I felt it was the better option to use for my tank. Also the rest of the GHL stuff I'm using is rock solid and superbly built like the Mitras. The Radion was still good though when I used it and my only gripe was ES live was a PITA. It kept altering my schedule each time i went in. However it was in beta at that point (not sure if it's still in beta now). I also had LED's remain on very slightly when the unit was off, I was informed this was a software issue, it may of been resolved by now.

10/14/2013, 03:55 AM	#11
Frontosa99 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: VN Gaia - Portugal Posts: 16	Congratulations!!! Absolutly stunning tank and photos! What camera gear do you use?

10/15/2013, 06:11 AM	#14
ksicard Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 538	I've never seen better photo's of a reef, bravo.

10/15/2013, 07:04 AM	#15
v1...rotate A Reef In The Sky Join Date: May 2009 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 718	Great to see you posting your tank here Aaron!! I've been following your other thread in the photography section for some time. The quality of your photos are simply outstanding!! Well done Could you share some more info here or in your other thread on how you take such clear photos and techniques you use please. Thanks Andrew __________________ 'A Reef in the Sky' Zeovit Featured Tank 2012 Reef Central TOTM Nov 2013 Reef Hobbyist Magazine Featured Tank 2015 Current Tank Info: 'A Reef in the Sky'

10/15/2013, 12:57 PM	#16
s2nhle Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 298	Wow, awesome.

10/15/2013, 12:59 PM	#17
s2nhle Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 298	how much intensity you are using on your light?

10/15/2013, 01:09 PM	#18
Haksar Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Dubai Posts: 1,041	Nice tank and amazing pictures. __________________ Haksar

10/16/2013, 08:45 AM	#19
jroovers Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 1,555	Nice to see your tank over here on the SPS forum Aaron, fantastic photos, definitely the best I've seen on any forum. Cheers! __________________ 45 Gallon Shallow Aquacultured SPS Reef

10/18/2013, 04:45 AM	#23
trueblackpercula Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: STATEN ISLAND Posts: 7,517	Very nice work congrats __________________ Life is to short to buy frags ! But for FREE I'LL take them ><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º> ·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. >((((º> LIVE SAND ITS THE CURE........® Current Tank Info: 120 CUBE Live sand Mitras lx6100hv MRC MR 2 single becket MP40 power head Aquamedic dosing pump using B-ionic

10/18/2013, 06:13 AM	#24
michael stuart Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Belfast, N.Ireland Posts: 19	Lovely tank Aaron; clean and clinical looking. Really excellent job. As a matter of interest, where did you source your sps? Both colour and form are excellent. Michael(Belfast)