280g Inwall

[Delphinus]

It takes me half an hour to drive to or from work which is an 8km distance. I hate driving in this city. And before someone goes all "well it's worse anywhere else, you should try Vancouver" I would counter with a "well, this is not Vancouver. We're not nestled right IN the mountains, and there is no ocean anywhere nearby. In fact most lakes in the vicinity are fake. I am reasonably certain that saying 'Calgary' is a Scottish word is a cover story and the real story is 'Calgary' is a Cree word that means something roughly translated as 'not even the trees live here willingly and yes it is going to take way to long to drive anywhere here'." That's what I would tell them.

Anyhow, I had typed in a nice reply with pictures but when I went to preview it I got the "Your token has expired" error. Pressed back and poof, there it was, the empty text box with all my typing effort nicely wiped out of existence. So I typed in "LOL, I got the 'Your token has expired' error message" and pressed submit and AGAIN got the "Your token has expired." Ahhh vbulletin, you quaint little piece of software, you..

Let me try to remember all what I typed in now and try again ... le sigh.

[Delphinus]

Adding GFO has been overall a positive move for the tank. For now, I still continue with the Zeovit regime but I don't really think it's doing a whole lot for me.

The downsides to GFO is that in the way that I'm using it, (just one cup's worth in a TLF150 Phosban reactor) it has to be changed out weekly. If I let it slip beyond a week, I notice a difference in the tank.

Even at only changing out 1 cup per week, the cost of GFO has been a bit of an eye opener.

As far as corals go, some things do really well for me. I have had a bit of bad luck in the past few months and have lost a handful of more finicky corals, which I hope to get around to replacing at some point.

Red Planet is one that seems to do well for me. I love this coral. I wanted a red acropora for so long, probably close to a full decade before I ever found one, and the irony is when I did find one, it turned out to be one the most resilient and faster growing corals I've ever seen .... which if you think about it is rather unusual for a coveted piece like that. Usually the favourites are the ones that grow the slowest and are the first to RTN or STN if something so much as hiccups in the tank.

Here's one side of it.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/280g%20Reef/DSC_0013-2_zps870d1d98.jpg

Blastos being another favourite of mine, here are 2 that seem to be growing well for now:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/280g%20Reef/DSC_0021-1_zps3e97979c.jpg

My Rose split a little while ago and one of the daughters has been "bubbling" up like a new anemone. We all know this is a fleeting thing so it's worthy of a picture:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/280g%20Reef/DSC_0019-1_zps0bda283d.jpg

(... plus I just did the overall placement with the clam and the corals all around it.)

And here are some fish:

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/280g%20Reef/DSC_0024_zpsd837e432.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/280g%20Reef/DSC_0023-1_zpscd61faa5.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/280g%20Reef/DSC_0011_zps57197aa6.jpg

[BlueTang<3]

Looks good you got a nice collection of fish there

[lastlight]

The stuff you did show looks like it has great colour man. I hear you on the cost of gfo I sorta wish I had my 5g pail of hc kicking around still. It would last me the rest of my reefing career!

[kien]

Love the rabbit fish photo bombing the flame wrasse lol

[StirCrazy]

Anyhow, I had typed in a nice reply with pictures but when I went to preview it I got the "Your token has expired" error. Pressed back and poof, there it was, the empty text box with all my typing effort nicely wiped out of existence. So I typed in "LOL, I got the 'Your token has expired' error message" and pressed submit and AGAIN got the "Your token has expired." Ahhh vbulletin, you quaint little piece of software, you..



so quite being so cheep and put more tokens in :mrgreen:

I would rather drive in cow town any day than vancouver though, even victoria is getting horable. what used to be a 20 min drive home for 15km, is now taking people 45 min and up. now kamloops I like. rush hour just adds 3 min on a 18km drive, so now it takes 15 min to get home from down town :wink:

oh the tank is looking good also, but what about a FTS?


Steve

[Delphinus]

I can't do FTS photos. I try, but they end up being very out of focus with no real discernible details. I thought maybe I could try a panoramic/stitch once, but after cropping and resizing it ended up being the same effect. Except that I had ghost fishes. Not sure what the trick is but I'll keep trying in the meantime.

[michika]

Your trigger is just stunning! I love the anenome as well, beautiful colour.

[Delphinus]

I guess the reef is now two years old! Wow.

Anyhow, so over the holiday break, Kien and I traded some frags. He was kind enough to bring his camera with him and snap a couple photos. I'm so glad he did, I swear the guy is magic, I look at these photos and can hardly believe they are of my tank.

To start with, a couple FTS.. (please don't mind the masking tape, I'm still painting the basement.. Also the water is sort of cloudy in some of the pictures because my kid really wanted to feed the fish a clam from T&T while this was all happening, so there was a feeding frenzy in the front corner for a bit there..)

Anyhow with no further ado ... PICTURES!!

Front view..
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_033_zps84b00035.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_032_zpsd03d2b55.jpg


Corner view.. I love this angle..
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_074_zps36332128.jpg

And from the side looking down the long way .. I also really love looking in at this angle:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_037_zpsa84cf429.jpg

And, one thing that struck me lately in my own attempts in FTS lately (all of which have failed so far, it's a rather challenging tank to take a good FTS on) is that in my attempt to aquascape "differently and interestingly", I created a downwards slope of the base reef. I may, in fact, take it on as a project later this year to rescape it a little so that it builds up as you go further back). Anyhow, the bottom line is that you get a more interesting FTS view if you look from high up and aim downwards. Check it out:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_075_zps2d12fc34.jpg


And some scene shots of the various bommies in the tank:

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_036_zps841528a1.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_035_zpsb4eca597.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_034_zpsea550279.jpg

[Delphinus]

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_073_zpse8221aec.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_072_zpsce48b00d.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_071_zps72e0867b.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_070_zps6fa855d0.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_069_zps58a393ca.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_068_zpsd14a054d.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_067_zpse2adae8d.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_066_zpsfdaaa186.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_065_zps73877398.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_064_zps69f8bc94.jpg

[Delphinus]

This guy apparently really loved the camera that day:

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_063_zps44f7a816.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_062_zps712bd868.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_061_zps11aa7259.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_060_zps07d44549.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_059_zps8e15a399.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_058_zps4ef8692b.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_057_zps25f81e89.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_056_zps13a2da35.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_055_zps97dc750d.jpg

[Delphinus]

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_054_zps62ea640f.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_053_zps3e42b1aa.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_052_zpsace58f9b.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_051_zpsba27553b.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_050_zps35050264.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_049_zps99cc38ba.jpg




The feeding frenzy begins..

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_048_zps11b17720.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_047_zpsbc8a15d6.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_046_zpsadafdbd1.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_045_zps6ba3db7d.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_044_zps1ef0e4e1.jpg

[Delphinus]

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_043_zps07e9f8c1.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_042_zpsa44deaa7.jpg

Blastomussas!!! Some of my favourite corals..
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_041_zps18e45441.jpg


.. And Acans..
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_040_zpsa3d0dd16.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_039_zps3237bd4f.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_038_zps0b0489e2.jpg

[mrhasan]

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_047_zpsbc8a15d6.jpg


Just look at the trigger. It looks so amazed :mrgreen:

[reefwars]

sweet pics tony man nice coral too:)

[Delphinus]

I'm such a sucker for shag carpets. Both these are Stichodactyla gigantea (and the clownfish are Amphiprion ocellaris). The green I have had since 2004, the purple since 2008 I think (maybe 2009).

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_031_zpsb97ca841.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_029_zpsba35fd4a.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_028_zps5ee33d83.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_027_zpsa5c4875d.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_024_zps90cc2c67.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_023_zpsdc8cb909.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_022_zpsf0613c17.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_021_zpse3f560df.jpg

[Delphinus]

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_030_zpsda6b7d16.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_026_zps4717eea3.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_019_zpsf671a028.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_020_zpsa21f843b.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_018_zps2e9bf50c.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_017_zps8d5562f3.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_016_zps19eca04f.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_015_zpseea33ef6.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_014_zps2e8562a9.jpg

It's actually kind of hard NOT to get a photo of the trigger. She loves attention..
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_013_zps4835fa19.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_012_zps8d7334ed.jpg

Oh! Are you taking another picture? Let me get in there...
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_011_zpsa3270d46.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_010_zpse51563ec.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_009_zpse667017d.jpg

[Delphinus]

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_008_zpse3e22318.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_007_zpsd87ffd31.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_006_zps335c5c3c.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_005_zps0734ecb5.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_004_zps743d5ad4.jpg

HIGH-FIVE!!!!
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_003_zpsce61460e.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_002_zpsb577ead5.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_001_zpsc918c73a.jpg

[Jason McK]

Stunning Tony!

[Delphinus]

Aaand, I think that's all 75. Wowza, that's a lot of pictures!!

Thanks for looking. :)

[Delphinus]

Stunning Tony!

Thanks Jason!

Just look at the trigger. It looks so amazed :mrgreen:

Haha yeah she sort of does! I think that was when the clam first hit the sand and they're all figuring out who's gonna get to flip it over.

sweet pics tony man nice coral too:)

Thanks Denny!! I can't take any credit for the pictures .. I look at some of those and I'm like .. that's in MY tank ??? Who knew! .. Man I am going to have to save up to get a nicer camera some day... :) Camera or LEDs .. Camera or LEDs ... decisions decisions!

[kien]

seriously, that trigger is gorgeous but I had to crop her out of A LOT of photos LOL. She's like Miss Piggy. Look at Moi! No seriously, LOOK AT MOI NOW! Rabbit fish and moi! Lavender Tang and moi! Birds nest coral and moi! :lol:

Those carpets are gorgeous too. You don't see those every day!

[ChizerBunoi]

That tank is looking great. Are you planning to put a moulding or trim around the tank when the drywall has been all painted?

[waynemah]

Man I am going to have to save up to get a nicer camera some day... :) Camera or LEDs .. Camera or LEDs ... decisions decisions!

What camera are you using now? Stunning pictures by the way! I've spent $2K+ on camera gear and cant even touch those pictures :cry:

[Delphinus]

seriously, that trigger is gorgeous but I had to crop her out of A LOT of photos LOL. She's like Miss Piggy. Look at Moi! No seriously, LOOK AT MOI NOW! Rabbit fish and moi! Lavender Tang and moi! Birds nest coral and moi! :lol:

Hahahahahaha!!!! :lol: That's awesome. That might just have to be her new nickname!

She makes feeding the LPS a very interesting experience. It totally doesn't matter how late into the night I wait, she shows up. "OH, DO YOU HAVE PELLETS? I WUV PELLETS NUM NUM!!"


Those carpets are gorgeous too. You don't see those every day!

Thanks, they are definitely a favourite of mine too. I used to have a huge ritteri anemone for many years and the thing was gorgeous but a high maintenance beast. These guys are quite tame in comparison.

That tank is looking great. Are you planning to put a moulding or trim around the tank when the drywall has been all painted?

Thanks! Yes, the moulding is a project coming up in the next few weeks (the rest of the basement needs it as well around the doors and such.) Nothing too elaborate planned for the tank, just some moulding on tops and sides and a small trim along the bottom. Just enough to put a drink on or rest the wrists on while staring into the tank.

[Delphinus]

What camera are you using now? Stunning pictures by the way! I've spent $2K+ on camera gear and cant even touch those pictures :cry:

A Canon Kien pro model was used for this last set. Very exclusive model, I've not been able to find any available in stores. Well, you might find one in a reef store on a day a good shipment arrives :)

[waynemah]

A Canon Kien pro model was used for this last set. Very exclusive model, I've not been able to find any available in stores. Well, you might find one in a reef store on a day a good shipment arrives :)

I feel like a dummy for googling "Canon Kien" sigh... going to bed.

[kien]

I feel like a dummy for googling "Canon Kien" sigh... going to bed.

thanks, you just made me google "Canon Kien" sigh... going to bed too.

[lastlight]

Tank's looking awesome Tony. I think that green carpet has grown a lot since I last saw it. Interesting growth form on that birds nest too it's pretty thick. That trigger is such a freaking pig but he was fun to feed lol.

[Stones]

Great pics Tony so thanks for sharing. Those are some pretty monstrous carpet anemones you have in there!

[Leah]

Those clam feeding frenzy photos are fantastic!

[christyf5]

Damn Tony! The tank is looking stellar. It almost makes me want to go work on my own tank..almost! I'll probably just keep looking at your pics instead.

I'm still jealous you have a matched set of Bellus in there. They just don't come up on the fish lists very often anymore :neutral:

Great pics as usual Kien, wish you could come by my place and make my tank look as good as Tonys (now that would be a REAL test of your skillz! :wink:)

[Seriak]

Amazing Pics Tony.

I really need to borrow the Canon Kien from you one of these days.

[kien]

wish you could come by my place and make my tank look as good as Tonys (now that would be a REAL test of your skillz! :wink:)

Challenge accepted! :-D

Amazing Pics Tony.

I really need to borrow the Canon Kien from you one of these days.

I hear you can rent the Canon Kien for frags or popcorn.

[Delphinus]

Thanks all.

Christy, yeah, I got real lucky with this pair that came out of a Canreefer's tank being shutdown. I see Genicanthus sp. from time time in the stores but definitely on rare occasion, like maybe once or twice a year at best. These two in particular I still wonder if they are truly a "pair" or just a male and a female. They don't seem to be hugely enamored with one another... However, the female seems to stay a female, so maybe that's just how pairs behave. :noidea:

[Lance]

Tony, the tank is looking great! And I love those fish pics. I can never get shots like that. Kien definitely has the touch.

[Seriak]

You guys do know that Tony's tank is actually empty and all those photos are just photo shopped. That's how good Kien is!!!

[kien]

You guys do know that Tony's tank is actually empty and all those photos are just photo shopped. That's how good Kien is!!!

Indeed, I am very good at Cutting & Pasting.

[Doug]

:woot:

Wow Tony. Tank sure is looking good. Absolutely beautiful pics.

How do they get the meat from the closed clam? Or does the trigger open it for them. :lol: If you remember my pics from feeding my copperband, I use to half them and put the half on a nori clip I had on a long pole.

[Delphinus]

Thanks Doug!

When I buy the clams I just put them in the freezer, so they are frozen solid. If I can saw them apart at that point with a knife or something, then sometimes I do that, but lately my 7 year old son has taking a liking to feeding the clams to the fish, and what he likes best about the process is smashing the clam with a hammer (these big ones that I'm using now are really hard to crack open with a knife anyhow). So what you can't see is that on the other side of the clam that was facing away from the camera was that there were pieces of the shell broken off and the fish get their snouts into the holes from there.

[Zoaelite]

Tony it appears your SPS problems have been fixed :biggrin:!

Loving it buddy, swapping my background shot to this one right now.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/delphinus_photos/Tank%20Photos%20by%20Kien%20-%20Jan2013/TONY_20130102_003_zpsce61460e.jpg

[fishoholic]

Amazing pics Tony!

[Coleus]

your fishes and corals look awesome

[michika]

Looking really really really good there Tony.

Also, loving your camera skills.

[gregzz4]

Camera Smurf sure has some skillz
Tank is amazing Tony

[Delphinus]

Thanks guys! You're too kind. Honestly, I see this tank every day (every day!!) and I don't think it's as nice as these pictures portray. It's an odd effect for sure.

@Levi - Thanks man. In hindsight I am thinking that most of my SPS issues were PO4 related. I think just because a test kit says it's low enough doesn't mean it really is low enough. Things still aren't 100% these days, I lose frags or have recession here or there but I really notice it if I let the GFO slide for too long. If I replace it weekly, things just look, behave, and grow better. If I let it go to two weeks it's hard to say how exactly but it just becomes noticeable and there's an almost instant bounce back as soon as new GFO gets put on. 1 cup per week seems to be the magic amount.

[gregzz4]

1 cup per week seems to be the magic amount.
Are you going through 24lbs a year :surprise::surprise::surprise: ???

[Delphinus]

Hmmmm, no, I don't think so ... Although I guess it is something like 16 though. I buy whatever fits in a 1 gallon container and this seems to be about 7-8 lbs and I have to replace it .. hmmmm I need to take better notes, but I think it's twice a year. Man, now you have me thinking. It definitely hurts the wallet when I need to get more.

[hydrofire]

Looks good. Thankfully the cement will be able to hold all that weight!

[gregzz4]

I wouldn't be able to afford changing mine every week

The HC GFO I just used up came from Chin_Lee's group buy
3lbs gave me 6 cups, so 6 4week uses
In the future I plan on using the BRS calculator's recommended 0.86 cups for my 110g system, so hopefully 10 cups/5lbs will get me a year's use

[Delphinus]

3lbs gave 6 cups? Ok something is not adding up here. I'm going to weigh a cup of the stuff I use now... Will post back later...

[Delphinus]

No, I guess you're right. I measured out a cup and it came to about 250grams. So that's the same weight as yours.

However, keep in mind that I'm not changing out the full recommended volume of gfo per week. The RC calculator for example says for my tank volume I should be using about 2.5 cups and changing it out every 4 weeks. Instead I use a smaller volume and change it out every week or two. So it kind of works out the same (not quite, but close-ish). The equivalent in your case assuming a 75g tank volume would be something like 3 tablespoons per week, or 50 grams, I think. I probably have my math all wrong on this but something like that anyhow.. :)

[gregzz4]

I probably have my math all wrong on this but something like that anyhow.. :)
No, your math is good on my amount needed, but maybe 3.5Tbsp/week
You have me pondering running a half dose bi-weekly. It'll be interesting to see how 110ml tumbles. I suspect it would clump less

Did Kien attempt a FTS ?

[michika]

2014 annual bump. :)

So what's happening?

[Skimmerking]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm tony
where are you

[Delphinus]

The tank is still running.. It's been a bit of a tough few months with it lately, mostly on account that PO4 will run rampant and the only way to keep it under control is GFO which gets expensive. The fish are all doing well, getting bigger and bigger. I can understand why one would want a bigger tank than this even, it's just too bad it's getting to be such a cost prohibitive hobby in so many respects. In some ways I'd love to go bigger, but it's not ever going to happen.

So for this tank been running a few years now, I have a few changes planned for the next few months.

Most notably, I want to get a skimmer neck cleaner online and maybe get back into using a calcium reactor because I'm not overly enamored with 2 part dosing. Have the parts for a skimmer neck cleaner all put together, just haven't done the actual assembly yet.

Also switched to LEDs about a year back and to be honest I miss the Radiums. But they were getting too hard to buy so I figured what the heck.

Also wondering if dosing kalk might help with the PO4 issues.

Would kind of like to invest in some new rock and rework parts of the reefscape.

Also bought some wet floor sensors to let the Apex alert me if there is water spillage.

No shortage of things to do; just been battling a nasty head cold the last month and it's been wiping me of all energy. Summer before that and that's never good for my tanks for some strange reason. Anyhow hopefully soon I can get the ball rolling and maybe post some better updates.

[neoh]

where did you get this wet floor detector?

[Delphinus]

I went with these: http://www.specialtyalarms.com/site/1313932/product/80-519

I picked these based on that they can be either "normally open" *or* "normally closed". Some seem to be either one or the other.

I figured if I use some that are normally closed, then I can run a number of them in series - have a few spots on the floor that are the usual spots water might accumulate if spilled, but only use up one monitoring circuit on the Apex. Just a sort of "there's water on the floor somewhere in the tank room" general alarm is good enough, I don't need granularity to the point of "spillage on the left" or "spillage on the right" 'cuz it's more that I want to be notified if I need to hurry home for some reason rather than "you're a klutz and spilled water during a water change" because I might kinda already know that already without my Apex needing to tell me. :)

[michika]

Cool. Thanks for the link.

[Doug]

Our sponsors who stock Apex also have both under carpet and solid leak sensors.

[Buccaneer]

Hey T ... any recent pics of the tank?

[monza]

Hey T ... any recent pics of the tank?

Your tanks still up and running Steve? Thread with pics?

Dave

[Buccaneer]

Your tanks still up and running Steve? Thread with pics?

Dave

Hey Dave ... dont know how I missed this ... tank is up and running ... just got first diatom bloom :wink: ... getting it slowly automated

Your tank still up and running?

[monza]

I have a new one as well, newish I guess… not updated thread much. Up and running for a while now, kinda neglecting it currently.http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=97100

Dave

[Delphinus]

I'm pushing myself to write this post. This week I have been battling the worst strep throat I've ever had in my life, and it has zapped a lot of my energy. My dad has had spinal surgery this week and his recovery is not going too well, and on account of me probably being contagious still I can't even go visit. So, the amount of guilt I am feeling right now is probably fair to say is "above average."

But each journey has a beginning and an end .. and oh, what a journey this tank has been. But this chapter has very much come to an end.

We took off for an overnight trip for Canada Day to enjoy the summer weather and have some lakeside time. Every time I go away from the tanks, there is this irrational fear "that something will go wrong" but under usual circumstances, you find that this fear is unfounded, when you come home and find everything humming along just fine.

But the fear is meant to be irrational ... not well founded. This time, it was correct.

We came home and the smell of death as soon as entering the front door was significant. With dread I went downstairs and to my horror there was nearly everyone who not even two full days prior were all swimming around, lying dead. Clams were dead. Rose BTA's were dead. Dead urchins. Dead mushrooms, dead gorgonians. Dead snails.

My beautiful lavender tang - gone. My buddy the Red Sea sailfin, a fish I have cared for 15 years - 15 years! - dead. The anthias pair. The pyramid butterfly pair. The trigger - Oh God - the Crosshatch trigger - dead.

At this point, the rabbitfish and the lieutenant tang were still alive, as were my clownfish, their two gigantea carpets, and a filefish. I knew I had to get them out.

Unfortunately the rabbitfish and the lieutenant tang died in transport enroute to temporary housing. The stress of capture, the journey itself, or they were compromised to begin with - who knows.

As soon as I touched the glass though, I understood what had happened. The tank was as hot as a hot tub. The powerheads were all off. The controller - the piece of equipment that was meant to safeguard the inhabitants - was in the end what did them all in. Such an amazing set of circumstances to come together to fail in this manner - everything was off but the heater was on.

The Apex itself appears to be unrecoverable. I cannot login to it, and it does not appear to be functioning when powered on. The little screenpad display unit is backlit, but no information appears. So I can't tell what exactly has failed or when. I have a feeling it actually happened shortly after we departed late on Tuesday (there was a tremendous electrical storm that night in the city).

I am surprised to learn my heater could heat the tank so much. I thought it was only about 2 watts per gallon but perhaps I am mistaken on that. Ironically, a few weeks ago my 65g also had a heater failed in the stuck-on position, but the tank only got to 27 deg C - it's just not capable of pushing too far beyond that. But in the big tank - it must have been 40 degrees or warmer.

For now, the survivors are moved into my 65g fowlr. I can't understand how the carpets and clowns survived this event, they are incredibly tough buggers. My female clownfish is probably 18 years old at this point - she's one of the first fish I've ever purchased when I got into this hobby in the late 90's. Battle scarred and a little weary looking, but still kicking.

One clam seems to have survived - for now. And the filefish. Seems to be adjusting to his new home.

Of course, time will tell whether they indeed recover after such a trauma. I'm not making any predictions at this point.

And so, I'm left at a cross roads. I'm not emotionally ready to rebuild this tank. In fact, what I really want to do is empty it for now. It is entirely possible I will not rebuild. A part of me feels that if I were to rebuild and reset, it cheapens the respect and love that I had for those fish and creatures.

So, I may decide to start selling the equipment. Unfortunately, to remove the tank will require some demolition of walls, so this choice has to be made very carefully, and I don't think I'm in the right frame of mind to make any decision of that magnitude.

However, the tank does need to be emptied and shutdown at this point. So I will probably start selling the rock in the coming days to weeks.

The hobby has taught me so much. You nearly end up with the equivalent of a process engineering degree when you take everything into account, balanced with ecology and biology and a maybe measure of psychology as well (human and non human for that matter). And, while it also teaches us of loss and grief, while perhaps a necessary step as with all things, these are but a small piece of the overall picture. I choose to remember the highlights.

I am not quitting the hobby. I still have a 65g FOWLR (if the carpets and clam live, I guess I can call it a "reef"), I still have a FW tank. I will continue on. Live and learn.

If I can offer any lessons from this, I think I would summarize it thusly:
- redundancy and safety can not be overdone. If your heater is controlled by an electronic controller, consider a secondary controller as well. For example, this catastrophe could have been avoided if I had used a Ranco inline with the Apex outlet. Heck there are 12v and 24V versions of Ranco - you could run one of those on a battery so to keep the power supplies isolated.
- Never use a heater overrated for the volume. It just seems inevitable that a heater will one day freeze in the "on" position. Even investing in a controller is no guarantee this will be avoided. I thought my heater was not too much for my tank, but apparently I was mistaken. So take a moment and question yourself whether you're exposed to this risk as well, and consider downgrading your heater if need be.

[Aquattro]

As someone who always has something to say, I have nothing. I'm sad to read this.

[lastlight]

That's a tough read Tony but I'm glad we haven't lost you to this series of events. Shut down and make the big decisions later. Get well and focus on the family. As always if you need help call me. I'm really good at manual mucky labour. I even enjoy it so don't hesitate.

[gregzz4]

Geez Tony ... I'm sorry for all your grief and loss.
Hope Pops recovers quickly.

I'm one of those redundancy freaks. Pretty much everything I have is backed up by something, and I keep separate baskets for all my eggs.
Even so, thanks for posting your hardware failures. Hopefully it will save someone in future.

As Brett said, just take a step back while things calm down and we know you'll set it back up again.

:hug: 🍺

[FishyFishy!]

Damn Tony. Im sorry to hear this. Its always sad.

If you need any help with the shutdown or the cleanup, just give me a shout.

[Doug]

That really sucks Tony. Sorry about your tank & its inhabitants. Esp. one you have had for so long. Loosing my clowns would break my heart.

[Myka]

Tony, I didn't see your big post until today (though obviously I sae your emergency thread). It certainly is hard to read. The grief you must feel for the loss of these critters having kept them soooo many years must be devastating. I'm so sorry it had to end this way. :cry:

[kien]

sorry to hear about your catastrophe Tony. Thanks for the additional tips as well. I'll be investigating a second controller for my heaters this summer, if it's not too late by the time I get home this evening :neutral:

Also, every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end..

[christyf5]

A hard read and I'm definitely sorry for this end. I figured on a softer ending for the big tank, into the sunset and all that.

How are the survivors doing?

[Zoaelite]

Tony I'm so sorry for your loss!
We lost Flash Gordon @ 4 years and I was devastated, I can only imagine how painful it was to lose these fish with the history you share with them. While you might not be interested in restarting the system know that your passion lives on through those you influenced! I can personally say stopping by in the early stages of your build was a big push to set up our large system, so thank you!

Kiener put it very well, with the closing of this door coming the opening of many others.
Levi

[mseepman]

So sorry to hear about this. As a large tank owner, this is the worst nightmare situation and I share your worries each time I leave my house.

[lastlight]

i have good news... tony wouldn't sell me his old halides. he's not going anywhere!

[kien]

i have good news... tony wouldn't sell me his old halides. he's not going anywhere!

HOLD THE PHONE! Brett, are you up(down(side))grading ??

.. sorry to 'jack your thread Tony.. we can discuss your tank at Bolsa next week maybe. :biggrin:

[lastlight]

HOLD THE PHONE! Brett, are you up(down(side))grading ??

.. sorry to 'jack your thread Tony.. we can discuss your tank at Bolsa next week maybe. :biggrin:

i'm opening up a DIY tanning salon in my basement!

[jordanc_17]

Tough to read... Delphinus I nearly had the same experience 3 months ago. We went to B.C. for 4 days, the night we returned, me and my wife were watching tv in the next room and the tank went silent. Exactly the same issue. The Apex (6 months old) stopped controlling everything (controller was lit with a blank screen) and put everything in fallback. I didn't realise what this meant when I set it up, so EVERYTHING was fallback:off. If this had of happened even 24hr sooner my 150G would have been dead... Hope things look up for you.

[Delphinus]

Were you able to get the Apex ever going again? I'm kind of torn on what to do about this, maybe I should contact Neptune and see if they'll take it in and service it, or something..

[jordanc_17]

Were you able to get the Apex ever going again? I'm kind of torn on what to do about this, maybe I should contact Neptune and see if they'll take it in and service it, or something..

I actually did the whole tech support with Neptune and they were unable to get it running again. So I sent it away for repairs. I can't remember what exactly the repaired, I will try and find the paperwork from them tomorrow. It's kind of scary how much trust we put in these controllers since it seems like they have a somewhat high failure rate.

[Snappy]

Tony I just saw this. I am so sorry to hear about your loss, very sad. :cry:

[michika]

I can't make it through the update. I just get too sad and I have to close it. I am so profoundly sorry for all your losses Tony.


Sent from space while riding a T-Rex.