Myka's 90 gallon build & 3 province move (Pics Feb 6)

[Myka]

Oct 5, 2011: I'm going to change this first post to keep a running log of FTS. :)



May 27, 2009:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/May272009.jpg



Aug 8, 2009:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Aug820092.jpg



Jan 2, 2010:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Jan22010.jpg



June 27, 2010:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June272010.jpg



Sept 11, 2010:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Sept112010.jpg



Jan 1, 2011:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Jan12011.jpg



Oct 15, 2011:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Oct1520116.jpg



Jan 1, 2012:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_3028.jpg


Feb 6, 2012:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Feb520122.jpg

[Myka]

As many of you know already I recently moved to Saskatoon from Kelowna, BC. My 33g tank is still in BC (link in sig). I was building a 40 gallon breeder in BC, but I decided that it would be easier to buy a new tank here, set it all up, cycle it, and let it age for a month or two before I bring all the livestock from my 33 out here. I'm hoping to reduce any livestock death. Livestock from 33 should be here early June I think, but who knows.

So... I figured, since I am buying a new tank, why not upgrade while I'm at it?? :lol: Ok, I actually had NO desire for a larger tank. Seriously. BUT, I have a really exquisitely colored Kole tang that I really want to keep, so I decided to upgrade to a tank size that would be suitable for him. 90 gallon it is...happened to find one right away.

I bought a 90 gallon Concept Aquarium tank, black silicone, with left corner overflow. Bottom drilled for one 1 1/2" bulkhead and one 1" bulkhead. The overflow is drilled for a 1" return. I'm going to cover up the hole in the overflow because I'm going to run my return over the edge of the tank, and use to the two bottom holes for drains for a Herbie. The stand is an AGA black pine.

For anyone interested, I'm not impressed with the build quality of the Concept Aquarium tank. The edges aren't even, the overflow may as well have been homemade since it is glass with 1/8" black acrylic siliconed onto the outside so you can't see into the overflow. Since silicone doesn't bond well with acrylic the two pieces have separated. The black silicone that is used on the inside of the corners on the tank is poor quality, and peeling off. For reference, the tank is only a year old. So, I will be resiliconing the inside corners in black, and resealing the acrylic to the glass overflow. Should look pretty good when I'm done.

Now...the stand. BLEH. I like the looks of the AGA pine stands, but I think the stability is iffy for the larger tanks. I wouldn't want anything bigger than a 65 on those stands! So I decided to beef up the stand. I think I took enough pictures to tell the story without going into detail about how I built it. I basically used all the pieces of the AGA stand, and built a 2x4 frame to go on the inside of it. I doubled up the framing so I could eliminate the center posts that were on the AGA.

Before I go into photos, I will list the equipment I have for the tank, and stuff I plan to add in the near future:

90g tank
Homemade stand
Sump (next project)
Refugium
EuroReef RS-180
2x250w DE MH electronic ballasts
2x54w T5s
Two Jager heaters total 250w
2x PhosBan Reactors (one for carbon, one GFO)

The MH lights are still in BC, and won't be here until the livestock comes, but I have a little 2x39w T5 fixture to put on the tank temporarily. Currently it is lighting my live rock which is in rubbermaids in hopes to preserve as much coralline as possible.

I also have 150lbs of mature, cured rock to choose from; mix of shelf and branching mostly, probably mostly Tonga, maybe some Vanuatu. About 50-70 lbs of sand. Will add enough sand for a 1-2" sandbed.


In future:

VorTech MP40 and/or Wavebox
Tunze Osmolator ATO
Dosing pumps for calcium and alkalinity
Hang on fuge...to see if I get better pod reproduction than an in-sump fuge



Stand pics:

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_0350-1.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_0351-1.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_0352-1.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_0353-1.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_0355.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_0364.jpg

[Myka]

So then little miss dumbass (me!!) realises she forgot to make room for the plumbing!!! :eek: Oh ya, bottom drilled, not back drilled. ARGH! http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Banghead.gif I then measured the holes in the bottom of the tank, and realise that the 2x4s I used in my framing are totally in the way of where the bulkheads will be. Side note...I strongly dislike anything carpentry related having spent too much time working professionally as a renovation carpenter. Also, I have been hugely frustrated due to lack of tools. So, I toss the ENTIRE stand, and decide to build my own. I made the stand wider to make room for the plumbing, and I bought some (real) oak batten boarding to skin the stand with. It now has the first coat of paint on it in the garage, and I realize I haven't double checked my measurements yet! :eek: :lol: I hope it all lines up!!!!!!!! I painted the outside with black semi-gloss exterior acrylic paint, and the inside is white gloss exterior acrylic. I will be making a matching canopy for the tank as well.

So, this is what I made using the minimal tools I have here in SK. That being a cordless drill, a chop saw, a circular saw, and a plunge router (with only two bits lol). If I had a router table and a table saw this stand would have been waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay different. Oh, and much nicer. :lol: Oh ya, I haven't finished the doors yet, so they aren't on the stand.

The NEW new stand...as it is right now. First coat of paint, so it's really streaky. I framed this one a bit differently, so I took some closeups of the framing for you guys can see how I did it because I stupidly didn't take any build photos for this one. I think I was too choked about having to throw away two stands. :lol: I put a post in the middle of the back of the stand so i just used single ply framing, but I wanted to skip the post in the front so I doubled up.

The 2x2 blocks on the front are for the mounting of the doors.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_0367.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_0369.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_0365.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_0371.jpg

[fishytime]

You impress me!:wink:

[Rbacchiega]

the dismantled stand is the best picture! I really did Laugh Out Loud...ba dum!

[JDigital]

Solid stand now!

Kelowna to Saskatoon..... BLEH!!! What's wrong with you woman!!

[christyf5]

LOL that stand pic killed me. What do you do with a crap stand? Knock it apart and spread it around the yard of course! :wink: I didn' realize you were putting it back together and though maybe you'd torn it apart in disgusted rage :razz:

[Lance]

Stand looks pretty strong now. Good Job!

[Myka]

:BIG: I figured you guys would get a kick out of the stand strewn across the yard, so I took that pic purely for the amusement of this board. :p

I made a triple post in the beginning so I can add all the photos up to now before your replies would all get in my way (lol), so I edited a bit...you guys didn't see that I have also KILLED that stand too!!!! :lol: Go read my second post. :o

Just gonna run to the garage and take a pic of the NEW new stand! :D

[Myka]

Added photos of the NEW new stand in post #2. :)

[banditpowdercoat]

Look's good. But whats a plunge router gona do that a hammer and a exacto knife wont?? LOL

[fishytime]

Look's good. But whats a plunge router gona do that a hammer and a exacto knife wont?? LOL

This coming from someone that works with metal:razz::mrgreen:

[banditpowdercoat]

Ya, I suck at wood too LOL.

[Myka]

HAHAHA! Well, a plunge router would be MUCH more useful if I had a router table! Funny thing is that I used a hammer and chisel in the places where the router wouldn't fit, and although it took a lot more work, it looks just the same!

[sphelps]

Stand looks good, have you considered sealing up the back as well? It'll cut down on noise can keep the wall behind clean.

[Myka]

No, I haven't. There will be a light over the fuge, so my thinking was to keep the back open for heat escape. Keeping the wall clean would be nice though...

So, I'm thinking I will do a small 2-way closed loop on this tank for three reasons; so I can hopefully eliminate most if not all powerheads, T the pump outlet for an easy water change system like superduperwesman did in his nano contest tank, and I can use a 2-way to create a wavebox sort of action I'm hoping. This way I can get away with probably just using one VorTech (later on down the road when I feel rich again), or maybe I will be happy just using a couple Koralia 4's or some such thing. So...any input on how many gph I should run my closed loop? Remember I keep LPS only, although I will add a few SPS to the 90 (I think).

[sphelps]

The 90 is still pretty small for a CL, especially with just LPS corals. One powerhead like a vortech and a half decent return pump would be good. For an LPS tank I wouldn't aim for more than a total of 10x turnover or about 1000gph. Have you considered going the simple route and using a larger return pump like a dart? You could run a herbie overflow to keep noise and bubbles down and eliminate the need for powerheads or a closed loop. It's be much simpler and cleaner. I've setup a few 90s like this and they've all done well for LPS and even some SPS.

Don't under estimate the importance of simplicity. :razz:

[sphelps]

No, I haven't. There will be a light over the fuge, so my thinking was to keep the back open for heat escape. Keeping the wall clean would be nice though...

If you use a low heat light you'll eliminate the need for venting, I had success using an LED plant light panel for my refugium, only used 14W and basically no heat. Skimmers usually have a tendency to leave a mess behind them and salt creep and water spots aren't the greatest either.

[Scythanith]

Don't under estimate the importance of simplicity. :razz:

I get a kick seeing these words come from you haahaa!

[sphelps]

I get a kick seeing these words come from you haahaa!
Just wait until you see my new tank :biggrin:

[Myka]

Managed to get the tank in the house today! I was going to fill it up and put the rock in it tonight, but I'm scared that the overflow might leak, and I don't have a sump setup yet, so that would not be good if it leaked!! :eek: I painted the back of the tank black today too. I think I will add a backdrop to the stand too as sphelps has suggested. I still have to make the front door for the stand and the canopy wrap, but right now I'm concentrating on getting the rock in the tank because my livestock is arriving June 1st or 2nd.

I can't find a suitable tank for a sump here. The closest thing I have found is a 20 long which is 30x12x12" at PetSmart. It's not ideal, but I would be happy with this as a sump. However, I was just looking at my skimmer and the way that the gate valve mod has been glued in makes the skimmer take up a larger base area. I'm not sure if I can squeeze it into 12" wide...and if I can't I will either have to get a custom 16" wide sump made ($$$) which I don't want to do, or I need to buy a different skimmer. Not sure what to do...

Anyway here it is situated in the living room. With a temporary 2x39w T5 fixture on it...with blue bulbs :lol: and dirty glass. Need to clean up the area around the tank, and move the pictures on the wall.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_0381.jpg

[fishytime]

Looking really good .....your tang will be thanking you:smile: Cowtown soon?:wink:

[Myka]

I was just thinkin...maybe I will use two sumps, one for a fuge and one for a sump. That would make finding a suitable tank easier as I'm sure I could fit the skimmer into a 20g, then have a few baffles, and the return pump. Then just have the fuge drilled and plumbed into the return chamber to overflow through a 1" bulkhead or something like that. Would need to figure out a way to make sure it doesn't plug up and overflow on the floor...maybe a backup drilled higher? Anyone have any thoughts to add to this?

Thanks Doug! My tang will love it. He will get lost though. :lol: I don't have any plans to go to cowtown right now...

[Kalifornia]

Looking great , can't wait to see more

[Myka]

Thanks Chad!

Well, I'm really disappointed in myself. After building the stand TWICE, I totally forgot that I wanted to leave the top trim piece sticking up a couple inches so that the tank would fit down into it so I wouldn't see the foam or the tank trim. Then when I put the canopy wrap on it will cover the trim too and match. But, nooooooooooooo I forgot. Oi.

I am going tomorrow to pick up a couple tanks off someone. A 15 for the sump, and a 5.5 for a fuge that I will plumb in. This will leave room so I can use the PS3 for my return, which I was starting to think wouldn't happen. I ordered the glass for baffles today...I just hope that I'm right with the measurements of the inside of the 15!! :eek:

I'm crossing my fingers that I can get water and rock in the tank by Saturday!

[Kalifornia]

Mindy

Hey can't you add a trim around the bottom nothing fancy but just something to finish it off for you ?
Very cool , are you going to plum your sump and fuge in line ? or just going to (T) off your PS3 to use for the fuge and the return ?

I will keep my fingers crossed that your able to put rock and water in it on Saturday

looking forward to seeing it

Chad

[mseepman]

Looking good as expected there Myka.

I find I live by the same rules as you when it comes to woodwork...why build something only once when twice is double the fun!:D

[Blom]

Agreed, when I built my stand I forgot some sort of opening on the back side to run the power cords. Guess I was thinking all natural tank.

[Myka]

:lol: @ you guys!! I don't like building it once, let alone twice. If it bugs me enough I will drain the tank, drape some wet towels over the corals, pick it up with the corals and rock in it still, and put a new stand under. Hey, it's only a 90! ;) But I doubt it will bug me that much! :lol: It might happen though. Who knows.

My livestock will be here next Sunday, so the race is on!! I meant to have the tank running for a month before my livestock got here, but I'm a lazy @$$ when it comes to building stuff, so I'm REALLY behind schedule. The tank shouldn't cycle because the rock is fully cured, so I'm crossing my fingers.

Same with the sump and fuge thingy I got goin. I might decide to learn how to do acrylic works, and then replace the sump later on down the road, but I think what I have rigged up will work.

I was going to put the water and rock in the tank last weekend without any plumbing, but I was thinking "What if my overflow leaks?" :eek: I mentioned this to another reefer, and he says "Well it would be good to know because if it leaks, then you're gonna have some major trouble in a power outtage!" :eek: Why didn't I think of that??? No kidding it better not leak!

So...I'm filling the tank as we speak! :D It will take all day though, and then some as my RO/DI is only 75 gpd. I did have about 30 gallons made up already, so I should get it as full as I want it today anyway. I will have to wait for the silicone in the sump baffles to dry overnight anyway. I'm only going to let it dry for 12 hours, so hopefully that's enough. I will have Sunday morning to work on the tank too because I don't think I'm working until 3:30 pm. :)

TODAY:

~ Pick up acrylic rods, black zip ties, more plumbing pieces, glass baffles, and sump & fuge.
~ Water and rock in the tank by tonight.
~ Most of the plumbing should be roughed in.
~ The sump and fuge will be prepped.

TOMORROW:

~ Install sump and fuge.
~ Work on rockscape.


Hey can't you add a trim around the bottom nothing fancy but just something to finish it off for you ?
Very cool , are you going to plum your sump and fuge in line ? or just going to (T) off your PS3 to use for the fuge and the return ?

I think it would look funny if I added more trim. It's perfectly balanced and a mirror image on top and bottom, so I don't think that would work well. The sump will the inline, and I will T my PS3 for the fuge. I have to steal some flow anyway because the PS3 should have about 700 gph at 5' head, and my Herbie drain is only a 1", so I can only have 600 gph going through the drain, max. Which doesn't bother me any because with a total volume of about 110 gallons, that gives me 5.5x turnover through the sump which imo is pretty much perfect. I don't want anything more than 100 gph going through the sump either, so it should work well. I just hope I can fit that dang PS3 in the stand! :eek:

[Myka]

I had a friend stop by yesterday which promptly halted all progress, and then we went out and spoiled ourselves with lobster tail, King crab legs, garlic shrimp, asparagus, salad, and biscuits!!!! Yum!! Oh, and don't forget the Mai Tais!!! Hehehehe

Lastnight I picked up the 15 and 5.5 gallon tanks. The 15 gallon had blue silicone...and many of you know what that means! Either the tank was treated with methylene blue or COPPER!! :eek: So I talked him down in price, and today I ripped the tank apart, and resiliconed the entire tank, let it dry for a couple hours, and started installing the baffles. I ordered the baffles a bit taller than I should have so I tried cutting the glass myself. I have cut glass before with varying success, and today it didn't work so well for me. The edges are horridly jagged - nothing a good gob of silicone can't fix!!! ;)

So I started filling the tank up this morning. My oh my it takes a long time to fill a 90 with a 75 gpd RO/DI! I had about 30 gallons kicking around already, so I mixed that with saltwater, and dumped it in the tank. Then I tested the water the live rock was in, and it all tests good, so I tossed the rock and the rock water in too. So it's just under 1/2 full now, and I am mixing another 35 ish gallons right now. That should be all I can fit in there for now until I get the hole in the top of the overflow blocked off. I'm going to put a bulkhead in it and a plug, but I have to figure out a way to cut the end off a bulkhead because it protrudes into the oveflow box too far and gets in the way of the stand pipes.

I just set the rock in there so that it's all covered with water for now, will do the scaping probably at a later date. I bought some acrylic rods to drill into the rock. Just need to find some epoxy, which I think I have to order. Also, couldn't find 3/4" bulkheads for the life of me yesterday for the refugium, so I will have to order those as well.

I have an idea... :eek: I'm tossing the idea of running my two reactors (carbon and GFO) inline with the refugium which is T'd off the main return, then have ball valves on the fuge, and the reactors. The reactors would be chained together running about 50 gph through them, then their output would go into the refugium. Thoughts?

Anyway, look WATER and ROCK!!! :D :D :D Believe it or not that is 99 lbs of live rock. I have another 50 sitting in another bucket waiting as well so I can cherry pick my pieces. :D
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/May232009.jpg

[Blom]

Looking good, I feel ya on the RO waiting game. Took me just over a day and half to fill my 90g with a 75g/day RO unit.

[fishytime]

I think the recommended gph for carbon is quite a bit higher than phosphate media...like 400-600gph....see if you could plan to swing through cowtown we would have you covered with both the epoxy and the b/hs....hey we are online now:eyebrows:

[Myka]

Patience is not one of my virtues, and this filling the tank thing is really borrrrrrring!! I got the baffles in the sump though!

I bought a MJ1200 with the SureFlow upgrade kit, and it isn't working properly. I soaked it in vinegar and put it in the tank. There is a little tab on the inside end of the end basket thingy, and the propeller keeps ramming into it which stops it from turning briefly and makes quite the racket. Oi!

Ya, carbon should be around 600 gph for maximum efficiency. I was thinking of putting an eggcrate shelf between the last baffle, and put the carbon there. That would give it 600 gph +/-. That's probably a better idea. Easy to change out when it's there too. I will make myself a custom-sized carbon bag out of a bigger one. :D

[mseepman]

So glad that you decided to stick with SW Myka. You are made to have a great tank and I'm already enjoying the chaos of this one!:wink:

[mike31154]

Something I read on another site, the famed Melev I think, to speed up RO/DI production. As you probably know, production is dependent on source water pressure as well as temperature. My source in Vernon is Kalamalka Lake which can be quite cool during the winter and even now. Anyhow, if you have a length of extra tubing, as much as you can get hold of, splice it into your input line using the quick fittings and coil it in a bucket of warm water. Throw a spare heater or two in there to keep it warmed up. You now have a DIY heat exchanger which will warm up your input water on the way through the bucket. The more you can coil in there, the better. I've tried it a couple of times and cut production time down substantially. Not sure, but I think I may have even produced less waste water in the process.

Watching you set up your 90 is making me feel guilty I still have my new 90 sitting in the basement waiting to be put into use... but then again, I'm thinking I might want to go the next step to a 120 instead. After all, it seems like the tank itself ends up being the smallest expense. When I look at some of the other gear I've spent dough on, holy.

[Myka]

Haha! Thanks Mark! Ya, I was getting a bit bored with reefing for a bit there, but I'm back full force!! Ha, and you're right it is SO chaos!

Hey Mike! When I'm really impatient I will run the tap with warm water, but it must cost quite a bit more to heat it that way and all. It does go quite a bit faster, and I think you're right that there is a bit less waste water. I like the idea of the heat exchanger though, I will have to try it out sometime! Plus, if the water is already warmed that's a bonus for putting it into the tank, because it will just get heated by the heater in there anyway. Good call.

I almost bought a 120 or a 150. I was originally looking for a 4' 150. I am glad I went with the 90 though because it extra width of the 120 or 150 would have made the living room much more cramped. The 90 is a good fit, and the shape is fun to 'scape! I've spent more on livestock than equipment by far.

[mike31154]

Ya, my plan is to set up the new tank as a room divider between the kitchen & dining room (sump in the basement) and a 120 might end up being too wide for me as well. I'm going to tear out a piece of L-shaped kitchen counter and build the tank support there... so losing a bunch of counter space, which is really never a good thing in any kitchen, he he.

[mseepman]

For heating up my RO/DI, I bought a reptile heater cord (11W) off Ebay and I plan to figure some way to use it on or near the input cold water line. Haven't figured it out yet but will sometime soon.

[Myka]

Mike, ya counter space is at a premium around here! Room divider tanks are really nice though. I love the wrap around look. Fish tend to be less shy too because they can't really escape, so they get used to it.

Hey Mark, what was the brand of those awesome fans you found? I will need a couple for my tank, and probably another for my sump.

[mike31154]

For heating up my RO/DI, I bought a reptile heater cord (11W) off Ebay and I plan to figure some way to use it on or near the input cold water line. Haven't figured it out yet but will sometime soon.

Sorry if we're getting a little of your tank build topic here Myka, but Mark, I was looking at the cables used to keep your copper pipes from freezing in the winter. They come in quite a few different wattage sizes and may be an option as well. They simply wrap around the copper pipe in areas that are exposed to freezing temperatures. No reason why they couldn't be adapted for use in heating our RO/DI input water. Of course if you have the newer PEX plumbing, I'm not sure they work for that, didn't look that close at the instructions on the packaging.

And Myka, I might still bite the bullet and go for a 120, it's only a few inches wider than a 90 and I like the perimeter of my tank to be free of live rock, allowing for swimming space and easier cleaning of the glass. I also have a yellow tang in my 75 and I'm sure he'd appreciate the extra real estate. Not a fan of stacking rock against the glass at all.

[banditpowdercoat]

Sorry if we're getting a little of your tank build topic here Myka, but Mark, I was looking at the cables used to keep your copper pipes from freezing in the winter. They come in quite a few different wattage sizes and may be an option as well. They simply wrap around the copper pipe in areas that are exposed to freezing temperatures. No reason why they couldn't be adapted for use in heating our RO/DI input water. Of course if you have the newer PEX plumbing, I'm not sure they work for that, didn't look that close at the instructions on the packaging.

And Myka, I might still bite the bullet and go for a 120, it's only a few inches wider than a 90 and I like the perimeter of my tank to be free of live rock, allowing for swimming space and easier cleaning of the glass. I also have a yellow tang in my 75 and I'm sure he'd appreciate the extra real estate. Not a fan of stacking rock against the glass at all.

Heat tape will work fine on PEX, but it is self regulating and only really gets warm when its below freezing out. It's meant to keep the water just above freezing, Normally, heat trace wont heat the water.

[mike31154]

Aha, no controller/thermostat to dial in the temp. Thanks for that bandit.

[mseepman]

Hey Myka,

I always knew that leaving SW would be a mistake for you.:lol: It's just too much fun!

As for those fans, if you mean the ones that I plan to put into that nano cooler that I still haven't built, then here is the link: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=24028&vpn=A2329&manufacture=Thermaltake

I've also heard great things on these:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=21012&vpn=NF-S12-1200&manufacture=Noctua

You'll need to cut the wires and re-wire them to a variable voltage resistor with enough mA to run however many you plan to put on the adapter. That way, you can control the speed of the fans and therefore the noise.

I used one of the Silent Cats on my PC and man was it quiet.

Mike, yeah I looked into those pipe heaters but found that they used too much electricity and were pretty un-controllable. This little cord for reptiles only uses 11w and I figure if I use it wrapped around the input line then it just might make the RO a little more efficient.

[Myka]

Thanks for the links Mark! I'm not sure I can DIY the fans like that. I have no clue about electricity. :(

[mike31154]

Mike, yeah I looked into those pipe heaters but found that they used too much electricity and were pretty un-controllable. This little cord for reptiles only uses 11w and I figure if I use it wrapped around the input line then it just might make the RO a little more efficient.

Thanks Mark. There was a fellow on RC that posted a great idea that's a win win situation with regard to RO/DI production and cooling your tank. Instead of coiling extra RO/DI input line in a warm bucket as Melev suggested, this guy runs a length of his RO/DI input line thru his sump. This warms up the RO/DI input and cools his system water. Not sure how well this would work in our cool climate, but for those running high power lights and using chillers, it might be an option.

[mseepman]

I had thought of this as well since Nigel (Gools) on here does it, but because of the length of input hose required to do this, he had to move up to a larger hose if I'm not mistaken. I just wasn't ready to do this until I build my new house.

Otherwise, I agree this makes total sense.

[Myka]

Tested the tank for the first time:

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5 ppm
Phosphates 0.5

I'm happy to not see any ammonia or nitrite. This is promising. :)

The reading for phosphate should be fairly accurate since there is no nuisance algae growing, but with phosphate that high it sure will be soon!! :eek: I'm not impressed that the rock is leaching so much phosphate. I'm actually surprised because the rock is very clean of algae, has been cooking for about 6 weeks, and it has been 2 years since the rock was initially cured (I think).

Time to order a few pounds of GFO! :eek:

I found a crab that someone is coming to pick up for his sump today. I would have put him in my sump, but my sump is small and the crab would have been sucked up by the pump or something! Oh, I also found an old plastic button and some really heavy plastic fishing line. Both embedded in the rock and covered with coralline. :lol: I removed those too. ;)

I can't seem to find 1" slip unions or 3/4" bulkheads in the entire city. I have tried everywhere, so I will have to order. I can't plumb my sump in until they arrive.

[Myka]

I just added the rest of the live rock I had cooking. I was checking the rock out, and so far I have found:

1 Hairy crab (rehomed yesterday)
1 plastic button covered in coralline and calcified into the rock (pried out)
6" of heavy fishing line covered in coralline and running through the middle of a chunk of rock (pulled out with pliers)
3 little anemones (!!!) ...i haven't IDed yet, but I think they might be "Ball" anemones.
5 or 6 patches of hydroids :eek:
GHA starting (ack!)

I will test the tank tomorrow and see what the new rock has done to the water. Seeing as I have over 150 lbs of live rock I get to cherry pick my pieces and sell the rest. I'm pretty stoked on this as I have never in my life had excess rock. I put it all in the tank where I can take a closer look at it for pests, and get some aquascaping ideas.

The tank is still about 4" low for water which is where the overflow box has been drilled for a return line. I have to cut a bulkhead shorter to fit in there otherwise the end protrudes into the Herbie stand pipes.

BONUS!! After using the MJ1200 with the SureFlow mod as a salt mixing pump because it's so frickin noisy I have figured out how to quieten the thing! Turn it kinda upside down pointing at the surface. It's now fairly silent. Woo hoo! My tank NEEDS that flow right now!

So this is what a 90 gallon looks like when you cram 153 lbs of live rock in it. :lol:
I actually think it looks kinda cool. Some awesome caves goin on, but this is SO not how it's being left!!!
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/May272009.jpg

Here's an angle shot so you can see the cool caves. :D
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/May2720092.jpg

[BlueAbyss]

Wow, you cooked the rock for that long and STILL had hitchhikers? Goes to show you how tenacious some things are. I'll bet the fishing line that was through the middle of the rock has been embedded in that rock for like 50 years, laying on the bottom of the ocean has that effect on things :lol:

Looks full, but not bad at all. I like it, actually, even if you are planning on removing some of the rock. Which should come live in my rimless 29 gallon :mrgreen:

[Myka]

Oh you need to cook rock for several months to kill off all the hitch hikers. 6 weeks isn't even enough to kill GSP, polyps, or bubble algae. Although I think most/all of the hydroids are actually dead, and it's just the tubes left. I don't see any little heads poking out anywhere. Those nems still aren't out yet. I think I shocked the crap outta them though. That rock was in 1.012 (was in hypo at 1.009, but evaporation raised it), and the temp was 86. The tank is 1.026 and the temp is 78. So I don't think the nems liked the change. :lol:

The excess rock will be for sale in the next couple weeks for sure, if not sooner.

LOL, ya I think that fishing line is antique!! Maybe I will sell it on Ebay! ;)

Tested the tank just now:

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5 ppm
Phosphate 1.0+ ppm (it's at least 1, but definitely not near 3...I wish the Salifert kit had some gradients in between)

Eep! :eek: Phosphate is even higher now, which is what I suspected would happen when I added the rest of the rock. I ordered some GFO from Bulk Reef Supply, but it won't be here until next week, so I'm going to see if I can go find some locally for a decent price.

[Myka]

So, of the handful of hydroid colonies I found it appears as though they are all dead since there are no little heads poking out, just the tubes. Weird. BUT GOOD!!!

I got a pic of one of the anemones. Definitely ball anemones. The balls look orange in the pic, but look bluish grey in person...that's weird too. I will try to get a better pic at some point, but for now this is what I managed:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/May282009.jpg

[Myka]

I added 5 Astraea snails today from Bayside Corals. There are 3 Astraea tecta, and 2 Astraea caelata, the latter of which I find to be the better algae eater, and super hardy. I also got some epoxy, so hopefully I will get going on the rock formations tomorrow. :)

[mseepman]

Very cool. I'm looking forward to this.

[Blom]

I added 5 Astraea snails today from Bayside Corals. There are 3 Astraea tecta, and 2 Astraea caelata, the latter of which I find to be the better algae eater, and super hardy. I also got some epoxy, so hopefully I will get going on the rock formations tomorrow. :)

And now your ahead :mrgreen:

[Myka]

Thanks Mark!

:lol: Too funny Blom!

Weird thing I've noticed is that the ball anemones dislike light. They come out at night, but even with just the natural light from the sunlight room they close up. Maybe they just aren't very acclimated yet. Tank lights are off 24/7 at this point since the phosphate is so high right now...trying to prevent some algae bloom.

Oh a bit of a setback, my livestock won't be arriving until Monday June 8th now.

[Blom]

Oh a bit of a setback, my livestock won't be arriving until Monday June 8th now.

Nice.... still a chance hah. Sorry to hear about that

[Myka]

Hahaha Blom!!

[Myka]

Oh wow was I ever frustrated lastnight!! I was trying to drill the rock, insert the acrylic rods, and create a nice rockscape...well, easier said than done! There were a couple pieces that are entirely undrillable (tried masonry and metal/wood bits), I think they were both Tonga branch. I don't know what they are made of, but holy cow they are tough! :eek: Anyway, that finished with me putting all the rock back into the tank and going to bed disgusted with it. :lol:

So, not much to update...so I will entertain you guys with a very tentative, very rough stocking plan!!

My idea is create a lot of different textures, so I will be looking for coral oddities as far as growth pattern goes to mingle in with the general broad spectrum of LPS I so adore that will make up the bulk of the coral inhabitants. I will also be including pretty much every colored photosynthetic gorgonian (gorgonians, gorgonians, GORGONIANS!!!!) known to man that I can find, which won't be many as most are brown. :lol:

Gorgonians (still working on learning the species myself, I believe all listed are photosynthetic):

Eunicea sp
Muriceopsis sp
Plexaurella sp (if I can manage to find a decently colored specimen)
Pseudoplexaura sp
Pterogorgia sp (if I feel confident in being able to provide it's needs, kinda of semi-photosynthetic from what I understand)
Gorgonia sp (if I can find some as I understand their collection is banned, so I would need to find cultured, which I think is rare)



A few of the more interesting LPS species (imo) planned:

Heliopora sp Blue Ridge
Tubipora musica Pipe Organ (white or pink polyps)
Cyphastrea sp including C. decadia, will have several different color variants.
Many various brain corals, as I have a "thing" for them.



A few select SPS species, with the Acro species being mostly deepwater:

Acropora sp 'Bali Tricolor'
A. lokani
A. suharsonoi
A. subglabra (maybe...)
Stylopora sp (looking for an outstanding color specimen)
Seriatopora hystrix Birdnest (of exquisite color).



Some fish plans:

True Percula pair (I have a loner already)
Banggai Cardinals (I still have a female, after the male was eaten by the bubble coral)
Kole Tang (the unusual colored one I already have)
Bellus Angel (that will hopefully keep the female coloring)
Wrasses (Carpenter's? Red Velvet? Long Fin? McCosker's?), either a pair, harem, or single male.
Blue Assessor (if I can find one)
Rainford's Goby (for algae eating)
Green Mandarin Dragonette pair (would like to purchase "used")
1-4 Pearly jawfish (I would like a small harem, but depends on how many other fish find their way into my tank)
Orchid Dottyback pair (maybe not with the Assessor...will have to check some info)

Who knows what else. Probably not even all of these...I will see how it comes together, and how the live rock manages to process the nitrates. I have more ideas, but that's all I can come up with for now. I would prefer to buy the fish from other reefers just because it's one less fish from the ocean.

Oh and CLAMS!!! Lots of em. By processing nitrates, clams may allow me to stock a couple more fish than I normally would as I refuse to keep a reef where I'm battling nitrates constantly.

If anyone has any experiences with a Bellus Angel in a reef this size I would be interested to hear.

[mike31154]

Yoiks, a masonry bit should take care of most any rock like material! Have you tried or do you have access to, dare I say it, a hammer drill to use with the masonry bit? The hammering action can make quite a difference, although it might just shatter the rock too. I know some of my pieces are rather fragile and I've broken several just rearranging them in the tank. The stuff you're dealing with sounds bulletproof though.

Didn't you mention finding some fishing line on some of the stuff? That made me think, could it be that a previous owner of the rock used that to hold it together in some fashion? Anyhow, good luck with that, usally the next day, previous frustrations are forgotten and things tend to work better. You certainly have the build well planned with regard to where you're going and what livestock...

[Lance]

[QUOTE=mike31154;425251]Yoiks, a masonry bit should take care of most any rock like material! Have you tried or do you have access to, dare I say it, a hammer drill to use with the masonry bit? The hammering action can make quite a difference, although it might just shatter the rock too. I know some of my pieces are rather fragile and I've broken several just rearranging them in the tank. The stuff you're dealing with sounds bulletproof though.


I found if you use a hammer drill, start with a small hole and work your way up through the bit sizes until you get to the hole size you want. Less likely to shatter the rock this way.

[Myka]

I do have a hammer drill, but I haven't tried it. Thanks for the idea! I will try on the tough rocks. There are only a few or a couple that are super hard, the rest are really easy to drill.

On my next attempt I will try to incorporate PVC structures and the big black zip ties I bought and forgot I was going to use.

I have a pretty good idea how I want the whole tank to look, so ya I have the inhabitants fairly well thought out. I have a few inhabitants that are "out of the box" for me like the Bellus Angel, and a couple of the gorgonian species that I am unsure about.

[fishytime]

Sounds like a pretty wicked tank...on paper:lol: Dont give in to frustration...Im sure happy I didnt.

[banditpowdercoat]

Ya Myka, the Hammer drill will make short work of Tonga, or any live rock. I've been using a Hammer drill all day, Bolting electric Switchgear to the rock wall in the mine all day LOL, So I know it'll drill a hole :D

[Delphinus]

Your only hope for Gorgonia sp. is from Cuba. The Reef Shoppe and Interior Reef have had them. I got mine from Interior Reef. Haha, maybe I should charge $100 per frag and slow down the financial hemorhaging this hobby causes me. :p

And .. speaking as someone who adores clams .. I don't think you can realistically expect clams to put a huge dent in your nitrate levels, unless you maybe have an otherwise *incredibly* small bioload.. Sorry - but if it were true, I'd have zero nitrates in my 110g right now and I can assure you that I don't - it's low, however, but I also use NO3 Destroyer...

[Myka]

Thanks Doug! I have been frustrated with this tank since day one...I think it's just because I don't like this part. :lol:

Dan, thanks for the tip! I will try the hammer drill on the tough pieces. :D

Tony the local gorgonian expert! :D I was reading about the Gorgonia sp and Julian Sprung said the same as you, that the Carribean Gorgonias are easier to keep. I think I will try the other species, and see how I manage before I attempt the Gorgonias. Although from my reading is seems like the differences in all the gorgonian species are like day and night. Some grow almost like weeds, and others are nearly impossible. Some light lots of flow, some like calm waters. Some need super bright light, and others require low light. They will be a very interesting addition. :)

I'm no clam expert (by far), but I have read a few articles about people adding nitrate since the clams require it as a food source; keeping NO3 at 5 ppm. So I figured if I had a number of large clams in the tank that is would have some sort of measurable impact on the nitrate. Maybe not...? If not, that doesn't bother me as I have always kept very small bioloads. I haven't had a mature tank with measurable nitrate in many, many years.

[mseepman]

Myka,

In regards to Clams one of the local reefers here (NAS on Canreef) has to add nitrates regularly to his tank or the clams start to fade in color and don't fully expand out of their shells. I've seen the tank and he has lots of other stuff in there that should build their own nitrates but it's not enough.

I don't personally know a lot about clams but his are beautiful.

[Delphinus]

I think NAS's clam-to-non-clam ratio and fairly low overall water volume comparatively probably contribute to that.

I've read the same stuff about people adding nitrate for the sake of their clams and all I can say is I have never had the need to do so. I have 15 or 16 in my 110g, I've totally lost count, ranging in size from 2" to 15" and I have never had low nitrates, never. Fish load is fairly nominal, 5 fish in a 110, but even before when I only had 2 fish in there. Over ten years in the hobby I've only once detected a minor drop in measurable nitrates after adding clams, but it was a short lived dip because the levels returned to normal for the tank shortly after.

I'm not saying don't have clams, and I'm not saying clams don't reduce nitrate, I'm just saying it's hard to plan for a clam population for the actual sake of nitrate reduction in a tank. If you find that your nitrates are always zero then you can add some back to maintain say 5.0 and likely the clams will respond positively but I wouldn't be adding nitrate unless I found that there was literally an overconsumption of nitrate .. I myself can't say I've ever encountered that myself but like anything, "YMMV".

:)

[Zoaelite]

"yymv"?

[muck]

Your Milage May Vary (i think)

[Delphinus]

Yep, "your mileage may vary". Dealer may sell for less. Void where prohibited. You must be 21 years of age or older to qualify. No purchase required. Please enjoy our product responsibly. Etc. etc.

[Myka]

I'm just saying it's hard to plan for a clam population for the actual sake of nitrate reduction in a tank.

I think you have misunderstood me. I don't want clams for the sake of lowering nitrates, I want clams because I think they are gorgeous! I was just under the impression that having a considerable clam population would impact nitrate levels. For the last 10 years or so my tanks have always had undetectable nitrates once they mature, so I was more concerned about having to dose nitrate than anything, and maybe being able to stock 1 or 2 fish more than I normally would. Maybe not...as always I will plan, but in the end I will play it by ear. :)

[Delphinus]

I understood you wanted clams for the sake of clams! :) It's all good.

Sorry, I was just interjecting my own experience in response to what you said about them reducing nitrates. I dunno, maybe my tanks are the oddballs. I don't *think* I hugely overfeed, but .. uh .. who knows. :redface:

[Myka]

Oh I appreciate you sharing your experiences Tony!! Thanks for doing so! :)

[Myka]

So the 33 is getting packed up right now. In fact most of it it packed up already. It will be arriving tomorrow evening. :D Yay! Pretty stoked.

I also went today and grabbed some stuff off a guy out here who is shutting his tank down. I got a big finger leather to take up some real estate until I can get the tank filled up, a cool neon greenish yellow sponge that was spreading in his tank, so I'm hoping it will do well in mine. A small brain coral (might be Favia...kinda odd not positive on the ID yet), it's in poor condition with some mushrooms and GSP taking it over, so I will scrape those off, and I think it will perk up. Oh, and a huge Bangaii Cardinal that I'm hoping will be the opposite sex of my current one.

[fishytime]

Did you tell him warm water in the bags....:redface: If he does that all should be good.:lol: Kidding asside, I hope the transfer goes smoothly for you.


And....where are the pics?:photo:...:mrgreen:

[JDigital]

:photo:...

Oh!! How did I not see that!!!

[Myka]

:lol: Actualy, just packing peanuts and water from the tanks Doug! :lol:

Ok fine, here's a pic for the inquisitive of the greenish yellow tunicate/sponge I picked up today. It's about 3" the long direction:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June62009.jpg

[fishytime]

Nice pic! but its such a tease.:mrgreen:

[Myka]

That's all ya get until tomorrow.

Livestock is in transit right now!! Should arrive late tonight, so I will have pics tomorrow.

[BlueAbyss]

:whoo:

Can't wait for the FTS. :biggrin:

[Myka]

Thanks BlueAbyss!

Livestock has ARRIVED from BC!!!

A very, very, very big, big, big thank you, thank you, thank you!!! to Leah to who spent 5 1/2 hours packing up the tank for me! She did a great job of packing too. :D

It all looks very good, fish are happy. Corals have been in the tank about an hour and most are fully expanded. My True Perc is all worried about his nem because I peeled the RBTA off the rock it was on, so he's very mad. I'm hoping he will find a spot to stick to overnight. My powerheads are all far away from the rocks, and have baskets on them, but I will be nervous until the nem attaches. The RBTA is really the only critter that looks like crap, but you guys know how nems look when they're mad! :lol:

I still haven't done the rockscaping in the tank. :o It looks ok though... :lol:

A FTS and some livestock pics to come tomorrow! :)

[Blom]

Glad to hear it all worked out :mrgreen:

[BlueAbyss]

Ahh, the old 'pile of rocks that looks pretty amazing' aquascape. :biggrin:

But seriously, glad everything made the move soundly. No losses is pretty amazing for moving 3 provinces :lol:

[banditpowdercoat]

Glad to hear everything came OK.
I hear ya abut Mad nem's and powerheads. Last night, my LTA decided to dance with my Koralia 3 My clowns sure were worried after thad. We'll see today how he is. Don;t know how long yours stay stuck, but mine gets up and wanders every couple months. Just wanders the tank, kills everything, then back to the original spot. Think he's bored HAHAHA

[Leah]

:redface: Huge, sigh of relief!!!! You are very welcome.:biggrin: I am so glad that you have everything
home finally! It was interesting to say the least and a first for me, so the panic
level was high. What was I thinking when I offered to pack up for the girl who
is a pro at packing and shipping livestock, I must be crazy!!! :lol:
CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE PICTURE'S! And I can safely tease you know about
accidently forgetting to pack the little tang, he!he!

[banditpowdercoat]

And I can safely tease you know about
accidently forgetting to pack the little tang, he!he!

Your supposed to WAIT to tell her that... LMAO

[Leah]

Maybe she won't notice I switched him LOL

[banditpowdercoat]

Maybe she won't notice I switched him LOL

LOL, ya, she's not the kind that pays that close attn..... :lol:

[fishytime]

Arent canreefers great people? Kudos to Leah for going that extra mile!:first:

Dont you just love a happy ending? Mindy and her tank reunited:biggrin:

[Carmen]

GLAD to hear the move went well! PICS! PICS!!:mrgreen:

[Myka]

:lol: You guys are hilarious!!!

The tang didn't get switched around (hahahaha Leah!), but he has changed colors again/still!

Oh, and the funniest thing happened...my RBTA split lastnight! :eek: Stoked on that. Now I have two little nems. The bigger piece is doing really well, all tucked into a spot, and bubbled up. The smaller piece looks good, but is travelling around.

Here's the smaller one (that I will probably sell if anyone's interested):
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June820095.jpg

And a very unfinished FTS with everything more or less randomly jammed in:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June820096.jpg

[Leah]

Changing color thing is probably pure fright, Cool about the anenome though!!

[BlueAbyss]

Hmm doesn't look too bad for having everything mushed in there :lol:

[Delphinus]

Ahhh, too bad I'm too far away to buy that clone :p Oh well, someone closer in will get a nice beaut I guess. :) Glad to hear things are moving forward for ya..

[Myka]

Oh but Tony, you have great things to trade!! :eek: I don't mind shipping if you don't. :D

Thanks for the comments everyone! I can't say the tank looks bad in the way everything is just tossed in including the rock, haha way too muh of it too, but it will look a lot better when things are organised better. Albeit, the large amount of rock makes it look fuller than it is. I was expecting it to look more bare than it does with only enough livestock to fill a 33, but it's not horribly bare by any means. I bet once I remove half the rock it will look more bare!! :lol:

[Lance]

So glad the move went well. Everything looks happy and healthy.

[Myka]

Well everything looks great this morning too!

Except one small Cyphastrea frag that made the journey buried in the bucket of sand. That one is losing some flesh, so I'm not sure it will survive. It is quite small, so it's understandable that it could have been mixed up in the sand and not seen. I'm hoping enough of it will survive to stay alive.

The anemones have both taken up residence behind and under the rocks so they are getting ZERO direct light. Grrr... stupid nems. Oh well, once I get the rock scaping done they will have nowhere to hide!! Muahahahahaha!!! :lol:

The Perc has residence in the larger RBTA. He's happy. You should have seen the look of concern on his little clown face when his nem was first moved in there and all deflated. You could see him, "Come on buddy, get up!! What's wrong? Are you ok?" :lol: When the nems split the Perc abandoned post, and i think he was thinking "Ok seriously here buddy, you're messed up. This self-inflicted wounding is soooo not cool." Now he's all "Oh I'm so sorry I talked to you like that, you're still the awesomest, but I'm sooo not talking to that little spawn of yours over there. Pfff." :D

Ok maybe I've gone mad. :eek:

I'm enjoying the BB of this tank for right now. Yep...I've definitely gone mad. Ha!

I have a very large Bangaii Cardinal that I got off a reefer here in Saskatoon that is in a Rubbermaid right now with all the rock from my old tank. I think the big one is a female, and after looking at my remaining Banger I'm not entirely sure whether it is the female or the male. The silly thing stays hiding all the time though, so I can't get a good look. I'm scared to put the Bangers together! I gotta hunt through my old rock too and try to find the Emerald crabs...I forgot about them.

[fishytime]

Well everything looks great this morning too!

Except one small Cyphastrea frag that made the journey buried in the bucket of sand. That one is losing some flesh, so I'm not sure it will survive. It is quite small, so it's understandable that it could have been mixed up in the sand and not seen. I'm hoping enough of it will survive to stay alive.

The anemones have both taken up residence behind and under the rocks so they are getting ZERO direct light. Grrr... stupid nems. Oh well, once I get the rock scaping done they will have nowhere to hide!! Muahahahahaha!!! :lol:

The Perc has residence in the larger RBTA. He's happy. You should have seen the look of concern on his little clown face when his nem was first moved in there and all deflated. You could see him, "Come on buddy, get up!! What's wrong? Are you ok?" :lol: When the nems split the Perc abandoned post, and i think he was thinking "Ok seriously here buddy, you're messed up. This self-inflicted wounding is soooo not cool." Now he's all "Oh I'm so sorry I talked to you like that, you're still the awesomest, but I'm sooo not talking to that little spawn of yours over there. Pfff." :D

Ok maybe I've gone mad. :eek:

I'm enjoying the BB of this tank for right now. Yep...I've definitely gone mad. Ha!

I have a very large Bangaii Cardinal that I got off a reefer here in Saskatoon that is in a Rubbermaid right now with all the rock from my old tank. I think the big one is a female, and after looking at my remaining Banger I'm not entirely sure whether it is the female or the male. The silly thing stays hiding all the time though, so I can't get a good look. I'm scared to put the Bangers together! I gotta hunt through my old rock too and try to find the Emerald crabs...I forgot about them.

And so begins Mindy's nem saga:lol::mrgreen:....nems is evil...have I mentioned that?...that reminds me ...I should update my journal with the latest in my nem saga.:neutral:...probably wont be long before your perc is two timing.

[Blom]

Ive heard of people talking for their pets before, but this monologue you have your clown doing is out there. Im pretty sure ive heard Doug say that nems are evil before as well.

[Myka]

:lol: Yep nems is evil. Right now they don't have any sting left from being moved though. Hehehehehe. :D

Wow, I made a stupid mistake. When I got all my livestock I had about 40 lbs of my old liverock come too. Well I plopped that into a Rubbermaid bin I've had going for awhile where the giant Bangaii is (that I bought out here, not my original Bangaii). Stupid me never thought of the fact that the rock would probably cycle after being moved. I just went to feed the Bangaii and it's dead. :( I feel like an @$$ too because the guy I bought it off said it was his first sw fish that he got 2 years ago!! :o Oh man...stupid mistake.

[Blom]

2 years, thats a good run.
Sorry to hear that though

[Ian]

sorry to hear about the cardinal. have to admitt I am jealous of your"empty" tank....you have way more in it that I do my new tank...:cry:

[Myka]

I'm pretty choked about losing the Cardinal to my own stupidity. I mean, I SO knew better! I was just all distracted with all my livestock arriving, and my mom visiting, and I actually got a bad enough case of whiplash earlier that I puked. :eek: So, the idea of the rock cycling totally went over my head. I think I was zombie-ish by the time I went to bed.

Aw Ian! It is definitely nice to be able to move livestock over instead of starting from scratch. :)

I took some pics today. Most corals are looking good. A few pieces have some questionable looking spots where there is some shrunken flesh. I expect that the corals' reactions will take a few weeks to really show up. I have kept the lighting schedule the same as it was on the 33g, as well as the products I dose. I am currently just dosing cal/alk/mg as well as ZeoVit Pohl's Coral Vitalizer and ZeoVit Sponge Power.

My favourite piece (that I've photographed a million times) from Wicked Frags:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June112009.jpg

Ricordea from Wicked Frags (growing rapidly):
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June1120094.jpg

Acan frag from Red Coral in Calgary:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June1120093.jpg

A finger leather I bought to take up some real estate and the Open Brain that is still slowly bleaching...hmmm:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June1120095.jpg

Euphyllia forest w/ Lobo:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June1120096.jpg

[fishytime]

Dont beat yourself up too much....we all have brain farts sometimes...

Nice collection of LPS!

[Leah]

Have the fish come out of hiding.....maybe enough for some photo's, hint, hint, nudge!,:biggrin::sad: Sorry to hear about the bangaii. How is the little lost soul- coral making out?

[Myka]

Thanks Doug! I always beat myself up for mistakes that cost a life...especially when it's highly likely that fish was originally collected from the wild, and the fact that Bangaiis are officially an Endangered Species.

Oh Leah I never think of taking photos of the fish! I will try to take some. They are so fast, and I really haven't figured out my new camera very well for the tank yet. The Kole tang has mysteriously darkened up...he looks more "normal" than he did a couple months ago. :lol: The lost soul frag (Cyphastrea) probably won't make it. I'm hoping enough of it lives to be able to stay alive, but most of the flesh has come off now. No worries though...if that's the only casualty to the move, I really couldn't ask for much more, right!

[Myka]

I started dosing 3 mL per day ZEOvit B-Balance on June 13th (just writing this out for my own records lol).

Oh ya, fish pics...they are on the camera right now. Just for you Leah! I will try to post them shortly here, but I'm really busy this morning!! :eek:

[JDigital]

Looking goooood Mindy! Sorry to hear about the Cardinal...

We want an FTS too... :wink:

[Myka]

I can't for the life of me get a pic of the Bangaii. She hides 24/7. However, the Kole and Perc love the camera! Notice the Kole is still more yellow than a typical Kole tang, but has changed back to the color he was when I bought him. *grumble*
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June122009.jpg


Here's a FTS for you JDigital...well kind of (you can find a better one on the last page)! I took a pic when I was just starting to do the plumbing. It's still not running right now, but it is all ready to go. I'm just waiting for my next days off to get it going so I can monitor for leaks. It should have been done before the livestock arrived, but I'm always late. :o
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June1320092-1.jpg


And here's a pic of the bigger portion of my RBTA. The other one is hiding under the rocks in the dark, and doesn't look as good. I hope it is ok. I hope it moves out too! My Perc is hanging out in the hidden one. For some reason I just can't get the true color of my RBTA on my camera. It's brighter in person.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June152009.jpg

[Delphinus]

Look at that, all bubbly again. :) I've noticed that on some of mine too that after a split they go back to looking like that. Never lasts though..

[Myka]

Funny thing is that my RBTA was bubbly when I got it, then it slowly lengthened out to no bubbles at all. Then for the last 6-8 weeks before the move (and consequent split) it was all bubbly again. It has been bubbly since the move too. The littler one that is hiding is not very bubbly right now, but it's not getting much light. I have to dig it out...I'm worried about it. I do notice that it is much less bubbly when the lights are off, and is the bubbliest for the first couple days after it's been fed.

[Myka]

The Cyphastrea that made the trip upsidedown in the sand bucket has made a full recovery!! I can't believe it, I thought it was a goner. It lost about 50% of it's flesh, but has now regained all the flesh back in the last week. Looks good. So as of yet, no losses on the move. :D

You guys should see the coralline growth! :eek:

I should get productive today and work on the rockscape. I need to test too. I've already run myself right out of calcium and magnesium having to bump up 90 gallons of IO saltwater. :eek: So I have an order from littlesilvermax for the magnesium (I might try out his calcium chloride in the future), and have some Turbo Calcium on order too. I need to test the tank today, but I know it's still sitting a bit low for calcium and magnesium.

[Myka]

New Ric from Bayside Corals, very cool coloring - each mouth is surrounded by blue, then a wide band of neon orange, then a rim of blue again. Of course I can't photograph it to do any justice.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June2020095.jpg




These blue Rics from Wicked Frags were only 1 mouth and barely 1" when I bought it in mid-March, and now there are at least 4 mouths and it spreads over 3" round.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June2020097.jpg



I caught my Lobo from Pet City weirdly doing this right after feeding, I could see right into it's belly:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June2020094.jpg



My Squamosa from Red Coral that I got in mid-March has a good 1/4" of new growth on the shell.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June1620097.jpg



The awesome sponge I picked up from a local reefer (with a Galaxea in the background)...still not sure if it likes my tank or not. Sponges are so finicky...
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June1620095.jpg



My Open Brain (from Pet City) has started to color back up from very slowly bleaching over several months:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June1620094.jpg



My GSP that is an odd specie, if anyone cares to try to ID it??
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June1620093.jpg



My Favia (from Pet City) at feeding time:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June1620092.jpg



I finally caught a pic of my female Bangaii Cardinal:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June202009.jpg

[fishytime]

I too have a weak spot for rics...probably my favorite shrooms...nice score and pics.:biggrin:

[Myka]

Rics are the only mushrooms allowed in my tank! :eek: I love 'em. :D

So...I added a Pearly Jawfish to the tank. Not what I wanted to do right now, but we placed a group order with J&L and the Jawfish was supposed to be cancelled, but it was sent. I tried to find a new home for it since I don't have any sand in my tank yet, but couldn't. So I filled a tupperware container with sand and a piece of PVC and put the fish into my tank. He's happily hiding under a flat rock...he didn't like my makeshift Jawfish house apparently. I didn't want to put him in my tank because there is no sand for one, but also because I would like a harem of them, and would have liked to add them all at the same time. Plus, I wanted the tank to settle in for a couple months at least before adding any new fish.

I do however have another fish on order (that I'm very excited about) that should come tomorrow. This was an exception to my "no new fish for a couple months" because it is rather rare to come by, so I had to jump on the chance.

[karazy]

Rics are the only mushrooms allowed in my tank! :eek: I love 'em. :D

So...I added a Pearly Jawfish to the tank. Not what I wanted to do right now, but we placed a group order with J&L and the Jawfish was supposed to be cancelled, but it was sent. I tried to find a new home for it since I don't have any sand in my tank yet, but couldn't. So I filled a tupperware container with sand and a piece of PVC and put the fish into my tank. He's happily hiding under a flat rock...he didn't like my makeshift Jawfish house apparently. I didn't want to put him in my tank because there is no sand for one, but also because I would like a harem of them, and would have liked to add them all at the same time. Plus, I wanted the tank to settle in for a couple months at least before adding any new fish.

I do however have another fish on order (that I'm very excited about) that should come tomorrow. This was an exception to my "no new fish for a couple months" because it is rather rare to come by, so I had to jump on the chance.

why would you torture us with such a secret?:lol:

[fishytime]

why would you torture us with such a secret?:lol:

:tape: I sooo want one too:wink:

[Myka]

Oh you should Doug!!! :D

New mystery fishie coming tomorrow at 10:30 am. STOKED.

[Delphinus]

Briareum for the GSP maybe?

Patiently awaiting the pictures of your pending arrival ... :)

[fishytime]

Oh you should Doug!!! :D

New mystery fishie coming tomorrow at 10:30 am. STOKED.

Alas...I cant....Royal Gramma:neutral:....anxiously awaits the arrival of your new fishie(and prezzie)

[Myka]

Tony, isn't all GSP Briareum? I guess I did just ask for a specie name... :lol:

Doug...if it were me I would rip the tank apart to catch the Royal Gramma. :D This new addition has messed up my plans for adding a pair of Orchid Dottybacks. I'm prob more excited about the prezzie just because I don't know what it is! :p Twiddling thumbs now...should be here in an hour or so.

[Leah]

I have nooooo patience, hurry up fishy, I want to see you before I have to run errands:cry:

[Myka]

Oh Leah, did you see the post on here where I said the Cyphastrea that made the journey in the sand bucket has made a full recovery? It's growing like a weed now, tough bugger. :)

Come on Purolator!!!

[fishytime]

Doug...if it were me I would rip the tank apart to catch the Royal Gramma. :D This new addition has messed up my plans for adding a pair of Orchid Dottybacks. I'm prob more excited about the prezzie just because I don't know what it is! :p Twiddling thumbs now...should be here in an hour or so.

Hmmmm. 110g of sps encrusted rock....sure, wanna come help:mrgreen:

Aw sorry we threw a wrench in your stocking plans.

Heres a hint....the prezzie is a piece of something I added recently to my tank...it also caused quite a stir here in cowtown:biggrin:

[Myka]

Hmmmm. 110g of sps encrusted rock....sure, wanna come help:mrgreen:

Aw sorry we threw a wrench in your stocking plans.

Heres a hint....the prezzie is a piece of something I added recently to my tank...it also caused quite a stir here in cowtown:biggrin:

Ok, I'm going to go hunting through your tank thread now... :D Ooooh, this sounds cool!! EDIT: Uhm, Blue Zoas? They are niiiiiiiiiiice.

If you supply the beer I will happily help you get the Royal Gramma out. :D

08:11 On vehicle for delivery via SASKATOON, SK depot

[Delphinus]

Tony, isn't all GSP Briareum? I guess I did just ask for a specie name... :lol:

Actually I think most GSP is in fact Clavularia sp. Of course there are several different species within the Clavularia genus, it encompasses clove polyps as well. Briareum on the other hand is a gorgonian (just an encrusting gorgonian though obviously).. :)

[Myka]

Ohhhhhh, I thought Clavularia was a former name of Briareum. I did some hunting around, and I think there is probably a lot of mis-IDed photos on Google then.

[Delphinus]

Noooo! You don't say!

[Myka]

:lol:

Ooooooo, PUROLATOR!!! Dang, I was told the package would arrive at 10:30 am, and it is 10:23 am. Holy crap! That was awesome! :D Currently going to go open the package and acclimate. :D :D :D

EDIT: Ooooooooooo it IS blue Zoas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you Doug and Kevin!

[fishytime]

If you supply the beer I will happily help you get the Royal Gramma out. :D

EDIT: Ooooooooooo it IS blue Zoas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you Doug and Kevin!

Reefs, rigs and beer?....I think I love you Mindy:love::mrgreen:


You may be the only one in Sask with them....and your welcome.

[banditpowdercoat]

Atleast you have good purolator service. It's horible here

[Delphinus]

Blah blah blah blue zoos blah blah blah still not saying what aforementioned fish is blah blah blah not the fish blah blah blah not the fish blah blah blah

[Myka]

Omg Tony I almost spit my Special K Red Berries on my laptop. Ok, here's a hint the fish is the same color as the Zoas. ;)

So far Dan (touch wood), everything except WestJet has been really good at arriving in record time. I mean seriously, where is it going to get lost...there is NOTHING out here!!! :lol:

Reefs, rigs and beer?....I think I love you Mindy:love::mrgreen:


You may be the only one in Sask with them....and your welcome.

:lol: Don't forget I'm a professional sucker (Vacuum truck driver). ;) I can't wait for the Zoas to open! :D

[noirsphynx]

The blue zoa's are really nice! I have them too :biggrin:

Do you work on the riggs Mindy? Do you mind if I ask whch company?

[fishytime]

Omg Tony I almost spit my Special K Red Berries on my laptop. Ok, here's a hint the fish is the same color as the Zoas. ;)

So far Dan (touch wood), everything except WestJet has been really good at arriving in record time. I mean seriously, where is it going to get lost...there is NOTHING out here!!! :lol:



:lol: Don't forget I'm a professional sucker (Vacuum truck driver). ;) I can't wait for the Zoas to open! :D

Good evening laddies and gentlemen and welcome to another round of Guess Mykas fish:eyebrows: Todays contestant is ....Tony...and anyone else who might like to chine in with a guess.....The clue today is....its blue.


OMG Mindy you just made me spit coffee on mine.

[noirsphynx]

Good evening laddies and gentlemen and welcome to another round of Guess Mykas fish:eyebrows: Todays contestant is ....Tony...and anyone else who might like to chine in with a guess.....The clue today is....its blue.

I think we need another clue:biggrin: how about size range, or would that make it too easy?

[fishytime]

I think we need another clue:biggrin: how about size range, or would that make it too easy?

Smaller than a bread box:wink::mrgreen:

[noirsphynx]

Smaller than a bread box:wink::mrgreen:

:lol: you smart a** :lol:

[Myka]

Ya, there aren't very many blue fish, so guess away for the next hour while I'm acclimating. :D

I used to work for Big Eagle as a Vac hauler on the rigs in northern Alberta on the ice roads in the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range (bombing range). Now I am transferring 53' vans across town for Maple Leaf, but I put in my notice to go work for another Vac company doing local stuff including spraying roads for dust control.

Holy jebus, the Zoas are already opening up! :eek:

[fishytime]

:lol: you smart a** :lol:

I could tell ya but Mindy would slap me.....hmmmmm:lol:

[noirsphynx]

Ya, there aren't very many blue fish, so guess away for the next hour while I'm acclimating. :D

I used to work for Big Eagle as a Vac hauler on the rigs in northern Alberta on the ice roads in the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range (bombing range). Now I am transferring 53' vans across town for Maple Leaf, but I put in my notice to go work for another Vac company doing local stuff including spraying roads for dust control.

Here's my guess, Bellus angel-female. That's my guess because I had one and she was a beauty and a beautiful blue color.

Okay, I had to ask because I've met a few people on here that are riggers and some that actually work for the same company as my husband. He works for Nexen.

[noirsphynx]

I could tell ya but Mindy would slap me.....hmmmmm:lol:

:lol:

[noirsphynx]

Can I make a second guess.......Blue Assessor

[Delphinus]

Ho hum yawwwwwwwwn..................

[Myka]

Here's my guess, Bellus angel-female. That's my guess because I had one and she was a beauty and a beautiful blue color.

Can I make a second guess.......Blue Assessor

Ok, either you've been paying attention to the fish I have on my want list, or you're a lucky guesser!! I will have a female Bellus as soon as I find a healthy specimen. :D

The second guess... DING! DING! Trying to get a pic now...s/he is swimming out in front already. Acclimated easily in the bag too. Wasn't even panting when it arrived.


Okay, I had to ask because I've met a few people on here that are riggers and some that actually work for the same company as my husband. He works for Nexen.

I have never worked for Nexen, but my boyfriend worked for them last winter.

In the meantime while I'm trying to get a pic of the BLUE ASSESSOR (yay!), here's a few to look at. I'm experimenting with camera settings and I think I'm finally winning now.

Here is a pic of my new Pearly Jawfish (who is not eating yet...grr) that mistakenly came with a group order, and I got stuck with it. Oh darn. I want to put a harem in my tank though, and wanted to get them all at once, and wanted sand in my tank first, AND wanted to QT them with PraziPro since they always seem to be full of worms. BUT, all that and here I have an un-QT'ed, uneating, skinny little Jawfish. I hope he makes it.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June222009.jpg



Anyone care to ID this leather? From Bayside Corals in Saskatoon.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June2120092.jpg



I've had these weird Blastos for about 1 1/2 years, and they hate me. I can never make them happy. Got them from a CanReefer.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June2120094.jpg



I think I got this photo pretty good. Blastos from Red Coral in Calgary.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June2120095.jpg



The fastest growing coral in my tank; Galaxea. It's been fragged many times. Never produces sweepers. Now where did I get it? I will have to think about this...I think this is the only coral that I don't remember where I got it from.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June2120096.jpg



Multi-Blasto rock from Pet City in Kelowna.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June2120097.jpg



My Duncans that grow terribly slow for me. Like I mean I've had them for over 2 years and they have only grown from 2 heads to 5. :redface: Although I think I did a pretty good on the photo. :D
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June2220093.jpg

[Delphinus]

Is your tank covered? Jawfish are one of the worst fish out there for jumping, they'll jump if something in the room moves. They're incredibly shy, nervous fish and that's probably the reason he's not eating yet. They need a burrow where they can see 360 degrees around their burrow in order to start to relax and not feel threatened, they also need several inches of rubble substrate (ie not just sand) that they can burrow in and it not collapse.. Hate to suggest it, sorry, but you may want to consider selling him or give him away at this point to a tank where he can have that if that's not in your short term plans, otherwise I don't think he will be a long lived fish for you. I had a pair many many years ago (pushing ten) and while they were beautiful fish I do have to say you could really sense their misery when the setup is not 100% to their liking. It's not a fish I myself would try again unless I could have them in a smallish but dedicated setup for them that even included mirrors on the sides and backs so that room activity doesn't startle them.

And the mystery fish is a blue assessor eh? Neat. Looking forward to the pics.. :)

[Myka]

The Kole Tang is being a prick to the Blue Assessor. :mmph: I can't get a pic right now. So I will attach a photo of "one in general". But, WOW are they ever nicer in person than in photos!! I've heard this before, but really photos do no justice, it just GLOWS under the actinics, I didn't expect that!! :mrgreen:

I just fed the tank PE Mysis with a drop of fresh squeezed garlic. I blew a bunch at the Jawfish, and he grabbed a few pieces, but spit them out immediately. He is very active though, so I have hope yet. The Kole couldn't care less about him.

http://www.marinecenter.com/media/photos/D8C376084D894D89889564A9F6347A4E.jpg

[noirsphynx]

Ok, either you've been paying attention to the fish I have on my want list, or you're a lucky guesser!! I will have a female Bellus as soon as I find a healthy specimen. :D

The second guess... DING! DING! Trying to get a pic now...s/he is swimming out in front already. Acclimated easily in the bag too. Wasn't even panting when it arrived.

Yay, I guessed right :mrgreen:. Can't wait for pics. My Bellus was a beauty but I had to part with her because my new tank is too small for her :sad:. She was the only fish I truly didn't want to part with.

[noirsphynx]

The Kole Tang is being a prick to the Blue Assessor. :mmph:

My Kole was the same way to ALL new fish. I used a mirror to deter him for a few days and it worked like a charm everytime.

[Delphinus]

None of my fish ever cared about the jawfish in their tank. The jawfish on the other hand, hated all the fish in my tank. They gleefully ignored him but he would just freak out if they swam too close. Yeah .. nice looking fish but I really don't miss the stress I felt when I had them. Rather particular needs. I know it sucks to put a recommendation to give a fish away in your tank thread, but between their particular needs, and his coming in by accident, and your tank being BB, I do sorta stick by it. Or set up a new tank. (Come on, you know you want to anyhow... :p )

[fishytime]

Ok, either you've been paying attention to the fish I have on my want list, or you're a lucky guesser!! I will have a female Bellus as soon as I find a healthy specimen. :D

Or she cheated and checked our website:twised::wink:

The second guess... DING! DING! Trying to get a pic now...s/he is swimming out in front already. Acclimated easily in the bag too. Wasn't even panting when it arrived.

In the meantime while I'm trying to get a pic of the BLUE ASSESSOR (yay!), here's a few to look at. I'm experimenting with camera settings and I think I'm finally winning now.


Glad the assessor arrived in good shape. *in fashion/hair stylist/designer guy type voice* "And we figured if shes gonna have a blue assessor in her reef, she's gonna need some assessories...and what better assessories for a blue assessor than blues zoas...it'll be fabulous."

Great pics btw

[Myka]

Hahahahaha Doug!! You guys have Bellus Angels too??

Tony, I agree 100% with you! Luckily the tank is not filled all the way yet. :o I was SOOOOOO not ready to have the Jawfish. I tried to pawn it off on other people here, but the local store just got a shipment of them in, and they're eating and all happy (and cheaper I heard!), so why would anyone want this one? He lived in a tupperware container with a PVC pipe for 3 days before I gave up trying to find a home for him. He was ordered for someone else on the group order, and when that person cancelled their order the vendor cancelled all but the Jawfish. So, since I picked up the order I am stuck with it (along with paying for it lol). It absolutely was not my intent to put a Jawfish in the tank right now. I just didn't have any more options. :( I do thank you for your concern though. :o I wasn't planning on adding sand for another month at least, but now I have this Jawfish... :mmph:

Ok, off to work. Cheerio! :p

[Delphinus]

10g tank, 3-4" of sand/rubble, couple pieces smallish rock, an aquaclear and and an open-topped but closed-sided tallish canopy. :)

[Myka]

As simple as that sounds, that would involve catching the Jawfish in a 90 gallon tank with 153 lbs of live rock in it. Not gonna happen... :mmph: He does flounce around the surface sometimes though, so maybe I could scoop him then. I will try, but right now I must hurry off to work.

[globaldesigns]

Myka, I must say a very nice tank! Love the frags...

[sharuq1]

That blue is sure purdy

[noirsphynx]

Or she cheated and checked our website:twised::wink:

Heehee:mrgreen: busted but only on the Assessor, I really did just guess the Bellus but would have never thought about it if I hadn't had one myself.

[Myka]

Thanks for the comments globaldesigns and sharuq. :)

My Kole was the same way to ALL new fish. I used a mirror to deter him for a few days and it worked like a charm everytime.

Good call! The only mirror I have is one that comes with the flip up pressed powder makeup. It's only about 2 1/2" round, and I didn't think it was big enough to do the trick, but WOWZERS my Kole HATES himself!! I might have to remove the mirror to give him a break! :lol:

[Delphinus]

"You handsome jerk!!!"

[Leah]

Myka the tank looks great, glad to hear the little C is doing well after its rather rough trip
in the sand bucket. Opp's at least he made it. Can't wait to see the new fish photo's.
Have you managed to sell the extra rock yet? Looking forward to photo's with sand too!
Have you found the emeralds yet?

[Myka]

Yu guys are probably sick of photos (ya right!), but I'm trying to learn how to take better photos thatnks to a thread on here where people have been helping me. So everyday I get better photos and want to share them! :D

No Leah, I haven't worked on the rockscape at all. This is Friday's project...FOR SURE this time!! :o I tried looking for the Emeralds again, and couldn't find them. Now there is a cycle going in that bucket from the rock being transferred, and the ammonia it quite high. I doubt they could survive, but I haven't found their shells. I will look again for them now that you have reminded me.

Here's a pic of the Cyphastrea 'Meteor Shower' frag from Wicked Frags just for you:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June2320094.jpg



I finally got a pic of the Blue Assessor which has acclimatized well, she (I'm hoping) is happily making the rounds around the tank now that the Kole is TOTALLY engrossed with killing himself in the mirror. Sorry the photo is poor.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June242009.jpg



Here's a pic of how the Kole is looking now...the chameleon:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June2420092.jpg



A pic of my Fox Coral from Pet City that had an accidental fragging last year. It actually has neon green mouths, but I can't get that to show up in my photos:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June2320095.jpg



You can see this Open Brain (Pet City) has mostly recovered from the slow bleaching it was doing last fall:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June2320096.jpg



Lovely Acan frag from Red Coral. Fast grower too:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June232009.jpg



Finally got a decent shot of the Squamosa (from Red Coral) that shows the color well:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June2320097.jpg


A macro of the Favia (from Pet City):
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June2320093.jpg



A better shot of the odd leather (from Bayside Corals). Anyone know what it is?
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/June2320092.jpg

[Leah]

Wow! Things are looking amazing great photo's keep umm up!!!! Glad things are doing so
well tank is really beautiful. I should be learning to take pictures too!!

[StirCrazy]

Yu guys are probably sick of photos

bah, I never get sick of photos, when there sized right that is :mrgreen:

I hate having to scrol to see it all

Steve

[Myka]

Thanks Leah! :)

Steve, mine are sized right, aren't they? I don't even bother looking when the photos are too big. LOL

[fishytime]

Pics look great to me....but...um...yous guys need a bigger monitor:mrgreen:

[StirCrazy]

Thanks Leah! :)

Steve, mine are sized right, aren't they? I don't even bother looking when the photos are too big. LOL

yup, yours are just right :wink:

Steve

[Myka]

Oh good.

The Jawfish went to fishie heaven. :puppydog: He was pretty skinny on arrival.

I haven't seen the Blue Assessor eat yet, but she hides lots, so she could be nabbing some of the Mysis when she's hiding.

[Myka]

So yesterday I didn't see the Blue Assessor at all. Albeit I work 2-10 pm, but the Assessor usually hangs out in the front at times (she avoids the Tang though). So I was panicking!! :eek: I also hadn't seen the Assessor eat, but I was blowing frozen mysis in the rocks hoping wherever she was she was getting some food. :pray: Well, this morning I saw her cruising around, and noticed her belly isn't skinny, so she must be eating then. So I figured I should get some food ready so I can feed when she's out front and watch. I got it ready, and she was still out front (and is now too), so I blew some mysis at her...aaaaaaand SHE EATS!!! :dance: She's definitely not an aggressive eater, she only ate 2-3 pieces, but WHEW!! That's a relief!

The Kole Tang is still really interested in her, but I haven't seen him peck at her this morning at all. I took his mirror down lastnight.

Oh, and I'm working today, so I can't do the rocks as planned...AGAIN. Tomorrow I'm going quadding with my lovely boyfriend, so that's out. So Sunday it is! He said he'd help me too, so that's awesome. Gotta get 'er done!!! Starting a new job on Monday too.

[Delphinus]

Sorry to hear about the jawfish.

Not terribly surprised though (and I don't mean this as criticism against you, please don't take it as such, I know you didn't mean for him to be in your care in the first place), but I really think this fish is far too commonly available considering how specific its needs really are, and I'm not sure that those needs are being communicated/dissemminated along the retail chain... Basically unless they are in >4" rubble and can see 360 degrees around their burrows - they are STRESSED, stressed stressed stressed. Hiding under rocks doesn't really substitute for a proper burrow.

Anyhow once again, sorry about that.

It is good news about the assessor though. Question, you're referring to her as a "she" - are you just doing that, or is it possibe to tell the genders apart with them?

[Myka]

I'm not surprised about the Jawfish either. I wasn't setup for it, and wasn't ready for it, and frankly I wasn't impressed that I had to deal with it (having not ordered it myself!!). Jawfish rarely seem to ship in good health to boot. They are "always" wormy, and have a hard time getting onto commerical foods. They are a tough fish to acclimate that's for sure. Once they are acclimated I still wouldn't classify them as hardy. I do find the Blue Spot to be much tougher than the rest though. Look how many fish out there aren't properly represented when purchasing though. Look at CBBs and Mandarins. They are both cheap fish too, which is doubly annoying because of the "who cares if it dies, it was only $20" mentality.

I am seriously reconsidering my plans of adding a harem of Pearly jawfish to the tank, but my heart is relieved when I see a nice healthy group come in that are eating well like has recently arrived at Bayside Corals here. He got a nice shipment in. IF I do follow through with the plans to try a harem they will be quarantined for some time to make sure they are parasite free and eating.

Oh, and the Assessor being a "she"...I'm just hoping because according to my research (hard to find info on Assessors btw) the males can become a bit boisterous, so I asked Kevin at Red Coral to pick the one that seemed to look the most female according to typical Pseudochromis characteristics (rounder fins), which is still just a guess really since I can't find any info on sexing Assessors. So, I am assuming, but mostly just hoping it is a she! :)

[Skimmerking]

that leather looks like a fine green finger i believe. Myka the kole looks alot happier too his/her colors are looking brighter. love the clam the one that i got from Bayside the baby squamosa i had to take it out of my tank and put it in Doug's 30 gal. It seems to have the pinched mantel look but the other clams that i have doesn't appear to have that problem. it happened to the other baby maxima that i had too.. Do you get that same problem?

[Red Coral Aquariums]

SHE EATS!!! :dance: She's definitely not an aggressive eater, she only ate 2-3 pieces, but WHEW!! That's a relief!



She was in a tank by herself and she would eat then any left on sand would take later on.
Great to see but your right not an aggressive eater.
Kevin

[Myka]

that leather looks like a fine green finger i believe. Myka the kole looks alot happier too his/her colors are looking brighter. love the clam the one that i got from Bayside the baby squamosa i had to take it out of my tank and put it in Doug's 30 gal. It seems to have the pinched mantel look but the other clams that i have doesn't appear to have that problem. it happened to the other baby maxima that i had too.. Do you get that same problem?

Bah! I liked the Kole when it was mostly yellow with the Kole stripes! I have since found a few pics here and there of Koles with the yellower markings as juvies, so I think it's uncommon, but not unheardof. It changed back to the current color before the move, and hasn't changed much (if at all?) since moving to the 90. He uses up the whole tank though...thinks it's ALL his! He has gotten to be much more of a prick since moving to the 90 than he ever was in the 33. He was a model citizen in the 33.

My Squamosa has never had a pinched mantel. I got mine from Red Coral though. It had been growing lots I think...about 1/4" along the shell's rim since I got it in mid March. This is my first clam though, and although I have done lots of research on them (for a couple years actually) I am no expert.

She was in a tank by herself and she would eat then any left on sand would take later on.
Great to see but your right not an aggressive eater.
Kevin

Ya, she is really snoopy. She swims around the tank picking at the rocks and picking at the bottom of the tank, but has to look at something closely first before trying to eat it. Haha! Thanks again for this spectacular fish Kevin! :)

[fishytime]

Wow Mindy...the blue in the assessor really shows up under some better lighting....got me thinking again.....my RG is the biggest wuss ever.....:mrgreen:

[Myka]

LOL Doug!!! Oh come on, the Assessor is just so much nicer than a RG! ;)

Well I finally got my @$$ in gear and did the aquascaping. From the time I started pulling corals out, rearranged all the rock (including zip ties and epoxy!!) to the time I had the corals all placed again was a whopping 8 1/2 hours! :eek: I knew it would be a big job...

I'm not sure how many lbs of rock I left in there until I weight up what's left over (to sell), but I'm guessing I have about 80 lbs. I will be putting a bunch in the sump too. I will need to re-home the Finger Leather since it doesn't have a place anymore, so it's hard to tell but there is a double archway on the left, and then a pile on the right. There is a nice swimming area between the pile and the arch, but the Finger Leather is in the way. It will be more defined when the Finger Leather is not in there anymore. I'm fairly happy with the layout...the fish spend a lot less time hiding. Quite often the Bangaii and the Assessor are out front which is really nice!

Just before I started ripping the tank apart I took a bunch of top down photos. I don't have a box for doing top downs, so they aren't the greatest, but top downs always show the nicest color! :D

The next steps will be sand, get the sump running, and finish the canopy wrap and stand door. Whew! Getting there...slowly.

Without further ado...the pics! Keep in mind the tank still isn't filled, so there will be another 6" of water above the highest point of the arch.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July72009.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July520096.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July520093.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July5200916.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July5200915.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July5200914.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July5200912.jpg

[Myka]

I went a little nuts with the Euphyllia top downs. :D

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July520095.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July520094.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July520099.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July520098.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July5200911.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July5200910.jpg

[Toxik]

Wow, that's looking real nice. Good job

[karazy]

your yellow torch is making me drool.
i saw some on a different site, but it was 100 bucks a head :surprise:

[Myka]

Thanks for the comments. :o

Karazy...they ain't cheap! :eek:

[Delphinus]

Not a huge fan of shrooms but I'm kinda digging them blue rics.

[karazy]

Karazy...they ain't cheap! :eek:

you got that right. but they are soo nice.
i think that your jawfish colony idea sounds wicked in a reef tank. i hope it works out for you (make sure they wont get squished by rocks!)

[Leah]

Myka the tank is amazing I love how you have aquascaped it is just beautiful.
Have you added sand yet or are you still planning on it. Your photo's are great, BTW
come teach me

[Myka]

Tony, Rics don't count as mushrooms!! Not in my books anyway! ;) I just need a colony of neon green Rics, and then my collection will be complete. :D Same as Zoas, just a few select colors. I just picked up a micro colony (of 4 lol) of these neon speckled orange Zoas. Really cool. I also have about a dozen or so of the blue Zoas from Red Coral. now I need some green ones. :D

Karazy, don't worry the rock is all zip tied, and very solid. It's structurally sound without sand, so it should hold up to jawfish digging no problem.

Thanks Leah! I actually just added sand today. I bought way too much, which is usually the opposite...I usually don't buy enough.

I bought some nice rubble-sized live rock pieces. My idea was to create some areas of deep 3" sand for the jawfish, so I used rubble to create some walls to hold the sand back. The rest of the tank only has 1" of sand. I used 45 lbs Caribsea Select, and about 10lbs out of a bag of Caribsea Super Reef which is larger stuff with lots of shells. I used the Super Reef to put a layer on top of the deeper spots for the jawfish. They should enjoy having the bigger pieces to pack around. This is the first time in a decade I have used more than 2" of sand in any part of the tank, so I'm a bit nervous about it! I hope I don't come to regret it, but I think with a colony of jawfish they should keep it well churned preventing rotten areas of Hydrogen sulfide.

I think I managed to create what I set out to do with the sand, shells, and rubble. I rinsed the sand VERY well before adding it. I initially wet it with RODI water so the sand would soak up RODI, then used the hose (with tap water) to rinse the sand very, very thoroughly. Then I rinsed again with RODI, then rinsed with tank water. I don't like using tap water on the sand at all, but I have no way to pressure up the RODI to get a good rinsing. I put some filter media on the intakes of the powerheads to catch the silt, and the tank cleared up fairly well 3 hours after adding the Select, but then I made the barriers with the rubble, scooped the Super Reef into the tank, and properly fogged it back up! :D It's half cleared up again now, but I probably won't be able to get any pics until tomorrow. I'm guessing it will take a few days or even a week to achieve perfect clarity though.

I have been trying to get some photos of a Lobo I added a couple weeks ago that has really colored up. It fluoresces so much though that I can't seem to get the camera settings right, and it turns out looking funny.

Anyway, here's the orange speckled Zoas from Bayside. I took the pic only an hour after I put them in the tank, so they aren't open all the way:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July920094.jpg



This Nephthea (also from Bayside) is growing like a weed:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July920093.jpg



I also got a decent pic of "Findiglo" (Fin-indigo-glow har har so lame):
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July102009.jpg

[Navarchus]

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July920094.jpg


OMG!!!!:jaw:

[Myka]

They are wicked now that they are fully open! :D

[karazy]

those zoas are awesome. they look like Darth mauls almost.

i wanna see pics of how this grand sand plan turned out.

[Myka]

I went back to Bayside Corals and bought another frag of the orange Zoas so that they are a bit more noticable when I transfer them onto a rock. I will glue them on a rock together, but in the meantime I took some pics of the new frag through a magnifying glass just for you guys! (and anyone else who likes Zoas) :D

karazy, I was going to take a pic lastnight when the room was dark and the lights were still on, but I got a phone call, and didn't get a pic. The tank was crystal clear the morning after adding the sand. I wasn't expecting that! I will take a pic tonight. :)

The color is NOT altered, it has some serious fluoresce. :)
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July1220094.jpg



My Favia is in a great location for photos now too, so I managed to catch the fluoresce quite well this time! :D I love this coral.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July1220093.jpg

[Leah]

Wow! Looks amazing-did you reuse all your old sand or buy all new?

[Myka]

I used all new sand, except I added that couple pounds of old sand that you put aside. I had it stored in a bucket with a heater, a powerhead, and a few snails.

I will post pics tonight once the MH turns off (they are ugly yellow bulbs and do the tank no justice!).

Karazy, I just Googled "Darth Maul Zoa", and my Zoas look exactly like them. They're selling online for $50/polyp!! :eek:

[Myka]

Well, my photos aren't very good this time, but here are some shots with the sand and the rubble zones. I set corals on top of the rubble zones, so you can't really see how it goes from 3/4-1" of sand up to 3". Hard to see in the pics. The large Finger Leathers (and their rock) have a new home on Tuesday, so pretend they aren't there!

FTS:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July1320093.jpg



Left:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July1320094.jpg



Right:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July132009.jpg



From the right end:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July1320092.jpg

[sharuq1]

Looks beautiful Myka!

[Navarchus]

Myka
I bought one of each color. When I chouse them I maid sure I get those who had more them one mouth. You won’t believe how fast they spread, used to sell them in a very good pries, it seems there is never enough of those!

http://www.reef-center-host.com/pix/albums/userpics/10429/normal_IMGP4180.jpg
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_uxCgBLJKy-Q/SUJ0ZwFbg9I/AAAAAAAAAzs/NeGcACDQij0/s512/P1160842.JPG

[Myka]

Thanks Kelly! :o

Very nice Navarchus! That what I want too, I have an area set aside for the Rics to take over. :D

[fishytime]

You really need to get back to Cowtown, Mindy. I have some florida rics that have never done a thing in my tank(same number of heads for a year) that I would give you as part of my payback.

[Myka]

Haha! That would be great Doug, but that Acro is owed to the guy who actually bought it in Kelowna. :) Or at least, I owe him an Acro. :lol:

[Myka]

Look ma, no skimmer!!

:lol: Still no skimmer, but I'm happy to say nitrate is down around 0.2 ppm, and phosphate is undetectable with Sailfert kits. :D I haven't done a water change on this tank since it was setup, so this is the tank processing waste on its own. Yay. :)

Although...I did manage to overdose calcium and magnesium. Calcium is about 485 ppm, alk 7 dKH, and magnesium 1450 ppm. Ooops. So I did the first water change lastnight of about 5 or 6 gallons. I will test again tonight to see if it's better today.

[Navarchus]

Just elevate the alk to 10-11 dkh, the rest will balanced shortly !

[Myka]

Well, the water change water I used was 340 cal, 11 dKH, and 1170 mg, so that should have helped. I did add some more buffer too, so it should be fairly balanced. But you're right, high levels aren't crutial provided they are balanced.

[Myka]

I bought a couple young Bangaiis to try to get a pair or two since I currently have two males. That was last week. I haven't been able to get the two new ones to eat, even though they are captive raised and were eating PE mysis at the store. So today one was dead, and the other is MIA. Grrr...back to square one with two males.

Other notables:

- I'm getting a bit of red turf algae.
- RBTA split again (from me accidentally ripping it nearly in half, apparently it is tough lol).
- Added a couple browned out SPS frags - good PE, so hopefully they will color up.
- Added an Emerald Crab.
- I ordered a custom sump and fuge, I think they will be ready by Sunday.

And the part that's actually interesting to you guys...pics! :lol:



I was trying to take a pic of the blue w/ pink mouths Chalice frag I bought, but the Torch got in the way. :D
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_1010.jpg



Little Pipe Organ frag...hoping it develops a bit more color, kinda brown now.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_1015.jpg



Yuma I've had for awhile:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_1021.jpg



Symphyllia from Red Coral:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_1025.jpg



I was trying to take a pic of the two Lobos, but the fish thought they should be in the photo. The green and pink Lobo has really colored up a lot. It has so much flouresce that it looks fake in photos. Haha! Also in the pic is the Open Brain, frag of "Meteor Shower" Cyphastrea, and a bunch of Blastos.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_1032.jpg



A photo of the two little guys, and one of the adult males, but the photo is deceiving because one of the little ones is close to the camera making him appear bigger.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_1036.jpg



My Fox Coral that was accidentally fragged last year that is finally starting to get to a decent size.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_1039.jpg



Squamosa attached to the frag disk the Nephthea is on. Some Bryopsis on the clam's shell...I should do something about that before it spreads.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_1040.jpg



Colorful garden of flowers.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_1042.jpg



Here's one of a my freshwater tank too just for poops n giggles. :p
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July272009.jpg

[Myka]

I am receiving a few SPS frags today, but I got a couple about 2 weeks ago. An ORA green polyp pink birdnest, and a mauve Mille. I received the Mille browned out, and the birdnest is faded, but both are starting to show more color already. The birdnest fell on one of my Lobos and one of the branches lost it's flesh, but it's ok now. I should take some update pics, but here is the first day I had them:

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July3120092.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/July312009.jpg



Here is a pic of a blue w/ pink eyes Chalice frag I bought about a month ago or so, also in the pic is an Acan frag that is growing like a weed:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Aug82009.jpg



Also a FTS. I removed a rock from the upper left portion to blow torch it as for some reason that rock alone had a few different red algae on it. It is now just in my bucket of live rock, probably ready to go back in. I did rearrange the corals though...all the Euphyllias are now on the right. My new SPS will be going on the high arch on the left. :)
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Aug820092.jpg

[rstar]

Looking really good Mindy!!

[Lance]

Nice!

[Myka]

Thanks for the comments guys!

I started dosing Lugol's Solution about 10 days ago. I've just been dosing one drop twice per week, so I've only done 3 drops so far. There are only about 75 gallons in the system right now. So this is 67% of the recommended dose. Iodine test kits are so inaccurate they are nearly useless, so I won't be testing for it, but I will watch my corals closely since overdosing should be easy to see.

More pics... :)

My Squamosa has been growing like mad. It is only about 2 1/2" from tip to tip now, but has put over 1/4" on the shell in the last 3 months. This is my first clam, but that seems like pretty good growth, no?
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Aug2220093.jpg



I was trying to take a pic of the Meteor Shower Cyphastrea, but the true Perc got in the pic, and I thought it looked perty. Too bad it's grainy.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Aug2220095.jpg



Some new SPS frags. They all came to me 1-2 weeks ago almost entirely browned out, but are starting to show some exciting colors poking through (tough to see in the pic). :D Coral Master's blue polyped pink birdnest and rainbow Stylo, an ORA green polyped pink birdnest, and a pink Mille. Oh, the green polyped birdnest fell on my Lobo and burned a branch off. Grr. I need to trim it off.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Aug222009.jpg



Here are a couple more SPS frags that are unIDed so far. I'm told they are different which I think is probably right, but they are very close. The smaller one seems to have green corallites, where the bigger one has purple corallites. Both have brown polyps right now. I'm hoping they will color up into something perty.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Aug2220096.jpg




Here are some sequence shots of my Symphyllia's feeder tentacles:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/IMG_1025.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Aug2220092.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Aug172009.jpg

[Myka]

I managed to get a decent bulkhead so I could plug the hole that is drilled in the overflow so I could fill the tank most of the way. :D Still waiting on bulkheads and unions so I can get the sump plumbed in. One day....one day... ;)

One of my RBTAs moved to the back of the big arch...grr.

Pretty cool to watch the color slowly showing up on the browned out frags I got. Especially the rainbow Stylo. Very cool. :D

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Aug262009.jpg

[Myka]

SPS frag pics...starting to show some color (I bought them browned out).

These two have lost a bit of color since I have been handling them A LOT. The smaller one (a nice tricolor) had red bugs, so I actually removed it from my tank and washed it directly under the tap until the bugs were off. Obviously the coral was not happy about this, but I figured a $15 frag isn't worth the trouble! It looks like it will survive, but is in poor condition. The other one has lost some color just from falling from it's perch into the sand a few times, and being handled a lot for red bug inspections. Luckily it was only the tricolor affected, and I have not seen them since last Saturday when I discovered them.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Aug3020095.jpg

Here is ORA Green birdnest (from Texas) and Coral Master's blue polyp birdnest (I got it from a fellow hobbyist though). The blue polyp one is just starting to show some signs of bluing up, nice and peachy colored now though. The ORA green one is nice and peachy now too. :D
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Aug3020094.jpg

Here is Coral Master's rainbow Stylo (also purchased from a fellow hobbyist browned out), and it is coloring up really nicely too. This coral is SOOOO cool!! It's really tough to see in the photos, but the body is turning quite pink, and the growth tips are iridescent green with the polyps just starting to show some color. I'm really excited to grow this frag out.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Aug3020093.jpg

This pink Mille was totally brown when I got it, and now it is quite rosy (polyps are still brown though). This will be a nice colony. :)
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Aug3020092.jpg

And I'll throw in a shot of my Meteor Shower Cyphastrea from Wicked Frags. I took a chunk off so I could trade a fellow reefer for a chunk of his really cool kinda rainbow Cyphastrea. Pretty ctoked about that. :D
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Aug302009.jpg

[Myka]

Woohoo! Got a Wavebox!! As most of you know from my latest thread trying to figure out how to get it going well in my tank. :lol: I have wanted a Wavebox for several years now, so I'm pretty stoked to have it. I am contemplating trading it to a friend for his Wavebox Nano though...might work better in my tank.

I got a new mini colony today. Acro of some sort. Ha...I need to learn the species. Barely a sign of polyps so far. Polyps weren't out at the store either...probably pretty stressed. Hopefully it will be lookin good tomorrow.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Sept1020094.jpg

You can finally see some pink in this photo of the rainbow Stylo!! :D Polyps are retracted from the Wavebox. Showing some decent growth too.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Sept1020092.jpg

And the whole tank:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Sept102009.jpg

[lastlight]

Nice colour palette taking shape there! Reminds me of Sphelps' tank/photos. That first acro is awesome!

[fishytime]

Agreed....that first acro is da bomb....lookin pretty sweet there Mindy....the tank I mean:wink:

[Myka]

Thanks Brett, it has a lot of growing to do to catch up to Steve's tanks!! But his are very nice, so thanks for the comment! :)

Haha, aw shucks Doug. :o

I can't wait to dose the tank with Spur2 and get that Acro to drop the brown. THEN it will be stellar. :p

[mseepman]

Myka, your tank is looking awesome!!!

Any you told me that SPS was never in your future...sheesh, you look like a pro already!

[lastlight]

Drop the brown? I thought you were above that sort of toilet humour Mindy =)

[karazy]

looks good. when are you adding the jawfish?

[Myka]

Thanks Mark!! Well, I started leaning more towards SPS again since I am around the tank all the time so I am consistent enough for SPS, plus none of my LPS can be in the upper half of the tank because the lights are too bright. :lol: How are those SPS frags doing that I gave you last year?

:lol: Brett!!

karazy (is it Eli?), the Jawfish are actually arriving tomorrow. :D There may also be a Perc and female Bangaii to make pairs with my existing fish. The Jawfish will go into QT for awhile though.

[karazy]

Thanks Mark!! Well, I started leaning more towards SPS again since I am around the tank all the time so I am consistent enough for SPS, plus none of my LPS can be in the upper half of the tank because the lights are too bright. :lol: How are those SPS frags doing that I gave you last year?

:lol: Brett!!

karazy (is it Eli?), the Jawfish are actually arriving tomorrow. :D There may also be a Perc and female Bangaii to make pairs with my existing fish. The Jawfish will go into QT for awhile though.

col. sounds good. oh, and my name is Evan :)

[Myka]

I knew it was an E word. :p

[Myka]

Woohoo! I received a live order from The Reef Shoppe today! :D

I received the 4 Pearly Jawfish today! I was going to put them in QT for a few weeks so I could deworm them, and get them used to eating from the turkey baster. However, they came in looking VERY healthy and Kelly assured me they were eating well before he sent them, so I decided to put them straight into the tank since the other side of the argument is that Jawfish do notoriously poor in QT due to being easily stressed. I'm hoping I made the right decision.

Two of the Jawfish are happily making burrows already, one is just hiding behind a lone piece of live rock, and the fourth is MIA. The fourth might be in the same burrow as one of the others though since I put two in the same general area. I'm crossing my fingers and stressing out about these fish as I have had poor luck with them in the past. My whole sandbed and part of the rockscape were designed around the Jawfish, so I'm hoping my idea of a good habitat is the same as theirs!

So...that means the True Perc and (hopefully female) Bangaii Cardinal that I also received are in my QT since I didn't want to add 6 fish at the same time. The True Perc is gorgeous, I can't wait to add him. :)

I've started dosing more ZEOvit lately as per suggestions on the ZEO forums...

Monday: Coral Vitalizer (3 drops)
Tuesday: Lugol's (1 drop), Coral Snow (4 mL)
Wednesday: Coral Vitalizer (3 drops)
Thursday: B-Balance (4 mL)
Friday: Coral Vitalizer (3 drops), Coral Snow (4 mL)
Saturday: Lugol's (1 drop)
Sunday: B-Balance (4 mL)

[Van-rookie]

.

[Delphinus]

I think you made the right decision not to QT. Not whatsoever influenced by the profound failure of my last QT attempt but because I think you nailed it, jawfish just won't do well in a typical QT setup. Not unless the QT was setup exactly like your jawfish biome anyhow.

You do have a cover right? They will be incredibly apt to jump. I found that as they get comfortable in their new home this gets considerably better but you can't prevent the odd sort of random startling so IMO it's better to have a setup where if they do jump, all that can happen is that they fall back in.

[Myka]

Thanks Tony. :) I do have the QT setup with the Jawfish in mind, so I hope I don't end up having to medicate the Perc and Bangaii! :lol: It's more like a temporary home than a QT.

The tank isn't covered, but I lowered the water level, so they shouldn't be able to jump out. I do have a canopy "wrap" in the plans, but it will be open in the back for airflow...maybe I will put up some egg crate in the back, but I doubt that would keep them in.

As of this morning the one is still MIA (but could be in the big burrow with one of the others) and the other three have borrows made.

Oh, on Saturday I changed my f'ugly Coralife 10,000K halide bulbs to PlusRite 20,000K. All of these bulbs came with the fixture I bought. The Coralife's only had 3 months use on them (then I used them for 5 months), and the PlusRite had been turned on, but not used (until now). So I figure I may as well use the bulbs. I'm sooo sick of the pee-yellow Coralife's though which look as yellow as the 6500K bulbs I have on my freshwater planted tank! So I'm done with those awful Coralife's. Not sure what kind of PAR the PlusRite have, but even being 20,000K they seem brighter than the Coralife's (although eyes often lie). I don't think the PlueRite are showing a true 20,000K though, I think they are closer to 16,000K. The tank looks much nicer with the PlueRite...way more crisp.

[andestang]

Well just read through your whole thread. Glad to see that everything has turned out so well.Tank is looking awesome. I would also agree that you did the right thing with the Jawfish. The little buggers do stress very easily. If you are going to head a little more into the SPS side using some Zoevit products, you may want to also try the Extra in rotation with your CV. I got some good results with it.

[mseepman]

Myka,

I've been using the PlusRite bulbs for over a year now (they're cheaper but I replace them more often to ensure PAR) and I'm happy with them.

I know you don't like it too blue so 16K might be more to your liking.

[Myka]

I just fed the tank, and blew some of the frozen food water into the tank first to get the smell in there (garlic too), then target fed the Jawfish with a turkey baster. Two of them ate hungrily. :D One is looking stressed still (he has a sucky burrow too...bad location, hardly has a little hole at all), and he did not eat. The fourth one is still MIA. :lol:

The new Bangaii ate, but the True Perc didn't eat yet. He is also looking stressed. I'm thinking he may break out with a disease in the next couple days here...good thing he is in the QT. He has a big fat belly though, so I'm not worried about him starving at this point.

Well just read through your whole thread. Glad to see that everything has turned out so well.Tank is looking awesome. I would also agree that you did the right thing with the Jawfish. The little buggers do stress very easily. If you are going to head a little more into the SPS side using some Zoevit products, you may want to also try the Extra in rotation with your CV. I got some good results with it.

The whole thread? Cool. :) Thanks for your comments too. I am fairly confident I made the right decision to not QT the Jawfish. I used Pohl's Xtra for a very short time, when my little bottle ran out. It is one I do plan to use again, same with Sponge Power which I used for several months - it recently ran out though. I am just starting up one additive at a time, and watching the tank. The ones I plan to try in the next few months are: Spur2 (already have it, might do first dose tonight), Amino Acid Concentrate, an maybe Stylo-Pocci Glow.

Myka,

I've been using the PlusRite bulbs for over a year now (they're cheaper but I replace them more often to ensure PAR) and I'm happy with them.

I know you don't like it too blue so 16K might be more to your liking.

Hey Mark! So...how are those SPS frags doing anyway??? Where do you buy the PlusRite bulbs? As you know, I have never liked 20K lighting, but I do like these bulbs - I think I'm leaning towards a bluer spectrum lately. *gasp* In combo with my three T5s (two blues and a Fiji Purple) the tank is definitely blue, but not too bad. I think if I traded out one of the blues for another Fiji Purple it just might be perfect. :D

I don't know what's going on Mark! There are SPS in my tank again, and the lights are blue!! :eek:

[Myka]

Woohoo!! All 4 Jawfish are eating, and so is the Perc! :D I found the 4th Jawfish...as I suspected there are two sharing the big burrow. The one with the teeny little burrow in the crappy spot is still looking a bit stressed, but I think he will be ok. I dosed the QT (Banger & Perc) with PraziPro lastnight since the Perc had white stringy poo, and was looking stressed. He is looking better today, but not 100%. The Banger is looking a bit stressed today though, and didn't eat. Of course my fav fishes are sensitive species. :S

I just wanted to note here that these Jawfish are the best quality Jawfish I have ever seen on the market. Way to go Kelly @ The Reef Shoppe!! :clap2:

I can't express how much I love Jawfish. They rock. They are SOOO adorable! Making their little burrows, and closing the entrances at night. Awesome fish if you have the tank for them. :)

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Sept1520093.jpg

You lookin at ME?
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Sept1520092.jpg



And one of the Jawfish in the middle of closing his burrow for the night. Goodnight little guy!!
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Sept1520094.jpg



More good news...remember the tricolor frag that had red bugs? No sign of red bugs anywhere still, and the frag is coloring up again nicely after getting rinsed under the tap!! (I was mad at it :lol: ) Surprisingly it didn't even lose any flesh after the tap rinsing. I'm pretty happy about this since it is a nice tricolor.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Sept152009.jpg

[mseepman]

Hey Mark! So...how are those SPS frags doing anyway??? Where do you buy the PlusRite bulbs? As you know, I have never liked 20K lighting, but I do like these bulbs - I think I'm leaning towards a bluer spectrum lately. *gasp* In combo with my three T5s (two blues and a Fiji Purple) the tank is definitely blue, but not too bad. I think if I traded out one of the blues for another Fiji Purple it just might be perfect. :D

I don't know what's going on Mark! There are SPS in my tank again, and the lights are blue!! :eek:

Hey Myka,

I'm hitting about 75% on those frags you gave me. A couple of them are doing really well in my main tank. 3 others are doing okay in my nano tank...though the birdsnest has recently had a setback that I'm not sure it will recover from.

As for the PlusRite bulbs, I get them off of e-bay from trustdeal lights (an e-bay store) I've bought quite a few of them already and they've all been good. One of the LFS here found out where I bought them and bought a dozen or so to re-sell themselves. I run a 14K on my main tank and a 15K on my nano, both PlusRite DE bulbs.

I'm looking forward to seeing another FTS of your tank with the new lighting.

[Van-rookie]

I have to check out Reef Shoppe when I come back from vacation. I want 4 jawfish as well.:wink::wink:

Woohoo!! All 4 Jawfish are eating, and so is the Perc! :D I found the 4th Jawfish...as I suspected there are two sharing the big burrow. The one with the teeny little burrow in the crappy spot is still looking a bit stressed, but I think he will be ok. I dosed the QT (Banger & Perc) with PraziPro lastnight since the Perc had white stringy poo, and was looking stressed. He is looking better today, but not 100%. The Banger is looking a bit stressed today though, and didn't eat. Of course my fav fishes are sensitive species. :S

I just wanted to note here that these Jawfish are the best quality Jawfish I have ever seen on the market. Way to go Kelly @ The Reef Shoppe!! :clap2:

I can't express how much I love Jawfish. They rock. They are SOOO adorable! Making their little burrows, and closing the entrances at night. Awesome fish if you have the tank for them. :)

[josie]

Hi Myka!
nice looking tank!
I just switch to plusrite bulbs too (250w DE 14k), and really like the look they give! for now my corals seems to like them (it's just been almost 2weeks since I change).. I have 3 14k and 4T5s (2x 80w 60'' Actinic White et 2x 80w 60'' Fiji Purple) in a modified Odysea fixture.
I search many forums about Plusrite bulbs and not many people are saying that they use them...
will you post pics of your tank with the new lights? So people will see the diference?

[Delphinus]

Apologies if this info is in the thread somewhere .. where can one buy these plusrite lamps? Are they an ebay thing? (Sorry, just haven't heard of them before.)

[mseepman]

Here you go.

http://stores.shop.ebay.ca/Trust-Deals-Lights_Aquarium-Reef-Metal-Halide_W0QQLHQ5fSellerWithStoreZ1QQLHQ5fTitleDescZ 1QQ_fsubZ12213027QQ_sasiZ1QQ_sidZ60008317QQ_trksid Zp4634Q2ec0Q2em322

[Myka]

Well I'm glad you're having some success with those frags Mark. :)

Van-rookie: Make sure your tank is setup Jawfish friendly...they aren't the easiest fish to keep. Very prone to stress and jumping if they aren't comfortable with their habitat.

josie: I tried to get a FTS when I first put the new bulbs in, but I couldn't get the settings right. I don't think I have a FTS with the old halides on - all my FTS are just with T5s since the halides were so ugly!! :lol:

[Albertan22]

Jawfish have always facinated me :smile: How deep is your sandbed and how coarse it it? I'd love to put some in my tank eventually. My sand was about 3 inches but it's blown around a bit so now I have some deep drifts and some shallow spots. I don't know if my sand is coarse enough for them though :neutral:

[Myka]

Well, two of the Jawfish have been MIA for 2 days, but today I see a third one. He is not in good condition. He has lost the bottom portion of his jaw, and he is quite stressed. I'm not sure what happened to him, and I'm not sure he is going to make it. :(

Albertan: My sand bed is 75% Caribsea Select, and 25% Caribsea Super Reef. It is 3-4" on each end of the tank where my rocks are laid out for good borrow building, and the center of the tank only has 1/2-1". I used live rock rubble to build small barriers to hold the sand up nice and deep on the ends.

[lastlight]

Sorry to hear that. Hope you find the other two and the third somehow pulls through.

[Myka]

Well the one with the missing lower jaw did eat though, so I do have some hope for him. He is MIA again as of last night. I have no idea where he is hiding, but he has a good hidey hole that's for sure!! I hope this means that the 4th one is also just hiding real well. I know all 4 ate about 3 days ago, plus at the LFS before being sent 7 days ago, so the missing two aren't in any risk of starving at this point.

There is definitely a boss Jawfish. He is the biggest one that has the biggest hole. He was sharing with the 2nd one, but he kicked the second one out yesterday. Spousal warfare I think! ;)

[Myka]

Picked up a bottle of ZEOvit Sponge Power, which I dosed for 6 months, but ran out about 2 months ago. Will be dosing it 3 drops 3x per week.

Bought a couple Zoa frags today too. The orange ones are actually more peachy looking in person.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Sept2020092.jpg



Good news and bad news about the Jawfish. Good news is that the 4th one showed up, and moved in with the 1st one in the big burrow. The 2nd one is still kicked out of the burrow. :lol: All three are eating. Unfortunately, the 3rd one with the injured jaw has passed on. :(

[Myka]

The Jawfish:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Sept2720092.jpg



End shot of the tank:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Sept2720093.jpg

[Dez]

I am highly a fan of your "less rock in tank" look. I like seeing a lot of open water in aquariums and wait for the corals to do their job and grow into the water column. Nice.

[Myka]

Thanks Dez! :o

[mseepman]

Tank is looking very good Myka. Lots of great finds in there...quite a change from being in the Okanagan and wishing we had access to that stuff eh?

[Myka]

Ya thanks Mark! It's hard to believe that Kelowna has a population of 110,000 and has 4 saltwater stores where Saskatoon has a population of 220,000 and only has 1 store. It IS a good 1 though! :D I have really been enjoying ordering from The Reef Shoppe in Lloydminster lately though (2 1/2 hours away). I am traveling through there this weekend...maybe I will finally get to stop in!

[fishytime]

Things are looking really good Mindy...Great shot of the trio!....Sorry to hear about the fourth:sad:

[Myka]

Thanks Doug! Luckily the trio have all moved quite close to each other so photos like that are possible! :D The remaining three are doing very well. They eat like hogs...worse than the Tang. :eek:

So I made a little stop in at The Reef Shoppe on Sunday and picked up...

A lovely Teardrop Maxima (my photo does it no justice) beside the Squamosa that put on 1/2" of growth last month: :eek:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Oct420093.jpg



A pretty monti cap:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Oct420094.jpg



A gorgeous Purple Frilly Gorgonia:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Oct420095.jpg



And a wee little (but awesome) RBTA:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Oct420092.jpg

[noirsphynx]

That gorg is beautiful.

[Myka]

Thanks! I should make note that the Gorgonia is photosynthetic, so it should do well long-term. :)

[Lance]

Wow that Gorg is niiiiice! I want one. :sad:

[fishytime]

Oh my gorg....that is a sweet gorg.:biggrin: and the clam is incredible.

[Myka]

Thanks guys!! I got both the Gorg and the Teardrop Maxima for reeeeeeeeeally good prices at The Reef Shoppe. :D

Well, I finally finished the plumbing today!!! :eek: Imagine that! It only took 4 1/2 months. *gasp* Scary part is that the tank is full, so if the plumbing leaks it's going to be a PITA. Oh yes, I like to do things the hard way. :rolleyes: I'm mixing up more water now, so if I'm brave I will get it going tonight, but my reasoning says I should wait until the weekend. So far bravery is winning. :neutral:

I'm not happy with my bulbs right now...the PlusRite 20Ks really lack pizazz. They are bland looking. I'm tossing around the idea of trying out some XM 20Ks or Phoenix 14K. Ugh...expensive decision to possibly not like. I need to replace my T5s too, the AS 17500K and the Fiji Purple have about 8 months on them I think, and I've been switching back and forth between a Giesemann Pure Actinic and a Hagen Glo 18K, both of which probably have 14 months use on them. :neutral: I can't decide on T5s either. Since my T5s aren't all beside each other (2 are together, the third is on the other side of the MHs) I'm noticing the different colors as stripes along the length of the tank. Since I don't need the PAR from the T5s, I might keep 2 Pure Actinics (prob switch to UVL since I don't like Giesemann), and one Fiji Purple. Ok, just rambling out loud here I guess!! :razz:

Anyway...critters are looking good. I got some frags from Coral Master. :D Very nice!! I will snap some pics once they color up.

Caught the Blue Assessor in his new favourite hideout:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Oct202009.jpg

[Myka]

I need to figure out how to get better FTSs. Especially with the halides on...all my FTSs are just T5s. The halides wash the photos out.

The tank is looking like a scrapbook with little pieces everywhere since I started collecting SPS. :lol: It should look a lot nicer in a year. :D Patience fledgling reef.

Here is today's:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Oct2220094.jpg



I was trying to take a pic of the Gorg with its polyps out:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Oct2220092.jpg


Purple rim cap I got from The Reef Shoppe:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/Oct2220095.jpg

[lobsterboy]

yup, those caps and gorg are great. that gorg is HUGE.

[hillegom]

I really like that gorg!!
And the clams! Beautiful colouration. What do you feed them Myka?
Thanks

[Myka]

I really like that gorg!!
And the clams! Beautiful colouration. What do you feed them Myka?
Thanks

I appreciate your comments. :) I don't feed the clams...aside from a couple Zeo products which I think they benefit from; Coral Vitalizer, and Sponge Power. They seem to look after themselves. I bought the Squamy from Red Coral at the end of March when the shell was about 1.5" from end to end, and now it is just a hair under 3" so I think it is doing well. The Maxima I just bought a few weeks ago from The Reef Shoppe. Hummm....I think the clams probably appreciate the fact that I don't have a skimmer or any other type of mechanical or chemical filtration. Maybe I will need to feed them when I turn my skimmer on...?