kien's 150g Room Divider Mixed Reef & Stuff

[ALang]

Be careful what you wish for. Keeping SPS can be quite aggravating and ulcer inducing :lol:

BUT, I like this kinda ulcers!!:mrgreen:
Like Grizz said, we all would like some of that ulcers, too, darned it!

And you just keep rubbing it in...rubbing it in...with those pictures.
Why can't you just suck at taking pictures?? Then we won't have to hate you so much...:twised:

Lenny.

[kien]

Then we won't have to hate you so much...:twised:

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful. :)

[kien]

oh, and speaking of beautiful, I almost forgot! I have a new fish addition to the reef. He is my impluse purchase for the month. I went in looking to buy a magnesium test kit and ended up coming home with this Rainbow/Royal Pencil Wrasse instead :lol:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5221/5554416537_7784d3aa59_o.jpg

[The Grizz]

WOW! Nice colors there Kien!

So as for corals, you mentioned on a different thread about setting me up with some easy SPS, which ones are you thinking of so I can do a little research.

Also what is your salinity at? I am waiting for some ref test solution to calibrate both my salinity probe & refrac.

[Lance]

WOW! :crazyeye:

[kien]

WOW! Nice colors there Kien!

So as for corals, you mentioned on a different thread about setting me up with some easy SPS, which ones are you thinking of so I can do a little research.

Also what is your salinity at? I am waiting for some ref test solution to calibrate both my salinity probe & refrac.

Someone in my tank recently fragged a Red-Orange digi for me. I also had to prune back a purple Pocci.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5254/5541491091_97d13d3692_z.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5140/5541491277_f8c6d62406_z.jpg

I also need to prune back a Bird-of-many-colours

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4072/4678397934_58aa246681_z.jpg

There are a couple other misc SPS (I don't know their names).

[freezetyle]

oh, and speaking of beautiful, I almost forgot! I have a new fish addition to the reef. He is my impluse purchase for the month. I went in looking to buy a magnesium test kit and ended up coming home with this Rainbow/Royal Pencil Wrasse instead :lol:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5221/5554416537_7784d3aa59_o.jpg

wow... i don't blame you for picking that one up

[The Grizz]

Sweet, I was doing a little reading on Pocci coral just the other day and that was one that I was going to try.

[lastlight]

Very pretty fish man. Which tank is it living in?

[kien]

Very pretty fish man. Which tank is it living in?

The reef :)

Er.. The mixed reef :)

Er.. The 150 mixed reef :)

[fishoholic]

Gorgeous wrasse Kien :biggrin:

[kien]

Gorgeous ass Kien :biggrin:

Gosh thanks :)

[fishoholic]

Gosh thanks :)

:lol: How did I know that you would edit that!

[Kevotron]

Very beautiful tanks !!

[fishytime]

Hey!:mrgreen:

[Lance]

Hey!:mrgreen:


It's OK Dougie. I'm sure she thinks you have a cute little bum too.

[Delphinus]

I just thought she was really into donkeys. They are after all endearing little horsey things..

[fishytime]

her thing for wrasses is how we met:mrgreen:

[fishoholic]

It's OK Dougie. I'm sure she thinks you have a cute little bum too.

Of course :mrgreen:

I just thought she was really into donkeys. They are after all endearing little horsey things..

:lol:

her thing for wrasses is how we met:mrgreen:

Ya butt I never did get your wrasse, well at least not the mystery wrasse that is :wink:

[Oxymoron]

Your tanks are amazing, Great job.
I will be using your thread as a how to guide for my next build.
Are your tanks made using starfire glass?

[kien]

Your tanks are amazing, Great job.
I will be using your thread as a how to guide for my next build.
Are your tanks made using starfire glass?

Hey thanks! :). No just regular glass all around.

[lastlight]

No just regular glass all around.

LOL. NOOB :razz:

[Leah]

LOL. NOOB :razz:

:biggrin: Now that is the pot calling the kettle black. :wink:

[lastlight]

:biggrin: Now that is the pot calling the kettle black. :wink:

NOOB HAHA!

[ProReef]

oh, and speaking of beautiful, I almost forgot! I have a new fish addition to the reef. He is my impluse purchase for the month. I went in looking to buy a magnesium test kit and ended up coming home with this Rainbow/Royal Pencil Wrasse instead :lol:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5221/5554416537_7784d3aa59_o.jpg

AWESOME!!!! So beautiful. I love wrasses too!
Cheers Ronnie

[kien]

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6158/6199432877_e9f4fdbed4_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6023/6199415025_4618cd18b1_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6172/6199413685_554b46d3c3_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6154/6199927694_dc30a56a21_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6179/6199923766_5c1c065b6c_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6005/6199410791_1591b82a17_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6135/6199923150_be526b3e1d_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6165/6199412263_5244fe549f_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6122/6199926234_920d5b210b_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6170/6199410699_21f04b278e_o.jpg

[Delphinus]

Wowza!

[reefwars]

that last pic is amazing man wicked shot:)

[reefwars]

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6158/6199432877_e9f4fdbed4_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6023/6199415025_4618cd18b1_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6172/6199413685_554b46d3c3_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6154/6199927694_dc30a56a21_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6179/6199923766_5c1c065b6c_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6005/6199410791_1591b82a17_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6135/6199923150_be526b3e1d_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6165/6199412263_5244fe549f_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6122/6199926234_920d5b210b_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6170/6199410699_21f04b278e_o.jpg

shoot i forgot to quote the pics for myka.... but..ya .....good shot;)

[kien]

shoot i forgot to quote the pics for myka.... but..ya .....good shot;)

:lol: nice save! :-)

[lastlight]

and here i was feelin all warm and fuzzy with that sunset frag and you're sittin' on loads of rainbow monti and showing it off :mrgreen: love the shots dude =)

[kien]

and here i was feelin all warm and fuzzy with that sunset frag and you're sittin' on loads of rainbow monti and showing it off :mrgreen: love the shots dude =)

Christmas is coming up.

[The Grizz]

So is my Bday there Kien, hint hint :biggrin:

[kien]

so is mine actually :-D

[The Grizz]

Your was last week, from what I recall you turned the ripe old age of 12 :surprise:

[kien]

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6156/6199410655_470e5ac19d_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6169/6199410863_68a02ec8f1_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6161/6199411047_2424b96644_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6159/6199411109_615133a150_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6153/6199414853_df9526a756_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6156/6199924908_bb9791e338_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6178/6199412361_49974811b1_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6159/6199415083_60b70f0e5b_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6012/6199926120_739d7b938b_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6167/6199924730_741e516530_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6003/6199925320_a7241fb44a_o.jpg

[sphelps]

Cool pics!

Let me know when you break some of those off :wink: Very nice.

[Coleus]

What macro lens are you using? Just awesome

[muck]

Fantastic stuff you got there Kien. :biggrin:

[christyf5]

Gorgeous photos and specimens. What is that birdsnest in the last photo? Is it special or do the macro shots just show it off really nicely? :wink:

[kien]

Thanks! Canon 100mm macro. Last bird is the ORA bird of paradise.

[kien]

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6178/6199410451_91b9473890_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6176/6199923298_a0483850e6_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6172/6199923944_b1126d92d2_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6173/6199924370_6ea4ae2ffc_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6170/6199924426_5ee2f21836_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6002/6199411749_e423322d99_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6173/6199925178_8246b18c68_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6165/6199924860_299268d299_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6150/6199925004_c35cd5d6b0_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6174/6199412635_640f9858fe_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6155/6199412683_15bf45b769_o.jpg

[muck]

Dammit Kien!!! Imma getting a fever...

[kien]

Dammit Kien!!! Imma getting a fever...

I recommend you get a new phone first, fever later. Just sayin'.

[muck]

I recommend you get a new phone first, fever later. Just sayin'.
Gotta agree with you there. Can I have yours on the 14th? :lol:

[kien]

Gotta agree with you there. Can I have yours on the 14th? :lol:

On the 15th, yes.

[muck]

On the 15th, yes.
:lol:

[The Grizz]

You suck Kien :razz::razz:

[kien]

You suck Kien :razz::razz:

Tell me something I don't know.

[reefwars]

Tell me something I don't know.


my dog has webbed feet....did you know that??

[The Grizz]

Tell me something I don't know.

You suck and I want your tank and all that's in it because it just so damn nice.

[The Grizz]

my dog has webbed feet....did you know that??

Is that what they call a dog back east? I thought it was called a duck :lol:

[kien]

my dog has webbed feet....did you know that??

hey.. um.. has anyone ever told you that sometimes you make no sense? :lol:

:pop2:

[reefwars]

:pop2:


hahah hummm where have i seen that quote before lol:twised::twised::twised:


Nobody calls me a fizzle and gets away with it! Except for that one guy who called me a fizzle and then ran away, he got away with it. But most of the people who call me a fizzle don't get away with it! Actually he was the only guy to ever call me a fizzle, but after today only half the people who have ever called me a fizzle will have gotten away with it!

[reefwars]

Is that what they call a dog back east? I thought it was called a duck :lol:


5 d's of dodgeball:


dodge,duck,dip,dive and dodge......if you can dodge a lionfish you can dodge a ball!! lol

[Madreefer]

Man you sure take some cool pics.:clap2:

[The Grizz]

hahah hummm where have i seen that quote before lol:twised::twised::twised:


Nobody calls me a fizzle and gets away with it! Except for that one guy who called me a fizzle and then ran away, he got away with it. But most of the people who call me a fizzle don't get away with it! Actually he was the only guy to ever call me a fizzle, but after today only half the people who have ever called me a fizzle will have gotten away with it!


FIZZLE! :razz:


5 d's of dodgeball:


dodge,duck,dip,dive and dodge......if you can dodge a lionfish you can dodge a ball!! lol

Ummmm..........aaaawwwww........hmmmmmmm .............
I second what Kien said about you not making sense Denny, but god damn I missed it when you where on hiatetis.

[reefwars]

FIZZLE! :razz:




Ummmm..........aaaawwwww........hmmmmmmm .............
I second what Kien said about you not making sense Denny, but god damn I missed it when you where on hiatetis.

yeah its fun to be back, even more fun when i get some tanks and can actually shoot the poo(by poo i mean the s -word...shhh!!!) and have a tank to back me up now its like me giving advice on book to people i havent read lol

[kien]

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6180/6199412903_47de69f857_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6142/6199413741_383efefd20_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6166/6199413783_d8d3433449_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6176/6199413821_6c8aa4d0d4_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6140/6199413933_799170f52c_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6154/6199414049_5ca9c76565_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6174/6199413889_701199d150_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6018/6199926680_05a40bd0ed_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6028/6199926792_c6a53f27ff_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6020/6199926852_3ecaf2095c_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6168/6199928012_995aa80be4_o.jpg

[The Grizz]

Damn it Kien, your killing me here! KILLING ME!!!

Nice shots dude.

[lastlight]

wow that's one green red planet =) colors look fantabulous man.

[Snappy]

Yes very nice indeed!

[globaldesigns]

Damn it Kien, your killing me here! KILLING ME!!!

Nice shots dude.

I am already dead.... God damn it, will my tank ever look this nice?

[Coleus]

damn Kien, you got to come over my place and show me what i am doing wrong. Even if I can have half decent look of my coral comparing to your, I would be super happy

[kien]

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6154/6199923990_16cda228ef_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6026/6199924102_7f5c999fb5_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6179/6199924686_3d28b33c50_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6020/6199413287_e53b357806_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6178/6199926074_55b1a9279d_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6162/6199927284_65c5a386c0_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6160/6199927398_61caa9a57d_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6023/6199414605_42c7219459_o.jpg

[kien]

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6144/6199411287_4871ffb9ac_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6027/6199412985_23b058eedf_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6153/6199925776_659a31d70c_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6017/6199925858_8d8d22be92_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6175/6199926992_b6fde124b7_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6130/6199927070_480b710d3e_o.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6162/6199414403_acd3550b1a_o.jpg

[lastlight]

Great shots bro... that chalice especially is stunning!

[Zoaelite]

Your photo skills are unreal Kien, every photo just blows me away! I'm sure it's back in the build somewhere but which lens are you shooting with and what settings are you using?

I could never get a photo of those mowhawks right but you NAILED it, have they grown for you? They are the fastest growing coral in my tank, I started with 3 polyps and now have far too many to count.

[The Grizz]

More sweet shots Kiener :thumb:

[FishyFishy!]

FTS???? PLLLEEAAASSEE

[kien]

Your photo skills are unreal Kien, every photo just blows me away! I'm sure it's back in the build somewhere but which lens are you shooting with and what settings are you using?

I could never get a photo of those mowhawks right but you NAILED it, have they grown for you? They are the fastest growing coral in my tank, I started with 3 polyps and now have far too many to count.

Thanks Mr. POTM :-)

Canon 100mm macro lens. Most of the time I set my camera to the, "take awesome coral photos" setting. Other times I will manually set the aperture, shutter speed and ISO.

The Palys are doing awesome! Thanks again :-)

[kien]

FTS???? PLLLEEAAASSEE

You could just drive over, park yourself in front of my house and look in. That's what Brett does.

[Leah]

You could just drive over, park yourself in front of my house and look in. That's what Brett does.

:lol:

[Lance]

Oh My! Beautiful pics.

[christyf5]

Wow!! You have some stunning corals and clams!! :cool:

I think its time for a FTS :biggrin:

[lastlight]

I think its time for a FTS :biggrin:

So people other than me can take a look!

[kien]

So people other than me can take a look!

email me one of the photos you've taken from outside and I'll post it.

[Snufflupagus]

LOL that's hilarious!!

[lastlight]

email me one of the photos you've taken from outside and I'll post it.

You're not exactly clothed. is that a deal-breaker?

[fishoholic]

You're not exactly clothed. is that a deal-breaker?

:lol:

Awesome pic.'s Kien, and I agree we need new FTS!

[kien]

Okay, so Brett was generous enough to hook me up with some FTS photos that he took of my tank. Thanks bro, saves me some time.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0118.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0116-1.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0123-2.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0121-1.jpg

Thanks for looking.

[Lance]

Bwahaahaa!

[Madreefer]

Stalker pics.:twised:

[Lance]

Stalker pics.:twised:


All those hottie women in Calgary and he's stalking fish tanks. Definitely a bona fide reef junkie.

[christyf5]

Jeez Brett, you couldn't have gotten a bit closer to the window? LOL!!

[kien]

Well, for what it's worth, this is a perspective on the tank that I don't normally get to see.. :neutral:

[lastlight]

Jeez Brett, you couldn't have gotten a bit closer to the window? LOL!!

Maybe Kien will scan his copy of the restraining order. It was 20 feet from the house... right buddy?

[Dez]

Wow, nice work Brett. Kien, looks like your tank is bouncing back quite nicely from your crash. Great colours!

[lastlight]

Thanks Kien nice little bit of sizzle there yourself =) Month is shapin' up... I can feel it in my bones or my knees at the very least.

[lastlight]

To be honest I'm thinking of you most of the time I'm out there just like old times. I wish Ryan wasn't so lazy though. Thanks for the inspiration! :wink:

[Delphinus]

Runkeeper cut you guys out or something?

[muck]

To be honest I'm thinking of you most of the time I'm out there just like old times. I wish Ryan wasn't so lazy though. Thanks for the inspiration! :wink:

Lazy... thanks. :twitch:

Nice 5000 post btw.

[lastlight]

Thanks man. I'm going to try 2 days rest between runs for now to let myself get over the flu totally.

Lazy... thanks. :twitch:

Nice 5000 post btw.

Ryan I was out of line there just ribbin' ya. You're a force of nature buddy =) Those damn quads gotta get me some!

[Skimmerking]

love the green door man, well done

[kien]

I guess this thread is due for an update.. Tank is still in my living room holding water, fish and corals. That's all, carry on.

[kien]

oh and here are some pics..

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0379.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0386.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0395.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0406.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0422.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0418.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0428.jpg

[The Grizz]

DAMN IT Kien!! Now I want a Clown Tang too. Those angels are impressive, are they in the FOWLR? Are you still thinking of doing you know what with the FOWLR.......I sure hope not.

[kien]

DAMN IT Kien!! Now I want a Clown Tang too. Those angels are impressive, are they in the FOWLR? Are you still thinking of doing you know what with the FOWLR.......I sure hope not.

Yes the angels are in the "fowlr". Yes I am planning to shut down the 131g fowlr in the near future.

[The Grizz]

Noooooooooooo...........how big are the angels now?

[kien]

Noooooooooooo...........how big are the angels now?

they are actually not that big. The queen is the biggest at maybe 6 inches tip to tail? The King is 5" tip to tail.

[lastlight]

Yes the angels are in the "fowlr". Yes I am planning to shut down the 131g fowlr in the near future.

Sweet pics them are beauties! And don't go leading people on. Those fish aren't going anywhere I know I made that clear =)

[The Grizz]

Well if you do shut it down, which Brett says your not allowed to, me might have to chat about the angels......but don't tell my wife I said that........she might kill me.

[Coleus]

I am drooling looking at that queen angel

[FishyFishy!]

If and when you shut that system down, lemme know... I'll take the lot.

[kien]

The vultures are circling I see.. :lol:

It isn't a matter of "if". It is a matter of "when".

[FishyFishy!]

The vultures are circling I see.. :lol:

It isn't a matter of "if". It is a matter of "when".


I vote i'm the biggest vulture!!!! And then you wouldn't have to part out... cause i'd take everything! Think of how easy that would be..

[kien]

I vote i'm the biggest vulture!!!! And then you wouldn't have to part out... cause i'd take everything! Think of how easy that would be..

I guess that would make things easy :-) Keep in mind though that I am not shutting the entire system down. Just the 131g "FOWLR" extension.

[FishyFishy!]

I guess that would make things easy :-) Keep in mind though that I am not shutting the entire system down. Just the 131g "FOWLR" extension.

Yup! Thats all i'd want! Looking for a FOWLR

[kien]

So after running this tank for about two and a half years, I figured it was about time I cleaned the sump..

Here's what I was up against.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0446-1.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0444.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0442.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0440.jpg

I had planned to cleaned the sump a year ago but one thing led to another and well, here I am :neutral:

I started at 1pm today and finished up at around 9pm. :cry:

So the first thing I did was pull out all of the equipment. The skimmer, return pumps, heaters, probes, etc..

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0437.jpg

Although I had not cleaned the sump in over two years, I was actually better at staying on top of the skimmer maintenance. This is its second scrub down and vinegar bath in two years.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0449-1.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0448-1.jpg

Shiny!

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0453-1.jpg

[FishyFishy!]

Holy tube worms batman!!! I hate that cleaning process.

[kien]

There was a time when I would look into the sump and think, "oh gee, wow, look at all those feather dusters! That's so awesome that they are thriving. The tank must be doing good!"

Needless to say, I don't really feel that way anymore.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0452-1.jpg

The Kent scraper and I spent some quality time today expunging those damn feather dusters. What kinda surprises me is that these things don't infest the display tank. I guess they are preyed upon by the fish before they reach plague proportions.

So anyway, some 8 hours later, about a dozen towels, four 5 buckets to hold wet equipment, two spent kent scrapers, my sump was shiny again.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0455-1.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0457.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0459.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0460.jpg

One thing I realized while cleaning up the return pump is that I actually had not touched this thing in over two years. Pretty much since the day I plopped it into the sump and turned it on, it has ran like a champ! I know I should have taken it out more frequently but I never did and that didn't seem to bother it. It never once failed to restart during power outages and is still the quietest piece of equipment on my tank.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0458-1.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0462.jpg

I'm not sure why I took a picture of my skimmate, but I did.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0466.jpg

[kien]

Holy tube worms batman!!! I hate that cleaning process.

uh ya.. I filled a 4L ice cream pale, TWICE with tubeworms/feather dusters. :lol:

[kien]

Kien, let us know how the larger volume of pellets works for you. I was considering adding more pellets as well.
Tank and photos are amazing: As always.

oh, I have been running the dual bioPellet reactors for about a year now I guess. So far no ill effects (I don't think). I'm sure I have way more pellets than I need, but I don't have to top them off as frequently as I used to when I only had one reactor.

[fishytime]

Sounds like a fun way to spend an afternoon :razz:....looks like you just drove her off the lot tho

[Aquattro]

....looks like you just drove her off the lot tho

Almost inspires me to clean mine! Almost....

[mike31154]

Interesting. The idea of the chunk of styrofoam holding what I assume to be probes is nifty! Not sure about the whole cleaning thing though. So now you're removed all of these nasty feather dusters & tube worms that were presumably consuming some amount of nutrients or whatever in your system. Are you not somewhat apprehensive about how that may affect it short term? Might be a bit of a shock removing all that matter at once? Something else in your system now has to take up the nutrient consuming duties all these little critters were performing? Sorry, tons of questions, but really interested in what your observation & perhaps water parameters will be for the next little while.

I finally pulled a canister filter off line on my system a little while ago (it developed a leak). I don't have a sump & was kind of assuming the canister would operate as a pseudo or mini sump for me so I had been running one since pretty much day one. In the beginning, being a noob, I had all the filter media in there, ceramic, different foam pads, the works. In the end I just ran a bag of carbon. Over the years the media baskets developed the same encrustation of wormy things & I let them be during my cleanings, thinking they were a good thing. I've always had varying amounts of hair algae in my system & don't sweat it too much provided it doesn't encroach some of the coral I have. Didn't notice a huge difference after taking the canister off line. It has receded in some areas, most noticeable in the flow regions where the canister used to return to the tank. However, it still persists in some areas & I need to remove it manually from time to time. The term nitrate factory is used often in discussions about canisters. My theory is, ok, so it may be or may become a nitrate factory. What happens when you remove it? Something else in your system has to take up the slack, like your live rock or sandbed. Otherwise, would not ammonia & nitrite build up to toxic levels? As long as there is livestock that needs to be fed, your system will produce nitrates, with or without a canister. Getting a little off topic, but yeah, some info on the effect of your cleaning efforts would be interesting.

[fishoholic]

Almost inspires me to clean mine! Almost....

+1

[kien]

Interesting. The idea of the chunk of styrofoam holding what I assume to be probes is nifty!

Ya, it has worked out quite well. Ghetto, but it does the job :-)

Not sure about the whole cleaning thing though. So now you're removed all of these nasty feather dusters & tube worms that were presumably consuming some amount of nutrients or whatever in your system. Are you not somewhat apprehensive about how that may affect it short term?

The thought had crossed my mind as I was harvesting gobs and gobs of tube worms and dusters. No doubt they will probably affect the system in some way. What that affect is remains to be seen (or not). Certainly there is the possibility that my tank will crash. Or maybe it'll just be very very unhappy with the lack of dusters.

Might be a bit of a shock removing all that matter at once? Something else in your system now has to take up the nutrient consuming duties all these little critters were performing?

I'm hoping that will be the skimmer, since the skimmer is really what's competing with the dusters for organic nutrients in the form of particulates, etc. I'm not so sure the worms and dusters directly consume nitrates and/or phosphates. If they do the BioPellets and GFO should be able to pick up the slack.

Sorry, tons of questions, but really interested in what your observation & perhaps water parameters will be for the next little while.

Speaking of parameters, before I performed the deep clean on the sump I did a gamut of tests as I realized I hadn't performed any tests since last August. I was prepared for some crazy bad numbers but it wasn't as bad as I feared.

Nitrates: 0.2 (Salifert)
Phosphates: 0.04 (Hana)
Alk: 7.7 (Hana)
Calc: 450 (Hana)
Mag: Untested (because I hate testing Mag).

It has been almost 24 hours now since the removal so I will do another set of tests after dinner and see if the numbers are any different.

[mike31154]

Hey thanks for the detailed responses. I thought about the skimmer taking up slack of removed critters as well, plus your system is fairly large, so maybe just a little bump in the road until it balances out. There are hobbyists out there that go to some lengths to provide cryptic zones to cultivate all the stuff you removed, so I thought I'd throw my ideas out there.

[Delphinus]

My thinking on removing of the lattice of tubeworms is that it's sort of a paradox having them in there: they might be removing nutrients but they also trap detritus like crazy which probably builds up more nasties. Plus, if they eat, then they poop, so, they may not be all that beneficial in the end. Hard to say.

I know I look at the ones in my sump and think "ugh, need to do something about that" but I never do.

I know in my old tank I would sort of do the sump clean thing every year or two and things would look better for a while afterwards. But it was always a nasty ordeal too that would last all day. No wonder it gets procrastinated on!

[christyf5]

I think those tubewormy things must like the dark (or less light anyways), I have quite a good population living in my overflow box which is shaded. They haven't migrated into my sump as I use a filter sock (yay another thing my filter sock is good for). Your shiny new sump and all its goodies make me want to clean my sump, but then my sump wasn't even that pretty to start with, I think it must be the sexy red skimmer. Gotta get me one of those :razz:

[fishytime]

I think those tubewormy things must like the dark (or less light anyways), I have quite a good population living in my overflow box which is shaded. They haven't migrated into my sump as I use a filter sock (yay another thing my filter sock is good for). Your shiny new sump and all its goodies make me want to clean my sump, but then my sump wasn't even that pretty to start with, I think it must be the sexy red skimmer. Gotta get me one of those :razz:

I think it may be more about flow........I know the big feather dusters dont do well in a lot of flow......I cant keep any feather dusters in the big tank cuz the flow blows their feathers off(not literally)f:lol:.....the small tank has significantly less flow and plenty of light and my dusters do well in there.....my sump too has a tonne of the wee ones.and is lit for the fuge all night ...leads me to assume that if the large dusters do fine in the light the small ones would too but, :noidea:

and there aint nuthin sexier than the red, white and goo:wink:

[kien]

With the removal of the tube worms I am at least expecting a slight drop in Alk and Calc uptake :-) Those buggers must have consumed a lot of alk and calc. Damn freeloaders!

So after i cleaned out the sump I finished off my chores with a display tank scrub down. I actually liked scrubbing down the tank because afterwards everything appears as if it is in HD :lol:

Full Tank Shots

The South Face
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0477-2.jpg

The North Face
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0474.jpg

The West Face
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0475.jpg

Not that anyone will notice but I changed up my aquascape a bit. I'm in the middle of battling these brown polyps that are infesting my live rock and are quickly reaching plague proportions. Luckly my rock structures are separated into three distinct structures so I didn't have to destroy my rock work too much. The most affected rock was my terraced zone (for those who have seen my tank in person). I dismounted the corals from those rocks and simply lifted the structure out of the tank and set them outside for a couple of days. After a couple of nights of freezing temperatures I thoroughly rinsed and scrubbed off all the debris that I could off of the rocks and rebuilt the structure in the tank. This area used to have two levels of terraces but after I placed the first level in I really liked the open swimming space above that used to be occupied by another piece of shelf rock with corals on it. My rock work was already pretty open but this openned it up even more and I liked it so I left it.

[kien]

I know in my old tank I would sort of do the sump clean thing every year or two and things would look better for a while afterwards. But it was always a nasty ordeal too that would last all day. No wonder it gets procrastinated on!

This is the first time I've done such a herculean cleaning job on my sump and man.. I don't ever want to do that again! I'm hoping that this experience will scare me into keeping a closer eye on the state of the sump and perform smaller cleanings. "Oh look I see a tube worm, MUST DESTORY NOW!!!"

[fishytime]

With the removal of the tube worms I am at least expecting a slight drop in Alk and Calc uptake :-) Those buggers must have consumed a lot of alk and calc. Damn freeloaders!

So after the cleaned out the sump I finished off my chores with a display tank scrub down. I actually liked scrubbing down the tank because afterwards everything appears as if it is in HD :lol:

Full Tank Shots

The South Face
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0477-2.jpg

The North Face
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0474.jpg

The West Face
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/IMG_0475.jpg

Not that anyone will notice but I changed up my aquascape a bit. I'm in the middle of battling these brown polyps that are infesting my live rock and are quickly reaching plague proportions. Luckly my rock structures are separated into three distinct structures so I didn't have to destroy my rock work too much. The most affected rock was my terraced zone (for those who have seen my tank in person). I dismounted the corals from those rocks and simply lifted the structure out of the tank and set them outside for a couple of days. After a couple of nights of freezing temperatures I thoroughly rinsed and scrubbed off all the debris that I could off of the rocks and rebuilt the structure in the tank. This area used to have two levels of terraces but after I placed the first level in I really liked the open swimming space above that used to be occupied by another piece of shelf rock with corals on it. My rock work was already pretty open but this openned it up even more and I liked it so I left it.

opened up the very west end?....isnt that where your sunset monti was?.....whatcha do with the displaced corals?

[kien]

opened up the very west end?....isnt that where your sunset monti was?.....whatcha do with the displaced corals?

Yes, I removed the upper terrace in the far west end. No, the sunset wasn't there, the sunset lives on top of the middle bonsai structure. It is rappidly out competing every coral on that structure actually.. I really should frag it, LOL. *waits for vultures*

I just rearranges the colonies and frags that were on that shelf onto the new lower shelf and the slab of tavertine that the lower shelf is pegged into. I moved some to other rocks as well.

[kien]

sunset monti was?

Actually if you look at the South Face you can see the sunset smack dab in the middle of the picture on that upper shelf. It wants to own that shelf.

[fishytime]

Actually if you look at the South Face you can see the sunset smack dab in the middle of the picture on that upper shelf. It wants to own that shelf.

holy crap brochacho:surprise:......that thing went and got massive!!

[lastlight]

Wow that's one shiny sump how's your back treating you!?

Tank looks great and I like the open end too.

[kien]

holy crap brochacho:surprise:......that thing went and got massive!!

Ya it is in the process of trying to devour a rainbow monti, strawberry fields monti, a purple pocci and a birds nest that lives near it.

Ah, from humble beginnings..

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2722/4361274199_e78740ba24_o.jpg

How's your sunset doing?

[riceboy]

Man your tank looks gorgeous as always. I would definitely be in for a frag of sunset monti if your looking to frag lol

[kien]

Wow that's one shiny sump how's your back treating you!?

Tank looks great and I like the open end too.

Back is OK but neck is really sore! Wish you could've stayed around to help.

[lastlight]

Oh my I placed the sunset monti I got from you in a fairly busy spot! :neutral:

[kien]

Oh my I placed the sunset monti I got from you in a fairly busy spot! :neutral:

It is an encrusting SPS but mine is soon to be branching as it slowly takes over the birds nest LOL. Actually, not that slowly..

Victor your frag is ready. I just need to remove it from the colony :-)

[riceboy]

It is an encrusting SPS but mine is soon to be branching as it slowly takes over the birds nest LOL. Actually, not that slowly..

Victor your frag is ready. I just need to remove it from the colony :-)

Sweet now to figure out where to put it lol. Pretty sure u have lots of room in your tank for the sunset there Brett lol. Unless u need a upgrade soon lol

[kien]

Oh my I placed the sunset monti I got from you in a fairly busy spot! :neutral:

Just don't put the sunset near Big Macs cave as the sunset may try to encrust onto him.

[lastlight]

Sweet now to figure out where to put it lol. Pretty sure u have lots of room in your tank for the sunset there Brett lol. Unless u need a upgrade soon lol

I'm actually considering selling my massive hollywood stunner to open up more swim-room! Big fish do a nice job of making the space you have seem smaller... but hey you already know that right? :lol:

[riceboy]

Lol I have no idea what your talking about my chromis aren't that big :lol:

[sphelps]

Man I just noticed this build thread has a TOC! Love it! Oh and the tank looks pretty good too :wink:

[Lance]

Looks great as usual. Carry on.

[kien]

Man I just noticed this build thread has a TOC! Love it! Oh and the tank looks pretty good too :wink:

Thanks. That's so 2009 :lol:

Looks great as usual. Carry on.

Thanks and welcome back :-)

[lastlight]

Man I just noticed this build thread has a TOC! Love it! Oh and the tank looks pretty good too :wink:

A good skimmer *will* remove 30% of TOC. You'll notice Kien regularily updates his first post to combat this.

[rhody605]

How's the bubble magus skimmer working for you? any problems yet?

I'm building a 225g + 30g frag tank + sump system and am debating between the skimmer you purchased or the next step down. But the smaller one is only rated for 215g. Doesn't seem to be a skimmer I that lineup for 215-315g.

Do you recommend your skimmer for others?

[kien]

A good skimmer *will* remove 30% of TOC. You'll notice Kien regularily updates his first post to combat this.

LOL. ROFL. LMFAO.

How's the bubble magus skimmer working for you? any problems yet?

I'm building a 225g + 30g frag tank + sump system and am debating between the skimmer you purchased or the next step down. But the smaller one is only rated for 215g. Doesn't seem to be a skimmer I that lineup for 215-315g.

Do you recommend your skimmer for others?

I am actually liking this skimmer now. For the first year that I had this skimmer it was nothing but headaches. It would blow its skimmer cup often and I could not figure out why. I came so close to throwing it into the recycling bin so many times! After about a year it started to settle down and hasn't blown its load in quite a while. I think it just needed an insanely long break in period LOL. Anyway.. I won't be replacing this skimmer any time soon. I'm in love with it again.

[es355lucille]

Wow Kien! Your tank is looking sweet! Its nice to get those cleanups done!

[kien]

The tank is still sitting where I last left it ( in my living/dining room). It is still holding salty water at a specific gravity of 1.026. There are still fish in there. A few clams, corals, algae, the usual suspects.

That is all. Carry on.

[lockrookie]

What is it they say pictures or there is no proof...... Lol nice to see ya lurking around again


Sent from my porcelain aquarium

[kien]

What is it they say pictures or there is no proof...... Lol nice to see ya lurking around again


Sent from my porcelain aquarium

Fine. Be that way.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/617033CA-3CC8-4AAA-A49D-B0F556DDC094-3762-00000377786AFEEB.jpg
______
Sent from the future on my iPhone 10 using Tapatalk

[lockrookie]

Lol I don't see a time stamp... Looks great as always


Sent from my porcelain aquarium

[kien]

Lol I don't see a time stamp...


Sent from my porcelain aquarium

Are you sure? Maybe you should look closer. I know it can be difficult to spot but I'm pretty sure you'll see it if you look carefully. If not, let me know and I can help you out.

[lockrookie]

Cheater lol good to have ya back


Sent from my porcelain aquarium

[reefwars]

whats the future like?? do you like your iphone 10??

[kien]

whats the future like?? do you like your iphone 10??

Zombies everywhere. You'll love it!

[FishyFishy!]

I see signifigantly less corals in there. Did you have some issues?

P.S... Zombies rule!!!! I can't wait for the future! No more work! Just zombie killin!

[kien]

I see signifigantly less corals in there. Did you have some issues?

P.S... Zombies rule!!!! I can't wait for the future! No more work! Just zombie killin!

Yes, there are much fewer corals in there than before. I wouldn't necessarily say that I had any issues. It is more of a feature of my tank. At the beginning of every summer, right as things are doing well, the tank likes to test my resolve. The tank systematically eliminates all the nice expensive corals that I've masterfully cared for up until then. It then sits back, has a good chuckle an waits to see what I'll do. If I still appear sane it will start to malfunction equipment like reactor pumps, heaters, fans, lights, etc. So you see, its all perfectly normal. Its kind of like a game I suppose..

Anyway, I came close to throwing in the towel as I had troubles keeping up with all of my tank's shenanigans. A nice layer of algae covered the glass and I let it sit like that all summer. I just topped up the ATO, auto feeder and cleaned skimmer (which by some miracle was still running).

Although the corals were mostly all wiped out all of my fish seemed to be doin well so I kept it as a FOWLR. Well, I finally decided I had enough and made some time to reclaim the tank.

Although I contemplated shutting it down I just couldn't bring myself to pulling that trigger. I would eventually miss it and probably end up pouring in more money to set up the exact same tank again. So, onward and upward! :-)

[FishyFishy!]

haha, Yeah I hear that mang. This hobby is frustrating sometimes for sure.

Well good to see you back! I hope to see the amazing tanks I have seen in the past soon!

[Aquattro]

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/617033CA-3CC8-4AAA-A49D-B0F556DDC094-3762-00000377786AFEEB.jpg


I had to use shims to level my tank, wife wouldn't let me use the kids to hold it up...

[mseepman]

I had to use shims to level my tank, wife wouldn't let me use the kids to hold it up...

Haha...I should try that! I bet when they can't move around they cause a lot less trouble. Plus they probably eat whatever you bring them if you leave them long enough. Brocolli here we come!

[kien]

do you like your iphone 10??

sorry, I missed your question about my iPhone. YES! I love it! My favourite feature is its 10" display, yet it still fits in both hands and my man-bag. As a result of the larger screen Apple was able to add not one more, not two more, but THREE MORE rows of icons. I know, mind blowing isn't it! They were also able to move the earphone jack to the SIDE of the iPhone. Crazy!! And there is no more docking port whatsoever and Siri as been augmented considerably with some (more) silicon implants. You can communicate with the iPhone by simply whistling to it. Also, shortly after Apple released the iPad mini they came out with an iPad nano. The iPad nano has a 4" display!! It will blow your mind, again! Apple is so awesome. They keep inventing all of these iDevices that we didn't even know we needed.

[kien]

I had to use shims to level my tank, wife wouldn't let me use the kids to hold it up...

child labour laws do not apply if the children are having "fun", right?

[Aquattro]

child labour laws do not apply if the children are having "fun", right?

Oh, ya, if they;re having fun, it's not labour! Good loophole!!

[kien]

Oh, ya, if they;re having fun, it's not labour! Good loophole!!

you just have to convince them that they are having fun.. In that sense it's kinda like running sprintervals. You really have to convince yourself that you're having fun, even though you feel like throwing up your lungs.

[FishyFishy!]

you just have to convince them that they are having fun.. In that sense it's kinda like running sprintervals. You really have to convince yourself that you've having fun, even though you feel like throwing up your lungs.

baahahahahaha

[Aquattro]

n.. In that sense it's kinda like running sprintervals. You really have to convince yourself that you've having fun, even though you feel like throwing up your lungs.

I'm easily tricked, I think I love these, especially on hills. Which of course put me in my current state, but it was still fun -lol

[kien]

I'm easily tricked, I think I love these, especially on hills. Which of course put me in my current state, but it was still fun -lol

that's because you're a masochist, and that's why I like you.

[Aquattro]

that's because you're a masochist, and that's why I like you.

My wife Says "That's because you're an idiot, but I like you anyways" lol

[kien]

My wife Says "That's because you're an idiot, but I like you anyways" lol

I would never say that to your face. Only behind your back to Brett and Ray.

[Aquattro]

. Only behind your back to Brett and Ray.

speaking of Brett and Ray, where the heck is Ryan? Lost his shoes again?

[kien]

speaking of Brett and Ray, where the heck is Ryan? Lost his shoes again?

who is this Ryan you speak of??

[soapy]

Full tank wipe out? Wow cant believe it, that was one of the nicest tanks I've ever seen. Did the watermelon chalice make it through?

[Aquattro]

who is this Ryan you speak of??

Zactly!

[kien]

Did the watermelon chalice make it through?

That's a negative. The only corals that are left are, a red goniopora (these things love turbid water, apparently LOL), GSP (these things are NUKE proof), a patch of purple death palys, Red Mushrooms, Blue/Purple mushrooms and a yellow gorgonia. Needless to say I have some real estate now :lol:

There is a lot of nice new equipment on the market that I'd like to look into. I definitely want to start collecting more corals again. I do feel like I'm sorta starting from scratch and have vowed to make this tank awesome again.

So far I have spent a couple of weeks just rehabilitating the tank. I cleaned the glass. It took two kent scrapers LOL. Vaccuumed out the sump, cleaned all equipment, brushed off the live rock (man those were nasty). Tonight I have a date with a fish net (no, not my wife), and my three year old sand bed that I plan to scoop out and replace with new sand. I've also been making up RO water all week to do a 50% water change this weekend. Ya, look at me go, I'm on a mission!! :twised:

It's like having a clean canvas, ready for new paint.

Crappy iPhone pictures..

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/347C73D4-0B03-4740-8B3A-04D5C7EB5204-3770-00000398A21338BA.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/DD964049-4C7D-459A-95D8-0D148E8AF385-3770-00000398B133CD1F.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/477AC675-CCE2-49E9-8E78-758CD0D31BAE-3770-00000398B797F291.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/6660F791-4C51-4E8D-8A87-57BF339D7560-3770-00000398BCE6B377.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/B3946818-B038-4000-A29E-7D258248F94D-3770-00000398C1D23364.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/205D7854-9BA6-453E-BAC2-3C9000669B3C-3770-00000398C8CA8B4E.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/0C159818-1C55-461B-BF5B-7890A733FD5A-3770-00000398D25C423F.jpg

[Skimmerking]

AWESOME MAN

[FishyFishy!]

I've always loved your big clam Kien!:lol:

[lastlight]

run a tank or run a marathon. both shall test you and produce a lot of salt creep.

[kien]

I've always loved your big clam Kien!:lol:

I thought we agreed to keep that on the down low..

[kien]

run a tank or run a marathon. both shall test you and produce a lot of salt creep.

haha, indeed! some of those post marathon photos make me look like my sump. :neutral:

[JDigital]

run a tank or run a marathon. both shall test you and produce a lot of salt creep.

Well lookie here, another character I haven't seen around. We're all coming out of the woodwork is seems... :lol:

Tank looks good kien, empty, but good! Nice to see the clam still hanging in there.

[reefwars]

wow so empty , this is was one of my fave tanks by far , im looking forward to seeing what you come up with , def is kinda nice having a blank slate, im sure the new version will be even better then the first)

cheers)

[kien]

wow so empty , this is was one of my fave tanks by far , im looking forward to seeing what you come up with , def is kinda nice having a blank slate, im sure the new version will be even better then the first)

cheers)

thanks :-) The upside is that it's kind of like a new build but without the building part. Sorta like fast forwarding to the end of a build after all the rockscaping has been done and the tank has been cycled. Now all I need to do is add livestock :-)

I did sit in front of the tank for a bit and contemplated what I might do differently but in the end, I couldn't come up with anything, really. I still love the design of the tank, love my aquascaping, my support system underneath. Aside from possibly getting a new skimmer and maybe switching to LED, I don't plan to change anything. I especially liked the fact that I could aggressively take a cleaning brush to all of my rock structures and they didn't move an inch. :lol:

[kien]

On another note, I've been trolling the various forums to see what everyone's been up to but saddened to see that some great systems have been shut down :cry: I understand that life has a tendency to get in the way of this hobby though.. I've been there (a couple of times). :neutral:

[kien]

And on yet another note, since I am dishing out here, what kind of person vandalises a fish store for god's sake? This person (or people) clearly are devoid of morals which is extremely troubling to me. I can't help but go back to the parents though and place partial blame on them. Why have they not been taught respect? Yes, I am judging, deal with it. I have kids and if I ever found out that they disrespected someone like this I would seriously rip them a new one!

Anyway, off my soap box. Sorry, carry on!

[Coleus]

I am glad you came out of your hibernation and took some photo for us.

[mseepman]

And on yet another note, since I am dishing out here, what kind of person vandalises a fish store for god's sake? This person (or people) clearly are devoid of morals which is extremely troubling to me. I can't help but go back to the parents though and place partial blame on them. Why have they not been taught respect? Yes, I am judging, deal with it. I have kids and if I ever found out that they disrespected someone like this I would seriously rip them a new one!

Anyway, off my soap box. Sorry, carry on!

I can't tell you how much I agree with you. Losing RC in Calgary is just such a shame, especially because of such a reckless act.

[kien]

I am glad you came out of your hibernation and took some photo for us.

You say that now, but once my name starts appearing on all the new livestock in the city again you will wish that I stayed in hibernation :lol:

[soapy]

Too bad about the corals. Let me know what kinds of frags you are looking for there is a chance I may have something for you.

[kien]

Too bad about the corals. Let me know what kinds of frags you are looking for there is a chance I may have something for you.

Thanks man! I will probably take you up on that offer! :-)



. . . ....... .. . ... . .
Sent from Levi's girlfriend's bed using Tapatalk

[Zoaelite]

I just wrote up like a BUNCH of something REALLLYYY witty and then accidentally hit the back bar.

I'm hoping that's to the other Levi on the board:lol:.

[kien]

I just wrote up like a BUNCH of something REALLLYYY witty and then accidentally hit the back bar.

I'm hoping that's to the other Levi on the board:lol:.

Oh hey there bro! Sorry, that was left over from earlier this year on my iPad. Guess I haven't used tapatalk on the pad in a while.

..besides, her and I are totally over.

[christyf5]

Oh hey there bro! Sorry, that was left over from earlier this year on my iPad. Guess I haven't used tapatalk on the pad in a while.

..besides, her and I are totally over.

:rofl:

[kien]

Okay, so as planned, I spent mostly all of Saturday morning continuing on my mission to rehabilitate my tank. On the agenda was another round of sand and rock cleaning, media reactor (GFO & Carbon) and doser repair/replacement, and salt and skimmer creep cleaning. All of this followed by a 50% (ish) water change.

This scene I'm sure is familiar to many hobbyists. :lol:

Buckets and towels and hoses, oh my!

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/51664CC5-9702-4C26-A380-F7CC9A37A94F-5906-000004BE429B1569.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/C3071D86-F617-4690-A4C9-B523C7373AF3-5906-000004BE5810CDF2.jpg

Don't try this at home kids! :lol:

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/65C2DF38-D10D-4F02-B043-6CB006E22EFA-5906-000004BE35A71DA0.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/CA19A695-E7EC-4701-ACBD-2DE464BC7089-5906-000004BE4EE621E5.jpg



______
Sent from the future on my iPhone 10 using Tapatalk

[Skimmerking]

not looking good to cloudy Kein

[kien]

not looking good to cloudy Kein

Trust me, I know what I'm doing! :lol:


______
Sent from the future on my iPhone 10 using Tapatalk

[fishoholic]

:eek: Where the hell have I been, sorry to hear about the coral losses.

[kien]

:eek: Where the hell have I been, sorry to hear about the coral losses.

You've been busy playing house with your boyfriend and trying to design tattoos and stuff like that :-)

[kien]

So anyway, that was Saturday. The tank cleared up within a few hours and here's what it looks like today.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8466/8111661184_686c210457_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8470/8111653739_fd26c76b6e_c.jpg

Okay everybody, gather round. Time for a group photo.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8189/8111653643_d63452429b_c.jpg

[fishoholic]

You've been busy playing house with your boyfriend and trying to design tattoos and stuff like that :-)

:lol: partly, mostly I've been watching new seasons of TV and Doug is addicted to the computer game stronghold kingdoms.

[kien]

:lol: partly, mostly I've been watching new seasons of TV and Doug is addicted to the computer game stronghold kingdoms.

so in other words, you guys are playing house :-)

[Aquattro]

Tanks looking good!!

[kien]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8189/8111664838_31bc136d14_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8191/8111664368_c986fc859c_c.jpg

help! I've fallen (again) and I can't get up!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8192/8111664494_7265a8bffd_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8195/8111656545_9afb8c0af4_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8335/8111664140_d0129d8f95_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8332/8111656289_2ba126c1e2_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8467/8111656167_e478b856ac_c.jpg

[kien]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8043/8111656047_8657b9d765_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8331/8111663680_729cc38f0b_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8331/8111655827_5ffc006d8e_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8054/8111655695_3702afc90d_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8334/8111655585_4aae4ee7e0_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8326/8111655429_d411760fc3_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8463/8111655305_c24a5f6e9b_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8046/8111662908_c6d7df68a5_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8045/8111662752_e8c9b814d9_c.jpg

[kien]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8188/8111654967_75b8587575_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8189/8111662498_e46d64b61e_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8323/8111662394_cf6aed0eae_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8056/8111662142_17f2d4496c_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8055/8111654269_5fec63fdde_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8467/8111661710_524d0b433d_c.jpg

[kien]

The South Face

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8465/8111653831_e8e9f9b92c_c.jpg

The North Face

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8474/8111664614_546aebc349_c.jpg

[zhasan]

Wao.. thats some work and the result is just amazing! Stunning looking tank you have! How often do you find yourself working on your tank on a weekly/monthly basis? I'm trying to get an idea of what I'm getting myself into :razz:

[kien]

Wao.. thats some work and the result is just amazing! Stunning looking tank you have! How often do you find yourself working on your tank on a weekly/monthly basis? I'm trying to get an idea of what I'm getting myself into :razz:

Thanks :-) It has seen better days but it's alright. Could be worse :lol:

This tank has seen all sorts of maintenance schedules over the past 3 years. When I started the tank I was quite religious with the upkeep and would clean the glass every other day and do weekly water changes. I also emptied my skimmer cup every two or three days and frequently made batches of Calcium, Alkalinity and home made fish food.

As time went on I started to get really busy with other things and the tank maintenance took a hit. Everything got pushed back and some chores got skipped :( The tank still hung in there but some of my more delicate corals started to go, sadly.

This past spring I ran into some equipment failures which completely demotivated me because I just didn't have time to fix or replace the equipment and so mostly all of my corals got nuked. My fish were all still fine though so I tweaked my maintenance down to the bare minium. 1. Filling my auto fish feeder, 2. refilling the auto top off reservoir, 3. Cleaning the skimmer cup every weekend. That's pretty much all I did for the past 7 months or so. All of my fish and invertebrates did just fine on just that schedule.

I guess the moral of the story (and the answer to your question is), it depends :-) That is, it depends how complex you want your system to be and how much time and effort you *want* to put in.

[daplatapus]

Well it looks like you've definitely taken some very positive steps in the last little bit. It looks great. Beautiful pics.

[fishoholic]

I really like the aquascape, you can really see the middle tower now and it looks cool! Love the angels!

[Delphinus]

Great pictures as always!

How big are the angels now Kien? Anything that they pick at or are they behaving well? (I see they don't pick at GSP :lol:)

[Salt2Death]

Love it


Sent Via The Pirate Ship...

[riceboy]

is that a new acro i see in there lol

so it has begun :mrgreen:

[kien]

Great pictures as always!

How big are the angels now Kien? Anything that they pick at or are they behaving well? (I see they don't pick at GSP :lol:)

Thanks! The queen has grown a couple of inches since I got her a little over a year ago. I think she's about 6 inches now, tip to tail? The flame angel is your typical runt size angel, nothing unusual there and the Regal is your typical mid-sized angel at around 4 inches? I have not noticed much growth in the Regal Angel at all since I got her, also about a year ago.

They are all behaving like typical Angels LOL. When I first got them they picked at EVERYTHING. Clams, zoas, LPS, SPS. This was about a year ago when I still had the "FOWLR" so they didn't last long in the 150g Mixed Reef (yes, I did try them in there very briefly). I would occasionally put corals in the "FOWLR" and they would quickly go to town on them, of course. However, over the year they seem to have changed their ways. Towards the end days for the "FOWLR" I noticed that they stopped picking on SPS and LPS that were in there. I even put my giant squamosa clam in there for a while and they didn't touch it. The emperor angel that I had at the time loved the squamosa clam though. :neutral: :redface:

Anyway, when I shut down the 131 "FOWLR" and moved those angels to the mixed reef they didn't seem to care for any of my clams in there or my sps (that I had at the time). They did however like LPS like acans, my watermellon chalice and various nuisance soft corals. I had a very serious infestation of these unidentifiable brown polyp softies that just completely took over one of my rock structures and smothered some corals, crawled on the sandbed and started to invade my other rock structures! It was horrible. My queen angel went to town on that stuff and cleaned that all up within a week. :surprise: They are quite piggy angels and eat anything I throw into the tank which is nice, especially for the Regal because those guys are a brutal to get eating. It's strange because I have tonnes of sponges in my tank, and a lot of different varieties/colours yet none of the angels touch any of my sponges. Go figure :neutral:

Love it


Sent Via The Pirate Ship...

Thanks!

is that a new acro i see in there lol

so it has begun :mrgreen:

LOL nothing gets past you does it :-) Ya, I went to a few stores over the weekend and went dumpster (brown bin) diving. Found a few nicely browned out corals that the store owner practically gave to me :lol: I didn't take any pictures of them because, well, they are brown and not much to look at. However, I do see the potential in them and I'm hoping they will force me to keep my momentum in an effort to get them to colour up. Maybe I should take some pictures of them so that I have a record of the before and after. Or the before and just-the-same-as-before. :neutral:

[kien]

weird.. just noticed that I forgot to post this pic. One of my top 3 favourites of all time. Also with me for over a year now. Very piggy and loves to get ich. :neutral:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8192/8111662280_692e5b4a1e_o.jpg

[zhasan]

Thanks :-) It has seen better days but it's alright. Could be worse :lol:

This tank has seen all sorts of maintenance schedules over the past 3 years. When I started the tank I was quite religious with the upkeep and would clean the glass every other day and do weekly water changes. I also emptied my skimmer cup every two or three days and frequently made batches of Calcium, Alkalinity and home made fish food.

As time went on I started to get really busy with other things and the tank maintenance took a hit. Everything got pushed back and some chores got skipped :( The tank still hung in there but some of my more delicate corals started to go, sadly.

This past spring I ran into some equipment failures which completely demotivated me because I just didn't have time to fix or replace the equipment and so mostly all of my corals got nuked. My fish were all still fine though so I tweaked my maintenance down to the bare minium. 1. Filling my auto fish feeder, 2. refilling the auto top off reservoir, 3. Cleaning the skimmer cup every weekend. That's pretty much all I did for the past 7 months or so. All of my fish and invertebrates did just fine on just that schedule.

I guess the moral of the story (and the answer to your question is), it depends :-) That is, it depends how complex you want your system to be and how much time and effort you *want* to put in.


Sorry to hear about all your corals... So I'm assuming you had an almost fish only tank for the past 7 months? And personally I'm hoping to have a very simple reef setup and not give in to buy fish or corals that might cause me to spend an hour or two a day on the tank. I'm expecting 15 mins everyday together with couple of hours of detailed maintenance/cleaning on weekends. Hopefully that'll suffice!

Btw, thats a very nice looking stuffed tang there! How do you treat for ich? Do you quarantine or just give meds in the main tank?

[kien]

Sorry to hear about all your corals... So I'm assuming you had an almost fish only tank for the past 7 months? And personally I'm hoping to have a very simple reef setup and not give in to buy fish or corals that might cause me to spend an hour or two a day on the tank. I'm expecting 15 mins everyday together with couple of hours of detailed maintenance/cleaning on weekends. Hopefully that'll suffice!

Btw, thats a very nice looking stuffed tang there! How do you treat for ich? Do you quarantine or just give meds in the main tank?

Ya, it was mostly fish only for the past 8 months or so :-) Well, fish only with clams, a Goniopora and a yellow gorgonia.

You shouldn't need to spend 15mins a day on the tank. I've never had to spend 15mins a day on my tank. There is nothing that I do every day except maybe look at the tank. Every 2 to 3 days I run the magfloat across the glass to clean it. Every 4 to 6 days I empty the skimmer cup. Every 2 weeks I do a water change. Every month I replace media (GFO and Carbon).

On a random infrequent basis:
* I top up my auto-fish feeder.
* Feed frozen foods
* Give fish a sheet of nori.

Yearly: change light bulbs, clean out skimmer body and all pumps.

Ya the Powder Blue is a fatty. I think I treated for ich with meds like 8 years ago with my first saltwater tank. Since then I have never treated for ich, ever. In my experience what has worked better is to keep the fish healthy with frequent feedings and occasionally with garlic extract. I have had a Regal/Blue Tang for over 5 years that would occasionally get ich but would never spread to other fish or get out of control. It usually clears up. They normally get ich when they are stressed and their stress coat (slime) is not as thick as it normally is. Once they are destressed and built up their stress coat again they are better able to repel ich I find. So anyway, that REgal Tang that used to get ich ALL THE TIME doesn't get ich anymore. Now a days its the Powder Blue Tang that gets ich when he is stressed. But again, I don't treat him. I just feed him more garlic and more variety of foods like flake, pellets, red and green nori, mixed fish mesh so that he continues to eat A LOT. This helps to destress him so that he can build up his stress coat again.

Having said all that, if your fish is really ill and has ich then you definitely need to do something about it, like QT and treating. Not necessarily treating the ich but treating whatever is causing the ich. You know your fish is really ill if they are not eating. If they have ich and are still eating well then you can usually ride out the ich just fine. If they are not eating and are lethargic then they definitely need attention and possibly in a QT with meds.

Many times fish will get ich, will stop eating and then die and people think, oh, my fish got ich and died from ich. In my experience this isn't the case. Usually it is something else that you can't see that is making your fish sick causing them to be severely stressed, thus losing their protective slime coat, thus letting in ich and even more parasites. It's all downhill from there if they continue to stop eating.

And also, sometimes people see spots of ich on their fish and immediately have a knee jerk reaction and think, OH CRAP I need that fish out of there now and pump him full of meds! Often this knee jerk reaction is worse and dooms the fish :-(

[kien]

I really like the aquascape, you can really see the middle tower now and it looks cool! Love the angels!

thanks! And ya, I'm actually getting kinda used to the clean uncluttered rocks. It's amazing how much more open it is and my tank was already pretty open.

[reefwars]

you gonna go sps dominant again this time??

i could snip you a bunch of sps frags easily to get you started;)

[kien]

you gonna go sps dominant again this time??

i could snip you a bunch of sps frags easily to get you started;)

Hey thanks bro! I appreciate that! That is a good question though. Since the rehabilitation I've just been sitting back and enjoying the semi-FOWLRness of the tank and contemplating where to go with it. I do want to put some corals in to colour up the tank a bit and was initially hesitant to go full-on with the SPS again. However, the more I gaze into the tank the more I start to miss the SPS colonies that I did have in there. So ya, I think I'm going to move forward with making the tank SPS dominant again. Of course this means that in the near future I may have to make some tough decisions with my angels that may not be so compatible, but we'll see.

[reefwars]

Hey thanks bro! I appreciate that! That is a good question though. Since the rehabilitation I've just been sitting back and enjoying the semi-FOWLRness of the tank and contemplating where to go with it. I do want to put some corals in to colour up the tank a bit and was initially hesitant to go full-on with the SPS again. However, the more I gaze into the tank the more I start to miss the SPS colonies that I did have in there. So ya, I think I'm going to move forward with making the tank SPS dominant again. Of course this means that in the near future I may have to make some tough decisions with my angels that may not be so compatible, but we'll see.


sweet .yeah idk i think you should, when i look at the tank i still see a forest of sps in their would look weird now if it was say a lps tank or softie :)

could always go azoox and really stress your self out lol

when ever your out and about send me a pm and ill cut you a bunch :)

[kien]

sweet .yeah idk i think you should, when i look at the tank i still see a forest of sps in their would look weird now if it was say a lps tank or softie :)

could always go azoox and really stress your self out lol

when ever your out and about send me a pm and ill cut you a bunch :)

If anything, SPS might be the only corals that I'd be able to keep in there with the angels LOL. I had sps colonies in my 131g "FOWLR" with the angels and they never touched them. LPS and softies on the other hand, they LOVED them :neutral:

Over 8 years in this hobby now, nothing stresses me out :lol:

Where abouts in the city are you anyway?

[reefwars]

If anything, SPS might be the only corals that I'd be able to keep in there with the angels LOL. I had sps colonies in my 131g "FOWLR" with the angels and they never touched them. LPS and softies on the other hand, they LOVED them :neutral:

Over 8 years in this hobby now, nothing stresses me out :lol:

Where abouts in the city are you anyway?


im pretty much right next to golds aquarium ....about 5 mins away on 36street SE

i work evenings and weekends but if you have any free time in the days or in the coming days im here untill 3pm everyday:)

[kien]

im pretty much right next to golds aquarium ....about 5 mins away on 36street SE

i work evenings and weekends but if you have any free time in the days or in the coming days im here untill 3pm everyday:)

Sounds good. Probably not this week but maybe sometime next week we can hook up over my lunch break. I need to make a trip to that store on 17th ave anyway.

[Aquattro]

If anything, SPS might be the only corals that I'd be able to keep in there with the angels LOL. I had sps colonies in my 131g "FOWLR" with the angels and they never touched them. LPS and softies on the other hand, they LOVED them :neutral:



Angels are funny. My Emperor is fine with everything. SPS, LPS, polyps, clams. My first Queen loved clams, nothing else. The second Queen I got ate nothing but SPS...

[kien]

Angels are funny. My Emperor is fine with everything. SPS, LPS, polyps, clams. My first Queen loved clams, nothing else. The second Queen I got ate nothing but SPS...

I'm not sure if "funny" is the word that I would have chosen to use here.. :lol:

[Coleus]

my emperor will pick at duncan only :-(

[kien]

Okay, so I picked up these struggling SPS colonies over the weekend. They were pretty brown and a couple of them were RTN'ing so the store owner practically gave them to me. I'm always up for a challenge.

Browned out RTN'ing pocci.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/1EF13776-1113-4AC0-9FD7-4FCF17FB18D9-9436-00000731E0EBD099.jpg

Browned out RTN'ing red(ish) digi.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/4EB706DB-DA6E-4BCC-9D3A-EC8E3C8C83DF-9436-00000731E6121DF1.jpg

Unidentifiable Digitata. Browned out, o course.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/4EE4211A-7FA7-4636-B623-ED1698B5AC7D-9436-00000731DA066397.jpg

I think this is an Austera but hard to tell as its browned out a bit :lol:

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/4FB9DE28-6C0D-4D6A-A6C4-444A3F957239-9436-00000731EB4FE279.jpg




______
Sent from the future on my iPhone 10 using Tapatalk

[chris88]

those corals should make it back no problem.

[kien]

Anyone else got a case of the Mondays?

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3617/3635115218_bf88320f6a_o.jpg

Turn that frown upside down!

[JDigital]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fiYBLPYkP1I/TUd5i4_5gQI/AAAAAAAAAE0/Q38uVR5MYzk/s1600/case-of-the-mondays.jpg

[kien]

Well, it appears as though things are back on track. All of my equipment is back online, the tank has been rehabilitated with all parameters in check. A few weeks ago I threw in some struggling colonies and they have all stopped STN'ing and are starting to colour up in their growth tips.

This digi here was completely brown and STN'ing. New growth tips show blue with red polyps. Appears to be turning into a "Superman Digi" maybe.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8480/8160013280_53a2203f6b_o.jpg

A few other random pieces I've picked up in the last little while.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/8160012736_7a1978a2b5_o.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8202/8160010752_7664df1745_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7128/8160010108_4c66992f7f_o.jpg

I do miss "watching" these buggers grow. Grow little friends, grow!

[kien]

other random things in the tank..

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7274/8160015498_9acee1193c_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7248/8160014880_7d1f0941c3_o.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8059/8160012106_308da95625_o.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8198/8160011392_47edbd0168_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7124/8160011790_7d56a8e7e9_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7259/8159977031_8597ca22a9_o.jpg

Who doesn't love watching these guys play in 'nems.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7136/8159976377_e627235d9c_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/8160009598_22afc4e582_o.jpg

[kien]

I sure did miss taking pictures in the tank.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7109/8159974873_9f0381b19b_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7257/8160008066_698b712946_o.jpg

Wrasses are so hard to photograph!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8487/8160019132_eb0b1e63a3_o.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8208/8160018800_dedf05b22e_o.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8346/8159984197_38c94ff59a_o.jpg

When I first saw these two together I was sure that this relationship would end badly!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7252/8160016756_69f37ecf9c_o.jpg

I've been proven wrong. They've enjoyed each other's company for a long long time now.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8197/8159982137_74aab65499_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7129/8160017444_9191022cce_o.jpg

Shrimp cocktail anyone?

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8469/8111665636_2ab3491cc9_o.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8332/8111665364_79f488719e_z.jpg

[abcha0s]

You've inspired me. I'm officially on a mission to bring my tank back from the brink of destruction.

On a side note, I somehow landed on this post

"I am actually liking this skimmer now. For the first year that I had this skimmer it was nothing but headaches. It would blow its skimmer cup often and I could not figure out why. I came so close to throwing it into the recycling bin so many times! After about a year it started to settle down and hasn't blown its load in quite a while. I think it just needed an insanely long break in period LOL. Anyway.. I won't be replacing this skimmer any time soon. I'm in love with it again." - Kien

My skimmer was the same. My Tunze Master DOC Skimmer took about a year to break in?! I'm loving it now, but I would have replaced it if an opportunity had presented itself.

- Brad

[sphelps]

Love the pics

[Zoaelite]

Good to see you back at it Kien, regardless of your status with my now EX-girlfriend :razz:...

Also +1 to Steve, good to see your photos back on here.

[kien]

You've inspired me. I'm officially on a mission to bring my tank back from the brink of destruction.

On a side note, I somehow landed on this post

"I am actually liking this skimmer now. For the first year that I had this skimmer it was nothing but headaches. It would blow its skimmer cup often and I could not figure out why. I came so close to throwing it into the recycling bin so many times! After about a year it started to settle down and hasn't blown its load in quite a while. I think it just needed an insanely long break in period LOL. Anyway.. I won't be replacing this skimmer any time soon. I'm in love with it again." - Kien

My skimmer was the same. My Tunze Master DOC Skimmer took about a year to break in?! I'm loving it now, but I would have replaced it if an opportunity had presented itself.

- Brad

Hey brad! Good to hear from you again! Ya, this hobby isn't for the faint of heart, that's for sure LOL. The first time I had a coral melt down I had no clue as to why. This time around I knew exactly why. It was a series of unfortunate events.. Doser pump failed, reactor pump failed, biopellet reactor BROKE! Our central AC broke as well an we didn't have AC during the TWO heat waves we had earlier this year. We had home renos, vacations, yard work. I was sure someone was trying to tell me something. It was so demoralizing. I didn't even want to look into the tank for weeks. Came so close to packing it all in on a few occasions.

However, when I finally cleaned my glass and peered in to see my (more or less) happy fish I realized that I could never leave this hobby LOL. For the record I did feed the fish and clean the skimmer cup on a regular basis! The skimmer is likely what saved the fish and my interest in the hobby. It skimmed like a champ ! And ya, your skimmer experience sounds exactly like mine. From zero to hero! :lol:

[kien]

Love the pics

Thanks! I sure did miss taking them.

regardless of your status with my now EX-girlfriend :razz:...


No comment...

[Coralgurl]

Love your tank!! Hard to believe you had such struggles as it definitely does not show! Thanks for not giving up!!:biggrin: eye gauging and hair pulling on hiatus...lol

[kien]

Love your tank!! Hard to believe you had such struggles as it definitely does not show! Thanks for not giving up!!:biggrin: eye gauging and hair pulling on hiatus...lol

Thanks! Ya, three years with this tank and it has been all over the map! We have a very normal love-hate relationship.

[lastlight]

what a giddy little schoolgirl. a schoolgirl that takes sweet-ass pics i might add. glad you're recharged boss.

[kien]

what a giddy little schoolgirl. a schoolgirl that takes sweet-ass pics i might add. glad you're recharged boss.

Thanks! And I'm going to get the old band back together again.

[Delphinus]

Great pictures as always! Wow. I love how you're somehow able to coax the subtlest colours out.

[kien]

Great pictures as always! Wow. I love how you're somehow able to coax the subtlest colours out.

Thanks! By the way, did you get my IM from earlier by chance? :-)

[Delphinus]

Only just now, sorry :p

[kien]

Only just now, sorry :p

That's okay. I was just worried that you didn't love me anymore. Carry on.

[Dez]

Thanks! And I'm going to get the old band back together again.

Did I hear someone calling?.....ha ha. Good to see you back. I've had no real reason to post so I've been lurking.

[kien]

Did I hear someone calling?.....ha ha. Good to see you back. I've had no real reason to post so I've been lurking.

Do we need to bring back the pheasant balls??

[lastlight]

Do we need to bring back the pheasant balls??

Aaaaand he's lurking again. Nice Kien.

[reefwars]

Good to see you back at it Kien, regardless of your status with my now EX-girlfriend :razz:...



:whistle:

[frizzo1983]

Happy 100 pages Kien ;)

[kien]

Thanks!! And now 1000 posts! :-D