kien's 150g Room Divider Mixed Reef & Stuff

[Goatman]

I sourced all of my bean animals from a reliable supplier. Trust me, they are all bean animals. I have all paperwork if you would like proof of their true lineage. I would not skimp out on such an important part of my tank.


Proof is required, yes. PDF is fine :twised:

Hate to see false bean on such a great tank.

[kien]

I've had a few people come by over the past couple of days picking up frags and one question thats been asked a few times is how do I take top down photos. So, I decided to do a little, "behind the scenes" for everyone at home. It's quite simple actually, and goes something like this..

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/577326B3-381D-4AC6-AB33-B7A00F737996-11844-0000084BC6015455_zpsbf5a4d62.jpg

Hope that helps.

[mrhasan]

I've had a few people come by over the past couple of days picking up frags and one question thats been asked a few times is how do I take top down photos. So, I decided to do a little, "behind the scenes" for everyone at home. It's quite simple actually, and goes something like this..

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/577326B3-381D-4AC6-AB33-B7A00F737996-11844-0000084BC6015455_zpsbf5a4d62.jpg

Hope that helps.

Is the chair (in the middle) for helping you to get on the other stools?

[kien]

Is the chair (in the middle) for helping you to get on the other stools?

Yes.

[mrhasan]

Yes.

Why not get a ladder?

[kien]

Why not get a ladder?

A ladder has no place in our dining room unfortunately. I suppose I could ask Levi where he got his ladder from. That one looks like it might fit with our decor.

[lpsreefer]

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/577326B3-381D-4AC6-AB33-B7A00F737996-11844-0000084BC6015455_zpsbf5a4d62.jpg

Hope that helps.
so you finally managed to get a back side shot of your self with your tank and get away with putting it on the net?
tricky!

[lockrookie]

I must say not my fav view of the tank but it puts thoughts in ones head like... Somebody push him in

[Madmak]

I'm sorry I asked asked everyone, very, very sorry.

;)

[kien]

Some new stuff I got not too long ago.

baby Suharshonoi.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8241/8564575796_85dc2964c3_z.jpg

Austera.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8522/8563470519_7dec0844b5_z.jpg

Unknown.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8085/8564572898_1f111cf01b_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8228/8563472561_35f91a7e8b_z.jpg

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http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8373/8563475279_a89ae038a7_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8226/8563471837_fe5e91e7c3_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8252/8563472021_6eaecf568c_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8508/8564576298_bff474d930_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8112/8563472493_c1c42bc3f6_z.jpg

[kien]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8530/8563476583_e13f08af35_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8101/8563470723_8617476abd_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8243/8564573422_eca1ef6b34_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8373/8564573626_274590d28a_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8095/8564574280_07399ea8a7_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8377/8563472073_1883f27148_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8096/8563472365_32700c791b_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8532/8563475861_07d1c8bd82_z.jpg

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http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8529/8563475693_27ef84a68a_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8517/8563475113_449904e2ea_z.jpg

[Coralgurl]

Show off :mrgreen:

Nice pics!

[kien]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8531/8563473549_e231057b54_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8521/8563473627_cac0bb2578_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8243/8563476735_5e7233f5ac_z.jpg

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http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8531/8564577760_b5600c353b_z.jpg

[i have crabs]

That red acro lookin thing makes my parts tingle

[Aquattro]

Those are looking great!!

[mseepman]

That red acro lookin thing makes my parts tingle

I have to agree...if there ever was some coral porn, the red one does it!

[fishoholic]

purdy

[lockrookie]

Today your tank depresses me I wish I could get that coloration. On he verge of giving up sps :p

[lastlight]

I've got my bone cutters with me. You going to let me in or what? Damn you scored some crazy sweet stuff :)

[Rice Reef]

Yes, they came from the cities of Shenzhen and Zhongshan China.

Kien, I think you got ripped off. Things coming out of there are knockoffs and do not use real beans. :lol:

Kien, +10000 for originality! Really helps to remind me that this is all but a hobby so let it be fun!
PS: should this be moved over to the DIY thread, no? :wink:

[Rice Reef]

Oh yeah, the pics are awesome by the way!:biggrin:

[lastlight]

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/93/drugs.jpg

[kien]

^LOL. Nice :-)

[kien]

Green Stag..
November 19th, 2012

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8063/8201482927_bb5dbaf640_z.jpg

March 16th, 2013.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8383/8563471353_414ea1e534_z.jpg

==========
tri-colour Acropora valida. ("Bonsai")

November 19th, 2012

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8343/8201484395_f9e1e9de1e_z.jpg

March 16th, 2013

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8374/8563474981_419c1f4567_z.jpg

==========
Acropora millepora. ("Ice Blue Milli")

November 19th, 2012

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8346/8201481023_233ddb91fe_z.jpg

March 16th, 2013

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8377/8563472073_1883f27148_z.jpg

==========
Insignis ("Fooser's Pearlberry")

November 19th, 2012

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8482/8201479965_19e1fb6ce3_z.jpg

I didn't think it was going to do anything. It was pretty static for MONTHS, then just in the past 30 days, this happened.

March 16th, 2013

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8249/8563471219_54f31c6a19_z.jpg

even with shoots down at its base

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8088/8564572752_a36904c73f_z.jpg

[kien]

Today your tank depresses me I wish I could get that coloration. On he verge of giving up sps :p

Never give up, never surrender!

I've got my bone cutters with me. You going to let me in or what? Damn you scored some crazy sweet stuff :)

Ya, got lucky on a lot of these pieces. Sometimes they come in brown, or they turn brown or uninteresting as soon as they hit the tank so I can totally understand how some people can get frustrated easily with SPS. Some of these pieces I had to wait MONTHs for them to colour up or grow but once they do, it can be quiet a show. Anyome who's been at the SPS game long enough knows that it's all about patience.

A prime example is the Acropora insignis ("Fooser's Pearlberry") in the previous post. It was a brown stick for months and you can still see its ugly brown base. But then it finally started to grow and you can see the nice colours growing out of the ugly brown.

Another example is this guy. Have no idea what it is but came in on an order completely browned out and didn't do anything for months. Kinda forgot about it because it blended in with the brown rockwork LOL. Then I recently noticed that it started to grow develop some colour.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8532/8563475861_07d1c8bd82_z.jpg

Kien, I think you got ripped off. Things coming out of there are knockoffs and do not use real beans. :lol:

Kien, +10000 for originality! Really helps to remind me that this is all but a hobby so let it be fun!
PS: should this be moved over to the DIY thread, no? :wink:

d'oh!! Is that why they all say :Been Animal: on their tags? SOB!! Just as well I suppose.. my daughter and I had a falling out as she took exception to my DIY project yesterday. :redface:

[lockrookie]

Thanks for the encouraging words I just get down when nice colonies just crap out and die do well at first and STN.. I've been working hard at keeping levels and whatnot stable other than calcium since I have yet to order media for the doser. Maybe I'm doing too much. It's such a crap shoot. I just have to keep staring at other ppls success and fight on lol just having a pity day not feeling lucky this st Patrick day

[kien]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8507/8564575868_ab1b910299_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8235/8564572340_8481a6719f_z.jpg

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http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8370/8564574356_ce4df8c8d6_z.jpg

where's Waldo?

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8516/8563470595_7285360cf6_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8383/8564572942_74bd8c45f4_z.jpg

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http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8521/8564576352_4f45e20456_z.jpg

[kien]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8243/8563476163_10ef429a20_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8531/8563476079_18fa84783a_z.jpg

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http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8365/8564572418_84161ecb4a_z.jpg

[kien]

My deep water collection.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8239/8564577698_4133622203_z.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8105/8564575738_82d60f82d2_z.jpg

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http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8516/8564574902_399a006aa1_z.jpg

[Zoaelite]

Kiener that last deep water is stunning, always nice to see your photo skills in action.

[JDigital]

Great photos Kien! Gorgeous sticks of rainbow goodness! :mrgreen:

[kien]

Those are looking great!!

Thanks! Sorry about all the blue cloves in the photos.. they are probably making you want to gouge your eyes out with a fork LOL.

That red acro lookin thing makes my parts tingle

That would be a Montipora Setosa that's decided that it wants to branch out in the world (see what I did there?). It has actually healed up quite nicely as it was mostly dead when I got it. Lost most of its red tissue but still had polyps on the skeleton. Never give up, never surrender :-)

Oh yeah, the pics are awesome by the way!:biggrin:

Kiener that last deep water is stunning, always nice to see your photo skills in action.

Great photos Kien! Gorgeous sticks of rainbow goodness! :mrgreen:

Thanks guys! That last deep water is an Acropora Carduus. I'm calling it a "Red Dragun".

[LoJack]

Your tank is a gem. Great Job!! I love the clean crisp lines

Your scape is unbelievable, and pictures are even higher quality than that.

What settings do you use on your camera for your FTS ... this is the photo I struggle with the most to keep everything in focus like you do.

[kien]

Your tank is a gem. Great Job!! I love the clean crisp lines

Your scape is unbelievable, and pictures are even higher quality than that.

What settings do you use on your camera for your FTS ... this is the photo I struggle with the most to keep everything in focus like you do.

Hey thanks!

My FTS is normally with my 24-105 mm canon lens on my 5DMarkII or sometimes 40D because the 5DMark II is a bit heavy for me (I'm a weakling). To help keep things in focus I either use a tripod or shoot with a high shutter speed like 1/250 of a second. This usually isn't hard and will pretty much freeze frame everything in motion. If the subjects in your tank are blurry then you are not shooting at a fast enough shutter speed.

[asylumdown]

wow. What lights are you running these days? I noticed a few specimens in your tank that I also have, but mine definitely do not look that good. I read through a hundred pages of this thread once, but I can't remember!

[kien]

wow. What lights are you running these days? I noticed a few specimens in your tank that I also have, but mine definitely do not look that good. I read through a hundred pages of this thread once, but I can't remember!

Hey Adam! I'm currently running 14K Phoenix bulbs (250 watt) with 4x39 watt 22k T5s for supplementation. Pretty much the same configuration I've been running on this tank since the beginning. I have experimented with bulbs over the years though. I've been through pretty much all the bulbs that my fixture can handle.. 10K, 14K, 20K, Ushio, XM, Phoenix, eBay, etc.. Out of all my testing my favourite is the Pheonix 14K with 22K T5s. Best compromise for growth vs colour. 10K will grow stuff faster but the colours tend to be more washed out. 20K halides will pop colours more but growth is a tad slower.

Anyway, we should compare notes and maybe trade some frags. I read somewhere that you were bursting at the seems LOL. I have a few colonies that I'm on the verge of needing to prune back as well as they are about to go to war on one another :neutral:

[Myka]

Nice photos Kien! Some great looking pieces!

[Snappy]

Very nice Kien! Great pictures and sweet corals.

[kien]

Nice photos Kien! Some great looking pieces!

Very nice Kien! Great pictures and sweet corals.

Thanks! :-)

[gwayneo]

Wow really nice. Where do you find some of your frags ?!! Can't wait to see pictures as it grows in. If you ever frag keep me in mind. I can only hope that my reef tank will be that nice someday.

Cheers and keep on reefing

[kien]

Wow really nice. Where do you find some of your frags ?!! Can't wait to see pictures as it grows in. If you ever frag keep me in mind. I can only hope that my reef tank will be that nice someday.

Cheers and keep on reefing

Thanks! I get my frags from all over. Local reefers, canreefers, online vendors (you can find them all in the vendor forum), local fish stores, etc. Especially keep an eye on the Buy/Sell forums as that's where myself and everyone else posts there available frags.

[monza]

Wow great collection of corals and love your photography work, well done!!

[monkE]

it took me about 3 days but i finally made it through this whole journal! amazing work man, inspiring tank for sure. I love the rock work being centered in the tank so it looks fantastic from all 3 sides. Very well done man. Congrats!

[kien]

Wow great collection of corals and love your photography work, well done!!

Thanks!

it took me about 3 days but i finally made it through this whole journal! amazing work man, inspiring tank for sure. I love the rock work being centered in the tank so it looks fantastic from all 3 sides. Very well done man. Congrats!

Thanks. Sorry for wasting your time over the past few days LOL

[The Grizz]

I think you need to tear it all apart & re do the tank as well but this time a closed loop is a must.

[fishoholic]

I think you need to tear it all apart & re do the tank as well but this time a closed loop is a must.

Really? I thought he was partial to bean animal style :razz:

[kien]

I think you need to tear it all apart & re do the tank as well but this time a closed loop is a must.

That's not a bad idea, but I think I'll wait to see how you implement your closed loop first. I'm taking notes!

[kien]

Normally when you see a post around here with this kinda of a title you imagine the inside of someone's house being flooded due to a catastrophic tank failure of some sort. Not the case here. In my case the flooding is occurring around me! Thankfully it is not on my immediate property, but the Bow River which flows adjacent to my community (Riverbend) has overflow its banks, engulfed a couple of parks at the end of my block and is now flowing into our sewer system.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7391/9105932822_a28e9a7f1a_z.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5350/9103679995_625bd78870_z.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5444/9103678365_bc4b1e55d4_z.jpg

Before I continue I really need to say that once again, the outpouring of support on this forum has been tremendous. I made a plea for help after we were evacuated and was inundated with PMs offering all manner of help and support. Thank you everyone. This is why I've always thought of Canreef as an extended family. We may bicker, disagree and fight on occasion, just like any family, but when it matters we all come together as one.

After we were evacuated late Thursday night we escaped to my sister's place on higher ground. From there I watched the news as the events continued to unfold. By Friday morning I had heard that they had cut the power to our community as a safety measure. Also at this time I had gotten word that my parents were in the process of evacuating so I decided to wait for them to meet up with us so that we could regroup. It took them a very very very very long time to snake their way through the city to get to us. My first concern was to make sure that my parents were OK but needless to say, I was quite aware of the clock that was ticking away.. three hours no power.. four hours no power.. five.. six.. By the time my parents finally made it to my sister's the tank had be out of power for 12 hours. Once I knew all my family members were secure and OK, I decide to set out to see what I could do for the tank.

By the time I hit the road I had already had a list of people I was prepared to call upon to help me out. I was set to give the people with big tanks a call once I reached my house but as I snaked my way through the apocalypse it became clear to me that asking people to leave their homes to come to my house might not be the best idea. Because I lived in an evacuated area near the river many of the roads in my area were either heavily congested, completed closed/blocked, or flooded!

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/3871EE9F-C50D-4158-88B4-64494866FD90-5379-0000072371DEFC14_zps1e3db6a9.jpg (http://s1002.photobucket.com/user/muzanji/media/3871EE9F-C50D-4158-88B4-64494866FD90-5379-0000072371DEFC14_zps1e3db6a9.jpg.html)

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/5FCD0FD2-72E8-46FA-8222-9B656524395A-5379-0000072362B9D2E8_zps55c3af5e.jpg (http://s1002.photobucket.com/user/muzanji/media/5FCD0FD2-72E8-46FA-8222-9B656524395A-5379-0000072362B9D2E8_zps55c3af5e.jpg.html)

As I was driving I decided to go the generator route. My route took me past a Canadian Tire so I pulled in to buy one. As I walked into canadian tire I watched helplessly as their last generator rolled out the door. FRAK! I asked the manager if there were any left in the city and he told me that they were in fact expect more to be shipped down from Red Deer within 2 or 3 hours. Good and bad news I suppose. I couldn't wait around at Canadian tire so I set out to continue my journey home.

As I finally rolled up to my house I had mixed feelings. Part of me was relieved to see that my house had not flooded. Part of me feared what I might find in the tank. Sure enough, the lights were out and it was dead quiet. I proceeded to inspect the carnage. No one was swimming around. Two Hawaiian Flame Wrasses were dead on the sanded. The Flame Angel was on his side laying on the sand bed. All tangs were huddled up in a cave, not moving. Clowns were huddled up in there 'hem, barely moving. Water temp was 71 degrees F. Tank had been without power for a little over 12 hours at this point. I knew my first priority was to get some oxygen and flow into the tank. I didn't think the temp was a huge concern at 71. The house fairly warm thank goodness. I grabbed my Grizz Welding LED Flashlight and headed to the basement where I had a fully charged UPS that I use for my home networking equipment. I forgot how heavy that thing was. Nearly dropped it on my foot as I frantically disconnected everything from it in the dark while holding my Grizz Welding LED flashlight in my mouth. I plugged a giant 4" air stone and one powerhead to it and dropped them into the tank. Decided not to plug the heater in because I needed the UPS to last and decided that air and flow was more important at this point. I then set out back to Canadian Tire to try and secure a generator. When I got back to Canadian Tire (3 hours later) they had a mountain of generators in stock so I grabbed one, filled two fuel cans and headed back home.

When I got back home I was happy to see that a few fish were swimming around. Still most unaccounted for but the tank was definitely looking more lively. Tank temp still holding steady at 71/72.

I frantically read through the generators installation manual, filled it with fuel, oil.. frak, I'm out of oil! I drove to my local gas station to get some oil only to find that all their debit and credit card machines were OFFLINE. Pretty much every point of sale system in Riverbend was out so I couldn't even hit up an ATM. This was a bad time to be that guy who prided himself in not ever having to carry cash. Seriously, I never carry cash. Drove back home to get some cash. Wait, we don't have any cash in the house! Remembered that I always had change in my gym bag so I pulled out $10 and headed back to the gas station. Gas station said the oil was $15. What The Actual F#*@?!?! I seriously thought about bartering my wrist watch at that point. It really was the apocalypse.. Thankfully I didn't live terribly far from the gas station so I went back home to scrounge for more change. As a back up plan I had Brett and his Wife dig up some cash for me as well. Thanks bro!! I ended up breaking into my son's piggy bank and yanked out all his quarters and loonies for another $10. On my way back to the gas station for a THIRD time I decide to hit up a different gas station just for a change of scenery. There are two virtually side by side. How much for oil? $6. SIX DOLLARS! What The Actual FRAK?!

The generator was finally up and running by 4pm. I set it on my deck out back and ran an extension cable through my kitchen window.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/A6DB68B8-53C6-4B96-90B6-69C2B2AA6575-5379-00000718DDA454DA_zps63ad458d.jpg

Plugged in the air stone, a tunze 6105 and a 300 watt heater. This was about half of its load and the manual said it would be good for 8-10hours at this load.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/075F36AE-B167-4430-B2EF-55FBF1BBDF96-5379-00000718EC67C195_zpsd8dc40fe.jpg

The UPS was still going strong but I decide to take it back to my sister's place to charge up anyway. Damn these things are LOUD. I don't know what the ettiquette is on these sorts of things but I didn't want to leave it running over night. There were at least two neighbours who decided to stay in their homes, and I also didn't want to attract attention over night. I decided that I'd take the generator off line through the night and use the UPS.

I drove back to my sister's place to meet up with the family, have dinner and charge the UPS.

Some flooding pics just around my community.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5324/9105978332_df936f3535_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7333/9105972234_269a195510_z.jpg

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At around midnight I rolled back to my house to find the power was still out. Our block was pitch black. It was quite eerie. With my trusty Grizz Welding LED flashlight in hand (my mouth actually), I ventured into my dark house to turn off the generator and swap it for the UPS that I had charged. The generator was actually still going with very little fuel left but still going! As I turned off the generator and started to plug in the UPS the power came on at the house. I was a bit startled by all the lights coming on and I may or may not have jumped 10 feet into the air.. I did a quick check of the tank and everyone appeared OK. Still some unaccounted for and it was dark in the tank so couldn't really asses the corals but they didn't appear to be sloughing or sliming.

It's Saturday morning/afternoon now and it appears as though the power is still on at the house. No official word yet about lifted evacuation notices but first hand reports seem to indicate that my community is OK now. Well, aside from the parks down my street that are now under water. I'll be heading there shortly to asses myself.

I want to end this update by saying again how much I appreciate everyone's generous support. We truly do have a special community of people here. Keep on reefin' on Canreef.

[sphelps]

Sounds like quite the adventure. Glad everything kinda worked out in the end.

[fishoholic]

Truly insane but glad you and your family are safe and that your tank is ok.

[Coralgurl]

Amazing photos! What an adventure you've had, but good to hear you are all ok including your little salty friends! Hope you are included in the areas that can return home today!!

Also so happy to be part of this reefing community, knowing there are peeps ready to step up in a heart beat! Way to go everyone!

[FishyFishy!]

Great write up! Glad to hear that things are lookin up mang.

Your adventure makes my 4 hour power outage seem like nothin! I was manually stirring water to keep it moving every 15 minutes in a panic lol.

[Rice Reef]

Glad to hear that you and your family are safe and sound. These are generally the pics I would expect to see in your thread but once everything settles and recovers from this ordeal I look forward to your amazing coral and fish pics again. :smile:

[gregzz4]

Wow Kien, I'd have been very stressed in your shoes

Sorry to hear about the wrasses
Keep us up to date as the critters recover

[Rice Reef]

Glad to hear that you and your family are safe and sound. These are generally the pics I would expect to see in your thread but once everything settles and recovers from this ordeal I look forward to your amazing coral and fish pics again. :smile:

Oops. Type error... Darn iPad... I meant " not expect to see"

:redface::redface:

[lastlight]

great news bro! by any chance could you share which LED flashlight you're currently using? I'd like to stock up in case I ever have the need...

[Skimmerking]

im happy for YA BROTHER TAKE CARE BE SAFE.

[mrhasan]

Glad to hear things have worked out well for you Kien (well, yah in the end). Hope things will become absolutely normal in the shortest period of time :)

P.S. You never fail to take great photos even during the flood :twised:

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Thanks for the long update. What a fraking adventure, eh?

[Alberta-newb]

Glad you weathered the storm so to speak, I think this has made everyone evaluate their back-up plans and double check their insurance policies. What an ordeal, can't even imagine.

Francis

[christyf5]

Great update and great photos! Glad to hear your family and tank are safe and sound. I've had my generator sitting here for 4 years now, haven't even started it up but it gives me peace of mind (I should probly test to see it even works).

You've had quite the year so far Kien, lets hope the rest of the year goes a bit more smoothly eh? :wink:

[kien]

Great write up! Glad to hear that things are lookin up mang.

Your adventure makes my 4 hour power outage seem like nothin! I was manually stirring water to keep it moving every 15 minutes in a panic lol.

you know, if it was just the me and the wife I probably would have done the same thing. Stuck a big paddle in the tank and stirred. However, having to relocate the family and helping to keep my son from freaking out was a challenge enough as it was!

great news bro! by any chance could you share which LED flashlight you're currently using? I'd like to stock up in case I ever have the need...

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/B0DF9676-78B3-4183-A880-B7DD90AAC3FE-5379-0000074F1ADDF885_zps0832a1a8.jpg

I'm a big fan of The Grizz Welding LED flashlight with built in laser pointer and SOS strobe. I made sure to have it on hand at all times. I have other flashlights but this one is my favourite. Plus The Grizz one fits nicely in my mouth keeping my hands free to do other things.

Wow Kien, I'd have been very stressed in your shoes

My life motto is, "Don't Panic!".

What a fraking adventure, eh?

You've had quite the year so far Kien, lets hope the rest of the year goes a bit more smoothly eh? :wink:

Ya no kidding.. couldn't make this stuff up if I tried! Here's to hoping for smooth sailing.. (no pun intended).

On a positive note, the power is still here a the house. I had unplugged my lights from the power bar yesterday but plugged them back in earlier this afternoon. Everything is looking decent. Some corals still stressed (retracted polyps, etc) but all the fish are swimming around. As bonus one of my wrasses are alive!! I saw all three on the sandbed not breathing yesterday. Took one out but left the other two because one was already covered by hermit crabs. Today I saw my male Hawaiian flame wrasses swimming around. Truly remarkable considering I had written him off! Sad though that he has lost both of his mates :cry:

Also on another sad note it appears as though I have lost my population of Designer and Limited Edition of AEFWs :cry: I will be refunding everyone who had placed an order. There is also a patch of Blue Clove Polyps that are still retracted that I'm hoping will pull through. Fingers crossed!

[mrhasan]

Also on another sad note it appears as though I have lost my population of Designer and Limited Edition of AEFWs :cry: I will be refunding everyone who had placed an order. There is also a patch of Blue Clove Polyps that are still retracted that I'm hoping will pull through. Fingers crossed!

Oh man thats terrible! :cry:

[Myka]

I'm glad to hear you, your family, and your tank is (mostly) ok! RIP Flame Wrasses. :(

The Grizz one fits nicely in my mouth keeping my hands free to do other things.

:heh:

[neoh]

Are you going to send an invoice to The Grizz at the end of all this for the flashlight endorsement? :lol:

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Glad everything worked out in your favor, despite the casualties.

[reefermadness]

Crazy man. Sounds like quite the scare and hassle but im glad it wasn't worse.

[typezero]

Glad you and your family are safe!

[Dez]

Glad your tank and family made it through Kien. I kinda feel left out that Grizz visited me last week and didn't leave me with a trusty Grizz Welding flashlight :). I'm jealous of yours, but OBVIOUSLY you need it much more than I do.

[The Grizz]

Glad to here you, the family and the tank made it through relativity unscathed Kien. Amazing pics as usual too.

Are you going to send an invoice to The Grizz at the end of all this for the flashlight endorsement? :lol:

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Glad everything worked out in your favor, despite the casualties.

But if it wasnt for me he would have had to us one of his other flashlight that he could not fit in his little wee mouth. :lol:

Glad your tank and family made it through Kien. I kinda feel left out that Grizz visited me last week and didn't leave me with a trusty Grizz Welding flashlight :). I'm jealous of yours, but OBVIOUSLY you need it much more than I do.

Thats because you where in a rush and didnt have time to even visit.

[fishoholic]

Ya Grizz now that I think of it, where's my nice cool LED flashlight? I've visited lots with you why didn't I get one? :pout:

[The Grizz]

Ya Grizz now that I think of it, where's my nice cool LED flashlight? I've visited lots with you why didn't I get one? :pout:

You already have LED's and Kien was pouting awhile back cause he didnt have any. :biggrin:

[yycguy]

Kien,
Glad to hear your family and home are intact!!!!
Being here in Calgary and seeing all the devastation it's heart breaking to say the least.

Last year I had a water line let go on my main floor while we were away. My wife got a call from the fire department telling her our home was majorly damaged and that was not a fun evening.
But in our disaster it was all covered by insurance. Now with this mess it will be different and that's the unknown part. At least when our home flooded the adjuster comforted up right away saying its all covered !!!
(200K) and 8 months latter out home was fixed.

So really glad to hear your home and some of your reef and fish have survived.

If you need any help with anything during all this just shout I/we are here.

[reeferfulton]

Just finished the first 33 pages of this thread . love your tank . hope it fully pulls through your latest trials .

will read through the rest another day .
Would like a tank of your layout one day . great dimensions

[Dearth]

Nature always has a way of reminding us who is ultimately in charge...glad the family is ok Kien and bittersweet on the tank as it is a part of the family too....


I talked to one of my cousins he was one of the areas put under mandatory evacuation went home after being away for 33 hrs found that his house was one of the few in his neighbourhood that was left untouched by the floods that being said when he got to his house he discovered that 28 cats 15 dogs and some other critters had taken up residence at his place and because he had a pet door for his cats and dog the neighbouring animals made themselves at home in his house.

With the help of neighbours, SPCA and emergency services all the animals were reunited with owners or taken to local shelters. Unfortunately they did make a mess of his kitchen and living room and some other areas of his house. But he and his wife kept their sense of humour as they have a sign in their window stating they are a pet friendly house and apparently all the neighbourhood animals took them up on the offer :)

[fishoholic]

You already have LED's and Kien was pouting awhile back cause he didnt have any. :biggrin:

Ya but not a cool led flashlight with your logo on it! :pout:

Kien now that your back home and the powers on, how's the tank doing?

[kien]

Kien now that your back home and the powers on, how's the tank doing?

It appears as though the remainder of my fish and inverts are OK. They all appear healthy and ate voraciously yesterday. Some of my LPS are still deflated as are some SPS. Some have recovered so corals are a mixed bag at the moment. Clams are not quiet as full as they normally are. I already had a batch of NSW mixed up before we evacuated so I will do a water change today.

All in all, I am totally shocked that the tank didn't suffer a full on crash or that there were not more casualties. The water was completely stagnant for over 12 hours resulting in a significant reduction in oxygen. Heat was also a minor issue dropping down to 71. I knew that a temp of 71 wasn't catastrophic though but was sure some of my more sensitive inverts like starfish would have been toast. It was a very gradual drop though which I'm sure gave the fish time to adapt. I was lucky that the house was fairly warm. If it was winter time the temperature would have dropped much further and definitely into critical territory. I knew that not having lights on for 24 hours wasn't a big deal. The reefs go through that all the time during storms. To me the essentials were oxygenation and flow with temperature coming in a close third. In the end that was all I needed to keep the tank hobbling along for the duration of the outage. Will report back as I observe what the corals do over the next while.

[daplatapus]

Super glad to hear things weren't catastrophic and all in all everything is ok.

[Razor]

Great job on the tank and nice to hear things weren't any worse.

[Myka]

Kien, you probably know this, but keep an eye open for ammonia. It would be a good time to hang a SeaChem Ammonia Alert badge in the tank.

[ensquire]

Also on another sad note it appears as though I have lost my population of Designer and Limited Edition of AEFWs :cry: I will be refunding everyone who had placed an order. There is also a patch of Blue Clove Polyps that are still retracted that I'm hoping will pull through. Fingers crossed!

After all of that, your KEEN sense of humor didn't suffer any. Glad to hear things are getting kind of back to normal. Hoping for a speedy recovery for all in Calgary....

[Snappy]

Glad things weren't worse for you. I too was without power but only lost a few corals because I was also able to get a generator. I think the biggest issue ended up being how cold the tanks got and a few corals couldn't handle an extended 65 or below degree temps for that extended period of time. My main concern was to provide flow in the tanks and keep my freezer & fridge going so I never bothered with tank heaters. Let me know if you need help with anything.

[kien]

Kien, you probably know this, but keep an eye open for ammonia. It would be a good time to hang a SeaChem Ammonia Alert badge in the tank.

Good suggestion Mindy! With so much going on I actually had not thought about it until you brought it up! Also, with mature tanks you tend to get complacent with things like Ammonia and Nitrites. All appears good on that front though.

[kien]

Let me know if you need help with anything.

Thanks, and good to hear you come out OK as well. My basement is pretty cold too so I'm sure that if my tank had been in the basement the temperature would have reached critically low levels as well.

[kien]

Well, it's been a couple of weeks now since the non-flooding flooding incident/event. The good news is that a few corals did not make it which means that a bit of precious tank real estate has freed up! :biggrin: I'm actually not too upset about the corals that were lost (if you didn't already notice). Mostly because they were the more common (easy to obtain) corals like green tenuis, birdsnest, blue stag, millies, etc. Thankfully I did not lose any of my more prized corals. Well, not yet anyway.. :lol:

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/66BA77BD-772D-494B-B126-218423D779B3-4961-000008F8A5604EF1_zpsff726b85.jpg

The gooder news is that the tank seems to have settled back down. A few other colonies lost a bit of colour but they've stabilized so they will probably pull through. At the end of the day it wasn't a complete disaster for the tank so I'm happy about that. The tank has definitely looked worse!

On another note, this month marks the 4 year anniversary of this tank. Crazy! It is a bit of a milestone as I have never had a tank for this long before. I'm not going to go into too much of a retrospective here. I'll save that for the 5 year anniversary. Anyway, MOAR PICTURES!!

A couple of Sexies hanging out in their Maxi Mini Pad.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3680/9280071727_28932efee1_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7407/9280072411_7f184ceabf_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7437/9282851622_bb812fc5d9_o.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5549/9280072207_9f58a2aa78_o.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3716/9280073413_dbb330d91d_o.jpg

The Red Bubble tip. I've had this guy for over 4 years now. He he split sometime last month so now there are two of them.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3788/9280072905_9bce89132b_o.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5487/9280073113_90a490d12a_o.jpg

One of three clams that I've also had for over 4 years.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7426/9282856502_62b6101e16_o.jpg

One of my all time favs, the Aussie Gold Torch.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2871/9282857138_f435b9ec53_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7385/9282857352_40a840fe27_o.jpg

A Red Goni that I've had for 3, almost 4 years now. This guy is virtually indestructible (he's probably going to be dead by the morning.. doh). He used to live in my "131g FOWLR" where he eventually became the target of abuse by my angels. Half beat up, I finally noticed and took him out and put him in my 150g reef. He heeled up nicely only to be stung by pretty much EVERYONE near him, including a patch of GSP which took out half of him, again. After moving him to spot that has a nice 8" radius of nothing but sand and rock he was able to settle in and recover nicely (again). Except now it's PAYBACK. He extends his tentacles 8 inches and wipes out anyone within reach. Seriously, who knew Gonioporas could be so powerful. I call him the PUNISHER.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7429/9282857546_d0b0b037c4_o.jpg

The Duncan. He's growing dangerously close to THE PUNISHER. I heard a rumour that some locations are starting to ban the harvesting of duncans.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2862/9282857818_457f71df92_o.jpg

Blostomusa.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5489/9280080579_c1eb69b261_o.jpg

Blue eyed red Goni. Different from THE PUNISHER as this one has a blue centre. Tiny frag I got from Concepts about a month ago.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3692/9280083551_baa3b5736d_o.jpg

Bubblicious Coral.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5513/9282863488_5c916eafda_o.jpg

A cool favia I found at Concepts a few months back. Not sure if it has one of those fancy schmancy names or not. I'm not very good with fancy favia names.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3834/9280093775_ae092505d7_o.jpg

Pink/Purple Urchin. Love this little guy/girl/it. Always a fav among house guests. She can really cruise too!

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2888/9282869426_cf93291105_o.jpg

[neoh]

what camera and lense do you use to take such wonderful photos?

[Bblinks]

what camera and lense do you use to take such wonderful photos?

That's because kien takes shots mission impossible style, hanging from the ceiling. :mrgreen:

Always impressive shots kien! Glad to hear everything is stabilizing again.

[Myka]

Great photos! Everything looks happy! --Except those SPS corals in the bucket! You definitely look at the bright side. :lol:

[daplatapus]

Very nice. Glad everything is on the rebound. I love the colour of your Duncan's and that Favia is really cool.
Is that urchin a type of pincushion?

[b09u5]

Great photos kien! Sorry to hear about the freeing up of real estate, but it seems that it could have been a lot worse.

I suppose on top of all these costs for me to get into the hobby, I am going to have to add on an expensive camera and lens, so that I can try to keep up! Luckily I won't have much to shoot for a few more years.

Congrats on the 4 year anniversary!

[kien]

what camera and lense do you use to take such wonderful photos?

Thanks!

I switch between using a canon 40D and 5D Mark II. For lenses I'll use the canon 100mm macro or the 105mm zoom lens.

That's because kien takes shots mission impossible style, hanging from the ceiling. :mrgreen:

So true. Thanks :lol:

Great photos! Everything looks happy! --Except those SPS corals in the bucket! You definitely look at the bright side. :lol:

Thanks. The tank actually doesn't look as bad as the Bucket of Death suggests. I'll throw up a FTS in a few days after I dump a few more photos.

Very nice. Glad everything is on the rebound. I love the colour of your Duncan's and that Favia is really cool.
Is that urchin a type of pincushion?

Thanks. Ya, the favia is definitely a show stopper and yes, that's a pin cushion. I have a couple. The pink one and an orange one.

Great photos kien! Sorry to hear about the freeing up of real estate, but it seems that it could have been a lot worse.

I suppose on top of all these costs for me to get into the hobby, I am going to have to add on an expensive camera and lens, so that I can try to keep up! Luckily I won't have much to shoot for a few more years.

Congrats on the 4 year anniversary!

Thanks. It definitely could have been a lot worse, and in fact, it has. I've gone through a couple of rounds of complete coral (SPS) wipe outs. Although there was loss (and some decline) here, it wasn't a complete write off.

You don't need need an expensive camera :-) Well, I suppose it depends on your definition of expensive! Lenses do tend to be on the pricy side though..

[michika]

Maybe you should call the blue eye goni the Punisher's girlfriend.

I wanna see the other clams you have.

[kien]

Montipora nudosa.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3762/9280080037_903a365d01_o.jpg

Montipora confusa. This is actually two frags that I got from two different people. You can see the rift where they are colliding.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7383/9282859464_78758f0c7f_o.jpg

Season's Greetings / Chilli Pepper / Reverse Sunset Montipora

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5476/9282862512_532ae26b38_o.jpg

Rainbow Montipora

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2805/9280083273_897943b517_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7426/9280089181_5639c54502_o.jpg

Pokerstar Montipora

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2876/9280087151_f0967f762e_o.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5507/9280080317_5233a3855a_o.jpg
Sunset Montipora

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3719/9282869834_08faf8c120_o.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3817/9282865888_508931739a_o.jpg

Montipora spongodes.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5495/9280094861_3ddbc159db_o.jpg

Montipora undata

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7308/9280094495_f49f6f1685_o.jpg

Superman Montipora

[ SPACE RESERVED (still missing from my collection of montis) ]

[thmh]

Damn you are sure optimistic!

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 4 Beta

[kien]

Maybe you should call the blue eye goni the Punisher's girlfriend.

I wanna see the other clams you have.

Haha nice. She is cuter than The PUNISHER. I'm afraid to put her anywhere near him.. As for the other clams I have a giant derasa (which looks like every other derasa) so not very exciting there. The other is a blue maxima. Ill see about getting pics of those two.

Damn you are sure optimistic!

We have a saying around here.. Come hell or high water.. I'm in this for the long haul :-)

[JDigital]

Wow! Your coral looks incredible buddy! :surprise: Quite the collection of Montipora's too.

I didn't know you photographed with a 40D. I've been thinking of picking one up off Kijiji. It's what I use to shoot with a few years ago too. Although the cost of the Macro lenses is the real kicker.

[kien]

Wow! Your coral looks incredible buddy! :surprise: Quite the collection of Montipora's too.

I didn't know you photographed with a 40D. I've been thinking of picking one up off Kijiji. It's what I use to shoot with a few years ago too. Although the cost of the Macro lenses is the real kicker.

Thanks josh. Ya that's where I got my 40D, Kijiji :-). Was cheap too!! It takes great photos if paired with a nice lens. You and I both know its all about the lens more than the camera body. I could produce the same photos with my two lenses on pretty much any camera body :-). I don't like using the 5D because it's quite a bit heavier and I'm a weakling. Also, I never take advantage of its full frame. 90% of my photos end up being cropped down to 800x600 :lol:

What I do like about the 5D is its high ISO (up to 12K). However, in a tank lit by three 250watt metal halides, ISO is hardly an issue :-)

[JDigital]

Yea, Lighting is never really an issue when photographing a tank. :mrgreen:

I gotta get something though. Iphones do NOT like LED's so it's impossible to take a decent photo of my tank at home and I do need something for the office otherwise no one will ever see it. (at least no one on the interwebz)

[lastlight]

Four years! Blows my mind man... I'm hoping to follow in your tiny footprints! Pics are bangin' like always. I'm loving the monti collection they all look fab. I forgot all about the superman. I used to have a branching one and it grew nutty fast. Wonder why it's not for sale all over the place.

[Rice Reef]

Awesome pics as always! Sorry that you lost some corals but the tank looks like it is making a nice comeback!

[kien]

Four years! Blows my mind man... I'm hoping to follow in your tiny footprints! Pics are bangin' like always. I'm loving the monti collection they all look fab. I forgot all about the superman. I used to have a branching one and it grew nutty fast. Wonder why it's not for sale all over the place.

Awesome pics as always! Sorry that you lost some corals but the tank looks like it is making a nice comeback!

Thanks guys! Ya, I used to have both the Superman encrusting monti and branching digi. Sadly I've lost both and am trying to source out replacements. Funny thing is, I do have a superman monti that I got from a local reefer, but its growing is very odd. It encrusts but you can hardly see its polyps at all. They are either constantly retracted, like ALWAYS retract, or their polyps are naturally really small. Like, grain of sugar sand small.

[kien]

Bali green slimer stag.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7360/9280072553_04d74c6615_o.jpg

Unknown acropora.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7439/9282852372_505c2a6b36_o.jpg

Blue polyp Austera.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2890/9282853158_45deb209fe_o.jpg

Tri-colour Acropora valida. (aka. Bonsai valida)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2823/9282853388_d2ca76b3b8_o.jpg

A frag of the same coral, planted eleswhere in the tank.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3682/9282854630_619ff225e1_o.jpg

Pink/Purple Stylophora. Looks more blue due to the 22K bulbs but more purple/pink in person.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7320/9280074087_f15be0457c_o.jpg

Crayola plana mutant. This started out as a typical Crayola plana but has decided it wanted to be something else instead.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7300/9282854248_1c71c7a51b_o.jpg

[Zoaelite]

Work blocks all of my photos so I'm just going to imagine all of your amazing shots...


Ooohh ahhhhh... ooooo Kien your photo skillz are so legendary!!










Actually though, excited to get home and see these.

[JDigital]

Post FTS FFS! :razz::razz:

I'll show you mine if you show me yours.. :lol:

[kien]

Post FTS FFS! :razz::razz:

I'll show you mine if you show me yours.. :lol:

I'm getting to that :razz:

But in the meantime..

Blue with Green polyp Postrata

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3707/9282853884_bf6629c696_o.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5485/9280074503_0e4a9dcca0_o.jpg

FAL Poison Ivy

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5487/9282854380_14934aaa55_o.jpg

ORA Red Planet

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3786/9282854848_1eec0f4071_o.jpg



For comparisons sake, it started out as this frag last fall..

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8227/8406760671_8e9cdfd32e_o.jpg

And is now this colony.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5456/9280085017_b023cc1f7e_o.jpg

ORA Pink Lemonade. Here it is as a frag from last fall..

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8344/8201480979_587e687fd2_o.jpg

Here it is today.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3701/9280075531_41433c6edf_o.jpg

Pink Lemonade about to get cozy with the Red Planet.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3770/9280091971_d81089aae4_o.jpg

Purple stylophora with green base. Fast grower. Should probably frag soon.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2892/9280075873_3e1cd39648_o.jpg

[Skimmerking]

nice buds:pop2:

[mseepman]

Beautiful shots. Love the colors!

[michika]

I'll show you mine if you show me yours.. :lol:

Where are you going to get a better offer then that? Or should Josh sweeten the deal with pheasant balls?



Put me in line for some of that stylo. Damn!

[kien]

nice buds:pop2:

Thanks Woody!!

Beautiful shots. Love the colors!

Thanks!

Where are you going to get a better offer then that? Or should Josh sweeten the deal with pheasant balls?



Put me in line for some of that stylo. Damn!

Um.. I'm not sure I need to see Josh's- oh who am I kidding. I totally want to see Josh's pheasant balls.

As for the stylo, come and get some. Fresh cut off the mother colony!

[MarkoD]

Wow that red planet growth is insane. Mine barely grows :(

[kien]

Wow that red planet growth is insane. Mine barely grows :(

ya, it's a bit weedy in my tank :-)

Blue/Purple tip with redish base Acropor Tenuis

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5482/9282855772_f944b28825_o.jpg

Incredible Hulk acro.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2865/9282856014_b3b25ae2b0_o.jpg

Ice blue unknown acro.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7364/9282856210_1c0708916c_o.jpg

Fire and Ice Millepora. Although the "fire" part is turning more purpley.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3807/9280077079_a79b1cd853_o.jpg

Unknown fuzzy acro.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7432/9280078163_0019dc475e_o.jpg

Unknown acro.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5457/9282858218_1d1bacb8ae_o.jpg

[JDigital]

I don't see an FTS in that group of photographic representations.

[Bblinks]

As always Kien, Beautiful shots and beautiful tank.

[LoJack]

Hey Kien, I have the same Acro crab in my bonsai valida mini colony. Have you ever noticed yours to cause any problems. I know he's not eating anything on the coral, however ... my colony isn't all that big yet, and I kind of feel like him perching and hanging out in the same spots may be killing some of the tissue on the acro branches.

Any thoughts on this?

[kien]

As always Kien, Beautiful shots and beautiful tank.

Thanks!

Hey Kien, I have the same Acro crab in my bonsai valida mini colony. Have you ever noticed yours to cause any problems. I know he's not eating anything on the coral, however ... my colony isn't all that big yet, and I kind of feel like him perching and hanging out in the same spots may be killing some of the tissue on the acro branches.

Any thoughts on this?

In my years of reefing I have never known acro crabs to cause any harm. I have had quite a few over the years. Most of my larger colonies have one, sometimes two and my stylo has 3 large red ones! They are great caretakers actually, and will help maintain the health of the colony. For example, when acros collect gunk from fish food or fish poop they will promptly clean it up! I often wonder if they also eat parasites like coral flat worms off of acros.

could you post more coral photos please?

more pics, OK!!

Itty bitty baby Hoeksemai. Got this as a teeny tiny skin flap frag last year. Literally only 5 polyps on it. It has tripled its polyps in a year! :lol:

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3739/9280078559_7d47332d39_o.jpg

Green Stylophora.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7375/9280078867_52b4293ae8_o.jpg

Unknown blue acro. Man, I have a lot of blue acros. Seems no matter what I buy, it turns blue!

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3708/9280079087_356b248686_o.jpg

Green Acropora gemmifera.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3800/9280079321_70763a47fe_o.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2835/9280093279_dcb834edb7_o.jpg

Unknown green Acropora.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3668/9280079501_0347681fe7_o.jpg

German Blue Polyp digitata.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2848/9282860618_9ea44d04df_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7391/9280081107_0d3c7e9880_o.jpg

Multicolour Prostrata

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2879/9280081373_922721e7e1_o.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2879/9282867130_6a88e70dd1_o.jpg

Rainbow Millepora

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7336/9282866528_4ea962fe51_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7332/9282873036_45e4664b48_o.jpg

[FishyFishy!]

FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!

[JDigital]

That's it! I'm striking against your tank thread until an FTS gets posted. :ban:

**Thinks to himself as he leaves.... "Damn that is some nice SPS"**

[thmh]

Sexy corals you got there kien!

~Tony

[reefermadness]

Nice stuff Kien..

[michika]

Calgary seems like it needs another tank tour this fall.

Man oh man does your tank look great lately!


I don't see an FTS in that group of photographic representations.

FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!
FTS!!! FTS!!! FTS!!!

That's it! I'm striking against your tank thread until an FTS gets posted. :ban:

**Thinks to himself as he leaves.... "Damn that is some nice SPS"**

I think the angry mob has spoken.

http://phandroid.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/angry-mob-simps.jpeg

[Rice Reef]

Kien, amazing sps shots! Are you dosing anything in your tank? Please share your secret!

[kien]

Calgary seems like it needs another tank tour this fall.


Another one? When was the last one?

Kien, amazing sps shots! Are you dosing anything in your tank? Please share your secret!

Thanks! I am currently dosing the big three. Calcium, Alkalinity (bicarbonate), and prayers.

I have two secrets. 1. I like blue clove polyps. 2. My bioPellets don't crash my tank.

[yycguy]

Your tank looks fantastic Kien.
I also think you should pop by my place and photograph my corals !

[daplatapus]

....and give us a FTS :D

[kien]

Your tank looks fantastic Kien.
I also think you should pop by my place and photograph my corals !

Thanks!

....and give us more coral photos :D

OK!

Boring Green Acropora austera.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7297/9280084023_b00a6b42ea_o.jpg

Strawberry Shortcake knock-off.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7374/9282861700_81d4b0e0c0_o.jpg

Branching Cyphastrea

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2836/9280082113_c541d08070_o.jpg

Neon Green Pocillopora

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3713/9282862050_563ef76230_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7326/9280090959_6258f70426_o.jpg

Forest Fire Digitata

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7320/9282862260_b8bc61c896_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7349/9282866322_c5197790bc_o.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3675/9280089491_d58d0c813f_o.jpg

Tyree Red Dragon

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2829/9282861474_e2d556a21d_o.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5482/9282867648_1dc4929ece_o.jpg

[Magickiwi]

Kien, your tank makes me green with envy. The livestock you have is just amazing!

You say you're running biopellets, but from what I understand you aren't supposed to run carbon with biopellets. Do you use a different adsorbent? I'm seriously thinking about starting up a biopellet reactor but I'm also attached to my carbon (weird huh?).

Also what sort of photography setup do you have? I have a Canon 40D with all L-series glass. I have a 100mm macro lens with a matching polarized filter and that's what I'll likely be taking my tank photos with.

[kien]

Kien, your tank makes me green with envy. The livestock you have is just amazing!

You say you're running biopellets, but from what I understand you aren't supposed to run carbon with biopellets. Do you use a different adsorbent? I'm seriously thinking about starting up a biopellet reactor but I'm also attached to my carbon (weird huh?).

Also what sort of photography setup do you have? I have a Canon 40D with all L-series glass. I have a 100mm macro lens with a matching polarized filter and that's what I'll likely be taking my tank photos with.

Thanks ! I can't say that I've ever heard that you shouldn't run activated carbon with bioPellets. They both do completely different things. I've been running carbon in conjunction with my bioPellets for 4 years now. Perhaps you (or your sources) were meaning organic carbon like what's used in other carbon dosing methods? That is, Vodka, Sugar, Vinegar, ZeoVit&Prodibio carbon sources, etc? I definitely would not recommend dosing other organic carbons with bioPellets. Having said that, I know of some people who have attempted this. And no, not weird, I like my activated carbon too :-) .. if in fact you were meaning activated carbon and not organic carbons.

You have the same photo gear I do. In addition I have a canon 5D Mark II. I shoot with the 5D sometimes but I actually prefer the 40D because it's smaller and lighter (for my dainty hands) :-) As for lenses, I'll either shoot with the 100mm macro or my 24-105 F4 zoom depending on my mood.

[Magickiwi]

Thanks ! I can't say that I've ever heard that you shouldn't run activated carbon with bioPellets. They both do completely different things. I've been running carbon in conjunction with my bioPellets for 4 years now. Perhaps you (or your sources) were meaning organic carbon like what's used in other carbon dosing methods? That is, Vodka, Sugar, Vinegar, ZeoVit&Prodibio carbon sources, etc? I definitely would not recommend dosing other organic carbons with bioPellets. Having said that, I know of some people who have attempted this. And no, not weird, I like my activated carbon too :-) .. if in fact you were meaning activated carbon and not organic carbons.

You have the same photo gear I do. In addition I have a canon 5D Mark II. I shoot with the 5D sometimes but I actually prefer the 40D because it's smaller and lighter (for my dainty hands) :-) As for lenses, I'll either shoot with the 100mm macro or my 24-105 F4 zoom depending on my mood.

I'll see if I can find the article regarding biopellets and activated carbon. When I read it I sort of decided biopellets aren't for me but if they aren't mutually exclusive then I will more than likely take up their use. I do have a relatively smallish protein skimmer for my tank, do you have to run a much larger one?

5D huh? I would love to get a full frame camera one day. My 40D has the battery grip so I don't think I'm saving much in terms of size. That 100mm lens is amazing for its price point isn't it?

[kien]

I'll see if I can find the article regarding biopellets and activated carbon. When I read it I sort of decided biopellets aren't for me but if they aren't mutually exclusive then I will more than likely take up their use. I do have a relatively smallish protein skimmer for my tank, do you have to run a much larger one?

5D huh? I would love to get a full frame camera one day. My 40D has the battery grip so I don't think I'm saving much in terms of size. That 100mm lens is amazing for its price point isn't it?

You need an appropriate skimmer for your tank in general. You should need to get overly larger skimmer just to run biopellets. So long as your skimmer is rated well for your tank, you should be OK. If not, then you should get a new skimmer anyway :-)

I actually don't take advantage of the full frame really. 90% of my photos are cropped down to 800x600 to post on canreef LOL. I'll crop to a slightly higher res for wallpapers but even a 40D 10mega pixel is fine for that. In the end, I don't produce any full frame resolution images to store. 1. They are HUGE and 2. they take too long to process. In other words, I have never needed more than 10 mega pixels. And ya, the 100mm macro is probably my favourite. Macros in general are my favourite photography genre/subject. I take a lot of macros of bugs, flowers, corals, etc :-)

[LoJack]

Holy Majoly I want that Forest Fire Digi ... what a Beauty!!!

Great shots as always Kien

[kien]

Great shots as always Kien

Thanks!

Acropora Florida.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7450/9280084489_13cd6968a4_o.jpg

Bird of Paradise

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3707/9280085849_4d095b51da_o.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3779/9282870376_990cefcc4c_o.jpg

Unknown Acropora.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7331/9282866110_79c62a6c5e_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7397/9282872196_c70e4660e5_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7390/9282872396_ea825d3377_o.jpg

Acropora Loripes.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3746/9282867290_2e3ed629cd_o.jpg

Joe The Coral.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5455/9280087881_1a256a80f3_o.jpg

Montipora Setosa.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7401/9282867836_4059e20583_o.jpg

[thmh]

Wow your setosa growth form is crazy kien!

~Tony

[JDigital]

edit.. wrong thread

[kien]

Wow your setosa growth form is crazy kien!

~Tony

Yup.. Just as crazy/drunk as Josh, apparently.

:drinking:
|
V

edit.. wrong thread

[JDigital]

Yup.. Just as crazy/drunk as Josh, apparently.

:drinking:

That's not a bad idea tonight.. haha:mrgreen:

[gregzz4]

Wow, that's a whole lot of nice stickage Kien

[kien]

Wow, that's a whole lot of nice stickage Kien

Funny, that's what my wife- oh nevermind.

[gregzz4]

Funny, that's what my wife- oh nevermind.
Sorry to hear that your's is only referred to as a 'stick'

[lastlight]

Never seen setosa grow like that. Neato dawg.

[thmh]

Funny, that's what my wife- oh nevermind.

Lmao kien!

~Tony

[kien]

Purple Gorgonia.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3667/9282873390_9aa0cc9d55_o.jpg

Blue tipped green stag. This frag hasn't done much of anything for half a year now.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7400/9280094673_9d3f6faf56_o.jpg

Unknown Acropora. Possibly Rosaria.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5491/9280088411_b8c35dd09b_o.jpg

Green birdsnest. Very weedy. Fastest growing thing in my tank.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3787/9280095575_8583fa9929_o.jpg

Unknown Blue-Green Acro. Possibly Turaki.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2824/9282868236_07ef5a0002_o.jpg

Pink Millipora. Fast Grower. Started out as this 1" nub on a frag plug last fall..

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8058/8202575442_a171602635_o.jpg

And is now this colony today.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3782/9280088905_e29353a11b_o.jpg

Orange Digi. Another fast grower which I really should frag soon.. Started out as a 2" frag on a frag disc last fall..

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8342/8202573836_3f785dbea7_o.jpg

And is now this colony.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3737/9280091517_e333c037e9_o.jpg

Green Acropora turaki. 1" frag from last fall..

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8069/8202573634_361c13d805_o.jpg

Mini-colony today.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2817/9282871804_afd6d8c96a_o.jpg

ORA Ponape Birdsnest.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7304/9280090327_3b8e5c4aac_o.jpg

This was purchased as a pink Prostrata. It quickly turned into a Blue-Purple Prostrata.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5500/9280093047_b400d84713_o.jpg

[Sahin]

Wow, what an amazing tank. Your photography is excellent - thanks for the eye candy.

PS where is the FTS everyone is asking for? :lol:

[kien]

Wow, what an amazing tank. Your photography is excellent - thanks for the eye candy.

PS where is the FTS everyone is asking for? :lol:

Thanks :-)

[kien]

So, since I recently had some room freed up in the tank I decided to go looking for stuff to fill the space with. I ended up stumbling upon an up and coming vendor known as MadJellyCorals (apparently their corals go PEW! PEW!). I didn't really understand their company name at first but after a few conversations with them I figured it out :lol:

First of all, great guys to deal with. Although they are only just starting to, well, start up, my experience with them gave me the impression that they'd been at this for a while already. The communication was top notch, the delivery was exceptional and the product was among the best I've ever received from an online vendor.

My MadJelly loot!

Tyree Rainbow Stylophora

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_019_zps9d5dbf40.jpg

Fire and Ice Enchinata

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_023_zps2f106631.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_022_zps9821cc03.jpg

Sunset/Christmas Millepora

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_021_zpscee5b21c.jpg

Red-Yellow eye chalice.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_026_zpseaba44ef.jpg

Great stuff 'fo shizzle.

[kien]

And since I had the camera out I figured I'd snap a few more pics..

Dual colour (green and orange) octospawn (not to be confused with octomom).

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_033_zps50e476ca.jpg

War Coral

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_031_zps317872b4.jpg

Long tentacle fungia plate coral

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_024_zps94f03f8a.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_032_zpsda14f8dc.jpg

One of my two Maximas. (the other one that Catherine asked me to photograph).

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_030_zpsc8c185aa.jpg

Halloween Hermit Crab.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_028_zps10c11a4d.jpg

Sexi in the Maxi.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_034_zpsb056bb62.jpg

Glass shrimp in the maxi?

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_029_zps0745c6e9.jpg

While I was taking pictures this time around something occurred to me. I noticed that a larger number of my SPS had more growth tips than usual. Then it dawned on me that this actually happens every summer (save for the summers where the corals are dying slow horrible death).

Here's a blue stag that browned out earlier this year, then did nothing more months until just recently.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_025_zps7250dbbf.jpg

This mille had a slow steady growth, but just recently I noticed an explosion of growth tips.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_035_zpsc52606c2.jpg

There are a few other frags and colonies exhibiting this explosion in growth tips which is kinda cool. I am going to surmise that this is due to the heat. It's well known that many organisms metabolisms are directly tied to the temperature of their surroundings. Or more specifically, their body temperature. In the winter time my temp would max out at maybe 79 or 80. I had pretty steady growth through the winter months. However, since spring/summer hit my temps now top out at 82/83 (which is normal for my tank). Has anyone else observed this phenomenon ?

A few wider shots.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_018_zps5a5383e9.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130715_005_zpsce7c5225.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130715_006_zps90c7f145.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_013_zpsd6fee51b.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_012_zps9897b032.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_015_zps442cd98b.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130715_007_zpsba91357c.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_011_zps7577dc9e.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_014_zpsd27d63dd.jpg

[kien]

Here are a few full top down shots that I don't think I've ever done before. I really like the results of these shots, minus the crazy reflections of my lights. I wonder if I can take these photos without the reflection some how..

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_041_zpsd3e7304e.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_040_zps15487768.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_039_zps3920fe43.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_037_zps49abbee9.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_036_zps5d830b15.jpg

[kien]

I know most of you don't really care about these sorts of photos but here are a couple of FTS anyway..

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130723_008_zps6a588760.jpg

Played around with draping a blue backdrop over the tank for this one. Needs a bit of work in the execution I think.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130715_001_zps151d7f37.jpg

[lastlight]

looks great with the blue... seems like your fish didn't think too much of it though!

[kien]

looks great with the blue... seems like your fish didn't think too much of it though!

Ya, I actually don't mind it! The fabric doesn't work though, the wrinkles show. I may try getting some poster board and spray painting it blue. Maybe add a gradient. I actually don't like taking FTS because of all the insane reflections and the distracting background of the room behind/in front of the tank. I think this will be a good solution if I can find a good medium for the blue.

[Magickiwi]

Here are a few full top down shots that I don't think I've ever done before. I really like the results of these shots, minus the crazy reflections of my lights. I wonder if I can take these photos without the reflection some how..



Just use your polarizing filter. You must have a circ-pol by now. Set up your shot, then rotate the circ-pol until your reflection is gone. Easy Peasy.

[kien]

Just use your polarizing filter. You must have a circ-pol by now. Set up your shot, then rotate the circ-pol until your reflection is gone. Easy Peasy.

Ah yes!! I totally forgot about that thing! Haven't used it in ages. I'm going to try that! Thanks!!

[FishyFishy!]

DROOL as always!!!!!!!!!!! I love your tank from the FTS view. Really puts that amazing scape into perspective.

[Zoaelite]

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/REEF_20130715_001_zps151d7f37.jpg

Is the Red Gonioporia in the bottom left the one I gave your way a year or so ago? If so HOLY SMOKES is it looking good :biggrin: (same with the rest of the tank)!

Kiener if you want a branching cyphastrea colony (cyphastrea decadia), shoot me a PM. Devo is breaking down the 250g and he tossed your name out there as you have been good to him in the past.
Levi

[Dez]

Ya, I actually don't mind it! The fabric doesn't work though, the wrinkles show. I may try getting some poster board and spray painting it blue. Maybe add a gradient. I actually don't like taking FTS because of all the insane reflections and the distracting background of the room behind/in front of the tank. I think this will be a good solution if I can find a good medium for the blue.

Nice pics Kien. Now you just need to bring that poster board to Edmonton when you and Brett visit next month and take some FTSs for me. It's tough to take good FTSs with a 2 side viewable tank.

[JDigital]

Hardly anything to cheer about.:ranger:..

I`m over the FTS craze these days anyways, I`d rather see some sharp, close up macro shots of SPS. :whistle:









.... just kidding. The tank looks amazing! I had forgotten what your aquascape looked like. :lol:

[lastlight]

if you can find something to hang the sheet on so it's not right up against the glass the wrinkles will be much less noticeable i think.

[JDigital]

Or learn how to use an Iron.... :lol: If your tiny hands can lift it.

[Rice Reef]

Kien, great pics again! Man, the coral growth are really taking off and by the way, thank you for sharing your FTS. :biggrin: I like that shot of the brown sps with the new growth! Shows that one can't always judge the book by its cover.
I am also a big fan of top down shots! The coloareas the corals are much more vibrant! Can your lights swing from side to side so that you can minimize the light reflection? Wonder if a polarizar will work? Anyways, keep up the good work and again thank you for sharing and inspiring everyone!

[michika]

Thanks for the FTS! I think they all look great.

I can't wait until my tank start maturing like yours. The colours just seem to pop all over your display.

[kien]

DROOL as always!!!!!!!!!!! I love your tank from the FTS view. Really puts that amazing scape into perspective.

Thanks! I do like the full room FTS. It does put the tank into perspective as you said.

Is the Red Gonioporia in the bottom left the one I gave your way a year or so ago? If so HOLY SMOKES is it looking good :biggrin: (same with the rest of the tank)!

Yes and No. Yes, I still have the Red Goni that you gave me, probably closer to 3 years ago now. Time flies! It has been doing quite well, despite the abuse it has gotten over the years. No, it is not the red mass on the left, it is the red mass on the right :lol: The red mass on the left is my RBTA.

Nice pics Kien. Now you just need to bring that poster board to Edmonton when you and Brett visit next month and take some FTSs for me. It's tough to take good FTSs with a 2 side viewable tank.

Thanks. And ya, I know you understand my FTS plight. Photographing room dividers is tough! #FirstWorldReefingProblems. Unfortunately I won't be able to make it to Edmonton with Brett in August :( Our plans have changed and I will now be suffering in a different way on that weekend that we were originally planning to be in Edmonton for the marathon.

if you can find something to hang the sheet on so it's not right up against the glass the wrinkles will be much less noticeable i think.

Actually, I did try that. I hung the backdrop on my backdrop hanger/rod and moved it away from the tank. All that did was render the background BLACK. Or Navy-Blue-Almost-Black.

Or learn how to use an Iron.... :lol: If your tiny hands can lift it.

That sounds like a lot of work.. And for the record, they make mini-irons. Trust me, I know..

Kien, great pics again! Man, the coral growth are really taking off and by the way, thank you for sharing your FTS. :biggrin: I like that shot of the brown sps with the new growth! Shows that one can't always judge the book by its cover.
I am also a big fan of top down shots! The coloareas the corals are much more vibrant! Can your lights swing from side to side so that you can minimize the light reflection? Wonder if a polarizar will work? Anyways, keep up the good work and again thank you for sharing and inspiring everyone!

Thanks! It definitely isn't all rainbows and Unicorns in my tank. I've got a few Brownaporas hanging out in my reef. Even a few colonies and frags teatering on the edge of life and death. But, as you said, you can't judge by just what you see on the outside. You have to give them a chance. I've even had colonies go completely bleached-white while still hanging onto their polyps! Then slowly regain colour. Never give up, never surrender! I usually call it quits on them if they start growing algae though.

The lights do slide from side to side but only so far as the width of the conopy since the lights sit right on the canopy.

[Trevor W]

Wow! Excellent photos and your tank is looking great! Do you have a current list of fish ? Sorry if I missed it in the thread some where.

[Marlin65]

looks great love your tank.

[kien]

looks great love your tank.

Thanks!

Wow! Excellent photos and your tank is looking great! Do you have a current list of fish ? Sorry if I missed it in the thread some where.

Thanks! No worries, the thread is a bit long in the tooth :-)

Fish list:

Yellow Tang
Blue/Regal Tang
Purple Tang
Powder Blue Tang

Regal Angelfish
Flame Angelfish

Parrotfish
Melenarus Wrasse
Hawaiian flame Wrasse
Leopard Wrasse

Yellow Watchman goby
Mandarin Goby

Clownfish pair.
Four striped damselfish

Banded Pipefish

Purple pseudochromis

[JDigital]

Does the Regal Angel nip at anything? or perhaps the better question is, WHICH corals does your regal angel nip?.

[kien]

Does the Regal Angel nip at anything? or perhaps the better question is, WHICH corals does your regal angel nip?.

Both angels nip at just about everything LOL. They don't discriminate, but they do have their favs. Mostly they enjoy bothering the stags, which is OK because the stags (aside from a bit of retracted polyps) don't seem to mind. They don't seem to bother the more delicate corals like the deep waters, turakis, birdnests, etc. They also do not seem to care about my clams, or LPS or zoas. I think they have enough to pick at on the live rock that they don't go to town on everything else. I've had both angels for a while now and certainly have not noticed them bother any one particular coral to the point of death. I am going to conclude that when they pick at a coral, they aren't actually trying to pick off its polyps, but maybe some other organism on that coral. Maybe flatworms, copepods, or other such bugs. I don't really know though.

[lastlight]

you can't have angels with sps or bio pellets. forgot to send you the memo sorry.

[kien]

you can't have angels with sps or bio pellets. forgot to send you the memo sorry.

ya, I missed that memo.. :neutral:

[kien]

you can't have angels with sps or bio pellets. forgot to send you the memo sorry.

what about the blue cloves though? Can I keep the blue cloves or should I get rid of them?

[lastlight]

what about the blue cloves though? Can I keep the blue cloves or should I get rid of them?

i'm sure you've tried and can't. hence the 'love' for them lol.

[kien]

i'm sure you've tried and can't. hence the 'love' for them lol.

To be honest, I have actually never tried to get rid of them. They are in contact with just about every coral and clam in my tank but don't appear to be doing any damage. I've had blue cloves for years!

[JDigital]

I've got 5-6 polyps of blue cloves in my 180... They will NOT spread for some reason.. :( You must have the good type.. :lol:

[kien]

I've got 5-6 polyps of blue cloves in my 180... They will NOT spread for some reason.. :( You must have the good type.. :lol:

I've got plenty to hand out! But be careful what you ask for.. :lol:

[91Atrac]

Ah! Man I love all the recent pics you posted and I like to see FTS. Otherwise how can we tell how big your tank is. Haha people have still thought my 10g was a lot bigger from my close up shots :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

[michika]

Ah! Man I love all the recent pics you posted and I like to see FTS. Otherwise how can we tell how big your tank is. Haha people have still thought my 10g was a lot bigger from my close up shots :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

Hahaha so true. Close ups are so deciving on how big your tank really is.

[Trevor W]

I agree dont stop the full tank shots. Thanks for posting the Fish list.

[LoJack]

Unbelievable. I love your scape. And where did you get that forest fire digi ... I gotta get some of that for my tank!!

[91Atrac]

Unbelievable. I love your scape. And where did you get that forest fire digi ... I gotta get some of that for my tank!!

Seen some on Canada coral and I have some

[kien]

.. where did you get that forest fire digi ... I gotta get some of that for my tank!!

I got that frag from Canada Corals not too long ago.

[91Atrac]

And they are extremely deceiving! Good way to keep the full size a secret tho haha!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

[Magickiwi]

I got that frag from Canada Corals not too long ago.

I looked at the Canada Corals website and every item in their livestock says "Sold". I sent them an email a week or more ago asking if they have anything for sale as their website indicated they didn't and they haven't gotten back to me.

Are they actually still in business?

[kien]

I looked at the Canada Corals website and every item in their livestock says "Sold". I sent them an email a week or more ago asking if they have anything for sale as their website indicated they didn't and they haven't gotten back to me.

Are they actually still in business?

They are actually in the process of moving their operation to a new facility. They've spent the last few weeks renovating and prepping the new space. They are a great vendor tho. Worth the wait.

[wreck]

damn this tank is badass nicely done, when i have the time i need to go back and read the whole thread .

that 4 stripe damsel how aggressive is it ?

[kien]

damn this tank is badass nicely done, when i have the time i need to go back and read the whole thread .

that 4 stripe damsel how aggressive is it ?

Thanks :-) I got lucky with the 4 stripe. He's not aggressive towards anyone in the tank. Never has. Even new additions. However, he hates it when I put my hand in the tank and will attack me. :neutral:

[Reef Pilot]

Am not home a lot these days (back country floatflying and hiking), but just had a quick browse of canreef, and had a look at your tank and corals. Needless to say, I am severely jealous once again. I like how you put names to your corals, too. Wish everyone would do that.

[wreck]

Thanks :-) I got lucky with the 4 stripe. He's not aggressive towards anyone in the tank. Never has. Even new additions. However, he hates it when I put my hand in the tank and will attack me. :neutral:

i have always loved the look of those 4 stripes, i have been tempted to buy one hahaha

[lastlight]

i have always loved the look of those 4 stripes, i have been tempted to buy one hahaha

With the help of Kien's mentoring I was also able to keep a peaceful 4-stripe in my previous aquarium. One of my favorite fish for sure.

[kien]

i have always loved the look of those 4 stripes, i have been tempted to buy one hahaha

With the help of Kien's mentoring I was also able to keep a peaceful 4-stripe in my previous aquarium. One of my favorite fish for sure.

Yup, you just have to roll the dice. The trick is finding the right dice to roll.

[kien]

Yup, you just have to roll the dice. The trick is finding the right dice to roll.

and figuring out how to unroll it if it all goes pear shaped.

[wreck]

and figuring out how to unroll it if it all goes pear shaped.


in my 65 i may try one lol not brave enough yet!!

[kien]

So played around with more top downs of the tank. This time I slapped on my polarizer as suggested previously. This actually did help a lot. It didn't eliminate the glare completely but reduced it by 50% at least.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7343/9447172830_5e8215502c_o.jpg

It is definitely a cool perspective and my favourite view of the tank for sure.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2838/9444390703_5f40fc795c_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7362/9447174756_c270616ab8_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7342/9444389965_08f2464c70_o.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3696/9444389521_b2be985243_o.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3763/9447173638_e459ee3883_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7416/9444388823_8d1cc1dc9f_o.jpg

===============

In other news, as I was viewing the tank with my trusty "The Grizz Welding" LED flashlight last night I spotted one of those nasty Eunicid worms. NASTY! I haven't noticed any loss in fish or bite marks on my corals so I don't know if he/she/it is causing any harm at the moment. Still, I need to come up with a plan to remove him/her/it before he/she/it turns into a 4 foot kraken. NASTY!

[lastlight]

colors be POPPIN' boss!

[wayner]

Watch out for that Eunicid worm - I had one about 3 tanks ago roughly a foot long - ugly sobs - my snail population slowly dwindled away- one
night i found it downstairs making a sandwich - i was releived he was out of the tank and I finally got him. LOL

Seriously - if you can find the rock where he lives- remove it - save yourself a whole bunch of time - that's what I did - they give me the Hebee Jeebees these worms. I didn't even put the rock back in in case there was a gang 😄

If you only get half of him it will regenerate into a Super Alien Eunice - Get all of him

[reefwars]

Watch out for that Eunicid worm - I had one about 3 tanks ago roughly a foot long - ugly sobs -- one
night i found it downstairs making a sandwich - i was releived he was out of the tank and I finally got him. LOL

Free loadin worms!!

[kien]

ya, I definitely want to get him out, I just don't know how yet.. I do know the rock he lives on and it is easy enough to take out since it doesn't lean against any other rocks. It happens to be one of my smaller terraces. Unfortunately it also has a crap load of corals on it.. :cry: Anyway, I might try to tackle it this weekend when I have some time. I'll also need to source a new shelf piece to replace the removed one.

[lastlight]

Is this the same guy who epoxies over all his other pests ? Find out which hole he goes into and simply seal him inside.

[hillegom]

Take the rock out and pour some club soda or any carbonated water into his hole. He'll come scurrying out

[kien]

Is this the same guy who epoxies over all his other pests ? Find out which hole he goes into and simply seal him inside.

Yes. This was my plan 'A'. I was contemplating either sealing him into his hole or possibly epoxying his body to the rock. I can see sections of him weaving through the rock so I was going to epoxy all of his exposed body parts! But now I'm afraid he will regenerate 10 new worms! Plan 'B' is to remove the rock. I was going to throw out the rock but a carbonated bath sounds like fun.

[lastlight]

if you do that a video is a must.

[fragbox.ca]

what a remarkable aquarium ! + your a great photographer what are you shooting with?
the color temp on the photos are perfect really cool shots

[The Grizz]

Careful March you might swell up Kiens head so much that his little frame wont be able to hold it up :lol::lol:

[kien]

what a remarkable aquarium ! + your a great photographer what are you shooting with?
the color temp on the photos are perfect really cool shots

Thanks March! I typically shoot with a canon 40D or the 5D mark2. I know, people are always surprised to hear that I bother with the less superior 40D when I have the full frame 5D2 at my disposal. But then most people don't have t-Rex arms like I do.. I've almost lost the 5D into the tank a few times LOL.

Careful March you might swell up Kiens head so much that his little frame wont be able to hold it up :lol::lol:

It's OK Greg, I've been working out! Actually I just started today.. right after I saw the MadJelly video. I figured if Long can curl 5 pounds, well, so should I! Be sure to check out my other "build thread" (see what I did there?) for my progress.

[The Grizz]

If you are referring to the pond I did see that and it looks awesome dude!!

[kien]

If you are referring to the pond I did see that and it looks awesome dude!!

Hmmm.. Sure ok. Thanks! :-)

[The Grizz]

Hmmm.. Sure ok. Thanks! :-)
Wheres the other build thread then??:lol:

[explor3r]

Wow very impressive your reef is beautiful and the colours are great.
You take great pictures I was drooling here looking at them, what you think is being the biggest challenge so far...

[fragbox.ca]

Work blocks all of my photos so I'm just going to imagine all of your amazing shots...


Ooohh ahhhhh... ooooo Kien your photo skillz are so legendary!!



this $hit cracked me up hard ahahaah

[kien]

Wheres the other build thread then??:lol:

nevermind :-)

Wow very impressive your reef is beautiful and the colours are great.
You take great pictures I was drooling here looking at them, what you think is being the biggest challenge so far...

Thanks! Any you know, that's a very good question! There have been (and continue to be) so many big challenges. I don't know if I can really pin point one. Over the four years the tank has been hit with a lot of things. From the usual struggling with chemistry, heat, disease, red bugs, algae, cyano, to equipment failures, natural disasters, long power outages, lack of time. Ya, I don't think there was any one thing that stood out really. It's all kinda a blur really :lol:

[Skimmerking]

:pop2:

[SoloSK71]

I think you need to frag some of that goniopora for when I next save up for a frag shopping spree ... ;)

Charles

[kien]

Now that summer has wound down and we are back into the fall I found myself reflecting back on the past year. For those of you still following along at home, this is about the time last year that I rolled up my sleeves, got back into my tank and made a major course correction from where it was headed, back in the summer of 2012. In short, the tank sucked goat nads and I needed to do something about it. In fact, now that I think about, the tank has suffered in some form or other pretty much every summer that it has been running. This summer was different though. Miraculously, the tank came out of this summer with very few bumps or bruises. There was that incident with the flooding and subsequent power outtage back in June, but even from that the tank came out with just superficial wounds.

So, what was different about this past year compared to the previous 3 years ? Well, for starters I started to pray for my tank more often. Once I cleaned up the tank with a few hefty water changes I immediately started to pray for its stability and continued health. As soon as I put in my first few pieces of coral I would pray for their survival. I prayed a lot. I prayed to God, to Mother Mary, Baby Jesus and even to Brett. I prayed to anyone who would listen, or not. I didn't discriminate. This worked out quite well as I started to observe immediate results. My corals were growing, gaining great colours. My nuisance algaes went away and my fish were all thriving. I continued to pray for every single organism that I put into my tank with great success. I even started to pray for my equipment.

Then.. (dun Dun DUN..) the summer rolled around. Like every other summer before it, and like everyone else, I started to get super busy again. And again, I didn't have as much time to dedicate to the tank. However, I was determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past summers. I decided that I really needed a way to pray for my tank while I wasn't around my tank as often..

Let me present, The Reef Prayer Reactor.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7291/9959481076_4249cdf4b1_c.jpg

The prayer reactor is just as its name suggests, a reactor, for prayers. This was a fairly simple DIY project which went something like this..

Step 1. Obtain an old or new reactor, it really doesn't matter. In this case, size really doesn't matter either. Reef prayers are surprisingly compact and space efficient.

Step 2. Label the reactor appropriately so as not to confuse it with other media reactors. The last thing you want is accidentally putting carbon or GFO into your Prayer Reactor and dirtying up your reef prayers. As you can see here, it is very clear what each reactor is used for.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3731/9959405845_1d9a87129a_c.jpg

Step 3. Write out your reef prayers of choice. It really does not matter if you hand write or print them. The paper stock doesn't matter either. I've used different paper styles with great results. Font also does not matter.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3684/9959573473_81b2a015c9_c.jpg

Step 4. Place your reef payers in the Reef Prayer Reactor.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3775/9959424565_ebc0f2194f_c.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5475/9959419375_10097cb72d_c.jpg

Step 5. Place your Reef Prayer Reactor near your tank.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5484/9959462956_734d4f6bcf_c.jpg

Step 6. Enjoy and marvel at your achievment.

Step 6b. Take pictures and post to Canreef.

The Reef Prayer Reactor was a very simple DIY project that has proven to be invaluable ! It is extremely energy efficient and has very little impact on the environment. Now I have a means of praying for my tank while I myself am unable to for whatever reason. It prays for my reef while I'm busy mowing the lawn, gardening, out playing soccer, on vacation. Reef prayers 24/7/365 ! I highly recommend it to anyone needing or wanting something similar. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have as I will be more than happy to answer them. As always, thanks for looking, and keep on reefing on!

[Dez]

What if I'm too lazy to DIY one? Are these prayer reactors for sale? I would definitely like one.

[kien]

And some results.

Montipora Spongodes

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3734/9927256236_fd8176c268_o.jpg

Unknown Acropora.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7308/9927393713_e87c4f9e6d_o.jpg

Incredible Hulk

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3831/9927233225_1602344743_o.jpg

This "Northern Delight" completely browned out after the June power outage but came back nicely over the summer.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7407/9927253016_e3a78e6595_c.jpg

Hermit crab worshiping the Northern Delight.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5536/9927208786_6c560391a9_o.jpg

ORA Pearlberry

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3713/9927392583_b5ed5440d6_b.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5544/9927255054_7e002d03ff_o.jpg

Pink Millepora.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2868/9927251826_cb9f609231_o.jpg

This guy started out as this 1" nubbin one year ago.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8058/8202575442_a171602635_o.jpg

Meteor Shower Cyphastrea.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7397/9927250896_552d428230_o.jpg

Coral Master's Rainbow Stylophora.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2866/9927250636_199575fd4a_o.jpg

Not to be confused with the Tyree Rainbow Stylophora.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3775/9927194915_a98aa3a605_o.jpg

Tyree Undata.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2810/9927289624_509e6e8fb2_o.jpg

[reefermadness]

Nice pics Kien. You must have that Northern Delight mounted under some good PAR. I find it to be a hardy acro in terms of STN/RTN but can be a little finicky in terms of colour. When its in its prime though it is stunning.....especially from above. I would love to see some fellow reefers with nice colonies of that one.....good luck.

[kien]

Thanks. Ya, I do have that one very high up, right under a 250watt halide. That one has become my canary. It is quite fickle and tells me when something is wrong. It turned quite brown when the lights went out for 24 hrs during our June flood but it held it together and got its colour back over the summer. It continues to grow and colour up nicely!

[Skimmerking]

loving your tank mang i need SPS HINT HINT

[kien]

loving your tank mang i need SPS HINT HINT

Come to Calgary, HINT HINT.

.. also, leave the Black Hawk at home, but bring the running shoes.

[lastlight]

very nice reactor i'm glad it's working out for you! i've been manually dosing prayers with only minor success.

[kien]

very nice reactor i'm glad it's working out for you! i've been manually dosing prayers with only minor success.

Thanks! And here's more proof that it works!

Purple Plasma
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7331/9927388113_d1bf2d5b9e_o.jpg

An acan colony that has had a rough go at it but has finally settled into a place where it won't get stung but anyone, or knock over into the sand bed by fish.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2845/9927387513_8cd235048b_o.jpg

Purple Gorgonia

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3699/9927288024_2460de8d02_o.jpg

A Pink Lemonade that really isn't all that pink.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3796/9927386073_b6ebdec352_o.jpg

But has done quite well. Started out as this nubbin one year ago.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8344/8201480979_587e687fd2_o.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8202/8202574092_0cb6daebb6_o.jpg

The Purple Monster and its worshiping hermit crab.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5456/9927227175_0c986dc6e0_o.jpg

Branching Cyphastrea

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7306/9927246716_b7abce5fc4_o.jpg

Unknown acro (Probably a granulosa of some sort). One of my favourite pieces. Not a terribly fast grower but steady and colourful.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2864/9927285104_95e5ca568b_o.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5475/9927383983_dc6ce31226_o.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3752/9927230666_f6accf85b1_o.jpg

Forest Fire Montipora.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7380/9927283754_6d0a424e38_o.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5518/9927210155_c447b38936_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7376/9927232416_c2dee98251_o.jpg

Cobalt Blue Tortuosa.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3739/9927283364_af1d692e68_o.jpg

Joe the Coral trucking along and getting cozy with the Blue Cloves.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7364/9927382643_0996bc8819_o.jpg

Acropora Granulosa. This guy also completely lost its colours and browned out during the June power outage. You can see in its base the brown that it had turned. Over the summer it turned around and came back with a vengeance and continues to recover nicely.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3807/9927361133_ec2b9c6f05_o.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3800/9927223425_4a8eb20fea_o.jpg

DV's Kushberry.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3727/9927222475_fcf9dbcc75_o.jpg

[Rice Reef]

Gorgeous pics as always! Glad to see that the northern delight has come back. I have one of those and it too has gone thru some set backs prior to adding it to my tank. It is coming around but slowly... I don't have it high up... More like a third up from the bottom. It has a dark green tone... Anyways I am going to leave it there for a while longer and see what happens... If I don't like it I will raise it up high like yours... Rich also has one in his frag tank and it looked promising in there.

[Reef Pilot]

Too nice.... I'm getting envious again...

[Madreefer]

Awesome pics. Would really like to get a frag of that forest fire monti if you ever frag it:biggrin:

[FishyFishy!]

That forest fire monti is pure sexiness!

What are you running in the two TLF Reactors? Carbon and GFO?

[kien]

That forest fire monti is pure sexiness!

What are you running in the two TLF Reactors? Carbon and GFO?

Yes, Rox Carbon and GFO.

[kien]

What if I'm too lazy to DIY one? Are these prayer reactors for sale? I would definitely like one.

I have a spare if you ever need one.

[hunggi74]

OMG!!! I just about sh** myself laughing so hard reading up on your prayer reactor! I needs to get one of those going as well:lol:

[kien]

3 nameless acros that I picked up recently from Reefwonderland here in Calgary. A Great assortment of stuff there for sure!

I love taking these early frag photos because it's always cool to see how they'll turn out months from now.
Or not.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5539/9927217456_5e79d89d9e_o.jpghttp://farm6.staticflickr.com/5483/9927220365_957dd50e63_o.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5448/9927239756_fc8a31a7e9_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7358/9927278344_5c675f8b55_o.jpg

acropora efflorescens

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3727/9927278004_1068d3c7f3_o.jpg

Acropora Humilis.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5350/9927217865_d4cd6f069b_o.jpg

Limeade Nasuta

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5529/9927375863_fbcfcbd3b4_o.jpg

Teal Turaki.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3813/9927373743_55262af011_o.jpg

A Sarmentosa just starting to establish itself.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2817/9927373303_166909bee4_o.jpg

Montipora Stellata ("Bee Stinger").

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7342/9927270194_90439ee2e0_o.jpg

Superman Montipora

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7360/9927270864_0090231f2c_o.jpg

Ponape Birdsnest.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5452/9927269534_58c55bf2e7_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7297/9927258064_965c700777_o.jpg

[Magickiwi]

OMG!!! I just about sh** myself laughing so hard reading up on your prayer reactor! I needs to get one of those going as well:lol:

I thought he may have been serious so I just kept my mouth shut.

[kien]

Tyree Red Dragon

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5543/9927367453_798214414c_o.jpg

FAL Woverine.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5501/9927209175_226ed7d9f6_o.jpg

OC Strawberry Shortcake

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2883/9927366003_b1f68a5a14_o.jpg

Booberry Digitata

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3688/9927360563_d4f24c4222_o.jpg

Montipora Nodosa

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2823/9927199625_ce1ee2602c_o.jpg

Pokerstar Montipora.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3723/9927258454_dd01cb683a_o.jpg

Hot Pink Birdsnest. Whoops, a bit out of focus.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7310/9927218436_6b47d9b3ab_o.jpg

Unknown acro. Cousin to the Purple monster, but blue and green. Slow grower but hardy.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5537/9927193215_8cdf8fd8ee_o.jpg

FAL Poison Ivy.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5347/9927192615_b0bbf94e01_o.jpg

Icefire Enchinata

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7351/9927247244_40fabc475a_o.jpg

Purple Stylopora

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3804/9927348553_56e43b7f4a_o.jpg

Ice Blue Millepora.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2869/9927249664_c36d8b7cfe_o.jpg

Neon Green Pocillopora.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7359/9927346823_780b215147_o.jpg

Raspberry grapeade (I just made that up).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7309/9927205826_487a7b0957_o.jpg

[kien]

The Red Planet (although more of a pinkish planet really).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7314/9927204856_e7a3889e57_o.jpg

Bonsai!

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2854/9927184305_10093ae988_o.jpg

Pink Stylophora

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3833/9927183155_49268bf95d_o.jpg

A very minty unknown acropora. I shall call it, The "Minty Smoothie"

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7339/9927241394_bd39b3f1f8_o.jpg

Acropora Austera.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7349/9927181165_2fa3bdc855_o.jpg

Superman Samarensis

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7393/9927201056_095a5b5d7f_o.jpg

There was a discussion recently about how to control the spread and manage the warfare of encrusting montiporas. Well, here's my solution.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3699/9927233176_d702bcf7cf_o.jpg

Eventually they just encrust and run over the strip of epoxy but then I can easily peel it off and sell it as a frag and lay down a new strip of epoxy.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7301/9927272814_8882f3b60c_o.jpg

[JDigital]

Your Bonsai is BONKERS! Amazing piece. Smart idea with the epoxy. It's no wonder you've been looking all over for it. :lol:

[Snufflupagus]

I'm still blown away by your tank, setup, coral, etc. I'm still hoping one day I can have half the tank you do. Are there any tricks to get the full color out of your corals? I fine that mine do well, just can seem to get their true natural colors. It's like one day I'll get a glimpse of the true color and the next day they hide.
Love seeing your tank pictures.

[Proteus]

Some amazing pics

[thmh]

Iam diggin that CM rainbow stylo! :-) awesome photos as always kienner!

~Tony

[Kryptic4L]

that purple tip birdsnest is getting fragged for me or im sending out a team of highly trained lemmings to attack your prayer reactor

[lastlight]

that purple tip birdsnest is getting fragged for me or im sending out a team of highly trained lemmings to attack your prayer reactor

suddenly i've got a hankering for MS DOS and BBS.

http://www.matecha.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/lemmings-dos-live-and-lem.png

[Kryptic4L]

suddenly i've got a hankering for MS DOS and BBS.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/kryptic4l/8270575a89f2f28c891a33b1eb322cf9_zps1d58093c.jpg.
Fixt

[kien]

^LOL. That's awesome! Just for that you've won yourself a free Ponape Birdsnest frag. PM me to arrange pick up :-)

[JDigital]

PM me to arrange pick up :-)


LMAO! Best of luck to you on that Kryptic!

[Snappy]

Now that summer has wound down and we are back into the fall I found myself reflecting back on the past year. For those of you still following along at home, this is about the time last year that I rolled up my sleeves, got back into my tank and made a major course correction from where it was headed, back in the summer of 2012. In short, the tank sucked goat nads and I needed to do something about it. In fact, now that I think about, the tank has suffered in some form or other pretty much every summer that it has been running. This summer was different though. Miraculously, the tank came out of this summer with very few bumps or bruises. There was that incident with the flooding and subsequent power outtage back in June, but even from that the tank came out with just superficial wounds.

So, what was different about this past year compared to the previous 3 years ? Well, for starters I started to pray for my tank more often. Once I cleaned up the tank with a few hefty water changes I immediately started to pray for its stability and continued health. As soon as I put in my first few pieces of coral I would pray for their survival. I prayed a lot. I prayed to God, to Mother Mary, Baby Jesus and even to Brett. I prayed to anyone who would listen, or not. I didn't discriminate. This worked out quite well as I started to observe immediate results. My corals were growing, gaining great colours. My nuisance algaes went away and my fish were all thriving. I continued to pray for every single organism that I put into my tank with great success. I even started to pray for my equipment.

Then.. (dun Dun DUN..) the summer rolled around. Like every other summer before it, and like everyone else, I started to get super busy again. And again, I didn't have as much time to dedicate to the tank. However, I was determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past summers. I decided that I really needed a way to pray for my tank while I wasn't around my tank as often..

Let me present, The Reef Prayer Reactor.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7291/9959481076_4249cdf4b1_c.jpg

The prayer reactor is just as its name suggests, a reactor, for prayers. This was a fairly simple DIY project which went something like this..

Step 1. Obtain an old or new reactor, it really doesn't matter. In this case, size really doesn't matter either. Reef prayers are surprisingly compact and space efficient.

Step 2. Label the reactor appropriately so as not to confuse it with other media reactors. The last thing you want is accidentally putting carbon or GFO into your Prayer Reactor and dirtying up your reef prayers. As you can see here, it is very clear what each reactor is used for.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3731/9959405845_1d9a87129a_c.jpg

Step 3. Write out your reef prayers of choice. It really does not matter if you hand write or print them. The paper stock doesn't matter either. I've used different paper styles with great results. Font also does not matter.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3684/9959573473_81b2a015c9_c.jpg

Step 4. Place your reef payers in the Reef Prayer Reactor.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3775/9959424565_ebc0f2194f_c.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5475/9959419375_10097cb72d_c.jpg

Step 5. Place your Reef Prayer Reactor near your tank.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5484/9959462956_734d4f6bcf_c.jpg

Step 6. Enjoy and marvel at your achievment.

Step 6b. Take pictures and post to Canreef.

The Reef Prayer Reactor was a very simple DIY project that has proven to be invaluable ! It is extremely energy efficient and has very little impact on the environment. Now I have a means of praying for my tank while I myself am unable to for whatever reason. It prays for my reef while I'm busy mowing the lawn, gardening, out playing soccer, on vacation. Reef prayers 24/7/365 ! I highly recommend it to anyone needing or wanting something similar. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have as I will be more than happy to answer them. As always, thanks for looking, and keep on reefing on!
I love this!!!

[Snappy]

Great looking stuff

[kien]

Thanks for the comps everyone!

I'm still blown away by your tank, setup, coral, etc. I'm still hoping one day I can have half the tank you do. Are there any tricks to get the full color out of your corals? I fine that mine do well, just can seem to get their true natural colors. It's like one day I'll get a glimpse of the true color and the next day they hide.
Love seeing your tank pictures.

I don't have any tricks. I do more or less the same things that everyone else does. Water changes, dose alk&calc, bioPellets, GFO, Carbon, and prayers. That's about it. Aside from recently adding the prayer reactor my methods have remained unchanged for 4 years. These methods have worked well for me. I've had issues over the years but the issues were usually related to a failure to implement and maintain my methods. Ie, bioPellet reactor failure allowing my nitrates to climb too high. GFO reactor failure allowing my PO4 to get too high. Lack of time to do water changes, or temperature spikes due to our AC failing for an entire summer. So long as I stick with my (fairly simple) methods, I find that things work out well.

[Reef Pilot]

Do you ever have to add Mg?

[kien]

Do you ever have to add Mg?

Actually, I never have. I bought a 3 pump doser specifically for dosing mag as well, and i even bought a box of mag in bulk like 4 year ago (which I just threw out a few weeks ago because it was a solid mass), but when I first set up the tank I noticed that the mag wasn't really dropping. I was doing weekly or bi-weekly water changes which seemed to keep my mag high enough. I think in 4 years I've tested mag twice. The lowest I've ever seen my mag was 1250 I think it was. When I read up on mag I learned that it mostly affects how Calcium and Alk react and that a difficulty in maintaining those two levels can be a sign of low magnesium. So, instead of worrying about magnesium directly I just focussed on Calc and Alk and so long as I could maintain those levels I was confident that my mag was OK. Sure enough, my calc and alk have been easy to maintain and I've had good coral and coraline algae growth. I don't even think about mag much anymore.

Another reason why I don't pay too much attention to mag is because I really hate testing for it. After the second time I tested for Mag I decided that I didn't want to do that again, ever :lol:

[reefermadness]

Thanks for the comps everyone!



I don't have any tricks. I do more or less the same things that everyone else does. Water changes, dose alk&calc, bioPellets, GFO, Carbon, and prayers. That's about it. Aside from recently adding the prayer reactor my methods have remained unchanged for 4 years. These methods have worked well for me. I've had issues over the years but the issues were usually related to a failure to implement and maintain my methods. Ie, bioPellet reactor failure allowing my nitrates to climb too high. GFO reactor failure allowing my PO4 to get too high. Lack of time to do water changes, or temperature spikes due to our AC failing for an entire summer. So long as I stick with my (fairly simple) methods, I find that things work out well... you speak the truth like a prophet. Your prayers are obviously working.

[Reef Pilot]

And what salt do you use?

[lastlight]

think he alternates with DD h2Ocean and reef crystals. I never had to dose mag with reef crystals but do with DD. I'm guessing the use of reef crystals even half the time is what keeps his levels ok.

[Reef Pilot]

I use IO, so maybe that's why my Mg has been falling.

[kien]

Yes, as Brett said, I alternate every water change between H2Ocean and Reef Crystals. I use to also have Aquavitro and RoyalNature in my rotation as well but no one sells RoyalNature anymore and I don't like how Aquavitro mixes. I actually like using different salts with every water change to mix things up (hey, that's punny, hehe). Mostly I do this to help dilute any issues with salt batches as well as to compensate for any potential deficiencies in a particular brand/bucket. In my experience, all the (higher level) salts are pretty good. They all get the job done. However, you can't always trust the levels printed on the buckets. There's definitely variation. Therefore, in my opinion continuously using one brand of salt is really no different than using differing brands of salt :-). Keep in mind I'm talking about the "higher level" salts rather than the standard salts like regular IO. I've actually had IO in my rotation too but definitely found that I had to supplement that salt so I stopped using it. Anyway, I've been doing this for years without any issues so I continue to do so.

[kien]

Some fun growth sequence photos.

This pink millepora started out as this 1" nubbin about 10 months ago.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8058/8202575442_a171602635_o.jpg

And is now a nice colony.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2868/9927251826_cb9f609231_o.jpg

Pink Lemonade

Nov 2012
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8483/8201484153_9a83266a40_o.jpg

Jan 2013
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8505/8406760577_3e6614b09a_o.jpg

Oct 2013
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3796/9927386073_b6ebdec352_o.jpg

Red Planet

Nov 2012.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8062/8201484095_5454ba98cb_o.jpg

Jan 2013.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8511/8406757771_a92f1bf17a_o.jpg

March 2013.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8515/8564573074_10a2dae79e_o.jpg

Oct 2013.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7314/9927204856_e7a3889e57_o.jpg


Teal Turaki

January 2013
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8069/8202573634_361c13d805_o.jpg

March 2013.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8101/8563470723_c05a9b8910_o.jpg

Oct 2013.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3813/9927373743_55262af011_o.jpg

[kien]

Bonsai.

Nov 2012:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8343/8201484395_c1895a06d4_o.jpg

March 2013:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8112/8563472493_250a7b87ff_o.jpg

Oct 2013
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2854/9927184305_10093ae988_o.jpg

CM Rainbow Stylo

Jan 2013
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8056/8407852406_2048d611c9_o.jpg

Oct 2013
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2866/9927250636_199575fd4a_o.jpg

Panape birdsnest

Nov 2013.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8466/8407853366_747ec95133_o.jpg

March 2013.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8517/8563475113_036180c34a_o.jpg

Oct 2013.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5452/9927269534_58c55bf2e7_o.jpg

Green Pocci

Jan 2013.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8466/8407853898_6745fb98e1_o.jpg

Oct 2013.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7359/9927346823_780b215147_o.jpg

Austera

March 2013.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8522/8563470519_d3bc8d5510_o.jpg

Oct 2013.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7349/9927181165_2fa3bdc855_o.jpg

[kien]

FAL Poison Ivy

March 2013.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8228/8563472561_39b1126a3d_o.jpg

Oct 2013.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5347/9927192615_b0bbf94e01_o.jpg

Ice blue millepora

Nov 2012.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8346/8201481023_b449b0d200_o.jpg

March 2013.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8377/8563472073_d17aa96427_o.jpg

Oct 2013.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2869/9927249664_c36d8b7cfe_o.jpg

Branching cyphastrea.

March 2013.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8226/8563471837_152791b992_o.jpg

Oct 2013.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3786/9927245684_c9055371dd_o.jpg

Granulosa

March 2013.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8531/8563476079_b5980f6d17_o.jpg

Oct 2013.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3800/9927223425_4a8eb20fea_o.jpg