terry's 25g starfire cube. new pics jan 30/10 [Archive]

the marine apprentice

01-01-2010, 12:24 AM

so after pulling countless number of hairs from my head trying to figure out how to load pics up on here i finally figured it out. so now i will start my journal for my 25g starfire cube that i purchased from john(lobsterboy) back in the summer. i am going to be going sumpless on this one with a prizm skimmer, one maxijet 1200 and an aquaclear 110 modded to be a refuge.
all my rock that is i the cube was from my 90g teardown so it is very much full of life and all kins of cool little critters.
for a light right now i am just useing my 48in 4x54w sundial just until i can sell it and afford to buy a 6 or 8 bulb 24in t5ho unit. so if anyone out there has one of these lights kickin around and need a 48 in with timers built in id gladly trade.
if i dont go with that style of light i will set up my 150w k2 viper and get a retro fit kit for some 24in t5's.

Skimmerking

01-01-2010, 12:26 AM

OK SO where are the PIC'S

the marine apprentice

01-01-2010, 12:42 AM

they are comming dont worry. im just organizing them right now

the marine apprentice

01-01-2010, 01:27 AM

this is the tank when i first got it from john. thanx buddy
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20coral%20and%20my%20tanks/P1010657.jpg
this is the original set up i was going to go with for the cube but decided to tear that down and do it alot different and have it on my desk in my office
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20coral%20and%20my%20tanks/P1010666.jpg

the marine apprentice

01-01-2010, 01:33 AM

this is half of the rock i had to look through and pick out certain pieces for my cube.
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20coral%20and%20my%20tanks/P1020047.jpg
and this is what i came up with
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20coral%20and%20my%20tanks/P1020130.jpg
then some live sand
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20coral%20and%20my%20tanks/P1020136.jpg
and now when it is clear
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20coral%20and%20my%20tanks/P1020140.jpg
an comments would be great as i am still thinking of a new way to light this thing up plus i want to get 2 smaller korilias, maybe k1 and a k2. would love to get a vortech mp10 saw one in action a while ago and want one badly but i guess santa didnt think i was a good boy this year haha

the marine apprentice

01-02-2010, 12:10 AM

nothin to uch new went on but here are a few shots of the tank now that i have my fish and coral in it
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20coral%20and%20my%20tanks/P1020176.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20coral%20and%20my%20tanks/P1020168.jpg
simon may recognise these
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20coral%20and%20my%20tanks/P1020177.jpg

Skimmerking

01-02-2010, 12:41 AM

looks good man. what about taking the powerheads out and using just hte AC500 there for the flow

the marine apprentice

01-02-2010, 01:00 AM

well i am looking to get a korilia 1 and a korilia 2 for it are you talking about my diy fuge i got on the side? its an a620 on that one and i was thinking that i would be able to get away with just a K1 and the fuge might be enough but wasnt sure.

whats your opinion

azulikit

01-02-2010, 01:10 AM

Looking good man! Can't wait to see how it comes along in the next couple of months.

the marine apprentice

01-02-2010, 01:15 AM

yeah me too im way more happy with the cube then i ever was with my 90

The Grizz

01-02-2010, 01:34 AM

Don't see much in the way of some round dark purpleish zoa's though.

the marine apprentice

01-02-2010, 01:36 AM

oh they are in there greg. i just havent done any close up shots yet. you will have to come over for a coffee and check it out soon.

The Grizz

01-02-2010, 01:40 AM

Will do as I have to bring in that skimmer for you.

the marine apprentice

01-02-2010, 01:42 AM

yeah sweet i almost forgot about that. i was down at the fish store today and was looking at his big bubble coral and also noticed he had a phosban reactor just sittin there with nothing in it and not being used.

The Grizz

01-02-2010, 02:11 AM

I still won't go down there.

the marine apprentice

01-02-2010, 03:16 AM

yeah i know and thats fine. lol

im looking for a light now for my cube 6 or 8 bulb 24in fixture. hopefully i can find a used one as i cant afford a new one

The Grizz

01-02-2010, 03:26 AM

Check out E-bay? I have been looking for a 4 - 24" light for my 75 gal. Have you had any luck selling your 90 yet?

the marine apprentice

01-02-2010, 03:58 AM

nope not yet. i might have my power heads sold though. if i cant sell it oh well it is something i can deal with but id like it gone

Skimmerking

01-02-2010, 04:20 AM

I think a K2 viper would work amazing on it IMO

the marine apprentice

01-02-2010, 04:27 AM

hey yeah i have a k2 viper just sittin here, just need a new 150w 14k bulb
then i could have it up and running. i also want to retrofit some t5's in there as well and build some kind of cool canopy

The Grizz

01-02-2010, 04:46 AM

Sent you an e-mail about a MH bulb

simplycoral

01-02-2010, 06:02 PM

Tanks looking Sweet Terry! Starfire as well :Banane53:

Did all the corals make the transfer ok?

Simon..

the marine apprentice

01-02-2010, 10:01 PM

for the most part they al made it. i lost 2 little sps frags, guess they didnt like the new tank.
thanks simon

and to greg i never got that emil about those bulbs

The Grizz

01-02-2010, 11:15 PM

Damn E-Bay share link never work's. I will find it again and pm you the link.

aquajeep

01-04-2010, 05:04 PM

let me know how the lighting goes.im doing a 33 gal cube.it has a 96w coralife compact on it now as its only 18"x18" was thinking of goin with some kind of 150-175w mh de 14k and 2-4 x t5 aquascience blue and fiji purple.unfortunatly i have to fig out how to mount as the t5 smallest size is 24" .was thinking of just letting it hang over sump behind the display tank.this is the best combo i could find for a small tank.viper vs galaxy or vertex electronic ballast any good?

the marine apprentice

01-04-2010, 05:54 PM

right now i am running my 48i 4x54w sundial on it, so im pounding the light to it, i just have it running across my cube and my bowfront right now. with most 24in fixtures i have seen you can adjust the legs so they can sit on a smaller tank

aquajeep

01-04-2010, 07:25 PM

i was just going to get some t5 s from the grow store 24 bucks each and make a square canopy with a fan hole in the middle to suck up heat.the whole canopy will be apart of the wall behind it,inc drywall and round corners.the whole tank and sump will be a partial room divide.im building it for my parents entry way of their mansion lol.has to be perfect looking and functioning as i have little room to add more later.wish i could find more custom pics of similar builds.

the marine apprentice

01-04-2010, 07:35 PM

that would be sweet.
so i did a test last night and yeah i need to lower my salinity the next few days. i guess i had my top up water confused with my wter change water oops.

the marine apprentice

01-11-2010, 03:23 AM

well after getting my new lights on saturday i took some new pics as well. so here it goes.
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020280.jpg
my new zoas from red coral
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020281.jpg
with just the moonlights on
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020286.jpg
here is a full tank shot
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020290.jpg
tank and light
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020291.jpg
front and right side
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020299.jpg
my engineer goby and my dragon having a staring contest, the dragon won
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020307.jpg
another side shot
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020300.jpg

LeeR

01-11-2010, 04:39 AM

nice ric florida.

that pic with the lizard is awsome

Skimmerking

01-11-2010, 04:49 AM

Terry
I wouldnt even have a Skimmer on there man. The tank being the size it is you can get away from just doing water changes like 1-2 gallons

the marine apprentice

01-11-2010, 06:06 AM

yeah i know i can get away with it, but i like the fact of knowing what i am pulling out of my tank with the skimmer. plus i have 9 fish in here so thats enough waste in the water to have my skimmer on.

the marine apprentice

01-14-2010, 01:07 AM

so i rearranged my rock in my tank the other night and i am still not happy about it, so in the near future ill try doing it again and see what i can come up with. i really need to make up my mind on what i like or just leave it alone and deal with it.

but other then that the new light is doing wonders for my coral and everything looks awesome.

The Grizz

01-14-2010, 02:58 AM

OH stop messing with the rock you silly a**, lol. From the pic's you showed me the pic's the other night I thought it looked pretty good. But who am I to talk, I re-did my rock work on Monday night, lol.

the marine apprentice

01-14-2010, 03:01 AM

haha yeah. well it is still the way you seen it in the pics on my camera, im just trying to figure out a more unique way to do my rockwork thats all. ill get it figured out sooner or later

fishytime

01-14-2010, 03:07 AM

haha yeah. well it is still the way you seen it in the pics on my camera, im just trying to figure out a more unique way to do my rockwork thats all. ill get it figured out sooner or later

PVC substructure?.....acrylic rods?.....13 packages of reef epoxy?....the skys the limit man:wink:

The Grizz

01-14-2010, 03:22 AM

haha yeah. well it is still the way you seen it in the pics on my camera, im just trying to figure out a more unique way to do my rockwork thats all. ill get it figured out sooner or later
Ya me too, lol. Some day that is.

the marine apprentice

01-14-2010, 03:23 AM

thats what i was thinking there doug. where the heck do i buy acrylic rods and such? i cant find it anywhere in red deer.

Trocar61

01-14-2010, 11:16 PM

I think Home Depot Has them.

the marine apprentice

01-14-2010, 11:17 PM

where at in home depot? would it be in the bathroom area?

the marine apprentice

01-15-2010, 02:16 AM

so i have some new pics to add up on here, a few members have been giving me a hard time about the pics so here goes....
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020323.jpg
this is the forestfire milli that lobsterboy gave me a few months back it went from the red color like his to crappy brown and in the last few weeks since i have put it in the cube it went bright bright green i think it looks cool.
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020327.jpg
seems like my clam is likeing the new lights i got.
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020326.jpg
here is a FTS
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020329.jpg
my blasto's seem to be pretty happy as well, thanks simon
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020332.jpg
i got this frag from dougy down at red coral, it has opened up nicely and is already growing, thanks doug
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020345.jpg
i really love taking pics of my ric's they are just getting bigger and bigger everyday.
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020346.jpg
and lastly here is a somewhat full tank shot taken 45mins ago.

thanks for looking and comments and critisism are welcome haha

Trocar61

01-15-2010, 03:26 AM

Nice pics man..I will have to get some of those ric's off you they are very nice..and that clam looks sweet.

the marine apprentice

01-15-2010, 03:47 AM

well if my rics ever grow then yeah ill be able to sell a few but they just dont seem to reproduce or what ever it is they do haha

The Grizz

01-15-2010, 03:53 AM

Now that you have the better light they should do well and split. The one's I got from Big A love the MH and it look's like one of them has already split. Got them Boxing Week.

the marine apprentice

01-15-2010, 03:55 AM

hmmm. . . . well i hope they hurry the hell up haha.

the marine apprentice

01-16-2010, 10:14 PM

i am wondering what these things are. they are little brown tubes comming out of my rock there are three of them and they all have what it looks like is a little critter inside them. i have no idea what the heck they are but they seem to release some sort of stringy slime once in a while. does anyone know what they are??? please
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20coral%20and%20my%20tanks/P1020353.jpg
they are the brown tubes on the rock to the right of my engineer goby

The Grizz

01-16-2010, 10:18 PM

the marine apprentice

01-16-2010, 10:23 PM

i dunno greg. they have been on this rock since the day i got it from the store in town here. and ithey have been releasing this stringy stuff everyday, some days more then others

The Grizz

01-16-2010, 10:37 PM

I have them on the bottom of my bubble and that was what I was told they are.

the marine apprentice

01-16-2010, 10:42 PM

oh ok cool. will they grow bigger and actually look nice or will they just stay brown and ugly haha

The Grizz

01-17-2010, 01:25 AM

not sure about that as mine are kinda hiden but if they are coco's they should, keep your Ca up.

simplycoral

01-17-2010, 01:27 AM

They are Vermetid Snails Terry..

They can be a real pain if they multiply and the mucus netting they secrete to catch food can be irritating to corals and hobbyist..

Plug the end with putty like i do and they will soon die.

Regards,

Simon..

PS.. Tank is looking great :biggrin:

the marine apprentice

01-17-2010, 01:30 AM

ok awesome thank you simon. i really need to get some of that putty you guys all speak of. i wouldnt mind using it to mount some of my coral on the rocks. im sick of them falling off all the time.

The Grizz

01-17-2010, 01:46 AM

I have some of the putty Terry. And thanks to Simon as well good info from some one who's know's his stuff.

the marine apprentice

01-17-2010, 01:54 AM

right on greg ill have to try that stuff out see how it works

the marine apprentice

01-18-2010, 05:26 AM

so i was sittin at my desk today looking at my tank and cruisin around on canreef reading peoples journals and what not, and saw something in a journal that i liked and i thought to myself that yeah i could build that and then some.
so i went down to my work room in the basement and found my big tupperware box of plumbing supplies, found my drill and a 1/8" drillbit and went back up into my office to brainstorm.
I ended up having a whole bunch of half inch pipe and fittings that i had gotten a few months ago for a failed attempt to a closed loop system that did not impress me at all, and i started building a substructure for my tank, i feel like an idiot cuz i never got a picture of the structure before i got carried away and put it in the cube.
the reason i had the drill and bit out was to drill about 25 little holes into the substructure as i had a maxijet 1200 plumbed into the bottom of it for extra flow.
the whole project took me about 2 hours and a few cranky corals, and confused fish.
it was totally worth doing because this is by far my most favorite aquascape i have done in the cube yet.
the reason i am kinda rambleing along is because i am waiting for photobucket to hurry up and download my new pictures i took for this.
thanks for reading and i hope you like.
terry
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020355.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020358.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020362.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020363.jpg
i love starfire glass
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020374.jpg
new rock work
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020396.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020403.jpg
and yes another one of my rics.
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020406.jpg
cornershot front and right side
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020394.jpg
cornershot front and left side
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020392.jpg

bauder1986

01-18-2010, 09:43 AM

Totally cool. Even though I live with this guy I still enjoy reading this thread

the marine apprentice

01-18-2010, 04:53 PM

so when the lights came on this morning, yes i actually got to watch the halides come on today i was up early haha. everything is still in place and not knocked all over the place other then one frag of zoas. which will be puttied down as soon as i get a tube of that stuff.

lorenz0

01-18-2010, 05:36 PM

tanks looking good. i really like the orange florida ric

the marine apprentice

01-18-2010, 06:10 PM

thanks dude, yeah they are my fav in my tank i think.

so the new flow i have in my tank is doing wonders for my frogspawn, plus i really like the way the rockwork turned out

lobsterboy

01-19-2010, 07:09 AM

looking good terry, those rics are sweet.

the marine apprentice

01-19-2010, 08:14 AM

thanks john. seems like everyone likes those rics.
you also have a pm

FlamesFan

01-20-2010, 05:53 AM

Nice tank mate. It's the exact same dimensions as my cube!:biggrin:

Trocar61

01-20-2010, 04:04 PM

hey when I'm ready to do my build I would love to have some help.:lol:
Your tank is looking good man.

the marine apprentice

01-20-2010, 04:50 PM

for sure derek. its alot of fun doing this kind of thing and it is a good learning experiance too. just seeing what works and what doesnt gets frustrating sometimes

the marine apprentice

01-26-2010, 03:11 AM

so after seeing flames fans tank thread which is the identical tank as mine i want to build a stand and run with a sump again.

but that will all come in the next few months but the main reason for the update is that i got a new shiney clam today.
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020486.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020483.jpg
and a full tank shot
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020484.jpg

it is big and sweeeeet

JDigital

01-26-2010, 03:34 AM

That's one heck of a nice clam! Tank looks fantastic!

the marine apprentice

01-26-2010, 03:36 AM

thanks josh. yeah the clam is amazing. keep taking pics of it because it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. im gonna run out of room on my memory card haha just from playing with settings on the camera haha

The Grizz

01-26-2010, 03:42 AM

Sweet clam dude, I told you that your tank is to small for it & it would look great in my tank,lol.

the marine apprentice

01-26-2010, 03:44 AM

you are right that it would look good in your tank but i think it is gonna stay in mine for now haha. it is sure suckin in the light from my 250w wow its like 5" across right now

LeeR

01-26-2010, 04:10 AM

sweet clam. take a non cellphone picture of that weird coral thing you have

the marine apprentice

01-26-2010, 04:12 AM

that coral i showed you earlier is not mine i found it at the fish store here in red deer. im just trying to figure out what it is. illpost it up on an ID thread. i am sure some of the sps pros could identify it

fishytime

01-26-2010, 05:54 AM

sweet little(for now) squammy(looks like) clam Terry....*is curious to see this coral too*

the marine apprentice

01-26-2010, 05:57 AM

the coral is a pavona coral. the store here in town has a big colony of it and i was just trying to figure out some info on it. the clams not that little is it? its 7" long and 5" across

fishytime

01-26-2010, 06:00 AM

the coral is a pavona coral. the store here in town has a big colony of it and i was just trying to figure out some info on it. the clams not that little is it? its 7" long and 5" across

That is little for a squamosa:wink:

the marine apprentice

01-26-2010, 06:01 AM

oh ok well i guess i better make some room in my cube. oooooooor i can upgrade to the cube i want to build. 36x36x16

the marine apprentice

01-29-2010, 09:26 PM

well there really isnt to much to update on, other then the free frag of fire and ice zoas i got from the roommate, they are doing well and already sprouting new heads. virtually impossible to get a pic of them because i put them in a spot on my main rock piece and there ended up being a point that stuck out right in front of it. but ill see if i can focus in far enough from the one side to get a pic.

the marine apprentice

01-31-2010, 03:02 AM

so i was bored today and took some new pics.
i really like this one
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020530.jpg
and this one
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020531.jpg

and also does anyone know the name for these smaller zoas in my tank
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020536.jpg

the marine apprentice

01-31-2010, 03:53 AM

here are a few more experimental pics.
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020548.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020550.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020557.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020565.jpg

and finally my new sexy fire and ice zoas. love the red under the actinics

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/my%20new%20cube/P1020553.jpg

bauder1986

01-31-2010, 03:54 AM

damn i grow nice fire and ice zoos for fragging haha

FlamesFan

01-31-2010, 04:06 AM

damn i grow nice fire and ice zoos for fragging haha

Good to know ;) I got plans for a zoa island in my new 57g. Fire and Ice are one of my fav zoa's.

the marine apprentice

01-31-2010, 04:07 AM

fire and ice zoas are sweet. i am stoked for when they start filling in the area they are in.

lorenz0

01-31-2010, 04:59 AM

They grow fast. i'm making zoa frags next week because of how fast they grow

the marine apprentice

01-31-2010, 05:21 AM

i sure hope mine start growin a bit faster

The Grizz

01-31-2010, 05:43 AM

mine too I only got a couple from Josh but I sure like the color

the marine apprentice

01-31-2010, 06:14 AM

oh dont worry greg they will be growin soon. mine have settled in nicely and doin really well.

bauder1986

01-31-2010, 08:59 AM

haha wow I like being somewhat center of attention here. Yah sorry Greg that I didnt get a bigger frag to you...next time i promise! and the rest of you Give it a couple of months and ill be making some more frags but bigger frags this time :lol:

the marine apprentice

02-02-2010, 07:20 PM

so nothing much is new in my tank. ive been on a stand stil with any new goodies. but will be going half way to edmonton this weekend for some cool new zoa's and some bright orange suncoral. i hope the roads are not to crappy

the marine apprentice

02-06-2010, 05:26 AM

so my massive bad case of ADD got the best of me. i am suppossed to be packing up my house because i am moving this weekend, but hey the girl friend is at work till 4am so i might as well just take some pics of my tank and cruise around canreef for the night. moving is to stressful.
so here are a couple good snaps i took tonight.
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020580.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020581.jpg
the fire and ice zoas have set themselves up pretty nicely on their rock now
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020583.jpg

the marine apprentice

02-07-2010, 09:48 PM

so due to the times my gf and myself are moving. and today is gonna be the day i have to move my tank, i have a temporary tank set up at the new place with 20g of fresh mixed water and the remaining 25 comming out of my cube will also go in there to top it up. its a 45g hex that greg(grizz) donated for my use. since i am building a new stainless steel stand for my cube ill be running the hex tank for a while till the stand and canopy is finished. ill have pics up tomorrow of the hex and how everything faired in the move. good thing they will only be out of my tank for under 45mins.

The Grizz

02-07-2010, 09:56 PM

just make sure you take care of that clam of mine,lol

the marine apprentice

02-13-2010, 07:48 AM

well the transfer went well with everything. nothing is to angry with me in the tank, except for my bearded dragon who has his tank pretty close to my saltwater tank likes to head bob the fish when they swim by.
but here are a few pics of what i created with the loaner tank.
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020622.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020620.jpg

fragman101

02-13-2010, 01:49 PM

I was wondering if you would sell you 150watt viper mh or trade for coral life one foot 2 x 96 watt please call me thanks 7802331006

the marine apprentice

02-22-2010, 05:41 AM

so i have gotten a few new pieces of coral for my tank in the last week or so and i my add also go t the best of me. so here are a few new pics of the hex tank, enjoy...
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020643.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020655.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020657.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/duey123/P1020659.jpg