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View Full Version : Chris' 50G SPS and Zoanthid Dominated Reef.. NEW PICS NOV 15th


chris88
10-11-2010, 05:50 PM
I decided that I needed my own tank journal thread so I can post everything to do with my system in one area. Over time I will post pictures and updates on my system and the approach I use to reef keeping. I also will answer any questions about my system or any other question about the hobby in general. First some spec about my tank.

TANK – 50G 36X18X18
SUMP – 20G
SKIMMER – BUBBLE MAGUS 150
LIGHTING – AQUATICLIFE 6 BULB T5HO WITH 4X1W LEDS

BULB LINE UP:
KZ CORAL LIGHT
KZ NEW GEN
KZ SUPERBLUE
KZ FIJI PURPLE
KZ SUPERBLUE
KZ NEW GEN

WATER MOVEMENT – 1X HYDOR K3 AND 1X HYDOR K1 + RETURN PUMP (APRROX 500GPH)

WATER PARAMETERS
NITRATES – 0 PPM
PHOSPHATES – 0PPM
CALCIUM 440PPM
ALK 8.5DKH
MAG (UNKNOWN)
PH 8.2

chris88
10-11-2010, 05:55 PM
Here is link to a write up about tank before the crash 3 months ago. It was done for aquaticlife’s basically talking about my feelings towards their lighting system and a bio on my tank.

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=445072475&blogId=538589979

chris88
10-11-2010, 05:57 PM
Here is a link to my thread where I reviewed the KZ T5HO bulbs. The thread has pictures of my tank from before the crash and some info on my old system.

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=63770

chris88
10-11-2010, 06:10 PM
After the tank crash, which was caused by moving the tank to its new location I went through a few rescapes. When the tank crashed I lost every sps coral except one. I lost a few lps and a couple of my large zoanthid colonies receded. In the pictures below you will notice that all expect one of the sps are newer, but most of the other corals are the same. Here are some pictures of the progression. Keep in mind I use a camera phone and do not edit the photos so it does not do my tank or corals justice.

BEFORE THE CRASH

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010016.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010018.jpg

A MONTH OR SO AFTER THE CRASH

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010040.jpg

CURRENT AQUASCAPE (the rock in the top left with green palys is on hold for a friend and will not be there permanently)

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010082.jpg

It was brutal to lose all of my old sps, especially that large monti cap in the center. I grew that from a frag and I lost all of it after the crash. Comments questions are welcome.

reefwars
10-11-2010, 06:31 PM
nice tank:)

christyf5
10-11-2010, 06:48 PM
Sorry to hear about the crash, it truly does suck to lose SPS colonies let alone ones you've grown from frags. The tank looks great, I like the way its aquascaped and the large rocks covered with zoos. A great mix of corals in there :biggrin:

chris88
10-11-2010, 07:05 PM
Thanks, The zoanthids will completly cover the rocks in a few months. They thinned out a lot after the crash.

Zoaelite
10-11-2010, 07:38 PM
Wonderful looking tank, always nice to see large grown in zoa colonies!
Levi

chris88
10-11-2010, 07:45 PM
I wanted to post a few more pictures of some of the corals and inhabitants in my tank. Again, please keep in mind that I use a camera phone and I do not edit the pictures at all. The colors and tank looks much nicer in person.

I do not have this coral anymore, it didn’t survive the crash

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010002-1.jpg

Red zoanthid colony, fast growing and spreads over everything it touches.

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010006.jpg

Red paly and green zoanthid colony

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010010.jpg

Pink and green zoanthid colony

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010064.jpg

Red paly’s with an isolated green button polyp

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010066.jpg

Blue tipped purple stag. It was a rescue a few months back so it colors up more each day

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010084.jpg

I tried to take an actinic pic with the camera phone. I don’t think it turned out very well.

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010090.jpg

A rescued acro which was light brown when I got it a month or so back, it becomes greener each day

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010093.jpg

I think this picture turned out decent and it is my favourite part of my new aquascape

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010099.jpg

Some more zoanthids

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010095.jpg

Full tank shot. Colors are improving by the day, I accidentally let my alk go to high when I was carbon dosing and I made a few corals pale out.

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010102.jpg

kien
10-11-2010, 07:55 PM
Great mixed reef you've got there! Very diverse and colourful. I like that rift it looks cool!

chris88
10-11-2010, 07:59 PM
Thanks, it is not fun trying to rescape with the corals in the tank i must have knocked the corals over a hundred times.

Chaloupa
10-12-2010, 02:19 AM
LOVE the new look to the tank...sometimes out of a disaster you can end up with something really nice....and you did! LOVE the colony below your acro in the "favorite part of the new scape" pic...with the yellow skirts..that looks like a nice paly?

chris88
10-12-2010, 04:33 AM
i think it's a zonthid colony and the centers are really nice which are not really shown in that pic. It almost has the ring look of a hornet zoanthid. It is just starting to spread now so in a month or two it will take over that rock.

LOVE the new look to the tank...sometimes out of a disaster you can end up with something really nice....and you did! LOVE the colony below your acro in the "favorite part of the new scape" pic...with the yellow skirts..that looks like a nice paly?

chris88
10-12-2010, 04:33 AM
I have never tried this before but I was bored one night and I put the negative function on in the camera phone and tried to snap a few pictures. The pictures are not edited and I think they look really cool.

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010072.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010075.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010076.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010079.jpg

chris88
10-14-2010, 01:52 AM
I just wanted to stir the pot a bit and say that i only use tap water for my reef. Is there anyone else who does use tap water with success or has tried it and it didn't work?

marcingo
10-14-2010, 01:59 AM
I just wanted to say that Chris's tank does truly look better in real life(I've seen it). It is truly the cleanest tank I have ever seen and the corals are all incredibally colored.

As for the tap water thing I have always only used tap water in Edmonton and Fort McMurray and never had problems with anything. My corals have always loved it. I vouch for tap water as well.

Then again does the ocean use RO/DI water? Just kidding :)

Zoaelite
10-14-2010, 02:05 AM
The ocean doesn't use an RO/DI but then again its trillions of times larger than our little ecosystems. What sort of TDS do you get out of tap water from Fort Mac Chris, I say if you are having success with it keep it as it is.

That being said Calgary's TDS and ravenous appetite for chlorine means I will keep adding the RO/DI to my tank.
Levi

chris88
10-14-2010, 02:18 AM
I don't have a tds meter and i have looked all over for the municipalities web-site where they would post info on the water but i can't find it anywheres. I would use ro water if it were free or more convenient but my problem isn't to high of nutrients its to low. I am just curious if anyone else uses tap water or had a bad experiance with it.

blacknife
10-14-2010, 06:12 AM
I have been running leduc tap water since last winter sometime, I was aerating and salivating in carbon/phosban in an acuaclear for the first while but that got donated to the gf so now its just straight tap. I would not call it failure but probably from how much time I used to work on the road i have a few problems. Increased water changes lately = slightly increased look.

I keep debating the RO/DI upgrade but its a wee bit behind in the spending list right now.

Sps are growing slowly and not brown but not coloured yet but I'm still trying to get them figured out. lps are growing and have OK colour.

Just curious since we have similar sized tanks but yours it taller. is that aquatic life fixture much brighter than the nova i got off of you? I think some of my sps are to close but have not ruled out other factors yet.

chris88
10-14-2010, 01:47 PM
I like the aquaticlife fixture but in all hounesty i dont think its much if any at all brigther. It was almost double the price so i was expecting big things but i was let down buy the Par output. The one plus side i find over the nova extreme is that it has 4x1watt LEDS for nightime viewing and it has a built in digital timer. I have the same growth rates in sps with both fixtures. I did find a bit more color when i changed to KZ bulbs over the aqua science bulbs but i still would use aqua science bulbs in the future.

kien
10-14-2010, 03:38 PM
I just wanted to stir the pot a bit and say that i only use tap water for my reef. Is there anyone else who does use tap water with success or has tried it and it didn't work?

Here is a Calgary tap water reef tank (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=47211&highlight=lobsterboy). It is disgusting! :lol::lol:

Although, I think he started using RO/DI sometime this year, but up until then it was all tap water. Not sure why John decided to start using RO since he was having such great success with tap water.

chris88
10-14-2010, 09:41 PM
wow that tank is pretty nice and over time those sps corals really colored up for him.

Myka
10-14-2010, 09:43 PM
Nice looking tank Chris! Now if only my Zoas would grow like yours.

chris88
10-14-2010, 10:06 PM
I find starting them from small colonies and allowing them to touch live rock to spread on helps. It takes a long time to grow 2 polpys into 100, but it doesnt take much time at all to grow 30 into 100. I don't feed them directly but when i feed coral frenzy and rotifers to my sps i am sure they might absorb a little. Thanks for the compliment.

Myka
10-15-2010, 12:55 AM
I can grow SPS quite well, but these dang little polyps frustrate the heck out of me! Kinda like the time I tried to start up a planted freshwater tank...struggled with that for 2 years before I tossed in the towel! :p I have been thinking that I should break the frag plugs down and let the polyps touch the live rock instead of having to grow over the edge of the frag plugs...mostly thinking it will look stupid to see the frag plugs under the Zoas later! LMAO

chris88
10-15-2010, 02:07 AM
I have started a few colonies from frag disk and i just toss some epoxy on the bottom and mount them to a flat rock. I find stability and not moving them helps a lot to increase their growth. I also tried a planted fresh water tank and i was not successful either. I didnt run co2 which i think i a must for a planted tank.

fishytime
10-15-2010, 05:11 AM
those negative pics look really cool!

lobsterboy
10-15-2010, 05:35 AM
Here is a Calgary tap water reef tank (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=47211&highlight=lobsterboy). It is disgusting! :lol::lol:

Although, I think he started using RO/DI sometime this year, but up until then it was all tap water. Not sure why John decided to start using RO since he was having such great success with tap water.

wow that tank is pretty nice and over time those sps corals really colored up for him.

Thanks Kien, LOL.

I was using tap water for about 10 or so months on that tank, and then someone sugguested that RODI would further improve on the water quality.

I think its better to use it, my tap water was 142-145.
with RO its 000

but your tank looks pretty awesome, even after a crash. So if its working for you, let it be.

chris88
10-23-2010, 03:16 AM
I took a few new pictures today using a borrowed DSLR camera. I had no clue what I was doing so they didn’t turn out as well as I hoped, but they are nicer then if I used my camera phone. The tank is growing rapidly so now I just have to fine tune the color of some of the sps corals which are rescues, or pale from the carbon dosing.

Just a reminder, I only use tap water in my reef and half the time I don’t even dechlorinate it if it’s top off water.



FULL TANK SHOT
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR/IMG_2378.jpg

RED PALYS
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR/IMG_2341.jpg
STAG FOREST
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR/IMG_2366.jpg

STAG FOREST 2
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR/IMG_2368.jpg

VERY FAST GROWING STAG MACRO
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR/IMG_2272.jpg

4 STRIPE DAMSEL
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR/IMG_2274.jpg

GALAXY BIRDNEST
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR/IMG_2276.jpg

FULL TANK SHOT
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR/IMG_2291.jpg

DAMSEL AND ACRO
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR/IMG_2296.jpg

TRICOLOR, BLUE TIPPED STAG, GREEN POCCI
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR/IMG_2302.jpg

UNDER BLUE LIGHT
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR/IMG_2312.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR/IMG_2319.jpg

TAP WATER PARADISE
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR/IMG_2322.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR/IMG_2327.jpg


UNKOWN ACAN?
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR/IMG_2355.jpg

BRANCHING HAMMER
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR/IMG_2356.jpg

MONTIPORA DIGITATA X2
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR/IMG_2359.jpg

kien
10-23-2010, 03:33 AM
Wow great photos! You've got a Bangandolufsen tank going on there.

fishytime
10-23-2010, 03:42 AM
Wow great photos! You've got a Bangandolufsen tank going on there.

youre an audiophile too Kien?

+1....great photos mang!

chris88
10-23-2010, 03:52 AM
whats a Bangandolufsen tank lol?

chris88
10-23-2010, 03:59 AM
forgot to add this picture of a rare dogfish!

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR/IMG_2390.jpg

fishytime
10-23-2010, 03:59 AM
whats a Bangandolufsen tank lol?

Bang&Olufsen(sp?) is a high end brand of audio equipment:biggrin: very shiny

chris88
10-23-2010, 04:42 AM
Starting to get a hang of this camera!



http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2530.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2423.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2431.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2477.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2485.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2487.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2488.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2490.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2499.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2501.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2507.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2521.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2529.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2402.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2407.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2482.jpg

freezetyle
10-23-2010, 05:14 AM
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2431.jpg


Kind of funny that there are no fish visible in this pic. Great looking corals btw. I really dig the Canyon

chris88
10-23-2010, 03:34 PM
wow i just realized that there were no fish in that pic. I actually hate that they hide alot of the time. I have the following fish in there:

yellow tang
4 stripe damsel
yellow tail damsel
blue devil damsel
cinnamon clown x2
blue/green chromis
zebra barred goby x3

andestang
10-23-2010, 07:13 PM
Great looking set-up :) Won't be long before you have to add/change water flow.

Myka
10-24-2010, 06:28 AM
Looking good! Nice n clean.

kobelka
10-24-2010, 11:39 PM
Very nice,
How do you keep it as clean as it appears. It is spotless! Front, back and sides!
WOW!

chris88
10-25-2010, 12:58 AM
Thanks for all of the comments:

Believe it or not I use tap water and I don't get any algae growth anywhere in the tank. I don't do major water changes anymore but I do clean the filter media I have in my sump every 3 days which takes out a lot of detritus before it has a chance to break down. I also clean my skimmer once a week and it’s a bit oversized for my tank so that helps.

Every 3 weeks I will use a kent pro scraper on the back walls of the tank. It’s basically a big metal blade that scrapes off the coralline growth. I also dose a little bit of vinegar and vodka which I find really keeps my nutrients low, sometimes too low which is why some of the corals are a bit pale at the moment.

chris88
10-25-2010, 01:53 AM
The last few pictures I will be posting for a while. I have to return the camera tomorrow so it will be a few weeks to a month before I post any new ones. Enjoy!


http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2705.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2711.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2745.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2748.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2751.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2769.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2685.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2703.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%202/IMG_2530.jpg

chris88
11-11-2010, 11:49 PM
Hello everyone, I have a quick update. I have sold the big Duncan colony in the top left of my tank to make room for some of the sps which are growing very fast. I do miss it already; most people only notice the LPS corals because the sps don’t move lol. I sold it for basically a $1 per head to a fellow reefer so hopefully it will have more space in his tank. In hindsight I should have frag it up but Duncan’s take a bit moiré time and skill to frag because of their dense skeletons.

I will post some more pictures soon; I just need to get a hold of a DSLR again.

chris88
11-11-2010, 11:57 PM
I found one last picture of the tank before I moved it and as a consequence caused it to crash and kill all of my sps corals except one.

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/r047.jpg

chris88
11-27-2010, 02:37 AM
Just took some new pictures of my 50g reef. I used a different lens this time then the last round of pictures. Last time I used a macro lens which was difficult to use but took better close up pictures, these pictures are taken with a normal all purpose lens that came with the camera. The photos are unedited and I think show some color improvement and growth. Enjoy!
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%20NOV%2026TH/008.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%20NOV%2026TH/018.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%20NOV%2026TH/025.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%20NOV%2026TH/026.jpg
This coral was a dark brownish green a month ago and now its forest green with crazy polyp extension.
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%20NOV%2026TH/023.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%20NOV%2026TH/031.jpg

This bird nest has grown a lot, it has been fragged twice in the last month so the growth isn’t as noticeable in pictures
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%20NOV%2026TH/041.jpg

Growing very quickly
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%20NOV%2026TH/054.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%20NOV%2026TH/083.jpg

I fragged the birdnest on the left for a friend but they are both fast growers.
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%20NOV%2026TH/059.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%20NOV%2026TH/086.jpg

Zonthids are spreading like wildfire like they used to in my old tank.
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%20NOV%2026TH/062.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%20NOV%2026TH/064.jpg

Fast growing digitata that has been fragged multiple times in the last month
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%20NOV%2026TH/066.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%20NOV%2026TH/099.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%20NOV%2026TH/078.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%20NOV%2026TH/109.jpg

I think this picture turned out the best; Red palys that grow like weeds.
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%20NOV%2026TH/103.jpg

This picture shows of the aquascape nicely
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%20NOV%2026TH/111.jpg


Feel free to comment or criticize...

paddyob
11-27-2010, 02:41 AM
Really nice tank. Aquascape is fantastic! I may have to do some re-arranging.... oh wait... I already did that and what a head ache ha ha! I guess I will admire yours :p

chris88
11-27-2010, 02:44 AM
Thanks, I agree aquascaping is one of the most frustrating things i can think of. Everything gets knocked over, rocks never go exactly where you want them to, clown fish and damsels bite your hands lol.

Madreefer
11-27-2010, 03:21 AM
Nice tank! Is there a SWstore in FtMac? Tap water in FtMac? Ya sure, I work there and they say dont drink the tap water. Once again. Really nice.

chris88
11-27-2010, 03:44 AM
Yeah there is a pet store that carries salt water fish and corlas but it is insainly overpriced and poor quality. I order everything online and have it shipped. I use nothign but good ol fort mac tap water. I have recently had it tested and it came up zero phosphates, zero nitrates, and 8.3 ph so its great for a reef.

chris88
11-27-2010, 03:48 AM
Growth and color change in about 1.5 months

Before addition of potassium
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010084.jpg

After addition of potassium
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR%20NOV%2026TH/031.jpg

Dez
11-27-2010, 04:35 AM
I love the fact that you don't have much rock in there to let the corals grow. So many people pile the rocks high at first to give the "full reef" impression, but you've chosen to start it a lot lower. I did that as well giving each one of my corals approximately 8-10" to grow to the water surface. Nice work and nice looking tank!

lastlight
11-27-2010, 04:40 AM
Ok that hurt Dez. My tank's 26" tall come on I had to start somewhere haha.

Chris the new shots look way better and wow is the tank filling up fast. Have the same green digi and I can't get over how fast it grows.

Tap water to boot. WOW!

chris88
11-27-2010, 07:52 AM
I feel i should give some thanks to Dez, a couple of the corals in there are from his tanks. Everything is slowly coming together. I have some new bulbs coming monday which will help improve color a bit more becuase the ones i have now are going on 9 months old. I will eventually have to remove a few colonies to allow for some of the nicer ones to grow into big show peices. The tap water up here tested out to be really good with a ph of 8.3 and 0 phos and 0 nitrate. My only worry is some trace metals that might build up over time but i have been using the water up here for 2.5 years now and nothing bad has happend yet.

Thanks for all of the feedback!

BlueTang<3
11-27-2010, 03:11 PM
Looking good :biggrin:.

tooocolde
11-27-2010, 03:58 PM
Wow, big color difference since I saw it last.

chris88
12-09-2010, 03:08 AM
Just wanted to make a quick update. The growth has really started to take off again. My dkh is droping 1.5 per day which is annoying to dose but a good sign for the corals. I also stopped dosing vinegar (carbon) Because it was causing some corals to go pale. I will take some more pictures over christmas.

BlueTang<3
12-09-2010, 03:10 AM
Are you dosing any other products?

chris88
12-09-2010, 11:43 PM
Yes i dose brightwells potassium, iron, idodie, and a product called coral kolor. I don't know how well there working or if one or the other is making the different but growth is very fast and colors has imporved on most sps. I also dose mag chorlide.

chris88
03-27-2011, 10:31 PM
It has been a few months since I have updated this thread but I took a couple of quick pictures with a cheap digital camera to show some progress. I had to get rid of a few corals to make room for the growth I have been getting. Also I have begun dosing a few zeovit products and they have been helping a bit with color.
I still have never done a water change on this tank and do not plan on doing one unless the corals show some sign of stress. I do dose a lot and test often but other than that I just let nature take its course. I think you will eb able to notice some big growth from the last pics even though I have fragged mostly every coral in there.
Enjoy!


http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/SAM_0341.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/SAM_0346.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/SAM_0348.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/SAM_0349.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/SAM_0351.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/SAM_0353.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/SAM_0355.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/SAM_0360.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/SAM_0361.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/SAM_0350.jpg

Madreefer
03-27-2011, 10:51 PM
Nice tank! No water changes and using tap water. I'm jealous. Good job.

chris88
03-27-2011, 10:53 PM
Thanks! Yeah just plain ol tap water lol. If i had an ro unit set up in my house i would use it for top off but i am way to lazy to truck back in forth filling up water from the grocery store.

Carrera75
03-28-2011, 02:13 AM
Super awesome looking tank man and the growth in there is amazing. When was the last time you did a water change? I was doing water changes every 6 months or so but I now do them once a month just to mix things up a bit. My corals do very well and there is great growth too.

I used to use tap water for a few years too but have been getting water from Safeway for the last couple of years. Everything did well but there used to be some diatoms on the sand. They went away as soon as I started using water from Safeway. By the way, I have the same size tank but don't run a skimmer and I use MH+T5 combo instead of just T5s.

Cheers

chris88
03-28-2011, 03:03 AM
I used to do water changes every two weeks on my reef. As time went on i tried to reduce it and found it didnt have any effect on the corals growth or the tanks health. If you look back on the thread you will see my tank before i moved it and the sps corals in there are different then the ones i have now. When i moved the tank it crashed and i lost everything except the two lps corals i have and half my zoas. this tank has been set up since august and there hasnt been a water change on it yet. The skimmer and the filter pads in my sump remove the bulk of the excess nutrients which always me to feed the corals a bit more to help with growth. I do add trace elements and lots of iron, iodine, and potassium. Also i have to dose a ton of calcium, alk, and mag to keep up with the corals demands. Dont get me wrong i am not saying i will never do a water change i am just saying i dont see a need yet. Maybe for spring i will do a big 20% change just to be safe and to replenish some of what i cant test for.

Carrera75
03-28-2011, 04:05 AM
One more question. Are you happy with the AquaticLife T5 HO Light Fixture? I have been thinking about getting rid of my HQI fixture and replace it with T5s. I looked at the Tek Elite but it does not have fans or moonlights.

chris88
03-28-2011, 01:13 PM
The aquaticlife fixture is well built and produces a lot of light, but the only advantage it has over a tek is the built in timer, leds, and fans. The tek elite dose have fans i think but its missing the other features. the regular tek dose not have fans or anything else for that matter. If i hounestly had to pick again from the tek elite or the aquaticlife it would be a toss up. Not because i am not happy with the aquaticlife, but instead because i have heard that the tek elite produces more par then the aquaticlife. The only other downside to the tek is you are going to have to buy the legs, splash shield, and bulbs seperatly. If you have a few extra bucks i would go with the lower end ATI fixture.

azulikit
03-28-2011, 05:56 PM
Nice work! Although '"nice" doesn't even begin to describe how wicked it is.

Dez
03-28-2011, 09:06 PM
Your reef is growing in really nicely. I dig it. Thanks for sharing.

chris88
03-28-2011, 09:49 PM
Thanks for the great compliments. Its definetly growing in well. I have a question for some of you with mature tanks. Do you let the corasl just grow or do you have to constantly frag. I keep getting corals that grow into each other and fight. fragging takes a bit of work and i dont have many people to give the frags to up here.

Nebthet
03-28-2011, 09:53 PM
Wow.. very nice growth going on there... I have been wondering how your tank has been doing the last couple of months.

Dez
03-28-2011, 11:18 PM
Thanks for the great compliments. Its definetly growing in well. I have a question for some of you with mature tanks. Do you let the corasl just grow or do you have to constantly frag. I keep getting corals that grow into each other and fight. fragging takes a bit of work and i dont have many people to give the frags to up here.

I wouldn't consider my tank too mature yet, but I definitely have a problem with overgrowth. I used to frag the coral I liked less if they were going to touch each other, but now I've just given up. Like you have said, fragging is a lot of work and it's interesting to see what nature does. Sometimes corals will fight and one will win, then the other coral that has died off will strengthen up and fight back stronger. I have had corals merge and fight and then in the middle create a new species or something like that. I have an orange cap and a green cap that were fighting, and now where they were fighting is a new cap that is green with orange polyps and rim. Interesting indeed. I have been slowly removing whole colonies to allow some colonies to grow extra big. I have a colony that is almost 18" accross now.

chris88
03-29-2011, 12:34 AM
I wouldn't consider my tank too mature yet, but I definitely have a problem with overgrowth. I used to frag the coral I liked less if they were going to touch each other, but now I've just given up. Like you have said, fragging is a lot of work and it's interesting to see what nature does. Sometimes corals will fight and one will win, then the other coral that has died off will strengthen up and fight back stronger. I have had corals merge and fight and then in the middle create a new species or something like that. I have an orange cap and a green cap that were fighting, and now where they were fighting is a new cap that is green with orange polyps and rim. Interesting indeed. I have been slowly removing whole colonies to allow some colonies to grow extra big. I have a colony that is almost 18" accross now.

I wish i had a bigger space for all of the corals but i had to remove two colonies already to make room. I think in a months time i will have to remove two more colonies and move a few corals around to let the others colonies grow in. There is something about a mature tank with large colonies that appeals to me.

chris88
04-14-2011, 12:40 AM
Just an Updated:

I sold three large colonies to make some room for the corals growth which really changed the look of the tank.

I just had an RO unit installed. I have been using tap water for years with great success. I often wondered if anything would changed if i switched to RO water. I got a great deal on the system so i decided might as well give it a shot. I will post pics in a few weeks time after the tank has some time to get used to the RO water.

chris88
05-12-2011, 10:58 PM
Here are a few new pictures of my reef taken from my iPhone. I took them about 2 weeks ago and since then I have moved a few corals around to create some more space. If the pics look alight I'll take some more soon.

http://tapatalk.com/mu/d15b6bfb-6538-d618.jpg

http://tapatalk.com/mu/d15b6bfb-655a-49fe.jpg

http://tapatalk.com/mu/d15b6bfb-6578-a595.jpg

http://tapatalk.com/mu/d15b6bfb-65d4-9c39.jpg

http://tapatalk.com/mu/d15b6bfb-660b-c1a9.jpg

chris88
05-12-2011, 11:01 PM
Yikes they look blurry when I uploaded them. I will have to upload them to photobucket later and try from there.

reefermadness
05-13-2011, 01:48 AM
Looks good......but can we bigger versions? ALso that effect is a little too much maybe.

chris88
05-13-2011, 01:51 AM
What effect the white border. I posted it with a tapatalk app and it didn't really turn out. I am get my home Internet setup soon and I'll re post. I cant even really tell how the pics look.

reefermadness
05-13-2011, 02:35 AM
Ya the border.....not sure if I like it...personal choice though. The pictures look great .....but are a little small.

chris88
05-13-2011, 02:22 PM
yeah i agree the boarder is larger then i thought. Its the first time i tried to post from my iphone and i guess it has more limitations then i thought. I will use the DSLR and snap a few new ones and post them though photobucket next week.

chris88
05-16-2011, 09:42 PM
So here are the same pics from above but i uploaded them from my computer instead of the app i have on my iphone. I dont think i like the border so i wont be using that again. The pictures look pretty good for a camera phone but the quality is no where near a DSLR.

Let me know if you have any thoughts or comments.

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/iphone1032.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/iphone1031.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/iphone1021.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/iphone1015.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/iphone1018.jpg

chris88
05-21-2011, 11:12 PM
I sold a birdnest colony and fragged a bunch of my A.staghorn corals. It allowed me to move a few things around and to make my sand bed a bit cleaner. Take a look at the pictures and let me know what you think. As always questions and comments encourgaed.

Pictures were taken with my iPhone 4.

Full Tank shot:
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/may21004.jpg


Hammer coral (slow grower for me):
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/may21016.jpg


Full Tank shot:
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/may21008.jpg


Zoanthids (Fast growing):
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/may21015.jpg


Full tank Shot:
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/may21005.jpg


Zoanthids and Red palys:
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/may21014.jpg


Palys:
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/may21012.jpg


Full tank shot:
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/may21004.jpg


Fire red Plays (don't knwo thier real name):
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/may21010.jpg


Zoanthids:
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/may21009.jpg

chris88
05-29-2011, 05:41 AM
Just an update:

I seem to have ****ed off a few of my corals. I lost a frag recently and stressed a few mature corals out. I don't knwo what i have done differently then before but i have stressed a lot of the corals out and stoped the growth. I am going to stop dosing everything except cal/mag/alk and do some water changes which i havent done in a while. Hopefully it will make a difference.

chris88
06-22-2011, 03:45 AM
New tank shots taken with my iphone so the quality isnt the best. i have moved a few corals around and fragged up my large bali green slimmer because it started to look like crap after my DKH got uo to 11. As always questions and comments are encouraged.



Full tank shots:

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/june21st021.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/june21st024.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/june21st023.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/june21st022.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/june21st014.jpg


Zoanthids growing like grass:

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/june21st030.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/june21st029.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/june21st028.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/june21st027.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/june21st025.jpg


Tricolor acro growing from a frag:

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/june21st026.jpg

syncro
06-22-2011, 06:26 AM
Great color!

lpsreefer
06-22-2011, 08:00 AM
can i steal your tank! wow! beautiful!

delo978
06-22-2011, 09:24 AM
I just wanted to stir the pot a bit and say that i only use tap water for my reef. Is there anyone else who does use tap water with success or has tried it and it didn't work?

That's all I have ever used for the last 2 years and have never had an issue... I have 3 tanks and one is a 1.2gallon pico so that's the most finicky.

pscott99
06-22-2011, 01:53 PM
What a colourfull tank. I love the variety and beauty of it. When and what do you feed. I would like to know what you think makes your zoa's so happy and grow so healthy. Do you see them retract after feeding certain things. Understanding that your parameters, water and lighting are so good are you feeding anything that you feel really makes a difference ? You have amazing growth. Inspiring !!

chris88
06-22-2011, 02:02 PM
What a colourfull tank. I love the variety and beauty of it. When and what do you feed. I would like to know what you think makes your zoa's so happy and grow so healthy. Do you see them retract after feeding certain things. Understanding that your parameters, water and lighting are so good are you feeding anything that you feel really makes a difference ? You have amazing growth. Inspiring !!

Hounestly, I have been keeping zoanthids and palys for about 6 years now and i have never in my life seen a zoanthid eat anything. I do notice palys eating when small pellets fall on them and i have feed the large red palys in my tank on occasion. I feed the fish mostly NLS pellets and a green veggie flake. About every second day I will add a very small pinch of coral frenzy into the display tank to feed the sps corals and I guess some of the zoas and palys might absorb some of it. zoanthids in my tank literally grow daily I barely have any rock left uncovered. I think decent water quality and lighting helps but also mounting them in area where they are likely to spread and not touching them helps a lot. I also find mounting them on smooth rock or something that allows them to spread like lava because they bud off of each other.

chris88
06-22-2011, 02:05 PM
Thank you to all of the other comments. I have been trying to reduce the number of colonies i have and just let some of them grow into large mature colonies. I saw a tank a while back called "stag forest" and it had 2 or 3 massive acros filling a 100g tank and it looked amazing.

phi delt reefer
06-22-2011, 02:13 PM
Thank you to all of the other comments. I have been trying to reduce the number of colonies i have and just let some of them grow into large mature colonies. I saw a tank a while back called "stag forest" and it had 2 or 3 massive acros filling a 100g tank and it looked amazing.

you should keep an acro of every color.

so your best green , best blue, etc. Vary the texture as well.

Tank looks amazing man - well done - I hope my tank looks half as good as yours in the near future.

Can you tell us your exact feeding regime (food and quanity?)

badAZZlars
06-22-2011, 03:17 PM
Wow beautiful tank. The colors and coral placement is perfect.

chris88
06-23-2011, 02:54 AM
you should keep an acro of every color.

so your best green , best blue, etc. Vary the texture as well.

Tank looks amazing man - well done - I hope my tank looks half as good as yours in the near future.

Can you tell us your exact feeding regime (food and quanity?)

I feed once or twice a day a mix of pellets and veggies flakes. It’s hard to tell in the picture but there are 13 fish in the tank so i am bit overstocked. It could be all of their crap that helps with the sps and zoanthid growth rates.

I use to spot feed the sps corals rotifers and coral frenzy once a week. Now I am a bit lazier and I only feed the corals a small pinch of coral frenzy directly into the display tank every second day. Also every second day i add two drops of KZ coral vitalizer.

I do not do water changes unless something goes wrong in my tank such as corals looking stressed or pale, etc. In the year that the tank has been set up in its new location I might have changed out 20g of water lol. I do have a good skimmer and I use filter floss to mechanically remove dirtrius which I stir up in the display with a turkey baster once or twice a week. I have tried both tap and RO water and I notice no difference with either. If you have any more question feel free to ask i enjoy it.

Nebthet
06-23-2011, 04:57 AM
God I love this tank... I can't wait to see even more pics. Wish you had a macro lense for close up shots of all your sps.

chris88
06-23-2011, 05:03 AM
Thanks A lot nebthet. I will see if I can borrow a Dslr with a macro lens again. Its been a while since I used a Dslr and taken some decent quality pictures. If I am correct last time i checked your tank looks like it has cleaned up and went on a growth spurt. Good job with your tank and I look forward to seeing an update on here.

phi delt reefer
06-23-2011, 11:08 AM
I feed once or twice a day a mix of pellets and veggies flakes. It’s hard to tell in the picture but there are 13 fish in the tank so i am bit overstocked. It could be all of their crap that helps with the sps and zoanthid growth rates.

I use to spot feed the sps corals rotifers and coral frenzy once a week. Now I am a bit lazier and I only feed the corals a small pinch of coral frenzy directly into the display tank every second day. Also every second day i add two drops of KZ coral vitalizer.

I do not do water changes unless something goes wrong in my tank such as corals looking stressed or pale, etc. In the year that the tank has been set up in its new location I might have changed out 20g of water lol. I do have a good skimmer and I use filter floss to mechanically remove dirtrius which I stir up in the display with a turkey baster once or twice a week. I have tried both tap and RO water and I notice no difference with either. If you have any more question feel free to ask i enjoy it.

I'm going to have a lot of fish in my little tank but i figure my heavily over-rated skimmer + lots of flow will keep all the crap in the water column for the corals to take advantage of. Going to have 5 shrimp and about 10 fish. I work from home two days a week so i think i'll squeeze in a couple water changes weekly just in case. :biggrin:

chris121277
06-23-2011, 02:03 PM
wow your tank is stunning!!

Great work man, not sure if it's been asked yet, but what is your dosing regime like? do you run 2 part with a dosing pump?

chris88
06-23-2011, 02:39 PM
I'm going to have a lot of fish in my little tank but i figure my heavily over-rated skimmer + lots of flow will keep all the crap in the water column for the corals to take advantage of. Going to have 5 shrimp and about 10 fish. I work from home two days a week so i think i'll squeeze in a couple water changes weekly just in case. :biggrin:

once your tank gets stable the natural filtration should take care of the high bioload. your tank will tell you when you are feeding to much with algae growth, then just cut back. you could also try using a carbon source to drive bacterial growth if your nutrients become to much to handle.

chris88
06-23-2011, 02:45 PM
wow your tank is stunning!!

Great work man, not sure if it's been asked yet, but what is your dosing regime like? do you run 2 part with a dosing pump?

I make up my own 3 part. In 1 gallon jugs I mix the following:

1gallon 3 once of kent turbo calcium
1gallon 4 once of baked baking soda
1gallon 6 once of mag cholride

I dose the calcium and alk in the mornings in equal parts. I have a very high demand so i go through a lot of it. A one gallon jug of cal or alk last me about a week. At the end of the week I test the levels to make sure they are in line. If they are a bit high then I will cut back a bit and if they are two low I will dose a bit more. I try to keep my alk at 8DKH and my calcium at 420ppm.

I am not as strict with magnesium, I dose it randomly and a rarely test it. The corals are not as sensitive to magnesium levels. I aim for 1300ppm but anywhere from 1100-1500ppm will keep them happy.

lorenz0
06-23-2011, 04:08 PM
tank looks awesome man!

Zoaelite
06-23-2011, 07:35 PM
Simply stunning sir! Those red plays are wicked looking, have any macro shots with the day lights on?

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

chris88
06-23-2011, 11:43 PM
Alright, you ask and you shall receive. I borrowed a DSLR and a few different lenses and took a bunch of pictures. I don’t have much camera skills but these are some of the better ones. I should have used a tripod for the macro lens. The pictures were coming out blurring because I couldn’t stay still lol. I think a few of them turned out amazing so i hope you enjoy.

Full tank shots:

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/127.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/128.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/154.jpg

Sps coral shots:

This is my favourite pictures and it makes and amazing desktop background, just try it and see.
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/062-1.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/116.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/061-1.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/037.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/036.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/059-1.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/111-1.png
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/114.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/120.jpg

Zoanthid / Palythoa and Hammer corals:

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/068.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/041.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/028.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/109.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/111.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/112.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/222.png

chris88
06-23-2011, 11:46 PM
I could not get a good picture becuase of the placement of some of my nicest zoanthids, including my orange colony with green skirts and two different pink colonies.

Nebthet
06-24-2011, 02:44 AM
Nice shots.. thanks... Those digis are looking really good now. How many different colors of them do you have? three?

Time to move that sponge away from those zoas though if it is bugging them.

Keep up the great work.

and yes.. my tank had been growing, but it slowed down a lot the last few months as a bulb change was nearing, and I had to fix water conditions because the tank didn't take well to using zeovit food.

chris88
06-24-2011, 04:39 AM
Neb,

I have 5 digis. Dark green, light green, red, reddish orange, and purple which is more like brown. Most of them are hiding in behind corals or against the back wall.

kien
06-24-2011, 05:28 PM
There sure is a whole lot of AWESOME going on in that there little tank :-D

Skimmerking
06-25-2011, 03:03 PM
Chris you have a looking tank there

chris88
07-10-2011, 10:55 PM
Here is an update with my reef. I sold 3 colonies and multiple frags to make room for more growth and a slight coral rearrangement. I like the layout of it better already but I think I may have to sell a few more to make room for some more vibrant pieces. I am really trying to reduce the amount of colonies I have and aim for a more mature reef with a few contrasting colors. Let me know what you think of the pictures.

Full tanks shots:

Before!!!
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/154.jpg

After!!!
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/077.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/076.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/078.jpg


Coral shots:

Fastest growing coral I have now, I grew this from a lighter sized frag 7 months ago

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/IMG_0203.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/IMG_0207.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/IMG_0206.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/IMG_0202.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/IMG_0199.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/079.jpg

With flash!!!

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/IMG_0200.jpg

reefermadness
07-11-2011, 12:56 AM
looks great......

reefwars
07-11-2011, 12:59 AM
tank is looking beautiful man soon time for an upgrade to something bigger eh theyll be growing over the top in no time lol stunning!!:)

chris88
07-28-2011, 02:50 AM
Here are a few new shots of my reef. I sold another Mille and a few other frags. I have been removing so many corals but the tank still is crowded. I am thinking of getting rid of the big stag in the top middle left of the tank. It has browned a bit and only the tips are blue.

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/001.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/g002.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/g003.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/g004.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/g005.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/g006.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/g007.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/g008.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/g009.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/g010.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/g011.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/g012.jpg

Dez
07-28-2011, 03:02 AM
Awesome looking tank. You need to upgrade :mrgreen:

intarsiabox
07-28-2011, 03:06 AM
Great looking tank!:biggrin:

chris88
07-28-2011, 03:09 AM
Thanks! I am actually looking now for a larger tank. Its a lot of work because if i upgrade the tank i will need to upgrade the stand, sump, lights, skimmer, etc. I am thinking 90g will suite my needs but i wont it to be only 20 inches deep max.

doch
07-28-2011, 03:18 AM
Looking good Chris!! Let me know if you're getting rid of anything else. My upgrade is up and running (check out my tank journal in my sig)... but it's looking pretty bare. I could use a few pieces. As well, I have a bunch of frags that you may or may not be interested in. Shoot me a message and maybe we can find a time to meet up.

BTW... 90g is too small!! It won't be long after that you're thinking bigger again... and we all know what wives have to say about that kind of thing!! lol You're right though... it's a ton of work! I'm so glad to be in the home stretch.

intarsiabox
07-28-2011, 03:30 AM
I upgraded to a 90g (had to sell due to a move and new house not being ready, I'm currently homeless) and all I could think was that 18" wasn't wide enough and 4 feet wasn't long enough. My new tank will be 24" wide minimum and as close to 6 feet as my space allocated will allow. The width was what really bothered me though.

lorenz0
07-28-2011, 05:51 AM
Love the tank, looks awesome everytime I see an update

eli@fijireefrock.com
07-28-2011, 06:01 AM
Simply photo quality tank.
I love it :thumb:

lastlight
07-28-2011, 06:09 AM
Awesome looking tank. You need to upgrade :mrgreen:

Replacing some of those koralias with vortechs might give him a few more inches/months in the tank LOL. Really unique look and super sweet colonies I dig!

chris88
07-28-2011, 06:34 AM
Replacing some of those koralias with vortechs might give him a few more inches/months in the tank LOL. Really unique look and super sweet colonies I dig!

I recently upgraded the flow. I had one koralia 3 and and one k2, plus the flow from my returns. I got rid of the K2 and upgraded to 2 k3's. I havent noticed anything in regards to increase growth or color and its been about 2 months i think. I only upgraded because as the corals grew in the flow is restricted. The only time i really notice ioncreased growth rates is when i spot feed which i havent done in months but used to do all of the time.

i am worried the mp's would cause a sand storm or have to much flow for corals directly in its path.

doch
07-28-2011, 01:30 PM
Lol... I think he's implying that the mp's are significantly smaller!

chris88
07-28-2011, 05:43 PM
Lol... I think he's implying that the mp's are significantly smaller!


My bad i took it the wrong way. i thought you meant if i increased the flow more i would have even betetr growth. yeah the K's do shade a large area.

chris88
07-28-2011, 05:44 PM
I thought this would be fun to look at. The first picture is the tank currently and the second was it about 8-9 months ago. There are no new corals in the tank. They tank has been rescaped numerous times and corals have been removed, maybe even half of them have been sold off but there is not a single new coral in the tank. I didn’t realize the growth was that good? It’s even better when you take into consideration there was a two month period with no growth after I messed up my alkalinity.



http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/001.jpg


http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/Oct12010082.jpg

Zoaelite
07-28-2011, 05:54 PM
Holy GROWTH batman! That radioactive dragon eye colony practically exploded, well everything practically exploded! For such a simple tank you sure know what your doing Chris!

chris88
08-05-2011, 02:45 AM
I just bought a new reef bright led (blue) I am going to install it tomorrow and i will take some new pictures for all to see.

chris88
08-21-2011, 06:58 AM
Here are some recent pictures i took of the reef. I tried to play with the white balance to get rid of the blue from the actinic.

I also added a reef bright blue Led light and wow does it ever make the corals pop.


http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/ggg028.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/ggg027.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/ggg026.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/ggg025.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/ggg024.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/ggg022.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/ggg035.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/ggg033.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/ggg032.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/ggg030.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/ggg031.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/ggg020.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/ggg021.jpg

chris88
11-16-2011, 02:45 AM
I thought I would update some pictures of my reef. I don’t have access to the DSLR so the quality is not very good with my iPhone. I recently had a few corals RTN and I removed a lot of corals to open up the tank. I am still getting great growth with some of my colonies while other just survive. As always comments and questions are welcome.


http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/w165.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/w164.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/w160.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/w159.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/w161.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/w162.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/w163.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/w166.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/w169.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/w167.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/w168.jpg

tang daddy
11-16-2011, 06:20 PM
Nice growth on the sps and zoas, probally the iPhone camera but the pics look really blue....

chris88
11-16-2011, 07:55 PM
The camera does exagerate the blue, but i do have a lot of blue running on the tank including a reefbrite all blue led fixture in the front fo the tank. the pics look like crap when the tank settles down i will get the DSLR out and tank some nicer shots.

spawn
11-16-2011, 08:38 PM
That green birdsnest is awesome!

chris88
11-16-2011, 09:27 PM
tank a look at the birdnest a year ago. It was a rescue. it is found in the botton right corner of the tank.

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/chrishenz/DSLR/IMG_2378.jpg

Nebthet
11-22-2011, 04:17 AM
Chris, your tank always makes me drool. It is looking real nice these days.

chris88
11-23-2011, 02:20 AM
Thanks buddy. i will take some better quality pics in the new year so keep an eye out.

rburns24
12-04-2011, 06:35 PM
It's really starting to look like you need a bigger tank. Looks great.

Myka
12-04-2011, 09:05 PM
This is one of my top 5 favourite CanReef tanks. Love it!

chris88
12-04-2011, 11:44 PM
Thanks for the comments. I have removed even more colonies and fragged corals down to give it a more balanced look. I am in the process of picking up another tank but I don't want to go to big with a new tank yet. I will borrow the dslr this holliday break and take some new pics. I think I have it scapped pretty good this time.