lastlight's 404

[lastlight]

The salty nuts totally got drop-kicked by the orange green formosa and the german blue digi. I made the mistake of putting some green digi behind it too! The green digi is all gone (stumps are growing back but I'll trim'em) and the salty nuts is starting to grow towards the back of the glass. Too bad it's not currently that visible from the front.

Your green shag dez is one of the ones i butchered off that flat rock. It did zero for me strangely enough. It's on the sandbed awaiting it's next post so we'll see.

[Coralgurl]

Got some serious tank envy going on here!! Amazing!!

[The Grizz]

salty nuts

Is what happens to a guy when he sits IN the tank to do his aqua scraping :pound:

[lastlight]

Is what happens to a guy when he sits IN the tank to do his aqua scraping :pound:

Ha. Ha.

Let's just say what happened to my arms in the 97 would have been very very bad below the waist. The 'pox' on my arms eventually bled in a few spots and got pretty swollen. Things appear to be going away now but have some pretty red spots still. Itching comes and goes :neutral:

[The Grizz]

That would really suck not to mention how would one explain to the spouse it is reef related. I am glad that nothing like this has happened to me.

[Snappy]

I'm bored so thought I'd demonstrate (click the image to enlarge):

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/origins900.jpg (http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/origins1600.jpg)
Brett this is a cool idea. :mrgreen:

[lastlight]

My squarespot isnt quite as laid back as my kole. I tried following both with the camera. Both usually swim together all day (more like kole follows and bugs him) and come to me begging for food but this gave me a laugh...

Watch the clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3N4-cBhLBM)

[kien]

:pop2:

[kien]

P.S.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af144/muzanji/photo-2.png

[lastlight]

I'm glad you brought that up I'll have to re-examine my husbandry =)

[lastlight]

Didn't realize that for at least 2 weeks my dusk/dawn (2x24w) have not been turning off. Guess I need to be more careful to put the timer back in auto mode after doing some extended hours viewing!

I have a toadstool of all things that has bleached or something. I'm hoping it's somehow related. Anyone know if this could have any negative affects on my fish with no darkness for a couple weeks?

[The Grizz]

Are you sure it not just in its molting phase, Brett? My moon lights ( LED's though ) are on 24/7 because I'm to lazy to find my cheap timers :surprise:

[lastlight]

It's Snappy's green polyp toadstool... the thing has full extension but is nearly all white right now. Not sure I'm not too toadstool savvy.

[The Grizz]

That does sound strange for sure......

[Zoaelite]

It's Snappy's green polyp toadstool... the thing has full extension but is nearly all white right now. Not sure I'm not too toadstool savvy.

Change your carbon recently? My stools always hated that.

Any little coraline spots forming yet?

[lastlight]

Yes I did actually good call.

Yeah I'm running the magnet every 2 or 3 days on all 4 panes and still finding that the coraline forms. It's all over the new rock as well.

Have dull/brownish hair algae 'tufts' in a few spots on my rock which hopefully doesn't get too bad. My sand is also fusing together in a few spots where I feed (and where the fish all seem to poop) and it looks a bit ugly. I never vacuumed the 97g and the goby took care of all of it. This time around the Kole won't allow him inside that area for very long. Sorta funny but yeah it's showing!

After only 2 waterchanges (things looked rad) I tried skipping a week and saving money going with one every other week. I'm already seeing the downside to this (or it's part of the whole 'new tank' thing which some people blame). Might have to go back to weekly. My changes are on the small side already for a system this size (50g or so) so maybe I shouldn't complain.

[The Grizz]

Well you have enough salt to last you a year or better down there so quite being cheap & stick to what worked for you in the past.

[fishytime]

thats one thing most people dont think about.....everyone thinks "ya, I wanna huge tank!"....they seem to miss the fact that operating costs go up exponentially as well.....I know of one guy here that has a 500g display and he does a full bucket of salt(180g) every two weeks:eek:.....Laurie does 50g a week on her 700g system and I dont think that is enough....she should probably do 100g a week but that would be quite expensive .....

[The Grizz]

Exactly Dougster!! That is something I still have to figure out how to acomplish weekly as well on the 300 when it's done. Really hard to do on a septic system but I have a few iders :wink:

[Parker]

I go through a bucket about every six weeks or so, depending on how lazy I am.

[lastlight]

I'm not sure about other salts but reef crystals says 160 gallons on the bucket. Then you factor in the fact that that's for 1.022 or whatever. I'm not getting even 3 changes out of a bucket so i guess a bucket won't last me a month which sucks. If I'm realistic I have maybe 6 months worth leftish.

[The Grizz]

Ya I think @ 1.025 - 1.026 you only really get 140 gal ish.

[Parker]

For me, it works out to appox 17% every two weeks for a 160 gallon bucket. That's with H2O, I'm seriously debating changing to a cheaper salt to save some cash as well.

[fishoholic]

....Laurie does 50g a week on her 700g system and I dont think that is enough....she should probably do 100g a week but that would be quite expensive .....

Actually it's about 60g not 50g.

[untamed]

For me, it works out to appox 17% every two weeks for a 160 gallon bucket. That's with H2O, I'm seriously debating changing to a cheaper salt to save some cash as well.

I changed to Seachem from H2O a year ago and nothing seemed to change much. If anything, the tank improved (but I doubt it was the salt)

[lastlight]

Picked up a gang of little chromis tonight as well as a female for my squarespot. He reacted to her immediately and the band on his head which is normally faintly visible was very contrasty as were the horizontal stripes on his body.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igTDuPKIeqQ

The chromis... sure wish they stayed small, all alive, and schooling. To dream! They already have drawn my firefish and gramma out into the open more.

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

Picked up a gang of little chromis tonight as well as a female for my squarespot. He reacted to her immediately and the band on his head which is normally faintly visible was very contrasty as were the horizontal stripes on his body.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igTDuPKIeqQ

The chromis... sure wish they stayed small, all alive, and schooling. To dream! They already have drawn my firefish and gramma out into the open more.



Hey Brett its called insomnia:biggrin:

Very nice little video

[waynemah]

That squarespot is amazing :mrgreen:

What do you use to get the great video quality?

[lastlight]

Lol I was going to add a disclaimer that my iPhone makes everything look washed out and shades of blue.

iPhone4 and shaky hand =)

[lastlight]

The male anthias keeps charging at the glass... it's beating his mouth up a little can't say I'm impressed. Can anyone tell me if that's normal? Will he calm down once the female's been in there a few days?

[fishytime]

he's probably seeing his own reflection in that ridiculously clean glass of yours:razz:.....he has something to fight for now that the female is in there......thats my guess anyway....

[lastlight]

he's probably seeing his own reflection in that ridiculously clean glass of yours:razz:.....he has something to fight for now that the female is in there......thats my guess anyway....

I sorta liked loser pinky-pie vs this new macho pinky-pie :lol:

His name was Frank but my daughter made us change it up. Hell maybe that's his problem?

[sphelps]

I had a male anthias do the same but he eventually broke his jaw and was rocking the slack jaw look. Eventually it died.

[lockrookie]

you have no idea how much tank envy i have....maybe one day the daycre kids will get an upgrade lol... looks amazing as usuall

[phi delt reefer]

get like 4 reef safe banner fish (poor man's moorish idols) would look awesome schooling in that bad ass tank!

[Nano]

I have total tank envy haha. man I hope I can impress you guys the way you impress me, with my new tank! its small but I hope to make a lot happen with a little space

[lockrookie]

its not the size of your tank that counts its how your fish wiggle lol

[lastlight]

its not the size of your tank that counts its how your fish wiggle lol

Or dash themselves into the glass.

Thx guys =)

[Nano]

its not the size of your tank that counts its how your fish wiggle lol
yeah my wife tells me the same things ;) jeez why did I even say that lol

[gregzz4]

Your Chromis school looks very happy. We always patted ourselves on the back when we put new fish in our ex-125g. Felt good getting them out of the pet store boxes.
I'm tending to agree with fishytime's thoughts on your male.
Oh, and I see you also like to make Pina Coladas while you're watching your tank.
Looking great :eyebrows:

[mseepman]

Awesome video...loving that tank. I can't believe how those little frags you got are already looking like they have major growth.

Very nice!

[GracieLou]

Brett your tank is amazing, the great aquascape and the open brighter feeling without the back being painted makes it a real pleasure to watch!! Can't wait to see it with your corals grown in even more than they already have!!

[Lance]

Nice vid Brett. The tank is looking real good; and the fishes sure appreciate the swimming room. Mr. Anthias is definitely excited about the new Mrs. Anthias. Maybe try a little salt peter in his grub. :mrgreen:

[fishytime]

Nice vid Brett. The tank is looking real good; and the fishes sure appreciate the swimming room. Mr. Anthias is definitely excited about the new Mrs. Anthias. Maybe try a little salt peter in his grub. :mrgreen:



but would that have the same effect on a saltwater fish??.....I mean they're already salted:mrgreen:

[fishoholic]

The male anthias keeps charging at the glass... it's beating his mouth up a little can't say I'm impressed. Can anyone tell me if that's normal? Will he calm down once the female's been in there a few days?

I'm pretty sure as, I watched your cool video, I heard him say "Hubba hubba :eyebrows: hey baby check this out" Bet he's doing tricks to impress the girl :lol:

[lastlight]

Funny thing is she barely even looks at him through it all :lol:

Saltpeter... that was a new one. Thank-you internet. Explains why the wife's cooking has tasted off lately.

[Lance]

Funny thing is she barely even looks at him through it all :lol:

Saltpeter... that was a new one. Thank-you internet. Explains why the wife's cooking has tasted off lately.


Uh oh! Getting a little satisfaction deprivation lately?

[Snappy]

he's probably seeing his own reflection in that ridiculously clean glass of yours:razz:.....he has something to fight for now that the female is in there......thats my guess anyway....
Agreed

[lastlight]

Chances are he's attacking his reflection thinking it's another male so it will likely continue when the surrounding room light is darker than inside the tank.

It'd take one hell of brightly lit room to be brighter! I'm hoping he calms down. Last I checked he does seem to be returning a bit to his older ways. The only casualties are his mouth and a big piece of my german blue digi which he must have run into. That coral is incredibly dense he must have a crazy headache right now.

[lastlight]

Tank has a healthy dose of this sickly brown hair algae now in a few places... but literally only on the new rock I've pruchased. My rock from the 97g looks great and is spotless. Pretty interesting to me... the mature stuff is obviously not leeching nutrients like the other stuff.

I'm sure this is the same thing as admitting I should have cooked my rock but it should be under control pretty soon.

My anthias seems a bit calmer today. Now if only I could get the female to eat. She's certainly moving about the tank much more now.

[gregzz4]

Hopefully the 'Mr' calms down a bit more and gives her time to relax.
About the new rock ... you knew it would leach when you put it in :smile:
'Bah, I'll just toss it in, it'll be fine'
Although you do have a lot of water, so I'm sure it will clear up soon.
You are using reactors aren't you? Forgive me for not remembering or looking back through the last 50+ pages.
I do plan on fully cooking whatever rock I end up with, regardless of how nice it looks/smells or where it comes from.

[lastlight]

I run a pair of the BRS single chamber reactors. They're basically RO canisters with cartridges. Love'em! Carbon and GFO changed monthly.

The rock with algae sends up a shower of microbubbles throughout the day. I always hate this phase of a new setup lol.

[gregzz4]

I thought you had reactors. I'll be using a pair of TLF 150s for the same purpose, thanks to Myka's recommendations.
The micro bubbles are free oxygen, aren't they? Good for the water and all that :smile:

[lastlight]

I thought you had reactors. I'll be using a pair of TLF 150s for the same purpose, thanks to Myka's recommendations.
The micro bubbles are free oxygen, aren't they? Good for the water and all that :smile:

Yeah they just get pulverized by the powerheads making my water look less clear otherwise I have no real problems with'em.

[lastlight]

Here's a pic of a funky bit of algae from Melev's ID site...

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/annulata.html

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/annulata.jpg

Apparently somewhat rare (I had a few isolated pieces in my first tank that didn't last long). I have as many if not more than shown in the picture. Only growing on the 3 massive pieces I picked up from Big Als. Can't say I really dig'em plus they use calcium!

[gregzz4]

Wow, Algae Anemones :razz:
I take it the 'somewhat rare' and so on is from Mark's site, and not your purchase from Big Al's
So I commented on it being free oxygen, but I guess that also means it's unwanted CO2 during the night

[gregzz4]

Did you see my PM?

[Delphinus]

I've had that kind of algae come and go over the years .. it likely won't stick around forever.

Interesting about the new rocks, eh? You just described my last 8 months. Hopefully your phase will be shorter since you have less new rock though.

[riceboy]

Just do what I did with my algae lol have about 8400 gph in flow going in my tank and IRS only 82 gal lol. So u only need 40000 gph going through ur tank lol

[christyf5]

I've had that kind of algae come and go over the years .. it likely won't stick around forever.



+1 just as you decide they're not so bad, they'll be gone :biggrin:

[lastlight]

Yeah and I'm tempted to even start chopping it out but who knows maybe it's stealing from the hair algae so I don't want to be too hasty lol.

Did you see my PM?

Every now and then I go crazy and sleep a little bit sorry man =)

Just do what I did with my algae lol have about 8400 gph in flow going in my tank and IRS only 82 gal lol. So u only need 40000 gph going through ur tank lol

I'm pretty sure I don't even have 20,000 gph in there. I'm trying to imagine twice the flow and wondering how you have corals in that! Then again I've always leaned on the lower side of flow maybe I worry too much about the fragility of things in there.

[gregzz4]

Every now and then I go crazy and sleep a little bit sorry man =)
Hehe, ya I figured you'd nodded off again. But thought I'd give it a go since you were still logged on. Thanks for getting back to me.

[Lance]

Here's a pic of a funky bit of algae from Melev's ID site...

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/annulata.html

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/annulata.jpg

Apparently somewhat rare (I had a few isolated pieces in my first tank that didn't last long). I have as many if not more than shown in the picture. Only growing on the 3 massive pieces I picked up from Big Als. Can't say I really dig'em plus they use calcium!


Dave (Mrfish55) had that stuff in his reef tank. He was not a big fan! Had a hell of a time getting rid of it.

[Mrfish55]

Dave (Mrfish55) had that stuff in his reef tank. He was not a big fan! Had a hell of a time getting rid of it.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I %#€£%#€££€€% HATE that stuff, took forever to get rid of it, going to have nightmares tonight.

[lastlight]

What a frustrating night!

1. Instead of shutting my four 6105s off to feed acan plus to my acans, duncans, zoas and brain (which always leaves a little too much flow still) I did the right thing and turned ALL flow off for 10 min. This must have allowed the fish to more easily pinpoint which corals were covered in tastiness. The kole and melanarus in a particular were pretty aggressively nipping at the corals for food. I was chasing them away for the full 10 min :twised: Next time I'll try feeding them first!

2. Since adding T5s my amazing access (via sliding halides) has been really messed up. Front T5s swing up and out of the way but the rear 2 rows are mounted to a massive 8 foot long piece of wood. The thing has to be slid right against my halides to get light into the tank. Currently it hangs from some wire but I already know I need to come up with something to allow me to raise or slide them away from the halides :twised:

3. Caught my kole nipping at my purple gorg for like 2 min today. Right on! I've never hung back and just watched this tank yet to avoid the give us food! give us food! reaction from the fish. My eyes have been opened :twised:

4. Female anthias still hasn't eaten :twised:

5. I really hate how those rear T5 are mounted :twised:

[The Grizz]

Sounds like the typical reefer day :lol:

[lastlight]

Here's what I'm bitching about.

For starters this works like a dream. Front access didn't change a bit. I won't get blinded when I open the doors once I wire a depressable kill switch like a fridge door has (reverse tho lol).

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/bitching1.jpg

This is my nightmare. Big ugly at the back. I think for starters I need some 4 foot pieces of that metal from the hardware store with the holes in it (think mechano set). Mount to those so they're at least STRAIGHT lol and then sort out some sort of lift. What I currently have in mind is more PVC! Use 1.5" vertical sleeves mounted to the ceiling for each 4 footer and then mount the lights to vertical 1". The 1" slides in the 1.5" and I just latch a tether to the back wall when I want in there? I don't know but it drives me NUTS right now.

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/bitching2.jpg

[The Grizz]

Is there any way you can mount the T5's to the MH so they all move at once. Bring the PVC down from the top slider in between the T5's & MH and add a tee with pipes to support both sets of lights.

[lastlight]

The trouble with that is I can only slide the halides forward maybe 4 inches from where they are right now so that solution won't give me enough space to get my arm in. I like each halide moving independently so don't want to lose that.

I already know the T5s need to NOT be one 8 foot titan :lol:

Looking at it again... if I raise the halides up a little so the souch mounts clear the T5s... I can rig each 4 foot t5 to slide as well so the slide UNDER the halides. That will let me slide the halides furth BACK again too. Ooooohhhhh! If I wasn't so damn grumpy right now I'd be... not grumpy.

[lastlight]

I was feeling better until I realized I can't add more pvc sliders without cutting those top rails. Not happening! I think it's time to recycle a small army of drawer slides I have kicking around :biggrin:

[The Grizz]

Time to upgrade to DIY LED? :twised:

[lastlight]

Time to upgrade to DIY LED? :twised:

Who are you talking to? I may be relatively young but I resist change like a (dirty) old man!

[The Grizz]

I am sure you will come up with a cool solution over the next day or so, maybe a custom aluminum hanger :biggrin:

[fishytime]

Time to upgrade to DIY LED? :twised:

pffffffffffffft.....there's no way the founding member and "Grand Pohbah" of the club would go LED:razz:......badge revoking bugger that he is

[lastlight]

I fully intend to return it to you when next we meet. But it won't be into your hands =)

[The Grizz]

pffffffffffffft.....there's no way the founding member and Grand Pohbah" of the club would go LED:razz:......badge revoking bugger that he is

Ya I figured as much...... waiting for mine to be revoked to........but mine are not up yet :biggrin:

[gregzz4]

I know this will not help things right now, but I think this switch (http://www.alliedelec.com/search/productdetail.aspx?SKU=70192267) may be right up your alley
They ship to Canada if you can't find what you want

[lastlight]

Yes that's exactly what I need thanks. I'll give Active Tech here in town a call to see if they carry something like it.

Might push back and pop my doors open tho. The current magnetic latches are just strong enough. Every now and then they do pop open.

[lastlight]

I call my first acrylic creation Big Ugly. She holds 3 socks and stands on 4 legs. Excuse the crappy iPhone snap.

Not going to win me any craftsmen awards but not but bad considering I did all the cuts freehand with a skillsaw and drilled out the 3 openings with HUNDREDS of small holes. Sure is something to be said for having the right tools for the job but that can't be said about me! Can't wait to install her tomorrow!

Water feeds into that box in the front then heads down the raceway. Exits out the end should the 3 socks get dirty enough to not keep up.

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/bigugly.jpg

[gregzz4]

Well that didn't take long. Looks good.
I haven't had time to work on mine yet. Hopefully I'll get some time Sunday.

[Coleus]

I call my first acrylic creation Big Ugly. She holds 3 socks and stands on 4 legs. Excuse the crappy iPhone snap.

Not going to win me any craftsmen awards but not but bad considering I did all the cuts freehand with a skillsaw and drilled out the 3 openings with HUNDREDS of small holes. Sure is something to be said for having the right tools for the job but that can't be said about me! Can't wait to install her tomorrow!

Water feeds into that box in the front then heads down the raceway. Exits out the end should the 3 socks get dirty enough to not keep up.

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/bigugly.jpg

This look very nice. Good job! now make me one lol. J/K

[lastlight]

Trust me you wouldn't pay for one! I slapped it together in 2 hours... used 8 brs containers of calcium and soda ash to half-ass press things in place but only for a few minutes and then moved onto the next seam. The seams are not works of art haha.

Still can't wait to finally put my microbubble/detritus issues in the sump to rest. I need to raise my skimmer up a little so I can feed the outlet into the raceway as well. Since the skimmer is gravity fed from the overflow... a lot of detritus that is not skimmed out finds its way into the sump via the outlet.

I only have 1 of the new vertex socks (very fine mesh) and will get 2 more asap. I have been cleaning it around 3 times a day (clogs fast given my return flow rate and the thoroughness of the filtration. I expect to pull the 3 socks for a rinse once a day now.

[mseepman]

okay...I have to be honest in saying that rinsing a sock even once per day is waaaaay too much for me, let alone three times! There must be a better way...maybe a coarser sock?

[fishytime]

okay...I have to be honest in saying that rinsing a sock even once per day is waaaaay too much for me, let alone three times! There must be a better way...maybe a coarser sock?

Ahhhh.... Now we understand why he was l/f acrylic ..... Looks pretty good for a first attempt mang.....

I'm with Mark on this one..... I used to have to change out my filter sock every two or three days when I used them.... Even that became tedious for me.... Hence me not using one anymore..... A coarser sock would definitely help lessen the maintenance ....

[gregzz4]

I'll be using 300s in mine. They'll get dirty and act like 200s soon enough before washing
Brett, if you haven't gone shopping yet, you might consider 2 sets for swapping and heavy washing

[lastlight]

Been doing it a month and honestly don't mind it. I don't want the stuff sitting in the socks for days anyways. This is a cheap way to eliminate nutrients too. These socks spray clean in less than 30 seconds.

[gregzz4]

Are yours the fiber or nylon ones?

[waynemah]

I tried the sock thing, wish there was a better way :(

[gregzz4]

Having the sock(s) after the skimmer makes a difference. Less chance of NO3 build up and such

[Coleus]

I have been cleaning it around 3 times a day (clogs fast given my return flow rate and the thoroughness of the filtration. I expect to pull the 3 socks for a rinse once a day now.

Now i know that time is the key factor for having success sps, my goal of having a nice sps tank is gone. I better stop spending money into it lol.

[waynemah]

I let the garbage sit at the bottom of my sump, it motivates me to do a water change every week and suck it out then. :mrgreen:

[reefwars]

I let the garbage sit at the bottom of my sump, it motivates me to do a water change every week and suck it out then. :mrgreen:


i suck it up and blast it into my fuge....my pods appreciate it and the growth in my fuge is proof .

[lastlight]

Now i know that time is the key factor for having success sps, my goal of having a nice sps tank is gone. I better stop spending money into it lol.

I currently have 3 mesh socks in there... course, fine, course. The course sock doesn't plug at all and water slowly trickles across the plate into the middle (fine) sock and that will become clogged in a day or not quite. So far very easy to maintain and having the course sock first isn't a problem for microbubbles all of a sudden. I never could sort out why I had bubbles in my siphon feed in the first place. I recently fiddled with the valve to my skimmer and I must have tightened it and stopped the air leak lol.

[christyf5]

edit: my bad, missed a page

[lastlight]

3 new additions:

- A pair of 4-stripe damsels (later noticed one is a 3-stripe lol)
- Matted filefish

All 3 may end up being mistakes but I love'em for now!

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHDiCvjBqmM

In other news I finally have my female squarespot eating (mysis but hey it's a start) and my hair algae is slowly diminishing on my new rocks.

[reefwars]

3 new additions:

- A pair of 4-stripe damsels (later noticed one is a 3-stripe lol)
- Matted filefish

All 3 may end up being mistakes but I love'em for now!

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHDiCvjBqmM

In other news I finally have my female squarespot eating (mysis but hey it's a start) and my hair algae is slowly diminishing on my new rocks.


i love the filefish there ugliness grows on ya lol:)

[lastlight]

i love the filefish there ugliness grows on ya lol:)

Especially if he eats my aiptasia =)

[Lance]

The file fish is the cat's pajamas, but me thinks the damsels won't look so cute to you in a few weeks time.

[Aquattro]

The file fish is the cat's pajamas, but me thinks the damsels won't look so cute to you in a few weeks time.

You give it weeks? I'd give it 5 days...striped damsels are, IMO, the worst ever fish. I had one once, I built a harpoon and tried to stab it to get it out of my tank. I ended up draining the tank to get it.

[Nano]

+1 my first fish was a domino damsel, beautiful little fish but mean a hell. I had to tear my little nano apart to swap him for our clown cause he killed my pep shrimp. I watched it happen and immediately grabbed the net. I was too late though lol. in a 400+ gallon tank i dont think that will be the issue though:lol:

[The Grizz]

Hope your filefish doesn't take a to you zoa's like mine did.

[mseepman]

Brett, loved the video. How is your tank looking soooo good already? I'm starting to feel anxious about my upcoming tank and being able to "keep up with the Jones's" as they say.

[lastlight]

Lol thanks Mark... The little sticks have such a long way to go but I'm enjoying seeing the new buds get bigger.

The stripeys have always been one of my favorite fish and Kien's 4-stripe is my inspiration. Yeah it's a risk but even I get to take risks. So many of you guys have angels and other risky fish so I thought I'd join the pack. I just did it with a pair of $7 fish =) My gramma is so active now I love it. I'll report back soon... heck I still have 7 chromis and they school quite often. Maybe I have the small-fish free pass with this tank? :lol:

[lastlight]

Ok day one was ok!

Wrasses just love (running at) the filefish. He is hunting pods and they know it so yeah they'll need some time before they're friends. Fascinating fish to watch tho and I never knew they actually had a rasp-like body but now the name makes sense! Haven't notice him eat any aiptasia but he's still pretty cautious moving about.

Striped demons are incredibly fast so I'm praying they fit in nicely. Only infraction I saw was against my corky finger. Little jackass took a little peck and in went all the polyps (something that almost never happens). I watched them for a few hours today tho and there was no repeat. They are tiny and yet so bold!

Everyone's got a few days before I bring my new maculaceps home from Golds. My fairy fishmother must have been watching over me when she sent me out on Saturday. They haven't had one come in in over 7 months apparently and I spotted him hiding in one of the top tanks. Only because I've been obsessing for a few days was an id so easy even with his pale appearance.

[fishytime]

ju got bigger cajones dan me mang:mrgreen:........Ive talked myself out of sooooo many file fish........I have aiptasia bad and cant seem to find any means that work on a consistent basis....I just cant get past the "may eat stuff" rep that they have......

[lastlight]

It's actually Brad's fault. He won't shut up about how he has them in every tank blah blah blah =) From the looks of him he won't be too tough to catch if I need to.

Once the new tang has broken all my colonies into pieces I'm sure I won't even care what the filefish does lol.

[reefwars]

It's actually Brad's fault. He won't shut up about how he has them in every tank blah blah blah =) From the looks of him he won't be too tough to catch if I need to.

Once the new tang has broken all my colonies into pieces I'm sure I won't even care what the filefish does lol.


super easy to catch they perch in the nighttime when its dark onto rock or corals makes catching them easy breezy, im 2 for 2 on eating aiptasia:p

[Aquattro]

It's actually Brad's fault.

I've had 4 in 3 tanks, no eating any corals :) I have one currently in my 180 that has some zoos I wish it would eat. Nada.
Another in my 50 that's mostly zoos, shrooms, etc, and nothing getting eaten but aptaisia in there. Shelley told me today about her tank, the filefish she had loved her nice zoos, so I guess it happens, just never seen it.

[lastlight]

I barely have any zoas... not to mention the weirdo has already really grown on me. My leopard wrasse has never showed any aggression until today lol. His colors are off the charts when the filefish is on his radar.

[fishytime]

Lauries eats LPS:neutral:........why oh why cant there be any guarantees in this hobby?!:neutral:

[Aquattro]

....why oh why cant there be any guarantees in this hobby?!:neutral:

There is. I guarantee nothing will ever go as planned. :razz:

[kien]

looking good mango. Ya, love my 4 stripe. Was a risk I was willing to take as well and it turned out. Have had him for 3 years now and he has never bothered a single fish, new or old. However, once I put my hand in the tank he turns into the holy terror that's in his DNA. I come out with lots of bite marks :cry:

[lastlight]

Thx bro. Still need to swing by for the tour when you have some time =)

[kien]

when you have some time =)

BWHAHAHAHahahah HAhaHAHA LLLLLLOOOOOOLLLLLLL ROTFLMFAO!!!

[Snappy]

3 new additions:

- A pair of 4-stripe damsels (later noticed one is a 3-stripe lol)
- Matted filefish

All 3 may end up being mistakes but I love'em for now!

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHDiCvjBqmM

In other news I finally have my female squarespot eating (mysis but hey it's a start) and my hair algae is slowly diminishing on my new rocks. They are a cool looking fish but very mean & very fast.
I had a 4 stripe damsel back in the day, never been so happy to see a fish eventually die. It got to be about 2.5 inches around and bit me every time I put my hand within 18 inches of his hang out.
That said, fish are hit & miss so maybe yours will be model citizens.

[Parker]

I have two File Fish, both don't eat aptaisia. To be fair one of them has only been in the tank over the weekend.

I'm thinking about throwing some water and aptasia covered rock in a 20 gallon to coax them to eat then move them back to the display.

[Delphinus]

"bump" ?

[lastlight]

"bump" ?

Watch where ya swing that thing Tony!

[lastlight]

Introducing Big Mac (acanthurus maculiceps). The stars aligned and for whatever reason I found one right after deciding I wanted one. I've only ever seen one more in person (same LFS a few years ago). He was very shy at the LFS and after giving him a couple days there to come out of hiding (he never did... in with some triggers that didn't like him) I took him home early. Turned out to be the right choice so far.

I added him to the tank and he did a full sprint into the glass at one end and turned around and did it one more time. Ok... HALIDES OFF.

This fish can change colours! The first two were shortly after adding him, next two getting comfy in his cave, and last two cruisin'! I had to sit in the shadows about 10 feet away and with only the T5s on it's tough to shoot with my slow zoom lens:

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/mac1.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/mac2.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/mac3.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/mac4.jpg

Didn't even realize the filefish was in frame. So easy to not notice the creep.

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/mac5.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/mac6.jpg

[lastlight]

Here's a video. Again I had to shoot from quite far away so he'd come out and I also seem to have the shakes here lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5zQRXc7mNI



Initial impressions:

- I LOVE this fish

- He's a big boy but so far he's a gentle giant. Only fish that took issue was my gramma who took a few runs from his hidey hole lol

- He eats valonia and hair algae. Both floated by his cave and he ate'em up!

- Loves nori. Kole could care less about nori... I tore a sheet up and tossed it in. He ate every piece to float past his cave while he was strictly in hiding

- I'll be removing a few smaller rock piles with frags on them. I'll need to find new spots for them. I want to open up a few spots in the scape for him

[Delphinus]

"
This video contains content from UMG, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds.
Sorry about that." :(

[Delphinus]

Pictures look awesome though!! Wow what a fish. :cool:

[Foxface]

Wow, that is one beautiful fish!!

[lastlight]

Thought I'd better give some of the other reef denizens some attention too:

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/mac7.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/mac8.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/mac9.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/mac10.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/mac11.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/mac12.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/mac13.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/mac14.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/mac15.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/mac16.jpg

[lastlight]

"
This video contains content from UMG, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds.
Sorry about that." :(

Aw crap. I guess it allows me to see it since I'm logged in. Tried not logged-in and saw same thing. I'll fix that. All my other uploads were flagged too but you can still hear/see the videos. Some labels must have diff policies.

[lastlight]

Video should be ok now. I subbed in some crap from youtube that's even worse than my own music.

[MarkoD]

wow that background is pretty sweet. where did you find that?

the fish are awesome too

[fishoholic]

Looks great, love the new tang. It's funny how dark they can make themselves when they're stressed.

[lastlight]

Thx guys I hope he settles in today so I can run my halides. Is a few days with only a few T5s going to really set my corals back?

wow that background is pretty sweet. where did you find that?

the fish are awesome too

Which background ya meanin' ?

So last night I peeked in on the tank at 2am and only the fuge light is on inside the fishroom so things in the tank are silhouetted a little. That silly bastard was zooming all over! Not sure when he went to sleep but at 10am (T5s come on at 11) he was hiding somewhere.

[MarkoD]

The fading blue background on the tank

[muck]

The fading blue background on the tank
Thats the wall behind the tank aint it Brett?

[lastlight]

Yeah the wall is 18" from the back of the tank and is painted white. The 'background' appears a bit different than before because I have 4x54w T5 along the back now so more light is hitting that wall.

I'm back and forth on the look... I love how the tank seemingly has no back. The powerheads look like they float on ocean. But when I view my corals from th back and look into the dark room in front the 'background' seems black and the colours pop so much more.

I'm likely going to buy a king-sized black bedsheet and pin it to the wall so I can revert if I want.

[kien]

Yeah the wall is 18" from the back of the tank

and you still have clearance ??? Just curious..

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

[christyf5]

Gorgeous fish and the tank is looking great! :cool:

[muck]

Gorgeous fish and the tank is looking great! :cool:
Way to derail the thread Christy.


Now to bring this thread back on track... :twised:

and you still have clearance ??? Just curious..

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

[lastlight]

and you still have clearance ??? Just curious..

Haha well clearance these days is a touch worse as I am a variable factor in this equation!

[kien]

clearance these days is a touch worse as I am a variable factor in this equation!

there's an app for that.. just sayin.

[muck]

there's an app for that.. just sayin.

:lol:

[Chowder]

Congrates on the fish. Was on of my favorite Tangs with lots of personality.

Chris

[lastlight]

there's an app for that.. just sayin.

You came back to us... guess I need to reciprocate or something :lol:

[lastlight]

Congrates on the fish. Was on of my favorite Tangs with lots of personality.

Chris

Thanks... really looking forward to him overcoming his shyness. Walking into the room means he doesn't do any of his 10s tours around the tank for an hour or so.

[kien]

You came back to us... guess I need to reciprocate or something :lol:

and aren't you glad I'm back?? :biggrin:

[lastlight]

and aren't you glad I'm back?? :biggrin:

umm... okay.... *backs away slowly...*

[gregzz4]

Great new fish Brett. I really love/hate the filefish, he's so different. Reminds me of a FW leaf fish, or a hatchet.
But, I really like your new head-banger. I'll never have room for such nice guys, but I'm sure my wife will make me buy little ones that I have to trade in later :biggrin:
Sure am jealous right now. I have water but no rock, tank is in the back room, still have to hack up my walls...
Sorry to hijack :smile: but my light is finished :mrgreen:

[MarkoD]

danm it they had a acanthurus maculiceps at big als today but they wouldnt sell it to me because it would be "to hard to catch" in a tank with minimal live rock

frick i hate these stores that dont sell things they have in stock.

[The Grizz]

danm it they had a acanthurus maculiceps at big als today but they wouldnt sell it to me because it would be "to hard to catch" in a tank with minimal live rock

frick i hate these stores that dont sell things they have in stock.

I have been there to, I tell them if they don't want to catch it to get me a damn net & I will catch my own fish. It would be easier on the fish if I did it any how.

I think I might have to add this fish to my wish list for the 300 might have to part with on Regal & Sailfin though, maybe :twised:

Brett, is there an easier name to remember for this?

[gregzz4]

danm it they had a acanthurus maculiceps at big als today but they wouldnt sell it to me because it would be "to hard to catch" in a tank with minimal live rock

frick i hate these stores that dont sell things they have in stock.
Something wrong with the staff ...
I'd be grabbing a net myself

[waynemah]

danm it they had a acanthurus maculiceps at big als today but they wouldnt sell it to me because it would be "to hard to catch" in a tank with minimal live rock

frick i hate these stores that dont sell things they have in stock.

I thought these fish require a huge tank?

Brett -- Big Mac looks awsome! Corals are looking really good too. Are you doing anything for low nutrient / dosing?

[lastlight]

Thanks guys. He survived a day of halides and only came out a few times. Soon as 9pm hit and they went off he literally turned it on. I'm putting together another video (I'm sorta addicted to making these little vids now lol).

danm it they had a acanthurus maculiceps at big als today but they wouldnt sell it to me because it would be "to hard to catch" in a tank with minimal live rock

Oh I hate that! When I was sourcing nice rock for the 225 I convinved a girl at big als to let me help her oust like 8 triggers from a piece in their tank. Took more than 30 minutes and I'm sure the triggers were pretty stressed (I felt bad but really wanted the rock).

Brett, is there an easier name to remember for this?

Spotted Cheek is another I've heard...

Are you doing anything for low nutrient / dosing?

No just plain old carbon/gfo/water changes. I have some hair algae though!

I have water but no rock, tank is in the back room, still have to hack up my walls...
Sorry to hijack :smile: but my light is finished :mrgreen:

Awesome man get that thing going! Have you updated your thread with pics doesn't ring a bell.

[gregzz4]

Awesome man get that thing going! Have you updated your thread with pics doesn't ring a bell.
Thanks for askin' ...
Nope, all I've done is link the light mod. It took me 2 days with the wiring, and the burning of a ballast, and the crushing of a new ballast, and then the figuring out how to make the 2nd new ballast fit. So, no, there's been no build progress :sad: :mrgreen:
Sucks to be me.
I hope to make some progress over the next couple of days, in between the job hunting.
I want to next tackle cleaning up our rec-room to make room so I can pull down all the suspended tiles and run some wiring. This will get me much further along as I will know 'exactly' where I can cut the wall for the plumbing and electrical.

Oops, sorry to hi-jack your thread. Verbal diarrhea. :smile:

[lastlight]

Here's my boy settled down a little... I was standing right in front of the tank for a lot of this footage!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN3w-PxBZH0

You can catch a glimpse of the filefish making me nervous as hell too.

[gregzz4]

Looks like your Big head-banger might settle in. I like the fact that he/she is swimming amongst the rocks and picking at them.
I can't believe the size difference between your newbie and your 3-4 bars. And the bars are sooo fast too.
Again, there's a bunch of tank envy going on here.
I'm all fired up about a 4' tank (even though I sold a 6 footer) and I have to look at yours with so much jealousy. There just wasn't enough space in our livingroom for a 6 or 8 foot tank. Or in my head for the cost and upkeep of said swimming pool.
I envy you my friend :cool:

[lastlight]

So the darn filefish hasn't touched a single aiptasia. Does it sometimes take time or can I safely assume he's just going to be a freeloader?

[Aquattro]

One of mine never ate it when I was looking, but after a while, I noticed it gone. My other one eats it like a pig!

[christyf5]

mine took somewhere between 3 and 5 weeks to get going, that was when I noticed some missing majanos and aiptasia.

[waynemah]

Some take a bit of time. Mine took a few weeks in the old tank :mrgreen:

[Foxface]

So the darn filefish hasn't touched a single aiptasia. Does it sometimes take time or can I safely assume he's just going to be a freeloader?

Mine took a couple of weeks for me to notice, because I had anywhere from 500 to 1000 of them. He took care of them all!!!! It was fun to watch him as he hunted them down! I love this guy!!

[lastlight]

Sounds like I've nothing to worry about yet then thx guys.

He loves mysis and I am feeding the tank a lot of it twice a day because I don't have the maculiceps or the female squarespot on pellets yet. Both of these fish love the mysis as well which makes for a nice safety net before they sample the pellets. Female looks to be close... she watches her pig of a male gobble them down. Once I'm feeding less mysis maybe it'll force mr weirdo to look a little closer at those aiptasia.

[Delphinus]

I never saw any of mine eat aiptasia, the aiptasia just disappeared. And reappeared after the fish jumped.

[lastlight]

I never saw any of mine eat aiptasia, the aiptasia just disappeared. And reappeared after the fish jumped.

I've taken precautions not to worry. I have really wide eurobracing... :redface:

[Delphinus]

Sorry, I meant it more as in that I'm pretty sure they both ate aiptasia even if they never let me see it happen. I wouldn't worry about yours eating aiptasia, I'm sure he will eventually. :)

[Skimmerking]

So the darn filefish hasn't touched a single aiptasia. Does it sometimes take time or can I safely assume he's just going to be a freeloader?

Brett sorry man he is only following his Master lol:razz:

[lastlight]

Polyps have been retracted on my large green with orange tips formosa for 2 days. It's normally my shaggiest coral by a long shot. I was tickled pink when I watched the filefish nipping at the polyps repeatedly for a few minutes just now.

Catching this fish could be fun. I blame Brad for this :twised:

[Aquattro]

Catching this fish could be fun. I blame Brad for this :twised:

Because you're so tall?

[lastlight]

Because you're so tall?

Mods... cleanup in post 664 plz.

[Aquattro]

Mods... cleanup in post 664 plz.

Sorry, got confused, on too many sites today :razz:

[muck]

Because you're so tall?
:lol::lol:

[Aquattro]

:lol::lol:

I didn't start it, it was popcorn boy

[The Grizz]

All my damn Filefish did was eat my zoas, what a B@$T3&l).:twised:

[lastlight]

I've got my 2 largest colonies in my sump. I'm heading to the hardware store for egg crate soon. I plan to partition the tank and then deal with him on just one 1/3 of the tank if possible. AGGGGH!!!

I removed the one he was nipping... tried and failed to net him... and he is on the other end 2 min later nibbling my smooth skinned blue sps!!!

[kien]

I didn't start it, it was popcorn boy

hey, why are you bringing me into this! I tried to keep the thread jacking to ONE thread today but no.. you had to go and pull me into this. Wait, what are we talking about?

whatever.. :pop2:

[kien]

I've got my 2 largest colonies in my sump. I'm heading to the hardware store for egg crate soon. I plan to partition the tank and then deal with him on just one 1/3 of the tank if possible. AGGGGH!!!

I removed the one he was nipping... tried and failed to net him... and he is on the other end 2 min later nibbling my smooth skinned blue sps!!!

Brett, you wanna borrow my Clown Tang? Can't promise that he will leave your other fish alone but should make quick work on your filefish. Just throwing that out there.

[Aquattro]

hey, why are you bringing me into this! I tried to keep the thread jacking to ONE thread today but no.. you had to go and pull me into this. Wait, what are we talking about?

whatever.. :pop2:

Are you kidding me?? You started with the whole physics bunk. Yes, I called it bunk. And now we're jackin' a perfectly good thread again. Ryan and Brett and gonna stop talking to us :razz:

[Aquattro]

Back on topic.

So ya, those darn pesky filefish.....(are you sure it's a filefish?)

[lastlight]

Sure it's a filefish?! haha you are hilarious =)

The rest of the fish are going to dine on minced filefish tonight or I'm framing this jackass on my fishroom wall. Filefish police can choke on some nog nobody is going to take a fish that eats sps and doesn't eat aiptasia.

I'm off to the hardware store! :twised:

[Aquattro]

I'd take him :)

[The Grizz]

I'd take him too, right into the FOWLR he would go.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[lastlight]

Broken sps. New aquascape. Massive hollywood stunner gone.

Oh yeah and I caught that pesky filefish =) I'll post pics later showing how. I had to apologize to my kids for all my yelling and throwing things around but after 5 hours of work my sps is safe! :twised:

[fishytime]

ju got bigger cajones dan me mang:mrgreen:I just cant get past the "may eat stuff" rep that they have......


eh hem.......:razz:

[jorjef]

I had to apologize to my kids for all my yelling and throwing things around but after 5 hours of work my sps is safe! :twised:

Oh do I remember those days lol..... I use to jump off the couch run to the tank and start yelling obscenities and certain fish. Wife thought I was crazy. Any wonder why I emptied the tank twice of all fish. :lol:

[fishoholic]

My filefish ate aptasia left sps and zoas alone but loves LPS. Unfortunately I've been overfeeding the tank he's in (to make sure the other fish, not just the cowfish, get food) and it seems he's stopped eating the aptasia :twised:

[Aquattro]

Sure it's a filefish?! haha you are hilarious =)



Is it kinda blue with yellow dots?

[lastlight]

Here was fence 1:

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/trap1.jpg

I then proceeded to split that compartment with another fence (he was hiding in the rear rock pile) and as I was zip tying the inner fence (no pic due to rage meltdown) he slipped between a gap at the front of fence 1! I tried scaring him away when he was nearing it and the bugger calmly swam past. He was nipping my smooth skinned acro before I had fence 1 removed. Broke a few corals along the way :twised:

Fence 2 on other side:

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/trap2.jpg

Fence 2b:

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/trap3.jpg

Got him on the back half of this partition but he slipped into the front half after all was zip-tied. Took ages to dismantle the inner fence and lift it and scare him back to the much simpler (coral and rock) side.

I spent 5 hours removing colonies/towers and breaking stuff for a 1" fish. I had heard he was a risk to my LPS perhaps and I decided it was worth the risk. In the end he nipped my gorgs and SPS (when he really got into it we're talking a nip every 2 seconds!)

I re-learned I don't have a lot of patience. LESSON LEARNED!

[mseepman]

Ouch! Sorry to hear that Brett. I too have learned that if they say "risky" I should be saying "no thank you" as Murphy's Law always uses me as it's poster child.

Did you get him out or just trapped?

[kien]

love the hair algae.

[christyf5]

Ugh that sucks. Makes me glad my filefish worked out (or at least I think he has, he's done his job eating all the majanos and aiptasia anyways).

[lastlight]

Ouch! Sorry to hear that Brett. I too have learned that if they say "risky" I should be saying "no thank you" as Murphy's Law always uses me as it's poster child.

Did you get him out or just trapped?

Yes I was able to get him out.

[lastlight]

love the hair algae.

Yeah still growing well but only on my new rock. Thanks for the rock again =)

[BlueTang<3]

I feel for you, we went through the same issue with our filefish but at least he was easy to catch.

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/yy171/bluetang3/IMG_2039.jpg

[fishoholic]

Is it kinda blue with yellow dots?

:lol:

Wow that sounds like it was a PITA to try to catch him. I got lucky with my filefish and was able to catch him fairly easily in my 230g

[lastlight]

I'm happy for you two lol. That ordeal shaved years off my life! So Wes, yours was trying to eat the clam and the clam caught it? Gentler passing than mine experienced...

[gregzz4]

What a pain, Brett. I don't know if my neck could handle what you went through, unless you went swimming :mrgreen:

[gregzz4]

Sooooo
What's up with the tank these days ?

[lastlight]

Guess I've been letting the thread slide huh? I was busy letting the tank slide too lol. I just cracked open the last bucket of salt of the original 10 I bought. I've been doing 50g water changes every 2 weeks instead of weekly for about 2 months now to keep costs down some. I haven't tested my levels in over a month but plan to tomorrow :redface: My TDS has been 1 from the DI for a while now and I'm even cool with that. I'm letting'er coast =)

I did however beat my hair algae problem. The valonia has taken off since and even though I'm slowly making process on the anularis algae it's still rampant (and sucking my calcium to boot :twised:).

You'll notice I'm rockin the black background again... lovin' it too I might add. The blue looked more natural and endless and the black did make the tank look 3 feet deep (like it is I guess) but that was the best $20 I ever spent on bedding. I hung 2 king-sized black sheets on the fishroom wall. Very low VOCs =)

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/update1.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/update2.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/update3.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/update4.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/update5.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/update6.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/update7.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/update8.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/update9.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/update10.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/update11.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/update12.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/update13.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/update14.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/update15.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/update16.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/update17.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/update18.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/update19.jpg

And one portrait shot from inside the fishroom (my favorite view).

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/update20.jpg

[Nano]

You sure have a beautiful tank Brett. And take even more beautiful pictures :) looks great.

[The Grizz]

Looking killer dude!! Colors are sure popin!!

[Zoaelite]

HOLY SMOKES!!! I can't believe how freaking unreal your tank is looking Brett, you've really mastered those little sticks eh?

[lastlight]

Thanks guys. Growth has really been slow lately and I'm sure cutting water changes in half is to blame but I'm not really in a rush lol.

Here's a little sloppy video work for you. YouTube did not detect the copyrighted song... I can't imagine why :biggrin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoI3lj74JKQ

[Stones]

Looking good man as always. Sweet choice of tunes in the video!

[Skimmerking]

Hey buddy your tank is stellar man the colors are so friggin cool and that pink milli WOW!!!!!!!!!!

Well done brett

[Aquattro]

I feel for you, we went through the same issue with our filefish but at least he was easy to catch.



Too funny. My filefish did the same thing :)

[fishoholic]

Looking good but you need some bigger fishy friends to fill up some space :wink:

[Aquattro]

Looking good but you need some bigger fishy friends to fill up some space :wink:

I was thinking the same thing :)

[lastlight]

Hey buddy your tank is stellar man the colors are so friggin cool and that pink milli WOW!!!!!!!!!!

Well done brett

That's actually my red planet lol. Looks a lot like a hot pink prostrata for some reason which is fine with me!

[Dez]

Tank is looking fantastic Brett!

[muck]

Tank sure is looking good these days Brett... keep farming out those fuzzy sticks. :mrgreen:

[Lance]

:thumb::thumb::thumb: Filling in very nicely Brett. I forget what you're running for lighting; but it's a good choice: The colours really pop.

[lastlight]

Thanks guys. I do plan to add a few more fish but mostly small ones. I lost my neon goby without a trace and would like a pair someday. He may have succumbed to the ich that's in my tank I'm not sure. Only in the last month has my Kole been purple again (was a ghostly white) and my maculiceps looking this good. He also recently started eating nori (sheet a day) which probably helps. I'm going a full year without adding any new livestock to lt the ich run their course and then I'll qt all new livestock.

:thumb::thumb::thumb: Filling in very nicely Brett. I forget what you're running for lighting; but it's a good choice: The colours really pop.

Still rockin' 4 250W radiums Lance along with a row of 20k and 14k bulbs front and back. I think they're ATIs but I can't even remember now LOL.

[gregzz4]

You may think the growth is slow but it still looks great in there. What a difference a few months makes. I'm glad to see the HA under control - big improvement on the whole experience from here !
Great pics :wink:

[lastlight]

So I finally did some tests last night:

Ca - 350
Alk - 10.5
Mg - 1500!

I haven't dosed Mg in ages so Reef Crystals must be high or I need a new kit. Since RC is for sure high in Ca the reduced water changes seems to have lead to a lowered Ca level which I think (I'm not a chemistry guy) means that the corals can't use Alk so the previously acceptable dose was more than needed.

I'm actually sorta stoked with these findings... maybe once I get them back in line growth will return to where it was before.

I'm glad to see the HA under control - big improvement on the whole experience from here !

Nothing more unsightly than HA. I've gone through it before and I've finally learned to calm down, be patient and do what you can.

[Delphinus]

So I finally did some tests last night:

Ca - 350
Alk - 10.5
Mg - 1500!

I haven't dosed Mg in ages so Reef Crystals must be high or I need a new kit. Since RC is for sure high in Ca the reduced water changes seems to have lead to a lowered Ca level which I think (I'm not a chemistry guy) means that the corals can't use Alk so the previously acceptable dose was more than needed.


Weird. I don't get that kind of Mg reading my Reef Crystals, I get more like 1150. (I have to add a fair bit to get my w/c water to 1500, which nicely keeps up with Mg consumption to leave the tank at around 1400). I wonder if your kit is off.

IMO, nothing hugely wrong with Mg at 1500. Higher than ocean readings but some things seem to really appreciate Mg around there (I can tell by looking at my anemones if my Mg drops down to 1100 or lower).

Alk is a *little* high and Ca maybe a *little* low but quite within tolerances. I'd adjust my Alk dosing downwards and my Ca upwards by a tiny bit and see how things go from there.

[freezetyle]

Nothing more unsightly than HA. I've gone through it before and I've finally learned to calm down, be patient and do what you can.

Great advice, this is something need to learn.

Tanks looking great, I really like how everything pops against the new background

[Lance]

I agree with Tony. I'd rather my Mg was on the high side rather than low. My tank likes to be kept at about 1350.

[fishytime]

yup, higher Mg levels will also discourage most macro algae growth....

BTW....tank is looking killer brochacho!.....are you running zeo or the like?

[lastlight]

Thanks guys yeah I would def prefer high mg vs low. My kit is likely wonky or something. I adjusted my doser and I'm firing 400ml into the tank every night to raise it 10ppm per day. Child's play... I just got lazy with my testing.

No zeo Doug. Gfo and carbon. I did try a few doses of pohls xtra a while ago but it lightened some of my corals way too much and I barely added any.

[fishoholic]

FYI I hear there is a nice naso FS that would help fill in your tank :razz:

[lastlight]

Yeah I know friiiig. I'm mulling it over ;)

[fishoholic]

Yeah I know friiiig. I'm mulling it over ;)

:boink: :boink: Ya know ya want it :razz:

[mseepman]

The tank is looking killer Brett! Love how fast your little sticks are taking off (even if you think it's slow) just take another look at your original frag picture.

[Aquattro]

Yeah I know friiiig. I'm mulling it over ;)

mull faster, you don't see a fish like that every day.

[Snappy]

Looking pretty groovy Brett!

[fishytime]

No zeo Doug. Gfo and carbon. I did try a few doses of pohls xtra a while ago but it lightened some of my corals way too much and I barely added any.

this was recently?.....I was kinda thinking that a few pieces had that pastel/zeo look them....

[lastlight]

Thanks Greg.

Yeah Doug most of my greens have turned yellow. But I've had a few people say the corals looked zeovitish even when I had the 97.

[Casey8]

All your sps corals have an amazing color !!!
Sorry if I call it a wrong name, but I really like your squared block anthias fish :smile:

[lastlight]

All your sps corals have an amazing color !!!
Sorry if I call it a wrong name, but I really like your squared block anthias fish :smile:

Thanks! You're close he's a square spot anthias... I call him Frank but my kids call him Pinky Pie lol. He's an eating machine but on the intelligence scale he ranks lowest in the tank no joke. When everyone's eating nori he can't figure out where it comes from. Everyone's nipping at it directly but he swims around like a fool and tries to get loose pieces before the chromis pounce on it.

[Casey8]

I think Pinky Pie is more cute to call him though :biggrin: I like this fish too much, but I am afraid to try to have this anthias again after having failed one time. I think it needs a lot of room for him to swim like your tank. It is so cute when you say he can't figure out where is nori comes from :mrgreen:

[lastlight]

he did awesomely well in my 97g which was a modest 3x2 footprint. he's more of a hovering fish... not terribly active actually (unless he's trying to keep tabs on the magically appearing nori). i'm bummed i was never able to get his gf eating anything but mysis. she eventually perished.

[lastlight]

I snapped this to show to someone... might as well toss it in here. Greg thinks it's hoeksemai. I just call it the blue one.

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/hoeks.jpg

[JDigital]

Tank looks awesome Brett!! Being hungover as a dog (can dogs get hangovers?) today I had time to go through all 73 pages of the thread. Glad you finally got your big tank going! :biggrin:

[lastlight]

Tank looks awesome Brett!! Being hungover as a dog (can dogs get hangovers?) today I had time to go through all 73 pages of the thread. Glad you finally got your big tank going! :biggrin:

Thx bro sorry I missed this =) Yeah I am pretty stoked to have finally gotten a big one up and running. Trick is to keep it that way without going broke :mrgreen:

Any plans to get yourself salty in the near future?

[lastlight]

Growth and color (growth especially) had taken a serious hit with my move to 50g changes every 2 weeks. A guy just can't save a buck! So I've got another 10 pails of salt in my fishroom and I'm going to suck it up and do weekly changes again. I have added some new fish recently to the tank and I managed to get pics of most:

- Kien's beloved banana wrasse pair (thx bro!)
- red coris wrasse
- yellow tang
- starry blenny

This post is dedicated to the fishies (that played nice to semi-nice for the camera):

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies1.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies2.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies3.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies4.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies5.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies6.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies7.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies8.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies9.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies10.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies11.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies12.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies13.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies14.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies15.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies16.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies17.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies18.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies19.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies20.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies21.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies22.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies23.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies24.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies25.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies26.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies27.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies28.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies29.jpg

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/fishies30.jpg

[gregzz4]

Wowee, them's some gorgeous fishies

So, are you saying that you do about 50g a week when you should ???
Guess I never thought about it

Holee, I just can't fathom going through a bucket and a half a month

Good thing I sold my 125g :lol: Maybe one day we'll have a bigger tank, with a few $K more equipment, but not right now :wink:

Loving seeing your tank as something to strive for Brett

[gregzz4]

PS -
I see a new avatar in them pics :wink:

[lastlight]

Thanks Greg. Honestly I try and pay no attention to how long a pail lasts. I'm often dumping what's left of one and opening another it's all a blur! I think a pail is nearly good for 3 changes but not quite?

[gregzz4]

I guess $40 +/- a month isn't so bad with a tank your size

How's your sock changing going ??
I'm having to change my 3 pretty much daily still, and I only have snails and hermies. I'm wondering if the new CUC is kicking up stuff from the rocks ie; leftover epoxy residue and such

[lastlight]

$40/month I wish! I'm using Reef Crystals... very reasonable compared to others but not that reasonable =)

As for the socks I run a pair of 200 micron and a a mesh 300 to catch larger stuff and bubbles should the first 2 clog before I change them.

I have four of the 200s and have started machine washing the ones not in use with a little bleach. Wish I'd done this sooner! Wife didn't even hit me when I told her.

[gregzz4]

That's a great avatar :mrgreen:

[Blue World Aquariums]

Nice fish, nice pics, nice tank... :)

[lastlight]

That's a great avatar :mrgreen:

Yeah I suddenly came up with this awesome idea to update my avatar glad you like :lol:

Nice fish, nice pics, nice tank... :)

Thanks =) I really do need to pickup an easyblade again one of these days. Haven't touched coraline since the transfer... I'm a slacker!

[gregzz4]

So you're running 7" or 8" socks, right

I'm running 300 micron 4" socks. 3 of them at a time. I have 9
When 6 are dirty, I machine wash them. I've stopped bleaching this last time to see how long they last as the bleach use every 2 days may add up :rolleyes:
I'm still going through 3 a day, with no fish

I think mine plug up right now as my sand and rocks are new enough to keep adding silt and epoxy residue to the water column ( CUC disturbances )
I hope this is the case http://www.smileyvault.com/albums/userpics/12962/fingerscrossed.gif

[lastlight]

Wow that's a fast clog. My 300 is a mesh... the 200s are the vertex felt ones.

My 300 mesh would take AGES to clog... I've let the 200s sit clogged for 2 weeks and the 300 just collects algae bits etc but the water level doesn't even rise in the sock.

Right now with good bleach cleanings my 200s clog in about 4-5 days I think.

[gregzz4]

Hmmmm .....
My Vertex 300s are, besides being a very specific size, made of nylon
The material feels like some kind of tent material or rain coat - make sense ? Bah, not raincoat either
OK, not tarp material like an old tent, but more like a bomber jacket ??
Bah, I can't describe it .... I'm not a girl :smile:

I've seen summer jackets made of this material

[gregzz4]

Wow that's a fast clog
Waddya think, could it be new base rock/epoxy syndrome ??

And you didn't confirm what size your socks are

[fishoholic]

Pretty fishes Brett :thumb: love the banana wrasses, they're awesome!



So, are you saying that you do about 50g a week when you should ???
Guess I never thought about it

Holee, I just can't fathom going through a bucket and a half a month



I do 60g water changes on my big system, 3g w/c on my 10g tank and 5-6g w/c on my 34g tank every week. I try not to think of the amount of salt I go though :neutral:

$40/month I wish! I'm using Reef Crystals... very reasonable compared to others but not that reasonable =)



I went with IO to save money. Bought 12 boxes of salt (My mom came with me so I could) on boxing day at Big Als. Was pretty expensive but the sale definitely helped.

[gregzz4]

My mom came with me so I could
Nothing like having a little help to spend some money :thumb:

[fishoholic]

Nothing like having a little help to spend some money :thumb:

That and they usually limit the number of boxes per person that you're allowed to buy

[Aquattro]

Every time I think about what I spend on salt, I just come read this thread :) Although I use RB salt, and that's still $100 every six weeks....

[JDigital]

Thx bro sorry I missed this =) Yeah I am pretty stoked to have finally gotten a big one up and running. Trick is to keep it that way without going broke :mrgreen:

Any plans to get yourself salty in the near future?

There is a strong possibility that I will be getting my salt on.. although it won't be a personal tank at home, rather, a 150G tank at my work. I'm just waiting on final approval that they (the bosses who are funding it) want to invest in a Salty tank rather than a Freshy (which is what the tank previously was). There is a bit of a back story to it, which I will discuss in the journal thread, if/when the tank gets going. :mrgreen:


I love your Tang dude! Gorgeous fish!

[lastlight]

Some serious over-exposure here but I shot a quick one of the fishies...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAq3z10t648

[gregzz4]

Wow, Brett, that's lookin awesome !!!
Some cute little mermaid you got there too :wink: