Wow Lance! The tank is looking fantastic. Love that pipe organ! I keep mine fairly small as it stings anything it comes in contact with.

Really? I always thought Pipe Organ's were peaceful. I've never had an issue with it being aggressive.

Pretty heavy corraline growth you got happening there. You didnt let Marie touch your water did you? or is it just a condition from living too close to her?

Actually, I've always had pretty good coralline growth. I liked it at first, but have gone over to Marie's thinking: I hate it now. Fine on the rockwork but a PITA keeping it off the glass and having to soak the PH's in vinegar all the time.

Mine has taken out half a lobophyllia and a couple of SPS "bases" as well as a patch of zoos which stay closed up if touched by the pipe organ. Luckily the SPS keep growing on the top halves but the bases are deader than a doornail.

Huh! Does it have sweepers?

what is the stuff coming from underneath the pink pocci sps on the right side of the tank?

It is some kind of sponge. It grows like crazy, but only there and no where else. Every couple of weeks it gets too big and I pull a bunch off. I've tried to transfer it to the sump but it doesn't seem to want to catch on there.

sponge balls???

Nice! I especially love your lunar wrasse :D

Thanks. He's lucky he's so handsome, or he'd find himself on the barbee alongside a couple of steaks! He's easily the worst mannered fish I own. Splashes water all over, stirs up the sand, eats most of the food, teases the clowns in their nem. Seven inches of pure SOB. If it wasn't for the Tuskfish keeping him in line I'm sure he'd terrorize the smaller fish in the tank.

Ya I hear ya. My previous lunar a few years ago was the same. In fact most Thalassomas I think are bastards. Had a Pink Face as well last year that was a holly terror. My new Banana wrasse is getting pretty bold (expected), but he is kept in check by my clown tang and parrot fish.

Agreed. Thalassomas are reasonably well-behaved as juveniles but can become aggressive as they mature. "Peckerheads in a pretty package"

Well, the tank turns two years old this month and what was supposed to be a FOWLR has a surprising number of large corals in it. :redface:
Some growth pics:

The Pipe Organ when I first got it from Marie.
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...k/IMG_2439.jpg

And now. It is about 16" across and 14" high
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...k/IMG_1060.jpg

The Scoly shortly after I first bought it.
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...9/IMG_3961.jpg

And now about 7" across'
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...0/IMG_2269.jpg

This pink Pocci has grown quite a bit lately 9" across
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...0/IMG_2262.jpg

The Nem which was just a teeny little guy when I bought it. Now about 14" across
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...0/IMG_2267.jpg

Another Pipe Organ (different type) that was just a sprout when I got it
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...0/IMG_2265.jpg

The zoa garden has expanded quite a bit.
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...0/IMG_2261.jpg

The Shrooms fill up the shaded area under the rock ledge.
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...0/IMG_2264.jpg




And finally the Sailfin who was the major reason I bought this tank because he was out growing the 90g. He was just 3" long when I bought him back in April '08. Now he's a nice fat 7"
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...0/IMG_2271.jpg

Wow, thats some pretty crazy growth you have in there. Lots of nice big colonies :biggrin:

The pipe organ I have is the second one you've posted, the one I was talking about that stings the living crap out of everything it touches.

I've never noticed any sweepers on this coral, but on the other hand there aren't really any corals near it, so maybe it's not sending them out?

nope no sweepers but it will grow towards any coral I place near it, then sting the crap out of it. I've tried moving the corals but the pipe organ just starts to grow in that direction. If there are many corals around it, it just grows that much faster (currently I only have one SPS colony nearby so it grows in that direction and isn't growing too quickly). Now I just prune the crap out of it as it gets near the coral I like. I'd move it but I have SPS everywhere and no spot where there is enough room for the pipe organ to just hang out on its own.

Huh! Strange.
It seems to me like yours is getting very close to becoming calcium reactor food.

yeah, sometimes I find it fascinating, like my own little science experiment. other times I just want to rip it right out of there. oddly enough, its one of my favorite corals and I'd been looking for one for years. marie gave me a chunk of it to give to someone else and well, they just never showed up for it so it became mine. i may have to revamp my nano tank and put it in there :biggrin:

I got both of the varieties from Marie. The one like yours was quite small when she gave it to me. I actually have two colonies of it now. I cut it in half a while ago and moved a piece to another spot in the tank. One of them is touching some Colt Coral but nothing is going on there. Must be just SPS it has a problem with. Maybe I'll move a frag of something close to it and see what happens. You've got my interest piqued now. :biggrin:

Congrats on hitting the big deuce man! Maybe I'm not recognizing a pipe organ when I see it in the LFS but I'd love to have one myself. Impressive colony.

Thanks Bud.

I remember my "FOWLR" tank back then ended up being full of corals as well. It was one of my favourite tanks cause it was full of aggressive fish and a huge eel that you typically wouldn't see in a "reef" tank. Love all your large corals and the pink pocci. Any chance for a Full Tank Shot?

FTS

http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...0/IMG_2207.jpg

right side
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...0/IMG_2205.jpg

left side
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...0/IMG_2206.jpg

center
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...0/IMG_2209.jpg

that is one impressive organ there Lance:mrgreen:

I have to agree, that things huge! :biggrin:

At least it doesn't have blue nuts like Brett's

Careful about how you handle them because they're delicate and can turn a little black as well. Not even actinics will make those look good again.

Thanks for the FTS. Love it :)

R.I.P. Toro

I lost Toro the Lawnmower Blenny today. He had started to get a little thin and as you know LM Blennies should be roly poly. Since the hair algae disappeared I have been trying to get him to eat nori, pellets, mysis, etc., even tried romaine lettuce, broccoli and dandelion greens. He wouldn't touch it, so I got a good size chunk of HA from the LFS and was growing it in the QT tank. Everday I harvested some and put it in the DT for him. He put some weight back on and was looking good, until this morning. Maybe he was just old? I had him for two years and he was full grown when I got him, so I have no idea how old he really was. I'll miss that little guy. He was one of my favourites. :sad:

http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...a/IMG_0451.jpg

Sorry to hear Lance.

FWIW, I'm not sure these guys live much longer than 4 or 5 years, at least I haven't found any info to suggest to the contrary. I had "Rygel" for 4 years and when he checked out he too had gotten rather thin and that was despite that he was in fact a good eater and had plenty of foods offered to him and he seemed to be eating. So I think getting thin is unfortunately something that does seem to come with advanced age with these guys.

Can't beat LMB's for their personality. I know how you feel right now.

That sucks, what they lack in color they make up for in personality.

Thanks, Tony. That makes me feel a little better. I like to think it was old age and not that he starved. He wasn't really that thin, just didn't have the tubby belly he used to have.

Yeah, they sure do Dave. Silly fish made me laugh quite often. It's funny that the tank has numerous colourful and large fishes, yet he was the favourite of much of the family and friends.

wow
 

dude sorry from Disney man. How long have you had him. Do they eat Red Algae or is it just HA.


i love them excellent fish

Sorry to hear that Lance:neutral: They're one of my favorite fish too, so much character.

R.I.P. little buddy...

Thanks Guys.

I was heart-broken when 'fat bastard' my old LMB passed on. I haven't again owned a fish with near as much heart and audacity but my current bicolour tries his best. Sorry to hear you lost a fav Lance.

Just flooded my garage again, for the second time in less than 2 weeks. :doh:
The first time was equipment failure; this time was pure idiocy. I have a 55g SW reservoir with a bulkhead to a Mag 7. For water changes I run a hose from the Mag to the sump (20' run). The hose is coiled and hung on the wall on a small hose reel. The reel broke for some reason and the hose fell to the floor siphoning about 25 gallons of SW all over the garage floor. So now I simply hang the hose on a large hook screwed into a wall stud. Works great except for when you are too lazy to coil the hose and just hang it over the hook. Of course it fell off and siphoned water all over again. Luckily the garage is a cement floor and 6" lower than the door to the house or I'd be in serious trouble with the wifey.