:lol: So true, so true.. That looks like my dad.. :neutral:

keep calm. it's one shutter actuation in front of the other...

it's also 1 degrees out and I forgot my earmuffs.. frak.

Man I hate it when that happens!

~Tony

Mucho appreciative!!!

Wowee! Wow oh wow oh wow! I am so not worthy. :hail:

FTS !
 

First, for some perspective this is what I was looking at one year ago today..

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...98A21338BA.jpg

Fast forward 1 year..

The South Face
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2817/1...443144b6_o.jpg

The North Face
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7401/1...52dbfb80_o.jpg

The East Face
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5489/1...d5b77d0c_o.jpg

And some random shots.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5502/1...6b141ca4_o.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5472/1...e5c49509_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7349/1...159f1962_o.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3693/1...2d94de18_o.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7397/1...64bb2322_o.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3786/1...99e65aa7_o.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2832/1...04fb8721_o.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2811/1...08df76d8_o.jpg

That is incredible! Nice work

Kien, that's some amazing growth over the last 365 days! Thank you for sharing the before/after pics of your tank... Very inspiring to many reefers, new and old. I hope I can achieve half of what you have accomplished so far in a year.

For your encrusting montis have you ever had them on the bottom as opposed to the top as you have them right now? If so did the growth and color pattern differ? I am planning to have encrusting montis placed just on top of the sand bed on its own rocks as I don't want them to grow and encroach over other sps.

Thanks, Wayne

this tank is just perfect man
i'm digging that red goni I can never keep them

Wow that's awesome. I see you got that little boy that was stuck in your tank last year out.

Speechless!

Gorgeous

Nice recovery too

Very nice and a solid recovery, must be the lights :biggrin: Beautiful, always loved your aquascaping

Back on top boss! Looking forward to seeing in person someday!

Beauty tank Kien. Guys like you are the future. haha

Thanks guys!

I can't seem to kill that Red Goni. It has survived two coral crashes, Angel abuse, stinging. Of course, I probably just jinxed myself and will find it dead when I get home this evening :-/

Yes! He kinda outgrew the tank. Man those buggers are fast growers and a huge strain resources.

Uncool halides FTW!! :-)

Thanks Wayne! I have had a superman monti lower and it survived but I found that its colours were not as great. I have also had a sunset monti on the sandbed for a while and it seems to do fine. I think it depends on the monti. Trial and error is probably all you can do. I put my montis up high on that highest shelf piece because I felt that that shelf was way too high to place tall growing SPS. Instead I've got tablers, encrusters and bushies (poccis & birdnest). I had a Bird of Paradise up there for a while but it recently got too high. Instead of letting it breach the water surface I dismantled it and relocated it. Anyway, they are definitely a challenge due to their encrusting nature as they take up an insande amount of surface real estate. I try to keep them in check with copious amounts of epoxy.

I have no idea what that means, but thanks? :lol:

Thanks mango! I could not have done it without you! You are the wind beneath my reef wings!

Hey Kien your tank is sooooo fine.....ill have to issue you a ticket!!!:D

Im just having fun. Really I just think your tank has a lot of potential (to be one of the best around) and will really be something to see in a year or two. Not that its not nice now, it is....but with a bit more growth and maturity it should be spectacular.

:lol: I think that if my thread gets any cheesier the mods are going to start issuing me tickets.

vivid stuff brah!

Beautiful tank! Noticed the Flame angel in there how does he do with the corals? Really want to get one for my new 125 but heard stories im guessing he isnt to bad

Thanks! Any Angel in a reef is hit or miss. I have a Regal and a flame angel and they both occasionally explore (ie, nip) at SPS corals but they have not been destructive. They don't eat polyps or coral flesh. They don't go after any of my LPS or clams either. Just luck (and prayers) really. I have in the past had a flame angel that was much more destructive.

It's been a good year, wow, looks great. (I feel like that sentence needed a "mang" at the end but that's really Doug's schtick, so I'll just leave it there..)

Thanks brochacho mang ! ya, it has been a good (lucky) year for the reef. Even with the spring floods. Reef prayers FTW!!

Groovy looking stuff Kien.

Nice stuff keener! It's been a good year for your tank.

thanks guys!

Awesome! I actually finally made it through this entire EPIC thread! Very informative indeed to have such a detailed chronology. I am in the planning stage for a tank of these exact dimensions, although I am planning rimless with a closed loop to deal with the flow. Your last FTS before and after 1 year really just helped sell my wife of the tank size and room divider idea. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks! You just reminded me to go and update my Table of Contents with the new FTS pictures, but sadly I have reached a text limit on that first post :sad:

show off.

I freaking love this tank. You make me want to throw out half my rock.

I feel exactly the same. Less is more. Almost look forward to moving house again so I can rework my rocks

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Thanks guys :-). It's a double edged sword. Less rocks also means less real estate to plant and grow corals. I sometimes wish that I had a bit more rock to mount new frags. :neutral:

I just noticed that massive clam for the first time! That thing is huuuuge! How much do you think she weighs?

Hmm.. that's a good question. I really have no idea. I have never tried to pick her up. She's been there forever.

Here's my very first pic of her way back in 2009 when I first put her into the tank. You can't exactly tell how big she is here, but she was about 3-4". Her shell was so smooth and clean. How it's got tonnes of growth lines/scutes.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2661/3...e961a38c_o.jpg

I think she is now somewhere in the neighbourhood of 7-8 inches.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7252/8...f37ecf9c_o.jpg

Both of those shots are stunning so stunning I'm going to consider them Stunfisked.
:lol:

Wow, Kien, your tank looks so spectacular. Love the red goni and giant clam but everything looks so vibrant and healthy. Great job. Especially the fantastic aquascaping.

Anthony

dun. Dun. DUN...

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...pscjn7rh2s.jpg

My new LED lights have arrived!! Stay tuned for a full review.

For your Xmas tree?...:razz: