Jump to content
Premium Aquatics Aquarium Supplies

Matt's 20L College Reef (Retired)


M&C

Recommended Posts

Here are some pictures I took today. I need a better camera. Right now I'm using my iPhone, since it seems to capture better images than my girlfriend's Nikon Coolpix S80... I've tried every setting and nothing turns out right.Oh well.

 

I added my hammer to the display last night, then took it out this morning because there isn't a really good spot for him. The only place where it wouldn't get torn to shreds by my MP10 was next to the frogspawn that has the exact same coloring. Not sure what I'm going to do about that yet, so back to the quarantine tank it goes.

 

I decided to add the acans instead. They look a so much better under the LEDs, but my camera just doesn't capture the colors well. I also added a piece of base rock to fill the void where my zoanthid colony used to be. I think it looks SO much better anyway. Now I have lots of places for SPS.

 

This is going to look so nice when it grows out

IMG_0175.jpg

 

Close up of the new scape

IMG_0174.jpg

 

Acans!

IMG_0172.jpg

 

Red and blue acan

IMG_0164.jpg

 

Tri-color acan

IMG_0162.jpg

 

Since so much has changed in the last week, here's a new FTS.

IMG_0180.jpg

Link to comment
  • Replies 193
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Wow... I love you scape. Can I have it? :P

 

I'm glad you like it! I think I got really lucky with the LR I got--everything seemed to fit together really well, even though I went through about a dozen different scapes while the tank was cycling. And yesterday, my girlfriend picked out the perfect rock to replace the zoanthid rock I had. It looks so much better, and now I have more room for SPS!

Link to comment

Added a frag of this beautiful chalice to my Cultivated Reef order... there isn't enough blue in my tank.

 

Hot Spot Chalice (pic from CR website)

392b728cda64986be78715a715a744a8.image.550x550.jpg

 

 

Also dipped my candy cane in a 50:50 peroxide solution today--I know it's rough on LPS, but I was tired of looking at the hair algae all over the colony. The algae bloom in my tank faded away, but it never went away from this coral.

 

I removed the acropora today. I was pretty bummed but I just didn't think it was going to make it. I'm going to switch up how I acclimate/dip SPS now from the advice given to me by Greg from CR. I'm going to use CoralRX instead of Revive, and only dip for a few minutes. Then I'm going to put them in my tank overnight on a piece of eggcrate to let them heal up a bit, after which I will be gluing them to LR rubble pieces. I asked Greg not to attach the frags to plugs, so I won't have to remove them, causing further stress. Looking forward to giving this another shot!!

Link to comment

I guess there was something wrong with the lavender/green blasto after it was fragged, so it doesn't look like we'll be getting that this time around. I'm not too bummed. I know stuff like that happens, and plus, we'll definitely be ordering from Cultivated Reef again in the near future. The way Greg handled it was really great too. I asked if instead of a refund for it, I could go out and pick another coral for $15 to replace it. He told me as long as my choice wasn't above $30, I wouldn't have to pay the difference since he wanted to make it up to me for messing up with the blasto frag. What amazing customer service! It's just something I don't see anymore.

 

Anyways, I decided on a couple heads of the orange acan they have in stock, which came out to $25. So I got $25 worth of acans for $15. My order ships tomorrow!

 

Also, CoralRX is coming in the mail today. I'm hoping it's not as rough on the SPS as the Revive was (RIP Acropora). And it is long overdue, but I finally bought a refractometer. I figure I need more accurate and consistent salinity readings now that I'm keeping SPS. It's coming in the mail tomorrow. I'll be interested to see how accurate my swing-arm hydrometer is compared to the refractometer.

Link to comment

4/20/12 Update!

 

Well, it's good and bad. The good news is that my order from Cultivated Reef came in today, although the FedEx truck was late! Everything, including my new SPS, was opening within minutes of introduction (even after a dip in CoralRX). My SPS frags were all really nicely sized too, and all with branches. I also noticed a cool looking paly/zoa hitchhiker on my millepora frag that I am still trying to identify. Also, if you read the above post, you'll see that Greg gave me a pretty good deal on some orange acans as a replacement for a blastomusa that wasn't going to be ready for shipping. He basically gave me two polyps for the price of one. What I actually received was about 7-8 polyps + babies, which I am REALLY happy about--that's excellent customer service.

 

Now here's some of the bad. Unfortunately, they forgot to pack my chalice, which I'm pretty bummed about. I'm talking to Greg over at CR about it--I'll post an update when we work something out. Also, there's an aiptasia and some bubble algae on one of the new zoanthid frags I got--luckily, I have a quarantine tank set up for them. What's even more lucky is that the aiptasia and all the visible bubble algae is pretty much isolated to one part of the frag. Since it's a big frag, I'm just going to cut that part off--I don't mind losing 5-6 zoas if it means getting rid of those hitchhikers. And of course, I know that's no guarantee, which is why this frag will remain in quarantine for the next month or more.

 

Overall, I'm still very happy with my order. I won't hesitate to order from them again. Now, pictures! (taken with an iPhone -_- )

 

Here's everything temperature acclimating (aquariums look terrible in natural sunlight)

IMG_0206.jpg

 

Pink Millepora with zoa/paly HH (If you look closely you can see pink patches, but it still has to color up)

IMG_0209.jpg

 

Purple & Green Montipora Spongodes (needs to color up)

IMG_0210.jpg

 

Bali Green Slimer (needs to color up)

IMG_0212.jpg

 

Blue Acans with Red Centers

IMG_0216.jpg

 

Big frag of orange acans!

IMG_0220.jpg

 

The lone Tic-Tac zoanthid I managed to save off my pest-infested colony rock. It's lost some color under the t5s in my quarantine tank.

IMG_0225.jpg

 

On the left, Lord of the Rings Zoanthids. On the right, Lunar Eclipse Palythoa. Again, the colors are a little washed out as these guys have been sitting under a 2 bulb t5 unit in my quarantine tank.

IMG_0222.jpg

 

My Candy Cane colony has healed up nicely since a peroxide dip a few days ago--and no more algae!!

IMG_0204.jpg

Link to comment

Well I spoke to Greg over at Cultivated Reef. He agreed to send out the Hot Spot Chalice on Monday for reduced shipping. I also tacked on a frag of ORA Green Birdsnest to help offset the cost--I was going to order it from them anyway, so I might as well get it sooner.

 

Edit: Greg just emailed me back, and said the birdsnest was on the house for all the trouble. $35 frag for free. What a great guy! If anyone even reads this, I would highly encourage you to order from Cultivated Reef. They run a great business.

Link to comment

I believe I've identified the paly/zoa hitchhiker that came with the Millepora as a Magician Paly. It's not as colorful as some of the pictures I've seen, but it very closely resembles them. Green tinted center with yellow spots all over. I'm sure after a few weeks these guys will color up nicely too. Pretty cool HH if you ask me B)

 

IMG_0228.jpg

Link to comment

Again, awesome. I was bummed when I read they forgot the chalice, and I'm glad they threw in that birds nest for free, cuz I didn't think it was fair that you still had to pay "reduced" shipping on something they forgot.

 

I just got my first chalice, they're so cool! Love your acans too. I have yet to see any in Canada.

Link to comment
Again, awesome. I was bummed when I read they forgot the chalice, and I'm glad they threw in that birds nest for free, cuz I didn't think it was fair that you still had to pay "reduced" shipping on something they forgot.

 

I just got my first chalice, they're so cool! Love your acans too. I have yet to see any in Canada.

 

Hey! Someone is actually reading this. I thought I was talking to myself for a while there haha.

 

But yes I can't wait to see the Chalice! It'll be a nice addition since I don't have many blue colors in the tank. I love my acans too! I'm pretty sure I have room for one or two more--if not, I'll make room. They're my favorite kind of coral! I want to add some green or yellow acans to balance out with the other colors I have. I'm also pretty bummed to hear you haven't seen any in Canada. Could you order some from an online vendor?

 

On a side note, I've been looking through my pictures and realized I need to do some serious upgrading in the camera department. It's no fun trying to share this tank with everyone here when the pictures don't even come close to doing any of my livestock justice. I'm going to see if I can borrow a SLR camera from one of my buddies for a day.

Link to comment

The coolest thing happened today! I've been training my clownfish to eat from my hand, and they started doing so a few days ago. They were very skittish at first, but today while feeding them a piece of flake food, they swam right up and started swimming around my hand, and one of them let me "pet" it with my finger. Even after the food was gone, the fish didn't budge or show any signs of stress, like it was enjoying the "massage" haha.

 

I probably won't do that again, as I don't want to accidently rub off their slime coat. It was pretty awesome to do it just this once though. B)

Link to comment

Wow, that ORA Green Birdsnest is awesome! So "fluffy" looking. Definitely one of my favorites so far. That chalice is looking pretty sweet too, but I think it lost a little bit of color during shipment. I would post pictures but I'm tired of taking them with my iPhone. One of my buddies is going to come visit soon and bring his digital SLR camera. I'll take a whole bunch of pictures then, including a new FTS. A bunch of stuff has changed since my last one.

 

It's long overdue, but I finally added a refugium tonight. I picked up an AC30 (no room for a bigger one -_-) which I modified, and a 6500k Innovative Marine Utility LED. Chaeto comes in from Reefcleaners either tomorrow or Saturday. I don't have measurable nitrates or phosphates as it is, but I'd like to increase my coral feedings (especially the acans), and wouldn't feel comfortable doing so without more nutrient export.

Link to comment

Well it doesn't look like I'm going to get access to that SLR for a while, so the iPhone will have to do for pictures. -_-

 

ORA Green Birdsnest... pretty nice size for a freebie!

IMG_0249.jpg

 

Hot Spot Chalice... starting to get its color back!

IMG_0241.jpg

 

I'll see about posting a new FTS here in the next few days. The tank is really starting to come together.

Link to comment

Nice new shots! I'm interested how the chaeto affects the tank. I think I'm gonna be doing some in my 20L. Also thinking I might try a DIY wooden airstone skimmer!

 

Love that birdsnest. Amazing!

Link to comment
Nice new shots! I'm interested how the chaeto affects the tank. I think I'm gonna be doing some in my 20L. Also thinking I might try a DIY wooden airstone skimmer!

 

Love that birdsnest. Amazing!

 

Thanks! I'm hoping the chaeto will help stabilize ph and oxygen levels at night, as well as polish off the water so my sps color up more. We'll see how it works out.

 

Good luck on that skimmer. I've read some instructions and it doesn't seem too difficult... Funny how you can make things yourself in this hobby for pennies, but buying anything premade can cost hundreds.

Link to comment
Nice frags, how'd you get them for free? I'm jealous!

 

Thanks! The other week I placed an order for a bunch of stuff from Cultivated Reef. They forgot to pack the chalice though. I talked to the guy who runs the store, Greg, and he said he'd send out the chalice for reduced shipping, along with a free frag for all the trouble. I chose that birdsnest.

 

I was really happy at that point, but even happier when it got here and I saw how big it was. All of his frags are like that though. No little branch-less nubs on a plug. He also sent me an acan in my last order. I paid for one polyp and got ~8 + babies. He runs a great business. I'd highly recommend buying from him if you don't have a great lfs in your area

Link to comment

I was doing my weekly testing routine yesterday and noticed that my alkalinity measured rather low at 6.7dKH. I was expecting the alkalinity to dip a little bit along with the calcium after the addition of the new SPS frags, but my calcium was still 470ppm.

 

I'm thinking/hoping my testing kit is just wrong. My SPS still look happy with good PE, and my pH remains stable at around 8.1 throughout the day. Also, a freshly mixed bucket of salt water only measures 8.5dKH, which seems low to begin with since I use Reef Crystals. All of my kits are Salifert except the alkalinity kit, which is Nutrafin. I ordered a Salifert alkalinity test kit to see if there were any discrepancies, along with some liquid buffer should I need to start dosing. Those should get here Tuesday.

 

Other than that, everything is cruising along smoothly. B) The fish are happy. Interestingly, they display pairing behavior, even though I've always assumed they were too young to truly pair up yet. But they're always swimming together, sleeping together, and vibrating on each other. I've only seen them become aggressive on one occasion. I'm thinking a Pink Streaked Wrasse will be a good companion for them here in the next 2-3 months.

 

And finally, I'm going to place another order of corals (small order) here in the next week or two as soon as I figure out this alkalinity issue. Going to pick up some really amazing pieces.

Link to comment
You're gonna do a pink streaked wrasse too!? Haha that makes three of us (you, me and Gena)

 

Yeah you actually sold me on them. I had no idea they existed before I saw you talking about them on your thread. After a little research, I've decided one would be a good fit for my tank. I originally wanted a sixline wrasse, but didn't want to risk aggression issues. It seems like the pink streaked wrasse comes with all of the characteristics of a sixline but without the aggression. This won't be for another few months though. I'm in coral adding mode right now, not fish adding mode. :D

 

Speaking of adding corals, here's a little teaser of what's I plan on getting here in the next week or two.

Link to comment

More corals on the way! I placed an order with Vivid Aquariums. I didn't want to, as I've had a bad experience with them before, but this time I'm hoping to avoid those issues by ordering from the WYSIWYG section. I'm assuming if it's made it to the WYSIWYG section, it should be healthy and not teeming with pests. Besides, with such a great reputation, I'm going to count that last order as a fluke and give them another chance. They posted two pieces that I've wanted terribly, but haven't been able to find anywhere else--I couldn't resist so I purchased them both. I ordered:

 

  • Colony of Electric Green Torch Coral (I think 2-3 heads but I couldn't quite tell from the picture)
  • Frag of Vivid's Ultimate Purple Montipora Cap
  • Frag of Tri-Color Acropora Humilis

 

This will be it on corals for a while. I'd like everything to settle in and let the tank mature a bit more. Also, I may need to start dosing with all of these SPS I have now, so I want to make sure I can keep parameters as stable as I have been keeping them before adding anything else. I may add a shrimp in the next couple weeks since I miss having one in the tank.

 

 

 

In other news, stuff is growing like crazy right now. It seems like my orange montipora cap has finally settled in and started growing. I mean seriously growing. It's probably grown about 1/8" around in the last week. I'm looking forward to seeing how it looks in 6 months. Also, the millepora is starting to grow. The area where it was fragged was flat and white (it looked sawed off) when I got it. Now that same area is bumpy, with a pale pink color. Polyps are starting to grow there too. The birdsnest I got a few days ago is pretty much growing before my eyes. When I got it, there was one small branch around the base that was bleached, and I considered cutting it off. Well, I left it alone, and today I noticed that new polyps have almost completely covered the branch and it is starting to get its color back! :lol: And last but not least, you can't forget the chaeto, the unsung hero of many nano tanks. It's been in the tank for a week on a 24/7 light cycle. I half filled the chamber of the AC30 with chaeto, and now it's full. I'll harvest some tomorrow.

 

Now since I obviously write WAY too much in my posts, I feel like I owe it to those who read this thread some pictures so you don't get too bored (even though the pictures suck since I am taking them with an iPhone).

 

First, new May FTS. You'll notice my frogspawn is shriveled up. The daylights had just turned off a few minutes before this pic. I didn't want to wait until tomorrow to take it, so I turned them on really quickly before realizing some of the corals had started closing up already.

DSCN3678.jpg

 

FTS under actinics. Pic doesn't do the tank justice. In real life, everything glows under these lights

DSCN3675.jpg

 

My Green Slimer has colored up quite nicely. I guess when I placed it in the tank, it was at an angle. The other day, I noticed that half was this brilliant green, and the other half was brown. I straightened it so hopefully both sides are getting the same amount of light now. Same situation with my Millepora. Oh! And it's also starting to encrust on the plug!

IMG_0274.jpg

 

Orange acans! I've noticed two babies that are completely green though. I wonder if they'll stay that way or morph to orange as they get bigger

IMG_0240.jpg

 

Limeberry zoanthids. This pic does them no justice.

IMG_0239.jpg

 

Picture of my orange montipora cap taken last week. You may notice some lighter orange areas around the edges where it has started growing. Since I took this picture, it's grown about 1/8" more than shown here.

IMG_0248.jpg

 

Birdsnest at "dusk"

IMG_0263.jpg

 

GSP glowing like always, and spreading like the weed it is.

IMG_0264.jpg

 

Limeberry's under actinics. You'll notice a baby GSP to the right. That's where my GSP used to be. I removed the frag and tried removing what little bit of mat had spread to the rock, but apparently missed a piece. More proof that GSP is indestructible.

IMG_0269.jpg

 

Lunar Eclipse Palythoa under actinics

IMG_0270.jpg

 

New chalice that came along with the birdsnest. It hasn't quite colored up fully yet, but it has done so noticeably since I got it last week.

IMG_0241-1.jpg

Link to comment

Lookin good! Can't wait to see those new corals! And I'm glad I sold you in the pink streaked :) you should snatch one up on LA while you can, and then I can ogle too :) I still havent had any luck finding one here.

Link to comment
Lookin good! Can't wait to see those new corals! And I'm glad I sold you in the pink streaked :) you should snatch one up on LA while you can, and then I can ogle too :) I still havent had any luck finding one here.

 

Thanks! I actually live in the SF Bay area. We don't get all the goodies LA seems to get. I was thinking about ordering one from Liveaquaria. They don't always have them in stock, but I saw they were in stock this week. I'm not sure when I'll add one though. I'm thinking around the 6 month mark, which would be around late July or early August.

Link to comment

Salifert KH test came in the mail today. It measured 7.5 dKH compared to the Nutrafin kit which was measuring 6.5dKH. It's still on the low range of acceptable but not as bad as I thought. The Salifert kit's accuracy was confirmed by using a standard solution that came with it, which measured exactly at 6.7dKH. The Nutrafin kit measured 5.6 dKH on the Salifert standard solution, so it looks like it's almost exactly reading 1dKH low.

 

I'm going to do a 3g water change today or tomorrow to replenish the alkalinity. In the mean time, I'm going to start dosing .5ml of Brightwell Aquatics liquid KH buffer per day until my KH gets up to around 9, maybe 10. I haven't decided yet. It should take about a month to reach that level from where it is now.

 

Glad to have this all sorted out. B)

Link to comment

My VividAquariums order came today, and I am WAY impressed. Last time must have just been a fluke. Everything looks great. I don't know if it was a mistake or not, but they sent me an extra frag. I've been getting lucky with freebies lately. I ordered one frag of tri-color Acropora humilis, and at first I thought they had sent me two of the same. After going under the lights in my tank and coloring up a bit, I discovered that one is a tri-color humilis, and the other is a purple humilis. Two big, branching, encrusted frags for the price of one! The purple one is already looking good, but it looks like the tri-color may need some time to color up.

 

Electric Torch right after being put in

IMG_0276.jpg

 

New Torch fully open after a few hours

IMG_0281.jpg

 

Side shot

IMG_0285.jpg

 

Purple humilis

IMG_0279.jpg

 

Tri-color on the left, purple on the right

IMG_0280.jpg

 

Vivid's Ultimate Purple Cap

IMG_0278.jpg

 

Random pictures of the day:

 

Hermit crab says hiIMG_0272.jpg

 

My AC30 refugium. Chaeto is growing like crazy on a 24/7 light cycle

IMG_0288.jpg

 

Ever since I straightened this frag out so it's getting even light on all sides, it's colored up more and more every day

IMG_0287.jpg

 

Frogspawn doing it's thing. I'm hoping my clownfish cozy up to either this guy or the new torch fingerscrossed

IMG_0286.jpg

Link to comment

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recommended Discussions


×
×
  • Create New...