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Tinpan's HQI 29


Tinpanva

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Well here we go. A new obsession! Spent several months reading and reading and finally last night put in the water. These first photos are pretty crappy but I was so proud of myself I had to at least take 1 or 2 shots. This morning its already looking better and more clear. These shots are from a cell phone, but I'll bust out the good camera tonight. I have mixed feelings on the branch piece up on top, I'm planning some GSP on that rock and should be simple to keep trimmed but it looks so out of place to me. Also, noticed some green little pom-pom looking thing on one rock, not sure what it is, whether its alive or dead, or good or bad, but its the only thing I have to look at right now. It does appear to have little "feelers" so I'll keep an eye on it.

The Specs:
HQI 29 Biocube (No longer a HQI)
Intank media kit with water director
Intank fuge
Hydor Theo 100w Heater
ATO - Tunze Osomolater

Deep Blue 8 Gallon Rimless QT

Controls
Reefkeeper Lite (L3)

Flow
MJ1200 Pump
MP10 (x2)

Filtration
Aquamaxx HOB-1 Skimmer
Top Shelf - Poly Filter Floss
Middle Shelf - Seachem Purigen
Bottom Shelf - Chemi Pure Elite
Fuge - Ball of Chaeto
20# Reef Flakes
35#'s LR

Lighting
AI Vega (Color)

JBJ Nano-Glow (Fuge)

Fish
Occ Clown

Occ Clown (Blk/Wht)
Diamond Watchman Goby

6 line wrase

Neon Dotty Back

Inverts
Banded Shrimp (1)
Zebra Turbo Snail (1)
Narcissus Snail (1)
Emerald Crab (1)

Trochus Snail

LPS
Neon Green Candy Cane
FrogSpawn
Red Acan Lord
Duncan
Torch Coral
Bubble Gum Monster Chalice

Cornbred Ace's Wild Chalice

WWC Ignitian Chalice

Mummy Eye Chalice
Hammer
Orange Plate Coral
Predator Blood Favia
Tyree Red Watermelon Chalice

SPS
ORA Green Birds Nest
Cali Tort
Richmond Tri-Color
Bonsai Tri-Color
Green Slimmer
Nectar of the Gods
ORA Hawkins Echinata
Purple Milli
Rose Milli
South Beach
Lynchburg Lemonade
Yellow/Green Milli
Neon Yellow Acro
Purple Montipora
Purple Tip Subulata

Polyps
Radioactive Green Dragon Eye Zoa
Pink Panthers
Hells Flare
Orange Bam Bams
Jason Fox Sunflowers
Sunny D's
Candy Apple Reds
Solar Eclipse
Googlie Eyes
Eagle Eyes
Blueberry Zoas

Mushrooms
Green/Purple Yuma
Ultra Ricordea's (Gold, Yellow, & Rainbow)

 

Marine Plant
Orange Tree Gorgonian



The first FTS Day 1

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Side Shot - Has several caves, ledges, holes, and cracks to hide in.
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The Pom-Pom thing, I have no idea.

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Here are a few better pics, I've gotten a few comments on the Green Pom Pom, seems he may be a sponge. I'm going to say he's very alive, the tentacles keep moving.

 

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Plus a new FTS

 

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Some day 7 shots, changed the scape, added more rock, added the clown, a Zebra Turbo, Narcissus Snail, Red Leg & Blue Leg Dwarf hermit's, Banded Shrimp, and a Neon Green Candy Cane

 

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Found several Asterinas

 

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Oh my Gawd, its a sea monster!!! Ok, perhaps its just a Mini Brittle Star (It really did freak me out at first!)

 

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nice set up. good luck with your tank

 

Thanks, it was about a years worth of planning and a weeks worth of mayhem! I was just fortunate to get my hands on some really good live rock.

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Just a quick update on the BC. My Candy cane is looking great! I was concerned because I learned after I placed him that I should have acclimated him in the bottom of the tank prior to placing him where he sits now. Noob mistake, but he must be pretty hardy as he took the new placement very well and he's all fat and puffy now. I'm thinking I might spot feed him a few times just to make sure.

 

My banded shrimp gave me a small heart attack this morning, when I went to turn on the lights I found him all encased up into the MP10 and I was like "OMG!", so I cut off the pump and he fell to the bottom like a sack of empty clothes when I notice the "real" shrimp scamper over and check him out, seems my guy molted overnight and this was indeed his discarded "clothes". Real funny, not!

 

Tonight I plan to take some readings on my water to see where my #'s are on the new bio-load on the tank. Hopefully still on tract for a new addition next week, maybe a playmate for the clown or 2 small frags. Maybe a zoa and a small acan. I need to ask around and see if those are ok so soon. Might have to just settle on some mushrooms. The clown is still getting used to the tank I think, he's still a bit shy and keeps swimming up and down the front corner of the tank unless he's hovering around the return grill eating everything that swims by. He's slowly hanging out more in the front.

 

Last thing, I had one small bubble algae that came on my live rock, I removed the rock in question and popped it off, replaced it and guess I'll see what happens. Any ideas on how long it takes for it to reappear if its gonna?

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Did another water test checking to see how the tank was handling the new load on the system, everything came in pretty much exactly as the week prior, no ammonia or nitrites, and 5ppm of nitrates. Salinity was an 1.024 and temps right at 81.1 that's pretty good in my book! Now that I feel pretty good about the new bio-load, and just by coincidence [of course], one of the guys in the club had a few frags for sale! Here are day 10 additions!

 

Radioactive Green Dragon Eye Zoa

 

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Duncan

 

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Red Acan Lord

 

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At first I was freaking out that my Narcissus was eating my Acan. Hey, I'm a noob! The Acan really didn't like being fondled like that either! But, after about an hour the small head that I thought was eaten re-appeared. Of course my wife thought something very inappropriate was going on! :P

 

I can't believe how many of those Asterinas stars are in my tank! So far, that not messing with any corals, just crusing around, doing whatever stars do.

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TheDrunkenClam

Looks great man I myself just setup an HQI. I'm considering pulling the trigger on the mp10 but gotta get the finances in check first. How do you like it so far? Only thing holding me back is the noise complaints that I've read about. Is that an issue for you?

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Hands down best investment to date! It was only a little noisy the first 2 days and then it was broke in and now very quiet. They also mention this in the reference guide. Actually I don't even notice it anymore now that I hear the trickling of water in the back from the poly floss. It has several 'modes' not just an on/off and I really like using the nite mode, lets everything settle down a bit and already I can notice the corals are happier, they got nice and plump after I started using it. I am still trying to find the 'perfect mode and flow' for my set-up, it's a slow process cause I keep changing it all around. I'm saving up for a controller now, its the next [and hopefully last] big ticket item.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Day 19 update:

Added the new Reefkeeper night before last, not exactly the easiest install I've ever had. Matter of fact, at one point I was ready to beat the thing with a hammer until all the smoke came out of it. Has to be the worst instructions ever, but if you spend a few hours on the support forums, you'll find all the answers you'll need. First and foremost, never but never update a module when they are all hooked up, essentially I turned all my modules into a PC4, I wasn't even trying to do an update, just clicked on the "program" button thinking that was how I programmed the flippin thing. At any rate, once that was all worked out I'm very pleased with the system, and it's working great. I'm trying to put a video together now of the tank and the moon lights, its a full moon right now so the tank is at 98% brightness (it follows the lunar cycle), good time to photograph it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just a few Shots of the New Guys and other stuff.

 

Yuma's

 

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Baby Torch

 

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Bubble Gum Monster

 

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Neon Green Zoa's

 

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you have yourself some cyano issues there it looks my friend....might want to try some chemi clean or choking your lights out and syphoning that out of there...

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you have yourself some cyano issues there it looks my friend....might want to try some chemi clean or choking your lights out and syphoning that out of there...

 

Oh its not a "issue", its a full on outbreak! But, I've been trying to battle it without the chemicals by cutting back food, lights, and sucking the junk out of there. During those pictures I would say I had a good 90% of the sand-bed covered, as of this morning I would say its 15-25% so its s l o w l y getting better. I've also increased the flow in the tank quite a bit and added a rotating return nozzle that's seemed to help. Also added a diamond watchman goby that keeps the sand bed stirred up. Its the Tree Hugger in me that trying the natural approach first, if that fails I'm ready to hit it with Chemi Clean.

 

Its just another thing to say "been there, done that" with, but I will say, Cyano sure makes for an ugly tank!

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Day 43 FTS

 

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Pink Panthers

 

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New Shrooms

 

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Watchman

 

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Hammer (Just Ignore The Cyano )

 

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Neon green Zoas

 

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I came so very close to picking up some Chemi Clean this weekend, but I got re-assured by the folks up at LFS that this too shall pass, water tests are looking great and now that feeding schedule has been tightened up, Cyano is all but gone. Only a few very small patches left. I'll suck it up as soon as it shows its ugly face, tired of my junk looking ugly, so here are a few Cyano free pics.

 

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 8 months later...

Tank at the one year mark, lots of little ups and down's. Tank caught a few STD's along the way, but we're all cleaned up and lessons learned. Single best thing since last post was adding the Vega LEDs, second best thing, was turning them down low enough so that the SPS is regaining its colors.

 

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A few close ups, Zoas first:

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

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