Update:
Scaped the rock yesterday and added some zoos and palys. Also put together the screen tops and got the falco hawkfish over from the anemone tank. I'll start to bring the rest of the corals over from the biocube. It is so nice to have all this room for coral - looking forward to the frag swap in April. The only thing I have left to do is place some cheato in the fuge. This skimmer is awesome - I love the built in gate valve adjustment - it makes it so easy to adjust the water level. Ordered a clean up crew from Ken at sealifeinc - should be here by the middle of the week.

pics.

Ever hear of porkyspawn? It is a true hybrid of torch and frogspawn that is is popular around these parts - the original frag from Columbus Ohio. I just made arrangements to pick up a frag. I've really been on an LPS kick lately.

So I moved over all the coral from my biocube that I wanted to keep. I left the gsp and a majority of the mushrooms. I kept a few purple shrooms and red shrooms but left all the hairy mushrooms - they are big and beautiful but kill everything they touch. I've got a frag swap on April 10 and after the swap a guy is picking up the biocube so I'll be down to two tanks. The big one and the anemone tank. I can't tell you how many mini nems I have now - I think close to 20 after buying 2 at last year's swap.

I really can't stand the stock mh bulbs that came with the light fixture - they are so white. I'm seriously considering biting the bullet and buying 3 new phoenix 14ks. I also need some fish, but have no idea what kind so the only fish in there right now is a falco hawkfish and I have a ywg in the biocube that I'll move over when the tank sells on the 10th.

Here's another coral I'm getting a frag of at the upcoming swap:

What is it? Whatever it is I want it.

It's an Acropora solitaryensis - Soli for short. Some people just call it a tabling Acro.

Very nice "shallow" tank. Tabling acroporas sound like a great option for a low versus tall tank, especially with the limited rocks.

I want some of that porkyspawn or whatever you called it.

Got any updated pics? Did you add that new rock to the tank?

Pick any fish out yet Craig?

Put me in line some Porkyspawn (sounds dirty )

Been crazy this week - found out Monday that we are having a boy due Aug. 30th. Just been in a holding pattern with the tank. All the coral is just sitting on the sand. This weekend is the frag swap so I'll be getting some more coral - then I can 'scape the tank again and get the coral up on the rocks. So hopefully it'll be ready for photos soon. No new fish yet, the ywg will be added this weekend when the biocube gets shut down. I'm just not a fish guy, so I'm having some trouble getting motivated to get some.

I've always wanted yellow zoos. Getting some of these on Saturday: They were advertised as yellow and blue "deepwaters" - whatever that means.

Well then here's some inspiration, from a fish guy, gotta love this much movement:

David Saxby's tank:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmwBaaMS8M4...feature=channel

Stuart Bertram's tank:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0vJsX9GuXM...feature=channel

My old 125:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrlqC7wQGME

I'll find more later.

The upcoming baby has pretty much taken center stage around here, but progress on the tank continues. Got some more coral from the frag swap and a local reefer taking down his tank. I also put in the first mini nem. I have a lot of acans and brains - I need to work some more on my camera skills to get some good pics of 'em. I'm pretty happy with the scape of the rockwork. Today I picked up a fairy wrasse and 3 blue/green chromis. Some pics including a pic I just took of my bta which is splitting.


left side of tank


candy cane


my largest acan - over 30 heads


fts


nem splitting

This is why I hate fish. The hawkfish has taken down the wrasse, the ywg and the chromis. For a little guy, he sure is aggressive. That wrasse was so cool, too and I had the ywg for almost 5 years. Right now, I'm sad and pissed off.

That really sucks. What kind of hawkfish?

It's a falco hawkfish, just a 3-4" fish, but man that little guy is aggressive!! Before I moved him to the 150 he was in a 25 gallon with a pair of clownfish (that he never harassed). I was going to add another wrasse (a six line) and some more chromis but now I think I better pass on that idea.

That tank is the perfect size...nice find.

Sorry for the fish issues. The montipora looks great; it's probably one of the most natural-looking colonies I've seen.

Good News. Things have calmed down significantly in the tank. Although the hawkfish will still occasionally chase someone, he doesn't seem intent on killing anyone. The guy who sold me the chromis found another one in the tank he's taking down so now I have a total of 4. I think the more fish the better it has been on lessoning fish aggression. Snapped a pic of the falco hawfish.

wow i love what you have done in such a short time... where is all of your liverock?? is it stuffed in the sump or do you just not have it??

still looks awesome nice job

Thanks. I have large pieces of rock underneath in the fuge. I may add more rock later to the display, but right now I like it. I'm going to be adding a couple of bubble tip anemones that will help fill it up. Just waiting for the tank to mature a few more months.

The hawfish put a beat down on the largest chromis last night.

broke out the telephoto


plate


hammer


"hollywood stunner" chalice

Great looking tank

Thanks. I finally finished relocating my ro/di. It is now in the furnace room, beneath the house. The ro/di water is collected in a trashcan. In the trashcan is a large mag pump. If you look in the picture you can see a key chain - that is the remote control switch for the pump. I use it to fill up my top off tank that is in the stand and when I do water changes.


Just waiting another month or two and then I'm going to put in a couple of bubble tips and my pair of black and white clowns. That is why most of my coral is still in the sand - I want to wait until the btas are settled in before getting coral close to them. Some more coral pics.

two acans


A maze brain that I originally bought from Mr.Coral


These were sold to me as the ones in post #62, but they are more blue/green than yellow in my tank

So over the weekend I saw that blue zoo aquatics was having a sale - any order above $99 got free overnight shipping. So today I received my order for a long tentacled plate, a large (about 5") purple plate, a scoly and a few pepp shrimps. I think it's amazing that the coral was shipped out of LA at 5pm and fed ex was at my door at 9AM. Some pics:



That is not loose flesh, but a sponge that got torn by my tongs when I placed it in the tank.

Wow, what an awesome tank! How do you like the octopus skimmer? Which model did you end up going with?

Thanks L, so far so good. I ended up with the Octupus Super Reef 3000. It has been the best skimmer I've ever owned. The integrated gate valve and the bubble blaster pump are pure awesome.

This week I'm going to transfer my bta and b&w clownfish from the 25. Then once that one gets settled in, I'd like to add a rose bta. So the plan is to get the anemones settled in and then I can finish the rockwork and get some corals up onto the rocks and off the sand.

Today I transferred the bta and b&w clownfish. I was fortunate that the bta was on the back glass - I just slowly removed the foot with a scraper made for an acrylic tank. Thanks imcosmokramer for the advice of just putting the anemone and fish in the new tank without acclimating. I believe this actually lessened the stress of everyone since they never really were apart from each other for long. Now it's just a matter of if the anemone will be moving around and where he will settle. Fresh pic of everyone in the new tank.

Gorgeous trio. I need to find nems for my clowns.

Update: Tank is now 6 months old. Other than a 25% water change every three weeks, I really haven't touched the tank. We are expecting our baby either this or next week so the focus has been there. I have some cyano on the sand that comes and goes. Cycling 25lbs of live rock that is going into the tank. At that time, I will get most of the coral off the sand and onto the rock. There are at least 20 mini nems all around the tank. Here's a pic of one next to my orange brain.

So our baby boy arrived on Aug. 23rd. So, I'm just getting back into working on the tank. Set up my old carbon reactor to clear the water and today I'm getting delivered a brs reactor that I'm going to fill with gfo. Added some more rock to the display and fuge. My large bta split 3 ways - here's a pic of 2 of 'em - the other is still hiding. I think the clowns liked the one large bta better than these smaller ones. Also a pic of the baby - we can call him lmador. He loves the tank, too.

Congrats on the Babies! The BTA ones and the human one!

Quite the handsome fellow cmador, congrats!

Thanks, guys!! I call this one - tanksitting.

Wow, it's been a while. Tank is due for an update and then an update on here. I'm currently trying to trap the wrasse - a beautiful fish but he keeps flipping over coral looking for food. I am certain he killed my ywg and six line, too. I'm also going to start to cycle 50lbs of rock I bought from John at reefcleaners.com and rescape a bit. I have a feeling my tank is moving towards a predominantly anemone tank. I currently have over 30 mini nems, 6 maxi-minis and 5 btas. I'd like to add a red or orange flower nem, more maxi-minis, a red or orange bta and a few clams. I also added a yellow and blue tang that are doing well.