TSTB's 3G Propagation System "Plate Coral Lagoon" *SPS Galore*

[thesmallerthebetter]

Full Tank Shots:

 

July 2014:

 

 

May 2014:

 

 

April 2014:

 

 

ORIGINAL POST:

 

And so it begins.....

I have found myself amassing quite the plate coral collection and need a place to house them, as well as the frags i seem to have so many of all of a sudden.

Enter "PicO Aquariums" and their awesome new Rimless Naked tanks and the irreversible wheels of planning got to turning!

So here's "The Plan":

Shallow Lagoon Reef/Prop Tank:

Tank:

PicO Aquariums Naked Series
12"L x 12"W x 6"T = 3.75 Gallons
Black Starboard Substrate + Silicone
Perimeter Magnetic Frag Racks

Flow:

Vortech MP10ES
PicO Vortech MP10 Shield
Vortech MP10 Foam Covers

Heating:

To Be Determined!

Lighting:

Custom PAR38
120 Degree Optics
2x UV LED
7x RB LED
3x CW LED

Dosing:

Gravity Fed ATO

 

Current Stock:

 

 

SPS:

Kandari Acropora (Acropora sp.)

Pacman Acropora (Acropora Carduus)

Flat Acropora (Acropora Simplex)

Robins Egg Deepwater (Acropora Tenella)

Neon Deepwater (Acropora Suharsonoi)

Teal/Red Deepwater (Acropora Suharsonoi)

Aussie Rainbow (Acropora Spathulata)

Tierra Del Fuego (Acropora Hyacinthus)

Starry Night Acropora (Acropora sp.)

Strawberry Shortcake (Acropora Microlados)

Sunset Millepora (Acropora Millepora)

Frogskin Acro (Acropora rosaria)

Nauti Spiral Montipora (Montipora Palawanensis)

 

 

Plate Corals:

"Godzilla" Plate

"Abyssal Rainbow" Diaseris

"Big Sky" Plate

"Golden Shower" Plate

"Pinkeye" Plate

"Hazmat" Plate

Green/Orange Rim Plate

"Hells Chariot" Wagon Wheel Plate (Factory)

"Skittles" Diaseris

Orange/Blue Tip Plate

Pink/Grey Ctenactis (Factory)

Blue Lithophyllon

"Redskins" Lithophyllon

Green Lithophyllon

 

Other LPS:

Mini Orange Hammer

"Rabies" Acan Lord

"Wolverine" Acan Lord

"Ironman" Acan Lord

"Hulk" Acan Lord

"Jappy Taffy" Acan Lord

"Ravin' Asain" Acan Lord

Red/White Acan Lord

Pink/White Blastomussa

Gold Chalice

Red/Teal Chalice

"Hurricane" Chalice

 

Softies:

Grapefruit Palys

Acid Reflux Palys

Utter Chaos Palys

Wobbegong Palys

Gold Maul Palys

Red Maul Palys

Lunar Eclipse Palys

Blue Agave Palys

Green Hawiian Palys

Pink Hawiian Palys

 

Others:

Rusty Gorgonian

Angular Sea Whip

Purple Sea Whip

Yellow Feather Gorgonian

Yellow Sea Plume

Silver Gorgonian

Grube's Gorgonian

 

Inverts:

Gold Maxima Clam

Red Stomatella Colony

Mini Ceriths

Plan on using just seeded dry rock and mangroves of various species for filtration, keeping everything as sterile as possible is the plan.

So far everything is just lines on my bank statement but components should be arriving one by one!

Stay tuned! Stuff will happen in here! Promise!

For now just a teaser pic of one of my plated:

'Hazmat" Plate Coral

[Psychosis]

Finally, some one with good taste. Pics of plate collection?

[thesmallerthebetter]

you wont like it cuz of fragged-ness haha but heres a few crappy teaser pics:

 

 

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/For%20Sale/IMG_5745.jpg.html'>

 

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/For%20Sale/IMG_5748.jpg.html'>

 

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/IMG_5690.jpg.html'>

 

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/1G%20SPS%20Pico/IMG_5632.jpg.html'>

[Psychosis]

Mmm, Diaseris. I've got my own little self fragging plate, didn't offend me in the slightest. I wouldn't frag my good old Cycloseris or Fungia, but I would grow out frags of the same. You have quite the assortment of quarter sized plates, how did you manage that?

[thesmallerthebetter]

Mmm, Diaseris. I've got my own little self fragging plate, didn't offend me in the slightest. I wouldn't frag my good old Cycloseris or Fungia, but I would grow out frags of the same. You have quite the assortment of quarter sized plates, how did you manage that?

 

Most of those quarter sized plates are grown from pie slice cuttings of plates ive cut up over time

 

frags start off pie shaped and then wind up looking like this:

 

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/For%20Sale/photo12.jpg.html'>

 

once the little round baby is well formed i clip off the "pie slice" and am left with a little round "mini plate"

[Psychosis]

That's cool, I thought you where one of those lucky bastards that had come across a plate factory/stem. I attempted to frag a wagon wheel once, it ended...poorly.

[thesmallerthebetter]

That's cool, I thought you where one of those lucky bastards that had come across a plate factory/stem. I attempted to frag a wagon wheel once, it ended...poorly.

 

i do have a factory that makes little vivid purple base, green tentacles with white mouth fungiids, but its slow going haha.

[Psychosis]

Tentacles with out balls in the end, correct? Those are particular favorites of mine, my largest is nearly 1 1/2" thick at the mouth. The skeletal structure they develop is absurd, insanely dense. You lucky bastard.

[thesmallerthebetter]

The TANK ARRIVED!!!! so did the MP10 + Shield, Starboard, and Nimble Nano

 

So i promptly cut the starboard to fit, and siliconed it into place. Also painted the back glass.

 

It came out okay, still need to clean some of the lines up with a razor but all in all im pleased with it. Still need to paint out the MP10 Shield and order lights and stuff but its coming along....

 

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/3G%20Shallow%20Pico%20Prop/photo12.jpg.html'>

 

And some bonus plate coral shots:

 

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/For%20Sale/IMG_5831.jpg.html'>

 

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/photo5.jpg.html'>

[thesmallerthebetter]

Work's been really busy lately, but i found the time to paint the MP10 Shield black between shifts at MAX.

 

Also picked up this little cherry this weekend, not at the show but from a good friend of mine who finally decided to give it up

 

Let the Plate Porn Begin:

 

 

the pics dont do a good job of capturing it but the tentacles have a HUGE amount of "gold flake" or glitter to them. it also has stripes of the same glitteryness running along the septa....never seen another like it

[thesmallerthebetter]

ordered rock and the last of the equipment bits today so should be wet this week! just in the nick of time too as i have plate corals and plate frags literally all over the tanks at work....more frags than sand these days

 

also ordered the components to build the perimeter frag racks.....

 

stoked to see how it turns out....

[thesmallerthebetter]

Rock came yesterday. Decided to go with that Caribsea "Rubble Zone" stuff. Real nice rock. Kinda heavy for its size but had lots of nice shapes that helped me mold the rockwork all together. I also drilled a few holes for frags plugs so that i can put my "Keeper" sps frags right into the rockwork with no headache. Really helps keep RTN down if i dont hafta remove the frags from the plug.

 

Also got the egg crate and magnets this week and rigged up the frag racks for the sides, havent build the ones for the back yet as im not sure if ill be running the shallow shield on the MP10 yet or not and wanna be sure they fit.

 

The magnets are awsome. K and J Magnetics hooked it up with thickly plastic coated waterproof neodymium ones that are super strong. just three should be able to hold the whole rack full of plugs against the glass. very pleased.

 

Also got the PAR38 built, 12x3W, 3 CW, 8 RB, and 1 TV. A nice deep blue color. Very pleased with it. Once clamp comes in ill figure out if i wanna attach it to the back glass or the desk itself.

 

Anyway, enough jabber. Pics of the rock structure and racks....still wanna try and be wet by this monday....hopefully.

 

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/3G%20Shallow%20Pico%20Prop/photo12s.jpg.html'>

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/3G%20Shallow%20Pico%20Prop/photo222.jpg.html'>

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/3G%20Shallow%20Pico%20Prop/photo32-1.jpg.html'>

[Legendary Corals]

Work's been really busy lately, but i found the time to paint the MP10 Shield black between shifts at MAX.

 

Also picked up this little cherry this weekend, not at the show but from a good friend of mine who finally decided to give it up

 

Let the Plate Porn Begin:

 

 

the pics dont do a good job of capturing it but the tentacles have a HUGE amount of "gold flake" or glitter to them. it also has stripes of the same glitteryness running along the septa....never seen another like it

Oh dang... so you actually got that from Phil??? We went there after MAX and couldn't get any of the corals we wanted. LOL.

 

Great shop, Christine really knows her stuff!

[frankdontsurf]

Work's been really busy lately, but i found the time to paint the MP10 Shield black between shifts at MAX.

 

Also picked up this little cherry this weekend, not at the show but from a good friend of mine who finally decided to give it up

 

Let the Plate Porn Begin:

 

 

the pics dont do a good job of capturing it but the tentacles have a HUGE amount of "gold flake" or glitter to them. it also has stripes of the same glitteryness running along the septa....never seen another like it

What type of mushroom is that behind the plate in the first picture?

[CCDillon]

What type of mushroom is that behind the plate in the first picture?

Yeah, that is an awesome mushroom! You should call it Rasta Shroom! Very nice. You have some great looking plates as well.

[thesmallerthebetter]

Oh dang... so you actually got that from Phil??? We went there after MAX and couldn't get any of the corals we wanted. LOL.

 

Great shop, Christine really knows her stuff!

 

Phil and i have known each other/worked together since before he even worked at Seaside. great guy. Christine is amazing, she moves fish faster than anybody i know.

 

if you still want the plate i cut it up recently, and the frags have healed over very well. i have a chunk of it for you if you want it zip me a pm. maybe just send me some of those sexy micromussas you guys have

 

 

What type of mushroom is that behind the plate in the first picture?

 

Yeah, that is an awesome mushroom! You should call it Rasta Shroom! Very nice. You have some great looking plates as well.

 

Phil calls them "Nebula Shrooms" theyre a rhodactis. nice piece. He sells them from time to time but not cheaply at all.

[Mr. Microscope]

Great concept, and congrats on the collection and new tank! Got any heliofungia?

[frankdontsurf]

 

Phil and i have known each other/worked together since before he even worked at Seaside. great guy. Christine is amazing, she moves fish faster than anybody i know.

 

if you still want the plate i cut it up recently, and the frags have healed over very well. i have a chunk of it for you if you want it zip me a pm. maybe just send me some of those sexy micromussas you guys have

 

 

 

 

Phil calls them "Nebula Shrooms" theyre a rhodactis. nice piece. He sells them from time to time but not cheaply at all.

Do they respawn much? My more unique looking shrooms tend to reproduce slowwwwww if at all

[thesmallerthebetter]

Do they respawn much? My more unique looking shrooms tend to reproduce slowwwwww if at all

 

They grow a bit. all rhodactis are pretty slow, but i get impatient and slice them usually before they start to split

 

Great concept, and congrats on the collection and new tank! Got any heliofungia?

 

Thank you sir. Im stoked on it and very pleased with how its coming along.

 

I dont currently have any heliofungia. Ive had bad luck with them over the years at one point having a boxful at our facility (at least 100 plates) all melt simultaneously around the 4 month mark. very pesky. i will probably try again someday though.

[tennis20]

Following!!

[thesmallerthebetter]

Got the lights hooked up and got water in the tank today. Tossed in a filter pad from my desk tank at work to get everything all fired up cycle wise.

 

Still need to rig up the ATO bottle and hopefully get my heater from the Cobalt rep this weekend at the show

 

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http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/3G%20Shallow%20Pico%20Prop/photo32-2.jpg.html'>

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/3G%20Shallow%20Pico%20Prop/photo12-1.jpg.html'>

[Reefkid88]

Looking good man !!! How high is the light from the water ? Those edges look a little dark lol

[thesmallerthebetter]

Looking good man !!! How high is the light from the water ? Those edges look a little dark lol

The pic makes it look way darker than it really is. I make the phone focus on the blindingly white rockwork which dims out the rest of the shot.

 

Prolly 7"s or so above the surface. I put 120 Degree optics in the bulb. Just eyeballin it but there seems to be plenty of SPS quality light on the racks. Well know for sure in a week or so

[Reefkid88]

Yeah,phones are infamous for that. Especially if you're using a iPhone,mine does that all the time. I can't wait to see where this tank goes,as I'm sure you or everyone else can't either !!!

 

You stocking this one heavy with sps too ?

[thesmallerthebetter]

Yeah,phones are infamous for that. Especially if you're using a iPhone,mine does that all the time. I can't wait to see where this tank goes,as I'm sure you or everyone else can't either !!!

 

You stocking this one heavy with sps too ?

 

The whole plan was carpet the faux "sandbed" with my plate corals that ive been delving into hardcore these days and some nicer acans that ive got stuffed everywhere possible at work.

 

But yea the frag racks are gonna be mostly SPS. ive got a "hitlist" so to speak of SPS i wanna grow out/house in here...