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TJ_Burton Returns - last pics...


TJ_Burton

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I dig the fans too. Man this tank is to nice. I'm going to have to really step my game up on the new tank. Seeing yours has made me set my goals higher. My wife really hates this site.... It's cost us alot of $$, but I love it!!

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those fans are pimp.

 

:P

 

LoL,

Yeah I think you mean Ghetto!

 

I dig the fans too. Man this tank is to nice. I'm going to have to really step my game up on the new tank. Seeing yours has made me set my goals higher. My wife really hates this site.... It's cost us alot of $$, but I love it!!

 

The were cheap fans, I think they were 6$ each or something. The industrial fans and transformer cost me about $50 total. I should have just gone to good old Walmart in the first place.

 

I am glad to be an inspiration to others on this site! I was very impressed to see what Stoney Waters did, and I am very eager to see your new setup! One of my favorite parts of the hobby is learning new things, and helping others to progress and gain more knowledge in the hobby.

 

My girlfriend of three years, thank the lord, supports my hobby 100%. She is actually a biology student who is taking some invert taxonomy courses etc. Our idea of a good night is curling up with some popcorn to watch Blue Planet and Planet Earth. Best gal on the planet she is ;)

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Man, tweaking this camera to the new lighting is a pain. I think I should read the instruction manual :P

 

Anyways here are some pics of the lighting. They aren't completely accurate, but very close.

 

20,000K 250's only

FTS20000KONLY.jpg

 

With 10,000K as well

FTSALLLIGHTS.jpg

 

Here are some top down shots - I had to unplug the closed loop to still the water a bit

 

Monti's and Cespit/Effla - You can see the damage from the nudis on the purple monti. The brown one is my really annoyed rainbow monti.

DamagedPlatestopdown.jpg

 

Browned out SPS

UpsetAcrosTopDown.jpg

 

Softies currently on right tower - there will be sps up here later on.

TongasTopDown.jpg

 

Clams

Clamsapr29th.jpg

 

Nice little Tonga mushie and zoas

TongaMushFrag.jpg

 

And some acan shots

HungreyAcans.jpg

PurpleGreenAcan.jpg

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Those lights make a world of difference! Lots of super colors in there!

 

Nice pics--I esp. liked the clams & acans.

 

My girlfriend of three years, thank the lord, supports my hobby 100%. She is actually a biology student who is taking some invert taxonomy courses etc. Our idea of a good night is curling up with some popcorn to watch Blue Planet and Planet Earth. Best gal on the planet she is ;)

 

 

That is so great to hear! I can't tell you how annoyed I get when I hear yet another "my girlfriend/wife won't let me get.." :angry: Jeez, why not find someone who shares your interests?

 

--Diane

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SeeDemTails

Blue planet and planet earth are our favorite shows too!

 

Shallow seas is the best episode. Jungles is pretty cool too!

 

Ohh and everything is still looking good! I'm sure that SPS will color up soon.

 

Those are big!.....I was worried about heat with the canopy I am using, but even with a small fan I am not having any heat issues. I put a big 120 mm 3 speed PC fan in there, but I dont even have to turn it on. When I ad my second halide, I am sure that will change!

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Wow beautiful Tank and corals TJ!!

 

Thanks :)

 

Those lights make a world of difference! Lots of super colors in there!

 

Nice pics--I esp. liked the clams & acans.

 

 

 

 

That is so great to hear! I can't tell you how annoyed I get when I hear yet another "my girlfriend/wife won't let me get.." :angry: Jeez, why not find someone who shares your interests?

 

--Diane

 

Yeah, that combo of lights certainly does make a huge difference. I still don't have the actinics installed yet, so it will only get better with them in the mix!

 

I totally understand where you are coming from with the whole "girlfriend/wife" thing. Realistically though, if your "partner" doesn't like the idea of you spending money on the aquarium, it is generally because you don't exactly have the money for it. Normally someone wouldn't mind you splurging on your hobby (whatever it may be) if the funds are readily available.

 

This hobby is notorious for making you spend money you don't exactly have!

 

Blue planet and planet earth are our favorite shows too!

 

Shallow seas is the best episode. Jungles is pretty cool too!

 

Ohh and everything is still looking good! I'm sure that SPS will color up soon.

 

Those are big!.....I was worried about heat with the canopy I am using, but even with a small fan I am not having any heat issues. I put a big 120 mm 3 speed PC fan in there, but I dont even have to turn it on. When I ad my second halide, I am sure that will change!

 

Yeah, my fans are certainly necessary. With three halides totaling 650 watts, over a 40 gallon aquarium, I (according to most people) would be "cooking" my corals. I feel my tank is proof to how much lighting you can actually throw at corals, and have them benefit from it. Your worry with lighting isn't over lighting your corals, it is overheating them! It is usually tank temp that discourages people from bumping up to halides. I love halides, and I love mixing spectrum, so for me the fans are essential. I can't wait to see your tank with more lighting. :)

 

My poor orange cap got damaged, the green cap above it fell (which is my fault since I haven't glued anything down yet. It is going to recover, just sucks that it will have a couple of white patches until it does.

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TJ_Burton

So I went a tad photo crazy today, and decided I should post! I took some pics of the new fish.

 

I had fun trying to get the orchid to come out. I wasn't able to snap a clear pic of it during feeding time, so I managed to take a pic of the cave it lives in with a flash.

orchidcave.jpg

OrchidHides.jpg

 

Managed to get an alright shot of the manderin

SpottedManderin.jpg

 

And some shots of the bangaii cardinals

Male

Cardinal.jpg

 

Female

 

CardinalFemale.jpg

 

I also took some pics of the SPS which seem to be on the road to recovery!

 

This one is looking MUCH better!

BlueAcroColorRegain.jpg

 

Some new ones

NewAcros.jpg

NewAcroMilli.jpg

 

My Montipora sp. possibly Undata which is recovering from the nudi attack

MontiUndataDamaged.jpg

I haven't seen the polyps this extended in weeks

MontiUndataDamage.jpg

 

Palawensis and carpet nem

CarpetPlate.jpg

macro

PalawensisMacro.jpg

 

I also took some other neat shots

 

My mini nems, and mini mini nems ;)

MiniCarpetAnemoneMacro.jpg

CarpetsMontis.jpg

MiniMiniStrawberryNem.jpg

 

My rose nem stinging the crap out of the zoa disk

Anemone.jpg

 

Two mouth alien eye zoa

AlienEyeDoubleMouth.jpg

 

Aussi brain feeding comparison shots

Aussimazenofeeds.jpg

Aussimazefeeds.jpg

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TJ_Burton

Cespit/Effla

cespiteffla.jpg

Cespitefflamacro.jpg

 

Puffy acan macro

PuffyAcant.jpg

 

And if possible, try to ID these hitch hikers. I remember hearing that they may be "baby" fungids

MysteryCoral2.jpg

MysteryCoral.jpg

 

I spent a lot of time playing with the camera in manual to get these shots clear etc. Hopefully my photography skills are getting a little better! :lol:

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SeeDemTails

Sweet pics TJ!

 

That orchid is nice!...Behaving itself I presume?

 

Looks like you got some nice color coming back to the SPS!

 

Those green people eater looking palys you have there....Are those monster lips?....I picked up a 10 polyp rock of those for $15 the other day.

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TJ_Burton
Sweet pics TJ!

 

That orchid is nice!...Behaving itself I presume?

 

Looks like you got some nice color coming back to the SPS!

 

Those green people eater looking palys you have there....Are those monster lips?....I picked up a 10 polyp rock of those for $15 the other day.

 

Yes the dottyback is being a good sport so far. I think they are monster lips, however they may be GPE. I don't really care too much about the silly names that have come about. They are just nice polyps to me! :happy:

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I spent a lot of time playing with the camera in manual to get these shots clear etc. Hopefully my photography skills are getting a little better!

 

That is the understatement of the century! Those were some fantastic shots!

 

First of all, that is a great mandarin pic. I love the focus on his/her eye and "lips"--and the way the lips match the softy in front. Really nice composition & clarity.

 

Bangaii cardinals are one of my favorite fish! Are they easy to sex? I understand that they breed readily in captivity.

 

Love the palawensis! I think it's the same monti I have (only mine is "rose-beige"--due to low light, I assume). I'm happy to have a name for it! That macro of it is so cool!

 

Your rose 'nem is gorgeous. (Are you going to move those zoas? :)) And it's great to see the feeding tents on your spectacular brain!

 

Nice macros of the "C-E" and the acan, as well.

 

Hmmm, your hitcher does not really resemble the plates I've seen, from what I can make out in your photos...in fact, the second shot looks more like a Pseudocorynactis or a Corynactis--non-zooxanthellate corallimorphs, sometimes called "ball-tipped anemones," which are common hitchers...Perhaps you should look them up? (Do they really have ball tips, or is it just an artifact of that second pic?)

 

Great, great pics!

 

--Diane

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TJ_Burton
That is the understatement of the century! Those were some fantastic shots!

 

First of all, that is a great mandarin pic. I love the focus on his/her eye and "lips"--and the way the lips match the softy in front. Really nice composition & clarity.

 

Bangaii cardinals are one of my favorite fish! Are they easy to sex? I understand that they breed readily in captivity.

 

Love the palawensis! I think it's the same monti I have (only mine is "rose-beige"--due to low light, I assume). I'm happy to have a name for it! That macro of it is so cool!

 

Your rose 'nem is gorgeous. (Are you going to move those zoas? :)) And it's great to see the feeding tents on your spectacular brain!

 

Nice macros of the "C-E" and the acan, as well.

 

Hmmm, your hitcher does not really resemble the plates I've seen, from what I can make out in your photos...in fact, the second shot looks more like a Pseudocorynactis or a Corynactis--non-zooxanthellate corallimorphs, sometimes called "ball-tipped anemones," which are common hitchers...Perhaps you should look them up? (Do they really have ball tips, or is it just an artifact of that second pic?)

 

Great, great pics!

 

--Diane

 

I appreciate all the kind words Diane :)

I spent a good deal of time trying to take better photos, and probably snapped around 200. The ones you see are the only ones that made it. Some were far to blurred, or poorly lit, or just all around not that attractive. So it is very nice to get feedback that makes me feel like my patience and efforts payed off!

 

Now to answer your questions.

 

It can be easy to sex Bangaii Cardinals, once you know what to look for. Some people get caught up on the fins, thinking the more pronounced dorsal fins are a key indicator, which they are not with these fish. I have seen females that put males to shame and vice-versa. The best way to tell a male from a female is from the shape of the head/jawline. Males have a more pug, or 'squared' head, with deeper set jowls that can protrude past the body (underbelly). The males are the brooders, so they need a big mouth! It is much easier to see this on mature males, or fish that are close to maturity. Young Cardinals can look very similar without much in the way of defining features. I can not comfortably sex a Cardinal that is less then 2.5" in length.

I will attach some pics to try and emphasize my point.

 

Yes, I do plan to move the zoas, tonight actually! lol

 

Your montipora, by your description is probably Montipora Verrucosa. Equally as attractive as M. Palawensis but generally yellow/beige/brown in color, sometimes with red/pink/orange polyps. They look very similar and I believe Verrucosa is an encrusting type more then a plating type. I would need to double check on that last characteristic.

 

Now, the two pictures I attached of the hitchhiker (I attached two more with red circles) are two different hitchers. The first pic is the one I suspected of being a fungid. The second one reminds me of a single polyp of galaxia (or crystal coral). They all have a skeletal base, and could not be anemones. I do know which anemones you are referring to, and these are certainly not them, but I can definitely see where you got the idea from. Maybe you could help me solve the mystery!!! lol... I can't seem to find anything on them.

post-7376-1209912205_thumb.jpg

post-7376-1209912213_thumb.jpg

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TJ_Burton

Ok, to try and explain how to sex Cardinals better, I have incorporated some pics.

 

Now, I have attached a pic of what I believe is a female, and outlined her head and jowls in yellow. Then over top of the same picture, I have drawn the males typical jowls in green (a little over emphasized but it should get the point across better). If you take a look at the pics of my male and female again, you may be able to see the difference after consulting this diagram.

 

I also attached a pic of a brooding male, and a female together. You can see in this pic how the dorsal fins on the female are longer then that on the male. This is just to show how this is no real indication of sex. The following pic is a male (centered) with two females and another males around him. I marked males with red, and females with green. Again, this is from what I can tell. I am not saying I am 100% correct.

 

Now, This is all from experience and my own observations, as well as from my friend who is currently breeding these fish. I may or may not have a good grasp on how to sex these fish, and any input from someone more experienced would be appreciated.

post-7376-1209915309_thumb.jpg

post-7376-1209915517_thumb.jpg

post-7376-1209915531.jpg

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TJ_Burton

I picked up a couple of corals yesterday that I am eager to see color up! One of my LFS was clearing out some corals to make room for a new shipment, and had some beauties really well priced (they don't look to hot yet, but I see the potential). One of these corals was what I suspect to be a very nice sized (approx 6"x4") piece of sunset monti! I also grabbed another encrusting monti that is sort of green/yellow/beige in color right now, but it looks unhappy so I am hoping it will turn out to be quite nice. I also grabbed some tonga mushrooms for a great price. They aren't anything totally crazy, but they are different so I snatched them :)

 

I will try to get some pics of those up tonight when I get home from work!

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That latest batch of photos is very nice. Looks like the new tank is coming along nicely.

 

So, I have recieved a very preliminary go-ahead from my GF to begin planning for a 40B setup. I'm thinking sometime near the end of the summer, i'll start collecting equipment. I'll probably just use my existing lighting, get a larger sump, and the rest of the equipment I have should suffice for a 40B. I'd probably want to get a better skimmer too.

 

This time, I plan on doing it right. It will be drilled, hard-plumbed in PVC with plenty of unions, a silent overflow, and no clutter hanging over the sides or on the back. I'll probably move everything into the 40B, then replumb/drill the 20L and plumb it into the same sump as the 40B, for a 60G total system capacity. The 20L will become a refugium / frag tank in all likelyhood.

 

This tank has inspired me, I want more space!

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SeeDemTails

The ones in the first pic appear to be cup corals, if that is Caribbean rock.

 

No clue about the one on a stalk.

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brshriver

More bangai pics from my tank.

 

Brooding male is on the right and female is on the left in both pics

IMG_5370.jpg

IMG_5402.jpg

male on the bottom

IMG_5365.jpg

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I picked up a couple of corals yesterday that I am eager to see color up! One of my LFS was clearing out some corals to make room for a new shipment, and had some beauties really well priced (they don't look to hot yet, but I see the potential). One of these corals was what I suspect to be a very nice sized (approx 6"x4") piece of sunset monti! I also grabbed another encrusting monti that is sort of green/yellow/beige in color right now, but it looks unhappy so I am hoping it will turn out to be quite nice. I also grabbed some tonga mushrooms for a great price. They aren't anything totally crazy, but they are different so I snatched them :)

 

I will try to get some pics of those up tonight when I get home from work!

what the hell? your LFS keeps sunset monti's that size in stock? must look killer in your tank.

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TJ_Burton
That latest batch of photos is very nice. Looks like the new tank is coming along nicely.

 

So, I have recieved a very preliminary go-ahead from my GF to begin planning for a 40B setup. I'm thinking sometime near the end of the summer, i'll start collecting equipment. I'll probably just use my existing lighting, get a larger sump, and the rest of the equipment I have should suffice for a 40B. I'd probably want to get a better skimmer too.

 

This time, I plan on doing it right. It will be drilled, hard-plumbed in PVC with plenty of unions, a silent overflow, and no clutter hanging over the sides or on the back. I'll probably move everything into the 40B, then replumb/drill the 20L and plumb it into the same sump as the 40B, for a 60G total system capacity. The 20L will become a refugium / frag tank in all likelyhood.

 

This tank has inspired me, I want more space!

 

Glad to be of inspiration to you Josh! I am very much looking forward to your 40br build! I will be very excited to see it get put together. I know you will do a phenomenal job!

 

 

The ones in the first pic appear to be cup corals, if that is Caribbean rock.

 

No clue about the one on a stalk.

 

Hmmm, I am not sure if it is Caribbean. If they are cups, will they get any bigger? Do you have a scientific name for me to look up?

 

what the hell? your LFS keeps sunset monti's that size in stock? must look killer in your tank.

 

The thing is, I don't think my LFS (or their suppliers for that matter) know what it is. It may not be true sunset monti, however I can tell you this much, it is a wicked orange encrusting monti with green polyps (albeit faded but green none the less). I hope it colors up more, I will try to get pics up tonight.

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TJ_Burton

Well, I quickly took some photos tonight, so they aren't all that clear, but you can see the color of the monti's which is I guess what matters most lol.

IMG_0008.jpg

IMG_0004-2.jpg

 

Also, I managed to take a quick photo of the Orchid out.

IMG_0010.jpg

 

Lastly, I found this in my tank tonight, about the diameter of a pencil, not sure how long. Definitely Eunice sp. I saw it take a mouth full of substrate and swallow it, which could mean nothing, or it could mean it is a detrivore, however I would still like to take it out since I don't trust it at all.

EUNICEWORM.jpg

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