25G ADA TANK 18X18X18" RIMLESS CUBE

[PurpleUP]

did you talk to him or pm him? I have know mark for a few years now he's a great guy most of the time but he gets a little greedy when theres coral in the balance but we all do i guess. Anyway you should meet up with him he's got a great tank but from personal experince don't think that you will get a great deal from him but he always has great stuff if you willing to pay

Talkin more trade than anything. He wouldn't trade his Orange Immolation for anything I have. Go figure, he has EVERYTHING I have. Didn't even know it was him at first. Anyhow, cool dude and I'd like to peep his tank one time since he's local.

 

mark is a great guy. hes a goldmine of reef knowledge. i got a frag of the war peace coral from him last weekend

I bet. That's a nice piece. You go to his spot? Ping me next time you head out. I'd like to see that tank.

[bluenassarius]

Talkin more trade than anything. He wouldn't trade his Orange Immolation for anything I have. Go figure, he has EVERYTHING I have. Didn't even know it was him at first. Anyhow, cool dude and I'd like to peep his tank one time since he's local.

 

 

I bet. That's a nice piece. You go to his spot? Ping me next time you head out. I'd like to see that tank.

 

i didn't go to his spot this time. i met up w/ him at exotic. photos don't do his tank justice. the depth of it and color is just unreal. he keeps only premium stuff in his tank.

[Tigahboy]

Wow. Gorgeous tank and livestock!

[PurpleUP]

Wow. Gorgeous tank and livestock!

Thanks Tigah. Your tank makes me want to upgrade - my tank AND my camera

 

***

Speakin of which, I've been chattin with Sam about the new Oceanic Illuminata. It's a 57G rimless. Just need to figure out which reflector will light a 36" x 18" footprint, with one halide bulb. I know for sure I don't want 2x halides, burning 500Ws of power. Not ready for T5s just yet. And I'm not too confident/knowledgeable with LEDs penetrating 21" deep.

 

***

Still no ballast. UPS routed the package incorrectly at the facility, but they still claim to deliver on time. Tank is dark at the moment.

[Paleoreef103]

Let me know how you feel about the Lumtek ballast! Granted, anything will be better than what you have right now, but still. I think your best bet is the Lumenbright pendant for lighting a 36X18 footprint. You'll probably still get shadows though because one halide is really stretched by 36 inches. That would be an awesome upgrade though. Reaaaally awesome.

[PurpleUP]

Let me know how you feel about the Lumtek ballast! Granted, anything will be better than what you have right now, but still. I think your best bet is the Lumenbright pendant for lighting a 36X18 footprint. You'll probably still get shadows though because one halide is really stretched by 36 inches. That would be an awesome upgrade though. Reaaaally awesome.

Will do. I'll see if I can snap a pic of the light intensity before and after the ballast change. Funny, I was looking at the Lumenmax pendant, but you hit the nail directly on the head. SHADOWS. There would be also be dark spots at the far left and right sides of the tank. If I went with a 36" x 18", I'd have to concentrate my SPS in the center and place chalices, acans, favias and zoas on either side. It could work, but a 24" x 24" would be ideal. I may buy the new reflector before making a decision on the tank, so I could see for myself how far the lighting will reach.

[MyNanoReef]

Will do. I'll see if I can snap a pic of the light intensity before and after the ballast change. Funny, I was looking at the Lumenmax pendant, but you hit the nail directly on the head. SHADOWS. There would be also be dark spots at the far left and right sides of the tank. If I went with a 36" x 18", I'd have to concentrate my SPS in the center and place chalices, acans, favias and zoas on either side. It could work, but a 24" x 24" would be ideal. I may buy the new reflector before making a decision on the tank, so I could see for myself how far the lighting will reach.

 

I was thinking about upgrading my 150 watt Sunpod to a Lumen Bright 3 Pendant and power that boy with a 250 watt Lumantek Ballast...let me know how you like your ballast.

 

...did you get the 240v Lumantek Ballast or the 120v ballast?

[PurpleUP]

I was thinking about upgrading my 150 watt Sunpod to a Lumen Bright 3 Pendant and power that boy with a 250 watt Lumantek Ballast...let me know how you like your ballast.

 

...did you get the 240v Lumantek Ballast or the 120v ballast?

Sounds like a plan. But would you run a 150W bulb on a 250W ballast? Got the dual voltage one.

 

Alright, here's a pic I just snapped using drab manual settings for the camera. No photoshop of course. Hoping the camera doesn't automatically adjust for light intensity, because I plan on taking another pic tomorrow with the same default settings AFTER THE NEW BALLAST IS INSTALLED.

Notice the chalices on mag racks. I raise them up to the surface at night, so I can feed em without putting my hands in the water. Also, keeps fish from stealing their food.

 

BTW, if all goes as planned I should be picking up 2 IceFire frags next Thursday.

[MyNanoReef]

Sounds like a plan. But would you run a 150W bulb on a 250W ballast? Got the dual voltage one.

 

No...would that even be possible, running a 150watt bulb on a 250watt housing & ballast? I'm thinking about the 250w 14k Phoenix or 250w 20k Radium...how do you like your 14k SPS Blue Life bulb?

[PurpleUP]

No...would that even be possible, running a 150watt bulb on a 250watt housing & ballast? I'm thinking about the 250w 14k Phoenix or 250w 20k Radium...how do you like your 14k SPS Blue Life bulb?

I don't think so. You mentioned upgrading and didn't say anything about the bulb, so I thought you were going to use your existing one. So you'll be switching out to an entirely new lighting setup then. Right on.

 

I'd personally rate the SPS Blue Life higher than any bulb I've used so far. But due to its high price, I may try out a Radium 20K. Not that it's any cheaper, but I want to know I'm getting the biggest bang for my buck if I'm spending $80+/bulb. Might even try to Phoenix 14K @ $55 each! I did see Radium 20k pics and it was love at first sight.

[PurpleUP]

UPS made an error at the sorting facility, so I won't be getting my new ballast until WED. In the meantime, I'm lighting the tank w/ a Phoenix 14K 150W. Here's a pic. It's definitely on the bluer side, which my camera cannot capture too well. Compared to the one I snapped yesterday w/ the 250W 14k, it's clearly not as intense.

BTW, I removed one of the leathers on the upper right to make room for another acro. Pretty soon all softies (except zoas/palys and a few spotlight shrooms) will be removed from this tank.

[nanoreefnate]

all i gotta say is. WOW.

[PurpleUP]

all i gotta say is. WOW.

Ha, thanks Nate.

 

***

Somewhat liking the Phoenix blue, so I took some random top view pics. Looks like the brown out bonus frags I got from the BAR swap are slowly starting to add color:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Labor Day.

[PurpleUP]

I HAVE AN ADDICTION. And NR is probably not the best place for me to discuss it, as it may only make matters worse. When I first got into this hobby about 2.5-3 yrs ago, my primary goal was to maintain aquatic life in captivity. I was never interested in buying costly pieces, only the ones that were challenging, like SPS. I was content in trying to keep colorful corals colorful. That satisfied me. Now that I think I may have gotten the hang of reef keeping, I've kicked things up a notch to acquiring coral that's not only hard to keep but also HARD TO FIND. This is what concerns me, cuz I can get a little carried way at times.

 

Same thing happened to me when I used to collect cards and comic books. I wanted the rare stuff, like Amazing Spider-man #1 or Uncanny X-Men #1. Before I knew it, I had spent tens of thousands. [Later sold them for tens of thousands too but that's besides the point]. Point being, I see it happening again but with CORALS and I don't expect to get my money back this time around. I never thought I would spend so much cash on corals and enjoy doing it. Take this weekend for instance. Family came over and I had tons of time to seek out chalices. Thought it would be fun to acquire pieces directly from the source colonies. Here's what I came up with:

 

Oregon Mummy Eye

BPC Flamethrower

Orange Immolation

Golden Galaxy

Flying Saucer

 

At some point within the next few days, weeks, months, these will end up in my little nano. There's very little room in here, but I'll be getting a new tank soon - which is a good thing. The tank will give me much more space - which is a scary thing. So to get back to my key point in having an addiction. I do have an addiction to corals, and I admit that. But I don't necessarily want to break it This is truly stress free therapy for my overly consumed mind, and well worth the time, effort and money. Plus, I'll have nicer corals to share with my friends on NR

 

Oh, also made a quick zoa/paly trade on R2R. Some KO Nightmares, Nightmares, and Rainbows for 3 Everlasting Gobstopper polyps. I do believe I'll always appreciate zoas (and chalices), no matter which direction the fads take me.

[DCG1286]

OMG ... you need help ... lol

 

Sweet pieces ... you know you want more!!!

[reefdan]

Here's what I came up with:

 

Golden Galaxy

 

talk to poletti. he's the source

[PurpleUP]

OMG ... you need help ... lol

 

Sweet pieces ... you know you want more!!!

I'll quit buying corals next Labor Day. Definitely Labor Day.

 

talk to poletti. he's the source

That's where it's comin from. How's the chalice collection amassing on your end? We're supposed to team up and trade aren't we? BTW, the orange bam bams have been partially closed for a few days. Had some pink panthers that did that too for whatever reason, but have since come back. And the Faux Jedi Mind Trick, which I do believe is the real thing, has a nice blue ring around its edges now.

[reefdan]

That's where it's comin from. How's the chalice collection amassing on your end? We're supposed to team up and trade aren't we? BTW, the orange bam bams have been partially closed for a few days. Had some pink panthers that did that too for whatever reason, but have since come back. And the Faux Jedi Mind Trick, which I do believe is the real thing, has a nice blue ring around its edges now.

 

sorry to hear about the bam bams. i have a small colony (10 polyps) from which i can probably chop off a few for you in time for the oct swap.

 

chalice collection? it's moving but it's slowed down a little. i got a few known mummy eyes (original, emerald), the pumpkin patch is growing steadily through spot feeding, bj isn't growing, nor is the 4 color or orange sherbet, ... other than that i've just got a bunch of unknown pieces. the collection is growing though, i think i got around 15 or so. trading would be good - i need to clear some room. i gotta find me a BGM locally that's healed. how's yours doing?

 

yeah the jedi i got you looks the same as the real deal to me too. i guess poletti will never agree but it's much nicer than those bland looking impersonators you see everywhere. mine is a good grower but it gets fed a lot (as do my other corals).

[PurpleUP]

sorry to hear about the bam bams. i have a small colony (10 polyps) from which i can probably chop off a few for you in time for the oct swap.

 

chalice collection? it's moving but it's slowed down a little. i got a few known mummy eyes (original, emerald), the pumpkin patch is growing steadily through spot feeding, bj isn't growing, nor is the 4 color or orange sherbet, ... other than that i've just got a bunch of unknown pieces. the collection is growing though, i think i got around 15 or so. trading would be good - i need to clear some room. i gotta find me a BGM locally that's healed. how's yours doing?

 

yeah the jedi i got you looks the same as the real deal to me too. i guess poletti will never agree but it's much nicer than those bland looking impersonators you see everywhere. mine is a good grower but it gets fed a lot (as do my other corals).

Nah, don't even worry about it if you only got 10 of em. I got a feeling the ones I have will open up again anyway.

 

Very nice. I'll take the emerald, 4-color, and orange sherbet. Bag em up for the Oct swap The BGM I got is growing fast. It's on the daily mysis/brine diet. It's gotta be the smallest yet nicest piece in my tank at the moment. The green has become more intense and one of its eyes has gotten noticeably bigger. At this rate, I think it will double in size within the next 30 days. So BJ is a slow grower huh? I'm splitting mine in half for the Oct swap, in exchange for a piece of Tyree Pink Watermelon. Goin to the BAR swap?

[reefdan]

Goin to the BAR swap?

 

doubt it. i don't have much room in my tank so i am fighting off adding anything i don't really want.

 

you're splitting up your bj for craig's tyree pink? that's a pretty good deal for both of you. i know he had one a while ago that he burned with kalk or something. he was pretty bummed.

 

the BGM is a very nice colored piece and a fast grower. i gotta get my hands on a 2-3 polyp piece and get that one going.

 

as far as trades for the oct NCRC swap are concerned, i'll post what i have in the swap thread that craig started on the site and see if anything sparks your interest. i don't suppose you're chopping that BGM? i don't think any of the chalices i listed are big enough to chop up but check out the stuff i am going to post.

 

oh, and i have the ORA blue chalice. that one's a fast grower. i can probably just give you a piece of that if you'd like

 

BTW: sack up and get a bigger tank (i hear an ELOS 120xl calling your name)

[scottyreef]

talk to poletti. he's the source

 

 

if you want it without getting it from poletti goe aqualife aquarium in rocklin its there chalice when it says that "The colony was originally acquired by Mark from a local reef store in Northern California" he means them mark unfortunately doesn't gives credit to those he buys from.

Anyway its in ther show tank in the middle about 16" from the bottom ask for kyle or Dane and make a request to frag the piece and they will cut you a frag. If you decide to go get one give me a ring and i will go down there with you

[PurpleUP]

doubt it. i don't have much room in my tank so i am fighting off adding anything i don't really want.

 

you're splitting up your bj for craig's tyree pink? that's a pretty good deal for both of you. i know he had one a while ago that he burned with kalk or something. he was pretty bummed.

 

the BGM is a very nice colored piece and a fast grower. i gotta get my hands on a 2-3 polyp piece and get that one going.

 

as far as trades for the oct NCRC swap are concerned, i'll post what i have in the swap thread that craig started on the site and see if anything sparks your interest. i don't suppose you're chopping that BGM? i don't think any of the chalices i listed are big enough to chop up but check out the stuff i am going to post.

 

oh, and i have the ORA blue chalice. that one's a fast grower. i can probably just give you a piece of that if you'd like

 

BTW: sack up and get a bigger tank (i hear an ELOS 120xl calling your name)

Craig, is that his name? Good to know. LOL. Yeah, I initially traded for one eye but another grew quickly, and the Pink Watermelon is a must have for me so hopefully it all works out.

 

My thoughts exactly on the MARS swap, but I think I'm goin anyway. Haha.

 

As far as the BGM, I've thought about slicing that thing 1000 times already, but it has made so much progress so far. It would be like starting over if I chopped it up now. I'll do it once it gets to 5 or 6 eyes though. If you can wait that long.

 

Sure I'll take a frag of the ORA blue. Let me think of somethin I can give you in exchange.

[reefdan]

get a bigger tank.

[PurpleUP]

if you want it without getting it from poletti goe aqualife aquarium in rocklin its there chalice when it says that "The colony was originally acquired by Mark from a local reef store in Northern California" he means them mark unfortunately doesn't gives credit to those he buys from.

Anyway its in ther show tank in the middle about 16" from the bottom ask for kyle or Dane and make a request to frag the piece and they will cut you a frag. If you decide to go get one give me a ring and i will go down there with you

Ha, you're funny. I was wondering which local reef store that originated from. Let's definitely take a trip to Aqualife. I wanna ask those guys if they remember selling a 4 eye miami hurricane frag to another guy before he sold his colony to me. I have a receipt from them so I know he got it there for sure. Just want to know where Aqualife got theirs.

 

I think I will buy from Poletti though. A deal's a deal. Comes as a combo with somethin else that's literally impossible to find, even from the originator. Multiple eyes on the healed frag he has. Plus, he was cool enough to let me know where I could grab a legit BPC Flamethrower.

 

That's the thing with all of the reputable reefers out there. If they get their hands on a nice piece and put their name on it, it's as good as gold. Their name or "brand" is actually worth more than the coral itself. Wish my name could carry that much weight. "That's a PurpleUP green star polyp. It's worth BANK."

 

get a bigger tank.

I'm on it, Man. Thinkin about the 57G RImless Illuminata, which is cheaper than a Tropicorium Acid Trip frag.

[Paleoreef103]

I love the escalation in this tank. "I gotta have them all!" I'm surprised you didn't want an acid trip frag. Still, you should get a 24X24X18 tank. It'd have similar dimensions to your tank, lots of extra room and could still be lit by a single 250. I've been trying to build up the cash and the drive to build my own 24X24X18 cube, but unfortunately I have neither right now.

 

Quick hijack, reefdan! This AquaMedic unit you sold me rocks. I replaced the old bulb with a phoenix and it literally tripled the PAR! When I inspected the old bulb one of the clip things had a crack in it, I'm sure from the trip in the back of a van, so that might have been the problem, but seriously this thing is great.