c est ma Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Harry! Finally! What a strange crab! I agree, that leg posture is crazy. How cool. Speaking of cool, hasn't that bubble coral grown a ton? I love the new fts--kind of forgot what the old ones looked like till I went back... --Diane Link to comment
varanus37 Posted January 22, 2008 Author Share Posted January 22, 2008 Yes it has. It's lovin life in that tank right now. It actually is almost too big. We got that little horseshoe and when it was rooting near the bubble the bubble picked it up by the back of its shell and was starting to bring it to the mouth. I pulled him off and he's fine. Not sure if the bubble could've actually eaten it cuz of the shell but I'm sure it would've died from the attempt. He now avoids the bubble like the plague, haha. As the horseshoe gets bigger it'll move to the 55 anyway. Bill Link to comment
michelle02 Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 very nice tank! love the wee hairy crab. Link to comment
varanus37 Posted January 23, 2008 Author Share Posted January 23, 2008 Thank you! He was a contest prize from the Reef Chicks Coral Kitchen. I built this tank for him and somehow some corals and a CUC slipped in there Bill Link to comment
varanus37 Posted January 25, 2008 Author Share Posted January 25, 2008 So Teresa was saying that we hadn't fed silversides in some time earlier today. Tonight we look in the 1/2 10 after lights out and this is what we see. He definitely ate a whole silverside and my meat coral is in the process of downing 3/4 of one. Micros, chalices, duncans, and candy canes all ate pieces as well in the 55. Bill Link to comment
varanus37 Posted January 27, 2008 Author Share Posted January 27, 2008 So Teresa got some good shots of the Hi-fin yesterday while I was at work. He's been staying out more often lately so pretty happy about that. She got some nice shots and I zoomed them in a bit so I could see better. Now you all can see them too. Nice shot where he/she is facing the camera Side-shot that shows the fins extended So that's the new news. Bill Link to comment
varanus37 Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 So, my cameras battery crapped out on me. That's the bad news. The good news is the new lights got here today and I got them hung and they look great! I've decided to go without the glass cover on the tank and I think top down shots are going to be awesome now. I also traded with Weetabix and bought some frags from her as well. Out of that some Green Bay Packer zoas are now in this tank and are just awesome. Super bright green and look sweet with that black sand background. Camera should be done chargin up tonight and I'll put up some pics tomorrow after work. Should look great when the new polyps settle in and everyone adjusts to the newer wattage. Bill Link to comment
c est ma Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Kudos to Teresa for the sweet goby shots! Love that little face and the fin extension. Lookin' forward to seeing the new light & livestock. --Diane Link to comment
Weetabix7 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 I'm so glad I get to play a part in this cool little system! I'm looking forward to seeing new pics and getting my first look up close and in person of corals from your tank. Link to comment
Louie3 Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 You should really post up new pics now Link to comment
varanus37 Posted February 2, 2008 Author Share Posted February 2, 2008 Thank you for the nice comments. So the GBPs are ridiculous bright green. Looks great. My brother-in-law is a huge, huge Packers fan. I'm hoping to grow these out into a nice clump, then I can frag some and start him a pico for them. His wife is into pets so I think I could convince her. Anyway, here are some top down shots of that frag under the new lights. And here's a picture of the tank with the lights hung above it. I didn't use the flash so you really can't see how they're hung. Tomorrow I'll post some more detailed shots to show just what we did. Until then I can just spell it out for ya. I drilled 2 holes in each side and threaded some eyelets in there. I then drilled 2 eyelets into each side of the divider wall of the bar. Each eyelet is attached to its corresponding wall eyelet by 35 lb. test clear wire. Teresa helped hold and I tied things off. It's still fairly ghetto looking but it really lights the tank well and that's all I care about. The lights are off the surface a bit since it is 96 watts and that's quite a change from what I had previously. I found a package of legs that fit this model at my LFS so if I want to move the lights down to provide some more intensity I can. The major difference that I notice is that the corners of the tank are no longer dimmer than the rest of the tank. That was a problem I had before. It's also partly the reason the GSPs were in the corners so they didn't get wild in their growth. I've also noticed that the mushrooms are super expanded now to soak up all that extra light. It seems that everyone is happy with the new setup. I'm especially fond of the newfound ease of top down photography. It should be noted that the 2 large rocks on the right-hand side will go back to the 55 soon so that I can go back to that stark look I had before. I may break up one of the rocks because the hi-fin is living there. He can keep his home, I can have a cover for the U-tube in there and I can get rid of the larger rockwork. Bill Link to comment
Weetabix7 Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Wow, those GBP look better in your tank than they do in mine! I got pics of the stuff from you but won't be able to post 'em for a few days cause the cord to hook up the camera to the computer is at BibleSue's house. Link to comment
varanus37 Posted February 2, 2008 Author Share Posted February 2, 2008 That's kewl. With all the comments in your thread, I must've have slipped and sent you my solid gold coral! . Really though I'm glad you like them so much. I hope they do as well for you as they have me. So check this out everybody. My LFS has another customer turning his setup in because he got some wicked custom 240 and equipment and whatnot. Here's the package deal. 150 w/dual corner overflows, stand, canopy, full length VHO bulbs (2), ballast for them, full length PC strip w/ ballast built-in, sump, skimmer, return pump, plumbing. All of this for $700. Not a bad deal right? I've seen the tank, stand, canopy, lights in person. It all looks nice. Tank needs cleaned of coralline and sand bits. No big deal. I would use my light setup I have now in the center of the tank. That would put 760 watts in the center 4' of the tank. That leaves a foot on either side of my light package. I'd leave the VHOs in the hood to illuminate that portion. I want an island of rock in the center of the tank with open sandbed surrounding it. I'd just sell the PC strip. I might use it, depends on the amount of light I'd get from those VHOs. I've also got some spare lights to put on that sump to make a fuge out of one chamber of it. What do you all think? Good deal? Sound like a decent plan? I'm a huge fan of schooling fish so I'm excited about the possibilities with a tank like that. Bill Link to comment
c est ma Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Uh, you realize you're talking to nano-reefers, right? Speaking for myself, anyway. So anything that size sounds fantastic to me--can't say I've ever priced them/considered them even in my wildest dreams. I say, go for it, and I'll live vicariously through you... Meanwhile...love the new zoas and light and this tank keeps getting better and better! --Diane Link to comment
varanus37 Posted February 2, 2008 Author Share Posted February 2, 2008 Yeah, that occurred to me after I typed it. . I just think it's funny that I dropped from a 55 down to a 4.2 and now I'm thinking about moving up to a 150. I'm all over the place. I've had to move several rocks around since getting this new light. Mostly away from the bubble. As everyone expands to pick up this newfound light so has the bubble. He was trying to pull one of my shrooms in and eat him this morning. So there's a much wider arc of rocks around him now to accomodate his appetite and reach. More pics will come. Thanks for lookin'. Bill Link to comment
varanus37 Posted February 2, 2008 Author Share Posted February 2, 2008 PICS! Upward shot of the bubble. Nassarius proboscis. To show what it looks like without zoom. Mushie, bubble, conch, hi-fin GSPs and emerald crab Shroom from wildernesstank Top-down shot of cats eye zoas..these came in the last swap. Hope you liked them. Bill Link to comment
varanus37 Posted February 2, 2008 Author Share Posted February 2, 2008 Forgot one. Close-up of the GSPs. Bill Link to comment
c est ma Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Wonderful pics, Bill! Keep 'em coming. --Diane Link to comment
varanus37 Posted February 5, 2008 Author Share Posted February 5, 2008 I'm hoping in this next swap to get something for this tank. I'd like to add some more rics I think or just some regular shrooms. They seem to stick out really nice against this dark sand. Thanks for lookin'. Bill Link to comment
varanus37 Posted February 8, 2008 Author Share Posted February 8, 2008 So I moved my frogspawn to this tank. It was getting pestered by the pep shrimp in the 55. The spawn is now sitting in the corner near the cats eye zoas. I'll get some pics up when it's less angry at being moved. Bill Link to comment
varanus37 Posted February 13, 2008 Author Share Posted February 13, 2008 Harrys ghetto abode really made out in the Valentine swap! 3 different zoa frags have been added around the coral skeleton holding the cats eyes zoas. They're slowly opening so pics will be up tomorrow. From what I can see one frag is darker with a light center (makes me think of gorilla nipple zoas), another is a really bright red color with a darker center, and the last has very small polyps and looks blue to me. They're all very nice. The other frag I got was some Red Sea xenia. A few stalks of that were loose in the bag so I set them in the rock as best I could in this tank so they wouldn't blow away. The main rock of that frag went in the 55 and looks to be doing well. Like I said, pics up tomorrow when everyone is less angry at the USPS guy. Bill Link to comment
varanus37 Posted February 13, 2008 Author Share Posted February 13, 2008 So here are the pics of the zoas. They're all in the corner with the cats eyes. I'm hoping they'll grow to surround and cover that bubble coral skeleton I found. Should look really kewl as everything fills in. Some type of blue-ish zoas. Very tiny polyps. Gorilla nipple? Looks somewhat like the zoas I have in the 55. And these are just wicked lookin. I'm not up to date on zoa names but these are kewl. Thank you very much wtfe. Bill Link to comment
davidr2340 Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Great tank and great pictures!!! I think they are "Fire and Ice"... Link to comment
varanus37 Posted February 14, 2008 Author Share Posted February 14, 2008 I have heard that from a few others as well. I'm fairly certain now that's what they are. Thanks for the input. Bill Link to comment
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