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Cultivated Reef

El Fab's Pico Reef: 2007–2010


el fabuloso

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Mushrooms are probably the most resilient and easiest corals to frag. We hear all the time about how delicate these creatures are but you just need to get over the fear of hurting them. You can scrape them off with a blade and use a rubber band or a net over them to get them to attach where you want them to. Probably easier said than done, but you get the idea. ;)

 

Fab convinced me of this last weekend when I thought I had ruined my Goochster zoas... now I know that with the next frag I obtain, I can literally use it to play hacky-sack... and then try to kick it into my pico. And all will be well. Sure, they look fragile and cute... but they can leap tall buildings in a single bound and stop bullets in their little polyp mouths!

 

:lol:

 

(just kidding)

 

It's 6:30 a.m. and I just got to work and I need coffee. :huh::lol:

 

It's Friday... *yay!!!*

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el fabuloso

I don't know about all that Scott, but you can definitely throw them around a little and they'll live through it. I've had mushrooms and zoas go through my filter impeller and reemerge in my fuge and grow there so I wouldn't be surprise if they live through a blender although palytoxins and tequila might be a dangerous mix! :lol:

 

 

My Crazy Crustaceans

 

I talk a lot about my damsel and corals individually that I often forget about the "sexy" part in my tank which is of course named after my two sexy shrimps. As much as I love my sexies I also can't ignore the other crustaceans in my tank (not including the slew of uninvited pods) whose individual personalities not only add character to the tank but also make my life a living hell. Good or bad, their daily interactions and everyday musings are always interesting to observe.

 

The sexies are sexy as always although they're mostly quiet these days and are the most well-behaved tenants in the tank. They were a lot rowdier as a trio but not so much a duo so there may be some truth to keeping them in odd numbers. Eventually I might end up adding three more to bring the sexiness back but in the meantime they seem to be doing more than fine.

 

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Then there's the peppermint shrimp that's shy and quiet for the most part but can be quite a hog during feeding time and is known for causing mischief and mayhem around the tank. Maybe I should've gotten rid of him after he decimated all the Aiptasia from my tank but that would my life a lot duller. I've often have to chase this guy around the tank trying to stab him in the eye especially when I'm feeding corals as he has a knack for stealing food straight from the corals' mouths. But most of the time he does cute things like swim upside down or dance on top of the Montipora.

 

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With my emerald crab on the other hand, we have a love-hate relationship. I love the fact that he's great at cleaning hair algae, bubble algae and any crud that may be laying around. But every now and then he goes rogue and tries to pull some stunts of his own like rearrange the tank, climb over to the fuge and terrorizes everyone in the tank if he doesn't get fed first. We've had our fights and I've had to chase him around the room with forceps to get him back in the tank and often gets banned in the fuge only to find him back in the tank in the morning. <_< Despite all this ordeal he still brings plenty of personality in the tank so I can't see him go.

 

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I finally got my LED fixture this week and had it setup yesterday and nearly blinded myself! It's incredibly bright yet cool with some fantastic features like being able to tweak the color temperature to get that right look. I had to acclimate my tank gradually to the new light to avoid photo shock and so far the corals seem to like it a lot. I will definitely post up a full review of the fixture and some new shots as soon as everything gets settled in.

 

Kudos to evilc66 on a solid piece of craftsmanship! ;)

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I get it, you all want to see a full tank shot! :rolleyes: Without further ado, some FTS:

 

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The palys at the front are looking a little rough right after getting attacked by the galaxy. The good thing is they're still alive but they're all scarred and wounded. Hopefully they'll recover.

 

 

Some close up shots:

 

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Here's an enhanced FTS shot for dramatic effect:

 

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I came up with the idea last night and I really like the way it turned out. I desaturated the background and the areas outside the tank but the colors of the corals and the fish themselves weren't altered in any way. It makes the focal point pop by creating a strong contrast while preserving all the natural colors.

Stunning.

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I finally got my LED fixture this week and had it setup yesterday and nearly blinded myself! It's incredibly bright yet cool with some fantastic features like being able to tweak the color temperature to get that right look. I had to acclimate my tank gradually to the new light to avoid photo shock and so far the corals seem to like it a lot. I will definitely post up a full review of the fixture and some new shots as soon as everything gets settled in.

 

Kudos to evilc66 on a solid piece of craftsmanship! ;)

 

Thanks man. Glad you like it. I just wish I could have gotten it to you sooner, but you know the deal ;)

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el fabuloso

Thanks! :)

 

Thanks man. Glad you like it. I just wish I could have gotten it to you sooner, but you know the deal ;)

No biggie, it was well worth the wait. :happy:

 

El-Fab is your GSP on top growing out of the water?

No the top part is just slightly below the waterline, enough for the polyps to be submerged at all times. Although I wouldn't be surprise if it starts growing out of the water. ;)

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Those cloves are looking great, Aaron, I love them to pieces. Today I'll probably move them into the 40br... Think I'll have a little island of blue cloves, gsp, and rics on the right side of the tank. :)

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el fabuloso

Yay! :happydance:

 

I have more blue cloves. I think I'm gonna break out the weed whacker soon and get fragging. Same goes for the GSP which is starting to grow on top of itself. I may just have a spring cleaning sale pretty soon.

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el fabuloso

Let There Be LED's!

 

I finally did my LED upgrade and what a difference! I got the fixture from evilc66 (the LED Gawd) who retrofitted a Current Satellite fixture with 11 LED's (5 daylights, 5 actinics and 1 lunar light) and first off I just want to say he did an excellent job! I'm thoroughly impressed with the overall build and craftsmanship.

 

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The wiring is immaculate and done professionally including a built-in fan for the heatsinks. Other than that the fixture runs extremely cool, even cooler than my old PC light!

 

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The main switch is completely functional and toggles the entire hood on and off. There are also two small switches to control the intensity of the LED's which can also create different color combinations.

 

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The wiring is absolutely clean. I requested for two separate cords to run the daylight and actinics separately on a timer. This resulted in an extra power supply but not that big of a deal since I keep all the electrical stuff in the drawer under the tank anyway.

 

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So how exactly does this fixture compare to my previous lighting? At max intensity this fixture runs at ~38W but with LED lighting, wattage gets tricky and becomes less of a factor than in fluorescent and metal halide lighting. Evilc66 rated this fixture with a PAR of about 180-200 on the sand with a base color temperature of 14,000K with all LED's running full tilt. This is comparable to metal halide but without the heat issues associated with it and yes, it is bright! I almost blinded myself by looking directly into the LED's while trying to snap these photos.

 

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It took a couple of days for me to acclimate the tank to adjust to the new light. The SPS corals responded well as to be expected with the Blastomussa responding unfavorably which I also expected. The result? Well, I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

 

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I'm seeing coloration in my corals that I have never seen before! Especially with the SPS corals.

 

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Definitely a world of difference with the top-down shots:

 

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I'm also impressed with the smooth, even light distribution. None of that spotlighting effect. The best part is getting the shimmer effect you get from metal halide but without the heat! A picture alone can't possibly show the awesomeness of this effect so I decided to put a video up. This was taken with my point and shoot camera so the quality isn't the best, but you get the idea.

 

 

At the end of the clip you can see me turning the daylight all the way down to show just the actinic. The actinics are amazing and brings out vivid fluorescent colors from all the corals if I can only capture it on camera. Another issue I'm dealing with is trying to recalibrate the settings on my camera to the new fixture and trying to adjust the white balance to get the best color representation on all the pictures.

 

This next clip demonstrates how the two switches can be adjusted to create different color temperatures and effects:

 

 

 

The verdict? LED is hands down the ultimate pico upgrade! It has all the benefits of metal halide but without the heat and evaporation issues. The only downside is the initial cost which requires a strong commitment to your tank. But seeing how I'm pretty much committed to my pico, this upgrade was a no-brainer. I still continue to stand by the Current Dual Satellite and will continue to recommend it to anyone who wants a cost effective solution for a pico and looking to keep a good variety of livestock. But for anyone who wants the best, LED is it. :happy:

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You cannot believe how glad I am that you like the setup. If you love it half as much as I love mine, I think you will be very happy with it long term. A few things I still amaze myself with:

 

70W MH performance with half the power draw

2W More than a Dual Satellite with 3-4 times the PAR!

Instant on

Infinite color and brightness control

Only a 1 degree F temperature change all day

And the best actinics you can get. Royal blue LEDs are truely something you have to see for yourself. B)

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el fabuloso

Simply the best upgrade EVAR. I'm also excited to see what kind growth I'll get with this light, especially with SPS. I have a feeling this is going to open my tank up to a whole lot of other things down the line.

 

first off, wtf are we doing awake at this hour?

 

second off thats a hellofagood upgrade lol

 

what are you doing with your old light ;)

I never sleep, you didn't know? lol

 

Not sure what to do with the old light yet. I'm thinking I could start another pico (because one just isn't enough) or do a 5.5g frag tank. But the M9 is getting upgraded soon and that tank lends itself better as a frag tank. And now I've said too much. :ninja:

 

And the best actinics you can get. Royal blue LEDs are truely something you have to see for yourself. B)

That's no joke. The actinics are totally out of this world! The colors are amazing. You really did an awesome job. :bowdown:

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