Uhuru's NPS Elos Mini

[animalmaster6]

So, I just saw my feather star transport pieces of cyclopleeze all the way down its arm and into its mouth. It was the coolest thing ever. The food literally glided down the center of arm and into the mouth. About 4 pieces from different arms. I have never seen anything like this before, so cool. I know, it could just be tasting it and spitting it back out, but this at least gives me some hope.

[Uhuru]

More promising news.... according to Claude the species I have does eat cyclopleeze. He recommends that I spot feed it cyclopleeze, bbs and Ultra Min F.

[Nemo Niblets]

More promising news.... according to Claude the species I have does eat cyclopleeze. He recommends that I spot feed it cyclopleeze, bbs and Ultra Min F.

 

So how do I identify the species? I would like one also...

[Uhuru]

i have a lfs that has a huge container of NSW from SF Bay or something up there, i used to use it but havent recently, maybe i should check it out and see if its actually good.. i know that the salinity is off though right? its like 2 NSW gallons per 1 RODI gallon?

id have to figure it out.

 

I only recommend NSW if its free. If you have to pay for it just get some Instant Ocean. That's what I use. It's cheap and works just as good as anything else if not better.

 

I just finished reading your thread, took me forever, but it was well worth it.

First of all, I Love your tank, its beautiful and truly inspiring, i want to make this tank a NPS tank

soo badly now.

I think im going to invest my money in dosing materials instead of making my LED Light first..

After all, NPS tanks dont need light.. so i wont need the light for a while anyways right?

 

Yeah light should be your last priority, but don't completely neglect its importance in the overall well being of your system. Whether or not certain animals need it to grow doesn't mean they don't still react to it in other ways.

 

Now.. heres a few questions i have:

1. What do you dose other than Alkalinity + Calcium.

2. Do you prefer dosing MB7 + Vodka over Zeovit? ( Dont know if you tried Zeovit but might as well ask. )

3. I Hear that the ORP Probes are useless, but that might be different in a NPS tank.

i dont know exactly what ORP is, so a little clarification of what its uses are for would be great

4. Would i need a Kalk reactor + Ozone reactor to have a successful NPS tank?

 

1. I don't dose Alk or Ca++. With the amount of water changes you will be doing and the slow uptake of these corals you don't need to.

2. I only dose MB7 now, no vodka. Your mileage may vary. Be very careful with vodka dosing though. MB7 is hard to overdose since its just the bacteria.

3. ORP probes are useful if you want to control Ozone. If you are not using ozone, don't worry about it.

4. I don't think anyone can say what you need because every tank is different. I'm not sure what type of corals you are planning to keep. I highly suggest you start with dendrophyllia, then try a small colony of tubastrea. Feed them 1-2x a day until they are healthy enough to open readily, then you can cut it back to 2-3x/wk. Try this for a while, and realize that any of the NPS gorgs or soft corals are going to be several orders of magnitude more difficult. They are much more sensitive to water quality and need multiple feedings per day or continuous feeding.

 

Thanks so much

ill probably be PMing you for future questions if you dont mind.

i know ill have a bunch.

 

No problem. These are very challenging tanks to maintain. I like to share as much as I learn as possible but at the same time need to make it clear that it takes a lot of time, money and commitment, and still you could have a tank crash at any moment because you are always pushing the envelope so to speak. The main thing I do is observe a lot, and always be prepared to do a water change if it looks like nutrients are getting out of control.

 

Edit:

Also, do you like your Par38? and is it more to the side of the tank on the track?

 

I like it a lot, it really helped me achieve the look I want. I'm still waiting for Evil to make me 2 more. It is mounted behind the tank.

 

 

 

So how do I identify the species? I would like one also...

 

I have no idea He's the expert, I just sent him the pictures.

[Nemo Niblets]

I have no idea He's the expert, I just sent him the pictures.

 

I'm going to buy 5 and feed them all cyclopeeze and see if one lives.

 

JK

[Jake42393]

whens the frog coming in!?

[Uhuru]

Meet "Franco"

 

[weeber]

Meet "Franco"

 

amazing. how big is he?

[animalmaster6]

Meet "Franco"

 

Awesome fisH!

 

Is he a Painted Angler?

[octoman]

yay!

[Uhuru]

Yes, he's a painted angler. He's about 3 in. I'm still working on getting him to eat frozen. Yesterday he ate one PE mysis but didn't want any more after that. He does go after pods in my tank and is also eating live feeder shrimp.

 

I got him from Lucid Corals, a sponsor here. I highly recommend working with Zach on anything you might want. He is really great to work with.

[weeber]

is he in the ellos mini

[Uhuru]

yup he's the only fish in there, works out great I'm just hoping he doesn't wipe out all my pods but I doubt it he only takes out the really big ones.

[animalmaster6]

Yes, he's a painted angler. He's about 3 in. I'm still working on getting him to eat frozen. Yesterday he ate one PE mysis but didn't want any more after that. He does go after pods in my tank and is also eating live feeder shrimp.

 

I got him from Lucid Corals, a sponsor here. I highly recommend working with Zach on anything you might want. He is really great to work with.

When the 125G is up and running I will probably get something fromZach. Everybody says he is a really great guy.

[Uhuru]

yeah for real we must have exchanged 20 emails, who else would work with someone that much for 1 fish? Not to mention he kept the fish for 2 wks to make sure everything was ok. Even on new years eve and new years he was answering my emails. Also the packing was the best of any vendor I have ever bought from.

[animalmaster6]

yeah for real we must have exchanged 20 emails, who else would work with someone that much for 1 fish? Not to mention he kept the fish for 2 wks to make sure everything was ok. Even on new years eve and new years he was answering my emails. Also the packing was the best of any vendor I have ever bought from.

lol That sounds like quality service!

[Nemo Niblets]

Awesome fish! JW, where are your nitrates at? I know you run a beast skimmer on that thing.

[Uhuru]

I never test nitrates or phosphates but I might test just out of curiosity later today. I'll let you know results.

[Nemo Niblets]

I never test nitrates or phosphates but I might test just out of curiosity later today. I'll let you know results.

 

Sweet. How long have you been reefing?

[BumbleBeeJBG]

Elos owners must have the same DNA, i've got one last clown to find a home before I have a frogfish of my own! Looking good Uhuru!

[Nemo Niblets]

Elos owners must have the same DNA, i've got one last clown to find a home before I have a frogfish of my own! Looking good Uhuru!

 

No need to get rid of the clownfish.

[Uhuru]

Sweet. How long have you been reefing?

 

I started up again probably about 3 yrs ago, but I remember the days of no internet and just reading magazines... wanting to get the latest wet/dry filter to hit the hobbyist market.

 

Elos owners must have the same DNA, i've got one last clown to find a home before I have a frogfish of my own! Looking good Uhuru!

 

So you're keeping the elos eh? Smart move. When you're ready for the froggie talk to Zach @ Lucid unless you already have a good connection. He sends you pics directly from the wholesaler and lets you choose before anyone else... and then he keeps it for a while to make sure its healthy and eating.

[divecj5]

 

Haven't had a chance to keep up with your thread over the last couple of weeks. Everything looks absolutely fantastic.

 

I've been tossing around the idea of putting 3-4 Par38 LEDs with 60 degree optics over my 20H. Do you think that would be overkill? If you placed your 80* LED directly over your tank, does it have really pronounced shadows at the corners or is it pretty diffuse coverage?

 

Can't wait to see how the feather star does for you. What an amazing creature.

 

-Adam

[Uhuru]

Adam, I think 4 would be overkill. 3 can look awesome if you choose your optics wisely. I would do 1 80* and 2 x 40*. The 80* has very wide spread.I have to say though I have been waiting for quite some time for my other 2 lights. Not that my corals need them or anything, but if you do it give evil plenty of time to make them. I am doing a write up for a new reefing website about my tank and it would have been nice to have all the lights I ordered for the pics.

 

Some more exciting news! My sun corals recently spawned. I noticed it a couple of weeks ago but thought it must have been something else because my tank is still so young. Well here is a baby that I just found on one of my rocks. I am 100% sure its from my corals because this is BRS dry rock.

 

[Sushi]

Congrats on the baby sun coral