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Pisces' 10g Bonsai Reef


pisces4u

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Zomg your torches are even more awesome in the vid. Where do you get them?

 

Please don't say an LFS <_<

 

Yeah mate. I've only ever ordered one coral online and that didn't work out.

 

We're lucky enough to have 5 salt water specialty stores within 20 miles and another 3 if you don't mind an hour on the road. LPS are probably the most popular corals in our area which is annoying because I'm mainly an SPS collector now. The neon green torch is called "Todd's Torch" here and apparently has lineage locally and is widely unknown outside upstate New York. It usually fetches about $75 per head in the LFS's and their tentecle length is rediculous.

 

Here's some of my mother and frags.

toddy100609.jpg

torches112209.jpg

 

Despite my love for acropora and the warm fuzzy feeling they give me, it's hard to beat the "wow" factor of a nice collection of torches.

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Yup, the woman wanted one so we adopted one... which turned out to be pregnant lol.
The woman huh? well either way I got one and now I got 7 hehehe I love the fact that you bought me the only prego boston in rochester

and that, ladies and gentlemen, is why my wife doesnt get on the forums :haha:

 

oh and :welcome:

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Wasn't happy with the flow dispersion form the ac110. It just wasn't moving the torches enough. I ended up cutting 3 triangles out of eggcrate and supergluing them on the return trough like this ^ ^ ^ to channel the flow.

 

The difference was shocking hehe. The new focused flow is great and all the torches have a lot more random movement.

 

Should be picking up a new torch tonight too woohoo.

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Wasn't happy with the flow dispersion form the ac110. It just wasn't moving the torches enough. I ended up cutting 3 triangles out of eggcrate and supergluing them on the return trough like this ^ ^ ^ to channel the flow.

 

The difference was shocking hehe. The new focused flow is great and all the torches have a lot more random movement.

 

Should be picking up a new torch tonight too woohoo.

 

<_<

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I'll do a photo update tomorrow. The LFS owner that's fragging his torches for me has been having a hard time with a shop fire and then h1n1 in his family. I have an appointment to pick up some new corals tonight.

 

Nothing super new. The GSP is looking thick and full and has bonded to the glass and started spreading. Still no serious CUC, but I'm thinking of doing all home-grown cleaners like collostina and stomatella snails that are reproducing in my other sustems. I also have 3 porcelain crabs in my ap12 that may go in.

 

The torches are looking good and happy also. The Todd's torch may be splitting into two heads.

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Tank looks really cool man! Awesome idea and nice improv with using the torches instead of the monti's. The movement of the torches is much more eye catching, while the monti's would have been more "Zen"

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This will look so cool when it grows out. Did you find any fish for it? Maybe some you can group up, to get a small school of fish in there.

 

Still just the rainford's/court jester goby in there until I see something more inspiring.

 

No hammers or frogspawns, torches won't tolerate contact with other euphyllia. I'm still planning on a few more heads with different color morphs, the problem is finding single heads. One of the LFS has a cool black and white torch and a yellow torch, the problem is convincing the owners to sell me a single head.

 

We did grab a crazy GSP morph I've never seen before, solid lime green with very flat polyps. Almost looks like a weird pipe organ but definately GSP. I'll try to snip off a piece of the mat and get it into the contest tank. Currently the woman has claimed the colony for the softie hex.

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Well not much new unfortunately. I'm having a hard time tracking down small torches locally.

 

Here are some growth shots.

GSP already attached to glass and growing in.

gsp113009.jpg

Orange torch

ot113009.jpg

FTS11/30/09

bonsai113009.jpg

Sorry for the dirty bottom! Between Thanksgiving and the puppies being 6 weeks old now, I haven't been basting/siphoning the detritus for a week.

 

Still only the rainford's goby and no CUC yet. I'm checking out another LFS on Weds. maybe I'll find something cool.

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it doesnt take long for the GSP to get going. I just peeled a couple of inches off my back glass since it was getting too close to my monti cap. It will be back up there in no time lol. Your tank is so amazing. I love the look so far. If you don't win the contest then someone is on crack!

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Thanks mate. I hope to do well also, but there is a lot of talent in the contest. Different people have differing opinions on how nano-reefs should look. Maria has a wonderful biotope going, Yardboy has a cool DIY concept, and gabe has some surprises coming too I feel. I'm sure there are some out there that will feel mine is too unnatural looking, but we'll see.

 

Thanks for all the support so far!

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As an art piece yours is unsurpassed. My only concern for you is that if everything stays healthy, the torches are not as conveniently pruned as your inspiration, the freshwater moss tree. In the end you may be fortunate not to find any more torches, and just separate a new head and add it to the bare branch?

all in all though, very very artistic.

I don't mean to sound like I'm giving you advice. As you've done in the beginning, I'm sure you'll see through to the end.

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No worries mate.

 

This tank was designed to meet the contest requirements; to be born, mature in 6 months, and be judged. IME, the most a torch is going to do in 6 months is split once. The softies may double or triple in size.

 

I expect I'll be selling the system after the contest. I've got too much on my hands as is and I'm making some major changes to my daily operations. I'm upgrading my 10g frag tank to a 30g breeder so I can really start pumping out the SPS frags. I'll be converting the ap12 to a zoanthid/softie frag system.

 

The Torch bonsai is a cool thing, don't get me wrong, but it's more of a maquette for a larger system. If I need to spend time replacing filter media, doing water changes, cleaning glass, etc. I'd rather do it on a 50g or 100g. Once my DIY/upgrade "to do list" is caught up, I get bored easily. I do enjoy the daily viewings and taking note of SPS growth, but I need hands-on creative outlets or I drive myself crazy.

 

So... I'm still on the lookout for small torch frags and inverts to complete this system. Two frag tank upgrades and lots more fragging. I'm in the branstorming phase for an automated tidal surge/periodic water change device. Then, when the contest is over in 6 months and I've collected on a couple hundred frags, maybe a full blown 100g+ bonsai reef or grouping of bonsai scapes in one tank...

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Then, when the contest is over in 6 months and I've collected on a couple hundred frags, maybe a full blown 100g+ bonsai reef or grouping of bonsai scapes in one tank...

 

This would be mind blowing!!!

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Same here!

I've got a 40B with end on external overflow that's been a frag tank for several years. A few weeks ago and then again today I sold off a major part of the frags and I've gotten so enamored of the peninsular look that I'm going to convert 40 into a display (though it will still be in my tank room) using the peninsula idea. I've got an RBTA I had hoped to put into the 10 contest tank with a tomato clown but just ran out of budget, plus I'm really testing these LED's to see if they are viable and if so the 40 will also be relit with the LED's, removing its metal halides.

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skimlessinseattle

Pisces, this is the nicest looking nano bonsai I have come across. Looking forward to seeing it mature. Very artistic.

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