squirrel's 16 bow

[squirrelieygrrrl]

Well.... here she is!

 

 

updated 02/25/11

 

 

Tank Specs

 

Display: Aqueon 16 Gallon Bowfront, 20" x 13" x 18"

Lighting: 150w Sunpod (20k Ushio)

Heating: 100w Visitherm Stealth

Filtration: Tom Rapids Mini Canister Filter (80gph). Run with filter floss, Chemi-Pure Elite, and Lifeguard Pelletized Carbon

Circulation: Zoo Med PowerSweep 212 Power Head. (125gph)

Skimmer: Red Sea Prizm Protein Skimmer with Media Basket (Filter floss on top of Lifeguard Carbon)

Cooling: Mini Desktop Fan

 

Established October 2009 been evolving ever since.

 

Maintenance Routine

 

• 5 gallon water changes twice a week.

• Empty and clean skimmer cup every 3-4 days.

• Clean the canister, and replace the filter floss and carbon weekly. Change the carbon and filter floss in the skimmers media basket weekly.

• Daily Manual top offs.

• Complete Breakdown of all equipment and cleaning 1-2 times monthly.

• Clean the glass twice a week.

• Clean the glass shield on the light once a month.

• Blast the rocks twice a month to suspend detritus and then polish the water with filter floss placed in the powerhead's intake.

• Monthly pruning of corals and Macro Algae.

• Every Third day the tank is fed, alternating with Emerald Entree, Rotifers, and Hikari Enriched Brine soaked in Selcon.

• Dosing: Once a week; 1ml of Brightwell's Coral Amino, .05 ml Kent Lugol's, 1ml Brightwells Reef Code A, .5 ml of Code B. Every third day .2ml of Brightwell's KoralColor.

 

 

Corals

 

• Duncanopsammia axifuga

• Blastomussa wellsi

• Acanthastrea Maxima

• Acanthastrea rotundoflora

• Lobophyllia hemprichii

• Leptastrea pruinosa

• Leptastrea aequalis

• Acanthophyllia deshayesiana

• Trachyphyllia geoffroyi

• Echinophyllia echinata

• Favia Rotundata

• Mystery coral (Pectinia sp.?)

• Zoanthus sp.

• Palaythoa sp.

• Actiniodiscus sp.

• Rhodactis sp.

• Ricordea florida

• Ricordea yuma

• Xenia sp.

• Seriatopora hystrix

• Seriatopora guttatus

• Porties sp.

• Hydnophora rigida

• Montipora digitata

• Montipora danae

• Acropora yongei

• Acropora valida

• Acropora hyacinthus

• Acropora formosa

• Acropora millepora

• Acropora lokani

• Acropora sp. (Unidentified table)

• Acropora echinata

 

Invertebrates

 

• Tridacna dersa

• Spirobranchus giganteus (Christmas Tree Worms)

• Sabellastarte magnifica (Coco Worm)

• Alpheus bidens (Non-Commensal Pistol Shrimp)

• Various clean up crew; including snails, stars, crabs, and common hitchikers

 

Macro

 

C. serrulata

 

 

this tanks inception has had sort of an odd beginning, my old 10 gal went to my lfs for safe keeping while i was going through some stuff. at the time i didnt have a place to keep it. thinking it would be safe there while i bought my new house. once i got it back he had transferred some of my livestock into a 16 bow. unfortunately a good 15 species were 'missing'. the guy claimed he didnt know where half of it went. ugh. and the other stuff he sold or said it died. terribly frustrating, as i was going to pay the guy for the tank care. on an up side once i got home and realized how much was really missing i went back in to the store and got the guy to compensate me with a bunch of new stuff. at least it made the whole thing sting a little less. how ever i did take the whole thing as an opportunity to make this tank better than its predecessor. so here we go again on another nano reef journey. this puppy has been up and running for about 3 months. it seems to be doing well, if not better than before. mostly due to the slightly larger water volume. ive put much more forethought into things like rock selection and aquascaping. as well as coral selection, i learned my lesson before to not just buy what ever to fill space. now i am marginally more calculated in coral selection, keeping color and texture in mind. although i am still prone to those impulse buys occasionally. ive acquired most of the larger colonies that i was after, just leaving space for decent sized wellso with spectacular color. now im moving on to more vibrantly colored frags. as always with me i like to take things slow, so this will be a process. thanks for checking it out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

im working on taking shots of everything else. slowly.

[wimby]

Very nice!! Love the Tailspot one of My Favorite fish

[opipe73]

Nice tank.

[racechase]

aww that maroon is so cute i really like the tank, your duncans are sweet

[squirrelieygrrrl]

thanks guys!

 

sad news about the tail spot though. he mysteriously disappeared about a month ago. i have a feeling he either went carpet surfing at the cat got him. or the angry shrimp had a midnight snack. other wise all has been well in the 16 bow. a few new additions and a decent amount of growth. here goes! hope you all enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i am just in love with that red planet acro. and surprisingly it grows like a weed. soon ill be able to start taking frags from it. yay!

[Bamato]

Beautiful Duncanospammias! And your red/purple acro is gorgeous too!

[squirrelieygrrrl]

thanks a bunch Bamato!

 

its gonna be time to do some fragging from that duncan too, as its starting to dominate that corner of the tank. once i get up the gumption to take some chunks from it your totally welcome to a few heads. if you like.

[squirrelieygrrrl]

heres the new cynaria! i just love these guys, there so bizarre. the cool thing about this one is that its entire skeleton is still intact, it looks to me like it was growing in the sand so you can see its entire growth pattern from when it first started. underneath it has a tuber like form, at about 4 1/2 inches long, and about as large around as an avacado. approx 4in across. usually when i see these guys for sale most of the underlying skeleton has been removed so im interested to see if i can find some sort of growth chart/ estimate per year so i can make a rough estimate at its age. imo its been around a loooong time. the last one i had hardly put on any growth at all over the course of the three years i had it. if any one has any guesses id love to hear em.

 

 

(finally a decentish shot. i think i might be figuring out this dslr a little more yay!)

[squirrelieygrrrl]

ouch snub city huh?

 

do i smell? yeesh.

[got2envy]

Nice squirreliegrrrl! I have always loved bow fronts!!

[squirrelieygrrrl]

finally a little love! (im needy, what can i say)

 

thanks got2envy! ive always admired your tanks.

[got2envy]

I try to pass da luv along

Thanks for the nice compliment

[squirrelieygrrrl]

aw schucks.

 

and muh pleasure.

 

and now! off to the coal mines. ttfn folks.

[squirrelieygrrrl]

ta da

 

 

 

 

[squirrelieygrrrl]

more stuff.

 

why is it that i cant seem to take decent shots.... arrghhhh..... i got this new dslr, thinking it would cinch this reef photography thing and make it easy. but it seems i either dont know how to use the darn thing. or perhaps the camera just sucks. although all of my non reef shots seem perfect. its a sony a200 with the stock 35mm lens. eventually i plan on getting a better macro lens, perhaps that tamarron 90mm but i havnt decided just yet. or an old minolta 100mm 1:1 lens. either way. i just cant seem to get something right with this thing. if any one has any pointers id love to hear em. as its terribly frustrating that i took better shots with my old point and shoot. lol. figgers.

 

 

 

 

 

heres that unidentified lps. ive gotten two possible id's a scoly, or an acan max, though im leaning towards the latter. any guesses folks?

 

 

 

[squirrelieygrrrl]

any one? please??

 

 

dont make me grovel.....

[Withers]

more stuff.

 

why is it that i cant seem to take decent shots.... arrghhhh..... i got this new dslr, thinking it would cinch this reef photography thing and make it easy. but it seems i either dont know how to use the darn thing. or perhaps the camera just sucks. although all of my non reef shots seem perfect. its a sony a200 with the stock 35mm lens. eventually i plan on getting a better macro lens, perhaps that tamarron 90mm but i havnt decided just yet. or an old minolta 100mm 1:1 lens. either way. i just cant seem to get something right with this thing. if any one has any pointers id love to hear em. as its terribly frustrating that i took better shots with my old point and shoot. lol. figgers.

 

DSLRs aren't magic pieces of equipment that automatically make you a good photographer.

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=190521

 

It's amazing what a simple search of the site yields.

[squirrelieygrrrl]

lol. thanks vic.

 

granted. perhaps i should have said 'easier' lol.

 

i think you gave me that link once before. ill have to pour over it one more time.

[Withers]

If anything DSLRs are harder to use but can get better results. Sometimes being able to control everything on the camera is a set-back. Plus you have it harder than most because your tank is a bowfront.

 

I'd say at the very least you should be turning off your pumps before taking pictures though.

[squirrelieygrrrl]

ah ha!

 

i have been wondering if it was that curved glass that made taking shots of the stuff in the back half of the tank such a pain.

 

i have been turning off the pumps for most of those shots. i have a feeling that the focal length (1.3 ft) of that lens is part of the problem, as i cant get close enough to get any decent detail.

 

do those macro filters really do any good for a 35 lens?

 

also i think im having problems with the white balance on this thing. mostly due to the fact that i dont completely understand what all of the settings mean and stand for. when i tweak it i dont get any change in the viewfinder so see if ive tweaked it right. makes it difficult.

[Withers]

I can't help with really any of that. I've never used a macro filter and I adjust my white balance in post. Sorry

 

Your curved glass is most certainly what's making it difficult for you though. You have to make sure you're shooting exactly perpendicular to the glass to avoid distortion, from what I understand. I've never had a bowfront tank though, so take that with a grain of salt.

[jeremai]

If anything DSLRs are harder to use but can get better results.

word.

 

 

 

 

 

 

also, there's no such thing as an 'acan max', it's a marketing gimmick. that coral looks a lot like a lobophyllia hemprichii though.

[squirrelieygrrrl]

thanks again vic.

 

absolutely appreciated. ive tried just about every angle possible and get just about the same results. lol. its like beating my head against a wall. seems as though perspective with that glass dosnt make a diff.

 

 

jer,

 

i had wondered about that acan max thing too, as there was only one guy ive found touting that his imports were of that alleged species. i guess the mystery lps will remain as such until it matures a bit. its only about the diameter of a fifty cent piece. though i do agree it could be a lobo too. maybe as it matures its form will change a bit and ill be able to more definitively id it.

[Withers]

thanks again vic.

 

absolutely appreciated. ive tried just about every angle possible and get just about the same results. lol. its like beating my head against a wall. seems as though perspective with that glass dosnt make a diff.

 

Wish I could help, but I've never had to deal with a bowfront before

[squirrelieygrrrl]

no worries bud.

 

im bound to figure it out eventually. i just hope i dont have to splurge on a $600 lens to get it right. lol.