Photo Journal - Urbanek's 28g Nano-Cube

[mdannyg]

wow, you've got some nice colors now.

[BL1]

Looking good, as always Urban.

[urbaneks]

wow, you've got some nice colors now.

 

Thanks for the view and comments. Adding color to the tank has been a primary focus over the past 2 months. I'm very hopeful that with the new light that I'm able to keep some of the more colorful SPS successfully.

 

Looking good, as always Urban.

 

BL, thanks for the compliment.

[urbaneks]

Here are a couple more photos that I took tonight.

 

Shot taken of my new Ricordeas

 

 

Shot taken mid tank with the Flameback Angel on patrol

 

 

Shot taken on sand bed of Nuclear Green Paly's and Assorted Zoa's

[Chuck H.]

Wow, really wow! I'm considering going to a T-5 fixture as well. Can you post a pic of how yours is mounted? My 1/15 chiller runs to darn much and is loud. By the way, your media basket is working great, haven't had a chance to post any pics as I'm working through some issues with my tank at the moment. Thanks,

 

Chuck

[urbaneks]

Wow, really wow! I'm considering going to a T-5 fixture as well. Can you post a pic of how yours is mounted? My 1/15 chiller runs to darn much and is loud. By the way, your media basket is working great, haven't had a chance to post any pics as I'm working through some issues with my tank at the moment. Thanks,

 

Chuck

 

Thanks for the reply and compliment. I will post a pic of the light on the tank this weekend after my water change. So far I am very happy with the T5 fixture Color on the corals is amazing compared to the PC. I can also tell that my one chalice is growing much quicker under the T5's.

[CincyGunner]

Thanks for the reply and compliment. I will post a pic of the light on the tank this weekend after my water change. So far I am very happy with the T5 fixture Color on the corals is amazing compared to the PC. I can also tell that my one chalice is growing much quicker under the T5's.

 

Not sure how the bulb selection is in T5 18" bulbs, but when I bought a 36" NEP a while back I quickly found the standard current bulbs are kind of weak. If you can grab some ATI or Geismann bulbs and you'l get a lot more PAR out of that fixture

[urbaneks]

Not sure how the bulb selection is in T5 18" bulbs, but when I bought a 36" NEP a while back I quickly found the standard current bulbs are kind of weak. If you can grab some ATI or Geismann bulbs and you'l get a lot more PAR out of that fixture

 

I do play on upgrading my bulbs soon. I will look at both of these manufacturers. Thanks for the advice and adding to my thread. I appreciate your opinion.

[littlelacho]

WOW is right...your tank looks beautiful and the way you capture it in your photography...just incredible

 

Glad you are happy with the new lighting and I love the clam! I really wanted a dwarf angel as well (either a flame or a coral beauty) but I was just so worried about coral nipping (when I have coral lol) and aggression. It looks as though yours is not causing any issues though...I guess adding them last to help with aggression and keeping them fed will help with the coral nipping, correct?

[urbaneks]

WOW is right...your tank looks beautiful and the way you capture it in your photography...just incredible

 

Glad you are happy with the new lighting and I love the clam! I really wanted a dwarf angel as well (either a flame or a coral beauty) but I was just so worried about coral nipping (when I have coral lol) and aggression. It looks as though yours is not causing any issues though...I guess adding them last to help with aggression and keeping them fed will help with the coral nipping, correct?

 

I have seen zero aggression out of my Flame Back Angel. He is way to busy combing the rocks looking for food to go off picking on any of the other fish. Really awesome fish, very colorful, very active and very visible. As far as nipping goes, they swim around picking stuff from the rocks so every now and then they will pick a pod from the rock that corals are attached to. You will see the coral retract but then come right back. I've never seen him pick the fleshy part of a coral. IMO the two best nano angels are the Flame Back or the Cherub. Both stay smaller than the flame or coral beauty and are less known for nipping. Thanks for the view and comment.

[littlelacho]

I have seen zero aggression out of my Flame Back Angel. He is way to busy combing the rocks looking for food to go off picking on any of the other fish. Really awesome fish, very colorful, very active and very visible. As far as nipping goes, they swim around picking stuff from the rocks so every now and then they will pick a pod from the rock that corals are attached to. You will see the coral retract but then come right back. I've never seen him pick the fleshy part of a coral. IMO the two best nano angels are the Flame Back or the Cherub. Both stay smaller than the flame or coral beauty and are less known for nipping. Thanks for the view and comment.

 

Thanks for that little piece of info I do like your flame back and I will check out the cherub as well. You're welcome!

[urbaneks]

Wow, really wow! I'm considering going to a T-5 fixture as well. Can you post a pic of how yours is mounted?

 

Here is a shot of my tank where you can see how the light is mounted on the tank.

 

FTS with 20" Nova Extreme Pro T5

[littlelacho]

Oooohhhh....really makes your coral colors pop! I love it Very nice upgrade.

[chuilan]

I took a chance and bought a coral beauty knowing that there is a chance of coral nipping but I couldn't resist buying one! It loved grazing on my rocks and went around my corals. Unfortunately, my coral beauty died while I was in China in February. I didn't even get a chance to take any pictures of it...

I am planning on getting another one since they are so beautiful!! Keep it well fed!

 

Urbanek:

How do you like this compared to the traditional closed hood? I am thinking about changing out my hood to be like the one you have but I am concerned with particles falling in or increased water evaporation. Also...silly question... are you worried about any of your fish jumping out?

Chuilan

 

 

tank thread: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...&hl=chuilan

 

WOW is right...your tank looks beautiful and the way you capture it in your photography...just incredible

 

Glad you are happy with the new lighting and I love the clam! I really wanted a dwarf angel as well (either a flame or a coral beauty) but I was just so worried about coral nipping (when I have coral lol) and aggression. It looks as though yours is not causing any issues though...I guess adding them last to help with aggression and keeping them fed will help with the coral nipping, correct?

[Chuck H.]

Thanks Brad, your cube is awesome!

 

Got my NEP yesterday...

 

 

Here's the aluminum frame / leaf guard material DIY cover idea I "stole" from another reefer on this site (sorry I can't remember his/her user name or I would give appropriate credit EDIT: Racerfreak):

 

 

And here's a shot of the upgraded media basket right after unpacking made by Brad:

 

 

I'm still having some growing pains with my tank and it is not ready to have a proper FTS taken. Brad's media basket is a huge improvement and I would recommend one for anyone with a 28 Nanocube.

 

Brad thanks for sharing your tank and awesome pictures. I have a thread somewhere on here (been awhile since I posted to it) that I'll update once I have my tank squared away.

[littlelacho]

Here is a shot of my tank where you can see how the light is mounted on the tank.

 

FTS with 20" Nova Extreme Pro T5

 

I keep looking at this and liking it more and more, Brad I was actually thinking about lifing the lid of my HQI up a few inches because you can buy legs from the LFS. I want to buy an ato (pretty decent amount of evap that happens with the fans on all day while I am at work) and do not want to have to buy a chiller as well and it is looking like even with the Azoo fan, the summer is going to cause an issue. I am thinking that if I lift the lid, it will reduce some of the heat as well as give more oxygen exchange. I wanted to know what it would look like before doing it though and this sort of gives me an idea of what it would look like....hmmmm....I am thinking your light mod has just put the fire under my ass to do the hood mod I was thinking of lol!

[urbaneks]

Urbanek:

How do you like this compared to the traditional closed hood? I am thinking about changing out my hood to be like the one you have but I am concerned with particles falling in or increased water evaporation. Also...silly question... are you worried about any of your fish jumping out?

Chuilan

 

I love this change. The light makes a huge difference over the quad cf. I am in the process of making a lid for the tank, I'm not sure that I will end up using it or not. I really like having the light hit the water without any obstructions. I'm a bit concerned about fish jumping out but to date none of my fish even eat of the top of the water so I don't think it's an issue. As for evap, I have an ATO so evap does not concern me.

 

Thanks Brad, your cube is awesome!

 

And here's a shot of the upgraded media basket right after unpacking made by Brad: Brad's media basket is a huge improvement and I would recommend one for anyone with a 28 Nanocube.

 

Thanks for the kudos. Glad you are liking the Media Basket. Anyone reading about it for the first time, you can get to the Media Basket thread here.

[urbaneks]

I keep looking at this and liking it more and more, Brad I was actually thinking about lifing the lid of my HQI up a few inches because you can buy legs from the LFS. I want to buy an ato (pretty decent amount of evap that happens with the fans on all day while I am at work) and do not want to have to buy a chiller as well and it is looking like even with the Azoo fan, the summer is going to cause an issue. I am thinking that if I lift the lid, it will reduce some of the heat as well as give more oxygen exchange. I wanted to know what it would look like before doing it though and this sort of gives me an idea of what it would look like....hmmmm....I am thinking your light mod has just put the fire under my ass to do the hood mod I was thinking of lol!

 

You should use some egg crate or something similar to lift your hood up temporarily, this will give you a chance to see what it looks like and experiment with the heat and evap. You will definitely want to get an ATO. You can accomplish that pretty easily for under $100. I have the JBJ ATO($80), Tom's Aqualifter pump ($5) and a 3g water jug from target that fits in the stock stand. Works great.

[littlelacho]

You should use some egg crate or something similar to lift your hood up temporarily, this will give you a chance to see what it looks like and experiment with the heat and evap. You will definitely want to get an ATO. You can accomplish that pretty easily for under $100. I have the JBJ ATO($80), Tom's Aqualifter pump ($5) and a 3g water jug from target that fits in the stock stand. Works great.

 

That definitely makes sense...I will have to give that a shot. It was just that looking at yours gave me the impression of what mine would look like except mine would be a full square over the tank as opposed to a thinner light? I will see if I can get an idea before I go making changes though...

 

Oh? I thought if you bought an ATO, it came with the necessary equip? So I would need the ato, pump, jug and I guess tubing huh? I never saw one so just trying to get my arms around it...

[racerfreak]

your tank is looking amazing with the NEP... I'm starting to get frustrated with my tank but I think I can make it through. The mesh top I made really doesn't obstruct the light and keeps the fish in, plus I have an opening in the front so I can feed my fish or test water without hassle.

[urbaneks]

your tank is looking amazing with the NEP... I'm starting to get frustrated with my tank but I think I can make it through. The mesh top I made really doesn't obstruct the light and keeps the fish in, plus I have an opening in the front so I can feed my fish or test water without hassle.

 

 

RacerFreak, Thanks so much for the post and comment. I had never knew that NEP was short for Nova Extreme Pro so thanks for education me. Keep working on the tank, we all have those days/weeks when we are not crazy about what is going on with the tank.

[Sahin]

Your tank is awesome looking. How long did it take to grow the monti caps near the top at the back? Your photos are really good quality too. What camera are you using? I find it really hard to take decent photos of this tank due to the curved glass.

 

I cant wait for my tanks corals to grow out and look full/mature.

[urbaneks]

Your tank is awesome looking. How long did it take to grow the monti caps near the top at the back? Your photos are really good quality too. What camera are you using? I find it really hard to take decent photos of this tank due to the curved glass.

 

I cant wait for my tanks corals to grow out and look full/mature.

 

Sahin,

Thanks for the view and comment. My monti has been growing for about 4 months now and it's grown about an extra 1/4 in size. If you have or add one prepare to start dosing alkalinity. They seem to really hog it up.

 

As for camera, I shoot with a canon DSLR. If you have a nicer camera, with removable lenses I can give you some tips for getting better shots. Try dialing your ISO to 200 or 400, then set your apature to around 11 then dial your shutter speed appropriately to give you the exposure you want. Turn off your pumps while shooting and use a tripod.

[urbaneks]

Dosing Regiment

 

I have been dosing for Calcium and Alkalinity for 2 weeks now. Before that I was able to keep my ca and alk stable with water changes. It seems that the extra monti cap and clam pushed things over the limit where dosing was needed.

 

I purchased Salifert Test Kits which are known to be very accurate. I bought both the Calcium and Alkalinity tests. I wanted to make sure that I was able to test and see exactly how much Calcium and Alkalinity my tank was using per day. I've been testing my tank daily for the last 2 weeks. I don't plan to do this long term, just long enough until I feel 100% confident, I know what the tank is using up.

 

To dose calcium I purchased Sea-Lab No28, which is an automatic replenisher. It is just a tablet that I put in the rear chamber. My goal is to keep my calcium at 425 ppm. I've found that one tablet every 3-4 days is keeping it there. This will depend on the types of coral you have and how fast they use up the calcium. I can tell you that since I've been dosing, my monti caps have grown significantly faster than before. The nice thing about this calcium dosing method is that the tabs desolve as the tank needs it so you can't overdose the tank.

 

To dose alkalinity, I purchased "Reef Pure" Marine KH Buffer. I'm trying to keep my alkalinity at 3.3 meq/l. I've found over the last 2 weeks that my tank uses about 1/2 tsp per day. If I find my alk is a bit lower, 3/4 tsp will bring it back up. I will continue to test daily for another week or so before I start using my ATO to dose Alk for me.

[urbaneks]

My tank is now 5 months old. Here are a few photos I took today of some of the recent additions.

 

Six Line Wrasse

 

 

Ric Garden with New Additions

 

 

Zoa Garden

 

 

Pink Acan

 

 

Green Porites