n0rk Posted March 8, 2010 Author Share Posted March 8, 2010 Cheers buddy need to try and get a better photo of them, those ones aren't all that great... Link to comment
animalmaster6 Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 What's your favorite SPS? Link to comment
n0rk Posted March 8, 2010 Author Share Posted March 8, 2010 Difficult to say. I've got quite a few, but overall I'd probably say either Acropora millepora or Montipora capricornis. One I can get readily, one I've only seen once... and I'm gonna try get a frag of it to go in here... What about you, buddy? Link to comment
animalmaster6 Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 I like Millepora, Stylphora, ORA Red Planet. Pretty much all SPS. Link to comment
n0rk Posted March 21, 2010 Author Share Posted March 21, 2010 FTS 22/3/2010 Things have changed slightly. Most notably is one of the Acros I'd put in RTNed because it was getting blasted directly by my powerhead (####ing crabs...) so I removed it and replaced it with another Acro and a piece of Monti cap about the same size as a nickel... let's hope it takes off. Also of note is that I've got no blue... uh... yeah, woke up one morning to only one LED channel running... the buckpuck is dead (tested it with a multimeter) so I'm figuring it was faulty. Need to get onto Cutter about a replacement. The whites are doing fine though, I got a very blue tint so it's not so bad. Slow times. Link to comment
animalmaster6 Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I think it looks good! Link to comment
.Newman. Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 at least it looks very clean! Link to comment
n0rk Posted March 22, 2010 Author Share Posted March 22, 2010 It's amazingly clean, to the point up until last night I'd only had to do one waterchange because it was so nutrient poor and the coral were starving. I've turned the skimmer on once, and that was just to use Coral Snow. Seriously, there's nothing in the tank. I've had to start feeding pretty heavily with Zooplankton and Phytoplankton, soon enough I'll be on amino acids as well. Considering throwing a little Blackbar Chromis in there, hmmm. Link to comment
n0rk Posted March 29, 2010 Author Share Posted March 29, 2010 I need to do some serious tweaking for the skimmer, or get another one... no matter what I do, this one keeps dumping a ####ton of microbubbles back into the display which I just can't have I'm hunting around for an air-driven one, or, failing that, making my own skimmer and using the pump off of the existing skimmer, put in a bubble plate and a bubble trap on the exit. Shouldn't be too hard, I've got ready access to most of the parts I'd need, it's just a matter of finding time. I added a Chromis retrofasciata about a week ago, it's still getting used to the system, and the system is still getting used to it. The sudden boost in bioload/feeding has introduced Cyanobacteria which I'm currently trying to beat... not the easiest thing with no 'fuge and no skimmer to help. Also still need the new buckpuck for the blues, I've just been so flat out for time it's been impossible to get a spare minute. Kinda neglected it the last week or so. It shows. at least the tip burn I had on one of the Acros has disappeared, thankfully. Time to do another 50% waterchange and hope like hell it makes a difference. Link to comment
n0rk Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 Progress is slow... been stupid busy with work the last few weeks so my focus has been on getting the projects that I need to for it done and not on the pico as it probably should've been. Chemistry has been a bit out of whack, so I've done a few 100% changes to try and get on top of it (and the delightful cyano plague). Still haven't had time to do the skimmer, but I took the Chromis back out and it seems to have helped nutrient-wise. Swapped back to Instant Ocean which is helping some with the tip burn, but the original Acro I put in there had taken on heavy damage from the ####ty salt before now so I've had to trim a few of the heavier affected areas. Still trying to nurse it back to health. Blah. Link to comment
jae4571 Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 Since I'm out I'm pulling for you! Link to comment
JBM Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 hey that tank looks a whole lot like mine... good luck with the aio Link to comment
n0rk Posted April 19, 2010 Author Share Posted April 19, 2010 Cheers guys. I guess it's come to the point that I originally hadn't intended to before I even got to experiment properly with my methodology. Overall I wanted to run the full ZEOvit method in application with all SPS and all LEDs, however, based on my inability to get a skimmer which functions as I'd like (ie. one which doesn't flood the display with microbubbles), I'm forced to change direction. It's not such a terrible thing, recently I've been missing keeping a few different kinds of LPS (Euphyllia, Cataphyllia, and Duncanopsammia, amongst others) and Zoanthids and been becoming increasingly frustrated with the "two brown frags in a tank full of cyano" thing. No matter how much I've been trying I've been suffering the cyano, even on a shorter lighting cycle and doing 2-3 100% changes a week. Because of it, I'm majorly changing focus. The new focus will be, primarily LPS and Zoanthids, with a refugium segment behind the false wall with macroalgae, and GFO/carbon in the HOB to allow for filtration. This in part will allow me to run the lights without a fan for the majority of the day as I can dim them right back, and will also allow the tank to be a much more inviting/dynamic centrepiece for the living room. It will also allow me to hate it a lot less. Hopefully combat those damned cyano issues too. Still gonna tinker with some of the ZEO stuff, just not the method in full as I'd intended. It's a shame, but unfortunately, it's the necessity that I've been dealt. More later. Link to comment
animalmaster6 Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 Glad you're going to get some LPS, I've been craving them lately too. Them and Chalices and I'm a Zoanthid and SPS guy. Hmmm. Link to comment
n0rk Posted April 21, 2010 Author Share Posted April 21, 2010 Haha, no Chalices will ever go in my tanks. I've seen maybe 2 in my life that I've liked... and they were ones that were going for $500+ per eye. Definitely not gonna get them anytime soon I've set up a 5.5" DSB behind the false wall under the return pump in the tank now. I'm gonna go to my supplier on the weekend and get some "grunge" off of the bottom of his LR tanks and hopefully seed it with a pretty diverse population. I'll also grab some macro (probably Caulerpa taxifolia depending what's overflowing from his 'fuge) and maybe a Goby. Hopefully he'll also have some nice LPS or Zoos for me! I'm keen as a bean to get this thing stocked. Link to comment
animalmaster6 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Nice! What goby species? Link to comment
n0rk Posted April 21, 2010 Author Share Posted April 21, 2010 Not sure yet, probably Gobiodon citrinus or Gobiodon rivulatus depending on what he's got in stock. Last I'd heard he had both, so I guess we'll see! Won't be for a little while yet, I want the coral to get settled and the tank's filtration to grow enough before I think about adding in a fish. Link to comment
n0rk Posted May 3, 2010 Author Share Posted May 3, 2010 Added in some LPS (and god forbid, FLUBBER ), just trying to get them happy. Looooong time since I've kept anything where the solution to problems was give it more flow and crank the lights up. Need to get back into the swing of keeping fleshy stuff. Trying to decide whether to run all white still or swap over to all royals until I get a new buckpuck. with RBs it looks pretty swish, the coral are so ####ing bright. Dunno. Either way, I've gone back to the darkside... There really is no kind of Actinic that lights like CREE Royal Blue LEDs. Over the years I've tried T5, T8, T12, compact fluorescent, halogen, incandescent, 5mm/10mm LEDs... just about every kind of source there actually is. Up until now T5 was the absolute reigning champion... but nope, they just won't ever compare to the colour these things give. I just wish I could get a proper photo to describe the effect... Link to comment
animalmaster6 Posted May 3, 2010 Share Posted May 3, 2010 I'm glad you got LPS That fungia plate is siiiiiick. Link to comment
c_k_kuehne Posted May 3, 2010 Share Posted May 3, 2010 PIcs are awesome -- Tank is really starting to come along. Link to comment
n0rk Posted May 4, 2010 Author Share Posted May 4, 2010 The Fungia I was really happy with, for the price I got it it's a killer. Only about the size of a half dollar or so, hopefully it'll grow well. Never kept 'em before Cheers guys. I think I may add a few more things in (some Zoas, another Euphyllia or two [Frogspawn and Anchor, so I've got the collection...], a Clavularia mat if I can find it, and possibly a toxic green Trachyphyllia my supplier needs to get rid of...) over the coming little while, then once that's settled look at adding a small fish in. Possibly another Chromis retrofasciata once the DSB has matured. Then... I'll let it sit and hopefully grow out. I've noticed a bunch of coralline popping up on the false wall in the last few days, so I guess that's a good sign things are starting to settle down. Onwards and upwards... Link to comment
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