Imisky's Sticks and Colors Reef (Nov.12,2012 A years worth of growth)

[smc]

Thanks smc,

 

The MP40s are on reefcrest at 40% right now on with anti-sync, and was running 60% a few days ago. Found the more flow I had the less the fish came out in the open.

 

My experience with MP10s is they feel almost like tunzes nanos the 60XX series in terms of flow pattern and when using them you really have to push them at 70-80% in a 36" tank which makes them whirl and loud. Going with the MP40s gave the option to run them slower thus quieter but still deliver the wide flow that's adequate for the corals and fish.

 

on a side note I took these photos last week to show how much BBS can be grabbed by the corals during feeding times. All the BBS in the water column is gone after roughly 30 minutes

 

 

Thanks Imisky for your response. Feel much more comfortable using two MP40 in 36" tank now.

 

BTW, have you ever tried the EcoSmart "Nutrient Transport Mode"? I'm wondering if it'll stir up the sand bed.

[imisky]

Thanks Imisky for your response. Feel much more comfortable using two MP40 in 36" tank now.

 

BTW, have you ever tried the EcoSmart "Nutrient Transport Mode"? I'm wondering if it'll stir up the sand bed.

 

Yup I have used NTM before, it works great if your water level in the display is not like mine which is just shy of 1/2" from the rim. It will move your sand around and create a wave if you have it setup properly, an overall fun feature but not many people actually use it 24/7, most seem to use it as a way to move the detritus to the sump for the skimmer.

[imisky]

photo time!. Decided I needed a small break from doing work so i pulled out the camera. Enough of me typing I'll let the photos speak.

 

RTN-ed pink lemonade making a come back!

 

ponapes turned into a HUGE colony golf ball size

 

true orgeon tort also growing up

 

comparison of 2 strains of sunset montis ( I wonder which one I like more)

[Joe Dirt]

[pismo_reefer]

Me likey...

[imisky]

 

my first speechless viewer! I think?

 

Me likey...

 

Me likey just as much thanks to this little photo session I discovered that my dosing containers was actually empty so I topped it off! something good from procrastination

[rockryno]

excellent job on the tank! Im in the design process of a new tank myself and have been thinking about overflows a lot. I see your herbie, would you recommend it? is it quiet? do you have more pics on the tank and to the sump? I saw your rendering on one of the first couple pages and you said you eliminated the 90 degree bends, how does it look now?

 

 

 

also, having your return under he water, when the pump is off, does it siphon a lot back to the sump? is there an emergency siphon break i dont see?

[Deleted User 4]

Nice growth coming along you got there, maybe a new video update???

[ayobreezie]

photo time!. Decided I needed a small break from doing work so i pulled out the camera. Enough of me typing I'll let the photos speak.

 

RTN-ed pink lemonade making a come back!

 

true orgeon tort also growing up

 

Think I'd rather have sex on this reef than sex on the beach.

[imisky]

First off sorry about the late replies, got a little swarmed with work as a final push to get work finished before the holiday season and studying for my LAST final exam before graduation!

 

excellent job on the tank! Im in the design process of a new tank myself and have been thinking about overflows a lot. I see your herbie, would you recommend it? is it quiet? do you have more pics on the tank and to the sump? I saw your rendering on one of the first couple pages and you said you eliminated the 90 degree bends, how does it look now?

 

also, having your return under he water, when the pump is off, does it siphon a lot back to the sump? is there an emergency siphon break i dont see?

The overflow works flawlessly I dont hear anything from it 99.9% of the time and that 0.1% i hear a trickle sound for 1-2 seconds and it disappears. This occurs once maybe every couple of days. The overflow is really as simple as it gets with this system. 2 holes 1 on top 1 on bottom and you control the bottom hole via a gate valve. The water line sits just at where the 2nd hole is, infact a small bit of water goes down the emergency and this is normal.

 

The return being under water drains I would say roughly 3-5 gallons of water into the sump before it breaks its own siphon. I dont mind that drain the way it is, but if I was to fix the draining issue adding a few more loclines and bringing it above water level is not too hard of a fix.

 

Nice growth coming along you got there, maybe a new video update???

 

I might just get on that once school is all over and I actually have some time to catch up on things Ive been wanting to do

 

Think I'd rather have sex on this reef than sex on the beach.

 

ayobreezie thanks for that If you ever get the chance to do that..please make sure Im not home lol given you dont steal the tank of course.

[SouthFlorida_Tron]

Woot his tank still lives!

[imisky]

Woot his tank still lives!

 

Didnt think I left the hobby did you

[imisky]

Recently Ive been debating whether or not I should go back to BB. I know theres a 90% chance I'll put sand back in after taking it out haha but hately its been bugging me!

[Rehype]

Dont do it your tank looks better with it IMO

[SouthFlorida_Tron]

Oceans have sand... For a reason! Leave it!

[imisky]

Dont do it your tank looks better with it IMO

 

I think so too but man do I miss the low maintenance of BB these days as work has kept my busy.

 

Oceans have sand... For a reason! Leave it!

 

Nicely said! though I think it sand is purely for looks for how much I use haha.

 

I'll leave it for now, need to find something to keep my sand white that wont be sucked into the MP40s like a sea cucumber

[bluebastion]

Just found your thread... extremely impressed. Keep up the good work! I've said it plenty of times, "The grown in look is the best look."

 

On a side note, I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of my dual T5 fixture to supplement my LED's as well. I also have come to the same conclusion you have about corals and overall importance of having a wide spectrum of nm's. However the LED's blues and whites are the most vital for coral growth and health, the rest probably play a role. Definitely a role in how we perceive color.

[imisky]

Just found your thread... extremely impressed. Keep up the good work! I've said it plenty of times, "The grown in look is the best look."

 

On a side note, I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of my dual T5 fixture to supplement my LED's as well. I also have come to the same conclusion you have about corals and overall importance of having a wide spectrum of nm's. However the LED's blues and whites are the most vital for coral growth and health, the rest probably play a role. Definitely a role in how we perceive color.

 

 

welcome aboard! and thanks for the compliments.

 

Im glad that Im not the only one who have come to the same conclusion. I agree that blues/royal blues/cool whites are great for growth and health certain good for some colors. But an even spectrum distribution to the corals does help them color up, as throwing some T5s over an LED tank wont give instant gratification of color popping corals. It'll take weeks for them to develop the colors and for us to be able to perceive them.

 

Since we are on this topic, I think companies making LED lighting are starting to improve. Radion and Mazzara are two that I can say is an improvement over the others. Though Im not convinced on how these narrow banded LEDs will be able to produce the spectrums that corals need, especially since we know nothing about what spectrum relationship to color pigment development or better yet color pigment development for a single gene in SPS.

 

Thats to say picking a handful of nm out of hundreds out there isnt going to be ideal unless we know what we are dealing with. So best to provide full spectrum then such narrow bandwidths!

[i<3nanotanks]

Hello Awesome tank you have there... I have a question about the hanging sockets for the par38's ... Where were you able to get those... Thanks in advance!

[imisky]

Hello Awesome tank you have there... I have a question about the hanging sockets for the par38's ... Where were you able to get those... Thanks in advance!

 

thank you, Ikea has them. Its about the only place I could find them.

[PSYS]

I would not have even considered an MP40 for my 40B... but after your comment in your thread about not having to run it at full bore, thus keeping it quieter makes me think that maybe I don't want a couple of MP10's.

[imisky]

I would not have even considered an MP40 for my 40B... but after your comment in your thread about not having to run it at full bore, thus keeping it quieter makes me think that maybe I don't want a couple of MP10's.

 

going with 2x MP40 is definitely more expensive....that is about the only downside to using the bigger pumps. The quieter operation and wider/more gentle flow pattern is definitely a plus. It is really too bad that ecotech discontinued the MP20 as that in my opinion was a much better size for 20-40 gallon tanks then the MP10.

 

I say if you can afford the MP40s it'll definitely be the way to go. Im running mine now at 40% and its near dead silent from 4ft away.

[imisky]

on another exciting and fun news. Went to my LFS today and they had some Dwarf Dartfish (Aioliops megastigma). I picked them all up and I made sure they were eating fresh born baby brine shrimp before taking them. Me and a friend meet at the LFS every sunday to talk and discuss sw related subjects and he brings me baby brine shrimp every week and this week it came in handy at the store!

 

They are now in my sump, though they will not be staying there long. There new home is a 5g tank, Im planning to fatten them up first before moving them into the 5g, much easier inside a critter container inside the sump then a 5g to feed.

 

[imisky]

very very small update, it seems like everything in my tank is spawning, cowries, shrimps, and now the talbot damsels as I found a clutch of eggs on the glass today under a piece of liverock. They must be well developed as I see little dots for within each of them. This would probably explain why the damsel has been so aggressive of that post for the last few months. There has probably been a few clutches by now and of course none of them makes it. Its a little hard for small fry to live past all the skimming, tumbling in the powerheads and feeding tentacles of LPS corals

[Rehype]

Congrats on the mini darts imisky. Good luck as they are really tough to keep happy.They feed almost constantly but im sure with your expertise you can maintain them long term.