pics of my 25 gal

[despot101]

As always your tank looks great corey. No matter what color the pic. You may be right I dont have 20k or even a 10k mh bulb and I'm sure it would look much better. Thanks for the compliments on my tank. I'm really not closed minded. I'm not as convinced as I once was about you editing your pics. I just think on some pictures the exposure was a little high thats all. And those were the first pics you posted. By the 6th,7th, and 8th page and so on the pics really looked great.

[fastuno]

Damn, nice shots in sepia! No matter what is said, you have a great reef setup! BTW, I had that camera & it does slightly exagerate colors....but it does so tastefully! Given the right conditions (i.e. proper exposure), the blues will come out bluer & reds redder. I don't think it's corey's fault guys! I once took a piture of the sky & it captured it so well, that I couldn't get over it.

 

On another note, you guys got me wanting MH's now! BASTARDS! I want a freagin nice tank! The problem is that I have this 26g AGA bow & don't have a canopy for it. Where can I get one for this tank? Also, I would have to probably mix MH with PC, is this correct? If I can't find canopy I will just go with the T5's!

 

Corey, I need to know more specifics on your maintenance. I am aiming for a tank such as yours.....pick of the crop cherry picking! Can you give us a rundown such as this.....

M= check for nitrates, nitrites

T=top off

W=add CA.....etc

I want to know how much work is really involved in this. I wan't to setup a sys that is fairly maintenance free. I understand top offs due to evap., but all those additive....really necessary?

How much water changes do you do & how often. What kinda salt do you use? Do you have a fuge/sump...how big? Do you grow macros, what kind?

[corey0613]

fastuno-- im not sure if you already have a tank going or if you have had them in the past, but just on a side note, there is always a fair amount of work with saltwater (reef) tanks in the beginning. it takes a while for "things" to get going in the tank. you will have to battle algae problems and basic stuff along the way.

 

the key is to have a routine and stick to it. and with time the tank will become more self sufficient. me personally i am always off of work on tuesday, so that is when pretty much all my maintenance takes place. i do dose during the week and run the mag float over the glass maybe once on like friday or satuday.

 

 

every tuesday i change 5 gals. of water, with instant ocean salt, from the LFS. i prune all the growing macro in the tank and throw it in the fuge. i empty and clean the collection cup on the skimmer and scrape the glass with i think it is called the KENT scraper, or something like that.

 

i dose phytoplankton twice a week or so on random days. i am using B-ionic for CA and Alk. right now i dose 5ml of each every other night. i would like to dose a little more, but my pH was going sky high.

 

in my opinion the B-ionic is not necessary unless you plan on having SPS. my tank was fine without it when i didnt have the stonies.

 

i dont have to test for nitrates or anything like that anymore, i know that they are always zero. i test my calcium and alk on the days that i dont dose, just to make sure all is well

 

mon--dose

tues--test

wed--dose, sometimes not needed due to the water change

thurs-test

fri--dose

sat--test

sun--dont do anything but look @ the tank!!!!!!!my favorite day

 

after a while you can just tell when something is wrong by your corals, i can always tell when my pH is off by my xenias. and can tell when iodine is low by my rics. i dont dose iodine at the present but am considering it soon with the size of the xenia colony and the amount of shrooms that i have.

 

for top off i use DI from the LFS. i had an auto thing going, but i put it to rest as it really wasnt working the way i wanted it to. so now i just pour about 1/4-1/2 gallon of water in the fuge everynight before i go to bed. kind of a pain, but i will try a new auto device soon.

 

no sump @ the present but i am planning on attaching a 10 gal. i have everything, i just need to figure out how to incorporate it into the setup without being able to see anything new in the tank. i am thinking of running it off the HOB fuge, but dont have it all worked out just yet. plumbing is definately my weak point.

 

the HOB fuge is in the thread somewhere and it houses 2" of LS and various macros. it is on a reverse lighting cycle of the tank, and i have found that this really helps with my nighttime pH drop. there are all sorts of "bugs" living in it.

 

i know that this may seem like alot, but the tuesday maintenance takes me about 15-30 min depending on how long i "tinker" around. i can do it in about 10 if i really need to. and other than that i spend about a total of 45-60 min for the rest of the week. not bad.

 

the key is to stick to your routine no matter what. i have learned that the hard way. eventually your nitrates and such will test zero, and this is not an excuse to quit doing water changes. trust me. i have learned many lessons the hard way.

 

im not sure about the canopy. i have a oceanic 46 bow and i just bought the canopy with it. maybe you can check with a local oceanic dealer. MH alone will not make your tank awesome. i have seen plenty of funky tanks with MH. i would focus on finding good livestock, and be prepared to pay for it. me personally i have just built rapport with several online sites with quality stock and they do a great job of letting me know when they have something in that may be of interest to me.

 

hope this helps you out, and let me know if you have any more questions.

[fastuno]

I have a freshwater 26g tank now, but will convert it to a reef very soon. I am trying to finalize my research so I don't make any big blunders. I have had FO tanks in the past that were nightmares, so this time I want to do it right. I basically had a 40g high with an undergravel filter & a DIY wet/dry HOT (Hang on TOP) filled with media. I think I managed to create the perfect nitrate/nitrite power house, and any fish that I placed in soon looked very deteriorated.

 

These are my plans for the new reef:

-26g bow (I might consider new tank, maybe 36 bow or 46, just dont like center brace interference. Also might consider the largest Aquaview tank.....i think thats what you call them, the tanks without any edges.)

-60pnds of TBS LR

-10pnds of Aragonite LS

-AquaC Remora skimmer

-DIY HOB fuge (w/macros growing)

-Tek T5 lighting

-2 Maxi-Jet 900 (is this enough, too much?)

-Using IO salt

-RO/DI unit

-SG meter (one of those blocks with needles.....is a refractometer really necessary, do you use one?) Many of the LFS use only the block & they have thousands of dollars worth to protect, I don't think that they would risk it by not using refract!

-after cycle will get clowns, bi-color angel, hawk angel, (probably around 4 fish)

-after cycle & 6 MO will go for bubble, brain, xenia, RBTA, ZOOs, GSP, & some shrooms.

 

Do you see any problems with this setup? Any suggestions? I definitley will not use MH lighting, because heat will be an issue & I dont have canopy to place them in & dont want to hang them. Right now my freshwater tank reads 84 F & is fairly constant!!! I foresee trouble!

 

Also, I don't believe in DSB, so I will probably go for either a 1" layer or enough just to cover the floor. I think its easier to maintain with only a small amount, plus I don't quite see the benefit of deep ones.

[corey0613]

most of that sounds good. i would seriously reconsider the angels. the flow sounds good. i only use 2 minijet 404's on my tank and that is just enough.

 

i agree with you on the sand bed, although you might want to go with a little more around 2 inches. 2 inches is where most nitrification takes place. i have about 2 inches in my tank.

 

i just use a basic SG meter. i think it is instant ocean. works well for what i am doing.

 

have you seen those oceanic 30gal cubes?? now that would be a bad ass tank to consider. personally i love the look of those, but i havent seen one setup to its full potential IMO. most people are just putting a big stack of rocks in the middle. you could really do some bad ass aquascaping in those.

 

if you are ever in kansas i will part on a complete oceanic 46 bow with black oceanic stand and canopy cheap!!! LOL

[just dave]

I don't understand why these pictures are such a big deal.

Corey is not selling anything. He is not claiming any care techniques that made the animals look as they do. I don't see it as an issue.

 

Nice tank,nice pictures.

[fastuno]

What's up with the angels? They will destroy the reef?

 

Okay I found a forum on RC with examples of PC vs Tek T5.

 

1st one = Light change on PC

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthre...5&pagenumber=10

 

2nd one = PC vs Tek T5

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthre...5&pagenumber=11

 

 

 

 

 

Also, do you guys know anything about sand? I want the very fine & thin sand. I hate the TBS course sand & will probably sell that when I get my TBS package. What is the benefit (if any) of using aragonite, will it help maintain ph or CA?

 

Will crushed coral help maintain ph or ca? I heard from someone that it will, just don't know if it's true.

[corey0613]

i use that natures only sand or something like that. it is very fine white sand and i think it as actually aragonite. i got it @ the LFS. comes packaged in H2O. i believe that it is supposed to help with pH, but i bought it for the "look".

 

i would steer clear of crushed coral. i started my 46 with it and it just turns green eventually and you will probably want sand after a period of time, like i did. and trust me it is a pain in the ass having to switch it all out.

 

personally im not a big fan of the TBS rock. i got my rock @ www.seacrop.com . i think they are in the process of revamping the site, but if you email mary i am sure she can give you a quote. you can see in the pics the overwhelming amount of awesome purple coralline that their rock has.

 

i used HI rocks for the base of my reef (looks like TBS rock minus the life)and them covered it with the "good" live rock. www.hirocks.com is thier site and i think i got like 50 lbs for 50 bucks shipped. it is a great deal and saved me probably about 100-150 bucks or so.

 

did you ever get a hold of danano about his T5 tank??

[fastuno]

corey, great link to the base rock site, ordered 30pnds right away. Damn that is cheap, good thinking, but it's 30pnds for 50 bucks. I tried the seacrop site & they only seem to sell small coral frags for now, maybe like you said they are still in web development.

 

What do you think of LR from this site

http://www.drmaccorals.com/sys-tmpl/fijiro.../view_all.nhtml

 

They have Fiji, Fiji Ultra, Pukani, & Tonga.

That Fiji Ultra looks pretty enticing, look at all those reds.

I also had doubts about TBS, because it may have too much life on their rocks. It will probably be harder to establish my own coral growth, without the natives taking over.

 

BTW, thanks for your help.

[corey0613]

i have heard dr. mac has good rock. but have never seen it myself. shoot seacrop an email about the rock and they WILL help you out.

 

make sure you rinse the HIrock like crazy. it will come in really dusty. several of the pieces will probably be really big, but you can break them down with a hammer really easy.

[fastuno]

Got my tank started.

http://www.pbase.com/image/30390820

 

I will be playing more with aquascaping, expecting 30 more pnds of base rock.

 

For now got 30pnds of Aragalive/aragonite sand & 25pnds of Fiji rock & some other stuff I had lying around.

 

Tank is only 3hrs old...must have patience.......

[fastredponycar]

woah what are those red rocks??!

[birdman204]

Tubipora Musica Skeletons.

[Jpizzle]

Corey I feel that your responses to some of the negative feedback is inappropriate. I will empathize with you that it's not easy to take "attacks" or negative criticism, but since your 26 and a family man I expect more from you.

 

I'm a photography major and plan on pursuing it as a career. I'm quite familiar with digital cameras as well as good ole fashioned darkroom techniques. I'm by no means an expert but I do know some basic things about photography...

 

Even when shooting with a non-digital camera, there are so many variables that can be manipulated in order to make the image look like what you want it to. With digital cameras and photoshop the manipulation goes many steps further. Being able to manipulate camera settings and dark/lightroom techniques is part of why photography is considered art.

 

A lot of people don't see what the big deal is. I agree, this is just some random guy's tank in nowhere land. It looks nice, he's got nice livestock, and spent a lot of money on his tank and his camera. Let him enjoy positive feedback.

 

However, I do agree to a certain degree with some of the posts that have "attacked" corey's pictures. I think if you manipulate photographs digitally (either camera or photoshop) and try to pass them off as being "honest"" I think that's wrong.

 

Let me take a step back to say again, it's not that big of a deal- IT'S JUST A RANDOM GUY'S TANK WHO I DON'T KNOW AND PROBABLY WILL NEVER MEET WHO LIVES SOMEWHERE I WILL NEVER GO.

 

I'm just touchy about this subject because of my interest in photography. In today's society we're so used to images being manipulated- to the point where we don't even care if they're "real" or not. e.g. making women models look more "ideal" on covers of magazines.

 

I'm sorry if I came off rude Corey- your tank is real nice and the livestock you have is great. Just please learn to accept criticism, whether it would be positive or negative, in a more appropriate manner. If you know yourself, that the pictures and everything else in your tank is real and look great, why go to great lengths to defend yourself?

[corey0613]

jpizzle---where did you come from??? nice of you to join the discussion.

 

if you dont like my responses sooooo much, then why would you type a message??? that would only increase your chances of having to read my ugly response.

 

look, im glad your a student, im glad your a photography major, and i really hope you dont end up having to shoot weddings for the rest of your life......you know what i mean!

 

im really glad that you took time out of your day to post your comments. i really sorry that i was talking about a "touchy" subject to you and i really hope you can change our warped society and bring photography back to whatever you would like it to be. LOL!!

 

me personally, i like looking @ air brushed hot models and things of that nature. sorry!

 

you are very deep, and have some real issues that you want to stand up for and i think that is just great. @ your age, that is what it is all about. finding out who you are and standing up for what you believe in. good luck to you buddy. im sure you will have a great life/career/etc.

 

im really not sure what you wanted me to say, and i am really sorry that i let you down. since you expect more from me. you dont know me @ all and have no idea who i am. but i guess thats cool if you want to set standards for me.

 

i dont think you came off rude (maybe a little weird) and hopefully you will join in and talk about your tank or something next time. i would like to see some of your photos to see how i "measure"up.

 

i dont proclaim to be an expert and this is just a hobby that i do on my days off.

 

again sorry if i offended you. i really am not definding my self as much as i am trying to get others to "see outside the box" and realize that a camera,lighting, and stock can do just as much (if not more) than editing software.

 

have a great day!

 

p.s. that sure doesnt look like a "natural" pic on your avatar!! you would be cheatin' now would you??

[hydrohoki]

It's just someone's tank, and not a big deal. I really like the tank and wish that someday mine will be as beautiful. I don't even have a digitial camera yet, I wish I did.

 

im really glad that you took time out of your day to post your comments. i really sorry that i was talking about a "touchy" subject to you and i really hope you can change our warped society and bring photography back to whatever you would like it to be. LOL!!

 

Corey, you just mocked someone for having a passion for something, just like you do about your fish tank.

 

I hope your pictures are as real as you claim. Like you, I have no problems with magazine pictures being airbrushed. I do not mind people altering their pictures. I do have a problem with feeling misled. I hope to have a tank like yours someday, I hope its possible to naturally have that color. I hope you just proved it is.

 

Good luck to you, it's a beautiful tank regardless.

[Jpizzle]

"if you dont like my responses sooooo much, then why would you type a message that would only increase your chances of having to read my ugly response. "

 

-because I took the time to read this long thread.. haha

 

 

"i dont think you came off rude (maybe a little weird) and hopefully you will join in and talk about your tank or something next time. i would like to see some of your photos to see how i "measure"up."

 

if I could afford a nice, expensive digital camera I would "show you up"... just jking.. I'm not trying to compete with your tank or your pictures... that's not why I responded. I do have a thread for my tank in the photography section if you would like to check them out. I borrowed a friend's ####ty point-n-shoot digi camera just to get some shots up. Merely presenting one's tank and the inhabitants isn't hard. If you have the appropriate light source, camera, and lens anyone can do it... all of which I don't have.

 

"im really not sure what you wanted me to say, and i am really sorry that i let you down. since you expect more from me. you dont know me @ all and have no idea who i am. but i guess thats cool if you want to set standards for me. "

 

- I didn't exactly want you to say anything.. just maybe be a little more conscientious about how you take feedback. General impression I get from your posts is that if you perceive that someone "attacks" you, you "attack" them right back.

 

-and you're right, I don't know you at all so I shouldn't have tried to set standards for you. I think in your previous posts you said you were 26? I'm 22 and I give you respect because you're a family man with a kid with a decent job. I imposed standards because I respect you for the above. It's my fault for imposing my personal ideals on someone I respect. I guess I just assume that people who are responsible also adhere to good ideals.

 

"again sorry if i offended you."

 

you didn't offend me. I liked the tank and the pictures. I just thought that if you, yourself knew that the pictures were authentic you wouldn't be arguing their quality so vehemently- to the point that you would insult others who responded to your thread.

 

"p.s. that sure doesnt look like a "natural" pic on your avatar!! you would be cheatin' now would you??"

 

this post feels very passive-aggressive to me. I'm not sure what you're trying to imply in this last tidbit but I'm not trying to claim that I'm some freaking saint or a member of the "moral police"

And yes.. that picture is "natural" not that it would matter if it wasn't. In my previous post I wasn't saying "I only use and support pictures which are completed undoctored!" I tried making the point, like you agree with, that simple photography from the camera to the darkroom is centered on manipulation. I'm well aware of this as you are.

 

I was just commenting about a general problem with our visual media. Maybe a better example would be inserting Jane Fonda into a photograph showing John Kerry? at a `60s political rally when she was never there. I think I skewed the details of what I just said.. it could be the other way around.. but I assume most know what I'm talking about since it was fairly recent.

[Jpizzle]

thx for pointing that out hydro- that's part of why I kind of felt the passive-aggressive vibe.

 

You make a great point that I think summarizes why others, including myself, responded the way we did.

 

"I do have a problem with feeling misled."

[SilverSpurs]

WOW - is this a thread about Corey's tank or a philosophy class?

[taketz]

Under my DIY moonlight (The three light target LED set-up) my shrooms look about as neon as his do in those picture.

 

While I can't say it would surprise me if those early pics were edited (No offense, just hard to believe), i have never really seen a small tank with a 20K MH on it either. Therefore i really have no idea what the blue in that would do.

 

Also, no need to attack everyone on their camera. Hell, i don't even have a digital camera. The only thing people are saying is that they have never seen any corals look remotely that neon in real life. You constantly attacking everyone on their out of date, 1.3MP Sony DVXNiner cameras really does make you sound like the @sshole middle-schooler. :|

 

Regardless of whether or not you edited the pictures, it truly is a beautiful tank, and no one here is denying that.

 

~

[SilverSpurs]

Does everyone really think that the point of spending a fortune on MH and actinic lighting is to have the tank look dull and boring??? NOT

 

I got an idea!! If you don't like the pics...... move on to another thread! I personally want to read everything that Corey writes about his tank so that I can learn how to keep a tank that looks like his!!!

[kadaytar]

The argument about photography and assaults against corey have started to be way too annoying. Guys we all are in this hobby for fun and because of our love for the beauties of the oceans not to assault other hobbyists. There is no sense on offending fellow reefers. No matter if he manupulated his tank pictures or not it is obvious that corey loves his tank and cares for his guys. His tank is filled with healthy corals, his aquascaping is very nice. Look there is a 15 pages thread and more than a half of it was messed with attacks. Please stop this annoying subject and ask him how he maintains his tank. I am pretty sure the things we may share is way more beautiful than hattred. We all have a common point we love keeping these amazing animals in our little oceans. Please stop assualting each other.

Hey corey amazing tank buddy, congrats. Keep good work and dont let anybody mess your topic. Simply ingnore the ones loves to assult they will get bored a while later and stop assaulting.

 

REEFS ARE AMAZING AND REEFERS ARE FANTASTIC PEOPLE.

 

Kadir

[corey0613]

yeah, seemed a little like a philosophy class to me too, but i didnt want to come out and say it. those kind of people kind of scare me. if you think too much, it kind of warps your mind.

 

hydrohoki-- i dont have "passion" for my tank. it is what it is. i spend leisure time on it, that is all. if the #### hit the fan, and it came down to things that are really important to me i could part with my tank in a minute. i have passion for my job and family and such, but not for my tank. true it is a hobby that i very much enjoy, but it is a minute part of my life. i personally could show you pics of about 100 tanks that i have used for inspiration that just knock the socks off of anything that i have. i have only been reefing for about 3 years and dont consider myself anywhere near the "passion" stage. the whole secret behind my tank is the fact that i lucked out and got some bas ass stock when i ordered online. i have probably shipped out 20-30 corals for not "fitting" the look of the tank. it is really cherry pickin' that i am good at.

 

i will continue to post regardless, and you are right jpizzle......if i am attacked, i will attack back. that is just my nature. i prefer to call it being "assertive".

[hydrohoki]

Sorry if I made an assumption, it seems most people here are passionate about their tanks. You still disrespected someone else's but to each their own. I'm not trying to be mean.

 

I'm not attacking you; I thought the pictures were beautiful.

[SilverSpurs]

Corey,

How many other tanks have you maintained in the 3 years you have been reefing? Do you have pics of those tanks? It would be a real inspiration if your earlier tanks look like mine does

 

Thanks,

Silver