ESPI 37 gallon 4/1/04

[Armadildo]

it's not bubble algae ... see a previous post

 

thanks

[pyrrhus]

Dave, sorry about the valonia comment i am learning to bite my tongue at least twice before posting. It is still beautiful and if it isnt valonia all the better. was it a hitchhiker or was it purchased?

[Armadildo]

lol... its not a big deal.

 

THE algae I too mistook for "annoying", but upon closer inspection, it was a nice suprise to find exactly what species it was. It hitch hiked in from some caribbiean man made rock, and I popped it to help it spread once I found out what it was. I now have about 15 nice "bottles" in the tank. they pop on occasion, but the skimmer makes quick work of the spores.

 

I always look twice, check onece, look again, crossreferance, THEN decide to remove / kill something.

 

Bristle worms too. They have their places in our aquariums as do Mantis shrimps

 

I have had a few mantids, and never had a single problem with them in my tanks with other fish and corals.

[pyrrhus]

out of curiosity what did you use for the identification? It is listed in sprungs algae book but not in depth, and most definitely not to species. i hope it doesnt go hairy on you in the future...pyrrhus

[Armadildo]

I have my secrets

 

asshat reply:

BOOKS lol

 

I have an identification guide to Caribbean Plants.

[birdman204]

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...20&pagenumber=3

 

Dave, doesn't matter what you say, unless you spell it out, he won't agree with you Huh pyrrhus

[birdman204]

Nice tank also, I am contemplating a "cook islands" species tank. This crap is harder than it looks..... You can't just say, " gimme all specemins from ._____" even if you go thru transhipping, it will take work to properly identify all the species that have been sent to you. I commend you for setting up an actual " Piece of the reef"

[Reefism]

Originally posted by AbSoluTc

The picture dave posted is nothing more than a man with a big ego and lots of debt.  His goal in life is to outcompete whoever he sees and just create a vast world of eyecandy so people think he is "God".  He is not.  Again, he has lots of debt or hes blown alot of money.  In this hobby people like that lack brain cells.  They read what has worked for others and buy all the gadgets, set it up in extravagent fashions and dump loads of money into the tank for a purddy arangement.  Doesn't work that way.

 

I would rather have a tank that can sustain a specific species of coral than to have one decked out with every SPS in the world.  I would also like to have a tank that is high in diversity and one that mimics what is seen in nature.

 

Sounds like someone is jealous of another mans reef tank.

[Armadildo]

Reef, he was referring to the 10,000 dollar 75 gallon SPS tank I posted a pic of as comparison.

 

I assure you.. There was no jealousy involved

[DitchPlains]

I think you've got a bit too much chronic on the brain, perhaps there's too much THC in your water, just cause your tank is mostly bong water, ther rest of us enjoy our so-called "played out reefs." My tank is never cyrstal clean, but my levels are golden. I do agree however; I don't like a perfectly pristine looking reef, thats too artificial. Personally I like having my coraline algae and my stuff growing wild (ie: Xenia, polyps, sponges, etc...) A little disorder is inevitable and very good sign that things are going well, but then again a murky or overly algae covered tank is a sure sign of over feeding. As someone a lot smarter then me once said, "these creatures come from a habitat that is sparse in food." Thus I guess if you want an algae ridden tank just overfeed and volla you'll have a biotope of a whole new kind... You'll see all sorts of blooms...that are natural....winks....trust me...ROFOL. I like this biotope,for its unqieness not its looks, but the pics are awfully blurry. Personally, though this wouldn't be my display tank, only cause I like bright colors and although you may say its "played" I still think a beautiful pink or purple acro thats growing in a natural and not contrived setting its still wonderful to observe. Ok take care:nerd:

[Reefism]

Originally posted by Arma#####

Reef, he was referring to the 10,000 dollar 75 gallon SPS tank I posted a pic of as comparison.

 

ESPI, so was I..

[Armadildo]

lol.

 

The input for foods into this tank are next to nill. after 5 + years, it profides its own nutrient cycle from the sand bed, excrement, and bacterial action. I have a tank that I have added not a single drop of food to in over 5 months, and the algae is quite strong and hardy.

 

I'm trying to figure out why the pictures came out like ######. They look good on the camera LCD screen.

 

I't is still new to me, and I believe I have to adjust the space setting for picture quality. this camera is 4 mega pixxels, and I have shot some nice pics with it. I'll have to see what the deal is. Maybe it is an issue with my shrinking the images for " hosting space" purposes.

 

IT WOULD BE GREAT IF A WEBMASTER FIXED HIS HOSTING ACCOUNT PASSWORDS FOR THE USERS....... hint hint nudge nudge

[DitchPlains]

You know when i lived in Florida, if you waited in the dark on your front lawn, the Armidillios would come out and walk right up to you.....lol....because basically their blind. Now I see why you chose your nick, and your pics are blurry, but don't feel bad as I once told Birdman, I am like Magoo with a camera too. I never seem to get the glare, focus thing on target, always looks blurry or glared...( I know no flash..lol) Ask Gillman for some camera advice, he's an expert. Thats amazing news with your tanks to be able to go so long unfed. I have weened my clowns down to one feeding a day, they have started to eat the copopods now and some algae. Don't worry their not underfed, their both fat and full of color. I add Selcon to my CyclopeezE...but most fish can and do live long healthy lives without being constantly fed large amounts of food a day or multiple times. I think as American we need to take the hamburgers out of our fishtank feeding schedules. :nerd:

[pyrrhus]

Dave, doesn't matter what you say, unless you spell it out, he won't agree with you Huh pyrrhus

 

Thats absolutely right bird, as one of the official spokesman for the nano newbie idiots i couldnt have it any other way. i have to live up to my reputation y'know!

[Armadildo]

HAHAHH

 

THIS THREAD DELIVERS.

 

 

Ditch, the sad part is.... My Associates fn' degree is in photography/ small business Mgmt, and have no problems taking pictures with my SLR's. It is a crying shame that I can't get a good pic of my tank with the digital.

 

I'm going to try again later today

[DitchPlains]

LOL, yes it does, stirring up some sheeit...smiles.. as Jim M. once said, "Get together one more time, Get together one more time." ROFOL.

[Spasticat]

Step 1 turn off flash

Step 2 get a tripod or a pile of books

 

snap

[Armadildo]

Originally posted by Spasticat

Step 1 turn off flash

Step 2 get a tripod or a pile of books

 

snap

 

This sounds like a plan.

 

 

BADGERS ? BADGERS ? ME DOONNEED NO STEENKEN BADGERS !

 

 

yes indeed. Thank you Helpy Helperton.

[Armadildo]

Kris, you didn't deface anything.

 

This is what DEBATES are all about

 

Banter, back talk, Moderator sassery, Macro images and name calling

[Reefer_Buddha]

Moderator sassery haha

[JLTRUK]

Absolutc hit the nail right on the head about RC.

 

It is sick how many people set up these Aquarium of the Pacifics in their living room and then give you a 100+ page thread about it. No offense to Aquarium of the Pacific since it is my favorite aquarium.

 

I risk sounding like a hater, I understand that, but I would like to go on record as saying that I do not hate these people. I feel sorry for them. Because the hobby is probably still very fresh in their minds, give the tank a few years and come back to me...lets see if its still fresh, or if now, the house that you built around your aquarium is a freakin PITA.

 

I have a 100gal tank and that is probably as big as I will go. Would I love a bigger tank...heck yah. I also want a golden toilet but I dont run out and buy one. So since I dont own the electric company I will never get a bigger tank, its not even practical. I draw the line at the 100gal tank because for goodness sakes its 5 freakin feet long, my house is big but its not that big. Im not trying to have Sea World contact me and ask to house any of their sharks or sea lions or anything.

 

I would love to be there the very moment that these people get their first electric bill and see that running 25 pumps, a million watts of lights, UV, ozone...and a every other toy in the industry is fun now. Do you enjoy the new found monthly payment? Because its not cheap to run all that crap is it?

 

I am ranting, I know...we all rant now and then. I just dont see the point of a 500gal mega reef in the center of your house. Its a big pissing contest...hey I have a 500gal tank...well I just build my 700gal tank. Oh heres a new thread...this guy has a house that IS a tank and build himself 1 room so he could sleep in it. Its like ok we get it, Congratufreakinlations.

[Armadildo]

^^^^^^ Above statement...^^^^^^^

 

I believe ReeftardCentral was coined by this d00d named Dave a few years ago.... LOL

 

I have refused to go there for the past 3 years. Sure there is the occasional good thread, but rarely is there much in the way of "REALITY".

 

Also, It would be nice to see howmany people actualy last FIVE YEARS with the same tank in this hobby. While not all my original specimins are still with me, the main basis of the tank still runs and there are indeed some very long term inhabitants.

 

A Database of people who "QUIT" whould be a nice comparison, byt unfortunately, getting those people to revisit a Reef aquarium message board just to own up to the fact that they yes indeed " Suxx0r @ Teh Reeef k33pp0nggz" is just not going to happen.

 

I for one can account for at LEAST 40 people who "gave up" out of the 60 or so customers I had at one point.

 

The other 20...

 

the ones who listened to me, and let me set them up and dictate the tank structures and inhabitants and to a degree, the dirrection of the tanks..... they are all still happy campers

[luvtolean]

My GF and I took a trip to the keys last year as her first foray into reef snorkeling. We got down there in the evening and just parked in front of a beach, put our gear on and swam out into the lagoon. The fish were different (the color was provided by parrotfishes) but it looked fairly similar to your tank. I commend you for your research and dedication, and I like the tank. (I suck at photography, but use a cheap monopod, turn off the flash (since it's been long broken from being dropped many times) and get good pics with my old Coolpics.

 

Anywhoo, I guess I'm also the devil, I like big SPS reefs. On boat trips out off the Keys, I remember seeing large areas packed with SPS. Maybe these guys don't get all the species from the same area, and maybe they buy too much gear trying to keep them, but I think they too represent part of the world's reefs. Maybe a smaller part, but a part nontheless, and I like to see them.

 

I'd like to have a very large reef someday as I'd like it to be self sustaining, and allow the corals to grow larger, closer to what you see in nature. I'd like to have a small school of tangs to watch as the schooling behavior fascinates me. I'd love to have a 500 gallon tank in my living room to watch, and I'd pay the PG&E bill happily.

 

Some people spend $5k on a flatscreen TV and $100/month on cable. I personally don't watch TV. My only TV is a 20" Sony I've had over 10 years. But, I don't think these people all buy nice TV's to show off to their friends.

 

Just like I'd like to own a Turbo Porsche. Not to show off to my friends, but because I love performance cars and nifty engineering.

 

Different strokes for different folks. Don't hate the playa hate the game.

 

BTW, my tank is only 5 days old....so I probably don't count as a real reefer.

[matt the fiddler]

i don't think having a big tank is wrong.. as one day i too hope to up the scale on mine, keeping the same livestock.. adding more, and giving stuff room to grow..

 

the problem is the jerks who thinks size gives them experience. no amount of $$ and quick bought corals can make up for 10 years of keeping a tank- or diving...

 

if a reefer can only appreciate a colorfully big tank.. they need to grow up, as some of the more subtle [but much more cool] stuff about reefing comes out better in what was done here

[Von digity]

I always thought; the bigger the tank, the smaller the _____.

 

They need to own something big and large, to help them deal with the size (or lack of) in their pants. Like people who drive SUVs and trucks etc, etc, etc...

 

But yeah, I think large tanks are nice, as exhibits. But man, think about how much coral it takes to fill up a large tank, your literally taking a chunck out of a reef and putting it in your living room. That is unless you buy aquacultured, which I doubt is the case with most of these people.