Islandoftiki Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 Man! That's a beautiful tank! Some tips on videos... Hold you phone sideways when shooting the video so you get the proper wide-screen orientation. YouTube has some awesome editing features. Run the video through the "Stabilize" filter, this will remove any shakiness that you get from holding the phone by hand, then replace the soundtrack with some music. It'll look totally professional. For my videos, I use my iPhone to take the video along with IMovie for combining clips together. Then, you can upload it straight to YouTube from iMovie... or if you want higher quality, download the video off of your phone to a computer with a USB cable, then upload it to YouTube from your computer... You'll get less compression and a better picture. Keep the videos coming! Link to comment
jgilvey Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 videos... L That tank is amazing, really nice job. Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 Man! That's a beautiful tank! Some tips on videos... Hold you phone sideways when shooting the video so you get the proper wide-screen orientation. YouTube has some awesome editing features. Run the video through the "Stabilize" filter, this will remove any shakiness that you get from holding the phone by hand, then replace the soundtrack with some music. It'll look totally professional. For my videos, I use my iPhone to take the video along with IMovie for combining clips together. Then, you can upload it straight to YouTube from iMovie... or if you want higher quality, download the video off of your phone to a computer with a USB cable, then upload it to YouTube from your computer... You'll get less compression and a better picture. Keep the videos coming! Glad you like the tank. Thanks for the tips. I didn't know you could edit so much in Youtube. I've always wanted some nice music for my tank videos. The iMovie also sounds good. That tank is amazing, really nice job. Thanks. The light is supposed to come today. I'll post pictures when it's up. Today is water change day. L Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted September 12, 2012 Author Share Posted September 12, 2012 This tank went through some changes. 1. We added a second pump. A small one from my refugium in my 36g which I took down. It does about 40gph, we did a funny little DIY, or rather Gustavo did, to hook up the pump. Haha, the magic of rubberbands and leftover parts from an Aquaclear filter... I was hesitant to do the mod, but as soon as I saw that the modification remained hidden, I was fine with it. That's the point, that the modification remain hidden. That's the benefit of the AIO tank. 2. We finally received the Innovative Marine 4W LED. It has two lights on two cords. 3, 1W LED at 14k and 2, .5W Royal blue lights. It's a sleek and streamlined fixture and the reviews for it were generally good. What's awesome about it, is that it fits with the makeup of the Spec. That's what I didn't like about putting a PAR 30 LED bulb. You'd have to suspend it or get a separate fixture and that is just UGLY. This light clamps on to the back of the Spec in a very similar fashion to the original stock lighting. But... it gives me some very nice options for corals for this tank. It was designed to do softies and lps in a 4g, so I imagine I now have a nice amount of light for these corals and perhaps some very hardy sps (montipora, etc). At $60, I consider it a good investment. The original light extends quite a bit farther, almost to the front of the tank, since it was designed for a 4g Nuvo, but with some upper body strength from Gustavo, the light was easily bent to accommodate the Spec's smaller size. This is the original stock lighting for comparison... This is the same stock lighting with the cheapo blue light strip that we first got... This is the new lighting... The color temp is a very obvious difference, as is overall penetration. The blue lights offer far superior coverage and color, though it is extremely hard to capture that in pictures. I'll be giving this tank the HD camera treatment soon. Under the blue lights... The pictures aren't quite accurate. I may give Gustavo some of my extra rics and mushrooms for his new tank. Because of the lighting, I want to try more lps, as in some of the favias and acans. While I think zoanthids would be lovely, I still don't want to harm the dendros, so I'd prefer corals that didn't employ chemical warfare or sting upon close contact. Many of the lps will behave better if you get the right ones. No Euphelyia, as sweeper tenticles are very bad, but... The favias with short tenticles, fungias, and acans should be fine. I'll still keep the yuma, though, that coral is awesome! All the lps I'm thinking about will also benefit from the Dendro feeding. Thanks for looking. L Link to comment
castiel Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 L! How did I miss the fact that you started this tank? It looks awesome, I love the dendros and the colours in there. And the light looks good on the tank too. Makes me want to start a pico again ... I am still trying to find time to get my 2ft finish Link to comment
Islandoftiki Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Mad props for building such a nice Spec. That's awesome that the light has separate blue/white control. Now you need a Reefkeeper lite. Link to comment
jgilvey Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 The new light looks great, both in the tank and on top of it! Link to comment
Chew_Magna Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 $60 you say? Hmmm... Next payday. Link to comment
Mitch619 Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 That looks so awesome! I've been contemplating a fluval spec this whole month! I don't think can handle three tanks though... Link to comment
xcom Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 Those dendros look insane! Loving it I want a dendros pico too now... *sigh* Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted September 14, 2012 Author Share Posted September 14, 2012 L! How did I miss the fact that you started this tank? It looks awesome, I love the dendros and the colours in there. And the light looks good on the tank too. Makes me want to start a pico again ... I am still trying to find time to get my 2ft finish Having the Spec has been awesome. When my first 2.5g sprung a leak, I never wanted to go as big as the 5.5g it ended up being. I'm glad my mom got this tank for me. It's not bad. You can totally run one with stock equipment. You can totally go crazy with the mods, or you can make subtle modifications like I did. Mad props for building such a nice Spec. That's awesome that the light has separate blue/white control. Now you need a Reefkeeper lite. It is awesome, but I can't afford a Reefkeeper lite right now. Would rather have a favia. But thanks for the compliment. Your tank is awesome, so that coming from you is cool. The new light looks great, both in the tank and on top of it! I really liked it. It doesn't look like it was obviously modded, which I can't stand. The modifications really can't be seen unless you look into the chambers. I love that. I'm not sure I'll do a "piece together" type tank anymore, especially for a small system. I really prefer the AIO. $60 you say? Hmmm... Next payday. Granted a PAR 38 isn't really that much more, but then you have to get the fixture and finding one that's aesthetic is a pain, especially since you have to suspend it rather high off the Spec so you don't kill anything. I don't know, I just had problems seeing tanks like that. Don't get me wrong, they look great, but I prefer this Innovative Marine. So, I can't have any sps barring maybe a montipora, but who cares? I have tanks that can certainly handle sps corals. That looks so awesome! I've been contemplating a fluval spec this whole month! I don't think can handle three tanks though... Not gonna lie, this is tank #4 for me, and I'm not counting quarantine. It's tough, especially since I live with my boyfriend and only this tank is at his place. The others are at my mom's waiting to be moved when he and I get our own place. Multiple systems present certain challenges. Those dendros look insane! Loving it I want a dendros pico too now... *sigh* Awwwww, dendros are expensive. I got very lucky with mine and paid $20 a head. Maybe you guys can help me on this, I was very set on getting a Green clown goby for this tank, but then I stumbled upon this video. Now, I see that much of the Green clown goby's tail in the video has been bitten off, so I'm wondering if it wasn't just a sick fish that got unlucky. I had with these dendros an even smaller panda goby that never was eaten and when he moved around the dendros, he never got stuck. What do you guys think? It's either a green clown goby or a citron. I like both. L Link to comment
1.0reef Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Probably sick., go with the green. Citron get larger. Link to comment
castiel Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Go yellow! I think the yellow are much, much cuter. I am sure the one getting eaten was sick ... Link to comment
LylaPico Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 Neat fluval spec! I just started one too. So I'll be following along! Hope it doesn't irk you but totally stealing the light upgrade! I've been looking for a replacement of the stock that fit the cosmetics of the tank and did the job I needed it to for the corals. It looks totally awesome for the tank! Secondly, get the green goby! I was told I was committing fish homicide if I put a fish in this tank. Not deterring you from doing it, just let me know if it works out because I would love a little one in mine. :] Link to comment
Weetabix7 Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 Neat fluval spec! I just started one too. So I'll be following along! Hope it doesn't irk you but totally stealing the light upgrade! I've been looking for a replacement of the stock that fit the cosmetics of the tank and did the job I needed it to for the corals. It looks totally awesome for the tank! Secondly, get the green goby! I was told I was committing fish homicide if I put a fish in this tank. Not deterring you from doing it, just let me know if it works out because I would love a little one in mine. :] Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted November 14, 2012 Author Share Posted November 14, 2012 Neat fluval spec! I just started one too. So I'll be following along! Hope it doesn't irk you but totally stealing the light upgrade! I've been looking for a replacement of the stock that fit the cosmetics of the tank and did the job I needed it to for the corals. It looks totally awesome for the tank! Secondly, get the green goby! I was told I was committing fish homicide if I put a fish in this tank. Not deterring you from doing it, just let me know if it works out because I would love a little one in mine. :] Wow, two months, sorry guys. Didn't mean to let this journal go. The light is good, not as powerful as a Par 38, but it works well for the corals I do have. I wouldn't be slapping in light demanding corals though. The blasto is doing well in the bottom of the tank, if that's any indication? Xenia and gsp are spreading, as is the sympodium. The color of this light, however, is excellent. One of the most pleasing whites I've seen in the market, and I've seen a lot. There is no yellowish tint that you sometimes get with white LEDs. Box says whites are at 14k and I believe them. Some 14k still seems yellow to me. My fiance's LED fixture, which does kickass in the blue department, has more yellow whites than this Innovative Marine fixture does, and the manufacturer is claiming they are between 14-16k. I did actually get the green goby. I've had him for about 2 months now. Doing well. Lost weight in the beginning, but he's just really picky and has to be fed a lot. He's putting on weight again. I'll update with a full tank shot... Here is a current stock list... Livestock -Green clown goby -yellow coral banded shrimp (had a pair, but they divorced, violently) -pompom crab (lost the original to a hungry dendro when I had the "accident" see below, then got another one that I forgot I had in my Biocube. -randall's pistol shrimp (seems just fine without a goby). -two scarlet hermit crabs -one astrea snail (a teeny one) -one cowrie from when I took down my biocube -one tiny emerald crab for algae work (he goes when he gets too big, but now he's tiny and harmless) -assorted tiny dwarf ceriths and stomatellas, and little bristleworms, copepods, amphipods, feather dusters, and other wee creatures. Corals -Dendros, about 15 heads now, if I count the babies, which keep appearing. -Nice small colony of sun corals, branching. There were two frags at the LFS, I grabbed one and two months down the road, I wish I had grabbed the other. That coral declined and eventually died at the LFS, while mine kept growing. -one polyp of a yellow sun coral -gsp -Xenia -R. yuma, and it's baby -blue mushroom -two heads of an awesome blasto that I got for free. -acans (but these will be removed, they are doing fine and growing, but fiance has killer blue LED lights and I like them better there) will replace with gsp -small duncan frag (but it fell off, so I gave it to my fiance) -teeny tiny frag of blue sympodium that's doing well and I'll probably add it's green cousin. Algae -lovely purple and red coraline algae, awesome is when you use rocks that are over a year old to make the tank -red macro algae Some pictures for everyone... the yellow coral banded. The yellow sun coral, extended. The blastos. Much brighter in person. Mr. Fathead. Yes, that's his name. Video of the Randalls, with a video bomb by the shrimp. I can never photograph the pompom, trust me, he's in there. Amanda was much more extroverted. Probably why she was eaten by the dendro. I have to replace the refugium light. It crapped out on me. It works awesome and grows chaeto well, but I think I got a bad one that's all. A similar fixture worked great in my Biocube for a long time. Tank gets two large water changes a week. Yes, two. I find it's easier that way. Small, daily topoffs. No dosing as of yet. Now on to the "accident"... About late September I had done an awesome photo update and was about ready to post here when I decided to feed the tank cyclops eez. Well, as I was feeding, Amanda, the pompom that was later eaten by the dendro as a result of the "accident", grabbed the randall's pistol in a vice hold and dragged him into her lair. I'm like "OH S***!" and try to remove rock to get at her. The rock I lifted came apart (it was glued to another piece) and came crashing down into the tank. Corals were scattered everywhere. All this for a $10 pistol shrimp, but he's a good boy. It took me a couple of weeks to finally reglue everything, and in the meantime a dendro was placed near the bottom where the pompom hung out. Saw a VERY fat dendro one day and no sign of the crab. This new crab is smarter. He's from my Biocube and never came out when he was there. I actually thought he had died on many occasions, but as I was tearing down the Biocube, he shows up. I figured he's smart enough to outwit a springer's dottyback, he can outwit a dendro. The pistol, who I really must name, is no worse for wear. Tank is doing very well. I'm happy with the livestock and have little plans to add much else, other than what I've stated above, and I'm wavering on some scattered nps I have in other tanks. I have my reservations about the longterm maintenance of this tank with a fish. From what I've read, it doesn't go well in the long run, maybe two years max, until the uncontrollable algae emerges. We'll see, I'm happy if this tank survives the year mark. It's an awful small tank to feature nps that prominently. Thanks for looking, sorry for the delay. L Link to comment
jgpico Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 Holy Crap you're alive! And your tank looks awesome! I absolutely love all of the dendro's. It's good to see you back, you need to check out my new tank and let me know what you think, I'm working on a link to my thread in my sig (if I can figure it out lol) Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted November 14, 2012 Author Share Posted November 14, 2012 Holy Crap you're alive! And your tank looks awesome! I absolutely love all of the dendro's. It's good to see you back, you need to check out my new tank and let me know what you think, I'm working on a link to my thread in my sig (if I can figure it out lol) Yes, I'm alive. I think part of the problem is that I met a wonderful man over the summer and just lost track of doing journal updates. The awesome thing is that he's also getting back into the hobby (he has a Nuvo 38 reef, and my old ADA 63l as a macro tank). We are now engaged. I've also setup a pest Spec, really ugly with coral eating fire worms, aiptaisa, majanos, caulerpa, nudibranchs, starfish, and an assortment of rescued teddy bear crabs. In our algae grow out tank, I have a small mantis shrimp. Unfortunately, I had to tear down my Biocube and my old Halide 8g. My sister was feeding my tanks since I live with my fiance now, and she was WAY overfeeding. My nitrates went through the roof. I managed to save everything, including my God of Wars, but putting it all into my 36g reef. I adopted some serious chemical filtration for that tank and all the inhabitants are doing well. I'll probably start a thread for that soon. Where is your new tank? I'll see if I can find it. L Link to comment
castiel Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 Hahaha @ Mr Fathead. I only told someone yesterday that I didn't like the green coral gobys because of their fat abnormal head, haha. Tank looks great, glad it is still going! Show us a pic of your pest spec! Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted November 14, 2012 Author Share Posted November 14, 2012 Hahaha @ Mr Fathead. I only told someone yesterday that I didn't like the green coral gobys because of their fat abnormal head, haha. We love Mr. Fathead. He's hysterical. He looks so grumpy all the time. Tank looks great, glad it is still going! Show us a pic of your pest spec! Thank you. I'm happy with this Spec, but I will show you the Pest Spec as well. Warning... It's not a pretty tank... No mods, running stock filtration and everything else stock. Nudibranch Aiptasia And the main attraction, a little teddy bear crab. We first thought it was a gorilla crab and named him "Kong", but later learned it was a teddy bear crab. Kong stuck. He actually looks like one of those pink and white gorillas they sell on Valentine's day. Great guy, patrols his domain when the red lights come out. He now shares the tank with a few more gorillas and teddy bear crabs and a lovely coral eating fire worm. Kong video... The animals here come and go. We're not overly concerned about predation or water quality, though I do do water changes. The caulerpa helps a lot to keep the tank clean. Salinity swings a bit, but hey, these guys can handle it. L Link to comment
Islandoftiki Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 Adorable! Now I want to break down my freshwater spec and build a second pest tank! Hehe. Link to comment
dsim Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Noted you have a coral banded shrimp, what is its size? Does it terrorise other tankmates such as the goby, pompom or corals? I am planning on a pico livestock, tempted to have a coral banded shrimp instead of a cleaner shrimp, but afraid that it may harm corals and (clam if possible, in future). Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted November 15, 2012 Author Share Posted November 15, 2012 Adorable! Now I want to break down my freshwater spec and build a second pest tank! Hehe. I dare you. It's actually very fun, especially siince you can run in on stock lighting and filtration. Eventually, I'd love to house the little mantis there and use it as a desk tank at work, but then'd I'd have to rehome the other pests. I may make his tank more special though and get a Spec just for him, I like the look of the Innovative Marine lighting in my coral spec and you can keep corals with mantis as long as they are secure. He doesn't seem to be very destructive. Noted you have a coral banded shrimp, what is its size? Does it terrorise other tankmates such as the goby, pompom or corals? I am planning on a pico livestock, tempted to have a coral banded shrimp instead of a cleaner shrimp, but afraid that it may harm corals and (clam if possible, in future). It is very small right now, but I'm aware that he may be a problem in the future and he's being watched carefully. So far, he's doing great. The golden coral banded stays quite a bit smaller than it's white cousin. L Link to comment
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