markalot Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Love the colors on the monti, Very cool. You won't regret switching to the led's, as soon as i did everything in my tank started to brighten up. Thanks. I've ordered one more strip to add some UV. I'm not happy with the RoyalBlue/CoolWhite strip I made, but fortunately I can use it over a freshwater tank. Here's a copu of what I posted in another thread: I ordered this: http://www.buildmyled.com/custom-report-details/?partNo=PS1230SS11LDMDLTJDMOLDMDL I was really tempted to put 2 UV in but left it as one, so we'll see. If this works out for the 20 then I will use this along with actinic to replace the T5's on my 40. Here is a nice article on the uselessness of CRI that I finally understand: http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/cri_explained.htm Beautiful monti, will complement the tubbs zoas you have. I usually meet people in starbucks when I am selling frags and I make a great show of pointing out everything in the bags. One time I did a frag to go order, the guy pulled up to the curb and we did the old money exchange paper bag thing. I don't think I will be doing that again because after he sped off with the damn bag, I was left holding the money and no proof. Ha. Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted January 15, 2013 Author Share Posted January 15, 2013 A video. 2 Quote Link to comment
gena Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Great video!!! Toward the end (2:05ish), I saw your purple firefish do what looked like the "poop shuffle". That's what I used to call it with my purple firefish. Mine had a specific place that she always "relieved" herself at, and she'd do a little shimmy, just like yours did Your tank looks fantastic Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted January 15, 2013 Author Share Posted January 15, 2013 I could not resist picking up this small fraggle rock at the nearby LFS. A red speckled mushroom is the highlight, and I think there's two on it, but also some kind of hairy mushroom and a soft brown thing, with numerous brown polyp like growths. I love collecting the unknown, except for flatworms, so this went through a flatworm exit dip before entering. Great video!!! Toward the end (2:05ish), I saw your purple firefish do what looked like the "poop shuffle". That's what I used to call it with my purple firefish. Mine had a specific place that she always "relieved" herself at, and she'd do a little shimmy, just like yours did Your tank looks fantastic LOL, is that what that was? Thanks! Quote Link to comment
gena Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 LOL, is that what that was? Thanks! That's what it looked like it was Keep an eye on what he/she does in that corner when he/she wiggles his/her tushy back and forth Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted January 15, 2013 Author Share Posted January 15, 2013 Some better pictures of the corals on that rock. Most certainly a hairy, maybe called a lavender hairy mushroom. I'm really infatuated with this next one, calling it a red spotted mushroom for now. Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I like the lavender hairy, been wanting one forever. And spotted mushrooms are my favorite! I have turq spotted and pink spotted. Yours might be a superman spotted. Quote Link to comment
SeahawkReefer Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 Just read the whole thread... Great looking 20L and like others have said, in pics it looks bigger than 20gal! How are the led lights working for you? Did your bleached coral bounce back? Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 Hi, thanks.. Bleached coral unbleached as soon as I dropped the light output. The LEDs are great but I have them turned down below 50 percent because even for 1 watt LEDs these are too bright for just 12 inches of water. Quote Link to comment
nanoreefnate Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 Nice looking tank you got there! Lots of gobies eh? Quote Link to comment
Veng Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 I love the unknown rock, that's awesome. Quote Link to comment
got2envy Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 love the mushies Mark..I used to have a whole bunch of different ones but have sold them off over the years Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted January 27, 2013 Author Share Posted January 27, 2013 I love the unknown rock, that's awesome. Thanks. I love the unknown ... unless it's bad. love the mushies Mark..I used to have a whole bunch of different ones but have sold them off over the years Yea, looking through all the monthly profiles I always gravitate to tanks with a decent number of shrooms. Thanks for visiting! Quote Link to comment
gena Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Yea, looking through all the monthly profiles I always gravitate to tanks with a decent number of shrooms. Thanks for visiting! Me too Like May 2011 Naturalwonders I know you have to have seen that one Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 Me too Like May 2011 Naturalwonders I know you have to have seen that one yep, love that one and c est ma back in 2008 with all the rics. Tashyar, also in 2008, with the wall of blue shrooms... your old tank, of course. Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted February 6, 2013 Author Share Posted February 6, 2013 So after having some more bleaching / mad coral issues I asked BuildMyLED to try and estimate the PAR going into my tank with 2 - 24" strips on a glass lid. It's pretty darn bright. http://forum.buildmyled.com/index.php?threads/20-long-lighting.16/#post-339 I ordered these with dimmers knowing I would need to dim, but I'm apparently still running them too bright. Quote Link to comment
rkum19 Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 What media are you running in your filter? Activated Carbon and Purigen/chemi-pure? Or is it only a refugium? Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted February 6, 2013 Author Share Posted February 6, 2013 I have a bag of 50/50 carbon and GFO. I had run Purigen up until a month ago, but I'm not sure it was doing anything useful and no change since removing it. Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted February 7, 2013 Author Share Posted February 7, 2013 Time for some pictures. Still not a very colorful tank, but just over 4 months old. Feb 6th FTS My Rainford Goby continues to do well and has built a home under a rock in the back right corner of the tank. I may have to start a new thread for this next picture. There is some kind of anemone living amongst the green zoas. At times the tentacles make it look like a common aptasia but the mouth and base is very colorful. 2 Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted February 16, 2013 Author Share Posted February 16, 2013 Well, this tank is crashing pretty hard. Salinity ok, KH 9, Calc 410, no mag test. Nitrates and Phosphates close to 0 (RedSea Pro). My guess is that most of my biofilter was on a bag of purigen I left in for over a month and when I tossed it so went most of my bacteria. A bag of carbon + GFO was tossed early this week and that might have sent it over the edge. I had also trimmed my AC110 impeller too small and flow was very low, but a new one arrived yesterday so it's back up to full speed. I'm guessing that for a while the flow was too low to maintain a robust colony of bacteria on the rocks and now I'm paying for it. No ammonia kit worth anything but treating it like a mini cycle. Prime, water changes, and waiting it out. No fish losses, and they don't appear stressed, but my Montis are all a step away from RTN and both the frogspawn and Hammer have receded badly and still losing tissue. Bah! Quote Link to comment
gena Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Oh no!!!! So sorry to hear Can you transfer some things to the other tank? Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted February 16, 2013 Author Share Posted February 16, 2013 A quick series of pics to document the mess. Of note: Even the orange cap monti is showing white, plus the tips of the Xenia look burned (white) on the ends. The skin loss on the hammer happened in just 2 days. I did a 20% water change yesterday. Fun fun. Oh no!!!! So sorry to hear Can you transfer some things to the other tank? Thanks, but I won't take the chance since I really don't know what's wrong. Those poor purple Duncans, this is the second crash they will have to tolerate. They never show any long term damage, but I doubt they like me very much. Quote Link to comment
gena Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you! Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted February 16, 2013 Author Share Posted February 16, 2013 I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you! Thanks Gena, I appreciate it. Everything survived the night, fish and shrimp. The LPS looks pretty good this morning, and the Duncans are starting to open, so perhaps the episode is over. Damage is done, though. My Rainbow Monti is missing a few places of skin, but more of the green polyps showing up this morning. The Orange cap monti looks horrible, and I've never ever seen it react to anything. I did lose my one armed emerald crab Thursday, he was upside down dead in the sand and it wasn't a molt. I'm trying to remember the timeline of when I did the last water change. Must remember to log EVERYTHING. I think i did a WC Wednesday and replaced the carbon/gfo with a bag of Seachem Matrix Carbon (pellets) and a small bag of Purigen. Thursday the crab shows up dead, Friday the crash is evident, and now Saturday it looks to have turned the corner and no other inhabitants, including my two shrimp, have suffered. It sure looks like a mini-cycle. Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Did you do a water change? Quote Link to comment
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