markalot Posted May 27, 2013 Author Share Posted May 27, 2013 More pictures. FTS of the 40, this time from the RAW image and edited on the PC. How about some across the room shots? Both of these taken from where I'm sitting. Can't complain how they look, and from a distance none of the flaws show up! Finally, a closeup of what appears to be a neon green Hydroid. Link to comment
markalot Posted May 28, 2013 Author Share Posted May 28, 2013 The eshoppes skimmer (put on the 46) works well, was skimming after 12 hours, but I changed the cup and when I turned it back on it started making an intermittent noise. I'm hoping it's still breaking in and will quiet back down. Micro-bubbles were a problem when I first hooked it up but those are almost gone now. Link to comment
markalot Posted May 28, 2013 Author Share Posted May 28, 2013 So I have what appears to be Diatoms (or a look alike brown algae or cyano) on some of the newer rocks. A sure sign of overfeeding! In addition, my ORA Blue Voodoo is no longer brown but dull blue. How about that. I've done 3 four gallon water changes over the past week, since I obviously increased feeding a bit too fast, but things are really starting to look better. I don't have any brown algae on the older rocks, just the new rocks. I had some on the sand but I gravel vacced and it hasn't returned. Link to comment
Herptile Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Any particular reason you chose to go sumpless on both tanks? Mine were lack of space and fear of outside plumbing. The colors look good. The more I see tanks under T5s, the more I want to try T5s on my next build, just so I can see for myself the difference between it and LEDs. Link to comment
markalot Posted May 28, 2013 Author Share Posted May 28, 2013 Any particular reason you chose to go sumpless on both tanks? Mine were lack of space and fear of outside plumbing. The colors look good. The more I see tanks under T5s, the more I want to try T5s on my next build, just so I can see for myself the difference between it and LEDs. I have the space, but no desire to do it, or the plumbing. If this means I can't keep colorful SPS then I'll just have to adapt. I'm trying to increase water change frequency, as i said on your thread, with more storage! Link to comment
Herptile Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 I have the space, but no desire to do it, or the plumbing. If this means I can't keep colorful SPS then I'll just have to adapt. I'm trying to increase water change frequency, as i said on your thread, with more storage! I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't really like all that plumbing. Link to comment
markalot Posted May 29, 2013 Author Share Posted May 29, 2013 Getting frags of Green Montipora digitata, Chili Pepper Montipora, and some green face orange dot zoas from a local reefer. We exchange money for paper bags in the Walgreens parking lot, and so far haven't been arrested. Link to comment
markalot Posted May 29, 2013 Author Share Posted May 29, 2013 First issue with the eshoppes skimmer. It uses a cover on the output tube to trap microbubbles. The bottom of this filled with crap (algae, detritus) and reduced flow to the point the skimmer overflowed. Fortunately it must have started just before I checked this morning so I caught it without much water and crap spilling. I think I need to place my surface skimmer box around the intake to help prevent this from happening, but the reality is this is going to be a long term issue. Looking for solutions others have to this issue ... or is this just a maintenance item that has to be cleaned daily? I would not leave this skimmer on while on vacation, that's for sure. Link to comment
markalot Posted May 30, 2013 Author Share Posted May 30, 2013 Removed the cover, really no issues with micro-bubbles, so it stays off. The tank is quite tall, on a shorter tank I think bubbles would be a big issue. In other boring news .... I took my AquaticLife 2 bulb T5 fixture back off the 46 and attached it to the other fixtures on the 40 so now the 40 has a 6 bulb T5 fixture over it. Trying this combo on for size: -front- Purple+ Blue+ Coral+ Blue+ Aquablue Special Blue+ -back- It's rather bright in there now. For the 46 I'm back to the two 24" BuildMyLED strips. RoyalBlue/6500K white in back, and on most of the day. WarmWhite/Blue/UV custom mix on in the front for about 7 hours a day. Compared to a good T5 combo it's a bit yellow, but it just works in this tank. Link to comment
markalot Posted May 31, 2013 Author Share Posted May 31, 2013 Preparing for a 4 day vacation in late June. Just bought two of these: http://www.bigalspets.com/silent-air-battery-operated-air-pump-b11.html I'm also going to plug my main pumps into a non GFI outlet while I'm gone. I figure everything will survive loss of light and heat, but not circulation. Link to comment
markalot Posted May 31, 2013 Author Share Posted May 31, 2013 Your tank is starting to be somewhat like CENSOR! ....lol Clean that stuff up! and thanks. I just want a couple of long lived tanks that are fun to stare at and watch grow. Link to comment
markalot Posted May 31, 2013 Author Share Posted May 31, 2013 Aww no fun lol. Old fogey must act like old fogey. Link to comment
markalot Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share Posted June 1, 2013 Picture dump. I lost track of the Rusty Goby when i re-arranged the rocks, and I found him again. Still on the right side of the tank where he can hide and keep his eye on the Hawkfish. Here's the scum that's growing on some of the newer rocks. Not getting worse, might be getting better. I think I shocked the tank when I fed heavily twice. New Chili Pepper Montipora cap New Zoanthids One of the frags I "made" when removing the crab from the big Montipora rock. Looks like a sprig of bryopsis in the rocks next to it :| ----- Yet another FTS of the 46. The top of the 46, showing the BuildMyLED lights and the new Eshops Skimmer. I have some tank videos uploading and editing that I'll pos tin a few. Link to comment
markalot Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share Posted June 1, 2013 Video of the 40. Why did I decode to refocus in the middle of this? THis is editing right now with a fix for the color. Video of the 46 to give an idea of the flow. Look at the size of those pumps. Link to comment
Felicia Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 I love the new video! I especially like how active and not shy all your fish are. Lookin' good! Link to comment
markalot Posted June 2, 2013 Author Share Posted June 2, 2013 I love the new video! I especially like how active and not shy all your fish are. Lookin' good!Thanks. I've been really lucky with my selection. I did some work putting more rock in the 46. The tank sits in an alcove of sorts and the left tank is inaccessable so I stacked a big rock on it to help bend the corner a bit. Artistically the old scape was better, but I'm not after artistic. This moves the grumpy toxic hammer up higher where it can be enjoyed, and it's growing fast. I've also glued some zoa frags to the rock. This also provides some shade to my orange lepestrea which was growing but looking a bit stressed. Shrooms moved around to the shady areas, alveopora moved in front of the green mushrooms, and red gonipora moved to the middle, bottom. The green tipped birdnest is growing like crazy. I broke a few branches when re-scaping and in an hour you could not see where I broke them. Big fuzzy beast. I also have a fast growing frag of Montipora Spongodes up and to the right of that birdsnest, on the side of the rock. Hopefully it will be something to look at in a few months. Link to comment
gena Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Green slimer is still my favorite thing Link to comment
markalot Posted June 3, 2013 Author Share Posted June 3, 2013 Green slimer is still my favorite thing Thanks! It is happy happy happy, polyps always extended and encrusting like crazy. Link to comment
markalot Posted June 4, 2013 Author Share Posted June 4, 2013 Another video of the 46. Testing white balance settings and used the Nikon video editor to blend few vids together. Highlight is the closeup of the fuzzy green tipped birdnest. In the shot of the Alveopora check out the purple algae growing on the rock to the right of it. The green slimer is the last coral featured. Link to comment
markalot Posted June 5, 2013 Author Share Posted June 5, 2013 Various clips of my Rainford Goby thrown together to show behavior and algae munching. Link to comment
eitallent Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 He is an industrious little fella! He is always pecking away at food. Excellent. Thanks for putting this together Mark. Link to comment
markalot Posted June 11, 2013 Author Share Posted June 11, 2013 I am almost vacation ready. Feeders set and tested last night on both tanks, a light sprinkle of formula one flakes daily for the 4 days I'm away. Topoff mixed with Seachem Alk buffer and Alk in both tanks staying fairly steady, might be dropping by a tenth of a point a day, which I'm happy with. Calcium in both tanks 500 after recent water changes. My battery backup air pumps arrived Monday and I will be installing today or tomorrow. Link to comment
eitallent Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 Mark, Your tank will be ready to be with out you for sure! Have fun on your vacation! Link to comment
markalot Posted June 12, 2013 Author Share Posted June 12, 2013 Couple of FTS's. I have more but no time to post this evening. The 40 The 46, with what should be the final scape. A shot of the middle of the 46 that turned out quite well. I really need to learn to better use this camera. Link to comment
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