Felicia Posted December 3, 2013 Author Share Posted December 3, 2013 Did someone say shoes????? What is DSW???? Yep shoes! I got some new black dress flats How have you not heard of DSW? It stands for Designer Shoe Warehouse and its a huge store with tons of shoes. They're a big national chain with stores and then they also sell through their website. I like it because they have a huge selection, so I can usually find what I want. Link to comment
Tochtli Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Well I got the 10K Razor, so hopefully I should be able to run both channels on a decent power and get whiter light I've been considering getting a razor, it would be nice to see how the 10k looks. It's just so expensive! I'm a reader right now, which is technically different from a TA. I don't teach discussion sections or have office hours, I just grade papers for some extra money. Kind of a pain but its extra money to pay for aquarium goodies! Grad student though? At cal maybe? Edit: I've been meaning to ask, are spiral wire corals NPS? Yours look really nice, I'm starting to think my tank might need some! Link to comment
gena Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Yep shoes! I got some new black dress flats How have you not heard of DSW? It stands for Designer Shoe Warehouse and its a huge store with tons of shoes. They're a big national chain with stores and then they also sell through their website. I like it because they have a huge selection, so I can usually find what I want.No, I've never heard of it. Zappos is my go to when I'm looking for shoes. I don't even buy them in B&M stores anymore. Link to comment
Felicia Posted December 3, 2013 Author Share Posted December 3, 2013 I've been considering getting a razor, it would be nice to see how the 10k looks. It's just so expensive! Grad student though? At cal maybe? Edit: I've been meaning to ask, are spiral wire corals NPS? Yours look really nice, I'm starting to think my tank might need some! I'll definitely post photos once I get the light so you can see how it looks. I'm getting the Razor Nano, which ended up being only $260.99 (free shipping and no tax) for Black Friday. Not cheap, but much better priced than most of the LED fixtures. My DIY LED fixture on my main tank was a little under $200 total but it doesn't have the controllability of the Razor. Yep, I'm a PhD student at Berkeley Spiral wires are NPS, although they seem pretty easy to feed. Mine are pretty good at snatching whole mysis shrimp when I'm feeding the seahorses. I also alternate/mix feeding coral frenzy, marine snow, phytoplex, cyclopeeze, and ova for my NPS corals. They seem pretty easy to care for so far! You should definitely get one if you can find one No, I've never heard of it. Zappos is my go to when I'm looking for shoes. I don't even buy them in B&M stores anymore. DSW's website is a lot like Zappos. Huge selection, discounted prices, coupons, etc. I like to go try on shoes when I can since they all fit so differently and I'm very picky about them being comfortable. I do order online sometimes though. The shoes I have coming this week are actually an exchange, since I received them a couple weeks ago but they were too big so I had to exchange them for a size down. Hopefully these smaller ones fit because they're super cute shoes. I've been buying some new business clothes to wear for scientific conferences and presentations and stuff. Most of my business clothes are old and out of style since I bought my whole business wardrobe like 5-6 years ago when I did some internships during undergraduate. I got two pairs of dressy flats, a nice Jcrew blazer, 2 Jcrew button down dress shirts, and Jcrew khaki dress pants Link to comment
Tochtli Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I'll definitely post photos once I get the light so you can see how it looks. I'm getting the Razor Nano, which ended up being only $260.99 (free shipping and no tax) for Black Friday. Not cheap, but much better priced than most of the LED fixtures. My DIY LED fixture on my main tank was a little under $200 total but it doesn't have the controllability of the Razor. They still haven't released the 300w razor, and I don't really want to buy 2 160w ones. To top it off it's Christmas season so I can't just go blow $900 on my fish when I have gifts to buy! Yep, I'm a PhD student at Berkeley Wow, good for you! What are you studying? Spiral wires are NPS, although they seem pretty easy to feed. Mine are pretty good at snatching whole mysis shrimp when I'm feeding the seahorses. I also alternate/mix feeding coral frenzy, marine snow, phytoplex, cyclopeeze, and ova for my NPS corals. They seem pretty easy to care for so far! You should definitely get one if you can find one I've always been a fan of dendros/sun corals, I suppose getting a spiral wire would would justify another nps coral since I might as well be feeding both...I see a slippery slope forming! Link to comment
Zia Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Grading papers isn't too bad. I plan to sit in my bed, turn on some Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the current show I'm marathoning on Amazon Instant Video), and drink wine while I grade I'm a pretty harsh grader, so wine makes me much nicer! The light comes Friday along with a package from DSW (shoes!) so it'll be a good day for packages! We like nice/happy Felicia, so drink up Plus after the weekend you had with your car sitch, you deserve it. With goodies like that, i bet Friday can't come soon enough! Link to comment
Playapixie Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I can hardly stand how adorable that is! Link to comment
Felicia Posted December 7, 2013 Author Share Posted December 7, 2013 Sorry for the delayed responses guys! This has been a super hectic week. I had my big once a semester presentation today so I was busy prepping for that. Luckily I got some really nice data late last night and my presentation went really well. Now for a relaxing weekend! They still haven't released the 300w razor, and I don't really want to buy 2 160w ones. To top it off it's Christmas season so I can't just go blow $900 on my fish when I have gifts to buy! Wow, good for you! What are you studying? I've always been a fan of dendros/sun corals, I suppose getting a spiral wire would would justify another nps coral since I might as well be feeding both...I see a slippery slope forming! Yeah, $900 on lights is a lot. This is why I have tiny tanks I'm in the Materials Science and Engineering department and I work on biomaterials for repair of damaged heart tissue after a heart attack. I definitely see a slippery slope, but a good one! The spirals are amazing! I bet a spiral or two and some dendros would look amazing in your tank We like nice/happy Felicia, so drink up Plus after the weekend you had with your car sitch, you deserve it. With goodies like that, i bet Friday can't come soon enough! Just gotta get through this next week and then I'm done with all the grading. I'm not doing any grading next semester, so I'm glad to be done with this. I just did it to make some extra money for my trip to Hawaii in February! I can hardly stand how adorable that is! The seahorses are pretty darn adorable. THE MAXSPECT RAZOR NANO HAS ARRIVED! Stupid UPS made me wait all day since they didn't deliver it until about 5 pm. I went home right after my presentation this morning to make sure I didn't miss the UPS delivery and I had to wait all day! I'm so impatient Anyways, I got it all set up and on the tank and its so tiny and sleek and awesome! I don't have all the time points programmed yet, so for now its just on manual mode. I'll get it all programmed later this evening after dinner. Right now I really like the color balance, although I may still tweak it a bit more. Its currently running on 80% whites and 75% blues. Good thing I got the 10K since I still needed to turn the whites a bit higher than the blues to get the color I wanted. I'll probably program it to be more blue during sunrise and sunset so that I can appreciate the fluorescence on the spirals, rics, mushrooms, and toadstool now. During the day though, its going to stay a nice crisp white! Any suggestions of time points/programming for this thing would be helpful. Here are a few preview shots! It arrived! And the official box inspector went right to work. She takes her job very seriously http://s289.photobucket.com/user/alatarie/media/photo2-7.jpg.html'> Tah-Dah! http://s289.photobucket.com/user/alatarie/media/photo-7.jpg.html'> A coral shot under the new lights. Some nice PE on the NPS finger gorg! http://s289.photobucket.com/user/alatarie/media/photo3-7.jpg.html'> And Lily being a goofball. I'm really hoping she doesn't fall in the tank now that the new light doesn't really cover the whole top of the tank http://s289.photobucket.com/user/alatarie/media/photo1-8.jpg.html'> Link to comment
FlowerMama Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 GORGeous picture. Perfectly highlighted by the light. Link to comment
Felicia Posted December 7, 2013 Author Share Posted December 7, 2013 GORGeous picture. Perfectly highlighted by the light. Thank you! I really like the new light a lot! It sure decluttered the tank a lot since I was able to reduce the 3 power cords and a timer related to the old light to just one plug now. Its so quiet in my bedroom now between the new bearings on the MP10 and now the 3 cooling fans that ran on the old light and made whirring noises are all gone. LEDs are sooooo nice! I'm hoping my power bill, which spiked when I set up this new tank will go down a bit now that I have a more efficient light and all the fans that ran 24/7 are now gone. Link to comment
Tochtli Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Yeah, $900 on lights is a lot. This is why I have tiny tanks I'm in the Materials Science and Engineering department and I work on biomaterials for repair of damaged heart tissue after a heart attack. I was hoping one 400w MH would be enough. It's not quite Lately, I've been missing my nanos! That's some crazy stuff, but really cool! I definitely see a slippery slope, but a good one! The spirals are amazing! I bet a spiral or two and some dendros would look amazing in your tank Well, I'm looking into it now! What do you feed your spirals? THE MAXSPECT RAZOR NANO HAS ARRIVED! The colors on the 10k look really crisp, I like it! And it looks great over your tank! Link to comment
Illuiix Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Nice! Wait, what's the dimensions of your tank again?? I'm looking to buy a nano razor for my next build ( 12 x 12 cube). Link to comment
Felicia Posted December 7, 2013 Author Share Posted December 7, 2013 Nice! Wait, what's the dimensions of your tank again?? I'm looking to buy a nano razor for my next build ( 12 x 12 cube). It's be perfect on a 12 cube. My tank is 20"W x 18"D x 20" high and it seems to cover it well. It's 30 gallons. I don't know that it would grow SPS in my deep tank but it seems plenty bright. I think it would even be fine for Lps in my tank. It's tiny but powerful. Would definitely fit your minimalist aesthetic Link to comment
Illuiix Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 It's be perfect on a 12 cube. My tank is 20"W x 18"D x 20" high and it seems to cover it well. It's 30 gallons. I don't know that it would grow SPS in my deep tank but it seems plenty bright. I think it would even be fine for Lps in my tank. It's tiny but powerful. Would definitely fit your minimalist aesthetic Yeah I was thinking of upgrading to a picO 12x12 naked cube with black silicone and black background to hide the mp10 and the nano razor mountings/wires. It would look super sleek ahah. Link to comment
Felicia Posted December 7, 2013 Author Share Posted December 7, 2013 I was hoping one 400w MH would be enough. It's not quite Lately, I've been missing my nanos! That's some crazy stuff, but really cool! Well, I'm looking into it now! What do you feed your spirals? The colors on the 10k look really crisp, I like it! And it looks great over your tank! I know absolutely nothing about metal halides. I'm definitely and led fan sorry the one halide wasn't enough. Can you supplement it with something else? I'd love to have a bigger tank but the cost is just too much for me right now plus I don't have the space. It's nice to be able to keep some larger fish though and have bigger colonies when the corals grow out! It sounds cool but research all day everyday can be pretty dull. I spend a ton of time pipetting things haha! I like it most days though. My spirals will grab whole mysis shrimp when I'm feeding the seahorses so they like meaty foods. I also alternate feedings marine snow, coral frenzy, ova, and cyclopeeze. I think any good coral food with some meaty bits should work. Link to comment
Felicia Posted December 7, 2013 Author Share Posted December 7, 2013 Yeah I was thinking of upgrading to a picO 12x12 naked cube with black silicone and black background to hide the mp10 and the nano razor mountings/wires. It would look super sleek ahah. That would be a beautiful tank. I've got black silicone on my cube and I like it so much better than clear. Very modern! Unfortunately mine is old school and has a rim and everything but I kind of like it that way. It's a mix of vintage a modern sleekness, which is my style of decor anyway. you should do it and the nano razor is so tiny and sleek. I can't get over how pretty it is! Haha Link to comment
Tochtli Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 I know absolutely nothing about metal halides. I'm definitely and led fan sorry the one halide wasn't enough. Can you supplement it with something else? Halides are awesome lights, if they were controllable and consumed less, I wouldn't even consider LED. Sadly, that is not the case The light is great, the only problem I have is that the spread isn't so good, which is pretty much the same deal I'd be getting with any single pendant fixture. I suppose I could buy LED strips, but for that price, I might as well just downgrade to two 250w halides (which would consume more energy, see the vicious cycle here?). I'd love to have a bigger tank but the cost is just too much for me right now plus I don't have the space. It's nice to be able to keep some larger fish though and have bigger colonies when the corals grow out! Honestly, setting the 125 up was not as expensive as it would seem. I've spent probably less than $1000, but that's with no light and not counting livestock. Yay craigslist! I really only upgraded to be able to have bigger fish (butterflies!) It sounds cool but research all day everyday can be pretty dull. I spend a ton of time pipetting things haha! I like it most days though. Do you plan on going into the med/bio-tech industry? My spirals will grab whole mysis shrimp when I'm feeding the seahorses so they like meaty foods. I also alternate feedings marine snow, coral frenzy, ova, and cyclopeeze. I think any good coral food with some meaty bits should work. Great! I'm a big fan of frozen shrimp, so I guess I'd just need to get one of those really big pipettes or a turkey baster and feed those things! And feeding coral food with meaty bits also sounds like a great excuse to get anthias! How often do you feed frozen and/or coral food? Link to comment
Illuiix Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Hhaha yeah soon....I'll definitely do it sometime early next year, no rush ahah. I'm really in a hurry to sell off my two not soo round scolys for more scoly funds!! Hhaha, yeah well, actually I like the clear silicone more but it gets dirty more clearly....and so, I thought I'd go with picO, because I know Chris will be able to paint the back black for me ahah, I'm not pro enough to paint the back of an ada tank....too scary lol. Need the back black to hide the nano razor's wire and mountings, and the mp10...lol. Btw, your tank looks much bluer with the nano razor on! Good thing. Link to comment
Felicia Posted December 7, 2013 Author Share Posted December 7, 2013 Halides are awesome lights, if they were controllable and consumed less, I wouldn't even consider LED. Sadly, that is not the case The light is great, the only problem I have is that the spread isn't so good, which is pretty much the same deal I'd be getting with any single pendant fixture. I suppose I could buy LED strips, but for that price, I might as well just downgrade to two 250w halides (which would consume more energy, see the vicious cycle here?). Yeah, that's the issue with long tanks. I had that problem when I was setting up my 30 gallon that's 36" long. They didn't have the long Maxspect Razors then so I would have needed two of any of the prebuilt LED fixtures (like AI's) in order to get the right coverage and that was definitely not in my budget. That's why I went the DIY route and spread my LEDs out over two heatsinks that I have hanging next to one another. That way I get more coverage side to side where I need it and less front to back since my tank is only 12" deep. Saved a lot of money that way too Honestly, setting the 125 up was not as expensive as it would seem. I've spent probably less than $1000, but that's with no light and not counting livestock. Yay craigslist! I really only upgraded to be able to have bigger fish (butterflies!) Well the expensive part is really the lighting and the livestock Also, the rock and sand unless you can find a craigslist deal that already has rock and sand. $1000 isn't bad at all for your setup. I like butterflies! Someday I want a huge tank full of big angels in addition to my reef tanks. The colorful angels are my favorites of the big fish. For some reason, I just don't care that much for tangs. I also really want a puffer and a moray in my big angel tank Do you plan on going into the med/bio-tech industry? Yep, that's the plan hopefully. Great! I'm a big fan of frozen shrimp, so I guess I'd just need to get one of those really big pipettes or a turkey baster and feed those things! And feeding coral food with meaty bits also sounds like a great excuse to get anthias! How often do you feed frozen and/or coral food? All good excuses! I feed my seahorses frozen mysis twice a day and my spirals usually manage to snatch a shrimp or two each day during feeding. I don't target feed them the mysis, they just grab whatever the seahorses and jawfish miss. I broadcast feed marine snow and phytoplex (for the sponges, not the spirals) almost everyday. Then every other day, I feed either Coral Frenzy or a mix of cyclopeeze and ova. I don't target feed those either since I have so many NPS corals in the seahorse tank. I just turn off my filtration but leave on my MP10 and dump the food into the flow. Hhaha yeah soon....I'll definitely do it sometime early next year, no rush ahah. I'm really in a hurry to sell off my two not soo round scolys for more scoly funds!! Hhaha, yeah well, actually I like the clear silicone more but it gets dirty more clearly....and so, I thought I'd go with picO, because I know Chris will be able to paint the back black for me ahah, I'm not pro enough to paint the back of an ada tank....too scary lol. Need the back black to hide the nano razor's wire and mountings, and the mp10...lol. Btw, your tank looks much bluer with the nano razor on! Good thing. Your tank looks nice now. No reason to hurry Good luck selling those two scolys! I need to start selling frags again to fund new coral purchases I've painted the backs of both my tanks, but they're not fancy tanks. Just an Aqueon and an Oceanic, both with rims. Its true the black silicone doesn't get as dirty. I also think the contrast of it looks modern and sleek. I just really like it and wish my main tank also had black silicone. Btw, when's your MP10 arriving? It does look a bit more blue in that photo. I was going for just a slight bit more of a blue tint, but still mostly a crisp white. I'm not entirely settled on the settings yet, but I have the light programmed for the time being and it looks nice. There are too many setting and possibilities! I keep changing my mind! Link to comment
Illuiix Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Your tank looks nice now. No reason to hurry Good luck selling those two scolys! I need to start selling frags again to fund new coral purchases I've painted the backs of both my tanks, but they're not fancy tanks. Just an Aqueon and an Oceanic, both with rims. Its true the black silicone doesn't get as dirty. I also think the contrast of it looks modern and sleek. I just really like it and wish my main tank also had black silicone. Btw, when's your MP10 arriving? It does look a bit more blue in that photo. I was going for just a slight bit more of a blue tint, but still mostly a crisp white. I'm not entirely settled on the settings yet, but I have the light programmed for the time being and it looks nice. There are too many setting and possibilities! I keep changing my mind! Lol it's coming on monday! Thank you for the compliment ahah. I love the way the nano razor is lighting up your tank. Link to comment
Tochtli Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Yeah, that's the issue with long tanks. I had that problem when I was setting up my 30 gallon that's 36" long. They didn't have the long Maxspect Razors then so I would have needed two of any of the prebuilt LED fixtures (like AI's) in order to get the right coverage and that was definitely not in my budget. That's why I went the DIY route and spread my LEDs out over two heatsinks that I have hanging next to one another. That way I get more coverage side to side where I need it and less front to back since my tank is only 12" deep. Saved a lot of money that way too Now imagine that with a tank twice as long, even DIY is expensive Well the expensive part is really the lighting and the livestock Also, the rock and sand unless you can find a craigslist deal that already has rock and sand. $1000 isn't bad at all for your setup. I like butterflies! Someday I want a huge tank full of big angels in addition to my reef tanks. The colorful angels are my favorites of the big fish. For some reason, I just don't care that much for tangs. I also really want a puffer and a moray in my big angel tank I got lucky, I got the tank, stand, sump and rocks all for $127 haha I'd love to do big angles, but I'm not sure my tank is big enough, so I'm just gonna try and make the butterflies work (unless you know of any angel that wouldn't be bad off in a 5' tank!) All good excuses! I feed my seahorses frozen mysis twice a day and my spirals usually manage to snatch a shrimp or two each day during feeding. I don't target feed them the mysis, they just grab whatever the seahorses and jawfish miss. I broadcast feed marine snow and phytoplex (for the sponges, not the spirals) almost everyday. Then every other day, I feed either Coral Frenzy or a mix of cyclopeeze and ova. I don't target feed those either since I have so many NPS corals in the seahorse tank. I just turn off my filtration but leave on my MP10 and dump the food into the flow. I'll have to target feed, or I'll nuke my tank eventually! What's your secret for keeping it so clean? Link to comment
Felicia Posted December 7, 2013 Author Share Posted December 7, 2013 Now imagine that with a tank twice as long, even DIY is expensive I got lucky, I got the tank, stand, sump and rocks all for $127 haha I'd love to do big angles, but I'm not sure my tank is big enough, so I'm just gonna try and make the butterflies work (unless you know of any angel that wouldn't be bad off in a 5' tank!) I'll have to target feed, or I'll nuke my tank eventually! What's your secret for keeping it so clean? Yep, lighting is always the most expensive part of this hobby! You sure got a deal on that setup! Wow! I think most of the big angels need like 250 gallons or more. They need REALLY big tanks, especially to keep more than one. I'd love to have a big 500 gallon FOWLR someday for angels, a puffer, and a big moray. Then I'll have smaller reef tanks. Ha! I think butterflies are a great plan. They're super pretty fish. Any specific species you really want? In terms of keeping my tank so clean, the big part is there are just so many things in my tank that eat the food, so I never have food sitting and decaying. I've got a serious cleanup crew with tons of snails, ~10 hermits, and 3 nano serpent stars that do a great job grabbing any food the seahorses miss. I also have the two jawfish that snatch up most of the food the seahorses miss. Then on top of that, I've got enough NPS corals and macroalgaes to suck a lot of the nutrients out of the water. I run quite a bit of filtration: a media rack with floss, Chemipure Elite, Purigen, and Phosguard; a small skimmer; dual media reactors with carbon and GFO; a refugium chamber with more macroalgae. And then, I do weekly 15% water changes. All of that seems to maintain good water quality. Lol it's coming on monday! Thank you for the compliment ahah. I love the way the nano razor is lighting up your tank. Exciting! New reef equipment is always fun to play with. You're very welcome! I'm glad you like my new light! Thanks Link to comment
gena Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 yay..the light . I like the color with the Razor better too. Just enough blue, I think. How do the Vice look with the new light???? Does your screen top not fit flush with the light in place? Maybe just trim a little on one side, if it bothers you. Did you ever get star grass? Link to comment
Felicia Posted December 7, 2013 Author Share Posted December 7, 2013 yay..the light . I like the color with the Razor better too. Just enough blue, I think. How do the Vice look with the new light???? Does your screen top not fit flush with the light in place? Maybe just trim a little on one side, if it bothers you. Did you ever get star grass? The vice zoas look nice. About the same, but a bit more pop from their blue color. I'm glad you like the color of the new light! Yeah the screen top won't fit flush because I had to mount the light on the side of the tank. My original plan was to do it on the back but the partitions for the chambers and the skimmer are in the way. I need to go get a hack saw and miter box from the tool lending library and I just need to shave it down like a half inch on that one side and it will fit again. I just didn't have the tools to do it last night. I'm going to go get the stuff today and get that all taken care of because it definitely bugs me! Nope, I don't have any star grass. I only have a few macros since I was focusing more on the gorgonians, sponges, spirals, etc. I've currently got some palm caulerpa, dragons breath, and red dragon in the display. Link to comment
gena Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 The vice zoas look nice. About the same, but a bit more pop from their blue color. I'm glad you like the color of the new light! Yeah the screen top won't fit flush because I had to mount the light on the side of the tank. My original plan was to do it on the back but the partitions for the chambers and the skimmer are in the way. I need to go get a hack saw and miter box from the tool lending library and I just need to shave it down like a half inch on that one side and it will fit again. I just didn't have the tools to do it last night. I'm going to go get the stuff today and get that all taken care of because it definitely bugs me! Nope, I don't have any star grass. I only have a few macros since I was focusing more on the gorgonians, sponges, spirals, etc. I've currently got some palm caulerpa, dragons breath, and red dragon in the display. I love the looks of the star grass but I think it would get too tall for what I'm wanting. If it stayed short, that would be ideal!!!!! Take a picture of the vice with the new lighting when you get a chance . Link to comment
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