cswan19 Posted December 6, 2014 Author Share Posted December 6, 2014 Thanks Tucc Things seem to be doing much better since getting the neo therm in my tank. Much more stability! It seems as though my tank is starting to get its color back and I am very happy about that, with the exception of a few zoas. My Oompa Loompas are pretty bleached out and I'm not sure why and alot of my red macro algae came loose and get chopped up in my power head so I lost about half of it. Anyway, I got some new stuff today, another SPS! So I will be doing an update with a new FTS either Saturday or Sunday depending on how long it takes everything to open up. Also thinking about getting a mini-jet 606 for my tank as well as it seems I have a bit of a dead spot near the front left corner of the tank. What are your thoughts? Will this be too much flow for the tank since I already have the koralia 240 in my tank? Will it even help with the dead spot? Link to comment
ETucc Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 Thanks Tucc Things seem to be doing much better since getting the neo therm in my tank. Much more stability! It seems as though my tank is starting to get its color back and I am very happy about that, with the exception of a few zoas. My Oompa Loompas are pretty bleached out and I'm not sure why and alot of my red macro algae came loose and get chopped up in my power head so I lost about half of it. Anyway, I got some new stuff today, another SPS! So I will be doing an update with a new FTS either Saturday or Sunday depending on how long it takes everything to open up. Also thinking about getting a mini-jet 606 for my tank as well as it seems I have a bit of a dead spot near the front left corner of the tank. What are your thoughts? Will this be too much flow for the tank since I already have the koralia 240 in my tank? Will it even help with the dead spot? I have a Cobalt Neo-Therm too and it's awesome. Good luck with your new SPS! If you get a Mini-Jet 606, I would highly recommend purchasing a Hydor Rotating Deflector to put on the return nozzle. They're pretty cheap, under $10 and it uses the water power to rotate and create random flow. I love it because it keeps my surface clean and scum-free. I don't even used the InTank surface skimmer. It also cuts down the flow of the 606, which would be beneficial to you. Link to comment
cswan19 Posted December 10, 2014 Author Share Posted December 10, 2014 (Much Needed) Update: December 9, 2014 I recently was able to upgrade to a new phone and decided on the iPhone 6. This phone is all around pretty great but one thing I really notice a big difference with between the 6 and my previous 4 is the camera quality. It takes much better quality photos and they don't seem to be as "grainy." Anyway, on with the pictures... New shrooms Waiting for these bad boys to grab onto some LR rubble Hungry Acans! (except for my pink/orange one, still closed from me having my hands in the tank) Close up of one of my favorites in the tank. Got these dirt cheap, right around $10 for the frag. The pics don't do it justice, its got a good variation of colors. My blastos! They are very awesome and interesting corals. They are also a bit closed up due to me working on the tank today. Ric garden, filling in nicely but still need to work on getting the colors to brighten up. I picked up some aqua vitro fuel in hopes it will help me out, haven't used it yet though. Have any of you guys used it before? What are your reviews on the product? Zoa/ Paly island. (with a couple clove polyps too ) Moved the remaining macro algae ( Alot got killed by my powerhead ) onto a few frags and popped them behind the rock to let them grow out. I now have two pieces of SPS in the tank (lets hope my heater stays going strong so I don't lose them like my poor birds nest) The first is hydnophora, I bought this without doing a whole lot of research on it as it was stunning and so cheap it was practically free. I then read that they are extremely aggressive but it doesn't seem to have had any charged tips at all yet. I also have it a few inches away from everything else and will be sure to monitor it as things grow out. The second SPS is this piece. Im not sure if it is a monti cap or a chalice. What do you guys think? Does it look healthy? I got this piece for free from my biology lab because it fell off of the main colony in their tank and so my professor just gave it to me. It was basically buried in the sand with little light. And just a shot of my shrimp. This dude seems very happy and active lately he is out digging and exploring the tank all the time. He used to be pretty shy. FTS 12/9/12 I have a Cobalt Neo-Therm too and it's awesome. Good luck with your new SPS! If you get a Mini-Jet 606, I would highly recommend purchasing a Hydor Rotating Deflector to put on the return nozzle. They're pretty cheap, under $10 and it uses the water power to rotate and create random flow. I love it because it keeps my surface clean and scum-free. I don't even used the InTank surface skimmer. It also cuts down the flow of the 606, which would be beneficial to you. Thanks for the kind words and advice Tucc! Do you think just putting the deflector on the stock nozzle would help the dead spots or would you still recommend the 606? I don't use the surface skimmer either as it would drain the overflow if the water level went down just slightly. Looks so good!!! Thanks Kijho! That means alot coming from you Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I think that acan is a rainbow and they usually cost $10 a head so you got a great deal there! The zoa rock is looking great too! Link to comment
ETucc Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I'm thinking you may be okay with the stock pump. If not, you could just get the 606 later. Link to comment
Fishsticks2187 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 tank looks so nice, i love the placements of all your coral. for your blastomussa's and acans did they come pre-glued to frag plugs? if so how did you get them off to be be able to glue them directly onto your rock work? Link to comment
cswan19 Posted December 10, 2014 Author Share Posted December 10, 2014 I think that acan is a rainbow and they usually cost $10 a head so you got a great deal there! The zoa rock is looking great too! I was thinking the same but wasn't too sure as I didn't really know what qualified as a rainbow lol. But thanks for the input! I'm thinking you may be okay with the stock pump. If not, you could just get the 606 later. Thats a good point, the only thing I don't like about the deflector is that it will add extra equipment in the DT and i'm trying to go for a minimalistic look, I am not too happy I had to move my heater to the DT lol but I'm still going to check it out. It seems like it would give me the best results for what I am looking for and it is cheap so thanks again for the idea Looking good. Thanks man, still waiting to see your tank tank looks so nice, i love the placements of all your coral. for your blastomussa's and acans did they come pre-glued to frag plugs? if so how did you get them off to be be able to glue them directly onto your rock work? Thanks for the kind words All of my corals that I have bought (with the exception of a few zoas and mushrooms) come glued onto frag plugs. Most stores sell them this way as it is easy for them to keep things organized. I then remove them from the frag and glue/epoxy them to my rock work. I use an exacto knife / clean, non-rusty box cutter to do this. (make sure to wear gloves when working with palys or zoas.) I just scrape the glue and like pry the coral from the plug. I do it gently though. Its hard to explain, the next frag I buy Ill try and take a video of removing it from the plug and then post it for you. Some of the corals are just grown on the frag instead of glued and for those I just cut the frag down to as small as possible using a pair of tile cutters. I don't recommend this way unless you have too because the tile cutter is not the most precise tool and can cause some harm to corals if you are not careful. Hope this helped Link to comment
Fishsticks2187 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Thanks for the kind words All of my corals that I have bought (with the exception of a few zoas and mushrooms) come glued onto frag plugs. Most stores sell them this way as it is easy for them to keep things organized. I then remove them from the frag and glue/epoxy them to my rock work. I use an exacto knife / clean, non-rusty box cutter to do this. (make sure to wear gloves when working with palys or zoas.) I just scrape the glue and like pry the coral from the plug. I do it gently though. Its hard to explain, the next frag I buy Ill try and take a video of removing it from the plug and then post it for you. Some of the corals are just grown on the frag instead of glued and for those I just cut the frag down to as small as possible using a pair of tile cutters. I don't recommend this way unless you have too because the tile cutter is not the most precise tool and can cause some harm to corals if you are not careful. Hope this helped okay i kinda have an idea for what you mean. i was always hesitant because i wasnt to sure if the corals would survive glued to the live rock, but after seeing yours i wanted to double check that you were getting teh same frags i been seeing lol. thank you for the response! Link to comment
Drexellake Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I just mounted my first few corals a few days ago using Superglue Gel and bone cutters. Didn't need special tools or epoxy. Removed a couple from frag plugs using a razor blade. It was much easier than I thought it was going to be. Just plan it out and have everything you needs so they're not out of the water too long. Link to comment
cswan19 Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 okay i kinda have an idea for what you mean. i was always hesitant because i wasnt to sure if the corals would survive glued to the live rock, but after seeing yours i wanted to double check that you were getting teh same frags i been seeing lol. thank you for the response! No problem, when gluing just make sure you don't use too much glue and just glue the bottom of the coral down, try not to get the glue all over the coral cause it can stress it out. Typically it wont kill the coral but it makes it unhappy. I've accidentally glued all over a zoa polyp before and it still managed to open up out of the glue. Corals are cool and adaptable like that. haha I just mounted my first few corals a few days ago using Superglue Gel and bone cutters. Didn't need special tools or epoxy. Removed a couple from frag plugs using a razor blade. It was much easier than I thought it was going to be. Just plan it out and have everything you needs so they're not out of the water too long. Yeah I use superglue gel from the dollar store, it is the "original super glue gel" and its a two pack for $1. My LFS sells the same thing for $4 because they advertise it is reef safe, same brand and everything lol I really only use epoxy when I am gluing in an area where there isn't much surface area of the rock available to keep the frag in place, like on corners of the rock or something. Otherwise I don't bother as it is easier to remove the frag if need be if it is just glued. As far as planning things out, I use a couple tupperware storage containers, a cutting board and of course a razor blade/ box cutter and superglue. I typically keep the frag Im working on in the tupperware with tank water until right before I am ready to remove it from the plug and glue it. I then put it on the cutting board and gently scrape away the superglue until it is free from the plug. Then I put a dab of superglue on the frag and pop it in the tank. Total time out of the water is about a minute. Although there have been a couple frags that are harder to remove than others and have had some frags out of the water for a bit more time. All usually ends well though. Link to comment
Kijho Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Holy crap your corals........ :o :o :o :o beautiful! Link to comment
cswan19 Posted January 1, 2015 Author Share Posted January 1, 2015 Holy crap your corals........ :o :o :o :o beautiful! Thanks kijho Hey guys sorry for the lack of posts lately!! Work and school have been consuming my life! I also just got back from vacation and the tank survived but is very very dirty so I will be cleaning and doing a WC and then posting an update. I hope everyone had a wonderful New Years! Link to comment
cswan19 Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 Oh man! I have been very busy lately!! Some of you may know that I am studying to become a marine biologist. Well I recently got my Associates degree and I am now in pursuit of my bachelors and also have the incredible opportunity to use the labs at Mote Marine Research facility. I also have a full time job and I volunteer at Mote and do as much networking as I can to get to know other biologist and researchers. I haven't been giving my tank as much love lately and I haven't been keeping you guys updated either. /: Sorry about that! Anyway, I got this bad boy recently and I am currently setting it up! I also bought a few new corals but they are holding them at the LFS until I can pick them up tomorrow after work. Wouldn't have time to get them in my tank tonight. Just did a big tank cleaning and water change and I also have a bit of bad news. I lost the monti cap /: there were some little things that seemed as though they were eating it and it was gone within about 72 hours. They were about the size of amphipods but they looked different. I also have amphipods! They seem to be munching on my zoas/palys and I was told to (even though its a small 5g) add a six line wrasse in there. What do you guys think about that? My LFS has a really really small one maybe an inch in size and I was told he would be fine in my tank. If needed I could give it away as it grew bigger. I feel it wouldn't be much different than putting a pair of clowns in a 5 gallon which I have seen loads of times. Anyway, I promise Ill post a picture update sometime in the next week. Hope you guys are still interested in my thread, sorry again for the lack of posts. Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 the sixline will get too big for the 5g but it's doable for temporary situation. u dont have any other fish at the moment right? sixline can get aggressive. they are also VERY hard to catch later... Link to comment
cswan19 Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 the sixline will get too big for the 5g but it's doable for temporary situation. u dont have any other fish at the moment right? sixline can get aggressive. they are also VERY hard to catch later... The only thing other than corals that's currently in my tank is the tiger pistol shrimp and some snails/hermits. How long do you think the wrasse would be comfortable in my tank? I'm just not sure how else to get the amphibods out other than by hand, which I was trying last night and those suckers are pretty fast and small. They're hard to catch. Link to comment
cswan19 Posted January 18, 2015 Author Share Posted January 18, 2015 I have talked to quite a few people at a couple different LFS and was told that I would be able to get the six line wrasse without any problem. I've had my eye on the little guy for a bit and have seen him eat many times. He seems really happy and active and healthy. I plan on picking him up tomor afternoon after doing some param tests just to double check everything before introducing him. Link to comment
cswan19 Posted January 18, 2015 Author Share Posted January 18, 2015 six-line is in the tank and seems to be doing well! I will post some pictures in a bit once he is more settled. On another note... how do you move a thread to a different location? I just noticed that my thread was posted in beginner discussion but I really think it belongs a bit more in the all in one tanks section. Link to comment
cswan19 Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 Heres my first fish! His name is Loki and he's just a little guy. He seems to have adjusted well in the tank already and he doesn't even swim away when I am near the tank. Hopefully he will start eating some of those dang amphipods already lol. Anyway here are a few pics of the wrasse I snapped really quickly. I also just ordered a Nikon P90 camera, which is basically just a nice, higher quality point and shoot. Ninja recommended it a while back and pointed me to a thread of another member that had one and it takes some pretty decent shots. I had been thinking about getting it for a while but so many things got in the way (car problems, school expenses) I just never did. So hopefully I will have that within the next week or so and can get the hang of using it and finally get some decent quality pictures on this thread! Hope my absence hasn't made too many of you lose interest in this thread lol I plan to update much more regularly now (although i always say that lol ) hopefully this time i mean it. Link to comment
cswan19 Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 Hey guys, my camera just came and I'm really excited to start using it. The problem is... I know nothing about photography. Does anyone have any good links or books that will break down the basics for me. Like what ISO is and how to use it and same for the aperture and how to control white balance and stuff? I would really appreciate it Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Super quick tips: White Balance - try Shady or Cloudy to remove some of the blues with LED lights ISO / Aperture / Shutter - http://digital-photography-school.com/learning-exposure-in-digital-photography/ has a pretty good explanation of everything. I would recommend starting out in Full Auto mode and take a few pics and see what the camera used for ISO / Aperture / Shutter. Link to comment
cswan19 Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 Super quick tips: White Balance - try Shady or Cloudy to remove some of the blues with LED lights ISO / Aperture / Shutter - http://digital-photography-school.com/learning-exposure-in-digital-photography/ has a pretty good explanation of everything. I would recommend starting out in Full Auto mode and take a few pics and see what the camera used for ISO / Aperture / Shutter. Thanks ninja! I have been practicing in auto mode and then tweeking it in manual focus mode. I am still getting the hang of it and trying to practice alot so I get the hang of "macro-like" shots. These are some of the better pictures that I captured today. Please let me know what you think. I would love some constructive criticism as well Ricordea Yuma ( picked this bad boy up today ) I'm having a bit of trouble with zoas/palys. It seems like I can only get like one or two polyps in focus at a time. Any advice? Plate Coral Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 great job with the pictures! it will be hard to get different objects with different depth of field to be in focus in macro mode. what's your aperture at? Link to comment
cswan19 Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 great job with the pictures! it will be hard to get different objects with different depth of field to be in focus in macro mode. what's your aperture at? Thanks! My aperture is at f4.0, thats what it was on automatically, so I just left it alone. Should I change it? (higher the f number?) Link to comment
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