Urbanek's 250

[urbaneks]

March 5th, 2016 - Response to Feedback

 

That Red Dragon is sweet!

 

Ben - Agree, it's a beautiful coral! I do wish my Red Dragon were red. It's more of a Pink Dragon.

 

Such beautiful photography! Those collages look like they are part of a calendar or fancy coral advertisement.

 

This thread is just fantastic. Also, I didn't realize just how shallow/long this tank was until you posted the full room shoot. The room can really add to the tank presentation and viewing experience.

 

yoshii - Thanks for the very kind words. I'm thinking that at the end of the year, I may put a calendar together with the Project 365 photos. As for the tank, it's 6 feet long, 3 feet wide and 22" tall which is 250 gallons.

 

Beautiful ad always! I love the colors on the scooter blenny up close

 

teenyreef - Thanks for the check in. It's always funny to see what different people enjoy and comment on. Many look past the Scooter Blenny. I'm with you, he's awesome!

[Nano sapiens]

Don't know what to pick to comment on as all the photos are just gorgeous. The deep coloration of these corals is truly stunning!

 

If I had to pick one, the "Jack'o'Lantern' Leptoseris would be it. Such rich color and texture I haven't seen in other specimens/photos.

[urbaneks]

Don't know what to pick to comment on as all the photos are just gorgeous. The deep coloration of these corals is truly stunning!

 

If I had to pick one, the "Jack'o'Lantern' Leptoseris would be it. Such rich color and texture I haven't seen in other specimens/photos.

 

Nano sapiens - Thanks for the compliments on the photography. It's funny how many people have commented and liked the Jack-o-lantern lepto. Where it's located in my aquarium, it does not get a lot of visibility thus I don't think much about it. I'm certainly glad that I was able to get that one pic of it.

[urbaneks]

March 7th, 2016 - Photo Update

 

The journal has rolled over to a new page so it's time for a couple new photos.

 

This first shot is of my Myagi Tort, if you are viewing on a phone, I highly recommend zooming in on this coral. The level of detail on this coral is beautiful.

 

Myagi Tort

 

This next shot is of one of my Acans. I've struggled to keep Acans for as long as I can remember so you can imagine how excited I am to see all of the new heads coming in on this coral. I believe a small increase in nitrates and phosphates is the reason my Acans are doing better these days.

 

Acan Babies!

[dropped]

Looks like you get a good mention on Reef Threads this week

 

http://www.reefthreads.com/?p=3142.

 

Tanks looking great by the way

[Dylan.N]

So happy to come back and see your tank! It's beautiful.

[urbaneks]

March 7th, 2016 - Response to Feedback

 

Looks like you get a good mention on Reef Threads this week

 

http://www.reefthreads.com/?p=3142.

 

Tanks looking great by the way

 

dropped - Thanks for passing that along to me. I've never heard of that website until now.

 

So happy to come back and see your tank! It's beautiful.

 

Dylan.N - Thanks so much, so happy to have you back.

[dropped]

Reef threads have a fairly decent pod cast, seem to get me listening each week. Worth a listen if they are talking about you

[urbaneks]

March 8th, 2016 - Response to Feedback

 

Reef threads have a fairly decent pod cast, seem to get me listening each week. Worth a listen if they are talking about you

 

dropped - thanks again for pointing this out. I did not realize after my first visit that there was a pod cast.

 

I listened to it and I was a bit disappointed to be honest. While it's nice to be acknowledged, they referred to me as he, she it, what ever it is. Seems like if you are going to run a pod cast, you could reach out to thread owner to get some basic information. The other thing was they really did not talk about my particular tank or photos, it simply went into why a project 365 could be beneficial. OK, enough ranting, it was nice to be mentioned, could have been better.

[dropped]

Haha yea i see where you are coming from. They tend to go a little of topic or head off on strange tangents at the best of times.

your tank still amazes me,pretty epic.

[urbaneks]

March 10th, 2016 - Photo Update

 

Here are a few new pics for today. Thanks for looking.

 

ORA Purple Plasma

ORA Blue Chalice

Taiwan Deep Water Zoas

[Orangutran]

Love your photos!

 

Btw, there's a reef podcast (http://www.reefthreads.com/?p=3142) that mentioned your project 365 thread! You're somewhat famous…

 

 

EDIT: nevermind… someone already mentioned this.

[urbaneks]

Love your photos!

 

Btw, there's a reef podcast (http://www.reefthreads.com/?p=3142) that mentioned your project 365 thread! You're somewhat famous…

 

 

EDIT: nevermind… someone already mentioned this.

 

 

Orangutran - Thanks for compliment on the photos. I did get a chance to listen to that podcast. Thanks for taking the time to point it out.

[Orangutran]

I listened to it and I was a bit disappointed to be honest. While it's nice to be acknowledged, they referred to me as he, she it, what ever it is. Seems like if you are going to run a pod cast, you could reach out to thread owner to get some basic information. The other thing was they really did not talk about my particular tank or photos, it simply went into why a project 365 could be beneficial. OK, enough ranting, it was nice to be mentioned, could have been better.

I totally agree with you, I noticed the he/she/it comment and cringed... That reefthreads podcast can some times go off on a tangent, and some of the episodes are forgettable. They are a lot better when they have guests (some high profile reefers) to interview!

[urbaneks]

March 15th, 2016 - Photo Update

 

It's been a few days since I've updated. Here are a few new photos.

 

Purple Humilis

ORA Frogskin Acro

Unknown Wild Acro

ORA Borealis

 

[urbaneks]

March 17th, 2016 - Photo Update

Been a few days since I've posted. Here are a few new photos.

Thanks for looking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kguske2]

Just outstanding!

[urbaneks]

Just outstanding!

 

kuske2 - Much appreciated.

[urbaneks]

March 20th, 2016 - Photo Update

 

I'm trying to continue to do a better job than I've done in the past with quick updates on the tank. Things are running strong, coral and fish are all happy. Thanks for looking.

 

Sailfin Tang

Oregon Tort

Jason Fox Red Tort

 

[TheKleinReef]

What sand are you using? I love that larger particle size.

[urbaneks]

What sand are you using? I love that larger particle size.

 

TheKleinReef - I use the Special Grade Reef Sand by CaribSea. I like to use the live sand since it does not need to be rinsed like the dry stuff. Here is a link to the exact product. Arag-Alive Special Grade Reef Sand

[urbaneks]

March 21st, 2016 - Maintenance Routine

 

I was asked here recently about my maintenance activities so I thought I would dedicate a journal entry to it.

 

First off, let me start by saying that I'm firm believer in tracking and documenting my maintenance practices and charting my water parameters. I previously did this in excel until I found Aquaticlog.com This site allows you to setup reminders and track your progress, equipment use, supplies, etc. etc. This website is always open on my phone and I use it daily to remember what needs done on the aquarium. This same maintenance information can be found on aquaticlog.com and searching for my user name (urbaneks) on that site.

It should also be noted that I'm pretty anal when it comes to the cleanliness of the aquarium and the equipment. The tank is in our living room which is a centrally located room in our house. In other words, it needs to be clean. I spend about 30 minutes daily and 2 hours once a week taking care of the aquarium. I spend much more time viewing, tinkering, etc but the real work is done in a short period of time.

 

I'm happy to answer any questions folks might have. Thanks for looking!

 

 

Daily
Dose 7 ml of Bio Gro 123
Dose 5 ml of Fauna Marin Color Elements
Dose 10 ml of Acro Power

 

Every 2 days
Clean Glass

 

Every 3 days
Change Filter Socks

 

Weekly
Clean Skimmer Cup
Measure Alkalinity
Change 30 gal of water while vacuuming 1/3 of the gravel bed

 

Every 2 weeks
Clean Light Cover
Measure Phosphate
Measure Nitrate
Measure Magnesium
Measure Calcium
Measure Salinity
Replace ROX Carbon

 

Every 4 weeks
Clean Detritus from Sump
Re-Fill Dosing Containers and Check Dosing Ports

 

Every 3 months
Clean Sump
Clean Overflow Box
Clean Vortech Pumps
Clean Return Nozzles

 

Every 6 months
Clean Return Pump
Clean BP Reactor and Pump
Clean Reactor Pump
Clean Skimmer
Clean Skimmer Pump

 

Every 9 months
Replace Giesemann Actinic Blue
Replace Giesemann Aquablue Azure
Replace Giesemann Super Actinic
Replace Giesemann Super Purple
Replace Giesemann Tropic

[RollaJase]

That's a serious maintenance schedule, thanks for sharing . It's always interesting to see how other hobbyists maintain their reefs.

[urbaneks]

That's a serious maintenance schedule, thanks for sharing . It's always interesting to see how other hobbyists maintain their reefs.

 

RollaJase - Thanks for the comment and props on the maintenance schedule. I'm always intrigued how successful reefs are equipped and maintained.

[urbaneks]

March 24th, 2016 - Photo Update

 

 

Goby/Shrimp Combo - This was taken as the lights were going out. Made for a difficult shot to get both in focus due to the low light and wide aperture.

 

ORA Ice Tort

 

Blueberry Acro

 

Misc Wild Acro