Felicia Posted August 14, 2015 Author Share Posted August 14, 2015 I come to Nano-reef to browse, I stay for way too long, and then i leave jealous. Just another day on Nano-Reef Haha! I think that's most of us on NR. I know that's how it usually goes for me! Just going to move these over to another page so that we can enjoy them just a bit longer Whew! Ok, so posting these later than I intended, but got a tad sidetracked over here! Anyways... ITS PHOTO TIME!!! Let's start with the newest FTS! Left side Center Right side Ok, so let's continue with some photos of the fishies. First off, Falkor the eel! He really loves the clams! And a photo showing how long Falkor is! Alright, now for the lions! Draco was being his usual photogenic self. The antennata Mushu Time for some photos of the newest addition, the blue star leopard wrasse! She's really settled in and has been doing really well and is eating good! Its too bad she's just super hard to photograph because she moves so fast and she's still a bit shy if I'm up against the tank. And finally some members of the CUC. Blue leg hermit on a gorg. One of the fighting conchs and the giant red mithrax crab. Ok now its time for shots of the corals! German blue digi, micromussas, and the fox coral. The micromussas. Bali green slimer with the german blue digi below. The blue digi is from Eddie. Side shot of SPS island. There are a few pieces that had partial die off or that browned out during shipment, so looking a bit ragged, but everything is doing really well and recovering nicely! I also glued two frags from Eddie to my overflow box. You can see them out of focus in this photo up behind the duncan. Pretty Hawaiian zoas and magicians from Eddie. Already putting out new heads! The clowns in their BTA castle. Gorgs galore!!! Squammy clammy (from Gena) has been in the tank 2.5 months now and is doing great! Check out the growth rim on the little squammy! Its trying to catch up to the big one! 3 Quote Link to comment
FlowerMama Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 You have the most perfect, fullest looking gorgs, I swear. Need a love affair w/ gorgs come here! 7 Quote Link to comment
gena Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 You have the most perfect, fullest looking gorgs, I swear. Need a love affair w/ gorgs come here!She does! Even that flat blade gorgonian or whatever it's called...so fluffy . 3 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted August 15, 2015 Author Share Posted August 15, 2015 You have the most perfect, fullest looking gorgs, I swear. Need a love affair w/ gorgs come here!Thanks! I can't take credit for growing them. They all came from KPA. They have such amazingly healthy stuff. I've always been impressed by their shipments, but this last one really blew me away!She does! Even that flat blade gorgonian or whatever it's called...so fluffy .Yeah I don't normally like ribbon gorgs, but this one is so fluffy and I love it! It was a freebie with my order! 4 Quote Link to comment
Learn It Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 such a unique tank, love it 1 Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 I missed the picture update ... wow, everything is looking great, including the SPS. The fuzzy gorgs really make the tank IMO, contrasting with those crazy fish, really just a perfect combination. 2 Quote Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Gorgs galore!!! Yeah, this is by leaps and bounds my favorite tank now that you picked up the blue star leopard. She's gorgeous! What is the cream and teal coral middle bottom of the top pic? It's a really nice texture against the delicate SPS. How did I not know you have a black clown? Does he seem energenic, or does he kinda lay around in the nems? And you just sold that purple gorgonian for me. Was on the fence about picking one up, but all the wishy/washy has just faded. so pretty. 1 Quote Link to comment
gena Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Thanks! I can't take credit for growing them. They all came from KPA. They have such amazingly healthy stuff. I've always been impressed by their shipments, but this last one really blew me away! Yeah I don't normally like ribbon gorgs, but this one is so fluffy and I love it! It was a freebie with my order! That's a big freebie! Nice . 1 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted August 17, 2015 Author Share Posted August 17, 2015 such a unique tank, love it Thank you! It is kind of an odd combo of stuff isn't it? I missed the picture update ... wow, everything is looking great, including the SPS. The fuzzy gorgs really make the tank IMO, contrasting with those crazy fish, really just a perfect combination. Thanks so much Mark! I am super thrilled to finally have SPS that are doing well for me again. Its been a while! I still have some that need TLC. A couple that browned horribly during shiping and a few that had STN during/after shipping. Everything is doing really well now though. Yeah the gorgs were definitely the icing on the cake! I love watching the lions lurk on and in them I'm glad you like it!!! Yeah, this is by leaps and bounds my favorite tank now that you picked up the blue star leopard. She's gorgeous! What is the cream and teal coral middle bottom of the top pic? It's a really nice texture against the delicate SPS. How did I not know you have a black clown? Does he seem energenic, or does he kinda lay around in the nems? And you just sold that purple gorgonian for me. Was on the fence about picking one up, but all the wishy/washy has just faded. so pretty. Aw! Thank you! I wasn't planning to get another fish, but then my pod population absolutely exploded with no fish in there that would eat them. I figured a wrasse would be good pest prevention/control too! I was worried about getting the leopard since they're difficult, but she's settled in well and I love her coloring!!! That teal coral you're talking about is actually a plating SPS coral called a hydnophora. They also come in a branching variety more like an acro, but the variety I have is plating. Its pretty cool, but they're very aggressive and will kill other corals around them that they can reach with their tentacles. Seems easy and hardy though! Its ok! I don't showcase the clowns too often since they're the least interesting fish, but I do love my clown pair. The male is a darwin from Sustainable Aquatics. He seems reasonably energetic, but he's calmer/less aggressive than the female. He just spends most of the day leisurely swimming in the anemones, but he's brave and darts around the tank for food during feeding time. He tried to steal some food from in front of Mushu (the fu manchu lion) the other day and Mushu gulped the food and almost took the clown with it! Luckily the black clown was fast and got out of the way! He probably learned his lesson He only really lays in the anemones at night time. Definitely get a nice purple gorg! Especially from KPA! For the prices, size, quality, and health, how can you say no? That's a big freebie! Nice . Yeah! Normally the freebies are the "nano" sized ones, but they threw in that nice full sized one as an extra with my order. 1 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted August 17, 2015 Author Share Posted August 17, 2015 I'm in Mendocino right now on a little weekend getaway trip with Eddie (aka Zia ). We just got back from kayaking in the sea caves off the coast. Thought I'd share a couple quick photos And Eddie brought me a really cool gift! Its laser cut metal! Going to be mounting it on the wall above the tank as soon as I get home! 10 Quote Link to comment
FlowerMama Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 Sounds like an awesome time. It'll look beautiful over your tank. It's perfect. 1 Quote Link to comment
ReefWeeds Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 I'm in Mendocino right now on a little weekend getaway trip with Eddie (aka Zia ). We just got back from kayaking in the sea caves off the coast. Thought I'd share a couple quick photos And Eddie brought me a really cool gift! Its laser cut metal! Going to be mounting it on the wall above the tank as soon as I get home! Really cool! 2 Quote Link to comment
gena Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 Sounds fun! Did you feel the earthquake this morning? I read about it on FB. That scuba girl is going to look great above your tank...very cool! 1 Quote Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Aw! Thank you! I wasn't planning to get another fish, but then my pod population absolutely exploded with no fish in there that would eat them. I figured a wrasse would be good pest prevention/control too! I was worried about getting the leopard since they're difficult, but she's settled in well and I love her coloring!!! That teal coral you're talking about is actually a plating SPS coral called a hydnophora. They also come in a branching variety more like an acro, but the variety I have is plating. Its pretty cool, but they're very aggressive and will kill other corals around them that they can reach with their tentacles. Seems easy and hardy though! Its ok! I don't showcase the clowns too often since they're the least interesting fish, but I do love my clown pair. The male is a darwin from Sustainable Aquatics. He seems reasonably energetic, but he's calmer/less aggressive than the female. He just spends most of the day leisurely swimming in the anemones, but he's brave and darts around the tank for food during feeding time. He tried to steal some food from in front of Mushu (the fu manchu lion) the other day and Mushu gulped the food and almost took the clown with it! Luckily the black clown was fast and got out of the way! He probably learned his lesson He only really lays in the anemones at night time. Definitely get a nice purple gorg! Especially from KPA! For the prices, size, quality, and health, how can you say no? That's crazy. I'd seen hydnophora before but it must have been the branching kind. Mostly I remember thinking how pretty and destructive it is. The plating kind is awesome. I just love the texture. Yeah, if I had my way, the LFS would have brought in a blue star leaopard instead of the more common variety. I had read somewhere that leopards eat rotifers in the wild - which is wild to think about - they have to have incredibly sharp eyesight to pick them out. Super excited to be able to see more pics of your leopard! I started listening to these relaxing videos before bedtime. Check out the tall coral bottom left at 35:44 https://youtu.be/c2-e7Z1LEL8?list=RD8gD_9WPPFb4. Can't tell if it's an algae or something uncommon. Really cool arrangement of cone polyps. Also, this video kinda shouts that you need a giant brain coral too. ;-) 1 Quote Link to comment
ShadowRancher Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 holy crap, I spent most of the weekend going through this whole thread and yesterday doing it again to take notes, I'm so glad I found it! I'm a SW newbie (lots of FW planted experience) and I was completely captivated by dwarf lions a couple of months ago when I saw one at my LFS. I've been researching and planning a nano reef for them ever since. I've run into the dual issues of breaking into a new and more complicated hobby and the fact that there isnt (or I cant find) a ton of info on dwarf lions bc they are fairly unique and slightly more uncommon. This thread has just been so so amazing because the two animals that have caught my interest were dwarf lions and clams...and you have so much info on both! Thank you! esp for the info on the bio pellets, I've been unsure on what media to use if any and how in my planning phase. My other tanks are mostly natural planted to I'm not used to lots of tech in my tanks. I have one question though, you mention an upgrade eventually for your snowflake eel...would the lions need an upgrade? My plan is for a 40B with a 40B "show" sump (open to view on an edsal rack with a big macro fuge), biopellet reactor and a 100 gal skimmer. Would a couple of dwarfs be happy there long term? It'll be months before I even start my build as I'm moving into a house in a couple of months and I want to go very slow and figure things out so It'll be months and months before I start thinking about stocking but I'm excited and want to be as prepared as possible. Thanks again for the amazing thred 3 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted August 22, 2015 Author Share Posted August 22, 2015 Sounds like an awesome time. It'll look beautiful over your tank. It's perfect. Really cool! It was definitely an awesome time! I've got some photos of my awesome present over the tank in just a moment. Sounds fun! Did you feel the earthquake this morning? I read about it on FB. That scuba girl is going to look great above your tank...very cool! We were actually still in Mendocino when it happened, so we didn't feel it way up there. My tank sitter ran over to my house right after it happened to check on everything and texted me to let me know the tank and Lily were fine before I'd even heard there was an earthquake Luckily I didn't have to worry at all! That's crazy. I'd seen hydnophora before but it must have been the branching kind. Mostly I remember thinking how pretty and destructive it is. The plating kind is awesome. I just love the texture. Yeah, if I had my way, the LFS would have brought in a blue star leaopard instead of the more common variety. I had read somewhere that leopards eat rotifers in the wild - which is wild to think about - they have to have incredibly sharp eyesight to pick them out. Super excited to be able to see more pics of your leopard! I started listening to these relaxing videos before bedtime. Check out the tall coral bottom left at 35:44 https://youtu.be/c2-e7Z1LEL8?list=RD8gD_9WPPFb4. Can't tell if it's an algae or something uncommon. Really cool arrangement of cone polyps. Also, this video kinda shouts that you need a giant brain coral too. ;-) Its definitely a coral with a very cool texture, but it can be very aggressive, so I have to make sure it doesn't grow too close to any other corals. I love the standard leopards just as much! I had a standard leopard for a while, so its fun to have a different variety now. I can believe they eat rotifers! They seem to love pecking at tiny things all over the tank. Mine has now wiped out the pod population that was taking over my tank. That's a really cool video! Not sure what that is at 35:44, but whatever it is, its cool! Looks a bit more like a big macro algae to me, but it could be a coral too! I love seeing those giant brain corals on reefs. I'd need a bigger tank for that! holy crap, I spent most of the weekend going through this whole thread and yesterday doing it again to take notes, I'm so glad I found it! I'm a SW newbie (lots of FW planted experience) and I was completely captivated by dwarf lions a couple of months ago when I saw one at my LFS. I've been researching and planning a nano reef for them ever since. I've run into the dual issues of breaking into a new and more complicated hobby and the fact that there isnt (or I cant find) a ton of info on dwarf lions bc they are fairly unique and slightly more uncommon. This thread has just been so so amazing because the two animals that have caught my interest were dwarf lions and clams...and you have so much info on both! Thank you! esp for the info on the bio pellets, I've been unsure on what media to use if any and how in my planning phase. My other tanks are mostly natural planted to I'm not used to lots of tech in my tanks. I have one question though, you mention an upgrade eventually for your snowflake eel...would the lions need an upgrade? My plan is for a 40B with a 40B "show" sump (open to view on an edsal rack with a big macro fuge), biopellet reactor and a 100 gal skimmer. Would a couple of dwarfs be happy there long term? It'll be months before I even start my build as I'm moving into a house in a couple of months and I want to go very slow and figure things out so It'll be months and months before I start thinking about stocking but I'm excited and want to be as prepared as possible. Thanks again for the amazing thred Wow! You read this whole thing?! I'm thrilled it was able to inspire/help someone! Welcome to the saltwater side of the hobby and you new addiction! I switched into saltwater almost 4 years ago now. I had kept FW tanks, but fish only not planted, for most of my life before I switched. There's definitely a lot to learn in saltwater, and I'm still learning every day, but its so much fun! Just take your time doing your research like you are now and you'll do great! Also, hang out on NR and ask us tons of questions! We don't mind helping whenever we can. That's the fun of being part of a forum community. There really aren't a ton of mixed reef tanks with dwarf lions, so I've had a hard time finding info too. Luckily they're very hardy fish and I haven't had any issues so far. I honestly think they're a great fish choice for a new hobbyist as long as you just pay attention to a few considerations. The main consideration being that they're venomous, so you have to be comfortable working on the tank with the lions in there. I wear those thick, up to the shoulder gloves when I work on the tank to be safe. The other consideration is that you can't have any of the fun saltwater shrimp since they'd end up as food. Also, you can't have any of the tiny nano fish like gobies. Any fish you want to have with the lions have to be pretty large. I think about 3/4 the size of the lions body or bigger is the rule to be 100% safe that the fish won't become dinner. The last big consideration is the filtration since the lions are messy eaters and people who keep them tend to have nitrate issues. That can make it difficult to keep a mixed reef happy (especially SPS corals), but if you can export the nutrients properly then it isn't an issue. That's why I'm loving the biopellet reactor on this specific set-up. Really works well when you have a lot of excess nitrates. A 40B would be a perfect permanent home for dwarf lions. I would just say if you don't want to ever have to upgrade, it would probably be safest to stick to two of them. My tank will be a bit crowded with 3 as they grow bigger. Mushu (my fu manchu lionfish) is the biggest right now, but he's actually the smallest species of lion when full grown. Recommended tank size for him is a 30 gallon. Draco (the dwarf zebra) will get bigger, probably 5-6". The tank size recommendation for him is right at a 40 gallon. The two of them together could live in my 40B long term. However, the antennata that I got isn't actually a dwarf species. She's considered a medium bodied lionfish are probably should be in like a 55 gallon or bigger. She can get up to 7". Luckily she's the tiniest one right now, so I have quite a while before I have to worry about her getting to big for the 40B. All 3 of mine are small and get along very well! Also, lions don't swim around as much as other fish (they love to perch), so they don't need nearly as much space for their body size. Slow is definitely the way to go! Granted, I am so bad at having patience when I'm excited. Feel free to ask me any questions that come up! I'm not an expert on the lionfish as I've only had them for several months now, but they've been doing really well for me so far, and I've learned a ton about them. They're such fun and unique fish! Oh and clams are super fun too! I'd just wait until you've had your first tank up and running for 3-6 months before you attempt one. Clams will do best in a stable, established tank. I also recommend starting with the easier ones like the squamosa and derasas, which are the type I have. Good luck! So glad my thread could help!!! 1 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted August 22, 2015 Author Share Posted August 22, 2015 Ok, so I have a few fun aquarium photos for you guys! First off, here's my awesome present from Eddie hanging over the tank. Its CNC-cut metal that is painted a pretty purple color. It looks so amazing over my aquarium! I love that its a female diver with my name on the scuba tank Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get a good photo of it when the tank lights are on. My photos don't do it justice. Its so much prettier in person! Ok and now some tank shots. Lionfish totem pole The antennata. Falkor, the eel. Mushu on the toadstool. And finally a photo of the nepthea that I liked. 9 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted August 22, 2015 Author Share Posted August 22, 2015 In other exciting news, Eddie and I went antiquing while he was here and I bought an awesome antique desk! I know this isn't aquarium related, but I know a lot of you appreciate vintage furniture. Plus I'm just super excited about this find! Anyways, I've been looking for a new desk because I no longer like the desk I've had for the last 8 years. It was just too big and bulky. It wasn't anything with character, just a desk from Sauder that was MDF assembled from a box. It also looked huge because it had this big hutch. Even though it was so big, there wasn't that much work space to spread out on because most of the space was taken by the hutch and shelves and stuff. Also, it was black and with all the cubbies and shelves everywhere, it was just a nightmare to dust all the time with Lily's white cat hair. Eddie loves antiquing, so we decided to go to some places around Berkeley and Oakland to look. We went to a place in Berkeley called Ohmega Salvage and found this really cool old desk. It definitely needed some TLC and one of the drawers was missing all the hardware, but it was just too cool to pass up and was a great deal at $150. The store also specializes in antique hardware and fixtures, so they were able to help us find replacement hardware for the drawer that was missing its hardware. We were wondering about the era that the desk was from, so one of the managers looked over the details and said that because of the hand made dovetails on the drawers and the cast iron wheels, that it was probably late 1800's to 1910. Then when we were looking over the desk more closely, we found the info for the company that made the desk inside of one of the drawers. I looked up that company and was able to find that it operated from around 1857 to the early 1900's. Super cool to know the history of the desk and that is is probably over a 100 years old! Wow! Here are some of the before photos at the salvage yard. 3 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted August 22, 2015 Author Share Posted August 22, 2015 We had the desk delivered to my apartment and got to work on cleaning it up. First we did some light sanding on the top surface to remove some scratches. Then we wiped down the entire desk with moist paper towels to remove all the dust and dirt and cobwebs. Then we wiped down the entire desk with Howard Restor-a-Finish in walnut. What a difference! The desk really cleaned up well!!! Here are the after shots of the desk while it was still in my kitchen where we did all the work before moving it into my bedroom. Top surface. Inlay on the top surface. Front of the desk. Cabinet inlay and details. Closeup of cabinet detailing. Right cabinet and drawer. Open drawer with the antique key for the cabinets. Key in the cabinet. Both cabinet locks still function! Inside of the left cabinet. Inside of the right cabinet. Center drawer. Closeup of detail. Closeup of the hardware. One of the legs with cast iron wheel. The back of the desk is just as detailed. 4 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted August 22, 2015 Author Share Posted August 22, 2015 Here's the desk moved into my bedroom. Ignore the off-centered photo thing above the desk. That was above the hutch of the old desk and totally doesn't work now. I've got to find some new art for above my new desk My old desk chair was a modern chair from Ikea and just did not work with the antique desk, so Eddie and I also found a nice antique chair that I like. I originally planned to have to reupholster a chair, but the one we found was in great shape and clean for only $25! 6 Quote Link to comment
gena Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 I saw your photos on FB . LOVE LOVE LOVE the desk. I'm really into mixing furniture and styles....gotta love the eclectic look. The desk has such a warm look in your bedroom..it's perfect . Oh and the scuba girl looks fantastic above the tank . 1 Quote Link to comment
yoshii Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 The tank, desk, chair, and purple diver are all so beautiful!! That left island in the tank gives me life. Omgsh it's SO PRETTY! I love all the gorgs and having cool fish just adds more to the beauty. I can't imagine just how gorgeous the tank is irl. I can't get enough of this tank 2 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted August 23, 2015 Author Share Posted August 23, 2015 I saw your photos on FB LOVE LOVE LOVE the desk. I'm really into mixing furniture and styles....gotta love the eclectic look. The desk has such a warm look in your bedroom..it's perfect Oh and the scuba girl looks fantastic above the tank Eddie isn't into personal photos on NR, so those are only on FB. Glad you liked them. We had an amazing little weekend getaway trip. I figured you'd enjoy the desk, Gena. I know you love antiques and vintage pieces. I'm definitely mixing and matching over here! Hopefully it all works ok. I like my eclectic smush of stuff I've still got too many Ikea and other cheap particle board furniture pieces, but nice furniture is just so expensive! I'm on a student budget, so I have to shop around to find nice pieces I can afford. Problem is that most of the antique places around here are soooo expensive. I like the couple places that are basically just a big pile of crap that you have to dig through for that one gem. When I bought that desk, I was haggling a bit and the owner told me that if she cleaned it up and moved it into the showroom, she'd mark the price up to $600-$700. Ack! Not hard to believe though since we went in places that were more showroom style with cleaned up pieces and desks were anywhere from $350 to $1200 depending on style and such. I actually just finished picking up a few cute wall art pieces from CB2 to put over the desk, so it should have the finished look by later tonight. I'm just at lab for a while now and then home to hang new things! Glad you like the diver! It was such a thoughtful gift. Eddie is so good at presents! 100 year old copy of Darwin's "Coral Reefs", personalized toy basket, bowl, placemat, and pillow for Lily, personalized female diver for above the tank...too many to list really He also gets some serious credit for helping me find that desk and chair and helping me do all the work to clean it up! The tank, desk, chair, and purple diver are all so beautiful!! That left island in the tank gives me life. Omgsh it's SO PRETTY! I love all the gorgs and having cool fish just adds more to the beauty. I can't imagine just how gorgeous the tank is irl. I can't get enough of this tank Thank you, Christina! I'm on a bit of a decorating spree over here You're too sweet! I like how each of the islands is different. I just need to keep the toadstools from taking over that left island! The gorgs really pulled this whole tank together. Glad you like my eclectic combo of fish and corals You need to stop by sometime! If you're ever in Berkeley we should hang out! Seriously, too sweet Christina! Glad you enjoy it so much! I just need to convince you to come use your amazing photography skills on my tank 1 Quote Link to comment
FlowerMama Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 It looks so perfect on the wall. Nice find with the chair too and they look so well together. 1 Quote Link to comment
Lauraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 What camera do you use while diving? 1 Quote Link to comment
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