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Lula Mae's full circle 5.5--the end.


Lula_Mae

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4 minutes ago, fishfreak0114 said:

I really like the new bulb, everything looks so pretty under it!!  Is that a pipe organ in the bottom middle?  And is the toadstool in the third to last pic bleached or is it just an insanely awesome white color? 

It is a pipe organ!  A lovely wintergreen color, came out of @drgibby's 4 gallon when he broke it down and cut me a little frag.  The toadstool is actually a very pale pink color with a hit of green sheen on the cap, it looks white because the phone camera tends to overexpose light colors.  It is beautiful, though, a fabulous ebay find!

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Just now, Lula_Mae said:

It is a pipe organ!  A lovely wintergreen color, came out of @drgibby's 4 gallon when he broke it down and cut me a little frag.  The toadstool is actually a very pale pink color with a hit of green sheen on the cap, it looks white because the phone camera tends to overexpose light colors.  It is beautiful, though, a fabulous ebay find!

I love that pipe organ, I guess I'd better add it to my list!

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Just now, fishfreak0114 said:

I love that pipe organ, I guess I'd better add it to my list!

Totally, it's become one of my favorite pieces!

 

AND!  I just saw the pom pom is out!

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48 minutes ago, Lula_Mae said:

Took a few quick pics tonight so you guys can see the better color under the 50/50 bulb (this one from Amazon).  It gives what I would say is a 10-12,000k color temp or so, maybe a teensy bit bluer--definitely not deep blue like the Tuna Blue bulb.

 

FTS: You can see the difference is subtle but striking.  It makes the colors a bit richer and deeper (please excuse the dirty glass, I have not finished scraping it!).  It's not quite so blue in real life.

 

IMG_20170910_211049019

 

A couple closer up of the middle showing the nicer colors.

IMG_20170910_211100320

 

IMG_20170910_211100320


Up on the top rock you can see the new mushroom from @tashayar!

IMG_20170910_211110167

 

Here on the blasto rock you can see Jacques the shrimp and one of the tiny brown limpets she sent (it's the tiny triangular brown thing to the right of the big purple and mint blasto):

IMG_20170910_211224586


You can't really see but on the left side of the soap dish are two angry/sad toadstools (I'd be mad to be stuck in the postal system so long too!  Thanks USPS).  You can also see the Grube's and the other gorg...I don't *think* there's been any new tissue recession and some of the bare spots are not down to skeleton so that is hopeful!  Sadly, none of the GSP from the 3 gallon is opening up. :( I may have to start anew on my search for GSP's, sadly.

IMG_20170910_211119252

 

Hope this helps some of you make your bulb decisions. :happy:

This really does help!!!!  I actually prefer the more pink/white look and somehow I ended up on page 6 of your tank thread here.....forum lag or something LOL.  But you showed (I think) the LED light I decided to go with.  https://www.amazon.com/KINGBO-Aquarium-6-Band-Spectrum-Growth/dp/B01M0PF72P/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505062634&sr=8-1&keywords=kingbo+led+par38

 

I just prefer more white than blue.  Always have.  I think it's because the corals I like to keep don't really have much pop under blue light so I don't really need that effect :).

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11 hours ago, gena said:

This really does help!!!!  I actually prefer the more pink/white look and somehow I ended up on page 6 of your tank thread here.....forum lag or something LOL.  But you showed (I think) the LED light I decided to go with.  https://www.amazon.com/KINGBO-Aquarium-6-Band-Spectrum-Growth/dp/B01M0PF72P/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505062634&sr=8-1&keywords=kingbo+led+par38

 

I just prefer more white than blue.  Always have.  I think it's because the corals I like to keep don't really have much pop under blue light so I don't really need that effect :).

Awesome, the light I pictured is actually the "12R" from this page (mine is black, not silver, though), but I was looking at the Kingbo lights and am interested to see how they look!  Can't go wrong with that price, anyway!

 

6 hours ago, gogeta said:

New light is definitely more appealing to the eye, guess time will tell how the coral feel about it B)

Hopefully they like it!  I wasn't seeing a ton of growth under the old light which was part of the reason I wanted to switch it out, and I also didn't like the colors some things were turning.  This light doesn't give the "pop" of the Tuna Blue but I think it's a very nice color nonetheless.  The few days I had the 23w Tuna Blue on here, I already had coralline starting lol.  Speaking of the 23w, I think I figured out the noise it was making.  I plugged it in the lamp outside of the timer and realized...that sounds like a fan!  I think the bigger one has a small fan installed in the top portion to help with cooling, and it sounds just like a tiny computer fan.  So now I feel better about it lol.  My caulerpa is liking the new 50/50 light too and is moving towards the front of the tank lol.

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Oh!  And I mentioned @tashayar had sent some stuff but forgot to say what it was, she sent me a green mushroom, two toadstool frags, and some little bitty limpets.  I know two of the limpets survived so hopefully they make baby limpets!  The mushroom seems to like it and the toadies are still making up their minds.  It took FOUR days for them to get here, which I believe is thanks to bunches of mail having to be rerouted due to the hurricanes.  So if you're looking to send live things via USPS, give it a couple weeks so you don't lose anything from being stuck in transit too long!

 

Edit: Tasha's stuff was intended for the 3 gallon but I put it in the 5.5 due to the issues I've had in the 3 lately. 

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37 minutes ago, Lula_Mae said:

Oh!  And I mentioned @tashayar had sent some stuff but forgot to say what it was, she sent me a green mushroom, two toadstool frags, and some little bitty limpets.  I know two of the limpets survived so hopefully they make baby limpets!  The mushroom seems to like it and the toadies are still making up their minds.  It took FOUR days for them to get here, which I believe is thanks to bunches of mail having to be rerouted due to the hurricanes.  So if you're looking to send live things via USPS, give it a couple weeks so you don't lose anything from being stuck in transit too long!

 

Edit: Tasha's stuff was intended for the 3 gallon but I put it in the 5.5 due to the issues I've had in the 3 lately. 

Wow...4 days in transit and they survived!  That's great!!!

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1 minute ago, gena said:

Wow...4 days in transit and they survived!  That's great!!!

I know, I was shocked!  Neither of us were holding out much hope.  I lost at least one limpet but not sure about a couple teeny ones as I didn't see them lol.

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I'm with you on the whiter look. Other than night time when my lights change to be bluer. I really like the subtle hint of blue tint. Guess it depends on the coral you keep too though at what depths they are normally found. 

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21 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

It is a pipe organ!  A lovely wintergreen color, came out of @drgibby's 4 gallon when he broke it down and cut me a little frag.  The toadstool is actually a very pale pink color with a hit of green sheen on the cap, it looks white because the phone camera tends to overexpose light colors.  It is beautiful, though, a fabulous ebay find!

That toadstool is a Colonial toadstool out of Indonesia. Do be warned, they reproduce like rabbits. I started with 6, I now have 18 of them, lol.

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20 hours ago, StinkyBunny said:

That toadstool is a Colonial toadstool out of Indonesia. Do be warned, they reproduce like rabbits. I started with 6, I now have 18 of them, lol.

Haha really?  Do they throw off babies like a kenya tree?  The cluster dusters that came on it are certainly reproducing, I'm finding them all over the tank! :lol:

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22 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

Haha really?  Do they throw off babies like a kenya tree?  The cluster dusters that came on it are certainly reproducing, I'm finding them all over the tank! :lol:

Mine are going like mad with 1 feeding a week, I don't wanna think how many I'd have if I fed my normal 2-3x a week.

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On 9/14/2017 at 4:31 PM, StinkyBunny said:

I got 1 very small Metallic Anthelia, but I dunno if it's going to make it. There were 10 on the list this week, I ordered 10, lol.

Haha good thing that's not a batting average!  What does it look like, does it look like it'd be pretty if it were not dying?

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I think I mentioned that I took off the protective clear plastic piece with built-in lenses from the 50/50 bulb because I needed a wider spread than the very narrow optics allowed.  Yesterday morning, I came home from work and when I went to look at the tank, I found this:

IMG_20170915_090336393_HDR

 

:o  :blink:  :wacko:  :unsure:

 

It looks as though a silvery glue-y substance was holding the LED plate in place on the heat sink and has come loose.  I am SO thankful that the bulb wasn't closer to the water!  A few more inches and it could've been a really bad situation! :mellow:  So if any of you have removed the protective plastic piece, PLEASE be careful, or replace the little metal circle that holds it in place (I did not think to do this :rolleyes:). 

 

Naturally, I took the bulb out, and thankfully I JUST bought a used Coral Compulsion PAR 30 bulb off another member on here, having absolutely no idea what I was going to use it for lol.  I screwed it in, raised the lamp a bit for acclimation, and went to bed.  When I got up, I checked on the tank and WOW these colors!  Took a few quick pics to show you guys before going out. 

 

First, FTS (been working, still haven't scraped glass LOL)

IMG_20170915_185423017

So crisp!  So clean!

 

Funny little toadie and mushroom looking happy as ever:

IMG_20170915_185554737

 

Magician paly and the pipe organ looking so pretty!

IMG_20170915_185658867

 

The acan tucked up under the rock looking as fluffy as I've ever seen it:

IMG_20170915_185453219

 

Grube's still looks sad but you can see the flesh recovering the branched tip of the Hicksomella gorg and polyps out on it, and the digi looking very happy!

IMG_20170915_185512175

 

@tashayar's toadstools looking happier every day!

IMG_20170915_185539757

 

Look at the polyp extension on the cactus gorg!  Does it look a little taller to you?

IMG_20170915_185726419

 

I am wowed and super happy about the colors now!  So glad I decided to buy the bulb even though I didn't "need" it at the time!

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Wow, the newest light is my favorite!  That's kind of freaky about the 50/50 bulb falling apart.  Would it have stayed together if you hadn't removed the plastic piece?

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7 hours ago, gogeta said:

Are you ever gonna clean you glass before photos hahaha

Eventually! :lol: Need to find my pico-sized scrapers lol.  #movingproblems

 

6 hours ago, vlangel said:

Things are looking good Lula!  I am so glad that your light fixture did not fall in the tank.

Me too!

 

4 hours ago, fishfreak0114 said:

Wow, the newest light is my favorite!  That's kind of freaky about the 50/50 bulb falling apart.  Would it have stayed together if you hadn't removed the plastic piece?

I'm sure it would have, I only took the cover off since I needed a bigger spread to cover the whole tank.  The cover was held in place by a little metal wire ring and I think even that being replaced without the cover would've been fine. 

 

1 hour ago, gena said:

I love that toadstool :wub:.  Where did you pick that one up from?

Ebay!  From this seller.  Also got my green sinularia from them (that my filter shredded lol :rolleyes:).

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11 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

I think I mentioned that I took off the protective clear plastic piece with built-in lenses from the 50/50 bulb because I needed a wider spread than the very narrow optics allowed.  Yesterday morning, I came home from work and when I went to look at the tank, I found this:

IMG_20170915_090336393_HDR

 

:o  :blink:  :wacko:  :unsure:

 

It looks as though a silvery glue-y substance was holding the LED plate in place on the heat sink and has come loose.  I am SO thankful that the bulb wasn't closer to the water!  A few more inches and it could've been a really bad situation! :mellow:  So if any of you have removed the protective plastic piece, PLEASE be careful, or replace the little metal circle that holds it in place (I did not think to do this :rolleyes:). 

 

Naturally, I took the bulb out, and thankfully I JUST bought a used Coral Compulsion PAR 30 bulb off another member on here, having absolutely no idea what I was going to use it for lol.  I screwed it in, raised the lamp a bit for acclimation, and went to bed.  When I got up, I checked on the tank and WOW these colors!  Took a few quick pics to show you guys before going out. 

 

First, FTS (been working, still haven't scraped glass LOL)

IMG_20170915_185423017

So crisp!  So clean!

 

Funny little toadie and mushroom looking happy as ever:

IMG_20170915_185554737

 

Magician paly and the pipe organ looking so pretty!

IMG_20170915_185658867

 

The acan tucked up under the rock looking as fluffy as I've ever seen it:

IMG_20170915_185453219

 

Grube's still looks sad but you can see the flesh recovering the branched tip of the Hicksomella gorg and polyps out on it, and the digi looking very happy!

IMG_20170915_185512175

 

@tashayar's toadstools looking happier every day!

IMG_20170915_185539757

 

Look at the polyp extension on the cactus gorg!  Does it look a little taller to you?

IMG_20170915_185726419

 

I am wowed and super happy about the colors now!  So glad I decided to buy the bulb even though I didn't "need" it at the time!

I like the look of things under that new Coral Compulsion PAR 30!!! 

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I finally completed training at my job so I decided to celebrate!  I made the trip into Charlotte to visit the one LFS that's easy for me to get to and came away with a nice little haul!  I got a tiny blue mushroom, a reddish cabbage leather, a St. Thomas mushroom and an amazing blasto, and the whole thing only ran $45!  They usually have a nice little selection of stuff for affordable prices, which is why I like them.  Then I went to Petco, since the LFS didn't have any small clowns except some pricey designer ones, and I really wanted to try again on a fish.  At Petco, I found the cutest little misbar clownfish and when the guy fed the tank, it ate eagerly (and the flame angel stole a flake right out of its mouth, poor thing!) so I had him bag it up for me.  It hasn't eaten for me yet but hopefully it settles in soon!  The guy at Petco asked (when I mentioned having a 5.5) if I ever went on Nano-Reef :lol: and then said, like any forum, there's some elitists.  I did not mention my forum name in case he thinks I am one of them LOL.

 

Also, while at Petco, they had a 15 gallon long tank, which is a size I've wanted to do a reef in since I was in college and new to the hobby.  I had pretty much settled on a standard 10 for my "big" tank since 15s are hard to come by, but when I saw it, it somehow ended up in my cart and came home with me. :lol:  I'm still gathering stuff for the new tank build but once I get stuff together I will be making a tank thread! :happydance:

 

A few pics since that's what we're all here for: ;)

 

Got another soap dish to hold the new arrivals.  I didn't turn pumps off so it's a bit blurry:

IMG_20170919_012448415

 

IMG_20170919_012443406

 

IMG_20170919_012432547

 

And the new clownfish right after going in the tank:

IMG_20170919_011622443

 

IMG_20170919_011620379

 

Fingers crossed it does well for me, I'm tired of losing fish. :(

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