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Blenwood's Reef - 1st attempts at focus stacking


Cannedfish

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tanacharison

That’s really cool, Oregon torts are amazing in color. I’m considering putting some frags on my back wall after seeing this!  

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46 minutes ago, Cannedfish said:

Quick update: 

 

A few weeks ago, I mentioned ordering a mystery frag from @Cultivated Reef in addition to the Acro Grow-Out Contest frag. Unlike the contest frag, I wanted to make sure I didn't kill it before posting about it. It has been several weeks and I can confidently say it is doing incredibly well. So what did they send? The mystery frag was a clipping Oregon Tort, which has already encrusted over the super glue and thrown out a few new polyps. Needless to say I'm pretty excited to it grow out! Huge shout out to @Cultivated Reef! Also it's weird how much faster things grow glued to the back glass...

 

5ad9f78dd9c8f_OregonTort.thumb.jpg.3f5a9ace2887b2f1cc591025fdd5135b.jpg

 

 

Nice little nubber!  I noticed you have a few other pieces mounted horizontally on the AIO wall. Have you had any issues with STN on the bottom/shaded side of the coral? I won small frag of an aquacultured "Tri-Color" (mystery coral) in an eBay auction hosted by a LFS and I mounted it horizontally on the rock about 3 weeks ago. Since then the underside that is receiving less light has STN'd on me. It looks like its stopped where the coral is receiving the full amount of light on the top side, but we will see. 

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On 4/20/2018 at 10:14 AM, micoastreefing said:

Color me jealous that you got an OT, :wub:.  I just can't pull a trigger on one, $$$$$!!.    

Four to five years from now when it is finally large enough to frag, the first clipping has your name on it shipping included. For your sake and mine, we just have to hope that, in light of my hi-jinx and tomfoolery, that I live that long. Seriously though, that frag is growing like a weed, its only about two inches below that water's surface which leads me to believe that I need more light. It might be time to upgrade. 

 

 

 

 

Anyway here are some Monday morning pictures to help everyone, umm, not work. 

 

 

9B1D1F9D-32BE-4577-8607-4C74D5716958.jpeg

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Mo’ photos...

 

 

Finally some acros are starting to throw out some branches (too bad its the ugliest one). Also I'm not sure if that clipping of 'strawberry shortcake' is really 'strawberry shortcake?' It's looking more like rainbow sherbet. 

3C19FE09-0FD9-4361-98CE-4782861FB92D.jpeg

 

Picked up this unknown bali frag, it think it has some real potential. 

10B9D609-C218-47CB-8813-5B88CB8887CD.jpeg

 

SC Orange Passion, looking decidedly not orange or passionate. 

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Monday Morning Update!!

 

This was quite the industrious weekend for Blen-Daddy's cube of a water. Despite trying my hardest whilst using power tools I was unsuccessful in my apparent lifelong crusade to detach appendages. I was, however, mildly successful doing following:

 

1. Purchasing a Hanna checker and despite a refusal to read directions (based on my 23rd chromosome) actually managed to use it correctly;

2. Upon testing, discovering that my alkalinity has been hovering at a balmy 4.7;

3. Purchasing a dosing pump;

4. Fabricating a under-counter bracket to hold the dosing pump and new surge protect (so new in fact its been sitting in its box in the closet for 3 months);

5. Setting up the  aforementioned dosing pump, while drinking 'cold-ones' and not losing fingers;

6. Completely redoing the cord management system after deciding that the rat's nest look was totally passé;

7. Fabricating a camera viewing port to aid in taking terrible top down photos;

8. Eating entirely too much Tunisian food; 

 

Holy list Batman, its a good thing it stopped at eight, because as a Louisiana citizen I legally can't count higher than my current number of fingers. Anyways, I think my alkalinity issuse is partly due to the following factors: 1. I recently got a larger saltwater mixing 'bucket' as a result pre-made saltwater was sitting too long, 2. while the saltwater was sitting I was continually mixing (powerhead) and heating it (heater), 3. I was using a 'lower' alkalinity salt, 4. I haven't been dosing, 5. I'm an idiot. To summarize, the constant mixing and heating over a two-week period caused saltwater to precipitate a significant amount alkalinity, which was already 'low-ish' to begin with. As a result, I was 'replenishing' the alkalinity at a significantly low level (daily water changes). To fix this issue, I have changed to a high alkalinity salt, gotten rid of the large water change bucket, and am no longer heating and mixing the saltwater after the initial mix. If I manage to fix the fact I'm an idiot, I'll probably write a self-help book and you'll have to buy it to figure out how I solved that issue ($$$!!). Lastly, I am pretty excited about the viewing port, as it turned out and works surprisingly well, was easy to make, attaches to the camera lens, and was built for a fraction of what the viewing ports online cost (total cost: about $9). So much less refraction!! 

 

Because, like me, now one actually wants to read here are some bad pictures summarizing the weekend. Bon Appetit! 

 

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Cord and dosing line under-counter management system. 

1626797889_cordmgmt.thumb.jpg.3f21113d83dce33905e1ce2fecee1257.jpg

 

DIY camera port hole viewer.

1703975661_portholeviewer.thumb.jpg.49c99e0c1a83d775cb4aeb9ef66d2cec.jpg

 

White girl alkalinity problems. 

IMG_1900.thumb.jpg.319a8b59f4762a462378dfc6a9d9c47e.jpg

 

Top-down-port-hole picture of B-Money Dolla Dolla wearing his stripey night pajamas. 

 

1218440104_B-.thumb.jpg.a91e74ab91e51852587f9dde5c869264.jpg

 

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Dang, dude, you're making me feel inadequate. All I did all weekend was go see Avengers Infinity War after which I felt half dead the rest of the weekend (see what I did there?)

 

The new cords look great, and I like the porthole. I have a bigger one from Avast Marine that doesn't attach to the lens. On the one hand, I always wish mine attached so I could hold the whole thing in one hand. On the other hand (I think I just ran out of hands..), the bigger size lets me reach in to do manual focus adjustment. How do you handle focusing? Autofocus only?

 

I leave my water mixing and heating for weeks in a big Brute tub...but never checked the alkalinity after a day or so following the initial mix. I'll check mine and let you know how much the alkalinity has dropped. I've never noticed a problem with it but I dose all the time anyway.

 

Your pictures are getting really good! I love that shot of B-wood. Oh and congrats on scoring that OT - mine just sits and encrusts like everything else. What kind of juice are you feeding your tank?

 

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Cannedfish
22 hours ago, teenyreef said:

Dang, dude, you're making me feel inadequate. All I did all weekend was go see Avengers Infinity War after which I felt half dead the rest of the weekend (see what I did there?)

 

The new cords look great, and I like the porthole. I have a bigger one from Avast Marine that doesn't attach to the lens. On the one hand, I always wish mine attached so I could hold the whole thing in one hand. On the other hand (I think I just ran out of hands..), the bigger size lets me reach in to do manual focus adjustment. How do you handle focusing? Autofocus only?

 

I leave my water mixing and heating for weeks in a big Brute tub...but never checked the alkalinity after a day or so following the initial mix. I'll check mine and let you know how much the alkalinity has dropped. I've never noticed a problem with it but I dose all the time anyway.

 

Your pictures are getting really good! I love that shot of B-wood. Oh and congrats on scoring that OT - mine just sits and encrusts like everything else. What kind of juice are you feeding your tank?

 

As always, I appreciate the feed back! Regarding focusing through the porthole, I am currently taking photos with a Nikon 1 and/or Lumix GX85 (being too intimidated to try my hand at the Nikon D90 coupled with the fact still on the fence about buying a macro lens for it). With those 'lesser' cameras, I attach the porthole to the farthest focus ring and just turn the porthole to focus. It has actually worked out amazingly well. I have to see if it will accommodate the larger lens of the real camera, but if it fits on the D90, I'll send you one. If I may quote Alanis Morissette, whilst attached to your camera, the port hole will then allow you to "have one hand [on your camera], and the other one hailing a taxi cab," or "smoking a cigarette," or "giving a peace sign." Really you will be spoiled for 'other hand' choice! You can even put that hand "in your pocket." 

 

About storing water, I really wanted to be able to make 20 gallons and have it last a couple weeks, but after about two weeks (being constantly circulated and heated) the alkalinity of the Aquavitro salt I was using had dropped to about 6.4. Maybe it was bad salt or our house chicken attempting to sabotage Blenwood (over what I like to imagine is because of unpaid underground gambling debts) or something else, but I think that was a major factor in my tank's alk dropping so low. Honestly, I am shocked how good everything looked with the parameters so out of wack. Besides growth coming to a near standstill, and the Jedi Mind Trick Monti losing color, everything looked find, in fact I had outstanding polyp extension.

 

With that being said, I have been super hesitant to dip my toes into the world of dosing, but I think I'm at a point, even without bad salt, where my corals (and clam) are consuming things faster than daily water changes can replace. So while praying that I don't nuke my tank, I will be putting the auto doser online this Friday. I would be lying if I told you I wasn't super nervous. Fortunately, however, between the Audubon Zoo's annual gala and Jazz Fest this weekend, I will most likely be too... err... spirited to care. 

 

 

——

 

For every one’s enjoyment, mo’ pictures! 

 

Australian button Scoly:

35F91F52-E5B2-4787-BEA5-E0C3C8EA0C82.jpeg

 

Birdsnest is so small:

1C13150A-F184-48A1-B771-4023C8F52346.jpeg

 

Lorp, the poorly-named possum wrasse!

F58F3FE7-D8F0-41D4-ACBD-4DFBB15BD622.jpeg

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I've always had pretty low alk (~6 dkh or less) and it never was a problem. I don't have a lot of stony coral though. Are you going to dose 2-part or kalk?

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tanacharison

Photography skills are on point! I need a porthole! Dosing is easy if you commit to constantly testing alk. Just start with tiny amounts and roll with it. 😂

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Cannedfish
7 minutes ago, Squared said:

I've always had pretty low alk (~6 dkh or less) and it never was a problem. I don't have a lot of stony coral though. Are you going to dose 2-part or kalk?

2-part for now; we'll see how it goes. Hopefully, you won't be seeing a bunch of equipment go up for sale next week. 

 

1 minute ago, tanacharison said:

Photography skills are on point! I need a porthole! Dosing is easy if you commit to constantly testing alk. Just start with tiny amounts and roll with it. 😂

Thanks! Unfortunately, I am not even close to sniffing the farts of the photographic levels of a lot of the tanks on here (teeny included), which are simply stunning. I have some left over material from the port hole build, so if I have time this weekend to hobble a couple together I will send you one as well. Regarding dosing, I am going to take is extremely slow, till I am confident that the pump isn't going to try to nuke my tank. 

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Insane build!! Very cool man. Are there any LFS in the big easy worth visiting? It's pretty lackluster over here in the SW portion of the state.

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teenyreef
6 hours ago, Cannedfish said:

As always, I appreciate the feed back! Regarding focusing through the porthole, I am currently taking photos with a Nikon 1 and/or Lumix GX85 (being too intimidated to try my hand at the Nikon D90 coupled with the fact still on the fence about buying a macro lens for it). With those 'lesser' cameras, I attach the porthole to the farthest focus ring and just turn the porthole to focus. It has actually worked out amazingly well. I have to see if it will accommodate the larger lens of the real camera, but if it fits on the D90, I'll send you one. If I may quote Alanis Morissette, whilst attached to your camera, the port hole will then allow you to "have one hand [on your camera], and the other one hailing a taxi cab," or "smoking a cigarette," or "giving a peace sign." Really you will be spoiled for 'other hand' choice! You can even put that hand "in your pocket." 

 

About storing water, I really wanted to be able to make 20 gallons and have it last a couple weeks, but after about two weeks (being constantly circulated and heated) the alkalinity of the Aquavitro salt I was using had dropped to about 6.4. Maybe it was bad salt or our house chicken attempting to sabotage Blenwood (over what I like to imagine is because of unpaid underground gambling debts) or something else, but I think that was a major factor in my tank's alk dropping so low. Honestly, I am shocked how good everything looked with the parameters so out of wack. Besides growth coming to a near standstill, and the Jedi Mind Trick Monti losing color, everything looked find, in fact I had outstanding polyp extension.

 

With that being said, I have been super hesitant to dip my toes into the world of dosing, but I think I'm at a point, even without bad salt, where my corals (and clam) are consuming things faster than daily water changes can replace. So while praying that I don't nuke my tank, I will be putting the auto doser online this Friday. I would be lying if I told you I wasn't super nervous. Fortunately, however, between the Audubon Zoo's annual gala and Jazz Fest this weekend, I will most likely be too... err... spirited to care. 

 

 

——

 

For every one’s enjoyment, mo’ pictures! 

 

Australian button Scoly:

35F91F52-E5B2-4787-BEA5-E0C3C8EA0C82.jpeg

 

Birdsnest is so small:

1C13150A-F184-48A1-B771-4023C8F52346.jpeg

 

Lorp, the poorly-named possum wrasse!

F58F3FE7-D8F0-41D4-ACBD-4DFBB15BD622.jpeg

Lorp is adorable!

 

On the porthole...(slaps forehead) I never thought to attach to the focus ring and just turn the whole thing. There must be some kind of Big Easy joke there somewhere.

 

And yeah, dosing...sigh...you can't live with it and you can't live without it once your sps get going. Kh just swings too much from water changes. Like @tanacharison said, just check alk daily until you see it settle down to a steady state. And then you can do like me and relax, and the continue to check it every day because your dosing requirements go up and down in such a small tank. Right now I'm dosing half of what I was a month ago. And it will probably double again next month.

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Cannedfish

Only three words can aptly describe the unadulterated speed of the worm powered duncan... err... scooting... err... walking dendro: “tuna, no crust.”

 

Not the highest quality video but I thought it was kinda neat. Such a weird creature(s). 

 

 

Untitled

 

 

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What are your feelings on the Aqamai KPS? Trying to decide on a powerhead for my IM10 (with stock return and nozzle) and it's looking like a good option but I've had trouble finding reviews on it. My tank is still in baby stages but I'm hoping to have a mix of corals.

 

Edit: Found your earlier review back there! Still curious if you feel the same many months later though. Is the app still causing problems?

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Cannedfish

MAILBAG TIME!! Trying this out, may be more fun than my typical boring posts. Monthly FTS to follow later this week!

 

On 5/1/2018 at 1:08 PM, Squared said:

I've always had pretty low alk (~6 dkh or less) and it never was a problem. I don't have a lot of stony coral though. Are you going to dose 2-part or kalk?

Because of my extreme alk issues (or my incompetence... we shall see), I just put a doser on line this Saturday and began dosing 2-part. Unlike the desires of a teenage boy at prom, I'm taking it really slow. It's taken me over a week and a half to raise the alk to around 7.0 and I hope to get it ultimately in the mid-eights. Either way, it should  be interesting to follow how I manage to screw this up. 

 

 

On 5/1/2018 at 2:30 PM, ReefGoat said:

Insane build!! Very cool man. Are there any LFS in the big easy worth visiting? It's pretty lackluster over here in the SW portion of the state.

Thanks! It's definitely a work in progress. I like to think of it as Rachael Leigh Cook's character, Laney Boggs, in She's All That: that basically all it need to do to go from uncool ugly nerd to popular hot girl is take off its glass and comb its hair. Unfortunately, my tank has neither hair nor impaired vision, so I don't think it will be that easy to quickly become @teenyreef IM10. I still holding out that my tank's Freddy Prince Jr. will come along though and make it tank of the month though (maybe like September... @Christopher Marks... *cough* (not saying...) Quick note, did you realize Paul Walker was in She's All That? Last time it came on, whatever terrible channel it came on, that revelation nearly blew my mind. RIP tuna no crust.

 

There are several good LFS's in NOLA next time you come. Aquatic Specialties, Reef Geeks, Aquatic Sealife, Crabby Ron's. Also, if I remember correctly, there are several in Lafayette that aren't half bad depending on what you are looking for. 

 

 

On 5/1/2018 at 4:51 PM, tanacharison said:

Your the best! After watching @teenyreef and you turn IM10s into full blown reefs I might pick up one, or a new waterbox.

Do it! Do it! I live my life by several mantras, two of them include, 1. Resist all urges except temptation, and 2. Don't buy cheap peanut butter. I am neither in jail nor missing any of my limbs, so something is obviously working. You should definitely join the IM10 club! On the other hand, your tank would clearly better than mine, which would bump me down the double secret N-R.com IM10 leader board. So maybe you shouldn't. Either way, don't buy cheap peanut butter. 

 

On 5/1/2018 at 7:02 PM, teenyreef said:

Lorp is adorable!

 

On the porthole...(slaps forehead) I never thought to attach to the focus ring and just turn the whole thing. There must be some kind of Big Easy joke there somewhere.

 

And yeah, dosing...sigh...you can't live with it and you can't live without it once your sps get going. Kh just swings too much from water changes. Like @tanacharison said, just check alk daily until you see it settle down to a steady state. And then you can do like me and relax, and the continue to check it every day because your dosing requirements go up and down in such a small tank. Right now I'm dosing half of what I was a month ago. And it will probably double again next month.

 Lorp is... oddly deserving of his dumb name. Strangely, he spends most of the day doing circles around the return pump, as demonstrated by this time lapse (embedding the video makes the post look dumb). Also he is very friendly  and out going for for a possum wrasse and enjoys coming to the glass to ogle at you with his comically goofy eyes whenever you are in the kitchen (which makes me believe he didn't get enough oxygen at birth... or hatching... I don't know the correct fish vernacular!). Also, he and Blenwood get a delicious blend of all the most expensive frozen foods (B-Wood $$ is a snob), but he likes cheap pellets the best. Odd duck that Lorp.  

 

About that Big Easy joke regarding mechanically attaching a porthole viewer to the focus ring of a DSLR lens... Unfortunately, no there really isn't a joke here. Mainly because if you were to utter the phase "mechanical attachment of a porthole viewer to the focus ring of a DSLR lens" to anyone in the swamp known as the Crescent City they would probably look at you with a furrowed brow indicating confusion then rummage in their pocket for some change because the assumed you were begging in order to satiate your addiction for drugs and weird sex . Notice though, they did give you money. We don't judge here in the Big Dirty. If you like to huff glue and have intimate relations with goats, that's cool, just do it on your own time. 

 

On 5/5/2018 at 1:14 PM, lizzyann said:

What are your feelings on the Aqamai KPS? Trying to decide on a powerhead for my IM10 (with stock return and nozzle) and it's looking like a good option but I've had trouble finding reviews on it. My tank is still in baby stages but I'm hoping to have a mix of corals.

 

Edit: Found your earlier review back there! Still curious if you feel the same many months later though. Is the app still causing problems?

Honestly, I love the pump, and truthfully I have yet to really experience much downside. To summarize: it's small, it is just powerful enough for an IM10 (I run mine on the SPS 200L setting), and it's relatively cheap.

 

When looking for a wave-maker, similar to you, I had my reservations about it. Initially I was leaning towards a Vortech MP10. I thought, in part because of price, the MP10 was a much better pump (which it may be) and that the exterior motor was going to be much better looking that having wires and such fouling my masterpiece of a tank (nose grows). Honestly, I bought the KPS because I got a really good deal on it and figured if I didn't like it, I could use it to mix saltwater. After several months with it, I am glad I got it over the MP10 for the follow reasons.

 

1. Size and flow: it essentially has the same footprint as the MP10 inside the tank, and as stated above, produces enough flow for a 10 gallon tank. The MP10 is a much powerful pump but I don't know if I could fully utilize it's power. 

2. Wires: because of my placement I really can't see or notice the wires. I now realize that the exterior motor of the MP10 would really just be an eye sore on the outside of the tank. My tank is located smack-dab (technical term) in the middle of our kitchen, and I appreciate the clean exterior as well as interior look (below). 

 

IMG_1926.thumb.jpg.d52f74ab62bd47afeefe2070d1d644ed.jpg

 

3. The pump head swivels: which allows me to hide the pump in the corner, to get the correct flow with the MP10 it would be hanging out in the center of the side window.... nope.

4. App: the app sucks. But I have have the setting that I like (I am able to get some pretty impressive wave action), and I have the pump hooked up to a DJ surge protector, when I need to feed the fish I don't fool with the app, I just turn off the pump, when I turn it back on it fires right up on the correct settings. Thus, the app's clunkiness is moot. 

 

 

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And as always...bad pictures!!

 

Montipora Holy Grail

27105737857_027c2db29c_b.jpg

 

Blenwood!

41075268795_3b9d58b9fb_b.jpg

 

Unknown Acro!

41075261795_2af3ba1b64_b.jpg

 

 

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Cannedfish

Monthly Update:

 

This month has basically been a lot and nothing at the same time. On the nothing side, very little was added. Basically, just a nondescript acan that has become even more nondescript now exposed to bright light (hint: its  red), as well as, a no-name brown acro from Bali that I bought on a whim last time I was at the LFS. I think it has potential, but who knows, that's what all my exes have said about me. On the a lot side, the alk issues I batted at the start of the year returned this month with the vengeance of a Cajun shrimp boat captain, with the tank's alk bottoming out last week at 4.6. This, I believe, led to the demise of a really furry acro, as well as, a dendro, which was a bummer (demise might be a strong word, these are corals not comic book villains, they just died) . It also pushed me over the dosing ledge and I finally hooked up a dosing pump. I'm still figuring this whole dosing thing out and trying to determine where I want my alk levels to ultimately stabilize (high in 10-11 range or lower in the 8-9 range). At the moment, I'm just trying to slowly raise the alk level to an acceptable level. That being said, I am currently dosing 4ml daily (1ml every 6 hours), and checking alk twice a day. Furthermore, all this alk checkin' also pushed me to finally get a Hanna checker, and while some complain about its accuracy, it is infinitely easier than trying to count drops and determine the color change using the other kits. As we all know, I have trouble counting higher than my number of fingers, and this exercise is made more difficult if I am required to hold something and count at the same time. Moreover, with the installation of the dosing pump came a complete reorganization of the cables and plug scheme. To accomplish this I fabricated and installed an under counter mount,  a new DJ-type surge protector, and reran and organized all of the cables. It was a miserable and less-than-fun process, but the tank looks much better. 

 

Half-time! This is longer than it should be, I need an editor... and a proofreader. Instead, here's a link to a music video. Enjoy. 

 

...and we're back! Also this month, I decided to try a new a salt, switching from Aquavitro Salinity to Red Sea Coral Pro. Overall, I believe the acros have liked it, but the plate coral and lobo aren't looking great. I'm not sold on it yet, but will give it a few more weeks.  Furthermore, despite all the issues noted above, I have finally noticed significant growth among the acros. The Cali Tort and frogskin are really beginning to throw out branches and the others are encrusting at an encouraging rate. This is, probably, in part, causing my alk issues. With any luck, the Upscales Microlados will put on some size and Sh&t Talk Fridays on the Acro Grow-Out Contest Thread will become unbearable. Lastly, as evidenced by FTS, the green birdsnest finally got a haircut. In fact, I removed close to a baseball sized portion. Hopefully, this will convince the pink birdsnest to grow and all my Barbie Birdesnest dreams will finally come true. Lastly, I had extra material, so I made an extra camera porthole viewer, if you need one let me know, I'll send you it gratuito. It will be shoddily made and kinda ugly, but not unlike European prostitutes, quality costs money. Anyways, below is this months FTS and last months for comparison. 

 

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FTS as of 5/10/18:

FTS 5/10/18

 

 

FTS as of 4/10/18:

FTS 4.10.18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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mitten_reef
19 minutes ago, Cannedfish said:

Monthly Update:

 

This month has basically been a lot and nothing at the same time. On the nothing side, very little was added. Basically, just a nondescript acan that has become even more nondescript now exposed to bright light (hint: its  red), as well as, a no-name brown acro from Bali that I bought on a whim last time I was at the LFS. I think it has potential, but who knows, that's what all my exes have said about me. On the a lot side, the alk issues I batted at the start of the year returned this month with the vengeance of a Cajun shrimp boat captain, with the tank's alk bottoming out last week at 4.6. This, I believe, led to the demise of a really furry acro, as well as, a dendro, which was a bummer (demise might be a strong word, these are corals not comic book villains, they just died) . It also pushed me over the dosing ledge and I finally hooked up a dosing pump. I'm still figuring this whole dosing thing out and trying to determine where I want my alk levels to ultimately stabilize (high in 10-11 range or lower in the 8-9 range). At the moment, I'm just trying to slowly raise the alk level to an acceptable level. That being said, I am currently dosing 4ml daily (1ml every 6 hours), and checking alk twice a day. Furthermore, all this alk checkin' also pushed me to finally get a Hanna checker, and while some complain about its accuracy, it is infinitely easier than trying to count drops and determine the color change using the other kits. As we all know, I have trouble counting higher than my number of fingers, and this exercise is made more difficult if I am required to hold something and count at the same time. Moreover, with the installation of the dosing pump came a complete reorganization of the cables and plug scheme. To accomplish this I fabricated and installed an under counter mount,  a new DJ-type surge protector, and reran and organized all of the cables. It was a miserable and less-than-fun process, but the tank looks much better. 

 

Half-time! This is longer than it should be, I need an editor... and a proofreader. Instead, here's a link to a music video. Enjoy. 

 

...and we're back! Also this month, I decided to try a new a salt, switching from Aquavitro Salinity to Red Sea Coral Pro. Overall, I believe the acros have liked it, but the plate coral and lobo aren't looking great. I'm not sold on it yet, but will give it a few more weeks.  Furthermore, despite all the issues noted above, I have finally noticed significant growth among the acros. The Cali Tort and frogskin are really beginning to throw out branches and the others are encrusting at an encouraging rate. This is, probably, in part, causing my alk issues. With any luck, the Upscales Microlados will put on some size and Sh&t Talk Fridays on the Acro Grow-Out Contest Thread will become unbearable. Lastly, as evidenced by FTS, the green birdsnest finally got a haircut. In fact, I removed close to a baseball sized portion. Hopefully, this will convince the pink birdsnest to grow and all my Barbie Birdesnest dreams will finally come true. Lastly, I had extra material, so I made an extra camera porthole viewer, if you need one let me know, I'll send you it gratuito. It will be shoddily made and kinda ugly, but not unlike European prostitutes, quality costs money. Anyways, below is this months FTS and last months for comparison. 

 

——

 

FTS as of 5/10/18:

FTS 5/10/18

 

 

FTS as of 4/10/18:

FTS 4.10.18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

man your tank continues to look better every month, in case you didn't notice, the acan on the bottom left exploded the last month.  about that porthole viewer.....?‍♂️me, please.

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Cannedfish
23 minutes ago, This guy is extra salty said:

I want a piece of that blue polyp green montipora 

I've been considering getting rid of it, as it is exploding in size and on the cusp of shading out other frags. I should have listened when they said not to buy a cap. I was going to try to trade it in at the LFS for a higher end acro frag. I could be convinced to ship the whole thing to St. Louis. 

 

I know you saw this on IG, but for posterity sake:

27105737857_027c2db29c_b.jpg

 

23 minutes ago, micoastreefing said:

man your tank continues to look better every month, in case you didn't notice, the acan on the bottom left exploded the last month.  about that porthole viewer.....?‍♂️me, please.

Thanks! The acans are really doing well (relatively), if I lose the lobo and plate coral, I'm considering making the entire sand bed one giant acan garden... what could go wrong?  PM me your address and I will ship it out to you either tonight or latest Monday morning.

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This guy is extra salty
11 hours ago, Cannedfish said:

I've been considering getting rid of it, as it is exploding in size and on the cusp of shading out other frags. I should have listened when they said not to buy a cap. I was going to try to trade it in at the LFS for a higher end acro frag. I could be convinced to ship the whole thing to St. Louis. 

 

I know you saw this on IG, but for posterity sake:

27105737857_027c2db29c_b.jpg

 

Thanks! The acans are really doing well (relatively), if I lose the lobo and plate coral, I'm considering making the entire sand bed one giant acan garden... what could go wrong?  PM me your address and I will ship it out to you either tonight or latest Monday morning.

 

What are you looking for?

acropora?

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