Islandoftiki's Hawaiian Tidepool Tank!

[Tamberav]

3 hours ago, Islandoftiki said:

Here's a video Pamela took the other day of a very rare Banded Angelfish.  This video also showcases what the average coral reef here in Hawaii looks like.  You'll notice an absence of soft corals.  We do have them, but they're uncommon.  Mostly stony corals.  Porites, montipora, pocillopora,  etc.  They're also illegal to collect in any amount.  I'm going to see if we can get an exception from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.  Of course, the much more rare soft corals are legal to collect.  Hawaii government logic.

 

 

 

What a gorgeous fat fish!!! Only $2000 😮

 

You can collect your own fish then? ya? 

[Tamberav]

1 hour ago, Islandoftiki said:

Ok gang, I have a weird idea.  Seaweed. We can buy it in the grocery store all day long here.  I'm assuming that as long as it's fresh and not marinated in some sort of dressing, 
It could be cultivated in a tank.  I'm pretty sure we can't get Chaetomorpha here, but I could be wrong.  We have to think outside the box here. Thoughts? 

 

 

Odd idea... hmm.. can't hurt to try!! Maybe grow your own salad lol You could collect macro's too I am guessing 🙂

[SaltyGallon]

4 hours ago, Islandoftiki said:

Here's a video Pamela took the other day of a very rare Banded Angelfish.  This video also showcases what the average coral reef here in Hawaii looks like.  You'll notice an absence of soft corals.  We do have them, but they're uncommon.  Mostly stony corals.  Porites, montipora, pocillopora,  etc.  They're also illegal to collect in any amount.  I'm going to see if we can get an exception from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.  Of course, the much more rare soft corals are legal to collect.  Hawaii government logic.

 

 

So envious haha... What a lovely fish. Not knowing much about the reefs of Hawaii, do you guys get many cool macro algaes? I just bought a decent mask and snorkel this week for some hardcore UK rockpooling this summer - nothing quite as exotic as this, but we do have some cool native anemones and macros.

[Orangutran]

On 3/1/2021 at 11:49 PM, Islandoftiki said:

Other interesting things to share while we're waiting for the tank to cycle might include one of my other hobbies.  Big bore air rifles.  I use them strictly for target shooting, and since there isn't a single shooting range for real guns on the Island, These are a little more back yard friendly.  Especially my favorite one, the 50 caliber Airforce Texan LSS.  This thing lobs massive 445 grain slugs with an astounding 850 foot pounds of energy.  It has a carbon fiber reservoir tank that fills to 3600 psi (250 bar).  In the background, you can see my 4500psi compressor that I use to fill a 70cf carbon fiber tank for refilling the gun when shooting.  This thing is a ton of fun and it's not much louder than a framing nailer.

 

 

 

I NEED this to shoot the raccoons tearing up my backyard!!! 

[Firefish15]

Hey, this looks like a fun journal! Following along. 😄

Mantis shrimp are so cool!

[Islandoftiki]

3 hours ago, Firefish15 said:

Hey, this looks like a fun journal! Following along. 😄

Mantis shrimp are so cool!

This was our mantis shrimp back on the mainland:

 

 

[Firefish15]

That’s so cool! 😆

A mantis tank is now on the bucket list.

[Islandoftiki]

42 minutes ago, Firefish15 said:

That’s so cool! 😆

A mantis tank is now on the bucket list.

It should be.  Go dig around in my Youtube channel for other awesome mantis videos like this:

 

 

[Islandoftiki]

More goodies showed up!  J tubes to clean up the chiller installation and a Current Marine Ramp Pro controller, which I'm not entirely sure I need, but I have it just in case. 

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Nice the JBJ kit, where is the tubing that shipped with the kit?

[Islandoftiki]

5 hours ago, Micro-Reefs Aquariums said:

Nice the JBJ kit, where is the tubing that shipped with the kit?

It's in the box.  I just didn't photograph it. 

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

1 hour ago, Islandoftiki said:

It's in the box.  I just didn't photograph it. 

I purchased an extra clear1/2 inch ID hose alongside what was shipped the JBJ.  The JBJ hose is superior to the clear hose, I received from Marine Depot, and since it has a grey tint, it doesn't build up the algae inside, I am really happy with the JBJ hose!