schgr.cube's Fiji Cube 38 Gallon Peninsula - new fish!

[YHSublime]

Big fan of IO over here, seems to do the job just fine. 

[schgr.cube]

On 12/5/2022 at 9:32 PM, Reefkid88 said:

Only think about RSCP is alk is STUPID high. I had one bucket that literally tested at 15dkh @ 1.026 LOL. Then another bucket bad phosphates,like 1ppm+. 

 

 I LOVE my blue bucket though. I still feel like its one of the best salts you can buy. I may actually get some because the store closest to me only uses IO regular. Thankfully I have plenty of elemental supplements lol. 

 

 I just hate mixing salt. Takes up room/time,kids will mess with my shit and I'm too damn lazy 😔

 

On 12/6/2022 at 11:43 AM, YHSublime said:

Big fan of IO over here, seems to do the job just fine. 

 

Yeah I used IO for years, and then Reef Crystals, and had good results. I decided to try Brightwell after speaking with a few people about it that had convincing arguments, but I don't want to have to wait for salt to be shipped to me. I think once the tank is more established and has more SPS in it, I'll move over to the blue bucket instead, but it should do fine for me for now. It was also stupid cheap and I had a coupon, which didn't hurt lol.

 

Picked up a few Banded Trochus, more Nassarius and Astrea, and a somewhat smaller Turbo snail last night to beef up the cleaning crew now that I have a larger tank. Algae is almost gone already this morning, seems to be clearing up quite a bit. I may have also put a hold on a Fire Shrimp that I'm allowed to pick up tomorrow after its been at the store long enough for them to sell. 😛

[Reefkid88]

Nothing wrong with that. I always wanted to try BWA's salt. 

 

 I think before my $10 coupon at BRS exprires I am going to order a bucket of blue bucket. I really hate mixing my own salt,but I wanna if I keep my plans for this tank I'm going to have to run a new/better salt. 

 

 The SPS at my closest store are healthy,but not even close to their full potential and feel its because 1- the salt and 2- because they run black boxes at like 40-50%. Not to mention the owner is over the trade,and the only kid running the store makes like $12/hr ans HATES the trade so he does the bare minimum to keep the place going. 

[The Rainy Day Aquarium]

I’ve heard good things about the Brightwell’s salt. Curious on how you end up liking it.

 

42 minutes ago, Reefkid88 said:

the only kid running the store makes like $12/hr ans HATES the trade so he does the bare minimum to keep the place going.

Lol that’s my store too (except they can’t keep SPS alive 🙃)

 

[Reefkid88]

8 minutes ago, The Rainy Day Aquarium said:

I’ve heard good things about the Brightwell’s salt. Curious on how you end up liking it.

 

Lol that’s my store too (except they can’t keep SPS alive 🙃)

 

 They keep them alive,but polyps are always retracted and coral I know should be other than green,aren't. The only "happy sps" is the tenuis I am gonna get. Its sad because the store has been around for ages,and slowly has declined to literally nothing. Dead fish,and I mean like purple tangs and exspensive fish just dead by the dozens. 

[The Rainy Day Aquarium]

Oof, that’s rough. 

[Reefkid88]

6 minutes ago, The Rainy Day Aquarium said:

Oof, that’s rough. 

 Its literally pathetic to see shipments of fish coming in weekly (I usually stop in on Friday/Sunday after plasma for work and the dude working just tells me all the fish that died. Ita truly sad to see all the money pisssssed away because they don't QT or treat any fish. Just right into the littoe displays with hardlt any water flow,algae growing all over the divider slits and dead fish covered in white fuzzy and gills swollen. Smh. 

[schgr.cube]

15 hours ago, Reefkid88 said:

Nothing wrong with that. I always wanted to try BWA's salt. 

 

 I think before my $10 coupon at BRS exprires I am going to order a bucket of blue bucket. I really hate mixing my own salt,but I wanna if I keep my plans for this tank I'm going to have to run a new/better salt. 

 

 The SPS at my closest store are healthy,but not even close to their full potential and feel its because 1- the salt and 2- because they run black boxes at like 40-50%. Not to mention the owner is over the trade,and the only kid running the store makes like $12/hr ans HATES the trade so he does the bare minimum to keep the place going. 

 

14 hours ago, The Rainy Day Aquarium said:

I’ve heard good things about the Brightwell’s salt. Curious on how you end up liking it.

 

Lol that’s my store too (except they can’t keep SPS alive 🙃)

 

 

Oof, yeah that is no bueno. I only really have one shop close to me, which is a larger independent pet shop that has a huge aquarium section too. Their coral isn't anything to write home about necessarily, but isn't bad at all and is actually decently priced. Their fish selection is huge and healthy, and their staff is pretty knowledgeable.

 

 

As for Brightwell, I use its for a few months and it was great, but you really do need to be careful when mixing it. Getting it on your skin wet isn't fun, and it gets DAMN hot when mixing.

[Reefkid88]

 Its really not. I have told him dude,you have all the products to treat fish just grab some crap off the shelf and treat the fish lol. You'd make more money if you have actual live fish to sell,then people walk in and see dead fish,swimming in circle,fin rot and just unhealthy fish lol. 

 

  They coral aren't bad,torches and hammers are like $40-$50. Which I will probably grab a torch and have that people my first coral. They have bounces for $80,lobo's and stuff for like $40 but they ALL need TLC for sure. 

 

 Shoot,RSCP gets the same way lol I was mixing a batch a few years back,threw a thetmometer in there and it was almost 90* 🥴

[schgr.cube]

2 hours ago, Reefkid88 said:

 Its really not. I have told him dude,you have all the products to treat fish just grab some crap off the shelf and treat the fish lol. You'd make more money if you have actual live fish to sell,then people walk in and see dead fish,swimming in circle,fin rot and just unhealthy fish lol. 

 

  They coral aren't bad,torches and hammers are like $40-$50. Which I will probably grab a torch and have that people my first coral. They have bounces for $80,lobo's and stuff for like $40 but they ALL need TLC for sure. 

 

 Shoot,RSCP gets the same way lol I was mixing a batch a few years back,threw a thetmometer in there and it was almost 90* 🥴

 

Damn, I can't imagine owning a shop and just not giving a shit at all about it. I know they probably make money from people who don't know what the are doing, but still...

 

Why not just take the drive down to WWC? It isn't that far from you, and (unless something has changed since I lived down there), it is so worth the money.

[Reefkid88]

I know he has been in the hobby and had his store for 20+ years and is just over it. But yeah people still buy fish from him every time I am in there. 

 

 Well,its not that far. WWC has 2 stores. One by Sea World and one on Aloma. They closed the original one on OBT. But with traffic,its just not worth it. Their frags are just way too much. Top Shelf Aquatics is on Aloma,and same their shit is out of this world expensive as well. I mean,for a 3p frag of Bam Bam's is $60+. INSANNNNNE,while yhe store cloest to me is $25 for about 10-12p of Bam Bam's. 

 

 Thankfully there is PLENTY of locals I can snag stuff from. But just for water and all that,I am not driving to either of the 3 spots lol. Plus my wife works when I get home and the later I get home,the less moolah she makes 🤷‍♂️

[schgr.cube]

19 hours ago, Reefkid88 said:

I know he has been in the hobby and had his store for 20+ years and is just over it. But yeah people still buy fish from him every time I am in there. 

 

 Well,its not that far. WWC has 2 stores. One by Sea World and one on Aloma. They closed the original one on OBT. But with traffic,its just not worth it. Their frags are just way too much. Top Shelf Aquatics is on Aloma,and same their shit is out of this world expensive as well. I mean,for a 3p frag of Bam Bam's is $60+. INSANNNNNE,while yhe store cloest to me is $25 for about 10-12p of Bam Bam's. 

 

 Thankfully there is PLENTY of locals I can snag stuff from. But just for water and all that,I am not driving to either of the 3 spots lol. Plus my wife works when I get home and the later I get home,the less moolah she makes 🤷‍♂️

 

Yeah, that is fair... I guess they are more expensive in person than they used to be, as they had tons of cheap smaller frags when I lived there and went to the old OBT location. My local store has some decent prices, and some that don't make any sense to me. Like 3p of Fruit Loops was $60, which was a bit much... The one thing I don't know yet is what the local reef scene is actually like, although I did find a guy who lives really close and might go check out his frag tank tomorrow.

 

I picked up my Fire Shrimp last night, as well as a 2p head of Dragon Soul Favia. I haven't posted any photos lately, so I'll try to snag some decent ones tonight when the sky allows for better photos (currently don't have curtains or anything in the office).

[schgr.cube]

Oh, one other thing... I don't like not having a tank in my living room, but was still planning on selling the UNS just because I would prefer to recoup the costs I have into that tank and think a nice easy soft coral tank down here would be ideal instead of something complex (maybe macros too?). I found a steal on something, and have a perfect spot for it... 😱

[schgr.cube]

While we are waiting for real photos, here is some cat tax:

 

Marla resting in bed.

[schgr.cube]

Photo dump:

 

RBTA.

 

Dragon Soul Favia.

 

Radioactive Dragon Eyes.

 

Utter Chaos and Orange Rhodactis.

 

Green Slimer.

 

White Zombies.

 

Pink Mille that broke in half when I got it; both halves are coloring on the breaks.

 

Twizzlers?.

 

Mixed zoas.

 

Tiny little bicolor frogspawn that was near death when I got it.

 

Yodas.

 

Bubblegum Digi.

 

Angle shot.

 

The other side of the tank.

[YHSublime]

Dude, those shots are great. Teach me your ways!

[schgr.cube]

17 hours ago, YHSublime said:

Dude, those shots are great. Teach me your ways!

 

Just a decent macro lens! I'm still trying to figure out the new camera AND photographing this Kessil. I still feel like shooting under the NanoBox Reef T5 was the easiest overall.

 

Picked up a few things from a local reefer today:

• Orange Setosa
• Hawaiian Ding Dang Zoas
• Magician Palys
• Blowpop Zoas
• Blue dot Mushroom
• Forest Fire Rhodactis
• Peach Octospawn

[YHSublime]

On 12/10/2022 at 4:09 PM, schg said:

 

Just a decent macro lens! I'm still trying to figure out the new camera AND photographing this Kessil. I still feel like shooting under the NanoBox Reef T5 was the easiest overall.

I've got a 70mm, in the market for 105 I guess! 

[schgr.cube]

16 minutes ago, YHSublime said:

I've got a 70mm, in the market for 105 I guess! 

 

Honestly I kind of wish I had gone with the 70mm, I feel like I have to be a bit more deliberate with this lens. I had used a 70mm for some of the photos I took on my old IM25 and feel like they turned out better on worse equipment:

 

Maybe I just haven't gotten the hang of this camera yet.

[schgr.cube]

Welp, can't catch a break today.

 

I got two shipments in, both were unusable. My living room tank came in, which is a 12 gallon Fluval edge, but the glass was completely shattered on top. Chewy will send a replacement but I have to send this one back first. Then my Chemi Pure Elite came in from Amazon, but it was obviously used. I wanted to buy locally, but no one carries it around here. Womp.

[schgr.cube]

Decided to mess around with the Kessil lighting profile a bit to see if I could nail the colors down a bit better, and took my time with the photos a bit more. I didn't turn the flow off because I was just messing around, but I feel a bit better already about things.

 

My Springer's Damsel I keep meaning to rehome.

 

A mixture of two different Green Star Polyps.

 

Snails are always so silly.

 

Purple Stylo.

[schgr.cube]

I forgot to export these three, although I wasn't as happy with them.

 

Magicians and Hawaiian Ding Dangs.

 

Peach Octospawn.

 

Still don't have a name for him, although I love the pattern under his eyes. Just wish he would stay still long enough for a photo!

[mitten_reef]

Been a long while since I saw this level of photography on NR, niiiice! 🙌

[schgr.cube]

4 hours ago, mitten_reef said:

Been a long while since I saw this level of photography on NR, niiiice! 🙌

Oh damn, thank you! I really appreciate that, definitely trying my best to learn.

[A.m.P]

Love the springers