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Cultivated Reef

My 2.5 AGA, will update often!


bluebastion

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bluebastion

Ok here are more pics until I can get more stuff for my tank... good news, things are looking nice... bad news.. tank is running hot lately.. don't know why... maybe because the outdoor weather? Have had the a/c up because of it.. however still getting hot in the tank... up to 85 degrees.. so that JBJ desktop formosa sounds pretty good right now.

 

Anyways, here's the pics I said I'd post:

 

Classic full frontal, current

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Another view

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Most colorful part of the tank so far

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My favorite zoos (not sure of the name)

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Homey (the clown) looking over the grand canyon

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bluebastion

Just a picture of my battery backup system I purchased on ebay... not apc, but supposedly just as good (read internet reviews on this thing... 5 stars)... paid $60-70 bucks shipped. The rating for this is 575VA/345W... the average person on this forum I believe uses a 375VA/225W and gets around 4 hours of use on the battery (on the necessities... waterflow and maybe heater)... so the unit I purchased should suffice for my tiny pico. Anyways, if you guys are interested, the brand is OptiUPS. Model: VS575C (Value Series)

 

LPIC0087.jpg

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bluebastion

Regular outlets.. You basically use it like a surge protector... plug it into an outlet... and plug in what you want protected/backed up into the unit. It has 6 outlets, 3 are surge protected only, and the other three are battery back up outlets (also surge protected). When the power goes out.. it switches to battery power... and when the power comes back on, the unit switches back to power from the outlet automatically. I've unplugged the unit, and there is no interruption of power to the a/c 300(6w), lights (only 20w so I see no problem in hooking the lights up too), and heater (25w).... and plugged it back in. No interruption either... it's beautiful. Hope that helps.

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bluebastion

Alright, well I got some new frags during an early lunch break (I went home for it)... actually spurred a conversation between me and my mail man (who goes snorkeling in puerto rico whenever he visits his home town)... he was surprised that someone would send coral this way (priority mail)... and even more surprised that I had a 2.5 gallon reef aquarium... lol. I invited him to come check it out some time, as well as gave him the NR website addy. That was cool.

 

The frags are from pookstreet, and were packaged for the heat. He does a great job packing and I would recommend buying from him anyday.... just for his mad packing skills. As for the corals, I seem to have gotten everything I ordered, however one frag has yet to open (been in the tank since noon, and it is past 10pm right now as I post). The one frag, I suspect, is the blue frag since I don't see any blues as of yet. The blue frag is the entire reason I ordered the pack... got burned the first time I ordered blues from another person. Hopefully (I think they are), these blues are true blues. Anything is better than the first ones I ordered. Here are the pictures I took right after putting them in the tank:

 

Pinks (I love these):

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Pink/Purples:

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Reds Rings (uber nice!):

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Blues? (I'll keep you updated on these):

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Full tank shot update:

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Here is the thread in the classifieds I ordered from: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...20&pagenumber=1

 

pookstreet is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

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bluebastion

Well this is part two of the arrival of pookstreet's frags... and well I took a few tank shots to show some of the pretties...

 

newandoldzoos.jpg

 

 

Ok ok well I took one... the rest are some different tank views...

 

Diagonal Tank Shot

sideview.jpg

 

Another updated FTS

newtankshot.jpg

 

This next one is for those who think there is too much live rock in my tank... It looks that way, but when you see how much room there is in the front, I think it would make you reconsider. Top shot...

 

topshot.jpg

 

Oh, and if you know anything about Yellow Clown Gobies, I need your help. Please visit this thread:

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...3862#post563862

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bluebastion

Thanks, I was trying to make it look like a reef wall, and I was hoping I'd be able to take pictures of my tank and get people to have a difficult time figuring out what size my pico was. I've had compliments from friends looking at the digital pics, without looking at the tank physically, and being amazed about how big it is in reality. I like that... Isn't that what most of us are trying to do anyways? Make our tanks as real as possible? That's my goal for this little 2.5 AGA that could.

 

Oh, I ordered a Matt Gecko canopy and base... so I'll keep you posted on that as well! Upgrading from a 20W coral life screw in to Dual 18W PC's and fan! :) NIIIICEEE...

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bluebastion

Ok, well it's finally time to update again...

 

I unfortunately have some bad news to give though... Homey never really ate any... there were myriads of mysids in my tank as well as pods...I eventually tried marine cuisine, and he never took... he thinned out quite a bit when I finally noticed, and tried to do what I could to save him. So I called up my LFS, where I got him, and asked if it were possible to get store credit on another fish... and they said "yep". Anyways, I brought Homey back, alive however very very starved (most of the other clown gobies that came in with him that shipment died on arrival)... and my wife and I picked out a new fish for our tank... a black clown... not sure if it's percula or oscellaris (sp?)... anyways... here are some pics of him in the tank when we first got him. Also, as an update I have pics of pookstreet's frags in the background. All of them have full bloomed, and look great! Some are already sprouting new polyps! These are almost week old shots... the tank looks even more beautiful than this.

 

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Here's my beach mural/fresco (whateva you want to call it) on my "Beach Room" Closet door. (Finished last Sunday)

 

LPIC0149.jpg

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That's an amphiprion ocellaris. Don't think straight black percs exist.

 

Edit: What kind of camera do you have and do you use a flash?

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bluebastion

I was waiting for someone to ask that question... lol... My wife and I have two digital cameras... we first bought a cheapo 4 MP one (generic brand) off of ebay... waiting almost 2-3 weeks to get it in, I saw a 4.1 HP camera that was on sale at Target and bought that one too... anyways, I fiddled around with both (after the ebay one came in)... wow, guess which one I liked better? At least for macro modes... yup the cheap one. I spent approximately 100 dollars on the cheapo camera shipped. And it works pretty well for my macro needs... Oh... and I take the pictures without flash. They are under my coral life 20W 50/50. If anyone wants a link to the specific camera I got off ebay, let me know. I think I've seen auctions for the same camera go as low as 65 dollars. I won mine at 80 something.

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Thanks for the compliments, guys... it really means alot to me since this is my first SW aquarium (and certainly not my last as money permits)...

 

I thought it would be a good idea to post the figures on my tank/hobby costs so far.... I know that alot of people who are noobs (like me) would like to think that a 2.5 pico or anything close to this size would be easily attainable monetarily wise.... well, I hope this doesn't burst your bubble... cause now that I do the math, it's more than what I originally would have liked to have spent... but then I'm sure anyone in the SW hobby, with any tank size, can sympathize.

 

Item(s) Approx. Price Location Purchased

___________________________________________________________

2.5 AGA.....................$10.00.............Petsmart

2.5 Canopy Light(screw).....$10.00.............Petsmart

20W Coralife 50/50 bulb.....$16.00.......Fishy Business(LFS)

Live Rock(6lbs.)............$60.00.......Fishy Business(LFS)

Live Sand(4-5lbs)...........$10.00.......Fishy Business(LFS)

Nature's Ocean SW (4.5 gal).$15.00.......Fishy Business(LFS)

Marineland 25W heater.......$15.00.............Petsmart

Grounding rod...............$20.00.......Fishy Business(LFS)

Lunar Lights w/ adpater.....$25.00.......Fishy Business(LFS)

Coralife single timer.......$30.00.......Fishy Business(LFS)

Opti-UPS Battery Backup.....$70.00.............Online Buy

AquaClear 300 HOB...........$50.00.............Petsmart

Tetra Master Test Kit.......$25.00.......Fishy Business(LFS)

Calcium Test kit............$15.00.......Fishy Business(LFS)

Salinity Tester.............$15.00.......Fishy Business(LFS)

pH buffer to 8.3............$15.00.......Fishy Business(LFS)

Nitrate Test................$10.00.............Petsmart

1/16 tsp doser for buffer...$05.00.............Online Buy

dist. H20 for top off (3g.).$01.50.............Walmart

Frag pack #1................$70.00.............B61NR(sp?)

Frag pack #2................$40.00.............pookstreet

2 Shrooms...................$25.00.......Fishy Business(LFS)

Black Perc..................$45.00.......Fishy Business(LFS)

2 Sexy Shrimp...............$40.00.......Fishy Business(LFS)

1 Nass. Snail...............$02.00.......Fishy Business(LFS)

2 Misc. Snails..............$04.00.......Fishy Business(LFS)

1 Margarita Snail...........$02.00.......Fishy Business(LFS)

1 Blue Leg Hermit...........$03.00.......Fishy Business(LFS)

1 Scarlett Hermit...........$03.00.......Fishy Business(LFS)

Nano Nimble Magnet Cleaner..$13.00.............Online Buy

Matt Gecko Custom Canopy....$150.00............Online Buy

____________________________________________________________

Total.......................$814.50

 

hmmmm I bet I've spent more than that too... plus you can't put a price on all the time you spend/t on it too. :)

 

EDIT: I forgot to add a digital thermometer... that was like 20 bucks.

 

Experience..................priceless.

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brandonlouis

Any clownfish in a 2.5 tank with that much liverock is cruel. I am not trying to be malicious, as I am sure your intentions are good, but the LFS that sold him to you with knowledge it was going in a tank with probably a gallon of water, should not sell fish. That guy is going to grow to at least 3" and will be miserable. You might be able to keep him alive, but he certainly won't be happy.

 

If we, as fish owners, are going to displace species from waters thousands of miles from us, we have a responsibility to care for these fish in the best possible enviroment, and a 2.5 gallon tank is not it.

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brandonlouis
Originally posted by bluebastion

How did I know that someone was going to say something?

 

maybe because you are on a reef enthuiast website, openly mistreating an animal.

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... we now return to the regularly scheduled thread.

 

 

Well I got my Matt Gecko Canopy and base in... and I just have to say that I'd vouch for his craftmanship and work anyday. I upgraded from one coralife 50/50 20W bulb to 2x18w PC's. I honestly didn't think there would be a difference, but dang it... there is a butt load of a difference.... The whole friggin tank is like a light house... even behind the live rock! Everything looks happier too! (the "happier" thing could be a psychological thing though since it's brand new and all) Anyways, just an update on the tank, and love'n it. Oh, also next week I'm gonna try some SPS. We'll see how that goes.

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Take it slow with the SPS. Get just 1 small frag at first. Most don't recommend them unless you have MH. I'm curious to see how it fairs in your tank. Keep up the good work. :D

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Yeah I am too... that's why I'm trying it. Maybe should have kept it a secret.. lol. And if it worked, then show everyone after the SPS established itself. Oh well, I'll try to update you all with pics later on tonight. BTW, since I got my new Matt Gecko canopy, I've been having to deal with evaporation and heat issues. It seems that the heater is actually the problem to this... the tank will be at 83 degrees, and the heater light will be on! What the crap? Anyways, I had the heater set at 78... and changed it down to 76.... hopefully this will balance out soon. The heater I have right now is a 25 watt Marineland heater (petsmart 11 bucks)... I just ordered a new one, hoping it will be more accurate; it's the Visi-Therm Deluxe Heater 50w (16 bucks)... Dr. Foster & Smith rates it the most accurate in it's price range... also it's fully submersible, so now I can cover the AC300 a bit more.

Since I ordered the new heater, hoping to solve the wacked out heater issue, I also bought the Kent Marine 2.5 Doser so that I can have an auto top off. This will hopefully solve the evaporation issue. We'll see how that turns out... anyone use the doser out there? Wondering what you set or hang it on since it's gravity/IV-style fed.

 

Like I said, pics tonight.

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Ok, I know I said I'd post some pics tonight... but I'm just dead tired. So I'll take the time to post a pic of the Matt Gecko canopy and base, before I put it on the tank. I'll try really hard to post the other pics up tomorrow. I've just been so busy this past week... and I had drill last weekend, so this weekend is catch up time.

 

Here's the pic of the Matt Gecko Setup:

 

Components.jpg

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Ok here are some pics of the pico. A friend came over to visit my wife and I, from out of town. To my surprise, he bought and brought over a $1400 Nikon camera.... yeah... anyways, he was generous enough to let me use it to take many pics of my tank. So here are a few of them:

 

DSC_0001.jpg

 

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Moonlights:

 

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Now going back to my cheapo camera (my camera put to shame by my friend's) :) There doesn't seem to be any white balance adjustment for my camera, but I'm showing you these pics so you can see the overall difference, switching from the 20w Coralife bulb to the 2x18w PC's.

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