sandlot13 Posted February 14, 2006 Share Posted February 14, 2006 tiny - just checked back in on ya for the first time in a few weeks..... glad to see what i saw!!! loving the macro pics, it really shows the character of your tank. its fun to see the growth too (even though its slow, its still cool to see) the picture of the mushroom moving is amazing!!!! great work, keep it up tanner g. Link to comment
Haagenize Posted February 14, 2006 Share Posted February 14, 2006 your tank will last the stormy days... just like the corals in the ocean Link to comment
tinyreef Posted February 15, 2006 Author Share Posted February 15, 2006 thanks for the encouragement, tanner! yeah, semi, i'd agree. the tank's already gone through the worst time (in regards to light deprivation). the winter months are the lowest light times so it really is only upwards/increase from here on out. the tank was started towards the low end of the daylights savings so in that sense i'm not surprised for the low growth rate. but like i mentioned in the other post, i've already started to notice a slight growth spurt with the additional light due to the season change (imo). i'm really curious how fast it will go/grow when spring and summer arrives. but with those comes the real problem, temperature. i may have to get some shades/blinds. there's always the option to re-locate the tank to a northern-facing window during the summer months, too. fans, AC, and chillers are also options but i'm trying to keep this relatively low-budget as is the central theme to my entry: low-budget, natural light, and aquaculturing (i.e. mini-frags, home-grown, throwaways, etc.). Link to comment
Haagenize Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 I think a fan or 2 should be okay to last the heat Link to comment
Samoyed Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 I think a fan or 2 should be okay to last the heat listen to the asian! Link to comment
adinsxq Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 lol.... "snow" http://www.weather.com/weather/detail/9002...fcst_undeclared i'm wearing shorts. get some artificial lights over the tank in a future FTS. great work Link to comment
tinyreef Posted February 15, 2006 Author Share Posted February 15, 2006 listen to the asian!him or me? yeah, i'm hoping the big fan will be enough. i'll probably be trying it out pretty soon. but that's another reason i'm looking forward to the end of the contest, the "Stock" limitations will be off and i can then do some mods, e.g. ATO, maybe a HOB, mini-chiller, more flow, phyto reactor, etc.). lol.... "snow" http://www.weather.com/weather/detail/9002...fcst_undeclared i'm wearing shorts. ...and some anti-earthquake sneakers. get some artificial lights over the tank in a future FTS. great workwhaddya talkin' about? i've got recessed spotlight halogens at night. see how red it gets? d'oh! it's all about the realism of the "Stock", adin. Link to comment
tinyreef Posted February 15, 2006 Author Share Posted February 15, 2006 your asian too?only semi- adin's asian too...i think. well, i think adin's brother's asian. actually, i think 75% of NR is asian, mostly hot asian chicks. that's in my mindset, at least. it helps justify my long hours here. Link to comment
dickie52 Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 i'm trying to keep this relatively low-budget as is the central theme to my entry: low-budget, natural light, and aquaculturing (i.e. mini-frags, home-grown, throwaways, etc.). Sounds like your family tree...... Link to comment
tinyreef Posted February 15, 2006 Author Share Posted February 15, 2006 actually, i think 75% of NR is asian, mostly hot asian chicks...and then there's dickie. Link to comment
Haagenize Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 only semi- adin's asian too...i think. well, i think adin's brother's asian. actually, i think 75% of NR is asian, mostly hot asian chicks. that's in my mindset, at least. it helps justify my long hours here. lol... im pretty sure its only like 10% of NR. I just found out KODEN is asian!! who would have thought of that Link to comment
Ann Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 Fantastic pictures Tiny. I'm really impressed with the colouration of the zoanthids, they must be getting enough light. I do hope that you keep this tank going through the summer so that we can see how the corals fare when they receive even more sunlight. Best regards Ann Link to comment
tinyreef Posted February 18, 2006 Author Share Posted February 18, 2006 thanks, ann! so far, so good. yes, i think will be keeping the tank going. i'm also curious the temperature ranges, problems, and the solutions i'll have to come up with to deal with them. won't know it, 'til i see it. but i am thinking about changes, to the setup and to future tanks. i've already thought about "fixes" and adapting the format to larger tanks. i'm also intrigued about applying this to certain coral-species tanks (as i think it will aplly very effectively) as well as the general-reef tank setups. but i'm at my reef tank limit (unless i hit the lottery). Link to comment
tinyreef Posted February 19, 2006 Author Share Posted February 19, 2006 weekend updates! below: recently re-discovered a couple of blue zoos that had been hidden by a loose frag of capnella. i didn't uncover them because i wanted the cap to attach, which it finally has. below: green-eyed zoos' growth pic. below: kryptonite zoos below: blue shroom and shading its new baby on the right. Link to comment
tinyreef Posted February 20, 2006 Author Share Posted February 20, 2006 thanks, j86! well, the first signs of spring/summer season are finally here. even with the 8" deskfan going full blast the tank reached 86F today! the corals were...p!ssed to say the least. so i acted quickly and decisively... ...so after the frantic screaming and pointless pleadings with whatever divine entity happened to be listening at that moment, i dug out my 20" standing fan. below: shot of the upgraded fan. after an hour it brought the tank back below 80F. below: previous fan size for comparison. below: and the mandatory macro shot. closeup of the new baby blue shroom. it's already formed a mouth and coloration. Link to comment
Ann Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 Eek, and there's still some snow on the ground outside too! That doesn't bode well for full on summer heat does it. At least you can remove the hood when it gets really toasty but then you will be faced with increased top off. Still better than a cooked tank eh. It looks like you've really cracked it with the mushrooms then. Best regards Ann Link to comment
tinyreef Posted February 21, 2006 Author Share Posted February 21, 2006 thanks, ann! yes, i'm probably most pleased with the mushrooms' progress because i could never really keep them very well. as for the temperature issues, you're right. i'm already formulating my attack plans to deal with it. i don't think i'd be able to deal with it within the "Stock" rules though but thankfully those restraints will be eliminated in a month or so when the contest ends. Link to comment
Zaraxus Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 Ive been into fish for a while now but im still new to the whole reef scene and saltwater in general. However I was wondering if a oversized sump/fug wouldnt be able to pull your temperature down closer to where you need this summer. Perhaps even going to 2x your tank size. Link to comment
tinyreef Posted February 23, 2006 Author Share Posted February 23, 2006 However I was wondering if a oversized sump/fug wouldnt be able to pull your temperature down closer to where you need this summer. Perhaps even going to 2x your tank size.yes, i think that would help a lot. also, a sump would help by allowing easier auto top-off (it's a bit complicated to do that in the present configuration) and addt'l evaporative cooling. right now though the [stock] rules of the contest prohibit anything like that. but i'm already thinking of adding on a simple hob filter (AZoo mini) and a thermoelectric plate to help cool the tank later on. i'm also thinking of changing the canopy design as an improvement over this version. still working out the designs though, to accomodate the hob and maybe more of the things you suggested. but one thing i'd personally like to adhere to (regardless of the contest) is the unwritten <3-gal. rule for picos though. so the sump or refugium maybe not be as substantial as 2-gal., maybe more like 1-qt. to 1-gal. tops. i've got a number of pico containers i've been eyeballing for fit. side note: i had a flare up with my wife regarding the upgraded fan. she turned it off the other day without telling me. "the tank was cold enough, it didn't need anymore." "it's winter, why does the tank need to be cooled?" "why can't you just move it out of the sunlight? duh?" [original emphasis] but beyond the limited comprehension of how hot the tank really gets and the thermal tolerance of the animals involved ('cool enough' being a subjective term) she also forgot to tell me it was manually turned off. the timer's kinda useless if the unit's off-off. <sigh> Link to comment
tinyreef Posted February 25, 2006 Author Share Posted February 25, 2006 thanks for the comments, reeflover! the problems of nuisance algae is more from nutrient control than the lighting imo. without significant external nutrient input (occasional direct feedings) this tank has been relatively devoid of nuisance algae <knockonwood>. while there is some growth in the macroalgae, that's easily pruneable and preferable to cyano or dinos or other types of algae. but recently i had fed some golden pearls for three days straight (i was bored). my nutrient levels must've shot thru the roof as my Poly-Filter discolored much quicker than usual and some slime algae even developed on my chaeto. i hurriedly did my regular maintenance and stopped the feedings. things have almost re-stabilized within a day. does the sunlight put nuisance algae into "turbo-ready" mode? yes. so you need to be doubly vigilent of nutrient levels. but as long as you control your nutrients, i don't see the (overt) energy base the algae can utilize to grow. however, in most tanks there is always an overabundance of nutrients that's usually kept in check thru active filtration (e.g. waterchanges) and selective light starvation (i.e. artificial lights). btw coral mucus is a significant source of nutrients that many people overlook imo. i'd try a smaller system first (e.g. 10g) to see what the maintenance regimen and sunlight effect on the livestock firsthand. i may try to describe everything and note all my steps but nothing beats practical application even if limited/short-term. but i believe the sunlight will be helpful. you should consider the viewing angles if you rely more on the sunlight for main lighting. hence, skylights and directed sunlight methods are more practical imo. but if you're going to primarily rely on the pc's then using the sunlight in some supplemental fashion (especially as refugium lighting) should prove very helpful. i suspect sunlit refugiums will generate a lot more of what people expect from refugiums (i.e. plankton-generators) than the typical artificially-lit fuges are currently able to produce. i'd recommend a remote sunlit refugium or setting it up so that the refugium gets most of the sunlight. post pics if you go with that and advise on how it goes. thanks again for the comments! Link to comment
dickie52 Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 Any suggestions for a sun light refugium in a basement????? Link to comment
tinyreef Posted February 25, 2006 Author Share Posted February 25, 2006 Any suggestions for a sun light refugium in a basement?????actually, yes. use a "sola-tubes" kit or something similar (see/search previous post in this thread) out from one of the basement windows. it won't be pretty but that's perfect for you, dickie. Link to comment
ClowningAround Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 those kriptonite zoos are amazing, nice job Link to comment
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