I hope I remember how to do this

[cmaxwell39]

Also recently took some pictures of a few of the corals in the tank. Everything seems to be settling in and really coloring up/encrusting well. Coraline is also really taking hold on all the rocks.

All these pictures were taken with the phone. I need to break out the good camera and get some better pics one of these days. Maybe life will slow down and I will get some time to do that soon.

Thanks for looking.

 

[cmaxwell39]

So, I have been running old used bulbs over the tank since setting it up. They were takeout bulbs from a friend that had been used for 6 months to a year by him and then I have been running them since setting the tank up. I bought new bulbs around the first of the year, but had been holding off on putting them in until I felt like the tank had stabilized.

Today, I finally pulled the old bulbs out and installed the new ones. New mix is slightly bluer than the old mix, but still overall a very white light by today's standards.

Front:
Blue+
Purple+
Blue+
Geisman Midday
Blue+
Purple+
Blue+
Blue+
Back

I would approximate it as a 12-14K look. Poor quality FTS with the phone.

 

[cmaxwell39]

It has been way too long since I broke out the camera and taken any really good pictures of the tank, so today was the day. Not sure I would classify these as really good, but I have some that turned out decent. As I get them processed I will drop some in the thread over the next little while.

Let's start with a full tank shot and a few landscape pictures...

FTS:

Shot from the Kitchen end of the tank:

Few misc pics:

Overall everything is doing really well. The tank is settling in really well and corals are coloring up/growing. Fish are all fat and happy. Phosphates are running a little higher than I would like, but it doesn't seem to be affecting anything, so I will let it ride and slowly make adjustments that will hopefully bring them down. Alk consumption continues to slowly rise, which is always a good sign.

Need to order some more fish and corals soon.

 

[cmaxwell39]

Got a few more pics off the camera and ready to post.

Gem Tang:

Mimic tang starting to change:

Carolina Reaper:

Blastos:

Falco Hawkfish:

Hopefully will get more posted later this week. Thanks for looking.

 

[cmaxwell39]

Been a busy week, but finally have a little time tonight to catch up a little more.

Ran a batch of water tests tonight.

NO3-- 2.5 (Salifert)
PO4-- .20 (Hanna)
Alk-- 8.4 DKH (Hannah)
Calcium-- 435 (Salifert)
Magnesium-- 1395 (Salifert)

Also, got a few more pics ready to be posted.

Setosa

Purple Planet:

Pink Sand Dollar:

Bug Eyes?? Can't remember for sure...

Thanks for looking.

 

[cmaxwell39]

TCK Rainbow Fusion had mostly died off, but is making a comeback:


Diamond Goby:

BC Miarichi Status regaining color after browning out during QT...

BC White Fluff Millie:

 

[cmaxwell39]

Few more

BC Last supernova just starting to regain some color after QT:

Tapioberry getting there:

CB Flaming Pheonix:

BC Efflo 2.0:

BC Sex Feast Milli:

 

[cmaxwell39]

BC Bonfire:


BC Battle de fuego:

Blastos:

BC Gilded Lily:

BC ORMS Medallioner:

 

[mattgsa]

Really love all the corals, and that Gem Tank, what a beautiful fish. Great job.

 

[cmaxwell39]

Really love all the corals, and that Gem Tank, what a beautiful fish. Great job.

Thanks. It is getting there. There are still some more fish, and definitely some more coral that I want, but I am pretty happy with how everything is going right now. Your tank seems to be stabilizing and getting ready to take off as well.

 

[cmaxwell39]

One final FTS for this year. Just an iPhone pic, but that's what I had time for.

Happy New Year everyone.

 

[cmaxwell39]

I have been negligent in updating this thread recently. Lots of reasons/excuses, but let me start with some iPhone pics of corals from today. Color rendition is not the best, but hey, it's something.

The end of last year was not great. My wife and I both had COVID around thanksgiving and it kicked my butt. Took me until after Christmas to get my normal energy back. Tank projects took a back seat. It got fed, and water changes (mostly) got done, but that was it. The tank held its own.

Right before getting COVID I got a drag pack from Coral Euphoria. They went into QT and sat there for 7+ weeks. They all survived QT, but parameters were not as stable as I would have liked during that time, so they all browned out.

I moved them to the display a couple of weeks ago, dipping them before entering the DT. Everything did fine except the SCOP which has been slowly STNing ever since. Still holding on by a thread, but I am not too confident that it is going to make it.

iPhone pic from today:

Most seem to be regaining color and I need to find them places on the rock work.

 

[cmaxwell39]

Few more pictures. Still just from the cell phone.

BC Sex Feast Milli:

Lost some color in it, but it had been growing really well. Earlier pic at top of this page from a few months ago for growth reference.

Carolina Reaper:

once again growth is taking off.

Finally, this one had all but died off, but it has made a full recovery. Never give up on a coral...

was sold to me as TCK Rainbow Fusion. Not sure if it is, but I am just happy with the recovery it has made.

 

[mattgsa]

Loving the new corals

 

[cmaxwell39]

Thanks. I guess I never listed what those corals are. In that order was Lime in the sky, JF Fox Flame, RMF psychoberry, Vivid leprechaun milli, ORA pearlberry, CE repunzal's escape, CE ice age granulosa, Arctic Freeze Stag, Oregon Tort, PC Rainbow, and SCOP. Unfortunately I lost the SCOP.

Was out of town most of last week. Thankfully, when checking the tank tonight after work (first time
everything looks to be doing well.

Here are a couple more pics I took with the phone a while ago but haven't posted yet.

BC Gilded Lily

Blueberry Granulosa

BC Last Supernova

One of these days I will actually get the good camera out and take some real pictures.

 

[mattgsa]

Thanks. I guess I never listed what those corals are. In that order was Lime in the sky, JF Fox Flame, RMF psychoberry, Vivid leprechaun milli, ORA pearlberry, CE repunzal's escape, CE ice age granulosa, Arctic Freeze Stag, Oregon Tort, PC Rainbow, and SCOP. Unfortunately I lost the SCOP.

Was out of town most of last week. Thankfully, when checking the tank tonight after work (first time
everything looks to be doing well.

Here are a couple more pics I took with the phone a while ago but haven't posted yet.

BC Gilded Lily

Blueberry Granulosa

BC Last Supernova

One of these days I will actually get the good camera out and take some real pictures.

Your pictures look a lot better than mine.

 

[cmaxwell39]

Your pictures look a lot better than mine.

Thanks. I do a little editing with the editing program on the phone just to remove some of the overly blue tones the phone camera pics up. My goal is always to accurately represent what I see with my eyes in my lighting.

Keep practicing and you will get better in no time.

 

[cmaxwell39]

A little update. Have had some aiptasa show up in the display. Tried to nuke them with F aiptasa, but some small ones have reappeared. I have always had luck with peppermint shrimp in the past, but since I put a Falco Hawk in have held off on adding them.

Reef Cleaners order went in yesterday. Includes ( peppermint shrimp. Plan is to try to fatten them up while in QT before adding them to the display in hopes that if they are larger when going in, the Falco won't bother them.

I also will be redoing at least part of the full siphon line on the plumbing. It has started to slow down to the point where I have to open the gate valve up to keep the emergency line dry. Eventually, once I have the gate valve all the way open and I am still getting some water down the emergency line I will run a snake down it and clear it out. Then I will have to close the gate valve 3 to 3.5 turns to adjust the level in the overflow box to the proper level again. Over the course of a month the flow through the main drain line will slow back down again.

I believe this is because of a fairly long (15-20 ft horizontal run in the plumbing. I never had the issue until I started dosing vodka so I think it is just building up with bacterial slime and slowing the flow down. I am going to up the pipe size of the section that is mostly horizontal to 1.5". I will also be placing some unions at strategic points to allow disassembly for clean out if it is ever needed in the future.

Other than that, I really need to get the camera out and take some pics that are better than what I can get with the phone. Maybe sometime soon.....

 

[cmaxwell39]

Got the reef cleaners order in earlier this week. Into QT they go...,

min the meantime, here is a pic from the phone that I grabbed tonight. Didn't turn out terrible. Will get the camera out soon and try to get some better pics.

 

[mattgsa]

Got the reef cleaners order in earlier this week. Into QT they go...,

min the meantime, here is a pic from the phone that I grabbed tonight. Didn't turn out terrible. Will get the camera out soon and try to get some better pics.

Beautiful fish!!!