Over the Edge

[cbort]

Hope everyone had an awesome Christmas Holiday!! Santa found our family, and once again spoiled my children! During the Xmas break, I picked up a new toy also....

Also, completed the "Tech box" and will begin installing the Apex. Should have the Elos System online soon and hopefully this will help with stability as temp, top off, and automatic water changes will all be controlled by the Apex. Here is a shot of how it came out.

 

[cbort]

Well...completing the Apex wiring is going to have to be a 2 night process. Tonight, all modules and power blocks have all been mounted. Apex Fusion is online and will begin the programming tomorrow.

 

[cbort]

While i am finishing up some of the wiring and plumbing, here are some shots of the display! Getting everything finished under the stand takes longer than expected with a 3 and 4 year old that are quick to give me a hand!

 

[DeniseAndy]

Kids love to "help". Mine used to "help" with water changes when they were little too. That time goes so fast.

 

[cbort]

Kids love to "help". Mine used to "help" with water changes when they were little too. That time goes so fast.

I do appreciate their interest in the reef! Love watching them get excited to point out the fish by name and listen to them tell me which coral is their favorite!

 

[cbort]

I've made a bit more progress on the tank. The Apex install is almost complete. All probes, modules, ATO, and probes are programmed and calibrated. I got the Avast kalk reactor connected to the ATO, ATO tank filled and tested, and the finishing touches minus the cabinet slide for the "Tech Box" finished up. The Apex head unit has been mounted via Velcro, and next I will mount the MP40Wqd controllers directly below it.

This set up has been slowed down a bit for a very good reason! My wife and I welcomed our 4th child into the world a few weeks ago. Reef2Reef, meet little Linkin Scott!!

 

[DeniseAndy]

Adorable, congrats!!!!

 

[cbort]

Adorable, congrats!!!!

Thanks! We definitely are blessed!

 

[cbort]

Some pictures of some of the new inhabitants. Picked up a Vlamingi Tang, Sailfin Tang, Pinktail Trigger, Premium Platinum/Premium Snow Flake Pair, a Rainbow Bubble Tip and a few new corals.

Wish i could capture the colors of this Rainbow Bubble Tip better. I completely understand now, why they label it as a "rainbow". I've always seen pictures of them and was never impressed, but this one has a ton of colors and has Hot Pink tips! Very very stunning in person! Hopefully it will split numerous times in the near future!

First SPS to enter the tank. Small colony that glows when the Blues and UV lights are on! I have only had short term success with SPS due to my personal life being busy and having inconsistent water parameters. Now that I am using the Apex, ATO and a skimmer that will continue to perform it's job, I am ready to try it again!

The Vlamingi Tang is stunning! My kids call her "sparkles" as her blue spots really pop under the Blues and UV LEDs. She has a lot of personality, and follows the Sailfin Tang around the tank all day!

The Sailfin tang is already the boss of the tank. She has drastically changed the tank! With all of the rock work, there are tons of hiding places, and the down side is, many of the fish don't come out unless it's feeding time. Now that she has taken up residence, she is out constantly begging for food and draws out the others!

 

[5altkreep]

Congrats on all of your new arrivals!

 

[cbort]

Congrats on all of your new arrivals!

Thanks!!

 

[cbort]

Tried to get a few more pics while the lights were still on...

The Orange Line Trigger is pretty shy. He is also pretty small, which makes him a bit nervous around the others. This picture is horrible, but I had to be quick!

The darn clowns have yet to leave the top corner of the tank. I actually moved the Rainbow Bubble Tip all the way up close by hoping they would eventually host it, and then i could move it down lower to draw them out of their corner. So far no such luck! These were the best shots that came out, the last picture is from the seller.

And lastly, since the Rainbow Bubble Tip is now moved up higher and closer to the glass, I was able to get a few decent shots with the flash to try to capture some of the colors better.

 

[cbort]

A few shots from tonight. Pulled out the Nikon and captured some better pics

And 1 quick shot of my "3 year-old non-photogenic" helper "Phoenix"

 

[cbort]

 

[cbort]

Made a bit more progress inside the cabinet tonight! Finished hard plumbing the drain lines, and added 1 of 2 Avast media reactors. Now to clean up all of the tubing, drill the sump for a couple bulkheads for the return tubing, finish the "tech enclosure", mount the QD controllers, and finish cleaning up the cabinet LEDs.......oh and empty the darn skimmer cup.... The Avast neck cleaner and waste collector are on the list of items still to order. I plan to upgrade my skimmer to a SKIMZ to match the system, just haven't decided on which model.

 

[cbort]

Did a bit of trading this weekend with some extra equipment....I traded an extra MP40wES for 41 Frags including a Walt Disney Acro. Got everything home and go figure, the only frag that did not travel well was the Walt Disney Acro.....:mad:

Here are some shots of the various items. Basically, he had about 28 Zoas that I didn't currently have, so we fragged and glued all of them. Then he also threw in 13 various SPS frags as well.

Here is 1 of 3 frag racks of zoas, with a Vamp morph in the center.

Here is the other 2 frag racks of zoas. 75% of them were open today. Hopefully the rest open in the next few days.

Some of the SPS

Not sure what this HOT Pink Cap is called, but loving the bright Yellow polyps! Amazing color combination! Not sure what the green SPS next to it is either. Has the coloration of a green slimmer, but not the same structure.

The very top right is the WD Acro I believe. It had some light colored polyps that were showing un the side closest to the frag disk, but it looks as though most of the skin is gone from the skeleton...

Not exactly sure the name on the center plug, but i am leaning towards a Red Planet. It is green/dark pink with darker polyps.

 

[cbort]

A few updated shots of the Elos....

 

[cbort]

A few more.....

Also, picked up a deal on some dry rock for a future project. Could pass up 4 buckets of rock for $40.00!

 

[cbort]

The left side of my tank has now become my zoa garden. 60+ zoa frags scattered throughout with lots of room to hopefully cover all of this area with bright colored zoas!

 

[Sully32]

I'll be tagging along to watch how the zoa garden progresses. I love how no two look the same with each one having it's own growth and pattern.