Louis' Cubic Adventure

[louist]

I know I haven't actually formally introduced myself to the members of this board, so here's a little about myself: I a 21 yo student studying BEng Bioinformatics & BSc Medical Immunology & Microbiology at UNSW. I have always been passionate about nature, and nature photography is my favourite escape (some of yous would have seen the photos in the photography forum already). My family used to have a large FO tank when I was a kid, but in those dark ages of home aquaria, we had more death than live fish.

At the end of 2005, I was given 2 female fighting fish after they finished using them for behavioural studies at uni, this had me interesting in the little biospheres that we are able to create in our homes. So that started the reseach. Two month later, I finally took the plunge and started shopping for equipment.

Many thanks to the good folks here on RC, I didn't ask any Q's, but did plenty of reading (as my brother eloquently put it, "You are addicted"). Still working on finish reading all the RK magazines, on 2004 at the moment, getting there!

This is my plan:
* Tank is 30x30x35cm (WxLxH) cube
* AquaClear 70 HOB filter modded into a refugium + surface skimmer
* AuqaPro 50w mini heater (sits inside the AC70)
* AquaClear 50 powerhead
* AquaMedic Oceanlight 150w HQI 20K
* 4Kg of live rocks
* shallow sand bottom
* Hagen Master test kit
* 2Kg of activated carbon
* Refractometer
* lots of corals (stocking list is still under debate)
* 1 single fish
* shrimp(s)

I would like to thank Ben from Age of Aquariums for his great customer services and great prices. The packaging was awesome and efficiency unparalleled.

Task 1: Modifying the Aquaclear 70 HOB filter into a refugium
Firstly, I removed the plastic filter media tray, and cut it apart. I used a blade because I couldn't justify paying for a Dremel. The bottom piece is going to be used as a grating across the filter's return to prevent things in the fuge from going into the tank (i.e. Caulerpa).

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3814.jpg

1 of the sides is cut so and glued to create a baffle between the pump area and the fuge.
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3812.jpg

This is then glued in all the way to the bottom:
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3813.jpg

From the top it looks like this:
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3815.jpg

A hole was drilling into the plastic cover of the filter to allow the heater to go in. This heater is a mini sized one, it's only about 2/3 of the normal length of a 50w heater. Only 10cm needs to be submerged.
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3824.jpg

Everything in, water test!
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3820.jpg

Surface skimming attachment:
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3821.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3828.jpg

FTS (full tank shot):
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3827.jpg

The tank is currently sitting on my computer table. I still have to order the light. I am just waiting for some ans. from Simon and Rosalie of OceanReef Aquariums. Currently I am planning on attaching it to the underside of the furniture that goes over the top of the tank. Hopefully it will fit.

Any comments/critiques will be greatly appreciated!

[louist]

UPDATE: The tank is now populated with approx 4Kg of live rocks, aquascaping is almost there, but I couldn't see what I was doing, so I am sure it would be changed. Found 2 hitchhikers already, there's a small brittle star that's doing circuits around the tank, there's a tube worm of some sort, some pink sponge thingy and some sorry looking xenia.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Very nice start. I like the idea of using the sides of the media basket to add the baffle to the AC filter. I cut a sheet of plexi for mine, and used the media basket as a screen to keep the macro from getting into the main tank.

Are you going to paint the back of that tank?

[TheUltimateNoob]

very nice. what is the surface skimmer attached to? the powerhead or the AC70 intake?

[louist]

Currently I have no plans in painting the back, going to let the rocks and corals cover that from the front.

The surface skimming attachment is connected to the intake of the AC70. I had to fiddle with it, you can control it by controlling the amount of air trapped under the rim of the skimming part.

[aural]

VERY nice louist. I cant wait to see the progress on this tank. keep us updated :)

[louist]

I just ordered the light from Chris of Nanotuners. I got myself an AquaMedic Oceanlight 150w HQI with mounting legs. It should be here in a few days, I can't wait!

I will take some photos of the aquascaping when I get home tonight, hopefully the water would have cleared up nicely.

For the impatient ones, here's a photo of what it would look like.
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/forum/IMG_2885.JPG

[TheUltimateNoob]

i hope you are going to have a huge fan blowing over that tank because i foresee a huge heat issue.

[this is me]

Good luck louis.
look like a nice set up. And yes, the halide is gonna heat up the tank.

[aural]

150 watt wont give him huge heat issues. not with an open top like his will.

the light looks really cool - what spectrum bulb are you going to use? 14k?

[louist]

Thanks for the concern guys, I did consider that. I will install PC fans if needed, however it will be open top, and my fan in the room runs 24/7 during summer, so there will be airflow all the time.

I ordered the 20K light, it's the AB 20K DE, I'll see how I like it when it arrives. The selection of bulbs here in Australia isn't as good as it is in the States unfortunately.

[TheUltimateNoob]

i was just speaking from experience. i had a 250w DE aquamedic oceanlight hanging 18" (a lot further away than yours) over my 29g w/ 30g sump/refugium (larger volume of water) and i had to have a regular house fan (the big ones like 1-1.5 ft in diameter) constantly blowing over the surface of the tank and my temp was still hovering around 80. just giving you the heads up. :)

[this is me]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6542069#post6542069 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by louist
Thanks for the concern guys, I did consider that. I will install PC fans if needed, however it will be open top, and my fan in the room runs 24/7 during summer, so there will be airflow all the time.

I ordered the 20K light, it's the AB 20K DE, I'll see how I like it when it arrives. The selection of bulbs here in Australia isn't as good as it is in the States unfortunately.

Have you consider the phenix 14k? great bulb with a great price.
I ran AB 10k with Actinic before but just switched to 14k and the color is just amazing. I dont even have to turn on my actinic.

[louist]

Have you consider the phenix 14k?
I have actually, that would be the first bulb I get if it turned out I don't like the 20K. I am also going with a highef K rating bulb so the light won't be overly intense. i.e. 10K bulbs.

Here's the aquascaping. My apologies for the cloudy water, the LFS only just got these LR, so plenty of die offs :( but also lots of interesting critters
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3848.jpg

A red sponge. I got about 4 of these, they close their tubes when disturbed.
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3842.jpg

A clam of some sort. He's very shy, and will close if there's change of light intensity. If anyone has any info on this little critter I would really appreciate it.
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3838.jpg

Will try and locate the brittle star so I can get a photo, and there are also a few feather dusters (red and white).

I had to adjust the rocks a few times because the PH was blowing the sand everywhere. Now it's all good with the PH on full.
Any comment/critique appreciated.

[Gili]

Off to a great start mate! You managed to get some great live rock - I was under the impression live rock was banned in Aust so im glad its not the case - I hope you have A/C as the temp fluctuations in summer may be rather large... ive heard of people modifying those cheap mini-bar fridges as chiller units...

[Gili]

Have a look at this site: http://www.aqua-terra-vita.com

This guy has an awesome mini biotope

[louist]

You managed to get some great live rock
Thanks, those rocks only arrived at the LFS that morning. I suppose the price I pay is the longer cycling time.

I was under the impression live rock was banned in Aust so im glad its not the case
I think rocks from overseas would not be allowed since Australian quaranten laws are very strict. I've heard that the LR here are all from Queensland and Western Australia, so they are native.

Currently planning a cooling solution. I am either going to go with a chiller (most likely a AquaMedia Titan) or a DIY cooling element with peltier element.

[louist]

Some update: The scrubbing of the rocks turn out well.

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3872.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3875.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3867.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3866.jpg

[shouldabenacowboy]

I like your setup......nice job on the AC70 mod ;)

SBC

[aural]

lookin really good louist - that cube is hella-sweet

[louist]

Thanks SBC and Aural.

I am ordering a CookWorks IceProbe off Ebay and plumbing that into the HOB filter to chill the tank. It has 50W of chilling power, which should be enough for this tank. There's no plans for a temp control unit for the chiller yet, I am sure the heater + light will balance the chiller. I am going to plumb it into the lid of the HOB filter.

Draws 12V DC, ~50W of cooling power, able to cool 40 liters by 4 to 5 degrees C. Do you guys think that should be enough for the tank (~34 liters).

[aural]

my conversions arent great, but 34 liters is just under 10 gallons (i think), and the coolworks website lists that 1 chiller can drop 10 gallons of water 6-8 degrees. I'd say you will have plenty of chilling power.

[Carl_in_Florida]

I just wanted to give you kudos for being bright enough to scrub the rock instead of letting it funk up the whole tank like I did when I got started.

Looks like a great start.

Carl

[louist]

Here's a small photo update:

The feared apstasia:
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3901.jpg

Unknown organism/sponge of some sort:
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3908.jpg

Closeup of a macro algae's leave:
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3920.jpg

Pearls of the Sea - the gaseous product of photosynthesis
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3921.jpg

I have installed a 8cm fan to blow across the water, it seems to counter the halide's heat pretty well. I've installed a "quick release" system for the fan so it can be removed when I need to take the light off for tank maintenance. Some photos will be following soon!

The little hitchhiking clam has moved out of his little den, and is now hanging out near the top, right in the path of the powerhead, smart little fellow. Fan worms are popping up everywhere, some with very funky "fans", and I spot a few tiny apstasias too.

Current tank specs:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 1.6mg/L
Nitrate: >110mg/L
Phosphate: 2.5mg/L
pH: 8.2
SG: 1.027

[louist]

The cooler arrived today! Here's some photos, now I just need to figure out if I need to put a resistor on the fan's power, or is the little thing on the side already a resistor?

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3927.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3932.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3934.jpg

The 8cm fan I wired up with a 12V DC 300mA PSU. I used a little plastic nut to protect the wire joint. Each wire is insulated by hot glue.
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3938.jpg

The quick release made from velcro cable ties.
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3939.jpg


OK, anyone know what kind of (macro)algae this is? Their tips are blue. Bad or good?
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3940.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_3942.jpg

No one has any comments? :D

[tomcoleman]

i have a Mirabello 30 Tank Size: 43 x 27 x 35cm (17'' x 11'' x 14'')
Will the AquaMedic Oceanlight 150w fit my tank?
where can i get them from ?

[louist]

The AquaMedic mounting legs only extends to around 29cm, I did a quick mod to allow it to span the whole 30cm. It could go as far as 35cm, but 43 would be too wide unfortunately! You could hang it though.

I got mine from Chris, of Nanotuners. Great services and awesome light.

[louist]

I am afraid I have potentially very bad news! I flick on the light, and there it was! an isopod! it swam around then dug itself under a rock and disappeared.

Reading on RC, I can say its exterior anatomy is that of a Cirolanid Isopod, I can only hope it is a scavanging variety and not a parasitic one. I would hate to nuke the tank and restart, since treating this bug is very difficult.

However, I might leave the tank fishless for maybe 3 month and see what happens, my original plan was for an invert tank anyway.

Here's an article from Reef Keeping Mag that's good reading:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-05/rs/index.htm

The little guy is a great swimmer and digger, I doubt I can catch him with a net. Apparently they are nocternal, and detach from their host when light comes on, and they come out of hiding when the lights go off again, therefore some people never realise they have these bugs.

I am quite p***ed off about this because the tank just entered the nitrite/nitrate cycling stage, and I been waiting to add a cleanup crew!

On the up side though, the rocks came with an awesome hitchhiker! I believe it's a coral from the Siderastrea genus of the Order of Scleractinia. These corals are rarely collected because of difficulties in removing them from their attached rock. Mine is an orangy pink color and around 8cm in diameter. These corals are known to tolerate extreme conditions and dubbed "almost invincible". Mine has tolerated through cycling conditions with ammonia conc greater than 1.6mg/L, nitrite of 1.6mg/L and nitrate >110mg/L. This little guy came to me totally bleached and recovered to full glory in less than a month!

[louist]

Oh I get it! You guys are not replying to my thread because you are applying peer pressure and see if I would hurry up an get some corals! :D :D

Well corals you want? Coral you shall have! Allow me to present you Siderastrea sp.!! Came as a hitchhiker on the LR and survive through chemical hell only to come back in full glory as a testiment to its invincibility.
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4413.jpg

Sorry I lied, they are not all corals. You tell me what this is?!
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4418.jpg

The tri-tunicate, hopefully it hasn't been ID'ed, then I can publish a paper on it :D
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4411.jpg

Nitrate and nitrite are crashing, so a cleanup crew would soon be introduced.

Is it just me, or have you guys and girls also noticed that I tend to take photos of the strangest things in my tank? Who would have known a tank of LR is so much fun?!

[rbrice020378]

These are some awesome pictures. Can you share with us what type of camera you are using?

Nice setup by the way. I love the Chiller Probe can you post a picture of it in place?

[Surfzup2k4]

Also, the "Red sponge" in the second pics of the rock is actually a Sea Squirt, also called a tunicate. :) Looks great, goodluck with the awesome looking tank.

[fishinbuc]

Looks great. Awesome photos.

[louist]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6729617#post6729617 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rbrice020378
These are some awesome pictures. Can you share with us what type of camera you are using?

Nice setup by the way. I love the Chiller Probe can you post a picture of it in place?
Hey thanks for the nice words :) I shoot these with a Canon EOS 10D with 180mm macro lens and a 25mm extension tube if the organism is especially small. I shoot everything with a sutrdy tripod. I usually turn the powerhead and filter off during photo shoots.

I am plumbing the chiller in this weekend, I have been discussing the wiring with my mechtronics friend to make sure I don't cook anything or burn the house down! I will post photos then, but it will basically go on the lid of the AC70.

[louist]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6729687#post6729687 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Surfzup2k4
Also, the "Red sponge" in the second pics of the rock is actually a Sea Squirt, also called a tunicate. :) Looks great, goodluck with the awesome looking tank.
LOL yes, sharp eye there. I have been corrected many times, and still haven't got around to fixing that error! Will do that now. Sadly, Mr Tunicate isn't with us anymore, I was a little too aggressive with the brushing when I took all the LR out and gave them a clean.

It was a cool looking thing though! However, now I have translucent ones!

[vanmo92]

nice

[louist]

The tank hs finally cycled! I added 1 turbo, 1 astrea and 1 hermit. The snails have since mowed through the algae like there's no tomorrow, in fact I am almost worried that they will starve in the long run?! Now they are taking a break, must be too full!

Wiring the peltier cooler: The peltier draws 60W of power @ 12DV, which means it will need a power supply that's capable of 5A of power. I got a PSU that's designed for car and personal coolers that meets that rating. In reality, the peltier draws 4A, and the fan draws 350mA, so I am still within spec.
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4473.jpg

The black object on the side of the heatsink is a thermal cutout that will turn the peltier off in case the fan fails.
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4474.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4475.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4488.jpg

Gorgonia
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4504.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4518.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4519.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4525.jpg

Goniopora that came with the Gorgonia. They are both sitting on a piece of large tunicate! I feed these guys the Hikari brime shrimps.
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4508.jpg

Last but not least, welcome the new resident of nanoville! He's a male Synchiropus Pictures that's on frozen food already. I am working on traning him to eat sinking pallets too. Wish me luck!
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4516.jpg

Cooling capability:
Time - Tank temp - fan/peltier on? - ambient temp - light on?
12:08PM - 28.5 - both ON - 29.0 - light OFF
12:50PM - 28.0 - both ON - 29.0 - light ON
13:20PM - 28.5 - both ON - 30.5 - light ON
14:00PM - 29.0 - both ON - 31.5 - light ON
15:35PM - 30.0 - both ON - 32.0 - light ON
16:52PM - 30.0 - both ON - 32.0 - light ON

[BelowH20]

Cool tank set-up, and great photos. Good luck with the mandarin as well, they are difficult in small tanks.

[louist]

Thanks BelowH20, I am trying to feed the little guy as often as I can, and hence that's why I am trying to setup a feeder thingie for him so that he gets a more constant supply of frozen food, it also means that he gets to take his time eating. They are not the most aggressive feeders by a long way.

He's isn't going into the Mandarin Diner yet.

[rbrice020378]

That freakin' rocks, awesome Ice Probe you give me hope on doing up my 12 and a 5.5 and being able to keep them cool.

[louist]

That's why I "data logged" the cooling capability and posted it here. The IceProbe is really only useful for counteracting temperature generated by equipment, and especially useful when your fan is already doing everything it can but you still need that 1 extra degree of pull down.

Thanks for looking. The Gorgonia loves a sand bottom stirring and it comes out to feed with full forth when I blow the rocks down before a water change.

[kase]

more pic..ahahah i am going crazy for pics..i hate my self for getting into this hobby....lol..love the tank dude..i think i want a 10g for the desk now..it like a drug..keep on wanting more..damn..i like it..

[louist]

Some update:
I have stocked the tank with these corals this weekend:
1x Sinulria sp.
1x green+orange zooanthid
1x orange Dendronephthya
1x corallimorphian (came attached to the zoos)

The Dendronephthya will be fed the 5-50micron golden pearls with other mixture of food much like the Gorgonia.

In addition, the litle Mandarin is now feeding with earnest! I add garlic to his frozen food and he loves it! Now I know how parents feel when their skinny kid is eating! Smile

I have also done a quick rearrangement of the rocks to provide more estate for corals.

Lastly, I have wired up a cold cathod for a moonlight, this allows me to see what no good my hermit gets up to during the night. The snail ate the beautiful red macro algae that came with the dendro, I was quite upset with him!

#1: FTS!
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4530.jpg

#2: A hitchhiking worm, looks more like a coral snake to me! Guy's tiny
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4527.jpg

#3: The unsung heros of reef aquarium! He does produce a lot of waste though.....
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4529.jpg

#4: Dendronephthya
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4539.jpg

#5: Green/orange Zooanthids
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4540.jpg

[louist]

#6: Gorgonia
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4542.jpg

#7: Sinularia sp.
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4544.jpg

#8: More Dendronephthya
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4545.jpg

#9: Even more Dendronephthya
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4550.jpg

#10: Zooanthid closeups!
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4555.jpg

#11: Growing Goniopora, seems to like eating shrimps
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4559.jpg

[louist]

Let there be moonlight!

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4561.jpg

[alien9168]

very nice!

Where did u get the cube?

-alien

[louist]

Where did u get the cube?
I purchased the tank here, locally in Sydney. It's made by one of the local aquarium manufacturer here.

All glass, 30x30x35 LxWxH, with rounded front corner as you can see. I don't like braced corners or silliconed ones for the front. Not on a nano anyway.

[jasutton]

Dendronephthya

are they hard to keep??

[smy168]

WOW...niice tank and great pics!

[louist]

Dendronephthya

are they hard to keep??
Good reading right here on RC:
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=524097

SY: Thanks!

I received the golden pearls today. My little Mandarin isn't interested in it, but the Dendro showed strong feeding responses to the 5-50micron one. Today I also scrapped down the glass, to which the tank looked like a phyto reactor :D This elicited strong feeding response from both the Dendro and the Gorgonia.

[alien9168]

Thanks for the link louist! :D

-alien

[louist]

The Zooanthids are growing a few new polyps and the Sinuria is getting bigger too (I hope it doesn't get toooo big).

Got 2 new pieces of coral today:
1x Favites
1x Tubastraea

It's a Favites sp. rather than a Favid sp. because some coralites share the same wall.

#1: FTS:
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4565.jpg

#2: Tubastraea, I am still open to suggestions regarding what this one is, might not be a Tubastraea, but the colony structure looks right.
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4566.jpg

#3: Upd photo of my Gorgonia with a rapidly expanding Goniopora in the foreground.
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4567.jpg

#4: The new Favites
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_4569.jpg

[louist]

Correction, #2 is actually a Duncanopsammia sp..

[hooterhead]

thats a nice pagoda you got there! sweet tank mate.

[louist]

Quick Update:
I decided that frozen gut loaded brine isn't making my little mandarin as fat as I want him to be, so I changed him to a frozen mysis diet (Hikari). He loves the mysis!

I also added 3 small shrimps, but they all disappeared :rolleyes: They are not eaten, but probably all hanging out in the caves. That's a waste of money :doh:

Last but not least, welcome the new tennant! A tank bred Hippocampus barbouri, she's on mysis as well.

#1:
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_5369.jpg

#2:
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_5373.jpg

#3: She's yawning, getting bored of the photo shoot. Who would have thought that seahorses have a 2nd mouth?!
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_5374.jpg

[wsc]

Really cool tank and awesome photos.... I probably missed it but what camera are you using?

[aural]

looking great Louis! i REALLY like the Favites and the Gorgonia. both are steller pieces.

wsc: i believe he uses a Canon 10D w/ 180mm Macro lens.

[alien9168]

Just curious, do You find that the Aquaclear 50 is too much flow for your horses? I have one in my 30 with my Erectus and they dont like the flow it creates. Thanx. :D

-alien

[louist]

WSC: I am using a Canon EOS 10D with 180mm macro lens for these shots.

Aural: Thanks! The Favites is growing back now, it was handled very roughly at the LFS and the edges were all bleached. It loves mysis though!

Alien: I have my AC50 turn right down, with the "reverse flow" thingie on slightly, further reducing the flow. The PH is aimed directly at the Dendronephthya. I find the SH handles it well, in fact she likes to "hitch" a ride on the current when she wants to move from the Gorgonia to the Sinularia, then to rear right, then back to Gorgonia in a clockwise fashion.

Photo update!

#1:
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_5850.jpg

#2:
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_5854.jpg

#3:
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_5855.jpg

#4:
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_5865.jpg

#5:
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_5877.jpg

[alien9168]

thanks louist- I turn the ph down the same way. :D

Thanks for the clarification. Your sh's and tank look amazing btw! :)

-alien

[louist]

My first Gorgonia is growing well, so I added the second one. With daily target feeding, I hope they thrive!

Here are some tank updates:

#1: Some sort of cool looking macro algae
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_6306.jpg

#2: My hitchhiking Goniopora, growing well. Its stalk is very short.
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_6388.jpg

#3: My female Barb, doing well, she's fattening up nicely.
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_6397.jpg

#4: Closeup of Duncanopsomia
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_6403.jpg

#5: FTS after adding more sand and WC
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_6412.jpg

#6: Left side
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_6414.jpg

#7: Right side
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_6415.jpg

#8: New zoanthids, a couple of different ones in there, including a cool fluro orange skirt + fluro orange center.
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_6417.jpg

#9: Old zoanthids
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_6418.jpg

#10: Same macro as #1, and Gorgonia
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_6420.jpg

[Mikeeal]

I'm really enjoying your choice in corals. It looks great. Your photography is fantastic as well. Very nice work.

[CamBarr]

nice

[alien9168]

Sice sea fan! :)

and photography! :)

[klhscooter]

Hi Louis,
I don't know what it is but I must say that your pictures are fabulous !

[louist]

Some photos from tonight, it's getting late and I am getting sloppy :D

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_0850.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_0864.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_0868.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_0871.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_0877.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_0890.jpg

[louist]

Some updates:

The tank is turning into a SPS nano. There's 2 main colonies of Acro, 2 Montipora (same one, but fragged) and a pink Pocillopora.

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1236.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1239.jpg

[fishes2889]

WOW. all i can say is WOW. That is the best photography ive ever seen on this site. awesome job dude.

Steve

[swingdaddy]

louis,
sweet setup. keep up the good work.

[Steven0000]

be careful
i have the same power head and
it ate both of my shrimp!

[louist]

Guys, thanks for the nice words, I am glad you guys enjoy the photography and the tank.

Steven0000, I will keep that in mind. I do have the PH turned down all the way so there's isn't much strong suction.

Do you guys think it will be too cramped if I add a sixline wrass? Bioloading is fine currently. 0 everything.

[fishes2889]

I think it would be on the edge. I wouldnt do it myself because of the seahorse so slow to eat, the sixline might gobble it up before he gets there. but thats just me. love the photography(again)=). How much was the camera???700$ im thinking??Keep us updated.

Steve

[louist]

Steve, that's what I was thinking too. Some people said their sixline is a bit of a bully. My mandarin can be quite competitive with the frozen mysis, she pecks the seahorse if the seahorse takes the piece she's been eyeing.

I shoot with a 10D and a 180mm macro lens, so actually, it's a bit more than $700 :P, but you are not far off. The 10D is dirty cheap these days, considering it's 2 generations out of date. Mine's falling apart with all the use, one day it will get upgraded :D

[Timothy01]

wow nice tank....suprized that mandrain is doing do well in such a small tank. you've got to have alot of exp. to be playing with a mandrain and sea horses in such a small set up

[Steven0000]

i love your tank i wish i had one like that
no $

[Kennyboy1984]

All I can say is "that is one of the most gorgeous small tanks i've seen". You really know how to aquascape! Also your coral selection and pictures are amazing. How many gallons is that?

[louist]

Timothy: The key to success with a Mandarin fish is not the size of the tank, but what the mandarin is eating. Mine is fed frozen mysis twice a day, and she eats with it relish. When I just purchased her, she was on frozen brine (enriched with spirulina), but wasn't exactly "pigging out". I switched her to mysis after I got the seahorse. I eventually realised that the the little guy will only take mysis that's been freshly defrosted, i.e. if it's been through the defrost/freeze process more than once, then she just spit i back out. Having a seahorse (captive bred, also on frozen) and a Tubastraea really helps, because my mysis turn-over is now very high, so everyone gets fresh food everyday.

[louist]

Some photo updates:

#1: My Squamosa
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1260.jpg

#2: Pink Pocillopora
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1302.jpg

#3: Fluro green Acropora, this thing literally glows!
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1329.jpg

#4: Fluro green Acropora
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1330.jpg

#5: Pink Pocillopora with sky blue polyps (different from #2)
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1328.jpg

[Timothy01]

it's very difficult to get a mandrian to eat anything other then live food. not just my belief ( tried this before) but also widley known in the hobby. your a lucky man if you can get it to eaat frozen food

[Pattylucylaura]

Man great tank and wonderful pics.

[NanoManMaster]

hey could u explain how the surface skimmer works im not really gettin how it works

thanks

-Tim

[Break122704]

are you running any cheato on the AC

[Steven0000]

me either i dont understand how water passes through the skimmer then into the HOB

[demeyer2]

surface skimmers hook up to HOB filters or powerheads so build-ups do not occur on the surface.

Awesome tank! Best nano I've ever seen!!!

[mdt178]

stunningly beautiful pictures.
what happened to the gorgonia and dendro?

[jerbosreef]

Awsome little tank, looks great!!

[DarkXerox]

Nice pictures! That last one is a blue stylophora, I've got one that is very similar.

It might actually be possible to add pellets to its diet via Melev's "mandarin diner". I know he still has his pairs (although might have lost one) and they eat prepared food as well.

http://www.melevsreef.com/mandarin_diner.html

Check out the video at the bottom too, that is the best part haha :D

[louist]

The Gorgs didn't make it, one was loved to death by the seahorse, and one got attacked by a cotton like brown algae that was impossible to rid.

I have tried feeding my mandarin pellet food, but she spits it out unfortunately.

Super macro update:

#1: Angry Goniopora
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1357.jpg

#2: Goniopora
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1359.jpg

#3
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1375.jpg

#4
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1378.jpg

#5
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1381.jpg

#6
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1382.jpg

#7
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1385.jpg

#8
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1387.jpg

[DarkXerox]

Wow! Jeez, I need to step up my photography since I have the same camera haha. However it is with the canon 100mm lens rather than your 180mm. Needed it to be a little more portable ;) .

[Lacrosseboss18]

Wow you def put a lot of work into that tank and it shows

[louist]

Thanks to Terri, now I have 2 extra species of Tubastraea in my tank. They are tiny, but eager to feed, I am feeding them twice a day, which just correspond to the fish feeding schedules.

Here are some extra photos for viewing pleasure:

#1: Vermetid snail that's on the side of my clam. Quality isn't that it's suppose to be, but I don't want to move the clam (shot angled to glass).
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1401.jpg

#2: Flash the Goniopora and look what you get!
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1404.jpg

#3:
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1467.jpg

#4:
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1472.jpg

#5:
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1469.jpg

#6:
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1473.jpg

[DarkXerox]

Ok so I have to ask how you are taking these photos? I assume tripod, no pumps on, cleaned glass etc.

But what settings are you using on the camera (and what setting on the dial, shutter speeds, aperture size, etc) since I have the same model. Also are you shooting in RAW format and editing the color in photoshop?

I'd just like to get somewher near the clarity and light levels in your photos!

[louist]

DarkXerox: Tripod or improvised support for corners that tripods can't get into, pumps off and my glass is always clean :D

Shutter speed and aperture isn't all that relevant since each shot is different. I use the "zone system" to determine exposure. I shoot in RAW and process in PS. The colors you see are an accurate portrail of the real stuff.

The tank has come a long way since my last update. I also went back and edited out all the IMG tags so that this page loads faster. If you still wish to see the photos, just click on their respective links.

#1: Abelone which came as a hitchhiker
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1680.jpg

#2: Top left with seastar
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1837.jpg

#3: Blue Acropora
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1838.jpg

#4: flubber
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1842.jpg

#5: Green Zoanthids
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1843.jpg

#6: Orange & purple Montipora
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1845.jpg

[louist]

#7: Green Montipora
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1846.jpg

#8: Newly acquired blue/green Montipora
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1847.jpg

#9: Pink Pocillopora
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1848.jpg

#10: Red/Green Echinopora
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1858.jpg

#11: Newly acquired blue/green Montipora
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1859.jpg

#12: FTS
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_1865.jpg

[shanebc21]

Nice nano! Do you spot feed your sun polyps? They look super healthy! Where are they placed in your tank as far as lighting and current? It looks like with the two power heads, high current. And ceter of tank with no shade, hight light. Care level in most books and recomended by distibuters are low light and med current. But, by the looks of yours that might not be the case. Ive kept many dificult corals with succes, but Ive never had any sun polyps because I didnt think I had a place in my tank were they would thrive. Might be my next purchace. How long have you had them?

[louist]

Shaneebc21: Yes the Tubastraea gets fed with mysis every night. The colony is approx. 20cm from 150w MH and my tank has around 40x turnover.

Bourneman's book stated that Tubastraea don't need light since they are not photosynthetic, but that doesn't mean they can't tolerate high light intensity. In fact, they have been found on reefs too. However, I would avoid putting a colony under high light if it is still recovering since algae might take over.

A good current will also flush away the waste from the colony since they do eat a lot! A wel fed Tubastraea should look plump all the time.

Glad you like the tank :)

[louist]

it has been a freaking long time since I bothered to update this journal since it wasn't really generating much interest. However, some people seems to be interested, so here's the latest update:

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2230.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2232.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2235.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2238.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2240.jpg

[louist]

A few changes:
1. The old clam is gone, Christian (PranK) bought it and it is now replaced with a new T. squamosa
2. The large green colony of Acropora sp. is now in axeman's tank, and in exchange he gave me quite a few very nice frags!

I spent 2.5h at Anthony just looking at his tank and having a good chat. Thanks for the frags my friend!

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2251.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2254.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2255.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2261.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2263.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2265.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2267.jpg

[louist]

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2273.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2274.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2276.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2279.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2282.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2286.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2298.jpg

[louist]

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2300.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2304.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2305.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2310.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2311.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2313.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2319.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2324.jpg

[dangpride]

OMG, your tank is just so amazing. thats def the sweetest nano tank ive seen so far!

10/10 points

[fishes2889]

NANO of the month......wait of the YEAR!!

thumbs up for louist!

Steve

[lgoins]

As always, you have one of the best nano-sps tanks I've ever seen. It looks like you got some really nice frags in the trade. I look forward to seeing your tank and the grow out.

[mrbncal]

Job well done LouisT !!!!!

[MarineGirl411]

I can't believe this tank is even real. It's beauty is remarkable. Will your acropora's and clam eventually outgrow your tank? This is the most beautiful nano. Sheesh. I really cannot believe it's beauty! You must have spent a fortune. If only mine could look that good in the future. Wow. Was this your first nano?

[louist]

:D MarineGirl, you are too generous with your words!

Will your acropora's and clam eventually outgrow your tank
Acropora, no. They will be fragged if they shade the ones lower down, and I'll use them as frags in trades, or just give them away to budding reefers. I give my zoanthids away all the time.

The clam on the other hand will outgrow the tank. It serves me 3 purposes: 1 it looks good while it's at the right size. 2 it supposedly consumed nitrate in the water. 3. When it gets too big, I'll sell it and buy an even more colorful one :D

You must have spent a fortune
I don't exact keep a log book, but one must keep in mind that corals are cheap in Australia. We really need to work hard to get nice pieces, but here in Syd, no one in their right mind would fork out more than USD$40 for a colorful fist-sized colony. We are just not used to expensive corals. I do a lot of trading with fellow reefers, but I also have the advantage of being able to offer some tank photography in return for a few nice frags. I guess I have been "brought up" by the people with mature tanks and are generous with frags and thus I tend to give overflows away too. No big deal.

This is my first nano, first fish tank ever in fact.

[kase]

how offen do you do water changes and are you dosing cal and alk? how do you keep them stable for sps?

i am start a new nano, thinking of try some sps, but i am wondring how to keep up with the cal and alk levels from growth?

does that sound right?

love the tank.

[waynemk]

Very impressive for a first effort. I assume computational biology doesn’t involve a lot of husbandry.

How happy are you with the top mount of the thermoelectric chiller. I just got one myself and assumed I would drill for it. Does that last half inch at the base get cold?

[louist]

how offen do you do water changes and are you dosing cal and alk? how do you keep them stable for sps?
I do a 30% WC every weekend. I dose the equivalent of 15ppm of calcium + almost 60mg/L of carbonate per day. This maintains the Ca at 420ppm and kH at 120ppm. This will soon to switched over to kalk because dosing 2 separate things is just a pain, and was a lot of hassle to find the balancing point. I expect the kalk to provide further stability, but I will start when I get a replacement kH and Ca test kit.

I assume computational biology doesn’t involve a lot of husbandry.
:D I am also a medical microbiologist and immunologist. Thank god I am not looking after any mammalian cells lines at the moment, the research assistants do that :D

How happy are you with the top mount of the thermoelectric chiller. I just got one myself and assumed I would drill for it. Does that last half inch at the base get cold?
I got mine off Ebay without the controller for something like USD$45 so I say it is $45-worth-it, but if I had to pay retail, then I would say don't bother, just add another fan. The advantage of the IceProbe is the chiling effect without evaporation. I use it in combination with a 80mm fan and they do a good job. I do leave the lights off during mid day if the weather man predicts a mid 30's C.

IMHo, people stress too much about temperature. My tank has hit 30.5C on many occassions without any issue. None of the SPS even appeared stressed, the tank just carried on with their daily business as per usual. I think I got more aggitated than they did!

Have any of you seen one of the latest research on SPS bleaching mechanisms? Temperature isn't actually the direct cause of bleaching. Higher temperature causes particular strains of Vibrio sp to express virulence factors, and thus infecting the coral tissue, leading to bleaching. If you have a SPS colony without these strains of pathogens, even at 31-32C there's no bleaching event. If you look at the ocean temperature distribution around the Indo Pacific, you will see that during summer, the water reaches around 30 even down to 10m. I'll post back when I find the citation for that research paper.

[lgoins]

Do you still have the blue green montipora? If so, how has the growth been?

[waynemk]

That would be awesome. I admit to having a psychotic aversion to temp fluctuations. I have a closed loop pump that does nothing but heat the water and am getting the chiller to allow me to run it (hopefully) full time. OK, it also does +900 gph into a 20g display in addition to the 500 gph main pump. I have not let it run full time to see where it would max out. I have it turn off at ±0.1C. Currently I let it run 6min on / 24min off. I have been hung up on temp without any good reason/study. I guess it’s that I am sure there is something out there that we don’t know about that is less than ideal and stresses the inhabitants. If there is a parameter I can control then why not? Temp is relatively easy.

Maybe I'm splitting hairs, but even if the host isn’t directly affected by temp fluctuations and secondary organisms become pathogenic, isn’t that the same thing? I definitely subscribe to the theory that pathogens are always in situ and over stressing hosts allows them to express.

I do have auto top off to keep salinity steady and like the idea of keeping evaporation minimized. That way the 5 gallon bucket could last 4 weeks rather than 2.

Not looking to go at it with you, glad you like the probe and are comfortable with big swings. Does the entire length of the probe get cold? I can always just plug mine in and see, but figured you might know. Plus, serious props on the tank.

[louist]

Wayne, sure, it's your tank and people should just do whatever they feel comfortable with (with animals ethics and all in mind etc). If it works for you, then it works for yo.

Personally, because of my training and being a cynic, I only do things if I can justify it with some scientific/logical sense. I.e. I have not yet seen an "addictive" that convinces me to buy it (i.e. Prodibio, Zeovit etc).

Maybe I'm splitting hairs, but even if the host isn’t directly affected by temp fluctuations and secondary organisms become pathogenic, isn’t that the same thing? I definitely subscribe to the theory that pathogens are always in situ and over stressing hosts allows them to express.
Actually no, that's not the same thing. Pathogens are not always in situ. My previous point being that if there isn't a pathogenic strain, increased temperature doesn't neccessarily cause bleaching events. The GBR reaches 30C during mid day in summer, and anyone who goes diving will also tell you the large variations in water temperature.

I have discussed this issue with a marine biologist (and very successful reefer) regarding this issue and he also feels it is overrated.

The entire length of the probe goes cold, in fact it does quite cold. I suspect the AC70 might be moving water too fast for it to be operating at its max efficiency. Perhaps a slower moving HOB would be more suitable.

Lgoins: Yes I still have it. It's growing well, and it's a dark olive green from above, but violet color from the side. The coloration varies very wildly, there's brown, gold, blue and fluro green. It's actually hard to say what color it is.

[louist]

Introducing......................................................... yellow fungia!

Don't ask me how much I paid for it, I have already forgotten, and prefer not to remember! There were 2 there when I arrived.

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2336.jpg

[maxxII]

Louis,
I'm very impressed with the simple beauty and elegence of your nano. Thank you for sharing it with us, it shows that nano tanks can compete with the larger tanks quite easily.

How is the Kalk working out for you?

Nick

[louist]

Nick, thanks for that! I am still working out the right mixing and dosing methodologies. The kalkwasser I was mixing wasn't saturated and thus I began to add vinegar to the bottle. I am going to give it a few runs, I am sure all the little problems will be ironed out soon. It's so expensive on the test kits though, I might burn through another set of Ca and kH test kit before the end of this :(

These were all taken after lights out.

Focusing the was the main issue, but you get by :thumbsup:

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2399.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2405.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2431.jpg

[louist]

Another photo update!!

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2446.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2447.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2448.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2449.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2450.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2455.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2459.jpg

[louist]

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2467.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2471.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2474.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2480.jpg

http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2481.jpg

[divecj5]

Simply amazing as always Louis. Coming from someone that had a love for photography long before this hobby, I admire your macro skills and aspire (once i get a macro for my canon 300d) to take such pictures as well. Tank looks amazing :D

[louist]

Anyhow, I went down to Kim's yesterday since they got a nice shipment of corals. I picked up two pieces:
1x Acropora millepora (tentatively), lilac tips with tan body. No idea what the final color will be.
2x Montipora sp., dark brown body, white polyps and a purple growth edge. This one is a plating Montipora, but mine is growing around the dead skeleton of a staghorn.. :nut: It was the smallest one they had. Perhaps I should frag it down the center.

Anyhow, that's all talks, here are some photos:

#1: the new montipora
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2486.jpg

#2: new millepora
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2487.jpg

#3: new millepora, in situ
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2488.jpg

#4: new millepora top down
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2491.jpg

#5: Dallas warren frag showing its characteristic fluro green
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2492.jpg

#6: nice looking little frag
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2494.jpg

#7: my bi-color Stylopora that didn't like the MH. It's since been moved downwards and is recovering.
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2495.jpg

#8: Tri-color special.
http://www.zengalleria.com/images/aquarium/CRW_2496.jpg

[louist]

Oh, and vote for me in the nano tank of the month if you feel I deserve the vote :)

The voting thread is here, check out some of the other excellent entries too:
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=964254

[Cosmo^Kramer]

Got my vote Louis.beautiful tank.Keep up the great work

[chocolateblnt]

Outrageously Nice Nano! :)

How do you dose your elements? What's your Ca & Alk consumption?

What do you feed your sps & lps; how much and how often?

[GWade]

Louis,
This is just an amazing tank and the pictures you take are just out of this world. I wanted to ask you a question regarding your DIY refugium. You stated that you put in some Caulerpa in the AquaClear 70 HOB filter. Did you place anything else in the refugium? Also, are you running a seperate light over the refugium or is it getting enough light from the 150w HQI? If your not running a seperate light, are you getting good growth from the Caulerpa? Finally, is the surface skimmer attachment working well?

Thanks,
Greg