Start of 29G SPS dominated tank - Page 5

whatnot45 · #**101** 02/06/2007, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DarkXerox
Ok so plans for when I get back this december:

Clean/check out the tank I haven't touched since late August!

Buy a Tunze Nanostream 6055 when it comes out and get a singlecontroller.

Stay on the lookout for a used Deltec MC500.

Possibly buy a peristaltic dosing pump for 2 part solution.

Possibly try the BluCoral method talked about in the Italian Reeftank thread in the SPS forum (dunno where to get HGH though). If not, I'll still try the BroGri method used here in Italy.

Find a doctor who is a fellow reefer, and ask him to prescribe you some

DarkXerox · #**102** 02/06/2007, 09:35 PM

Id rather not since that goes against my ethics, but I've done enough work with ReefItalia and talked with people in Florence to lead me to the point that the somatropin is not necessary for the pappone recipe. Check out the sticky thread in the SPS forum if you want more info.

jcm2m9 · #**103** 02/09/2007, 12:14 PM

How is the Anthias doing in the 29g? What kind is it?

I have thought about putting one in my 40g cube.

DarkXerox · #**104** 05/23/2007, 07:05 PM

Thought I would dust off this thread a little. I've gotten a lot of corals and I can list them later if you guys want, but in short I haven't changed anything equipment wise except replacing the phoenix bulb after a year in early april.

I started dosing simple pappone and since then my corals are finally getting some nice growth.

Anyways, here are some photos:

Jan 07

March 27th 07 (start of pappone)

May 19th 07 (had to use a PowerShot SD800 instead of the 10D SLR, so the white balance may be a little off)

DarkXerox · #**105** 05/31/2007, 01:28 AM

and an updated FTS (as of 5-29) for good measure:

bboy aqua · #**106** 05/31/2007, 02:15 AM

nice tank DarkXerox

btw i got a question on your skimmer
how much % u got your flow adjusment on your skimmer turned to?

DarkXerox · #**107** 05/31/2007, 03:07 PM

I've got it on the lowest setting because for some reason the level fluctuates inside and can overflow too easy. I've tried cleaning it, taking it apart, etc. but no change. So I just keep it low to be safe. I suppose if I ran it wet, I would be getting better nutrient export, but things seem ok now.

If I had the money, I'd get a Deltec MC400 I think they're called. But that's 400 bucks that could be spent on corals!

DarkXerox · #**108** 05/31/2007, 11:57 PM

I took some top down shots, here there are:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1132281

I'll post some growth shots later too. Tank seems to be responding well to the pappone so I'm going to experiment with amino acids this summer when I'm home.

Sarcophyton874 · #**109** 06/01/2007, 01:05 AM

That's a nice tank...for a Mclaren fan

.

DarkXerox · #**110** 07/14/2007, 02:24 AM

Just a short update:

Picked up a Deltec MC500 skimmer and man that thing is small, fits perfectly in a 10g sump too and I didn't have to modify anything. It makes the CS65 look big in comparison, but it is a LOT more powerful. This thing just pumps out massive amounts of bubbles.

Hopefully this will get my acros to color up a bit, but since the switch I actually lost a couple frags that I picked up at the BACFM.

I also got a tuxedo urchin a couple weeks back and it is really interesting to watch. Plus it eats the coralline in the back that I can't reach, along with other nusiance algae.

NYCREEF69 · #**111** 07/17/2007, 07:15 PM

NICE LOOK

DarkXerox · #**112** 07/18/2007, 03:25 PM

Thanks! I'm pretty happy with this Deltec MC500 too, I've been looking for months for one and I finally got a used one at a good price. I got another tuxedo urchin too since I want to wipe out this hair algae in conjunction with the stronger skimmer. The new one has the coolest colors I've seen one one before. The other likely will go into the 90g when I feel that their food is running out.

I should take pictures today, I'll get the camera ready. As for my list of stuff to do once I got back from Italy in december, I have done numbers 1, 3, and 5. As for the peristaltic pump, I'm not sure if I want to go that route yet, it's so easy just to put stuff in my aqua doser and let it drip when I topoff.

I do want to pick up the magnetic mounts for the SEIO pumps though, I absolutely hate suction cups and I had a problem where one fell and ripped flesh off my Leng Sy cap and my digitata. So I probably will not get Tunze Nanostreams since I wanted the controllable ones. I just read a scientific study that said laminar flow is actually better for coral growth than alternating flow, so why pay for a controller?

DarkXerox · #**113** 07/20/2007, 11:50 PM

Well figured I'd put up some new photos as of yesterday:

new urchin stealing my frags:

m1enbo1 · #**114** 07/20/2007, 11:55 PM

wut happend to your rbta's?

DarkXerox · #**115** 07/21/2007, 02:49 AM

they shrunk up during that photo. The one on the back is doing well but the one up front hasn't looked normal in a few days. Doesn't help that the clown harasses the heck out of it either.

InLimbo87 · #**116** 07/21/2007, 08:11 AM

Beautiful tank! What are the dimensions on the 29g??

msn711 · #**117** 07/21/2007, 12:24 PM

Quote:

I just read a scientific study that said laminar flow is actually better for coral growth than alternating flow, so why pay for a controller?

Do you have a link?

DarkXerox · #**118** 07/23/2007, 04:46 PM

The tank is 30x12x18

Quote:

Originally posted by msn711
Do you have a link?

Of course I can't find it now.

I heard that Ron Schimek was going to talk about his experiments with laminar flow at IMAC in June this year, but I think they cancelled it due to low signups. This series of articles talked a lot about flow characteristics:http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2006/11/aafeature#h3 but I really want to find out what he found.

Anyways I'm just going to concentrate on providing as much flow as possible.

ALLBOUTREEF · #**119** 07/24/2007, 01:59 PM

tanks like this one make me wanna go out and buy a nano cube but im trying not to so i can get my 90g and my 150g FO started

DarkXerox · #**120** 08/07/2007, 03:01 AM

ugh well I put an ailing branching hammer coral from my dad's 90g into my 29g in hopes of saving it (only saved 1 head out of 10) and I think it brought a pathogen into my tank. Both my RBTAs died and two in the 90g died too.

So I put one of the RBTA clones from my 12g baby clown nano cube in and it seems to be doing ok (albeit a little bleached but eating well).

It really is frustrating too because I had them for almost 2 years and they were so healthy until then.

Anyways, my Deltec skimmer has to be my best new addition so far. It is pulling out so much skimmate compared to the coralife that I'm glad I made the swap.

I need to snap some new photos because the combination of the tuxedo urchins plus the skimmer has almost completely wiped out my hair algae and bubble algae infestation. The rocks are being picked clean by these guys and they are really fun to watch cruise around and pick up bits of stuff to camoflauge themselves. The other bonus is that they eat the coralline in places that I can't reach.

I've been migrating grown out frags from this tank to the 90g too, so I'll try to get a pic of that tank as well.

But in 7 months compared to January, the tank has grown like crazy.

Flint&Eric · #**121** 08/07/2007, 09:02 AM

great colors on the digi. is that a ponape birdsnest? whatever it is, it's nice!

do you like the deltec that much? any pics? i'm tempted to get it just for another "toy" to play with...but it would honestly be a waste because we're upgrading soon.

fwiw, i've also read that same study...we keep flow running 24/7.

DarkXerox · #**122** 08/07/2007, 02:03 PM

Yeah it is a ponape, you can see in the early photos how small it was when I first mounted it (I had to remount it since it died back a little). I had a little tissue left over and it turned into that other mini colony that kept migrating around in the pictures haha. That smaller colony is in the 90g now.

The deltec is great and I got it for two reasons: improving the color of my corals (hopefully), and using it later on if I ever upgrade. It is rated for 90 gallons and therefore is a good backup for our 90g since I still have the coralife skimmer in the basement.

Next upgrade for me though is magentic mounts for the SEIO's. I've had the left one fall often and it blew tissue off my digitata and the leng sy cap (they have healed since).

DarkXerox · #**123** 08/23/2007, 01:37 PM

Well I gave up on the magnetic mounts for the SEIOS since they cost almost as much as just buying new Tunze Nanostreams, so I got a 6025 and a 6045. These pumps are pretty cool and take up very little space compared to the SEIOs so I'm happy (plus they wont fall down and destroy my corals).

I took a photo last week, but I just started grad school and moved to SoCal this week. The tank is in the hands of the parents again, so I wont be able to update with pictures much. I did put a ton of frags in my dad's 90g (Ponape minicolony, monti setosa, superman, rainbow, blue stylo, Palmer's blue mille, upscales blue stag, idaho grape, etc.) so I'll see how they look in a few months.

Sorry if the photo sucks, I had to use a smaller camera:

Growth seems to be staying constant so I'm happy with that. I'll see if the colors benefit from the improved flow and the Deltec skimmer. Just depends if the alk stays in check while I'm gone.

But if you compare to the old photos from when I got back in January, the tank looks great now.

uhuru · #**124** 08/23/2007, 05:55 PM

nice clowns and anemone!

kev apsley · #**125** 08/23/2007, 06:31 PM

real nice tank! great taste in corals!