Melev's new 280g Starfire tank thread

[melev]

Ken, you really did read the entire thread if you were able to come out of 308 pages and still take a dig at Micki.

I may just get that woodwork done during the course of this split. I still have 38 pages of space to work with (or 950 posts).

The tube idea kinda fizzled out. Considering what electricity costs, I'm just not too inclined to set up any more aquariums in my home. I did consider setting up a small in-wall seahorse tank to enjoy from the Reefcast studio, but that hasn't been pursued either.

[Lunchbucket]

a split again!!??

did i miss the link for the new website?? i clicked on your house and it looks the same

Lunchbucket

[jnarowe]

I guess there's more than one maroon online today!

[steve68]

on the 3rd page all ready WOW!

[ultrinn]

I just wanted to chime in on the LCD TV question. I worked in tech support for many years and here is what I learned from that.

LCD Monitors do not have as much plastic around the edges so you can basically downsize by one. So, if you have a 20-21" CRT, you can buy a 19" flat panel and have about the same viewing size.

The reason that LCD TVs have wierd resolutions is that they are designed for TV signals which are sent at a different resolution. You can hook up a computer and still set it to 1280x1024 usually (depends on the tv).

[melev]

Originally posted by ultrinn
I just wanted to chime in on the LCD TV question. I worked in tech support for many years and here is what I learned from that.

LCD Monitors do not have as much plastic around the edges so you can basically downsize by one. So, if you have a 20-21" CRT, you can buy a 19" flat panel and have about the same viewing size.

The reason that LCD TVs have wierd resolutions is that they are designed for TV signals which are sent at a different resolution. You can hook up a computer and still set it to 1280x1024 usually (depends on the tv).

That's good to know. I saw one that I liked today and it cost $229. That wasn't too bad, but I'll go back and get the details and post here to see if it is a good purchase or not.

[melev]

Originally posted by Lunchbucket
a split again!!??

did i miss the link for the new website?? i clicked on your house and it looks the same

Lunchbucket

On page 2, this was posted:

Originally posted by Enderrea
got to http://www.melevsreef.com/tanks.html

It is sort of a back door entrance to the new look.

[Cprowler]

Well done, that looks outstanding!

[Enderrea]

Back door , that's a Navy thing we Army boys Kick down the front door, even if it mean we end up in the back room....... Wow i left work at three and was on 1..
Marc got my weldo today... they sent me weldon #3 i should send it back hu? considring i asked for weldon five then they talked me in to weldon 4? not telling you what they are charging me right now ... we are havng a talk with them tomorrow we are !

[jnarowe]

Funny I mde a post about back door and it got deleted...

[melev]

Yeah, send it back for #4 or ask for a full refund since they can't even get the order right. You'll have to work fast with #3, as the set time is pretty fast. I rarely ever use #3 now, and then only with 1/8" acrylic for tiny stuff.

[Manogr]

The new design is amazing but the real treasure is the info available in your site as well as your journal!

Keep on adding more and keep up the good work...

BTW...where is Evan ?

[melev]

Good question. I called him twice last week and never heard back. He apparently tried to call me on Monday, and when I called back his voice mail was full.

[Enderrea]

me and Fast..... some thing is going to get messed up......... i sent them an e-mail see what happens, i could of driven down to Kent and got it three times now..... i hate online ordering.............

[Lunchbucket]

melev - thanks for the link...i'm a little slow sometimes.

new site looks great...really really cool!!!

Lunchbucket

[Snakebyt]

new site looks great..

[melev]

Thanks guys.

Okay, here are a few new pictures. This first one simply doesn't get across my point, so I used a few arrows. What I'm trying to help you 'see' like I did was how thick/furry the Montipora digitata is in my tank. Seriously, if you squint a little and imagine total zen, you realize how fluffy these branches are. The core is like a shadowy skeleton. Maybe I just can't get a good enough picture, but staring at the coral this evening, I couldn't get over it.



Anyone need an avatar? This picture looked great on the LCD of my camera, but on the monitor its a blurry mess. This image is still too large for RC to allow it, but you might resize it even smaller I guess.



My A. secale has a few polyps missing. Since I don't know why, I sent a query to Eric Borneman. Maybe he'll have a suggestion.



This is a Platygyra pini that I've had for more than a year. It looks like there are bite marks in it! Maybe my Copperband is causing the damage, since they like brains. Its very odd.



Here's a frag of A. nana that is already encrusting.



This piece was given to me in Nov 05, and then every few weeks a decent section would RTN overnight. When about 85% of it was dead, I apparently did something right and it has been growing over the dead zones and making itself right again. Considering I've had this piece for 9 months, I think it's rather sad that after all this time, I'm finally back where I was the day I got it. Oh well, it's doing very well, and the color is awesome.



And finally, my babies.

[Hop]

Great pics, but I especially like the last one!

[arconom]

Marc, I forgot what ballast are you using? Your colors look nothing like mine when I was using the Reflux bulbs. I ran mine on a mag ballast and everything had a pink hue to it. I don't see any of that in your pictures.

Without actinic do you notice a pinkish hue?

[Enderrea]

I was thinking the same thing Hop you took it right out of my mouth! Simply awsome! Marc

[jnarowe]

My digitata is totally fuzzy too. I think it's really neat looking. About the missing polyps, have you seen any hermits on it? I have noticed recently that a couple of my electric blue legged MI hermits have been paying close attention to corals. I haven't seen them eat a polyp, but I am watching them closely. They have been hanging out on certain corals for a very long time.

[melev]

Originally posted by arconom
Marc, I forgot what ballast are you using? Your colors look nothing like mine when I was using the Reflux bulbs. I ran mine on a mag ballast and everything had a pink hue to it. I don't see any of that in your pictures.

Without actinic do you notice a pinkish hue?

The left 10,000K ReefLux bulb is whitish. The middle 20,000K XM is blue of course. The right 10,000K ReefLux bulb is pinkish.

The left ballast is something unmarked from Premium Aquatics. I got it in trade from a club member, and had to put it to use when another one failed. The middle ballast is a DIY from NuclearReefs. The right ballast is an IceCap e-ballast.

Then I use a 440 Icecap ballast for the VHOs.

Without the VHOs, the colors are nice, but they don't pop. The actinics make all the difference.

[NuclearReefs]

This piece was given to me in Nov 05, and then every few weeks a decent section would RTN overnight. When about 85% of it was dead, I apparently did something right and it has been growing over the dead zones and making itself right again. Considering I've had this piece for 9 months, I think it's rather sad that after all this time, I'm finally back where I was the day I got it. Oh well, it's doing very well, and the color is awesome.

Is that the Red encrusting Montipora I gave you before I moved?

Nathan

[Snakebyt]

Next time i am in DFW, im coming by to rob a frag of thise mean greens

[melev]

No, Nathan, that died during the P04 Wars of '05. This is M. capricornis from Peterlin.