112L - Iwagumi Reef

[André Silvestre]

Hello,

Catastrophi and Bjarne, thanks.

Here´s some updates:

Tank is slowly advancing.
Coraline algae has covered most of the rock.
The sand has been covered by a small film of Cyanobacteria though it seems that the beneficial bacteria is starting to outcompete with it. Circulation is still deficient but I hope to resolve this in two weeks and hopefully, that will resolve the Cyano problem too.

Lighting is now 6 x 18W with different bulbs but I´m still not happy with the color it gives to the tank. I´m aiming for a bluer hue so this week I plan to replace the two actinics with two 20Ks and one 10K for a 18K.

Also, introduced a pair of Ocelaris and a Centropyge acanthops. The idea of the angel is to make him fat and get used to all kinds of food before transferring him to the 300L to join the other two so this is just a temporary home for him.

And some actinic shots:

Regards,
André

 

[rehype]

Wonderful shots andre its coming along beautifully.

 

[murphreef]

great photography skills! you capture your tanks inhabitants awesomely

 

[g35mike]

Good looking tank! Watch out for the goby he might try to jump out

 

[André Silvestre]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the nice comments.

Unfortunately, the goby died one month after entered the tank. He never ate anything, despite all my efforts in giving him all sorts of food, including frozen one. He always passed the days eating sand. Even with food in the sand, he would ate it and spit it out from the gills.


Regards,
André

 

[esco]

The yellow zoa is my favorite

Great looking tank and clean setup!

 

[André Silvestre]

Hello,

Daniel, thanks. The yellow Zoas is also one of my favorite corals in this tank.

Thread update:

After testing different combos of bulbs, I got to one that really brings out the corals colors/fluorescence and is very pleasant to the eyes. The bulb configuration gives a blue hue and the combo is, from front to back ( in the picture, from right to left):

- 20K
- 18K
- 20K
- Actinic ( 420nm)
- 18K
- 20K

Here´s how it looks like:

I also got my Vortech MP10 ( finally) to promote better flow through out the tank, giving it a clean look at the same time. I already have a MP40 in my 300L and this MP10 did not disappoint. Truly another great performer with the advantage of being really small. Good job Ecotech!

And some new corals:

Regards,
André

 

[munsils]

Sorry to hear about your goby, I have same problem at the moment :|

Your tank looks better with every day.. :thumbsup:

 

[robot2222]

Hello,

Catastrophi and Bjarne, thanks.

Here´s some updates:

Tank is slowly advancing.
Coraline algae has covered most of the rock.
The sand has been covered by a small film of Cyanobacteria though it seems that the beneficial bacteria is starting to outcompete with it. Circulation is still deficient but I hope to resolve this in two weeks and hopefully, that will resolve the Cyano problem too.

Lighting is now 6 x 18W with different bulbs but I´m still not happy with the color it gives to the tank. I´m aiming for a bluer hue so this week I plan to replace the two actinics with two 20Ks and one 10K for a 18K.

Also, introduced a pair of Ocelaris and a Centropyge acanthops. The idea of the angel is to make him fat and get used to all kinds of food before transferring him to the 300L to join the other two so this is just a temporary home for him.

And some actinic shots:

Regards,
André

 

[robot2222]

your tank looks amazing , may i ask what kind of shrimp is that in the bottom pic ?

 

[fox2589]

really liking the tank!nice scape!where did ya get the 2 t5 tubes on the sides of the fixture?what length?as for the goby he was filtering the sand and grabbing the microfauna as he went(to go with your statement of him not eating pods in the sand)..a lot of people say sand sifting gobies don't need pods and will eat frozen and flake..but i beg to differ with most of the sandsifters..and the mp 10 was a great choice,i just added one to my 37 gallon and it rocks!keep up the good work-drew

 

[sahin]

Damn those photos look awesome! Excellent photography skills and a beautiful tank too-my dream stuff.

 

[André Silvestre]

Hello,

Munsilis, thanks. Yeah, the goby was a real frustration. I hope you have better luck with yours.

Robot, thanks. The shrimp you are referring to is a Palaemon elegans and it is very abundant in the portuguese coast.

Drew, thanks. Those bulbs are not T5s. This is a 100% T8 fixture with 6 x 18W. The ones on the side of the fixture are the Philips Blue and they give a very nice blue hue, very similar to the eye to the Fauna Marin Aquascience Blue or the Giesemann Actinic Plus ( I have both too in the other tank). As to the goby, maybe it´s like you say but unfortuantely, the tank wasn´t matured enough in terms of pods for him to survive a little longer and maybe get used to the frozen and dried food. Lesson learned. I´ll try to turn to the Stonogobiops family. They seem to be more keen to dried food right from the start and are equally beautiful.

sahin, thank you for the kind words.


It seems I have exceeded the bandwidth for this month but it will be reset in a week and so the pictures will be available again.


Regards,
André

 

[xenia2]

Am I the only one can't see any photos? hehe

 

[herostar]

Same here, photobucket bandwidth exceeded...

 

[André Silvestre]

Hello,

Yes, bandwidth has been exceeded. Pictures are available again.

Here´s some more pics taken today:

Regards,
André

 

[CurvBall]

Stunning photography. Please keep posting more photos when you get a chance.

 

[cameron91806]

where did u get the light from

 

[ScarletReef]

Gorgeous as always. Both of your tanks are so pretty, as was your freshwater set up. You have a knack for aesthetics.

 

[romsoccer12]

your photography is truly amazing, ive always wanted to take shots like these but have no where near the patience, skill, or nice enough camera. ive been trying to get a shot of my goby taking a bite of the sand for a while but just cant, yours is absolutely beautiful, i hope one day i can take photos like these