Itaysworld
Premium Member
Thank you much Michael! I think I finally have it dialed in! I'm skimming the way I want. The thing is now as I'm adding living/pooping things the consistency and color of the skimmate is changing a bit.
Best, Itay.
180 Gallon Reef Tank build!
- Thread starter Itaysworld
- Start date
Thank you much Michael! I think I finally have it dialed in! I'm skimming the way I want. The thing is now as I'm adding living/pooping things the consistency and color of the skimmate is changing a bit.
Best, Itay.
Itaysworld
Premium Member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13119474#post13119474 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hulley
Beautiful tang Itay! Those are also called "Flame Fin Tangs", I'm wanting to get one but I already have 4 in my 180g and I'm afraid he'll get beat up if added this late. I have a yellow and purple tang, you'll need to add those guys at the same time if you want to keep the peace in your tank! Yellows and Purples can be very aggresive and will fight with each other, especially if added at different times. Hang in there!!!!!
Thanks Hulley-- any favorite tangs to recommend? Have you seen my list? I'd love to hear if you've got any favorites.
Regards, Itay.
hulley
New member
Well, my yellow and purple (victoria and dash, thanks to my wife) are my favorites, very hardy and have quite a personality. I have a regal and a spotted cheek tang that are the punks in the tank. I dont think the spotted cheek is the correct name and I havent been able to find a picture of him on the internet to positivly ID him. My absolute favorite is the Achiles tang. I've had two and lost both in a short amount of time. They really seem to need a very long and large tank for they seem to never stop swimming and they are very sensitive fish. They cannot handle being bullied by other fish or stress of any kind. I was pretty upset when I lost my last one. Very beautiful fish. I wouldnt attempt one in a 180g unless it is the only large fish and the tank was well established.
Itaysworld
Premium Member
Updates SPS shots
Updates SPS shots
Hello -
My tang is still a bit shy, but I see him eating a lot and swimming around when nobody is watching, thanks to my webcam.
I was able to take a couple of good shots of my acropora and monti cap frags. I'm happy to see the monti is recovering from its couple of days facing down on the sand.
Here are the pics:
I can already see significant growth. I'm very pleased!
Coloration on the monti is starting to come back. Its quite a recovery from the pale white color I found when I picked it off the sand.
That's it for now. More to come soon!
Best, Itay.
Updates SPS shots
Hello -
My tang is still a bit shy, but I see him eating a lot and swimming around when nobody is watching, thanks to my webcam.
I was able to take a couple of good shots of my acropora and monti cap frags. I'm happy to see the monti is recovering from its couple of days facing down on the sand.
Here are the pics:
I can already see significant growth. I'm very pleased!
Coloration on the monti is starting to come back. Its quite a recovery from the pale white color I found when I picked it off the sand.
That's it for now. More to come soon!
Best, Itay.
Itaysworld
Premium Member
Thanks Hulley!
My equipment isn't exactly "ideal". I say ideal in quotation marks because a lot depends on your skills, and obviously is complemented by good and right equipment.
In my case I haven't yet invested in a Macro lens, so the close up shots you see are taken with a zoom lens 75-300mm at about 5 feet from the aquarium on a tripod.
The results are pretty good, but the depth of field, quality and detail you can get are quite limited from what you could get if you were using a macro lens.
I'm using the original Canon Digital Rebel 300D. This was the first of the Canon Digital SLRs to be released, back in 2003, and they have come a long way. I've always toyed around with the idea of upgrading my camera equipment, but other expenses, needs and other RIDICULOUSLY expensive hobbies (like reef keeping) have always kept me from buying better equipment. Also the fact that I still get very good quality results with what I have has been a factor.
I will be buying the Canon 100mm 2.8/f Macro lens. It's a must for the kinds of shots I want to be taking of the aquarium, macro shots in general and an excellent lens for portraits and any kind of photos at 100mm. Its a great lens and the results crisp and beautiful.
I also own a Canon SD 630 point and shoot. Its my scuba diving camera. I have a housing for it and some of the coral shots I attempted to take by submerging my camera in the aquarium. The most recent shot of the monti cap was taken like that.
Photography is a great passion of mine and I'm still trying to master taking pictures of stuff in an aquarium. It changes a bit of the rules but the fundamentals are still the same.
Once I have more interesting subjects to photograph I will be having a blast. For now its the tang, who's still hiding a lot, the 2 frags, some crabs, hermits and snails and lots of algae
Let me know if you need some advice on equipment and I'll be more than happy to give you my opinions. Photography like this hobby or any other is very subjective. Lots of opinions, a few key brands and a lot of personal taste involved.
Best, Itay.
Itaysworld
Premium Member
New Addition!
New Addition!
Guilty as charged
an unexpected addition!
I was over at my LFS and saw a really cool looking fish... we all know how the rest of the story goes....
So here we are, in a bucket, acclimating! My new Fox Faced Rabbitfish is a bit stressed at the moment, but only a few more minutes before he joins the tang in his new home.
Here are a couple of shots. Amazing how they change color when stressed.
More updates later!
Best, Itay.
New Addition!
Guilty as charged
an unexpected addition!I was over at my LFS and saw a really cool looking fish... we all know how the rest of the story goes....
So here we are, in a bucket, acclimating! My new Fox Faced Rabbitfish is a bit stressed at the moment, but only a few more minutes before he joins the tang in his new home.
Here are a couple of shots. Amazing how they change color when stressed.
More updates later!
Best, Itay.
Itaysworld
Premium Member
Rabbit Fish is in!
Rabbit Fish is in!
After acclimating the Foxfaced Rabbit Fish I put him in the tank.
He went under the slab rock and was hiding for a little bit, until the tang came along and gave him a less than warm welcome.
I had never seen such an aggressive tang. He was chasing the rabbitfish everywhere. Biting his tail and posing with all fins open and extended. Little did he know that the spines on the rabbit fish are poisonous and he could get more than he bargained for if he pushed it too far...
Fortunately the aggression was temporary and shortly after the confrontation they were swimming together and grazing off the same rocks.
They seem to be co-existing nicely. I'm guessing the tang just had the surprise of his lifetime after having the tank to himself for 6 days and suddenly ran into another fish.
He's a good looking 'feller'!
Here are some photos I snapped:
And last but not least, my favorite shot so far:
Rabbit Fish is in!
After acclimating the Foxfaced Rabbit Fish I put him in the tank.
He went under the slab rock and was hiding for a little bit, until the tang came along and gave him a less than warm welcome.
I had never seen such an aggressive tang. He was chasing the rabbitfish everywhere. Biting his tail and posing with all fins open and extended. Little did he know that the spines on the rabbit fish are poisonous and he could get more than he bargained for if he pushed it too far...
Fortunately the aggression was temporary and shortly after the confrontation they were swimming together and grazing off the same rocks.
They seem to be co-existing nicely. I'm guessing the tang just had the surprise of his lifetime after having the tank to himself for 6 days and suddenly ran into another fish.
He's a good looking 'feller'!
Here are some photos I snapped:
And last but not least, my favorite shot so far:
Great fish and great pics!
I have a nicely sized foxface and a nice sized RS Sailfin.
They "crack me up" the way they seem to school around tigether. Neither one wants the other out of his sight.
Do be careful to keep him fed or he may eat a few softies. I know from experience. I lost an elegance, open brains and a scholimia (sp.?)
Best of luck!
I have a nicely sized foxface and a nice sized RS Sailfin.
They "crack me up" the way they seem to school around tigether. Neither one wants the other out of his sight.
Do be careful to keep him fed or he may eat a few softies. I know from experience. I lost an elegance, open brains and a scholimia (sp.?)
Best of luck!
Jay180reef
New member
Hi Itay,
Great thread! How has the hair algae bloom turned out?
I'm nearly ready for water with my first 180 reef and I've been madly taking notes from your lengthy, informative replies and pictures! Thanks for all the great descriptions of your day to day reefing!
Great thread! How has the hair algae bloom turned out?
I'm nearly ready for water with my first 180 reef and I've been madly taking notes from your lengthy, informative replies and pictures! Thanks for all the great descriptions of your day to day reefing!
Itaysworld
Premium Member
Thanks Jay -
Appreciate the comments and feedback. I really enjoy the threads on ReefCentral - I would recommend you take more notes from the more experienced reefers than from me! But heck, maybe there's something to learn nonetheless! LOL
I'm happy to say that I've eliminated the dynoflagellates from my aquarium, but I haven't had the same luck with the hair algae. Its still growing, and expanding, but I'm hoping that with the 2 algae-vores in there (the tang and rabbit fish), the clean up crew and some manual cleaning this weekend I'll be able to control it.
We'll see how it goes!
Hey, BTW - do you have a build thread? Would love to see what you've built and see how it evolves.
Best, Itay.
Itaysworld
Premium Member
New Site with WebCam!
New Site with WebCam!
Hey guys,
Thought I'd share with you the the link to the webpage I've created with my Web Cam and a very basic photo slide show.
I intend to enhance and improve the content, and photos, but thought its a good enough start to share!
The camera only supports 10 visitors at once, and the frame rates drop significantly in low light conditions, but its pretty cool!
Check it out, and look at the high res view, too!
http://itaysworld.com/reefcam
Regards, Itay.
New Site with WebCam!
Hey guys,
Thought I'd share with you the the link to the webpage I've created with my Web Cam and a very basic photo slide show.
I intend to enhance and improve the content, and photos, but thought its a good enough start to share!
The camera only supports 10 visitors at once, and the frame rates drop significantly in low light conditions, but its pretty cool!
Check it out, and look at the high res view, too!
http://itaysworld.com/reefcam
Regards, Itay.
Mr. Brooks
MASVC Member
That's awesome Italy! I should set one of those up so I can look at my tank when I'm home. I'm building my tank in front of my desk so I'll be able to look up and check out my tank while I'm at work all day. Won't be able to enjoy it while I'm home though..
Itaysworld
Premium Member
Thanks Chad! I really enjoy having the camera. I have it up on a computer all day at work, and then when I'm at home I end up bringing it up on the computer as well when I'm upstairs.
I really lets me enjoy the aquarium even when not in front of it. I think its a great investment both for that purpose as well as to keep an eye on things and be able to detect any anomalies.
I'm also considering a camera with infrared light for the sump area under the stand, to be able to monitor things down there...
If you can access your office network from outside, via VPN or something, you should totally do it! You'll love it!
Itay.
Jay180reef
New member
Hi Itay,
I don't have a build thread for my 180gal, but here's a picture of my setup getting ready for salt mixing. The skimmer is supposed to be on the right side of the sump, but it needs some leak fixing. I'm going to put all my build pictures in a gallery later on.
Jason
I don't have a build thread for my 180gal, but here's a picture of my setup getting ready for salt mixing. The skimmer is supposed to be on the right side of the sump, but it needs some leak fixing. I'm going to put all my build pictures in a gallery later on.
Jason
Itaysworld
Premium Member
Looking good Jason.
Made another trip to the LFS today and came home with 10 turbos, 5 nassarius snails and 5 sally light foot crabs.
The tang and rabbit fish are grazing nicely, but I'm still trying to get the upper hand on the hair algae.
The good news is that no new algae appears to be growing, it seems like its only what's already there that keeps growing, if that makes any sense.
By the way, between reading threads on Reef Central and watching my reef tank via my webcam while at work my productivity has been suffering - LOL.
Hope nobody from work sees this :-D
Great weekend to all!
Itay.
Made another trip to the LFS today and came home with 10 turbos, 5 nassarius snails and 5 sally light foot crabs.
The tang and rabbit fish are grazing nicely, but I'm still trying to get the upper hand on the hair algae.
The good news is that no new algae appears to be growing, it seems like its only what's already there that keeps growing, if that makes any sense.
By the way, between reading threads on Reef Central and watching my reef tank via my webcam while at work my productivity has been suffering - LOL.
Hope nobody from work sees this :-D
Great weekend to all!
Itay.
Itaysworld
Premium Member
I wrote up my lighting schedule in response to a post on Leonardo's Lagoon's thread and thought I'd share it here as well for some feedback and/or comments.
I'm using a controller (ReefKeeper Elite) and I have the lights timed to do what I think is a good replica of the daily light cycle in nature. I am using an aqualight pro 72" retrofit kit with actinic tubes and 20,000 K XM bulbs
Does anyone else do something similar?
Here's my light cycle:
1) 7am - moon LEDs turn off. Refuge light turns off. 4 actinic tubes turn on in the back of the tank
2) 8 am - front actinics turn on.
3) 12pm - left MH turns on
4) 1pm center MH turns on
5) 2pm right MH turns on
6) 5pm left MH turns off
7) 6pm center MH turns off
8) 7pm right MH turns off, refugium light turns onn
9) 10pm front actinics go off
10) 11pm back actinics go off, moonlight LEDs power on.
Visually this is that it looks like in the main tank. (I tried to draw larger graphics, but the message board removes multiple blank spaces together, so I had to shrink it and compress)
(pluses (+) are on, minuses (-) are off
1) 7 am
++++++++++++++ (actinics)
++++++++++++++
------ ------ ------ (halides)
------------------------- (actinics)
-------------------------
2) 8 am
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
------ ------ ------
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
3) 12 pm
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
+++ ------ ------
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
4) 1 pm
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
+++ +++ ------
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
5) 2 pm
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
+++ +++ +++
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
6) 5 pm
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
------ +++ +++
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
7) 6 pm
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
------ ------ +++
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
8) 7 pm
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
------ ------ ------
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
9) 10 pm
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
------ ------ ------
-------------------------
-------------------------
10) 11pm - * are moonlight LEDS
-------------------------
-------------------------
--- * * --- * * ---
-------------------------
-------------------------
I believe this replicates the dusk to dawn effect, including the sun's trajectory in the sky, though I just realized I make the sun rise in the west and set in the east A bit backwards... my OCD may eventually make me reverse the order of the sun's path
Would love some feedback.
Best, Itay.
I'm using a controller (ReefKeeper Elite) and I have the lights timed to do what I think is a good replica of the daily light cycle in nature. I am using an aqualight pro 72" retrofit kit with actinic tubes and 20,000 K XM bulbs
Does anyone else do something similar?
Here's my light cycle:
1) 7am - moon LEDs turn off. Refuge light turns off. 4 actinic tubes turn on in the back of the tank
2) 8 am - front actinics turn on.
3) 12pm - left MH turns on
4) 1pm center MH turns on
5) 2pm right MH turns on
6) 5pm left MH turns off
7) 6pm center MH turns off
8) 7pm right MH turns off, refugium light turns onn
9) 10pm front actinics go off
10) 11pm back actinics go off, moonlight LEDs power on.
Visually this is that it looks like in the main tank. (I tried to draw larger graphics, but the message board removes multiple blank spaces together, so I had to shrink it and compress)
(pluses (+) are on, minuses (-) are off
1) 7 am
++++++++++++++ (actinics)
++++++++++++++
------ ------ ------ (halides)
------------------------- (actinics)
-------------------------
2) 8 am
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
------ ------ ------
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
3) 12 pm
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
+++ ------ ------
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
4) 1 pm
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
+++ +++ ------
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
5) 2 pm
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
+++ +++ +++
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
6) 5 pm
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
------ +++ +++
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
7) 6 pm
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
------ ------ +++
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
8) 7 pm
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
------ ------ ------
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
9) 10 pm
++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++
------ ------ ------
-------------------------
-------------------------
10) 11pm - * are moonlight LEDS
-------------------------
-------------------------
--- * * --- * * ---
-------------------------
-------------------------
I believe this replicates the dusk to dawn effect, including the sun's trajectory in the sky, though I just realized I make the sun rise in the west and set in the east
A bit backwards... my OCD may eventually make me reverse the order of the sun's pathWould love some feedback.
Best, Itay.
Itaysworld
Premium Member
Algae Update
Algae Update
Hello All,
I'm happy to report that the tang and rabbit fish are making a huge dent in the hair algae! They are both voracious eaters. I love watching their behavior. They became buddies and spend all day swimming and grazing together.
Its funny to watch their different behavior. The tang takes small repeated bites, while the rabbit fish has a much more forceful and violent tearing action. The guy puts his whole body into tearing the algae off.
I'm fairly confident that if they continue at the pace at which they are eating within a week or so the algae will be under control.
I've really enjoyed observing them! I can't wait to get additional fish in there.
I also found nassarius snails to be fascinating creatures. Their siphoning tube is of amazing precision. I put 5 in last week and within 2 days they had all zeroed in on an area of my tank that seems to be the preferred 'bathroom' corner. (I will be siphoning out some detritus tomorrow and finding a way to increase waterflow in that area to prevent buildup, but its been building a bit in this one area).
They move really quickly and have been exploring and learning the tank. Very interesting.
Here's an updated FTS from a few minutes ago. The quality isn't great, since its an image captured from my webcam high res page (http://www.itaysworld.com/reefcam/hirescam.html) :
Best, Itay.
Algae Update
Hello All,
I'm happy to report that the tang and rabbit fish are making a huge dent in the hair algae! They are both voracious eaters. I love watching their behavior. They became buddies and spend all day swimming and grazing together.
Its funny to watch their different behavior. The tang takes small repeated bites, while the rabbit fish has a much more forceful and violent tearing action. The guy puts his whole body into tearing the algae off.
I'm fairly confident that if they continue at the pace at which they are eating within a week or so the algae will be under control.
I've really enjoyed observing them! I can't wait to get additional fish in there.
I also found nassarius snails to be fascinating creatures. Their siphoning tube is of amazing precision. I put 5 in last week and within 2 days they had all zeroed in on an area of my tank that seems to be the preferred 'bathroom' corner. (I will be siphoning out some detritus tomorrow and finding a way to increase waterflow in that area to prevent buildup, but its been building a bit in this one area).
They move really quickly and have been exploring and learning the tank. Very interesting.
Here's an updated FTS from a few minutes ago. The quality isn't great, since its an image captured from my webcam high res page (http://www.itaysworld.com/reefcam/hirescam.html) :
Best, Itay.
herpboyben
New member
looks great
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