A Splash of Color - My SPS Peninsula Reef

[biggles]

Before i answer everyone's posts i want to put this whole BFC thing to rest.

The original concept for the BFC came to me in the spring of 2001 when i was still married, as soon as i realised it's importance myself and a few other guys got to work on the equation. Simply defining the parameters by which we could measure the equation's success presented yet another set of hurdles to overcome but by the summer of 2012 we'd made strong progress, only Hawking (Hawky) and i remained as others fell by the wayside. Just prior to me making the breakthrough that led to the BFC, Hawky and i fell out over his electric chair charger causing the Radiums to dim and i cut him loose and went it alone.
This will go over most peoples heads as it's a lot like reef string theory but here goes anyway........

Display volume in gallons divided by 10 - we worked out that 10 is the easiest number to divide our tank volume by in our heads around 2005 from memory.

V/10 = W

One then counts one's fish and here's where the equation had us stumped all these years. If this number were left a fixed constant along with W remaining constant, the Happiness level would never rise.

F/W = H

This is why the stupid Canadian fish inch per gallon equation is flawed at it's very core - it completely fails to allow for the happiness level and instead gets bogged down in ridiculous irrelevant common sense stocking level readings that actually prevent the reefer from buying new fish - a joke right......
The letters are all there but the equation doesn't work...... until you do this:

F/W x H = BFC

Fish number divided by 10% of SPS tank volume multiplied by H equals the BFC. Happiness sits at 1.0 when you're content with recent fish purchases but over time the H level drops and this has a direct impact on the BFC. Your BFC might be 1.0 today but no new fish for a while and the H drops to 0.9.... 1.0 x 0.9 = BFC of 0.9 and with display volume fixed there's only one way to lift your BFC to a level widely accepted as required. You can even show your partner people posting their BFC now to justify the new fish you've been wanting and there's not a thing they can do to stop you because it's obviously an important parameter otherwise people wouldn't be quoting it all the time.......... :smokin:

The BFC is a thing of mathematical beauty and in the wrong hands could drop your BFC to dangerously low levels. Just imagine if one were to swap the F for an S where the S stands for your partners new shoe happiness level.......... it would be devastating to your SPS play money allowance level....... :reading:

We can all go back to the days of pagan Canadian fish per inch ideology and be sad or we can go with real science - the BFC :thumbsup:

 

[biggles]

So first you slag the Italians and now us peace loving award winning Canadian acro peeps. You have no shame. Wicked sense of humour and a off the hook DT, but no shame :celeb2:

Peace loving hey, three words mate - ice hockey. The Italian's are used to getting slagged and don't care, when you grow up in a sinking boot you develop a pretty thick skin right bibarassa :beer:

I just put my bfc up a bit.. :dance:

A real life example of the equation at work people, the BFC goes up and the little happy dancing man appears :dance:

I rest my case.........:reading:

 

[biggles]

Absolutely stunning! I love the multi-island approach, so much to take in, and just shifting position a bit gives you views in layers. With a big, wide tank like yours the way you have aqua-scaped is really the best way to show off the acros!!

Thanks Matt, having always had 24" front to back tanks i didn't want to waste any of the new 32" space. There are many shifting perspectives when you slowly walk around the display perimeter and length wise i have almost 13 feet of display glass frontage to play around with

Okay biggles, you have convinced me to go MH on my 10 gallon nano. Its 20x11x13 so I was wondering what buld/fixture. I know I should be getting a 75-150 watt bulb but I dont think radium makes them that small:sad1:. Whats next best?

I don't know a lot about 150W bulbs but i think i'd be trying 14000K Phoenix, Double-Ended 150W Gavin, unless someone knows of a better alternative.
Another one coming back to the halide dark side Sahin.....

Looking great Andrew that dragon is looking awesome

Thanks Dan, i think the forever sulking speciosa might be showing signs of waking up but it'll probably shut down now that i mentioned it lol.

Absolutely stunning Andrew.

Are you going to put some sand in your tank at some point in the future?

Definitely 100% putting sand back in when i'm ready Bulent :thumbsup:

Shouldn't it be total system value?

No Gavin it shouldn't. The BFC levels the playing field for those of us without elaborate fish rooms and refuges etc. Those guys could have heaps more fish than me if we were to take into account total water volume so think of the BFC as a fairer way to manage everyone's stocking levels for the good of the entire SPS community.

Andrew, you have a gorgeous tank. I still think it must be the aussie water plus your evening poo management.:thumbsup:

Thanks Bernie, as long as the lighting is right it's all about the water mate

So thank you very much master of the summer"¦"¦"¦.but now we have too much hot, it's a burning summer
As regards your coral pics"¦..always an inspiration for me

Thanks mate, watch the sunburn. :mixed:

View attachment 323537
Wow you take bare bottom to a whole other level. I would love to do something similar but scared to get rid of all the live rock. What do you suggest. Ps it's a bare bottom too but not much exposed. Mostly covered in lr

You know you have a bit of a dragon scape thing going on in the opposite direction to mine right......... i would lower the dragon a few inches and try to make the left side overhanging more without the obvious rock props underneath. I'd pull the left or dragon head end forward more if there's room to angle the dragon more.

That's one thing you could do


I'm reporting from ice station zebra today - minus 1.1 this morning outside. The fish, acros and i are pretty much isolated i think as i'm not game to touch the door handle in case my hand snap freezes. I expect it looks like a scene from the day after tomorrow movie out there with wolves roaming the ice packs.
If we run out of food there's always Kevin............

 

[reefmutt]

Before i answer everyone's posts i want to put this whole BFC thing to rest.

The original concept for the BFC came to me in the spring of 2001 when i was still married, as soon as i realised it's importance myself and a few other guys got to work on the equation. Simply defining the parameters by which we could measure the equation's success presented yet another set of hurdles to overcome but by the summer of 2012 we'd made strong progress, only Hawking (Hawky) and i remained as others fell by the wayside. Just prior to me making the breakthrough that led to the BFC, Hawky and i fell out over his electric chair charger causing the Radiums to dim and i cut him loose and went it alone.
This will go over most peoples heads as it's a lot like reef string theory but here goes anyway........

Display volume in gallons divided by 10 - we worked out that 10 is the easiest number to divide our tank volume by in our heads around 2005 from memory.

V/10 = W

One then counts one's fish and here's where the equation had us stumped all these years. If this number were left a fixed constant along with W remaining constant, the Happiness level would never rise.

F/W = H

This is why the stupid Canadian fish inch per gallon equation is flawed at it's very core - it completely fails to allow for the happiness level and instead gets bogged down in ridiculous irrelevant common sense stocking level readings that actually prevent the reefer from buying new fish - a joke right......
The letters are all there but the equation doesn't work...... until you do this:

F/W x H = BFC

Fish number divided by 10% of SPS tank volume multiplied by H equals the BFC. Happiness sits at 1.0 when you're content with recent fish purchases but over time the H level drops and this has a direct impact on the BFC. Your BFC might be 1.0 today but no new fish for a while and the H drops to 0.9.... 1.0 x 0.9 = BFC of 0.9 and with display volume fixed there's only one way to lift your BFC to a level widely accepted as required. You can even show your partner people posting their BFC now to justify the new fish you've been wanting and there's not a thing they can do to stop you because it's obviously an important parameter otherwise people wouldn't be quoting it all the time.......... :smokin:

The BFC is a thing of mathematical beauty and in the wrong hands could drop your BFC to dangerously low levels. Just imagine if one were to swap the F for an S where the S stands for your partners new shoe happiness level.......... it would be devastating to your SPS play money allowance level....... :reading:

We can all go back to the days of pagan Canadian fish per inch ideology and be sad or we can go with real science - the BFC :thumbsup:

THIS!!

A thing of beauty, Dr. Biggles. A thing of beauty!

 

[reefmutt]

Okay biggles, you have convinced me to go MH on my 10 gallon nano. Its 20x11x13 so I was wondering what buld/fixture. I know I should be getting a 75-150 watt bulb but I dont think radium makes them that small:sad1:. Whats next best?

I run 3 150w de Radium bulbs on my tank. They make them.

 

[Oldude]

Holy doodle - Did I see just my name being used in vain several times? :lol:

Andrew, since this is the sps forum I think you need to come up with a good acro per fish equation - here's an example -Acro divided by Fish = X (I'll even round down) - 250ish corals ~ 40 fish = 6.25 sps per fish ratio.
Beat that suckas'

 

[biggles]

THIS!!

A thing of beauty, Dr. Biggles. A thing of beauty!

Thank you Matt, it is rather elegant isn't it..........:beer:

I run 3 150w de Radium bulbs on my tank. They make them.

Didn't they change them or something a few years back but still keep making them. I remember everyone getting in a flap around 2012 sometime when the talk was they were no longer going to be made at all.

What's the go Matt ?

Holy doodle - Did I see just my name being used in vain several times? :lol:

Andrew, since this is the sps forum I think you need to come up with a good acro per fish equation - here's an example -Acro divided by Fish = X (I'll even round down) - 250ish corals ~ 40 fish = 6.25 sps per fish ratio.
Beat that suckas'

Lol Greg, the BAFC is something only spoken of in hushed tones around the advanced reef mathematics community right now. :reading:
Thanks for making me smile with that naive attempt at conceptual reef mathematics mate, if only it were that simple mate, if only it were that simple..........

I took the 400W light reflector off and used the T5's but i still can't get a full shot across the display because of the halide rails. The colors off too but you get the idea at least.

The SSC twins....

 

[M007]

Before i answer everyone's posts i want to put this whole BFC thing to rest.

The original concept for the BFC came to me in the spring of 2001 when i was still married, as soon as i realised it's importance myself and a few other guys got to work on the equation. Simply defining the parameters by which we could measure the equation's success presented yet another set of hurdles to overcome but by the summer of 2012 we'd made strong progress, only Hawking (Hawky) and i remained as others fell by the wayside. Just prior to me making the breakthrough that led to the BFC, Hawky and i fell out over his electric chair charger causing the Radiums to dim and i cut him loose and went it alone.
This will go over most peoples heads as it's a lot like reef string theory but here goes anyway........

Display volume in gallons divided by 10 - we worked out that 10 is the easiest number to divide our tank volume by in our heads around 2005 from memory.

V/10 = W

One then counts one's fish and here's where the equation had us stumped all these years. If this number were left a fixed constant along with W remaining constant, the Happiness level would never rise.

F/W = H

This is why the stupid Canadian fish inch per gallon equation is flawed at it's very core - it completely fails to allow for the happiness level and instead gets bogged down in ridiculous irrelevant common sense stocking level readings that actually prevent the reefer from buying new fish - a joke right......
The letters are all there but the equation doesn't work...... until you do this:

F/W x H = BFC

Fish number divided by 10% of SPS tank volume multiplied by H equals the BFC. Happiness sits at 1.0 when you're content with recent fish purchases but over time the H level drops and this has a direct impact on the BFC. Your BFC might be 1.0 today but no new fish for a while and the H drops to 0.9.... 1.0 x 0.9 = BFC of 0.9 and with display volume fixed there's only one way to lift your BFC to a level widely accepted as required. You can even show your partner people posting their BFC now to justify the new fish you've been wanting and there's not a thing they can do to stop you because it's obviously an important parameter otherwise people wouldn't be quoting it all the time.......... :smokin:

The BFC is a thing of mathematical beauty and in the wrong hands could drop your BFC to dangerously low levels. Just imagine if one were to swap the F for an S where the S stands for your partners new shoe happiness level.......... it would be devastating to your SPS play money allowance level....... :reading:

We can all go back to the days of pagan Canadian fish per inch ideology and be sad or we can go with real science - the BFC :thumbsup:

And then he tosses in the H factor :facepalm:

Holy doodle - Did I see just my name being used in vain several times? :lol:

Andrew, since this is the sps forum I think you need to come up with a good acro per fish equation - here's an example -Acro divided by Fish = X (I'll even round down) - 250ish corals ~ 40 fish = 6.25 sps per fish ratio.
Beat that suckas'

He shoots - HE SCORES! :lolspin:

 

[M007]

The SSC twins....

Outstanding Andrew, can't remember ever seeing that before :thumbsup:

 

[biggles]

Outstanding Andrew, can't remember ever seeing that before :thumbsup:

Thanks mate, the colors in the pic are very close to what it looks like as unlike my other two SSC acros the encrusting edge is baby blue rather than the usual mauve/purple and the pink pigments are much more vibrant. The green is almost fluoro rather than the color of a frogs behind like on my other two SSC. That's why i have three more pieces of the same acro in the display, you might say i have a herd of SSC Mindy.......... booyah :smokin:
The gap between them is a little valley so they have about 2" to encrust yet before they become one colony. You can see the line of white death where one of the pieces killed all the coralline in the path of its growth, it's a nasty little pasty so that's another reason i like it. :thumbsup:

The pink and white acro is shooting new white growing tips all around the edges at last so he's settled in. The acro bottom left is being stubborn about coloring up so far. :hammer:
The clam is hidden away and only visible clearly from the end viewing panel. It always surprises visitors as they don't notice it at first and then you get the ' oh look a clam ! ' :rolleye1: I have no idea what the thing on the right is doing, it's gone all pale weird colored but is happy and growing so who knows. It still has the glowing baby blue skin but the tips are wishy washy lately.

In case any of you are wondering why so many of my top down pics include fish i will tell you. Ages ago all the fish would hide terrified when i put the piccy box in the water, the yellow tang used to get really freaked out for ages even after i took the camera box away. I started dropping mini pellets under the box every time i put it in the water and after a while the fish grew to see it as something good.
Unfortunately it has resulted in the bloody fish making a nuisance of themselves every time i want to take top downs. I stopped the food a month back but the fish are still hoping pellets will fall - this is what happens when you mess with the natural order of things people. :hammer:

 

[reefmutt]

Love your top downs, Andrew. Always awesome.
Here, proof of life..

They are made differently. They don't have the typicalpinched glass ends like most de bulbs. The ends are just a narrow, rounded point with the contact at the end. I think they are cool.
I don't know about any issues about them not being made anymore. My supplier says that they are readily available from Coralvue.

 

[M007]

The clam is hidden away and only visible clearly from the end viewing panel. It always surprises visitors as they don't notice it at first and then you get the ' oh look a clam ! ' :rolleye1: ::

I feel ya,

 

[Sand Dollar]

Incredibly beautiful aquascaping biggles. I am amazed at your ability to fit and grow out so many frags and colonies on so little rock and make it all look so aesthetically balanced.

Keep the pics coming...your giving some ideas I may have to steal from ya.

 

[gavinsepanik]

I run 3 150w de Radium bulbs on my tank. They make them.

Should I have to worry about heat or will a couple of computer fans do the trick? Also how far away from the tank do I need to hang it? I don't want a lot of light that doesn't make it into the tank.(Mh noob here:lmao

 

[Oldude]

Lol Greg, the BAFC is something only spoken of in hushed tones around the advanced reef mathematics community right now. :reading:
Thanks for making me smile with that naive attempt at conceptual reef mathematics mate, if only it were that simple mate, if only it were that simple..........

I guess it's as complicated or as simple as we make it. :debi:

 

[Wrangy]

Gets me every time I see your updates :eek1: even if you do slack off with the editing :hammer:

As you have well and truly guessed by now I don't think I'll be moving away from halides lol even though they're only running for about 1-2hrs a day at the moment, I'm loving it! The polyp extension during that period is the best I've ever seen, I always had good extension but I mean wow :eek2: that SSC you gave me is going bananas for it already!

The best part is I know it'll get even better over the coming week I have the new ballast coming in on Thursday too so I think a Radium will have to be in order soon :celeb2: (are you still alright if I steal that loved bulb off you? I will happily offer payment for the exchange )

Now to wait for the "I told you so" :worried:

 

[ryanrid]

Banana strawberry shortcake sounds delicious Dom

 

[Wrangy]

Banana strawberry shortcake sounds delicious Dom

:wildone: along with pineapple pink lemonades and honey pearlberries :lmao: it's looking pretty tasty in my tank now though! Bananas or apples haha

 

[reefmutt]

Should I have to worry about heat or will a couple of computer fans do the trick? Also how far away from the tank do I need to hang it? I don't want a lot of light that doesn't make it into the tank.(Mh noob here:lmao

Hmm.. I see I made a faux pas by posting that photo of the radium..
Oops..
Gavin, these are tough questions because systems are so different as is the environment around each tank. MH always radiate some heat into the tank. Making sure you have the ability to cool things a bit is always good. If you have solid air conditioning in the house maybe you'd get away with it..

Distance depends on the type of reflector you are going to use. Best thing is to light up the fixture over the floor and gauge the light foot print depending on its height off the floor. That will give you an idea of how high over the tank you will need the fixture, if you don't want any light spillage..
Hope this helps..

 

[gavinsepanik]

Thanks for the help matt. I think I am just going to go with a 35 watt 20k par 38 and use mh on my 40b build.