Austin goes Rimless - Dudester's 203g mixed reef
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martinphillip03
New member
How do you like your lightiing system?
Marty
Marty
chrismunn
New member
whatever works then i guess huh? i just sound wierd because there are so many different formulated fish foods on the market that you wouldnt think you would need to stray so far into the un-ordinary. and i suppose that, even thought a stalk of broccoli wouldnt normally find its way into a wild reef, if the fish eats, it eats! intersting to know...
Dudester
Premium Member
Marty - I really like the Powermodule. One problem I had was that some salt creep literally glued the acrylic shield in place, and I had to pound it out to remove it. Lesson learned, I'll just have to slide the shield in and out a few inches every couple of weeks to prevent this from recurring. Also, one of the ballasts went bad, but I received a replacement in the mail. I'm hoping to have time to switch it out this weekend. I really like the flexibility of being able to change lamps around to suit my color preference and the needs of the corals. I actually just received 2 new lamps, another ATI blue plus and a KZ Fiji purple. When I change the ballast I'll try out these new lamps, which will hopefully provide a better spectrum for my corals, and a better appearance for my eye.
Chris - Yeah, I don't think a lot of bananas make their way into the ocean either, but fish seem to love it.
Today I made a 2 lb. batch of food. First I went to Kingfish and picked up:
Brightwell Aquatics Vitamarin-M, 250 ml
Brightwell Aquatics Vitamarin-C, 250 ml
Brightwell Aquatics Fish Amino Acids, 250 ml
Selcon, 60 ml
PE mysis, 1 pack
H2O Life Cyclops, 1 pack
H2O Life Mini Mysis, 1 pack
H2O Life Fish and Reef #2
H2O Life Brown Algae
At the grocery store I picked up:
1 lb. fresh shrimp
1/2 lb. fresh scallops
1/4 lb. fresh squid with tentacles
10 live clams
I then pulled out some Cyclop-Eeze, Kent Garlic X-treme and some green algae (nori) that I already had at home. All of the fresh ingredients were kept very cold. I rinsed the PE mysis in some RO water, but nothing else was rinsed.
I split the above ingredients into 2 batches. The liquid additives were poured into the processor, then the fresh seafood and algae sheets were added. These were permitted to soak for about 5 minutes so that the seafood and nori would absorb the vitamins and aminos. I then added the frozen bits and about 10 droppers full of Garlic X-treme before grinding up the gruel. The contents were poured into ziploc bags and flat frozen immediately. I intended to add banana to the mix as well, but I didn't have any at home and by the time I realized it, I was already committed. Let's hope the charges appreciate their upcoming meals!
I've also begun adding some additional ZEOvit supplements. Included are B-Balance, Pohl's Coral Vitalizer, Amino Acid High Concentrate, and perhaps the most exciting product of them all, Sponge Power. I'm also adding a little iodide (Lugol's) to the tank, albeit very sparingly, to hopefully help with coral coloration. I really need to take some pics.
Chris - Yeah, I don't think a lot of bananas make their way into the ocean either, but fish seem to love it.
Today I made a 2 lb. batch of food. First I went to Kingfish and picked up:
Brightwell Aquatics Vitamarin-M, 250 ml
Brightwell Aquatics Vitamarin-C, 250 ml
Brightwell Aquatics Fish Amino Acids, 250 ml
Selcon, 60 ml
PE mysis, 1 pack
H2O Life Cyclops, 1 pack
H2O Life Mini Mysis, 1 pack
H2O Life Fish and Reef #2
H2O Life Brown Algae
At the grocery store I picked up:
1 lb. fresh shrimp
1/2 lb. fresh scallops
1/4 lb. fresh squid with tentacles
10 live clams
I then pulled out some Cyclop-Eeze, Kent Garlic X-treme and some green algae (nori) that I already had at home. All of the fresh ingredients were kept very cold. I rinsed the PE mysis in some RO water, but nothing else was rinsed.
I split the above ingredients into 2 batches. The liquid additives were poured into the processor, then the fresh seafood and algae sheets were added. These were permitted to soak for about 5 minutes so that the seafood and nori would absorb the vitamins and aminos. I then added the frozen bits and about 10 droppers full of Garlic X-treme before grinding up the gruel. The contents were poured into ziploc bags and flat frozen immediately. I intended to add banana to the mix as well, but I didn't have any at home and by the time I realized it, I was already committed. Let's hope the charges appreciate their upcoming meals!
I've also begun adding some additional ZEOvit supplements. Included are B-Balance, Pohl's Coral Vitalizer, Amino Acid High Concentrate, and perhaps the most exciting product of them all, Sponge Power. I'm also adding a little iodide (Lugol's) to the tank, albeit very sparingly, to hopefully help with coral coloration. I really need to take some pics.
martinphillip03
New member
Today I made a 2 lb. batch of food. First I went to Kingfish and picked up:
Brightwell Aquatics Vitamarin-M, 250 ml
Brightwell Aquatics Vitamarin-C, 250 ml
Brightwell Aquatics Fish Amino Acids, 250 ml
Selcon, 60 ml
PE mysis, 1 pack
H2O Life Cyclops, 1 pack
H2O Life Mini Mysis, 1 pack
H2O Life Fish and Reef #2
H2O Life Brown Algae
At the grocery store I picked up:
1 lb. fresh shrimp
1/2 lb. fresh scallops
1/4 lb. fresh squid with tentacles
10 live clams
I then pulled out some Cyclop-Eeze, Kent Garlic X-treme and some green algae (nori) that I already had at home. All of the fresh ingredients were kept very cold. I rinsed the PE mysis in some RO water, but nothing else was rinsed.
I split the above ingredients into 2 batches. The liquid additives were poured into the processor, then the fresh seafood and algae sheets were added. These were permitted to soak for about 5 minutes so that the seafood and nori would absorb the vitamins and aminos. I then added the frozen bits and about 10 droppers full of Garlic X-treme before grinding up the gruel. The contents were poured into ziploc bags and flat frozen immediately. I intended to add banana to the mix as well, but I didn't have any at home and by the time I realized it, I was already committed. Let's hope the charges appreciate their upcoming meals!
Do you ship to New York? Do you take paypal?
Marty
LOL
Brightwell Aquatics Vitamarin-M, 250 ml
Brightwell Aquatics Vitamarin-C, 250 ml
Brightwell Aquatics Fish Amino Acids, 250 ml
Selcon, 60 ml
PE mysis, 1 pack
H2O Life Cyclops, 1 pack
H2O Life Mini Mysis, 1 pack
H2O Life Fish and Reef #2
H2O Life Brown Algae
At the grocery store I picked up:
1 lb. fresh shrimp
1/2 lb. fresh scallops
1/4 lb. fresh squid with tentacles
10 live clams
I then pulled out some Cyclop-Eeze, Kent Garlic X-treme and some green algae (nori) that I already had at home. All of the fresh ingredients were kept very cold. I rinsed the PE mysis in some RO water, but nothing else was rinsed.
I split the above ingredients into 2 batches. The liquid additives were poured into the processor, then the fresh seafood and algae sheets were added. These were permitted to soak for about 5 minutes so that the seafood and nori would absorb the vitamins and aminos. I then added the frozen bits and about 10 droppers full of Garlic X-treme before grinding up the gruel. The contents were poured into ziploc bags and flat frozen immediately. I intended to add banana to the mix as well, but I didn't have any at home and by the time I realized it, I was already committed. Let's hope the charges appreciate their upcoming meals!
Do you ship to New York? Do you take paypal?
Marty
LOL
Dudester
Premium Member
Marty - Sure, I'll ship you a few bags if you need. It really wasn't very expensive to make, but it did take some time, and the kitchen smelled horrible for several hours until I opened up some windows to air the place out. I was able to get 12 sandwich bags worth of food. That oughta last me a while. The fish absolutely love it!
Bax, GSMGuy and Eric - I actually do have a couple of pics to share, although I have time set aside tomorrow for a true photography session. In the meantime I'll post what I have. And you're right, the office tank thread is in desparate need of some updating.
chrismunn - Since you've been out of it a while I'll fill you in on a few more modern inventions for saltwater tanks. We no longer use undergravel filters, we use "protein skimmers" for waste removal, and we actually keep living corals in our tanks. I know, freaky, right?
. But in all seriousness, I agree with your surprise at feeding things like broccoli and bananas. Afterall, and I believe you alluded to this earlier, there's not a lot of broccoli floating around in the ocean. On the other hand, you have to consider the fact that reefs contain far greater natural food sources than we keep in our tanks, so we have to find some supplements with good nutritional value. That's where things like vodka, garlic, bananas, and even HGH come into play.
So as an overall update, the tank is doing quite well. Coralline algae is starting to take off. The new additives haven't had any ill effects, and I might be hallucinating, but it seems like the corals are looking a little better to me. Maybe it's a placebo effect, not sure, but I'm really liking the way things are going. I removed the Deltec reactor that was used for running carbon, and I placed some KZ carbon in a media bag which sits atop the ZEOlith rocks. The ZEO reactor runs 3hr on/3hr off, so it's like an intermittently-active running of carbon. I'll change this carbon every 3 weeks. Removing the reactor gave me the necessary room in the sump to install this.
This pump replaces the Mag12 as the main sump return pump. I installed an elbow on the intake, aiming down to reduce microbubbles and to ensure it's adequately submerged. If you recall, I had problems with the RD 6.5m3, but this one works like a charm. I'm convinced that pump was defective, and so is Aquarium Specialty who gave me a full refund for that pump.
Since I had the camera out to photograph the pump, I snapped a couple of some fish, just for grins.
Oh, and yesterday I also stopped by Gabriel's house (GKarshens) and saw his beautiful tank. It looks amazing, and is a true representation of a nicely maturing mixed reef. Gabriel hooked me up with frags of Tyree Bali tricolor (a. valida) as well as a pink with green-polyped millepora. Thanks Gabriel! I'll get pics of them tomorrow.
Bax, GSMGuy and Eric - I actually do have a couple of pics to share, although I have time set aside tomorrow for a true photography session. In the meantime I'll post what I have. And you're right, the office tank thread is in desparate need of some updating.
chrismunn - Since you've been out of it a while I'll fill you in on a few more modern inventions for saltwater tanks. We no longer use undergravel filters, we use "protein skimmers" for waste removal, and we actually keep living corals in our tanks. I know, freaky, right?
. But in all seriousness, I agree with your surprise at feeding things like broccoli and bananas. Afterall, and I believe you alluded to this earlier, there's not a lot of broccoli floating around in the ocean. On the other hand, you have to consider the fact that reefs contain far greater natural food sources than we keep in our tanks, so we have to find some supplements with good nutritional value. That's where things like vodka, garlic, bananas, and even HGH come into play.So as an overall update, the tank is doing quite well. Coralline algae is starting to take off. The new additives haven't had any ill effects, and I might be hallucinating, but it seems like the corals are looking a little better to me. Maybe it's a placebo effect, not sure, but I'm really liking the way things are going. I removed the Deltec reactor that was used for running carbon, and I placed some KZ carbon in a media bag which sits atop the ZEOlith rocks. The ZEO reactor runs 3hr on/3hr off, so it's like an intermittently-active running of carbon. I'll change this carbon every 3 weeks. Removing the reactor gave me the necessary room in the sump to install this.
This pump replaces the Mag12 as the main sump return pump. I installed an elbow on the intake, aiming down to reduce microbubbles and to ensure it's adequately submerged. If you recall, I had problems with the RD 6.5m3, but this one works like a charm. I'm convinced that pump was defective, and so is Aquarium Specialty who gave me a full refund for that pump.
Since I had the camera out to photograph the pump, I snapped a couple of some fish, just for grins.
Oh, and yesterday I also stopped by Gabriel's house (GKarshens) and saw his beautiful tank. It looks amazing, and is a true representation of a nicely maturing mixed reef. Gabriel hooked me up with frags of Tyree Bali tricolor (a. valida) as well as a pink with green-polyped millepora. Thanks Gabriel! I'll get pics of them tomorrow.
Dudester
Premium Member
chrismunn - Glad that made sense. Actually, there's a lot more we have to compensate for other than the lack of foodstuffs in our tanks compared to the ocean. There's also less light, circulation, and nutrient export in our tanks which is why we use anything and everything available to us to our advantage to try to even the playing field. Shoot, we'll even go as far as to throw a banana in our tanks (so to speak). All right, I'm getting off my soap box now.
I'm already happy with the Red Dragon. It's totally silent, and I love the fact that it's so energy-efficient.
skey44 - Thanks for your concern. I agree with you that 90* elbows are less than ideal at pump intakes, but in this case there is no plumbing connected to that fitting, so there's very little restriction. I emailed the U.S. dealer/distributor of RD regarding this, and he confirmed that I won't be damaging the pump. Again, thanks for the warning, I do appreciate it.
As promised, I had a photo session last night. My wife got a new camera, a Nikon D300, but unfortunately the cheap loser who bought it for her (that's me) didn't get a macro lens. Additionally, the front 2 lamps on the Powermodule were out due to a faulty ballast, so these pics don't show the true appearance of the tank and corals. But I had to post some pics, for fear of losing everyone's interest in this thread. I didnt' get shots of many of the corals, but this should give you an idea of what's going on in the tank at the moment.
sunset monti
purple selago (badly faded but alive = BFBA)
frag from wild colony pink table and efflo
montipora confusa
pink eye oxypora
Wait, there's more ...
I'm already happy with the Red Dragon. It's totally silent, and I love the fact that it's so energy-efficient.
skey44 - Thanks for your concern. I agree with you that 90* elbows are less than ideal at pump intakes, but in this case there is no plumbing connected to that fitting, so there's very little restriction. I emailed the U.S. dealer/distributor of RD regarding this, and he confirmed that I won't be damaging the pump. Again, thanks for the warning, I do appreciate it.
As promised, I had a photo session last night. My wife got a new camera, a Nikon D300, but unfortunately the cheap loser who bought it for her (that's me) didn't get a macro lens. Additionally, the front 2 lamps on the Powermodule were out due to a faulty ballast, so these pics don't show the true appearance of the tank and corals. But I had to post some pics, for fear of losing everyone's interest in this thread. I didnt' get shots of many of the corals, but this should give you an idea of what's going on in the tank at the moment.
sunset monti
purple selago (badly faded but alive = BFBA)
frag from wild colony pink table and efflo
montipora confusa
pink eye oxypora
Wait, there's more ...
Dudester
Premium Member
monti cap
Miyagi tort (BFBA)
pink with green polyp mille
Idaho grape
green slimer - not happy in this much flow, was much more polyped out before it was mounted in this position. I was gonna move it but I really like where it is, so I'm hoping it will come around and get used to its current condition. A little out of focus, sorry.
favites
Miyagi tort (BFBA)
pink with green polyp mille
Idaho grape
green slimer - not happy in this much flow, was much more polyped out before it was mounted in this position. I was gonna move it but I really like where it is, so I'm hoping it will come around and get used to its current condition. A little out of focus, sorry.
favites
Dudester
Premium Member
I like the KZ frag plugs very much. With my lights being so intense I think these frag plugs will really facilitate repositioning of the corals for acclimation very nicely. Thanks for letting me know about them. As for diversity, yes I'm definitely building a mixed reef akin to Naka's.<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11596510#post11596510 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GSMguy
Great pics Mike, are the Kz frag plugs to your liking?
Nice selection of corals so far, are you going for as much diversity as Naka?
GKarshens - Thanks for the tip. I think I'll solve all of this by just getting a macro lens that's made for this camera. My wife has a great Nikor macro lens, but it's not sync'd with this digital SLR, so I think it's usable but only with manual settings.
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