Henry22's 15 gallon tall tank.

[Henry22]

So last summer I had a eclispe freshwater tank, and I was getting bored with it so my brother suggested I start a salt tank. My brother had had a 5 gallon elcipse salt a few years before that just had damels and anenome, yes an anenome with stock lighting. Anyways, I started researching on here and reefcentral, but mostly reefcentral for a few months.
Anyways, I cleaned out my eclispe 15 tall and went to the LFS. This lady who knew her stuff(because I had researched and she knew what she was talking about) hooked me up. I got a minijet 404, and crystal sea salt. After that, I start slowly adding live rock(I now have a total of 20#, mostly fiji), the rock was pretty bland but when I get my little sister's camera later you will see it has colored up nicely. I first wanted the tank as a FOWLR knowing I would spend lots of money on corals and lighting but you know how thats goes. I had a few newb mistakes, and you will see those in the pics. So now, this are the pictures from my tanks early beginings. The tank pics as of now will be posted later, when I get a camera(tommorow)

Tank just running with saltwater

Added live rock

Added Sand

More LR also a bit unstable

Tank Coming togather

New Aquascape, and blue background

First Inhabitants(camel shrimp, although as far as I knew, it was a peppermint as that what a LFS I usually dont go to had it labeled as. Pretty sure if killed one of my clowns)

My first impulse buy, a red scooter blenny, took that back after temp acclimation and had learned it lived mostly off pods

My first corals(lost the blues after I neglected the tank)

 

[Henry22]

After I realized that my peppermint shrimp might have eaten my clown, he was gone for some LFS credit. But I went back to that store and they now have peppermints and camels, properly labeled. I might pick a peppermint up for apitasia control,although the lemon juice might be working.
Tank Was started 7/10/05, I use IO salt,and I feed 3x a week a mixture of frozen mysis and frozen baby brine shrimp(usually a 1/4 cube). I also occassionally feed some hikari pellets and some flakes, but thats rare.
Equipment includes:
-Coralife 96watt Powerquad(50/50)
-Aqua C Remora Skimmer w/ maxijet 1200(Not using until I get a fish)
-Maxijet 400 w/ hydor flo
-Mini jet 404
-Marineland 50w Stealth Heater
-Coralife Digital Thermometer
-Portable Refractometer(RHS-10ATC)
-Aquarium Pharmeceuticals Test kit(kinda bad, but it works)
Livestock:
Fish: None, had WC clowns, didnt make it past QT
-also had CB clowns which one was believed to be killed by my camel shrimp, and the other died of ich
-Ordered hi fin red banded goby, also waiting on pistol
Inverts:
-Various snails(ceriths, lost my nassarius to my hermits)
-1 blue leg, 1 scarlet hermit
-1 Porcelain Anenome crab(awesome little dude, hangs out by my frogspawn)
Corals:
-Blowpop zoos
-Fire and Ice zoos
-3 types of shrooms(frilly green, green striped, and frilly)
-Frogspawn
-Yellow star polyps
I plan to add more zoos, some leathers, and more LPS like a hammer. I also would like to add some montipora up near the top but dont know if I can stomach the purchase if their expensive and then to loose it. Are there any that are easy and cheap and less light needy? Maybe like an encrusting montipora.
My fish stocking will be a hi fin red banded goby, and maybe a firefish, or a pair of clowns. IMO, clowns arnt really hardy, and have been breed so much that they are now disease prone(mostly ich) so I dont know if I can stomach 50 for a pair(25 each). I will probaly add a skunk cleaner, a peppermint for apitasia control, and another porcelain as my one now is awesome. I would also love a pom pom crab.
Alright, so here are the pics I promised, now Im not photographer and this is just a nikon point and shoot, and all I did was just mess around with the white balance so there nothing great.

Current FTS

Messing around with the white balance

\
Messing around with the white balance again

Fire and Ice(20 $ frag I believe, they are growing)

Frogspawn(20$ frag, also growing)

Green Frilly Mushrooms

Blowpops that are in my first post, after I neglected the tank most of the colony died off, but now their making a comeback

Frilly Mushroom, thought they were cool, although their more of a skin/pinkish color with white tips

Green frilly mushrooms messing around with the white balance, kinda looks like under actinecs.
I'll get some moon shots tonight and post them tommorow. I will also update this thread as my tank grows and I add more livestock. I decided to not post a pic of my yellow star polyps, as everyone has seen some and their kinda of bland, although I like mine.

 

[Jordan55]

Camel shrimp are not reef safe. Or atleast that is what I thought?

 

[Henry22]

They arnt reef safe, he was removed.