HPFUNK's 300gallons and counting

[hpfunk]

Acans...Acans...Acans...Dayton Frag Swap was cool

Acans...Acans...Acans...Dayton Frag Swap was cool

I went to my first frag swap with the intention of getting a hand full of sps frags but I ended up with only three sps and seven new acan frags. I hate that I like rainbow acans so much, I can't seam to walk past them.

NEW SPS
rainbow montipora
superman montipora
yellow/blue Acropora...no name but WOW!
NEW LPS
7 new variations of acan

Pictures coming soon...
Mushroom season is over around home so...Projects coming soon as well...

 

[hpfunk]

5-2-2011 full tank shot

5-2-2011 full tank shot

and if you click the attached photos below you will see a bigger up close pic of each section

 

[hpfunk]

Acans Again?

Acans Again?

I bought 22 more corals last night from a friend of a friend. Most of the pieces were acans and micro's and chalices with one monti.
Sorry for the bad pictures.

I left all the new pieces in the sump due to space and time constants.

 

[8-ball]

Wow everything is looking good. I suggest you invest in a simple point and shoot camera you will get much better photos. Also if you plan on selling frags pics go along ways. I use a Canon DC10 its an underwater camera that takes great macro shots in and out of water. It is a bit more pricey than others at $300 but you will love it. Or you could just spend $150 on a cheap point and shoot.

 

[hpfunk]

Wow everything is looking good. I suggest you invest in a simple point and shoot camera you will get much better photos.

Thanks 8ball
My photography is as poor as the camera on the i phone. I have a cannon something or another and it is a good camera that I can't seem to work properly. In addition to the camera I have a photo box that floats on the surface and has blacked out high sides (never even tried it yet).

However I am very lazy and taking/sending/and posting pics is just is easier and more convenient.

But you make a great point with regards to selling frags...
I have purchased frags based on expert pictures that make the piece look way better than it does... no names mentioned

To help with my fraging I intend on buying a one of the DFS-100 ReefKeeper Saw by Inland. I have heard nothing but good things about this thing.

 

[hpfunk]

Frag Swap Came and Gone

Frag Swap Came and Gone

So the fragswap in Indy just went off and I was able to contain myself and only bring home two new corals. First frag was a pre-ordered pink lemonade and the second was a forest fire montipora. I intended on picking up some ORA pearl berry, and some strawberry shortcake but didn't find any thing in those categories. Oh well, I got the Inland Saw instead and got out of there. On Tuesday I will try to cut some chalices and I will even try to use the good camera to document it. I recently read an article in Reef Keeper Mag that talked of fraging scolys. I am a bit nervous about it but I have every intention of eventually cutting the scolys in half. I also have a plate that has grown to a point that it is 8~9" across and is taking up to much room. I would love to cut this one into four pieces.
Does any one have any experience cutting up a plate? Suggestions? Can you cut into more than two pieces?

 

[hpfunk]

I Can't Stop Myself!

I Can't Stop Myself!

I managed to create a whole lot of work for my self this Sunday. Purchased this system complete with a trailer full of goodies not pictured. The system is going be re-setup, as-is, temporarily, in my current equipment room. This tank is the same tank I just got all off those acans and chalice from. I caved in and split the rest of the system with a friend who has interest in the tank and livestock. I only want the 3 Vortech's, the ATI's the skimmer and sump maybe the chiller. There is going to be a lot of extra equipment so I will have allot of flexibility to set up a more permanent propagation system. (there are like 4 tanks) In addition to all of the equipment I will be getting, I will get frags of all the pieces I like.

I think when all the dust settles I will have a pile of equipment to find a new home for. I guess I will have to pass on the grate deal I got to some other lucky reefer.
big thanks to billy for a whale of deal!!!

I will be sure to take plenty of pictures...with the good camera...
its not that much better thought...see for yourself...

This is the first Scolly in the tank 9 months later and looking amazing...it was brown and a little red now look at it!!!

I still can't seam to take a good picture with the Blue LEDs only...this is when the tanks florecents just pop. This picture is the best I could get by using the auto-correct function on the camera. Sorry I am not photography savvy...

enjoy

 

[hpfunk]

Wow that was allot of work!!!

Wow that was allot of work!!!

From Noon till 8:15 we moved this whole set up!

I cleared a corner in my equipment room for it.

This move dragged on longer than expected and the weather was not cooperating at all. It rained all day (not a big deal) but the temp dropped to high 50's when I was expecting highs around 65, 70. There might be a little more loses than I was hoping for but I will cross my fingers and wait till tomorrow night to assess the damage.

This tank was really mature and it was depressing tearing it down even thought it was coming with me. I had the camera in my pocket the whole time and never even got it out. We will just chalk it up to my hands were full. I need some time to inventory all of the extras this system came with. The list seams endless, I could start four more tanks right now with all the stuff.

Wow that was allot of work!!!

 

[hpfunk]

Lights Up

Lights Up

One of the fixtures that came with my recent purchase was a 60" ATI with 6 bulbs. I decided to hang this as opposed to the MH fixtures that also came with the package.
It might need new bulbs soon, but along with the (2) MP40s this is easily one of the prize pieces of the package deal.

As you can see the water is starting to clear. The corals are still upset but all and all we didn't end up losing all that much.

 

[hpfunk]

Upgrade The Equipment Room

Upgrade The Equipment Room

The new addition of the 135g propagation tank w/ 100g sump, has added to the demand for power in a room that has one outlet only for the hot water heater. I had my sump rigged up to an extension cord and power strip with the intention of running a new dedicated circuit, but never did.
Now with the new addition to the room I did the same thing with a new extension cord to a different outlet in a different room.

This was unacceptable before and now its getting out off control and potentially dangerous!!!

So this morning I went to work roughing in a new GFCI circuit with 5 new outlet locations, dedicated to the fish tank equipment. I managed to get all of the conduit mounted and wire pulled for all five. Tomorrow I will wire up each outlet and then call the electrician to hook up to the panel (I could do it myself but I would prefer not to mess with it). The five locations power was needed correspond to the prop sump, the prop tank, the Display sump (pictured above), the wall behind the display tank (for lights), and last but not least at the new frag station I am currently constructing. (more on that at a latter date)

I am headed to Amsterdam on Wednesday for some much needed R&R so I will probably only get one more project in before I leave for a week.
I plan on visiting the Zoo to see the aquarium for sure.

Other news; I built a frag rack and uncovered all of the corals that survived the move. (about 95%) The attached photos of the prop tank below show the new frag rack and all the corals uncovered and opening up. Also I added a huge piece of live rock with a zoo colony on it to from my main display. I did this to clear way for SPS frags I would like to grow in and fill the void.

 

[hpfunk]

Back From Amsterdam but uninspired

Back From Amsterdam but uninspired

I went to Amsterdam for a business/pleasure trip over the weekend and expected to see an amazing reef exhibit at the Artis Zoo. However I am left uninspired, RC members have better tanks. I am baffled that none of the zoos or aquariums I have been to represent SPS reefs or even good mix reefs. I have recently been to sheds aquarium, 7 years ago I went to Atlantis, but have yet to be blown away like I am with some of the systems found on RC. Now Atlantis had the most amazing FO aquariums but not that cool of a reef tank, hopefully that has changed.
I did see a really cool tank in Amsterdam but it was a freshwater koi tank. Take a look at this tank I found in a random coffee bar, imagine if this thing was a reef tank. It was at least 15 foot long, and just awesome.

This thing was so big I couldn't even get a good FTS.

The remaining attached pictures are from the zoo.
A huge angle, a huge scroll and a skeleton
Now Ill get back to work on my projects.

 

[hpfunk]

Did some work finally

Did some work finally

This pvc rack set up shows the original LED Configuration

Lighting

More new LED's... awhile ago...

I got some more stunner strips, the black light ones. I will show pics the new lights when I get a chance.

Well finally I got around to adding the new LED's as seen in the picture

I don't know if I like the final result but I won't see it once the hood covers it, and at least the wires are all concealed.

So this project and the algae in my tank inspired me to make the next right move and replace the 1+year old blubs in the metal halide bulbs

And while I was at Premium I figured I was going to get this beautiful male Blond Naso w/ streamers but his belly was pinched and he wouldn't eat at the store so I pasted on the fish and got four SPS instead. I am sick of picking up frags upside down in the sand so I grabbed a rock out of the sump and drilled holes in it.

 

[hpfunk]

Huge flood from a pin hole leak

Huge flood from a pin hole leak

Two days ago I hooked up a float valve to the sump on the new system for the auto top off of RODI water. Apparently a pin hole leak in the flex tube went unnoticed until it formed a puddle so big it came under the walls.:headwallblue::headwalls::headwally:
I fix the problem in two seconds flat and spent hours drying out my wall and framing. At least the floor is concrete and at least the floor drain kept the puddle from getting any bigger than it was, but I have no idea how much water was wasted. Well lesson learned for the second time (this happened once on the old tank).
I think the thing to is to install sump pump water alarms around the tanks and equipment just so I notice when something is leaking and the puddle is still small!

 

[bagz727]

what brand of leds are these? ty

 

[hpfunk]

answer to ty

answer to ty

what brand of leds are these? ty

All the LED's on my tank are stunner strips with reflectors by ecoxotic found at http://www.ecoxotic.com/
This is also the company that offers the 50 and 100 watt LED canons. I would love to replace my MH with LED but I'm still on the fence. So I replaced the T-5s with blue LED and I'm happy with the result.

 

[bagz727]

so i assume the leds dont get washed out by the 400w MH? ty

 

[bagz727]

so i assume the leds dont get washed out by the 400w MH? ty

sorry, i meant dont they get washed out by your 250w MH? ty

 

[hpfunk]

sorry for the late reply

sorry for the late reply

When you look at the tank you don't notice the blue until you turn them off.
When the LEDs are off and the 250s are on the corals colors don't pop as much. They would look better if I had another six pack (modular rope set up) I think would be perfect. However in the morning and evening with no halid and all LED's the look is amazing and could never be achieved by T-5 bulbs.
In a perfect world I would use white and blue cannon's during the day and and keep most of the LED's on in the morning and evening and save one or two of the 403nm Ultraviolet for moon lighting.
After trying to remember the nm of my lights I found out that Ecoxotic has just released a Magenta and a 445nm Royal Blue version of the stunners, and I must say that it will be really hard for me to not to run out and get some of these.

On a side note my tank is becoming that best babysitter ever.

And I moved the original frogspawn head to a new location because as you can see the growth it was taking up valuable real estate.

 

[Wyze]

Very nice tank!!!!!! I'll be keeping an eye on this thread for sure!!!!!

 

[hpfunk]

Simply Amazing "The Origanal Flamethrower Chalice"

Simply Amazing "The Origanal Flamethrower Chalice"

Very nice tank!!!!!! I'll be keeping an eye on this thread for sure!!!!!

Thanks I will do my best to impress.

Ok I will try to keep the explanation as simple as possible...

A local reefer is breaking down her tank and happens to BE THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE BPC FLAMETHROWER CHALICE!!!
DOCUMENTED LINEAGE!!! thanks to http://www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com/archives/vol_3/issue12/pages/27.htmthis link might be a page off but its there

I am now the proud owner of the last piece of the original colony.

Big thanks to Katrina Cup for being the good shepherd of the elusive flamethrower, I will try to live up to the legacy that you have created.

Wow this thing is BAD A$$...with an extra $ lol...