JapanReef - 450 gallon In-Wall system

[NexDog]

Thanks Marc.

Those first three came out well because I had the phone pressed against the front of the tank and the corals are just 4" away and plus the phone is dead still.

So my father-in-law didn't come back with a camera. I don't know what to do really. I gotta have a camera but at the moment I need to be spending money on other stuff for the tank. I can spare $300-$400 for a camera but not the $1000 plus for a RebelXT with macro lenses and tripod etc. I'm just scared I'll buy a camera that I can't understand how to use and if it's Japanese it will need to be not a P&S but a P&SWNI (Point and Shoot with No Instructions).

Marc, I remember you saying that you saw your camera on eBay for $200 or something but not sure how that works with FedEx International etc. I've never used eBay....

 

[melev]

I don't know either. I mean, I've used ebay before, but not shipped halfway around the world. Here's one I found for you:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7613708562

and

http://www.pricescan.com/digiphoto/items/item133769.asp

 

[gregmoeck]

re

re

dont buy one off ebay, go down to electric city and get one, you have the best selection.

Unfortunatly I'm not coming to Japan until Sept otherwise I could bring you one. I have a nice one I dont use anymore. I use a digital slr my wife bought that costs like 1700.00 , unfortunatly I dont know how to use it, she is the camera buff.

 

[NexDog]

Well, good news, he ended up getting a camera. I'll take a look and see if I can work it out.

Does anyone know if this juvie regal is Indo or Pacific?

Easy to tell on adults but not so easy on juvies.

 

[NexDog]

H.Tanaka believes it to be a Philipine Regal with a dismal survival rate so I'll wait for a Red Sea variety.

So the new stag and new monti arrived. The stag is quite tall and the monti has a nice shape but both browned out considerably in transit.

Neither came with plugs so I'm a bit unsure on how to affix them. I'm thinking about making a mould with epoxy and letting it harden for 24 hours without pressing the corals into them. Then sticking the corals in with supergel and then placing in the tank and fixing down with a bit more epoxy (so the epoxy sticks to epoxy).

Or am I making it more difficult than it needs to be?

 

[vest0830]

this picture looks almost identical to the Kadena Steps which I snorkeled yesterday.

Did you get all of your LR from aqua planning out of Naha?

 

[melev]

Just attach them with Super Glue <b>Gel</b>. If you do it in the tank, hold the piece steady for 60 seconds before releasing. If you glue it out of the tank, dry off the rock and the base of the coral, apply the gel and hold it steady for 30 seconds or more. Add more gel where you see the need to make a good solid connection, dip it in a bowl of tank water, then put it back in the tank.

 

[NexDog]

Marc, I'll give it a go tonight - thanks.

vest0830, yep, all the LR came from there and they threw in that huge T. Squamosa and a small crocea plus a finger leather. Awesome company.

I drip acclimatised the new additions for 90 mins or and gave them a good dip in Reef Dip and put them in. I found a nice place for the monti and it sits there with no need for attaching. The stag I'll fix in tonight at the back.

Lastly here is a pic of the Dendronepthya I got a while back. I have it under an overhang and at some point I'm going to try and affix it upside down under the overhang.

 

[NexDog]

Marc, where are those damn ankle weights?!

Hiroyuki (H.Tanaka) emailed me earlier to tell me that he had found me some beautiful Regal Angels. He showed me the site and it's Christmas again! They had some simply beautiful fish and corals so out came the card.

I got this large mettalic green bubble (6"):

Some beautiful pink acropora:

And an awesome pink montipora cap:

Lastly, here is a pic of the Regal. It's a 4" young adult that has been in the store for two weeks. I was assured the fish is eating well and the store comes highly recommended so I have no reason to doubt their word.

My family is officially on bread and water starting tomorrow.

 

[stephen76]

Unfortuneatly those photos have been photoshopped of the corals and i only hope you are happy with what you are purchasing . The photo of the two corals you recieved look totally brown in your hand but a vibrant blue in the shops photo.The pink acro looks extremely pink and the areas surrounding the coral is also pink which is a good indication that the colour has been adjusted.
Im sure with time they will come regain some colour and congratulations on an awesome tank

 

[gregmoeck]

It's very hard to believe those corals browned out that fast. wow, very sad, hopefully they will bounce back. Those pink corals look unreal. I dont think they have been altered with photoshop. looks real to me. that angel is great, wow. I remember going to a aquarium store 3 years ago in yokohoma. I could not believe their selection, they had every fish anyone could ever want and coral as well. I think people forget how close japan really is to the reefs so there is a better and brighter selection.

 

[NexDog]

Without a doubt alot of photos you see have "help" but these are quality vendors. Those corals from today looked brown in my hand but you can see what the stag looks like in the tank and my phone camera sucks so bad. If those corals are even close to those pinks I'll be happy and even if they aren't I won't rest until I attain "Iwan" type results.

 

[NexDog]

Greg, they seemed to bounce back immediately. The green monti is a bit washed out but it's definitely green and a very nice shape. I have high hopes for it. The stag is simply stunning.

 

[NexDog]

Haven't been paying to much to things but today I've been checking my tank with an electric thermometer and it reads 22C (71.6F) at the moment (it's 2.30am here. Earlier today it was reading 26.7C at the hottest point (80F). I have one of those standard glass thermomers in the sump and it tells me the water is 26C (79F). So the Finnex controllers and the glass thermometer seem to agree so is this digital thermometer just a piece of crap? Tad confused here...

Definitely want to get an accurate reading so what does anyone recommend?

 

[melev]

You really don't want your tank swinging from 71.6 to 80F in a day. That is way too much.

Could your probe be giving you a false reading due to its location? Are the MH cooking it a bit perhaps?

Whatever device you decide to trust, let us know what the temperature range is for your tank. I keep mine between 79 and 81F daily.

 

[NexDog]

I can't believe that thermometer - can I? Those little glass mercury ones appear to be accurate. On that digital thermometer I put the sensor in an overflow and then in the main tank itself with no real difference. It's almost as if it's reading the outside temperature. That would fit perfectly because yesterday the temp hit at 28C and the AC managed to keep the room around 25C and hence te ebig drop at night. If my tank was swinging almost 10F in a day I think everything would be pretty sick by now and everything is doing great....

 

[melev]

Is this a Big Temp Alert unit? It has two readings on the screen? If so, the bottom one (labeled "OUT") is the temp in the tank, which the probe is measuring. The "IN" temp is your ambient room temperature.

 

[NexDog]

Oh MAAANNNNN. Am I dumb or what? It isn't Big Temp but rather some Japanese brand. It does have In/Out though so the penny dropped. It was on In so I just switched to Out and it changed from 24.2 to 26.9 which is 80.5F. Now I can easily monitor the temp by opening the door and it's right there on the overflow.

I'll monitor over the next few days as I really don't want the tank exceeding 28C (82.5F). AC is doing the job at the moment though.

Thanks Marc. Six more to go I see. Today is the day!!!!

 

[melev]

I never even track that stuff. Now you have me all on edge, wondering which thread will get the ultimate post.

I'm glad I was able to help you figure out the setting on that thermometer. Stuff like that happens to all of us, but once you know it, you can help others avoid the same silliness.

 

[NexDog]

I'm going to stalk ya for a few hours and see.

My corals and Regal are coming in a few minutes - just got the call. Crappy photos to follow.