Melev's new 280g Starfire tank thread

[melev]

Here's something new I found at the super market for $0.99.

I call it the Phosban Reactor Filler Upper. They call it a Canning Funnel, but what do they know...

I insert a wooden fork in the riser tube to keep media from pouring into it. I've always done so, but apparently others use their finger or put some tape on top. This fits perfectly, and allows me to keep the tube centered when filling it up with carbon to the top. I run three reactors on my tank, two with phosphate remover and one with carbon.

With the PRFU, you can't miss!



And the obligatory coral pic:

A. granulosa

 

[Lordhelmet]

thanks for the pictures on changing the media of the phosban reactor. My wife is in california with my tank and has to change the media this week and has no idea how to. no i can just send her this link.

 

[melev]

For those that might be curious, the new video has been downloaded over 500 times, and bandwidth has doubled over the past couple of days.

Yesterday I tinkered in the garage with some stuff I had available. My 55g barrel is very heavy once full of saltwater (55 x 8lbs = 440 lbs) and pushing this across the kitchen floor seems rather rediculous. Plus it is a tad hard on my back. So I gave it some thought, and looked online for barrel dollies. Everything seemed so expensive to me, with prices around $80 each.

I had 2 x 6's in the garage, and recently replaced the wheels on my BRAND-NEW pickup machine (floor stripping) that left marks behind it. Those wheels, plus $8 in bolts from Home Depot, and some woodwork resulted in this:

It needs some rubber on top of the stand for the barrel to keep traction, or maybe some uprights on the front and back ends. I may decide to put a solid surface on the roller after it has been tested as is.

Hope it holds up.

 

[melev]

Where's Harley?

Where's Harley?

Typically, I never see these guys during the daytime, so I was shocked and quickly ran for the camera.

Still need some help?

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And even the other Harlequin Shrimp was out, sort of.

Finally, check out what I found growing in the live rock recently. A little bit of the Scripps Acopora. All polyped out and happy. Just below it is an over-exposed Xmas Tree worm.

 

[BrianPlankis]

How long have you had that Christmas tree worm Marc?

Brian

 

[melev]

Since MACNA, I believe. That was some pink pocillopora from Dr Mac, if I recall correctly. Amazingly, my CBB hasn't has any interest in it yet.

Nor my new clam.

 

[BrianPlankis]

Marc,

Cool I forgot to ask, what video camera do you use?

Brian

 

[melev]

I'm using my Fuji S602Z, like always. It can shoot video, and will continue until the card is full or the batteries die. I shot 21 videos to make this one, editing them all together with Microsoft Movie Maker (comes with Windows XP). It was 300 megs of videos that were mostly 10 seconds long each, and once edited came out to 41 megs.

I'm ready for MACNA. Are you?

 

[melev]

Just a quick picture from today. Some people complain I don't have any Softy Love. :lol:

 

[melev]

My club members enjoy poking fun at me when they can. You saw my cool barrel dolly that I posted yesterday (scroll upwards). Well, now it's been pimped! :lol:

 

[BrianPlankis]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7642705#post7642705 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
I'm using my Fuji S602Z, like always. It can shoot video, and will continue until the card is full or the batteries die. I shot 21 videos to make this one, editing them all together with Microsoft Movie Maker (comes with Windows XP). It was 300 megs of videos that were mostly 10 seconds long each, and once edited came out to 41 megs.

I'm ready for MACNA. Are you?

Wow, editing 21 videos together? That takes dedication.

I'm not ready for MACNA yet, but getting there.

Brian

 

[Hop]

I like it. It's a melev's monster garage theme. In fact, I think a theme tank with cold steel and flames are in order

 

[BrianPlankis]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7650444#post7650444 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Hop
I like it. It's a melev's monster garage theme. In fact, I think a theme tank with cold steel and flames are in order

Or when he finally gets around to doing his woodwork it could be painted cold steel and flames

 

[Waxxiemann]

Hey Marc,

Tank looking sweet as uaual. So someone guessed the EXACT number of JellyBelly flops hey ....

Was it 822? That was my guess (if I remember correctly). Probably not. Once I had a good look at it I figured it was more like 4-500.

 

[melev]

No, that wasn't it. Evan was supposed to get #8 released before he left town, but didn't. The person that guess right will be announced as soon as he gets back, which I believe is this Saturday. We'll have another contest soon, as I just received word that we will get another kit to use as a prize in a couple of days. Episode 9 will discuss the new contest.

Today, I was looking at my reef as it was waking up, thinking how I may have to pull out some of the rockwork on the left side of the tank. It seems to be shifting forward, and I need to get that adjusted soon.

I came to my desk to delete the daily spam mail, and then headed over to the kitchen to make coffee. My MH lights were out. Darn Dole! He jumped, splashed the lights, and tripped the GFCI breaker. That's two days in a row. The breaker has been reset and the lights are on again. I have to wonder what makes a fish skittish like that, especially when I've had him for over a year. He doesn't do this daily, so what is so special now that he feels the need to make things difficult?

 

[melev]

As anticipated, I knew today I would have to adjust the corals on the left side of the reef because they were shifting forward. Little did I know just how badly this would turn out. I'm annoyed, disgusted, and frustrated, but hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

The large A. millepora has been leaning forward more and more. It has been encrusted on the same rock for years, appearing to float above open area. While trying to ease things backwards where they were before, it broke off in my hands. There was absolutely no rhyme or reason that would allow me to balance it back in its regular spot. I ended up pulling it out of the tank, along with that rock. I used Super Glue Gel and some 2-part putty to reattach it, then put it back in the reef to cure for a couple of hours before placing it back in its horizontal position again.

In doing so, the A. millepora baby was no longer able to be repositioned in its spot that it has been in for the past 2 years. And about 5 more corals were no longer in their spots either.

I made some changes to the layout of the tank, which was the left side all the way to the middle of the tank. The maze brain coral is now near the sandbed, and the Favia is up higher on the left. The Scripps acropora broke in half in my hands, to my disgust. The Acropora nobilis has been rotated to no longer intertwine with the Scripps, and the Green Slimer (which I doubt is even a Slimer now) had to be relocated. I moved the bright green Hammer frag from the prop section to the reef, just to cheer me up.

In the process, I added about 6 frags to the prop section from the massacre I just caused, and now have to get used to the new look of my tank. My poor fish never even got to eat as the lights shut off while I was toweling off.

And to top it off, another MH bulb is cracked!!!!!!!!! I'm going to put eggcrate over the top of my tank to see if that will help reduce the splashing situation. I really didn't want to do that, but I can't afford to keep buying bulbs. This one wasn't even 2 months old. :mad2:

 

[melev]

A picture under actinics only, with the new look.

 

[melev]

Here is the bottom view of the A. millepora. For a size reference, those are full sized Turbo Astrea snails on the overflow behind it. It is nice to see how the entire base of the coral has healthy tissue in what is fully shaded.

 

[melev]

And the green slimer, with blue tips?! I guess it isn't an A. yongei after all.

 

[melev]

And finally, the speck of Scripps acropora that I mentioned yesterday. Look at the polyp on this thing! Prodibio perhaps?