MiddletonMark's 58 [photo-heavy]

[MiddletonMark]

It's been a long time since I posted pics of my tank, but since it's passed the 2.5 year mark ... I figure it's time.
These pics are more recent than anything on my website right now ... you see it here first!

A quick rundown:
10g nano was upgraded to this 58 in the spring of 2003. Slowly since then, the tank has gone more to the stony corals - with Acropora and Montipora being my favorites. Nearly all have been grown from frags ... a long process, but I feel a lot of pride in growing them out for so long, to decent size finally.

Summer 2004 was the summer of red bugs, with the substrate removed, skimmer upgraded as well. Since that point, the tank has taken off.
Summer 2005 sadly was the summer of the Montipora nudibranchs, and my tough lesson in QT. There's a few remaining, where I seem to be winning the battle ... but plenty of sadness as I lost a few of my favorite [and older] Montiporids in the battle.

Specs:
58g Oceanic RR, 20g sump.
Precision Marine Bullet 2 run by Mak4 pump.
2 x 250w MH on PFO parallel reflector, 10k AB + 14k AC
2 x 96w VHO Actinic
Tunze 6060, Seio 820, and Turbelle for water movement
Little giant 3-series sump-return pump.
36w UV sterilizer

Additives/husbandry:
Daily additions of 2-part Ca/Alk [about 50/50 Randy/B-ionic]
15-20% w/c every two to three weeks
Feeding daily with Fish-mush based on Borneman's recipe

Fish/Livestock:
Sunburst Anthias
Carpenter's Wrasse
Midas Blenny
Green Clown Goby
3 x Masked Goby
2 x Serpent Stars
Astrea, Trochus, Cerith snails
A couple hermits, temporarily no Emerald Crabs


Feel free to ask questions, comment, suggest, etc.
It's been a learning process, I hope I know twice as much in another few years + the tank looks twice as good.

Pardon the camera issues. My old Nikon 990 has lost the ability to run in Manual mode [with white-balance corrected], so some pics look just a little `off' to me.

Now the pictures ...

 

[MiddletonMark]

 

[MiddletonMark]

From the end

The center of the tank

 

[MiddletonMark]

My favorite frag-trade with the LFS

It's not that bare a bottom

 

[Gawain1974]

Very nice Mark!

Where do you get most of your livestock at in Madison?

 

[MiddletonMark]

From when I had more montis this summer ...

Only one soft coral in the tank ... thrives in this tank far more than it did with the softies [less light/flow]

Have quite a few zoanthids scattered around, which don't seem to be spreading at the fast rate they did before my tank has gotten `clean' recently.

 

[MiddletonMark]

Oldest captive coral in the tank is my wife's bubble coral ... about 8 years in aquaria [5 years with her]

Not the easiest to make happy in a higher-flow, higher-light tank ... but with enough aquascape/flowscape tweaking ... it's working ok.

 

[MiddletonMark]

Very nice Mark!

Where do you get most of your livestock at in Madison?

Thanks!

Les, except for the LPS, most of my frags have come from MARS/WRS members. I started with a few SPS from Greg Hiller [BRS, mailorder] and Gooch's Corals as well.

I've gotten most of my ORA stuff from LFS, along with the 3 Bali aquaculture pieces I have from there too.

Got the yellow toadstool frag at IMAC 2004, with my only online coral order for the `Sapphire tort' from PhishyBusiness [Monti confusa with that].

I got a few pieces in Chicago as well at LFS, sadly those arrived possibly with Monti nudis ... and were the first frag-casualties of the nudis [doesn't take long for them to eat a 1.5" frag, esp when you aren't recognizing the nudis as what they are yet].

But a suprising amount local, or within the state.

Once I'm past hosting the Dec. MARS meeting, I'll likely be ready to frag some more again.

 

[toonces]

what is that reddish fish that looks like a cardinal fish?

 

[MiddletonMark]

What a long, strange trip it's been ... looking at my first pic in the gallery here [a little less than 2 years ago] I'm suprised again in how far it's come.

It's amazing how much improvement you see from coral/tank pics every few months ... esp over a year + time period.

Fragged this coral for the last local-club frag-swap ... just a small piece left. Was one of my first Acropora, and a great one ... but with tank-overstock now, it didn't rate as pretty enough - so I cut it up and passed it along at our last frag swap

And in case my Montipora nudibranch warning wasn't enough ... here's what used to be a centerpiece this summer - but by the time I realized I had nudibranchs + dipped/etc ... it was too late
My lesson in coral QT

Was:

Is:

Tough lesson to learn, among the only coral-losses I've had in this hobby came from this single pest. If I can leave you with any message ... let it be good coral QT practices.

 

[MiddletonMark]

what is that reddish fish that looks like a cardinal fish?

It's a Masked Goby, I've got 3 of them.

A caribbean goby, seem to like to hide in holes in the rocks, chase each other around a little.

Add a lot of action to the tank with very minimal bioload.

 

[Electrobes]

Man seriously what a bummer about the montipora, but heck with your growth rates it got replaced pretty quickly - Very nice tank!

I like the leather, very healthy looking. I am also amazed at your equipment, very top of the line for the tank's size!

 

[Frick-n-Frags]

Mark, it's looking good as always.

 

[Bomber]

Beautiful tank Mark, but I tell you that all the time. Boy has that thing grown in the past year too.

 

[Ereefic]

Looking good Mark. :thumbsup: Even better in person.

Let me know when your ready for some Monti's, I'll hook you up with what I got. And i'll try and remember to bring my camera with on my next visit.

 

[MiddletonMark]

Thanks for all the compliments

If wasn't for you folks, I wouldn't have learned half as much - and likely wouldn't be as proud of my tank.

I am also amazed at your equipment, very top of the line for the tank's size!

Nothing's too good for my livestock.

It's been slow, steady upgrades and trades. Eventually I'll upgrade to a 120, so I've collected skimmer/lighting that will work well on the next tank. But once I felt I was `long-term' in hobby ... I've been keeping an eye on the used forum, my local clubs ... and patience has found some nice equipment scores.

Boy has that thing grown in the past year too.

It amazes me as well.
Was about this time last year when my tank passed 5 months BB, the rock-shedding seemed to slow ... and it just turned a corner.

Between that and continual improvements in my husbandry, it seems to have reached a very good point. Hopefully next year I'll have improved my tank-care-skills further ... and it will blow these pictures away again. [though if it just stays steady as-is, I'll be one happy camper].

I'm not there yet, just happy to be making progress.

 

[pad]

nice zoos..

 

[Agu]

Nice tanl and corals :thumbsup:

I really like your choice of fish. They're appropriate for your tank size and not the usual fish seen in most tanks.

 

[anthony34]

love the colors, great work

 

[SCARYBO]

Great tank Mark. Amazing colors!!! You should be very proud.
How much of the 50/50 alk/cal do you use with the growth rates you have? What levels does it keep you cal/alk at.