My 65 Gallon Mixed Reef

[biggles]

I almost crapped my pants with the A-Grade scoly story :lol:

Yeah, the one I wanna get is a bleeder. Can't believe I'd pay sooo much for something that's bleeding :lol:

I've got a nice bluish acan colony and some blastomussa that would benefit from some mysis, sigh, time to throw away my lazy boots!!

Alright, so was up thinking last night about the cube system. Realized that adding reds on the drop off would do precious little for research, since water quality differs on both tanks. So, unfortunately, its bye bye t5's on my cube frag tank, and welcome new experimental diy leds trying desperately to imitate the Radium. On that note, I remember the Radion Pro's having a similar spec to the Radium, so I went about trying to imitate it. Setup the led's and just waiting for wiring. Obviously it won't be precise, but an approximation. Let's see

As far as the green poo on the drop off, I'm gonna take a shortcut. Transfer affected frags to the cubes, restore colour, dump 'em back and see what happens

I saw your post on another thread somewhere, about not trying to colour up ALL corals, and in the process, ruining what was already well coloured. This was my mindset at the beginning but got derailed along the way. Thanks, will now move pieces I'm not very happy with to the drop off, and commence building cyborg corals to destroy your reserves :lol:

The name bleeding apple actually refers to the green apple look of the coral. Contrary to what many believe, the 'bleeding' does not refer to any red coloration present - it's what your wallet does when you purchase one. Couple this with the academic record of the scoly - 'A' grade student, and the price is more than justified.....
Since i bought a fish i don't think it's too much to ask of you to get of your bum and feed your corals. I bet if i sat a bowl of fish poo and one of mysis in front of you i know which one you'd prefer. This is scientifically proven as is the almost identical food preferences shared by humans and corals...... if you want i can point you to several non existent scientific papers that back up my claims Bello........
All this LED talk is well and good but without a few pics you could be hanging a jar of fireflies over your tank for all i know - get your camera out you lazy bastard........
I was thinking about what i said in relation to not stressing about certain corals failing to color up but in all fairness i think my situation differs greatly to many of you guys. I pay $40- on average for most SPS branches i purchase but if i was forced to pay exorbitantly high prices for very small frags i'm sure i'd be trying hard to keep everything colored up.

Here's one of the troops sleeping on the job, check out the folded claws.... all he needs is a tiny little shovel to lean on and he'd score a job with my local council.....

We got lucky we thought of it (the carpet) and didn't get caught up in the whirl-wind of trying to get the build going! So glad we paused and got that done. Even though the cost put a damper on the build for a little while... And your right on with the tremendous knowledge base here. All the info gathered here has been extremely helpful in my planning.

And I'm definitely subscribed to this as well! Not only for the good topics, techniques, and conversation. But for the awesome Aussie coral pictures and info! I would LOVE to take a dive trip over there... for now I'll settle for building a killer reef in my living room with the corals I can get here.

My parents just finished up their week long visit. So now I've got the OK to get some dry rock ordered and make a mess of the house for awhile! :blown:

Been through the house building saga several times mate, i particularly enjoyed the time my builder called me and the convo started with, ' don't take this the wrong way mate but your wife is nuts......' she had a habit of asking for features ($$$) to be built that required a bending of the time space continuum to exist - either that or she knew something that Albert Einstein didn't.
Several years later i realised that the builder wasn't actually talking about her ridiculous building requests - she was nuts and i was forced to remove her from the 'tank'....... :uhoh3:
Appreciate you following along my rambling reef journal mate. I had a friend years ago who flew to Cairns and organised to dive with a collector so he could hand pick two boxes of SPS. He ended up with about 20 colonies stuffed in the two poly boxes and flew them home. When he invited me around to check out his dive treasure the first words out of my mouth were ' you bastard....' lol. If you ever get the chance to dive the GBR you'll be a stuttering idiot when you you surface :wildone: and no reef display will ever look the same - don't do it lol.
Nothing better than trashing the house with reef related goings on, i have a towel across part of the kitchen bench and the diamond bladed dremel is left plugged in now in case i get the urge to 'experiment' lol. Some cool rock structures are mandatory for tank battles so make sure you get freaky with the rock.

 

[Bello]

Since i bought a fish i don't think it's too much to ask of you to get of your bum and feed your corals. I bet if i sat a bowl of fish poo and one of mysis in front of you i know which one you'd prefer.

Now don't jump to conclusions, it all depends on the extra sauce :lol:

I've decided against the bleeding scrotum........sorry scoly :lol: May as well buy some nice sps frags

Fine, fine I get your point, will take pics :furious:

Check out the drop off thread in a bit, and a shitty pic of the shitty led fix, don't think its gonna make a big difference

 

[biggles]

Now don't jump to conclusions, it all depends on the extra sauce :lol:

Gross.........

I've decided against the bleeding scrotum........sorry scoly :lol: May as well buy some nice sps frags

Ha love it, the BS coral - in Aus the term BS refers to bull s**t - a tall story or lie lol

Fine, fine I get your point, will take pics :furious:

Don't be stealing my iphone macro lens idea..........:reading:

Check out the drop off thread in a bit, and a shitty pic of the shitty led fix, don't think its gonna make a big difference

Just stick to the LED's and don't consider going back to the halide dark ages.
radium radium radium radium radium radium radium radium radium radium radium radium

You'll notice i underlined that last sentence just to emphasize the point........

 

[Bello]

:lol: That's hilarious... haven't ordered the macro adapter yet.. what with going nuts with led's and all.

For my tropical climate and lack of equipment supply, I really can't even consider Halides. Plus my insanse electrical bills on just keeping the tank cool.

Initially, I had 150w BLV/Ushio bulbs. Good bulbs, but when they are encased in a crap outdoor non vented fixture, you spend a lot of time sniffing melted rubber wire, with subsequent short circuits and a buggered tank. Trust me, they'd make your bat wing look like a Rolls Royce :lol:

I started with LED's about 3 1/2 years, with the Maxspect G1 units, while seriously outdated, I did get some half decent color on some pieces.

So how much is it gonna cost me to dive into the GBR and get me some of that Aussie sps goodness? One nut? Both?

 

[Bello]

One more thing...how about a top down shot of the blue stag?

Will take some pics of my corals under the existing LED's, while trying to make 'em look EXACTLY as I them:thumbsup:

 

[biggles]

So how much is it gonna cost me to dive into the GBR and get me some of that Aussie sps goodness? One nut? Both?

I'm surprised you're not aware of the numerous incidents of Aus dive boats 'accidentally' leaving foreign divers out at sea, never to be seen or heard of again........ I would simply offer you this advice when contemplating diving the GBR - buy a calculator and give it to the dive boat captain when you board, they tend to goof when it comes to head counts Bello.

I have a day off work tomorrow and will try to get you a top down of the blue stag (while it's still blue). Me being me, i'm also going to glue an SCC frag to the top of the monti plate so i end up with a triple table look on that raft. Raft rock-monti plate-SCC table. I'll show you pics after i complete my next daring acro feat buddy - just remember, 'who dares wins'.............. :thumbsup:

 

[Bello]

:lol: I can barely snorkel, let alone dive . I've never actually seen an actual reef in person, so I'm hoping that at the end of this year, once my son is wee bit older, my family and me will make a trip to the Maldives ....hopefully, if all goes well

Honestly, the primary reason for not purchasing the scoly, is that I like coral that I can grow and propagate. That's half the fun for me

Now I'm curious to see what level of insanity you're on, waiting for pics of the attempt. I'll admit it though, seeing an acro in the midst of a monti is seriously cool, and when that acro is an SSC......potential awesomeness :thumbsup:

:lol: who dares wins :lol:

 

[biggles]

As promised Bello.

Freshly pried off his rock....

Had his bum notched with the dremel to give the glue more grip

The monti is still wondering what the hell just landed on his head.......

* The cleaner shrimp is stalking the clown - he's a tad desperate to clean it i think...........:rolleye1:

* See those purple and fluoro yellow tips on the acro at the top middle of the pic - they were blue and the pigments were much further down the tips before i dosed amino acids 4 days in a row - stopped using that stuff real quick and will use it once a week and watch my corals closely if i ever try it again.

* Need to mount that brown pocil branch tomorrow - probably where that blue stag frag is in the pic as it's just sitting there to see what the color does in mod/low light.

* I have a bag of sand to add tomorrow :celeb1:

 

[Bello]

Thanks for the pics

I like your dremel technique of smoothening and then what's the word, dunno, the lines across for a better grip?

The cleaners are funny :lol:, fun to watch the fish swimming away from their eagerness. I need to pick up a couple though, pretty soon.

So not very happy with the amino as yet, noted . I throw in a bit of LPS Amino, now and then...dunno if helps or not...no difference noted.

And finally the sand, no more bare bottom :lol:. I did try bare bottom for a bit, just doesn't do anything for me.

And will you're at it, some details and better pics of the coral graveyard are in order! Lighting? Dimmable? Flow?

 

[Bello]

You still owe me a top down pic of the stag, and details of the "Graveyard"!!

 

[biggles]

I just cut notches in the base with a cutting wheel so the glue can have a secure hold on the frag, i slice the bases to whatever angle i want the frag to rest depending on the rock it's going on - dremel + diamond wheel = easy fragging and coral butchering.
You've definitely got to get some cleaners, this is my first and he's way better than a fish lol. I already know how much better the display will look once i add the sand, the added light won't hurt either.

Prepare yourself for my equipment packed and high tech sump. Don't try to copy this setup Bello as it's way too technical and out of your league mate.

Deltec SC1455 - way overkill atm but the second tank will share the sump. See my dead water zone at the back half of the bubble trap - i still have secret squirrel stuff no one knows about mate :strange:

High tech dosing equipment and ATO - immune to electrical failure lol.

Mounted the 120W LED unit on aluminum slides for easy removal etc. 50% blue and 50% white with dimmer knobs for each channel. I run both at 100% so the dimmers are basically a waste of money - until i get my angel of course lol.

The forgotten coral graveyard..........

Circulation is that $25- 250gal/hr crappy pump and the 250gal/hr Eheim feed pump in the return section - that's it. Oh i did a 200ml water change earlier tonight when i took that frag out lol.

 

[Bello]

Where's the squirrel?? Been looking high and lo for that lil fella :lol:

Kidding aside, that's very impressive! I love the simplicity and redundancy, simple but effective :thumbsup:

+1 to the nano led blasted Multibar & SPS dominated cube tank!!

Gotta love the Deltec....quality skimmers :thumbsup:. You definitely know where to spend your money

Here's an idea for some very expensive flow in the nano cube,
http://www.fish-street.com/aquasyncro_hwm_wavemaker?category_id=126

Been using one for a month....solid :thumbsup:

Did I mention, the corals under LED's look excellent??

 

[timemperio]

I love how you arranged your tank biggles. Just beautiful.

 

[biggles]

I love how you arranged your tank biggles. Just beautiful.

Thanks very much mate, appreciate the kind words. Here's the main arch i made with two rocks (LR) cable tied while the putty cured. So many people go to the trouble of making nice arches and then place them parallel to the front glass, simply placing an arch at 45 degrees makes for a much more dramatic and non contrived look imho.

The squirrel is rotting in the sump Bello after being sucked into the skimmer intake - that's my secret to keeping SPS. Full steam ahead on the SPS nano it is then mate !
I have to say that this is my first needle wheel skimmer and it's totally silent 3 meters from my lounge chair. I had DIY becketts on my last 2 SPS tanks and they were brutally efficient but noisy. I'm blown away that i can get such a set and forget skimmer that performs above very well for under $500-
Hahaha i'm definitely going to buy one of each just because they're ridiculously cheap. I'm going to grab a couple of those WP25's when they're released so i'll wait until then and get the lot in one go. Are you going to give them a try Bello, i don't think you can go wrong for the money even if they die 6 months later. Atm i have 2 x 6025's modded, 1 x 6045 & and a 6095 running flat out. I'd like another 6095 and a 7096 controller but it'll be a while until funds are available.

Some old shots - both tanks were just shells as i like doing all the drilling etc myself.

Used 3mm black acrylic to cover the glass weir and sump baffles to block light from the frag tank light.

How's this for the stupidest place to water test your sump - realised after i filled it that if it failed the lounge room was going under lol.

The green stag.

Pavona

 

[Bello]

Don't tell me that those coral shots are with your iPhone :blown:. And, no more pics from me for a few days since I decided to QT the camera lens of my DSLR while taking top downs :angryfire:

Nice shots of the aquascape early stages. You know what's the nicest thing to have when you realized you've got SPS loving Angels in your reef? Complete structures like that!!! Takes 15 mins to remove, catch fish, and put things exactly the way they were before . Think I've done that at least 3 times over the last 6 months with the cubes. Not the best idea, but better than breaking all the sps with the nets in mad frenzy to catch the smart lil buggers.

I think the most reliable piece of aquarium equipment owned over the last 5 years has got to be the Tunze pumps! I'm so tempted to purchase a 6095 wideflow, and hook it up to the GHL. The flow is insane!! And you have it flat out???? in that 65G? That's crazy flow!!! I could compete with the 2 x MP40's at 100%, but since they're unidirectional, too scared to. I've never owned a controllable Tunze, so if I get this straight, if you don't have a controller, you can still run it, with no control i.e. 100%?

Completely forgot about the WP25, seems like its definitely worth a shot :thumbsup: I'm tempted to sell off the MP40's and make some profit (I've got 4), and go with the 6095 or try the Jebao, dunno yet.

Funny story about the Aqua Synchro pump, I had 2 year old points worth $10, accumulated in my account, and I noticed it in a small recent purchase....so free Aqua Synchro pump :lol:

I still have my 5 year old Deltec MCE 300 chugging along on a frag tank. They may be relatively expensive, but worth it :thumbsup:

 

[troubadour11]

The green stag.

Another awesome image. I love this one! I can't believe that little macro iphone lens does so well. Are these images full resolution from your phone with that lens, or do you crop them down in size?

@Bello: That sucks on your camera lens. Well, at least you know you won't infect the camera body with ich once you finish the QT process :facepalm:

I sent off an e-mail to Marco Rocks today. Hopefully will be placing that order this week and get my build thread up and running. One more step closer to getting to that LED build and chipping in a bit more here. Other then my random comments from the peanut gallery :wavehand:

 

[biggles]

Here's a couple of top downs with the blue stag as requested Bello Notice the metallic green acro that was a turd 2 weeks ago lol. The browned out stylo is turning pink at a crazy rate with a blue/purple also starting to come through on the tips. Stupid shrimp jumped onto my little finger when i accidentally touched the water - sooner or later he's going to just hop out and walk across the floor to get to me lol.

That really sucks about the camera lens mate Hope you can clean it up and get it working again mate. Get a 6095, they're awesome and come with 5-6 different little voltage jumpers you just plug into the transformer to control the flow rate if you don't have a controller.
That's funny about the free cheapo pump lol - first one to have a pic of a WP25 in their tank scores a tank battle point Bello..........

Hey troubadour11, thanks for popping back in mate. The images are 3264 x 2448. I cropped about 25% off that shot and then resized it to the much smaller size you see now. Pretty impressive results for a $15 camera phone lens.
Hope to see your build thread up and running soon mate, i've never used dry rock but i bet it makes creating cool formations a lot easier than the rush with LR out of the water. You may be roped into our tank battle at some point - Bello will need reinforcements considering he's lost the plot and tried my acro tip crushing method with an expensive camera lens........ :lol2:

 

[Bello]

No ick, but I'll be damned before I put the lens into the display :lol: Going with dry rock is a good call, IMO, less scope for pests. And after my friend found a bobbit worm in his tank....dry sounds pretty good now!


That Blue stag gets you a point....but I've got some tricks up my sleeve...wait for it :lol:. I've been looking for something like that for a long time, but all I've got is tiny frags. Species?

That's the papillare that coloured up, right? Looks great!! Won't be buying the WP-25 just yet, still have extra Tunzes and Vortechs. I'll wait for your in-depth Review :lol:

Well, my camera isn't as buggered as I thought, game on!!!

 

[biggles]

So i see diplomatic relations have broken down Bello, time for shock and awe - INCOMING !

 

[Bello]

Awwwww :lol:

Did you just get them from the LFS? Are you secretly building an arsenal? It's time for some weapon inspection!!

I love the pink with the greenish yellow eyes! Where you placing them? Nano Cube or display?