Randy's 180G Reef-Photo Journal

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<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7476680#post7476680 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fishbaiter
Man oh man, nice work..
Thanks Fishbaiter! I'm very happy with how it is coming along. I always feel like it has a long way to go though. I need corals, but I'm forcing myself to wait on that until I get the lights hung from the celing, get my autotopoff hooked up, and get a dosing pump for the two-part dosing. So it is barren of corals until I get that stuff done...
 
Hey Randy, great job here! I've had this thread marked for a LONG time but havent had the time to read it. Great work. I like what youve done and like that youre tank goals are similar to mine (as you've chimed in to help me on my thread alot). You have some fish that I wanna get too! Just added the first new fish to my tank recently, and may make another trip to a really good LFS this weekend. I also really want the linkia stars, too. How are yours doing?

Can you give us an update on what fish you have in the tank?
 
Hey Beaut, thanks. I think that the Exquisite Coris has killed many of my smaller snails. I also have not seen the Emerald Crabs that I used to have around, so he may have gotten some of them too, I'm not sure. I may have to get rid of him eventually if I feel like the overall tank is suffering from his eating habits. Before I got him, I would always see emerald crabs and nassarius snails out in the open. Now, I never see them.

Hey Bryan! The Linckias are doing well as far as I can tell! No visible problems, although I still feel like I don't really know what they're eating or if they are really growing much. I'm concerned about the smaller red one, it hasn't seemed to get any bigger since I bought it. I hope it is eating.

All of the fish seem to be doing great. Here's the list:

Oscellaris Clown 1.5"
Royal Gramma 1.5"
Scribbled Rabbitfish 2.5"
Starry Blenny 1.5" <--- EDIT I knew I'd forget at least one
Yellow Coris Wrasse 3.5"
Elegant Coris Wrasse 2.5"
Male Mandarin 1.5"
Female Mandarin 1.5"
Blonde Naso Tang 3"
Kole Tang 3"
Sailfin Tang 5"

Hopefully that's all. Sometimes I forget one or two! The tank is dark and everyone is sleeping so I can't go look right now... But I'm pretty sure that's it.


I FINALLY got my auto topoff system hooked up yesterday. It is really working great.
 
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Thats great about the linkias. They're definitely on my shortlist. I hear the big thing is that they need a really good, slow acclimation time.

Thanks for the list. Funny how alot of them are on my list! Any thoughts about a Powder Blue Tang?
 
I just found that some of my fish eat Cheato! I put some in a lettuce clip and the Sailfin Tang, the Naso Tang and the Scribbled Rabbitfish all went at it!

I also got a small piece of red grape caulerpa to grow in the fuge as food for the tangs.
 
Hi MHeron...I moved here to the Orlando area from King of Prussia. I miss Valley Forge...it was an awesome place to visit. Randy, both of the Rainsfords I have set aside for you ate tonight...I think they'll be a go once I'm done quarantining them. Supplementing the fresh macroalgae is a great nutritive addition to all your herbivore's diets. You saw Cyndi Lauper when she saw it...just like a little kid when you hold out a lollipop. I've seen Randy's tank in person and it is truly awesome!! His plumbing system is extremely well thought out (in fact we are going to use several of his ideas in the plumbing of our new 300 gallon. As good as the pics are that he posts here, in person it is even better. I will say that I wish I had more clients like Randy...his patience in stocking his tank is a significant part of the success he is enjoying.
 
I haven't tested my water in a while, so I tested it this morning. I dose at night, and occasionally a "booster" during the fuge darkness period when the PH is slightly lower. I still am using up over a gallon of two part per month.

PH = 8.0 (my PH tends to vary from 8.0 to 8.2)
Cal = 430 (this is about where I am shooting for)
Alk = 9.9 (this is a little higher than I expected but I'm OK with it)
Mag = 1350 (I'll probably try to bring this up to around 1450 or so)



That's all I've tested lately...
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7501926#post7501926 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rdmpe
I know! What the heck am I going to do??? Probably dose kalk and two part at the same time???

Kalk is a pretty simple way to keep things stable I've been finding so far. I'm only using 1 tsp in 2 1/2 gallons of water which is dosed over a 3 day period to keep my levels stable.

I evaporate probably 2 gallons a day, and I'm not using near saturated limewater, so I should be able to keep up with the demand for a while with just kalk.

I don't think you'll have a big problem keeping up with the demand with Kalk and 2-part. AT least not for a while.

Tyler
 
Your Magnesium level needs to be three times the calcium level. It's perfect where it is.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7502248#post7502248 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
Your Magnesium level needs to be three times the calcium level. It's perfect where it is.
Hey I never heard that rule of thumb before! That's good I guess!
 
Me neither, but I always shot for a 1350 in magnesium. You should just pick up a reactor when you need one. The amount of ease is amazing. If you have any questions, just let me know.
 
I've been resisting the CA reactor just because I don't want to deal with the setup hassles. I already have a PH controller and a CO2 bottle from my FW planted tank days... But I don't know if I can handle even more plumbing under my tank. It's getting a little crazy in there :eek1:
 
New Rose Bubble Tip Anemone

New Rose Bubble Tip Anemone

ROSE BUBBLE TIP ANEMONE

Well, here are some pictures of my new anemone. These were taken after it was in the tank for approx. a half hour. It opened right up and looked pretty happy. I picked out a nice fairly deep nook that it could snuggle into. It seemed to move around a little bit and for a little while I thought it was going to go on a walkabout. But now it has settled down again, so I'm hoping it will still be in that spot tomorrow morning.



First a couple of overall shots of the island that the rbta is on. These are taken with no flash but with the white balance adjusted.

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These are taken with no white balance and no flash. There is still a 250W MH above (14K) and the actinics are on as well. They are much darker than I expected.

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These were taken with the flash on...

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And these were taken like the full island shots. No flash, just adjusted the white balance. The exposure tends to be a little long, so I get a lot of blurry shots this way, with a few decent ones in the mix that I keep.

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Very nice Randy...I think that one was a great choice. The mouth is nice and firm as is the foot. Seems to like his new home. Now, keep your fingers crossed that he stays put and the clown finds it fast. Marcye
 
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