Urbanek's 250

[urbaneks]

Insanely beautiful. Amazing wood work. Woahhhh

Fq600 - thanks so much! Really means a lot to get such nice feedback.

Oh.. I thought they were dedicated to the pellet reactor.. They are for the full system volume, then?

Correct, I run 3 socks in my system. The pellets empty into one of the 3. My skimmer pulls water from just below that sock. I've been running these pellets for more than a year this way. They work great for both phos and nitrates. I like not having to change out GFO.

 

[urbaneks]

April 12th, 2016 - Photo Update

April 12th, 2016 - Photo Update

April 12th, 2016 - Photo Update

It's been almost a week since I've posted. Here is a quick photo/reef update.

Sunday was one of the my best reefing days ever! We all know how much time and effort goes into our reefs, because of that time and effort I always love to have visitors to view the aquarium. Most of the time, the visitors can't really appreciate what they are looking at. Yesterday was a great exception. I had the honor of being visited by Dr. Sanjay Joshi who is a frequent speaker at MACNA and other reef conferences. Sanjay was in Arizona to speak at Desert Frag Fest. As part of his visit, he toured a couple of the local reefs and mine happened to be one of them. Needless to say, it was a very cool experience for me. Sanjay was immediately drawn to my Pearlberry colony. I was quick to offer him a piece which he accepted. I can think of no better compliment or honor than for Sanjay to want a piece of my coral. Here is a new top down of the Pearl Berry.





Blueberry Acro - I like to call it eyelashes



Unknown wild acro. A good friend of mine has a nice WWC piece called *** Acro, this looks similar but not quite as nice so I've shortened it to WTH Acro.



Here is my ORA Blue Millie from the top down. The backdrop is my Chili Pepper Monti, I like the way this came out.



WWC Fire Breather Acro - This is starting to get real sweet!

 

[mhucasey]

April 12th, 2016 - Photo Update

It's been almost a week since I've posted. Here is a quick photo/reef update.

Sunday was one of the my best reefing days ever! We all know how much time and effort goes into our reefs, because of that time and effort I always love to have visitors to view the aquarium. Most of the time, the visitors can't really appreciate what they are looking at. Yesterday was a great exception. I had the honor of being visited by Dr. Sanjay Joshi who is a frequent speaker at MACNA and other reef conferences. Sanjay was in Arizona to speak at Desert Frag Fest. As part of his visit, he toured a couple of the local reefs and mine happened to be one of them. Needless to say, it was a very cool experience for me. Sanjay was immediately drawn to my Pearlberry colony. I was quick to offer him a piece which he accepted. I can think of no better compliment or honor than for Sanjay to want a piece of my coral. Here is a new top down of the Pearl Berry.





Blueberry Acro - I like to call it eyelashes



Unknown wild acro. A good friend of mine has a nice WWC piece called *** Acro, this looks similar but not quite as nice so I've shortened it to WTH Acro.



Here is my ORA Blue Millie from the top down. The backdrop is my Chili Pepper Monti, I like the way this came out.



WWC Fire Breather Acro - This is starting to get real sweet!

That is so freaking cool!!! The chance to talk to someone with his years of experience and obvious love for the hobby would be a dream. I'm not one for celebrity but he would be someone I'd be thrilled to spend time with.

It's no wonder that he was drawn to your Pearlberry- it's an absolute beauty. Did he discuss your setup with you? Was he surprised at the simplicity of your filtration approach? I would love to pick his brain...

 

[maxxII]

I wasnt a fan of the Pearl Berry until I started seeing some nice looking mature colonies like yours.

I'm not surprised Sanjay asked for a piece of it.

Beautiful photo's as always.

 

[urbaneks]

That is so freaking cool!!! The chance to talk to someone with his years of experience and obvious love for the hobby would be a dream. I'm not one for celebrity but he would be someone I'd be thrilled to spend time with.

It's no wonder that he was drawn to your Pearlberry- it's an absolute beauty. Did he discuss your setup with you? Was he surprised at the simplicity of your filtration approach? I would love to pick his brain...

mhucasey - Thanks! It was a great experience for me. I'm with you on the celebrity status, Sanjay was way down to earth. Great guy.

I wasnt a fan of the Pearl Berry until I started seeing some nice looking mature colonies like yours.

I'm not surprised Sanjay asked for a piece of it.

Beautiful photo's as always.

maxxII - Thanks so much. Appreciate the kind words.

 

[scubadan206]

Very cool! One of my favorite subjects is my reeftank also. I don't have the money for a full DSLR and macro lenses so I just use my phone.
It's not bad for what it is... Please don't ever have a tank crash. Just the usual upgrade to a larger tank someday.

 

[reefmutt]

April 12th, 2016 - Photo Update

It's been almost a week since I've posted. Here is a quick photo/reef update.

Sunday was one of the my best reefing days ever! We all know how much time and effort goes into our reefs, because of that time and effort I always love to have visitors to view the aquarium. Most of the time, the visitors can't really appreciate what they are looking at. Yesterday was a great exception. I had the honor of being visited by Dr. Sanjay Joshi who is a frequent speaker at MACNA and other reef conferences. Sanjay was in Arizona to speak at Desert Frag Fest. As part of his visit, he toured a couple of the local reefs and mine happened to be one of them. Needless to say, it was a very cool experience for me. Sanjay was immediately drawn to my Pearlberry colony. I was quick to offer him a piece which he accepted. I can think of no better compliment or honor than for Sanjay to want a piece of my coral. Here is a new top down of the Pearl Berry.





Blueberry Acro - I like to call it eyelashes



Unknown wild acro. A good friend of mine has a nice WWC piece called *** Acro, this looks similar but not quite as nice so I've shortened it to WTH Acro.



Here is my ORA Blue Millie from the top down. The backdrop is my Chili Pepper Monti, I like the way this came out.



WWC Fire Breather Acro - This is starting to get real sweet!

Wow, you keep topping yourself with more and more amazing photos!
Great story, I'm positive Mr Joshi was more than a little impressed with your tank.
These last shots are not only stunning for their clarity but also for the incredible colour and health the corals are showing.

 

[urbaneks]

Very cool! One of my favorite subjects is my reeftank also. I don't have the money for a full DSLR and macro lenses so I just use my phone.
It's not bad for what it is... Please don't ever have a tank crash. Just the usual upgrade to a larger tank someday.

scubadan - THANKS! If you can get good photos with a camera, my hat goes off to you. Every photo I tank of my tank with a phone looks horrible. I've given up.

Wow, you keep topping yourself with more and more amazing photos!
Great story, I'm positive Mr Joshi was more than a little impressed with your tank.
These last shots are not only stunning for their clarity but also for the incredible colour and health the corals are showing.

reefmutt - Thanks so much for the kind words. Not sure if Sanjay was overly impressed, I'm sure he's seen some incredible setups. In fact while he was here he went to a fellow reefer's house here in the valley that is amazing. It was ROTM here on Reef Central some time ago.

 

[Elliott]

awesome setup, glad I was able to see it in person, stunning !!

 

[mhucasey]

Every photo I tank of my tank with a phone looks horrible. I've given up.

I took this pic with my phone, its not post processed:

How?

Get some of these:

http://www.ausreef.com.au/filters.html

 

[urbaneks]

April 18th, 2016 - Photo Update

April 18th, 2016 - Photo Update

April 18th, 2016 - Photo Update

It's been about a week since I last updated so I thought it was time to get a few new photos uploaded. Sticking with the top down theme for this month


Jason Fox - Fox Flame - This coral is just starting to take on the Fox Flame colors.


ORA Purple Plasma


ORA Ant Insignis


Strawberry Shortcake


Unknown Wild Acro


ORA Bird of Paradise

 

[reefmutt]

Sorry.. Nothing to say other than, beautiful!

 

[d2mini]

Gorgeous photos.

 

[mhucasey]

April 18th, 2016 - Photo Update

It's been about a week since I last updated so I thought it was time to get a few new photos uploaded. Sticking with the top down theme for this month


Jason Fox - Fox Flame - This coral is just starting to take on the Fox Flame colors.

That is a sweet JFF, one of the few that looks comparable to the parent colony that I have seen. Thats going to be sweet as it grows out!

 

[xanthurum]

I was able to stop in for a visit and coral shopping and I must say it is better than the pics! I am super proud to say I know this reefer.

 

[urbaneks]

April 19th, 2016 - Response to Feedback

awesome setup, glad I was able to see it in person, stunning !!

Elliott - Thanks so much for making the long drive from your place to mine. I'm glad you were able to see the tank. Looking forward to getting over to your house.

Sorry.. Nothing to say other than, beautiful!

reefmutt - We had Chinese food for diner tonight and my fortune said, you don't need to talk a lot to be wise. Seems fitting.

Gorgeous photos.

Dennis - Thanks so much. I'm following your new build closely.

That is a sweet JFF, one of the few that looks comparable to the parent colony that I have seen. Thats going to be sweet as it grows out!

mhucasey - Thanks! I'm looking forward to the Fox Flame growing out.

I was able to stop in for a visit and coral shopping and I must say it is better than the pics! I am super proud to say I know this reefer.

Eddie - Thanks for making the trip over to see the tank. I really appreciate the kind words you've left here.

 

[denisejoelrod]

Wow! I have a lot to learn.

 

[carlosmos]

Can you tell us your actual po4 and no3 levels, please?


Enviado desde mi iPhone utilizando Tapatalk

 

[urbaneks]

Wow! I have a lot to learn.

If you are like me, you've learned it, I just need to apply it. [emoji1]. Thanks for the kind words.

Can you tell us your actual po4 and no3 levels

Carlosmos - I like to keep both my phos and nitrates just to the point where they are detectable. I test phos with Hanna and nitr with Salifert. I don't take actions to correct as long as phos is not above .05 and nitrates are not more than 5. Here are my test results going back to December.

 

[urbaneks]

April 23rd, 2016 Photo Update

April 23rd, 2016 Photo Update

April 23rd, 2016 Photo Update

It's been about 5 days since my last update, here's another photo bomb on the journal. Thanks for looking, feedback is always appreciated, both good and constructive.


A shot of my new Bubble King Supermarin 200. I've had it about a month now. Loving it.


Unknown Wild Acro


ORA Verde


Pets Inc Acro


Setosa - If any of you go way back on my old threads, this coral has been with me since the original Nano