My 500 + gallon system. Last 13 years to now. Build, Aquascaping & more. Lots of pics

[slief]

Originally Posted by Crazy One

You said that you were turning off the return pump and skimmers for 8 hours.
Are you going to keep some type of flow going inside the tank maybe drop a powerhead in there with an air stone or something? Just askin?

I have 2 Koralia 3's and one Koralia 4 in there which will remain on during the retrofit. Its likely that there will also be another 2 Koralia 4's that will be added between now and next week. I have been holding off on those as the Koralia has new pumps coming out which are what I want. Worst case, I will hang a couple power heads in the tank just for safe measures.

[slief]

Originally Posted by bullitr

i had a 13" vlamingi and 11" dussumeir tang from a friend but it was too big for my tank and basically give it away although he have it on 150 FOLWR with a lot more big fish without problem but i don't think its good to have this guys if you have a lot of corals and live rock.

ps post a picture of your other hobby

I am sure you dont want to see my fishing or boating pics..
Other hobby (c6 vert) is in the shop right now as some yahoo ran into me on Topanga.. Should be done early next week. I ended up going with an aftermarket hood with a low profile cowl with clearance for a super charger (maybe in the future) and a Z06 front bumper that was made to fit a standard c6. I will post a picture next week when its done.

[Untamed12]

Originally Posted by slief

Untamed,
Those are abosultely beautiful!! Great pictures too! I really need a better camera and some better photo skills! Thanks for posting the pics!!

Thanks...those pics are taken with a $149 Kodak point and shoot.

[bullitr]

Originally Posted by slief

I am sure you dont want to see my fishing or boating pics..
Other hobby (c6 vert) is in the shop right now as some yahoo ran into me on Topanga.. Should be done early next week. I ended up going with an aftermarket hood with a low profile cowl with clearance for a super charger (maybe in the future) and a Z06 front bumper that was made to fit a standard c6. I will post a picture next week when its done.

just get the grand sport vert we can have a group buy. lol
i have mine for 3.5 years 2007 z51 daily driver
with only corsa extreme and vararam air intake everything else is cosmetic
planning to have a headers and super charger later on after the warranty is over.

[slief]

Originally Posted by Untamed12

Thanks...those pics are taken with a $149 Kodak point and shoot.

Clearly I lack good photo skills! Maybe I need to try a tripod. The lights make it difficult to get the right colors and the flash just seems to reflect back in the glass.

Originally Posted by bullitr

just get the grand sport vert we can have a group buy. lol
i have mine for 3.5 years 2007 z51 daily driver
with only corsa extreme and vararam air intake everything else is cosmetic
planning to have a headers and super charger later on after the warranty is over.

Mines an 07 daily driver too. Coming up on 3 years with mine. Got the Vararam also but left everything else stock as it was a lease. I think I will be keeping it though and adding my personal touches in the near future.. Lease is up in May. Headers, exhaust will be first then maybe the SC.. Money of course permitting.

We definately should get together. I live in Simi but my office is in Chatsworth. I dont mind taking run up the hill to meet you and I would love to see your tank as well as hear the corsas. Also, if you in the valley area, we could meet up as well.

[Untamed12]

Originally Posted by slief

Clearly I lack good photo skills! Maybe I need to try a tripod. The lights make it difficult to get the right colors and the flash just seems to reflect back in the glass.

Depends what you are taking pics of...for fish I go up to 400ISO, set the camera to "high colour", and white balance to "open shade", and underexpose by -.7 (Sometimes I'll use the flash, then crop out the bounce back)

Coral doesn't move much, so I use 100 or 200ISO, high colour, open shade, no flash and underexpose by -.7. Usually need "close up" focus as well.

[slief]

Originally Posted by Untamed12

Depends what you are taking pics of...for fish I go up to 400ISO, set the camera to "high colour", and white balance to "open shade", and underexpose by -.7 (Sometimes I'll use the flash, then crop out the bounce back)

Coral doesn't move much, so I use 100 or 200ISO, high colour, open shade, no flash and underexpose by -.7. Usually need "close up" focus as well.

Thanks for the help! I never knew about some of the options though until you mentioned that. I went through my settings and my options are a bit different. There is an ISO mode on my camera. Under white balance, daylight seems a bit better but there is no open shade. I dont have a high color option. When in ISO, flash isnt an option. Its disabled. I always got sony cameras for their simplicity but I have often wished I had a better camera and some experience to know what I was doing with it.

[bullitr]

Originally Posted by slief

Clearly I lack good photo skills! Maybe I need to try a tripod. The lights make it difficult to get the right colors and the flash just seems to reflect back in the glass.



Mines an 07 daily driver too. Coming up on 3 years with mine. Got the Vararam also but left everything else stock as it was a lease. I think I will be keeping it though and adding my personal touches in the near future.. Lease is up in May. Headers, exhaust will be first then maybe the SC.. Money of course permitting.

We definately should get together. I live in Simi but my office is in Chatsworth. I dont mind taking run up the hill to meet you and I would love to see your tank as well as hear the corsas. Also, if you in the valley area, we could meet up as well.

i will pm you my number

[KingwoodMarcia]

Very nice!!!

[sarmo]

this is a great re-build thread. i also have a 500 gallon display. i started with Africian Cichlids in '95 and changed to SW in about 2003 or 4. i sure wish i had known about Reefcentral back then. planning would have haved me a ton of $$$$$. great job with your photo documentation.
do you know how old your banner fish is? i've been considering adding a couple to my display and was wondering about their size and if they are reef safe? would you get another one or do you like the fish?

thanks and keep the pics coming, i'm subscribed!!

[slief]

Originally Posted by sarmo

this is a great re-build thread. i also have a 500 gallon display. i started with Africian Cichlids in '95 and changed to SW in about 2003 or 4. i sure wish i had known about Reefcentral back then. planning would have haved me a ton of $$$$$. great job with your photo documentation.
do you know how old your banner fish is? i've been considering adding a couple to my display and was wondering about their size and if they are reef safe? would you get another one or do you like the fish?

thanks and keep the pics coming, i'm subscribed!!

Unfortunately I dont know the age. I have had him about a year. He was one of 3. The two smaller ones didnt last very long but this guy stood the test of time. Honestly, I was a bit aprehensive about them when I first got them due to their size and the fact that they would move around the tank very fast. I felt that they were distracting. Now that there is only one, its not as bad. He can be a bit fiesty. Almost spastic but he is OK. I dont think I would get one again though. I have a couple brown Henis that need to go bye bye. They killed some of my corals that were recently introduced. I have some traps that I will be using to catch them. I plan on doing that any day. The big yellow one has left the corals alone.

Here are a few pictures I took last night as well as a few nights ago. I need to crank the resolution up a bit so its not so grainy.

[slief]

[slief]

[bullitr]

Scott,
i don"t want hijack but this my 4 months set up from getting back to SPS since i don't have your email . i will delete it after
right side

middle

left side

FTS without flash

FTS with flash

[amore169]

Wow very nice tank.

[sarmo]

slief, thanks for the great pics and advice. your banner fish looks like a H. acuminatus based on where the middle black band goes through the anal fin. i am thinking about the H diphreutes, they are a bit smaller. over the last couple of years, i have been removing some of the larger fish and have been adding small wrasses. i like the look of smaller fish swimming through the live rock and corals but i do miss my vlamingi and big eye soldierfish.
if you have trouble catching your fish with the traps, i had to use a very small hook with some bait to catch some of my fish. i still have a powder blue i'm trying to catch. the bugger is smart.....

thanks again

[slief]

Originally Posted by bullitr

Scott,
i don"t want hijack but this my 4 months set up from getting back to SPS since i don't have your email . i will delete it after

Very nice Lawrance!! I cant wait to see your system in person! No need to delete the pictures!

Originally Posted by amore169

Wow very nice tank.

Thank you.

Originally Posted by sarmo

slief, thanks for the great pics and advice. your banner fish looks like a H. acuminatus based on where the middle black band goes through the anal fin. i am thinking about the H diphreutes, they are a bit smaller. over the last couple of years, i have been removing some of the larger fish and have been adding small wrasses. i like the look of smaller fish swimming through the live rock and corals but i do miss my vlamingi and big eye soldierfish.
if you have trouble catching your fish with the traps, i had to use a very small hook with some bait to catch some of my fish. i still have a powder blue i'm trying to catch. the bugger is smart.....

thanks again

I used the hook method to catch an agressive maroon clown when my pair of tomatoes came a few weeks back. The hook would work well but there are so many other fish that are more agressive then the butterflies that the chances of by catch are too high. I have 3 acrylic traps. I just need to get a mirror to stick to the back of the trap. I figure I will leave the trap in the tank for a couple days and get a piece of almost dead coral from my LFS and place it inside the traps for bait. I think they will be easy to catch once they feel comfortable with the traps.

On the banners, I read here that there are 2 types. One that is reef safe and the other that isnt. From the pictures, I think my Heni fell into the reef safe category though I was really worried when I first put corals in with him in the tank.

[munkyboy111]

Very nice tank. I am jealous.

[Untamed12]

Originally Posted by slief

Thanks for the help! I never knew about some of the options though until you mentioned that. I went through my settings and my options are a bit different. There is an ISO mode on my camera. Under white balance, daylight seems a bit better but there is no open shade. I dont have a high color option. When in ISO, flash isnt an option. Its disabled. I always got sony cameras for their simplicity but I have often wished I had a better camera and some experience to know what I was doing with it.

OK...The ISO mode you mention isn't quite what I'm referring to.

The "mode" that you need to use is probably "P" or "Program"...just get it off "auto".

Once you are in "P" mode, if you hit menu you'll likely see the settings that I'm talking about. It is pretty common that cameras will hide these settings whenever you are in "auto", or any scene mode (like the high-ISO scene mode). By switching to "P", these settings become available. You'll also gain full control over the flash.

Now, you should be able to find ISO and choose a higher value. You may not have an "open shade" option under white balance, but "daylight" might be OK.

Avoid shooting through the glass at an angle. You need to shoot only straight-on through the glass. Shooting at an angle distorts and the camera has difficulty focusing.

Finally, if you are specifically shooting a fish...it is OK to move the camera along with the fish movement. That's called panning. It will help keep that fish in focus, but blur everything else in the photo.

I'm looking forward to seeing some improved photos!

[slief]

Originally Posted by Untamed12

OK...The ISO mode you mention isn't quite what I'm referring to.

The "mode" that you need to use is probably "P" or "Program"...just get it off "auto".

Once you are in "P" mode, if you hit menu you'll likely see the settings that I'm talking about. It is pretty common that cameras will hide these settings whenever you are in "auto", or any scene mode (like the high-ISO scene mode). By switching to "P", these settings become available. You'll also gain full control over the flash.

Now, you should be able to find ISO and choose a higher value. You may not have an "open shade" option under white balance, but "daylight" might be OK.

Avoid shooting through the glass at an angle. You need to shoot only straight-on through the glass. Shooting at an angle distorts and the camera has difficulty focusing.

Finally, if you are specifically shooting a fish...it is OK to move the camera along with the fish movement. That's called panning. It will help keep that fish in focus, but blur everything else in the photo.

I'm looking forward to seeing some improved photos!

Thanks a million for your help! I am looking forward to being able to take better pictures!

I have my camera in front of me. I set it to "P".
Under setup, I have the following options:
AF mode: Options are: Single or Monitor
Digital: Options are Smart, Precision or Off
Function Guide: On/Off
Red Eye reduction: On/Off
AF Illuminator: Auto/Off
Auto Review: On/Off

Under ISO, Options are 100, 200, 400, 800, 1000

Under White Balance: Auto or Off
Metering Mode: Spot, Multi or Center

I suspect that one of my current settings might be inhibiting my White Balance options under "P" mode.

[Untamed12]

Here's how I would adjust..but I don't know what "Digital" is doing. Take it off "smart"...we're trying to outsmart the camera not the other way 'round! I'm also not sure what "Function Guide" is doing....and I can't imagine what happens if you set white balance to "off". Getting closer, anyway.

I still find it odd that there aren't more items in there. Is there an advanced setup..or a 2nd page of setup?

Originally Posted by slief

I have my camera in front of me. I set it to "P".
Under setup, I have the following options:
AF mode: Single
Digital: Options are Smart, Precision or Off
Function Guide: On/Off
Red Eye reduction: Off
AF Illuminator: Auto/Off
Auto Review: On

Under ISO, 400 or 800

Under White Balance: Auto or Off
Metering Mode: Spot or Center

I suspect that one of my current settings might be inhibiting my White Balance options under "P" mode.

[slief]

Originally Posted by Untamed12

Here's how I would adjust..but I don't know what "Digital" is doing. Take it off "smart"...we're trying to outsmart the camera not the other way 'round! I'm also not sure what "Function Guide" is doing....and I can't imagine what happens if you set white balance to "off". Getting closer, anyway.

I still find it odd that there aren't more items in there. Is there an advanced setup..or a 2nd page of setup?

I see more options now that I made those changes. There is a focus option with Multi AF, Center, .5M, 1.0M, 3.0M and so forth. I guess those are for the distance the camera is from the object. There is now a color mode option. In that are: Normal, Rich, Natural, Sepia and Black and White. Did I mention a metering mode option earlier. It is Multi, Center and Spot. White Balance is now Auto or Flash.

I'll tell ya. I'm damn near ready to go use my best buy card but that would be another costly can of worms.........

[slief]

I have some minor updates on the sumps today. They are coming along. The outside walls are glued together. They are cutting the components for the inside walls, dividers, overflows and trays. The pictures were taken with a camera phone so they lack quality.

Here is one of the filter sock trays. They are routed out so the sock can sit into them. They will be removable for easy access. The tray is resting against the wall of the overflow. Notice the cutouts at the top of the overflow. That will help to direct the water flow into the socks. There will also be a little rim around the tray to insure that water goes into the socks and not past them over the side of the tray.


This is the sock tray up against the overflow. The water will flow from the tank into the overflow. The overflow will help to eliminate some of the micro bubbles resulting from the water coming out of the tank through the plumbing.


Another view of sump 1. The trays are resting on the bottom under their overflows. The overflow on the right still needs the cut outs for the water exits.


Lastly,
The refugium. Still needs the slots laser cut for the water to enter and exit the fuge. Also needs to be glued together.



They should be done Friday if not first of next week. I should be stopping by tomorrow and with a bit of luck I will get some more pics.

[Untamed12]

Originally Posted by slief

I see more options now that I made those changes. There is a focus option with Multi AF, Center, .5M, 1.0M, 3.0M and so forth. I guess those are for the distance the camera is from the object. There is now a color mode option. In that are: Normal, Rich, Natural, Sepia and Black and White. Did I mention a metering mode option earlier. It is Multi, Center and Spot. White Balance is now Auto or Flash.

I'll tell ya. I'm damn near ready to go use my best buy card but that would be another costly can of worms.........

Ha..ha... oh my, you are not a good photographer! (pics of the sump)

Now we're getting somewhere. Yes, Focus options sounds like distances...choose Center. Colour Mode: Chose Rich. Metering mode: Center or Spot. I guess you will have to go with Auto White Balance. ISO to 400, flash off and you're in business.

You mean to buy another camera? I'm no fan of Sony, but you can get a lot more out of your current camera. Don't waste your $.

[slief]

Originally Posted by Untamed12

Ha..ha... oh my, you are not a good photographer! (pics of the sump)

Now we're getting somewhere. Yes, Focus options sounds like distances...choose Center. Colour Mode: Chose Rich. Metering mode: Center or Spot. I guess you will have to go with Auto White Balance. ISO to 400, flash off and you're in business.

You mean to buy another camera? I'm no fan of Sony, but you can get a lot more out of your current camera. Don't waste your $.

I cant take credit for all of the sump pictures. 2 of them (the blurry ones) were taken by the mfg.. Still its not my strong suit!

I'll give those settings a try this afternoon and let you know how it goes.
Thanks again for the help!

Scott