crvz's hole in the wall - Page 31

drummereef · 10/05/2012, 08:54 PM

Looking great Chris!!

What's the coral between the trigger and naso in the last pic?

crvz · 10/05/2012, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drummereef

Looking great Chris!!

What's the coral between the trigger and naso in the last pic?

Green birdsnest. I wish all my SPS grew like that thing (unless you were talking about below, in which case those are blastos).

drummereef · 10/05/2012, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crvz

Green birdsnest. I wish all my SPS grew like that thing (unless you were talking about below, in which case those are blastos).

That's the one. Wish I could get my pink birdsnest to grow like that. It's doing better but only about as big as a golf ball. I've always liked the shape of those corals and yours is looking perfect!

veloboy · 10/08/2012, 09:43 AM

Your G birdsnest is looking awesome! Your gonna have a sweet tank when the rest of your SPS get that big and fill in. Won't be long...

08TRDOFFROAD · 10/09/2012, 08:16 AM

Looking great Chris!!! I am really digging the Trigger! Keep up the good work!

crvz · 11/20/2012, 10:22 AM

How has another month disappeared? Yeesh. I did finally put all the fish in the display last week (final count; 4 lyretail anthias, 2 small hippo tangs, mimic tang, chevron tang, naso tang, powder blue tang, lamark angel, 2 bicolor blennies, red tail trigger, canary wrasse, flame hawk, diamond goby), and I ordered some snails and what not for delivery tomorrow. Usually for me the holidays mean life slows down (as work gets more laid back, and all my family lives in the area so we hardly do any travel). I'll have to put up some proper images in the next couple weeks.

Regarding coral health, I've had STN on a number of my acros. It may be a nutrient issue (I do have some algae growth in a few spots), or lighting (I've never been completely content with the metal halide setup for some reason), my substrate (I used to be a bare bottom guy, I don't have a ton of experience with sand and I also feel the marco rock I am using could be a culprit), or water chemistry (I just rely on my calcium reactor, but I havent been diligent about testing and tuning). I ordered some new reactor media and will completely clean that out soon. Then I need to test more.

drummereef · 11/20/2012, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crvz

How has another month disappeared? Yeesh. I did finally put all the fish in the display last week (final count; 4 lyretail anthias, 2 small hippo tangs, mimic tang, chevron tang, naso tang, powder blue tang, lamark angel, 2 bicolor blennies, red tail trigger, canary wrasse, flame hawk, diamond goby), and I ordered some snails and what not for delivery tomorrow. Usually for me the holidays mean life slows down (as work gets more laid back, and all my family lives in the area so we hardly do any travel). I'll have to put up some proper images in the next couple weeks.

Regarding coral health, I've had STN on a number of my acros. It may be a nutrient issue (I do have some algae growth in a few spots), or lighting (I've never been completely content with the metal halide setup for some reason), my substrate (I used to be a bare bottom guy, I don't have a ton of experience with sand and I also feel the marco rock I am using could be a culprit), or water chemistry (I just rely on my calcium reactor, but I havent been diligent about testing and tuning). I ordered some new reactor media and will completely clean that out soon. Then I need to test more.

Where did you order your snails from Chris?

crvz · 11/20/2012, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drummereef

Where did you order your snails from Chris?

BluezooAquatics. I havent had a ton of success with fish from them, but I like their lower free shipping threshold and their invert prices are usually pretty good.

Here's a lame FTS as of this evening.

And a little closer of some of the fish. I'm pleased to have healthy fish right now, and I hope the diligence of the QT will aid in their continued health (it turned into a 5 month QT for some of those fish).

drummereef · 11/21/2012, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crvz

BluezooAquatics. I havent had a ton of success with fish from them, but I like their lower free shipping threshold and their invert prices are usually pretty good.

Here's a lame FTS as of this evening.

And a little closer of some of the fish. I'm pleased to have healthy fish right now, and I hope the diligence of the QT will aid in their continued health (it turned into a 5 month QT for some of those fish).

Everything is looking great Chris. Congrats on getting all the fish in. Good to know about Bluezoo. I've considered buying from them in the past so I'll keep that info in mind.

crvz · 12/19/2012, 08:26 AM

Nothing too exciting happening with the tank, the corals are generally doing ok, though I am struggling with a few acros and STN. I feel it's likely a nutrient issue, and I'll be increasing water changes and other maintenance as a result.

I picked up a few fish for the QT the other day, including a very well priced radiant wrasse. I know these guys can be a bit tricky to acclimate to captive diets, anyone have any tips?

Newbie Aquarist · 12/19/2012, 10:30 AM

Wish I could help. I have hear of starting with live brine or black worms and then slowly transition to frozen then to flakes or pellets. Nice tank. As for STN, a fellow reefer suggested where your alk is and if the tank is running pellets or not. I was having that problem and I run pellets but had my alk at aroun 10-12. Once I lowered it to around 8 dKh i never had the problem again.

crvz · 01/28/2013, 08:22 PM

Well the fish in QT were being treated with cupramine, and it seemed to hit the halicheores genus wrasses hard. I had 4, and all of them succumb to something rather quickly. The rest of the fish seem pretty good, and I've got another week with the cupramine treatment before I remove it from the QT.

In other news, one of the anthias in the display has decided to go dude on us. Almost over night I noticed a striking color change. Red tips on the fin. Way more red in the body. The dorsal fin is a bit longer.

This image was only with the blue LEDs on, but you can see a bit of a comparison to the females in this image.

He is definitely trying to boss the other fish (include the tangs, to which they mock him), so I'm hoping that's temporary throughout the change. Pretty slick, the rest of the display is doing a bit better. I just need to stay up with it.

drummereef · 01/29/2013, 11:31 AM

Beautiful fish Chris. Glad to hear the display is doing good!

crvz · 01/29/2013, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drummereef

Beautiful fish Chris. Glad to hear the display is doing good!

Thanks, Brett. I've got a bunch of pukani rock that I'm QTing (12 weeks, mostly to ensure any ich won't transfer) to add to the display. I feel it's got way too much open space in it. Hopefully that rock can fill it some (probably have about 70 pounds or more).

gimmi · 01/30/2013, 06:16 PM

HELLO, BELLISIMO, especially the beautiful pyroferus large algae eater, if you still have it you can put a picture of your today ..
thanks
HELLO
max

how do I put a picture of my pyrofirus??

drummereef · 02/02/2013, 01:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crvz

Thanks, Brett. I've got a bunch of pukani rock that I'm QTing (12 weeks, mostly to ensure any ich won't transfer) to add to the display. I feel it's got way too much open space in it. Hopefully that rock can fill it some (probably have about 70 pounds or more).

Awesome, can't wait to see an updated pic with the new rock. I like your aquascape btw. I think the openness has a natural look to it where the fish can swim in and out of the aquascape. The way I scaped mine, the fish can only really swim around the rocks, not through them for the most part. Albeit your tank is has more front to back depth so that probably helps with creating a more 3 dimensional aspect.

crvz · 02/05/2013, 09:31 AM

I installed a new RO/DI unit yesterday. My old one was over 10 years old, I needed a new membrane, i wanted to get a bit more capacity over the 50gpd I've been utilizing, and primarily, the auto shut off had failed (though it took me a while to realize it). So figuring all the costs associated with the old one (including wasted water), it was easier to just buy a new unit. I went with a bulk reef supply value 75gpd 4 stage RO/DI unit. It went in seamlessly where my old one was, which was nice.

crvz · 03/19/2013, 04:25 PM

I need to replace my metal halides. I'm running radium 20kKs right now. They're 2+ years old (tell no one!). What would be recommended for replacement? Same thing, or is there something more in fashion these days?

sirreal63 · 03/19/2013, 04:30 PM

If yo are happy with the Radiums, I wouldn't change. Other than the luxcore's which I have not seen in person, I don't think anything has really changed.

psteeleb · 03/19/2013, 09:49 PM

your coral and fish are looking great - I 'm loving those tangs, the powder blue has always been one of my top favorite fish and that's probably one of the best looking Naso's I've ever seen.

veloboy · 03/20/2013, 08:18 AM

Stick with the Radiums. Still the best lighting out there for SPS.

drummereef · 03/20/2013, 09:14 AM

I'm pretty happy with my Radium / RB LED combo. Don't think I'll be changing it up when it's time for me to replace bulbs.

crvz · 03/20/2013, 09:14 AM

Got it. Thanks for the responses. I ordered a trio of new radium bulbs. I had been lazily watching my sps lighten up a little, and seen some green algae growing in weird places (which I'm not stating is definitively related to weakening bulbs, but you often read that as a symptom of bad bulbs), and when I put my par meter over the tank I was surprised how low it read. Probably around 400 right under the water surface directly under a bulb, where it had been twice that or more upon first establishing the tank. I dropped the light fixture a bit for now, but I'll definitely be raising it high when the new bulbs are in so as not to shock the photosynthetic creatures. I have about 4 feet of travel above my tank for the lights.

08TRDOFFROAD · 03/20/2013, 12:18 PM

Pretty impressive that you have gotten 2 years out of your MH's! I have been considering switching back to MH's with LED supplementation. I am not happy with the results I am seeing with LED only!

drummereef · 03/20/2013, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 08TRDOFFROAD

Pretty impressive that you have gotten 2 years out of your MH's! I have been considering switching back to MH's with LED supplementation. I am not happy with the results I am seeing with LED only!

Care to elaborate OFFROAD ^^^? Just wondering what you've specifically experienced running and LED only system.

10/05/2012, 08:54 PM	#751
drummereef Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: STL Posts: 14,754	Looking great Chris!! What's the coral between the trigger and naso in the last pic? __________________ -Brett 180g Marineland Starfire In-Wall 278 gallon system

10/08/2012, 09:43 AM	#754
veloboy Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Minneapolis MN Posts: 245	Your G birdsnest is looking awesome! Your gonna have a sweet tank when the rest of your SPS get that big and fill in. Won't be long... __________________ Acropora & Montipora Current Tank Info: 120 gal SPS & 220 gal SPS

11/20/2012, 10:22 AM	#756
crvz Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: houstonia Posts: 7,989	How has another month disappeared? Yeesh. I did finally put all the fish in the display last week (final count; 4 lyretail anthias, 2 small hippo tangs, mimic tang, chevron tang, naso tang, powder blue tang, lamark angel, 2 bicolor blennies, red tail trigger, canary wrasse, flame hawk, diamond goby), and I ordered some snails and what not for delivery tomorrow. Usually for me the holidays mean life slows down (as work gets more laid back, and all my family lives in the area so we hardly do any travel). I'll have to put up some proper images in the next couple weeks. Regarding coral health, I've had STN on a number of my acros. It may be a nutrient issue (I do have some algae growth in a few spots), or lighting (I've never been completely content with the metal halide setup for some reason), my substrate (I used to be a bare bottom guy, I don't have a ton of experience with sand and I also feel the marco rock I am using could be a culprit), or water chemistry (I just rely on my calcium reactor, but I havent been diligent about testing and tuning). I ordered some new reactor media and will completely clean that out soon. Then I need to test more. __________________ -Chris- You don't win friends with salad. "Look! They're trying to learn for free!" ... "Use your phony guns as clubs!" Current Tank Info: rectangluar? wet?

12/19/2012, 08:26 AM	#760
crvz Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: houstonia Posts: 7,989	Nothing too exciting happening with the tank, the corals are generally doing ok, though I am struggling with a few acros and STN. I feel it's likely a nutrient issue, and I'll be increasing water changes and other maintenance as a result. I picked up a few fish for the QT the other day, including a very well priced radiant wrasse. I know these guys can be a bit tricky to acclimate to captive diets, anyone have any tips? __________________ -Chris- You don't win friends with salad. "Look! They're trying to learn for free!" ... "Use your phony guns as clubs!" Current Tank Info: rectangluar? wet?

01/28/2013, 08:22 PM	#762
crvz Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: houstonia Posts: 7,989	Well the fish in QT were being treated with cupramine, and it seemed to hit the halicheores genus wrasses hard. I had 4, and all of them succumb to something rather quickly. The rest of the fish seem pretty good, and I've got another week with the cupramine treatment before I remove it from the QT. In other news, one of the anthias in the display has decided to go dude on us. Almost over night I noticed a striking color change. Red tips on the fin. Way more red in the body. The dorsal fin is a bit longer. This image was only with the blue LEDs on, but you can see a bit of a comparison to the females in this image. He is definitely trying to boss the other fish (include the tangs, to which they mock him), so I'm hoping that's temporary throughout the change. Pretty slick, the rest of the display is doing a bit better. I just need to stay up with it. __________________ -Chris- You don't win friends with salad. "Look! They're trying to learn for free!" ... "Use your phony guns as clubs!" Current Tank Info: rectangluar? wet?

10/09/2012, 08:16 AM	#755
08TRDOFFROAD Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 69	Looking great Chris!!! I am really digging the Trigger! Keep up the good work!

12/19/2012, 10:30 AM	#761
Newbie Aquarist Reefing is my middle name Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 5,796	Wish I could help. I have hear of starting with live brine or black worms and then slowly transition to frozen then to flakes or pellets. Nice tank. As for STN, a fellow reefer suggested where your alk is and if the tank is running pellets or not. I was having that problem and I run pellets but had my alk at aroun 10-12. Once I lowered it to around 8 dKh i never had the problem again.

01/29/2013, 11:31 AM	#763
drummereef Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: STL Posts: 14,754	Beautiful fish Chris. Glad to hear the display is doing good! __________________ -Brett 180g Marineland Starfire In-Wall 278 gallon system

01/30/2013, 06:16 PM	#765
gimmi Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Roma Posts: 7	HELLO, BELLISIMO, especially the beautiful pyroferus large algae eater, if you still have it you can put a picture of your today .. thanks HELLO max how do I put a picture of my pyrofirus??

02/05/2013, 09:31 AM	#767
crvz Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: houstonia Posts: 7,989	I installed a new RO/DI unit yesterday. My old one was over 10 years old, I needed a new membrane, i wanted to get a bit more capacity over the 50gpd I've been utilizing, and primarily, the auto shut off had failed (though it took me a while to realize it). So figuring all the costs associated with the old one (including wasted water), it was easier to just buy a new unit. I went with a bulk reef supply value 75gpd 4 stage RO/DI unit. It went in seamlessly where my old one was, which was nice. __________________ -Chris- You don't win friends with salad. "Look! They're trying to learn for free!" ... "Use your phony guns as clubs!" Current Tank Info: rectangluar? wet?

03/19/2013, 04:25 PM	#768
crvz Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: houstonia Posts: 7,989	I need to replace my metal halides. I'm running radium 20kKs right now. They're 2+ years old (tell no one!). What would be recommended for replacement? Same thing, or is there something more in fashion these days? __________________ -Chris- You don't win friends with salad. "Look! They're trying to learn for free!" ... "Use your phony guns as clubs!" Current Tank Info: rectangluar? wet?

03/19/2013, 04:30 PM	#769
sirreal63 Go Spurs Go!!! Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Meadowlakes Texas Posts: 13,357	If yo are happy with the Radiums, I wouldn't change. Other than the luxcore's which I have not seen in person, I don't think anything has really changed. __________________ Jack No One has ever been seriously injured by using the search function. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency. Current Tank Info: Reefing the Pentagon.

03/19/2013, 09:49 PM	#770
psteeleb Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: DFW Texas Posts: 5,249	your coral and fish are looking great - I 'm loving those tangs, the powder blue has always been one of my top favorite fish and that's probably one of the best looking Naso's I've ever seen. __________________ A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner Current Tank Info: 110g Mixed Reef, LED's & T5's

03/20/2013, 08:18 AM	#771
veloboy Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Minneapolis MN Posts: 245	Stick with the Radiums. Still the best lighting out there for SPS. __________________ Acropora & Montipora Current Tank Info: 120 gal SPS & 220 gal SPS

03/20/2013, 09:14 AM	#772
drummereef Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: STL Posts: 14,754	I'm pretty happy with my Radium / RB LED combo. Don't think I'll be changing it up when it's time for me to replace bulbs. __________________ -Brett 180g Marineland Starfire In-Wall 278 gallon system

03/20/2013, 09:14 AM	#773
crvz Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: houstonia Posts: 7,989	Got it. Thanks for the responses. I ordered a trio of new radium bulbs. I had been lazily watching my sps lighten up a little, and seen some green algae growing in weird places (which I'm not stating is definitively related to weakening bulbs, but you often read that as a symptom of bad bulbs), and when I put my par meter over the tank I was surprised how low it read. Probably around 400 right under the water surface directly under a bulb, where it had been twice that or more upon first establishing the tank. I dropped the light fixture a bit for now, but I'll definitely be raising it high when the new bulbs are in so as not to shock the photosynthetic creatures. I have about 4 feet of travel above my tank for the lights. __________________ -Chris- You don't win friends with salad. "Look! They're trying to learn for free!" ... "Use your phony guns as clubs!" Current Tank Info: rectangluar? wet?

03/20/2013, 12:18 PM	#774
08TRDOFFROAD Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 69	Pretty impressive that you have gotten 2 years out of your MH's! I have been considering switching back to MH's with LED supplementation. I am not happy with the results I am seeing with LED only!