stratos21ss June 8, 2008 Share June 8, 2008 Bob, I like all that brightness and the alive feel it creates within your tank...always looks really nice. _Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryL June 19, 2008 Share June 19, 2008 if no one has seen this tank up close...when bob opens his doors for a tank tour..i would advise ya'll to go see it. it has great depth. bob, tha frags are still doing good btw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Grenier June 19, 2008 Share June 19, 2008 Been there, seen it, WOW It's a great illustration of what T5s can do even on a deep tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman July 7, 2008 Author Share July 7, 2008 (edited) if no one has seen this tank up close...when bob opens his doors for a tank tour..i would advise ya'll to go see it. it has great depth. bob, tha frags are still doing good btw Tank tour will take place when I can get the stupid aiptasia under control, despite my wide tank and short arms. I have an assortment of 'lengthened' syringes - but so far nothing is quite perfect. Today I bought a cheap mask and snorkel. Maybe working from the top will be better. bob Edited July 7, 2008 by lanman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Grenier July 7, 2008 Share July 7, 2008 Now that would be a priceless picture... Bob with his head and arms in the tank LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveoutlaw July 7, 2008 Share July 7, 2008 What about a copperband butterfly? Mine has eaten all of my aptasia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman November 27, 2008 Author Share November 27, 2008 It's been a while since I updated. A couple of months ago, I added a refugium on the side of the tank: And a week ago I added a remote deep sand bucket (http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=26319) I went through a couple of months of really high nitrates (25-50)ppm). I have it 'under control' now - but only by doing 2x20-gallon water changes per week. That keeps it around 20-25ppm. The high nitrates cost me a couple of corals dead, and a couple more badly wounded. The huge monti cap in the back right corner suffered a lot - and is now growing back quite well. I need to take new tank shots, but here are a couple of real quick ones. FTS: The far right side of the tank, where I keep chalices and the like: Will post good tank shots when I get a chance. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman February 27, 2009 Author Share February 27, 2009 An update is overdue... Nitrates seem to be well under control. Everything is growing... I had to turn up my calcium reactor, because my alkalinity has been falling. Some of the corals are getting close enough together, I am going to NEED to frag them. Full tank shot 02/26/2009 Left side 02/26/2009 right side 02/26/2009 bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Grenier February 27, 2009 Share February 27, 2009 Nice Bob, do you attribute the nitrate reduction to the RDSB? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman February 28, 2009 Author Share February 28, 2009 Nice Bob, do you attribute the nitrate reduction to the RDSB? I'm not sure - but I think it helped a bit. I put in a bigger skimmer, I am feeding less, I am rinsing the food, I added more sand to the refugium, and I added the RDSB. Lots of little things that apparently just added up. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st9z March 1, 2009 Share March 1, 2009 very nice FTS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilary March 1, 2009 Share March 1, 2009 Looking good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman April 20, 2009 Author Share April 20, 2009 Two more months go by... updated tank pictures: FTS: Left Side: Right Side: Took these because I'm going to make some changes; remove a few corals that have over-grown, or don't have the color I had hoped, etc. FTS from one year ago: bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandy7200 April 26, 2009 Share April 26, 2009 good growth. Did you switch to more daylight bulbs on your setup or does the pic just make it look that way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman August 15, 2009 Author Share August 15, 2009 (edited) About time for another update!! Yay!!! Tank is now One year and 9 months since I made it wet. My nitrates still run 'high' - compared to some tanks, and higher than I want them. With water changes every 5-7 days, I can keep the nitrates around 20-25. On the bright side, I haven't seen them over 30 for a good long time. My 'Fiji aquacultured favorite unknown acro STILL doesn't grow worth a darn, and loses a tip every now and then. The other frags of this coral, in the other two systems, both grow steadily, and never exhibit the lost tissue. I still can't grow birdsnest type corals in this tank! I continue to have a small problem with cyanobacteria in the places that don't get direct flow. Growth has been excellent for the last 6 months - if you compare some earlier pictures, you will see phenomenal growth of my 'Leishman Acro. Hyacinthus'. It is also encrusting - leaping from rock to rock; and will probably take over the entire tank if I let it. Another fast grower - but not easily seen in the photos, is a yellow-based tabling acropora that I picked up as a frag from Gadgets. In the last year it has grown from a 3" colony to about 8"; and that's after I have trimmed it several times to keep it from growing into/over Davelin's xmas tree acro. Two corals stay healthy, but still refuse to grow. My Chips acro - still only 2" tall after 2 years - and my 'Pink Lemonade' from Dr. Mac. The pink lemonade has encrusted nicely - but still only has the original little 2" spike on it after also almost 2 years. I am not happy with the left side of the tank. One reason I am posting this update is because I'm planning to get medieval on that left side; probably a complete re-scaping, and will have to cut that blue-tip staghorn down to a reasonable size, so it doesn't dominate so much. I also have a couple of corals that I want VISIBLE, such as my awesome Montipora Spongodes. Yes - it is about 10" tall, 6" across, and it is in that tank - see it? Didn't think so! Using my new Easy-blade, I have cleared the ends of the tank again - so you CAN see it if you squeeze into the space on the right end of the tank. I will post shots from the left-end and right-end of the tank. Full Tank Shot: Left Side: Right side: Left End: Right End: (NOW you can see it!) bob Edited August 15, 2009 by lanman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesbuf August 15, 2009 Share August 15, 2009 Looking good man. Your corals have definitely come a long way. In regards to not being able to grow birdsnest corals, I had the same trouble when I was running high phosphates. After I got my phosphates in check, I had much better luck with the birdsnests. I know of other people with the same experience. Do you have any detectable phosphates? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate August 15, 2009 Share August 15, 2009 Looking good Bob, that's really weird that your still having nitrate issues. Is that big purple beast in the back the purple-tipped acropora nana? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman August 15, 2009 Author Share August 15, 2009 Looking good Bob, that's really weird that your still having nitrate issues. Is that big purple beast in the back the purple-tipped acropora nana? Yes - that is the nana - purchased as a small colony from BRK a couple of years ago. I haven't measured phosphates in quite a long time - but I do run phosphate removing media and carbon. I'm sure it's just too 'nutrient rich' ... same corals grow well in the frag systems. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.fishnreef.com August 15, 2009 Share August 15, 2009 Bob, Looks great! I love the easy blades...the cut coraline and algae like butter. N Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman August 15, 2009 Author Share August 15, 2009 Bob,Looks great! I love the easy blades...the cut coraline and algae like butter. N I wouldn't go that far... I still have some places that dozens of strokes haven't cleared off. Mind you - up in those corners, the coralline had been growing for so long that I had a volunteer pocillopora colony growing on the glass! Who needs frag-mags! It does work exceptionally well on 'reasonable' quantities of coralline. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onux20 August 18, 2009 Share August 18, 2009 Looking GREAT Bob. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandy7200 August 19, 2009 Share August 19, 2009 Did you add rock after that initial transfer from Steve? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman September 18, 2009 Author Share September 18, 2009 Did you add rock after that initial transfer from Steve? I don't think so - except maybe a smaller piece now and then. I already HAD a bunch of extra rock in the sump of my 58-gallon tank. I put that, plus what I got from Steve in for my major aquascaping. The pieces I have added came from a 'buy everything I have for $600' sale. Rocks had been sitting in cold salt water for most of a year. But before I used them, I put them in a 45-gallon tank with lights and movement for many months. And just for fun - I checked that tank for nitrates some time back - they were LOW! Despite only one water change in over a year, a Psychlone skimmer, NO and PC lights, and one Seio powerhead moving the water. I have a VERY fine crop of Kenya tree coral growing in that tank, now. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman September 18, 2009 Author Share September 18, 2009 (edited) Kind of an update of sorts... I just added my 4th frag tank. Not quite full of water or plumbed yet - will be by tomorrow evening. Now have 240 display, and 33-40-50-50 gallon frag tanks on two separate systems. (Three separate systems, counting the display.) bob Edited September 18, 2009 by lanman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sikryd September 18, 2009 Share September 18, 2009 Looking good Bob! Now I see what I saw throught the window - the top right of the 240 I recognize the light Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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