Just starting out - biocube 14 - pic heavy.

[smallreef]

I mix my water in my extra bathroom...it's now the fish room/ bathroom...lol

Do you just have a regular powerstrip? Or one a little different...

[Jeff721]

Regular powerstrip, 6 outlets. I may look into something different. Just to open up more options.

[smallreef]

You can get a DJ strip....usually 8 outlets and also let's you shut each plugg off separately ....

[jimlin]

+1 for dj strip, esp. during feeding time.

[Jeff721]

Joined WAMAS at the meeting today, also picked up a few frags: a zoa, a frogspawn, a gsp and an acan. Also got a bag of macro algae - "red dragon" I think?

 

Hope to take some new pics in the next couple days when everything is settled.

[smallreef]

Love that macro! So will any tangs you have

[Hilary]

If you can hook the dragon's breath algae to your return (use a small zip tie) it will grow like nuts for you. Very cool looking.

[Jeff721]

That's a great idea. Right now it is just hanging out on the liverock, I really don't want to hide it in a 'fuge in the back.

[Jeff721]

Updates:

 

Right now for livestock I have:

2 Zoanthid frags

1 Acan frag

1 Frogspawn

1 GSP colony/frag

1 unidentified frag - if anyone can ID please do, it's the green one behind the zoas.

 

2 Occelaris Clowns - they were getting along in the shops tank and had been for a while. Seem to like each other right now.

1 Bicolor Blenny - hard to get picks of it, sorry, pretty and interesting fish though.

 

Most of these shots were taken before I added the Clowns yesterday evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Followed Hilary's advice on the macro

 

 

 

 

[Jeff721]

All th coral frags are on the sand right now, but I am trying to see which if any need to be moved closer to the lights. I think my frogspawn might need a better spot in the 'sun'. I have been feeding the Acan occasionally.

 

Any identification and advice on corals is appreciated. Especially advice on taking them off of the frag discs.

[smallreef]

It looking good, love the new corals!

[YHSublime]

Looks good. All those corals are really hardy, they should be fine anywhere you want to place them.

[Jeff721]

Thanks folks.

 

I would like to add some taller/branchier things to the top of the rocks, any suggestions?

 

I also added an ATO and DJ powerstrip (as recommended) last week. Both were a big help.

Here is my write-up of the auto top off.

[smallreef]

If your wanting to stick with LPS you could do some different euphyllias; frogspawn, torches among others....

[Hilary]

Looking great! You'll love that dragon's breath, and it should be really happy right there. You can always go ahead and move your frogspawn up higher to get some interest/movement on your rockwork. I love the clove corals that grow on the rockwork in my 24 gallon - they're not all that tall but do add interest, color and some movement, and they spread when happy.

 

Take a close look at where your frags are mounted onto the disks - often you can just pop them off where they've been glued. If they're happy they should grow out, though, and hide the disks.

[Jeff721]

Sorted out my filtration a little. I am now running live rock rubble in one of the stages of the InTank media basket instead of bioballs (replaced about half). Also picked up poly filter and phosban which are also running in the media basket. I will eventually replace all of the bioballs but wanted to do it slowly to not disrupt the balance.

 

Got a new blue bulb to replace my actinic. Then ended up keeping the actinic too and replacing a 50/50 with it. So now my lights are: 10k, Blue (not sure of kelvin rating), Actinic, all 24 watt PC bulbs.

The blue really makes the corals pop.

 

 

 

 

 

I also managed to get a shot of the blenny that I have, who is less shy now with the clowns in the tank.

 

 

 

 

 

And last but not least got a miraculous shot of one of the clownfish:

 

Edited April 29, 2013 by Jeff721

[sachabballi reef]

looking fantastic Jeff!

 

ooh i miss my bi color blenny....was so fun to watch ...like a puppy!

[YHSublime]

Looking really good! If you're going to keep up with softies, that light will be fine, but once I moved all my corals under a metal halide, they doubled in size. I was never able to get my golden torch look "golden" in my bio

[Reefoholic]

Very neat setup! I started with a Bio as well. I like your rock work, too. Have you considered creating caves in the middle or arches up top? The more water flow on the rocks, the better

[Jeff721]

Hi Reefoholic, thanks! A lot of the rock on the bottom is very "branchy" my blenny and shrimp have a field day moving in and out under there. I don't know if you can see it in the pics, but in the middle of the structure there is an arch at the very bottom as well. I would like to make a arch at the top somehow to bring the height up a litte, but haven't thought it through enough, nor found the right pieces of rock.

 

Here are some updated shots though. I picked up a few frags at Petland, man, htere coral selection and prices were better than I expected.

 

New acan up front and muchroom in the back.

 

New paly

 

New mushroom

 

 

 

 

Clownfish photobomb:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jeff721]

Overdue for a few new shots.

 

Picked up a few frags from Reef eScape at the open house/meet and greet.

 

My Macroalgae has gone nuts, it was twice this size before I cut it in half to share:

 

 

Love this shot, happy frogspawn:

 

The zoas and mushroom on the left are from Reef eScape, also, my GSP is finally expanding and taking over as it should:

 

Full tank shot from the chair:

 

My typical point of view:

 

What it looks like when I am feeding everyone:

 

 

The tank really seems to be established now. I am getting spots of coraline algae. Everything else seems really happy too. All of the inverts are thriving. I don't know how, but I lose track of my turbo snail often, it pops back up every week or so, but the thing is the size of a golf ball, turbo is a contender for hide-and-seek champion of my tank – between turbo snail, bristleworms, and tiny starfish.

 

I will add, my corals all seem to like it when I don't change the water every week. I get more extension from them and more growth if I go two weeks between water changes. I am scared to go any longer so won't be doing that. I do remember someone telling me that softies and lps actually like not-so-pristine water.

[sachabballi reef]

Holy smokes this looks fantastic!!!!

 

I have two tanks...one lps/softy and one sps. I change the sps tank weekly but my lps tank I got at least 2 weeks sometimes more as my corals seem to thrive in dirty water.

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[Jeff721]

Thanks Jenn, and thanks for the reassurance. Wish they noted these types of tips in the books.

[smallreef]

Looking nice! That frogspawn does look very happy!

[YHSublime]

Tank is coming along nice! Thanks for the update!