Melev's new 280g Starfire tank thread - Page 13

melev · 05/14/2006, 07:09 PM

Nathan, you're back!

Keith, it happens with a lot of calcium reactors.

Here's a full tank shot from today:

Here are two more images. I didn't include them in the thread as they are nearly 300k each.

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/06/05/280g_left.jpg
http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/06/05/280g_right.jpg

Cprowler · 05/14/2006, 07:16 PM

Looking good, how about a room shot?

Hop · 05/14/2006, 07:33 PM

Very nice Melev... Things very "crisp" in these photos!

jnarowe · 05/14/2006, 07:48 PM

OK...taking me a while to figure out special fonts: Looking great Marc! I really like the message-in-a-bottle look...just like a REAL reef!

And that tang is PHAT!!

melev · 05/14/2006, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cprowler
Looking good, how about a room shot?

The fish room or the living room?

Micki · 05/14/2006, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by melev
The fish room or the living room?

YES...

jnarowe · 05/14/2006, 07:55 PM

and BTW, nice shrooms!

Cprowler · 05/14/2006, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by melev
The fish room or the living room?

How about both?

melev · 05/14/2006, 09:44 PM

It never looks good to me, but I'll take some soon. The lights are out, so there isn't much to see now.

jnarowe · 05/14/2006, 10:00 PM

It is so weird to watch when the lights go out. It takes less than a minute for all the fish to be in their caves. They practically dart to bed. The chromis ball up into a tight baseball size formation and then make a run for their bed. Then the shrimp come out and dance around the tank like they were all racing around a velodrome.

Cprowler · 05/14/2006, 10:05 PM

Hey, do you remember a few months ago in Keith's thread (I think) you asked to use my pics of my Mexican Turbo Snails eating Cotton Candy Algae on your site. Did you ever get around to doing that?

melev · 05/14/2006, 10:40 PM

No, I don't think so. Let me see if I have those pictures stored in my update folder.

Edit: No, I do not. Feel free to link me to the appropriate post.

Jonathan, as my lights shut down, I get to watch the Lemon Meringue Wrasse dive into the sandbed, bedding down for the night.

jnarowe · 05/14/2006, 11:31 PM

cool. like to see that.

Cprowler · 05/14/2006, 11:34 PM

It is about half way down this page.

link

melev · 05/15/2006, 12:08 AM

Thanks. I saved them to my update folder.

melev · 05/15/2006, 04:46 AM

Okay, I took the time to dose my tank with Prodibio tonight. Cleaned the sump up a little, cleaned the skimmer, and stirred up the refugium a tad to get some detritus into the water and get the macro algae semi-rinsed. Here's my new dosing schedule.

I decided to try out the Reef Booster this time, but only used on vial. That is some smelly stuff, and left an oily slick on the surface of the return section (where I poured it in). I stirred this up with my hand to get it in suspension, and left the skimmer off for 20 to 25 minutes. The drains from the tank sounded much louder after dosing Booster, similar to what plumbing sounds like when tested with freshwater.

melev · 05/15/2006, 04:18 PM

Huh?

Dudester · 05/15/2006, 08:00 PM

Cool shots of the eel. Looks like your son has bryopsis, too. What's controlling it in his tank?

melev · 05/15/2006, 08:52 PM

That tank doesn't have bryopsis. It is some other strange wispy algae. It just seems to come and go, but that tank is about to come down. I'll cook the live rock to see if I can make it worth using again.

huff3294 · 05/18/2006, 12:04 PM

any near future update on the REEFCAST ?

huff3294 · 05/18/2006, 01:02 PM

oh sorry i just read your updates on your website about even being really busy. real life sh*t always comes first and then the fun with reef cast. lol take your time

melev · 05/18/2006, 04:03 PM

How about a growth shot?

Jan 29, 06

May 16, 06

This coral was hiding behind a green Scripps acro for months, and I finally moved things around so I could see it better. It really is a lovely piece that looks even better when my VHOs work.

Yesterday I set up the new MH over the prop section of my sump temporarily, but need to affix it permanently. Once I do, I'll post some pictures.

jnarowe · 05/18/2006, 04:56 PM

That is serious growth. I am not getting that at all. I don't see much growth in the few pieces I have and today my GSP are all closed up for the second day. I did a battery of tests and came up with no problems that I can tell except that my dKh is at 9. WHat do you attribute the growth to? Prodibio?

melev · 05/18/2006, 05:08 PM

No, just steady parameters and no fish picking at it. It is nice growth, but nothing unbelievable. Some corals grow more quickly than others, and some will be a stick for a year and suddenly become motivated to grow out.

Your alkalinity is good. 8 to 11 dKH is the goal range. Calcium around 450 would be good as well, as higher Ca doesn't always translate into growth necessarily. Your tank is young, so don't sweat it.

jnarowe · 05/18/2006, 05:12 PM

Measuring and dosing calcium are tough. I did a test last night that had Ca at 400ppm and then after 2 "bogus" tests a test I believe today showed 350 ppm. I really need to get my act together and build my reactor!

05/14/2006, 07:33 PM	#303
Hop Carpe Noctem!!! Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Western Colorado Posts: 8,548	Very nice Melev... Things very "crisp" in these photos! __________________ Hop Current Tank Info: 300-gallon in-wall system (mixed reef)

05/14/2006, 07:48 PM	#304
jnarowe Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Poulsbo, WA Posts: 14,710	OK...taking me a while to figure out special fonts: Looking great Marc! I really like the message-in-a-bottle look...just like a REAL reef! And that tang is PHAT!! __________________ Jonathan--Recovering Tankaholic. Current Tank Info: 70g fresh planted

05/14/2006, 07:55 PM	#307
jnarowe Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Poulsbo, WA Posts: 14,710	and BTW, nice shrooms! __________________ Jonathan--Recovering Tankaholic. Current Tank Info: 70g fresh planted

05/14/2006, 10:00 PM	#310
jnarowe Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Poulsbo, WA Posts: 14,710	It is so weird to watch when the lights go out. It takes less than a minute for all the fish to be in their caves. They practically dart to bed. The chromis ball up into a tight baseball size formation and then make a run for their bed. Then the shrimp come out and dance around the tank like they were all racing around a velodrome. __________________ Jonathan--Recovering Tankaholic. Current Tank Info: 70g fresh planted

05/14/2006, 11:31 PM	#313
jnarowe Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Poulsbo, WA Posts: 14,710	cool. like to see that. __________________ Jonathan--Recovering Tankaholic. Current Tank Info: 70g fresh planted

05/14/2006, 07:09 PM	#301
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	Nathan, you're back! Keith, it happens with a lot of calcium reactors. Here's a full tank shot from today: Here are two more images. I didn't include them in the thread as they are nearly 300k each. http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/06/05/280g_left.jpg http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/06/05/280g_right.jpg

05/14/2006, 07:16 PM	#302
Cprowler Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 1,758	Looking good, how about a room shot?

05/14/2006, 09:44 PM	#309
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	It never looks good to me, but I'll take some soon. The lights are out, so there isn't much to see now.

05/14/2006, 10:05 PM	#311
Cprowler Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 1,758	Hey, do you remember a few months ago in Keith's thread (I think) you asked to use my pics of my Mexican Turbo Snails eating Cotton Candy Algae on your site. Did you ever get around to doing that?

05/14/2006, 10:40 PM	#312
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	No, I don't think so. Let me see if I have those pictures stored in my update folder. Edit: No, I do not. Feel free to link me to the appropriate post. Jonathan, as my lights shut down, I get to watch the Lemon Meringue Wrasse dive into the sandbed, bedding down for the night.

05/14/2006, 11:34 PM	#314
Cprowler Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 1,758	It is about half way down this page. link

05/15/2006, 12:08 AM	#315
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	Thanks. I saved them to my update folder.

05/15/2006, 04:46 AM	#316
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	Okay, I took the time to dose my tank with Prodibio tonight. Cleaned the sump up a little, cleaned the skimmer, and stirred up the refugium a tad to get some detritus into the water and get the macro algae semi-rinsed. Here's my new dosing schedule. I decided to try out the Reef Booster this time, but only used on vial. That is some smelly stuff, and left an oily slick on the surface of the return section (where I poured it in). I stirred this up with my hand to get it in suspension, and left the skimmer off for 20 to 25 minutes. The drains from the tank sounded much louder after dosing Booster, similar to what plumbing sounds like when tested with freshwater.

05/15/2006, 04:18 PM	#317
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	Huh?

05/15/2006, 08:00 PM	#318
Dudester Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 2,218	Cool shots of the eel. Looks like your son has bryopsis, too. What's controlling it in his tank? __________________ The Dude abides Current Tank Info: building a new home tank l 450g office tank with Deltec everything

05/15/2006, 08:52 PM	#319
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	That tank doesn't have bryopsis. It is some other strange wispy algae. It just seems to come and go, but that tank is about to come down. I'll cook the live rock to see if I can make it worth using again.

05/18/2006, 12:04 PM	#320
huff3294 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 226	any near future update on the REEFCAST ?

05/18/2006, 01:02 PM	#321
huff3294 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 226	oh sorry i just read your updates on your website about even being really busy. real life sh*t always comes first and then the fun with reef cast. lol take your time

05/18/2006, 04:03 PM	#322
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	How about a growth shot? Jan 29, 06 May 16, 06 This coral was hiding behind a green Scripps acro for months, and I finally moved things around so I could see it better. It really is a lovely piece that looks even better when my VHOs work. Yesterday I set up the new MH over the prop section of my sump temporarily, but need to affix it permanently. Once I do, I'll post some pictures.

05/18/2006, 04:56 PM	#323
jnarowe Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Poulsbo, WA Posts: 14,710	That is serious growth. I am not getting that at all. I don't see much growth in the few pieces I have and today my GSP are all closed up for the second day. I did a battery of tests and came up with no problems that I can tell except that my dKh is at 9. WHat do you attribute the growth to? Prodibio? __________________ Jonathan--Recovering Tankaholic. Current Tank Info: 70g fresh planted

05/18/2006, 05:08 PM	#324
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	No, just steady parameters and no fish picking at it. It is nice growth, but nothing unbelievable. Some corals grow more quickly than others, and some will be a stick for a year and suddenly become motivated to grow out. Your alkalinity is good. 8 to 11 dKH is the goal range. Calcium around 450 would be good as well, as higher Ca doesn't always translate into growth necessarily. Your tank is young, so don't sweat it.

05/18/2006, 05:12 PM	#325
jnarowe Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Poulsbo, WA Posts: 14,710	Measuring and dosing calcium are tough. I did a test last night that had Ca at 400ppm and then after 2 "bogus" tests a test I believe today showed 350 ppm. I really need to get my act together and build my reactor! __________________ Jonathan--Recovering Tankaholic. Current Tank Info: 70g fresh planted