Bojangles

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This thread is updated at least bi monthly !!

Start Date: July 2004

Total System Size: 260g
Tank Size: 200g All Glass
Refugium: 60g All Glass DIY

Live Rock:
-52lbs Fiji - 61lbs Marshall Isle - 14lbs Kaelini - 25lbs Tonga Branch
Substrate:
-80lbs crushed coral - 55lbs regular medium grain sand - 15lbs GARF Grunge
Lighting:
-Satellite Power Compact 2- 10,000k 2- 460nm actinic 2-1watt moonlights
Protein Skimmer:
-ASM G4-x w/ Sedra 9000 rated 450 gallons 8/2005
Tank H2O Flow:
-QuietOne 6000 (1506gph)(return) - ViaAqua 4900 (1380gph) circullation - CPR CS150DX overflow system w/ aqualifter pump (1600gph)
Heating/Chilling:
2- Visa-Therm 300watt heaters

pH: 8.0 - 8.1
Specific Gravity: 1.024
Temp Range: 79 - 82 (Night/Day)
Additives & Salt Mix:
-CoraLife salt mix: gravity 1.022-1.023, pH 8.2-8.3, Calcium 430-450pp
-Kent Marine Liquid Calcium
-Kent Marine Concentrated Iodine
-Kent Marine Zooplex
-Kent Marine Essential Elements

Livestock:
1-Sailfin Tang (Zebrasoma veliferum) 03/2005
3-Firefish Goby(Nemateleotris magnifica) 05/2005
4-Blue Reef Chromis (Chromis cyanea) 12/2005
1-Sunrise Dottyback (Pseudochromis flavivertex) 10/2005
1-Maroon Clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus) 2/2006
6-Green Chromis (Chromis viridis) 6/2006
1-Scooter Blenny (Istiblennius chrysospilos) 6/2006

Inverts:
1-Blue Leg Hermit Crab
36-Large Astrea Snails
8-Small electric blue hermit crabs (hitchhikers)
12-Mexican turbo snails
1-Peppermint Shrimp 5/2005

Corals:
-Redsea Pom Xenia rock 6/2006
-Toadstool Leather coral (Sarcophyton sp.) 4/2005
-Green/Blue mushroom corals (Actinodiscus sp) 4/2005
-Orange mushroom coral (Actinodiscus sp) 4/2005
-Yellow Zoos (Zoanthus sp) 7/2005
-Sun polyp coral (Tubastraea faulkneri) 7/2005
-Candycane coral (Caulastrea furcata) Indonesia 10/2005
-Candycane coral (Caulastrea furcata) Fiji 10/2005
-Red mushroom coral (Actinodiscus sp) 2/2005
-Green hairy mushroom (Rhodactis indosinensis) 2/2005
-Trumpet coral (Caulastrea curvata) 10/2005
-Frogspawn (Euphyllia paradivisa) 2/2005
-Devil's Hand leather (Lobophytum sp.) 2/2005
 

Bojangles

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Well I've had the lights on for about a week now and the whole tank is green except for the purple that was in the tank already. Its sort of a green haze that covers everything glass rocks and gravel. Looks pretty icky but I figure once its used up all the nutrients, then it will go away. I wonder if its the suppliment I put in to help the coraline grow?

Hmm... using Reef Complete by Seachem
 

garagebrian

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I am a little confused on when your tank started, was it Feb, 2005? or 2004? Anyway, I would avoid using any supplements until your tank is 3-4 months old. Coraline algae seems to take a little time to adjust to a tank before it starts to grow anyway.

B.
 

Bojangles

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Feb 04 - Saltwater & Crushed coral added

March 04 - Added sand to crushed coral

June 04 - Added 50 lbs Fiji Live Rock from a guy in the paper that was moving from San Diego and couldn't take his tank on the drive. I scored the whole 50 for $100. At the same time one of his mated pair of clowns had died (female) and so I got the 7yr old male for free as well.

July 04 - Added 58 lbs Marshall Island Live Rock fully cured from the local pet store. I got two large pieces about 20 lbs each and a smaller piece. I paid $90 for them. Added a Seaclone 150 I got for $30 on ebay new. I had no money so it was a temp solution. It actually doesn't work that bad but I know its not very good especially for a tank this size.

August 04 - I started gambling and making some money on the side so I started to update the tank. It still had NO lights but I added some fish. I turned in the damsels I used to cycle ( all five lived) and got a coral beauty angel. Also during this month I went and got a ruby headed fairy wrasse and a clown tang. All were less than 3 inches

October 04 - I was applying for a job at the casino and on my way out won $80 from the two dollars in my pocket. Indoor Reef just happened to have a baby emperor angel for $75 that I had been looking at since quarentine...I picked him up !! Also during this month my friend bought me a 2inch flame angel.

November 04 - My two heaters went out and my tank got ich. Since I didn't have anything really living in the tank except fish I treated the whole thing...big mistake. My tank crashed and my nitrates shot up super high. None of my fish died from ich but all but the clown and the ruby headed wrasse died from the nitrates.

November 04 - I got a job as a chef at the local casino Yay no more unemployment and now I can do some stuff with my tank.

January 05 - By this time the whole tank was back to normal with the two fish. I went and bought a six line wrasse and started shopping for alot of stuff. Also during this month I started construction of a 60g sump/refug that I had gotten for free because my auntie couldn't take care of the tank I set up for her. So I combined the fish with mine in my 90 and started my refug.

Feb 05 - Bought PC lighting on sale from Dr. Foster and Smith along with some rio pumps. The rios I returned before I even opened them due to some disturbing comments from RDO threads and bought two QuietOne pumps from pet solutions on sale. I also bought 14 lbs Kaelini Live Rock from http://www.indooreef.com uncured straight from the box they got it in. It was really cool cause I happened to be there when the owner got back from the airport so he hooked me up. I paid $83 for all of it dry.
 

Bojangles

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Since I put in the lights my whole tank started to get covered with brown algea. I mean the WHOLE tank, all walls rocks pumps gravel everything. I'm growling coraline as well and lots of my rocks have started to develop purple, light blue, red and pink colors...all of the orangle died.

Also the coraline has algae on it! Actually it almost looks like a type of soot that kinda waves back and forth so to speak. I've tried to spray it off with a powerhead with no luck. It does come off when I rub my finger over it but to get a rock clean I'd have to use a sponge. Wonder what that could be :?:
 

garagebrian

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Good call on sending back the Rios, they are too unreliable. I have a couple that I bought when I started the hobby and I only trust them to make up new SW and for water changes.

Sounds to me like you don't have any "good" algae growing right now and your skimmer, while helping, is way too small. Get that refugium going ASAP, get some cheato algae in there, and upgrade the skimmer. That should help with the algae problem. Take care of that first, then get the camera so you can take pictures as the algae clears up :)

Thanks for the explanation.

B.
 

Bojangles

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Ok I just started using a new salt today... Coralife

It was pretty cheap $35 for a 150g bucket
www.esuweb.com
Specific Gravity 1.022 - 1.023
PH: 8.2 - 8.3
Calcium 430- 450ppm

I do have some of that brillo pad looking algae, I'll have to look up the name later and I do have some natural green sea weed left. The refug is set up now and has saltwater all going. I'm just waiting for my CPR 150 rated at 1600gph overflow box :P

Next is the skimmer...
 

Bojangles

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I did alittle job for an hr and scored $40. FREE MONEY Yay!

So I went to Indoor Reef today and scored 20 astrea snails and a green brittle star for $38.

GO GO Gadget Clean Up Crew!!
 

garagebrian

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Cool, I like astrea snails too :) Careful with the green brittle star, they will eat small fish if they can catch them, especially bottom dwelling fish.

B.
 

Bojangles

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March 05
-Got my refugium set up yesterday YAY!! Works great kinda noisy though. I'll post pictures when I buy my camera.
-Bought 10 lbs of Tongra Branch @ 5.99 per lb. I really like it and its a nice change from bulky pieces.
-Added 20 astrea snails and 1 medium/large brittle star
-Added 20 more astrea snails
-Bought a 2" spear version mantis shrimp and set up a 5g for him
-Added 15lbs more of Tonga Branch Live Rock
-Bought a 1.5" Flame Angel and a 3" Sailfin Tang and added them directly to the main tank

The snails are doing a decent job on the walls of the tank and mostly all of my rock is going back to the white clean look. Lots of coraline algae of all colors ranging from blue, red, pink, orange, purple and a teal sort of color are flurishing. I'm going to start adding calcium along with the reef complete to help them along. Almost all problem algae gone.

I've decided on the Fujifilm 5100 as my first digital camera. I handled one at Kits Camera in the mall and I really liked it. The only question now is where to buy...Kits is about $500 with upgraded memory 128mb and case. Ebay is $380 with upgraded memory 256, case, tripod, cleaning kit, recharger and memory reader. I also had seen a few online stores with a similar deal varying in price...I just dont know which one I should trust. I mean ebay is well ebay and I have no idea what I'm going to get.
 

garagebrian

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Bojangles

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Well I just couldn't resist any longer. I had handled the FujiFilm S5100 in the store and I just love it. Yeah its my first camera but that only leaves room for improvement right?

I bought it from Ebay for $424 shipped and it came with everything I could possibly want. I dont like the soft case but I love the hard one. I dont like the 128mb and wish it were a 512 straight from get go, but at the price I had gotten it I can always upgrade later and still save major on the local $$.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... RK:MEWN:IT

-FujiFilm S5100 body new unopened
-128 mb memory card
-memory card reader
-telephoto lens
-wideangel lens
-adapter tube
-professional filters
-soft carrying case
-hard aluminum carrying case
-desk top tripod
-55" tripod
-cleaning kit

When I added it up basically it came to my buying the camera, soft case and memory from anywhere else...the rest was free
 

Bojangles

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LOL I bought it on ebay...should get it in about two days with any luck. I'll post pics next week for sure after I figure WTH I'm doing. LOL
 

Bojangles

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Those guys I bought the camera from just sent it out today so I'll have to wait for UPS ground to ship it. They said 10-14 days but I usually always get it from UPS in a week or less. I spent 24m 58s on hold today just to have them tell me they cant tell me anything. This is the last time I buy anything digital from ebay!!!

Working 6 days a week sucks cause I cant do much but at least I have $$ to buy stuff. This thrusday Im going to buy some sand for my refug and mantis tank. Anyone have any suggestions? I normally just buy regular tank sand. The refug will have LR that I gradually replace from my main tank when I find cool pieces some sand and the algae. The mantis tank will just have some LR and some guppies or mollies I convert to SW.

Oh YEAH! I forgot I'm going to get my first coral at the same time!! WOOT :P
Thanks
 

Bojangles

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Scheduled Camera delivery is Tuesday March 22!

Yeah I bought it on the 10th and UPS is deliverying it in 7 days...the problem is they didn't take it to UPS until 5 days after I bought it. I got a great deal but looks like I paid in time.

Pics soon =-)
 

Bojangles

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Ok this is my first try at my camera. Picture was taken yesterday 3-23-05 and was not edited. I dont have any editing software just the fujifilm viewer that came with the camera and PhotoImpression that came on the computer. Any recommendations?
 

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Bojangles

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Added another 15lbs of Tonga Branch LR...think the tank is about done with live rock :lol:
 

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