215g Caribbean Inspired Reef -new vid p58

[Europhyllia]

vision: a peaceful DSB Caribbean inspired reef with small interesting fish, gorgonians, sponges, ricordea, etc. goal: to use energy efficient devices whenever possible. responsible reefkeeping includes minimizing our effect on the environment. ;) tools: 215g tank -RR Ocean View made by DSA with DSA stand, euro bracing, corner overflows 4 MP40w ES ace-made 56 gallon sump Sicce Syncra 5.0 return pump Elos NS2000 Skimmer NextReef BioPellet Reactor 60" ATI Sunpower T5 fixture Next post will have pictures :bigsmile:

[Kristy]

Oh wow, this is exciting. Cannot wait to see what you put together!

[Mr Cob]

SO....no hermits I would assume? They are not peaceful...they kill snails. Bad hermits.

Can't wait to watch this build come to life. Congrats Karin!

[txg8gxp]

Looks like it will be a awesome setup, tons of good parts going into this one.

[Europhyllia]

Well I lied when I said next post would have pictures... looks like the new tank might not arrive as soon as we thought.
Gives me time to think about my stocking list :)

photosynthetic Gorgonians (already got a bunch - will get more) including corky finger, purple frilly, purple bushy, muricea, eunicea, etc.
sponges such as red tree sponge
macro such as shaving brush and dragon's breath
small Caribbean gobies - Coryphopterus Personatus
group of yellowhead jawfish - Opistognathus Aurifrons
sun corals
ricordea
st thomas polyps

so that part will be pretty authentic

then I'll also keep my old favorites:
pair of clowns, pair of mandarins, group of anthias, group of PJ Cardinals
because I simply can't part with them and my main concern is a natural looking reef setting. if the fish are a little off I'm okay with that...

[alton]

You will like having jawfish, somewhere I read Yellow Head come from the Florida area and Pearly's come from the Carrabean area?

[Europhyllia]

Very interesting, Alton! They both have the same scientific name so it must be just a regional variation. I think I'd like the more yellow ones :)

[alton]

Maybe Hobogatto will post picture of his, they are more yellow

[Europhyllia]

Oh alton I emailed your comment to a collector/diver and their response was:
The pearly jawfish ( haiti) dont have that great of color.. The florida ones have bright yellow heads and there body has nive sky blue color

That's good to know. I love them to be bluer. I'll look for Florida ones when the time comes...

[Europhyllia]

Check out this fantastic site.
The link (http://reefguide.org/carib/index25.html) will land you on the gorgonian page but if you look at the menu you can see so many other Caribbean critters, including stony corals, fish, etc.

[hobogato]

WHEW! i read your other flood the house thread last night and was worried it was the new tank that flooded. can't wait to see this one come together

[hobogato]

found this pic stumbling around the net today and thought it would be good inspiration for you. not sure if it is caribbean tho

not my pic - found it on the web
http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/00dj7zLePjah8/610x.jpg

[Europhyllia]

YES! That's exactly what I have in mind :)

[Europhyllia]

the more I look at diving photos from the Caribbean the more I wonder if I should go with a blue background instead of black.
Blue would look more natural but would contrast more with the corner overflow boxes.
Black would make the corner overflow boxes disappear more easily.
Of course my main rocks are in the corners too and probably cover up a good bit of the overflow boxes...

[Europhyllia]

I think I found a supplier that has Florida (the prettier color) Yellowhead Jawfish in mated pairs! Thinking of 3 pairs. Maybe 2 if 3 sounds like a lot...

[alton]

I am lovable too

[Europhyllia]

lol
Actually looks slightly grumpy...
(I thought you had the blue spotteds, alton. Do you have both?)

[alton]

PJ is here in my office. I am trying BSJF at home with three Pearly's. I bought PJ a while back from Jeremy and he has been great.

[Kristy]

Those jawfish are adorable!

Here Karin, something for you to study in preparation for the new tank, just to whet your appetite.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2004/invert.htm

[Europhyllia]

Still no tank. But next week the 6 weeks will be up so hopefully next week will be delivery day!

Stony corals are not available from collection in the Caribbean however the corals also grow on aquacultured liverock and I just got word from FloridaLiveRock that I can order special liverock from them that happens to have on it:
Cup Coral (Phyllangia Americana or Rhizosmilia Maculata), robust ivory coral (Cladacora arbuscala) and tube coral

[Europhyllia]

Just saw there's a 60-81 % chance that the Florida Key's will be hit with the oil pretty soon.
Not sure that I can have my tank cycled in time to get my mated pairs of Florida Yellowheads before their collection is impacted. :(

[Europhyllia]

got a couple of things accomplished today:
finished sanding the acrylic on the shadowbox and it's looking good. :)

http://www.dominopads.com/800grit.jpg

Found a 48" ATI Sunpower on Craiglist and it's now hanging over the 75 gallon tank!

I already mounted the 60" ATI in it's permanent spot and just have it suspended really high from the ceiling so it's out of the way.

This will mean I can take all the time in the world to slowly move livestock over rather than overwhelm a freshly cycled tank with too many mouths to feed. :)

Gabe called DSA today and they finally started glueing my tank which means it will be finished two weeks from now.
I guess that means delivery could happen towards the end of July. :)

[alton]

Karin maybe you could set up a temporary 10 gallon tank so you can get your jawfish early?

[Europhyllia]

Karin maybe you could set up a temporary 10 gallon tank so you can get your jawfish early?
I have a new 29g QT tank I could use but I really wanted a group -maybe 2 or 3 pairs and that would seem kind of crammed in a 29g tank.
Guess I'll just have to wait and see...

[tiger_eyed1]

I just moved here from south florida. I hope to have my tank cycled in a week, then have my corals and fish shipped to me in about two weeks. If you want to look up & call Coral Reef Farm, if their prices are alright for you, I'll let you throw the fish in one of my boxes that'll already be coming.

[Europhyllia]

Thanks. I'll check it out. I had my eye on SealifeInc since they have mated pairs of the Jawfish.
I saw your thread on the tank move. Glad it turned out so well so far!

[tiger_eyed1]

Oh, they are good people. That guy started CRF, Coral Restoration Foundataion. He spoke at one of the club meetings. They are doing some awsome things. They take groups down in they keys to document, clean, and plant frags on the reefs. Their live rock lease is AWSOME. It is a reef on its own. Yes, support them if you can.

[Europhyllia]

That's great to hear. To be honest being able to speak directly to the divers/collectors is something I am really enjoying about the Caribbean Reef tank.
It might not be as flashy as far as colors goes as an aussie tank but livestock selection sure is fun (and affordable!)

[Europhyllia]

I just got the coolest book from Goodwill:
http://www.amazon.com/Reef-Coral-Identification-Florida-Caribbean/dp/1878348329/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278693178&sr=8-1

It's meant as a resource for divers in the Keys, Bahamas and Caribbean but it's such a fantastic book and since I won't be able to buy Caribbean hardcorals it will be fun to look at Caribbean stony corals and find look alikes from other regions as stand ins.

[Europhyllia]

well 3 pages later and: tank should arrive this weekend! :)

[txg8gxp]

I can't wait to see your shadow box installed behind the new tank.

[Mr Cob]

well 3 pages later and: tank should arrive this weekend! :)

Awesome! About time!

I know it will be well worth the wait.

[Europhyllia]

I have this crazy fear of dropping one of my rock structures and destroying the tank within a day of it getting there. Once the rock and sand and water is in and nothing is leaking I'll be a happy camper...

[kkiel02]

I bet you are getting excited!!! I am excited for you just in case you arent excited. Do you have people to help move or will you be needing people? I can help sunday but saturday we are heading to fiesta texas.

[Europhyllia]

Thanks Kevin. I am not taking any chances and having Gabe deliver it.
That way it won't be really mine until it sits safely on the stand in my dining room. ;)

[Europhyllia]

Tank's at Gabe and is scheduled to be delivered this afternoon. I am nervous. Hopefully all the parts are correct, no damages and set up goes without any major problems... :o

[Mr Cob]

Tank's at Gabe and is scheduled to be delivered this afternoon. I am nervous. Hopefully all the parts are correct, no damages and set up goes without any major problems... :o

Awesome. I'm sure all will be fine. So glad it's here and really can't wait to see how all of your creations and ideas for it transpire.

[Europhyllia]

It's here. Will write more and post pics when I regain consciousness. It's big. Kevin I envied you. Now I am just glad I didn't get anything bigger. lol

[Europhyllia]

here it is. will take a few days until it gets wet but here's a dry pic

http://www.dominopads.com/215_071910.jpg

[txg8gxp]

Very nice, I love the shadow box look. Are you still going to add more sand?

[Europhyllia]

yes lots more sand :D

[txg8gxp]

Ok, good. Good job...it will look awesome

[Mr Cob]

Amazing. Once the sand fills up to cover the bottom of the shadow box it will look insane. Great work Karin! Very happy for you.

[Third Coast Tropical]

dang...that is going to be nice

[RayAllen]

Looks Great Karin, Glad to see its finally coming to life.

[Europhyllia]

Thanks. I am still washing sand, making saltwater and waiting on more bulkheads. I also ordered my Fritz bacteria since I don't want to use any of my liverock to seed my tank in hopes of avoiding some of the stuff I am trying to get rid of.
Hopefully by next weekend the tank will be circulating and the cycle can start.

After using super fine sand for so long the jawfish substrate looks pretty but much coarser than I am used to. Hopefully it will be sufficient for microfauna.
I am getting excited thinking about my little jawfish. Hopefully they will be very happy in this tank!

[txg8gxp]

I have florida crushed coral in my bc29, and there is tons of pods/etc. running around.

[Europhyllia]

Good.
You asked if there would be more sand and here's the answer.
My back hurts from swirling and scooping 440 pounds of substrate. I have another bag of 40 pounds that I will save for when this substrate beds down/dissolves over the next year or two.
The substrate is now 6-7" high throughout the tank. Quite a shockingly large amount, isn't it?
Those better be super happy super long living jawfish!!!

http://www.dominopads.com/sandintank.jpg

On the plus side I can reach the bottom again (if I use a stool) and I love the height and depth of it! going from 18" wide to 24" is really wonderful. I can view it now at very interesting angles while before it was pretty much only a view from the front thing with the standard 125g tank.

[Mr Cob]

Looks awesome Karin! So...it's like 50 gallons now with all that sand? LOL! It will look great when the jawfish start moving it around.

[Europhyllia]

I already calculated it (in part to convince myself that I can reuse my 60" ATI Sunpower)
It's the equivalent of a bare bottom 165g tank now. :)

So plenty of wattage from the ATI to grow whatever I like.

I think it will be a very non-traditional tank and some people might like it. I bet a lot of people wouldn't/won't since it won't be as colorful as the typical 'a little bit of everything' reef.

I'd really love to go diving and explore the critters in their natural habitat.
With the kids so little that won't be possible for a few years.
So this tank will be my little Caribbean diving holiday. :)

[Mr Cob]

Well, I think you have done a fabulous job and it's so nice to see something new. Very original tank Karin. Very excited for you.

[txg8gxp]

very nice. I'm jealous

[txav8r]

Looks like all of that planning is finally paying off. It looks AWESOME!!

[RayAllen]

That is a lot of sand. Sand sifter heaven.

[Europhyllia]

actually sand sifters would probably hate it. Too much coarse stuff. It's strictly burrowers -which is better for my microfauna anyway :)

[Europhyllia]

The more I look at it the more I wished I had gone with the 240g (31") tall tank. :(
I think the proportion would have been awesome considering the amount of substrate.
Maybe slightly finer substrate would have been a little more ideal as well.
Oh well. Ironic thing is I had it all ordered that way (240g/31" tall tank and Grand Bahama substrate) and then got second thoughts changing it all - probably driving Gabe crazy.
I am sure once there's gorgos and jawfish I'll feel better about it though :)
Plus lots of people have big tanks and even without a grain of sand make it work with just 24" tall

[Europhyllia]

Another little project finished!

A meshlid to keep my jawfish buddies safe :)

http://www.dominopads.com/meshlid.jpg

Did I mention I love the euro bracing? I do. It's the best thing ever!

[Mr Cob]

The euro bracing sure made a nice placeholder for your mesh screen. Looks pretty cool!

[Europhyllia]

actually the screen just sits on the trim. :)
But I do love not having to worry about any braces across or having to make two screen top pieces

[alton]

Looking good Karin, I love the screen cover

[txav8r]

Looks like it is coming along nicely!

[Jarob]

oh man that looks good!! im actually in the Keys right now and went diving today for a few hours at the reef, i took about 30 pictures of the reef so once I get home ill upload them on here. I was sure shocked at the true abundance of gorgos here, makes me want to do something similar!

Also, could you send me a pm with the place to order that mesh top again, im gonna be ordering one soon!

[Europhyllia]

mesh info:
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=212941

[Europhyllia]

Tank is finally filled with water and I just fed it 3 cubes of frozen stuff.
The QT tank has already been cycling for a couple of days with frozen food and Fritz. Maybe I should have used dry ammonia powder. Nitrite and Nitrate are going up a little but ammonia is still barely detectable. It will come I'm sure. Charting it in Microsoft Excel so I want something to spike and show on my chart... ;)

[Europhyllia]

plumbing is kicking my butt! :(

http://www.dominopads.com/syncrabroken.jpg
I'm not liking the flex PVC much. Expected more. And the new Sicce Syncra 5.0 pump just cracked before I ever even had a chance to plug it in! Close to 200 bucks so this is a major disappointment.

Got my little Eheim hooked up now so I can at least get the tank circulating.

Tomorrow:
find a replacement Sicce. Get the electrical stuff worked out and the Reefkeeper installed. Also: try a wave with the Vortechs. I'm nervous the drains on the overflows are too high to really take a wave. We'll see.. wish me luck.

[txg8gxp]

Aww..that sucks. Good luck with the wave.

[Third Coast Tropical]

That is a lot of sand!!! Can't wait until you fill it with critters and post pics. Right before I left UT, we got several bluespots in the lab. They were awesome. I think he had about 5 inches of sand and it was finer, but don't entirely remember. I just remember they were really, really,.....really cool. My friend also had some in his home tank (Redrum on MAAST). What other fishes will be joining them?

[Europhyllia]

I think the fish will be the biggest compromise as far as non-biotope goes.

All of my current fish will move over:
pair of ocellaris clowns
group of Barthlett's Anthias
group of PJ Cardinals
pair of target mandarins

new fish will be:
2-3 pairs of yellowhead jawfish
possibly:
group of barnacle blennies
pair of rusty gobies
group of masked gobies

That's it. :) I was considering blue chromis but the diver/collector mentioned on their site that they school as juveniles but tend to pair off as they get older. I am guessing that's the reason why in so many tanks they eventually die off until there's just a pair left. I am not keen on the dying part so I'll probably skip them.

Invert plan:
porcelain crabs, sponges, spiny oysters, chitons, etc.

Corals:
photosynthetic gorgonians, zoanthids and palys, a few sun corals
As far hardcorals goes I think there's no legal collection of those in the Caribbean so I will see what I can find as far as look-alikes goes from other areas.

Already heard back from Sicce. They're sending me a new housing. :)

[Europhyllia]

Reefkeeper installed -check (like it a lot!)
4 Vortechs installed and autotuned - check
added Fritz to the big tank - check

lots of work hooking all this stuff up but I am happy to say that with the Reefkeeper and mounting it all under the tank I am hoping to avoid the typical ratsnest of wires. So far so good...

The shadowbox was a bit of a disappointment once the tank light is on. May need a small adjustment or maybe it will get better once the dust settles.
I still like the blue glow from that back better than I would have liked a painted back but the dramatic visual effect it had while the tank was empty is gone while the daylight bulbs are on over the tank.

[Kenya]

Tank looks great. Keep up the work.

IMHO I would get some more rock but thats me. make sure to post more pics:bigsmile:

[Europhyllia]

Thanks :)
I had more rock in my old tank and the more I removed the more I liked it. Even the swimming/schooling pattern of the anthias changed. This tank will be mostly about jawfish which need a lot of open space so the large open areas are part of the new set up.

[Europhyllia]

pictures :)

led moonlights only:
http://www.dominopads.com/sbled.jpg

then the box comes on (led moonlights and box lighting):
http://www.dominopads.com/sbboxled.jpg

then the blue/purple bulbs come on, moonlights turn off:
http://www.dominopads.com/sbboxactinic.jpg

then daylight bulbs come on:
http://www.dominopads.com/sbboxall.jpg

[RayAllen]

I personally think it looks great Karin. The background gives it great depth.

[Mr Cob]

My thoughts exactly Ray. It's going to look awesome when Karin gets all her gorgs in there!

[Europhyllia]

Thanks guys!
I got something in it to look at. ;)

It's my dedicated Golden Ratio red thing:
http://www.dominopads.com/215tank072710.jpg

The Vortechs are messing up my 27.5"/Golden Ratio a bit so I hope there's a little wiggle room...

[txg8gxp]

I love it, tons of depths.

[Jarob]

Looks absolutly amazing! Were you ever concerned with the algae build up on the front glass where the sand is? I might steal your DSB idea, just not THAT deep!

[Europhyllia]

algae happens...
I am sure there will be visible layers of stuff that can be seen through the glass. I am not super worried about it

I quarantined the first batch of my old corals this morning.
First a dip in Malachite green to knock of any nudis and other critters, Then a dip in Reef Dip. Some major trimming.
I figured they'd be super stressed but things like the big shaggy corky finger gorgo are actually back out in the QT tank.

If everything goes well for the next couple of weeks the old gorgos will be the first to move into the big tank! :)

[kkiel02]

Looking great Karin!!! Do you have a controller to control your lights or seperate timers? Im leaning toward getting a rkl but am still hesitant.

[FireWater]

Looks good Karin. Thanks for the inspiration and new ideas.

[txg8gxp]

Do it, think about how much some power stirps and cheap timers cost.... $99 is a small price for the small space it takes up, and all the cool thinks it does. One of the best things I have got.

Looking great Karin!!! Do you have a controller to control your lights or seperate timers? Im leaning toward getting a rkl but am still hesitant.

[Europhyllia]

Kevin
I did just get a RKL#3 (2 powerstrips, temp and pH) and love it. But I'm a control freak... ;)

John,
I was at Ace's when you called! So glad you are feeling the urge to get going!!! Can't wait to see what you come up with :)

[neogenix]

Looking cool!!

[kkiel02]

Kevin
I did just get a RKL#3 (2 powerstrips, temp and pH) and love it. But I'm a control freak... ;)


See I love the idea of them but the only reason Im having any reservations is if it was to have a problem or break there are so many things that depend on it. I am thinking about the cheapest one and just using it for my lights and the temp & ph probe. Was yours hard to setup?

[Europhyllia]

No. I think the hardest part for me was understanding what they meant with delayed standby or something like that.
I have regular standby set for 10 minutes (just because) and then have the return pump set to 1 hour stand by. It's really the only thing I put on standby for when I feed phyto. So I just bugged Stephen about it until I knew why there are two stand bys. :D

Since the #3 comes with 8 outlets most of it is taken up by lights, return pump and heater. Most everything else runs of other power sources.

[Europhyllia]

Had to hook up the CO2 scrubber. The bio pellets were eating up all ammonia, nitrite and nitrate but the result was quite a bit of CO2 which lowered the pH quite a bit.
Now with the scrubber it is on the rise and I feel better about it :)

[Europhyllia]

there's a light dusting of diatom bloom on the rocks now. :)
the PJ Cardinals are all caught and in the quarantine tank.
Plan is to have the PJs in the big tank by the weekend.
More coral dipping at this time and the first corals will move over after that.

[CoryDude]

Had to hook up the CO2 scrubber. The bio pellets were eating up all ammonia, nitrite and nitrate but the result was quite a bit of CO2 which lowered the pH quite a bit.
Now with the scrubber it is on the rise and I feel better about it :)

Aha, I was right about the CO2 byproduct. You can also create a lot of splashing across the surface water to help de-gas co2.

[txg8gxp]

Pics of the scrubber please. I'm dealing with the same issue at the moment.

[Europhyllia]

just a cartridge with an air intake and CO2 absorbing media inside:
http://thefilterguys.biz/skimmer_media.htm

[txg8gxp]

Did you get one of there kits, or did you get the stuff local?

[Europhyllia]

I got it from them but I just saw in one of Ping's post that BuckeyeFieldSupply carries the media as well.
The FilterGuys have always given me great service too though!

[Europhyllia]

http://www.dominopads.com/pj1.jpg http://www.dominopads.com/pj2.jpg

http://www.dominopads.com/pj3.jpg

first set of fish are in the tank!

[RayAllen]

Nice Cardinals! I bet they are loving their new slice of the reef.

[Europhyllia]

they didn't stay hiding for long and seem to enjoy having it all to themselves.
I am ready for the diatom bloom to pass.

How long did yours last, Ray?

[ErikH]

YAAA! Now it gets good! Hope you got monkey arms cuz its quite a reach! :D

[RayAllen]

they didn't stay hiding for long and seem to enjoy having it all to themselves.
I am ready for the diatom bloom to pass.

How long did yours last, Ray?

Karin mine lasted 2 almost 3 weeks. Not sure if the exact time. Erik got to see it in person when it looked like there was a layer of poo all on the rocks and sand. Now the sand is a bright white and I see coraline starting to grow. Woo Hoo.

[Europhyllia]

Looks like the diatoms didn't get as bad here and are already waning again (unless I just jinxed myself)

I decided to take the first batch of corals out of quarantine, double dip them one more time and add them to the big tank.

The jawfish are coming! Wednesday :)
And a new GE 3000k bulb for the shadowbox to see if I can get it more into the teal/green away from the pure blue.

So there will be more pics this week. Hopefully the jawfish will all do well.

I am in love with the tank so far though! The gorgonians look much better in this set up. It seems weird now that I ever thought a wall of rocks would be attractive aquascaping... what was I thinking!?

[Europhyllia]

http://www.dominopads.com/215tank080910.jpg

(lightbulb out in shadowbox)
polyps aren't all out yet on the corky finger gorgo. It will be shaggier in just a bit :) I do like the proportions though

[txg8gxp]

Looking good. This is going to be awesome once all your gorg's grow out.

[RayAllen]

It really looks great Karin. I like how natural it looks. I like the one lone cardinal in the pic.

[Europhyllia]

This is going to be awesome once all your gorg's grow out.

I might not have to wait that long. :)

I am moving over what fits but I also plan on doing an "Ace style" stocking approach and buying lots of gorgeous full size gorgos for that instant grown in look. :)

The appearance will be very different of course since I am still wanting the 'diving in the Caribbean feel' rather than the typical dazzling array of colors.
But it should be looking pretty full not too long from now.

In fact I am getting a few gorgos and even a zoanthid covered sponge with my jawfish on Wednesday.
Caribbean stuff is very inexpensive compared to foreign collected.

The beautiful little red sponge covered with yellow zoanthids (think spider sponge) is only $15, most gorgos are well under $30.
Should make it easier on the budget for such a large tank.

Main thing is the jawfish though. I really hope they do well...

[txg8gxp]

With that sandbed, and your feeding habits...I bet the jawfish will do great.

[Europhyllia]

They're on their way! Here tomorrow along with snails, some gorgos and a zoa sponge :0

[Europhyllia]

The little guys are here.
Packaging was superb! Each pair was in it's own little plastic bottle and the bottle had tons of holes drilled into it.
After acclimating it was easy to lift them out, drain the water and place them in their bottle into the tank together (open lid of course)

Right now I only see one but that little guy is hard at work. Lights are still out.
I'll take some pics later :)

[marcusgonzales210]

wow that was quick!

[txg8gxp]

Cool, its making a home already?

[txav8r]

Woohooo!!! Can't wait to see the pics! Glad the arrived safe and sound.

[Europhyllia]

a day in my Caribbean cove:
dawn
http://www.dominopads.com/215tank081110dawn.jpg

morning
http://www.dominopads.com/215tank081110morning.jpg

midday
http://www.dominopads.com/215tank081110midday.jpg

http://www.dominopads.com/zoasponge.jpg
red sponge with yellow zoanthids

(sorry -didn't have time to clean glass before kids woke up)
I still need to figure out how to adjust the autofocus so I can take a better pic of the little jawfish at work.
Hopefully I'll find the others soon too...

[alton]

Looks great Karin

[RayAllen]

The Dawn Photo looks awesome!

[Europhyllia]

lol I know. I am tempted to really shorten my days...

[ErikH]

So if you keep going at this pace you could win RC TOTM faster than it's ever been won before! :D You buy more stuff than I do! LOL It looks really really nice so far, love the rockwork and gorgies.

[Europhyllia]

only $250 worth of stuff (including the 3 pairs of jawfish!). That's not that bad, right? I am sure people have spent more (the first batch of gorgos was from my old tank)
I've been on a livestock diet for months now ... I can binge a little ;)

[Europhyllia]

I have one very curious one that's building like crazy right in the middle! :)
The others ones though: not a trace!

[alton]

Sounds like my BSJF, one of them builds everything and the others enjoy. Maybe they pay the one that works in Jawfish dollars?

[Europhyllia]

I hope so. I am worried they just all died. Guess ammonia will tell in just a day or so (no crabs, etc.)
Everything else seems to be doing really well
http://www.dominopads.com/8121.jpg
http://www.dominopads.com/8122.jpg

http://www.dominopads.com/8123.jpg

http://www.dominopads.com/8124.jpg

http://www.dominopads.com/8125.jpg

[RayAllen]

Karin you must think Positive!

Its not uncommon to introduce fish and not see them for a few day.

[Mr Cob]

O M G...

B A D!

dawn
http://www.dominopads.com/215tank081110dawn.jpg

the pajama cardinal really set the mood for this pic....he looks like he is in the middle of DEPTH! Amazing job Karin. You won for making a realistic looking...believable tank!

[chunkymonkey]

wow...that looks amazing! outstanding job with the rear box!

[Europhyllia]

Thanks!

I have found 6 burrows so far and seen fish look out of 3 of them. Once I saw two jawfish at the same time so I have at least 2 survivors.
The one in the middle is super fun and getting bolder building his new burrow now right in the open right in the center!
Such a busy little fish.

In the beginning I was a little disappointed with how much space the substrate took up but now seeing the little fish work with it and knowing they can build to their heart's content and likely never reach the bottome ... it's all worth it :)

[Europhyllia]

YEAH!

I have located 3 active burrows! :)

One has a beautiful powder blue pair in it

The other two have one singleton in each (hopefully there is a second one in there and just hiding)

But at least 4 out of 6 jawfish are accounted for! :)

I'll wait 2 weeks before moving the anthias in to give the jawfish time to get comfortable.

This will be a such a sight to have a whole group of jawfish building and doing their jawfish thing... ;)

[alton]

Karin is the substrate you chose working out, or do you wish you should of tried something different?

[Europhyllia]

Alton the jawfish are loving it! It's super easy to build with it and the burrows are very stable.
Enough small sand grains to be cushy, enough shells to give them structural support. I am amazed at how fast they can build stuff.
For the first time I am actually loving the substrate (keep in mind I am used to sugar fine DSB so this was quite an adjustment).
I think it's a great jawfish tank substrate.

[RayAllen]

Karin I can here them singing now.

Whistle While we work, da da da da da da da!

Fish that build ad a lot of interest and fun to a aquarium.

[alton]

Karin how many pounds did you use for your 24" x 72" x 6" deep foot print?

[Europhyllia]

I ordered 12 bags and used 11. I think they're 40 pound bags so 440 pounds used.
Keep in mind though that I had some really sizeable rock structures that are sitting on just 1 inch of sand and burried for 5 inches in the sand so that took up quite a bit of space too.

[Europhyllia]

couple of pics from today
http://www.dominopads.com/jaw1.jpg

http://www.dominopads.com/jaw3.jpg

[txg8gxp]

very cool pics

[Europhyllia]

I am up to 5 out of 6 :)
They are so fun! I love them. 3 of them have burrows now just within inches of each other. Very interesting. I am glad I chose this type of tank. I really like it :)

[Europhyllia]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYjtEbLQRb4

jawfish threatening cardinal and cardinal clearly impressed...

[Jarob]

Ah too cool Karin!! I wish I had a DSB!

[Mr Cob]

Very cool Karin.

[ErikH]

Sea gophers! :)

[cbianco]

Nice video.

You're making me want to make a video too!

Christopher :)

[alton]

Awesome!

[Europhyllia]

looks like I lost one pair out of the three :(

Initially I had one pair on each side and a single one in the middle but then the side pair moved closer to the single one (after the initial introduction I never could locate that ones partner) and bullied him some (no actual injury as far as I could tell) and I haven't seen the single one again in a day or two now.

The two remaining pairs are doing well though, swimming out in the open for most of the time and I can see 3 out of 4 actively chasing after frozen mysis. Hopefully the 4th will join in soon and I'll be left with two pairs.

In retrospect 6 jawfish were probably a little much anyway. Should have been more conservative and given each more space...

Since they're eating will I have a couple more anthias coming Friday and the anthias will all move into the big tank Friday then.

I might just move the clowns and mandarins to the quarantine tank and start taking down the 75g tank.

Last month was a shocking surprise to see how having TWO large fish tanks affects the electric bill...

[alton]

Karin you can not second guess yourself, the weakest pair could of been the first two picked for your shipment and the strongest two your 5th and 6th shipped. So if you would of ordered only two pairs you could be down to one pair today? I think most people will be shocked to get there electric bill for August. And since most companies have to use natural gas during the summer to keep up demand most bills double just for that reason.

[Europhyllia]

I am back up to 5! :) The singleton has reappeared and decided to live with the center pair. So I have a group of 3 in the center and a pair on the side.

[hobogato]

nice video! gotta love jawfish :D

[RayAllen]

I am back up to 5! :) The singleton has reappeared and decided to live with the center pair. So I have a group of 3 in the center and a pair on the side.

Postive thinking. You already wrote it off as dead, haha.

They are really cool fish. They have a face with a lot of expression if that makes sense. Like you have little aliens thinking and working.

[Europhyllia]

Like you have little aliens thinking and working.
I know! I think they're fantastic. I love their big eyes looking at me. They are like little people.
I almost feel bad for putting the other fish in the tank. Like the jawfish are so worthy of their own tank that it seems wrong to dilute it with community fish..

[Europhyllia]

The clowns are in the QT tank and I moved the mandarins into the 215. It is covered in pods. They should have a fun time once they settle in.
After i got the clowns and mandarins out of the 75 I put the lid back on right away but somehow one of the anthias must have still managed to jump out of the 75. boohoo. She was already dry when I found her. So sad.
They were supposed to move Friday and the 215g has a very tight fitting lid. Just two days away from safety and great big swimming room. I am so bummed out I lost this one so close to the move.
I left that big open space specifically with the anthias in mind and now she'll never get to enjoy it :(

[Europhyllia]

All 5 are doing so well now. They seem rather comfortable and mostly swimming out in the open, rarely hiding now.
Bruce and Cici the mandarins are doingw ell too. I miss Bobbie but the Bruce/Cici match is awesome. They're inseparable. Just always together. So sweet. :)

[FireWater]

Worthless posts with out more pics.:applause:

[Europhyllia]

I can't take pics -the cyano is so horrid :(

[Europhyllia]

http://www.dominopads.com/5jawfish.jpg
all 5 :)

[FireWater]

Nice one Karin. Nice editing. LOL. I am sure it looks great - cyano and all. It will clear up soon and make for some better pics.

[hobogato]

great job on the tank karin, it really is well put together. gotta love those jawfish!

[Europhyllia]

Thanks. Yes, the jawfish are awesome!
I was hesitant adding the anthias since they don't fit the theme but I put them in this morning and they do look fantastic in it. Blue Chromis would have been nice but they don't school longterm so the anthias will be a nice stand in :)

[Europhyllia]

Good News!
I found jawfish #6 ALIVE!
He's been in the overflow box the whole time (over a week!)
Poor thing.
I hope he can recover and wonder if he will rejoin his mate?!

Also I gpt a new coral -a Montastrea - nice large piece around 5-6"!!!

Hardcorals for Caribbean reef tanks are tough to come by since hard corals aren't collected in the Caribbean legally as far as I know.
I've had my eye on the beautiful star corals and got a few favites (from other locations) to mimic Caribbean hardcorals and now I was lucky enough to find a real Montastrea (Indo-Pacific origin) that looks perfect in the Caribbean tank.

[Mr Cob]

Awesome! Looks so great Karin. Very realistic. So happy you found all 6 Jawfish!

[txav8r]

Poor little dude. Glad you found him!

[alton]

I had one of my Blue Spot's jump over the overflow and down into my sump where he lived for at least a week until I noticed him and put him back in the main tank and he has been fine. I bet the little guy will sleep good tonight.

[Europhyllia]

I feel bad that he missed out on that stage where everybody gets used to the new tank.
Bendy, the jawfish with the bend tail has left 4 bite marks on him. No help from his old mate either. Poor little dude.

[Kristy]

Wow, Karin! I haven't had time to check any non-event threads in a couple of weeks and have missed your recent updates. Such developments!

Love the jawfish, they are adorable and I think I am not alone in my envy. What great news that you found the 6th one.
Gorgonian canyon looks beautiful. Can't get over how great that dragon's breath stands out!
Sorry to hear about the jumper. It's so sad to lose a fish you've been keeping successfully and I know how you loved your anthias... :( When are your new anthias coming in? How many did you order?

Congrats on everything! The tank is looking incredible.

[Europhyllia]

Thanks!

The anthias arrived this morning and all 5 are in the new tank. The new ones are tiny. One looks suspiciously pink but so far no aggression from the big male yet. Hopefully it will stay female. Right now all five are schooling together without any noticable fighting.

I may not be able to keep the dragon's breath and have to swap it for a red tree sponge or something. The dragon's breath does great in my QT tank but seems to struggle in the big tank competing with the biopellets (nitrate 0)

Got 2 new LPS today diploastrea and the monastrea and it really makes it look very realistic although not sure other aquarists could appreciate their awesomeness since they are mostly brown and green - just very much like what you'd find diving in the Caribbean.

Lots of ricordia colors coming soon... :D

[Europhyllia]

so happy: all of my critters (old and new) are doing well eating, swimming in the open and worked out their differences so no more biting, etc.
It's fabulous. So glad I didn't have any losses so far. :)

[Kristy]

Yay! Happy fish :) !

[Europhyllia]

My Caribbean Reef urchin is so adorable! I didn't notice it before but in addition to the interesting rings at the base of the spines it has deep purple tips. It's similar to a longspine urchin in habits without the annoying long spines and it doesn't collect stuff and carry it off like the Tuxedos.
It's just about the most perfect urchin I ever had.
I don't have green algae (yet?) so I bought some Nori at the supermarket. I don't have a clip and wasn't sure how to fasten it but I simply put it in front of the urchin and he grabbed it and is eating it! Handfed urchins. :)

[tebstan]

Handfed urchins. :)

That's so cool! I wanna see! :photo:

[Europhyllia]

Oh and I located some new thorny oysters. They're only 3 inches so not the huge kind but one has bright pink ricordea on it and the other has red sponge growing on it. So I'll have oysters again :)

[Jarob]

When I went diving in the caribbean a few weeks ago there were tons of Platygyra sp. (maze brain, etc..) and a lot of Acropora cervicornis. For sure the most abundant fish I saw were Atlantic Blue Tangs.. But this was also in the Keys, not true caribbean I guess.

I cant wait to see some more pics!! After diving there I really appreciate youre setup, its absolutly stunning. AMAZING job Karin!

[tebstan]

where did you find thorny oysters?

[Europhyllia]

tebstan, I tried to get them local but they're not on any wholesale lists right now. These are coming directly from the divers again. It's neat because I can say what I am looking for and they specifically look for it on their next dive.

Thanks Jarob! I have been adding a few stonys (monastrea and diploastrea brains). I guess at some point there will be an acro but it's too early right now. :)

The Atlantic Blue tangs are interesting. I learned they don't do well in captivity in part because they rely on some kind of gut bacteria that gets killed off by the treatment they usually get in the wholesale tanks. Thought that was different...
But you can get these from the divers as well. :)

[Europhyllia]

I am getting ahead with the cyano and plan to finish it off with some Zeo. Looking much better already though!

:)

[Europhyllia]

Oh and what should I do about the Fireshrimp? Include it? Or rehome it and get anemone shrimp to go with the Caribbean theme better?

[txg8gxp]

I think you should try to stick with the theme, I think it will show in the end.

[Europhyllia]

Yeah I already put the fire shrimp up for sale.

My new plan is:
keep old fish even if they're not Caribbean. If there are any new fish purchases they will be Caribbean but currently none planned. So fish will be my only immigrants in my Caribbean reef

inverts will be strictly caribbean

corals will be Caribbean as far as soft corals goes and look-alike as far as hard corals goes (because hard corals from the Caribbean are not collected)

[kkiel02]

If I remember correctly Jarob has a very nice atlantic blue tang. He maybe able to advise you on how hard it was to take care of. In Belize we found some anemones and tons of damsels while snorkeling. I also remember the doctorfish being there. Oh and coral banded shrimp. Just throwing ideas out there for ya. :)

[Europhyllia]

I don't want anything that will bother any of the other critters.
No tangs. Not even Atlantic Blues ;)

Once the ricordeas take Off I'd love to get some anemone shrimp though. :D

[txg8gxp]

Do you plan to add a horned blenny? I think they are too cool looking.

[Europhyllia]

My tank is full! So much commotion. It feels like one more and the fish will have to take a number to get their turn to swim...

[Jarob]

More pictures!! I really like that idea of an area grown in with ricordeas and some anenome shrimp!

[Europhyllia]

Yes I am looking forward to that. Haven't gotten the ricordea yet but should be soon. :)

http://www.dominopads.com/215tank082610.jpg
(sorry water change -and with it glass cleaning- day is Friday...)

[ramsey]

WOW Karin! Your tank is looking awesome!

[Europhyllia]

Thanks ramsey.
I love it but I also always feel a little self conscious about it when I post pics because what I love about it is the intent -to make it look like a real reef. Something you could find diving in the keys, etc.
Without that background story I am sure it just looks pretty weedy and lacking the bright colors of the usual tanks.

Plus in my head I can picture what will go where in the future while people looking at the picture just see the disconnect between my 'weeds'. lol

Out of 5 saltwater tanks I've had this is definitely my favorite though. I really like it :)

[Europhyllia]

Got my Zeo stuff today.
Apparently since we biopellet people have too little nutrients to support real algae well the one thing that can live of very little -cyano- is the one thing that can make it. ;)
So I am giving Zeo a try.
Didn't want to use an oxidizer (like chemiclean) since it can harm fish gills and I've been so lucky to have such healthy fish. Didn't want to use an antibiotic obviously for fear of destroying my bacteria.
So I went with Zeo stuff (Zeozyme and Coral Snow) and am trying the enzyme route. Might take a few weeks to show results.
I am glad I knew to expect for the tank to get very cloudy or else it would have totally freaked me out! lol
All fish and corals, even the urchin seem to be completely unaffected. :)

[ramsey]

Thanks ramsey.
I love it but I also always feel a little self conscious about it when I post pics because what I love about it is the intent -to make it look like a real reef. Something you could find diving in the keys, etc.
Without that background story I am sure it just looks pretty weedy and lacking the bright colors of the usual tanks.

Plus in my head I can picture what will go where in the future while people looking at the picture just see the disconnect between my 'weeds'. lol

Out of 5 saltwater tanks I've had this is definitely my favorite though. I really like it :)

I think it's like art. You're always critical of your own work. I know that with music, I can think something I do totally sucks but other people think it's great. I think it's the same with a tank. People see my tank and are like " WOW! That's amazing!" and I'm like "meh". I think your tank looks awesome. Especially since it's only a month or so old. I can't wait to see where it goes. The videos of the jawfish was also cool. It made me want one. :)


Got my Zeo stuff today.
Apparently since we biopellet people have too little nutrients to support real algae well the one thing that can live of very little -cyano- is the one thing that can make it. ;)
So I am giving Zeo a try.
Didn't want to use an oxidizer (like chemiclean) since it can harm fish gills and I've been so lucky to have such healthy fish. Didn't want to use an antibiotic obviously for fear of destroying my bacteria.
So I went with Zeo stuff (Zeozyme and Coral Snow) and am trying the enzyme route. Might take a few weeks to show results.
I am glad I knew to expect for the tank to get very cloudy or else it would have totally freaked me out! lol
All fish and corals, even the urchin seem to be completely unaffected. :)

Cyano....Ugh....I'e been fighting it for a couple months now. I've just about gotten it beat. I just used macro, kept feeding to a minimum, regular water changes, etc. Now if I can just get my nudi's to eat all this aiptasia....Good luck on your cyano. It's a pain to get rid of.

[kkiel02]

Yes I am looking forward to that. Haven't gotten the ricordea yet but should be soon. :)

http://www.dominopads.com/215tank082610.jpg
(sorry water change -and with it glass cleaning- day is Friday...)

I like the three jawfish hanging out in the corner. It looks great and by far not even close to weedy. Keep up the good work.

[Richard]

In retrospect 6 jawfish were probably a little much anyway. Should have been more conservative and given each more space...


Nah, I had 8 in my 215 and I had less floor space for them than you do. The thing about pearly's is you're usually going to take some losses. They are terrible shippers, some just never take to life in an aquarium, and others aren't happy unless they're jumping out of the tank or into your overflows during the night.

[Europhyllia]

Thanks Richard. I still have all 6 and they are all very interested in food so I am hopeful.
The only strange thing is that the pair that got separated never 'found' each other again! Geesh. It's just inches silly fish!
So I have 2 threesomes with a known pair and an oddball each. :)

[Europhyllia]

Here's a picture of my Montastraea. Isn't the the prettiest brown coral you've ever seen? I love that it has such beautiful texture and that it matches the pics of Caribbean Montastraea cavernosa -great star coral- so closely:
http://www.dominopads.com/montastraea.jpg

[kkiel02]

I think you may have forgot to post the pic?

[Europhyllia]

That's weird. It shows up for me!

[txav8r]

I can see the pic. It's nice!

[kkiel02]

Yeah now I can also see it. It looks nice.

[Europhyllia]

My oyster cove is up :)

This time I got smaller oysters (only around 3 inches each) so I could easily glue them to the side of the rockwork for a more natural look. Two of the spiny oysters came with pretty ricordea growing on them, the third has fuzzy stuff on top and red sponge on the bottom.
I love them. I've missed my oyster. :)
http://www.dominopads.com/fuzzyoyster.jpg
http://www.dominopads.com/fuxxyoyster.jpg
http://www.dominopads.com/greenricoyster.jpg

http://www.dominopads.com/orangericoyster.jpg

http://www.dominopads.com/maze.jpghttp://www.dominopads.com/maze1.jpg

[RayAllen]

Looking good Karin

[ramsey]

Looks awesome! I can't wait to watch your updates. I think this is going to be a sick tank! (in a good way of course! :P)

[ErikH]

Again, it looks great Karin! :D

[chunkymonkey]

you're doing an OUTSTANDING job on this. it's awesome watching one develope from scratch and the updates provided....time for another full tank shot....

[Europhyllia]

Thanks. :)

I had to take the pretty red dragon's breath out and replace it with a red sponge (to provide my golden ratio focus point! :D ) because the macro was just not doing well at all.

Here's a full tank shot just taken now:
http://www.dominopads.com/215tank090210.jpg

Look at my anthias. Isn't the one in the middle kind of weird with that fuschia top fin and the eyeliner?
http://www.dominopads.com/anthiasjaw.jpg

and the other 3 jawfish with the oysters:
http://www.dominopads.com/oysterjaw.jpg

[chunkymonkey]

looking great. I've been wanting to do a similar tank to involve sponges. You've done a great job.

[Jarob]

Wow.... that looks amazing!!

[chunkymonkey]

any chance of vid? I'd like to see the fish and such doing their thing in the current

[txg8gxp]

Looks great. I'm still loving the open area in the middle

[Europhyllia]

I think I have a jawfish video on page 14 (wow such a long thread already. lol)

[Europhyllia]

Looks great. I'm still loving the open area in the middle
totally agree! The open area is crucial. No plans to fill it in.

[Mr Cob]

Looks amazing Karin!

[txav8r]

Very nice job. Karin! All of the thought you put into this tank really shows!

[Europhyllia]

I am getting a brown acro from Troy Valentine :)
Just got to figure out when to make the trip up there.

[Europhyllia]

video! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YChb19NKY7I

[txg8gxp]

Looks good, that large polyp gorg cracks me up...

[ErikH]

MORE VIDEO OF THE JAWFISH!

:D

[hobogato]

wow, the tank really came out nice karin, great job!

[Europhyllia]

Thanks. :)

And thanks again to Ace and Alton for the shadow box idea. I really love it.
In the morning when just the shadowbox is on (dawn and dusk) I can't imagine how limiting it would feel to have a black back wall instead of the glow
http://www.dominopads.com/theglow.jpg

The best part though is that ALL of the fish are doing well and enjoying their new home.
Not a single one lost. All eating exceptionally well, staking out their territories, getting along, no injuries, no illnesses (knock on wood).

That really makes me happy.

Tomorrow I am picking up my new acro (GASP) from Troy. Hopefully it will do half as well as the fish...

[Europhyllia]

One of the jawfish pairs' mate has been building a really elaborate den and now his mate keeps visiting him (her?) and they both stay in the same den for a bit. It's very cute. I wish I could see a jawfish den next to glass. Would be interesting to see what it looks like underground! How can they both fit in there?

[Europhyllia]

wanted to take some pics of the one building and just stayed in that corner of the tank.
All of my fish came to be in that picture. I guess fish are curious too and were wondering what I was looking at. (notice the feather duster in the background of all the pics)

started out really well with jawfish happily working:
http://www.dominopads.com/910jawfish.jpg

then all of the other fish intruding. first the anthias. there could be food so they got to be there. first. always.
http://www.dominopads.com/910allanthias.jpg

http://www.dominopads.com/910anthias.jpg

and Bruce of course
http://www.dominopads.com/910bruce.jpg

finally jawfish again...

http://www.dominopads.com/910jawfish2.jpg

I know most people don't like hermits in their tanks but I got to say the Caribbean Blue Legs do a wonderful job cleaning cyano off anything, even sponges and gorgos without damaging anything
http://www.dominopads.com/bluecrab.jpg

[Europhyllia]

Give me the green stuff!

I am still supplementing the urchin's diet with Nori since I don't have hair algae but it appears my feeding habits have gotten a little bit ahead of the biopellets and macro algae is able to sustain itself.
I got some cool stuff including little moss balls of Toadstool algae.
It really adds a new dimension to the Caribbean tank. I love it. Would look bare without it... :)

[txav8r]

Great pics and video, Karin! The shadow box in the morning looks amazing!!

[Europhyllia]

Thanks. First time that I actually like a tank more and more rather than start to get frustrated with it. Guess it helps to have a plan. :)
I am loving this mossball algae:
http://www.dominopads.com/moss.jpg

And what it looks like right now:
http://www.dominopads.com/215tank092810.jpg

[txg8gxp]

awesome... it looks great

[Europhyllia]

a few more pics:

was trying to take pic of the anemone shrimp and the jawfish kept messing up my focus:
http://www.dominopads.com/hellojaw.jpg

Some of these jawfish have gotten unusually pudgy...
http://www.dominopads.com/fatjaw.jpg
Is that gravid or fat?

http://www.dominopads.com/ric.jpg

blue porcelain crab too big for the rock crevice it's hiding in...
http://www.dominopads.com/porcelain.jpg

oh yeah... here's the main subject: one of two spotted anemone shrimp (NOT sexy shrimp) already picked out his ric:
http://www.dominopads.com/spottedanemone.jpg

[alton]

I love the shrimp Karin

[Europhyllia]

Thanks
They are very small (and see through!) so when I first put them in the big tank I thought 'well there goes 30 bucks' (for two) so I was really happy that I found one right away and it was doing it's thing in the ric just like it's supposed to.
I also got two beautiful Harlequin Brittle Stars - am prepared to never see those again! lol

[ErikH]

looks really cool in the morning!

[Europhyllia]

Here's what I do at night: watching porcelain crabs...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xSXihGmVvE

[tebstan]

I love porcelain crabs!
Thanks for posting :)

[txav8r]

Thats amazing!!! You taught the crab to play the String Base!! So talented!

http://team2sample.files.wordpress.com/2006/11/doublebass.jpg (http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0PDoS0KpqRMDDYAO_ujzbkF/SIG=12htv9qtc/EXP=1285945226/**http%3a//team2sample.files.wordpress.com/2006/11/doublebass.jpg)

[Mr Cob]

Wow Karin! Everything looks awesome!

[Europhyllia]

Thanks (and yes, those are amazingly talented crabs!) :)

[txav8r]

LOL!

[RayAllen]

Looks great Karin. You photo skills are getting better with each post.

[Jarob]

LOOKS SO GOOD!!!

[Europhyllia]

A few more things...

I am super excited about these blue vase sponge. The very fine, transparent top is new growth. Apparently these sponges not only survive but can actually thrive and grow in an aquarium -recommend :)
http://www.dominopads.com/bluevase.jpg

Sorry RayAllen... more blurry bad pics to come lol:
http://www.dominopads.com/maskedgoby.jpg
(one of 7 masked gobies -they're tiny but really add some authenticity to the reefscape IMO)

pretty flame scallop -tough to control where they settle so I am glad when one picks a spot where I can actually see it...
http://www.dominopads.com/flamescallop.jpg

[RayAllen]

Karin I truely meant that as a compliment. Your Jawfish pics are great. My camera can not take any good closeup pics, I have to take a hundred pics to get a few good ones.

Love that blue sponge, any hints on where you purchased it. My tank is in serious need of blue color.

[Europhyllia]

Thanks but the jawfish pics are mostly getting better because the jawfish are now super tame and out all the time and swim in front of the lens as soon as I sit down. lol
Most of my things are either from SeaLifeInc.net (Ken Nedimer and his Coral Reef Restoration Foundation) or Dana at CCritters.com. The blue vase sponges are from SeaLifeInc. :)

[RayAllen]

Wow! I just took a look at SeaLifeInc there shipping rates are excellent and product look awesome. Compared to a lot of sites their shipping rates are a lot more affordable. Im used to seeing the shipping cost more than what i want to buy. I know where im buying from next!

[Europhyllia]

not sure what you are looking at. It's usually $40 for me overnight. Isn't that about normal?

[RayAllen]

Im used to seeing $50+ for shipping. you would know better than I though, been a while since ive looked at shipping cost. Ive never bought livestock online do to the extra cost. Shipping overnight, packaging etc...

[alton]

My Pearly Jawfish love to hang out above there holes, where'as my Blue spots only keep there heads out of there holes?

[Europhyllia]

snooty blue spots... ;) I love how personable my yellowheads are :)

[Europhyllia]

Got two brown staghorn acros today. Hopefully they can survive the mix of gorgonian juice in the tank. I added a Polyfilter to help. We'll see...

[Europhyllia]

Okay here's my new stuff - including some cool macro. The shoal grass seems to be iffy so I figured I'll take a pic before it disappears. lol
http://www.dominopads.com/215tank0100610.jpghttp://www.dominopads.com/215tank100610.jpg
I think I found great look-alikes!

Caribbean Originals:
http://reefguide.org/carib/index26.html
Staghorn:
http://reefguide.org/pix/thumb2/staghorn2.jpg

Montastraea:
http://reefguide.org/carib/pixhtml/greatstarcoral3.htmlhttp://reefguide.org/pix/thumb2/greatstarcoral2.jpg

Ridged Cactus Coral:
http://reefguide.org/pix/thumb2/ridgedcactus3.jpg

Spiny Flower Coral:
http://reefguide.org/pix/thumb2/spinyflowercoral3.jpg

And my attempt at Pacific look-alikes in my tank:

Staghorn
http://www.dominopads.com/staghorn.jpg
Montastrae (pic on previous page)

Symphyllia Brain (to look like Cactus Coral)
http://www.dominopads.com/symphyllia.jpg

Branched Lobophyllia (to look like Spiny Flower Coral)
http://www.dominopads.com/branchedlobo.jpg

[Jarob]

Very good look alikes!

[Mr Cob]

you are awesome Karin and your tank looks amazing...super show quality!

[alton]

Looking good Karin

[RayAllen]

Super!

Karin if there was a award for most natural look you would definately win. Stunning realness.

[Europhyllia]

Thanks. I am really enjoying this tank. To think how close I came at times to giving up I am really glad I continued and am now rewarded with this relaxing enjoyable tank. :)

Here's my group of Masked Gobies. They're so little but I think they add so much to the whole reef. My husband refers to these as the noseeums:
http://www.dominopads.com/gobies.jpg
(sorry about the dirty glass. They like to hang out in the back corner behind the shoal grass and I don't clean the glass much back there...)

[txav8r]

6hBJed1tUUg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hBJed1tUUg)

Karin! Karin! Karin!

[Europhyllia]

you're crazy :D

[Jarob]

I really like the masked gobies! Do they always stay together and where did you get them? I really want to add a group of small fish to my tank, I was thinking about redspot cardinalfish, I have been doing a lot of research on them lately

[cbianco]

...My husband refers to these as the noseeums:

http://www.dominopads.com/gobies.jpg

LOL at the noseeums.

How big are these guys?

Where did you get them?

They look tiny in your tank.

Christopher :)

[Europhyllia]

Thanks!
They are tiny -only about an inch or so and they always seem to stay together and never venture far from their corner. They can eat surprisingly big bits of food and have adjusted really well to captivity. They're home in deeper waters around Florida.
I got them from Ken Nedimeyer (the guy that does the Coral Reef Restoration Program) and their scientific name is Coryphopterus personatus

[BSJF]

Very nice update!

Nice NoCM's too!

[Mrs. z28pwr]

Wow your tank looks so calm and relaxing.... love it

[Europhyllia]

Thanks :)

Replumbing the 215g today.... :o!

Let's hope everything goes smooth since I don't really have a plan B if it doesn't.
I even dreamed last night the sump burst so I'm off to a good start...

Wish me luck!

[BSJF]

I even dreamed last night the sump burst so I'm off to a good start...




Well at least your clam didn't eat you :) Good luck with the plumbing! Do your plumbing dance so that it brings good karma to you before you start!

[Europhyllia]

Yes no (wo)man eating clams here lol

Replumbing took super long but I am glad it's all done now. I think I am going to love the lack of spray up due to the new reverse dursos. Nice.
I hope I will also love the new skimmer. It takes up so much space!

I am glad I'm back to regular PVC. The flex PVC sounded nice but didn't work well for me. The regular looks much neater and the reverse dursos are awesome. :)