250 gallon solar reef

[hobogato]

well, the new bulbs for the t5s showed up yesterday. after a day of them on the tank, the corals have already adjusted to the brightness increase. some of them seem much happier already than they were with the old bulbs. i went with ati blue plus (2) and ati aquablue special (2)

here is a quick fts i just snapped

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC007461024x768.jpg

[Flyride95]

Looks awesome!

[BBQHILLBILLY]

That is nice. A lot of color. Did you go with 54 watt or 80 watt T5?

[hobogato]

i just replaced the bulbs i had, so 4 x 54 watt

[sdunn90fowlr]

Very beautiful tank!

[allan]

Art, pure art.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SinisterLou]

amazing

[lt1z28]

Tank looks awesome!!!

[hobogato]

thanks guys

[350gt]

Looks awesome ace....

[koa25]

That is an amazing tank, Ace. Really well done. :applause:

[Mr Cob]

well, the new bulbs for the t5s showed up yesterday. after a day of them on the tank, the corals have already adjusted to the brightness increase. some of them seem much happier already than they were with the old bulbs. i went with ati blue plus (2) and ati aquablue special (2)

here is a quick fts i just snapped

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC007461024x768.jpg

just absolutely stunning Ace... as usual. You do a great job of simulating a natural looking thriving reef

[grouch]

Ace the growth is amazing since I've last seen the tank.

[hobogato]

thanks for the compliments guys

[RayAllen]

Beau-ti-Full!

[jwalk034]

Amazing Ace!

[hobogato]

thanks guys, here is a video update. the tank has almost been running a year and a half.

for comparison, here it is at the beginning:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08532.jpg

and now:

3ABYDWRxO40

here is that feather star from the beginning of the video, all moved into its evening eating position. even though these can be tough to keep long term, this guy has been in the tank for over 6 months and has grown considerably.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC00752.jpg

[hobogato]

just a quick fts update - tank seems to be doing well.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC008031024x768_zpsb7cdeb69.jpg

[BBQHILLBILLY]

very nice video and good to see the feather star is growing:bigsmile:

[Paul28]

Insane tank man you always have great looking tank setups

[txav8r]

Awesome as always

[cowboy572]

I'm usually the quiet one, but that tank is just awesome.

[CoryDude]

Very nice grasshopper.

[hobogato]

thanks for all the comments

[ramsey]

I think this is the nicest tank I've seen on MAAST and one of the nicest I've seen, period. It's not the normal SPS loaded tank and looks so natural. I also love the minimal rock work. Awesome job.

[Mr Cob]

Agree with Ramsey. It is very pleasant to look at. I like it better than the old SPS tank you had Ace....though that was a nice system : )

Sent from my HTC VIVID using Tapatalk

[Southern Flame]

Nice tank!! It's beautiful!

[FireWater]

All the different textures and natural elements make it a one of a kind tank.
Thanks as always Ace.

[hobogato]

thanks guys.

i want to add a few fish, starting with a vlamingi and a harlequin tusk - at least that is what i thought, until today. so i came across this beauty at pollys and decided to get it instead of a vlamingi

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC00960_zpsd1ae33d8.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC00961_zps0ccd68a7.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC00962_zpsa36ff8c8.jpg

would still like to add a tusk and maybe some other small fish

[Mr Cob]

nice centerpiece fish man!

[BBQHILLBILLY]

That is one happy tang in that big tank.:bigsmile:

[KING]

Nice. .i got the same one with a purple an a yellow tang in my cube..the colors are cool..

[hobogato]

thanks guys, even tho i got this fish at pollys, i really dont think it is a recently wild caught fish. it is calm and eating and fat as can be - probably a trade-in from someone else's tank. i love getting used fish :)

[hobogato]

so after settling in to the tank, which took no time at all, the big guy spent the rest of the day begging the school of chromis to clean him. it was really pitiful. we went by aquarium designs to find him a cleaner wrasse companion, and of course walked out with a couple of new corals as well :)

the new happy couple

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC00973_zpsa0d0560d.jpg

here is one of them (actually much brighter green than in the pic)

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC00968_zps0823e68e.jpg

[LuckySingh]

thanks guys.

i want to add a few fish, starting with a vlamingi and a harlequin tusk - at least that is what i thought, until today. so i came across this beauty at pollys and decided to get it instead of a vlamingi

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC00960_zpsd1ae33d8.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC00961_zps0ccd68a7.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC00962_zpsa36ff8c8.jpg

would still like to add a tusk and maybe some other small fish

Very nice fish Ace and tank looks awsome ....
I picked my self also a large male naso from DD last month and I definitely enjoy the fish swimming across every edge of my tank ....however he knocks my corals here and there from the rock and he hates one particular scoly and he keeps tossing em around the tank kinda like playing soccer ....

How big is ur fish

[hobogato]

thanks lucky, it is a little over 6" long

[sdunn90fowlr]

Very nice looking Naso!

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk HD

[Scutterborn]

This has me reconsidering adding one in conjunction to my yellow tang. Beautiful fish.


-Ben-

[CoryDude]

Very nice elegance coral. Love the pink tips. Sorry, the naso is a beaut too, but I'm a coral kind of guy.

[RayAllen]

Nice Naso! Benefit of a large aquarium.

[hobogato]

thanks guys, the naso has really settled in now and is already becoming a bit of an attention hog. now to add the tusk when i find the right one, and that will be it for fish.

[ramsey]

Saw this tank in person tonight and it's inspiring. It looks great Ace and the other tank look awesome as well!

[hobogato]

thanks ramsey.

took a few top down shots today and thought i would share

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01057_zpsf5b63b8b.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01047_zpsa23704bf.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01056_zps5e2cbb9f.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01055_zps50020eee.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01058_zps3fef6a7e.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01052_zpsaa509966.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01054_zpsf1b00b83.jpg

[allan]

Beautiful. I've always wondered how you get all that color to pop in there. That second picture chalice is wicked.

[Paul28]

Nice and love all the gorgonias the ones i got from you are doing great

[hobogato]

thanks guys

paul, glad they are doing well

[Scutterborn]

Beautiful. I've always wondered how you get all that color to pop in there. That second picture chalice is wicked.

And that's not even half as good as looks to the naked eye! I'm head over heels for that chalice. Does it have a "designer name", Ace?


-Ben-

[hobogato]

the first one is mummie eyes, the second is bubble gum monster, the third is pink watermelon (tyree i think), and the fourth one is sherita's blue chalice

[hobogato]

took a nice weekend trip to corpus and picked up these two vlamingi tangs from josh and altan. THANKS AGAIN FOR EVERYTHING!

i was a little worried that they wouldnt get along, but they are swimming with my naso like they are all long lost friends. the cleaner wrasse has already given them the once over as well.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01064_zps745e9173.jpg

[Scutterborn]

Extremely nice! I was waiting for this pic!


-Ben-

[BBQHILLBILLY]

congrats

[reefreak]

Sweet! Ace!

[Henry]

hey big guy. .... Great looking tank, to think that I was just feet away. I had I stopped to look I would still be there. Congrats on the success and keep up the pics. I just finished reading this from the beginning and all I can say is wow.

Sent from my note 2 using Tapatalk 2

[Bill S]

Hey, Ace, I showed pics of your tank to the Solartube guys at the Home and Garden Show this weekend. They were really impressed with how well it works.

[hobogato]

thanks henry, come back and visit any time.

funny bill, the guys in florida that i bought mine from had several customers with reef tanks and plant growing rooms for various types of plants...

so i have an unhappy tank atm. last week, one of the vlamingi tangs decided she would like to sleep under one of the big rocks. she proceeded to dig out the dsb all the way to the glass bottom so she would fit. then, i was boiling some aiptasia next to the purple tunicate (at least that is what i think it is). apparently they are a bit toxic and it released something into the water. as a result, i lost three chalices and maybe my large green wall hammer. the ritteri is very unhappy and my bill's rbta split (first time in the two years i have had it). i did a bit of a wc on saturday and added lots of fresh carbon to the carbon reactor and most of the tank is looking much better today. hopefully the worst is behind us...

[Scutterborn]

Dang! That's no good. Glad it seems to be on the mend. Let me know if you need a hand with anything.


-Ben-

[Texreefer]

lmk if you need anything Ace

[hobogato]

thanks guys. some of the corals still look pretty rough today, and some look happy as ever.

[Mr Cob]

Those tangs are beautiful man! Hope the wall hammer pulls through!

Sent from my HTC VIVID using Tapatalk

[signal_4]

Im goona say that must have been Josh's tang cause my Baby Blue Lips is just not that devious :wink_smile:...... be really careful about boiling rock espically is they have paylays or zoas on them ...... a sure way to wind up in the ER.

[hobogato]

lol, actually it is your baby that prefers sleeping under the rock...

not boiling the rock, injecting boiling water into aiptasia.

[signal_4]

awwwwww how cute then !!!!!! lol please let her know that all of her former tank mates appreciate not having to compete and gulf their food whole in a big hurry now

[hobogato]

:lauging: yeah, she is a bit of a hog.

tanks is looking better this morning, corals that were not opening or had lost some color are showing minor improvement, most of the corals look like nothing happened. i guess i will have a bit of a cyano battle in the next couple of weeks, but it could have been much worse. man i really need to get down to the coast and get some peps to take care of these darn aiptasia.

[allan]

Man, Ace, know what you mean. I've never had an aptasia problem like I do now. That apX isn't cutting the mustard either. Gloria is down for a trip to the coast to hang out, and I want to try my hand at shore fishing as well as getting a few dozen peps... when the weather gets warmer.

[SoLiD]

I will see if I can get down to Port A this weekend and catch some Peppermint Shrimp... Hopefully I will have some time.

[SoLiD]

Im goona say that must have been Josh's tang cause my Baby Blue Lips is just not that devious :wink_smile:...... be really careful about boiling rock espically is they have paylays or zoas on them ...... a sure way to wind up in the ER.

Blow Torch Buddy!!!!

[hobogato]

not a fun list to make, looks like my losses include the following: big green wall hammer, tyree rainbow chalice, new orange eye pink chalice, meteorshower cyphastrea, unknow chalice from sherita.

probable losses (not gone, but still looking very bad): branching hammer, ritteri.

still on the fence: two colonies of duncans, pink chalice, strawberry chalice, red chalice, orange flat scoly.

this was very strange as it affected very specific things. i have acros, caps and bnest that never showed signs of stress as well as other fairly sensitive corals. in fact, probably 2/3 of the corals in the tank never skipped a beat.

[RayAllen]

Wow, that is strange. The Toxin seemed to really effect the LPS. Sorry for your losses Ace. The Two tangs together look awesome.

[hobogato]

yes and no. it made my big green yuma shrivel and turn purple. it made my bill's rbta split. yet, i have several scolys, euphillia and brains that were unaffected. very strange indeed. i would like to remove the offending tunicate, but it has grown onto a permanent part of the rock wall structure holding my deep sand bed, so i dont know how i would do it without nuking the tank. definitely a little bit of a predicament.


Wow, that is strange. The Toxin seemed to really effect the LPS. Sorry for your losses Ace. The Two tangs together look awesome.

[RayAllen]

Any way possible to chip it away on the same day of a lrg water change to reduce chances of casualties? Maybe attach a carbon reactor during that time.

[hobogato]

well, it will peal off of the rock pretty easily, but it is large and i dont know if i can siphon it off fast enough to prevent another release of toxins. if i can get something to control the aiptasia around it, it shouldnt be a problem to keep it. i think maybe the combo of killing aiptasia, disturbed sand bed and toxins is what threw everything off.

[Scutterborn]

I have some room in the 28g. It's established and not going through the swings like the 185


-Ben-

[hobogato]

thanks ben, the tank itself is back on track and fine. i am just dealing with the damage previously caused to the corals and anemone now.

[Scutterborn]

thanks ben, the tank itself is back on track and fine. i am just dealing with the damage previously caused to the corals and anemone now.

Good deal. Just please don't forget that I'm right down the street and only a call away.


-Ben-

[hobogato]

thanks ben.

a nice update today, it is starting to look like the ritteri might pull thru - something that really will surprise me. duncans are starting to open back up as well, so maybe the losses are finished.

here is a pic of a new scoly that i got from chris a while back (the one on the right) - promised a pic when things in the tank turned around. the scoly on the left is actually blood red, so you can imaging how bright the new one is since the camera just isnt getting the colors right today.

feeding time - no sunlight yet in this pic

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01122_zpse2563c6e.jpg

here it is just now with some sunlight. by the middle of the afternoon, it is open to at least 6" across.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01131_zps071fd249.jpg

[Paul28]

man those are nice , wow you been going throgh some crap i didt even know must missed the thread was it the deep sandbed dug up that did it or the little sponge thing you were talking about ? thats good tho things are turning back around and not getting worse

[Texreefer]

if you want you can move those to my tank.... just until yours recovers of course...:innocent2:

[Paul28]

if you want you can move those to my tank.... just until yours recovers of course...:innocent2:


those are nice arnt that

[hobogato]

thanks for the generous offer mike but the tank seems to be fine now :)

thanks paul

so, the tanks seems to be completely back on track. the ritteri has kept its mouth completely closed for a couple of days now and it is growing it tentacles back (they just looked like little nubs on the oral disk!). one polyp of the branching hammer is still holding on, so maybe it will pull thru as well. Also, picked up this nice litho from ben.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01138_zpsaccd2dfb.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01137_zps07d9faf5.jpg

[Scutterborn]

The litho looks right at home there, Ace!


-Ben-

[hobogato]

yep, it fits well, and the chromis are fighting to use it as a shelter :)

[RayAllen]

Outstanding as usual Ace.

[allan]

Wow, those scolys are nice, bro!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hobogato]

thanks guys.

yeah allan, the smaller ones lost a little bit of color in the mess last week, but they are looking close to 100% again already. the new one from chris is getting some dark red streaks, so it may change to a darker red under my lighting (i think it came from an led tank).

[Big_Pun]

thanks ben.

a nice update today, it is starting to look like the ritteri might pull thru - something that really will surprise me. duncans are starting to open back up as well, so maybe the losses are finished.

here is a pic of a new scoly that i got from chris a while back (the one on the right) - promised a pic when things in the tank turned around. the scoly on the left is actually blood red, so you can imaging how bright the new one is since the camera just isnt getting the colors right today.

feeding time - no sunlight yet in this pic

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01122_zpse2563c6e.jpg

here it is just now with some sunlight. by the middle of the afternoon, it is open to at least 6" across.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01131_zps071fd249.jpg

looks great ace, kinda wish i kept it but i like my sand bed back lol. if you ever sell it i got first dibs!!

[hobogato]

yeah, i was kinda surprised you werent keeping it when i saw it in person.

[hobogato]

took some coral pics today and thought i would share. these are all full lights and middle of the day sunlight.

the ritteri is still recovering, but i think it will make it. at its worst, its mouth was open from one edge to the other and there were no tentacles. the only reason i didnt pull it from the tank was the fact that it never let go of the rock.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01177_zps7e3e936b.jpg

some section pics to start with

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01175_zps2aa47e9c.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01169_zps096f7789.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01238_zpsa8af3232.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01236_zps21ee4660.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01235_zps057f958c.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01237_zps39be8fbf.jpg

[Mr Cob]

dang ACE! Looks like I'm looking right into the ocean! Beautiful.

[hobogato]

now, some individual corals

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01234_zps976a0997.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01233_zps6ed6aca4.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01232_zps49b286cb.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01231_zps45197e4e.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01230_zpse45f78e0.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01229_zps91b9653f.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01228_zps7416dba3.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01226_zpse7ddd8bf.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01225_zps255fc584.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01214_zps285f4bfc.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01207_zps0841a178.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01204_zps39aa7444.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01201_zps1f0eb688.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01199_zps3c4f691b.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01190_zps21a3a2de.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01189_zps019b1422.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01186_zps56b06e78.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01181_zpsf51e2510.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01179_zps1cfde660.jpg

[hobogato]

thanks rob

[Mr Cob]

OM-Goodness!

[koa25]

Everything looks amazing, Ace. Everything well recovered from the little mishap the other day? Everything looks fine ha ha.

[Southern Flame]

Wow!! Beautiful pics :)

[hobogato]

thanks rob, mike and tiphanie.

yeah, i think everything has pretty much recovered. some of the coral colors are still a little lack luster, but they are looking better every day. like the ritteri, the two colonies of duncans have had to regrow their tentacles as they were gone too. i did lose a couple of seaworld acros i had picked up just before the problems, but i kinda expected that.

[bigdscobra]

Very nice!! I like all the mini feather dusters around the scoly!

[hobogato]

thanks dan, yeah, they have really started to spread since i started waging serious war on the aiptasia. hopefully they will continue to spread.

here are a few fish pics that i forgot were in the camera

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01245_zpsa023d1e3.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01250_zpscae0fd13.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01251_zps85dae008.jpg

and here is a twilight pic - only under blue moonlight leds and three strips of blue leds

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01259_zps9b34b517.jpg

[aquasport24]

Good job Ace, me like it alot. I love that Beta, was it hard to train it to eat?

[hobogato]

thanks giau, the first time i bought it about 8 years ago, i think it was already eating frozen food at the fish store.

[hobogato]

a bit of a change to the tank last night, added eric's blue S. gigantea

i am a little concerned about it, but it seems to be acclimating ok. it is already bigger than i thought it would be this soon, and i may have misjudged its potential reach (might have to move a few more things around this afternoon)

it seemed to move down into the rock a little overnight, but didnt move off of its rock, so that is a good sign. its mouth was mostly closed, but when the t5 actinics clicked on just before i snapped some pics this morning, it opened its mouth up a bit as it started to stretch upward. it is gradually closing it now. i will probably try to find a small pair of pink skunk clowns to host it.

some pics

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01272_zps902c8f38.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01273_zpsf365b969.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01271_zps70b09dfd.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01268_zps2ef8e264.jpg

[350gt]

Very cool ace....

[koa25]

Yeah. That thing is a beast. Very cool addition, Ace. Looks like it belongs in there.

[Paul28]

He looks good in his new home :)

[Paul28]

hows the ritteri anemone did he ever bounce back ?

[hobogato]

looking a little better every day :)


hows the ritteri anemone did he ever bounce back ?

[Fracture]

Good luck he is a beauty wish I would have had the room lol but seeing it in your tank I think it's where it needs to be congrats ace love the tank

[hobogato]

thanks

well, as some of my pictures show, i have really been battling aiptasia. a few weeks ago, i decided to wage all out war and kill as many as i could with a bottle of aiptasia x every saturday until they were under control. man, at $20 a bottle, that is getting expensive. while looking online, i found a cheaper solution - a 14 oz bottle refill for $37 (inc. shipping) on a site called ozbo.com.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01283_zpsa68b7c4e.jpg

i plan to keep using up to 2 oz to kill any that i find every saturday. last saturday, i had a hard time finding enough to use the full amount, so i feel like i am finally making some headway.

as far as the anemone goes, what a difference a day can make!

the mouth is almost closed up now and it is really looking more at home

sorry for the glare on the glass
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01287_zps97badbdd.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01285_zps1829dbd4.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01281_zps8339feb8.jpg

closeup from the front of the tank
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01275_zpsc3a2116c.jpg

and another from the back
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01278_zps49b85765.jpg

[Scutterborn]

Ace, it looks really great there. I'm really very jealous! :)


-Ben-

[350gt]

Ace do you feel as the aiptasia X is working? Or to soon to tell?


the peppermints I got called it quits after a few days, guess they figured I feed better..


Don't know what else to do, unless you want to go half on a laser, lol.

[hobogato]

one more and ill stop for now :)

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01288_zps09d29c4a.jpg

[hobogato]

thanks ben.

tony, i think it works, but it does cause them to reproduce. that is why i am doing it every saturday. it has now just become part of my maintenance routine. the good thing is that they have been smaller and smaller each week so it is taking less. i had some that were almost 2" in diameter (not including the tentacles) when i started.

[Triggerman]

Nice Carpet!

on a side note I saw a bottle of aiptasia-x at petco on san pedro marked down to around $7.00 if you're running low.

[Mr Cob]

That nem is a great addition to your tank Ace, looks amazing.

Sent from my HTC VIVID using Tapatalk

[hobogato]

thanks guys

ray, thanks for the heads up, this refill still works out cheaper than that :)

rob, thank you for bringing this anemone and other rare and beautiful stuff to us here in sa.

[Bill S]

Pests. That's why, when I finally get around to doing it, NOTHING will go into the big tank without QT. And, dry rock and sand ONLY.

[hobogato]

yep, pretty frustrating bill.

well, our clowns will not go into the new carpet, so we picked up a pair of pink skunks because the anemones really do better with hosting clowns. they have settled right in, and our clowns are not too happy about them being in the tank. hopefully they will work this out...

pardon the cruddy pic

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01296_zps7196cf5c.jpg

[Fracture]

Good luck they are pretty

[hobogato]

thanks, they seem to be settling down now.

[Mr Cob]

Glad the skunks settled in but man...those picassos would have been awesome in the nem. Let me know if you need a time-out tank for those picassos ;)

Sent from my HTC VIVID using Tapatalk

[hobogato]

Thanks for the offer, but the still have their two bstreep rbta nems and their ritteri vacation home :)

[350gt]

I miss the pinks I had.......

[hobogato]

yeah, they have always been my favorite type of clowns.

so, today is the first day i have been home when the sun is bright (usually get home around 5). needless to say, i have moved more corals away from the gigantea after taking these pics. it is even bigger now as i post

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC013001024x768_zpsd56e1362.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC013041024x768_zps89b5aff6.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC013101024x768_zpsbe7ed718.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC013221024x768_zpsace08154.jpg

and in case there was any confusion, it will nuke any coral it is touching. it took out a section of the sherita blue chalice - even started dissolving the skeleton!

[electricrcplane]

Glad it's doing well. I've ready they can get 3' x 3' in the wild and yes I saw it eat a snail shell and all...

[Mr Cob]

That gigantea really finished off this tank nicely...like it completed it...though I know it will just keep getting better.

Amazing job on this tank dude.

Easily a tank of the year somewhere.

Sent from my HTC VIVID using Tapatalk

[aquasport24]

Looks like you'll have more corals clearing to do ...lol,,That is one big and healthy Gig.

[hobogato]

thanks eric and rob.

yep giau, that is how i started my morning :) it shifted down off of its small rock onto the main rock last night, covering everything on the bottom edge. luckily it wasnt over them long, so i think they will be ok.

[hobogato]

just an anemone update...

gigantea continues to settle in and spread out

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01326_zps544c0de9.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01327_zps7d0627bd.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01328_zpsfde321a7.jpg

the ritteri continues to improve - eating better and better every time i feed it. after the near tank crash, its mouth was so open that i thought it was splitting in half and it had only dots on its oral disk instead of tentacles. it is now almost able to make a complete feeding ball and the tentacles are extending more and more every day while it keeps its mouth shut tight

these pics are just after feeding time, so it is still mostly closed up to eat

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01324_zps394a67f5.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01325_zpsd36c6979.jpg

[electricrcplane]

stopped by yesterday and the Giganta is thriving in the tank. Very nice tank with lots of variety and two tangs that are quite large. Very cool as they follow you around the tank looking for handouts, I think they're trained to also fetch, LOL.

[hobogato]

thanks eric. yep, those tangs are definitely always on the lookout for the next meal :)

ritteri anemone continues to improve

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01337_zpsda9a3591.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/hobogato/media/250/DSC01337_zpsda9a3591.jpg.html)

carpet spread continues - had to move the green polyp toadstool that was off to the right after taking these pics. it is starting to stand up on its stalk pretty tall now during the day as well.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01338_zpsa72d7db0.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/hobogato/media/250/DSC01338_zpsa72d7db0.jpg.html)

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01340_zps0115e831.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/hobogato/media/250/DSC01340_zps0115e831.jpg.html)

[CoryDude]

I meant to tell you today that I needed to thank you on the aiptasia control. From talking to you last month and reading about your Saturday ritual that I'm now doing the same thing. I was almost to the point of tearing the tank down. But 3 Saturdays in a row of nuking those buggers with kalk paste and I'm finally making a dent in them.

The gigantea looks great!

[Paul28]

o good the ritteri is doing better

[hobogato]

that is great cory, mine are pretty much under control now. yeah, that gigantea just seems to be loving life right now

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01342_zpse37317c8.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/hobogato/media/250/DSC01342_zpse37317c8.jpg.html)

i was really worried about it paul, but it is eating well and seems to gain a little size and tentacle length as well as color every day

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01341_zps72b14c43.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/hobogato/media/250/DSC01341_zps72b14c43.jpg.html)

[hobogato]

had to move some more corals around yesterday as the gigantea is extending to about 2' diameter in the middle of the day.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01375_zpsbd2d89a5.jpg

gotta love partly cloudy days with this tank

cloud

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01364_zps8a1f3a3b.jpg

no cloud

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01363_zpsd32991ec.jpg

[Zack]

Man that is AMAZING, thanks for posting.

[hobogato]

thanks zach

[hobogato]

took some pics today and thought i would share. i am going to try some biofluorescent pics later this evening as well.

some coral pics


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01394_zpsdd6d3dd0.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01393_zps52e9fe33.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01399_zpsafaea5ae.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01402_zps3c51033a.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01403_zpsc4be41e7.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01404_zps9c9faeeb.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01405_zps9e565ce7.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01396_zps223acbb9.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01397_zpsff231c83.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01395_zps4a3f6e45.jpg

tank sections and fts

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01382_zps7f50b9eb.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01383_zps219da04c.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01384_zps38e5f6d3.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01386_zpsf01a0d37.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01388_zps4ffc4a9d.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01385_zps1ed5a80a.jpg

[electricrcplane]

giganta looks very happy :), also like the little garden feather dusters.

[jrsatx20]

I miss the pinks I had.......

ya me too, those are my favorite clowns i will have more.

sorry.

[Mr Cob]

Doesn't get much prettier than that.

Sent from my HTC VIVID using Tapatalk

[RayAllen]

As awesome as ever Ace.

[Sherita]

Ace, the tank is looking AWESOME!

[Paul28]

Yeh that tank is insane i want it :)

[hobogato]

thanks for the compliments everyone.

[hobogato]

ok, so the three big tangs are so voracious that they decided to start stealing food from all of the corals and the recovering ritteri anemone. they are such aggressive eaters that i was afraid they would injur the anemone and keep it from fully recovering. therefore, i made the tough decision to send them to new homes. the vlamingi tangs have gone to their new home together - kfennel's 499 gallon monster. the naso has gone to live with tim (1fstlightning) to live in his 185. i miss them already, but it had to be done.

now, moving forward.

i would like to add a few small fish now that they are gone. i am still holding out for a small aussie harlequin tusk. i am also thinking of a midas blenny, a goatfish, a cuban or candy hogfish, or maybe some other wrasses. anyone have any other suggestions?

current fish list:
(13)bluegreen chromis
marine betta
scooter blenny
target mandarin
yellow watchman
melanaris wrasse
mystery wrasse
bangghai cardinal
pair of fancy percs w/(2)rbta and H. magnifica
pair of pink skunks w/S. gigantea
longnose hawk
cleaner wrasse
small clown tang

[Fracture]

Elegant reef has a harliquin tusk right now I saw it about a hr ago just thought I'd say something

[hobogato]

thanks, i will check it out.

[Fracture]

He's beautiful

[ramsey]

I think a goatfish would be awesome. They're really neat fish and I'm thinking of getting one if I never get off my lazy butt and set my 185 back up. I think they eat small fish and inverts though.

[hobogato]

ok, success! thanks again for the heads up on the tusk, it is currently getting the once over from our cleaner wrasse :)

ramsey, i found a bicolor goatfish, but upon further research decided against it. they eat any kind of inverts in the sand, and i am really digging the white feather dusters that are spreading all over the sandbed.

leaning toward adding a midas blenny and some kind of basslet or dottyback. still thinking about a hogfish as well. anyone else have any suggestions?

[reefreak]

What are you looking for something that schools? Or something flashy? My dad has been dreaming of a look down jack.

[hobogato]

i am looking for fish that will not outgrow the tank. i am tired of catching fish and it gets harder and harder as the tank matures.

[edshas2]

I have a Midas blenny which are really cool fish, I happen to see a spot tail blenny at south seas aquatics the other day and it was an awesome looking fish would have got it but not sure if the Midas would have got along with it.

[hobogato]

...I happen to see a spot tail blenny at south seas aquatics..

cool looking fish, thanks for the suggestion. i will have to do a little research on that one.

[Fracture]

ok, success! thanks again for the heads up on the tusk, it is currently getting the once over from our cleaner wrasse :)

ramsey, i found a bicolor goatfish, but upon further research decided against it. they eat any kind of inverts in the sand, and i am really digging the white feather dusters that are spreading all over the sandbed.

leaning toward adding a midas blenny and some kind of basslet or dottyback. still thinking about a hogfish as well. anyone else have any suggestions?

That's great glad I could help he was a beauty

[hobogato]

the car wash continues this morning...

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01470_zps94d2178e.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01469_zps542efcc4.jpg

fts because i already had the camera out

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01465_zps837c44ee.jpg

so, i am now on the hunt for a midas blenny, and still pondering other fish to add

[hobogato]

shot a little video today and thought i would share

F3NRNmbbw1k

[Fracture]

Love it

[Richard]

Tank looks great Ace. I think a purple tilefish would be a nice addition if you're looking for fish suggestions.

[don-n-sa]

Ace...just too a quick pic of one of my all time favorite fish...I think this guy is exactly what you are looking for.

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

[hobogato]

good suggestion richard, are they jumpers?

what is that donny? looks really cool

[don-n-sa]

Peppermint hogfish! Sorry about the crappy phone pics...but here is one more. Your tank looks awesome by the way!

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

[SABOB]

Awesome video


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hobogato]

thanks bob

[reefreak]

Spectacular!

[hobogato]

thanks jeremy

[RayAllen]

Great Video, As usual your aquarium is AMAZING. So natural in appearance.

[Paul28]

Very nice man and nice turn around on the rit he is looking great now :)

[TPinner@saltyfishaquariums]

Really nice tank!

I liked the last part of the video with the sand covered by what I think are some type of feather dusters. Neat look I haven't seen before?

Terry

[hobogato]

thanks ray, paul and terry.

yep, they are white feather dusters and have been reproducing like mad since i started killing off the aiptasia. i hope they will continue to spread and cover the entire sand bed eventually.

[hobogato]

christy snapped some pics of the gigantea today now that it has settled in to the new rock arrangement and flow. it seems to be growing a little and has shifted to more purplish blue color.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01497_zps211eff2e.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01496_zpsb3a44876.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01508_zpsa6caffbc.jpg

[Richard]

good suggestion richard, are they jumpers?


Not sure from experience, I've only had them in covered tanks but I would guess they probably are.

[TPinner@saltyfishaquariums]

I was wondering if you could give me some background on those feather dusters. Did you get those at a LFS or come on a piece of live rock? I think I would like to try and get some for my tank.

Terry

[hobogato]

they are hijackers that were on some live rock.

[TPinner@saltyfishaquariums]

Ok cool. If you decide you have too many, or want to get rid of a few, keep me in mind.

Terry

[DBR]

That gigantea is beautiful...

[hobogato]

Thanks Jeff

Terry, i am sure i can spare a few so you can get them started in your tank. I'll shoot you a pm for logistics

[hobogato]

so the skunk clowns have grown to hate water changes. their home does this for a couple of hours every time. they hate being kicked out :lauging:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01511_zps3a00c034.jpg

[sdunn90fowlr]

Poor little guys!

[hobogato]

yeah, it is all opened back up now, so they are happy again :)

[reefreak]

Ace what's that sponge looking thing at the bottom left of the picture?

[hobogato]

that is a parasitic tunicate. still trying to figure out how to remove it and the purple parasitic tunicate from the tank without having another toxin release.

[Southern Flame]

At least it's pretty while you figure it out could be an ugly bugger

[hobogato]

yeah, i would like to keep it and the purple one, so i havent been overly concerned with figuring out how to get rid of them. the purple one is making its way thru my gsp in the sand bed, so i could probably get it out pretty easily now.

on another subject, the clown tang became increasingly aggressive - expected eventually, just not this soon. i think it bullied my mystery wrasse to death. rip twitchy. so, i threw together a fish trap yesterday and caught it. it is now in the mean trigger and damsel tank in my classroom. picked up a nice little red toothed (niger) trigger last night. the ritteri continues to improve and grow. so much so that the fancy clowns are now back to spending most of their time with it instead of the rbta.

[Fracture]

How's the trigger you got from us doing?

[hobogato]

he is the leader of the gang in the classroom tank. his colors are really getting vivid now as well.


How's the trigger you got from us doing?

[Fracture]

That's awesome so glad mr. T is doing great

[ST3PH3N]

Not very many words come to mind to describe how truly awesome of an ecosystem you have there.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[hobogato]

thanks stephen.

so, i am sorry if y'all are getting tired of reading about this tank, but i wanted to give a little update on the recovering H. magnifica. it has really improved and the clowns are staying in it most of the time now. they are even starting to get grumpy with any of the other fish that swim nearby it.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01515_zps5db40429.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01518_zpse694df86.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01522_zpsaac86e03.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01524_zps7c9f22d8.jpg

the S. gigantea continues to do well

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01533_zps615f6c72.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01536_zpsb9fa9755.jpg

here are a couple of random pics since i already had the camera out

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01535_zpse2f8b3f7.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01543_zpscb7d8d05.jpg

i also noticed that the lighting in the tank was changing a bit because of the quickly moving clouds. i shot a video to try to capture that effect. this video is a bit different from others i have posted as i kept the camera still in each view for a long time to try to show the shifting light effect. it shows a bit, but is much more dramatic in person. sorry it is so long.

V5xIoskZCJ0

[Scutterborn]

Personally, I never tire of reading this thread. Simply awesome. Now in off to watch the video!!


-Ben-

[hobogato]

thanks ben

shot a video of just the gigantea today - love watching the sunlight change after a cloud passes over

JSiSj1LVuK8

[CoryDude]

Personally, I never tire of reading this thread. Simply awesome. Now in off to watch the video!!


-Ben-

My thoughts exactly. I'll never get tired of this tank. Glad the h magnifica recovered Ace.

[hobogato]

thanks cory

here is a quick video of the magnifica to show how well it is recovering

a8GsI_lAZjU

[RayAllen]

Stunning!

[Mr Cob]

Great vid Ace. Beautiful.

sent from my Samsung Note 8 on tapatalk

[hobogato]

thanks ray and rob - hey rob, did you see the clowns cleaning the rock at the end? hopefully they will be spawning before too long...

[Paul28]

There he is its good to see he turned around :) what type of gorgonia is that at 28 secs in front of him love the way it looks growing like that

[Mr Cob]

I saw dem clowns gettin ready : )

Sent from my HTC VIVID using Tapatalk

[hobogato]

not sure what it is called paul, it has grown in nicely. i glued it in sticking out from the rock, so all of the growth in the tank has been upward which made it look that way.

[Scutterborn]

I wish I could keep my gorgonians as happy as yours are!


-Ben-

[Paul28]

nice , yeh the ones I have got from you are doing great still :) 2 of them grow like a weed maybe the same kind but the other grows slow but is very furry and healthy :)

[hobogato]

i think they really prefer the skimmerless tank - lots more food in the water column for them.


I wish I could keep my gorgonians as happy as yours are!


-Ben-

[reefreak]

Very nice! Glad the kole is doing good.

[hobogato]

thanks, he is pretty happy :)

[hobogato]

just an anemone update:

for size reference - that reef crystals lid is even with the mouth


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01611_zps11b8199f.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01606_zpsd3507b83.jpg


magnifica looking more and more like its old self every day


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01608_zpsbf3ce09e.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01609_zpsbf3c076a.jpg

[RayAllen]

Huge Happy Anemone, awesome!

[hobogato]

thanks ray.

i would say the ritteri has made a full recovery at this point. even though i feed it chopped up squid and mysis once a week, it still snags food every time i feed the fish.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01666_zpsd1c18ff2.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01669_zps1746fe0e.jpg

[Southern Flame]

Ace, your tank still stuns me even with pics and ik pics hardly give justice to anything but you truely have an amazing system there :-)

[Paul28]

do you ever have problems with the percs and the skunks fighting man I need a bigger tank

[hobogato]

thanks tiphanie

paul, they square off a little, but the skunks stay very close to the carpet and the others are very scared of the carpet. i think if the two anemones were a 6" closer to one another there would be fighting.

took a few more pics - everything is at its most colorful when the white t5 bulb hasn't kicked on yet, but the sunlight is starting to come in and is very orange/yellow.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01703_zps24b642a7.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01715_zps5dfa1cc1.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01717_zps43def67c.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01724_zpsecb150bd.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01726_zpse1906fbc.jpg

not the best picture, but i think he was telling me that was enough anyway

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01720_zps0ce44166.jpg

hard to get a good pic of speedy

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01741_zps062c136b.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01744_zps4fa49cd9.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01747_zps75cfc0f5.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01754_zps381f1098.jpg

[ramsey]

That tusk is awesome! I really want one for my FOWLR. It's a fish that's been on my list for a long time. Is yours an Aussie?

[hobogato]

thanks ramsey. yes, it is supposed to be an aussie.

and a new fts as well

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC017701024x768_zps21243d5f.jpg

[Paul28]

that carpet is a beast now getting big, that midas ive seen him swimming in all vids nice he dosent hide all day love those little guys

[LuckySingh]

Ace tank looks awesome ...reminds me of my old days ..and now i can't even keep up with my weekly maintenance!!


Thanks
Lucky Singh

[hobogato]

yep paul, that midas is always out and cruising around.

thanks lucky, would like to see some updated pics of that red carpet of yours...

[RayAllen]

Ace what camera do you use again? Beautiful photo, colors look spot on.

[hobogato]

thanks ray, i am using an old sony dslr. keep in mind, that is during the day with some sunlight coming in - washes out the colors a tad, but the camera has an easier time than taking pics under just artificial lights. best pics of this tank are always on cloudy days when lots of filtered light makes its way into the tank.

[hobogato]

well, after taking down the 29 gallon tank, i decided to re-use the diy lighting on this tank. i am going to keep the t5 lights, rework the strip led lights and add the 3w leds in using the dim4 controller. the controller will run the strip leds without an additional driver, so i will have a channel of red, a channel of green, a channel of blue, and the fourth channel will run the driver with the 3 watters. this means i can set it up for a red sunrise and sunset effect with a gradual ramp up/down until the t5 lights kick on/off. i also decided to redo the wooden shells that hold the lights on the top of the tank since they were expanded to house the led strips as they were an afterthought.

on to the pics of what i got done today:

here is what it currently looks like - notice the parts i added on to house the leds

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01783_zps3acba271.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01782_zpsa56e8650.jpg

here is the arrangement inside. notice the missing sections on the led strips where they were splashed with water. i will be installing an acrylic splash guard on the new fixtures.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01785_zpse1016eaa.jpg

so, today i was able to build the new wooden shells and install the led strips and 3 watt emitters. tomorrow morning i will move the t5s in and wire it all up with the controller.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01786_zps102d2bbc.jpg

the one on the top is the back fixture, it has one red strip, one green strip, and two blue strips. the bottom one is the front fixture with one of each color strip and the fifteen 3 watt emitters that are a mix of royal blue and bright blue.

hopefully this will make the top of the tank look a little cleaner and improve the coral colors in the middle of the day when the sunlight is really bright. it will also be cool to use the sunrise/sunset function of the controller.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

thats pretty:bigsmile:looks sharp

I bet the tank looks real sharp in the evenings with the LEDs.

[CoryDude]

Ace, you need to post that Facebook pic of your gigantea.

[hobogato]

thanks shane, i am eager to see it once i get the upgraded leds installed

here ya go cory

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01549_zpsf0a009df.jpg

[Sherita]

Now ya see, this is what I want my tank to be when it grows up.

Ace, the 250 is looking gorgeous!

[hobogato]

finished this project up today.


here are the light boxes all finished


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01788_zps8fedaca1.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01789_zpsc28a1a15.jpg


decided to run all new wiring while i was at it


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01792_zps219e621e.jpg


all wired up


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01793_zps8d18af4e.jpg


cleaned up the wiring


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01803_zps6f093384.jpg


here are the light boxes from the top


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01800_zps4e55bb2e.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01802_zpsaf748533.jpg


here is the tank with no supplemental light just after noon. the sun wasn't quite coming in at its brightest yet.


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01794_zps1ac8f276.jpg


here it is with all of the lights on - seems to be improving the colors of everything a bit in the middle of the day.


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01799_zpsed3ae5d2.jpg

[Paul28]

I like those outside led stips are they just on low in the pic or they like that ? what are they ?

[hobogato]

they arent very bright, just there for color. they are the ones that come in a 5 meter roll made by 3m.

here is the tank with all lighting and almost no sunlight - hard to tell in the pic, but the colors are much more vivid. pardon the cloudy water, just did a water change before this pic

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01804_zps5938ea7f.jpg

[Paul28]

yeah the yellow is gone in the last its overpowering it now with acts nice color

[ST3PH3N]

Very nice.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[hobogato]

yeah paul, the sunlight isn't quite that yellow in person, but the camera makes it look that way.

thanks spephen

[coralreefexplore]

You have a beautiful aquarium.

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

[ST3PH3N]

yeah paul, the sunlight isn't quite that yellow in person, but the camera makes it look that way.

thanks spephen

Spephen lol :-)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[hobogato]

thanks


You have a beautiful aquarium.

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

lol, sorry stephen

[hobogato]

some new gifs today - stole this idea from worm5406 on rc

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/chalice_zpsb1be5d37.gif

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/redscoly_zps44b8cf2d.gif

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/duncans_zpsabccdfde.gif

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/scoly_zpsbc3be306.gif

[CoryDude]

Very cool ace!

[aquasport24]

Thats awesome Ace, The Scoly looks like a pumping heart

[Paul28]

that's crazy looking

[ramsey]

That's super cool! How did you end up with billions of those little feather dusters? Hitchhikers or did you buy them? That scolly looks awesome setting in the bed of dusters. Also, what are you taking your pictures with? The FTS you posted looks great, not as good as it does IRL, but close.

[hobogato]

thanks guys.

ramsey, the feather dusters are hitchhikers that came in on a piece of live rock. hopefully they will cover the entire sand bed at some point. i am shooting all of the pics with an old sony alpha dslr.

[hobogato]

just a couple of update pics today in the middle of the day.


anemone update first:


the mag continues to get bigger and grow its tentacles back. in the tank right at a year now.


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01962_zpsabd5683f.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01963_zpsa67f7e51.jpg


top down


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01982_zps2a9cd21d.jpg


the gig looked especially big today. it has been in my tank about 2 1/2 months.


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01958_zps0567bc54.jpg


we call this pose the anemone taco


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01964_zps038be0b3.jpg


top down


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01998_zpsbf09b987.jpg


(you didn't really think i could get that whole thing in a top down shot did you?)


some other random top down shots:


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01979_zpsb07f6d15.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01985_zpsff82abac.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01987_zps596b043c.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01981_zpsc19a7f06.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01988_zps20e144d4.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01989_zps8cf76086.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01990_zpsf3ead788.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01995_zps3985e825.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01994_zps9a261ebf.jpg


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01992_zps91f457d7.jpg


this bstreep rbta changes coloration quite a bit throughout the year in response to the variation in the amount of sunlight that shines on it.


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC01991_zps7645bd18.jpg

[sdunn90fowlr]

Great job man! Your Nems look great!

[CoryDude]

You can definitely tell that ace has some free time on his hands with his summer vacation. Nice pics as always!

[hobogato]

Great job man! Your Nems look great!

thanks


You can definitely tell that ace has some free time on his hands with his summer vacation. Nice pics as always!

no kidding :D

did a quick timelapse of the lighting sunrise function this morning, not great, but you get the idea

m23imPsW_9s

[sdunn90fowlr]

The free time makes me want to become a teacher! Only problem is I don't have the patience for it. lol

[Reef Swimmer]

Ok ace I want to know your secret. How do you do it. How do you have such nice tanks and how do I do that to mine.

[Texreefer]

its not a secret. He Feeds, cleans and maintains his tank with routine and regular maintenance,, it really as simple as that.:wink_smile:
Ok ace I want to know your secret. How do you do it. How do you have such nice tanks and how do I do that to mine.

[hobogato]

i have had a gopro camera for a while, but neither of our computers were able to process the video well. finally picked up a mac and this is my first try with the gopro. pardon the algae bloom, need to get some more cleanup crew to replace the ones the tusk ate :)

OHH-5JRL4fM

[ramsey]

That carpet nem is crazy!

[hobogato]

yep, and apparently it has quite an appetite. female white spotted box fish that seemed to be settling in to the tank liked to stay pretty close to it. this morning, she is nowhere to be found...

[SABOB]

Did you hold the GoPro or have it on an attachment?What setting on the camera?Video looks good


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hobogato]

the camera is on its default settings, except for the frame rate. it is set at 60 fps so the slow motion parts will look smooth. some of the in tank video is just me holding the base of the dive housing and some of it is with an acrylic rod attachment that i made that fits on the bottom of the dive housing.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

thanks for sharing the tank video. that water is so clear.

[Paul28]

yep, and apparently it has quite an appetite. female white spotted box fish that seemed to be settling in to the tank liked to stay pretty close to it. this morning, she is nowhere to be found...

o crap it ate her **** that sucks, how is the powder blue doing did he pull through

[hobogato]

no paul, the ich came back with a vengeance and took the pb and the male boxfish on wednesday. the female looked bad then also, but it was almost gone as of yesterday.