250 gallon solar reef

[hobogato]

This tank concept was inspired by all of the great things that are going on here with captive breeding and aquaculture. :shades:

tank: 250 gallon (60x36x27)
filtration: dsb / 150 lbs of lr / in tank macroalgae
circulation: closed loop with a reeflo dart
lighting: solar tubes and 216 watts of t5

inhabitants:
an entire clutch of captive hatched picasso clowns (thanks again lorraine)
zog and wog - zach's watchman gobi / tiger pistol pair
bubble tip anemones (captive clones only)
maybe some aquacultured gorgos down the road
macro algae

possible other additions: captive hatched banghai cardinals and captive hatched chromis


Step 1: raise a clutch of clowns. this means i will be starting a couple of cultures of rotis here at home and then will be hatching artemia. the clowns will live in a 20 long for a couple of months or so. cant wait for another good hatch of clowns...

i know this thread is worthless without pictures, so here is what i have so far :)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07664.jpg

[Europhyllia]

great! looking forward to tomorrow's pics when I am sure it's all up and running ;)

[Jarob]

Aweeesomeee! I wish I had the space/time to do this, I think its much more enjoyable than a reef tank

[hobogato]

got the rotifer cultures started (thanks kristy and marcus!) gave them a good meal of frozen phyto to get them going.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07667.jpg

also, you can see where all the water for the tank will come from in that pic - yep, tap water thru a carbon filter (same water source i used for the last tank).

[FireWater]

That didn't take long. Sounds to be an interesting set up and I didn't expect less from you

[Mr Cob]

looks great Ace...tell us more about the 250g...I saw you mention "solar tubes", I think that's a clue that this will be set up at the house? If so.... SWEET!

[hobogato]

yep, it will be setup right where the 150 was. christy is still just shaking her head :)

[FireWater]

Isn't she used to shaking her head by now Ace?

[hobogato]

yes, but i build plenty of things that she like too, so it balances out :D

[Texreefer]

hey.. I see my old fake anemone is still making the rounds

[Kristy]

I really like the concept, direction you are going with this project, Ace! (And incidentally - you totally threw off our betting pool by making any even quicker return to the hobby than we thought!). :D

[kkiel02]

Let me know when you need help moving it in. My weekends are getting crazy but theres always room for a large tank move. :)

[Big_Pun]

I've been toying with the idea of going all captive also this inspired me. ORA is doing a great job!

OJw7QmYf02U

[hobogato]

thanks for posting that chris

[BSJF]

Did you try the rotigrow plus for the rotis?

[hobogato]

kristy gave me a little bit, but i am not going to use it until the clowns are actually eating the rotis. i will use it along with the phyto to feed them.

[Jarob]

So you had that amazing reef tank with just tap water through carbon filtration?

[hobogato]

from day 1 :)

[FireWater]

So you had that amazing reef tank with just tap water through carbon filtration?
Kind of drives you a little crazy doesn't it? LOL

[Big_Pun]

natural lighting or are you finally getting lights?????

[hobogato]

same lighting i had on the 150 - solar tubes and 216 watts of t5 supplementation.

[ErikH]

LOL I saw you bought that tank and grinned from ear to ear. I take it you want to keep that magnet? No biggie at all if you do, dont want you to have to buy something again. :)

Awesome tank dimensions!!!

[hobogato]

thanks erik.

today, i ordered four phyto culture disks (2 nanochloropsus and two isocrysis) and some roti-rich rotifer diet from florida aqua farms. hopefully diverse food for the rotis will mean better nutrition and viability rate with the clowns.

i also toyed a little with rock structure - man i am gonna love this footprint!

the idea i have right now is a terraced sand bed with most of it being about 6" deep and one section being about 1" deep. i hope to accomplish this by making a rock retaining wall. also, the rock structure (yes the - as in single mound) will be in the dsb portion of the tank with three columns going all the way down to the glass bottom of the tank for stability. it may be tough to imagine right now, but this is where i am starting. there will be more to the structure, this is just the base.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/2011-04-11_16-06-13_348.jpg

[alton]

Ace you are going to have to get a whole lot more rock. With 36" depth all you can do is make islands (unless you want to go broke) Hope you enjoy yours as much as I have enjoyed mine.

[hobogato]

yeah, there will be more rock than what is pictured. that is just the dry rock i will use for the base structure. i will build on top of that with live rock.

[allan]

Going to be an awesome build ace. I want that tank after you're done with it. ;)

You know what would be kind of cool but a bit unnatural look? Especially for your students. If you built some miniature replicas is those man made structures that they use to make the man made reefs and used them to show what they actually do in nature.

Probably a stupid idea so just throwing it out there.

[hobogato]

actually allan, that would be kinda cool

[Bill S]

Going to be an awesome build ace. I want that tank after you're done with it. ;)

You know what would be kind of cool but a bit unnatural look? Especially for your students. If you built some miniature replicas is those man made structures that they use to make the man made reefs and used them to show what they actually do in nature.

Probably a stupid idea so just throwing it out there.

Good idea, Allan - and maybe he could add a pirate ship and treasure chest with bubbles coming out of them!

Actually, those artificial reef "stars" could be cool.

[Texreefer]

I think he should add one of these!
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o258/itili/volcano.jpg

[hobogato]

the ring of fire fire fire fire fire fire fire

:lauging:

[kkiel02]

Ace if I knew you needed rock... I just bought 100 more pounds from Reefcleaners that you could have jumped in on.

Also with a deep sand bed I read alot about it clumping up over time, is there a way you will be preventing this or is it something that just happends?

[hobogato]

my 150 was up for two years and there were no clumps. i dont need more rock, i have plenty. the rest of the rock i am using is in the sump at the school - i took all the rock from my 150 there. i am just messing around with the dry rock i will use as the base for my structure.

speaking of that, i came up with a little bit different design today, i will post some pics in a little while.

[hobogato]

try #2 on the base rock design

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/2011-04-12_10-38-44_374.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/2011-04-12_10-39-01_199.jpg

btw, the masking tape is there to represent the top rim of the tank. the black mat is the exact size of the footprint. the front left corner will be an inch or so of sand with a culerpa grass bed growing on it and the rest (behind the rock wall) will be six inches or so deep. all the rock that is sitting on the black mat will sit on the glass bottom of the tank. i will still add some rock on top of this base.

[Europhyllia]

Looks very promising!

Initially I thought I'd put my structure straight on the glass but then my better half had the brilliant idea to put down a very thin layer of sand first (like an inch or so) and then put the rock structure on top of that before filling it in with the other 5+ inches of substrate.
That made for a really solid foundation. The thin layer of sand helped stabilize the structure during the built before the bazillions of substrate were added.
Just a thought...

I know you have done this tons of times already up and down so I am sure you got a plan ;)

[hobogato]

i am just worried about the pistol shrimp tunneling under the rock and causing a cave in. with them completely on the glass, hopefully that will be less likely. also, most of that base rock is home-made agrocrete, and the ones that are sitting on the glass have almost perfectly flat edges.

[Texreefer]

looks like a camel

[kkiel02]

I have always put my rock stay on the glass for stability purposes. This time I was going to put a thin acrylic sheet on the bottom but DSA hooked it up with some sort of black plastic before the glass so no need for the acrylic anymore.

[FireWater]

looks like a camel
I was thinking more like a poodle doing his business in the yard myself. It's kind of like cloud watching - you can see all kinds of different stuff in the designs.

What are the plans for the rest of the rock Ace? I know you are building up, but how much and are you going for an open feel? I kind of liked the 1st mock up better.

[hobogato]

i will be adding some live rock on top of the main structure, but not much john. really trying to preserve the open water of the tank.

the beginnings of a stand

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07668.jpg

[Mr Cob]

man you move fast Ace!

[Europhyllia]

man you move fast Ace!
and the pope is catholic?

[allan]

I believe that he is Karin.

[alton]

Ace or the Pope?

I love building stands, looks great Ace. Adding glass doors would really look nice?

[hobogato]

that would be cool if there were going to be anything cool to look at inside the stand. just like the last tank, only thing that will be in there is the closed loop pump and ballasts for the lights.

[samurhai]

can't wait!

btw looks more like the loch ness monster.

[BSJF]

On your rock structure, you might consider taller base rocks. If you have 6" bed, the flat rocks are going to be resting in the sand. Go taller and you will have a place for critters to play and less interfering with the function of the sand bed.

As for the sand, I agree with Karin's concept on adding some sand before placing the rocks. BUT, then I wedge the rocks into that 1 inch so that they rest on the glass. It is easier to get them placed in the shape you want that way.

[Europhyllia]

As for the sand, I agree with Karin's concept on adding some sand before placing the rocks. BUT, then I wedge the rocks into that 1 inch so that they rest on the glass. It is easier to get them placed in the shape you want that way.
That's exactly how I do it Lorraine. I don't place it just plop on top of the 1". The small amount of the sand on the bottom is there to fill any gaps or unevenness to provide more stability (harder to do when you just pour sand on top) :)

[hobogato]

ahh, i get what you mean now karin. lorraine, it is hard to tell in the pic, but the lowes part of the flat rock structure will be a 2" or so above the sand bed and the rest will be 5"+ above the sand.

got the building of the stand, top rim, and light boxes finished. will sand and stain them this afternoon (obviously, the tank is taller than those sticks i put in to hold the top rim :) ).

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07669.jpg

[FireWater]

Looks good Ace. I like the detail work. I wish Alexis would have let me do more of that on my stand.

Alton said glass - I was thinking stained glass would look pretty sweet on there.

[Texreefer]

im assuming it will open on the back side

[BSJF]

2" may be ok, but I have a rock that sits about that high and my clowns constantly tell me it isn't high enough. They dig it out. It is the rock they lay eggs on.

[Texreefer]

that thing gonna fit through your door?

[hobogato]

yep, it has two removable doors on the back, and will barely fit thru the door :)

got the stain done

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07690.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07691.jpg

also brought home 28 baby clowns from lorraine's house of fish. only about half of the eggs hatched, so hopefully the other half will hatch tomorrow night

here they are, can you see em? :D

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07701.jpg

[kkiel02]

I only count 27? JK

Are these going into the 250? Reminds me of Mobert on RC with her 27 clowns.

[BSJF]

You sure you didn't double count? This was only about 1/4 of the eggs. The others still look good this morning, no more over night.

[hobogato]

that is exactly what i am going for kevin

i am sure, lorrain, i only scooped one or two at a time in the cup and kept count as i added them to the tank. 1/3? wow that was a big batch! when i fed this morning, they started darting around like mad, hungry little buggers. hopefully the rest will hatch tonight.

[hobogato]

got the finish done on the stand, etc.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07703.jpg

[wolff809]

Looking good ace can't wait to see it up and running

[hobogato]

well, i just finished moving the rest of the clownfish hatch to the tank. i would guess that there are near 100 total. many of the ones from tonight's hatch are resting on the bottom, so hopefully they will pull thru. also got another culture of rotis from lorraine as my two tubes will not be enough to feed all of these hungry mouths. also, my order from florida aqua farms came in, so i started soaking the two nanochloropsus disks to start live phyto cultures tomorrow. on top of all that, there were some skunk cleaner larvae in the buckets with the clown larvae, so i separated those into their own bucket and started an artemia hatchery to feed them. i have buckets and air pumps all over the dining room at this point :)

[Europhyllia]

sounds like that downsizing is working out really well then ;) lol

[hobogato]

well, technically right now i only have a half full 20 gallon tank running.

[hobogato]

just gave the babies their breakfast, and nearly all are up and eating - even the ones that were just sitting on the bottom last night :)

[hobogato]

ok, so i am going to keep april 16th as the hatch date since most of them hatched last night. so here are some one day old pics

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07710DesktopResolution.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07715DesktopResolution.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07727DesktopResolution.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07712DesktopResolution.jpg

you can really see the rotifers around this one since it was in front of the black side of the tank
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07713DesktopResolution.jpg

one more closeup
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07725DesktopResolution.jpg

[BSJF]

There is one more in the baby catcher, poor lonely thing.

[hobogato]

make that two, but they are with their siblings here now :)

[Texreefer]

good luck Ace, let me know if you need anything

[hobogato]

thanks mike.

just to document, here is my twice a day routine:

1. carefully drain 3 gallons from clownfish tank either with a siphon hose in a sieve to keep from sucking out any clowns (morning) or that brush ended siphon hose to clean up the bottom (evening) - total amount in the tank is about 10 gallons.
2. sieve rotifers from 1.5 liters of a 4 liter rotifer culture and add them to the tank with the clowns, using rotis from one culture in the morning and the other in the evening.
3. feed rotis rotigrow and rotirich as well as add some rotigrow to the clown tank.
4. while i am doing #2 & #3, i have 2 gallons of new salt water dripping into the clown tank
5. add prime to clownfish tank (morning only).
6. siphon 24 hour old artemia and feed them to the cleaner shrimp larvae growing in a bucket.
7. restart artemia hatchery (two running, one for morning and one for evening).
8. sieve and add rotis to the cleaner shrimp bucket (from two 5 gallon bucket cultures i have running).
9. add rotigrow to the cleaner shrimp bucket and rotigrow and rotirich to bucket rotifer cultures.

as needed, i mix new salt water keep two buckets of s.g. 1.023 for clownfish and rotifer water changes and one bucket of s.g. 1.019 for artemia and live phyto cultures i just started from plates yesterday.

on wednesday, i will add a third small feeding of rotifers at lunchtime (well, christy will do that as i will be at work).

thursday or friday i will start hatching more artemia as we will have to feed those to the clowns strarting then. we will continue to give them rotis as well.

[Texreefer]

sounds like a good setup,,, At this point you have much more experience than me with the culturing of Rotifers, Nano, etc. and you are well within the acceptable range for keeping rotifers from going into osmotic shock. But, for the sake of others benefit and good discussion.. can you talk about why you are keeping the rearing tank at 1.023.. I have only gone through the process once but seems like the higher salinity could cause a higher mortality rate at metamorphosis because of the lower internal salinity of the clownfish. Maybe Lorraine can add some insight here as she seems to have had good success.. From J. Wilkersons Book " I usually keep young clowns at a Specific Gravity of 1.017, since they seem to fare better in water nearer their Internal salinity. Low salinity allows them to expend less energy in osmoregulation." Which seems to be most crucial at metamorphosis.... again,, I'm no expert , I just thought it would make for some good informative discussion

[hobogato]

good point mike, i am just copying lorraine because of her success. i think her clowns have morphed and she didnt loose any.

[Rychek]

Man! Everytime I turn around, you're doing something awesome Ace! Thanks for sharing!

[BSJF]

When I read your 2 different salinities, the first thing that came to mind was "pick one" lol. Then I saw you do it because I did...yikes! No pressure there!

On day 5 my fry tank was at 1.025 because I didn't account for evaporation in the tank. I had salt water in containers left for Kriss that were at 1.023 to account for evaporation. Anyway I think that is what I did. When I got home, the tank was at 1.022-1.023, so I think that is about what it was at when they morphed. I have since lowered it to 1.020-1.021. I've always done my brine and roti cultures at the same salinity as the fry tank without any ill effects.

[hobogato]

oh, the 1.019 is just what i always run phyto and artemia at. the 1.023 for the clowns is your fault :p

it makes sense that the lower salinity would be easier on them (and me), so i will just start doing my clown makeup water and roti make up water at 1.020 and it will slowly lower the salinity in the clown tank and roti cultures.

clowns are looking great, i will snap some pics in a bit.

[Europhyllia]

would there be anything occurring in nature that would lower the salinity in their environment? Like heavy rains or some kind of freshwater input?

[hobogato]

that is also my thinking on salinity karin, wouldnt the fry be subjected to NSW conditions in the wild?

[hobogato]

ok, two day old pics - more difficult as they are moving around a lot more.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07747.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07728.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07750.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07730.jpg

a few thru the front glass

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07733.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07736.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07737.jpg

[hobogato]

these pics are of the larges of three groups that have formed in the tank. best guess would be around 60 in this group. i still think the total number is somewhere around 100.

[FireWater]

Is the white their gut or is it already a stripe developing?

[hobogato]

that is their belly full of rotifers :)

[Texreefer]

The ocean areas where most clownfish are found have salinities ranging from 1.022 to 1.027 and because they are such good osmoregulators they can more easily adapt to lower salinities which allow them to expend less energy on it... thus, with captive fry there is less energy wasted on regulating internal salinity and more energy put into growth which is especially important at Morphage( :hypnotyized:ha! thats my word!)... not that it cant be done at the current salinity, but that it is easier and more efficient for the fry at a lower salinity:bigsmile:

[Texreefer]

Is the white their gut or is it already a stripe developing?
correct me if i'm wrong but these types of clowns usually will morph anywhere from 8 to 14 days after hatch...if it takes longer than that there may be some issues... after they have morphed they will start developing color and stripe very quickly

[hobogato]

yep, lorraine's are 14 days old and i think they all have at least their first stripe.

[hobogato]

a couple of videos

cleaner shrimp eating artemia

3NyUPaHQGu4

clowns just after adding rotifers

3CE1oN8z72I

[BSJF]

I'll take your word for it on the first video there. I see dots eating other dots :) BTW we had more baby cleaners hatch tonight.

I didn't do the lower salinity because I was afraid I would accidently put in SW from the main tank that is higher so that was my safety factor. I agree the lower salinity is easier on them. Whatever you do, do it well before the morphage. I came home on day 9 and they had morphed. There was a substantial increase in their feeding noticed on day 4. I wouldn't alter anything much at all during the critical stage. I think that is why Kriss did so well. He is really good at following instructions and not messing around.

[hobogato]

if you watch it on 1080p full screen, you can see them a little better.

[BSJF]

ok, now I see bigger dots eating smaller dots. That is cool though.

[hobogato]

bumped the water changes up to 3 gallons twice a day as the water quality wasnt as good as i would like it to be.

[hobogato]

couple of pics - three days old

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07753.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07765.jpg

[BSJF]

I think your roti density in the tank is much higher than what I had in mine and you are keeping your water more green than I did. You might consider cutting back a bit if you WQ is poor. And add Prime after each of your WCs. Are you siphoning some of the rotis out when you do WC's or are you filtering and leaving them in?

[Texreefer]

Man, those are some fat little fry!

[hobogato]

with the 3 gallon water changes today, the water quality is back where it needs to be. i have also started using the brush ended siphon thing and cleaning the bottom with every water change (that means some of the rotis get siphoned out with each water change). tomorrow is day four, so hopefully they will start clearing the rotis out when they start eating more.

[BSJF]

Perfect. It is amazing how much mine are eating now.

[hobogato]

had four casualties overnight. they werent the smallest fry, but they were very thin - not like the rest with their pooching bellies.

water quality is still good and remaining fry are eating like mad.

[BSJF]

I love the belly pooch! Have you checked your pH? Probably not it since you only lost a few, but I would check it anyway.

[hobogato]

yep, it is running right at 8.0 for the last three days (just picked up some of those 5-in1 dip in strips on Sunday).

[hobogato]

started adding nhbbs last night. response was minimal last night, but this morning they swarmed them. some of the fry bellies have a bright orange glow, so i know some of them are eating them. i am still adding rotifers as well.

moved the cleaner shrimp larvae into a 10 gallon tank from the bucket. dont see very many of them, but i am trusting lorraine who said "it may look like they aren't there, but they are still there."

[hobogato]

still growing and eating, here they are today - five days old

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07896.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07890.jpg

here is a pic of food row (left to right, is rotifer bucket culture, two artemia hatcheries and one tube to keep them alive, four live phyto bottles, two buckets for saltwater makeup and my bucket of salt) - not pictured are the two rotifer culture tubes in the other room.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07895.jpg

[BSJF]

Where's the sign that says mad scientist at work? Scoop some water into a small white bowl to check on the shrimp. Take them over by some light. The little magnifying glass I got works great for these guys. They may be at the point that they are settling on the bottom. Do you still see your mysid swimming in the water column?

So, day 5 is the magic # for the nhbbs. Do you see any kinked tails yet? It is a sign they are going to morph.

[hobogato]

Yep, several of them have their tails curved to one side.

[hobogato]

is this what you are talking about lorraine?

about a dozen of them will not straighten their tail out all the way now, it just curls to one side, and then the other

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07902.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07901.jpg

here is one more pick i snapped this morning - six days old

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07900.jpg

[hobogato]

here is a quick video - 6 days old

Fe7b_kxzFYY

[BSJF]

Yip, the kink is a good sign :)

[hobogato]

clowns are truckin along, got the tank today. now, i need to clean it up, remove the overflows, remove the black paint from the back, plumb the closed loop, finish wiring the lights, add the dry sand and base rock, and then start mixing water

THANKS FOR THE GREAT DEAL BRAD AND THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP FROM EVERYONE IN CC AND SA TO GET IT MOVED!

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07914.jpg

[cbianco]

No calling in sick today just because you got a new toy.

:p

Christopher :)


clowns are truckin along, got the tank today. now, i need to clean it up, remove the overflows, remove the black paint from the back, plumb the closed loop, finish wiring the lights, add the dry sand and base rock, and then start mixing water

THANKS FOR THE GREAT DEAL BRAD AND THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP FROM EVERYONE IN CC AND SA TO GET IT MOVED!

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07914.jpg

[Europhyllia]

lol@ Christopher

[hobogato]

we have a stripe! one of the babies as his first stripe :)

[BSJF]

Yeah!

[hobogato]

i guess i have to go to work since christopher said so. i did manage to get the black paint scraped off of the back and the inside of the tank clean. i love those ez blades on the mag float!

this tap water should give part of the front yard a good watering while it drains today. plan for this evening is to remove the overflows and maybe get the plumbing done.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07916.jpg

[FireWater]

Dude, you are an over achiever. Looks good and can't wait to see it full of the new plan.

[hobogato]

ok, overflows are removed and the plumbing is planned out. stopping for the night since it is family pizza and a movie night. will pick up plumbing parts tomorrow after work and hopefully get the plumbing done and finish wiring the lights tomorrow evening.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07923.jpg

also, only the one fish has a very distinct stripe so far, but many of the others have a light patch on their heads, so they will probably have stripes tomorrow.

[Mr Cob]

killer Ace!

[wolff809]

Man your moving fast. Can't wait to see the anemone only tank haha

[BSJF]

get ready for those babies to change every hour that you look at them now. It's amazing to watch them grow before your eyes.

[hobogato]

i know what you mean, several of them now have partial stripes.

here is one that likes to stay up front - not the best pics, but you can see the top half of the first stripe has appeared. yes, i just fed them, that is why there is so much food in the water.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07930.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07937.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07936.jpg

[hobogato]

got the plumbing done, it is currently full of tap water leak testing. had a couple of drips from two bulkheads, but slight tightening seems to have stopped them. i will let it run a day or two just to make sure. i did not drill any new holes, just made use of the four holes that were inside the overflows.

ok, the vertical pipe in the tank is the intake for the pump - it will be modified some way to allow screening of the water going to the pump (i just removed it for the leak test). the three horizontal pipes are the returns and they will be hidden under the DSB with just lockline coming out of the sand. also, i plumbed connections for the carbon reactor into the closed loop so it can be added any time without having to have it sit outside the stand.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07939.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07940.jpg

[Texreefer]

Looks good..

[Bill S]

What else are you going to use for circulation?

[Big_Pun]

What else are you going to use for circulation?

i say mp60

[Europhyllia]

I bet it's another closed loop. :)

To be honest I am not sure who would really benefit from an MP60. I have lots of MP 40s but I even turn those down quite a bit to keep it comfy for everybody. I find most coral still prefer a wider spread over a super powerful single source.

Whatever you do it will be awesome I am sure. Have you announced your most current stocking plans?

[hobogato]

this is the only circulation - the closed loop with the dart pump (3600 gph).

as far as stocking goes, i only plan on the clowns and some captive bubble tip anemones right now. my add some other captive bred fish at some point.

will also be adding various types of macro algae.

[Europhyllia]

Nice. I love macro :)

[hobogato]

well, it was baseball practice night and i had to replace the guts of one of our toilets, so i didnt get much done on the tank.

i managed to get the pluming for the carbon reactor done, the return plumbing inside the tank done, and the rock wall siliconed into place

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07943.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07942.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07941.jpg

[Texreefer]

I like it... I have to replace the insides of one of our too,, go figure

[Texreefer]

Here is some inspiration for you Ace
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o258/itili/IMG_2560.jpg

[Europhyllia]

pretty - but kind of overwhelming and scary! lol

[BSJF]

I'm ready for it to crawl out of the tank at night and take over the family.

[Europhyllia]

lol. I know! Almost feel like reaching and and saving that poor little tang before it gets swallowed up!

[hobogato]

that is just crazy mike.

decided to do a water test this morning before work to see how well the pump worked in this configuration

still shot
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07947.jpg

H96PV2BTSMQ

then i decided to just pour in the dry sand that needed to be rinsed since i already had the tank full.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07951.jpg

forgot to turn off the pump when i poured in the sand (yes it is that quiet), and it sucked up a bunch of sand - great, something else for me to do after i got home from work today (more on that later)

so, i got home from work and got a little bit done.

arranged the base rock (still have quite a bit of live sand to add in the dsb area)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07953.jpg

got a video of a few of the clowns - 12 days old
4yn8rlVt8X4

got the wiring for the lights hidden (havent wired the ballasts yet)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07954.jpg

so, when i removed the pump to clean out the sand, i made an interesting discovery. the ball valve on the intake side of the pump doesnt work - at all. even though it was closed completely, the remaining water in the pipe above the valve poured out when i disconnected the union. i guess i will take it back to lowes tomorrow and get a new one. good thing i sucked up some sand now and didnt find out about this ball valve problem with a full tank!

[BSJF]

babies look happy. how full do you have the 20g?

[BSJF]

oh, and I love the rock work. i hate plumbing, not yours, just in general.

[Texreefer]

yikes!!! looks like everything is on track... I might have something to show everyone in a few days as well.. keep an eye on my thread..have to stay one step ahead of Ace:ph34r:

[hobogato]

babies look happy. how full do you have the 20g?

about 2/3 of the way full

[Bill S]

Ace, I TOLD YOU that sand needed to be rinsed...

[hobogato]

i know bill, that is why i rinsed it :) i had the tank full of tap water anyway, so i figured i would just rinse the sand in that tap water before draining it back out into the yard.

[bjgf15]

forgot to turn off the pump when i poured in the sand (yes it is that quiet), and it sucked up a bunch of sand - great, something else for me to do after i got home from work today (more on that later)

You didn't believe me when I said that pump was quiet, did you? ;) And as you can see it moves A LOT of water. You'd actually get even more flow with larger diameter plumbing since it's a low head pump.... buuuuut it doesn't look as though you'll need it.

PS. looks like it's coming along nicely.

[hobogato]

it really is silent - i am amazed!

worked on the tank before and after zach's baseball game. managed to get the live sand added, salt water mixed and added, live rock added (not sure if this is the final configuration), t5 lights wired, and cabinet doors finished. i also fabricated the intake pipe for the closed loop, but have not put it in the tank yet as i want the black plastic paint to have plenty of time to cure.

here is a quick pick - lights have already cycled to just actinic, and the water is still pretty cloudy, but you get the idea...


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07955.jpg

[BSJF]

Coming along but you have to take that stupid rock off of your beautiful arch. :)

Need an update on your babies. of course with pics...

[hobogato]

ok lorraine, i moved the stupid rock. you were right, it does look better :)

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07964.jpg

couldnt get any decent still pics tonight, so i did another video update - 14 days old. they have split themselves up into small groups and some have claimed a territory of their own. at the end, you will see some of the 10 or so that have not chosen a group or territory.

KVW8YUlbLSk

[wolff809]

What's the count on the baby's now?

[hobogato]

I would say around 50 - maybe more. Tough to get an accurate count

[hobogato]

got the clowns moved over to the 29 gallon tank, where they will live until they move into the big tank. i have it plumbed into the big tank with just a trickle of water moving thru.

(main tank is a little cloudy because i had to add a couple of buckets of new salt water for the increased volume

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07972.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07966.jpg

here they are, starting to re-establish their groups

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07967.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07968.jpg

you can see one of the solid white ones in this pic - there are 5 right now that are nearly completely white and a few more that seem to be headed that way.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07969.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07971.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07970.jpg

also, the otohime food i ordered came in today.

[Texreefer]

I like it. going to be very cool

[BSJF]

Thanks for the update, get ready for them to enter into the dumb stage. Really dumb. But, they get cute again at about 4 weeks.

[bigsby]

Very Nice

[hobogato]

thanks

they seem to really like the dry food. tonight, they hit it on the surface as soon as i put it in. this small group actually dropped down from the surface and just ate it as it slowly sank

here is a pic of that group eating - 17 days old

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07978.jpg

[jrsatx20]

looking really nice ace. the dart is really quiet. thats what i have on my tank for circulation.

[hobogato]

yep, it is actually quieter than the sicce 5 that i had running on the 150. clownfish are growing continuously now - seems like they are bigger and more colorful every time i look at them

[hobogato]

here are a couple of quick pics of one of our more unusual clowns at the moment. will be fun watching his adult coloration develop

19 days old

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07991.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC07993.jpg

[Texreefer]

I like it!

[Europhyllia]

They are turning out so pretty! You must be thrilled :)

[hobogato]

definitely getting some interesting looking fish, yep this is fun :)

thursday, i brought home the rbta clone that brad gave me with the tank, the one i picked up from bill in the frag program and another bta clone that is purple and green that was at AD (from one of their customer's tanks). bill also made me take a piece of his scuba steve hybrid euphyllia. all seem to have settled in nicely. also, as you can see in the pic, i am in the middle of the diatom bloom.


i originally placed them far apart, but the one from bill liked the spot i gave the purple one better than the one i chose for it. they seem to be happy next to each other atm
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08006.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08007.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08008.jpg

[cbianco]

The anemones look so small in the tank. You'll have to remember this moment once they start splitting.

Christopher :)

[hobogato]

yep, they definitely have a lot of growing to do chris.

got a short video update of the clowns this morning. i added the pots last night, but so far only two have moved in, the rest just stay piled up in the corner and on the heater.

4 wks old
dLtKXFY4ASo

[BSJF]

Nice video! The good news is that they are about to leave the stupid stage. That corner thing is the stupidest thing I have ever seen, mine did that too. For a while I even worried that they weren't eating. 29 gallons of water and they were using about 2 Tablespoons of it. Hope many pots did you get?

[hobogato]

i got four, but i only put three in.

[kkiel02]

Man I cant believe both of yall had such luck raising these. I love the color the clowns exhibit on both of yalls clutches.

[hobogato]

marcus started it with his batch from his clown pair, then lorraine took it even further. i am just riding their coattails :)

[BSJF]

I am very glad I got to see Marcus' setup. I think he really helped me prepare for the adventure.

[hobogato]

babies are one month old today.

any tennessee fans out there?

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08037.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08034.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08039.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08040.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08044.jpg

[CoryDude]

You, Marcus, and Lorraine need to provide a class on something like this at an upcoming meeting. This is the coolest thing going on at Maast right now.

[Third Coast Tropical]

very nice patterns developing...and some WHITE!!! congrats

[Mr Cob]

that Platinum one is insane! Sweet!

[Pennies2Cents]

This is so cool! :) Great Job Ace. & Thank You Lorraine for showing us the ropes. :) I hope one day we can do this with our Black & White Falsies.

[CoryDude]

Eve, how could you! My grandma used to say that a lady should never talk in public about her falsies.

[hobogato]

we have pot babies!

the largest group has finally adopted a pot for a home, the rest are still hanging out in the tank corners and edges

5 weeks old
i-agvyKId14

[RayAllen]

Wow Ace, They are doing excellent.

The solid white clown is nuts!

[Triggerman]

Awesome Video....very cool!!!

[hobogato]

thanks guys. a liitle more than half of them have moved to the pots, but some are still huddling together in the corner. they are very responsive now, they will follow your finger along the glass and they beg for food every time someone walks near the tank.

the big tank is still in the middle of the hair algae stage,but it seems to be thinning over all. i am also seeing a little bit of cyano on the rocks, so i expect that to bloom next. i have noticed a constant slight cloudiness in the water that seems to get worse at night - probably a bacterial bloom since i have no skimmer and the food going to the clowns is so high in nutrients.

[Europhyllia]

glad they are doing so well. if you wanted to a UV-sterilizer would probably get rid of the cloudiness - but the quick reduction of the excess nutrients with bacteria is probably a good thing anyway. :)

[Big_Pun]

Just wondering have you thought about a small sump with just a skimmer and "Bio Pellets", you know how i love bio pellets to reduce Nitrates :) but probally too hard with your plumbing

[hobogato]

nah, i am going to running some fresh carbon in the carbon reactor that i have plumbed in (have not been running carbon, just filter floss so far). also, i have a skimmer that i can run h.o.t. temporarily if i really need to. water tests healthy for NO2 and NO3, so i am not worried about the slight cloudiness for now.

[txmike]

What did you do on the intake for the CL?Foam Pre-filter ?

[hobogato]

2"pvc that was cut very carefully on the table saw to allow water in but not fish.

[BSJF]

Don't know how I missed your video. It's amazing at 1 month they leave the stupid stage.

[hobogato]

at almost six weeks, some are still acting pretty clueless in the corner. i have noticed that even they are starting to spread out a bit, so hopefully they will move to a pot soon. i am worried that they arent eating as well as they dont seem as fat as the ones that are already hosting the posts.

[BSJF]

It's really hard to balance the food. I will periodically overfeed a bit so that the stupid ones get food and then do a quick WC after. Also, increase the flow if you can, at least during the daytime. Do you have lights on at night still? If so, try a moonlight instead.

[hobogato]

i have been turning the lights off at night with no moonlight, and they all leave the pots. the bigger ones come back to the pots soon after the lights come back on in the morning.

[BSJF]

Guess they are using some reverse psychology on you. Give me light and I will go in your stupid pots. It would be interesting to see what adding a moonlight would do.

[Richard]

Very nice Ace! I like the idea of a tank full of CB pets.

[hobogato]

i am ordering some led bulbs for the recessed fixtures over the tank for moonlights tomorrow, so we will see if that helps


CB pets.

nice :) thanks richard

[hobogato]

mike, here is a pic of that pvc pump intake

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08053.jpg

took a short video a couple of days ago of the clowns and how much they are starting to interact with us - just getting around to uploading it today. in case you are wondering, that is my finger on the outside of the glass in the video.

3Rd3CxQYa_k

[txmike]

thanks for the pic that helps a lot .
planing next tank will have cl no skimmer

[hobogato]

no problem

i switched the pots out with an artificial anemone today - they seem to like it much better.

about 8 weeks old

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08065.jpg

this video is a bit long, sorry.

nlmeZZ9J49A

the main tank is almost finished with the hair algae and the anemones and corals are looking pretty happy. the macro algae has started to show some growth as well.

[Texreefer]

coming along nicely!

[hobogato]

thanks mike, about 30 of them have settled into the anemone now - about ten loners still wandering around the top of the tank.

[Europhyllia]

they looks right at home! :)

[hobogato]

yeah, they seem much happier than they were in the pots.

here are some pics of their future home, still finishing up the hair algae cycle.

ora derasa clams from polly's

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08063.jpg

rbta clone from brad and gsp from mark

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08061.jpg

rbta clone from bill

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08058.jpg

scubasteveo hybrid euphyllia from bill

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08059.jpg

kenya tree from mike and kristy

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08060.jpg

fts - you can see how bright the sun is in several spots that move around the tank throughout the day. "ugly coral" cap from mike and kristy and macro algae came from adrienne and lorraine are all growing nicely.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08068.jpg

[Texreefer]

Sweet, gonna be very cool when you get all those clowns in there

[Europhyllia]

I think it's really important to show those 'new tank stages' and it does take a little courage. So often when you're in the midst of that stage you feel like it lasts forever and everybody else has the perfect tank. I bet that's especially frustrating for newbies that have not yet gotten to the end of the 'new tank phase'.
So thanks very much for posting it. :)
It will be fantastic in no time I'm sure!

[Kristy]

Aww! The clowns look so great in their little fake anemone!

[hobogato]

i agree karin, many people dont realize how much time and patience it takes to get to a tank like yours :)

yeah kristy, i felt bad tho, because there are a few that they will not let in. i did a little searching and found another fake anemone (thanks polly's) just like that one. i put it in there yesterday, but so far, no one has moved in.

[Mr Cob]

no joke Karin. I would love to see more shots like that in the future on build threads.

I'm sure I missed it but what's behind the scenes on this tank Ace? I see the return lines and PVC intake...

[hobogato]

nothing behind the scenes but a closed loop pump and a carbon reactor. i have a tunze hang on skimmer in the tank atm because of the higher bioload with all the food for the babies, but that is not permanent.

[hobogato]

ok, moved the babies into the main tank today - well sort of...

made this acrylic hang on box with three sides screened so the clowns would get plenty of flow from outside the box. they seem happier already, not huddling so close to the anemone and they are even checking out the second anemone now.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08093.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08094.jpg

[hobogato]

thanks to lorraine's brilliant idea of making a screen to cover the closed loop intake, we were able to let the clowns go into the big tank. i started them off with low flow and gradually increased it to full flow and they are happy as can be. the tank is also progressing nicely.

g6l4YWL0ndo

[BSJF]

Congrats on the move! The babies all look very comfy!

[Europhyllia]

very cool box! (not like we would have expected anything less than awesome from you anyway ;) )

[Mr Cob]

YEP, way cool.

[hobogato]

thanks for the comments. now that the tank is lit by actinics only, the clowns are acting a bit differently...

Bj80cwp6kCs

[wolff809]

Great to see them finally in the 250:) I can't wait to see it in person again

[hobogato]

they spent all day in the ball o' clowns mode, except when i fed them.

here are a couple of pics

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08152.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08149.jpg

a gif for fun

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/clowns5.gif

and here is the tank with only the led moonlights on

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08159.jpg

[signal_4]

I really like the idea you had about taking out the overflows and making this a walk around tank... It really looks sharp and I going to steal your idea one day !!!!!!!!!!! ....lol

[hobogato]

thanks altan

brought home some new additions today, thanks again david!

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08162.jpg

looks like i will start up the brine hatcheries again and put the nursery back into the tank :)

[FireWater]

Ok, I tried and tried to figure it out. What are they?

[txmike]

i am with john what are we looking at?

[Europhyllia]

Baby Bangaiis!!!!

Just saw them in person and their immediate perfection (just released) is just stunning. I wish you lots of success with them :)

[hobogato]

thanks karin, i think i count 30 in the new pics

i have them in the net breeder for now until i am sure they wont go thru the plastic canvas of the nursery (no, it isnt crooked like that now :) )
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08175.jpg

from the top
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08174.jpg

a little closer
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08170.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08171.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08172.jpg

[hobogato]

btw, it is amazing how much the clowns seemed to grow in the 3 days since i have seen them! i guess my dad fed them well :)

[Europhyllia]

I wish you would have mentioned the new babies. I could have brought a batch of freshly hatched (today) baby brine with me this afternoon to welcome them home with a ready to go meal

[hobogato]

yeah, they probably would have liked that. i started some this evening, so they should be ok until tomorrow evening.

[Jarob]

I havent checked on this thread for awhile and I am just BLOWN away with your progress, how amazing everything looks and how absolutly outstanding those clowns look, especially that all white one, that is a GORGEOUS fish!

[hobogato]

thanks jarob

well, the banggais settled into the dragon's breath algae overnight. i think two days in the breeder net and they will be ready to go into the nursery. i put some thawed food mix (cyclops, rotifers, and other plankton) in with them, and they got really excited - not sure if they actually ate any. the brine will be ready at 4pm today, so they will get a good meal then.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08180.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08179.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08177.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08176.jpg

the clown babies continue to swim in a clump, except for about 10 that are scattered around outside the group. took a few blurry pics this morning

3months old

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08184.jpg

zoomed out a bit to show the clownfish treadmill
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08197.jpg

this is what they do when the flow is turned off, followed by spreading out to an area about half the size of a basketball
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08207.jpg

[hobogato]

got some nhbbs from lorraine at noon and gave the banggais their first good meal. they are also eating the thawed cyclops, etc. that i have for the clownfish.

8ecdxdqV0d4

[kkiel02]

Love how the clowns huddle together so much. The little bangaiis are tiny it looks like.

[hobogato]

they are pretty small, but no where near as small as the clowns were at 1 day old. they have already learned where the food comes from, as soon as i walk up they come out of their algal home and beg at the surface :lauging:

[cbianco]

I may have missed it... what is the plan for the cardinals? Will they be housed with the clownfish?

They're so tiny which is only trumped by the fact that the macro algae is also tiny.

Christopher :)

[hobogato]

yes, they will go in the tank with the clowns, and maybe another cb fish or two, who knows :)

actually that dragon's breath is pretty big, it grows well under the solar tubes

[cbianco]

yes, they will go in the tank with the clowns, and maybe another cb fish or two, who knows :)

actually that dragon's breath is pretty big, it grows well under the solar tubes

:thumbs_up:

To date, what is the survival percentage/numbers on the clownfish?

Christopher :)

[hobogato]

not sure, never had an accurate beginning count. i know there were at least 60 and there are now 38.

[BSJF]

The new little babies are adorable!

[hobogato]

they are definitely fun to watch :)

moved them out of the netbreeder into the nusery this morning. they split into two groups, but all gather together to beg for food when anyone looks at them from the top.

two days old

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC084591024x768.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC084581024x768.jpg

[Mr Cob]

lova all of the recent updates Ace. Everything looks amazing. The baby cardinals are so perfect.

[hobogato]

time for a little update...

we were out of town for a week on a family vacation. during that time, my dad took care of the fishies (and other pets). when we got back on wednesday, i released the baby banggai cardinals into the main tank.

here they are just after releasing - counted 31 in all
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08515.jpg

well, now that they are having to work a little harder because of the water flow, some of them have developed sudden flight syndrome (http://www.marinebreeder.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1851). this is a condition where the fish basically faint (kinda like fainting goats) because of a insufficient HUFAs (omega - 3) in their diet. i was giving them enriched frozen food before the vacation but did not leave instructions for my dad to do so while we were gone. it seems we have lost some, as i can only count 25 now. i am feeding them the enriched frozen several times a day on top of the nhbbs (which i am now also enriching with phyto) twice a day to remedy the problem (hopefully).

they seem happy and are getting along fine with the clowns

banggai cardinals 20 days old, clowns almost 4 months

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08516.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08518.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08519.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08521.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08523.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08524.jpg

pardon the aiptasia, time to get some bergia to take care of them!

[Europhyllia]

very nice! love all the macro :)

[Third Coast Tropical]

+1 on the macro. I like the look.

[hobogato]

thanks guys.

quick update:

the bad news - there are only 17 baby banggais left

the good news - the change in feeding seems to have worked for the remaining cardinals as i have seen no symptoms of sfs for 24 hours. hopefully there will not be any more losses.

[signal_4]

HEY ACE hows the stuff I gave you doing ?

[hobogato]

they are doing well, the acro frag turned totally dark purple.

[hobogato]

shook up the tank a bit today, pics tomorrow when the water clears up...

[FireWater]

Geez Yin, you don't mess around do you?

[Europhyllia]

It's now a shark tank... lol

[hobogato]

nah, just redid the rockwork - actually traded out most of the rock. here is a moonlit(led) teaser:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08530.jpg

[FireWater]

It's morning. Which means it is tomorrow. Where's the pics?

[hobogato]

probably not today, i just did a ton of work cleaning the sand bed and now it is really cloudy. may clear up by tomorrow.

[BSJF]

It's now a shark tank... lol

He's added a goat to graze on all those veggies!

[RayAllen]

WOW, Ace. They are all doing so well. Congrats.

[hobogato]

thanks ray

the tank is still somewhat cloudy, but clear enough for pics :)

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08531.jpg

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

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08533.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/250/DSC08534.jpg

[LuckySingh]

nice aquascaping ace!!

[Texreefer]

I like it much Better Ace.. looks great!

[hobogato]

thanks guys

[Europhyllia]

very nice. :)

[hobogato]

thanks karin

here is a small video update, clowns are 4 months old and the banggais are 1 month old

y5NWv5A0dRs

[RayAllen]

Great video! I still think those are some of the coolest clowns ive seen in the hobby.

[CoryDude]

Tank's really cleaning up Ace and looking good. Nice work man!

[hobogato]

thanks guys, everything seems to be doing pretty well right now

[mabel_photo6]

Oh geeze, that is by far the coolest!! That's AWESOME!

[hobogato]

thanks mabel

[LuckySingh]

awsome tank ace...watching these clowns grow is like so awsome....gud job:thumbs_up:

[CoryDude]

Ace did you provide the music for the video? Sounds like D major open tuning.

[Mr Cob]

I enjoyed the video Ace, bet it's so cool watching both of the schools.

[hobogato]

thanks lucky


close, open E tuning, my cover of a song by glen hansard :)


Ace did you provide the music for the video? Sounds like D major open tuning.


thanks rob, they have all really started to spread out more, so it really is starting to look like a lot of fish in the tank now.