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Originally Posted by Electrobes

::Looks around to see if Marc isn't present::

Being sumpless is cool!

Why I oughta....

::Looks around to see if Marc isn't present::

Being sumpless is cool!

Well, by next week sometime I will have the tank all the way empty and the things I plan on keeping I'll put into a black round tub. Instead of selling my livestock I've chosen to give most of it away to friends in the hobby who can take good care of these things. The downgrade will be into a 40 breeder utilizing all of the equipment from my 75(minus the lights and overflow box which i plan to sell), but drilled (finally!). I have a stand mostly built and just want to get this light sold so I can upgrade to a led fixture for the downgrade.

How much smaller are you going? Congrats on all the news btw, that's great!

So what's the plan specifically? Break it down, sell it off, and start again next year?

That colt is massive! I have a feeling it would have spawned more strongly with the flow on, but it makes it really tough to photograph and video.

My favorite part of watching that happen in my system is seeing the eggs just propel themselves away from the coral polyp like an astronaut on a space walk.

None of your fish came out to snack on the eggs?

Awesome - can't wait to see the pictures!

When dealing with P.J.'s, your best bet is generally to strip the male's mouth shortly before he releases the larvae and tumble the eggs similar to what is done for dottybacks. Otherwise you end up with a bunch of larvae being eaten by fish and coral, or the filter.

Originally Posted by melev

Very nice write up.  I have a group of Pajama Cardinals, and believe I could do something similar with those as well.  At least one of them is a male, and from time to time his mouth does appear to be full.

my PJ's spawn regularly, but I never see the fry when they are spit out

Very nice write up.  I have a group of Pajama Cardinals, and believe I could do something similar with those as well.  At least one of them is a male, and from time to time his mouth does appear to be full.

Originally Posted by FlammySnake

Thanks Mark, I really do enjoy updating on here. I've seen the amount of posts go down lately, so I hope to help pick up the slack! I'm done with this semester of school next week, so I will have plenty of time to update all summer long!

School's out for summer! (I know you just sung that out loud)

While there is a lot of brownish in the tank, I have to admit to being A) a terrible photographer and B) not capable of figuring out my digital camera so all of my pictures tend to be from my Galaxy S3. Since I removed a bunch of things and began replacing things, there's actually a lot, and I mean a lot of green in the tank. Zoanthids, button polyps, they love the tank and have proved it. So lately I've been trying to stick with buying reds and oranges. Next post I'll do some closer shots to prove my tank isn't a wasteland of brown coral haha!

Great, we love pictures.

Most of my Banggai loses are from me being stubborn. I've been trying different techniques to avoid hatching my own brine shrimp. Copepods worked well, but I couldn't keep up with collecting enough to keep them all going. So in my first two weeks, I almost always lose about half. By the end of week 2, the remaining have learned to eat frozen-selcon soaked baby brine, but then the competition starts and I almost always lose a couple more. In a couple weeks I plan on doing a VERY in depth post on some of the things I've done concerning raising them, so patiently await it!

That sounds very interesting.

As far as the clownfish go, thanks! The eggs were ready to go, I've had a rotifer culture going forever (a post on that soon as well!) and really no reason not to do it. I had a lot more misbars this time (only my second time) and a lot more showing much thicker black in their fins. But I'm talking about 35 fish total, I imagine if I had the dedication/patience/space to pull off 250 or so, I would have had a lot more variation.

Another good post to share 'bout food cultures.

As an aside, where's this podcast?! I'm jonesin' for it man! If you get desperate enough for a replacement for Jesse (that is, if Jesse needs being replaced) I'd be more than happy to fill in! I work in the retail end of the hobby, so I'm pretty used to carrying on lonnnnnng conversations about it! Either way, make it happen! ReefAddicts users demand ReefAddicts podcasts! Time for a change.org petition?

It's just on haitus. I think getting the 400g up and running again will be a motivator. It takes a lot of time to produce those. Thanks for the offer - who knows, I may take you up on that.

Thanks Mark, I really do enjoy updating on here. I've seen the amount of posts go down lately, so I hope to help pick up the slack! I'm done with this semester of school next week, so I will have plenty of time to update all summer long!

While there is a lot of brownish in the tank, I have to admit to being A) a terrible photographer and B) not capable of figuring out my digital camera so all of my pictures tend to be from my Galaxy S3. Since I removed a bunch of things and began replacing things, there's actually a lot, and I mean a lot of green in the tank. Zoanthids, button polyps, they love the tank and have proved it. So lately I've been trying to stick with buying reds and oranges. Next post I'll do some closer shots to prove my tank isn't a wasteland of brown coral haha!

Most of my Banggai loses are from me being stubborn. I've been trying different techniques to avoid hatching my own brine shrimp. Copepods worked well, but I couldn't keep up with collecting enough to keep them all going. So in my first two weeks, I almost always lose about half. By the end of week 2, the remaining have learned to eat frozen-selcon soaked baby brine, but then the competition starts and I almost always lose a couple more. In a couple weeks I plan on doing a VERY in depth post on some of the things I've done concerning raising them, so patiently await it!

As far as the clownfish go, thanks! The eggs were ready to go, I've had a rotifer culture going forever (a post on that soon as well!) and really no reason not to do it. I had a lot more misbars this time (only my second time) and a lot more showing much thicker black in their fins. But I'm talking about 35 fish total, I imagine if I had the dedication/patience/space to pull off 250 or so, I would have had a lot more variation.

As an aside, where's this podcast?! I'm jonesin' for it man! If you get desperate enough for a replacement for Jesse (that is, if Jesse needs being replaced) I'd be more than happy to fill in! I work in the retail end of the hobby, so I'm pretty used to carrying on lonnnnnng conversations about it! Either way, make it happen! ReefAddicts users demand ReefAddicts podcasts! Time for a change.org petition?

Awesome! It was really nice to read your update - you should do these a little more often, no?

Your main reef tank is mostly brown, other than the bright orange M. capricornis. I'd suggest adding some bright colored fish, or start swapping out some corals for those of a different color to and some zing to your tank. That will make you happier, I bet.

Those little Banggais look cute. You attribute the losses to lack of proper feeding/nutrition?

I like your clownfish tank.

You know, another option might be to make the surge collection tank some type of creepy crawly display at 48" high, something that fills up and allows a top down view. This vessel drains a portion of the water into a tank that is at 30" off the floor, and the water drains to the sump under the 48" tall display. The water moves from top to middle to bottom, stair-stepped.

Such a multi-zoned system would be enjoyable to observe, and make the uppermost section something interesting, a biotope with constantly changing water depth. It might be a good one to plant mangroves in?

I'll second Marc's post. And add that Petco is having it's bi-annual $1/gal tank sale right now. Go get yourself a cheap 55 gal for those damsels.

I've had similar thoughts about a surge tank. Finally gave up on it because my house is a studio set up, so I sleep in the same room as my tank and don't want to listen to the surge system while trying to sleep. But, what I envisioned was a restrictied drain down low like you're thinking. But with an oversized drain near the top as an emergency overflow. My thought was a little different, I was thinking of using a 33 Long, or even a 55, and making a tidepool tank. So at the low level a lot of the rocks would be above the water. So many cool micro environments in a reef, I'd love to have a basement full of tanks to try out all the different biotypes.

What's all this looking at me stuff? You can set up a nano tank for those damsels, instead of willing them upon me.

Jessy and I were just talking about the podcast yesterday, as she was in town for a week. Recording in the same room is so much easier than over the net. However, I'd really like my 400g reef running as it is a huge motivator, and I've had a few pans in the fire that really need to be completed as well, so that I have the time to do them regularly once renewed. Jessy sold off her tank, so I may need someone else to fill the void, at least in part.

Regarding your surge / wave / fill tank, I'd avoid a small drain installation. A ball-valve or gate valve would be better, but if something gets into that drain and acts like a plug, you may have bigger problems on your hands.

Do all reef tanks look the same, eventually? No, I don't think so. Looking at yours above, what it lacks is color. You have some colors, but a couple dominate the aquarium. Adding new colors, and avoiding putting the same colors near each other can help keep it diverse. Your reef has a lot of softies in it, and these are fast growers. What you don't see very often are Acan-dominated tanks, or zoa-dominated tanks. When I stumble on those, it's hard for me to pull myself away. Species tanks are interesting too. What makes one reef different from another comes down to the imagination and husbandry of the owner. Aquascaping is a big deal, something we each have to analyze and then make adjustments if necessary. Weed out the overgrowth of any coral that is taking up too much space, and put in new pieces that make you smile. Capturing the interactions of your fish and corals is what drives us to continue, but if you get bored then the tank tends to become... well, boring.

You asked what to put on the white rock. If you are looking for branching corals, I'd suggest orange and purple M. digitata. You seem to have a green version already, no? If not, get all three.

Pocillopora is nice as is Birdsnest, and both come in at least three versions of not more.

Welcome back. No more vanishing on us.

More photos! I want to see your pipefish and rabbitfish!

How do you like your pipefish? Does it do well in your system? Is it an active (visibile) fish in your system?

I mostly do water changes, 20-40 gallons as needed but I do need a bigger skimmer, but also need a bigger sump to go with it! Thanks for the kind words!

Your tank is beautiful! I believe you're doing a great job too. You said you have an undersized skimmer, that would be the only thing I would change. Especially with the fish load, you'd want a bigger skimmer.