Been Awhile Since I Updated... Been Busy
- Thread starter o2manyfish
- Start date
Thank you everyone for all the nice compliments.
I'll try to answer all the questions that popped up in the last few days that I missed replying to in a timely manner.
I'm using a Canon 70d with a 35-200 lens. I use it in the Aperature Priority setting. I set the ISO at 1200. The Aperature varies between 5.3 and 9. And I use the custom WB setting in the camera.
I'm running 8 Radions over the tank with a slightly tweaked 20k setting. The intensity ranges from 63 to 78% depending what corals are underneath them. Lights are on from 4pm till 2am.
Sometimes when I shoot I have a Photo Profile programmed into the Apex which runs the intensity up to 100% and adds some more white light to let me use faster shutter speeds. This batch of photos were just the regular schedule.
I'm running a Calcium Reactor and just recently started using Dastaco Media in it (maybe 3 weeks now). Don't know if any major differences. All my top off is via my Kalk Reactor. I have been dosing AcroPower for over a year now and think it really helps with the colors.
My water test from last week I had an Alk of 13 and phosphate of .35. Before the wedding the tank Alk was at 18 - Not a typo "eighteen" and phosphates were .85 - Phosphate readings both times were checked with Hanna and then double checked with Triton ICP.
After some conversations with Jake Adams I am going to start dosing Zinc and Manganese to try to get some deeper/richer colors. Not that I am not happy with the colors currently. But if there is something easy I can do and get even more pop to make Chefzilla jealous I have to give it a try.
Dave B
I'll try to answer all the questions that popped up in the last few days that I missed replying to in a timely manner.
I'm using a Canon 70d with a 35-200 lens. I use it in the Aperature Priority setting. I set the ISO at 1200. The Aperature varies between 5.3 and 9. And I use the custom WB setting in the camera.
I'm running 8 Radions over the tank with a slightly tweaked 20k setting. The intensity ranges from 63 to 78% depending what corals are underneath them. Lights are on from 4pm till 2am.
Sometimes when I shoot I have a Photo Profile programmed into the Apex which runs the intensity up to 100% and adds some more white light to let me use faster shutter speeds. This batch of photos were just the regular schedule.
I'm running a Calcium Reactor and just recently started using Dastaco Media in it (maybe 3 weeks now). Don't know if any major differences. All my top off is via my Kalk Reactor. I have been dosing AcroPower for over a year now and think it really helps with the colors.
My water test from last week I had an Alk of 13 and phosphate of .35. Before the wedding the tank Alk was at 18 - Not a typo "eighteen" and phosphates were .85 - Phosphate readings both times were checked with Hanna and then double checked with Triton ICP.
After some conversations with Jake Adams I am going to start dosing Zinc and Manganese to try to get some deeper/richer colors. Not that I am not happy with the colors currently. But if there is something easy I can do and get even more pop to make Chefzilla jealous I have to give it a try.
Dave B
Hey Guys,
Been awhile since I posted. Not too much has changed. Everything has been left alone and is growing nicely. Tank is running mostly on auto-pilot and I am just responsible for cleaning the glass. My alkalinity has stablized thanks to ACESQ (Art) lending me his CO2 Regulator. I need to buy a new one and haven't been able to either pull the trigger on a Greenleaf, or build my own using a swagelok.
I haven't added any fish or corals for awhile. We had the local club meeting here, and we had a contest to count the fish in the tank. The correct count was 125 fish. I am lazily battling majanos and aptasia. I bought about 30 Peppermint shrimp a few months back. They all vanished into the tank. Then a couple of weeks later while playing with a flashlight at night I find about 15 huddled together in a cave. Right outside the cave are 4 gigantic aptasia which remain untouched.
I had a matted file fish outside in my rock bin, and I have a copper band and there arent any visible aptasia outside. So I caught the filefish and added him to the display tank. He's a neat fish and is cool to watch. He's nice and fat, but I have no idea what he is eating in the tank. I can't see him eating anything.
The majanos are taking over the back wall of the tank by the overflow. I have a majano wand, but am not convinced it's erradicating them. If anyone knows where I can find some large gauge syringes to start kalk injecting them please let me know.
The Xenia are thriving in the tank. I am pruning out about 150 heads of xenia a month. I have given them away to anyone who wants locally.
I finally added a few new corals, so I thought it was time to take some photos. First up is an Efflo that I picked up about 3 weeks ago. I got it and it was pretty brown, but i like the fact that it wasn't flat and had some nice growth nodules in the middle of it. It's starting to get some color to it.
I also got the opportunity to grow out what could be a really special coral. This is a piece of a monti, that is Gold, Orange and Green with blue polyps. This photo was taken when the coral had only been in the tank for about an hour. The deal was I get the coral, and as soon as it triples in size, I give back the new growth.
So those are the new pieces, here are some growth update photos of some of my favorites:
My Grafted Monti
This is part of my clustered cap growth
My Jedi Mind Trick
My Oregon Tort
My shortcake
Been awhile since I posted. Not too much has changed. Everything has been left alone and is growing nicely. Tank is running mostly on auto-pilot and I am just responsible for cleaning the glass. My alkalinity has stablized thanks to ACESQ (Art) lending me his CO2 Regulator. I need to buy a new one and haven't been able to either pull the trigger on a Greenleaf, or build my own using a swagelok.
I haven't added any fish or corals for awhile. We had the local club meeting here, and we had a contest to count the fish in the tank. The correct count was 125 fish. I am lazily battling majanos and aptasia. I bought about 30 Peppermint shrimp a few months back. They all vanished into the tank. Then a couple of weeks later while playing with a flashlight at night I find about 15 huddled together in a cave. Right outside the cave are 4 gigantic aptasia which remain untouched.
I had a matted file fish outside in my rock bin, and I have a copper band and there arent any visible aptasia outside. So I caught the filefish and added him to the display tank. He's a neat fish and is cool to watch. He's nice and fat, but I have no idea what he is eating in the tank. I can't see him eating anything.
The majanos are taking over the back wall of the tank by the overflow. I have a majano wand, but am not convinced it's erradicating them. If anyone knows where I can find some large gauge syringes to start kalk injecting them please let me know.
The Xenia are thriving in the tank. I am pruning out about 150 heads of xenia a month. I have given them away to anyone who wants locally.
I finally added a few new corals, so I thought it was time to take some photos. First up is an Efflo that I picked up about 3 weeks ago. I got it and it was pretty brown, but i like the fact that it wasn't flat and had some nice growth nodules in the middle of it. It's starting to get some color to it.
I also got the opportunity to grow out what could be a really special coral. This is a piece of a monti, that is Gold, Orange and Green with blue polyps. This photo was taken when the coral had only been in the tank for about an hour. The deal was I get the coral, and as soon as it triples in size, I give back the new growth.
So those are the new pieces, here are some growth update photos of some of my favorites:
My Grafted Monti
This is part of my clustered cap growth
My Jedi Mind Trick
My Oregon Tort
My shortcake
Titan/Sal -- Thank you
Reefcube/Jim, That colony is doing well. The two stag above and to the left of it both have grown over the top of it. I just clipped some branches off of them tonight to get more light on it and let it start growing higher. If your in the area I might be persuaded to clip a piece of it.
Dave B
Reefcube/Jim, That colony is doing well. The two stag above and to the left of it both have grown over the top of it. I just clipped some branches off of them tonight to get more light on it and let it start growing higher. If your in the area I might be persuaded to clip a piece of it.
Dave B
