Deb's 60 Gallon build -ReefKeepr Lite up and running

@washingtond wrote:
I am glad to see that you are having success with your Xmas tree said:
If you're using Ice Cap the 14K are not as blue as the ATI Aquablue special 12K, and I'm using an Ice Cap 660 ballast. To me they're more like 10K with a touch of pink. And I thought being Ice Cap bulbs on an Ice Cap ballast they would have more PAR but my corals weren't thriving or coloring up under the combo of Ice Cap bulbs in the front where most of the corals are down at the bottom of the 20" deep tank.

So the 4 bulbs on the Ice Cap ballast that covers the front are 1-IceCap Twilight, 2-Aquablue Sp, 1 IceCap 14k. The 4 bulbs in the back are 2 WavePoint Blue, 1 WavePoint Actinic and 1 IceCap 12K. The corals in the back (porites rocks, Duncans) are only about 5 to 6 inches from the bulbs.
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@psteeleb wrote:
wow - that is a big difference in size on those christmas tree worms I have mine in low light and after 8 months the porites seem to be doing fine but are all brown. I wonder if I found another place where it would get more light if they would color up a bit like yours. Plus yours appear to be a bit more extended then mine. thanks for sharing said:
The porites on both of mine are brown, too. The newer rock seems a bit lighter. But the porites I've had the polyps are just extending out and looking fuller. Hopefully the new one will do the same.

I am feeding the the tank 2x a mix of 4 Reef Nutrition products...Oyster Feast, Roti Feast, Phyto Feast and Arcti Pods. The rep at Next Wave said they can be all mixed together provided you keep them refrigerated. So I have a bottle that I mixed 30ml each of all four so it's easier to dose.

And on the feeding note I was beginning to get concerned about the worms I've had for a while because I noticed their feathers seemed not as feathery. And since I switched back to Reef Nutrition from Brightwell they have filled back in and look healthier. They are also very sensitive to Flatworm Exit and Chemiclean.
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Just a couple updates. The porites with the Xmas tree worms is starting to spread and fill out those bare areas.

[attachment=0]Xmas Porites 4_24_11.jpg[/attachment]
 
Caught my mandarins doing their first mating dance last night.


[youtube]<iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7T15TFFpDSg?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>[/youtube]

Well I've tried every possible embed code and the video isn't displaying.
 
Well since I keep copying and pasting the various embed codes that Youtube suggests for some reason it's not coming up so here's a link to the video of the mandarins doing their mating dance.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T15TFFpDSg&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]
 
@psteeleb wrote:
looks good - I cant get over how many of the christmas trees worms are on that rock said:
I know, there are a lot. And seeing as how they will be growing that will become one very crowded rock.
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Very nice Deb.
You've always had a Green, I mean reef thumb, and now everyones getting to see it.
I guess at the next frag swap you'll have baby mandarins for everyone in the club to purchase [smilie=wink.gif]
 
While work, tanks and home projects have kept me off the boards for the most part I finally got a picture of my mandarin pair together. I had put the pellets out on the sand bed so they (and a few others) could come and feast. Normally when I sit next to the tank for pics, they disappear into the rocks. But not today.

[attachment=0]Mandarin pair 7 12 11.jpg[/attachment]
 
Some updates on this tank. I lost the male wrasse I fought so hard to keep. I don't know what happened, he just floated up dead from inside the rocks. And not long after that my jawfish. That was a tough loss after having babied her twice through blindness. And while this tank was designed for jawfish, I opted not to try and add a pair of pearly head jawfish at this time. Instead after much research I opted for 3 zebra barred dartfish and a blue spotted watchman goby all from Blue Zoo, as they actually were the only ones that had both types of fish available. I'm still debating whether I should've got more dartfish, thinking 6, but my concern is their mature size. They were all in QT for 2 weeks. I moved them to the tank this morning. I like to use 1.5 inch PVC with a cap at one end. The watchman was a piece of cake he saw that 'cave' and crawled right in and I covered the opening with a rubberband and fine netting. The dartfish were not so cooperative...netted two, one hid inside the PVC. All are in the tank, however, the watchman still thinks the PVC pipe I placed in the sand facing the rock is home. He goes into the rock, but then quickly retreats back to the safety of the PVC. The dartfish haven't been in the rock since being in the tank. They find staying about 1 inch from the top of the water the place to be... but I do have secure covers so no worries there. I took some pictures and brief video of the dartfish and about the same time the battery light was flashing. I'll post pics amd video as soon as the battery is charged.
 
Here's a picture. In the QT they would dive behind the PVC to hide/sleep. But they didn't go into the rock work all day, so when the lights finally went out they freaked and started darting everywhere but the rock. And with the TV on they wanted to stay up and party. I ended up covering the front of the tank with a towel.

The watchman goby came out twice but dove right back into the PVC. So I just used the feeding tube to get a chunk of scallop to him, which he loves. But it will be a while before I get pics of him I'm sure.

[attachment=0]Dartfish a 10 01 11 DSC01623.jpg[/attachment]
 
Here's a brief video. They stayed right at the very top of the water all day and there were a few splash marks on the cover from their antics.


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J0FUK_XslU[/youtube]
 
My next project is the lighting. I love the T5s but the light canopy I built is just too bulky/cumbersome to take down and does block access to some parts of the tank. Plus the T5s just don't get enough light to the xenia in the front at the bottom and they're always stretching. So the plan is to cut the fixture in half and keep the 4x24W T5s in the back on the sliding rack. And replace the 4x24 Ice Cap in the front with the AquaMedic 150W 20K MH I have stored in the garage which I can hang from the ceiling.
 
Update on the Christmas tree rock, the first one. It had two mollusks attached, one scalloped edge and a smaller smooth edge. But I when I mounted it on the rock the scalloped edge clam as hidden. I've now reversed it and took a couple pictures. The smaller mollusk is directly above the scalloped one but hard to see with the lighting. I've had to gouge out some of the mag-rock the whole coral piece is attached to to be sure it can open because the shell has grown.
 
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