Well, I have not upgraded this thread in a long time. I've actually been quite bored with it. Stuff is still growing fast. I know that I'm not bored bored, but just busy. With summer there are so much other things to do that the aquarium is not on my mind as much. I bought another mini kind of for parts. I've been going to a lot of festivals here in Edmonton like the Street performers festival and heritage days. There's been many weddings to attend and busy planning our 10 year wedding anniversary party. I noticed that the tank is now 1 year old, so that deserved a couple of pictures.

Here goes - August 6, 2009 Den side of tank
http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1249602530

Today - Den side of tank (that purple frag in my last year's shot is now that big colony in the middle of the tank still in the exact same spot). (The brown frag on the left became a colony 10" accross that I sold cause it got too big.)
http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1281142888

August 6, 2009 - Living room side of tank
http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1249602581

Today - Living room side of tank
http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1281143087

What can I say, corals are amazing. It excites me that a 1" frag can become a colony in such a short time. And I have made about 500 frags from this tank already. Thanks for looking.

dude your tank is on crack. love the difference in one year. what do you do weekly/ monthly for maintenance?

That is truly crazy how much it's changed in a year.

Hey Laurier,

I just do weekly water changes (the only ones I've ever missed is when I've been on vacation. Then it had a 10 day period without a water change. I've used 5 different kinds of salt on this tank already. Started with instant ocean, then bought a half pail of H2Ocean from Fencer, then switched to reefer's best, then mixed reefer's best with Salinity (Seachem), then went to Reefer's best mixed with Brightwell, and lately I've been mainly H2Ocean. It only takes me about 7 minutes to do a 40 gallon water change so it's no big deal.

Other than that, I've filled my calcium reactor once. I empty my external skimmer collection cup weekly. I've cleaned the skimmer 4 times in the year.

Every 3 days clean the glass with the magnet. I've only used the magnet with the razor attachement twice in the last year. I've never vacuumed the sand or rock.

I haven't changed any bulbs yet but I'm about to.

I feed and dose zeo daily. Mainly pellets and flake in the last few months due to laziness of not defrosting frozen food.

I think that's about it. I haven't test parameters in 2 months I think. I just watch the corals.

Oh yeah, I frag lots as corals grow to touch each other. Sometimes it's weekly - gets annoying.

Really makes me wish we were neighbors or something! Congrats on having one of the sexiest looking reefs I've seen Dez. Bored or not you da man.

Thanks Brett. In time corals do grow. It usually starts out slow but once you have more than one branch, the growth is exponential.

Lots of houses for sale in my neighbourhood ;)

Wow! Amazing growth!

Vent the waste collector out side then you wont get the stink. that is what i use to do and it worked great.

I've been meaning to draw air from outside too sometime, but just can't find the time as of late cause my ceiling is drywalled in that room so it's a little difficult. I think carbon will suffice for now. Their is a bathroom fan that is on constantly in the summer that vents directly outside too.

Dont draw air from the outside its makes the skimmer unstable. and your Ph will go up and down . in the winter its ok the summer with all the spraying and otherthings. With the winter you are getting pure dry air too.

Your tank looks awesome! May I ask what Zeo products your using and the dosage?

WOW! Dez, that's such a huge differance in one year. Wouldn't have believe it without the pics! Here's me trying and killing those SPS for years. I have been trying my hands on LPS, and recently bought a few sticks of frags to try...again. So I will step up on my water changes. Again, wow. Lenny.

A year, amazing!

Thanks for the comments. I only use the following:

7 drops coral vitalizer daily
7 drops sponge power daily
last few months 4 drops amino acids corals daily

0.3 mL Start 2 twice a week
10 drops bak twice a week
3 drops zeo food twice a week

I have played around with iron (zeo) 6 drops once a week - this really gets the greens brighter

I would like to try pocci glo - just waiting for Marine Aquaria to get some in.

I have also played around with Pohl's Xtra - haven't noticed anything different.

It's expensive but I'm still on the original bottles of everything but Bak (2nd bottle). That's pretty good considering I have about 340 gallon water volume. So if something expensive lasts a year, I'm happy with that.

From past experience it is difficult to convert a softy tank to accept sps with lots of growth for the sps. I don't know how others have done it. I think the key is low nutrients and keeping the balance Alk/Calcium/Mg.

On my previous tanks I have never been as diligent with water changes, so I think this has something to do with it.

Thanks Mark, how are the frags that you got from me doing - doubled in size by now?

So which would you recommend? The 12", 16" or both?

I use the same as you. But when I use Pohls's Xtra or B-Balance I get a small patch of cyano. I'm not sure which one of the 2 is causing it. Do you get the same? Went off of Zeo for the last month and will be starting up again on monday. Just seeing if I will notice a difference in color or growth.

I've only tried the 16" extension and I'm happy with it. Maybe one day I'll daisy chain them both.

I have never had cyano in this tank ever. I did try B balance once, but didn't notice anything different so never bought it again.

Well Dez, as I'm mending my broken bones on light duty at work (VERY SLOW DAYS) I finally decided to read through this build thread as I've been meaning to for ages. Truly amazing! I sat shaking my head from the first growth sequence post on wondering what I need to do to even come close!! lol. Amazing build my friend! Keep up the good work! Oh, and keep growing out that Teal Acro buddy!!

That teal acro is growing fast hey? You probably noticed last time you were here it's practically touching 2 neighbouring colonies.... Thanks for the encouragement.

I DID!! I was tempted to see if Caley would sneak me a little piece!! lol. Hopefully someday... and that yellow one with the pink tips!! Man you've got some nice stuff in there! I'm gonna have to put in some high end orders soon and have some bargaining leverage with you!!

I can't believe you read through the whole thread. Don't tell me you did it all in one sitting. Sorry to have wasted a few hours of your life :)

LMAO!! No need to appologize. It was a good way to pass a boring day with nothing to do... plus... I got paid to do it!! HAHAHA! I read it off and on throughout the day. I skipped all the talk that I had no interest in... some questions asked had no relevance to me. Overall though, really good info in there... I may have to 'borrow' some of your ideas come time for the upgrade! One question for you though... how's the Wavy Sea, and do they still make them? I can't find them.

I think that WavySea went under shortly after I purchased it. However, I think that Vertex bought them out and they are the exact same thing. I am super happy with it as it randomizes the flow in the entire tank. I have about 1200 gph pumping through the Wavysea alone.

I finally figured out what to do with the empty space on both sides of my aquarium. We got filing cabinets because our office has now taken over the den space.

http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1294188171

http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1294188591

http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1294188612

http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1294188632

Also at the end of November I added a Goldflake Angel. I was scared since I have 31 or 32 fish, but the Goldflake gets along with every tank mate. Couldn't get a good picture cause of the cell phone camera.

http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1294188775

Dez are those beauties safe? DRool!

Nice cabinetry too. Those fit in nicely =)

Also...I see feathers but no balls?

The angels are safe (I'm assuming you mean for clams and corals?) I'm pretty fortunate.

You were supposed to supply the balls (pheasant I mean). :)

:thumb::thumb::thumb:

I am really liking having the filing cabinets up here now so when I do paperwork now, I can actually multitask and stare at the fish tank while doing mundane tasks of filing and "working". Sometime soon I will move my router and printer up here. I will actually be placing my printer underneath my fish tank since my sump is in the basement.

that is one nice angel. really like how you cleaned up around the tank as well with the cabinets

Thanks Laurier. This is actually my second goldflake angel. About a year ago when I was stocking the tank I tried a juvenile goldflake - it just got picked on and only lasted 3 days. A lot of $ down the drain. I'm actually the 3rd owner of this specimen. Bluetang<3 had it first, then the Codfather then myself.

I tried feeding my fish bananas tonight, it was fun and the fish thought it was a blast. We got a new fish today (My wife actually asked for it for Valentine's Day) - it's a Niger Trigger and it loved the bananas. Here's a couple of short video clips.

http://www.youtube.com/user/FoosDez#p/a/u/1/yAnnh2TpWj4

Here's the Trigger :)

http://www.youtube.com/user/FoosDez#p/a/u/0/keeCA_nr4iU

Sorry for the crappy quality - it's just a cell phone video on the fly.

So what's up with the bananas, were you just bored and standing in front of the tank eating one and thought hhhhhmmmmmm.........I wonder if the fish would like some to. :lol:

No, years ago we fed our FOWLR tank bananas. Our lunar wrasse used to love it. I think some aquariums feed bananas to the fish too. Doesn't mean it's right though. I know that my fish go bananas (drum roll) for it ;).

:question: I always wondered how they harvested the banana's out in the middle of the Ocean. I see I am not the only one maybe. Bet the pay is great.

i so want a niger trigger .... i just fear for my clams safety looks awesome il have to try bananas:)

Just an update of the size of my corals. These 2 corals were only about 4" when I got them - typical store sized colony. I used my computer as a reference for size. Sorry, cell phone pics:

http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1298860203

http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1298860276