I will do an update tonight.

thanks, for the comps.


yeah, you and xtreme drop by and check out things sometime eh.

took this full tank shot tonight, the water is looking abit cloudy thanks to the solar wrasse, he was busy stirring up the substrate all day today.

http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/r...0/fulltank.jpg

Hey John! It was a pleasure to meet you and see your artistically beautifull tank today! All the SPS are sitting nicely in Terry and I tanks! Thanks alot and I look forward to you fragging that Pink Birdsnest of yours some day!

right on, glad you guys made it back ok, and thanks for the complements

that pinkbirdnest should be a beauty in a few months. :mrgreen:

so pretty with so many colors !!!!

is that the green plat at the bottom? if it is it doesnt look the big at all:)

nice tank John

Looks amazing. I hope my 125 will look like that sometime!

Do you have a livestock list for your fish?

thanks you very much

yes Victor it is, and it is smaller, a piece broke off suring transport. its placed up high in the left hand cornor.

Thanks Tai, i am going to have to invite myself over to see your tank sometime. i heard it looks awesome in person.

thanks, :razz:

i am doing an update on dosing and stocking list sometime today, i recently had some set backs that prevented me from posting earlier.

dosing update
 

Tank size:125gallon
sump: 33 gallon
return pump: Rainbow lifeguard quiet one 4000HH, rated at 980gph, actual 550gph
Tunze DOC 9005 skimmer
Vortex zeo reactor: 1.25 lb of zeolites changed every month, now leaving 10% of old zeolites mixed with fresh zeolites
Two little fishes phosban reactor, running zeovit carbon, 1cup changed every 2 weeks.

Current:
x2 Tunze 6065 steams, 1717gph
x1 tunze 1100 gph nano stream
x1 Vortech gen1, 3000gph <-- died last night, more on that in up coming post
x1 Vortech mp40 set on reef crest mode

Lighting: changed every 3months
Nova extreme PRO T5, 12 blubs
2, 39wt Corallight 10k
4, 39wt Fiji purple KZ
6, 39wt New Generations KZ

5% water changed, every two weeks

Tank Parms:
temp: 78-80f
ca-420-dosing 6.1 tsp CA morning
kh-6.5-7.5-dosing 12 tsp carbonate night with top up water
k+ 390-400
mg-1400

ZEO dosing schedule: all done at night after lights out

Everyday:
5 drop coral vitalizer
5 drop sponge power
2ml phols xtra
2 drop amino acid SPS
6 drop Stylo glow
0.3ml Zeostart twice daily (morning and evening)
1ml K-balance, very rare occassions.

Every other day dosing:

5 drop zeobak
5 drop zeofood
5ml B-balance twice weekly
zeospur2 every 21 days, dosed with 5 drops Jodi komplex
2 drop KZ iron done on saturday

Once a month
10ml Zeospur Macro elements

setbacks over come.
 

so recently i had some set backs with my equipment. and live stock.
so i get up yesterday morning at 5am to head to work, i always take a peek at the tank before i leave, even with the lights off. and i see my yellow tang which i have had for 5years stuck to the side of the vortech lifeless.
RIP buddy.
pic from better times
http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/r...yWallpaper.jpg

while still feeling down, i was vonurable to all the new fish at Red Coral and came home with a fat purple tang, Kevin had 6 in stock and they were all eating like pigs and looked like it.
he was welcomed by my tomi tang, which soon left him alone. and yes thats a huge bubble algae growing out of the birdnest. :lol:

http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/r...0/IMG_2157.jpg

so already it wasnt the best start of the day, so after work, at 9pm
i decided to replace the two new 10k lamps that i got from Red Coral.

http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/r...0/IMG_2129.jpg

i then thought it would be a perfect time to clean the acrylic cover so i go to get the vinager, when i trip on the leg of the fixture and snap it back breaking the leg, i was flippin last night.
this is what got cracked.
http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/r...0/IMG_2143.jpg

i tried glueing it by clamping it down,

http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/r...0/IMG_2154.jpg

then buffing out the xtra glue, it was 2:30am when i finally got it back onto the fixture, what a sigh of relief i thought as i pushed it back to line it up when i hear *CRACK* it broke again, i set the fixture on the coffee table to deal with in the morning.
which i did, by going to a big box aquarium store and finding the last pair of replacment legs. this issue was solved.

but while waiting for the glue to harden post breaking the leg, the top of the tank was wide open, so i took the opp to take a top down pic.

http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/r...0/IMG_2114.jpg
naked tank

http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/r...0/IMG_2148.jpg

i also took the opp to clean my vortech, which needed a good cleaning.
i took some of the algae of it, and put it back in the tank, then it doesnt want to start, just giving spurts of on and off, so i take it out take the back plate off, and there was a black bump, i thought it was some kinda crazy sponge that liked to be spun around and around, then i tried to take it off, and what comes out is black oxidized iron (i am guessing) and it was eating away at the black of the disk. so the wet side is shot.

http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/r...0/IMG_2135.jpg
http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/r...0/IMG_2134.jpg

then i go to Red Coral in the late morning, and Kevin hooks me up with a replacement part, and i get it home and still doesnt work. i go back to red coral and Kevin tested different scenerios of the pump, long story short its shot. Kevin was awesome as he lent me the stores vortech until the new mp40 will arrive, which will be in a few weeks.
thanks Kevin. tank is up and running again

so it was a great day off today, i got to go the red coral 3 times in the last two days, and i got to spend sometime with the tank, as well a new fish.

good times.

http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/r...0/IMG_2160.jpg

Despite your setbacks I love your tank not to mention that very nice new fish you go there. I was expecting to hear of some bleaching with you getting new bulbs and cleaning the cover at the same time but I'm glad to read (and see) the corals are still awesome.

That was a run of bad luck. Hopefully that's the last of it.

I'm glad that it was all bittersweet in the end. I'm looking forward to one day seeing your set up in person. Everything looks amazing in there as usual.

i do love them purple tangs! would have a boat load of them if i could. glad to hear that these were just minor glitches :-)

ps: i am inviting myself over sometime, watch out!

Look out for his level 5 spoon attack dude.

Wow. I would freak out if that happens to me. But i don't have a vortech :-)

Sorry to hear about your mishaps, but as others stated, and I also agree, your tank is beautiful.

You now have me worried about the vortechs, as I just bought one. Was yours a gen 1 or gen 2.

Wasn't that one of the primary problems with the wetsides fo the Gen1's? The uncoated magnet often led to the failure of the pumps. Good to see you're having that sorted out though.

Do you really replace your bulbs every three months? - did I read that correctly?

Tank looks awesome BTW :)

I'm very curious about this too. I have heard so many conflicting reports.. some replace their T5s once a year, some every few months, and you replace yours every 3??

K.

Incredible tank John! That tank has amazing growth and is stunning! I have had my eye on those purple tangs too over the last few weeks. Would love to try one if I can get this tank up and running quickly (if there is any left!). They are so nice and fat!
GREAT BUY! Sorry to hear of the tank mishaps - seems to always go that way - one thing after another!
Gorgeous tank!

Previous to this I saw 6 months once, and I though that was crazy. I also thought the general consensus was 1 year (depending on quality of bulbs) - mine burned out sooner (damn Current USA 18" bulbs), but \I have a PAR meter to monitor my bulb life.

What's your reasoning on the 3 months (if indeed that is correct)?

thanks Brett, no bleaching yet and colors have stayed the same, the tank now has a bright white look to it. i am trying to be like, Iwan lasser from the Switzerland. :mrgreen:

yes me too. :biggrin:

yeah its all bitter sweet in the end, as much as there are issues and time envolved with the tank, i really love the hobby in the end.

yup he is chillin out, it would be great to have a larger tank and have a school of them, they have an intresting body pattern.

and sure come on over, reefers are always welcome to drop by, when i am not working, hehe.

huh...? is this like pokemon stuff ?

BTW, how do you get pikachu on a bus ...?


POKE-HIM-ON :mrgreen:

yeah its a bummer, but it had a good run, and i dont fault ecotech.

it was a gen1, like the first batch that were produced, it came in a brown cardboard box with stickers on the side.

i do have a mp40w as well, both are great pumps.

Thanks shrimpchips

not sure about the issues they have, as there have a few with the gen1, this was the first that i have encountered.

and YES, i do change out the t5;s every 2.5-3 months.

Yes, the blubs get changed out, 2.5-3 months.

i had orginally planned to change them out every 6, but i wanted to see if there was a difference after 3. and to the eye the tank looked more bright and a hint of blue after changing them out early. it kinda stuck on me.

Thanks Carmen, yeah those purple tangs are FAT. i put half a sheet of nori in the tank, he tried to roll nemo in it to have nemo sushi, hahah, not true. but he did go to town on it.

yup, 3 months, i have had good results with them thus far, so its kinda hard to change now. maybe in a new system, i would try to go further, and see what happens, but for now i will contiune to change them out, 2.5 -3 months.

and for those who have asked. my friend Scott comes by every 2.5-3 months, to pick up the blubs and trade frags.

thanks everyone.

japanese reef magazines
 

my friend Kazu went to Japan last week and I asked him to pick up some Japanese reef aquarim magaiznes.
heres what he got me.
the last pic i thought was a large aquarium, until you see the eye glasses in the pic.

lots of pics in side, tanks spotless, tons of werid nano planted tanks,

now i wish i could read them :lol:

http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/r...G_2186-1-1.jpg

http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/r...0/IMG_2187.jpg

http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/r...0/IMG_2188.jpg

http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/r...0/IMG_2189.jpg

http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/r...IMG_2190-1.jpg

Are those tiny shrimp in that last pico? Wow, small. That first one in the spherical container is amazing... pretty cool stuff!

red crystal shrimp

in a $300 CAD tank set up :)

Send them here, I'll read them for you.

lobsterboy vids
 

cant read the site, going to ask my friend to translate. found this while googling around.

stoked. check it out.

http://hotit.jp/ojyarumaru/index.php...eo=yGmF-MXxx5w

http://hotit.jp/ojyarumaru/index.php...eo=skmUVrU0a3k

Your internationally recognized!:hail:

Thanks Doug, the hail guy, always reminds of waynes world. :lol:

Very cool!!

whoot!!!:BIG:

thanks guys.

SO, I recently did some work the left side of my tank. re aquascaped.

and I picked up this wicked pink stylo at Red Coral today, it was pretty hard to choose just one colony there, as there was a ton of awesome SPS to choose from, bright colors and very nice sizes. and they had alot of SPS frags in their back tank as well. some cool stuff there for sure.

heres the stylo getting a dip, and that color is under day light.

:razz::razz::razz:

http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/r...0/IMG_2281.jpg

Niiiiiiice! Can't wait to see pics under lights! =]

yeah its looks pretty cool under the lights, i do have similar piece of this as well in my tank , and it came out with blue polyps.
i really hope this piece has pink polyps.

I am playing with the dosing of stylo, pocci glow to see if i can take out the blue on my older piece.