So I was fiddling with the camera in manual mode. That "overexposure" on the top of the larger corals is really frustrating to deal with. I really do need to get a book on photography, if I could just stop spending money on tank stuff for 5 minutes. Anyway, I think this is one of the better tank photos.
Since last I posted I picked up a squamosa clam (cream color with brown stripey bits), he's very camera shy and doesn't like to position himself in any sort of photogenic state so just imagine what he looks like until I can get him to behave himself. Currently he is between the two islands, I don't think he likes all the flow, but his mantles is out and happy. Oh I did manage to get a photo, here he is in all his glory!
I also got an orange shoulder tang. I've wanted one of these for about 3 weeks. LOL, they weren't even on my radar until the LFS got one in that was a yellow juvenile with the beginnings of the "shoulder" marking. Of course by the time I realized I wanted it, it was sold. Then last week they got an adult in and promptly put it in their display tanks
This week I had them order one in for me. Yay me! Course the lavender went to town on it. Nothing major, just chasing and waving their butts at each other. Of course they're both Acanthurus. I'm usually really good about researching new livestock. For some reason I was thinking the Lavender was a Ctenochaetus (don't ask me why as its clear as day, looking at the two of them). Anyway, its day 3 and things are calming down and the shoulder tang is out and about. Every once in awhile the two of them race by and then it calms down again.
I installed the vortech. I think the bearings in the dry side are going as there is quite a bit of chatter when you ramp it up past about 50%. I keep it as low as it can go or its just too noisy. It gets the job done and all the fish love that corner of the tank to get their exercise in the current. I'm hoping to replace the wet side as soon as the money tree starts budding again. I've been pruning it rather liberally lately
I'm also trying out some N/P Biopellets. I'm hoping they'll take a bite out of the cyano (which you can see in almost every bloody photo...
). I don't recommend the phosban 550 reactor for this. It seems the TLF people are pretty short sighted in the design and its for slow flow for phosban only. I've had to modify it (removing the top plate and flipping the bottom plate so that the tube part dangles at the bottom, then put a piece of mesh at the top to slow the flow exciting to build up some pressure inside to get everything moving) as well as put ridiculous amounts of flow through it to get the pellets to jostle about. Oh well, thats what I get for trying to save a buck I guess.
Gratuitous eye candy! As you can see, I have some cyano (just a bit
) and some flatworms. Don't look any closer than that. *sigh*
