Jump to content

Sierra Bravo's 120 in-wall tank, a.k.a "Where I keep my paychecks"


Sierra Bravo

Recommended Posts

10 minutes ago, RicordeaFreak said:

I missed the last update photos, you have some really nice looking stuff in there. I love the yellow watchman I had one in my pico for a while, they have an interesting personality and their always grumpy looking face makes me laugh. That coralline algae growth is crazy.

I have no shortage of coralline.  🙂  I have to scrape it off the glass every two weeks or so.  More than that and it gets really heavy.

Yeah, the YWG is always described as having personality.  Mine is paired with a Randall's pistol shrimp.  They are one of the few things I'll actually catch my wife checking out in the tank.  The acros, well "they're just sticks. . . I don't care for them"  🙄

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My odd growing slimer.  Only horizontal growth and all from the bottom - top has just become a little bushier.  I'm guessing it has to be due to downward flow from my Gyres.  It's in a place where the opposing current often comes together and diverts downward.  WWC Yellow Tip right beside it has the same thing going on, although the original stalk is growing vertical.

My odd growing slimer.  Only horizontal growth and all from the bottom - top has just become a little bushier.  I'm guessing it has to be due to downward flow from my Gyres.  It's in a place where the opposing current often comes together and diverts downward.  WWC Yellow Tip right beside it has the same thing going on, although the original stalk is growing vertical.

zpvWVc3l.jpg

8o1VYJil.jpg

 

Happy about my Palmer's Blue Millie finally taking off.  Sat idle for a long time.

9mQpFdNl.jpg

 

My odd growing slimer.  Only horizontal growth and all from the bottom - top has just become a little bushier.  I'm guessing it has to be due to downward flow from my Gyres.  It's in a place where the opposing current often comes together and diverts downward.  WWC Yellow Tip right beside it has the same thing going on, although the original stalk is growing vertical.
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Sierra Bravo said:

I have no shortage of coralline.  🙂  I have to scrape it off the glass every two weeks or so.  More than that and it gets really heavy.

Yeah, the YWG is always described as having personality.  Mine is paired with a Randall's pistol shrimp.  They are one of the few things I'll actually catch my wife checking out in the tank.  The acros, well "they're just sticks. . . I don't care for them"  🙄

You should bottle that stuff up and sell it, i'm sure there are some people out there who would buy it. Have you noticed the growth of the coralline affecting your cal/alk numbers? I would imagine with that much in your system that it would be up-taking a bit. I love that even the CUC shells are purple haha.

The YWG and tiger pistol I originally had attracted the attention of my wife too, enough to want her to set up her own tank. Which she immediately threw some of what others would consider No-No corals like zenia and blue clove polyps since I wouldn't let her put them into my tank.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, RicordeaFreak said:

You should bottle that stuff up and sell it, i'm sure there are some people out there who would buy it. Have you noticed the growth of the coralline affecting your cal/alk numbers? I would imagine with that much in your system that it would be up-taking a bit. I love that even the CUC shells are purple haha.

The YWG and tiger pistol I originally had attracted the attention of my wife too, enough to want her to set up her own tank. Which she immediately threw some of what others would consider No-No corals like zenia and blue clove polyps since I wouldn't let her put them into my tank.

 

It's hard to tell what drives it, because my alk numbers tend to swing a bit even with peristaltic pumps dosing two-part, but it does seem if I let it get out of hand and the spots get too large on the glass my alk usage goes up.  And that would make sense because as the spots increase in size they grow at an exponential rate as far as surface area created. 

I've added small rocks from my sump which normally have very little coralline to the display tank and on average, it takes them only about three weeks or so to get to purple.

I know the color makes it look like I'm saturating the photo.  I do pull the blues out of my pics a bit before posting to get the coral colors right, but not by much.  Top is before processing and the bottom is after.  It really is that purple.

JKkfdwMl.jpgzpvWVc3l.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So the frag below, soon to be mini-colony, is the D&M millie that I purchased from @Gig 'em @ NDstructible   about 8 mos ago.  I had a frag with me at the ARC meeting and John had remarked I was pulling some different colors out of it than he had.  I thought I'd post a pic here and revisit it down the road to see what becomes of it.  The pic is not great; I'm shooting with my phone through a coral viewer and it just isn't capturing the vibrancy.

Gig 'em, if you happen to read this, can you fill in the backstory on this frag?  I thought you said it was a hobbyist couple and I inferred they were local, but I've since found D & M Corals (Dave and Monica) out of Aurora CO and was wondering if I heard wrong.

GLbZNMel.jpg

 

Here's a processed photo using the curve tool to filter the blues out.  In reality it is somewhere in between these two pics:

 

76D5j32h.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Grow, darn you, grow!  FTS under evening blues.  Not too bad for a cell phone.   I didn't see it until after, but if you look on the orange monti sitting on the bottom in the middle of the tank you'll see my little red scooter blenny perched on top taking it easy. 🙂

OaKBWEvh.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My Ruby Red Dragonet booked a one way flight out of the tank and onto my fish room floor last night.  To add insult to injury, I found him by stepping on him with my bare foot.  When I looked down in my sleepy still-hadn't-had-coffeee state my very first thought was "Who the heck left a piece of Slim Jim on the floor of my fish room?"  So I kicked it off the rubber mat out of the way.  It was then I realized "Oh, no!"  Darn fish - one of my favorites to watch.

5VPcQhxl.jpg

 

  • Sad 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is a cruddy photo taken through a coral viewer, but I know [mention=463]FarmerTy[/mention]  likes to see how his efflo does in other people's tanks.  It's been encrusting like crazy for a while and is now starting to begin to table with purple axial corallites and white tips.   Nice pieceTy!
3315jvdl.jpg
That's impressive growth Scott!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have never really noticed this before, but I have some type of green coralline or other algae along with the purple.  Hard to see it when my reef lights are on, but if they are off and all my living room lights are on you can see it clearly.  Not sure if this is common for everyone or not.

 

RXyiUA0l.jpg?1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
At the risk of jinxing myself, I have had these bimacs in QT for two weeks now and so far so good. 
hPHzvD3l.jpg
Beautiful bud! Feed them at least 2x/day frozen... They're a pain to feed but rewarding to see brighten up the tank with their amazing color and activity.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

47 minutes ago, Cdklos said:

Your gonna put all those guys in a 120? Looks like 7?

 

Actually eight.  Well, here's the story:  I've been waiting on bimacs from a wholesaler since May, and that deal finally fell through permanently.  I bought five from Aquadome, which was my target number.  When I bought them, three were known to have swim bladder issues and we're swimming head down.  I got them basically for next to nothing to try to get them back to health.  One perished within a few days.

Almost the same time, bimacs became available online and on sale.  I bought three more as back ups, expecting the other two to die as well.  I was sent four instead.  On top of that, I vented the bladders on the two remaining bimacs that had issues and they've recovered surprisingly well.

So long story short; wanted five, ended up with eight.  If they all stay healthy, yes, I'll put in all eight.  I've got a tank that I dose nitrates and phosphates in twice a week in order to register them on a Hanna.  This despite feeding heavily four times per day.  I think the tank will take the additional bio load with no issue and I can stop dosing.

Anyone think otherwise?  I'm always open to opinions and suggestions from those that have had the experience.

Current inhabitants:

  • Purple tang
  • White tailed bristletooth tang
  • Swallowtail angel
  • Two 3" chromis
  • Mystery wrasse
  • Yellow watchman goby
  • 2 greenbanded gobies
  • 1 Rudy red scooter dragonet
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...