31g All-in-One Setup

[coachfraley]

Picked up my 31g All-in-One tank today. It is has a roughly 22g display, and a 9g sump. The dimensions are 24Lx19.5Wx16T. Tank is 1/2" acrylic with 1/2" euro-bracing on the display portion of the tank.

Equipment:

Finnex 4x24watt HO T5 Lighting (10,000k x2, 460nm actinic, 420nm actinic)
Eheim 1000 return pump
Koralia Nano
Still have to add one more small powerhead, maybe another koralia nano
Visatherm 100 watt heater
Tunze 9002 skimmer
DIY fuge light with 15watt 6700k bulb
Red Sea Max Stand

Here are a few shots of the tank. I got it up and running tonight and I added about 8 lbs. of my LR (about 3 lbs. into the sump). The rock came from one of my other tanks.

Assuming all of the levels look good tomorrow, I will probably start adding the rest of my LR (that has corals attached). Stay tuned for more pics.

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gfront.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31grear.jpg

This pic looks dry, but believe it or not, there is water in there:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gfullshot.jpg

[spudbuds]

That looks awesome coach! Very nice tank and you can truly say you have a one of a kind.

Of course now I have to stay up late tomorrow night for the new pics. Thanks! :ezpi_wink1:

[Halelorf]

looks good coach!

[sailor]

Looking great so far coach.:19:

[Lady Hobbs]

Nice! And you'll have it beautiful in no time!

[Tigerbarb]

Lookin' good! That Red sea max stand has many convenient storage spaces, as I have heard from their website. I can't wait to see how it looks with your corals in it.

[cabrego]

Nice I like the tank design! What are your stocking plans?!

[cocoa_pleco]

that looks S-I-C-K!

[jimpierce]

looks good so far!!

[Tolley]

looks amazing already! if it turns out anything even close to the photoshop. YOu will have the most amazing tank of all time.

[zackish]

It's lookin good. I can't wait to get mine goin. I will def. have some good pics up here.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

I like that, looks really good. Nice simple design too.

[coachfraley]

Well, it was a lot of work, but I got it all in there! The corals are still pretty PO'ed, so they are not open all the way. Here is a livestock list and one pic.

Fish & Inverts:
Pair of O. Clowns
Green Chromis
2 skunk shrimp
4 turbo snails
2 Astrea snails
6 hermits

Corals:
6 kinds of zoas
3 frilly mushrooms, 3 green hairy mushrooms
Sinularia (in the back left for now)
frogspawn
green ricordia

FTS:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gday1.jpg

[MandyL]

It looks fantastic! Nice work!

[cocoa_pleco]

Well, it was a lot of work, but I got it all in there! The corals are still pretty PO'ed, so they are not open all the way. Here is a livestock list and one pic.

Fish & Inverts:
Pair of O. Clowns
Green Chromis
2 skunk shrimp
4 turbo snails
2 Astrea snails
6 hermits

Corals:
6 kinds of zoas
3 frilly mushrooms, 3 green hairy mushrooms
Sinularia (in the back left for now)
frogspawn
green ricordia

FTS:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gday1.jpg

that tank is just screaming TOTM!

:18: :18: :18: :18:

[Tigerbarb]

Very nice! I like how your rocks are aquascaped in the form of a wall. You have a nice assortment of corals, too.
I think you could get one more fish if you wanted. If you get one more, I'd suggest another chromis, as chromis like to be in groups.

[spudbuds]

Looks great coach! Well done again.

- Bill

[coachfraley]

Thanks everybody!

I set up the skimmer last night. The bubbles started up this morning, so I will be adjusting it to get it in tune. I will try to take some pictures of the unit tonight (tunze 9002). It has a REALLY cool magnet attachment system, so getting it in the tank, and leveled correctly was as easy as dropping in a koralia.

[Rue]

LOL...I thought I recognized the stand, I have the same one!

Very nice, but I was wondering why you just didn't buy the RSM tank as well, since what you have is essentially the same thing?

[coachfraley]

I went with an acrylic tank because it was a trade for some web work (didn't cost me any $$$). All I had to buy was the light, skimmer, and return pump. The cheapest I have seen the RSM for is around $650, so I saved quite a few dollars.

If money was not an issue, I think I would have chosen the RSM. I like the clean look of the unit.

[Rue]

Gotcha! Makes perfect sense! :hmm3grin2orange:

Looking forward to seeing the tank mature!:19:

[coachfraley]

Everything opened up today, so I thought I would shoot some pics. These pics are larger than I usually post. Let me know if they are too big.

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/BIG31gfts.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/BIGclownpair.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/BIGskunk.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/BIGzoagarden.jpg

[Rue]

Looks good!:19:

So when's the 120 coming? :laugh1blue:

[Tigerbarb]

Very nice! That sinularia it twice as tall as it was when you first showed us pix, and those zoas look to be in great shape. thumbs2:

[coachfraley]

I moved some stuff around and made a few additions. I have been working really hard on coral placement, and I think I am pretty much done. Let me know what you think.

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gfts1.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/lside.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/rside.jpg

[spudbuds]

Man, you have a bunch of zoas. Very cool! The left side of the tank is going to look awesome when those fill in. Lookin' good. Keep it up!

- Bill

[Fenix]

wow that looks amazing! so neat and tidy. keep up the great work

[coachfraley]

Thanks for the compliments. I have a hitch-hiker that I thought was a sponge, but a friend looked at it and said it was a porite (SPS!), so that is pretty cool. It is about the size of a silver dollar.

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/unknown.jpg

[NickFish]

Very nice tank!

[Rue]

Nice! Dunno if I like the rockwork better in your 'after'...is there enough water flow between it all?

[coachfraley]

It doesn't really convey in the pics, but there are actually a ton of caves and crevices in the rockwork. In the pics, it looks like a solid block. I don't have a powerhead aimed right into the rocks, so there might be some dead spots in there, should I be concerned?

[coachfraley]

Added some new frags.

Candy Cane:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/candycane.jpg

Unknown Purpley zoas, and green apple cap
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/2new.jpg

Unknown Reddish zoas
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/newreds.jpg

FTS
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gupdate.jpg

[Drumachine09]

I want your tank......no kidding.

[TowBoater]

Tank looks great! I started myself a 10g nano, I may need a little help from you on it soon.

[coachfraley]

Whoo Hooo, good luck Kuli!

Hang in there Drum, you'll have that cyano beat soon!

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Coach, what kind of lighting do you have on that tank?

[cocoa_pleco]

Coach, what kind of lighting do you have on that tank?

im gonna take a guess, i think he said 4x24w T-5

anywho, wicked tank! TOTM material!

[coachfraley]

Cocoa got it right. It is the Finnex model 4x24watt HO T5 (2x 10,000k, 460nm actinic, 420nm actinic)

The only problem I have with the light is that it does not have the individual reflectors for each bulb. That feature would have cost me another $70.

On a side note, I am currently working on finding a chiller for the tank. It is WAY too hot here in Southern CA, and I am getting tired of the stress of worrying about my tank overheating. I think I am going to just fork out the cash so I can relax. All the deals I am finding are for 1/10 hp units, so it is looking like I will end up with a bit of an overkill.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Ok, I was just checking because that green apple cap is a Monticap which is a SPS coral, good luck with that one, they are one of the very few lower light SPS corals.

[coachfraley]

Yes, I couldn't resist picking that one up. I got it, and the purpley zoas in that pic. from a local reefer for $30. I told him my lighting situation and he assured me that it would do fine. This guy's setup was NUTS! He had a 300g SPS tank and a mixed frag tank (about 90g). Some of his zoas were amazing, but he was in the process of growing them out, so I will have to wait to get some. He had these ones with purple centers and green skirts, that were the nicest zoas I've ever seen.

I actually have 3 SPS in the tank right now. I was given a tricolor acropora, that I am going to try to trade for something more suitable for my tank. I also have a hitch-hiker porite:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/unknown.jpg

This came on some new rock that I added when I upgraded. It has all ready colored up quite a bit since I got it. It is now a solid tan color, so it might do OK in my tank. Unfortunately, I can't do much with it because it is stuck to a big piece of rock that I really don't want to move. It is about mid-way up in the tank, so it gets OK light.

[coachfraley]

Borrowed a nice camera with a sick macro lens. I just wish I had better skillz! I will be monkeying around with the thing for a few days, so hopefully I will improve a little. Here are a few of my best shots.

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/macrominis.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/macroclown2.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/macroric2.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/macrohc.jpg

[Halelorf]

All I have to say is wow...

[Tigerbarb]

I see nothing wrong with those... Have you tried submitting any pix to a magazine?

[ladyoutlaw50]

such a beautiful tank!! Nice work!!

[TowBoater]

Very nice pictures, congrats.

[coachfraley]

Made some more additions to my tank:

Blue zoa frag. Cost me $25 from a local reefer.
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/bluezoas1.jpg

Staghorn crab that was thrown in free with the zoas:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/staghorn.jpg

Orange Montipora, picked up free from another local:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/orangecap.jpg

[Ellen4God]

Wow. Your pictures certainly are breath taking! Very very nice. Thanks so much for sharing.

[Halelorf]

man those blue zoas look awesome!

[coachfraley]

Thanks for the compliments!!!

[spudbuds]

Great additions again coach!

[squirt_12]

Very nice coach! They are awesome! I LOVE the Staghorn Crab...it is awesome! Very nice additions.

[jimpierce]

wow. Wonderful pictures!!! I'm guessin' you aren't using an instamatic?

[coachfraley]

Thanks guys! Actually Jim, I am using a camera I borrowed from my boss. It is a Nikon D80, with a 105mm macro lense. If I new how to use it, I could probably take some really nice pics, but I am not very knowledgable about cameras. I am more of a "point and click" person.

I will have the camera through the weekend, so I am going to take as many shots as I can.

[Drumachine09]

I love the one of the clown, its really nice.

[coachfraley]

One thing I don't understand, is how to mess with the focal distance. Like in that picture of the clown...I think there is a way to get it so that the entire shot is in focus, not just the clown. If you look closely, the part of the picture that is clearest, is the liverock in the front.

I think you are supposed to mess with the appature setting, but I cant seem to get it right! Ugghhh.

[Drumachine09]

If I remember correctly, digital3 is the camera guy. He might be able to help you.

[coachfraley]

Thanks Drum! He is local too! Maybe he can come over and take some shots, lol.

[squirt_12]

Hey coach...would you be able to put up an updated FTS shot?? With the new additions it should look awesome!

[coachfraley]

I'll try to get one tomorrow evening. The way I have it set up, my lighting schedule is not fitting in with my schedule very well. I think I will have to adjust it, so that I can watch the tank more!

[TowBoater]

NOICE! I am going to try and get my 10g really colorful like your tank.

[coachfraley]

Here is the FTS. I am having a little bit of trouble cleaning the acrylic in the bottom left hand side of the tank. I think I need to find a good acrylic scraper. My credit card just doesn't reach down there very well, lol. You can see I picked up a second Koralia Nano. The flow looks much better now. I have 760gph in the display.

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gupdate2.jpg

[Rue]

:19: Pretty!!! :hmm3grin2orange: :11:

[squirt_12]

WOW! Amazing! Thanks so much for posting one coach!:19:

[coachfraley]

I re-aquascaped the upper portion of my tank today. I wanted to create a separate area for my sps acquisitions to grow out, where they would not be encroached upon by my zoas.

My new digitata:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/digitata.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/spsarea.jpg

[Tigerbarb]

Lookin' good!!!! I wonder if my 20g can ever look like that...

[TowBoater]

Tiger, anything is possible! Can I get some info on that new coral? I like it!

[smcurry83]

That's seriously an awesome tank. The work behind a s/w tank scares me, but you make it look so freakin easy. Great job!

[coachfraley]

The green coral is a green montipora capricornis. I think the common name is green apple cap. The coral on the left is also a montipora capricornis, it is just the "red candy" version (it actually looks orange). The middle (top) coral is a montipora digitata. I also have a purple montipora digitata that I will be moving up there as well.

[Drumachine09]

Waiting for a reaquascaped FTS......*taps foot impatiently*

[Tigerbarb]

Ocellaris clowns get that big? I'm really glad I chose a 20g rather than a 10g... What is the average life span of an ocellaris clown?

[cocoa_pleco]

Ocellaris clowns get that big? I'm really glad I chose a 20g rather than a 10g... What is the average life span of an ocellaris clown?

6-10 years, but i know plenty of people that have had some for 15+ years

[coachfraley]

Cocoa is right, they can live a long time...and given the right conditions, they can get big. Mine are actually small compared to some I have seen.

Drum, this is the best I could do on such short notice. I was able to get one shot in before my lights switched into actinic mode, so please excuse the poor quality.

The second image shows where I am going to stick another piece of live rock, so I can move a purple digitata frag from the sand, up to the top.

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/fast31update.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/fast31update1.jpg

[coachfraley]

Re-organized the top a little bit more. Picked up a ric too.

New FTS:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gupdate3.jpg

Orange Ric $15:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/oric.jpg

Mean Green Zoas:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/meangreen.jpg

[Tigerbarb]

Love the new additions!!! Are you sure that chromis doesn't need a buddy?

[coachfraley]

I think I am only going to add one more fish, and I want something that is going to hang out in the rock work. I would really like a redheaded goby, but I am having trouble finding one. If I can't get one, I might get a blenny of some sort.

[cocoa_pleco]

blennys are great, ive got a lawnmower in my 55g. hes really active and sits around the rockwork. when hes hungry, he swims up and bites on the algae on the glass

[coachfraley]

Thanks Cocoa, I'll take a look at those.

[cocoa_pleco]

just make sure you can get some algae for him, they need algae in their diet, and mature reefs dont have alot of algea, i always have to make sure i grow enough for him

newest FTS looks great!

[coachfraley]

I have nori that I use to suppliment my crabs and snails, so I guess I could use that. It would be nice not to have to worry about any algae taking off.

If my redhead doesn't come in this week's shipment at my LFS, I'll probably just get one of those. I saw 3 of them in stock last week.

Oh, and thanks for the compliment!

[Tigerbarb]

I don't mean to pester you, but are you the least bit concerned about your lonely chromis?

[cocoa_pleco]

chromis should be fine as long as hes not looking skittish, after mine started disappearing i had a single one left, and he was fine

[coachfraley]

Here is a little update. This tank has beeen up about 2 months now. I have had some fish troubles recently. I purchased a very nice twinspot goby, but every night, he would swim through the teeth in my overflow and into the rear compartment. I got sick of fishing him out, so I took him back to my LFS. I also lost my blue flasher wrasse (carpet surfed). I had never heard of them being jumpers, so I was pretty surprised when I found him after work. Those two issues are really going to narrow my fish choices in the future on this tank. I need a non-jumper, who is big enough to stay out of my overflow. Anyway, here is my current livestock list:

Fish & Inverts:
Pair of O. Clowns
Green Chromis
Pair of skunk shrimp
2 turbo snails
1 Astrea snail
5 margarita snails (3 of them in sump)
2 nerite snails
2 nassarius snails
5 hermits
staghorn crab

Corals:
11 varieties of zoas, 3 kinds of palys
3 green hairy mushrooms, green ricordia, orange ricordia, 2 yumas
frogspawn
green monti cap., orange monti cap
digitata, german blue digitata
candy cane

One of my snails is laying eggs all over the place. I don't know which snail it is, but you can see the white specs in my FTS:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gupdate4.jpg

Also just added a chiller 2 days ago. No worries about the temp. now!

[TowBoater]

NOICE!! Hope my 10g gets that good!

[Halelorf]

My astrea snails are constantly laying eggs on my glass. They look like white threads spiralled with whit globs on them.

[kaybee]

Great set up there!

[cocoa_pleco]

nice clean tank, havent you had ANY algae yet? lol

[coachfraley]

not really Cocoa, lol. I get a little brown algae on the glass, but the snails clean it up pretty well. No GHA thank goodness

[coachfraley]

I forgot to thank everyone for the compliments!!!!

[coachfraley]

Made a couple of new additions:

Ric I picked up for $12
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/newric1.jpg

Another one I got
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/newric2.jpg

Some yumas I traded for
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/yumarock.jpg

Nothing new here, just liked this shot
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/sidepic1.jpg

[coachfraley]

My staghorn posed for this shot
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/staghorn1.jpg

[TowBoater]

Great pics, love the yuma. Them red polyps are AWESOME!:18:

[squirt_12]

Very ncie coach! I love the tank! Now is that a piece of coral that the staghorn has on its back?? Its always there isn't it? AND if it is a coral, does the crab actually have to live under certain lighting conditions?
Lovely tank!thumbs2:

[Halelorf]

Very ncie coach! I love the tank! Now is that a piece of coral that the staghorn has on its back?? Its always there isn't it? AND if it is a coral, does the crab actually have to live under certain lighting conditions?
Lovely tank!thumbs2:

The shell is a bryozoan coral that is a filter feeder. I think they are awesome and would love to get one but my tank wouldn't be a great place for one.

[coachfraley]

The crab was given to me my by a local reefer when I bought some zoas from him. The coral "shell" appears to be doing well so far.

It is an interesting crab, it never leaves the sand bed. It just wanders around on the sand bed looking for food.

[squirt_12]

The shell is a bryozoan coral that is a filter feeder. I think they are awesome and would love to get one but my tank wouldn't be a great place for one.
Thanks! I did not know that. So the crab itself has to eat along with the coral? Thats cool!

[coachfraley]

I made a progression pic. of my hitch-hiker zoa rock. This rock has moved from my 12g nano (which was up for about 9 months), into my 31g.:

1: 2 months after setup
2. 5 months after setup
3. 13 months after setup

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/zoaprogress1.jpg

[TowBoater]

Amazing how fast they spread ain't it? you need to send me a frag of them!

[cocoa_pleco]

thats crazy, mine are the same way. i bought a rock and theyve covered the rocks to the side of them too.

[coachfraley]

Another pic. I took today. My clown has taken to hanging out between my two green hairy mushrooms.

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/wiggle.jpg

[TowBoater]

Amazing! You have such an awesome tank! Thank you for providing something for me to shoot for.:hmm3grin2orange:

[kaybee]

Nice progression shots!

[spudbuds]

Great growth there coach! Awesome pics as always.

- Bill

[coachfraley]

Thanks guys! I added a blue reef chromis today. Hopefully tomorrow I can get a good pic. of him.

I am going to keep my fingers crossed, I have had horrible luck with my #4 fish in this tank.

[coachfraley]

Got some new pics, so I thought I'd drop them in.

My new blue reef chromis

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/bluechromis.jpg

Some hitch-hiker zoas that are finally starting to grow

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/hellfirezoas.jpg

A new ricordia I picked up

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/ricshot.jpg

My clown disappearing between his favorite mushrooms :)

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/clowntail.jpg

[Futureboy]

wow wicked looking tank thumbs2:

[oldhead]

:19: Lovin the pictures! Keep em' coming!

[Fish4Fun]

Where did you find that Coach, it looks amazing and very tidy,im sure it will look even more visually asthetic by the time your finnished.

[GouramiGal]

I'm in awe. Amazing! Thanks for sharing!

[cocoa_pleco]

Where did you find that Coach, it looks amazing and very tidy,im sure it will look even more visually asthetic by the time your finnished.

its a amazing tank, i believe he got the tank custom made and a red sea max stand. makes me want to switch to acrylic tanks!

[coachfraley]

Thanks Cocoa, and thanks to everyone else for the compliments.

[coachfraley]

Hello everyone. It has been a while since I posted anything (I have been swamped at work). The tank is doing well. I am having a problem with my pink palys not opening up, but other than that, all of my corals are doing great.

I also had a problem with my blue reef chromis and my green chromis fighting, so I ended up catching them both, and taking them back to my LFS. That leaves me with a pair of O. clowns and a mandarin.

I think I am eventually going to run into a problem with my green hairy mushrooms. They are getting so big, they will take over the tank soon!

Here is a FTS:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gupdate9.jpg

My mandarin (a little over 3 months old now)
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/mandarin3.jpg

[labnjab]

Awesome looking tank. I hope ours will look that good eventually.

[cocoa_pleco]

absolutely gorgeous

[coachfraley]

Thanks guys!

That batch of pink palys is a gonner. I hope whatever took them out doesn't effect anything else in my tank! You can see that there is some green matter growing on them, and I don't know if that is the cause of the trouble (you can see it in the pic of the mandarin above).

I did another check of my levels, and everything was good????

[oldhead]

Man Coach, I only wish my tank looked as good right now. That thing looks great! I would love to keep a Mandarin but my tank is still too young. Sucks to hear about the chromis. Any plans for replacements? I'll take some of the mushrooms of your hands. lol.

[coachfraley]

Thanks oldhead! Not sure on the replacements yet. I am just going to watch and see what shows up at my "preffered" LFS.

I would like one of the dwarf angels, but I don't think I want to risk getting a coral nipper. I will probably end up with a six line or something...the good thing is, I am in no hurry, so I can just wait for something that is healthy, and a good fit for my tank.

Regarding the mushrooms, I will probably end up getting rid of the rock in the upper right hand corner (with 2 GHM's on it). That rock will be easy to take out, and relatively easy to replace with something else.

[kaybee]

Nice! Thanks for posting the update (though, sorry to hear about the zoas).
Very healthy looking mandarin there.

How did you manage to catch the chromis'?

[coachfraley]

I netted one, and I used a 2 liter bottle trap for the other (cut off the top of bottle and inverted it.) The trap worked like a charm. I was planning on breaking down the tank...needless to say, I was very happy the trap worked.

[coachfraley]

October updates. No new corals, but I might have to move some things this month that are getting too big. My orange monti. will probably be the first to go. Then the mushroom rock in the upper right (the mushrooms are on the move!). Thanks to anyone who is following along!

FTS:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gupdate10.jpg

My digitata and apple cap, that digitata is finally starting to tint a little blue:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/digitata1.jpg

My favorite zoas. I think they are called hellfires:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/hellfirezoas1.jpg

Zoom on bottom left corner:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/misccorals.jpg

[squirt_12]

Wow! Your tank is amazing. The mushrooms and monti are getting really big. The zoas that are your favourite are awesome! I have never seen any like that before.
What kind of lighting are you running on the tank?

[coachfraley]

4 x 24 watt HO T5 with a single reflector.

I had a Finnex fixture, but the ballasts kept blowing out. I replaced them twice...then the warranty expired, so I went out and bought a current.

I don't know if it is just my imagination, but the corals seem to like the current fixture better. Maybe they use a better reflector?

[coachfraley]

Well I had to move some corals because of size issues. I got rid of 2 green hairy mushrooms, and my orange monti. cap. I traded them both in to my LFS for store credit.

I picked up a nice 3 lb. chunk of LR, and put a couple of my extra zoa frags on it. The rock should look nice once the zoas grow out.

I'va also been doing a lot of cleanup. I took out all my pumps and cleaned them, then cleared out my sump and cleaned back there as well.

I have also been running a phosphate pad recently too. It seems to have helped with the GHA that was growing in the sump. The pad also helps to "scrub" the water, so there is a lot less particulate matter floating around in the display.

I included a FTS, along with a shot of my pink zoas. They have the longest skirts I have ever seen on zoas!

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gupdate11.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/longskirts.jpg

[Tigerbarb]

lol, I like the ball of coralline your new zoas are on. I like how you added the hard corals to the top of your aquascape, as they add to the scenary.

[coachfraley]

Thanks TB! I really dig the SPS too. It is going to take some work to keep everything from growing up into them.

[Tigerbarb]

Thanks TB! I really dig the SPS too. It is going to take some work to keep everything from growing up into them.
It'll be worth it. :hmm3grin2orange:

[coachfraley]

Took some new shots today.

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/horizclown.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/horizclown1.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/vertclown.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/FTyuma.jpg

[coachfraley]

Here is a candy cane I got a while back (maybe 5 months). The guy I got it from, fragged it WAY to close to the end, so it has taken a long time to to start growing. Now it appears a little white on the outer flesh, so I don't know if it is getting beat up by the clowns. Does it look healthy to you???

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/stuborncc.jpg

[kaybee]

Looks healthy to me.

Great shots!

[Sharon]

I don't know anything about salt water tanks, but that is one gorgeous tank!!!:19:

[coachfraley]

Thanks Kaybee. I hope it will start to grow out now...and thank you for the compliment Sharon!

[coachfraley]

Monthly Update...Not much changed. The GH Mushrooms in the middle have split into 3. I also have a marble sized piece of bubble algea growing in the right hand corner, that I am probably going to have to do something about.

FTS:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gupdate13.jpg

4 and a half month growth progression on my digitata and apple cap:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/digigrowth.jpg

New hermit who has settled in:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/bigcrab.jpg

Thanks for taking a peak!!!

[cocoa_pleco]

Sick tank!

my GH mushrooms wont stop growing either, they even like being right under a 250w halide

[unleashed]

very nice coach

[coachfraley]

Thanks guys!

[Tigerbarb]

The pick with the hermit looks festive! Keep up the good work!

[The Wedge]

TOTM...stunning man!

[oldhead]

Beautiful shot, you've really done a great job on that tank!

[digital3]

Holy Cr*p!!! I hadn't seen your tank in a while, Bob! It looks AMAZING!!!

[coachfraley]

Holy Cr*p!!! I hadn't seen your tank in a while, Bob! It looks AMAZING!!!

lol, thanks man...I appreciate it.

I am actually starting to get that old MTS itch!!!!!!

[spudbuds]

Still looking great coach! Having to trade out corals because they are getting too big is a good problem to have. :sbiggrin:

- Bill

[coachfraley]

Thanks Bill.

I have also been giving away frags recently, which does feel really good.

[kaybee]

Impressive SPS growth, nice pics!

[coachfraley]

So I had an interesting thing happen this week. I looked in the back corner of the tank (that I almost never look at), and I saw a fairly large aiptasia anemone lurking on a small chunk of live rock. Luckily, the piece of rock was loose and small, so I was able to chuck it in the trash to get rid of the aiptasia.

When I moved to rock, I found out just how many feather-dusters are growing back there (a ton)! I also got a much better view of a large yellow sponge:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/fdusters.jpg

I also took some actinic shots:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/actinicFTS.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/actinic1.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/actinic2.jpg

Thanks for stopping by!

[Tigerbarb]

I like the look of your tank with the actinic light. Somehow, actinic light looks alot different(and better, IMO) when used in a nano reef cube than it does in a standard, larger reef.
The last pic is interesting, how you have to scroll down to get to the bottom of that colorful display of a wall.

[oldhead]

Excellent pics as usual! Hope you manage to nip that Aiptasia problem in the bud. I've been fighting mine for what feels like forever, down to 3 now that I can find....

[jimpierce]

wow, that sure is a beautiful tank Coach. Looking really good!!

[coachfraley]

Thanks! Yes, I hope that was the only aiptasia lurking around. I was pretty shocked, because I have had the tank for a while and this is the first one that I have seen.

I was also very happy that it wasn't on one of my large rocks.

[coachfraley]

January updates...

I gave away my mandarin to a friend with a larger tank. He was starting to look skinny (the mandarin, not my friend), so I thought it would be best to give him up before he starved. In his place, I picked up a very healthy royal gramma. He has been eating absolutely anything I put in the tank, so he should do well.

I am probably going to have to do something about my frogspawn fairly soon. It is getting pretty big, but I am not sure if I am going to frag it, or try to trade it for something else.

Here is the new fish...In the background, you can see the asterina stars that have been eating all of my corraline algae :(
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/gramma.jpg

The FTS:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gupdate14.jpg

[Harls]

wow its beutiful!

[AABatteries]

Wow, that is an amazing tank.

[Rue]

It's looking great!thumbs2:

My aiptasia and I have come to an agreement. I promise to leave them alone if they promise not to overrun the tank.

So far we're living in harmony. I have about 5 of them, and they're not bothering anyone.

If they do - I have control methods on hand - and they know it. I showed them the bottle.

[coachfraley]

It's looking great!thumbs2:

My aiptasia and I have come to an agreement. I promise to leave them alone if they promise not to overrun the tank.

So far we're living in harmony. I have about 5 of them, and they're not bothering anyone.

If they do - I have control methods on hand - and they know it. I showed them the bottle.

lol, I am glad you have reached an understanding!

and thank you for the compliments!!!

[coachfraley]

After reading ILMGB's post on the value of high quality carbon, I have decided to make a change. I am going to ditch my current carbon and phosphate pad, and try some higher quality materials. Right now, I am using the cheapest options available, so we will see if it makes a big difference. I ordered a new pad called a PURA filtration pad, and I bought the 2 little fishies carbon (which is about the middle of the road in the pricing continium). I am going to look around and try to find a deal on the "pellet" style of carbon that ILMGB reccomended. If I can find a good price, I will get that next time out.

The royal gramma is working out great!

Couple of shots, including the usual FTS:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/orangeric.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gupdate15.jpg

[karbomb]

looks lovely!

[Rue]

Beautiful! I continue to be very impressed!thumbs2:

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Beautiful tank Coach. I'm impressed. I love your Rics and the nice mix of colors you have on the Zoa patch in the front.

[cocoa_pleco]

that pic is definitely TOTM worthy

[Tigerbarb]

Now your tank's rock scape is looking alot less like an aquascape, and more like a chunk tooken out of a wild reef. It just looks 100 X better every time you post a fts.

[coachfraley]

Thanks for the complements everyone! I might get a sunset monti. this week, I'll post some more pics if I do.

[coachfraley]

So I went to a friend's house today and picked up some frags. He had some problems with a batch of salt that he mixed a few weeks ago, so a lot of his corals were still pissed, and he actually lost a few. Including a huge green monti.

I picked up two small frags: a sunset montipora and a montipora confusa:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/newmontis.jpg

He also gave me these two frags that had bleached out. Hopefully they will come back to life. The first is a acropora tricolor:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/tricolorbleached.jpg

The second is a tiny birdsnest frag:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/bnbleached.jpg

New FTS, shot at an angle:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gangle.jpg

[coachfraley]

Well I made some big changes to the tank this month. I cleared out my green hairy mushrooms and my frogspawn to make room for more SPS. The GH Mushrooms were getting ready to take over (they were all ready covering up a patch of zoas), and the frogspawn was starting to sting some of my zoas as well.

Here is a FTS of the tank after I took them out:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gupdate15act.jpg

Here is where I plan on putting the new SPS. One will be a blue mille, the other is going to be a green slimer.

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gspsplan.jpg

[cocoa_pleco]

how pissed are your clowns out the hairy mushrooms? LOL

[coachfraley]

how pissed are your clowns out the hairy mushrooms? LOL

lol, dude...they hate me!!!!

[coachfraley]

I took some better pics of my two new SPS additions:

montipora confusa:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/confusa1.jpg

sunset monti:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/sunsetmonti1.jpg

[coachfraley]

Got a nice shot of my female clown today:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/niceclown.jpg

[rageybug]

This tank is incredible!

[coachfraley]

Thanks rageybug!

A bunch of stuff happened this week. I highlighted the additions in this photo. I picked up an emerald crab a few days ago, and he has all ready eaten up the couple pieces of bubble algae in my tank. I also picked up 2 new SPS pieces, a blue millepora and a green slimer. I will get better pictures of them in a few days when they open up all the way.

The final addition might end up being a loner...I am having a problem with corraline eating asterinas in my tank, so the owner of my LFS suggested that I pick up a nardoa starfish. I looked around online, and there are references to them eating asterinas, so I decided to give him a try. I just dont know if he will be a good addition to my tank in the long run (can you say impulse buy!). The owner of my LFS is cool, so he will take him back any time I want. But I really don't want the star to waist away once the asterinas are gone. I would appreciate any suggestions on this one...

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/highlightedfts.jpg

I also finally laid out the money and picked up a digital SLR. I got the Nikon D40x. So hopefully I can shoot some better pics once I am familiar with it. Here is a new one I took today:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/yturfwar.jpg

As always, thanks for looking in!

[labnjab]

Tank is looking great. How old is your tank? That sucks about having coraline eating stars. I've noticed an explosion of asterinas in are tank but so far (knock on wood) they don't touch the corraline

[Rue]

Nice! It looks very very good!thumbs2:

[coachfraley]

How old is your tank?

This setup is about 10 months old, but the rock and livestock came from 2 smaller tanks that I had (a 12g and a 16g). The majority of the rock, the clowns, and some of the clean up crew are about 2.5 years old.

...thanks Rue!!!

[kaybee]

Nice pix as always! :thumb:

[coachfraley]

Here is a 6 month progression of the SPS at the top of my tank:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/6monthssps.jpg

[soundarrm]

A Great Setup.
Looks Awesome.
:19:
After Seeing This Setup it is Likely that i may setup a reef tank in future with clowns.
thumbs2:

[coachfraley]

Good luck soundarrm. It sure is fun!

[karbomb]

the SPS look amazing!
beautiful tank, it's really maturing.

[coachfraley]

Thanks Karbomb.

Here is a Full-Full Tank shot

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gfullsetup.jpg

[tim k]

Reef looks incredible , inspirational.

Couple Questions

Have you had any problems maintaining water quality with the all in one set up?

How much water are you loosing due to evaporation ?

I am in the planning stages for my first reef and have been reading and researching so much I think my head is gonna blow:hmm3grin2orange: . but seeing reefs like yours makes me want to do it even more.

Tim K

[fins_n_fur]

Amazing to see a full tank shot. When I see your other pictures, I imagine a much larger tank.

[coachfraley]

Reef looks incredible , inspirational.

Couple Questions

Have you had any problems maintaining water quality with the all in one set up?

How much water are you loosing due to evaporation ?

I am in the planning stages for my first reef and have been reading and researching so much I think my head is gonna blow:hmm3grin2orange: . but seeing reefs like yours makes me want to do it even more.

Tim K

Thanks Tim...I like the all-in-one setup, I don't think it makes it any harder to maintain water quality than with a standard tank setup. I designed my setup and had it built the way I wanted it. I set mine up with more room in the rear/sump than most all-in-ones. That allowed me more flexibility in choosing the equipment I wanted.

I top of manually, usually 3 times a day. I think I lose about 1/2 gallon a day.

You should get one going, they are a challenge, but A LOT of fun!

And thanks Fins!

[tim k]

I am in the planning stages of a 65g Reef at the moment.
Still tons of planning and research to do .

Tim K

[coachfraley]

I would love to able to stock a full size tank like a 65. That would be awesome.

In the end, I was glad I set up a nano. Mostly because of the money I saved on equipment, but things like water changes, top offs, and dosing are also very easy in nano sized tanks.

One great thing about the hoby right now...if you have money, it is a terrific time to buy used equipment. I can't tell you how many deals I have seen from people getting out of the hoby!!!!

[labnjab]

One great thing about the hoby right now...if you have money, it is a terrific time to buy used equipment. I can't tell you how many deals I have seen from people getting out of the hoby!!!!

You got that right, we could have bought a complete 125 gallon with 55 gallon sump and all livestock for $1200, and I saw this tank in person (bought my bta and a few other things off him) and it was impressive. If we only had the space and money...lol

[cocoa_pleco]

coach is right. with the economy, alot of stuff is cheap. alot of people just need the money, and its a great market for people who arent affected much by the economy like me

a guy i know a bit went to buy his wife a used SUV a couple days ago, the dealer wanted $16,100, and said they could go $14,200. he asked if they could go any lower and they said just write something down on a piece of paper and we'll see

ended up getting it for $11,000. they took his offer. for the gas cost of SUV's im sure not too many get sold

[Tigerbarb]

Lol, over here, there have been these liquidation sales advertised on tv, selling $5 jeans, $5 name brand shoes, $200 xbox 360s, $19 name brand digital cameras, and some more stuff at amazing deals. I'm beginning to love this bad economy :P

[cocoa_pleco]

Lol, over here, there have been these liquidation sales advertised on tv, selling $5 jeans, $5 name brand shoes, $200 xbox 360s, $19 name brand digital cameras, and some more stuff at amazing deals. I'm beginning to love this bad economy :P

yeah, i get those seattle liquidation commercials by satellite tv here. ipod touch $20, digital cameras $5, 12" subwoofers $15, amps $20, etc.

[coachfraley]

In case you missed him on the other thread...here is the wrasse I just added. It is an orange-backed fairy wrasse.

That brings me up to 4 fish, and completes the stocking for my tank. I hope he settles in ok!

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/newwrasse.jpg

Thanks for looking in! I'll post a new FTS soon.

[coachfraley]

Made some changes, so I decided to do an update. I purchase some new/different bulbs for my T5 setup. I now have 1-10,000k (current USA), 1-fiji purple (KZ), 1-blue plus (ATI), and 1-actinic (current USA). The fiji purple (which is a 12,000k) and the blue plus (actinic plus blue) are new. I am VERY happy with the blue plus, and I think I will get another one to replace my other actinic light. It is very bright!

Another new development is that my pair of skunk shrimp decided to move their hangout. They used to stay behind the rock, so I never really saw them. Now they are hanging out underneath by green monti. It is a much cooler location IMO. Here are some new shots:

FTS:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gupdate18.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/shrimpperch.jpg

My male clown, who rarely gets his picture taken:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/maleclown.jpg

[coachfraley]

I am also trying out a new type of frag plug. It is an encapsulated magnet, with a frag plug on one side. According to the manufacturer, it is completely submersible.

Here is a shot of it with a variety of green monti. (different than my other one).

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/magplug.jpg

Here is one more random shot of some zoas
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/randomleft.jpg

[Ellen4God]

I absolutely love it!!

[AABatteries]

It looks phenomenal! :18: :18: :18: :22:

Doubt my 20H will ever look anything close to that.

[coachfraley]

Just takes time, and lots of $$$$$.thumbs2:

[AABatteries]

I have no problem with the time, just the $$$$$, especially since I have no job. But when I'm 14 I can get a work permit. Maybe I could get a job at the LFS, that would be just awesome.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Coach, there are a couple of guys in my reef club that use those mag plugs and they love them. They have frags attached to their overflows and edges of the tank up high to grow them out. Some even put things like yellow polyps on them so they get all over the overflow. Tank looks great.

[coachfraley]

Thanks ILMGB!

It is nice to hear some input on the plugs. They seem very well put together, but I got a little nervous putting it on the back wall like that!

[coachfraley]

I made a HUGE equipment upgrade. Bought the Vortech MP20. Here is a pic. with the pump set up. There is a lot more particulate matter flowing around in the tank right now, although you might not be able to tell in the pic. We'll see how the corals react to it.

Thanks for looking in!

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/vortech.jpg

[Miltonic]

wow, your tank looks amazing, loving your aquascape, hopefully my tank will look like that smeday!

[*Sarah*]

I just looked through all the pictures in this thread, and wow, it's amazing! I would love to have a sw tank some day. Hubby's uncle has a 300gal sw and it's freakin incredible.

[coachfraley]

I just looked through all the pictures in this thread, and wow, it's amazing!

Wow, that is a long read. Thanks for the compliment.

I am also going to try and work on my plumbing today, if I can find the right parts. Right now I have 2 pumps in the rear chambers of my tank. One is for the chiller, and one is for the return. Right now the chiller return goes into my fuge chamber. I am going to try to set it up so that the pump that "feeds" the chiller returns back into the display. I figure that if I can get rid of one pump, I should reduce some the heat that is generated in the tank.

[AABatteries]

Awesome(as usual). So, since you're working on plumbing, does that mean you're getting a sump and/or fuge??

[coachfraley]

I actually have one all ready. My tank is an all-in-one, so my sump/fuge is behind the back wall of the display. It is about 9g, and split up into 3 chambers.

[jimpierce]

wow Coach. That is one heck of a pump!!

Your tank is just amazing.

[Tigerbarb]

Your tank is the best tank I've seen...Wow is all I have to say...
I think the wrasse is what did it... it just seems to add alot more color to your tank fts's.

Did you upgrade your lighting recently? Your tank looks alot more 'purple-ish'.

[coachfraley]

lol, yes it is more purple-ish.

I changed my bulb combination. I took out a 11,000k bulb, and put in a fiji purple bulb. I also changed an actinic to a blue plus, which is actinic plus a blue spectrum. The fiji purple bulb puts out a lot of light (has a high PAR rating), but I think I like my tank to look a little whiter. I will switch back to some form of 11,000k next time.

Thanks for the compliments!

[coachfraley]

I just wanted to get it in here for my records, but I cleaned out the rear of my tank today, and all of my pumps. There was a surprising amount of crud back there underneath the live rock.

The corals seem to be liking the vortec....I'll post another FTS some time this week.

[jimpierce]

sure wish I could afford one of those Vortecs. They sure seem to be able to do an awesome job.

[coachfraley]

I wish I could afford it too, lol!

It is a really cool piece of equipment. Along with increasing my flow, it decreased the amount of heat in my tank by quite a bit. The motor on the vortech is outside of the tank, so my tank should run a lot cooler in the summer. Hopefully my chiller won't have to fire up as much.

[labnjab]

Tanks looking awesome, can't wait 'til our coral fills out and all the rocks are purple

[coachfraley]

Thanks Labnjab. I don't know if my corraline will ever come in. I have some asterina stars that munch the stuff up faster than it can grow.

Took some new shots today. First, here are some comparison shots...

Montipora Confusa, 1 month ago:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/confusa1.jpg

Now:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/confusa2.jpg

Sunset Montipora, 1 month ago:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/sunsetmonti1.jpg

Now:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/sunset1.jpg

For fun, try counting how many asterinas you can see in the photo above. I found 11, lol

[coachfraley]

I just like this shot:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/mgandclown.jpg

[Demi ^_^]

I hope you don't mind, but ATM I have the previous page, FTS of your tank as my desktop LOL!!! I LOVE IT!!!!

YOU were the one who has totally made me into a SW itcher LOL, I can't wait until I ahve 1, one day, thanks for your inspiration!

[coachfraley]

Lol, I hope you make the move to get a tank set up! SW is a blast.

[Kadina]

I agree with Demi, your tank is beautiful. Someday I may take the plunge into SW.

[Demi ^_^]

LOL, I am getting more excited by the second! Next week I should be getting a 34g and then I'll go slowly to get the right equipment :)))

[coachfraley]

IMHO, you should take your time and get the best equipment possible. I think a lot of people end up spending more money buying things twice (a cheap piece of equipment, then the nicer version that should have been bought in the first place). Save yourself time and money, and do it right the first time!

Good luck Demi, and thanks Kadina!

I took some new pics last night:
Right side of the the tank:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/rsidew.jpg

Left side:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/lsidew.jpg

My little Orange Linkia Starfish, giving my zoas a hug:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/orangelinkia.jpg

[coachfraley]

I have made a change to my routine, and we'll see how it goes...I started mixing my own salt, and I am interested to see how my corals react. Up until now, I have been using premixed salt from my LFS. The owner uses a fairly low quality salt, so that he can keep his prices low. So hopefully my corals will appreciate me paying for a premium salt mix. I am starting out using the Tunze salt mix (there was a sale on it at bulkreefsupply), but I might have to switch mixes if I can't find a good local source for it.

One good thing about the switch, is that now I will have better control of the SG of my tank. In the past, I have kept my tank's SG around 1.022, because that is what the premixed was kept at. Now that I am mixing my own, I am going to slowly raise my SG up to 1.025.

I liked this pic of my orange backed wrasse, so I threw it in:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/obwrasse.jpg

As usual, thanks for peeking in!

[*Sarah*]

Wow just gorgeous :) I love that tank, so small but so beautiful! lovely.

[AABatteries]

Cool fish and godo pic of it. :thumb:

[coachfraley]

BIG change in my layout! I decided to sell my green montipora. It was getting so big that it was all ready starting to shade out some of my other corals. I think I am going to go with more branching SPS, that will allow some light through to the corals below.

So I took out the monti, and I put in some LR I had in my sump. This allowed me to move my blue millepora all the up to the top of my tank, hopefully it will appreciate the added light. Now I just need to find about three more pieces to fill in all the spots.

It was pretty funny, but all the moving around TOTALLY pissed off my clowns. They were chasing my hand all day, and I actually had to use a plastic spoon to fend off the female the whole time. Near the end of all my work, I tried to glue a digitata frag down near where their eggs are. As soon as I took my hand out of the tank, the female clown bit the frag and yanked it out of its spot. So for now, I think I will leave that spot open!

New FTS, not quite as pretty, but hopefully it will shape up in time:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gupdate21.jpg

My sunset montipora, that is really starting to do well:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/sunset2.jpg

[labnjab]

Looking good. Sucks your clowns are pissed off again. Maybe they'll be happy when you upgrade to that 75 and get them a BTA. My clowns were pissing me of last night, lol. I was trying to feed my candy canes some clams and she was stealing the food right from my hand, and this was late at night

[jimpierce]

love your tank coach!!! I need more Zoas!!

[Ashley]

Your tank is quite impressive! I wish I knew how to do a saltwater set up. They are just so beautiful and the fish are amazing in colour!

[coachfraley]

Thanks for the compliments! Just keep researching Ashley...it is not too difficult to get a Fish Only With Live Rock tank setup!

I think I am pretty much done with zoas Jim. My last additions are going to be 2 more varieties of branching SPS. I am getting them from a friend of mine. One is a acro. humilis, and the other is a really weird SUPER hairy SPS (l am calling it a shaggy stag for now?). I will take pics of it when I get it.

What made my clown situation worse, was the fact that they were still protecting their eggs. Now that they have all hatched, hopefully things will calm down. I don't target feed my corals Labnjab, otherwise, I am sure I would have that problem too!

Here is another FTS with labels on my SPS, and the plan for the locations of the new ones. I am trying to set it up so that they all have space to grow out. You can see in the photo, that I will be moving my German Blue digitata down lower:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/spsplan.jpg

[AABatteries]

Amazing, as usual.

[coachfraley]

Here is an updated pic, after my additions:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gupdate22.jpg

[AABatteries]

", " ".

:hmm3grin2orange:

[Miltonic]

tank looks awesome! :18:

congrats on the new additions. I can't wait to get more for my tank.

[labnjab]

Looking awesome. I am starting to grow fond of SPS. I didn't like them at first, but now their growing on me after seeing them in tanks like yours:hmm3grin2orange:. I think I may do more when we get a bigger tank. I only have room for maybe a cap in our 29

[oldhead]

Your tank is so impressive! Gives me inspiration and hopes that mine will look that good some day soon. Great work on it! thumbs2:

[coachfraley]

Thanks guys!

[coachfraley]

Took some pics today.

My new, super hairy sps, don't know the exact name. Mounted on a magnet plug:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/hairy1.jpg

Dragon eye zoas:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/dezoas.jpg

Mean greens:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/meangreens1.jpg

[coachfraley]

Shot of my skunk shrimp. You can see her eggs:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/skunky.jpg

Another shot of the dragons eyes:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/dezoas1.jpg

Mixed palys:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/mixedpalys.jpg

[labnjab]

Nice shots. I guy in my local reef club had a skunk cleaner with eggs, but from what they read its next to impossible to raise them

[coachfraley]

Thanks labnjab!

I picked up a new coral yesterday. It is an ORA rose millipora. It came on a plastic frag plug, so I cut it off and mounted it on some rubble. It looks a little brown in the picture, but it sure looks nice in the tank!

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/rosemilli.jpg

[coachfraley]

Picked up another millipora today, this time a pink one. Please excuse the white aquamend, but I needed something to hold that rock in place.

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/pinkmille.jpg

I ordered a really cool, custom black frag rack (http://www.blackrockreef.com/products-3.html), that should come in today or Monday. Once I get it, I am going to frag up my digitata and my birdsnest. My tank will be a year old at the end of this week (although some of the livestock came from my other tanks). Here is a FTS from today.

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gupdate25.jpg

Here is a shot taken right after I added all of my livestock to the tank:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/31gday1.jpg

[Tigerbarb]

Wow...I can really see your tank's progress!thumbs2:
It's amazing how much it's changed since you first added live stock! Keep up the good work!:19:

[Cameron]

Wow...I can really see your tank's progress!thumbs2:
It's amazing how much it's changed since you first added live stock! Keep up the good work!:19:


I agree, such a difference on a nearing mature tank. Great job!thumbs2:

[Miltonic]

I love the lighting on your tank, what bulbs are you using? I might want to try out that look when the time for new bulbs comes. Also congrats on your 1yr old tank! thumbs2:

[coachfraley]

Thanks!!!


I love the lighting on your tank, what bulbs are you using?

1- UVL aquasun
1- KZ fiji purple
2- ATI blue plus

I bought them all at reefgeek.com

[Miltonic]

Thanks for the info and reefgeek is where I got my fixture so im familiar with it :)

so my fixture has 8 bulbs, how would I go about getting that same look with 8 instead of four bulbs?

btw this what I currently have for my bulbs but it doesnt give that really blue look like I wanted.

3 -- ATI Blue Plus
1 -- UV Lighting Super Actinic
1 -- ATI 12000K Aquablue
1 -- GE 6500K Daylight
1 -- UV Lighting 10000K AquaSun
1 -- UV Lighting 75-25 Aquablue

[coachfraley]

If you switched the GE out with an ATI aquablue, that might do the trick. If you wanted it even more blue, you could ditch the GE and add another blue plus.

I have seen some people that are very happy with fixtures that have more than 50% actinic.

[coachfraley]

Some more SPS growth photos:

3/9/09
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/confusa2.jpg

5/1/09
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/confusa4.jpg

3/9/09
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/sunset1.jpg

5/1/09
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/sunset3.jpg

[coachfraley]

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/mikesfrags.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/zoamix.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/littlepurples.jpg

[oldhead]

Excuse me while I drool....(blush)

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Coach, I love the encrusting Montipora digitata. They are a great coral. I have one in my tank, mine is actually red though.

[coachfraley]

Excuse me while I drool....(blush)

lol, thanks!!!

Yes ILMGB, I love monti's too. Their growth rate is outstanding. I have a "german blue" digitata that I am going to frag up as soon as I get my new frag rack. If I were starting a new tank, I would actually consider doing an all montipora tank. There are so many different varieties, I think it would look really cool.

I wish my milli's would grow as fast!

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

An all monti tank would be cool, however you would run into the issue of corals being stung. LOL Coral warfare.

[Miltonic]

Amazing pics, Loving the zoas and and the montis aswell since they are only SPS I can have so far lol btw is that monti what they call "watermelon" monti?

[coachfraley]

The top comparison shot is a montipora confusa. The bottom one is commonly called "sunset" montipora. You can't really see it, but when the polyps close, the base of the coral is orange.

I am also holding a "superman" montipora (that is a light red, with a purple base) for a friend of mine. I am trying to get the superman to encrust on my LR before I have to give the frag back!

[Miltonic]

I have to lookout for the sunset monti they are really pretty, right now I have a big orange digi. frag (I might be fragging a small piece) and a superman monti just like the one you are talking about.

[coachfraley]

Had to pick up a new skimmer yesterday. On Friday, the pump died on my 1 yr. old Tunze 9002. I looked into getting a replacement pump, but no dice. I might be able to order one from the company on Monday, but I didn't want to go that long without a skimmer. So I bought the same model, and surprise...they upgraded the pumps! We'll see if the newer, stronger pump can get more skimmate out.

I was tempted to pick up a little brain I saw at the LFS, it was VERY nice, but they wanted $65 for it. Maybe I would have bought it any other day, but not after laying down $ for a new skimmer. It looked like this (http://z.about.com/d/saltaquarium/1/0/M/M/1/mcaruanaopenbrain_400.jpg), but with a single head.