My underwater Garden

[MariAnimal]

Hi all,

My tank is 37 gallons, arcylic, black back (for visual)

60 lbs Fiji rock.
Remora protien skimmer
4 powerheads on a wavemaster controller- set on the 2nd setting
Pinpoint pH monitor
Pinpoint Salinity monitor
Flourescent lighting- 2/24 inch bulbs, 1 daytime actinic and 1 ultimate reef

Rish/Inverts:
25 snails
25 crabs
1 bristle star
1 green chromis
1 mandarin goby
1 pseudechromis

Corals in the tank:
Hairey mushroom- 2 polyps
green mushroom covered rock
Red mushroom covered rock
1 tonga mushroom
2 blue mushrooms
1 xenia
2 green polyps
1 green polyp type
Kenya tree
Colt coral
Yellow Polyp covered rock
snake coral covered rock
various zooanthids placed throughout the tank

[xaoss23]

pics? Lets see some pics

[Loverotties]

pic please!!

[MariAnimal]

Okay here they are! For some reason I can't get my camera to really capture the colors in there. It is very striking and brilliant in there. Any suggestions on taking better pics??

I have since added a salinity probe from my original specs above.

[methods]

Don’t feel bad… All of us know that the camera can not do the reef justice. Even my girlfriend (who is totally oblivious) has pointed out that the pictures and movies of my reef don’t do it justice. :-)

Here are some tips on taking better pictures.
http://www.melevsreef.com/links.html

One that comes to mind is putting a piece of white PVC into the tank (under the lights) and taking repeded pictures (and making adjustments between shots) until the white appears white (and not blue, purple, etc). There are many other tips to help capture the true colors.

If you are not familiar with the page, take the time to read all of it. He has a lot of interesting factoids.


-Patrick

[MariAnimal]

Thanks I appreciate the feedback!!

[Michael50]

125 gal. tank
72" L x 18"W x 21" D

2 Questions here.

1. Am awfully confused about the lighting. I wish to have reef/fish tank and apparently my lighting 2 x 36" single 40 watt (ea) lights are not enough. Form the online sites it seems a bit expensive also. Problem is that I don't know which light to choose. Plan on beginning w/ soft corals. Barring being suckered in by marketing of products, how to know which light system to choose without spending unnecessarily.
2. Am currently in the cycling phase. Should run the protein skimmer or leave it off and let cycle run its course ??

[MariAnimal]

I ran the skimmer from Day 1. I have had no problems at all. I put 60 lbs of live rock in from the start so the cycle was null.

I use florescent lighting and only put soft corals in. Just get ones with the right spectrum to highlight the blues, etc. I have one daylight one and 1 purple hue one I ran and it looks very nice.

[methods]

If cost is your concern, the only way to go is used. I live in the Bay Area and Craigslist is the hot ticket here. (www.craigslist.com)

There are a great deal of people who get into the reef game by going out and spending huge amounts of money on all the best new stuff. They think that by buying the most expensive new equipment they will somehow be able to avoid the hard labor and dedication it takes to keep a reef (or so I figure). Anyhow, the point is that these people (often after only a few months) decide that they are not up for the hobby and they sell their equipment for a fraction of what they paid for it.

This is where you come in. You do your research… you decide exactly what you want, what you need, what you can afford, and what alternatives you would settle for. Then, when the item you are looking for comes onto the used market, you pounce.

This will save you big bucks.

A word of warning though: When it comes to lights, assume that you will need to buy new bulbs (which can be very expensive). Never take the word of someone who says something like “oh, I only ran it a few times”… (As they scrape 2 inches of salt off the light ;-)

The best advice anyone can give you is to research, research, research. Keep researching until you can answer any question you have without asking. Patience is the key… The key to buying the right equipment and the key to keeping a good reef.

Good luck!

[VWD]

looks nice , Tank is nice.