Fts

5 years, 9 months update

melev — Sat, 10 Aug 2019 16:45:04 +0000

5 years, 9 months update melev Sat, 08/10/2019 - 19:45

Today, the reef hits another monthly anniversary, and in three months there will be a full coverage video update to show all the changes that have happened as the reef turns 6 years old.

We are in August now, which is always the hottest month in Texas. Average temperature tends to be between 79° and 81° daily.

Reef Blog

Day 1673, or 4 years and 7 months today!

melev — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 23:02:41 +0000

Day 1673, or 4 years and 7 months today! melev Sun, 06/10/2018 - 02:02

Today's the 10th, and that is when I have my camera out to take an updated picture of my reef. I spent time yesterday cleaning the glass in preparation, plus it always looks better after a big cleaning. So here are some pictures for your enjoyment.

I posted a bunch of pretty topdown pictures on my facebook page. Go here: https://www.facebook.com/melevsreef/posts/1784532038279008

Reef Blog

This view never gets old

melev — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 15:07:30 +0000

This view never gets old melev Wed, 11/15/2017 - 18:07

Each day when I roll out of bed, the first thing to greet me is my reef. The actinics are on, and I get a nice view to start my day. As I work in my office, this is my view. Of course, I refill my coffee cup repeatedly, so I also get to check on all the anemones and clowns. And Dory of course. She's at the bottom in this picture, at 7 o'clock.

My schedule is different from most people because I'm naturally nocturnal. I tend to get up at the crack of noon, which is why you see me online late at night so often. I get a lot done when people are sleeping - that's been true for decades. lol

Reef Blog

Christmas time

melev — Sat, 26 Dec 2015 08:31:00 +0000

Christmas time melev Sat, 12/26/2015 - 11:31

Three pictures from today of what my reef looked like. No reef-related gifts this year for me, other than some scuba-related ornaments for the tree.

Reef Blog

The Angled Tank Turns Two!

melev — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 08:14:00 +0000

The Angled Tank Turns Two! melev Sun, 07/19/2009 - 12:14

My tank turns two years old today! It is in the tiny entry way/foyer of my home. It holds about 20g of water, with an angled front panel to look down upon many of the corals. Here's a picture of it from June 2008 when I installed the light fixture finally.

Current inhabitants

Clean up crew:
3 Emerald Crabs
1 Tigertail Cucumber
2 Tongan Nassarius snails
5 Astreas
1 Fighting Conch

Fish
2 Black Onyx perculas (that look like normal Occellaris
1 Mystery Wrasse

Corals
2 Favias
2 Hammers
6 zoanthid colonies
3 Acans
2 Gorgonians
27 Mini Carpet Anemones
4 Ricordea
Fungia blob
Xenia-like coral
Unknown Daisy Polyp - "princess polyps" perhaps?
Porites
Acropora sp - Pink Lemonade
Acropora sp - Red Planet
Acropora sp - Purple Monster
2 Acropora sp unknown
2 A. millepora
M. capricornis
Montipora unknown
Montipora sp - Elkhorn

Inverts
Rose Bubble Tip Anemone
Xmas Tree worms

Lighting
150w DE 10,000K Coralife
2 pm to 8 pm daily

Feeding
Pellet food shaken in each afternoon

Maintenance
Water changes are every two months (when I work on the 280g)
Vodka dosed daily (to the 280g system, which this tank is tied into)
Panels scraped about once a month to reduce coralline spots
Vortech pump cleaned about once every six weeks
The angled panel stays algae free and rarely needs to be cleaned at all.

Here are a few images of the tank's transition over the past couple of years.

July 19, 2007

March 17, 2008

June 4, 2008

August 29, 2008

January 31, 2009

May 4, 2009

May 31, 2009

July 19, 2009

The MP20's power supply went out, and for now I'm using a MaxiJet to provide flow in the tank. This has changed how the RBTA expands in the tank.

Reef Blog

Quarantine - and getting pest hitchhikers

melev — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 03:07:00 +0000

Quarantine - and getting pest hitchhikers melev Mon, 10/13/2008 - 07:07

I added a new page to my site recently - Quarantine & Dips for those new arrivals.

Here's a full tank shot from this week of the 280g reef. Click here

Two nights ago, I was very surprised to see the Houston Black Onyx Perculas that I brought to Ft Worth in January 07 were spreading the cheer. These clowns are about 2.5 years old, tank raised by a MARSH member. They don't look at all like the parents I'd been shown (they lack the black areas), but I still love my little guys. They live in the angled tank when you first walk into my home.

This is the very first clutch of eggs they've ever laid, so I'm expecting as they practice, they'll get better at it. :P

A few are on the underside of the mag-rock, although it may be hard to see them.

Reef Blog

Tank statistics

melev — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 03:08:00 +0000

Tank statistics melev Sat, 08/11/2007 - 07:08

Factoids about my tank:

Size: InterAmerican Starfire 280g - 72 x 30 x 30
Lighting: (2) 250w 10,000K + 400w 20,000K + 320w 6' VHO Actinics (picture)
Alkalinity: 11 dKH
Calcium: 475ppm
Magnesium: 1280 - 1400 ppm
Calcium Reactor: Lifereef VS-24 with Milwaukee pH Controller
Salinity: 1.026 sg
Temperature: 79F to 80F daily (maintained with fishroom at 75F with a window a/c)
Peak pH: 8.2 - 8.3
Feeding: Once daily with my home-made frozen mixture
Age: 3 years
Circulation: Little Giant return pump, 3 VorTech pumps (Tunze pictured below is now out)
Sump: DIY acrylic 60 x 36 x 16 with propagation section & refugium (picture)
Miscellaneous: Phosban Reactors for phosphate removal (changed monthly) & to run carbon (changed weekly)
Dosing: Salifert Amino Acids when I think about it
Top off: RO/DI only
Salt: Kent for years, recently switched to Rea Sea Pro Reef - frequent 55g water changes lately.

Click for larger version

Reef Blog

I <3 my mandarin

melev — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 04:31:00 +0000

I <3 my mandarin melev Sat, 07/07/2007 - 08:31

My female red Mandarin came out today briefly. :) She's fat and happy.

Reef Blog

A difficult decision indeed

melev — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:43:00 +0000

A difficult decision indeed melev Wed, 06/27/2007 - 16:43

A lot has happened in the past few weeks since my last entry.

The biggest event was my decision to not run for a Board of Directors position for DFWMAS again. After 5 years as a BOD member and 3 years as club president, I felt it was time to take a break and recharge. The new president will start his term on July 1, a few days from now. I'm sure he'll do a great job.

Our club had another Tank Tour, with my reef being one of the scheduled stops that day. We had a great time visiting 6 tanks that day, two LFS, and ended with a BBQ at a member's home.

At the same time, we had our first DFWMAS Day at a LFS. That worked out well and we will be doing this several times each year around the metroplex.

My tank has suffered from RTNing for the past couple of months, but I'm hoping it will turn around. I've done a couple of large water changes, and rewired the entire fishroom while I was at it. I'll put a new page about that on the site in the future.

I took some pictures from above. I hope you enjoy them.

Reef Blog

Cyano bacteria - go away

melev — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 09:03:00 +0000

Cyano bacteria - go away melev Sat, 06/02/2007 - 13:03

Over the weekend, I decided it was time to treat the tank with Chemi-Clean again. The refugium was full of cyano, and a couple of spots in the reef as well. I'm going to let it run for 72 hours instead of 48, then do a 55g water change and run fresh carbon. And finally restart the skimmer that has been off for the past two days.

I picked up a new Phosban Reactor so I have two easy-to-use units. I still have the older ones with the 10 screw & nuts that hold the lids on, but I'll probably retire these as they are annoying to open and close. Or maybe I'll sell them off.

The new VorTech pump is working out well, and I really like the look of the tank with its low profile.

A couple of SPS corals in my tank look like the tips were burned badly, probably due to dosing a lot of Magnesium last week. I was trying to not only raise the level but also determine how to keep it that high. Some SPS didn't like it while the majority seem completely unaffected.

I'm going to build a new power panel for the reef in the very near future. I just have to figure out how I want it to look and make sure the wiring reaches the various pieces of equipment. I'd like to have a way to see the LED lights on the VorTech pumps as well as the tank's temperature, but nothing that I've imagined will look nice and still be functional. I hope I can dream up something soon, because it's bugging me. I might buy one of the Pinpoint wireless thermometers so I can keep an eye on the temperature at my desk. I need to check on its range first.

Special request: If you would like to help improve my website by translating some pages to your native tongue, that would be appreciated not only by me but by the worldwide visitors that come to my site. Once pages have been translated and verified for content, they will be added so that those that speak French, Italian, German, Spanish and more can also read along on the more popular pages. Let me know if you can help. My email address is always in the left column. THANKS!

Reef Blog