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 build a lot of acrylic products for my customers, and take pride in my work. This is dosing reservoir that was recently ordered, and it came out really nicely. Each zone holds 1g of solution, such as Alkalinity + Calcium + Magnesium + Acropower perhaps. Dimensions are as follows: 21.25" long x 5" deep x 12" tall. I used a blue base for a nice look that matches the custom Sump and Top Off Reservoir the buyer ordered.
Keeping everything quiet on a reef tank is an ongoing exercise, sometimes successfully pulled off, sometimes frustratingly unrealistic. I've noticed that as I've added quieter gear to my tank, adjusted how the drains run into the sump, and other minor tweaks, other things I never heard are 'louder' in comparison. The sound of water pouring into the overflow box through the teeth sounds like a babbling brook to me. I cleaned that area meticulously, and it didn't change it for the better. I'm going to accept this situation as natural and focus on other things.
Just wanted to post these here since they document progress over time. :)
You know the saying "pictures don't do the tank justice..." That continues to hold true for this one. My 60g cube has been lit with a Gen2 Xr30 for four years. In that time, I used the Radiant schedule because it's my favorite choice, but the anemones weren't all that pretty. I mean, they were okay, and near lights out when the tank was in moon-mode (full blue), it looked very nice.
Dory has found a new spot to sleep. It's rather cute. In the very bottom of the tank in the front, there's a montipora capricornis. About 10 days ago, I saw her from across the room swim deep into the coral, then back out with something in her mouth. I'd hope to film her actions, but she spotted me and played fish instead. lol Anyway, turns out she was cleaning out whatever bothered her, and now goes into that spot to sleep at night.
The melanurus wrasse is usually out and about, but I'd noticed over the past few weeks it was looking thinner and thinner. I'd watch closely when I dumped in my "dumptruck of food" as my buddy Evan used to say, and the fish would eat some food, but would also miss portions as if his aim was off. That was my reason for thinking he was dropping weight, he just didn't have the visual acuity he used to have. I've had this fish since 2011, for seven years. I'm not sure what their lifespan is.
I've had the Sebae anemone for over three years, but tonight it decided to do something I've never seen previously. I mean, if water quality goes to crap, anemones may respond accordingly. Or during a full moon, they may choose to spawn into the reef. But when everything is just like it should be, a mundane day at that, seeing it go from Super Saiyin to something a tenth of its size is noteworthy.
I'm behind on blogging - and that's not good. Overall, things are just growing quietly. I took a bunch of pictures, primarily from above. That's because the best view is from that vantage. If you aren't making it a point to look down on your reef from time to time, you're definitely missing out.
All pictures were taken with a Nikon D90 and a 35mm lens with a low f-stop.
