surfn's 50g cube tank

[surfn]

couple of new pics

couple of new pics of some corals i finally got around to shooting.....corals aren't new.....just the pics.

JGoslee's unknown montipora (green base w/ purple polyps...but has lost some color since the move)

montipora confusa

purple haze monti.....i love this guy!

acropora saramentosa.....crappy pic, i may end up getting rid of this colony some time soon....just doesn't seem to wow me anymore.

 

[ReefDoctor]

I love that last acro

 

[surfn]

some new pics. i the rockword was becoming a little bit unstable, and some of the larger colonies were shifting, so i had to spend several hours rearranging some stuff. i think i'm satisfied with it. i tried to get my bigger sps up higher, and lowered my monti's.

also, my algae issue seems to be in a lull. i dont think its thriving anymore, but its still there. i've been boosting my magnesium like crazy, so hopefully thats playing a role.

and as you can see, i switched my pumps around, and put the nano-streams in the front. its doesn't look visually as appealing, but at least now the sand isn't getting kicked up in the front anymore. in the back corners, i have 2 MJ 1200's which rotate on/off via the Aquacontroller JR.

also, you can notice the frag rack on the back of the tank, its empty now, but was full of frags a month ago.

BEFORE: 8-10-07

AFTER: 10-10-07

 

[MarvinsReef]

very very nice Al..

 

[fishes2889]

wow! very nice sir! I want to see a close up of that clam. tear drop?

 

[I-K@ndY]

Very nice tank Al... Well stacked

 

[surfn]

i've definitely lost a little bit of pop in the color of my sps lately, as my radium bulb is crapping out on me and shifted spectrums. its more of a 10k look now after being on for 2hrs.

BEFORE: (was completely purple)

AFTER: (now brown w/ blue tips)

 

[surfn]

wow! very nice sir! I want to see a close up of that clam. tear drop?

its nothing special really. i got it 2 years ago as my very first clam. it was a baby 2" ultra maxima from ORA for $40. i think its around 4" now. and yes that is xenia growing on the side of the clam....no idea how it got there...lol

i had a sweet 3" derasa clam i got last year, and it literally doubled in size in 6months. so i gave it away right before i moved b/c i didnt think i'd have room for it in the new tank. i'm really hating myself for doing that now. i would have a perfect spot for it right smack in the middle of the tank in the sand bed.

 

[surfn]

MORE PICS!

my pink stylo w/ blue polyps (i think its called the ocean blue polyp stylo or something like that?)

i've had this for almost 2 years, and got it as a 1" frag and it has been growing soooooooo slow. i have not fragged it once, and now its FINALLY starting to take off since i got the base laid down.

my oregon tort is also coming along nicely. i think its really going to start growing now that its fully encrusted.

pink stylo with green polyps. i just placed it lower in the tank after rearranging some stuff in hopes it will darken back up. ever since i changed the bulb last time its gotten those very bright white spots on the top.

ORA green birdsnest.....this thing is growing like a weed now. hard to believe i got it as a 1" frag the exact same time i got the 2 stylo's above. the colony is as big as a softball right now.

front view

side view

 

[surfn]

i thought these pics were cool. finally got some good shots of my ORA german blue polyp acro. i moved it down a little bit also b/c it was turning yellow, i like it better when it was a rich green color.

 

[surfn]

Congrats on how well the tanks taking off. Everything is looking super fantastic. All the pics are coming out great too.

thanks. after looking at the pictures from 2 months ago, right after i set everything up after i moved.

i really think i've gotten more growth in those 2 months, than i did in ~6 months before i moved.

and i think that is heavily attributed to just leaving everything alone, and letting them grow. i dont put my hands in that tank that much at all anymore unless its to pick something that fell over, or to clean.

 

[surfn]

This is an incredible shot IMO. Great dof and I like how there isn't anything tank related in the shot like power heads or racking, really natural looking.

i'll have to start experimenting with more shots like that.

i think things look much more natural with all the larger sps colonies up at the top now.

i'm just so used to taking head on shots of small frags...this is really my first experience with colony sized corals, as ive never bought ANY colonies before, and all of these guys were grown out from ~1" frags

 

[surfn]

this is just a little experiment, no idea how this will turn out. but i decided to put a blue stag i got in a trade recently right smack in the middle of my green cap. hopefully it will look cool in a couple of months and they won't kill eachother.

 

[twon8]

they won't kill each other, but the acro will kill any part of the monti it comes into contact with

 

[fishes2889]

nothing but eyecandy AL! Very nice work my friend!

 

[twon8]

MORE PICS!

my oregon tort is also coming along nicely. i think its really going to start growing now that its fully encrusted.

it's looking good, but it doesn't ever take off, ime. it grows a bit, fills in a bit, grows a bit, fills in, and on and on, really is one of the slowest growing acros i've seen.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

So from fraglets to frags to mini colonies to moms..I love it!

 

[surfn]

here is the history of my oregon tort. it has definitely grown slow since i got it, but the growh has exploded IMO just in the last 2 months.

March '07

May '07

August '07

then BOOM! October '07 (a good 3/4" of growth on the tip)

 

[twon8]

mine has done the same thing with one large main branch which has grown the fastest.

 

[143gadgets]

Nice Al! Everything looks great! i really like your new aquascaping. Cool frag rack behind the rock work.