Thanks for the compliment. Yeah - I should have probably thought about the title a bit more!
Both tanks are doing great. Haven't messed with the 240 reef in quite some time (by messing with - I mean I haven't added any new livestock!) I'm just letting everything grow and fill out the tank.
The 180 is doing good. Typical new tank stuff - a little cyano, a little green algae, but overall very nice. The livestock currently consists of:
Scribbled Angel (juvenile - great personality)
Flagfin Angel (blind in one eye I think, but doing great)
Flame Angel
Golden Butterfly (my favorite butterfly)
Dot Dash Butterfly
Black Cap Basslet
(2) Purple File Fish
and
the Moorish Idol!
Yep - he's still doing well. Actually, a few weeks ago I though I was going to lose him. He stopped eating and hid for about 4 days. But thank goodness, he recovered from whatever was bothering him and is back to his spunky self. Not quite sure what happened in the tank, but most of the fish went through this 3-4 day period of hiding and no eating, one after the other, then fully recovered. During that time, I saw no sign of disease and all the tank parameters were normal. Just one of those things I guess.
And yes - I had to break the news to my wife that this tank is maxed. While there's plenty of room for everyone now, the Scribbled and Golden are growing quite rapidly. She's begging me to let her have one more fish - a wrasse. Probably a rare and expensive one, knowing her. If you've read my thread, you know there's no way I can say no to her!
there some really nice fish in this tread! the tanks and sump look really clean/nice, thanks for sharing, i didn't know several of those fish could be mixed together.
So it's been a while, but I am happy to report that the 240 is doing great. All the fish and corals are fantastic. As you can see by the photos, there are still a lot of open spaces in the tank. Rather than fill every nook and cranny, I am trying to be patient and let the corals fill the tank through growth. This can be tough. I haven't added a coral in almost 6 months. I would like to say it's because I'm just a patient guy. That would be partially true. The main reason is ... fear!
OK, so what am I afraid of? Well, please understand that it is NOT my intention to brag, nor do I wish to curse myself by what I'm about to write. But the truth is, I have never had a single pest anemone, or any pest for that matter. Knowing me, I would add that "one last coral" and weeks later ... well you get the picture. I have given much thought to the whole lack of pest situation, and have come up with some solid reasons why I believe this is more than just dumb luck. I will document this in a separate post soon.
Anyway, the tank is just chugging along. It is nice and stable, and require less maintainence than any tank I have ever owned. Weekly I wipe off the front and side acrylic panels, clean out the skimmer collection cup, and feed the corals. Every other week I repace the diatom bag and the bag of Chemi Pure. Every three weeks I do a 50 gallon water change. That's pretty much it, other than daily feedings and calcium/carbonate additions. Less time on maintaining the 240 has meant more time just sitting back and watching the tank.
Below is a picture of the tank, and a few of the fish. The Powder Blue Tang is still king of the tank, and any dream I have of ever adding another tang, or any fish his size or color, is gone! The Flame Hawk and the Potter's Angel have some of the deepest colors I have ever seen. And my newest additions, fresh from a stint in QT and already at home in the 240 despite being in there for less than 24 hours ... the three musketeers. Actually, it's a trio of Bartlett's Anthias, all female. These three actually seem to get along quite well, and I rarely see any agression so common in this fish. Of course, one will probably become male and that will change everything!
Below are some coral photos. The Yellow Leathers are doing fantastic. I was a little worried that the bottom one wouldn't get enough light, but that does not seem to be the case.
The Heliofungia is also doing great. I feed it once a week and that seems to be enough to keep it happy. I probably should be feeding it twice a week, though. Everyone thinks it's an anemone. It's amazing that it can go from 4" diameter when retracted, to 10" during the day.
The Torch Coral, while not spectacular, has a special place in the tank as it is one of the very first corals I ever purchased. And it has a Coral Barnacle living among its tentacles.
The Hydnophora is my pride and joy. This was one of the last corals I purchased about 6 months ago. Back then it was a 1" frag with 2 branches. It now measures approx 6" across and 5" high. And it hasn't lost any of it's color. This is amazing considering that my 240 is lit with a total of 576 watts of PC lighting. That's less than 2 1/2 watts per gallon! I believe that what I lack in lighting I make up for in feeding. The bad thing about the Hydnophora is that I am getting what can only be described as the "acropora itch". I realize this is a natural progression (from soft to hard corals) and I am trying to figure out how to explain to my wonderful wife that 1) I need new lights and 2) our electic bill may be going up even higher!
The last photo is my Maze Brain. Also amazing that it is doing as well as it is given my lighting set up. I do have it placed rather high in the tank, though. It has probably grown 50% larger in the year I have had it, and it has now permantly grown onto the rock where it was placed.
Here's a few more photos of corals. The first is my Candy Cane, which has doubled in size and the amount of heads in about a year. He was fading, even under my wimpy PC lighting, so I moved him near the bottom of the tank. He is one of my most aggressive feeders.
Next is my Pectinia. This photo does not do justice to this coral. The green color inside the coral absolutely glows under the PC lights. You can see that he's getting a little stung by the mushrooms growing underneath. Time to do a little house cleaning.
The next two photos are of my Red Lobo Brain and my Finger Leather. The Brain will eat huge pieces of food, until the fish come and steal it away.
The last is my Branching Hammer. I really like it's colors, which do not show up in my poor photograph. The tentacles are greem, and the hammer ends are purple. When I got him about 9 months ago, there were two branches. Now there are four. I am giving him the whole right end of the tank to get as big as he wants. You can just make out a stray Xenia behind him. I must say, the person who said that Xenia is a weed was not joking! I must frag it every few weeks just to keep it under control.
I just read this entire thread today while browsing for the perfect 92 gallon bowfront corner aquarium (still doing research before I delve into the dark-side of Saltwater). All I have to say is... WOW.
The tank is amazing and I'm looking forward to reading your post on your lack of pests.
Looking at your tanks is one of the many reasons I want to get into marine life.
Thanks for the kind words. And kudos to you for taking the time to research the hobby before diving in. Your chances for success will be greater, and the amount of frustration much less. Any questions we can help you with, just let us know. Talking Reef is a great place to learn w/o fear of being chastised for being a newbie!
Yeah Skyl, our man here is the quiet cool guy check out the subtle comedy overtones in the way he writes. definately a cool cat!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Danamck
Hi. Well it appears that 2 1/2 months have passed since my last update. And what a crazy 2 1/2 months it has been! Let's see, we've had ...
a serious illness in the family
an offer to leave my current job and go elsewhere
my son starting high school
another offer to leave my job and go elsewhere
a complete re-do of our back yard
a third offer to leave my job and go elsewhere
I joined a health club and started walking
A serious heart to heart with my current boss about the direction of his company
LOST - Season 2 DVD box set
The decision to stay at my current job and help run the company the way it needs to be run
My first vacation in 2 years (Victoria BC - beautiful)
Oh - and 5 fish tanks.
More on that soon ...
Glad to be back. Looking forward to catching up on all things TR!
"Talkingreef is a great place to learn w/o fear of being chastised for being a newbie!"
he's telling lies, im a newbie, & they hassle me all the time. well i lied about the newbie bit, im excellant at keeping goldfish "i think thats what they are called?" why do they call them that, they are more red.....anyways, welcome to our wonderland bud.
& danamck, *hands over a coldie* you just chug down this beer & look useful whilst i prode around your thread for improvements & ideas i can steal & hand off as my own...lol
OK, not to start a MAS (mutual admiration society), but the real comedy relief here at Talking Reef is the legendary man from down under, Veriann. Twisted ... sure. But a wicked sense of humor. And don't believe a word about goldfish. They are a lot harder to keep than most people think (look how many children kill them with too much love .. and food), and V is our resident expert. I hear he's working on a book about it ... the first definitive book on the care of Goldfish that will be hardcover and more than 12 pages. You gotta dream big ...
V-series Productions 
Great tanks man, now is the Idol and how about an update?
icon under their name to add to their reputation. 
check out the subtle comedy overtones in the way he writes. definately a cool cat!