tank+home

no real updates for the tank. i've been adding kalk slurries 2x's a day to help with cal/alk. growth rates have again increased but levels havent budged much. cleaned out the deltec and it's again performing at it's best. i'm back to c-dosing a small amount of sugar+vodka. the skimmate production was been incredible for such a small tank, it's great to watch certain algaes just waste away. below is today's skimmate shot. still waiting to hear back from AO on the tank. the rest of the components for the lights should be in this week, i hope.



the furniture was delivered yesterday. the chair is very comfortable, i love it. well we wanted to be able to sit and enjoy coffee, so we decided today to get a new espresso maker over at w-s. we went with the best looking model hehe. already made some drinks and it's great...

hmm...

hmmm...what could this be?

...will be missed

this morning i woke up to my Paracentropyge multifasciatus stuck to the intake on one of my tunze pumps. he was doing very well the past few days so it's a bit frustrating for something like that to happen. he was on the top of the intake and probably got stuck grazing. he was always picking algae from the pumps but i never thought of them as a threat. when i found him he was partially exposed to air, and with no water to tread he could not get himeself free. he lived a while longer, and erradictly swam around after removing him from the pump, but didnt make it through the day. if only the pumps would have been an inch lower...

Leo as he had been named, was probably my favorite fish i've kept to date. here's some pictures the little guy.

busy day

well we just got back from a bit of a spree. went and picked up two of the lights. they look great up close and were exactly what we were looking for. we'll be re-wiring them to properly power the higher kelvin bulbs.

on the way to the store flint and i were talking that we wished we had a chair to sit and relax and enjoy our current tank. the pleasure gained by viewing our reef is a huge part of why we have one, we both knew what we wanted.... so we swung by the furniture store and picked up a nelson table and eames plywood chair. they should be delivered next week...i cant wait to wake up have some coffee and just sit and enjoy the tank. since we ordered the table, we needed a little something to put on top so we picked up some cool mercury bowls for that and around the house too.

fyi, muji just opened up a store in NYC (GQ was actually useful for once) so there stuff should be easier to get in the states now. they make simple things like pens and pencils seem cool. check them out at muji.com.... it's as clean as it gets. here's a quote from their site...

"Because there is complexity in purity.

Elegance in plainness.

Intricacy in streamlining.

Richness in reduction.

Depth in minimalism.

Surprise in uniformity.

Innovation in re-use.

Cool in the avoidance of cool.

And there is true
sophistication in simplicity."


we couldnt agree more. enjoy.

nano 10/20/07

the tank is doing well. kind of too well. corals are growing so fast that i cant keep my cal and alk up and i've stopped trying...right now cal is at 340 alk is at 6.8dkh...i've stopped worrying about it...the corals look fine ;o) here's a shot before feeding time.

glass box build

here's the latest on the new rimless tank... this shows the dimensions, sump, and the spot lights i'll be using.

MCE600

this skimmer continues to impress me. today while cleaning out the collection cup, i came back to a nice foam head without the cup on. this was due to feeding fresh seafood earlier in the day, but still shows the power of this great HOB. if you'd like to read more regarding this i have posted a review on the forums at reefcentral dot com. so far it has reduced nutrients dramatically and acropora coloration has improved. i believe it will perform even better on the upgrade tank as oils from foods etc. will be diluted and have less of an effect on the foam head.

lighting

here is a look at some popular japanese lights... notice the emphasis on spot lights and the ability to use lens covers and gel filters. i will be using spotlights exclusively on the rimless build, metal halide, LED, and halogen.

japanese reefs

when you get a chance check out logan's site http://prodibio.climatestudios.com/ to read his updates on prodibio in his system.



here are some pictures taken from the links posted to the right. as you can these reefers spend a tremendous amount of time on design and color. i also appreciate like their interest in the unusual... they have tremendously influenced me and it will be apparent in my next display.