20 Gallon Mixed Reef

[Russter]

Update:

May 5, 2011

Newest addition - Pipe organ (Tubipora musica)

 

[Gort]

Update: May 5, 2011

Wow - you know what it's gonna look like in the FUTURE!!?? - heheheh...

Seriously - a great-looking tank that continues to make me green with envy.

 

[Russter]

Update: May 5, 2011

Wow - you know what it's gonna look like in the FUTURE!!?? - heheheh...

Seriously - a great-looking tank that continues to make me green with envy.

Would you be refering to the little buds of xenia that keep popping up everywhere? LOL! I should have listened. Oh well. Just keep chopping it back

 

[Sierramists1]

Your tank is one of my biggest inspirations! I love how it uses the bread n butter of the aquarium world but is still unique! :yuck:

 

[Russter]

Your tank is one of my biggest inspirations! I love how it uses the bread n butter of the aquarium world but is still unique! :yuck:

Thank you for your very nice comment. I have always tried to stock my tanks with what I think looks good, not just because it is rare or the hottest new thing.

 

[Russter]

New additions:

Green tipped birdsnest

Yellow tipped birdsnest

 

[Russter]

I just purchased an LED light fixture. It is the SWC Xtreme Cree LED 60 watt unit with 10 3 watt royal blues and 10 3 watt white LEDs and 60 degree optics. It also comes with it's own dimmer switch and separate power cords for both.

Here is the last picture I'll take with the T5's. New light will be here next week.

 

[Russter]

New light arrived yesterday and was waiting for me when I got home.

It was packaged well and no shipping damage.

It seems well built and has a huge heat sink and fan built in. The red button is the fan switch.

Installed. I got rid of the clips that came with the hanging clip and used stainless bolts and nuts to attach the hangers to the fixture.

Blue only. Very nice fluoresence in real life but I couldn't get the camera setting right.

White only.

Full on blue and white with very nice shimmer effect too.

I have dimmed it down to about 75% so that everything can get acclimated. I am very impressed with this light so far, especially for the price. Hopefully the corals feel the same way.

 

[10gnano]

they look like a decent fixture so far. I'm interested to see how coral growth is under these lights, particularly sps. You could be the fist to document this, i spent hours looking around and couldn't find anything.

 

[Russter]

they look like a decent fixture so far. I'm interested to see how coral growth is under these lights, particularly sps. You could be the fist to document this, i spent hours looking around and couldn't find anything.

I usually take monthly pictures of my tank so we should get a good idea of growth on the corals. I am giving it a week of aclimation and then will run at 100% power. It runs cool to touch and although the fan isn't exactly quiet, you wouldn't notice it if you had it installed in a canopy (I don't really hear it when my canopy is closed).

 

[jonas]

great so beatyfull

 

[Russter]

great so beatyfull

Thanks for the kind words.

 

[Russter]

Finally!

My battle with the emerald crab has come to an end. After a week of trying to catch the crafty critter, I have triumphed!
It all started when I noticed the crab perched in the branches of my green birdsnest coral. It looked like he was doing his usual duty of picking off bits of algae like he does from the rock. But upon further inspection, I noticed the crab was actually eating the tips and polyps off the coral. This of course would not be allowed. After many attempts to lure him with tasty bits of silversides, I came home today to find him in the birdsnest again. I managed to grab the crab with a pair of large forceps and pull him out of the tank (although he did not want to let go). He is now residing in the sump, where there is lots of bubble algae for him to enjoy.

 

[pflerch3]

Wow those pictures are so vivid. How did you get them so clear? What type of camera?

 

[Russter]

Wow those pictures are so vivid. How did you get them so clear? What type of camera?

The camera I am using is a Canon Rebel XTi and I use two different lens': a Canon EFS 55-250 and a Canon 18-55 lens. All shots were taken using a tripod and a remote shutter release, which I think makes a huge difference in picture quality. It allows you to open up lens and slow down the shutter speed without getting as much blur that you would get shooting by hand.

 

[Russter]

Here is a quick little video of the tank with the new lights

 

[flatteringchild]

Beautiful tank!!! Love the flower pot. That frogspawn is a very pretty color. Good job! Very healthy looking tank!

 

[Russter]

Thanks flatteringchild. The alveopora is one of my favorites.

 

[dtd87]

Here is a quick little video of the tank with the new lights

looks great gave you your first like on the video

 

[Thrawn]

Wow, beautiful tank. It blows my mind!