Taqpol's 120 gallon All in Stand Reef Build

[Taqpol]

well you some how changed a frogspawn into a torch on the left. The big ball on the right is gone, and did you get the coraling off with a razor blade?

ooo and the brown dig. above the clam on the right i cant seem to find

Wow! You got all the little changes! I switched the frogspawn and torch because I plan on putting one of my new acros above where the torch used to be, the big ball was a large Galaxea colony that finally started sending out sweeper and killing some zoanthids, and I knocked the brown digi off the rocks with my Kent ProScraper (basically a razor blade on a stick, great for getting all that ugly corraline off).

 

[Taqpol]

Ok, it is absolute picture dump time. I honestly didn't know I took this many (good) pictures.

New corals!

Purple Acanthastrea

Tri-color

Another ORA Spongodes frag

Pink Montipora digitata

Closer shot

100% zoom of the previous shot

Blue Acropora (this guy was a doorbuster on the second day and only $9.99!!)

Closer....

100%!

 

[Taqpol]

Oldies but Goodies...

Maricultured colony of a red millepora. This guy is weird cause half the colony is super hairy and the other half isnt.

Another mariculture. I lost most of this guy during the tank transfer, then he turned real dull. I was about to sell him but then he started putting on the growth and getting some crazy colors near the tips (this shot is just of the tips).

ORA Purple Plasma. It lost its color during the flatworm incident, but now its back to its full glory.

ORA Pearlberry

Cali Tort

Green Birdsnest

GARF Purple Bonsai, probably one of the fastest growers in my tank.

My favorite macros

 

[Taqpol]

I fragged away my Galaxea. I butchered it pretty badly, but I got at least five good frags to keep/sell:

My monster Sarcophyton elegans

Pink Palythoas

I think these are called Pink Panthers

Eagle Eyes

Squamosa Clam, I really need to be able to take pictures of these guys from the top. From the side just doesn't cut it.

And my last addition from the Barrier Reef Aquarium sale, a tiny ORA tiger stripe Derasa to replace the one I lost. This is by far my favorite clam, even more so then a crazy maxima.

 

[Taqpol]

Fishy time!

This McCosker's flasher wrasse did NOT want his picture taken!

I added a "school" of three chalk bass awhile ago. What an absolutely great set of fish!

My remaining (fat!) male spotted Mandarin.

 

[Taqpol]

New fish, all of these from the Barrier Reef Sale.

Picasso clowns!

Christmas Wrasse

Half Black Mimic Tang. This guy has absolutely great patterns on its side, so hopefully it will replace what my tank is lacking after the loss of the Scopas.

 

[Taqpol]

Ok! Finally done. Once I find some more time I'm gonna post some growth shots. The really impressive one will be the growth of that yellow toadstool coral, I've had it an entire year in one tank or another.

 

[Chichas01]

Man great pics! I soooo want a GARF Bonsai now. Thanks for sharing.

 

[fatboyt123]

I love the derasa. I have one of those four in my tank. They look awsome from the top.

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

Beautiful pics! what lenses were you using?

 

[1fishkeeper]

Very nice I love the door buster that you got.

 

[tdgates10]

Man, those are some great shots! Love the spotted mandarin!

 

[Taqpol]

Man great pics! I soooo want a GARF Bonsai now. Thanks for sharing.

Apparently the Puprle Bonsai's are pretty prolific around the Spokane area if you ever come to this side of the state. I picked mine up at a good price and its growing really fast!

I love the derasa. I have one of those four in my tank. They look awsome from the top.

I really wish I had a look through box, I have a blue maxima that is also stunning from the top.

Beautiful pics! what lenses were you using?

The FTS's were taken with a Tamron 28-75 f2.8, and all of the other pictures were taken with a Canon 100mm Macro.

Very nice I love the door buster that you got.

The Pink digitata and tri-color were also door busters on the second day. In my opinion the second day was way better then the first at BRA, but maybe thats just cause I didn't have to get up as early, there were less people, and I got everything I wanted .

Man, those are some great shots! Love the spotted mandarin!

I'm still in the market for a small female spotted mandarin. I think watching the two of them interact would be one of the coolest things ever.

 

[Taqpol]

Here are the growth shots I promised. Some of these guys have been with me pretty much the whole time I've been doing saltwater.

My second fish purchase, a pair of Occ. Clowns.
6/29/2008

5/11/2009

6/07/2009

My Pagoda cup coral (Turbinaria) was one of the first corals I ever bought. I don't think its grown too much, but its definitely fluffier.

6/29/2008

5/11/2009

For a "slow growing coral" my purple Bonsai has really been putting on the growth in the few months that I have had it.

5/25/09

10/28/2009 (~5 months)

 

[Taqpol]

Here are the real shockers.

Five months of growth on my Purple Rim Monti Cap.

5/25/2009

8/20/2009

10/28/2009

My yellow Sarcophyton elegans. First picture is from my first 20 gal tank.

7/20/2008

6/07/2009

10/28/2009

Last "growth shot"
4/29/2009

10/08/2009

 

[Chichas01]

Are you cheating on us with that Reef Central site?!? Are you?!?
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15960738

:lol::lol::lol:

 

[Taqpol]

Hmmm, how did you find me without going there yourself?

Its true, but surprisingly I just had my very first "bad RC mod" experience over there this last week, and I've been active over there over a year. That being said they were the first forum I found that was helpful to noobs (I hadn't found this one yet!) and I made a lot of good friends. That thread probably has more people following it, but I really wanted to get more involved here to get to know the local people better as well as to have better contact with all of our great sponsors.

 

[Chichas01]

Hmmm, how did you find me without going there yourself?

I was googling GARF Purple Bonsai as your pic has caused me to obesses over getting one myself. :lol::lol:
Feel like fragging that bad boy?

 

[Taqpol]

Holy crap, I show up on the first page of google when you search for GARF Purple Bonsai!!

It sure is growing fast, but it is definitely not ready to frag yet. Brandy and her husband in Spokane have a massive colony (I think) and they have pretty much been supplying the whole area, so you might want to hit them up. Her user name is Brandyrb.

 

[Chichas01]

Holy crap, I show up on the first page of google when you search for GARF Purple Bonsai!!

It sure is growing fast, but it is definitely not ready to frag yet. Brandy and her husband in Spokane have a massive colony (I think) and they have pretty much been supplying the whole area, so you might want to hit them up. Her user name is Brandyrb.

Yep, you are very popular on the web. :lol:
Thanks for the heads up on where I might find a frag.