Buffy's 1st Ever SW Build - Reef Tank

[Buffy]

Few more pics

Here's a few more.

In the last post, the bottom right picture, under the heater is where one Fire Shrimp hangs out.

Left is Front and center, if you look close you can see the peppermint under the white rock.

Right is Front right side, Under the big rock is where the other Fire Shrimp hangs out and on top of that rock is the Blue Tuxedo Urchin. Can actually see some of his color since some of the substrate has finally fallen off him. When I first put him in, he moved from one side to the other and by the time he got there it looked like he had rolled himself up in the substrate.

 

[Buffy]

Wow. You have a good amount of corals now. They seem to be everywhere lol. I think I have the same zooas in the bottom right shot, the mint green looking ones. They grow like a weed by the way.

Now that I did notice, cause that disc wasn't covered like that when I first got him, he really filled out.

I bought one coral (well two on one rock) that they said should morph into "something" lol. So looking forward to that, however I could swear I see blue on it, it's the one that is orange/green polyps, the one that those 2 blobs are on.. Grrrrrrrr.

 

[needmorecowbell]

thats interesting, cant wait to find out!

 

[Buffy]

No one knows?

So no one knows what the two blobs in the one picture was? I've not been able to find it. Here's another picture. It appears the blob on top is getting smaller, and this morning the lower blob was gone and in it's place looks like a shell. When I turn out the bright lights tonite, I am gonna take a magnifying glass to it.

 

[carey]

Detective Buffy at your service huh? LOL

 

[Buffy]

A short video at Diver's Den

Here's a short video from the tour at Diver's Den. Notice the girl in the picture (my granddaughter) she is 6 years old and tall for her age. She is leaning against the wall which is about 3-4 feet from the glass. (Kinda bored Lol). I am thinking that the "max size" on some of these fish should be doubled because they are huge and look like they have hit their max size, I mean they almost cover her chest, I'm no small person but you can compare their size to my reflection also.

 

[Buffy]

A few pics from Tour

Hope these look ok. Any questions just ask. On their site is a good shot of their layout. Everything is organized into Sections/Rows. New Arrival Room, Medicine Area, RO/Filtration Area, Shipping, area. I took a partial pic of an office, and one of the offices has 2 people. I asked to take their picture, they said sure but I was moving and they had started to move so it's blurry.

I really liked the people that work up their. If they didn't have an answer, they grabbed the closest co-worker and asked them, most of the time the buck stopped there and you got an answer but sometimes, they had to go to a few different people, cause like everyone else.....people have their "preferences" so they have more knowledge on some and not another (which was the case most of the time). Talk to an LPS person, talk to a Poly person but don't talk to a Poly person about a fish or LPS cause......the are off and running for an answer for you. I think this is good because you don't get a little here and a little there.

One office with 5 tanks: (No, I don't remember their names, but they were cool and funny guys.

In that office is where I took a pic of their tanks.

This tank is on the wall to the right when you first walk in. So the 3 and this one form an L shape.

Another Office with 1 tank:

Ok so I just went to their web site.....They have 7 videos of the different areas that are so much better than mine, but one good thing.....you know mine ain't touched up or professional market material. LOL

Steve in the RO/Filtration Area, right above his head are the barrels that hold the Fresh RO/DI water and the Mixed Saltwater. They go through a pallet of salt a day. They do water changes to ALL tanks everyday.

Their coral "tanks" are not too deep. Everything is labeled. When we first went into the coral room, the 2 "tanks" on the end of the first row were the WYSIWYG area. I bought 2 from those tanks, but before they said yes they had to go online and make sure no one had ordered it already. The tank next to it was the upcoming day tank. Meaning that is where they took the pictures on Sunday to be posted on Monday. They have a coral there that is not named yet, I was gonna buy it but decided to wait. I gave them an idea or two for a name I wonder if they will use it. They generally go around to everyone and get their ideas for names when they doing a naming and then pick one. Real technical and sophisticated LOL

Tell me this fish ain't BIG!!

Here is a link to my PhotoBucket Album of the Diver's Den tour:

http://s1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb463/MeHuman2/Divers Den/?start=0

I still have to organize the album but they are out there for your viewing please. Hmm there are 5 videos and about 211 photos. FYI I think one video was an accident cause it was real short. I'll delete later, wanted to get this post in before I go to sleep.

Please visit my Album.....I didn't put them out nothing, I could have just put them on my pc. They may not be the best pictures but they are still cool and I wanted to share some of this with you all. Hope something stands out at ya. (The eels in the one tube scared the crap out of me and my granddaughter when we turned around and faced them LOL)

 

[Gregcoyote]

That's a gorgeous angel fish. I get mixed feelings when I see big angel fish like this...I kind of wish he was still living on the reef. It's hard being a diver and a saltwater hobbiest as it generates some conflicts in me. You can dive all day and are lucky to get a glimpse of this shy fish in the wild.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Check this angel out, the size of a serving platter, shot at night on the Bloody Bay Wall in Little Cayman at about 80'

 

[Buffy]

That is a beautiful Angel. Oh and hey, thanks for "sticking up for me" LOL.

 

[Gregcoyote]

How about this French angel? He was a big boy and very elusive.

 

[needmorecowbell]

i really want to dive someday. those pictures just encourage it. Just a little expensive for a 15 year old lol.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Yes, it can cost a lot to travel to these places anymore. You can always rent gear. The training is available pretty cheap, here you can get certified for a couple of hundred bucks. And we are 1000 miles away from the nearest ocean. It is great exercise and teaches you a lot about science. It also allows you to enter the other part of planet Earth that is as amazing as anything on dry land. Save your money up.

 

[carey]

Great pictures and video Buffy! Those fish were gigantic! I can't imagine having a tank large enough for even one of them. lol

 

[Dary421]

That's a gorgeous angel fish. I get mixed feelings when I see big angel fish like this...I kind of wish he was still living on the reef. It's hard being a diver and a saltwater hobbiest as it generates some conflicts in me. You can dive all day and are lucky to get a glimpse of this shy fish in the wild.

I'm kinda with you on this one Greg ,... Not only for the angels but for most of the tropical fish we see on the reefs,...it's pretty awesome to see a large school of tangs etc scurrying about the reef seemingly enjoying themselves ,then you see a single tang back in the states for sale in a 40 gallon tank,...hmmm.....kinda like keeping a antelope in your garage,..we're all guilty to a degree, it doesn't make it right ,.it just reassures us to try and give these animals the best conditions we can to make their stay with us as non confining and natural as possible., I'm sure each and every one of these fish if given a choice would love to be back on the reefs again.

Buffy,....thank you for taking your time to give us all a little glimpse of what goes on " behind the scenes" at a large establishment such as live aquaria.,..I would imagine that most of us at one time or another have ordered something from them,... I for one would like to say thank you for a job well done !!,...( you may take a bow now Buffy )

 

[Buffy]

You are welcome.

I agree they would love to be back home and since they are not we need to make them as happy and healthy as possible.

@Dary - I thought of you while taking some pics, they had a "tank" with nothing but mushrooms or pretty close to nothing but mushrooms.

@Carey and I thought of you when I saw the Tangs and in the row behind them were Gobies that I thought you had.

It was an awesome trip, I go there as my LFS but thats the retail store, this was first time in Diver's Den but I can't say I didn't try to talk my way in the other times I was there buying salt and stuff. I tried but failed lol. Is a good thing tho cause you dont want people all over while caring for that massive amount.

 

[Buffy]

So I'm thinking of taking out the purple bulb from the 2 bulb switch. There's the purple and actinic right now, am wanting to put the 2 actinic's on the one switch.

Should I take a white out and put the purple in so there's 3 whites and 1 purple?

I'm not sure what my other fixture has. It is a 1 bulb 48" stock, and it's white. Otherwise til I buy another bulb the purple will have to do with the 3 10K white.

It came with 3 10K white and 3 460 nm actinics. However due to an accidental drop of the fixture, 1white & 1 actinic was broken. I thought purple would be a nice touch but honestly, as much as I love purple, it's not what I thought, so I'm not crazy about it.

So go with the purple/white on the one switch or order a different bulb to replace the purple? If so what bulb would you recommend?

Thanks for following and posting

 

[carey]

I moved my purple bulb to the 4 light switch array. Wasn't enough blue for my "blue" lights period

 

[Buffy]

I moved my purple bulb to the 4 light switch array. Wasn't enough blue for my "blue" lights period

That's what I did, though I'm not using my light at the moment, it's kinda in the way so my little 20 G is using 2 48" led strips and a CFL (I think). It's the u-tube light bulb from petco that has one side white and one side blue. They are doing ok right now, though I did lose one of the corals.

I have tomorrow off so hopefully tonite I won't be too tired and I'll take a couple of pics, I want to take a video during eating time, I swear those Fire Shrimp race around the tank like they have never eaten, not afraid of fish or nothing, they are like, outta my way, my food, my food. LMAO

 

[Buffy]

As soon as my phone charges I will try to take a video.