300 gallon "Outside Corner" Reef

[Stlrockguy]

Speaking of live food. I have mysis shrimp crawling all over my 150. If they are in the display then they should be in my sump also, right? Anything I can do to keep their numbers up

 

[Gregcoyote]

Not letting them cycle thru your pumps and skimmer is a start. Never heard of a shrimp outbreak. It would seem a few fat fish might keep them happily under control.

 

[Stlrockguy]

My tank was fallow for 12 weeks. I'm not complaining, it's a good thing. I was figuring my refugium should be packed but I never see anything moving in it but snails and bristle worms

 

[Gregcoyote]

I wish I could grow these vase sponges I use to photograph in the wild. Anyone grow colorful sponges?

 

[Stlrockguy]

I wish I had me some of those. Such amazing color

 

[Gregcoyote]

I was sitting here watching my reef tank and I notice something. Whenever I look at the tank the first thing that catches my eye is my gorgeous hippo tang. I need to get a photo of him as I don't think anyone has seen one this fat and healthy. I am fortunate that I can give him 8' of swimming room and feed him daily. But as far as pretty, especially when they are adults, they stack up there.

 

[Sniperhank]

Do you have any sponges in your tank Greg? I tried to keep one and it eventually just died away. I threw it out with a water change a long long time ago...I get to see it atleast once a month when my dog finds it in the woods and brings it back to me.

 

[Gregcoyote]

LOL. That's a heck of a deal. I have always had volunteer pineapple sponges pop up. Some get big bough to convince me that I am cable of keeping sponges. I found this was a delusion on my part several hundred dollars later. I see some few types at the LFS occasionally, but in a closed system it's pretty hard to keep water quality high enough for hard corals and still feed sponges in a way that would cause them to grow. The vase sponges I photographed are deep enough to be pretty much filter feeders, but I am wondering if certain photosynthetic varieties wouldn't be worth having.

 

[Sniperhank]

Not a clue. I've never seen a sponge not considered difficult...but then again some difficult things aren't that hard at all where others are impossible.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Check out the osculum on this bad boy shot in deep water.



Star polyps were growing all over its surface.

 

[redsea]

I was sitting here watching my reef tank and I notice something. Whenever I look at the tank the first thing that catches my eye is my gorgeous hippo tang. I need to get a photo of him as I don't think anyone has seen one this fat and healthy. I am fortunate that I can give him 8' of swimming room and feed him daily. But as far as pretty, especially when they are adults, they stack up there.

He sounds fantastic! Tangs can definitely be difficult to photograph, they are so quick!

 

[Gregcoyote]

 

[Gregcoyote]

The last pic is of some volunteer acro that started on my probe holder.

 

[Sniperhank]

That is a big blue! As for the acro, have you shown it before? I think I remember that one...is it interfering with the probs?

 

[Gregcoyote]

No, but I will have to remove them when I clean and recalibrate the probes. I have setup a vertical rack to grow plugs out horizontally from the wall. I will use these for that purpose.
Check out the fat belly on the smaller sailfin tang.

 

[FrankAbagnale]

Thank you so much for having my girlfriend and I over today! It was really cool to see such a nice reef tank, and the cool techniques you use to run it. Just let me know when you have time to stop by my place. You're welcome any time.

 

[Andy Sager]

Those are definitely some nice fat tangs.
Have you ever seen the Hippos out of Christmas Island or surrounding areas? They have a yellow belly to them. The big ones were GORGEOUS!!!!!!!! ( Not that yours isn't It's just so nice to see a large hippo tang without Lateral Line disease! ) You did a good job with them!

 

[Gregcoyote]

Thanks Andy. I built this tank for tangs and it has worked out well. And I've only seen pictures of the yellow bellies.

It was nice having you over Arron.

 

[Andy Sager]

Thanks Andy. I built this tank for tangs and it has worked out well. And I've only seen pictures of the yellow bellies.

It was nice having you over Arron.

Well Greg, it certainly looks like it's working right. As the saying goes" The proof is in the pudding" but in this case, the proof is in their stomachs"
I hope you get to see a yellow belly in person some day. They are an amazing looking fish

 

[Cichlid-dude]

That blue is beautiful. I wish my tank was large enough to house one comfortably... I feel an upgrade coming soon lol!