jlanger's 120gal Arts and Crafts Inspired Reef Build (1 Viewer)

[ChristopherKriens]

Shots are looking good! Thanks for having me over and enjoy playing with the gear

Here are a couple from my memory card from our session--

 

[jlanger]

I couldn't wait for the lights to ramp up this morning to take more pictures.
In turning the lights up early, I was able to catch the fish in their morning slumber. This was especially beneficial for me as I was finally able to get a couple of pics of my male leopard wrasse; he hates the camera!

Fully body; I wish his tail wasn't cupped.

And a close-up of his head.

Yup - I am jealous - if I ever had a decent cam to work with - Chris would be the first guy I would attempt to bribe with dinner to help me learn what to do with a camera that had options other than just point and shoot

I highly recommend bribing him!

Shots are looking good! Thanks for having me over and enjoy playing with the gear

Here are a couple from my memory card from our session.

Thanks.
I really like seeing the patch of refracted light on the Scribbled Rabbitfish's cheek; and the blue hazing in the eye!
Your picture of my Lamarck's Angelfish makes him look small!

 

[jlanger]

I am not getting anything productive done today; not a thing!
I'm having too much fun taking pictures!

I took a couple [LOTS] of pics using the porthole for top-down shots.
Using the porthole allowed me to get pictures of some corals that have eluded me in the past. I was not able to get the camera in a position out of the water to get the shot I wanted. It looks like I'll be looking for a macro lens and a porthole!

One coral that I really like but haven't gotten a photograph of recently is my lobophyllia.
Here's a couple of macro shots of this coral.

The Miyagi Tort is doing well, even through the high salinity and alkalinity issues.

The PC Rainbow I got from James last year took a huge hit; nothing but the tips were left. Over the past couple of weeks, the coral is showing new growth from the bases of the tips and its color is starting to pop.

One acropora coral that did well and has always exhibited some polyp extension was the Reefsitter Special frag I got from Grigor.

But a species that I have never had luck with polyp extension is the Millipora spp.
I have kept a handful of Mille frags and only one frag ever looked shaggy, and a pistol shrimp buried that one.
The polyps are there, but they just don't want to come out and sway; they do get plenty of light and flow.

And the obligatory montipora pic.

 

[jlanger]

And a few more pics from today's photo overload; the last from today.

Here's an almost complete photo of the Miyagi Tort; one branch that comes straight out towards the front was cut off.
This coral has a unique growth form in that some of the branches flatten out.

Here's a colony of Grigor's Pink [Purple] Stylophora.

And finally a fish that for the most part goes unnoticed, but not unappreciated; my Randall's Goby.
The only reason I don't have more photographs of this fish is because it will rarely leave the burrow that the shrimp is in. It's not like they have ever been threatened in three years or so, but its instincts are very strong.

 

[jlanger]

I picked up a new "frag" this week; a Flameback Angelfish!

I've kept these little "fireballs" in the past and really like their colors and behaviors.
Since Eric (eschulist) was in need to rehome this fish for his new angelfish (Which is awesome!), I figured I'd step in and grab it. I told him I would get a pic of it in my tank, but it's still not ready to pose for the camera; that was the best I could do last night.
The angelfish is doing really well in its new home; went from a 12gal up to 120gal tank. For the first day, the fish kept to hanging out in the big cave on the right side of the tank. It is eating well and spends time poking around the rock work and getting comfortable with the new surroundings and cohabitants. The other fish have not really bothered the angelfish at all; the clownfish have chased it away from "their" duncan colonies but that's it.

Speaking of duncan colonies.

I thought I could coax the Flameback Angelfish out with some food, but the masses create such a "frenzy" that it stayed inside the cave. But here's a pic showing how my tank looks now; as it is still recovering from the past couple of mishaps.

Just for size reference, you can see how small the fish is by comparing the first photo to this one.
Besides the missing little angelfish, the Leopard Wrasse, Mimic Tang, Foxface and the smallest female anthias did not make this photo.

 

[HolyCrapOuch]

Maybe it's just a trick of the lens, but that clown goby looks like it got HUGE! Great pics!

 

[eschulist]

Based on the size of the monti in the first pic and using it as reference for the last group shot. That goby and flameback are almost the same size lol.

 

[jlanger]

Not the comparison pic I was shooting for, but here's the little Flameback Angelfish and the male Percula Clownfish together.

The Flameback has settled in very nicely.
The fish either doesn't know that I'm a source of food yet, or it just doesn't care. As all of the other fish gather at the top of the tank when I approach, the angel keeps dipping around corals and picking off pods. After food is added to the tank, the fish will eat the foods.

In other news...
My clownfish pair have aggressively been cleaning off the rock where they have previously laid eggs. Both fish are picking and rubbing on the rock; it looks pristine! The female has even been flipping over and rubbing the rock on her back. The female's ovipositor is also apparent, so it may not be far off. They haven't laid any eggs since this past spring. I think this may have something to do with the elevated salinity issue I dealt with this summer. If that is the case, maybe things have settled back down enough for the clownfish to resume spawning.

 

[jlanger]

Here we go again!

Here's some top down pics.
The lighting schedule was ramping down, so the colors from above appear darker/bluer.
(I didn't want to change the lighting in case it disrupted the spawning.)

And, of course, the best photo doesn't show any of the eggs.

Since I noticed their nesting behavior over the weekend, I knew I should keep an eye on their activity tonight.
Nothing was really happening when I came home, so I started to do some interior maintenance with my corals. I fragged the montipora colonies and finally glued down a bunch of loose frags. While I was working with the frags, the female clownfish was really territorial and would nip at my hand to keep me away from their nesting spot. I did turn one of the duncan colonies away from the rock they have been cleaning, so there was more open space in that area. She was not happy with me and gave me a few good nips on the back of my hand.
When I finished gluing down the frags (and with all maintenance), I feed the fish so they know they can come out from hiding and resume their normal routine.
Within half an hour of doing so, the female started laying eggs. She must have been holding off until my "threat" was safely removed from the tank.

I took as many photos as I possibly could without creating too much of a distraction.
The two fish move so fast that keeping them in focus was really difficult. I'm sure once all of the eggs are laid, they will settle down and I can get much better pictures of the fish and the eggs.

More updates are sure to follow.

 

[deneed4spd]

Where did u get that pair of percs? I'm not a fan of ora perc. Seeing if you have a better source.

 

[jlanger]

Where did u get that pair of percs? I'm not a fan of ora perc. Seeing if you have a better source.

I bought the pair from Peggy at All-Reef (no longer) in Stillwater about six years ago.
Not sure if that helps you today, though.

Check with our sponsors.
Chad Vossen may be able to track you down a pair.

 

[RandoReefer]

You're right, that last picture is a great one! I'll have to pick your brain one day about shooting the tanks. Great pics/clarity!

 

[eschulist]

Very cool to see the actual egg laying

 

[rlinusc]

i picked up my ocellaris from patent and they are doing great!

 

[jlanger]

Some new pics from during this week's water change.

The clownfish eggs are doing well.
Here's a pic of the male tending to the eggs on Day 5.

And a few more coral pics. If you cannot tell, I'm really enjoying this macro lens.
I'm trying to document as much of my corals and fish as I can before I have to return the lens.
Thanks, Chris! You'll get it back soon; maybe. Yes, you will. Maybe.

The newest frag, a Pink Lemonade acropora.
I've tried a few of these in the past without much success, but so far this one is doing well.

In past posts, I've discussed the importance of using Color Theory to make your reef look more dynamic.
When it comes to utilizing color, the color wheel is very important. Using complementary colors against one another can really create some nice contrast and visual interest.
Here's a picture showing what is achieved by complementing the red/orange of a setosa frag against the green/purple of some Emerald Eye zoanthids.

And sometimes, a single coral will complement the colors themselves.
Lobophyllia hemprichii brain coral.

And there's times when two adjacent secondary colors work well with each other; purple and green.
Bicolor hammer coral.

 

[Ben Nicholls]

Suggestions on where to get a cool camera like that?

There might be one in the classified section.

 

[jlanger]

As my days with Chris' macro lens is closely coming to end in two weeks, I'm taking as many pictures as my battery allows.
I'm starting to believe that one of the more important pieces of equipment for a reef tank is a quality camera and macro lens. Everyone knows how "pretty" a saltwater aquarium is, but when you can freeze a single moment in fine detail the beauty is remarkable.

I started by taking a few pictures of the Lamarck's Angelfish; as I wanted to update the for sale thread for the Fall Expo.
I think that plan is going to backfire on me.
I'm seriously considering on keeping the angelfish now. After seeing these couple of pictures from today, how can I remove such a beautiful fish? I know that he has gotten a tad aggressive, but aren't all angels? And after having added the small Flameback Angelfish a couple of weeks ago, the Lamarck's has not been aggressive towards it at all.
I have maintained that a reef tank isn't complete until there's an angelfish. I have an angelfish that doesn't nip at corals or clams, is healthy and it has grown from a tiny (-2") female into this beauty.
I think I can deal with having a coral get snapped from time to time; natural fragging, right?!

 

[jlanger]

Here's a few more pictures from today's session.

The clownfish pair have been busy keeping their eggs clean.
Tomorrow night should be the night that the eggs hatch.

How do I keep a clean sand bed? Kole Tang.

And the Mimic Tang helps.

 

[ChristopherKriens]

Beautiful shot of the Kole Tang. I like the battle damage on everybody

 

[jlanger]

Beautiful shot of the Kole Tang.

Thanks.
I like how you can somewhat see the bristle-"teeth" against the sand.

I like the battle damage on everybody

Yeah... Can you guess the offender?
Thankfully, my fish heal rather quickly since I feed LRS frozen foods and dose an amino/vitamin supplement.