Help with a rebuild!
- Thread starter rlablan
- Start date
rlablan
Active Member
Cool! Well, if you do find something in the area, That is cool. Drop a line here so I can check it out too. I have searched myself and like it I said, I am not aware of anything... other than that one we just talked about.
I don't think any of the other stores do stuff like that... even if they do, I was looking for an actual reef club, not some business owner who is just trying to drum up business.
I don't think any of the other stores do stuff like that... even if they do, I was looking for an actual reef club, not some business owner who is just trying to drum up business.
rlablan
Active Member
So Lois, I dunno if this kenya is gonna make it. It has not perked up at all. :-(
A few of the pieces have even melted away.
I am really bummed. I will post a picture after work today. That is such a real bummer. I have not given up hope... It looks maybe some of the bigger pieces might do something?
Everything else in my tank is happy so... I have no idea what could be going on. All levels are normal.
A few of the pieces have even melted away.
I am really bummed. I will post a picture after work today. That is such a real bummer. I have not given up hope... It looks maybe some of the bigger pieces might do something?
Everything else in my tank is happy so... I have no idea what could be going on. All levels are normal.
rlablan
Active Member
On a totally different note...
Remodel UPDATE!
So we FINALLY cracked away at this stupid pony wall/island. IT'S GONE! I AM SOOOO EXCITED!
This is all the cabinetry that will go on the new island which is 5' x 8'. :-D IT'S HUGE!
There is storage on every side and I did give up one cabinet... FOR A WINE FRIDGE! It's just a little guy but it holds around 25 bottles.
We will obviously keep wine in there, as well as probably some "fun" sodas in glass bottles or something neat like that.
Sometimes, a bad day just calls for a coke in a glass bottle.
here is the last of the wall, just before we took it down. Surprisingly, it took a while to get this sucker down.
And here is the dry fit of the cabinetry and shape of everything.
If you guys see anything weird or something that you think "Oh no! Don't do that" Lemme know. I am certainly not an expert, I just know I hated my old kitchen.
Remodel UPDATE!
So we FINALLY cracked away at this stupid pony wall/island. IT'S GONE! I AM SOOOO EXCITED!
This is all the cabinetry that will go on the new island which is 5' x 8'. :-D IT'S HUGE!
There is storage on every side and I did give up one cabinet... FOR A WINE FRIDGE! It's just a little guy but it holds around 25 bottles.
We will obviously keep wine in there, as well as probably some "fun" sodas in glass bottles or something neat like that.
Sometimes, a bad day just calls for a coke in a glass bottle.
here is the last of the wall, just before we took it down. Surprisingly, it took a while to get this sucker down. And here is the dry fit of the cabinetry and shape of everything.If you guys see anything weird or something that you think "Oh no! Don't do that" Lemme know. I am certainly not an expert, I just know I hated my old kitchen.
S
siptang
Guest
Looks good to me lol.
rlablan
Active Member
It has been some time! I figured I would update this neglected thread.
So first, the kitchen-
It's coming along. I got quite a few thinds done but then life got in the way. I have a brand new, big, lovely island and I LOVE IT! This is the best project I ever did. I put in a granite composite sink, which I really like and I also finished sealing and cleaning off the butcher block. I really liked them before but what a world of different when they are sealed! They not look much more rich, warm and much more expensive then they did before. When they are unsealed, they look dull and a little cheap. A little sanding and some mineral oil solved that!
The pot rack is all in and this kitchen is really starting to come together! I have always wanted a pot rack but there was never a good location for one. If you cook often, a pot rack is VERY worth the little money that it costs. Everything is convenient and it seriously frees up SO MUCH SPACE!!! My pot rack was purchased at Lowes for 150 and models without lighting in them are even cheaper. I will NEVER live in another home without a pot rack!!
I decided to turn two of my useless cabinets over the stove and fridge into display cabinets with small lights in there. Those are still a work in progress but all it takes it a little reworking and a couple of drop in lights. I need to get my butt in gear...
Also, I still need to paint and distress the island as well as finish painting the last two kitchen walls... all in due time. I am not concerned about that, although it looks a little ugly.
I am loving the new kitchen table and the new china cabinet. I think I made great choices... They work well in the space and are the perfect size.
Flooring will come before the end of the year... I am certainly going to do the demo myself, I just dunno if I wanna take this 1900 sf job myself. There are a few rooms that are keeping their carpet but the majority of our 2200 sqft home is going with the tile that looks like wood... I am not sure I want to do all of that. :-/
-TANKS-
So there have been a few new additions and subtractions from the 150... I had to trade in my gold rim tang, Tidus, due to aggression. He was upset with ANY new fish that I added... Such a bummer. I really liked him. He killed a Blonde Naso that was more than twice his size and then attempted to kill the yellow tang and new butterfly... :-/ He had to go.
Now the stock is:
1 yellow tang
1 dusky jaw fish (oscar)
1 starry blenny (sprouts)
2 clowns (Lorem and Ipsum)
1 randal's goby
1 Heniochus diphreutes- really enjoying this little fish! He is so cute and has a great disposition. No picking, except at rocks. Does not bother the giant clam, so I am very happy about that.
I am thinking of adding about 3 more fish and then calling it good? Maybe a few more small guys but we shall see... I don't know what I want but I want something interesting. I was thinking a pintail trigger? and maybe a wrasse of some kind? I just don't know. I can't add anything small like fire fish because oscar will make a meal out of those very quickly.
I have (sort of) recently added a new a VERY large blue linkia starfish, he seems to be doing well... That makes four stars in the tank now, a red linkia, a sand sifting star, the blue linkia and a very large brittle star.
This weekend, I purchased a lovely gold sea whip, I am going to have to dig out my recent copy of CORAL that was all about Gorgs and whips to see what whip I actually purchased but it does appear to be photosynthetic, which is good.
The NPS 60
This tank is coming along nicely. I officially have
1 orange ball sponge (Eventually I think it will die, Parts turn kinda "grey" but it never does die... I dunno what is up with it.)
2 tree sponges, orange
1 blue sponge, half died away and I thought the whole thing would but the white areas disintegrated and left behind half of what was a very large colony... I think there was an air bubble in the bag. I am left with a very strange shaped blue sponge. It is still pretty and I have hopes that it will, one day, be very large again.
1 medium sized yellow finger gorgonian- doing very well
1 flame scallop- I added this yesterday. Every time I look at the tank, he has moved, I hope he finds a good place where I can see him.
1 purple tube anemone (LARGE) Transplanted from the 150... I think it'll be happier here, LOTS more food
1 Pink tube anemone (small) Also moved from the 150...
The only fish in this tank is my still very small porky puffer, Chompie.
I want to add another fish to this tank, something that won't pick on my sponges and things, preferably something that will stay in this tank forever. The tank is a 60, its basically a cube... I need something that will be big enough that it won't be eaten by Chompie, but not something else that will out grown this tank. After chompie has outgrown the tank, I thought about putting pipe fish in here... So maybe something that can be housed with pipefish?
What do you guys think... I was also thinking something like a frondosa or something predatory like that... It's expensive but I think the rarity of the fish would be worth it... ??? Thoughts please?
Here are some pictures, they are just cellphone pics. Hopefully, I will have some time to take some new macros and get them edited. Happy reefing!
Next step with the lighting is to change these pendants. I think I may just go with two large pendants... then I would have a group of 3 "hanging" light fixtures. If I go with 3 pendants, I think it will be cramped and also then I would have an even number... decorating should always be done in odd numbers...
I love the way all of my pots look! I am also REALLY loving the copper rack that I built for the pot lids, for over the stove. A great use of space and it is ridiculous how convenient it is.
Here is the new yellow sea whip and my purple gorg.
FTS... I need more fish, I think.
When I was trying to catch Tidus to trade him in, I had to take apart the right side of tank and put it back together. I actually like the aquascaping better now. I created like 4 more small caves up top and because the fish can swim in and out of them, they venture to the top of the tank, which makes them a lot more fun to watch. I guess getting rid of tidus was kinda of a blessing?
This sea whipe really likes the light from these LED fixtures. Anyone who has been following knows that I had doubts about the LEDs but I really do like these fixtures I got from my LFS. They have the supplemental PCs and I REALLY like the look. My corals LOVE the PCs too, especially the UV bulbs. I highly recommend these lights!! And that is saying something, since I normally despise LEDs.
So first, the kitchen-
It's coming along. I got quite a few thinds done but then life got in the way. I have a brand new, big, lovely island and I LOVE IT! This is the best project I ever did. I put in a granite composite sink, which I really like and I also finished sealing and cleaning off the butcher block. I really liked them before but what a world of different when they are sealed! They not look much more rich, warm and much more expensive then they did before. When they are unsealed, they look dull and a little cheap. A little sanding and some mineral oil solved that!
The pot rack is all in and this kitchen is really starting to come together! I have always wanted a pot rack but there was never a good location for one. If you cook often, a pot rack is VERY worth the little money that it costs. Everything is convenient and it seriously frees up SO MUCH SPACE!!! My pot rack was purchased at Lowes for 150 and models without lighting in them are even cheaper. I will NEVER live in another home without a pot rack!!
I decided to turn two of my useless cabinets over the stove and fridge into display cabinets with small lights in there. Those are still a work in progress but all it takes it a little reworking and a couple of drop in lights. I need to get my butt in gear...
Also, I still need to paint and distress the island as well as finish painting the last two kitchen walls... all in due time. I am not concerned about that, although it looks a little ugly.
I am loving the new kitchen table and the new china cabinet. I think I made great choices... They work well in the space and are the perfect size.
Flooring will come before the end of the year... I am certainly going to do the demo myself, I just dunno if I wanna take this 1900 sf job myself. There are a few rooms that are keeping their carpet but the majority of our 2200 sqft home is going with the tile that looks like wood... I am not sure I want to do all of that. :-/
-TANKS-
So there have been a few new additions and subtractions from the 150... I had to trade in my gold rim tang, Tidus, due to aggression. He was upset with ANY new fish that I added... Such a bummer. I really liked him. He killed a Blonde Naso that was more than twice his size and then attempted to kill the yellow tang and new butterfly... :-/ He had to go.
Now the stock is:
1 yellow tang
1 dusky jaw fish (oscar)
1 starry blenny (sprouts)
2 clowns (Lorem and Ipsum)
1 randal's goby
1 Heniochus diphreutes- really enjoying this little fish! He is so cute and has a great disposition. No picking, except at rocks. Does not bother the giant clam, so I am very happy about that.
I am thinking of adding about 3 more fish and then calling it good? Maybe a few more small guys but we shall see... I don't know what I want but I want something interesting. I was thinking a pintail trigger? and maybe a wrasse of some kind? I just don't know. I can't add anything small like fire fish because oscar will make a meal out of those very quickly.
I have (sort of) recently added a new a VERY large blue linkia starfish, he seems to be doing well... That makes four stars in the tank now, a red linkia, a sand sifting star, the blue linkia and a very large brittle star.
This weekend, I purchased a lovely gold sea whip, I am going to have to dig out my recent copy of CORAL that was all about Gorgs and whips to see what whip I actually purchased but it does appear to be photosynthetic, which is good.
The NPS 60
This tank is coming along nicely. I officially have
1 orange ball sponge (Eventually I think it will die, Parts turn kinda "grey" but it never does die... I dunno what is up with it.)
2 tree sponges, orange
1 blue sponge, half died away and I thought the whole thing would but the white areas disintegrated and left behind half of what was a very large colony... I think there was an air bubble in the bag. I am left with a very strange shaped blue sponge. It is still pretty and I have hopes that it will, one day, be very large again.
1 medium sized yellow finger gorgonian- doing very well
1 flame scallop- I added this yesterday. Every time I look at the tank, he has moved, I hope he finds a good place where I can see him.
1 purple tube anemone (LARGE) Transplanted from the 150... I think it'll be happier here, LOTS more food
1 Pink tube anemone (small) Also moved from the 150...
The only fish in this tank is my still very small porky puffer, Chompie.
I want to add another fish to this tank, something that won't pick on my sponges and things, preferably something that will stay in this tank forever. The tank is a 60, its basically a cube... I need something that will be big enough that it won't be eaten by Chompie, but not something else that will out grown this tank. After chompie has outgrown the tank, I thought about putting pipe fish in here... So maybe something that can be housed with pipefish?
What do you guys think... I was also thinking something like a frondosa or something predatory like that... It's expensive but I think the rarity of the fish would be worth it... ??? Thoughts please?
Here are some pictures, they are just cellphone pics. Hopefully, I will have some time to take some new macros and get them edited. Happy reefing!
Next step with the lighting is to change these pendants. I think I may just go with two large pendants... then I would have a group of 3 "hanging" light fixtures. If I go with 3 pendants, I think it will be cramped and also then I would have an even number... decorating should always be done in odd numbers... I love the way all of my pots look! I am also REALLY loving the copper rack that I built for the pot lids, for over the stove. A great use of space and it is ridiculous how convenient it is. Here is the new yellow sea whip and my purple gorg. FTS... I need more fish, I think.When I was trying to catch Tidus to trade him in, I had to take apart the right side of tank and put it back together. I actually like the aquascaping better now. I created like 4 more small caves up top and because the fish can swim in and out of them, they venture to the top of the tank, which makes them a lot more fun to watch. I guess getting rid of tidus was kinda of a blessing?This sea whipe really likes the light from these LED fixtures. Anyone who has been following knows that I had doubts about the LEDs but I really do like these fixtures I got from my LFS. They have the supplemental PCs and I REALLY like the look. My corals LOVE the PCs too, especially the UV bulbs. I highly recommend these lights!! And that is saying something, since I normally despise LEDs.
S
siptang
Guest
Looking good rae.
Lol keith.
Lol keith.
There was a lot of stuff to be address!
tannersmith200
Member
How's this tank doing?
Long time no see
Long time no see
rlablan
Active Member
Really no progress has been made in a long time.
The 60 has a puffer and a christmas wrasse that have been in harmony for a long while. They seem happy and the puffer is still very small. He eats well and shows no signs of aggression.
I am thinking I will soon move the wrasse in the 150, just because I would like him to have a little more room.
I am thinking of converting the 60 back into a mushroom dominate reef tank. Just a bunch of florida rics/yumas/common style mushrooms on one huge "island" style rock, with a cave in the middle for the puffer to hang in when he wants. Maybe a big mushroom. More than anything I would like a show piece that is colorful but easy maintenance.
The 150 is doing well, still have patches of cyano here and there. Water changes are regular, lighting schedule should be alright, I run a full refugium complete with mud and several macros. I am also running a phos reactor with rowa phos. In addition, I run a large bag of chemi pure elite. But, alas, I still have cyano. I have tried changing foods from frozen, to pellet, to slow sinking pellet... skimmer on, skimmer off... Nothing seems to change it. It's just little patches here and there... I don't know what the deal is. I have kind of given up and I just accept that it's part of my tank now.
I got a jebao pump. (the larger one, can't remember which number it is). I really like it, but it's not enough power at all. Everyone says that it's so much power, that it's too much but honestly, I could stand to have double that power, maybe even a little more. This thing moves my water like it's olive oil. I barely see a wave. Even on full blast mode, It moves the water okay but it's not to write home about. I bought two thinking I could master/slave them... you can't. Now I have an extra. Still glad I bought them, but I am not sure about them long term.
Stock is pretty much the same. I think we still have around 6 or so fish... randalls goby, yellow tang, butterfly, pygmy angel, starry blenny, 2 clowns.
Blue star got the star fish melting disease. He has lived long and well forever and then one day he got the white spot and poof! He melted the next day. The other stars and clams and anemones are all doing well... tank is just hanging.
That's about it... We want to get some other stock but we don't know what to get. Same with corals. We are at a point where it's "been there, done that" but we are not really wanting to progress into more expensive stuff, more equipment, more money... With the holidays and what not, I can't expect that we will be investing anything into the tanks until far into the new year... I am not sure if it's just me or the current state of the tanks or whatever, but I am kinda bumming on the hobby lately. Maybe for the past 6 months or so? I still like it and It's hard to envision my house without a tank but I am just kinda over it for the moment?
Hope everyone had a lovely thanksgiving! Mine was great and certainly the best I have had in years!
The 60 has a puffer and a christmas wrasse that have been in harmony for a long while. They seem happy and the puffer is still very small. He eats well and shows no signs of aggression.
I am thinking I will soon move the wrasse in the 150, just because I would like him to have a little more room.
I am thinking of converting the 60 back into a mushroom dominate reef tank. Just a bunch of florida rics/yumas/common style mushrooms on one huge "island" style rock, with a cave in the middle for the puffer to hang in when he wants. Maybe a big mushroom. More than anything I would like a show piece that is colorful but easy maintenance.
The 150 is doing well, still have patches of cyano here and there. Water changes are regular, lighting schedule should be alright, I run a full refugium complete with mud and several macros. I am also running a phos reactor with rowa phos. In addition, I run a large bag of chemi pure elite. But, alas, I still have cyano. I have tried changing foods from frozen, to pellet, to slow sinking pellet... skimmer on, skimmer off... Nothing seems to change it. It's just little patches here and there... I don't know what the deal is. I have kind of given up and I just accept that it's part of my tank now.
I got a jebao pump. (the larger one, can't remember which number it is). I really like it, but it's not enough power at all. Everyone says that it's so much power, that it's too much but honestly, I could stand to have double that power, maybe even a little more. This thing moves my water like it's olive oil. I barely see a wave. Even on full blast mode, It moves the water okay but it's not to write home about. I bought two thinking I could master/slave them... you can't. Now I have an extra. Still glad I bought them, but I am not sure about them long term.
Stock is pretty much the same. I think we still have around 6 or so fish... randalls goby, yellow tang, butterfly, pygmy angel, starry blenny, 2 clowns.
Blue star got the star fish melting disease. He has lived long and well forever and then one day he got the white spot and poof! He melted the next day. The other stars and clams and anemones are all doing well... tank is just hanging.
That's about it... We want to get some other stock but we don't know what to get. Same with corals. We are at a point where it's "been there, done that" but we are not really wanting to progress into more expensive stuff, more equipment, more money... With the holidays and what not, I can't expect that we will be investing anything into the tanks until far into the new year... I am not sure if it's just me or the current state of the tanks or whatever, but I am kinda bumming on the hobby lately. Maybe for the past 6 months or so? I still like it and It's hard to envision my house without a tank but I am just kinda over it for the moment?
Hope everyone had a lovely thanksgiving! Mine was great and certainly the best I have had in years!