Bagbos SPS Reef

I took some macro pics last night and thought I would post a few pics of some of my babies!  lol  Please check out my other gallery pics here.

Click on any photo for a larger pic and coral name.  Thanks for looking.

I snapped some pics from my frag tank this past weekend and posted them in the Corals / LiveStock section.  Just click here and scroll down to see pics.  Was pretty pleased with some of the pics.  Hope you enjoy.  Please leave some feedback if you drop by!

Well, seldom do I see a coral and lose sleep over NOT owning it.  Well, perhaps a few chalices...lol.  But when I say that Junior (juniormc8704 on RC) was selling his prized Cynaria, I had to jump on it.  I saw this piece in Reefkeeping magazine about a year ago and downloaded the pic as it was one of the most beautiful pieces I had ever seen.  I knew that if it ever came available, I would have to get it.  Well, all of that came true and I cannot wait to get it.  A couple of pics of the coral are below.  All photos are property / courtesy of Junior - thank you!!.  I'm simply posting these from the thread on RC.  I will take a few pics once I get it in my tank. 

The pic above is Actinic only.  Below are a  NightSea Camera and Daylight shot.  Simply click on the pics for a larger version.  What do you think?  I'm phsyched to get this thing in!!!!

I just got the ATI 6x24w Powermodule in this week and got it up and running two days ago.  Being the owner of a Sfiligoi Stealth, I was curious to see the build quality of the PowerModule (PM).  Since I purchased this from a fellow reefer, it was not packaged in the retail box so I cannot comment on the packaging materials.  However, this is one beautiful fixture!!

The first thing that I noticed upon opening the box was the weight of the fixture.  It was solid and you could tell (by feel) that the build quality was top notch.  The PM's come with an acrylic shield to protect the bulbs.  This slides in easily and helps keep salt creep and splashes off of the reflectors and bulbs.  The light is a nice gray color that is pleasing to the eye.  There are 3 integrated fans in the top of the unit that do a phenomenal job at cooling the fixture...and more importantly...the bulbs.  When the fans are on, you can't even feel heat on or around the fixture.  I believe this active cooling is what sets the ATI's apart from the Tek's.  I would assume this would greatly extend the bulb life too but only time will tell.

The power cords for the PM are another good touch.  While there are two different power cords (one ballast powers 2 bulbs and the second powers 4 bulbs), there is only one cord that stems from the PM itself.  Follow the cord and it comes to a transformer of sorts.  This is where it splits into two separate cords which allows you to control the bulbs independently with a controller, timers, etc.  There is also a separate transformer that plugs in to control the fans (more on this later).  The ATI's also include a hanging kit as well.  This is a great feature as TEK and Current both require a separate purchase to hang their fixtures (highway robbery if you ask me).  Congrats to ATI on including what is needed.  I'm sure we're paying for it somewhere in the price, but it's a mental win not having to purchase a separate kit!

The ATI is almost silent.  In fact, you really have to listen to even know it's on.  I can see why the bigger ATI's are so popular for many display tanks around the world.  The light output is just as good as my Sfiligoi but I cannot say that it's better.  Incredible performance none-the-less.

If I could change anything, I would have to come back to the fan transformer.  The plug is gigantic and I'm not quite sure why.  There are multiple swith settings on the plug that allow you to adjust the fan speed.  I guess that's why it has to be so large?  Whatever the reason, I can't fit it into my ACIII controller DC8.  It is too large and I have other things plugged in.  It's not a deal breaker but now I have to use an extension cord run from my ACIII to the fan plug.  I believe a bit more design research could have given this more functionality in a smaller package.  In comparison, my Sfiligoi has 6 fans and all combine into one regular outlet plug.  If Italy can do it, ATI can as well.  A small complaint...but this IS a review : )

In conclusion, the ATI PM is an awesome fixture.  Light output, active cooling, sleek design, ease of hanging, and excellent featureset make this one of the best T5 units out there.  I would highlly recommend this fixture to anyone and look forward to many years of use from it. 

Please post any comments or questions - I'll be happy to answer them.

Cost at time of review: $599 (without bulbs) / $699 (with bulbs)         
Review Date:  12/16/09 

I've been Super lazy about getting the camera out lately.  I just took a few today - mainly closeups of some of my LPS.  Hope you enjoy.  There is a new feature in Weebly....if you click on the picture in the photo gallery, it will caption the name of the coral for reference.  Pretty cool for a reef website!  No chalice pics today...will take some over the holidays and post them : )

Just click on the pic below and it will take you to the Coral pics (just scroll down on the Corals / Livestock page)!

When I started my frag tank a couple of months ago, I wanted to give my chalices a place to thrive and grow without annoying hermits, snails, or fish picking on them.  It has been a great project and things are progressing VERY well.  I am able to feed my chalices 2-3x per week without the fish "stealing" the food from them.  I have never fed chalices up until now and still had good growth.  I will say, however, that since feeding mysis to each chalice the growth and healing of every chalice I own is significant.  Don't get me wrong, some of the chalices will not eat and are PAINFULLY slow growers (Tropicorium's Acid Trip, WWC Tropic Fury, etc).  But all-in-all, it's working for me.

I also wanted to set this up as a propogation tank so it could help pay for my hobby.  In order to frag these fragile chalices, favias, etc, I purchased an Inland DFS-100 Band Saw.  I spoke with Victor (WWC) and Donovan (Donavon's Reef) and this is what they use to frag their prized chalices.  There are many guys on RC that use this piece of equipment as well.  I was going to go the "dremel-route" but this heats up the tissue of the coral and healing time can be increased greatly or the chalice can receed alltogether.   

I recently fragged my Tyree Pumpkin Patch and Orginia Mummy Eye chalices and the cuts were incredibly clean with the band saw.  Surgical precision is how I would describe it.  The cut edge was healed in a week and the fragged pieces never missed a beat.  I am selling these pieces to local reefers who I have become good friends with.  I will be cutting more in the coming weeks.  So, if you're reading this and have interest in any chalice you see on the site, just shoot me a message on the Comments tab, and I'll see what I can do : )

I am not making a lot of money off of my friends (obviously), but it's nice to get some money back for a change! lol  I'm hoping that fragging and selling chalices will provide a source of income that I can then use to help pay for the crazy and expensive hobby that I love! 

Well, I tried out the 250W 20K halide on my frag tank and it did do a great job.  However, it leaves me having to "light" acclimate every coral that I take upstairs to the main display (under T5's).  Sooooo, I found a great deal on a T5 fixture and I am really excited to get it.

The new toy is a brand new ATI Powermodule 6x24w fixture.  I bought it brand new from a fellow reefer who purchased for a future build and never used it.  I have ordered the bulbs from ReefGeek.com and all should be here late next week. 

I did like the color of the 20K CoralVue bulb.  But the T5's will allow me to adjust the spectrum to fit my eyes and corals a bit better.  Here is the bulb combo I am thinking about (back to front):

ATI AquaBlue Special
ATI Blue+
UV Super Actinic
ATI Blue+
KZ Fiji Purple
UV Super Actinic

I'm sure I will change the bulbs around to get the best look but I am confident (with my experience with the Sfiligoi fixture on my main display) that these bulbs will give my corals (and mainly chalices) the pop I'm looking for.

I'll post some pics once I get it over the frag tank.  Stay tuned...

Finally got the computer running again so I have posted some updated pics on the Corals / LiveStock page.

I got everything hooked up to the frag tank last Wednesday.  I've been tweaking things for the past week.  I ended up changing plans a few times with lighting, flow, etc.  First, I plumbed the frag tank into my existing system.  This posed a small problem.  In my sump, I had a separate powerhead for my display tank return, chiller, carbon reactor, and then the frag tank.  I have been running an internal submersible pump to my display for the past year.  I have around 26' of head pressure and that pump was no where near what I needed.  All of these powerheads were heating up the water as well.  Soooo, I upgraded.  I decided to get all of those pumps out of the water and install a Reeflo Hammerhead to run EVERYTHING.  I have a manifold with 5 "spouts".  One goes to the display, one to frag tank, one to chiller, one to carbon reactor, and one to the house drain (for water changes).  Everything is dialed back so I have plenty of room for growth...: )

Second, I switched the lighting on the frag tank.  I orginally ordered a used Current Sunpod 150W HQI but it just was not enough light - to my eyes at least.  I ended up finding a good deal on a used CoralVue 250W halide ballast and I'm running a CoralVue 20K bulb on it.  It is the perfect color for my eyes and I'm hoping my corals will like it.  I am running all T5's on my display so it will be interesting to see how things react going from one tank to another.

Third, I'm having an issue with detritus settling on the bottom of the frag tank.  Since it is plumbed into the main system, I know I am going to have that issue.  But with no sand in the frag tank and a black bottom, it is very annoying to look at.  I was hoping that the LocLine returns would provide enough flow.  While they provide the perfect amount of random flow for my SPS and chalices, it does nothing to help keep detritus in suspension.  So, I have ordered a Vortech MP20 and I plan on using that on low-power (wave setting) in hopes that it will solve this problem.  I am aware that it may be too much in such a small tank.  However, since the acrylic is 1/2" thick, I could not go with one of the new MP10's (which I was bummed about).  If I dial back the MP20, I am hoping it will work out.  If not, I can always use another Vortech on my display tank.

I have 2 computers at home and neither of them are working at the moment.  I cannot upload pics so I will have to post another update with pics once i get this squared away.  Stay tuned....

 

Well, I finished up the stand for my new frag tank this past weekend.  I added some Weldon #16 on the horizontal seams and black aquarium epoxy to the vertical seams.  This squashes any worries I had about the tank leaking.  It is solid now!!  I will hang the light, get it plumbed, and should have it up and running by end of day Wednesday.  Here are some pics of the stand...