Well, it's been a while since I updated the site (not that many people visit, but it's something to keep me busy while I travel...lol).  Since my last update, I have taken down my old 150g and replaced it with a new 247g Miracles Rimless Peninsula style tank.  The tank is 3-side Starphire glass.  I transferred all livestock and rock from my old tank to the new.  The tank has been up and running for about 3 months now.  I will try and update the site a bit more often but work has had my traveling quite a bit lately.  Below are some pics of the new tank and the stand that holds it.  I have update the other pages on the site to include all of my current equipment.  I hope you enjoy the pics - please don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have.

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Snapped a few pics in my display today.  I have been taking so many chalice photos lately, I needed to pay some attention to my display tank corals as well.  Hope you enjoy.  Please click here and scroll down to see more pics.  Thanks for stopping by....
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Just a short update this evening.  The new frag tank is up and running.  The 24" ATI Powermodule that was over my old frag tank does not fit the new one well.  Therefore, I upgraded to a 36" 10 bulb fixture.  While that may complete overkill, I don't have to run all the bulbs and it gives me the flexibility to add as many actinics as I want.  I prefer the blue color to bring out the flourescence of my chalices.

I will have an update this week with some pics.  Sorry for the teaser post! lol
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Picked up the new frag tank this weekend - currently at my LFS getting holes drilled and overflow fabricated.  Hope to have it in the house later this week.  Out on vacation next week but should have this up an operational within two weeks!  Until then, I snapped a few pics today as it's been a while since I posted any to the site.  Just a sample below.  Click here to go to the full pic gallery on the Corals / Livestock page!

Thanks for stopping by.
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Well, my frag tank has been setup for under 4 months now and I am already out of room.  I am upgrading to a Glass Cages 40"x30"x9" tank with Starphire glass on the front and side panels.

My present acrylic frag tank is the first acrylic that I've ever owned and it will likely be the last.  It scratches too easliy and is very difficult to clean vs. glass.  I'm a big fan of just scraping with a razor blade....can't do that with acylic.  For those out there with acrylic 300g+ displays out there, I don't see how you do it! I can't keep my 24x24x12" tank clean!

I will be picking up my GC's tank on Feb 27th in Northern VA.  I'm gonna be drilling the holes and fabricating the overflow with help from my LFS.  I hope to have this up and operational by the 1st week in March.  Stay tuned!!!  : )
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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.
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New Pics Added 12/31/2009
 
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!
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                     Pink and Gold Glitter Cynaria

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Photo courtesy of Junior (Reef Central)
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!!!!
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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 
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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)!
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