Nart's Lagoon Build - Round 2!!!

Whoa... that looks amazing. I guess we now have a pro here on FL haha

 

Lookin' sweeeet Nart! Congrats my friend!

 

grantm91 love that thug life picture hahaha

I haven't had much time to enjoy it. Pretty busy afternoon and night. But I did notice the mount droops down a little. Being, it's not level at all. I looked it up and some people have issues with it so I'll give ecotech a call tomorrow.

First impression of the lights. It's a beast. Seriously. It is brightttt. I barely had it at 17% intensity and my derasa clam jumped off from its spot instantaneously. Currently I have it at 11% max during the day. Jeez lol. It's blinding to even put it at 100%.

Asides from that, the tank is well lit! No shadowing whatsoever. Wow. Makes me want to go full SPS now for it lol. The colors are amazing when you dial in the blues.
Check out my rainbow Acan. With the blues on this is the same color I see in person as well




So far. I'm loving the new light!

 

Awesome Nart! Just think about the future and a big tank under that beast... it's gonna be epic! Love, love, love the acan.

 

stella1979 this is going to make you go d'awww...

So ever since I got this new black and white scooter, I can never find where she sleeps at night. Typically, I like to account for all my fishes before I go to bed and in the morning lol. It's a PTSD thing ever since my first jumper back when I had my 15 gallon going. Usually with feeding this scooter at 6AM, I'll flip on the kitchen lights and I'll see her come out from the back of the tank and spot feed her. But where is she sleeping?? This morning... I flip on the kitchen lights and walk over to check on the tank. Out comes Ms. Scooter from the sand! (in the middle-front of the tank) I had no idea that scooter dragonettes burrowed themselves at night. The red ruby scooter never did it. It was the cutest thing ever. She popped her head out of the sand, saw that it was me, and just jumped out of the sand. She continued to shake her whole body free of sand and waited for her meal (kind of like a puppy). I tried to get a picture of her covered in sand, but it was too late.

 

Wish I could love that like 17 times... I may be asking a lot at 6am, but I'd love some pics or a video!

Coincidentally, I was just remarking to the family how our new betta begs like a puppy, (Scorch does the same), and I LOVE IT!!!! Been feeling a little low on the fish front lately, so it's really nice to have fish that are not afraid to beg.

 

Wish I could love that like 17 times... I may be asking a lot at 6am, but I'd love some pics or a video!

Coincidentally, I was just remarking to the family how our new betta begs like a puppy, (Scorch does the same), and I LOVE IT!!!! Been feeling a little low on the fish front lately, so it's really nice to have fish that are not afraid to beg.

Oh trust me... I've already started to think of the logistics of setting up my tripod and phone in the morning before I flip on the light and see if I can catch it on film for my next tank video.
It's pretty neat right? For fishes to exhibit that kind of behavior. I might sound like a tree hugger, but with some of my readings on fishes and what not...

"Recent scientific experiments have shown that fish aren’t the simple, emotionless animals we once assumed, but are in fact complex, conscious and capable of a full range of emotions. Fish do in fact feel pain in a way which is different but comparable to other animals." ~By Jeremy Gosnell

Anyways, I'm glad that betta went home with you. I know you and your fam will take good care of it.
Imo, call up your LFS and order a paired pistol goby and pistol shrimp Melissa

 

I've not done the reading, but experience has taught me that fish are more intelligent than lots of folks give them credit for. I'm the feeder of all our fish, so every last one of them exhibits more trust with me than they do with others. To me, that's all I need to prove that they are complex and conscious of their environment and care. I'll be looking up Mr. Gosnell during quiet time today, sounds like an excellent distraction.

 

Went to my LFS today to get some more phytoplankton by Reef Nutrition. Love this stuff. Along with trying some new frozen foods.



Squamosa clam doing well!

 

Hmmm, are you sure that's all you got? JK... jk... You know, I have this stuff called Can O' Cyclops, and yeah, it's in a can with a pull top and a little spoon. It was an add on type of thing back when I was ordering all kinds of stuff for a freshwater tank. I haven't opened it yet, but perhaps I'll try it when I have an empty frozen tray to preserve the bulk of it in. I guess I'm a little unsure about canned food for fish.

 

stella1979

Ahh... nothing like a good 'ol water change and admiring the clean tank afterwards.

 

Ahhhh water change sunday. Yup I'm in the middle of one, just waiting for the new water to heat up so I can finish up and actually change the water. Its crazy I spend 80% of the "water change" scrubbing glass and stuff and only like 20% of actually changing the water . Then I've got to go do water changes on my 2 Freshwater .

 

Well, well, well... in mentioning the can of cyclops, it created a link which leads to the Amazon page to the exact product I have. There aren't a lot of reviews, but a few people mentioned how they use this as a replacement to the much loved Cyclopeeze. Perhaps I'll give it a try after all.

Errrr... I watched a movie and ate early big game snacks this afternoon, and still have a water change to do.

 

Well, well, well... in mentioning the can of cyclops, it created a link which leads to the Amazon page to the exact product I have. There aren't a lot of reviews, but a few people mentioned how they use this as a replacement to the much loved Cyclopeeze. Perhaps I'll give it a try after all.

Errrr... I watched a movie and ate early big game snacks this afternoon, and still have a water change to do.

Hmmm... you'll have to let me know how you like the can-o-cyclopeeze. I used the frozen Cyclopeeze over the weekend. It's like literally squirting thousands of pods into the tank lol. Lucky I have a decent amount of fishes and snails that was eating it.... because I can see how this can become a problem for tanks that don't have a whole lot going on.

 

I will let you know. My original plan for the stuff was to feed it to a Freshwater community of nano fishes, but I'm still working on that. By the time I get that done, the reef tank should have more stock, and I can't lie, probably more corals too!

 

stella1979 yeah - I think that food will do well for like, community type tanks, or maybe just adding a dash of it to your reef roid feeding regiment.

Me over here... I tossed in a whole cube into my feeding glass bowl and was like "holy smokes... this is a lot of pods" If I had to guess.... 10,000 pods easily? I dunno... but it was a lot. I only fed a few squirts to the fish and corals and I tossed the rest away. I'll have to cut down the cubes in 1/4 so I can properly feed and not waste much.

 

Time to finally ditch the Jebao SW-2 power heads and get some more Ecotech equipment
MP10 here I come!

 

I'll take your Jebao! ANd Stella can have the other haha.

 

Whoo hoo! MP10 just got here

 

Can't wait to see it in the tank! I think you'll love the flow

 

You may as well pack it but I know you can't resist... nor would I!

 

I'll take your Jebao! ANd Stella can have the other haha.

Too bad Nart already janked 'em up! jk, jk

I am super excited to hear your about your experience the MP10!!! Do you think you'll get some video of it for the update?

 

GB. No way I could resist not putting it in the tank.

Stella and Culprit - I just got it installed on the IM25 and........... I am loving it. Omg. The power is insane. I tried cranking it all the way up and it was like a blender in the tank lol. I'm currently using the gyre mode and it really gives the entire tank great flow. It's powerful yet gentle on the corals. Kind of hard to explain... like the pulses are very gentle to create the gyre/swaying motion. Worth every penny definitely.

Here's a pic of it on the tank.



Yeah Stella. I will film a bit more tomorrow with the new powerhead.


I might as well drop the news too.
I'll be tearing down my rockscape this weekend and start prepping the tank for the move. I know it seems pretty sudden, but the longer I let it grow on the rock work, the harder it'll be for me to remove the corals. I'll be turning the tank into a frag tank in the mean time and start fragging all my corals this weekend. This will give them time to heal and I'll be able to sell them off to help re-coup some of the cost.

My limited edition frag rack system





This also means that it'll be the last video update of the tank before the rock work goes down I choked up a little while filming today, silly me.

 

Oh no!! That is so sad. This tank has so much history and love put into it. I know, though, that your next tank will be so amazing.

I had no idea the back of the powerhead was going to be that big. I bet it looks good though with only the tiny bit in the tank!

 

Well dang if that post wasn't an emotional rollercoaster. MP10 The last days of that beautiful scape. Nart's limited edition frag system.

 

it's okay. There will be a part lagoon part 2 down the line

I call this Nart's Modular Frag Rack System. Order now! Limited run


I have designed this with cleaning the sand bed in mind though. So I can move either racks forward or backward to clean the bottom without removing anything.

I'm calling it a night. My hand hurts from cutting these egg crates.

 

What will you do with the rockscape? I know if I lived near you then I'd take it!

Are you going to rehome all your fish? Or what are you going to do with the fish?

 

Oh man that’s rough why the move?

 

It looks good, its going to be the snazziest frag tank to ever exist literally haha.

 

Man.... it's a lot of work.
The progress...

 

Pic 2 is saad man, but number 3 ! Haha Narts got the neates frag table Ive ever seen !

 

grantm91 you're telling me. It was so hard to get myself to pull out the rock structure

I am beyond tired. Been working on the tank since this morning... had to keep resizing the egg crates, removing corals, fragging, etc etc. hands been in the tank since noon. I'm calling it quits for tonight.

Here's a quick pic of how the tank looks currently.

 

Il take you to the Candy shop .

 

So many beautiful corals! I wish I lived near ya, I'd buy em all!

 

Goodbye beautiful scape...

Dang, that is one rad looking frag tank though! Need my shades for those Radions and bright frags.

 

Bahahaha... grantm91 I love that. "Candy shop" lol. I'll take you to my candy shop, 50 cent!

Da'wwww thank you y'all. I'm glad y'all think it still looks good. I really didn't realize how many corals I was accumulating till I started breaking it down and was like wow...

Some pics to share!

Last look of the rock work



Nanologist I tried fragging the fathead dendro, completely butchered the small polyp. Luckily the main colony is okay. Whew. I'll wait a few more weeks before I try again. It might need some time to grow some more.
Fragging the blasto merletti. Like my make shift frag rack?



Check out my protective eyewear during dremeling the blasto. Perfect splash streaks lol.



A look at the tank tonight. What a busy two day weekend. I fragged some of my hammers, Favite, blastos, zoas, etc today... I think I am done messing with the tank for now. Time to keep my hands out and let all the corals recover.

Nart's Candy Shop.

 

Sell the rock, or you keeping it? Nice piece that is, it could even slot right in to someones big tank. The candy shop !!! Man I’m drooling !!! The IM25 needs to stay like that, when your back in calI you can frag from the big tank and keep that as your “shop” if the lfs presented like that they would be vacuuming the cash up.

 

Ohhhh such beautiful corals! I want more acans and zoas, I've fallen in love. Dirty secret I think I might also be falling in love with sps uh oh

 

grantm91 ahhhhhh..... I'm debating. I might try and sell... maybe...

I really can't believe y'all actually like my frag tank setup lol. It's kind of annoying to me, weird to not have rocks to look at haha.

Btw, the Yasha Goby and pistol shrimp fit made themselves right home in the IM10. Whew.

But yeah, I plan to keep all the egg crates for when I'm back in Cali. This is going to be my QT/frag tank before anything goes into the big tank. I'm not playing that no dip and no QT for new corals anymore lol. I feel like I got away with it in my IM25, but will bite me on my butt later with the bigger tank lol

Culprit I'm telling ya lol. Corals are really addictive.

 

You should keep it and put it in your big one!

I don't like it as much as the original with rocks... but its a super cool frag tank.

I know... its kind of scary eeee. The guy that gave me these said the other guy that had corals for me free was a great guy. Still haven't heard anything. I'll be patient though. See how these sps do for me