CalmSeasQuest's 36" Nano Build

I will definitely have to say this little tank has gone through quite a few changes, and they have all been very interesting. Removing some of the rock work sounded like a big let down and turned out to be a change for the better so maybe bare bottom will be a improvement. I am sure if it doesn't look good you will do something to change it.
I still have to say that is a big little tank.

I can actually picture what that may look like in your long tank, sweet!

The tank continues to progress with lots of new growth in the Acans (most everything started off as single head/eye Frags.) The SPS are improving in color albeit slowly. I've reduced the photo period on the ReefBrites to avoid bleachng. So far no losses however the birdsnest did lighten but is starting to recover.


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Looks like things are coming along nicely.

Beautiful CSQ! Wonderful pictures of those Acans. Lots of TLC showing :)

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Originally Posted by 2pairs

Looks like things are coming along nicely.

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Thanks Jim, I'm pleased overall. I think reducing the photoperiod should help the SPS color-up a bit.

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Originally Posted by MizTanks

Beautiful CSQ! Wonderful pictures of those Acans. Lots of TLC showing :)

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Thanks Jamie :) The Acans have been the success story so far - they are growing like weeds. I think the Fauna Marin LPS pellets are a near-ideal food for these guys.


Photographing this tank has been a challenge. The LEDs are difficult to correct for white balance and the wide width makes it tough to get a nice FTS.

I tried the various photo-stitching options within Photoshop Elements, but none were able to correctly combine multiple photos into a single panoramic of the tank (I'm sure it's a case of equipment superior to operator.) As a result, I manually combined a few photos to try and create a better sense of what the tank looks like when seated at my desk.

They are crudely assembled, but hopefully provide a sense of "sticking your nose up to the glass."

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/y...FTS_Stitch.jpg

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/y...TS2_Stitch.jpg

I know what you mean about the white balance. My camera when I'm using manual allows me to dial down the amount of light exposure. Still the corals closest to the light come out pretty white.

Your tank looks great and your picture taking isn't as bad as you think :) I can see how beautiful they are :hypnotized:

I have been contemplating adding a Ca Rx to my home DT and FT for some time - Today I "pulled the trigger" and ordered a GEO 612 and AquaticPlants digital regulator to replace my dosing pump / 2-part regimen. The fortunate circumstance came a bit later in the day when I tested Ca and ALK on the Desktop Nano. Even with the water changes and Kalk-laden ATO, the growth in the tank has increased Calcium and Alk uptake to a point exceeding what the water changes and Kalk can provide (ALK dropped to 7 and Ca ~420.) I guess I shouldn't be surprised considering how quickly the Acans are growing.

As luck would have it :) I have a couple soon-to-be spare BRS dosing pumps on hand. I'll relocate them to the office and make good use of the roughly 10 gallons of 2-part presently on hand.

As the contest has now drawn to a close, I'm going to begin populating the reverse side of the tank with Zoas. It should create quite a dichotomy, with the tank taking on two entirely different persona's depending on which side you view.

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Originally Posted by CalmSeasQuest

Good and bad news...

Now on to the bad - Apparently, I can't count. :duh:

In trying to locate the name of the Chalice that Miz inquired about above, I determined that in the process of selecting which corals would be placed in the tank, I had hidden some lines in a spreadsheet that I use to keep track of all the corals for this tank that contained some SPS that I had intended to remove. I then forgot about them. This resulted in inadvertently adding too many Frags to the tank. I confirmed with Jim that the overage could simply be removed and began selecting which corals to remove. This error, while irritating (especially as I had just removed the plugs and spent many hours gluing everything to the rockwork) alone would not have had a huge impact but...

Compounding this problem was the clarification issued today that large order "bonus" Frags, even if purchased through a sponsor, could only be included without a cap hit if all of the corals in the order were used in the tank. I purchased far more corals through Mr.Coral than could be utlized in this tank, so I lose the ability to include the bonus corals. That change will mandate the additional removal about about 10% of the corals in the tank.

Removing that many Frags may require removing entire pillars as they are all glued to rather fragile shelves and getting at them requires the use of long forceps. I hate to tear the tank apart as it's doing so well. I'm going to do a count tomorrow and see if I can locate additional, easy-to-remove corals without significantly disrupting the tank. If not, I may withdraw from the contest rather than have to tear apart the tank.

All that aside, I really do love having this tank on my desk :)

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Tom- I'm running down the finalists for the nano contest and trying to figure out where you end up on your budget?

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Originally Posted by jimsflies

Tom- I'm running down the finalists for the nano contest and trying to figure out where you end up on your budget?

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The livestock cost spreadsheet is contained in the original post along with a link to all receipts. The final tally was $377.50.