[ladydragon55]

I am going to try and post these shots of my tank. I started it back in April and have pictures about every two weeks or so.


This is how the tank looked after I just filled it and put in the first live rock. This is a 100 gallon acrylic tank. I have a wet dry filter set up in the back. At this point it was just that simple.







These show the live rock as it looked that first week.





These were taken on the 15th of April when I added my damsels. 8 in all and they are real movers. More to come!

[ladydragon55]

Here is the next few weeks. I am trying to keep track of the growth as much as possible.



This is the tank in mid May. I have added some coral and some turbo snails.





These are some close up shots of the corals and snails. The live rock has really changed since the first photos.



And here is my cleaner shrimp. Since I put him in the tank he has shed twice! He gets bigger every day. By this point I had added a protien skimmer and a few more snails. More to come! I hope this works.

[glampka]

Looking good! Are you planning on adding more LR?

[ladydragon55]

Thank you! Yes I am planning on adding more LR. I am looking for somewhere to get branch cured LR. Our LFS does not carry it. Any suggestions? I have added about 15 pounds since the last pictures plus a few more creatures. I will post more pics soon. Thank you!

[CyberJester]

I don't think this is what your looking for but I will post anyway and let you decide for yourself

tonga branch rock

Coral Reef Farm Saltwater Fish, Corals and Inverts - Rare Saltwater Fish Aquariums

Jeremy

[ladydragon55]

Jeremy,
that is a perfect site! I just want a few different styles so it does not look so rounded and flat! thanks for a great link. Have you used them before?
Kathy

[CyberJester]

No I have not, still waiting on the LFS to get some items in that are part of a package deal on the 90 Oceanic tank I am purchasing. Want to have everything set up before I start ordering the LR. However, I am planing on purchasing some from them. I am going to order smaller orders from several places in the hope that I will get some interesting and different styles. Though they do have some of the better prices that I have seen on LR (which kinda makes me wonder).

Jeremy

[Fishhead Junkie]

hey ladydragon....please tell me....how in the heck do you take pictures that look that good? what camera are you using, whats your technique?? they look like the fish, shrimp, and snails are sitting on the rock out in the open air. i am totally in awe of your photography skills. will you come over my house and take nice pics of my tank??

steve

[ladydragon55]

Originally Posted by Fishhead Junkie

hey ladydragon....please tell me....how in the heck do you take pictures that look that good? what camera are you using, whats your technique?? they look like the fish, shrimp, and snails are sitting on the rock out in the open air. i am totally in awe of your photography skills. will you come over my house and take nice pics of my tank??

steve

Thanks for the very kind words. The camera is a digital SLR Pentax istD. It is my baby and it is great for taking shots of the tank. I can push the speed up on the camera to 3200 ASA...so I can stop the fish and still keep a good depth of field if I want. The ones I have taken today, first big water change yesterday and a complete reset of my liverock, show the algae I missed on the front of the tank. As for the look I can't tell you how it is done, luck is the best guess. If I am ever in your area I would love to come play! So do you have pics of yours?? I would love to see it! Thanks again for the kind words

[ladydragon55]

I have been really busy with the tank and have not had time to put up my pictures lately. I hope this will catch me up.


This is how the tank looked on May 27th. I added a lot more LR and several new critters.


Here is my first try at coral growing. This was hanging off the main coral so I took it off and set it on a piece of LR. Since this picture was taken it has 4 polyps on it!


These are my two anenomes, a bubble tip and a white one that they are not sure what it is. One person says bubbletip, others say seabea?



These are some shots of the tank and my new clown fish.







I will try and post more later.

[ladydragon55]

Here are some more of the new additions.

[Marc Smith]

Great photos. Wheres the updates? !

What kinda camera you useing?

[ACE]

Nice!!! Cool Green Star Polyps

[e_baer]

I like the ricordia? !

[ladydragon55]

Originally Posted by deadhermitwalkin

Great photos. Wheres the updates? !

What kinda camera you useing?

Remember you asked for them A Pentax digital SLR istD

I was having very good luck with the tank until I brought home a piece of live rock with a green bubble on it. I ended up with several of these clusters. The purchase of 10 emerald crabs took care of it!


Then I added a blue mushroom that I really love.


And a branching hammer coral.


And a green bubble tip anenome, that none of my clowns go near...


More to come!

[ladydragon55]

OK so I have had a fun time adding more stuff! Remember this is what the tank looked like the first week!



This is the tank around the one month mark.


This is the tank mid June.


Today I received my MH light set up! 1200 WATTS!!!!! UPS guy thinks I have lost my mind! Thursday I am getting my branch live rock in the mail! I have no idea what it is going to look like in there by Friday, but I will post pics!

[ladydragon55]

It is great being able to post these pictures, it gives my family a place to look at them and know that I am NUTS!!!

Here are some of my critters that I have added lately, and some that have GROWN!

This was a very small emerald crab, I think I know where the shrimp went


This little guy is supposed to be a emerald crab? he seems to like eating the algae off my corals. At least I hope that is what he is eating.


Now the red slime algae attack was a nightmare, but thanks to this lovely little slug I had a lot of it gone before I hit it with the meds.





More later! Or are you sick of me yet?

[e_baer]

sick of you? We love the pics! keep em coming, but i had started a thread on tank pics...look it up...i amde it for people to post their pics on.

[blind1993]

i think u have an amazing set up iwhish i had one like that what kind of protein skimer do u use.

[ladydragon55]

Originally Posted by blind1993

i think u have an amazing set up iwhish i had one like that what kind of protein skimer do u use.

Thank You for the kind words. I have a bak-pak. It is doing a ok job but I think I need to add a surface skimmer. I do so love this hobby!

[ladydragon55]

OK, it has been a busy week and I have done way to much to the tank. Here are the updates.

Here is my tank at the start of June, and what it looks like now!
The right side -




The left side -




The rest -




I wish you could see the depth the branch rock gives by putting it out in front of the other LR! The fish are having a blast!

[ladydragon55]

Here are a few more pics.

My pair of Pers using the polyp for a home


Then they finally found the anenome that has been there since they were put in the tank.

This is how I found him today, yes he is alive and well! But he scared the ....out of me when I saw him!

Here is my new fish. There were two of them, but the smaller one would not come out and eat and finally died last Monday. We tried everything, but it would come out in the morning and the minute I would go to feed it would go in behind the rocks and hide.


Here are some shots of my new candy cane coral. It was one piece until I tried to move a piece of LR and it hit it and broke it in two. Now I have a piece on each end.




Well I am off to the new fish store I discovered that is about 10 minutes closer to me!

[lynnvangsnes]

Those are beautiful! You have a knack for photography as well!

[blind1993]

can we see some more pics of the candycane coral

[ladydragon55]

Thanks for all the kind words. Here are a few more fish photos.







The clowns are finally getting into the anenome and are loving it! I just got the mandarin and I really love to watch him. I will try and get more pictures of the candy cane coral.