-----)> 90 GaLLoN TaLL TaNk sHoTs <(-----

[RockingCricket]

*DRUMMER* My first full tank shot back in July 05. Isn't it clean/sterile?

This is Omen. Cycling the tank in reconditioned tap water. Ohhh the diatom bloom to follow.

Hitler (because he salutes) got big VERY quickly, and then died....but with a name like that... !

Taken around November 05. Notice the skimmer and filter and heater are now out of sight in the sump.

Like a lot of the inverts that come to my tank, my brittle star showed signs of stress at first, dropping most of his spines. He soon came back with a vengence though.*thumbsups

One of the Black Turbo snails I picked up from some cliffs in Northern California, and either an Aiptasia or a Majano Anemone causing no harm.
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[RockingCricket]

Comments Welcome

If only corals could live with low light Maybe I'll try some Mushroom. MMmmm Mushroooooms

Could I get an ID on this guy please? (The Purple one, not the brittle star)

My favorite 2 fish. Omen the Maroon clown and my Blue Face.*SUNSMILE*

Taken today (May 06) and not looking too hot. Notice the skimmer and filter and what not are back on the display. I'm waiting for parts to power up my Fluval and put the sump back in action. WHat could I use as a return pump from sump to display, instead of the fluval. Any suggestions?
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[wayne]

Why not get some kind of eheim return pump liek a 1262 or similar? Pretty bulletproof i.m.e., I have one for my big skimmer. Personally I have rather nice Tunze return pump I bought used.

I keep looking at your blueface - the ratio thick to thin stripes doesnt look right to me, but sometimes it does, and I can't think what else it might be. I see it's gotten stuck - have you tried feeding bulk nori to it, or if you live near the coast I (shock horror) use fresh seaweed. Also some bulk water changes might get it back on it's way.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

That purple/orange starfish looks cool. No clue what it is, but I've never seen anything like it. Little angel looks neat too... I love the colors on juvie full size angels. I like your rock position how it is now better, with it all in one pile so it reaches all the way to the top.

 

[RockingCricket]

Thanks Wayne. I just looked up the Eheim pumps and they look great. I'd love to go for the 1262 but my funds might not stretch quite that fat right now. Probably something lessor powered, or of lessor quality may be on the cards right now. Anything has to be better than using the fluval uphill as a return, AND having it pump four feet up.

My blue face is certainly a blue face, and he's gorgeous. The pics really don't do him justice. As you said, he does seem stuck (though I quite like him staying juvi). He does show some flashes of yellow on his dorsal fin when he is stressed.
I've often heard you recommending nori, but have no clue what it is. I'll check it out, but when I've offered the green algae sheets (similar to nori?) he doesn't seem interested.

I'm in the process of performin bulk water changes with a lot of vaccuming. Just obviously can't go too big at one time.

Thanks for the comments Caps. My rockwork still needs doesn need work. I dismantled most of it recently to perform much needed salt bath scrubs and it hasn't gone back together quite how I want it (it never does). I've more cleaning I need to do so I'm gonna get everything sparkling again, and then worry about my aquascaping etc etc.

 

[dbacksrat]

If you go to the Japanese food section of the supermarket, you should be able to find nori. All it is is dried seaweed used in sushi and other Japanese foods like that.

 

[RockingCricket]

Thanks man! *thumbsups

 

[S.Reef]

Yeah...im with Wayne, something about that blueface doesnt look exactly right. Anyhow your tank lookls great.

 

[Mushroomman]

Good stuff man, finally get to see your tank, I kinda imagined it different (not in a bad way... just different style) *thumbsup2

 

[wayne]

I am looking at your photo versus photos in the Debelius, Tanaka and Kuiter textbook. It is either a blue face OR a six banded (P. sexfasciatus), in the same subgenus, and it is not easy to split them. Another shot showing the extension of the dorsal and anal fins would be good. I know someone with a six banded and altho' not as showy as a blueface it is a good, hardy fish.
Looking at your tank, the thing that strikes me is that compared to my marine pigsty your tank is quite sterile. I have lots of wacky algae, lots of stuff growing, lots of stuff for browsers to get stuck into. It's not always pretty, but the fish like it (my Centropyge spawn at least every week after a water change). Also I (over)feed a lot, so frankly have to overdo water cahnges to keep water quality up. What do you normally feed - I feed flakes (3 or 4 types), pellets, frozen mysis and mixed seafood, plus nori and when i can be bothered I go and get freshseaweed, with free amphipods. Plus I feed 2 or 3 times a day.

 

[RockingCricket]

Thanks for the comments guys*thumbsup2 *thumbsup2

Wayne, I think I'm with you (though I think you mean P. sexstriatus - a lot of the websites seem to contradict each other on the genus. Either Pomacanthus or Euxiphipops or is are these the same fish just from different regions?). The fact that I've enjoyed such easy success with him in my (as you agreed) sterile tank, would suggest what I read is the hardy nature of a Sixbar. I have a sneaky suspicion he also likes to nip my inverts when nobody is looking and the flash of yellow that appears across his dorsal fin is pale like the sixbars.

I think I'm happier about that though. The Sixbar is a gorgeous looking fish, athough does look as if he gets quite large. It would surely take quite some time for that kind of growth while he's in my system.

I also overfed, thinking that all the inverts I have would clean up the waste that my fullstocked list didnt get. That worked for a time. Then a combination of things caused it to get nasty. I broke my Fluval which also put the sump out of action. I havent ever topped up my cleanup crew with more hermits and snails and I haven't been at all regular with my water changes (talking 3 or 4 months) and I did next to no DSB vaccuming when I did. I hardly ever changed my carbon either. Everything turned green and a thick grey detritus built up on the sand bed. Cyanobacteria also tried slimeing it's way over everything.
Enough was enough with the cyano and so I gave half the rocks a good salt bath scruff, did a 15% water change and vaccumed deeply as I went. Then scrubbed up the algae on the glass beneath the sand.
I'm waiting for parts for the Fluval to arrive (should be tomorrow) and then I can fire the sump back up and improve things a lot more.
It's been a week Todays task is another water change though.

Oh, I feed them the seafood blend I made (shrimp, octopus, squid), flake, formula 2 pellets, spirulina tablets and algae sheets once in while. There seems to be enough green in there for them to eat now though, or is there not enough in that? Oh and I feed 2 3 times a day.

 

[RockingCricket]

If he turns out like this guy I'll be well happy!

Adult Sixbar (Sixline) Angel

 

[fish outa wata]

tank looks great. I hope that you can get the sump back up and running. your angel doesn't really look like the one at the bottom, he looks great anyways.

 

[RockingCricket]

Thanks Wata. No my large juvenile Angel doesn't look the like one in the bottom picture....yet. Mine is still a juvenile and therefor hasn't developed his adult colouration yet. I believe that most (if not all) large angels, while in their juvenile stage have the black backgrounded with variations of white, blue or yellow stripe theme.

 

[RockingCricket]

Adult Blue Face Angel

I've just been comparing the pictures of both adult Angels, and then looking at my guy and I've noticed that the adult Blueface also has the pale dorsal fin, so I can't tell from that. I've also noticed that when you look closely, my guy has yellow around his eyes and where he begins getting a little transluscent around the extremities of his fins, he again has yellow.

The adult Sixline has a completely black face so this really doesn't fit. It fits right into place with the Blue Face though.

I think my guy looks like this......

Not like this. The Juvi. body shape looks much different than mine - unless this is just a bad warped picture or something......

Shame! I think the Sixbar is a prettier looking fish, and I don't need any more yellow in my tank.
C'mon Wayne, convince me it is a Sixbar or Sixline....lol, please.

 

[wayne]

Those last images are wierd. And poor quality. Without seeing the fins extended it's tough to say, but I would lean to the 6 bar because of the sequence of thin/thick stripes in the juvi pattern, though actually that's worth zero as they are variable, the stripes round the eyes are a little more reliable, and the shape colour, lengh of the ventral fins.
Get me a decent image, look at the anal dorsal fins. Rounded = blueface, some pointiness = 6 bar.

More water changes boy! I like at least 10% a week. If you can make saltwater (and you can) then it's impossible to do too many. You'll need to use carbon to get the yellowing out of the water.

 

[RockingCricket]

I'll be more diligent with the water chances. And replace the carbon once I things are a little more settled. Algae builds up so quickly on the Emperors intake that it's hardly functioning. The parts for the fluval should be here in the morning so I'll get that running and hopefully the sump with it. That'll at least sort out my filters algae blockage problem, and let the carbon do it's work.

I'm happy to hear your confidence still in the Sixbar Wayne, but I still think the yellow around the eyes surely settles the debate. The Adult Sixbar is all black in the face. I hope I'm wrong though, and I'll get a better picture (believe me, I have been trying).

Oh and those poor pictures are from Dr. Fosters Live Aquaria site. I've gotta say, I do have less and less confidence in them every time I compare their information with other sources. They are the site that are describing both Blue faces and Sixbars as Euxiphipops.

Oh, and I checked out some of the pumps in the Dr. Fosters magazine and found one with similar stats to the one you Ehiem you recommended but for about a 1/3 of the price (can't remember the name and I'm too tired to check now). [edit: Quiet One 3000 - 780gph, 10ft head, 40 Watts].

 

[RockingCricket]

It's a Blue Face.

It's really hard to get a clear picture but even so, I think it's quite clear when you compare my guy with the two pictures below.

Six Bar Angel.

Blue Face Angel.

They are admittedly very similar fish though, and I wanna say thanks Wayne for taking the time to help me get a positive ID.

 

[RockingCricket]

Might've got a little carried away.

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[KahluaZzZ]

magnificent Tnx 4 sharing