Reefer From India

Welcome to 3reef! Your tank will mature well in time. No need to rush it because when it starts you'll have a little more work in getting the coraline off the glass. Those tangs will rule your tank so be very careful adding new fish if you desire, they are very territorial check with your LFS (local fish store) for advise. I have 3 tangs and they were the last fish I put in my tank.
I like the way you talk, very refined and sounds like your Americanized. I have always wanted to see the Taj Mahal from a book I saw as a kid that had the 7 wonders of the world. Have you been there? I'll bet it's breathtaking! Good luck with the saltwater tank and we hope to see more threads as it grows.

 

Hi, welcome to 3reef and +2 on the great philosophy.

 

Thank you for the warm welcome, and encouraging comments. My tank is stocked to the hilt with fish, so no more fish will be added. I actually was overstocked a few weeks ago, but have since realised the mistake and cut back. I have removed 3 yellow-tailed blue damsels (not for aggression) and one regal tang. Mentally, it's very difficult to remove fish from the display (not to mention even harder to net them in the first place), very easy to add.

I grew up in India, but went to college in USA, and reside in USA for now, although I have a home and family in Mumbai. Let me clarify, the tank you see here is in Florida, USA, not in Mumbai.

About the Taj, the first time I saw it, my jaw dropped. It is so incredibly huge, spectacular and magnificent, words and pictures cannot describe it. You have got to see it to believe it. I spent hours there just looking and marvelling at the intricacy and cetailing of every piece of marble. I am more of a nature person, but if there is one man-made thing in the world you must see, it has to be the Taj. Sadly though, as magnificent the Taj is, the surrounding city of Agra is the epitomy of poverty and filth, something you do not see in pictures of the Taj. The tourism has somehow not brought wealth or even relief to the poor of Agra. It's not all bad though, the people of Agra are very friendly, the food is great, and the city is flooded in centuries of culture and other breathtaking architecture.

y. Chachad

 

Welcome to 3reef, ychachad! It's nice to have you. You'll find friendly helpful folks here ready to lend a hand.

 

Hey, welcome to 3 reef. Great tank you have. I was confused about the background, I thought all the corals were real when I first looked at it lol.
I love your purple tang. I need to get myself one of those.
My mom has been to the Taj before. I can only imagine how gorgeous it must be.
We hope to see some more pics and progress in the near future.

 

you and the kids will both get your way ... they got to pick the background, but given a bit of time ... it will cover in algae and coraline and you'll get the solid background you were looking for.

I painted the back and sides of my tank a deep blue ... which was just a waste of time, you can't see either through the purple anymore lol

Welcome to the forums ... I'm a new guy too, so far, I like what I've discovered.

--Tyler

 

OK, here are some pictures of the livestock.
Mustang-Purple Tang....... I love his leopard pattern, certainly not an aggressive fish at all. Loves to dine from my hand.

One more

Sunshine-Yellow Tang-Smaller than the Purple Tang, but definitely the boss of the Tank. Both Tangs were introduced at the same moment. He is an outstanding specimen with a great personality. He loves to display himself. So far, he has barbecued 2 peppermint and 1 cleaner shrimp. No more shrimps for me.

Stripe-Maroon Clownfish-The absolute sweetheart of the tank. He is an angel, who displays zero aggression. I am lucky I guess, as I was told he was going to be a monster. Perhaps he may turn from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde as he grows. Also notice feather duster.

Lady-Coral Beauty-Another fish with a tender personality, but loves to chow on Xenias. Mowed my 6-inch Xenia cluster to the bare rock within 2 days.

Mushrooms-two of the biggest that I have.

So these are the pets that we have. Next round, I'll share some of my equipment details in pictures.
Comments, criticism and opinions are all welcome. That's the only way to learn and progress in this business.

 

Equipment

Here is my tank with the moonlights double taped to the lid of the canopy. I have shown them with the lid open. The colour of the lights can be changed to what ever I want. I mainly use white, purple, teal or blue. There are 36 LEDs (9x4 strips in series).



Here is my sump/refugium, lit by an LED lamp (details next). It has chaeto in a basket, lots of bioballs, 8 oz. activated carbon in a mesh bag, 150 watt heater and polishing sponge. I use the Advance Auto Parts sticker as an indicator to maintain my min and max water level.



Finally here in my LED light. It consumes 5 watts but reportedly puts out the light of 45 watts. I find that hard to believe, but it's still good as the power consumption is really low, and my chaeto seems to grow nicely. The beam is very narrow, so the light is concentrated. Colour temp is 6500°K, but I think it is even bluer that that. The Image is underexposed by 3 stops to show the detail while it is lit. Otherwise it is incredibly bright.

 

Hi, it's me again. I see your fish look good. Things will change as time goes on. The yellow tang you say is a ruler of the tank may kill some prized fish so be prepared. It is more likely that the other fish will get along better with the yellow tang as time passes. Make sure the tangs get plenty of vegies and that will help to keep then calm. I have moonlight strips also and I have brackets that came with them. You may want to set them up more permanently. LFS's and Home Depot might have what you need.