JTumbleweeds 58 gallon Clams/SPS

[youincolor]

Okay so I finally moved into my new 58 gallon Oceanic tank, with center overflow. I moved out of a 40br with a CPR CS30 HOB overflow. The overflow worked great, but there was a lot of suction noise and splashing with it. I obtained this new tank used, and it is in amazing condition. It has super thick glass, and no scratches at all. You can view my old tank in the link in my signature.

 

Tank

• 58 gallon Oceanic with center overflow
  
• Sump: 29 gallon, holds skimmer, p04 reactor, heaters, and contains refugium with live rock and macro (I recently removed grape caulerpa macro and will be replacing it with something else soon.)
  
• Total water volume: I'm guessing that to be about 55 gallons, after rock and sand is subtracted.
  

Lighting

• Current USA Sunpod with 2x150 Phoenix 14k bulbs. 11 hours a day.
  
• Moonlighting on for two hours after halides go off.
  

Equipment

• Reef Keeper Lite, controls heaters, chiller, and lighting.
  
• Mag 5 return pump
  
• 2x Koralia 2s (May need to upgrade those eventually.)
  
• Coralife Super Skimmer 65
  
• Two 150 watt heaters
  
• Sea Line SL-150A 1/10HP chiller
  
• Two Little Fishies phosphate reactor with Phoslock and carbon, changed monthly.
  

Supplements

• 50 ml each of two part from BRS.com.
  
• Kalk+2 by Brightwell in ATO bucket.
  
• Eco Heavy Metals, from balling kit. Capful a week.
  

 

This is the front of the tank after I sprayed the trim black. It was golden oak. I used Krylon Fusion, it works amazingly:

 

I sprayed the back glass as well, and it looks really nice, I'm glad I did it. I read an article in Coral magazine that painting the back can decrease light reflection, but I was willing to take that risk rather than use black plastic again:

 

The tank came with some home made plumbing, but I didn't want to cut any corners with it, so I ordered an Aqueon(AGA) Mega Overflow kit from marinedepot.com. Plumbing installed:

 

So I kept putting it off, and putting it off, until one day I woke up and just decided, "Screw it, it has to be done someday," so I started in. This was the tank before I took it down, from afar:

 

Closer:

 

Starting in with the move:

 

This ended up being the last shot of my huge green monti, more to follow...

 

Half empty:

 

Pretty much empty:

 

Fish and corals in a bin:

 

The mandatory cat inspection photo. I hate cats:

 

Fully emptied of everything except the pistol and yasha. I was lucky enough that they just walked out of their burrow eventually and I scooped them up. I was not using the same sand so I needed them out somehow:

 

I was using the same stand, and I left the sump in place:

 

Empty tank in place, sump and cabinet:

 

Filled tank/sandstorm. Everything was looking pretty pissed, and some things probably got pretty cold in the buckets. Some pieces still don't look right:

 

Clearing up. I was fortunate enough to be able to see into the tank pretty well while I was stacking the rock. I had used new sand, and a piece of acrylic to keep the water from stirring anything up as I poured it in. The rocks are still in the original positions today:

 

Basically clear after five hours of moving:

 

So that's the move. Everything went pretty good, but I think after a few hours in a bucket some of the SPS got way too cold. A few pieces browned out pretty bad, and the green monti started dying from the center out. There is very little flesh left on it now, I don't know what to do with it. I removed the PJ cardinals and put them in the 55. I transferred the clown, clown goby, yasha, and cora beauty into the new tank, with a list of new fish to add.

[youincolor]

So the fish from the old tank were:

• True Percula
  
• Yasha Hase
  
• Yellow Clown Goby
  
• Coral Beauty Angel
  

 

After a week or two I added some new fish.

 

I bought a male Yellow Fin flasher wrasse at Exotic Aquariums in Sacramento. I live about 2 hours north, so when I got home I floated the fish in the sump with the lights off for about an hour. Then I opened the bag and started putting about 50 mls of tank water in the bag for another hour or so. I netted him out and dropped him in, and this is where he sank to, not moving for hours:

 

After three days of not seeing that fish I thought it was probably dead. Poor acclimation on my part, new tank, emerald crab, I had no idea. I just knew I had not seen it, seen it eat, anything. So then I noticed a male McCoskers wrasse at my LFS marked 19.99. I had to have it at that price, so I had it bagged up:

 

This fish was doing great, not hiding much, out eating, then one day when the lights came on I see this fish and the male Yellow Fin hanging out together near the bottom, swimming around. So now I have two male flasher wrasses in one tank. It might turn into thunder dome, but so far so good. Who knows when aggression will strike? There isn't much I can do about it, both fish disappear if they see a net.

 

The same day I got the McCoskers, I got this purple firefish as well:

 

So now the fish list is:

• True Percula
  
• Yasha Hase
  
• Yellow Clown Goby
  
• Coral Beauty Angel
  
• Yellow Fin Flasher Wrasse
  
• McCoskers Flasher Wrasse
  
• Purple Firefish
  

[Lalani]

Ooooh, great looking tank!

[youincolor]

Ooooh, great looking tank!

Thanks, I miss the old tank, but the corals are already liking the halides being up higher.

[ajmckay]

Nice tank! That green monti-cap is really nice looking. How is it doing now? Does it look like it'll recover?

 

I moved my tank recently and surprisingly I didn't lose anything except I broke my frogspawn in 1/2 and it sucks because I didn't have a hole to stick the second one in so it's like 1/2 dead. Oh well...

 

Good luck.

[youincolor]

Thanks. The green monti did not fare well, a lot of the flesh died from the center out. The good thing it is grows like crazy so hopefully in 6 months the tank will be back to looking good again.

[PIPS]

The McCoskers wrasse is noice !!!

Curious to know, is there a hallway or any other seating arrangment infront of the tank ?

[youincolor]

Yeah that fish is really good looking. If the two flashers fight I hope that one wins.

 

As far as seating, that is the view from my entry way, I stood there to take the picture, the hall is to my immediate right from where I stood, and about two more feet to the left of the tank is the back of the couch, TV, etc... The living room is weirdly long, it's kind of strange. The tank kind of has it's own section. I can see the tank from the couch if I turn around, or if am sitting on the lounge part of the sectional. Otherwise, I usually have a rolling desk chair by the tank that I sit on to inspect at night. I rolled it away for the picture because I think it looks a bit trashy...I need an overstuffed chair or something.

 

Oh yeah, you can see the couch a few more pics down. Then you can see what I mean.

[crazydante23]

looks nice. I should have painted the rim on mine also. Which pump are u using for a return?

[youincolor]

looks nice. I should have painted the rim on mine also. Which pump are u using for a return?

I'm using the same Mag 5 I was using with the CPR CS30 overflow. It keeps up fine, but I have to supplement with two Koralia 2's, and I don't know if that will be enough yet. I might have to upgrade.

 

Painting the rim was a must for me.

[youincolor]

I thought I would update since I got some ok shots of the 'Yellow Fin' flasher. I have realized that you can add 'yellow fin' to just about any type of flasher wrasse, does anyone has a positive ID on this one? I haven't done a lot of research yet, but I figured someone would probably know exactly what it is:

 

 

 

I also finally got the best photo I ever have been able to get of my coral beauty. It hates the camera and always hides from it, but I finally caught it off guard:

 

 

Also my Yasha. I have had this fish the longest, about two years now, and he has never grown..:

 

 

Clown goby sitting in the frags that are going to tonight's reef club meeting:

 

 

And clown in his anchor hammer:

 

 

I posted the McCoskers flasher and the purple firefish last time, but other than those, that's all the fish I have in this tank.

 

Also kind of cool shot of my squamosa, best I can do with a kit lens ATM:

 

 

[Rehype]

Awesome shots JT.Everything looks great. Sorry some frags didnt make it. Im not certain on the "yellow fin" wrasse. It really hard to tell..

[BTA65]

wow, thats amazing. i dont know if you said this but what type of lighting do you have?

[youincolor]

Awesome shots JT.Everything looks great. Sorry some frags didnt make it. Im not certain on the "yellow fin" wrasse. It really hard to tell..

Thanks. It's going to be a long climb back to where I had it before, but it's for the best, the 40br was way too shallow.

 

wow, thats amazing. i dont know if you said this but what type of lighting do you have?

I run a Current Sunpod, 2x150 watt, Phoenix 14k bulbs. I love the look of halides, but the color combos of T5s are calling me in that direction...

[Guest nanoreefchris]

sick tank.. i will be upgrading to a 48g rimless in the next year or so. Still trying ot decide on double halides like you have, or t5. How long are you lights on each day? 8?

[youincolor]

sick tank.. i will be upgrading to a 48g rimless in the next year or so. Still trying ot decide on double halides like you have, or t5. How long are you lights on each day? 8?

Thanks.

 

I saw the same tank I have the other day at a shop, but rimless. It looks so badass, you'll be really happy with it.

I blast my tank for 11 hours a day. Halides look awesome, but T5s have amazing color combos. I really can't decide what I like more. If I had the money I would buy a Tek fixture and some bulb combos and decide which style I liked more, but that will have to wait for a bit right now.

[JJW]

Beautiful tank you have here. I have a 40 gallon that's also lit by 2x 150 with 2 x K2 pumps. I notice you have an open top tank - I think the wrasse and firefish are both jumpers, do you plan to cover the tank top? If you are dosing Bulk Reef Supply's 2 parts, do you dose their recommended amount or increase the dosage for your clams and SPS?

[youincolor]

Beautiful tank you have here. I have a 40 gallon that's also lit by 2x 150 with 2 x K2 pumps. I notice you have an open top tank - I think the wrasse and firefish are both jumpers, do you plan to cover the tank top? If you are dosing Bulk Reef Supply's 2 parts, do you dose their recommended amount or increase the dosage for your clams and SPS?

 

Thanks for the nice words, I'll have to check out your thread.

 

On the new 58 gallon I have the Oceanic glass lid in place for those two fish. I knew when I got them i would have to go to a glass top unfortunately. I don't like the look as much but this tank is taller so I don;t really notice as much.

 

I do dose BRS two part. I dose 50 ml in the morning of alk, and 100 ml of the calcium in the evening. I calculated what my tank needed a long time ago and stuck with it, I have no idea what the recommended dosage would be anymore. I also supplement calcium with kalkwasser as my ATO, so I am using a LOT of calcium.

[youincolor]

Update: of course the bigger Yellow Fine flasher killed the smaller, better looking McCoskers. It sucks I feel bad about it, but I thought the Yellow Fin was dead for sure. Oh well.

[JJW]

I do dose BRS two part. I dose 50 ml in the morning of alk, and 100 ml of the calcium in the evening. I calculated what my tank needed a long time ago and stuck with it, I have no idea what the recommended dosage would be anymore. I also supplement calcium with kalkwasser as my ATO, so I am using a LOT of calcium.

 

I dose Tech CB 2 parts at recommended dosage with good results and am thinking of switching to RBS to reduce the cost. Heard from several other RBS users that they have to increase a lot from the recommended dosage to maintain the right parameters. I haven't tested my water for a long long time, guess it's time to start testing to calculate how much dosage my tank needs.

 

RIP for the wrasse - it's such a gorgeous fish.

[DCG1286]

I have been browsing your threads for a while now ... I just wanted to say you really have one of the most beautiful reef tanks around!

 

-David

[youincolor]

I dose Tech CB 2 parts at recommended dosage with good results and am thinking of switching to RBS to reduce the cost. Heard from several other RBS users that they have to increase a lot from the recommended dosage to maintain the right parameters. I haven't tested my water for a long long time, guess it's time to start testing to calculate how much dosage my tank needs.

 

RIP for the wrasse - it's such a gorgeous fish.

Yeah I never really used anything else so I don't know about having to up the dosage that much more. But really the BRS stuff is super cheap and last forever if you get 1 gallon jugs of it.

 

It sucks the fish died but the good news is McCoskers are readily available and pretty cheap at a LFS in town.

 

I have been browsing your threads for a while now ... I just wanted to say you really have one of the most beautiful reef tanks around!

 

-David

Hey thanks a lot!

[adam87]

You have one of best tanks nano-reef.com. I hope, one day my tank looks as good as yours.

[youincolor]

You have one of best tanks nano-reef.com. I hope, one day my tank looks as good as yours.

Thank you very much! I am just doing my best.

 

You'll get there over time, I always thought I would never have a good looking tank, and even now I still just want to make it even better.

[youincolor]

Apparently my flasher fears nothing, even the siphon tube.