The 4 foot beast.

I started out with a 2.5 Pico reef, which got upgraded into a 10gallon while this 55 was still a FW tank... The 55 gallon was turned into a FOWLR about a year ago and it became late 2008. This was when I decided I wanted to turn the 55 into a reef but had to rid the tank of the trigger, puffer, tangs etc. I removed the fish and large live rock and added my 10 gallon reef with the addition of about 30lbs of new rock.

The reef setup I previously had consisted of some simple softies and some yumas. I had a pair of purple queen anthias, pair of firefish and a pair of chromis. The purple queens really did it for me as far as my fish love... I got into the hobby for the fish, the corals were an added bonus.

Jan. 2009 I moved and took nothing except the 55 gallon tank, black brittle and live rock.

Pictures taken with a Olympus 1.3 MP camera from 1999, and a Olypmus SP-560UZ I just got a month or so ago. You will see the picture quality change, Im not a photographer by any means but I love to take pictures.

55 gallon 48 inch glass tank.
Equipment: 260w 65x4 Coralife PC fixture.
6 bulb TEK T5HO hood.
2 x Koralia Three
Fluval 305 strictly for floss. - Cut tubes short and modded baskets, filled with chemipure.
AquaC Remora Skimmer + Overflow Box
80lb sand bed, 50% Monterey bay sand, 30% live, 20% tasty funk.
125lb of live rock.
-----ALCHEMY-----
30ml ESV B-ionic 2part Daily.
35ml Oyster Egg/Phyto/Roti Blend
Marine Env Salt + I also control my own iodine.
---FEESH----
1 Red Firefish
Lantern Bass
Lawnmower Blenny
Arabian Psuedochromis
Pink Skunk Clown + 2 OBTAs
Blood Hawkfish - Removed!
Longnose Hawkfish- Jumped Twice
Lubbocks Fairy Wrase - Jumped
Mccoskers Flasher Wrasse - Jumped
Yellow Candy Hogfish - Jumped
Mystery Wrasse -Murdered
Blue Spot Jawfish. -Murdered
Dusky Jawfish - Moved to the 37

----INVERTS N STUFF------
Zerba Maxima Clam UG.
Derasa Clam
Scutus unguis(The black reef ninjas)
Coco worm

ORA Joe The Coral
ORA Miami Orchid
ORA Tri Color Valida
Steve's Harlequin Acropora
ORA Blue Millipora
Purple Millipora
Orange Digitata
Rainbow Montipora
Ponape Birdsnest
ORA Green Birdsnest
ORA Jeremy's Montipora
Green Encrusting Montipora
ORA Roscoe's Acro
ORA Chipps' Acro
ORA Red Planet Table Acro
ORA Spongodes
ORA Phil's Granuloso
ORA Bird of Paradise TRUE
Imposter Bird of Paradise
Crazy Ninja Forest Mushrooms
Cali Tort
ORA Bali Green Slimer Acropora
Ricordea Yuma - Black/Orange, Orange/Pink/Yellow, Purple/Blue/Green, Pink/Grey
Ricordea Flordia - Several
Yummy Chalice
Cespitularia
Discos/Rhos/Actino
Acan Ech
Acan Lords
Aussie Rainbow Acans
FHI Green and Gold Acan Lords
Orange Acan Maxima
Insane amount of zoanthid and palythoa.... Purp Deaths, Smurfsnots, Ring of Fire and Flame, etc etc etc name them what you want I dont give a crap because in the ocean they have no name.
Kraylen's UE Crack-O-Lanterns
Hitchhiker flowerpots
Baby neon green fungia hitchiker
Aussie Superorange Fungia
Lime Green Open Brain
Deepwater Lobo



-1 Black Brittle Star aka The Keeper of the Reef... Now, Black Brittles are NOT REEF SAFE, but my tank is full of FAST INVERT DESTROYING FISH, so The Keeper is there to destroy the weak and remove fish that are not fit to rule in the kingdom. If you fall victim to The Keeper you were too slow or too weak to be called a fish. Brutal? no.. Survival of the fittest. The Keeper has been with me since day one.



Nice empty tank...

El cooler + love rock transfered from AZ to Norcal...

The new rockscape with the same rock from the last setup - the rock for lulufoxxx's 5.5 pico.

I'll be watchin' bro!

Less smilies, more fish talk.

Don't want: clownfish, tangs, angels, butterflies, chromis, or any non reef safe fish.

Want: hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

what do you think xbox, what kinf of fish are we doing this time.

Anthias, duh.

How many tangs are you getting? Are you going to have room for fish with 160 lbs of lr?

Yes I will have room.


Anthias is a given... just don't know what type....

i'd say 3-5 sunburst anthias, 5-7 chromis, yashia goby pair w/pistol, 3 neon gobies, yellow clown goby, redhead goby, trimma goby, green banded goby, red scooter blenny, and a few other cool and random gobies. lots of small, active fish with the only real bioload coming from the anthias and chromis once they get big. that way your have lots of mouths to pick up extra food that the anthias miss, and since the sunburst actually have stomachs you don't have to feed as much anyway

Thats a interesting sounding combo. Not a fan of the yashia, replace that with a dracula or a mottled and were talkin. I could deal with 1 neon goby or a mated pair but I dont think I would do 3. Dont want chromis unless its something other than common blue/green. The downside to that is all the other chromis are way expensive.... at 20 bucks a fish a school of 5-7 would be 100-140$... it would be worth it if I was 100% sure they wouldnt pick each other off. trimma and a GBG may get eaten!

Pair of Clownfish, Blonde Naso Tang, Queen Angel, Tear Drop Butterfly, School of Chromis, and a Clown Trigger.

just fatten up the trimma and gbg first. my gbg is almost 1/2" thick and only 1 1/4" long lol.

Get a blue spotted jawfish. Amazing fish! Tons or personality and beautiful!

Yeah instead of the chromis, just add some more anthias to the school.

yeah, tons of EVIL personality. won't be an issue after it jumps out though

blue spot jawfish, psychedelic mandarin, anthias borbonius, diamond goby, midas blenny (or bicolor blenny)..

what about wrasses? fairy, mystery, leopard.. there are some badass wrasses out there.

definately gotta get some cleaner shrimps and at least 1 fire shrimp.. with that size of a tank, spring for a blue linkia star.

oh, and a lawnmower blenny, those guys are cool!!

Blue spot is not my cup of tea, I LOVE the black cap/tiger jawfish tho.. cheaper and better looking IMO.

considering another dragonette.. always cool to have...

As far as wrasse go there are several options that have caught my eyes, but this all depends on the anthias I get and how they feel about it... I have to have a sit down and discuss it with them over brine... so.... We'll see about that.... the only problem with the beautiful reef wrasse is money.

Shrimps may become food but I will have a pair of cleaners and a pep im sure. Depending on if the fish I have eat smaller shrimp and what not I may consider a smasher mantis for the tank as well providing the large CUC I want.

Midas was something I was also considering, but the anthias open water freedom is my main concern so every other open swimmer will be on the back burner until I see how the anthias are.

The black cap tiger jawfish are sweet and mean looking! Midas blennys are cool, I have one of those. They acyually swim more than I thought.

Just added 30lb more of live rock... I got a god damn hitch hiking nem.... Im so pissed.

New pictures from old camera! Enjoysomes.

So, Today I found the two SW LFS today.

The first one I went to was called Oceans Above. I met a really cool homie that works there and knows his ish about SW... He actually knew me from this forum but I forgot his handle. hahah small world. "Oh YOURE Kraylen?" Tanks were nice and clean.... had several common fish for sale but looked happy and healthy.. ALOT of tanks, most hadn't been setup all the way but MADDD potential.

The other one I went to was in a town over called Marina. Dog Grooming and Reef Tank was the basis of this wonderful place. They had alot of frags ready to buy and ALOT of tanks stuffed into what normally would be a small place but it worked for them. The owner and worker there was also knowledgeable about the hobby and were impressed at my knowledge as well. I went to the store with my mother who of course was asking 1,001 questions... We saw a old tank that seemed to have been forgotten on a top shelf. Corals, live rock, glass nems, coraline and GHA infested this poor little tank. My mother actually got her first pico and bought the sucker for an AWESOME price and we took it home and cleaned it up. It has everything included from a skimmer to a moonlight plus I got some dope live rock for cheaaappppp.

Overall I was very happy with both my stores in my area and may end up working part time at one of them for fun.

Needs mor cowfish. Nice rock btw. It's very rocky.

Damn, took long enough to get a FTS out of you.....
Thanks, buddy.

Oh, and cool about moms getting a pico.

OOOOOHHHHH. AHHHHHHHH.

CINDER BLOCKS!

Glad to see this one coming back up, following along

Im gonna come harass next time I come to Cali, I always make a trip down to Monterey when Im there.

Right on.. hit me up

*achooo*

Bless you

I love the new set up babez. I think you should get thos Anthias you were talking about. Maybe those Flasher Wrasse or a Lineatus Wrasse. yeh?

I would loive a lineatus... or a mystery... or a golden rhom.... but 250 bucks is quite a price!!!

ventralis FTW?

Yessssssssss!!!!

Welcome to Norcal, there are some embers of our club that live out your way.

If you feel like getting out this weekend you should make a journey to LGF is San Jose and come to the NCNRS frag swap

Im interested man... if you can give me some 831 contacts that would be ill....

OoOoOoOoOoOoooooo

Postwhore!

Look who's talkin'

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

moar pics!!!!

nice, nice. Represent the 55g crew. Loving the rock-work.
mail me the nem.
Any chance of a sump in the future?

Yes chance of future sump.

damn dude.. nearly 7k posts in less than a year. I've been a member of a bodybuilding forum since 2004 and only have 2500 posts, lol..

7k here, 5k on rm 3k on another... heh

damn.. lol..

you gonna put SPS in this tank?

I just got some wickid acros.. a tenius, purple bonsai, blue tort, and blue mille... plus a idaho grape monti.. exciting.. now to get these nitrates down without starving my fish.. ugh.. bigger CUC maybe?

No sps for me.

Bigger CUC is in the mix... gotta hit up ol Maloney when I get some cash.

Post on www.ncnrs.org and www.bareefers.org there are plenty there

WIll do so.

How long wil it be before you can put fishies in your tank?