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Been a year - afyounie's first reef tank


afyounie

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Hello Nano-Reef,

I am a newbie to the saltwater hobby, but not to the aquarium hobby. I started in african cichilids and worked my way to the planted tanks, which are still my favorite tanks to keep. I still have two planted tanks: one is an ADA 8 gal, the other an ADA 3 gal. Can't wait till the 3 gal is ready, gonna get me some CRS and pencilfish for it. But thats enough off topic. This thread is about my first reef tank. Below are some FTSs of the DT. The tank is now a little over a month old.

 

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The idea I had when creating the scape for this tank was I wanted some vertical space to place corals. To create a nice gradient for different types of coral. I also wanted to recreate a sort of shallows reef where the sun easily penetrates the water and lights up everything. It took awhile for me to finally decide on the final styling, but I am very happy with how it looks and can't wait to fill in the scape. Below are pictures of the corals I've added so far, mostly as a test to see how things are going and see what I can successfully keep. The next thing I want to add is a ricordea to the base of the right column. My plan is for the bottom areas to be filled with mushrooms and zoas that prefer medium light and flow. The middle areas I'd like to place plate corals and such, and the top, well I'm not sure yet. I plan to eventually try SPS on the top, but that will be awhile before I think the tank is mature enough. I'm still on the fence about getting a Crocea clam. If I did get a clam, I would most likely place it on the right side of the large left rock where it seems to be the brightest.

 

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A small duncan I picked up at an awesome Petco. I also got the zoa colony from the same Petco.

 

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A rock with some nice green mushrooms. I got these because the rock had other neat creatures on it as well.

 

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My first fish. A black clown. I was planning to get a natural colored clown, but this guy looked pretty cool so I chose him instead. Also, it isn't easy to find an ocellaris clown with natural coloring. My gf has named him Nightrider. My name for him is clownfish as I don't name my fish. I plan to get the following: 3 blue/green chromis, 1 banggai cardinal, 1 firefish(thinking purple firefish right now), and a small goby(maybe). I would love to get a dwarf angelfish, but I won't risk getting any fish that are known to be harmful to coral, even if there is the chance they might be ok. A sixline wrasse is also an option, but I will be cautious about getting one after reading so many stories of them being overly aggressive.

 

That's the interesting part of the tank, now for the techs and specs. My plan is to do a 10-15% water change every two weeks. This may change to every week if needed. All readings were taken a day after I did my first water change.

 

Temp: ~78F

PH: ~8.0

SG: ~1.025 (Tested with hydrometer. Need to get a refractometer)

KH: ~7dKH (This is low and I will need to correct it)

Ca: 460ppm

PO4: ~0/undetectable

NO3: ~20ppm

 

// Apparently tildes don't translate well. All of the dashes in front of the numbers should be tildes since the values are approximations.

// All tests were conducted with the API Reef Master Kit. Not the best kit, but all I could find for now. I plan to upgrade to higher end test equipment in the future.

 

Tank is a standard 29 gal that I drilled and plumbed myself. I used 1 inch pvc plumbing for the overflow and return lines. I chose to use only gate valves since they give me better flow control. The powerheads are Tunze 6025s. Return pump is a Rio 2500. I made my own overflow which wasn't difficult. The only thing I wish I had done was not run out of acrylic cement when putting it together. There were a couple leaks when I tested, but they were fixed. The lights are the RapidLED 40 breeder dimmable reef kit. I customized the lights by getting 15 white (7 cool white, 8 neutral white) and 11 blue. Very happy with my choice. Below are pictures of my lights in the hood and the sump. I think I had some of the caulerpa go sexual on me because I am starting to see little sprouts of caulerpa in the DT. Not too worried though. The snails I purchased seem to mow the stuff down.

 

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I plan to use an Arduino Uno to control the lights. I've mostly completed the controller, but a few things are left to fix. I also plan to customize the Arduino to act as a controller for the entire tank, but this is future work.

 

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My sump. Looks clean now, but I imagine that won't last. I haven't added any carbon or GFO to the system yet. Figured i'd take my time and add things as I need them. Same goes for a skimmer.

 

So, that's about all I have for now. I hope everyone enjoys viewing it as much as I do. Please let me know what you think and what I can do to improve my tank. And thanks Nano-Reef for all of the great info. I spent about 2 months researching as much as I could about reef tanks and I'm sure I would have made countless more errors if I hadn't researched before. Also, the search option on the forum is an amazing tool. So far I've found answers to about 90% of my questions by using it, the other 10% I get from Google.

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You hit the nail right on the head. Obsession, addiction, I've been doing this a year and I couldn't imagine a day w/o seeing my saltwater tanks. It's so rewarding and there is so much to learn. It's truly a hobby that keeps on giving. 4.5 mos later I'll still finding new things in my tank this week that came in on the original live rock. It's so satisfying. You'll love it! But of course, you probably knew that as soon as you started seeing little bits of life on your rock. Now my 55 gallon freshwater w/ 2 dempseys, a catfish, a firemouth, a silver dollar, and 2 blood parrots isn't fun anymore. It's so boring. My how things change.

 

Being a firstimer that's a lot to do, setting up your own refugium, drilling,etc, I didn't go the drilled route. That's a huge thing. Congrats.

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I agree, the tank is never boring. Its amazing the things that appear out of nowhere. I used small pieces of live rock to seed the tank and they brought tons of life on them. I love shining a flashlight in at night and spying on the critters moving about. The bristle worms are the coolest looking though. The iridescent skin they have and the rows of hairs is just cool. I keep hoping that I'll find a mantis or pistol shrimp.

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When you get a lot of live rock it's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get and the discovery part is awesome. My smallest tank had live rock from the lfs, it had completely different but wonderful things that my 35lbs of fresh ocean rock didn't have and vice versa. The smallest had tons of colonista snails and copepods and amphipods. a peanut worm, a bivalve, a couple stomatellas, this bigger one did not. The bigger gave me more rock colors and algae and a little macro, sponges, urchins, mantis, pistol. This week a limpet and chiton and tank bred rock flower anemone. I find nanos and larger tanks each having their merits. It all depends what you do with them.

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  • 3 weeks later...

An update on the tank; I bought a bunch of cheapish corals I found at the NTRF March frag swap. Figured I'd try to see what I can keep alive. Can't figure it out if you don't try. I got a digitata, favia, some ricordia, and zoas. The single Utter Chaos polyp has already sprouted a new polyp and has another polyp looking like its about to come up. The monti was brown when I bought it but has since changed to a nice purple color and is growing pretty fast. Love watching the polyps flutter with the current. One of the ricordea was already splitting when I got it and is nearly done splitting and has another mouth as well. So I'll have 3 blue ricordea along with the orange and purple one I got. The favia I got was bleaching a bit so I moved it into the shade and it recovered fast. I also got a free rock with random palys on it.

 

Everything grows really well and I noticed that my calcium dropped from 420 to 380 over 2 weeks so I have started to dose alk and calcium. Alk was at 7 and ph was at ~7.8. Alk is now at 8ish and ph at ~8.1. I think the drop in calcium is due to coralline algae though. I've started seeing hundreds of little pinkish purple dots over my rock work, so I hope its coralline algae and not cyano.

 

I also purchased a couple more corals off of Reefpets auctions on ebay last night. I'm most excited on getting the starburst zoas and the ring of fire micromussa. They look so cool. I'll post some updated pics once I have the new corals and once the bryopsis finally dies off. I didn't do anything to kill it, it just started to die. Why? I wish I could tell you. I have seen so many people fighting bryopsis and I wish I knew what I did so I could help, but since it started dying, I haven't done anything new. The macros in the sump grow like weeds and the one invasive macro in the DT is growing fast too. Gonna let it grow too because I want some plant life. I'd like to eventually plant some sea grass as well. With the bryopsis dying, I have started seeing dinos grow over the bryopsis, most likely due to the increased nutrients being released. Cyano has cropped up in the sump as well. I plucked out most of the dying bryopsis, but I plan to change out my GFO and siphon the crud out of the sump. That should help bring things back into balance.

 

There is one thing I did change, but only because I got it for free. I used Fritz Complete Marine Salt mix on my last water change. I started the tank with IO Reef Crystals. I'm planning to go to Fritz because its about the same price, dissolves really freakin fast, and just seems like a good choice since so many professional systems use it.

 

Edit: I forgot about the fish, :lol: . I added 3 firefish. They are nice and fat. Same as the clown. Little bugger bites me when I stick my hand in the tank. He bites everything though. I also added a Blood Red Fire Shrimp. So pretty. It molted and is fairly active when I feed everyone. Maybe he will start coming out soon.

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  • 1 month later...

Here are some test shots with a new lens. I got the Nikon 50mm f1.8D. Great little lens. Really loving it now that I got it to work with my Nikon D5200. Seems the camera doesn't like the fact that it can't control the aperture. Nothing a little tape couldn't solve. Makes it difficult trying to shoot fish with an all manual lens though.As for an update on the tank, just letting things grow out and letting the tank mature for a bit before I buy new corals. I dosed Mg to get rid of bryopsis that was coming back. Kinda upset some of the corals, but with weekly water changes everyone is getting back to being happy. Bryopsis is gone but ended up losing a birdsnest during this time. As for fish, I got rid of the Arc-Eye Hawkfish that I bought on a whim because I let someone get me hyped up about it. I replaced the Arc-Eye with a Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse which I think is a very cool fish. I also got 3 blue chromis and they are so much fun to watch school about. I bought a scooter blenny before I felt like I was ready to buy one because it was real skinny and I felt bad knowing I could help it out. Now he has gained weight and is quite ferocious. Always comes up to the tank front when I get home and shoots about flaring his fins. I ordered more copepods for the tank, mostly for the scooter blenny, though he stuffs his face with mysis everyday. I haven't bought a skimmer for the tank yet because cyano isn't too big of a problem and I do weekly water changes which keeps things in line. i2GtVso.jpg?1

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This gorg I got from Petco is growing super fast. Its always so happy. I liked this pic because it looks like the scooter blenny is flying.

 

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And here are some other test shots with the new lens.

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Looks great! I love gorgs, have a few and they have always done well if in enough flow. The roses look a bit past their prime...

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Thanks! I was apprehensive about getting the gorg, but decided to try one. I love it. I want to get another, but I will wait for things to mature a bit before I do. As for the flowers, yeah they are very much past their prime. I was just snapping pics with the new lens and thought that pic came out real nice.


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kalireefer

Ya I feel ya on the obsession thing... I have to bring a non reefing friend with me too the lfs to make sure I don't loose it and drop $$$ on things that I "must have" lol!

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Ya I feel ya on the obsession thing... I have to bring a non reefing friend with me too the lfs to make sure I don't loose it and drop $$$ on things that I "must have" lol!

Haha, when my girlfriend comes with me she tries to "help" me. If it wasn't for her I'd be broke. I do sneak to the LFS on the way home from work on occasion.

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  • 2 weeks later...

After more research, it looks like I have the bluehead fairy wrasse. Not sure why I thought it was a Lubbock's. The pictures are totally different. This explains why the guy is so active and unafraid. Dang Petco for mislabeling them, but then again Live Aquaria lists the bluehead at 35 bucks for the size I got at Petco for 15. Now I definitely need a larger aquarium because I am not giving up this little dude. Too bad I'm stuck in an apartment for another year.

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Found my wrasse after looking all over the place yesterday. Found what was left. Kind of confused as to why he died. He was fine the day before. Was very active and ate. Then went to sleep in some hole. The next day I didn't see him come out like he normally does so I searched about. Took awhile but eventually saw his tail swaying behind the large main rock. The blood red fire shrimp was having a nice dinner. I'm thinking the wrasse fell asleep in the hole close to the fire shrimp and the shrimp took advantage of it. That or the wrasse got stuck and suffocated to death due to lack of flow. Otherwise I can't figure out what got him. No signs of ich or any other disease. Was fat and happy. Really enjoyed watching him cruise about searching for stuff. I was even planning out getting a 100 gal cube when I finally bought a house. Still want the 100 gal and I want to get another fairy wrasse. If it turns out the fire shrimp was really the cause of this, I might have to get rid of it. What does everyone else think? Would the fire shrimp be the likely culprit?

 

Edit:

The fire shrimp is definitely happy though. Molted again after his meal of my wrasse. I think this is the 3rd or 4th time the shrimp has molted since I got him.

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  • 4 months later...

How about an update to this tank? I like your scape, wanna see how things are filling in. Also, how are your 3 chromis? I'm thinking of getting some for my 29g build too, so wondering if yours have survived. Read so many experiences about them killing each other off.

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  • 4 months later...

How about an update to this tank? I like your scape, wanna see how things are filling in. Also, how are your 3 chromis? I'm thinking of getting some for my 29g build too, so wondering if yours have survived. Read so many experiences about them killing each other off.

 

My 3 chromis did well until I had a small crash. The key was my auto feeder. I set it to feed twice a day then I fed frozen in the evening. This kept them happy. Before setting up the auto feeder, they would starve to death. Didn't notice any aggression though, just slowly thinning till death. I'll be posting pics in a bit.

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So, my tankis a year old. Had my ups and downs, but now I am more experienced and able to grow some corals. Soft corals are no problem, especially shrooms. Gorgonians aren't too much of a problem either. Just SPS and LPS. I've got my dosing schedule down and am bringing my nutrients down as well. My current parameters are as follows:

 

NO3: 4ppm

PO4: 0.02ppm

Alk: 8.4-8.7dKH

Calc: 430ppm

Mg: 1160ppm(was hovering between 1250-1300, but I was neglectful so it dropped)

SG: 1.026

pH: 8.2

Temp: ~78F

 

I had a small crash end of last year. Huge bacterial bloom that was feeding off of GFO. I replaced GFO and everything was normal for about a month then bacterial bloom again. Since then I've completely removed the GFO and have gone for a Zeovit style of system.

For the past 2 months, I have been running Kent zeolites in a homemade reactor. I dose vinegar, up to 15ml a day now. I just finished the 2 week starting period of dosing MB7. I run carbon in the reactor I used to run GFO in.

Since switching, my nutrient levels are coming down very nicely and not too fast either. Stability is easier to maintain now and the hard corals aren't always ready to off themselves. Only issue is the red finger gorgonian won't open up. I moved it into higher flow so the bacteria will stop growing on it.

I have added a blueberry seafan as well. This thing didn't look too well at the LFS. Very pale polyps, wouldn't open up much, and receding base. Since I've had it for the past month, the polyps are open and regaining the deep blue color. The receding base is regrowing and the tips of the branches are growing out. New polyps are appearing as well. Even a small patch of flesh has regrown a polyp and is growing back.

Very happy gorgonian as well as my purple gorgonian. I've noticed they enjoy the bacteria that circulate through the tank then I jostle the zeolites. Water is clearer than ever too. Corals that I thought were gone are rebounding so quickly. It makes me very happy.

I only got to this place by failing a million times. I've experimented with different methods and arrived at this point. But, this is only the beginning and I'm sure things will change and evolve as I see ways to improve. For now, here are some pictures.

 

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Blueberry Sea Fan. Should've adjusted the white balance, but I hate tinkering with pictures.

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I've had these 3 for almost the entire time I've owned this tank. Pretty sure they have bred, but something dug into their burrow. Hopefully they continue to breed.

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Just liked this picture. That blue ricordea started as one and is now 5 or more. The largest polyp has 3 mouths so, should have even more soon. I also have a yellowish one that has 3 mouths. On my frag rack, the bushy green acro you see is encrusting really fast. I can see a difference daily. The setosa was almost gone but is recovering really fast. The brown stick in the bottom right was a green monti of some type. I thought it was mostly dead, but I was wrong. It's covered in tons of brown polyps that are regaining color. I have noticed some are bright red. Can't wait for it to completely recover.

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My red finger gorgonian. I placed it in the flow to keep bacteria from settling on it. Hopefully this works. Only reason it's still alive is because I fed it daily when it had those beautiful white polyps out all the time. Really hope this one comes back.

 

One last thing, my ocellated dragonet has been with me for about 10 months now and is so fat and healthy. Probably my greatest triumph is keeping him happy and healthy this whole time. I've had him since I found him as a 1.5 inch starved little guy at Petco. Now he is 2.5 inches and fat and super active.

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yeah, those finger gorgs are rough- mine too looked so wonderful. I lost one and gave the other to my friend to see if she can do any better. Only a 1/4 polyps anymore and I was increasing the feeding in the tank to make sure it was getting enough.

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I think I will clean the bacteria growing on it again and see if it bounces back. If it doesn't, I'm going to sell it or trade it for something else. Just doesn't make sense how the blueberry sea fan and purple brush gorgonian can keep themselves bacteria free and the red finger one can't.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Last peppermint shrimp died. It was a pretty large one that I've had for about 10 months. I had put it in the refugium because it was eating my shrooms. I think it might've died from old age. Didn't find it for awhile. By the time I found it, my nitrate levels had jumped to 20ppm. From 4 to 20 in about a week. I'm bummed because the corals reacted negatively to this. On the bright side, the bacteria in the tank were able to handle the increased bioload fairly well. Probably would've been 50ppm if not for my vinegar dosing. I also got a small kole tang a couple weeks ago. About 2 inches. I used to have a small tomini, but he died in the crash. The kole tang has had some light spots, might be ich. Tonight I saw him/her(not sure if male or female) twitching uncontrollably while swimming. Went with a 10 min freshwater bath as this has helped stop parasites in my fish before. Works 100% of the time if the fish is caught while still healthy. I'm hoping this little guy will be ok. Mostly worried that my ocellated dragonet could get infected. I've had him for about 9 months now. From a tiny little starving fish to a fat little sausage that waddles about.

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Kole tang died. I don't think he was strong enough to handle the freshwater treatment. I don't plan to get any sensitive fish again until I have a quarantine. It really is worth having a QT. If I get a new fish before I can move into a house and setup a QT, it will probably be a royal gramma or some other hardy and commonly kept fish.

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Royal Grammas are very pretty but mine hides in the same spot all day and I've had him too long for him to do that. He has a 20 long and he doesn't take swims across it, i think he likes being close to my mantis Gertie. Normally I think they can eat shrimp but they get along well.

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