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Jaime's IM Fusion 20- June update


owenj

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FTS 6-16-2015

FTS%206-16.jpg

Update with the new tank begins on page 4: here

 

omgomgomg I'm back! A car accident at the end of 2012 forced me out of the hobby for a while, and I wasn't sure reef-keeping would be an option, but I got my feet wet with my trusty old 20gal acrylic tank keeping a Walstad-style planted tank and have been able to manage small water changes just fine.

 

Although, really, I should've known I'd be coming back to the reef. After the accident I got rid of a lot of my saltwater stuff, except this tank, my light, & the heater. You know...just in case. ;)

 

Here it is: FTS 7/20/2014

FTS7-20-14.jpg

 

 

This is NOT the final set up by a long shot, but I was too excited to get a thread going. The rest of the equipment is ordered and on its way.

 

Tank Setup: Updated Dec 2014

Innovative Marine NUVO Fusion 20G

Sicce Syncra 1.5 and dual spinstreams

Vortech MP10

2 InTank media baskets

~10lbs Caribsea Arag-alive sand

14lbs Unknown, probably more like 18ish pounds at this point live rock

Cobalt Neo-therm heater 75 watts

NanoBox Reef Duo

 

Using the Apex controller with temperature probe

 

Livestock: Updated 12-28-2014

Snails:

Virgin/mini nerites--supposedly stay small and less prone to crawling outside the tank

Florida ceriths

Banded trochus

Nassarius

 

Fish:

Pink-streaked wrasse - Pseudocheilinops ataenia

Exquisite Firefish- Nemateleotris exquisita

Ocellaris Clownfish- Amphiprion ocellaris, regular and "Black Ice"

Greenbanded Goby x2- Tigrigobius multifasciatus

Citron Clown Goby- Gobiodon citrinus

 

Anemones/Inverts:

Rock flower anemone - Epicystis crucifer

Blue Tuxedo Urchin- Mespilia globulus

Tridacna crocea- Blue/Gold

 

SPS:

Acropora sp.

 

LPS:

Blastomussa merleti (merletti)

Blastomussa wellsi

Duncanopsammia axifuga

Fungia sp. or Cycloseris?

Caulustrea furcata "Turquoise"

Euphyllia glabrescens- Indo Gold Torch

Dendrophyllia- "Fathead"

Echinophyllia sp. -Cherry Corals Blood Orange

 

 

Softies:

Ricordea florida

Ricordea yuma

Zoanthus sp. (Pink Constellations, Ultra Searchlights, Adromeda "Vice Zoas")

Palythoa sp. (Armour of Gods, Sunny Ds)

Pinnigorgia flava- ORA Grube's Gorg

ReefGen Legacy Eunicea Gorg

Orangy Spiny Eco-Gorg- Muricea elongata

Purple Candelabra Eco-Gorg- Eunicea flexuosa

 

 

I also have a Hydor Pico pump and Spin Stream attachment that I may put in instead of the Koralia Nano. Rock placement isn't final but close. I may put the smaller piece of branching rock in the fuge.

 

Eventually I'd like to have a pink-streaked wrasse, firefish (preferably Helfrichi), & one of the little gobies. Ultimate goal is a clam sometime in 2015 :D

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Yay...so happy to see this thread :happydance:. You know I'll be following along :happy:.

 

How far into the cycle are you?

:happydance: right there with ya, baby!

 

Only 2 days into the cycle, but a little bit of the rock was sold as "cured." I'm planning on adding some of that Dr. Tim's nitrifying bacteria when it gets here so hopefully that'll speed things along.

 

I'd love to get a brain coral but am worried that it'll eat the hypothetical future goby. Have you had any near misses with yours?

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I'd love to get a brain coral but am worried that it'll eat the hypothetical future goby. Have you had any near misses with yours?

Oh gosh...not at all. They aren't aggressive at all. Get yourself a brain coral :happydance:.
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Oh gosh...not at all. They aren't aggressive at all. Get yourself a brain coral :happydance:.

Woot woot. Now I need to decide on a color. But I'm basically in day long meetings today & tomorrow so I can surf the interwebs :P

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Polarcollision

Glad to see you back. I found your retired tank thread after your accident. Was bummed for you and also that I missed crossing paths with a local nano-reefer - who's also a she. :)

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Glad to see you back. I found your retired tank thread after your accident. Was bummed for you and also that I missed crossing paths with a local nano-reefer - who's also a she. :)

Thanks, & yay for local & girl reefers! Are you west side or east side?

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Polarcollision

Thanks, & yay for local & girl reefers! Are you west side or east side?

 

West side, to the north. You?

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  • 2 weeks later...

FTS7-31-2014.jpg

FTS 7/31/14

 

Wow, that Dr. Tim's nitrifying bacteria starter works crazy fast. I know a little of my rock was cured, but this thing cycled in a week. :happydance::wizard:

 

Switched to an AC70 because the 110 was way too big for this shallow tank. Only running filter floss & have some small chunks of live rock in the fuge chamber. I've got the JBJ Oceanstream powerhead 500gph version and I like the wider but gentler output. Had a Hydor Pico 300 in on the other side but with the Hydor FLO attachment it stuck out way too far. Since I plan to only have a few LPS and RFAs in here I figured it was too much flow.

 

Got some macros:

Lobophora sp.

Botryocladia "Red Grape"

Padina sp.

Gracilaria hayi "Dragon's Breath/Red Flame"

 

Snails:

Virgin/mini nerites--supposedly stay small and less prone to crawling outside the tank

Florida ceriths

 

Fish:

Helfrichi firefish - Nemateleotris helfrichi

Pink-streaked wrasse - Pseudocheilinops ataenia

 

Rock flower anemone - Epicystis crucifer

 

LPS:

Blastomussa merleti (merletti)

Blastomussa wellsi

Duncanopsammia axifuga

 

I was originally planning to get some favia, a hammer or torch, and some acans, but now I'm thinking I might stick with a more peaceful reef. Hopefully my future RFAs will stick with the program.

 

The B. merletis are from my LFS so they've been in a few days already and most are opened up like champs. Excuse the awful putty job :lol: . The red merletis are being fussy and not fully open yet, plus they got moved into what should be their permanent spot so that didn't help.

Merletis.jpg

 

B. wellsi and the duncan have been in the tank about 6hrs, slowly opening up. Duncan keeps opening a little then closing back up. The RFA is slowly making its way to a different spot, debating if I should help it out or let it pick on its own.

RFA.jpg

 

The firefish is being very bold and has been front and center in the tank nearly the entire time it's been inside, which is also about 6hrs at this point. I wasn't going to feed today given the stress it's been through but it kept pecking at random bits floating in the tank so I dropped a few flakes in and it gobbled them right up. Still debating a name.

Helfrichi3.jpg

Helfrichi2.jpg

Helfrichi.jpg

 

No pics of the "Tug" the PSW. He popped out for a few seconds before diving behind the right-side rock. Every once in a while he sticks his head out of the corner & I can see the reflection in the tank glass, but he was hidden when the camera was out. Hoping he comes out when I feed tomorrow. There was a lot of detritus in his bag and practically none in the firefish's.

 

Too soon to have a verdict on the virgin nerites from Gulf Coast Ecosystems, but they do actually appear to be staying under the waterline so far fingerscrossed

Mininerite.jpg

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Some quickie pics from my phone so excuse the poor quality.

 

I'm worried I'm getting too much flow from my AC70. Debating going down to the AC50. This is what the merlettis look like with the flow even though I have the intake turned all the way to the side.

 

Merlettis8-5.jpg

 

& some new wellsis I got. All but the purple/green are from Vivid Aquariums.

Blastos8-5.jpg

 

RFA isn't happy after I ousted it from the sand. hoping it stays on the rock.

RFA8-5.jpg

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Oh I missed your earlier post!!!!!! You got a helfrichi :wub:. And a PSW :happydance:. How's the wrasse doing?

 

Blastos look fantastic! Is that an all red one on the right? I'm looking for one of that color too. Hopefully Vivid has it when I visit next week :).

 

Everything looks great!!! Now you need to set up tank #2 :lol:.

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Oh I missed your earlier post!!!!!! You got a helfrichi :wub:. And a PSW :happydance:. How's the wrasse doing?

 

Blastos look fantastic! Is that an all red one on the right? I'm looking for one of that color too. Hopefully Vivid has it when I visit next week :).

 

Everything looks great!!! Now you need to set up tank #2 :lol:.

The helfrichi is so not like what I was expecting lol. I was prepared for it to be super shy and maybe I'd see it in a week or two to tempt it for food but he's been out and about from day one. He eats like a pro when he actually sees the food :rolleyes: flakes, frozen, Repashy gel food if the particles are small enough--but not too small because then he misses them :lol: . Still debating a name.

 

"Tug" the PSW is much braver now, but ran as soon as the camera came out :furious: . Good eater, is out a bit more now that he's feeling safer. I was going to move the rock on the right but he has several hidey holes in it and I don't want to screw that up.

 

The blasto on the right is one of the "Diablo" blastos from Vivid. There's another frag on their website right now. They're blood-orangeish in color, starting to show some of the lighter variation around the rim now that they've been in the tank a few days.

 

Ahhh, the pull for tank #2 is strong. I've already gotten a quote for a custom 16" AIO cube :lol: . But, I'm weird and like to have my tanks on my desk so that I can see them more (I'm at my desk probably 80% of my waking day lol), so I need to move the 20gal freshwater tank on my left-hand side. It's Beth's fancy drinking fountain since she doesn't like to drink out of anything else :D .

Bethfishtank.jpg

 

I'm trying to leave the middle section of the tank open for my future clam. Still fussing with final rock placement to give the blastos a little bit of a break from the flow. Maybe take the merlettis off their current rock and move them to the right, slide their current rock towards the middle and make it a designated zoa/paly rock?

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The helfrichi is so not like what I was expecting lol. I was prepared for it to be super shy and maybe I'd see it in a week or two to tempt it for food but he's been out and about from day one. He eats like a pro when he actually sees the food :rolleyes: flakes, frozen, Repashy gel food if the particles are small enough--but not too small because then he misses them :lol: . Still debating a name.

 

"Tug" the PSW is much braver now, but ran as soon as the camera came out :furious: . Good eater, is out a bit more now that he's feeling safer. I was going to move the rock on the right but he has several hidey holes in it and I don't want to screw that up.

 

The blasto on the right is one of the "Diablo" blastos from Vivid. There's another frag on their website right now. They're blood-orangeish in color, starting to show some of the lighter variation around the rim now that they've been in the tank a few days.

 

Ahhh, the pull for tank #2 is strong. I've already gotten a quote for a custom 16" AIO cube :lol: . But, I'm weird and like to have my tanks on my desk so that I can see them more (I'm at my desk probably 80% of my waking day lol), so I need to move the 20gal freshwater tank on my left-hand side. It's Beth's fancy drinking fountain since she doesn't like to drink out of anything else :D .

Bethfishtank.jpg

 

I'm trying to leave the middle section of the tank open for my future clam. Still fussing with final rock placement to give the blastos a little bit of a break from the flow. Maybe take the merlettis off their current rock and move them to the right, slide their current rock towards the middle and make it a designated zoa/paly rock?

Yeah...my LFS guy said that the helfrichi doesn't hide like the other FF. He said they actually will draw out hiding FF if you already have one. I'm trying to catch one of my FF now because they don't get along anymore :(. One is always having to hide. They seem to take turns on who gets to be out and who gets to hide. If I can catch one, I'm going to put it in my little 8g tank.

 

I just looked at the diablo on Vivid...wow! So pretty! Hopefully they'll have that when I'm there next week. They have a bunch to choose from it seems :happydance:.

 

My PSW was afraid of the camera for the longest time. He's still afraid of it, but not as horribly as before :lol:.

 

Beth is a sweet little thing :). I don't blame her for wanting fish flavored water LOL.

 

What kind of clam do you want to get?

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Nice fish and coral selections!

Thanks! I'm happy with the fish, but am missing having a pair of clowns. Guess I need a second tank :lol:

Yeah...my LFS guy said that the helfrichi doesn't hide like the other FF. He said they actually will draw out hiding FF if you already have one. I'm trying to catch one of my FF now because they don't get along anymore :(. One is always having to hide. They seem to take turns on who gets to be out and who gets to hide. If I can catch one, I'm going to put it in my little 8g tank.

 

I just looked at the diablo on Vivid...wow! So pretty! Hopefully they'll have that when I'm there next week. They have a bunch to choose from it seems :happydance:.

 

My PSW was afraid of the camera for the longest time. He's still afraid of it, but not as horribly as before :lol:.

 

Beth is a sweet little thing :). I don't blame her for wanting fish flavored water LOL.

 

What kind of clam do you want to get?

Aww, sucks that your ff still aren't getting along :( . I can only imagine what a pain it is to try and catch one of those buggers in your beautifully scaped tank! :lol: fast little buggers. I'm loving the bravery in my helfrichi; definitely worth the extra $$ since I get to see him basically the entire time the lights are on.

 

The Diablos are beauties! I have the plain red/green and the "ultras" which are more of an orange/green combo too, and the red/greens are really fluffy. They're also the ones that had the aiptasia though :angry:. I need to work on my stealthy ninja camera skills to get a shot of Tug. Gotta say, I love how you can see the PSW's giant bug eyes move around when they're looking at something. Almost like a little water chameleon.

 

Yea, Beth is a sweetie. She turns 17 in a week and is very set in her ways :lol: , queen of the household. The other two are 1yr old siblings and have a lot to learn.

 

I'm thinking about doing some minor rock rescaping and move the merlettis around to give them a break from the flow. I like being able to hide my probes inside the AC70 so I think I'll keep it, move the rocks slightly and maybe stick some zoas in the mid-back area since it looks like they'll like a bit of flow. I'd love a Maxima clam since they have some gorgeous colors (my inner goth squee'd at the ORA black and white :wub: ), but I'm worried a 7-8"+ clam would take over the tank! Sounds like the Croceas grow slower and smaller--6" would be rare, right?

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Thanks! I'm happy with the fish, but am missing having a pair of clowns. Guess I need a second tank :lol:

Aww, sucks that your ff still aren't getting along :( . I can only imagine what a pain it is to try and catch one of those buggers in your beautifully scaped tank! :lol: fast little buggers. I'm loving the bravery in my helfrichi; definitely worth the extra $$ since I get to see him basically the entire time the lights are on.

 

The Diablos are beauties! I have the plain red/green and the "ultras" which are more of an orange/green combo too, and the red/greens are really fluffy. They're also the ones that had the aiptasia though :angry:. I need to work on my stealthy ninja camera skills to get a shot of Tug. Gotta say, I love how you can see the PSW's giant bug eyes move around when they're looking at something. Almost like a little water chameleon.

 

Yea, Beth is a sweetie. She turns 17 in a week and is very set in her ways :lol: , queen of the household. The other two are 1yr old siblings and have a lot to learn.

 

I'm thinking about doing some minor rock rescaping and move the merlettis around to give them a break from the flow. I like being able to hide my probes inside the AC70 so I think I'll keep it, move the rocks slightly and maybe stick some zoas in the mid-back area since it looks like they'll like a bit of flow. I'd love a Maxima clam since they have some gorgeous colors (my inner goth squee'd at the ORA black and white :wub: ), but I'm worried a 7-8"+ clam would take over the tank! Sounds like the Croceas grow slower and smaller--6" would be rare, right?

Yeah, so far it's not easy. Not even with a giant net. Maybe they can eventually learn to get along :lol:.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing those diablos in person. I definitely want the plain red and green.

I'm also tempted to drive out there today. My son is at school right now...freshman orientation. Maybe when he gets back I'll make him road trip with me today. It's not like it's that far and it's kinda a tradition for us :).

I love all the types of clams so whatever you decide will be awesome. Croceas do stay the smallest from my understanding, but I think they are the most "difficult" FWIW.

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Yeah, so far it's not easy. Not even with a giant net. Maybe they can eventually learn to get along :lol:.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing those diablos in person. I definitely want the plain red and green.

I'm also tempted to drive out there today. My son is at school right now...freshman orientation. Maybe when he gets back I'll make him road trip with me today. It's not like it's that far and it's kinda a tradition for us :).

I love all the types of clams so whatever you decide will be awesome. Croceas do stay the smallest from my understanding, but I think they are the most "difficult" FWIW.

So cool that you can drive out there. Ahhh, orientation. I remember those days :lol: . Nice that you and your son have a fish-related tradition. Can't wait to see what you come home with.

 

Yea, I've read that Croceas tend to be the fussiest, but that Maximas are also starting to lean that way too. It'll mean a doser is somewhere in my future too :rolleyes:.

 

In other news, I ordered the cube AIO :slap::happydance::eek: . Definitely going to take more time thinking through the rockscape. It's a 16" cube & I ordered 15lbs of dry rock from Reefcleaners...not sure if it's going to be enough or not.

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So cool that you can drive out there. Ahhh, orientation. I remember those days :lol: . Nice that you and your son have a fish-related tradition. Can't wait to see what you come home with.

 

Yea, I've read that Croceas tend to be the fussiest, but that Maximas are also starting to lean that way too. It'll mean a doser is somewhere in my future too :rolleyes:.

 

In other news, I ordered the cube AIO :slap::happydance::eek: . Definitely going to take more time thinking through the rockscape. It's a 16" cube & I ordered 15lbs of dry rock from Reefcleaners...not sure if it's going to be enough or not.

omgomgomg:lol: you didn't waste any time at all :happydance:.

 

Soooo exciting!!!!! 15lbs should be enough if you are going minimalist with the scape. Is it 17g or 18g or ?

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omgomgomg:lol: you didn't waste any time at all :happydance:.

 

Soooo exciting!!!!! 15lbs should be enough if you are going minimalist with the scape. Is it 17g or 18g or ?

I know, I'm terrible :lol:. At least water changes for either tank are only 2gal so it's not a back-breaker to do them. I think 16" cube comes out to just a hair over 17g, but display area is going to cut that down. I ordered 10lbs of dry rock in my Marine Depot order just in case :D--could use one more piece as a zoa rock in the 14g anyway.

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I know, I'm terrible :lol:. At least water changes for either tank are only 2gal so it's not a back-breaker to do them. I think 16" cube comes out to just a hair over 17g, but display area is going to cut that down. I ordered 10lbs of dry rock in my Marine Depot order just in case :D--could use one more piece as a zoa rock in the 14g anyway.

Order anything else fun from MD? :D I need to place an order from them too, but I keep putting it off. I can't remember what exactly I needed LOL. Good thing they save my cart :).
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It's been 2 days...we need more pictures :D.

Just did a water change so it's a little cloudy. I'm trying to hold off on pictures until I finalize my scape, but I'm waiting on glue. And...umm...moar RFAs and blastos...and a plate :P

 

Oops, forgot to respond to your last post. I get the notifications in my email & then think I responded to them :slap: . I really like the Apex, but am going with the Jr. for the cube, and a Razor Nano.

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Well, twist my arm, twist my arm :lol: here are a few quick shots. I really need to spend some quality time with my camera and figure out the best way to get shots :P.

Fish8-10.jpg

 

No FTS because the scape isn't done and I've moved my red grape into the middle for now but it won't be staying there. Pulled the rubble rocks out of the AC70 and will probably use one as a zoa rock, the others will eventually seed the cube when it gets here. I'm thinking about removing more of the sand too so that vacuuming the sandbed is easier.

 

The lobophora died off <_< so it's just dragon's breath and red grape for macros, and most of the red grape didn't like its original placement so it's nearly naked of bladders.

 

Helfrichi8-10.jpg

Helfrichi is still bold and always out until lights out at 11pm.

 

Ninja skills! Blurry photo of Tug the PSW :ninja: He's actually out much more now, but still skittish. Also goes to bed way earlier than the helfrichi. Tug comes out around 8am and goes to bed around 8-9pm. Old fogey :P

Tug8-10.jpg

The duncans are much more extended and open in their new place, so I think I'll glue them down there.

Duncans8-10.jpg

Diablo blastos. They're more orange irl than in the photo.

Diablos28-10.jpg

These are orange rim/green center blastos, but they look pretty red in this photo. You can see their resident brittle star making a cameo :lol:

Ultras8-10.jpg

 

That's it for now. I'll have a more photo heavy upload next weekend once the new additions are settled in. :ninja::haha:

 

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Well, twist my arm, twist my arm :lol: here are a few quick shots. I really need to spend some quality time with my camera and figure out the best way to get shots :P.

Fish8-10.jpg

 

No FTS because the scape isn't done and I've moved my red grape into the middle for now but it won't be staying there. Pulled the rubble rocks out of the AC70 and will probably use one as a zoa rock, the others will eventually seed the cube when it gets here. I'm thinking about removing more of the sand too so that vacuuming the sandbed is easier.

 

The lobophora died off <_< so it's just dragon's breath and red grape for macros, and most of the red grape didn't like its original placement so it's nearly naked of bladders.

 

Helfrichi8-10.jpg

Helfrichi is still bold and always out until lights out at 11pm.

 

Ninja skills! Blurry photo of Tug the PSW :ninja: He's actually out much more now, but still skittish. Also goes to bed way earlier than the helfrichi. Tug comes out around 8am and goes to bed around 8-9pm. Old fogey :P

Tug8-10.jpg

The duncans are much more extended and open in their new place, so I think I'll glue them down there.

Duncans8-10.jpg

Diablo blastos. They're more orange irl than in the photo.

Diablos28-10.jpg

These are orange rim/green center blastos, but they look pretty red in this photo. You can see their resident brittle star making a cameo :lol:

Ultras8-10.jpg

 

That's it for now. I'll have a more photo heavy upload next weekend once the new additions are settled in. :ninja::haha:

 

Tug looks so young compared to my PSW. I swear...it's my favorite all-time fish. I will always have one in my tanks if they are big enough for one :).

 

Your diablos look so much prettier than the ones I saw at Vivid. I wish they sold them by the head. I totally would have bought one. I have that orange and green too...it's a stunning one :).

 

Thanks for posting some pictures :D.

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