Mattyfelts' 20 Long Reef-demtion!

[anizato]

Have you considered sexy shrimp? They are super cool! I had 6 at one time in my 10gal, but they perished when my heat sensor (after having done maintenance) wasn't suctioned properly and cooked everything but my Clown-pair.

 

Interesting choice of fish. I really like the look of your tank, it is bizarre. I recommend a larger clean up crew (CUC), like 10 Dwarf Ceriths, 5 FL Ceriths, 5 Nassarius, 1 or 2 Blue Hermit Crab perhaps.

Seems like you are restoring something that was unkempt and turning it into something beautiful. Good job bro!

 

PS. don't despair, there are plenty of us following this thread.

[mattyfelts]

Have you considered sexy shrimp? They are super cool! I had 6 at one time in my 10gal, but they perished when my heat sensor (after having done maintenance) wasn't suctioned properly and cooked everything but my Clown-pair.

 

Interesting choice of fish. I really like the look of your tank, it is bizarre. I recommend a larger clean up crew (CUC), like 10 Dwarf Ceriths, 5 FL Ceriths, 5 Nassarius, 1 or 2 Blue Hermit Crab perhaps.

 

Seems like you are restoring something that was unkempt and turning it into something beautiful. Good job bro!

 

PS. don't despair, there are plenty of us following this thread.

honestly, i dont wanna add more clean up crew, they dont do much IMO at least in this tank. This is my tank and has been however i ran it with tap water originally, which caused issues. This is basically me restoring my own project. I was thinking sexy shrimp aswell.

[Pinner Reef]

Ya that definitely looks better than my first 10g too. Good work on saving the Duncan as well. It's super fun to watch coral come back from almost nothing resembling coral to really full colonies.

[aviator300]

does anyone want update pictures... or does anyone even follow this LOL !

You started this thread almost 3 months ago and only recently said anything about the history of your tank. We still don't know if you are a beginner, an experienced reefer, or what?

 

You need to develop some interest in your thread other than just telling what happened today or yesterday. give your readers some perspective. Tell us your history in reefing, how and why you started the tank, what brought you from 3 months ago to today, and then tell us your plans for this tank or others.

 

In other words, tell us a story and keep us interested and we will continue to read and follow.

[mattyfelts]

Ya that definitely looks better than my first 10g too. Good work on saving the Duncan as well. It's super fun to watch coral come back from almost nothing resembling coral to really full colonies.

 

thank yeah, yeah it feels good to "save" something like that haha!

You started this thread almost 3 months ago and only recently said anything about the history of your tank. We still don't know if you are a beginner, an experienced reefer, or what?

 

You need to develop some interest in your thread other than just telling what happened today or yesterday. give your readers some perspective. Tell us your history in reefing, how and why you started the tank, what brought you from 3 months ago to today, and then tell us your plans for this tank or others.

 

In other words, tell us a story and keep us interested and we will continue to read and follow.

 

yes sorry, with school and work i get a little busy sometimes.

 

Anyways, I started keeping fish 2 years ago... i think.... with freshwater (10 gallon) which moved to 2 tens and a 20 high. That slowly escalated to a 60 gallon. the history of the tank is just that, about 6 months ago i decided "lets go fowlr" i bought all the supplies and started up my tank, with live rock. To my surprise my first hitch hiker was a purple dotty back and i (foolishly) bought two additional clowns all resulting in deaths. For a while i was using tap water but finally got a RODI unit and started using that. The tank started with PC lighting, moved to 50/50 compact bulbs, and now 2 par 38 bulbs. I also had another stocking problem while still in my tap water days (we'll call my early failures that), which was a lawnmower blenny who also perished. However, the tank ran for 3 months with no stock other than snails and hermits, i slowly gained coral with no fish, so to date this is the first proper sized fish for my tank, and has been the longest my tank is running with good clean water. I h ave learned from mistakes and find myself working toward a better future

 

However........ I have the opportunity to buy a 50 gallon rimless acrylic tank for $150 in a couple of weeks.... And might be making the move. Making a much more interesting thread (learning to plumb, first sump, etc.)

 

If

[mattyfelts]

Hey guys, i found this http://s1306.photobucket.com/user/mattyfelts/media/IMG_4782_zpsfb1983ca.jpg.html'> on the corner of my rock of zoas (bridge). Looks like aiptasia from here but from above it looks like a juvenile Epicystis crucifer anemone. It must have came on the rock and just now has grown into something visible... hopefully it becomes beautiful!

[Pinner Reef]

It's really hard to tell from the pic but I highly doubt it's any thing but an Aptasia. Those rocks always came in with Aptasia. Break out the magnifying glass. Mini nems have hundreds of tenticials, Aptasia have a couple dozen at most.

[mattyfelts]

It's really hard to tell from the pic but I highly doubt it's any thing but an Aptasia. Those rocks always came in with Aptasia. Break out the magnifying glass. Mini nems have hundreds of tenticials, Aptasia have a couple dozen at most.

 

Im doubtful aswell but it seems plausible.

 

Heres an article I used as reference (based off colouration and tentacles) http://coralmorphologic.com/b/category/research/page/2 its somewhat down the page.

 

I am optimistic but god knows

[HIppieRose]

No news is good news. At least that is what I tell myself when no one replies. I have a question for you. I have four corals do I have to keep buying more to fill the tank or well they fill the tank in time?

[mattyfelts]

what corals are they? most corals over time (months, years, millenniums) will fill a tank pretty well. just all about providing their needs.

[Pinner Reef]

Depends on the coral, but yeah given time and proper care they will be able to grow until the entire tank is nothing but LR. Or softie sludge

[HIppieRose]

Check my sig link. Please But was told they are all fast growers.

[mattyfelts]

Check my sig link. Please But was told they are all fast growers.

yeah sps will branch or plate and can cover an area but have a tendency to be slow growers, softies like your star polyps will grow throughout the tank and can fill it.

[HIppieRose]

Thats my plan. Don't want to go over board or out grow the tank to soon. When I do Ill have to redo not get a bigger tank. lol

[mattyfelts]

frag anything that grows to far for your likeing and turn it ind for store credit.

[HIppieRose]

Only one store that sells salt water that I know of and don't think they well take frags but I well see. Or maybe the one that is a 45 minute drive well take them.

[mattyfelts]

great news, I'm asking someone about an acrylic, rimless, 50 gallon. Drilled and looking great.

 

here is a photo

[HIppieRose]

Good luck

[Spiderguardnano]

dont go acrylic

[mattyfelts]

so everyone ive been gone a while, holidays, exams, working in retail, the usual but big news is ive opted out of buying every big tank i saw. i got a 20 long and tomorrow will begin building that, everything will be going from this current tank to that tank and i will be buying some new live rock as well ( 10 additional lbs to add due to the upgrade). I want to up my stock but im not sure with what.

[Justin MD]

Be careful adding new rock.

 

Where are you getting this 10 pounds?

[mattyfelts]

Be careful adding new rock. Where are you getting this 10 pounds?

oh i am being very careful no worries, and well i figured since its a pound per gallon, moving from the 10 to the 20 ill need more rock, not sure if ill buy live or dry and just seed it with my existing rock?

 

any opinions on how to make the not so huge switch? while switching im going to dip everything as well. Any idea on a new fish that wont hate my yellow clown goby?

[Justin MD]

The problem with buying live is its not always alive. So you drop a chunk or 3 of "live rock" and the die off causes a cycle spike and your live stock can suffer or die. You don't HAVE to have a pound per gallon. In fact most of the bacteria is on the rock.

 

I would do a heavy water change. Like 50% or so. Be sure your temp and pH is matched up. Put the old water in your new tank with say 5 more gallons of fresh SW. Put your old rock in the new tank. Use the old tank water to fill the new tank.

 

CLEAN any sand you plan on reusing. Use a 5g pail and rinse the sand with a garden hose till it runs clean. After its clean use some PRIME to remove chlorine. Use a flour sifting scoop to scoop the sand and place carefully in your new tank.

 

Now you have an empy 10 gallon tank that you can cycle new live rock in. Heater and pump is all you need for that. Or buy dry rock and add immediately after a SW rinse.

[mattyfelts]

The problem with buying live is its not always alive. So you drop a chunk or 3 of "live rock" and the die off causes a cycle spike and your live stock can suffer or die. You don't HAVE to have a pound per gallon. In fact most of the bacteria is on the rock.

 

I would do a heavy water change. Like 50% or so. Be sure your temp and pH is matched up. Put the old water in your new tank with say 5 more gallons of fresh SW. Put your old rock in the new tank. Use the old tank water to fill the new tank.

 

CLEAN any sand you plan on reusing. Use a 5g pail and rinse the sand with a garden hose till it runs clean. After its clean use some PRIME to remove chlorine. Use a flour sifting scoop to scoop the sand and place carefully in your new tank.

 

Now you have an empy 10 gallon tank that you can cycle new live rock in. Heater and pump is all you need for that. Or buy dry rock and add immediately after a SW rinse.

i might go dry and add it all my current rock. didnt plan on using sand or will add it later one (not going to reuse) not quite ready to do this yet.

 

In other news i got a couple architect lights to hold my par38s, going to get a fluval CP-1 and 2 next pay cheque probably as well.

[Justin MD]

If you don't use a coral based substrate keep an eye on pH. The cool thing about sand is its awesome buffering ability.