My Juwel Lido 200 recovering patient.

[Gary.F]

What a great, friendly helpful forum. I started mt tank at the beginning of the year but haven't done a build thread. I have been taking (bad) photos, though, so there should be enough to make a half-decent record of it.

 

Background: Last year, after many years out of the hobby, I started feeling the urge again. I set up a simple discus tank as I wanted something that wouldn't be too troublesome or expensive. I like cubish stuff and discus seem happiest with a bit of depth to the water so I bought a Juwel Lido 200.

 

Here it is:

All the stock equipment was used. No CO2 (don't want the hassle of a planted tank and I like to see some space) and it ticks along like a dream. The trouble is that there's nothing really to do. It's all a bit too easy.

 

Meanwhile, I was talking to a friend of mine who was having problems with her nano-reef and I realised how much I missed the complexity (and even the problems!) of reef keeping. The hobby has changed so much since I last owned anything salty that there was quite a learning curve but the biggest change was the availability of info'. The internet. How did anyone do anything before it came along?

 

Anyway, I decided to go for it. I wanted exactly the same tank to sit alongside but with saltwater so that's what I've done. The stock equipment had to go, of course.

 

The additions were a simple sump (with RO top-up chamber and a skimmer) and razor 130w light.

 

I don't want to get into media reactors, zeovit or any of that stuff , though I did add a small bag of carbon to the filter sock and there's a small media bag of Phosban hanging in the sump.

 

I'll get more pictures, details and evidence of progress up when time allows but, for now, this is what I ended up with.

 

 

 

At the back left, you'll notice a big rock covered in HA and a pinkish piece with some Clavularia clinging to it. Both are refugees from my friend's tank. The big rock because it was, well, too big and the clav' because it was suffering under a HA attack. Both got treated with H2O2 and you'll be able to see the results as I get time to add more.

 

For now, though, thanks for looking.

 

[Slowtwitch]

Nice start. Welcome back to the addiction.

[Gary.F]

Thanks. It gets ahold of you, doesn't it?

[Sk8n Reefer]

Very nice- I like the shape of the rock! Looking forward to following along

[Gary.F]

Thanks. It saw a few changes but the central construction remains.

 

On with the story.

 

I added the first corals to my Euphyllia corner as well as two fish that were also supposed to help with the clean-up (more on them later). The leopard wrass was bought after viewing an in-store feeding as I don't think the tank is old enough to have a decent pod population.

You may also notice the diatoms. This marked their arrival. I think they're ordering in silicates at night when I leave the studio. They're pretty much gone from the rocks now but they keep coming back in the sand. If it keeps going, I think I may slowly replace it.

 

Anyway, a pic'.

The zoas eventually went higher up. They weren't happy there and were frequently attacked by the cleaner shrimp which later took up residence on the underside of the rock above. Every time food goes in, he practically rips apart any polyp he suspects might be concealing something. I can't feed any of the corals so he'll be moving on soon.

 

Got to go and cook dinner now. More later.

[Slowtwitch]

Good luck with the wrasse. Beautiful fish

[Gary.F]

Good luck with the wrasse. Beautiful fish

Thanks. She has been in there since March and seems happy enough. She has put on a bit of weight and looks like she's planning to stay a lady for a while at least (the other two still at the LFS have started to look a bit green already!).

 

 

So, on we go.

 

I was looking to start on the SPS front so my LFS chap snapped off a piece of M. digitata and a piece of Seriatopora Caliendrum. His thinking was that it would give me an idea of where my system is. If the Birdsnest grows, things are going well. If the Monti dies, I may have a bit of work and waiting to go.

 

Well, disaster appeared to strike when I found the Monti snapped off at the base (tuxedo urchin?) but I restuck it and waited.

 

I had no expectations of the stub (which was snapped clean about 1mm above the putty) but, as you can see, it started to do something (to the right of the frag).

 

The bird's nest, meanwhile, started to grow.

 

 

It lost the leftmost branch when I was frantically trying to catch a hitchhiking crab but it currently looks like this.

As you can tell from the Bali slimer in the B/G, there are other corals in there now. I'll get to those.

 

 

Thanks for looking.

[Sk8n Reefer]

Coming along nice! be patient with the SPS- they can be stubborn for sure ?. What intensity are you running your light at?

[Gary.F]

I haven't measured the PAR but the light is 15000k and I've just brought it back up to peak at 95% (both channels) at 1:00 (for an hour) after dimming it for a while after adding the last few corals. I love the flexibility of this thing and the way you can structure the day any way you want.

[Gary.F]

So the next few additions were:

 

A Stylophora "Milka" (seen with one of the tank's first two fish inhabitants (E. stigmatura) and a Cypraea monete. In the B/G you can see my friend's Clavularia (now Knopia ) starting to cover its rock.

And here was the other of the first two (S. segmental) which gets to work on any HA as it appears. Great little fish.

 

The colours aren't great but this A. millepora went in closely followed by some M. caps and another digitata.

Then there's this Acro' which I didn't get a species name for (any ideas?) followed by a nice purple/green A. ​horrida.

Finally, there's this little green Stylo' which will get fixed here if it does okay this low in the tank for a bit.

[Sk8n Reefer]

That unknown Acro might be a ora bonsai- is it purple ish and have green polyps? Last pic of the birdsnset frag is really nice and clear !

[Slowtwitch]

Nice pieces. This should really be pretty as things grow in.

[Gary.F]

That unknown Acro might be a ora bonsai- is it purple ish and have green polyps?

The polyps seem white but they haven't really extended much. I did notice a much bigger coral at the store which appeared to be the same. It had green polyps.

[Gary.F]

Nice pieces. This should really be pretty as things grow in.

Thanks.

 

Heres an FTS (showing those pesky diatoms on the sand!!!).

The rostratus was a bit of a dream fish for me. First time around (and many years ago) I remember them being considered almost impossible to keep alive. Mine's thin, but feeds well 4 - 5 times a day.

[Gary.F]

Rostratus with a couple of Euphyllia (one of which is coming back from bleaching). There's also a piece of Cespitularia in the foreground which has moved about two inches since it went in. And I don't mean spread (it has done that too) but actual left behind the chip of rock it arrived on (stuck to the pink putty). I didn't know that they did this.

[Gary.F]

New hoeksmai is now in position. Backlighting and poor photography skills are doing a great job of disguising the rich, dark blue.

[Gary.F]

Two new additions:

My Gramma Melacara was brought in from London. He was a little chewed up (from the holding tank, I assume) but he's settling and looks better already after two days in the tank.

 

And my LFS guy gave a frag of his purple Seriatopora. Not sure on placement but I decided to mount it sideways to spread the light along the branches and hope to give it a good start. It's mounted high but not two directly under a light cluster. My thinking is that it can grow towards the light if it wants.

 

[Gary.F]

FTS.

 

Knopia and one Euphyllia have gone home to their mommy and a new alveopora has stepped in. Newish purple seriatopora has been moved into more even lighting.

Aussie torch has really expanded since going in. It's really filling the hole that I'd intended as a bit of a canyon. Ian Malcolm would be smirking.

 

Auto-dosing has made life so much easier and now my main worry is temperature given the weather.

 

[Gary.F]

New Chrysiptera arnazae.

[Gary.F]

Well, I haven't had the stomach to post this before now but here it is.

 

Two days out of town and my usual fish-sitter wasn't available. To flesh the story out further, I recently bought a UPS but was waiting for the adapter to arrive as it came with C13 sockets.

 

This was, of course, when my power tripped out. All the fish and half the corals/inverts gone. The survivors seem to have recovered and the tests seem okay. I've decided, after a lot of consideration to go again. Not sure I'd be able to take this again, though.

 

[Slowtwitch]

Sorry to hear about the power outage. Something I dread with our wonky power grid. Hope you get it all back on track.

[Gary.F]

Thanks. That adapter can't arrive fast enough.

[charnelhouse]

Oh, ugh, sorry man. That is a tough loss.

[Gary.F]

Thanks. Onwards and upwards, though.

[Gary.F]

Another arnazae added. My LPS, zoas and M. digitata all seem to have pulled through and I've added a few M. caps and a lettuce pavona.

 

Back in the game!!!