justinfox Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 Agreed stellablue! I've already spent a few hundred on top of the tank with my lighting and media basket too (shipping to Australia for these items wasn't cheap either!). It's been almost exactly one month since I got the tank wet. I've been testing for nitrites daily (ammonia is already at 0) and it's FINALLY coming down! It was way off the charts just a couple of days ago. It's all looking good. I'll keep testing daily until it drops even more and I'll also start testing for nitrates soon too. 3 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Looks like you are on the final stretch now . 1 Quote Link to comment
ReefWeeds Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Agreed stellablue! I've already spent a few hundred on top of the tank with my lighting and media basket too (shipping to Australia for these items wasn't cheap either!). It's been almost exactly one month since I got the tank wet. I've been testing for nitrites daily (ammonia is already at 0) and it's FINALLY coming down! It was way off the charts just a couple of days ago. It's all looking good. I'll keep testing daily until it drops even more and I'll also start testing for nitrates soon too. So what's in the skull??? Magic potion??? Quote Link to comment
justinfox Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 Looks like you are on the final stretch now . YAS!!!!! Must... hold... off... visiting... local... fish... shop... to... buy... corals!!! HAHA! *sigh*. So what's in the skull??? Magic potion??? Yup! Tequila for one!!!!!!! 3 Quote Link to comment
ReefWeeds Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 HA! nice! Drink it! Then you won't mind holding off adding fishes. 1 Quote Link to comment
mpad Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Careful with tequila dosing. I prefer vodka. Or gin. 3 Quote Link to comment
justinfox Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share Posted July 2, 2015 What a difference a day makes! This morning my nitrites are almost at zero. Brown algae looks to be going away on it's own and green algae is now starting to form on the rocks as well as the glass. Good thing as last night I splurged and bought a few zoas and morphs from an online seller. They will be delivered to me mid next week so by then I'm quite sure I'll have finished the cycle (I will do a 30% water change this Sunday as Sunday is my designated water change day!). 3 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Awesome! By the weekend you should be all set then . Out of curiosity, which online seller did you use? I have only ever used Oceanarium out of Perth but they aren't shipping right now due to the cold nights. 1 Quote Link to comment
justinfox Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share Posted July 2, 2015 Awesome! By the weekend you should be all set then . Out of curiosity, which online seller did you use? I have only ever used Oceanarium out of Perth but they aren't shipping right now due to the cold nights. I'll send you a PM! 1 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 I'll send you a PM! Thank you! Quote Link to comment
ImNew:] Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 My cycle is just a few days behind yours! Cant wait to see yours stocked up 1 Quote Link to comment
Neill.w Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Hey Justin, check this out. I was shopping today and ran into a fan of your blog. I recognized the logo. He said to say hi! 3 Quote Link to comment
justinfox Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share Posted July 2, 2015 Hey Justin, check this out. I was shopping today and ran into a fan of your blog. I recognized the logo. He said to say hi! RPRSNT!!!!! Haha that's mad Neill!!! 1 Quote Link to comment
justinfox Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share Posted July 2, 2015 And we're there! Pretty much! 2 Quote Link to comment
justinfox Posted July 3, 2015 Author Share Posted July 3, 2015 This morning I serviced my 4-stage RO/DI unit. I've replaced all 4 filters thanks to PSI Water Filters who I bought the unit off all those years ago (they still had me on file! Such awesome service!). 1 Quote Link to comment
FlowerMama Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 You have a talent for all different kinds of tanks!!! All I can think of when I saw the pools was .....free cuc! Ha ha. 2 Quote Link to comment
justinfox Posted July 7, 2015 Author Share Posted July 7, 2015 You have a talent for all different kinds of tanks!!! All I can think of when I saw the pools was .....free cuc! Ha ha. Haha yup! The shrimp do such a great job of cleaning, they even clean my hands when I put them in the tank (and nip too!!!). It’s been bang on a month since I bought the tank and got it wet. The cycle has been long, and has tested my patience (I’ve got none!) but I’ve done it right and last week I splurged on a few zoas and morphs from Fragalicious, an online seller in Victoria. I stumbled upon their facebook page, which they use to sell off their corals in an almost auction like manner. These guys create a facebook event every time they have a new load of corals, they then upload photos of the corals and if you see something you like, you simply write “SOLD” under the picture and it’s yours! Their prices are half of what fish shops sell their corals for. Understandable as they don’t have the overheads of a bricks and mortar store. It’s amazing how online shops are killing retail shops in every industry, it doesn’t matter whether it’s cars, bicycles or corals, it’s online and it’s cheaper. I specified for delivery to be today, they sent the corals last night and the parcel got to me by midday. All corals came in an esky which was cold to the touch. All but one of the corals made it (I lost a blue morph). All the zoas are grumpy and closed, but starting to open already and should look amazing in a few days! Onto the pics: FTS. New ISTA 50W heater is smaller than the old one and has the temperature controller outside the aquarium. I’m surprised and happy that the toxic hammer I bought a while back is still alive and doing better by the day. One part of it is not opening up. I figure it was because it wasn’t getting enough flow so I’ve twisted the coral a bit and will see if this makes a difference. Top down shot. I'm still waiting for my MP10! It's been so long, the online retailer initially said they were out of stock, then they had family issues. I'm hoping it comes this week as the Koralia is noisy and I'm over looking at it's ugly butt. 4 Quote Link to comment
justinfox Posted July 7, 2015 Author Share Posted July 7, 2015 One more shot! Tank in situ. 6 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Very nice start, looks like you got some really nice pieces from that seller . 1 Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 It came with a clown fish sticker and a fishy lolly (I was confused initially thinking it was fish food?!), random! That's a high-demand swedish fish. Most people have to beg Stevie T to throw a couple in the box... 5 Quote Link to comment
kimberbee Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Wow, very nice tank!! 1 Quote Link to comment
thecoralbeauty Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Love the scape. =) 1 Quote Link to comment
RollaJase Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 That's a high-demand swedish fish. Most people have to beg Stevie T to throw a couple in the box... I couldn't get enough of them when I visited the state's. I bought a few bags home with me haha. 1 Quote Link to comment
justinfox Posted July 11, 2015 Author Share Posted July 11, 2015 Update: All thew zoas I bought last week are opening up and doing great. The one blue morph that disintegrated on arrival fell off it's frag and ended up under a rock (I could not reach it). It's somehow bouncing back to life! I'm starting to stock the tank with corals from different local fish shops (I've forgotten how fun it is to go for a drive to visit fish shops I've not visited before!). I've purchased a small neon orange/yellow fungia as well as a crazy bright neon yellow hammer since the last photos. New photos to come! I've also been sussing out fish. As much as I love clowns I'm really trying to avoid them. I've seen a fair few super tiny wild caught clowns at some local fish stores. SO CUTE! But if I was to get clowns I'd rather tank raised ones. I really want something different, and super colourful, but the stuff that's different isn't super colourful! I'm also thinking to keep only one fish in the tank, maybe 2, definitely not 3. Some fish I have seen at local fish stores that have caught my eye: Tiger Blennie: This fish really caught my eye! I'd never seen one before. I watched him for ages at my local fish shop. The Edge being such a closed tank suits blennies too as he's have no way of jumping out of the tank! Possum Wrasse: Not super colourful but so visually interesting and I love how it swims. Bicolor Dottyback: I've ALWAYS wanted to keep one, tank is too small though and I don't like how it swims/moves through water. Royal Gramma: Perhaps more suited to the smaller tank, but I also don't really like how it swims through the water. Gobies: Bright yellow, or green clown gobies. I love how small they are but they really don't move much at all which kinda bothers me. Clowns: Still in contention. Especially if they are small and tank raised. I love how they move/bop up and down. Damsel: Underrated IMHO. A single Blue/Yellow damsel would add movement and colour to the tank. Super hardy fish too. Let me know what you guys think! PS: I really really really miss my old fish (I donated them all to my local fish store when I shut down my 6ft tank). They were with me for years, and were such a strong family. All of them had such different characters too. The Yellow Tang being my fave as he was so cheeky, loved the camera and loved greeting me when I was close to the tank. The Blue Tang too for surviving ich more than a few times and growing twice his size over the years. My flame angel and clowns too. Thinking about my old fish makes me excited about having a fishy pet again for sure! 3 Quote Link to comment
ReefWeeds Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 I like the blue damsels. Like you said, the color just pops!! Those possum wrasses are definitely cool though. Look at pink streaked wrasses too! 1 Quote Link to comment
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