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RyanB's 1 YR. Old MIXED RSM-Updated FTS PIC! P.15


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Hey everybody, so I was always eager to setup a salt water tank but didn’t know which tank best fits my needs. After doing a lot of research, I found that the Red Sea Max has a great look and had won awards which caught my attention. Anyhow, I was in L.A. for the weekend (3/16/08) and decided to purchase the Red Sea Max ($650) for $100.00 less than what I can find on the market. So as I was shopping for the RSM, I didn’t know how many pounds of live rock to get. For one thing, the guy at the fish store said that he is a wholesaler and that he recommends I get 50 lbs. of LR. So I purchased 50 lbs. of LR and 40 lbs. of LS. When I got back home from L.A., I left the live rock in the styraphoam container for about two weeks before I started the RSM due to my busy schedule. Well in those two weeks, I discovered this Wonderful site, N-R, and have been doing a lot of research on setting up a salt water tank. I also admire the great thread of StevieT’s RSM Experience along with the rest of you GREAT RSM owners!!! Anyhow, my RSM has been running for 5 months now and this is what I have done so far.

 

On 3/26/08, I made room for the corner in my bedroom and decided to build and finish the stand that night.

1-RSMBoxes.jpg

 

On 3/27/08, I measured the area of the RSM and aquascaped the LR on cardboard and a plastic bag.

2-RSMAquascapeOutside.jpg

 

On 3/30/08, I put the tank on the stand and never added the biological filter material, but left the carbon filter material in the chamber of death. I added 2 bags of Nature’s Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Natural White #1 Reef Sand which is a total of 40 pounds. I then added the 50 lbs. of live rock from Fiji, Indonesia, and Tonga. As far as the cycling process, I actually left the skimmer running and just kept cleaning the mechanical filtration material and filter pad every 3 days. I set the timer for the lights to turn on at 4PM and switch off at 12PM with the moonlights. After the first week of the cycling process, I added Bio Spira to help speed up the pace. On the second week, I got my first algae bloom and was very shocked and worried because I did not know that it was part of the cycling process – hahaha. Anyhow, I decided to purchase a CUC to help with the algae. I also purchased a Mag-Float and a thermometer.

3-RSMAquascape.jpg

 

Within the third week, I got cyanobacteria on a few of the rocks and some parts of the sand bed. After doing more research on N-R, I found out that I needed more water flow. So, I purchased a Hydor Koralia 2 that I setup to the top right of the RSM and also added a Hydor Flo Deflector to the right circulation pump. After my algae bloom and the cyanobacteria were resolved, I did my first water test using the API Saltwater and Reef Master kits which all of my parameters were 0 except for my nitrates which were at 20ppm (possibly because I have 50 lbs. of LR). Therefore, I did my first 20% water change and the nitrates were still at 20ppm. So I removed the stock carbon filter and added “Chemi-pure Elite” and “Purigen” to the chamber of death. I just used a rubber band to keep them together. I also removed the stock filter floss and started using the “Odyssea Nitrate Remover filter pad” that I change out ever 2 weeks. So after my first water change, I started doing a 20% water change every Thursday and tested my water twice a month with still no change of the nitrates being at 20ppm. Anyhow, I finally added fish and for the following weeks I added coral, coral, fish, and more coral – hehehe. I feed the CUC “New Life Spectrum Marine Fish Formula sinking pellets”. For the fish, I feed them “Spirulina 20 flakes” and sometimes frozen foods. As for the coral, I feed them “Reef Nutrition Phyto Feast Live”. I feed every other day to prevent the nitrates from rising and there is still no change of the nitrates except that it’s starting to look like 20-40ppm now. So I don’t know what to do about that.

 

About a month and a half later, I purchased these 10 LED moonlights from Ebay and customized them to fit in between the lights just fine. I connected it to a timer and set it to turn on at 12PM and shut off at 8AM. The 10 LED moonlights looked great like I had atinics. The only downfall on these lights is that it only lights up the center of the tank. I ran the 10 LED moonlights for about 3 weeks and started to get cyanobacteria again, but this time – only in the center of the tank where the lights hit. Therefore, I used “Red Slime Cyano-Bacteria remover Chemiclean” which helped just fine. After the cyanobacteria was resolved, I figured that I was running the moonlights too long and now set it to turn off at 3AM which there is no more cyanobacteria.

 

10 LED Moonlight installed and turned off:

4-RSM10LEDLightsOff.jpg

 

10 LED Moonlights installed and turned on:

5-RSM10LEDLightsOn.jpg

 

And here is the FTS as of 8-10-08 where I added 15 more pounds of LR. Hope you enjoy. Any comments and advice are welcome.

 

FTS

6-FTS.jpg

 

RTS

7-RTS.jpg

 

LTS

8-LFT.jpg

 

 

Ryan’s RSM:

34 gal Red Sea Max (born 3-30-08)

40 lbs. of Nature’s Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Natural White #1 Reef Sand

65 lbs. of live rock from Fiji, Indonesia, and Tonga

Hydor Koralia 2

Hydor Flo Deflector

Mag-Float

Thermometer

 

What I currently have:

 

Invertebrates:

Nassarius Snail (3)

Bumble Bee Snail

Tiger Sand Conch Snail

Snail (Hitchhiker)

Astralium Calcar Star Snail

Sand Dollar

Lettuce Slug/Nudibranch different kinds (2)

Electric Flame Scallop

Crocea Clam

Derasa Clam

Skunk Cleaner Shrimp

Blood Red Fire Shrimp

Peppermint Shrimp

Pistol Shrimp

Harlequin Shrimp

Purple Reef Lobster

Thin-Stripe Hermit Crab

Emerald Crab,

Spotted Porcelain Crab different colors (2)

Pom Pom Crab

Purple and Gold Feather Duster

Hawaiian Feather Duster

Brittle Starfishes (Hitchhiker)

 

Fishes:

True Percula Clown Fish (2)

Purple Fire Fish Goby

Orange Fire Fish Goby

Aurora Goby

Yasha Goby

Catalina Goby

6 Line Wrasse

Royal Gramma Basslet

Chalk Bass

Red Scooter Dragonet

African Golden Midas Blenny

 

Corals:

Mushrooms different colors (7)

Green Star Polyps different colors (3)

Star Polyps

Yellow Polyps

Palythoas different colors (4)

Zoanthids different colors (13)

Tubs Blue Zoanthids

Xenia different colors (4)

Anthelia

Clove Polyps different colors (6)

ATL Home Grown Green Pipe Organ

Kryptonite Candy Cane

Green Candy Cane

Caulastrea Trumpet

Orange Sun Flower

Pagoda different colors (2)

Galaxia

Blastomussa Merletti

Carnation different colors (2)

Blue Sponge

Orange Sponge Different Types (2)

Red Gorgonian

Yellow Tree Gorgonian

Blueberry Gorgonian

Peach/Purple Polyp Gorgonian

Purple Bushy Gorgonian

Green Gorgonian

Toadstool Leather

Tyree Neon Green Toadstool Leather

Neon Green Palau Nepthea.

Christmas Tree

Kenya Tree

Duncans different colors (2)

Goniopora different colors (3)

Branching Frogspawn different colors (2)

Fine Grape

Torch different colors (4)

Fox

Modern Cynarina

Bubble different colors (2)

Anchor Hammer (Green)

Branching Hammer (Purple)

ORA Neon Green Birdnest

Pink Birdnest

Purple Birdnest

Fluorescent Green Birdsnest

Montipora Capricornis different colors (2)

Montipora Spongodes/Confusa

Green Acropora

Unknown SPS (1)

Green Porite,

Stylophora (Purple)

Orange Montipora Digitata

Purple/Brown Montipora Digitata

Pink Peony Pocillopora

Original Atlantis Meteor Shower Cyphastrea Ocellina

 

 

What I use to have:

 

Invertebrates:

Scarlet Hermit Crab

Electric Blue Hermit Crab

Anemone Crab

Red Mini Crab

Light Purple and Yellow Nudibranch

Dark Purple and White Nudibranch

Gymnodoris Aurita

Cowrie Snail

Horseshoe Crab

Elegant Sea Star

 

Anemones:

Atlantic Anemone

Long Stem Anemone

 

Fishes:

Occelaris Clown Fish (2)

Twin Spot Goby

Flasher Wrasse

Pearl Blue Yellowhead Jawfish,

 

Corals:

Tunicate/Clavelinidae,

Yellow Toadstool Leather

Long Tentacle Plate Coral

Alveopora

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Yeah I know....12 fish - I took the chance! I had the Catalina Goby for about more than a week now!

Chris Marks is online and could do it. http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showuser=192

 

Also, if the fish are looking fine and your params are checking out I don't see why it wouldn't work. They are all smallish fish and present little bioload. Your doing it right apparently.

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Yeah I know....12 fish - I took the chance! I had the Catalina Goby for about more than a week now!

 

 

Dont be surprised if it dies out of the blue... they are cold water fish from socal and require a chilled tank..... happens all the time :(

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Dont be surprised if it dies out of the blue... they are cold water fish from socal and require a chilled tank..... happens all the time :(

 

Yeah I heard...that's why I decided to take the chance.

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Nice tank.

 

What do you feed your lettuce slugs? I heard they can be tough to feed (aside from their natural photosynthesis).

 

Also, have you had any problems with the anemones stinging corals/fish? When did you add them?

 

Thanks!

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wow, very impressive. But man, that is a lot of fish, especially for all of the corals you packed in this tank. Tank looks very nice, very health so far. Just watch it close I guess, normally this would be death to a tank

 

Good luck! B)

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Do you run a chiller?

 

Nope, no need for a chiller since I live in San Francisco, CA. But when it gets hot, I usually leave the rear top cover open for more ventilation.

 

Nice tank.

 

What do you feed your lettuce slugs? I heard they can be tough to feed (aside from their natural photosynthesis).

 

Also, have you had any problems with the anemones stinging corals/fish? When did you add them?

 

Thanks!

 

I just let my 2 different lettuce slugs graze up and eat all of the algae in my tank. As far as the anemones, I added them in the begining with only a few corals and decided to bring them back to the LFS since I wanted to add even more corals.

 

Very Nice. Are those scallops hard to keep? What do you feed them, hand feed them?

 

 

I had the scallop for about 4 and a half months now and feed them with “Reef Nutrition Phyto Feast Live” which works just fine for all of my corals, clams, and scallop.

 

wow, very impressive. But man, that is a lot of fish, especially for all of the corals you packed in this tank. Tank looks very nice, very health so far. Just watch it close I guess, normally this would be death to a tank

 

Good luck! B)

 

Thanks StevieT, that's why I maintain my tank for about 2-3 hours everyday.

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Wow, awesome! I wonder, do you have any room left for the water :D ?

 

Nope...no more room for water, but definitely will find and make more room for more coral...hehehe! :lol:

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Christ dude, beautiful tank. So much for low bioload, stuff not touching, fitting your pinky into the tank. That thing is stuffed and looks incredible.

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Nope, no need for a chiller since I live in San Francisco, CA. But when it gets hot, I usually leave the rear top cover open for more ventilation.

 

Even in San Fran your tank isnt going to stay at 63 degrees without a chiller... haha, if it did everything else would die.

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Nice but +1 about what everyone said about the catailna - it will likely die (why is that a reason to take a chance?). Looks very nice but short term beauty only - anyone can buy $1000 of corals, put them in a tank and take pics. Keeping them alive is a different story - I'll check in again in 6 months...

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  • Christopher Marks changed the title to RyanB's 1 YR. Old MIXED RSM-Updated FTS PIC! P.15

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