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JoeVic's Slice of the Ocean Life


JoeVic

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JoeVic's

 

Slice of the Ocean Life

 

Figured it's about time I started my own tank thread. I have always been amazed at the reefkeeping hobby, but never took the plunge. I've had my current tank up and running for about a year and a half now. I did a lot of reading up on the hobby before I started. Researched a lof of different AIO tanks and settled on the Current USA 34 Gallon Solana. I liked the setup and the look of the rimless tank.

 

Tank Specifications


 
Aquarium: Current USA 34 Gallon Solana 20"x20"x20" Cube
Lighting: Current 150w Sunpod, 14k Phoenix
Circulation: Vortech MP10
Heater: Rena 150w
ATO: JBJ ATO, AquaLifter Dosing Pump
Skimmer: Stock Skimmer

 

I originally didn't have an exact idea of what I wanted to stock in my tank. I like the dominant SPS tanks but I like the idea of different textures throughout the tank. So I've pretty much built this current system up as a mixed reef.

 

Tank Inhabitants


Coral:

-SPS-

Montipora Capricornis

Hawkins Blue Echinata

ORA Red Planet

ORA Rose Millepora

ORA Pearlberry Acropora

ORA Cali Tort

ORA Ice Tort

ORA Indigo Pacific Staghorn

ORA Miami Orchid

Neon Green Hydnophora

Tri Color Valida

Bali Green Slimer

Neon Green Bird's Nest

Pink Bird's Nest

Green Millepora

Blue/Purple Millepora

Acropora Sarmentosa

Tri Color Millepora

Green Stylophora

GARF Purple Bonsai

 

-LPS-

Maroon Rimmed Candy Cane

Dendrophyllia

Purple Tipped Frogspawn

Rainbow Acanthestrea

 

-Zoanthid & Palythoa-

Raptor Rainbows

Sunny D's

Purple People Eater

Red People Eater

Armor of Gods

Spartans

Dragon Eyes

Lord of the Rings

 

-Softies-

Toadstool Leather

Finger Leather

 


 

Solana with 55W PC lighting and first attempt at my rockscape.



 

CIMG0904-1.jpg

 

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After having my reef cycling for about 3 months I had to move. Luckily I hadn't purchased any coral and my only fish was a Tuxedo Damsel. With the move came a new rockscape and better understanding of what I wanted to accomplish. During the move I took the time to upgrade my lighting to a 150W Sunpod. Let's face it the 55W PC lights weren't gonna cut it.

 

I didn't want to have just a pile of rock leaning against the back wall. I wanted something that allowed for flow, gave enough space for swimming and had a open look with optimum surface area for coral placement. I thought it would be a good way to acomplish this by creating a main island and suspending some live rock against the wall to utilize space. Also having a couple lower lying rocks infront to show the depth of the tank.

 

I know you can buy rock magnets, but I knew I could DIY it and use the rock pieces that I wanted to use. I bought some neodymium magnets incased within ABS coating suited for marine use. Using a dremel, I carved out enough live rock to bury the magnet and create a flush look with the wall. It was a little time consuming drilling out the back of the rock, but I think the end result was well worth the investment. It really changed up the look of my tank and I never have a problem with dead spots now. It also gives the tank some negative space to look at as well as plenty of room for coral to grow.

 

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Unfortunately, this hobby gives and takes. I had a Sebae Anemone that died off and polluted the tank and I lost several mini colonies. My Tri Color Valida, Hawkins Blue, Birdsnest, Purple Bonsai and Red Planet all bit the dust on that one. Wanted to trash the whole tank at that point, but i did have a lot of corals survive which kept me going. I slowed down a bit and did sevral frequent water changes to get my tank back to the condition it was in before.

 

At first I wanted to get all the corals I thought were cool, but I'm really more intersted in keeping a limited number and growing them out to their full potential. It does take a little more patience and effort, but it's fun watching it all fill in and deciding where to place everything.

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  • 8 months later...

Ok, So I'm having to move my tank at the end of the month. Anyone have any suggestions or tips? This will be my first move since fully established. I'm going to try and get several 5 gallon buckets to hold the contents. I was thinking this would be the best idea. It's only a 34G Solana so it wouldn't take to many.

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