My first SW, 40 gallons! PICS!

[Ronin3310]

WOW your Anemone changed alot. It really got cleared. Still very cool looking.

 

Yeah the picture makes it look alot different then what it actually looks like, but he is right under the MH and i feed him twice a week and the clowns also bring food to him. IT has gotten HUGE since i bought it!

 

I havent had any problems with my tank melting and i have seen tons of truvu tanks with diff temps of MH lighting!

[Ronin3310]

Well it has been awhile since i last posted. I have added a few new things which are some ORA Pom Pom pulsing xenias, what i think are razzle dazzle micromussa (red and blue pattern) about 12 polyps, ORA stuber staghorn (micro frag i don't think it is going to make it), ORA Turquise staghorn, and ORA super purple digitata, And i may be adding some SuperMan Monti, Acan Lords, and some blastomussa by the end of the month, but i may just hold out on all that.

[Ronin3310]

My open brain!

 

A few Rics i picked up

 

FTS

[Ronin3310]

Well it looks like no one really looks a my page anymore but here is an update anyways:

 

My new Elegance Coral:

 

New FTS:

[dopamine]

everything looks amazing, how does the that UV stableizer work?

[sayn3ver]

I love your tank. It seems as you have been pretty lucky so far in terms of disasters/hitchhikers/parasites/etc.

 

I hope my 40g breeder turns out as nice as yours. Btw, i think your tank has convinced me to go with a blue background instead of black.

[xxReidxx]

i am thinking about getting a tank just like yours because it looks so cool (only ill probably just get some pc's. how much has it cost you up to now and what do you use for filtration?

[Ronin3310]

The cost.....

1) Tank, lights 300W MH, pumps, skimmer, 45 lbs of LR, 60 lbs of sand = $1200 - 1300 (rough estimate)

2) Tang=$45

3) Blk Clwn pair=$90

4) RBTA=$75

5) UV Steralizer=$150

6) both clams (derasa and crocea) around=$100

7) Chromis=$3.99 ea

8) All euphyilla=$100

9) Open Brain=$45

10)Elegance=$150

11) Florida Rics=$200

12)Korila powerhead=$50

13)Micromussa=$85

14)Random Frags and corals=over $300

 

So... A few grand but most of this stuff is custmor prices, i get a discount(tank and lights were not discounted) not counting the water, food, salt, supplements. All of it was worth it!!!!!

 

For filtration just some filter floss, some Chemi pure Elite (going to be taking that out soon), Remora skimmer, LR and LS and that is it

 

Ammonia=0

Nitrite=0

Nitrate=5

Phosphate=0

[Ronin3310]

just wanted to update:

brought home some more zoo's from work (no pics yet sorry)

1)brown with bright pink centers

2)Greenbay packer's (green skirt, bright yellow and orange oral disc)

 

I also picked up two Rhodidatus

1) no pic, green with gold outline

2)I think i might grab another on of these!

 

And i flipped my elegance coral over to see what the other side looked like, tell me which side you guys like better:

 

And here is an interesting Florida Ricordia I picked up (kind of like a rainbow,!)

 

And here is a different angle of my FTS I thought that it allowed a greater view of what is in my tank.

[antonym518]

nice

[Rehype]

Wow your tank looks great!That elegance looks really happy. How about an update?

[Ronin3310]

Wow i have not been aroundny for awhile! Anyways here is an update, Elegance didn't make it, i came home one day and half of it was covered in brown jelly

I will never try one of thpse again, i think it had to do with the intesity of my light. They seem to do better in smaller tank (25 or less) under PC's.

Other than that i have added more coral and some more fish

Fish:

ORA orchicd Dottyback

McCalisters Flasher Wrasse

One chromis jumped out of the tank and died

 

Corals:

Wall Hammer

Blue Millipora

Assortment of Zoanthids

Four Blasto (Red and green) (Red and Teal) (Teal) (purplish brown, and green)

Two Gorgonians (Redish pink with white polyps) (Purple with purple polyps)

Encrusting Montipora (blue base with orange, red and green polyps)

Rainbow Acan Echinata (orange, purple, and teal)

Orange Fungia

Blue sponge

Black Tubastrea

Orange Tubastrea

White pipe organ

Valida SPS

Few more Ricordia

Carnation coral (Yes I know they are hard to take care of but it is doing great on the 3rd week. I have been feeding once at day and once at night. It is a mixture of Phytoplankton, cyclopeez, Oysters eggs, and marine snow)

 

Mobile Inverts:

Anemone Crab

Sea Hare

Crinoid (don't flame me, it is doing great it has been a month and has been eating same as the carnation and other corals he has two crabs that are natural host of the Crinoid)

 

I will be settng up a new tank in about a month for a cuttlefish too.

 

I will update with pics in a few days

[Ronin3310]

Well i got some pics sooner than i thought

only a couple though because my lights are off

 

Orange Tubastrea

 

Black Tubastrea

 

Carnation (Dendropyhta)

[Ronin3310]

Pic Update!

 

Orchid Dottyback

 

Tile Star

 

Wall Hammer

Close up

 

Blue Sponge

 

Some of the Zoos and Palys

 

Blastomussa

 

 

Pics cont...

 

Sea hare

 

Flasher Wrassse

 

Blue Green monti

 

Clown and Anemone

 

FTS (Full tank shot)

[agileTuan]

wow im liking the carnation and tile star

any problems or special requirements for the starfish?

[auggievf]

Great thread. Fantastic inspiration. I have just started my first SW tank... a 12 gal NanoCube. I hope that I have the success you have had so far. I'll start my own thread similar to yours and post progress as well Grats on the beautiful tank.

[Ronin3310]

agiletuan - Thanks for the comments i realy love both the carnation and tilestar. I have not run into any problems with my tile star as far as food and husbandry requirments.

 

auggievf - GOOD LUCK! it is such a rewarding hobby, be sure to read as much as you can, i was very lucky to get a job with my LFS and i am submeressed (sp?) in the hobby (at one point 6 days a week, only 4 back to school) It has giving the the chance to talk to many reefers with great experince as well as learn from other mistakes. I hope you have fun with it and i am sure your tank will look great!

[Orange Crush]

I was going to read your thread, and all about your tank, then I saw your signature, and the size of it, and the huge picture that I was going to have to look at at the bottom every post, and I changed my mind. Hope it's going well anyway.

[Ronin3310]

I was going to read your thread, and all about your tank, then I saw your signature, and the size of it, and the huge picture that I was going to have to look at at the bottom every post, and I changed my mind. Hope it's going well anyway.

 

Ok... well that is one of the strangest comments i have heard for awhile. Well i hope you take the time to read some post with helpful

tips and smaller signature

[PurpleUP]

I like it. Cool carnation close-ups.

[Ronin3310]

Need ID on this algae, and what will eat it:

[Ronin3310]

Well i got rid of my hair algae problem. I bought a tuxedo urchin and he cleaned it right up. I had to get rid of my anemone crab because he was ####### off some of my corals. I have not seen my dottyback for about a week I think my shrimp got the better of him while he was sleeping! I really hate that thing! Any ways I may take more pic in a few days i will post when ready

[DogfoodEnforcer]

2 turbos, 8-10 nassarius, 2 ceriths, and a couple of astreas.

thats a pretty bomb CUC, maybe a stomatella snail. sp?

 

does anybody else go on stomatella watches at the LFS? i always look around for some. when i find some ill pick a cheap coral or something and be like, "umm...could you add those stomatellas to that frag?". one employee walked around all the tanks and grabbed me probably 2 or 3 of them.lol

 

Need ID on this algae, and what will eat it:

 

sorry to ask, as it has probably already been asked. but you do use RO/DI water, right? that hair algae got pretty nasty!!!

 

my tuxedo urchin went to town on the little bits of algae in my tank, now it keeps it very nice. i also supplement its diet with some green marine algae on a clip. unfortunately it usually eats the algae, then picks the clip off the glass and carries it around.

[Ronin3310]

sorry to ask, as it has probably already been asked. but you do use RO/DI water, right? that hair algae got pretty nasty!!!

 

Yeah i use only RO/DI water and that is it, I have gotten rid of the hair algae by using turbos and a tuxedo.

[Ronin3310]

Well it has been a long time since i have posted! I have been very busy with work and kind of lost control of my tank for a while (not doing a water change for about 3 weeks if not more) It is just when you come home from work and all you did was clean tanks and do water changes the last thing you want to do is go home and do the same thing! I had even had thoughts of breaking my tank down and just taking a break. I got my second wind and reinspired to start taking better care of my tank. I started doing my water changes every week some times twice a week, and have started using the Prodibio BioKit and have had great success with reduction of nitrates and phospahtes! I am still battling with small patches of hair algae that my Tuxedo urchin is not even touncing

 

I have begun to take more and more LPS out of my tank and slowly adding more SPS to my tank, eventually to the point of running a full SPS tank and keeping the LPS in my 25 Gallon (it says below it is for a cuttle fish but i decided not to do that an instead bought a small Angler fish! As soon as i can get my hand on a camera (mine was stolen) i will post updated pictures!