ADA 60p Soft Coral Mangrove Peninsular - Long overdue update

[Rehype]

Sorry to hear about the angel but the tank looks great love the upgrade.

[East1]

I am pretty bummed about the angel still, I am aware that juvenile Pomacanthus can be quite sensitive, and I don't think having two damsels in the tank after the move trying to fight for territory would have made settling any easier, so I've removed all my fish. I intend to let the tank fallow for a few weeks just to be safe, and I will be planning to add a single angelfish after that point.

 

Currently I'm leaning toward either another majestic or perhaps a regal, but with my SPS polyp extension in mind, I may look to a smaller Genicanthus or a pair of dwarf angels. I enjoy the idea of a monotypic angelfish tank.

 

I picked up a few more corals today, as well as the Aquaforest system to augment the balling solutions I purchased from them for the upgrade. I currently use Pro F, ProBio S as well as Coral E, V. I've ordered Coral A and B to augment the dosing and shall update. I'm not sure about mixing Pohl's Xtra with these but we shall see.

 

Some edited tank pics.

 

 

 

[East1]

Tank's going strong, I'm just trying to get the new balling system dialled in. I have a small bryopsis growth appearing on a few rocks but that's never bothered me, I kinda like the way it looks and I'll get a sea slug if it gets any worse.

 

I have started dosing Creatine Monohydrate for the past two days after reading and discussing the molecule with a friend studying medicine, and I've noticed an INSANE growth of sponges in the tank. The two visible grey sponges I own have both increased in size visibly over a day or two, as well as seeing a bloom in tunicates that had hitched in on a coral. I have found online that this dosing benefits a lot of filter feeders and I suspect it could be key in successful NPS tanks

[dpoltsdsu]

Looks incredible, great job

[East1]

Celebration time!

I finally got myself a job, I'm a graduate infrastructure consultant, basically a consultant to a project manager. This has meant I get to buy stuff for my tank, and for the first time since I've set this system up, entirely new and not second-hand material.

 

I got myself a

 

Bubble Magus G5

Bubble Magus mini 80 for the biopellets

some odds and ends including some extra modules for my Aquatronica

the new Aquatronica Touch Controller (which sadly black-screened on me today, hopefully I can get it swapped out on Monday without too much fuss)

 

[East1]

 

 

[k4ndyk1ng]

looking great man , sorry if i missed this but what are the dimensions?

[East1]

It's an ADA 60-P so 60x30x36H

[JR!]

that skimmer looks amazing

[RollaJase]

Nice skimmer upgrade. Looked at the new G5 myself but haven't decided yet. I'd be interested in seeing what you think of it.

[East1]

 

 

I rescaped, I wanted to fully expose the little sandbar plateau in the center of the rockwork more.

[tetraodon]

Celebration time!

I finally got myself a job, I'm a graduate infrastructure consultant, basically a consultant to a project manager. This has meant I get to buy stuff for my tank, and for the first time since I've set this system up, entirely new and not second-hand material.

 

I got myself a

 

Bubble Magus G5

Bubble Magus mini 80 for the biopellets

some odds and ends including some extra modules for my Aquatronica

the new Aquatronica Touch Controller (which sadly black-screened on me today, hopefully I can get it swapped out on Monday without too much fuss)

 

i like the skimmer glowing green haha, just make sure to plumb the output of the reactor to the intake of the skimmer, or youll run into issues over time.

[East1]

i like the skimmer glowing green haha, just make sure to plumb the output of the reactor to the intake of the skimmer, or youll run into issues over time.

 

I actually have such a small sump that the skimmer turns over the sump 5x or so before it gets to the display, I run very slow display>sump flow.

 

Unfortunately, this week has seen a total crash on the tank, I suspect it may be from organics and the skimmer needing time to nbreak in, but all of my SPS bleached and STN'd over about 3 days, I managed to save a few which I traded to my LFS. It's sickening, some of them I've grown from the tiny 1.5 gallon reef over the last year into the mini colonies, and I've finally been able to get good coloration and growth consistently with this upgrade. I believe the increase in organics and reduced nutrient removal coupled with the copper in the Aquaforest food system I use pushed them over the edge.

 

I was tempted to quit after loosing 12 or so decently sized, healthy and growing SPS colonies, but I'm using this opportunity to start fresh, when I started my tank back a year ago, I wanted to have a patch reef-esq natural looking display with many little rocks proturding from a varied sandbed and some nice gorgonians. I feel that I got too entrenched in keeping SPS and wasn't able to keep my vision, so I'm going to move toward a far more even spread of LPS/ SPS / Soft Coral as the tank moves forward.

 

I'm excited, but still heartbroken

[Benny314]

That's gutting. I'd never of considered swapping out a skimmer would be so devastating, but if you've got a heavy feeding routine the skimmer at peak performance is essential I guess. I've just upgraded my skimmer but it was second hand so it didn't really need to run in before I was getting a good skim and it far out performs the skimmer it replaced.

 

Glad you have a plan to push on though.

[Nano sapiens]

Sorry to hear about the crash. Sometimes these systems can get 'finicky' and it doesn't take much to push delicate species over the edge.

 

A mixed tank with Gorgs and such would be real nice.

[Mikeymikemike]

I just read this all from day 1. Thank you for sharing your experience.

 

What are your thoughts behind the crash? How could you have prevented it?

[East1]

I just read this all from day 1. Thank you for sharing your experience.

 

What are your thoughts behind the crash? How could you have prevented it?

 

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I belive it was just from organic matter build up - I feed very heavily and along with biopellets with my skimmer not working essentially at all for a week was too much for the system. I previously had a skimmer rated for a very much larger tank, so I think not having one working properly at all just caused a buildup that stressed everything, and along with dosing copper just pushed it over the edge for the SPS.

 

Sorry to hear about the crash. Sometimes these systems can get 'finicky' and it doesn't take much to push delicate species over the edge.

 

A mixed tank with Gorgs and such would be real nice.

Yeah, I'm gonna soldier on. I plan to have one centerpiece gorg that I've got already, along with a good mixture of sarcophyton and LPS and hopefully a few SPS frags to start anew in the long term.

 

That's gutting. I'd never of considered swapping out a skimmer would be so devastating, but if you've got a heavy feeding routine the skimmer at peak performance is essential I guess. I've just upgraded my skimmer but it was second hand so it didn't really need to run in before I was getting a good skim and it far out performs the skimmer it replaced.

 

Glad you have a plan to push on though.

 

Yeah, it didn't occur to me at all for about a week till I realised. I need to add an active-run carbon reactor to the system I think. I also think I might need something with more flow than the bubble magus reactor.

I'll eventually end up keeping SPS agin, but I'd like a system that's more geared with dealing with a heavily mixed reef incase an event like this occurs.

[bbales]

Loooove this tank! Great job! Very unique

[vlangel]

Sorry to hear about what happened to your long kept sps. That is tragic. I do like the direction that you are planning for your tank for now though. It might be a nice change of pace.

[East1]

Sorry to hear about what happened to your long kept sps. That is tragic. I do like the direction that you are planning for your tank for now though. It might be a nice change of pace.

 

It really was, but it was a sobering event, too. Makes one realise that no amount of experience, knowledge and guidance will result in being equipped to turn the tides of nature.

 

I think I really lost sight of where I started and the tank became a candystand of sorts, I'll almost definitely get more SPS in the future, but I want to have a nicely balanced tank, one that features various shapes sizes and textures with rock that is buried in the sand and protrudes as in nature, also with enough line-of-sight breakups that the tank is interesting from every angle, even the top.

[vlangel]

It really was, but it was a sobering event, too. Makes one realise that no amount of experience, knowledge and guidance will result in being equipped to turn the tides of nature.

 

I think I really lost sight of where I started and the tank became a candystand of sorts, I'll almost definitely get more SPS in the future, but I want to have a nicely balanced tank, one that features various shapes sizes and textures with rock that is buried in the sand and protrudes as in nature, also with enough line-of-sight breakups that the tank is interesting from every angle, even the top.

Sounds like an excellant plan. I personally have stayed away from an sps dominant tank because I can not see myself watching the alk and CA close enough.

[Sunstar]

I want to scoop you up and hug you.

 

I have enjoyed your tank so much and I feel sad you have suffered again. But you are courageous and I know you will do an amazing new system. But if it's any thing, our local reef shop had their SPS tank crash.

 

Still if we can learn from the situation, then we have a step toward improving overall success of the hobby.

 

I always loved your tank.

Sounds like an excellant plan. I personally have stayed away from an sps dominant tank because I can not see myself watching the alk and CA close enough.

I feel that way too. I want SOME sps, but I am holding off until I get an RODI.

[East1]

Sounds like an excellant plan. I personally have stayed away from an sps dominant tank because I can not see myself watching the alk and CA close enough.

 

Yeah, I find the best way to deal with that is spreadsheets! I find that I require about a week to dial in my doser (I measure the hourly rate of change, and then equate that to the hourly rate of change that my dose volume should produce, it allows for iteration and a final precise dose to be determined in 3 days) and subsequently only once or twice a week. I'm trying to build an automated kH tester but this is still some time away

 

I want to scoop you up and hug you.

 

I have enjoyed your tank so much and I feel sad you have suffered again. But you are courageous and I know you will do an amazing new system. But if it's any thing, our local reef shop had their SPS tank crash.

 

Still if we can learn from the situation, then we have a step toward improving overall success of the hobby.

 

I always loved your tank.

 

I feel that way too. I want SOME sps, but I am holding off until I get an RODI.

 

I need it, fortunately my girlfriend is visiting tomorrow

 

I appreciate the kind words, my LFS has had similar happen recently, maybe it's something in the air!

 

The depressing thing about SPS is that in nature it seems as if they grow with the intention of reproducing and dying regularly. The ocean doesn't try keep one specific colony alive and corals grow till they're too big to be suited to the environment and usually die / get washed away in storms. The problem in aquaria comes that sps will, by their nature, grow and change the environment, and simply maintaining a healthy tank isn't really going to bring indefinite-term success I believe, not without constant tinkering, and adjusting.

 

I'd definitely recommend RODI, I don't think I could maintain a tank like this with what's in my drinking water. It's very high in calcium, though, so occasionally I do a water change to bump up my levels with it.

[Sunstar]

Your tank is, for the record, one of the tanks that inspired me when I did my pico. I think my pico was on verge of a crash (light perhaps) and things have recovered since I moved them from the pico to the new nano. Our water is liquid rock, which is why I am holding off on some desired creatures for the time being. I am intending to go over to rodi shortly. I probably will buy a few gallons of water next week. But I am saving money for a proper system.

[East1]

I am still alive!

 

Progress is slow, some coral deterioration still, but things are bouncing back. Cyano is still rampant but I think the cause is that my previous skimmer, after mods, was pulling about 8 litres of air a minute, the G5 only manages 2-4 when it's been turned down to allow the pump to run properly, and I think the organic buildup was too great for the tank.

 

I bought a vertex omega now, thing skims like a beast. I had to turn the venturi way down and add an airline valve but once it got set it's actually amazing. Hopefully I'll be back and stable within a week!