NeoClown Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 FTS - 06.15.16 Hi All,After lurking…er researching for several months, I’ve finally started my first saltwater aquarium. I’m hoping to do things right the first time so I’ve upgrade certain items to begin with rather than doing it later down the line. I’ve really noticed the helpfulness of this community and I welcome the feedback.I started the tank on Wed., Feb. 11. I added a piece of raw shrimp the next day, reduced the size of it to less than ¼” and dosed the tank with ProDibio START UP. Tank: IM Fusion 20Stand: Aquatic Fundamentals 26gal Bowfront standMedia: InTank media basket with filter floss as tank cyclesHeater: Cobalt Neo-Therm 75-wattLighting: Kessil A160WE Controllable LED – Tuna BlueFlow: Cobalt MJ1200 pump with IM Spin Stream Nozzles and Jaebo wp10 with controllerRock: 10# CaribSea Dry Rock and 4# CaribSea Life RockSand: 20# CaribSea Arag-Alive Special Grade reef sandFuture livestock plans:Pair of Ocellaris clownsGoby and shrimp pair PurchasedFirefish PurchasedShrimp (peppermint or cleaner maybe?)A couple of snails as CUC (Cerith and Nassarius)Pulsing XeniaZoanthidsPalythoasFrogspawnRBTA (once tank is stable)Front viewTop viewFront left rock workFront right rock workFTS 02.22.2015I had my water tested on Friday to see if I was getting the same readings and they said I should be done cycling by next week. With the readings I took this evening, could I be close to having my tank cycled?Temp: 77.3SG: 1.025pH: 7.8Alk: 8Nitrate: 5Nitrite: 0Ammonia: 0 4 Quote Link to comment
Steensj2004 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Possible that you had the cycle already, what were the reading previously? Looks like your nitrates are low, and going down I would assume. Tank looks great!! 1 Quote Link to comment
NeoClown Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Possible that you had the cycle already, what were the reading previously? Looks like your nitrates are low, and going down I would assume. Tank looks great!! Thanks. Previous readings were from Friday and were pretty much the same except for Nitrite at .25ppm. On Thursday, Nitrite was at .5ppm. I never really saw an ammonia spike. I'm going to take another set of readings tonight or tomorrow to see if there are any changes. If everything looks good, I plan on doing a 20% water change Saturday and hopefully add a CUC. Quote Link to comment
NeoClown Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 So I took the following readings last night and still the same. No ammonia and no nitrite. Temp: 77.7 SG: 1.025 Nitrate: 5 Nitrite: 0 Ammonia: 0 In other news, I'm thinking about getting the following in this order: Kessil Spectral Controller PicO SkiM 2.0 ATO (still not sure which one) Thoughts? Quote Link to comment
NeoClown Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 Took another set of readings last night and still the same - 0 Nitrite and Ammonia, but with Nitrate 5. Will be doing a 5gal water change this weekend before adding CUC. Quote Link to comment
NeoClown Posted March 2, 2015 Author Share Posted March 2, 2015 Did a 5gal water change on Saturday, changed out the filter floss, and added Perigen and CPE. Bought the wrong size CPE so could only put one in the media basket. Stopped by the LFS and picked up a few snails to start my CUC; 2 Astrea and 2 Nassarius. Never been excited about snails! Drip acclimated them and spent the last hour watching them. 1 of each has been active. Sorry for the crappy phone pics. These two buried themselves quick but one decided to explore. The small astrea decided to hitch ride on the other one and kept knocking him over. I finally moved them to a small rock and the small one finally decided to relocate to higher ground. Quote Link to comment
NeoClown Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share Posted March 7, 2015 Installed the Kessil Spectal Controller this past week, and love it. So simple to use. In other news, since I don't have any fish yet, I fed the tank some frozen brine shrimp to keep the snails happy. I'm hoping to add my first coral (pulsing xenia) this weekend. 2 Quote Link to comment
NeoClown Posted March 13, 2015 Author Share Posted March 13, 2015 So I added my set of corals earlier this week. A small mixed zoa frag of Eagle Eyes and Radioactive Dragon eyes, and a pulsing xenia. So far they've doing well but one of the zoa heads doesn't look to good and isn't opening up. I did one Lugol's dip 2 days ago, and plan to do another tomorrow. I'm finally getting to the ugly stage with diatom blooms appearing on the rock and sand. My astrea snails have been useless so far. Might have to get a turbo snail to attack the diatoms. I also just ordered my Tunze ATO which should come in by Monday. Quote Link to comment
Proball Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Nice work so far Keep us posted! 1 Quote Link to comment
Normang Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 That aquascape is Bad A. Seriously, it's one of the best I've seen in a fusion 20. And when its all filled up with corals it will look amazing. Also, do you have a FTS so I can see that a160we? 1 Quote Link to comment
NeoClown Posted March 13, 2015 Author Share Posted March 13, 2015 Thanks Normang. I'll try and get a FTS photo tomorrow. The lights are blue at the moment. Quote Link to comment
Livewreck Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 ...one of the zoa heads doesn't look to good and isn't opening up. I did one Lugol's dip 2 days ago, and plan to do another tomorrow. Sometime zoanthids stay closed for several days before opening. Sometimes they stay closed for a few weeks after being introduced into a new tank. At this point I wouldn't be concerned, especially if they are not covered with a grayish looking, cloudy membrane. After all, how could anything not be happy in such a good looking aquarium?! Quote Link to comment
NeoClown Posted April 11, 2015 Author Share Posted April 11, 2015 Sorry I haven't updated in a while but not much has happened. I've been taking it really slow. I added my Tunze ATO last week before we went out of town for the weekend and it worked like a charm. I also picked up several more members to add to the CUC; 1 turbo, 6 cerith, and 2 trochus snails. Water parameters have been pretty steady but would like to raise the pH a little more. It's been around 7.9 with Alk at 8 dKH. And today, I was able to pick up my first resident pair; a yasha goby and tiger pistol pair. I also picked up an orange acan. Lights have been off so don't have any pics of the new coral but will add one when I get a chance. Surprisingly, the yasha didn't go into hiding once it went in to the tank. The shrimp did so hopefully they find each other. Yasha checking out the scenery while acclimating. Pistol shrimp trying to find a corner to hide in. 1 Quote Link to comment
reefernanoman Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Nice tank and equipment! Those Kessil sure make a tank look good. Quote Link to comment
NeoClown Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share Posted April 16, 2015 Thanks en28so. Those Kessils are amazing. Tank is coming along slowly. Just need to find the right corals. 1 Quote Link to comment
NeoClown Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share Posted April 16, 2015 Just placed an order for the MAME Skimmer III. Hope it fits and works out. In the mean time, here are some updated photos. Orange acan - currently has 3 heads Zoas Mushroom 3 Quote Link to comment
soeminpaing Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 How's the tank fitting the stand? Are the corners exposed? Quote Link to comment
NeoClown Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 How's the tank fitting the stand? Are the corners exposed? The tank fits the stand fine, but the front corners were exposed. Since it's a bowfront stand, I attached a 3/4" piece of wood that's slightly larger than the tank to the top so that the tank has full support. Quote Link to comment
NeoClown Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 Since I haven’t updated my thread since April, let me catch you up on what’s happened; the good and the bad. I must have been keeping my tank too clean as over the course of a few weeks, I lost both Astrea snails and my turbo snail back in May. Afterwards, I added 5 ceriths and 2 trochus snails. After adding my Yasha and pistol shrimp, I bought a purple firefish, who my wife has named Violet, and has been in QT for 3 weeks. A week before I was to transfer her to the DT, my Yasha decided to go tile surfing by moonlight. I didn’t notice him til the next morning. RIP little Yasha. Since then I haven’t been able to find another Yasha. I did however pick up a high-fin red banded goby. After acclimation he settled down on the sand bed next to one of the cave openings the pistol shrimp had previously dug out. Less than 10 minutes later, the pistol came out and the two quickly became housemates. Violet has been coming out more and more but mainly swims near her bolt hole. The only time she ventures away is during feeding time. The high fin is still a little skittish and will probably be that way ‘til he gets more comfortable. Coral-wise, I’ve added a few small frags (1-3 polyps) of blue hornets, tyree rastas, and a laffy taffy from Legendary Corals. Darwin is great to work with and since I live about 20-30 min away, I was able to do local pick up. I also picked up a frogspawn and a Duncan, both with 2 heads, from my LFS. I’ve also noticed that my acan has 2 new heads. All of them have been pretty happy except the week we had a mild temp. spike. I live in an old house with a flat rooftop so the ambient temp raised the temp in the tank past 82. I didn’t lose anything but the zoo med fan I had wasn’t quite cutting it so I bought a clip on fan which has helped a great deal at keep the temp down to within parameters. Next month I plan on getting a pair of juvenile o. clowns, which will be in QT for a while. I’ve recently also been looking at rock flower anenomes, and am on a search to find a blue trumpet. The closest I’ve found is a blue spruce for LA. Sorry this was a long thread. Now on to the photos!! Violet in QT High-fin Frogspawn Duncan Mushroom and Acan with 2 new heads growing FTS – 06.16.15 1 Quote Link to comment
NeoClown Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 BTW, anyone know how I can have this thread moved to the Members area? Quote Link to comment
JimmyDang Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Nice setup dude, Im new around here.. hailing from Aus..Im envious of the yasha goby pair.. they cost an arm and leg here in Aus.. about 1200-1500k for a pair. only a handful have ever been found. Quote Link to comment
NeoClown Posted June 23, 2015 Author Share Posted June 23, 2015 Nice setup dude, Im new around here.. hailing from Aus.. Im envious of the yasha goby pair.. they cost an arm and leg here in Aus.. about 1200-1500k for a pair. only a handful have ever been found. Thanks Jimmy. That's crazy! I wish I still had the Yasha. He jumped out of the tank about 2 weeks ago and I ended getting a high-fin. Quote Link to comment
JimmyDang Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Thanks Jimmy. That's crazy! I wish I still had the Yasha. He jumped out of the tank about 2 weeks ago and I ended getting a high-fin. Yeah.. tell me about it. crazy prices here for those type of those things as we have a very strict import/export law.. What do them yashas go for over in the states? Quote Link to comment
NeoClown Posted June 23, 2015 Author Share Posted June 23, 2015 Yeah.. tell me about it. crazy prices here for those type of those things as we have a very strict import/export law.. What do them yashas go for over in the states? They go for about $45, at least from my LFS. Quote Link to comment
JimmyDang Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 They go for about $45, at least from my LFS. Wow............... gobsmacked.. I wish they were readily available here for that price. Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.