Lagoon 25 | SPS Reef

[House Reef]

I switched out my Aquablue Special tube yesterday for a Blue Plus so I'm not running 4 Blue Plus and 2 Coral Plus. Ill pick up an Actinic when I can and swap that new added Blue Plus with it. I think i'll be settled on that combo then. I also started dosing Fauna Marin Colour Elements to see if I can squeeze some more colour out of my corals. Acans look bland 😕

 

I have a new fan hopefully coming into my LFS tomorrow so will update when that arrives with some fancy photos 😎 

[House Reef]

On the topic of fancy photos, I won a frag station on Instagram recently. I don't ever enter these competitions on there but a friend had one of their stations and it looked really cool so I thought why not. 

 

Not really anything exciting, but I like how the photos came out so why not share? 🙂

 

HR Frag 8 - 13.05.20 by Andy, on Flickr

 

HR Frag 9 - 13.05.20 by Andy, on Flickr

 

HR Frag 2 - 13.05.20 by Andy, on Flickr

 

HR Frag 1 - 13.05.20 by Andy, on Flickr

[Zuma]

9 hours ago, House Reef said:

Cheers.

 

 I recall the US Ikea not having the deeper Stuva like we have here in the UK.

 I'm in the Bay Area. That would explain why I don't see a 20" deep Stuva online..  Shucks.

[House Reef]

3 hours ago, Zuma said:

 I'm in the Bay Area. That would explain why I don't see a 20" deep Stuva online..  Shucks.

That explains it then. Strange how they don't do the deeper size over there. 

[House Reef]

Starting to feel like I’m hitting a brick wall with this tank. I don’t see where the tank can go from here 🤷‍♂️ Corals are growing well but I’m pretty much out of space, and there’s a lot of smothering happening too. 
 

Feel like I’ve lost the minimalist theme I started with, and I’ve just got meh corals filling the tank out. Acros are pulling me back but I’ll need to replace rocks to be able to include them.

 

Any thoughts or ideas from you guys?

 

I have my upgrade waiting, but I don’t have the money to do it properly and do it justice so I’m more than happy to stick with what I have and change things up.

[Spencer7]

2 hours ago, House Reef said:

Starting to feel like I’m hitting a brick wall with this tank. I don’t see where the tank can go from here 🤷‍♂️ Corals are growing well but I’m pretty much out of space, and there’s a lot of smothering happening too. 
 

Feel like I’ve lost the minimalist theme I started with, and I’ve just got meh corals filling the tank out. Acros are pulling me back but I’ll need to replace rocks to be able to include them.

 

Any thoughts or ideas from you guys?

 

I have my upgrade waiting, but I don’t have the money to do it properly and do it justice so I’m more than happy to stick with what I have and change things up.

Updated FTS?

 

I think you recognize that stuff filled in because you have a lot of e.g. easy montipora that has encrusted and taken up 70% of your surface area. If you want a challenge, chip out the montipora and add a small rock to each island - I think this will help you access the vertical dimension with some more difficult/designer acro's. Growing out deepwaters or something like a tabling hyacinthus is a different league of reefing imo.

 

Respectfully, if someone with a 40 breeder came to me and said 'Idk what more there is for me at this tank size...I've grown out a digi, a monti cap, a birdsnest and a green slimer', I would say 'you haven't really scratched the surface'.  *

 

If you want to swap two rocks or add new ones, I would just take care to have them in the sump for a month before taking anything out. 

 

*P.S.   The extreme version of this that comes to mind is that I know I could restart a 60-P ADA-style freshwater tank once a year for my whole life without running out of things to try or new challenges to explore. Same goes for saltwater, however it would be more like every 3-5 years given how much slower things are. 

[House Reef]

1 hour ago, Spencer7 said:

Updated FTS?

 

I think you recognize that stuff filled in because you have a lot of e.g. easy montipora. If you want a challenge, chip out the montipora and add a small rock to each island - I think this will help you access the vertical dimension with some more difficult/designer acro's. Growing out deepwaters or something like a tabling hyacinthus is a different league of reefing imo.

 

Respectfully, if someone with a 40 breeder came to me and said 'Idk what more there is for me at this tank size...I've grown out a digi, a monti cap, a birdsnest and a green slimer', I would say 'you haven't really scratched the surface'.  *

 

If you want to swap two rocks or add new ones, I would just take care to have them in the sump for a month before taking anything out. 

 

*P.S.   The extreme version of this that comes to mind is that I know I could restart a 60-P ADA-style freshwater tank once a year for my whole life without running out of things to try or new challenges to explore. Same goes for saltwater, however it would be more like every 3-5 years given how much slower things are. 

FTS - 10.05.20 by Andy, on Flickr

 

That's two weeks old.

 

I'm contemplating selling the RH rock and swapping that out with some fresh rock, doing it bit by bit until I replace as much as I can which doesn't have montis all over it. I don't really want to go higher really, I much prefer a lower scape especially in a shallow tank. I'm also not without experience with SPS, have ran two tanks previously which were Acropora dominated so its not something that worries me in that regard.

[Spencer7]

3 hours ago, House Reef said:

That's two weeks old.

 

I'm contemplating selling the RH rock and swapping that out with some fresh rock, doing it bit by bit until I replace as much as I can which doesn't have montis all over it. I don't really want to go higher really, I much prefer a lower scape especially in a shallow tank. I'm also not without experience with SPS, have ran two tanks previously which were Acropora dominated so its not something that worries me in that regard.

I just meant 1-2" extra bump to let you grow some more acro's without immediate fighting, but sure

 

So if you're confident, then all the more reason to be creative from my perspective...

Different themes to think about (doesn't need to happen at once or mean that everything's got to go):

- Deepwater tank

- Grafted tank (if you want to stick with monti's and try to make your own 'namesake colony')

- Color-themed tank (e.g. deepest blue's and brightest red's -- less natural but a fun challenge)

- Stag city growing up w/damsels between the branches

- Mille tank (or chalices/acans)

 

[House Reef]

Purchased a few 'necessities' today: an ATI Actinic bulb, some calibration fluid for my Profilux, some Dr Tims to help me with my current cyano, and a GHL Propeller Breeze 3 fan. 

 

I switched out the recent ATI Blue Plus which I added, as the tank was looking too blue and I wanted to get some of the lower wavelength light on the tank. Its made a huge difference to the look of the tank! Back to a nicer white spectrum, but without it being browned out.

 

And the GHL Propellor Breeze fans were on my list for quite some time now. I'd been using a floor standing fan sat on top of the sideboard next to the tank but it looked terrible 🤣 so I invested in these, along with the controller which connects the fans to my Profilux so it can determine the speed needed to keep the tank within my set parameters. So far so good, and its a nice looking bit of kit 👌

 

GHL Breeze - 26.05.20 by Andy, on Flickr

 

GHL Breeze - 26.05.20 by Andy, on Flickr

[House Reef]

The fans are working perfectly. I’ll take a 0.2deg temperature swing on a hot day all day long 😎
 

Untitled by Andy, on Flickr

[Operaman]

1 hour ago, House Reef said:

The fans are working perfectly. I’ll take a 0.2deg temperature swing on a hot day all day long 😎

That’s gotta be nice - I’ll have to check that fan out. I’m just relying on a window AC unit, which I’d rather not have to run 24/7 in the summer. How much does the fan impact evaporation on the tank?

[House Reef]

1 hour ago, Operaman said:

That’s gotta be nice - I’ll have to check that fan out. I’m just relying on a window AC unit, which I’d rather not have to run 24/7 in the summer. How much does the fan impact evaporation on the tank?

AC isn't heard of much over here in the wet and windy UK 😅 But it has been pretty nice since lockdown struck I must admit!

 

I'm not sure tbh, I don't really measure or take notice of evaporation. Just top the ATO tank up when needed. Id say its negligible given how slow the fans run with the controller - yet still maintaining rock solid temp.

[TatorTaco]

Any new updates or direction with the tank lately? I've really enjoyed reading up on your adventure. 

[House Reef]

On 6/29/2020 at 10:17 PM, TatorTaco said:

Any new updates or direction with the tank lately? I've really enjoyed reading up on your adventure. 

Ive made a start on the stocking changes this week, will update later this eve on the plans with some new pics.

[House Reef]

So, as said, I have started altering my stock in the tank to go for a more peaceful vibe. Yesterday I sold my Diadem dottyback, and the clowns are possibly next. I'm still looking to change up the corals but not sure how to do it. I also still have the upgrade in the garage to be set up, but again I'm contemplating if that's going to be big enough - I really miss having a bigger selection of fish in the tank. Lots of things to consider before I do anything really.

 

I told the wife that I was thinking about selling the clowns and she's had a sudden spike of interest and change of heart. I only set up my old Fluval Evo after I shut down my Reefer 525 to keep my clowns for sentimental reasons, she couldn't have cared less back then. But now they are suddenly on the cusp of going, she has said to get a small tank to house them on their own. Funnily enough I had my old Fluval Evo in the garage and AI prime recently, but I sold it to a friend 🤦‍♂️

 

I do quite like the look of the IM Nuvo 10 as a clown tank, but if she wants to keep them then she can pay for it 💁‍♂️

 

Anyway, as the tank stands Im still enjoying a cyano outbreak. Nutrients are non existent so I'm dosing Tropic Marin Plus-NP. Corals are enjoying the added nutrients but I'm still not seeing anything register on my test kits.

 

Untitled by Andy, on Flickr

 

Untitled by Andy, on Flickr

 

Its still looking half decent though...

 

Scoly - 28-06-2020 by Andy, on Flickr

 

Blues - 28-06-2020 by Andy, on Flickr

[Christopher Marks]

@House Reef How has the nutrient dosing been going this month? Any change in the cyano growth?

 

If you remove the clownfish as well, what new fish are you considering? 

 

[House Reef]

On 7/24/2020 at 10:19 PM, Christopher Marks said:

@House Reef How has the nutrient dosing been going this month? Any change in the cyano growth?

 

If you remove the clownfish as well, what new fish are you considering? 

 

Hi Christopher, 

 

Apologies for the late reply, I’ve been away camping and the tank got forgotten lol 

 

I stopped the dosing before I went away so couldn’t really get an accurate idea of what the nutrient dosing was doing. Cyano didn’t appear to change much when I was dosing it though.

 

My wife and 5 year old son are currently vetoing the clowns going as one of them is his, so I’m unsure what’s happening yet. I may look into getting a Nuvo 10 to house them with an anemone.

[House Reef]

Hi folks,

 

About three weeks ago I finally shut the tank down. I was fed up with the cyano, the fish stock and the coral selection, and I’d just had enough really - my heart hasn’t been in it for the past 6 months or so. But what is that famous phrase? Absence makes the heart grow fonder! And it sure does - even in that short space of time 😆

 

This past week I’ve been debating my next move. I enquired about a custom build some weeks ago, and almost pulled the trigger, but we are expecting our second boy in March so I changed my mind as I didn’t want the expense of buying and setting up another tank from scratch. I’ve also water tested the upgrade I have in the garage but I just can’t get behind it. It needs too much work and expense again - I may as well just get the custom. So that leaves me with the Lagoon. That lovely tank which I have everything ready for that will just require rock and sand basically. I did advertise it for sale but as England is back into COVID lockdown, nobody can come and buy the tank, so it seems a shame to have it just sitting there right? 😁

 

So the plan is to get it back up and running! It’ll have nice peaceful Nano fish, and I will go down the Acropora route - and more minimalist than last time. 
 

Will keep you posted 🤞🏼
 

 

[Craig.]

Great to hear you're setting it back up! What are your ideas for peaceful nano fish?

[House Reef]

8 hours ago, Craig. said:

Great to hear you're setting it back up! What are your ideas for peaceful nano fish?

Thanks, me too.

 

Well, basically anything but clownfish 😂 I’ll be going for a goby/shrimp pair, some Eviota or Trimma gobies, probably a firefish, a small Paracheilinus wrasse, and whatever else I can shoehorn in I guess. 
 

I struggled with lack of nutrients last time, so would prefer a busier tank this time around which should hopefully help with nutrients.

[House Reef]

These weren't up in the loft very long 😄 Cant beat a bit of high quality German equipment!

 

This time around ill have plenty of time to organise all the cabling and equipment better.

 

German equipment by Andy, on Flickr