125 Gallon – Tunze Reefpack "all-in-one" (125 Gallons)

[mcarroll]

[mcarroll]

 

Those frags sat on the front porch for who knows how long...delivery didn't even ring the doorbell or knock.  The inside of the box was not quite 70º when I opened it and took a measurement.  Vendor did a nice job bagging and packing though....heat pack was still warm and probably kept things from going south.   Hopefully they keep looking good – I lost my last Acro frag in an accidental tank cold snap not long after I set up this tank.  (Think I mentioned it in this thread at the time.)

[mcarroll]

On 9/20/2020 at 3:01 PM, 5*Chris said:

How are you liking the Tunze reef pack setup? I was thinking of using one of the smaller versions for a 20g long frag tank. There's not a lot of info, reviews, or videos on the Tunze comline filters available. But I've been eyeing the 3162 and the 3163.

Don't know how, but I missed this post until just now.  What did you end up doing?  

 

For what it's worth, I like it a lot.  😁

[mcarroll]

On 2/27/2021 at 9:07 PM, mcarroll said:

These frags seem to be settling in nicely!  Only change I've had to make is nudging the Trumpet-end of the rack back out of the main flow a little.  Didn't know flow was that strong down there, but apparently it is...you can notice the deflection on the left-mot polyp in this photo from above.  That entire head was actually facing backward (facing to the right in the photo) within an hour of taking that pic.  Back to normal within a few minutes after the change in flow though.

 

 

[jefferythewind]

just seeing your build thread here. looks great! Interested to see how you do with those acros, I'm sure they will be fine. Reminds me of all the work I should do on my tank...

 

[mcarroll]

So far so good with them.  🙂 

[DevilDuck]

Any updates? 😁

[mcarroll]

Not much....I still don't have a lot of time for the tank so unfortunately the acro's never got mounted....and (unsurprisingly) didn't like the temp. location where they were.  The trumpet frag is happy as can be tho.  The Yellow Tang and Black Damsel are getting along....the Damsel is growing slowly towards his adult coloration...about 2/3 dark blue/black with only his back 1/3 still white.  The Favia is still growing polyps over the area damaged by the Hydnophora a while back.  All else is about the same.

[mcarroll]

The best info and pics I've seen on my Black Damselfish:  https://seaunseen.com/black-damselfish/

 

I might have to start growing a clam for him!!!  🤑

[mcarroll]

@JakesawI just realized that my Black Damselfish (aka Bluefin Damsel, et al) is also in the Pomacentridae family!    (I had suspected, but never found all those good articles I linked before....altogether they confirmed who was a member of which fish groups and whether the algae eating behavior was more than just speculation.)

[mcarroll]

[debbeach13]

It has been almost a year since your last update. Is this tank still set up? I would like to hear how it is doing and of course pictures would be nice also. 

[mcarroll]

There should be more updates coming.....but funny timing that you posted when you did since the tank was literally in the process of being moved to a new location.

 

Short update (virtually no pics since I was doing the work, so imagination required):  Both fish are kicking butt.  The Damsel still hasn't transitioned to black, but I don't really see any pure white anymore.  For size perspective: the hydnophora had to be moved in a 44 gallon Brute trashcan (only 1/3 full of water) as it was the only vessel with a big enough footprint.  The coral still had to be on its side to fit, which of course broke some pieces off in transit....one about half the size of a dinner plate.  The mysterious Pavona is still apparently doing well too. 😉

 

It's going to be an interesting week....appologies in advance if it takes a little while to get a "real" update on here.

[mcarroll]

☹️😢
Somehow I lost the Damsel...found him floating this morning.  This was the first time I've seem him since the move.  Tang has been zipping around the tank the whole time almost without missing a beat, so I'm not totally sure what happened.

[TheKleinReef]

update?

[TheKleinReef]

On 3/9/2023 at 12:55 PM, TheKleinReef said:

update?

update?

[TheKleinReef]

On 5/14/2023 at 1:04 PM, TheKleinReef said:

update?

Update?

[TheKleinReef]

On 7/11/2023 at 6:28 AM, TheKleinReef said:

Update?

🙂

[TheKleinReef]

On 3/9/2023 at 12:55 PM, TheKleinReef said:

update?

 

On 5/14/2023 at 1:04 PM, TheKleinReef said:

update?

 

On 7/11/2023 at 6:28 AM, TheKleinReef said:

Update?

 

On 8/22/2023 at 2:33 PM, TheKleinReef said:

🙂

update???? 

[Elizabeth94]

I didn’t realize you had a build thread! 
 

Curious what your experience was with that damsel? Is it the same as the “blue devil” damsel? They are on my list for stocking but I am concerned about aggression. My tank is only a 2ft cube. 

[mcarroll]

On 9/16/2023 at 9:05 PM, Elizabeth94 said:

I didn’t realize you had a build thread! 
 

Curious what your experience was with that damsel? Is it the same as the “blue devil” damsel? They are on my list for stocking but I am concerned about aggression. My tank is only a 2ft cube. 

My experience was great, overall.   While I had him, he never quite lost his juvenile coloration, although it did dull out considerably.  The Blue-fin Damselfish (really the Black Damselfish) is in a different family of Damselfishes (Neoglyphidodon) from the Blue Devil, but he was great along with the Tang.  

 

Maybe you can also consider the Orange-tail and Azure Damselfishes too since they are "similar" and could be more available locally (and maybe captive bred)?  Funny, I just found out there's actually a Similar Damselfish, Pomacentrus similis.  Looks about like a Yellowtail.  😄

 

I have heard plenty of good things about the smaller Damselfishes, including the Blue Devil, from folks who've actually kept them.  I also see lots of folks commenting on them who've never kept them...so a lot of the commentary "out there" really doesn't carry much weight.

 

Damselfish territoriality underlies all of the "complaints" I've seen.  Territoriality is not an uncommon trait among reef fish, as we know....but it can be shocking if you're coming from, eg, the freshwater "community tank" world.   Saltwater doesn't really have community fish.

 

Such complaints happen only because the fishes behavior wasn't anticipated...which is not the fishes fault. 😉  We can deal with territorial fish if we are aware of the tendency and allow for it.  (This is worthy of some reading, if you haven't already done that.  There are lots of tactics...starting with providing plenty of cover for them to choose from, and ending with not overcrowding their space.  Lots of others in the middle though!)

 

My 2¢...

 

Many folks are drawn to saltwater (often from freshwater) for the ultra-colorful fish.  🤤  Then they see the prices.  💰💰💰😲  Then they notice Damselfish prices, which are often closer to freshwater fish prices.  🙌  They come home with the fish, but they don't do the research...so they don't allow for the behavior...so they end up with a bad experience.  They'd have been OK if they just went for an Ocellaris instead of a Chrysiptera....still territorial, but within an area that's manageable in almost every tank, even if you are "community minded"....but NO they all had to have a blue fish. 🤷‍♂️😉 😆

[TheKleinReef]

did you really just post on this and not post a pic lol

[Elizabeth94]

See I have heard good things from those who have them, and bad things from those who automatically assume because its a damsel that they will kill everything. Lol. 
 

I’ll probably add one to my tank as my stocking so far will probably work well with one. The orange tail is quite beautiful. 

[Murphs_Reef]

5 minutes ago, Elizabeth94 said:

See I have heard good things from those who have them, and bad things from those who automatically assume because its a damsel that they will kill everything. Lol. 
 

I’ll probably add one to my tank as my stocking so far will probably work well with one. The orange tail is quite beautiful. 

If it's a small tank the damsel to be fair..  will absolutely kill or at the least bully all other fish to either jump or stop eating... a chromis is a much better choice.. Damsels are by nature very territorial and therefore agressive. 

 

I had 1 single damsel in my 90 gallon for days.. he got sumped and then went back to the shop... and thats with a lot of room 

 

 

[mcarroll]

39 minutes ago, Murphs_Reef said:

If it's a small tank the damsel to be fair..  will absolutely kill or at the least bully all other fish to either jump or stop eating... a chromis is a much better choice.. Damsels are by nature very territorial and therefore agressive. 

 

I had 1 single damsel in my 90 gallon for days.. he got sumped and then went back to the shop... and thats with a lot of room 

 

 

Which kind of Damsel did you have that was the ba**ard?  😈

 

(If you can summarize...) Which fish did you add before and after the Damsel?

 

I don't think I'd put Chromis in a small tank either....they can actually get a few inches big.

 

It's not large, but the OP's 2'x2' (60 gallons) isn't exactly small, so if the tank is laid out favorably (they'd love a large branchy coral head to defend...so create some kind of facsimile) I don't really see a reason that Damselfish can't work.  Tankmates will have to be well selected or nil...in which case a small Damsel grouping might be nicer than just one.