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Cultivated Reef

The Tree of Life🌱 - Waterbox Cube 10


MrP

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  • 5 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

While I was installing the new pump and gluing my hammer and duncan in their permanent spots, I noticed some coralline algae beginning to grow on the bottom glass. It only took 8 1/2 months. :lol:

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7 hours ago, MrP said:

I received a new toy in the mail.

 

The gsp is growing like a weed, as expected. I'm considering sticking it to the back glass. 

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Bah

 

I can grow acros and SPS, and zoas

 

But GSP hates me

 

Jealous

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This tank is nearing 9 months old and I finally have fish! Everything is captive bred from Sustainable Aquatics.

 

2 Black Darwin Clownfish.

1 Blackline Blenny.

1 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp.

1 Jar of Apocalypse Cyclopoid Copepods.

 

 

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Just discovered your thread. Love the aquascape! I'm sure the fish will add some nice movement. You don't see black line blennies too often. Can't wait to see some pictures. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I added a few more corals this past week. A purple tip frogspawn and a yellow mouth teal tipped frogspawn. 

 

The zoa garden has really started to fill in and the clove polyps have grown quite a bit since being mounted to the rock. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

It's been a difficult year for most of us and congratulations to everyone that made it to the end! I wasn't able to achieve all of the goals that I had for this tank due to not having local resources which forced me to order everything online including fish and coral. This was the largest challenge but I plan for this tank to be around for a while and will continue to update this thread as changes are made.

 

I didn't have any plans or visions going into this competition until I started gluing rock rubble together. It started to take on the form of a bonsai tree. The "Tree of Life" theme was born. I began planting my zoanthid garden around the base of the tree which represent flowers. I chose not to add sand to this tank with a vision that the green star polyp will eventually resemble grass as it continues to grow and cover the bottom glass. As for the rest of the tree, I decided to simply decorate it with various LPS corals on the lower branches and easy SPS corals on the upper branches. 

 

As with most reef tanks, the first year is always the most challenging especially being a bare bottom tank. I was presented many challenges. With patience, I stayed persistent and made my way through them. It is now a healthy aquarium, abundant with life that I hope to enjoy for years to come. 

 

 

 

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Coral delivery from FishofHex! 

 

Green Montipora Digitata.

Teal Trumpet Caulastrea.

Green Slimer Staghorn Acropora.

Green Pocillopora.

 

These should add some nice branches to the "Tree of Life". :smilie:

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

I had a bottle of Tropic Marin All-For-Reef given to me several months ago. I began using it on the 1st of March not realizing how difficult the stuff is to get. I'm up to 4.6ml / day. As most all-for-reef users are aware, the stuff is hard to come by in the states so I ordered the powder version from a reef shop in Germany. I ordered it on April 6 and just received it today, May 12. Just in time as my original bottle only has a few more doses left in it. This jar should last me well over a year, maybe two.

 

I added a purple plume gorgonian just over 3 weeks ago. I wish I had taken a before picture but this little thing is a trooper. I wasn't sure if it was going to survive, it shed some flesh, and stayed retracted for a few weeks. I was bummed. I was looking forward to getting one for several months. It regenerated what it lost and is now bright eyed and bushy tailed from sun up to sun down.

 

My zoa garden is growing out of control including the dreaded aiptasia. I got some Frank's F Aiptasia a while back but have yet to use it. Hopefully I can find the time to get in there and get them nuked before the problem escalates too much. 

 

Along with the All-For-Reef, I also began using a few other Tropic Marin products. Syn-Biotic salt and NP-Bacto Balance. I've been doing a 10% weekly water change 50/50 with the Syn-Biotic and Red Sea Salt which is also a 24/76 mix between Red Sea Coral Pro and Red Sea Salt. I had a small 55g bucket of Coral Pro given to me so I mixed it with a 160g bucket of Red Sea Salt which actually worked out great due to the higher alkalinity that it provides. With these three salts mixed together, I am left with a consistent 8.3 dkh so I no longer have to buffer my water change. 

 

As for the NP-Bacto Balance... It's great stuff. I poured it into a dropper bottle and dose 6 drops per day. It keeps my phosphate and nitrate ultra low and also keeps them from hitting zero. The tank is holding steady at 0.02 phosphate and 0.2 Nitrate. The fish get fed 1-2 times daily The corals get fed a mixture of phytoplankton, Benepets coral food, and amino acids daily. Everything is thriving.

 

 

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  • MrP changed the title to The Tree of Life🌱 - Waterbox Cube 10

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