Orangutran Posted December 15, 2023 Share Posted December 15, 2023 I haven't created a tank journal in a long time, so consider me a noob. 😉 I got this custom tank two years ago, but never set it up because life got busy, and you know this hobby, there are ups and downs! While planning the tank transfer, my old tank (8.5 yrs old) sprung a leak, which I'm sort of glad it happened, and forced me to get everything done quicker! Here are the details: Tank 34 x 17 x 14 custom ~ Just under 30g 1/2" low iron glass Eshopps overflow -- with a dorso standpipe to quiet the drain 20g Long sump in the basement Lighting 2 x AI Prime HD (one of them has a burnt out UV bulb) 2 x T5 36w retro fit Flow Octo Pulse2 Jebao DCP 5000 Return pump Dry aquascape with TLF Stax rocks, which I love so much that I've decided to put all my old rocks in the sump! Anyway, I hope to finish off the plumbing to the basement this weekend and get some life back into the tank. 🙂 5 Quote Link to comment
Orangutran Posted December 16, 2023 Author Share Posted December 16, 2023 Ok we all have MTS right? One of my other "tank" has mangroves in a container, to emulate a sandy shoreline! I saw this while vacationing in the Caribbean and thought it was so cool! The only creatures I have in it are blue leg hermits (saw them in the Caribbean too). I really want fiddler crabs, but unfortunately no one sells them up here! What other critters live in the Caribbean that I can keep??? Here are my trees. 🙂 5 Quote Link to comment
Orangutran Posted December 27, 2023 Author Share Posted December 27, 2023 Hope everyone had great Christmas! 🙂 Just an update. Got all the plumbing done, leak tested, added salt, added sand, and moved all my old corals back into the new display! My future marine biologist helping me add sand. 🥰 My corals aren't doing too well. They were sitting in the sump or a holding tank with crappy lighting. SPS are brown or STNing and duncan is bailing! And I'm not putting the anemones back into this tank, cus it took over my last tank--split at least 8-10 times! Funny how clowns are now swimming around the tank, instead of hiding in the nem. Will be heading to a LFS today to pick up two new fishies that my girls wanted. And a few new corals that I couldn't resist with the boxing day sales! 😅 4 1 Quote Link to comment
Elizabeth94 Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 What a neat place to have a tank. It fits beautifully. You even planned out having a little fan for humidity. I did a small tank transfer years ago and ended up losing most of my coral. It was enough for me to get out of the hobby for a while. I hope you stick through it. I imagine mine had something to do with the added new dry rock. 1 Quote Link to comment
Orangutran Posted December 29, 2023 Author Share Posted December 29, 2023 On 12/27/2023 at 3:29 PM, Elizabeth94 said: What a neat place to have a tank. It fits beautifully. You even planned out having a little fan for humidity. I did a small tank transfer years ago and ended up losing most of my coral. It was enough for me to get out of the hobby for a while. I hope you stick through it. I imagine mine had something to do with the added new dry rock. Thanks!! I live in a small house, so this is the best/only place for a tank. My old 29 was in the same spot, but it didn't fit quite right, hence I bit the bullet and got a custom to make the most of the shelf dimensions! 🙂 Yeah I went thru a couple years without a tank, but we all come back to this hobby! lol I'm hoping most of the old live rock in the sump will prevent any hiccups, and I can escape any new tank syndrome! 2 Quote Link to comment
ml86743 Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 What a beautifully setup tank. The aesthetics are amazing!! Did you build the stand? 1 Quote Link to comment
Orangutran Posted December 31, 2023 Author Share Posted December 31, 2023 Here are my two new fish the kids picked, luckily they are not tangs!! 😅 Yellow clown goby. Don't mind my setosa looking like crap, it was sitting in my sump for a couple of months and should bounce back! Pajama cardinal. This little guy is cute! Although, its colors aren't as vibrant as others I've seen, I wonder if it's because he's captive bred? 3 Quote Link to comment
Orangutran Posted December 31, 2023 Author Share Posted December 31, 2023 On 12/29/2023 at 12:01 PM, ml86743 said: What a beautifully setup tank. The aesthetics are amazing!! Did you build the stand? Aw thanks! I need the tank to blend into the surrounding since my wife wants the living room to look a certain way. 🙂 I didn't build the stand, it came with the house when we bought it. I did re-enforced it with 2x4's in the cabinet underneath. Not sure how much it helps, but it makes me feel better!! Here's a view from the favorite seat in my house! 😄 😍 4 1 Quote Link to comment
Justind823 Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 Picture in picture viewing! I love what you've done with those stax rocks. Great work. So what's your fish list now? I can't tell what that fish is in the top right of your FTS from the 27th. And damn! Look at those mangroves! How big were they when you got them? Quote Link to comment
Koleswrath Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 On 12/30/2023 at 7:42 PM, Orangutran said: I need the tank to blend into the surrounding since my wife wants the living room to look a certain way. I know exactly how you feel. Great work, I think you've accomplished this nicely! 1 Quote Link to comment
Fishy Guy Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 On 12/30/2023 at 9:42 PM, Orangutran said: Aw thanks! I need the tank to blend into the surrounding since my wife wants the living room to look a certain way. 🙂 I didn't build the stand, it came with the house when we bought it. I did re-enforced it with 2x4's in the cabinet underneath. Not sure how much it helps, but it makes me feel better!! Here's a view from the favorite seat in my house! 😄 😍 Go Canes! (Sorry, had to...) Tank looks incredible. 1 Quote Link to comment
Orangutran Posted January 13 Author Share Posted January 13 On 1/2/2024 at 4:55 PM, Justind823 said: Picture in picture viewing! I love what you've done with those stax rocks. Great work. So what's your fish list now? I can't tell what that fish is in the top right of your FTS from the 27th. And damn! Look at those mangroves! How big were they when you got them? Yah exactly, when my team is losing, I watch my tank instead!! LOL Thanks, the stax turned out better than I hoped. So I was poking around, and found an old thread of where my aquascape inspiration came from: That fish you can't make out is a chromis. Funny he was the smallest of the 3 I had, but ended up being the survivor!! Fish list is 2 clowns 1 chromis 1 yellow clown goby 1 pj cardinal I got the mangroves as pods, they outgrew my sump, so moved them into the rubber tub placed on the floor. So it's a "lookdown" tank. I need a light for the water, if I want to keep anything in there.. Quote Link to comment
Orangutran Posted January 13 Author Share Posted January 13 On 1/3/2024 at 8:55 AM, Fishy Guy said: Go Canes! (Sorry, had to...) Tank looks incredible. Wait, you're the dude with the Canes banner in your garage!!!! How's Bunts doing this year? LOL Hope Freddie comes back... I didn't mind the Canes until the David Aires game, now I get PTSD when the Leafs play you guys.... 🤪 1 Quote Link to comment
Fishy Guy Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 8 hours ago, Orangutran said: Wait, you're the dude with the Canes banner in your garage!!!! How's Bunts doing this year? LOL Hope Freddie comes back... I didn't mind the Canes until the David Aires game, now I get PTSD when the Leafs play you guys.... 🤪 Lol that’s me. Bunting has been a really good addition. Whole team started slow but he’s been good on the PP and is super versatile, can basically just plug him in anywhere in the lineup. Freddie is still a big question mark unfortunately. Goaltending may be our downfall this year. How do you feel about Nylander’s new contract? Quote Link to comment
vlangel Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 On 12/30/2023 at 9:42 PM, Orangutran said: Aw thanks! I need the tank to blend into the surrounding since my wife wants the living room to look a certain way. 🙂 I didn't build the stand, it came with the house when we bought it. I did re-enforced it with 2x4's in the cabinet underneath. Not sure how much it helps, but it makes me feel better!! Here's a view from the favorite seat in my house! 😄 😍 Hey Orangutan, long time no see! Which is my fault because I have not been on nano-reef in forever! Anyway, I came across your thread and just wanted to say what a beautiful, clean tank you have set up! Great job! Ha ha, I enlarged the pic on my phone to see if the Maple Leafs were playing the Penguins! That's my team. Quote Link to comment
Orangutran Posted January 25 Author Share Posted January 25 On 1/13/2024 at 6:15 AM, Fishy Guy said: Lol that’s me. Bunting has been a really good addition. Whole team started slow but he’s been good on the PP and is super versatile, can basically just plug him in anywhere in the lineup. Freddie is still a big question mark unfortunately. Goaltending may be our downfall this year. How do you feel about Nylander’s new contract? Leafs can use Bunting right now, but we couldn't afford him! All that money went to Nylander of course, and he's gone cold since signing the contract 😒 we overpaid, but if we didn't give him the money, someone else would have, and leafs would lose a talent like that for nothing! And we have our own goalie issues! Seems like both Canes and Leafs have some holes in the lineup.. when do the Leafs play you guys? 🙂 Quote Link to comment
Orangutran Posted January 25 Author Share Posted January 25 On 1/13/2024 at 8:35 AM, vlangel said: Hey Orangutan, long time no see! Which is my fault because I have not been on nano-reef in forever! Anyway, I came across your thread and just wanted to say what a beautiful, clean tank you have set up! Great job! Ha ha, I enlarged the pic on my phone to see if the Maple Leafs were playing the Penguins! That's my team. Wow Dawn it's been too long! Nah, I disappeared too! I'm hoping to be more active here, since I got the reefing bug back after setting up my new tank. 🙂 Thanks for the kind words! Sorry I didn't realize your ponies are gone. Did you set up a regular reef tank afterwards? Everyone here would love to see it! 😉 Woo-hoo another hockey fan!! Hopefully the Pens make the playoffs this year! Dubas is a pretty good GM! Quote Link to comment
Fishy Guy Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 On 1/25/2024 at 12:40 AM, Orangutran said: Leafs can use Bunting right now, but we couldn't afford him! All that money went to Nylander of course, and he's gone cold since signing the contract 😒 we overpaid, but if we didn't give him the money, someone else would have, and leafs would lose a talent like that for nothing! And we have our own goalie issues! Seems like both Canes and Leafs have some holes in the lineup.. when do the Leafs play you guys? 🙂 Looks like March 16th is next meeting. 1 Quote Link to comment
Orangutran Posted February 10 Author Share Posted February 10 So a few weeks ago my tank went through the uglies, wasn't too bad, but there was concerning stringy slimy brown mucus on my rocks. I don't think it's the "d" word that shall not be mentioned!! Everyday for a week, I blew it all off with a baster, and had filter foss wrapped around my powerhead to trap it! Old trick to trap crap floating in the water. I split the filter floss to be 1/3 the thickness so more water flows through it: Crisis averted! Now I am trying to keep my PO4 up, it dropped down to zero at one point, and it's barely climbing even though i'm dosing Neo Phos and turned off my skimmer! Oh, forgot to mention, I had to banish the yellow clown goby to my holding tank, because I caught him munching on an SPS!! I had one before, but it was kept in a pico with monti's only, so it never crossed my mind that they are sps munchers! Also, my chromis got beat up by the clown, and he died after a day in the holding tank too. 😞 I need to add more fish now, part of the low PO4 issue! Will pick up a bengaii cardinal, because so far I love the PJ cardinal! Quote Link to comment
Orangutran Posted February 21 Author Share Posted February 21 So I was never very good at keeping acros alive, and the few pieces I have in this new tank has no polyp extension! Well, except for the green slimer which looks really happy, but my other pieces are encrusting with no PE! My PO4 may be a bit too low (.02 to .03 used to be perfect, now it's .1?), and I still need to dial in my flow. After staring at the frags for weeks, I realized they have white bugs! Actually saw one moving in the video, circled in red. https://youtu.be/toeKu-OCDNc?si=PWKfko-xlm33ys35 Anyhow, I have an off brand of interceptor on order to kill these bastards!! Will see how it goes. 1 Quote Link to comment
Orangutran Posted March 2 Author Share Posted March 2 Can't keep my phosphates from dropping to zero the last week! What is going on??? What's weird is that my glass grows algae that I have to clean 2-3 times a day! Quote Link to comment
Orangutran Posted March 9 Author Share Posted March 9 Here's a FTS before I dose interceptor! And just want to say that it's crazy how far phone cameras have improved! My Samsung is 4 years old, so I'm sure the newer phones are even better! So just leaving some zoomed in photos here... This supposed to be a teal stag. Polyps just came out the last week, but colour is still kinda brown. lol Here's the pink cadillac that has been affected by the white bugs the most! We'll see how it does in a few weeks.. 2 Quote Link to comment
Justind823 Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 How's it going? I have the same problem with my phosphates and nitrates and I still have to dose to keep them up and steady. For you, I'd imagine it's all the fresh drydock you used, give it time and it will start binding to the rock it'll just take awhile. You can speed it up by feeding more with frozen food and reefroids, just keep an eye on it! I've been using Tropic Marin's Plus NP at it's max dose for many months now and that does a good job for my system. Quote Link to comment
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