The155BowFrontBuild
- Thread starter TheRealChrisBrown
- Start date
@MuralReef Wait I can do that? Just have origami mobile of spinning fish!
Yep got to be on 1/20/20 that's the official 1 year point. It will be better than a spinning mobile! I once saw a fake Koran Angelfish on a string with like a little plastic anchor to go in the sand. Maybe that's what I've got going on over here....
Yep got to be on 1/20/20 that's the official 1 year point. It will be better than a spinning mobile! I once saw a fake Koran Angelfish on a string with like a little plastic anchor to go in the sand. Maybe that's what I've got going on over here....
He’s just playing with his puppies rather than photographing his tank...
Sent from my iPhone using MASC mobile app
Sent from my iPhone using MASC mobile app
I'm ridiculously good at spending other peoples money!
My two new beasts from the same litter as @Dr.DiSilicate
View attachment 16188
My two new beasts from the same litter as @Dr.DiSilicate
View attachment 16188
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Well, post #85 in this thread shows the tank up and running, that was January 20, 2019. That makes today, January 20, 2020 the 1 year tankaversary! Thinking back I think it was a good year, it wasn't frustration free....but it was all manageable. I can only remember losing 1 fish, a yellow coris wrasse who jumped to his demise before I got the screen tops installed. I've added some fish, a leopard wrasse and a blue star leopard wrasse, both are doing great. All of the other fish have survived and are doing just fine. I thought it would be interesting to lost what I am running for equipment, what corals I have, and the fish swimming about.
Fish I currently have:
Powder Blue Tang
Foxface
Blue Star Wrasse
Leopard Wrasse
2 mated clowns (in display)
2 clowns, 1 lightning and 1 gold nugget (in Basement)
2 mated watchman gobies
2 blue chromis
Copperband Butterfly
1 Bangaii Cardinal (in basement)
Pistol Shrimp who I never see, but I hear every night
Couple emerald crabs
snails and hermits
2 pincushion urchins, one in display and 1 in basement
My coral stocking list is what I am most perhaps excited about. Having been keeping reef tanks for 10 years I've never had good success with SPS. I could keep it alive for a while, then it would die seemingly overnight. In fact the same scenario was playing out in this tank back in May/June. I was contemplating giving up on the SPS all together and turning this into a nem tank! I fought high nitrates, I tried NoPox, Bio pellet reactor, water changes (10% per week), Auto water changes with Dos @ 2 gal per day, and finally settled on strict regimen of carbon dosing via vinegar. Nitrates dropped, and SPS and LPS started sticking around and *gasp* started to thrive! I am by no means declaring victory, I am more than aware that they might up and die on my. But my long term optimism is trending upward.
Corals:
Zoas/palys:
Pink Zippers
Gold Midas
Insane Rainbow Paly
Sunny D
Rastas
Seductions (from MASC grow out competition)
And 6 other colonies of zoas that I don't know the names of
SPS:
WWC Yellow tip
Miami Orchid
RR Vinh
Gonzo Blueberry Diesel
PC Rainbow
Tri Color Valida
Green Slimer
And 5 more frags that I've forgotten the names of.
LPS:
Space Invader Pectina (one of my all time favs, never been able to keep it alive)
Jack O Lantern Lepto
2 Blasto colonies
2 Acan colonies
a mystery favia coral
Cornbred flaming buggati chalice
Monti's:
Red Cap
Spongodes
grafted setosa
Randos:
2 rock flower nems
2 rainbow nems (in display)
2 rainbow nems (in basement tank)
Tube anemone (in Basement)
GSP skull
GSP covered 40b
Mushrooms
On the equipment side of things there has been some significant additions, and one major deletion.
Currently running:
4 T5 bulbs (2 Blue +, and 2 true actinic)
3 x 250w MH bulbs running Phoenix 14k DE bulbs
4 Neptune Apex LSM led's running on an Apex jr.
2 Maxspect Gyre pumps running on back wall
2 AI Nero5 pumps running counter to each other on the side walls.
Precision Marine skimmer, same one I've used for years, but now with an added Swabbie from Avast Marine.
Avast Marine skimmate locker with shut off when full
DIY Algae turf scrubber - Wish I did a build thread on it, but it has been pulling out about a tennis ball sized amount of algae every 10-14 days.
Marine Pure block and spheres
Brightwell No3 reducing block (didn't work at reducing No3)
Life Reef Calcium Reactor - tried various regulator combos, but finally settled on an eBay one that @jda123 recommended
Reeflo Gold Barracuda return pump
Tunze ATO
And an AI Sol lighting the 40b in the basement.
I feel like the big additions were the calcium reactor and the Algae turf scrubber. The CaRx has been giving me super consistent weekly test results, and the ATS has been growing so much algae.
The biggest deletion over the year was the removal of my Apex! My Apex Lite died which was the driving force in the change. I talked with Neptune several times and they finally offered me a new system at wholesale cost, but I just couldn't decide. So I went with 2 DJ power strips to power everything and easily power things on and off. My heaters are being controlled by an Inkbird heater controller, which seems to be doing good, although it goes +-1 degree from the set temp. SO if I have it set at 77F it will go between 76F and 78F. In reading about the Inkbird some more it seems that it can do a little tighter spread if I put it in C instead of F. That might be on my list of things to look into, and implement. I'm running cheap digital temp probes upstairs and down as a backup, although admittingly I'm not great at checking them...so I'm probably putting a lot of faith in the Inkbird. I am running an Apex Jr. with the sole purpose of running the LSM night lights. I've never hooked it up to internet, and am basically using it as a glorified timer to run the LSM lights from 8pm to 8am. I get no variation in lighting intensity....just night lights at a constant every night. So far I've been happy with the switch, it felt daunting at first and then as the weeks went on it was easier and easier.
Well that's the 1 year update on equipment, fish, and corals....now some pics!
Fish I currently have:
Powder Blue Tang
Foxface
Blue Star Wrasse
Leopard Wrasse
2 mated clowns (in display)
2 clowns, 1 lightning and 1 gold nugget (in Basement)
2 mated watchman gobies
2 blue chromis
Copperband Butterfly
1 Bangaii Cardinal (in basement)
Pistol Shrimp who I never see, but I hear every night
Couple emerald crabs
snails and hermits
2 pincushion urchins, one in display and 1 in basement
My coral stocking list is what I am most perhaps excited about. Having been keeping reef tanks for 10 years I've never had good success with SPS. I could keep it alive for a while, then it would die seemingly overnight. In fact the same scenario was playing out in this tank back in May/June. I was contemplating giving up on the SPS all together and turning this into a nem tank! I fought high nitrates, I tried NoPox, Bio pellet reactor, water changes (10% per week), Auto water changes with Dos @ 2 gal per day, and finally settled on strict regimen of carbon dosing via vinegar. Nitrates dropped, and SPS and LPS started sticking around and *gasp* started to thrive! I am by no means declaring victory, I am more than aware that they might up and die on my. But my long term optimism is trending upward.
Corals:
Zoas/palys:
Pink Zippers
Gold Midas
Insane Rainbow Paly
Sunny D
Rastas
Seductions (from MASC grow out competition)
And 6 other colonies of zoas that I don't know the names of
SPS:
WWC Yellow tip
Miami Orchid
RR Vinh
Gonzo Blueberry Diesel
PC Rainbow
Tri Color Valida
Green Slimer
And 5 more frags that I've forgotten the names of.
LPS:
Space Invader Pectina (one of my all time favs, never been able to keep it alive)
Jack O Lantern Lepto
2 Blasto colonies
2 Acan colonies
a mystery favia coral
Cornbred flaming buggati chalice
Monti's:
Red Cap
Spongodes
grafted setosa
Randos:
2 rock flower nems
2 rainbow nems (in display)
2 rainbow nems (in basement tank)
Tube anemone (in Basement)
GSP skull
GSP covered 40b
Mushrooms
On the equipment side of things there has been some significant additions, and one major deletion.
Currently running:
4 T5 bulbs (2 Blue +, and 2 true actinic)
3 x 250w MH bulbs running Phoenix 14k DE bulbs
4 Neptune Apex LSM led's running on an Apex jr.
2 Maxspect Gyre pumps running on back wall
2 AI Nero5 pumps running counter to each other on the side walls.
Precision Marine skimmer, same one I've used for years, but now with an added Swabbie from Avast Marine.
Avast Marine skimmate locker with shut off when full
DIY Algae turf scrubber - Wish I did a build thread on it, but it has been pulling out about a tennis ball sized amount of algae every 10-14 days.
Marine Pure block and spheres
Brightwell No3 reducing block (didn't work at reducing No3)
Life Reef Calcium Reactor - tried various regulator combos, but finally settled on an eBay one that @jda123 recommended
Reeflo Gold Barracuda return pump
Tunze ATO
And an AI Sol lighting the 40b in the basement.
I feel like the big additions were the calcium reactor and the Algae turf scrubber. The CaRx has been giving me super consistent weekly test results, and the ATS has been growing so much algae.
The biggest deletion over the year was the removal of my Apex! My Apex Lite died which was the driving force in the change. I talked with Neptune several times and they finally offered me a new system at wholesale cost, but I just couldn't decide. So I went with 2 DJ power strips to power everything and easily power things on and off. My heaters are being controlled by an Inkbird heater controller, which seems to be doing good, although it goes +-1 degree from the set temp. SO if I have it set at 77F it will go between 76F and 78F. In reading about the Inkbird some more it seems that it can do a little tighter spread if I put it in C instead of F. That might be on my list of things to look into, and implement. I'm running cheap digital temp probes upstairs and down as a backup, although admittingly I'm not great at checking them...so I'm probably putting a lot of faith in the Inkbird. I am running an Apex Jr. with the sole purpose of running the LSM night lights. I've never hooked it up to internet, and am basically using it as a glorified timer to run the LSM lights from 8pm to 8am. I get no variation in lighting intensity....just night lights at a constant every night. So far I've been happy with the switch, it felt daunting at first and then as the weeks went on it was easier and easier.
Well that's the 1 year update on equipment, fish, and corals....now some pics!
The basement is messy, I call it my mad scientist lair. I've spent many hours straightening it up over the years, and it never seems to improve. Visually this is really my Achilles heel, but functionally it works for me I guess.
View attachment 16250
Skimmer and Swabbie:
View attachment 16257
CaRx:
View attachment 16256
Skimmate locker:
View attachment 16255
DIY algae turf scrubber:
View attachment 16254
Water change station:
View attachment 16253
40b with GSP, 2 nems, lightning maroon, gold nugget, bangaii cardinal, red monti, toadstool, some zoas, tube nem (same as in my avatar):
View attachment 16251
View attachment 16252
View attachment 16250
Skimmer and Swabbie:
View attachment 16257
CaRx:
View attachment 16256
Skimmate locker:
View attachment 16255
DIY algae turf scrubber:
View attachment 16254
Water change station:
View attachment 16253
40b with GSP, 2 nems, lightning maroon, gold nugget, bangaii cardinal, red monti, toadstool, some zoas, tube nem (same as in my avatar):
View attachment 16251
View attachment 16252
Is this the right one? It's not what I was thinking it looked like...