Bill's back to the future 34g RSM build!
- Thread starter Ghxst
- Start date
So now I do look lazy!! I was posting some material yesterday after class and was reminded by my wife that I didn't have time for fish stuff because I had 4 sections of homework due and 3 hours to do it. Ugh this working and getting a degree thing is rough, good thing I can do most of it from home so I can keep an eye on my tank. But I promise to actually follow through on this at least a couple of pages 
SO in 2010 my wife got me a 45g tall tank as a surprise for Christmas after I had been talking about my old SW tanks. I was super hyped that I had the green light to start a tank, even though the dimensions were not perfect, it was a challenge. I spoke to a friend who invited us over to look at there tank for ideas. It just so happened they had taken down their bigger tank and donated a bunch of LR, pumps, skimmer and sump much to my gratefulness. Since the sump did not fit in the stock tank I made a stand that could, and gave it enough room if I were to , change to a 40b later down the road.
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SO in 2010 my wife got me a 45g tall tank as a surprise for Christmas after I had been talking about my old SW tanks. I was super hyped that I had the green light to start a tank, even though the dimensions were not perfect, it was a challenge. I spoke to a friend who invited us over to look at there tank for ideas. It just so happened they had taken down their bigger tank and donated a bunch of LR, pumps, skimmer and sump much to my gratefulness. Since the sump did not fit in the stock tank I made a stand that could, and gave it enough room if I were to , change to a 40b later down the road.
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Above you can see the original tank set up early 2011 and its second go around in 2013. The tank never worked out for me as I was too much of a newb to keep it regulated and flow correct in a tall yet only a foot from front to back set up. Also evap was a factor I originally did not counter correctly all the way as I would just add missing water once a day which is not recommended. The only thing this tank ever saw in it was some anemones after it was set up for 6 months in 2013 using the extra LR that was cured and sand from the other set up. I fully recommend after my experience that nems be added after a year in stable conditions (everything stable including an ato). Even with me having 2 current years of keeping nems and a cycled tank using cycled rock and existing LR out of my other tank and old sand, there was nothing showing the nems were doing anything but surviving. So why is this tank build about a 34g RSM? Because I felt that a "now you know" moment about anemone heath was needed before I get to the cool part!!
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3 months after setting up the 45g, I went to reef stock. I went to get ideas because the 45g tank was cycled and looking good. At first I was in shock cause I had never seen such awesome corals before. The town I came from never had a SW shop long enough to carry any good stuff. I left with great ideas of what to eventually put in and no corals because the local vendors were awesome enough to ask the right questions and tell me to visit them at their shop later and give my tank more time. This is where MASC was brought up and how I found out about it. I also left with a RSM 130D and a LED strip from the raffle. I took down the other tank and moved everything over that night! 3 months after that I put in a fish and took my first picture.
3 months after setting up the 45g, I went to reef stock. I went to get ideas because the 45g tank was cycled and looking good. At first I was in shock cause I had never seen such awesome corals before. The town I came from never had a SW shop long enough to carry any good stuff. I left with great ideas of what to eventually put in and no corals because the local vendors were awesome enough to ask the right questions and tell me to visit them at their shop later and give my tank more time. This is where MASC was brought up and how I found out about it. I also left with a RSM 130D and a LED strip from the raffle. I took down the other tank and moved everything over that night! 3 months after that I put in a fish and took my first picture.
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6 more months later in December 2011 I finally thought I was ready for some coral. My rock was all purple and had coraline structures forming, like a flower looking thing. I was amazed at my tank, flipped when I saw my first amphipod (shrimp-cricket as I described them to coworkers), looked up what a bristle worm was as I freaked out and watched at night and loved to see sponges and all types of life appear from nothing.
6 more months later in December 2011 I finally thought I was ready for some coral. My rock was all purple and had coraline structures forming, like a flower looking thing. I was amazed at my tank, flipped when I saw my first amphipod (shrimp-cricket as I described them to coworkers), looked up what a bristle worm was as I freaked out and watched at night and loved to see sponges and all types of life appear from nothing.
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I finally got my first coral January 2012, It was a green slimer, and still is in my tank. 2 days after I got it my friend that hooked me up with the live rock said I had to come over and check some stuff out. Her anemone split and she asked if I was ready for one. I had no idea what I was getting into but it looked so cool and my tank had been up for 9 months straight, with material from a tank set up for 3 months before that (1 year total)and live rock that was alive for 7 years straight. At night I would stare at the nem like a camp fire, it was eye catching. For being a new split it got huge in my tank fast. Before I knew it I had 2 due to another split in March of 2012 and half my tank was full!
I finally got my first coral January 2012, It was a green slimer, and still is in my tank. 2 days after I got it my friend that hooked me up with the live rock said I had to come over and check some stuff out. Her anemone split and she asked if I was ready for one. I had no idea what I was getting into but it looked so cool and my tank had been up for 9 months straight, with material from a tank set up for 3 months before that (1 year total)and live rock that was alive for 7 years straight. At night I would stare at the nem like a camp fire, it was eye catching. For being a new split it got huge in my tank fast. Before I knew it I had 2 due to another split in March of 2012 and half my tank was full!
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In April 2012 I was lucky enough to get Zoids last pair of Colorado Breed Clowns. My cat asked to eat them as soon as I got home but I said no. They made friends with the nems within a month and never wanted to leave them. The nems would respond to the clown fish and take up half the tank!!! The clowns turned into model citizens and every one gets a long really well in total of 8 fish, a pair of firefish, grammas, clowns and damsels. Yes, overstocked at that moment and it did lead to extra work on the tank but it did work out for a long time. I wouldn't do it again though.
In April 2012 I was lucky enough to get Zoids last pair of Colorado Breed Clowns. My cat asked to eat them as soon as I got home but I said no. They made friends with the nems within a month and never wanted to leave them. The nems would respond to the clown fish and take up half the tank!!! The clowns turned into model citizens and every one gets a long really well in total of 8 fish, a pair of firefish, grammas, clowns and damsels. Yes, overstocked at that moment and it did lead to extra work on the tank but it did work out for a long time. I wouldn't do it again though.
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All my pics are from the cell phones I had over the last 4 years, A droid Motorola and an iphone, but those will only be the newer pics.
All my pics are from the cell phones I had over the last 4 years, A droid Motorola and an iphone, but those will only be the newer pics.
two years in
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Here is the 2 year anniversary pic I took on 3/2013. I wasn't happy at the moment because the nems were stinging everything. I moved the top rocks to make it more open At this time I had stocked:
Coral:
2 Acan (mint green n rainbow)
1 beaten and stung slimmer (first coral)
1 Birdsnest
2 stylophoras (pink n green)
sunset monty
bam bams
kenya tree
2 rose nems 12" & 15".
Fish:
2 clowns
2 damsels
2 firefish
2 royal gramas
and for a week 3 chromis.
This was a mistake, I knew the bio load would shift but was skimming and wc well. The mistake was that with the 2 huge nems the chromis couldn't even make their rounds. within a week every chromis dropped right near the nem. It wasn't until the last one was stung in front of me I knew for sure. With that and the coral getting stung I decided it was time that the nems needed to go. Updates to come!
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Here is the 2 year anniversary pic I took on 3/2013. I wasn't happy at the moment because the nems were stinging everything. I moved the top rocks to make it more open At this time I had stocked:
Coral:
2 Acan (mint green n rainbow)
1 beaten and stung slimmer (first coral)
1 Birdsnest
2 stylophoras (pink n green)
sunset monty
bam bams
kenya tree
2 rose nems 12" & 15".
Fish:
2 clowns
2 damsels
2 firefish
2 royal gramas
and for a week 3 chromis.
This was a mistake, I knew the bio load would shift but was skimming and wc well. The mistake was that with the 2 huge nems the chromis couldn't even make their rounds. within a week every chromis dropped right near the nem. It wasn't until the last one was stung in front of me I knew for sure. With that and the coral getting stung I decided it was time that the nems needed to go. Updates to come!
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Pic is 6/10/2013. I could do weekly updates but I am itching to get to current material Once the nems were gone I was sad (they had such a cool element to the tank), but things instantly looked better and the nems were doing good in there new homes. New additions were some bonzi coral, ponape birdsnest, a fungid ( that the clowns ended up killing by trying to host) and starburst monti all from Charlie aka Haddonisreef (totally worth the drive from Aurora!). Also a pair of Scarlet shrimp, one of which found the back way into the pump and became fish food, ALWAYS FUN TO PAY 50 BUCKS FOR ONE FEEDING!!! I was upset but saw its mate eating it as well so just shrugged it off as the cycle of life. This is the point where I buckled down and tried to prevent any death in the tank. I had not lost a whole lot (3 Chromis, a couple of snails, a b&w damsel, 2 types of zoas, 2 mushrooms, and a scarlet shrimp in 2 years 3 months)but was getting down thinking about anything that died on my watch was my fault. On a personal note I stopped eating seafood at this point. Some research quickly pointed out that seafood capture was way more destructive than the aquarium trade. To keep my head in the game and conscience a little cleaner I decided if I was going to stick to the tank I had to give up seafood. Its been good so far, although when I go out to sushi with my friends its not the same eating cucumber and avocado rolls. But then again after some saki and wasabi, its not that different I also took a pointer from the lessons my tank taught me on environmental stewardship and decided since I lost my job in April of 2013, I would go to school for environmental science.
Pic is 6/10/2013. I could do weekly updates but I am itching to get to current material
Once the nems were gone I was sad (they had such a cool element to the tank), but things instantly looked better and the nems were doing good in there new homes. New additions were some bonzi coral, ponape birdsnest, a fungid ( that the clowns ended up killing by trying to host) and starburst monti all from Charlie aka Haddonisreef (totally worth the drive from Aurora!). Also a pair of Scarlet shrimp, one of which found the back way into the pump and became fish food, ALWAYS FUN TO PAY 50 BUCKS FOR ONE FEEDING!!! I was upset but saw its mate eating it as well so just shrugged it off as the cycle of life. This is the point where I buckled down and tried to prevent any death in the tank. I had not lost a whole lot (3 Chromis, a couple of snails, a b&w damsel, 2 types of zoas, 2 mushrooms, and a scarlet shrimp in 2 years 3 months)but was getting down thinking about anything that died on my watch was my fault. On a personal note I stopped eating seafood at this point. Some research quickly pointed out that seafood capture was way more destructive than the aquarium trade. To keep my head in the game and conscience a little cleaner I decided if I was going to stick to the tank I had to give up seafood. Its been good so far, although when I go out to sushi with my friends its not the same eating cucumber and avocado rolls. But then again after some saki and wasabi, its not that different I also took a pointer from the lessons my tank taught me on environmental stewardship and decided since I lost my job in April of 2013, I would go to school for environmental science.[attachment=67898:name]
Tank shot from Q3 2013, I think September Everything was doing great, huge improvement in SPS growth since the nems were taken out. I also had dismantled my 45g that was a nem tank, I just kept the 1 tiny, bleached looking nem in the top left. It was a beautiful rainbow but the mama clown was trying to bury into it like it was a giant nem. It hid for almost a month before coming out to get light an food for a couple hours a day. Also the rock work was redone so I could have a chalice cave for my single chalice LOL. I also got my first random grown coral located under the clowns, like a nickle sized psamacora or something. Its green, and you can see it better in pics to come.
Tank shot from Q3 2013, I think September Everything was doing great, huge improvement in SPS growth since the nems were taken out. I also had dismantled my 45g that was a nem tank, I just kept the 1 tiny, bleached looking nem in the top left. It was a beautiful rainbow but the mama clown was trying to bury into it like it was a giant nem. It hid for almost a month before coming out to get light an food for a couple hours a day. Also the rock work was redone so I could have a chalice cave for my single chalice LOL. I also got my first random grown coral located under the clowns, like a nickle sized psamacora or something. Its green, and you can see it better in pics to come.
Thanks! I have to give the pictures credit, I was looking into a recent tank issue and my notes were not saying everything, but 100's of pictures did, that's like 100,000 words..lol
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pic is 2/2014. So the giant cave didn't work out in my head so I rearranged a few things, removed and added a couple rocks. I wish I hadn't as it caused more issues. I also went to Aquatic Arts in January for the first time. I left with a frogspawn, zoas and a purple fire fish. The nem started to hang out more and its color got really vibrant. I am going to post a nem shifting color post eventually in the proper forms and will put a link in here. Ill be able to edit soon
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pic is 2/2014. So the giant cave didn't work out in my head so I rearranged a few things, removed and added a couple rocks. I wish I hadn't as it caused more issues. I also went to Aquatic Arts in January for the first time. I left with a frogspawn, zoas and a purple fire fish. The nem started to hang out more and its color got really vibrant. I am going to post a nem shifting color post eventually in the proper forms and will put a link in here. Ill be able to edit soon
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4/2014 and last pic on my old phone. It was getting near the end of the semester and wasn't doing WC as frequently as I should have. As a result some algaes that were on acquired frags ended up getting a little invasive. Normally they would have died off/been cleaned off but with the neglect they bloomed. Oh well lesson learned! Next update 6/2014
4/2014 and last pic on my old phone. It was getting near the end of the semester and wasn't doing WC as frequently as I should have. As a result some algaes that were on acquired frags ended up getting a little invasive. Normally they would have died off/been cleaned off but with the neglect they bloomed. Oh well lesson learned! Next update 6/2014
