75 Gallon Reef

[forestal]

I am back in the saltwater after 5 years. Due to a lot of issues, I took down my 120 Reef, that had been up for 5 years. It was suffering little due to less water changes and less enjoyment on my part. I am looking to create a reef tank this time following the rules of KISS (keep it simple ..) and am looking low tech. I am using for now 2 48" t5 HO bulbs. I likely will upgrade to a 2nd set when stony corals are added. Filtration is biologic with a 2-3" sandbed(i know not a deep sand bed) and Real Reef rock - manmade and fully cured before adding to the tank.
NH3/NO2/NO3=- 0.0, SG=1.024, pH = 8.4
Watchman Goby added (3/4"), 3 turbo, 4 astrea, 5 hermits, 5 nassarius snails added to start and will monitor. Feeding mysis, mixed with 2.5 cc phyto (from reed mariculture ) which will be daily to help boost inverts - might start growing my own again. Also seeded the tank with some pods.


10 Gallon tank for future QT of fishes - plan to add 2 ocellaris clowns, 2 yellow tang, 1 foxface
future plans for corals using frags: porites, stylophora, turbinaria (maybe gorgonian) - I want to keep competition/chemical warfare to a minimum, although plan on running carbon once corals added.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Really nice start and Love the Watchman Goby pic !!!

 

[ksicard]

Looks great so far! Maybe a little more rock but thats all up to you, I personally like a lot of live rock.

 

[landshark]

love the tank keep the pic coming

 

[forestal]

Long term ( next 1 month or so) I want to add another 25# of rock. With feeding regimen starting on fish, expecting a small cycle, and likely will wait 2-3 weeks on more fish. During that time, waiting, on GARF diversity package with grunge to help seed the sand bed and as algae growth starts in the next few weeks will add more clean up crew.
I want to keep good records and other than the notebook that works well, toying with software. Found Aquatic log, free, and helps keep a record and looks pretty good. Only downside is it's a bit extra work than writing it down, so will see how it goes. Not much to shoot photos of, but looking to improve my macro shooting. For birds/dragonflies etc, i use a zoom lens and get them from 4 feet away. Going to play with the 55mm lens on macro mode vs. zoom (above were with zoom).

 

[forestal]

I am used to posting my pictures on google, so rather than try to crop and upload, I will post the links here - some shots after feeding, active snails and hermits and a goby with a full tummy
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-TrXZsPRZutg/USlZje0Ps4I/AAAAAAAASNM/cS6Dg376sgM/s1187/IMG_7180.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_632pmDhQX8/USlZr1vJ_0I/AAAAAAAASNk/xO9lUfh_scE/s1187/IMG_7189.jpg
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-gT44eg0TALs/USlZwbdaUJI/AAAAAAAASN0/jJCSbyBdjuc/s1161/IMG_7193.jpg
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-...gI/AAAAAAAASNE/6A-5D08bFtk/s1187/IMG_7175.jpg

 

[whippetguy]

Tank looks great!

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

The urls will work here... great pics ! just add this syntax around them...

 

[forestal]

Thanks very much Glenn.
after lots of reading all the new shops and products available - i will be adding another 50 pounds of dry rock, which I will let sit before adding more livestock, but giving me a better long term biofilter. The 2nd korallia (and maybe a 3rd) arrives soon to improve water motion, as will the GARF grunge diversity pack. With feeding the fish - it eats 2-4 mysis 2x/day with rotifers and dosing phyto, i have a small spike in ammonia at 0.25 but holding, so will watch and any higher, I will do water changes until the bacteria in the rocks catch up with the feeding schedule.

 

[forestal]

No pics yet but got my order from GARF on the 75 gallon diversity with some macroalgae and pods and grunge - basically 15 pounds of coarse fine sand teeming with life. I have to say I was skeptical having it sent priority mail - 3 days in the winter but all did well and i already see lots of worms and stars crawling around - just have to wait for the sandstorm to die down now. I was concerned initially as no email to let me know the order went through and the website has old info, nothing recent, but when I emailed them I had an almost immediate response detailing the shipping details. Very happy.Once the sand settles, I will add the 50 pounds of dry rock from Marcos as base in 2 islands and the cured real reef rock on top. Gorgeous pieces. Very excited

 

[AJ REEF]

Great looking start! There are a few people here going GARF. It makes me smile as it's kinda an old school thing. Nothing wrong with that just don't here that name so often anymore.

 

[forestal]

Ya, i like having a reef that will take care of itself, with minimal intervention except feeding and water changes.

 

[ReefApprentice]

Nice looking tank.Love the watchman.I need to memorize that KISS method.:smack:

 

[forestal]

I added about 40 pounds of Marco's dry rock (love this stuff) to the tank, using it as base and the Real Reef rock on top. I have a couple inches of sand on all sides to help with water flow, and even with the single korallia pump currently, there is a nice circular flow moving. I used the remainder of rock ~10 # and a rock from garf with aiptaisia to put in my small qt tank (where I plan to not use meds - will use seperate tank for that if i need to ) so this can start cycling - it is 10 gallon.
With adding GARF grunge, that took 3 days and with my admittedly heavy feeding of tank with phyto/rotifers and mysis I have a small ammonia spike, so did a water change, and plan to wait until this cycle completely gone before any more fish - may add more hermits and snails soon to help with detritus cleaning - especially with garf grunge, now denser stuff on top.

side view, which I should have taken prior to dosing phyto - ah well

Goby Dick (my daughter named him and it fits now is doing well eating 3-4 mysis 2x/day (this is mixed with vitachem and phyto prior to feeding)

EDIT - hmm Glenn linked my photo the way i usually do with

text but not showing photos - here are links :
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wVxRRZHKuuVneEglOLK0mtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rjUycrluj4k/UTNS2ssYRLI/AAAAAAAASOk/w1dku3HNTUk/s1024/IMG_7210.jpg
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JcYALkDVwNhs339TAjjJgtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

 

[forestal]

A word of caution to folks - although the grunge is great, on the 2 rocks and the macroalgae from GARF, i found a plethora of aiptasia - so they are moved to the little mini tank i am cycling for non-coral stuff (10 gallons).

 

[Creekview]

I used GARF in my 40 breeder. Quick cycle. Also love the MarcoRocks. Mine are starting to get some green coralline.

 

[forestal]

I have upgraded my clean up crew with several more snails and hermits. I originally had 2 x 1450 gph hydor korallia pumps - love these things - low wattage and great flow - I upgraded so now have 2x 2750gph pumps on opposite sides in the back facing each other and a front side 1450gph pump. the 2 big ones are hooked to the hydor wave maker and i have it on 5-10sec delay, getting great water movement. my rock is setup so the sand is a racetrack all around, and with the flow, hardly any dead spots, and the flow is very non-laminar and wave like - the surface looks great.
I am a big proponent of water flow - especially with corals, what they are used to in the ocean is hard to reproduce in a tank. I am considering using another hydor wavemaker with 2 of the 1450gph pumps - but have to wait a little, cost wise.
I also admittedly on a whim saw a 120w led light panel by tao tronics: TaoTronics TT-GL002 Aquarium Coral Reef Tank White Blue LED Grow Light 120W Black
This was fairly cheap on amazon, and boy this lights up the tank better than my old metal halides use to light up my former reef tank - and the white and blue are dimmable, letting me mess with the color and brightness of the light - fantastic stuff. Want to get a 2nd one but the wife has put the hold on further purchase not live for now

 

[forestal]

Update on the tank:
Fish added: 1 Ocellaris clown,1 Scopas Tang,1 Yellow Tang, 1 male and 2 female lyretail Anthias, 1 firefish - all feeding well and getting along (i know the 2 tangs are same genus and don't always get along - previous ones i had did and introduced together they seem fine)
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nS7FJyn3ht8zE4DYXHonVNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jsgLfKQxQvckra03hsimXNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cJyMoQd4cLx46RxDHOi5sdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FzcXyDSnrmXNJQp92bdwYtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

Cerith snails laid some eggs which have hatched and seem to be growing awful fast.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SjfmIc70RS0idRTN3S44jdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
Today, I added a large plating orange Montipora, a large Porites and a small green Styllophora, i have the led over them but dimmed to adjust them to proper lighting over the next week - they were under led's before but deeper in a tank than mine (from the LFS) - my 2nd LED panel arrives next week. My plan for corals is to stick to these species and perhaps Pocillopora as well, but it is tough to resist some of the acro's as well.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_bCG46_LHnMvysJaQXh7wtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/P45XBD09yOxdfnbKxi1I_dMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/A_i_LlyMbsPuEvpAuMDss9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WyvhoOLJZ2eMp6WXklIxkNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
My fish feeding regimen is PE mysis and a slurry of seafood/cyclopeeze and vitachem i put in blender and froze - so this should be good for the corals as well. I also feed seaweed nori for the tangs daily - tank is fed 2x/day for higher metabolism of the anthias - lot of pods large and small and some small worms starting to be visible everywhere. Currently not using a skimmer - but have a hob filter with surface skimmer to keep suraface clear and running small amount of carbon in it.


links put up to cut and paste due to not showing when i put them betweet

tags which is my usual way - not sure why not working

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Hey Dan - try this... right click on your pics, copy the URL, then add it here

and they will appear

Beautiful !

 

[PSU4ME]

Great shots Dan......looks like it is coming along nicely!