Brand New To RS, Fairly New To Reef Tanking, And Self Taught [emoji85] lol

Hello all, from the Gulf Coast in Coonassville South Louisiana; lovely Pecan Island! Lol
Im new to this group, and pretty fresh in the saltwater/reef tank hobby.
I was actually thrown into it, without floaties, and had to learn to swim pretty quickly.
Can we say one heck of a learning curve?! [emoji15][emoji15][emoji15]
I had no idea about correct water parameters, the difference between a coral and an anemone...literally, nothing.
I was offered, wellll more so kind of forcefully given, a 120 gallon reef tank and all of its inhabitants and supplies(it was in a state of total disarray, so imagine the nightmare this newbie took on with an OLD established banged up tank full of hair algae, coral unidentified, broken pieces in the sand bed, murky water that you do not even want to know the parameters. I say it often, now that I know exactly what I was handed...the original tank inhabitants that are still alive and well,never lost a single one, could survive the bubonic plague![emoji85]).
Needless to say, it took a 40 ft closed in box trailer to haul tank, 55 gallon drums for live rock, buckets for fish with aeration, and the SIX different pump systems that came with it, plus food, cleaning supplies, chemicals, etc. 40+ miles to BFE country. Anyone familiar with South LA can sympathize with me on this, with our road conditions.(My father in law actually rode in the box trailer to holdthe buckets up right that contained all the fish and live rock...mans got a set, that's for sure! [emoji110][emoji110])
Well, none of these 5000 systems that were given to me had instruction manuals...so, imagine the panic that ensued when I arrived home with all these pieces and parts and hoses, and filters, and sumps, and fish that needed to be retanked asap.
Thank gawd for YouTube and Google! [emoji120] lol
Sooooo, after the [emoji90] show of setting that bad boy up, I run a 30 gallon sump/refugium with a CPR CS102 over flow box w/ a Tom's Airlifter pump, Reef Octopus 110-INT, caulepra taxifolia in my center chamber for macro, and if needed I use the baffles between my middle and last chambers for chemical media bags between filter floss . I have an extra HOB Reef Octopus DBH-300 Protein Skimmer, a Fluval Canister, Hydor 600 Canister, and some other Florida brand protein skimmer, and numerous pieces and parts to other systems I have no clue what they are, for back up. And, I have enough chemicals and medication to turn the GOM into the Carribean [emoji85] I also run a 30 gallon qt tank, permanently, after one horrible experience with a Sailfin Tang from Satan's Layer, as I now call it(Petco)hahahaha I checked their water parameters from the bag our fish came in, and [emoji33] I'll stick to local marine stores from now on.
Also have a 10 gallon hospital tank for all incoming inverts/coral.
And, my originals....my Oscar, parrot, and cichilid 65 gallon FW tank.

Here's a list of what inhabits my saltwater DT, and a picture:

1- Yellow Tang
2- Baby Hippo Tangs
1- Coral Beauty Angel
2- Maroon Gold Stripped Clownfish-Mated/Bred Pair(Mafia lords!! Worst fish in the history of ever)-edited to say they have been moved to their own system to spawn
1- Ocellaris(False Percula)Clownfish
1- Six Line Wrasse
1- Mandarin Dragonet
1- Blue Springer Damsel
1- Pink Spotted Watchman Goby
1-Orange Spotted Shrimp Goby
2- Firefish Goby
6- Blue Green Chromis
1- Banggai(Banner) Cardinals
1- Royal Gramma Basslet
1- Engineer Goby

2- Harlequin Shrimp(bonded pair)
1- Peppermint Shrimp
1-Cleaner Shrimp
2- Saron Shrimp(inhabit the tank with the maroon gold stripped clowns)

And, a clean up crew consisting of numerous Nassarius snails(which just had babies all over my tank [emoji33]), astrea snails, red leg hermits, blue and orange leg hermits, and one HUGE, scary, mexican turbo snail, that I unearthed one afternoon and I named the kracken! [emoji15] lol

9- Australian Duncan Polyps(ranging from 3 to 50+ polyps in each colony)
1- Blastomussa Welsi
1- Blue Eye Lithophyllon
1- Green Toadstool Leather
1- WWC Blow Pop Cyphastrea
1- WWC Red Aussie Lord Acan
1- WWC Rainbow Lord Acan
1- WWC Neon Splatter Wall Hammer
1-Reverse Superman Montipora(pink and blue)
1- Pink Montipora Capricornis
1- Red Montipora(Velvet Branch) Digitata
Toxic Green Florida Ricordea Mushroom Bed
Green and Blue Ricordea Yuma Bed
A plathora of different colored discomas and frilly shrooms
1-Super Cultured(Chili Coral-Red and Orange) Alyconium Plate
1- plate of snake polyps
1-Kenya Tree Coral
1-Pipe Organ Rock (Daisy Coral)
1- softball size purple and green Galaxea
2- Pavonia Cactus
1- Double Head Green and Purple Branching Hammer
1- Double Head Orange Wall Hammer
1- Purple with Yellow Tip Torch Colony (6 heads)
1- Red and Green Favite Pentagonia War Coral
1- Hawaiian Feather Duster
4- Rainbow BTA


I think that's everything....lol

1st pic is of a 3 month progression of the system. Top picture of collage is night it was set up, middle is on 3 month anniversary, and last is of my fuge.

2nd pic is more recent (last night).

And, the rest are just randoms. Lol
e83c6342ca5828c8fb0042fd4e8121d7.jpg
2e3c3729b1f421ca99a40e8cbd85c7bb.jpg
8a36e0c7458d42d198e5a3eff916e156.jpg
5eaa34263d1b0c4de3fd3c77caa642ba.jpg
6658c074f059a67d81128a238720ea7d.jpg
e3343c6d2891a8610a06ca90348b5aba.jpg
98eb9f206857014d6f9d7d2a1fc56e23.jpg
2f238301ae9fe4d7922810707ffd7a6f.jpg
3539ede7ec6d0a186d1a0c1611b63111.jpg
f8f6626c6f6d27f14ea8c852a6f1e9b8.jpg
b3f2f81dae8e422224f82d2e4bee3112.jpg


Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:

Pat24601

Well-Known Member
That is incredibly impressive taking a tank over in that condition, moving it, and not have absolutely everything die...and that's if your experienced. Pulling that off as a newbie should get you a trophy or something.

Great work!
 
Thanks, everyone....as I said, a heck of a learning curve. Lol Lots of trial by fire, but no casualties(aside from a large hippo tang that came to me with the tank that was in advanced stages of HLLE and passed due to no fault of my own).
With a chronically ill child (our almost 3 yr old) I've given up working, and am a SAHM that loves to read....what free time I have had over the course of this journey has been spent reading soooo much about reef tanking. It's gotten me this far, along with a few other forums I joined. The tank itself has been God sent...our daughter suffers from PTSD, from all of the invasive medical procedures she had done, but the tank has so much therapeutic value for her. I also suffer from severe anxiety, which has been on high since Taelynn's diagnosis', and this hobby has been an amazing outlet for me. I attribute my tanks success,a little(lol) to me using it as a way to redirect my mind. If I'm worrying about my tanks husbandry, and coral placement, and what fish will get along with my other buddies, then my mind has no time to focus on what triggers my anxiety. If that makes any sense to you guys. Lol

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
The original tank mates were as listed:

Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
Mandarin Dragonet
Orange Spotted Shrimp Goby
Pink Spotted Watchman Goby
6 Blue Green Chromis
2 Evil Maroon Clowns
4.5" Hippo Tang(who did pass on to the big blue in the sky)

Everything else I've added myself, and all are doing very well.


Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 

Pat24601

Well-Known Member
She helps feed them every night [emoji4]
23d438b664f79eef659d1b40832ff649.jpg


Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

That's a great picture! I have 3 year old twin boys who love to help me care for my tank. It's a huge part of why I do it.

One of my kids has some chronic health issues, although it sounds like you are working through a lot more than me. So, while I can't claim to have your shared experiences, I completely get what you are saying about the anxiety and how this hobby can help with that.

You've done great work with the tank and it's awesome to see your daughter taking part.
 
Hello from central Louisiana. That is incredible! Dont know many people that could have save that tank without any prior experience

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk
Thank you...i have many passions/hobbies(we hunt,fish, crab, and shrimp for a living and flee fun lol) and I'm a scenic photographer who has a passion for nature. This tank has really captured my heart.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 

Pat24601

Well-Known Member
I do. The 1st seven pictures attached are of the tank right before it was broken down at previous owners home to prepare it to move to our house.

The 8th pic is late on the 1st night I had it up
ddbb41fbbffa52b27bce820f08c3a3eb.jpg
3d37d1920afc22397f4ad11e4654bcda.jpg
9221b3a96f94a99ce1b7fc9c7c8b2011.jpg
2b0a5450af506da3a5e412c2e328449e.jpg
2b4b0394491f5803c6bad9d3db651674.jpg
e911dc83890fb73699b95666d23f4f03.jpg
fbebc2fbe699ef3f401ed991fa3e11df.jpg
c7aee9ecf4e05ca0da4d7bff7d1a3ad2.jpg


Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

How did you end up with the tank?
 
How did you end up with the tank?
Previous owner no longer wanted it. Originally offered it to my in-laws, but living where we do(right on coast) most houses are raised(I think there's is somewhere around 10-12 ft up) and the issue was supporting the weight of it, and their busy life, and no prior experience with any kind of fish tank. Ever. They told the owner their son(my hubs) has a freshwater tank, lives in a brick home, and tank would look great in their house. Lol Like I said, thrown in with NO floaties!!! Hubs had no idea how to care for a saltwater system, but I, thankfully, had some understanding of ecosystems/husbandry/balances etc beings I went through nursing school and took many biology classes...my love for reading helped. So, that's how my reef tank journey started. It was a wild ride in the beginning, but now it's quite enjoyable.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 

Pat24601

Well-Known Member
That's very cool. In some ways, having experience with freshwater is less than helpful because some of the mentality is completely different (like nitrates).

It's very cool you picked all this up so fast and did so well with it. It's a steep learning curve.
 
That's very cool. In some ways, having experience with freshwater is less than helpful because some of the mentality is completely different (like nitrates).

It's very cool you picked all this up so fast and did so well with it. It's a steep learning curve.
To get everything cleared out, in the beginning, since I could not shock the system and do a 100% water change(it would scare the pants off of you to know the parameters of the original tank water [emoji85]) I set up not only the sump(which was not in functioning order at the time of the move) AND the Hydor 600 to run chemical media like carbon, Purigen, and Phosguard. I was changing out filter pads, filter socks, and sponges on my over flow box, replacing them and washing the dirty ones, every other day...on top of small weekly water. Now I only have the sump online, canister is still in the cabinet, ready to go as a back, just in case. I recently(about 6 weeks id say) added the macro algae to my center chamber...before I just had rock rubble and some live rock in it.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
Top