Heather's 90g Second Childhood...

Heather59803 · 04-23-2007, 12:27 PM

I was asked to move this post from the Meet & greet...so here goes!

Hi there! This is my first post; I live in Missoula, MT and am a 30-year-old widow & the mother of two girls, ages 8 years & 18 months, a 9-year-old English Mastiff (180# female) an a 1-year-old 90g reef tank. My reef's specs are below...

Setup 05/20/06, Moved 02/05/07
Equipment Stats...
90 Gallon All-Glass Tank
2X-175w 10,000K Metal Halides, PFO Dual Ballast.
2X- 48" 40w True Actinic 03 Blues, Coralife 2-lamp Electronic Ballast.
RENA Flistar Xp3 Canister Filter with carbon and poly-floss only.
SeaClone 150 Skimmer…Despite all the bad things I have heard, this WORKS for me.
1x 400gph PowerHead

Sand/Rock...

3" 1/2 Sand - 1/2 SeaFlor Aragonite Substrate Bed (20# live sand added at setup)
90# Live Rock at setup, some added/removed later (current weight ?)

Fish...
Yellow Tang
Regal Tang
2x Ocellaris Clowns
2x Purple Firefish
Lawnmower Blenny
Yellow Chromis
Cleaner Wrasse

Inverts...
Rose Bubble Anemone (Both Ocellaris Clowns host here).
White Sebae Anemone
Long-Tentacle Anemone
Orange Cerianthus Tube Anemone
Tridacna Crocea Clam
Giant Green Metallic Rhodactis Mushroom
Green Mushroom Rock
Super-Red Mushroom Rock
1 Red & 2 Green Fungia Plate Corals
Tubastrea Coral
Green Open Brain Coral
Yellow Tree Coral
Flower Pot Coral
Small-Pipe CandyCane Coral
Green Anchor/ Hammer Coral
Orange Lettuce Sponge
Sea Pen (So-Called…what is this really?)
5x Feather Dusters
Blue Linckia Starfish
Purple Linckia Starfish
Orange Linckia Starfish
Green Brittle Starfish
2x Blood Shrimp
2x Cleaner Shrimp
2x Peppermint Shrimp
Coral Banded Shrimp
Long-Spined Black Sea Urchin
Purple Sea Urchin: Aquascaping-destroyer! I plan to return soon!
6x Emerald Crabs
Blue-leg hermit crabs & Astrea Snails out the Whazoo

Feeding & Maintainence...

LifeLine Frozen Foods: Herbivore Minced & Mysis Shrimp fed once daily.
DT’s Live Marine Phytoplankton fed M-W-F.
DT’s Frozen Oyster Eggs fed bi-weekly.
Live Caluerpa kept in a corner at all times.

R/O-D/I Water
Instant Ocean Salt, Salinity maintained between 1.020-1.022 (We’re High-Altitude)
Only very occasional water changes; maybe 20% every 6 weeks.

Ph Maintained at 8.3 with SeaChem Reef Buffer as needed.
Calcium Maintained with alternating doses of SeaChem Reef Calcium & CaribSea Purple-Up every few days.
SeaChem Reef Iodide, Reef Trace, Advantage Strontium, Advantage Magnesium dosed twice-weekly.
SeaChem Reef Builder added only very occasionally when alkalinity is edging on low.

I perform ridiculously religious weekly water tests for Ph, Calcium, Alkalinity, Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, Phosphates, Copper. With no sump, a very poor-quality skimmer, and this kind of bio-load, I am just waiting for something to go wrong…but it NEVER does! I am planning to turn this tank into a sump for the 155 BowFront I plan to set up soon, & I’m also prepared to upgrade the skimmer if it becomes necessary but see no reason to fix what’s working.

I will try to post photos...hope it works! Nice to meet everyone! ~Heather

blue_eyes53813 · 04-23-2007, 12:29 PM

Awesome looking tank.. .Welcome to RS

saltwaterfarm · 04-23-2007, 12:34 PM

Hello and Welcome! Tank looks great!

Dentoid · 04-23-2007, 12:40 PM

Welcome to the Sanctuary! Happy to have you aboard!

Nice looking tank.

That going to be a big fuge!

Heather59803 · 04-23-2007, 12:49 PM

Yeah, it's gonna big a big fuge, but it's tempered/ can't be drilled so I think it's better to glue in a few baffles & have fun with it than just garbage it. I dunno, I have thought of selling it but it's a half-butt setup for a reef & I think salvaging the parts is my best bet. I work at a LFS so Wholesale is my friend as far as the new tank....I'm just looking for someone to build a nice canopy for the bowfront, as I have been unable to find one tall enough for the halides in the stock catalogs. I really want it in mission-style pine like the rest of my furniture; this foo-foo oak is an eyesore in my den. Anyhow, I'm SO excited! ~Heather

lcstorc · 04-23-2007, 01:05 PM

Welcome to RS! Glad you could join us. Nice setup you have there. The new one is going to be even better I am sure.

gunn55 · 04-23-2007, 01:20 PM

Nice tank, Welcome Heather.

cheeks69 · 04-23-2007, 01:34 PM

Welcome to RS Heather and beautiful tank !

Is the Sebae Anemone a new addition ?
It appears to be bleached.

Heather59803 · 04-23-2007, 01:49 PM

The Sebae has been in for about 3 weeks, I brought him home without even taking him out of the shipping bag in the shop. He's looking pretty good and not what I would call bleached in person, but yes he is just adjusting to captive life & I'm keeping a close eye on him.

Nanoreefbro · 04-23-2007, 02:00 PM

Hi Heather welcome.. I'm fairly new myself. The tank looks great.. I like the placement of the corals.. Very neat and clean.. Keep us posted with more pics..

olivert00 · 04-23-2007, 02:07 PM

Welcome to RS!

KimPossible · 04-23-2007, 02:32 PM

Gorgeous Tank Heather!!
5 fans....a gal after my own heart

I'm looking forward to you sharing your experiences.
Good luck with the upgrade! Keep us posted.

BigAl07 · 04-23-2007, 04:19 PM

Heather when can you come over and set up my new tank? I think you have a "gift". Not to sound chauvinistic but it seems girls just do better with SW (and more easily) than guys.... what's up with that? Are we overly complicating it for ourselves?

04-23-2007, 12:27 PM	#1 (permalink)
Heather59803 Tunicate Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 11 View Gallery Karma Komment	Heather's 90g Second Childhood... I was asked to move this post from the Meet & greet...so here goes! Hi there! This is my first post; I live in Missoula, MT and am a 30-year-old widow & the mother of two girls, ages 8 years & 18 months, a 9-year-old English Mastiff (180# female) an a 1-year-old 90g reef tank. My reef's specs are below... Setup 05/20/06, Moved 02/05/07 Equipment Stats... 90 Gallon All-Glass Tank 2X-175w 10,000K Metal Halides, PFO Dual Ballast. 2X- 48" 40w True Actinic 03 Blues, Coralife 2-lamp Electronic Ballast. RENA Flistar Xp3 Canister Filter with carbon and poly-floss only. SeaClone 150 Skimmer…Despite all the bad things I have heard, this WORKS for me. 1x 400gph PowerHead Sand/Rock... 3" 1/2 Sand - 1/2 SeaFlor Aragonite Substrate Bed (20# live sand added at setup) 90# Live Rock at setup, some added/removed later (current weight ?) Fish... Yellow Tang Regal Tang 2x Ocellaris Clowns 2x Purple Firefish Lawnmower Blenny Yellow Chromis Cleaner Wrasse Inverts... Rose Bubble Anemone (Both Ocellaris Clowns host here). White Sebae Anemone Long-Tentacle Anemone Orange Cerianthus Tube Anemone Tridacna Crocea Clam Giant Green Metallic Rhodactis Mushroom Green Mushroom Rock Super-Red Mushroom Rock 1 Red & 2 Green Fungia Plate Corals Tubastrea Coral Green Open Brain Coral Yellow Tree Coral Flower Pot Coral Small-Pipe CandyCane Coral Green Anchor/ Hammer Coral Orange Lettuce Sponge Sea Pen (So-Called…what is this really?) 5x Feather Dusters Blue Linckia Starfish Purple Linckia Starfish Orange Linckia Starfish Green Brittle Starfish 2x Blood Shrimp 2x Cleaner Shrimp 2x Peppermint Shrimp Coral Banded Shrimp Long-Spined Black Sea Urchin Purple Sea Urchin: Aquascaping-destroyer! I plan to return soon! 6x Emerald Crabs Blue-leg hermit crabs & Astrea Snails out the Whazoo Feeding & Maintainence... LifeLine Frozen Foods: Herbivore Minced & Mysis Shrimp fed once daily. DT’s Live Marine Phytoplankton fed M-W-F. DT’s Frozen Oyster Eggs fed bi-weekly. Live Caluerpa kept in a corner at all times. R/O-D/I Water Instant Ocean Salt, Salinity maintained between 1.020-1.022 (We’re High-Altitude) Only very occasional water changes; maybe 20% every 6 weeks. Ph Maintained at 8.3 with SeaChem Reef Buffer as needed. Calcium Maintained with alternating doses of SeaChem Reef Calcium & CaribSea Purple-Up every few days. SeaChem Reef Iodide, Reef Trace, Advantage Strontium, Advantage Magnesium dosed twice-weekly. SeaChem Reef Builder added only very occasionally when alkalinity is edging on low. I perform ridiculously religious weekly water tests for Ph, Calcium, Alkalinity, Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, Phosphates, Copper. With no sump, a very poor-quality skimmer, and this kind of bio-load, I am just waiting for something to go wrong…but it NEVER does! I am planning to turn this tank into a sump for the 155 BowFront I plan to set up soon, & I’m also prepared to upgrade the skimmer if it becomes necessary but see no reason to fix what’s working. I will try to post photos...hope it works! Nice to meet everyone! ~Heather

04-23-2007, 12:29 PM	#2 (permalink)
blue_eyes53813 fully trained mod,,,its my fault~ Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Lancaster, Wisconsin Posts: 5,851 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Heather's 90g Second Childhood... Awesome looking tank.. .Welcome to RS __________________ 265 Gallon Reef built into basement wall. Lighting = 6x250 watts MH, 2x96 watt PC ,and 2x140 watt VHO for a total watt of 1,972 watts . New addition on 4-14-07 of 100 gallon sump and 100 gallon refugium. I think I have lost my mind. Gotta love this hobby Vicki Life is like a pathway of untrodden snow. Be careful how you step in it for every mark will show Definition of FRIENDSHIP: All lives touch other lives to create something new and alive My tank chronicles. http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...wall-reef.html

04-23-2007, 12:34 PM	#3 (permalink)
saltwaterfarm Manta Ray Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 3,222 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Heather's 90g Second Childhood... Hello and Welcome! Tank looks great! __________________ Lisa 90 Gal AGA, DIY Sump/Fuge, Current Outer Orbit 250w MH's with T5's. AquaC Remora Pro Skimmer, RK2.[/font] Purple LTA, pair of Percula Clowns, Clams, Softies, Shrooms, Ricordea, Echinophyllia, Torch, Frogspawn, Blastos, Sponges, Acro, Wellso, the NEW Zoa Mountain, and some more stuff... 3 Gal Sexy Shrimp Pico. 29 Gal Oceanic BioCube, Current Sunpod 150w MH.

04-23-2007, 12:40 PM	#4 (permalink)
Dentoid Over Achiever Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Virginia Posts: 9,529 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Heather's 90g Second Childhood... Welcome to the Sanctuary! Happy to have you aboard! Nice looking tank. That going to be a big fuge! __________________ Scott Dentoid's Reeforama

04-23-2007, 12:49 PM	#5 (permalink)
Heather59803 Tunicate Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 11 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Heather's 90g Second Childhood... Yeah, it's gonna big a big fuge, but it's tempered/ can't be drilled so I think it's better to glue in a few baffles & have fun with it than just garbage it. I dunno, I have thought of selling it but it's a half-butt setup for a reef & I think salvaging the parts is my best bet. I work at a LFS so Wholesale is my friend as far as the new tank....I'm just looking for someone to build a nice canopy for the bowfront, as I have been unable to find one tall enough for the halides in the stock catalogs. I really want it in mission-style pine like the rest of my furniture; this foo-foo oak is an eyesore in my den. Anyhow, I'm SO excited! ~Heather

04-23-2007, 01:05 PM	#6 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 16,423 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Heather's 90g Second Childhood... Welcome to RS! Glad you could join us. Nice setup you have there. The new one is going to be even better I am sure. __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g Jawfish enjoyment ASM answer girl. Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

04-23-2007, 01:20 PM	#7 (permalink)
gunn55 Tunicate Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 17 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Heather's 90g Second Childhood... Nice tank, Welcome Heather.

04-23-2007, 01:34 PM	#8 (permalink)
cheeks69 Wannabe Guru Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Northeast Posts: 6,524 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Heather's 90g Second Childhood... Welcome to RS Heather and beautiful tank ! Is the Sebae Anemone a new addition ? It appears to be bleached. __________________ Robert My Cube “A spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe—a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble.” Albert Einstein

04-23-2007, 01:49 PM	#9 (permalink)
Heather59803 Tunicate Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 11 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Heather's 90g Second Childhood... The Sebae has been in for about 3 weeks, I brought him home without even taking him out of the shipping bag in the shop. He's looking pretty good and not what I would call bleached in person, but yes he is just adjusting to captive life & I'm keeping a close eye on him.

04-23-2007, 02:00 PM	#10 (permalink)
Nanoreefbro Midas Blenny Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: San Diego, Ca Posts: 116 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Heather's 90g Second Childhood... Hi Heather welcome.. I'm fairly new myself. The tank looks great.. I like the placement of the corals.. Very neat and clean.. Keep us posted with more pics.. __________________ "It wouldn't be a hobby if it was easy"...

04-23-2007, 02:07 PM	#11 (permalink)
olivert00 Torch coral Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: LZ IL Posts: 546 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Heather's 90g Second Childhood... Welcome to RS! __________________ Love All Creatures Great And Small...(except evil crabs) D.G. *Member "Crabs Are Evil" Society*

04-23-2007, 02:32 PM	#12 (permalink)
KimPossible Golden Moray Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Gilbert, Arizona Posts: 2,544 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Heather's 90g Second Childhood... Gorgeous Tank Heather!! 5 fans....a gal after my own heart I'm looking forward to you sharing your experiences. Good luck with the upgrade! Keep us posted. __________________ Kim ~My environment is a product of myself~

04-23-2007, 04:19 PM	#13 (permalink)
BigAl07 Reef Addict (hopeless) Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Waynesville, North Carolina Posts: 8,843 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Heather's 90g Second Childhood... Heather when can you come over and set up my new tank? I think you have a "gift". Not to sound chauvinistic but it seems girls just do better with SW (and more easily) than guys.... what's up with that? Are we overly complicating it for ourselves? __________________ Allen Allen's testimonial . . ."Let Me help you help YOURSELF" (Click Here) with a SW set up there is one basic fundamental rule that we ALL should follow *When in doubt... wait it out. This means take it slow and let the tank "develop" and don't rush it. Time is your friend Ask me about how to increase your REEF budget without going without FOOD!!* Big Al's 10g BigAl's Slow 90g Tank Chronicle Julie's (BigAl's Gal) 6g NanoCube Reef Balls & Cakes Debt Free & Change your Family Tree!!

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