110g Seahorse Softy/NPS Reef

[Samina]

don't take it from your cold garage and dump boiling water in it and you will be fine. Nothing to worry about beyond something falling on it.

Haha thank you! I will make sure I don’t do that!!!

 

[Samina]

So I finally had some time and started putting the scape together. Some of the structures have been cemented together already. But not all. I am using e-Marco 400 and AF Stone Fix. Let me know what you think! Feel free to critique!! I want to to maximize real estate for SPS placement and since it’s a tall tank, I tried to make more overhangs higher.

 

[NY_Caveman]

Wow! Sorry so late, but I love it. Everything about it really. It has great shapes and protrusions. The heights work, lots of caves. The only critiuque would make is this piece right here

I would lose it. If you want an arch, let coral placement provide that later. I think it will look much more natural and interesting with just that slight change. Just my opinion of course.

EDIT: I looked again, is the rock I circled smiling at us? LOL!

 

[Samina]

Wow! Sorry so late, but I love it. Everything about it really. It has great shapes and protrusions. The heights work, lots of caves. The only critiuque would make is this piece right here

I would lose it. If you want an arch, let coral placement provide that later. I think it will look much more natural and interesting with just that slight change. Just my opinion of course.

EDIT: I looked again, is the rock I circled smiling at us? LOL!

Thanks and your right about that piece, I removed it and also modified the wall so it isn’t so vertical.

 

[xaflatoonx]

looks absolutely stunning... great work on the aquascape.

 

[NY_Caveman]

I think you have done a great job with this rock. Form and function. Cannot wait to see this tank grow.

 

[Samina]

Hey all,

I am in the process of cycling ~80lbs of Stax reef rocks. I am using pure ammonia and added some Dr. Tim’s, Biospira, and some Microbacter 7. I know it may seem a bit redundant, but I do feel that maybe there are differences in the strains of bacteria in the different bottles and hopefully that can better help diversify the system. The rocks are in a tote filled with ~30g of water, a powerhead and heater (no lights).

But after the cycle is completed, (probably in a few days) I wanted to seed other basic zooplankton. I don’t want to use anything from my current system as it is heavily entrenched in a battle with dinos (whole ‘nother story). So I was thinking about buying and adding some live rotifiers and dosing live phytoplankton here and there to keep them alive and then waiting a few weeks and eventually adding in an array of different pods also. - I will keep monitoring/testing all parameters. After about a few weeks, adding in GARF to seed that also. Then after a few weeks, hopefully, I will be ready and have time to swap out displays and hook up the lights and add a CUC.

I really want a diverse system, (on a micro and macro biological level) because I feel that these nuisances (dinos) that I’m dealing with in my current system is because my system is all out of whack biologically. And I’ve tried everything to get rid of them. But my problem was, I was chasing nitrate and phosphate numbers in the beginning and that led me to use chemicals that just threw off the natural course and led to this major and persistent problem. Beginners error I would say. But I’ve learned a lot so I’m happy to have made the mistakes I did with this tank.

But I wanted opinions on what my plan is on ‘seeding’ this new rock and tank, so any thoughts?

 

[count krunk]

that sounds like a good plan

 

[Samina]

that sounds like a good plan

Thanks! I sure hope it helps, going the extra step.

 

[Samina]

Well I know it’s been a while since I posted an update. But the tank is finally coming along!

I purchased 80lbs of stax and started cycling the rock in a tote in late December. After the rock cycled, I seeded it with an array of pods on Algae Barn and started dosing phyto. The tote was in the garage with just a heater and power head, no lights. After a month or so, I added some Garf Grunge and let the rock do its thing in the tote. Prior to outing the rock in the tote, I mocked up an aquascape and cemented it together using Aqua Forest Stone Fix and Marco Cement.
Spring came and that was the start of outdoor activities. Summer was the same. With two young kids, everything else regarding the new tank went on hold. Towards the end of summer, I finally had taken everything down and apart from the 55g. Soaked everything in a good vinegar bath and cleaned the life out of the equipment. I also started planning my sump out and planning on an equipment cabinet. Started buying all sorts of stuff that I would eventually need according to what I wanted the setup to be like.

School started for the kids and I finally managed to get the new tank on the stand with the help of my sisters. Boy was it heavy! This is when things finally started picking up steam. Ordered all the plumbing and put it together. Found a great little cabinet on clearance at Homegoods and decided that would be the equipment cabinet. I had originally ordered a 48” aquatic life hybrid light but I couldn’t fit it in the canopy but with a bit of modification, made it work.

Finally got to leak testing the tank. Filled it with RODI and ran the return to check if my plumbing skills were ok. Found a leak at a union but discovered I was missing an o-ring. Thankfully, easy fix. Bought some Tropic Marin Reef Pro salt and started mixing it straight in the display. Once things settled, after a few days I dropped in 3 16lbs bags of Caribsea Reef Flakes. Once the dust settled, found of that one of my MP40’s was shot. Opened it up to find it was separating; I think the vinegar bath may have swelled up the housing. It was actually a year old wetside so it shouldn’t have looked like that otherwise.

Anyhow, I emptied up the tank to only and inch or two of water and started placing the rocks from the tote into the display! Finally!! Problem is that since it’s been soo long, I couldn’t figure out how I had it before even from looking at the pics!! Anyhow, this is how we are looking now, haven’t turned on the lights yet plan on letting the tank go through it’s mini cycle and will start seeding again and running some tests.

Let me know what you guys think of the tank!! And sorry about the huge delay!!!

 

[NY_Caveman]

I am not sure which I love more, the aquascape, or the kitty!

 

[Samina]

I am not sure which I love more, the aquascape, or the kitty!

Thanks !! She is definitely a handful!

 

[Samina]

Now, I’m at a stark realization that this canopy will be no joke getting it off and on to work in the tank. So I’m in the process of trying to figure out how to get my canopy so I can have it lift automatically. That thing is heavy and taking it down to work on the tank will be a nightmare. I should of planned better when it came to this but I didn’t realize how difficult it would be for me to get it back up there.

So I am debating between a couple linear actuators that I would stick to the sides of the stand. They would be attached to pulleys that I connect to the top of the canopy, from the ceiling. Another option is a hoist attached to the ceiling that would have attachment points on the topside of the canopy. Or a winch, with the same type of incorporation as a hoist.

Any ideas on which sounds better? I really wish I had done this BEFORE I added all the water, sand and rocks into the tank ‍

 

[count krunk]

You could do a protector mount, but I think you would have to change too much to do that.

The guy with the 240 did a winch raise. Ned something is his username?

 

[Samina]

You could do a protector mount, but I think you would have to change too much to do that.

The guy with the 240 did a winch raise. Ned something is his username?

Thanks! I have a guy coming out tomorrow to possibly install a winch inside the ceiling. I am a pretty handy gal but I definitely am not confident in doing it, especially since if it’s done incorrectly, that canopy is going to come slam down on me while I’m working in the tank. Also, I don’t trust how neat of a job I would be able to do either and since it’s the ceiling and right in the living room, I definitely don’t want it to look botched!

 

[Samina]

So I am holding off installing a winch. It seems like I am able to work in the tank to the degree I need to with time the long grabbers I have. All seems good so I’ll wait to see if I need to get a winch lift system on the canopy. I was debating on just taking those the canopy down and hanging the lights and putting on a glass top but I am kinda liking the canopy look too much to toss it.

Anyhow, things have been trudging along nicely. I added a pair of snowflake clowns, a little school of chromis, a sand sifting goby, and a firefish pair. I was only going to buy one of those firefish because I always read they do best alone but these two were two peas in a pod at the LFS.

Starting getting a Diatom bloom!!! I am super excited about that!!! Know that may sound wired but it just signifies and important stage in the life of a tank to me.

Added a CUC from my favorite spot for these critters @reefcleaners and one of the Emeralds didn’t make it through shipping. But John is so awesome, he said he’ll send me a refund and I didn’t even ask, now that’s customer service!!

I finally got all the rock rubble into the refugium compartment of my sump. Plan is to create a cryptic refugium. I contacted Steve Tyree’s site to order a pack. Waiting on hearing back from them. I already have the N18 setup with Chaeto and it’s been working nicely. I am running this tank on Triton Base Elementz. I know that most would recommend using “other methods” since I am using a Pax instead of a traditional 10-20% macroalgae refugium but I wanted to give it a try with Base Elementz and see if the Pax can hold up.

I had already seeded the rock after it cycled and cured in the tote with some GARF but I don’t know how that faired when I transitioned the rock into the display. So I order a mix’n match pack from Indo Pacific Sea Farms so I can give micro diversity and other fauna another jump. I have some live sand activator, wonder mud, amphipods, worms, mini stars, Strombus snails, micro hermits and some other snails on the way. They were so awesome and threw in a couple of freebies for me as well! I had a serious battle with Dino’s in my last tank and am trying to do everything I can upfront on this tank so I can maintain a good biologically diverse ecosystem so those little opportunists don’t show their nasty face!

Oh, I also added different Euphyllias, because I love me some movement! Also a couple of softies.

Heres how it’s looking right now.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Looking good! I dig that aquascape. Nice work.

 

[Samina]

Looking good! I dig that aquascape. Nice work.

Thank you!!

 

[Samina]

Ok guys, need some help. I am pretty sure I am having a diatom bloom and I checked my levels and here are nutrients:
Phosphate: 0ppm (Hanna ULR, Red Sea)
Nitrate: 0ppm (Red Sea, Fauna Marin)

In my previous tank, when I bottomed our nutrients, I started a losing battle with Dino’s. I am just worried if I should do anything to raise my nutrients so that I don’t end up having that nightmare happen with this tank.

I have a medium bio load now and feed a good amount. Quarter chunk of LRS and cube of mysis soaked in selcon given divided 3-4 times a day. Sometimes I drop in a dime size amount of Chromaboost pellets a few times a week during the day. As far as fish go, I now have 2 firefish, 2 snowflake clowns, diamond goby, 5 small chromis, yellow tang, kole tang. The yellow tang and Kole tang were added yesterday. I have some Euphylia and softies in the tank and a good CUC. Should I increase feedings even more or should I decrease lighting time on my chaeto reactor? I was at 2ppm nitrate and 0.08ppm Phosphate just last week.

I have not changed anything except for adding the rock rubble into the cryptic zone. The rock was cycled and cured in the same tote as display rock (since December last year). Any opinions?

 

[raylinds]

Unfortunately as a newbie I can't help but I wanted to let you know how impressed I am by your build. The aquascaping is amazing and I am very impressed with your plumbing and organization of the equipment- really first rate.