First Large Tank RedSea 750 Mixed Reef

[Speaker]

I am new to the saltwater hobby as well as reef2reef. I have a nano reef I have had success with and decided to go big. I am hoping for success. *fingers crossed*

Equipment List:
4x Ecotech Radion G5 Xr30 Pros
Kessil A360X Refugium light
Jebao SCP 180
3x Ecotech MP40s
Simplicity DC320 Protein Skimmer
Simplicity 2100DC Return Pump
Pentair 40W UV Sterilizer
Red Sea 4head Dosing pump (ESV B-ionic 2part, Chaeto Gro, Isol8 MT)
Ecotech Versa Dosing pump (ESV Kalk)
Avast Marine Kalk Stirrer
BRS Single Stage media reactor (BRS ROX carbon and GFO)
BRS CO2 scrubber with 3D printed parts from Fish of Hex aquatics to make it recirculating
Hydros X4 Controller
Ink Bird Heater controller w/
500W Finnex Titanium Heater
250W Ehiem Jager

Stock List:
Picasso Percula
Blonde Naso Tang
Square Tail Bristle Tooth Tang
Yellow Tang
Orange Shoulder Tang
Melanurus Wrasse
Orange Back Fairy Wrasse
Yellow "Canary/Coris" Wrasse
Blue Throat Fairy Wrasse
Midas Blenny
Pink Spot Goby

10x Red legged Hermits
25x Nassarius Snails
20x Trochus Snails
50x Cerith Snails
30x Astrea Snails
10x Margarita Snails
10x Nerite Snails
2x Conch
1x Sand Sifting Star
4x Tuxedo Urchin

Water Parameters 10/13/23

 

[SPR1968]

Good luck, we need pictures, and Welcome to R2R!!!

 

[KWT]

Welcome to R2R, come in sit down and relax, enjoy. Good luck

 

[Speaker]

Okay so here is the story behind this tank. I bought it used with the equipment and rock off of the marketplace back in August. I went and picked it up from Indianapolis on September 11th. We went through all this effort and couldn't get the sucker down my basement stairs. I rented a U-Haul trailer, enlisted my father's help and his truck. Had a buddy from work ride down with us for some more muscle. Twelve hours later the tank is in the driveway no issues! Then I got some more buddies from work involved. BIG MISTAKE! Unfortunately in the process of moving it, my non fish buddies chipped the corner and the back, so we called it a day. So the tank sat in the garage until my lfs could help me move it down to the basement which was on the 29th of September(pic 1). Meanwhile I setup a 100gal stock tank in the basement for my zebra moray eel and two clown fish I purchased from a local hobbyist who was moving to California. I also decided to run the protein skimmer in the stock tank (pic 2 and 3). BIG MISTAKE x2! This went fine until the day before my tank move where one of the clowns decided to commit suicide and swim into the protein skimmers impeller. On the 29th the lfs showed up and moved the tank to the basement without a problem (bottom pic).
bbasement.

 

[Speaker]

On September 29th I began setting up the tank. FINALLY!!! I began with my scape (Pics 1-5). Then I added sand, and finally water. It took me the whole day to fill it. I had premade about 130gal of SW but the tank needs about 200gal total water volume (Pics 6-10). On October 1st I added my clownfish and Zebra Moray to the tank (bottom 3 pics).

.

 

[Speaker]

Around mid October I lost the other clownfish for reasons unknown leaving me with just the Darwin clown I got from my lfs. I then added a Picasso clownfish also from my lfs; which committed suicide two weeks later. Somehow making it past my eggcrate lid and into a cutout on the top of my overflow box (pic 1). I also added my AI prime lights which came with the tank

.

 

[Speaker]

At the beginning of November I received an order from liveaquaria's diver's den for a Squaretail Bristletooth Tang and a fairy wrasse. Unfortunately the wrasse started having issues a few days later and as of two days ago has vanished. I believe it is either dead under a rock or my zebra moray ate the corpse. I also placed a beautiful yellow tang that I purchased the day before from my lfs in my sump, so I could add the tangs at the same time. Both tangs are still doing well and have had zero aggression with one another. My current stock list is one clownfish, yellow tang, squaretail bristle tooth tang, a zebra moray eel, and one red hermit crab I added as an experiment to see if the eel would eat it. So far he is still alive.

 

[Speaker]

On November 6th, I built my Jumpguard cover for my tank. Which ironically I bought from my LFS the same day I bought the Picasso clown which later committed suicide by jumping from the tank. Since I don't want to hang anything from my newly remodeled basement's ceiling I put cutouts in the back of the lid for hang-on mounts for my lighting. Hopefully they are in the correct locations for upgrades in the future. Speaking of my basement remodel I ran three 1/4in pex lines in my ceiling to preform auto water changes and top off for my r/o reservoir. I also put in a dedicated electrical circuit for the tank when I did my remodel.

 

[Speaker]

Good luck, we need pictures, and Welcome to R2R!!!

Thank you! I added a ton of pictures as well as the story. I have a 2.5yr old and a new born so finding time to do things is a bit rough.

 

[Speaker]

Good luck, we need pictures, and Welcome to R2R!!!

Thank you! I added pictures and the story today.

 

[KWT]

Looking good, keep the pics coming,

 

[Speaker]

First water change. 30gallons.

 

[Speaker]

Added a clean up crew. Eleven red hermits and five astrea snails.

 

[lavoisier]

Thank you for sharing. I have never kept an eel so forgive my question. Won't the eel eat your clownfish?

 

[Speaker]

Thank you for sharing. I have never kept an eel so forgive my question. Won't the eel eat your clownfish?

I enjoy answering questions. He is a Zebra Moray. I have never seen him get aggressive towards anything. Sits in his cave 90% of the time. He has egg shapped teeth ment for crushing inverts and not the sharp needle teeth many eels have. I have test hermits in there to see if he eats them. I am hoping they are too small for him to pay notice. Everything I read online says they leave fish alone. My lfs also confirmed this. He seems to be blind and clumsy. He bumps his food with his head before he eats it (krill and raw shrimp). I think he would have a hard time catching a fish even if he wanted to. My tangs frequently hangout in his cave and he pays them no mind.

 

[lavoisier]

That is really interesting. I had no idea. He/she is a beauty

 

[Speaker]

Well going a bit backwards now. Had a clownfish die of unknown causes and a second one died about a month later. My Midas blenny's eye was looking strange so I ran him and my new clownfish through E.M. for a week. I caught all my remaining fish today and I am doing a QT. Letting the DT sit empty until Valentine's Day. Just ran my eel through a 3% peroxide dip and placed him in my old water tote (Top). The clown, blenny, and tangs went through a 90min bath in Ruby Reef Rally and are now in my 20gal long QT tank with metroplex (remaining pictures). I suspect I either have some brook or a bacterial thing going on. I have seen no signs of ich or velvet at this time. If that changes I will begin copper.

 

[Speaker]

Tank is still going through fallow period. Currently a crab, snail, pod, bristle worm, sponge paradise. All fish are still doing well in qt. Copper is done next week.

 

[Speaker]

Figured I would do an update. Tank is still fishless. All fish have been successfully QT'ed at this point for several weeks. My midas blenny unfortunately jumped out of my QT tank about a week ago and turned into a french fry. I was pretty bummed out . Also happened to be the same day I was planning on putting him and the clown back in my DT. Light diffuser sucks as a lid for smaller fish. Fallow period on DT is currently over 90days and I doubt there is any disease still in the tank. Eagerly awaiting an order of snails, blonde naso tang, and clown fish from Dr. Reef's QT fish before adding my bristle tooth and yellow tang back to my system. I removed one of my AI prime lights from the tank in order to better light my 37gallon nano rescue tank (pic attached). Saving money to upgrade the lighting.

 

[Speaker]

I also upgraded my return plumbing by adding two random flow generators. Can be seen in the above photos. They work well and are an easy upgrade. I would recommend them.