Fishfreak2009's 75 Gallon Mixed Reef

[Fishfreak2009]

Figured I would update with water parameters since we have been battling high phosphates. We started using phosguard from Seachem on Monday in a media bag which has made a huge difference already. We also started running activated carbon in a media bag in the sump. We also dosed 1/3 of a bottle of PNS ProBio to the refugium to assist in phosphate uptake hopefully (per @Kenneth Wingerter ) and have shut off the UV sterilizer for this week.

SG: 1.026
DKH: 10.0
pH: 8.3
Ca: 465
Mg: 1400
NO3: 25
PO4: 0.5 (down from 1.0)

Corals and fish continue to look amazing!

 

[Fishfreak2009]

The ultra Euphyllia coral pack I won from AquaSD arrived today. They sent 1 head of flashlight torch and 1 head of toxic torch.

Both torches arrived with flatworms crawling on the skeletons, and the toxic torch came half rotten with advanced brown jelly disease. Completely different from my normal experience with corals from them, hoping it's just a one time fluke.

Figured I would update this. The flashlight torch that had flatworms is doing well after a dip to remove them.

@AquaSD reached out today and is reshipping both torch corals free of charge next week, and said they are making sure that does not happen again. They've already gone through all their Euphyllias, and said it was unacceptable that they slipt through the cracks and were shipped like that.

10/10 a great vendor to work with, and reshipping both corals shows they really go above and beyond to keep their customers happy. Buy with confidence.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Couple nice pics of some of the SPS and Blue Ridge coral. They are growing so well.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Well, good news and bad news.

First the bad news. Haven't seen the fathead anthias in about 4 days. No signs of it or a dead body. Not sure what happened. It would only eat live baby brine, but ate that well, and none of the other fish were picking on it.

Good news: the clarkii clowns laid eggs! Massive clutch behind their bubbletip anemone.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

This picture is a little difficult to see, but the green clown goby now shares a hole with one of the red headed gobies.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Updated fish and invert stocklist. Skipping corals, as I have a lot that were purchased unnamed or just had random names thrown on them by the seller.

1 Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto)
2 Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni)
4 Red Stoplight Cardinalfish (Fowleria flammea)
2 Clarkii Clownfish (Amphiprion clarkii)
2 Smithi Damselfish (Pomacentrus smithi)
1 Yellow Tailed Damsel (Pomacentrus coelestis)
5 Green Chromis (Chromis viridis)
3 Orange Line Chromis (Acanthochromis polyacanthus)
2 Black Line Fang Blenny (Meiacanthus nigrolineatus)
1 Firefish (Nemateleotris magnifica)
1 Yellow Spot Tilefish (Hoplolatilus fourmanoiri)
1 Green Clown Goby (Gobiodon histrio)
2 Aurora Goby (Amblyeleotris aurora)
1 Yellow Watchman Goby (Cryptocentrus cinctus)
3 Red Headed Goby (Elacatinus puncticulatus)
1 Cebu Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus lubbocki)
1 Pintail Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus isosceles)
1 Hooded Flame Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus bathyphilus)
1 Golden Rhomboid Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus rhomboidalis)
1 Rosey Scaled Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa)
1 Radiant Wrasse (Halichoeres iridis)
1 Timor Wrasse (Halichoeres timorensis)

1 Pencil Urchin (Eucidaris tribuloides) - SUMP
30 Blue Leg Hermit Crab (Clibanarius tricolor)
1 Halloween Hermit Crab (Ciliopagurus strigatus)
1 Curlique Pistol Shrimp (Alpheus armatus)
1 Candy Pistol Shrimp (Alpheus randalli)
35 Astraea Snail (Astraea tecta)
3 Turbo Snail (Turbo fluctuosa)
40 Dwarf Cerith Snail (Cerithium sp)
5 Black Ribbed Limpets (Lottia leucopleura)
2 Fuzzy Chiton (Acanthopleura granulata)
3 Ox Tongue Nerite Snail (Nerita albicilla)
30 Nassarius Snail (Nassarius sp.)
1 Florida Fighting Conch (Strombus spp.)
2 Tongan Fighting Conch (Strombus spp.)
2 Red Finger Sponge (Ptilocaulis sp.)
2 Elephant Ear Sponge (Agelas clathrodes)
2 Rose Bubble Tip Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor)
1 Maxi Mini Carpet Anemone (Stichodactyla tapetum)
1 Bear Paw Clam (Hippopus hippopus)
1 Maxima Clam (Tridacna maxima)

 

[Catnip885]

Just because I couldn't wait for you to post this one! The gold hammer looks like broccoli with eyes

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Some progress today. Got the lights hung for my 47 gallon reef so it should be up and running over the weekend. Can't wait to get it done so the rock flower anemones in the breeder box in the 75 gallon can be moved into that system and the box can go away.

Corals and fish in the 75 gallon are growing great and dinoflagellates are almost gone. Hair algae is starting to pop up (I'm assuming from the elevated nitrate and phosphate), but we had 100 astraea snails and 100 blue leg hermits delivered today along with some other stuff from Reeftopia.com . Roughly 50 of each will be moved into the tank later this week, and the rest will be split between my Fluval Evo 13.5 gallon and the 47 gallon tank.

The reeftopia.com order came with 3 free emerald crabs, but I'm pretty sure they are going into the 65 gallon, as it will be predominately SPS, and I don't want them eating the LPS in the 75 gallon. We also received a gorgeous scroll coral and a pair of black cap basslets. 1 is about twice the size of the other, and the 2 seem to be getting along wonderfully in quarantine. They will be going in the 65 gallon as well.

Now, if you made it through reading all that, here are some pictures from tonight!

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

You've got a beautiful mixed reef here!

 

[Fishfreak2009]

You've got a beautiful mixed reef here!

Thanks! I'm very proud of it and can't wait to watch everything continue to grow in!

I'm hoping some more of the fish start spawning soon. I'm excited to get back into rearing reef fish, and will build some larval traps to collect fry. Hoping to successfully produce and raise some clarkii clowns, red head gobies, blackline fang blennies, banggai cardinals, red stoplight cardinals, green chromis, and orange line chromis all from this tank.

 

[Crabby48]

Have you found the anthias? Tanks looking good

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Have you found the anthias? Tanks looking good

No signs of it. Pretty sure the CUC made it disappear. Not replacing it either, leaving the stock as is until the tank is more mature, then adding a mandarin and calling this tank done.

Plenty of space in the 65 gallon and 47 gallon for more fish

 

[dvgyfresh]

Some progress today. Got the lights hung for my 47 gallon reef so it should be up and running over the weekend. Can't wait to get it done so the rock flower anemones in the breeder box in the 75 gallon can be moved into that system and the box can go away.

Corals and fish in the 75 gallon are growing great and dinoflagellates are almost gone. Hair algae is starting to pop up (I'm assuming from the elevated nitrate and phosphate), but we had 100 astraea snails and 100 blue leg hermits delivered today along with some other stuff from Reeftopia.com . Roughly 50 of each will be moved into the tank later this week, and the rest will be split between my Fluval Evo 13.5 gallon and the 47 gallon tank.

The reeftopia.com order came with 3 free emerald crabs, but I'm pretty sure they are going into the 65 gallon, as it will be predominately SPS, and I don't want them eating the LPS in the 75 gallon. We also received a gorgeous scroll coral and a pair of black cap basslets. 1 is about twice the size of the other, and the 2 seem to be getting along wonderfully in quarantine. They will be going in the 65 gallon as well.

Now, if you made it through reading all that, here are some pictures from tonight!

All caught up homie , love the tank! Went through a very similar start with Dino’s glad it’s over tank is looking great!

 

[dvgyfresh]

No signs of it. Pretty sure the CUC made it disappear. Not replacing it either, leaving the stock as is until the tank is more mature, then adding a mandarin and calling this tank done.

Plenty of space in the 65 gallon and 47 gallon for more fish

I’m trying to convince myself that I don’t need an eel but they are basically saltwater snakes soo we’ll see lol

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Clarkii clowns laid another really nice clutch of eggs today! Can't wait for the rotifers to get dense so I can start raising babies.

 

[dvgyfresh]

Clarkii clowns laid another really nice clutch of eggs today! Can't wait for the rotifers to get dense so I can start raising babies.

Dam raising clown fry sounds like so much work! Hopefully it all goes well! My tank would just be gettting free food lol

 

[Crabby48]

Awesome you plan on hatching the babies. Looking forward following that journey
My clowns been popping out eggs since I removed most fish from their tank.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Sad update: made a rookie mistake and did a 10 gallon water change with reef crystals on 3/29/22. Didn't check the alk of the water before adding. Ended up swinging alk from 9.3 where we had been keeping it stable all the way up to 11. It has now crashed back to 9.3 as of today. 3 Acropora RTNd,2 halfway RTNd, and the Hippopus clam died.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Hair algae is starting to grow, but at least the dinoflagellates are receding. Corals don't seem to mind, and the hermits and snails should hopefully take care of it.

 

[Crabby48]

Does reef crystals mix high alk then settle down after awhile? That is terrible. Sorry