How old is your reef and how has it progressed?

[brandon429]

Very very good there

 

[Lineatus]

It looks like it's doing pretty well. I see you have macroalgae in it. Do you run your nutrients high to help with that?

Not particularly
Nitrates were 10ppm last time I checked, though that was months ago and I’ve never tested phosphates

it used to run at 75ppm, you could practically see the macros grow with the naked eye

 

[vlangel]

Not particularly
Nitrates were 10ppm last time I checked, though that was months ago and I’ve never tested phosphates

it used to run at 75ppm, you could practically see the macros grow with the naked eye

Haha! I had trouble keeping a variety of them until I didn't limit nitrates and phosphates. I think I have 9 different macroalgae and my nitrates are 25 ppm and phosphates between .5 - .25 ppm. (I can hear the gasps of horror now!) The high phosphates are probably why my green bird's nest is a little browner than when I got it but it does have PE and seems healthy otherwise. The softies and LPS don't seem to mind the nutrients at all. I have filter feeders like a flame scallop and feather dusters too and I think they do better with the high nutrients.

 

[Dburr1014]

My 1st full tank shot in April 2014


This is may 2016

March 2017
February 2018
March 2019
December 2020
November 2021
December 2022

Just realized, that last pic, you can see the sps has hit its stride!

 

[tigre44]

10 yrs for me. I would like a larger tank than the current 52 gal like a 75. My current tank is about maxed out in corals. New coral just gets stung by the older ones

 

[Coinzmans Reef]

Tank started 1/2020

5/20/2020



11/01/2021


03/08/2022




01/28/2023

 

[fish farmer]

Reset, rebuild, downsized...

2011 with some 10 year old rock and dry rock.

2012...when I let my hair down.

After the loss of my LPS, I started working on the tank again, added this little frammer, March 2017

2018

Dec 2019

2021 Thanksgiving

March 2022

 

[vlangel]

Reset, rebuild, downsized...

2011 with some 10 year old rock and dry rock.

2012...when I let my hair down.

After the loss of my LPS, I started working on the tank again, added this little frammer, March 2017

2018

Dec 2019

2021 Thanksgiving

March 2022

You have some beautiful mature colonies! I like that.

 

[Paul B]

My tank is still going but I am not sure how long I will keep it up. The tank and me are getting old and like me, the tank has a few problems. Not health wise as it seems to be very healthy but I stupidely put in an encrusting sponge a few years ago and it took over the tank.

It is nice looking and resembles blue montipora but sponges exude toxins and I have to trim it because it covers my corals and when you cut it, the toxins come out as this white liquid.

It immediately kills any SPS. Lps also die but much slower. The stuff also grows over the corals so I do have to trim it often. If and when I change water it grows faster and if I never change water the sponge sucks out all the nutrients so nothing grows.

I am killing it little by little by injecting vinegar into it and it seems to hate that.

Luckily the fish never die or get any diseases and I have way to many of them. Maybe 30 or so mostly smaller, interesting fish.



That blue stuff is sponge.

 

[vlangel]

My tank is still going but I am not sure how long I will keep it up. The tank and me are getting old and like me, the tank has a few problems. Not health wise as it seems to be very healthy but I stupidely put in an encrusting sponge a few years ago and it took over the tank.

It is nice looking and resembles blue montipora but sponges exude toxins and I have to trim it because it covers my corals and when you cut it, the toxins come out as this white liquid.

It immediately kills any SPS. Lps also die but much slower. The stuff also grows over the corals so I do have to trim it often. If and when I change water it grows faster and if I never change water the sponge sucks out all the nutrients so nothing grows.

I am killing it little by little by injecting vinegar into it and it seems to hate that.

Luckily the fish never die or get any diseases and I have way to many of them. Maybe 30 or so mostly smaller, interesting fish.



That blue stuff is sponge.

I knew from reading your thread that your tank is probably the oldest on this forum. I also had read about your ongoing battle with the invasive sponge. I have a purple photosynthetic sponge that is very invasive but I remove its small seedlings when I see it places that I do not want it to grow and I run carbon 24/7 replacing it weekly so that seems to keep it from killing anything. Maybe it's toxins are not as lethal.

Maybe you could downsize and still enjoy a tank and just be careful not to let any of the stuff you don't want in the new tank.

I downsized when I needed to care for my bedridden mother in law and I no longer had time to care for that size tank. For me it was a good move. I kind of wished that I had gone with the 65 gallon instead of the 56 gallon but not bad enough to buy a 65 gallon plus stand. For the most part I am very content.

 

[Paul B]

Vlamgel, thank you. (I am probably the oldest Reefer here)
I have had a number of tanks in my life besides this one but they were all breeders or set up for local or odd ball things.
I am old and this will be my last tank so when it goes, that will be it. I kept it running over fifty years and thats almost enough for one lifetime.

My wife has MS and requires a lot of my time now..

I am enjoying eliminating the sponge and if it takes over completely I will have a fish only tank.

 

[i cant think]

Here’s my 3’x16”x1’ tank as it progressed. Again, the dates are seen in green in the bottom corner (DD/MM/YY).