My 90g mixed reef

[Keeponreefing]

Hey guys, wanted to post on my tank so I have a way to document progress, ask for help and share expierences.

A little about me, I have had aquariums since a kid and started keeping reefs about 8 years ago. This is my 6th tank in 8 years. Started with a 55 then to a 75, a 150 after that. Ran a 34 Solana with the 150. Sold all of it and took a break. Then set up a 30g custom lagoon that got upgraded to this 90. I really love this tank and haven't added anything more than what I transfered over besides a kole tang. Trying to get everything dialed in.

On to the tank

Equipment:
90g corner overflow with standard stand and canopy
2x aqua illumination vega colors w/director
Eshopps r200 3rd gen sump
Mag 7 return
Vertex omega 130 skimmer
Vortec mp40

Livestock as of now:
A pair of ocellaris clown fish
1 blue green chromis
Yellow eye kole tang
2 emerald crabs
Misc clean up crew from aquarium depot over 100 snails and crabs
Red bubble tip anemone
Not much for corals
Torch coral
Frogs pawn
Button polyps
Pocillopora
Some kenya tree

On to some pictures. Hope I can get some help when needed. Right now things look better some days then others. I ran only 1 vega for a few weeks until I found the second fixture so I don't know if I'm getting too much light. I'll post my light graph. Blues are high 80% whites under 40% reds and green are under 10%

The transfer

Only the stuff from the 30g

Picked up 100lbs of dry rock

The aquascape after adding the dry rock

Cleared up a little. Still only 1 vega.

 

[mcarroll]

Nice start!

You will want at least one more of those pumps to keep the tank clean and happy, BTW. It's not an emergency, but start saving for it now if you haven't already.

One has an effective reach of about 24". Past that is minimal. If you (or your program) is ramping the pump down much below 100%, then the reach is even less.

 

[Keeponreefing]

Yea I'm saving to get another mp40. I may go with a Jebeao for the price point, which was my original plan to get 2 but got the mp40 at a great price so I couldn't turn it down. Also want to go with an ato system I'm using the float valve that came with the sump but doesn't have me sold on reliability.

 

[Keeponreefing]

Just a little update. Came home from work to find one of my emerald crabs dead. The Frogspawn hasn't looked happy since the mp40 and the second vega. So I moved it to the sand bed. Already seems to be a little happier. Might still be too much flow.

 

[Keeponreefing]

Here is the lagoon tank that everything was transfered from.

 

[Keeponreefing]

The anemone is about half the size since the transfer. It has settled into one spot after moving around a bunch and has been eating mysis.

 

[Keeponreefing]

Did my water tests yesterday. Everything looks good except my nitrates and mag are high. I'm using redsea coral pro for salt so probably why my Mag is high. I'm going to do a water change this weekend and try to get the nitrates down. My skimmer has been breaking in for a few weeks since i did a vinager bath and finally dialed in good and is skimming awesome.

Water parameters

Skimmer

 

[Keeponreefing]

Got some new corals today. Went to the swfmas conference and picked up some frags. I large birds nest, 6 heads of some yellow zoas that I don't remember the fancy name, a real nice ricordea and some encrusting Monti I don't remember the name of. Bad with all fancy names these corals get these days. Happy with all four. Hoping those zoas open up, I have never had good luck with zoas. If anyone else has advise for placement and what can help besides the obvious water quality. All frags went on a frag rack about half way down the tank in the back corner.

Some pics:

Sorry for the cell phone pics. I don't have any other camera.

 

[Paul87]

I would zap that aiptasia before it gets out of hand. Those small pest anemones around the Zoas. Besides that, nice upgrade! Tagging along.

 

[Keeponreefing]

I would zap that aiptasia before it gets out of hand. Those small pest anemones around the Zoas. Besides that, nice upgrade! Tagging along.

Any advice on getting the aiptasia? I've tried peppermint shrimp before with mixed success. I was thinking about getting a copperband if I can find one eating frozen foods and or pellets.

 

[Paul87]

Any advice on getting the aiptasia? I've tried peppermint shrimp before with mixed success. I was thinking about getting a copperband if I can find one eating frozen foods and or pellets.

I've always used tropic marin elimi-aiptas. Just inject some into the base of the anemone and it will immediately dissolve it. It's never failed me, but could be a job if you have a ton of them.

 

[Keeponreefing]

I've always used tropic marin elimi-aiptas. Just inject some into the base of the anemone and it will immediately dissolve it. It's never failed me, but could be a job if you have a ton of them.

Looked it up on marine depot, item discontinued. They are only really on that one rock.

I also have some random patches of hair algae. Just like the one on this hermit shell but on a couple of places on the rocks. There is 3 similar size to this.

On a positive note my Frogspawn is looking better down on the sandbed.

 

[Paul87]

Looked it up on marine depot, item discontinued.

This will work too.
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/red-s...w3G6rEOdlLBeNEc6SGLQD7GUHLZPKnQuSFxoCcpHw_wcB

 

[Keeponreefing]

This will work too.
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/red-s...w3G6rEOdlLBeNEc6SGLQD7GUHLZPKnQuSFxoCcpHw_wcB

Thank you!

 

[Keeponreefing]

Picked up some aiptasia x today from my lfs and got to zapping.

It's incredible how this stuff works.

 

[Keeponreefing]

Zoas opening up a bit. They open up earlier in the day then close back up early.

 

[Keeponreefing]

Well nothing crazy, but picked up a used reef keeper lite. Got that set up over the weekend. Not 100% thrilled with my wire management but it could be worse. My rbta moved again. This time much higher is the tank and seams much happier. The emerald crabs which I thought died didn't I threw away shell that it shed. Everything seems to be happy and is coming together. The mystic sunset Monti doesn't seem to thrilled. I moved it off of the frag rack this morning and into the middle of the tank to see if I get a good response. Any suggestions on placement would be appreciated. Here is a few pics.

 

[Keeponreefing]

Current fts

 

[Dragonreef202]

Invest in some peppermint shrimp for that apt Asia. Or if you can I took the rock out and burned the rock anenome

 

[Keeponreefing]

Yea. I've been thinking that or getting a copperband butterfly. Just worried about the cbb nipping corals.