Red Dragon Cave - Where have the fish gone to?

[gdw]

Hey all,
This is my first post about my new reef, I might rumble on a bit but I want to get it all down. (I apologize for the metric- I am just an anti-imperialist! )

History​

I had a 600lt light coral reef from 2008 to 2014. It was a low budget reef, with lots of DIY, and great ideas that worked some of the time. I really enjoyed fragging and sharing the love here in Athens Greece.

Initial purchase​

I have ordered the following

1. Red Sea Reefer XXL 750 (650 tank + 100lt sump) with its cover net
2. Two red sea wavemakers 45w each
3. Three 90w red sea lights on a pendulum (I will get a forth as soon as I see if it will be a 160 or 90w)
4. the red sea skimmer 900 - a bit too much, but I want it to be too much,
5. 2 red sea salt buckets, one normal one pro - now I am done with the red sea stuff
6. 500lt chiller (i wont need it much but for a few days a year)
7. 500w heater (probably I'll order a 2nd one as backup)
8. 120kgr aragonite sand 1-2mm (moved there from the 0.8-1.2mm)
9. 100kgr dead coral (not sure they can find it for me....)
10. 2-3 macro algae in the refugium part of the sump

I already have 2 small tanks for quarantine (60lt) and dipping/curing (7lt)

I have questions about getting:​

1. a calcium reactor
2. phosphates reactor
3. activated carbon (I will have a sock ready for emergencies but not sure I need it all the time)
4. uv
5. ozone

The very few fishes:​

1. an algae eater or two,
   1. Mollie Miller or Salarias fasciatus (love the standing position, facial expression and eating mania)
   2. foxface or tang
2. a formosa wrasse
3. a midas blenny - too cute!
4. 2 perculas - I had 2 attempts to raise a brood before (no success) I wanna try again.
5. I hope never to need a copperband butterfly, but such hopes do not last long in the reef
6. possibly in the very far future a mandarin or a dragonface pipefish

The inverts​

1. a few shrimp, probably wydermany, i like them
2. a tube orm or two
3. 10 largish snails -turbos most likely
4. 10-20 nassarius
5. maybe at some time a sand starfish

I want to avoid all kinds of crabs and urchins -personal preference.

The softies!​

1. mushrooms, discosoma and rhodactis
2. pulsing xenia, when I can get a pink enough color
3. starpolyps -if I find a nice double color-purple stem, green fingers
4. Blue clove polyps
5. Toadstools - if I get a nice color
6. a sinularia or 2

The LPSs - I love feeding them​

1. an elegance
2. a duncan or two
3. a scoly

The SPSs - now I can!​

1. if I can find a pink histrix birdnest
2. maybe a plating coral, is there an easy one? (still researching)

I will be doing all these things very very slowly, sand and rocks will get wet as soon as get back from vacation in late july (being off for a month in the beginning would have been a no-no)
I imagine the first live things to go in by September, the first corals by the end of October...
No LPS until 6 months in, so SPS until 10 months in.

As I am waiting for my order to come in I am rewiring the house, and keeping the aquarium in its own line.... well that's it for now! I am open to suggestions, especially about thing that I might have missed... and my questions... open to criticism especially if it is constructive

 

[zukihara]

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Welcome and can’t wait to see the new system!

 

[Devaji]

wow so few fish!?
I would not add the 6 line there notorious aggressive jerks...I know they look cool but its just a matter of time before its true colors show. there are so many colorful peaceful wrasses out there to.

the 750 is a nice tank are you getting the V3 version?

 

[gdw]

wow so few fish!?
I would not add the 6 line there notorious aggressive jerks...I know they look cool but its just a matter of time before its true colors show. there are so many colorful peaceful wrasses out there to.

the 750 is a nice tank are you getting the V3 version?

yes, the v3.
the fish are so few because I don't really like fish... it is the corals I love

 

[Orgulloreef]

Bienvenidos, estaré muy atento al hilo y tomaré ideas para mi próximo arrecife

Google Translation:
"Welcome, I will be very attentive to the thread and I will take ideas for my next reef"

 

[gdw]

I am being talked into a grow light 10w for my future algea refugium. Found 1 on aliexpress that is waterproof IP65 . Any thought?
Also I was planning to find some kind of thin sound insulation for the cabinet/sump area. I found this on ali...

PS. the emphasis on ali is because availability in Greece on most things is... lagging. I really wish they could send corals in their 2 month voyages

 

[gdw]

Bienvenidos, estaré muy atento al hilo y tomaré ideas para mi próximo arrecife

Google Translation:
"Welcome, I will be very attentive to the thread and I will take ideas for my next reef"

well.... wait a bit, see how it goes... some of the things I plan to do might be considered risky...

 

[gdw]

This is the first draft of the aquascaping idea.
On the left it is a mount touching the back pane and rescesing towards the tower and the front glass , with a 5-10cm space to the left glass. It has a plato supported in 1 leg leaving swimming space bellow - the plato looks kinda like a tongue in the top view.
On the center and right is an island with space all around it, high on the right and very low on the left. In between a wide rescecing plato.

 

[gdw]

I think this has too little rock, especialy with my plan to have no water changes..... I think I will be adding more rock, much more...

 

[gdw]

the new aquascape, much more rock included - the numbers is the height of the rock formation counting in cm from the bottom glass ---- there will also be a 5cm fine sandbed (not very fine

)

 

[gdw]

wow so few fish!?
I would not add the 6 line there notorious aggressive jerks...I know they look cool but its just a matter of time before its true colors show. there are so many colorful peaceful wrasses out there to.

the 750 is a nice tank are you getting the V3 version?

yes! I remember her!
I had the same advice in the last tank, so it was one of the last fish I put in..... is there another fish for pest control like the 6 line?

 

[gdw]

yes! I remember her!
I had the same advice in the last tank, so it was one of the last fish I put in..... is there another fish for pest control like the 6 line?

I took her out of the mix, .... put in a Formosa wrasse... I always loves the black next to the color they have, maybe the most beautiful fish that I will add in the tank!

 

[gdw]

Update!
I am expecting the tank late next week!

Initial purchase​

I have ordered the following

1. Waterbox 220.6 + additional refugium 15g
2. Two Maxspect 300 gyroes XF350
3. 2 Maxpect Marine RSX 150w - connected in series, on a pendulum
4. the aeraqua duo skimmer,
5. 2 tropic marine pro buckets,
6. 500w heater titanium with controler (probably I'll order a 2nd smaller one as backup)
7. 100kgr aragonite sand 1-2mm
8. 100kgr dry coral base (actual- not man-made)
9. Turbine duo 12 - return pump
10. Amazon grow light and normal light
11. (soon I will decide exactly what lightI will get for my frag rack- next to the skimmer - maybe redsea...)
12. 2 filter reactors that look like RODI (installed but not operational for now)
13. 18w UV -sunsun I think

I already have 2 small tanks for : quarantine (60lt) and dipping/curing (7lt)

​

The very few fishes:​

1. an algae eater or two,
   1. a Zebrasoma - not scopas, any other
2. a 6 line wrasse
3. a midas blenny - too cute!
4. 2 perculas (propably some thing special) - I had 2 attempts to raise a brood before (no success) I wanna try again.
5. a filefish --I hope never to need a copperband butterfly
6. possibly in the very far future a red mandarin

The inverts​

1. a few shrimp, probably wydermany, i like them
2. a tube worm or six
3. 10 largish snails -turbos most likely
4. 10-20 nassarius
5. maybe at some time a sand starfish

I want to avoid all kinds of crabs and urchins -personal preference.

The softies!​

1. mushrooms, discosoma and rhodactis
2. pulsing xenia, when I can get a pink enough color
3. starpolyps -if I find a nice elongated polyp one
4. Blue clove polyps - or a starburst
5. 2 Toadstools - when I can find nice lengths colors (not too green)
6. 2 sinularias (dura and finger)
7. a large palythoa
8. polyps with red accents

The LPSs - I love feeding them​

1. a duncan or two
2. a trachy

The SPSs - maybe... not sure​

1. if I can find a pink histrix birdnest

I will be doing all these things very very slowly, sand and rocks will get wet as soon as get back from vacation in late july (being off for a month in the beginning would have been a no-no)
I imagine the first live things to go in by September, the first corals by the end of October...
No LPS until 10 months in, so SPS until 18 months in.

I am VERY open to suggestions, especially about thing that I might have missed... and my questions... open to criticism especially if it is constructive

 

[gdw]

Latest plan of the aquascape - comments invited!!!