Rogersb 125 build thread - LPS / zoa focused

rogersb · Jun 25, 2019

After being in the hobby for around 10 years I took 2 years off and then set up this tank. It has been up for 1.5 years at this point. I'll try to cover most points people like to know about.
Lighting: I never had halides so I am doing halide/t-5 combo. 14k phoenix and blue+.
Water movement: 2 mp40's set low to medium and one mp10. I have a marineland return pump that is almost 1400 gph.
Sump is 30 gallons with probably close to 20-23 filled. I am using an ASM G4+ skimmer. Way overkill but it was left over from my last system so it was one less thing to buy. I throw phosguard and rox carbon in different socks and place them in the flow from the overflow. I top off with limewater in my ATO.
Pics in next post.

rogersb · Jun 25, 2019

Left side. I expected the devil's armor to be smothering the king Midas but for some reason the DA is receding a bit and the Midas is taking over like nobody's business. Maybe I'll have to take a better pic without the snail in such good focus and the coral in terrible focus

rogersb · Jun 25, 2019

Center. This was always planned as torch island however I need to remove 3 chunks of that green with purple tip torch. Probably 15-16 heads total to remove. Then I can put a different type of torch in. I also planned to have 2 types of zoas. On the bottom is strawberry wine and up high I want Miami vice but haven't seen any at a swap in a couple years. The top torch didnt come out well but it's an aussie gold with 3 heads.

rogersb · Jun 25, 2019

Right side. That hammer at the top right was labeled yellow-gold by a very prominent vendor here. What do you think? Twizzlers are almost as much a plague as Midas!

rogersb · Jun 25, 2019

Newest addition. Gold hammer next to a bowerbanki so you can see the hammer is not some shade of green. I got the bower from ASD last year and after taking a bunch of frags off it I finally glued some to the middle island. I would like a few more frags then I plan on selling these two bowers separate.

LiveWire · Jun 25, 2019

Very nice setup and pictures as well. Keep up the good work!

rogersb · Jun 25, 2019

I'm doing 5-10 gallon water changes a week. Not much algae growing in my display - the clean up crew nails most of it but I do get some black cyano that I siphon out. I don't know if it's from over feeding or not running enough PO4 remover.

My future plans are basic. I don't think I'll add much, just let everything I have get bigger. I took about 50 frags to a swap this spring and made about $850. I am going to another swap in September and hope to do the same if not more. If I can do 2-3 of those a year the tank is more than paying for itself.

rogersb · Jun 25, 2019

LiveWire said:
Very nice setup and pictures as well. Keep up the good work!

Thank you! I should have said that I did a water change when the pics were taken and only the t-5's were on. It's not that blue with halides on. Also, no filter just took some pics with my phone.

Lighting schedule is t-5 from 2:00-10:00 and halides from 2:30-7:30.

Devaji · Jun 25, 2019

nice! I am an LPS lover too. have not had much luck with zoas tho...

rogersb · Jun 25, 2019

Devaji said:
nice! I am an LPS lover too. have not had much luck with zoas tho...

This tank is only fed frozen food and I think that has been a key to my crazy zoa growth. I also started spot feeding some reef roids awhile ago once a week while I'm doing a water change.

Crabs McJones · Jun 28, 2019

Looking great

how are you liking the halide t5 setup? I ran a Hamilton fixture with a 20k 250 watt bulb and 4 t5s a while back and loved it

rogersb · Jun 28, 2019

Crabs McJones said:
Looking great how are you liking the halide t5 setup? I ran a Hamilton fixture with a 20k 250 watt bulb and 4 t5s a while back and loved it

I really like it. I forgot to say mine is 150w halides. I wanted the lower watt fixture so I could have the euphyllia at the top and not burn them up.

rogersb · Jul 9, 2019

I did a 3 day lights out for a small amount of cyano. I covered the tank with black garbage bags like I always do. I turned on the lights every day for half an hour to feed but didnt look under the bags at the tank. When I took the bags off I found out my OG bounce had been flipped over and was melting. That was yesterday. This pic is from now. I'm hoping the inflated bubbles mean at least part of it will live and regrow. It was getting to be around 2".

rogersb · Jul 11, 2019

Already looking waaaayyyyy better! It looked like it had a hole in it a couple days ago and I was worried it would just waste away but now I don't see it and it looks on the mend.

rogersb · Jul 11, 2019

Just got this piece yesterday. Pics don't do it justice. I've ordered a few orange hammers only to have been fooled by slick pics and editing. This one is the real deal . It has a massive skeleton and from my experience these hammers take at least a year to have another fraggable head. One green one I have has 5 heads but only 2 fraggable.

Breadman03 · Jul 11, 2019

Nice to see you back, Brad! It looks like your tank is coming along nicely. I'm fixing to cut out all of my filtration and redo it in the next few days, pending a few parts that are ordered. I'm trying to cut out a few hundred watts and basement moisture.

rogersb · Aug 13, 2019

Got a new skimmer. Simplicity 240. Easy to use and seems well built. Added a couple more wrasses. Leopard wrasse and a dusky wrasse. Nothing bothers the dusky and it eats like a pig. The banghaii cardinal though seems to have the leopard. Hopefully it's just a matter of time and he's just asserting his dominance.

Been making frags for the swap next month. About 20 more to make to be ready. I'll make then in September and post some pics.