Small drop of the ocean...

[JFD]

Hi folks,

I'm a Portuguese reefer that is based out of the UK. I've been keeping fish since I was 10 (30 years ago) but, only started with marine/reef around 2003/2004. Unfortunately, due to life, I've stopped with the hobby around 10 years ago.

Nonetheless, 4 month ago I've returned... With JOY!!!

So, this will be a journal of my drop of the ocean that I use to help me overcome the withdraw symptoms of not diving (yes I'm an addicted scuba diver)...

I have been running the aquarium now for 4 months and everything (apart from an outbreak of velvet that wiped 60% of my fish - which I should have never allowed it to happen) is going so far very smoothly.

The cycle was successfully done with Dr Tim's One and Only + Ammonia, this along with some other helpers has taken me through the cycle without any algae, cyano or any other pest!!

As i finished the cycle I've introduced a CUC and some small fish, like Gramma Loreto, a couple of Ocelaris, Six Line Wrasse, Chromis, Gobis and Anthias...

Anyway, here it is the setup - some of the equipment I mentioned below was added over time and you'll see in the pictures the changes over these 4 months (also, apologies as I'm not using the imperial system for measures ):

Aquarium: D-D Reef Pro 1500S (150x60x56 - 425L)
Sump: 90x46 - 75L
Lights: 3 Radion XR15 Pro + 2 Radion XR15 FW + 3 T5 80W Giesemann (2x Actinic Blue + 1x AquaBlue Coral)
Pumps/Flow: 2 VorTech Quiet Drive QD MP40w + 2 All Pond Solutions 8000lph Reef Surge wave makers
Return: TMC Reef Pump 12000 DC w/ a Sea Swirl
Skimmers: Skimz SM201 Monzter + Bubble Magus Curve 9 (added after the tank being running for 2.5 months) both w/ Trop Tronic sensors in case the cups over fill
Dosing pumps: Jebao DP-4 + Jecod DP-4 Dose Slave
Heater: 2 x 300w Digital Aquarium Heater
Reactors: 2 Fluidised Bed Reactor Marine (900lt) w/Nutrifix NP Bio Pellets 1000ml + 500 ml Rowa Phos GFO (I've stopped the GFO reactor a month ago)
Seneye Reef for measuring PH, Temp, PAR/Lux and NH3
Smart ATO for RODI top-up
Ozone: 300 mg/hr Ozone generator (used during the 2 initial months - now deactivated)
Co2 Scrubber in taking from outside and linked to skimmer
55W All Pond Solutions UV unit
10 lt Siporax in sump

1-2 cm Red Sea Live Reef Base Reef Pink
10Kg Pukani Live Aquarium
10Kg iQuatics Dried Reef Rock - Plates
10Kg Live Rock

Refugium: Caribsea Mineral Mud 2 Gallons with Chaeto & Caulerpa
Dosing: Full Balling w/ Fauna Marin Trace Elements and Color Elements

Majority of corals (but not all):

Acroporas:

• Loripes
• Tenuis Blue
• Tenuis Green
• Microclados (Strawberry Shortcake)
• Microclados (Strawberry Shortcake - blue polyps)
• Microclado Bali (Purple tips & white)
• Staghorn (Blue polyps & green)
• Staghorn (Bali Slimmer)
• Staghorn (Blue)
• Milepora (Pink)
• Valida (Purple Tri-Colour)
• Valida (Beije Tri-Colour)
• Awi
• Formosa
• Prostrata (green + gold)
• Prostrata (Blue)
• Solitaryensis
• Speciosa (not sure about this one)??

Montiporas:

• Aequituberculata
• Capricornis
• Confusa
• Danae
• Digitata Purple
• Digitata Red
• Digitata Green
• Digitata Forest Fire
• Grisea Brown + Purple polyps
• Hirsuta
• Hoffmeistri
• Monasteriata Purple
• Undata
• Stellat

Then I have a few other species:

• Euphyllia parancora
• Pocillopora damicornis
• Seriatopora Caliendrum
• Caulastrea curvata
• Favites pentagona
  
• Cerianthus Anemone
• Pachyclavularia violacea
• Rhodactis sp.

Here are some photos (hope you folks enjoy ):

This was I received the majority of the equipment end of Oct 2018

Aquarium in place

System with water and running

During the initial couple of months I did played with the aquascape...

Added some macro algae to the small refugium...

And the first few fish... Chromis!

10 days after I've added tiny SPS frags and some more fish...

5 days later, after realising that I wouldn't be losing the SPS', I've added a few more...

15 days later, a few more additions (we are now on the 25th of November 2018)! This is how it looked like...

And some closeups from the corals:

This was on the 10th of December with a substantial number of new additions... Aquascape has changed - less rock and a more natural look IMO!

A few days later...

17th Dec 2018 - taken with a DSLR and some filters/colour correction...

7th Jan 2018, some changes in corals positioning (photo taken with a iPhone Xs with a blues filter)...

This is how it looked on the 23rd Feb... With new corals and fully stocked, it is now time to let it grow!

Hope you folks enjoyed... I will be taking some pictures soon and will be posting progress!!!

All the best guys and gals... Cheers.

 

[JFD]

A small video of it...

 

[norfolkgarden]

I couldn't get the pictures to load but the video is beautiful.

Very nice tank!

Welcome back to keeping tanks. [emoji846]

 

[JFD]

I couldn't get the pictures to load but the video is beautiful.

Very nice tank!

Welcome back to keeping tanks. [emoji846]

Cheers!

I'm not sure why it happens, I sometimes get it on Tapatalk... I've just loaded the thread on my laptop and the pics are there...

In anycase, thanks and lot...

 

[JFD]

Some pics from today... over the last couple of weeks I had a spike in KH, Ca and Mg consumption as a result growth is quite noticeable... quite happy [emoji2][emoji41][emoji41][emoji123][emoji123]

 

[Lionsreef]

Great growth in such a short amount of time!

 

[JFD]

Great growth in such a short amount of time!

Thanks!

I've been trying to challenge myself to accelerate the growth as much as possible. I remember seeing a video with Mike Palleta where he was saying it is not about what corals one have, but the growth rate you have.... That is definitely my criteria for success that, and being able to sustain such growth without "breaking" the tank (i.e. having cyano, dynos, algae, etc.)...

Let's see...

 

[JFD]

Sunday, 5 months in, I’ve re-shaped the right side of the aquarium to free up some space! Moved the Montiporas to the back and the Staghorn I had on the back moved it to the front.


A couple of weeks back bought a small Tridacna (which I believe is a Maxima, not sure), so if any one has a clue if it is a Maxima, let me know...

Also, not sure how it got here, found one Aiptasia which I won't be touching, but following. If I find another one, I will be probably going to try and eradicate them... Either using a Berghia Nudi or with some other method. Let's see!


Here is a 4 minute video with the 5 month short history...


Let me know what you folk think!!! ;Happy

 

[JFD]

The tank is evolving nicely, everything grows and there are no issues.... I had a spike in alkalinity and calcium consumption over the last couple a weeks and I noticed the growth slowing down (since the last update), because of that, I've increased the dosing volumes by 280ml per solution of Balling per day!!! Insane... :crazy: I'm now doing 3x665ml of solution (Ca, KH and free salts) per day - after gradually increasing the dosing the growth rate got back to normal!

I had bought 25kg bags of Calcium, Sodium Bicarbonate and Magnesium a few weeks back, but because of the consumption levels, I now have the idea of investing on a calcium reactor in my head... At the moment I'm inclined to go through the 25kg bags and then invest on the calcium reactor - at this stage I will probably be looking at making some more concentrated Balling solutions to avoid having to dose high volumes of solutions... I'm just concern that the concentration doesn't allow the salts do dissolve! Will decide over the next few weeks/months... I'm just not keen of wasting over £100 of salts, plus all the calcium reactor costs... :weeping:



I also found a couple of Aiptasia on the display, so bought an Acreichthys tomentosus to control them - normally they are natural predators of Aiptasia, let's see if this one has a taste for them!

I also added the last fish to the aquarium (more Cromis Viridis and an Acanthuris tristis)...

Hope you folks enjoy!

 

[JFD]

Another month has passed (6) and the alkalinity and calcium consumption keeps going up... I guess is a good sign!

I took the bio pellet reactor off line as I wanted to see how will the aquarium do in terms of nitrate and phosphate with it.

Also yesterday I moved 3 corals around as I believe aesthetically looks better like this...

Anyway things keep on the right track and continue to be happy it the results...

Here are today’s pics...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JFD]

Maturing is coming quite nicely and I'm happy with the progress... Growth is still going well, although all and Ca consumption are through the roof and dosing is getting higher and higher... I’m now doing 50ml of Balling solutions constantly every half an hour.

A sad news though, my Tomentosus got stuck in one of the VorTechs and died today...

Also, for a few weeks now, I’ve been noticing some of the fish scratching themselves on the rocks thus, I’ve decided to dose Polyp Labs Medic as a prophylactic measure to avoid issues. So far, it has resulted and the fish look fine let’s see if this doesn’t escalate!

As a question, my VorTechs often stop for no reason and I have to press the “back to schedule” button either on the app or on the website for them to start working again. If I turn them off and on also works! Does anyone know why does this happen?

From the previous pictures (less than a month ago), the growth is noticeable...

Anyway, I will upload some pictures on the next post with my phone - hope you enjoy!

 

[JFD]

 

[norfolkgarden]

Beautiful tank!

 

[JFD]

Beautiful tank!

Thanks mate, appreciated!

 

[JFD]

Today’s pics...

Look at the belly of the fella below, eats so much that looks pregnant... [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

[JFD]

Photos with an iPhone under the blues...

 

[DxMarinefish]

Following. Excellent read and great tank and setup.

 

[JFD]

Following. Excellent read and great tank and setup.

Cheers!

However, when I moved house (roughly a year ago), I've also upgraded the tank... So this one is no more and although having started a thread for the new one on UR (UK based forum) I haven't started one here. Maybe, I will take the time to create another here and "import" the posts from the other forum... ;Writing

 

[DxMarinefish]

Cheers!

However, when I moved house (roughly a year ago), I've also upgraded the tank... So this one is no more and although having started a thread for the new one on UR (UK based forum) I haven't started one here. Maybe, I will take the time to create another here and "import" the posts from the other forum... ;Writing

Thanks for the update. I am on UR as well. What is the name of your thread?

 

[JFD]

Thanks for the update. I am on UR as well. What is the name of your thread?

It's called: "A new glass cube with salty water in it..."