The Highway Reef
Intro 2
Although I thought that pico tank was great, it also gave me stress, especially when cleaning the windows.
So I started looking for something bigger.
Ultimately, 2 tanks remained.
The inovative marine 10G and the waterbox 10G.
My choice fell on the water box, because it could be ordered in the Netherlands from a seller with a very good reputation.
In the meantime I had picked some rocks, and put them in a box with salt water, to rinse, after 2 weeks after the water change, I also started adding bacteria.
Along with the aquarium, I bought an AI prime 16 HD, and over the course of a few weeks, the other stuff I thought I needed.
Some things I had from the past.
When my ordered tank came home, I first rinsed it and tested everything for leaks.
After this I started the scape with cured rocks, and the sand I had left from the pico.
I added 2 pieces of rock from the pico, along with a few scoops of the living sand.
5ml of bacteria were added daily, and half a block of frozen food was added weekly.
The water was tested every 2 days.
On May 30, the water had been testing 0 amonia, 0 nitrite for a week, I transferred all from the Pico, rock, sand, corals and inverts.
Since the last water change in the pico, the corals no longer opened nicely, and 1 zoa frag had melted away.
Afterwards I found out that one of the snails had died. I think that caused too much pollution in that small tank.
Amonia, nitrite, remained nice at 0 over the next week.
So I think the transition was successful.
Nitrate has fallen from 25ppm to 0ppm over the course of 20 days, which is too low.
Phosphate has not been higher than 0.08ppm over those 20 days.
Last week, I thought it was time to bring in a fish and expand the cleanup crew.
So a trip to an Lfs that I knew from the past, and that has good and well-kept stock.
After looking and googling for a long time, I ended up with the Ctenogobiops tangaroai in symbiosis with a pistol shrimp.
The pistol shrimp was nowhere to be found, so it remained with the gobie.
The snails I wanted were no longer there, so I took a red-legged hermite and a blood shrimp.
Meanwhile, of course, also looking at the corals.
Then my wife said it's your birthday next week, pick something.
There were so many beautiful lps corals there that it was not really easy to choose something.
But I was attracted to 2 super beautiful Trachyphyllia corals from the start.
After consulting Google, i decided to take the plunge.
In addition, there was also a red Pectinia coral frag, again consulted google. And the pectinia whent in shopingcart
I bought a milwaukee PH pen and some small equipment, along with a bag of live copepods.
And I returned home, happy as a child.
Back at home, the corals were dipped before entering the tank.
The fish and inverts were acclimated over a 2 hour time span.
Because I wanted some extra cuc, I started searching online. I ordered 4 Caribian cerith snails, 1nerita polita snail and a pistol shrimp, which were delivered the next day.
All acclimatized for 2 hours.
And so my cuc is sufficient for now.
Last Friday, maintenance was due.
12l water change (25/30%). The pumps were cleaned, I removed the santa monica ats I installed. was too much noise to my liking.
And I did a little rescape, because the trachy must be in the sand, and the footprint of the rocks didn't really allow that.
The corals where replaced.
In the meantime I had seen on brs tv that they had made a video about the AI prime 16 Hd.
I've been taking these settings over for the moment, with a little less cool white.
Yesterday morning, when the lights came on, the goby swam to the window.
A few hours later he was still there, I thought that was suspicious, when I checked, I had to determine that he was dead.
I still had to test my water, I immediately started, but all parameters were normal.
I suspect that working in the tank the day before was too much stress.
But I am not sure.
Yesterday a trip to an LFS was already planned.
The owner has a lot of experience in the reef aquarium world.
I asked him what could be the cause of the dead fish.
He couldn't answer that, because it could have been anything.
After another good conversation, and some good tips.
I came home with 3 new residents.
An Amblyeleotris randalli, a Doryrhamphus excisus and a button scolly.
I think this is sufficient as an intro
