Two Tanked too Enjoy It...

[NowGlazeIT]

Once the reef hits its stride it is an absolutely beautiful thing.

So much beauty and life i would not change a thing...........

Except for that empty space on the rock

And all that swimming room...

Maybe a little change?

Perched?

So many fun angles on the Biocube 32. It becomes very photogenic. SMILE

When you first get into the reefing hobby you just think...oh this will be pretty or interesting. This could be really cool swaying in the flow. But dang who knew that there is so much personality on the reef.

Blennies are cool now!

B-Kind

Seeing how simple and beautiful your reef is, makes me want to fire up my old bio cube again! Great write ups here, thanks for posting your journey.

 

[MECOMI]

Seeing how simple and beautiful your reef is, makes me want to fire up my old bio cube again! Great write ups here, thanks for posting your journey.

Wow thank you!

I only ever wanted a growing happy reef and the Biocube delivered!

Sincerely,

B-Kind

 

[MECOMI]

Shall we....

Doc - "What the heck is that!!! "

Bristle worms are one crazy part of the tank. To think i have a gazillion of these in the Biocube. They can be creepy, but come on, they are just trying to live their best worm life. And as long as they are not hurting anything, Let them be!

I love seeing some growth out of the clownfish. They have definitely become a match.

Neat!

Apparently the shrimp is not camera shy.

One of the earliest corals i bought after the initial mushroom and Paly combo, was a cute little trumpet coral. Even though i had a ton of large colonies, this standard green trumpet was one of my favorites.

This coral really helped open my eyes and understand that it does not always have to be the most expensive or sought after to impress .

And it did have its moment..

Things really ramp up for the biocube over the next couple months. The color, the growth, and the challenges keep changing. Making me more and more interested in the hobby. I am fully immersed in reef2reef and other reef blogs at this point trying to learn everything i can. I love seeing the photos of someone like @najer and deep diving into a stone aged tank like @Paul B . Longevity is something i want, to achieve it, seems like a whole other animal. Respect gents

Later days,

B-Kind

 

[Sean Clark]

That is only the part that you can see..

Looking really good aside from the killer serpent.

 

[MECOMI]

That is only the part that you can see..

Looking really good aside from the killer serpent.

 

[MECOMI]

Happy Friday my reef friends!

It's hammer time...

Deeper color, deeper love for the reef.

I am not sure about people being concerned about a coral taking over a tank but that Peach Paly is no joke.

It is photogenic

Dont mind the dirty glass...FTS

Sometimes, on rare occasions, invasive creatures can be neat

Later days friends,

B-Kind

 

[MECOMI]

Geezers that water is crystal!

How about Clownfish....IN SPACE

Chair #1 in the red room, Love the view!

Gonna need to hold off on the water change. One of my favorite hitchhikers, The Stomatella Snail

The whiskers are wild...

Once i read a little more on Aiptasia i did decide to take care of the problem before it got out of control. These little creatures destroyed the population in the tank for a bit. Berghia Nudibranch are as advertised.

Later Days,

B-Kind

 

[MECOMI]

Man do the tanks drive my crazy sometimes . One day i am daydreaming about the beauty and life in the tank, and the next day i am all wrapped up in how things can be better. The RSM S-500 lights are intense and i still think they are running a little too hot for the reef. I finally gave in and rented a PAR meter so at least i can put those thoughts to rest. Write the results down for science and sleep a little easier till the next great mystery needs to be solved. Insert all the eye rolls here geez

At least the Tomini Tang dont care!

Lets move back to simpler times when there was just three light settings and they all revolved around time and start with Doc enjoying his garden of mushrooms.

The mushroom corals began to wander from their original home, they were getting to big and moved on to greener pastures. Or just purple and red rock but i dont think they care either way.

Darn crabs think they own the place.

Teddy's whisker game continues to impress.

My water changes are starting to go more smoothly then ever. I am still just taking a few gallons out at a time with a one gallon jug from the kitchen, sorry about that wife , and buying my salt from the fish store. Using the excuse for a water change generally allowed me a couple hours roaming the LFS hoping for something cool to catch my eye. I would bring home about 5 gallons at a time which would last me one to three weeks depending on my level of laziness that month.

How about some water change top down pics. Oh and hey Teddy

Cool

The Montipora seems to be doing well in the tank which i am happy about. It is already starting to grow over the glue which seems like a good sign! And it sure does glow a brilliant red under the blues.

I will admit i was worried for a while that my clownfish appeared to only hang out by the return nozzle and wavemaker. They seemed to alternate between the back wall and playing inside the Monti like the flow was too much for them. But they were always out and about during feeding time and seemed to be doing well so i left them and the flow alone. After a few months they started coming out more and more until they had the run of the tank.

Since i was only taking pictures with my phone, the photos always came out OK. So i will leave this post and my reefing friends with my attempt at close ups, enjoy!?

The GSP is growing.

The green hammer.

And of course, king of the hill.

Later days,

B-Kind

 

[MECOMI]

It sure is strange that super glue can bring so much joy to ones life. I was putting up a new Gorgonian in the S500 and as always ended up with more glue on myself than the actual frag plug. I dont think i am the only one here that enjoys picking some dried super glue off the skin and nails

I think back to the early days of reefing when i was absolutely terrified to bring glue anywhere near my tank. What if something eats it, what if it clogs my filters, or even jams up my equipment ? Maybe everyone on the forums are crazy and use super glue all fast and loose...

Super glue now means something is getting 'permanently' glued down. Which generally means i have a coral that is progressing nicely in the tank so its time to be put in place. This is a good thing.

Dont worry about the specs floating around, the sleeper goby does not like a clear water column.

I dont overthink the color palet, i dont overthink the coral i buy, I just want things that are interesting. And once they start to grow, they are my new favorite thing.

Peace my friends, Oh and use gel or thicker style super glue to save yourself from gluing your skin to the coral

B-Kind

 

[MECOMI]

Darn turbo snails, they are so turbo-tastic that they cannot help but fall over due to the pure speed of their crawl..

For a very short period of time i was placing sheets of nori in the tank for a little food diversity. And in this case it was not necessary for the fish i had. The tail spot would nibble it here and there along with the clowns but i was putting way to much in there for the minuscule amount they enjoyed before i had to throw it away. Eh worth a try.

Did i mention on here that i am a fan of inverts? I think i did...

Porcelain anemone crabs are a very neat invert. They fan in their food all day and just use their claws for some minor intimidation.

One thing that dry rock does not give you a lot of is amazing hitchhikers. The live rock i bought for the Biocube came to life and i found an absolute ton of banded starfish in all shapes and sizes. I even had a couple miscellaneous clam hitchhikers which were very cool to watch.

Little banded legs everywhere, i wonder if it was feeding time?

While finding the Anemone crabs was cool enough i came across a large pavona that i thought would be perfect perched up on the rock. In the early days this was a lot of fun to watch as the hairs would grow in length and move in the flow giving the rock even more life.

On one of my first long vacations away from the tank i was nervous as could be. If there was a power outage everything would be gone, if the tank got to hot bye-bye, if the animals did not get fed they would revolt against me . There is just so much to consider when you are leaving home that i never really thought about putting this tank in someone else's hands.

So i portioned up some food, left a detailed note just in case, got an emergency air stone, and a magnetic defroster and at least felt ok about leaving. I was still nervous, but at least my brother-in-law had a better camera and shared pictures while i was gone, yay!

Trochus doing important snail business

Last one before my return!

I certainly did appreciate the help while i was gone. My family has watched the tanks a ton at this point and I am so thankful to have them in my life.

Later days,

B-Kind

 

[MECOMI]

Man do the tanks drive my crazy sometimes . One day i am daydreaming about the beauty and life in the tank, and the next day i am all wrapped up in how things can be better. The RSM S-500 lights are intense and i still think they are running a little too hot for the reef. I finally gave in and rented a PAR meter so at least i can put those thoughts to rest. Write the results down for science and sleep a little easier till the next great mystery needs to be solved. Insert all the eye rolls here geez

At least the Tomini Tang dont care!

Lets move back to simpler times when there was just three light settings and they all revolved around time and start with Doc enjoying his garden of mushrooms.

The mushroom corals began to wander from their original home, they were getting to big and moved on to greener pastures. Or just purple and red rock but i dont think they care either way.

Darn crabs think they own the place.

Teddy's whisker game continues to impress.

My water changes are starting to go more smoothly then ever. I am still just taking a few gallons out at a time with a one gallon jug from the kitchen, sorry about that wife , and buying my salt from the fish store. Using the excuse for a water change generally allowed me a couple hours roaming the LFS hoping for something cool to catch my eye. I would bring home about 5 gallons at a time which would last me one to three weeks depending on my level of laziness that month.

How about some water change top down pics. Oh and hey Teddy

Cool

The Montipora seems to be doing well in the tank which i am happy about. It is already starting to grow over the glue which seems like a good sign! And it sure does glow a brilliant red under the blues.

I will admit i was worried for a while that my clownfish appeared to only hang out by the return nozzle and wavemaker. They seemed to alternate between the back wall and playing inside the Monti like the flow was too much for them. But they were always out and about during feeding time and seemed to be doing well so i left them and the flow alone. After a few months they started coming out more and more until they had the run of the tank.

Since i was only taking pictures with my phone, the photos always came out OK. So i will leave this post and my reefing friends with my attempt at close ups, enjoy!?

The GSP is growing.

The green hammer.

And of course, king of the hill.

Later days,

B-Kind

While i procrastinate at work, time for a rant...

Speaking of being driven crazy by the reef the RSM S-500 continues to challenge me. After some initial theories about the Pavona being eaten, or the lighting being too bright which resulted in a PAR meter rental, and even the salinity being a little low at 33 ppm it appears the problem may be bacterial.

And i will note that the PAR readings came back just fine average range 50-90 PAR on the bottom, 100-170 par in the middle, and 240-300 on the top. No changes needed to be made.

I kept a close eye on the tank and still have not witnessed any further nipping and the only time i witnessed it the fish was probably just hunting pods.

Lastly the salinity issue happened slowly due to some wet skimming that i did not catch in time and from a 10% water change with lower salinity water due to a poorly calibrated refractometer, my bad .The good news is that i was able to correct the salt back to 35ppm after about 1.5 months.

Almost all the SPS corals in the tank are experiencing some color and tissue loss. It started with a Pavona that became patchy before almost completely bleaching. Then the second Pavona started, then the psammacora, then the montipora so something on the SPS side is not right. I know the low salt could have caused some trouble but all my other parameters in my testing are steady. I even tested against my LFS and everything matched up almost exactly.

Now i am trying to figure out the best way to go. The low salt and fluctuation made me think this was the trouble and i only confirmed the corrected salt level yesterday. In most cases i would wait for the next month or so to see if things react positively, however if i play the waiting game all the SPS could be gone.

My trusted LFS employee after a lot of discussion feels it is bacterial since it is the SPS only. We had a lengthy discussion about the low salt and it really did not seem to concern him. His suggestion would be to start dipping the corals which is a nice idea in theory however i am frustrated by this proposal since almost all the SPS have already encrusted so this is way more traumatic then i would like it to be.

Frustrated, at least my fish and anemones are happy!

Rant done, back to work i guess...

B-Kind

 

[MECOMI]

The Biocube 32 just keeps rolling along like a champ and the anemone crabs have found each other...

FIGHT!

Sadly the Lobo suddenly started to lose its flesh. Not exactly sure what happened, one day it was happy and eating, the next day it was falling apart.

Is there anybody else here that think coral is the plants of the sea? One moment they are doing great you are giving them everything they need and then boom, gone . I have learned that you have to roll with the punches with these things, but it does not make it any easier. Whenever i started to notice negative changes in the tank i would bring my water for the next couple weeks to the LFS for testing and change up to 5 gallons of water. I am still using Fritz pro R.P.M and all the parameters seemed to stay in check so far.

F.T.S for the win!

Peach Paly take over!

The Clownfish are friends, Not Food!

Another angle...

Profile pick, Whoop! Put your fans up!

I see you from down there.

Almost F.T.S. at sunset

Corals in the wild are an amazing site. They are these huge majestic beauties with life swimming around them on all sides. As you scuba and sway in the current their polyps sway with you. As you swim near them they reach to feel what is near. Some fish use them for protection, some for a quick snack as they move from reef to reef. But i have never seen coral...poop.

Enjoy;

Later days,

B-Kind

 

[MECOMI]

Doc and Grouch having a meeting about how to teach the other inhabitants to stay off their LAWN!!!

I guess the moonlight is cool sometimes... Doc with his comfy mushroom bed.

As i find myself staring at the tank i tend to drift off and narrate the goings on. "Can anybody tell me how i can see all the delicious chateo but none of it is making it into my mouth, bah!" Stomatella snail probably,

"Send Food" Sincerely, Pipe Organ

The flowing mountain of Palys!

Whiskers so long they dont even fit in frame. With a hint of GSP

Big Red the fire shrimp being the latest addition to the reef. "Why do you insist i look at the camera like this, I look like a Woodland Spirit, you know i will be boss of this tank one day!"

Trumpet close up.

Pavona, i think, close up.

Tail-Spot Blenny affectionately known as...Blenny.

I think Blenny may be going in for a kiss, "get back here Spike!!"

Stay tuned for more random tank moments in, Two Tanked too Enjoy it!

B-Kind

 

[MECOMI]

My Friday brain has completely taken over today sooooo procrastination it is. My printer has also jammed again at the office for the gazillionth time, let's take a 'well earned' break together.

Since joining the reef tank hobby i have three years of pictures saved up to share with my fellow reefers. I have thousands of pictures saved over that time. Some days i feel like sharing some insight and some days it is just pictures with a blurb or two about the happenings at the time.

I do wish i started my R2R thread much sooner as my feelings now versus when i started out are rather tame. I had big feelings about adding rock, water, and sand for the first time in my very own slice of the ocean. I was unbelievably lost and frustrated about my fish loss. I would overwhelm all my family members with every reef fact i learned along the way. And i celebrated my successes with the folks at the LFS because i did not know anyone in the hobby.

Speaking about overwhelming family members. My wife has been absolutely incredible on this journey. I talk to her extensively about the nitrogen cycle, how the creatures at every level balance the ecosystem, how the clownfish will eat right out of my hand, how the tests are going, and everything else going on for that matter between those four glass walls. And now if i ever repeat something to her she will quickly point it out, so she seems to be paying attention for the most part .

Once i started to repeat myself and the eye rolls or blank stares started from the family members and friends i realized i needed to back off a bit. This caused my brain to go crazy with overthinking. It would still be another two years before i started breaking down these thoughts in therapy. I never realized just how much better i would feel after journaling which eventually led me here.

Now i have a place where i can share my massive collection of pictures. I can share some thoughts and feelings about this crazy hobby. And it gives my brain a break.

Phew, happy Friday everyone,

B-Kind

 

[rmorris_14]

My Friday brain has completely taken over today sooooo procrastination it is. My printer has also jammed again at the office for the gazillionth time, let's take a 'well earned' break together.

Since joining the reef tank hobby i have three years of pictures saved up to share with my fellow reefers. I have thousands of pictures saved over that time. Some days i feel like sharing some insight and some days it is just pictures with a blurb or two about the happenings at the time.

I do wish i started my R2R thread much sooner as my feelings now versus when i started out are rather tame. I had big feelings about adding rock, water, and sand for the first time in my very own slice of the ocean. I was unbelievably lost and frustrated about my fish loss. I would overwhelm all my family members with every reef fact i learned along the way. And i celebrated my successes with the folks at the LFS because i did not know anyone in the hobby.

Speaking about overwhelming family members. My wife has been absolutely incredible on this journey. I talk to her extensively about the nitrogen cycle, how the creatures at every level balance the ecosystem, how the clownfish will eat right out of my hand, how the tests are going, and everything else going on for that matter between those four glass walls. And now if i ever repeat something to her she will quickly point it out, so she seems to be paying attention for the most part .

Once i started to repeat myself and the eye rolls or blank stares started from the family members and friends i realized i needed to back off a bit. This caused my brain to go crazy with overthinking. It would still be another two years before i started breaking down these thoughts in therapy. I never realized just how much better i would feel after journaling which eventually led me here.

Now i have a place where i can share my massive collection of pictures. I can share some thoughts and feelings about this crazy hobby. And it gives my brain a break.

Phew, happy Friday everyone,

B-Kind

Love this

 

[MECOMI]

Love this

aww, well thank you! Hope you have a great weekend enjoying the reef!

 

[rmorris_14]

aww, well thank you! Hope you have a great weekend enjoying the reef!

You as well!!!!

 

[kevgib67]

I just read the whole thread. Great story telling! Beautiful reef tank. I’ll be Jammin along with you as you continue! ( fellow Biocube 32 reefer)

 

[MECOMI]

I just read the whole thread. Great story telling! Beautiful reef tank. I’ll be Jammin along with you as you continue! ( fellow Biocube 32 reefer)

Wow, thank you so much ! Happy to have you on this Two Tanked journey. The jammin will continue!

Sincerely,

B-Kind

 

[MECOMI]

Before we found a regular house sitter we had everything from family, to friends, to pet services stopping by feeding all the animals at the Farm. I was always worried about overfeeding so i invested in a small magnetic frozen feeder from Innovative Marine. I had some concerns about the magnets so i never left the feeder in long and boy did the fish love that thing.

How many fish can fit in there?

It reminds me of a nori clip being stalked by the Tangs before you clip that delicious algae in place. Or the dogs circling the kitchen begging for anything to fall on the floor that may be edible.

Speaking of begging. When you begin the hobby you have no idea just how cute your fish can be when you are near the tank. I completely understand overfeeding and probably do so more often then i should. Those longing stares from animals that you just cant resist. Try as we might.

Inverts certainly try to beg but they are a little less graceful. You have to give it to them though, they are trying their best!

There are also times where inverts can be complete PUNKS! You wake up one morning, going about your business and when you say good morning to the tank, something looks off. I mean what is happening in there...is that what i think it is.....? The shrimp is dead...AHHHHH.

J/K just another molt, punks i tell ya,

The Biocube 32 is just about 9 months old. And the Red Sea Max is coming into view.

A little story about the RSM S-500. Just before the initial lockdown in Feburary 2020 i went to the LFS Easy Aquariums on a lazy afternoon. Their main display tank at the time was the S-500 that i would one day purchase. It started out as a beautiful reef tank with leather and softy corals wall to wall. They had 20+ fish all living in harmony with each other. And over time it went through several changes, lost or sold a few fish, sold a few coral, and one day before the pandemic somebody surrendered a small 3ft eel to the store.

To their surprise, It was almost six feet long! The stores owner still took on the rescue but knew it was way to big for the tank, so they donated it to the local New England aquarium just a week or two later.

Sadly the tank was never quite the same. The eel did a number on the rock work, and ate several of the fish that were remaining. So it was primarily a damsel tank throughout the pandemic.

Who knew that in just a few short months that tank would be mine all mine! And that is a story for another day my reefer friends,

Later days,

B-Kind