# Peninsula Reef - Build Thread



## goobafish

I've been looking at getting a bigger tank for a while now, and finally found something I really liked. Thanks again to sig for the tank, it's a great upgrade.


*Hardware:*
Miracles 48"x18"x16" tall eurobraced
Glass sump, 33 gallon long
Return Pump: Eheim 1262
Skimmer:Bubble magus curve 5 skimmer
Lights: Ecotech XR30 + XR15
LED Refugium Light
Flow: Ecotech MP10W x2
Heater: 2 200w
Reactor: 1x Phosban 
Controller: Apex

*What's Left*
Auto top off: ? ?
Light hanging kit (tank is eurobraced, and my tank mounts likely do not fit)
1 more Phosban
XR30? (It may not need 2 XR30s, but not sure how an XR30 and XR15 will look together)

I picked it up today, set it up, started filling it and setup my aquascaping table. I picked up 80+lbs of rock from Aquatic Kingdom, and 80lbs of aragonite. Excited to see where this goes!








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I decided to start from dry rock this time and build a permanent aquascape with nylon rods and a diamond drill bit. Hopefully I don't have too much trouble.

*Current Hardware:*
Miracles 48"x18"x16" tall eurobraced
Glass sump, 33 gallon long
Frag tank: 11 gallon 24"
Frag return: Maxijet 1200
Return Pump: Eheim 1262
Skimmer: SEC 180 Cone skimmer
Lights: Ecotech Radion XR30 + XR15 on rail
Flow: Ecotech MP10W and Gyre XF-130
Frag flow: Tunze
Frag light: Kessil 160 Tuna blue
Heater: 2 200w jager heaters
Reactor: 2x Phosban, one with carbon one with GFO
Controller: Apex and eb4
Auto top off: Coral box ATO
Auto dosing: Jebao DP4


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## Bullet

Awesome - looks amazing 
Following


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## sig

WOW. so fast.
Good luck

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## Jiinx

Wow so nice that sig's tanks live on through others. I can't wait to see how you build this


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## goobafish

Thanks guys, really excited to have some more room.

Got the eggcrate cut and started filling the tank.


Now onto the rock, hopefully it wont be too hard to split some of the larger pieces I have, as I have something in mind. I think I have enough tools. Diamonds for days


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## TBemba

What type of rock is that? Never saw anyone use such smooth rock in salt water. Looking forward to your build and the amazing photographs to follow.


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## goobafish

TBemba said:


> What type of rock is that? Never saw anyone use such smooth rock in salt water. Looking forward to your build and the amazing photographs to follow.


It's made of calcium-carbonate. Dry rocks are man-made and there are quite a few styles available. I chose the smoothest pieces, but the majority of the batch resembled pukani dry rock.


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## Bullet

Is there a team of people building this or just one man ?!


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## goobafish

Bullet said:


> Is there a team of people building this or just one man ?!


It's just me . It will be almost finished tomorrow I am guessing. Just took apart all the plumbing, gave it a super scrub, removed all the putty and tape and am now going to tape/putty it up and set it up exactly how sig had it. I think I will use the 1st chamber of the sump to run the skimmer, and do a refugium in the 2nd.


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## goobafish

It's running! Got the eggcrate cut and mixed saltwater in the tank. Got everything installed, working on the rockwork and rinsing the sand. More to come soon . Absolutely silent design. Thanks again sig, and thanks for the tips with the overflow.


The rock is quite easy to drill underwater with the diamond drill bit. Unfortunately I could only find a small size, so I will have to reinforce the rod with epoxy.


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## Bullet

Best wishes David 
*Amazing* progress - it's as if this is the start of a New Year for you and your business !


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## sig

Thanks David. I glad It went in the good hands. 
I would replace egg crate under pump with foam or someone similar to reduces vibrations on the glass.
Eggcrate there will "store" garbage under pump

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## goobafish

sig said:


> Thanks David. I glad It went in the good hands.
> I would replace egg crate under pump with foam or someone similar to reduces vibrations on the glass.
> Eggcrate there will "store" garbage under pump


Awesome, thanks. Was debating what to do for the little bit of vibration.


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## teemee

wow - that was fast!


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## goobafish

Big thanks to Marsh at Fragbox for a bunch of equipment. He called me from Ecotech's offices and had the staff make sure I got the right setup for my lights. I am running the new multi-rms tank mount, as the tank is eurobraced. A 48" bar runs between two tank mounts, and you can mount your lights on the rail. I also picked up a Maxspect Gyre.

Drilling was very successful with the diamond bit underwater. I ran nylon rods through the holes, super-glued them in, and then sealed it off with epoxy. I am using rock to support other rock while the epoxy dries, so it looks pretty strange . My aquascape plan may be a bit ambitious, I will have to see how well the epoxy holds and how much surface area it needs.


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## goobafish

The rock work is taking quite a while. Any piece that I attempted to epoxy without first drilling and inserting a nylon rod, broke off. This was true even for rocks that had little/no weight on them.

I have the two base rocks finished and the epoxy is set. Tonight I will put them in the tank and finish off my extension. Then I will drain the tank below the rock level, rod/epoxy on my extension, and the entire aquascape will end up being a single solid piece.


Meanwhile, I have installed the reactor, rinsed the sand and started working on the lights. When I asked Ecotech about the appropriate lighting for my tank, they suggested one XR15 closer to the overflow, and an XR30 on the other side, with wide-angle lenses. As the tank is so shallow, even with this combo I am going to have to watch the intensity.

I am unsure of what to do with the 2nd chamber in the sump. I was thinking either a refugium or a propogation area with some ornamental macro and mangroves. Also having trouble figuring out the water level for the skimmer. I am sure I either don't have the tank full enough, or the skimmer needs to be taken off the platform. Probably the former, but I will find out when I put one of those base rocks in.


May be a little hard to see, but the chamber on the right has a marking that says Good, the chamber in the middle has 3 markings and both the top and bottom say Bad. I am not sure what one refers to the water level with the return on or off. Sig, does the water level have to change if the skimmer is being run in the 1st chamber?

This tank should be really fun to start off. Once the dry rock and crushed coral are in and the dust has cleared, I am going to seed the tank with nitrifying bacteria and then an absolutely massive zooplankton culture, effectively making it a live, active culture. If my experience with the other tanks holds true, then there should be no ammonia reading at all and no cycle beyond the algae blooms.


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## CanadaCorals.com

Excellent progress so far.

My only concern is that you are using freshwater rock. It's gorgeous but also very dense.

What you need is dry rock that is very porous like marco rock. It gives more surface area for bacteria to live.


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## goobafish

CanadaCorals.com said:


> Excellent progress so far.
> 
> My only concern is that you are using freshwater rock. It's gorgeous but also very dense.
> 
> What you need is dry rock that is very porous like marco rock. It gives more surface area for bacteria to live.


What makes a man-made calcium carbonate rock freshwater vs saltwater? Marco is a brand of man-made calcium carbonate rock that happens to be styled to be more porous.

I do agree that it doesn't have as much surface area to colonize with bacteria, but I was hoping to go for a different look, as I had used marco style rock in a couple setups. Is there any way to figure out how much a difference this will make? If it's significant, I don't mind re-doing some of the work and changing the look a bit.


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## CanadaCorals.com

goobafish said:


> Is there any way to figure out how much a difference this will make? If it's significant, I don't mind re-doing some of the work and changing the look a bit.


It's hard to say how much bacteria it will hold.

I know everyone talks about requiring 1 pound of rock per gallon of water but that is just a rough guideline. Having 1lb/gal of dense rock .vs 1lb/gal of porous rock is VERY different.

The rock you have is very uncommon in the saltwater hobby and it must be because its just too dense.

With that said, it may work just fine. You won't know unless you try.


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## goobafish

CanadaCorals.com said:


> It's hard to say how much bacteria it will hold.
> 
> I know everyone talks about requiring 1 pound of rock per gallon of water but that is just a rough guideline. Having 1lb/gal of dense rock .vs 1lb/gal of porous rock is VERY different.
> 
> The rock you have is very uncommon in the saltwater hobby and it must be because its just too dense.
> 
> With that said, it may work just fine. You won't know unless you try.


I have kept two tanks with no rock in the entire system, and didn't have any issues with bacteria colonization in only substrate and macro algae, so I will gladly give it a try.

Having had a few tanks now, I am trying to look towards the long-term sustainability and stability of the tank, but it is really hard to determine in advance. My 8 month old rock-less system is very stable, but at the same time the tank is treated like a live zooplankton culture for the mandarin who lives in there. It is hard to tell how much the zooplankton and phyto dosing contribute to the bacterial stability.

I think I will find some Marco dry rock to incorporate into my design, so I can try to get the look i'd like and some more surface area.


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## sig

I used platform in order to keep skimmer at level (check link below) for the optimal performance
but the main point for me was to have water level in the tank high enough to allow me water changes (10G) without stopping the pump.
I used platform to keep skimmer higher for this reason. The middle chamber has 3 marks on - 2 bad (too low and too high) and in the middle is level which I had with skimmer on the platform

http://www.f3images.com/IMD/UserManuals/4W05001.pdf

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## goobafish

sig said:


> "having trouble figuring out the water level for the skimmer."
> 
> do not be shy and ask
> 
> I used platform in order to keep skimmer at 8-9" (check their website) for the optimal performance
> but the main point for me was to have water level in the tank high enough to allow me water changes (10G) without stopping the pump.
> I used platform to keep skimmer higher for this reason. The middle chamber has 3 marks on - 2 bad (too low and too high) and in the middle is level which I had with skimmer on the platform


Haha, thanks a lot. I assumed bad meant too high, and that one was referring to the water level with the return off, and the other with it on. Why did you want to do water changes without stopping the return? At the water level marked, it looks like the sump would be close to full when the return is shut off.

Thanks for the tips on the overflow and return, it took a couple tries to get it dialed in, but now its really silent.


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## sig

goobafish said:


> Haha, thanks a lot. I assumed bad meant too high, and that one was referring to the water level with the return off, and the other with it on. Why did you want to do water changes without stopping the return? At the water level marked, it looks like the sump would be close to full when the return is shut off.
> 
> Thanks for the tips on the overflow and return, it took a couple tries to get it dialed in, but now its really silent.


_Why did you want to do water changes without stopping the return?_

- if your power heads and return line is to high, they will make huge splashes when run >>> start after getting water back
- when corals high enough they will sit without water
- when your sump is "full" as result of the pump stoppage, it makes sump maintenance more difficult (at least for me)

I used first chamber to run two reactors (pumps inside) and two heaters on the back wall of the chamber.
using foam under drain line reduce splashes almost to nothing, I think your skimmer in the first chamber will get covered in salt. But not sure.
With this sump design, you can not have a different water levels in the chambers.

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## fesso clown

I was going to ask about that rock.....

If you get in trouble you could try and get a hold of some Matrix or Siporax.

Here is an interesting thread I am following:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2526998

Looking good.


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## goobafish

I started doing some reading on it. This seems to be the best modern thing I can find:
http://reefbuilders.com/2014/11/03/surface-area-live-rock-matter/

It seems very logical and parallels my experiences with the other tanks.

Does anyone know why they would make these rock if not for use in a reef tank? Freshwater doesn't require calcium carbonate, and wouldn't it cheaper to use natural terrestrial rocks for a freshwater tank?


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## fesso clown

All I know is that the more porous the more surface area the more room for bacteria to colonize. The sps guys on RC are going Gaga for Matrix/Sporix right now I think because it allows for a higher bioload/feeding which equals more poo to feed the corals.

Siporax is on the left in this video


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## goobafish

Very cool. But to be totally honest, I am not interested in finding out if a higher surface area means more space for bacteria to colonize, because that is really a given. 

I am looking for more information on the effects (short-term, long-term) of having more bacteria. There certainly has to be a threshold at which the amount of colonized nitrifying bacteria becomes either irrelevant or problematic. There must be a level at which the bacteria stabilizes (nitrifies) the system, then what is the role of extra bacteria? At what point does your porous rock simply become a detritus trap? I have a feeling that looking into this in depth is likely not worth the effort, a quick scan of available resources don't seem to have enough information one way or another. Although I will say that there are far more issues with cleanliness in systems that are jam-packed with live rock than systems that have little/none.

I hope that the dense rock can both provide a sufficient home for bacteria, and minimize detritus in a tank I am designing to be quite high-flow. 

Speaking of which, I am also a little worried about the high water level of the tank splashing with the flow I'd like.


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## fesso clown

My point was to let you know that if your rock isn't cutting it that 1 litre of Sporix in a reactor can do the job very cleanly.


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## goobafish

fesso clown said:


> My point was to let you know that if your rock isn't cutting it that 1 litre of Sporix in a reactor can do the job very cleanly.


Very cool, i'll try that out if I have to. The absorption in that video is crazy. I have seen a few products that function similar, but not as well. I will see if I can find some of the info I am looking for in some RC threads on that media. I'd also like to know what is used as an indicator of good/appropriate bacteria levels.


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## goobafish

Finally finished my base rock and got it in the tank. The low-hanging bridge is ready, and I drained the tank allowing the rock to dry to finish the rock work.


I had to makeshift a compartment to keep the refugium well separated from the pump. It is a F shaped eggcrate held together by nylon zip ties, with filter floss inside the gap of the F. I hope that makes sense to someone besides me. I will have to find a more permanent solution if I want to keep algae in that compartment.


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## goobafish

The sediment dust is almost done clearing out of the tank, so I have installed the rest of the equipment. The MP10 is hiding behind the rock on the right. Wow does that Gyre move water!


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## Orangutran

Sick scape!! Funny I saw sig's tank when I picked up a nem from him. Now you got it! Beautiful tank!

Also, get a silicone “Trivet” made for resting hot pots to place under the return pump. Look in The kitchen section of Walmart or something.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


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## goobafish

Orangutran said:


> Sick scape!! Funny I saw sig's tank when I picked up a nem from him. Now you got it! Beautiful tank!
> 
> Also, get a silicone "Trivet" made for resting hot pots to place under the return pump. Look in The kitchen section of Walmart or something.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


Perfect. I have a dozen or so of these I use for resting glass on. It is amazing how much use I get out of silicon stuff in the hobby. I have some large silicone plates/bowls that I use for fragging, and a 4'x4' silicon mat which I did all my rock work on top of. I will actually use a thicker version of the trivet, a square silicon pot holder that is about 4x as thick.


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## goobafish

Just poured in a gallon of this. All you can see with the naked eye is the tigers, I can't imagine how many pods are in there.


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## explor3r

goobafish said:


> The sediment dust is almost done clearing out of the tank, so I have installed the rest of the equipment. The MP10 is hiding behind the rock on the right. Wow does that Gyre move water!


That looks amazing to me.. well done


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## goobafish

explor3r said:


> That looks amazing to me.. well done


Thanks Alex!

The transfers have begun, got almost all the fish in there, a couple anemones and a cleanup crew.


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## goobafish

It took me an entire day to catch the Blue Tang in my QT tank, he was very cautious after I easily scooped the Yellow. The Yellow Tang started off as a bit of a bully, chasing the Copperband around. As soon as the Blue Tang was put in all the aggression stopped, and they are actually swimming together for the most part. Everyone is in great shape and happy to be in a more spacious tank. The Tangs were purchased from a 100 gallon tank that had more than 2 dozen XL tangs in it, amongst other fish, and they didn't have much space to move around.

I am going to very slowly transfer corals over. I am very much trying to avoid problems, between the bryopsis and the monti-eating nudis that have sprung up in my old tank while I have been busy setting up the new one. My plan is to dip the corals and blast off all nudis and eggs I can, place them in QT, and dip again in a week. I will also pluck everything I can off manually, and use hydrogen peroxide when necessary. Does anyone know if peroxide will kill either the nudi or the eggs? Maybe I can kill two birds with one stone.


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## mmatt

Looking good man. I love that rock work. Can't wait to see it loaded up a little more room then your other set ups. Lol


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## noy

Set up is looking good!.

By most (if not all) accounts hydrogen peroxide doesn't kill monti-eating nudi's. I had an infestation of this wipe out most of my montipora collection before. While I was treating them - I put some of the adults into a container with dip-strength iodine+revive (just to see what would happen). They were scooting around with no apparent effect on them at all.

Potassium Permanganate will kill these nudi's but will also turn your corals brown (will take months to colour back up again). http://www.3reef.com/threads/montipora-eating-nudibranchs.46433/

You can try to remove them manually by using a toothbrush and scrubbing the bottoms of the corals using a coral dip solution. You can then run your fingernails through the bottom to scrap off any remaining one. However, if you even miss one egg - they will come back with a vengeance.

I've also heard if you super-glue the areas of infestation after scrubbing - that helps to ensure everything is dead.

Good luck with this.


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## goobafish

noy said:


> Set up is looking good!.
> 
> By most (if not all) accounts hydrogen peroxide doesn't kill monti-eating nudi's. I had an infestation of this wipe out most of my montipora collection before. While I was treating them - I put some of the adults into a container with dip-strength iodine+revive (just to see what would happen). They were scooting around with no apparent effect on them at all.
> 
> Potassium Permanganate will kill these nudi's but will also turn your corals brown (will take months to colour back up again). http://www.3reef.com/threads/montipora-eating-nudibranchs.46433/
> 
> You can try to remove them manually by using a toothbrush and scrubbing the bottoms of the corals using a coral dip solution. You can then run your fingernails through the bottom to scrap off any remaining one. However, if you even miss one egg - they will come back with a vengeance.
> 
> I've also heard if you super-glue the areas of infestation after scrubbing - that helps to ensure everything is dead.
> 
> Good luck with this.


Thanks a lot. 
Last night I extracted some chewed-up monti and took a lot of the little buggers with them. I read a little on this last night and will likely be dipping, scraping with a toothbrush, week-long QT, re-dip, re-brush. Any coral that can be easily removed from plugs will be, and the plug will be replaced post-qt. I actually may not replace the plugs, and may glue them directly to my rock. I am not sure what the best way to keep pests out is.

I was hoping to avoid problems by front-loading my stocking of the tank with fish, and dealing with any diseases or illness before the tank was loaded with corals and inverts. I quarantined the new fish for two weeks in other systems and watched them closely. I will readily admit that illness is not something I am well-versed in, I have never had to deal with a major outbreak or really any health problems with my fish.

I have done a fair amount of research on Ich, and was very aware of the propensity for Tangs to carry it. The Yellow and Blue Tang I purchased from another hobbyist's tank that was way overstocked, but they looked to be in good shape. Upon inspection last night, The Yellow Tang has about half a dozen raised white specs on his body, the Blue Tang may have one or two, but all the other fish are in great shape. The spots are all extremely small and very white, and the fish are not scratching them. My procedures for instantly cycling a dry tank, or instantly "maturing", require that feeding be cut for 4 days after I add my bioload. While the other fish in the tank can and do survive solely on the tank's pod population, the Tangs may be experiencing a fair amount of stress while they go unfed. Feeding begins today, so I will continue monitoring them as they eat.

I am hoping that the white spots I see are signs of stress, or abrasions from capture/transfer, but I will know more when they eat again. Because all my corals are being cleaned and QT'd anyways, it is no big chore to treat the tank if there are health issues. I would only have to remove the pair of anemones.


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## goobafish

Went by Fragbox and picked up a few gems to start the tank off. Thanks Marsh!

I am going to need to brush up on my photography, these are a little soft .
The Orange Passion is tiny, but it still has incredible polyp extension.


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## Bullet

What's Nu on the potential ich spots on the tangs ?


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## goobafish

They were all gone within an hour of feeding. I don't know what they could be besides Ich spots, I have significant experience with freshwater Ich, and it looks very similar. This is not the first time I have seen spots like this in one of my systems, I have had it come up before with newly added fish that have yet to be fed.

I've had this conversation with a few reefers after doing a whole bunch of research on Ich treatments. Despite the majority of the literature being on what works vs what doesn't, the logical conclusion drawn from most research papers on it is that it is pervasive through the hobby and easily transferred through many means. 

What I took from that is that is even if I diagnose it without a doubt, a large tank in which corals will be added, inverts, fish, that the parasite will inevitably return in one stage or another to the tank. The longtime reefers I've spoke to tend to agree, there are many great modern products that combat the symptoms of Ich, and you can have the parasite in your tank and never see any symptoms on the fish. Medicated food, garlic additives, products like Medic all help with the stress the parasite inflicts on the fish, and can even be used in conjunction with other methods (uv sterilizer ect) to "eliminate" ich from the system. 

Given this, If I find it to be Ich, I don't think I would ever do any of the 3 proven methods for eliminating ich (copper, hypo and letting the system stay fallow) unless the parasite was causing loses or significant stress on the fish.

I am not sure how popular this opinion is after seeing so many posts on combating Ich, but I'd love to hear opinions.


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## CrankbaitJon

I just leave them if it's a few spots but I have a large UV sterilizer, it helps the fish fight off the ich along with good and frequent food offerings. The UV does really help as I have tried to do it with just garlic and vitamin foods without UV (bulb died) but it didn't work. I did have a powder tang though so it was a ich breeding facility. It might work if you don't have a fish like that in your system.

I have been told that the more corals you have in the system, the better chance for your fish fight off ich as the corals will consume free floating ich. It could be an excuse people give themselves to buy more coral though!

Just wondering, I see you have corals early in your system and I read that corals are more tolerant to small ammonia and nitrites during a cycle. What are your findings? I am moving and need to transfer my reef to a different tank in the new house and I only got a month to work with so looking to avoid having to cycle the new tank. Will be transferring live rock in buckets of tank water first, then corals, then finally fish by the end of the month.

Awesome tank by the way!

J


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## goobafish

CrankbaitJon said:


> I just leave them if it's a few spots but I have a large UV sterilizer, it helps the fish fight off the ich along with good and frequent food offerings. The UV does really help as I have tried to do it with just garlic and vitamin foods without UV (bulb died) but it didn't work. I did have a powder tang though so it was a ich breeding facility. It might work if you don't have a fish like that in your system.
> 
> I have been told that the more corals you have in the system, the better chance for your fish fight off ich as the corals will consume free floating ich. It could be an excuse people give themselves to buy more coral though!
> 
> Just wondering, I see you have corals early in your system and I read that corals are more tolerant to small ammonia and nitrites during a cycle. What are your findings? I am moving and need to transfer my reef to a different tank in the new house and I only got a month to work with so looking to avoid having to cycle the new tank. Will be transferring live rock in buckets of tank water first, then corals, then finally fish by the end of the month.
> 
> Awesome tank by the way!
> 
> J


Thanks!

There was no cycle, and there will be no cycle. The system has never tested for any amount of ammonia or nitrite. I don't cycle my systems, I build them ready-to-go using either live ingredients or a bacterial/chemical cocktail. In this case, not a single live piece was used, the rock and sediment were both totally dry, and the water fresh saltwater.

My flame anemones went in as soon as the fish did, as soon as the water cleared up from the fresh sediment. The next day I put my favorite corals in. The tank now has a bunch of corals and everything is extremely open and happy.

Also, I haven't seen any spots in a couple days. Think I will start with some medicated food and UV anyways.


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## goobafish

Big thanks to Sam for the tip on live blackworms. Went to Finatics and grabbed a bag of live blackworms. Everything in the tank can't get enough of them. they are thin enough even for the butterflyfish and small clowns, and there is enough volume for the tangs to get a healthy portion. Rinsed them in saltwater the first time I used them, and soaked them in saltwater and garlic this time.

Was getting too much surface scum in the sump, so I adjusted the reactor to agitate the surface after wiping it clean with paper towel.


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## tom g

*blackworms*

live blackworms will die when exposed to salt water 
mixed reviews about rinsing in tap water or ro water 
done both ways with no problems 
maybe u meant to say ro water


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## goobafish

tom g said:


> live blackworms will die when exposed to salt water
> mixed reviews about rinsing in tap water or ro water
> done both ways with no problems
> maybe u meant to say ro water


Nope. 50/50 garlic ro water with 50% saltwater, so its technically brackish. They do not die before they enter the tank. The first time I rinsed them in saltwater instead of soak and they did not die either. I see no reason a worm would die that quickly with such a small change in water.


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## goobafish

I'll have to re-take these when they are acclimated and with the daylights on. Glad Ryan at R20 had some of his latest shipment left 




Edit: Proper pics.


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## goobafish

The trach keeps opening, wonder how big its gonna get. Visited Alex @ FragCave to pick up this wonderful clam. Thanks Alex!


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## goobafish

Got a lot of work done this weekend. Cleaned up and fragged a bunch of corals, took a bunch off the live rock and added them to floating frag racks while I work on coral placement. I dipped every piece of coral I had once, brushed off any filamentous algae with hydrogen peroxide, quarantined for a week in fresh tankwater, then did it again. The dremel I bought with a couple diamond tips is doing fantastic work, and it is much easier than using a saw in an apartment . I finally have a Sea Hare that is working like it should, and it is lawnmowing my 20 gallon and the frags I put back in. I will be converting the tank to a rock-free frag tank, and may be selling the live rock inside, but it quite encrusted with corals. I may sell it as is or whip out the saw, haven't decided.

Meanwhile, things are coming together slowly:


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## appak

that looks fantastic!


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## goobafish

appak said:


> that looks fantastic!


Thanks!

I am debating what to fill out the higher parts of the bridge with. 
Major considerations:

When the return is cut, the water level is a bit lower and the corals sit half-out, so it should be a coastal coral that is used to the tide (in case of power outage)
There is very little room to grow upwards
Must be high-light if it is to go ontop of the bridge
Must be low-light if it is to be stuck under the bridge

Any ideas?


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## Bullet

Very cool bridge work !!


----------



## CoralConnoisseur

goobafish said:


> Thanks!
> 
> I am debating what to fill out the higher parts of the bridge with.
> Major considerations:
> 
> When the return is cut, the water level is a bit lower and the corals sit half-out, so it should be a coastal coral that is used to the tide (in case of power outage)
> There is very little room to grow upwards
> Must be high-light if it is to go ontop of the bridge
> Must be low-light if it is to be stuck under the bridge
> 
> Any ideas?


Tank is looking real good! Congrats!

Maybe an efflo on top? I have a cool yellow/green one. My colony is not that close to the surface, but I did have a frag of it on a frag rack much higher and it did not seem to mind the light. Efflo seem to grow out, instead of up. Not sure if it could handle being out of water tho.

Just a thought.


----------



## goobafish

Thanks, I will look into that. I have some blue symptosium I fragged up, I could glue it right onto the bridge too.

As the tank is beginning to go through its phases of algae growth, I am learning to dial in the sump equipment to keep the tank clean. I thought that my very strong flow would be enough to keep detritus out of the tank and in the sump, but yesterday the tank was particularly full of floating particles.

Last night I emptied and cleaned all the equipment from the sump, and vacuumed all the accumulated dust from the rock and sediment from the bottom. I removed the refugium I had built for now, and filled the center with a UV sterilizer and some filter floss. I also replaced the filter floss at the end of the drain with a filter sock. 

This morning the tank was crystal clear, not just the water, but the flow picked up the brown algae on the sand and pulled it through the sock. Will change the filter sock at lunch and keep it running like this for a while.


----------



## goobafish

Think this is my first time taking a decent full-tank shot. Starting to shape up, but still lots to do.


----------



## goobafish

Cleaned out the 20 gallon, dipped and scrubbed everything a second time, and started placing the corals. I also replaced the refugium with a coral propagation area. Going to need to re-take the tank shot at night-time.


----------



## duckhams

Sweet FTS! How are you finding your P04 and N03 levels with the base rocks, now that you have a few fish in there?


----------



## goobafish

duckhams said:


> Sweet FTS! How are you finding your P04 and N03 levels with the base rocks, now that you have a few fish in there?


Thanks. I haven't read any NO3 and only a little PO4 testing with my low range Hanna. PO4 has been stable at around 0.02-~0.05.

It has gone exactly how I hoped and researched it. It took quite a few tricks combined to instantly cycle the tank and skip the mini cycles (while using all dry materials), but, knock on wood, I would do it exactly the same if I were to start another system.

I saw in your thread the discussion about cooking/melting off a layer of the rock. I couldn't tell from your description if it was man-made calcium carbonate, or old reef rock. If the former, why would you be worried about the leeching of chemicals produced only by live things, when the rock was never live to begin with?

Also wondering what's going to happen algae wise. I am used to cycling tanks with love material and experiencing first diatoms then filamentous algae, but the tank is clean so far.

It's much different dosing a tank this size and maintaining my parameters. I need to invest in a dosing pump and some bulk additives.


----------



## duckhams

goobafish said:


> Thanks. I haven't read any NO3 and only a little PO4 testing with my low range Hanna. PO4 has been stable at around 0.02-~0.05.
> 
> It has gone exactly how I hoped and researched it. It took quite a few tricks combined to instantly cycle the tank and skip the mini cycles (while using all dry materials), but, knock on wood, I would do it exactly the same if I were to start another system.
> 
> I saw in your thread the discussion about cooking/melting off a layer of the rock. I couldn't tell from your description if it was man-made calcium carbonate, or old reef rock. If the former, why would you be worried about the leeching of chemicals produced only by live things, when the rock was never live to begin with?
> 
> Also wondering what's going to happen algae wise. I am used to cycling tanks with love material and experiencing first diatoms then filamentous algae, but the tank is clean so far.
> 
> It's much different dosing a tank this size and maintaining my parameters. I need to invest in a dosing pump and some bulk additives.


Thats great! Glad to hear things are going well! Im using Pukani Dry Live Rock, not artificial rock, so the acid/bleach bath was necessary because of the dead organic material within the rock. And the acid bath removes trapped P04 in the top layers of calcium carbonate by dissolving them off basically, there's really no worry about chemicals of any sort leaching though. We have some good bulk chemicals in stock if you're looking for them locally.


----------



## goobafish

duckhams said:


> Thats great! Glad to hear things are going well! Im using Pukani Dry Live Rock, not artificial rock, so the acid/bleach bath was necessary because of the dead organic material within the rock. And the acid bath removes trapped P04 in the top layers of calcium carbonate by dissolving them off basically, there's really no worry about chemicals of any sort leaching though. We have some good bulk chemicals in stock if you're looking for them locally.


I was just looking at your site. I think I need decide what dosing system I am going to use and get the right additives. I will be by for a local pickup in not too long, I am not too far.

Pukani Dry Live Rock is a brand name, it is artificial rock. Unless your man-made Pukani was previously in someone's reef tank, there shouldn't be a reason to do that to it.


----------



## duckhams

goobafish said:


> I was just looking at your site. I think I need decide what dosing system I am going to use and get the right additives. I will be by for a local pickup in not too long, I am not too far.
> 
> Pukani Dry Live Rock is a brand name, it is artificial rock. Unless your man-made Pukani was previously in someone's reef tank, there shouldn't be a reason to do that to it.


It's a website description, it's not really a brand. The rock is from Fiji, it's real, dry reef rock, not man-made rock, so it has dead organic material with in it. Sponges, old seaweed, little creatures and so on. The acid/bleach baths remove a lot of this material speeding up the cycle process and limiting P04/N03 issues.


----------



## goobafish

duckhams said:


> It's a website description, it's not really a brand. The rock is from Fiji, it's real, dry reef rock, not man-made rock, so it has dead organic material with in it. Sponges, old seaweed, little creatures and so on. The acid/bleach baths remove a lot of this material speeding up the cycle process and limiting P04/N03 issues.


Cool, makes a lot of sense. Have you done this before? I am wondering if it would produce a pest-free tank after a year, or if eggs/critters start coming from deep within the rock.


----------



## duckhams

goobafish said:


> Cool, makes a lot of sense. Have you done this before? I am wondering if it would produce a pest-free tank after a year, or if eggs/critters start coming from deep within the rock.


Thats exactly the point of using dry rock, and the acid/bleach process means the tank starts, not only totally pest free but P04 free! Without proper QT though, you could introduce pests as you add corals etc.


----------



## goobafish

I haven't been able to keep up with taking pictures, because i've been so busy recently, but things are looking great! The tank is still very clean, but the rock is covered in purple specs and should coralline over shortly.

I was expecting given my unusual cycling method that I would get hit with algae cycles, but I have yet to experience any real algae accumulation. I both test and dose daily/every other day since I started the system at least until I figure out what the system will need to maintain appropriate levels. The fact that I started with only dry material made out of calcium carbonate and gave it essentially no time to sit, means that some of my dosages are very large to maintain stability. I need to replenish at least 100ppm of Magnesium over 1-2 days, and at the beginning it was close to 200ppm. Luckily I have been on top of the testing/dosing and very religious about my daily carbon dosing regiment, so it looks like the swingyness should stabilize soon.

I will try to take a full tank shot soon. I am actually plumbing an 11 gallon frag tank into the sump that will sit right beside the tank, at waist level, so that has a lot of my coral in it. I also need to get something made to keep a refugium in my now empty centre chamber.

A couple shots from the last week. Thanks Alex for the awesome mushrooms, and Colin @ Reef Boutique for the crazy Plate Coral and the help with the frag tank plumbing. Also got some really nice Inferno Rhodactus from Elliot that have ballooned up in the shade. I will have to use my flashlight to snap a shot.


----------



## duckhams

Beautiful shots! Things seem to be going really well! Keep it up!


----------



## goobafish

duckhams said:


> Beautiful shots! Things seem to be going really well! Keep it up!


Thanks! And thanks for the cool mushrooms .



True Sunset Millie from March @ Fragbox


----------



## goobafish

Tank's been running very smoothly. A month ago Colin @ Reef Boutique gave me a juvenile (4 inch) two-spot coris wrasse that had some bad damage on his fins and needed somewhere to recover. Hopefully it will be well healed by the time it outgrows my tank and I bring it back. It is a fiend for worms/stars/inverts. I keep seeing it picking very hard at the few snails I have in there, I am guessing it has killed the few I've found dead. I might need to make the move towards an all-fish cleanup crew. It is incredible that I can throw a frag from my frag tank into the display and it come out sparkling clean in a under a minute. The tangs wipe out all the algae before it even hits the substrate, and the wrasse takes care of all the nano-inverts.

I decided to drill my frag tank myself and connect it to the system. I have never even planned a tank's plumbing before, let alone drill it so its been an adventure. I decided to do it with flexible tubing and hose clamps so that it is removable, but I have yet to find appropriate caps for the bulkheads. So far so good, I just have to figure out 2 things. A) How am I going to position the return? Can I use the hole that was pre-drilled into the overflow somehow without too many elbows, or do I need to seal it? B) Back-syphon prevention for the return line. I think I will install a flat return nozzle vertically, so that there is always an air pocket to break the syphon. Either that or I need to find a barb x barb gate valve.


----------



## goobafish

Well it looks like I don't need any valves. The plumbing is dead silent, and I used loc-line to put the return above the water line, and plugged the hole in the acrylic. So happy to have everything together like this.


----------



## blunthead

texas holey rock in a reef tank. usually seen in cichlid tanks but in a reef?


----------



## goobafish

blunthead said:


> texas holey rock in a reef tank. usually seen in cichlid tanks but in a reef?


Yep. Its man-made calcium carbonate. Cichlids require almost as high alkalinity as a reef tank does, and the rocks are made with the exact same materials. I have used it before in cichlid setups, and really loved the colour. I'm excited to see how it looks as its covered in coraline.


----------



## goobafish

Tried again for the full tank shot. Not my forte.




My clam from Alex, a very bright mushroom from R20 and some shots from the frag tank.


----------



## duckhams

Great pics, tanks looking awesome! How do you like the AI Prime on the frag tank?


----------



## goobafish

duckhams said:


> Great pics, tanks looking awesome! How do you like the AI Prime on the frag tank?


Thanks!

I like the light, the bang for your buck is incredible. If I did it all over again I would probably buy something besides Radions or AI: both have bad software, and Radions are too expensive for what you are getting.

My issues with them:

Radions
-Very expensive
-Software unreliable (freezes, two lights sync'd constantly bugs out and leaves me with 1 light on a totally different setting, restarts your lights and pumps to enact schedule change, two tanks on the software: schedules commonly get swapped, burned out some of my coral)
-No Wifi or ability to control out of the box
-Buttons couldn't be more useless
-Reeflink is awful, I actually need to check the status light to see if it is connected before I feed my fish, otherwise I can't turn the lights on. Often will not reconnect to the network if power or internet goes out.

Prime
-Looks like a toy hockey puck
-Cannot manually program schedule
-Buttons??
-Strong dislike for the colour of the white LEDs
-Tank mount not the most stable, does a bit of rocking

Keep in mind, I spent a few good years working in IT and am very good with electronics/computers. In hindsight, deciding between the WXM and the Reeflink, I made the wrong decision. As far as my personal preference for lights, I think I would have to take a look at some of the newer options and see how pricing works out. If I had to do it again with what I know right now, I would probably run 3-4 Primes over the tank and never run the whites (provided I can connect them via WXM). I much prefer the UV and Violet in the Primes to any of the Radion's colours.


----------



## duckhams

Have you contacted EcoTech Support about the Reeflink? They might be able to help resolve that issue or send you a new one if it's a hardware issue.


----------



## goobafish

duckhams said:


> Have you contacted EcoTech Support about the Reeflink? They might be able to help resolve that issue or send you a new one if it's a hardware issue.


I have contacted them at least 3 times, they have already replaced it. It is no better. No idea what I can do about their software besides just get a WXM and override it. I hate that halfway through my target-feeding one of my lights turns back to schedule, often closing the corals/inverts I am feeding.


----------



## duckhams

goobafish said:


> I have contacted them at least 3 times, they have already replaced it. It is no better.


Ahh im sorry to hear that. I have a lot of faith in EcoTech's customer support from past experience over the years, but that sounds frustrating. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.


----------



## goobafish

My friend grabbed an Olympus Tough TG 4 point and shoot. It is an underwater camera with a microscope mode. Very cool! I took some test shots to figure out all the settings.

March called this a Bloodshot Paly, can't find any pictures to compare, but it is extremely bright.


----------



## goobafish

Love this chalice, and I love going underwater with this TG4 .


----------



## notclear

Wondering why do you stack your rock so high up in the tank?


----------



## goobafish

notclear said:


> Wondering why do you stack your rock so high up in the tank?


I am trying to grow in appropriate corals it make a sort of bonzai garden going top down. We will see how it works out .

Picked up some strange Zoas and Palys this week. Also a tang. None of them came with any ID, anyone got any ideas? As far as I can tell it looks like a very juvenile dussumieri tang.


----------



## deeznutz

I agree with notclear. The structure looks cool, but you can't grow anything on it. It needs to be shortened by 3 inches to be balanced. Just saying.

Nice pieces you got there though.

-deez


----------



## mattdean

I'll chime in on the rock work. I consider myself quite adept at aquascaping. I will spend hours looking for just the right rocks. I used some Texas holy Rock too. It's awesome! However, using ONLY texas holy rock will not give you the best biological filtration as it is very dense. I combined it with Marco rock.

I agree with everyone that the structure is too high. You have quite a bit of space on either side to stretch out the rock and get it under the water line, which will give you more room for corals.

Of course, do what looks good to you. Just giving you an opinion. Here is mine without all the corals on it:









Lots of room for corals to grow up and out.


----------



## goobafish

Trying some more over the tank shots:


----------



## goobafish

Can't get enough of this chalice frag. I wish there was a mother colony to look at. The golden mushrooms I got from FragCave started showing some cool colours, but they were so compressed on the rock it was hard to see. I split them up last night, and wow, are the colours amazing.





Edit: forgot this one


----------



## goobafish

Picked up some neat stuff, but haven't had time to get good pictures. I took some handheld ones to feed my itch until I have some more time on my hands.

Thanks to Thang (GTAReef) for some awesome frags, and a frag pack of SPS and some LPS that is now glue on and starting to grow on the rock.

Frost Bubbles Mushroom



Rainbow and Mandarin Swag Torches from Fragbox


----------



## goobafish

Picked up a gorgeous frag of Wolverine from Fragbox and had a chance to take some shots.


----------



## goobafish

Picked these guys up from RR today. A pair of pintail fairy wrasses Cirrhilabrus cf. lanceolatus. I will get better pictures when they get their colours back from the acclimatization.


----------



## goobafish

Thankfully the two-spot wrasse is totally ignoring them, happy campers. Eating pellets and frozen food like champs.

Female

Male


----------



## goobafish

Going to be taking shots during his transition from sub to super-male. Should be quite interesting.


----------



## goobafish

I left the house for three days to go to a conference, first time leaving the tank unattended. While I can control the tank remotely, look at temperature and ph, and have video, I had no clue what I was coming back to.

My auto-doser went a little overboard (even after I reprogrammed it twice) and likely dosed too much NoPo4x, as my glass, rock, equipment and plumbing were covered in a whitish translucent slime. The slime clogged almost everything, the UV filter failed, both reactors failed and the skimmer failed. When I removed the return line it looks like the pipe was coated in a very thick layer of it, allowing only half the water to pass.

My wrasses were mia, both of them, even after scraping down everything and syphoning out the bacteria. After killing the return 3 times, I spotted the male wrasse in the overflow and grabbed him. He was being harassed by every tank-mate. When I put the net with the male into the tank the female came out and I saw even the smallest clownfish try to take a nip. I transferred the male (who was totally white) into the frag tank. As soon as he was put in the tank, the juvenile tang started attacking. I pulled all the frag racks, and nabbed the tang.

I tried catching the female in a net without success. Using an inverse coke bottle, I finally nabbed the female this morning and got her into the frag tank. The male has almost fully recovered, and the female is in good shape. Now there is no one to bother them in the tank, but it is significantly too small, and at 4" tall it is not a good home for the jumpers.

I have to decide if I am going to get rid of the Tangs or the Wrasses, as it seems that the fairy wrasses are very susceptible to harassment.


----------



## Crayon

Wow, that sucks to have your automation fail you like that while you were gone! It happens so often it seems like. Everything is fine while we are around and the moment we leave, wham! Something goes wrong. Good luck with the cleaning of the tank.

Re: fish. There is no reason the wrasse and tang cannot get along. I think the aggression right now is more because the male is suffering, than because of who they are.
However, pin tail wrasse are a very cool fish. The tang, mhh. If it is a Dussumieri Tang they get big. Like 21" and will soon need a new home anyway. Keep the wrasse.

Pls make sure you have lids for the frag tank while the wrasse are in there as well as your main tank. It is not a question of if they will jump, it is when.


----------



## goobafish

Crayon said:


> Wow, that sucks to have your automation fail you like that while you were gone! It happens so often it seems like. Everything is fine while we are around and the moment we leave, wham! Something goes wrong. Good luck with the cleaning of the tank.
> 
> Re: fish. There is no reason the wrasse and tang cannot get along. I think the aggression right now is more because the male is suffering, than because of who they are.
> However, pin tail wrasse are a very cool fish. The tang, mhh. If it is a Dussumieri Tang they get big. Like 21" and will soon need a new home anyway. Keep the wrasse.
> 
> Pls make sure you have lids for the frag tank while the wrasse are in there as well as your main tank. It is not a question of if they will jump, it is when.


The cleaning is already done, and the slime is gone now that I stopped the NoPo4x and added 2 gallons of matrix. Very thankful.

As for the fish, the Bristletooth is going to a new home for sure, just a matter of when. I would agree with you if they didn't nip the female's tail like crazy long after the male was gone. I am not sure if it because she was already weak from previous encounters or not. I think I will get rid of the Bristletooth and the Hippo, as both would outgrow it anyway, and try the wrasses when they are totally recovered. I will makeshift a lid today.


----------



## teemee

oh my goodness, you must be afraid to leave the house!
imho, get rid of the tangs. I too have lost fish from tang bullying...
At least you will have some peace of mind when adding new fish.


----------



## goobafish

teemee said:


> oh my goodness, you must be afraid to leave the house!
> imho, get rid of the tangs. I too have lost fish from tang bullying...
> At least you will have some peace of mind when adding new fish.


I am having a very hard time deciding between the fish I like, and the fish I want in my tank. My clan of tangs and two-spot coris together take care of every single piece of algae and little pest in my tank. As someone who had kept tanks with lots of snails, I really want to keep this one clean looking without all the clutter of snail shells. I went a little overboard on the Tangs, as there is no need for that much algae eating, there isn't really any algae in the tank.

I think ideally I would trade my coris wrasse for a bird wrasse, never keep any inverts, and hope that my yellow tang isn't too much of a bully.


----------



## teemee

goobafish said:


> I am having a very hard time deciding between the fish I like, and the fish I want in my tank. My clan of tangs and two-spot coris together take care of every single piece of algae and little pest in my tank. As someone who had kept tanks with lots of snails, I really want to keep this one clean looking without all the clutter of snail shells. I went a little overboard on the Tangs, as there is no need for that much algae eating, there isn't really any algae in the tank.
> 
> I think ideally I would trade my coris wrasse for a bird wrasse, never keep any inverts, and hope that my yellow tang isn't too much of a bully.


as gorgeous as the juvenile coris wrasses are, you realize they get up to 2', right? and bird wrasse grow up to almost a foot... get some turbo snails, they will eat your algae. it will be easier to get rid of an occasional shell then to try and catch fish.


----------



## goobafish

teemee said:


> as gorgeous as the juvenile coris wrasses are, you realize they get up to 2', right? and bird wrasse grow up to almost a foot... get some turbo snails, they will eat your algae. it will be easier to get rid of an occasional shell then to try and catch fish.


Yep, this one gets even bigger. Holding it for Colin @ Reef boutique while his fin damage heals, and he's taking care of the micro inverts. I would like a cleanup wrasse, just not sure which are not as aggressive.


----------



## Bullet

Wow oh wow, David
Just reading this now - how unfortunate about your tank but how fortunate that you were able to save your fish 
For what it's worth, the longer that I am in this hobby, the less I am interested in keeping tangs / surgeonfish - beautiful but too aggressive in most cases and limiting in fish selections 
Hey on another matter, let me know if I can help baby sit your system when you are out of town 
Sam


----------



## goobafish

Bullet said:


> Wow oh wow, David
> Just reading this now - how unfortunate about your tank but how fortunate that you were able to save your fish
> For what it's worth, the longer that I am in this hobby, the less I am interested in keeping tangs / surgeonfish - beautiful but too aggressive in most cases and limiting in fish selections
> Hey on another matter, let me know if I can help baby sit your system when you are out of town
> Sam


Thanks Sam! Think I will end up going that route. The tangs are pushing it in a tank this size anyways.

I picked up a SWC Cone 180 to replace the BM 5, gotta get it cleaned and hooked up.


----------



## goobafish

Swapped the skimmer for something much bigger, and it fit!


Grabbed a couple frags from March @ Fragbox.
Jedi Mind Trick Monti


Tyree Armageddon, just opening up




Updated full tank shot:


----------



## goobafish

Much better shot of the Tyree Armageddon:


----------



## fesso clown

goobafish said:


> Much better shot of the Tyree Armageddon:


Wicked shot!


----------



## goobafish

fesso clown said:


> Wicked shot!


Thanks! Incredible coral, so captivating, amazing texture. Had to move it and get it at the right angle:


----------



## goobafish

Skimmer fits like a glove, I don't think I have more than an inch to work with to fit it in. I am amazed at how much control you have over it, and how much crap it can pull in such a short period of time. In fact, I have ditched both filter socks for now to see if the skimmer can grab what the socks do and save me some maintenance.

I had to return my friend's tripod that allowed me to shoot at 90 degrees, so I had to find another solution. Turns out my tripod company makes an arm that allows you to do this. Only had the energy to snap a couple shots after setting everything up


----------



## Sunstar

I want some of your zoas, they are so pretty. 

What are your camera settings?


----------



## goobafish

Sunstar said:


> I want some of your zoas, they are so pretty.
> 
> What are your camera settings?


Thanks! I have a lot of cuttings I sell out of the nursery. Things are growing like crazy.

I don't use a set of camera settings, it totally depends on what I am shooting. I shoot manual, so the settings are entirely different every shot.


----------



## Sunstar

hmmmmm I will have to try again wiht my mums camera. Hers is more advanced than mine.


----------



## goobafish

If you use chrome, this extension is great: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/exif-viewer/nafpfdcmppffipmhcpkbplhkoiekndck?hl=en

It allows you to hover over photos with your mouse and see the settings for the shot.


----------



## goobafish

Thanks Albert!

RR Pink Matrix


RR Strawberry Shortcake

RR Needle in a Haystack


Watermelon Chalice

ORA Red Planet

RR Red Dragon


----------



## notclear

Very nice corals and pictures


----------



## goobafish

notclear said:


> Very nice corals and pictures


Thanks!

I built my own trap and caught all my fish in 20 minutes. Time to change things up, and get those wrasses back in. Totally recovered and looking wonderful in the covered frag tank.

I am taking the Two-spot Coris back to Colin @ Reef Boutique now that it has healed significantly and outgrown my tank. mmatt is taking the Blue Tang, and I have to find homes for my big bright Yellow and the juvi Dussumieri tang.


----------



## goobafish

All the Tangs have found new homes and the Two-spot is back at Reef Boutique. My tank was empty with just a pair of Clowns, the Faerie wrasse a mandarin and the spikefin goby, so I did some black friday shopping. Loaded up on snails, a few crabs and some fish
2x Blue Streaked Cleaner Wrasse
2x Algae Blenny
1x Wetmorella tanakai (Possum Wrasse)
1x Plectoris inermis (Geometric/Pygmy Perchlet)

Also picked up a gorgeous Bonzai colony, and it had a cute acro crab in it. My camera just got a firmware update to allow focus stacking, but I need to figure out how to batch edit the photos so that I can more easily upload a final product. Gives colonies great depth of field.

This is a focus stack, using a kit lens, not a macro lens.




The Bonzai had a super cute white and blue acro crab in it, that I saved from the dip and returned to the acro.


----------



## fesso clown

Very nice! Glad you made it out on Friday after helping with the Siporax. You should post your genius solution to keeping Siporax accessible for cleaning under it. 
Nice one on the Bonsai with the acro crab, I scored one last week in big acro frag. The symbiotic relationships are pretty awesome! Those 2 Blennys probably won't have one though...lol. I have tried to keep 2 different Blennies with different niches in a tank about your size and it didn't work at all.


----------



## goobafish

fesso clown said:


> Very nice! Glad you made it out on Friday after helping with the Siporax. You should post your genius solution to keeping Siporax accessible for cleaning under it.
> Nice one on the Bonsai with the acro crab, I scored one last week in big acro frag. The symbiotic relationships are pretty awesome! Those 2 Blennys probably won't have one though...lol. I have tried to keep 2 different Blennies with different niches in a tank about your size and it didn't work at all.


One is for algae control in the frag tank, so thanks for the tip, I will keep it that way.

For the Siporax what I did was string it along a piece of silicon aquarium tubing, allowing you to shape it however you want, or keep it in a string if you'd like to fill an overflow. I put 2l on one string, 1l on the other. You can shape it any way you'd like if you leave a bit of slack in the line, or you can just lay it down in rows like I did in the frag tank.


----------



## Crayon

Your photos are awesome. Nice!
Not sure your 2 cleaner wrasse are going to be happy together unless you have a m/f pair. I tried several times in a 175 and it was death match every time.


----------



## goobafish

Crayon said:


> Your photos are awesome. Nice!
> Not sure your 2 cleaner wrasse are going to be happy together unless you have a m/f pair. I tried several times in a 175 and it was death match every time.


Seems that way 

Got a few shots, its so much easier using a kit lens than a macro for the fish shots:


----------



## goobafish

Visited Dimitri (aquaticlog) and got some cool frags)

Pacman

ORA Voodoo and another hairy gorgeous acro


Purple Dragon

Teal Birdsnest


Also made a frag of my Pink Matrix and a couple of the awesome ultimate bonzai colony I picked up.


----------



## altcharacter

These shots are just amazing! I seriously have to come over one day and visit.


----------



## goobafish

Thank you! Anyone is always welcome to swing by and take a look. 

I have a totally filled frag tank that I need to empty out. 

I haven't posted anything as I have my live foods posting as my only allowed posting in the live goods section. Maybe its time to look into being a sponsor.


----------



## Mikeylikes

*Hey*

Hey Goob,

when are you home for me to pay a visit ? Want to pick your brain on taking photos. Need a tutorial ... LOL

I don't know when you are ever up in Markham but I don't live to far from SUM ... 16th and Kennedy if you are ever in the area.

Where did you pick up the colony of bonsai ? Great find btw ... I've been looking to get some myself.

Mike


----------



## goobafish

Mikeylikes said:


> Hey Goob,
> 
> when are you home for me to pay a visit ? Want to pick your brain on taking photos. Need a tutorial ... LOL
> 
> I don't know when you are ever up in Markham but I don't live to far from SUM ... 16th and Kennedy if you are ever in the area.
> 
> Where did you pick up the colony of bonsai ? Great find btw ... I've been looking to get some myself.
> 
> Mike


Hey Mike,

I am actually on vacation for a bit, so I am typically home. Send me a PM and you can come down, maybe an evening or mid-day when traffic isn't bad.


----------



## goobafish

I totally redid the sump configuration. The first chamber has a sock, 2 gallons of matrix, 2 litres of siporax strung on a tube, the reactor, and a bag a cheato floating. The 2nd chamber has a platform for the skimmer that has been adjusted to get me the best skimmate without hearing it. I also replaced the air tube that was lose, making the skimmer even more effective.



The frag return was replaced with a maxi-jet 1200 and I have valves on both the return and overflow to silence it. I installed a sock holder so that I have a sock on each return, making changes less frequent. I filled the overflow of the frag tank with another litre of siporax. Unbelievable how well this skimmer pulls, I am hoping to run sock-less soon if it keeps up.

Debating changing out my frag light from the AI Prime to a small Kessil tuna blue. I need another two inches or so of coverage.

2nd reactor today arrives, going to start GFO.


----------



## goobafish

Thanks to all the members who sold/swapped frags with me. I have glued a bunch in and they have opened up wonderfully.

Ultimate Bonzai (you can see the acro crab vaguely in the pic)

Got this from Colin @ Reef Boutique

aquatic log's acro


Pacman Acropora

Strawberry Shortcake 

Reef Raft Pink Matrix

Wolverine from Fragbox

Reef Raft Red Roses - gta reef


----------



## goobafish

Thanks for the visit Mike, was fun taking some shots. After we did that reel I experimented a bit with my kit lens (12-50) with and without a flash, handheld. Got some cool shots, and shows how well the wrasses are doing.


----------



## goobafish




----------



## goobafish

Finally got a native macro lens. It is much easier to impulsively take handheld pictures with the stabilization, also gives great fish shots. Loving these fairy wrasses. Sea U Marine has 2 females in stock, but I am so hesitant to buy there.

Thanks to FragBox for the RR Habanero and the Darth Mauls


----------



## duckhams

Photography is looking sharp!


----------



## explor3r

Very nice I love the porcelain crab in the anemone!!!


----------



## goobafish

Thanks guys! Love having this lens back. It means I can shoot whenever I feel like without whipping out the tripod and the works.

Thanks to March @ FragBox for the Aussie heat.




Pumps on blues (copepod storm flying by)


Pumps off with whites


----------



## goobafish




----------



## goobafish

Swapped out the AI Prime over the frag tank to a Kessil 160 Tuna Blue. Incredible light, gives me great options for photography. I've been picking up a lot of acro recently, and some really gorgeous colonies.

I got this millie from Reef Raft, not sure what its called, but it has at least 3 colours, and I am waiting for more .


RR Milli




FragCave Pink Lemonade



FragCave Bright Yellow Acro


Unknown Acro (Looks like shortcake)



Pacman

Pink Matrix is thriving

Montipora Confusa frag (got a whole colony)


Two stunning acros from Aquatic log. One is bitonal, its incredible.


----------



## goobafish

Big difference shooting overhead under the Kessils. Love that I can turn the knob to the perfect colour for the shot.


----------



## goobafish

Updated full tank shot:









Some of the frags in my frag tank for sale  Come on by!
http://s34.photobucket.com/user/goobafish/media/Reefers Anonymous/_C141538_3.jpg.html


----------



## goobafish




----------



## goobafish

Added a Cirrhilabrus lunatus to the wrasse family. It almost identical in coloration to the pintail, but has a crescent. The 2nd female is getting along very well, and is causing the male to do nuptual displays every dawn and dusk. I will need to get a picture of him with his fins extended and his full coloration. The female lunatus and cf. lanceolotus are getting along very well, and my harem is looking wonderful . The 3 Sunburst Anthias are gorgeous, and they really like making an appearance when the blues are on. I love how docile they are.


----------



## Sea MunnKey

Sorry a little off topic ... which particular macro lens do you use for these close up shots?


----------



## goobafish

It depends on the pictures. The one I have been using recently is an Olympus 60mm 2.8. I also use a Sigma (canon mount) 180mm macro, and a Nikon 105mm macro.

In my other thread where there are a lot more true "macros" (these are just close ups) I am using a Canon 100mm macro, Sigma 105mm macro, Sigma 150mm macro and the Canon MP E 65mm.

These are true macros, the last is by far the highest magnification, maybe 20:1:


----------



## fesso clown

Wow David, all I can say is WOW!!!
Beautiful pictures!!!


----------



## Sea MunnKey

I like the shrimp shot .... very nice!!!


----------



## goobafish

Thanks!

GTA Coral and I did a frag swap, we each walked away with some really cool stuff.

Shadow Bees, Utter Chaos, Bella Blues and a Bubblegum Chalice


----------



## duckhams

Sweet looking chalice! whoa.


----------



## goobafish

Yeah its a sweet chalice.

Ever since I took the fish out of my frag tank I have been noticing that it has been harboring much more life, someone pointed the overflow out to me when I had the lights up. The density is absurd, they are covering everything from the acrylic to the frag rack, to the plugs. I took a couple shots of the overflow of the frag tank this morning. For reference, this is taken with a 180mm lens, so the area you are looking at is about 1"x1"-2"x2".


----------



## goobafish

Crescent tail fairy wrasse Lunatus, female, gets along great with the pintails


I promise to learn to focus while taking video, this would have been cooler if I could have focused on the tentacles after the video ends.


----------



## duckhams

Id harvest those little beasties with a siphon and a net and feed them to my wrasse/anthias! You're the second member i've heard has a 180mm this week. Very nice.


----------



## goobafish

duckhams said:


> Id harvest those little beasties with a siphon and a net and feed them to my wrasse/anthias! You're the second member i've heard has a 180mm this week. Very nice.


Good call, I turkey basted some off the back and threw them in the display. The tanks are plumbed together so that is all my fish really eat, I only feed processed foods twice a week. 180mm lenses are quite specialized, but they really help you get great close ups towards the back of the tank. I've even used it over-top the frag tank to get some crazy macros. Noy's is significantly better than mine, I think he has the Canon L f/2.8 version, I have the Sigma f/3.5 version. He also has the MP-E 65mm, makes a fantastic lineup. Lens envy


----------



## goobafish

I was told these were collected in St Thomas. Any way I can tell if these are discosoma sanctithomae or something else? Got a nice colony, this is one of the bigger ones.


----------



## teemee

goobafish said:


> I was told these were collected in St Thomas. Any way I can tell if these are discosoma sanctithomae or something else? Got a nice colony, this is one of the bigger ones.


anything is possible, but it doesn't look like any of the st. thomas corralimorphs I've seen.


----------



## goobafish

Looks like they are Yumas. Took some time shooting today in both tanks. Stuff is growing so fast, made a whole bunch of frags.


----------



## goobafish

The male is changing!


----------



## Rookie2013

goobafish said:


> The male is changing!


Awesome luv those ricordeas


----------



## goobafish

Looks like I saved my Jason Fox chalice, was bleached last month, but its got all its colour back.


----------



## goobafish

If anyone is interested in a frag of the JF Crazy Fox, I will be fragging it soon.

Two new gems:
Yakuza

Pacman


----------



## fesso clown

Saw that Yakuza at FB yesterday. Nice.


----------



## goobafish

Visited Dimitri (Aquaticlog) today. A pleasure as always. Came back with some gorgeous "frags". I would call a few of them small colonies, and they are absolutely gorgeous. When they get a little more acclimated to my lighting I will snap some proper shots.


----------



## Rookie2013

Nice


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## goobafish

Thanks, moved em to the display, under the Radions:

Orange Barney

Blue Cloud Acropora

Burgundy Dream

Purple Fuzzy Bear

Green Caroliniana Acropora


----------



## goobafish

Added some new rock to the scape, and finally got to mounting everything. Really excited for it to grow in, these SPS are looking fantastic.


----------



## Rookie2013

Wow your corals specially te Sps are stunning good photography...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## fury165

Holy super sized pic batman. Like the rockwork, keep the updates coming.


----------



## goobafish

Thanks guys! Finished off the rockwork and finally glued in all the frags. It usually takes a couple tries for them to affix, but I get better at it every time . I also made frags of Tyree Armageddon IIs and Darth Mauls amongst the acropora frags I have. Doing great so far under the Kessil.


----------



## million$view

awesome pics dave!! what camera are you using?


----------



## goobafish

Thanks! I am using an Olympus E-M1 mirrorless camera.


----------



## goobafish

These came off a rock of wild Yumas I picked up a few months ago. They opened up and I love the colour. Are these similar to anything anyone's seen before?


----------



## goobafish

Been a while since I setup the tripod and took some proper pictures. I am hoping to be done placing the corals (epoxy/glue) soon, as they are not loving being pushed around by my conches.
One of my anemones started walking up the rock and forced me to rip my pink matrix colony out. Luckily it looks like its recovering from the sting.








Tyree Undata way too big for my tank, need to find it a new home


Frag tank is getting full, gots lots of fully encrusted SPS, and some really cool bright zoas/palys: Darth Mauls, Tyree Armageddon IIs, Solar Eclipse, Nuclear Greens.


----------



## goobafish

Some quick shots from the frag tank:


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## Rookie2013

Nice shots


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## goobafish

Rookie2013 said:


> Nice shots
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks! Pleasure meeting you today. Enjoy the monti!


----------



## Rookie2013

Likewise my friend. The Monti had already purpled up in my system seems like it's loving it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## goobafish

Rookie2013 said:


> Likewise my friend. The Monti had already purpled up in my system seems like it's loving it.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The more blue you put on it, the sharper the purple. That shot we were talking about today, I used a actinic blue flashlight to double the effect. It's one of the reasons I would like to add some more actinic lighting to the system. Another day .


----------



## Rookie2013

Hummmmm thanks love your system simple and elegant...


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## goobafish

Left the Toronto coral show with some loot from GTA Reef. Any one know what #2 (it is not gonipora) and #3 are?


----------



## teemee

goobafish said:


> Left the Toronto coral show with some loot from GTA Reef. Any one know what #2 (it is not gonipora) and #3 are?


3 looks like lithophyllon to me.


----------



## fesso clown

#2 is Leptastrea. You're lucky, he doesn't frag that one very often. I have some. It's one of my favs. It takes moderate flow and light. 
NIce scores!


----------



## fesso clown

*Thangs website*

here you go:
http://www.coralid.ca/?portfolio=leptastrea


----------



## fury165

Great progress and pics Gooba, keep them coming.


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## goobafish

Thanks everyone. Really happy with the colour of these, not something I have a lot of in my tank. The orange plate-coral looking SPS is called Sammocora apparently. I absolutely love the colours, gotta research where to attach it to the rock, would love it to encrust further.


----------



## goobafish

Just an update on some of the issues I have been working through with the tank.

I couple months ago I moved my new skimmer, the SWC cone 180, to a different compartment in the sump and adjusted the height. It was 1/4" too high and caused micro bubbles on startup, and left the skimmer skimming at minimum. I bought some fine carbon from BRS, and every time I changed the carbon, the TLF reactor would clog within a couple of days. The combination of insufficient skimming, lack of carbon, and my overzealousness with additives (especially Iron) left the tank covered in a thin layer of hair algae. Pieces of foreign macro algae on frags (like bryopsis) started growing out of control.

After fixing the skimmer and the carbon, and testing the phosphates and nitrates (0.05 and 5), I added some more GFO to my other reactor and started manual removal of the algae with tweezers and a toothbrush. While I was fairly effective, I also managed to knock down many of my glued-in frags, which I have to wait to glue back in due to the layer of algae.

I was getting frustrated with the constant maintenance, so I went another route. I picked up a Foxface for the display tank, and a tiny baby Kole Tang for the frag tank. Within 2 days all the filamentous algae was gone, leaving just a little brown layer, which they are slowly cleaning off. They are doing a wondeful job, and I will need to pickup another Tang for the display. I will also have to sell some of the wrasses to make some room, I would like to keep the bioload fairly low.

I also picked up a large reactor which I was unsure of what to do with. I have GFO and Carbon already running, and no refugium, so I decided to run Cheato in the reactor and light it from both sides. I thought the cheato would tumble with the powerful flow of the pump, but it is staying still. I am thinking of putting a valve on the out-take to try to get it to tumble.

Coral pictures will come later this week when the cleanup is done .


----------



## kamal

Maybe run siporax in the reactor instead.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk


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## goobafish

kamal said:


> Maybe run siporax in the reactor instead.
> 
> Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk


If the siporax is already in my sump, what would be the benefit of running it in the reactor? I tried to find this info online, but it seems that it is a very marginal difference.


----------



## kamal

Sorry I hadn't read you earlier posts so wasn't aware you were already running it 

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## goobafish

kamal said:


> Sorry I hadn't read you earlier posts so wasn't aware you were already running it
> 
> Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk


Yes, I have 2 gallons of siporax, and 2 gallons of matrix in there . I feel like the cheato reactor is going to get filthy unless I can get the cheato to tumble, so we will see how long it lasts.


----------



## goobafish

Fell in love with this guy's colours, and had a lot of trouble finding a yellow tang without HHLE or ich spots, so I decided to give it a shot. He is a little bigger than a toonie, and I have never seen a fish acclimate quicker. Straight to the algae and flying around the tank ignoring his tankmates (for now).


----------



## fesso clown

Beautiful fish! 

You could "optimize" the Siporax and Matrix by putting it into a reactor. Reefvet has done actual studies linked in that thread I pointed you to and explains the ideal GPH ect... does it make that much of a difference? Apparently not much...

Again... beautiful fish is that a scopas tang? too bad they don't stay that size... so cute!


----------



## goobafish

fesso clown said:


> Beautiful fish!
> 
> You could "optimize" the Siporax and Matrix by putting it into a reactor. Reefvet has done actual studies linked in that thread I pointed you to and explains the ideal GPH ect... does it make that much of a difference? Apparently not much...
> 
> Again... beautiful fish is that a scopas tang? too bad they don't stay that size... so cute!


Thanks! I took a look at that info and came to the same conclusion. I love how it is working now, and the sump space can't go to much other use, so it works. I'm hesistant to try bio-pellets (the reactor is recirculating) because I hear such mediocre results, and it seems that manual carbon dosing is just easier.

The store insisted it was a juvenile Sailfin tang and not a Scopas because of the lines going through him. I think I was right in assuming this was a Scopas, and they meant two-tone sailfin tang (Scopas)? Google images shows young Scopas to look like this.


----------



## goobafish

I am a week into using my SWC reactor for cheato. I cannot believe the growth rate inside the reactor, and am shocked at the lack of algae accumulation. I have had it installed for a week, and it has grown 4-6x in size already, it looks like it will fill the reactor by the 2nd week. If the only maintenance for it is a 2-3 weeks harvest and cleaning I think it will work well.

This is what I started with a week ago, and what I have today. Conservatively I would say it grew 6x, but it is likely more given the really high flow and density.


----------



## Rookie2013

Thts good use of the SWC reactor I have one lying around the exact same one tht I ran Biopellets into maybe try this


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## goobafish

Finally clean enough to take some coral shots!


----------



## kamal

Beautiful pics

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## Rookie2013

Too good gooba


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## jd81

Very nice tank!!!


----------



## goobafish

Thanks so much guys! It is great to finally have the algae under control and be able to enjoy the tank . Some more pics:

RR Starburst Monti

Pacman

RR Orange Passion (needs more orange!)

JF Crazy Fox Chalice

ORA Voodoo

Branching GSP Mat


----------



## goobafish

Harvested a gallon and a half of cheato from the reactor, there was almost no algae accumulation. I am also getting another XR30 to hang on the tank to get rid of some of the shading.

Gorgeous aquacultured milli I got from March. I don't think its fully coloured up yet either.

I also am trying a few monti grafts, we will see how it goes.


----------



## goobafish

Installed another XR30 and upgraded the MP10 to a MP40. Found an amazing super glue and have been able to glue flags to all sorts of places. BSI IC-Gel.

Full Tank:

ORA Voodoo

RR Sunburst Tech

JF Crazy Fox

RR Pink Matrix

RR Wolverine? (I don't remember for sure)


----------



## goobafish

It's been two years since I first saw a colony of this chalice. I am so happy to finally have a little piece. Thanks Reef Raft!


----------



## Rookie2013

goobafish said:


> It's been two years since I first saw a colony of this chalice. I am so happy to finally have a little piece. Thanks Reef Raft!


awesome pics gooba...glad to see you are finally winning against the algae....that chalice is stunning...what is it called? would love to get a frag.


----------



## goobafish

It is Reef Raft Rainbow Dynamite Rainbow Chalice.

Thanks! I am really glad I went with the herbivores and some nutrient control. I do not need to do any additional maintenance to keep the algae at bay in the display. The frag tank however is too small to keep herbivores, so I in the midsts of taking it down, cleaning it and putting the racks back in.

Also got a clam


----------



## Rookie2013

Seems like you went on a spending spree lately lol. Thts an awesome clam I have been trying to find one which is blue where did u got it from?


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## goobafish

Rookie2013 said:


> Seems like you went on a spending spree lately lol. Thts an awesome clam I have been trying to find one which is blue where did u got it from?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I sold off some of my old collectibles  Magic cards sure skyrocketed.

Big Als Mississauga has 25% off clams, they have dozens of golden/teardrop ones. They are really nice but totally covered in caulerpa and aptasia. They had two clean blue squamosa clams, I bought one of them.


----------



## duckhams

goobafish said:


> I sold off some of my old collectibles  Magic cards sure skyrocketed.
> 
> Big Als Mississauga has 25% off clams, they have dozens of golden/teardrop ones. They are really nice but totally covered in caulerpa and aptasia. They had two clean blue squamosa clams, I bought one of them.


It's a really clean clam considering where it came from! Nice pick! I got an algae covered tear-drop clam from them a few weeks back and it took me half hour with a toothbrush and a razor blade to clean it up. They can take a good cleaning and scraping if needs be. It's growing like a weed now too! and algae free!


----------



## goobafish

duckhams said:


> It's a really clean clam considering where it came from! Nice pick! I got an algae covered tear-drop clam from them a few weeks back and it took me half hour with a toothbrush and a razor blade to clean it up. They can take a good cleaning and scraping if needs be. It's growing like a weed now too! and algae free!


Awesome! I may go back for one of the tear-drops. I didn't know how much scraping it could take, nor how it would stand up to aptasia-x. This one had a miniscule aptasia on the bottom of the pic where the black spot it. I blasted it with aptasia-x.


----------



## Rookie2013

goobafish said:


> I sold off some of my old collectibles  Magic cards sure skyrocketed.
> 
> Big Als Mississauga has 25% off clams, they have dozens of golden/teardrop ones. They are really nice but totally covered in caulerpa and aptasia. They had two clean blue squamosa clams, I bought one of them.


Will b there today to check the clam out its on hold for me....thanks I bought a Squamosa from them a month ago

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## goobafish

If its the one in the tank its very nice!

Cleaned out the frag tank with some new racks from JT Acrylics:


Clam top-down:

<3


----------



## duckhams

goobafish said:


> Awesome! I may go back for one of the tear-drops. I didn't know how much scraping it could take, nor how it would stand up to aptasia-x. This one had a miniscule aptasia on the bottom of the pic where the black spot it. I blasted it with aptasia-x.


I would have taken it a screw driver to it and scrapped it off.


----------



## teemee

I'll trade you some berghia for some pods if you want 
they'll get rid of your aiptasia!


----------



## goobafish

teemee said:


> I'll trade you some berghia for some pods if you want
> they'll get rid of your aiptasia!


Haha, thanks but that's the only aptasia I've ever seen in this tank. Hopefully there are none hiding out of sight.


----------



## goobafish

Thanks to Shooter from the Frag Tank, these are gorgeous! And thanks to Sam for delivering.

OG Hallucinations

Reef Raft Cannabis


Some other shots:
Not sure what these are

Tyree Armageddon II


----------



## goobafish

SPS growth has exploded under the new lights. All the frags I glued in have begun encrusting on the live rock, and I am getting much nicer colours out of the SPS.

These are all taken under the display tank lighting:

Reef Raft Orange Passion

Reef Raft Wolverine

ORA Red Planet

Rainbow Trachy

OG Rasta Micro Zoas

Sunny Ds

?? Paly

OG Hallucinations

Ultimate Bonzai (growing like mad)


I also made ~20 frags today. Big caps of Tyree Montipora Undata, quite a few frags of Rainbow Montipora, Green Slimer and Ultimate Bonzai.


----------



## goobafish

Who wants frags?? I went on a cutting spree last night. Also got some new corals today.

Frags:
Rainbow Milli

Solar Flare Paly

Green Slimer


Tyree Armageddon II

Tyree Undata Montipora

Ultimate Bonzai


New Stuff:
RR Kendari

RR CJ Pillows


RR Tricolour Parlowensis

RR Nauti Spiral


----------



## Rookie2013

Nice frags Gooba


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----------



## goobafish

Thanks! I will post a sale thread when I have them organized and photographed. PM me if you want something specific.

I made frags of:

Blue Cloud Acropora
Burgundy Dream Acropora
Canadian Berry Explosion Cyphastrea
Darth Maul Zoanthid
Flamethrower Chalice
Flamethrower Yuma Baby
Green Slimer Acropora
Jason Fox Bella Blues
Jason Fox Montipora Parlowensis
OG Hallucination Palythoa
ORA Red Planet
ORA Voodoo Acropora
Pacman Acropora
Rainbow Millipora
Reef Raft Pink Matrix
Reef Raft Habanero
Reverse Strawberry Shortcake
Solar Flare Palythoa
Tyree Armageddon II
Super Orange Psammacora
Tyree Undata Montipora
Montipora Confusa 3"x3" colony
Ultimate Bonzai
Seasons Greetings Monti (Frags and a small colony)
Various Acans
Montipora Stellata

Pictures of each coral can be seen here:
http://copepods.ca/product-category/coral/coral-nursery/


----------



## Cichlidrookie

Hey gooba

Your webpage looks just as good as your pictures. Well done and good luck with sales.


----------



## Daney90

Very nice chalice gooba! Is the base red and blue green in colour? 

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk


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## goobafish

Thanks guys!



Daney90 said:


> Very nice chalice gooba! Is the base red and blue green in colour?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk


The Reef Raft Chalice is red/teal base with bright orange/neon green mouths and a really bright orange/neon rim.

The Jason Fox Chalice is blue/purple base with bright orange mouths and a yellow/neon grim rim. 


I also have a couple other chalices I am growing out. Each chalice likes its own type of light. Some of them I just can't keep, the tank is too bright. The RR Chalice is the only one that seems to like full light.


----------



## Daney90

Hmm based on your description of the chalice. It sounds like a bugatti chalice lol check this out 



. Very nice piece indeed 

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## goobafish

Daney90 said:


> Hmm based on your description of the chalice. It sounds like a bugatti chalice lol check this out
> 
> 
> 
> . Very nice piece indeed
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk


Cool. I got it directly from Reef Raft, think they call it something else. Doesn't matter, I still absolutely love it . Still need to figure out if the JF is Crazy Fox or My Miami.


----------



## Bullet

Busy fragging time for you Goobafish !
Spectacular and healthy offerings !


----------



## goobafish

Thanks Sam!



Some pictures while they heal up:














Some of my guys are glued in and growing out:
RR Orange Passion

RR Kendari


----------



## goobafish




----------



## goobafish

My algae reactor has been incredible. Despite my increased lighting and feeding, my Nitrates are 0 and Phosphate at 0.05. I think I will stop running GFO and keep running cheato.

Moved the XR15 to the frag tank so I could keep the two on the same light schedule. I have the kessil along with the 2 XR30s running on the display.

I want the colours of the corals I am growing the match the colour they have in my display. I noticed this:
Ultimate Bonzai (same colony): Kessil grown vs Radion Grown
Kessil:

Radion:


Some cool stuff I snapped shots of:
Ultimate Bonzai Colony

Acid Flashback Ultra Acan


Jason Fox Apple Berry Montipora

Fire/Ice Zoas

Growth on my Orange Passion (started as a 1/4 inch single nub)

Let's see what this ends up looking like, think its yellow base with purple polyps

Snapped off from March's display tank 

Reef Raft Cannabis (thanks Scooter000!)


Green Frogskin Acro

Pink Matrix (changed colours a lot)

Reef Raft Kendari


----------



## deeznutz

Looking good man, dam I wish my camera wasn't broken 

Clearly the radions are show better colour and polyp extension then the kessils

-dan


----------



## goobafish

Ordered a new frag tank from JT, going a little bit bigger! Couple pictures, because the rest of this post will be boring for those not using an Apex.






I did a lot of programming this week on my Apex and installed an AFS. It took a lot of coding and creating virtual ports, it's also given me a lot of ideas on how to work within their coding environment.

I have an Apex with PH probe, temp probe, eb4 and an AFS


I wanted to use the AFS to auto feed, but mostly coral food rather than pellets/flakes. In order to this I had to setup my own program to ensure the tank worked the way I wanted during feeding. I filled the AFS with a mix of Apex Crossover Diet, other pellets, reef roids, reef chili, reef pearls, zooplan and coral frenzy.

Twice a day (12:00 and 5:00) or when I switch the virtual outlet v-feed1 to ON, the feed will start. 
0 minutes: Return pump off
5 seconds: AFS Turns on
30 seconds: AFS Rotation
1 30 seconds: 2nd AFS Rotation
2 minutes: AFS turns off
(food is then mixed in high flow for 4 minutes)
6 minutes: MP40 turns off allowing corals to feed on particulate food
8 minutes: MP40 turns on to ensure no food is left at the bottom
9 minutes: return turns on
15 minutes: reactors turn on
30 minutes: skimmer turns on, auto top off turn on

Technical details:
1 feeder outlet (v-feed)
5 virtual outlets (v-feed1, v-feed2, v-feed3, v-feed4, v-feed5)

*v-feed1* (the switch, also turns off return pump)
Set OFF
Fallback OFF
If Time 12:00 to 12:09 Then ON
If Time 17:00 to 17:09 Then ON
If Outlet v-feed6 = ON Then OFF
If pH > 8.40 Then OFF

*v-feed2* (the 5 second defer to start the AFS after the return is cut)
Set OFF
If Outlet v-feed1 = ON Then ON
Defer 000:05 Then ON

*v-feed3* (trigger to turn off the AFS to ensure it doesn't spin more than twice)
Set OFF
If Outlet v-feed1 = ON Then ON
Defer 002:00 Then ON

*v-feed4* (trigger to turn off the MP40)
Set OFF
If Outlet v-feed1 = ON Then ON
Defer 006:00 Then ON

*v-feed5* (trigger to turn back on the MP40)
Set OFF
If Outlet v-feed1 = ON Then ON
Defer 008:00 Then ON

*v-feed6* (trigger to turn the return on)
Fallback OFF
Set OFF
If Outlet v-feed1 = ON Then ON
Defer 009:00 Then ON

*v-feed* (the AFS outlet)
Fallback OFF
Set OFF
OSC 000:00/000:30/000:30 Then ON
If Outlet v-feed2 = OFF Then OFF
If Outlet v-feed3 = ON Then OFF

*Return_Pump*
Fallback ON
Set ON
If Outlet v-feed1 = ON Then OFF
If Outlet v-feed6 = ON Then ON

*Vortech*
Fallback ON
Set ON
If Outlet v-feed4 = ON Then OFF
If Outlet v-feed5 = ON Then ON

*Skimmer*
Fallback ON
Set ON
If Power Apex Off 000 Then OFF
If Outlet Return_Pump = OFF Then OFF
Defer 015:00 Then ON

*ATO*
Fallback ON
Set ON
If Power Apex Off 000 Then OFF
If Outlet Return_Pump = OFF Then OFF
If Outlet Frag_Return = OFF Then OFF
Defer 015:00 Then ON

*Reactors*
Fallback ON
Set ON
If Outlet Return_Pump = OFF Then OFF
Defer 005:00 Then ON

*Auto Doser*
Fallback ON
Set ON
If pH > 8.40 Then OFF


----------



## saltmeup

goobafish said:


> Ordered a new frag tank from JT, going a little bit bigger! Couple pictures, because the rest of this post will be boring for those not using an Apex.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I did a lot of programming this week on my Apex and installed an AFS. It took a lot of coding and creating virtual ports, it's also given me a lot of ideas on how to work within their coding environment.
> 
> I have an Apex with PH probe, temp probe, eb4 and an AFS
> 
> 
> I wanted to use the AFS to auto feed, but mostly coral food rather than pellets/flakes. In order to this I had to setup my own program to ensure the tank worked the way I wanted during feeding. I filled the AFS with a mix of Apex Crossover Diet, other pellets, reef roids, reef chili, reef pearls, zooplan and coral frenzy.
> 
> Twice a day (12:00 and 5:00) or when I switch the virtual outlet v-feed1 to ON, the feed will start.
> 0 minutes: Return pump off
> 5 seconds: AFS Turns on
> 30 seconds: AFS Rotation
> 1 30 seconds: 2nd AFS Rotation
> 2 minutes: AFS turns off
> (food is then mixed in high flow for 4 minutes)
> 6 minutes: MP40 turns off allowing corals to feed on particulate food
> 8 minutes: MP40 turns on to ensure no food is left at the bottom
> 9 minutes: return turns on
> 15 minutes: reactors turn on
> 30 minutes: skimmer turns on, auto top off turn on
> 
> Technical details:
> 1 feeder outlet (v-feed)
> 5 virtual outlets (v-feed1, v-feed2, v-feed3, v-feed4, v-feed5)
> 
> *v-feed1* (the switch, also turns off return pump)
> Set OFF
> Fallback OFF
> If Time 12:00 to 12:09 Then ON
> If Time 17:00 to 17:09 Then ON
> If Outlet v-feed6 = ON Then OFF
> If pH > 8.40 Then OFF
> 
> *v-feed2* (the 5 second defer to start the AFS after the return is cut)
> Set OFF
> If Outlet v-feed1 = ON Then ON
> Defer 000:05 Then ON
> 
> *v-feed3* (trigger to turn off the AFS to ensure it doesn't spin more than twice)
> Set OFF
> If Outlet v-feed1 = ON Then ON
> Defer 002:00 Then ON
> 
> *v-feed4* (trigger to turn off the MP40)
> Set OFF
> If Outlet v-feed1 = ON Then ON
> Defer 006:00 Then ON
> 
> *v-feed5* (trigger to turn back on the MP40)
> Set OFF
> If Outlet v-feed1 = ON Then ON
> Defer 008:00 Then ON
> 
> *v-feed6* (trigger to turn the return on)
> Fallback OFF
> Set OFF
> If Outlet v-feed1 = ON Then ON
> Defer 009:00 Then ON
> 
> *v-feed* (the AFS outlet)
> Fallback OFF
> Set OFF
> OSC 000:00/000:30/000:30 Then ON
> If Outlet v-feed2 = OFF Then OFF
> If Outlet v-feed3 = ON Then OFF
> 
> *Return_Pump*
> Fallback ON
> Set ON
> If Outlet v-feed1 = ON Then OFF
> If Outlet v-feed6 = ON Then ON
> 
> *Vortech*
> Fallback ON
> Set ON
> If Outlet v-feed4 = ON Then OFF
> If Outlet v-feed5 = ON Then ON
> 
> *Skimmer*
> Fallback ON
> Set ON
> If Power Apex Off 000 Then OFF
> If Outlet Return_Pump = OFF Then OFF
> Defer 015:00 Then ON
> 
> *ATO*
> Fallback ON
> Set ON
> If Power Apex Off 000 Then OFF
> If Outlet Return_Pump = OFF Then OFF
> If Outlet Frag_Return = OFF Then OFF
> Defer 015:00 Then ON
> 
> *Reactors*
> Fallback ON
> Set ON
> If Outlet Return_Pump = OFF Then OFF
> Defer 005:00 Then ON
> 
> *Auto Doser*
> Fallback ON
> Set ON
> If pH > 8.40 Then OFF


Hey David. Coral looks sick! 
And the code is crazy. Thanks for sharing! 
Have you considered sharing the code on the Neptune forum for an opinion or view. That forum is great for appex programming.


----------



## Marz

What a great idea for using the AFS. I use mine when I travel and it's fantastic for me. 
Love the programming!


----------



## goobafish

Been a busy week. I helped Ryan @ R20 unbox his big shipment and take some pictures. Was a blast, really cool to see such well packed livestock. For my birthday I visited March @ FragBox to pick up some sticks. Also went to Colin @ Reef Boutique to pick up a few things, and he let me take home a gorgeous piece of chalice I had been admiring in his display tank since I first went there. Also got a colony of sun coral, which I glued to the underside of my bridge.

Also JT @ JT Acrylics is working on my new frag tank, and i'm getting started with the plumbing, which is quite an adventure. Not sure where to use flexible PVC or rigid, and will have to figure out where to put all these unions!

Thanks to saltmeup for the plumbing tips.

Huge thanks to all you guys, amazingly helpful and just great people.

From FragBox:
Pikachu

Scorpion

From R20
Neon Carpet Anemone + 2 Skunk Clowns


Feather Starfish


From Reef Boutique
Chalice

Bella Blues


Plumbing parts:


----------



## saltmeup

goobafish said:


> Been a busy week. I helped Ryan @ R20 unbox his big shipment and take some pictures. Was a blast, really cool to see such well packed livestock. For my birthday I visited March @ FragBox to pick up some sticks. Also went to Colin @ Reef Boutique to pick up a few things, and he let me take home a gorgeous piece of chalice I had been admiring in his display tank since I first went there. Also got a colony of sun coral, which I glued to the underside of my bridge.
> 
> Also JT @ JT Acrylics is working on my new frag tank, and i'm getting started with the plumbing, which is quite an adventure. Not sure where to use flexible PVC or rigid, and will have to figure out where to put all these unions!
> 
> Thanks to saltmeup for the plumbing tips.
> 
> Huge thanks to all you guys, amazingly helpful and just great people.
> 
> From FragBox:
> Pikachu
> 
> Scorpion
> 
> From R20
> Neon Carpet Anemone + 2 Skunk Clowns
> 
> 
> Feather Starfish
> 
> 
> From Reef Boutique
> Chalice
> 
> Bella Blues
> 
> 
> Plumbing parts:


Sounds like an amazing week!! Happy belated birthday David.

Wonderful additions too. The colours are stunning. Was admiring the pics. Love love love the carpet, sooooo stands out!!


----------



## Marz

I think once I get my tank back to stability, I am going to look at a carpet. I can't believe this is with radions! I am finally convinced. Wicked looking pieces BTW


----------



## goobafish

Thanks so much guys! It is cool to have it directly under the bridge in the middle of the tank, looks like you are looking through a window.










These aren't fire/ice, anyone know what they are? Love the colours.

Fire/Ice for comparison


----------



## goobafish

About time for some pics. First, some for those who share my stick addiction.
frag pack had: tyree lime in the sky, reef raft peacock, reef raft menu (yellow tort), forest fire digitata, ponape birdsnest, rr cotton candy and confusa
Toxic Avenger

RR Wolverine


RR Strawberry Shortcake

Tyree Lime in the Sky

RR Menu (Yellow Tort)

RR Peacock

RR Cotton Candy


Some othershots:
Long Tentacle Plate Coral


St. Thomas Mushroom

Starburst Tech


My chalice frags are doing incredibly well, the first one is already spoken for, the other is still available.



Picked up 9 Hippocampus Reidi to eventually setup a pony tank for a local charity where my parents work.



Lastly, my friend built me a stand for the frag tank JT Acrylics is building for me. I love the look.


----------



## goobafish

Just finished setting up the frag tank JT Custom Acrylics custom designed for me. Got it last night at 9pm and its up and running now. What a night.

If you can imagine it, he can build it, plus hes awesome and has great ideas! 30"x25"x15" eurobraced with a center partial overflow that has a tinted bottom, to allow recovery of bleached corals underneath. Back and underside are vinyl. Drilled and built exactly how I pictured it (but better). Can't wait for the custom 3d frag racks.


----------



## Bullet

Beautiful new frag tank David !


----------



## Marz

Whoa! Nice frag tank! I love the look of the white back and underside...and how your frag tank has been designed to be a DT.


----------



## Rookie2013

goobafish said:


> Just finished setting up the frag tank JT Custom Acrylics custom designed for me. Got it last night at 9pm and its up and running now. What a night.
> 
> If you can imagine it, he can build it, plus hes awesome and has great ideas! 30"x25"x15" eurobraced with a center partial overflow that has a tinted bottom, to allow recovery of bleached corals underneath. Back and underside are vinyl. Drilled and built exactly how I pictured it (but better). Can't wait for the custom 3d frag racks.
> 
> You summed up well Gooba for Jon...his workmanship and extra edge that he gives just awesome...he is the best with a decent price range.
> 
> On a second note I would suggest (unless you already did) supporting the flex hose pipe you have used for the overflow. Those flex pipe curves create some intense pressure on the bulkheads. The tank and the stand looks amazing...I know you had a small frag tank and this one you will love it for sure.....all the best...


----------



## goobafish

Thanks! It is supported with pipe holders. Unfortunately I'm a plumbing newbie and didn't realize I needed a bigger drain. Tomorrow I'm installing 1" drain. Other mistakes I made were plumbing the gravity feed drain with way too much horizontal action and plumbing the emergency to the other side of the sump. It also appears that my check valve is faulty, it doesn't check, just flaps. I need to re do all the lines. I've spent way too much on plumbing, plus pulled two all nighters. At least its functional for now. Christened it with this today:


----------



## Rookie2013

goobafish said:


> Thanks! It is supported with pipe holders. Unfortunately I'm a plumbing newbie and didn't realize I needed a bigger drain. Tomorrow I'm installing 1" drain. Other mistakes I made were plumbing the gravity feed drain with way too much horizontal action and plumbing the emergency to the other side of the sump. It also appears that my check valve is faulty, it doesn't check, just flaps. I need to re do all the lines. I've spent way too much on plumbing, plus pulled two all nighters.


Good to know it is supported. I had an ugly nightmare on my frag tank that Jon built for me. I didn't unfortunately supported the flex hose and it eventually created a some serious cracks at the bottom thank god they were only limited to the overflow box and I was able to catch it on time. Jon fixed it within a night and my frag tank was back in the motion. This time it's all supported lol...

1" drain is what I used on my ft as well and you made the right choice however if its way too much I would just leave it as you will have enough flow in it since it's a small footprint don't worry too much. Those check valves are hit and miss...

I got some plumbing parts lying around as I spent crazily as well lol if you want to use them....no charge for you it's free...


----------



## goobafish

Put together the seahorse tank build for my mom's charity. It isn't quite done yet, but a preliminary picture:

60 gallon tall with 9 hippocampus reidi and a mandarin
DC400 pump feeding a large RLSS Reactor and a 9w UV filter
Homemade plumbing, very large strainer with a large foam block (less maintenance), return through a home-made diagonal random spray bar, it makes the whole tank swirl very gently.
Lighting TBD


My friend got me an amazing birthday present 


Check out how well these frags have grown out, first one is already sold:


----------



## teemee

just my unsolicited 2 cents on your seahorse tank:

the non-photo gorgonians (other than maybe the dark purple Menella sp) will require significantly more flow than you can have with the seahorses, but good job with getting some macros.

I suggest looking for sponges (ie branching) and photosynthetic gorgonians which are more tolerant to both the hitching and have a wider range for flow requirements. Leathers would work, too.

Also keep in mind that seahorses are super messy eaters, but are also voracious invert predators, so no shrimp, but get in some snails that will eat the food they are guaranteed to leave behind.


----------



## goobafish

teemee said:


> just my unsolicited 2 cents on your seahorse tank:
> 
> the non-photo gorgonians (other than maybe the dark purple Menella sp) will require significantly more flow than you can have with the seahorses, but good job with getting some macros.
> 
> I suggest looking for sponges (ie branching) and photosynthetic gorgonians which are more tolerant to both the hitching and have a wider range for flow requirements. Leathers would work, too.
> 
> Also keep in mind that seahorses are super messy eaters, but are also voracious invert predators, so no shrimp, but get in some snails that will eat the food they are guaranteed to leave behind.


Thanks, really appreciate the feedback. I may message you for some photo gorgonian ideas. Also if any of the NPS have issues I will be sure to post them for sale. The flow is actually pretty good in the tank, and the ponies seem to like it.


----------



## goobafish

Siporax + OCD. I ran out of media  4 litres in there already.


----------



## Tdog

Good looking seahorse and frag tank David! Congrats


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Mikeylikes

I gotta swing by for a visit Dave!


----------



## goobafish

Mikeylikes said:


> I gotta swing by for a visit Dave!


Anytime! Gimme a shout.
Will post pictures of the seahorse tank at the Brain Injury rehab center soon, just want to get permission from the clients before I post it. Had some great helpers.


----------



## Daney90

Very nice frag. Is that a chalice? 

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk


----------



## goobafish

Daney90 said:


> Very nice frag. Is that a chalice?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk


Yep. Jason Fox Crazy Fox .


----------



## goobafish

Seahorse tank pic: Will get some more when its grown in.


A few updates:
Since installing the frag tank and spending so much time plumbing, I decided to plumb in another filtration system. I have an adjustable pump that goes from a UV filter to a reactor with 8l of Siporax and finally to my home-made cheato reactor. This allows me to take all bio-media out of my sump and keep it entirely bare bottom for easier maintenance. I am designing (with JT) an acrylic filter sock compartment for the sump which I hope to be more effective than my 2 4" filter socks. I don't want to have to change the socks every day, and I want to keep the water detritus free for my shooting.

My purple tang is readily eating from my hand and he comes to me and lets me pet him when I am working in the frag tank . Really love him. The plan is to make the 2nd tank based on coral care, I am keeping a higher concentration of fish so there is more waste for the corals to feed on, and selectively choosing them based on their compatibility with corals. The tank has a Purple Tang, a Flame fin Tomini Tang, a Fiji Bicolour Foxface, a Bird Wrasse and a Snowflake Eel. The Bird Wrasse has proven to be the best pest control possible, after a few days of having people over and some neglect, I did a frag inspection and they were all totally clean of pests and algae. He even ate the monti-eating nudibranch I was QT'ing for. Also picked up a Harlequin Tusk for the display.


CB Grafted Monti




Today after my guests left I got back to the tank, and it was fragging time, also made a bunch more, 4 Ultimate Bonzai frags:


----------



## saltmeup

Beautiful David... And I love the Tusk. Defiantly my favourite fish at the moment. Thanks for hooking it up!!


----------



## goobafish

saltmeup said:


> Beautiful David... And I love the Tusk. Defiantly my favourite fish at the moment. Thanks for hooking it up!!


No problem!

Thanks Fesso for the Siporax, and thanks to March @ FragBox for the huge reactor. Got about 6 litres in there.


----------



## saltmeup

goobafish said:


> No problem!
> 
> Thanks Fesso for the Siporax, and thanks to March @ FragBox for the huge reactor. Got about 6 litres in there.


Omg. You're crazy my man. That's massive!


----------



## goobafish

Upgraded my filtration a ton. Installed two identical reactors:



I am running a DC-1500 through the UV and then a reactor, then a DC-2000 through the other reactor and my cheato reactor. I also have a SWC carbon reactor with a few cups of carbon, and a tiny innovative marine desktop reactor tumbling GFO. I don't find the GFO to be too necessary to my setup, and the reactor is super easy to use and service.

I also changed up my lighting based on Ecotech's recommendations. I installed TIR lenses on all my Radions, and am running an XR30 pro and XR15 pro over the 4 foot display, and an XR30 over the frag system.

The frag system is setup to grow corals as cleanly and as quickly as possible. It has a Purple Tang, a Tomini Tang and a Bicolour Foxface to eat the algae off all the frags, and a Bird Wrasse to take care of any pests that come through. It is bare bottomed. When I pick up a coral to inspect it, the Purple Tang and the Bird Wrasse come to inspect it too and pick off anything unwanted. I absolutely love the tank, the dimensions are wonderful and the fish are great. I also put a Snowflake Moray in there to keep a lot of waste for the corals to eat.


----------



## goobafish

Made my own frozen food after quite a bit of experimentation. It is perfect for reef tanks with fish and corals, containing foods of many many particle sizes.


Everything is rinsed multiple times in R/O water and can just be tossed into the tank with no worries. There are no shells or any debris in the package.

Ingredients:
Mysis Shrimp
Fresh Scallops
Fresh Shrimp
Fresh Chucked Oysters
Fresh Mussels
Fresh Clams
Fresh Squid
Fresh Whitefish
Fresh Yellow Fin Tuna
Fresh Soft-shell Crab
Cyclops
Calanoid Copepods
Krill
Silversides
Gut-loaded live-frozen baby brine shrimp
Gut-loaded live-frozen tisbe, acartia, parvocalanus, pseudodiaptomusand tigriopus copepods
Gut-loaded live-frozen l and s series rotifers
Tetraselmis, Pavlova, Nannochloropsis, T-Isochrysis phytoplanktons
Garlic extract


----------



## Bullet

Is there anything this guy CAN'T do !
Wow !
DRS - David's Reef Frenzy !!


----------



## Marz

Sign me up


----------



## Rookie2013

Dave u r the best just one question I see u have included clams as one of the ingredient, this might be a concern for guys who keep clams in their aquariums as once the fishes get their taste they might go after your prized possession OR is this a rumour?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## goobafish

Rookie2013 said:


> Dave u r the best just one question I see u have included clams as one of the ingredient, this might be a concern for guys who keep clams in their aquariums as once the fishes get their taste they might go after your prized possession OR is this a rumour?


That's a rumor, totally different clams. I have 3 happy clams in my tank, and I have fed clams on a half shell many times.


----------



## saltmeup

goobafish said:


> Upgraded my filtration a ton. Installed two identical reactors:
> 
> 
> 
> I am running a DC-1500 through the UV and then a reactor, then a DC-2000 through the other reactor and my cheato reactor. I also have a SWC carbon reactor with a few cups of carbon, and a tiny innovative marine desktop reactor tumbling GFO. I don't find the GFO to be too necessary to my setup, and the reactor is super easy to use and service.
> 
> I also changed up my lighting based on Ecotech's recommendations. I installed TIR lenses on all my Radions, and am running an XR30 pro and XR15 pro over the 4 foot display, and an XR30 over the frag system.
> 
> The frag system is setup to grow corals as cleanly and as quickly as possible. It has a Purple Tang, a Tomini Tang and a Bicolour Foxface to eat the algae off all the frags, and a Bird Wrasse to take care of any pests that come through. It is bare bottomed. When I pick up a coral to inspect it, the Purple Tang and the Bird Wrasse come to inspect it too and pick off anything unwanted. I absolutely love the tank, the dimensions are wonderful and the fish are great. I also put a Snowflake Moray in there to keep a lot of waste for the corals to eat.


Splendid set up. I've seen it myself!! 
Top notch David.... Top notch!


----------



## Rookie2013

I thought so too thank you...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## goobafish

If anyone stops by this weekend I am giving out free samples for reviews. My fish absolutely LOVE it, and the corals seem to go wild when I feed it.


----------



## Marz

Wish I was closer!


----------



## Rookie2013

Dave I m meeting u today will take a sample to try out


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## goobafish

Rookie2013 said:


> Dave I m meeting u today will take a sample to try out
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Sounds good, see you tonight.


----------



## goobafish

Got this message after giving out my first sample: "Omg, I'll be buy this frozen food of u from now and on. Just fed the fish all of them went crazy over it, my butterfly and clown tang then never saw eating since I got them a week ago ate a lot of it, and finally the Mandarin loves it too. I guess now I can get rid off this wrass I have and get a cleaner wrasse!! "


----------



## Swooshie58

Thanks for the sample. Fish went nuts for it.


----------



## goobafish




----------



## Rookie2013

goobafish said:


> Got this message after giving out my first sample: "Omg, I'll be buy this frozen food of u from now and on. Just fed the fish all of them went crazy over it, my butterfly and clown tang then never saw eating since I got them a week ago ate a lot of it, and finally the Mandarin loves it too. I guess now I can get rid off this wrass I have and get a cleaner wrasse!! "


where is my sample LOL....


----------



## goobafish

Rookie2013 said:


> where is my sample LOL....


Come see the setup next time!


----------



## Marz

goobafish said:


> Come see the setup next time!


+1 you must go see the setup! Looks wonderful.


----------



## Rookie2013

goobafish said:


> Come see the setup next time!
> 
> Sure next time I will knowing Dave you can't go wrong...


----------



## Rookie2013

Marz said:


> +1 you must go see the setup! Looks wonderful.


Hopefully soon I met him on sat but was in a rush maybe next time


----------



## goobafish

If anyone wants to hire me out to take some shots of their tank, I would definitely be interested in checking out some new setups. Can take payment in frags .


----------



## Bullet

goobafish said:


> If anyone wants to hire me out to take some shots of their tank, I would definitely be interested in checking out some new setups. Can take payment in frags .


It's true, he's the Annie Leibovitz of corals ! 
Something like that !


----------



## goobafish

Bullet said:


> It's true, he's the Annie Leibovitz of corals !
> Something like that !


Thanks Sam . I am headed back to work after a long vacation, and have gotta trim down the bioload, so I will be posting a bunch of fish and corals for sale in the next couple days.


----------



## Bullet

goobafish said:


> Thanks Sam . I am headed back to work after a long vacation, and have gotta trim down the bioload, so I will be posting a bunch of fish and corals for sale in the next couple days.


The working world has missed you David ! 
I will be on the lookout for some of your "for sale" postings, as I know that you always keep premium livestock !


----------



## goobafish

Got some awesome frags for sale, going to post them shortly.
JF Crazy Fox

Reef Raft Dynamite Rainbow Chalice



Cornbred Grafted Monti Cap

OG Hallucinations

RR Red Roses


RR Pink Matrix

JF Slow Burn

Rainbow Chalice Frag Pack???


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## goobafish

I have been having difficulty taking pictures of the frags I am growing out due to the depth of the new frag tank. Luckily I remembered my trusty 180mm Sigma macro lens, I threw on an adapter and took some shots of the stuff growing out in my frag tank . The system is working fantastic, I am getting great growth and colour.

RR Orange Passion

RR Wolverine


Rastas

RR Rainbow Dynamite

Jason Fox Pro Corals Rainbow Acro


Rainbow Loom

Jason Fox Crazy Fox

RR Purple Rainbow Chalice

Darth Mauls

OG Hallucinations (have 2 colonies, one in each tank started from one frag a few months ago)

ORA Voodoo


Jason Fox Slow Burn

ORA Red Planet

Ultimate Bonzai


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## goobafish

Wonderful news, after a couple consultations, I am the new live foods supplier (copepods and rotifers) for Ripley's Aquarium. I met with all the staff there and they gave me a tour of the facilities, their kitchen, and their live food hatchery. I am going to be supplying then with copepods and rotifers to feed their seahorses, jellies, and rear juveniles in their hatchery. They also plan to use it in their coral propagation system to grow out their corals. Was very interesting to see how meticulous everything is done there.
Pics I took of their seadragons:




Helped R20 with their shipment this week, pictures are here: http://www.gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=230914

I picked up some goodies .


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## Marz

Congrats on being the supplier for Ripley's!! I can't wait until I can buy a small colony, nice acquisitions.


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## fache98

Congrats David! Your live food is Grade AAA! Happy to hear things are going well! 


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## Cichlidrookie

Amazing news Goobafish. You should ask to be their official photographer as well, you are by far the best photographer on this forum. 

Again Congrats on the Ripleys gig.


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## Bullet

Amazing news David !
Your live foods are very high quality and you are very deserving of this opportunity 
Your hours and hours of hard work are being richly rewarded


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## goobafish

Thanks everyone!

Some new pictures:
Best hitch-hiker ever?


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## fesso clown

Nice one David! Good on ya! 

The Eel, tang and Foxface are doing great BTW. 

The Eel is so much fun! Glad you "talked me into it"...


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## goobafish

fesso clown said:


> Nice one David! Good on ya!
> 
> The Eel, tang and Foxface are doing great BTW.
> 
> The Eel is so much fun! Glad you "talked me into it"...


Thanks! He has a wonderful personality, I really wish I had a place to keep him. I was terrified of putting my hand in the frag tank to work, he kept nibbling me.


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## Rookie2013

Congrats Dave very happy for u buddy...I will b ordering my supply from u soon


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## goobafish

Thanks man!

I've been cooking these from the top, and they've got some awesome colours coming out:


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## goobafish

Some new wild acros, and a couple update pics.


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## goobafish




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## goobafish

I glued in some of my new colonies and am getting organized! Fragged off what I couldn't fit, and still have a colony left to place and name.

Aquadite



Let it Snow



RR Purple Rainbow Chalice

Teal Milli

Bubblegum Milli

??


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## goobafish

Been waiting a while for this one. Can't wait to do some macro work with it when it gets more defined.


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## goobafish

I apologize for the lack of updates, I have been very busy recently. Luckily I had time a few weeks ago to go on a trimming spree and made some really cool frags, so I have some nice macro shots from the frag tank. Was planning on going to the Toronto frag show, but my friend got me tickets for an event that starts at 3 that day, so I will not be able to attend as a vendor .


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