45 Gallon Shallow Reef Build

[JoJosReef]

My camera-phobes are my Foxface and Blue-Lipped Bristletooth. My Yellow Wrasse constantly photobombs and the Yellow Banded Possum doesn't even know I have a camera. The firefish only comes out when he smells mysis in the water and couldn't care one way or the other about the camera but he knows its there.

My photobomber is the copperband. She thinks she'll get more food. She usually does.

 

[CBonito]

Beautiful shot! Your tank is looking super.

I was beginning to be a little concerned at things staying in balance because just a little over a month ago, I had peroxided my rocks and cleaned up the whole tank/killed 800,000 aiptasia etc which is going to disturb things to a degree, but it looks like I'm ok. I've done a few water changes since and watched everything very carefully. The nice thing is that no matter what I do, the mud refugium and rock filter compartment holds it down.

Corals are starting to grow and a lot of the frags I have are starting to color.
I think I am going to buy one of those gyre pumps as a sidenote so there is even more flow in the tank.
Not that anything needs it now, but I will.

For now, I am going to add the lyres today, and add some turbos. I have some hair algae on a few of the rock "branches" that no one seems to get to and I've been brushing it off the rocks. Not much at all to where its even really annoying but whatever. No big deal.

I've been slowly lowering my phosphate with GFO because it was over 1. That, I just let the reactor do its thing and I'm not changing the media until I come home from the farm next week.

My whole system draws like a little over 5 amps total with the heater on. 500w heater. Not bad!
Some people like to know that stuff. And I'm up to about 160-170 watts of light total between the straton and kessils And climbing. I intend to draw out a lot of color. Might not seem like a lot but it's quite a lot for this tank since it's only 11" of water depth. Everyone is getting a tan.

I was considering getting one of those auto frozen food feeders...but man that SOB is almost 600 bucks!
I already own a 26 year old fish feeder that is also an automated business manager...made him myself and I've kicked his butt enough to know he's a quality product. That'll do for now. ha!

 

[tharbin]

My photobomber is the copperband. She thinks she'll get more food. She usually does.

Jealous. I love Copperbands. The one I bought ate fine but was flashing within a couple days and perished with internal hemorrhaging that I'm pretty sure was Cyanide poisoning. I use to see it a lot one I lived in SE Asia.

 

[CBonito]

My camera-phobes are my Foxface and Blue-Lipped Bristletooth. My Yellow Wrasse constantly photobombs and the Yellow Banded Possum doesn't even know I have a camera. The firefish only comes out when he smells mysis in the water and couldn't care one way or the other about the camera but he knows its there.

Eventually when I move my melanurus, I'm going to have to get another Halichoeres or of some sort. Maybe a hortulanus or a radiant.

Some of the ones I've seen are amazing but I don't even know the names, nor do I explore them because I'll buy it now and have two of them...that's too much. It's better to play ignoramus for now until the time comes.

 

[CBonito]

Just talked to Adam from BC, and since I'm gone next week until thurs night, they'll be here friday.
My other shipment, some corals in the original had to be sub'd because of unavailability at ORA, but that's ok, I had some nice WYSIWYG Frags sub'd in. No skin off my butt. The ones I really wanted are coming.

Adam is hooking me up with some stags.
I want the tank to be very stag-centric because I always envision the fish hiding in the branches and whatnot like on the reef. I'm trying to make this as much like the real reef as possible.

Stay tuned for standing waves, where I attempt to generate standing waves without putting water over the sides of my tank. hahaha! You have to have some kind of standing wave to call your junk a reef. even if it's like 1/2 to 3/4 inch...I'm cool with it. I dont want ripples. I want a freaking wave man.

 

[CBonito]

Something weird is happening with the digitata on top. Notice in the pic that it's part pink and part orange.
That's real. This is a forest fire. It was kind of really light pink when I got it and the tips were yellow? I dunno?

But it's changing and it's growing, so we'll see what happens. I'm not moving it.

The TSA Candlelight Acro on the top left is growing too. Its got the light tips now on all the branches.
There are a lot of branches forming on it too. That one's going to get big I'm sure. Same for the Aussie Gold.
If you look right above the damsel's head to the left of the pink/orange digi, you can see the tips. They all have that gold frost on them coming in real strong. Polyps are starting to come out further too.

I think when you move them up higher, it kind of shocks them a bit the first couple days and then they start to adjust. If it starts to change color and isnt stressed, it will do fine. What it will do color-wise, no idea but we'll find out. Sometimes corals completely change from their advertised appearances so it's always fun to sit back and watch.

You can see I have some good flow in there. I'm thinking I want to put a gyre on the top left to fight with the nero 5 on the right back and forth. In this tank, the water flow is super important or I'll get dead spots or crap accumulation and that is not happening.

 

[CBonito]

You know, I keep looking at that Orphek Natura or whatever it is like its a ham sandwich...just saying.

 

[TheWB]

You know, I keep looking at that Orphek Natura or whatever it is like its a ham sandwich...just saying.

Just because? No real need to replace the Stratton is there?

 

[CBonito]

Just because? No real need to replace the Stratton is there?

No, there is no real reason to replace the Straton. I still say it's one of the best out there.
I'm just a big kid.

 

[TheWB]

No, there is no real reason to replace the Straton. I still say it's one of the best out there.
I'm just a big kid.

I feel the same way. It’s fun to get new or switch out stuff. I’ve gone from Radions to Reefi UNO’s (gen 1) to Neptune Skys to a combo of the Skys and the Radion XR15 gen 4 and lately I’ve been contemplating trying to get the Reefi’s back in the mix. It’s madness.
I’ve also gone from Nero 3’s to Maxspect Jump Gyres to Jecod DMP-45’s and now I’m thinking about mixing a Nero back in to try and help with a dead area along the bottom front panel. Again, madness. I’ve got too much stuff laying around to possibly play with again.

 

[CBonito]

I feel the same way. It’s fun to get new or switch out stuff. I’ve gone from Rafions to Reefi UNO’s (gen 1) to Neptune Skys to a combo of the Skys and the Radion XR15 gen 4 and lately I’ve been contemplating trying to get the Reefi’s back in the mix. It’s madness.
I’ve also gone from Nero 3’s to Maxspect Jump Gyres to Je of DMZp-45’s and now I’m thinking about mixing a Nero back in to try and help with a dead area along the bottom front panel. Again, madness. I’ve got too much stuff laying around to possibly play with again.

I have one of those jumps in my cart at BRS. LOL!

I might get one of the AIs at my LFS though. I'll pay more for it, but it integrates with my neros. I have a 3 and a 5 in the tank now which is good, but I want that big rapid surface layer current too. I also have a spare nero3, but I don't know where the fizzack the magnet went. It fell last year and I can't find it! It's not in my sump or my refugium. I already dragged a magnet through...I have no idea. It's like the same interdimensional portal that opens every time I drop a guitar pick, got my magnet too.

We'll see what happens. I have to go give punkbuster a bath and then we're going to the LFS.
I have no real excuse to go to the LFS except that I want two more female lyres because 2 of them is not enough. It makes the rest of the fish and tank look non-uniform if you know what I mean.

Anyway, just another day in the life of a 52 year old big kid with no responsibilites and too much time on his hands.

 

[TheWB]

I have one of those jumps in my cart at BRS. LOL!

I might get one of the AIs at my LFS though. I'll pay more for it, but it integrates with my neros. I have a 3 and a 5 in the tank now which is good, but I want that big rapid surface layer current too. I also have a spare nero3, but I don't know where the fizzack the magnet went. It fell last year and I can't find it! It's not in my sump or my refugium. I already dragged a magnet through...I have no idea. It's like the same interdimensional portal that opens every time I drop a guitar pick, got my magnet too.

We'll see what happens. I have to go give punkbuster a bath and then we're going to the LFS.
I have no real excuse to go to the LFS except that I want two more female lyres because 2 of them is not enough. It makes the rest of the fish and tank look non-uniform if you know what I mean.

Anyway, just another day in the life of a 52 year old big kid with no responsibilites and too much time on his hands.

Too bad we aren’t local to each other, I’ve got three of those gyres, I’d just hook you up.
I watched a TSA video this morning of a 10’ x 4’ x 31” high tank with among other things about 80 Anthias. It was pretty incredible. I’ve never kept any personally but I definitely see the attraction.

 

[CBonito]

Too bad we aren’t local to each other, I’ve got three of those gyres, I’d just hook you up.
I watched a TSA video this morning of a 10’ x 4’ x 31” high tank with among other things about 80 Anthias. It was pretty incredible. I’ve never kept any personally but I definitely see the attraction.

They're awesome fish. I love them. They've got a really nice temperament, all they do is make the tank look nice, they make no trouble and they're a hoot to feed. I laugh because of how excited they get. Normally they just kinda hang out and wander around, but when food hits the water, they're fast. They demolish it before it hits the sand.

 

[tbrown]

Eventually when I move my melanurus, I'm going to have to get another Halichoeres or of some sort. Maybe a hortulanus or a radiant.

Some of the ones I've seen are amazing but I don't even know the names, nor do I explore them because I'll buy it now and have two of them...that's too much. It's better to play ignoramus for now until the time comes.

In a 45, I'd probably agree. My 70 has 2 and a Leopard but I'm not going to recommend following my advice.

 

[CBonito]

Jealous. I love Copperbands. The one I bought ate fine but was flashing within a couple days and perished with internal hemorrhaging that I'm pretty sure was Cyanide poisoning. I use to see it a lot one I lived in SE Asia.

That gets me so PO'd that they do this. Makes you want to go out there where they collect and catch them in the act. "What the fizazzle you doing bro???

 

[tbrown]

Just talked to Adam from BC, and since I'm gone next week until thurs night, they'll be here friday.
My other shipment, some corals in the original had to be sub'd because of unavailability at ORA, but that's ok, I had some nice WYSIWYG Frags sub'd in. No skin off my butt. The ones I really wanted are coming.

Adam is hooking me up with some stags.
I want the tank to be very stag-centric because I always envision the fish hiding in the branches and whatnot like on the reef. I'm trying to make this as much like the real reef as possible.

Stay tuned for standing waves, where I attempt to generate standing waves without putting water over the sides of my tank. hahaha! You have to have some kind of standing wave to call your junk a reef. even if it's like 1/2 to 3/4 inch...I'm cool with it. I dont want ripples. I want a freaking wave man.

My Birdsnest is home to my Springeri Damsel and all 3 of my Chromis.

 

[tbrown]

Something weird is happening with the digitata on top. Notice in the pic that it's part pink and part orange.
That's real. This is a forest fire. It was kind of really light pink when I got it and the tips were yellow? I dunno?

But it's changing and it's growing, so we'll see what happens. I'm not moving it.

The TSA Candlelight Acro on the top left is growing too. Its got the light tips now on all the branches.
There are a lot of branches forming on it too. That one's going to get big I'm sure. Same for the Aussie Gold.
If you look right above the damsel's head to the left of the pink/orange digi, you can see the tips. They all have that gold frost on them coming in real strong. Polyps are starting to come out further too.

I think when you move them up higher, it kind of shocks them a bit the first couple days and then they start to adjust. If it starts to change color and isnt stressed, it will do fine. What it will do color-wise, no idea but we'll find out. Sometimes corals completely change from their advertised appearances so it's always fun to sit back and watch.

You can see I have some good flow in there. I'm thinking I want to put a gyre on the top left to fight with the nero 5 on the right back and forth. In this tank, the water flow is super important or I'll get dead spots or crap accumulation and that is not happening.

Supposedly Forest Fire and Bubblegum are the same Digitata just in different lighting levels. Not sure if I buy that BUT mine in higher light have more yellow tips while the ones in lower PAR have purple/Pink tips. Also different parameters in your water can color shift corals.

 

[CBonito]

In a 45, I'd probably agree. My 70 has 2 and a Leopard but I'm not going to recommend following my advice.

I can't believe how big the melanurus has gotten. He was a minnow when I got him that was shy, reclusive and scrawny. I thought he was gonna die because for the first few days he didnt even come out. I never saw him.

The one day he busted out like Kool Aid Man, and ever since he's been an active tank member. He's a good fish, and I am NOT pawning him off to anyone else because that's irresponsible and I'm going to put him in a better home. I can build a lot bigger system than I have now for a lot cheaper. I know that much. I want like a 3'x3' or 4x4' 1" thick acrylic rimless tank next. He'll be fine for life in a tank that size. But he's totally happy where he is now. If he wasn't I'd know! hahaha

 

[CBonito]

My Birdsnest is home to my Springeri Damsel and all 3 of my Chromis.

See, that's how its supposed to be. Big colonies of coral are homes/shelter to reef fish. I mean, that's why they all congregate on reefs. Food, and Shelter.

 

[tbrown]

I can't believe how big the melanurus has gotten. He was a minnow when I got him that was shy, reclusive and scrawny. I thought he was gonna die because for the first few days he didnt even come out. I never saw him.

The one day he busted out like Kool Aid Man, and ever since he's been an active tank member. He's a good fish, and I am NOT pawning him off to anyone else because that's irresponsible and I'm going to put him in a better home. I can build a lot bigger system than I have now for a lot cheaper. I know that much. I want like a 3'x3' or 4x4' 1" thick acrylic rimless tank next. He'll be fine for life in a tank that size. But he's totally happy where he is now. If he wasn't I'd know! hahaha

Mine was already transitioning when I picked him up. A few months later, he was still transitioning and I added a female Lemon Meringue (leucoxanthus) that was about an inch and a half. He transitioned really quickly after that addition and then my leuco grew and transitioned and I added a female Macropharyngodon meleagris Leopard. She's tripled in size but is unlikely to transition from my understanding.