Basement Office with a View

[Gaspipe]

Wow, talking about rock steady parameters... tested alkalinity today and again: 7.3dKH

This is my diary I am keeping track of this below. BTW I am dosing 1ml Trace elements by hand. This weekend I will test all my parameters and manually dose 2 part to increase alkalinity and calcium.

Alkalinity:

Mar 20: 7.9 dKH
Mar 21: 7.8 dKH
Mar 22: 7.3 dKH
Mar 23: 7.3 dKH
Mar 24: 7.3 dKH

AVG Consumption: .3 dKH per day

Dose Mixture:
.5 Gallons RODI
.5 TBS Kalk (2 flat plastic spoons)

Dose Kalk:
190 ml per day

Container:
3/22: 1892 max
3/23: 1702 ml
3/24: 1512 ml

 

[Gaspipe]

Parameter Update:

Alkalinity:

Mar 20: 7.9 dKH
Mar 21: 7.8 dKH
Mar 22: 7.3 dKH
Mar 23: 7.3 dKH
Mar 24: 7.3 dKH
Mar 25: 6.7 dKH

AVG Consumption: .3 dKH per day

Dose Mixture:
.5 Gallons RODI
.5 TBS Kalk (2 flat plastic spoons)

Dose:
190 ml Kalk per day
1ml Trace elements

Container:
3/22: 1892 max
3/23: 1702 ml
3/24: 1512 ml
3/25: 1322 ml

Little upset that my dKH dropped by .6 even with 190ml overnight dose.

Plan of Action:

• Do not change anything Sat, Sun into Monday at Noon
• Test alkalinity Sunday and Monday at Noon
• Monday 1pm manual dose 2 ml Part 1&2
• Test remainder of week

Thoughts:
Perhaps I tested inaccurately. Sunday I will be testing all my parameters and will test alkalinity with Salifert & Hanna. I use the Salifert daily and the Hanna weekly when I test other parameters.

 

[Gaspipe]

Cheeto (clown) isn't himself this morning. He's hanging low in the corner and was NOT the first to race to the surface to eat. He actually didn't eat much. Bit strange.

Will continue to monitor.

 

[Gaspipe]

Cheeto still not eating. Day 3.

I have tried frozen (reef frenzy & mysis) as well as two different pellets ( SA Hatchery diet and Neptune CD).

I added three fish on Wed March 22.

Zero aggression and everyone is fine.

Sat March 25th I noticed Cheeto was low on floor (not laying but hoovering close to bottom) in the rear. Not his usual spot. Then when I saw he wasn't eating a red light turned on.

Thanos the Royal Gramma is doing fine, swimming and eating. The 3 new fish are all doing fine, even the timid TSB is out grazing.

Hope Cheeto turns around. He does have a big belly so def. not under nourished.

Could she be prego from a baby clown that was in the tank for 3-4 days, like 45 days ago?

 

[Gaspipe]

Day 4 now, Cheeto still not eating. :(

I am medicating the food as per @Humblefish receipe.

3/29 Day 5 not eating (but did poop. Long string and white)
3/30 Day 6 ate small amount
3/31 Day 7 she ate as normal, raced to the surface.

 

[Gaspipe]

Wow, it's been nearly a year since my last update.

I've got quite the fish tale to share. Honestly, luck hasn't been on my side when it comes to fishkeeping.

Once upon a time, I had a stunning clownfish named Cheeto. He was my first fish, and I adored him. Alongside Cheeto, I had a Royal Gamma and a Storki Damsel. Unfortunately, the damsel lived up to its reputation and bullied the Royal Gamma. Frustrated, I rehomed the damsel to a local reefer in NJ, hoping for better luck.

Next, I brought home a Tailspot Blenny and a baby clown. Within a mere 48 hours, both were dead. Talk about a letdown.

Undeterred, I added an Orange Back Wrasse, another Tailspot Blenny, and a Firefish to the tank after a few weeks. Then tragedy struck again - Cheeto passed away. I was devastated.

Meanwhile, the Royal Gamma continued its bullying ways, now targeting the new Tailspot Blenny, whom I affectionately nicknamed Mr. Beaks. Despite feeling sorry for him, Mr. Beaks managed to stay out of the Royal Gamma's reach.

Things took a turn when the Firefish also passed away. Left with a Tailspot Blenny, Royal Gamma, and Orange Back Wrasse, I found myself growing fond of the Wrasse, who seemed to establish himself as the peacekeeper in the tank.

Deciding to expand the tank's inhabitants, I ordered a Blue Tang, a Helfrich Firefish, and a Red Head Solon Wrasse from an online vendor. However, introducing these new fish proved disastrous. The Tailspot Blenny went into a frenzy, relentlessly chasing the newcomers. The Blue Tang fought back but ultimately perished, and the Helfrich Firefish suffered constant harassment.

Meanwhile, the once-bully Royal Gamma began displaying distressing behavior, hiding in the zoa garden with its tail up and head down. Shortly after, it passed away.

To address the aggression issues, I attempted to isolate the troublesome Tailspot Blenny, first in the tank's rear chamber and then in an isolation box. However, the bullying persisted, leading me to consider rehoming the aggressor.

Despite my efforts, the situation worsened. The Helfrich Firefish went missing, and despite thorough searching, I couldn't locate its body. Frustrated and angry, I blamed Mr. Beaks for the disappearance. This afternoon I see the Hellfrich but it's scared of Mr. Beaks. I don't take any chances and place the HellF in the rear for now.

In a last-ditch effort to restore harmony to the tank, I plan to remove the Tailspot Blenny this weekend and find it a new home.

This hobby sure has its challenges.

 

[Gaspipe]

April 2026 Update — Back from the Dead (Sort of)

Wow, over two years since my last post. Life happens, and so does reef keeping chaos. Let me catch you all up.

The Fish Situation
After the February 2024 update and the aggression spiral that followed, I kept things simple. Today it's just Orange Back Wrasse, Bicolor Blenny, and a Pygmy Wrasse. No drama, no losses. That said — the Orange Back is noticeably skittish, and I think he's honestly just too big for this system at this point. I'm strongly considering rehoming him to a local reefer who can give him more space. If that happens, I'll be moving straight to a mated pair of Ocellaris clownfish — no waiting. That pair hosting in a Euphyllia garden is exactly the vibe this tank is being built for.

Where the Tank Stands Today
The tank is in full recovery mode and the numbers are finally moving in the right direction. As of late April 2026:

Alk: 8.4 dKH — stable across two tests (Apr 27 & 29). AFR is working.

Calcium: 455 ppm — slightly above target, no intervention needed

Magnesium: 1,380 ppm — slightly elevated, will drift down with water changes

Nitrate: 4.4 ppm — just under ideal, feeding normally to nudge it up

Phosphate: trending down — 0.90 (Apr 12) → 0.53 (Apr 24). PhosBan running. Getting there.

Corals still hanging in: Octospawn is the MVP as always. Mushrooms and zoas are mixed but alive. Acans are okay. Stable system, just needs time to fully dial in.

The New Vision — Euphyllia Garden
I've committed to a theme: a Euphyllia-dominant LPS garden built intentionally, zone by zone. Before any Euphyllia goes in though, I'm building the foundation first — the way it should be done.

First coral additions will be base and trunk pieces:

A Scolymia on the trunk — a single showpiece that anchors the mid-rock visually

A Blasto or Acan on the platform alongside a shroom — still deciding, but something that absolutely pops with color

Once those are settled and parameters are locked, the Euphyllia build begins. Torches as cornerstones, hammers and frogspawn filling in between, mushrooms and zoas tucked into the lower rock. The Octospawn stays as the anchor it's always been.

CUC comes first — Nassarius snails, Trochus snails, then a Cleaner Shrimp reintroduction (it thrived here before and I'm looking forward to getting one back in).

Equipment Note
My Kessil A360 is 5+ years old and I know the output has degraded. Before dropping serious money on designer torches, I'm weighing a Kessil A360X upgrade to restore PAR across the full structure. No point putting a $300 torch under tired light.

Slow and intentional from here. This tank has survived five years of everything I've thrown at it — it deserves to be built the right way. More updates coming.

 

[Gaspipe]

May 2026 Update — Things Are Moving

Quick update for anyone following along — a lot has happened since my last post and the tank finally has some real momentum.

Parameters — Finally Green Across the Board
After a rough stretch, the numbers are looking the best they have in a long time:

• Alk: 8.9 dKH — AFR dosing is dialed in and holding
• Nitrate: 9.6 ppm — right in the sweet spot
• Salinity: 1.025 — steady
• Calcium: 455 ppm — slightly above target but no intervention needed
• Magnesium: 1380 ppm — slightly elevated, drifting down with water changes
• Phosphate: 0.56 ppm — still the one thing I'm chasing. PhosBan is running and a 5 gallon water change is scheduled. It's trending the right direction, just needs more time.

CUC Rebuild — Order Placed
I went ahead and rebuilt the cleanup crew. Order is in and arriving soon:

• 1 Serpent Star
• 4 Blue Leg Hermits
• 4 Trochus Snails
• 2 Astrea Snails
• 1 Cerith Snail
• 1 Ninja Star Snail
• 1 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp — excited to have one back in this tank, it thrived here before

Bare bottom optimized — all climbers and detritivores. Will acclimate drip 1–2 hours after a water change.

The Fish Situation
The Orange Back Wrasse is getting rehomed. He's healthy and eating great but at ~5 inches he's just too big for this system and visibly stressed. I've had him since March 2023 and want to see him go somewhere he can really thrive. I posted on NJReefers looking for a good local home — if anyone here in the NJ/NY area is interested, feel free to DM me.

Once he's out, I'm bringing in a mated pair of Ocellaris clownfish. The whole tank is being redesigned as a Euphyllia garden and a clown pair hosting in torches and frogspawn is exactly the centerpiece this build deserves.

The Build Vision — Euphyllia Garden
I've committed to a theme and I'm building it zone by zone, bottom up:

First up — foundation pieces before any Euphyllia goes in:

• Scolymia on the trunk — single showpiece anchor for the mid-rock
• High-color Blasto or Acan on the platform — alongside the existing mushroom

Then the Euphyllia garden builds from there — Gold Torch first, then a Hammer, working up through the rock over the rest of 2026. Slow and intentional. One coral at a time.

The Octospawn stays as the anchor it's always been.

Equipment — Kessil Decision Coming
My A360 is 5+ years old and I know the output has degraded. Before I start dropping real money on designer torches I'm seriously weighing a Kessil A360XE upgrade — also posted on NJReefers looking for one locally. No point building a Euphyllia garden under tired light.

More updates soon — the CUC arrives this week and the rehoming coordination is underway. Starting to feel like the tank I always wanted it to be.

 

[Gaspipe]

May 2026 Update — New Arrivals, New Names, and Things Are Finally Moving

A lot has happened since my last post just a couple weeks ago — CUC is in, the fish lineup has changed dramatically, and this tank is starting to feel like the build I always envisioned. Let me break it all down.

Parameters — Holding Steady (as of 5/5/26)

Salinity: 1.025
Alk: 8.9 dKH — AFR dialed in, holding nicely
Nitrate: 9.6 ppm — right in the sweet spot
Calcium: 455 ppm — slightly above target, no action needed
Magnesium: 1380 ppm — slightly elevated, drifting down with water changes

Phosphate: 0.56 ppm — still the one I'm chasing. PhosBan running, weekend water change scheduled. Getting there.

Three greens on the board feels really good after the recovery stretch. The trend is in the right direction across the board.

CUC — Order from Reef by Steele
Big shoutout to Reef by Steele — fantastic vendor, great communication, and excellent livestock quality. My CUC rebuild order arrived and the crew is settling in nicely:

4 Blue Leg Hermits
4 Trochus Snails
2 Astrea Snails
1 Cerith Snail
1 Ninja Star Snail
1 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp — so glad to have one back in this tank

Unfortunately the Serpent Star didn't make it — DOA situation. I want to give Reef by Steele a specific callout here though: they handled it immediately and without any hassle, issuing a credit right away. That's the kind of customer service that earns loyalty. I'll be ordering from them again without question.

The Fish Situation — Big News

The Orange Back Wrasse has officially been rehomed to a local reefer here in NJ who has a larger system. He'll be much happier with the extra space — I'm glad he went to a good home.

And in his place… meet Cleopatra and Mark Antony



I picked up a mated pair of Orange Storm Clownfish from Coral Reef TN and I cannot say enough good things about this vendor. The fish arrived in incredible condition, were packed perfectly, and the quality is exactly what you'd expect from a top-tier source. Cleopatra is the larger of the pair — confident, already exploring the tank. Mark Antony is right behind her. Watching them settle in together is exactly the energy this tank needed.

The long-term vision is these two hosting in a Euphyllia garden — torches and frogspawn. If that comes together the way I'm picturing it, this build thread is going to have some very satisfying photos down the road.

What's Next

The rule stands — no major coral additions until phosphate continues trending down toward 0.20 and overall stability holds. But the foundation plan is locked:

1. Trunk: Scolymia showpiece
2. Platform/base: High-color Blasto or Acan alongside the mushroom
3. Then the Euphyllia garden builds from there — Gold Torch first, working up through the rock slowly through the rest of 2026

Still on the lookout for a Kessil A360XE — Not in a rush, but if the right opportunity comes along I may pull the trigger.

More updates coming soon. The tank is finally becoming what it was always meant to be.

 

[Gaspipe]

Just got back from a 4 day trip and phosphates are still not under control. This am it tested at 0.52, I hope this is because of the auto-feeder w/ pellets. Will do a 5 gallon WC as well as replace carbon & phosban (2 tsp).

I received my Polyp Lab Coral Lens V3 and took some quick pics to see how it performs.

Will continue to use the lens for updates.