C-Reefer's Journey Into The Dark Side

[C-Reefer]

Hey guys! I'm a new reefer from Knoxville, Tennessee. I have been keeping fish on the freshwater side of things for 3 years now. Started out small with a little 5 gallon GloFish tank, but quickly grew into the aquascaping. I have 2 freshwater planted tanks, one of them a high tech aquascaped tank. However, the fish bug bit again after too many trips to the fish store, and some good friends egging me on, and sneakily looking at some of the threads on here. So I soon realized I wanted a reef. No FOWLR for me, it was the corals that caught my attention. I am on a tight budget, so I slowly gathered equipment with help from my friends. I couldn't have this aquarium without them, they've helped me so much.

Equipment:
- 20 Gallon Long Tank
- Current Marine Orbit USA with Mount
- Jebao SW-2 Wavemaker
- Cobalt Aquatics Neotherm 100 Watt
- 20 lbs Bimini Pink Carib-Sea Arag-Alive Substrate
- 20ish lbs of live rock (don't know what kind, got it free from a friend. Looks really cool though!)
- DIY ATO (in progress)
- AquaClear 50 Modded into Chaeto Fuge
- AquaticLife 4 stage Twist-In RO/DI unit 100 gpd
- Mixing heater/powerhead
- Instant Ocean Reef Crystals
- Salifert Nitrate Test
- API Master test kit FW (used for cycling)
- Refractometer

Livestock:
- Yellow Watchman Goby and Pistol Shrimp Pair
- Occelaris Clown and Designer Misbar Clown Pair
- Colony of brown bodied blue tipped birdsnest
- Big frag of Setosa
- 9 Head Purple/Green Splattered Hammer
- 9 Head Duncan
- Rock full of Agent Orange Zoas
- 3 Polyps of bright orange center zoa
- Polyp of bright orange tentacle purple center zoa
- 2 Polyps of Acan (red, purple, green, yellow)
- Pulsing Xenia
- Green Star Polyps
- 1 Purple Yuma
- Large Green Monti Plate
- Orange Monti Digi frag
- Galaxea
- Green with Purple tip frogspawn
- TG Fruity Loop Mushrooms
- CUC 1 Turbo, 1 Trochus, 4 Astrea, 1 Blue Legged Hermit, 1 Scarlet Hermit, 2 Emerald Crabs
- Planned fish addition of 1 Six-Line Wrasse


I got the live rock in November, and got my powerhead, tank, heater, and lights. I bought 15 gallons of SW and some RO/DI water. I just plopped the LR in and put lights on 15% blues to keep any coralline alive. I'll admit I neglected it. It was in a garage away from the house... it got one small water change and barely any top offs. When I got my refractometer I tested and salinity was 1.045 or something like that. I went whoops and dumped in 2 gallons of RO/DI water. After I got the rest of my equipment I set up the tank on January 3rd. Of course, I had to go away for a week after I set it up, but I put some food in to start the cycle. After I got back I ordered some Dr Tims ammonia, and started my cycle. I was cycled in a week, and went and got my YWG and Pistol Shrimp.

The stand is a butcher block that we had, honestly I like the open look. I twist-tied up the wires behind the posts. It was about 5 inches too small, so we got 1/2" stain grade plywood and glued/nailed it on top. Then we ran a piece of trim around. Looks natural!

Surprisingly... my LR has had a suprising amount of life. Tons of feather dusters, pods, a few little other hitchikers. Here's the tank when it was first setup

Since then, 2 weeks after my cycle finished I got my first coral, a 4 head Duncan. It now has sprouted 5 new heads. Dipping with Bayers and taking it off the frag plug for the first time was extremely stressful. Now I've got it though and dipping is normal.

I feed Roids twice a week, and will give the corals a squirt of mysis once a week. Fish get fed frozen Mysis, Brine Shrimp, and occasionally some NLS Thera A+. About a week or two ago I got all the corals except for the GSP, Pulsing Xenia, and Yuma from a local reefer that I found on the ETRC page. They're all beautiful and great PE.

I got my clowns two weeks ago, haven't named them yet because I can't tell who's male and who's female yet. I did name my Goby and Pistol shrimp though, meet Goby Wan and Seawalker! This is all I can see of him usually. He's gotten braver though and has started swimming around during the day.

We also got a puppy 3 weeks ago. Super cute! She likes the tank .

Here's the tank today in the fish corner.

Under the hood

And that's it so far! It gets a 2 1/2 gallon water change every Sunday. Rocks are blown off with a turkey baster 2-3 times a week. Half the substrate gets a gravel vac on water change day. Hoping to find and contact some more local reefers and hopefully get some more corals!

 

[GoVols]

C-Reefer,
You've come along ways real fast. Reef looks great and thanks for starting your build thread.

Really like the front shots, where you can see your scape and love the shot with your clown fish.

Regards, GoVols

 

[C-Reefer]

C-Reefer,
You've come along ways real fast. Reef looks great and thanks for starting your build thread.

Really like the front shots, where you can see your scape and love the shot with your clown fish.

Regards, GoVols

Thank you! It has improved a lot since I first set it up. The big load of corals from Jordan really helped a lot! Going to see @CastAway tomorrow, I'm very excited! I'm hoping to get this filled up full of corals.

 

[C-Reefer]

Gave everyone a good feeding today, I tried a thicker roid mixture and the acan, duncan, and hammer loved it. Also gave everyone some mysis, and the others diluted roids.

The Yuma was bigger and bumpier I'd ever seen him, I think he was eating?

So.... a week or two ago I woke up and found Seawalker (the pistol shrimp) stuck to the input of the AC. His back was to it. I immeaditly turned it off, and he fell off, and crawled a little under the heater. I decided to leave him, and by 12 pm he had made it across the tank. He went between two rocks and stayed there for a day or two. He kind of made a little burrow, and I saw him moving, so I thought he was OK. I thought mabye he'd lost his burrow, so I shooed him across the tank to his burrow. He just sat in front, barely moving for about a minute before Goby Wan(YWG) came out and ushered him in. Since then I haven't seen Seawalker at all, even when I feed. Also, this morning I wake up and his entrance has been closed to a small hole. That wasn't worrying since he does that sometimes. But then here comes Goby Wan and swims between two rocks in plain sight before going and hiding under the heater. I had to leave so there wasn't much I could do. I came back and fed everyone, didn't see the pistol shrimp in the hole, and Goby Wans still out hiding under the heater. What in the world? Did I do something wrong?? Did I kill the pistol shrimp and its rotting in the burrow and thats why Goby Wan won't go in? I'm really worried right now.... What should I do?

Also, I think I found aiptasia. Oh no. I think it came in on the bit of LR the pulsing xenia came on... I pulled the fragment of rock out immieditly and drying it out now. I didn't see any else but... what should I do? I also saw a HUGE bristleworm

On the one good note, I did see 3-4 brittle stars!

 

[NS Mike D]

love the set up

love the yellow watchman goby. in no time it'll be greeting you every morning, like the front desk security guard in an office building, and you'll be saying hello right back.

 

[C-Reefer]

love the set up

love the yellow watchman goby. in no time it'll be greeting you every morning, like the front desk security guard in an office building, and you'll be saying hello right back.

Thanks! It can be hard working with a tight budget but I'm making it work.

I love him too, at the start I was a bit, oh crap what have I done, I just spent $70 on a fish and shrimp I never see ;Facepalm. But now he's got a lot braver. Now he'll be out of his burrow, at least his head, and won't go back in until I get a few feet from him. He's also started swimming. But now I'm really worried about him. Why is he out of his burrow??

 

[NS Mike D]

give him time . it's a huge tank for him and no real estate competition. once others start wandering near his burrow, i would expect him to start spending more time at home.

I also have a tail spot blenny in my 29 gal aqueaon, and while the tail spot moves from spot to spot, the two have divided the sand bed in half with clear demarcation line the will defend

 

[CastAway]

Subscribed!

Just want to tag along @C-Reefer. Awesome awesome start man.

Let's see new pics.

 

[C-Reefer]

I was just about to update. @CastAway the corals are doing awesome! Great PE on everyone, I think I've fallen in love with the frogspawn. Mabye my new favorite coral!

So.... one of my clownfish died Sunday. I really don't know what happened though... I woke up Saturday morning and he was laying on his side against the glass breathing really heavily. I didn't know what to do, so I tried feeding him some, because I hadn't fed the day before. He got up, started swimming around, and ate heartily, and when he swam by it sure looked like he had 2-3 white fuzzy patches on him, then he went back to laying against the glass. I just kind of left him alone for about an hour, then I look over at the tank and he's up swimming around with the other clown like nothing happened. So I had to leave that morning, and an hour later when I leave he's still fine. I didn't come back until Sunday afternoon and he was dead . My family said that he'd been fine all of Saturday, but when they woke up Sunday he looked in really bad shape. I don't know... I won't get any fish for at least a month to let any parasites or whatever caused it go away. I was very sad, as it is my first saltwater fish I've had die. I've had freshwater fish die, but it seems that the saltwater are so much more personal and friendly and funny and happy. I hadn't put anything weird in the tank, no chemicals or new frags.

Time for some pics! I had to DIY a quick frag rack for the galaxea to acclimate it to my lower PAR. Its a small tupperware, with four suction cups in the back, and the top has a hole drilled in it.

I'm afraid I might need to start dosing alk soon with this beast, I need to start testing regularly lol. I've been slack. Hoping I don't have it too far down in the tank... There wasn't really any better spots. Great PE already. It was mad and sliming yesterday, but its happy today.

The DIY frag rack, quick work. The camera can't catch how much the candy cane grows, it glows even under full whites!

And the candy cane closer without flash. I wish the camera could catch the glow!

The galaxea. It still looks mad, I don't know why. Mabye I should lower it more? It was happier yesterday on the sandbed. Last night, it threw out some sweepers. There was one that was crazy long, like 5 inches. I was glad I'd kept it farrrrr away from any corals. Do they like high or low flow? It may be in too high of flow.

This might be my new favorite coral right now. The frogspawn. You can't really see it on camera, but the tentacles are see through, with a bright flourescent green tinge, and the ends are purple. Under blues it gloowwsss. So much motion. I can't wait for it to get big. I think its a frogspawn since some of the tentacles branch, but it has distinctly hammer looking ends.... Way more so then my actual hammer.

And the best for last! These are my favorite mushrooms ever! They're so bright and beautiful.

The tank is filling in so well! I love seeing my little piece of ocean so full of colors and movement. Its so amazing.

And for an update on my original corals...

I found a crab dead this morning. What in the world?? At least it was a male. But what is wrong with my tank?? My corals are completely fine, thriving in fact, but I can't keep livestock. Seawalker gets sucked up onto the filter and I think he's still alive, but breaks up with Goby Wan who has now been living under the heater for two weeks, then one of my clowns die, and now a emerald crab is dead. Huh??

Anyways... growth on everyone is way better then I'd hoped. The birdsnests are growing great, the big pretty blue one has lots of new white lumps coming out, and growth on the tips, and the brown ones have grown a good eigth inch. The setosa is slower but always good PE and seeing some white growth on the tips. I need to start testing alk on water change days, see how much I'm losing. Wish they had KH pens ugh

The acan popped out a new baby head and I see colors and feeding reaction on it, I'm really happy about that. The Duncan has got HUGE and the two biggest of the new heads are getting big now, about the size the little head on it was when I first got it. 6 new heads in 2 months, how crazy is that!? I haven't even been feeding that much either.

The GSP is encrusting and growing fast!

I just took my top off and tried some top downs, and WOW! You can see the colors! Makes me wish I could leave my top off so I could just watch it from the top. Its so beautiful from the top without glass distortion.

Here's the acans new head

And the Duncan's growth in a better pic @Lyssahblue check it out. Only 2 months with random feedings, mainly mysisshrimp

The shroom rock. Favorite mushrooms EVER

And the top downs! I could actually catch colors.

I think those zoas are Agent Oranges??

Can anyone ID either of these zoas?

Sorry for the long update, but a lot has happened! I need to keep this build thread more up to date.

I went by @JKS Aquatics about a week ago, I needed DHG for my FW, they had Rastas for $10 a polyp. I was really tempted.... but I decided my tank was still too young as I've heard designer zoas don't do well in non mature tanks. I think I'll be able to put it off for another month or two but then I need some. Hope there's still some left by then!

 

[Lyssahblue]

Awesome Ducan @C-Reefer!! Your tank is awesome! I really need to start a build thread here, waiting on the motivation to get it going, lol.

I really want to rearrange my rockscape before I go coral crazy, but I want to find a goby to replace mix master mike (yellow head sleeper goby) May he Rest In Peace, to add at the same time I rearrange so my clown doesn’t try to kill him. Just came home from LFS and they didn’t have a single goby. Bummed cuz last time I was there they had 2 sizable watchmans, guess I missed out

 

[C-Reefer]

I kind of want more sandbed room, thinking about mabye mixing up the left side, replacing the big rock on the far left front corner, mabye make a pillar up and two branches off it. I feel like I've put a bit much rock in, and I like seeing the sandbed. Also that rock doesn't have much room for coral.

 

[C-Reefer]

Oh no.... my other clown is sick. Its covered in white flakey stuff with small white dots scattered through. I think it may be Brooklynella hostilis? What should I do? I can set up a 5 gallon quarantine quickly if I need to. What should I do/get? He was fine yesterday!!

 

[Ja-reefer]

Get that clown into quarantine! you dont want any other fish getting it. If its marine velvet, im sorry.. Good luck

 

[C-Reefer]

QT heating up and mixing now... he keeps getting worse. He's now laying on the substrate panting heavily

 

[Ja-reefer]

He might not make it..You may need to get him out of the tank now, even though your QT isnt fully ready.. put him in a bucket with a heater or something. the longer he is in there the more of a threat the clown is to other fish. Doesnt look like velvet though. Usually it covers the entire fish, and the fish looks milky-white

 

[Bigtex817]

what kind of filtration are running just curious?

 

[C-Reefer]

He didn't make it.... water in the QT was still mixing salt and heating. If I'd put him in it would've killed him for sure as there was still salt crystals floating around. After he died I waited a few minutes to make sure, no gill movement then pulled him. I wish I'd watched closer, but he's had a normal appetite and looked fine ever since I got him.

Now I have a problem. I have a YWG and pistol shrimp still in the tank. It will be next to impossible to pull them out and let the tank run fallow for six weeks. I have a diagnosis on a thread I made for it thats its brook and ich. A YWG shouldn't get brook right? And they're very resistent to ich right? So what should I do?

 

[C-Reefer]

what kind of filtration are running just curious?

About 20 lbs of LR, 20 lbs of live sand, an AC50 halffull of seachem matrix, and then filled the rest with cheato. Powerhead is a Jebao SW-2 running on the 5th power setting.

 

[C-Reefer]

Annnndddd he moved again ;Facepalm. He had such a nice burrow under the heater too. Geez..... He looks uncomfortable.

And my non-intentional algae scrubber lol. It has quite a bit of algae on there. Mabye I should scrape that off and glue some mesh to the output or rough it up some with some rough sandpaper so it can hold on better

 

[C-Reefer]

I'll be accumulating stuff for the QT for a week or two, then catch GobiWan and transfer to QT where I will actively treat with Kordon Rid Ich+ which contains formalin. As the clown had both brook and ich, this should kill off both the brook and the ich if there is any hosting him but he isn't infected by them. As I'm waiting for the next month and a half after the Rid Ich+ treatment for the DT to continue to lay fallow, I'll go ahead and run through an easy Prazi-Pro treatment to make sure he doesn't have internal parasites. Sound like a good plan?

Meanwhile.... What's ya'lls thoughts on slicing up shrooms? I got some gorgeous mushrooms from @CastAway and I'm too impatient to wait while they propogate. I watched Tidal Gardens video on slicing them up and did some research and it seems super easy. There's one shroom I have that is held onto a few pieces of substrate rubble, so I could try cutting him in half across the mouth and laying the rubble with the shroom on the substrate so when it grew together in two months I could slice it up again. Just slice right across the mouth with an exacto? I saw a lot of people advocating the use of iodine to help them heal faster, truth or fiction? Is it a really good chance it survives? If so would it be better to go ahead and cut into quarters?