D's homemade AIO 40 gallon

[D'sreef]

Happy new year! Last Sunday I added a hammer coral. I got a 2 head frag for $23 at a LFS. I felt this was a steal I couldn't pass up. Now they are tiny heads, but 2 heads never the less. I lost my lawnmower blenny suddenly and somewhat suspiciously as it's corpse was directly beside my BTA. That it's for this weekly update.

 

[D'sreef]

Picked up some hammers, mushrooms, and a montipora from a local hobbyist and an urchin and some cuc from my LFS downsouth corals in gardendale Alabama.

 

[D'sreef]

My last update was almost a month ago now. Oops. Life's been very busy. So the tank is dirty, upgraded my cuc some more to battle the algae. So here is a photo dump. Opinions welcome. I am also curious on using kalkwasser to raise/maintain calcium without a reactor. Research to be done.

 

[That Crusso Kid]

My last update was almost a month ago now. Oops. Life's been very busy. So the tank is dirty, upgraded my cuc some more to battle the algae. So here is a photo dump. Opinions welcome. I am also curious on using kalkwasser to raise/maintain calcium without a reactor. Research to be done.

Just jumped on board and am following now.

Kalkwasser is a great way to maintain alk, cal and boost pH. I am a long time believer in it. People also use it in conjunction with AFR.

BTW - is that a new, fancy-shmacy, funky named, designer cat coral? I think they do better with less blues.

 

[D'sreef]

My last update was almost a month ago now. Oops. Life's been very busy. So the tank is dirty, upgraded my cuc some more to battle the algae. So here is a photo dump. Opinions welcome. I am also curious on using kalkwasser to raise/maintain calcium without a reactor. Research to be done.

Just jumped on board and am following now.

Kalkwasser is a great way to maintain alk, cal and boost pH. I am a long time believer in it. People also use it in conjunction with AFR.

BTW - is that a new, fancy-shmacy, funky named, designer cat coral? I think they do better with less blues.

That's my office manager, she inspects all of my work with my aquariums.

 

[That Crusso Kid]

That's my office manager, she inspects all of my work with my aquariums.

What's your office manager's name?

 

[D'sreef]

That's my office manager, she inspects all of my work with my aquariums.

What's your office manager's name?

Sushi

 

[That Crusso Kid]

Sushi

Perfection!

 

[D'sreef]

Sushi

Perfection!

Yep

 

[D'sreef]

So, work is absolute chaos, so here is my update here. I removed one of the pumps I had on this tank that I was using as a wave maker, and swapped it for a wave maker. I tried to add my damsel over to this tank, and the clowns are *****, and started to bully the poor guy. Took three days to catch him and place him back over to the other tank. I am basically in a holding pattern on this tank and just letting everything grow out. I have a couple pieces of GSP that's loose and I'll probably cut those and add it to the back glass in other places to promote growth. Started dosing kalkwasser into my ATO tank when I fill it to help maintain the calcium. That's really about it. Nutrients are finally up, and the algae is too. I did figure out if you put a turbo snail in a small refugium chamber it does a fantastic job at eating the algae and keeps it pretty much under control.

 

[tbrown]

Be careful leaving the turbo in the chamber though, it can potentially run out of food fast. They're hungry critters and you don't want it starving back there.

 

[D'sreef]

Ok update, My green ricordea, and the orange rodactus have split. I am a bit worried about the rodactus taking over, but I'll cross that bridge when we get to it. My GSP is going ham, and my hammers are looking fantastic. The monti is showing new growth. I found out I have brissle worms, the hard way, though I haven't added anything in a long while. My pod population is kicking it, and I now have pest nems in the rear of the tank. My peppermint shrimp doing a bang up job on the display keeping it clean and free from the pest nems. I also assume my clowns are doing the same for the brissle worms as they seem to be confined to the rear of the tank as well. Growing enough algae to keep my cuc kicking, and probably more than that to be honest.

 

[D'sreef]

Ok update, I have mushrooms frags everywhere in the bottom of my tank. I fragged my GSP and added it to another location on the back glass. My diversity is improving. I now have those little things red worms in the sand, and the algae eating flat worms. I have two mice hammer frags in this tank, so I am debating on moving out some of the mushrooms to the other tank. Ones in blue and ones purple.

 

[steveschuerger]

There. Decided to wait to comment til I went through the thread completely. Looking good. Yes those shrooms will multiply like rodents on holiday given the chance when happy. Looking forward to continued updates .
PS-my tank has a manager as well. Her name is Xena

 

[D'sreef]

There. Decided to wait to comment til I went through the thread completely. Looking good. Yes those shrooms will multiply like rodents on holiday given the chance when happy. Looking forward to continued updates .
PS-my tank has a manager as well. Her name is Xena

Thanks, your tank manager is absolutely adorable.

 

[D'sreef]

So my RBTA split, and here are some updated photos.

 

[D'sreef]

Quick update, sold off a couple mushrooms, The neon green Kenya trees are fixing to drop some more, and I bought a six line wrasse who immediately went into hiding and haven't seen it since.

 

[D'sreef]

As the days of March comes to a close, I shall share an update. Urchin is an pain, acting more like an wrecking ball currently. I now have a total of four aquarium is my fish room/ office. I recently acquired a fluval 30 ish gallon at the total expense of $0, and a fluval 8 gallon for the tune of $60. The desktop is setup with live sand and rock from another aquarium, and the 30 gallon came with sand and a rock. The 30 gallon was so dirty I currently have it fallow and running carbon and only used half of the water that came with it, it also came with a blue damsel ( Chrysiptera cyanea ) which I put in the desktop currently. On to news about the aquarium this build thread is for, the 6 line wrasse has adjusted well to his new home, and is doing an fantastic job at keeping the tank clean. The bumble bee snails are cleaning up as well. The extra RBTA and some neon green Kenya tree frags went to the lfs and covered half the cost of the live rock for the desktop tank. Overall a productive week.

 

[D'sreef]

Ok , nothing too new here. I added carbon to this tank to clean up the water a little. The wrasse is doing a fantastic job. I moved some of the coral that was struggling in the tank to the desktop to see if they will do better under weaker lights. If they do, I will dip and remove the remaining zoas I have to place them in the desktop tank. I also moved a mushroom that my urchin seems to love to remove from the rock and carry it half way across the tank.

 

[D'sreef]

I added the final fish to this tank, a Ruby red dragonet. I figured it may help with my flatworm issue. That being said, I don't believe I'll be adding anything else for quite awhile. Definitely time for some grow out. So here is the current stock list.

Fish:
Clowns x2
Bangai cardinal
Six line wrasse
Ruby red dragonet

Inverts
1 peppermint shrimp
1 pink urchin
3 Mexican turbos
Several nasarrius snails

Corals
2 blue hammers
1 green/purple hammer
1 gold hammer
1 green Duncan
2 neon green Kenya trees
1 pink Kenya tree
1 orange rhodactus
1 bounce shroom
1 green rhodactus
1 green/blue rhodactus
1 orange disco
Several random baby shrooms of unknown type
1 harry mushroom
1 pavona
1 monti
Green palys
Captain jerks