Fresh to Salt Build

[RobertP]

One more thing. I'm seeing a large number of copepods in the tank not just the refugium. It looked like they were feeding on the diatoms. I know my neon dottyback has been fat since he came out of QT. He is always on the hunt. Can't wait to get a wrasse.

Found some kind of crazy creature in my fuge. It looks almost like a cross between a praying mantis and a worm. It has 2 back legs it uses to hold on to a chaeto branch and waves his front arms around. Looks like it has 2 antenna. I think it is trying to catch copepods...they are avoiding it. There was a smaller on behind the first. Unfortunately they are too small to get a picture.

 

[RobertP]

Thanks to a link on @Lionfish Lair 's profile I found that the scary looking bug in my fuge is a skeleton shrimp. The link has some cool videos that are far better than anything I can post. Probably came in with some of the chaeto I bought. I dumped a bag of ReefPods from Algagen in the fuge but that was last week so doubt they grew that fast.
http://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhikers-guide/amphipod-caprellid/

Regrettably I took down my algae reactor last night. I have been impressed with how well this thing made algae. Space is the main reason so figured there is no point having a refugium and this reactor when I need the space for a BRS dual reactor. The walmart LED light is not cutting it over the fuge so going to add a Kessil H380. ATO and Apex will be added shortly as well.

 

[RobertP]

We sold our house and moving to the country and this is the state of the tank now. Fish and corals were all sold and cleanup out the tank last week and waiting to be moved to storage. It will not be going inside the new house...just dont trust silicone seals after being dried out for a year. However, I will move it to the garage/fish room. Already planning on getting a 300 gallon for inside. By the way the towels do help cut down on the smell while it dries out. Yes, I rinsed it out with fresh water but those grain sized snails are hard to find and they smell BAD. Fortunately that didnt last long.

My wife has told me numerous times how much she misses the fish and corals!!!!