Fyveonit's Red Sea Reefer 170 Build Log

[Fyveonit]

The goal is to let new corals take over the dead Blue Ridge. I love the amount of frag space potential it has. Along with the shaded hiding spots for fish all over. Part of me want's to let a bunch of Zoas carpet it...but I fear they may take over. I am still on on the fence about that. Maybe a crazy looking Favia...Ughhhh I can't wait for this cycle to end...


I check my No3 every night before bed, gonna make a drive to Austin Aqua Farms one Saturday when it's holding steady 0's and pick up a frag or two. Hoping for that right around New Years!


As far as the beer goes, I am not a big fan of the beer outside the bottle. I am actually mildly allergic to beers haha but I love darker ones. Shiner Bock, Yuengling etc.

 

[Fyveonit]

Current Apex reading and Wav settings: My Salinity monitor input was loose from the Apex housing upon arrival, I can get it to plug in but I need to re-calibrate it before I do so now.

 

[Rory's Reef]

Welcome to the Red Sea Reefer Community!!! Everything's looking real good so far!

In case you haven't already found us, heres the link to join us.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/s...ea-reefer-series.219309/page-150#post-3374539

Lots of people who are happy to help and share their experiences!

 

[__Jreef__]

Nice build!

 

[Fyveonit]

Diatoms started to show a few days ago. I have added a small cleaning crew.
No3 is lowering finally...performed a 10g water change Monday.

15 Nassarius Snails
10 Certh
2 Electric Blue Leg Hermit
3 Halloween Hermits

...I also picked up a $13.00 frag of some Laser Lemons to gain free shipping.


They seem happy! Opened up almost right away, then they got a nice cleaning by a clumsy Certh...

I am a big fan of Green and Purple, so I gotta watch myself on not over doing it in the tank!

Gonna get the good cameras out soon!

Blue Zoo also included a free bottle of Red "Tiger" Pods for my Chaeto. I have already seen a few in tank, and I love how they bounce around!

Including sump shot since the fuge lights are on now! Not as clean as some of the other Reefers around here, but it'll do...Turns out you need a Phillips "bridge" to adjust the hue and intensity of the LED strip....I am going to look into a more programmable Arduino option while saving about 40 bucks..Plus I have a few spare Arduino ready to rock!

 

[Fyveonit]

This is my final update for 2016 I suppose. But I got a lot to cover. But before I do that I come here in shame.... A good friend / old boss gave me some of his racked frags from his 75g for Christmas. I wanted to decline b/c of my tanks age, but the pressure and hype was real. They seem to be doing pretty good. No coloration changes, I know I have the flow / lighting for sure, PH hovers around 8 nonstop and my Calcium / Mag / DKH levels have been in the higher than average range...but still in the preferred range (Calc v Mag) according to my Google-fu. I have Reef Foundation AB&C on hand when it depletes, and other foods....


It's just the age of my tank that scares me, and I only kept easy SPS way back when like a brown monti cap.



ROAST ME IF YOU MUST!!! It took a lot to muster up a FTS and show my shame....





Now onto the update:


The big cycles have passed I think! Diatoms started showing up a little over two weeks ago, and and a bright green "film" algae of sorts which seems may be caused by the Chaeto sometime last week.

Now I have some hair algae...Will touch on that further down. Full Tank shot first! I REALLY NEED A MACRO LENS!

Okay so early last week I came back in from a weekend trip, and I noticed two of my hermit shells were empty. Some panic happened, and the next morning my friend THOUGHT he finally found the Blue Spotted Porcelain Crab I added with my CuC. I was asking him if it was "waving its feather hands" and he was like..."WHAT FEATHER HANDS???"....SO I get up to show him, and immediately at first sight I yell...THAT'S NOT MY CRAB!!!!!!!


Luckily the tanks still easy to move stuff around, We captured the beast, and came here for an ID!!!!

After we were told to Sump it, We dubbed him "El Chapo" and away to Supermax he went. THE TERROR OF THE TANK IS NO LONGER A THREAT!





On Christmas morning I found one of my Halloween Hermits ripped to shreds....THANKS SANTA




SO I fashioned a bottle trap, and set it up that evening with some bait. When I went to explain to my friend why I had a bottle in the tank...WE SPOTTED SOMETHING...


It was another Halloween Hermit...Holding one of his bros down...pulling it's legs off! In came the tongs, and away the Cannibal hermit went to see El Chapo...As he must be one of his henchmen. As for the victim, he still walks around, and is eating...I feel bad for it. But I am letting it hang out as long as it seems able to survive. My buddy said I was pretty much Batman for that Crab tho....


I knew I had to supplement some food for the CuC, but if anything I felt I was over feeding. I don't feel my crab was starving...It was just an *******.


The last few days have been casualty free, but I feel all the bloodshed may be why I am seeing hair algae like this. I am also chalking it up to the cycle for some of it. The TDS on my RO/Di reads 000 still. But I have also read the "Bacteria in a Bottle" I used has some complaints of algae outbreaks when used. It's probably a combination of everything, and my snails get to chow down! The Certh crew look like they may need some help, so I ordered 5 Astraea Turbo snails today, pretty bummed I have to even order snails online! But I picked up a Pistol Shrimp and a Goby as well, as I think I can finally add something to the tank!

Fear not folks! There's some good news! The Zoa frag I ordered with my CuC a few weeks ago are as happy as can be!

And I also received some "Fire and Ice" Zoas from my same friend, I would have loved to show them off...but the struggle is real...Also I think the ones in the front are another type, but I like them too!

Anywho...Happy New Years Y'all!

 

[Fyveonit]

1st update of 2017! Snails arrived and the tanks is looking snazzy!!! I added a fish! It's an Orange Striped Shrimp Goby...I named it Tiny Rick! It liked the beer bottle a lot, and then found a new home in the lower cave! Hows the SPS look? Is that a GARF Purple Bonzai?? It's my favorite so far but I can't ID any of these and my buddy really gave me no info! ....Spaghetti Worm Hitchhiker bonus pic! ...Creepy little beast....

 

[Fyveonit]

Found a place in town that mainly services office buildings tanks etc, but is open on the weekends for livestock sales. Had to support them a little...Yep that's my excuse...

I also found out that Austin Aqua Farms is having a 50% off sale, and 25.00 flat rate shipping to anywhere in Texas...so I have my "final" three frags on the way this week...for a few months at least. I am going to start letting what I have spread a bit. See if I can introduce a small clown or two once the softies get established.


Corals on the way (Will post pics once they arrive and acclimate):

• Silver Xenia
• Indonesian Purple and Green Hammer Euphyllia sp.
• Indonesian Bright Green Alveopora

 

[Fyveonit]

Also posting my Laser Lemons progress b/c they are beyond happy!

 

[Fyveonit]

Austin Aqua Farms order delivered today...Already in love with the Alveopora and Hammer! Can't wait for them to fully acclimate. Snowing in the pics b/c it was Lunchtime and wanted my new frags to feel welcome with some Zooplankton!

 

[Fyveonit]

Today was test day! Still have to do Iron and Ammonia but I'm Lazy!!!!!!! It's Friday Craig!

Salinity: 1.026

• Mag: 1360
• ALK: 9.8
• Calcium: 350
• Iodine: .06
• Nitrate: 0.25 (had a slight pink tint)
• Phosphate: < 1ppm
• Potassium: 332

 

[Fyveonit]

 

[Fyveonit]

Picked up a small CPR in tank fuge and some macro algae. Some for the DT as well. Annnd some branching coraline algae too


I made a tough call two weeks ago and removed big blue...sad but loving the space. My upper area of the tank was too chaotic and I needed the mid area big blue was taking.

 

[Fyveonit]

It's Friday Craig...and Test Day!!! I also have some frags on the way...gonna keep these secret till I have them.


Calcium: 415
Dkh: 9.5
PH. 8.1 (My Apex probe is off..and I battled that for a few days...so I am hand testing weekly / and then monitoring nighttime swings via "corrected" probe in my notes till I get some calibration solution.)
Salinity: 1.026
Po4: .08
No3: between 2-5 (I feed a little heavy gonna cut back a little)
Ammonia: 0

Will update as I get more done

 

[Fyveonit]

Been a little too long since I posted some photos!!!! The reef is finally where I am happy, and ready to watch it all grow out. Got some Encrusting and Cap Monti and some SWEET ZOAS from Top Shelf Aquatics....Although they sent me the wrong zoas (Got "Smurfettes" instead of Daisy Cutters which sadly look like my Laser Lemons...They got the rest right!) Customer Service all around with them was weird regarding them raising their free shipping limit and not updating the site....but they have dang fine coral! But I am now pretty sold on Austin Aqua Farms as my main source!!!

I have some weird algae showing on a rock (to the left of the Rastas), and my Alveopora coral wont fully extend the last two weeks no matter where I place it, or what I feed it. It still seems to be doing "OKAY" but I miss it in all its glory. So I am leaving it in that slightly shady spot, because moving it isn't helping and it seems to be liking it there.​

NOW FOR THE MISC PICS!!!!!

FTS 1st

They like it when the Wav pump turns on for the afternoon

DOS BUBBLES

Purple / Green Hammer

ACAN GARDEN (IS THE GREEN ONE AN ACAN LOL??) ...Broly the lone Super Sayian Zoa top left.

TSA AQUAMAN'S REVENGE

O.D.B Says I'm "Violatin By Puttin that Camera In His Face"

TSA RAINBOW MONTI

Scooter taking my pod population down a few notches

HEYHEY TINY RICK!!!!!

Pink Starbust Monti (At Night the Polyps are Yellow and AMAZING!) ...Glare from kitchen windows ***





​

 

[Fyveonit]

Yo Dawg....I heard you liked updates! Sorry for taking so long, but things are going along nicely. I almost had a moment, when I added a bottle of Tigger Pods about a month ago...THAT upon further inspection (IN my tank)...were all dead. I had a bit of an algae bloom from it and lost 2 Acro. I am 30 hrs into a final batch of Big WCs and now a small bag of Phosban in my mini reactor and it is working wonders on the hair. I also added a Pink Diamond Goby now named "Drax" from Guardians of the Galaxy

IMAGES B/C I AM LOVING THE GROWTH!

 

[Reef Nutrition]

I almost had a moment, when I added a bottle of Tigger Pods about a month ago...THAT upon further inspection (IN my tank)...were all dead. I had a bit of an algae bloom from it and lost 2 Acro.

This is a very interesting comment. Are you blaming the dead copepods on an algae bloom and death of your 2 Acros? If they were Tigger-Pods from us, we pack them in water that is salt that is mixed in RO/DI water and there are only roughly 2,000 in the bottle. It is such a small biomass that it would add an insignificant amount of waste to a 170 gallon tank. I'm also curious to know how you found out they were all dead.

I look forward to hearing from you.

-Chad

 

[Fyveonit]

HOWDY Chad!

A reefer 170 is only 34 (41 w/ sump)Gallons, and I began to suspect they were dead when it was nothing like a usual bottle and everything just kinda sank haha.

Edit:
I also want to note that this is my first customer service experience where the company goes on the offense like this. I don't even know why I am calling it that, as I wasn't even ******** I was just keeping it real on why my tank looked ****** up. It's not like I went and raised hell about you as a company...

I was not trying to directly blame the losses on the Reef Nutrition pods as a brand, nor how they were bottled. While I appreciate your comment on how they are done so it means very little to me....

1 bottle of pods even with my large skimmer and filters is more than enough to imbalance things..

HOWEVER that day is the only significant thing that has happened to the tank with something like a bloom following directly after. I am no noob in reefing, but I was honestly chalking the losses to the game. I have added your pods before and love watching them hop about.

I got them from a 3rd party online, neither of us know how those bottles were stored or for how long before shipping. I do know that it was DOA, as I added them as soon as Fed Ex dropped them off.

If anything it's on me!

I should have checked the bottle before eagerly adding it to the fuge, It was a bit like urine in a swimming pool...once it was there it was there. I don't think I saw a single little pod skitter away..

I was merely noting the losses, and the reasons why in my little online build log. I just wanted to give a thorough update on here, as those were my first losses AND big algae bloom outside of the initial diatoms after a cycle. It was a big deal to me


This overly defensive comment representing Reef Nutrition as a whole is a bit off putting to be frank.

With that being said I guess I need to report another loss...Me as a Reef Nutrition customer.


POD YOUR REEF ...While I hope you don't have to search your product or company name to harass your customers. BUT IF YOU DO SEEK THAT ATTENTION! I will be placing an order this week bros, got any stickers?!?!?!?!?

I am also going to show these posts off to my local reef clubs, Facebook grps, Reddit and my other reefing sites / forums.

 

[1$adream]

Great build thread!
What did you do with your emerals sump? Any plans to mod the sump still?

 

[Fyveonit]

I have it still in the box nice and clean, I am thinking of doing a 40g-L next, and will probably use it for that.