Growing Pains from a First Reef Build - 55g

[Blutspitze]

A bit of a chemical downturn

As I've mentioned before, I haven't had a whole lot of time to spend on the tank lately - I'm working a lot of extra hours so I can get some extra money at the moment, so I've had to go light on a few things, hence why I've not gotten anything new. I still do my feedings, sump scrub every other week, water changes, etc., all the usual stuff, but it's been awhile since I'd used my testing kits on the tank.

Some time ago, I reduced the Alk dosing, as it was near 10-11, and calcium steady at ~400-420. This past weekend, I finally had time for testing, and my Alk was all the way down near 7, and calcium at around 540, nearly off the charts. I quickly raised the alk dosing and lowered calcium, so we'll see how it goes when I test next. Thankfully everything is still looking good, such that I can see them (the lights are normally in sunset/night mode by the time I'm home), but I feel bad for letting the numbers slip.

That said, I've been waking up earlier to work out, so I have some early morning coral pics

I think there's ONE little GSP branch thing on the rock. I'm crossing my fingers that it actually is one. Maybe the upped Alk'll help it grow more

Hammer looking all sleepy and shriveled ahead of a fun day.

Mostly compressed leather, along with some evil bubble algae. Booooo bubble algae. I'll likely be dealing with that and a colony on my powerhead this weekend.

I've also found a great macro lens that I'm going to save up for, likely not until after the holidays, but still. Hopefully I'll be able to pick one up at some point.

Also also, does anyone do inversed lighting cycle for the DT? Having the whites come on at night? I kind of like the appeal since I'd be able to appreciate the tank a bit more; having the lights on more of the time when I'm home. Thoughts?

 

[BeardedMcG]

That’s a neat looking leather.

 

[BeardedMcG]

What macro lens are you looking at?

 

[PanchoG]

A bit of a chemical downturn

As I've mentioned before, I haven't had a whole lot of time to spend on the tank lately - I'm working a lot of extra hours so I can get some extra money at the moment, so I've had to go light on a few things, hence why I've not gotten anything new. I still do my feedings, sump scrub every other week, water changes, etc., all the usual stuff, but it's been awhile since I'd used my testing kits on the tank.

Some time ago, I reduced the Alk dosing, as it was near 10-11, and calcium steady at ~400-420. This past weekend, I finally had time for testing, and my Alk was all the way down near 7, and calcium at around 540, nearly off the charts. I quickly raised the alk dosing and lowered calcium, so we'll see how it goes when I test next. Thankfully everything is still looking good, such that I can see them (the lights are normally in sunset/night mode by the time I'm home), but I feel bad for letting the numbers slip.

That said, I've been waking up earlier to work out, so I have some early morning coral pics

I think there's ONE little GSP branch thing on the rock. I'm crossing my fingers that it actually is one. Maybe the upped Alk'll help it grow more

Hammer looking all sleepy and shriveled ahead of a fun day.

Mostly compressed leather, along with some evil bubble algae. Booooo bubble algae. I'll likely be dealing with that and a colony on my powerhead this weekend.

I've also found a great macro lens that I'm going to save up for, likely not until after the holidays, but still. Hopefully I'll be able to pick one up at some point.

Also also, does anyone do inversed lighting cycle for the DT? Having the whites come on at night? I kind of like the appeal since I'd be able to appreciate the tank a bit more; having the lights on more of the time when I'm home. Thoughts?

Looking good bro, you are getting nice colors. I do not know of someone running a reverse lighting cycle, I’m mot sure if it would bother or mess the sleep cycle for fish and corals.

 

[Blutspitze]

That’s a neat looking leather.

Thanks very much!

What macro lens are you looking at?

I have a Canon Rebel T5i, and was looking at the Tamron SP 90mm F/2.8 or Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L lenses. Apparently they're both quite good and work well. At the moment the cost is prohibitive, though. I always love your pics - do you have any suggestions for good lenses?

Looking good bro, you are getting nice colors. I do not know of someone running a reverse lighting cycle, I’m mot sure if it would bother or mess the sleep cycle for fish and corals.

Thanks very much! I'm mostly worried that their cycles would be off because the tank gets a decent amount of natural light, so even if the lights are off during the day, there'd still be some coming in from the windows. I'll probably leave it as is and wait until I don't have to work so much

 

[BeardedMcG]

I have a Canon Rebel T5i, and was looking at the Tamron SP 90mm F/2.8 or Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L lenses.

When I was shooting Canon I had the 100mm f/2.8L and it's a great lens and I'm sure the Tamron SP 90mm is as well. You don't necessarily need to go that high end though. You could get a manual focus macro for much cheaper. You probably won't be able to get good shots of fish because they move so fast but I shoot corals in manual focus as it's easier to get the exact focus point I want. You're also shooting on a crop sensor so you'll want to factor that in to lens selection which opens the door to the 60ish mm range which is cheaper and has a lower min focus distance. Combine crop factor (1.6x on T5i) and lower min focus distance it's almost the same as those 90-100mm on a full frame camera and still has the 1:1 magnification ratio.

Used lenses are a huge savings. The one thing to watch with used is dust inside the lens. It doesn't seem to affect your standard lenses but shows up as huge dark spots in macros. There are a few canon buy/sell groups on FB and you could probably find a macro cheap there and ask for test images of a white piece of paper to check for those dust spots.

 

[Blutspitze]

When I was shooting Canon I had the 100mm f/2.8L and it's a great lens and I'm sure the Tamron SP 90mm is as well. You don't necessarily need to go that high end though. You could get a manual focus macro for much cheaper. You probably won't be able to get good shots of fish because they move so fast but I shoot corals in manual focus as it's easier to get the exact focus point I want. You're also shooting on a crop sensor so you'll want to factor that in to lens selection which opens the door to the 60ish mm range which is cheaper and has a lower min focus distance. Combine crop factor (1.6x on T5i) and lower min focus distance it's almost the same as those 90-100mm on a full frame camera and still has the 1:1 magnification ratio.

Used lenses are a huge savings. The one thing to watch with used is dust inside the lens. It doesn't seem to affect your standard lenses but shows up as huge dark spots in macros. There are a few canon buy/sell groups on FB and you could probably find a macro cheap there and ask for test images of a white piece of paper to check for those dust spots.

Thanks very much for the awesome insight! I've been reading through some of the photography threads on the forums here, and they're overwhelming to say the least. Just far too much info and options. I'll definitely look more into the manual focus and 60 mm range... Hoping that I can find some good deals on used ones, as well. Most of what I've found locally is super high end, so even used it's impossible for me to afford.

 

[New&no clue]

Thanks very much! I'm mostly worried that their cycles would be off because the tank gets a decent amount of natural light, so even if the lights are off during the day, there'd still be some coming in from the windows. I'll probably leave it as is and wait until I don't have to work so much

agreed, the tanks of heard who do it have theirs in basements without much or any natural light. Also I think the transition time from one to the other is only really worth it if this is going to be your normal schedule, ie night shifts

 

[Blutspitze]

agreed, the tanks of heard who do it have theirs in basements without much or any natural light. Also I think the transition time from one to the other is only really worth it if this is going to be your normal schedule, ie night shifts

For sure - the basement aspect especially makes sense. It's a weird enough transition going from a day/night cycle to a night/day, but any amount of natural light would likely be troublesome, especially for the corals. I find it's best to just leave it be, at least for now.

 

[Blutspitze]

Just some new pics

Everything is still going steady over here, nothing really new except that the back poster on the glass keeps falling off . I'm still hoping that the GSP will latch on to some of the rock and start growing out, and have upped the Alk dosing again a few mL. Everyone's still doing well and getting along nicely, phyto growing strong, and I'm hoping that either this week or next week I'll be able to get some new stock! I just wanted to post some new FTS and stock pics - sorry for the quality - I snapped them on my phone whilst low on Potassium.

Hi everyone!

Leathers 1 and 2.

Grow, little GSP.... grow...... do the thing!

Even the star is still going strong, though its limbs haven't grown back much.

Leonard often relaxes at home

A blurry Sandy but clear Jacques

Hammer still going strong, as well.

Sandy doing that Goby thing they do. Still love to watch it.

That's it for now, but like I said hopefully will have more in the next couple weeks sometime!

 

[PanchoG]

Good update, the everybody look happy and enjoying the tank and good coraline growth.

 

[New&no clue]

Sandy doing that Goby thing they do. Still love to watch it.

I just added a diamond goby this weekend and he has completely re-landscaped my entire tank. Moving sand from one side to another, digging holes everywhere, burying any corals that he can. I'm hoping he calms down soon.

 

[Salty Lemon]

I didn't stumble upon this until just now. I'm going to follow. ;Watching

 

[Salty Lemon]

Just some new pics

Everything is still going steady over here, nothing really new except that the back poster on the glass keeps falling off . I'm still hoping that the GSP will latch on to some of the rock and start growing out, and have upped the Alk dosing again a few mL. Everyone's still doing well and getting along nicely, phyto growing strong, and I'm hoping that either this week or next week I'll be able to get some new stock! I just wanted to post some new FTS and stock pics - sorry for the quality - I snapped them on my phone whilst low on Potassium.

Hi everyone!

Leathers 1 and 2.

Grow, little GSP.... grow...... do the thing!

Even the star is still going strong, though its limbs haven't grown back much.

Leonard often relaxes at home

A blurry Sandy but clear Jacques

Hammer still going strong, as well.

Sandy doing that Goby thing they do. Still love to watch it.

That's it for now, but like I said hopefully will have more in the next couple weeks sometime!

I have a diamond goby too -- everyone who visits our house comments on him. He is by far the favorite celebrity in our tank.

 

[RichtheReefer21]

Nice update thanks for sharing. Miss having a sand sitting goby. Such characters.

 

[actik]

I used to not be a controller guy. And then my wife gave me the thumbs up to get an apex....I'll never look back

Isn't it strange you always wait for your partners permission haha, I had a 20g tank told my gf I'd like to upgraded to a 33 gallon long. She then said sarcastically if I upgrade I might as well go big, well....the next week I was dragging a 75g miniature bathtub in the house. Suprise !!!

 

[Blutspitze]

Good update, the everybody look happy and enjoying the tank and good coraline growth.

Exactly! I'm glad to have something good and steady, even if it means I'm not getting more stuff. The automation and alerts for feed cycles, water changes, etc., really help.

I just added a diamond goby this weekend and he has completely re-landscaped my entire tank. Moving sand from one side to another, digging holes everywhere, burying any corals that he can. I'm hoping he calms down soon.

They're definitely awesome, and mine will still do massive rescapes on occasion. The area where the video was taken has some rock buried in the sand and sometimes I'll see that it's unearthed, then buried again a few hours later. Just glad I don't have to worry so much about keeping sand clean, but also glad I don't have any sand-dwelling corals.

I have a diamond goby too -- everyone who visits our house comments on him. He is by far the favorite celebrity in our tank.

Right? It's one of those things where they're unusual enough that they're really interesting, and often something others have never seen. It's also great that they tend to be pretty active, as well. And thanks very much for following, as well

Nice update thanks for sharing. Miss having a sand sitting goby. Such characters.

Thanks as well, glad you enjoyed it! It's definitely always great to see personality in any of the inhabitants. Not to mention the adorable goby scowl.

Isn't it strange you always wait for your partners permission haha, I had a 20g tank told my gf I'd like to upgraded to a 33 gallon long. She then said sarcastically if I upgrade I might as well go big, well....the next week I was dragging a 75g miniature bathtub in the house. Suprise !!!

Hahaha indeed - especially when it comes to big hobbies, sarcastic permission = permission, everyone knows that . Definitely had me excited for getting the apex.

 

[actik]

Exactly! I'm glad to have something good and steady, even if it means I'm not getting more stuff. The automation and alerts for feed cycles, water changes, etc., really help.



They're definitely awesome, and mine will still do massive rescapes on occasion. The area where the video was taken has some rock buried in the sand and sometimes I'll see that it's unearthed, then buried again a few hours later. Just glad I don't have to worry so much about keeping sand clean, but also glad I don't have any sand-dwelling corals.



Right? It's one of those things where they're unusual enough that they're really interesting, and often something others have never seen. It's also great that they tend to be pretty active, as well. And thanks very much for following, as well



Thanks as well, glad you enjoyed it! It's definitely always great to see personality in any of the inhabitants. Not to mention the adorable goby scowl.



Hahaha indeed - especially when it comes to big hobbies, sarcastic permission = permission, everyone knows that . Definitely had me excited for getting the apex.

Agreed, I'm just a dumb man what is sarcasm you said yes? Haha

 

[Blutspitze]

There's finally much to update!

While I've been keeping up with my regular maintenance and cleaning (regular water changes, algae scraping, etc.), yesterday I finally took the leap I've been promising since my work and money lined up a bit better and actually did some new exciting stuff for the tank!

• New fish in the QT
• New coral in the DT
• Attempt #2 for pod culturing

Very exciting. Let's dive in, so to speak.

QT

The QT was a bit of a pain - I started setting it up a week ago, adding in my water change H2O from the DT along with some RO. Didn't get it running until a few days ago, though - needed the DT H2O again, and my filter's plug was corroded, so I had to get a new one . Not ideal, but OK. Had the tank running starting Saturday, and Sunday picked up a pair of PJ Cardinals. Relatively inexpensive, docile, but still fun to look at. Plus, the store had BIG ones. I matched the QT salinity to the store's hypo setup, and put them in. They ate a bit this morning, but not much, as one expects. I'm also doing daily water changes with higher salinity H2O so I can gradually increase the content. There's well-seeded ceramic balls from my DT and a carbon filter in the HOB, so I'm not worried about the chemistry at all.

Acclimating in the bag

They at least seem to be friends with each other.

New Coral
It feels like it's been forever since I've been able to add a coral - there's a few that I'm specifically looking for, but my LFS didn't have any when I went. I did find this beautiful mushroom, though! Acclimated well, and now it's hanging on my frag rack toward the bottom. I'll move it up and down a bit over the next couple weeks to see where it likes the light.

Looking good in the day and blues!

Pod culture
So last time I tried to grow pods it's likely that two things caused the downfall - continuous agitation and lighting. Pods like it dark and calm, so we're trying again. This time, I'm also using a more concentrated, fresh set of my home-grown phytoplankton to give them plenty to eat. They're in one of my pint jars, which is in a blackout bucket (one of my old salt buckets). I'll check on them every few days or so - I don't have a proper strainer for them, but if this works I'll figure something out.

For the sake of ease, the whole bottle went into the sweet sweet phytoplankton.

not sealing either the jar or the bucket, just making sure that light isn't an issue for the little guys and they'll be free to eat and thrive.


So.... fun week and lots of stuff! Hoping that things go well all around.

 

[RichtheReefer21]

Phyto culturing is something I've always wanted to try. Good luck with the pj's!

I noticed u have quite a lot of vermitid across your live rock in that photo of the new coral. Softies and LPS are very vulnerable to the sweepers. Might want to try bumblebee snails. They helped me with mine.

Or manual removal / gluing the hole shut.