OP
OP
Dang! That's not a fun lesson to learn but we've all been there. You'll be glad it's up and running though, that's for sure!
I Promise, It’s the Last Tank!!! dustinc’s 200 SPS Reef
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Dang! That's not a fun lesson to learn but we've all been there. You'll be glad it's up and running though, that's for sure!
OP
OP
***Regal Angel Update***
It's doing absolutely fantastic. I fed yesterday morning and caught a quick video of it eating. They are notorious for not eating in a captive environment, so very excited that it's eating so quickly after being introduced into it's new environment. I also fed again in the afternoon and it ate even more aggressively. I watched it eat about 10 PE Mysis soaked in AngeLixer. I also picked up a couple inverts yesterday as well. This tank is going to be fun. Can't wait for everything to grow out.
It's doing absolutely fantastic. I fed yesterday morning and caught a quick video of it eating. They are notorious for not eating in a captive environment, so very excited that it's eating so quickly after being introduced into it's new environment. I also fed again in the afternoon and it ate even more aggressively. I watched it eat about 10 PE Mysis soaked in AngeLixer. I also picked up a couple inverts yesterday as well. This tank is going to be fun. Can't wait for everything to grow out.
OP
OP
***Unfortunate News***
My Scopas Tang has turned out to be a Phsyco... He killed the White Tail Bristletooth, and is harassing the Regal, Blue Line, and Melanarus Wrasse. I will be working to catch it and taking it back for something else. I'll add 2 new tangs at some point, but definitely need to get this one out of the tank asap. The WT was so active when he was first introduced and very healthy and within a day I saw some signs of stress, then I started to see marks from getting beat up, and I finally saw the Scopas being relentless on it and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I tried catching the Scopas and the WT and couldn't do it and unfortunately ended up being too late. I ordered a fish trap and should have it Monday at the latest. Hopefully I can catch before then, but everything else seems much better than the WT, but I am not taking long term chances.
My Scopas Tang has turned out to be a Phsyco... He killed the White Tail Bristletooth, and is harassing the Regal, Blue Line, and Melanarus Wrasse. I will be working to catch it and taking it back for something else. I'll add 2 new tangs at some point, but definitely need to get this one out of the tank asap. The WT was so active when he was first introduced and very healthy and within a day I saw some signs of stress, then I started to see marks from getting beat up, and I finally saw the Scopas being relentless on it and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I tried catching the Scopas and the WT and couldn't do it and unfortunately ended up being too late. I ordered a fish trap and should have it Monday at the latest. Hopefully I can catch before then, but everything else seems much better than the WT, but I am not taking long term chances.
OP
OP
***Long Overdue Update***
First things first, the Scopas is still roaming the tank and has seemed to calm down at this point, but I'll still get him out in the near future so it doesn't prevent me from adding future fish.
I'm really starting to wonder how I want to move forward with the tank. In the past, I've never really cared about the fish, and always focused on the corals. I've been keeping SPS tanks for 10+ years, and in some ways, I feel like the hobby is changing for me. With the LFS that I have near me, I'm now starting to fall in love with the fish, and really making the coral secondary. I've been debating over the last several days, changing the tank up and converting to a primarily fish tank with adding some softies (mushrooms, zoas, etc.). I haven't kept these kinds of corals in years, but they can be beautiful and add a lot of color and I also wouldn't care as much if some were eaten by fish that are typically more cautionary in a reef tank. My Regal Angel is definitely at the point that if I added a ton of SPS and he ate them all, I would still choose the Regal, so I am wondering if I should just add the awesome fish and have some more cheap corals and have the focus on the fish? The other thing swapping to this type of tank would allow is sand, so I could have my past favorite (Leopard Wrasse) and something like a Bella Goby. I've even thought of swapping all the rock for Tonga rock and building a bunch of tiny holes for fish to swim in and out and stack taller as I wouldn't need the open space at the top as much for coral growth, just swimming. I've been all over the place and really can't make up my mind. All the acros I have now as testers are doing great and maintaining their color and even growing a bit. I also setup a new Biocube in our son's school room with 3 rainbow anemones and will be adding a pair of Two Banded Clowns that are absolutely beautiful. See below for a quick video of the LFS tank that has me debating fish only...
First things first, the Scopas is still roaming the tank and has seemed to calm down at this point, but I'll still get him out in the near future so it doesn't prevent me from adding future fish.
I'm really starting to wonder how I want to move forward with the tank. In the past, I've never really cared about the fish, and always focused on the corals. I've been keeping SPS tanks for 10+ years, and in some ways, I feel like the hobby is changing for me. With the LFS that I have near me, I'm now starting to fall in love with the fish, and really making the coral secondary. I've been debating over the last several days, changing the tank up and converting to a primarily fish tank with adding some softies (mushrooms, zoas, etc.). I haven't kept these kinds of corals in years, but they can be beautiful and add a lot of color and I also wouldn't care as much if some were eaten by fish that are typically more cautionary in a reef tank. My Regal Angel is definitely at the point that if I added a ton of SPS and he ate them all, I would still choose the Regal, so I am wondering if I should just add the awesome fish and have some more cheap corals and have the focus on the fish? The other thing swapping to this type of tank would allow is sand, so I could have my past favorite (Leopard Wrasse) and something like a Bella Goby. I've even thought of swapping all the rock for Tonga rock and building a bunch of tiny holes for fish to swim in and out and stack taller as I wouldn't need the open space at the top as much for coral growth, just swimming. I've been all over the place and really can't make up my mind. All the acros I have now as testers are doing great and maintaining their color and even growing a bit. I also setup a new Biocube in our son's school room with 3 rainbow anemones and will be adding a pair of Two Banded Clowns that are absolutely beautiful. See below for a quick video of the LFS tank that has me debating fish only...
hawkeyejp82
Active Member
Id be a little worried about the zoa's getting eaten just worry about the toxin they might release if stressed.
OP
OP
Definitely understand that fear for sure. I'm leaning towards keeping as is and just getting the cool fish balanced with the corals. I know long term I would miss the acres and other corals, and really this tank is so shallow, it would work great for a Fish Only setup. Maybe I'll just need another tank somewhere else in the house for those other fish... ha ha.
hawkeyejp82
Active Member
MTS or multiple tank snydrome the challenge we all face.
OP
OP
***I'm Still Here***
So the tank overall is going very well, but have a couple small changes that are in the works. I have this weird algae that has shown up all over my rocks over the last several weeks, and it's definitely gotten worse, but feel like it's not getting worse rapidly. It may be coincidence, but I started to notice it when I swapped my 40 watt UV sterilizer for an 80 watt unit. Seems strange that would happen, but when I made this change, my head pressure increased and my COR 20 return sucks with head pressure. I have it set at 100% and am probably only getting 400gph. I will soon be ordering a Sicce SDC 9.0 return to swap for the COR 20, as with 15 ft of head pressure, it still pushes 1300gph, which is more in line with what I need for my filtration to turnover properly and for the UV to be beneficial. The fish are doing very well overall. I was able to catch the Scopas Tang and return him to my LFS so he would quit terrorizing my fish. I thought about leaving him as he had calmed down. I recently added a Quoyi Parrotfish (which he left alone) and a pair of Blue Throat Triggers (he absolutely destroyed the female relentlessly). That's when I decided to definitely remove him from the tank.
I've also added several Acro frags and they are all growing and encrusting for the ones placed on the rocks. I just need to figure out the algae issue so the tank can look nice and clear/clean again. Hope everyone is doing well and thanks for following along. Below are a couple update pics.
Lastly I also setup an 18" cube that I will be transferring the anemones and bicinctus clown pair to. I absolutely despise the Biocube, so had to find an alternative solution. Just filled with water, sand, and rock yesterday. It's setup in the same room as the big tank, just on top of my storage cabinet for all my aquarium stuff. Below is a picture of that as well.
So the tank overall is going very well, but have a couple small changes that are in the works. I have this weird algae that has shown up all over my rocks over the last several weeks, and it's definitely gotten worse, but feel like it's not getting worse rapidly. It may be coincidence, but I started to notice it when I swapped my 40 watt UV sterilizer for an 80 watt unit. Seems strange that would happen, but when I made this change, my head pressure increased and my COR 20 return sucks with head pressure. I have it set at 100% and am probably only getting 400gph. I will soon be ordering a Sicce SDC 9.0 return to swap for the COR 20, as with 15 ft of head pressure, it still pushes 1300gph, which is more in line with what I need for my filtration to turnover properly and for the UV to be beneficial. The fish are doing very well overall. I was able to catch the Scopas Tang and return him to my LFS so he would quit terrorizing my fish. I thought about leaving him as he had calmed down. I recently added a Quoyi Parrotfish (which he left alone) and a pair of Blue Throat Triggers (he absolutely destroyed the female relentlessly). That's when I decided to definitely remove him from the tank.
I've also added several Acro frags and they are all growing and encrusting for the ones placed on the rocks. I just need to figure out the algae issue so the tank can look nice and clear/clean again. Hope everyone is doing well and thanks for following along. Below are a couple update pics.
Lastly I also setup an 18" cube that I will be transferring the anemones and bicinctus clown pair to. I absolutely despise the Biocube, so had to find an alternative solution. Just filled with water, sand, and rock yesterday. It's setup in the same room as the big tank, just on top of my storage cabinet for all my aquarium stuff. Below is a picture of that as well.
OP
OP
***Fish Update***
Today I added a small school of Bimaculatus Anthias to my tank. I added 4 females and 1 male, and they are absolutely beautiful. The male is about the same size as the Quoyi Parrot and they add a great splash of additional color to the setup. The SPS are growing well and not only are they encrusting more, but also starting to send off new branches, so we should start to see more progress there soon. Below is my current Fish stocking list.
(2) Helmeted Picasso Clowns
(1) TailSpot Blenny
(1) Firefish
(1) Royal Gramma
(1) Melanarus Wrasse
(1) Blue Line Angel
(1) Regal Angel
(1) Quoyi Parrotfish
(2) Blue Throat Trigger Pair
(5) Bimaculatus Anthias
So I'm currently sitting at 16 fish, and plan to add a Golden Rhomboidalis Wrasse (already waiting for pickup), Pink Streaked Wrasse, Lineatus Wrasse, and 2 tangs (haven't decided on types) to bring me to 21 total fish and that will probably finalize the fish stocking. Really enjoying watching it come together.
Today I added a small school of Bimaculatus Anthias to my tank. I added 4 females and 1 male, and they are absolutely beautiful. The male is about the same size as the Quoyi Parrot and they add a great splash of additional color to the setup. The SPS are growing well and not only are they encrusting more, but also starting to send off new branches, so we should start to see more progress there soon. Below is my current Fish stocking list.
(2) Helmeted Picasso Clowns
(1) TailSpot Blenny
(1) Firefish
(1) Royal Gramma
(1) Melanarus Wrasse
(1) Blue Line Angel
(1) Regal Angel
(1) Quoyi Parrotfish
(2) Blue Throat Trigger Pair
(5) Bimaculatus Anthias
So I'm currently sitting at 16 fish, and plan to add a Golden Rhomboidalis Wrasse (already waiting for pickup), Pink Streaked Wrasse, Lineatus Wrasse, and 2 tangs (haven't decided on types) to bring me to 21 total fish and that will probably finalize the fish stocking. Really enjoying watching it come together.
What brand of tonga is that ? I miss sand when I see a clean setup.***I'm Still Here***
So the tank overall is going very well, but have a couple small changes that are in the works. I have this weird algae that has shown up all over my rocks over the last several weeks, and it's definitely gotten worse, but feel like it's not getting worse rapidly. It may be coincidence, but I started to notice it when I swapped my 40 watt UV sterilizer for an 80 watt unit. Seems strange that would happen, but when I made this change, my head pressure increased and my COR 20 return sucks with head pressure. I have it set at 100% and am probably only getting 400gph. I will soon be ordering a Sicce SDC 9.0 return to swap for the COR 20, as with 15 ft of head pressure, it still pushes 1300gph, which is more in line with what I need for my filtration to turnover properly and for the UV to be beneficial. The fish are doing very well overall. I was able to catch the Scopas Tang and return him to my LFS so he would quit terrorizing my fish. I thought about leaving him as he had calmed down. I recently added a Quoyi Parrotfish (which he left alone) and a pair of Blue Throat Triggers (he absolutely destroyed the female relentlessly). That's when I decided to definitely remove him from the tank.
I've also added several Acro frags and they are all growing and encrusting for the ones placed on the rocks. I just need to figure out the algae issue so the tank can look nice and clear/clean again. Hope everyone is doing well and thanks for following along. Below are a couple update pics.
Lastly I also setup an 18" cube that I will be transferring the anemones and bicinctus clown pair to. I absolutely despise the Biocube, so had to find an alternative solution. Just filled with water, sand, and rock yesterday. It's setup in the same room as the big tank, just on top of my storage cabinet for all my aquarium stuff. Below is a picture of that as well.
Sean Clark
7500 Club Member
Any pics? These are among my favorites.
OP
OP
It's the Cornerstone Branch rock. Very nice and the best part is it is much lighter than most rock on the market, so much more for your money. I glued that whole setup together as you see it there, super pleased. Unfortunately, I couldn't get my anemones to let go of their rock, so had to move it to the tank, so not so clean. I run bare bottom on the large system, and definitely like the look of clean sand as well!
OP
OP
I don't have any pics of him currently, but I plan to take a few photos tomorrow after my water change, so I'll see if I can grab one of him. Hopefully I can get a nice video of the whole tank.
CoralB
5000 Club Member
Never say never !!!Let’s Go!
Current FTS
Hey reefing family!
Tank: 200 Gallon Innovative Marine EXT (71" x 30" x 22")
Lighting: Aquatic Life Hybrid Deluxe Fixture w/ (3) Kessil A360x & 4 ATI Blue+ bulbs
Sump: Trigger Platinum 39 Sump w/ Filter Roller
Protein Skimmer: Bubble King Mini 180 w/ CO2 Scrubber
Return Pump: Neptune COR 20
Heater: BRS Titanium 600watt
Circulation: 4 x MP40wQD
Controllers & Dosing: Neptune Apex EL & Ecotech Versa Dosing Pump w/ Avast Kalk Reactor
UV Sterilizer: Pentair 40 watt Smart UV
I wanted to start a thread to document my new build. The title is what I told my wife after having 387,643 tanks over the years, at least that's how many she sees it as. I’ve ordered the majority of the equipment, but still have some things to decide on and purchase. I’m also waiting on the tank, with an estimated delivery of late January. I’ll begin updating the progress as I unbox equipment and get it prepared. For now, we will start with a PVC layout w/ my boxes of marco rock and all the glue and epoxy needed to create a beautiful scape. Let’s go!
CoralB
5000 Club Member
This right here alone tells me there is possibly more tanks in the future lol!!!***Water Mixing Station Update***
So I finished putting together my water mixing station tonight and have officially started making RODI water to prepare for the tank's arrival next week. I was also able to finish the aqua scape tonight, and just have to cover my epoxy seams with powdered rock. I'm very pleased with how it came together and I'll post an update of it soon.
CoralB
5000 Club Member
See !!! , knew there was another tank in your future***I'm Still Here***
So the tank overall is going very well, but have a couple small changes that are in the works. I have this weird algae that has shown up all over my rocks over the last several weeks, and it's definitely gotten worse, but feel like it's not getting worse rapidly. It may be coincidence, but I started to notice it when I swapped my 40 watt UV sterilizer for an 80 watt unit. Seems strange that would happen, but when I made this change, my head pressure increased and my COR 20 return sucks with head pressure. I have it set at 100% and am probably only getting 400gph. I will soon be ordering a Sicce SDC 9.0 return to swap for the COR 20, as with 15 ft of head pressure, it still pushes 1300gph, which is more in line with what I need for my filtration to turnover properly and for the UV to be beneficial. The fish are doing very well overall. I was able to catch the Scopas Tang and return him to my LFS so he would quit terrorizing my fish. I thought about leaving him as he had calmed down. I recently added a Quoyi Parrotfish (which he left alone) and a pair of Blue Throat Triggers (he absolutely destroyed the female relentlessly). That's when I decided to definitely remove him from the tank.
I've also added several Acro frags and they are all growing and encrusting for the ones placed on the rocks. I just need to figure out the algae issue so the tank can look nice and clear/clean again. Hope everyone is doing well and thanks for following along. Below are a couple update pics.
Lastly I also setup an 18" cube that I will be transferring the anemones and bicinctus clown pair to. I absolutely despise the Biocube, so had to find an alternative solution. Just filled with water, sand, and rock yesterday. It's setup in the same room as the big tank, just on top of my storage cabinet for all my aquarium stuff. Below is a picture of that as well.
Nice job though . Post pictures as the tank progresses .
OP
OP
See !!! , knew there was another tank in your future
Thanks for following along. The clown cube is definitely something cool I'm enjoying. I absolutely love watching them interact with the anemones. I had to move the rock the anemones were attached to, so it messed my clean rock scape up a bit, but hopefully the anemones will move on to the main rock scape at some point.
OP
OP
***FTS Update***
Below is the tank as it sits today. Still having a bit of hair algae (or something like it, seems different from what I've had in the past), but have some clean up crew coming in this week. Below is a quick video of the tank I took today as well. Things are coming together.
Below is the tank as it sits today. Still having a bit of hair algae (or something like it, seems different from what I've had in the past), but have some clean up crew coming in this week. Below is a quick video of the tank I took today as well. Things are coming together.
OP
OP
***Small Update***
Unfortunately, I have some bad news. I've added a few new corals from a coral show a couple weeks ago, and I guess I brought in some sort of fish disease. I assume ich based on the symptoms and what is showing. It hit the Bimaculatus Anthias very hard, and killed the male and 3 females, so I now only have 1 female (the largest) and it also killed the female Trigger. I also accidentally killed my firefish today by moving a rock to clean detritus, I smashed him under the rock...
I'm working to dose some Polyp Lab Medic to work on getting rid of the ich situation or at least make it much more manageable. Luckily, everything else seems to be doing ok. If I start to see more going downhill or have further issues, I will probably run the tank fallow for 76 days and treat all the fish in a separate tank to get rid of the issue completely.
Coraline algae is starting to cover the bottom and all the acres are starting to really hit their stride, coloring up and seeing significant visible growth on almost all of them.
I'll keep pushing forward and see what happens. Thanks for following along.
Unfortunately, I have some bad news. I've added a few new corals from a coral show a couple weeks ago, and I guess I brought in some sort of fish disease. I assume ich based on the symptoms and what is showing. It hit the Bimaculatus Anthias very hard, and killed the male and 3 females, so I now only have 1 female (the largest) and it also killed the female Trigger. I also accidentally killed my firefish today by moving a rock to clean detritus, I smashed him under the rock...
I'm working to dose some Polyp Lab Medic to work on getting rid of the ich situation or at least make it much more manageable. Luckily, everything else seems to be doing ok. If I start to see more going downhill or have further issues, I will probably run the tank fallow for 76 days and treat all the fish in a separate tank to get rid of the issue completely.
Coraline algae is starting to cover the bottom and all the acres are starting to really hit their stride, coloring up and seeing significant visible growth on almost all of them.
I'll keep pushing forward and see what happens. Thanks for following along.
OP
OP
***Big Update***
So it's been a long almost 2 months... A few days after my last update, I caught all fish from the tank and immediately started QT. Ran for 30 days at 2.1 ppm w/ Copper Power, ran Metro for Brook, and Prazi for flukes. Yes, I needed all those items as I know I had flukes, Brookynella, and Ich in the system. I didn't realize flukes until about a week ago. The fish that made it through QT all look SO much better, however I did lose a few. I believe Brookynella was the most damaging. This week I will start adding fish back to the display and should be able to start enjoying the tank again. I have added a Pink Streaked Wrasse to the fold as well, it's been chilling in a spare biocube for over a month waiting to be dropped in the display. The fish I still have are Regal Angel, Quoyi Parrot, Blueline Angel, Clownfish Pair, Bluethroat Trigger, and Bimaculatus Anthias. The Melanarus died in QT and the Tailspot died prior to QT.
All fish look absolutely perfect except the BlueLine Angel. This is where I discovered flukes. I noticed his eyes looked a bit fuzzy, even though his body had cleared up nicely. Did some research and thought it could be flukes, so I setup a 5 minute freshwater dip, and that's when I noticed the flukes coming off of him. I then saw one pop out of the eye and rupture the outside of the eye. Both looked really rough. Today, 1 eye looks perfect, the other still doesn't look great, but seems to be healing. I'm curious to the idea if he's possibly blind in one eye now. He's still eating and somewhat active, but still a bit more reserved than the others.
Fast forward to today, I visited Aquashella and picked up a couple acros (Jason Fox Pimped Out Tenius and Battle Corals Bubblebath Unicorn). The tank overall is looking fantastic and the corals are really starting to hit their stride. Definitely able to see significant growth and ready to get the fish back in for visual and food. Below are a couple shots I took today when I returned home from Aquashella.
So it's been a long almost 2 months... A few days after my last update, I caught all fish from the tank and immediately started QT. Ran for 30 days at 2.1 ppm w/ Copper Power, ran Metro for Brook, and Prazi for flukes. Yes, I needed all those items as I know I had flukes, Brookynella, and Ich in the system. I didn't realize flukes until about a week ago. The fish that made it through QT all look SO much better, however I did lose a few. I believe Brookynella was the most damaging. This week I will start adding fish back to the display and should be able to start enjoying the tank again. I have added a Pink Streaked Wrasse to the fold as well, it's been chilling in a spare biocube for over a month waiting to be dropped in the display. The fish I still have are Regal Angel, Quoyi Parrot, Blueline Angel, Clownfish Pair, Bluethroat Trigger, and Bimaculatus Anthias. The Melanarus died in QT and the Tailspot died prior to QT.
All fish look absolutely perfect except the BlueLine Angel. This is where I discovered flukes. I noticed his eyes looked a bit fuzzy, even though his body had cleared up nicely. Did some research and thought it could be flukes, so I setup a 5 minute freshwater dip, and that's when I noticed the flukes coming off of him. I then saw one pop out of the eye and rupture the outside of the eye. Both looked really rough. Today, 1 eye looks perfect, the other still doesn't look great, but seems to be healing. I'm curious to the idea if he's possibly blind in one eye now. He's still eating and somewhat active, but still a bit more reserved than the others.
Fast forward to today, I visited Aquashella and picked up a couple acros (Jason Fox Pimped Out Tenius and Battle Corals Bubblebath Unicorn). The tank overall is looking fantastic and the corals are really starting to hit their stride. Definitely able to see significant growth and ready to get the fish back in for visual and food. Below are a couple shots I took today when I returned home from Aquashella.
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