JHunt's Rimless Landen 28.5g AIO

jhuntstl

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Hello!

Off and on reefer/mostly fowler since I was teenager, back with a Landen 28.5 AIO. Tank has been setup for a couple months now. I took a good long break this time. Been about 8 years since my last reef tank. Feeling like a complete newbie again with how much things have changed. I'm making lots of mistakes and being impatient. ;Shamefullyembarrased

____________________________

Going to add a FTS here each month!

April
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May
AM-JKLXvIUIbBccAQKrfHD6DsrE1GnzuUtM88DikDG5wZMnECf9j7G7iZnbrUPN0SV1d30Blo9itxdu3YOqBm7SHSwKavn6hj102aka1CxywMif81Y8u0RQiInLdgeWST8kaemi5MhECYKT2osFJ8Nc6fyL9=w1723-h970-no


June
AM-JKLU0Ixgy1X79RjXO_m8P8sK0VycumZWiCUpK_KHocFZHeziBple5x9r0Ngp_6C6OI3GGHd_ArVlOKnZhBU2PxskOyIcgU5UGgoc1bu5FAHpzqfR4z0lnD4jYGvxnhy1DtPxU3tWxjEpGKN6ctn1akoZD=w1723-h970-no


July
AM-JKLVUfr8vYPmQHd21l3aG9UHFj3YF1HQqwDfN1SChBg6QMOeytulj7jPW5QJZt1-flENU94L7IzgYGu-fDlci7k_APViC8f2Adss-3zeXtwarsvtPuId_IabSmrImxjX0IHRWiUFrnkslJgkNlrOoc7vG=w1723-h970-no


August
AM-JKLXK3cImMQiZLdkRxAHGeMX-IXRBucNqW2nbph9U0EabCycBwITEOJMkYZ67nUjRJfNJ_8ljsJ7r9k1ge4LmqX9xepYRbADW8REQDH_xuuy1SgiM3IozQ7Pe5UWZ7v7DUZbdJwnMLU440fV4zkWrPxzN=w1723-h970-no


September
AM-JKLW1HxhP2SX4NguSVbclJySyJZfPecv_h-GtPimkQUaB2ZglS6MtJRnfhXQaqZCzvwf9eotlrIqFXuxoq0oNQOGs7ZznliE8jPj_fqHJaDUC6HFdxUAw1mqDzutUPK3NQsoWjVRi7jFxmXe4M49sDtey=w1723-h970-no


October
PXL_20211015_224240274.MP.jpg

_____________________________


Husbandry
Weekly 5 gallon water change(bout 20% total volume)

Testing
Alkalinity - Hanna Checker & Salifert
Calcium - Salifert
Magnesium - Salifert
NO3 - Red Sea
PO4 - Hanna Checker

Tank/Rock/Sand/Salt
Landen 28.5g AIO
18lbs Caribsea Life Rock
2lbs Aquacultured Live Rock
10lbs Special Grade Dry
Tropic-Marin Pro Reef

Lighting
CoralCare Gen2

Flow
AI Nero 3 (2)
MP10wQD (2)
MightyJet 326gph Return

Heating/Cooling
Dual Stage Ranco Controller
Eheim 75w Heaters (2)
Fan pointed at glass for cooling

Filtration
Tunze 9004 DC Skimmer
Oxydator D
Seachem Matrix
Filter Floss(stopped using)
Carbon(stopped using)

Controller
Hydros X3

ATO
Kamoer One SE

Dosing
Kamoer X1 Pro 2(All-For-Reef)

RODI
SpectraPure 90gpd MAXCAP

Fish
Black Ocellaris Clownfish
Six-Line Wrasse
Lawnmower Blenny

Coral
Cheap hardy SPS, some Zoa/Palys, and a GSP rock.

CUC
(3) Pitho Crabs
(1) Fighting Conch
(a bajillion) Trochus Snails
(2) Bumble Bee Snails
(6) Nassarius
(4) Florida Cerith
(6) Nerite Snails


_____________________________



LIVESTOCK CASUALTIES

Coral


Hollywood Stunner Chalice (5/7/21)
- early introduction
- RTN
- pretty sure I nuked it with my LEDs

PC Rainbow Acro (6/22/21)
- early introduction
- this was ballsy, but it was cheap and I'm dumb
- STN'd, but saved some small frags
- ALK swing finished off the little frags when I started dosing AFR

No name acro frag
- moved it up too early, nuked it under LEDS
- it was recovering, but kept getting knocked around
- it's somewhere in the sand bed now

Fish

- none

Inverts

Turbo Snail
- Lawnmower Blenny murdered it. Or recognized it's decline and gave the final blow. =(

Cleaner Shrimp
- Had it for about a week. Never mentioned it in this thread. I really am not sure what killed it.
- It may have died due to a brief spike in nitrates
- My clown may have killed it after one too many attempted cleanings
- I miss it trying to clean my hand :(

Peppermint Shrimp (8/21/21)
- Found against the side of an MP10 this morning.
- It had been in hiding since adding a six-line, only to come out at night
- I think the six-line finally got him :(

_____________________________


Mistakes or regrets thus far are...(will continue to update)

- not going with real ocean rock. I miss all the life and biodiversity that comes with it

- using Caribsea Live Fiji Pink(sandstorms)... ended up siphoning it out for Special Grade Dry

- buying an Aquatic Life RO buddie 50gpd(cheap point of sale)

- running my new Spectrapure RODI for a month+ before I realized I needed a special carbon block to more efficiently filter chloramines

- Wrasse and Blenny should probably be in a bigger tank and not getting a pair of Clowns

- using Chemi-Pure Elite(phosphates bottomed out)

- feeding corals too much, too soon into cycle

- being not intelligent

- starting All-for-Reef(AFR) too high and spiking my ALK(almost lost my stylos)

- being ill prepared for a 16 hour power outage

- feeding too much TDO Chromaboost and spiking phosphates

_____________________________

My humble beginnings...

I used Fritz Turbo Start and cycled in about a week with a Clownfish. I read a lot about corals adding biodiversity in dry rock setups and decided to take a chance on some cheap frags. Brought home a hollywood stunner, red monti cap, green monti cap, gsp, pandora palys, and some unknown zoas.

The stunner lasted about a week before melting away. GSP, Pandoras, and most of the zoas are growing quickly as expected. Monti caps are fine, but growth is slow.

Shortly after introducing these frags, I experienced my cycles diatom bloom. It never got severe and only lasted a few weeks. This was quickly followed up by what I believe was cyano and hair algae. I purchased a small CUC from reefcleaners during this period.

This is right about when I started going a little overboard feeding my coral and fish. I was dosing coral aminos daily and reef roids maybe every other day. I didn't realize how much this was fueling the algae. I scaled back and also picked up a Lawnmower Blenny.

My nitrate levels were pretty high. 40ppm, but still fairly low .1 phosphates. Did a series of larger(10-15 gallon) water changes to reduce nitrates. I switched from IO to TM Pro Reef at this time as well. I also initially purchased a cheap RO buddie unit off Amazon. I was naive to the fact it was producing water way too fast, like 2-3x its advertised rate. It showed 0 TDS, but I was motivated to do bigger water changes, more confident, with my new Spectrapure unit. I returned the RO buddie.

After my larger water changes, I found my nitrates and phosphates remaining stable at 5ppm/.03ppm. I started to dose more coral foods(ab+ & aminos daily, roids 3x/week). My levels remained stable despite the increased feedings. This is about the time I got a 10 pack of sps and zoa frags. Everything acclimated well and was showing good polyp extension. I did make the mistake of not light acclimating slowly. I was increasing intensity by upwards of 5% everyday. I came home to see some frags were lightened up considerably and showing signs of bleaching on the outer edges. I reduced my intensity down to 25% and have it set to increase to 70% over 90 days. After about a week, things were looking better. Polyp extension was back.

My algae issues were gaining a foothold again and it was starting to look pretty bad. My corals, however, were looking their best. Dino paranoia took over and I tested Ns and Ps every 2-3 days. Nutrients were slowly going down each week. When I hit 2ppm nitrates and near undetectable phosphates, I pulled the chemi-pure and purigen. Switched to filter floss and carbon only.

Nutrients came back up to 2 nitrate, .05 phos. Algae is still looking bad. I'm getting some weird stringy stuff and once again I'm paranoid of dinos. I watch too many dino videos, read threads, and decide I'm going to dose phyto.

I dose 10ml phyto daily for a week. Algae is mostly gone in span of a week. Nutrients have nearly bottomed out, though. Nitrates test at 0, phosphate at .02. Now I'm double extra paranoid about dinos. I stop dosing phyto for a couple days. Phyto release nutrients back into water earlier this week and I'm sitting at 5ppm nitrate and .1 phosphate.

My water clarity and algae levels are fantastic as of this post. However, my coral not so much. Polyp extension has been very poor the last few days. The few cheap acros I did get are starting to STN(I think). Going to keep an eye on them and frag what I can if it gets worse. My other SPS frags(stylos, birdsnest, montis) are showing pretty poor polyp extension. My pandora palys are multiplying quickly, but I've noticed them reaching for what I assume is more light(or nutrients?) the last couple days. I plan to stay the course with my 90 day acclimation, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

I think the up and down nutrient levels have taken a toll. Not to mention the changes in lighting and flow. I started with a single prime and nero 3. Now have two of each. The goal as of now is to keep things as simple as possible. Stop making changes or if I do, be as gentle as possible. Do the thing all the videos and threads advise, but you ignore the first time. =)

Filter floss and carbon for the time being. I just picked up a used Tunze 9004 DC Skimmer. I will use that rather than any chemical filtration. I've lowered my phyto dosing to just a couple ml mixed in with my frozen Rod's food for my daily feeding. I think reef roids, ab+, and aminos are out for now.

I did recently setup a dosing pump with All-For-Reef. I'm starting low at 2.5ml/day dosed equally over 24 hours. Just ordered a hannah alk checker to help dial everything in.

Most of my issues are obviously due to such a new, unstable tank...paired with my inexperience, impatience, and occasional heavy hand. It's great to be back, though! :p

Hopefully my next update I'll have some healthier coral.

Thanks for reading!

_____________________________


Some pics to share.

ACtC-3cG00zhUtzmGemVCMuEYtjujh5EAeSWdK9am2BNZfP6Yg05of72EXQeMHDXM7LR4E_uYW--KI5xgzSSu7lxkmxGknfAVLJovtG8yuzsWOUfUFlZgnKU_IzDFGiA-l4TXfnoOm5c5QEY8q-r1oWRwID3=w2288-h1287-no

Final aquascape glued together. Caribsea life rock.




ACtC-3cDTif-O2DmPYWW9sPZe9fP5lxbFIRnOW3SHLKKuqJDM50J92K6u00Ic3xflns-hdTcrDg-n8d3SUcaF2dBvzuyaRV3cPlpICCIeUfi1aa8TrQYtmTo324M6oziXAkTrxqseaafSfyhouivXwvbqYhY=w2288-h1287-no

Wet! Fiji pink sand. Loved the look, but ultimately had to replace.





ACtC-3fmCWh7XwcdTSV7_4kZ8zrwOUpSU0_R0CcUeNW5wL7QV3wzXu3DbCpiyRNUrwiGgRfeVHVsw8CM8_rd4d51Hy0VHR2usZ9DIOcs5rdrxQ6CNCIv6QWitxb5KsF3pDPgXPWxltCURFpe5iMx_OLbhCsx=w2288-h1287-no

Clown!





ACtC-3cy_X4LObv5rCK-xi6r0Vv-eRkENIWGVyf0pqIUQDdDoIQcn22iPxve_LdZYR3do1-Ns9rEcN73g8Vj8Es9C9T5QxnyMXqy7HqC6zoCx5zszobaJbkP3sGbP6Lb2rEAendixAOdJzcfHdYC0rmWKQNo=w2288-h1287-no

First corals.






ACtC-3f9lntd1xFPQnhk4-7YX6frLFv2tVty10Iwegmx1UhxVuehDIfVYKoxZzrBYG7rK3gKPgdatNytu56RTgE9mYT1yRofsibHMmt3n5dzTsB0uHyitCWWk88kiK8TqyPWK4zaRRHGJ050qq0FR00Rzk3-=w2288-h1287-no

Diatoms! Moved GSP to isolated rock. Bought what I believe is a stylo.






ACtC-3c0HlkMEpf0udBY14CPGBXEuIHE6JOHLGvyzTi7Z-hV2tmEbeSyReNHbe9o3tNiFp5dxuBPX0qpw6RBtW-6VhfJVOUBWYSWkiMiQT4c9b7iyCbHYV45LV46fM0QYKJ8pX1HUMOckZPdm5_w79iEg1rA=w2288-h1287-no


ACtC-3f4kMoyNS2APRqykTyVtRr7kpSlAz5fU-IOqQWo6Bu6g-_OqNWjhR5uZ-1_5knW0wLxCeJQVo5zyzhb6OWUjZIWm_PYlzodGsdUDu9XjROwcFItoTOdX0_5yqP2kjm8OJQJl_luJfJ-F-Vht_v-7SlU=w2288-h1287-no

Bunch o frags delivered. Moved them up over a day or two.






ACtC-3dhm-xSiMxX7wSMEEM9A0-5sZ9mwWRg7cLxwZzbXVo0gl-dCZrg9CgjD3ONX8MQiMKf8EAt8iR_qZGuUWC8px4b3Oy69ck3N9SZk15RQlcAFPoxGM3-l0-DokWZ8fJwIvzJX5U3G9Wl0tr7IEiFOIL5=w724-h1287-no

Need to rethink all this. Hopefully have something more organized to show in the future. Installed dedicated GFCI inside cabinet. Using my PCs backup battery in the meantime. Need to figure a better backup. Nero 3s dont seem to be compatible with most backups unfortunately.
 
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PeterC99

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Your setup looks great! Is that a custom stand?

Not many people start out their threads with what they wished they had done differently! Obviously means you know what you are doing!!!
 
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jhuntstl

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Your setup looks great! Is that a custom stand?

Not many people start out their threads with what they wished they had done differently! Obviously means you know what you are doing!!!
Thank you!!

Yup, I built the stand myself. It was a bit of a rush job. I had a couple days to get it done before the tank arrived. It's just painted pine with a tiger wood door.

I planned on using plywood, but it was half the cost to use pine panel boards. It could probably use one more coat of paint and I'm considering adding some more tiger wood accents. I think a hanging canopy in the same wood could up the classy factor quite a bit. :cool:
 

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Thank you!!

Yup, I built the stand myself. It was a bit of a rush job. I had a couple days to get it done before the tank arrived. It's just painted pine with a tiger wood door.

I planned on using plywood, but it was half the cost to use pine panel boards. It could probably use one more coat of paint and I'm considering adding some more tiger wood accents. I think a hanging canopy in the same wood could up the classy factor quite a bit. :cool:
Nice job on the stand - great carpentry skills!
 
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jhuntstl

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Making some progress getting all those wires and controllers organized. Not finished, still have a rats nest of wires to deal with, but my control board is done. I've got some kinks to work out hanging it off the door. Wire management coming out of the side is going to need to be very well done for the door to consistently close right. If it doesn't work out, I can always just move it inside the cabinet.

PXL_20210620_010629149.MP.jpg

PXL_20210620_010850247.MP.jpg
 
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jhuntstl

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Looks great! I just did a control board today too. So satisfying not looking at the rats nest anymore lol
Thanks! Yours is looking good too. Nice job!

So satisfying, but man did I underestimate the time investment. I'm also embarrassed at how much I was price gouged on grommets at Lowes haha.
 

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Thanks! Yours is looking good too. Nice job!

So satisfying, but man did I underestimate the time investment. I'm also embarrassed at how much I was price gouged on grommets at Lowes haha.

lol, the grommets were highway robbery! I got mine at the depot and cringed when I saw the price and how many I needed
 
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Really excited to report I have coralline algae growth! I did not expect it this soon. Saw a spec a couple weeks ago, but wasn't convinced it was the real deal until more and more started popping up.

The tank seems to be responding very well to the All-For-Reef dosing. I think I was unknowingly experiencing some alk swings. Would possibly explain the STN in a couple acro frags. I fragged the frags and it looks like I'll be able to save a small piece of each.

I do unfortunately have an ulva/sea lettuce infestation. It's growing pretty quickly, so I'm currently researching CUC members that can handle the stuff. I have a lawnmower blenny that has yet to touch it. It seems to be out competing other algae, so hopefully he has no choice soon enough.

cameringo_20210624_171705.jpg
cameringo_20210624_171711.jpg
 

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Great thread and explanations for your thought process doing things. Love the aquascape too, the two arches look awesome!

You mention the Nero 3 not playing nice with a battery backup. Have any more details there? I planned to also use my pc ups.
 
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jhuntstl

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Great thread and explanations for your thought process doing things. Love the aquascape too, the two arches look awesome!

You mention the Nero 3 not playing nice with a battery backup. Have any more details there? I planned to also use my pc ups.
Thank you! This was my first time glueing together an aquascape. In previous tanks I just stacked live rock. It's been nice having a solid structure that can't topple over.

My understanding is that the Neros run on exclusively 24v. All the reef specific backup options I've found are 12v. Many 24v pumps are capable of running at a lower voltage on a backup, like some gyres. This is not the case with the Neros. They won't run at all on 12v.

I'm looking into DIY options, but it certainly adds up quick. I also have the option to back up my MightyJet return instead with a 12v backup. It's the last thing on my list of equipment. Hopefully I'll get it sorted soon!
 

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Thank you! This was my first time glueing together an aquascape. In previous tanks I just stacked live rock. It's been nice having a solid structure that can't topple over.

My understanding is that the Neros run on exclusively 24v. All the reef specific backup options I've found are 12v. Many 24v pumps are capable of running at a lower voltage on a backup, like some gyres. This is not the case with the Neros. They won't run at all on 12v.

I'm looking into DIY options, but it certainly adds up quick. I also have the option to back up my MightyJet return instead with a 12v backup. It's the last thing on my list of equipment. Hopefully I'll get it sorted soon!

Oh I misunderstood, I thought you were saying the Nero wouldn't be compatible with the PC UPS. I see now you mean solutions like IceCap or Ecotech won't work. I understand the standard UPS aren't catered for aquariums, but they should work 20-30min depending on the battery size. You want something more robust?
 
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jhuntstl

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Oh I misunderstood, I thought you were saying the Nero wouldn't be compatible with the PC UPS. I see now you mean solutions like IceCap or Ecotech won't work. I understand the standard UPS aren't catered for aquariums, but they should work 20-30min depending on the battery size. You want something more robust?
Yup, I'd like to use my PC UPS for my PC again. :p And I only get maybe a 3-4 hours run time on it for a single pump. Ideally I'd have 24-48 hours of run time for a pump, ato, doser, and probably a fan. Most outages here are actually right around this time of year. I really do need to get this figured asap.
 
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Back for an update.

Some quick notes...

ALK - 8.8
PO4 - .06
NO3 - 5

All-For-Reef - 2.5ml/day
Live Phyto - 5ml/day in the AM
BeneReef - 1/8 tspn every other day
Reef Roids - only when PO4 is low


I added some members to my CUC. A Mexican Turbo, 6 Nerite and 4 Trochus. They made pretty quick work of the Ulva/Sea Lettuce problem. I had some turf looking algae as well that was no issue for them. The tank is now the cleanest it's looked since setting up. I do have what I believe is some mild Cyano. And I did spot a little bubble algae too. I may trade some of these guys back for an Emerald or Pitho if it becomes a bigger issue.

Now things were feeling pretty rocky in my tank for a while there. As mentioned before, I lost some acro frags. Then a couple of my stylos started bleaching. I realized my nutrients were bottoming out again. NO4 was at 2 and PO4 was undetectable on my Hannah ULR.

I used Neo-Nitro and Neo-Phos to slowly bring my levels back up. I've since been feeding heavier to keep them there. Right now I'm at .06 PO4 and 5 NO3. I expect my greatest challenge going forward will be keeping these two stable.

Everything is responding well to the increased nutrients. My stylos are bouncing back. The pocillopora that was nearly DOA is now fully polyp'd out. All SPS are looking much happier. Even the little acro frags I managed to save are showing polyps. Birdsnest and montis never showed much signs of stress throughout most of this.

I'm testing ALK, PO4, and NO3 every other day now.



Pics aren't the greatest, but it's the best I can do at the moment!
PXL_20210703_160029267.MP.jpg
PXL_20210703_161046611.MP.jpg
PXL_20210703_160040084.MP.jpg

Top right stylo looking rough, but polyps are extending and flesh is growing back.


cameringo_20210705_092743.jpg

Blurry, but I like this shot.


PXL_20210703_161114565.MP.jpg

PXL_20210705_142429065.MP.jpg


PXL_20210705_142448113.MP.jpg


PXL_20210705_142508518.MP.jpg

This guy lost a lot of its green flesh color and had some nasty bleaching on it's tips. Seems to be making a recovery, though.


PXL_20210701_000004817.MP.jpg

Bivalve hitchhiker on a trochus shell PXL_20210705_142453223.MP.jpg
 
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Dealing with my first extended power outage this weekend. I was out of the house when it went out. Thankfully my power company sends a text alert, so I was able to make plans to head home.

My UPS did it's job running the return pump till I got home a couple hours later. I switched it to a smaller 80gph pump in the DT and was able to get 2 1/2 more hours out of the UPS. Ive recently started using an oxydator as well. I moved that into the DT and then set my alarm before I went to bed.

Woke up at 6am to the UPS dead. Scooped and dumped some cups of saltwater to oxygenate. Checked out generator and car inverter options on my phone. If I was going to get one, I was going to need to go quick. I'm one of 1000s without power. We had one heck of a windstorm in St. Louis.

I'm very friendly with a commerical property near to my home. They had power! I was able to run about 150' of extension cord to their work shop. I can power the entirity of the tank, a fan, and a window ac unit. I couldn't ask for more than that. The tank is hardly going to skip a beat through this.

Power has been out since 1am and is projected to be back on in about an hour. So 16 hours so far. I won't be surprised if it's delayed till tomorrow.

Now I obviously can't depend on this scenario next time. I'll be deep diving into generators, inverters, agm, and lifepo4 backups!

Hopefully I won't procrastinate again...
 

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Wow, that's a heck of a power outage! Lucky to have such kind neighbors, but that was also some resourceful thinking on your part to mitigate the damages.

Separate topic, regarding your fish choices. Are you happy with them? You mentioned you regret not getting a pair of clowns. Think you'll get any more fish (or swap out) or are you comfortable staying the course? I'm working on my wish list now, curious how your opinion changes over time.
 
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Wow, that's a heck of a power outage! Lucky to have such kind neighbors, but that was also some resourceful thinking on your part to mitigate the damages.

Separate topic, regarding your fish choices. Are you happy with them? You mentioned you regret not getting a pair of clowns. Think you'll get any more fish (or swap out) or are you comfortable staying the course? I'm working on my wish list now, curious how your opinion changes over time.
I've actually already had to remove a couple fish. An Azure Damsel and Clown Goby. Pretty much everything I write below could have been avoided by doing more research and not making impulse purchases. :)

I picked the Azure for it's bright colors and apparently more calm demeanor. That guy spent all day hiding and was very aggressive during feedings. It took one too many shots at my Ocellaris and had to go.

The Clown Goby I'm still disappointed about. He was a cute little guy that perched on my monti caps or kind of entwined itself in the branches of my stylos. He added a lot of character to the tank, but unfortunately was an SPS polyp nipper.

From what I've read, clowns are happier in pairs. I'm thinking about trying to match one with my current clown. I don't think I'd replace him with a mated pair as I've grown some attachment to the little guy.

I'm happy with my Six-Line, but keeping a close eye on him. They can be trouble makers. He gets along fine with the Clown, but I've seen him take some nips at snails. If a coral isn't looking so hot, he'll nip at the dead or receding parts. I haven't found that to be a problem, though.

The Lawnmower Blenny might be removed in the near future. Along with a chunk of my CUC. I've had very limited algae growth lately. The rocks are starting to get picked pretty clean and there's very little on the glass. I'm not sure I want to go the nori/seaweed feeding route.

The only fish I've got my eye on now is a captive-bred Mandarin Goby.

I'd love to ultimately have a pair of Clowns, the Six-Line, and Mandarin.
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 63 36.6%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 59 34.3%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 24 14.0%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 26 15.1%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
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