Just the Tip! 36x24x12 45g Minimalist Reef

ProfessorX · Nov 15, 2014

Hey,
Thanks for stopping in! This is my build thread for my newest tank, a Deep Blue 45g Peninsula tank. My roommate and I have both been in the hobby for 10+ years and have had many tanks, but this time we decided to do something different. We have very different ideas about what the best/most efficient way to run a tank is, and we thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast the different things you can do with the same tank. We found matching peninsula tanks and decided to put them back to back.

This is going to basically be a photo drop thread. I take a lot of pictures, as I like to track the progress of the tank.

First tank stand I have ever built, I think it went pretty well for not having any idea what I was doing.

Both tanks side filling up

Aquascaped using Haitian rock, I love this stuff. Just be sure to SCRUB it.

From the front door

FTS

afamousjohnson · Nov 15, 2014

Nice this will be cool. Do we get contrast updates from both the tanks here or does the other half of the equation have its own thread.

ProfessorX · Nov 15, 2014

I will post updates here for sure. He is deciding if he is going to do a separate build thread or not.

gar732 · Nov 15, 2014

Nice, I like the scape.

ProfessorX · Nov 16, 2014

gar732 said:
Nice, I like the scape.

Thanks! I really hope it fills in nicely!

ProfessorX · Nov 20, 2014

Hey reefers and reefettes,
Went shopping today and got some goodies for the tank.

Awesome nonphotosythetic gorgonian (Swiftia? Still need to ID it properly)

Im really hoping the green star polyps take over "The tip" and give the tank a nice florescence. the candy canes weren't doing very well in my nano, so they were one of the test corals for this tank, I think they are doing much better.

Some St. Thomas Mushrooms

I got a green Montipora capricornus and a green Montipora digitata frag and broke it into a bunch of pieces and glued them onto the arching rock, I hope to get a few more varieties of Montipora and let that be a cool color contrast piece.

Placing a Ricordia florida

And here are some tank shots without my ugly arm in the way.

Thanks for looking!

gar732 · Nov 21, 2014

Got some life in there, nice. Man I'd rethink the gsp on that rock, it's a nightmare to get off once it gets going. I had some on my main rock structure some time ago that got carried away. I wanted to get rid of some to make room for more corals but I could never get it all off. I used to isolate mine in the sand bed after that.

ProfessorX · Nov 22, 2014

Im actually wanting it to take over. I know how crazy that sounds, but I really love green star polyps... even 12 years into the hobby. I just haven't found anything quite as pretty as a really nice green star polyp colony for the level of ease. I really want to not worry about the corals in this tank, I'm going for an aesthetically pleasing easy tank.

I added some more stuff yesterday including

2 Bartlett's Anthias
Green acanthophyllia rescue
Blue macaw zoanthids
radioactive dragon eyes
some other vietnamese zoanthids
12 Duncans

ProfessorX · Nov 27, 2014

I did the unspeakable yesterday.. I added an anemone... or 18!

There was a rock of bleached out anemones that my roommate, myself, and the store owner couldn't identify at the LFS so I got a killer deal, and I couldn't let the poor guys stay there, so I took them home.
As I started peeling them (aka hammer and chisel) off the rock, I realized I may be making a grave mistake. Its a new tank, and thats a HUGE bioload. Nems are disgusting creatures.

Anyway, I threw them in, and they attached immediately, faster than putting a frag with super glue on it in there. So far so good, but its day 2... so fingers are crossed.

After being in my tank for 10 minutes or so, the tentacles got shorter and started to "bubble" so I think I may have 18 new BTAs in there.

Now I'm really tempted to take my pair of clowns from the 7 gallon and let them have free reign.

SantaMonicaHelp · Nov 27, 2014

wow great pics! good luck with the anemone!

ProfessorX · Nov 28, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving

NanaReefer · Nov 28, 2014

I'm not seeing the Watchmen's...where are they?!

ProfessorX · Nov 28, 2014

I think they were in the back of the tank. I will try to get a picture of them today. They are still there though, eating whatever floats by them haha

ProfessorX · Nov 28, 2014

Oh yeahhhhh, forgot to update this. I woke up this morning (afternoon, but don't judge me) and had a "mother's intuition" moment and ran to the tank. Glad I did, cause one of the anemones was sucked into the tunze! AHHH. This is why anemones suck haha. Anyway, I unplugged it and moved the powerhead to the sand over by the other anemones. I don't think the anemone is hurt because he was actually inflated and tentacles out inside of the powerhead, and he didnt splooge anemone juice all over the tank. Im going to throw some extra carbon in the reactor today, and possible replace the phosban as well.

ProfessorX · Nov 29, 2014

Anemones are doing well. Im 99% sure they are all bubble tips (E. quadricolor). A lot of the more bleached ones went underneath the rock, presumably to hide from the light, but who knows. These guys slimed up a LOT the second night, and it all got caught on the gorgonians, so they aren't looking great still. Ive been manually blowing them off with a turkey baster hoping I can get it to open back up so I can feed it.

I am going to need to do a water change soon, and I put up new lights. I got a 6 bulb tek light fixture (thanks Carlos from Southside Corals) and put it up yesterday. Ive always been a fan of T5s and it allows for more spectrum options while sucking up less energy. Win-Win.

ProfessorX · Feb 21, 2015

Some recentish pictures. I got some more corals since then, but this is all I have so far

ProfessorX · Feb 22, 2015

I had time today to glue the new additions down. May I introduce Sungonian Island!
They aren't opened all the way yet, but they were very skinny at the store so I had a chance to try to rescue them all. Each colony has some dead spots (some more than others) but I think they are doing much better so far.