Leah's 120g LPS/mixed reef

leahfiish

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 19, 2016
Messages
2,434
Reaction score
2,540
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I upgraded my tank from a 90g reef ready tank to a custom drilled 120g tank on February 8th.

Tank: Aqueon 120g (4'x2'x2') with holes drilled on the right side for a 16" Modular Marine overflow and a hole on the back for a return line.
Stand: A friend made a very sturdy and basic wooden stand for me. No frills, just needed something to hold the tank. I painted it black.
Sump: I reused my Eshops R-200 Sump which has compartments for a filter sock, return pump, skimmer, and refugium. I have the sump placed on a stand next to the tank to make access and plumbing easier. I hope that having the sump elevated will make it easier to do maintenance like changing the filter socks, cleaning the pump and skimmer, and just overall husbandry. I hated having to crouch down and reach under my previous tank in a cramped stand to access everything. I don't have a light for the refugium yet but that will probably be my next purchase.
Lighting: 1x Kessil AP700, mounted using the A-series mounting arms at their max height, about 17" above the top of the tank. Currently maxing out at 55% intensity for 8 hours, entirely on the bluest setting for right now (Feb 2018)
Heaters: 2x Cobalt Neotherm 200w heaters
Skimmer: Reef Octopus 152-s
Return Pump: Sicce Syncra Silent 5.0
Flow: Icecap Gyre 3k + 1 Koralia 3rd Gen 2400gph (still a work in progress Feb 2018)
Rock: About 100lbs total, 40lbs Caribsea South Seas Shelf Rock (right side) and 60lbs Caribsea Life Rock (mix of regular, shelf, and branch) left side
Salt: Seachem VibrantSea (Feb 2018)
Auto top off: Tunze Osmolator


Livestock (Feb 2018):
Fish:
1x Earmuff Wrasse (Muffins), Exotic Reef Creations, 2/2017
1x Hooded Fairy Wrasse (Sherbert) LFS, 4/2017
1x Crescent Tail Fairy Wrasse (Cresselia), LFS 10/2017
2x Yellowhead Jawfish, KP Aquatics, 5/2017
2x Cinammon Clownfish, LFS, 5/2017

Corals:
2 Blastomussa sp.
  • Orange (LFS Jan 2017
  • Green (LFS May 2017)
Corky Sea Finger (KP Aquatics 5/2017)
Purple Sea Whip (KP Aquatics 5/2017)
Yellow Sea Whip (KP Aquatics 5/2017)
Utter Chaos Zoanthid, 4 polyps - Feb 2018 (frag swap C-Sea 10/2017)
Unknown Zoanthid, ~20 polyps - Feb 2018 (LFS 2017)
2 Torches
  • Green Torch (Friend 3/2017)
  • "Medusa" Torch (AquaSD 5/2017)
1 Splatter Hammer (LFS Dec 2017)
3 Chalices
  • Green Chalice (LFS 3/2017)
  • Pastel Rainbow Chalice (LFS 1/2018)
  • Dark Pink Chalice (frag swap C-Sea 10/2017)
10 different Mircromussa lordhoweinsis
  • Orange (originally yellow) 2 heads - Feb 2018 (LFS Feb 2017)
  • Dark red w/ green stripes (LFS Jan 2017)
  • Rainbow orange (LFS May 2017)
  • Rainbow purple/orange (frag swap c-sea 10/2017)
  • Green w/ orange stripes (frag swap c-sea 10/2017)
  • Dark brown and green specks (frag swap c-sea 10/2017)
  • Pink yellow and green (frag swap c-sea 10/2017)
  • Dark yellow and maroon, green specks (frag swap c-sea 10/2017)
  • Rainbow orange (WWC Nov 2017)
  • Rainbow blue (WWC Nov 2017)
1 Green Toadstool Leather (LFS 4/2017)
1 Mint Favia (LFS 5/2017)
1 Mia's Pot of Gold Favia, supposedly (frag swap c-sea 10/2017)
1 Fascination favia or at least close enough (frag swap c-sea 10/2017)
1 Rainbow platygyra (WWC 12/2017)
1 Green platygyra (LFS 12/2017)
1 Pink Goniopora (WWC 12/2017)
1 Branching Cyphastrea (Reef2reef Member, 9/2017)
4 Florida Ricordia
  • orange and blue (Reef2reef Member 9/2017)
  • Blue w/ green mouth (Reef2reef Member 9/2017)
  • 2 orange rainbow (frag swap C-Sea 10/2017)
1 Peppermint Mushroom (WWC Nov 2017)
1 Sun Coral (frag swap C-Sea 10/2017)

Inverts:
1 Fighting Conch
1 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (Shrimpo)
A handful of Turbo, Trochus, and Nassarius Snails
1 Scarlet Hermit Crab
1 Red emerald crab
1 red/white feather duster


I will post updates in this thread any time anything exciting happens or when I want to share something. Pictures coming soon, once the dust has settled and everything is ready to be photographed.

Future plans for the tank include getting the refugium online, attending a frag swap and pickup up a few things later this month, and adding more fish over the next few months.
I also am trying to get better about maintenance and dosing, I'm rather inconsistent with it and I can tell the livestock is starting to suffer. Hopefully with the new tank I can get a fresh start.
 

Dodgersfan

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 11, 2017
Messages
643
Reaction score
527
Location
Atlanta, GA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
you mentioned the overflow was on the right side, are you setting it up as a peninsula or is the overflow offset towards the right on the back?
 
OP
OP
leahfiish

leahfiish

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 19, 2016
Messages
2,434
Reaction score
2,540
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
you mentioned the overflow was on the right side, are you setting it up as a peninsula or is the overflow offset towards the right on the back?
It's offset very slightly but I would set it up as a peninsula if I had the space. I love peninsula tanks.
Once I get all my equipment set up (skimmer and ato) and clean up the area around the tank I'll take some pictures.
 
OP
OP
leahfiish

leahfiish

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 19, 2016
Messages
2,434
Reaction score
2,540
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Here's a few pictures showing what I have so far.
Overall setup.
20180211_184002.jpg 20180211_184013.jpg 20180211_184017.jpg
Sump (still need to add some equipment)
20180211_184646.jpg
Fts showing the aqua scape. It is much too symmetrical for my liking at the moment, definitely going to adjust the left a little.
20180211_184028.jpg
Right side:
20180211_183758.jpg 20180211_183756.jpg
20180211_183727.jpg
20180211_184059.jpg
20180211_184117.jpg 20180211_184113.jpg
20180211_184208.jpg 20180211_184201.jpg

Left side (mostly just a pile of rocks with algae right now lol)

20180211_104623.jpg

My to do list for tonight is to adjust the drains to get them to be quieter, and adjust the flow from the gyre, I just have it on a 10% forward/backwards pulse right now i believe. Most of my corals are looking pretty good except the 2 chalice that were already not doing great, the favia, and one acan is a little shrunken today.
I'm also going to test the water, all parameters. I'm going to try to get into the habit of doing this once a week.
I'm also going to try and get all the equipment moved into the sump and the cords arranged into a safer pile. Lol. I'm not running a gfci anymore, but I think I'm going to try to attach the power strip to the wall.
 

Daniel@R2R

Living the Reef Life
View Badges
Joined
Nov 18, 2012
Messages
37,364
Reaction score
63,260
Location
Fontana, California
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Good-looking LPS collection! Following along!
 
OP
OP
leahfiish

leahfiish

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 19, 2016
Messages
2,434
Reaction score
2,540
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Spent some time tonight messing with the gyre settings. I have a gorgonian encrusted on a rock on the left side that hasn't opened since I switched tanks. I think it's getting too much flow. But it seems almost no matter how or where I put the gyre on the left, it's too much, even at 10% which is the lowest setting. Right now I have it vertically on the back glass, pointing right across the back of the tank. And now the euphyllia on the right are getting too much flow. I have my return point diagonally and slightly downward across the surface. This is trickier than I thought it would be.
20180212_212607.jpg
 
OP
OP
leahfiish

leahfiish

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 19, 2016
Messages
2,434
Reaction score
2,540
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I just unplugged the gyre for tonight. The return is still diagonal across the surface from the back right to the front left and slightly pointed down. And my gen3 koralia is right underneath the return, pointed towards the center of the front glass. This set up seems to be making a nice circular flow pattern so I'll leave it like this for tonight and see how I like it.
 
OP
OP
leahfiish

leahfiish

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 19, 2016
Messages
2,434
Reaction score
2,540
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Sherbert (my hooded fairy wrasse) will not stop attacking my female clownfish and keeps chasing Cresselia (crescent tail fairy) but he's too fast for him to actually attack. It's interesting to watch because he does a pretty nice display with his colors and fins, but I can tell that the clown is getting better stressed. They are tough fish and for a while I wasn't worried thinking there would be no serious harm done, cinnamon Clownfish can stand up for themselves and Sherbert would calm down after reestablishing his territory. But he may need a time out.
 
OP
OP
leahfiish

leahfiish

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 19, 2016
Messages
2,434
Reaction score
2,540
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Nothing new to report. Everything is mostly doing well. The pink chalice that I had seems to have but the dust. But I believe the green one is coming back, and I think the fascination favia is, too.

20180218_190140.jpg 20180218_185900.jpg 20180218_185648.jpg 20180216_112718.jpg 20180219_203628.jpg 20180219_203522.jpg 20180219_203758.jpg
 
OP
OP
leahfiish

leahfiish

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 19, 2016
Messages
2,434
Reaction score
2,540
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
IMG_20180220_223423_535.jpg Got 3 new fish in qt! 2 rainsford gobies and a flametail blenny. I love their interesting swimming patterns. And the blenny is an excellent algae eater.
They are going to be observed and fattened up for a few weeks before they go into the display. The plan is 3 rounds of prazi, and food laced with metroplex, especially for the gobies.
 
OP
OP
leahfiish

leahfiish

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 19, 2016
Messages
2,434
Reaction score
2,540
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I was looking forward to going to LEAR yesterday but ended up not being able to go. I still had a friend pick up 2 corals for me. A Neon Green Sinularia and a Cherry Corals Scorpion King Acan. I love them! They aren't even fully opened yet as the lights just came on.
20180225_105123.jpg 20180225_105118.jpg

I am still struggling with bryopsis. I briefly tried using hydrogen peroxide on small patches but didn't have time for a few days and it's growing faster than I can treat it. I'm going to try reef Flux again, as soon as it gets here this week.
I also finally got a light for my refugium, so I'm going to start growing some chaeto to help with nutrient control. Pictures soon.
 
OP
OP
leahfiish

leahfiish

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 19, 2016
Messages
2,434
Reaction score
2,540
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Refugium pic
20180225_210121.jpg
This ricordia grew a new baby
20180225_212451.jpg
I also tried the gyre again to see if I could find a setting that my corals liked. If I keep my return line pointed towards the direction of the gyre that seems to dampen and randomize the flow a little better which the corals seem to prefer. I'm gonna play with it more throughout the week.

20180225_210121.jpg
 
OP
OP
leahfiish

leahfiish

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 19, 2016
Messages
2,434
Reaction score
2,540
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
The bryopsis has really been going crazy in the last few days. Probably gotten at least twice as bad since Saturday. I don't have any hair algae - all of the algae that you see is bryopsis. Reef Flux getting here Wednesday and going in the tank immediately.
It's growing on this frag
20180226_203848.jpg
It almost entirely is covering the left side in a thin layer.
20180226_210956.jpg
The back glass is totally covered
20180226_211009.jpg
20180226_211035.jpg

The neon green sinularia was rubber banded to a rock, but it broke off so I tucked it into the rock. Hopefully it will attach on its own.
20180226_214242.jpg

I also got this new large toadstool leather.
20180226_211000.jpg

Finally, I got a new coral food: frozen PE calanus. Initial feeding responses were pretty good and I really liked the size of the food particles. Big enough to actually see the food and watch my corals eat it but small enough that my fish didn't try to steal it. My corals seemed happy with it.
20180226_214129.jpg
20180226_211440.jpg
20180226_204052.jpg

Still fiddling with the refugium lighting, ice cap gyre settings, and bean animal plumbing.
 
Back
Top