Low-Tech High-Tech 40 Breeder (no filtration)

[ReeferHD]

Introduction:
This tank has NO mechanical filtration, the only exception is a surface skimmer put in after water changes to clear biofilm.

This is my 2nd tank thread, be sure to check out the other one!

this will be our most advanced (and least advanced) tank yet.
Technically this is a tank transfer from our reefer 250 which has a decent crack on one of the corners.

Stocking List:
Banggai Cardinal x1
Possum Wrasse x1
Naoko Wrasse x1
Carpenters Wrasse x2
Croucher Goby x2
Green Clown Goby x1
Circus Goby x2
this will be updated when I inevitably buy more fish.

Equipment List:
Neptune Trident and DOS w/ probes
Kessil AP700
Nero 3 Powerheads
Tunze ATO
Finnex controlled heater
Eheim skim 350

Updates to come, stay tuned

 

[ReeferHD]

Doing some wire management, looking good so far

Zip tied the probes to a a tunze magnet I had laying around and it turned out great as well!

 

[ReeferHD]

Got the Trident running, very impressed with the interface!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Got the Trident running, very impressed with the interface!

Glad you like the trident! Been wanting to get one of those haha

 

[ReeferHD]

The first fish is in! I’ve had this little dude for about 3 years making him my oldest fish

I was also at my LFS today and they had this TINY scrawled cowfish, I had to get him as he would be the perfect centerpiece fish!

 

[ReeferHD]

Update! Corals are in and doing great! I set up the doser and everything is stable at the set parameters! Wish I had gotten an apex when I first started reefing

 

[ReeferHD]

.

 

[ReeferHD]

haven’t done much with the tank this past week, I added a frogspawn as a tester LPS and it looks happy so far, just been waiting for parameters to level out before getting anything else!

 

[ReeferHD]

my LFS mentioned they're supposed to get a shipment from fiji soon, i've been waiting years to find a fiji yellow leather, has anyone else gotten them yet?

 

[ReeferHD]

Just picked up this awesome red Trachyphyllia. Something was bothering it last night and I noticed it came with a hidden cup coral on its skeleton.

 

[Glenner’sreef]

Wow great tank. Congrats. A lot of good things going on. Use some caution with your Cow fish (now a herd) lol. If stressed out they can deliver toxins into the tank. 2 territorial cows could possibly do this. Like certain fish, Angels, etc they might nip on corals. Cool fish though. Good luck.

 

[ReeferHD]

Wow great tank. Congrats. A lot of good things going on. Use some caution with your Cow fish (now a herd) lol. If stressed out they can deliver toxins into the tank. 2 territorial cows could possibly do this. Like certain fish, Angels, etc they might nip on corals. Cool fish though. Good luck.

Appreciate it! I’ve been keeping cowfish for years and unfortunately had one die in my tank in the past, no adverse effects though. Multiple sources suggest that cowfish contain the toxin within their blood cells, so to my understanding, releasing it would hurt the fish itself. and other sources suggest they only produce it in the wild.

Wikipedia also says that juveniles actually group together in the wild, and become solitary as they mature.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/box-cowfish-what-you-need-to-know.1019626/

TANK “NUKES”:
Ok, lets talk about “Pahutoxin”.
Pahutoxin is released by Cow/Box fish when they come under tremendous stress. It is a defense mechanism – nothing more. Contrary to popular belief, a DEAD fish, will not release it’s toxin. I have lost boxfish in the tank and never had a nuke.

From what I have read and researched – the toxin is located in the red blood cells and works by the blood cells being ruptured. Eye witness accounts say it’s like a white cloud that comes off the fish – and you MUST act quickly! The toxin does damage by attacking the red blood cells of predator (or whatever the fish is trying to escape). That all being said, in a closed aquarium – these fish are not immune to the toxin and indeed die themselves. At the end of the day, the fish must be alive. A dead boxfish, cannot excrete it’s toxin.

The best way to know if this has happened is there will be a soap-like mucus foam on the top of your aquarium water and your skimmer will be going haywire.
In all my years (which isn’t many, let’s be honest) – I’ve never heard of a legitimate in tank nuking. They are extremely rare. In most cases, the fish is more likely to nuke itself in the bag shipped to you – then it is in a properly stocked aquarium.

This bring us back to the Cleaner Wrasse. These fish shouldn’t be housed in a stressful situation, so imagine being relentlessly harassed by a wrasse, trying to clean you? Doesn’t sounds like fun does it.

It’s all about mitigating the risks. The risk is always going to be there, but in reefing, there’s more likely bigger things to worry about.

I appreciate the concern though

 

[ReeferFive-0]

Looking good! What mount is that for the AP700?

 

[Glenner’sreef]

Appreciate it! I’ve been keeping cowfish for years and unfortunately had one for in my tank in the past, no adverse effects though. Multiple sources suggest that cowfish contain the toxin within their blood cells, so to my understanding, releasing it would hurt the fish itself. and other sources suggest they only produce it in the wild.

Wikipedia also says that juveniles actually group together in the wild, and become solitary as they mature.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/box-cowfish-what-you-need-to-know.1019626/

I appreciate the concern though

It’s all good. I’ve never purchased a cow fish. But heard some words if caution in the past. And thought either you knew about them or not. It sounds like you’re on it.

 

[ReeferHD]

Looking good! What mount is that for the AP700?

thanks! we actually custom fabricated it with some square tube

 

[thatindonesianreefer]

T

Just picked up this awesome red Trachyphyllia. Something was bothering it last night and I noticed it came with a hidden cup coral on its skeleton.

That’s one beautiful trachy!
Here’s a pic of mine :

 

[ReeferFive-0]

thanks! we actually welded it together out of some square tube originally meant for bed frames

Thanks, I've been keeping my eye out for a light/wall mount combo and yours looks good. I have tall vaulted ceilings where I want my next aquarium to go so hanging is not an option and I would prefer to have all the hardware up and out of the way. I may have to go the DIY route.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Just picked up this awesome red Trachyphyllia. Something was bothering it last night and I noticed it came with a hidden cup coral on its skeleton.

Nice looking coral!

 

[ReeferHD]

So I’ve run into a new problem… turns out my (presumably) biological filtration is so affective that my nitrates have gone from 15 to 0 in just 2 weeks, I’m guessing there was an introduction of a (very hungry) denitrifying bacteria from the gulf liverock I briefly had in the tank.

last weekend I started dosing 15ml of aminos every day to try and counteract it but it is still plummeting. I have never had this issue before, any word of advice besides adding another fish and feeding more? I even skipped last weeks water change and it’s still going down.

 

[ReeferHD]

You just don't have the ammonia input (from feeding fish and CUC) balanced with nitrogen reduction capacity you have built. Add more fish, feed them more. Until you can do that, dose nitrate daily as needed. The stuff you buy from the store is very dilute and expensive. Look up how to make and dose your own stock solution. It's cheap and easy.

FWIW, I now have 15 fish from 1.5" to more than 4" in my 90. I feed, at a minimum, 2 cubes of gut loaded Brine Shrimp, a 3/4" square of LRS, and some mussels daily. I still have to add nitrogen to the system daily just to maintain 2ppm nitrate.

found this on another thread.
this seems to line up with what I'm experiencing.

maybe I just need more fish!