Matt's natural reef
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- Thread starter Matt Carden
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mta_morrow
Of course I have room for 1 more fish!
Found it! 2 hour drive.
I think my wife is gonna be out of town that weekend!
Road trip!
Dr. Dendrostein
Marine fish monthly
Any new photos?
Looks good, A display fuge may be something to think about if you want to go lower tech and more natural. I have a cheato fuge and a display fuge full of rubble, Xenia, shrooms and other random frags that does a great job keeping my water crystal clear. I actually just added a skimmer to my system for the first time in the year I’ve had it last week because I tied a second tank into my sump and I want to go fish heavy in that one
Display fuge
Cheato fuge
Display fuge
Cheato fuge
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Matt Carden
Valuable Member
It's about 3 hrs for me. I'm gonna shoot over to Folly Island to get some mud for my fuge while I'm over there.
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Matt Carden
Valuable Member
I have been fighting my Nitrate test results for over a month now. At first I thought that I might have introduced a contaminant when I cleaned some old rock and sand using bleach that may have contained contaminants. Maybe my test kits were bad. Or maybe my Nitrates were so high that it was throwing off the results. So I ran carbon for a couple weeks. Then I bought an API master saltwater kit to verify my Salifert test results. Still the same results. So yesterday I went with the last thing to do. I did a 100% water change. While i was at it I rearranged my sump to have LR chamber. I didn't use a baffle but it should do for now. If my test results are good tomorrow from my ammonia digestion test, I will be ordering a package from IPSF with mud, live sand activator, pods, snails, bristle worms, nitrifyer. DT is cloudy from new salt mix but pics follow
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Matt Carden
Valuable Member
So I went through LA directory of fish to compile a list of desirable fish for my tank. Some that I dont include were desirable but were $250 or more so they didn't get included in this list. Maybe someday when I'm more comfortable with my husbandry skills I will consider a $350 fish but until then I'm gonna try to keep my fish cost under $100 each. I also eliminated possible fish based on tank size, agression, tendency to eat coral or snails.
My setup is a 5'x2'x2' with 50 g sump. ~200 lbs of live rock split between DT and sump. 1" sand bed in DT with 6" in sump. The plan for coral is a mixed reef. There will be an extensive CUC from snails to worm to fish. I'm leaning away from crabs of any type but they are part of the ecosystem so I may still get some. I don't currently have any anything but bacteria and algea in my tank.
The Following is a list of all possible fish I came across on LA andhttps://www.reef2reef.com/threads/all-about-reef-safe-wrasses-in-aquaria.259894/ :
1. Red Stoplight cardinal (5)
2. Yellow tail Chromis (5)
3. Bicolor Blenny
4. Sailfin/Algea Blenny
5. Clown Goby, yellow
6. Orange Spotted Goby
7. Yellow Prawn Goby
8. Hi Fin Red Banded Goby
9. Foxface Lo
10. McCosker's Flasher Wrasse
11. Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
12. Blue Star Leopard Wrasse
13. Melanarus Wrasse
14. Exquisite Fairy Wrasse
15. Yellow Fin Fairy Wrasse
16. Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse
17. Pintail Wrasse
18. Red Line Wrasse
19. Canary Wrasse
20. Christmas Wrasse
21. Adorned Wrasse
22. Radiant Wrasse
23. Pink Streaked Wrasse
24. Yellow Purple Wrasse
25. Yellow Banded Possum Wrasse
26. Tanaka's Wrasse
27. White Banded Possum Wrasse
28. A harem of 4 Anthias: Carberryi, Dispar, or Lyretail
29. I really like the Flame Angel but most of the stories say he's a jerk
30. Coral Beauty Angelfish
31. Bicolor Angelfish
32. Lemonpeel Angelfish
33. Powder Blue Tang
34. Powder Brown Tang
35. Blue Throat Triggerfish
36. Clownfish pair
For the most part I ordered this list in the order of entry into tank. Any suggestions to omit or additions to the list or order change is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance
My setup is a 5'x2'x2' with 50 g sump. ~200 lbs of live rock split between DT and sump. 1" sand bed in DT with 6" in sump. The plan for coral is a mixed reef. There will be an extensive CUC from snails to worm to fish. I'm leaning away from crabs of any type but they are part of the ecosystem so I may still get some. I don't currently have any anything but bacteria and algea in my tank.
The Following is a list of all possible fish I came across on LA andhttps://www.reef2reef.com/threads/all-about-reef-safe-wrasses-in-aquaria.259894/ :
1. Red Stoplight cardinal (5)
2. Yellow tail Chromis (5)
3. Bicolor Blenny
4. Sailfin/Algea Blenny
5. Clown Goby, yellow
6. Orange Spotted Goby
7. Yellow Prawn Goby
8. Hi Fin Red Banded Goby
9. Foxface Lo
10. McCosker's Flasher Wrasse
11. Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
12. Blue Star Leopard Wrasse
13. Melanarus Wrasse
14. Exquisite Fairy Wrasse
15. Yellow Fin Fairy Wrasse
16. Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse
17. Pintail Wrasse
18. Red Line Wrasse
19. Canary Wrasse
20. Christmas Wrasse
21. Adorned Wrasse
22. Radiant Wrasse
23. Pink Streaked Wrasse
24. Yellow Purple Wrasse
25. Yellow Banded Possum Wrasse
26. Tanaka's Wrasse
27. White Banded Possum Wrasse
28. A harem of 4 Anthias: Carberryi, Dispar, or Lyretail
29. I really like the Flame Angel but most of the stories say he's a jerk
30. Coral Beauty Angelfish
31. Bicolor Angelfish
32. Lemonpeel Angelfish
33. Powder Blue Tang
34. Powder Brown Tang
35. Blue Throat Triggerfish
36. Clownfish pair
For the most part I ordered this list in the order of entry into tank. Any suggestions to omit or additions to the list or order change is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance
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That is an extensive fish list... Go slow, you won't be able to fit that many fish into a 150. The powder blue and powder brown tangs are very aggressive fish. The dwarf angels are also semi aggressive and known coral nippers, but some make it work. Some of the wrasse will work together, some won't. There's a lot on your list, too many to pick thru. I've always heard one basslet, one goby and one blenny per tank, but you may be able to get away with 2 of each in a 150 if it's not packed to the gills with fish.
Dr. Dendrostein
Marine fish monthly
Thanks for sharing, comrade
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Matt Carden
Valuable Member
Thanks, your the second to tell me about the royal and goby and the tangs. Must be true I couldn't remember reading that anywhere but that's why I'm posting the list.
Chef Tommy
Active Member
Nice setup and beginning of what should be a great journey... I was fortunate enough to be one of eight people flown in for the 2nd round of the 1996 MastersWe pulled up 20ft behind Davis Love III’s jet, arrived at rental house with Masters carved in Ice, Steaks, Cigars... Southern breakfast on Friday, all day at course... Feel blessed for the once in lifetime experience... Greg was near lead that day
Now, back to reefing ... The good news, you can later beg the wife to convert one of those beautiful rooms to your fish wet room, Egads!
Cheers!
The wives can be so wonderful, my fiancée and I are house hunting and she sends me floor plans of a house yesterday with a note, “Baby, the den would make a wonderful fish room for you because the wall where the tank could go is the perfect viewing spot from the family room”!! I knew I had the right girl [emoji4]
Chef Tommy
Active Member
By the way, wonderful build as well! I’m totally sharing everything with Jen tonight because she can now see the direction I’m going with my build. I spend time on the floor watching the fuge. It really adds a great addition to the hobby. I totally love your direction and am looking forward to getting mine together soon. Thanks for sharing your tank!!
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Matt Carden
Valuable Member
Thanks
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Matt Carden
Valuable Member
Water was full this morning so I turned on the heaters and return pump after my 100% water change.
Dosed to 4ppm ammonia. Hopefully my ammonia and nitrite read 0 when I get home from work.
Dosed to 4ppm ammonia. Hopefully my ammonia and nitrite read 0 when I get home from work.
4ppm is a bit much. I think 2ppm in 24 hours is standard. If your tank can digest 4ppm in half a day that's great.
vlangel
Seahorse whisperer
Your thread caught my eye because I like natural reefs. I have a 56g column aio presently and its run very naturally. I have 12 fish, primarily blennies, gobies and cardinals and I feed heavily 3Xs a day. I keep macro algaes for export of nutrients and do 5 gallons a week WCs. 2 of the blennies are combtooth so they are good algae eaters and keep the tank very clean along with an extensive cuc of nassarius snails, small hermits, emerald, pom pom and anemone crabs, and peppermint shrimp. Its a fun tank and not a lot of work like my seahorse tank.
I would add the cardinal fish, gobies and blennies first as they are quite docile. Then maybe the wrasses. Clownfish and royal grammas can be a bit feisty. Also blennies and wrasses are notorious jumpers. Have a screen top so you don't end up with fish jerky. Maybe even cover the screen the first few nights at dark until they learn the tank. I have read of more than one fish who jumped through the screen.
Here is a link of a video of my tank if you are interested.
I would add the cardinal fish, gobies and blennies first as they are quite docile. Then maybe the wrasses. Clownfish and royal grammas can be a bit feisty. Also blennies and wrasses are notorious jumpers. Have a screen top so you don't end up with fish jerky. Maybe even cover the screen the first few nights at dark until they learn the tank. I have read of more than one fish who jumped through the screen.
Here is a link of a video of my tank if you are interested.
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Matt Carden
Valuable Member
Thank you for the Information about my fish list.
Your tank is amazing! I love how you have algea patches growing on your sand. Looks like it would in the real world.
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