My First Softy Tank... which has turned into a mixed reef

[New&no clue]

I think the Tank looks great and really like the re-wire! I think its time to change your name

NEVER! I don't want to give people false hope when I answer a thread that I know what I'm talking about.

on a more philosophical side do we ever "have a clue" I'm 30...ish and I still don't know whats going on

 

[DiefsReef]

NEVER! I don't want to give people false hope when I answer a thread that I know what I'm talking about.

on a more philosophical side do we ever "have a clue" I'm 30...ish and I still don't know whats going on

LOL, I defiantly can relate. I have thought several times to answer a question and think "What do I know, I dont even have water in a tank yet!" and that philosphical stuff hurts my brain so early in the morning

 

[mmw64]

I have a Current USA 6009 which is 1050GPH, however, when I was setting up the tank I was reading that because the stock plumbing is 3/4" and not 1 or 1 1/2" that the flow is really reduced. And while you may have a pump that is rated for higher, because of the smaller piping the friction in the pipe would decreased it a lot. So I added two additional power heads into the tank so I have a total of 4. Now, I'm not a plumber so I could be remember that wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's what people were saying.

Thanks from a fellow female reefer. One more question please. What is it you soak your power heads in and where do did you purchase it? I have heard vinegar is not good.

 

[New&no clue]

Thanks from a fellow female reefer. One more question please. What is it you soak your power heads in and where do did you purchase it? I have heard vinegar is not good.

I use citric acid that I buy Amazon

Milliard Citric Acid 5 Pound - 100% Pure Food Grade NON-GMO Project VERIFIED (5 Pound)

 

[mmw64]

I use citric acid that I buy Amazon

Milliard Citric Acid 5 Pound - 100% Pure Food Grade NON-GMO Project VERIFIED (5 Pound)

Thanks again.

 

[EntitledSushi]

I love this thread! I have a Red Sea 350 that basically I am going to start over again. Looking forward to learning from your experience and maybe "borrowing" your aquascaping!

 

[New&no clue]

I love this thread! I have a Red Sea 350 that basically I am going to start over again. Looking forward to learning from your experience and maybe "borrowing" your aquascaping!

Awesome. I love the islands in my tank. I think it really helps keep things where you want them. The only complaint I have is they are all similar heights. The one on the right is the tallest, but not by much. I wish there was some more variation in height. Other than that I really like it.

 

[New&no clue]

Month End Tank Update:

Holy Cow was June a crazy month or what? Sadly there was a lot of loss of livestock including; the Demon Goby, Cleaner Shrimp, Tuxedo Urchin, and 20ish snails. I wanted to let the tank settle and then start to rebuild my CUC. I am trying to find a good place to buy from, my LFS has a pretty sad supply of snails. I have ordered from reefcleaners.org before, however, I've experienced a lot of loss with them. I wouldn't necessarily blame them, as they say it could take 2-3 days for the snails to become active after transport... well in my tanks that means certain death as Big Bertha and her crew will pick your shell clean if you don't practice constant vigilance. I'm not sure if you've ever read The Tale of a Sump Crab: An Autobiography but I feel it depicts the life of my CUC very well.

The other fish all seem to be fine, however, I am thinking about adding some more fish into the tank. It just seems so empty without the goby. I'm not sure if I would add another sand sifter to the tank, but maybe something that swims around more. The corals that seemed to be struggling do appear to be doing better. I plan to hold off on any new coral purchase ;Jawdrop . I know shocking but I want to focus on first getting the corals I have back to where they were, and also focus on some of the corals I've had that haven't been thriving.

The Zoa's had a spot that seemed to melt away, but that spot has started to fill in again. Also the Rasta are continuing to push into the Armor's territory.

The Cristalla that has retracted all the way to its skeleton has come back and is much more open.

The Hammers are still struggling some. I've tried to change the flow. I've pulled them to inspect for anything bothering them. The pink one shows signs of improvement, but the blue one is still not opening.

I mentioned in an early post but I have gorgonian since the start of the tank and it just hasn't grown much at all. When I initially purchased it it was said to be a fast grower so I am going to try to move it to a different location. One YouTube video I watched said they like high flow and light, so I'm going to try to move it up to the top of the middle rock structure to see if that will help.

Lastly my power head on the left side keeps going out. I'm not sure if when I redid my cords down below I did something to it, but when every it does I get to see the full size of my BTA, these things are monsters

Full Tank Shot & Island Shots

 

[EntitledSushi]

Could the hammer corals be stinging each other? I'm really curious because I also want to put two different colored hammers close to each other for contrast.

As for interesting fish, I would replace the diamond goby. I rely on mine to keep the sand clean and he is one of the most interesting fish to watch. Another option is a Longnose Hawkfish. They mostly perch rather than swim which is a bit different. I had one for a couple years; he eventually got huge and unfortunately passed on. I never observed him biting the corals.

 

[Daniel92481]

Looking good!

 

[New&no clue]

Could the hammer corals be stinging each other? I'm really curious because I also want to put two different colored hammers close to each other for contrast.

As for interesting fish, I would replace the diamond goby. I rely on mine to keep the sand clean and he is one of the most interesting fish to watch. Another option is a Longnose Hawkfish. They mostly perch rather than swim which is a bit different. I had one for a couple years; he eventually got huge and unfortunately passed on. I never observed him biting the corals.

Yes, you can have several hammers together and create a garden. Here are a couple pictures from google. This was what I was hopping for with that rock in the back. I'm hopeful the blue one will turn around and the pink one will continue to improve.

I agree with the goby, he was a pain in the butt but my sand was beautiful... until it wasn't. I would like another one, but I'm just not ready, I would feel like I was replacing him. I think if I get another it would be a Bella instead of a Diamond. For now I think I will try to find some CUC that I can use to help with sand cleanliness.

I've looked at the Hawkfish before. I'm not sure I want a percher though. I have a Blenny who perches and I'm not sure I want another. Possibly something that hangs out on the sand. I would love to get some schooling fish, but I think I would need a bigger tank for that.

 

[New&no clue]

I ordered some corals for my tank (not this tank a different one) and saw they had cleaner shrimp on sale. So I decided as I was already paying shipping I may as well get a couple for the tank. They arrived yesterday and they were soooo tiny and cute I couldn't believe it.

Well that night I could only see one and I started to worry that because they were so small maybe they had gone down the overflow and into the sump. So I looked all over the tank, no luck. I looked all over the sump, no luck. The whole time I'm telling my husband, I'm sure it's just hiding I don't know why I'm so worried. Finally I decided to look in my overflow

except it wasn't Jack... it was bubble algae. SO MUCH BUBBLE ALGAE!!!!

Guess I know what my weekend project will be.

 

[New&no clue]

This weekend I added some more to my CUC. My LFS have a very limited supply on snails and really nothing else, however, there is a another one about an hour away that has a much better selection to I traveled down there. I bought some snails, and four cucumbers to clean the sand... let me tell you they sit in one area and don't move. The sand in that area is clean, but the rest of the tank is still messy.

But then, as I was walking past a tank I saw a fish that I have always wanted, but never really though about getting because they are difficult. But my kids were with me and they were like "Mom, get that fish" and I caved an got it. So meet the newest fishy

 

[EntitledSushi]

Beautiful fish! Good choice on the cucumber. I bought one, and now I have 3 or 4. I find they don't move more than an inch or so from their rock, but they probably keep that area quite clean.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Month End Tank Update:

Holy Cow was June a crazy month or what? Sadly there was a lot of loss of livestock including; the Demon Goby, Cleaner Shrimp, Tuxedo Urchin, and 20ish snails. I wanted to let the tank settle and then start to rebuild my CUC. I am trying to find a good place to buy from, my LFS has a pretty sad supply of snails. I have ordered from reefcleaners.org before, however, I've experienced a lot of loss with them. I wouldn't necessarily blame them, as they say it could take 2-3 days for the snails to become active after transport... well in my tanks that means certain death as Big Bertha and her crew will pick your shell clean if you don't practice constant vigilance. I'm not sure if you've ever read The Tale of a Sump Crab: An Autobiography but I feel it depicts the life of my CUC very well.

The other fish all seem to be fine, however, I am thinking about adding some more fish into the tank. It just seems so empty without the goby. I'm not sure if I would add another sand sifter to the tank, but maybe something that swims around more. The corals that seemed to be struggling do appear to be doing better. I plan to hold off on any new coral purchase ;Jawdrop . I know shocking but I want to focus on first getting the corals I have back to where they were, and also focus on some of the corals I've had that haven't been thriving.

The Zoa's had a spot that seemed to melt away, but that spot has started to fill in again. Also the Rasta are continuing to push into the Armor's territory.

The Cristalla that has retracted all the way to its skeleton has come back and is much more open.

The Hammers are still struggling some. I've tried to change the flow. I've pulled them to inspect for anything bothering them. The pink one shows signs of improvement, but the blue one is still not opening.

I mentioned in an early post but I have gorgonian since the start of the tank and it just hasn't grown much at all. When I initially purchased it it was said to be a fast grower so I am going to try to move it to a different location. One YouTube video I watched said they like high flow and light, so I'm going to try to move it up to the top of the middle rock structure to see if that will help.

Lastly my power head on the left side keeps going out. I'm not sure if when I redid my cords down below I did something to it, but when every it does I get to see the full size of my BTA, these things are monsters

Full Tank Shot & Island Shots

Looking great!

 

[muzikalmatt]

Beautiful mandarin! I'm also guilty of caving to the pressure to buy new livestock.

 

[jk_s124]

Best of luck with the mandarin! That’s one of my dream fish!

 

[ReefJCB]

Looking great!

 

[New&no clue]

Beautiful fish! Good choice on the cucumber. I bought one, and now I have 3 or 4. I find they don't move more than an inch or so from their rock, but they probably keep that area quite clean.

Yes, that appears to be what mine do. I'll have to keep looking for something to clean the sand. I do have a ton of Nassarius Snails so maybe I will just stick with those. Maybe I'll recover from the trauma of the Demon and get another goby, my sand was always crystal clear with him.

 

[New&no clue]

Still on the quest to find some more CUC members. My cleaner shrimp are doing good, my cucumbers are doing nothing and my hunt was still on. I went to Algae Barn to get a new tuxedo urchin, unfortunately they didn't have any in stock, but they did have pincushions so I bought one of those instead. They also had peppermint shrimp so I bought 5 of those.

The shrimps disappeared into the abyss of the tank, so I hope they are okay. The urchin is traveling along picking up baby snails and seems happy.

I was still on the lookout for something to clean my sand. I had wanted a conch before and tried it out but it was DOA. I decided to try again. WWC had Queen, Fighter, and Tigers. After some research I learned that Queens are much to big for a home aquarium, Fighter are okay for mid to bigger, and Tigers are okay for all. Several different sites said 2 fighters in a tank my size, and so I bought two... THEY ARE HUMONGOUS ... I'm a little terrified of how big they are.

My son has named them Mommy and Daddy snail. The orange one is Mom, she looked around a little and then dug down in the sand and has stayed put. Dad is the gray one, he tore around the tank. I didn't not know they could move so fast. I assume Mom was tank raised, found herself in a new glass box and just settled in. I assume Dad was wild caught, found him self in a glass cage and freaked out. He has since calmed down and burred himself as well. Both move at night though as they are in new positions in the morning. Then I also bought a single tiger conch as I was unprepared for how big the fighters were. He is Little Boy Snail.