NBurg's Red Sea Reefer 450 mixed reef

[Nburg's Reef]

I've decided to swap from Acro dominated tank back to a softie/leather dominated tank. Acros are a struggle and with me traveling so much for work and pleasure, I'd like a less stressful tank. I also really miss the huge colonies and movement I had in this tank before.

So, the question is... do I continue this build thread or make a new one? I will be getting rid of 95% of my SPS, and I have some higher end leathers (lol) and rarer ones.

 

[dantimdad]

I say continue this one. Same tank.

I am curious as to what softies you get and where from.

I have a terrible time finding any decent ones.

 

[Nburg's Reef]

I say continue this one. Same tank.

I am curious as to what softies you get and where from.

I have a terrible time finding any decent ones.

Soft Corals | Marine Farmers Inc

We're a live coral online store located in Long Island, NY. We offers live coral colonies and frags for sale for reef aquariums. We specialize in rare and unusual soft corals, Zoanthids, Montipora, LPS, Mushroom. Free Shipping available! Subscribe For Sales.

www.marinefarmers.com

I have read good things about this site. Expensive for softies but they have some unusual and hard to find leathers which most places don't even carry at all anymore.

I ordered:
Pink Japanese Nepthea
Neon Kenya Tree
Pulsing Sinularia
Tracy Morgan gorg
neon Capnella tree
Joker toadstool.

I am thinking of ordering some more gorgonians from Reeftopia. Wild collected, but inexpensive and large sizes.

I have a giant colony of the neon green Sinularia I had before from my brother sitting in my frag tank, just waiting to glue it to the rocks.

I am getting some toadstools, long tentacle and green from a local reefer. Trading and selling my acros for leathers and maybe a few more torches.

 

[dantimdad]

Soft Corals | Marine Farmers Inc

We're a live coral online store located in Long Island, NY. We offers live coral colonies and frags for sale for reef aquariums. We specialize in rare and unusual soft corals, Zoanthids, Montipora, LPS, Mushroom. Free Shipping available! Subscribe For Sales.

www.marinefarmers.com

I have read good things about this site. Expensive for softies but they have some unusual and hard to find leathers which most places don't even carry at all anymore.

I ordered:
Pink Japanese Nepthea
Neon Kenya Tree
Pulsing Sinularia
Tracy Morgan gorg
neon Capnella tree
Joker toadstool.

I am thinking of ordering some more gorgonians from Reeftopia. Wild collected, but inexpensive and large sizes.

I have a giant colony of the neon green Sinularia I had before from my brother sitting in my frag tank, just waiting to glue it to the rocks.

I am getting some toadstools, long tentacle and green from a local reefer. Trading and selling my acros for leathers and maybe a few more torches.

Thanks!

Plusing sinularia is high on my list of wants.

Gorgonians are too.

 

[Nburg's Reef]

Thanks!

Plusing sinularia is high on my list of wants.

Gorgonians are too.

My prior pulsing sinularia. Such great color under high light. Purple branches and neon green base/body

 

[dantimdad]

My prior pulsing sinularia. Such great color under high light. Purple branches and neon green base/body

Start cuttin' bro!

 

[Nburg's Reef]

No pics yet, but all of the acros I am getting rid of should be gone by the end of today, and I will start gluing some of my new additions. Along with the 6 leathers posted above, I also obtained a hellfire torch, a NY knicks torch, a neon green cabbage, and just ordered a weeping white willow toadstool from Biota, along with a branching GSP, spaghetti nepthea.

On the fish front, I added a coral beauty and marine betta from biota, and have a forktail blenny coming with my recent coral order. I still want to add a yellow coris wrasse and maybe a flasher wrasse.

 

[Nburg's Reef]

Most of my acros that I’m selling are gone. 2 left that will be traded for some nice toadstools. All other acros are staying since they’re pretty hardy.

here’s a few updated shots. Can’t wait for these smaller frags to grow out!

 

[Nburg's Reef]

Here are some better phone pics:
Japanese pink nepthea:


Joker Toadstool from Marine Farmers. Unique in that it’s green everywhere except the polyps which are purple.


Hellfire Torch



@WWC Toxic Aussie Slimmer that I’m keeping



WWC Terra Red which I’m keeping


Some Zoas that are starting to really grow, Pilachu and WWC AOIs are nice!


My Ricordea garden may need trimmed. Some are migrating to sand


Neon Kenya Tree


I’ve also noticed my rock flower anemones have bred and I have babies all over. Last time they did this before I moved, only one made it thru the move and grew to an adult. Maybe I’ll get a better turnout this time.

 

[Captain Hook]

Lookin amazing!

 

[Acropora52]

That ricordia garden is looking lush! Good luck with the rfas. From what I can see, some systems they reproduce almost like weeds and others less so. How many do you have?

 

[Nburg's Reef]

That ricordia garden is looking lush! Good luck with the rfas. From what I can see, some systems they reproduce almost like weeds and others less so. How many do you have?

I think I have 10 adults. I have counted over 30 babies about the size of a pea. Probably many more that I haven’t seen yet as well. Some with crazy colors that are not present in the adults. I have raised a single anemone from a past breeding event, but I moved my tank across the country so there was a lot of stress so I’m surprised the 1
survived! I feed a lot of different size foods so I’m hopeful I’ll be able to raise some and sell them to locals reefers.

 

[Acropora52]

I think I have 10 adults. I have counted over 30 babies about the size of a pea. Probably many more that I haven’t seen yet as well. Some with crazy colors that are not present in the adults. I have raised a single anemone from a past breeding event, but I moved my tank across the country so there was a lot of stress so I’m surprised the 1
survived! I feed a lot of different size foods so I’m hopeful I’ll be able to raise some and sell them to locals reefers.

Well, definitely let me know if you grow some out and sell. The softie tank is settling in and will get it's final aquascape in a couple weeks after I move some fish over to my main reef.

 

[Nburg's Reef]

I just realized my first post still has a FTS from over a year ago, so I will need to update that.

A couple quick updates, I am going to remove a large portion of the Zoas in my DT. I noticed several of the zoa types did much better when fragged and grown out in my frag tank than my DT. Not sure why, but I'm not looking to chase conditions to keep things happy... I'll chase corals that are happy with my conditions! So I am going to keep 2 rocks dedicated to Zoas, mostly the ones that are doing well in my DT and my favorites. I may keep a bunch of frags in my Frag Tank to keep them just in case I want to try them again in the future, but I may put a few frags here and there on the rock work to fill in space once things start to grow in.

I also went to the Island of Culebra Puerto Rico which has some relatively healthy reefs. There were a lot of huge, beautiful brain corals which inspired me to try some brain/LPS corals. I recently got a big shipment of LPS from WWC including several Platygyras and Favites corals to add some colors I lacking in the leathers.

I also had another order from them a couple of weeks ago which included their blue xenia, pulsing xenia (I don't care how invasive it is!) among some various others.

Most of my new additions since switching from Acros are really starting to grow. Even the acro's I am keeping are growing and looking better than ever. Maybe there is something to softies cleaning up the water. I did buy a big container of 0.8 ROX carbon to keep any chemical warefare at bay.

In sad news, my 7 yo male clownfish is in rough shape. When I got home from vacation, he had trouble maintaining buoyancy, and is currently being treated. I'm hoping its just an infection that will be cured with the API General Cure and Neoplex. Also treated the DT water for flukes just in case. He has pretty rapid breathing and swims vertical, nose down and slightly upside down. Hopefully he recovers, but I am not so confident.

All of this made me realize, I need to update some pics soon!

 

[Nburg's Reef]

Not the best photo, but the new iPhone 13 doesn’t do to bad without a filter.
FTS


Remaining SPS garden


Many of the Zoas I am keeping


Some of my new Favites from @WWC


My monster Torch that needs trimmed. Pic doesn’t do it justice!

Left side closeup

Right side closeup

 

[Nburg's Reef]

I decided to make a video tour of my tank. I didn’t add any music since there is no song that won’t annoy everyone (enjoy the sound of city traffic and my washing machine).

 

[Nburg's Reef]

The torch needed its routine haircut and you can barely tell that anything was fragged off it.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

Not sure why, but I'm not looking to chase conditions to keep things happy... I'll chase corals that are happy with my conditions!

Great statement!

I also had another order from them a couple of weeks ago which included their blue xenia, pulsing xenia (I don't care how invasive it is!) among some various others.

I love Cespitularia and Xenia. I haven’t any difficulty trimming mine back. They add so much interest and movement.

 

[Nburg's Reef]

Great statement!


I love Cespitularia and Xenia. I haven’t any difficulty trimming mine back. They add so much interest and movement.

Same, doesn't seem to be aggressive towards others, so I am hoping everything grows in thick before it starts to move around, that way it can fill in some dead spots to really make the reef look full.

 

[Nburg's Reef]

My widow clown still has her torch. This thing grows like crazy, and I frag it a LOT!