Perry's Shallow Water Acro Dominant Build Thread

[Perry]

I see, I thought you only had a few acros from your friends flatworm tank that you have tested since your new re-boot.

I fully understand your thought process as I have done the same at times. I've used Nopox/ vinegar-vodka and GFO to get levels back in line short term.

In general, I always think it's best to be very simple in a new set up/reboot to limit variables. Seeded rock, Skimmer and water changes, good fish population. All the other things are add ons or changes you can do as the tank matures and has success.

I had a lot of up and downs early on with my frag tank the first year I set it up. I had everything as it is above except not enough fish. Once I upped the fish population it was clear sailing.

I think a lot of issues with Sps tanks dying unexplained is at a microbial level. Certain bad bacteria take hold or explode in population levels. Without getting too much into this I think UV and ozone are going to get popular in the future. They reduce bacteria and also toxin levels in the water column and as we know most of the useful bacteria reside in a symbiotic relation on an acro or are inside or on the surface of live rock, so they won't be affected in a negative way by keeping a more sterile water column. In other words we may all have bad microbes but they aren't a problem unless they get to plague proportions where they can attack/out compete good bacteria..........who knows why this may happen, but I think it's real.

Thank you for your insight, and I could not agree more. Let me state clearly, that while I do think programs that work on bacteria/c-source do work, and worked well on previous tanks I had before, my intentions are to create a system that can self regulate, that leans more on natural methodology. The left side of the reef has a 6" depth sandbed of crushed coral, which tapers to 2" deep sandbed on lagoon side of the tank. At some point, I believe it will aid in n03 removal, as will the sump fuge. This is the long-term goal. The short-term goal is to use NP Pro and Pro Bio S to slowly reduce n&p, something that the skimmer, fuge, and deep sandbed cannot, at least yet. I don't use an apex, alk monitor, and really try and use my eyes to help guide my decision making, of course learned experience as well. This tank has been tricky, but hopefully the uncomfortable phase is nearing it's end. I have 11 well fed fish, so I know that at some point, coral supplements will also become unnecessary. Side note, my fuge is exploding with micro life, it too should provide additional live food sources at some point. I have really been humbled by this tank, nothing is taken for granted.
Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts and insight!
Cheers

 

[Perry]

Really loving this piece!!!
No signs of any declining sps yet, new territory for this tank

 

[Perry]

First picture 1 in the tank.
2nd picture 10 days later. Look to the tips to show color transition. Base getting lighter as red concentrates to coralite. Might be fun to keep progressing pics. This one came from hydra/t5 retro system. This one sits 8" depth from water line, fixture is 18" above water line. 6 t5 with 3 blue+, 2 coral+, 1 Actinic+. Mounted to front is sb reefbar actinic 36" running 100%
Thanks for stopping by

 

[Perry]

Not chasing color, but I will take a happy colorful coral. Health is #1, from my experience, color, and pe usually good indicators. Alk still not budging no movement at all. However, ca/mg are, still manually buffering to keep them stable. Target big 3= 6.8 to 7.5 dkh, 400-420 ca, and 1300-1350 mg
Current= 7.7dkh, 400 ca, and 1275 mg. This was pre dose, 20ml ca and 50ml mg ESV, added manually

 

[Perry]

Today, this evening, I noticed that acros are encrusting onto the mounted locations. Cherry Tree monti glowing, FF digi showing growth at tips. Montis fading usually happens within 3 to 4 days, not this time
Tomorrow @naterealbig and I have worked a shroom trade, but apparently he has some sps included, and one is wd, looking forward to it for sure!
I have a feeling I will need a 2nd tank for my shroom collection, as well as RFA's. I can probably continue with current display, but as sps get larger, more flow required, good for sps, but my shrooms like low flow.

 

[naterealbig]

Today, this evening, I noticed that acros are encrusting onto the mounted locations. Cherry Tree monti glowing, FF digi showing growth at tips. Montis fading usually happens within 3 to 4 days, not this time
Tomorrow @naterealbig and I have worked a shroom trade, but apparently he has some sps included, and one is wd, looking forward to it for sure!
I have a feeling I will need a 2nd tank for my shroom collection, as well as RFA's. I can probably continue with current display, but as sps get larger, more flow required, good for sps, but my shrooms like low flow.

Very excited Perry! The WD is a fresh cut but it's got a couple branches . I'm running into the same issue with the shrooms myself... I'm planning my fish /aquaculture lab as I build out my 300. Lots of lowboys and one dedicated to shrooms and LPS! The 300 will be super high flow and BB so probably won't be able to get much for softies in there - I feel your pain!

Been following along - I'm very happy things are on the up and up, and you're back in the right side of things

 

[Graffiti Spot]

Today, this evening, I noticed that acros are encrusting onto the mounted locations. Cherry Tree monti glowing, FF digi showing growth at tips. Montis fading usually happens within 3 to 4 days, not this time
Tomorrow @naterealbig and I have worked a shroom trade, but apparently he has some sps included, and one is wd, looking forward to it for sure!
I have a feeling I will need a 2nd tank for my shroom collection, as well as RFA's. I can probably continue with current display, but as sps get larger, more flow required, good for sps, but my shrooms like low flow.

I dunno man don’t you remember copps 180 gallon back in the day with the whole bottom of the tank covered in Florida rics? Can be done!

 

[drawman]

Today, this evening, I noticed that acros are encrusting onto the mounted locations. Cherry Tree monti glowing, FF digi showing growth at tips. Montis fading usually happens within 3 to 4 days, not this time
Tomorrow @naterealbig and I have worked a shroom trade, but apparently he has some sps included, and one is wd, looking forward to it for sure!
I have a feeling I will need a 2nd tank for my shroom collection, as well as RFA's. I can probably continue with current display, but as sps get larger, more flow required, good for sps, but my shrooms like low flow.

The slope is getting slippery! Glad to hear things are on the up and up Perry!

 

[Perry]

Very excited Perry! The WD is a fresh cut but it's got a couple branches . I'm running into the same issue with the shrooms myself... I'm planning my fish /aquaculture lab as I build out my 300. Lots of lowboys and one dedicated to shrooms and LPS! The 300 will be super high flow and BB so probably won't be able to get much for softies in there - I feel your pain!

Been following along - I'm very happy things are on the up and up, and you're back in the right side of things

Thanks Nate!
Looking forward to seeing your current and future setup! Totally worth the drive Things are coming aling nicely, now that acros are settling.

 

[Perry]

I dunno man don’t you remember copps 180 gallon back in the day with the whole bottom of the tank covered in Florida rics? Can be done!

One advantage is that the wave maker pushes to the shallows, and creates a current pulling back to the lagoon side, which allows for more turbid conditions on shallows but nice and calm on lagoon side. My setting on the wave maker is on lowest setting, and more than sufficient flow on both sides. This may work long-term as I have a lot more power in the wave maker to go. I will just have to be selective on livestock moving forward.
Cheers!

 

[Perry]

The slope is getting slippery! Glad to hear things are on the up and up Perry!

Indeed Tim,
I am happy the way things are trending, and glad I gave sps another shot, this accident will hopefully lead towards an interesting scape and aquarium. My gut tells me to have 2 separate tanks, but we shall see More to come, thanks for checking in on the journey

 

[Perry]

@naterealbig
Nice chunky wd, super polyped out
Will put up a pic soon
Thanks again brother!!!

 

[Perry]

FTS today

 

[C. Eymann]

Glad to see you got over the troubles with this build, starting a tank with dry /manmade rock is a completely different animal- something Im finding out the hard way.

But looks like you are on your way now to having a sweet looking grown in sps tank in a few months!
Looking forward to seeing how it comes along
Cheers!

 

[Perry]

Glad to see you got over the troubles with this build, starting a tank with dry /manmade rock is a completely different animal- something Im finding out the hard way.

But looks like you are on your way now to having a sweet looking grown in sps tank in a few months!
Looking forward to seeing how it comes along
Cheers!

I checked in on your build, and saw you were having similar problems, and if setup with dry rock, sort of the norm. You are also using some t5's and I have found that many blue led tanks are able to run their nutrients higher, thus no dinos or cyano, and are able to combat hair with corals beating nuisance algae to the dinner table. It's months, and years of anecdotal information gathering, mainly all stuffed in my head, but I believe there is more to this, ocean rock, standards of the past, and lighting shifts in the industry. Somewhere, in all of that, is why there is 16 pages and a year of confusion, lol.
I still have hair patches, kind of like sporadic gathering spots, likely where the rock has laden nutrients. I have 5 turbos, and a team of hermits, blues and mexican red legs, and emeralds. None of them will touch these spots unless I pluck it, and toothbrush it away. They are tremendous at keeping those areas spotless afterwards. Since adding the sps as well as other types of corals, I can see a slow shift to where corals are winning the nutrient war. I dislike hair algae so much, that I am not doing manual removal, and watching these spots fade slowly, as coralline takes their place. This is like torture to hair algae, lol I am also trying to get my tank to lower itself with nutrients, the dose of AF Bac/c-source is doing a very slow job of aiding in this starvation, and I am confident in suspending these additions once the fuge and deep sandbed as well ask skimmer balance out. I will probable always continue some sort of occasional bacteria additions moving forward, but not a daily thing, and likely just post water changes.
I continue to use 1ml per day of KZ extra special, and 2ml of flatworm stop. All corals in the tank are happy, most importantly my shrooms, I know this is the SPS forum, but they are also my bargaining chip for more things needed in the hobby, and trades are quite easy. In fact, I have yet to buy one sps, thanks Nate, and Scott That's 11 acros, and 2 montis. Some are killer pieces that I will document later. I have bought and traded shrooms a lot lately, I am investing there, and later will be able to trade baby's for cash or acros.
Thanks for checking out the journal

 

[Perry]

This should be fun...

Acro when I got it:

Acro presumed dead, at near death:

Pic taken today, I see increased tissue, and more polyps:

 

[Perry]

So it's this feeling that you get when you "know" you are seeing success and that ahhhhh feeling overwhelms you. 3 weeks in and zero deaths on new additions. All fresh cut chunks are encrusted onto rock. Colors are amazing, and corals are all showing great pe, and visually healthy. I haven't tested nutrients in 3 weeks, and I don't really care at this time, what I am seeing says to me that it doesn't matter. Fish feedings are very consistent. Also, fuge is loaded with micro life, which most certainly is making it's way to dt.
I am still dosing AF Pro Bio S and NP Pro at 3 drops daily. I am using KZ Flatworm Stop at 2ml per day and KZ Pohls Extra Special at 1ml per day. I feed a pinch of Reef Roids every few days. All dosing is done prior to lights on, during best feeding time.
Last week Sunday I scored 4 acros from @naterealbig and they are also looking super happy. 12 acros and 2 montis. Future plans are to source more real rock and possibly build a bommie in lagoon side and maybe start another tank for all my non sps corals. I won't need much, I have so much extra gear, I won't have to spend that much $
Will try and get some acro pics later.
Cheers!

Edit: t5's lowered to by 4" a week ago, no ill effects with any corals. T5 sits 14" off surface. Miyagi Tort at 4" below surface, so it's getting blasted with light. All others around 6 to 8" below water line.

 

[Perry]

Not all of them, but some decent top downs

 

[minus9]

Good stuff man! Dry rock can be a major drag, I've struggled the first two years with my 90g, but have turned the corner slowly. Looks like you're on the right track, keep up the great work!

 

[Perry]

Good stuff man! Dry rock can be a major drag, I've struggled the first two years with my 90g, but have turned the corner slowly. Looks like you're on the right track, keep up the great work!

Thank you so much for the kind words!
The struggle is real, and a tough road traveled thus far. I am happy to have given sps another chance, I really didn't expect for the tank to take off, but pleased nonetheless Pleased to report that all corals seem healthy, not just sps. Acquired an amazing bounce today, I really scored, not sps, but have to show this baby off