Salty Adventure

[Kmst80]

15 years i've been waiting for this moment, i diverted to freshwater for a long time but always had that reef tank in my mind.
2021 was finally the year i did the dive.

I have been building my freshwater tanks myself but since saltwater was new to me i decided to go with a pre made tank.
After going back and forth for a while the tank was found, a Cade pro reef 2 900.

Here are the specs:

Cade pro reef 2 900
2 Ai hydra 32
Nyos Quantum 160 Skimmer
Maxspect Jump Wavemaker
Dalua 3000 return pump
2 Eheim 150 W heaters
Teco TK 500 Chiller

The Setup as of 2. October 2021

8. October 2021
Filled with 50 Kg Live Rock and running(forgot to take one with sand )

 

[Screwgunner]

Put rock in first. Critters that dig will not like it if a rock collapses on them. Looks really nice . Good luck. Take it slow.

 

[Obsessed with fish]

Following

 

[Kmst80]

So after 8 days of cycling Amonia and nitrite were gone and i had 10 ppm nitrate. So much easier and quicker to cycle with live rock.
Time for the first fish!

16.October 2021 Introducing these 2 little guys

...and the very first coral...Frogspawn

This one came in with the live rock...didn't think it was going to make it nor what it was at the time
I can reveal it is a Galaxea...A picture of how stunning she looks now will follow soon.

I'll continue the catch up tomorrow...

 

[Kmst80]

4. November 2021

Found a new Hitchhiker, Rock Boring Urchin

5. November New additions to the Tank, a Firetail Goby, Coral Beauty and purple tip BTA

19. November 2021
Torch and Green Star Polyps

28.November 2021 Nearly 2 month up and running

 

[Kmst80]

2.December 2021

So far everything has been sweet but in december a few clouds appeared.
First one of the torch heads started bailing out after 3 weeks being happy

11.December 2021
After more than 2 month i get to see two more hitchhikers for the first time
The Tuxedo Urchin

20.December 2021
Another Hitchhiker growing rappid, gotta watch this Mithrax Crab, so far model citizen

 

[Kmst80]

31. December 2021

Got a new famity member, forest fire bta, came attached to a piece of live rock after the young guy at the Lfs could not get it off. To my surprise the next morning after placing her in the tank i had two!!!...either there were two on the rock and you couldn't see it or she splitt in the tank due to the stress.

And 14 days later much better looking

7. Januar 2022

I discovered the beauty of Ricordeas, the wallet is not going to like it.
(Sorry for some of the picture quality, i started realizing not to have to much blue light on for pictures)

13.Januar 2022

Three headed Toadstool

 

[Kmst80]

19. January 2022

The resident mithrax crab kept growing so fast, found another shell recently.
However my two buddies, the tuxedo urchins went missing. So i do some more research to find urchins are mithrax crabs favorite food. So i start stalking my crab, and not 2 nights later i see her going for one of my trochus snails.
Quick decision, the crab has to go. 3rd night of bottle trap and shes caught, and released the following day into the big pond.

21.January 2022

Found a new coralstore, wasn't hard to spend the money i recently got from scrap metal.
Master Scoly

Master Scolly and Ricordea

4. February 2022

New Scolly and Ricordea
Welcome the bleeding Apple

And a fungia

A Tank shot after 4 month

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Crab went into your fresh water pond?
D

 

[Ricox]

lol

 

[Ricox]

Nice build though and how did you have such a fast cycle even with live rock?

 

[Kmst80]

Crab went into your fresh water pond?
D

I Gave him a fighting chance and relocated him in the ocean( big pond)

 

[Ricox]

Nice

 

[Kmst80]

Nice build though and how did you have such a fast cycle even with live rock?

I picked the live rock from my LFS and alive it was. A list of hitchikers: pistol shrimp, rock boring urchin x3 , tuxedo urchin x2, purple sea cucumber, Mithrax Crab, smaller crabs, brittle stars, bristle worms, other starfish x3, sponges, feather dusters, worms, copepods and more. I think this might have something to do with the short cycle

 

[Kmst80]

12. February 2022

New addition to the tank, a Bristletooth Tang. Pretty much saved him from the LFS, he was in a little 10 gallon tank,nothing to hide, and salinity at 24 ppt,acclimation took for ever! Reminder to myself never to buy from that Lfs again. The Tang is Skin and bones, have to feed him up in the next couple weeks. He's photoshy too.

4. March 2022

Oh no. White spots on the Tang. Disaster. I come to the conclusion it's Ich.He is eating like crazy though and got his colors still, he's got a good chance.
Ordered Ruby reef Kick Ich and will try i n tank treatment in combination with metroplex/focus.
Fingers crossed.

 

[Kmst80]

Today

Started treatment with Kick Ich and Metroplex/Focus March 11, 10 days into the treatment the bristletooth got no white spots and swims around much more confident. He has fattened up a fair bit in the last 3 weeks. Looking good.

Here some of my better coral shots
Feeding bleeding apple

Green Star Pollyps

Toadstool opening up again after 4 days of shedding

Forrest fire BTA
I bought one, got now 4!!!!!
The pink tip BTA decided to move.

 

[Kmst80]

Nearly forgot...

Remember the Galaxia that came in on the rock?( i admit it is not the best picture)

This is her now

 

[Ricox]

Love the tang! looking to get one myself!

 

[Kmst80]

When your clownfish don't wanna come to the anemone, the anemone comes for the clownfish...lol...

 

[Kmst80]

Surprise surprise...i woke up this morning to see this...only took them 5 month!