SDReef's 330G CDA Acropora Dominant Mixed Reef

[Operator Wrasse]

Thanks! The gem tang is healing up quickly. Here's from a couple days ago. Both sides were originally skinned up.

Here he is this evening. Fin is essentially healed, and the more injured side should be fully healed in a couple days.

Yes, Rowa Phos is a brand of gfo. I have plenty of phosphate to strip . Plus with my feeding regimen, there will always be a phosphate supply in the water, so I'm not overly concerned about bottoming it out.

Regarding the fluctuation, that's a valid concern, and I'll need to find a regimen that works for this system. I plan to change the rowa phos on a consistent schedule. Whether that's biweekly or monthly remains to be determined. Currently I'm changing biweekly, but there is a lot of phosphate to remove, and I'm trying to go slow.

I'm planning on repeating an ICP once I reach a steady state. If I find the GFO is affecting other chemistry parameters as well, I may reconsider the strategy. I considered dosing lanthanum, and learned from Rich Ross's experience dosing it in his system.

I love reef beef! my wife and I have only been in the hobby for 2 years but I already feel like we've hit the grumpy 20 year reefer stage. Lol. I think your plan is solid, but the Lanthanum Chloride is probably going to be the more consistent approach if you have a spare dosing head. Keep the updates coming. We love them.

 

[sdreef]

Some new tenuis in quarantine. No dips initially as the colonies are stressed from the recent travel. Current plan is to acclimate and observe, followed by remounting and dips for the next month once settled in more.

Top down shot, taken with phone with orange filter to adjust for the blue lighting.

New wrasse in social acclimation. Cirrhilabrus johnsoni, Johnson's fairy wrasse. I've been wanting this fish for a long time, but had a hard time finding one available.

Seeing the johnsoni in the social acclimation box, I realized he's small compared to the rest of the wrasse in the system. Also, it puts into perspective just how much the other wrasse have grown.

I'm reconsidering adding him to the display until he's a little larger. I'm thinking I'll place him in the other system to get bigger first to give him the best chance of thriving.

 

[sdreef]

The group of ten Pseudanthias pascalus continue to do well after a year.

 

[ScottB]

The group of ten Pseudanthias pascalus continue to do well after a year.

Beautiful fish. Do you run an autofeeder to keep these going?

I put 6 bimacs in last summer and all perished. They were all eating in the beginning, but one by one they would stop eating and die within a day or two. Acropora are easy, anthias (for me) not so much.

 

[sdreef]

Beautiful fish. Do you run an autofeeder to keep these going?

I put 6 bimacs in last summer and all perished. They were all eating in the beginning, but one by one they would stop eating and die within a day or two. Acropora are easy, anthias (for me) not so much.

Yes, I use @ctenophore 's Avast plank, and it's been instrumental in allowing me to maintain these fish. I've fed the tank with the feeder up to eight times / day. Currently, six times per day with the feeder and twice a day with frozen. It's also been helpful in fattening up my leopard wrasse and other fish that are best suited to eating frequently.

I feel obligated to mention Purple queen anthias, tukas and pascalus, come with some additional reading before attempting because they are considered particularly challenging to get to eat. They were a dream fish for me so I went to additional lengths to have the best chance at success.

They didn't start eating freeze dried food, and I had hatched a massive quantity of baby brine shrimp to elicit a feeding a response for the first month. Gradually I was able to train them to accept larger food. I deliberately added these fish to the system early prior to most of the tangs or any wrasses. This was so that they would feel more comfortable coming out into the open as they can be a more timid fish. I also added a larger number with twelve fish initially. I lost two in the first month, the other ten continue to do well after a year. I suspect if I added them to the system now with its current energy level, the fish would be more likely to be intimidated and my chances of success would go down.

Here are a couple links in case of interest. The article by Matt Wandell is the best one to give a sense of potential husbandry requirements for this species.

Boldly Colored Beauties: The Tuka Anthias

By Matthew Wandell Photos by Richard Ross One of my first experiences with the Tuka Anthias (Pseudanthias tuka) was seeing a shoal of these bright purple

reefs.com

Awesome Fish Spotlight: Who took a tuka and made it pascalus? | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, but the hiatus ends today with another Awesome Fish Spotlight. This time we feature not one, but two species as we draw attention to Pseudanthias pascalus and…

reefbuilders.com

Regarding the bimacs, if they were feeding, and it was just an issue of frequency of feeding, I think the plank would address that nicely. I feed primarily freeze dried mysis. The plank doesn't require a controller, but in my system I have it programmed through the apex. Happy to share my programming if you go that route.

 

[ScottB]

Yes, I use @ctenophore 's Avast plank, and it's been instrumental in allowing me to maintain these fish. I've fed the tank with the feeder up to eight times / day. Currently, six times per day with the feeder and twice a day with frozen. It's also been helpful in fattening up my leopard wrasse and other fish that are best suited to eating frequently.

I feel obligated to mention Purple queen anthias, tukas and pascalus, come with some additional reading before attempting because they are considered particularly challenging to get to eat. They were a dream fish for me so I went to additional lengths to have the best chance at success.

They didn't start eating freeze dried food, and I had hatched a massive quantity of baby brine shrimp to elicit a feeding a response for the first month. Gradually I was able to train them to accept larger food. I deliberately added these fish to the system early prior to most of the tangs or any wrasses. This was so that they would feel more comfortable coming out into the open as they can be a more timid fish. I also added a larger number with twelve fish initially. I lost two in the first month, the other ten continue to do well after a year. I suspect if I added them to the system now with its current energy level, the fish would be more likely to be intimidated and my chances of success would go down.

Here are a couple links in case of interest. The article by Matt Wandell is the best one to give a sense of potential husbandry requirements for this species.

Boldly Colored Beauties: The Tuka Anthias

By Matthew Wandell Photos by Richard Ross One of my first experiences with the Tuka Anthias (Pseudanthias tuka) was seeing a shoal of these bright purple

reefs.com

Awesome Fish Spotlight: Who took a tuka and made it pascalus? | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, but the hiatus ends today with another Awesome Fish Spotlight. This time we feature not one, but two species as we draw attention to Pseudanthias pascalus and…

reefbuilders.com

Regarding the bimacs, if they were feeding, and it was just an issue of frequency of feeding, I think the plank would address that nicely. I feed primarily freeze dried mysis. The plank doesn't require a controller, but in my system I have it programmed through the apex. Happy to share my programming if you go that route.

Thank you for the generous info share. At some point I will try again, but I think I will only do that in a reboot. As you suggested, I think there was a little to much existing "energy" for them to settle properly. My wrasses and tangs are big and aggressive at feeding times. I feed 4 X per day generally.

I must say that I am more of a coral enthusiast than a fish fan, but you have some absolutely stunning looking fish.

 

[Operator Wrasse]

Yes, I use @ctenophore 's Avast plank, and it's been instrumental in allowing me to maintain these fish. I've fed the tank with the feeder up to eight times / day. Currently, six times per day with the feeder and twice a day with frozen. It's also been helpful in fattening up my leopard wrasse and other fish that are best suited to eating frequently.

I feel obligated to mention Purple queen anthias, tukas and pascalus, come with some additional reading before attempting because they are considered particularly challenging to get to eat. They were a dream fish for me so I went to additional lengths to have the best chance at success.

They didn't start eating freeze dried food, and I had hatched a massive quantity of baby brine shrimp to elicit a feeding a response for the first month. Gradually I was able to train them to accept larger food. I deliberately added these fish to the system early prior to most of the tangs or any wrasses. This was so that they would feel more comfortable coming out into the open as they can be a more timid fish. I also added a larger number with twelve fish initially. I lost two in the first month, the other ten continue to do well after a year. I suspect if I added them to the system now with its current energy level, the fish would be more likely to be intimidated and my chances of success would go down.

Here are a couple links in case of interest. The article by Matt Wandell is the best one to give a sense of potential husbandry requirements for this species.

Boldly Colored Beauties: The Tuka Anthias

By Matthew Wandell Photos by Richard Ross One of my first experiences with the Tuka Anthias (Pseudanthias tuka) was seeing a shoal of these bright purple

reefs.com

Awesome Fish Spotlight: Who took a tuka and made it pascalus? | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, but the hiatus ends today with another Awesome Fish Spotlight. This time we feature not one, but two species as we draw attention to Pseudanthias pascalus and…

reefbuilders.com

Regarding the bimacs, if they were feeding, and it was just an issue of frequency of feeding, I think the plank would address that nicely. I feed primarily freeze dried mysis. The plank doesn't require a controller, but in my system I have it programmed through the apex. Happy to share my programming if you go that route.

How well do you think your anthias would do with another type like a common Lyretail? The 250G system I have designed will be primarily wrasse and tang dominant, so I was thinking about splitting the types of anthias for even more color contrast in the tank.

 

[sdreef]

How well do you think your anthias would do with another type like a common Lyretail? The 250G system I have designed will be primarily wrasse and tang dominant, so I was thinking about splitting the types of anthias for even more color contrast in the tank.

I would be concerned lyretails or bartletts can be aggressive toward other fish similar in size so I would be concerned about compatibility and wouldn't recommend. Purple queens are shy fish that can be intimidated. Also, if you are starting them in a tank with boisterous fish, they will likely perish.

The difficulty with these fish is getting them to eat, and then providing them appropriately sized food with high frequency. They have "microscopic tunnel vision," with regards to the foods they eat. They're considered one of the most difficult to keep anthias species because they typically starve which is why you have likely read that they are a fish "best left in the ocean." I would not even consider attempting without an auto feeder. I recommend the plank specifically due to its design (I have no conflict of interest). You also must be willing to feed the tank 5+ times/ day and have robust filtration to handle it. I also would recommend adding them as a school.

I have a number of tangs and wrasse, so it is possible. But in this instance the sequence of stocking was critical, and the anthias went in prior to any wrasse and most of the tangs. Lyretails specifically can be more aggressive than some anthias species, and so this would negatively affect the Purples swimming out in the open and feeding freely in addition to direct aggression / compatibility issues. As the article mentions, evansi and ventralis are two anthias species that you could potentially mix as they are more diminutive.

 

[Operator Wrasse]

Thanks for the info! I read those articles when I was new to the hobby, so that's a perfect refresher. I'm going to handle all my livestock and stocking order through TSM. I'll check out those other anthias, as well.

 

[ScottB]

I would be concerned lyretails or bartletts can be aggressive toward other fish similar in size so I would be concerned about compatibility and wouldn't recommend. Purple queens are shy fish that can be intimidated. Also, if you are starting them in a tank with boisterous fish, they will likely perish.

The difficulty with these fish is getting them to eat, and then providing them appropriately sized food with high frequency. They have "microscopic tunnel vision," with regards to the foods they eat. They're considered one of the most difficult to keep anthias species because they typically starve which is why you have likely read that they are a fish "best left in the ocean." I would not even consider attempting without an auto feeder. I recommend the plank specifically due to its design (I have no conflict of interest). You also must be willing to feed the tank 5+ times/ day and have robust filtration to handle it. I also would recommend adding them as a school.

I have a number of tangs and wrasse, so it is possible. But in this instance the sequence of stocking was critical, and the anthias went in prior to any wrasse and most of the tangs. Lyretails specifically can be more aggressive than some anthias species, and so this would negatively affect the Purples swimming out in the open and feeding freely in addition to direct aggression / compatibility issues. As the article mentions, evansi and ventralis are two anthias species that you could potentially mix as they are more diminutive.

While we are still on the subject of anthias, are they particularly prone to iich? I've never gone fallow, and have had iich outbreaks at least twice in 8-9 years of this system. Never terrible, but 1-3 fish pass and the others clear up in a week or so. My powder blue has had it both times of course.

 

[sdreef]

While we are still on the subject of anthias, are they particularly prone to iich? I've never gone fallow, and have had iich outbreaks at least twice in 8-9 years of this system. Never terrible, but 1-3 fish pass and the others clear up in a week or so. My powder blue has had it both times of course.

So occasionally I will have a spot of ich here or there on a fish, so it's in my system. I just checked and currently all the fish are spotless, but in general I don't find the anthias particularly prone to ich. Over the past year I'm sure I've seen a spot on an anthias at least once.

On the topic of ich, the chevron tang is the most prone followed by the purple and gem tangs in terms of having a spot here or there. I respect that others may have a different perspective, but I'm not planning on going fallow, and it doesn't seem to be a cause for concern in this system.

I do run a UV sterilizer. I'm not sure if that keeps things under control or that the fish in general are fat and well fed. Aside from the recent fighting between the gem and yellow tangs, the tank is generally peaceful with minimal fighting. I do think the frequent feeding helps with this and preserves a lower stress community environment. The sterilizer delivers a UVC dosage of > 180,000 µW/cm2 based on the current flow rate passing through it.

 

[ScottB]

So occasionally I will have a spot of ich here or there on a fish, so it's in my system. I just checked and currently all the fish are spotless, but in general I don't find the anthias particularly prone to ich. Over the past year I'm sure I've seen a spot on an anthias at least once.

On the topic of ich, the chevron tang is the most prone followed by the purple and gem tangs in terms of having a spot here or there. I respect that others may have a different perspective, but I'm not planning on going fallow, and it doesn't seem to be a cause for concern in this system.

I do run a UV sterilizer. I'm not sure if that keeps things under control or that the fish in general are fat and well fed. Aside from the recent fighting between the gem and yellow tangs, the tank is generally peaceful with minimal fighting. I do think the frequent feeding helps with this and preserves a lower stress community environment. The sterilizer delivers a UVC dosage of > 180,000 µW/cm2 based on the current flow rate passing through it.

I don't run 24/7 but I have 2 UV units with PVC "racks" so I can slap them on a tank in minutes when I see a problem. I think it helps. I feed a good mix of frozen and nori 4X a day and it keeps the fish generally strong.

Good to hear the anthias don't seem particularly prone. My powder blue is the first to show.

Any time my fish load goes down, I feel like my sticks get a little edgy. So yeah, fallow isn't my thing either. I'd have to rip the whole thing apart to get them out.

 

[sdreef]

I don't run 24/7 but I have 2 UV units with PVC "racks" so I can slap them on a tank in minutes when I see a problem. I think it helps. I feed a good mix of frozen and nori 4X a day and it keeps the fish generally strong.

Good to hear the anthias don't seem particularly prone. My powder blue is the first to show.

Any time my fish load goes down, I feel like my sticks get a little edgy. So yeah, fallow isn't my thing either. I'd have to rip the whole thing apart to get them out.

I hear you about not running the UV 24/7, I don't know if it's good or bad that I do. I don't have a great reason for it. It's good to hear that you think UV helps.

I sent a microbiome analysis with aquabiomics in February, and I found it interesting that they could determine I was running a UV by the absence of pelagibacteriae. Running a UV all the time does have a measurable difference. Just unknown what the significance of this might be.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Beautiful pics!! Happy New Year!

 

[sdreef]

Beautiful pics!! Happy New Year!

Thank you. Happy New Year!

 

[sdreef]

Calcium and alkalinity consumption are increasing. Nutrients are coming down with nitrates 15 and phosphates 0.29. The acros are looking happy.

 

[Jimbo327]

Looks awesome, what acro is that? whoa.

 

[radar_17]

You inspired me to try the plank feeder (after a few different cheep auto feeder fails). I’d love to see your apex program. I assume it’s similar to a doser program. Thanks!

 

[sdreef]

Looks awesome, what acro is that? whoa.

Cherry bomb, top down shot with a blue filter.

 

[sdreef]

You inspired me to try the plank feeder (after a few different cheep auto feeder fails). I’d love to see your apex program. I assume it’s similar to a doser program. Thanks!

Here's the programming I'm using. There is a one hour timer function that's contingent on the pump being on at the top of the hour. The oscillate (OSC) numbers correspond to delay before first run / time to run / delay until next run. The three numbers add up to 60 minutes. Many people don't add a delay in the beginning and the time to run affects how much food you add per feeding.

By setting the pump to be on at the top of the hour you will add a feeding. If the pump is off, the feeder won't turn on. As the duration of feeding increased, I learned that I needed to increase the duration of the pump to expel the food, so you may not need to run the pump as long as I do. I found if all the food isn't expelled, it increased the maintenance for feeding tube.