Shepard's Reef Jr

Js.Aqua.Project

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This Build-Thread is way over due, but late is better than never, right?

Equipment:
Tank - Deep Blue 60g Rimless cube (24" x 24" x 24")
Sump - Eshopps RS-75
Pump - Danner ~750gph
Powerheads - 2 x Maxspect Gyre 150 w/ Advanced Controller
Skimmer - Reef Octopus 110SS
Lights - 2 x Hydra 26HD
Sand - CaribSea Fiji Pink
Rock - CaribSea Shelf & Base Rock
Frag Rack - Zen Reef

Water Parameters:
SG 1.024
Ca 450
dKH 11.5
Mg 1350
NO3 < 2ppm
PO4 < .08ppm

Fish:
Green Mandarins (Synchiropus spledidus) pair (about 5 years old, spawn regularly - almost nightly)
Black Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon negrosensis)
Black Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) pair
Orange Shoulder Tang (Acanthurus olivaceus) (Don't worry TP, this isn't his forever home)
Desjardini Sailfin Tang (Zebrasoma desjardinii)

Corals (Mixed Reef):
Micromussa lordhowensis
Goniopora sp.
Euphyllia glabrescens
(Gold, green tip, pink tip)
Duncanopsammia axifuga
Zoanthids (sp)
(White Zombies, Armor of Gods, Purple Monsters, Fruit Loops, Sunny Ds, Bloodsuckers, etc)
Favia sp.
Cyphastrea
(Bizarro, Meteor Shower, JF Fender Bender, Peppermint)
Acropora sp.
Montipora
(Rainbow, Sunset, Jedi Mind Trick)
Blastomussa (Mint Green)
Plesiastrea sp.
Stylophora
(Rainbow, Purple, Green)

Tanks' Story:

Ok, so let's start with a confession. I originally purchased this tank for my wife (@dogshowgrl ), who wanted to raise sea horses. So I spent the time saving up to buy the tank and equipment (reefing is not always friendly to a teacher's budget). Being on my budget, the tank kind of slowly evolved to what it is today.

Starting out:
download_20151207_203737.jpg

Ok, so in order to complete the surprise, I had my father build the first stand and he misinterpreted the dimensions, instead of 30" high he built it 30"wide, leaving the stand to only be 24" tall...

Life as "Shepard's Sygnathidae":

DSC_0377 small.jpg
DSC_0524 small.jpg

At this point, the tank had been running for a little while, and at this point - since it was used for seahorses - we were using a MarsAqua light and filled the tank with various Gorgonians as tail holds for the seahorses.

As you can see, my wife did have some gorgeous seahorses. She decided prior to our son being born, to give them to a local seahorse breeder leaving the tank mostly vacant, which would come in handy just under a year later when my 125's front panel decided to take a 1/4" slide to the right. (https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/a-near-disaster-an-un-build-thread.353339/)

That is when the tank changed over to my care as we drained her tank, refilled it with water, rock, coral and fish from my 125. We jokingly called in "Instant Reef" for a little bit as the 125 was approximately 1/3-1/2 stocked which created a fully stocked 60.

So after that night the tank looked something like this:
IMG_20180411_164505.jpg

Which while fully stocked, wasn't exactly pretty. So I finally got around to doing a new aquascape a couple weeks ago. So the tank now looks more like this:

13191.jpg
 
Last edited:

Mastiffsrule

Where ever you go, there you are, so be nice 2 you
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Looks good. Nice list

I used to have a danner pump, good pump but threw off a bit too much heat.

Not sure if I missed it, you still have the idol?
 
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Js.Aqua.Project

Js.Aqua.Project

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Looks good. Nice list

I used to have a danner pump, good pump but threw off a bit too much heat.

Not sure if I missed it, you still have the idol?
I had the Idol for right at a year, then he decided to eat one of my ultra rock 'nems and he was sold.
 
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Js.Aqua.Project

Js.Aqua.Project

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IMG_20190904_131443.jpg


Just a quick update:
-Took out the Duncan Colony
-Lost a Pink Tip Torch to Brown Jelly
-Came back from MACNA to a bleached Stylophora colony (but the rest are doing fine
 
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Js.Aqua.Project

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New Year update:
-Switched to one Gyre rolling the water forward
-Finally glued (almost) all the frags down to eliminate the frag racks

IMG_20200104_105712.jpg
IMG_20200104_105759.jpg
IMG_20200104_105814.jpg
IMG_20200104_105721.jpg
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 79 38.2%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 69 33.3%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 26 12.6%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 31 15.0%
  • Other.

    Votes: 2 1.0%
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