Stocking and advice in general

[NeMoo]

Just posted this on a thread and realized I should make a post.

I just stepped into a 75 gallon tank, I test parameters regularly and overall probably close to two years with a lot of the rock, sand, coral, and fish. Two hydra 32s for lighting. I am only running an fx4, tunze (I'm not sure model in tank skimmer) and two cheaper power heads. Try to do atleast one water change a month of always 20%ish and usually one in between close to it.

alkalinity close to 8 still using API, have Hanna but need reagent

Ph is usually 8.2+ in the day always purple on API test

Calcium 480-500ish

Nitrates 5-10

Phosphates undetectable on API
Expired reagent on low range phosphorus checker puts it around .01 phosphates

No magnesium test

I do dose a little bit of alkalinity after testing

75 degrees

Now for the very sad part is my local fish store is closing so I bought as much coral as I could afford/ fit into my tank and I can't even list everything so I'll start with fish

Six fish

One clown
Christmas wrasse
Blue eyed kole tang
Niger trigger still smaller than the tang(I know he may have to go someday)
A mandarin dragonet
A spotted dragonet
And
A yellow watchman

One LTA
One Condy anenenomy
And one really small bubble tip I picked up on a rock I bought

Corals I really can't list all right now but I'll try

Four hammers ranging from two to five heads one single head torch

A handful of zoas and plays, healthy mushroom rock couple smaller softies.

A large Duncan colony, small trumpet with a few heads

Four acro frags ranging from one inch to a very healthy one probably close to five inches and multiple beaches

A handful of smaller sps frags
Two fairly large encrusting colonies of some sort

Another fairly large piece of what I thought was galaxea but not sure, it was a large piece and looked fuzzy with some branching lol


And there definitely are some I'm missing

Is there a balance of more corals allowing for more fish?

And after the corals settle, can/ should I add some fish?

 

[kingranch2003]

Just posted this on a thread and realized I should make a post.

I just stepped into a 75 gallon tank, I test parameters regularly and overall probably close to two years with a lot of the rock, sand, coral, and fish. Two hydra 32s for lighting. I am only running an fx4, tunze (I'm not sure model in tank skimmer) and two cheaper power heads. Try to do atleast one water change a month of always 20%ish and usually one in between close to it.

alkalinity close to 8 still using API, have Hanna but need reagent

Ph is usually 8.2+ in the day always purple on API test

Calcium 480-500ish

Nitrates 5-10

Phosphates undetectable on API
Expired reagent on low range phosphorus checker puts it around .01 phosphates

No magnesium test

I do dose a little bit of alkalinity after testing

75 degrees

Now for the very sad part is my local fish store is closing so I bought as much coral as I could afford/ fit into my tank and I can't even list everything so I'll start with fish

Six fish

One clown
Christmas wrasse
Blue eyed kole tang
Niger trigger still smaller than the tang(I know he may have to go someday)
A mandarin dragonet
A spotted dragonet
And
A yellow watchman

One LTA
One Condy anenenomy
And one really small bubble tip I picked up on a rock I bought

Corals I really can't list all right now but I'll try

Four hammers ranging from two to five heads one single head torch

A handful of zoas and plays, healthy mushroom rock couple smaller softies.

A large Duncan colony, small trumpet with a few heads

Four acro frags ranging from one inch to a very healthy one probably close to five inches and multiple beaches

A handful of smaller sps frags
Two fairly large encrusting colonies of some sort

Another fairly large piece of what I thought was galaxea but not sure, it was a large piece and looked fuzzy with some branching lol


And there definitely are some I'm missing

Is there a balance of more corals allowing for more fish?

And after the corals settle, can/ should I add some fish?

If your P04 is truly almost non existent, then yes I feel like fish would benefit your corals. For the lps especially, zero phosphates isn't ideal. Im curious what you're running in the fx4.
Nice looking tank my friend!

 

[NeMoo]

Also should I worry about this guy just noticed he has sweepers?

 

[NeMoo]

If your P04 is truly almost non existent, then yes I feel like fish would benefit your corals. For the lps especially, zero phosphates isn't ideal. Im curious what you're running in the fx4.
Nice looking tank my friend!

Thank you!!!! Also should I worry about this guy just turned on lights and noticed sweepers, the two big encrusting are in the back

 

[kingranch2003]

Thank you!!!! Also should I worry about this guy just turned on lights and noticed sweepers, the two big encrusting are in the back

I cant see the sweepers. Blue light pics aren't the best for id :)
Do you know the species of the coral?

 

[kingranch2003]

Thank you!!!! Also should I worry about this guy just turned on lights and noticed sweepers, the two big encrusting are in the back

I cant see the sweepers. Blue light pics aren't the best for id :)
Do you know the species of the coral?

 

[NeMoo]

If your P04 is truly almost non existent, then yes I feel like fish would benefit your corals. For the lps especially, zero phosphates isn't ideal. Im curious what you're running in the fx4.
Nice looking tank my friend!

Also, in the fx4 I have some of the pellets but not the ones included, a few pads one or two carbon one of the blue ones and a fine floss on top, the side pieces that are made for it, and still trying to figure out exactly but around 3/4 cups some phos guard by aqua forest

 

[NeMoo]

I cant see the sweepers. Blue light pics aren't the best for id :)
Do you know the species of the coral?

There was only a couple but sweepers similar to the war coral but smaller and pulled in with light on

 

[kingranch2003]

IF you need to raise P04, you could remove the Phosguard. It sounds to me that you have a good system running, and the fx4 is effective. N03 and P04 are obviouaky reacting to your filtration. Id say dont change too much about what you have going if it's working. I say you're good to add fish if you want to. It'll probably help balance everything a bit with your nutrients.

Pay closer attention to your alk as you're adding more consumers. You can dial your numbers in with testing, dosing, and/or water changes.

 

[kingranch2003]

There was only a couple but sweepers similar to the war coral but smaller and pulled in with light on

Im going to say that is a pavona, and they will definitely deploy sweepers if that's what it is. May not be a pavona? @tbrown. ?

 

[NeMoo]

IF you need to raise P04, you could remove the Phosguard. It sounds to me that you have a good system running, and the fx4 is effective. N03 and P04 are obviouaky reacting to your filtration. Id say dont change too much about what you have going if it's working. I say you're good to add fish if you want to. It'll probably help balance everything a bit with your nutrients.

Pay closer attention to your alk as you're adding more consumers. You can dial your numbers in with testing, dosing, and/or water changes.

Thank you! I will keep that in mind I test alk almost every day and if it starts to turn on 7 even a little bit I dose about 2ml of reef fusion part 2 trying to find out if it's enough as I just added allot of the bigger pieces due to what I mentioned about the store closing : ( thankful for corals, sad it's a guy that sold me my first rock with some zoas plays and a few little things on it and was also related to guy who did my first couple weeks safety training at my job.

 

[NeMoo]

Im going to say that is a pavona, and they will definitely deploy sweepers if that's what it is. May not be a pavona? @tbrown. ?

Oops, it's right above my rather small but only goniopora piece lol

 

[tbrown]

Psammocora (sp?) maybe? Pavonas do have some nasty sweepers but that thing is FUZZY! I've had a Mint Pavona that got fuzzy looking like that so it is a possibility.

 

[tbrown]

Oops, it's right above my rather small but only goniopora piece lol

If that's a Mint Pavona, those sweepers can be over an inch long. I've seen mine kill half of a Red Digitata that was around 2" away.

 

[NeMoo]

Psammocora (sp?) maybe? Pavonas do have some nasty sweepers but that thing is FUZZY! I've had a Mint Pavona that got fuzzy looking like that so it is a possibility.

That's why I grabbed it!!! Fuzzy and some branching

 

[NeMoo]

If that's a Mint Pavona, those sweepers can be over an inch long. I've seen mine kill half of a Red Digitata that was around 2" away.

I'm not sure, I would be leaning toward pavona, the other one said peaceful in description and I'm fairly certain it was two or three small sweepers I seen, similar to the war coral but not as long

 

[tbrown]

That's why I grabbed it!!! Fuzzy and some branching

Could be either. I don't believe that the Psammocora is as aggressive as the Pavonas so if it's sending out sweepers I'd definitely lean towards Pavona. They grow fast and encrust everything.

 

[NeMoo]

Could be either. I don't believe that the Psammocora is as aggressive as the Pavonas so if it's sending out sweepers I'd definitely lean towards Pavona. They grow fast and encrust everything.

Thank you, I'll keep that in mind when I decide a permanent placement!

 

[tbrown]

Thank you, I'll keep that in mind when I decide a permanent placement!

They also do very well in low light, so if you have semi-shaded, low in the tank areas you want to fill, that's a good candidate.

 

[kingranch2003]

Could be either. I don't believe that the Psammocora is as aggressive as the Pavonas so if it's sending out sweepers I'd definitely lean towards Pavona. They grow fast and encrust everything.

Thanks for showing up TB. I wasn't 100% sure about it.