Susan's Grand Adventure--125 Reef Build

[P-Dub]

That's good news.

 

[Susan Edwards]

So far, the new fish added to the display are doing well. The 2 wrasse are out and about more, swimming in and out of the rockwork and in the water column. The goby seems to like them and they all 3 hang together. The 2 clowns leave their corner a couple times a day. Think they prefer the less flow in that part of the tank. The damsel swims all over now with the others all out. Nice to "see" my fish out. Even the goby doesn't hide as much anymore. In the other tanks, he'd dig a burrow along rocks or under if there was room (I put rocks right on glass). In this tank he seems to have claimed a cave but shares it with the wrasse. Trying to figure out next fish.

Maybe some lemon chromis and a blenny and another goby (not a sand sifter). Will be adding the powder blue as well. Might have to just put him in and then deal with adding more tangs later. Tank isn't really ready for 3, and I'm not sure I want to add the pbt to my 66 and then have to catch him up later to transfer him. Plan is to get my next order of fish in, get him in within a couple days and qt them all with paraguard (for that thing chromis are prone to) and copper for the tang. Hopefully the tang can go in with the chromis....

 

[Susan Edwards]

Time for an update. Missed last week and more. Computer gifted me with the blue screen and a stop code error which meant a trip to best buy and a new laptop. There was a day when a new computer was fun. It was a yippee, new technology, new toy. Now it's a PITA! And nothing new or fun to make it worth while. So I spent a week getting new computer up. Had backed up files earlier in month as was having trouble. Was able to get my old one to boot up finally and got the latest files. Except I missed one: the excel spreadsheet for my aquariums. So missing data from beginning of apr. Trying to get the computer to boot back up. Just one more time....

So tank update now that rant is done.

Somehow lost the blue headed wrasse. Poof! Gone! Not in overflow, not on floor, not anywhere.
Ruby head wrasse is doing great
2 clowns hugging their corner. Clowns have got to be so boring but what is a tank without them
Sleeper goby out more with the wrasse
yellow tail damsel hangs with other fish

trying to find some more fish. Liveaquaria is out of everything I want. Might add a group of lemon chromis but they are out. Everything I want, they are out! So maybe a blenny or another type of goby. Or a couple of gramma's--maybe 2 or 3? Trying to go cheap fish this round.

Looking for a place for the galexea. glued it to a separate rock and put it in front, right behind glass. checked it last night and holy cow. Sweepers like 8 inches long and able to reach the rock behind it. Guess it needs to go back up on top, even the rock it is on or in the back corner behind the rocks. Happy little sucker.

Getting ready to find final place for the micros and glue everything down.

Still not sure if I should lower lights. They are 7 inch above water. SPS's on top doing well. Galaxea on bottom doing well. Everything so far seems okay. Last pic shows wrasse peeking out hole in rock

 

[P-Dub]

Thanks for the update. sorry about your wrasse.

 

[Susan Edwards]

thanks @P-Dub I am perplexed and sad. He was a fine looking fish

 

[Susan Edwards]

ordered next batch of fish. and cancelled it and reordered!

First batch: 3 royal grammas and 5 lemon chromis but feedback in the fish forum wasn't great so cancelled the order and ordered:
1 male lyretail anthia
2 females
3 royal grammas

will do a huge water change to qt tank which has been fishless for a good month, add some bio spira and feed tank a bit over the weekend to get bio load up. Debating whether I need to add a piece of live rock with pods to the qt. Can also drop a sponge into the coral qt tank which is crawling with pods. weight it down with a rock and collect pods over the weekend and then move to the qt tank. If I use a rock, and need to medicate, I'd have to take out and put in the coral qt tank so I don't contaminate the main display (if I add to the sump). Could also maybe do this with a bowl of rubble rock.

what is the best way to get the anthias through qt? The last ones went right into my 66 gal. Lost the 2 purple queens but the dispars doing great.

 

[Susan Edwards]

Will try to get pics of new corals tomorrow. Need to tune the blue down on the lights so i can get decent pics.
Ended up with
4 zoa frags
1 stylophora. It's a pinky white. My other one is purple
1 nice pc of birds next
1 challice
1 mystic sunset moni-I think
1 clove
2 I'm not sure of. One I think is a leptrastrea (sp?) as I have one in my 66 gal. Guy said it wasn't. Other might be a cyphastrea (sp?) I'll post pics

Fish come tomorrow. QT tank all ready. Added a tuperware container of rubble rock I had in the coral qt tank for pods to climb into. Not sure enough time but I'm getting some pods so will add some for the anthias. If I have to treat tank I can remove.

 

[P-Dub]

Darn. Heading out of town and won't see pics for a while. Good to hear things are moving along nicely.

 

[Susan Edwards]

Hope you are going somewhere fun @P-Dub
pics will be here waiting for you

 

[Susan Edwards]

Weekly update. Got new fish in QT. 3 Lyretail Anthias. 1 female didn't make it--always seemed the weaker, laying on sand or such but always ate. These guys eat like little piggies and very enthusiastically. Will order 2 more females after this batch goes through QT/observation. Male is very pretty. Also 2 royal gramma's. I think a 125 is large enough for 2. Going to do water change today. Finally got alk where it should be. will test to see if it stayed. Going to order doser in a week or so. Got lots of new corals in the frag tank. Ones that are doing well will get moved over maybe this week. Still have to get pics of some of the new corals. Need names for 1 I think.

Starting to think of next fish order. 2 more females and maybe blennies and or gobies. And then after that, my 3 tangs. Not sure I can qt 3 tangs and 2 anthias together in my 37 gal tank. Once it gets super hot, might not be able to order fish, unless they ship in cal to me in cal. Triple digits in summer. Might be better to concentrate on corals. Next coral order will be online so need to start hunting. This way I know what I'm getting and getting what I want instead of just what is available. Plus I can research before I buy.

glued frags this week. All seem okay. Will do a coral update and pics of the tank along with the new corals later.

 

[Susan Edwards]

Okay 2 more updates. This one corals.

Bunch of zoas. One is a radioactive dragon's eye. others not sure. Some need to get healthier

mystic sunset monti

Challice

birds nest

Stylophora. Not sure if this is supposed to be its color or if it will color up a bit

palm cloves

watermelon zoas I think

 

[Susan Edwards]

Full tank shots in 3 pics

Leptastrea? Looks like one I have in another tank but lfs said no.

Not sure on this one

 

[P-Dub]

Hope you are going somewhere fun @P-Dub
pics will be here waiting for you

Yes. I am in Iceland. COLD but beautiful and frighteningly expensive!

 

[Susan Edwards]

@P-Dub how fun and exciting!

 

[mattgsa]

Very nice build, i might have messed it, but are still using the Loop system for lighting?

 

[Susan Edwards]

@mattgsa I am. So far I like it and it seems to be doing fine with what corals I have. Thanks for visiting!

 

[Susan Edwards]

well, I'm bummed. I got in 5 fish to qt last Tue. Over the weekend, one of the female Lyretails didn't make it. This week, I was concerned about the male, as he isn't eating with the same gusto as before. Maybe he's just not as starved or something. The other female was fine yesterday. Today, not acting right. Hiding. A few hours later, dead. Just like the other female. No warning, no symptoms.

Male is swimming about, doing his thing. The 2 royal grammas are doing fine so far. Seems like with fish it is 50% survival if you are lucky. Will call LA tomorrow and get a credit.

 

[Susan Edwards]

Update time. Lost all three lyretail anthias in QT. Have 2 royal grammas. Debating whether to put them both in the 125 or one here and one in the 66 gal. The 66 gal needs 2 more bangaii so might order 5 and split them. Went to a lfs and got 8 peppermint shrimps. Have aiptasia in this tank and the coral frag tank. Saw a big one in the sump. Used the aip X on that one. Put 2 in the sump, along with 3 new hermits to keep hair algae under control. Only growing on one rock and the sides. Have one other huge hermit in the sump. Added 2 or 3 shrimp to the display and 3 or 4 to the 40 gal frag tank. Lost count. Hope that takes care of it. Couple of corals could go into the display but they hvae aiptasia on the frag.

Did more over a few corals that looked clean.

Bought a lobo, 2 ricordias and another big a** paly that my husband loved. I hate the big one in my other tank as it is encroching into the small palys. Eventually, the rock it is on, along with the other zoas and palys will hve to get moved to the sand bed of the 125. means moving several rocks and breaking the cement that holds another rock to it to do this. No more...... This new one stays on the sand bed. It is neat looking though. Will have to post to see what it is called.

Noticed the coral frag tank has a ton of amphipods so got some material to make my own pod hotel. Then I can harvest and add to my other 2 tanks. Used a flashlight and they are literally everywhere!

Thinking about putting a working fish in the coral frag tank. But not one that will clean the pod population. Need ideas. Reef safe, pod safe, or at least not a major hunter like a wrasse. but that way it's poop will feed that tank and it can help deal with any pests.

Speaking pests, I've brought in aiptasia. Coral tank has a lot. Been using aip x. Saw one in the sump of the 125 and had seen one in the display but put a rock with the galexea on top of it. So went to the lfs and picked up 8 peppermints. 2 to the sump, 2 or 3 to the 125 and 3-4 to the coral tank--lost count... Also added 3 hermits to the sump to help control the algae. Have one in there already. Starting to see a few strands of algae in the display. Might have to get more for the disply, or start thinking about tangs. Also picked up 2 conches. Not sure one is alive. One for each tank. Coral frag tank needs a sand stirrer.

Will post some pics in day or 2 of tank with corals added, and the new ones waiting to go in.

Started dosing vinegar, very low dose. nitrates getting ever higher, and I have sps's so even though they are doing okay, I think the reverse sunset is not happy. So am trying to get them to 10.

 

[Susan Edwards]

Just added 2 royal gramma's to the tank. Out of 5 fish in QT, they are the survivors. The lyretail anthias didn't make it. First night, the yellow tail damsel was very nosy. Kept swimming up to the one who came out, shake its fins and then zip away. Over and over. Was afraid of some aggression. Next morning, both royals out and the damsel minding his manners. Put them in Sat. a few days before the 4 weeks were up so my granddaughter could see them.

Ordered next batch from LA 3 Cariberri anthias and 3 lyretails and some snails to get the 25 dollar rewards. Did water change and stirred sand up. Will do another water change on Friday morning before shippment arrives and not fill all the way up so I can match salinity. Had planned to wait until next week but temps here will be mid 90's. Figured this week better!
guess I should scrape coraline off front glass....

Have a couple sps corals not looking so good. A tenius and a stylophora. Not sure if it is lighting or higher nitrates. Or just too new of a tank. The frogspawn also almost gone. It hasn't done well since I brought it in. Had it in the other tank and moved it to see if it'd do better.

 

[NY_Caveman]

Just added 2 royal gramma's to the tank. Out of 5 fish in QT, they are the survivors. The lyretail anthias didn't make it. First night, the yellow tail damsel was very nosy. Kept swimming up to the one who came out, shake its fins and then zip away. Over and over. Was afraid of some aggression. Next morning, both royals out and the damsel minding his manners. Put them in Sat. a few days before the 4 weeks were up so my granddaughter could see them.

Ordered next batch from LA 3 Cariberri anthias and 3 lyretails and some snails to get the 25 dollar rewards. Did water change and stirred sand up. Will do another water change on Friday morning before shippment arrives and not fill all the way up so I can match salinity. Had planned to wait until next week but temps here will be mid 90's. Figured this week better!
guess I should scrape coraline off front glass....

Have a couple sps corals not looking so good. A tenius and a stylophora. Not sure if it is lighting or higher nitrates. Or just too new of a tank. The frogspawn also almost gone. It hasn't done well since I brought it in. Had it in the other tank and moved it to see if it'd do better.

It is early for SPS, but definitely worth trying. Bet the Birds Nest is fine. Dry rock may have made it challenging, but you are getting excellent coralline growth on said rock.