Susan's RS Reefer 3xl 900 Fantasy-Dream Build

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Susan Edwards

Susan Edwards

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Okay, for fun, just to show I'm not all about fish and fish related. Or work.... Here is my project of the last month. Not totally done yet. Lots of little details to add, like snow, plus I need to finished the river. Also have backdrop for four feet of each side and back, with lights to do. Hard to see the river but it is under the bridge in the center. The village is approx. 4x6, taking up most of my craft table plus 2 feet behind. 1st time going so fancy. I carved and painted all the platforms. Zoom in to see.
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Susan Edwards

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Are you sure you don't have enough hobbies? :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:
One of these days you need to setup a "Dave cam" so we can place bets on where he'll relocate to next!
Hobbies? Way too many and no time. Working on grandson's afghan now. Just finished 2 for the granddaughters. Then there are 3 machine embroidery quilts I need to do for 3 of the kids.

lol's. I need to see where he is today.
 
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Susan Edwards

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Not a lot to update lol's. I did spot 1 aptasia and it will be hard to get too with the RBTA in the acclimation box in the way. Might go on amazon and look for a syringe for like basting food. Prob. should order more aptasia x as well. At least I only find 1 here and there.

Need to go on a Dave hunt. Not sure if I spotted him in his rock area or if that was a snail as he doesn't usually bury himself. Flashlight hunt later lol's. He's probably on the backside of the rock.

The Nem is doing well. Will try to feed it tomorrow but in its old tank, they weren't feed other than what they caught. I cleaned off the top of the box to keep the light coming in and used a turkey baster to clean the bottom. Need to test the other tank and do a water change. Maybe tomorrow.

I'm going to call my reef flux done. There are still a few spots of algae "fuzz" but no clumps or patches. Will add my boyds blue, as well as some extra brs carbon and more purigen to take out any med left. I'll do this later this week. The 20th is 1 month. If algae comes back, I'll hit it again with another round. Will do some 5 gal awc, maybe 2-4 over a week or 2. I don't want to destabilize things, and my nutrients are good, so they don't need the wc. I figure the carbon and purigen will remove anything left. Then I can remove the chaeto from the 45g. My chaeto and ulva lettuce survived pretty much in tact.

Should probably add more cuc next month. Seems like there is a lot still. Other tank could use a bunch. Do want to find some black cucumbers!

My atk (ato pump) has been working flawlessly all week. I think all my issues were with a bad pump that went out intermittently. Fingers crossed

trying to get mg down--1580
Also ca at 480
and alk is at 8.26 but it tends to vary. I like it a tad higher

okay, that is all.
 
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some changes in my tank:
-- Big colony of birds nest died but 2 branches. I removed as there are black branches
--Behind it, one arm of one of the deep water acros also dead, also some black tips. Broke 2nd colony off trying to pinch some black tips. Reglued it super glue, but not putty in case I need to remove.
I have tons of broken birds nest on bottom of tank so no big deal and have 1 frag of the deep water on a rubble rock elsewhere and a few pieces I tried to save

Did my raking and blasting, cleaned the anemone acclimation box. That creature is huge! Removed some of the rocks as I was originally expecting a tiny little think lol's. Added my marine snow and made up another batch. NO3 13, po4 .04. Feed some coral food. Do not want the po4 to bottom out.

Plate coral isn't acting as happy. Not sure what is going on. Mouth more open, not as many tentacles, but there are long ones still.

Have one aptasia. Where is my bottle of stuff!!!! Needle was clogged. Soaked it in glass of water. Where did that go!!! Got a syringe with needle i I find that dang bottle... Found it. Zap! GONE

Very little algae fuzz left except I just found another spot with a bit of fuzz. Not sure I can reach to use a toothbrush. On back side of a monti rock. Will put carbon and purigen back in tomorrow and see if I can get no3 below 10 to keep algae from returning. Added 1 ml more nopox to the doser. 6ml now. Will also set up for a few 5 gal water changes over the next 2 weeks. Might have to buy more salt!

Have 2 more days off. Took 2 days to get a molar pulled. Dentist cancelled this morning grrrr and hasn't called back. Have Thur off as well.
 
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Susan Edwards

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here's a slice of my life with cats. With a very special needs cat! When Rupert wants to be with me (mainly so he can follow me into the kitchen for more food, or bug me for treats if I sit at my desk) he lies in front of my tank if I'm working on it. And he won't move. Unlike a normal cat who would move, he has cerabella Hyplasia (sp?) or bobble head--he walks with a wobble and falls over although when it come to food, he can haul a**, his butt swinging side to side lol's. He also tends to bite my feet or legs to get my attention as he can't jump up on me or anything. In the kitchen he likes to be underfoot while working or cooking and we have to pull the rug he's on out of our way. Can't just pick him up and toss him out, plus his mistreatment as a bottle fed kitten, he's conditioned to bite anything that gets in his face/reach, so picking him up must be done carefully as well--keeping arms and hands away from face. But we love him.

I just move my ladder over him as I work

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Where or where is Dave? No sign of him for a week!

Ah, with flashlight in hand, I found him. Right side of tank behind the rock facing the back wall. I'm impressed. The couch potato has broadened his horizon lol's.

Called it quits on the Reef Flux. 4 weeks. We'll see if the fuzz left is just gha and now that nutrients are stable if it continues to grow to fade away. Majority of my chaeto survived. And the sea lettuce. Added:
3 bags boyds blue--225 gal worth into the reactor (in bags)
1 bag of reg. carbon in drain part of sump
1 bag of purigen in the drain part of sump.

5 gal water change. Will do another on Saturday or Sunday. Screwed up my ato levels. Another reason I don't do daily awcs

Going to do a gal or so everyday water change in the 45g observation tank. Need to just call it the clown tank as I don't do QT there as I'd planned. Once I put the anemone in there, it won't be an easy to just remove the rocks to catch fish, so it might as well become a "real tank. I could take some of my "frag" bits and try them in there. Could also make it a softie tank. Has some gsp already. Maybe add some cloves--the things I won't add to my big tank. Should get more clean up crew and also try reef flux for the algae in there. Get it real clean and then try to find another clown and maybe some cheap and small damsels. And more clean up crew.

And if I do all that, I should do another build thread lol's

acros doing well
Blue Tort has polyps out during day now
Strawberry shortcake is losing the brown and getting more color. More of the paler skin tone now.
Panera rose has a nice pink to it
Vivids rainbow delight as lots of new green growth encircling the base and along some branches and some polyps out
Pinky the teddy bear losing brown, getting some nice pink to tips and polyps out now
RR Starfire has some new growth at base. It fell off the rock so I carefully reglued it trying not to cover the new growth. It fell off its plug
Branching cephastrea has new growth
Darth Maul porites nice red color and long PE
2 of the new ones I think are gone

My yellow tip tort has a blue/green body now. More teal almost. Not the green it was. Lots of growth
so a few losses recently but no idea why

I think my large plate coral is almost gone. Mouth open. Food sitting there as I tried to feed it. Only a few long tentacles in one corner of it--on outside. No idea what happened there.

Have an idea for fish trap to try--plastic bag. Plan to try on a fri or sat when I can get to the lfs. If I can catch them, they are going into a bucket with airstone! Not even into the other tank
 
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Susan Edwards

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well, did a build thread for the sad little observation tank. If I could turn around that 125 I had, this will be a breeze lol's

 
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New Coral update. Got these toward end of July. Arrived looking great but I think the fragging plus shipping plus new tank stressed them. They all turned brown. Happy to say out of the 10 only 2 might be lost.

One of my favs is the Tyree pinky the Bear. it is completely back. Polyps out. Not big but out and has regained its pinky color. Tips are turning a darker pink Yah! So happy

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WWC Pantera Rose Tenius. Never turned all brown. Waiting for it to extend more.
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Cyphastrea Chaos--a Branching Cyph. Never browned. Looks to have grown.
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Darth Maul Porites. Embedding. Was "closed" yesterday but open today so relieved.
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Vivids Rainbow Delight Was totally brown. New color showing. Some on upper branches plus has polyps
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Oregon Blue Tort Some new growth plus it does have polyps. Hard to see
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RR Starfire Was brown. Getting a green cast plus polyps. Looks to be recovering nicely
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Others:
UC Strawberry shortcake has color back on parts and brown turning lighter. Some polyps
Tyree Purple Dragon Eyes--prob. dead
Red Robin Stag-probably dead. Has 2 frags. 1 dark brown. 1 pale.
 
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DAVE!!!!!!!
What the heck are you doing up there!
Can't believe this cuc!!! I think he does everything EXCEPT sift sand... Not sure if I should remove him or not...

few hrs later now and he is on the glass. OMG...
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Lbrdsoxfan

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...

Going to do a gal or so everyday water change in the 45g observation tank. Need to just call it the clown tank as I don't do QT there as I'd planned. Once I put the anemone in there, it won't be an easy to just remove the rocks to catch fish, so it might as well become a "real tank. I could take some of my "frag" bits and try them in there. Could also make it a softie tank. Has some gsp already. Maybe add some cloves--the things I won't add to my big tank. Should get more clean up crew and also try reef flux for the algae in there. Get it real clean and then try to find another clown and maybe some cheap and small damsels. And more clean up crew.

...

I chuckle, we're terribly in the same place. I'm leaning towards some beginner sps in my 50g, while your considering softies.

I have softies in my larger tank and I'm adding more tomorrow!

I need to mount many frags! All zoa's and softies.

PXL_20220929_052401626.jpg
 
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Wow! Nice. As big as this rainbow bta is, it may take up most of the room lol's. I am looking for a true japanese weeping willow. For either tank. Only leather I'll put in this tank! I have a bunch of frags--broken bits of bird's nest and digitata monti I can put in the small tank. They are just laying on the sand. Just need that no3 to come down!
 
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NO3: 18 A bit higher than I want. Have been doing some small awc over the last week for the reef flux and new carbon and purigens. Another 5 gal today. Alk has risen so do not want to do too much. This will bring me to about 6% water change this week. Did forget to dose the nyos zero yesterday. Will also up nopox 1ml to 8. My goal for this tank is to stay as stable as possible.

Day off so will rake/blast sand bed today and use the diy snow.

good news for my other tank: no3 down to 66 lol's. At least hanna can register it instead of a flashing 75. So more water changes there today as well. Keeps me busy lol's. Can't wait to get the RBTA into that tank.

still loving my view of my tank from my desk. Loving also the yellow tip tort that is turning more teal in color instead of just green.

Count down to my 1 yr old b'day. Not looking forward to some of the yearly maintenance. This is when I wish there was a fish service. All pumps need to be cleaned (or should be), motors from the gyres and UV bulb changed.
 
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Ugh! My DOS AWC got all messed up. One head faster than the other so amts not equal. Then one head at a time running. Reset in tasks. Hope it fixes.

It did. I set it to do just 2 gal. Now to get my overflow levels back where they belong

Noticing algae on glass every day. Does this mean my UV bulb needs replacing now?
 
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Trip to a LFS in Stockton, mainly to look at snails, esp bumblebees. Didn't like the snails. Most seemed dead. Hard to tell with the bumbles. They might have been mostly okay. They had the cutest bumblebee shrimps. I want some of those next time! The store is mostly fresh water but they had a bunch of small and cheaper fish. Got some for each tank.

For the 45g (see that thread) The tinniest Yellow Watchman goby. Smaller around than a pencil! Had a Pistol shrimp too. Got both. Prob. won't see them much! And another clown which was also on my buy list. Remembered frozen foods too. There went 300 bucks lol's as I also picked up a few fish for the big tank.

I was impressed by the gal's care in netting the fish. Store was clean. The tiny tanks for the tiny fish, snails and shrimps could be much cleaner. I went there 6 years ago and didn't get anything due to the dirty tanks. But the bigger tanks looked god and the fish all looked good. We shall see.

So for fish for this tank:
4 wheel drive goby- small. We'll see if I ever see him. Put him in and poof!
Rainfords goby-again very small. It was moving around tank.
Red Dragonet--tiny tiny tiny
Ruby Red Dragonet--tiny tiny tiny !!
2 blue eyed Anthias

Don't usually put this many in but all but the anthias are very tiny. The dragonets are supposed to be eating frozen foods but they'll get spoiled by the pods. Also going to start more brine shrimp

po4 .05 and no3 10. All good. Pics of newcomers if I can find my filters for my phone...
 
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