The richreef saga, 55g to 125g

RichtheReefer21

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CURRENT FTS: 2/17/18

20190217_214335.jpg














Started with this (used and neglected)

TankPreScrubDown.jpg



After a overnight vinegar mix soak and 4 hours of scraping and scrubbing:

TankPostScrubDown.jpg


Random Stuff he threw in as well, Filter, pumps, biobags, heater, old school HOTB protein skimmer, etc..
Soaked, literally, every single thing in vinegar mix in buckets and rubbermaid storage containers over night, and then brought it all to the bath tub and rinses for about an hour and used a poly-bristled scrub brush to ensure it was clear of any residue.

Then dipped and wiped down everything in a bucket of RO Fresh Water before hooking anything up.

StartupStuff1.jpg
StartupStuff2.jpg


Here is the Aqueon 75 that I packed full of Matrix and sponges to help boost the bio-potential for bacteria. I have since upgraded to a Aqueon 400 Canister with some of my old media and new, along with de-nitrate and some fresh Matrix as well.

StartupStuff3.jpg


So then I Headed to my LFS, grabbed the premixed salt rodi (didn't wanna mess with mixing my own water when I had no experience), live Bimini pink Fine and coarsed mixed sand, and about 45lbs of rock, One 10 lbs piece of live rock and a large bottle of AquaVitro Stability to help expedite the cycling) 2 turbo snails, 4 hermits, and 4 nessarius snails to get the tank running the cycle.

Week 1: Finaly got the tank to clear after 2 days of running the filter with Fine-Threaded bags to polish the fine sediment out of the water.

Week1.jpg


Week 5: First Big Water change (50%), Had some Hearty Fish (Damsel and 2 clowns, Stability added daily) and some easy upkeep coral frags in and was just starting to Experiment with placement and flow. And then, Wham, First Algae bloom, it got real bad for a couple days, so I dropped my Full-power run time on my light from 7 hours to 5hours a day to help.

1st pic is the start of it, 2nd pic is the new cleanup crew I hired to buff up my cleaning community ( +2 turbos, +4 hermits). 2 Days later, Algae was all but gone. Never dosed or scrubbed. Lets the snails and hermits do their job.

AlgaeBloom.jpg
Cleanup Crew.jpg



Week 8: Coral purchasing is out of my control at this point, I wanted it all, and now. Upgraded to the Canister filter and a new Fluval 3.0 Strip with smartapp programmable etc... Added the blue background. And a Tuxedo urchin.

Week12.jpg


Week 12: Kept getting bubbles between the glass and film of the blue background, removed it and continued adding Coral and set up some new rock for the forest of SPS and Acros coming soon. Also added a 2 spotted Goby and a Starry Blenny.

week15.jpg



Week 13: Floating a new Powder Brown Tang, and LPS and Softie corals are all in and settled. Just got Acros and SPS left to add.

Week16.jpg




 
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RichtheReefer21

RichtheReefer21

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Thanks.

Spent almost a decade watching and learning from a friends non-reef salt tank in amazement. He moved south and a year later his empty tank lay dormant. Here I am, after trolling and searching for knowledge here for 4 months, and succeeding thus far..

Week 13 starts tomorrow.

55g 48x20x12
FluvalSea3.0 strip w/smartapp (not ready to spend 700+ on 2 hydras/primes)
Aqueon 400 canister (I rent, this tank will become my sump/refugee when I get my own house)
Bimini Pink fine and coarse sand mixed
Old school HOTB skimmer (works like a champ)

Water parameters are dialed in and stable
<10 nitrates
.024-.026 salt
450-460 Ca
1420 Mg
9-11 dkH
8.4 pH
Phosphates are undetectable
weekly 10% water changes

Fish:
Brown Powder Tang
Starry Blenny
2 Spotted Goby
Davinci Clown
Snowflake Clown
Blue/Yellow Damsel
6 Line Wrasse
Tuxedo Urchin
Red/white Cleaner Shrimp
Blue & Red Hermits x 8
4x Turbos
4x Nessars
Micro Brittle Star (hitch hiker)

Coral: (left to right)
Monti Setosa
Rusty Millipora
GSP
Mushroom Green/Orange
ToadStool Leather
pink/green polyp Stylophora
Pink Clove Polyp
Mushroom Purple/Pink
Duncan
Yellow Falvia
Pink/Purple Acan
Golden Galaxaee
Neon Yellow Acro (Glowstick?)
Orange Fungi Plate
Pink/Purple Goniapora
Gold Torch
3 different Zoas (brown, purple/yellow, and orange/yellow
Green Blasto
Red Acro
Green/Maroon polyp Acro
Superman Monti
Neon Purple/Pink/Blue/Cyan Falvia
Branching GSP on sand
Pink/Orange/Purple/white Striped Blasto
Rose Brain
Pink Monti Capricornus

Just added but not in pic:
Emerald Crab (to help with some hair algae that started up)
Yellow OctoSpawn (commonly mistake for frogs pond)
Yellow Clove Polyp
 
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RichtheReefer21

RichtheReefer21

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Debating a hang off back refugium for copapods and chaeto... already added 1 bottle of tiggers... 2nd going in tonight. Feeding with fresh phytos.

Prepping for a mandarin goby in a month or two
 
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RichtheReefer21

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Welcome to R2R @RichtheReefer21 !

The tanks looks very nice and I like the arch in the middle.

Thanks, Planning to scape some higher structures to give the fish some more stuff to enjoy soon and add some life to the top half. Not too much though, want to make sure they have plenty of room as they grow. unfortunately the tank is only 12" Front to Back, so not much depth to work with.
 
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RichtheReefer21

RichtheReefer21

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Sooooo....

Through mutual co-workers...

I just got an email from a guy who has an Empty 125 that he said I can have, for free... Lord help me. I'm afraid to go bigger when I rent.. Feel like I should wait till I have a permanent home for it and set it all up once, right, the first time. I cant even start to think of what a headache would be if I had to move a 125 full of coral and fish plus a sump system. ;Bored;Inpain;Nailbiting;Lurking

Maybe I'll just grab it and store it till I own a home and I'm ready, plan it out thoroughly before I dive in... etc etc
 
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RichtheReefer21

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Hello and welcome to R2R :) it's a pleasure to have you come out from the shadows and say hi ;)

;Stig;Stig;Stig
** Removes Sunglasses **

;Vamp;Vamp;Vamp

Just updated the build up top with more pictures, descriptions, ups and downs, problems and solves I have run into. Hope its a bit better now.
 

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

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