Zoas domain

[LadyMac]

Thought it finally time to share my little tank with you guys. It's a work in progress for sure and I am having to get equipment every so often. Tank has been set up with water since February.

Tank specs are as such:
40 gallon Oceanic Stretch hex, with an in tank skimmer, powerhead rated to 800gph, and a Current USA orbit marine fixture for the light. About 50 lbs of rock, 40 lbs of live sand. Inhabitants are a single yellowtail demoisale, two false percula clowns, three different types of snails and four hermit crabs. Today my first green star polyp will show up and I plan to just place the frag on the sand bed so as to not become a nuisance on the rocks.

My ultimate plans for this setup is to have several types of macro algae, as well as some zoas and a bubble tip anemone for the clowns. I may get a blennie for the barnacles that are in here.

As for the name, my husband came up with it and me being suck an Legend of Zelda nerd it's perfect now to find a little zora figurine to place near the tank.

Here is a full tank shot, as well as a shot of the first signs of coralline growing. The hermits have it all on their shells so I'm pleased it is finally spreading.

 

[Forez]

why barnacles

 

[LadyMac]

why barnacles

Because they were given to me and I really like the look.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Looks great! Plenty of room for zoas to mat out. Looking forward to watching it grow!

 

[Tahoe61]

A Barnacle Blenny would really work well with the Barnacles. Looking good.

 

[cameronh]

why barnacles

Why not? Lol

 

[cameronh]

Nice! Keep the build and photos coming!

 

[LadyMac]

Late update. I had decided to move the build into the 40 breeder. I will be looking into doing a sump and getting better lights. Still plan to house zoas, and working on some macroalgae growing in tank, at least until the sump is built. Battling diatoms once again and some hair algae. The water from the store seems to have levels off. No test kit just yet, but working on that.

Anyhow here is an updated shot, officially moved into the new tank.

 

[cameronh]

Late update. I had decided to move the build into the 40 breeder. I will be looking into doing a sump and getting better lights. Still plan to house zoas, and working on some macroalgae growing in tank, at least until the sump is built. Battling diatoms once again and some hair algae. The water from the store seems to have levels off. No test kit just yet, but working on that.

Anyhow here is an updated shot, officially moved into the new tank.

Super late update haha, tank is looking good!

 

[LadyMac]

Haha yes it is! I have been meaning to update it for awhile. Quite honestly this tank is embarrassing. The algae and lack of real necessities is shameful. Commissions ave been quite sparse so my hobby money is almost no existent.

 

[cameronh]

Haha yes it is! I have been meaning to update it for awhile. Quite honestly this tank is embarrassing. The algae and lack of real necessities is shameful. Commissions ave been quite sparse so my hobby money is almost no existent.

Nothing wrong with that at all.

 

[LadyMac]

This weeks update. The lights I am using(Marine Orbit) have been turned down to where they light about four hours of the day to help combat the algae. All stock are doing well, and today, hopefully I will be going to my LFS to see what goodies they have. I will show off pics if I bring someone home Probably some more hermit crabs, but only having three, it wouldn't be a bad thing. Pics to come after a glass cleaning and top off.

 

[LadyMac]

Update. I moved the two powerheads to the back so the flow would be going one way and not fighting in the center. It has clouded the tank since it’s blasting the sand up front. Not sure if I like how the small rocks are placed and the barnacle too. Been in a blackout to help fight some algae. I am saving up for an rodi unit, but it seems every time I get close my money is used for other things ( marriage can be fun lol) so for now I am still using the distilled water from Walmart and still pulling out clumps of hair algae.

I lucked up and found a finned 24/7 freshwater light and was thinking of seeing if someone local would be willing to trade it for a marine light. I do love how bright it is but lack of decent macro algae ( my chaeto is all but gone and idk why) and CUC makes it a bit much. Plus it’s for freshwater so I don’t see much benefit. The blues are supposed to be actinics but under a cell light I don’t think they are. Anyhow, enough babbling. Here’s some recent pics. One with the marine orbit light, one with the finnex light, and one with the finnex light on all blues. And the last with both lights on, finnex on all blues.

 

[LadyMac]

Have some really nice coralline growing. Where it’s coming in I don’t have any hair algae, not sure if that’s cause the coralline is not allowing it or the powerheads being right there lol. Anyhow the rocks I purchased with coralline have a nice pink color. The one coming in is a very pretty purple. So I hope I can get both colors. Clowns are doin well. The one I suspect will be female is more dominant but still the same size as the other. I upped feeding to daily. Been using a squirt of peroxide on the rocks to kill off some of the slime algae. Three squirts every day or so and it’s working like a charm. Params are as of last night:
Ammonia-0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate-0 to .5
Phosphate- unknown still
Mg-1320
Alk-9dkh
Sal-1.021( inuse a swing arm but was rested by a refractometer so I’m confident in its accuracy) Not ideal but works in a pinch.

Still needing to get an overflow and a sump going. Light does ok but would like something better. Will come eventually. Seems that now that I’m into a reef my local deals are all for freshwater. Would have come in handy a few years ago.

Supplies still needed to be 100% happy is:
Glass for sump
New light
RODI unit
Better powerheads
More rock work
Zoas!
Barnacle blennie
More clean up crew!

In the tank now I have estimated 60 lbs of rock, 40 lbs of sand. Two false percula clownfish, one yellow tailed demoisale, one margarita snail, one meat eating sand siftin snail whose name I forget, one red legged hermit, and six blue legged hermits.

Here are some pics, cause we all love pics.

 

[LadyMac]

My eagles eyes! Not a fancy one but it’s a start.

 

[LadyMac]

Been a bit since I have updated, money has been tight so it’s been hard to go forward. My birthday is just around the corner though so family are helping me with some of the supplies. I am hoping to get to the fish store later today (it’s three towns over and I don’t drive ) to see about a nem. Have the partitions for the sump and a mock up of it. So that is the only really picsni have to share. Also a cat being a cat lol

 

[cameronh]

Looking good. Just collect little by little and keep it going. In the meantime everything is growing out=)

 

[LadyMac]

Thank you! Yesterday I was able to go to the local fish store( three towns over lol) and I found an anemone drip acclimated for about 2.5 hours and then placed him on a rock. He immediately let go, drifted to the back and landed on the skimmer. Sigh. So this morning I checked andhe was between it and the glass. Double sigh. So I pulled the skimmer which he was attached to, and placed him on a different rock. He has stayed though it’s been about 30 minutes. No idea if he’s happy. I can’t see the mouth so I dunno. Anyhow pics. It’s quite a pretty little one. It seem very healthy and in the bag during acclimation it pooed. I’m thinking I’ll feed Tuesday’s and Friday’s.

 

[working_man]

Great color contrast between the nem and the rock! An Anemone is going to be my next livestock purchase. I saw some amazing Rose bubble tips at LFS, very large and colorful but they want $297 for one.

 

[LadyMac]

Thank you! I feel special then! This was 45.00. He’s small though. My clowns are huge compared. I would say he is silver dollar size? Maybe a little larger when fully expanded.