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Old 11-05-2013, 07:05 PM
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Default Reef Pilot's Undersea Oasis

Well, it sure didn’t start this way, haha…, but yes, this is the story of my quest to create my own little reef oasis. I know…, a little late…, so please bear with me as I first go back in time a bit. Feel free to comment anytime, and all critique is welcome.

Like so many, I started with fresh water aquariums when I was young, and thoroughly enjoyed keeping many different fish and plant species. Then life got busy with family and career, and I had to put the hobby on hold. However, I always enjoyed visiting a public aquarium and going snorkeling whenever we did a tropical vacation. I really liked the colour and variety of a tropical reef, and often thought I would like to try a salt water tank.

Well, the opportunity finally came in 2010, when we bought a house that already had a built-in salt water tank…, in the kitchen, of all places. At first, my wife was not overly thrilled with the idea of an aquarium there. But we had a large island counter, and it became the obvious gathering place whenever we had guests over. The tank was a focal point of interest for adults and kids alike.

At the time, I really didn’t know much about salt water tanks, and the former owner only gave me a very brief introduction on what to do, with water changes, cleaning, and sump maintenance. So I visited a few SW aquarium shops, and my education was soon underway. Luckily, I discovered Canreef early on, and the great wealth of knowledge and experience here helped get me up to speed quickly on what to do with my new tank. Needless to say, I made a few mistakes, but managed to avoid a tank crash despite my extreme lack of SW knowledge at the beginning.
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Old 11-05-2013, 07:12 PM
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It is a 100 gallon acrylic tank (72” X 18” X 19”) with a 3 sided overflow at one end draining down to a basement sump. Here are some early pics. This was about 6 months after we moved in. The tank had been running for about 10 years.







As you can see, the tank was pretty full with softies and some LPS. I fragged the large toadstool and still have a smaller version of it in my downstairs tank, which was set up about a year later. And that bubble coral and frogspawn have been fragged many times as well. Same with the colt coral and sinularia. Might not be visible in these pics, but also have green mushrooms and green palys, which I keep selling or give away.

I still have some of the original fish including the Yellow Tang (10+ years old), Dwarf Flame Angel, Flame Hawkfish and Cinnamon Clownfish. I sold the Green Bird Wrasse. I added a couple Pearlscale Butterfly fish, and a Lawnmower Blenny just before these pics. The tank was also full of Aiptasia, but the Pearlscales completely decimated them…, although took about 4 or 5 months. I still have them as well, one in each of my tanks. And they don’t bother my corals either.

I had T5’s for lighting. Water flow was handled by a couple Koralias and a closed loop system (no longer used). The tank was also a big chore to clean, as it was full of algae and detritus on the rocks and sand. Nitrates were as high as 100 ppm! I wasn’t measuring phosphates at that time, but I know they were high, too. Probably a classic example of old tank syndrome. Fish didn’t seem to mind, though, and the softies and LPS were doing OK as well.

Next, I will describe my sump. But feel free to comment anytime if you wish.
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Frags FS: http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...d.php?t=115022
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Old 11-05-2013, 07:19 PM
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Wow walter what a transformation! It looks nothing like it did then. You really stepped it up from what it was!
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Old 11-05-2013, 07:23 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Slyguy00 View Post
Wow walter what a transformation! It looks nothing like it did then. You really stepped it up from what it was!
Thanks, Nick. It didn't transform overnight, that's for sure, and lots of lessons learned along the way. Before I start showing my current tank, I will try to step through the changes, and some of my challenges.
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Old 11-05-2013, 07:26 PM
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Awesome, I'm sure there will be a lot to learn in this thread!
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Old 11-05-2013, 08:28 PM
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Do your pearlscales eat pellet or flake?
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Old 12-20-2013, 02:46 AM
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Purple turtle splatter
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Guide to building super awesome rock structures / my tank journal
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Old 12-20-2013, 04:10 AM
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Quote:
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Purple turtle splatter
Haha, yeah, that is a good description of it alright...
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Old 12-20-2013, 02:19 PM
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Red Planet still growing like crazy.... And can't get any redder than this.


And this is what it looked like just 11 months ago when I got the frag.
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  #10  
Old 12-20-2013, 02:23 PM
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Thats less than a years growth?? Wow that red planet grows fast!
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