Colleen & Scotts 100g build

[DKoKoMan]

Originally Posted by Brighteyes_13

i love my Hubby, he knows im itching to get the tank wet, even just to put the liverock in and circulate it in there.

I came home to find a new inhabitant.

Haha I love it at least you have something inside the glass box!

[Brighteyes_13]

The tank has been set up for a month now. Diatom bloom cleared up nicely after about a week and a bit and some algae has started to creep in.



Just after my last post we had a chromis mysteriously disapear. Not entirely sure what happened to him. Parameters were checked the day before he vanished and no ammonia or nitrite were present, all the fish were eating and active the day before. Is it possible for large hermit crabs to get the drop on sleeping fish? Ended up with a small <0.25ppm spike in ammonia (was lighter than the 0.25 but still tinged green). Tried to find it and pulled apart some of the rockwork but was no good. Was able to get the parameters under control before any damage was done.

And you know what they say, if you get your rock the way you like it and move anything, you'll never get it back the way you had it before. I salvaged the left side of the tank but the right side is sorta a rubble heap now lol. Im sure it will all work out in the end.

Ive noticed that coraline algae seems to be growing extremely fast on some of the rocks. The same rock that was cleaned ever so nicely by the snails is now really pink!



I took Mindys advice and bought some GFO, threw 3/4c of it it in the sump in a bag. I figured today id do a full range of tests on the tank and everything is looking pretty normal for a new tank from what i can tell. I got a Nyos test for my phosphate since the api has such a huge range.
0ppm ammonia
0ppm Nitrite
10ppm Nitrate
0.025 Phosphate
240ppm calcium
125.3ppm KH (7dKH?)
8.0 pH
1.025 salinity

I think once we get the nice lights on the tank and start to buy some real corals we will have to get a better Alkalinity, and Calcium test. The range on the reading chart and adding drops to a vial just seems so inacurate, i have no idea how close my readings really are. What does everyone else use?

I also cut back on how much the tank is being fed. they only get 1/2 a cube of food per day. None of them appear to be starving and i dont see as much settling onto the sand. Whatever does the cleaner shrimp seems to grab pretty quick.

[SoloSK71]

I always figure that the great fish gods called them home and don't go looking ... once in a while they even show up a couple weeks later ...

The Hanna checkers are very highly recommended, and you can back them up with a good kit from Red Sea or one of the colorimeter based ones.

Charles

[WarDog]

API for Ammonia
Salifert for Alk, Ca, Mg, Nitrate, and Potassium
Hanna Phosphorus Checker (HC - HI736) for Phosphate (take the result, multiple by 3.066, then divide by 1000).
No need to test Nitrite (IMO)....
and a temperature compensating refractometer for salinity.

Looking good! Fish could still show up, dont rule him out yet.

[Myka]

I use the same kits as Warren, and in addition I also use Red Sea Pro for NO3 and Mg as well as Hanna alkalinity checker for 2nd "opinion". Hehe. I have both Hanna po4 checkers too.

[Brighteyes_13]

Tank has been up for a few months. still happily stocking away. tank parameters have been consistent.



I have been waffling back and forth on my lights and finally decided (for now lol) what i want to do. im going to do a combo t5/ LED. t5 to supliment for growth, and the kessil led for looks. It will be cheaper to run in the long run than metal halides, and for the lifespan it would be comparable to bulb replacements. I dont require massive growth so im not concerned about LED. And a quote that ive seen over and over again, those that switch to LED from more traditional lighting dont like it as much as those who start out with LED.

Since the tank is still pretty new theres a few things that have been creeping in. I have this strange red macroalgae growing on my rocks. its not cyano, it feels pebbly/ rubbery to the touch (same as caleurpa?) and grows short and close to the rocks. the crabs and snails have no interest in it, nor does the tang. it seems to form short leaf like formations in little plateaus. the picture doesnt do it justice.





i dont know if its invasive, it seems to be light loving, and it doesnt seem to grow on/near any corals.

Also have a bit of spindleweed growing in the tank. it also doesnt seem to be growing out of control but does seem to pop up in the strangest places. I am keeping an eye on it to ensure it doesnt get out of control.



if for a strange reason anyone wants any, they can shoot me a pm and take the above little bit of coral skeleton with a bunch on it.

also noticed hydroids, both singular and colonial. they dont seem to be bothering anything and from past experience im sure its only a matter of time before they disappear.

[Brighteyes_13]

Quick update on tank.
Added a green wrasse last friday, he settled in quickly and now the tang seems to follow him around.
Tried adding an Eibli angelfish, and the tang and he had a very unhealthy disagreement. wripped out the rocks to seperate them. Beautiful fish but my tang is a jerk. The angel wasnt tolerating his bullying, but rather than accepting he wasnt the toughest fish in the tank he kept going back for more until the angel started hunting him. He was the definite looser in the situation. Rather than risking either of them i thought it best to seperate them and send the angel to a new home.

so for the third time i had to rework my rock.... LOL, never goes back the same way twice.

[maron6977]

Still looks good .
My purple tang & coral beauty hunt down every new comer & show them who's boss . Takes a few days to a week & all good .
Sometimes the trick is , add a couple fish at a time .

[Brighteyes_13]

Finally purchased my lights yesterday! After all the humming and hawing, i ended up with the ap700 afterall. have started an aclimation cycle, beginning with peak hours running 50% intensity and running my t5s during peak hours only. I really like the ramp up/ramp down ability. The first thing i did notice is all my pictures are now much bluer.


Over the last 2 weeks I also picked up a one spot foxface, and 2 chromis. Again my tang showed a bit of territorialness but it subsided much quicker this time. I think the suggestion to add a couple at once was the right move. Now that pecking order is established we have no issues. Im thinking we are getting close to our stocking limit for fish. We have 2 clowns, 2 chromis, 1 kole tang, 1 green wrasse, and 1 onespot foxface now. Id still like to try a pigmy angel again, and maybe a firefish or two, but otherwise i think im pretty happy with what we have.
The one addition i regret (sort of) is an urchin. it grabs stuff off my frag rack and drags it all over the tank. So far ive had to rescue a frag of green zoas twice, and have lost another frag altogether. if im lucky i'll find them fluorishing wherever they ended up. If im not, well... i guess i'll have an excuse to buy some more. lol

Ive also started to get the power control center set up. it will be nice to get everything off the power bars and onto proper receptacles. Scott is still working on the programming in his spare time and im impatient to get it all up and running. I wired it to have 8 non controlled spots, and 8 controlled spots.

Each side is supplied by a seperate cord, ensuring if one side trips there will still be flow in the tank. I know its overkill but it will be useable when i eventually upgrade to a larger system.

[DKoKoMan]

I like your clown veggie clip! Also the tank is looking really nice and healthy with the corraline growth. Keep up the good work.