Gotta Share...
- Thread starter jnc
- Start date
crazy4reefs
Member
awsome, very nice looking tank. you made a lot of progress, that is defiantly a tank to be proud of !! :yes:
blennyluv
Member
oh wow, just got mine started, i can't believe how great yours looked after a month! i thought you had to wait way longer to put that much stuff in!!
what kind of filtration, and what were your steps? I used cc, everyone is yelling at me, but its a little late, am thinking of changing before cycling is done, but still not sure, is that just regular sand or live sand?
what kind of filtration, and what were your steps? I used cc, everyone is yelling at me, but its a little late, am thinking of changing before cycling is done, but still not sure, is that just regular sand or live sand?
jnc
Member
Thanks all! It's been a lot of fun and work...
:notsure:And some losses...
But it has been worth every bit and it's still going. :happy:
Now to answer a few of the questions...
chriscobb - Bow Front: Well... Honestly, I LOVE it from a distance but as you mention, yes, it really messes with your eyes up close and at angles. I wouldn't get another bow at this size. Small bows, sure...
RobChuck - Saw Setup: Yup.. You probably did. I posted back in February...
Good memory! Here was that thread
blennyluv - Lots of stuff: Actually, the picture and colors are deceiving.
There really wasn't anything in the tank other than Live Rock and a few Mollies for the cycle.
The filtration is a 35G Refugium/sump and an Urchin Protein Skimmer. That and around 250lbs of LR.
I don't exactly remember when I added the first "real" livestock but I did wait for the cycle to complete which was, I think about 5-6 weeks. As you can see, I had a lot of live rock which I think hurried the cycle along. At that point, I added a few soft corals, full cleanup crew (shrimp, snails and hermits) and a couple of small fish (Lawnmower blenny, clowns, Blue-green reef chromis).
From there, I've been adding relatively quickly (weekly) but only a few fish and/or corals at a time.
I kept up with the water changes after the cycle by doing around 15G per week until the end of July where we went on Vacation for a month. :scared: Yeah... Spooky stuff, eh? The person we had watching the tank only performed daily top-offs and feeding. I did a 30G change before we left and only lost two fish and a couple of inverts while we were gone.
But... I expected a LOT worse and it could have been.
After we got back, I immediately did a 40G change and to date have kept with the 15G per week. Everything is doing great!
My Substrate is 120lbs of Aragonite. If you're going with sand, you'll want Live Sand or a mix of Live Sand and other.
Livestock List (from memory):
1 - Blue Regal Tang
1 - Yellow Tang
1 - Lawnmower Blenny
1 - Flame Hawk
3 - Blue-green Reef Chromis
1 - Foxface
2 – Percula Clown
3 – Bangaii Cardinals
1 - Flame Angel
1 - Coral Beauty
[Flame Guard On]I know... Two dwarf angels... But they're happy and get along fine so I don't want to hear it![/Flame Guard Off]
Inverts:
1 – Bubble Tip Anemone
1 – Carpet Anemone
1 – Condi Anemone
1 – Coral Banded Shrimp
3 – Cleaner Shrimp
1 – Blood Shrimp
8? – Turbo Snails
20? – Margarita Snails
30? – Scarlet Hermit
20? – Blue Leg Hermit
3 – Sally Lightfoot
3 – Emerald Crab
2 – Feather dusters
2 – Green Brittle Stars
Corals:
Tongue – 6”x 2.5”
Tongue – 9”x 5”
Toadstool Leather – 7” cap
Colt – 18”
Colt – 6” (fragged myself)
Button Polyps – 3 colonies – 2 I fragged myself
Zoo’s – 2 colonies – 1 I fragged
Clams – 3 of them (4”, 2”, 2”)
Various Mushrooms – 3 colonies and a couple of frags
Cabbage Leather – 2
Red Open Brain
Branching Hammer – 6”x 4”
Pipe Organ – 5” across & 1 frag from that colony
Green Stars – 2” x 3” colony
Montipora Cup – 4” x 7” cup.
Bubble Coral – 7” across
Candy Coral
Phew...
Thanks again!
But it has been worth every bit and it's still going. :happy:
Now to answer a few of the questions...
chriscobb - Bow Front: Well... Honestly, I LOVE it from a distance but as you mention, yes, it really messes with your eyes up close and at angles. I wouldn't get another bow at this size. Small bows, sure...
RobChuck - Saw Setup: Yup.. You probably did. I posted back in February...
blennyluv - Lots of stuff: Actually, the picture and colors are deceiving.
There really wasn't anything in the tank other than Live Rock and a few Mollies for the cycle.The filtration is a 35G Refugium/sump and an Urchin Protein Skimmer. That and around 250lbs of LR.
I don't exactly remember when I added the first "real" livestock but I did wait for the cycle to complete which was, I think about 5-6 weeks. As you can see, I had a lot of live rock which I think hurried the cycle along. At that point, I added a few soft corals, full cleanup crew (shrimp, snails and hermits) and a couple of small fish (Lawnmower blenny, clowns, Blue-green reef chromis).
From there, I've been adding relatively quickly (weekly) but only a few fish and/or corals at a time.
I kept up with the water changes after the cycle by doing around 15G per week until the end of July where we went on Vacation for a month. :scared: Yeah... Spooky stuff, eh? The person we had watching the tank only performed daily top-offs and feeding. I did a 30G change before we left and only lost two fish and a couple of inverts while we were gone.
After we got back, I immediately did a 40G change and to date have kept with the 15G per week. Everything is doing great!
My Substrate is 120lbs of Aragonite. If you're going with sand, you'll want Live Sand or a mix of Live Sand and other.
Livestock List (from memory):
1 - Blue Regal Tang
1 - Yellow Tang
1 - Lawnmower Blenny
1 - Flame Hawk
3 - Blue-green Reef Chromis
1 - Foxface
2 – Percula Clown
3 – Bangaii Cardinals
1 - Flame Angel
1 - Coral Beauty
[Flame Guard On]I know... Two dwarf angels... But they're happy and get along fine so I don't want to hear it![/Flame Guard Off]
Inverts:
1 – Bubble Tip Anemone
1 – Carpet Anemone
1 – Condi Anemone
1 – Coral Banded Shrimp
3 – Cleaner Shrimp
1 – Blood Shrimp
8? – Turbo Snails
20? – Margarita Snails
30? – Scarlet Hermit
20? – Blue Leg Hermit
3 – Sally Lightfoot
3 – Emerald Crab
2 – Feather dusters
2 – Green Brittle Stars
Corals:
Tongue – 6”x 2.5”
Tongue – 9”x 5”
Toadstool Leather – 7” cap
Colt – 18”
Colt – 6” (fragged myself)
Button Polyps – 3 colonies – 2 I fragged myself
Zoo’s – 2 colonies – 1 I fragged
Clams – 3 of them (4”, 2”, 2”)
Various Mushrooms – 3 colonies and a couple of frags
Cabbage Leather – 2
Red Open Brain
Branching Hammer – 6”x 4”
Pipe Organ – 5” across & 1 frag from that colony
Green Stars – 2” x 3” colony
Montipora Cup – 4” x 7” cup.
Bubble Coral – 7” across
Candy Coral
Phew...
Thanks again!
blennyluv
Member
I have 60 pounds of rock in my 55 gallon. i was thinking on getting a little more, but i figured there is around 49 gallons of water and that is probably sufficient? say, what is that big tree looking thing at the top of your tank, that thing is awesome!
i guess i didn't realize mollies could live in salt water. do you just acclimate them and they do ok, or what?
oh yeah, what do you think of CC? and if i change to sand won't my tank have to start the cycle all over?
i guess i didn't realize mollies could live in salt water. do you just acclimate them and they do ok, or what?
oh yeah, what do you think of CC? and if i change to sand won't my tank have to start the cycle all over?
jnc
Member
I went on the high side with LR since it is in itself the natural filtration. Also, it will give an increased Pod population as I forgot to include a Green Mandarin Gobie in the Livestock list.
That is a Colt Coral in the center. I don't remember exactly when I got it but it was only about 6-7 inches. If you look closely at the 3 Month photo, it's on the far right side of the tank on the high rocks.
The mollies were freshwater that we picked up for a couple of bucks. They can actually acclimate to saltwater but from what I understand, it's a one way road. My wife knew about this but I had no idea either.
CC... :thinking: I'm new to this too... But... I would think that once you have cycled, you've cycled. As long as you don't spike Amonia again you won't cycle again. The bacteria that you need is in the water and filter. Not just in the CC. It might slow down the cycle if you're not done yet but it will still happen as expected. One thing that comes to mind about CC... If you're going for a reef tank, CC does absorb the Calcium.
As for everyone yelling at you? Well... Let them. One thing that I've learned on this board is that everyone has an opinion and most of them are personal choices with no REAL facts to backup their decision that can't be countered with facts from an opposite decision.
That very thing is what the [Flame Guard On][/Flame Guard Off] is all about on my two dwarf angels in the livestock list. Pretty much, if someone has a problem with them being in the same tank, GET OVER IT! I don't want to hear it...
Sure, it was a chance, I knew I had lots of room and it worked for me. They're happy. No one can buck the fact that they're doing just fine together. We can only learn by trying and everybodys tank is different. If people didn't try their own things, we'd all still be admiring the ocean from the surface.
That is a Colt Coral in the center. I don't remember exactly when I got it but it was only about 6-7 inches. If you look closely at the 3 Month photo, it's on the far right side of the tank on the high rocks.
The mollies were freshwater that we picked up for a couple of bucks. They can actually acclimate to saltwater but from what I understand, it's a one way road. My wife knew about this but I had no idea either.
CC... :thinking: I'm new to this too... But... I would think that once you have cycled, you've cycled. As long as you don't spike Amonia again you won't cycle again. The bacteria that you need is in the water and filter. Not just in the CC. It might slow down the cycle if you're not done yet but it will still happen as expected. One thing that comes to mind about CC... If you're going for a reef tank, CC does absorb the Calcium.
As for everyone yelling at you? Well... Let them.
One thing that I've learned on this board is that everyone has an opinion and most of them are personal choices with no REAL facts to backup their decision that can't be countered with facts from an opposite decision.That very thing is what the [Flame Guard On][/Flame Guard Off] is all about on my two dwarf angels in the livestock list. Pretty much, if someone has a problem with them being in the same tank, GET OVER IT! I don't want to hear it...
B
big911dog
Guest
AWESOME!!!
blennyluv
Member
thanks, your words are inspiring, we had coral in the tanks at the ps and they seemed ok, i think alot of it is look,s i do like the look of sand, but really, it is hard to get ahold of stuff and if i would have known, i would have gotten the ls when i got my lr, but, we have the ug filter, have the cc, i think we will just go with it and see what happens, i have a calcium additive so if i need to use it i will, i think its neat that you were brave enough to put the 2 angels together, i think if your tank is big enough they can hide from each other anyway.
good luck with everything and will keep watching your tank grow! i haven't tried to download (or upload) a pic on here yet, got a pic of my tank all thats in it is lr. guess i will have to try sometime! (not real great with this machine):notsure:
good luck with everything and will keep watching your tank grow! i haven't tried to download (or upload) a pic on here yet, got a pic of my tank all thats in it is lr. guess i will have to try sometime! (not real great with this machine):notsure:
C
crm13
Guest
That's a really nice tank. Awesome job!
coastie55g
Member
just wanted to say nice tank.. i cant wait till my 55 looks like that..