Smaller place, bigger tank...My 200DD build

[bang guy]

This is inspiring me to start up a reef again.

 

[eric b 125]

This is inspiring me to start up a reef again.

Thanks man! That's one heck of a compliment!

I got the driver replaced in the one fixture. It's just a waiting game at this point...

 

[honu808]

So very nice. Thanks for sharing your progress and methods.

 

[gemmy]

I really love the rock work! It is going to look amazing once you get some corals in there!!

 

[eric b 125]

So very nice. Thanks for sharing your progress and methods.

Thanks!

I really love the rock work! It is going to look amazing once you get some corals in there!!

Thanks Krista! I don't think it'll be long before I can start adding corals since the LR is all from my old system. I estimate that the cycle should be done sometime next week so I'm going to do a water change the weekend after my Thanksgiving travels and then I'm going to place my CUC order. I'll place a few fish orders in December and hopefully start adding corals in January with a 20 piece SPS frag pack and some zoas.

 

[gemmy]

Sounds like you will be up and ready for the frag swap at That Pet Place.

 

[eric b 125]

Sounds like you will be up and ready for the frag swap at That Pet Place.

I think so! I'm guessing the frag pack will be pretty common corals, so when it comes to the frag swaps I'm going to look for harder to find stuff.

 

[eric b 125]

Gemmy, that's usually in Jan/Feb right?

 

[eric b 125]

I tested the water again:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10

I have the water ready for a water change, but I think I'm going to wait until the weekend.

Also, I was able to borrow a dehumidifier from my old man yesterday but it's been nice out so the windows in the apartment are open, so I haven't really had a need to use it. I'm topping off the 10g reservoir every 3-4 days, so I'm pretty sure it will make a difference in the apartment. It's bigger than the one's I was looking at but it's nice to see how much gets pulled out of the air before actually buying a unit. I think I'm only going to run it at night when I sleep, and when I'm at work b/c of the noise.

 

[eric b 125]

I think I've decided on a general stocklist:
Anthias
Wrasses
Flame angel
Mandarin
(still up in the air on the PBT and midas blenny. The PBT would add some blue but they are so touchy, and the midas blenny would add a unique body shape but would be similar in color to the other fish)

 

[eric b 125]

Woke up this morning to no condensation on the windows and the beginning of the diatom bloom. Tomorrow morning I'll be heading out of town for a few days. I took some time today to secure the top left rock a bit with a stick of putty. It held since I aquascaped, but it was a little sketchy so I figured a bit of putty would be a good idea. I've been turning the lights on and off manually so I also programmed them in a very generic way. I had some weird algae growing in the frag tank and in my old 125, but I haven't seen it in the new tank. I'm hoping that it's a thing of the past.

 

[trigger40]

if you put the frags in your new tank they will probally bring the algea with. you should probaly think about that.

 

[eric b 125]

if you put the frags in your new tank they will probally bring the algea with. you should probaly think about that.

Oh, I tore down the frag tank over a month ago. It wasn't set up properly and I wasn't giving it the attention it required so the frags were dying one by one for months.

 

[trigger40]

oh dang. atleast you wont haft to worry about that algea.

 

[eric b 125]

oh dang. atleast you wont haft to worry about that algea.

Yeah. I went through a lot of trouble to keep the frag tank going as long as I did, including moving it twice. Like I said, it wasn't set up properly, had next to no LR, and I didn't have the discipline or motivation to care for a small tank while I was also in the middle of moving (twice in 6 weeks), starting a new semester at school, and starting a new job.

I've got a pretty decent diatom bloom going now. I've never been so happy to see an ugly tank, lol. I have tomorrow off so I'll test the water and do a water change. Might be ordering the start of my CUC soon.

 

[eric b 125]

So, there's a bunch of little patches of hair algae growing on the MarcoRock shelf rock I ordered and seeded a few months ago. It's not on any of my other rocks. I'm not going to start this off with a hair algae battle, so I'm just going to leave the lights off for a few days then I'll put some GFO in my Phosban reactor. It's really not much hair algae, but it's enough to have dropped the nitrate reading from 10 to 0ppm. I've never had a personal experience with H.A. but I'm hoping this will be the extent of it.

I'm guessing, then, that it's time to regenerate my kati/ani resins, which I'll hopefully get to this weekend along with ordering a small CUC.

 

[eric b 125]

CUC is supposed to be delivered today. I'm going to take some time and carefully plan out the fish list and maybe place an order.

 

[eric b 125]

Got the CUC in the tank.

20 Nassarius Vibex snails
20 Dwarf Cerinth snails
10 Nerite snails
4 Trochus snails
2 Emerald crabs
Tisbe Pods

Also got the first water change done, filled both the FW and SW cans, and put GFO in the Phosban reactor. I've had the lights off for a few days because of the hair algae, but I'm hoping that it's just a result of phosphates leaching from the marco rocks. Might pick up a fish and a cheap SPS frag tomorrow to test the system.

 

[gemmy]

Yay for critters!!

 

[trigger40]

let me know how thoes emerald crabs do please. but hope you like your new friends!