evolved's 190g DSA Reef: Wrasse Retreat

revhtree

Owner Administrator
View Badges
Joined
May 8, 2006
Messages
47,604
Reaction score
85,993
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Beautiful! We need updates!
 

Aquaph8

Love The Fish
View Badges
Joined
Feb 20, 2011
Messages
8,920
Reaction score
400
Location
Tucson, AZ
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Your the only person that updates less often than me, haha
 

SeahorseKeeper

Where's the mysis?
View Badges
Joined
May 27, 2012
Messages
12,799
Reaction score
3,958
Location
Nags Head
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Wow! This thread is long overdue for an update!! evolved
 
OP
OP
evolved

evolved

[email protected]
View Badges
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
10,633
Reaction score
11,975
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Sir...come on...this is cruel

Agreed. We're over due

Your the only person that updates less often than me, haha

Wow! This thread is long overdue for an update!! evolved
Alright, alright. I know, it's long overdue. But of course, there's a story...

Sometimes the tank road is bumpy, and it hasn't been until recently I've been all that proud of my tank. On the upside, the fish have all been great (minus a few loses; we'll cover that later).

Let me retrace the last big events over nearly a year:
  • Early August: Upgraded my skimmer and return pump in favor of ones quieter and lower wattage (less heat). I settled on a Skimz SK201 and a Vertex v6 pump. Either was not cheap, but I love them both a bunch. The Skimz blows my old Aquamaxx way out of the water in performance (and consistent performance over months), and is leaps and bounds quieter. The vertex pump is awesome too; whisper quiet and built like a tank inside. More flow than the Eheim 1262 it replaced.
  • Late July and into late August: Some SPS was taking a slow decline. Little to no polyp extension on some, burning tips on others. Alk was only around 8 (with no spikes), and nutrients were not ultra low. Mysterious. I did a couple extra water changes and hoped for the best.
  • Labor day weekend: MACNA!!!! Awesome as always. If you've never been, make it a point to go some year; you won't regret it.
  • Early September: Return from MACNA, and the SPS situation is dire. Nearly all SPS are suffering (not just acros); tissue necrosis on almost all. Lighting is certainly a factor; the same coral in two parts of the tank was suffering more where lighting was more intense. I remove the dead SPS (nearly everything expect Pocillopora - of course the one thing I'd love to get rid of didn't care about what was going on). I also decided to change lighting and I go back to Halides after running LEDs for nearly 4 years. I create my own Reef-Brite style pendants with Hamilton Cayman reflectors and Rapid LED royal blue diodes, 2 strips on a side (dimmable via Apex). A friend was gracious enough to hold my MACNA SPS purchases for me until I got the tank back on track.
  • October-December: Getting the tank back on track and in recovery mode. A few fish loses: 1 johnsoni (likely was picked off or bullied to death by the largest male johnsoni), Japanese lunatus (not too surprising; he was a very spooky fish and so very shy. I was honestly surprised he survived several years; simply too shy and constantly stressed by the other wrasses), P. bellae and the P. attenuatus were also both lost (mysterious really; the bellae may have simply been age, and the attenuatus seemingly had an internal issue).
  • January to now: Getting SPS to thrive and watching the tank become its former self. :) And a few fish additions; another P. octotaenia (I missed this one too much; such a great species) and a C. claire. Photos in a minute.
So let me step back and speak a bit more on the partial SPS crash. I tested for everything possible at the time, including test kits I borrowed from a friend (copper, strontium, and iodine). The same friend brought his other test kits to check mine against. At the end of the day, everything tested out acceptably and cross-checked against each other, EXCEPT iodine was very low; essentially undetectable. Considering I had just replaced the skimmer and return pump and this issue had clearly began prior to that change, I didn't suspect any equipment. However, I did replace the heater just in case, although it looked fine and was still operational. I also used to keep my hammerhead float in the tank at all times, but I removed it and only put it back when in use now. There's no visible separation or rust on it; passes visual inspection. Ultimately, I believe the SPS issue came down to one of three factors, or a some combination of:
  • A bacterial issue; something I could never test for or prove
  • A leaching piece of equipment, but as I just explained that's not very likely (a heater being the only logical suspect)
  • Complete iodine depletion
I feel a combination of the first and third are the most likely, but I'll never know of course.

As mentioned, I also switched up the lighting, and I'm very pleased with that decision. While my former LEDs provided really great results for the first two years of usage, their performance clearly dropped off more than I realized, presumably with a slow decline. After just a few weeks under halides, I had some colors coming back which went missing without my realization. The best example being a rainbow monti; it went back to being a rainbow monti! It had browned out under LEDs eventually much more than I had previously recognized. And that coral in particular was grown under the same LEDs, so "something" happened to the diodes with enough usage. And I don't believe it was a cooling issue as the heat sinks were large and I had fans on them too (which were always working).

I also started using the Red Sea colors A, B, and C later last year after the questions surrounding the iodine level surfaced. I've been happy with their results, although I will say I'm only using 1ml of A (iodine) and 3ml of B and C (iron and potassium) per day. A fraction of what they recommend.

Alright, that's a lot of text. Who's ready for pictures? :)
 
Last edited:

Daniel@R2R

Living the Reef Life
View Badges
Joined
Nov 18, 2012
Messages
37,364
Reaction score
63,263
Location
Fontana, California
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
PICS!!! YAY!!!
 

4FordFamily

Tang, Angel, and Wrasse Nerd!
View Badges
Joined
Feb 26, 2015
Messages
20,434
Reaction score
47,523
Location
Carmel, Indiana
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Alright man we are going to need a stock list
 
OP
OP
evolved

evolved

[email protected]
View Badges
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
10,633
Reaction score
11,975
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
OP
OP
evolved

evolved

[email protected]
View Badges
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
10,633
Reaction score
11,975
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Alright man we are going to need a stock list
Currently:

A. feminius
C. claire
C. cf. lanceolatus
C. earlei
C. johnsoni (2M)
C. lineatus
C. nahackyi (2M)
P. octotaenia
H. timorensis (1M, 1F)
Ctenochaetus tominiensis
Amphiprion ocellaris (1M, 1F)
 
OP
OP
evolved

evolved

[email protected]
View Badges
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
10,633
Reaction score
11,975
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
And I took the time for fish shots, since that's what you all want to see anyway. :p

First and foremost, C. claire. My newest pride and joy! This one came via Diver's Den (DD) and was collected at Chip Boyle's station in the Cook Islands. DD had two of these (and last checked still have the other). Yes, I paid a very pretty penny for this fish, and my addiction has clearly hit a pinnacle.


DSC_3629
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr


DSC_3626
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr


DSC_3616
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr


DSC_3732
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr


And with a little luck , this fish as the potential to turn into this:
Cirrhilabrus-claire-cook-islands1.jpg
 
OP
OP
evolved

evolved

[email protected]
View Badges
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
10,633
Reaction score
11,975
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Rating - 0%
0   0   0

4FordFamily

Tang, Angel, and Wrasse Nerd!
View Badges
Joined
Feb 26, 2015
Messages
20,434
Reaction score
47,523
Location
Carmel, Indiana
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I am in love with your fish man. I wish I had only one fish love - but I love tangs, Angels, and wrasses almost equally. I can't afford to have the best of the best of all three! (Without a divorce anyway)

I am jealous that's fantastic sir. Keep up the great work and post more pictures!
 
OP
OP
evolved

evolved

[email protected]
View Badges
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
10,633
Reaction score
11,975
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
As for the rest:

C. earlei


DSC_3572
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr


DSC_3765
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr


DSC_3634
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr

I'm not real pleased with this shot, but it sure shows the blue outlines on his fins nicely:

DSC_3760
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr


C. johnsoni; a fantastic species still


DSC_3743
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr


DSC_3648
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr


DSC_3632
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr


DSC_3646
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr


DSC_3668
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr


A cousin to johnsoni; C. cf. lanceolatus:


DSC_3696
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr


DSC_3694
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr


DSC_3665
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr


C. nahackyi


DSC_3690
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr


DSC_3584
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr

Yes, there's really two in there

DSC_3862
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr


An old favorite, C. lineatus


DSC_3780
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr


DSC_3785
by Hunter Hammond, on Flickr
 

4FordFamily

Tang, Angel, and Wrasse Nerd!
View Badges
Joined
Feb 26, 2015
Messages
20,434
Reaction score
47,523
Location
Carmel, Indiana
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Beautiful fish. Your lineatus doesn't look too hot in the photos, is it the photos or is it stressed or sick? The rest look fantastic!
 
OP
OP
evolved

evolved

[email protected]
View Badges
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
10,633
Reaction score
11,975
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Rating - 0%
0   0   0

Mixing lighting technologies: Do you use multiple types of lighting for your reef?

  • I currently use multiple types of lighting for my reef.

    Votes: 12 50.0%
  • I have used multiple types of lighting for my reef in the past.

    Votes: 2 8.3%
  • I haven’t used multiple types of lighting for my reef, but I plan to in the future.

    Votes: 5 20.8%
  • I have no plans to use multiple types of lighting for my reef.

    Votes: 5 20.8%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
Back
Top