08trdoffroad's Rimless 60 gal Mixed Reef Build

[08TRDOFFROAD]

How’s the battle against diatoms?

I had them in my tank a while back and I do recommend pods and weekly water changes, cleaning the sand bed. I battled them for a month or two and now my tank is diatoms free!

They seem to be lightening up and improving!

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

@JoJosReef - Should I be nervous if the toadstool didn't open today? I noticed last night after I got home, it had a few polyps out after lights out, and I was hoping to come home to a completely open frag after work today, but no such luck...

 

[JoJosReef]

@JoJosReef - Should I be nervous if the toadstool didn't open today? I noticed last night after I got home, it had a few polyps out after lights out, and I was hoping to come home to a completely open frag after work today, but no such luck...

Mine can go a few days closed up. So far I've noticed a couple reasons:
1. RBTA is stinging it and it's not happy.
2. It's getting ready to shed.

#2 happens at odd intervals. Seems like sometimes every couple weeks, sometimes longer. Always a bit messy so when I see it skin over a darker, mottled grey, I know it's coming and I'll help suck off the skin with a pipette whenever it starts to come off in a sheet. Helps my tank because I'm running almost no filtration, so the skin just flies around nonstop.

But they both usually are back to having polyps out in a day or two.

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

Mine can go a few days closed up. So far I've noticed a couple reasons:
1. RBTA is stinging it and it's not happy.
2. It's getting ready to shed.

#2 happens at odd intervals. Seems like sometimes every couple weeks, sometimes longer. Always a bit messy so when I see it skin over a darker, mottled grey, I know it's coming and I'll help suck off the skin with a pipette whenever it starts to come off in a sheet. Helps my tank because I'm running almost no filtration, so the skin just flies around nonstop.

But they both usually are back to having polyps out in a day or two.

Toadstool has that waxy look to it so I bet it is going to shed. I can see the polyps trying to push out. So we'll see what happens in the next few days.

Purple monsters looked pretty good earlier so I snapped a quick pic!

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

It knew I was talking about it...lol

This is how it looked in the sellers tank.

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

Tonight basking in the blues before a crab ticked it off and it retracted again.

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

I bought a thing for the tank...

I did a little research and received the frosted sensor. So using @telegraham formula. I corrected/multiplied my numbers by 1.17.

I don't know if I should be disappointed in my light, or the meter....I don't believe the numbers...

Dry at the waters surface with my A360X at 100% intensity, 20% color, it is claiming I am only getting 240 par (280 corrected by multiplier), top tier of my rock structure directly under the light 60 par (70 corrected), second tier 31 par (36 corrected) bottom tier 28 par (33 corrected) sand bed 16 par (19 corrected).

It just seems ridiculously low to me....

Especially given BRS's testing of this light in a 24" cube having much higher average par numbers.

I took my reading with flow off.

Idk what to think at this point...

@JoJosReef - do you think a Noopsyche K7 Pro is overkill for my tank?

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

I caught my clowns and royal gramma napping tonight when I went down to feed/check on my turtles after lights out. Man...the royal gramma is a chunk!

And of course the turtle I went down to check on...I hatched him two years ago and he is just getting over a pretty nasty fungal infection on his skin...poor little guy...just glad I caught it quickly and got him treated.

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

Toadstool was looking sexy last night in the twilight blues!

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

Placed another order with my LFS!

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

The torch is quickly becoming my favorite!!!

The other new additions as well

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

Moved my pair of clowns and royal gramma from their Biocube prison to the 60 cube today! Can't believe how big the clowns have gotten!

The Kole tang has finally started eating any frozen foods I throw in, plus NLS pellets! I moved the eheim feeder from the biocube, so the fish will get two feeding of pellets a day and frozen as I remember in the evening! I didn't feel like modding my mesh top to put the feeder on the glass, so I built a bracket screwed to the wall to "float" the feeder over the tank. I will get a pic of it in the morning. My father in law is in town and asleep on the couch by the tank.

I was planning on shutting the biocube down once I moved the fish, but want to run a little experiment now that it is fallow and there will be no nutrients imported via feeding and I have shut off the Prime. Gonna see if I can starve out the hydroids! If I can, I might be able to reuse the rock for a AIO build in my bedroom.

 

[JoJosReef]

Placed another order with my LFS!

Love Magicians! Nice steal on that frag!

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

My shop project from yesterday!..Don't mind the clowns photo bombing!

Speaking of the clowns. They are already trying to host the Blue Torch...and it isn't happy about it!

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

They have almost knocked the torch over... this was early this morning before I left for work.

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

Any suggestions on where to place the frogspawn? It isn't opening/inflating much these days. Definitely not happy!

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

Man....I really need a #reefsensei...I want so badly to be successful in this hobby, but I have no clue what I am doing...

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

Used my @Dinkins Aquatic Gardens gift card and ordered a snacklepack!

Also signed up for their birthday club so I will be able to order more pods soon!

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

Had my LFS spin my water today to see where I am at. My alk is LOW. Explains why zoas are melting and my LPS don't look extremely happy. They recommended the red sea alk supplement and told me to split the dose over about 3 days to slowly bring it back up to 8-9dkh

 

[JoJosReef]

What test do you usually use for Alk?