Dawn's natural nutrient reef garden

[vlangel]

Tank looks beautiful as always

Thanks Chrisfish, you are always so kind.

 

[vlangel]

I just fed my display and guess who I saw? Cheerleader, my pom pom crab. I can not even remember the last time I spotted him, probably a year or more ago. He looked great too. So at this time my livestock is:

FISH: 2 Pajama Cardinalfish, 6 Yellow tail Damsels, 2 Green Citron gobies, 1 Orange Spot Blenny, 1 Barnacle Blenny, 1 Firefish goby, 1 Tomini Tang in the 56g display. 1 Carpenter Wrasse, 1 Dalmation molly converted to salt in fuge.

INVERTS: 1 Hermit crab, 1 Pom pom crab, 1 Cleaner shrimp, 1 Coral banded shrimp, a few nassarius snails in the 56g display. 3 Peppermint shrimp, probably 25 grass shrimp, a couple nassarius snails in fuge.

CORAL: Green and Brown Palys, Xenia with hitch hiking scallops, Grandis Palys, Turquoise Trumpets, Neon Green Trumpets, Duncans, Pink tipped Hammer, Green tipped Frogspawn, pink Birdsnest, Toadstool, Lepto, various Mushrooms, various Gorgs, various Sponges, various Feather Dusters, Pagoda Cup, 2 Rainbow BTAs, Acan.

MACRO ALGAE/SEAGRASS: Feather Caulerpa, Green Grape Caulerpa, Codium, Red Grape Caulerpa, Red Titan Halimeda, Shoal Seagrass.

 

[vlangel]

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A late afternoon pic when the sun shine on the tank for about half an hour.

 

[vlangel]

My son is coming to visit and he is also a reef keeper. I always take extra care to make my tank look it's best when he comes and he does the same when I visit his house.

He is not a fan of macro algae so I did a major pruning of the red algae so that he can appreciate the negative space from the sand bed. The macro algae will always grow back anyway.

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[vlangel]

I had to order a new Coralife HOT5 quad because the old one had 2 bulbs stop lighting. It was about 10 years old.

I would have loved a hybrid T5/led fixture but it was a significant bigger investment and I couldn't justify the cost when the fixture I had worked well. Not only that but I had bought about 2 years of bulbs ahead, so I bought the same fixture again.

The new fixture came today. I am sure the coral and macros appreciate it as they have limped along for about 2 weeks with only 1 or 2 bulbs.

 

[vlangel]

Plank my carpenter wrasse has been hiding as much in the sump as he did in the display. I decided to try acclimating him in the display by putting him in a baby net and feeding him there. My hope is that he will stop cowering and become an active fish in the display.

 

[Weasel1960]

Hello. Clicked on your build thread because I saw your Seahorse avatar, glad I did. Your tanks look amazing. I am in the process of planning my build so am looking at all kinds of tank builds. I like how you have tiered your tank and was wondering if a partial DSB creates any additional maintenance or issues with your livestock? I am considering doing this in either my seahorse tank or both tanks. Any pros and cons, insight you can share would be greatly appreciated.

 

[vlangel]

Hello. Clicked on your build thread because I saw your Seahorse avatar, glad I did. Your tanks look amazing. I am in the process of planning my build so am looking at all kinds of tank builds. I like how you have tiered your tank and was wondering if a partial DSB creates any additional maintenance or issues with your livestock? I am considering doing this in either my seahorse tank or both tanks. Any pros and cons, insight you can share would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Weasle1960, thanks for checking out my tank. The tiered sandbed has been in place almost 2 years now and has not presented any maintenance problems. I worked at a LFS for 12+ years (1997-2010) and my boss built a lot of tanks for offices and private residences and he almost always set up a DSB. I took over the maintenance accts. for about 6 years and those tanks were more maintenance friendly than a SSB, since they do not need vacuumed. When used with a refugium, they can be very effective in controlling nitrates. I know of several of those tanks that are now almost 20 years old with the original sandbeds and still going strong.

I went for the tiered sandbed because my tank was an AIO for a while and that was an interesting way of getting a DSB. I liked that it helped de-emphasize that my tank was pretty tall too and utilized some of that open water up high.

This is by far the most maintenance free and friendly tank I have ever had, and also the most heavily fed since I keep a lot of fish. I am extremely pleased with how it is doing.

 

[vlangel]

Hi all, I just got home from a 4 day trip to our kids out of state. The tank looks great although Plank my carpenter wrasse perished. He began to get reclusive right before we left so I was not shocked. Still it's a bummer. Everything else is looking real good though.

 

[vlangel]

My tank is doing very well. I placed an order with KP Aquatics about 2-3 weeks ago and I was so pleased with everything. I ordered 3 masked gobies and they sent 4. I ordered 2 rooted halimeda and they sent 3. I also ordered a yellow ball sponges, a corkscrew nem, a RFA, and a pistol shrimp. Everything looked wonderful when I opened the box, it all acclimated well and have been happily residing in my tank ever since. I would definitely recommend them as their good reputation is well deserved.

 

[Subsea]

My tank is doing very well. I placed an order with KP Aquatics about 2-3 weeks ago and I was so pleased with everything. I ordered 3 masked gobies and they sent 4. I ordered 2 rooted halimeda and they sent 3. I also ordered a yellow ball sponges, a corkscrew nem, a RFA, and a pistol shrimp. Everything looked wonderful when I opened the box, it all acclimated well and have been happily residing in my tank ever since. I would definitely recommend them as their good reputation is well deserved.

Have you gotten any of their live rock?

I liked what you did, so I decided to start a macro lagoon tank heavy on inverts with no marine fish but will adjust some lyre tail mollies for my fish load. I planned on one large uncured diver collected live rock for a center piece with ornamental macros: several Feather Caulerpa, Caulerpa Prolifera and Bortacladia are first tier candidates. Initially, I used a 30G tank on a 55G metal frame. The bottom level is nursery for Spring garden. Temporary for one week.

 

[vlangel]

Have you gotten any of their live rock?

I liked what you did, so I decided to start a macro lagoon tank heavy on inverts with no marine fish but will adjust some lyre tail mollies for my fish load. I planned on one large uncured diver collected live rock for a center piece with ornamental macros: several Feather Caulerpa, Caulerpa Prolifera and Bortacladia are first tier candidates. Initially, I used a 30G tank on a 55G metal frame.

O my goodness, I am flattered Patrick! It's usually your tank that inspires me, not the other way around.

No, I have never gotten live rock from KP Aquatics but if I ever decided on live rock, it would definitely be from them.

 

[vlangel]

Yesterday I got a macro algae order from GCE. I had heard that they are good and I was pleased. I ordered Sargassum, the sample pack of Halimeda, Dragon's Breath and Ricordia. They sent 3 Ricordia instead of 2 and they are a beautiful aqua turquoise color. The Sargassum is quite a generous sprig, ( about 8-9 inches tall) and looks very healthy. I have heard Sargassum is difficult but I placed it high in the tank under high light from my HOT5s. If it does not take I may consider asking KP Aquatics if I can buy a pc of live rock with Sargassum already attached as I know of someone who is having good success that way with theirs. The 5 pack Halimeda came with 7 macros and the Dragon's Breath although kind of small was exactly how they described it would be. I could not be happier. Now all I have to do is get them to flourish!

 

[Subsea]

When it matures, I want some. I will trade Red Grapes.

Next week, I get 60lbs of diver collected uncured live rock. Lots of stuff growing on that.

Good move on putting Sargassum close to light.

Halymenia durvillei (Dragons Breath)​

This is a Pacific variety that is aqua-cultured in the United States. Unlike other species of halymenia, the tissue on this particular macro algae isn't as thin and is slightly rigid. It features a deep red coloration and a brilliant orange-yellow fluorescence at the tip of each frond. It's a very hardy species once established but grows in cycles so should be divided regularly to preserve the algae. Please note that this algae is only offered as a small sized specimen and is aboutt 1" overal

 

[ShepherdReefer]

Looking amazing

 

[vlangel]

Today I bought 2 new fish while going to the LFS to get reef roids. Fish are my weakness and I had been wanting a yellow watchman goby forever. It was in a stand alone bio cube with a green canary blenny that was simply stunning! So now after they go through QT they will join my:
2 pajama cardinals
2 green gobies
4 yellowtail damsels
1 barnacle blenny
1 firefish
1 royal gramma
1 masked goby
1 occellaris clown
1 tomini tang

Ha ha, its not like my tank was low on fish, but most of them are small, (she says in justification of buying more fish!).

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[vlangel]

I moved the yellow watchman goby and green canary blenny into the DT. They seemed well adjusted although I never saw the blenny take any prepared food. There were pods in the sump so maybe he was just hunting. I have seen the watchman eat multiple times.

They seem relaxed in the DT and no one is paying any attention to them. They were roommates at the LFS and seem to like each other's company. I am hoping when the blenny sees all the fish going for food that he too will get excited to eat. I feed heavy and a good variety of flake, pellet and frozen.

 

[vlangel]

I still have not ever seen the canary blenny eat. It seems very comfortable in the tank and is always in open water like venomous blennies do. I am very concerned because it is losing weight. Usually I do not buy a fish at a LFS unless its eating but I forgot to ask to see this one feed. I wished I had because I fear that it's just going to waste away.
I have seen the watchman eat and it looks fatter. It's a very small fish and went over the overflow and is in the fuge. I think I will leave it there until it gets bigger.

 

[vlangel]

Although the green canary blenny looks very comfortable in the DT, I have never seen him eat and it seems to me that it is going to waste away until it dies. That makes me very sad but I have offered a huge variety of food and nothing has worked. It is such a beautiful creature and it is hard to see this happen.

The watchman goby is doing very well since it went over the overflow and landed in the fuge. I have decided to leave it there since it is eating well. He is a nice bright yellow and looks healthy. He shares the fuge with a salt converted molly and some grass shrimp, a conch and a peppermint shrimp. It is a small one and he can live in the fuge until he gets to be full size and then I will move him into the display. He is doing well enough that I have given him a name. He is Guardian!

I did a bigger than usual WC today and yesterday, probably 15 or so gallons. I dosed some Flourish and Coral Vite to replenish nutrients for the macros and coral. I also dosed some 2 part. The tank system is doing ok but I feel like something was lacking so that was the reason for the bigger WC and dosing. Hopefully I will see some results.

 

[vlangel]

Well I am sadly reporting that the canary blenny never did eat and has perished. That makes me so sad and it took him a month to waste away and die. Its hard to see that happen but I offered him a huge variety of food and nothing tempted him.

The watchman goby, Guardian is doing excellent however. It appears that he has grown some already and he eats any and everything. I still have him in the fuge and will not plan to move him to the display until he gets bigger and I can add him with another fish to spread out bullying. He seems to be large and in charge of the fuge though.

I went to our club's frag swap last weekend and it was a lot of fun. Usually I go to talk to club members more than to find deals and buy stuff. My aquarium is not one to have high end coral although I enjoy looking at them at swaps. I was kind of on the look out for FL ricordia and one vendor had a plug with 2 ricordia, each a different color. She sold it to me for $20 and I was a happy customer. I also got a fish handbook cheap, an oldie but goodie that the lfs I worked used in the 90s. My last exciting news is I won a seahorse plaque and a gift certificate for a gorgonian in a $20 investment raffle that gave away 2 containers of New Life Spectrum food for entering. Each container was probably a cost value of $10, so again I was pleased.


Here is a fairly current pic of my tank from the end. It is doing very well.

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