Scott’s Infinia Frag 125.4 build Shallow Reef

[08TRDOFFROAD]

I found a vintage furniture piece that wifey approved on FB for tank-side. It’s not cheap but I like the style and it has a solid finished back that i plan to mount controllers too. Front side will be for storage. I’ll probably cut a whole in it “gasp” to run wires in. I think this will be nicer to it than screwing into beautifully finished walnut.
Going to check it out tomorrow after work.
Got a bucket of salt and more inverts today. Added a new aquacultured torch I’ve been begging LFS to frag.
Need more AFR. Planning to start mixing myself.
What do y’all think of the cabinet? Sizing is decent but easy to work around too.

I dig the cabinet!!! It will look fantastic next to the tank!

 

[skey44]

I dig the cabinet!!! It will look fantastic next to the tank!

Back to the drawing board. I wasn’t really happy with the condition of the piece vs the price they want.

 

[skey44]

When I feed the corals right before lights out I always feel like I need to take top down shots since the flow is off. Loving the benepets. Nitrates are getting a little low at 4 (despite rolling through some frozen and auto feeding pellets 6x/day). Spot fed Benepets and distributed through tank tonight. Hopefully it bumps my nitrates up. I’ve noticed an increase in PE on my acans, blastos, goniopora… almost everything really with just the first feeding of benepets. Adding the three new fish Monday will hopefully bump the nitrates up a little and keep them steady ( not falling). That purple tang is a PIG!

 

[skey44]

Torch garden coming along. I only want like … 3 more. For now

 

[skey44]

Mixed my first AFR. Easy peasy. Shake in the bottle is the way to mix this apparently. Zero issue with dissolving .

 

[skey44]

I just knew she would love the invertebrates. “Counting snails”

 

[skey44]

Added my Purple Tang, Tomini Tang, and Royal Gramma last night. It didn’t go as smoothly as I hoped. The Anthias was fairly aggressive towards all the new fish. I’m hoping that subsides. The tangs are standing up for themselves, but the gramma is in hiding.
On another note I came close to bottoming out my Nitrate again smh!
Alk- 7.9
Phosphate- 0.05
Nitrate-1.2
Needless to say with the new additions and aggression I fed really heavy last night. Also added some nitrate.

I think this nitrate drop was due to Benepets coral food, it has a net negative effect on Nitrates for me. Plan to balance coral feedings with reef roids to keep this in check.

Corals looking great. Some cyano on sand. Some hair algae in nooks and crannies and on CUC shells, tangs already working the rocks and back glass over. Starting to have some significant coral growth with good color. Noticing new coralline algae growth as well. With that I’m having to dose 27.5 ml AFR/ day. Just went through my first liter, first day of dosing September 11, so over a month for 1st bottle. Will go through the next liter much faster I expect. Excited to start using the Bettix bottle for dosing. Will have to automate dosing in near future.

I’m still planning on adding more CUC. Probably an urchin and another conch or two. Looking for those last couple of fish to QT now too. Honestly tank is looking pretty full of fish, especially counting for growth. But I think a damsel and another wrasse are on the menu. Hoping for Starck’s damsel and blue star leopard wrasse. I’m always on the lookout for corals. There’s still plenty of room left for those

 

[skey44]

Fish all getting along ok. Much chiller and subtle aggression now instead of fisticuffs.

Ca: 450
Mg: 1410
Alk: 8.3
Nitrate: 7.4

Went a little overboard on my nitrates haha. Will continue to monitor. Added nitrates, and have been feeding like crazy to avoid bottoming out.

Hoping to pickup some more sand bed (more conchs most likely) critters and maybe a new coral today after work. LFS has a nice looking fuzzy stick frag in their main display rn. Pretty settled on getting a chrysiptera damsel and macropharyngodon wrasse for my next and final round of fish QT.

 

[skey44]

Got three more nice small tiger conchs and a small frag of Optimus prime acropora. Happy weekend!

 

[skey44]

Weekend water change! Got a new python large gravel vac and a seachem scraper. Both worked great. Considering a second ap9x with the Black Friday sales. Think that would be an end game lighting setup for me. Also I get frustrated with every time the controller loses power on the A160 o have to reset the time. The convenience of the app/wifi is also a huge difference maker. I also like the violet spectrum that the ap9x adds that you can’t get with the A160 so the lights don’t perfectly match making it look a little weird late night…. Will see if I’m willing to cough up the money right now when I’m eagerly starting to add SPS frags.

 

[skey44]

 

[skey44]

 

[skey44]

Hit up the Kessil sale at LFS!

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

Mixed my first AFR. Easy peasy. Shake in the bottle is the way to mix this apparently. Zero issue with dissolving .

I hadn't thought of saving the bottle from my premixed AFR...that is genius!!!

 

[skey44]

I hadn't thought of saving the bottle from my premixed AFR...that is genius!!!

I bought the bottle from BRS! The new bottle they use is cheaper and less convenient.

 

[skey44]

Much better

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

I bought the bottle from BRS! The new bottle they use is cheaper and less convenient.

My premixed bottle of AFR is years old....*facepalm* It, along with my doser sat underneath the stand of my Biocube for years...just never got around to setting it up.

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

Hit up the Kessil sale at LFS!

How much did the AP9 set you back?...If you don't mind me asking...

 

[skey44]

My premixed bottle of AFR is years old....*facepalm* It, along with my doser sat underneath the stand of my Biocube for years...just never got around to setting it up.

I just dose daily by hand currently. I eventually will need a dosing setup to account for increased coral growth (kH swing increases) and vacations.

Took advantage of the 15% off for the light and arm. My LFS matches online pricing, and had it in stock.

 

[rzimm33]

Much better

Tanks looking great!