|
|
Post by fermentedhiker on Dec 22, 2014 15:10:05 GMT -5
Well I had already started a build thread on reefcentral but I figured I'd start one here as I'll be hanging out here more often. The setup 29 gallon sumpless AC110 modified into a hob refugium Aquamaxx HOB-1 skimmer 2X Eheim Jager 75 Watt Heaters Buildmyled 12000K led strip light Tunze 3152 ATO Apex Jr Dry Rock and Sand from Reefrocks.net Initial cycle finished a few days ago and the first wave of diatoms is in full swing. Added an initial CUC on Saturday. Some Nerites, Florida Cerith, dwarf Cerith, Nassarius, Zig zag Periwinkle. Now I just have to wait  |
|
|
|
Post by fermentedhiker on Dec 22, 2014 15:40:55 GMT -5
Pre-diatom scape picture.  |
|
|
|
Post by jasonandsarah on Dec 22, 2014 17:40:34 GMT -5
Pre-diatom scape picture. Nice scape! What kind of coral are you interested in? Sent from my SM-N910R4 using proboards |
|
|
|
Post by fermentedhiker on Dec 22, 2014 21:31:32 GMT -5
I'm planning on mixed softies and a couple of LPS. So far what I'm liking are; A couple of mushrooms(cr magic and superman from cultivatedreef) one on each outside shaded side/back portion The central low piece to be a Ricordia Garden A couple zoa/palys on the upper right(I'm liking the Utter chaos, and sunburst from CR as well) A Yuma under one of the shaded arches A lavender Rhodactis on the upper left Dendros in one of the arches Black sun coral in the last arch A frogspawn/hammer or similar as the centerpiece and lastly a Rock Flower anemone(preferably a higher color specimen) down on the lower left. That's at the moment anyways All things subject to change. |
|
|
|
Post by jasonandsarah on Dec 22, 2014 22:24:49 GMT -5
I'm planning on mixed softies and a couple of LPS. So far what I'm liking are; A couple of mushrooms(cr magic and superman from cultivatedreef) one on each outside shaded side/back portion The central low piece to be a Ricordia Garden A couple zoa/palys on the upper right(I'm liking the Utter chaos, and sunburst from CR as well) A Yuma under one of the shaded arches A lavender Rhodactis on the upper left Dendros in one of the arches Black sun coral in the last arch A frogspawn/hammer or similar as the centerpiece and lastly a Rock Flower anemone(preferably a higher color specimen) down on the lower left. That's at the moment anyways All things subject to change. That's probably the only thing that's 100%, things are subject to change! Lol I started out with a softie tank ,then mixed reef and now I'm 85%Sps with a zoa garden,Bta's, 1 rock flower nem and a few of my favorite Lps. Sent from my SM-N910R4 using proboards |
|
|
|
Post by fermentedhiker on Dec 22, 2014 22:46:23 GMT -5
Yeah I know what you mean. This tank is kind of a trial run to get comfortable with running a reef tank. I've been into freshwater for the last three decades and am finally making the jump. My plan/hope is to put a a 93 gallon cube peninsula tank with full sump and display fuge in my kitchen. That will be a mixed reef SPS/LPS with a RBTA and Malu nem. So I'm putting stuff in the 29 that I like but won't want in the Cube. The Cube will have quite a variety of livestock where this 29 is just going to have 1(2 tops) Looking at a Fu Manchu lionfish or possibly a dwarf fuzzy lion. Again something I like that won't be suitable for the Cube. But I won't be putting a fish in the 29 for 6 Months to a year so I've got time to dream about that |
|
|
|
Post by jasonandsarah on Dec 23, 2014 8:00:53 GMT -5
Already planning your next upgrade! Spoken like a true Reefer already! Sent from my SM-N910R4 using proboards |
|
|
|
Post by industry on Dec 25, 2014 8:06:32 GMT -5
Lol. The minute I got my 125 up and running I was planning my 200+ build.
|
|
|
|
Post by gotareef on Dec 25, 2014 10:18:58 GMT -5
I have been planning a 500g since I setup my first 29g reef 15 years ago lmao
|
|
|
|
Post by fermentedhiker on Dec 25, 2014 19:16:30 GMT -5
I have been planning a 500g since I setup my first 29g reef 15 years ago lmao haha yeah I've been planning a 240 gallon freshwater setup since I started as well . But the 93 gallon cube was in the planning stages before I started on the 29 gallon. |
|
|
|
Post by moulton712 on Dec 26, 2014 11:06:06 GMT -5
I always want bigger!
|
|
|
|
Post by fermentedhiker on Jan 5, 2015 14:07:54 GMT -5
a little bit of an update, mostly just a waiting game at this point.
I ended up with four hermits. They were all originally in dwarf cerith shells but three have upgraded to Florida Cerith shells and one made the jump to an olive nerite shell(I threw a bunch of fancy nerite shells from my freshwater setups).
The Flame algae just kept fading until it just melted away, not sure what happened there.
The diatoms are gone. I had a few days where it appeared I was headed for a cyano outbreak, but in the last three days it's disappeared and I'm into a full scale GSA bloom.
I was in my local Petco today to pick up a tank during the 1$/gallon sale(a 29 to use for a sump for a future build) and spotted a dwarf zebra hermit with no price tag so I asked and they told me 1.49 so I've brought it home to add to the cuc.
I also placed an order with live-plants.com for some more macros to try.
|
|
|
|
Post by fermentedhiker on Jan 9, 2015 22:22:24 GMT -5
Picked up a couple banded Trochus snail at Petco during their buy 2 get one free sale. The free one turned out to be an empty shell though?? Either that or the dwarf zebra hermit dispatched it minutes after I put it in the tank.
Ordered some macros from live-plants.com. Halimeda, Codium, fine branching coraline, and some Cryptonemia.
The Halimeda and Codium portions were huge. So much I'm not sure where to put it all. The Codium looks in great shape. The Halimeda is predictable bleached from the four days it took to ship, but some of it looks to be bouncing back already. The Cryptonemia is smaller portion than advertised(not in stock anymore show they were probably running low), but looks extremely healthy. The fine branching coraline is just gorgeous and almost fluoresces under the leds. It's a good thing I emptied the bags into the bathroom sink before placing the macros in the tank. Lots of hitchhikers. Some good like bristleworms, micro stars and amphipods. Some not so good. The bag with coraline on it upon closer inspection had numerous baby anemones attached to it. Most were far too small to identify but one had a foot the size of a pencil eraser. I suspect it was a kind of rock nem, but didn't dare risk putting it in the display. I don't really trust my ability to identify aiptasia :/ Hopefully i didn't miss any(he says without really believing it). Also had a small serpent star which I was happy to see, but it escaped the sink while I was getting something to scoop it up with(no idea where it went). Now that everything is settled in the tank I notice a couple of hydroids on a portion of Halimeda(of course it's the portion that seems to be the most recovered), not sure what to do about it at this point.
I want to take a FTS for you guys but the glass is covered in algae(GSA and some filament or hair) and I appear to have a phyto bloom happening. I've been resisting the urge to clean the glass and let the tank go through this part of the cycle, but I may be at my limit and have to find something to scrape at least the front pane of glass clean I think I should've gotten a few more trochus snails
|
|
|
|
Post by fermentedhiker on Jan 13, 2015 18:16:12 GMT -5
The phyto bloom seems to be subsiding and I'm seeing a lot of free swimming copepods now(about the size of moina) and I'm having fun watching a bunch of cladonema jellyfish that appeared all of a sudden.
I'm itching to put a coral in, but I'm doing my best to resist the temptation I wonder if a couple dwarf feather dusters would be a good choice as first additions.
|
|
|
|
Post by spotfin on Jan 13, 2015 19:01:26 GMT -5
Nice start. What do you have for freshwater?
|
|
