40 breeder build (pictures/queations/first saltwater tank)

Let's see an update brotha!

I know right! I'm actually out of town for 2 weeks and then my wife is having our baby when I get back! Going to be our second boy! Anyways I'll be busy for a while lol the tank is on cruise control right which I'm affraid of because I watch and make everything stable day to day. But I'm confident with my amazing husbandry that my tank should be good the next few weeks. The wife knows what to do after I showed her. The only thing she doesn't do is water change obviously because she's pregnant. So she just feeds and tops off the tank. Anyways I'll be busy for the next couple weeks. U did get a RBTA before I left and forgot to update this page.
I'll do a better update when I get back.
How's your tank going?




 
I know right! I'm actually out of town for 2 weeks and then my wife is having our baby when I get back! Going to be our second boy! Anyways I'll be busy for a while lol the tank is on cruise control right which I'm affraid of because I watch and make everything stable day to day. But I'm confident with my amazing husbandry that my tank should be good the next few weeks. The wife knows what to do after I showed her. The only thing she doesn't do is water change obviously because she's pregnant. So she just feeds and tops off the tank. Anyways I'll be busy for the next couple weeks. U did get a RBTA before I left and forgot to update this page.
I'll do a better update when I get back.
How's your tank going?




Cool congrats! Hope everything goes smoothly. My tanks doing good, just dealing with some standard new tank algae and possibly a minor case of a non toxic dino species. Luckily everything seems to be improving and I've had no issues with any of my livestock so far (knock on wood).
 
What's up everyone! I've finally added my first coral! Ive been gone so the tank has been in cruise control so to speak. Nothing bad happened and everything is looking good. My wife and I had our second baby boy last week so we've been super tired and busy. Anyway I'll post my parameters and a few pictures of my first coral and my new fish I added.
 
Ammo:0
Nitrite:0
Nitrate:0 (undetectable using salifert test kit)
Po4: .05
Mag:1380
CA: 400
DKH:9.8

I haven't set up my skimmer still because I really don't need it at the moment. My filter socks are doing really well.
Time for the good stuff!
First coral in the tank is a torch coral! It's looking really good. It was pretty small when I got it but now it's opened up nicely!

First day in the tank



Not even 24 hours later it's looking really nice



 
Coral beauty is what I decided to add next in the tank. It is my center piece fish. Very active and not shy at all! I got lucky with this one! She eats anything which is great. She acclimated very well to the tank also.







And then a group shot with my clown in the torch. He goes in and out of it every once in a while.

 
Also made my water mixing station. Not finished yet but it's going to be fresh water on top and then saltwater in the middle. Just need to go pick up another brute can.

 
Looking good Isaac!
I feed my lps blender mush just like everyone in the tank. I go by how big the corals mouths are, so like my Duncan has a big ol face and gets larger chunks, same with the bubble coral, things like torches get smaller bits. If you play around with it you'll get a feel for it. They take what they like pretty readily. I don't go bigger than brine shrimp size, idk I feel like it would be hard on the system and not easy to grab. I feed euphylia less than other lps, they seem less dependent on food, or maybe they are better at catching it on their own?
 
Hey sorry I haven't updated in a while. Been busy with my new born. Hopefully in a couple weeks I'll get some more coral and maybe another fish. Not sure yet though. I've got a little area that is starting to look like green hair algae. Going to nip that in the bud real quick! Maybe add some gfo also! Maybe add some chaeto and a deep sand bed to my refugium also. Still trying to run skimmerless as long as possible.
 
Just to see how effective my husbandry is without one. I don't over feed and do weekly maintenance and husbandry. I have a skimmer just haven't set it up yet, due to this expirament. So far my nitrates are zero and po4s are not crazy high. Gfo will take care of that. Only thing I'm not getting with no skimmer is dissolved oxygen. But an air stone in the sump takes care of that
 
What gfo stand for? I have read that the skimmer only takes cRe of 20 % and the rest is taken care by the liverock. I am in situation where i have to decide for skimmer or against one.. Really want to follow your experiment results
 
I was no skimmer for a year. As far as n&p it was fine. Idk how much I agree with the oxygen thing, I'm sure it does add some but I think as long as the surface of the water is moving its not a thing. Just that if your house is high co2 running a skimmer line out the window is an easy fix.

Now that I have one it's fun to play with carbon dosing, and it is pretty nasty what it pulls out of the water but idk if it's that big of a diff. Maybe it buys me a little wiggle room on maintenance, like I could go a few extra days without a wc if needed. I like your scheme of trying to get the husbandry on point first.

Congrats on the baby!!! :)

@arvis gfo is granular ferric oxide, it's a phosphate absorbing stuff that you run water through. Idk about 20% skimmer, idk how someone would come up with a number like that when there's so many diff things being removed.
 
Yea I figured the oxygen thing isn't a problem because there's always a window open in the house somewhere and we like to keep fresh air coming in, even in the winter.

Thanks he's my second boy and he's already a handful haha.

I think I my torch coral may be bleaching...it isn't the same color when it was first in my tank and I think it's because of my lights. I'm going to try turning them down a bit and see if their color gets better. It was a dark green color and now it's almost like it has no green except for the tips
 
Ok, tnx guys, good luck with your progress. This monday i am starting a 100 gallon aquarium build for my friend aand i have 1 month to figure out how to make a 10 feet long aquarium. If you have any ideas, i really need them.

As for my aquarium, i will put it together in like 4-6 days... Have to finish first client aquariums :)
 
Quick set up of my gravity fed saltwater mixing station. Not finished yet but it's a work in progress. Also hope my ATO idea will work the way I want it to.
Enjoy

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