40 Gallon Breeder reef tank build...

[mmittlesteadt]

Perfectly stated.

So very cool you have this option. But it's not fair to the rest of us. I knew you would catch up to me in time but had no idea you would surpass my additions so fast! I'm just jealous. I still have a few more days before my clowns are done with their quarantine and I can finally have fish in my DT.

No fair! [emoji6]

Yes it is rather cool. When I ran two pet stores and could order my own fish and plants (at wholesale for my own personal tanks), it allowed me to get four huge Altum Angels and a school of 120 Cardinal Tetras. No...not for sale...for MY tank at home. I would never have done that at retail prices.

So yeah, I'm lucky. Heck I even netted my Twin Spot Goby myself to ensure it was under the least amount of stress possible during transfer.

I should point out that these tanks are not dedicated QT tanks at work. Customers could very well buy "my" fish I've been watching out from under me. If they did, I'd just wait until I could get another I could watch for a month. As a matter of fact, one customer wanted 'my" Twin Spot but one of the employees couldn't net him for that customer and gave up. Perhaps he knew he wanted go home with me. Regardless, I waited another week to make sure that didn't stress him out and that's why I netted him myself. I'm an expert at netting the exact fish i want without stressing it out much, if at all. Twenty years of doing it helps.

After having been in the business most of my adult life, I can tell you that establishing a great relationship with the people at your LFS makes all the difference in the world. Trust me, if it is a worthwhile, privately owned LFS, you WILL get preferential treatment. At least I always gave it to my best customers (and not necessarily the ones who spent the most either).

 

[mmittlesteadt]

I also added 10 Astrea snails to my tank. They have already practically eradicated my brown algae in less than two days. I have 3 tiny Nassarius in my sandbed and between them and the Twin Spot, my sand is getting turned over nicely.

These rocks were covered in brown algae on Sunday...

EDIT: Weird side glow from the sun shining through a window from the left (curtains closed).

 

[mmittlesteadt]

My Twin Spot Goby is doing well as far as I can tell. I've been target feeding him "Reef Chili" by making up a very concentrated batch and using the squeeze bottle to put it directly into the sand. Very little of it makes it's way into the water column (which wouldn't matter anyway as my corals and fish love what floats around anyway).

I make a trail in the sand while I squirt it into the sandbed around his favorite hiding cave in my rockwork. He immediately comes out and follows this trail. I know this is tedious but it's part of my daily morning ritual (when he seems most active). I know they are difficult to impossible to keep.

While it is easy to develop and maintain a healthy copepod population in my refugium, these guys eat zooplankton much smaller than copepods. I'm still researching how to get my sandbed cultured and I'm asking my marine biologist friend what I can do for this little guy.

Should I have left him at my LFS? He's getting more personal care and attention from me, so I'm not sure he'd do any better anywhere else besides the ocean itself.

 

[Swope2bc]

As long as your dedicated to his care I think your tank is a perfect place for him.

 

[mmittlesteadt]

As long as your dedicated to his care I think your tank is a perfect place for him.

He certainly has carved out his niche in my reef, as has my firefish. In time I'm sure he will venture further out, but for now he has the entire base of the right side of my rockwork as his turf.

I gotta get a pic of my firefish in his cave. It's really cool to see him barely poking his head out and the minute food hits the water, he's out...pointed upstream of the current and darting side to side to catch the food as it passes by.

 

[Swope2bc]

He certainly has carved out his niche in my reef, as has my firefish.



I gotta get a pic of my firefish in his cave. It's really cool to see him barely poking his head out and the minute food hits the water, he's out...pointed upstream of the current and darting side to side to catch the food as it passes by.

That's a lot of fun! And a beautiful fish too! I know your not planning to put it in for awhile, but have you decided what fish you will have as your "feature" fish? I believe you mentioned a dwarf angel..

 

[mmittlesteadt]

That's a lot of fun! And a beautiful fish too! I know your not planning to put it in for awhile, but have you decided what fish you will have as your "feature" fish? I believe you mentioned a dwarf angel..

After much consideration, I decided that any dwarf angel would not be a good addition. What I was really looking for was some kind of fish that tends to swim around out in the open more. Most other fish in my list tend to claim little areas and stay pretty much there...Clownfish, Firefish, Twin Spot Goby, lawnmmower blenny (while he would move about he sticks more to moving along rock work than swimming out and about).

So, I'm kind of thinking a Chalk Bass. Open swimmer, stays rather small, non-aggressive, reef safe. Seems to be the perfect "feature" fish for my tank.

 

[Swope2bc]

I'm considering a square tail bristle tooth tang. It's the smallest one I can find, they say min 70g but with an open less crowded rock plan I am hoping he will find enough swimming space... He maxes at 6" too, but that will take him years to reach and is optimal size so... Thoughts?

 

[mmittlesteadt]

I'm considering a square tail bristle tooth tang. It's the smallest one I can find, they say min 70g but with an open less crowded rock plan I am hoping he will find enough swimming space... He maxes at 6" too, but that will take him years to reach and is optimal size so... Thoughts?

I think the problem with having any kind of Tang (even smaller ones) in all but the largest of tanks is that they are almost on constant cruise control and swimming out in open waters. Something we can't replicate (even with very large tanks).

I'm thinking maybe some kind of fairy wrasse. They are colorful and always moving about. I've even considered a couple of Sailfin mollies and converting them over to saltwater. They are always swimming around and are very helpful in algae control.

 

[mmittlesteadt]

A few pics from today. I caught a couple of shots of my firefish in his cave, coming out and feeding. In the third pic you can see dots and tiny streaks...those are the particles in my "Reef Chili" that I feed every day. ALL my fish and Corals love it, in addition to my Twin Spot Goby getting target fed with it.

Firefish in his cave...

Firefish coming out to feed...

Firefish feeding on Reef Chili...note specks and streaks of Reef Chili (GSP in background)...

And one tank shot from the left side of my tank. You can see all four of my corals (Kenya Tree is hard to make out and Goniopora is partially blocked by rock above the GSP), and one clown and my firefish.

On Sunday, ALL of my rock that was lit, was covered in brown algae (not thick, but covered with it). Astrea snails cleaned it up good (almost too good...LOL).

 

[Swope2bc]

Looking amazing!! In regards to the tang, don't they wisp in and out of rock work and wouldn't he go around behind and back again? I don't want to put him in a place he will be miserable but I want to decide on some one who will definitely be active and in the open water...

 

[mmittlesteadt]

Thanks.

Honestly, I don't think any Tang should be in anything but a large tank. Tangs should be the short name for musTangs because all of them are high horsepower, fast swimming, open water loving creatures.

I REALLY want a dwarf angel...Flames being my faves and Coral Beauties a close second. I just can't see them really being good for my tank. As much as I want one, I don't know yet. But then again, for the most part I'm going with fast growing soft corals that tend to grow and spread rather quickly. I'm not as worried about the dwarf angels being reef safe as I am them being non-agressive to the many other fish I want that are more docile.

Either of those two dwarf angels certainly would be stunning and active throughout my tank, so I just don't know if they would be a good choice. I wouldn't really put any fish that gets 6" long in my tank as much as I would like to.

 

[Martini5788]

What about the Pygmy cherub angel?

 

[mmittlesteadt]

What about the Pygmy cherub angel?

Hmmm...interesting choice. A possibility. I'll have to think on that. Regardless, if I ever did get a dwarf angel, it would be the very last addition to the tank as I'd want all others well established.

Every addition thus far (and as I go forward) has been thought about, specifically as to its role in my reef, what part of the reef it likes to inhabit, how well it plays with others, what it feeds on (specifically competition for the same food source), etc.

Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Martini5788]

You were talking about the dwarf Angels and that's the one that comes to mind as to the smallest in size. What other fish are you considering?

 

[mmittlesteadt]

You were talking about the dwarf Angels and that's the one that comes to mind as to the smallest in size. What other fish are you considering?

Bangaii Cardinals (or Pajamas)
Royal Gramma
Lawnmower Blenny
Chalk Bass

Possibly Black or Sailfin Molly (converted to SW). Just toying with that idea.

 

[Martini5788]

You aren't worried about the gramma and chalk bass fighting? I have never kept the chalk bass but was considering it a few months ago but was cautioned against it because I had a gramma.

 

[mmittlesteadt]

You aren't worried about the gramma and chalk bass fighting? I have never kept the chalk bass but was considering it a few months ago but was cautioned against it because I had a gramma.

Interesting. Maybe it's a territorial thing. I have a lot of potential caves, overhangs and such for fish to find refuge. I designed my rockwork to be very intricate with openings and hiding places.

Still, maybe its an either/or choice. Never considered those two fighting. Chalk bass is pretty docile with other fish. So is the Gramma. Unless they feel each other to be too similar. I'll have to look into that.

 

[mmittlesteadt]

Checked with snorvich...

Tank isn't big enough for any Fairy Wrasses and the Pygmy Angel is too aggressive. Chalk bass is a candidate though. Didn't seem to be an issue with the Royal Gramma, only that my total number of fish might be high.

However, I don't think he was taking into account that I have a total of 70 gallons combined water volume with the surface area of my 40 Breeder display and 65 gallon sump which is heavily aerated by a large skimmer.

 

[mmittlesteadt]

Fed my tank this morning...target feeding my Goby and the rest with the Reef Chili. Got a great pic of both my Firefish and Goby in the same shot when they came out. I'll have to post it after work.

Picking up a gorgeous ORA Silver Xenia Coral today. $10. It's about 3" high and really full.

ORA pic...