55g tank build

[Kellsindell]

I've been in the sidelines of the for a while now and i've been timid to put my tanks on here... well I give up so here i go

I've been in the hobby for about 5 years and i'm still learning much as many of us are i started with a 25g and did all the wrong things (i'm only 23 now ). I don't have any pics of that anymore because my comp went down so now i'm using my wifes... for now.

In january-ish i had my 25g that i piled all my LR in because i had to move many many times and so i never set the 55g back up. it looked like this

See the pretty aptasia. i was very lax on them, but when i tried to kill them they just kept spreading

and spreading

and spreading

well i tried for a little while and again i was lax, so i hired some help

 

[Kellsindell]

So i noticed it was time to UG and so I got me some lights and flow and a 55g tank.

So i pulled the LR from the 25g and put about 70lbs into the 55g
the 25g looks like this now

Minus Royal gramma (jumped)

and the 55g looked like this

 

[Kellsindell]

Had an issue where all my sand was kicked up and all my softies were looking pretty pathetic, to give you an idea of what i mean, here's the Xenias before

after

and this morning 11/11

They are looking much better. i had to run some carbon to get the junk out of the water quicker then if i would have done nothing.

 

[Kellsindell]

I've had alk swings and because of it my BirdsNest has been suffering because of it.
Before

there's a small amount at the base.
this evening 11/11

at least the polyp extention looks good on it though and it's not spreading. i'm using a buffer to pull the alk up and to stablize it.

After seeing Melev's my wife wanted a Toadstool leather so i bought her a boquet of... erm flowers...

 

[Kellsindell]

I had some gargonians that were enjoying the tank, but when the sandbed was kicked up they didn't like it either so they went from this

to this is all i have left now, but they look happy and i've seen some growth

 

[Kellsindell]

Zoas are looking good i don't know what kind either are

Pink Thin branch Birds Nest

Small frag of a Red Montipora Capricornus

Purple Montipora Capricornus

 

[Kellsindell]

Canary Porites

Green Eklhorn Montipora

and the 2 residential fish in the tank

Orang Scroll

25g

 

[Kellsindell]

I don't know why but i like this shot

From the left

From the right

Angle left

angle right

Reflection left

Reflection right

Ok i'm done for now.

 

[Kellsindell]

One more

No Two

 

[Kellsindell]

I mounted the Purple Monti-cap

It looks better there.

 

[Kellsindell]

I'm having issues with my Elkhorn Montipora. i've noticed it's getting white on all it's tips

and this is what it looked like before

any thoughts?

 

[Kellsindell]

I got worried about the Elk Horn so i fragged it an put it into my 25g with lower ligh and lighter flow and i hope it'll do better.

 

[Kellsindell]

I kinda got tired of my MJ1200s falling down and blowing up my sand bed and injuring my corals.. yadda yadda so i fixed this issue

and the end results

Woot no more issues with that... granted some nonfish folk comes over and move the out of tank magnet. we'll see.

 

[Kellsindell]

I made the mistake of walking into Home Depot today and... they had acrylic and glass sheets there!!! OMG, they told me that they don't sell glass sheets anymore and last year when i checked on everything they didn't have many choices of acrylic... not anymore, so needless to say i had so many ideas go through my head as to what i was going to build and how i wanted my sump/refugium to look like. i have no plans as of yet, but i'm really excited and have many plans cranking in my head. even of a mini tank that i am wanting to make for a propagation system with an overflow box that drains in the center of the tank rather then the edges... zero clearance... maybe or mabe i can use it as a clam tank??? idk but i'm ready!

 

[Kellsindell]

OK i'm still at a loss. My alk is even lower then what it was before. it was at 8dkh and now it's sitting inbetween 6-7dkh. does anyone have any idea why it would be dropping?

 

[Kellsindell]

Ok, thanks to Melev, i've got my dkh up to about 8. He pointed me to RC's http://reef.diesyst.com/flashcalc/flashcalc.html came in handy.

 

[Kellsindell]

Correction it's up to 9dkh and my tank is looking great.

I'm at work now, but my xenias are making a return. i don't know if that's a good thing or not because i'm worried they will take some good realistate in my tank... perhaps i need to move them to the 25g? any suggestions on what the safest way would be?

BTW i'll post pics later tonight of the coral comebacks.

 

[crabbejoe]

Good thread! Your tanks are looking good too! What kind of lighting do you have?

 

[Kellsindell]

Thanks.

Wow, i don't think i've posted that, sorry. i'm using 2 175watt mahilton MH 14000k on the 55g and on the 25g i'm using 2 65watts coralife PC.

 

[Kellsindell]

Surface tention

Xenia update

Devils hand

And i'm getting some good extention

Alk is up to 10dkh finally. woot!