75 gallon reef build

[iwishtofish]

Looking good! I love astrea snails - they are real workers. I got a couple cerith snails (unsolicited) in my mix, and they aren't really recommended for tanks without substrate, but mine are outlasting a lot of the astreas.

I enjoy asterina stars. Some people think they can be problematic, especially if they get really big, but I don't.

I think you got a good bulb combo. If I had that 4-bulb combo, I'd get some LED strips (not very powerful) for dusk to dawn, and run all four T5s on the same cycle. Maybe for 7-8 hours, or so?

 

[Waddleboy]

Looks great. hopefully your cycle is over and everything will do fine. I keep my temp between 76-78 ranging without a problem i think 82 is high but thats just me. Looks great keep it up. im jealous

 

[Nonameben]

Looking good! I love astrea snails - they are real workers. I got a couple cerith snails (unsolicited) in my mix, and they aren't really recommended for tanks without substrate, but mine are outlasting a lot of the astreas.

I enjoy asterina stars. Some people think they can be problematic, especially if they get really big, but I don't.

I think you got a good bulb combo. If I had that 4-bulb combo, I'd get some LED strips (not very powerful) for dusk to dawn, and run all four T5s on the same cycle. Maybe for 7-8 hours, or so?

I woke up this morning and found a few in some odd places, pretty amusing. It's really cool to have some life in here now! I can just sit and watch things move around, it's very relaxing

I've found 3 of them, about the size of one's pinky nail. I don't see them being a problem, plus my girlfriend thinks they're cute. I HAVE to keep them now haha!

I actually have been looking into the LED strips for a while now. Once I get the rodi and protein skimmer, I'll be able to work on upgrades for the tank. The LED strips are 1st-2nd along with a refugium. Any brands you would suggest? I've been looking on marinedepot at their selection. I've got to reset the light timers on my lights, I bought them used so it's on the guys schedule. 8am-8pm moonlights 8pm-6am.

 

[Nonameben]

Looks great. hopefully your cycle is over and everything will do fine. I keep my temp between 76-78 ranging without a problem i think 82 is high but thats just me. Looks great keep it up. im jealous

I think it is over, atleast that's what I've convinced myself. Tested all water parameters this morning and everything seems alright, I'm about to upload some pictures and a quick little update. The second heater has really helped my temp out alot. It's sitting at 78 right now, which is the highest it's been. I'd like to keep it right there. Haha, get anybody to help move the tank? I'm ready for you to have some water in that badboy

 

[Nonameben]

Quick update

Quick update

I tested my water today due to this possible cycle problem. Everything seemed right though, I'm starting to think I just had a really quick cycle.

Salinity: 1.026
pH: 8.2-8.3
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: .2

Still need test kits for Ca, Mg, and phosphates. I'm working on it!
Typing this just made me realize I forgot to check ALk! I'll do that once I get off.

Anyways, the second heater really helped out! The temp is at a steady 78F and I'm loving it! And these bulbs are amazing, The pure actinic really brings out the coralline color on my rocks. I can't wait to see how corals look under these. As IWishtofish mentioned, I plan on adding a LED strip. Is one sufficient? Any brands y'all would suggest?

Here's some photos. I've got a question about my snails..

They seem to be hanging out on that rock, a few have made it to the main live rock and onto the glass but I'm thinking maybe my water flow is impeding their movement from that rock? Any thoughts on this would be great

And here is a FTS for everyone!

Enjoy!

 

[Waddleboy]

unlikely the water is impeding the snails. Mine all hang out in one corner on top of each other when there is low light. Just strange animals. My cycle happened in two weeks. I left it for the full 4 cause i was nervous but by the end of week 2, i only had 20 nitrates so it was pretty much over. Also tank is on the stand, just running the plumbing which is a monster in itself.

 

[Nonameben]

Update

Update

I couldn't help myself today. I went by the LFs and bought 4 little electric blue hermits! I love watching them roam over my tank.

Sad to say I'm now down to 2 peppermint shrimp. I'm really not sure what killed the other 3. My water parameters are fine, I drip acclimated them for 20 minutes. The only way I've come up with is the living 2 killed the dead 3 :/

Played around with my mom's camera. Not the greatest, canon sx120 but it does have a macro setting that is decent. I really want a dslr!!!!

Of coures, y'all know the photos are coming. Here they are

This cerith is trying to kill itself I swear! It's been roaming the top of the tank since I got him

Okay quick question here, I was finally able to get a viewable picture of these guys. Not the hair algae, but the tiny white circle creature above it. I've got a bunch of stomatella snails that hitch hiked and there are a bunch of babies now. Is this one of them, or.....a flatworm? :eek2:

 

[iwishtofish]

I was just thinking that LEDs would be useful for the dusk/dawn effect, as all your T5 bulbs likely have good PAR (the pure actinic likely having the least), and that something with less PAR (like weak LEDs) could extend your viewing time without over-saturating your corals. Be careful not to bleach anything up too high with those new bulbs!

I've thought about moonlights before, but they'd have to be as dim as natural moonlight for me to use them. Animals need their dark time to do their thing.

Looks like a flatworm. I had some at the beginning - just babies - and they went away. I wasted money on Flatworm Exit (I hope, haha) because I never had to use it.

Strange algae on the glass. Almost looks like bryopsis, or even caulerpa, starting up there. But maybe it's a form of hair algae, dunno.

Hard to say about the shrimp. They are sensitive to pH, temp, and salinity swings. I've heard that if your shrimp do well, your waters generally pretty stable. Are you feeding them meaty pellets, or something like that? They'll need it, and that feeding will help build your bacterial base.

 

[Waddleboy]

ive learned sometimes the shrimps can pick out a weak member thats dying and he becomes lunch. so count the two you have left as a gang and keep it that way haha

 

[jlylec]

Looks good man! That is a flatworm and I'd blast them before they get too bad honestly. And before you have fish in there you could possible kill with the toxins they release when they die. Why risk it?

Did you find 3 dead peppermints? Some of them can be nocturnal and they're real good at hiding. I thought I lost a couple until I saw them early one morning before the lights came on. They can and will molt too. When I first had them I mistook molts for dead peppermints.

Ceriths like the top edge of the water for some reason. Mine do the same thing constantly. It's nice cause they keep that inevitable ring-around-the-tank down!

I really wouldn't worry about any algae's at this stage in the game. So many different kinds will come and go until everything settles in. Unless you see something really taking off I'd just let it run it's course. Plus without any coral in there yet if something did get bad you could go dark for a week and knock it out without harming anything.

 

[Nonameben]

I was just thinking that LEDs would be useful for the dusk/dawn effect, as all your T5 bulbs likely have good PAR (the pure actinic likely having the least), and that something with less PAR (like weak LEDs) could extend your viewing time without over-saturating your corals. Be careful not to bleach anything up too high with those new bulbs!

I've thought about moonlights before, but they'd have to be as dim as natural moonlight for me to use them. Animals need their dark time to do their thing.

Looks like a flatworm. I had some at the beginning - just babies - and they went away. I wasted money on Flatworm Exit (I hope, haha) because I never had to use it.

Strange algae on the glass. Almost looks like bryopsis, or even caulerpa, starting up there. But maybe it's a form of hair algae, dunno.

Hard to say about the shrimp. They are sensitive to pH, temp, and salinity swings. I've heard that if your shrimp do well, your waters generally pretty stable. Are you feeding them meaty pellets, or something like that? They'll need it, and that feeding will help build your bacterial base.

That makes sense, I really hate when my lights go out. Always when I want to look at my tank the most!

The moonlights that came in my aquatic life are pretty dim, and I'm still in the process of resetting my whole light timer. I really like them, makes the tank look like it's under the real moon.

Ugh flatworms. That's what I thought they were, dammit! Well hopefully they'll go away like yours. Yes, at first they were single strands which made me think it was hair algae, but now it looks pretty crazy. I'll post a better picture for you.

With my shrimp, I actually haven't been feeding them. I was thinking they would do fine with all the algae and stuff in my tank. Looks like I'll be picking some food up for them, any suggestions? Hopefully that's it because everything seems to be in the right ballpark.

 

[Nonameben]

ive learned sometimes the shrimps can pick out a weak member thats dying and he becomes lunch. so count the two you have left as a gang and keep it that way haha

Great, I've got a gang trying to claim my tank as their turf! We'll see about that!

 

[Nonameben]

Looks good man! That is a flatworm and I'd blast them before they get too bad honestly. And before you have fish in there you could possible kill with the toxins they release when they die. Why risk it?

Did you find 3 dead peppermints? Some of them can be nocturnal and they're real good at hiding. I thought I lost a couple until I saw them early one morning before the lights came on. They can and will molt too. When I first had them I mistook molts for dead peppermints.

Ceriths like the top edge of the water for some reason. Mine do the same thing constantly. It's nice cause they keep that inevitable ring-around-the-tank down!

I really wouldn't worry about any algae's at this stage in the game. So many different kinds will come and go until everything settles in. Unless you see something really taking off I'd just let it run it's course. Plus without any coral in there yet if something did get bad you could go dark for a week and knock it out without harming anything.

Yea I've seen quite a few of these little guys on my tank, hoping they were baby stomatellas. Now I'm seeing the difference in the two. Ugh, I'll grab some flatworm exit just to be sure then!

I'm positive about the three being dead, they get stuck to my left powerhead :uhoh2:

I'm curious about that. Can they still breathe when roaming around the top? Yes, I've noticed the top of my tank becoming cleaner and cleaner!

I actually did go dark for 4 days to kill the cyano I had everywhere. It did the trick, but is slowly starting to come back!!!!

 

[Nonameben]

My favorite picture, hands down. Also my favorite snail (probably because he was my first, and free!)

This ridiculous algae problem I've got going on.

 

[iwishtofish]

You know, that could be a baby stomatella - get a magnifying glass and take a closer look. If it is, it'll have the tentacles and snout, I should think, of the grownups. If you don't see anything except an undulating body - probably a flatworm. Don't freak out, though, like I did. Things that are perceived worries very often are nothing to worry about, in this hobby!

Now that algae... Looks like caulerpa to me, with the branching. Post a pick in a "please ID this algae" thread, or something like that, if you really want to know. Sometimes new threads get new readers.

Those might just be molts from the shrimp. Molts look like the real thing, without the real thing. Peppermints often hide better than their molts. Feed them omnivorous pellets, of some sort. If you want to be less likely to pollute the tank with uneaten food, get the pellets to a low flow spot and see if they get eaten. You might have to sort of hide, if the shrimp are shy, but if they are hungry enough they'll come get em.

 

[CalisFinest]

i just finished reading through the tread im starting a 75 gallon reef as well like others have said mine will probably pop up over night. i just got my skimmer and rodi system today and i get the rest of my goodies by the end of the week. get the fuge going!!! i can tell you its way worth it seeing as you like to look at all the little critters in your tank as much as me
: )

 

[Nonameben]

You know, that could be a baby stomatella - get a magnifying glass and take a closer look. If it is, it'll have the tentacles and snout, I should think, of the grownups. If you don't see anything except an undulating body - probably a flatworm. Don't freak out, though, like I did. Things that are perceived worries very often are nothing to worry about, in this hobby!

Now that algae... Looks like caulerpa to me, with the branching. Post a pick in a "please ID this algae" thread, or something like that, if you really want to know. Sometimes new threads get new readers.

Those might just be molts from the shrimp. Molts look like the real thing, without the real thing. Peppermints often hide better than their molts. Feed them omnivorous pellets, of some sort. If you want to be less likely to pollute the tank with uneaten food, get the pellets to a low flow spot and see if they get eaten. You might have to sort of hide, if the shrimp are shy, but if they are hungry enough they'll come get em.

I'll check them out this weekend, however I don't think they have snouts :worried:

I really don't think they are molts, I'm only seeing the two in the tank and the dead ones had organs inside of them. Ugh oh well, you live and you learn. Especially with this hobby. I really really need a Ca and Mg test kit, and I'm really curious to see if fish will survive in my tank. I'll be setting the QT up this weekend, and possibly adding a midas blenny the following weekend! It all depends, the few snails and hermits are kind of like a test run. I'm hoping the shrimp killed each other. and my tank wasn't the cause of it

 

[Nonameben]

i just finished reading through the tread im starting a 75 gallon reef as well like others have said mine will probably pop up over night. i just got my skimmer and rodi system today and i get the rest of my goodies by the end of the week. get the fuge going!!! i can tell you its way worth it seeing as you like to look at all the little critters in your tank as much as me
: )

WELCOME TO RC!!! You should start a build, it's pretty fun to watch your tank progress with all the pictures and posts! I'm picking up my rodi this weekend! I know I know, It just will require some diy and some thinking. I haven't had the chance to commit to that project yet, soon though!

I'm glad you like looking at the critters. You should see me, I'll sit in front of my tank for hours watching the pods, the new sea stars Ifound, and all the other critters roam around. It's great!

Good luck on your start!

 

[CalisFinest]

i can imagine im jealous seeing all your pictures made me go and order the rest of my equipment ill have to start a tread soon

 

[Nonameben]

i can imagine im jealous seeing all your pictures made me go and order the rest of my equipment ill have to start a tread soon

What equipment do you have so far? Let me know when you start the thread, I'll follow along. It's nice to see another 75g build, two heads will be better than one!