Here is a quick update of how things have progressed in the last couple of weeks.
Overall, both tanks are doing well. Coralline is filling in with pinks, greens and reds in that order of dominance. I am starting to see some of those little curly calcareous tubeworms taking hold in various places around the tanks. Mostly high flow areas like around the overflows, on outer parts of the rocks and down in the lower portions of the Eco-Wheel filter. Nuisance algae has been kept to a minimum, but I have been feeding a semi-nightly milkshake of Algamac, Roti-Rich and Golden Pearls 3-4 times a week, and if I donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t monitor the addition closely, I see algae blooms 24-48 hours later.
One thing that I find interesting is the lack of cyano and diatoms that seem to make an appearance in the early stages of a tankââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s life. My sandbed seems to get a light coating of brown algae in a few areas, but I have enough animals that stir things up to keep that in check. I find myself wiping down the glass about every other day.
As far as additives go.... I add approx 3 tsps of Kentââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s Turbo Calcium 2-3 days in a row, then switch and add 50ml of each Kent A&B on the alternate day. I repeat as necessary to keep my calcium levels between 380-420ppm. I have made 2 small water changes since the system was set up using Catalina Water Co. NSW at the rate of 30-35 gal per water change. Unless I have a change of mind, Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll probably continue with similar 10-15% water changes on a regular monthly basis. Evaporation is moderate, with anywhere from 1-3 gals of RO water needed to top things off each day.
So far, I have no plans to use any additional supplements.
Corals: The only coral that has been lost to date are a Sinularia sp. and some nice looking orange zoanthids. The zooanthids caught the attention of my Navarcus (Majestic angel) and have been relegated to a few fragments that have tumbled out of view. The Sinalaria sp. (yellow finger leather) appeared to have difficulties during acclimation. The coral never extended polyps and began to disintegrate shortly after it was added. The coral was obtained form a LFS who kept it under a pair of T5 fluorescent lights, and I suspect that it succumbed to light shock immediately after being added to my tank.
However, I discovered that there was a pair of (yet to be identified) tunicates attached to the underlying rock. The piece has since been moved to the smaller tank where the tunicates look to be thriving.
The lavender Montipora that is shown in the above pic seems to be darkening slightly, turning an overall dark purple/brown but still retaining its bright blue coloring along its outer edges. I accidentally damaged this coral slightly when I broke off a nickel-sized piece while attempting to mount it in the tank. The fragment was small, but I thought it was worth saving, and I epoxied it to the reef in a nearby location. Initially, there was some die-off, but much to my amazement, the frag has re-grown and in now encrusting the epoxy holdfast.
The light green Acropora is darkening also, turning from a pale, almost sea foam green coloration, to a very intense forest green color. Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m estimating there to be approximately 2-3mm of growth since adding it to the tank.
A recently acquired Studeriotes longiramosa (Christmas tree coral/ Medusa coral) also appears to be thriving. Unfortunately, I was having a brain fade that day and purchased it thinking it was an unusual species of Sinularia. As a result, I wound up with a non-photosynthetic coral that requires specialized care. Perfect for my low-light tank you say? Absolutely! Except for the fact that due to my misidentification, I placed it in the reef tank where it subsequently attached to a piece of rock. Nonetheless, it appears to be doing nicely. The only hitch is it doesnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t seem to like the metal halide lighting, but rather, prefers to open up during the later evening and throughout the night. Now that I have realized my mistake, I went right out and acquired a 2nd specimen and placed in the smaller tank. I think it will be an interesting side-by-side comparison to observe the two in their respective environments.
There is also a ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œwingedââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ oyster that hitchhiked in on one of the large gorgs that appears to be doing well. Interestingly, the animal has the ability to move around on the gorg as it sees fit. It uses bissel threads to anchor itself in place, but upon moving, it simply "ropes" another branch and reels itself in like crane dragging a car out of a ditch.
There are also numerous species of sponge and aposynthetic bivalves thriving in the smaller tank along with a couple larger blue sponges that were added early October.
Fish: This is where I have taken the biggest hit. As of this writing all 3 Engineer gobies have been lost. The first problems started approximately 1 week after introduction. After apparently settling in well, I noticed one of the trio looking horribly beat up - he had several marks along his body and his tail was ragged with exposed flesh present. I have seen inter-species aggression before from these guys, but never to this extent. I subsequently moved the fish to the smaller tank in the hopes he might recover. 48 hours later he was covered in what appeared to be a white mucus type of coating and died later that evening.
The following week a second goby appeared with exactly the same symptoms and was subsequently moved. A few days later he was found deceased on the sand bed.
At the start of the third week I noticed my Hippo tang chasing and harassing the last remaining goby. The goby appeared to be a little beat up but not to the extent of the other two. I was a little confused as to why the Hippo would have turned into such a bully, but nonetheless; I moved the goby to the smaller tank to recover.
Within a few days he had stopped eating and was beginning to show signs of the same mucus coating as the other two. The following day, he actually looked like he was peeling and his tail had disintegrated into a terrible looking stump. At this point I realized that the infection was not secondary to the aggression, but rather, the aggression was brought on by their diminished health due to the infection. Sadly, I euthanized my last goby on 10/18/03
Gorgonian condition 1: (Borneman, E.H. 2001) Is a term that until recently, I was not familiar with. However, the condition as described by Eric B. in his book ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Aquarium Corals: Selection, Husbandry and Natural Historyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ is a pretty accurate explanation for the next problem that I found myself contending with.
On or about week 5, (approx 3 weeks after species introduction) I began to notice patches of tissue receding from several of my smaller Muricea sp.??? (bronze/golden sea rod) gorgonians. The recession appeared somewhat overnight, and within a couple of days had stripped several gorgs of 25-50% of their outer tissue. Testing (Salifert) showed no detectable levels of NO2/NO3 or NH4. Calcium levels were at approx 380ppm and alk/dkh measured 11.5 / 4.1 respectively. pH came in at 8.0 - System was put on carbon and a 10% NSW water change was performed.
Within a few days the affected gorgs had stabilized, however the remaining gorgs of the same species began to follow suit. At this point I began to wonder if they werenââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t succumbing to some kind of pathogen as all other varieties of gorgs appeared healthy and unaffected.
By week week two all gorgs of that particular species had suffered some degree of damage. (At this time the recession has all but stopped and some regeneration has begun, although it is slow and not totally widespread)
Conclusion: So far I quite happy with how things are progressing and Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll keep my fingers crossed that there are no further setbacks. Upcoming plans are to start building the pinnacle structure for the smaller tank. And yes Skylsdale... all the way to the surface is the intended plan. I originally thought about trying some rockwork around the interior walls ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ sort of a cave-like look. But Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m thinking that will be too labor intensive to fabricate. Besides, Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m starting to like the ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œglowââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ that I get from the subdued lighting and the blue acrylic. Also, the smaller width of the tank really captures the look and feel of what is referred to as a focus tank at a couple of the public aquariums I am familiar with. So, Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll stick to the rock in the center of the tank and have the corals growing outward from that. I have already added a trio of Pajama cardinals and a pair of Purple firefish (although I havenââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t seen one of them in several days). Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m also looking at a pair or trio of Lretail anthias but I certainly wonââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t count out the Sunbursts.
Anyone have any other suggestions for deeper water specimens? A goby perhaps? Something from the Echinoderm family?
Keep in mind, itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s a deeper water tank, not a ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œDEEPââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ water tank, so anything from the 50ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢-150ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ depths will suffice. Skylsdale, I know youââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ve researched this area quite extensively, so Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m counting on you for some suggestions.
Other than that, all I can say is yes, the system is pricey, and I canââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t argue that. You can certainly lessen the sticker shock by factoring in the absence of a custom built sump, top of the line skimmer, refugium, and several pumps to help bridge the gap. If you really wanted to try and justify it further, you could also subtract the price of a chiller and all the electricity that would be used over the course of several years. I guess if you got creative enough you could probably show this system to be a pretty good bargain.
Or you could certainly set up something comparable with a more traditional algae filter and sump. How about a sump down below, with an airlift taking water up to an ATS that would then dump directly into the tank? The ATS becomes the refugium and you could even use a dump bucket for a surge effect. There are a lot of ways to feel slightly less of a pinch on the wallet. But regardless, youââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢re going to feel a pinch if you want to do it right. The thing to remember is, itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s not what you use to accomplish your goal, itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s whether or not the goal is accomplished. And if the goal is to remove impeller pumps from the equation, reduce heat transfer, and provide alternative means of water filtration, then I really feel that this general type of idea is the way to go.
But, price not withstanding, this was my dream system and I wanted something that was ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œoutside of the boxââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ so to speak. I also wanted something that was already proven. That by itself was enough justification for me. I have always enjoyed taking the road less traveled and this has definitely been a real excursion.
Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll be happy to continue to answer any questions that might come up, or join in any further discussions, but Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m not planning to add any further updates for another 3-4 weeks. Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢d really like to make some progress on the smaller tank before I start dumping more pics into this growing thread.
So until next time, keep the lights on and the water moving,
Brett
Overall, both tanks are doing well. Coralline is filling in with pinks, greens and reds in that order of dominance. I am starting to see some of those little curly calcareous tubeworms taking hold in various places around the tanks. Mostly high flow areas like around the overflows, on outer parts of the rocks and down in the lower portions of the Eco-Wheel filter. Nuisance algae has been kept to a minimum, but I have been feeding a semi-nightly milkshake of Algamac, Roti-Rich and Golden Pearls 3-4 times a week, and if I donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t monitor the addition closely, I see algae blooms 24-48 hours later.
One thing that I find interesting is the lack of cyano and diatoms that seem to make an appearance in the early stages of a tankââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s life. My sandbed seems to get a light coating of brown algae in a few areas, but I have enough animals that stir things up to keep that in check. I find myself wiping down the glass about every other day.
As far as additives go.... I add approx 3 tsps of Kentââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s Turbo Calcium 2-3 days in a row, then switch and add 50ml of each Kent A&B on the alternate day. I repeat as necessary to keep my calcium levels between 380-420ppm. I have made 2 small water changes since the system was set up using Catalina Water Co. NSW at the rate of 30-35 gal per water change. Unless I have a change of mind, Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll probably continue with similar 10-15% water changes on a regular monthly basis. Evaporation is moderate, with anywhere from 1-3 gals of RO water needed to top things off each day.
So far, I have no plans to use any additional supplements.
Corals: The only coral that has been lost to date are a Sinularia sp. and some nice looking orange zoanthids. The zooanthids caught the attention of my Navarcus (Majestic angel) and have been relegated to a few fragments that have tumbled out of view. The Sinalaria sp. (yellow finger leather) appeared to have difficulties during acclimation. The coral never extended polyps and began to disintegrate shortly after it was added. The coral was obtained form a LFS who kept it under a pair of T5 fluorescent lights, and I suspect that it succumbed to light shock immediately after being added to my tank.
However, I discovered that there was a pair of (yet to be identified) tunicates attached to the underlying rock. The piece has since been moved to the smaller tank where the tunicates look to be thriving.
The lavender Montipora that is shown in the above pic seems to be darkening slightly, turning an overall dark purple/brown but still retaining its bright blue coloring along its outer edges. I accidentally damaged this coral slightly when I broke off a nickel-sized piece while attempting to mount it in the tank. The fragment was small, but I thought it was worth saving, and I epoxied it to the reef in a nearby location. Initially, there was some die-off, but much to my amazement, the frag has re-grown and in now encrusting the epoxy holdfast.
The light green Acropora is darkening also, turning from a pale, almost sea foam green coloration, to a very intense forest green color. Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m estimating there to be approximately 2-3mm of growth since adding it to the tank.
A recently acquired Studeriotes longiramosa (Christmas tree coral/ Medusa coral) also appears to be thriving. Unfortunately, I was having a brain fade that day and purchased it thinking it was an unusual species of Sinularia. As a result, I wound up with a non-photosynthetic coral that requires specialized care. Perfect for my low-light tank you say? Absolutely! Except for the fact that due to my misidentification, I placed it in the reef tank where it subsequently attached to a piece of rock. Nonetheless, it appears to be doing nicely. The only hitch is it doesnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t seem to like the metal halide lighting, but rather, prefers to open up during the later evening and throughout the night. Now that I have realized my mistake, I went right out and acquired a 2nd specimen and placed in the smaller tank. I think it will be an interesting side-by-side comparison to observe the two in their respective environments.
There is also a ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œwingedââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ oyster that hitchhiked in on one of the large gorgs that appears to be doing well. Interestingly, the animal has the ability to move around on the gorg as it sees fit. It uses bissel threads to anchor itself in place, but upon moving, it simply "ropes" another branch and reels itself in like crane dragging a car out of a ditch.
There are also numerous species of sponge and aposynthetic bivalves thriving in the smaller tank along with a couple larger blue sponges that were added early October.
Fish: This is where I have taken the biggest hit. As of this writing all 3 Engineer gobies have been lost. The first problems started approximately 1 week after introduction. After apparently settling in well, I noticed one of the trio looking horribly beat up - he had several marks along his body and his tail was ragged with exposed flesh present. I have seen inter-species aggression before from these guys, but never to this extent. I subsequently moved the fish to the smaller tank in the hopes he might recover. 48 hours later he was covered in what appeared to be a white mucus type of coating and died later that evening.
The following week a second goby appeared with exactly the same symptoms and was subsequently moved. A few days later he was found deceased on the sand bed.
At the start of the third week I noticed my Hippo tang chasing and harassing the last remaining goby. The goby appeared to be a little beat up but not to the extent of the other two. I was a little confused as to why the Hippo would have turned into such a bully, but nonetheless; I moved the goby to the smaller tank to recover.
Within a few days he had stopped eating and was beginning to show signs of the same mucus coating as the other two. The following day, he actually looked like he was peeling and his tail had disintegrated into a terrible looking stump. At this point I realized that the infection was not secondary to the aggression, but rather, the aggression was brought on by their diminished health due to the infection. Sadly, I euthanized my last goby on 10/18/03
Gorgonian condition 1: (Borneman, E.H. 2001) Is a term that until recently, I was not familiar with. However, the condition as described by Eric B. in his book ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Aquarium Corals: Selection, Husbandry and Natural Historyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ is a pretty accurate explanation for the next problem that I found myself contending with.
On or about week 5, (approx 3 weeks after species introduction) I began to notice patches of tissue receding from several of my smaller Muricea sp.??? (bronze/golden sea rod) gorgonians. The recession appeared somewhat overnight, and within a couple of days had stripped several gorgs of 25-50% of their outer tissue. Testing (Salifert) showed no detectable levels of NO2/NO3 or NH4. Calcium levels were at approx 380ppm and alk/dkh measured 11.5 / 4.1 respectively. pH came in at 8.0 - System was put on carbon and a 10% NSW water change was performed.
Within a few days the affected gorgs had stabilized, however the remaining gorgs of the same species began to follow suit. At this point I began to wonder if they werenââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t succumbing to some kind of pathogen as all other varieties of gorgs appeared healthy and unaffected.
By week week two all gorgs of that particular species had suffered some degree of damage. (At this time the recession has all but stopped and some regeneration has begun, although it is slow and not totally widespread)
Conclusion: So far I quite happy with how things are progressing and Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll keep my fingers crossed that there are no further setbacks. Upcoming plans are to start building the pinnacle structure for the smaller tank. And yes Skylsdale... all the way to the surface is the intended plan. I originally thought about trying some rockwork around the interior walls ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ sort of a cave-like look. But Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m thinking that will be too labor intensive to fabricate. Besides, Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m starting to like the ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œglowââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ that I get from the subdued lighting and the blue acrylic. Also, the smaller width of the tank really captures the look and feel of what is referred to as a focus tank at a couple of the public aquariums I am familiar with. So, Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll stick to the rock in the center of the tank and have the corals growing outward from that. I have already added a trio of Pajama cardinals and a pair of Purple firefish (although I havenââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t seen one of them in several days). Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m also looking at a pair or trio of Lretail anthias but I certainly wonââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t count out the Sunbursts.
Anyone have any other suggestions for deeper water specimens? A goby perhaps? Something from the Echinoderm family?
Keep in mind, itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s a deeper water tank, not a ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œDEEPââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ water tank, so anything from the 50ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢-150ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ depths will suffice. Skylsdale, I know youââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ve researched this area quite extensively, so Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m counting on you for some suggestions.
Other than that, all I can say is yes, the system is pricey, and I canââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t argue that. You can certainly lessen the sticker shock by factoring in the absence of a custom built sump, top of the line skimmer, refugium, and several pumps to help bridge the gap. If you really wanted to try and justify it further, you could also subtract the price of a chiller and all the electricity that would be used over the course of several years. I guess if you got creative enough you could probably show this system to be a pretty good bargain.
Or you could certainly set up something comparable with a more traditional algae filter and sump. How about a sump down below, with an airlift taking water up to an ATS that would then dump directly into the tank? The ATS becomes the refugium and you could even use a dump bucket for a surge effect. There are a lot of ways to feel slightly less of a pinch on the wallet. But regardless, youââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢re going to feel a pinch if you want to do it right. The thing to remember is, itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s not what you use to accomplish your goal, itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s whether or not the goal is accomplished. And if the goal is to remove impeller pumps from the equation, reduce heat transfer, and provide alternative means of water filtration, then I really feel that this general type of idea is the way to go.
But, price not withstanding, this was my dream system and I wanted something that was ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œoutside of the boxââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ so to speak. I also wanted something that was already proven. That by itself was enough justification for me. I have always enjoyed taking the road less traveled and this has definitely been a real excursion.
Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll be happy to continue to answer any questions that might come up, or join in any further discussions, but Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m not planning to add any further updates for another 3-4 weeks. Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢d really like to make some progress on the smaller tank before I start dumping more pics into this growing thread.
So until next time, keep the lights on and the water moving,
Brett
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I love both Lyretails and Sunbursts, but wonder if the Sunbrusts would do better given the dimensions of the tank? However, if you've got some good laminar flow in an area around the pinnacle, they may be happy to just sit in there and feed. Another fish choice would be some sort of flasher wrasse. You may want to bypass the lyretails and try to add a small harem of these little guys instead...which might work better with disposition of the current fish in the tank. A few diminuitive gobies would be cool...maybe some triplefin types if you can get them (I always see them in photos from the reef slope, but not sure if they make it into the trade). 
