DIY 20g Long Build Thread
- Thread starter JasonBJones
- Start date
JasonBJones
New member
Thanks as always for the compliments guys. It is exciting to see the tank really starting to reach the dreams I have for it. I also can't wait to see what it looks like in a year when it grows out.
I will try to take some pics tomorrow to update the thread. You can all wallow in the sadness of the bryopsis with me!
Duncan. There is a single MP10 on the right side about 3" below the water level. That pump does a great job of keeping the surface well agitated. On the left side in the front is the overflow which surface skims. Additionally, the return pump return comes through the angled wall about an inch or two below the surface and provides agitation as well.
I will try to take some pics tomorrow to update the thread. You can all wallow in the sadness of the bryopsis with me!
Duncan. There is a single MP10 on the right side about 3" below the water level. That pump does a great job of keeping the surface well agitated. On the left side in the front is the overflow which surface skims. Additionally, the return pump return comes through the angled wall about an inch or two below the surface and provides agitation as well.
JasonBJones
New member
As promised, here are some updated pics.
I have really been neglecting the tank lately and am having a couple of problems. Some of the zoas have been closing up over the last few days and I had a couple die off. I tried looking for any nudis and didn't see anything. Ran through the gauntlet of tests and everything looked fine, until I got to salinity, which was 1.031. I have been dosing Mg like crazy to try and fend of the bryopsis and I was stupid and wasn't checking the salinity. I did a large water change yesterday and plan to slowly bring it back down to 1.026 over the next week. Hopefully that is what is causing the problems. Everything except some of the zoanthids looked fine, including the fish.
As promised, here are some pictures of how things are doing. If you look at the birdsnest you can really see all the new branches that have started over the last couple of weeks. Additionally, I bought the SPS colony on the back of the rock about 3 or 4 months ago completely browned out. I thought it had potential, and it is really starting to color up, so I included a big picture of it to document its progress. I added a few more rics, as much as I hate to, I really have to be done. On an exciting note, I won my local clubs photography contest of the month with a picture of the ric rock, the contest title was "Multi-color"
New Pink Lemonade. He is really only yellow on the top and the other parts are turning green. May have to figure out a place to move him with more light, see if that help. But I really like him there.
Nightmares I bought as a two polyp frag a couple of months ago are now at six polyps. Grow baby grow.
I have really been neglecting the tank lately and am having a couple of problems. Some of the zoas have been closing up over the last few days and I had a couple die off. I tried looking for any nudis and didn't see anything. Ran through the gauntlet of tests and everything looked fine, until I got to salinity, which was 1.031. I have been dosing Mg like crazy to try and fend of the bryopsis and I was stupid and wasn't checking the salinity. I did a large water change yesterday and plan to slowly bring it back down to 1.026 over the next week. Hopefully that is what is causing the problems. Everything except some of the zoanthids looked fine, including the fish.
As promised, here are some pictures of how things are doing. If you look at the birdsnest you can really see all the new branches that have started over the last couple of weeks. Additionally, I bought the SPS colony on the back of the rock about 3 or 4 months ago completely browned out. I thought it had potential, and it is really starting to color up, so I included a big picture of it to document its progress. I added a few more rics, as much as I hate to, I really have to be done. On an exciting note, I won my local clubs photography contest of the month with a picture of the ric rock, the contest title was "Multi-color"
New Pink Lemonade. He is really only yellow on the top and the other parts are turning green. May have to figure out a place to move him with more light, see if that help. But I really like him there.
Nightmares I bought as a two polyp frag a couple of months ago are now at six polyps. Grow baby grow.
DreTheReefer
New member
Looking really good man.
cracker_monster
New member
looking at this tank makes me want to jump back into the hobby. i had to sell off my dream build a few years back to help pay bills. then we started a family and the house got to small. thankfully though we're moving at some point so im thinking now would be a great time to start some concrete work.
JasonBJones
New member
Thanks for the messages guys.
This summer has been very rough on the tank. I had to move the tank from Austin to Dallas for the summer for internships. The move went off without much of a hitch but stirred up the sand a good bit and fed the bryopsis bloom I was struggling with. Went out of town on Memorial Day and came home to a house that lost power at some point and my GFCI tripped. Not sure how long the tank was without power, but all the fish were gone and about half the SPS were RTNing. I immediately did a 90% water change and lost the rest of the SPS. Luckily, almost all the LPS and zoas made it through, as well as the encrusting montis. Needless to say, all that death fed the algae more and the tank went through a rough spell of really bad algae. On top of that, I have been extremely busy with work and have had little time to mess with the tank. I have conquered the bryopsis and now am dealing with a bit of hair algae that I hope to get knocked out within the next few months.
As it goes now, I am just trying to let everything grow out. I don't think I am going to put any fish in there for the foreseeable future. I will try to take some updated pics in the next few days so everyone can see where it sits now.
The whole experience has made me remember how wonderful and frustrating this hobby can be. Just when the tank was really starting to come into its own, one setback after another. But, persistence will overcome.
This summer has been very rough on the tank. I had to move the tank from Austin to Dallas for the summer for internships. The move went off without much of a hitch but stirred up the sand a good bit and fed the bryopsis bloom I was struggling with. Went out of town on Memorial Day and came home to a house that lost power at some point and my GFCI tripped. Not sure how long the tank was without power, but all the fish were gone and about half the SPS were RTNing. I immediately did a 90% water change and lost the rest of the SPS. Luckily, almost all the LPS and zoas made it through, as well as the encrusting montis. Needless to say, all that death fed the algae more and the tank went through a rough spell of really bad algae. On top of that, I have been extremely busy with work and have had little time to mess with the tank. I have conquered the bryopsis and now am dealing with a bit of hair algae that I hope to get knocked out within the next few months.
As it goes now, I am just trying to let everything grow out. I don't think I am going to put any fish in there for the foreseeable future. I will try to take some updated pics in the next few days so everyone can see where it sits now.
The whole experience has made me remember how wonderful and frustrating this hobby can be. Just when the tank was really starting to come into its own, one setback after another. But, persistence will overcome.
Sinclair81
New member
Jason, I have been lurking over your thread for a while, and just recently touched on it again. I personally enjoy the rollercoaster our tanks give us, gives you a chance to start over and re-arrange, as an added bonus if you are a member of a local reef club, you frag and swap out corals so that when (not if) your tank crashes some one has a frag of your coral. So my questions are: what was your maintance schedule proir to the move? What lights and photoperiod were/are you running? and what do you dose? what salt mix and any other supplements? What kind of concrete did you use? I know its alot of questions and I hope you can get to them. Also how long are you internships? and how close are you to graduation? Godd luck if its soon.
Jim
Jim
griffithimage
New member
While I don't have first hand experience with this, I understand that oyster shells cause lots of algae problems- I beleive their were a few builds on RC that documented this
Highspeed1987
New member
any updates ?
JasonBJones
New member
Thank you everyone for the kind words and encouragement, I really appreciate it. Sorry I have been so long on updating this thread.
Although the tank still has not been getting the attention it really deserves, it has been slowly getting better. The tank is sad without all the fish and SPS, but it still looks pretty good. The wall is really starting to purple up, which is wonderful.
I think the wife was a little frustrated with how much money I spent last year on the tank just to lose a good bit, so I am just trying to let everything I have now grow out. The tank miraculously made it through 4 moves this summer without really losing anything. The only thing I did lose were some zoas that broke off the walls and got buried in the sand.
I remember someone asked about school and internships. I clerked at two big law firms in Dallas this summer and accepted a full time position with one, which will start next September. I graduate from law school in May and will take the bar in August.
Well enough rambling, here is how she sits now. Some of the corals are a bit closed from being messed with.
Although the tank still has not been getting the attention it really deserves, it has been slowly getting better. The tank is sad without all the fish and SPS, but it still looks pretty good. The wall is really starting to purple up, which is wonderful.
I think the wife was a little frustrated with how much money I spent last year on the tank just to lose a good bit, so I am just trying to let everything I have now grow out. The tank miraculously made it through 4 moves this summer without really losing anything. The only thing I did lose were some zoas that broke off the walls and got buried in the sand.
I remember someone asked about school and internships. I clerked at two big law firms in Dallas this summer and accepted a full time position with one, which will start next September. I graduate from law school in May and will take the bar in August.
Well enough rambling, here is how she sits now. Some of the corals are a bit closed from being messed with.
Congrats on the school stuff and the tank still looks great.
Enter next month's nTOTM.
On the hair algae do you think it is the result of having PO4 in the cement or did it become bound within the rock over time like normal LR?
I have a patch or two in mine and it eventually died. I figured it utilized the PO4 and then starved to death.
Enter next month's nTOTM.
On the hair algae do you think it is the result of having PO4 in the cement or did it become bound within the rock over time like normal LR?
I have a patch or two in mine and it eventually died. I figured it utilized the PO4 and then starved to death.
JasonBJones
New member
I assume it was phosphate becoming bound in the rock. It went 8 months without algae so if the rock was leaching phosphate, I think it would have caused a problem early when the tank was less stable.
I would think that too but here is just an observation from numerous thread reading here about this.
Many people report HA popping up around 9 months from the beginning of their tanks and having some issues until around the 15-month mark.
I dealt with HA in my 95 and I beat it but kept reading what others had to say and many fit in that window.
I often wonder if our tanks go through a cycle down the road kind of like the terrible 2's for kids and then the dreaded puberty.
Anyways you should be proud of how your tank looks especially after everything.
Many people report HA popping up around 9 months from the beginning of their tanks and having some issues until around the 15-month mark.
I dealt with HA in my 95 and I beat it but kept reading what others had to say and many fit in that window.
I often wonder if our tanks go through a cycle down the road kind of like the terrible 2's for kids and then the dreaded puberty.
Anyways you should be proud of how your tank looks especially after everything.
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