Its been 12 weeks, my tank deserves a thread! Lots of pics

[vanmo92]

Its been a while since I've been active here on Reef Central, since I havent been active in the hobby. But recently I have been an active lurker on many forums here. Refreshing myself on as much info as possible, and getting answers to my questions via previous threads. I have had my 72gallon bowfront setup for about 7-8 years, I don't remember exactly when it was setup, and metadata on all my old pictures has been reset to show a date which I know isnt accurate. It all started with a 10 gallon, then a 20 gallon, and I made the usual lot of n00b mistakes. Not to mention that was all while I was still living with my parents, and was unemployed so I was forced to cut a lot of corners, and did a lot of sketchy DIY and rigged many potential death traps.

The Original 20 Gallon that started it all:





Sometime in 2006 or 2007 if I remember correctly I upgraded that box of hair algae to a 72 gallon bow front. Got an RO/DI unit, ASM G3 Skimmer and a few other essentials, but still set it up more or less on the cheap. Rubbermaid sump, Normal Output lighting, etc. It actually did quite well, it didn't take me to long to figure out what I was doing for the most part and fine tune things to make them run smoothly. Aside from a kenya tree (which did fantastic under the Power compact lights I ultimately got from a fellow reefer) I never attempted any coral, I was already running my parents energy bill high enough with what I had (also had like 7 freshwater tanks) and the option of Metal halides was off the table, let alone affording everything else I would need for coral (frags themselves, more powerheads, lights, supplements, test kits etc) I just stuck with FOWLR.



I graduated high school in 2010 and after that my attention in life shifted to other things. And aside from feeding once every day or so the tank didn't even cross my mind. My mom was familiar (for the most part) with how everything on the tank operated and how to carry out the regular maintenance task that needed to get done, and when I wasnt around she took care of it (which was usually). Then in 2012 I moved out and got my own place. All my freshwater tanks were taken down and consolidated into a 60g cube (which was recently shut down). And I left my mom to take care of that and my saltwater tank, since I really didn't see how I would fit it into my new place or my new life. Not to mention I didn't have any motivation to work on it, or spend money on it. Every time I visited my parents and saw the tank yes it looked rather neglected and Coraline algae covered 80% of the front glass, but the fish appeared healthy, so I really wanst concerned about it. Until recently that is.

A year or so ago I set up one of my old freshwater tanks, since I figured that wouldnt be to much risk to the rental house, but I'm already getting bored with that. My mom called my saying that the yellow tang wasnt eating and appeared sick. Im still not sure where the random enthusiasm came from but at that moment I knew I had to take the care of my animals back into my own hands. I started doing all sorts of calculations like could the floor in my house indeed hold the weight of the tank (one of my main concerns before), which assuming my house is up to code it can. I had been in a bit of a rut and was looking for something to take my time and attention. Not to mention I wanted to relive my mom of her duties and obligation to pay the bill, which included hauling water from the grocery store since my RO unit went out years ago. I decided there is no time like the present, I got a new roommate at the beginning of April and I wanted to have it in by then. So I made plans with my mom, and with my current roommate to help me move it on our day off. Moving day was March 4th of this year.

The tank at my parents house before moving it



Drained out the water



Kept the live rock wet in rubbermaid bins. Some of these were quite heavy.



Kept as much of the water as possible in 5g water jugs and in rubbermaid bins

 

[vanmo92]

Transferred the tank in my dads truck





The rock and sump in my roommates impreza




And the Stand, lights, etc in my outback



I got a 2x4' piece of plywood from Lowes to set it on, being that we are renting and it not my carpet, I figured the more protection I can provide the better. I hung painters plastic on the wall behind the tank, including over a passthrough vent which is unnecessary since the door on the stairwell has been removed, and I don't want it to rust. I ran this painter plastic down underneath the plywood so any (small) spills in the back would be contained. In addition I wrapped the plywood itself in the painters plastic.





I also hung the plastic inside the stand itself, along the entire back to more or less seal everything in. Within 12 hours everything under there (including the stand itself) was soaked from condensation. So I took the plastic down on the right side, really only needed it behind the drain/skimmer anyway.



The stand was put in place after a thorough cleaning. I scraped off as much salt creep as I could, which proved to be a very difficult task. I could not decide whether I wanted the tank centered on the wall, or in the corner. I decided to put it about 6 inches away from the wall. I'm still not sure if I made the right choice. Yes I can reach in that space to run a cleaning magnet or stick a vortech pump, but I would like the ability to look in the left end. Ohh well, not the end of the world. Got the tank on the stand and measured, measured, and measured again to make sure the tank was perfectly parallel to the walls.



One thing I should mention. I chose to leave the sandbed in the tank. There is about 4" of sand in most of the tank. Honestly this was for several reasons. I wanted to get the tank moved sooner rather than later and I don't liver anywhere close to a place to purchase aquarium sand. I knew there would likely be some degree of ammonia spike due to dye off from the move, and having an already established sand bed wouldnt hurt in that case. In hindsight I regret this decision, there is so much junk in this sand and I don't think I will ever get it to look as clean as I would like. Now I am thinking of ways I can replace the sandbed while the tank is running, and I just don't see that happening. Thats a project for next time the tank is torn down I think. So far I have not noticed any downsides, other than ascetics and that the tank weighed an extra 70-80lbs when we were moving it.

Got all the liverock back in, didn't worry about aquascaping to much right off the bat. I really couldnt see into the tank to accomplish that anyway.



This is where I realized my lack of planning all aspects of the move. I didn't have enough RO water to fill the tank and sump enough to get it running (only about 10g extra) and get all the junk that was stirred up skimming out but just didn't have enough water to fire up the return pump, but I was close. I used a significant amount of the water that I was keeping the fish in, which was my first mistake. I tried to run a pump in there to keep them alive, but my 6-line wrasse was a bit loopy and was getting stuck in the intake for it, so I didn't have it running most of the time. They were left in very little water (maybe 3 gallons) and I still didn't have enough water to get the tank running. I had to run to the store and buy some, I only needed like 4 more gallons. When I returned (it took longer than I anticipated) I came back to a tragedy. My yellow tang as well as my coral beauty angel had passed while I was gone. I am assuming from o2 deprivation although everyone else seemed ok. Remember the yellow tang was already sick possibly. I was extremely upset at myself for thinking they would be ok and this was a huge learning experience for me. I immediately got a filter running on the tub to provide them with o2. I underestimated the time/resources it would take to set up the tank and I had the idea in my head I wanted the livestock back in before I went to bed the same day. Big mistake, I should have taken the time to set up a proper temporary environment for them before I even started moving the tank. Lesson learned! I got the skimmer and heaters running and by about 1am the tank was what I thought was good enough for them, and I didn't have any additional casualties so it must have been. I knew it would be better to have them in a running system than leaving them in such a small amount of water long term. I really wasnt sure if I would ever see my 6-line alive again tho, he wasnt looking so hot and them swam into the rocks, as I expected.

 

[vanmo92]

The next day I knew I had to go to Denver (about 65 miles way) and purchase some supplies. Mainly salt. I had used the rest of what was left setting the tank up and knew I needed to do many water changes. Ultimately I ended coming back with 4 chromis as well. I was thinking I should probably hold off on any livestock, but my experience with chromis in the past led me to believe that they would be hardy enough. I was quite depressed after the night before and was to the point of regretting my decision to even move the tank, and I thought if I got some movement in the water it would calm my nerves. They did great in my tank. One of them died about a week in I suspect due to overnight aggression but the other 3 till this day they are doing great!

Another week went by and everyone seemed to be doing great. I got some final touches done on the tank like powerhead placement, aquascaping tweaks, etc.

On my next day off I went to denver/boulder to do some shopping. I knew I needed a new light fixture and was convinced I wanted to go LED. I had seen one of the Fluval Marine fixtures on a tank at a fish store and the form factor and spectrum (at least side by side with others) really appealed to me. I did a fair bit of research on this topic and knew that for SPS, and even many other coral this fixture would likely not be enough. And theres other downsides like the inability to control actinics separately using a timer, you have to use the manual switch. But decided based on the low price point compared to others, and the physical design which is very nice; that I would pull the trigger on one of them, knowing that I would probably upgrade again in a year or maybe less. I'm eyeing the radion. But at $1500 for the 2 that I would need I have some saving to do.


Before the light upgrade


After. 100x better! The fixture I had beofre only had 1/4 bulbs that hadnt burnt out, and the fans were extremely loud and high pitched. Anything is better than that thing.



While at the store I also saw another coral beauty angel that I could not resist. As well as a condy anemone. I know these arent the best inhabitants for a reef tank by any means, but I really just wanted some movement in the tank, and I knew condys are pretty easy. I also saw a pair of bangaii's that I thought would do well in my tank.





I have had my 6-line for 8-9 years now.

 

[vanmo92]

It wasnt long until I decided I HAD to do something about the micro bubbles in the tank. I had some sheets of acrylic I could use as baffles but the way my return line was plumbed was in the way of where I needed baffles. I spent almost a whole day removing the sump, installing baffles, and then completely re plumbing my return line to accommodate. And 5 trips to Lowes later and I still had a TON of micro bubbles.



My new RO/DI unit arrived as I was working on the tank, just in time for a water change.



Because of an incident or 2 I have had in the past involving saltwater and electricity I wasted to make sure on this setup there were no plugs under the tank or behind the sump that could get wet. Check!




Automatic top off got setup after the tank had been up about 2 weeks





Several weeks later it was time for another denver run. This time I returned with exactly what I intended to which was another yellow tang as well as several firefish








FTS as of March 23rd.

 

[vanmo92]

My plumbing got re-done again to install a ball valve to restrict flow through the sump and hopefully eliminate more microbubbles. I installed a UV sterilizer to clear the water as well as hopefully eliminate any ich (which I'm pretty sure is in my system). The system has been a non-stop series of tweaks and the tank is looking better and better every day. I finally purchased a refractometer instead of using my 8 year old swing arm, even tho comparing it to the refractometer is was surprisingly accurate.




Some button polyps that I never knew I had till recently. They survived the move, and years in the tank while it was being neglected with poor lighting. Most of my aiptasia didn't even survive, but these guys made it!











As I expected when I set it up, the tank went through a pretty significant algae bloom in the beginning. And my aiptasia which were pretty sparse when I set the tank up began to make a heck of a comeback. I have been using Lye (NaOH) AKA commercial strength drain opener and have been annihilating them. As of now there are very few left in the tank, and I didn't observe any negative side effects. This is a topic for another thread but I HIGHLY recommend Lye for aiptaisa removal, as long as you're careful.

 

[vanmo92]

Every couple of weeks I go to Denver and pick up a frag or 2







Didnt take long for the asterina starfish to begin appearing as well



I got a wad of chaeto from a fish store and stuck that in the return section for the sump. I got a clip on fixture from lowes as well as an LED floodlight which has been working well for growing the chaeto for a couple months now.

 

[vanmo92]

I ordered a clean up crew from live aquaria



Everything arrived as expected with the exception of 3 astra snails which didn't make it




It didn't take long after putting them in to realize I probably should have doubled my order for snails. I will do this at some point in the future.

Those bangaiis I originally purchased didn't live long (I suspect wild caught) so toward the end of April I got a pair of PJ’s, from a reputable source in Denver. Considering getting another pair of bangaiis at some point from the same place.



Had these zoanthids for about 2 months now and they are spreading like crazy.



Acan





FTS as of April 30

 

[vanmo92]

About 3 weeks ago I upgraded to a VorTech MP40wES since I knew there wasnt nearly enough flow in the tank with just the return line and a maxijet 1200. I can't begin to say what a difference this made. My toadstool leather which was in an infinite cycle of shedding extended its polyps after installing it. The amount of detritus that thing has pulled out of my tank is amazing. I tried the night mode setting but didn't like the results. I run reefcrest mode 100% of the time at about 80% (unless im messing with it making a wave), except for feed mode which I do find useful. I do usually turn the max speed down 1 or 2 "œclicks" at night for the fish.





A few other goodies in the box with the vortech



My most recent fish addition. Lawnmower blenny




Few frags I got recently starting with a couple mushrooms





Pipe organ

 

[vanmo92]

Acan. This guy is BRIGHT orange under actinics. All attempts to photograph that have failed so far tho.



Xenia is still pretty small but has tripled in size since I got it.







I still consider the tank quite new, so I have been doing weekly water changes of about 15 gallons. There was very high nitrate for a while after I set it up. Test kit goes to 160 and it was a darker red that that even. But aside from algae everything looked ok. At this point my nitrates are less than 5ppm. Phosphate is somewhere between 0.03-0.1. Those are the only params that arent perfect, everything else is spot on (at least that I’m testing for). I have a Calcium test kit being shipped to me as I write this.

Livestock list:
Fish-
2- clownfish
2- PJ cardinals
3- Firefish
3- Chromis
1- 6line wrasse
1- royal gramma
1- lawnmower blenny
1-foxface rabbitfish
1-yellow tang
1- Coral beauty angel

Coral:
2- Mushrooms
2- Acanthastrea
1- Kenya Tree
1- Xenia
1- Pipe organ
2- Button polyp colonies
3- zoanthid colonies
1- toadstool leather

 

[phillrodrigo]

Looking way better. The last tang pic he looks very angry with the angle you took the picture

 

[Brando457]

id pick those surges off the stand as right now you dont have a drip loop it looks like. great progress so far

 

[canlax]

As I started the thread I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out aesthetically but you have done a great job it is really coming together, nice work!

 

[johnike]

Nice pics.

Nicer equipment.

 

[SVTour]

Like they used to say in the Virginia Slim cigarette adds - "You've come a long way, baby"

Looks really good - nice improvements along the way. :beer:

 

[Stbobo]

I really like the rock work with the gap in the middle it really makes the tank look wide. +1 for more space for the tang as well! Colors look great, keep the pics coming.

 

[vanmo92]

id pick those surges off the stand as right now you dont have a drip loop it looks like. great progress so far

All cords do have a drip loop. They aren't actually in the stand but on the lower part of the side table. This is the best pic I have of this but all of the cords come up vertically about 5 inches off the floor.

 

[vanmo92]

I really appreciate the positive comments This hobby is a never ending adventure and I'm only just beginning. I can't wait to see what the tank looks like in a year and beyond, but in the meantime I am enjoying watching things begin to grow! One step at a time as they say, if I stay dedicated I will have something truly impressive someday. All comments are appreciated and taken for improvement.

 

[intyme]

Looks 100x better, nice come back!

 

[Bent]

Very inspiring post.

Shows a tangible progression of how an increasing knowledge base makes such a difference.

Hats off!

 

[Mark9]

Props to vanmo92.
Great story and I think the tank looks fantastic.
Truly inspirational.
You've overcome a lot of obstacles, stuck with it and ultimately prevailed.
Good job!