Maroun 150g Build Thread

[maroun.c]

Some of the last additions:

from Switzerland.

Orange digitata? the one I ahve is currently not looking so good so hopefully this one will make it:

Pipe organ?

some frags I recently got:

Couple more chalices:

This one looked like this upon introduction:

Colored up to this so far:

 

[maroun.c]

Got me some more clams. Very tempted to go with a clam display tank or maybe just have a clam garden in the new 340 G...
Pics taken on a hurry before I traveled so not the best

Gold. Much nicer colors in real life

Another mixed one:

Also a brown one but with nice pattern:

Black, Light orange and olive green:

Electric Blue: much brighter than in pic

Group shot of some of the clams:

 

[Greenmaster]

Have the main tank a reef tank and have some other tanks around... it's not too late to add 4 more tanks to your house Then you could have it all.

 

[maroun.c]

Have the main tank a reef tank and have some other tanks around... it's not too late to add 4 more tanks to your house Then you could have it all.

In the end it's never too late to add 4 more tank but then it's all about *** (Wife Tolerance Factor)

 

[maroun.c]

looking good

Thanks

 

[Greenmaster]

In the end it's never too late to add 4 more tank but then it's all about *** (Wife Tolerance Factor)

I hear ya... I just picked up my tank today and my wife is talking about putting me on a budget... I still have way to much to buy to be on a budget.

 

[maroun.c]

Some update to this thread.
to start with bad ones. Tank has been strugging lately due to a combination of the follwoings:
-Severe parameters shift due to a mix in 2 part bottles ending up with only Kalk being double dosed for 2-3 weeks (alk up from 8.5 to 13.8 and Ca down to 300) I normally dose 100 ml of each so tank was getting dose with 200 ml of part B only.
-Lack of water changes less than 20% in the last 7-8 weeks.
-many corlas getting stung by others next to them.
Most corals still look fine but I lost 3-4 of my euphilias and 2 Accro colonies, one more is nearly dead and 2 others are not doing well.
-BAd RO membrane last month that was giving a TDS of 60.
-some temp (up to 82-83) spikes when we're losing power as chiller wasn't connected to BU generator...
to add to that my Frag tank has been showing some Cyano that's growing right on the corals. no changes in lighting however I did change the eggracte racks recently which might have started it. Still it could also be linckes to the Hig TDS water used for maybe 1-2 weeks including a waterchange with same water...

Lost colonies:
Olive green mille (pic froma few months when I got it)

Now

Light mille:

Now (in the middle)

nearly lost my Orange digitata (this is my worst loss if it ends up dying as I'm losing the only frag I have from it too)

My Suharsonoi lost a branch but luckily stopped there. 1st branch on left.

Fluorescent green accro I got from switzerland not looking as colorful as it did:

 

[maroun.c]

Finally my red and Green montis were looking very faded in color but still had tissue and polyps showing on them:
Few months back

Now (here it had improved a bit)

Green

 

[maroun.c]

Luckily had not travel all last week (for the first week since 2 months) so had some time for a water change and then some dedicated dosing and testing to bring parameters back over 10 days to where they were. All the corals took the dosing of Ca and more importantly the alk drop back to 9 fine withuot further losses. Still the Frag tank is keeping me worried with the frag losses and cyano I have to blow off every day fromt eh frags directly. Not sure if it's also related to shifting from RC to Deltecs salt (still at 50/50 mix) which also caused a slight Cyano bloom in a friends tank (not sure if it's just coincidence expecially with the Ro membrane going bad recently...)

 

[Aquafred]

Sorry to hear about the coral RTN. The worst part is seeing the growth on those in the pre and post pictures and then seing them RTN. apparently you had some good growth lately?
How aobut the all the other corals are they doing well or are tehya lso showing signs of STN/RTN? How about coloration and PE?
What are your plans to deal with dosing are you continuing with 2 Part or moving to Ca reactor?
Long time no updates on the new tank build?

 

[maroun.c]

Yep last months growth was good on most of the corals... Most other corals aren't even stressed and I have a few that were looking really bad for months recovering.
Still not sure how I'll handle dosing as 2 parts is becoming very expensive as I pay around 60-70 usd per KG (2 pounds) of Ca and Mg. Ca reactor on the other side is expensive initially but running cost should be much lower. The most important factor is that due to traveling frequently I'm leaning towards 2 part as if the dosing pumps fail my wife can shut them down and dose manually for few days till I come back, Don't see her trying to mess with a Ph controller or with a drip controller on a Ca raector...

 

[maroun.c]

After the parameters were back in check it only took the tank 4-5 days to explode in coraline production which had stopped for the last weeks...

Here's how the tank looked like after cleaning:

 

[maroun.c]

And some FTS to end with:

 

[maroun.c]

Now for some of last months additions:
5 Apogon Leptacanthus: supposed to be great schooling fish, So far they're hiding in the rockwork and barely coming out to eat:

Pink pocilloporah, looked bad for couple of days then browned out, looks like it's making a come back:

A second more orange funghia than the one I had:

Yellow Green Stylophora Not sure what the final color will be

From Dubai:\
Hammer

Acan (looks as big as a small trachy)

Single eye Chalice (alien Eye I guess)

 

[maroun.c]

And a long seeked Cynarina I got from Dubai too:

Got a couple of clams as well:

Gray and black with a nice texture, Not sure what type this one is:

and a nice blue with great contrasting patches:
the one in the middle:

Some more pics of more additions to follow.

 

[Poriferan]

Sorry for your losses. Hopefully everything will recover now that the parameters are back on. Beautiful tank!

 

[maroun.c]

Sorry for your losses. Hopefully everything will recover now that the parameters are back on. Beautiful tank!

Thanks. will be flying back home on Friday and hopefully will have positive updates.

 

[Aquafred]

Good to learn that the losses were limited. Was under the impression that things were worse than in the new pictures.
Love those new additions especially the Cynarina and the clams.

 

[Greenmaster]

Looks great, as always.

 

[maroun.c]

Good to learn that the losses were limited. Was under the impression that things were worse than in the new pictures.
Love those new additions especially the Cynarina and the clams.

It's not critically bad but still losing corals is never a nice thing to do especially with the thought that it could still affect other corals or that it could have wiped out the whole tank... the Cynarina is getting me pussled it opens and closes very frequently in day so not really open all day long. Tissue looks better after shipping and is improving but there is an area where white skeleton is showing and another area with a broken piece of skeleton still attached by tissue not sure if I should cut it off.