My 24 Gal at 6 Months!

[carfac]

Hi:

Thought I would share where my tank is at 6 months or so into this hobby.

I had no experience before I started this... but I spent some time reading books, and a lot of time reading here on the forum.

Over the last few months, little questions pop up, and a lot of people here have helped me through it all- Thanks to all the reefers here for your help!

I have very stable Params now, and I think the tank is doing really well.

Those red Zoos.. I just cannot stop them. 2 Months ago, there was just that hump of the original rock they came in on- now look at them!

This is my favorite- I love the color.

More pictures are in my Gallery!

Thanks to everyone here, especially Jonathan B!

Dave

 

[Illuminati]

Love the tank, that leather looks awesome.

 

[Baalz]

I have a large fungia that same color and I agree that color is awesome.

 

[Houtz]

That's a beautiful reef carfac! I also love fungias. Mine's green. I tried to put an orange one in with him last summer and they both almost died. They recovered when I separated them, so they must have tried to kill each other. The green one's never looked the same since even though his flesh all grew back. I love yours, it's amazing.

 

[Houtz]

Hey, I also have my green button polyps in the same place as yours. (My tank's a 24 as well)

 

[slumpysix]

Awesome tank, thanks for the update...

 

[carfac]

Thanks all! I have been having a lot of fun- and enjoying the tank. Not too much work- really just one day a week for water changes!

Houtz- any idea what those polyps are? We're practically neighbors, BTW- I am in SLC.

I love turning off the pumps when I feed, and watching the scraps hit the Fungia... and then watching the food slowly work it's way into his/her mouth!

Dave

 

[rs]

What type water, salt and any other additives do you use ?
My zoos continually disappear.

 

[carfac]

rs:

I have some zoos that grow like weeds (the red ones, center on the top rock) and some that do well, but are slower growing. Basically, I do not pretend to have all the answers, but I am happy to share what I do- maybe it will help!

I have a 24 gal. I RELIGIOUSLY do a 5 gal a week change. I started with Oceanic, but had problems with Ca, so I switched to Topic Marin. Right now (and for the last couple weeks), I have been using 1/2 and 1/2, to help use up the Oceanic.

I add Kent Marine Tech M (Magnesium) and Coral Vite with the water change (I mix it in the incoming water). I use recommended dosages for Coral Vite; Tech M gets added every other week or so. I do not test Mg, and perhaps I should. But I add very little- 1 CC or so. (I had a problem once- lost a Vigrance Coral in 3 days. Water tests at LFS showed a bit lacking on Mg, whcih is what started this.)

Filtering, I use Activated Charcoal (I change out every 2-3 months), Purigen (recharge in Bleach per directions as needed) and Chemi-Pure. I also use a large sponge first, then PuriGen and Charcoal, then floss in the first chamber, Chemi-pure in the second.

I have upgraded the stock pump with a MaxiJet 600. I also use a second Maxi-Jet IN the aquarium, with a Hydor- I like water movement.

Never had an algae problem, though I did have a couple Bubbles come in with LFS corals. I made quick work of them. I have noticed 2 aspitia so far- I got them with a syringe and Kalk.

So, I really have had few problems. I credit that mainly to large and often water changes. Tank is VERY stable at:

sp 1.026
NH3 0
NO2 .1 (I can never seem to make that zero- always slight pink)
NO3 0
PO4 0
pH 8.2
Ca 425
Alk 3.5

I keep 4 fish- 2 (paired) False Percs, a Purple Firefish and a Six Line- added in that order, with 2 weeks between each addition. I see ocassional flare ups, but no one is really too bad.

I have one Cleaner shrimp- he has probably shed once a month since we have had him. We keep 4-5 Blue leg Kermits, 2 Turbos, 5 cerinth, 5 Narcissus and 5 of the other one.

I do tend to over feed, I think. I feed 1/2 a frozen cube of mysis or other frozen food in the morning, and a similar amount of my version of the "stew" at night (Mysis, Shrimp, Crab, Oyster, Clam, DT, Flakefood, Selcon, Reef Chili, Rotifers) at night. Usually, I turn off the back pump, to let this all fall down and feed everything.

That is about it!

Dave

 

[EdKruzel]

Dave,
The tank looks nice, congratulations on such successes as a new hobbyist.
One word of advice is planning; so many in the nano hobby don't plan for longevity.
Many of the corals we keep can reach a tremendous size and easily dwarf our little containers.
Some are slow growers and some can grow quite rapidly; one such coral is that Toadstool Leather you have on top of your rock work.

The nice thing about it is how easy it is to frag and how hardy it is making it harder to screw it up.
Eventually it will have t be removed from the tank or it will be the only coral you have, but for now you can cut it down to better fit and prosper with credit from your LFS.

I would take a new razor blade and cut the top off of that coral about a 1/4'' below the cap. In just a few days to about a week it will recover and begin to polyp again, but smaller.
Take the cap out of the tank but do not discard; cut it into wedges like a pizza (6 wedges).
Pat them dry (semi) with a clean paper towel and attach them to small pieces of rock rubble.
You can use any of the many methods to attach them, such as super glue gel, a thread and needle (I use fishing line) or firm but not too tightly wrap with a rubber band.

Place the frags back in the tank or in a small container as a "grow out" tank with nothing more than a bubble filter and a heater.
I usually use tank water (from the main tank) and replace that water with my newly made saltwater.

In a week or so the frags should be firmly attached to the rubble on their own and can be traded for new specimens or if arranged taken to your LFS for store credit.

Good Luck

 

[chem-e]

Nice looking tank. Is that clean up crew all you need to keep the tank that clean?