RocketEngineer's 75g/125g Setup

[RocketEngineer]

Dustin1300,
The problem with the doser is the $200+ price tag. For now I will stay with the manual dosing. I'm dosing Mg and I will continue to gradually increase the levels. 1400 is my goal but based on my water volume, its going to take a while to get there. I have learned to make changes gradually.

New additions:

My first coral: Acanthastrea lordhowensis

And one of the reasons I got into the hobby, a bulb tip anemone:

With just the two firefish, the anemone should be able to settle in without anything pestering it.

 

[Dustin1300]

Understood on the doser. I've been in hobby ~3 years and have made some real investments this year. The automation has stepped my husbandry up a level but is not required.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Dustin1300,
I'm all for automation. I'm still debating on the eventual calcium addition method for the tank. I like the simplicity of limewater as I already have everything I need. The two part may become a backup if the kalk can't keep up with levels.

Well, both the Acan Lord and the anemone look to be doing alright. The Acan got some of the mysis I fed the tank so I take that to be a good sign. The anemone decided to go wandering last night so I went all night with the powerheads off. When the lights came on, it was behind the rocks where I could barely see it; go figure. Well I moved the rocks around a little and repositioned the powerhead to try and get it to stay where I could see it. Its been in the same spot all afternoon so I hope it has stopped moving. The anemone didn't take any mysis but its tenticles were out and inflated all day.

RocketEngineer

 

[RocketEngineer]

Typical first time anemone owner mistake. Two days after I got the anemone, it was still wandering around the tank. That night it got blown off the rocks and a chunk cut off by the powerhead. When I came out that morning, it was all shrunken and deflated while a chunk was rolling around the gravel. I took the main part and put it down into a hole in my rockwork. Luckily it has stayed there since and seems to be recovering.

The Acan Lord put out feeder tentacles today after food was added to the tank. When the snow melts, I will pick up a turkey baster and puff some mysis at it and the anemone.

The Halimeda has been dying off in some places in the tank but this patch has grown quite well with the calcium increase.

With the new year, I hope to get the limewater online and maybe buy some additional powerheads. A couple more fish and additional corals should see this tank go from a sparse FOWLR into a full fledge reef.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Did water tests this morning:

Mg: 1140 ppm
Ca: 360 ppm
Alk: 9.0 dH

Need to bump up magnesium. Otherwise the levels are looking good.

I have noticed that the Acan responds to mysis and cyclopese in the water. Also looks like there are two new heads under the edges of the 4 the coral came with.

RocketEngineer

 

[RocketEngineer]

Pictures of the new additions:

Blastomussa wellsi:

Platygyra Maze Brain:

Another Acanthastrea lordhowensis:

Here is a picture of the center of the tank:

You can just see the rose bulb tip anemone poking out of the rock in the center of the image. Its not in as good shape as when I got it but I think its making headway as it has gradually protruded more and more from the hole.

RocketEngineer

 

[Clay]

Looks great, RE.

 

[RocketEngineer]

I made some new additions today. Picked up a pair of Yellowhead Jawfish. While one of them is hiding where I can't see it, the other is hiding in a hole I can see but can't take a good picture of. Hope they settle in where I can see them and get pictures.

RocketEngineer

 

[RocketEngineer]

Just a pair of eyes:

 

[Dustin1300]

I felt like this was a 'Where's Waldo' but I spotted him

 

[RocketEngineer]

Dustin1300,
Try finding the two of them in the entire tank.......Still not quite sure where the second one has taken up residence or if its down the same hole. They shared the spot at Pacific East so I'm hoping they are a pair.

RocketEngineer

 

[RocketEngineer]

You know you have Jawfish when....

You look into your tank before going to work and spot 4 craters, one in each corner of the tank, and in the last one is a jawfish. Hope it finds the other one before I get home. Digging into the glass really doesn't hide it well.

 

[RocketEngineer]

With cyclopeze floating around the tank, one of the jawfish decided to stay out long enough for me to grab some good pictures. Enjoy.

RocketEngineer

 

[RocketEngineer]

Well, one of the jawfish must have issues. It still wants to make a den in the corners of the tank. But the other one has found a place it likes and decided to pose for me to snap pictures of.

And I was able to grab an FTS with the jawfish and one of the firefish.

 

[saintsr#1]

Very nice! I like the jawfish. I'm trying to build a stand myself hope it comes out half
As good as yours..lol

 

[Rustylugnuts]

I have a few ID questions:

Item 1:

Item 2:

Both the algae and the thing in the middle.

Let me know what you think.
RocketEngineer

Hi RocketEngineer I was reading through the thread and saw the ID pictures from earlier. In case you haven't gotten an ID yet item 1 looks like hydroids and item 2 appears to be vermitid snails.

 

[RocketEngineer]

saintsr#1,
I lost one of the jaw fish but the other one seems to be doing good. It changed position to behind the rock with the rubber band. Pulled in all sorts of rock pieces to fill the gaps around it. Now its out and about most of the time. Fun to watch. Good luck on the stand.


Rustylugnuts,
Thats what I was able to track down. The hydroids really haven't done much but the vermitid snails are all over the place. I break them apart on occasion but so far my coral plugs have stayed clean of them. If they show up near the corals or anemone I may have to do something about them.


I must be doing something right. The left Acan Lord has 5 new heads poking from under the originals and the right hand one has two new heads starting to form.

RocketEngineer

 

[RocketEngineer]

I decided to check my datalog and see how the tank has been doing.

Not bad for winter.

RocketEngineer

 

[RocketEngineer]

The jawfish has been very busy. It is on its third burrow site and this time its digging has caused me to move my brain coral to keep the coral from falling into its hole. I enjoy coming home from work to see what it has done during the day.

And here is a FTS for this morning.

 

[mudskipper1]

looking good!