Soulpatch's 150 SC build

First "big" sale for me was a success. I sold all of my corals I had cut save for 1 bubblegum digi. The proceeds paid for 2 cases of salt, treats for my dogs, a fully quarentined Copperband (which my powder blue does not like), 2 new acans, some rasta zoas, and a 3 head gold torch. Pics likely coming tonight when I get the chance.

Pretty stoked about it all. Next up I made contact with a local guy who has some HIGH end corals like homewrecker and other rainbows so I will be visiting him sometime soon to pick up some other goods and see what I can start to grow out in my tank for more gain. Likely start to replace some of my more common items like my pink milli, garf bonsai (sorry Reef but if I can put a homewrecker in my tank it goes in that spot), green slimer and other basic corals.

I also need to rescape a bit this spring so that I can more easily remove some of my rocks with acans and such on them to cut at a later time. Going to add a few spots for my zoas to grow out as well as I have been making decent money off of my utter chaos as I sell it for dirt cheap....whatever buys me salt and such and keeps my tank running. So outside of food my tank has now basically become free to run for the next 3 months with the salt I grabbed from sales...
 
cincyjim said:
Glad to hear everything was successful for you! It sounds like you need to expand :)
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Been thinking about a frag tank for some time. My concern is how I would plumb it into the system as I dont have much room and dont really want to drill holes into the side of the stand (though I could cover later with a fan grate I guess if needed)

I would like to start cutting frags and letting them grow while keeping favorites in my main tank and allowing them to grow into colonies. There is a large initial cost however in that I would need a frag tank and lighting. If it is an AIO then I need other equipment which is even more expense.

I need to pay for a few things this year in other areas and look at my budget plans. I still want to move and most likely will decide to "struggle" as is till I have more room and a more dedicated space for a frag shop.
 
That's true about the expense for a frag set up. I watched a Jason Fox video a couple of weeks ago and couldn't believe how many tanks, lighting, etc he had for his frag shop. Just setting up one would be almost like setting up a full new tank.
 
If I tie it into my main tank then I only need a tank, powerhead (likely a cheap jabeo or gyre), and lighting. The rest would be handled by the main tank filtration and calcium reactor.

I have reached out to Ben at BAO about building me something already though. Also likely have a lead on some older radions or AI Primes. It is just a pain to get through the setup and get everything plumbed in properly. I could do 1/2" plumbing and tie it into my manifold perhaps to simplify things and just have it be soft tubing to get around all the bends and such.
 
Hi, congrats for the tank and the thread,it's always interesting to read others atemps and success to keep such amazing creatures.
About your aptasia problems have you tried peppermint shrimp? They are way easier than the copperband,last spring my cbb died and over the course of the summer and fall the little anemones made a come back into the display. I added 6 shrimps and that solve the problem even if my clown killed most of them (i can only see one remaining shrimp). In retrospect i should have added them at night,it would have given them a better chance.
Good luck!


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Well my powder blue really did not like the copperband and attacked it till it stressed out and died. I had removed the copperband from the tank and into a hospital tank early Friday and it died over the weekend.

I swear I am not meant to keep copperbands. I am seriously considering pulling my trigger and tusk for a week or two and throwing them into a 40 breeder and dumping a ton of peps into my main tank to go to town.

I made up my kalk paste and went to town with quite a few of them yesterday. I need to go back in later this week to hit more on another side of the tank. The biggest issue obviously is that I can not get to those under the rocks and getting them out of the fuge/marine pure would be a nightmare.

Thankfully I can keep like 95% of the aiptasia at bay where it is around any corals so they dont bother much but I notice in the other areas of the tank and it bothers me. Such a pain in the behind pest to deal with.

My biggest mistake going with this large tank was to not have a coral/cuc QT system. This has been source of bubble algae, aiptasia, and even the culpera in my sump.
 
homer1475 said:
Not QTing inverts(snails) is the reason I lost all my fish to ich.
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I typically buy from CUC only facilities to aid this. I refuse to buy CUC from my LFS groups since they plumb everything together. Not worth the risk. Though while I reduce risk doing it this way it is still there...

It is more the corals I have not QTed that I believe have caused ALL of my issues. Too late to really start now but it is something I think about constantly at this point when I see the Aiptasia.

I have considered breaking down the tank similar to what you are doing to start over and either get in new rock OR have ability to get to all sides of rock to treat as needed but that is a TON of work for limited gain at the moment.
 
Have you considered dropping in a handful of berghia nudi's rather than peppermints? Peps only irritated my coral and never ate any aiptasia. I've been considering the berghia route but I might catch and remove my melanurus wrasse for a few weeks when I do it. Good luck


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Blink2824 said:
Have you considered dropping in a handful of berghia nudi's rather than peppermints? Peps only irritated my coral and never ate any aiptasia. I've been considering the berghia route but I might catch and remove my melanurus wrasse for a few weeks when I do it. Good luck


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Actually contacted saltyunderground today and reeftown about this. I too would have to remove my Melanarus but strongly thinking of doing it considering my lack of ability with copperband and fish wouldn't get to them all anyway.

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Well got approval from my one local buddy to rehouse my Melenarus in his 93 while berghia go to work on my tank. I just need to coordinate and then order in a bath of these guys. Gonna cost me a small fortune but it shoudl be worth it. I will also get some of the egg swirls and such that they offer so I can start some batches in my sump and overflow. Not going to work out long term if I only attack those in my DT and not where else they grow....
 
Actually sold the wrasse and need to get it out of the tank. Building a few diy fish traps today to try. Going to be a long week trying to catch the bugger.

Need him out and the nudis will be on their way ASAP

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soulpatch said:
Actually sold the wrasse and need to get it out of the tank. Building a few diy fish traps today to try. Going to be a long week trying to catch the bugger.

Need him out and the nudis will be on their way ASAP

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Pieces of meaty food in the traps, my wrasse loves when I drop in pieces of salmon and krill into the tank.

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It'll be a year ago in March, I got a nem on a rock. The rock had all kinds of cool critters and a few not so cool critters. After a few weeks, I found about 10 aptasia on that rock and a few other rocks. I looked on youtube and found a few videos. One was by Mark Levinson (sp) of Melev's reef. He had a laser that he used to burn/kill the aptasia. I ordered a similar laser from china. About a month later I was zapping aptasia like a kid burning ants on the sidewalk with a magnifying glass. I've been aptasia free for about 4 months now. I got the occasional oddball that crawled out from under a rock, but I zap it first chance I get. I have since removed the source rock.
 
The aiptasia are under rocks, in sump, and other items. I too can kill then around my corals but that is not sufficient. I will wage natural war against them.

Nudi will go into my tank and sump. I will order eggs as well and place in other areas like sump and overflow to further combat.

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grabbed the aquamedic trap from a friend last night so this evening the war for the Wrasse begins. I will catch that lil bugger.
 
First night with trap was not a success. My blue throat trigger discovered his way into the trap without any issue and proceeded to rip at the food in there and take it out piece by piece for the other fish who all sat outside the trap watching. I would have been mad if it wasn't so funny to watch.

I sat there on a bucket with the string in my hand to close the trap for well over an hour. Tonight will be attempt 2. If nothing else perhaps they will get comfortable with the trap in there seeing the trigger going in and out...
 
soulpatch said:
First night with trap was not a success. My blue throat trigger discovered his way into the trap without any issue and proceeded to rip at the food in there and take it out piece by piece for the other fish who all sat outside the trap watching. I would have been mad if it wasn't so funny to watch.

I sat there on a bucket with the string in my hand to close the trap for well over an hour. Tonight will be attempt 2. If nothing else perhaps they will get comfortable with the trap in there seeing the trigger going in and out...
Click to expand...
🤦

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