reverendmaynard
New member
Hey everyone,
I went to the lfs last night to get some more fish for my now 8 week old 125g reef tank. It's only 8 weeks, but the tank and all the LR were purchased used, and had been running for like 10 years. I kept everything alive in totes with filters and heaters while I setup the tank, for about 3 weeks, and I never really saw an ammonia or nitrite spike, despite almost daily testing.
The tank has about 150lbs of LR, a 40gal sump with fuge, a DIY CC skimmer (still tweaking, but I do get some skimmate), and a 5gal RDSB. I've got 4x160w VHO lights, powered by 2 icecap 660s. Normally I only run 2 bulbs (1 actinic blue, 1 50/50), and turn on the other two for an hour or two a day (1 50/50 and a trichromatic). For flow, I use a QO 6000 for return, plumbed to 9 outlets, most coming up from under the sand bed, with a MJ1200 and a AC500 for additional flow. I've got a QO3000 pump coming, because my overflow and sump are a little under-plumbed for the 6000, and will be using the 6000 on a CL.
My current livestock consists of 1 3" yellow tang, 1 3" blue hippo tang, 1 1.5" maroon clown, and 1 1.5" royal gramma. I also have half a dozen hawiian zebra microhermits, 20 or so assorted snails (trochus, strombus, and cerith), and 2 skunk cleaner shrimp, and some anthelia polyps.
My water params are:
0 amm
0 nitrite
20ppm nitrate
0 PO4
3.5meq alk
460ppm calc
1150 ppm mg
Ph 8.1-8.2
I picked out and put on hold a larger maroon clown (2-2.5"), a 4" foxface rabbitfish, and a haitian pink tip anemone.
The plan is to put the clown and foxface into a 30gal tote as a qt, and put my existing clown in there as well. Hopefully, the clowns will get to know one another during that time and stick together once introduced into the display.
I'm not sure on the anemone though. The haitian (4-5" diameter) is $15, but they also had a BTA (brownish with green tips, 3-4" diameter) for $50. They also have a good selection of corals, including a couple of toadstools (3-4" diameter) for $50 each, and a nice torch (4 or 5 heads, 4" tall) , also about $50 I believe.
I know the clowns won't host in a torch, but since I'm not putting the clowns directly in the display, I could get a hosting animal later.
So what type of invert do you all recommend? Any other comments on my choices/setup/plan?
I went to the lfs last night to get some more fish for my now 8 week old 125g reef tank. It's only 8 weeks, but the tank and all the LR were purchased used, and had been running for like 10 years. I kept everything alive in totes with filters and heaters while I setup the tank, for about 3 weeks, and I never really saw an ammonia or nitrite spike, despite almost daily testing.
The tank has about 150lbs of LR, a 40gal sump with fuge, a DIY CC skimmer (still tweaking, but I do get some skimmate), and a 5gal RDSB. I've got 4x160w VHO lights, powered by 2 icecap 660s. Normally I only run 2 bulbs (1 actinic blue, 1 50/50), and turn on the other two for an hour or two a day (1 50/50 and a trichromatic). For flow, I use a QO 6000 for return, plumbed to 9 outlets, most coming up from under the sand bed, with a MJ1200 and a AC500 for additional flow. I've got a QO3000 pump coming, because my overflow and sump are a little under-plumbed for the 6000, and will be using the 6000 on a CL.
My current livestock consists of 1 3" yellow tang, 1 3" blue hippo tang, 1 1.5" maroon clown, and 1 1.5" royal gramma. I also have half a dozen hawiian zebra microhermits, 20 or so assorted snails (trochus, strombus, and cerith), and 2 skunk cleaner shrimp, and some anthelia polyps.
My water params are:
0 amm
0 nitrite
20ppm nitrate
0 PO4
3.5meq alk
460ppm calc
1150 ppm mg
Ph 8.1-8.2
I picked out and put on hold a larger maroon clown (2-2.5"), a 4" foxface rabbitfish, and a haitian pink tip anemone.
The plan is to put the clown and foxface into a 30gal tote as a qt, and put my existing clown in there as well. Hopefully, the clowns will get to know one another during that time and stick together once introduced into the display.
I'm not sure on the anemone though. The haitian (4-5" diameter) is $15, but they also had a BTA (brownish with green tips, 3-4" diameter) for $50. They also have a good selection of corals, including a couple of toadstools (3-4" diameter) for $50 each, and a nice torch (4 or 5 heads, 4" tall) , also about $50 I believe.
I know the clowns won't host in a torch, but since I'm not putting the clowns directly in the display, I could get a hosting animal later.
So what type of invert do you all recommend? Any other comments on my choices/setup/plan?
