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jlanger's 120gal Arts and Crafts Inspired Reef Build (2 Viewers)

Good luck! Carbon can absorb a lot of organics to make up for lack of protien skimmer. Water changes work too!
 
Okay… I think I can sit down for a minute, eat some lunch and post a quick update.

The quick of it…
All of the livestock has been moved out of the 120gal and appears intact.
I know I snapped of a couple of M. digitata beaches, but I'm okay with that.
I caught that unidentified purple crab and have it detained.
I removed the RBTA from the main rock. I'll have to see how it recovers; it took a beating.
All of the fish are in the 75gal and and the corals are in various other holding containers.

Here's my initial thoughts on doing this… :censor:
WHAT WAS I THINKING!!!
 
Its good to hear that minimal casualties resulted from the move to the temporary setup! We are happy to help whenever possible!

If anything, it's one less empty tank being stored in the house, so I can cross that goal off of my to-do list :) (even if for only a couple of weeks)
 
Now that I've gotten everything moved into the 75gal or 45gal tanks, here's a more comprehensive update.

:swear: :censor: :swear: :censor: :swear:

What was I thinking?

I started the morning with ambition and a positive attitude.
I took a couple of last minute pics to document the system at the Zero Hour.

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The 75gal was ready to to go. I filled the canister filter with some carbon and the seeded ceramic media. I pulled out my extra Radion to use for lighting; no need to remove the other fixtures from the canopy.
The 45gal Cube was set up with an old heater and pump that I had stashed away.
And a 15gal was set up to house the smaller frags as the main reef was being transferred.

I had about 80 gallons of fresh saltwater made up and ready.
I had the 32gal Brute ready to transfer water.
And I had a huge stack of dry towels on hand.

At about 9AM I started to remove water from the display and fill the other tanks.
Removing all of the small corals and frags was rather easy and quick. The 15gal filled up in no time! I couldn't believe I had that many frags inside my tank.
After the small pieces were removed, I moved on to the top most rocks. I moved them into the 75gal right away. I managed to remove the RBTA from the "Reef Slope", but it took quite a bit of time and effort. The anemone was attached to the big rock and a smaller piece I used to keep the anemone from stinging some corals. Instead of trying to make the anemone release itself from the main rock, I cut/broke the rock it was attached to. During this, the anemone suffered a tear from when the smaller rock broke loose and pulled on the anemone. It looks like a "clean" tear but I have the anemone in an acclimation box to monitor its health.
As I worked my way through the rest of the pieces of rock, I came to this realization.

There is no way in hell I will be able to re-create that same aquascape!

There are so many smaller pieces that I used to keep the main structure from sinking into the sand bed.
I couldn't believe that I had so much rock in this tank. Most of the pieces that had no living corals on them went into the 45gal Cube. I have the water heated and circulating to keep from restarting another cycle.
I did manage to find that unidentified purple crab. He's currently sitting in a plastic container in the 45gal. If he survives the week, I think I will add him to my sump.
In moving the rocks, the Midas Blenny was tucked into a hole and did not want to come out, so he was the first to make the move. Catching the rest of the fish was pretty easy. With only about six inches of water and one rock to hide behind; which all the fish managed to do! It was pretty funny seeing all of them packed like sardines behind one small rock; all but one of them as the leopard wrasse was buried in the sand.
Once all of the fish were moved, I started moving the smaller corals and frags into the 75gal. Trying to find real estate for everything was not easy. It's a good thing I have a few extra frag racks laying around. Hopefully the corals can make it through the week without any battles or losses. Speaking of losses, I found six frags that had been lost over the past two years. Some of them were nice corals (Pink Lemonade, ORA Green Planet, ORA Red Planet, Blue Tenuis) Now they're nothing but white skeletons.

So here's what my 120gal looks like now.



And here's what the 75gal looks like with everything crammed inside.


Left side.


Center.


Right side.


The fish have come out and eaten somewhat.
The Midas Blenny is still shook up over all of this, but you can see him poking his head out in the last pic.
The anemone looks beat up. It is inflating and waving in the low current inside the acclimation box. Hopefully it survives; or divides. If not, well… it wasn't going back into the 120gal anyways.

Now, I have all of the equipment to clean up.
The only casualty from today was I broke my DA Temp Probe. The cord caught on the plumbing and the wire ripped out of the clip. Good thing BRS ships same day and I should get a new one tomorrow. I hate having to rely on the heater's thermostat to keep my temperature stable.
It will be nice to clean everything up. My sump was getting some algae growth in the corners. And I can give my return pump and plumbing a good scrubbing as I'm sure they're dirty.

All in all… a long day of work.
Used about 40 gallons of the fresh saltwater.
Used up all of the dry towels!
Fish are fed.
Time for me to get fed.
Time for a beer; or two.
 
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I will say grigor and his pegging everything system does seem attractive at times like this. It will never go back the same, if you can talk yourself into it will only go back together in a better way more power to you.
 
Apparently, all of this fuss has not affected some of the fish.

Everyone has a great appetite. (Credit to LRS Reef Frenzy foods)
The male Ruby Red Dragonet is still looking for some ladies.
The Randall's Goby is still guarding the Tiger Pistol Shrimp.
And I have yet to be bitten by the clownfish!

I will say grigor and his pegging everything system does seem attractive at times like this.

Can you peg an anemone?
 
Wow, you have been busy! A lot of work to be sure. Looking good!

Change is good. Re-create your underwater world! I like to change mine up every 18 months or so. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. I usually end up taking out rock each time and getting ride of some corals to make room for new.
 
Change is good.

People keep saying that; and I don't believe them.

I think I'm done for the day.
I just spent a could hours sifting through my mixed sand bed. When I originally set up the tank, I added crushed shells and coral fragments to my sand bed. I thought the pistol shrimp would make use of the larger pieces when building their burrows. As it turned out, the aragonite sand settled under the shells and it made for a cluttered sand bed. Since I really like the smooth white look that I had with the aragonite sand, I took this opportunity to remove the crushed shells.
By the way, I put the crushed shells and coral fragments up for FIF in the classifieds.

All I have left for tomorrow is to remove the remaining aragonite sand from the display tank, unhook the plumbing and remove the sump.
I imagine I will get everything cleaned before the day is done.
For some reason, no one else in my house appreciates a good skimmate aroma wafting through the basement when I cleaned the skimmer earlier.

Change is good… :rolleyes:
 
One observation that I made today during all of this was how beautiful reef fish can be.

I transferred the fish individually from the 120gal to the 75gal in a small tote with just a smudge of tank water.
Having such a close look at the fish (most times on their side), the colors and details of each fish was striking to the eye.
The female anthias; you could see each scale with its yellows and oranges.
The male anthias; covered in tiny jewels as the light bounced off each droplet of water.
By far the best was how deep of a red my Japanese Red Pistol Shrimp was. Incredible!

Sometimes the small things make you happy.
 
Good work Jason!

All that work and you aren't even half done.... Good luck on the rescape! I'm sure you'll find new ways to display the same corals in different orientations and clusters.


As for the nem, I totally get ya. I've had 2 rbtas for awhile due to a split this spring. Due to the split they were very small so it didn't cause any issue. Well 6 months later and sps corals are getting burned and losing tissue left and right of these guys. I'd still like one as I love the movement and bright red color but the other had to go. I tried my best to get it out of the rock it was wedged in with a reasonable manner. Figured I could sell it like the others I had pried out of the rock before due to splits. This guy though was so deep inside the tiny crevasse and had to go, didn't matter if it was sold or died. It needed to be removed. In the end a screw driver was used to get way in there and scrap at his foot. A fair amount of tearing took place and a good portion of that nem came out, in more than one piece unfortunately. A tiny bit remains deep inside the rock and maybe it will heal to form a tiny nem that won't be killing my other corals for awhile. Or it will have passed on and the other anemone can be the sole survivor.

And funny Marty mentions pegging a nem. I thought about that as I was pulling out little chunks of anemone. If I could use one of those tiny ceramic terracotta pots (the little itty bitty ones)
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and drill a 2-3" hole using a forstner bit for the pot to rest in maybe the nem would plant its foot inside the pot and it could later be removed if necessary.
 
All that work and you aren't even half done.... Good luck on the rescape! I'm sure you'll find new ways to display the same corals in different orientations and clusters.

Thanks. And you're correct; I'm not even have done.
I knew I would be able to change a few things around, but I'm worried about keeping the "Reef Slope" rock in the same position. There are over ten species of corals deeply encrusted on the rock and trying to keep them positioned towards the light will be tough.
The left island of rock had been undisturbed for quite some time. The right side will be much easier to re-aquascape.

If I could use one of those tiny ceramic terracotta pots (the little itty bitty ones)
and drill a 2-3" hole using a forstner bit for the pot to rest in maybe the nem would plant its foot inside the pot and it could later be removed if necessary.

That's a neat idea; if the anemone cooperates.
Instead of "pegging" an anemone, you're "planting" one!
A forstner bit may be difficult to drill the rock unless you flatten the surface first. The bit would jump around way too much on the uneven surface. You could drill a multiple holes with a concrete bit and then merge them by grinding the remaining rock with a rotary tool.
Definitely a cool idea. I'd like to see it applied by someone.
 
After inspecting the 75gal tank, it looks like everything is doing well.
All of the fish are out and eating.
A couple of frags got tipped over, but nothing major.
The heater is maintaining a constant temp at 79 degrees.
And the anemone is doing okay. After closer inspection, the tear is larger than first thought. Depending on how the anemone reacts over the weekend, I may divide the anemone to prevent a complete loss. The anemone is inflating and reacting to touch, so the outlook is good.
 
So this is what I see happening this morning…



Even in isolation, the clownfish must have their anemone. Co-dependence?
For the most part, the clownfish have been spending most of their time hosting in the hammer coral.
It also makes me wonder if the touch of the clownfish are helping the anemone in its recovery.
 
Wow, glad you got it back up and running. Sorry about the mishap! I was so scared about dropping my lights that I put a piece of wood over my tank whenever I mess with them. Did you get the new Gen 3 Pros this time?
 
No. I bought some used Radion Pros; Gen2.
The lights have really done a great job. I still have great colors and the corals do grow.

I'm not happy with the ReefLink however.
Every time I want to adjust anything with the lights, I have to hard start the ReefLink. I've tried placing it in different locations based on EcoTech's advice based on wireless interference, but I am still having issues. Do you know how many gadgets are wireless nowadays?
I've resorted to having the ReefLink connected to my router via the ethernet cable. We'll see how that works once I'm back up and running again.
 
So after a VERY LONG, HARD DAY of work yesterday, our house was ready for the new carpet.
Our entire basement living area (four rooms, a hallway and stairs) was gutted and cleaned. Pulled carpet, pulled pad, removed tack strips, swept and vacuumed.
Our garage is packed with furniture and all of the built-in cabinets. All of the "junk" made it to a storage locker.
This morning I moved the treadmill, tank and stand outside onto the patio. (I helped the carpet guy bring the carpet and pad into the basement, and he helped me move the tank and stand.)
So this is what our basement looked like this morning; at least where the tank sits.





I spent a couple of hours cleaning the display tank and sump outside.
A good bath of warm water and vinegar along with a new scraper blade made easy work of removing the algae.



I also cleaned all of the plumbing and equipment, so I should have a clean start when it goes back together.

It turns out that the carpet installer also has a saltwater tank.
We've been chatting about our systems and I'll be passing on the TCMAS information. He has lots of questions and seems eager to discover a new resource for information.

Oh yeah,… The fish and corals are still doing fine.
The leopard wrasse is making a mess when he burrows into his "sand bed" at night, but I cannot complain with how well things have gone so far.
 
Wow that is quite the undertaking it's been quite a while since I've seen that system can't wait to see it back up and running if you need a hand with anything you know I'm just right down the road don't hesitate to give me a shout
 
Getting back on track...

Well… The carpet was installed last Monday and Tuesday.
Looks much better!! And the wife is happy.

I've spent most of my "free" time getting our basement to look like a house again; which hasn't been much time since our son's hockey season has started already.
Before any of the furniture or cabinets could come back into the house, they needed to be dusted and cleaned. My son's bedroom was issued top priority, so that was finished over the weekend.
I was able to get the 120gal stand and tank set up on Monday and spent Tuesday night getting the plumbing and sump put back together; all while driving back and forth to hockey and dance. Tonight, I rinsed out the old sand; that was dirty! I will probably have to add a bag or two of new sand to accommodate for the loss of the crushed shells and coral. I have about 60 galloons of fresh saltwater ready for the 120gal that I will be adding to the 120gal this week sometime.
So I should be ready to start transferring rock this Friday and adding the livestock over the weekend.

As far as the 75gal systems goes…
I have done multiple water changes over the past couple of weeks; 20 gallons each to help with water quality.
The fish are all doing fine.
The anemone is recovering well.
The corals are holding on. I have lost a couple of pieces, though. I lost the Oregon Blue Tort; which happened very quickly. A neighboring frag was knocked over into the tort and it was completely gone within two days. A snail made a pass through one of the frag racks and knocked numerous frags off of it. Two of my acan frags were knocked close enough to the lobophyllia and it made quick work of them overnight. They should be easily replaced, but the Oregon Blue Tort is a bummer.
For the most part, things seem to be doing okay.

Since the Labor Day sales, I've been sitting on a couple of the Kamoer dosing pump units.
One is a master unit and the other a slave; both are four channels. The master unit came in a package with four of the 1.5 liter dosing containers.



The challenge, right now, is trying to find a location in my stand for the pumps. The master unit has the controls on the top which makes installation a bit more difficult.
Since I have eight channels at my disposal, I plan on dosing my calcium and alkalinity with the master unit and the slave unit will be used for the Red Sea Coral Colors Program additives.
I'm thinking of using the dosing containers for just the calcium and alkalinity; one pair in the stand and keeping one pair pre-loaded with supplements. So I can just swap out containers instead of trying to fill them under the tank.
I have never really had a need to dose Magnesium with my system; likely due to weekly water changes with Reef Crystals salt.
So at this time I have two channels left available. I could use one for my ATO and remove my BRS dosing pump. And I have been thinking of trying LaCl to keep the phosphates down; just not sure how to implement that into my stand and sump just yet.
Anyone else have any ideas for the additional channels?

So by the end of this weekend, I hope to have the 120gal back up and running!
Let's see how well I can re-create my aquascape! At least with the Reef Slope; I loved that section of my reef.
I will be taking my time when adding the corals back into the 120gal, though. Plenty of glue will be used so I do not lose anymore frags to snails and crabs.
 

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