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jlanger's Reef Build: Episode II - The 120gal Strikes Back (1 Viewer)
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- 120 gallon coral fish reef tank build
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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Yesterday, I went over to The Cities to pick up another goni. I came home with five!
I mentioned during the virtual meeting that I might start adding Tubastrea corals. I came home with one!
I mentioned during the virtual meeting that I might start adding Tubastrea corals. I came home with one!
Yesterday, I went over to The Cities to pick up another goni. I came home with five!
I mentioned during the virtual meeting that I might start adding Tubastrea corals. I came home with one!
Pictures?
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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I only see three of the six things you came home with, did you lose the other l three?
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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Multiple frags in each pic.
I also came home with three more montipora frags; last photo.
is that a peppermint angelfish i see?!?!?
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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During the virtual tank tour, I was asked to post what I feed my LPS corals when I target feed. Here it is...
Dry ingredients:
PE Mysis Flakes (crumbled to a powder)
PolypLab Reef-Roids
BRS Reef Chili
TLF Goniopower
TLF Calan-Eeze
TLF PhytoPlan
TLF ZoPlan
Reef Nutrition TDO Pellets; X-Small
Wet Ingredients:
Reef Nutrition Phyto Feast
Reef Nutrition Roti Feast
Reef Nutrition Oyster Feast
Reef Nutrition R.O.E.
PE Calanus; thawed frozen cube (Before I had the dried Calan-Eeze.)
I mix the dry ingredients (about 1/8 tsp each of the powdered foods, about 1/4 tsp of the pellets) in a small condiment cup and then add the wet ingredients until it forms a slurry; think maple syrup.
I will turn off all of the flow in the tank and let the corals adjust for about five to ten minutes.
For corals that take a while to exhibit a feeding response (i.e. Lobophyllia, Tubastrea), I will hit them with a little taste of the food while I wait for the water flow to subside.
I use a long coral feeding pipette to target feed the LPS corals. If the slurry is still too thick and falls off of the polyps, I will add a small amount of tank water to thin it down.
As the corals feed and retract, I will feed them again until all of the coral food is gone. I'll even broadcast feed over the montipora corals as well.
After feeding, I will wait another ten to fifteen minutes before restoring any water flow. Usually the fish have come around and started eating whatever they can. (I also feed the fish during this time to keep them occupied as the corals try to eat.)
I target feed the corals every 4-6 days and I also broadcast feed the Reef Nutrition liquid foods twice per week late after lights out.
Happy feeding. Happy corals.
Dry ingredients:
PE Mysis Flakes (crumbled to a powder)
PolypLab Reef-Roids
BRS Reef Chili
TLF Goniopower
TLF Calan-Eeze
TLF PhytoPlan
TLF ZoPlan
Reef Nutrition TDO Pellets; X-Small
Wet Ingredients:
Reef Nutrition Phyto Feast
Reef Nutrition Roti Feast
Reef Nutrition Oyster Feast
Reef Nutrition R.O.E.
PE Calanus; thawed frozen cube (Before I had the dried Calan-Eeze.)
I mix the dry ingredients (about 1/8 tsp each of the powdered foods, about 1/4 tsp of the pellets) in a small condiment cup and then add the wet ingredients until it forms a slurry; think maple syrup.
I will turn off all of the flow in the tank and let the corals adjust for about five to ten minutes.
For corals that take a while to exhibit a feeding response (i.e. Lobophyllia, Tubastrea), I will hit them with a little taste of the food while I wait for the water flow to subside.
I use a long coral feeding pipette to target feed the LPS corals. If the slurry is still too thick and falls off of the polyps, I will add a small amount of tank water to thin it down.
As the corals feed and retract, I will feed them again until all of the coral food is gone. I'll even broadcast feed over the montipora corals as well.
After feeding, I will wait another ten to fifteen minutes before restoring any water flow. Usually the fish have come around and started eating whatever they can. (I also feed the fish during this time to keep them occupied as the corals try to eat.)
I target feed the corals every 4-6 days and I also broadcast feed the Reef Nutrition liquid foods twice per week late after lights out.
Happy feeding. Happy corals.
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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Meeting Host 2021
Meeting Host 2022
Here's some more macro photos of some of the collector goni frags; and the new Tubastraea colony.
Burning Man Gonipora.
Joe's Pyromaniac Goniopora
Joe's Vegas Strip Rainbow Goniopora
This one came in looking much rougher than the photo in the live sale, but it's looking healthy and opening up more. I hope it can rebound and look like the photos of the mother colony,
UC Illuminations Goniopora
UC Enchantress Bernadpora???
DN Fire Gardens Bernardpora???
UC Citrus Sparkler
The colony of hungry Tubastraea.
When I feed the fish their frozen foods (thawed), I will blast the colony with some of the juices. After a few minutes, the polyps extend and are ready to eat. I blast colony with the foods and they catch what they can. I hope these do well as I'd like to add about five or six more colonies.
And a cool macro photo.
There's still more goniopora/bernardpora/alveopora frags that I haven't photographed yet, but I'll try to capture those by the end of the year.
Burning Man Gonipora.
Joe's Pyromaniac Goniopora
Joe's Vegas Strip Rainbow Goniopora
This one came in looking much rougher than the photo in the live sale, but it's looking healthy and opening up more. I hope it can rebound and look like the photos of the mother colony,
UC Illuminations Goniopora
UC Enchantress Bernadpora???
DN Fire Gardens Bernardpora???
UC Citrus Sparkler
The colony of hungry Tubastraea.
When I feed the fish their frozen foods (thawed), I will blast the colony with some of the juices. After a few minutes, the polyps extend and are ready to eat. I blast colony with the foods and they catch what they can. I hope these do well as I'd like to add about five or six more colonies.
And a cool macro photo.
There's still more goniopora/bernardpora/alveopora frags that I haven't photographed yet, but I'll try to capture those by the end of the year.
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The tubastraea are too cool (and the gonis of course!). Great photos, Jason
mak
Senior Member
Beautiful work!
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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I just wanted to post that if I succumb to the LARS, this may be why.
I have been dosing nitrates to get it up to about 10ppm, I have been "over feeding" my tank to make sure the Tubastraea colony is getting enough food and I have been randomly dumping in PhytoFeast to boost the nutrient levels and keeping my corals happy.
With all of this going on, I have also gone three weeks without doing a single water change.
The only maintenance that I have done is that I have harvested algae from my APIS_300 algae scrubber every two weeks.
Today's test results...
Nitrates: 6ppm.
Phosphates: 0.04ppm.
Why did I just buy all of this salt mix?
I'm kidding. I'll likey do a water change. Someday.
Just a happy clownfish emerging from a Goniopora colony.
I have been dosing nitrates to get it up to about 10ppm, I have been "over feeding" my tank to make sure the Tubastraea colony is getting enough food and I have been randomly dumping in PhytoFeast to boost the nutrient levels and keeping my corals happy.
With all of this going on, I have also gone three weeks without doing a single water change.
The only maintenance that I have done is that I have harvested algae from my APIS_300 algae scrubber every two weeks.
Today's test results...
Nitrates: 6ppm.
Phosphates: 0.04ppm.
Why did I just buy all of this salt mix?
I'm kidding. I'll likey do a water change. Someday.
Just a happy clownfish emerging from a Goniopora colony.
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
Lifetime Member
Event Committee
Meeting Host 2020
Meeting Host 2021
Meeting Host 2022
Also wanted to post...
I've been closely watching another one of Brandon's Live Sales on R2R and I've got six more new goni frags on the way.
So far.
Update... make that eight more.
I've been closely watching another one of Brandon's Live Sales on R2R and I've got six more new goni frags on the way.
So far.
Update... make that eight more.
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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Meeting Host 2021
Meeting Host 2022
Did you post your ornament photos yet? If not I will 
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
Lifetime Member
Event Committee
Meeting Host 2020
Meeting Host 2021
Meeting Host 2022
Just in time before the cold and snow arrive...
A quick sneak peek at three of the eight new goni frags that arrived today.
The one on the right was shown to be more pink with yellow highlights, but I seriously hope it stays with the violet and green look.
When the frags arrived and I went to acclimate them, the water temperature in the cups was only 64°. I feared the worst, but I raised the water temperature during the acclimation process and the frags seemed okay. They've been in my display for less than four hours and they've all opened up quite nicely.
A quick sneak peek at three of the eight new goni frags that arrived today.
The one on the right was shown to be more pink with yellow highlights, but I seriously hope it stays with the violet and green look.
When the frags arrived and I went to acclimate them, the water temperature in the cups was only 64°. I feared the worst, but I raised the water temperature during the acclimation process and the frags seemed okay. They've been in my display for less than four hours and they've all opened up quite nicely.
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Id be interested in seeing what there growth rate is for you. I picked up my first goni about a month ago. I can see why people like them so much especially you!Just in time before the cold and snow arrive...
A quick sneak peek at three of the eight new goni frags that arrived today.
View attachment 49379
The one on the right was shown to be more pink with yellow highlights, but I seriously hope it stays with the violet and green look.
When the frags arrived and I went too acclimate them, the water temperature in the cups was only 64°. I feared the worst, but I raised the water temperature during the acclimation process and the frags seemed okay. They've been in my display for less than four hours and they've all opened up quite nicely.
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
Lifetime Member
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Meeting Host 2020
Meeting Host 2021
Meeting Host 2022
I've got just over one year of experience with goniopora in this tank and this is what I'm learning.
Growth rates differ with which type of flowerpot coral it is. The micro-gonis (bernardpora) seem to show growth the quickest. The normal goniopora corals seem to settle into the system for a while before showing any growth. Most of my goniopora corals will take from four to six months before showing skeletal growth. It appears that there's growth before that but it's just that the polyps are getting bigger. Once growth begins, it can grow quite rapidly. The alveopora corals are still an enigma; the colonies are definitely getting visually bigger (larger polyps and more of them) but I cannot see much skeletal growth quite yet.
I firmly believe that my success with growing goniopora corals has much to do with feeding them. I've previously posted what and how I target feed the corals and I still do it at least once a week. I still dose Reef Nutrition liquid feeds periodically during the night as well. And since I have added the Tubastraea colony, I am target feeding that coral multiple times a day (mostly due to the fact that the fish now know that they can pick the foods from the polyps if I don't protect the colony.)
Another factor that I believe helps with my success is that the corals get plenty of random flow and good lighting. The polyps on my flowerpot corals are constantly being tossed around in the flow. The only time I lessen the flow and allow them to stand calm is before the targeted feedings; or for taking some photos.
One other observation about the high flow that they receive is that the tentacles on the coral polyps are very long. Most of the time, we see goniopora polyps with bulbous tentacles. I have had some frags come in with the bulbous tentacles and then over time they elongate; similar to the RBTA.
Here's an example of the growth from one of the micro-goni frags.
August 2020.
December 2020.
The coral has completely covered the frag disc and may be getting close to growing onto the rocks. When I mount this new batch of frags onto the rocks, I will pop this one off the rock and add a larger 2" disc beneath it.
Most frags that I have gotten have a skeletal base about the size of a plain M&M. Those goniopora frags that I have had for a year are now have a skeletal base about the size of ping pong ball. The micro-gonis are more of an encrusting grower (but do build up as well) and I have had to stack frag discs underneath them.
Maybe I'll do some more comparison photos as they get bigger; and before I start fragging some of them.