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jlanger's Reef Build: Episode II - The 120gal Strikes Back (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter jlanger
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- 120 gallon coral fish reef tank build
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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Thanks for the comments guys.
As promised, here's more details into what occured over the past weekend and before.
A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I added a fourth rock to the display to become the new Bernardpora Garden. Even though, they're considered the "micro-goniopora", they can be a menace to their larger cousins. As they exhibit this elongated polyp extension, they irritate the neighboring goniopora corals so that they don't extend their polyps. Over time, those polyps remain closed and eventually wither away. But seeing as how the neighboring bernardpora showed no ill effects from the close contact, I decided that they can all live on their own rock away from the others.
I mounted ten bernardpora frags onto the rock and also added a grafted montipora frag that has been hopping around the reef with no real home. The flowerpot corals do a very good job at keeping montipora corals in their place.
From observation, these bernardpora frags grow quickly, so we'll see how fast they fill in this rock.
Here's a couple of photos showing two of the remaining four lobophyllia corals in the system.
They're puffy and happy so I'm still debating on whether I keep or sell them.
Now that I've addressed the Bernardpora issue, I have turned my attention to the Alveopora issue; overcrowding.
As these corals have grown, they are also experiencing some die off where one coral's polyps impede the the other coral's from extending. Today, I removed three of those frags that are being affected the most. I'll need to decide whether I expand their garden or start rehoming some of them. I do have plenty of room in my 32gal, so I might move some of those corals over there just I still have them in my possession. Undecided at this time.
Here's a nice photo of the newest Alveopora that I picked up.
The Goniopora Garden looks much better than it was a few days ago. With planting over almost two dozen new frags into the garden, it'll be fun to watch as those frags grow and fill it in; again. Most of them have opened up at some point, but not all at the same time. As they get used to their new placement, I'm expecting them to settle in by week's end. Especially when they're tended by the best Goni-gardener...
And it appears that the Tubastraea colony has its very own babysitter as well. The Copperband Butterflyfish like to "protect" this colony when I approach the tank. Not really. Since I tend to try and feed the Tubastraea coral as often as I can, the copper band has learned that it's a good place to hang out and get easy pickings of food.
As promised, here's more details into what occured over the past weekend and before.
A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I added a fourth rock to the display to become the new Bernardpora Garden. Even though, they're considered the "micro-goniopora", they can be a menace to their larger cousins. As they exhibit this elongated polyp extension, they irritate the neighboring goniopora corals so that they don't extend their polyps. Over time, those polyps remain closed and eventually wither away. But seeing as how the neighboring bernardpora showed no ill effects from the close contact, I decided that they can all live on their own rock away from the others.
I mounted ten bernardpora frags onto the rock and also added a grafted montipora frag that has been hopping around the reef with no real home. The flowerpot corals do a very good job at keeping montipora corals in their place.
From observation, these bernardpora frags grow quickly, so we'll see how fast they fill in this rock.
Here's a couple of photos showing two of the remaining four lobophyllia corals in the system.
They're puffy and happy so I'm still debating on whether I keep or sell them.
Now that I've addressed the Bernardpora issue, I have turned my attention to the Alveopora issue; overcrowding.
As these corals have grown, they are also experiencing some die off where one coral's polyps impede the the other coral's from extending. Today, I removed three of those frags that are being affected the most. I'll need to decide whether I expand their garden or start rehoming some of them. I do have plenty of room in my 32gal, so I might move some of those corals over there just I still have them in my possession. Undecided at this time.
Here's a nice photo of the newest Alveopora that I picked up.
The Goniopora Garden looks much better than it was a few days ago. With planting over almost two dozen new frags into the garden, it'll be fun to watch as those frags grow and fill it in; again. Most of them have opened up at some point, but not all at the same time. As they get used to their new placement, I'm expecting them to settle in by week's end. Especially when they're tended by the best Goni-gardener...
And it appears that the Tubastraea colony has its very own babysitter as well. The Copperband Butterflyfish like to "protect" this colony when I approach the tank. Not really. Since I tend to try and feed the Tubastraea coral as often as I can, the copper band has learned that it's a good place to hang out and get easy pickings of food.
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
Lifetime Member
Event Committee
Meeting Host 2020
Meeting Host 2021
Meeting Host 2022
Another happy and fluffy lobo... felt bad that I didn't share this pic last time.
I would like to post more fish photos, but this group of fishes is the most camera shy of any that I've ever had. The harlequin has always been shy, but the two tangs and the wrasse stay far away from the camera lens.
In other fish news... I reached out again this weekend about the possibility of finding a pair of Genicanthus semifasciatus angelfish for the reef. But I also stated that my hopes of finding a pair was dwindling and I was looking into other options. I offered up two different possibilities. So maybe, just maybe, by this spring/summer, I'll finally have a pair of (or singular) angelfish in the tank.
Also of note (for my records), I finally swapped out my CO2 tank for the calcium reactor. I was fortunate enough to notice the day of it becoming empty so I didn't have any drop in my calcium and carbonate levels.
And I have been taking daily photos of the algae screen from my algae turf scrubber since the last harvest twelve days ago. I'm documenting the progress of algae growth from a "clean" screen until harvest; about two weeks. It's eye opening just how fast algae grows. I'll post some photo comparisons somewhere after the next harvest this weekend.
I would like to post more fish photos, but this group of fishes is the most camera shy of any that I've ever had. The harlequin has always been shy, but the two tangs and the wrasse stay far away from the camera lens.
In other fish news... I reached out again this weekend about the possibility of finding a pair of Genicanthus semifasciatus angelfish for the reef. But I also stated that my hopes of finding a pair was dwindling and I was looking into other options. I offered up two different possibilities. So maybe, just maybe, by this spring/summer, I'll finally have a pair of (or singular) angelfish in the tank.
Also of note (for my records), I finally swapped out my CO2 tank for the calcium reactor. I was fortunate enough to notice the day of it becoming empty so I didn't have any drop in my calcium and carbonate levels.
And I have been taking daily photos of the algae screen from my algae turf scrubber since the last harvest twelve days ago. I'm documenting the progress of algae growth from a "clean" screen until harvest; about two weeks. It's eye opening just how fast algae grows. I'll post some photo comparisons somewhere after the next harvest this weekend.
Gorgeous!
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
Lifetime Member
Event Committee
Meeting Host 2020
Meeting Host 2021
Meeting Host 2022
It's been a while since I've posted anything other than the corals.
Two weeks ago I harvested the algae from my APIS-300 Algae Turf Scrubber and I started taking daily photos to show the progression of the algae growth over the following two weeks. Photos were taken of both sides of the screen; left (L) and right (R).
Here's the photographic results and some notes.
The first set of photos was taken right after harvesting the algae from the previous cycle. I leave small patches of algae on the screen to kickstart the following cycle. But I do scrape the outside perimeter of the screen quite well to try and keep the growth localized on the screen.
Here's a better lit photo of what the algae is looking like after seven days.
During this next set of photos, I performed my weekly water change and water tests. The nitrate levels were dropping again; down to 4.0ppm. So on Day 9, I started to dose 10ml of ESV's Nitrate supplement every day to bump them back up.
By day 12, here's what the algae screen was looking like.
I harvested the algae from the screen on Day 15 and here's the data and some photos from that harvest.
The harvest yielded 595g of algae (squeezed).
My nutrient levels were NO3 @ 8.0ppm and PO4 @ 0.04ppm (Red Sea).
I will likely continue to dose the nitrate supplement for the next week and then test them again. I have to dose the nitrates even though I have been feeding heavily and target feeding the corals once per week. I'm adding a lot of nutrients into the system as it is, but the scrubber and corals are consuming them just as quickly. A handful of the flowerpot corals have lost their color and began to look fluorescent.
Speaking of the flowerpot corals... I have more on the way this week.
Two weeks ago I harvested the algae from my APIS-300 Algae Turf Scrubber and I started taking daily photos to show the progression of the algae growth over the following two weeks. Photos were taken of both sides of the screen; left (L) and right (R).
Here's the photographic results and some notes.
The first set of photos was taken right after harvesting the algae from the previous cycle. I leave small patches of algae on the screen to kickstart the following cycle. But I do scrape the outside perimeter of the screen quite well to try and keep the growth localized on the screen.
Here's a better lit photo of what the algae is looking like after seven days.
During this next set of photos, I performed my weekly water change and water tests. The nitrate levels were dropping again; down to 4.0ppm. So on Day 9, I started to dose 10ml of ESV's Nitrate supplement every day to bump them back up.
By day 12, here's what the algae screen was looking like.
I harvested the algae from the screen on Day 15 and here's the data and some photos from that harvest.
The harvest yielded 595g of algae (squeezed).
My nutrient levels were NO3 @ 8.0ppm and PO4 @ 0.04ppm (Red Sea).
I will likely continue to dose the nitrate supplement for the next week and then test them again. I have to dose the nitrates even though I have been feeding heavily and target feeding the corals once per week. I'm adding a lot of nutrients into the system as it is, but the scrubber and corals are consuming them just as quickly. A handful of the flowerpot corals have lost their color and began to look fluorescent.
Speaking of the flowerpot corals... I have more on the way this week.
How long does it take you to do your cleanup every two weeks?
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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Meeting Host 2021
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From start to finish, it takes me about 15 minutes but that's also including the time it takes me to snap a handful of photos. If I just wanted to do a simple harvest, I could do it in under 5 minutes.
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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Would you buy one?Nice! You should really consider starting a company to sell your scrubbers.
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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So... the writing is on the wall.
My wife has decided that with our daughter's graduation this spring that it is time to spruce up the house; again. When our son graduated, I replaced our deck, painted the garage and added a storage shed. This time around, it's time to replace the carpeting and repaint some of the rooms. Sure, she's not wrong; the carpeting is getting worn. My biggest concern is what I'm going to do with the aquariums. The last time we replaced the carpet downstairs, I lost a number of corals due to the temporary set ups and it's something that I don't want to experience again.
Through our "discussions", it looks like we'll replace the carpet upstairs before the graduation and then schedule the basement for this fall. We talked about putting tile down beneath the aquariums so that future flooring replacements wouldn't affect them. I mentioned that it might be a good time to move the 120gal to the other wall so we could place the tile flooring down before the carpet was replaced. And I mentioned that I always thought about upgrading to a larger tank along that wall. She didn't argue.
So I am now going to spending time looking at upgrading to a bigger system sooner than anticipated.
My 120gal has been doing/looking great and I'm nervous that something bad will happen during a move or upgrade. There's a lot of upsides to moving into a larger tank (more fish, more corals), so I have that to help me stay positive.
My wife has decided that with our daughter's graduation this spring that it is time to spruce up the house; again. When our son graduated, I replaced our deck, painted the garage and added a storage shed. This time around, it's time to replace the carpeting and repaint some of the rooms. Sure, she's not wrong; the carpeting is getting worn. My biggest concern is what I'm going to do with the aquariums. The last time we replaced the carpet downstairs, I lost a number of corals due to the temporary set ups and it's something that I don't want to experience again.
Through our "discussions", it looks like we'll replace the carpet upstairs before the graduation and then schedule the basement for this fall. We talked about putting tile down beneath the aquariums so that future flooring replacements wouldn't affect them. I mentioned that it might be a good time to move the 120gal to the other wall so we could place the tile flooring down before the carpet was replaced. And I mentioned that I always thought about upgrading to a larger tank along that wall. She didn't argue.
So I am now going to spending time looking at upgrading to a bigger system sooner than anticipated.
My 120gal has been doing/looking great and I'm nervous that something bad will happen during a move or upgrade. There's a lot of upsides to moving into a larger tank (more fish, more corals), so I have that to help me stay positive.
Davy Jones
Senior Member
Episode 3: revenge of the sps?
If you need a home for some gonis, I’ve got space
What are you thinking for size?
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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We'll see.
Most likely sticking with what I've got going well at the start but I could be tempted to the dark side. ( @Fishfoo )
I'm thinking that I'll likely frag a lot of the pieces that I have so that I can spread the collection amongst other systems.If you need a home for some gonis, I’ve got space
But I'm hoping that I'll be able to have a new system (or other temporary system) in place before I need to tear down the 120gal.
My original plans for an upgrade were in the 240gal range, but it so happens that I have a line on something bigger.
I have the perfect spot for a large system where I can convert my office into a new fish room behind the display. There's just so much other stuff to consider moving forward with something of that size; electrical, plumbing, more lighting, etc... not to mention building a new canopy and skins for a steel stand.
800 gal it is! 1200 for safe measure...
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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Meeting Host 2021
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My wife might be distracted, but she's not oblivious.
That’s some cool news! And I understand where you’re coming from with not wanting to tear down something once you find some success and things are running smoothly. We pushed off our moving plans for next year so that gives me some breathing room but I’m still nervous. As you said though, more room means more coral and fish. Can’t go wrong with that
would you plan to do another custom stand/canopy I’d guess? I’m almost more excited for that than the tank
would you plan to do another custom stand/canopy I’d guess? I’m almost more excited for that than the tank
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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Event Committee
Meeting Host 2020
Meeting Host 2021
Meeting Host 2022
Definitely nervous; almost getting cold feet to do it.That’s some cool news! And I understand where you’re coming from with not wanting to tear down something once you find some success and things are running smoothly. We pushed off our moving plans for next year so that gives me some breathing room but I’m still nervous. As you said though, more room means more coral and fish. Can’t go wrong with that
would you plan to do another custom stand/canopy I’d guess? I’m almost more excited for that than the tank
The set up includes a naked steel stand so I plan to skin it in the same Arts & Crafts style of my other stands and cabinets.
The initial plan is to convert my office into the fish room for the sump and equipment. This will leave the area under the stand wide open. I haven’t decided on what to do with that space in regards to how I design the stand. I’m leaning towards adding cabinet inserts (shelves or drawers) to hold dry foods and other small items that I’d want access to from that room.
It’s a tad overwhelming when you haven’t had the time to realize just what you’re getting into.
This is going to be amazing. Episode 3!!
And now that you know sand and live rock greatly increases your success rate with corals early on (Just like Ryan from BRS) you can do acros again!!
And now that you know sand and live rock greatly increases your success rate with corals early on (Just like Ryan from BRS) you can do acros again!!
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jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
Lifetime Member
Event Committee
Meeting Host 2020
Meeting Host 2021
Meeting Host 2022
Yep... Episode III. Coming later this spring.
Acros are the last thing on my mind to add to the larger system. If I decide to add some, they'll be tabling varieties.
The first new additions will likely be fish related. With triple the water volume, I'll be looking at adding more wrasses, rabbitfish, likely some anthias and (still) a pair of angels.