38G Reef Build

[sniggir]

looks great, keep it up

[xiaan]

Looks good!
Are you using the waste water from your heating to topoff?

Nope I just have a 5G bucket the auto top off feeds from and dump in some RO/DI water ever week to top that off.

[KLKelly]

I love your chiton.  I've never seen that before.  I went to look them up but didn't find a site on the first few pages about captive ones.  What do they eat and how big will yours get?

[xiaan]

Check out http://www.wetwebmedia.com/polyplacophorans.htm .  It has allot of information on them. They are primarily algae grazers but some do eat coralline algae and they could crawl out of your tank. alto the move really slowly (about foot a day) so you should be able to catch it before it gets to far . Most are found as hitchhikers from live rock I got mine from big Al's for about $5. I have identified my chiton as a Fuzzy Chiton witch should only eat film and green algae and should stay under 3" (Some get over 1 foot).

[sniggir]

very cool

[twisty]

did they have any more?

[xiaan]

I do not know that was about a month ago and I only saw one in the tank. But they can hide very well (they can look like a rock)

[xiaan]

I have not had a update in a while so here goes.

Lots of new additions to the livestock of the thank and no new equipment (although I have a Kalk Reactor on order from Aquatic Systems Design  ).
First off I picked up a nice Favia from Zzippper and some Alein Eye Zoos and a Monti frag from sigger. I also got in on a group order from fragalot and picked up some SPS and LPS frags. I also Picked up another clown fish, 3 peppermint shrimp and a skunk cleaner shrimp.
I have had some losses in the tank to. First was my urchin deciding that he really liked my Aline Eye Zoos and ripping them all off the rock and taking a few for him self. By the time I realized that they had been ripped off I could not find the ~15 polyps and I was only able to find 3 that where still on my urchin.
another thing is I placed my Favia temporary on the sand for a few days (when I went away) and some of my critters decided to bury the bottom part of it losing around 15 heads on the bottom. when I got back I placed it off the sand and since then they have recovered nicely.
I lost one frag out of my fragalot order (some boiling red zoos) they opened up nicely on the first day but then slowly waisted away. I also all but one of my Blue Eyed Devil zoos detached and floated away.
I also lost my first clown fish it seemed to be doing ok but on Saturday I found that it was not swimming very well (but still trying to eat) I placed him in the sump but in a few hours he had passed on.   

So far all my parameters are still stable and everything else seems healthy and growing, my first birds nest frag is shouting off branches almost every week, my candy cane is filling out nicely and some of my zoos are venturing onto my live rock.

Here are some new Acquisitions.

Purple Monster II from Fragalot


Blue Eyed Devils from Fragalot (what is left of them I got 5 but 4 floated away  )


Alien Eye Zoos (What is left of them)


Torch Coral Just got last night from Patrick (Redbelly)


Zoos Just got last night from Patrick (Redbelly)


Aussie Pocillopora from Fraglot (It is starting to recover after the shipping)


Masterpeice Chalice from Fraglot


Favia (Some weird bubbles appeared on it shortly after I got it I do not know if that is normal)


And finally a full tank shot.

[Zzippper]

Bubbles on the Favia?   
Did they go away?

Z

[Vallely4]

I saw a thread with a photo somebody else posted on reefcentral with a different favia, showing a bubble similar to that on its side.
I believe some mentioned it was a form of asexual branching reproduction i think? ...or another form of reproduction... i forget, hehe sorry hopefully some knows what im talking about

Nice to see some surviving online ordered frags   .... I wasnt so lucky, but like you a couple zoo polyps pulled through
Im sure that SPS will turn into quite a nice specimen, does it have different color polyps?
in the picture it looks a 2 toned base shade of purple/ burgundy
I like that chalice too, I have a nice large round piece like that.

[328iGuy]

Looks great!

[xiaan]

I have not had a update in a while so I guess It is time for one.
The tank has progressing nicely It is now over 6 months old since I put water in the tank. I have been adding a coral or two every week or so (I am running out of space in the tank)

Some Hardware improvements to the tank:
Aquacontroler jr
Aquatic Systems Design Kalk Reactor
2 x Two Little Fishes Reactors (One for Phosban and one for Carbon)
Replaced MJ1200 and Hydor Koralia 1 with 2 x Hydor Koralia 2
Got a QT 12G tank
Replaced Current USA Bulbs
My current lighting configuration is:
Front
Giesemann  Pure Actinic
Giesemann AquaBlue +
UVL Super Actinic
UVL 75:25
Giesemann  Pure Actinic
Giesemann AquaBlue +

I have yet to have any major problems with algae or pests (knock on wood  )  although I am experiencing some cyanobacteria in lower flow areas and some in the sump but it comes and goes but it has not been a problem.

I have had some bad luck with fish.  so far I have got 6 fish and only 3 have survived.
Watchman Gobie - my first fish is doing fine
Clown fish #1 - suddenly died on me he was eating fine one day then stopped swimming well and then died 
Clown fish #2 - doing quite well and happy
Purple fire fish - lasted a week in my tank then vanished I found what was left of him in the tank the next day.
After the fire fish I decided to set up a QT tank
Neon Gobie - 2 weeks in QT under Hypo salinity currently living happily for the last month in the display
Royal gramma - Got Ick lased 2 weeks in QT (he never realy swam I think he had some sort of swim bladder problem)

All my coral is doing great but I have had some losses but nothing major. I have seen lots of nice growth on my SPS coral I will post some growth shots later. For now here is some new coral

Red Goniopora

Maze Brain, Platygyra

Red Montipora

Yellow branching Sun Coral

Purple Montipora

Crocea Clam

Orange Ricordea


finally Here is a full tank shot

[xiaan]

Here are some growth shots

Green Birdsnest (was a small stick now about the size of a baseball)


Superman Monti (now spread to the rock)


Candy Cane (lots of new growth)


Duncan (I got 3 heads now there is around 12)


Green Hammer (has doubled from 2 to 4 heads)


Masterpiece Chalice (nice growth)


Purple Stylopora (It can't be all good it just seems to be slowly fading away but I am optimsitic that it will bounce back)

[xiaan]

Finally here is a nice montage of Full Tank shots:

[sniggir]

looking realy good nice little reed you have going! nice to see a tank done properly!!!!