Shaheed's 40g Breeder

[shaheed]

Finally started this tank up after the move...  Thanks to everyone for the help over the past few months with advice, etc..  Got a stand (thanks dave), got some lights in it -- gonna upgrade soon I think -- it worked for the previous owner tho, so I'll hold off...   Got my Aquaclear right now clearing the water with some filter floss, and transferred my 10g into this tank.  I know a lot of you warned against this.  But I figured I'd give it a shot.

Lighting:
-18 led Reefbrites
-2 t5 daylights with giesmann aquablue+ 

Livestock:
- 2 yellow gobies
- 1 tailspot blenny
- 2 black and white clownfish
- 1 bangaii cardinal

Equipment/Filtration
- reef octopus bh1000 hob skimmer
- Aquaclear 110
- mp10
- 2 heaters (100watt and 50 watt I believe)
- ~45lbs mixed fiji rock/haitian rock/florida base rock

August 26th, 2012 ~3month


Fiddling with the white balance on my phone -- couldn't do it.. not the greatest pic...


Aquaclear with the filter floss -- sponge from the previous tank, and these 'bio balls' that came with it


Side shot was the only way I could get a clearer pic!  

[ihavecrabs]

Not to be critical.  But have you thought of using macro algae like cheato instead of the "bio-balls."  From what i understand bio-balls are nitrate factories. 

[shaheed]

hey -- yea i've heard that as well -- in a previous tank i did the chaeto in the filter instead of those 'bio balls' -- ive heard that with these if you do a weekly/biweekly rinse then it helps with not producing nitrate?  I dunno -- thought id try it out cause it came with the filter and i had it in storage! lol -- but i'll get rid of it if its definitely something problematic

[tophoo]

What about a HOB refugium with your ac110?

[shaheed]

that has more than just chaeto?

seems like im going to have to drain the tank... brutal!  so upset...!  Tank wiggles if i move it...argh....

[tophoo]

it also can have live rock and sand for added filtration.  does your tank wiggle a lot?  What about putting shims under the legs like leveling a wobbly table?

[shaheed]

i did that... shims under the tank above the anti stress mats -- cause i didn't want to shim a tank while it was on just carpet!  anyways, its level, and wiggles just slightly when i clean the glass -- just the tank.. but i feel like if i shake the stand i could topple the tank eventually with all my force -- not just accidentally knock into it -- but still..

[Greatwhite]

if stuff is wobbly, you might consider reinforcing the corners with pieces of 2x4 and some screws...  It doesn't sound like it's wobbling because of uneven feet on the stand, since you shimmed it already.  If the stand is not meant to hold 40gallons of water (330 lbs + weight of the glass), I'd be afraid of if crashing down on you...

[shaheed]

correct, its not wobbling because of uneven feet.    Stand is also built for the tank, and has had the same size tank on it with no problems in the past.  i like the reinforcement idea...

[shaheed]

Few updates -- tank is level as level can be, and its been a solid few weeks and it seem's as tho its 'settled'.  Mind you its still a bit wobbly because of the anti fatigue mats -- but a lot more stable.  I want to see what happens in a few more weeks.  For now I'll see about putting in some brackets for stability. 

Got a new reef octpus hob bh1000 skimmer from aquavalley:


still fine tuning it -- tons of micro bubbles that pretty much went away by 70% within 24 hours.  Produced a very wet skimmate with a 'green tea' color to it.. lol -- so pulled the cup up more.  Does anyone know how much water is supposed to be in the section where the water drains out to the tank?  For me, its just 'barely' enough for it to go down the tube -- looks like a circular vortex of water going down -- like flushing the toilet! 

Skimmer bubbles day 1:


Bubbles day 2:


Annd, got two clowns from aquavalley as well -- black and white ones -- we love them, great look and after a day were loving the tank and eating like fiends.


1 month shot!:

[az]

looking good, updated pics??

[shaheed]

Thanks!

Need a true camera to actually see whats in my tank -- this phone camera can't keep up with the glass-water refraction (or whatever is screwing up the quality) -- but nevertheless:

Another quick update -- skimmate is getting better -- might raise the cup up a bit...  waiting on the ato installation (being lazy) -- got some frags a week ago from AZ, these pics are a bit old  -- they are much more open and used to the tank now.  And just got a blasto and upgraded the crab collection today actually..

Clove: 
Favia:
GSP: 
Blasto:

Skimmate:

[shaheed]

New update; left the tank alone (went on vacay) for 5 days -- very anxious, lol, came back to a diatom filled beautiful tank! lol -- better pic of the blasto that opened up quite nicely!  The frogspawn looks quite healthy, -- ricordea has opened up even more.

On the drive back we decided to stop off at Jim's from forty fathoms -- super cool guy --> got a new bangaii who is adjusting quite well to the tank.. was in the back behind rocks day 1... day 2 front left corner of tank... hoping it'll go in the middle soon... lol ... got a new rbta and anemone shrimp... its day 2, the rbta is hiding under a rock -- with shrimp...  sucks!  Will give em some time tho... so no pics of that... YET!  And a new red sea star -- covering the whole tank in laps; our family's new favourite for sure! 

 

[shaheed]

Finally the anemone comes out today!  not entirely tho, but still, its out...  Annnnnnd had to get two sexy shrimp and a tricolor brain from AZ @Aquavalley.  The sexy shrimp are probably my favourite at the moment -- tricolor brain is the wife and daughter's favourite!

tricolor:


sexy shrimp:


anemone and anemone shrimp:

[shaheed]

Just got a 6line and peppermint from AZ @ aquavalley..   Was a bit nervous that he'd run out of the 6 line --- and WOW, I love this fish.  I've always been fascinated with this fish -- but nothing else has ever (in my naive minded world of reefing) caught my attention and focus as this fish.  I sat there for 'hours' just watching it swim.   It seems super happy to be in the tank -- all my other fish kind of lingered in the corner for a day or two and then became active.   This fish is doing laps and weaves and crosses through the rock work.  Trying to discover and claim ever nook and cranny.  Amazing.

-end rant

[dbl_dbl]

agreed on the 6 line.

I might have missed it but did you get the microbubble issue fixed?

[shaheed]

microbubbles are bare minimal now.. but still there...

bigger issues -- i have green algae that has taken over this tank completely.  I've neglected the tank as a lot has come up in the past 2 months -- and im afraid im at the point of no return...:S

[xenon]

microbubbles are bare minimal now.. but still there...

bigger issues -- i have green algae that has taken over this tank completely.  I've neglected the tank as a lot has come up in the past 2 months -- and im afraid im at the point of no return...:S

Get a TLF150 reactor with some GFO media and a Hanna PO4 Checker.

If you can out-compete the algae in the tank, it will disappear.

I would also try to pull out as much as you can manually.

[shaheed]

I bought ( a couple months back) a brs dual reactor -- I don't have a sump, its quite difficult to just have that sitting on the ground.. -- but can i just keep that instead of spending more money?

im using tap water as well -- thought id throw that out there.. lotta ppl here state that its ok?

[az]

is skimmer output missing something, microbubbles like that would help algae grow so you need to take bubbles out completely.