Finally My Custom Miracle Build with Fish Room

[reefmutt]

Looking good Henry. Too bad about all the funky fish issues!
You better start naming your shots, when you know them or people like me will be constantly bothering you for names.
There was a time when ‘old school’ corals were purple monster, Oregon tort and pink lemonade... I guess I’m getting old!! Wait... definitely getting old...

[McPuff]

No worries. I don't care much about the name to be honest, but I have one that looks identical. So it's a curiosity...can't seem to figure out what type of coral it is. But it looks good so I'm happy. 😉

Originally Posted by nightOwl

shred5 - I guess the closest thing we have is the rate the thread at the top...thanks for thinking I should get a like though.



McPuff - Man I man I am not even sure. I have lost so many corals. I just tried looking back at some old pictures and I can't remember where or what I may have fragged it from. I can say it should be pretty when it finally colors up. I don't think its one of the "named corals". I can't tell it is a frag of an old tort. I need these corals to take off...lol.

[nightOwl]

Originally Posted by McPuff

No worries. I don't care much about the name to be honest, but I have one that looks identical. So it's a curiosity...can't seem to figure out what type of coral it is. But it looks good so I'm happy. 😉

McPuff - Hopefully as it grows we will figure it out...lol. I'm old school so it may end up being (insert color) tipped acro...lol.

Originally Posted by reefmutt

Looking good Henry. Too bad about all the funky fish issues!
You better start naming your shots, when you know them or people like me will be constantly bothering you for names.
There was a time when ‘old school’ corals were purple monster, Oregon tort and pink lemonade... I guess I’m getting old!! Wait... definitely getting old...

reefmutt - Yea the fish losses lately have been a bit tiresome. After the holidays I will regroup and order some new fish. LOL I am right there with you on the old school corals. Funny thing is tracking them down is hard sometimes...lol. And some of the really old ones seem to have gotten new names since the shift from MH to LEDs. As these start to grow I will be able to see what I really have.

UPDATE TIME

I increased the intensity on my lights a little and I think it may be helping bring out the colors in my corals. I decided to keep track of what the previous settings were in a spreadsheet and that way when I take pictures I can reference back to see any color shifts. I also have lost all the Cardinal fish from my last order. I think they were two small and unhealthy when they arrived. I my try again but think I need a place where I can see the eat first. I finished my new top down and it seems to be working well with no leaks. I am trying to keep the pictures as true to my eye as possible but some of the colors are not showing as great as they are in the tank.

Here a few things I have on my list to fix in the upcoming weeks:

• Redo top off plumbing
• Install check valve on return line
• Fix connection issue in the basement
• Redo wrasse keeper 1000

12/20/2018 - New Top Down Pictures

My new top down box has great promise. I made it from a piece of circular acrylic tubing and then just added a scrap piece of 1/4" acrylic I had in the garage. I painted the walls black and because the circumference was close to my lense there is not a lot of moving inside the box. The pictures were taken only 6 days after my last post but I like the way they came out. I have tried to take out as much as the blue as possible and make the colors look like what I see in my tank.

IMG_4249 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4206 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

Notice the damaged part starting to close
IMG_4213 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr


IMG_4221 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4228 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4232 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4234 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr



This color is insane

IMG_4254 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr


IMG_4253 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

[nightOwl]

General Updates - Cont
12/20/2018 - Frag Tank Algae Issues

My Frag tank algae issues are out of control. I ordered a turbo snail for it but he is not fast at all...lol. He is slowly eating away the issue. I am going to add a lawnmower blenny. I think the frag tank is very stable now. Despite the bad algae issues corals are growing and some are starting to show color. It's going to be interesting once this gets going again.

IMG_4257 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4277 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4279 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4280 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4281 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4282 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

Not sure whats going on here I have had this guy since 2004.
IMG_4283 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4285 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

12/23/2018 - Algae harvest

For the amount of fish I have I feed pretty heavy so I am always worried about nutrients and phosphate levels. I am trying to make sure I have some nutrients but not ultra clean. Fish poo and feeding make for pretty corals. In about a month I had a pretty good harvest again. Next month I will weigh the amount of algae to see how much is being removed. After taking it from my sump I take the time to rinse it in the main display to release all the mini starfish, pods, and bristle worms and there were a lot of them.

IMG_4286 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

[nightOwl]

It's about time for another update. Things in the main display are coming along nicely. I have noticed a little more aggression from my Purple Tang but I plan on getting some more fish to help spread the aggression around. The Yellow Tang is the main recipient of the aggression but it's more like annoying sibling aggression than real aggression. The Yellow Tang follows him around like a lost puppy dog and then the Purple Tang chases it away for a while then they swim together...lol. It's so funny to watch. I feed them multiple times a day so they all look pretty fat. I am just hoping the Yellow Tang hits a growth spurt soon.

Cheato Harvest
It's been about a month since the last harvest and this time I wanted to see how much was actually harvested. I borrowed the scale from the kitchen and grabbed a old bucket. I added the tare and looks like I am harvesting close to 1 lb. each time.

IMG_4286 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4302 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr


Organize Fish Room
I finally got around to labeling my test kits so I don't have to blindly pull them all down from the cabinet. Now instead of keeping them out all the time I can put them up and pull down only the ones I want. I also mounted my Apex Displays for the Frag and Main display. I almost had another water incident so figured that mounting was the smart thing to do. I built a holder and mounted it to the wall for the Frag Tank which is completely overridden with algae. Over the next few weeks I am going to organize my display board and a few more things in the fish room.

IMG_4299 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4298 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4297 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

Front Tank Shot
Each month I plan to take a FTS so far there is not much to show. Once the corals start to grow in I will be happy and hopefully will be able to share some cool corals. I may post some new top downs later this weekend. I am in the process of changing my lighting schedule to reduce the white channel a little. The change I made over a month ago is growing corals but a few appear to be growing increasingly pale.

Jan FTS
IMG_4312 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

[Mav2]

Great build! Superb patience and planning - looking forward to following.

[nightOwl]

Originally Posted by Mav2

Great build! Superb patience and planning - looking forward to following.

Mav2 - Thanks for the kind words and following along. Hopefully some new top downs will be posted tomorrow.

[nightOwl]

Cap Growth - 3 Months

I have come a long way from killing corals to finally being able to grow them. My SPS are now growing especially encrusting Montis and Caps. Below is one of my growth shots. I will try to find some more old shots and a similar newer shot. The shot below is one of the first caps that started to show growth. This coral was receding and suffering from neglect. The picture below shows about 3 months of growth.

Cap Growth by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

[nightOwl]

Cap Growth - 3 Months
Below is another growth shot. The picture below shows about 3 months of growth between the two pictures. I wish I could have found an earlier picture. The picture from 12/20 already had signs of growth so it had been in the tank at least a month before that. When I initially put the frag in the yellow polyps were not as yellow. This one is another that has colored up nicely.


Cap Yellow Polyps Growth by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

[nightOwl]

SPS Growth
This one I am pretty excited about. Currently it will will be one of my center piece corals once things really start growing. I am excited about the color changes I am seeing. If the color gets more intense I am going to be a happy camper.

SPS1 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

[reefmutt]

Hey Henry, corals are looking good.
That last acro looks like a miyagi tort. A happy miyagi tort. It’s looking better and better.
Very nice!

[nightOwl]

Originally Posted by reefmutt

Hey Henry, corals are looking good.
That last acro looks like a miyagi tort. A happy miyagi tort. It’s looking better and better.
Very nice!

Matt,
I was thinking the same thing about it being a Miyagi Tort. I kept looking back for old pictures and trying to figure out when I got it...lol. I just hope they all start coloring up so I can see what I have in the tank....lol. That way I know what colors I am missing or want to get next...lol. I can't get the the color just right but it looks so much better in person...lol. I am getting better with taking pictures with the LEDs. I have also figured if I take during my peak white spectrum its less work for me...lol.

[nightOwl]

General Updates

Things are coming along but I have started to hit a road bump. Corals are growing but my zoas are starting to melt. My rasta zoas were once thriving now they are melting on me very fast.

I was looking back at some pictures and noticed so far most of the coral pics are from only the left side of the tank. I took a few from right side of the tank and below you will see some new shots. I also and doing a few before and after shots. Since I removed the Chaeto I have noticed Red Slime has started popping up throughout the tank. I will cut back on the feeding a bit or change the flow of the pumps a bit and see if I can get it to go away.

Some of the corals are taking longer to color up than I think they should be progressing so I am thinking about doing some minor clipping to make the coral heal itself. Almost like what happens in the ocean when there is big storm and corals get damaged.

Coral Pic Updates - Right Side - 01-29-2019
IMG_4796 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4792 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4788 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4785 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4781 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4778 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4775 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4772 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4769 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4770 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

[nightOwl]

General Updates Continued

More Coral Pics

IMG_4677 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4682 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

Encrusting well
IMG_4688 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4701 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4708 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4732 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4740 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4745 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4749 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4753 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

[nightOwl]

General Updates Continued
More Coral Pics

Just three tips but hopefully will survive
IMG_4756 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

No longer has a split down the middle completely healed
IMG_4759 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4715 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

No split down the middle anymore
IMG_4705 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4680 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

[nightOwl]

01/30/2019 - Can I bring These Back?

My frag tank previously was killing everything I put in it before transferring my corals to the main display. A few corals were down to a few polyps and they were almost on the way out. I transferred over the rest of the corals that were holding on I have been observing them a few days and they seem to be holding on. I snapped a few pictures in the hopes to document which ones take off and which ones finally past on to the other side. Some have been in the main display a while and are already starting to show signs of improvement.

IMG_4806 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4852 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4903 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4894 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

Was down to 2 heads
IMG_4885 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

02/01/2019 - Zoas Starting to Melt

Since I pulled out the chaeto I noticed a few things got out of wack and have been tracking some water issues. Cyno/red slime has been growing so I need to see if I can change the pump flow a bit. Another side effect seems to be my zoas have been starting to melt. I am going to try to keep them alive until I figure out if its the lack of chaeto that removes nutrients and then the sudden influx of nutrients or if its a flow issue.

IMG_4880 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

02/06/2019 - Few Random Coral Shots

IMG_4877 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4825 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4840 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4890 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

[748S911]

awesome job Henry! progress looking good with great growth... glad to see corals made it and are thriving.

[nightOwl]

Originally Posted by 748S911

awesome job Henry! progress looking good with great growth... glad to see corals made it and are thriving.

Thanks Jesse! Things are really coming along now! I am almost at the setting up automatic dosing stage. I have noticed Alk is drooping faster than it has been in previous weeks. I built a stand for doser and now running a few tests before bringing it on line.

[nightOwl]

I am back to fighting my cyno issue again and it can't be because of low flow. I think I may have to figure out a more random pump flow. With all but one pump on the end of the tank it seems it hits the back wall and then comes back to the wall the pumps are on. I need to do some more research on flow in Peninsula style tank. Currently all corals seem to grow to the right if I am facing the front of the tank. The cyno is also on the right side of the tank and it is getting longer. I will try to do some water changes over the next few days to get things under control.

I also moved some corals around in the tank in the quest of trying to find them a happy place. The yellow/Orange polyp cap and rainbow stylo I have moved to different locations and a few of the corals that have been on the sand bed I moved to places on the rock.

I had a LED lighting incident but since I have killed corals in the past I recognized that I was giving the tank too much light so I reset my lights back to a month ago. Hopefully the corals will get back to normal and not look stressed.

Monthly update time
Now here's months update...

02/09/2019 - New Corals form LFS

I took a trip down to VA to drop off a bracelet for my wife at Tiffany's to get another charm added for her birthday. While in the parking lot I asked Goggle if there were any saltwater aquarium stores near me. My logic was something for her now something for meeeeeeee. I picked up about 4 corals. The two larger corals were pretty browned out but the prices were too good to pass up. My pictures are below

In acclimation
20190209_123617 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

In QT tank while I checked for pests
IMG_5076 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

02/10/2019 - New Corals form my Buddy Francis

So Francis let me know he had some corals ready for me and he was gonna be in MD and I could pick them up. I met him and the box was heavy. Francis has been hooking me up with corals since 2005 or so maybe longer. So here is the list of what I picked up.

IMG_4993 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4999 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_5010 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

In acclimation
IMG_5013 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

02/19/2019 - Changed Pressure Gauge

I had never had a pressure gauge fail on me with my RODI unit in teh past but on my current unit it failed. The liquid in the gauge somehow leaked out and the dial was starting to actually show signs of rust. So I brought one on Amazon and when it arrived it was way bigger than I expected but I made it work after a trip to HD.

02/10/2019 - Modified Wrasse Keeper
So the issue I had with version one was there was too much moisture accumulating and the inside was starting to accumulate mold and mildew. Also the water was getting on the LEDs and causing them to short out. I cut some new slots in the top and added some 1/4" mess. I also added a piece of acrylic where the LEDs use to sit recessed and raised them with some rigid airline tubing and replaced the LEDs.

New venting modifications
IMG_5164 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

02/24/2019 - New Projects

Since the corals were really starting to take off I wanted to get the doser on line to keep the levels consistent. I have noticed that my Alk and Mag have been dropping even with me switching to the Fritz higher Alk salt. I designed a doser stand that would look kinda cool use the initial of my first name and be functional. I made it so the base would hold my dosing container and the top would hold the doser.

The current light over my refugium has a ton of light bleeding out from under the tank and to combat that I decided to make some sides to block the light from spilling out. The hope is the more light that is going in the sump over the Cheato the faster it will grow and remove nutrients even better. I didn't want it to be permanent to where I had to put it on in one piece due to the space I have under the tank. I came up with the idea of a modular approach that each side would be held in place with magnets. After my trip to Wally World to get magnets I drilled holes strategically and embedded the magnets in the light holder and the panels. I got everything all painted and test fitted.

Magnets - let the creativity begin
IMG_5366 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

Side for light blocker with first magnet embedded
IMG_5132 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

Doser stand (left), Light Holder (top right), Side Panel (bottom right)
IMG_5151 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

[nightOwl]

02/28/2019 - New Fish, Shrimp, and Cheato Harvest

My new fish arrived and I had a Red Banded Shrimp for about 30 mins before he disappeared. I put him directly in the main display to let him start making a burrow and then get a little head start so the fish could just move in. I have decided that the Lawnmower Blenny is worth his weight in gold. This guy really earns his keep. After his dip I placed him directly in the Frag tank to see if he would have any impact on the eyesore algae issue. Every one arrived healthy but one of the clownfish had some white spots on him. I am not sure if it is ich or not. It looked like a scar but I will keep an eye on it.

2 x ORA - Black & White Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) - Misbar
2 x Orange Spotted Goby (Amblyeleotris guttata) - (Bonded Pair) with Red Banded Pistol Shrimp
Sailfin/Algae Blenny (Salarias fasciatus)

Orange Spotted Goby's in pre QT dip
IMG_5340 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

Black & White Misbar Ocellaris Clownfish
IMG_5353 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

Orange Spotted Goby
IMG_5371 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

Lawnmower Blenny
IMG_5382 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

Another good harvest of my cheato for about a month. I am still getting close to a pound out each month. I changed the light a bit and will run for about 30 mins more each day to see if there is a noticeable difference. I also turned up the power of the LEDs.

IMG_5365 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

03/02/2019 - Found Lazarus (Red Stop Light Cardinalfish)
(Apogonichthys hyalinus)

On 12/24/2018 I reported that all the CardinalFish had died or disappeared. Well I found one in my QT tank. The only way this was possible is when I moved some live rock from QT back to the Frag tank he had to be hidden in the rock. I only happened to see him when I was trying to see why some detritus was accumulating in the back right corner of the Frag tank behind a large piece of rock. I saw what looked like eyes peering back at me from under a edge of rock. I actually jumped back because if you have ever watched Cardinalfish swim they seem to do a jerky motion. Somehow the fish has staying alive in the tank.

Since the frag tank is battling back from the algae I plan on just having a large amount of rock in the tank with various corals on them. So I will transition it over to a regular tank with copies of some corals I want to grow out.

Current State
IMG_5388 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

03/03/2019 - Installed Doser, Sump Mirror, Light Control for Sump

Before
IMG_5368 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

After
IMG_5389 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

Light blocker
IMG_5390 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

Doser stand with mirror in background
IMG_5393 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

[nightOwl]

Random Coral Pics

IMG_5316 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_5310 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_5281 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_5276 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_5259 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_5258 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_5254 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_5248 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_5217 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_5167 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

[nightOwl]

Random Pictures Continued

IMG_5108 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_5096 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_4992 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr


IMG_5283 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_5284 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_5168 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_5065 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

IMG_5156 by LifeThrough_TheLense, on Flickr

[748S911]

send me a text, I decided my iphone needed a wash in the spin cycle lol.

[nightOwl]

Originally Posted by 748S911

send me a text, I decided my iphone needed a wash in the spin cycle lol.

Jesse I hit you up...lol. Keep phone out the washing machine...lol.

[hubing0917]

good job!