My 150 gallon mixed reef - What next??
 

The SPS dominated mixed reef tank has been running for more than 2 years now. Specs are in my sig. I'm kinda running out of ideas what to do next.

I just finished a water change, refilled the ATO and the dosing containers, the lay down on a recliner in fornt of the tank. I truly enjoy watching the fish swim about, and the softies swaying in the flow, and the color of the SPS. After a while, I got up and thought, "I gotta do something". But what? The water changes are as automatic as I want it to be. Anything more automatic will require I hire someone to do it "automatically", but there's no fun in that.The kalkwasser/ATO via Tunze/kalk reactor and the 3 part dosing requirements via Bubble Magus have been dialed in, and the livestock are cooperating by keeping the demand constant. Occasionally I trim the caulerpa in the refugium, and I cull the Halimeda, GSP, Xenia and encrsuting gorgonia in the DT to keep them from overgrowing. I've been cuttiing off some of the green slimer, millepora and the monti cap to keep them from smothering each other. I think the blue Tenui will need to be trimmed soon. But other than that, nothing else. I still feel like a gotta do something. Thought of a few things, but they all have a "but....". I like the "natural look" so I leave the algae and coraline on the back wall and rocks, re-aquascape seem too dangerous to the ivestock, getting more equipment when I don't think I need anymore seems a waste of money, I have as much bioload as my tank can handle, I haven't seen any coral that jumps at me to be taken and the coral are already running into one another....

In an effort to keep my interest going, I decided to take a few pics. Pretending to be a photographer is always a nice fantasy, too :). And maybe you guys can look at the pics and come up with something else for me to do.

Obligatory FTS:
http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/a.../IMG_1527s.jpg

Three quarter turn, and wink:
http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/a.../IMG_1526s.jpg

Left side close-up:
http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/a.../IMG_1520s.jpg

Right sde close-up:
http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/a.../IMG_1524s.jpg

Thanks for looking!!

Looks very nice. Clean the back, clean the gravel. Let it grow in. Love your tank.

You could build a frag tank for all of those corals you have to trim up.

If I were at that point in a tank I would be thinking of either upgrading or setting up another tank of some sort (frag tank, a smaller species tank, etc.). Me I may end up eventually setting up a frag tank or a pipefish/seahorse tank after my 120 is up and going well enough for me to sit back more often. Time will tell though.

Thanks for the replies.

It does look kinda dirty rather than natural, doesn't it? The back used to be covered with coraline, until I lost most of the coraline due to a period of innattention allowing the alk to go real low. Turf algae took over. The coraline is coming back, but that turf algae in the back wall is holding out. The 4 tangs feeed from it. I think I'll scrape and vaccum it all off, and be a little more conscientious with feeding nori to the tangs. The gravel, OTOH, I think I'm gonna leave it alone. Lots of critters in there. Feeds my mandarins and my 6 line. The mandarins are constantly pecking at it, and I've seen the 6 line actually pull long stringy things out from it.

Frag tank is an idea. Seems more work than fun, though.

Hey, if the sand bed promotes the health of your live stock, why mess with a good thing right?

Gosh, I bet your tank would just be killer with a scraped background and a change to a lighter or maybe even a black sandbed! Your tank is pretty nice as it is, a little changes here and there to have the focus on your corals would definitely stun! :)

Thanks, Christian. I'll give it a try.

Started cleaning a segment of the backwall today. That thing is crusty, with a calcified base!! I think the turf algae grew over the coraline skeletons that died when the alk went too low. Unless this is some sort of calcifying turf algae I've never heard of. Looks like I'll have to wait for a water change and scrape/siphon them off.

Doh!, too late! I was gonna say DONT clean the back wall, leave it natural as it is kind of ike a flat rock backdrop. I was however gonna say clean your sand. Dont stir it up deep, just maybe the top 1/4". Oh well....., lol.

Also, if you can, from my presepective, move the rock mounds (just as they are) a little more to the back. This would free up some space in the front for those bif fuzzy...............things. This isnt something you "have" to do, but, would give you something TO do. :dance:

Clean the back, don't clean the back, clean the sand, don't clean the sand........what's a guy to do?? :)

Kidding aside, thanks for the responsse. I did like the back wall for the exact reason you mentioned: it looks like a flat rock backdrop. But, time for a change, I guess. Hoping it gets covered with multi-colored coraline instead. If not, and I want that look back, it will come back if I just leave it alone again.

Those "fuzzy things" front and center are large solitary colonies of encrusting Gorgonians and waving hand Xenia. They have been banned to that area so that I can easily keep an eye on them and keep them from overgrowing. Those rock towers are actually up against the back wall. There are large channels, caves and gaps to allow for flow, but they are essentially on the wall. Shortcomings of an 18" depth :). Should have gone for a 220 :D

I'd clean the back and slowly replace the sand with a brighter white sand. Just do sections. Just my 2 cents

Here's a curve ball: glue some different colored encrusting montis on the back wall.

I just saw a thread where someone glued GSP to the back wall. I do have a GSP rock that has the GSP creeping up the wall it is touching and I've been cutting it back. I may just let it grow and see hpw far it gets. I think I'll try some zoas, and I have several Rics that have "walked" unto the substrate and glue those to the back wall too and see.

Montis. That's a thought. I'll look into it.

Okay. cleaned off the back wall. A lot of calcified stuff, probably coraline, came off. I kinda like it with the clean wall, but it's a PITA to keep it that way. I think I will let that stuff grow back on the wall, and put some islands of encrusting stuff, like GSP or montipora, to break it up. I didn't see it until I already uploaded the pic, but that green stuuf you can sstill see on the back wall is not algae. It is a reflection of the FOWLR that's across the room.

http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/a.../IMG_1531c.jpg

My favorite half of the tank:
http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/a.../IMG_1532c.jpg

Looks much better with the back wall cleaned! I think a whiter sand would look better as well. The corals all look very healthy!

Agreed with whiter sand it would look cleaner

The nice thing about keeping some SPS is that there is almost always room for improvement. If you're bored, start tweaking colors. I know you mentioned that you like the natural look, but I'd keep that glass clean, clean/add sand, change to a bluer light, and tweak those colors. Then let it grow and you'd have a top notch mixed reef. JMO

If you left it alone it's still pretty darn nice :)

Thanks for the responses, all. :)

The colors do look a little washed out, but that's because I can't take a good pic! LOL! The camera averages it, and the dark substrate and rocks make the coral tops glare. It's a lot more colorful in real life.

But, as you guys say, if it's getting boring, time to tweak! :)

The bulbs are getting close to their 1 year anniversary, and I do have a trio of 14K MH's sitting on a shelf. I tried those last time, and found them too blue when matched with the actinic T5's, so I shelved them. Maybe I'll switch out the T5 actinics for 10K's. Then the light combo will switch to 14K MH and 10K T5's. Will see what that looks like when it's time to change the bulbs.

As to the substrate, it is tempting to clean it. But, I follow the belief that it's best to leave it alone. Let the pods and bacteria thrive in there undisturbed. I will stir it occasionally, but that's about it. For aesthetics, I think I'll just populate it with some low light loving coral, like zoas and more shrooms.

Starting a frag tank feels more like work than a hobby to me, though. I have brought in a few frags to the lfs for credit, actually more as a gift, and he gives me discounts, also as a gift :). Some frags I just replanted into the tank. Here's one that started about as big as my pinkie several months ago.
http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/a...3/IMG_1516.jpg

Friendly tip to everyone, particularly noobs, like me :) : Mark the adjustment knobs on the skimmers. Both my skimmers just have one little ridge on the knobs, with no corrsponding mark on the articulating or adjacent surface. Very minute adjustments on these knobs result in large changes on the skimmer consistency, at least with the skimmers I have. So, it helps to put several marks to identify where your "ideal" knob position should be for the skim consistency you want.

Here's a pic of the marks on the Aquamedics TurboFloto Multi SL that's on the FOWLR system:
http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/7BA288E2.jpg

And on the skimmer for the reef system:
http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/5ED348FD.jpg

Just got back from vacation. The tank had nothing done during that time. No feeding, no water change. Just the ATO and the dosing. After almost 2 weeks of benign neglect, the tank seems to be doing fine. In fact, I think the softies and the LPS seem to have thrived on neglect!! They are more full and fat. I wonder if this means anything?

Took a pic of my favorite corner. The fish followed me everywhere. Though I would like to think they were welcoming me back, I think they saw me and all they thought of was "FOOD!!!' LOL!!!

http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/016157AD.jpg

http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/27D938E7.jpg

Palting,

Really nice tank!I would clean off the overflow boxes like you did and leave it alone!The tank is what I dream of having...

Cheers,
-Ray

Thanks, Ray. You'll get there with your tank. Just give it time :thumbsup:

I guess I should periodically update this thread. Not much going on, dosing is dialed in and parameters stable as a rock. All coral growing, needing to get branches chopped off on some to keep warfare down. Have not touched the substrate at all. Did notice that the substrate is changing, though. Less turf algae like and more coraline looking, with a variety of colors, from the original black with scattered reds, yellows, greens, even some blues. I'll let it go some more and see what happens, then post a pic.

I did notice that there is less crud in general as the tank gets older. I have several trays of sponge filters in my sump, and they stay clean much longer. There is also less skim production, and the macro in the refugium dones,'t seem to grow as quickly. Tank is now about 2 1/2 years old. Anyone else notice that their tank seems to get "cleaner" running as it gets older?

I have macro in the refugium but I've wanted some macro in the DT for diversity. However, the 4 tangs decimate any macro I put in there, even chaeto. Several months ago, I noticed a hitchiker. This grew froma rock that was in the tank for 2 years already! Talk about delayed emergence of hitchikers.

Little green sprits of Halimeda:
http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/a...m/IMG_0631.jpg

About 6 months later:
http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/67FA7D8A.jpg

It takes care of any nitrates and phosphates, maybe it's one reason the tank seems cleaner. Unfortunately, it also eats a lot of calcium :(. But, I'm keeping the Halimeda forest. It's the only macro that survives in this tank with the 4 tangs.

Withering Xenia.

I had a glorious Xenia forest, been with the tank since it started almost 2 years ago. It had to be trimmed almost every week to keep it contained on it's rock island. But in the last month it has been slowly withering away, and now barely opens. Nothing has changed in the tank, parameters are pristine with alk 8dkh cal 440 mag 1350, running carbon 24/7.

I can't explain it. It went from this:
http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/a...2/IMG_1084.jpg

To this:
http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/3ADD4466.jpg