fish n's 75 gal. not-so-nano reef

[fish n' pets]

I've decided to upgrade my 12 gallon nano-reef to a 75 gallon. I thought I would start a journal of sorts to keep track of its growth. It's been about two months since I've started, and I think things are going very well so far. I have 75 pounds of "dead" rock, which is starting to be colonized by coralline algae. Here's some other information:

 

75 gallon All Glass reef-ready aquarium

 

Lighting:

5 T-5's (2 actinic, 1 daylight, 2 blue spectrum)

2 moonlights

Aquacontroller Jr.

 

Filtration:

Overflow into 20 gallon sump

Aquamedic Protein Skimmer

2 phosban reactors, one with activated carbon, the other with Ferric Oxide to remove phosphate

Refugium with live sand, no algae yet!

 

Circulation:

1 return pump (I forget what brand)

2 Maxi-Jet 600 with SureFlow

Aquamedic wavemaker

 

Here's some pictures:

 

 

My water quality tests good, and my clean up crew has done an excellent job of getting rid of algae. I have no ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate, pH is 8.2 and specific gravity is 1.205.

 

My stocking plan for fish:

Foxface rabbitfish

Occelaris clownfish

Firefish

A wrasse of some kind

Cardinalfish

Jawfish

 

My "must-have" corals:

Bubble coral

Hammer coral

Duncans

Ricordeas

Zoanthids

A clam of some kind?

 

It's not a complete list, but it's a start! I was going to pick up my first fish tomorrow. I was thinking of a foxface rabbitfish. Would that be a good first fish, or is there a hardier fish I should try?

[fish n' pets]

I went to the aquarium store to pick up a fish. I was intending to buy a Foxface, but they had this beautiful Scribbled Rabbitfish (Siganus virgatus). It looked healthy and energetic, so I decided to get it. It is now in quarantine. I have algae in there but he doesn't seem to be eating. I presume he's just stressed out from the move. Here's a few pictures:

 

 

 

I have some pictures of the filtration of my aquarium, as well.

 

This is the sump, with the PhosBan reactors, protein skimmer, and refugium light:

 

This is the return pump with the Tunze "Osmolator" auto-top off system:

 

Here is a picture of the lid open on the aquarium:

 

Considering I started with dead rock to avoid nasty hitchhikers (Aiptasia smothered my last aquarium), it's surprising there's some coralline growth so soon! It's not much, but it's something:

 

That's all for now!

[got2envy]

Wow! your putting alot of thought into this tank, that is a great thing to see. I love my T-5's..I love the new fish..never seen one around here

that canopy is awesome..mine lifts the front panel only

[fish n' pets]

Thanks! I actually bought that canopy with that in mind. I had noticed most only open the panels, and I thought that if the whole thing lifted up it would make maintenance easier.

 

Well, the rabbitfish has been in QT for almost two weeks. He's been eating algae, and seems healthy. No signs of disease. I'm planning on moving him to the display this weekend. Can't wait!

[Lizzie1324]

Ohhh, awesome fish. We are going to set up my mo a 75 gallon in the future. I can't wait.

[andre]

thats a nice rabbitfish. may i ask where you bought the stand and canopy?

[fish n' pets]

Yeah, he's a cool fish. I moved him in to the main aquarium yesterday, and he seems very happy! I'll get some pictures up later.

 

The stand and the canopy are both Aqueon products. I mixed-and-matched the stand and canopy. The stand is the Black Modern Series. I chose it because it had a flat bottom, so it was more stable. The canopy is the Black Classic Mission Series, which I liked because the whole canopy top opened up. You can't order Aqueon products directly from the company, but they have a store locater here:

 

http://www.aqueonproducts.com/store-locator/

[hooligan_78]

I really like your 'scape. That's really close to what I want to do, just wasn't sure how it would look. Awesome!

[revaltion131]

I love your stand and canopy, they look great and not old and stodgy like a good deal of aquarium furniture does. I also love your rabbit, but I do have to butt in and say that according to BlueZoo, the scientific name is S. doliatus.

[Marteen]

I love the look of your stand and canopy however, the OCD in me wants to go at your wires with cable ties! haha great tank.

[fish n' pets]

Hmm... That's funny. "Reef Secrets" stated the scientific name as S. virgatus. Fishbase.org says that S. doliatus is closly related to S. virgatus, but are different species. Well, whatever he's called, he's pretty!

 

Yeah, I know the wires are a mess! I keep telling myself to organize them, but I just never manage to get around to it.

[fish n' pets]

Well, I have some sad news. My fish died, and I have no idea why! He seemed so healthy, then suddenly had trouble breathing, and died the next day. I haven't been testing my water much, so could it be ammonia? I also spilled some phosphate-reducer into my refugium while replacing it- could that have poisoned the water? Ugh, this is so frustrating!

 

I guess I'm going to let the tank settle a bit more before getting another fish. I've got to figure out what went wrong before risking another life.

[fish n' pets]

I can't figure out why my fish died. I just tested my water and everything seemed fine:

 

Ammonia - Perhaps a little elevated (close to zero)

Nitrite - none

Nitrate- none

pH- 8.2

dKH- 8

Specific gravity - 1.025

 

Also, three of my snails died right after my fish. I am seriously wondering what could possibly be wrong! What am I missing? Anybody?

[fish n' pets]

No ideas?

[eternal]

Stray voltage? I have heard that zaps snails real fast.

[fish n' pets]

I don't think so. I have a grounding probe, and that should take care of that...?

[plainrt]

stand is nice.do you mind me asking what they go for since the site doesnt list a price.I have a local dealer or two but they dont have this one in stock

[fish n' pets]

Yeah, the stand and canopy were pretty pricey! The stand was $419.22, and the canopy $351.14. It was worth it in my opinion, though.

 

Update: a couple weeks ago I bought another rabbitfish. He's in the main tank now, and he was doing fine for a while. Now he almost seems stressed, and hiding in a corner. I checked water quality again, and all seems fine. He's still eating a lot, but not displaying his normal colors. I just can't figure it out. Is he lonely? Freaked out about his reflection? Bipolar? He just doesn't seem like a happy guy.

[Ryan_H]

Yeah, the stand and canopy were pretty pricey! The stand was $419.22, and the canopy $351.14. It was worth it in my opinion, though.

 

Update: a couple weeks ago I bought another rabbitfish. He's in the main tank now, and he was doing fine for a while. Now he almost seems stressed, and hiding in a corner. I checked water quality again, and all seems fine. He's still eating a lot, but not displaying his normal colors. I just can't figure it out. Is he lonely? Freaked out about his reflection? Bipolar? He just doesn't seem like a happy guy.

sounds like a typical rabbit fish to me. give him another few weeks, and a few tank mates to loosen him up a bit, and he'll be all over the place.

[fish n' pets]

Well, the fish is still doing well. He's eating algae, pellets and frozen as soon as I put it in the tank! Here's some pictures of him:

 

 

 

Since everything seems to be going smoothly, I will probably start to stock more. I'm going to an aquarium trade show this weekend, so I'll see if anything turns up there. I'm thinking of adding some zoanthids, as they are among the easier corals to keep.

[fish n' pets]

Well, Sunday I went to a frag swap and got some pretty cool corals! I bought a hammer coral, two zoanthids, a ricordea, and a neon green candy cane. They were all captively grown, and I got a good price on them. Here's some pics:

 

 

 

 

 

[GrandpaFeathers]

You've got some amazing coral!

 

I'm excited to see your new addition in this tank!

[fish n' pets]

Well, I just got a green duncan! It came yesterday, and it's been open all day. Here's a couple of pictures:

 

 

 

My other corals are moved to the display tank, and they all seem happy. It took a while to find a place where the hammer coral would open up all the way. I hope it's getting enough light where it is.

 

 

 

 

 

And here's a full tank shot:

 

 

After my duncan is out of QT, I think I will get another fish. I'm not sure what to get though. I know that, eventually, I want a pair of mandarin dragonettes. So, whatever I get needs to be compatable. I also want a clownfish pair, but is it OK to add them even though I don't have an anemone? Also, my fish has been alone for a while. Is there anything I should do before I add another fish (or two)?

 

P.S.-Thanks for the duncan, GrandpaFeathers!

[GrandpaFeathers]

Duncan is looking good, expect some more within a month or two, because it's budding right now. If you get clownfish with that duncan, keep an eye on them, because they're sometimes know to host duncans. That's a bad thing usually, because the duncans get damaged. PM me a review on our transaction, will ya?

 

I'm glad to see it arrived safely.

[fish n' pets]

Happy holidays to all! I certainly had a very good Christmas present from my dad... a Solaris LED light fixture! This thing is absolutely amazing... the lights use 60% of the electricity of metal halides, but have the same output. They last for about 15 years, and they are infinitely dimmable, which means gradual sunrises and sunsets! It also follows a lunar and solar calendar, which is cool. It is also a lot cooler than the T5s. These lights are so strong, I set them at only 60% power at the moment, and I'm not sure if I need it more than that! Here's some pics:

 

 

 

All my corals are doing great, though I haven't added anything. The Duncan is really amazing, and there are now several baby heads. The candy cane is also splitting.

 

 

 

 

Now some questions. My sand bed has recently developed some black gunk all over it, and i was wondering what it is, if it's bad, and how to get rid of it.

 

 

I'm also concerned I have a flatworm infestation. Here's a picture, the little critters are above the snail near the edge of the glass. Can anybody ID? And should I use Flatworm Exit?

 

 

Well, that's all the updates I have. Hopefully, some more coral and fish will be added soon!