Happy Birthday to my Reef!

[DChemist]

(yahoo)
I put my live rock in my reef tank just one year ago...

I thought I would celebrate by posting some pictures.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/fulltank.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/fullnew.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/full2.jpg

[DChemist]

(party)
Right...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/right.jpg

Left...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/left.jpg

Left end...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/endview.jpg

[DChemist]

(clap)
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/ricordiatubeworm.jpg

A 'brown' special from the last meeting...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/brownblueacro.jpg

Obligatory zoa photo...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/zoas.jpg

[DChemist]

New blasto (thanks Ron)...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/blastomerleti.jpg

My brown pocillopora whose getting more pink by the day... Also has a hitchhiker acro crab and hitchiker goby living within it.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/pocillipora.jpg

[DChemist]

Allow me to re-introduce my Favites...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/favitesnew.jpg

my Caulastrea...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/caulastreabrightgreen.jpg

and my Monti Cap.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/purplemonti.jpg

[DChemist]

I thought this would be a good way to document my progress. I hope you all will indulge me.

I'm amazed at how quickly these are all growing.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/threecorals.jpg

My Digi...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/digi.jpg

and my first coral.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/gsp.jpg

[DChemist]

(rock2)
Your friendly neighborhood cleaner shrimp.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/cleanershrimp.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/cleanershrimp2.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/cleanershrimp3.jpg

[DChemist]

Thank you everyone who has given advice, helped, sold or gave me livestock.

(drinking) Cheers!

[DChemist]

A year ago...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/FullwLRii.jpg

[R-3]

Man your pics are awesome. The tank looks great. Alot of progress. LAter Ryan

[Michael7979]

Congrats!!........and keep up the good work and the sweet picture taking!

[csrdph]

Your tank looks great! Thanks for posting all the great pics!(clap)

[andy]

That's a great first year, the tank looks awesome. Nice pics :)

[180Brandy]

Wow you have come along way in a short amount of time. I like your tank setup. Very nice pictures!

[rong666]

HOLY HALIMEDA!!!!(rock2) , that stuff really took off and looks great. Not everyone can get that stuff to go. congrats on a year. Your tank looks sweet.
cheers,
Ron

[rmhuntley]

Looks great!! you take wonderfull pictures as well

[DChemist]

Thanks all (R-3, Michael, csrdph, andy, 180Brandy, Ron, RM) for the compliments. I really enjoy sharing especially the photos...

I am amazed at the progress I've made this past year- especially considering my plan wasn't really to add any corals until February when I upgraded the lights. My original plan was to keep it fish-only for some time... But I've learned its easier for me to keep the invertebrates alive longer (including the couple of acros) than many of the fish.(scratch)

[DChemist]

HOLY HALIMEDA!!!!(rock2) , that stuff really took off and looks great. Not everyone can get that stuff to go. congrats on a year. Your tank looks sweet.
cheers,
Ron

Regarding the Halimeda... it was one of the first things I noticed growing on the live rock I bought a year ago. It was barely a single blade and looked dead and bleached. Since then its been a focal point of my reef and it'd suck if anything was to happen to it.

Thanks Ron- Everyone should know... It was your nano-reef at Pets on Broadway that originally interested me in setting up a reef. Then you then invited me to the Summer BBQ which introduced me to PNWMAS.

(drinking)
Sincerely,

[DChemist]

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/blenniecropped.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/featherdustergreenII.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/firefishII.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/talbotsdamselII.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/CharbonneauIII9_22_05.jpg

[DChemist]

...a few I haven't missed...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/anenome.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/aug20crabbackdeceasedii.jpg

[Barelycuda]

Great looking tank Darren. Thanks for sharing.

Cuda

[DChemist]

Here are a couple of new frags.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/monticapbluepolyp.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/acroyellowpolyp2.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/acroyellowpolyp.jpg

[fly guy]

Nice work!!!

Everything looks GREAT!!

[DChemist]

Here's a current shot- someone at work is asking to see it. Thought I would share it...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/fullnov06.jpg
Notice the Tomato clown has given up on his power-head and started hangin' in the pulsing Xenia.

And a close-up of the blasto...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/blastomussa.jpg

[nu2reef-n]

Nice looking tank.

[DChemist]

nu2reef-n- Thanks.

[Nyles]

Impressive for a first year... congrats.

[DChemist]

Impressive for a first year... congrats.

Thank you Nyles... I'm happy and surprised to have done as well as I have (actually going on a year and a half now).

I picked up a couple of things with my Christmas money- a frag of frogspawn and a green plating monti. I love all of my monti's and my wife and I have always wanted a torch coral, anchor coral, or frogspawn.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/Frogspawnb.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/Frogspawnc.jpg

A collage of my monti's...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/montiporacollage.jpg

...and a fresh top-down photo of my caulastrea.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/caulastreabrightgreenii.jpg

After I get everything settled in- I'll post a fresh full-tank shot.

[Nyles]

Very nice, love that candy-caulastrea. I have a small frag I am growing out, sure is a slow grower.

[Ronjunior]

Looking great Darren, you definately went all out with the Montis!
Definate trading goodies as they grow.

[DChemist]

Very nice, love that candy-caulastrea. I have a small frag I am growing out, sure is a slow grower.

It definitely grew faster when I was feeding it directly and frequently. Between February (when I first got it) and March it went from 8 to 14 heads. It has about 28 to 30 right now.

[DChemist]

Looking great Darren, you definately went all out with the Montis!
Definate trading goodies as they grow.

The collage makes it look as if I have more than I really have. Essentially a green, orange, and purple plating montis, an orange monti digitata, and a blue-polyped encrusting monti. Oh, and a couple frags of a green with purple rim plating monti.

Regarding trading... I don't mind trimming the softies- but I don't have the heart to (intentionally) break up any of the stony corals. Maybe someday...

[Nyles]

So when do you feed it? Mine never opens in the daylight like my other candies do, I assume you feed at night?

[DChemist]

If I feed it directly, I do it just after the daylight bulbs turn off in the evening (the polyps extend with just the actinics) or in the morning before the daylight bulbs come on. But mostly I don't feed it directly.

[Queen Angel]

Wow... your tank is just beautiful.

I really like what your using for a stand and how tall it is.. the whole set up looks great. I like the location of it too.( I seen it on the tour)

[DChemist]

Wow... your tank is just beautiful.

I really like what your using for a stand and how tall it is.. the whole set up looks great. I like the location of it too.( I seen it on the tour)

Thank you. For those that haven't seen it in person, the 'stand' is an old dresser 38 inches tall. The tank is sumpless; I have a HOB filter full of liverock and a cup of carbon and a Bak Pak skimmer.

Here's the full tank shot I promised...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/fulldec06b.jpg

[DChemist]

I was in Los Angeles this past week (Monday through Thursday)... Tuesday morning my wife called me quite upset- The tank was all cloudy and stinky. The cause was not obvious; temperature was OK, etc. There was one powerhead that had fallen, blowing directly on/into a liverock. Visibilty through the cloudy water was only a couple of inches.

Losses included a firefish, cleaner shrimp, red headed goby, conch, and several acroporas (I'm sure there are others that I'm forgetting). These were likely due to either a lack in oxygen and/or a spike in ammonia. I have some survivors- the tomato clown looks as if it will make it though it's fins are pretty ragged (lost over half of it's pectorals). I may still lose all of my montiporas except the orange digitatas. The stylophora and pocillopora are both doing poorly (very little polyp extension). The Favites is struggling (you can see his skeleton poking through) but is eating. The capnella's and xenia have been severely stunted and some have completely dissolved. The heartiest have been the frogspawn, caulastreas, mushrooms and ricordia, and the green star polyps.

Treatment included redirecting powerheads to better oxygenate the water. The skimmer was adjusted to run very wet and pull out as much as possible. I had my wife replace the carbon I was running with fresh and added two more cups of carbon to a second sock (actually an old nylon stocking). She was ready to change some water (only had about 4 gallons made up) but only measured a trace amount of nitrate and no nitrite.

Later, I asked Pat from Saltwater Fantaseas to stop by and troubleshoot any problems, rescue any corals, etc. He measured the following...

CA- 380
KH- 8.6
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 2 ppm
pH- 8.0
Mg- 1170
Ammonia- 0He said the salinity was a little high but not lethal (I generally have kept it at 36 ppt). He ended up not taking any of the corals with him, the damage was already done.

I changed 25% of the water today (measuring trace amount of nitrite now). Tested boron at 5 (understand NSW is about 4.4) so that (or alkalinity) is not the cause.

(sad) The reef looks very bad- I'll post pictures soon (not for the faint of heart).

More to follow- feel free to ask questions...

[DChemist]

(sad) Here goes... Picture intensive.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/fullfeb07postapoc.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/postapoc.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/montiporapink-orangepostapoc.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/xeniapostapoc.jpg

[DChemist]

In no particular order...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/tomatoclownpostapoc.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/tomatoclownpostapocII.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/montiporappostapoc.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/StylophorapostapocII.jpg

[fly guy]

:(

sorry to hear of your troubles. Good luck on pulling through :)

[DChemist]

And...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/xeniapostapocII.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/montiporapink-orangepostapocII.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/acroyellowpolypbeforeafter.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/acroporabeforeafter.jpg

[DChemist]

And some before and afters...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/favitespostapocbeforeafter.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/favitespostapocclosebeforeafter.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/Stylophorabeforeafter.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/capnellabeforafter.jpg

[mister crabs]

all that from a powerhead falling in? or did you determine the cause?

[DChemist]

all that from a powerhead falling in? or did you determine the cause?

I'm not satisfied I've discovered the cause. I've only stated the facts as I know them... The powerhead that had fallen against the live rock is the only thing my wife discovered out of the ordinary. I'm definitely open for suggestions/thoughts.

[DChemist]

:(

sorry to hear of your troubles. Good luck on pulling through :)

Thanks fly guy.

It's amazing to watch the small improvements every day. I've increased target feedings- and the survivors are responding well. I anticipate I'll have a nasty algae cycle(s) to go through... The diatoms are already kicking in.

[Holly]

You're tank looks so good in only a year.. Wow! Beautiful =)

[DChemist]

You're tank looks so good in only a year.. Wow! Beautiful =)

?!?

It did- it's kind of depressing now...

[JManrow]

I'm not satisfied I've discovered the cause. I've only stated the facts as I know them... The powerhead that had fallen against the live rock is the only thing my wife discovered out of the ordinary. I'm definitely open for suggestions/thoughts.Have you checked for stray voltage since the powerhead incident?

[DChemist]

Have you checked for stray voltage since the powerhead incident?

I haven't- I didn't think it'd be an issue since the tank has a grounding probe and everything's wired through a GFI... How would I check it? I've got an inexpensive voltmeter.


Holly, sorry for the sarcastic sounding remark. I should have assumed you hadn't read the most recent posts and I've been pretty upset about this.

[JManrow]

Hook the positive electrode to your tank ground probe wire and the negative to a ground receptacle of an electric outlet or to a cold water pipe. I have seen stray voltage in marine tanks from the electric field of pumps and heaters read 30 volts or more. A damaged powerhead can be have even more.
I'm not saying this is your problem, but it's always good to check out any possibilities - believe me, I don't want to turn this thread a stray voltage debate. (whistle) (laugh)

[DChemist]

I wouldn't let it turn into a stray voltage debate (perhaps just a discussion)... I've got the ground probe wire plugged into the only good ground around my tank and I've PM'd you a couple of questions (I hate to appear too ignorant on my own tank thread).

I'm not sure I'd be seeing the improvements in my tank if I still had a problem with stray voltage- though I will test in order to eliminate that as a cause.

[DChemist]

Update...
I played around with the voltmeter (looking for stray voltage and /or current)... Either I don't have any or I'm measuring it wrong. Regardless, the tank is improving. Corals I thought I lost are still alive and are recovering.

I'm getting suspicious that the reason for the crash may have been my Halimeda crashing or "going sexual". It's entirely white and falling apart. My wife said around the Halimeda was the last to clear and the odor was very much like Halimeda. (have you even trimmed it, let it dry out a little and smelled it?)

I've posted a question in the discussion forum asking what I should do about the fine green algae growing on the recovering corals.

[DChemist]

Here's a photo of my problem...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/coralrecovery2.jpg
I thought I completely lost this purple monti the week after the crash. It's gained back some of it's color and the polyps are extending well. I'm going to do my best to help these recover.

One approach is to add more grazers. Today I added 4 red-legged hermits to my cleaning crew. Already I've seen them clean up a couple of patches. I've just been setting them where I want them to work.

This one even climbed up here without me telling it to.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/coralrecovery.jpg

The other approach I'm taking has been the addition of a scribbled rabbitfish. I'm impressed- he started eating algae within ten minutes after acclimation and addition (Yes, I didn't quarantine him- I felt the benefits outweighed the risk). I'll post pictures of him this next week...

As always, any feedback is welcome.

[fly guy]

Is that scribbled rabbitfish eating the bryopsis you just pictured that is growing on the corals???

Bryopsis IS Satan.
My scribbled rabbitfish will only eat it if i hit it with boiling water first.

I know i recommended them to you in your other thread.......

But i have to tell you something........i did a lot of research on it and they are one of the more likely fish that WILL eat the stuff.....but even then only 50% or less of them. I bought mine hoping they would......but they didnt except for under the circumstances i described.

Bryopsis will grow when all the other nuisance algaes wont. I battled with that crap....ended up blow torching a bunch of rock...covering the stuff up with epoxy and glue. I finally beat it but it wasnt pretty.

I had this one patch that was growing out of the underside of a scroll..........i couldnt for the life of me get it to stop. I ended up tossing half the coral as i didnt want to risk it reintroducing it to my tank.

Sorry to be a pessimist......but that stuff caused me much pain.

I will offer this.......absolutely under no circumstances try to pick that stuff off in your tank. It spreads by fragmentation........if you are going to pick it off, take the rock or coral out of the tank to do it.

[DChemist]

I'd love to say the rabbitfish was eating the algae on the coral- but that would be an exaggeration. I've only seen him picking algae off the live rock today.

I don't mind your pessimism... I fully realize that I may have to ultimately frag the corals to save them- I'm just going to do my best to avoid that option.

[Nyles]

My hermits never clean that stuff well, but the snails, they clean triple their weight. Good luck.

[DChemist]

My hermits never clean that stuff well, but the snails, they clean triple their weight. Good luck.

I agree about the snails- just have never seen them actually on any coral. But I guess I've never needed them to clean the coral before... Thanks.

[fly guy]

Do you know where you got the bryopsis from???

Personally, I think its morally ok to execute them if you do.....http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h181/flyyyguy/smilies/smileyshot2.gif....just MY opinion of course

Bryopsis isnt like hair algae that just grows in any old tank that provides the nutrients......it needed to be introduced. I know where i got mine from. It was visible when i bought the corals from the guy.............unfortunately i didnt know any better at the time :(

[Holly]

Yeah, I was referring to the first two pages or so of the thread--all those beautiful photos--not the recent problems. After it posted, I realized I hadn't read the most recent posts... Sorry bout that.

[vanz]

get a long spine urchin, only if you don't care for the purple stuff....

[DChemist]

Yeah, I was referring to the first two pages or so of the thread--all those beautiful photos--not the recent problems. After it posted, I realized I hadn't read the most recent posts... Sorry bout that.

No problem.:)

[DChemist]

get a long spine urchin, only if you don't care for the purple stuff....

I got a short spined one- I don't care about the coraline. He doesn't clean the corals- just tips them over.DOH!

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/urchinI.jpg

[DChemist]

Here's the newest addition...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/ScribbledRabbitfish1.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/ScribbledRabbitfish2.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/ScribbledRabbitfish3.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/ScribbledRabbitfish4.jpg

[DChemist]

And a before and after shot of the cleaned up purple monti. I believe the hermits did most of the work.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/coralrecovery4.jpg

[fly guy]

Sweet fish.

Im glad i was wrong about the bryopsis.

Either i had a different nuclear kind on steroids or i ticked God off..........whatever the case may be, whenever i see the stuff i cringe........

:)

[DChemist]

Sweet fish.

Im glad i was wrong about the bryopsis.

Either i had a different nuclear kind on steroids or i ticked God off..........whatever the case may be, whenever i see the stuff i cringe........

:)

Me too (about the bryopsis). I suspect you hadn't sacrificed to the reef gods...

It's a great fish- he is eating off of the corals now too.(rock2)

[Michael7979]

Those are very cool fish! Mine is getting bigger everyday and they have a different personality about them. Mine will stick is nose out of the water, like he wants you to pet him, but the spines have stopped me from trying. :p DOH! (scratch)

[DChemist]

Those are very cool fish! Mine is getting bigger everyday and they have a different personality about them. Mine will stick is nose out of the water, like he wants you to pet him, but the spines have stopped me from trying. :p DOH! (scratch)

Yeah- they're cool. The spines are intimidating. Here's a close-up that I took a couple of days ago.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/PICT0136.jpg

[DChemist]

The rabbitfish is cleaning up on the bubble algae also. He's incredible.

[bluecheese]

Great shots and beautiful tank. Amazing recovery. Beside the flatworms, How does the tank look now?

[DChemist]

Great shots and beautiful tank. Amazing recovery. Beside the flatworms, How does the tank look now?

Thanks Bluecheese. The tank is looking great. I know I need to post follow-up photos, I just haven't the time lately.

I did add a sixline wrasse to control the flatworms. Because of the wrasses reputation as a jumper I put the eggcrate back on. I can't believe how much light it cuts out.

[DChemist]

Here are a couple of current photos (both of them already posted elsewhere on the forum)... I hated the egg crate back on the tank so I pulled it off.

Full tank shot- taken last weekend.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/fullmar07.jpg

Hitchhiker 'Hell's Fire' Anemone.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/anenomehitchhiker.jpg

[DChemist]

I guess I hadn't posted any photos of the sixline in this thread yet either...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/sixlinewrasseII.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/sixlinewrasseI.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/sixlinewrasseIII.jpg

[cyenna]

Here are a couple of current photos (both of them already posted elsewhere on the forum)... I hated the egg crate back on the tank so I pulled it off.

Full tank shot- taken last weekend.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a173/dchemist/fullmar07.jpg


Wow, looks like a great recovery. Earlier, it sounded like nothing would make it but now it appears most of your corals survived!.....? congrats.

[DChemist]

Wow, looks like a great recovery. Earlier, it sounded like nothing would make it but now it appears most of your corals survived!.....? congrats.

Thank you, I'm shocked everything is doing as well as it is. In all honesty- it seems as if everything is brighter and more colorful than before. The only reason I can think of, is that I started feeding more than I used to. All-in-all, I only lost a single coral (not counting the shrimp, fish, etc.).

On a different subject... The six line jumped last Saturday or Sunday. I knew I was tempting fate by taking the egg-crate off. The red flat worms are still around, but not in epic quantities.

[andy]

Damn, that 6-line is gorgeous

[DChemist]

Was gorgeous.

[CCR]

Bummer. I guess I'm just lucky, or tempting faith not having any thing to stop jumpers. I have had my 6 line for 4 years. New setup will be different. Was a real beauty you had.

[andy]

Ouch, sorry :(

[DChemist]

Ouch, sorry :(

It's alright. I blame the tomato clownfish- he was always chasing the wrasse. Probably made him jump.