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Mandinga's SPS tank


Mandinga

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Sad to report that alot of my acros are not doing so well:) Trying to work through it thing by thing...but probably have lost 50% of acros :doh: . All non acros are growing fine(as long as they don't get caught in the shade too long! Some things have never looked better, so it really chaps my hide.

 

Newish bulbs

Alk 9

Ca 400-420

Nitrates 0 - actually I just ordered a new Nitrate kit, so we'll see

PO4 0

Temp stable

No visible pests
:wife: :wife: :wife: :wife: :wife: :wife: :wife: :wife: :wife:

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Some zoa and paly's...some grow really well for me, while others scmelt:(

 

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4 different kinds of palys invaded this corner...luckily the growth was stymied by a barrier of german blue polyp.

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And this partially why some of my acros have been dying...this one is obvious, but others have been way more sneaky about their attack.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Well, I think things have calmed down finally in the reef, but I still feel like I am always on the brink of disaster:)

 

I took out a bunch of rock that was just not working, and had become overgrown with coral and mojanos(which I have found are super easy to remove by hand...their foot hold is often not great, so if they are on a frag, just pluck it) I had found a beautiful piece of rock from Seahorse Aquarium, and it fit beautifully. I will get some pics, but it is a really nice piece of tonga intertwined rock. Well, removing that much rock caused my tank to cycle again, I think I lost my fireshrimp and some snails. Luckily I have lots of hermits(mental note, buy more blue legged troops). So the algae was pretty ugly for a while. At the moment, things are looking better. I only clean the glass once a month(i know right!), so really it has evolved to a living room farm vat tank. Last night I decided it was time to trim the zoas and palys, so farming is still happening:)

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I have also been running a 3 gallon micro tank for the past year, but some weird snail I brought home from the Oregon coast just absolutely shredded my acrylic, so the upgrade was eminent. I went with a rimless 8gallon JBJ setup AIO with ATO, LED, MP10, and a little titanium heater. This is my office tank, so I actually see it more often then my large home tank, so I am trying to do it right:) I just finished swapping it, the water is cloudy and the corals are pissssssted.

Fish seem fine, so we'll see!059f78bb3aa67cfe821f6d23bb5c98d2.jpgfb954c50c2e55d637dc329609b6e7100.jpg

Still have tidying up to dod9844601c1089275e81005ce6c26ebd5.jpg9428ba2351144ea7921ad2c7d9fe0771.jpg

Its filter time.575392b04b8bdf21e7434f987422bd41.jpg

So your 11 tall huh? Must have grown a touch.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 months later...

Well, in the end it was a good run, though as fish tank fate would have it, the tank is coming down. We are moving(not far) our home, and I like to adopt my fish before things end badly:)

 

I am happy to report that i have had zero casualties to fish, inverts or coral. So far:)

 

The teardown process is somewhat of an art...one that takes a good deal of time and preparation to do right. Here is a basic list of what I would recommend to someone tearing down a tank, or downsizing.

 

Step one: adopt/sell animals, coral first. Avoid moving too much base rock as you can release some nasty stuff. This stage takes alot of time to do right, especially if you have an old big tank:)

 

Step two: remove rock. Wear gloves of some sort. Remove As Slowly as possible. I try to remove just one or two rocks a day(this would vary on your tank size) in this stage, look carefully for inverts and lost animals looking for a home! This is another reason its important to go slow...let the water clear for a day or three and then start looking for new stuff. You'll be amazed what lives in the crevices and cracks.

 

Step three: once rock and all fish and all inverts/creatures are out you can begin your equipment teardown. Good luck with that:)

 

 

Equipment to have handy: extra water, multiple sizes of fish bags, towels, GLOVES!, coolers, a friend or three, iphone or similar device (to take pictures of animals for re-homing), buckets and plastic containers, hose, did i say extra water, and devices to hold water(buckets or bins)

 

Thanks to all the members here who have given these animals good homes!

 

Look for the rebuild, new tank, style and complete overhaul, Coming Winter 2017.

Edited by Mandinga
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  • 1 year later...

Man o man I miss this tank:) But I am back on the hunt for a new tank idea...hoping to do another SPS dominated tank. I need to have it not be open top, so I am trying to get some canopy ideas and overall tank dimension ideas. Wish me luck, or send me some ideas!

Edited by Mandinga
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3 minutes ago, Mandinga said:

Man o man I miss this tank:) But I am back on the hunt for a new tank idea...hoping to do another SPS dominated tank. I need to have it not be open top, so I am trying to get some canopy ideas and overall tank dimension ideas. Wish me luck, or send me some ideas!

I can't wait for you to come back. I would recommend the Red Sea Reefers. I love the simplicity and ease of hook up and they look awesome. I would talk to Spectra or Brian (RiverCityCorals) about custom making a canopy and stand for them though because the stands are one of the main issues I have with them. Like most prefab stands they are cheap. I do like the new IM nuvo stands though.

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I have looked at the redsea reefers, and nearly bought a 350 recently...but I haven't seen anyone put a hood on it. Though I bet it could be done...but then by the time I build the stand too...might as well just custom build a tank! lol. Which is kinda where I am headed....though I would much prefer to just get it complete! My skills aren't in DIY:)

 

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9 minutes ago, Mandinga said:

I have looked at the redsea reefers, and nearly bought a 350 recently...but I haven't seen anyone put a hood on it. Though I bet it could be done...but then by the time I build the stand too...might as well just custom build a tank! lol. Which is kinda where I am headed....though I would much prefer to just get it complete! My skills aren't in DIY:)

 

Spectra was trying to figure out how to make one for the Boys and Girls Club so I would check with him. He’s an ace with that stuff !  

 

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