danieyella
unfriendly local swamp witch
So, I started my account after already having my original tank running. Then I was extremely lucky and got my big tank free from a LFS that was upgrading and I didn't share any of that build. I'm at a point where I feel like I'm not seeing any progress, so I started taking a full tank shot once a month. I've had some ups and downs since I started that and there was definitely a learning curve going from 20 to 90, which I didn't expect in such capacity. I had some monti and acros that did amazing in my 20 but bleached and died after the transition over, I started doing well with them again, saw a HUGE burst of coralline growth accompanied by a massive decline in magnesium, and lost all my sps again.
Since that point, I started auto-dosing with redsea, then once stabilized moved over to Tropic Marin's All-for-Reef (which I love!). No issues with calc,mag,alk since then. I test weekly. I was buying premixed saltwater from my LFS, then happened to stop at a different LFS one day and almost nuked my tank with their water. My nitrates jumped from 5 to 15 and my alk from 9 to 12 with a 10% change, I have no idea what was in that water.... Had a few LPS that didn't bounce back from that and decided it was time to mix my own water (I was already making my own RODI anyway, why not make my own saltwater?). I use Tropic Marin Pro-reef salt now, and honestly only do about 6g a week in water change. It's not a lot but it's working for me.
I don't have a lot of fancy tech equipment, I'm running 2 viparspectra lights, an aquamaxx skimmer, jaebo return, jaebo crossflow, and 2 jaebo wave makers. I added a green killing machine back when the LFS water nearly nuked my tank because I had dinos/diatoms/cyano all pop up with that snafu. I also added an oxydator some months ago that I run with 8% and refill about once a month.
Livestock:
Tomini Tang
Marine Betta
2 clowns (came with the little tank when I rescued it from a friend)
Royal gramma (also from the little tank)
Fairy Wrasse
Red Headed Solon Wrasse
Engineer Goby
Canary Wrasse
2 Blue yellow tailed damsels
Bi-Color Blenny
assorted snails/shrimp/etc
3 (now) green BTA
Recently I switched over to Easyreefs easysps and easybooster and I'm seeing some of my sps start to color back up, I unfortunately feel like even the ones that stayed colorful haven't been growing. I don't want to chase numbers, but the only thing off is my ph is on the lower end of the recommended reef spectrum - I blame my husbands beer brewing and us having co2 taps in the house. Considering a co2 scrubber to help combat that.
I'll get some photos up later from my monthly attempts at documentation....
Edit 6/12/22: This tank has changed a lot since that posting. It is now a Cade 1200 S2. This begins on page 52
Equipment:
Lights: Reefbreeders photon v2+ 48"
Skimmer: Dalua GW7
ATS: Santa Monica Filtration Surf 2x
Klir 4 drop in roller
2 jebao 4 head dosers (running reef moonshiners 4 dailes, calcium, alk, easyreefs easybooster, and easyreefs easysps)
MP40
sicce sdc 6.0 return
VCA random flow generator nozzle
seneye monitor
Livestock:
lost the solon & other fairy in the transition from the 90 to the cade 1200, no idea where the btas went along the road
tomini tang (same)
marine betta (same)
4 clowns (2 same, 2 additions)
royal gramma (same)
engineer goby (same)
canary wrasse (same)
2 blue yellow tail damsels (same)
bicolor blenny (same)
sailfin tang
scopas tang
foxface
melanurus wrasse
lantern basslet
filefish
dusky wrasse
flame hawk
long nose hawkfish
dusky brunneus fairy wrasse
3 pajama cardinals
Coral livestock:
incredibly mixed. just... look at photos.
It's still fairly low tech though. In the next few weeks I'll be temporarily downsizing to a cade 600s2 until we move, then setting this tank back up at the new house and transitioning the 600 into a pony tank. I'll continue to post on this thread throughout the transitions, and start a new thread for the 600 once it swaps to ponies. Ponies will keep my gorgs and softies, 1200 will get my lps and any sps i choose to keep back into it after being set back up.
Edit 1/29/23
Tank temp downsized last quarter to a Cade 600S2 until the move, after the move will be back to the Cade 1200S2
Livestock:
marine betta
3 clowns
royal gramma
2 blue yellow tail damsels
bicolor blenny
foxface
dusky wrasse
lantern basslet
2 firefish
Coral livestock:
mostly softies, gorgs, etc - keeping it simple until the move.
post move, we'll be turning the C600 into a seahorse tank!
Edit 11/20/23
STILL waiting on the house to be finished.... Still hanging out in the C600. We moved in with the in-laws when we sold the house, it was only supposed to be a couple months - it has now been 5 months.... I rehomed some of my troublemaker fish when we moved the 600 from one house to the other.
Livestock:
Marine Betta
Royal Gramma
Foxface
Dusky Wrasse
3 Fire Fish (2 red, 1 purple)
Ornate Leopard Wrasse
Possum Wrasse
Bangaii Cardinal
Since that point, I started auto-dosing with redsea, then once stabilized moved over to Tropic Marin's All-for-Reef (which I love!). No issues with calc,mag,alk since then. I test weekly. I was buying premixed saltwater from my LFS, then happened to stop at a different LFS one day and almost nuked my tank with their water. My nitrates jumped from 5 to 15 and my alk from 9 to 12 with a 10% change, I have no idea what was in that water.... Had a few LPS that didn't bounce back from that and decided it was time to mix my own water (I was already making my own RODI anyway, why not make my own saltwater?). I use Tropic Marin Pro-reef salt now, and honestly only do about 6g a week in water change. It's not a lot but it's working for me.
I don't have a lot of fancy tech equipment, I'm running 2 viparspectra lights, an aquamaxx skimmer, jaebo return, jaebo crossflow, and 2 jaebo wave makers. I added a green killing machine back when the LFS water nearly nuked my tank because I had dinos/diatoms/cyano all pop up with that snafu. I also added an oxydator some months ago that I run with 8% and refill about once a month.
Livestock:
Tomini Tang
Marine Betta
2 clowns (came with the little tank when I rescued it from a friend)
Royal gramma (also from the little tank)
Fairy Wrasse
Red Headed Solon Wrasse
Engineer Goby
Canary Wrasse
2 Blue yellow tailed damsels
Bi-Color Blenny
assorted snails/shrimp/etc
3 (now) green BTA
Recently I switched over to Easyreefs easysps and easybooster and I'm seeing some of my sps start to color back up, I unfortunately feel like even the ones that stayed colorful haven't been growing. I don't want to chase numbers, but the only thing off is my ph is on the lower end of the recommended reef spectrum - I blame my husbands beer brewing and us having co2 taps in the house. Considering a co2 scrubber to help combat that.
I'll get some photos up later from my monthly attempts at documentation....
Edit 6/12/22: This tank has changed a lot since that posting. It is now a Cade 1200 S2. This begins on page 52
Equipment:
Lights: Reefbreeders photon v2+ 48"
Skimmer: Dalua GW7
ATS: Santa Monica Filtration Surf 2x
Klir 4 drop in roller
2 jebao 4 head dosers (running reef moonshiners 4 dailes, calcium, alk, easyreefs easybooster, and easyreefs easysps)
MP40
sicce sdc 6.0 return
VCA random flow generator nozzle
seneye monitor
Livestock:
lost the solon & other fairy in the transition from the 90 to the cade 1200, no idea where the btas went along the road
tomini tang (same)
marine betta (same)
4 clowns (2 same, 2 additions)
royal gramma (same)
engineer goby (same)
canary wrasse (same)
2 blue yellow tail damsels (same)
bicolor blenny (same)
sailfin tang
scopas tang
foxface
melanurus wrasse
lantern basslet
filefish
dusky wrasse
flame hawk
long nose hawkfish
dusky brunneus fairy wrasse
3 pajama cardinals
Coral livestock:
incredibly mixed. just... look at photos.
It's still fairly low tech though. In the next few weeks I'll be temporarily downsizing to a cade 600s2 until we move, then setting this tank back up at the new house and transitioning the 600 into a pony tank. I'll continue to post on this thread throughout the transitions, and start a new thread for the 600 once it swaps to ponies. Ponies will keep my gorgs and softies, 1200 will get my lps and any sps i choose to keep back into it after being set back up.
Edit 1/29/23
Tank temp downsized last quarter to a Cade 600S2 until the move, after the move will be back to the Cade 1200S2
Livestock:
marine betta
3 clowns
royal gramma
2 blue yellow tail damsels
bicolor blenny
foxface
dusky wrasse
lantern basslet
2 firefish
Coral livestock:
mostly softies, gorgs, etc - keeping it simple until the move.
post move, we'll be turning the C600 into a seahorse tank!
Edit 11/20/23
STILL waiting on the house to be finished.... Still hanging out in the C600. We moved in with the in-laws when we sold the house, it was only supposed to be a couple months - it has now been 5 months.... I rehomed some of my troublemaker fish when we moved the 600 from one house to the other.
Livestock:
Marine Betta
Royal Gramma
Foxface
Dusky Wrasse
3 Fire Fish (2 red, 1 purple)
Ornate Leopard Wrasse
Possum Wrasse
Bangaii Cardinal
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