First marine tank. 75 gallons. 6/7 weeks in.

[CannaJake]

I haven't done a tank "my tank thread" so I decided to give it a shot. First I know I have moved way faster with this than what people recommend. So far I have only had a three casualties, one was from an Emerald crab that decided to eat my birds nest coral, another was a chalice that I frankly have no idea why it passed but I will say my Mag levels were about 60% what they should have been so that may have something to do with it. The third was my Cerianthus ate one of my clowns so now my Cerianthus have their own tank. I currently have more corals than I can list off, Duncans, leathers, birds nests, a torch, micromusa, a hammer, and my absolute favorite... an Oulophyllia cf Bennettae that eats shrimp like a savage. I have a cleaner shrimp, snails, a blue tuxedo urchin, 2 rock flower anemones, two white bubble tip anemones (it started as one and split into 2 nice big healthy anemones), an anemone crab, a black widow anemone, conches, 2 clowns, one 6 line wrasse I have appropriately named Wrassehole (you can guess why), I have a yellow tang, a Mandarin Goby, and a flame angel. I also have a beautiful carpet anemone, 2 mushrooms, a kenya tree, a tiny green star polyp, a couple blue leg hermits, a Halloween hermit, and a couple more corals that I dont know the name of. I know its a lot for such a young tank but I do water testing multiple times a week and do 25%-33% water changes every week. My parameters are good EXCEPT I cant get my ph above 7.8 to save my life. I even bought a brs carbon scrubber that is attached to my reef octo protein skimmer aaaand... 7.8. I will attach a few photos but there is no way I can post pics of all this stuff so if anyone wants to see anything in particular let me know and I will respond with pics. One more thing, I learned how to do this by binge watching the brs 52 weeks of reefing and their other videos and by the help of the people here on R2R so THANK YOU SO MUCH to all of those on R2R whom have helped me. This community is wonderful and humbly appreciated!

 

[Monad]

Do you have copepods for the Mandarin Goby? Because a new tank like this probably doesn't have the population to support one.

 

[CannaJake]

I would also like to add that I now have a separate small tank for my 4 Cerianthus and my emerald crabs, and I am now growing 5 different copapod cultures and am working on my phytoplankton culture. I had several gallons going then they crashed as I didnt have the hard tubing yet and the cultures weren't getting enough movement. I have also purchased a 135 gallon tank but it wont be set up for several months as I need to reinforce my floor joyces and I need to get a can filter, protein skimmer, and a few other accessories for it still.

 

[Monad]

I would also like to add that I now have a separate small tank for my 4 Cerianthus and my emerald crabs, and I am now growing 5 different copapod cultures and am working on my phytoplankton culture. I had several gallons going then they crashed as I didnt have the hard tubing yet and the cultures weren't getting enough movement. I have also purchased a 135 gallon tank but it wont be set up for several months as I need to reinforce my floor joyces and I need to get a can filter, protein skimmer, and a few other accessories for it still.

Alright! Sounds like a good start. Just making sure that Mandarin is well fed. They're beautiful fishes and it would be a shame to lose one.

 

[CannaJake]

Do you have copepods for the Mandarin Goby? Because a new tank like this probably doesn't have the population to support one.

I do! I was just writing about that, i have dosed the tank with a LOT of copapods and I have 5 different cultures of copapods building up as well. I am also hatching brine shrimp and adding those every day, and I gut load them with spirulina. I dont know if the mandarin will eat them but I am adding copepods. So far 7 bottles of copapods to the tank alone not including my side cultures Im expanding. The photo is one of my side cultures that looks like a snow globe with all the copapods.

 

[NoLarvatusplease]

Do you have copepods for the Mandarin Goby? Because a new tank like this probably doesn't have the population to support one.

FYI a tank reared mandarin is acclimated to pellets and masstick right from the start.Why sweat the live foods?

 

[CannaJake]

FYI a tank reared mandarin is acclimated to pellets and masstick right from the start.Why sweat the live foods?

I feed both. My other fish get a variety as well but the mandarin doesnt really respond to any other food I put in there. Its always hunting for copapods. I like all my pets to have a smorgasbord. My parrot has over $200 in food in my freezer at all times so it constantly has a variety to choose from.

 

[NoLarvatusplease]

Great...but you did'nt address my comment.Please buy tank reared fish not wild caught to put it bluntly.

 

[CannaJake]

Great...but you did'nt address my comment.Please buy tank reared fish not wild caught to put it bluntly.

First your question was "why sweat the live foods?". Thats what I addressed. Second I dont know if it was tank reared or not, I know this is a hotly debated topic so Im not going to get into this debate with you, however to put it bluntly its up to me where I get my fish. I put a lot of information out about my tank and it seems you have picked out one minute detail that you can troll about on the assumption that it is wild caught.

 

[CannaJake]

I added another fish to my 75 gallon today. A Copperband Butterfly. It is hiding in the rocks right now, when it comes out again I will get a picture. Before I brought it home I watched it devouring frozen brine shrimp in the shop so I know it eats well.

 

[CannaJake]

Copperband Butterfly

 

[CannaJake]

Just wanted to add my Copperband is eating like a savage! It loves San Francisco Bay Brands "Sallys Frozen Brine Shrimp". Its also starting to eat pellets! I have read that is unheard of but still she is eating 3 to 5 pellets with the other fish.