Hobos 15 WB tank

[JTP424]

Hello! Bit behind, but figured better late than never.
Started my reefing journey in Feb of 2021. Tank has been running since then!
I think I'll start off with the current status and how things look... then update with photos of some of my favorite things and some learning experiences that have occurred along the way...

CURRENT EQUIPMENT:
- Waterbox 15 Peninsula
- Standard pump
- Intank media basket, Floss/Seachem/Carbon
- RedSea cover
- AI 16 Prime w/ 3D printed diffuser kit
- 75W Eheim heater with 25 W mini backup
- Coralife UV sterilizer
- Sicce wave pump
- Duetto ATO (3 gallon clear bucket)
- Biocube stand
- Battery backup (hooked to return pump and micro heater)

DAILIES:
- All for Reef
- MicroBacter 7
- AB+
- Selcon with food

FISH STOCK
-Royal Gramma
- Diamond watchman sand goby

CORAL STOCK
- Toadstool
- Branching Toxic Splatter Hammer (X2)
- Green tipped torch
- Unknown Acan (X 2)
- Unknown Blasto
- Pink Zipper Zoa
-Mohawk Zoa
- Jason Fox Fire Starter Monti
- Atomic Red Monti
- Orange (Burning) Leptastrea
- Jason Fox Klepto Leptoseris
- Rainbox Pocillopora
- Mystic Sunset Monti
- "Gold" Hammer


Here's a How it started/Progress/Current

And of course Hobo the cat:

 

[nuxx]

Looking very nice

 

[JTP424]

Looking very nice

Thank you! It's been my happy place. There's so much to learn!

 

[JTP424]

Apologies of all the blue in advance.
The first few weeks began with base set up. Bacterial sand, some marco rock, and an itty bit piece of seeded rock my my local LFS. Beyond the Reef, Schuamburg IL, Great place!
Bottle of Bio Spira and Reef Crystals for my salt mix.
Tried to give my fish a little pass through, probably should have given them more space to swim through, but I really like what it looks like now.
While trying to figure out how the ATO should work I ended up placing it in the display area.... That changed later on.
Also no cover... didn't realize how important it was....
The blue light from the AI prime probably helped my northern pine trees I kept by the tank!

 

[ShepherdReefer]

I like it, looking great, and off to a great start.

 

[JTP424]

I like it, looking great, and off to a great start.

Thanks! Finally getting around to putting this all down.

 

[JTP424]

First fish, clean up crew, and a mean hermit...
Went with "Eco-friendly" fish from my LFS, Scissortail and a Firefish... really pretty fish!
Splurged and got a sexy shrimp, and a selection of hermits snails etc.

Threw in a smattering of corals too, starter ones per the store...
Sympodium, toadstool, ricordea, and an orange encrusting.

Scissortail flew the coop and I came home to a fishstick....
Threw some screen door over the top until I could get an actual cover in...
Went with a red sea cover.
That was issue # 1
Then came my murderous hermit....

This guy killed EVERYTHING he could get his little grubby claws on.... he started growing rather large too....
He ended up leaving my tank under mysterious circumstances....

 

[JTP424]

Added a green hairy mushroom and trying my hand at a birdsnest..
Birdsnest did not survive.... Hairy mushroom went on to grow rather large...
Needed to make some adjustments to my rock as well.
Screen top didn't get cut properly either... ended up causing some issues...

 

[nuxx]

Looking great

 

[JTP424]

A little update look...
Tank needs a SOLID cleaning... but finally getting things filled out.
Need some Bergia Nudis too.... some Aptasia poking through....

 

[Gumbies R Us]

A little update look...
Tank needs a SOLID cleaning... but finally getting things filled out.
Need some Bergia Nudis too.... some Aptasia poking through....

Glad your tank is still doing good!!

 

[JTP424]

Glad your tank is still doing good!!

Thanks!
Going to try and give it a scrub this weekend

 

[JTP424]

Dim light update!

 

[JTP424]

I've been off of my build thread for WAYYYY too long... anyway.. getting some work done on my house today so I covered up my tank... GHOST TANK

 

[JTP424]

Additionally... current status of the tank...
It's been... almost four years since I've started this tank... one move during those four years, and approx two years since I started posting about it.

Current livestock consists of a black clown, white clown (I should get some photos and get some IDs from you guys sometime...) Also a Royal Gramma which has always been a fish I wanted

I've tried various inverts over the past few years, current survivors are a porcelain crab, and a bumblebee shrimp... Now I have to tell you about this shrimp, I put him in maybe a year and a half ago, and did NOT see him starting from the day after I put him in, until about.. a few months ago I saw him wandering around, I am SHOCKED he is still alive and rocking. Oh! and a cleaner shrimp

Corals... I have gone through various spurts of different kinds... currently I've got:
Psammicora
Pocillipora
Stylophora
Duncans
Candy Cane
Zoas
Mushrooms
Hammers
Toadstool
Chalice
All are in various states of growth, some do better than others, I don't make a lot adjustments, so long as they aren't dying I am typically ok with things...

I've got what I would call an infestation of bristleworms, but they seem to not be bothering my corals so I am putting them on the backburner. Going to potentially be moving again in a year or so (moving in with the girlfriend!!! She does Freshwater so we are going to have a bunch of tanks according to her)
Waiting until the move to do a "reset" of sorts, might rebuild my aquascape, I have Marco rock, so design a new one, and just transfer corals and try to avoid bringing the worms back....

Also have some Bryopsis, have an order of Reef Flux coming in to give that a try, I've tried H2O2 but I've nuked a frag tank using that so I'm hesitant.

Anywhos.... here's a shot of it now! (Sorry for the lighting but it looks cool )

 

[JTP424]

Some updates to equipment!
Switched to a Sicce Pump
Switched to a Tunze ATO
Switched to a Hygger Wave Pump

Daily Dosing has changed to All for Reef, AB+ and Phyto
- I bought one of those little $10 fridges from Menards that are good for 6 sodas.. drilled two holes in the top and run hoses out for dosing AB+ and Phyto, it's a short distance to the tank so I don't worry about spoilage.
Microbacter and Selcon are now done on a case by case.

Feeding mainly frozen, varies by what's available at one of my LFS. bought a silicone ice cube tray that has 1/4" cubes, defrost my frozen and re-freeze in these cubes,(someone posted that on here and It's ingenious) I use about one a day.
Pellet and supplements while I'm traveling etc in an autofeeder.

 

[Macbalacano]

Same tank as you and following along! Looking good!

 

[JTP424]

Reef Flux for the win!!!! Had a bit of a bryopsis problem starting... Pulled what I could... Used less than the recommended dose. Currently on day... 4 or 5 and most of it is already gone. I have one more large patch that has some scragglies... but once they're gone I'm going to be so relieved!

First time ever using a "medication" of sorts to fix a problem... so I was a bit nervous... doesn't look like any detrimental impact to any coral, inverts or fish!