Mixed reef Waterbox 100G System

[Myinvert3dlife]

Starting a space to share my journey filling my new waterbox with mixed reef corals.

Current equipment:
- Echotech Vectra S2 DC Return Pump, Mobius controlled
- 2x AI Nero 5 Powerhead
- Deep Blue 9V UV Sterilizer
- IOAOI DC210 Protein Skimmer
- 200W Eheim Heater
- Kessil AP9X LED Lights
- BRS GFO & Carbon Reactor - Deluxe with Sicce Syncra 1.5 Pump

Current Livestock:
Fish
- Cinnamon Clownfish
- Engineer Goby - died in hospital tank
- Powder Blue Tang

Corals
- Neon Green Hammer Coral - died within days of purchase from brown jelly disease
- Kenya Tree
- Polyzoas
- MANY to add

CUC
- Bumblebee snails
- Nassarius snails
- Red legged hermit crabs

 

[Peace River]

Congratulations on the new tank!!! It looks like you are off to a good start with this adventure!

 

[Myinvert3dlife]

Okay so there's been a lot of changes in just 12 days - lemme tell ya'll!

First big thing is that the 5 head hammer I bought 13 days ago died 8-12 days ago from brown jelly disease (BJD for ya'll who don't know). ***. This Euphy was a stud. All the girls at the LFS were talking about how amazing it was. I've TBH (after at least 7 years) never had this happen at my LFS, but there's been turnover and whatever.

Anyway, got that hammer and a Kenya Tree along with some fish for my freshwater turtle. Get home and pick the bag up off of the floor board and the paper bag had busted from a leak in one of the plastic bags. The Hammer bag was deflated and leaking. YA'LL!!!!!!!!!!!!! I knew I effed up when I forgot the cooler (I was trying to 'just browse' and buy turtle feeders), but usually you can get a double/triple plastic bag with a paper bag (or two) and potentially some styrofoam. Plus it's 40ish min home, heated seats, heat on the floor running 80ish - I swear this has been so good for other tank builds.

So yeah, yeah - here I am - aware of my naïveté, yet hopeful that it would be okay. I did a 15 min dip in Coral X as per directions AFTER 20 min of temp and drip acclimation. Parameters as follows:

pH: 8.22 (stable to the .00 for 3 months)
SG: 1.026/Salinity 35 (Stabile at least 3 months)
Temp: 79/80 degrees as measured by sump and display; stable since set-up
Cal: 404 ppm (coming down from 600, but stabilized between 400-430 ~1 month)
Alk: 9.5 dKh coming down from 12 dKh for the last month
Mag: 1340 ppm
Phos: 0.09 ppm, down from 0.9 ppmover the last month with addition of GFO reactor - still intro levels of media
Nitrite/Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrates: 0.20 ppm
Iodine: 0.8 ppm
Str: 10.0 ppm

Day 1 it was closed up for a few hours and then began to open up one head at a time over about 8 hours, largest to smallest, in order.

Day 2 - it began to lose heads, beginning with the smallest. I knew about "polyp bailout" and also brown jelly. It didn't look like the BJD I knew, so I thought polyp bailout from acclimation. So I let the whole thing sit for 2-3 *DAYS* while it infected the rest of the heads on this beautiful hammer coral.

Day 3 - heads 2-4 were gaping. Stony, toothpick-like teeth shown through wide-open, gaping mouths. I, stupidly, maintained hope. Yep.

Nothing was brown. Not like the pictures I knew. My whole tank otherwise was thriving. Yes, I'd changed the light cycle. The flow was (admittedly) way too high. ETC. ETC. ETC.

But, I adjusted and the hammer heads 2-4 would look better. Eventually though, they stayed open. Head 1 bailed completely and the others had pieces of luminescent parts falling off and floating about the tank. I pulled the whole thing.

I Fragged the coral to leave the two biggest and seemingly unaffected heads to head. Dipped the 'good' heads in coral X for about 10 min and then put them back into the display. That's when I saw pieces breaking off of each. It had already taken the whole animal. I had taken top down images (will attach upon request but not on my laptop so need to link my phone) and had researched (ehem - googled) accordingly and saw 'BJD'. I'm sad I was so naïve. At least I wasn't attached so out the money only.

New additions (only two pictured):
- green candycane
- green flowerpot (goniopora)

New Equipment:
- BRS GFO Reactor with 250g pump

New Supps & Food
- Brightwell Aquatics Koral Color; 10ml 2xweek
- Korallen-zucht.de coral snow; 4ml/daily
- BRS Reef Chili 2 scoops; 2x/week
- LRS Herbivore Frenzy; every other day
- LRS Marine Frenzy; every other day
- Green Seaweed Omega One Super Veggie; 1/2 sheet daily
- Growth Hack; 4 drops daily with LRS frozen food
- Aquavitro Calcification; 20 mls as needed - still titrating

New CUC:
- 12 bumblebee snails
- 10 astrea snails
- 1 cleaner shrimp

New Corals
- 1 lg green flowerpot

- 2 headed candy cane

On Deck
Corals coming Thursday 12/23/2021 from @CherryCorals palypalooza sale (day 1 - didn't participate day 2 because lol, wellllllllll)

Fish on Order for Quarantine:
- 1 Male, 3 Female Indian Ocean Lyretail Anthias

Supps from @Bulk Reef Supply

 

[Sgchick]

Wow!!! Nice order!! Following along. Sorry about your hammer. That sounded like a nice piece.

 

[Myinvert3dlife]

Wow!!! Nice order!! Following along. Sorry about your hammer. That sounded like a nice piece.

Thank you - happy to meet you and thanks for following!

 

[Bob E]

wow It looks like you are off to a big run with corals

 

[Myinvert3dlife]

Updates coming later today guys! It took me over a week to get everything cemented in and in place after buying 39 frags

Picked them up Thursday the 23rd so... the 24/25th were busy. Then stupidly worked in between (remotely). Anywho, it was an adventure and I've got lots of details and pictures to share with you later this evening... testing parameters at lunch atm.

 

[Myinvert3dlife]

 

[Myinvert3dlife]

Things have been crazy at our house lately so I've been lazy posting, but I've been taking pictures along the way. I bought this aquarium Nov/Dec of '21 and seeded it with my existing rock from my old 180G. I built a new rock structure and cycled it in Dec '21 and then added corals.

My anthia order got repeatedly delayed and eventually canceled, but we've been traveling and so I've been reluctant to add any new fish until I'll be around for the entire quarantine period.

I'll add more pics and update more later as time allows.

 

[Myinvert3dlife]

The candy corn anemone had been increasing in diameter and growing new tentacles for 4 months and now it finally split!!! Happy healing

 

[Myinvert3dlife]

 

[Myinvert3dlife]

Did some glass cleaning this morning and minor scape adjustments. Mixing water for a change after I vacuum later. Starting to like how she's looking anyway!