Fred
Community Member
This tank is my really first one (not even have a fresh water tank before),i start the build on august 2010.The journey start after a visit at my local fish store, and see the reeftank of the shop , make me want to have one.But no idea where i walk.....So i ask some informations to the seller and was not really sure about what he recommended me.Then back to home,i start to surf for learn on internet ( Thank you for the peoples who create this ! ). I spend a very long time and still now,take all informations i can from websites and forums. After couple weeks, i'm back to the shop and buy what they have.Not good brands there but at this time i thought it was ok.......
The equipement was:
- 36*18*18 Tank
- An ReefOctopus overflow box
- 1 solarmax 150w 14000k mh light
- 1 Dymax Rex2 2*21w t5 with standard blue tubes
- Skimmer Weipro SA-2015 .......
- 2 SunSun stream pump 3000 L/h and 5000 L/h
Yamano return pump 2550 L/h
- 40 kg live rocks
- 10 lb live sand Caribean Aragonite
- chiller 1/3 hp
After build the stand and put the ordered sump 14*36*12 (about 20g brut ),i added the water ( mix with DD h2ocean salt ) on September 28 2010.
Add sand a week later and the rocks a week later.
Then add 2 hermit crab calcinus elegant after test the no2 and no3. no2=0 and n03=25
And let the cycling run....
After a month or so, i added my first corals, 1 green discosama and 1 protopalythoa. No2 and No3 = 0
And few days later bought my first Tridacna clam.between all of that i test the water.
First test: ph 8.6 , kh 9.6 , Ca 410 , Mg 1350 Temp 26 D 1023
2: ph 8.4 , kh 9 , Ca 380 , Mg 1320 po4 0.25
3:Ca 360, Mg 1300, Po4 0.25
The Calcium was low ( even with few soft corals.. ), i wanted to up it so i start my first additive with Tropic Marin Bio-calcium a,b,c.
phosphate was hight, so i put a phosphate remover ( around 200ml in a sock, i mean a real sock for feet...).....but it has work ( after a month po4 =0,o5)
Then continu to test and add bio calcium until the Ca up to my goal.. 450.
Add some ricordea, 2 snail ( trochus niloticus ), few euplica varians snail, 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 elegance coral ( Catalaphyllia jardinae ),1 pink fungia plate coral, 1 Goniopora
My first Fish: 1 Mandarin Synchiropus Splendidus then 2 demsel ( blue devil ) and 2 Clown Fish ( premnas biaculeatus ) and 1 Pseudochromis Diadema.
And.....My first big error.....
Go to shop, and oh this little anemone look pretty! the seller say yes and they are cheap ! around 5 $ for six on a rock....so i happy bought them....( will tell later why it was a big error)....
Put them in the tank and continu my religious almost daily water test ( yes i was exciting and also a bit stress )...
Then after 3 months, the purple coraline start to spread eveywhere, i was very excited and tought i did a good job, a very good job!
And start to be confident and thinking, finaly saltwatertank is not so hard......
After i said it,s ok now i need test water only weekly is enought.....also i did Not make one Waterchange for months...Because i have read somewhere some peoples don't do any wc and have no trouble.....that was my second mistake.....
A another beginner error, is to jump on beautifull fish see at the shop with no information.....same thing for corals....
Now we are on Febuary ,4, 2011, and this day i bought a beautifull Anthias ( pseudanthias pleurotaenia ) with no idea at this time what was his needed for food....he was just beautifull.
The day after i bought a second pretty fish......and few days later a friend visit me and we was looking the tank together and i said him, this fish is cool isn't it ? he say yes very cool, what is it?
I don't know...i said..... my friend who use to diving,start to look at the fish closer...and say me...he looks like a parrot fish! i said oh really !?...thats cool, i will take a look on internet later, thanks!
So couple days later, i looked my tank and saw some corals was dammage and saw this fish "bite' them all around and also the purple coraline ....i jumped on internet and star to research about parrot fish.....and bam! i found his description and picture....and discover mine was a juvenile parrot ! that kind of fish you really don't want in a reef tank....Why?...for people who don't know, not only this fish can grow up to 4 feet...but also because they eat corals.....
So it was the time to catch him....humm.....have you try already to catch a fish in a tank full of rocks....not easy....i battled for hours.....with no issue....and finally, i cutted 3 plastic bottles and gently" push" him inside one...Goal!
.....after i bring him back to the shop and take my money back, after explained to the man for why i can't keep this fish on my litte tank....
( Beside that, this experience tell, there are some "bad" fish store who don't care about your tank but only your wallet....they don't advise people about what they buy, the store just want to sell....)
Anyway, back to my tank...
So the next months, everythings was "ok", continu to weeky test water...every parameter was good, i mean for Ca,mg,Ph...only the Kh was dropping, so i add some buffer with no really good result...
The kh was for me a mystery, i didn't understood why he dropped like that...but no really care about the reason and continu to buffer....
I was still confident at that time about the care i gave to the tank and let it run like that for months...with no one water change from the first day......
And also because people who come to my place saying i have a nice tank, and ask me if it is hard to maintain....i say thank you, no it's not hard, i just test sometime the water and try to keep my parameter stable....euh!... i was really stupid!
Finally the Anthias Died after 3 or 4 months....yes i didn't knew how to feed him...only one time a day same the other fishies.....After he died i really looked on internet and learn about this fish behavior.....why i did not learn that before he died?....i was stupid....
I was sooo sad, you know that bad feeling when you lose a fish or a coral.....feel so baaaad...
Then for feel better, i ran to the shop for buy a new fish....and saw a tang fish....i did not buy him,i ask for the species to the seller, he says its a Acanthurus Nigricans and then back home and take a look on internet for information about this fish...i really don't wanted to make mistake again....and after read information about food i thought i was abble to keep him....then i bought him and put in the tank!
It Was an another mistake!!!!!!.... This was fish very difficult for aclimate, make white spot when he stress......so that he did, get white spot for few days and then the white spots dissapear....i tought it was ok and he was acclimate...but not!....couple day later white spots again for few days and finish.... and a third and last time he get white spot...but the very bad, 2 others fishies get white spots also....coz him....
And they all died! i was soooooo saaaaad againnnnn! not only for the tang but really sad for 2 other fishies i had since the begining, one of them was my first fish...the mandarin! and the another was my cut Pseudochromis Diadema.....
After That,for understand what happening, i looked again on internet......and...after a closer look...i discover the fish was a Acanthrus japonicus and not a Nigricans! they are very very similar but only one difference on the shape of the "tail"..... and i learn that the japonicus is almost impossible to aclimate in tank... like mine......
So the Journey still go on.....
We are now at 1 years old tank, still keep my parameter stable with adding some , calcium, magnesium, kh buffer, iodine. but no test on the phosphate and still not water change.....
It,s october 2011.....i take a look at my tank...like every day....and start to realise i have now a lot...a lot, (i mean, spread everywhere).. of this cut anemone i bought a the begining.....you remember? My first big error...buy something you don't know, but it's nice, so you take it....Hehehe....
So look again on Google image and search for anemone.....wow That's mine!...what is species.....Bam !....i discover i untroduce in my tank a pest! majano anemone !!!
I felt so stupid again!.....So i look who i can irradicate that pest....have some chemical products and natural....so i decided for the natural way....the natural way is the Copper banded butterfly fish.
Lucky i found one at the fish store, put in the tank for he eat them...and wait..and wait..and wait....he did not touch a single one! and died with no reason a couple weeks later.....bad again....
Then i decided to keep the anemone....finally it,s not so bad and i can kill some who are to close the corals buy inject hot water in the mouth with a seryngue , and it's works, small one die in 1 shot and the bigger sometimes need 2 or 3 shots...
Finally after all of that, i bought my last fish....miss so much my Pseuchromis diadema, and i found a pseudochromis fridmani who is very cute........and said .ok, now no more fishies, it's fine for my tank.
We are now in december 2011....
After one year without any single WC, and a bad Skimmer which is almost impossible to set properly and sometime skim and sometime not.... the water look a bit green, maybe also because i feed too much the corals with zoo and phyto plancton....
So i decided finally to make some waterchange! i found a thai brand "aquaraise" and start to change water every months...
Parameter in december 2011 was : D:1023 Temp:26 pH:8 Kh 5.9 Ca 475 Mg 1300 Po4 0.25
WC around 10 % every months.
Then in febuary 2012 test are :
Temp 26 D 1024 Ph 8.2 kh 6.4 Ca 440 Mg 1260<
april 2012 : ph 8.6 Kh 6.7 Ca 435 Mg 1300
june 2012 : ph 8.4 Kh 6.8 Ca 420 Mg 1250
And then no WC for 3 months and no test.........
WC in september,december and january 2013...
And in january 2013 Test was : Ph 8.4 Kh 11.2 Ca 415 Mg 1080 !........ After this test i looked up at my tank and say...hummm something wrong.....my water still a bit green, corals look "ok"...and Purple coraline....DISAPPEAR !!!.... no single sign of coraline in all the rocks!
I said wow something is wrong in my way to care the tank, i have to change something.....
To be honest,in the second year i was too...who to say...not lassy..but i think i was not focus like the begining and let the tank just run ....
That was a another big mistake!
So even if i tought change water everymonth was good and enought for the tank. it was not.
i decided and do now to take acre best as i can of my little reef, and want to make it nice....it look bad at my eyes even if the people who look the tank and my friends say i have a nice tank....i think no.
When i see some people who have fantastic tank after only one year, and look mine after 2 years and half, i feel bad ....
So
January 2013 is the time for upgrade....
1 - The coraline : Problem : coraline disappear. After look on internet i learn coraline need magnesium !
Solution add some magnesium.....So i bought Bio-magnesium and add 2 spoons every day for 2 months.
Mg in january: 1080...Mg in febuary : 1500 Goal
2 - WC : Change the schedule from monthly WC to weekly WC ( 10 % ) with prodibio: biodigest,bioptim,iodine+,stronti +,reefbooster.
3 - Salt : Change for better one , now mix with Reefcrystal
4 - Power head pump : now only 1 Vortech Mp 10 wes in reefcreest mode 100% power
5 - Skimmer : new Bubble Magus C7 ,set for make a very wet skimmate
6 - phosphate : Bubble magus Mini 70 reactor with 100ml of Rowaphos ( even if i never had algues problem but i notice my cleaner shrimp was brown between her skin changement and the sand was brown also, i think because the hight phosphate.)
Now the result on May 2013 :
Coraline start to spread, water is clear ( no more Green ),white sand, and corals look much better color and grow.
Next step :
- order Tunze ato osmolator ( for fix the swing of salt density )
- Buy a batterie back up ( last power fail i lose my cute pseudchromis ...)
- Save money for buy a Radion XR 30 Pro and an Apex
In almost 3 years i have learn a lot about this hobby, but still feel i need to learn more and more.
I lose a lot of corals, i think mainly because water quality and some wrong choices.
I don't know why but i can't keep Elegance corals, i tryed 3 times and they all look good for couples month and slowly died....
Star polyps which are easy, no survive in my tank,i don't know why....
So my plan now is to keep focus on the tank and take care about everything.
I want to make a really nice mixed corals, i started to introduce some sps acro and monti since 3 months. Only the monti is growing fast, but the other nothing...
Any advice or help from the R2R members are welcome !
Thank you for read my Story.
Fred.
The equipement was:
- 36*18*18 Tank
- An ReefOctopus overflow box
- 1 solarmax 150w 14000k mh light
- 1 Dymax Rex2 2*21w t5 with standard blue tubes
- Skimmer Weipro SA-2015 .......
- 2 SunSun stream pump 3000 L/h and 5000 L/h
Yamano return pump 2550 L/h
- 40 kg live rocks
- 10 lb live sand Caribean Aragonite
- chiller 1/3 hp
After build the stand and put the ordered sump 14*36*12 (about 20g brut ),i added the water ( mix with DD h2ocean salt ) on September 28 2010.
Add sand a week later and the rocks a week later.
Then add 2 hermit crab calcinus elegant after test the no2 and no3. no2=0 and n03=25
And let the cycling run....
After a month or so, i added my first corals, 1 green discosama and 1 protopalythoa. No2 and No3 = 0
And few days later bought my first Tridacna clam.between all of that i test the water.
First test: ph 8.6 , kh 9.6 , Ca 410 , Mg 1350 Temp 26 D 1023
2: ph 8.4 , kh 9 , Ca 380 , Mg 1320 po4 0.25
3:Ca 360, Mg 1300, Po4 0.25
The Calcium was low ( even with few soft corals.. ), i wanted to up it so i start my first additive with Tropic Marin Bio-calcium a,b,c.
phosphate was hight, so i put a phosphate remover ( around 200ml in a sock, i mean a real sock for feet...).....but it has work ( after a month po4 =0,o5)
Then continu to test and add bio calcium until the Ca up to my goal.. 450.
Add some ricordea, 2 snail ( trochus niloticus ), few euplica varians snail, 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 elegance coral ( Catalaphyllia jardinae ),1 pink fungia plate coral, 1 Goniopora
My first Fish: 1 Mandarin Synchiropus Splendidus then 2 demsel ( blue devil ) and 2 Clown Fish ( premnas biaculeatus ) and 1 Pseudochromis Diadema.
And.....My first big error.....
Go to shop, and oh this little anemone look pretty! the seller say yes and they are cheap ! around 5 $ for six on a rock....so i happy bought them....( will tell later why it was a big error)....
Put them in the tank and continu my religious almost daily water test ( yes i was exciting and also a bit stress )...
Then after 3 months, the purple coraline start to spread eveywhere, i was very excited and tought i did a good job, a very good job!
And start to be confident and thinking, finaly saltwatertank is not so hard......
After i said it,s ok now i need test water only weekly is enought.....also i did Not make one Waterchange for months...Because i have read somewhere some peoples don't do any wc and have no trouble.....that was my second mistake.....
A another beginner error, is to jump on beautifull fish see at the shop with no information.....same thing for corals....
Now we are on Febuary ,4, 2011, and this day i bought a beautifull Anthias ( pseudanthias pleurotaenia ) with no idea at this time what was his needed for food....he was just beautifull.
The day after i bought a second pretty fish......and few days later a friend visit me and we was looking the tank together and i said him, this fish is cool isn't it ? he say yes very cool, what is it?
I don't know...i said..... my friend who use to diving,start to look at the fish closer...and say me...he looks like a parrot fish! i said oh really !?...thats cool, i will take a look on internet later, thanks!
So couple days later, i looked my tank and saw some corals was dammage and saw this fish "bite' them all around and also the purple coraline ....i jumped on internet and star to research about parrot fish.....and bam! i found his description and picture....and discover mine was a juvenile parrot ! that kind of fish you really don't want in a reef tank....Why?...for people who don't know, not only this fish can grow up to 4 feet...but also because they eat corals.....
So it was the time to catch him....humm.....have you try already to catch a fish in a tank full of rocks....not easy....i battled for hours.....with no issue....and finally, i cutted 3 plastic bottles and gently" push" him inside one...Goal!
.....after i bring him back to the shop and take my money back, after explained to the man for why i can't keep this fish on my litte tank....
( Beside that, this experience tell, there are some "bad" fish store who don't care about your tank but only your wallet....they don't advise people about what they buy, the store just want to sell....)
Anyway, back to my tank...
So the next months, everythings was "ok", continu to weeky test water...every parameter was good, i mean for Ca,mg,Ph...only the Kh was dropping, so i add some buffer with no really good result...
The kh was for me a mystery, i didn't understood why he dropped like that...but no really care about the reason and continu to buffer....
I was still confident at that time about the care i gave to the tank and let it run like that for months...with no one water change from the first day......
And also because people who come to my place saying i have a nice tank, and ask me if it is hard to maintain....i say thank you, no it's not hard, i just test sometime the water and try to keep my parameter stable....euh!... i was really stupid!
Finally the Anthias Died after 3 or 4 months....yes i didn't knew how to feed him...only one time a day same the other fishies.....After he died i really looked on internet and learn about this fish behavior.....why i did not learn that before he died?....i was stupid....
I was sooo sad, you know that bad feeling when you lose a fish or a coral.....feel so baaaad...
Then for feel better, i ran to the shop for buy a new fish....and saw a tang fish....i did not buy him,i ask for the species to the seller, he says its a Acanthurus Nigricans and then back home and take a look on internet for information about this fish...i really don't wanted to make mistake again....and after read information about food i thought i was abble to keep him....then i bought him and put in the tank!
It Was an another mistake!!!!!!.... This was fish very difficult for aclimate, make white spot when he stress......so that he did, get white spot for few days and then the white spots dissapear....i tought it was ok and he was acclimate...but not!....couple day later white spots again for few days and finish.... and a third and last time he get white spot...but the very bad, 2 others fishies get white spots also....coz him....
And they all died! i was soooooo saaaaad againnnnn! not only for the tang but really sad for 2 other fishies i had since the begining, one of them was my first fish...the mandarin! and the another was my cut Pseudochromis Diadema.....
After That,for understand what happening, i looked again on internet......and...after a closer look...i discover the fish was a Acanthrus japonicus and not a Nigricans! they are very very similar but only one difference on the shape of the "tail"..... and i learn that the japonicus is almost impossible to aclimate in tank... like mine......
So the Journey still go on.....
We are now at 1 years old tank, still keep my parameter stable with adding some , calcium, magnesium, kh buffer, iodine. but no test on the phosphate and still not water change.....
It,s october 2011.....i take a look at my tank...like every day....and start to realise i have now a lot...a lot, (i mean, spread everywhere).. of this cut anemone i bought a the begining.....you remember? My first big error...buy something you don't know, but it's nice, so you take it....Hehehe....
So look again on Google image and search for anemone.....wow That's mine!...what is species.....Bam !....i discover i untroduce in my tank a pest! majano anemone !!!
I felt so stupid again!.....So i look who i can irradicate that pest....have some chemical products and natural....so i decided for the natural way....the natural way is the Copper banded butterfly fish.
Lucky i found one at the fish store, put in the tank for he eat them...and wait..and wait..and wait....he did not touch a single one! and died with no reason a couple weeks later.....bad again....
Then i decided to keep the anemone....finally it,s not so bad and i can kill some who are to close the corals buy inject hot water in the mouth with a seryngue , and it's works, small one die in 1 shot and the bigger sometimes need 2 or 3 shots...
Finally after all of that, i bought my last fish....miss so much my Pseuchromis diadema, and i found a pseudochromis fridmani who is very cute........and said .ok, now no more fishies, it's fine for my tank.
We are now in december 2011....
After one year without any single WC, and a bad Skimmer which is almost impossible to set properly and sometime skim and sometime not.... the water look a bit green, maybe also because i feed too much the corals with zoo and phyto plancton....
So i decided finally to make some waterchange! i found a thai brand "aquaraise" and start to change water every months...
Parameter in december 2011 was : D:1023 Temp:26 pH:8 Kh 5.9 Ca 475 Mg 1300 Po4 0.25
WC around 10 % every months.
Then in febuary 2012 test are :
Temp 26 D 1024 Ph 8.2 kh 6.4 Ca 440 Mg 1260<
april 2012 : ph 8.6 Kh 6.7 Ca 435 Mg 1300
june 2012 : ph 8.4 Kh 6.8 Ca 420 Mg 1250
And then no WC for 3 months and no test.........
WC in september,december and january 2013...
And in january 2013 Test was : Ph 8.4 Kh 11.2 Ca 415 Mg 1080 !........ After this test i looked up at my tank and say...hummm something wrong.....my water still a bit green, corals look "ok"...and Purple coraline....DISAPPEAR !!!.... no single sign of coraline in all the rocks!
I said wow something is wrong in my way to care the tank, i have to change something.....
To be honest,in the second year i was too...who to say...not lassy..but i think i was not focus like the begining and let the tank just run ....
That was a another big mistake!
So even if i tought change water everymonth was good and enought for the tank. it was not.
i decided and do now to take acre best as i can of my little reef, and want to make it nice....it look bad at my eyes even if the people who look the tank and my friends say i have a nice tank....i think no.
When i see some people who have fantastic tank after only one year, and look mine after 2 years and half, i feel bad ....
So
January 2013 is the time for upgrade....
1 - The coraline : Problem : coraline disappear. After look on internet i learn coraline need magnesium !
Solution add some magnesium.....So i bought Bio-magnesium and add 2 spoons every day for 2 months.
Mg in january: 1080...Mg in febuary : 1500 Goal
2 - WC : Change the schedule from monthly WC to weekly WC ( 10 % ) with prodibio: biodigest,bioptim,iodine+,stronti +,reefbooster.
3 - Salt : Change for better one , now mix with Reefcrystal
4 - Power head pump : now only 1 Vortech Mp 10 wes in reefcreest mode 100% power
5 - Skimmer : new Bubble Magus C7 ,set for make a very wet skimmate
6 - phosphate : Bubble magus Mini 70 reactor with 100ml of Rowaphos ( even if i never had algues problem but i notice my cleaner shrimp was brown between her skin changement and the sand was brown also, i think because the hight phosphate.)
Now the result on May 2013 :
Coraline start to spread, water is clear ( no more Green ),white sand, and corals look much better color and grow.
Next step :
- order Tunze ato osmolator ( for fix the swing of salt density )
- Buy a batterie back up ( last power fail i lose my cute pseudchromis ...)
- Save money for buy a Radion XR 30 Pro and an Apex
In almost 3 years i have learn a lot about this hobby, but still feel i need to learn more and more.
I lose a lot of corals, i think mainly because water quality and some wrong choices.
I don't know why but i can't keep Elegance corals, i tryed 3 times and they all look good for couples month and slowly died....
Star polyps which are easy, no survive in my tank,i don't know why....
So my plan now is to keep focus on the tank and take care about everything.
I want to make a really nice mixed corals, i started to introduce some sps acro and monti since 3 months. Only the monti is growing fast, but the other nothing...
Any advice or help from the R2R members are welcome !
Thank you for read my Story.
Fred.
