My RSR 350 softie tank

[Paleozoic_reefer]

I would like a different tank set up than my softie tank and have been think of either a FOWLR, macroalgaeo, or SPS (). If I go macro I would like a mix system of SPS and macro but worried the herbivores would decimate the macros. @Subsea do you have any recommendations? Would love to get your thoughts on starting off a tank like yours.

 

[Subsea]

I have suggestions, but I know little of SPS. I do like Caribbean mixed garden lagoons with heavy emphases on diversity of filter feeders.

What are your thoughts on ornamental sponges in your ecosystem?

 

[Subsea]

I think sponges look neat. Recently, I am reading scientific journal on what different types of sponges eat including parasites like ick.

 

[Subsea]

If you want a system for longevity, I suggest putting a reverse flow ug filter using aroggonite for passive buffering and slight trace mineral addittion. Then get a few pounds of diver collected live sand and as much lI’ve rock as you can fit in. Hold off on fish as long as possible to allow things to grow.

While many say live rock is the filtration, I say live sand & rock bring in the diversity that provides multiple food webs that process both inorganic & organic nutrients to feed hungry mouths.

PS. Three years ago this rock was in the Gulf uf Mexico. Only coralline & macro with no Gorgonion or hard coral visible. One year ago, coral emerged from the rock.

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Gulf Live Rock Specializing in wholesale and retail sales of Aquacultured Live Rock and live sand at direct from the diver prices. Free Shipping! coral reeftank

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Check out hitch hikers on live rock;

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[Paleozoic_reefer]

@Subsea Thanks for your insight! I completely agree with your recommendations and believe a robust ecosystem (which includes what some consider pests) from the start is the way to go. I was going to start transplanting some yellow, pineapple, and cryptic (white, black, and purple) sponges from my other system as soon as I finish my cycling. I’ll slowly start to add ornamental sponges as soon as I build up my bioload. Do you provide any additional supplements for your tank?

 

[Subsea]

Account Suspended

www.seagrassli.org

Good info on sea plants and seaweeds.

@Subsea Thanks for your insight! I completely agree with your recommendations and believe a robust ecosystem (which includes what some consider pests) from the start is the way to go. I was going to start transplanting some yellow, pineapple, and cryptic (white, black, and purple) sponges from my other system as soon as I finish my cycling. I’ll slowly start to add ornamental sponges as soon as I build up my bioload. Do you provide any additional supplements for your tank?

Yes to supplements as I run low fish loads: I use liquid seaweed concentrate from kelp and dose nh3 occasionally. I doubt you could dose too much iron or silicate,

PS. On phyto culture, I replace ammonia with f/2 fertilizer from Mercer of Montana.

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

Hello, uglies!!

Diatoms are in full force, as expected.

I was also able to get some spare kessils to Finally work, so these should do for the time being.

I’ll be going to the LFS today to test the water and see if they have any chromis or true percs if things look good.

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

New tank is doing well, along with the fish. I added a few fish over the past month:
2 clowns
Foxface (skittish as heck!)
Tracy’s damsel (surprisingly chill)
Blue tang (quarter size)

I also moved two pieces of coral that were in the original owners tank and finally got them into this tank (waving hand anthelia and some ricordias) give some flow and color to the tank.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

New tank is doing well, along with the fish. I added a few fish over the past month:
2 clowns
Foxface (skittish as heck!)
Tracy’s damsel (surprisingly chill)
Blue tang (quarter size)

I also moved two pieces of coral that were in the original owners tank and finally got them into this tank (waving hand anthelia and some ricordias) give some flow and color to the tank.

Great fish additions!

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

This week is my institution’s Spring Break and the time to get the Honey-do list going along with some tank maintenance. It’s been about 4 years since I’ve done a DEEP clean of the tank so I decided it needed to be done.

Since the tank it bare bottom mulm tends to accumulate in the dead spots of the tank, especially the back. Mulm is the inert detritus (food, waste, sediment, dead organisms, bacteria, etc.) from our tanks that in many ways is beneficial for our tank ecosystems. But like all good things, there is a limit. IMO after an inch or two it needs to be removed and start fresh with a deep clean.

My deep cleans happen every 3 years or so and are an all day process. All large rocks are taken out and scrubbed of nuisance algae and any other pests (vermitid snails). It’s also a chance to remove rocks that I may not need, remove nems to trade (removed 11 and traded them in at my LFS) and reorganize the tank a bit. The down side of a deep clean is the tank looks horrible with the corals not being in a good mood. Also, this was my first deep clean with my Maxima clam and it definitely didn’t like it, that night, as a response to the stress it spawned in the tank and carbon and new floss needed to be added.

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

Big change for the softie tank! After 6 years of being a bare bottom tank I decided to add a sand bed…I cashed in some credit at the LFS (my BTAs splits are funding my tanks at this point!) and got a large bag of dry aragonite sand. I rinsed it in some RODI water cup by cup to minimize the cloudiness and slowly filled the tank’s bottom. I put about an inch all round the rockwork and back of the tank but will try to add a bit more as time goes by.

Water was cloudy for a few hours but by this morning it cleared up nicely with no ill effects.

This morning:

Tube worms are finally out of PVC and in sand for the first time is almost over 4 years!

I’m hoping to get some sand loving wrasses as well as increase my bacteria/fauna biomes with the sand so I can slowly remove some rocks to open the tank up in terms of swimming space.
With the new FOWLER tank I was noticing I was neglecting the softie tank in terms of finding things (pods, CUC, coral growth, etc.) interesting. No doubt this will help split my curiosity and my interest!

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

Wow, 7 months and no updates?! Well, here we go…the softie tank had several ups and downs that I’ve attributed to the removal of my live rock and adding sand. The removal of my biome of bacteria and other critters really threw off my nutrients and let less desirable bacteria and algae take over.

GHA took over the tank to the point I couldn’t stand being in the same room! Every weekend was a battle to remove as much GHA as I could and boost my CUC. The past few weeks I’ve finally started to see a difference and things are looking better.

Tank #2 is also settling in and going through the uglies as its biome settles in and develops.
Current fish stock for tank #2:
Green fileshish
Bicolor foxface
2 ocellaris clowns
Hippo tang
Flame angel
Tracy’s Damsel

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

Forgot to add pics to last post!