New 310g Mixed Reef Tank Man Cave Build
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- Thread starter CincyReefer07
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Today marks a big day for the Planet Aquarium 310 gallon build as I just received my first 3 fish for the tank. I ordered 3 captive bred quarantined Bangaii Cardinalfish from Ocean Devotion. They arrived around lunch time today after being flown overnight from California. Have them settling into the tank now. I also will be picking up a pair of captive bred Clarkii Clowns from my LFS I had him order for me either tomorrow night or Thursday afternoon. Finally starting to see some life in the tank besides just snails and hermits lol
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Last night my Clowns I had ordered a couple weeks ago arrived at my LFS. He got a large order of captive bred clowns in. I was originally going to go with a pair of clarkii, but when I got there he had a pair of captive-bred Two-Band Clowns also and decided to go with the Two-Bands. Very excited to see fish going into this tank. Now if I can just get them eating so I can quit worrying about them as much. So far none of them have taken anything yet. I’m guessing it’s just due to stress of a new tank. I was told the bangaii were eating frozen mysis, bloodworms and brine, and that the captive bred clowns my LFS always gets in always readily take pellets and flakes.
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Picked up a few hardy easy corals last night at my LFS. First corals for the tank besides the one trash paly that came in on my aussie live rock that survived. Keeping that for now until it seems it might become invasive. Decided to throw these in as test pieces to see how they do, and whether or not I may be ready for a nem for my pair of Two-Banded Clowns. I’d rather get a nem in there sooner than later before the tank starts getting filled up with corals in case the nem wants to roam and find it’s own happy spot. Dipped the corals in Red Sea coral dip prior to adding. Picked up a Green Tip Toadstool and a couple of zoas. Zoas I placed on a rock island.
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New additions last night! 3 Biota Yellow Tangs, a couple cleaner shrimp, and a very very impulse buy…Gem Tang. My buddy at my LFS hooked me up with a heck of a deal on the Gem that I just couldn’t pass up. Have a couple Black Cap Basslets being quarantined that should be here around thanksgiving. Those will be next in the tank.
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So…. Fair bit of updates since my last mid-November post. I’ve gotten sidetracked with the holidays, taking care of the tanks and it’s been quicker for me to post my updates on my Instagram reef page and due to that I’ve slacked off the last 6 weeks or so of updating my page….oops.
So since adding my tangs in mid-November….
The very first week I did have one of the three yellows die overnight. I don’t know if it was due to one of the yellows bullying him and stress got him, or lack of enough food, I did up my feeding regimen after that in case that was the cause just do to the yellows being so small and young. But now everyone else is doing excellent! The yellows have colored up amazingly and grown, my gem is a fat pig, and I’ve added a few more bangaii cardinals in hopes of spreading out aggression because one of my original three ended up becoming a bully.
5 week difference between when I first got the yellows and 5 weeks later:
My original corals I put in the tank had been doing great, the couple different zoas and green-tipped toadstool leather. So on Black Friday I went to my local LFS and grabbed a blue and green birdsnest, a red monti digitata, red plating monti, and some acans, Lobo, a duncan, and mushrooms and an orange tip Bubble Tip Anemone.
In December I also added an anacropora, and and a pink Cadillac acropora, and a green slimer and a branching hammer euphyllia.
So far everything has been doing great, took 6 weeks but my two-banded clowns also finally found the bubble tip nem and the nem has been hosting them now. I will add the bubble tip only moved once on me. The first night I had it in, moved from the sand bed where I wedged him between sand and a rock straight up to one an upper section of some of my Australian branch live rock and has been there ever since.
I’ll have to get more close-up better photos of all the corals soon. Since they are small hard to see in the full tank pics without zooming in on some, and I suck at taking really good quality detailed photos zoomed in with my iPhone.
And then this first week of January, I’ve added a generator manual transfer switch to my electric panel so that if the power ever goes out, I have generator back-up for up to 6-20 amp circuits in my house. So my entire tank systems/equipment will be able to continue running in a power outage, as well as my wifi, have my refrigerator, tv, some lights, on and garage. Still have some drywall patch work to finish up where I wired it into my panel. But it’s done other than that, was very simple to hook up.
And then for my final update…. I came home yesterday with this beautiful Magnificent Foxface from my LFS. I drip acclimated him and currently have him in my 60 breeder QT tank. No meds in it yet. Just sane temp and salinity as my DT. Used 75% water from a water change out of DT and 25% fresh saltwater. Just wanting to make sure he gets to eating well first and then I will most likely begin copper and then prazi treatment in the QT before moving into the display.
I also have a pair of fully quarantined from Ocean Devotion Black Cap Basslets that should be getting shipped to me early-mid next week that will be going into the 310.
Oh yeah…. And I had reefing stickers made for reef tanks instagram page haha
Well that’s about it for the HUGE LONG WINDED update post LOL! Sorry about that guys, I slacked off these last 6-7 weeks on the updates. I’ll be making sure I get back to keeping things updated again.
Hope everyone had a good holidays!!!
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Looking good! I was thinking about doing one of those manual generator transfer switches as well. I haven't done enough research yet to pull the trigger on a set up. How do you like the one you purchased?
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I love it, it’s very simple to hook up, especially if you have basic electrical knowledge. For me it was a breeze as I’m also an electrician. My parents have had the same one at their house for the past few years. Mine is a Reliance Controls manual generator transfer switch that can do up to 6-20amp circuits from your house electric panel. The transfer switch itself comes prewired and comes with everything you need to install it and wire it up. Only wiring you have to do is inside your main house electric panel to connect your house circuits to the wiring to the transfer switch. Power goes out, you just start your generator, and flip the switch on your transfer switch to generator power and you’ve got power
Sounds easy enough. I have watched a few videos on the install. I'm comfortable with basic electric. I'm a HVAC tech by trade but currently working as a facility manager. Do you already have your generator? Currently I have a small 2,200w inverter generator. Which is big enough to run the essentials on my 150 gallon, but if I do the manual transfer switch I will be in the market for something larger.
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Yeah I have a Champion Generator. I’d have to look up which size I have when I get home from work later today because I don’t remember. But it can easily run my 75 gallon hob setup aquarium, and this 310 gallon setup and all of its equipment, plus my refrigerator, wifi, tv, some lights. I used it last year to power that stuff just by stretching electric cords, except for the 310 gallon setup as it wasn’t running yet. But it’s got plenty of power to power all of that. So I have my 75 gallon on my 15 amp living room circuit, my 310 gallon setup has its own pair of dedicated 20 amp circuits, and I have my 15 amp kitchen circuit that has the fridge on it, my 15 amp circuit that has my wifi, tv and some lights on it, and a 20amp garage circuit all wired into my generator transfer switch that my Champion generator should easily be able to handle.
It’s definitely not the quietest of generators compared to Hondas. But the cost of a Honda generator to power all of that during a power outage would be ridiculous. Unless you have the funds for it and don’t mind spending the bucks for one. But it’s not terrible either, in the house with your doors and windows closed, you can hear the hum of it running, but nothing terrible
will you have to run the power cable into the Receptacle that’s inside the house? And obviously generator outside ? Or do you have a connection outside for the generator?
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For the generator transfer switch? So the way the hook up works is ill put the generator either on my back porch or on the side of my house, and then yes, the cord that connects the generator to the transfer switch will then run through my back patio door through garage to the transfer switch or around the corner of my house under the garage door to the transfer switch to plug in so that those circuits ran off the transfer switch get power.
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Well I spontaneously got another 2 additions today for the quarantine tank before I begin treating the foxface with meds. Decided it’s kind of a waste of space and time to have a 60 breeder qt tank and only one fish in it for qt meds. I did an electrical side job at my the owner of my LFS’ place and so he said he’d trade me my side work for a rhomboid wrasse he had in his store and I also decided to pick up a clown fairy wrasse as well.
I know wrasse don’t do as well with copper so I’ll run copper a bit lower in my qt tank and raise copper levels a bit slower as well. And when it’s all said and done I’ll leave all fish in QT for observation for a few extra days or an extra week before transferring to my 310g display
I know wrasse don’t do as well with copper so I’ll run copper a bit lower in my qt tank and raise copper levels a bit slower as well. And when it’s all said and done I’ll leave all fish in QT for observation for a few extra days or an extra week before transferring to my 310g display
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Got another pair of fish today, these came to me fully quarantined from Ocean Devotion so just did a float bag temp acclimate and in they went. Pair of Black Cap Basslets. I shut the aquarium lights off before putting them in and left them off for an hour. Not surprised but once they hit the tank water they went straight to rock crevices, I could tell they were already fairly stressed from shipping
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So for a much needed update…. I decided after 10+ months of debating on it, i went ahead and pulled the trigger on a 20” long zebra moray eel. Hoping I dont regret that decision lol. But I don’t know if anyone else has ever experience it, my gem tang has been a complete DICK to my zebra eel ever since introducing him this afternoon. Constantly flaring up and swiping at him every time he pokes his head out. AND my eel has found a spot on the opposite side of the tank my gem doesn’t typically go to, but now because the zebra eel is in the tank, my gem is now making purposeful trips to that side of the tank to make sure he stays tucked inside his rock. I’m going to have to do something about that gem tang. Because if he’s acting that way towards a good sized zebra eel, I’m thinking it’s going to be a nightmare to introduce any new fish
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