AccidentalAquarist
New Member
Last year's freeze in TX hit my 6 yo tank pretty hard and I didn't have a battery powered heater or pump to save it 
Unfortunately, most of the fish, the inverts, coral, and sponges did not survive. I take a lot of pride in the care of my critters so, losing so much of my tank so quickly hit me pretty hard. Biggest losses were the diverse, spawning sponge collonies (a moment of silence for my blue Haliclona ) , and the Golden Assesor that's been with me for 7 years :'(
I'm taking the opportunity to overhaul and update the tank to support a brand new mini ocean!
As it stands, the tank is a glass bottom display with
-live rock
-a reliable ato
-A Tunze Comline skimmer
-parts of a Minimax media reactor (funny story)
-a Maxspect Gyre wavemaker
-a VorTech pump head
-2 recirculaters that come with the jbj 65g aio.
Way back before I upgraded my packed 20 g breeder into the 65 g, the tank was an overstocked symbiotic showcase with, a candycane shimp/ prawn goby team, my wacky little assesor <3, an anemone hosting a pair of clowns a troupe of sexy shrimp and a porcelain crab, a small cleaner crew, and a modest display of softies, sps, and a hammerhead.
(The upgrade was sorely needed lol).
All the critters that remain are
-a pair of clownfish
-a widowed tailbot damselfish
-really p*ssed of Clathrina collony
-many hardy hitch hikers <3
The idea is to rebuild the mixed community tank in waves (ha! I'm funny) since the pricing for anything in this hobby is skyrocketing right now The plan so far is:
PART 1): sort of re-cycling the tank to get the parameters stabilized, and rebuilding the micro flora and fauna populations in the tank. This part is done and when it's ready for new additions there should be a healthy food source available for them!
Part 2): finalize the critter count (my favorite part) and work to re-aquascape the tank to ensure every critter has their niche and all their light, flow, and neighbor requirements can be met. I'll replenish the tank with new live sand, large pieces of bio media and ideally some macro algae. I will rearrange things as needed for future steps.
Part 3): is updating the equipment as necessary and replacing the dead halide with a fancy new LED
Part4): The Refugium Niche! The JBJ has space for a small refugium build in the back, but I like the looks of a diverse display. I want sponges, corals, and algae to be shown front and center. It also offers a hide or reprieve to the many small critters I want in the tank and a passive food source between daily feedings.
Part 5): Any other niche needing to be built. This step might have multiple parts depending on who is going in the tank.
Part 6): Corals and critters! There tends to be some debate about which should be introduced first, but in my experience there isn't much difference. I'll be sure to show you how I prefer to acclimate fish, inverts, and corals to a new tank.
After that, I just to tend to the needs of the tank inhabitants to ensure everyone is happy and maybe add things over time. I used to build and update displays professionally for institutions like museums and botanical gardens so I know the build is ambitious for a home tank so small, but I'm gonna do it! Building the tiny ecosystems to be as close to self sustaining as possible from the foundation makes the whole process much easier, but it takes a lot longer. It's been over a year and I've only just become satisfied with cycling the tank and establishing micro populations. The final result should be pretty good, so stick around.
See you in part 2!
Unfortunately, most of the fish, the inverts, coral, and sponges did not survive. I take a lot of pride in the care of my critters so, losing so much of my tank so quickly hit me pretty hard. Biggest losses were the diverse, spawning sponge collonies (a moment of silence for my blue Haliclona ) , and the Golden Assesor that's been with me for 7 years :'(I'm taking the opportunity to overhaul and update the tank to support a brand new mini ocean!
As it stands, the tank is a glass bottom display with
-live rock
-a reliable ato
-A Tunze Comline skimmer
-parts of a Minimax media reactor (funny story)
-a Maxspect Gyre wavemaker
-a VorTech pump head
-2 recirculaters that come with the jbj 65g aio.
Way back before I upgraded my packed 20 g breeder into the 65 g, the tank was an overstocked symbiotic showcase with, a candycane shimp/ prawn goby team, my wacky little assesor <3, an anemone hosting a pair of clowns a troupe of sexy shrimp and a porcelain crab, a small cleaner crew, and a modest display of softies, sps, and a hammerhead.
(The upgrade was sorely needed lol).
All the critters that remain are
-a pair of clownfish
-a widowed tailbot damselfish
-really p*ssed of Clathrina collony
-many hardy hitch hikers <3
The idea is to rebuild the mixed community tank in waves (ha! I'm funny) since the pricing for anything in this hobby is skyrocketing right now
The plan so far is:PART 1): sort of re-cycling the tank to get the parameters stabilized, and rebuilding the micro flora and fauna populations in the tank. This part is done and when it's ready for new additions there should be a healthy food source available for them!
Part 2): finalize the critter count (my favorite part) and work to re-aquascape the tank to ensure every critter has their niche and all their light, flow, and neighbor requirements can be met. I'll replenish the tank with new live sand, large pieces of bio media and ideally some macro algae. I will rearrange things as needed for future steps.
Part 3): is updating the equipment as necessary and replacing the dead halide with a fancy new LED
Part4): The Refugium Niche! The JBJ has space for a small refugium build in the back, but I like the looks of a diverse display. I want sponges, corals, and algae to be shown front and center. It also offers a hide or reprieve to the many small critters I want in the tank and a passive food source between daily feedings.
Part 5): Any other niche needing to be built. This step might have multiple parts depending on who is going in the tank.
Part 6): Corals and critters! There tends to be some debate about which should be introduced first, but in my experience there isn't much difference. I'll be sure to show you how I prefer to acclimate fish, inverts, and corals to a new tank.
After that, I just to tend to the needs of the tank inhabitants to ensure everyone is happy and maybe add things over time. I used to build and update displays professionally for institutions like museums and botanical gardens so I know the build is ambitious for a home tank so small, but I'm gonna do it!
Building the tiny ecosystems to be as close to self sustaining as possible from the foundation makes the whole process much easier, but it takes a lot longer. It's been over a year and I've only just become satisfied with cycling the tank and establishing micro populations. The final result should be pretty good, so stick around.See you in part 2!
