Reefer 200XL No More: Maddie's Lagoon Transformation

[design.maddie]

I want to link my other thread because it deals with this tank. I created the post so that it would be easier for others to find the information.

Complex Algae Issues

 

[design.maddie]

Tops of my corals have started to form a table top shape and the fish have taken on a very natural relationship with it. This is a rather difficult angle to get in my tank and it still be not overly distorted. Easy to see in person hard to capture on camera.

 

[design.maddie]

Was traveling this week for the holidays, and decided to stop buy a fish store about 100 miles from my home. Their stock was good, but nothing exactly what I was looking for. I saw a listed price for a Tigertail Cucumber and my radar instantly went off. That was the point that it went from gazing to I want to buy something. They didn't have a Cucumber but it at least broke the ice with the employee and started explaining why I wanted one and he offered a few Conchs in exchange, and this was also another thing on my list. BAM! Wallet was out and I knew I needed to get out of there fast. I had already looked at all the tanks and had made those "Plans". If I can talk him into giving me this fish, and this coral, and a pair of these crabs for at this price I will not be able to pass. OR! maybe this pair of fish at this price. I stood strong and joked I needed to get out of there. Walk to pay at the front and see a massive display reef tank next to the register. I see the owner, and yelled into his office, "You ever selling anything out this main SPS tank?" I get a reply. "YES SURE DO!", "WHAT YOU LOOKING AT!?"

Sat there and chatted about what I was in the market for and PAR ratings and flow patterns of the area it will be going in. Picked out the coral and CHOP. He explained what I should expect in the first 6 months. Man had a colony the size of my chest. All in all a good trip but guess what. I bought my first Acropora. EVER!

 

[design.maddie]

My AppleBerry Montipora. This is about a 1-2in square area.

 

[design.maddie]

I have one fish that is missing scales on one side, I have another fish with a missing part of a tail fin, and both fish are exhibiting stressed behaviors. Constant hiding, staying bunched up in the bottom of a corner of the tank. I know who the problem fish is. I know how to easily catch and remove him. My issue is what are my options? I will reach out to the local reefing group but are there any other options?

I knew going into this that he might be a bit territorial and still think that is all this is. After a year+ in the tank something clicked this past 2 weeks and have gone on a rampage. Splendid Dottyback, sorry bud you gotta go.

 

[design.maddie]

I sat there on my stool watching my tank, just wondering how I will fix this issue. There is a war going on in my tank and if I don't react correctly and in time some creature is going to die under my care.

I had made a fish weir like I did last time when I accidentally caught the fish I need to catch. This time nothing was happening. Fish learn. I pull out the bottle weir because unlike last time, my corals are bigger and the bottle is resting on one of my mazes and causing tissue recession. Bottle out I sat there again with a net in my hand.

Thinking to myself there is no way in hell I can catch this fast mover within all these SPS. I just sit with the net just barely in the tank while I think of solutions. That was when my harassed fish darts around the net and so did the dottyback in pursuit. LIGHTBULB! I hold the net in an area that has a bit of an open area that I know is a swim route of all the fish. I just thinking to myself, 'when I see the chromis flash by don't hesitate'. Next thing you know, FLASH of blue>Swipe>OH **** I CAUGHT A FISH.

Wait! is it the correct fish? IT IS!!! **** what do I do now, I was not prepared to actually catch the darn thing. I yell out to the wife to run over and open up the cabinet door(still don't know why I just didn't open it myself) Immediately place the dottyback in the sump. WHEW!

I take a breath look up at the display and barren, no fish in view. I assume scared from the event, scare from being harassed 24/7. it was 48 hours before I saw a fish again. I had not realized how bad it had become. I had stopped shutting the flow off for feeding because the dottyback would terrorize everything. I started to shut the flow off and all the fish run for cover.

I am slowly getting them to be trusting of their environment again but letting them take their time. I finally saw the two chomis eat today. What a relief. One is still missing part of its tail fin.

Mr. Dottyback. I don't know what to do with him. Beautiful fish but just to much to house in a 42 gal cube. I will keep him going in my sump indefinitely until I find someone to take him or I find a way to give him his own display tank. I really think he would be fine in a tank 29gallons by himself with a couple caves/shelves. When I open the door to the sump area he comes up to the glass with the saddest looking face. He knows he did bad. He must has to.



Beyond all this I now get those fun thoughts of what fish can I put as the show piece in his place. No time soon as I am still just in shock but it does open the mind back up. What do you think?

 

[design.maddie]

Any help with what this is?

 

[design.maddie]

My 1 year update.

 

[petro2342]

Do you mind sharing your light settings? I'm curious what people use with these lights. I'm currently using the 20k preset.

 

[Biggame217]

I have a gif of me giving a view of all three sides but for some odd reason I can't get it to work on here.

Hard to get a clear shot while in the dark hovering over equipment.



What did I get myself into?



Tools Required.



Ride on the EAC duuude!!!



Super Snug.



Filter sock is on rails.



I actually used these.



What happens to the cat if I open?



This is on low.



Cycling.

Could you do me a favor and measure the space between the sump and the side wall. I ordered the same setup and am wondering if I can fit a narrow ato tank it's 4 inches wide by 24x20

 

[petro2342]

Could you do me a favor and measure the space between the sump and the side wall. I ordered the same setup and am wondering if I can fit a narrow ato tank it's 4 inches wide by 24x20

You'll be good. I have the same tank. 4 7/8 x 20 inch is the room you'll have inside.

 

[Biggame217]

You'll be good. I have the same tank. 4 7/8 x 20 inch is the room you'll have inside.

Is it 20 or 24 inches deep ?

 

[petro2342]

Is it 20 or 24 inches deep ?

20 deep. You'll have enough height.

 

[design.maddie]

Do you mind sharing your light settings? I'm curious what people use with these lights. I'm currently using the 20k preset.

Sure thing!

So, I have tried large variety of settings with these lights. I'm old school so I instinctually went at a 10k, the corals didn't seem to take much from it. They weren't growing much. I tried 16k, and it went really well for about 6 months and I just didn't enjoy the color like I wanted. Wasn't deep water and wasn't shallow lagoons. I normally discuss the light colors by depths though and I tend to like my tanks around 90ft deep. I jumped up to 20k in June, and left it there. I have also toyed with the amount of time and I run 9:30-20:30 followed by the built in standard lunar cycle. I have also played with the lunar cycles over the last 39 months and found their stock one to be most enjoyable for everyone. I do have the lights set to the 100% rating for the 20k.

 

[design.maddie]

 

[petro2342]

Awesome! I only ran AI Vega's for the past 8 or so years on my 65g tank so this RS90 LED is my 2nd ever LED fixture. My 200xl tank has been setup for almost 3 months after waiting months from being on back order haha. For the first 2 months I was running 15k settings with 50% intensity and was getting good results I noticed, even for a new tank, but I wasn't digging the whitish color. In the last 2 weeks I switched over to 20k settings untouched but still too early for me to tell if corals are growing or what. Intensity is 100% and I even did a few days of acclimating to the new settings. I'll keep checking I guess.

Have you tested the PAR or are you trusting what RS says along with BRS review? Based on what RS says and BRS saying it's a bit under powered for an SPS tank it's safe to say 100% is good enough.

 

[design.maddie]

Awesome! I only ran AI Vega's for the past 8 or so years on my 65g tank so this RS90 LED is my 2nd ever LED fixture. My 200xl tank has been setup for almost 3 months after waiting months from being on back order haha. For the first 2 months I was running 15k settings with 50% intensity and was getting good results I noticed, even for a new tank, but I wasn't digging the whitish color. In the last 2 weeks I switched over to 20k settings untouched but still too early for me to tell if corals are growing or what. Intensity is 100% and I even did a few days of acclimating to the new settings. I'll keep checking I guess.

Have you tested the PAR or are you trusting what RS says along with BRS review? Based on what RS says and BRS saying it's a bit under powered for an SPS tank it's safe to say 100% is good enough.

I went through the same thing with being backordered, but I believe it was more due to the fact I bought mine when they were first released. I forgot all about the acclimation setting. I do you that when I get new corals. I don't notice anything personally, but my corals always seem to color up nice a quick after introduction. I have not tested my PAR and just go off of what the BRS model showed. I do agree that it might be lower range for SPS but in the top half of the tank it is enough to have good growth and color. If I snap off a piece of a SPS and let it drop to some of the lower rocks, they will just melt away in about a 2 or so weeks. If it touches the sand, there is no hope for it. I don't even like putting my SPS frags on the sand during acclimation. All this being said, the ReefLED90 is the only product being used 24/7 that I have no worries about, no issues with, and no thoughts to change out. That speaks for itself to me.

 

[petro2342]

Any help with what this is?

Been a few weeks. How's the little guy doing?

 

[design.maddie]

Been a few weeks. How's the little guy doing?

I have come to the understanding that the guy is a girl and what was being experienced was a mother going through a form of maternal rage. I am not sure if she was staking out a territory to lay eggs and I caught her right before it, or weather my actions of catching her stressed her to drop her clutch. She seems a bit depressed being in the sump, she is such a personable fish. My LFS is PETCO and just can't bring myself to try and bring her in. She has a nice piece of LR and cave she calls her own. She still has weight on her, and I check on her as often as she allows. I am considering getting her a terracotta pot to call home and remove the LR all together. Make it easier on me to observe her down there without disturbing her dwelling.

I am still nurturing the remaining tank mates back into health. They are still in a terrified state, even after all this time. They are just beginning to eat openly again, and I mean barely. Do anything that would set off the Dottyback and it is like they have PTSD and will run for the hills. Still, they are getting better. The Chromis that had the top half of its fin ripped off is 90% healed.

One of the craziest things I have experienced in aquaculture. The fish went mental. She is OCD to begin with but whatever happen really set her off. Thanks for checking back in about the Dottyback.

 

[petro2342]

I have come to the understanding that the guy is a girl and what was being experienced was a mother going through a form of maternal rage. I am not sure if she was staking out a territory to lay eggs and I caught her right before it, or weather my actions of catching her stressed her to drop her clutch. She seems a bit depressed being in the sump, she is such a personable fish. My LFS is PETCO and just can't bring myself to try and bring her in. She has a nice piece of LR and cave she calls her own. She still has weight on her, and I check on her as often as she allows. I am considering getting her a terracotta pot to call home and remove the LR all together. Make it easier on me to observe her down there without disturbing her dwelling.

I am still nurturing the remaining tank mates back into health. They are still in a terrified state, even after all this time. They are just beginning to eat openly again, and I mean barely. Do anything that would set off the Dottyback and it is like they have PTSD and will run for the hills. Still, they are getting better. The Chromis that had the top half of its fin ripped off is 90% healed.

One of the craziest things I have experienced in aquaculture. The fish went mental. She is OCD to begin with but whatever happen really set her off. Thanks for checking back in about the Dottyback.

Good to hear some good feedback. Have you tried using Stress Guard? I've used it in the past with great results and quick healing. When I moved I brought my fish from the east coast to the west coast a few times in a 5 gal bucket with no losses =). 4 day car rides each way. I've also used it when my clown fish would literally tear each others fins off nearly killing each other. That's a sight you never want to see, but I used Stress Guard and it worked for me. Another time I revived a Six Line Wrasse after nearly 2 weeks and had him for 3 years before he committed suicide. Poor fella.