Sierra_Bravo's "What did I get myself into??" 120g in-wall build thread

Sierra_Bravo · Jun 20, 2018

. . . and two more deceased this morning. I really do not like these things.

Jaag · Jun 20, 2018

Sorry to hear that. Hate loosing fish.
I hope the swallow tail will be fine.
How do you control your ammonia in your QT?

Sierra_Bravo · Jun 20, 2018

Jaag said:
Sorry to hear that. Hate loosing fish.
I hope the swallow tail will be fine.
How do you control your ammonia in your QT?

I use Aquaclear 50 hang on back filters for the 20 gallon QT's, and I always have an extra filter sponge or two for that model in my display tank's sump so they are pre-populated with bacteria. I also use 2x2 marine pure blocks in my display tank's sump between the bubble trap. When I'm ready to QT I put two of the marine pure cubes and one of the sponges in the HOB filter and add a little Bio Spira. My filters are pretty much processing ammonia from the time I turn them on. I monitor with ammonia badges, siphon extra food, and change water once a week, but as a rule I never see ammonia spike up.

As I use the 2 x 2 marine pure blocks out of the sump I replace them with two more so I don't miss a beat.

justin.k.nelson · Jun 20, 2018

Nice, I use a hang on back trickle filter for immediate qt seeding. I keep a filter pad in my sump and pull it out when I need to run a qt and pull water from the dt to fill it. Immediate qt and no need to have it constantly running.

Thought about setting it up when I saw some purple queen anthias at aquarium design last weekend. Good thing I asked to see if they eat, because they didn't; but they were out and about swimming. They can be so fickle and delicate but insanely beautiful. I couldn't get myself to pay the amount for 4 specimens.

Jaag · Jun 20, 2018

Sierra_Bravo said:
I use Aquaclear 50 hang on back filters for the 20 gallon QT's, and I always have an extra filter sponge or two for that model in my display tank's sump so they are pre-populated with bacteria. I also use 2x2 marine pure blocks in my display tank's sump between the bubble trap. When I'm ready to QT I put two of the marine pure cubes and one of the sponges in the HOB filter and add a little Bio Spira. My filters are pretty much processing ammonia from the time I turn them on. I monitor with ammonia badges, siphon extra food, and change water once a week, but as a rule I never see ammonia spike up.

As I use the 2 x 2 marine pure blocks out of the sump I replace them with two more so I don't miss a beat.

Thanks for the input. Love your tank and planning on doing something pretty similar.
Do you have your tank running pretty low maintenance?

Flippers4pups · Jun 20, 2018

Sierra_Bravo said:
. . . and two more deceased this morning. I really do not like these things.

This is why I don't do chromis anymore.

Sierra_Bravo · Jun 20, 2018

Jaag said:
Thanks for the input. Love your tank and planning on doing something pretty similar.
Do you have your tank running pretty low maintenance?

I appreciate the comments!

It is much more "low-maintenance" now, but it took a year for the parameters to settle in and stay reliable. I test on Wednesday's and Saturday's. Saturday AM is when I do my maint tasks, which take 1 - 4 hours depending on what I have scheduled and how much coffee I've had. Other than that it's re-filling the auto top off, making water for this week's water change, cleaning the skimmer, etc. The worst and most time consuming maintenance is cleaning the Gyres and return pumps, but that happens only every other month or so.

Sierra_Bravo · Jun 20, 2018

Flippers4pups said:
This is why I don't do chromis anymore.

I hear you. I have four currently in my DT. . .but it took 11 to get the 4 through QT between aggression and uronema. The issue for me is that my wife really likes them, especially the black axil species, and asked me to get more. Seeing how she has zero interest in the "Fish Hole" as she calls my fish room, I want to take advantage of any opportunity in which she can be involved.

I wish she'd like snails. Snails are easy.

Jaag · Jun 20, 2018

I will be making a tank like yours when I finish grad school. What would some tips you could give me or advice? I have had a lot of tanks before but never an in-wall with a fish room behind it.
One thing I am going to do is that I will for sure be adding an Apex controller to make less work on myself and allow for me to leave the tank alone for periods of time.

Sierra_Bravo · Jun 20, 2018

Jaag said:
I will be making a tank like yours when I finish grad school. What would some tips you could give me or advice? I have had a lot of tanks before but never an in-wall with a fish room behind it.
One thing I am going to do is that I will for sure be adding an Apex controller to make less work on myself and allow for me to leave the tank alone for periods of time.

Tips, for what they are worth:

1. Plan and research your butt off. Use the forums to learn all the mistakes others have made to prevent you from making the same.
2. Develop a running list of everything you need or want. It will change as you research.
3. Buy the best equipment you can afford the first time.
4. Join a local Reef Club or Fish Club in your area if one is available to you. It's very helpful to have someone knowledgeable nearby that you can network with.
5. Take your time. Everything is about being patient and going slow.
6. To your point on automation: Redundancy is the key.

Best of luck - I'll look for your build thread after grad school!

Sierra_Bravo · Jun 20, 2018

justin.k.nelson said:
Nice, I use a hang on back trickle filter for immediate qt seeding. I keep a filter pad in my sump and pull it out when I need to run a qt and pull water from the dt to fill it. Immediate qt and no need to have it constantly running.

Thought about setting it up when I saw some purple queen anthias at aquarium design last weekend. Good thing I asked to see if they eat, because they didn't; but they were out and about swimming. They can be so fickle and delicate but insanely beautiful. I couldn't get myself to pay the amount for 4 specimens.

Aquadome had some Flavoguttatas anthias - they are the red saddleback ones - last Thursday when I called and I've always liked the way they looked but they are another of the more difficult species. Took a trip to Austin on Saturday to look at them and they had already all died.

I bet you and I have been in Aquarium Design at the same time before and never knew it. I go there frequently. I'd give you a description of me to look out for, but "chubby white dude with grey hair and beard" probably wouldn't narrow it down much.

BantyRooster97 · Jun 20, 2018

Great build & thread! Did you receive your bimacs? I have 3 and love them! On the anemone front... avoid them! I have 2 types of bubble tips & they constantly spit & kill. I have them basically on an island & I'm constantly afraid they will migrate. I have to keep that portion of my tank acro free. Learned the hard way, they kill fast! At one time my 3 nems turned into 14!!!!

I now have a separate nem tank (32 biocube - 4 types - sherman, RBTA, Quad speckled & a carpet) and only 1 acro frag, way away... it was kind of an accident frag I acquired.

Sierra_Bravo · Jun 20, 2018

BantyRooster97 said:
Great build & thread! Did you receive your bimacs? I have 3 and love them! On the anemone front... avoid them! I have 2 types of bubble tips & they constantly spit & kill. I have them basically on an island & I'm constantly afraid they will migrate. I have to keep that portion of my tank acro free. Learned the hard way, they kill fast! At one time my 3 nems turned into 14!!!!

I now have a separate nem tank (32 biocube - 4 types - sherman, RBTA, Quad speckled & a carpet) and only 1 acro frag, way away... it was kind of an accident frag I acquired.

Bimacs are coming next week - they are beautiful fish. I loved my Sherman but had to part with it for exactly the reasons you stated. I was given that advice by a very respected member of our local club who said the same thing. They are beautiful animals but really should have their own tank and space, IMO.

FarmerTy · Jun 20, 2018

Sierra_Bravo said:
Bimacs are coming next week - they are beautiful fish. I loved my Sherman but had to part with it for exactly the reasons you stated. I was given that advise by a very respected member of our local club who said the same thing. They are beautiful animals but really should have their own tank and space, IMO.

What? People respect me? What has this world come to? [emoji54][emoji23][emoji23]

Sierra_Bravo · Jun 20, 2018

FarmerTy said:
What? People respect me? What has this world come to? [emoji54][emoji23][emoji23]

Crap - I spelled "obnoxious" wrong.

(spelled "advice" wrong, too. . . don't you hate when your spelling error gets quoted and you can't fix it?)

BantyRooster97 · Jun 20, 2018

Careful with the bimacs, I was told they don't really like change & QT. I put mine in a tank with the exact same water as my main tank, with live rock & everything. They stayed in there, no drugs or treatment, for a few weeks while I observed them. Then into the display (along with 10 other fish). I was told they don't do well with various treatments and drugs.

Sierra_Bravo · Jun 22, 2018

Early morning FTS with my Yellow Watchman already looking for breakfast:

Sierra_Bravo · Jul 2, 2018

Posting so I have a picture here for later comparison. This is a frag I received from @BoomCorals of a wild acro he had clipped. It's been in the tank now a little over a month. It came in turquoise green near the bottom of the frag and a blue at the growing end that looked like glacier ice - very, very nice and unusual color. Corallites and polyps are light purple. The whole frag has an iridescent quality.

While the glacier blue color has muted a little after fragging, shipment, and acclimation, I think this guy will bounce back and be a stunner. For comparison that's an ORA Pearlberry behind it.

Any guesses as to the species and probable growth pattern?

Also posting the Sniper's Blueberry Yum Yum again as this is one of my favorite corals in the tank and has recently started to sprout some budding axial corallites. That and the fact my tank is nothing but sticks at the moment so when there is a little growth showing it's exciting for me!

Funny thing is this frag bleached on me completely and I almost gave up on it and threw it in the sump. Just goes to show never to count out a "dead" frag until coralline algae grows over it.