This is it. My last build thread

[exnisstech]

6/23/24 Just an update. Tank is still doing well. I added 3 pincushion urchins and they are doing a good job on the rock.

Phosphates are starting to come down. 0.27 last sunday and 0.11 today. I'm glad @Stang67 early on advised to let PO4 level out on its own vs trying to lower them at that time. NO3 9.8 down a bit from 12.1 but at a level I'm comfy with. I'm still dosing 3ml of bacto balance daily and 12 drops zeobac and 30ml MB7 biweekly. Scrubber is still working well. I brought a rock with a couple coral on it over from my reefer 170 that had some GHA on it and am curious to see if it thrives, dies or gets consumed. This was in the 170

I brought my yellow banded possum wrasse over and he plays possum

Not sure if I mentioned it but I added a small six line a while back for pest control. It stays on the opposite end so I'm hoping the two will be ok in a larger tank.

Tank video

My reefer 300 is doing OK. Sticks are growing slowly but I'll take slow growth over RTN or STN any day. Ignore the bone white acropora on the rack. It's a newly discovered species I'm trying to grow out.

I've been wanting to pull the one rock posted above out of my 170 for a while but my blue haddoni was attached to the rock and the glass. I came in the other eve and saw it had moved to the opposite end so I made my move. Tank has been a mess with GHA all over. I took all the rock out and sprayed scrubbed and sprayed it with peroxide. I also did some scrubbing. I pulled an old piece of rock from my stock tank that has a suffering monticap and blueridge and added it. Hopefully the coral will come back. If not at least it'll add some bio diversity.
I had sand seeding in the 330 sump so I added that as well. The nem is enjoying having sand. Wonder how long the sand will stay white? I can never keep sand looking clean.

It was later in the eve but I wasn't going to wait and have the nem move back. Momma fell asleep on the couch waiting for me to finish.

I put my coral beauty in the 300 but my bristle tooth went ballistic on it so I had to put it back in the 170 Tank afterwards
I found a male CBB and my current one is female so I bought it and have hopes of a pair in the 330. It had only been in the store 2 days but looked healthy, no pinched head or indication of malnutrition and was pecking at all the rock. The store had one already eating but wanted $150 and this one was $80 so I took a chance.
I don't think he'll starve in here. Probably won't ever get hungry enough to eat frozen either lol.

That's it for now. Thanks for stopping by.

 

[Stang67]

What lfs do you go to?

 

[exnisstech]

What lfs do you go to?

I got the CBB from aquatic Technology in Columbia Station. I also frequent aquatica in valley city but their prices on live stock are higher than most so I just stop and look around once in a while. They wanted $30 for the urchins I got for $12 at salty critter in vermillion which is my go to store.

 

[Stang67]

That's what I thought. I love salty critter but it's a haul for me to get to. Greg at aquatic tech is nice albeit a bit eccentric. I'm not a fan of the crampedness of Aquatica so I don't go. I need to see what if any special stuff my new guys can get in and get my gift card to the new shop in Solon.

 

[exnisstech]

Well as I thought the new CBB has way too much food in the stock tank so he has no reason to eat what I'm offering. Aiptasia are disappearing so that's good. I came up with a high tech solution. Build a split level and limit the amount of live rock he has to graze on.

Day 3 after the renovation and he's eating live black worms yay.

 

[lbacha]

Great tank, I’m setting up 310 and can’t wait to get it wet. Looks like we are pretty local as Aquatica and AT are my local fish stores as well.

 

[exnisstech]

Great tank, I’m setting up 310 and can’t wait to get it wet. Looks like we are pretty local as Aquatica and AT are my local fish stores as well.

Almost neighbors. Thanks for stopping by.

 

[lbacha]

Almost neighbors. Thanks for stopping by.

I love the name of your thread, I’ve been in the hobby over 30 years and this tank may be my last build. I’m hoping for 10-15 years out of it so everything is being overbuilt lol (at least I told my wife this is the last build but we all know how that works)

 

[exnisstech]

The new CBB has settled in well. He is eating black worms, PE mysis and earth worms.


I think rather than bring him up and dump him into the DT and hope he adjusts I'm going to bring the supposed female (my judgment) down and put them together for a while and see if they bond. If it doesn't work it will be much easier to bring her back up vs trying to catch him out of the display
Her

 

[exnisstech]

Disclaimer: there is no reef related content below I'm just reminiscing.

I just wanted to share a video memory . It's 5 minutes long not counting how long it takes you to read this so if your in a hurry move along . Since we built our home we've raised several litters of baby racoons, a baby quail, a baby sparrow named turd bird, a litter of red squirrels, had green herons nest in our trees in the front yard and got to watch the babies learn to fly by jumping up to the higher branches while flapping their wings. This however is the highlight. The valley behind our house flooded a few years back and drove this family to higher ground. They took occupation of the ground hog mound behind my shop. They stayed for a few weeks then left. I'm not a videographer and most of this was shot from our bedroom window through screen. If you've made it this far I hope you get a bit of pleasure from watching.



EDIT: I get nothing but is better viewed in full screen

 

[Stang67]

Disclaimer: there is no reef related content below I'm just reminiscing.

I just wanted to share a video memory . It's 5 minutes long not counting how long it takes you to read this so if your in a hurry move along . Since we built our home we've raised several litters of baby racoons, a baby quail, a baby sparrow named turd bird, a litter of red squirrels, had green herons nest in our trees in the front yard and got to watch the babies learn to fly by jumping up to the higher branches while flapping their wings. This however is the highlight. The valley behind our house flooded a few years back and drove this family to higher ground. They took occupation of the ground hog mound behind my shop. They stayed for a few weeks then left. I'm not a videographer and most of this was shot from our bedroom window through screen. If you've made it this far I hope you get a bit of pleasure from watching.



EDIT: I get nothing but is better viewed in full screen

Foxes are so awesome. I just get baby bunnies, deer and groundhogs. You are so lucky!!!

 

[exnisstech]

Foxes are so awesome. I just get baby bunnies, deer and groundhogs. You are so lucky!!!

It was really cool for us. Felt like I was filming for national geographic lol

 

[907_Reefer]

Those are some awesome shots! Very cool
I tell ya, I could never live somewhere without some nature and it's visitors.

One of our residents this season:

 

[exnisstech]

Those are some awesome shots! Very cool
I tell ya, I could never live somewhere without some nature and it's visitors.

One of our residents this season:

That is beautiful. Looks. Like a fox but nothing like we get here?

 

[907_Reefer]

That is beautiful. Looks. Like a fox but nothing like we get here?

My ID is Coyote, but not a lot of experience with these guys, first time we've had any in 11 years here..

 

[exnisstech]

Had my helper here for a few days this week. I explained about toxins and not touching his face until he washed his hands.
He's drawn to the little things, asterinas here. Shrimp and little hermits in the DTs

He loves checking out the tanks. The sumps are his favorite area. He likes all the stuff going on down there.


I decided to take a more serious approach to removing the gha that that has gotten out of hand in the reefer 170. I turned off all the flow and went in with a scraper and scraped the entire back wall then took a brush and had a go at the rocks. I just let the gha settle and vacuumed it out. It ended up being an 8g WC at the end.

One of two batches

Next day, not too shabby.

Had a bubble tip living inside a pot in the basement so I brought it up. About 30 minutes in and it's moving to the rock. I've never kept bubble tips with a carpet in a small tank so this should be interesting.

 

[exnisstech]

Adding the bubble tip was short lived. It crawled up the rock and was getting ready to attach right next to the brightest coral in the tank. Not happening so back to the basement it goes. I like nems but I'm glad I didn't bring any into the new tank.

 

[Stang67]

Yeah not a fan of them. I am hoping something in the new fowlr will eat them?

 

[exnisstech]

Yeah not a fan of them. I am hoping something in the new fowlr will eat them?

I wonder if there is a natural predator? They're tough that's for sure.

 

[lbacha]

Adding the bubble tip was short lived. It crawled up the rock and was getting ready to attach right next to the brightest coral in the tank. Not happening so back to the basement it goes. I like nems but I'm glad I didn't bring any into the new tank.

I would love a Nem in my new tank but I don’t trust them to stay put and not overtake the tank