WheatToast's Anti-Reef (Aqueon 40-gallon Breeder)

[ccole]

It's looking great so far! How do you like the gulf live rock? I started my tank with around 50 pounds and really loved all the stuff that came on it!

 

[WheatToast]

It's looking great so far! How do you like the gulf live rock? I started my tank with around 50 pounds and really loved all the stuff that came on it!

I actually used around 15 pounds of old LFS live rock (which I would assume originated from the Indo-Pacific). However, I am loving my Live sand from Gulf Live Rock so far for the looks and hitchhikers. Sorry if I was a little confusing, calling the sand Gulf Live Sand.

 

[WheatToast]

More shots of the sand:

The bivalve shell in image 2 and the gastropod shells in image 3 are empty. I also hope the Watercress/Cactus algae (Halimeda sp.) survives.

 

[WheatToast]

Yesterday, I replaced my Jebao RW-8 with a Nero 5 after the former broke down. I am quite impressed with the customization and Bluetooth control so far.

Maybe I should rename this aquarium to Shifting Sand Land…

 

[WheatToast]

FTS Fri… oh wait a minute.

 

[WheatToast]

More shots of the gravel and rubble that came in the sand:

 

[WheatToast]

Great work down there! Keep it up!

 

[WheatToast]

I added even more (< 5 pounds) live rock yesterday from my old tank (came from the same LFS as my other rock and made it through a year in my temperate system).

Conquer the summit (heh… CONCHuer)!

Love the smooth, mauve Coralline algae! The Aiptasia… not so much.

And here is an old barnacle cluster from Amazon. Amazingly, a few sprigs of Chaetomorpha attached themselves to it (maybe through spores) in addition to other macroalgae.

You can find it here:
Amazon product


Edit: Yes, I am sure that is Chaetomorpha and not any other algae. I got a mound from the LFS a year ago (which fell apart, likely due to high flow) and the filaments of green algae in the above picture look exactly like the filaments in the mound I purchased (just in much smaller quantities).

 

[WheatToast]

And here is an old barnacle cluster from Amazon. Amazingly, a few sprigs of Chaetomorpha attached themselves to it (maybe through spores) in addition to other macroalgae.

You can find it here:
Amazon product


Edit: Yes, I am sure that is Chaetomorpha and not any other algae. I got a mound from the LFS a year ago (which fell apart, likely due to high flow) and the filaments of green algae in the above picture look exactly like the filaments in the mound I purchased (just in much smaller quantities).

Here’s the Chaetomorpha back in early 2020 (January 10). That barnacle cluster in the background is not the same as the one I posted about earlier (though you might see it eventually…).

 

[WheatToast]

For anyone who is curious, the LFS I always refer to is All About Fish in Pleasant Hill, California. The co-owners are retiring, so you have a week to grab something at the store (everything is on sale) before it closes (they couldn't find the right person to keep it going). This means that there are no longer any "major" LFS's serving my area, to my knowledge (as if the permanent closure of Aquarium Concepts (Dublin, California) back in 2017 wasn't already bad enough).

Here is a video of the store:
KESSIL - Store Profile - All About Fish

 

[WheatToast]

Good evening, Mysids!

How common is it to find mysid shrimp as live rock hitchhikers?

 

[WheatToast]

Bonus:
Here is my old temperate build at its peak:

 

[WheatToast]

And there goes one of my Dove snails on a morning hike…

 

[WheatToast]

More images!

 

[WheatToast]

I just received my first online order of livestock today! Specifically, I received 5 different species of macroalgae from indoorcoral on eBay.

Here is what I got:
Caulerpa brachypus
Caulerpa chemnitzia (peltata)
Caulerpa prolifera
Gracilaria hayi
Ulva sp.
A single string of Chaetomorpha was also tangled with the C. chemnitzia.

Included packaging

The gang's all here

Caulerpa brachypus

Caulerpa chemnitzia

Caulerpa prolifera

Gracilaria hayi

Ulva with hitchhiker Chaetomorpha

Current FTS with temporary macroalgae placement (sorry for the cloudiness, I just moved the MarinePure)

Down in the refugium

The quality of the macroalgae was excellent! Everything was also double bagged! Thanks indoorcoral!

Check them out!:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?isRefine=true&_pgn=1&sid=indoorcoral

 

[WheatToast]

And now… white light!

 

[LegalReefer]

Looking good, that macro will be awesome once it starts growing in

 

[Alaeriel]

My tiny chunks of caulerpa entirely filled my 10 gallon seahorse tank in a month. Prolifera is aptly named!

 

[WheatToast]

I am bored. Here are some new pictures:

Clearer FTS

Dorvillidae worm (I think) with Coralline

The garden

Brown macroalgae from my holding tank (Aqueon 10-gallon Standard) that started out as a spore (seemingly came from nowhere) in my previous build. It is being blasted with flow from the Nero 5. Also note the branching Coralline to the bottom left (came in the Gulf Live Sand).

 

[WheatToast]

Hitchhiker Chaetomorpha on the roll!