Orange Tube Coral

Probably the prettiest coral in the tank as of now.

New Fish

I have added some new fish to the resident list as well as a new coral. Check them out on the left side of the page. I will post some pics as soon as I can. The newbies are:

Orange Tube Coral
Blue Regal Tang
Yellow Head Jawfish (a really cool pair)

Vote Now!

Be sure to vote in my new poll. Let your opinion matter.

< ------- Vote Here.

Looking Good

The tank is looking really nice today. The new lights are really making the corals happy. Everything did well in the move to the new tank and have opened up nicely. The fish all seem happy and are eating well. Checked my water and everything is looking like it should.

Here are some photos of the new tank. See more by clicking on the link to my photo page on the left of the page.

New Tank!!

I have set up my new tank. It is really amazing and I am much happier with this tank compared to the old ones. This one is an 80 gallon half circle made by Oceanic. I have a cabinet and hood as well as a sump and some new lighting. I will be posting some more info and some photos of the tank shortly.

This is fun

Check this out. Posted on the MI Reefers chat. Let me know what you are worth.

$3990.00The Cadaver Calculator - Find out how much your body is worth. From Mingle2 - Free Online Dating

Mingle² - Free Online Dating

A new era...

I have been lucky enough to be upgrading my set-up! I have purchased a new 76 gallon half-circle Oceanic tank. This baby is amazing! I got an amazing deal from someone on Michigan Reefers. He is upgrading to a 200 gallon in wall tank and no longer needs this tank.

Here is a link to the thread about the tank as well as a picture. I am getting the stand, tank, canopy, sump, plumbing, and pumps from him. He will be emptying out his corals (which look amazing) and will have the tank ready for pick-up on Sunday. I will be sure to take lots of photos of the new set-up as I put it all together.

The future of the reef

Stay tuned for some possible news about the future of the reef!

Bad Luck and good news

I have had a string of bad luck lately. First my urchin and cleaner shrimps died due to me over salting my water change. I also bleached out a couple of corals. My fault and it is a bummer. Then one of my pumps sucked in my Kole tang and it died. I tried a blue tang (dory) same problem after 30 min in the tank...doh!

The good news is the other guys are all doing well. The two clowns are getting along great and the GSM clown is getting big! I have a coral banded shrimp and some nice new corals and a new light fixture.

All in all things are going well. I know where some of the problems were coming from and have fixed them.

New Photos!!

It has been a while (again) but I have posted new pictures of the tank on the link to the left. Let me know what you think.

It's back...

So about 2 months back I pulled out my feather duster. The butterfly was picking at it and I was going to take it to the fish shop for a trade. Well in trying to remove it I tore it in half and then had to pull it out and made a real mess. Well last night I was looking over the tank and noticed the feather duster is still there. It is small but growing and has a real nice feather. It is in its own little cave and the butterfly seems to be leaving it alone. I will try to post a picture but it is hard to get a good one.

New Fish

I have added a new fish. It is a foxface. This is a great fish I picked up from a fellow reefer. He had an overload of tanks and was clearing out his fish room. It is about 4" long and in great condition. The coolest part of this fish is his ability to change colors. When he is scared or stressed he becomes spotted and hides. He plays dead really well! I have added a link to a description on the fish list. I will also put up a picture soon.

New Relationship

Ok so I added a Pistol Shrimp today. (link on left to see him at saltwaterfish.com...he is only about 1" so too hard to photo in the tank) This little guy is really cool. The coolest part is the relationship he has with my Randall Goby. I have added a link for you to read more about this amazing relationship. Probably my new favorite thing to check out in the tank...if I can catch a glimpse. Click the title to get the link to more information.

New Photos!

At last I have posted a whole new page of photos. The tank is looking good (in my opinion) but you be the judge. Click the photo link to the left to see more. I have put a preview below:

My Favorite Coral

Ok it was hard to choose but I think this purple polyp is my favorite!

Danger, Danger

I have added a sweet long spine urchin today! Photos to follow. Also added a Brain Coral and a Big Red Mushroom.

More adjustments

I have added some more live rock and done a bit more to my aquascape. It is really looking nice now. New photos will be up soon so you can see all the new corals. I added a branching millepora today. Looks really cool!

My favoite site

There are a lot of saltwater sites out there. I have been on the Michigan Reefers site a lot lately. Check the forums! Click here

New Gear

I have added two essentail items to the tank.

First, a CPR BAKPAK protien skimmer. This is a hang-on model good for tanks up to about 65 gallons. I have a maxi 900 pump feeding it right now. It has been taking out great skimmate from the moment I powered it up. More info can be found here.

The second item is a UV sterilizer. I have a 9 watt Coralife Turbortwist. I have it set-up as a hang on with a aquaclear 70 powerhead. This unit is good for controlling algae, microrganisms, and parasites in up to 125 gallons. I did a fair amount of research and reading and felt this was a great model to meet my needs. I am using this primarily as a water purifier and to keep ich off my tang. Tangs are very suceptible to ich and a UV is one way to assit in ridding the chances. More info on the unit here.

I have noticed some water quality improvement since adding these on the tank. I have also done a water change and some aquasaping (mostly to hide some of the new powerheads) I hope to get some pictures up soon.

Back to posting

Well I haven't posted here in some time. I have been keeping my hands out of the tank and letting it run its course. I made a deal with Emily to leave it be (and no more spending for a while) I made it about 10 days without any changes. I did have to poke at the occasional snail or crap and do some glass scraping to clear of algae but I have some tools for those tasks. I have a pair of chopsticks taped together that make for a great poker!

All that being said I have made some major upgrades to the tank and have some new items to post about. More to come...

New Corals

I have added some new corals to the tank. I have a rock with several new Xenias and a Red Monitpora Coral. This is a hard coral and is much different from what I have had up to now. I have also added a piece of Green Montipora Coral. Hopefully these will continue to grow. They look really cool under actinics!

I have also updated the photo page. Be sure to see my new aquascape (10 additional lbs. of live rock) and close-ups of the residents.

I will have my new skimmer next week and a new UV sterilizer as well. I hope to hook it all up next Tuesday. Crystal clean water here I come!

Been a while

Ok well I haven't posted in a while. I have been busy and the tank has been doing well. I made a deal with myself to let the tank be for at least a week. I had been putting my hands in and messing with it a lot. Well I made it 9 days without a hand in the tank! In that time I had a lot of algae bloom and some good coral growth. The xenias both split so instead of 2 I have 4! Also my mushrooms got bigger and so did some polyps. I will get some new pics soon.

I did have an interesting development. My tang came down with ICH! I tried to catch it (yeah right) for a quarantine and freshwater dip but that didn't happen. Instead I have started to dose Garlic. I am using Kent Marine Extreme Garlic. In 3 days of dosing the ich is gone! I am very happy this worked. I am looking into getting a UV sterilizer to prevent future outbreaks. Hopefully I can have one set up soon.

Another big development is that I have aquired a protien skimmer! I chose a CPR Bak Pak 2 This will be an excellent addition to the tank! From my reading and research this is perhaps the best addition to any reef tank. I hope it brings crystal clean water and good coral growth with it!

Thanks for reading.

Sick tang?

I have been seeing what might be ich on my tang! My just be sand though.

Update to site

I have added a new spot on the sidebar to follow my water parameters. Hopefully this is of some interest. I will try to post trends as well as I notice them. I have also updated my poll since the Copperband is going to stay.


Also be sure to add yourself to my new guestmap on the left sidebar. I am interested in who is reading this and from where.

Photos

I have put all new photos on the photo page. See the link to the left.

News from reef town

I haven't posted in a while but have been busy. Lane has been really sick and I have not had much time on the tank. However there are some revisions to the LR set-up and some new fish. I have links on the side of my two new fish - Randall Goby and a Six-Line Wrasse. Both are really cool fish. The wrasse is very active and has great colors. I will try to get up a real picture of mine shortly. The goby looks amazing but is hidden a lot of the time. So when you catch a glimpse it is a double bonus :)

The Live Rock and aquascape have been modified slightly so I can add more in the future and build up higher. I have redesigned the caves a bit also. The fish seem pretty happy. I have done another water change and chemicals check. All the parameters are looking good. I am still not sure about my high alk. esp. since I am using R/O water exclusively but will keep an eye on it.

The other news is my anenome is still going strong. I am still not sure about my first two (although I suspect lack of lighting) but this one is really doing well. It is not a host for the clowns but is a cool addition.

Be sure to check out my photo page and check back here for some more updates and photos as well.

new goby

a glimpse of my new goby. More to follow.

Tank Update

We made it home from Florida and I am happy to report the tank looks great! Erin did a great job feeding while we were gone. I did have some algae growth and some minor cleaning to do but all in all it looks great. The one thing I am going to have to fix is the Damsel. That fish is a terrible bully and is picking on the maroon striped clown. He is all beat up and his tail and fins are torn apart. I tried last night to catch the Damsel but had no luck. Tomorrow I am going to try again an bait him. I am even willing to go so far as to take out my rocks if I have to. He has to go!

Nemo

Nice looking anenome tank

Mom? Dad?

This is one pregnant seahorse!

sea dragon Seahorse

emily was really sad when her seahorse died. I told her we will get one of these as a replacement.

2/2 t time.

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1/2 We are at the florida aquarium today. There is a 500000 gallon main tank. They have all kinds of mini tanks too. Ill send some photos as I ge

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New tank

I plan to install this baby in our next house :-D

New photos

I have posted some new photos of the entire tank on the photocast page. The tank really looks good. I am heading to Florida for a week so I probably won't be posting much to the blog. Be sure to check out our other BLOG to see how our trip is going.

Aquascape

I also mentioned earlier I did some more aquascaping. This was due to a rock that fell off its perch while I was at work on Tuesday. Anyway I have repositioned a couple of rocks in a more stable position. I would like to get about 2-3 more good size live rocks to finish up my aquascape. I think that project will wait about a week.

New Purple Tang

I got a great purple tang today! This fish is fantastic. I have been looking for one for a while and I guess they are pretty rare. I have put a link on my inhabitants list. Enjoy the photo.

New Additions & Aquascape

I found a new local fish shop today off of Wayne road called 'The Fish Tank' They have a georgeous display tank and lots of great looking fish. I bought some new guys and am currently dripping them into the tank. I'll put up some links on my current residents list. Check back later for more.

New coral

I have placed a great looking new coral in the tank today. It is a frogspawn. The picture is not the best but you can just make it out on the left side (green bubble like piece)

Photo Page

Ok I have done it...after all this time I have finally gotten a photo page up and running. I will try my best to keep up and keep the photos current. It can be found here: Photos

H2O change

I have done my first water change. I did it tonight at about 8:30. I changed out roughly 7 gallons. the tank is 38 so i figure i did a 20% change. The guys at fish doctors were EXTREMELY helpful with this. (http://www.fishdoctors.com/) I bought my R/O H2O there today. I'll have to update you Mon. as to how it went.

comments

this one is for you patty...if you click on the 'comments' link below each post it should bring up a window where you can post. I don't think you need to be a guest or anything. just type and click post. try again and let me know.

BUMMER!

Well I awoke this morning to find my blue linkia star melting off the rocks. It looks like he lost his insides and was dead. I really liked this star and am very disappointed. I am going to do some research and look into this death a bit closer as I would like to add another in the future.

Actinics

This is a pic of my new actinic set-up. These will be on until 10:00. Then the daylights will kick in too. I'll send a picture of that later today.

Copperband woes

Well as beautiful as the copperbanded butterfly is he is a pest. I think he is munching on some of my corals. That however is not my big bother. I have a very nice featherduster. I have made him a really cool little cave to live in. The butterfly has found the cave and now 'sleeps' in there and nips at the duster.

So here is the question...should the butterfly stay (he is really cool looking) or do we trade him for a tang & and angel and see if the duster will be more happy. Comments on this are welcome :)
Check out my new web pol.

Lighting

I have installed my new lighting. I now have 80 watts of lighting. I have made my own custom light set-up based on some fancy (more expensive) light sets. I have two coralife T-5 units. Each came with a 50/50 actinic and a 10k daylight bulb. (20 watts/bulb) I have taken the actinics out and put them in one unit and the daylights in the other. I also have dual led night light set. It is two pods with two twilight blue leds on each. (1 watt/bulb) I cycle the lights as follows: 8:00 actinics -- 10:00 daylights (and actinic) -- 1800 daylights off -- 2000 actinics off. The night lights stay on all the time. This cycle gives a nice morning, noon, and night effect to the tank. The nightlights really make the tank look sharp in the evening.


I have had the lights for about 2 weeks now and they are really slick. I have noticed a lot of growth and the nightlife seems to really like to come out into the twilight. I am considering shifting my lighting schedule by about an hour. I miss out on a lot of the daylight with them not coming on until 10.

Tank Updates

It has been a little while since my last post. I'm going to work on the tank today and will get some more photos up today and some good posts. Thanks for reading.

Contact Me

I have been working on this for about 2-3 weeks now. I have no idea who is looking at it or following the updates. Let me know via email if you are keeping up ad what you would like to see me posting about. Thanks.

New starfish

Lane and I picked up a blue linkia star today. It is really cool. Sort of melts into the rock.

2/2 my new lighting is in & I'm goong to install it today. Hopefully it will ressurect my anenome.

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1/2 Tank adjustments & additions. I have some new corals to add today. I also added a sally-lightfoot crab. I will get a pic up of him asap! Also

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anenome shrinkage

What is happening to my anenome!?

The Trouble With Anenomes

Well the new anenome isn't looking so good. he is sort of shrivled up and on the bottom of the tank. I have had this problem with 2 of them now. I am thinking it is a lighting problem. Tomorrow I will be getting another set of T-5 lights and double my wattage up to 80 watts or just over 2 watts/gallon. This should hopefully help. I hope he makes it until I can get the new lights. I will also be setting up a night light set. I'll get some pics of this up tomorrow.

Tank Check/Update

So far so good. I was at the station for 3 days and came home to some serious algae. However all the locals are doing well. After a nice Mysis (shrimp) brunch they were quite happy. Did a water top off and a water test and everything looks good. Have to go now.


As I said earlier I will try to get some pictures up soon.

Tank Status

Today the tank is looking good. All the fish seem happy. The GSM clown is a bit skiddish. I think he needs time to warm up to everyone. He does have a nice cave he has taken to. The feather duster also is skiddish only coming out at night. I will just have to watch the GSM closely to be sure he is eating. I will get some more photos of my tank up on Sunday. I will try to get some good close-ups and some photos of each fish. I think I will host that somewhere else so you can get a slide show.

Tank Update

Lane and I went to the LFS (local fish store) yesterday. We had our water checked for pH. I have been having trouble keeping the pH right on my tank. It turns out the pH was holding well but perhaps I was not reading the test right. The guys at the Fish Doctors (www.fishdoctors.com) set me straight once again. I have re-arranged my aquascape and will try to get up some pics a.s.a.p.

I have also aquired a new clown. I am trying a bit of an experiment with two clowns in the tank. I have had my occelaris clown (the nemo looking one) for about 8 months now and have added a gold striped maroon clown. I hope they will get along and be happy. Hopefully I can get a picture up shortly.

New Reef Tank

Here is the new tank all set up. I wish I had photos of the set-up process but I thought of this a bit too late.

Test mobile post.

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Original Reef

Here is quick photo of the 12 gallon I started with. This tank has been dis-assembled and all the inhabitant moved to the main reef.

Tank Details

Lets get right to it!

I am starting a reef aquarium at home. The tank is a 38 gallon received from Matt Lambert's home. I have it set-up as follows:

38 Gallon - 36" x 18" x 13"
30 lbs. Live sand
10 lbs. Crushed Coral Substrate
40 lbs. Live rock

200 watt heater
Aqualife hang-on filter (3 - stage bio filter w/carbon)
Powerhead unit (i don't know what kind or the volume...im working on that)
Coralife t-5 40 watt dual light fixture (50/50 actinic 20 watt & 10k daylight 20 watt) - I plan to add another soon

Parameters -

Salinity -1.023
pH - 8.2
kH - 11.2
Calcium - 410
Mg - uknown at this point
Ammonia - 0
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 0
Temp - 78 F

Original Fish Inhabitants - Percula Clown, Emperor Cardinal, Damsel, Seahorse.
Original Inverts - Cleaner shrimp, Bubble Tip Anenome, Several Misc. Snails
Original Corals - Zooanthids, Polyps, Xenia, mushrooms

This should get you started. I will post more soon about where the tank stands now. The items listed as 'original' were taken from my 12 gallon reef I started several months ago. They have been succesfully transferred over as I start to build my new reef.

WELCOME

Here we are January 2007. I am starting up this new blog to track my new aquarium. I will try to do a daily post on the happenings here at 'Reef Central'. I will post notes on the population, the water, changes, additions, deletions (let's hope not too many) and much more.

I hope you will check back often and let me know what you think. I am up for suggestions, changes, comments, etc.

Seth