Khemul's 75g Soft Coral Reef

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Khemul

Sea Bunny
Oct 14, 2010
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South Florida
Okay, so technically it was moved a couple weeks okay. But between re-acclimating everyone (mainly the leathers) and accidentally melting an LED driver (which didn't help the acclimation when the whole tank went yellow/orange for a couple days), it took a little longer then expected.


Evicting the previous occupants. They really needed a bigger tank. Usually a good sign when 5 gallon buckets are what is used to transfer the fish to what will actually be holding them for the move... :nilly:



And it is reborn. Since the plecos don't like saltwater (haven't tried it, but I assume they don't...) they got the new 125 that is now sitting in the living room.

New setup is rather simplistic. The last setup was rather simplistic, and this one even more so, which is hard to accomplish.
Lighting is a DIY LED setup. 12 Royal Blue (85%) / 8 Neutral White (75%). Eventually it'll be brought up to 100% @ 1.2a. Figure wattage-wise it is slightly less then the T5. Power-wise...still stubbornly trying to figure out how to limit light-spillage short of adding optics.
Filtration is...well, it was going to be the same Fusion filter from the last setup, but the manufacturer apparently didn't expect anyone to try to use one on a 75g. It fits, barely. And it causes a waterfall unless I keep the water level very high. For now, it is off while I debate whether to replace it or just rely on the macro for cleaning the water.
Flow is a partially modded (might go full mod soon) Tunze 6015 and two fully modded Koralia Nano 425's. Seems to work so far, although I doubt SPS would be happy in here. I could probably increase flow a bit more by completing the Tunze mod.
The little HOB refugium is now hanging out behind the tank, getting some sunlight during the day. It's crawling with what I hope are pods (for some reason things "crawling" in water just doesn't sit well with me...). Frags were moved to the new DIY frag rack, so the refugium is now just a macro dump (although I believe there are still two baby Kenyas, because...who knows really).

So, on with the tour.


The new frag rack. Basically egg crate glued to a mag float, painted black.



The emperor of the tank, viewing his domain from his new thrown.



Right side of the tank. Kenya Trees, Green Star Polyps, Xenia Elongata (no idea why this stuff survives since the other forms disintegrated). Gracilera, Halidema and Caulerpa Prolifera for the macros.



GSP seems to be settling in well.


I gotta do some heavy trimming, before the purple's gang up on the lone green and kill it.







Middle. Pipe Organ, polythoas, Sinularia (or Nephthea... or Green Tree Coral...). Titan, Dragon's Breath (I think...), Caulerpa Cuppresoides (if I can keep it from disintegrating, again) and Caulerpa Prolifera.








Left side. Err, leathers. :laugh: Fiji Yellow Toadstool, (Purple) Toadstools, some type of thick finger leather (we'll call it Sinularia for now), another Green Tree Coral (we'll call it Sinularia for now...that name gets around enough), Cabbage Leather (it may or may not be Sinularia...). Dragon's Breath, Caulerpa Prolifera (it's everywhere, it really is) and Cymopolia Barbata.


If one can't tell, that Springer's Damsel loves the camera.


Which reminds me, I need to take pictures of the livestock sometime...
 

greech

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May 13, 2009
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Looks great. If you keep the fish load as is, you might be ok with good flow and weekly water changes. You don't have anything in there that can't tolerate or won't benefit from a little nutrients. Something to run carbon and GFO would be good.

Maybe you can get some jaebo WP-40's :).

Totally opposed to a HOB skimmer?

That's one heck of a sandbed! Still have those pistols?
 

Khemul

Sea Bunny
Oct 14, 2010
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South Florida
Fish load is staying roughly the same. Maybe another Tailspot and another Springer Damsel, although there are two Yellowtails also so a 4th damsel may just be pushing it. The Flame Cardinal was going to be my heaviest bioload, but he unfortunately went carpet surfing before I could get the cover put on right (so did the Shrimp Goby but he had the good sense to do it in front of me, so he survived).


I may consider a HOB skimmer in the future. LED project sort of killed my reef budget for a while... as did the new house (not sure how everything coordinates when to break so perfectly). A HOB skimmer is on the potential upgrade list. A few steps down though. A Ranco controller is the next project. Then a new HOB filter.

The Fusion filter got snatched for other duties today. The kid dumped perfume in her grandmas Angel (cichlid) tank at some point, so that was a fun mess to clean up. The filter will have a new home on that tank, since the others on it were breaking down. Didn't quite nuke the take, but close.


The pistols... only found two during the move. Not sure what happened there. The tank was on low feedinf for two weeks (took longer then expected to make room after the furniture and boxes were moved over), so they may have gotten picked off then. I know the hair algae got slaughtered during that time. And my last Ricordea vanished. Actually surprised it wasn't worse.

But I did get a really nice deal on a mystery Jawfish (maybe a juvie Banded, or it may be a goby - store manager was quite sure of it being a type of Jawfish...) from a local store. They didn't know what it was supposed to be priced (no label), so a manager we know said they'd call it a damsel.
 
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greech

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Cute little guy. I would say blenny too but no clue what kind.
 

Ace25

www.centralcoastreefclub. com
Oct 3, 2005
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I believe that is a 'Dusky Jawfish', Opistognathus whitehurstii, or it could be a Banded Jawfish, Opistognathus macrognathus. Their patterns vary so much and they look so similar they can be hard to tell apart. From the look of its head though I would definitely say it is a jawfish and not a goby or blenny. Closest blenny I have seen would be a Lizard Blenny but their heads are much more pointed.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+1637+183&pcatid=183
 
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greech

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I thought dusky as well at first but the head on every one I have seen has a much darker head.
 

Khemul

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Oct 14, 2010
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South Florida
For now I'm calling it a Jawgobyblennysandperchfish. Hard to pronounce but it covers all bases. :D

I thought Jawfish had bigger mouthes, but don't have enough experience with them to really ID one (I only see Pearl and Blue Spotted around here). Sandperch did come to mind, since we do see them occasionally, but yeah, the nose isn't right for that. Banded was my original thought although Dusky could fit also.

No digging so far. It seems to be touring the caves of the tank. House-hunting, fish-style.
 
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LauraL

AC Members
Jan 1, 2009
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Great pictures. beautiful tank! (This is what my starter tank wants to grow up to look like. :))
 
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