PaulS.46122 Posted August 13, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2019 I like it. The controllability is awesome and hoping for good things. Corals so far seem to like it too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted August 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2019 I recently received a Hanna Alk checker as a gift. Figuring alk was not as consistent as I would prefer in my little tank. When I ran it for the first time I was shocked to see my alk was at 7.4. First year it stayed pretty steady around 8.5 - 8.4. I then thought the MG would be the culprit for being low Well I spent 2.5 hours with the tank this morning. Running multiple tests, btw i need to get a mg and ca Hanna checker cause these drop tests suck. The Hanna checkers are so easy to use! Anyway tested the tank before a waterchange, new mixed saltwater, and after the waterchange. Also did a big cleaning of the pump, return line, and rear chambers. Flow is turned up to max on the Sicce 0.5 pump with the stock return nozzle. Getting tons of flow now too! May need to turn down the flow a bit, but we will see. So here are my results: 8-18-19 Pre-Waterchange Tank MG 1410 ALK 7.3 CA 470 TEMP 78.4 SALINITY 1.026 Mixed Saltwater before Waterchange MG 1470 ALK 9.5 CA 490 TEMP 78.6 SALINITY 1.026 Tank after waterchange MG 1440 ALK 8.2 CA 480 TEMP 78.4 SALINITY 1.026 It looks like my MG and Calcium are pretty steady but the Alk is dropping a bit more than I would prefer. I’m thinking either multiple changes weekly or dosing. Not sure I want to go the dosing route just for Alk but open to suggestions. I think WC’s might be best for this tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted August 31, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2019 I’ve lost the zoas, but saved some others in the time being. I’ve also had to move the Duncan lower in the tank as it wasn’t a fan of the new light. Still looking for a toadstool to put under the return nozzle. Also a few zoas too With the top of the main rock empty I need to find something to fill out that area Maybe a birdsnest or bubblegum digi 🤷♂️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted September 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2019 Lately I feel my tank is missing something. I’m wanting this little tank to be nice and full eventually and I understand it will take time. So trust me I’m not looking for a quick fix. What I am looking for is a coral suggestion for the upper portion of my rockwork. The gorgs from @Budmanjust don’t look right where they sit and they have been moved behind the candy cane coral colony. They are doing fantastic and growing like weeds. I had a Duncan up there but it has closed up and decided not to open again for almost two weeks now. So I have no idea what’s going on with it. I’m looking for something with “height” to fill in some space at the top of the tank. My eyes tell me birdsnest, but my brain says “no man you don’t wanna deal with that”. See I don’t want to chase numbers, or dose. Ideally I would prefer just to do water changes and let it be. I also feel like my tank wouldn’t have enough flow for those SPS as I’m not running a powerhead, just an upgraded pump and spinstream nozzle. I also want to stay away from anemones. Something about them give me anxiety. Afraid they will walk and sting everything. I love euphyllia but have been burned before. Loosing all my torches to BJD. Something says a nice torch colony up top might look great but what could I put on the sides that wouldn’t get stung. I just feel like moving the blue and yellow hammers up top and filling out below them. Favias, zoas, something else? Argh..... the trials and tribulations of a nano tank. So what say you? What would you do and why? Lay it out and give me some ideas/encouragement. I love this hobby but just stuck with this moment in time with my tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chac317 Posted September 11, 2019 Report Share Posted September 11, 2019 You could do a nice toadstool, maybe a weeping willow. Pretty much indestructible and would give you the movement you’re looking for, although it may outgrow the tank in time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted September 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2019 24 minutes ago, chac317 said: You could do a nice toadstool, maybe a weeping willow. Pretty much indestructible and would give you the movement you’re looking for, although it may outgrow the tank in time. Yea I'm wanting to grab one of those, but not sure I want it at the top of the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo620 Posted September 11, 2019 Report Share Posted September 11, 2019 I understand the heart ache Paul. You know what would look amazing up there? Some yellow. I can imagine a nice Japanese Fat head Dendro. You could leave the gorg and put the dendro in front of the gorg slightly over the candy canes. They grow like a Duncan colony in shape. Hardy cause they’re NFS. just gotta feed it, but it’s high enough it should catch food daily from fish feeding. I got mine from POTO. here’s a pic of the colony mine came from. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted September 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2019 Dude that’s purdy! I guess I just don’t remember seeing yours in your tank. I’ll have to take a look next time I’m up your way. Hell I’ll be in Japan next month Maybe I can do some LFS shopping 😂🤣 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted November 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2019 I don't know if this a common thing with us that keep tanks, but my motivation and desire to keep this tank running is slowly fading. Has this happened to any of you that are following? How did you break the burnout? Cause I am seriously thinking of selling it all off and moving on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNewby82 Posted November 1, 2019 Report Share Posted November 1, 2019 Easy...you start up a 2nd tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted November 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2019 29 minutes ago, ReefNewby82 said: Easy...you start up a 2nd tank. Haha, yea that's not going to happen. I'm not sure I'm ready for another tank as my enjoyment is just not as it once was with this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo620 Posted November 2, 2019 Report Share Posted November 2, 2019 I here you Paul. I’m struggling too. Not enjoying it right now. All due to my inability to keep things alive. i found giving yourself more of a challenge is a good motivator. Try sps only. Won’t be too difficult to switch what you have. Plus you can start by selling off your Lps and softy collection for sticks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chac317 Posted November 2, 2019 Report Share Posted November 2, 2019 Honestly I found myself in the same situation a few months back and decided to stop buying stuff and just leave it be and whatever happens happens, and I was prepared to start over if needed. Surprisingly (or maybe not) the tank did better than ever just by ignoring it, aside from biweekly water changes. I’m in the process of some major changes to rock work and lighting in my tank now and have seen some negative effects in some of my corals which I assume is due to the changes. I’m going through another period of trying not to buy livestock and just let things settle again so time will tell if it will work again. hang in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted November 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2019 6 hours ago, Gonzo620 said: I here you Paul. I’m struggling too. Not enjoying it right now. All due to my inability to keep things alive. i found giving yourself more of a challenge is a good motivator. Try sps only. Won’t be too difficult to switch what you have. Plus you can start by selling off your Lps and softy collection for sticks. Im not sure it’s a challenge I need. Things are doing fine in my tank for the most part. I find myself messing with this tank more than any other tank I’ve owned, and it really isn’t that much to be honest. I just don’t look at it the same or get excited about it anymore. 1 hour ago, chac317 said: Honestly I found myself in the same situation a few months back and decided to stop buying stuff and just leave it be and whatever happens happens, and I was prepared to start over if needed. Surprisingly (or maybe not) the tank did better than ever just by ignoring it, aside from biweekly water changes. I’m in the process of some major changes to rock work and lighting in my tank now and have seen some negative effects in some of my corals which I assume is due to the changes. I’m going through another period of trying not to buy livestock and just let things settle again so time will tell if it will work again. hang in there! Thanks. I’m sitting here looking at it right now and it still brings me a little bit of joy, but not as much as it used too. I haven’t bought anything for the tank in a couple months. There isn’t really anything out there that screams “I need that!” Sicce even decided that they wanted to sponsor me and sent me some new pumps and other products to showcase. That was cool but not really enough to keep me motivated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryansweet Posted November 5, 2019 Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 I think we've all gone through this at one point or another. When I lived in Florida I had 3 tanks up (2 reef, 1 fowlr) and started having issues. "Luckily" me moving back to Indiana made the decision easy for me to sell everything instead of trying anything else. I was tankless for maybe 2 months when I got back to Indy, found a great deal on a Red Sea 34gal which I promptly made upgrade to everything and stocked it beautifully. That was up for app 1 1/2yrs before I got bored (I'm guessing because of the smaller size) and started making changes. During one of those changes I was moving things around and accidentally crushed my starry blenny, which crashed the entire tank within 2 days. I gave that tank away and swore to never get another one. About a year later I went to a friend's house who had a tank and got the itch. Looked around, found my 75gal and it's been up for 7yrs now. I'm now in the process of upgrading to a 120gal, if I can find the focus to get it done... But it doesn't hurt to take a break if your interests fade or change. That's one of the things I like about the hobby. Yes it's an expensive hobby, but you can always take a break and it'll be there when you get the drive again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentNight1793 Posted November 5, 2019 Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 What about changing it to an all NPS tank? Maybe do some spider sponges, dendro, and a flame scallop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted November 6, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2019 13 hours ago, SilentNight1793 said: What about changing it to an all NPS tank? Maybe do some spider sponges, dendro, and a flame scallop I have thought of that, but the pricing and availability of some of what I would keep is something that keeps me away from going that route. I figure, if I walk away, then its for good. Still bouncing around ideas to keep my interest alive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted December 31, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2019 So..... I took the month of November to really evaluate this tank and my desire to keep it. I went back and forth a lot last month. Doing minimal work and the necessary water changes on the tank to keep it going. I even sold off a few pieces of coral in preparation to shut it down. The desire to keep it going after vacation wasn't there like in the past, but something was still there to keep it going for November. At some point I decided to keep this little box of water and take it slow and get it back to what it once was. Another positive over that time was I saw an increase in growth in all of my corals. Decided to keep it going and enjoying the decision. Nothing like a few new additions to the tank to make you start loving it all over again, right? Thanks @puffdragon and @ddeurloo for the new additions! In the past week I have added: ORA Birdsnest Red Digitata Splatter Hammer Coral Neon Green Toadstool Neon Green GSP Tube Anemone I'd say that's a good end to 2019. We will see how they fair in 2020. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted January 6, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2020 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted January 15, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2020 I’m really loving the look of my tank right now. It’s not massive and doesn’t pack in too many designer corals but that’s not what I’m going for. I’m keeping something easy to keep for myself and the types of corals that interest me. I think that is key to success in this hobby. There are quite a few members here who I’ve purchased corals from as well. Very few are from local shops or swaps, so thank you. this tank will be 3 years old next month. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefNewby82 Posted January 16, 2020 Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 Very true sir...you are the one who has to be happy looking at your tank and caring for it. Glad you got it back into a state you are happy with!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted February 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 Hard to believe but this tank will be 3 years old Saturday. It’s going to get a new ATO for its birthday because the current one decided to fail last night. 🤷♂️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted February 26, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2020 Damn you BJD! My favorite blue hammer. 😭😭😭 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted March 15, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 Tank as of yesterday. Picked up a couple new stunning frags from @ReefNewby82 this afternoon. Gonna get them acclimated and hopefully covering parts of the rock work that is bare from loosing the blue hammer coral. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned in the past but this tanks corals are 80% from members of this club. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS.46122 Posted March 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2020 Here are the frags I picked up from Mr. Grimes. So many to choose from, not enough cash to bring them all home. These 4 will fit right in though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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